A cool discussion, with Michael Walzer:RELATED: At Dissent, from 2006, "Regime Change and Just War," by Michael Walzer. And the response, which destroys Walzer's argument, from Jean Bethke Elshtain: "Jean Bethke Elshtain Responds."
And more Walzer, more recently, at New Republic, "The Case Against Our Attack on Libya."
Saturday, September 3, 2011
September 11 Attacks Spurred Expansion of Homeland Security Programs at America's Colleges and Universities
Continuing coverage of the series at Los Angeles Times, "9/11, Ten Years After."
Here's a report from Wednesday, "9/11 spawned big changes on campus."
Check the whole thing. It's fascinating. But, while it's great that more and more students have cultivated a deeper sense of civic duty following September 11, the idea that increasing numbers of students are turning to the public sector for government jobs is a little dismaying. In a time of deep economic stagnation, the nation should be churning out enterprisers and inventers. Instead, we churn out bureaucrats and regulators. There's certainly a place for each in a $15 trillion economy, but the pace of government growth relative to the private sector has not declined. Strange. But then again, this is exactly the stuff that Mark Steyn's been warning about, so ain't that the darnedest?
Here's a report from Wednesday, "9/11 spawned big changes on campus."
Check the whole thing. It's fascinating. But, while it's great that more and more students have cultivated a deeper sense of civic duty following September 11, the idea that increasing numbers of students are turning to the public sector for government jobs is a little dismaying. In a time of deep economic stagnation, the nation should be churning out enterprisers and inventers. Instead, we churn out bureaucrats and regulators. There's certainly a place for each in a $15 trillion economy, but the pace of government growth relative to the private sector has not declined. Strange. But then again, this is exactly the stuff that Mark Steyn's been warning about, so ain't that the darnedest?
President Zero
At NYT, "G.O.P.’s New Obama Label: President Zero":
It took the Republican National Committee exactly 94 minutes to coin a new, demeaning title for Barack Obama: President Zero.
In an e-mail to reporters, the committee took note of the worst jobs report in nearly a year, saying that there has been “two and a half years of Obamanomics and nothing to show for it.”
The monthly report, which showed a 17,000-job gain among private employers but no growth over all, provides Mr. Obama’s Republican rivals with the perfect opportunity to criticize him as they prepare to gather for another nationally televised debate next week.
And it gives Mr. Obama an even more gloomy backdrop for the jobs speech he will give to a joint session of Congress next Thursday. In the speech, Mr. Obama is expected to call for a renewed national effort to put people back to work and trim the nation’s deficit.
PHOTOS: Kate Winslet Heats Up Venice Film Festival
At London's Daily Mail, "Kate Winslet puts young co-star Evan Rachel Wood in the shade with her shorts tuxedo."
Shoot, she's got some fabulous legs!
Shoot, she's got some fabulous legs!
FYF Festival
Off! is playing.
See L.A. Weekly, "FYF Preview: Keith Morris of OFF! Speaks on Friends and Foes."And at LAT, "FYF addresses last year's problems so it can focus on the music."
See L.A. Weekly, "FYF Preview: Keith Morris of OFF! Speaks on Friends and Foes."And at LAT, "FYF addresses last year's problems so it can focus on the music."
NATO is No Go Without American Power
At Wall Street Journal, "NATO Strikes Show Europe Defense Dilemma":
Madeleine Albright once called the U.S. the "indispensable nation", and for all of our difficulties, world events keep proving it over and over.
The military campaign over Libya has delivered a serious blow to a project long nurtured at the heart of the European Union: a European military capability independent of the U.S., defense analysts and officials say.More at that top link.
For years, the EU sought to build what came to be called its Common Security and Defense Policy as some nations, led by France, wanted the freedom to act militarily without Washington's interference.
For Paris, this meant creating a military command structure and forces separate from the U.S.-dominated North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This vision has never come close to fruition, not least because the U.S. and U.K. saw it as duplicating NATO's role.
Ironically, it was the first-ever NATO military operation to be led by Europeans, with the U.S. deciding to take a back seat, that suggests that ambition may never be fulfilled.
Central to this has been the move in 2009 by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to reverse the 1966 decision of President Charles de Gaulle and reintegrate France into NATO's military command.
On Wednesday evening, Mr. Sarkozy told assembled diplomats in Paris that NATO "has shown itself to be an indispensable tool in the service of our military operations." The success of military operations over Libya was possible because France had reassumed its position in NATO's military command, he said.
Madeleine Albright once called the U.S. the "indispensable nation", and for all of our difficulties, world events keep proving it over and over.
Woman's Breast Implant Explodes After Being Hit By Paintball
I wonder if anyone got that on video.
At LAT, "Woman's breast implant explodes during paintball: New high-impact sports risk?":
At LAT, "Woman's breast implant explodes during paintball: New high-impact sports risk?":
Here's an unusual risk of playing paintball: A British woman's breast implant reportedly exploded after she was hit in the chest by a paintball, which can travel at 190 mph.
UK Paintball has now adjusted its policies accordingly. "We respectfully ask that any ladies with surgical breast implants notify our team at the time of booking," according to a statement on its website. "You will be given special information on the dangers of paintballing with enhanced boobs and asked to sign a disclaimer."
Just wait, it gets better: "You will also be issued with extra padding to protect your implants while paintballing," the statement says.
This, of course, happened within days of an FDA official reaffirming that silicone breast implants on the market were safe to use.
But then again, when they talk about the dangers of breast augmentation, paintball is not usually one that comes to mind.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Libertarians and Democrats
I saw this Will Wilkinson piece earlier and read it all: "A Libertarian’s Lament: Why Ron Paul Is an Embarrassment to the Creed." I didn't bother commenting on it because Wilkinson's not worth it. He's a drug-addled leftist, IMHO, and a pretty much typical libertarian. So, what do you know, but American Glob has picked up the slack, "In Which I Respectfully Disagree With Will Wilkinson" (via Glenn Reynolds):
Actually, I doubt it would take long, but you could probably find lots of libertarians who supported Democrats in California last year, when Proposition 19 was on the ballot. Both Democrats and Libertarians endorsed the measure, which placed them in a de facto political alliance. Indeed, there's also a "progressive-libertarian coalition" that joined forces on the initiative. So, while in theory it may be impossible to be a libertarian and support Democrats, in fact those two ideologies generally have just as much in common as do libertarians and conservatives on support for free markets. Indeed, if you look at criminal justice and civil liberties you're more likely to see Democrats (progressives) allied with libertarians. Frankly, when it comes to a robust foreign policy and a defense of social conservatism, I make little distinction between leftists and libertarians. Throw in gay marriage (libertarians back it), and really, what's left for libertarians to be associated with that is generally referred to as right wing? Ron Paul is loathsome to me on foreign policy, but even more we learn over and over again that's he's anti-Semitic, and even Will Wilkinson attacks him as racist. I just can't stand people like that. A foreign policy that excoriates U.S. support for Israel turns quickly into a crude copy of neo-communist Jew-bashing eliminationism. So with all due respect, I'd think American Glob might want to rethink his partiality to Ron Paul in a hypothetical match up between Paul and Obama. They're both disasters, and a pox on both of their houses.
I don’t know Will Wilkinson personally but I know he’s a Libertarian writer who has worked for the highly regarded Cato Institute.Keep reading.
Wilkinson wrote an article for The New Republic today in which he calls Ron Paul an “embarrassment” to the creed of Libertarianism.
I like many of Ron Paul’s ideas and disagree with others, specifically his approach to foreign policy but my objection to Wilkinson’s article has nothing to do with Ron Paul.
It’s based on the first half of his second sentence…In 2006, I tossed a few dollars at the Democrat running for Senate against the loathsome Rick Santorum. It could have been a three-headed goat, for all I cared, but Wikipedia says it was Bob Casey.Before you jump to conclusions, let me state for the record that I am not now, nor have I ever been a supporter of Rick Santorum. I don’t believe he is a “loathsome” person as Wilkinson characterized him, I think he is probably a decent man despite our political differences.
My problem with Wilkinson’s article is simply this:
I don’t believe it’s possible to be a Libertarian and support Democrats. Ever.
