Ericka Anderson Runs 36th Marine Corps Marathon

That's gotta be one of the greatest personal accomplishments ever, and Ericka's a veteran at this stuff, apparently.

See: "Marine Corps Marathon #3: So You Think You're a Rockstar..."

And see the news report at WaPo: "36th Marine Corps Marathon: Charles ‘Chad’ Ware wins men’s race; Tezata Dengersa wins women’s."

And more running at Ericka' blog: The Sweet Life. She's so energetic!

Ericka is Senior Digital Communications Associate at the Heritage Foundation.

BONUS: At New York Times, "The Once and Future Way to Run":

We were once the greatest endurance runners on earth. We didn’t have fangs, claws, strength or speed, but the springiness of our legs and our unrivaled ability to cool our bodies by sweating rather than panting enabled humans to chase prey until it dropped from heat exhaustion. Some speculate that collaboration on such hunts led to language, then shared technology. Running arguably made us the masters of the world.

Frank McCourt Agrees to Sell Dodgers

At LAT, "McCourt and Major League Baseball will seek approval from Bankruptcy Court to auction the team that he bought in 2004."

Plus, "Peter O'Malley wants to run Dodgers":

Peter O'Malley, whose family owned the Dodgers for nearly half a century, said Wednesday he would like to run the team once again.

O'Malley said he hopes to lead an investment group that would buy the Dodgers, enabling him to return as the team's chief executive.

"I want to reconnect the team and the community," O'Malley said.

When he spoke out last fall, in urging owner Frank McCourt to sell the Dodgers, O'Malley said he had no interest in returning as owner or president of the team.

McCourt agreed to sell on Tuesday, in an abrupt end to his two-year court fight to retain ownership of the Dodgers.

"The health of the organization has deteriorated in the last 12 months," O'Malley said. "The standing of the organization in the community has deteriorated.

"I am confident I can restore it to respectability quicker, sooner and probably better than — or at least as well as — anyone else."

Let's hope so. I'd hate to see the Dodgers sold out of area, or go belly up altogether.

NewsBusted: 'Occupy Maine protest was attacked with a stink bomb last week'

Via Theo Spark:

Jennifer Rubin: Cain's Race Politics 'Reprehensible'

Well, folks got after Jennifer Rubin last week for thrashing Rick Perry, although it turns out she's an equal opportunity thrasher. She really hammers Cain here: "Cain’s noxious racial politics":

This is reprehensible....

Cain and his defenders, like actors in a theatrical tragedy, are falling prey to the very evil they labored against: the propensity to assign political identity by race and to invoke race to shield one from personal responsibility. Cain is in trouble because he didn’t handle a past claim that even a political novice would know would come to light.

VIDEO: Texas Judge Beats Daughter

Man, that's a ferocious beating.

At ABC News, "Family Court Judge Caught Beating Ill Daughter on Videotape." And at London's Daily Mail, "'It had happened before and was escalating': Judge's disabled daughter reveals why she posted YouTube video of her father brutally beating her."

Also, at KRIS-TV Corpus Christi, "Judge Videotaped Beating Daughter - Full Coverage."

Herman Cain Chief of Staff Accuses Rick Perry Campaign of Leaking Sexual Harassment Bombshell

Well, whoever dug the dirt has to be twisting his mustache with glee at this point. The Herman Cain campaign implosion has reached near-meltdown, and soon there won't be much left of it, and it's only Wednesday. Dan Riehl pulls no punches with the headline: "You Lie! Cain's House of Cards Collapses as He Tries to Blame Perry." And following the link takes us to Richard Miniter, "Cain Says Perry Camp Behind Sex Harassment Leak." And from Jonathan Karl, at ABC News, "Cain Adviser Accuses Perry Campaign of Leaking Harassment Story, Demands Apology."

The Cain story just took another bizarre turn.

That's for sure.

Check Memeorandum for all the links, and also Dan Collins, "What We Still Don’t Know About the Herman Cain Accusations." And at The Caucus, "Cain Faults Perry as More Allegations Emerge."

'Stay'

Well, I'm in the mood for more Bowie. For years he was my favorite artist and I think I've been neglecting him here at the blog. Check back for more blogging this afternoon:

A Greek Lesson in Democracy

At New York Times, "Greek Revolt on Bailout Vote May Oust Prime Minister."

ATHENS — The government of Prime Minister George Papandreou teetered on the verge of collapse on Tuesday, threatening Greece’s adherence to the terms of a new deal with its foreign lenders and plunging Europe into a fresh bout of financial turmoil.

Several lawmakers in the governing Socialist Party rejected Mr. Papandreou’s surprise plan for a popular referendum on the Greek bailout, raising the possibility that he will not survive a no-confidence vote scheduled for Friday that depends on his holding together a razor-thin parliamentary majority.

An emergency cabinet meeting convened by Mr. Papandreou ended at nearly 3 a.m. Wednesday, with the cabinet saying that it unanimously supported the prime minister’s call for a referendum, local news outlets reported. The opposition and some members of his own party, however, were calling for new elections immediately.

The impasse in Athens seemed likely to delay — and perhaps scuttle — the debt deal that European leaders reached after marathon negotiations in Brussels last week. Financial markets cratered on Tuesday for the second straight day, wiping out the gains since the Brussels deal was announced last week. Some analysts said that Greece was now coming closer to a messy default on its debt, and perhaps a departure from the zone of 17 countries that use the euro as their common currency.

And at Wall Street Journal, "A Greek default would provide a lesson in what happens to countries that can't live within their means":

George Papandreou became the most unpopular man in Europe on Monday by announcing that his government would put the terms of last week's EU-IMF bailout package to a referendum, so that Greeks can decide their economic future for themselves. The Prime Minister's announcement sent markets tumbling world-wide, took Italian government-bond yields to a near euro-era high, and had German officials privately denouncing his behavior as un-European.

An alternative view is that Mr. Papandreou has done his own people, and all Europeans, a considerable favor. Who would have thought the Greeks had something to teach the world about democracy?

Yeah, who would have thought the Greeks would know something about democracy? They're living beyond their means, no doubt, but this news is like a breath of fresh air. What a crisis!

Also at WSJ, "Greek PM's Referendum Plan Stuns Europe, Rattles Markets."

Long Beach Defense Work Bulks Up Boeing's 3rd Quarter Profit

This was last week, at Long Beach Press-Telegram, "Boeing's 3rd quarter profit tops $1 billion."

Boeing reported a $1.1 billion quarterly profit on Wednesday that beat expectations because of strong growth in its defense business.

The company's passenger jet profit grew more slowly and manufacturing problems have forced it to cut its forecast for deliveries of its two newest jets.

A large share of Boeing's defense work is done in Long Beach and surrounding communities, including production of the C-17 Globemaster cargo jet, satellite research and development in Seal Beach, and engineering and other work in Huntington Beach.

Boeing also maintains a large defense workforce in El Segundo, where crews operate the world's largest satellite manufacturing facility, said Paula Shawa, Boeing's regional spokesperson.

Photo: "Long Beach Boeing C-17 Tour."

Heidi Klum Skinless Dead Body Costume

A report at New York Times, "Project Halloween."

