Sunday Cartoons

More cartoons at Flopping Ace and Reaganite Republican.

RELATED: "Biden Golfed in Hours Preceding Hurricane."(Via Memeorandum.)

'I Have a Dream'

Today's the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, speech:

I'll try to put something up on this later, but check USA today, "Prayer service pays tribute to Rev. Martin Luther King."

And check Linda Valdez, at Arizona Republic, for just how screwed up the left's vision of Dr. King is today: "Today's Dems, progressives would disappoint Rev. King."

The dream is alive. Blacks have squandered much of it, IMHO. Not all of them, but an awful lot have no clue on how much equality they enjoy today. But more later ...

Beware the Danger of the Right!

I just read this phenomenal essay from Robert Stacy McCain, "The Politics of Fear."

I get a shout out as well!

The Slow Disappearance of the American Working Man

At Business Week.

For generations, American workers kept up with technological change by achieving higher levels of education than their parents. High school education became the norm as the country progressed from an agrarian society to an industrial one. After World War II, increasing numbers of Americans went to college as the economy became more complex. But for reasons not fully understood, college graduation rates essentially stopped growing for men in the late 1970s, shortly after the Vietnam War ended, perhaps in part because draft deferments were no longer an inducement. Women, on the other hand, continued to pursue college degrees in greater numbers and have been more responsive to the changing economy in other ways, taking many of the nursing and technician positions in the expanding health-care industry and making greater headway in service jobs.

While unemployment is an ordeal for anyone, it still appears to be more traumatic for men. Men without jobs are more likely to commit crimes and go to prison. They are less likely to wed, more likely to divorce, and more likely to father a child out of wedlock. Ironically, unemployed men tend to do even less housework than men with jobs and often retreat from family life, says W. Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia.

Keep reading.

It's a changed economy. The traditional working man will be back to work when the economy comes back. But those outsourced jobs and the declining returns to college education are probably permanent features of the American post-industrial economy. Again, with growth, new opportunities will open up for those in construction and services, and of course the college educated will see more opportunities in the professional sectors like law and finance. I wouldn't read too much into it beyond that. We've been seeing variations on these trends for decades.

More on this stuff later.

'I Admire Your Passion'

My classes went really well last week. And recall on Tuesday I mentioned that I'd be covering Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address during lectures. Well, I stress how President Lincoln appealed to Thomas Jefferson in the first paragraph of the Address, where he wrote:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

The Civil War was not initially fought for the emancipation of the slaves, but for the preservation of Union. After Gettysburg the correlation of forces was shifting, and when Lincoln was asked to present at the dedication for the Soldiers' National Cemetery, he put great effort into composing a dedication that would transcend divisions and unify the continued campaigns around an elevated set of war aims focusing on human freedom and the American experience. Should the country be forever divided, it was very well possible that the spark of liberty would forever "perish from the earth."

While presenting the discussion to my students, I pull up my photo of President Lincoln's statue at the Lincoln Memorial, and I ask if students have visited Washington, D.C. A lot of students have not been to the nation's capital, so I share how I felt when I've visited, and I stress how deeply affected I have been, and how especially moving is the Lincoln Memorial. My textbook features a photograph of the left-hand wall of the Memorial, where the Address is engraved, and I mention how there are always people sitting down beneath it, reading quietly in appreciation. And then I remind students that Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Memorial. And if you visit, make sure to look for the inscription at the top of the steps, where it says that MLK delivered his speech from that very spot, August 28th, 1963. And I recite for my students how Dr. King challenged the country to "live out the true meaning of its creed, that all men are created equal." And I draw the line of liberty back from Dr. King to Abraham Lincoln to Thomas Jefferson, and I remind folks that while this nation was indeed founded in crisis --- the crisis of slavery --- our greatness lies in our charter documents, pieces of parchment holding the political philosophy that pushes Americans to a higher moral standard, a template of universal goodness, one that still shines bright in the world. And we as citizens can't just stand on the sidelines hoping that the American democracy will continue, but that we have an obligation to ourselves and our fellow citizens to continue the work of our forefathers, to continue to ensure that democracy "shall not perish from the earth."

In any case, I do enjoy the discussions with students, and after my very last class on Tuesday, a young woman named Rebekah came up after I dismissed the class, and she said to me, "You know, Dr. Douglas, I admire your passion." I thanked her and I returned the compliment, because she's been very engaged in class, asking questions and volunteering to lead the discussions. Moments like that are what really make teaching meaningful. I hope I have a lot more of these over the course of the semester.

Also, related, I blogged Steven Givler's recent essay on the New York Times, where he mentioned we might benefit from the example of community college professors, and after I commented at the post, Steven wrote:

Hi Donald, I was actually thinking of you when I mentioned the community college.

As I always say, conservatives are good people. And I'm strengthened by the periodic feedback I receive that I am indeed doing something that is good and decent, and those efforts are not entirely overlooked by both my students and those who have followed my writing. Those of us of good moral standing know that decency and right always prevail, but we can never let our efforts wane, for Satan's toilers stalk along the sidelines, looking for a chance to weaken us and pave the way for darkness to spread across the land. We have faced the danger in history and we have come near to it again of late. Thankfully, the Obama interregnum is now half past, and we can soon push to victory in 2012 and reclaim some of the liberty that the dark side has vanquished.

Be strong dear friends and readers. I'm still in the fight.

A Mindless, Nihilistic Dirge In Praise of a Godless Universe

From Kathy Shaidle, "Where’s Guy Fawkes when you need him?":

In honor of goddam Jack Layton, the goddam bells on the goddam Peace Tower played goddam “Imagine” — a mindless, nihilistic dirge in praise of a Godless universe.

Kathy's talking about the Ottawa Peace Tower, and the memorial for the late New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton.

This reminds me of idiot Bonejob Brendan Keefe, who murderously hates David Horowitz, because the latter has rightly excoriated radical socialist progressivism as a nihilist project of hate, demonization and destruction. Sometime back, I commented at Bonejob's, and he whined like a child:

I would say in particular that this phrase from your blurb of his book -- "the freakish nihilism of the radical left" -- doesn't even make sense in light of what this book of his is supposed to be about: "the Left has continued to advance its socialist schemes …" Stipulating for the moment that We have such an Agenda, it can hardly be said to be nihilist to have one -- to seek to advance a different social order (or to foist one upon you, if you insist) is not at all the same thing as wanting to do away with any and every social order, just for the sake of destruction.

Blah. Blah. Blah. Bonejob has no reply to David Horowitz or to the right's perfectly accurate description of progressivism as sick, disgusting nihilism, and I hammer idiot Bonejob for his ignorance:

And seriously, you should at least read the book (cited at the link below) before you blow off "nihilism." The left has recycled Soviet Marxism-Leninism, giving a pass to the murder of 100s of millions. When those apologies for totalitarianism --- what leftist refer to as "actually existing socialism" --- become a defense of a failed ideology, all you have left is utter nothingness, hence nihilism. Try to fit that into your vocab, big boy.

