Heading Back to the O.C.

We should be on the road by now. Regular blogging will probably pick back up tonight and tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

#TheEagles at @mgmgrand. Amazing concert. Love those guys. And glad my whole family made it to the show! #RockandRoll twitter.com/AmPowerBlog/st…
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) March 24, 2013

Echoes of Roe v. Wade in Supreme Court's Homosexual Marriage Cases

The best outcome will see the Court upholding California's Proposition 8 but simultaneously striking down the federal government's DOMA. That result will send homosexual marriage back to the states, with the will of the voters (as in California in 2008), where it belongs.

I'll have more, in any case, but see the New York Times, "Shadow of Roe v. Wade Looms Over Ruling on Gay Marriage":

WASHINGTON — When the Supreme Court hears a pair of cases on same-sex marriage on Tuesday and Wednesday, the justices will be working in the shadow of a 40-year-old decision on another subject entirely: Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that established a constitutional right to abortion.

Judges, lawyers and scholars have drawn varying lessons from that decision, with some saying that it was needlessly rash and created a culture war.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal and a champion of women’s rights, has long harbored doubts about the ruling.

“It’s not that the judgment was wrong, but it moved too far, too fast,” she said last year at Columbia Law School.

Briefs from opponents of same-sex marriage, including one from 17 states, are studded with references to the aftermath of the abortion decision and to Justice Ginsburg’s critiques of it. They say the lesson from the Roe decision is that states should be allowed to work out delicate matters like abortion and same-sex marriage for themselves.

“They thought they were resolving a contentious issue by taking it out of the political process but ended up perpetuating it,” John C. Eastman, the chairman of the National Organization for Marriage and a law professor at Chapman University, said of the justices who decided the abortion case. “The lesson they should draw is that when you are moving beyond the clear command of the Constitution, you should be very hesitant about shutting down a political debate.”

Justice Ginsburg has suggested that the Supreme Court in 1973 should have struck down only the restrictive Texas abortion law before it and left broader questions for another day. The analogous approach four decades later would be to strike down California’s ban on same-sex marriage but leave in place prohibitions in about 40 other states.

But Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., a lawyer for the two couples challenging California’s ban, said the Roe ruling was a different case on a different subject and arose in a different political and social context. The decision was “a bolt out of the blue,” he said, and it had not been “subject to exhaustive public discussion, debate and support, including by the president and other high-ranking government officials from both parties.”

“Roe was written in a way that allowed its critics to argue that the court was creating out of whole cloth a brand new constitutional right,” Mr. Boutrous said. “But recognition of the fundamental constitutional right to marry dates back over a century, and the Supreme Court has already paved the way for marriage equality by deciding two landmark decisions protecting gay citizens from discrimination.”

RTWT.

Robert Stacy McCain Eviscerates Matthew Yglesias

Excellent work, "The 1% Progressive Bloggers Club and the Bourgeois Dialectic of Comrade Yglesias."

That Yglesias dude is such an asshole:

.@mattyglesias You're getting hammered so hard for hypocrisy it's like you've cornered the market on progressive douche-iness. Congrats!
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) March 24, 2013

Girls Outnumbered in New York's Elite Public Schools

The progs won't be satisfied until everyone's freakin' identical in "equality of result."

At the New York Times, "Girls Excel in the Classroom but Lag in Entry to 8 Elite Schools in the City."

In the United States, girls have outshined boys in high school for years, amassing more A’s, earning more diplomas and gliding more readily into college, where they rack up more degrees — whether at the bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral levels.

But that has not been the trend when it comes to one of the highest accomplishments a New York City student can achieve: winning a seat in one of the specialized high schools.

At all eight of the schools that admit students based on an eighth-grade test, boys outnumber girls, sometimes emphatically.

Boys make up nearly 60 percent of the largest and most renowned schools, Stuyvesant, the Bronx High School of Science and Brooklyn Tech, and as much as 67 percent at the High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at City College, according to city statistics.

While studies suggest that girls perform as well as boys in math and science classes in high school, their participation in those fields drops off in college and ultimately in careers, a phenomenon that the White House, with its Council on Women and Girls, and the National Science Foundation have tried to reverse....