Manners Decline in the South

This is fascinating, despite the racial grievance undertones. At New York Times, "A Last Bastion of Civility, the South, Sees Manners Decline."

Herman Cain Campaign Knew of Politico Hit Piece 10 Days in Advance

As outrageous as this whole thing is, I'm still pretty taken aback by how amateurish was the Cain's campaign's response to the revelations. Here's this from the front page at this morning's Los Angeles Times, "Harassment allegations trip up Herman Cain":

Many conservative activists were quick Monday to rally behind Cain. L. Brent Bozell III, a frequent media critic, called the allegations a "high-tech lynching," summoning the language Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas used when accused of harassment at his explosive 1991 confirmation hearings.

"This will play to his advantage with the grass roots," predicted K.B. Forbes, a GOP strategist who has worked for previous insurgent candidates. "One of their favorite lines is, 'It's the liberal media.'"

But for insiders — donors, Republican strategists and others among the political establishment — the episode could raise further doubts about Cain as well as concerns about the wherewithal of his seat-of-its-pants campaign operation.

According to Politico, campaign operatives knew the article was coming for 10 days. And yet in its initial statement — which was widely circulated — the campaign did not deny the harassment allegations. That was left, many hours later, to Cain.

The campaign had almost two weeks to prepare. Cain needed to have a press release ready to go, which would have also served as his crib sheet in responding to allegations. This is Campaigns and Elections 101. It's the basics of rapid response politics. Had Cain come out with a strong statement Sunday night he could have stayed on message all day yesterday, during his whirlwind network interview rounds. Instead, he dug a hole from which he needs to quickly extricate himself.

EARLIER: "Herman Cain's Accuser Speaks Out."

Herman Cain's Accuser Speaks Out

Lots of developments in the Herman Cain sexual harassment scandal.

CNN has this, "Attorney for Cain accuser: Cain is lying."

Also, at Los Angeles Times, "Herman Cain accuser wants to talk, her lawyer says":

One of Herman Cain’s accusers wants to be heard.

Her lawyer told the Washington Post on Tuesday that she is ready to tell her side of the ongoing saga involving allegations of sexual harassment while Cain was head of the National Restaurant Assn. in the late 1990s.

But, the lawyer, Joel Bennett, said the woman remains bound by the confidentiality agreement she signed as part of a settlement of her claim with the association.

“It is just frustrating that Herman Cain is going around bad-mouthing the two complainants, and my client is blocked by a confidentiality agreement,” Bennett told the Post. “The National Restaurant Assn. ought to release them and allow them to respond.”

In an appearance Tuesday evening on Fox News Channel, Cain demurred when asked whether the woman should be given a chance to provide her version of events.

“There are legal implications if the restaurant association waives that. I just found out about this today -- there are legal implications" he said, adding that "we can't answer that right now. It's too soon."

Cain was asked on Fox whether he had breached the agreement by discussing the allegations publicly, thus freeing the woman to talk. He said he hadn’t because he had never identified the name of the one woman who’s complaint Cain says he recalls.

At New York Times, "Cain Accuser Got a Year’s Salary in Severance Pay."

'Diamond Dogs'

Okay, back on the grid.

I laughed when I hopped in the van for the round trip back home. Stevie Ray Vaughan popped on the radio, at The Sound L.A. I had SRV posted this morning for my placeholder entry, so I'll pick it up for some evening blogging with the next in the queue, David Bowie in 2004. My wife and I caught this show at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater:

4:22 - Crossfire by Stevie Ray Vaughan

4:26 - Diamond Dogs by David Bowie

4:32 - American Girl by Tom Petty

4:36 - Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix

4:39 - Bad Company by Bad Company

4:49 - Band On The Run by Paul Mccartney And Wings

4:55 - Boys Are Back In Town by Thin Lizzy

5:02 - You Might Think by Cars

5:05 - You Can't Always Get What You Want by Rolling Stones

5:18 - Black Friday by Steely Dan

5:21 - Rock And Roll Band by Boston

5:25 - You Really Got Me by Kinks

5:27 - Baby Hold On by Eddie Money

5:30 - Have A Cigar by Pink Floyd

'Couldn't Stand the Weather'

Lighten it up here, with Stevie Ray Vaughan:

Passin' through this business of life
Raisin’ sand if I'm needed to
Ain't so funny when things ain't feelin' right
Daddy's hand helps to see me through
Sweet as sugar, love won't wash away
Rain or shine, it's always here to stay
All these years you and I've spent together
I guess, we just couldn't stand the weather

Like a train that stops at every station
We all deal with trials and tribulations
Fear hangs the fellow that ties up his years
Entangled in yellow and cries all his tears
Changes come before we can grow
Learn to see them before we're too old
Don't just take me for tryin' to be heavy
Understand, it's time to get ready for the storm

Herman Cain on PBS NewsHour

Here's Judy Woodruff with the interview. Herman Cain has aligned the story lines. We'll see what comes up through the rest of the day, because boy, the Democrat-Media-Complex sure smells blood:

And stay with it all the way through. Cain starts to lay out some intriguing thoughts on foreign policy. I like what he says about China in particular.

RELATED: The big story at New York Times, "Cain Confronts Claim From '90s of Sexual Harassment."

Kevin Williamson on Herman Cain Allegations

See: "Why This Could Be the End of Cain."

It's a competence critique, focusing on the managerial side of things.

I'm more worried about the initial waffling, which is another word for indecision, which is not supposed to be characteristic of Herman Cain.

Ann Coulter: Politico's Herman Cain Smear 'Another High-Tech Lynching'

And see Roger Simon, at PJ Media, "Politico and Cain: Return of the High-Tech Lynching."

In Santa Ana, Mexicans Attack New Businesses for 'Ethnic Cleansing'

At New York Times, "New Faces and a Contentious Revival":

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Business has never been slower at Mina Bridal, which sells billowing taffeta ballroom dresses in colors like hot pink and electric blue for quinceañeras, the traditional 15th birthday celebration for Mexican girls.

Mina Madriles, who has run the downtown store for nearly three decades, said that a generation ago girls would have elaborate parties just as their parents had — where a $1,000 dress was just a fraction of the expense. Now, she is giving away her dresses to some families who hire her to coordinate the party at their homes to save money.

“Nobody has any money anymore; there’s nothing we can do,” Ms. Madriles said.

Fourth Street — also known as Calle Cuatro — has long been the center of Latino business in Orange County, the place where Mexican immigrants could find nearly anything they might have looked for in their homelands. Along some stretches, it is impossible to hear anything but Spanish. The signs beckon customers to travel to Guadalajara or buy a pair of snakeskin cowboy boots for a “super discuento,” and the sidewalk vendors shout, “Frutas, frutas,” as they call attention to their freshly cut coconuts and mangos.

But as the economy has soured, many of these stores have struggled to stay afloat. Some stores closed, others asked their landlords for a reduction in rent. At the same time, several property owners began pressing to create a group to improve downtown Santa Ana.

The owners, who were mostly white, were determined to make it more welcoming to English-speaking clients and bring in customers from more affluent parts of Orange County. What they really wanted to do, opponents said, was scrub away any suggestion that it is an immigrant hub, in a city that is 85 percent Latino. Fiesta Marketplace changed its name to “East End,” and the pink buildings that might evoke a Mexican plaza were repainted in muted hues. A few stores put up signs proclaiming, “Stop ethnic cleansing.”