It goes on like this, with Bonejob continuing to act like a child, typing some kind of dissing epithet, "Blargh," and finally throwing up his hands in defeat:

I was not typing "Blargh" in response to your effort to twist the definition of nihilism to fit your own preconceived notions. It was in response to everything else.

For Bonejob, "being your age" means calling your opponents crazies worthy of being mocked. It means adopting a postmodern collectivist epistemology that rejects the accepted usage of words such as nihilism. That's typical, since progressives can't respond to arguments on the merits, and frankly must resort to outright lies and intimidation to win the day. It's pathetic. David Horowitz knows whereof he speaks when pointing out the true nature of leftist ideology as a nihilistic project of hate and nothingness.

And that brings me back to Kathy Shaidle, because she's right on. For as much as I love The Beatles, John Lennon's "Imagine," while beautifully idealistic, is ideologically evil. And that's why progressives love it. Their idealism is not about improving the world but destroying it. Every left-wing progressive scheme of grand 20th-century state-level socialiist "improvement" ended in the camps. And despite the 100s of millions who have been exterminated on the road to leftist heaven, they keep trying. That's nihilist. It's so despicably stupid as to make pure evil simply banal. And Kathy links to Dennis Prager, "Why the Right Fears Transforming America -- and the Left Seeks It," who writes:

Lennon's utopia is our dystopia. A world without God to give people some certitude that all their suffering is not meaningless is a nightmare. A world without religion means a world without any systematic way of ennobling people. A world without countries is a world without the United States of America, and it is a world governed by the morally imbecilic United Nations, where mass murderers sit on its "human rights" councils. A world without heaven or hell is a world without any ultimate justice, where torturers and their victims have identical fates -- oblivion. A world without possessions is a world in which some enormous state possesses everything, and the individual is reduced to the status of a serf.

Liberals [progressives] frequently criticize conservatives for fearing change. That is not correct. We fear transforming that which is already good. The moral record of humanity does not fill us with optimism about "fundamentally transforming" something as rare as America. Evil is normal. America is not.

The Islamic Supremacist Propaganda Machine Cranks Out Another 'Islamophobia' Report

From Robert Spencer, at Frontpage Magazine.

And see the new report from the Horowitz Freedom Center, "Islamophobia: Thought Crime of the Totalitarian Future."

Thanks goodness for David Horowitz.

George Harrison Documentary

Longtime readers will recall that before my new found infatuation with The Beatles, I've long been intrigued by George Harrison, and I was sad when he died so young. So you can bet I'm excited about the new documentary coming out from Martin Scorsese, "George Harrison: Living in a Material World."

See Rolling Stone, "George Harrison Hits the Big Screen in Scorsese Doc."

The schedule is here.

Justice Bradley Attacked Justice Prosser

Progressives sought to destroy Wisconsin State Supreme Court Justice David Prosser on the basis of a false allegation: that he had Justice Ann Walsh Bradley in a chokehold during the courthouse altercation. The radical left had it out for Prosser, and frankly smeared his reputation as part of a demonization campaign to get him off the court. Bradley's story started to fall flat very early on, and of course the special prosecutor did not file charges in the end, because the allegations were bogus. And now there's release of the special prosecutor's report. I've just skimmed things so far, but your first shot should be William Jacobson, "Turns out WI Justice Ann Walsh Bradley was the one with the anger management problem." And then check out this phenomenal entry at Althouse, "I've finally waded through the "chokehold" investigation file."

Expect more analysis on this later, but it's clear that Justice Prosser was defending against an attack from Justice Bradley, who charged him with fists raised, as Althouse reported from the beginning.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ann Althouse on Flickr.

BONUS: From David Blaska, "Where does David Prosser go to get his reputation back?":

There are some people who need to apologize to Mr. Justice David Prosser now that he has been cleared and soon. They took a shallowly researched and preposterous allegation -- that Prosser held fellow justice Ann Walsh Bradley in a chokehold -- and ran to the guillotine with it.

Aqsa Parvez Memorial

Via Reliapundit:

And see Atlas Shrugs, "AQSA IN ISRAEL," and Jihad Watch, "Aqsa Parvez Memorial Grove dedication in Israel, August 24."

Hurricane Irene News

Well, it's been hot summer weather in the O.C. today, with temperatures in the mid-90s. But Hurricane Irene is bearing down on the East Coast and there's a lot of developments.

At NYT, "City Orders 250,000 People to Evacuate," and "This Storm, Bloomberg Responds Differently." And at LAT, "Airlines cancel nearly 5,000 flights because of Hurricane Irene." But see Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog, "Irene's eyewall collapses; further intensification unlikely."

BONUS: From Nate Silver, "A New York Hurricane Could Be a Multibillion-Dollar Catastrophe" (via Memeorandum).

Second-Quarter GDP Revised Down

At Reuters, "Second-quarter GDP trimmed, spending raised."

Romney Leads in Latest Reason-Rupe Public Opinion Survey

At Reason, "Romney Edges Perry in New Reason-Rupe Poll; Obama's Approval Rating at 47% and Congress' at Just 14%; Nearly 75% of Voters Open to 3rd-Party Candidate." Well, polls sure are more interesting when you have such lovely ladies analyzing the results:

Jon Huntsman on PBS NewsHour

He hedges on higher taxes for the wealthy, but that's where he was going with the discussion. He's RINO as far as I can tell. I doubt he'll go very far, and personally, I don't think he should be considered as running-mate for one of the top-tier candidates. See The Hill, "Huntsman says if elected he would call on wealthy to ‘sacrifice’." And at the clip, scroll forward to about 4:40 minutes:

Rebels Bust Gaddafi's Bunker

A huge report at London's Daily Mail, "Missed him by minutes: How rebels and special forces came close to snaring Gaddafi." Also at Telegraph UK, "Libya: rebels surround apartment block 'hiding' Col Gaddafi."

Plus, at LAT, "Eww! Moammar Kadafi (hearts) Condoleezza Rice." And Memeorandum.

Attack of the Leftist Hate Zombies

Well, what do you know? I get by with a little help from my friends.

At Bob Belvedere's Camp of the Saints, "Right Wing Bloggers Under Relentless Attack:

Donald’s enemies have even started a blog to harass him with [americannihilistblog.blogspot.com — I will not dignify their deplorable behavior with a ping].

That Donald is heated in his words is understandable: these people have attacked his honor and dignity and some are trying to get him fired [see here for the latest vile attempt to get him terminated from his job and here]. The man is under threat from several redoubts. Also, he realizes that what they are doing is what Leftists have done throughout history and he knows well that, if they can get away with it regarding him, they will be emboldened to increase the intensity and scope of their attacks on others of the Right. His attackers are the mongers of fear. They are the merchants of intimidation. All opposition must be silenced. Donald Douglas must be utterly destroyed.

Exactly.

Be sure to read the whole thing. I really appreciate the support.

See also, The Other McCain, "The Infinite Viciousness of the Online Left."

PREVIOUSLY: "REPSAC = W. JAMES CASPER = HATE." And, "Carl Salonen Libelous Workplace Allegations of Child Pornography and Sexual Harassment at Long Beach City College."

