Month: June 2010

Evening Whip, June 8, 2010

Charles Krauthammer talks more about the Democrats’ Civil War [*1] — And the Hillbuzz guys expound upon the thesis:

The problem, at its core, is that the DNC made a conscious decision to enter into a pact with the Devil, in the form of the thuggery, fraud, and ACORN-backed tactics Democrats now gleefully employ as a Leftist party. Seeing the party embrace this behavior, propagate it, and RELISH in it is revolting to those of us who thought the party was better than this. Those of us who can of age politically when the Clintons were president in the 1990s are ashamed of the Obama Democrat Party. This is not what we signed up for when we registered as Democrats in high school. This is not what we agreed to when we campaigned for Democrats in every election since we turned 18. This is not the party we supported with whatever spare cash we had to donate all these years.

These thugs will never get another cent out of any of us, and we can’t honestly see a day in the future when we will ever vote Democrat again.

They have permanently alienated us.

This isn’t little old libertarian-leaning Republican me saying it. This is a bunch of lifelong Democrats, staunch Hillary supporters, gay guys from Boystown in Chicago, who were expelled from their party by the leftist goons who are backing Barack Obama. They figured it out. When will you–or will you, before it really is too late?

In Praise of Capitalism: How the ‘Social Justice’ Left Uses Economic Incentives to Create Academic Propaganda [*2] — This is a wooden stake, driven into the heart of the public’s trust in the veracity of university professors and researchers. If not stopped in its tracks by honest college and university faculty who still hold the truth to be the paramount goal of education, the public will in response, in order to know what is really true, eventually have to simply discount anything said by any “professor” from any “university” as being hopelessly biased. The way the subjects of the Soviet Union had to engage in reading between the lines of Pravda-actually, much like what we now have to do, parsing of what the hopelessly left-biased Old Media outlets produce.

ObamaCare could wipe out health insurance for 1 million low-income workers [*3] — Oopsie. Sorry about that. But remember, we Democrats care more about you than those evil, vicious Republicans . . . always have, always will, even if we take your health insurance away from you to show you how very, very much we care about you. Don’t you feel good about us? We sure do . . .

The Talking Cure for the Tragedy of the Commons: Bad things happen when governments keep people from cutting their own deals on resource management [*4] — The “tragedy of the commons” lies precisely in the fact that it is a commons. Owners act, for the most part, in ways that preserve, if not enhance the value of what they own. Things that are held “in common” do not generally receive that level of attention to value preservation or enhancement, unless specific and sustained common actions are made. Those actions are extremely difficult to sustain, especially when they become subject to political deal-making. And so, you have garbage piling up on vacant lots. ObamaCare’s First Victim? “The rules changed in the middle of the game.” [*5]

This book made me hate socialism all over again [*6]

Americans blame flotilla organizers for violence [*7]

Now is the Worst Possible Time for Tax Hikes [*8] — And, letting a tax cut “expire” IS a tax increase, by the way . . .

Quote of the Day – Obama’s governing style version[*9] — “Obama seems to think corporations are alien invaders sent here to destroy us and should be handled accordingly — yet seething peoples who actually do want to destroy us should be confronted with diplomacy and listening.”

Follow the Money: Wealth, Population Are Key Drivers of Invasive Species [*10]

On Helen Thomas, Governor Palin, and “Unelectability”; UPDATED[*11] — It shouldn’t be Sarah Palin’s job to make sure that the Washington media does theirs–should it?

Sandra Bullock Makes Surprise Appearance To Thank ‘Our Extraordinary Troops’ [*12]

THE TRUTH: Bush Tax Cuts Created More Jobs Than the Obama-Pelosi Spend Your Way to Hell Plan [*13]

SC Republican accused of smearing Haley passes lie detector test [*14] — I’ve actually made a conscious effort to avoid this sorry excuse for a political story . . .

A Turn-Off for Cancer [*15]

Megyn Kelly: Actually, Elton John had a great time at Rush Limbaugh’s wedding [*16]

Doctors work on radiation problem to ease fears [*17]

Andre Bauer: Sacred Honor Demands I Prove That Privately-Administered Bought-and-Paid-For Lie Detector Tests Are Rubbish [*18]

KU chancellor urges Nebraska to stay in Big 12 [*19]

ABC Poll: Government Response to Obama’s Katrina Rated Worse Than Response to Katrina Katrina [*20]

Daily Gut: A Nation of Hall Monitors [*21]

Of course: Reuters cropping flotilla passengers’ weapons out of photos [*22]

Obama on Deepwater Disaster: “I Want To Know Whose Ass To Kick” [*23]

His real problem has to do with tangible reality. His real problem is not one of words but of deeds, not of dumb-show pantomimes but one of real-life performance . . .

An Incomplete Strategic Review [*24]

Topless Kill: White House Staffers Focused Like a Laser on PetroKatrina and Shirtless Beer-Pong, But Mostly Shirtless Beer-Pong [*25]

Obamanomics: Still Not Working [*26]

Mountain West opts not to expand [*27]

Minority report: 50 year warming due to natural causes[*28]

Christopher Elbow’s ice cream shop features unpredictable flavors [*29]

Yost says Greinke is just pressing [*30]

No Country For Old Hens [*31]

The fall of Helen Thomas is a sign the New Media have crashed those genteel lawn parties, clad in combat pajamas and digital beer hats, asking rude questions about the hosts and laughing at their sputtering indignation. The New Media doesn’t stand on ceremony. Its elder statesmen, talk radio pioneers like Rush Limbaugh, have spent their entire careers being insulted and disrespected by the mainstream press. The same political and opinion elite that indulged decades of insane prattle from Helen Thomas, politely ignoring some of her worst outbursts, was quick to trumpet fraudulent accusations of racism against Limbaugh for things he never said, to paint him as unfit for association with a professional football team. Such relentless assaults build thick skin, and sharp wits. The New Media breeds gladiators, and has little patience for deans and doyennes.

