New Versions Question Dakota Meyer's Account of Battle at Afghanistan’s Ganjgal Valley in September 2009

I was reading this story Saturday night on my iPhone before bedtime, at WaPo, "For Medal of Honor recipient Capt. William Swenson, a rocky path to the White House."

It turns out that retired U.S. Army Capt. William Swenson will be honored this week with the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony, although it took tremendous pressure to bring about the recognition. According to the report:

After returning from the battlefield, Swenson engaged in a lengthy and bitter dispute with the military over the narrative of one of the Afghan war’s most notorious firefights.

The questions he raised resulted in reprimands for two other officers and what he and others say was an effort by the Army to discredit him. His account also cast doubt on the exploits of another Medal of Honor recipient from the same battle, Dakota Meyer of the Marine Corps.

United in war, the two men have taken far different paths since. Meyer has found celebrity and success, with a book and a personal assistant, boosted by a story that Swenson considers an inflated and misleading account of that harrowing day.

Swenson — the first Army officer since the Vietnam War to be awarded the medal — has been unemployed since leaving the service in 2011. He is single and lives in Seattle, growing a thick beard and long hair, in contrast to the clean-cut look of his military days, and escaping often to the mountains to find solitude in “my forced early retirement.”

“Are you familiar with Pyrrhic victories?” Swenson said in a recent interview. “That’s what I specialize in.”

The details of the battle at the link, but here's more:

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) has never spoken with Swenson, but he was incensed when he learned about his case last year.

A former Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hunter was frustrated by what he called the “armchair bureaucracy sitting back at the Pentagon changing what the guys on the ground are saying happened.”

The congressman took up Swenson’s cause, writing letters to high-ranking military officials. “It’s taken four years for Swenson to get the medal,” Hunter said in an interview. “Don’t tell me you can’t do it in six months.”

After an internal investigation, Army officials concluded that Swenson’s digital nomination packet had been lost in the computer system for 19 months. Landay also reported that the Army’s investigation had uncovered evidence that military officials may have improperly attempted to downgrade the original nomination to a Distinguished Service Cross.

An Army spokeswoman said this past week that Swenson’s award had not been downgraded and that Medal of Honor award procedures were not violated. Swenson was renominated in 2011 after Marine Gen. John R. Allen, then the commander in Afghanistan, took interest.

“The Army is reviewing ways to ensure this type of injustice does not happen again,” said spokeswoman Tatjana Christian, adding that it typically takes one to three years to process a Medal of Honor nomination before it reaches the White House. She also noted that a medal was awarded this spring to Army Chaplain Emil J. Kapaun, a Korean War prisoner of war who died in captivity in 1951.

During the delay, Westbrook’s widow, Charlene Westbrook, who lives in Colorado, shared her frustrations in telephone conversations with Swenson. “It was almost like a blacklist,” she said in an interview. “He said something, criticized the upper ranks, and he’s being punished for it.”

Swenson retreated further into private life while Meyer became a prominent public figure. Last fall, Meyer published an autobiography titled “Into the Fire,” co-written by military author Bing West. Meyer said in the book that he killed a Taliban fighter by bashing him on the head with a rock — a detail he had not told investigators after the battle.

In the book, Meyer and West praise Swenson and criticize the Army for its handling of his case. But Swenson remains skeptical of Meyer and the publicity he has sought. Swenson has not spoken publicly about the Ganjgal battle.

RTWT.

I'm not one to question anyone's service, and since I wasn't there it's difficult to be sure exactly what happened. Still, as I finished the article I closed the app on went back on Twitter, and up pops this tweet from Laura Ingraham in my timeline:

A great time w/ @JonahNRO & @Dakota_Meyer at @GoldwaterInst Gala last night. #MedalofHonor #Phoenix pic.twitter.com/Py08jlPLDT

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) October 13, 2013

I thought to myself, "Damn, that guy Dakota's indeed a huge self-promoter, hmmm." And then tweeted this out:

.@Dakota_Meyer For Medal of Honor recipient, a rocky path to White House. @JonahNRO @IngrahamAngle http://t.co/RtgDLsPO0M

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 13, 2013

Never did hear back from any of 'em on Twitter. So, wtf?

Spectacular David Ortiz Grand Slam Sparks #RedSox Come-From-Behind Victory to Tie #ALCS at One Apiece

Ima post the video when it's up at MLB's YouTube page.

Meanwhile, here's the Vine of Jarrod Saltalamacchia walk-off singe in the bottom of the 9th.

No words. https://t.co/TDT5Sh0eFv

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) October 14, 2013

More At LAT, "David Ortiz spurs Red Sox to 6-5 comeback win over Tigers."

And at Fox Sports, "Red Sox-Tigers Live: David Ortiz’s Grand Slam Highlights Red Sox’ Amazing Walk-Off Victory in Game 2."

BONUS: At NYT, "Facing Unbeatable Starters, Red Sox Exploit Tigers’ Bullpen."

Dodgers in Trouble, But They've Overcome 0-2 Series Deficits Before

I'm not happy about it, obviously, but I would't count out any team down 0-2 in a best-of-seven series.

At LAT:

The Dodgers' 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday put the team in a bad position in their best-of-seven National League Championship Series and sent their fans reeling on social media. In the hours after the loss, so-called fans took to Twitter and Facebook, sending out messages of "Series over" or "Dodgers need to make some big changes."

How soon they forget.

In 1965, the Dodgers faced the Minnesota Twins in the World Series. They were heavily favored, especially since they had Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax pitching Games 1 and 2. No way they lose both those games.

But they did, losing 8-2 and 5-1 in Minnesota.

Game 3 was set for Dodger Stadium, but the Twins were pitching noted Dodgers-killer Camilo Pascual, so a 3-0 series deficit seemed likely. If there had been social media then, the reaction would have been similar to the reaction Sunday. Up next this time, the Dodgers face Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright.

So, Dodgers fans, pay attention to this history lesson: In Game 3, 1965, Claude Osteen shut out the Twins, 4-0. Drysdale and Koufax then won Games 4 and 5, and the Dodgers won Game 7 in Minnesota, 2-0, to win the Series. Koufax pitched a three-hit shutout on two days' rest in the clincher and was named Series MVP.

Big deal, though, right? Its happening once doesn't mean much.

Well, it happened three other times.

In the 1981 National League division series, with their two best pitchers, Fernando Valenzuela and Jerry Reuss starting, the Dodgers lost Games 1 and 2 in Houston. They won the next three at Dodger Stadium to win the best-of-five series.

In the 1981 World Series, the Dodgers lost the first two games in New York before sweeping the next four from the Yankees to win the title.

Still more examples at the link.

No matter, Ima be holding my breath through most of the game tomorrow, only gulping some oxygen to say a prayer.

More, "Dodgers' offense remains in hiding, Cards win 1-0 on unearned run."

See also Bill Plaschke, "Dodgers' title hopes take a one-two punch in St. Louis."

Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."



Also at Randy's Roundtable, "Friday Nite Funnies," and Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's SUNDAY FUNNIES."

More at Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – Got Your Back, Ted."

CARTOON CREDIT: William Warren.

Sunday Roundup of the Roundups — And Some #Rule5 Too!

Let's start it off with the Other McCain, "FMJRA 2.0: Cold Rock the Mike."

More, "An Interesting Admission: The Lies of Team Kimberlin and ‘The Gaped Crusader’."

Also from Bob Belvedere, "Resistance to Tyranny Forever – #OUTLAW."

And at the Conservative Hideout, "Sunday Links: Facebook Friends Pic Edition, Volume 83."

At Proof-Positive, "Best of the Web* Linkaround."

And from Blackmailers Don't Shoot, "Pretty Girls on a Thursday, Oh My Edition."