Actually, I doubt it would take long, but you could probably find lots of libertarians who supported Democrats in California last year, when Proposition 19 was on the ballot. Both Democrats and Libertarians endorsed the measure, which placed them in a de facto political alliance. Indeed, there's also a "progressive-libertarian coalition" that joined forces on the initiative. So, while in theory it may be impossible to be a libertarian and support Democrats, in fact those two ideologies generally have just as much in common as do libertarians and conservatives on support for free markets. Indeed, if you look at criminal justice and civil liberties you're more likely to see Democrats (progressives) allied with libertarians. Frankly, when it comes to a robust foreign policy and a defense of social conservatism, I make little distinction between leftists and libertarians. Throw in gay marriage (libertarians back it), and really, what's left for libertarians to be associated with that is generally referred to as right wing? Ron Paul is loathsome to me on foreign policy, but even more we learn over and over again that's he's anti-Semitic, and even Will Wilkinson attacks him as racist. I just can't stand people like that. A foreign policy that excoriates U.S. support for Israel turns quickly into a crude copy of neo-communist Jew-bashing eliminationism. So with all due respect, I'd think American Glob might want to rethink his partiality to Ron Paul in a hypothetical match up between Paul and Obama. They're both disasters, and a pox on both of their houses.
Up in Smoke: Failed U.S. Supreme Court Nominee Douglas Ginsburg to Join Faculty at New York University School of Law
In 1986, D. C. Circuit Court Judge Douglas Ginsburg was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan. He would have replaced retiring Justice Lewis Powell, except that President Reagan withdrew Ginsburg's nomination after revelations emerged that he'd smoked marijuana as a faculty member at Harvard Law. (NPR's hatchet-woman Nina Totenberg revealed the information, of course, and Ginsburg confessed.)
In any case, he's in the news, at BLT, "D.C. Circuit Judge Ginsburg to Join NYU Law Faculty." (At Memeorandum and Volokh.)
In any case, he's in the news, at BLT, "D.C. Circuit Judge Ginsburg to Join NYU Law Faculty." (At Memeorandum and Volokh.)
Sarah Palin to Blast Washington's 'Compromised Political Class' in Iowa This Weekend
See Robert Costa, at National Review, "Palin Will Blast ‘Compromised Political Class’ in Iowa."For a long time I admired Sarah Palin's savvy instincts (and I still do), but I think she's waited too long to announce her intentions for the presidency. Apparently, she'll say in Iowa tomorrow that she's still undecided, and then she'll reprise her basic stump speech about how dumb are establishment politicians and how broken is establishment politics. I can't help thinking that Palin's moment has passed for this cycle, and that she'd be better off announcing definitively that she'll not be a candidate in 2012. For more on that see Doyle McManus, at LAT, "Palin the procrastinator," and Alex Parker, at U.S. News, "For 2012, Sarah Palin's Time May Have Run Out."
And check the video at Right Scoop, "Karl Rove: Palin is hurting herself. She needs to get in or get out."
BONUS: From Tony Katz, at Pajamas Media, "The Sarah Palin “Will She/Won’t She” Tour Begins."
And check the video at Right Scoop, "Karl Rove: Palin is hurting herself. She needs to get in or get out."
BONUS: From Tony Katz, at Pajamas Media, "The Sarah Palin “Will She/Won’t She” Tour Begins."
To the Shores of Tripoli
From Robert Kagan, at Weekly Standard:
In any case, Kagan and Boot agree on one thing: The war's not over yet.
... the end of Qaddafi’s rule is a great accomplishment for the Obama administration and for the president personally. It is a shame that some administration officials are trying to downplay the role of the United States in this whole affair, absurdly trying to turn the “leading from behind” gaffe into a kind of Obama doctrine. In fact, the United States was not “leading from behind.” By far the most important decision taken by any world leader in this entire episode—the decision that made all the difference—was President Obama’s decision that the United States and the world could not stand by and see the people of Ben ghazi massacred.That's a dramatically different take than Max Boot's, "Did Libya Vindicate 'Leading From Behind'?" Boot doesn't love America's reserve role in these interventions, especially since success requires American military power to begin with. Why shrug off our leadership role and argue "we've got your back"? Kagan just calls it an American victory no matter how you slice it. But all along I've found Victor Davis Hanson's arguments to be the most compelling, which hold, for example, that the Obama administration hadn't the slightest clue about toppling Gaddafi, as evidenced by the administration's pathetic flip-flopping on the goal of regime change or not.
That American choice was the turning point. All praise to France’s Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain’s David Cameron for being ahead of the president in seeing the need for armed action—just as Margaret Thatcher was ahead of George H.W. Bush in seeing the need for action against Saddam Hussein in 1990. But here is the plain and critical truth of the matter: None of this could have been done without the United States leading the way.
Only the United States has the military capacity, the weaponry, the surveillance technology, and the skill to open a safe path for the air and ground war against Qaddafi’s forces. France and Britain alone would not and probably could not have done the job without unacceptable risk to their forces, which were very thin to begin with. In the early days, especially, American A-10 and AC-130 ground attack aircraft were critical in pummeling Qaddafi’s armored vehicles and forcing them to halt offensives against rebel positions. In the last days of the conflict, American high-tech surveillance allowed the rebels to pinpoint the positions of Qaddafi forces in and around Tripoli. Throughout months of fighting, prowling American Predator drones forced Qaddafi and his men to keep their heads down.
The president and his secretary of state also carried out an adept diplomacy that eventually garnered not only European but, remarkably, Arab support as well. This in turn forced both Russia and China—fearful of Arab wrath—to acquiesce. There were costs, of course: a U.N. resolution inadequate to the task at hand and the usual problem of trying to keep many players on board during a mission. On balance, however, it was worth it. The administration was surely right that the intervention would be more effective if it did not appear to be exclusively an American operation and that the combination of European and Arab support for removing Qaddafi was enough of a prize to warrant some compromises.
But the larger point is that, again, only the United States could have pulled all these disparate political and regional forces together. No other nation, not France, not Great Britain, not even a united EU (which German opposition prevented) could have managed this global diplomatic task. In this allegedly “post-American” world, the United States remains both indispensable and irreplaceable.
In any case, Kagan and Boot agree on one thing: The war's not over yet.
Libya War Not Yet Over
Well, I need to start watching MSNBC more often. I just love Reva Bhalla, Director of Analysis at STRATFOR:And at Telegraph UK, "Gaddafi releases new audio message," and "Gaddafi vows to 'let Libya burn' as he defies calls for surrender."
Plus, "Libya: rebels prepare to seize Bani Walid."
Plus, "Libya: rebels prepare to seize Bani Walid."
Fear of Terrorism Fades as 10th Anniversary of 9/11 Nears
While that's a good thing, trust in government to protect from an attack remains limited.
See Gallup, "Americans' Fear of Terrorism in U.S. Is Near Low Point."See also USA Today, "Fewer would trade rights for security than in days post-9/11."
See Gallup, "Americans' Fear of Terrorism in U.S. Is Near Low Point."See also USA Today, "Fewer would trade rights for security than in days post-9/11."
Afternoon Rule 5
Theo's been on fire lately, so I thought I'd take time out to send readers over there.
See tonight's "Bedtime Totty."
Also, at Bob Belvedere's, "A Little Hump Day Rule 5: Julie McCullough." And BCF, "Because it's Friday...and it's Eleanor Powell."
And from Gator Doug, "DaleyGator DaleyBabe Vanessa Minillo."
BONUS: At Zion's Trumpet, "Polish Barbershop for Men – Hot Cuts – Very Popular."
Added: Check out Animal Magnetism.
Israel Largely Vindicated by U.N. Marmara Report: Turkey Expels Israeli Ambassador, Threatens Legal Reprisals
At New York Times, "Report Finds Naval Blockade by Israel Legal but Faults Raid." The report was issued last month but its release delayed while Ankara and Jerusalem sought to patch up differences. Good luck with that, it turns out. See Israel Matzav, "Turkey expels Israeli envoy," and Jerusalem Post, "Turkey vows legal action against Israelis involved in raid":
ADDED: At Astute Bloggers, "IS ISLAMIST TURKEY ATTEMPTING TO INSTIGATE A NATO WAR AGAINST ISRAEL?"
Turkey said on Friday it will seek to prosecute all Israelis responsible for crimes committed during an Israeli raid on a ship bound for the Gaza Strip that killed nine Turks in May 2010.Of course, Turkey would have acted precisely as Israel did if faced with the same situation. And click on that New York Times piece. Turkey's mad that Israel has the right under international law to impose a blockade.
"Turkey will take legal actions against the Israeli soldiers and all other officials responsible for the crimes committed and pursue the matter resolutely," Turkey's embassy in Washington said in a statement.
The threat follows a UN report that confirmed the legality of Israel's naval blockade of Gaza but said Israel had used unreasonable force in the raid. Both Turkey and Israel disputed some of the conclusions of the so-called Palmer Report.
The names of the Israeli marines involved in the raid have not been released, so only ranking commanders overseeing the operation could be identified if Turkey follows through with the legal action.
The full text of the UN report, which was leaked on Thursday, was delivered to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office on Friday and will soon be officially published, UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey told reporters.
ADDED: At Astute Bloggers, "IS ISLAMIST TURKEY ATTEMPTING TO INSTIGATE A NATO WAR AGAINST ISRAEL?"