'Stairway to Heaven'

AoSHQ is a big Zeppelin fan, so here's this for my Thursday place-holding video.

And check Ace of Spades for some hot blogging throughout the day.

Marco Rubio at the Reagan Library

Via The Blog Prof:

More on Widener Law School Controversy

At Legal Insurrection, "Widener Law School loses major donor over Connell case."

This case is far from played out. Nice blogging by William Jacobson.

NewsBusted: 'Obama and the First Family now enjoying vacation in Martha's Vineyard'

Via Theo Spark:

REPSAC = W. JAMES CASPER = HATE

W. James Casper is pure hatred. His whole blogging world is all about sponsoring threats and seeking to destroy others. He's allied in yet another campaign of hate (top result is American Nihilist's satanic program of death and destruction). Freakin' commie asshat. Because RACIST = REPSAC = HATER has come to this, thinly veiled death threats, this post is for the record.

'I intended for American Nihilist to be a one off joke on the silly "nihilist" meme you created. I sent invites to all the "nihilsts" I could find, thinking we'd all just have a quick laugh at the expense of the silly little meme, & that'd be it... But some of 'em wanted to sign up, and once they did, and started writing--in character--it became something better than the one off joke I intended...'

*****

Yeah, it became a repository of hate.

Scroll through W. James Casper's record of hate at the link.

Progressives Go Nazi on Katy Perry After She Tweeted 'Pray for Israel' in Support of Jewish State

At Hot Air, "Twitterverse couldn’t take it when Katy Perry tweeted, “Pray for Israel”." And at The Blaze, "POP STAR KATY PERRY ATTACKED AFTER TWEETING AN APPEAL FOR HER FOLLOWERS TO ‘PRAY FOR ISRAEL’."

And see especially Michelle, "What happened when Katy Perry tweeted “Pray for Israel”."

Progressivism is an ideology of hate and death. Same satanism, different day.

With Glenn Beck by the Temple's Walls

From Barry Rubin, "Glenn Beck’s program in Israel went off without a hitch."

Gotta Love Those Ukrainian Protesters

At The Other McCain, "Not All Feminists Are Ugly and Humorless."

If the video gets pulled, check: "Naked Protest in front of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Kiev, Ukraine."

And the headline at Instapundit: "NSFW: The Ukraine Girls Really Knock Me Out. They leave the West behind."

Apple's Deep Bench

See Wall Street Journal, "Apple Has Deep Bench":

There are few chief executives who are as closely identified with a company as Steve Jobs has been with Apple Inc. Now that he is stepping down as chief executive— although he will be chairman—it will largely be up to his deputies to make sure that the company continues to stay ahead of the competition with trend-setting products and services that impress consumers.

Since Mr. Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 after being ousted in 1985 from the company he founded, he has brought the company back from the brink of bankruptcy, revived its Macintosh computer business and played an unusually important role in the introduction of ground-breaking products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

As CEO, he provided a charismatic persona and sharp instinct for knowing what consumers want. But his bench is considered a strong management team that has largely stayed out of the limelight until now.

Continue reading.

RELATED: At New York Times, "Without Its Master of Design, Apple Will Face Challenges."

Libya Could Be Unstable For a Long Time

Lively discussion from Jeremy Scahill, on Morning Joe.

China Backs Libya Rebels

Just now they're backing the rebels?

At Reuters, "China turns to Libya rebels, urges "stable transition'."

China urged a "stable transition of power" in Libya and said on Wednesday it is in contact with the rebel National Transitional Council, the clearest sign yet that Beijing has effectively shifted recognition to forces poised to defeat Muammar Gaddafi.

Obama Vindicated on Libya?

An "In the Arenda" debate, at Politico.

Here's Soren Dayton:

I think that the whole "lead from behind" argument on Libya is a bit of a red herring. The U.S., along with allies and a UN resolution, enforced a no-fly zone. Clearly, getting rid of Qadhafi was the right thing to do. However, the process left quite a lot to be desired. There is already talk of much less support for the next UN resolution because the military activities went well beyond the scope of the UN resolution. It will be much harder to get the next resolution.

At the same time domestically, Obama clearly violated the War Powers Act, something he claimed earlier to hold dear. He showed himself a hypocrite while aligning much of the GOP against the intervention. However, Congress showed its utter incompetence in not claiming some degree of authority over the situation.

Actually, I like John Yoo's take on the war, although I wasn't so gung ho on it myself. See, "We Don't Need U.N. Approval to Save Libyan Lives." But also from Smitty at TOM, "Who Should Be Embarrassed, Mr. Yoo?"

Allen West on Libya, Egypt, etc.

Via Legal Insurrection:

Libya's Limitless Potential, for Good or Evil

From Victor Davis Hanson, at National Review:

The U.S. is in no mood to follow up our military intervention with a postbellum reconstruction program, and we have no idea which factions among the rebels will assume power, or even the nature of the various special interests. So, until the dust settles, no one quite knows whether this is 1917 Russia, 1979 Iran, 2003 Iraq, or 2011 Egypt and Tunisia, or a little of everything.

But RTWT.

Sources: Michelle Obama Spending $10 Million in Taxpayer Money on Vacations

At London's Daily Mail, "Expensive massages, top shelf vodka and five-star hotels: First Lady accused of spending $10m in public money on her vacations" (via Memeorandum).

Image Credit: The People's Cube.

Baby Tossed From Parking Structure Dies: Mother Sonia Hermosillo, Charged With Attempted Murder, Got Parking Validation After Alleged Crime

At LAT, "Baby dropped from parking structure dies."

Also, "Mom got parking validated after baby allegedly dropped from garage," and "Mother suspected of throwing baby from garage was 'calm, stoic,' police say."

Hurricane Irene

At Miami Herald, "Bahamas taking a battering from Cat 3 Hurricane Irene," and USA Today, "Powerful Hurricane Irene menaces Bahamas." Also at New York Times, "Hurricane Irene Gains Strength as It Batters the Bahamas."

Journalists 'Captive' at Rixos Hotel in Tripoli

A live blog at Telegraph UK, "Libya live: British journalists 'captive' in Tripoli hotel."

Parrots in Irvine

I didn't have my camera. But I was out with the whole family last night and we stopped at 7-11 for refreshments. My wife and oldest boy went in and I waited with my youngest in the Jeep. Next thing I know I see this woman walk out of the 24-Hour Fitness across the parking lot and she comes over near us with her mouth just gaping. She looked like she was talking to herself and I didn't see a phone or a headset. I said to my son, "What is that lady doing?" We had the music on loud so I couldn't hear anything outside. But then I looked over at the wild olive trees and I saw them. Wild parrots were munching away. I've never seen them before. Indeed, I didn't even know we had them. So checking online, the O.C. Register has this, from 2006, "Parrots prosper in Orange County":

Parrots might be gravely endangered in their native rain forests, but not in Orange County, where they've taken up residence in large flocks, attracting both love and hate from people who share their space.

There's a mystery attached to the birds' presence. No one is exactly sure how they got here. One popular theory is that their ancestors escaped from commercial bird importers, surviving because they were wild birds that knew how to forage for food. Another is simply that they migrated north from rain forests in Central and South America.