Time for the Royals to polish their process [*32]

Royals pull a surprise in selecting shortstop from Cal State-Fullerton in draft[*33]

News, Weak [*34]

Gone… Going… Going… [*35]

Felled by a flip cam [*36] — A reader of Glenn Reynolds’ Instapundit blog puts the punctuation mark on the Helen Thomas affair:

“Funny that you can get a video of Helen Thomas spewing her hate, but we can’t find one showing ugly names being shouted in a crowd at congressmen. It’s a mystery.”

Real Life Diagnostics: Show vs. Tell, Part Two[*37]

Conservatives v. Libertarians: The debate over judicial activism divides former allies. [*38]

Hey, union man: Another look [*39]

Crisis and Leviathan: Current Observations on the Rise of Big Government [*40]

EU ministers talk austerity [*41]

The gathering storm, cont’d [*42]

Polls show public unhappy with Obama’s leadership on oil spill [*43]

Your Horrifying Chart of the Morning [*44]

Mosque and State: The Greater Implications of the 9/11 Islamic Center [*45]

Because Islam is not just a theology, but a theology that requires a universally imposed political system, this has manifold implications with regard to our Constitution and our way of life. Until and unless we are able to grapple with this truth, Muslims peaceful and violent will continue to be able to exploit our freedoms by hiding behind the separation of church and state, regardless of the stark differences between what is taught in the church and what is taught in the mosque.

Thomas Paine, Liberty’s Hated Torchbearer [*46]

Elton John, Rush Limbaugh, Leftist Narratives & Building Bridges [*47]

Morning Bell: The Obama Spending Nightmare Continues [*48]

The Legal Case Against ObamaCare [*49]

T-Shirt Tuesday: Get Your Miranda Rights On Your Chest [*50]

Government Funding for Synthetic Biology on the Rise [*51]

Is The Education Bubble About to Burst? [*52] — When the Federal government turns getting college student loans into an utter fiasco–which it will–this will only hasten the process . . .

Your Moment Of Chris Christie Awesomeness…NJ Supreme Court Edition [*53]

East-African Human Ancestors Lived in Hot Environments [*54] — Wow, stunning research result. Equatorial Africa is hot, and has been for a really long time. Zowie. Keep those grant dollars coming, boys and girls . . .

White House pushes agency budget cuts [*55] — I did not know the Associated Press had branched into absurdist humor.

Videos: Pelosi heckled at progressive conference [*56]

Public’s Debt Fear Is Palpable [*57]

Shocker: Survey Shows That Liberals Don’t Understand Basic Economics [*58]

WSJ: Liberals fail economics test, conservative and libertarians score best [*59]

Harnessing the Immune System’s Diagnostic Power [*60]

QUESTION: How do you define the Republican burka? [*61]

Double Dip? [*62]

Rasmussen McHitlerBunker: GOP Up, Big, in Generic Congressional [*63]

A Double Dipper? [*64]

Catchup Whip, June 7, 2010, Volume 5

Whew. That was . . . much linkage. But I’m caught up. Oh, except for the stuff that happened in the past . . . twenty-two hours or so since I scheduled the posting of this bad boy. A blogger’s work is never done . . .

Oh, OK, I’ll explain why a Catchup Whip was necessary–again. First, I’ve had a chest cold. Yeah, I know, whine, whine. Or, in this case, wheeze-wheeze-cough-cough-cough. Mainly, I’ve been working on the background for my forthcoming blockbuster science fiction series, tentatively going under the title The Guider Universe.

What’s a “Guider?” Good question. You’ll have to read the stories–assuming I ever actually get them written. When will I get them written and/or published? Yet another good question, Grasshopper. One of my big problems is that . . . God help me . . . I like doing the research and world-building more than I like doing the plotting and characterization and all that fiction-writing-stuff like stringing-all-those-recalcitrant-words-together-to-make-a-coherent-and-interesting-story. Sigh.

OK, just a bit more about the story: it starts . . . well, the story starts maybe twenty or thirty thousand years ago, in this galaxy but on a star far, far away, then works its way to Earth where it spends the next five to seven thousand years, and then runs (at least) three hundred years into the future, so far.

Put that way, it actually sounds impressive. Let’s take care of that! There will be star ships and ray guns and mysterious aliens, evil empires and unexpected friends and unanticipated enemies, terrible dangers and narrow escapes–all the good stuff. If I do it right, there will be lots of good clean fun for all. Oh, all right, some of the fun may not be so good and clean–if you insist.

What are we here for? Oh, yeah. Whippage.

Duh, McCartney: Bush’s Wife Was a ‘Librarian’ [*1] — Just proving once again that Lennon was the more intelligent one of the duo . . . not that he was fookin’ brilliant or anything . . . but come on, McCartney’ original lyrics had him singing “Scrambled Eggs” instead of “Yesterday” fer cryin’ out loud . . .

New tactic in jihadi war on US: duds [*2] — Another attack is coming . . . you can be sure of that . . . it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of where, and when . . . until we stop them–or more accurately, until whatever relatively sane segment still remains of the Muslim world stops them – – – or, until we have the Mother of All Crusades. Don’t think it can’t happen. You can push people only so far. Then they will start pushing back. In my more depressive moments, it’s that very pushback that I think the Islamicist extremists are trying to provoke.