Germany Pulls Out of Durban III Anti-Racism Conference
At Jerusalem Post:
BERLIN - Germany's Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that it will not take part in the UN-sponsored Durban III anti-racism conference on September 22, because of the possibility that the event can be turned into a forum for anti-Semitic statements.You can say that again.
In a statement to The Jerusalem Post on Friday, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said “Germany will not participate in the commemoration event for the 10th year anniversary of the Durban conference.”
He added that Germany “cannot rule out that the Durban commemoration event in New York will be misused for anti-Semitic statements, as was the case in previous conferences.”
Westerwelle continued that “therefore Germany will not participate. This is also an expression of our special responsibility toward Israel.”
'Highway Star'
I love this song. It's just perfect rock and roll.
From my afternoon drive time yesterday:
From my afternoon drive time yesterday:
4:02 - Highway Star by Deep Purple
4:08 - Highway To Hell by Ac/dc
4:19 - Hip To Be Square by Huey Lewis & The News
4:23 - Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Pat Benatar
4:26 - Hitch A Ride by Boston
4:30 - Hocus Pocus by Focus
4:39 - Hold Me by Fleetwood Mac
4:43 - Hold On Loosely by .38 Special
4:48 - Hold The Line by Toto
4:52 - Hold Your Head Up by Argent
4:58 - Hole In My Life by Police
Unemployment Remains at 9.1 Percent in Worst Showing in a Year
This president sucks.
Earlier job numbers were revised downward as well.
At London's Daily Mail, "Unemployment remains 9.1 per cent as job growth grinds to a halt and markets tumble."
Earlier job numbers were revised downward as well.
At London's Daily Mail, "Unemployment remains 9.1 per cent as job growth grinds to a halt and markets tumble."
And at Los Angeles Times, "No new jobs added in August as unemployment rate holds at 9.1%":
The Labor Department's monthly report is the worst showing in a year and offers stark evidence that hiring has stalled. About 14 million people were officially unemployed in August, and many of those who do have jobs saw their weekly hours trimmed.Lots of commentary at Memeorandum.
Reporting from Washington— The U.S. economy added no new jobs in August — the worst showing in a year — as employers cut back hiring and trimmed work hours of existing employees.
The latest snapshot of the labor market provided stark evidence that hiring has stalled and that the feeble economic recovery remains threatened by the unusually deep and prolonged challenges facing American workers.
Friday's report from the Labor Department intensifies the pressure on President Obama to propose a robust jobs plan when he addresses the nation next week, and could also push the Federal Reserve to take further action on interest-rate and other monetary policies when it meets later this month.
The nation's unemployment rate in August stayed at 9.1%, as more people reported that they found part-time work, many of them because that's all that was available.
About 14 million people were officially unemployed last month. About 6 million of them, or nearly 43% of the unemployed, have been without work for six months or longer. Short term, many of them face the loss of extended jobless benefits. Longer term, they face increasing risks of losing skills and hopes of getting re-employed.
The report had discouraging news for current workers as well. The government said private employers in August trimmed by a notch the average work hours of all employees, to 34.2 hours. The average hourly earnings for workers, meanwhile, dropped 3 cents to $23.09 last month.
The Great Recession and Government Failure
From Gary Becker, at WSJ:
More at the link.
The origins of the financial crisis and the Great Recession are widely attributed to "market failure." This refers primarily to the bad loans and excessive risks taken on by banks in the quest to expand their profits. The "Chicago School of Economics" came under sustained attacks from the media and the academy for its analysis of the efficacy of competitive markets. Capitalism itself as a way to organize an economy was widely criticized and said to be in need of radical alteration.Becker's a Nobel Prize winner, one with more smarts, obviously, than idiot economist Paul Krugman.
Although many banks did perform poorly, government behavior also contributed to and prolonged the crisis. The Federal Reserve kept interest rates artificially low in the years leading up to the crisis. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two quasi-government institutions, used strong backing from influential members of Congress to encourage irresponsible mortgages that required little down payment, as well as low interest rates for households with poor credit and low and erratic incomes. Regulators who could have reined in banks instead became cheerleaders for the banks.
This recession might well have been a deep one even with good government policies, but "government failure" added greatly to its length and severity, including its continuation to the present. In the U.S., these government actions include an almost $1 trillion in federal spending that was supposed to stimulate the economy. Leading government economists, backed up by essentially no evidence, argued that this spending would stimulate the economy by enough to reduce unemployment rates to under 8%.
Such predictions have been so far off the mark as to be embarrassing. Although definitive studies are not yet available about the stimulus package's overall effects on the American economy, most everyone agrees that it was badly designed and executed. What the stimulus did produce is a sizable expansion of the federal deficit and debt.
More at the link.
'Join the Rejects'
This story about UCLA student Chris Jeon joining the rebel insurgency in Libya reminded me of the Cockney Rejects: "Join the Rejects rebels and get yourself killed":
Also at Washington Post, "American student Chris Jeon joins Libyan rebels."
Did Libya Vindicate 'Leading From Behind'?
Max Boot gives Obama the boot on Libya, at WSJ and RCP. Boot's normally pretty gung ho on foreign military intervention, so I'm sensing a little disappointment overall. That is, more forward deployed U.S. power earlier in Libya would have not only shortened the war, but made for a stronger precedent in future crises. See Boot's earlier piece, "It's Not Too Late to Save Libya."
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Obama's Really Bad Day in Public Opinion Polling
Checking over at Memeorandum this morning, I noticed at least three new public opinion surveys that show President Obama continuing down the road to ignominious defeat in November 2012. This warms me to no end, as you can imagine.
At Quinnipiac University, for example, "Obama Approval Hits All-Time Low, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Economy Is Getting Worse, More Voters Say." And at CNN, "New CNN Poll: 65% give Obama thumbs down on economy." And then of course, Rasmussen had this, "Perry 44% Obama 41%; President Leads Other GOP Hopefuls."
Actually, Quinnipiac has Romney leading Obama in a head-to-head, so I doubt there's a bright side for the president. Whoever wins the GOP nomination will harness a hurricane-force of opposition to this disastrous administration. It's only four more months to the Iowa caucuses. I expect Rick Perry to peak anytime now (but would remain a top contender). Michele Bachmann will keep chugging along and could very well take Iowa by continuing her aggressive retail stump-style in the Hawkeye State. Mitt Romney can't blow off Iowa at this point. Things are tightening up and he's no longer the "inevitable" nominee, if he ever was. I actually like Romney best over Obama in the general election, although I'm hoping for Bachmann to become the nominee (as she best represents my politics). Unlike most people, I personally think she'll destroy Obama in the general. She'll bring "hope and change" to America with a vengeance. She's performed well in debates so far and the media attacks on her have backfired by creating a sympathy effect for the Minnesota congresswoman. Of course, she's not the "anointed one," which is generally how Republicans elect their nominees, and I think she'd be better off with executive experience. But economic crisis continues to grip the nation, and each day leaves me more convinced that the Democrats are toast.
More on this forthcoming.
Added: Scared Monkeys links: "Rasmussen Poll Has TX Gov. Rick Perry Ahead of President Barack Obama 44% – 41%."
At Quinnipiac University, for example, "Obama Approval Hits All-Time Low, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Economy Is Getting Worse, More Voters Say." And at CNN, "New CNN Poll: 65% give Obama thumbs down on economy." And then of course, Rasmussen had this, "Perry 44% Obama 41%; President Leads Other GOP Hopefuls."
Actually, Quinnipiac has Romney leading Obama in a head-to-head, so I doubt there's a bright side for the president. Whoever wins the GOP nomination will harness a hurricane-force of opposition to this disastrous administration. It's only four more months to the Iowa caucuses. I expect Rick Perry to peak anytime now (but would remain a top contender). Michele Bachmann will keep chugging along and could very well take Iowa by continuing her aggressive retail stump-style in the Hawkeye State. Mitt Romney can't blow off Iowa at this point. Things are tightening up and he's no longer the "inevitable" nominee, if he ever was. I actually like Romney best over Obama in the general election, although I'm hoping for Bachmann to become the nominee (as she best represents my politics). Unlike most people, I personally think she'll destroy Obama in the general. She'll bring "hope and change" to America with a vengeance. She's performed well in debates so far and the media attacks on her have backfired by creating a sympathy effect for the Minnesota congresswoman. Of course, she's not the "anointed one," which is generally how Republicans elect their nominees, and I think she'd be better off with executive experience. But economic crisis continues to grip the nation, and each day leaves me more convinced that the Democrats are toast.
More on this forthcoming.
Added: Scared Monkeys links: "Rasmussen Poll Has TX Gov. Rick Perry Ahead of President Barack Obama 44% – 41%."