There are reasons for this that don't fit the collectivist narrative.

RELATED: From Christina Hoff Sommers, at the Atlantic, "What 'Lean In' Misunderstands About Gender Differences."

Study On

From Justine Bateman on Tumbler, who's a freshman at UCLA:

She's also on Twitter.

More at Wikipedia.

Sunday Rule 5

Via Theo Spark:

RELATED: From Bob Belvedere, "Rule 5 Saturday: And God Created Kelly Brook!"

Ghetto Mom Tasered

Via iOWNTHEWORLD, "Meanwhile, The Left’s Enemy is Anyone Trying to Keep This Culture From Spreading."

Chancellor Merkel Angry with Cyprus as Euro Crisis Intensifies

At Der Spiegel, "Iron Chancellor Returns: Merkel Can't Contain Anger over Cyprus":

Angela Merkel is known for her measured approach to even the most controversial issues. The crisis in Cyprus, however, has enraged the German chancellor. In parliamentary meetings on Friday morning, she did little to disguise her fury -- though she shoulders some of the blame herself.

Coalition parliamentarians have rarely seen Chancellor Angela Merkel so upset. Whether it has been election defeats, internal bickering in the government or the euro crisis, she almost always finds moderate words even as others panic. She has earned a reputation for being cool and calculating.

But the situation in Cyprus appears to have frayed her nerves. In meetings with parliamentarians from her conservative faction and later with those from her junior coalition partner, the Free Democrats (FDP), it quickly became clear on Friday that her patience with Cyprus is running out. Together with Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, she left no doubt as to her frustration with Nicosia's new plan for raising €5.8 billion in badly needed capital.

Merkel disapproves of the Cypriot proposal, which involves bundling state assets into a "Solidarity Fund" that includes the country's retirement fund to back bond issues. According to reports on Friday, she is not alone. The troika, made up of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, agrees with her assessment.

What happens next? "I hope that it doesn't result in a crash," Merkel told FDP parliamentarians according to a meeting participant. Merkel has long warned of a potential domino effect should a euro-zone member state enter insolvency. But now, her government is no longer excluding the possibility.

The chancellor is particularly frustrated by the lack of communication with Cypriot leaders even as the situation worsens dramatically. Some in her party have even used the word "autistic" to describe Nicosia's apparent unwillingness to communicate with Berlin. "What we have never experienced before is that, over a period of days, there has been no contact with the EU or with the troika," Merkel reportedly told the parliamentarians.

More at that top link.

Plus, "Search for a Solution: Troika Reportedly Rejects 'Plan B' in Cyprus."

The Eagles at @MGMGrand

A way cool tweet from Lorenza Ponce:

Soundcheck at The Eagles show MGM Grand Las Vegas. They are f'ing great. twitter.com/lorenzaponce/s…
— Lorenza Ponce (@lorenzaponce) March 24, 2013

I'll look for more. I took the whole family to the show. My boyz were digging it. That made me feel good. Rock and roll. The great generational equalizer.

More later ...

#EarthHour Mindlessness

Blazing Cat Fur nails it, "Dear Earth Hour, I Don't Want To Pretend I Live In North Korea - P.S. You Suck #earthhour."

More at Watts Up With That, "Tonight’s ‘Earth Hour’ is not only futile, but sends the wrong message."

The #BudLight Hotties!

These casino lovelies were hangin' out at MGM Grand:

Hot #BudLight ladies at @mgmgrand #LasVegas twitter.com/AmPowerBlog/st…
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) March 24, 2013

Socialist Roseanne Barr Expropriating the Tourist Expropriators at Las Vegas Tropicana Resort

So we pulled into the MGM Grand Hotel yesterday, and it turns out that Roseanne Barr's playing across the way at the Las Vegas Tropicana Hotel.

Hey, way to show your capitalist bona fides, right? Well, no actually. During the campaign last year Ms. Barr ran on the Peace and Freedom Party ticket and announced on Sean Hannity's show that what we need is more socialism in the United States: "I do think that we need a little bit more socialism in this country at this time."

Yeah, tell that to the working class rubes turning out for Ms. Barr's nightly gig at the Tropicana. Freakin' progressive hypocrites.