I grew up in neighboring Orange, and Santa Ana's been a Mexican enclave for decades. With 85 percent of the population Hispanic, I don't think folks need to worry about "ethnic cleansing." The economy hitting everybody pretty hard, and you'd think Santa Ana locals would be pleased with new businesses entering the market.

RELATED: At Los Angeles Times, "Children of immigrants hit an economic ceiling."

PREVIOUSLY: "Santa Ana Enclave Tops Orange County In Proportion of Single-Parent Households."

U.S. Will Withhold Funds For U.N. Agency After Vote to Grant Membership to Palestinians

At Fox News and Memeorandum:

And at Pamela's, "It's Halloween! No Money for UNICEF Jihad," and "US Cancels Funding to UNESCO, "This was a failure of US power," said "Palestinian" official after UN Body Grants Full Membership to Jihad Terror State."

VIDEO: Man Beheaded in Saudi Arabia for 'Sorcery'

At London's Daily Mail, "The moment man was publicly beheaded in a Saudi Arabian car park for being a 'sorcerer'."

Via Pat Dollard, "Footage Surfaces of Saudi Arabian “Sorcerer” Being Publicly Beheaded – With Graphic Video."

Occupy Oklahoma Protester Found Dead

At News 9 Oklahoma City, "Occupy OKC Protester Found Dead In Tent In Downtown OKC."

And a WaPo, "Man found dead in tent during Occupy Okla. City protest; police say death not suspicious."

Verum Serum has video: "Man Found Dead at Occupy OKC (Video added)." And at Occupy OKC on Twitter.

Kim Kardashian Divorce: 'This was not an easy decision'

Yeah, but it wasn't the least bit surprising.

At London's Daily Mail, "'This was not an easy decision': Kim Kardashian files for divorce from Kris Humphries after just 72 days of marriage (that's $250,000 earned every 24 hours)."

Virginia GOP Says Halloween-Themed E-Mail Over the Top

I wondered why I was getting a lot of hits yesterday to this post.

See Los Angeles Times:

Virginia Republicans were in apology mode Monday over a Halloween-themed email that depicted a zombie-like President Obama with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head.

The northern Virginia-based Too Conservative blog first flagged the mailer from the local Republicans in Loudon County promoting a local holiday parade. It also offers a ghoulish caricature of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi D-San Francisco).

"I am no fan of Barack Obama, but putting up a photo of him as a zombie with a bullet hole in his head?" the blog stated. "Someone should send this to the US Secret Service."

Well, I'd say the Democrats' reaction was over the top.

More at Bret Baier, "Grapevine: Halloween Trick for Virginia Republicans."

Justina Jensen and Walter James Casper III

See New Hampshire Union Leader, "Woman charged with pimping teen recruited at Occupy NH rally."

Justina Jensen, charged with felony prostitution in New Hampshire, and convicted on a similar charge earlier this year in New York.

Walter James Casper III, a.k.a. Repsac3, progressive hate-blogger, busted repeatedly by conservatives for ultra-creepy online harassment and stalking.

The woman, Justina Jensen (pictured at top), was caught attempting to turn tricks with with a 16-year-old girl. According to the police prosecutor, Jensen "was convicted of a similar charge earlier this year in New York." I find that pretty amazing, because she sure looks ashamed at her mug shot, which is posted at the Union Leader's report. Maybe whatever self-recrimination she feels at the time of arrest dissipates upon release. In other words, a woman like this is a sociopath who has no firm underlying moral code. The numbers are too small, but my sense that's a pattern that's particulary prevalent on the left, considering the outbreak of criminal activity that's been taking over the occupy movement. See: "Not a political movement; a crime wave!" And the immediate comparison I had was to my deranged stalker Walter James Casper III (pictured at bottom above), who has now escalated his campaign of harassment to include personal e-mail stalking and threats. Like Jensen, there is no bright line of wrongdoing for Walter James Casper. He's perhaps even worse, for at his photo above, which is not Photoshopped, there's a bit of a diabolical smirking in evidence. And it turns out that when the Independent Realist blocked Walter James Casper from commenting at his blog, criminal Casper tracked him down on Facebook, and Independent Realist blocked him at that location as well. See Independent Realist's reply to me from last week:

Thank you Dr. Douglas for the kind words and links to the Realist. I am afraid that the longer Walter (Walter James Casper, III) continues with his delusional rantings, the further he will slip down into the depths of his paranoia. There is nothing that we can do other than to block him from our blogs and such (I've already had to block him from my blog and Facebook page), and simply allow him to rant on his own site. Eventually he will alienate himself from even his own followers as they begin to realize the depth of his illness.

And as Walter is reading this blog, I would offer him this advice: seek professional help and seek it now. Do not wait.

See the whole thing: "Repsac3, W. James Casper - The Final Word."

WALTER JAMES CASPER III = RACIST REPSAC3! A sociopathic poster manchild for the progressive left. Dude, you're clinical. Get some freakin' help before you hurt someone!

PREVIOUSLY: "Continuing Lies by Cowardly Hate-Blogger W. James Casper in Left's Demonic Workplace Intimidation Campaign."

We Should Not be Surprised by the Left's Racist Hit Job on Herman Cain

Rush Limbaugh (via Memeorandum):

This story appears to me to be a close relative of the hit job that the Washington Post is doing on Marco Rubio. It's not a news story. This is gutter partisan politics, and it's the politics of minority conservative personal destruction, is what you've got here. Rubio and Cain unfit to lead, don't you see. We cannot have a black Republican running for the office of president. We can't have one elected. We can't have an Hispanic. The left owns those two groups, and those two groups are gonna forever be minorities. Those groups cannot ever be seen to be self-sufficient or rising above, on their own. Those two groups are owned -- lock, stock, and barrel -- by the Democrat Party and anything good that happens to any black or Hispanic in American politics can only happen via the Democrat Party. "If it happens elsewhere, we're gonna destroy those people -- a la Clarence Thomas."

VIDEO: Herman Cain Interview with Greta Van Susteren

And William Jacobson's got an excellent entry, "A taste of the medicine."

And talking about the original Politico hit piece, Glenn Reynolds adds:

Would Jonathan Martin, Maggie Haberman, Anna Palmer and Kenneth Vogel have put their names on a similar piece, with no named sources, aimed at Barack Obama? Would Politico have run it? I think we know the answer.

More links at the post.

Also, at Memeorandum and London's (salacious) Daily Mail, "'I don't even remember her name': Herman Cain denies sexual harassment claims as he admits he knew BOTH women."

PREVIOUSLY: "Herman Cain Sexual Harassment Scandal Upends GOP Presidential Race."

Herman Cain Sexual Harassment Scandal Upends GOP Presidential Race

I'm just now getting back on the grid, and Herman Cain's story seems to be going through some transformations. Here's the short version of Cain's denial of the allegations on Fox News this morning:

I listened to the longer version this morning at Hot Air, "Cain: “I was falsely accused” of sexual harassment at trade group." Cain sounded completely confident and he gave a flat-out denial.