'Don't You (Forget About Me)'
Listened to Simple Minds during yesterday's drive time, on The Sound LA:
8:25 - Don't Stop by Fleetwood MacI'll have more blogging tonight:
8:29 - Don't Stop Believin' by Journey
8:33 - Don't Take Me Alive by Steely Dan
8:44 - Don't Tell Me You Love Me by Night Ranger
8:48 - Don't You Forget About Me by Simple Minds
8:53 - Don't You Worry 'bout A Thing by Stevie Wonder
Israel — An Apartheid State?
From Dennis Prager, at Frontpage Magazine:
The "apartheid state" lie is just one more lie in a long train of progressive evils. What's especially sad is that the left gets away with this stuff. Kinda like the Nazis hiding the camps. It's all just one big lie.
Next month, the UN-sponsored hate-Israel festival known as Durban III takes place. Under the heading “anti-racism,” the great bulk of the conference, like Durban I and Durban II, consists of condemning Israel for racism and equating it to an apartheid state.Keep reading at that top link.
Of the world’s many great lies, this is among the greatest.
How do we know it is a lie? Because when South Africa was an apartheid state, no one accused Israel of being one. Even the UN would have regarded the accusation as absurd.
Israel has nothing in common with an apartheid state, but few people know enough about Israel — or about apartheid South Africa — to refute the slander. So let’s respond.
First, what is an apartheid state? And does Israel fit that definition?
From 1948 to 1994, South Africa, the country that came up with this term, had an official policy that declared blacks second-class citizens in every aspect of that nation’s life. Among many other prohibitions on the country’s blacks, they could not vote; could not hold political office; were forced to reside in certain locations; could not marry whites; and couldn’t even use the same public restrooms as whites.
Not one of those restrictions applies to Arabs living in Israel.
One and a half million Arabs live in Israel, constituting about 20 percent of that country’s population. They have the same rights as all other Israeli citizens. They can vote, and they do. They can serve in the Israeli parliament, and they do. They can own property and businesses and work in professions alongside other Israelis, and they do. They can be judges, and they are. Here’s one telling example: it was an Arab judge on Israel’s Supreme Court who sentenced the former president of Israel — a Jew — to jail on a rape charge.
Some other examples of Arabs in Israeli life: Reda Mansour was the youngest ambassador in Israel’s history, and is now Consul General at Israel’s Atlanta Consulate; Walid Badir is an international soccer star on Israel’s national team and captain of one of Tel Aviv’s major teams; Rana Raslan is a former Miss Israel; Ishmael Khaldi was until recently the deputy consul of Israel in San Francisco; Khaled Abu Toameh is a major journalist with the Jerusalem Post; Ghaleb Majadele was until recently a Minister in the Israeli Government. They are all Israeli Arabs. Not one is a Jew.
Arabs in Israel live freer lives than Arabs living anywhere in the Arab world.
No Arab in any Arab country has the civil rights and personal liberty that Arabs in Israel enjoy.
The "apartheid state" lie is just one more lie in a long train of progressive evils. What's especially sad is that the left gets away with this stuff. Kinda like the Nazis hiding the camps. It's all just one big lie.
Mark Steyn on BBC
Nude Video: Free Clothes in Santa Monica
Really.
At LA Weekly, "Nude Pandemonium on Streets of Santa Monica For Desigual Clothing Giveaway."More video at the link.
Also at LAist, "Undies-Clad Shoppers Line Up for Free Clothing Event in Santa Monica."
At LA Weekly, "Nude Pandemonium on Streets of Santa Monica For Desigual Clothing Giveaway."More video at the link.
Also at LAist, "Undies-Clad Shoppers Line Up for Free Clothing Event in Santa Monica."
Dodger Stadium is Almost Empty
From Bill Plaschke, at Los Angeles Times, "It Can't Get Much Worse at Dodger Stadium":
Well, it'd be a different experience, that's for sure.
I have reached rock bottom, and it is a hot bleacher in section 314 in the right-field pavilion of Dodger Stadium.More at that top link.
I am sitting here Wednesday afternoon introducing myself to everyone else in this giant section.
All six of them.
"It's sad," says Jose Haro.
"It's lonely," says Javier Casillas.
In a season of bad, it's the worst. The crowd at this midday game between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres appears to be the smallest in a season of empty.
It's the smallest crowd I've seen in my 23 years of following the Dodgers. It might be the smallest crowd in the 49-year history of Dodger Stadium.
The official attendance is 27,767, the second-lowest of the season, but that accounts for the number of tickets sold, not the number of actual people in seats.
This is surely the worst. This is surely not even close. Eleven sections are completely vacant. Most of the pavilion sections are in single digits. The left-field corner section, previously known as Mannywood, is Deadwood, inhabited by precisely 20 people.
Well, it'd be a different experience, that's for sure.
'For All We Know'
If you clicked through at the Sheri Donovan interview the other day, recall she confesses that she's got The Carpenters on her iPod, but "don't worry, I won't play them on The Sound."
Actually, I wouldn't mind hearing The Carpenters once in a while. I had a crush on Karen Carpenter when I was a kid:
Actually, I wouldn't mind hearing The Carpenters once in a while. I had a crush on Karen Carpenter when I was a kid:
Venus Williams Withdraws From U.S. Open
At NYT, "An Ailing Venus Williams Exits."
Venus Williams departed the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Wednesday with downcast eyes, staring at an uncertain future after revealing she had received a diagnosis of Sjogren’s Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes fatigue and joint pain.This women is a history-making trailblazer. I've admired her for a long time. Continue reading at the link. This story's kinda sad.
Williams, who missed the hardcourt season with what had been described as a viral illness, withdrew from the United States Open minutes before she was due on court at Arthur Ashe Stadium for her second-round match against No. 22 Sabine Lisicki .
Williams, 31, was unseeded for the first time since 1997, when she advanced to the final in her Open debut. Appearing in her 13th Open, she had pulled the curtain back on a game that looked robust, if a tad rusty, in her 6-4, 6-3 victory over Vesna Dolonts on Monday. She had aspired to become the first Open women’s singles champion over 30 since Martina Navratilova in 1987.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Fresh-Faced Reporters ... You Think?
I'm looking at this New York Times story, which has a pictures of Lindsey Boerma of National Journal, and I'm thinking this young lady might as well be sitting in one of my American government classes. Shoot, she looks like she could be hanging out at the mall with my oldest son on the weekends! Makes you kinda get nostalgic for David Broder. Sheesh!
See: "Covering 2012, Youths on the Bus."
See: "Covering 2012, Youths on the Bus."
For decades, campaign buses were populated by hotshots, some of whom covered politics for decades, from Walter Mears to David S. Broder to Jules Witcover. It was a glamorous club, captured and skewered in Timothy Crouse’s best-selling “The Boys on the Bus,” about the 1972 campaign.And see The Other McCain, "A Special Kind of Stupid." (At Memeorandum).
Now, more and more, because of budget cutbacks, those once coveted jobs are being filled by brand new journalists at a fraction of the salary. It is not so glamorous anymore.
For these reporters the 2012 campaign is both the assignment of a lifetime and the kind of experience that is tying their stomachs in knots. Three of them are just out of college. One just got engaged. And none of them seem quite sure what to expect from more than a year on the road.
“We hear all this stuff, all this advice,” said Rebecca Kaplan, 23, who is giving up her apartment in Washington’s Chinatown for the duration of the campaign. “But I don’t think we’ll fully realize what’s going on until we get out there.”
Libyan National Transitional Council
That's the first I've seen of that term, at the description from this video at Telegraph UK:Also, "Libya: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi vows to continue the war and retake Tripoli."
See also New York Times, "Son Denies Rebels’ Claim That Qaddafi Is Cornered":
See also New York Times, "Son Denies Rebels’ Claim That Qaddafi Is Cornered":
TRIPOLI, Libya — A top official of Libya’s transitional government said Wednesday that its fighters had cornered Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in a desert redoubt 150 miles from the capital and were exhorting him to give up, in what would bring a sense of finality to the prolonged uprising that routed him and his family from Tripoli a week ago.Maybe folks should hold off on this talk of a "transitional council." You gotta get that old council out before you can transition a new one.
But one of Colonel Qaddafi’s fugitive sons, Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi, threw a new if improbable taunt at the rebels even as they said they had closed in on his father, vowing in an audio statement that loyalists would never surrender and insisting that “victory will be near.”
“Our leadership is fine,” he said in the statement broadcast on the Al Rai television channel of Syria and other Arab broadcasting outlets. “We are drinking tea and coffee.”
Seif al-Islam gave no indication in the statement of his precise whereabouts except that he was in a Tripoli suburb, and it was not clear if his remarks had been prerecorded. But the statement itself raised the possibility of more fighting and underscored the ability of the Qaddafis to frustrate the alliance of rebel forces that has become the effective government of Libya.