Large flocks exist in Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and elsewhere in the county. Some flocks can number hundreds of birds. They generally eat fruit and nuts of exotic plants that, like themselves, have been imported from tropical climates.

Amazon parrots found here include endangered red-crowned parrots, lilac-crowned parrots, red-lored parrots, white-fronted parrots, yellow-headed parrots and blue-fronted parrots. They can be distinguished by stocky bodies and short, squared tails. Mitred parakeets are also common here.

More from Oscar Gonzales.

P.S. My smarty-pants oldest son comes back and I say, "Hey, check out those parrots!" And he says, "I saw them. They escaped from PETCO."

More Cuts Likely to California Higher Education

At LAT, "State colleges, universities may need to make more budget cuts":

Students starting the school year at California Community Colleges this week will pay higher fees and have fewer courses from which to choose. At California State University campuses, students will find their classes packed, fewer library books available and the ranks of part-time faculty thinned.

That dismal picture could worsen if the state's financial problems force colleges and universities to make additional budget cuts mid-year, leaders of the systems said Monday during a conference call with reporters.

As it is, the state's 112 community colleges will offer 5% fewer classes this fall, Chancellor Jack Scott said. Based on projected annual demand, an estimated 670,000 students who otherwise would enroll in at least one class will not be served, he added.

Community college students, whose fees already have risen to $36 per unit for this school year from $26 last year, are likely to face a further increase if state revenue doesn't meet projections. State funding to the two-year colleges was reduced $400 million for this year. Further cuts would trigger an additional $10 per unit fee increase for spring 2012.

Continue reading.

I think it was $10 to go to community college back in 1979. That's when the state still promised a basically free college education to all those who could benefit.

Rebels Prepare for Libya Transition

At WaPo, "Libyan opposition leaders prepare for transition":

BENGHAZI, Libya — With rebel fighters celebrating in the streets of Tripoli on Tuesday, opposition leaders in this eastern Libyan city now face tough questions about how they will guide the country through what is expected to be a tumultuous transition.

Some observers have begun to question whether the rebels — ostensibly led by the Benghazi-based Transitional National Council — are up to the task of restarting a failed economy after six months of war, restoring peace, and assuring Libyans and foreign benefactors that they are capable of leading the country.

The rebels have been plagued by infighting almost from the moment they first rose to challenge Col. Moammar Gaddafi, and the friction has not subsided despite celebrations on Tuesday as rebel fighters stormed the leader’s compound in Tripoli.

The top rebel commander was assassinated last month in a case that remains unsolved, but that has spurred furious accusations among various rebel factions. When an investigation of the killing bogged down, rebel council chief Mustafa Abdul Jalil dismissed his cabinet.

Concerns about the rebel leadership deepened on Tuesday after Gaddafi’s most influential son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, appeared in public despite rebel claims that he had been captured.

“The Transitional National Council is not without its problems,” said Geoff Porter, an analyst with North Africa Risk Consulting. “Its decision-making process is unpredictable and far from transparent. . . .This suggests that future dealings with the council are going to be prickly, challenging and uneven.”

That doesn't sound so hot. More at that top link.

Also at LAT, "Kadafi vows victory or 'martyrdom' in Libyan uprising," and NYT, "Qaddafi Defiant After Rebel Takeover." But see Chicago Tribune, "Rebels overrun Gaddafi HQ, say he's 'finished'."

'Under Pressure'

Well, I'm back to my weekday commute and tuning into The Sound LA regularly. And that's good. I had Foster the People on the brain there for a while.

Anyway, this should hold readers over until tonight when I'm back home and can blog. That Queen concert is something else, by the way, and David Bowie's live version is below. Until then...

Debbie Wasserman-Schultz Heckled Off the Stage at Iowa State Fair

Oh, this is the best!

At The Other McCain, "Debbie’s Very Bad Day in Iowa":

RTWT.

Great coverage from R.S. McCain in Iowa. The dude couldn't get all that stuff posted at the time.

Courageous Trannies

Kathy Shaidle has some Canadian transsexual sick fuck losers she's dealing with. See: "The tyranny of trannies: even their failures, they insist, are ‘courageous’."

I posted on this previously, with reference to my (anti-)American pro-gay, possibly pro-pedo hate blogging ASFL W. James Casper: "'Trannies are pretty much at the bottom of any “courage” measurement system, somewhere below wedding planner and used car salesman'."

RELATED: The LULZ write themselves with these freaks. See, "'Asshole of the Day'," and "W. James Casper: 'I Was in the Pool!!'"

Steven Givler: The Ignorance of the New York Times

A fresh entry from my good friend, "The New York Times - Ignorance Times Twelve."

It's excellent. Steven puts the good word in for community college professors, people like myself, who the ASFL progressives like to disparage mercilessly. Pfftt. "Elite" pricks.

Libya: Key Role Played by Britain in Fall of Tripoli

Beats sharing an aircraft carrier with other mid-ranking powers, I guess.

At Telegraph UK:

The key role played by Britain in equipping and advising Libya’s rebel fighters for their final push on Tripoli was becoming clear last night as Col Muammar Gaddafi’s remaining forces staged a last stand around his bunker.

For weeks, military and intelligence officers have been helping the rebels plan their co-ordinated attack on the capital, and Whitehall sources have disclosed that the RAF stepped up raids on Tripoli on Saturday morning in a pre-arranged plan to pave the way for the rebel advance.

MI6 officers based in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi had honed battle plans drawn up by Libya’s Transitional National Council (TNC) which were agreed 10 weeks ago.
The constantly-updated tactical advice provided by British experts to the rebel leaders centred on the need to spark a fresh uprising within Tripoli that could be used as the cue for fighters to advance on the city.

But when it finally came, the speed with which it achieved its goal took everyone, including the rebels, by surprise.

Pretty cool.

Keep reading.

RELATED: At Legal Insurrection, "Uh oh, Saif al-Islam free and talking."

The Gettysburg Address

Delivered by President Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I spend time discussing the Gettysburg Address during my coverage of Chapter One in Bessette and Pitney's, American Government and Politics: Deliberation, Democracy, and Citizenship. Yesterday, as I pulled the speech up onto the projection screen, I asked students in class what they thought of it. Not a single student raised their hand. And this has been a pretty lively discussion group so far, so they honestly weren't familiar with it. That's why I spend extra time on it. I feel it's important and also that students are shortchanged by not knowing so powerful a statement on human freedom. It's such a vital affirmation of our liberty and the promise of equality. I love Abraham Lincoln. I'll be discussing the speech all day today:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

'Asshole of the Day'

What do you know? A lot of these pricks stalking around the tubes these days, it turns out. I dealt some assholes yesterday myself, bunch of ASFLs. Goes with the territory, I guess. Progressive losers just hate --- and I mean, really, really hate --- my moral clarity. That, and try as they might they just can't beat me into submission. And believe me, these idiots are big blowhards slamming face first faster than you can say narcissistic personality disorder. Of course, now they're insinuating death threats, natch. The left's satanic's verses. I deal with it, frankly, since you gotta stand up these commie pricks, and I'm just the guy to do it. The keep beating their brains trying to take me down. I'm still standing. Dickwads.