Be careful what you wish for. Disgruntled Army Specialist Arrested for Leaking Thousands of Classified Records [*3]

White House blasts absent Thomas in today’s briefing; Update: Thomas announces retirement; Update: WH briefing video added [*4]

Organizing for America and the DNC: ACORN 2.0 [*5]

Bye, Helen [*6]

The FTC Confuses Newspapers With Journalism as it Seeks New Media Tax [*7]

Liberal Media Icon & Jew-Hater Helen Thomas Retires [*8]

Helen Thomas, and the Awkward Transfer From “Straight” Reporting to Opinioneering [*9]

Senate to Vote on Ceding Congressional Authority to EPA [*10] — I’m pretty sure Congressional delegation of law-making authority isn’t really Constitutionally valid or legal. I’m pretty sure almost everyone inside the Beltway doesn’t care.

Brand Preference May Be in the Drink, Not in the Head, Vodka Study Shows [*11] — Well, yes, different brands of vodka do in fact taste different. But put enough Kahlua and cream in them, and it doesn’t really matter now, does it?

States Plunder 911 Funding [*12]

Nicholas Carr on What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains [*13]

The Truth Leaks Out [*14]

Starz will take on new Torchwood series [*15]

Iran Threatens War in the Mediterranean [*16]

Catchup Whip, June 7, 2010, Volume 4

Overtreated: More medical care isn’t always better [*1] — In military terms, this is “battlefield preparation.” In political terms, this is “spin.” It is the first shot of the coming campaign to convince you that the cuts in medical care that are inevitable with Obamacare are good for you. There’s an easier way to fix the “overtreated” problem: limit the lawsuit liability of doctors–“defensive medicine” means defending the doctor from lawyers, not defending the patient. But the Democrats didn’t want to hear that simple truth. They still don’t.

Just Like Henry: Congressional Democrats Avoid Constituents [*2] — “Running for office” has not, in the United States of America, traditionally entailed fleeing from those whose votes you (allegedly) require.

The ‘Costs’ of Free Speech: Consequentialism and the First Amendment don’t mix. [*3] — Did you know that Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan’s view on your First Amendment speech rights boils down to “well, it depends on the ‘societal costs.'” That not only disqualifies her for serving as a judge at any level, it should forever bar her from pulling any kind of paycheck from any government entity in this nation. What part of “Congress Shall Make No Law” escapes her comprehension? Good Lord . . . Can Democrats Limit Their Losses with Attacks on Republicans? [*4]

Thousands Protest Mega-Mosque Plans at Ground Zero [*5]

In the nick of time? [*6]

An idea for discussion: Using Ham Radio as a Climate Data Network [*7]

Pac-10 green lights expansion [*8]

Missouri, Nebraska won’t confirm deadline to pledge allegiance to Big 12[*9]

Obama Shamefully Fails to Acknowledge D-Day Anniversary [*10] — World War II: The Forgotten War?

The Classical Background [*11]

Allahpundit Mentions Me By Name [*12] — Or: How to Blog. Or: How Not To Comment On Blogs.

From unknown to draft prospect: Two years ago, South Dakota state hurler ‘wasn’t even touching a baseball’ [*13]

Dennis Prager and Hugh Hewitt on Their Event with Sarah Palin [*14]

ITER Meltdown [*15] — Polywell fusion is where the really cool, with-it “renewable-energy” kids’ action is, in my utterly layman-humble opinion . . .

Hmm… Colorado Dem Says Email Bribe Was Sent From White House Account (Video)[*16]

Iranian Regime Will Send 2 Ships to Gaza This Week… One With “Relief Workers”[*17] — This will not end well . . .

The Big Ten and Midwestern Identity: Why college sports should stop messing with the Big Ten [*18] — It is entirely possible that the Presidents of the Big Ten universities have forgotten, if they ever knew, what their institutions are, and who those institutions are supposed to serve.

But considering how Congressional Democrats are acting, perhaps that’s not the plan for the laughably mis-named “Democratic Party” in 2010, and then forever after . . .

Air Superiority In the Modern Age [*19]

Bill Maher Loses Religion-Bashing Battle With S.E. Cupp and History’s Inconvenient Truths [*20]

The Cruise Business, Post–Financial Meltdown [*21] — Wow, a cosmic convergence . . . an article about cruising . . . from the Ludwig von Mises Institute . . .

The Divisive Rhetoric of the Post-partisan President [*22] — “But, you don’t understand! I’m A PRINCE!!!!”

Nikki Haley Up by 20 in South Carolina; UPDATED: Alex Pappas On Governor Palin’s Super Tuesday Endorsements [*23]

Milk Carton Democrats in Congress still avoiding constituents [*24]

Crocodiles Ride Ocean Currents for Ocean Travel [*25] — Hey, who doesn’t?

Why the Tea Party Should Oppose the Drug War [*26] — Put the “culture war” issues on the back burner, folks . . . the Barbarians are at the gates, and they want a lot more than just your medical marijuana . . .

Deficit commission out of money? [*27]

Catchup Whip, June 7, 2010, Volume 3

‘Phoenix Rising’ for SB 1070 at Arizona State Capitol [*1] — If I wasn’t already married to the most wonderful woman in the world, the first picture alone would have me looking for a job in AZ . . .

And you know, something that’s been eating at me since Obama said it . . . you know, any law has the potential for abuse. That’s something that the left tends to forget, until it’s convenient for them to remember it. Of course, many on the right exhibit the same blind spot, at times . . .