There Are No Coincidences in Presidential Politics
From Chris Cillizza, at Washington Post, "Coincidences don’t happen in presidential politics. Ever" (via Memeorandum):
Petty and small sounds about right.
Also at Lonely Conservative, "Obama Calls for Joint Session of Congress for New Economic Plan Speech, On Same Night as GOP Debate," and Legal Insurrection, "Just say No to Obama Joint Session of Congress campaign speech."
UPDATE: At NYT, "Obama Reschedules Economy Speech at Boehner’s Request":
There are no coincidences in presidential politics.Keep reading.
Strategists spend hours poring over every word a president utters, every policy position he takes and every state he visits, a level of attention to detail that makes happenstance virtually nonexistent.
And so, when the White House announced today that President Obama would deliver his much-anticipated jobs speech on Sept. 7 at 8 pm — the exact same day and time that the 2012 Republican candidates are scheduled to debate in California — the idea that the timing was purely coincidental was, well, far-fetched.
It’s clear that this White House saw an opportunity to drive a major — and direct — contrast between President Obama and his potential Republican rivals and took it.
Petty and small sounds about right.
Also at Lonely Conservative, "Obama Calls for Joint Session of Congress for New Economic Plan Speech, On Same Night as GOP Debate," and Legal Insurrection, "Just say No to Obama Joint Session of Congress campaign speech."
UPDATE: At NYT, "Obama Reschedules Economy Speech at Boehner’s Request":
President Obama acquiesced to a request from Speaker John A. Boehner on Wednesday to move the date of his proposed address to a joint session of Congress to Thursday Sept. 8, after Mr. Boehner all but rejected Mr. Obama’s request to speak next Wednesday.
Solyndra
Solyndra, the Northern California solar panel manufacturer, has filed for bankruptcy and will cease business operation. The firm received $535 million from the Obama administration's Energy Department as part of the big stimulus push during the first year of the Obama interregnum. See LAT, "Solar panel firm Solyndra to cease operations," and Pirate's Cove, "Solyndra, Maker Of Solar Panels, Ceases Operations, Lays Off 1,110."
And from Ed Morrissey, "Solyndra shuts its doors" (at Memeorandum):
And from Ed Morrissey, "Solyndra shuts its doors" (at Memeorandum):
At one time, Solyndra was the poster child for Barack Obama’s promise of a green-jobs explosion. Today, the solar-energy technology manufacturer a poster child for the failure of his stimulus, his green-jobs push, and social engineering in general. Solyndra abruptly shut its doors today and declared bankruptcy, two years after getting over a half-billion dollars from the Obama administration’s Porkulus...
Solyndra's failure is a devastating indictment against President Barack Obama and his administration's disastrous social engineering of industrial economics. I can't wait to see campaign ads next year featuring Obama touring Solyndra with BANKRUPT overlaid on screen, along with a voice-over hammering the sheer stupidity of the "green jobs" agenda.
Democrat Congressional Leadership Has No Comment on Rep. Andre Carson's 'Hanging on a Tree' Allegations Against the Tea Party
At Washington Examiner, "Reid, Pelosi silent on 'Jim Crow' accusations" (via Memeorandum).
Also at The Blog Prof, "The 'New Civility'(Cont'd): Congressional Black Caucus: Racist Tea Party Wants Black Americans ‘Hanging On a Tree’."
Democratic Congressional leadership remains silent about a Democratic congressman's claim that Tea Party members of Congress would "like to see [black Americans] hanging on a tree."Well, they want us to go "straight to Hell," so I'm not surprised.
The top-ranking Democrats in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives - Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., Sen. Dick Durbin, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., - have not responded to The Washington Examiner's requests for comment on this issue. They have not supported or contradicted, or even acknowledged, the accusation leveled by Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., that their Tea Party colleagues in Congress would like to see Carson murdered.
Repeated efforts to contact Minority Leader Pelosi about her caucus-member's claim produced no response, except that The Examiner was told that her press secretary would respond "at his discretion."
Also at The Blog Prof, "The 'New Civility'(Cont'd): Congressional Black Caucus: Racist Tea Party Wants Black Americans ‘Hanging On a Tree’."
'I Didn't Change. The World Changed'
From Daniel Henninger, at Wall Street Journal, "In an interview, Dick Cheney says 'It's important to have people at the helm who are prepared to be unpopular'."
I think Dick Cheney's been the rock of American public life for the last 10 years. He's unruffled in his convictions, more impressive as he got older.
RELATED: The left's revulsion of the former V.P. is picking up over at Memeorandum. See especially, ABC News, "Former Powell Chief of Staff: Cheney “Fears Being Tried as a War Criminal”." And click through at Memeorandum for Conor Friedersdorf's attack on Cheney. Friedersdorf's an airhead.
I think Dick Cheney's been the rock of American public life for the last 10 years. He's unruffled in his convictions, more impressive as he got older.
RELATED: The left's revulsion of the former V.P. is picking up over at Memeorandum. See especially, ABC News, "Former Powell Chief of Staff: Cheney “Fears Being Tried as a War Criminal”." And click through at Memeorandum for Conor Friedersdorf's attack on Cheney. Friedersdorf's an airhead.
9/11, Ten Years After: The Costs of Security — More Domestic Surveillance
Continuing my blogging on the Los Angeles Times' September 11 series, see: "A key Sept. 11 legacy: more domestic surveillance."
PREVIOUSLY: "9/11, Ten Years After: The Costs of Security — Has All the Spending Paid Off?"
PREVIOUSLY: "9/11, Ten Years After: The Costs of Security — Has All the Spending Paid Off?"
More on Larry Derfner
See the reaction from readers at Jerusalem Post, "Firing a ‘Post’ columnist – the pros and cons." The responses are compelling and surprisingly compassionate. No doubt folks crave a full airing of opinions, although I think the one line of criticism worthy of even deeper consideration is the idea that Derfner had stopped making reasoned arguments and had become basically an attack dog against everything he hated. If so, perhaps Jerusalem Post might have waited until the controversy died down and then quietly given Derfner notice that his brand of invective commentary was no longer in tune with the expectations of quality writing at the publication. As I noted on Monday, what's bothersome is not so much Derfner's views, but that they were so well accepted on the anti-Israel left. That is, progressive widely endorse the idea that Israeli civilians deserve to die. That thought seems alone to be beyond rational discourse, and perhaps to the realm of simply terrorist agitation. Even the New York Times offers a super sympathetic report on Derfner, "Israeli Columnist Is Fired for Writing That Palestinian Terrorism Is ‘Justified’." Checking the essay one finds a link to Dimi Reider despicable essay (cited at my entry on Monday) offering massive historical lies to justify Derfner's commentary. I know it's the Times, but some reporters are still doing a good job, and I normally enjoy Robert Mackey's blogging at The Lede. He fell short on this one though, omitting some of the more heated criticism of Derfner's perfidy.
And see Barry Rubin's comments, "Larry Derfner Should Be Debated, Not Fired." Rubin says it's not left or right but truth versus lies (to which I disagree, with reference, for example, to the comments at New York Times, where again we see how entrenched is leftist progressive anti-Semitic bloodlust). That said, Rubin's right: Derfner shouldn't have been fired over this.
BONUS: Check Camera's post, and follow the links for additional commentary, "Larry Derfner Will Not Be Rattling The Cage Anymore at the Jerusalem Post."
And see Barry Rubin's comments, "Larry Derfner Should Be Debated, Not Fired." Rubin says it's not left or right but truth versus lies (to which I disagree, with reference, for example, to the comments at New York Times, where again we see how entrenched is leftist progressive anti-Semitic bloodlust). That said, Rubin's right: Derfner shouldn't have been fired over this.
BONUS: Check Camera's post, and follow the links for additional commentary, "Larry Derfner Will Not Be Rattling The Cage Anymore at the Jerusalem Post."
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Video Rip-Off 'Who Likes White People?' Continues Viral Distribution Despite Debunking
I haven't posted on this yet. Robert Stacy McCain has some copyright issues he's been dealing with, over a video clip of Michele Bachmann he made weeks ago in Iowa. Some idiot progressive thief stole the video and edited to make it appear that Congresswoman Bachmann had made racist comments. Just tonight Robert reports that gay rights extremist Perez Hilton posted the clip, and this is after the smear's been widely debunked. See: "No Honor Among Thieves, No Curiosity Among Journalists: Perez Hilton Re-Pirates Video, CBS News Repeats Smear."
CBS News also picked the purloined video as the top viral video of the week. Read all about it The Other McCain.
Jane Jamison of Uncoverage.net Has Died
I like her blog. There are so many out there that sometimes a blog has to really make an impact before gaining attention, and Uncoverage.net is one of those. See Robert Stacy McCain for the details: "Jane Jamison, R.I.P." And John Hawkins has more: "Jane Jamison From Uncoverage Has Passed Away."