Anyway, see Amy Alkon's post. She's a beauty.

David Letterman Responds to Death Threats

At NYT, "Letterman Responds to Death Threats in Monologue."

W. James Casper: 'I Was in the Pool!!'

Here's a follow-up to "W. James Casper H8® — Was That Wrong?"

And you know, it's just sad. W. James Casper claims to have children too. Poor kids. Probably would be better off as wards of the state. The bad dad sponsors so much hatred and threats at his website it's almost criminal that he's got any custodial responsibilities. (That is, if he's not lying about actually having a family, and considering the epic loser status we're dealing with here, well, who the hell knows?!!) W. James Casper's moral compass is more shriveled that George Costanza's scrotal sac: "I was in the pool!! I was in the pool!!" And note how W. James Casper's got even less hair than George, and twice the weight, as far as I can tell, so hey, it's a pretty good fit, ASFL:

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

Ezra Levant on the Situation in Libya

At Blazing Cat Fur, "Moammar Gadhafi - Still Not Dead":

'ScamProf' Law Professor Paul Campos Interviewed at Wall Street Journal

Ann Althouse pretty much nailed it the other day, in an update to her post on epic law prof loser and Lawyers, Gun and Money blogger Paul Campos:

I'd say Paul Campos is doing just fine. He should keep up the graphomania, hook Oxford University Press again, and grasp the fame and money that comes from writing a pithy polemic that hits right in the zone as people question the value of a legal education.

Yep, see WSJ, "A Q&A With the Creator of ‘Inside the Law School Scam’."

I have a neat little related story on this, but that'll have to wait for another post.

Nate Silver Has a Neat Graphic on the Republican Presidential Field

Silver's badly overrated as a political analyst, but this one's worth a look. See: "There’s Room for More G.O.P. Candidates." (At Memeorandum.)

And Reliapundit's on the same wavelength: "NATE SILVER: PRETTY CHARTS, BUT FAULTY REASONING."

Gaddafi Loyalists Hold On in Libya

At New York Times, "Loyalist Holdouts Fight Rebels in Tripoli."

TRIPOLI, Libya — Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi remained at large Monday, and loyalist forces still held pockets of the city, stubbornly resisting the rebels’ efforts to establish full control, but there was little doubt that the Libyan leader’s four-decade grip on power was ending.

Also at WaPo, "Battle for Tripoli not yet over as Gaddafi loyalists strike back." And Memeorandum.

VIDEO: Bill Whittle's Talk in Newport Beach

Okay, one one more entry to hold readers until tonight.

At the Correspondence Committee:

These videos are absolutely worth the time.

I ask Bill a question at about 15:30 minutes at the third video, Q & A:

PREVIOUSLY: "Bill Whittle in Newport Beach!"

'Till the World Ends'

Britney will hold you over until I'm back online later this afternoon:

Mountain Rebels May Have Turned Tide in Tripoli

I checked the headlines as I woke up to see if Gaddafi was gone, but not quite yet.

And at LAT, "Libya's gritty mountain rebels may have turned tide in Tripoli":

With attention focused on important cities and bigger battles to the east, Moammar Kadafi may have underestimated the tenacity of the uprising in the western mountains.

Plus, "Libyan rebels tighten grip on Tripoli as Kadafi stays in hiding."

And at Foreign Policy, "Obama: Rebel government in Libya must step up now," and WaPo, "World leaders call on Gaddafi to surrender."

Pianist Yuja Wang's Sexy Dress Rocks the Hollywood Bowl

Except she wasn't there to rock the house.

At LAT, "Classical gasp: Yuja Wang's dress at the Bowl causes a crescendo":

Pianist Yuja Wang struck a chord at the Hollywood Bowl this month and not just with her performance of Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto. The 24-year-old Chinese soloist had necks craning, tongues wagging and flashbulbs popping when she walked on wearing an orange, thigh-grazing, body-hugging dress atop sparkly gold strappy stiletto sandals.

In particular, Wang's outfit was a hot topic at the concert and continued after Times music critic Mark Swed's review appeared in print and online. While Swed praised her delicacy, speed and grace at the piano, his fashion comments — including the observation: "Her dress Tuesday was so short and tight that had there been any less of it, the Bowl might have been forced to restrict admission to any music lover under 18 not accompanied by an adult" — have touched off a spirited debate among music critics and bloggers about what constitutes appropriate concert attire and conversely, whether a critique of a performer's clothes has any place in a music review.

It should be noted that while the Los Angeles Philharmonic has a very specific dress code for members of its orchestra (several ones, actually, depending on the time of day and season), it does not apply to soloists. They, according to an L.A. Phil representative, are informed what the orchestra will be wearing and can choose whatever they feel is most appropriate. "For women that's traditionally an evening gown," the rep said, "but that's not always the case."

God, that staid. Bunch of poofters.

More pics at the link. (And Cameron Carpenter's cool.)

Ten Years After September 11, 2001

The anniversary's coming up pretty quick.

Zilla's got some reflections: "No Quarter."

It's Over. The U.S. is Toast. I Give Up!

From the House of Sunny Socialist Lobotomies.

I rest my case even before you listen. We're screwed.

Libya Celebrates

At London's Daily Mail, "Tyrant's sons 'held by rebels': Celebrations in capital amid claims Gaddafi has run away 'like a coward'."

Updates later...

'I Think You Would Have to Be Racist to Even Think He Was Talking About Barack Obama'

If you've seen the Ed Schultz segment, just scroll forward to 1:20 minutes.

Via Hot Air.

'The Tea Party Can Go Straight to Hell'

Rep. Maxine Waters announces her post-civility tour:

Conditional Pregnancy

I have a lot of pro-choice women in my classes, so this story just seems so foreboding. DNA tests can now determine the sex of the child at 7 weeks, so it's quite easy for a pregnant mom to decide to abort. Audrey Chapman, a health bioethicist cited at the piece, says this:

“I think over the long run this has the potential of changing attitudes toward pregnancy and to family” ... “Women may be less invested in their pregnancies earlier than they are later, and the question has been raised whether women will look at their pregnancies increasingly as being conditional: ‘I will keep this pregnancy only if.’ ”

Read it all at New York Times, "If You Really, Really Wanted a Girl ..."

Iron Dome Missile Defense System Intercepting Grad Rockets

At Double Tapper, "Video: Iron Dome saving lives."

And some perspective at A Soldier's Mother.

BONUS: At Jerusalem Post, "More rockets fired at South despite reports of ceasefire."

'Operation Mermaid Dawn'

At Telegraph UK, "Libya: how 'Operation Mermaid Dawn', the move to take Tripoli, unfolded."

At at Wall Street Journal, "Libyan Rebels Reach Tripoli":

Libyan rebels poured into Tripoli on Sunday after seizing a nearby military base, as fears of a bloody fight gave way to scenes of jubilant rebels surging toward the city's center and meeting little resistance from Col. Moammar Gadhafi's defenses.