OK, I also like the sign “Seriously! Adopt Mexico’s Immigration Laws!” Heh. The Forgotten Rachels [*2]

On Meeting Pam Spaulding & the Merits of the Blogosphere [*3]

Sarah Palin’s Way of Thinking [*4]

He’s No “Moderate”… Ground Zero Mosque Imam Linked to Gaza Flotilla [*5]

What price Christie? part 3 [*6]

Founder of Ground Zero mosque part of group that helped fund Gaza flotilla [*7]

Irony Alert: Debt Commission is Running Out of Money [*8]

WaPo liberals try to parse Gov. Palin’s endorsements [*9] — It is fun watching the know-it-alls inside the Beltway struggle to suss out what’s obvious to a lot of people out here in Flyover Country . . . and we’re not sure we want to explain it to them in detail before this November. OK, I’ll give them a hint. It’s one word. One word that the Left seems to have forgotten the meaning of. Coalition. How do you build (or, in this case, re-build, perhaps) a coalition, especially when you’re outside the normal good-old-boys network?

‘Prince of Persia’ Recognizes Evils of Taxation [*10]

Another Foreign Policy Gaffe [*11] — And these guys got elected because they were competent? Riiiight.

Dagen McDowell: US Could Save $340 Billion By Cutting Public Wages Down to Private Sector Pay Rates (Video) [*12]

It is just too much [*13] — Why are statues of Stalin going up in the USA today?

Betting on the Bad Guys: Cartoonist Scott Adams’s personal road to riches: Put your money on the companies that you hate the most [*14]

Spencer on climate sensitivity and solar irradiance [*15]

Four scenarios for the Big 12’s future[*16]

Big 12 problems trace to league’s roots [*17]

Under Seitzer’s tutelage — or in spite of it — the Royals are mashing the ball [*18]

Thatcher and Palin: The Resemblance: UPDATED: John O’Sullivan on The Palin-Thatcher Comparison [*19]

The Clapper caper [*20]

Tea Party Stunner: Marine Moves Crowd With 4th Verse to Star Spangled Banner [*21]

Footnotes on the flotilla [*22]

Iran Ups the Ante [*23]

On Rush-Hatred and Blogging Trolls [*24]

The Gaza Flotilla: Political Theater in War on Western Civilization [*25]

Contract From America Wrap-Up [*26]

For many, recovery means lower expectations [*27] — Well, yes, government-caused economic downturns often mean less money for “just plain folks” while the big-government cronies make out like the bandits that they truly are . . .

The Pope Gets It About Radical Islam… But Team Obama Still Lost Confused [*28]

“The Watershed.” Where your rights and your freedom end! [*29]

Liberal Media Darling Helen Thomas: Two Quotes That Define a Career [*30]

Iran Escalates Israel Confrontation; Threatens to Escort Gaza Blockade Runners [*31]

The Helen Thomas Dogpile [*32] — No, McCain, not the last . . . not hardly . . .

REVIEW: ‘Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One’ [*33]

Helen Thomas’ agency dumps her as client [*34]

Big Ten officials mum on expansion [*35]

Gloom, Despair, and Agony On Me! [*36] — You know, it’s weird. A fairly simple, universally understandable foreign policy of “maybe buy our stuff if you want to, maybe we’ll buy yours if we want to–otherwise leave us the hell alone or we’ll turn you into a glass parking lot” has a LOT of appeal for me.

Is Higher Education A Bubble? [*37]

Catchup Whip, June 7, 2010, Volume 2

Scientists debate: Are recessions good for health? [*1] — Idiot “scientists” . . . and idiot journalists . . . aren’t good for my blood pressure, that’s for sure . . .

The Ideologue [*2]
Big 12 may be on the verge of fracturing[*3]

So You Want To Commit Novel: #2 [*4]

Under Your Skin: The Implants are Coming [*5]

SDSU’s Batten inks four-year deal with Bills [*6]

William Katz: The brightness of the president [*7]

Great news: Hollywood to make Rush Limbaugh biopic [*8]

Pull it Together, Mr. President [*9]

Rasmussen: Toomey takes seven-point lead over Sestak [*10]

Price of Whole Human Genome Sequencing Slashed 60 Percent [*11]

The Annoyances of U.S. Immigration Law[*12]

Cap and bait [*13]

No evidence please, we’re European [*14]

What is the formula for electoral success? [*15]

Helen Thomas: Go home to Europe, Jews [*16]

It’s a Bird. It’s a Plane. It’s a Private Rocket! [*17]

Grudge Match: Why Sarah Palin is backing an underdog challenger against a sitting GOP senator. [*18]

Republicans of Obama’s Fantasy World Believe “government has little or no role to play”[*19]

Helen Thomas: Hey, sorry about that whole “Jews out of Palestine” thing [*20]

Marco Rubio: The Real Deal [*21]

White House statement: The Gaza blockade is unsustainable [*22]

Helen Thomas Speaks, and Recants [*23]

Meat, fish protein linked to women’s bowel disease [*24]

The Black Hand [*25]

From all outward signs the ‘international community’ is sleepwalking into a disaster.

Ungrateful Journalists Misquote New Overlords [*26]

Obama Knew From the Beginning That the Oil Would Leak For Months [*27]

Just What We Need [*28]

College-bound freshmen to experience a much different federal student loan program [*29] — This will, of course, be a disaster . . .

Uneasy feeling follows Big 12 into future[*30]

What Are Friends For?… Obama Told Netanyahu “Don’t Come to White House” to Tell Your Side of Flotilla Story [*31]

Runaway Census Cost Is Frightening Preview of True Obamacare Price Tag [*32]

Video: ‘Rachel Corrie’ ship seized [*33] — “. . . if it were up to Israel, there would be no war. If it was up to Hamas and Fatah, there would be no Israel.”

Sestak Scandal Hurting Sestak? [*34]

Catchup Whip, June 7, 2010, Volume 1

Opening question: Is it a Whip if it’s three or four days old? Hey, here it is!

I’m going to split up this bunch of Whippage into several posts, just ‘cuz there’s so much stuff.