Please join me in a prayer for Jane, and for her friends and family.
Please join me in a prayer for Jane, and for her friends and family.
AP Interview With Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani
It's getting close to the 10-year anniversary, so expect lots of 9/11 coverage across the media-sphere over the next couple of weeks. See "AP Interview: Post-9/11 politics of Rudy Giuliani" (via Memeorandum).
'Take Me to the River'
Heard it during yesterday morning's drive time, at The Sound LA:
7:02 - She Talks To Angels by Black CrowesI'll be back for more blogging tonight!
7:08 - Who'll Stop The Rain by CCR
7:18 - Wonderous Stories by Yes
7:21 - Let 'em In by Paul Mccartney
7:26 - Take Me To The River by Talking Heads
7:32 - Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix
7:35 - In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins
7:49 - Space Oddity by David Bowie
7:53 - Black Dog by Led Zeppelin
7:58 - Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac
Hugs and Thanks to Maggie Thornton
Maggie picked my piece on teaching the Gettysburg Address: "Donald Douglas: A Professor Teaching Real Political History."
And from the comments there:
More at Maggie's Notebook.
Also, a warm appreciation goes to Gator Doug: "The DaleyGator supports our friend, Donald Douglas."
I get by with a little help from my friends.
And from the comments there:
In today’s American world, this professor is a gem!Well, thank you!!
More at Maggie's Notebook.
Also, a warm appreciation goes to Gator Doug: "The DaleyGator supports our friend, Donald Douglas."
I get by with a little help from my friends.
Rick Perry's Surge May Force Mitt Romney to Shift Gears
At LAT:
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney may be forced to shake up his strategy to win the Republican presidential nomination now that Texas Gov. Rick Perry has seized the top spot in the latest Gallup poll.Romney's been campaigning as the inevitable nominee, but that's obviously not going to cut it.
Among Romney's likely shifts: softening his focus on New Hampshire, the first primary state, and starting a more aggressive campaign in Iowa, where the race actually begins.
Romney invested heavily there in 2008 and fell short. But this time, a battle between Perry and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota for supremacy among Iowa's social conservatives could create an opening for his more moderate brand of conservatism.
Also up for discussion inside the Romney camp: an accelerated advertising push, including attack ads against Perry.
"This nomination fight will not be a coronation," said Scott Reed, a GOP strategist who is neutral in the race. "He's got to show that he's willing to fight for it."
Uncle Onyango!
You gotta love the "long lost" uncle.
Barack Hussein calls him "Uncle Omar."
At London's Daily Mail, "Obama's 'lost' Uncle Omar held in jail for being 'illegal immigrant'... after he was arrested for drunk driving."
Also at Telegraph UK, "Barack Obama’s uncle on drink driving arrest: 'I will call the White House’."
Barack Hussein calls him "Uncle Omar."
At London's Daily Mail, "Obama's 'lost' Uncle Omar held in jail for being 'illegal immigrant'... after he was arrested for drunk driving."
Also at Telegraph UK, "Barack Obama’s uncle on drink driving arrest: 'I will call the White House’."
Britney Spears at VMAs: The Modern-Pop Definition of 'Statuesque'
From Spencer Kornhaber, at The Atlantic, "Lady Gaga and Britney Spears Share a Surreal Moment at the MTV VMAs." Here's the kicker:
RELATED: At London's Daily Mail, "What a difference four years makes: Britney Spears gets her sparkle back as she returns to scene of THAT awful MTV performance."
The two almost kissed, and then broke off at the last moment. But Gaga kept leering, standing uncomfortably close to Britney as she attempted to give a barely felt acceptance speech. What's more, Britney had to simultaneously thank the world and introduce the next performer, Beyonce Knowles. It was a moment of weird indignity for Spears: a younger star awkwardly hogging the spotlight, a roughly contemporary diva waiting in the wings to take the stage.Video at the link, in case this one gets yanked.
But the optics of the things were the most striking. Britney, at 29, remains sturdily, conventionally beautiful. Outfitted in boots and a short but glamorous black dress, she appeared the modern-pop definition of "statuesque." And then there was Gaga as Calderone: blonde hair replaced by dark mop, her features elfin and unspectacular, her get-up shapeless and drab, her stature tiny. By pairing the two for a kind of lifetime achievement award, MTV was necessarily asking us to contrast the women. Gaga, it seemed, had picked out her shtick for the night in part to play up that contrast. And why not? With her endless parade of costume changes and her guilt-free lyrical message, Gaga's obsessed with remaking standards of beauty and achievement so that they're set by individuals, not establishments. She's the incredible, cross-dressing, anti-Britney.
RELATED: At London's Daily Mail, "What a difference four years makes: Britney Spears gets her sparkle back as she returns to scene of THAT awful MTV performance."
Monday, August 29, 2011
Larry Derfner Fired by Jerusalem Post
Well, let's go straight to the source: "I got fired by the Jerusalem Post today."
Jawa Report applauds: "Jerusalem Post Writer Larry Derfner Fired for Justifying Palestinian Terror."
And here's this, from Isi Leibler, "Justifying Murder – An Abomination" (at Memeorandum):
I got fired by The Jerusalem Post today. The paper got hundreds of notices of cancellations of subscription after my blog post (“The awful, necessary truth about Palestinian terror”) of Sunday last week; the reason being given for my firing, though, is the substance of the essay, despite the apology I published later. A page-one notice to this effect will be published in the Post tomorrow.The pro-terror Mondoweiss has the full essay, "Read the post for which Derfner was fired: "‘The awful, necessary truth about Palestinian terror’."
Jawa Report applauds: "Jerusalem Post Writer Larry Derfner Fired for Justifying Palestinian Terror."
And here's this, from Isi Leibler, "Justifying Murder – An Abomination" (at Memeorandum):
Derfner is an Israeli Jew professionally employed by the only English-language newspaper in Israel. For him to justify the barbaric murder of his own brothers and sisters on a public website represents the ultimate abomination. It is unforgiveable.Some may question Derfner's dismissal (I'm not bothered by it, but I wouldn't have called for his firing). What bothers me is that Derfner's ideas are frankly mainstream among the Israel-hating left. That is, Derfner was only stating publically the exact thoughts of the progressive Israel-delegitimation industry. See, for example, Dimi Reider's obscene endorsement of Derfner, and his claim that it's Caroline Glick who should be fired: "Jerusalem Post fires Larry Derfner over blog post." And there's more than 50 comments at Mondoweiss as this post goes live, almost all in support of Derfner. I mean seriously, it's like bloodlust:
Presumably in response to massive protests directed against him, Derfner “apologized” a week after his article appeared and deleted it from his website. However, he had the chutzpah to reiterate the justification for terrorism, merely stating that he does not endorse the murder of fellow Israelis. This is neither a retraction nor an apology.
His obscene and callously insensitive remarks are likely to haunt him for the rest of his life.
For wannabe international lawyers, I can’t overemphasize that at times, attacks on civilians are perfectly legal and legitimate. The proper language is “protected non-combatants.” Jewish Zionist settler-colonists in the Occupied Territories cannot be considered protected non-combatants by any stretch of the imagination.And Phillip Weiss enters the comments to add:
Larry, are you out there, do you want to post any response to the many comments at this site? Let me emphasize, you have my great sympathy on this occasion, and I like to think that your best work will flow from this very painful and upsetting incident...So, again, while I wouldn't have called for Derfner's termination, it's clear that his words were not only incitement to terrorism, but that his views are perfectly representative of the progressive, neo-communist left's eliminationist ideological agenda. And once again, this is what I point out repeatedly at this blog. It's not leftist opposition to Israeli policies. It's leftist opposition to Israel and the Jews. It's the dawn of the new Shoah. And I will stand up against these satanic progressive fuckers as long as I live.
Flooding Devastates Vermont and Catskills: Irene Death Toll at Least 35 People
At NYT (via Memeorandum):
Look, this was a devastating storm for many people, and thus I was irked this morning to see some media reports suggesting that Irene was "hyped." William Jacobson, who rode it out, was not pleased: "Irene wasn’t overhyped in train- and drive-through country."
RELATED: Dan Drezner blogged the hurricane, a little more seriously this time, compared to 2005, when he dissed Katrina coverage as "hurricane porn." That's around the time I stopped reading Drezner on a daily basis. See: "We interrupt normal blogging about the rest of the world to freak out about THE BIG STORM!!!!" Idiot.
CHESTER, Vt. — While most eyes warily watched the shoreline during Hurricane Irene’s grinding ride up the East Coast, it was inland — sometimes hundreds of miles inland — where the most serious damage actually occurred. And the major culprit was not wind, but water.And see also LAT, "Irene death toll rises to 35 amid cleanup effort."