Except, was it the truth? Maybe there's some shading going on and the story's basically the same. The update's at Hot Air, "Revealed: Cain describes hand gesture that led to harassment claim; Update: Small settlement, says Cain." Check that post. One of those interviewed in the original Politico report is no longer taking questions. I'm still learning on this, but The Other McCain has huge roundup, "Herman Cain at the National Press Club." And here's video of Cain's statement at the Press Club:

Time has that, "Facing a Media Scrum, Cain Boisterously Denies Harassment Allegations":

Ever since he began topping presidential polls, the media has been drafting pieces of Cain’s political obituary: unpacking his campaign’s organizational woes, his tortured answers to questions on abortion and foreign policy, his puzzling scheduling strategy. Now they wanted to witness the last breaths. But the candidate showed up boisterous and smiling, and after skating through a stump speech laden with humor and light on policy, Cain mopped a patina of sweat from his brow and stepped to the lecturn to face his questioners. “I would be delighted to clear the air,” he said.

“Number one, in all of my over 40 years of business experience … I have never sexually harassed anyone,” Cain announced. “Number two, while at the restaurant association, I was accused of sexual harassment. Falsely accused, I might add. I was falsely accused of sexual harassment, and when the charges were brought, as the leader of the organization, I recused myself and allowed my general counsel and my human resource officer to deal with the situation. And it was concluded after a thorough investigation that it had no basis.

“As far as a settlement,” Cain continued, “I am unaware of any sort of settlement. I hope it wasn’t for much, because I didn’t do anything.” He declined to speculate whether the source of the Politico article cataloging the allegations was an opposition leak, called the kerfuffle “a witch hunt,” and suggested there was nothing further to pursue.

And now back to Politico for the latest, "Cain acknowledges settlement details."

I don't expect too much damage to Cain's candidacy, barring any 11th hour revelations. What's troubling is the changing story line, which makes Cain looks amateurish if not inept. His demeanor is vigorous in responding, fortunately, but these late acknowledgements raise questions of veracity.

An upside is that Cain's getting a lot of "earned" media (which really unearned, in a sense) which may have the salutary effect of bolstering Cain's rise in the polls, especially if regular folks agree that these are specious allegations amounting to an opportunistic witch hunt, as Cain suggests.

Here's the latest Memeorandum link. I'll have more later.

Added: From Jennifer Rubin, "Cain gets tripped up on the facts: Will this kill the campaign?:

The error Cain made was in not getting the entire story out early, completely and truthfully. He left the day with voters and the media more confused than ever.

This may not be the end of the Cain campaign, but it will take a toll. The never-ending stories here suggest Cain hasn’t been honest with the public. That’s going to be harder to explain than the original allegations.

He should be okay if that's the end of the allegations. But if more facts come out that Cain hedged or denies, well, it's not going to be pretty.

Legal Insurrection in the O.C.

Last Tuesday, William Jacobson published a picture of the windmills off Interstate 10 near Palm Springs: "Open – A Tape from California." It turns out William and his wife flew into Orange County Airport and rented a car to head out to Rancho Mirage for a legal conference. I contacted William and we met up for some coffee last night near his hotel near the airport.

He posted an update on their travels last night: "Open – Live from The OC."

It was great meeting William and his wife. We hit it off and had lots to talk about, but there wasn't enough time. I'll look forward to seeing them again, either in New York or perhaps next time they make it to California. It's a bummer the county's so big sometimes, although that's one of the great things about blogging: I've met more wonderful people over these last few years. It's been something to really cherish.

Head on over to see what's going on at the blog. He's just as big a blogging junkie as I am!

World Population Grows by 1 Billion in Only 12 Years

At the Occupy Orange County protest the other day, I asked a guy passing by at the information booth what he thought of the movement. He kept saying "they" have a plan to control the world economy. And I asked who's "they"? He's said "it's not a conspiracy or anything, but the 1 percent really do control the whole world." And from there he somehow squeezed in some yammering about how the world's population was now at 7 billion. I didn't really make the connection, but then I saw news reports that the world's population was about to hit 7 billion. Well that was it, I thought, no doubt this gives left-wingers plenty more fear-mongering material.

See Los Angeles Times, "World population hits 7 billion on Oct. 31, or thereabouts."

It took only a dozen years for humanity to add another billion people to the planet, reaching the milestone of 7 billion Monday — give or take a few months.

Demographers at the United Nations Population Division set Oct. 31, 2011, as the "symbolic" date for hitting 7 billion, while acknowledging that it's impossible to know for sure the specific time or day. Using slightly different calculations, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the 7-billion threshold will not be reached until March.

Under any methodology, demographers agree that humanity remains on a steep growth curve, which is likely to keep climbing through the rest of this century. The U.N.'s best estimate is that population will march past 9.3 billion by 2050 and exceed 10.1 billion by the end of the century. It could be far more, if birthrates do not continue to drop as they have in the last half-century.

Nearly all the projected growth this century is expected to occur in developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, while the combined populations in Europe, North America and other wealthy industrialized nations will remain relatively flat. Some countries, such as Germany, Russia and Japan, are poised to edge downward, their loss made up mostly by ongoing growth in the United States, which is bolstered by waves of immigrants.

That's so ominous sounding, "they" had to pick Halloween for the date, or something.

Of course, not mentioned is the fact that the earth can sustain billions more without any problems. See Power Line, "POPULATION BOMB EPIC FAIL."

This Was the Week That European Democracy Died

From Janet Daley, at Telegraph UK:

So this is where we are. The agreed EU “stability union” triumphantly paraded before the media in Brussels will have the power to approve or disapprove budgets of countries in the eurozone – that is, to vet and police them – before they are submitted to the elected parliaments of those countries. In other words, parliaments which are directly mandated by, and answerable to, their own populations will not control the most essential functions of government: decisions on taxation and spending. Even without the ultimate institutions of economic and political union, which still elude the EU, actual power over fiscal policy will be taken from the hands of national leaders. And if, as a voter, you cannot influence your prospective government’s tax and spending policies, what exactly are you voting for?

'Occupy' Protest at St. Paul's Cathedral in London Splits Anglican Church

At New York Times:

LONDON — In a city where demonstrations of every kind are part of the daily syncopation, there has rarely been any with quite the same potential for amplifying the protesters’ cause as the one that has settled in recently on the historic forecourt of St. Paul’s Cathedral, setting off a painful crisis of conscience for the Church of England .

For the last 15 days, St. Paul’s has been the backdrop for London’s counterpart to the Occupy Wall Street tent city in Zuccotti Square in New York. Here, the protest has taken on aspects of a medieval carnival, a jumbled tent city with buskers and rappers and clothing stalls and a panoply of banners and a makeshift cafeteria. There have been pet dogs, and a man dressed as Jesus declaiming against the usurers in the temple.

Where Princess Diana appeared to pealing bells after her marriage to Prince Charles, where a nation grateful for deliverance in war watched the caissons arrive for the funerals of Lord Nelson and Winston Churchill, beneath Christopher Wren’s great dome that stood defiant amid the smoke and fire of the Luftwaffe’s blitz, Britain’s anticapitalist battalions have pitched camp.

