Our Hapless, Powerless President Can't Do Jack About Edward Snowden's Global Jetsetting

I read this piece at Politico last night, and it's devastating, "On Edward Snowden's travel, no good options for President Obama":

Snowden’s departure from Hong Kong comes a day after a senior administration official warned that failure to extradite Snowden “will complicate our bilateral relations and raise questions about Hong Kong’s commitment to the rule of law.”

The Justice Department had been in continual contact with Hong Kong officials at senior levels since learning June 10 that Snowden had relocated there, the department said Sunday, including a call last week from Attorney General Eric Holder directly to Hong Kong Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen.

The State Department, the U.S. consulate and the FBI had also repeatedly engaged their Hong Kong counterparts during that two-week period.

While Hong Kong’s government said Sunday that Snowden’s departure was via “a lawful and normal channel,” the Justice Department expressed frustration with the decision.

“The request for the fugitive’s arrest for purposes of his extradition complied with all of the requirements of the U.S./Hong Kong Surrender Agreement,” a Justice Department representative said in a statement.

“At no point, in all of our discussions through Friday, did the authorities in Hong Kong raise any issues regarding the sufficiency of the U.S.’s provisional arrest request. In light of this, we find their decision to be particularly troubling.”

Earlier Sunday, the Justice Department had said it would continue to discuss the matter with Hong Kong and to “pursue relevant law enforcement cooperation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to allow Snowden to change planes at Moscow’s airport on the first leg of his j0urney comes just a week after an icy bilateral G-8 appearance with Obama, where the Russian leader noted bluntly that on Syria, the positions of the United States and Russia “do not coincide.”

One reason Putin isn’t likely to cooperate now, Talbott said, is that the United States would almost certainly take in a Russian operative who admitted to leaking information about that country’s secret surveillance programs.

“If the shoe were on the other foot, if there was somebody who was wanted in Russia for leaking classified material would we feel obliged to turn them over?” Talbott said. “I don’t know, I kinda doubt it.”

In fact, there is little the United States could do now to secure Snowden’s return that wouldn’t chance creating more problems than it solves.

“I don’t see from my limited knowledge of how the world operates that there is any prospect of getting him back unless we were to interdict one of these flights,” said Gabriel Schoenfeld, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. “It’s in the realm of the possible, but not the likely. It would have serious consequences for relations with countries that I don’t think we are interested in poking right now.”

RTWT.

Charles Krauthammer drove the point home on this afternoon's Special Report All Stars.

#HeadDesk Tweets From Student Power NC

I thought this was a parody tweet for a second, but no.

The students' Twitter feed is here.

At Twitchy, "Morons untie! Lefty NC students triumph over forces that tried to ‘concor’ them."

For realz? RT @mkhammer Is are chilldrin lurning? RT @studentpowernc: They tried to divide and concor but they only untied us. #moralmonday
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 24, 2013

Dana Loesch has another one here.

10 Problems With the Gang of Eight Immigration Bill

The Senate's voting right now on the "Border Surge" amendment, and it's getting significant GOP backing, the damned amnesty shills.

I'll have updates. Meanwhile, see the Heritage Foundation's report.

Angelina Jolie Blasts United Nations for Inaction on Wartime Sex Crimes

At WaPo, "Angelina Jolie makes debut before UN’s most powerful body to urge an end to rape in war."

ADDED: From London's Daily Mail, "'This horror must end': Defiant Angelina Jolie suits up as she urges world leaders to combat warzone rape during impassioned appeal before U.N. Security Council."

Some Afternoon Heidi Klum

She keeps in shape, via Twitter:

I'm back running! #HKNB pic.twitter.com/ICUMlgsLnm

— Heidi Klum (@heidiklum) June 23, 2013

And at Egotastic!, "Heidi Klum Braless in the Park."

Supreme Court Punts in Fisher v. University of Texas

Recent analyses of the Court have stressed Chief Justice John Roberts' efforts to position the Court as a restrained judicial institution, and not an activist political one.

That said, this ruling may be more significant than meets the eye.

Background at the New York Times, "Justices Send Affirmative Action Case to Lower Court":

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday ordered lower courts to take a fresh look, under a more demanding standard, at the race-conscious admissions policy used to admit students to the University of Texas. The 7-to-1 decision was simultaneously modest and significant, and its recalibration of how courts review the constitutionality of affirmative action programs is likely to give rise to a wave of challenges to admissions programs at colleges and universities nationwide.

The brief decision, issued eight months after the case was argued, was almost surely the product of intense negotation among the justices. The compromise they reached was at least a reprieve for affirmative action in higher education, and civil rights groups that had feared for the future of race-conscious admission programs breathed a sigh of relief.

For now, the Texas program and other affirmative action programs can continue without changes.

The decision did not disturb the Supreme Court’s general approach to affirmative action in admissions decisions, saying that educational diversity is a government interest sufficient to overcome the general ban on racial classifications by the government. But the court added that public institutions must have good reasons to use the particular means they use to achieve that goal.

That requirement could endanger the Texas program when it is reconsidered by the federal appeals court in New Orleans. The program admits most students under race-neutral criteria, accepting all students in the state who graduate near the top of their high school classes. But the university also uses a race-conscious system as a supplement.

“Strict scrutiny,” Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the majority, “does not permit a court to accept a school’s assertion that its admissions process uses race in a permissible way without closely examining how the process works in practice.”

Courts reviewing affirmative action programs must, he wrote, “verify that it is necessary for a university to use race to achieve the educational benefits of diversity.” That requires, he said, “a careful judicial inquiry into whether a university could achieve sufficient diversity without using racial classifications.”

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who announced her lone dissent from the bench, said the race-neutral part of the Texas program worked only because of “de facto racial segregation in Texas’s neighborhoods and schools.” She said she would have upheld the appeals court decision endorsing the entire admissions program.

The remaining justices, including ones friendly and hostile to affirmative action, agreed on a middle ground, though Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas each issued dissents indicating that they would vote to strike down race-conscious admission plans in a future case.

RTWT.

Sandra Day O'Connor and John Paul Stephens were in the courtroom today. Interesting.

More at Memeorandum.

And William Jacobson has a roundup, "Supreme Court Affirmative Action Decision," and Ilya Somin, at Volokh, "Competing Interpretations of Fisher." (That's a must read.)

Also, Amy Howe at SCOTUS Blog, "Finally! The Fisher decision in Plain English."

Plus lots at Althouse, "'It offends me that the court failed to exert any kind of leadership with this decision'," and "'There is disagreement about whether Grutter was consistent with the principles of equal protection.... But the parties here do not ask the Court to revisit that aspect of Grutter’s holding'."

More from Althouse, "The worst forms of racial discrimination in this Nation have always been accompanied by straight-faced representations that discrimination helped minorities'," and "'If you think that you can think about a thing inextricably attached to something else without thinking of the thing which it is attached to, then you have a legal mind'."

Here's a whiny piece, from S. Mitra Kalita analysis at Quartz, "The Supreme Court sent the Fisher case back, but make no mistake: Affirmative action is dead." And from Richard Kahlenberg, at Slate, "The Next Affirmative Action?"