Meanwhile, Sidiq al-Kibir, the rebel leadership council's representative for the capital, said Col. Gadhafi's son and onetime heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, has been arrested, according to multiple wire reports.

As rebels pushed into the capital's western edge, they were greeted by exultant residents waving rebel flags, as Col. Gadhafi's grip on the capital appeared to be slipping.

In an audio recording aired on state television late Sunday night, Col. Gadhafi, who has ruled the oil-rich country for 42 years, claimed he was still in Tripoli and urged Libyans to defend their homeland against the rebels. "I am with you here, I am in Tripoli," he said. It wasn't immediately clear whether the tape was live or prerecorded.

On Sunday, rebel officials said a number of security personnel had defected, including commanders from the external security service, which gave rebels access to antiaircraft missiles.

The officials said rebels were negotiating with the bodyguards of another top general in Tripoli for him to be handed over to the rebels.

And now a long thread at Memeorandum.

Libyan Rebels March on Tripoli: Reports of Gaddafi's Son Captured; UPDATE!! Muammar Gaddafi Flees to Algeria!; Breaking: Gaddafi in Hiding!

Allahpundit has a big report, "Breaking: The end of Qaddafi? Update: Qaddafi shot dead? Update: Or not; Update: Qaddafi’s son captured."

And you gotta love this video, with the Libyan news anchorwoman brandishing a gun and pledging to die for the regime:

See also Robert Stacy McCain, "Qaddafi Cornered as Rebels Attack Tripoli."

And the Lede has a live blog, "Latest Updates on the Battle for Tripoli":

5:36 P.M. Rebels Claim They 'Control Most of the Capital'

Waheed Burshan, a spokesman for Libya's National Transitional Council, told Al Jazeera English a few minutes ago that the rebels have indeed captured Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, the son of the Libyan leader, and now "control most of the capital."

Also, at Telegraph UK, "Libya conflict: Final battle for Libya under way as rebels advance on Tripoli."

3:22pm PST: Fox News is reporting that Libya's Muammar Gaddafi has flown to Algeria, and also at Israel Matzav:

Israel Radio has just reported that Muammar Gadhafi has fled and the city of Tripoli has fallen. More to follow.

What happens next remains to be seen.

Britain's Sun newspaper has this, "Gaddafi hides as rebels swarm into Tripoli":

LIBYAN tyrant Colonel Gaddafi was tonight in hiding and clinging to power by his fingertips as rebel forces swarmed into the heart of Tripoli.

The major advance to within half a mile of the capital's iconic Green Square centre had former loyalists predicting the end of Gaddafi's 42-year rule was perhaps just hours away.

Downing Street called on the 'Mad Dog' dictator to step down immediately to avoid further bloodshed amid reports that his sons Seif and Mohammed had been captured by opposition fighters.

Thousands of wildly celebrating civilians lined the streets of Tripoli to welcome the rebel column; there was no resistance from Gaddafi's few remaining forces after a six-month uprising.

Carl Salonen Libelous Workplace Allegations of Child Pornography and Sexual Harassment at Long Beach City College

Below is an e-mail communication sent to my college by libelous hate-blogger Carl Salonen. This is just one of a number of communications that were sent to the offices of Eloy Oakley, President of Long Beach City College, Doug Otto, President of the Long Beach City College Board of Trustees, Dr. Jack Scott, Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, and Kamala Harris, Attorney General of California.

I previewed my thoughts on this the other day. See: "The Claims of Grievance-Bearing Identity Groups Will Always Prevail Over Fairness." As noted, Carl Salonen's entire hate program is predicated on malice and lies. As I will show later, he made allegations not to correct any perceived injustices, but to destroy a political enemy. His attacks went from what most of us online know as "flame wars" to something else entirely: A specific campaign to harm me personally, by slandering my reputation and by possibly bringing about the termination of my employment. And it was all based on lies. As I noted many times, progressives will sink to the lowest depths of utter depravity to silence and destroy those with whom they disagree and those they hate. Law Professor William Jacobson once wrote on the earlier campaigns of harassment against me:

We don’t all just have to get along. But there are certain lines which should not be crossed, and trying to disrupt another blogger’s employment crosses that line. Can we at least agree on that?

Progressive do not agree on that, because they live by the rule of the mob.

Now, first notice the subject line of Carl Salonen's e-mail: "Invasion of Privacy, Slander, Libel, and Who Knows What Else."

None of this is true:

* I have not invaded the privacy of Carl Salonen.

* I have not slandered or libeled Carl Salonen.

* And there is no "who knows what else."

Now, to continue, let's go to specifics.

First, President Oakley does not hold a Ph.D. Thus Carl gives him a backhanded insult by not doing his research before complaining, since President Oakley would no doubt like to have a Ph.D. and there's a norm in the academy that a college president have that kind of distinction. Thus the slight. Idiotic hubris gets Carl Salonen off on the wrong foot.

Second, as noted previously, I am not posting pictures or videos of underage women. There's only been one specific claim that I've blogged underage women, which was first posted (and made into an urban legend) at the disgraced academic hate blog Lawyers, Guns and Money. Specifically, with permission, I posted a picture of GSGF's blog buddy Lauren, who at the time of the photo was 21-years-old. See GrEaT sAtAn"S gIrLfRiEnD, "Soft Power." I have never posted pictures of "underage women" at this blog. Carl Salonen only makes allegations. He provides no evidence to support them.

Third, Carl Salonen claims that I "make" students go to my blog to view "said images" of allegedly "underage women." This is one more of those false legends that's been spread around at the laughingstock hate blog Lawyers, Guns and Money. The allegation holds that I assign students to read my blog. I've never assigned students my blog (all one has to do is review course syllabi, which are the legal records for college classes). I have used my blog in the classroom, although I no longer do so, primarily because of the attack campaign launched by Lawyers, Guns and Money three or four years ago. Besides, there's a separate question of academic freedom, although I don't raise that issue because I obviously wouldn't advocate many of my blog postings for classroom consumption. At issue really is the propriety of outside complaints in and of themselves. My college at first did not take seriously Carl Salonen's complaints. Indeed, they considered them harassment from a party with no legitimate business with the college. It was after I inquired about a second set of complaints (from Lawyers, Guns and Money) that I was informed of Carl Salonen's slanders. The utter depravity and outrageousness of the allegations forced me to obtain legal counsel. I'm thankful for the help I received, although it's a disgrace that such a step was even necessary, given my rights as a professor and citizen. But recall, "The Claims of Grievance-Bearing Identity Groups Will Always Prevail Over Fairness."

Four, Carl Salonen slurs my name with sleazy insinuations, such as "I'm sure you've heard the name in other contexts that have brought less than praise to LBCC." I have a fine reputation at LBCC. I have fine relations with my colleagues and I've built longstanding mentor relationships with a large number of current and former students. I've even been featured in the Long Beach Press-Telegram, with a photograph, when I gave a talk on campus safety issues following the Virginia Tech shootings. And the college's recent panel on the "Facebook Revolution" in Egypt was extremely well received. Everything's just fine. And of course, there's never been any student legal complaints against me. Carl Salonen's mind is warped and his deeds are evil.