Intellectuals: Smarter Than God? [*1] — Or dumber than Rocks, Boxes Of? On the other hand, what is your answer to the question “What is important? And why do you answer that way?

And how do you know that it is the correct answer–correct not simply for your own precious conscience and emotional stability (or, if you will, your rock-solid Faith), but also correct for those who do not share your particular view of life? That is, is what you judge to be “important” a subjective value, dependent on your whims (or Faith, or whatever), or is it an objective value, not subject to your own personal intellectual approval?

Use both sides of the paper, if necessary. This will be graded.

Oh, and congratulations . . . you’re now an intellectual.

In the classical sense, anyway. And see, that’s the problem: Modern intellectuals don’t worry about things like objective values–that’s the one single dominant trait of modern “intellectual” thought. Which is why modern “intellectuals” are so confused, and so confusing to us normal people who have to get to work on time or the boss will get mad. Because, the clock is objective–it doesn’t care what you think about it. The boss, while he or she may not care what you think of him/her either, does care very much what the clock tells him/her about you. Thus endeth the lesson in the objective nature of reality. (And don’t be a pointy-head and bring up Einstein, OK? Just don’t. Most of us don’t get that close to the speed of light, even on a good day. OK?) Who Are We Sharing the Planet With? Millions Less Species Than Previously Thought, New Calculations Suggest [*2]

CBO: ObamaCare bends the cost curve upward [*3]

Balance growth with social equity [*4] — A strange world indeed when the Communist Chinese read Ludwig von Mises more intently and reverently than the so-called “free world.” Strange, strange world.

The Unbearable Rightness of Being Armed [*5]

Anti-Civilization [*6]

Anti-civilization is different. It destroys without assimilation. It learns nothing from its enemies, studying them only to find weaknesses it can exploit. In ancient times, it took the form of barbarian reavers, who looked upon graceful cities full of art and music and felt nothing but hunger and contempt. The industrial age refined anti-civilization into a powerful black oil, fueling massive engines of murder. It learned to wear crisp uniforms, and build concentration camps. It orchestrated decades of mechanized slaughter, with an atomic finale. By the end of the twentieth century, it had learned to manufacture terror, and transform the wonders of the civilization it hates into firebombs that could level mighty skyscrapers.

John Ziegler to Palin: You should go on Jake Tapper’s show [*7]

Colorado Dem: Actually, the White House offered me three jobs to quit the primary [*8]

Don’t worry about the facts, just feed us [*9] — Wherein Powerline’s Paul Mirengoff discovers that yes, indeed, Shepard Smith of Fox News is, in fact, (using his words) “a jerk and a fool.” Indeed.

French bid for euro zone “government” gains ground [*10]

There goes the (Palins’) neighborhood [*11]

World: Greece, You Must Restrain Your Spending! Greeks: Nah. [*12]

The gang who couldn’t shoot straight [*13]

Obama has been campaigning his whole life. He knows how to do that. Governing has not only multiple tasks, but multiple challenges and goals. Obama has never run anything or governed anything. This is his first real job.

Low-lying Pacific islands ‘growing not sinking’ [*14]

When Governments Choose To Pay For Medicine, They Also Choose What Medicine To Not Pay For [*15] — Or, Death Panels: They’re not just for political debate anymore. They’re the law. Happy?

The Truth, Belatedly, Puts its Boots On [*16]

Middle East Crisis: Always Side with the Civilized Man [*17] — Just remember, the UN is now an organization largely controlled and run by terrorist-backing states.

Zucker Out At NBC; ComCast Eying MSNBC For Shakeup? [*18]

Documents Show Kagan To Be Zealous, Doctrinaire Liberal; Obama May Suppress Documents on Claim of Executive Privilege [*19]

Afternoon Whip, June 2, 2010

Bureaucrats vs. Taxpayers [*1]

There are three things in the video that deserve special emphasis. First, bureaucrats are vastly overpaid. The government data cited in the video show that total compensation for the federal civil service is twice as high, on average, as it is for workers in the productive sector of the economy.

The bureaucratic meritocracy was the single identifying trait of Imperial China. And that eventually resulted in Mao Tse Tung, who killed more people than perhaps anyone else in history. From Wikipedia:[*2] “Mao played a personal role in organizing the mass repressions and established a system of execution quotas, which were often exceeded. Nevertheless he defended these killings as necessary for the securing of power.”

Bureaucracies are dangerous. Is this a reach? Well, consider that the same Wikipedia article refers to Mao as a “radical activist.” How large a leap is it to that from “community organizer?”

Oh. I’ve done it now.

Anita Dunn[*3] would be proud, I’m sure.

Or perhaps New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman.[*4] The Worker’s Paradise is closer to you than you may think. South Korea probes war rumours ahead of elections [*5]

The Terror Finance Flotilla: The convoy of ships allegedly trying to bring aid to the Gaza Strip was organized by a group belonging to an officially designated terrorist organization. [*6] — As Michael Totten notes: Raise your hand if you’re surprised. [*7]

It’s a bee market! Worker bees swarm Wall Street on day when most traders have off [*8]

Another Ship Headed To Gaza; Israel Says It’s Ready [*9]

The Consolations of Philosophy [*10]

any moderately well informed individual knows that there is no Islamic extremism, nor even terrorism. There are only man made disasters. Everybody knows that we can borrow our way out of debt, that the welfare state is the sustainable wave of the future; that Egypt has no border with Gaza through which it can provide supplies if it wanted; that the UN has kept Hezbollah from importing hundreds of missiles into Lebanon; that the thought of a handful of Jews has kept hundreds of millions of oil-rich Muslims from attaining prosperity; and that Global Warming is the main danger facing the planet Earth. That these assertions are untrue hardly matters; that they are indisputable is what seems to count. For who shall dispute them?