Scores of similar encampments have sprung up in cities around the world, echoing the continuing protest in Wall Street’s heart against the bankers and corporate barons and complicit politicians the protesters hold responsible for global financial distress.

But few, if any, of the protests outside New York have had the resonance the St. Paul’s campers have achieved in Britain by choosing as their venue what many regard as the country’s most iconic religious landmark.

Continue reading.

Occupy Ottawa

See Blazing Cat Fur, "The Battle of Occupy Ottawa: Blood, Urine & Feces Featured As Buddhists & Marxists Clash!"

Following the links takes us the University of Ottawa Marxist Students Association, "Why We Left Occupy Ottawa."

That solidarity thing isn't working out as planned, as noted previously.

Arrests at Occupy Denver

The New York Times has a report, "Occupy Protesters Regroup After Mass Arrests."

On Saturday, for the third consecutive night, dozens of demonstrators defied the curfew and inhabited the site, chanting and waving signs and huddling for warmth in the 40-degree weather. The police made no new arrests overnight.

In Denver, most of the arrests on Saturday were over a police rule prohibiting structures, including tents, from being erected in public parks. Some accounts said that tensions escalated when the protesters climbed the State Capitol’s steps during a march by as many as 2,000 people. No public demonstrations are allowed on the steps without a permit.

But a media liaison with Occupy Denver, Jeannie Hartley, said on Sunday that the protesters had never made it to the steps, which were blocked off.

Most of the 20 arrests, a police spokesman said, were made when officers moved to keep people from erecting tents across the street from the Capitol at Civic Center Park. Several videos showed the police using pepper spray. Two protesters were arrested and charged with felony assault on a police officer after officials said he was knocked off his motorcycle, and other officers were kicked, said the spokesman, Lt. Matt Murray.

Lieutenant Murray said that the police requested reinforcements after the officer was knocked off his motorcycle and that the enlarged force then moved into the park where most of the arrests were made.

One video posted on the Occupy Denver Facebook page also clearly showed tension and conflict within the protesters’ ranks. At one point, a man, shouting in anger, is seen being pushed from the crowd to confront the officers, who are lined up with shields and batons.

“I will fight back!” he screamed as other protesters pulled him back. One demonstrator, who had pushed to the front, confronted the man: “We are nonviolent — do not instigate that!”

“They hit me!” the first man shouted.

“Yeah, and they’re going to keep hitting you!” the other said.

“They don’t have a right!”

More at American Glob, "Democrats Are Going To Regret Their Support For #Occupywallstreet," and Marooned in Marin, "#OWS Weekend Insanity In Denver, Orange County CA & Elsewhere."

Occupy Wall Street and the Illusion of Solidarity

John Sexton at Verum Serum visited the Occupy Wall Street encampment Saturday in downtown Los Angeles. He's got coverage in three parts:

* "My Day at Occupy LA (Part 1)."

* "My Day at Occupy LA (Part 2)."

* "My Day at Occupy LA (part 3): Thoughts and Observations."

And here's some of John's observations at that last post:

The media has been reporting for weeks that the Occupiers don’t have demands or a clear message. That’s right but it’s also very wrong. It’s not that the occupiers don’t have a message, it’s that they have a hundred messages, not all of which are compatible with one another. As we saw just last week, even the folks at Occupy LA can’t agree with one another. They literally held something like a coup over the no weed policy. Solidarity is an something of an illusion.

There’s one exception to this, and that’s the near universal dislike for authority in general and the police in particular. Disliking the cops when they show up to roust a campsite is probably the only thing that can truly unify these folks. No wonder Occupy Oakland is now the emotional center of the movement.

There's more at the link, but I'm interesting in that "no clear message" theme, which is something I discussed at my Saturday photo-essay: "Occupy Orange County: 'Get Money Out of Politics'." In Los Angeles there's clearly a bias toward Marxist-Leninist revolutionary agitation, with a bit of hippie-doper culture thrown in. There wasn't much of that in Irvine. The socialist agitation that was on hand in the O.C. was associated with the Obama-Democrat-Progressive-Socialists. These are the folks looking to expand the socialist welfare state from within, using stealthy Alinskyite union thuggery and conspiracy. Richard Trumka personifies these types, fat and well-fed at the public trough. But among establishment progressives there's a "no enemies on the left" program, and the MSM furthers it by positioning the occupy movement as an acceptable --- even wholesome --- rival to the tea parties. That's all pretty messed up, in any case. More on that at my earlier entry, "Communist-Progressive Coalition Lobbies Congressional 'Super-Committee' Against Proposed Cuts to Social Security."

Taylor Swift Nude Scandal!

At London's Daily Mail, "Taylor takes Swift action against website claiming it has 'topless private pic' of the country star."

1990 Nissan 300ZX

See Doug Ross, "How many 22-year old cars still look modern and up-to-date in 2012?"

With Weak Economy, Obama May Lose Key Demographic Groups

See LAT, "Obama's demographic support may not weather economy."

Actually, blacks are still enthusiastic about the president. See NYT, "Black Voters’ Support for Obama Is Steady and Strong." But check the graphic at LAT, "Key States for Obama's Reelection." White voters in Florida, Ohio and Nevada will be especially crucial, and Latinos as well, who aren't going to be as wedded to the Democrats as black voters. Colorado and New Mexico will be problematic as well, despite higher levels of college educated whites. Perhaps that's why Obama continues to ramp up the class warfare rhetoric. Polls show a lot of sympathy with the occupy movement. No doubt the White House hopes the protesters don't start turning on him, mentioning that he's in the pocket of these same big banks and Wall Street brokerages. See Weasel Zip, "Obama Uses Occupy Wall Street’s Language, Rails Against “The Top 1%”…"

Herman Cain Sexual Harassment Allegations

At Los Angeles Times, "Herman Cain denies allegations of sexual harassment."

The full coverage is at Memeorandum, and see The Other McCain, "Cain Spokesman: ‘Smear Campaign Meant to Discredit a True Patriot’."

'Diaper Need Awareness Day'

You gotta read this piece from Mark Steyn, at National Review, "Adult Babies: There’s almost nothing you can’t get government to pay for."

Occupy Orange County: 'Get Money Out of Politics'

My initial reaction to Occupy Orange County was that it was almost like a tea party. But after turning out for the protest march at the Irvine Civic Center yesterday, I'm going walk back that analogy just a bit. The Orange County protests definitely have a suburban feel to them, but activists have established an encampment similar to New York and other major occupations. (See: "Irvine council lets Occupy group stay overnight.") And along with the tents comes a wider diversity of kooks and hippies, bolstered by a lot of Democrat-Socialist and communist-conspiracy-mongers. These are hardly limited government types.

I arrived around 11:45am, just in time for the group of over 100 protesters to begin their march at Harvard Avenue and Alton Parkway. Irvine City Councilman and former Democrat presidential candidate Larry Agran gave the movement his blessings. (See: "Occupy Orange County Morale Still High and Gaining Supporters.") And if there was one theme I noticed, it was the overall sense of conspiratorial one-world government and "End the Fed" ideology. Some folks are warning about "ideotic conspiracies." Perhaps ASFL progressives will take after their own "morans."