Fifth, Carl claims his "evidence" shows that I wrote blog posts about him while at work. While this seems to be a specific allegation, according to a review of all the blog posts in question (Carl Salonen submitted pdf copies of these) not a single post was written during either my contract teaching hours or while I was physically on campus. I often blog in the mornings from home before I leave for my classes, and Carl Salonen must have assumed that I'm in the office at 8:00am pounding away blog posts when more than likely I'm waiting to take my kid to school while reviewing the news online. Further, my college does not in fact prohibit faculty and staff from using college equipment to publish communications to social networking and communications websites. There are limits, of course, but no outright prohibition. If an issue were ever to be raised over such postings, a complaint would have to come from a student filing a formal claim or grievance. Thus, Carl Salonen falsely assumed that he could threaten my employment by claiming that I attacked him with college resources.

Sixth, and this is a doozy, Carl Salonen writes:

But that's not what concerns me. What concerns me is Dr. Douglas has apparently decided to invade the privacy of an innocent man based on the say-so of an admitted emotionally and mentally deficient woman.

My proof is attached in the various PDFs I have accumulated.

To-wit, he accuses me of being someone that I am not: TinTin, an anonymous blogger at a website called "Sadly, No!" which has on occasion mocked Dr. Douglas for factual error, erroneous conclusions and misinformation.

That's amusing to me, of course. While I am someone who has spent a great deal of time at "Sadly, No!" I am neither on the staff of "Sadly, No!" nor am I in any way shape or form associated with the people who run the site.

Where to begin? Notice the lie, for one thing: If my blogging included allegedly underage girls and allegedly making my students read those postings didn't concern Carl Salonen, he wouldn't have filed a complaint in the first place. He long ago slandered me on Twitter as a "child pornographer" and he obviously wanted to get those allegations spread all the way across California's educational system. That's how vicious smears work. Moreover, I never invaded the privacy of an "innocent" man. Information about Carl Salonen is posted all over the web. He applied for a trademark for an apparel line called "Young & Hung" and the listings are available to anyone on Google. And of course his Facebook and Twitter pages are there for all to see as well (he's taken down his Facebook page, however). I've never contacted Carl Salonen's place of employment. Indeed, I wouldn't even know his employer's contact information had Carl Salonen not filed his malicious complaints against me. In sum, everything I've posted or screencapped was available online for anyone to access. There is no expectation of privacy in those circumstances. Carl Salonen's like a bleating pig, whining about harms that exist only in his hate-filled imagination. And note too the lies about the "say-so of an admitted emotionally and mentally deficient woman." That would be Amy Alkon, who wrote about Carl Salonen here: "The Attack On My Book." Whether Amy Alkon is "emotionally and mentally deficient" is irrelevant. Not only does she show that Carl Salonen did indeed attack her book with fraudulent book reviews intended to deflate sales, and hence harm her personal economic livelhood, Carl Salonen bragged about doing so, and posted the same false book reviews to the comment threads at Sadly No! I still believe that Carl Salonen is more involved with the Sadly No! blog than he is willing to acknowledge. But without evidence, all we can do is highlight that which is documented. What's troubling is not just how dishonest are these allegations and excuses in the complaints at my college, but that Carl Salonen thought that it would be fun to try to destroy a woman who he himself claims is "emotionally and mentally deficient." He would bring harm to someone who he considers physically and psychologically inferior. That puts him right up there with Josef Rudolf Mengele, and the only difference in my opinion is that Carl Salonen hasn't had the chance to kill those whom he has targeted. I have no doubt that he's capable of that scale of evil. He's a sociopath. Given real power I shudder to think of the holocaust of hate he would attempt to bring about.

In any case, read the text below for further review of the allegations. Carl is right that I pulled my entries that claimed he is in fact "Tintin." I have insufficient evidence for those claims, and if Carl Salonen thought that was not enough to pull the posts, he could have filed a lawsuit against me for defamation. But again, that's not what Carl Salonen was out to achieve. I've learned a lot about Carl Salonen over the last few months, and he's not one to back off from a challenge nor is he one let others have the last word. What he can't do is win anything on the merits. He can't have an honest debate because he's fundamentally dishonest.

This post is now quite long although I also promised to debunk the other e-mail complaints that were submitted. And you don't want to miss this. Carl Salonen had the extreme temerity to threaten Long Beach City College President Eloy Oakley. I'll have that later.

*****

-----Original Message-----
From: carlsalonen
To: eoakley
Sent: Mon, May 16, 2011 3:20 pm
Subject: Invasion of Privacy, Slander, Libel, and Who Knows What Else.

Dear Dr. Oakley,

I trust this letter finds you well. I'm fairly sure it will not leave you that way, sadly.

You have on staff an associate professor Donald Douglas. This is his university website: http://webenhanced.lbcc.edu/polscdd/polsc1dkd/

This is his personal blog: http://americanpowerblog.blogspot.com/

It seems Dr. Douglas has been rather busy lately, posting photographs and videos of possibly underage women in various states of undress (and of course, making his students go to his blog, thus viewing said images).

I'm sure you've heard the name in other contexts that have brought less than praise to LBCC.

You'll note with interest, I'm sure, the time stamps on his posts at his personal blog. Many if not most appear to occur during academic hours.

But that's not what concerns me. What concerns me is Dr. Douglas has apparently decided to invade the privacy of an innocent man based on the say-so of an admitted emotionally and mentally deficient woman.

My proof is attached in the various PDFs I have accumulated.

To-wit, he accuses me of being someone that I am not: TinTin, an anonymous blogger at a website called "Sadly, No!" which has on occasion mocked Dr. Douglas for factual error, erroneous conclusions and misinformation.

That's amusing to me, of course. While I am someone who has spent a great deal of time at "Sadly, No!" I am neither on the staff of "Sadly, No!" nor am I in any way shape or form associated with the people who run the site.

So Dr. Douglas is about to embark (based on his post of today, entitled "Outing TinTin") on a witch hunt. That's the implication I draw from his comments there and in other places.

Indeed, in that post, he makes reference to having temporarily taken down other, noxious posts that involved my identity, including a screencap of my Facebook page, my photograph and other personally identifying information.

Clearly, he has some hestitation now about his actions, but I'm afraid that is not enough. Dr. Douglas has decided to share his information with his compatriots and fellow right-wing bloggers (see the PDF from Stacy McCain's site entitled "Carl Salonen & The Left Wing Trolls...")

Dr. Oakley, it is within your power to prevent at least some of this, and as Dr. Douglas is a faculty member at your university and therefore represents you to the community, I must ask you to step in and put whatever influence you can to stopping this.

It's bad enough he's chosen to invade my privacy and my quietude but you'll note he's decided to also continue in his quest to pursue yet another individual and expose him/her.

As a matter of course, I am forwarding a hard copy of this letter and all attachments to the attorney general for the state of California, Kamala D. Harris, as well as to the Board of Trustees in care of Douglas Otto. Perhaps it will reach him in time for next week's meeting.

Thank you very much for your attention and have a nice day

Signed,

Carl Salonen

Berlin Copes With Car Burning Surge

Via Google, here's the headline at Wall Street Journal, "Berlin Authorities Struggle to Stop Car Burning Surge."