And check Ms. Barr on Twitter, where her stream is filled with all kinds of far-left agitation.

FLASHBACK: At Twitchy, "Roseanne Barr sneers at other people’s jobs, slimes Breitbart; Twitter conservatives strike back."

Adria Richards Sexual Harassment at Tech Conference

And this lady got fired?

See the Frisky, "Developer Evangelist Adria Richards Fired After Tweeting About Sexual Jokes at Tech Conference." And San Jose Mercury News, "Adria Richards: Lawyers say firing of developer who outed inappropriate comments on Twitter hard to defend in court."

Not cool.Jokes about forking repo's in a sexual way and "big" dongles.Right behind me #pycon twitter.com/adriarichards/…

— Adria Richards (@adriarichards) March 17, 2013

And what's "forking repos"?

Anyway, more at Venture Beat, "Playhaven developer fired for sexual jokes after SendGrid marketer outs him on Twitter."

More at Daily Dot, "How a "big dongle" joke brought out the worst of the Internet."

The lady did the right thing. Making "big dongle" jokes behind this lady wasn't cool.

Maria Eugenia Suarez Rule 5

At Egotastic!, "Maria Eugenia Suarez Lingerie Pictures Demand That You Fall Deep in Lust." And go straight to the video here.

Also, "Proof Positive, "Friday Night Babe is Marta Dabrowski."

More from Dana Pico, "Rule 5 Blogging: Cyprus!" Also, "Rule 5 Blogging: Fun in Iraq."

And the Laughing Conservative, "Rule 5: Kelli Garner."

Now, things get hot at 90Ninety Miles From Tyranny, "Ladies Late at Night," and "Hot Pick of the Late Night." Also, "Late Night Ladies."

More over at Subject to Change, "Hot in the Kitchen." And at Randy's Roundtable, "Thursday Nite Tart (on Friday) ... Hilary Rhoda."

Still more at Pirate's Cove, "If All You See……are lights that should be turned off to show sympathy for hotcoldwetdry, you might just be a Warmist." And, "If All You See……is a coffee pot which will soon be empty because someone (else) drove an SUV, you might just be a Climate Astrologer."

Also at the Last Tradition: "Sarah Palin's Rack: Sarah Palin spotted at NBA Suns basketball game wearing a Chic-fil-A Tee shirt."

At Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, "The Friday Pin Up." And Reaganite, "PRETTY IMPRESSIVE: 'Miss Lithuania 2012' is Greta Mikalauskyte."

And at Woodsterman's, "Is It Summer Yet ~OR~ Rule 5 Woodsterman Style."

And for the King of All Rule 5, see The Other McCain, "Rule 5 Monday."

Don't Look Now But Things Ain't Going So Great for ObamaCare

Rising premiums aren't a new story, but making it to the front-page of the Wall Street Journal yesterday is certainly worth noting. See: "Health Insurers Warn on Premiums."

And implementation isn't going quite as planned either, as the New York Times reports: "Tight Deadlines and Lagging Funds Bedevil Obama Health Care Law":

Mr. Obama scored his biggest legislative achievement exactly three years ago when he signed the Affordable Care Act. But this week the administration cautioned officials to be careful about suggesting that the law would drive down costs.

Oops, that wasn't how the White House sold this monstrosity, but what else is new?

And see Rep. Paul Broun, at the Hill, "Repeal of 'ObamaCare" must remain a top priority."

Also at I'm41, "Bachmann Turns Tables: ObamaCare Will Kill Women and Children."

Obama in Israel

At the New York Times, "At Yad Vashem in Israel, Obama Urges Action Against Racism."

And, "Transcript of Obama's Speech in Israel."

Also at the Wall Street Journal, "Obama Seeks an Israeli Shift."

And see Jonathan Tobin, at Commentary, "Obama’s Mix of Reality and Fantasy," and "Both Right and Left May Be Wrong About Obama’s Speech."

The Emptiness of a Politicized Life

Some interesting blogging, from Sonny Bunch, at the Washington Free Beacon.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Defends Company's Support of Homosexual Marriage

At London's Daily Mail, "Starbucks CEO spars with anti-gay marriage activist at the coffee company's stockholder meeting":

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz defended the coffee company's support of gay marriage at a stockholders meeting in Seattle this week.