Here's the scene at parking lot at the Irvine Civic Center. I'm reminded of William Jacobson's bumper sticker coverage. This guy's car is classic. Notice the "Obama 2012" sticker in the window, right next to "UNIONS = JOBS." And not to mention the obligatory "Bush Lied People Died." And a couple of recent ones as well, like "America's 99% Solution":

If you're sporting "Millions of Dead Cops" bumpers stickers, I'm not sure if pulling up in front of the Irvine Police Station (at the Civic Center) is a good idea. It's a free country, I guess:

The procession gets under way at the corner of Alton and Harvard:

There were more "End the Fed" types than "End Israeli Apartheid" activists, but this guy was clearly of the latter variety:

At the information tents:

Now walking West on Alton toward Jamboree:

The Democrat-Socialists:

Lots of anti-Federal Reserve protesters:

Protesters were chanting: "You. Are. The 99 Percent! You. Are. The 99 Percent!"

I'm seeing more of this, anti-work ideologies: "Jobs Are Not the Answer." Seriously?

People before profits, ad nauseum:

Heading back over to Harvard, there's the encampment on the corner. You've got the suburban vibe:

Sitting on the corner is this old-timer with the "Remember Wisconsin" sign. He's holding forth on how Occupy Wall Street is the country's last chance to save democracy:

He's a dreamer:

Is this idealism, or fearmongering? I guess if Martin Luther King, Jr., said it, that's cool:

Now moving over by the information table:

That's Kyle on the right, the spokesman in charge yesterday morning. Interesting guy. He said two weeks ago, he'd never been involved in politics. He's talking to the woman who had a lot of questions. She was sympathetic to Occupy Wall Street but had seen the less savory coverage. She still had some reservations. Kyle responds with, "Well, there's a lot of different opinions out there." As I listened it didn't seem like he was articulating any real coherent agenda. So I asked him, "Can you summarize the movement down to one or two specific demands?" And he responded with, "Get money out of politics." And I said: "What would that do?" He says, "We'd have government by the people." It wasn't particularly edifying.

There wasn't a whole lot of literature set out at the table.

Maybe the dude should spend some time looking at the Occupy Orange County website. I asked Kyle if he supported revolutionary change, overthrowing capitalism in the United States. He said no. And with the exception of the anarchists with the "Millions of Dead Cops" bumper sticker, and the group hanging out with that pro-jihad dude, the Orange County protesters evinced more of a reformist agenda than some of the more radical occupy protests that have been in the news. That said, the information table had laid out a copy of the Declaration of the Occupation of New York City. And it's available at the Occupy Orange County website. And it's a fairly revolutionary manifesto. So I'm taking this as more the official position, which is Marxist and internationalist:

As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known...

Rare Pre-Halloween Storm Blankets East Coast With Snow

A report at Fox News, "Early Storm Pelts East Coast With Wet, Heavy Snow." And at New York Times, "Nearly Two Million Lose Power as Snow Coats Region."

And Dana Pico has pictures, at Common Sense Political Thought, "Afternoon Snow Pictures":

Progressive Race-Based Attacks on Herman Cain

Herman Cain's race shouldn't be an issue in this campaign. We already have a black president. And as we've seen for almost four years now, the substantial racism we've seen in politics has been an exclusive domain of the left. This clip with Karen Finney is a perfect demonstration of leftist racism. The woman even admits "it's harsh" to talk the way she does. What a perverse investment. Radical progressives invent a racist Republican base at the same time that national public opinion polls see Herman Cain as the GOP frontrunner. No wonder the Democrats are in the death throes going into 2012. They can't relate to average Americans without insulting them as racists.

See William Jacobson, "Saturday Night Card Game (Race-based attacks on Herman Cain expose left-wing hypocrisy, once again)."

And lots more commentary at Maggie's Farm and Memeorandum. And see Allahpundt at Hot Air:

Cathy Young wrote an article for Reason a few days ago about the left’s endless race-baiting of Cain, but I don’t know what she was thinking in rushing that piece out now. There’s literally months of this to come, and it’ll be ten times as obnoxious if he pulls the upset in Iowa and suddenly looks poised to make a real run at the nomination.

Okay, what the heck? Here's Young's piece: "The Left's Race-Baiting of Herman Cain."

Yeah, it's still early. Get ready for a vicious season of progressive racism.

17 Die as Suicide Blast Hits U.S. Bus in Afghanistan

At New York Times, "17 Are Killed as Suicide Bomb Hits a U.S. Bus in Afghanistan."

KABUL, Afghanistan — At least five American soldiers, eight American contract workers and four Afghans were killed when a Taliban suicide car bomber attacked an armored shuttle bus in Kabul on Saturday, a military official said.

It was the single deadliest attack for Americans in the capital since the war began, military officials said, and follows brazen Taliban assaults on the American Embassy and NATO headquarters in the city last month.

A NATO official said all of the contract workers were Americans, but the coalition did not officially confirm that.

Such high-profile attacks have been seen as a shift in Taliban strategy as they struggle against a surge in American troops that has loosened the militants’ grip on the Taliban heartland in the South and compromised their ability to stage more conventional attacks on NATO forces. American officials see the latest assaults as the Taliban’s attempt to shake confidence in the Afghan government, which is taking over security from NATO in Kabul and other areas of the country.

Communist-Progressive Coalition Lobbies Congressional 'Super-Committee' Against Proposed Cuts to Social Security

The far left is launching an inside lobbying effort against the congressional super-committee charged with finding $1.5 trillion in cuts from the federal budget.

At the video, chief union-thug Richard Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO --- the guy who's had more access to the Obama White House than any other interest group representative in the country --- channels the Occupy Wall Street movement and attacks corporations for purportedly ripping off the middle class.

And here's more #OWS-style class warfare, from Nancy Altman and Eric Kingson, at PuffHo, "Message to the 99%: Help Stop the 1% From Using the Super Committee to Rob the American People." (Via the communist Digby at Hullabaloo and Memeorandum.)

Well, it turns out that Nancy Altman is the co-director of Social Security Works and co-chair of the coalition to Strengthen Social Security. Here's the roster of the coalition's partners, which is a who's who of America's far-left Alynskyite unions and revolutionary communist organizations: "Strengthen Social Security: Campaign Members." One of the groups cited there is the Soros-back Campaign for America's future, which has joined the lobbying effort as well: "Don’t Let Dems Cut Medicare, Social Security for the 99%." The Campaign for America's future is a key Democrat-Socialist front group that led the drive to elect Barack Obama as the first socialist president of the United States. According to Discover the Networks:

In the 2004 presidential election, CAF partnered with both the Democratic Party and a number of far-left special interest groups in a campaign to oppose tax cuts. The Democratic National Committee stated, “The Democratic Party is partnering with MoveOn.org, People for the American Way, Campaign for America's Future, and dozens of other groups representing millions of Americans to organize a massive public mobilization … [J]oin us by calling and emailing your representatives in Congress to let them know that the majority of Americans oppose more irresponsible tax cuts ...”

CAF also endorsed “Invest in America,” an anti-tax-cut statement supported by: ACORN; Alliance For Justice; the American Friends Service Committee; the Center for Community Change; the Center For Women's Policy Studies; the Children’s Defense Fund; the Democratic Socialists of America; the Environmental Working Group; the League of United Latin American Citizens; the League of Women Voters; the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund; the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy; the National Council of La Raza; the National Lawyers Guild; the National Organization for Women; the National Women's Law Center; the Older Women's League; Peace Action; Physicians for Social Responsibility; Planned Parenthood; Public Citizen; the Service Employees International Union; the United States Student Association; Veterans For Peace; and Women’s Action for New Directions.

So now this exact same coalition is mobilizing an end-run around the GOP-majority in the House, whose resistance to tax increases in last summer's budget stalemate led to the formation of the congressional super-committee. And now with the Occupy Wall Street movement in full swing, the institutional left is shoehorning in on popular frustration at the Obama Depression to oppose any meaningful economic rationalization required to get this country back on track. Even the Communist Party USA is on board. See Trevor Loudon, "Senior Communist Lobbies “Super Committee” for Defense Cuts."

Behold the stealth campaign for the communist-progressive future. This is how institutional left-wing politics in America works, and we know that top officials in the Democrat Party are working right there behind the scenes to further this radical agenda.

Get the truth out about these thugs.

Added: The Other McCain links, "Did Anybody Think The Super Committee Was Anything Other Than An Exercise In Pluckin’ That Chicken?" Also, at Lonely Conservative, "Unions and Commies Lobby Deficit Super Committee."

'Because the Night'

Some music until later, Patti Smith:

NASA Launches Latest NPP Earth-Observing Satellite from Vandenberg

It's the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System, NPP.

At LAT, "NASA launches satellite from Vandenberg at night." And PC Magazine, "NASA Weather, Climate Satellite Launches Successfully."

The Hate Speech Bugaboo

This is an unbelievably ridiculous piece, from Erna Paris, at Toronto's Globe and Mail, "There *are* limits to free expression."

And from the comments:

Hate speech is less prevalent in Canada today because Canadians don't like it and don't want it, not because of any law. Canada is not a more fragile place than in 1990; it's a much, much stronger and more tolerant place. The bizarre fear-mongering in this opinion piece is not only logically incoherent, it's completely unjustifiable.

Via Scaramouche.

Bill Whittle's Afterburner: 'How to Steal Power'

Via Instapundit:

Bill Whittle: 'One Thing About Being a Conservative is You Don't Have to Lie'

Funny, but that's exactly the opposite of progressives: They lie about everything.

See: "WFP Interviews Bill Whittle." Talking about how he frames arguments and creates his video productions, Whittle says that "the great thing about being a conservative is you don't have to lie and you don't have to invent stuff..."

Yeah, that is a great thing, at about 3:00 minutes:

Europe Needs Economic Growth

At Los Angeles Times, "Europe debt crisis plan hinges on economic growth":

Reporting from London — The latest plan to save Europe from its debt crisis was greeted with a burst of self-congratulation from the bleary-eyed leaders who negotiated it and a respite from the months of pounding by the continent's financial markets.

But the politicians who struck an early-morning deal in Brussels to avert financial collapse still face another ominous threat: a slide back into recession for their economies that could undermine the debt agreement as well as bring even greater social disorder to their streets.

The realization appears to be taking hold in some capitals that any "grand plan" to restore confidence in the Eurozone will fail without accompanying economic growth. Cuts in government spending that have been prescribed to get budget deficits under control also lead to job losses, along with the hardship and fear that foment social unrest.

Evidence is already coming in. From riots in Britain to peaceful protests by thousands of youths in Spain, from the angry unions marching through tear gas in Greece's streets to the far-right populist parties surging in popularity in the Netherlands and Scandinavia, the consequences of a hard economic squeeze are creating a backlash on the streets and making governments nervous.

More at that top link.

Britney's Femme Fatale Tour, London

Lots of pics, at Daily Mail: "Britney bares a whole lot of skin in risqué stage outfits as the Femme Fatale tour hits London."

How Taxes Destroy Liberty

It's not just taxes per se, but the increasing scope of government power to redistibute income for economic and social engineering.

Read this essay, from Myron Magnet, at City Journal, "On Tyranny and Liberty."

Benefits Run Out for Spain's Jobless

The report's at Wall Street Journal, but click through at Google:

Spain's jobless rate, hovering above 20% since early 2010, reached its highest rate in 15 years in the third quarter, the government reported Friday, at 21.5%—driven up in part by public-sector cuts. The number of households without any income also hit record levels, rising to 559,900, or 3.2% of Spain's families, the government said.

One reason: Three years into the economic crisis, more and more jobless Spaniards are seeing their unemployment benefits expire. The Spanish social safety net for the long-term unemployed runs out more quickly than in many Western European countries, and its unemployment rate is the highest in the European Union.

Most wage-replacement benefits in Spain—which top out at about €1,400 ($2,000) monthly for workers with two children—run out or significantly decline by 24 months, compared with three to five years in some countries, including Belgium and Denmark. Mr. Tuesta's benefits expired late last year.

The government on Friday announced plans to spend an additional €24 billion ($34 billion) on job development from 2012 through 2014. Those expenses could require cuts elsewhere. The euro zone, trying to contain a debt crisis, wants Madrid to slash its budget deficit to 3% of gross domestic product by 2013, from more than 9% last year.

Even as it has frozen pensions and cut public-sector salaries, Spain's government has been loath to trim assistance for the jobless. Still, in August, 71% of Spain's jobless collected unemployment benefits, compared with more than 79% in the summer of 2010, according to the Spanish Labor Ministry.

That's the crisis of the European welfare-state model right there, and right here at home protesters at Occupy Wall Street are campaigning for the exact same fiscal bankruptcy and welfare state nightmare.

It's an upside down world.

RELATED: At Reuters, "Spain's Bankia, Popular 'can meet new capital rules'."

'Truth is the New Hate Speech' — Pamela Geller Speaks at Sugar Land Tea Party

Pamela's got lots of updates on her recent free-speech episode in Texas.

See, "Video: Pamela Geller in Sugar Land, Texas — The Speech That Was Banned by Hyatt Place."

Plus, "Liberty Counsel Demand Letter to Hutton Hotel," and "'Hyatt Place Regrets Decison'."

Brown Risks Backlash on Pensions

This is one case where fiscal reality trumps destructive progressive ideology. Pigs will fly if he actually gets this through the legislature.

At Los Angeles Times, "Gov. Jerry Brown risks backlash on pension plan":

Reporting from Sacramento -- Gov. Jerry Brown proposed a sweeping overhaul of California pensions that would require public employees to pay more for their retirement and cut benefits for those hired in the future, setting the stage for a fierce battle with fellow Democrats and some of his main political supporters: unions representing government workers.

Brown's 12-point plan, announced Thursday, would require that all public workers have at least half the cost of their pensions deducted from their paychecks. Most state employees already make that contribution, but many in cities, counties and school districts across the state pitch in far less.

The governor also wants future employees to receive up to a third of their retirement income from a 401(k)-style plan rather than a traditional guaranteed pension. And he urged that the retirement age for most new public workers be raised from 55 to 67.

"I try to protect working people whenever I can," said Brown, 73, "but I'm also responsible to the taxpayer and making sure we have a solvent state government."