Reality might. And therein lies the problem.

Here’s what is going to happen with one hundred percent certainty. All of these lies will explode with considerable force in the faces of political establishment. Nothing can prevent it. Just as reality eventually exposed the hollowness of the financial bubble and showed that nothing was “too big to fail,” eventually it will demonstrate to our extreme cost, that no lie can be maintained forever. That is the real reason anyone should really care about what happened on the “peace flotilla.” We are as corrupt as a preacher in a whorehouse. It ain’t what we don’t know that will hurt us, it’s what we know that ain’t so that will drive the dagger into our hearts.

Reality does have this annoying habit of whacking people upside the head when they start ignoring it too much. It’s not the fall that kills you, it’s that sudden stop at the bottom of the cliff.

MediaMatters Shoots Itself In The Foot Over Palin’s Fence? [*11] — “Media Matters,” meet reality.

Go to the doctor, lose the copyright to your writings [*12] — umm, yeah. That will work. Sure.

What Happened in the Mediterranean [*13] — Just in case you’re interested in, you know, the truth. If you think that matters.

Undercover Census Fraud Investigation – New Jersey [*14]

Exposing corruption requires standing up to power, because power hates sunlight. We should have known they would try and ruin the reputations of those who try and expose them.

Google phases out Microsoft Windows use: report [*15]

Web search group Google Inc is phasing out internal use of rival Microsoft Corp’s Windows operating system because of security concerns following a Chinese hacking incident, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

Tuesday Tidbits [*16]

Who is Ayn Rand? [*17]

THE INTERVIEW: Greg Gutfeld On His New Book, MSNBC, Unicorns, Media Matters, ‘Red Eye’ and What the ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ Was Really About [*18]

11) What was the genesis of “Robot Theater?” It’s brilliant and the graphics rule. You should totally sue James Cameron. “Avatar” ripped off what is clearly “Red Eye” proprietary software.

If you go to the website, xtranormal.com, you can make them yourself. We do not create the graphics — we just write the scripts and pick the settings. Robot Theater came around as a fun way to poke fun of Media Matters chuckleheads, purely by confusing them. And it worked beautifully. We write that stuff in five minutes, while Media Matters spends days crafting press releases decrying and condemning thirty seconds from “Fox and Friends.” Compare jobs, and you see how miserable they must feel. Imagine spending your life criticizing an entity that simply works really hard every day. I think I would go mad, or at least grow a really funny beard.

Gutfield is the funniest man on TV today. Your Wellington has arrived, J. Stewart Napoleon . . . (and don’t get me started on the atrociously abysmal “Colbert” . . .)

Ship of fools [*19]

The fools are on dry land, as can be deduced from the ship-of-fools quality to the response to Israel’s encounter with the flotilla.

“Flotilla” is a term used most usually for a detachment of warships. Remember that. The “activists” used that word for a very specific reason. This was not a peace mission. It was an act of war. Do not be confused by the rhetoric and spin from the wailing chorus.

Obama: Bad For America, Great For Ayn Rand [*20]

One Important Reason Why We Are Out of Money [*21]

Spain’s Dropout Generation [*22] — Spain’s youth, enjoying the rushing of air through their hair and by their ears as they plummet towards the bottom of the cliff from which they’ve jumped. “No, really, ‘social democracy’ is right and fair and good!'”

The People Who Borrow [*23] — Hey, let’s ALL jump off the cliff! The people who decide not to will make sure everything comes out OK!

Idiots. The problem is that they’re pushing the rest of us off the cliff with them.

Figures. Media Matters Jumps In to Defend Obama’s “Close Family Friend’s” Ties to Terror-Linked Gaza Flotilla [*24]

Obama WH now distancing itself from BP response efforts [*25]

Churchill’s Revenge [*26]

New System Using Bacterial Communities to Solve Complex Problems [*27]

Media Watchdogs Ask FCC to Track Internet Hate Speech [*28] — Damn, I hate this.

Oops.

Pelosi the Horrible: “The Word” Guides My Radical Leftist Policy Decisions (Video)[*29] — Apparently she missed the part about not coveting anything that is your neighbor’s . . .

The Marmara incident in perspective [*30]

Governor Palin Urges Governor Jindal to Ignore Obama Administration Red Tape [*31]

Change! Democrats now report higher “debt stress” levels than Republicans [*32] — Hey, what exactly is that big thing that seems to be rushing towards me?

Census Workers Blow Whistle on Hiring Fraud [*33]

Bringing a knife to a gunfight [*34]

Israeli Soldier Describes Attack By ‘Peace Activists’: “They Wanted to Kill Us… Each One With a Knife In His Hand” [*35] — It seems to me an understandable response Israel could make at this point would be to re-occupy Gaza and destroy Hamas utterly.

Sestak Job Offer Violated Federal Law? [*36]

ABC’s George Stephanopoulos: A Profile in Media Courage [*37]

Obama to Support Israel on Gaza Blockade? [*38]

McGinniss: Beware the power of the fully operational Palin machine [*39] — Oh, noes! The mean people that I’m stalking are being mean to me! The horror!

Debating the 17th Amendment [*40] — Meanwhile, back among the adults of this country . . .

Associated Press: Bias? What Bias? [*41]

Supreme Court: Suspects have to explicitly invoke right to remain silent [*42] — My kneejerk reaction: this is a dangerous decision. Rights simply exist. They exist regardless of whether or not they are “invoked.” I would have to look at the actual facts of the case—if the defendant was not merely informed of his rights but asked “do you understand your rights? Do waive your rights?” this would solve the whole problem in a reasonable and equitable way. Any answers other than “No; Yes” mean that the police “interview” is over, and any further questioning is unconstitutional harassment. When in doubt, I go to the Volokh Conspiracy[*43] lawblog web site. Sadly, nothing there yet, as of 10:10 am CDT.

