The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

The ObamaCare Quagmire

Posted on | November 4, 2013 | 60 Comments

“Obama: Anatomy of a World Leader,” by Alex Gray (detail)

“I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.”
— Barack Obama, June 3, 2008

Attempts by the White House and liberal media to spin their way out of this mess are failing almost as badly as ObamaCare itself.

The simple facts are against them, and the elaborate rationalizations cannot hide the truth. A quick sample of headlines today:

Health Consumers Finding Out
They Were Sold a Lemon
— Megan McArdle, Bloomberg

I had great cancer doctors and
health insurance. My plan was cancelled.
Now I worry how long I’ll live.
— Edie Littlefield Sundby, Wall Street Journal

Will Insularity, Incompetence,
and Lies Doom Obamacare?
— Ron Fournier, National Journal

Obamacare: Memo reveals health care adviser
warned W.H. was losing control 3 years ago
— CBS News

Feinstein: Hey, you could have kept your
plan … until we enacted ObamaCare
— Ed Morrissey, Hot Air

What this resembles, quite frankly, is the way George W. Bush’s popularity tumbled in his second term after the insurgency in Iraq started inflicting significant casualties on U.S. troops with no apparent end in sight. Bush was re-elected in 2004 because voters believed (by a relatively narrow majority) that we should “stay the course” in Iraq, and that the insurgency was being defeated. But as 2005 gave way to 2006 and the U.S. death toll in Iraq kept mounting, the perception began to grow that we had taken on an impossible task, that our troops were stuck in a pointless mission they could not win, and there was a political backlash that caught most Republicans by surprise.

ObamaCare is a quagmire, and Democrats have no exit strategy.

 

Category: Barack Obama, Health Care

Jesus Saves … Kirsten Powers?

Posted on | November 4, 2013 | 35 Comments

The headline at Hot Air caught my eye:

Kirsten Powers: My journey
from atheist to Christian

Whoa! Who saw this coming? Feminist Democrat gets Jesus?

It’s like picking up the paper and reading that Kim Jong Un has decided that free markets and democratic elections are the way to go.

Anyway, in her article in Christianity Today, Kirsten Powers credits a pastor, Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church on the Upper East Side of New York. What’s very interesting to me is the extent to which she confirms what I’ve long suspected about a certain type of atheist: It’s an intellectual thing, about self-image.

Christianity is profoundly unfashionable among college-educated young people. If there is no one in their lives who will speak up for the Gospel truth, peer pressure and popular culture will be the predominant influence. The supposedly radical individual, as atheists often like to think of themselves, is usually just following the herd. Here, let’s let Kirsten give her testimony:

I was so clueless about Christianity that I didn’t know that some Presbyterians were evangelicals. So when we arrived at the Upper East Side service of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, I was shocked and repelled by what I saw. I was used to the high-church liturgy of my youth. We were meeting in an auditorium with a band playing what I later learned was “praise music.” I thought, How am I going to tell him I can never come back?
But then the pastor preached. I was fascinated. I had never heard a pastor talk about the things he did. Tim Keller’s sermon was intellectually rigorous, weaving in art and history and philosophy. I decided to come back to hear him again. Soon, hearing Keller speak on Sunday became the highlight of my week. I thought of it as just an interesting lecture—not really church. I just tolerated the rest of it in order to hear him. Any person who is familiar with Keller’s preaching knows that he usually brings Jesus in at the end of the sermon to tie his points together. For the first few months, I left feeling frustrated: Why did he have to ruin a perfectly good talk with this Jesus nonsense?
Each week, Keller made the case for Christianity. He also made the case against atheism and agnosticism. He expertly exposed the intellectual weaknesses of a purely secular worldview. I came to realize that even if Christianity wasn’t the real thing, neither was atheism.
I began to read the Bible. . . .

You can read the whole thing. That Kirsten Powers is willing to frankly admit her ignorant prejudice — she was “clueless,” and shocked to discover that a Presbyterian minister could be “intellectually rigorous” — might just be a miracle, praise God.

 

 


Category: Religion

Vichy GOP Irritates Dan Riehl. Unwise.

Posted on | November 4, 2013 | 74 Comments

by Smitty

Over at Breitbart, “Did the NRSC’s Josh Holmes Just Cost Mitch McConnell His Primary?”

Sorry, Mitch. I honestly had considered using my little platform here to try and encourage friends and fans to give you a pass, while shifting more time and money over to taking out Landrieu in LA. Thanks to your hand-picked would-be henchman at the NRSC, Holmes, that’s now an impossible position for me to take and defend. If the many phone calls I’ve had both to and from other activists in the last two days are any indication, all Holmes did was energize and incentivize the very movement against you, which you so shortsightedly dispatched him to the NRSC to try and quash.

Sending Josh Holmes to the NYT to pronounce a fatwah against associates of the Senate Conservatives Fund helps to pull the Tea Party/GOP struggle into focus.

I myself had been a part of the Silent Majority for years, and only got dragged into blogging after seeing the Google Reader touted on Slashdot, picking up Instapundit as subscription, who linked a certain Revanchist, Seditious Madman, who apparently liked my gags enough to rope me in. That was a couple of centuries back, in internet years. Read more

Category: Dan Riehl, Kentucky, Mitch McConnell, Republicans

LIVE AT FIVE: 11.04.13

Posted on | November 4, 2013 | 12 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Both Sides Invoke Obama As Virginia Governor Race Gets Down To The Wire

Obama stumps for McAuliffe, calling on Virginians to think about the future

Both GOP and Democrats paint the other’s candidate as too extreme for the Commonwealth

Toronto Mayor Acknowledges “Mistakes” But Won’t Step Down
Rob Ford asks police to release controversial video

TSA Union Reacts To Screener’s Shooting At LAX
Wants armed guards at every checkpoint



POLITICS
Snowden’s Bid For Clemency Rejected

Edward Snowden

White House, Congressional intel committee heads say no deal

Obamacare’s Architect Says Rocky Rollout Not President’s Fault

Chuck U. Schumer Endorses Hillary In Iowa

Sen. Graham Vows To Block All Obama Nominees Until Benghazi Info Released

GOP Primary Fight For IL-13 Seat Turns Bitter, Pits Former Miss America Versus Old Guard

DC Next To Decriminalize Pot, Legalization To Follow?

Christie Gaining Coattails As Buono’s Base Bails

Romney Rips Obama’s “Dishonesty” On “Meet The (De)Press(ed)”



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Crude Oil Up Slightly In Asian Trade: NYMEX $94.70, Brent $106.16
Twitter Faces Skeptical Investors
Dallas Fed’s Fisher Says US Economy “Hogtied” By Government
PRC’s BYD To Hire More Workers At American Electric Bus Plant
Oracle Shareholders Turn (Symbolic) Thumbs Down On Ellison’s Pay
FTC Approves OfficeMax Merger With OfficeDepot
New Quality Complaints About Lululemon Pants
Bing, Twitter Continue Their Search Party
Patent Trolls Are Damaging The Economy
On Facebook, A Growing Teenage Wasteland
The Preview Is Over: Instagram Ads Are Here
Amazon Prime Members Can Now Get New E-Books Free



SPORTS
Jimmie Johnson Dominates Texas 500, Takes Control Of Chase

Jimmie Johnson celebrates his victory

Only Matt Kenseth remains in the running, seven points back with two races left

Texans Coach Kubiak Collapses At Halftime

Florida State Reclaims #2 In BCS Standings

Tigers Name Brad Ausmus To Succeed Leyland At Helm

Stars Top Sens In Shootout, 4-3


Seahawks Rally From 21 Down, Beat Bucs In OT

Pesky Celtics Outmanned In Paint, Fall To Pistons

Flames Edge Blackhawks In OT

Tom Brady Has Monster Game As Pats Dismantle Steelers 55-31

Lakers Blow 21-Point Lead, Hang On For Win Against Hawks

Browns Best Ravens For First Time In 11 Games, 24-18

Westbrook Returns, Makes Thunder Whole Again In 103-96 Win Over Suns

Dolphins Beat Bengals On OT Safety 22-20



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Britney Spears Opens Up About New Song “Perfume”

From the new album

“‘Perfume’ is incredibly special to me because it hits close to home, and I think the story is relatable to everyone.”


Oprah’s Yard Sale Raises $600K For Charity

Kristen Stewart Joins Tim Blake Nelson’s “Anesthesia”


Pamela Anderson Runs The NYC Marathon

Miley Caught Partying With Open Bottle In Back Of Car

Incredibly – No Video Of Chris Brown Fight

“Attack The Block”‘s Joe Cornish Beaming Up For “Star Trek 3”

Katy Perry And Niall Horan Celebrate Their (Fake) Engagement With A Selfie

Eva Longoria Has A New Boyfriend

“Ender’s Game” Wins The Weekend At Box Office With $28 Million

Civil Rights Group Pushes Lorne Michaels: Why No Black Women On SNL?



FOREIGNERS
Chicom Leaders To Begin Reform Summit As Economy Recovers
Egypt On Edge For Morsi Trial
13 Killed In Matamoros Shootouts
Anonymous Indonesia Targets Australian Websites To Protest Spy Revelations
Xinjiang Military Chief Purged By Chicoms
Israel To Build Security Barrier Between West Bank And Jordan
Kosovo To Vote Amid Serb Boycott Concerns
Karzai Criticizes Timing Of Taliban Leader’s Death By Droning
Boat Sinks As Muslims Try To Flee Burma; At Least 50 Feared Dead
ROK President Park: “No Purpose” To Japan Talks



BLOGS & STUFF
Blackmailers Don’t Shoot: This Extremely Interesting Week, Land Of The Dead Edition
Proof Positive: The Peasants Are Revolting, Class Of 2013, and One Payer To Rule Them All And In The Darkness Bind Them
American Power: Obama Lied – White House Aides Debated President’s “You Can Keep Your Plan” Pledge
American Thinker: The Silence Of The Left
The Necropolitan Sentinel: Obamacare Watch – The Swiss System and Just Read Charlie
Don Surber: Daylight Savings Scoreboard and Saving Obamacare Could Be Easy As Pie
Jammie Wearing Fools: Well, This Makes Sense – Obama Donor’s Firm Hired To Fix Website Mess It Helped Make
Pat Dollard: LA Billboard Featuring US Soldier And Burka-Clad Muslim Woman As Couple Sparks Outrage
Protein Wisdom: The Fear Is Palpable – Those Goddamn Teabaggers Won’t Just Fold Up And Go Home
Shot In The Dark: Let Me Get This Straight
The Jawa Report: MEMRI YouTube Account Suspended
The Lonely Conservative: SEALs Ordered To Remove “Don’t Tread On Me” Navy Jack From Uniforms
Megan McArdle: Why Obama’s “iPod Presidency” Was Doomed


The FMJRA and Rule 5 Monday will be posted later today.


Category: Live at Five

Youth Football Coach Charged With Raping Cheerleader When She Was 11

Posted on | November 3, 2013 | 37 Comments

The Philadelphia Inquirer:

A Bucks County man was charged Friday with allegedly raping a girl when she was between the ages of 11 and 13. Authorities said they are concerned about the possibility of more victims.
Keith Peschen is a former football coach and is the board president of the Levittown Lions, a youth football league with players and cheerleaders between the ages of 5 and 12.
Peschen, 37, of Peartree Lane in the Levittown section of Falls Township, faces charges that include rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, first-degree felonies each punishable by up 20 years in prison. . . .
The victim, now 17, reported the rape over the summer to Falls Township police, who began an investigation, court records state.
The girl’s mother and Peschen’s wife had met at a parent-teacher organization meeting, and the families became friends, police said. The girl also was on a cheerleading squad that was part of the youth football league, police said.
The assaults began when she slept over at his house to babysit his children and continued for two years, according to court records.

Cheerleaders raped by coaches — how common is this? You might be surprised, or not. Dallas, Texas:

A former Frisco [Texas] cheerleading coach was indicted [in June] by a Collin County grand jury on three counts of continuous sex abuse of a child younger than 14.
Kyle Austin Ware, 30, remain in the Collin County jail, where he has been since his arrest in April. U.S. Customs agents saw his name on a passenger manifest for an overseas flight bound for Paris and took him into custody at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. He had been trying to flee the country. His bail is set at $1.05 million.
The charges stem from Ware’s time working at Express Cheer & Dance in Frisco, police said. He left that gym in May 2011 to work as a tumbling coach for Cheer Athletics in Plano. He was fired from his coaching job there in May 2012 after an inappropriate text with an athlete.

Corvallis, Oregon:

A cheerleading coach who is a registered sex offender faces accusations he raped a 17-year-old cheerleader while she was unconscious under the influence of prescription medicine.
David A. Chatman, 38, faces charges of first degree rape and second degree sex abuse by a coach.
The alleged rape took place in September 2012 but didn’t come to light until the teen’s mother contacted the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office in March. . . .
Chatman was arraigned Monday [April 8]. He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
He is a registered sex offender based on a 2007 incident on an airplane involving a 16-year-old cheerleader, according to police. He was convicted in federal court of touching the girl as she slept on a plane.

Monterey, California:

A volunteer cheerleading coach at Monterey High School was arrested on charges of illegal sex with a minor, police announced Wednesday.
Gregory Aaron Uvalles, 22, of Watsonville was arrested late Tuesday [Sept. 10] in the Monterey High School parking lot, said Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Kevin McClelland. . . .
Uvalles was still in custody Wednesday in Monterey County Jail in lieu of $200,000 bail on four counts of alleged unlawful sex with a minor, usually known as statutory rape. He is specifically charged by police with being over the age of 21 while the victim was under age 16.

Albany, New York:

A Latham cheerleading and dance coach is accused of rape, in an alleged months-long sexual relationship with one of his students.
Colonie Police say 24-year-old Alexander “Sasha” Oouch had an eight month long relationship with a 14-year-old girl he coached at “X-Factor’s All-Star Cheer and Dance” gym. And police say Oouch was caught after friends of the girl found inappropriate pictures of the two, on his cell phone.

Heber Springs, Arkansas:

A cheerleading instructor remains in jail in Cleburne County after being accused of raping a 13-year-old girl. . . .
The affidavit shows allegations from the teenager said that while at the studio one night.
“Matthew unbuttoned her pants and pulled them down to her ankles,” and later “told her not to tell anybody about this.”
The alleged victim also told police through “text messages Matthew has ask her to have sex with him on different occasions,” this all before one night when “Matthew started having sex with her.” Then once again, she claimed “he told her not to say anything about this.”

 

Category: Crime, Sex

Cirque du Soleil: Why Do You Think They Call It ‘The Wheel of Death,’ Anyway?

Posted on | November 3, 2013 | 26 Comments

OK, for purposes of truth in advertising, maybe they should call it “The Wheel of Hospitalized in Stable Condition“:

LAS VEGAS — A Cirque du Soleil performer remains hospitalized after a fall during a show Friday night at the Aria resort on the Las Vegas Strip.
The performance company issued a statement Saturday saying the male artist was appearing in the “Wheel of Death” act during the 7 p.m. performance of “Zarkana” when he slipped and fell off the wheel.
The act features two people who perform high-risk feats atop and inside a pair of spinning wheels rotating high above the stage, including rope skipping and jumps.
The company says the show was halted and the performer was taken to University Medical Center, where he was in stable condition and expected to be discharged in the next few days.

In terms of career paths, this is one you probably want to avoid. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to retire and get a gold watch after 30 years of doing “The Wheel of Death.” Yeah, sure, it might be a cool thing for a while. Imagine going back to your 10th high school reunion:

“Oh, hi, Jennifer. What have you been up to?”
“Working in IT at an insurance agency. How about you, Sean?”
“I’m doing The Wheel of Death in Cirque du Soleil.”

Impressive in the near-term, sure. But there’s no future in it.

 

Category: Uncategorized

‘A Lengthy Criminal History’

Posted on | November 3, 2013 | 12 Comments

Is anyone really surprised?

Aurora police arrested a man they suspect kidnapped an 8-year-old girl from her bedroom on Monday.
John Stanley Snorsky, 26, of Aurora has been charged with first- and second-degree burglary and second-degree kidnapping, according to Aurora police. . . .
Snorsky has a lengthy criminal history, including armed burglaries and violent crimes with use of a weapon, according to records.
Officers were called to a home in the 1600 block of Hanover Street at about 12:15 a.m. Monday. Police believe the suspect removed a screen, opened the unlocked window and grabbed the girl. Police said he likely saw the light in her room and had been watching her. The girl struggled and was able to escape his grasp. When her father tried to confront the suspect, he fled.

A series of minor crimes and then, one day, without notice, the petty criminal escalates and commits a crime that makes national news.

Thank goodness that girl got away. A lot of them don’t.

 

Category: Crime

LAX Shooter: Some Kind of Kook

Posted on | November 3, 2013 | 33 Comments

There’s this weird little game going on between the Justice Department and the media where bits and pieces of LAX gunman Paul Ciancia’s one-page manifesto keep getting leaked out, and yet it seems no one has the entire note. So the shooter supposedly ranted about the “New World Order” and “fiat currency,” which is being interpreted by some as evidence of a right-wing motive — except, no it’s not: It’s Jared Loughner and Zeitgeist all over again.

Perhaps you’ve forgotten how Loughner, the 2011 Tucson shooter,  was a big fan of the pseudo-“documentary” Zeitgeist, which wraps up 9/11 Truther stuff in a lot of conspiracy theory crap about bankers, “fiat currency,” and other such paranoid kook stuff.

Now, the New York Times:

James Mincey, who told ABC News that he was a former roommate, said he met Mr. Ciancia for lunch a week before Friday’s attack.
>“He would always talk about documentaries he would watch about whatever, but there was never any kind of hatred, or any hatred group, or anything like that,” Mr. Mincey told ABC News.

 “He would always talk about documentaries he would watch”?

Hey, what kind of “documentaries” was Ciancia watching?

And while we’re at it, did Ciancia like to smoke a little weed, play a lot of video games? Because it seems to me we’ve had kind of a streak of incidents like this, going back nearly 15 years to the Columbine massacre, all of which involve a general category of perpetrators: Creepy little weirdos, mentally ill or borderline cases, who like to get high and play video games, and who go off the rails without anyone much noticing because who are we to judge? It’s those Strange Young Men:

My theory is that non-judgmentalism and the ACLU-inspired concern about the rights of suspected criminals have been diffused so deeply and widely throughout our culture that people are afraid to pay attention to their common-sense hunches, or to act on their suspicions about people whose behavior is, in fact, genuinely suspicious.”

People need to be paying attention to this, but they’re not.

 

 


Category: Conspiracy Theories, Crime
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