Shop Amazon

Consider Deneen Borelli, Blacklash: How Obama and the Left Are Driving Americans to the Government Plantation.

Or click on the banner to shop around.

MSNBC Broadcasts F-Bombs During Zimmerman Trial Coverage

This is funny.

At Twitchy, "‘F’ is for flub: MSNBC apologizes after airing Zimmerman trial F-bombs; Returns viewers to another F-bomb."

The f-bombs were flying even after Chuck Todd announced the network would go with a 7-second delay.

Child Chained Up and Forced to Watch Parents Murdered by Obama-Backed Syrian Rebels

At Atlas Shrugs, "SYRIAN CHILD TIED UP IN CHAINS AND FORCED TO WATCH THE MURDER OF HER PARENTS BY OBAMA BACKED JIHADISTS":

According to Syrian Truth’s Facebook page, the above photo is of a toddler living in the Deir ez-Zor Governate in eastern Syria, bordering Iraq. She was tied up by members of the U.S.-supported “Free Syrian Army” — which is dominated by foreign, Sunni jihadis — and made to watch as her mother and father were killed for being Shia. Here is how the Obama administration is using your tax dollars — mockingly in the name of “freedom.”

Snowden Flees to Moscow, Asks Ecuador for Asylum

At the Wall Street Journal, "Snowden on the Run: Leaker Flees Hong Kong for Moscow, Asks Ecuador for Asylum."

! "In part, Mr. Snowden's determination to leave Hong Kong was based on the fear of losing access to the Internet" http://t.co/eBdqUMD1HX
— Emily Parker (@emilydparker) June 24, 2013

Taliban Kill 10 Tourists in Pakistan

They were mountaineers.

At USA Today, "Taliban kill 10 foreign climbers, Pakistani guide."

There's going to be a lot more of these killings as the U.S. heads for the exits in Afghanistan.

South Texas Sees Increase in Illegal Immigrant Deaths

Now this is a bit more realistic for the Los Angeles Times, "Border crossers face high risk in South Texas":

FALFURRIAS, Texas — The South Texas sun had scorched the woman's face. Flies swarmed over her lips. Under a nearby mesquite plant, a plastic water jug lay empty.

Brooks County Chief Deputy Sheriff Urbino Martinez picked it up and walked back to a group of officials gathered around the sprawled body of the dead migrant.

"She got left behind for some reason," he said. "Either she got ill or she just got tired and they left her, knowing very well she wasn't going to get out of this area."

Justice of the Peace Roel Villarreal noticed that the woman's pants were pulled down around her hips, and her shirt was wrapped over her shoulders — signs of the woman's desperate struggle to cool down, he said.

"When it's damn hot, that's what you do before you die," Villarreal said.

Across the desert expanses of California and Arizona, thousands have perished over the years while attempting to cross illegally into the United States. Now another region, this one in Texas, has become a lethal magnet for increasing numbers of migrants.

Many of these deaths occur as they try to make it through the vast ranch lands that surround a Border Patrol checkpoint on U.S. Highway 281, some 70 miles north of the border. It is the last obstacle for migrants trying to get to Houston, so they attempt to go around it by the hundreds every night.

The Rio Grande Valley recently surpassed the Tucson sector as the area with the most migrant arrests. The surging traffic has besieged border agents at the once-relatively tranquil checkpoint near the small town of Falfurrias. It also illuminates one of the major obstacles to a comprehensive immigration overhaul being debated in the Senate.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who visited the region in May, has expressed reluctance to support any bill that would not guarantee a 90% arrest rate of all illegal crossers, including a proposal unveiled Thursday that would double the size of the Border Patrol. He has cited the growing death count as evidence that the border remains out of control at the southern tip of Texas.

"As a policymaker, I have a responsibility to find real solutions to these issues that are all too familiar to Texans," Cornyn wrote in an op-ed published by Fox News. "Anything less only perpetuates this grotesque human tragedy playing out every day on American soil."

Continue reading.

PREVIOUSLY: "L.A. Times Pooh-Poohs Border Security."

Bush Official Defends Obama on #NSA Scandal

That would be Marc Thiessen, who is interviewed by Lee Stranahan at Big Government:

Theissen has been a passionate defender of the NSA and the programs exposed by former contractor Edward Snowden. He believes that conservative critics of the NSA need to pause and reconsider their attacks. He points out the PRISM program that's been the subject of much controversy was put into place by the Bush Administration and has been widely mis-characterized.

In an exclusive interview, he told Breitbart News "Programs like this are the only thing we have to protect us from terror. There are three ways to stop terrorists from carrying out an attack: interrogation, infiltration and interception. We've stopped interrogations. Infiltration has proven incredibly hard with these groups. So we're left with interception; using information to try and keep the worst from happening."

Theissen's assessment of the importance of PRISM is blunt: "If we lose this, we're blind."

RTWT.

I agree with him completely.

PREVIOUSLY: "Yes, Publishing #NSA Secrets Is a Crime."

Sen. Mike Lee Slams 1,200 Page Immigration Reform Clusterf-k

At Fox News, "Senators tout 70 votes for immigration reform as Paul predicts bill already 'dead' in House."

Lee remains steadfast that passing the roughly 1,200-page bill is a mistake. He continues to argue that Congress should take a more step-by-step approach, starting with further securing the U.S.-Mexico border.

“It could take years to implement the border-security measures,” he said.

Lee said the lawmakers crafted the bill with the “best intentions” but failed.

“They said it is tough and fair, but it’s neither,” he said.

The bill would provide a years-long path to citizenship for the roughly 11 million illegal immigrants now living in the U.S.

Lee was joined on Fox by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican member of the Gang of Eight. “We are very, very close,” Graham said. “The amendment gets us over the top.”

The West's Capitulation in Afghanistan

An analysis by Christoph Sydow, at Der Spiegel, "U.S.-Taliban Talks in Doha":

After 12 years of war and thousands of deaths on both sides, the US and the Taliban are finally ready to talk peace. While the West hopes to smooth its withdrawal, human rights organizations forecast the return of dark times for women and minorities.

In April 2007, Kurt Beck, then the head of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD), suggested that there should be a peace conference for Afghanistan that would include all of the relevant groups, including the Taliban. The idea earned him nothing but scorn. Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives vented their ire, and Rangin Spanta, Afghanistan's foreign minister at the time, went so far as to brand Beck clueless.

But now, six years later, Beck's idea is actually being implemented. On Tuesday, the Taliban held an opening celebration for its new office in Doha, the capital of Qatar. The Islamists want to host peace negotiations there with the Afghan government and the White House. Afghan President Hamid Karzai remains coy on the issue, but talks between the Taliban and the US government are supposed to kick off within the next few days.

The parties to the conflict have already been holding secret talks for some years, and representatives have also met in Germany on several occasions. But now, for the first time since the beginning of international military intervention in the Hindu Kush in 2001, the Taliban will take an official seat at the negotiation table. The extremists had refused to participate in any of the previous Afghanistan conferences, which have been held at irregular intervals.

Can There Be a 'Moderate Taliban'?