Interesting New Force Postulated in Physics: Destiny [*44] — This is what happens when science detaches itself from the reality of experimental verification of hypotheses . . .

Obama, Then, When He Thought Top Kill Worked: I Own This–Obama, Now, When Top Kill Has Failed: BP Owns This[*45] — Present!

Is It Any Wonder Why We Call Them “Lame”? [*46]

Neighborhood Busybody vs. the Handicapped

Turkish FM on flotilla: This is, like, our 9/11 or something [*47]

Squirrels Show Softer Side by Adopting Orphans, Study Finds [*48]

Uncovering the Mystery of a Major Threat to Wheat [*49]

Oh baby! Wildlife officials discover abandoned weeks-old elk left on doorstep of Oregon office [*50]

TV Food Advertisements Promote Imbalanced Diets, Study Finds [*51] — In other news, TV Newscasts promote fair, unbiased understanding of national and world events. Snort. TV is all about selling things–food, ideas–few of which are actually good for you.

Neanderthals walk into frozen Britain 40, 000 years earlier than first thought [*52]

The Mavi Marmara Incident on Film [*53]

Just try to tell me these thugs are “peace activists.” Just try. “Peace activists” don’t attack commandos as soon as they reach the bottom of a rappel line, like these thugs did.

Royal Society to Re-evaluate Position on Global Warming [*54]

Preserving Liberty: The Nation’s Greatest and Most Basic Purpose [*55]

Second Half of the ‘W’? [*56] — NOT about the previous President.

Old and busted: Paying your mortgage. New hotness: Living in foreclosure without paying anything. [*57]

Evidently He Watched the Video [*58]

Gallup: GOP Now Has Biggest Lead Over Democrats on Generic Congressional Ballot in History [*59]

Two Americas [*60]

SHOCKER: Tipper to divorce ManBearPig [*61] — Mentioned only in passing.

Chocolate may cut cholesterol but only in some people: study [*62]

How the Pauls (Ron and Rand) Are Reshaping Politics [*63]

A “Fiasco” in the post-modern sense [*64]

Royals end three-game skid with 6-3 victory over Angels [*65]

Science in science fiction, or how realistic should and can we be? [*66]

Schedule Stuff [*67] — SDSU women’s basketball, that is . . .

The Grand Jihad: A word from the author [*68]

Undercover Census Fraud Investigation: Louisiana [*69]

Arrested Gaza Flotilla ‘Peace Activists’ Are Al-Qaeda & Muslim Brotherhood Members; Have Record of Radicalism [*70]

“Peace Activists” on Gaza Flotilla Threw Stun Grenades – Beat Israeli Soldiers With Chains (Video) [*71]

Was Robert A. Heinlein a Libertarian? [*72] — not exactly . . .

Theodore Roosevelt and the Modern Presidency [*73]

12 Charts That Show The REAL State Of Unemployment In America [*74] — Or: We Are So Screwed.

Iomega Unveils Two New Mac-friendly, FireWire-Equipped Portable HDDs [*75]

Flotilla fallout – more thoughts [*76]

Gallup: GOP takes six-point lead in generic Congressional ballot [*77]

AT&T to end unlimited use mobile data plan [*78]

Russia says terrorists seeking nuclear materials [*79] — “And we might be willing to deal,” Russia continued.

Man who abandoned party, refused refunds suddenly very lonely guy; Update: Crist ally arrested [*80]

Obamacare: It’s Totally Going To Work! Trust Us! [*81]

Billionaire Entrepreneur Complains of Regime Uncertainty [*82]

Caffeine addicts get no real perk from morning cup [*83]

U.S. offers jobs grant to Florida space workers [*84] — An emergency grant. An EMERGENCY grant. What the hell is the emergency? It’s not as if people haven’t seen this coming for a long, long time . . .

Obama down to 46% in Gallup weekly poll [*85]

Outside the Beltway: Head Start Fraud [*86] — Government program; Doesn’t work; Rife with fraud. Head Start hits the trifecta.

Obama’s ‘Chicago Way’ plunders the private sector[*87]

One prime assumption of the Chicago Way is that there will always be a bounteous private sector that politicians can plunder endlessly.

When You Say Bud, You Have Not Said it All, Thank You Very Much [*88]

FTC to “reinvent” journalism[*89]

Morning Whip, June 2, 2010

Hey, a Whip! In the Morning!

OK, let’s get this out of the way right away:

Where the Old Flotilla Lay [*1] –This was a setup from “Day One.” These “humanitarian activists” are not after any noble goal. They are after the genocide of the Jews. Period. If you support them, you are supporting the completion of the Final Solution. Period. For once, this is not some rhetorical exaggeration. This is precisely what the “flotilla” is intended to advance. Surely you understand that, right? You’re not that stupid (or, to be charitable, that naive), are you? Are you?

Useful idiots on parade [*2] — And idiots need to be called idiots. If you support the “flotilla” in any way, shape, or form, you are one of two things: an idiot, or a genocidal monster. Which are you?

When paintballs weren’t enough [*3] — Lesson: Do not bring paintball guns to a jihad. The “flotilla” was a war crime. NOT the Israeli interception of the “flotilla,” but the “flotilla” itself. It was a military probing attack, hiding behind a false flag of “humanitarian aid.” That makes it a war crime. Frank Rich v. Peggy Noonan – compare and contrast “competent” [*4]

You reap what you sow. When you slam the opposition and their leader as incompetent (I recall that word used often by sitting Democratic leadership) you imply that if you’re elected, you won’t be incompetent. It’s his standard and right now he’s hoist on his own petard.