BERLIN — German authorities are scrambling to contain and make sense of a surge in car torchings in the nation's capital that have raised fears that the vandalism spree could escalate into the broader, more dangerous forms of street crime that have recently hit other pockets of Europe.

Setting cars on fire has become a popular form of class protest and petty crime in recent years in Berlin, triggered in part by tensions over fast-rising rents and other forms of gentrification in this relatively poor city compared with other major German cities. But the latest spate—including some 60 cars torched in four nights—marks a sharp surge in the arson attacks. While previous car burnings were largely confined to Berlin's up-and-coming working class neighborhoods, such as Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain, the latest spate has rapidly spread to its more affluent western districts.

They also come amid a wave of street violence across other parts of Europe—most notably riots in London and other U.K. cities this month—that so far has largely left Europe's largest economy relatively unscathed. Elsewhere on the Continent, violence has erupted in countries chafing under austerity measures, such as protests marred by police clashes in Spain and Greece and the deadly firebombing of an Athens bank building just over a year ago.

In Berlin, the circumstances behind the rash of car torchings appear largely local, but many residents and crime experts believe growing economic tensions within the city limits play a role. While Germany's national unemployment rate hovers around 7%, in Berlin it remains stuck at 13.5%. Meanwhile rising rents and real-estate prices are displacing more of its poorer residents from its central and increasingly trendy neighborhoods.

And checking back at that Google search, a number of articles have mystified titles, such as "Is 'Tourism Fatigue' Behind Berlin Arson Wave?", at Spiegel, and "Berliners Still Can't Work Out Who's Torching Their Luxury Cars," at Business Insider. But c'mon, there's no mystery. Business Day nails it, "Berlin’s far left vents fury on ‘fat cat’ cars":

ARSONISTS had set fire to 26 cars in Berlin in the past two days, mainly Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs and Audis, police said yesterday, bringing the number torched in the city this year to at least 138.

Far-left extremists were targeting German luxury cars, symbols of the country’s wealth and export prowess, police said.

"The arsonists want to hit what they say are ‘fat cats’," Berlin police spokesman Michael Gassen said. A special unit was investigating the fires as political crimes after the police received letters claiming responsibility that derided globalisation, gentrification and rising rents, he said. No arrests have been made in the most recent string of attacks.

The fires come amid worsening economic data and political discontent in the country. German growth, last year the motor of Europe’s recovery, almost ground to a halt in the second quarter. Gross domestic product, adjusted for seasonal effects, rose 0,1% from the first quarter, the Federal Statistics Office said this week.

Almost two years into the European debt crisis , restiveness over Germany’s contribution to rescues is weighing on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition as voters rebel over providing aid to fellow euro-zone countries.

When Germany in 2009 experienced its worst recession since the Second World War , a record 221 cars were torched.

A key factor in the unrest is that about 40% of youths are either without a high school certificate or a paying job, said Johannes Becker, head of the Centre for Conflict Studies at the University of Marburg. "In Britain … people are predisposed to jumping on the bandwagon . They see that something is up and want to be part of it, to add some fuel to the fire, as it were. With these cars in Berlin, they are in contrast consciously trying to send a message."

See? That wasn't hard. Far left groups are seizing the moment to heighten revolutionary tensions, but since it's not likely any of the European democracies are at risk of their governments being overthrown, the violence ends up being purely anarchist and nihilist. And that's all you're going to get from the progressive, neo-communist left. It's all of a piece. And it's not only murderously destructive, it's morally reprehensible. Freakin' ASFLs.

Weekly Republican Address, 8/20/11: Ohio Governor John Kasich

I really like Gov. Kasich. He's a follow-back guy on Twitter, which I thought was cool. And his presentation here just sounds like so much common sense. It's almost ridiculous how much optimism bursts forth from what he has to say. A can-do spirit is what this country needs amid endless progressive gloom-and doom and recrimination. Here's wishing Ohio luck and hopefully we'll see Kasich on the presidential campaign trail sometime in the future:

'Trannies are pretty much at the bottom of any “courage” measurement system, somewhere below wedding planner and used car salesman'

That's Kathy Shaidle, "Mentally ill castration fetishist has a newspaper column, and I don’t."

"Chromophobes."

I'm surprised RACIST = REPSAC = CASPER didn't invent that one. See, "Hate-Blogger™© W. James Casper and the Pro-Pedophilia Movement."

Is Rick Perry 'Pro-Sharia'?

I put "pro-sharia" in quotation marks since you'd have to be a Muslim extremist to favor sharia law over Western constitutionalism. But there's some big debate on Rick Perry's warm ties with the Aga Khan organization, which apparently funds some kind of Islamic awareness education program in Texas. And earlier I saw this big write-up at Bare Naked Islam, but didn't pay too much attention: "Don’t know if there’s any truth to the rumor that Rick Perry’s daughter is married to the Muslim son of the Aga Khan…but there sure is a lot of information out there about Perry’s Islamo-pandering in Texas as well as his not having a problem with construction of a tower of terror in the form of the Ground Zero Victory Mosque in NYC."

Anyway, I also saw Pamela Geller writing about all of this earlier as well, and now here's this: "PAMELA GELLER IN THE AMERICAN THINKER: SMEARING GELLER ON PERRY."

Lots of information so follow the links.

As I noted last week, Rick Perry's been under the radar and Americans are just now learning about him, which is the purpose of political campaigns. But Islam in America is largely driven by a subtererranean supremacy agenda that you won't learn about in the terror-coddling press. And if Perry turns out to be the GOP field's Grover Norquist, then I'll campaign against him aggressively.

Expect updates.

BWAHAHA!! Paul Campos, Law Professor and Asshat Blogger at Lawyers, Guns and Money, Outed as 'ScamProf'

At left, freakin' asshat Law Professor and LGM blogger Paul Campos, a.k.a ScamProf.

******

See The Tax Prof, "Anonymous Law Prof Behind Law School Scam Blog Outs Himself: Paul Campos."

And here's this, from Brian Lieter, "Update on ScamProf":

ScamProf is the failed academic who has done almost no scholarly work in the last decade, teaches the same courses and seminars year in and year out, and spends his time trying to attract public attention, sometimes under his own name, this time anonymously. These are important facts about ScamProf, since he is indeed scamming his students and his state, and his initial posts were tantamount to a confession that he's not doing his job. His colleagues, in any case, now know who he is, and are quite understandably angry, since the reckless generalizations are naturally read as commentary on them. After we called him out Monday, ScamProf pulled back a bit, and switched gears and stopped projecting his own failures on to all his professional colleagues and started actually writing about the economics of legal education...

OMG, that is harsh! Couldn't have happened to more dickish guy. Shoot, those assholes at Lawyers, Guns and Money are busting the balls off the epic dick-meter scale! Keep it up guys! And stay classy, ROTFLMFAO!!

The Tax Prof has a little roundup, and check the comments at Althouse, "'Anonymous Law Prof Behind Law School Scam Blog Outs Himself: Paul Campos'."