Plus, from Director Blue, "Larwyn's Linx: Obamacare -- Mind-Boggling Incompetence," and "AWESOME: Vets Dismantle Fences Around War Memorials, Then Barricade the White House."

More at Marooned in Marin, "Veterans, Citizens Take Back Their Memorials From Obama's Spite House."

At Maggie's Notebook, "The Real Story of Opening the WW II Memorial Barricades on October 5th, 2013."

And at BCF, "'If Muslims were treated in this country as Christians are in Egypt and Syria, there would be international outrage'."

At Maggie's Farm, "Saturday morning links."

Also from Drunken Stepfather, "STEPLINKS OF THE DAY."

And Egotastic!, "Melissa Debling, Chanelle Hayes, and Stacey Poole Topless Monthly Mammaries Kick Off 2014 Calendar Season."

See also Warner Todd Huston, at RWN, "Illinois School Gives Kids a Death Panel Assignment."

And at the Smoking Jacket, "She's Pretty: Get to Know Playmate Kayla Collins All Over Again" (via Linkiest).

At AoSHQ, "Republicans Spooked by NBC Poll, Ready to Cut a Deal For Like Whatever, Man."

And Michelle's Mirror, "Shutdown Day 13: A WTF Theatre Episode, “Shelter in Place.”

Still more at Sweetness and Light, "AP: Obama Brings Chilling Effect On Journalism."

Daley Gator, "DaleyGator DaleyBabe Marisol Gonzalez."

And finally, at Pirate's, "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup," and "If All You See……is a watering hole that has obviously been dried up from Someone Else preparing chili for football Sunday, you might just be a Warmist."

Drop your links in the comments to be added to the next roundup!

CNN, Salon Hatemonger Joan Walsh Tout Confederate Flag at Million Vets March — #1MVetMarch

Look, this is just the start of it. You'll see attacks on the "racist, Confederate" veterans all next week during the primetime newscasts. And "tea baggers" too.

@AmPowerBlog I'm waiting for media headlines "veteran tea baggers."

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) October 13, 2013

Here's Ben Shapiro at Big Government, "CNN MOCKS MILLION VET MARCH AS TEA PARTY CRAZIES."

And at CNN, "Rallier tells Obama to ‘put the Quran down’."

Notice how CNN positions the Confederate flag front and center in its reporting:



And disgusting hate-merchant Joan Walsh took to Twitter to smear veterans as "racist neo-Confederates":

That Confederate flag at the White House today is really a nice touch: pic.twitter.com/avXiBME6Xd

— Joan Walsh (@joanwalsh) October 13, 2013

More, ICYMI, from Dana Loesch, "Media Targets Million Veteran March."

Powerful Photos From #1MVetMarch!

I'm overwhelmed with all the incredible news out of Washington. I'll try to post more, but the photographs from the Million Vets March are some of the most powerful of the Obama era.

See Twitchy, "Powerful photo from Million Vets March sums up ‘American spirit’," and Protein Wisdom, "Vets remove barrycades from memorial, carry them to the #SpiteHouse [Darleen Click] UPDATED!"

Added: "‘Shut down the White House!’ Million Vets March protests outside the Spite House [pics]."

This protest is so devastating to the left's narrative that now we have "mainstream" media outlets attacking veterans as "a 'group of conservatives' who are basically birthers and racists and hate Obama." In other words, "tea baggers." See Dana Loesch, "Media Targets Million Veteran March."



PREVIOUSLY: "Million Vets March."

Backlash Against Britain's Treasonous Guardian Newspaper

I check Louise Mensch's Twitter feed everyday.

She's been on a crusade to bring charges against the Guardian UK for its treasonous publication of the NSA files, including the identities of UK intelligence personnel.

The Guardian backtracking frantically, trying to avoid Terrorism Act 2000 prosecution over GCHQ ... http://t.co/wgOCj5KMzC

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) October 13, 2013

My questions about Guardian trafficking GCHQ names panicking paper - they only deny SPIES names ... http://t.co/0inH1wfaNF

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) October 13, 2013

You will note the @Guardian does not deny trafficking names of GCHQ staff - a clear crime under the Terrorism Act http://t.co/cNu0KEDVEG

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) October 13, 2013

Did it FedEx names of GCHQ personnel to ProPublica? Did you, @Guardian? #Snowden #TerrorismAct http://t.co/cNu0KEDVEG

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) October 13, 2013

There is no public interest defence to the crime of disclosing identity of anyone who works in the intelligence services. Guardian panicking

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) October 13, 2013

And you better believe I have been collating the tweets and quotes of vainglorious Guardianistas who now realize trafficking data a crime

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) October 13, 2013

There is a difference in law between receiving files and reporting on them, and then copying, trafficking and distributing them #Snowden

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) October 13, 2013

The Guardian have copied, duplicated and trafficked the files as @janinegibson and @arusbridger have both boasted online

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) October 13, 2013

Meanwhile, it seems all is not well with Edward #Snowden. His father was promised he could see him. #Wikileaks now keeping him from his son.

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) October 13, 2013

#Snowden's father traveled to Russia to see his boy and now is being denied access. What a surprise.

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) October 13, 2013

And see the devastating editorial at London's Daily Mail, "The paper that helps Britain's enemies."

Also at CIF Watch, "The paper which hates Britain? Guardian leaks ‘worst blow to British intel ever’":

The focus of this blog is of course to monitor the Guardian for antisemitism and the assault on Israel’s legitimacy, but it’s vital to understand the broader ideology which inspires the anti-Zionism we are constantly documenting.  Glenn Greenwald, as with his fellow political travelers at the Guardian, is not a mere “progressive” commentator (yet alone a “journalist) but, rather, a radical activist inspired by an “anti-imperialist” ideology which holds his own country and its democratic allies in contempt, and advances propaganda which amplifies the message of our enemies.

The Guardian’s editor Alan Rusbridger, typifying the vitriol directed against the West by many within the leftist intelligentsia, in defending his paper’s right to publish classified documents, referred to George Orwell’s book ’1984′ and argued that US and British intelligence gathering went “beyond Orwell’s imagination”. However, Orwell understood the advantages of even flawed democracies over totalitarian regimes and realized the danger of an intellectual elite which doesn’t understand such stark moral differences.

In 1945, Orwell published “Notes on Nationalism” which argued that within the leftist intelligentsia there is “a derisive and mildly hostile attitude towards Britain [that] is more or less compulsory”, and that that, to such intellectuals, political outrage is inevitably directed not towards truly totalitarian regimes, but “almost entirely against Britain and the United States.”

The Guardian’s role in nurturing indifference towards its own country’s national security – a political orientation John Stuart Mill characterized as a “decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling” – should rightly be seen as a genuine threat to the Western political values to which true liberals remain loyal.

Guardian editors and contributors may not hate Britain, but their activism certainly serves to aid and abet those who do.

Actually, I disagree there: They hate their country with a white-hot revulsion, as do any hard-leftists in any country, such as the American left supporting traitors such as Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden himself.

Million Vets March

I wish I was there.

At the Washington Times, "UPDATED: "Million" vets are in DC to demand their monuments be opened."

And at CBS News DC, "'Million Vet March' Storms DC Memorials."

How this great nation was founded and how it will be resurrected. MR. OBAMA, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL: pic.twitter.com/j9nUQobGhW

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 13, 2013

More a Twitchy, "#1MVetMarch: Barrycades down! Spite House barricades no match for Million Vets March [photos]."

And, "‘It belongs to the people!’ Sarah Palin and Sens. Cruz, Lee address Million Vets March [pics]," and "‘Awesome!’ Veterans remove Barrycades from memorials, transport to White House [pics]."

Pressure on Twitter to Change

Twitter's already changing for the worse, but once that IPO is consummated, it could be all downhill.

From Farhad Manjoo, at WSJ, "Please Twitter, Just Stay Weird: An IPO Will Pressure Twitter to Change—and Not for the Better":

Dear @Twitter: PLEASE let me turn off "retweeted a Tweet you were mentioned in" notifications. Drowning.
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) October 8, 2013

I am an inveterate Tweeter. I use Twitter more than any communications medium other than email. I check it first thing in the morning, last thing at night, and about a billion times in between. (Assume that for every sentence in this article, I've refreshed Twitter three times.) I've tweeted my wedding, my kids' births, and my major surgeries.

I have joked with my wife—who, like most sensible people, doesn't use Twitter but loves Facebook FB +0.12% —that by neglecting the microblogging service, she's missing out on the most interesting facet of my personality. The sad thing about this is that, most days, it isn't really a joke: @fmanjoo is usually a lot more fun than Farhad Manjoo.

But as for all true loves, I've never been able to explain what I get out of Twitter, or why exactly I find it so enthralling. I don't think I've ever convinced a single person I know in real life to join Twitter. Twitter Inc., the company, seems to have a similar problem. It has long struggled with huge "churn"—many people who sign up don't use it—and reports suggest that its user growth slowed. Part of this stems from Twitter's insular conventions, all those mysterious @s and #s.

But there's a larger reason for Twitter's mainstream difficulty: Twitter is, fundamentally, a strange, nearly surreal service. Unlike Facebook, it isn't for everyone. That's what the initiated love about it—but now that Twitter is going public and looking for growth, Twitter's inherent weirdness is at risk.

When it is public, Twitter will be forced to do a couple things that it might not have otherwise considered. First, it will have to run a lot more ads. This isn't surprising—every website turns on the spigot at some time—and it won't be ruinous. Twitter's ads, which show up as regular tweets, are some of the least annoying ad units found anywhere online. But Twitter will also face intense pressure to alter its service in order to make the service more widely appealing.

To meet investors' expectations of growth, Twitter will increasingly be pushed to mimic services like Facebook and Instagram: to favor pictures and videos over texts, to highlight interactions with friends, or to impose some kind of order on your chaotic, fast-moving stream of tweets. The danger in Twitter's IPO is that it will be pushed to turn into something for everyone—something it isn't.

As I've argued before, most Web services take off by offering an online analogue for activities we already do offline. Facebook is an online phone book, Google an online library, Amazon an online store. These services instantly make sense to new users. Twitter isn't like that. What's Twitter? It's an online ham radio. The activities Twitter is good for—posting public links and commentary, making "friends" with people you don't know offline, following breaking news—aren't mainstream pursuits. Twitter is a natural platform for celebrities, journalists, politicians, marketers, and anyone else who wants to cultivate a public following or connect with strangers. But most people don't have anything to sell, they don't have a brand to burnish, and a lot of us are justifiably leery of posting publicly...

Continue reading.

It's already trying to be more like a "social media" site, and a lot of the changes aren't working too well, as indicated by Michelle Malkin's tweet above.

We'll see how it goes.

Tommy Robinson, Former EDL Leader, Capitulates to Islam, Joins Forces of Global Jihad

I have wonderful respect for my co-counter-jihad bloggers, but I have to say I've never been one to tout the bona fides of former EDL leader Tommy Robinson. I can spot a fascist organization when I see it, and the EDL is a bunch of drunks, hooligans, and criminal thugs. I wouldn't ally with them, frankly, and I personally warned Pamela Geller about these people a few years back. She's been wary, for good reason, but has been willing to listen to Robinson, and has championed him during his struggles against Britain's Islamo-coddling left.

But now the bloom is off the rose, if there ever was one.

Here's Pamela's report, "TOMMY ROBINSON: BREAKING BAD." (Robinson's pictured below with Islamist supremacist Mohammed Ansar.)

And more from Robert Spencer, "And here's to you, Tommy Robinson."



Folks can read all the accounts at the links.

My theory is simply that Robinson sold out counter-jihad to save his sorry ass from a long stay in a British penitentiary. By confessing his sins, abandoning his blasphemy from the religion of Islamist supremacy, and redirecting his firepower against those still standing for freedom in the West, he's attempting to gain the good graces of the totalitarian forces now raising the black flag of Muslim tyranny over Europe. He's the Marshal Petain of contemporary Britain, a former warrior against jihad injustice and Islamic death, now a craven turncoat surrendering to an Occupied Britain.

See the Guardian UK, for instance, "Ex-EDL leader Tommy Robinson says sorry for causing fear to Muslims." And at London's Daily Mail, "Former EDL leader Tommy Robinson vows to help police track down 'racists' within the organisation and says he's sorry for scaring British Muslims."

He's turned states's witness, the sorry-assed coot.

Expect updates. I'm wondering how some of my fellow counter-jihadists are handling this, and will provide additional links as I find them.

Added: At Saberpoint, "The Effemination of Tommy Robinson Continues: He Publicly Apologizes to U.K. Muslims for Telling the Truth #EDL, #TommyRobinson, #Islam."

More: Check out Janice Fiamengo, "Tommy Robinson Exits the Field":

I hope I am wrong about what has happened to Tommy Robinson. I hope he will go on to successful anti-jihad activism with moderate Muslims and other Britons of good will. But I am afraid that his actions signal the end of genuine resistance to Islamism in Briton and represent the next stage in a tragic drama of capitulation and collapse of a once-valiant nation.

RTWT.

Democrats Reject Republican Plan to Extend Borrowing for Six Weeks

At WSJ, "Pace Quickens on Budget Resolution: White House Rejects House GOP Plan to Extend Borrowing for Six Weeks, Argues for Longer-Term Talks."



And at the New York Times, "Impasse Grinds On as House Says Its Offer Was Rejected," and the Hill, "Boehner reports no progress as focus shifts to Senate plan":

Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) said Boehner told members that there is "no deal" and "no negotiations" going on with the White House. The leadership is still waiting for more engagement from President Obama, Hudson said.

Conservative Rep Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) said they were told negotiations are stalled with White House.
"It's up to the Senate Republicans...the president rejected our deal," he said.

Asked if he had reason to hope for a resolution, Rogers said: "I don't see much reason."

The Collins proposal would set up longer-term budget talks between the House and Senate with a goal of reporting back by Jan. 15, 2014.

In exchange, Republicans are asking for minor changes to Obama's healthcare law that would include a two-year delay to a tax on medical devices. They would also ways to verify that people who get subsidies under ObamaCare are eligible to receive them.

In a Friday meeting at the White House, Obama did not embrace their competing plan, but it is clear that this is where the talks are now focused.

House Republicans expressed anger at the developments on Saturday.

“They are trying to jam us with the Senate and we are not going to roll over and take that,” House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said after the conference meeting. Ryan said he was headed back to his district and would not return until after the Columbus Day holiday on Monday.

There is growing pressure on Republicans to bend and agree to a deal given surveys showing their approval rating is tanking. They are also running out of time, as the Treasury Department says the debt ceiling will be reached in just six days.

On Friday, GOP lawmakers in both chambers said there was confusion and frustration about the party’s strategy.

"There's plates spinning everywhere. Everybody's now trying to work on this," said Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.), a member of House GOP leadership. "It's just confusing to try to figure out what's the deal that's actually getting traction."

Boehner would not comment on Friday. He spent about an hour eating Chinese food and kibitzing with fellow House Republicans in a smoke-filled room in the Capitol before departing for the evening.

Still more at Roll Call, "House GOP Talks With Obama Break Down as Both Look to Senate" (via Memeorandum).

Ezra Klein, #ObamaCare Über Cheerleader, Admits Democrat Healthcare Launch Is Total Disaster

Hey, CWCID.

I don't like Ezra Klein. He's a bald-faced liar and partisan hack. A juice-box loser.

But hey, things are so bad even this tool can't spin things otherwise.

From Mary Katharine Ham, "Ezra Klein: Let’s face it, they’ve done a terrible job launching Obamacare."



And FWIW, here's the juice-box boy at WaPo, "Wonkbook: Obamacare’s Web site is really bad."

#ObamaCare is wrong for America and the disastrous health exchange launch is only a glimpse of the crushing incompetence and failing care in the years to come.

It's going to take full repeal to get rid of this monstrosity, but fortunately things are going so badly the GOP will leveraged into power in the coming elections, especially 2016.

Stacey Poole Official 2014 Calendar

I mentioned this lovely yesterday.

She's on Twitter.

And at Egotastic!, "Stacey Poole Topless 2014 Calendar Photoshoot."

Jake Tapper: 'I haven’t heard Republicans comparing the Democrats to suicide bombers or to kidnappers or to arsonists...'

I haven't had a chance to post this clip, but it's not too late. The Democrats have gone absolutely rabid with their demonizations of Republicans.

Via Ed Morrissey:



More at Hugh Hewitt's, "Jake Tapper On Media Bias and the Government Shutdown."

#Dodgers Lose to #Cardinals in 13 Innings as Mattingly's Moves Are Questioned

I feel bad for Don Mattingly. He went with an aggressive decision to pinch run Dee Gordon for clean-up slugger Adrian Gonzales in the 8th inning. Even my wife asked why Gonzales was leaving the game. The guy's a freakin' clutch of the ultimate clutch hitters. And Mattingly pulled him to get a RISP.

It might have turned out well had the Dodgers been able to score, but Gordon never made it to second (he was out on a fielder's choice and the Cards retired the side with a double play after that). And now folks are already looking to post season, at least I am, and the end of Mattingly's career as the Dodger's manager. It was an excruciating game. The Dodgers left so many men on base I was getting tired of watching. The game was almost five hours long and was the third longest in NLCS history.

In any case, here's Bill Plaschke, at the Los Angeles Times, "Did Don Mattingly's removal of Adrian Gonzalez take Dodgers out of it?":

ST. LOUIS — Nearly half-past midnight here, the fireworks blazed, the rock music blared, and the red-clad crowd roared.

All of which was surely nothing compared to the noises rattling around inside the Dodgers' psyche — and surely inside their embattled manager's head — after they watched a precious postseason win slip into a loss.

It was 13 agonizing innings. It was nearly five tense hours. Yet for the Dodgers, the National League Championship Series opener felt like forever after the Cardinals stole a 3-2 victory Friday night at Busch Stadium.

It was just one loss, but it seemed like much more. It was the defeat of a team whose starting pitcher, Zack Greinke, threw eight mostly brilliant innings, striking out 10. It was the defeat of a team that had one hit in 10 chances with runners in scoring position.

More than anything, though, it was the defeat of a team whose managerial decisions led it there.

Don Mattingly, whose curious moves led to the Dodgers' only loss in the division series against the Atlanta Braves, pulled another ugly rabbit out of his cap to become the main player in their second postseason loss. Mattingly made questionable late-inning moves during the regular season, but under the postseason spotlight, his moves have been magnified and the heat has been turned up considerably.

Friday night, the spotlight initially focused on the eighth inning, when Mattingly pulled Adrian Gonzalez, his most consistent postseason hitter, for Dee Gordon, a pinch-runner who was quickly wasted. It was a decision that came back to haunt the Dodgers again and again during a game in which Gonzalez's bat was sorely missed in several extra-inning situations.

Then, in the 13th inning, Mattingly let his best reliever, Kenley Jansen, sit in the bullpen while Chris Withrow, pitching his second inning, allowed a one-out single and walk. Jansen finally came into the game and promptly allowed a game-winning single to Carlos Beltran, whose line drive to right field rocked the house.

Even as the Cardinals were celebrating on the field, though, once again the focus was on the Dodgers dugout.

"If the rest of the series is like this game, it should be a pretty good one," Mattingly said.

Good for who?

The situation that initially bewitched Mattingly occurred in the eighth inning of a 2-2 game. Gonzalez, who came in batting .333 in this postseason, led off with a walk. The plodding first baseman was immediately replaced by speedy pinch-runner Gordon.

Mattingly was obviously betting that Gordon could score in that inning and the Dodgers eventually wouldn't miss Gonzalez's bat. It was a questionable bet under any circumstances — it was first-guessed here — but it would have been a much safer bet if Gonzalez had been on second base, the usual spot for such substitutions.

At first base, Gordon, unless he stole second, was vulnerable to a grounder. He didn't have a chance to steal second. On the third pitch, Yasiel Puig hit a grounder and forced Gordon at second base, and the switch was for nothing.

"Well, it's one of those [situations] that you've got to shoot your bullet when you get a chance," Mattingly said. "If we don't use him there and the next guy hits the ball in the gap and he doesn't score and we don't score there, we're going to say why didn't you use Dee? . . . You get a guy on in that inning, and you take a shot at scoring a run."

But the controversy was only beginning. The move plagued the Dodgers for the next hour...

Continued reading.

More here, "Dodgers' long, suffering Game 1 ends in bitter defeat to Cardinals."

And at the New York Times, "Beltran Lifts Cardinals Past Dodgers in a Taut Game 1."

A Crisis of the President's Own Making

From Kim Strassel, at WSJ:

For months now, the GOP has been held hostage by a faction of its party that deluded itself into believing President Obama might be rolled on his signature health-care law. Witness now an equally grand delusion on the Democratic side, one that President Obama nurtures at his peril.

According to Democrats, their steadfast refusal to negotiate on the government shutdown or the debt ceiling is rooted in a belief that now is the moment to "break" the GOP "fever." Democrats are furious that Republicans today use every Washington deadline to extract a spending concession—and insist they must be broken of that habit.

As New York Sen. Chuck Schumer put it on ABC's "This Week": If Democrats give in now to GOP demands, "it will lead to a future negotiation like that and a future one. If you go for this kind of hostage-taking once . . . it doesn't go away, it comes back worse and worse and worse."

Fact: The only thing that will make this "come back worse and worse" is a Democratic refusal to negotiate. Upon taking the House in 2010, Republicans made clear their top priority was getting the nation's spending and debt under control—a goal backed by the vast majority of the country—and they meant it. Time and again, they have asked the White House to work with them to reform the very entitlement programs that Mr. Obama has admitted are unsustainable and the primary drivers of debt.

Time and again, a spend-happy White House and Democrats have dug in, unwilling to buck liberal interest groups, refusing to touch Social Security or Medicare, mulishly granting only small spending concessions. Those were given only under duress, and only because the GOP threatened Armageddon in the 2011 debt-ceiling fight. Even then, the White House stubbornly refused to cede one dollar more than what was necessary to push another debt-ceiling round past the 2012 election.

So yes, Mr. Obama is facing another crisis—one of his own timing and making. And one that the White House and Democrats have understood was coming ever since 2011. And one that will be coming again—two weeks from now, six weeks from now, a year from now, three months after that—until such point as the White House does a significant deal, or the president's term ends. It is entirely the president's choice.

Water runs downhill. Republicans demand fiscal discipline. Whatever the near-term solution to this current impasse, the media and Democrats are deluded if they think the GOP will give up this issue. It is built into the Republican DNA; it is a baseline expectation of party voters. Republicans will continue to use whatever tools are available—government funding bills, debt-ceiling hikes, unrelated legislation—to force Democrats to cut, and they'll do it again and again.

Republicans have always been clear on their price for ending these dramas. House Speaker John Boehner even provided a formula: One dollar in debt ceiling increase for every dollar of decreased spending. Even a law professor can do the math on what it will cost to liberate the rest of his term.

Were the president to embrace these negotiations, he could do just that. With a big enough give on entitlement reform (one that goes well beyond the tinkering in the recent Obama budget), Republicans might be willing to raise the debt ceiling to the end of Obama presidency. They're open to fixing the sequester caps on sacred liberal programs. And free of the paralyzing budget fights, Mr. Obama could use the rest of his time in office for immigration reform, a focus on the economy, the building of a legacy.

Congressional liberals in particular are repelled by this idea—which is why so many are encouraging the "break the fever" baloney. Their biggest fear is that the White House will give any cover at all—much less big cover—to entitlement reform, and rob them of their favorite campaign issue.

But Mr. Obama doesn't face re-election. He faces three years of trying to govern. And while the White House might like to brag that it is "winning" this battle, that's a relative term.

Republicans have taken heat, but Mr. Obama's own approval ratings are down. His most vulnerable House members are being forced daily to take painful votes against crucial funding, which will be used against them in 2014. Another financial downturn will be remembered in the history books as President Obama's, not as some no-name GOP backbencher's.

More at that top link.

Now Is the Time to Delay #ObamaCare

From Peggy Noonan, at WSJ (via Google):

The Obama administration has an implementation problem. More than any administration of the modern era they know how to talk but have trouble doing. They give speeches about ObamaCare but when it's unveiled what the public sees is a Potemkin village designed by the noted architect Rube Goldberg. They speak ringingly about the case for action in Syria but can't build support in the U.S. foreign-policy community, in Congress, among the public. Recovery summer is always next summer. They have trouble implementing. Which, of course, is the most boring but crucial part of governing. It's not enough to talk, you must perform.

There is an odd sense with members of this administration that they think words are actions. Maybe that's why they tweet so much. Maybe they imagine Bashar Assad seeing their tweets and musing: "Ah, Samantha is upset—then I shall change my entire policy, in respect for her emotions!"

That gets us to the real story of last week, this week and the future, the one beyond the shutdown, the one that normal people are both fully aware of and fully understand, and that is the utter and catastrophic debut of ObamaCare. Even for those who expected problems, and that would be everyone who follows government, it has been a shock.

They had 3½ years to set it up! They knew exactly when it would be unveiled, on Oct. 1, 2013. On that date, they knew, millions could be expected to go online to see if they benefit.

What they got was the administration's version of Project ORCA, the Romney campaign's computerized voter-turnout system that crashed with such flair on Election Day.

Here is why the rollout is so damaging to ObamaCare: because everyone in America knows we spent four years arguing about the law, that it sucked all the oxygen from the room, that it commanded all focus, that it blocked out other opportunities and initiatives, and that it caused so many searing arguments—mandatory contraceptive and abortifacient coverage for religious organizations that oppose those things, fears about the sharing of private medical information, fears of rising costs and lost coverage. Throughout the struggle the American people must have thought: "OK, at the end it's gotta be worth it, it's got to give me at least some benefits to justify all this drama." And at the end they tried to log in, register and see their options, and found one big, frustrating, chaotic mess. As if for four years we all just wasted our time.

A quick summary of what didn't work. Those who went on federal and state exchanges reported malfunctions during login, constant error messages, inability to create new accounts, frozen screens, confusing instructions, endless wait times, help lines that put people on hold and then cut them off, lost passwords and user names.

After the administration floated the fiction that the problems were due to heavy usage, the Journal tracked down insurance and technology experts who said the real problems were inadequate coding and flaws in the architecture of the system.

There were no enrollments in Delaware in three days. North Carolina got one enrollee. In Kansas ObamaCare was unable to report a single enrollment. A senior Louisiana state official told me zero people enrolled the first day, eight the second. The founder of McAfee slammed the system's lack of security on Fox Business Network, calling it a hacker's happiest nocturnal fantasy. He predicted millions of identity thefts. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius—grilled, surprisingly, on "The Daily Show"—sounded like a blithering idiot as she failed to justify why, in the middle of the chaos, individuals cannot be granted a one-year delay, just as businesses have been.

More ominously, many of those who got into the system complained of sticker shock—high premiums, high deductibles.

Where does this leave us? Congressional Republicans and the White House may soon begin a series of conversations centering on the debt-ceiling fight. Good: May they turn into negotiations. Republicans are now talking about a grand bargain involving entitlement spending, perhaps tax issues. But they would make a mistake in dropping ObamaCare as an issue. A few weeks ago they mistakenly demanded defunding—a move to please their base. They will be tempted to abandon even the word ObamaCare now, but this is exactly when they should keep, as the center of their message and their intent, not defunding ObamaCare but delaying it. Do they really want to turn abrupt focus to elusive Medicare cuts just when it has become obvious to the American people that parts of ObamaCare (like the ability to enroll!) are unworkable?

The Republicans should press harder than ever to delay ObamaCare—to kick it back, allow the administration at least to create functioning websites, and improve what can be improved...

It needs to be killed, actually. But it might take a couple of elections to do that, but the day is coming.

Still more at that top Google link.

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Wins 2013 Nobel Peace Prize

Malala Yousafzai should've won it, but the Nobel is a freakin' joke, so no matter.

At WaPo:

MOSCOW — The small Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was still getting used to its unaccustomed role at the center of world affairs, overseeing the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons, when it won the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

“The news of the Nobel Peace Prize was really overwhelming,” said Ahmet Uzumcu, director general of The Hague-based agency. “I see it as a great acknowledgement of a success story.”

Until minutes before the Norwegian Nobel Prize Committee revealed its choice in Oslo, speculation had centered on Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old Pakistani girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban a year ago for defending education for girls. But just as it did last year when it selected the European Union,the committee took the world by surprise.

“We are now in a situation in which we can do away with a whole category of weapons of mass destruction,” Thorbjorn Jagland, the committee’s chairman, said. “Of course this is a very important message.”

On Aug. 21, a sarin gas attack in Syria killed more than 1,000 civilians, a reminder to the world of the horror chemical weapons visit on their victims. An estimated 100,000 people have died in the 21 / 2-year conflict.

OPCW inspectors were in Syria as part of a U.N. team at the time of the August chemical attack and subsequently investigated it, despite coming under sniper fire at one point. The team later produced a widely acclaimed report that documented the use of sarin in the attack and that indirectly implicated the Syrian government.

OPCW inspectors returned to Syria at the beginning of October. About two dozen inspectors are there, attempting to find and oversee the destruction of an estimated 1,000 tons of chemical weapons — in the middle of a civil war, accompanied by unarmed U.N. guards, with security entrusted to a Syrian government that doesn’t control the entire country.

Jagland said the committee hoped the prize would have implications beyond the Syrian conflict, including encouraging signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention such as the United States and Russia to step up destruction of their stockpiles.

“The crisis in Syria highlights the need to do away with these weapons,” he said. “This is about disarmament, which goes straight to the heart of Alfred Nobel’s will.”

"Mother Forced by #ObamaCare to Choose Between 'New Health Plan or Putting Food on the Table'"

Because Democrat compassion!

Via the Weekly Standard.

Bwahaha!! MSNBC's Phil Griffin Wants Fox News Investigated After Megyn Kelly Blows Out Rachel Maddow in Key Demographic

Rachel Maddow sucks goats balls, so actually Fox News should be having MSNBC investigated for attempting to cook the books on the debut night of Megyn Kelly's new show.

At Twitchy, "‘Funniest sh*t I’ve read all day’: MSNBC president wants FNC’s ratings investigated."

MSNBC President Wants 'Investigation' Into Fox News' 'Impossible' Ratings Gain http://t.co/nBTdcwU22e

— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 11, 2013

MSNBC just freakin' sucks. Screw 'em.

NBC News Slams #ObamaCare Rollout as 'Public Relations Nightmare'

Look!

A real live news report with real live actual news on the disaster of the administration's signature Democrat clusterf-k.



Remember, we just had that CBS News report earlier this week completely eviscerating the administration's lies and incompetence.

AoSHQ picked up on that as well, "CBS' Jan Crawford: Obama Rollout 'Nothing Short of Disastrous'":

The left likes to flatter itself as thinking in terms of reason, facts, expertise, openness to doubt, and scorn of dogma and magical thinking.

Is this anywhere close to true?

When experts told the Obama Administration it was a fact the website was not ready, did they take seriously this advisement?

Nope! They simply said there was no cause for alarm; the strange gods of the left would just sort everything out.

Oddly enough, they didn't.

RTWT.

Here's That Spectacular Juan Uribe 8th Inning Homer Against #Braves in #NLDS

I couldn't believe it when Mattingly had Uribe bunt with Yasiel Puig at second base. Horrible play calling, but Uribe's a terrible bunter, so after failing twice to lay one down, he came back with the most dramatic home run I've seen all season. Talk about lol.

I was on Twitter and called it!

Yasiel Puig throws his hands in the air after arriving at 2nd base with a lead off double. #Dodgers

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 8, 2013

Uribe should be swinging away! #Dodgers

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 8, 2013

Let my Uribe swing! #Dodgers

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 8, 2013

I told you! Uribe! #Dodgers

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 8, 2013

Wow

— Mike Memoli (@mikememoli) October 8, 2013

.@Dodgers I tweeted this one minute before that #Uribe blast! https://t.co/GMmonq4tbE

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 8, 2013

Go #Dodgers !!!

— Jackie Johnson (@JackieJohnsonLA) October 8, 2013

That was one hella spectacular moment in #Dodgers baseball!

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 8, 2013

Juan Uribe: only player in MLB history to hit a go-ahead HR in the 8th inning or later of 2 series-deciding postseason games

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 8, 2013

Instant recap: Juan Uribe 8th inning HR sends the Dodgers to the NLCS for the 1st time since 2009. http://t.co/Ot46ORNc0s

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) October 8, 2013

Stopped. The. Chop.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 8, 2013

A great night for Los Angeles. @Alyssa_Milano #Dodgers

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 8, 2013

#Dodgers defeat #Braves, 4-3, to advance to #NLCS. http://t.co/yuv4deKYuJ

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 8, 2013

And now here's this, at the Los Angeles Times, "Don Mattingly finds that nothing answers critics like a home run":

ST. LOUIS — As Don Mattingly watched the home run that might have changed his life, he paused a few seconds to ponder the absurdity of it all.

"Playoffs are so stupid, aren't they?" Mattingly remembers thinking. "Just crazy."

Stupidity and craziness that could determine Mattingly's future with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers manager hasn't said whether he has received assurances about his job status beyond these playoffs. Dodgers management hasn't said whether it will exercise the team option on his contract for next season.

Team President Stan Kasten has been silent on the matter, which means Mattingly's fate could be tied to how the Dodgers perform in the National League Championship Series — and a result that could be decided by something as random as a two-strike home run by Juan Uribe.

If not for Uribe's home run in Game 4 of the division series, the Dodgers could have been playing the Braves again Wednesday in a winner-take-all fifth game. A loss in Game 5 could have sent Mattingly back to his Indiana farm and in search of a new job.

Uribe's home run illustrated how a manager's fortunes and reputation can suddenly change.

The Dodgers were down, 3-2, when Uribe came to the plate with Yasiel Puig on second base and no outs in the eighth inning. Mattingly signaled for a sacrifice bunt, a decision he immediately second-guessed when Uribe fouled off his first two attempts.

"Why am I bunting him?" Mattingly recalls thinking.

Never mind that Uribe doesn't bunt well. Mattingly had been criticized for bunting too much and probably would have faced more second-guessing had Puig not scored, regardless of whether Uribe successfully moved him to third base.

As the baseball gods would have it, Uribe connected on a 2-2 pitch by David Carpenter to reverse the deficit. Whatever questions Mattingly would have faced about asking Uribe to bunt disappeared into the stands with the ball.

So did questions about the Dodgers' decision to start Clayton Kershaw that day on three days' rest for the first time in his major league career.

The widespread perception was that the decision on Kershaw was Mattingly's. The manager was the highest-ranking team official to publicly talk about it before the outcome of the game was known. Kasten distanced himself from the move as much as he could, saying he had nothing to do with lineup decisions. General Manager Ned Colletti wouldn't meet with reporters face to face.

Because the Dodgers won, the decision to start became the right one and evidence that Mattingly's bold style of managing could pay dividends. With Zack Greinke in line to start Game 1 of the NLCS and Kershaw available to start Game 2, the move figures to have no lingering drawbacks.

Continue reading.

Christian Adamek, 15, Kills Himself After 'Facing Expulsion and Being Put on Sex Offender Registry' for Streaking at High School Football Game

I literally can't believe it.

We had streakers all the time when I was in high school.

At Engineering Evil, "Boy, 15, kills himself after ‘facing expulsion and being put on sex offender registry’ for STREAKING at high school football game."

This is an abomination. RT @jpodhoretz: Oh my God. http://t.co/tQA7MgLqLX

— Melissa Clouthier (@MelissaTweets) October 11, 2013

Fabulous Stacey Poole

She's one of my new favorites.

A lovely woman, on Twitter here.

Check out the wonderful @StaceyPoole1 from Portugal! pic.twitter.com/xecmyhZvcU
— Damien Morley (@damienmorley) October 5, 2013

Dr. Ben Carson: #ObamaCare Worst Thing Since Slavery

At the Hill, "Ben Carson: ObamaCare, slavery both 'evil'."

And at the Blaze, "WHO JUST COMPARED OBAMACARE TO AMERICAN SLAVERY AND SOVIET COMMUNISM?"

Here's the full speech:

Sara Malakul Lane

At FHM.

5 things you need to know about Sara Malakul Lane, this month's Would Wife - http://t.co/SCKRIs1Yx7 pic.twitter.com/j8gUo5gpAF
— FHM UK (@FHM) October 11, 2013

Photos here, "Sara Malakul Lane – FHM Thailand September 2013."

Ted Cruz Heckled at Values Voters Summit

How do these goons even get into these events?

Pathetic inhuman Democrat zombies.

At National Journal, "Ted Cruz Takes On the 'Obama' Hecklers":

The Texas senator wasn't able to give a cogent speech because of outbursts of protesters. But the crowd loved it.

Also at the Blaze, "TED CRUZ WAS HECKLED REPEATEDLY AT THE VALUES VOTER SUMMIT — HERE’S HOW HE TURNED THE TABLES ON HIS HATERS."

Added: There's a Memeorandum thread.

Non-Essential? White House Knew of Veterans Death-Benefits Lapse Before Shutdown

We should be expect massive public outrage nationwide.

Indeed, Democrat negatives are surging at this very moment. This administration --- this president --- is truly depraved.

At U.S. News, "Pentagon warned of cuts to military death benefits days before shutdown."



PREVIOUSLY: "Depraved: Obama's Shameful Death-Benefit Theater."

Obama Running for the Exits in Afghanistan

Again, a truly depraved man.

At the Washington Post, "In Afghanistan, U.S. losing patience as deadline for long-term deal nears":

When Obama called Afghanistan a "war of necessity" the US had to win, did you think he was serious? http://t.co/Qz4VjuY4ec
— Jeff Jacoby (@Jeff_Jacoby) October 11, 2013

During a testy video conference in June, President Obama drew a line in the sand for Afghan President Hamid Karzai. If there was no agreement by Oct. 31 on the terms for keeping a residual U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, Obama warned him, the United States would withdraw all of its troops at the end of 2014.

With that deadline less than three weeks away and deep rifts persisting, the White House appears increasingly willing to abandon plans for a long-term, costly partnership with Afghanistan. Despite the Pentagon’s pleas for patience, much of the rest of the administration is fed up with Karzai and sees Afghanistan as a fading priority amid far more ominous threats elsewhere in the world.

Right. A "fading priority." This was the "good war" that Obama campaigned for in 2007, as the most antiwar presidential candidate in the Democrat-Treason Party.

But RTWT.

A terrible president. Worst. President. Ever.

Added: From Max Boot, "Heading for the Exits in Afghanistan."

Depraved: Obama's Shameful Death-Benefit Theater

At the San Diego Union-Tribune, "President Obama's shameful death-benefit theater":

The Obama administration insisted Tuesday it had no choice but to withhold death benefits to relatives of 1st Lt. Jennifer Moreno, a 25-year-old soldier born and raised in San Diego, and four other soldiers killed since the partial government shutdown began Oct. 1.

This is ridiculous and perverse. President Barack Obama has used an expansive — and some legal scholars believe extreme — interpretation of his powers to unilaterally rewrite key provisions of the No Child Left Behind law, the sweeping 2002 measure that drastically reshaped federal education policies. In similar fashion, the president has unilaterally rewritten key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, his sweeping 2010 measure that is drastically reshaping federal public health policies. His administration has also essentially rewritten federal laws governing illegal immigration and penalties for drug possession.

Just this month, the federal government has authorized the spending of billions of dollars since the partial shutdown began without explicit congressional approval. Contrary to the Obama administration’s representations, there are not hard, definitive rules governing how the executive branch must act during these budget fights. That is reflected in the amazingly arbitrary ways that the federal government has shuttered some services and agencies but not others — often with the barely hidden goal of making people suffer to build pressure on House Republicans to give in to the White House. For one of hundreds of examples, the Armed Forces Network serving U.S. military personnel abroad still shows news — but it has stopped showing NFL games, blaming the shutdown.

This is obnoxious enough. In denying death benefits to the relatives of fallen U.S. soldiers, however, the Obama administration has broken new ground in its budget theater. This decision is accurately described as depraved.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that the president was prepared to act unilaterally to resolve the problem. But Carney also insisted the denial of death benefits was House Republicans’ fault. Those claims are not mutually sustainable.

Soon afterward, the White House announced that the Fisher House Foundation — a private organization that helps veterans in need — would provide the death benefits and be reimbursed after the partial shutdown. At about the same time Wednesday, the House voted unanimously to authorize paying survivor benefits. Thankfully, this problem is going to be solved, one way or the other.

But the outrage should remain. On Wednesday, CNN reported that on Sept. 27, days before the shutdown began, the Pentagon was already telling reporters it planned to suspend death benefits.

So for two weeks, the Obama administration has been anticipating this nightmare would come to pass — and did nothing to pre-empt it.

Obama loves inflicting as much pain as possible on innocent bystanders for political gain. He is truly depraved. And personally reviled by legions of patriotic Americans. 2016 can't come to soon.

Continue reading.

#ObamaCare Winners at Losers (From the San Jose Mercury News)

I read this piece when it first became available last week, but then it went viral over the weekend.

See Tracy Seipel, "Obamacare's winners and losers in Bay Area":

Cindy Vinson and Tom Waschura are big believers in the Affordable Care Act. They vote independent and are proud to say they helped elect and re-elect President Barack Obama.

Yet, like many other Bay Area residents who pay for their own medical insurance, they were floored last week when they opened their bills: Their policies were being replaced with pricier plans that conform to all the requirements of the new health care law.

Vinson, of San Jose, will pay $1,800 more a year for an individual policy, while Waschura, of Portola Valley, will cough up almost $10,000 more for insurance for his family of four.

"Welcome to the club," said Robert Laszewksi, a prominent health care consultant and president of Health Policy and Strategy Associates in Virginia.

For years, the nation has been embroiled in the political rhetoric of "Obamacare," but this past week the reality of the new law sank in as millions of Americans had their first good look at how the 3 1/2-year-old legislation will affect their pocketbooks.

This much quickly became clear:

As state- and federal-run health insurance exchanges debuted across the country offering a range of prices for different tiers of insurance coverage, the new online marketplaces -- which represent the centerpiece of Obamacare -- could greatly benefit more than 40 million Americans who now lack coverage. But an additional 16 million -- who buy individual health insurance policies on the open market -- are finding out that their plans may not comply with the new law, which requires 10 essential benefits such as maternity care, mental health care and prescription drug coverage.

In California, 1.9 million people buy plans on the open market, according to officials with Covered California, the state's new health insurance exchange. And many of them are steaming mad.

"There's going to be a number of people surprised" by their bills, said Jonathan Wu, a co-founder of ValuePenguin, a consumer finance website. "The upper-middle class are the people who are essentially being asked to foot the bill, and that's true across the country"....

Even those who don't qualify for the tax subsidies could see their rates drop because Obamacare doesn't allow insurers to charge people more if they have pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and cancer, he said.

People like Marilynn Gray-Raine.

The 64-year-old Danville artist, who survived breast cancer, has purchased health insurance for herself for decades. She watched her Anthem Blue Cross monthly premiums rise from $317 in 2005 to $1,298 in 2013. But she found out last week from the Covered California site that her payments will drop to about $795 a month.

But people with no pre-existing conditions like Vinson, a 60-year-old retired teacher, and Waschura, a 52-year-old self-employed engineer, are making up the difference.

"I was laughing at Boehner -- until the mail came today," Waschura said, referring to House Speaker John Boehner, who is leading the Republican charge to defund Obamacare.

"I really don't like the Republican tactics, but at least now I can understand why they are so pissed about this. When you take $10,000 out of my family's pocket each year, that's otherwise disposable income or retirement savings that will not be going into our local economy."

Both Vinson and Waschura have adjusted gross incomes greater than four times the federal poverty level -- the cutoff for a tax credit. And while both said they anticipated their rates would go up, they didn't realize they would rise so much.

"Of course, I want people to have health care," Vinson said. "I just didn't realize I would be the one who was going to pay for it personally."

And ICYMI, be sure to watch the CBS News report from yesterday, "CBS News Issues Devastating Report on #ObamaCare Failure: System Needs 'Heart Transplant'."

The Next Breeding Ground for Global Jihad

From Reuel Marc Gerecht, at WSJ (via Google):

When President Obama declared that Syrian dictator Bashar Assad must "step aside" two years ago, many believed that it was only a matter of time before the U.S. intervened on behalf of the rebels battling the regime. Now that seems increasingly out of the question. The growing power of hard-core Islamic radicals among the rebels has made the White House, and many in Congress, look upon the Syrian opposition with little enthusiasm. Instead, Washington focuses on the charade of trying to relieve Assad of his chemical weapons, as if that will have any effect on the civil war.

America ignores the rebels at its peril. Yet on the left and right, anti-interventionists argue against American airstrikes, or any serious military aid, because such assistance would abet al Qaeda-linked jihadists. Perhaps what these anti-interventionists don't realize is that the president and Congress may have already done their part to create the most deadly Islamic movement since the Taliban merged with al Qaeda in the 1990s.

Social order in the Muslim world depends, as it so often does elsewhere, on older men keeping younger men in check. In Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Taliban's medieval mores—a zealously crude form of village Pashtun ethics—gained the high ground because older men and their moderating social structures had been obliterated over three decades by Afghan communists, Soviets and civil war.

Urban culture—the core of Islamic civilization—was wiped out. The elites of the country's primary ethnic groups, who had been based in the bustling, literate, Persian-speaking culture of Kabul, went into exile or became brutal warriors. Heartless men bred by battle embraced Osama bin Laden, a Saudi-born Sunni militant. Bin Laden's vision of jihad against the United States easily melded into the Taliban's localized jihad against Ahmad Shah Masoud, the Sunni Tajik commander who formed the Northern Alliance and kept the Taliban from conquering all of Afghanistan.

To be sure, Syrian Sunni culture is vastly more cosmopolitan and urbanized than Afghan Sunni culture. Syria is where Arab Bedouins first became polished men of arts and letters and transformed Byzantine architecture into a Muslim motif that defined Islamic elegance for centuries. But the shocking satellite photos of a constantly bombarded Aleppo, the center of Sunni Syria since the 10th century, ought to warn us how quickly society can be transformed—no matter how sophisticated.

Though Arab Syrian nationalism is more solid now than when it was born 90 years ago, it isn't nearly as deep as Syrians' Muslim identity. And in times of tumult in the Middle East, Islam—and the ancient divide between Sunnis and Shiites—comes to the fore. Shatter Syria into fragments, and radical Islamists who appeal to a higher calling, just as they did in Afghanistan, are guaranteed to attract young men who yearn for a mission beyond their destroyed towns and villages. There may be as many as 1,000 Sunni rebel groups scattered across Syria, stocked with such fighters.

The Taliban played on tribal sentiments while always appealing to a post-tribal, Muslim conception of state. The Islamist fighters in Syria appear to be following the Taliban's playbook. Loyalty among these men isn't ultimately based on family, tribe, town or even country, but on the supremely fraternal act of holy war.

We don't know what the recuperative power is for Sunni Syrian society. We do know that whatever the power is now, it will be much reduced in six months. If Assad's manpower reserves can hold out for another year and a half or two years, Syrian Sunni society could be beyond help.

In such a Hobbesian world, radical Sunni groups that promise "stability"—of security, home and private property—could win over a popular base that would be very difficult to dislodge. This was how the Taliban were initially welcomed into Pashtun towns that were shellshocked by war...

Continue reading at the top click-through.

eMarketer Report: Americans Spend More Time on Smartphones, Computers, Tablets Than Television

This is interesting.

At WSJ, "In Digital Era, What Does 'Watching TV' Even Mean? Study Suggests More Time Spent on Smartphones, Computers, Tablets Than Television":

We spend a full five hours and 16 minutes a day in front of a screen, and that's without even turning on a television.

So says a statistic from eMarketer, a research firm that focuses on digital media and marketing. It says that for the first time we are devoting more attention each day to smartphones, computers and tablets. All of which points to a big question: What counts as TV-watching today?

We are actually watching more television programming, just from a growing range of devices and platforms, say digital and television executives, as well as academics and statisticians. Traditional TV or cable-network fare is now available online, via streaming services like Netflix or for sale to be watched on mobile phones and tablets.

The report says that adults are watching their televisions slightly less—with a daily intake of four hours and 31 minutes this year, seven minutes less than in 2012.

The increase in mobile devices and the multitasking they allow, plus the trend toward watching TV shows on devices other than televisions, is driving the changes measured in the report, says Clark Fredricksen, a spokesman for eMarketer. The study, which came out in August, is conducted twice annually.

The company says its numbers reflect raw data and studies of consumer media behavior from sources such as companies that measure TV ratings and online traffic, social networking platforms, gadget retailers, software manufacturers and government records.

Although Americans are gravitating toward digital platforms and social networks, "in many cases, what's popular comes from the large entertainment companies," says James Webster, a professor who studies audience measurement and behavior at Northwestern University. He points to a recent video that looks homemade and shows a woman failing badly at the twerking dance move.

After the video exploded on YouTube—it has been viewed more than 13 million times—ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel announced that his team had produced the short.

Continue reading.

CBS News Issues Devastating Report on #ObamaCare Failure: System Needs 'Heart Transplant'

Jan Crawford reported this morning.

Twitchy has it linked up, "The system worked? Check out the Obamacare website’s ridiculous definition of ‘success’ [pics]."

Database programmer on Obamacare website: "It's not even ready for beta testing for my book." http://t.co/DJU5NakhQC

— Eddie Scarry (@eScarry) October 9, 2013

And here's the video:

The Guardian's Gift to Terrorists

And Glenn Greenwald's gift to terrorists, the f-king traitor.

At London's Daily Mail, "'The Guardian has handed a gift to terrorists', warns MI5 chief: Left-wing paper's Edward Snowden leaks caused 'greatest damage to western security in history' say Whitehall insiders":

A massive cache of stolen top-secret documents published in The Guardian has handed a ‘gift’ to terrorists, the head of MI5 warned last night.

In a blistering attack, Andrew Parker said the publication of confidential files leaked by US fugitive Edward Snowden had caused huge ‘harm’ to the capability of Britain’s intelligence services. Security officials say the exposé amounts to a ‘guide book’, advising terrorists on the best way to avoid detection when plotting an atrocity.

In Whitehall, it is considered to have caused the greatest damage to the Western security apparatus in history. In his first public speech since taking the job earlier this year, Mr Parker said the leaks handed the ‘advantage’ to terrorists and were a ‘gift they need to evade us and strike at will’.

He said there were several thousand Islamist extremists living in the UK who ‘see the British people as a legitimate target’.

The security services were working round the clock to stop the fanatics, but MI5 was now ‘tackling threats on more fronts than ever before’....

Mr Parker said: ‘What we know about the terrorists, and the detail of the capabilities we use against them, together represent our margin of advantage. That margin gives us the prospect of being able to detect their plots and stop them.

‘But that margin is under attack. Reporting from GCHQ is vital to the safety of this country and its citizens.

‘GCHQ intelligence has played a vital role in stopping many of the terrorist plots that MI5 and the police have tackled in the past decade.

‘It causes enormous damage to make public the reach and limits of GCHQ techniques. Such information hands the advantage to the terrorists.

'It is the gift they need to evade us and strike at will. Unfashionable as it might seem, that is why we must keep secrets secret, and why not doing so causes such harm.’

Obama Denies Death and Burial Benefits to Families of 4 Dead Soldiers

Clearly Obama relishes extracting pain from everyday citizens.

Absolutely outrageous.

At the New York Times:

You have to shake your head at the Obama death benefit snit. Beyond the gross immorality of it, it's just plain stupid. #caring

— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) October 9, 2013

Pentagon military and civilian personnel have largely escaped furloughs through legislation signed by President Obama and on orders from the defense secretary. But the death benefits — at least for the families of military personnel killed since Oct. 1, when the government shut down — are not covered by either move.

Last week, Congress quickly passed the Pay Our Military Act to ensure that active-duty soldiers and civilian support staff members were paid for their work. Over the weekend, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon concluded that most of its 400,000 civilian employees were covered by the bill.

Some House Republicans have suggested, without citing specific language in the bill, that it also covered death benefits. “The intent of Congress was to permit D.O.D. to honor all payment and allowances to service members,” Representative Duncan Hunter, Republican of California, said in a letter to Mr. Hagel.

“The department’s decision to not make these payments is a matter of choice,” he added. “And until a correction is made to the law, it is up to you to make the appropriate judgment based on a more correct interpretation.”

The House Appropriations Committee is moving to get a bill to the floor to reinstate the benefits as early as Wednesday.

“Frankly, I think it’s disgraceful that they’re withholding these benefits,” Speaker John A. Boehner said in a brief news conference Tuesday afternoon. “But again tomorrow, the House is going to act specifically on this and I hope the president will sign it.”

#ObamaCare on #SNL

I don't watch SNL that much, for obvious reasons. But I thought they did a pretty good job mocking the Abominable Care Act last weekend, and picked up by CNN yesterday:



More at WSJ, "Software, Design Defects Cripple Health-Care Website: Government Acknowledges It Needs to Fix Design and Software Problems."

Janis Joplin, Sensational

From Kayla Yandoli, at BuzzFeed, "17 Sensational Live Performances By Janis Joplin."

Elizabeth Smart Shares Kidnapping Story '100 Percent' in New Book

At LAT, "Elizabeth Smart tells her story in new memoir."



Also at London's Daily Mail, "'He used me to act out his sick Adam and Eve fantasies': Elizabeth Smart reveals her full horror of being her captor's sex toy and slave in bombshell memoir."