During the business meeting, shareholder Tom Strobhar, who advocates against same-sex marriage through the Corporate Morality Action Center, said he was unhappy that Schultz has used the company to support gay marriage and claimed it had impacted the stock price.

'It’s a free country. You can sell your shares of Starbucks and buy shares in another company,' Schultz told the discontented stakeholder at the event on Wednesday.

Schultz has long been an advocate for gay rights and stated last year that the company would endorse a same-sex marriage bill in Washington state.

The move caused a stir among conservatives and opponents to gay marriage, prompting the  National Organization for Marriage's decision to boycott Starbucks.

Continue reading.

Take Lots of Euros at Look Out for Thieves

At Telegraph UK, "Take a pile of euros and watch out for thieves, Foreign Office tells Britons going on holiday to Cyprus":

Easter holidaymakers planning a trip to Cyprus have been told by the British Government take piles of euros with them - and watch out for thieves - as the country faces financial meltdown.

Every year one million Britons visit Cyprus, with many of them choosing to go on holiday over the long Easter weekend.

Advice published on the Foreign Office's website is urging Britons to take enough cash “to cover the duration of your stay” and take “appropriate security precautions”.

The official guidance prompted fears that British tourists could be at greater risk of crime in Cyprus where banks have remained shut during the financial crisis.

The advice, published on the Foreign Office’s website, said: “The Government of Cyprus has announced an extended bank closure.

“ATMs, debit and credit cards can be used as normal however, while banks are closed, we advise taking sufficient euros to cover the duration of your stay, alongside appropriate security precautions against theft.”

A GOP Push for Same-Sex Marriage Will Put 'Republicans on the Path to a Permanent Minority...'

This story captures my sentiments exactly, at WSJ, "Some on Right See Red Flags In GOP Report":

The national Republican Party's new 97-page blueprint for rebuilding the GOP makes no fewer than 30 mentions of the need to become more welcoming and inclusive, mainly on immigration and social issues.

That has some social conservatives worried that the party may become less welcoming to them.

On social issues, the party will never win over young voters if it is seen as "totally intolerant of alternative points of view," a Republican National Committee panel said this past week in its report on rejuvenating the party. The report didn't mention gay marriage specifically, but it appeared to be talking about the issue when it said that "certain social issues" are "turning off young voters from the party," and that many young voters see these matters as "the civil rights issue of our time."

Ralph Reed, founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, is among a group of conservatives now holding up a large "Caution" sign, particularly on the subject of changing the party's stance on marriage.

As someone who consulted on the blueprint, Mr. Reed said he applauds its "cold-eyed, unreserved, unflinching look at the mistakes Republicans made" in losing last year's presidential election and several Senate races that the party had expected to win.

But a push to change the party's stance on social issues, particularly by playing down its opposition to gay marriage, "is not a freebie for the Republican Party," Mr. Reed said. A move in that direction, he said, "will bleed away support from evangelicals," traditionally one of the party's pillars.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a Christian conservative activist group, sent his warning to the party in an email to thousands of supporters.

"If the RNC abandons marriage, evangelicals will either sit the elections out completely—or move to create a third party," he wrote. "Either option puts Republicans on the path to a permanent minority."

The only other policy sphere that the report singled out was immigration, calling for the party to "embrace and champion comprehensive immigration reform," a term that generally includes granting legal status and possibly citizenship to people who entered the country illegally. That idea has divided the evangelical community and the party as a whole, with some supporting it and others opposing what they say amounts to a reward for lawbreaking.

The national party's self-examination focused less on changing its policy stances than on a need to adjust its tone and find new ways to deliver its message to voters. It was particularly concerned with strategies for expanding the conservative brand into minority communities and other places where it hasn't been popular.

More at that top link.

The Republicans are on a path to partisan suicide. Becoming more like the Democrats will not win them votes. They'll lose their key supporters and be laughed at by the libertarians and progressives they're trying to attract. It's going to be a painful experience no matter what happens. There's a lot of change going on in American politics right now. The GOP needs to be careful not to hold its finger to the wind too long.