But now things have changed. The United States and its allies are planning a semi-orderly withdraw of combat troops from the troubled country. At the same time that the Taliban opened its office in Doha, Karzai announced that the Afghan army had officially taken over responsibility for security in the entire country from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan. By the end of 2014, almost 100,000 foreign soldiers are supposed to have pulled out of Afghanistan, leaving only military trainers behind.

NATO countries hope that they can at least leave behind a country that isn't steeped in chaos. In 2001, the West set lofty goals for Afghanistan, including implementing democracy, safeguarding human rights and fostering responsible governance. But the states contributing forces to ISAF gave up on achieving such goals long ago. The United States has signalled that the Taliban will be allowed to do what it wants as long as it refrains from allowing international terrorists to seek refuge in the areas it controls.

The oft-expressed distinction between "moderate" and "radical" Taliban elements straddles precisely this border. On the one side, there are the Taliban members who want to usher in a global Islamic empire with the help of al-Qaida. On the other are those who would be satisfied with ruling in Kabul.

What unites both groups is their disregard for the rights of women and minorities. Human Rights Watch is already painting a grim picture of the future of women's rights in the country, and Amnesty International is complaining about extensive violations of human rights. In its annual report, the latter said that women and girls are already being subjected to particular and repeated violence.

No, there's no "moderate" Taliban. Things are going to turn out badly.

Continue reading.

PREVIOUSLY: "Afghanistan: Obama Surrenders."

Return of Lui Seeks to Restore 'à la Française' to Men's Magazine Market

This is interesting.

A combination of soft-porn and intellectualism?

That kind of stuff is out of style in our hyper-PC political culture.

At London's Daily Mail, "France revives Lui, the sixties magazine which combined soft-porn with articles aimed at intellectuals."

And Natassja Kinski at the link? Oh là là!

Nik Wallenda Survives Tightrope Walk Over Gorge Near Grand Canyon

I didn't like the daredevil view camera, looking down toward the canyon floor. That was making me queazy.

 In any case, at LAT, "Wallenda walks wire near Grand Canyon."

West Coast Hooters 2013 Swimsuit Finals in Santa Ana

Here's more of the Hooters girls.

And see Daley Gator for more, "Your Sunday Night Salute to Great Blogs and Hooters Girls."

PREVIOUSLY: "Hooters Girls of Orange County."

Waiting on Proposition 8 and DOMA Decisions: In Plain English

From Amy Howe, at SCOTUS Blog:

The fate of California’s Proposition 8, before the Court in Hollingsworth v. Perry, seems murkier than DOMA’s. Proposition 8 was a response to a 2008 decision by the California Supreme Court ordering the state to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Before the end of that year, California voters had passed Proposition 8’s ban on same-sex marriage. A few months later, Boies and Olson filed a lawsuit challenging the ban on behalf of two same-sex couples who wanted to get married. (My earlier “Plain English” posts on the case are available here, here, here, and here.)

The sponsors of Proposition 8 defended it in court, because the State of California refused. The two couples prevailed in the federal trial court and then in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, with the latter holding that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional because it took the previously granted right to marry away from gays and lesbians just because people didn’t like them.

There is a threshold question of “standing” that piqued the interest of several Justices – the Chief Justice and the Court’s four more liberal Justices in particular – who seemed inclined at oral argument to hold that the sponsors of Proposition 8 lacked the legal right to defend it in court. Justice Kennedy, who had recently suggested that the Court was deciding too many hot-button issues that should be decided by the legislature instead, seemed skeptical about a potential problem with the sponsors’ “standing” but offered another path to avoid deciding whether Proposition 8 violates the Constitution: the Court could simply dismiss the case on the ground that it had made a mistake in taking it on.

Pretty straightforward review. More at that top link.

PREVIOUSLY: "The Supreme Court's Blockbuster Week Ahead."

The Supreme Court's Blockbuster Week Ahead

Well, it could be blockbuster, if the Court were to strike down affirmative action at the University of Texas, and especially if the Court were to uphold DOMA and Prop.8. But either way, the rulings expected this week will have deep political repercussions. And I'm not optimistic toward any big conservative rulings, especially with Anthony Kennedy likely to be the swing vote on some of these cases, but we'll see.

In any event, here's some analysis at the Los Angeles Times, "Supreme Court decisions test chief justice's moderate approach," and at the New York Times, "Supreme Court Weighs Cases Redefining Legal Equality."

I'll be doing some legal blogging throughout the week. I've been waiting over four years for some kinda resolution on Prop. 8, especially. Weird.

Added, from Twitter:

"Equality" always means whatever liberals say it means. http://t.co/cyx95AE7GY @jamestaranto @instapundit

— Robert Stacy McCain (@rsmccain) June 24, 2013

Lee Stranahan Rips Glenn Greenwald — And His Sycophants on Left and Right

On Twitter today:

"I don't want to live in a country where you're spied on all the time" said the guy who fled to Russia.

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

I hope we use the PRISM program to track Snowden down.

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

Conservatives have been manipulated into defending Snowden. Now he's on a world tour giving away America's state secrets. Not. Good.

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

ICYMI MUST READ : Bush Official Defends Obama on NSA Scandal http://t.co/NMwncbyXno via @BreitbartNews

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

Some conservatives better man up on the NSA thing quickly and admit they got played. They let hatred of Obama cause them to lose judgment.

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

Because the real NSA scandal is turning into how many conservatives have been supporting or distracting from Snowden's acts.

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

@AmPowerBlog But you know what I'm talking about...

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

If you hate America and love the idea of it being at risk, Snowden is your guy. So is Greenwald. If you don't hate America, you bet wrong.

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

Snowden is no friend to the U.S. Constitution. Full. Stop. If believe that and you're conservative, you've been played. Wake up.

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

If you're a radical lefist or libertarian anti-war type, I totally understand why you idolize or excuse Snowden and Greenwald. Carry on.

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

Should be pointed out : Greenwald's bullying has put off many liberals for years now; but his bullying works. People afraid to speck up.

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

So Greenwald took advantages of liberals afraid to challenge him and conservatives in full Obama scandal mode for this timing on this.

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

Even Time's Joe Klein has been forced to back down from his harsh (and accurate) 2009 criticism of Greenwald to lame tame critique

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

And when conservatives say "I don't care about Snowden's motivation' you sound JUST LIKE ends-justify-the-means leftists. Stop it or switch.

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

Oh, wait -- maybe ignoring Snowden is part of some sort of conservative outreach to traitors. Get Sen. Rubio on the phone!

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

There is no NSA scandal. This is what happens when you follow the 'News Cycle'; a cycle driven by the left. Wake up, conservative media.

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) June 23, 2013

Rule 5 Sunday

I'm watching baseball all day. Lots of blogging throughout the day.


Meanwhile, here's some babe blogging, via Wirecutter.

And at Pirate's Cove, "If All You See……is a super awesome non-fossil fueled bike, you might just be a Warmist." And the Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup is not loading for me, so just click on the homepage for the goodness.

Also, at Pitsnipes and Gripes, "Tiffani Amber Thiessen." Plus the Right Way has "Friday Babe."

And at Blackmailers Don't Shoot, "Pretty Girls on a Thursday, Booth Babes Edition."

And at Drunken Stepfather, "CHRISSY TEIGAN IS NUDE IN GQ OF THE DAY."

From Animal Magnetism, "Animal’s Rule Five News." And at Bob Belvedere's, "Rule 5 Saturday: Miriam Gonzalez."

More at Proof Positive, "See, "Best of the Web* Linkaround," and "Friday Night Babe – Odette Annable!"

Now at 90 Miles From Tyranny, "Marilyn Monroe - In Pictures," and "Morning Mistress."

Soylent Green has hot "OverNighty: Rebecca," and "Afternooner Twofer."

Plus, at Dana Pico's, "Rule 5 Blogging: Mostly Marines."

At Egotastic!, "Lais Ribeiro Bikini Pictures Drop So Much Sexy in Miami, the Ground Shakes."

Also from EBL, "Paula Deen Nude Rule 5 Insane Democrat Edition."

And from the source of our tribulations, "Rule 5 Sunday: Father’s Day."

Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."

And see Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – All Ears." More at Randy's Roundtable, "Friday Night Funnies."

Also at Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's SUNDAY FUNNIES."

CARTOON CREDIT: William Warren.

With Newsmen Like You, 'Who Needs Government to Criminalize Reporting?'

That's Glenn Greenwald tearing into David Gregory on "Meet the Press" this morning.

See, "Glenn Greenwald DESTROYS David Gregory."

And on Twitter:

Who needs the government to try to criminalize journalism when you have David Gregory to do it?

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 23, 2013

I have never seen a "journalist" be so anti-journalism as @davidgregory interviewing @ggreenwald on Meet the Press.

— Judy Berman (@judyberman) June 23, 2013

David Gregory asks journalist @ggreenwald if he's a criminal for doing journalism: http://t.co/GHTDc2hUjD

— Michael Calderone (@mlcalderone) June 23, 2013

.@DavidGregory Not sure you should be suggesting criminal charges for a journalist. http://t.co/AkOIvnVkry #irony http://t.co/nJeSwPMYf2

— David Shuster (@DavidShuster) June 23, 2013

Has David Gregory ever publicly wondered if powerful DC officials should be prosecuted for things like illegal spying & lying to Congress?

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 23, 2013

Edward Snowden Seeks Asylum in Ecuador

At the Guardian UK, "Edward Snowden asks for asylum in Ecuador: live updates."

I'll have more...

Alan Chambers, Former President of Exodus International, Admits 'Same-Sex Attraction'

This is one extremely confused man.

And admitting same-sex attraction? So what. What guy hasn't thought for a moment he was attracted to another guy? Turning that into some kind of big political statement is essentially meaningless. Frankly, the dude's "pray away the gay" ministry just couldn't keep up with the changing leftist culture, and he through in the towel. What a loser.

At LAT, "Exodus leader admits 'same-sex attraction,' urges talks with gays."

And the dude says he has an amazing relationship with his wife. Well, you'd better hope so. Wouldn't want to be bonking some bathhouse brothers on the side. Idiots.

Edward Snowden Flees Hong Kong

He's got a one-way ticket to Moscow.

At the New York Times, "N.S.A. Leaker Leaves Hong Kong on Flight to Moscow":

While waiting for Snowden to touch down in Moscow, read this if you want to know why he has to flee the US http://t.co/YuTVMapbBk
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 23, 2013

FLASH: WikiLeaks has assisted Mr. Snowden's political asylum in a democratic country, travel papers ans safe exit from Hong Kong. More soon.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) June 23, 2013

HONG KONG — The Hong Kong government announced on Sunday afternoon that it had allowed the departure from its territory of Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who has acknowledged disclosing classified documents about United States government surveillance of Internet and telephone communications around the world.

The government statement said that Hong Kong had informed the United States of Mr. Snowden’s departure.

A Moscow-based reservations agent at Aeroflot, Russia’s national airline, said that Mr. Snowden was aboard flight SU213 to Moscow, with a scheduled arrival there a little after 5 p.m. Moscow time. The reservations agent said that Mr. Snowden was traveling on a one-way ticket to Moscow.

Mr. Snowden's final destination could not be determined. The ticket out of Hong Kong did not appear to include a destination beyond Moscow, the Aeroflot agent said, while cautioning that Mr. Snowden might have a separate reservation or ticket. Mr. Snowden is traveling with one other person, with the surname Harrison, but the agent declined to release the other traveler’s first name, saying that she did not have the authorization to do so. The Hong Kong Bar Association Web site does not list any lawyers with the family name Harrison.

His departure is a setback for the United States, which had been pressing Hong Kong to surrender him to American law enforcement officials. The Hong Kong government said on Sunday, in its first detailed statement about Mr. Snowden, that the United States had made a legal request for the issue of a provisional warrant of arrest against Mr. Snowden, but that the Hong Kong government had concluded that the request “did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law.”

The statement said that Hong Kong had requested more information from the United States but had not received it. Because the government “has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr. Snowden from leaving Hong Kong,” the statement said.

This is huge, an epic slap in the face to the Unites States government, who reportedly put heavy pressure on Hong Kong to relinquish Snowden. Expect updates.

More: Memeorandum is a little slow today, but some links are starting to show up.

Clint Eastwood Continues to Make Great Films

And Robert DeNiro doesn't, according to Betsy Sharkey, at the Los Angeles Times, "Brad Pitt is a model for aging actors":

So what is to be done as the years tick by?

For the bible on how to do it right, there is no place else to start but with Clint Eastwood, who at 83 is turning out to be the best closer in Hollywood history. He keeps making great movies — directing, starring and collecting awards. A screen version of "Jersey Boys" is rumored, so apparently Eastwood's ambition — and energy — isn't dimming.

Robert Redford is another. He hasn't had Eastwood's consistent success behind the camera since the Oscar for his 1980 directing debut, "Ordinary People." But like his brilliant "Quiz Show" in 1994, the actor-director commits to projects he loves and stories he believes are important to tell. Not a Focker in the bunch. About to turn 77, his acting is getting a serious second wind too in J.C. Chandor's new film, "All Is Lost." The role was a risk, Redford goes solo, alone in a boat with nothing but his intellect and the elements. The camera — notably — in someone else's hands.

Whether by choice or circumstance, Warren Beatty, 76, hasn't starred in a film since the 2001 bomb "Town & Country." It may be nothing more than adopting the Jack Nicholson approach — leave the work behind and spend the days playing elder statesman. After a series of great performances, "About Schmidt" in 2002 when he was 65 and 2006's "The Departed" when he was 69, the 76-year-old Nicholson has drifted into the forgettable.

For Michael Douglas, 68, the right role was on television. His recent glittery turn as Liberace in "Behind the Candelabra" was his best performance in years. It's not so much TV but surprising us. Tom Hanks, most memorable in the last 15 years for giving voice to "Toy Story's" Woody, tried out Broadway this year — "Lucky Guy" got him a Tony nod. Bill Murray completely changed his acting persona at 53 with "Lost in Translation." Suddenly the funny goof was introspective, edgy in a new way.

But that sort of sea change is rare. Douglas is up next in "Last Vegas," an old-boys buddy comedy with Robert De Niro, 69, and Morgan Freeman, 76. Are old guy buddy comedies becoming Hollywood's version of retirement living? Nicholson had a room with a view alongside Freeman in 2007's "The Bucket List." Last year, Al Pacino, 73, Alan Arkin, 79, and Christopher Walken, 70, got together as aging mobsters for "Stand Up Guys."

Sadly, the book on what not to do is being written by De Niro. One of our greatest working actors has lost himself in crummy, mindless comedy. I honestly believe the Oscar nod for "Silver Linings Playbook's" crusty dad was a part of the academy's positive reinforcement program so he wouldn't do another Fockers film. Because if you look closely, the distance between the dads is mostly the pedigree of the movie.

RTWT for the discussion of Brad Pitt.

I watched "Trouble With the Curve" yesterday, an enjoyable film, if not all out excellent.

Either way, Clint Eastwood has aged well in the movies.

Netroots Nation 2013 Obsessed With Michelle Malkin #NN13

Wow, just saw the buzz on Twitter.

See Twitchy, "Netroots Nation struggles to counter ‘Michelle Malkin effect’."

Well, it seems like NetrootsNation invokes @michellemalkin at every panel event I attend #nn13 @watchdogorg

— Tori Richards (@NewsWriter2) June 22, 2013

Hooters Girls of Orange County

Some nice ladies:

And some West Coast Hooters here, "2013 Girls of the Month."

Pilot and Wing Walker Dead in Ohio Air Show Crash

At the Columbus Dispatch, "Two die in plane crash at air show near Dayton."

Graphic footage, with moment of impact, here: "Horrific Plane Crash Dayton Air Show."

Monkey Attacks Texas Cop During Traffic Stop

Protective little guy.

At Death and Taxes, "Carnival monkey bites police officer during routine traffic stop."

Sarah Palin With Eric Bolling on Fox News

I'm really glad she's back at the network.

Netroots Exploits Emerging Technologies to Block the 'Corporate-Funded, Right-Wing Assault' on Americans

From Francesca Chambers, at Red Alert Politics, "Lefty activists at Netroots concede the Right is killing it on Twitter."

The photo's of a woman attending the panel on "Fighting Together to Block the Right-Wing Agenda":

Labor unions, women’s rights organizations, environmental watchdogs, voting rights groups and activists across the progressive movement must work together to withstand the corporate-funded, right-wing assault on all of our rights.

Sounds like a plan.

Here's Glenn Greenwald on the Espionage Charges Against Edward Snowden

As always, readers should know that few people can out anti-American Glenn Greenwald's anti-Americanism. I just love his tenacity for beating back against the bear, and right now, Barack Obama is the biggest bear in the woods.

See, "On the Espionage Act charges against Edward Snowden." (At Mediagazer.)

For a politician who tried to convince Americans to elect him based on repeated pledges of unprecedented transparency and specific vows to protect "noble" and "patriotic" whistleblowers, is this unparalleled assault on those who enable investigative journalism remotely defensible? Recall that the New Yorker's Jane Mayer said recently that this oppressive climate created by the Obama presidency has brought investigative journalism to a "standstill", while James Goodale, the General Counsel for the New York Times during its battles with the Nixon administration, wrote last month in that paper that "President Obama will surely pass President Richard Nixon as the worst president ever on issues of national security and press freedom." Read what Mayer and Goodale wrote and ask yourself: is the Obama administration's threat to the news-gathering process not a serious crisis at this point?

Few people - likely including Snowden himself - would contest that his actions constitute some sort of breach of the law. He made his choice based on basic theories of civil disobedience: that those who control the law have become corrupt, that the law in this case (by concealing the actions of government officials in building this massive spying apparatus in secret) is a tool of injustice, and that he felt compelled to act in violation of it in order to expose these official bad acts and enable debate and reform.

But that's a far cry from charging Snowden, who just turned 30 yesterday, with multiple felonies under the Espionage Act that will send him to prison for decades if not life upon conviction. In what conceivable sense are Snowden's actions "espionage"? He could have - but chose not - sold the information he had to a foreign intelligence service for vast sums of money, or covertly passed it to one of America's enemies, or worked at the direction of a foreign government. That is espionage. He did none of those things.

What he did instead was give up his life of career stability and economic prosperity, living with his long-time girlfriend in Hawaii, in order to inform his fellow citizens (both in America and around the world) of what the US government and its allies are doing to them and their privacy. He did that by very carefully selecting which documents he thought should be disclosed and concealed, then gave them to a newspaper with a team of editors and journalists and repeatedly insisted that journalistic judgments be exercised about which of those documents should be published in the public interest and which should be withheld.

That's what every single whistleblower and source for investigative journalism, in every case, does - by definition. In what conceivable sense does that merit felony charges under the Espionage Act?

That post is chock full of other interesting links, but you'll have to RTWT, and take your time perusing through them.

Greenwald's sounding the tocsin on this administration. Whether he's right about the gravity of danger to American liberty remains to be seen.

Corker #Amnesty Amendment Gives Secretary of Homeland Security Power to Waive Deportation of Illegal Aliens

William Jacboson has been doing some homework on the Senate's immigration bill. This is interesting, to say the least, "Loophole in Gang of 8 bill gives Napolitano wide discretion to allow almost anyone to stay in U.S."

And see Twitchy, "‘Child abusers get amnesty’: Sen. Vitter reads 1,170-page amendment to find out what’s in it."

Americans Worked Less, Watched More TV in 2012

Shoot, I blogged a lot in 2012. But I'm watching more TV this year.

But check WSJ:

With the economy struggling to find its footing, Americans spent less time at work last year and found more time for leisure activities such as watching television, a new government survey finds.

The average American aged 15 or older spent three hours, 32 minutes a day doing work-related activities last year, according to the American Time Use Survey released by the Labor Department on Thursday. That is down from 2011, when time spent on work jumped from three hours and 30 minutes to three hours and 34 minutes. While such changes may not seem big, average yearly changes in time spent on different activities tend to be small, and even minor changes are significant.

The survey, which has been conducted annually since 2003 and includes both employed and unemployed persons, suggests America's sluggish recovery continues to hamper workers. While the U.S. unemployment rate fell last year from 8.3% to 7.8%—it is now at 7.6%—other trends are likely holding down average hours spent at work. The number of part-time workers was higher in 2012 than the year before, for example.

"The recovery has basically been a recovery for a tiny fraction of the population," said Geoffrey Godbey, professor emeritus at Pennsylvania State University and co-author of "Time For Life: The Surprising Ways Americans Use Their Time." "What you're seeing is people who might want more work but aren't getting it," he said.

Meanwhile, the share of the population working or looking for a job dropped to 63.6% at the end of last year, compared with 64% in December 2011. That number, known as the labor force participation rate, has been falling as a result of a combination of discouraged workers dropping out of the workforce and baby boomers retiring.

The aging of America's population means fewer people are working and more retirees are at home watching TV, Mr. Godbey said. At the same time, women have become a larger share of America's labor force, but tend to work fewer hours than men do. And there's a growing informal economy, he said, that might not be captured by government surveys.

I'd work more if I could.

Watching television's nice though, and blogging, so what the heck?

More at the link.

Death of Christine Calderon Recalls Hollywood's Crime-Ridden Past

I'm not up there often, but I noticed that things were much cleaner and more upscale when I was covering some of the protests up there about three years ago or so.

But this piece at LAT puts the recent murder of Christine Calderon by homeless scum in perspective.

See, "Fatal stabbing a reminder of gussied-up Tinseltown's darker past":

The death of Christine Calderon left the Hollywood tourist district stunned and on Friday prompted Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck and Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti to call for increased patrols, including by horse-mounted units.

We "don't want to lose any of the ground that's been gained in Hollywood," Beck said. "What we don't want is for this tragedy to go unrecognized."

Hollywood's transformation over the last decade or so has been dramatic. The once-glamorous district had been in steep decline for decades, bottoming out in the 1990s when crime reached new highs and many of the old theaters that once dominated the boulevard closed down.

The Hollywood & Highland complex where Calderon was found stabbed — an imposing shopping center that includes the theater where the Oscars take place each year — was the first of several mega-developments that transformed the area. The most recent is the luxury W Hotel development at the iconic corner of Hollywood and Vine.

These days, tourists dominate during the day. After the sun sets, Hollywood's nightclub scene kicks into high gear.

Few argue with how much Hollywood has changed. But those who live and work in the area said there are gritty remnants, with a sizable homeless population and plenty of opportunities for petty crime.


Despite its makeover, crime remains a daily occurrence in Hollywood, according to a Times analysis. Recent weeks show no unusual increases, but thefts are common in high-traffic areas and more than 300 major violent crimes were reported in the neighborhood over the last six months.

Adjusted for population, its violent crime rate ranked 30th and its property crime rate 33rd among more than 200 neighborhoods policed by the LAPD or the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.

"You get some of everything here," said Dylan Watson, assistant manager of the American Eagle store at Hollywood & Highland. "Nothing is really surprising."

It's not uncommon, he said, for someone to approach him during a smoke break outside of the store and ask for cigarettes. If he refuses, he said, the response is often aggression.

"They always seem like they want to fight," he said. "Some of them are clearly crazy."

The First Music Video Shot Atop the Empire State Building

Well, the lines were down the block when I tried to go up there with my kid in 2007, so no surprise no bands have been able to get up there.

Just kidding.

Anyway, at the New York Times, "Video: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Perform Atop Empire State Building":

In its 82-year history, the top of the Empire State Building has been the site of countless family outings, marriage proposals and, of course, one very memorable date gone awry. But as near as we can tell, it had never been the site of an indie rock performance, not a preapproved one anyway.

Then one windy night in April, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the New York trio led by the glittering dervish singer Karen O, positioned themselves on the observation deck 86 floors up. Brian Chase had his drum kit, Nick Zinner his guitar. From 2 a.m. until just past sunrise, they performed one of their latest songs, as a crew of just two dozen watched.

The group was recording the video for “Despair,” the second single off their new album, “Mosquito.” For logistical and creative reasons, the shoot was a well-kept secret. It began with a sort of cinematic preparty in a nearby Irish pub and ended with a helicopter buzzing the skyline. A clip is above; the full video will premiere on Monday on Noisey, Vice.com’s online music channel.

It’s the first music video shot atop the Empire State Building. And to hear Anthony E. Malkin, the president of Malkin Holdings, operator of the Empire State Building, tell it, it’s about time. “The way I look at it is, why hadn’t this been done before?” he said. “Credit to them for having the gumption to ask.”

More at the link.

L.A. Times Pooh-Poohs Border Security

See, "Border Surge Proposal Has Many Skeptics":

BISBEE, Ariz. — When George Joyal saw a group of people who appeared to have crossed the border illegally sneak by his land recently, his first call was to the Border Patrol.

Joyal, 67, a retired U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, gave the agent his location, then hurried outside with the cellphone to his backyard and made himself visible to a border surveillance camera perched atop a tower half a mile away.

"I see you," the agent said.

Moments later, Border Patrol agents zoomed up in a cloud of dust to detain the group. Joyal said there's no need for Congress to spend billions beefing up border patrol.

"I don't see that as giving us more security," Joyal says. "It's impossible to be 100% secure. Just how safe are you going to get and at what price?"

The Senate appears ready to approve immigration legislation next week providing a $30-billion boost in security along the U.S.-Mexico border, doubling the number of Border Patrol agents, but some experts and border residents like Joyal are skeptical that the buildup would pay off — even those who supported similar surges in the past.

The Border Patrol already has more than 20,000 agents. Last fiscal year, border-related agencies received about $18 billion in funding — more than the FBI, Secret Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives combined.

In Arizona, the federal government has spent billions fortifying the border with fencing, drones and more than 5,100 Border Patrol staff. It has paid off, with border apprehensions all along the border down to an all-time low of 356,873 last year, compared with 1.6 million in 2000.

Joyal said federal authorities needed to better manage staff they already had by moving agents from northern checkpoints closer to the border and relying less on fencing.

"We don't need more people," he said. "We need the proper employment of resources."

Bisbee Mayor Adriana Zavala Badal says most people in town think there are already too many border agents.

"You feel like you're always being looked at and watched. It's a nuisance," she said.

She still can't get used to the Border Patrol helicopters that hover overhead.

"You feel like you're in a war zone. It's noisy," she said, and "that's just with one helicopter."

Well, hey, they keep coming.

At the video, a secret camera shows drug smugglers coming over the border, although that $4.8 million figure sounds a little astronomical.

The border's not secure.

This is all pro-amnesty baloney. Even the Wall Street Journal's got the fever. See, "The Border Security Ruse."

Kim Kardashian Gives Birth in Designer Heels?

Crazy.

At Gossip Cop, "CLAIM: Kim Kardashian Gave Birth in Heels and Full Makeup, Now Getting Tummy Tuck":

Kim Kardashian appears on the cover of Star this week, with the tabloid lazily portraying her as a “Delivery Room DIVA!” because it doesn’t have any actual details about the reality TV queen giving birth last weekend.

The magazine, most recently seen embarrassing itself with a 100 percent FALSE story about Kanye West cheating on Kardashian with a model, now pretends to have insight into her “outrageous antics” during and after the arrival of her baby daughter.

Motorcycle Couriers Catch Falling 2-Year-Old in China

At London's Daily Mail, "Heart-stopping moment 2-year-old Chinese girl falls from a fifth-floor window and is caught by passers-by."

Bruce Springsteen Dedicates 'Born to Run' to James Gandolfini

At LAT:

Actor James Gandolfini had long been a big fan of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, and the feeling was mutual, in particular for guitarist Steve Van Zandt, who worked closely with Gandolfini on “The Sopranos” in his role as mob lieutenant Silvio Dante.

So it was no surprise when Springsteen, Van Zandt and company played “Born to Run” Thursday night at their concert in Coventry, England, and dedicated it to Gandolfini, who died Wednesday of a heart attack at age 51 while vacationing in Rome.

Not just the song, but the entire album, which the E Streeters played in its entirety in the middle of their three-hour show.

More at the link.

The clip's apparently from last month.

Gandolfini Fat-Shaming

Hey, he was a big man who died young.

I can see where people are coming from, but see Althouse, "Gandolfini’s death prompts rampant fat-shaming'."

Chicago's 'Gaystapo' Bullies Attack the Catholic Church

At HillBuzz, "How the Left Uses Gays to Dismantle, Undermine, and Toxify the Catholic Church…the Gaystapo in Action in Chicago!"

PREVIOUSLY: "Government Redefinition of Marriage is Not Inevitable."

Prosecutors Charge Edward Snowden With Violations of Espionage Act and Theft of Government Property

At the Guardian UK, "US files criminal charges against NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden."

And see Mandy Nagy, at Legal Insurrection, "NSA Leaker Edward Snowden Charged with Espionage and Other Offenses — Updated: Complaint Added."

The United States of America No Longer Exists

From Diana West, "No Constitution, No Borders, No USA":

At what point does it become clear that we no longer inhabit America?

When we “Press 2,” not “1,” for English?

When a national Social Security Number syncs an electronic identity that the government hospital provided us at birth to track us till death?

When borders are no more, but the Surveillance State always knows where we are?

Ours is the age of dislocation before realization: The United States of America no longer exists. Why? How? The answer is simple, tragic and outrageous: Government officials, elected and unelected, with precious exceptions, no longer preserve, protect and defend the U.S. Constitution. Instead, they do whatever it takes to beat it, flout it and ignore it. Worse, We, the People, let them.

This can’t go on. Otherwise our-country-’tis-of-thee becomes a melody to be forgotten, a mirage of a tradition more storybook than real every day. Nowhere is this more the case, of course, than in Washington, D.C., where absolute unaccountability corrupts absolutely, where echoing down the cool, white marble halls of power, hollow men and women trample sovereignty and citizenship in a pathway to American betrayal. And I haven’t even gotten to Congress, busy “reforming” the illegal-alien crisis they antiseptically refer to as “immigration,” while considering passage of a $940 billion “farm bill,” 80 percent of which will fund food stamps. These two laws alone can institutionalize the lawlessness of the land and make countless more Americans wards of the state.

Meanwhile, there is in Washington a faceless power-mongery that lives and works in the shadows. City by city, rural state by rural state, its mechanisms of “immigration,” “refugee resettlement” and socialist government programs overwhelm a near-impotent citizenry with alien cultures, religions, languages and traditions.

There is no “melting pot” out there, nor is there even residual belief in one – particularly not on the part of the State. Most of our new peoples will never embrace American constitutional virtues en masse to perpetuate them because their own sponsor, their own lifeline, is the mega-state that brought them here and supports them.

Wow.

Continue reading.

HAT TIP: Blazing Cat Fur.

'Know Your Place and Shut Your Mouth...' — Radio Show Host Bill Cunningham Erupts at Democrat Analyst Tamara Holder

Here's this morning's panel with Martha McCallum discussing last night's Sean Hannity segment with a finger-pointing Bill Cunningham attacking Tamara Holder:

And see the Blaze, "‘KNOW YOUR ROLE AND SHUT YOUR MOUTH’: HANNITY SEGMENT DEVOLVES INTO FINGER-POINTING, NAME-CALLING SCHOOLYARD FIGHT."

Paula Deen's Abject, Groveling YouTube Apology

I posted on this yesterday: "Face of Southern Cooking is a Southern Cracker? Paula Deen Admits to Using Racial Slur."

And she's apologizing for comments she admitted she'd made in a deposition, over 10 years ago. Oh boy, paying the progressives' price now.

And at CNN, "Paula Deen asks for forgiveness; Food Network won't renew her contract at the end of the month."

And at Twitchy, "Report: Food Network will not renew Paula Deen’s contract," and "How original: Twerps suggest Fox News hire Paula Deen because racism."

Added: At the Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Paula Deen's YouTube apology: 'I beg for your forgiveness'," and at BuzzFeed, "Here’s the first apology Paula Deen posted on Friday..."

Earlier in the day, the butter-lovin’ star cancelled an appearance on Today, then tweeted that a “video statement” was coming.

More than three hours later, the above video was posted to an unofficial Deen YouTube account. It toggled between public and private for an hour before it was completely removed, replaced by a longer version.

More on Twitter:

Paula Deen SACKED from Food Network hours after she makes groveling apology & begs the public for forgiveness http://t.co/tJqm6zk4vj #tcot

— slone (@slone) June 21, 2013

Sexy Lucy Pinder Slideshow at Nuts

She the "best-loved lady" at the magazine.

On Twitter, "PHWOAR! The Queen of Nuts herself Lucy Pinder."

PREVIOUSLY: "Lucy Pinder for Loaded Magazine April 2013."

Plus, "Some Overdue Lucy Pinder Rule 5."

And, "Lucy Pinder's Floating Breasts."

BONUS: "Bodacious Brunette Goodness."

Bodaciously bodacious!

Homosexual Rights Activist Calls for Final Solution to the Christian Problem

Boy, this person is an excellent poster ghoul for the regressive-left's homosexual agenda. Here's the Twitter feed for QueerSpring2013.

From Jeanette Victoria on Twitter.

The Democrat homosexual rights agenda in a nutshell.

UPDATE: At the Other McCain, "The Eliminationist Rhetoric of @QueerSpring2013, Twitter Psychopath."

You gotta love it!

Schumer-Rubio Immigration Reform Would 'Surrender to Illegality...'

Here's Senator Jeff Sessions slamming the Schumer-Rubio shamnesty legislation:

Check my amnesty tag for all the latest on this.

Marco Rubio: 'Legalization First...'

And he campaigned as a staunch border security conservative.

Ouch.

PREVIOUSLY: "Legalization Will Come Before Border Security."

CAIR-Washington's Omar Abdelbadie Arrested for Raping Twelve-Year-Old Girl

Hmm, a radical Muslim child rapist pervert.

But hey, NO SWEEPING GENERALIZATIONS!

R.S. McCain reports, "Stereotype: Neurobiology Majors Just Can’t Resist Those Sexy Seventh-Graders."

Also at Atlas Shrugs, "CAIR-WASHINGTON'S OMAR ABDELBADIE ARRESTED FOR CHILD RAPE, CLAIMS THE 12-YEAR-OLD WAS DRESSED 'PROVOCATIVELY'":

There are many, many cases all the time of sexual predators taking advantage of underage girls. This one, however, has two elements that show traces of the effects that Islamic supremacism can have on a human mind. Abdelbadie claims that this 12-year-old girl "seduced" him -- an idea that might occur easily to someone who, following Muhammad's example, sees girls as young as nine as sex objects. Also, he claims she was dressed "provocatively." Many Muslim clerics have justified sexual abuse of women by saying that they brought it on themselves with their immodest dress. If they had covered up, nothing would have happened. Muslim men in Islamic cultures have no obligation to control themselves. Women have to make sure they don't get attacked by not "provoking" the men. This little girl was a victim of that mentality.

Islamic freaks.

Marriage Solidarity Statement

It's from the Liberty Counsel political action committee, seen at this press release, "Christian Clergy, Pastors, Leaders, Sign Statement in Solidarity to Defend Marriage." (Via Memeorandum.)

See, "We Stand in Solidarity to Defend Marriage and the Family and Society Founded Upon Them."

22 Excellent Reasons to Drink More Whiskey

A quick diversion from immigration, at BuzzFeed "As If You Needed Any..." (Via Instapundit.)