California's public pension system has been strained by ballooning obligations to current and future retirees. Brown, who says he does not draw a pension, has called the system unaffordable and unsustainable. He wants to cut the state's long-term pension needs in half.

His plan would have to pass the Legislature, which is dominated by Democrats whose close political allies include labor unions. Brown would need the approval of two-thirds of state lawmakers to place key parts of it on the November 2012 ballot for voters to consider.

Michele Bachmann Slams 'Stealth Attack' by Rick Perry Supporters

She really unloads at the interview. I was watching this afternoon. Bachmann is especially riled by folks trashing her tea party creds.

At CNN, "TRENDING: Bachmann accuses Perry camp of 'stealth' political attack" (via ioic).

Four Reasons Keynesians Keep Getting It Wrong

From Allan Meltzer, at Wall Street Journal:

Those who heaped high praise on Keynesian policies have grown silent as government spending has failed to bring an economic recovery. Except for a few diehards who want still more government spending, and those who make the unverifiable claim that the economy would have collapsed without it, most now recognize that more than a trillion dollars of spending by the Bush and Obama administrations has left the economy in a slump and unemployment hovering above 9%.

Why is the economic response to increased government spending so different from the response predicted by Keynesian models? What is missing from the models that makes their forecasts so inaccurate? Those should be the questions asked by both proponents and opponents of more government spending. Allow me to suggest four major omissions from Keynesian models...

RTWT.

Occupy Phoenix: 'When Should You Shoot a Cop?'

At Hot Air, "Flier at Occupy Phoenix asks, 'When should you shoot a cop?'"

And at Verum Serum, "The Man Behind the 'When Should You Shoot a Cop' Pamphlet."

Continuing Lies by Cowardly Hate-Blogger W. James Casper in Left's Demonic Workplace Intimidation Campaign

W. James Casper continues to lie about his involvement in the long campaign of workplace attacks that have been repudiated by the army of righteous conservatives in recent weeks. (See: "Online Disagreements and the Offline World We Live In...")

Typically, the epic coward at American Nihilist ignored the universal moral approbation directed against all of those making the attacks. Further, he's now justifying the attacks by saying that both sides do it and that it's not just a progressive thing, or something. Casper keeps claiming that "right-of-center" bloggers are also among those who've launched demonic campaigns. And that's just more lies. Specifically, Casper is lying about E.D. Kain's ideological attacks of workplace harassment. I blogged about E.D. Kain because he betrayed me and a number of other bloggers who he burned by pulling the plug on Neo-Constant without even so much as a thank you or acknowledgment of their contributions. Kain did that because he embarrassed himself by selling out the right to join up with the likes of communist Freddie deBoer. I didn't like it. I blogged about it. I make no apologies. That's life. And Erik Kain's a cowardly little prick and Andrew Sullivan wannabe. I don't like him. But I never lied about him. I never contacted him personally. I simply wrote about my disagreements online. I wrote the truth. And for that E.D. Kain contacted my employer not once but twice. As many have pointed out, including law professor William Jacobson at the time, it's extremely bad form to contact someone's work, especially if you're unhappy that someone posted things about you that are entirely true, no matter how inconvenient. That is, you don't have a right to harass someone for speaking their mind, but that's what E.D. Kain did and that's what W. James Casper has endorsed. Indeed, that's who James Casper is.

W. James Casper, who, folks will recall, endorsed racist attacks against me by The Pale Scot, praises the workplace campaigns as not only deserved but effective:

Donald barely mentions any of the people who contacted LBCC, anymore...

That's another malicious falsehood. There's only one person I've stopped mentioning, one of the asshats at Lawyers, Guns and Money, and that's because there's a legal arrangement in place that prevents me from making references to this asshole at the blog. As for the others, they haven't been worth my time, but it's not because their attacks have been effective, as racist W. James Casper claims. In fact, that's just more lies from Comrade Racist Repsac3. I called out E.D Kain in June, for example: "Erik Kain of Forbes: Wishy Washy Pussy." And I'll continue to call him out when I see fit. Kain's a weasel. He'd prefer the world not know about his cheap ass ideological opportunism, so he attempted to get someone fired rather than just debate the issues like a man. And for the record: E.D. Kain long ago came out as a progressive. Despite this, W. James Casper, for over a year, has been spreading a disinformation campaign about how Kain's allegedly right-of-center. He's not, and he said so himself at the hardline progressive blog Balloon Juice: "Why I am Not a Conservative."

And that's yet another example of the kind of routine lies spread by Racist Repsac3.

Now I probably wouldn't be commenting on this again, but some of Racist Repsac3's lies are particularly egregious. For example, there is no moral equivalence between the left's campaign to get me fired and the right's response to whatever happened years ago to Jeff Goldstein. The fact is that a deranged progressive troll named Deborah Frisch threatened Goldstein's family. See: "Blog blunder fells UA teacher." And at Black Five, "Dr. Frisch (did I mention she's a psych[o] professor at the University of Arizona?) has repeatedly and quite disturbing levied DEATH THREATS against Jeff's 2 year old child."

When someone makes death threats it's damned right for people to be concerned. But I don't endorse workplace attacks for any reason. And I take exception to W. James Casper's sick moral relativism. In Casper's nihilist hate world, speaking my mind on my blog is tantamount to making death threats like those of Deb Frisch against Jeff Goldstein's 2 year-old child. And let's be clear about this, THAT IS EVIL. W. James Casper is consumed by hatred of difference. My conservative posse stood up because they saw evil directed against me, by Carl Salonon, E.D. Kain, Alex Knepper, the atheists, and now Captain Fogg. Am I forgetting anybody? Because that's a progressive thing. IT'S THE LEFT THAT DOES THIS.

[Added: I did forget somebody, Captain Fogg's sleaze-blogging ally, (O)CT(O)PUS) of The Swash Zone: "Libel Blogger David Hillman (Swash Zone) Workplace Harassment Fail."]

And to top it off, Repsac3 alleges that I had it coming. No, asshole W. James Casper. It's never okay to campaign against someone's work because someone legally spoke their mind on a blog. Hey asshole W. James Casper, there's no justification for it, and everyone can see through the bullshit and lies that you're spewing. You are a hate-blogger and stalker. I close the comments to my posts (like this one) not for ideological reasons, but because you are banned. YOU ARE BANNED, GET IT, STUPID FUCK? You are not to comment here because I said so. But you have no values, no morals, so you continue your hate campaign, attempting to harass and intimidate at my comment threads. You are a stalker. You long ago crossed the line, and that's what my conservative posse called out, and that's what your own commenter has ridiculed. It's not funny anymore: YOU HAVE CROSSED THE LINE.

Stop the hate. Stop the intimidation. Stop the threats against me. Stop endorsing, promoting, supporting, republishing, distributing, and football spiking the workplace attacks against me. These are designed for one thing and one thing only: to do me harm because progressives can't stand the light of truth being flashed on their ideological hatred. And that's why you continue to back the attacks. And that's why you have escalated to a personal campaign against me and my family.

Stop contacting me, W. James Casper. Stop attempting to intimidate me. And for God's sake, stop lying about your involvement in all of these attacks. American Nihilist has been the one-stop shop for the workplace attacks against me from day one. You are a sick, sick asshole. Quit e-mailing me. And get some help: