Month: January 2014

Gas Leak Suspected Cause of Minneapolis ‘Little Mogadishu’ Explosion, Fire

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Lee Stranahan pointed out that the Minneapolis neighborhood where there was an explosion and fire Wednesday is known as “Little Mogadishu” because of its largely Somali population. The building where the blast happened is next door to a mosque. Concern about a possible terror connection seems logical, but officials tell the Minneapolis Star-Tribune they believe the explosion was an accident:

Investigators believe that the fire that tore through a three-story apartment building in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood on New Year’s Day was caused by a natural gas leak, according to sources familiar with the probe.
While no final determination has been made, a source close to the law enforcement investigation said that it is believed that the initial explosion occurred at the ground level of the building.
Homeland Security personnel were on the scene in the aftermath of the fire that sent 14 people to hospitals, six in critical condition.
They were there to determine if there was anything suspicious about the explosion. But investigators believe that the description of a fireball and early evidence at the scene match what typically happens in a gas explosion, investigators believe, the source said.

(The involvement of DHS investigators shows how obvious it was to suspect this might have been a terror-related incident.)

In addition to trying to determine the cause, authorities searched the late-1800s building for the handful of residents still unaccounted for a day later. . . .
At least 14 people were injured, six critically in the explosion and fire about 8:15 a.m. Wednesday that destroyed an immigrant-owned grocery store and the 10 apartments above it in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. . . .
Family members and friends reported that three or four others known to have lived in the apartments have not been located and were feared dead. . . .
The building housed the Otanga grocery store. The apartments above it were apparently all occupied by single men, most of them East African immigrants, a resident said.

So far, then, this seems to be merely an accident.

 


New Ads Target Senators: ‘It’s Time to Be Honest: ObamaCare Doesn’t Work’

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Three vulnerable incumbent Democrat senators are the targets of a new advertising campaign by Americans for Prosperity (AFP) that takes aim at the unpopular ObamaCare program. “It’s the ‘Lie of the Year,’ and Senator Shaheen kept telling it,” says the AFP ad targeting New Hampshire Sen. Jane Shaheen. “The truth is, thousands have already had their insurance canceled. Families are paying more for expensive health plans and facing hour-long drives just to see a doctor. . . . Tell Senator Shaheen: It’s time to be honest. ObamaCare doesn’t work.”

Similar ads are airing against Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) and Sen. Kay Hagen (D-North Carolina) in a three-week campaign.

“President Obama repeatedly promised Americans that they could keep their current health care plans and doctors if they chose, but millions have found out the hard way that this was the Lie of the Year,” said AFP president Tim Phillips. “We’re putting pressure on senators who repeated that lie and doubled down on ObamaCare even as it became obvious that the law was hurting millions of Americans. The story of ObamaCare is one of less choice, rising premiums, and broken promises. AFP is committed to a long-term effort to stop this law.”

You can learn more at AmericansForProsperity.org or follow them on Twitter at @AFPhq.

 

In The Mailbox, 01.02.14

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— compiled by Wombat-socho


OVER THE TRANSOM
First Street Journal: Syria – We Never Had Control
Doug Powers: Heh – Obama’s Pollster Suggests Reporters Avoid Citing Polling Data In 2014
Twitchy: Attention, Parents – It’s No Longer Safe To Let The Kids Stay Up To Watch The Ball Drop
Ann Coulter: The Anus Monologues


RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
American Power: Obama’s Philosophy Seeks To Destroy Life, Liberty, Property, And The Pursuit Of Happiness
American Thinker: The Roberts Trap Is Sprung
The Necropolitan Sentinel: Brain Escapes Open Mind
Don Surber: 2013 – The Year Of People Living Stupidly
Jammie Wearing Fools: Survey Shows Of NY Businesses Shows That Not A Single One Now Has Lower Obamacare Costs
JustOneMinute: When Your Name Is Your Destiny
Pat Dollard: Huckabee – Lindsey Graham Is “A Conservative Champion Of Peace Through Strength”
Protein Wisdom: 2014 Inaugural Fundraiser – Give, Don’t Give, Whatever
Shot In The Dark: Geneology
The Lonely Conservative: Hollywood – Capitalism For Me But Not For Thee!
This Ain’t Hell: The IG Gets One Right – And Gets Ignored


Bill Schmalfeldt’s Poor Judgment

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Kimberlin Unmasked called attention to a bizarre recent post in which Bill Schmalfeldt indulged in a violent revenge fantasy:

If two shitheads like Aaron Walker and John Hoge did what they did to Tetyana Kimberlin, they would have been visited at their homes by the Schmalfeldt brothers. It would have been one on one, with fists, and it would not be pretty. The three brothers would have stood by while I gave the shithead the beating of his life. Then, we would go to the other shithead’s house and repeat, lather, rinse and repeat.

That snippet inspired me to investigate further, and I discovered this weird interpretation of events by Schmalfeldt (no link):

To come between a man and his wife, to work SO HARD to entice the wife into leaving her husband and run off with a PIZZA BOY! To EXCUSE his theft of a car. To PAY HER LEGAL FEES as long as she tells the lies they wanted her to tell. I thank God that she came to her senses.  . . .
You fucked with a man’s family, boys. You did it, and there’s no denying it. Tonya spilled the beans. And when you couldn’t have HER lie for you, you just went ahead and lied on your own.

It would appear that Bill Schmalfeldt is relying on Brett Kimberlin’s version of events for this counterfactual narrative, which can be disproven quite easily. No one had to “entice” Tetyana Kimberlin to “run off with a PIZZA BOY” — why all-caps, Bill? — because she did that before Aaron Walker or John Hoge ever met her. You can read this from the court documents filed by Brett Kimberlin, Tetyana Kimberlin and Tetyana’s boyfriend Jay Elliott:

B. Kimberlin v. Elliot Petition for Peace Order 7.9.13 (OCR) by AaronWorthing

Elliot v. B. Kimberlin Petition for Peace Order 7.9.13 (OCR) by AaronWorthing

T. Kimberlin v. B. Kimberlin Petition for Protective Order 7.9.13 (OCR) by AaronWorthing

All of these documents were filed by the parties themselves, without any influence by Walker, Hoge or anyone else.

Schmalfeldt’s belief in Brett Kimberlin’s assertions to the contrary — which are the burden of the million-dollar Maryland lawsuit Kimberlin v. Walker, et al. — evidences a foolish trust in Brett Kimberlin. And as to Schmalfeldt’s claim that Tetyana “spilled the beans,” what does Schmalfeldt mean by this? Does he mean (as I suspect) that he is relying on hearsay from Brett Kimberlin?

Does Bill Schmalfeldt even bother to paying attention to facts to determine the sequence of events? Look here:

  1. Brett Kimberlin v. Jay Elliot — filed July 6.
  2. Jay Elliott v. Brett Kimberlin — filed July 7.
  3. Tetyana Kimberlin v. Brett Kimberlin — filed July 7.

In other words, Brett Kimberlin himself started this, by filing a petition for a peace order against Tetyana’s boyfriend. It was Brett Kimberlin who decided to make his wife’s estrangement a matter of public record. Jay and Tetyana then responded the next day to Brett’s court action, and all of this took place July 6-7.

As to what happened after that, I suppose Bill Schmalfeldt is relying on the false allegations in Brett Kimberlin’s lawsuit and/or misrepresentations of Tetyana’s words and actions that Brett makes during “Team Kimberlin” conversations with Schmalfeldt.

Here’s a tiny little clue for Bill Schmalfeldt: I take notes.

Your ridiculous threats and phony expressions of chivalrous umbrage on behalf of Tetyana Kimberlin — a person whom you were quite willing to defame as mentally ill in July — neither deceive me nor intimidate me, Bill Schmalfeldt, and your poor judgment in trusting Brett Kimberlin is further proof that you are an utter fool.

As if further proof were needed . . .

 

Holiday Tradition, Texas-Style

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Marcos Berrios was doing “mechanical work” in the backyard of his Conroe, Texas, home. On the front porch, he had a bunch of fireworks for the family’s New Year’s Eve celebration, and his 10-year-old daughter decided to start celebrating early by shooting roman candles.

And so in years to come, whenever the Berrios family gathers for the holidays, somebody is sure to say, “Hey, y’all, remember that year when Rebecca burned down the house?”

God bless Texas.

 

In The Mailbox, 01.01.14

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— compiled by Wombat-socho


OVER THE TRANSOM
The Looking Spoon: Best Captions For “What Is This Little Girl Saying To Obama?”
Blackmailers Don’t Shoot: Camille Paglia And Her Problems
Dead Republican Party: The Greatest Enemy Of Collectivism
Michelle Malkin: The Gifts Of Jahi
Twitchy: “Disgusting” – NBC Viewers Not Amused By Actress Natasha Leggero’s Mockery Of Pearl Harbor Vets


RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
American Power: Terror Lawyer Lynne Stewart Released From Federal Prison
American Thinker: House Resolution Of No Confidence – Obama’s Conviction Without Eviction
The Necropolitan Sentinel: The Party Of Al Sharpton And Jesse Jackson Says I’m An Anti-Semite
Jammie Wearing Fools: It’s Come To This – Pro-Life Banners In San Francisco Attacked As Hate Speech
JustOneMinute: Leave It To The No Fun League
Pat Dollard: Radical Communist Bill De Blasio Sworn In As 109th Mayor Of NYC
Protein Wisdom: 2014 Begins Predictably
Shot In The Dark: It’s The 2013 Shootie Awards!
The Jawa Report: Yes, I Might Just Beat You To Death With Your Own Machine Gun
The Lonely Conservative: Crony Capitalism And The Light Bulb
This Ain’t Hell: Marine Pullup Controversy Continues
Megan McArdle: Signs That Obamacare Is Not Dead Yet?


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Prediction: 2014 Will Be Even Crazier

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The spiraling descent into insanity continues:

Egyptian Astrologer Warns: In 2014, Saturn
Enters Sagittarius, Making Jews Stronger

You’re not really paranoid unless you fear your scapegoat — on whom you blame all your problems — is becoming more powerful. This is why Media Matters and Think Progress and MSNBC exist, to play upon the fears of leftists by telling them the dreaded right-wing conspiracy is secretly scheming against them (which, of course, we are).

The past year was crammed full of dangerous unpredictable craziness and never mind the fact that I’m getting sued for $1 million by a convicted bomber. A glance through the archive of my columns at The American Spectator reflects the widespread insanity:

That’s not even a complete list, but merely a few highlights of the escalating intensity of Fear and Loathing during 2013. That list doesn’t even include the cartoon vagina that aims to eradicate the “cultural stigma” against masturbation.

And, of course, 2013 was the year I got sued by a convicted bomber. My co-defendant John Hoge recaps the highlights of craziness from Team Kimberlin and, I should point out, Brett Kimberlin contends that it is defamation merely to assert the existence of Team Kimberlin because . . . Well, because he’s crazy.

My co-defendant Ali Akbar ended 2013 by apologizing for being mean:

I was forced to wonder why this odd group of folks, some friends, had assembled to come against me. Why even waste the time? Many of these people have directly benefitted from some of the charitable work I’ve done.
Two friends helped me come to the conclusion: I’m a mean person.

This is like rain apologizing for being wet. Ali wakes up in the morning and smites half a dozen enemies before breakfast. I’ve tried to warn him of the importance of keeping one’s Enemies List short.

You can’t declare war on People Who Merely Get On Your Nerves, because some of those people could be useful allies in your war against People Who Deliberately Fucked You Over. And even some of the People Who Deliberately Fucked You Over might be helpful in future conflicts with Worthless Scum Who Should Die.

Success in life does not consist in plotting revenge against an ever-lengthening list of enemies, but rather in being so helpful to your friends that everybody wants to be your friend — except Worthless Scum Who Should Die, and everybody hates them anyway.

 

BomberSuesBloggers.com




 

‘The Central Prob. of Obamacare Will Not Yield to Technical or Rhetorical Solutions’

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by Smitty

Thus asserts Micheal Gerson in the WaPoo.

The central problem of Obamacare will not yield to technical or rhetorical solutions. President Obama sold it to Americans as a plan with no losers. But it is a redistribution program, creating both winners and losers. And many of the losers in Obamacare consider themselves middle class. This realization may eventually lead a number of elected Democrats to favor serious revisions.

Two challenges I have with the first sentence in this paragraph:

  1. That anybody thinks the federal government should have this task at all is nuts. The best defense of ObamaCare is that it was the final step in the lemming march off the cliff of Progress.
  2. That anybody thinks the government ‘solves’ anything, ever, is daft. Government maintains problems; the actual solutions are in the glove compartment of Godot’s car, which, regrettably, has been delayed.

Progressivism is an old man, stricken with Alzheimer’s, on the cusp of dementia, that cannot grasp the reality of his time having passed. ObamaCare’s swath of economic destruction is going to continue to claim victims. As the year drags on, the employer mandate is going to loom, the Democrats are going to lie, and the codpiece media is going to protect them. Wash, rinse, repeat. That old man isn’t going to the retirement home easily.

The central problem for the GOP is a split political personality. For congressional Republicans, ideological timidity is a reasonable, short-term electoral strategy. For Republicans concerned about retaking the presidency in 2016, it is wholly insufficient. There is an urgent need to reposition the party among minorities, women and the young. Pointing and laughing at the failures of Obamacare will not be a sufficient governing vision.

Gerson has the right of it. That old Progressive coot needs to be put out to pasture. It’s time for reform. The inability to offer something, anything, in the way of reform, I would argue, has been the real driver in depressing conservative turnout in the last two Presidential elections. We need this ObamaCare horse boiled down for glue; the suspicion was that Romney was going to get his veterinarian on.

Don’t stand there holding the coats while the IRS stones the Tea Party, GOP: either

  1. have your Road to Damascus moment, and get on the reform bandwagon, or
  2. stand by to join the ObamaCare horse at the glue factory.

Jake Tapper reports that 40k new laws are kicking in today. I know some incumbents needing kicked out in November if that death-by-red-tape situation isn’t improved.