That's Famous Grouse, seen at Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa.

Corker-Hoeven Border Amendment 'Not a Serious Public-Policy Proposal...'

Here's the background to the amendment, at the Hill, "Senate immigration bill gets major boost with border security agreement":

The Corker-Hoeven amendment would double the number of border patrol agents from 20,000 to 40,000 and authorize the construction of 700 miles of fencing along the southern border, twice as much as authorized in the base bill.

Well, it's a sham, at total smokescreen for Republicans to vote for amnesty.

Here's William Kristol from yesterday's Special Report All Stars on Fox:

Legalization Will Come Before Border Security

At the video, Charles Schumer confesses that border security takes a backseat to legalization in the Schumer-Rubio immigration clusterf-k:

Also at Townhall, "Senate Kills Cornyn Amendment, New "Breakthrough" Touted by Schumer, Rubio":

Remember the Cornyn Amendment? That would be Sen. John Cornyn's (R-TX) bare bones border security package that was supposedly the big "breakthrough" a few weeks ago. As you may recall, it offered some genuinely welcome improvements over the 'Gang of Eight' legislation, but kept the basic sequencing intact: Provisional legalization first, then a number of hard security triggers (certified by both DHS and GAO), followed finally by round two (green cards, etc) of legalization. Very tepid stuff -- but a bridge too far for Senate Democrats and certain Republicans, evidently. The upper chamber voted to table -- ie, kill -- Cornyn's plan yesterday, and it wasn't especially close...

Plus, from M. Stanton Evans, "IMMIGRATION SCo at Townhall, "Senate Kills Cornyn Amendment, New "Breakthrough" Touted by Schumer, Rubio":

... even if border security could somehow be established, that wouldn’t remedy the countless defects of the legislation. It is shot through with provisos that would swell the number of aliens on a “path to citizenship” to three or four times the 11 million illegals now in the country (if that is in fact the true number) . Most obvious of these are “chain immigration” aspects that will bring in and legalize the spouses and children of illegals, but there are many others of like nature.

One such is a “blue card” (temporary, eight-year) work visa, which might not be a problem in itself, but links to other features. Once here, these workers could qualify for “provisional” immigrant status, just like the illegals, and thus get on the citizenship pathway also. Further, if a future illegal gets apprehended, he can escape removal by requesting “blue card” status for up to two and a half years after the rule is final. Thus, hesto-presto, would future illegals be made legal.

The bill is otherwise riddled with clauses that would help illegals avoid removal, get into the country to begin with, seek “provisional” status, apply for naturalization, ask stays of judgment, and game the system in general. One of the words appearing most often in the bill is “waiver,” closely followed by “appeals” “stays,” “reviews” and “exceptions” : A thicket of legalisms that could and undoubtedly would be used to thwart enforcement.

Boy, we're really cracking down on immigration!

'Rubio-Free' Senate

Boy, Coulter really wanted to talk about immigration!

Here's a write-up, at Politico, "Ann Coulter waits for ‘Rubio-free’ Senate."

PREVIOUSLY: "Marco Rubio Interview With Dana Bash on CNN Yesterday."

Marco Rubio Interview With Dana Bash on CNN Yesterday

I was never one to get on the Rubio bandwagon. And he is reviled now among conservatives on Twitter. I watched this yesterday and he just looks like the most pathetic weasel.

More at Legal Insurrection, "Moving to final stages of Senate #amnesty push."

And see Mark Krikorian, "CBO: Schumer-Rubio Bill Will Be a Failure," and "Mass Immigration Crowd Achieves Self-Parody."

I'll have more on immigration throughout the day...

Amputee Veteran Alex Minska Becomes Hot Dude Underwear Model

I was watching this the other morning on GMA, "Wounded U.S. Marine Now an Underwear Model, Hopes to Inspire Amputees - Alex Minska Interview."

And see Red Alert Politics, "Amputee vet Alex Minsky returns from war, becomes underwear model":

Alex Minsky isn’t your average underwear model.

A former Marine, Minsky lost part of his right leg to a roadside bomb while fighting in Afghanistan in 2009. The explosion left the now 24-year-old decorated veteran in a coma for 47 days as he recovered from traumatic brain injuries and severe burns sustained in the bombing.

But this Purple Heart recipient would quickly prove that his amputation didn’t have to be a handicap.

When Minsky first returned home after the accident, he became depressed and, like many other vets returning from combat, ultimately turned to alcohol to manage his pain.

“I was down,” Minsky told ABC News. “I was numb and I was running away from everything…especially myself, my own head.”

But the war hero quickly decided he didn’t want to live his life this way and started pumping iron again as a healthy outlet for his frustration.

“I didn’t want to run anymore,” Minsky said. “I wanted to face my problems instead.”

Continue reading.

Liz Cheney Slams Obama's 'I'm No Dick Cheney' Idiocy

Awesome.

Background at Flopping Aces.

I hope she runs for Congress.

A Shouting Ingraham Destroys O’Reilly After His Uninformed, Laughable Endorsement of Senate Immigration Bill

That's Pat Dollard's headline.

And at the Washington Post, "Border deal greatly improves chances for immigration bill":

Prospects for the contentious immigration bill that has been working its way through the Senate for months vastly improved Thursday after senators agreed to spend several billion more dollars to fortify the U.S.-Mexico border.

The agreement calls for doubling the number of federal border agents at a cost of about $30 billion, the completion of 700 miles of fencing, and expanded radar and aerial drone surveillance at a time when the domestic use of unmanned aircraft is the subject of an acrimonious national debate.

The deal is expected to secure at least a dozen more Republican “yes” votes for the measure and could help ensure its passage by the sizable margin that proponents have said they need to make it viable in the House.

However, supporters say the chances of immigration legislation advancing in the GOP-controlled House remain a source of concern, and that concern has shaped the Senate negotiations from the outset.

Supporters have insisted that approval by a significant bipartisan majority of senators would politically compel House Republicans to vote on the Senate bill even as its members debate more limited and conservative proposals. But that is an untested proposition, and Thursday’s failure in the House of a federal farm bill, after the Senate passed its version 66-27 last week, only deepened the concerns.

House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) sought Thursday to tamp down expectations about immigration, saying that “regardless of what the Senate does, the House is going to work its will.”

Still, there was optimism in the Senate on Thursday following the announcement of the border security agreement. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the overall bill “is gaining Republican support” and that the new agreement “will be very helpful.”

Continue reading.

John McAfee Spoofs McAfee Antivirus

Trippy.

At Guardian UK, "John McAfee's tips for un-installing McAfee software":

Tech entrepreneur McAfee releases spoof – and NSFW – video and mocks firm which made him rich and famous.

Joe Manchin Hits Back at NRA

A great post at This Ain't Hell..., "Manchin; I come to bury him":

Sorry, Joe, but I won’t vote for you again if you are in the pockets of the northeastern liberals who have destroyed that part of the country with their “beware the boogeymen” legislation. I came to West Virginia to get away from those effete pricks.

More at Memeorandum.

Michelle Malkin Slams 'Source Chilling' Obama White House on Fox & Friends

Michelle continued her D.C. media appearances on Fox News yesterday: