Marjorie J. Spruill, Divided We Stand

I'm just coming across this, and I'm glad I did. It looks great!

At Amazon, Marjorie J. Spruill, Divided We Stand: The Battle Over Women's Rights and Family Values That Polarized American Politics.

Paul Ryan Badly Damaged in Health Care Defeat, and Judge Jeanine Calls on Him to Step Down (VIDEO)

He should get the lion's share of the blame, that's for sure. I do think Trump's a novice at the grubby game of Capital Hill logrolling and vote-trading, but Ryan should have been able to compensate. He might not have a hold on the politics of his own conference, which is sad.

In any case, at the New York Times, via Memeorandum, "Paul Ryan Emerges From Health Care Defeat Badly Damaged."

Also, at the Hollywood Reporter, "Trump Urges Followers to Watch Fox News Host Who Demands Paul Ryan Resign." (Via Memeorandum.)

Welcome to Our Fragmented Politics

Following-up from last night, "'Fiery G.O.P. Civil War' Erupts After Collapse of Health Care Repeal Bill."

From Richard Pildes, at the Monkey Cage, "The GOP’s health-care failure is no one-off event. Welcome to our fragmented politics."

The GOP’s health-care failure is no one-off event. Welcome to our fragmented politics. https://t.co/HTyLEG7jzF

— Monkey Cage (@monkeycageblog) March 26, 2017

Best-Selling Releases. Updated Hourly.

At Amazon, Hot New and Future Releases. Updated Hourly.

Also, Heather Cox Richardson, West from Appomattox: The Reconstruction of America after the Civil War.

Elliot West, The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado.

And, W. Scott Pool, Never Surrender: Confederate Memory and Conservatism in the South Carolina Upcountry.

Lisa Brady, War Upon the Land: Military Strategy and the Transformation of Southern Landscapes during the American Civil War.

Plus, Kari Frederickson, Cold War Dixie: Militarization and Modernization in the American South.

Bernard DeVoto, The Course of Empire.

More, Gaines M. Foster, Ghosts of the Confederacy: Defeat, the Lost Cause, and the Emergence of the New South, 1865-1913.

BONUS: James M. McPherson, For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War.

London, Wounded Metropolis

At Der Spiegel, "A Wounded Metropolis: London in the Age of Terror and Brexit":

A Wounded Metropolis: London in the Age of Terror and Brexit https://t.co/zkfojtevpR pic.twitter.com/SS9sXV5ivl

— SPIEGEL English (@SPIEGEL_English) March 24, 2017

London is the epicenter of globalization, a glut of money and creativity -- and the antithesis of Brexit parochialism. It is also the best city in the world.

Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of Lithuania: 'Russia is a threat not only to Lithuania but to the whole region and to all of Europe...'

An interview, at Foreign Policy, "‘Russia Is a Threat … to All of Europe’ - Lithuania’s president talks to Foreign Policy about Vladimir Putin's "little green men" and whether Donald Trump really believes in NATO."

#Lithuania #Grybauskaite @NATO : ' #Russia Is a Threat … to All of #Europe ’ | Foreign Policy https://t.co/oE9VIakj5k

— Rick Wang (@Rick97917759) March 26, 2017

Alessandra Ambrosio's 'Endless Summer'

Actually, summer's just around the corner, but I'll take Ms. Alessandra's "endless summer" photos any time of year, heh.

Endless summer in @alebyalessandra #aleXrevolve exclusive collection only at @revolve ! https://t.co/lUzToD2KYs pic.twitter.com/2RjNaXV2iS

— Alessandra Ambrosio (@AngelAlessandra) March 20, 2017

The Dark Side of Gender Segregation in the Military

This is pretty interesting.

I've done pretty much zero reading and study in this area, so just read it all at the link without comment from me.

From Molly Kovite, at War on the Rocks:

What you need to know about gender segregation in the US military https://t.co/c1CqgPJblp

— War On The Rocks (@WarOnTheRocks) March 25, 2017

'What losing a war looks like...'

Here's Mike, at Cold Fury, commenting on the Westminster jihad attack, "London calling":

And so I raise the question again: how much blood must be spilled before the Left is willing to confront its failure, its ignorance, its muttonheaded, moist-eyed belief in a total equality among men that in no way represents our harsher reality? How many more of us must die before they admit that their adolescent fantasy is nothing more than just that? How much wanton mass murder must we tolerate before they are willing to let go of their puerile daydreams and acknowledge the world as it exists, rather than clinging so desperately to an ideology that fundamentally misapprehends—brushes off, dismisses, actually—the darker aspect of human nature right out of the gate?

And the answer keeps coming back: MORE. More yet, more still. Not enough, not quite yet.

Which presents another, perhaps more vital and relevant question: how much Progressivist foolishness, their cowardice and juvenile self-indulgence, will WE tolerate before we take effective steps to end this patent madness? When will the sane majority finally decide that enough is truly enough and refuse to grant them and their inane, PC psychobabble serious consideration? When will we shove them aside and deal with a barbaric enemy in the rough and ruthless fashion that is our only hope of ever harnessing the primordial, atavistic belief system that is Islam?

When we will decide to defend our culture, our way of life—our actual, physical LIVES, ferchrissakes, individually and collectively—in the way merited? To stop being ashamed of our flaws, mourning our failures, apologizing for our missteps, and start protecting our precious civilization against a savage enemy who will neither cease nor rest at any point short of our complete annihilation?

I beg your indulgence here, folks, for I am about to say it yet again: In order to defeat our Muslim antagonists, we must first defeat the Left. There is no hope of achieving the one without first achieving the other; as long as Tranzi, multiculti, PC Leftism is still taken even remotely seriously by anything more than a handful of shunned loons skulking quietly about in a few urban enclaves, we will continue to endure the occasional appalling slaughter in our very heartland. We’re still a long, long way from it. In the end, we’re going to have to recognize that, no matter how many of them are massacred, there will always be a certain number who would rather die than fight back; who would rather embrace a failed pipe-dream of an ideology than ever admit error, even in the face of the most direct and dire evidence of said failure imaginable...

Still more.

'Fiery G.O.P. Civil War' Erupts After Collapse of Health Care Repeal Bill

At the New York Times (where else?), via Memeorandum, "Trump Becomes Ensnared in Fiery G.O.P. Civil War."

https://t.co/LJTPsN4xOx pic.twitter.com/OZl4KkuQr9

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) March 25, 2017

Violence at Pro-Trump MAGA Rally in Huntington Beach (VIDEO)

Not good, but probably inevitable, given the murderous hatred of the radical left.

At the O.C. Register, "Pro-Trump rally draws 2,000 marchers, some protesters and a violent brawl."

Violence erupts in Huntington Beach between protesters and Pro-Trump marchers. @ocregister #protest #HuntingtonBeach #trump pic.twitter.com/3mBuJu2Ukz

— Kevin Sullivan (@sullikevphoto) March 25, 2017

Lots of Trump supporters down here at the #Maga rally in Huntington Beach @ocregister pic.twitter.com/469n2pNAEc

— Kelly Puente (@KellyPuenteOC) March 25, 2017

Trump supporters at #MAGA rally in Huntington Beach @ocregister pic.twitter.com/0jvAuNwtcm

— Kelly Puente (@KellyPuenteOC) March 25, 2017

Good sized crowds supporting Trump at #MAGA rally in Huntington Beach @ocregister pic.twitter.com/5GTawWad9C

— Kelly Puente (@KellyPuenteOC) March 25, 2017

Sea of red, white and blue at #MAGA rally in Huntington Beach. @ocregister pic.twitter.com/D0GPrCFVQb

— Kelly Puente (@KellyPuenteOC) March 25, 2017

I've Started Fergus Bordewich's, Killing the White Man's Indian

I'm alternating today between Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, and Fergus Bordewich, Killing the White Man's Indian: Reinventing Native Americans at the End of the Twentieth Century.

Sometimes I need a little breather from the unrelenting anti-Americanism of the leftist approaches, especially in Dunbar-Ortiz, who's a revolutionary Marxist.

Bordewich, on the other hand, offers the most balanced interpretation of the American Indian experience I've read, at least among the more recent publications in the genre. (When we go back to some of the older historians, like Robert Utley, they too offer balanced and pleasurable interpretations. It's just that Dunbar-Ortiz, while recommended, is pretty intense --- indeed, I'll have some longer comments on her book when I've finished it.)

Purchase the Bordewich volume at Amazon.

Mia Kang Uncovered for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2017 (VIDEO)

Lovely.

Via Sports Illustrated:

Henry Nash Smith, Virgin Land

At Amazon, Henry Nash Smith, Virgin Land: The American West as Symbol and Myth.

Kara Del Toro at 'Power Rangers' Premiere (PHOTOS)

She's beautiful.

At I Don't Like You in That Way, "Kara Del Toro Did the ‘Power Rangers’ Premiere in This Dress."

Vogue's First Transgender Cover Model

It's Vogue Paris, but she's so hot you wouldn't know she's trans.

At Evil Beet Gossip, "March Vogue: First Trans Model to Cover the Mag!"

And at Telegraph U.K., "French Vogue to become the country’s first magazine to feature a transgender model on its cover."

Mountain House Breakfast Bucket

At Amazon, Mountain House Just In Case...Breakfast Bucket.

Also, KIND Breakfast Bars, Peanut Butter, Gluten Free, 1.8 Ounce, 32 Count.

Hoover Vacuum Cleaner Anniversary WindTunnel Self Propelled Bagged Corded Upright Vacuum U6485900.

Plus, AmazonBasics Apple Certified Lightning to USB Cable - 6 Feet (1.8 Meters) - White.

Coaster Home Furnishings 460096 Transitional Bunk Bed, Amber Wash.

More, "U.S. Art Supply 133pc Deluxe Artist Painting Set with Aluminum and Wood Easels, Paint and Accessories.

Fitness Reality E5500XL Magnetic Elliptical Trainer.

And, Whiskey & Rum Barrel Aged Coffee Beans Gourmet Coffee Gift Set by Cooper's Cask Coffee, Single Origin Coffee Beans (Sumatra, Ethiopia, Rwanda) - Three 4oz Bags, Whole Coffee Bean.

BONUS: Desmond Morris, The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal.

Without God, All Morality is Mere Opinion

Here's Dennis Prager, "If There Is No God, Murder Isn't Wrong

Epic 'Implosion' of GOP's American Health Care Act of 2017

Following-up from yesterday, "'Spectacular Defeat for Trump'."

Here's today's dramatic front-page story at the Los Angeles Times, "GOP dreams of repealing Obamacare collapse as Trump pulls vote on House bill":

Today's LAT front: pic.twitter.com/pJvM5tfu8m

— Lisa Mascaro (@LisaMascaro) March 25, 2017

President Trump, elected on a promise to use his deal-making prowess to get Washington working, blinked Friday in the face of defeat, agreeing to halt a House vote on a GOP healthcare overhaul amid crumbling Republican support.

The move came just hours after the White House insisted the vote would go forward regardless of the outcome, and followed Trump’s extraordinary ultimatum Thursday night, when he told rebellious lawmakers that if they didn’t vote for the bill, he would move on to other priorities.

To avoid an embarrassing vote, Trump asked House Speaker Paul D. Ryan to abandon the effort.

The collapse of the bill — legislation that managed to displease both Republican conservatives and centrists — dashed the party’s immediate hopes of fulfilling a longtime campaign promise to repeal and replace President Obama’s signature healthcare law, also called Obamacare.

Trump made a hard, last-minute push for the GOP bill. His spokesman said Friday that the president "left everything on the field."

In an Oval Office appearance after the vote was pulled, Trump described it as a “very interesting experience.” He praised his fellow Republicans and deflected blame on Democrats — who opposed the bill. He also said he’d learned something about “loyalty,” apparently referring to the GOP defections.

Trump predicted the country would eventually need to revisit the issue, saying, “We will end up with a truly great healthcare bill in the future after this mess that is Obamacare explodes.”

Both Trump and Ryan, however, said the Republican Party had no plan to revive the repeal-and-replace effort anytime soon, so the current healthcare law will remain in place.

The defeat exposed Trump’s limits as negotiator in chief and raised doubts about his administration’s ability to achieve the rest of its conservative agenda, including tax cuts, deregulation and trade reform.

The fallout was also a setback for Ryan. Critics say the legislation was crafted too quickly and without enough input from other lawmakers or consultation with industry and interest groups.

"Hopefully there will be a lesson learned that let’s work together to write the bill instead of writing it in private," said Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas).

The failure will only complicate the odd-couple partnership between Ryan and Trump. The president may think twice next time about relying on the speaker to lead legislative campaigns. Though Trump signaled his continued support Friday for Ryan to remain in his post, and many lawmakers were standing by his side, finger-pointing over what went wrong is bound to linger.

Ryan could have afforded to lose no more than about 21 Republican votes to reach the 216 needed for passage. Defections were estimated at one point to be 30 or more.

The conservative House Freedom Caucus wanted Trump and Ryan to go further and faster in unwinding Obamacare rules and taxes. Centrist Republicans were worried the GOP plan would leave too many Americans without health insurance.

“Moving from an opposition party to a governing party comes with growing pains and, well, we’re feeling those growing pains today," Ryan said. "We came up short.”

The GOP defeat marked a victory for a broad coalition of patient advocates, physician groups and hospitals, which had mounted an intense and sustained campaign to highlight the damage they said the bill would do to patients' medical care.

Congressional offices reported a huge influx of calls urging a "no" vote on the bill...

More.

So Much Snow in Mammoth Lakes, National Guard Called to Help Remove Snowpack

I love this story.

So much snow, reservoirs spilling over with record water totals, and the state will still say we're in a "drought."

At LAT:

Mammoth got so much snow this winter that it had to call in the National Guard for help https://t.co/7MNjVQjSfX pic.twitter.com/F0g03XWS2X

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) March 25, 2017