As blue skies and temperate breezes returned on Monday, a clearer picture of the storm’s devastation emerged, with the gravest consequences stemming from river flooding in Vermont and upstate New York.
Here in southern Vermont, normally picturesque towns and villages were digging out from thick mud and piles of debris that Sunday’s floodwaters left behind. With roughly 250 roads and several bridges closed off, many residents remained stranded in their neighborhoods; others could not get to grocery stores, hospitals or work. It was unclear how many people had been displaced, though the Red Cross said more than 300 had stayed in its shelters on Sunday, and it expected the number to grow.
In upstate New York, houses were swept from their foundations, and a woman drowned on Sunday when an overflowing creek submerged the cottage where she was vacationing. Flash floods continued to be a concern into Monday afternoon. In the Catskills, where Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo led a helicopter tour of suffering towns, cars were submerged, crops ruined and roads washed out. In tiny, hard-hit Prattsville, what looked like a jumble of homes lay across a roadway, as if they had been tossed like Lego pieces.
“We were very lucky in the city, not quite as lucky on Long Island, but we were lucky on Long Island,” Mr. Cuomo said. “But Catskills, mid-Hudson, this is a different story and we paid a terrible price here, and many of these communities are communities that could least afford to pay this kind of price. So the state has its hands full.”
Look, this was a devastating storm for many people, and thus I was irked this morning to see some media reports suggesting that Irene was "hyped." William Jacobson, who rode it out, was not pleased: "Irene wasn’t overhyped in train- and drive-through country."
RELATED: Dan Drezner blogged the hurricane, a little more seriously this time, compared to 2005, when he dissed Katrina coverage as "hurricane porn." That's around the time I stopped reading Drezner on a daily basis. See: "We interrupt normal blogging about the rest of the world to freak out about THE BIG STORM!!!!" Idiot.
Gaddafi Family Members in Algeria
At Los Angeles Times, "Members of Kadafi family flee to Algeria":
Members of Moammar Kadafi's family, including his wife, daughter and two of his sons, have fled to Algeria, the government of the neighboring country said Monday.Also at NYT, "Qaddafi’s Wife and 3 of His Children Flee to Algeria."
Algerian state television reported that Kadafi relatives who arrived Monday through a border crossing included the deposed Libyan leader's wife, Safiya, his daughter, Aisha, and two of his sons, Hannibal and Mohammed. The group also included an undisclosed number of Kadafi's grandchildren, Algeria said.
The Algerian government said it had informed both the United Nations and the Libyan rebels' Transitional National Council that the group had arrived.
But there was no answer to a much bigger question: Where was Moammar Kadafi himself?
'A Million Miles Away'
From Sheri Donovan, at The Sound LA, "Sheri's iPod Pick o' The Day":And previously, from May 2009: "And There Was Nothing Left to Bring Me Back..."
RELATED: At OC Register, "A ‘Sound’ move: Sheri Donovan joins Larry Morgan on 100.3."
RELATED: At OC Register, "A ‘Sound’ move: Sheri Donovan joins Larry Morgan on 100.3."
Libya Vindicates Obama? And Humanitarian Intervention?
I don't think the administration had a clue, but President Obama will get a lot of credit for toppling Gaddafi.
And this will generate a big debate among specialists in international relations. See Anne Marie Slaughter's piece, at Financial Times, "Why Libya sceptics were proved badly wrong":
Dr. Slaugther omits mention that Islamists could come to power in Libya, which in the end might not be much better than having Gaddafi. True, Muammar is about as bad as they come, and as I said all along in the case of Mubarak's Egypt, there's little satisfaction in standing up for a dictator. But the euphoria of the Arab Spring has long evaporated and a real security dilemma is emerging in the region that's forcing folks to reckon with change. Israel, of course, comes to mind, but a larger systemic transformation toward more widespread Islamism won't be good. It's already bad enough as it is.
More on this at Foreign Affairs, from Stewart Patrick, "Libya and the Future of Humanitarian Intervention: How Qaddafi's Fall Vindicated Obama and RtoP."
And this will generate a big debate among specialists in international relations. See Anne Marie Slaughter's piece, at Financial Times, "Why Libya sceptics were proved badly wrong":
Let us do a thought experiment. Imagine the UN did not vote to authorise the use of force in Libya in March. Nato did nothing; Colonel Muammer Gaddafi over-ran Benghazi; the US stood by; the Libyan opposition was reduced to sporadic uprisings, quickly crushed. The regimes in Yemen and Syria took note, and put down their own uprisings with greater vigour. The west let brutality and oppression triumph again in the Middle East.Keep reading.
This is the scenario many wise heads were effectively arguing for with their strong stands against intervention to stop Col Gaddafi. Over the months those analysts have reminded us of their views, calling Libya a quagmire. This week one of the leading proponents of that position, my friend and colleague Richard Haass, shifted gears – but only to remind us just how hard the road ahead in Libya is likely to be.
I do not know anyone, regardless of the side they took in the initial debate, who thinks this task will be easy; indeed, the battle against Col Gaddafi is not yet won. But not so fast. Before we focus on what must happen next, let us pause for a minute and reflect on that initial debate and the lessons to be learnt.
Dr. Slaugther omits mention that Islamists could come to power in Libya, which in the end might not be much better than having Gaddafi. True, Muammar is about as bad as they come, and as I said all along in the case of Mubarak's Egypt, there's little satisfaction in standing up for a dictator. But the euphoria of the Arab Spring has long evaporated and a real security dilemma is emerging in the region that's forcing folks to reckon with change. Israel, of course, comes to mind, but a larger systemic transformation toward more widespread Islamism won't be good. It's already bad enough as it is.
More on this at Foreign Affairs, from Stewart Patrick, "Libya and the Future of Humanitarian Intervention: How Qaddafi's Fall Vindicated Obama and RtoP."
9/11, Ten Years After: The Costs of Security — Has All the Spending Paid Off?
At LAT, "Is Homeland Security spending paying off?":
John Mueller's a progressive who basically opposed the Iraq war, and was wrong about public support for the deployment. I don't trust him on homeland security issues and the war on terror.
Anyway, the Times is running a series on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. I'll have more, with some of my own commentary and analysis.
A decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, federal and state governments are spending about $75 billion a year on domestic security, setting up sophisticated radio networks, upgrading emergency medical response equipment, installing surveillance cameras and bombproof walls, and outfitting airport screeners to detect an ever-evolving list of mobile explosives.More at that top link.
But how effective has that 10-year spending spree been?
"The number of people worldwide who are killed by Muslim-type terrorists, Al Qaeda wannabes, is maybe a few hundred outside of war zones. It's basically the same number of people who die drowning in the bathtub each year," said John Mueller, an Ohio State University professor who has written extensively about the balance between threat and expenditures in fighting terrorism.
"So if your chance of being killed by a terrorist in the United States is 1 in 3.5 million, the question is, how much do you want to spend to get that down to 1 in 4.5 million?" he said.
John Mueller's a progressive who basically opposed the Iraq war, and was wrong about public support for the deployment. I don't trust him on homeland security issues and the war on terror.
Anyway, the Times is running a series on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. I'll have more, with some of my own commentary and analysis.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle Steps in it With Comments on NATO Bombing in Libya
What's most interesting is that this is Germany, where the use of military force has been contentious throughout the post-WWII era. See WSJ, "German Foreign Minister Takes Hit for Libya Stance."
Westerwelle is a leader for the Free Democratic Party, a center-right party most famous for having Hans-Dietrich Genscher serve as foreign minister during the crucial years at the end of the Cold War. But the FDP is internationalist and has a reputation of angering Israel back in the day (the Munich Olympics in 1972). But again, I'm just fascinated by the debate on the deployment of German military force. It's an amazing thing that after 65 years German military power is far from normalized. It's true of Europe generally, that the continent tends to rely on the U.S. for major military operations, but these things don't last forever. And Germany's the one strong economy in a sea of Euro-gloom. Maybe folks ought to step up a bit over there and provide some leadership in foreign policy. This is pretty ridiculous.
Westerwelle is a leader for the Free Democratic Party, a center-right party most famous for having Hans-Dietrich Genscher serve as foreign minister during the crucial years at the end of the Cold War. But the FDP is internationalist and has a reputation of angering Israel back in the day (the Munich Olympics in 1972). But again, I'm just fascinated by the debate on the deployment of German military force. It's an amazing thing that after 65 years German military power is far from normalized. It's true of Europe generally, that the continent tends to rely on the U.S. for major military operations, but these things don't last forever. And Germany's the one strong economy in a sea of Euro-gloom. Maybe folks ought to step up a bit over there and provide some leadership in foreign policy. This is pretty ridiculous.
Behind on Babe Blogging
I've been slackin' on my Rule 5. So, let's get started over at Maggie's Notebook, "Rule 5 Saturday Night: Olivia Munn."
And super hot as always, from Bob Belvedere, "Rule 5 Saturday: Carla Ossa."
But check Eye of Polyphemus, who has Kate Beckinsale, one of my favorites. Plus, The Daley Gate has "The Daley Babes." Over at Randy's Roundtable we've got "Thursday Nite Tart: Holly Weber" and "There Was a Football Game Last Night."
And from Zion's Trumpet, "TGIF and Pretty Redheads."
BONUS: At Pirate's Cove, "If All You See…is a wonderful, wonderful tree cleaning the air of carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist...", and "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup."
And at Blazing Cat Fur, "Because It's Friday...and it's Ginger Rogers."
I know I'm leaving out a few good friends, but I'm tired. Drop me a comment or an e-mail and I'll get you linked up on a unique post. Regular blogging should be picking up again over the next few days.
And super hot as always, from Bob Belvedere, "Rule 5 Saturday: Carla Ossa."
But check Eye of Polyphemus, who has Kate Beckinsale, one of my favorites. Plus, The Daley Gate has "The Daley Babes." Over at Randy's Roundtable we've got "Thursday Nite Tart: Holly Weber" and "There Was a Football Game Last Night."
And from Zion's Trumpet, "TGIF and Pretty Redheads."
BONUS: At Pirate's Cove, "If All You See…is a wonderful, wonderful tree cleaning the air of carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist...", and "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup."
And at Blazing Cat Fur, "Because It's Friday...and it's Ginger Rogers."
I know I'm leaving out a few good friends, but I'm tired. Drop me a comment or an e-mail and I'll get you linked up on a unique post. Regular blogging should be picking up again over the next few days.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Update on Hurricane Irene
At Bloomberg, "Hurricane Irene's Damage: Deaths, Flooding, Power Losses State-by-State."
And an awesome photo-essay at London's Daily Mail, "Floodwaters rise across Northeast submerging whole neighbourhoods underwater as millions without power warned they may not have electricity for weeks."
And at New York Times, "Storm Damage Largely Spares New York."
And an awesome photo-essay at London's Daily Mail, "Floodwaters rise across Northeast submerging whole neighbourhoods underwater as millions without power warned they may not have electricity for weeks."
And at New York Times, "Storm Damage Largely Spares New York."
The Desperation-of-Deprivation Myth
From Mark Steyn, at National Review, "The West has incentivized non-productivity on an industrial scale" (via Glenn Reynolds).
Just go read it all.
Just go read it all.
More Socialist Agitation From the Hate-America Left
I read the Salon interview with Michael Kazin yesterday. How many times can progressives keep hitting their heads against the wall? Infinitely, it turns out. ASFLs
So, check the reaction from Linkmaster Smith, "Why Does Conservative Light Suck At Supporting Lefty Darkness?" And also at Lonely Conservative, "Lefties Upset that Americans Haven’t Embraced Their Economic Policies."
Lonely Con makes a point that's worth stressing: Progressives have not been unsuccessful, but they won't be happy until they've decimated the last remnants of American exceptionalism. That's how much they hate America.
PREVIOUSLY: "Nouriel Roubini Video: Karl Marx Was Right" (and the links therein). Those progs sure do keep smacking their heads!!
So, check the reaction from Linkmaster Smith, "Why Does Conservative Light Suck At Supporting Lefty Darkness?" And also at Lonely Conservative, "Lefties Upset that Americans Haven’t Embraced Their Economic Policies."
Lonely Con makes a point that's worth stressing: Progressives have not been unsuccessful, but they won't be happy until they've decimated the last remnants of American exceptionalism. That's how much they hate America.
PREVIOUSLY: "Nouriel Roubini Video: Karl Marx Was Right" (and the links therein). Those progs sure do keep smacking their heads!!
Man Accused of Stalking via Twitter Claims Free Speech
At NYT, "Case of 8,000 Menacing Posts Tests Limits of Twitter Speech" (via Memeorandum).
The stalking is not just on Twitter, but includes blog posts as well. The federal prosecutor handling the case likens the tweets, which are direct communications, and unsolicited, as "handwritten notes." These in turn may be found to constitute criminal harassment. Still, most folks see the prosecution as a stretch. See Doug Mataconis, "Is “Twitter Stalking” Free Speech?" Basically, the harassment has to be demonstrably threatening. In this case, clearly the lady's being stalked, and bad. But short of actually contact or evidence of some kind of violent plotting, it's better to stand up for speech. The solution is more speech. And as we've seen around here, progressives can't handle the truth, and when it's directed at them they blow past acceptable boundaries and engage in stalking behaviors that cross the line. Indeed, many a blogger has been forced offline from such trolling, and progressives count on the mob to destroy political enemies all while protected by the First Amendment. Just stand up to these idiots. They melt when faced with facts and logic, and they resort to lies, libel and destruction. ASFLs.
Even the Buddha of compassion might have been distressed to be on the receiving end of the diatribes that William Lawrence Cassidy is accused of posting on Twitter.Continue reading.
They certainly rattled Alyce Zeoli, a Buddhist leader based in Maryland. Using an ever-changing series of pseudonyms, the authorities say, Mr. Cassidy published thousands of Twitter posts about Ms. Zeoli. Some were weird horror-movie descriptions of what would befall her; others were more along these lines: “Do the world a favor and go kill yourself. P.S. Have a nice day.”
Those relentless tweets landed Mr. Cassidy in jail on charges of online stalking and placed him at the center of an unusual federal case that asks the question: Is posting a public message on Twitter akin to speaking from an old-fashioned soapbox, or can it also be regarded as a means of direct personal communication, like a letter or phone call?
Twitter posts have fueled defamation suits in civil courts worldwide. But this is a criminal case, invoking a somewhat rarely used law on cyberstalking. And it straddles a new, thin line between online communications that can be upsetting — even frightening — and constitutional safeguards on freedom of expression.
The stalking is not just on Twitter, but includes blog posts as well. The federal prosecutor handling the case likens the tweets, which are direct communications, and unsolicited, as "handwritten notes." These in turn may be found to constitute criminal harassment. Still, most folks see the prosecution as a stretch. See Doug Mataconis, "Is “Twitter Stalking” Free Speech?" Basically, the harassment has to be demonstrably threatening. In this case, clearly the lady's being stalked, and bad. But short of actually contact or evidence of some kind of violent plotting, it's better to stand up for speech. The solution is more speech. And as we've seen around here, progressives can't handle the truth, and when it's directed at them they blow past acceptable boundaries and engage in stalking behaviors that cross the line. Indeed, many a blogger has been forced offline from such trolling, and progressives count on the mob to destroy political enemies all while protected by the First Amendment. Just stand up to these idiots. They melt when faced with facts and logic, and they resort to lies, libel and destruction. ASFLs.
Hurricane Politics
Think Progress is going after conservatives over a 6-year old hurricane that hit during the term of a president who's no longer in office: "Right Wing Tries New Tactic To Soften Bush’s Katrina Debacle: Say Obama’s Leadership On Irene Is Just For Show." (At Memeorandum.)The Soros-backed goons single out John Hinderaker for particular scorn, attacking him pathetically as a "Koch Industries lawyer."
So, let's see what that's all about, at Power Line, "HOW TO POLITICIZE A HURRICANE":
And see Bob Williams, "Shifting Blame in the Katrina Tragedy." If the pathetic progressive trolls want to go back 6 years to drudge up a blame game, they need only look to their own party to find responsibility for the left's criminal failure to protect Gulf Coast citizens in 2005.
So, let's see what that's all about, at Power Line, "HOW TO POLITICIZE A HURRICANE":
It remains to be seen whether Irene turns out to be the Comet Kohoutek of hurricanes, but President Obama is taking no chances. He posed for a photo-op today, pretending to have something to do with the potentially-severe weather event. AFP headlined: “Obama takes charge at hurricane command center.”Continue at the link above.
*****
I’m sure it’s a relief to everyone on the East Coast to know that Obama is personally directing hurricane response efforts. Never mind that he isn’t competent to organize a Little League baseball team; today’s charade obviously is a corollary of the Hurricane Katrina fiasco, in which America’s mass media committed group malpractice, somehow managing to blame the inevitable consequences of a severe weather event, magnified by incompetent local authorities in New Orleans, on the Bush administration. Obama is setting the stage to receive praise, rather than blame, no matter what actually happens between now and when Hurricane Irene blows itself out.
And see Bob Williams, "Shifting Blame in the Katrina Tragedy." If the pathetic progressive trolls want to go back 6 years to drudge up a blame game, they need only look to their own party to find responsibility for the left's criminal failure to protect Gulf Coast citizens in 2005.
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