Police May be Monitored for Quality Control Purposes [*5]

While police and prosecutors have encouraged the growth of a surveillance state, they don’t seem so enthusiastic about the growth of a surveillance citizenry. Maryland and other states have recently seen privacy laws invoked to squelch the unauthorized recording of public officers performing public duties in public areas. Until courts put an end to those bogus claims, we should make sure that police officers know that we may monitor traffic stops to protect our rights . . .

US fears Pakistan’s power cuts are militants’ gain[*6]

The shortages began 10 years ago with a boom in consumer spending on household appliances that drove up electricity usage 15 percent in 2007 alone. It exposed deeply ingrained problems with the power supply – outdated transmission systems, widespread electricity theft, corruption and bureaucratic infighting that stalled power generation projects, and even outdated records that leave bills unpaid.

A Tired Propaganda Battle At Sea [*7]

Youth Poisoned Against Palin [*8]

Attacking the Heroine; Why? [*9]

In a recent post, I quoted a refrain from a country song that says, “people are crazy.” But in fact, not all people are crazy. It is mostly liberals who are stark raving mad. All the liberals I know claim to be feminists, so how can they support those who mutilate little girls and sanction forced marriages and wife beating?

Beats me. The mind of the liberal is inscrutable. Which, I think, is a polite word for stupid.

Pearls On Green Velvet [*10]

It is proper for the Commander-in-Chief to feel small before that sea of white stones, bright and pure as the stars in our flag. Let his head be lowered in the awesome presence of those who created and preserved the office he holds. Knowing he was inducted into that mighty company on the day of his election, let him waste no time seeking a higher honor, for he will never find one. The President should go to Arlington both to honor the dead, and learn from them.

Director’s Corner: Active Versus Reactive Characters [*11]

Writers on Writing, and Inspiration [*12]

“Where Do You Get Your Ideas?” [*13]

Further Thoughts on eReader apps for the iPad [*14]

I Have An Idea! Now What? [*15]

Final China quake toll near 3,000 dead and missing [*16]

A visible fall in US money M3 worries some analysts [*17]

Fair Share, Robert Reich v. Kudlow, Moore and America [*18]

Reich . . . just doesn’t accept that if you raise the costs on businesses and their owners, you deprive them of the very capital they need to survive, grow and add employees – let alone pay income tax. And that, in a nutshell, is why the welfare state of the Left which they have long sought is choking off American prosperity today.

German president quits in blow for Merkel [*19]

At Least Ten Killed as “Peace Activists” Attack Soldiers [*20]

After a point, more omega-3s don’t help the heart [*21]

Fact Checking The Palin Fence [*22] — The #1 argument that Sarah Palin (or Todd Palin, for that matter) would be a better President than Barack Obama: Not only do they know how to build a fence, they’ve got experience doing it. And, as the country continues to find out, experience does matter.

http://www.conservatives4palin.com/2010/05/fact-checking-palin-fence.html [*23] — “Celebrate Memorial Day?” Celebrate Memorial Day??? CELEBRATE? That is really, really sick.

Algal Blooms Hit the Poor of India Hard [*24]

New video: Flotilla passengers attack Israeli troops [*25]

Figures. Obama’s Terrorist Pal Bill Ayers & Top Bundler Jodie Evans Are Top Activists With Gaza Flotilla Group [*26]

Republican Roots of the 1964 Civil Rights Act [*27]

Middle Eastern Nukes and the Flotilla Fiasco [*28]

Missing piece found in particle puzzle: scientists [*29] — Neutrinos! Neutrinos!

Obama’s Memorial Day speech in Chicago rained out [*30] — Mother Gaia was, apparently, not pleased with The One.

A Blood Libel Unfolds in Real Time [*31]

The Gaza Flotilla Was Not About Aid [*32]

Hotline to History [*33]

There may be more firsts as China feels its oats. But they are not really firsts. The historical rivalries and differences are reasserting themselves and the Chinese and Japanese leaders were setting up an infrastructure to manage them. Max Boot argues that recent events have thrown cold water on naive notions that the Age of Aquarius was descending on northeast Asia. Despite its economic dynamism, the region remains a rough neighborhood. Even relatively left-wing governments are rediscovering that the Chinese dragon, while sleek, still breathes fire — and the North Korean Hermit Kingdom harbors a crazy man and not a sage.

Rahm to Bill to Joe: The former president as political cutout. [*34]

It’s possible that all we really have here is a case of the Obama White House playing Washington politics as usual, which the White House refused to admit for three months because this is what Mr. Obama promised he would not do if he became President. However, this is clearly what he hired Mr. Emanuel to do for him, and given his ethical record Mr. Clinton was the perfect political cutout. So much for the most transparent Administration in history.

Phase Two [*35] — Remember, “Islam” does not merely translate to “peace.” It more accurately translates to “submission.”

Peaceful Leftists & Pro-Hamas Thugs Beat IDF Soldiers With Pipes, Metal Rods & Chairs [*36]

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth gets a chance to put its pants on [*37]

Western Media Forgets to Mention That “Gaza Flotilla” Is a Terror-Linked Organization (Video) [*38]

Good news from Colombia [*39] — We were in Columbia just a couple of weeks ago–the Columbians seem very proud of their country. Of course, you can say that about most people in most countries in the world. Too bad we can’t say that about the current President of the United States . . .

Scientists Decipher Structure of Nature’s ‘Light Switch’ [*40]

U.S. believes it killed al Qaeda No. 3 [*41]

Israel deports flotilla activists after world outcry [*42]

GISS Deletes Arctic And Southern Ocean Sea Surface Temperature Data [*43] — Data? We don’t need no stinkin’ DATA! The Science Is Settled! Consensus! Consensus! (“And yet, it moves!”)