The Other McCain

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

Joe Biden Invents Phony Gun Statistics — Because SHUT UP HATERS, That’s Why!

Posted on | April 18, 2013 | 49 Comments

Stephen Gutowski describes the goofball’s latest anti-gun idiocy:

By combining, apparently in his head and on the fly, the demonstrably inaccurate “80,000 plus people a year” with the debunked claim that 40% of gun sales in America don’t require a background check, Mr. Biden reaches the completely unverifiable claim that “between 30,000 and 50,000 who get a gun who are not qualified. Probably higher.” That claim, the child of two other blatantly inaccurate claims used to forward gun control agendas, is, of course, itself used to forward a gun control agenda.

Facts? Logic? Who needs silly stuff like that, when you’ve got President AngryPants ranting against his opponents as moral inferiors? Besides, there’s always “shameless emotional bullying — political necromancy,” and the familiar “absolute moral authority” of victimhood employed to silence rational policy debate.

Our political, academic and media elites deliberately foment this atmosphere of hysterical emotionalism that empowers, for example, the insufferably smug Lawrence O’Donnell to blame the NRA — ! — for the Boston Marathon bombing.

The decadent creatures who would rule over us are forever “Hijacking crises for fun and profit,” as Ed Morrissey says. Or, more to the point, they are hijacking crises to augment their power and enhance their narcissistic enjoyment of imaginary superiority to the rest of us.

 


Category: Joe Biden, Media Bias, Terrorism

LIVE AT FIVE: 04.18.13

Posted on | April 18, 2013 | 5 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Mississippi Man Arrested In Ricin Letters Case

A PG County fireman in a protective suit enters a decontamination are a after tests in the Hyattsville mail handling facility

A PG County fireman in a protective suit enters a decontamination area after tests in the Hyattsville mail handling facility

Suspect arrested at his home in Corinth

Ten States Threaten EPA With Lawsuit
Agency has failed to issue guidelines on greenhouse gas emissions

Senate Shoots Down Gun Control Measures
Bipartisan vote triggers Obama tantrum



POLITICS
Senator Max Baucus Says Obamacare Heading For Train Wreck

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) addresses the Montana state legislature

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) addresses the Montana state legislature

Coauthor of Affordable Care Act rakes HHS Secretary Sebelius over coals for implementation failures


Gosnell Murder Trial: Grisly Testimony Of “Abortions Gone Wrong”


Supremes Nix Mo. Warrantless Blood Tests In DUI Cases

Military Court Ruling Upholds Secrecy In Wikileaks Trial

Boston Bomb Suspects Spotted On Video; No Arrests Yet

Police: Wife Says Disgraced Former JP Killed Kaufman County DA And Wife

SecDef Hagel Cancels Proposed Distinguished Warfare Medal For Drone Pilots, Cyberwarriors



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Crude Falls Below $88 As IMF Lowers Global Growth Outlook: NYMEX $87.99, Brent $99.27
Yen Remains Higher After Japanese Cut Foreign Debt Holdings
Apple Shares Drop Below $400 On Fears Of Slowing Sales
Cerberus’ Feinberg Said To Weigh Bid For Freedom Group
India Rushes To Buy Gold As Prices Fall
EBay Grows 1Q Earnings But Outlook Falls Short
Fed Says “Moderate” Growth Across U.S. Led By Housing
Why Dish Is Playing Hardball For Sprint
Google Will Brick Glasses If Owners Resell Or Loan Them Out
Nintendo’s Fils-Aime: 3DS Performance Very Strong
Provo Utah Is Next City For Ultrafast Google Fiber
Evernote CEO: We Want To Build Hardware
Iceland Gets Anti-Incest App
ACLU Claims Slow Smartphone Updates Are Privacy Threat
Samsung Considering DRAM Chips From Apple Supplier SK Hynix
Hands On With The Toshiba Kirabook: Can Great Hardware Coupled With An Amazing Display Save Windows PCs?
Spain’s Siri-Challenger Sherpa Learns English, Arrives In The U.S.



SPORTS
Anthem Unites Boston Fans

Lakers Back Into Playoffs As Jazz Fall To Grizzlies

Even Without Crosby, Pens Pound Habs 6-4

Royals Snap Braves’ Win Streak

Timbermutts Finally Break San Antonio Losing Streak

Burnett Takes No-No Into Seventh As Bucs Blank Cardinals 5-0

Raptors End Season With Rout Of Celtics 114-90

Nationals Rake For Ross, Thrash Marlins 6-1



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Gwyneth Paltrow Named Most Hated Celebrity In Hollywood

The winner!

The winner!

Beats out Anne Hathaway, Kristen Stewart in Star magazine poll

Will Smith In “Focus” For Warner Brothers

“Snow White And The Huntsman” Set For 2015 Sequel

Kelly Osbourne: My Body Isn’t Perfect, But I Love It

MSN, XBox Eye “Heroes” Revival

“Friends” Reunion Will Never, Ever Happen Says Co-Creator

260-Pound Teen Sues Rachael Ray Show: They Made Me Take A Hike!

Whoopi Goldberg Doesn’t Care Who Replaces Behar And Hasselbeck On “The View”



FOREIGNERS
Pentagon Sending Additional Troops To Jordan
Iran Condemns Boston Marathon Bombing
Egypt: Mubarak Going Back To Prison From Hospital
Burma Opposition Leader Says Reforms Depend On Military
Bangalore Blast Fake Mobike Number Foxes Cops
Burgeoning IT Sector Aims To Reverse Palestinian Economic Rot
Senate Committee Passes Resolution To Back Israel In War with Iran
Venezuelan Judge Rejects Call For Election Recount



BLOGS & STUFF
ChartGirl: Give It Arrest
Senator Ted Cruz: Assault Weapons Ban Fails, 2nd Amendment Prevails
Lonely Conservative: Manchin-Toomey Amendment Voted Down In The Senate
Twitchy: Obama Lashes Out
Power Line: Are Benghazi Whistle-Blowers Starting To Talk?
Breitbart: Sealed Sanford Divorce Records Leaked To AP
NRO Online: NRCC Withdraws Support For Sanford A Month Before Election
Shark Tank: Move Over ObamaPhone – Say Hola! To The MarcoPhone
PJ Tatler: SPLC Got It Wrong, Police Charge Wife Of Jailed JP With Capital Murder
Just One Minute: Tom Friedman Continues His Journey To Insanity
Atlas Shrugs: Saudi Terror Cell, Possibly Al Qaeda. Behind Boston Marathon Bombings – Manhunt For Escaped Suspect
Ed Driscoll: Old Media Botches Story, Plays Victim Card
Nate Silver: Why Weiner’s Mayoral Bid Is A Long Shot

James Pethokoukis: Now What For Reinhart-Rogoff And The Case For Austerity?
Legal Insurrection: You Mean The Media Didn’t Want To Report About Aborted Babies Stuck In Toilets And Plumbing?


Live At Five will be on hiatus until Wednesday, April 24. Smitty has graciously agreed to do the FMJRA this weekend, so send him your links – I won’t guarantee I’ll forward any links that show up in my mailbox, as I’ll be in Minnesota, surrounded by half-pretty girls half-dressed to show it.


Category: Live at Five

TV Won’t Show You the Pictures, But the Reddit/4Chan Guys Have Apparently ID’d the Boston Marathon Bombing Suspects

Posted on | April 17, 2013 | 31 Comments

After watching Fox and CNN dance around the subject — “We’ve seen the photos that the FBI doesn’t want released to the public” — and doing some careful comparison of descriptions available here and there . . .

Yep, I guess these are the (alleged) bombers the feds are after.

So, if the feds don’t want the suspects to get spooked by what’s on cable TV, then they must be hoping the (alleged) bombers don’t have Internet access — despite the fact that these guys (allegedly) built bombs based on plans they (allegedly) found on the Internet.

Does this make sense?

Go look at the photo slideshow of yourselves, Guys With Heavy-Looking Backpacks Near the Marathon Finish Line!

And if the FBI gets mad at me for pointing out the ridiculous stupidity of pretending we can’t add 2 + 2 and get “4,” hey, I’m just a blogger in my pajamas, not a million-dollar-a-year cable-TV news star. SWAT me, OK?

 

Category: Terrorism

Rule 5 Wednesday: Once More Into The Bleach

Posted on | April 17, 2013 | 16 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Because Debbie Harry was awesome hot back in the day, when I was a young joey.

Def, blonde, but not dumb in the least.

Def, blonde, but not dumb in the least.

First, some administrivia: there will be no Rule 5 Sunday this coming weekend, but please continue to submit links for the Month-End Double Stuf Makeup Edition on April 29. As for this week’s belated parade of pulchritude, insert the standard disclaimer here.

Laughing Conservative hits the beach with Emily Ratajkowski, Subject To Change has some ladies in the kitchen, and Randy’s Roundtable chips in with Sarah Stephens. Ninety Miles From Tyranny contributes Lingerie Ladies and a Morning Mistress, and Mark Krikorian suggests this Daily Mail article on a controversial brassiere study. FOR SCIENCE! Fishersville Mike notes the imminent arrival of Jana Kramer, and Animal Magnetism is back with Rule Five Friday and the Saturday Gingermageddon.  Lowering The Boom adds some Kate Upton to the mix, and EBL remembers Annette Funicello. Also, Everyone Link Dan Collins Day with bonus art by Rubens!

A View From The Beach posted Ana Beatriz Barros, Bras Are Bad, Progress! (Kentucky), Best Werewolf Prank Ever, more on Ashley Judd, Topless Protester Confronts Shirtless President, Japanese Weirdness, and The Big Night.

Soylent Green started with the Monday Motivationer, followed by Afternooner 8, Tuesday Titillation Bambi, Humpday Hawtness, Evening Awesome Red Riding Hood, Falconsword Fursday Vintage, Chain Bra Linky Love Barking Moonbat Early Warning System, Not So Snow White, Overnighty Hillary, Corsetcare Confabulation, Evening Awesome Kimberly, Mornin’ Muffin, and the Chain Bra Linky-Love Reach-Around: RSM.

Proof Positive’s Friday Night Babe was Radha Mitchell, his Vintage Babe was Ginger Rogers, and Sex in Advertising this week is Refreshingly Brazilian! At Dustbury, it’s Paulina Porizkova.

The DaleyGator’s DaleyBabes included Shay Diggs, Zulay Henao, Pat Benatar, Momoka Kanou, Catalina White, random hotness, Marielle Roselli, Lisa Morales, Tamala Jones, Maya Koizumi, Jayde Nicole, Caitlyn Winters, and Christine Nguyen.

Thanks to everyone for their linkagery! Submissions for the April 29 Double-Stuf Month-End Rule 5 Sunday are due in the Rule 5 Wombat mailbox no later than Saturday, April 28.


Category: Blogging, Rule 5

BREAKING: Cable TV News Airheads Screwed Up a Major Story, Again

Posted on | April 17, 2013 | 25 Comments

So, I was working on this story:

Chinese Student Lu Lingzi, 23, Identified as
Third Victim Killed by Boston Marathon Bombing

When a certain blonde woman on cable TV news began informing me (and you and a lot of other people) that a suspect in the Boston marathon bombing had been identified from video. And I kept working on the story I was working on, because that’s what you do: Finish one story before starting another. Besides, after years in this business, I’ve gotten used to the rapid-fire breathless bulletins on TV news. It’s what they do, and their 24/7 urgency does not impose on me a necessity to react with panic.

But then the phone rang: “Are you watching this?”

Yeah, I said, I’m watching it, and I’ll get on it as soon as I finish the story I’m working on. The lunatic idea that we have to update faster than the Drudge Report, on a story that everybody in the freaking world is covering,  is a misconception that needs to be explained, but I don’t have time for that today. As of this moment, here’s the headline:

BREAKING: FBI DENIES ARREST OF
BOSTON BOMBING SUSPECT REPORTEDLY
IDENTIFIED FROM VIDEOS

Right now, I’m watching CNN, where Anderson Cooper is trashing the sources who gave him the bad tip. Here’s the FBI’s official denial. A press conference is scheduled at 5 p.m. ET. I’ve been tweeting my frustrations:

You’d think these people would learn something from this, but then I guess I still haven’t learned that “CNN reports” doesn’t really count for much . . .

Journalism and terrorism: Related phenomena? Discuss.

 


 

PREVIOUSLY:

Category: Journalism, Terrorism

Pressure Cooker: In Hunt for Bombing Suspects, Speculation Runs Rampant

Posted on | April 17, 2013 | 24 Comments

This morning’s headline at ViralRead:

Photos Show Pressure-Cooker Bomb Remnants;
FBI Hunts Suspects in Boston Marathon Bombing

Trying to focus on the crucial facts of the story can be difficult, when cable TV news is full of time-filling chatter about things that aren’t actually news, alternating with the dramatic reiteration of banal facts that everybody with Internet access knew about 12 or 18 hours ago. Three people killed. Legs blown off. Seventeen people hospitalized in critical condition. “A city mourns.” All of this chatter from talking heads, while the familiar video footage rolls on split-screen.

Damn, I hate TV news.

Meanwhile, the New York Times does some good reporting:

The scale of the attack and the crude nature of the explosives, coupled with the lack of anyone claiming to have been the perpetrator, suggested to experts that the attacker could be an individual or a small group rather than an established terrorist organization. …
Nonetheless, a senior law enforcement official said that authorities were also looking into connections between pressure cookers and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Qaeda franchise in Yemen, largely because the design of the explosive device was described in a 2010 issue of the group’s online English magazine, Inspire.
“The pressurized cooker is the most effective method,” the article said. “Glue the shrapnel to the inside of the pressurized cooker.” The article was titled “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.” ….
Rudimentary explosive devices made from pressure cookers have been widely used in attacks in Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Pakistan, all countries where the cooking device is common, according to a Department of Homeland Security warning notice issued in 2010.
But they have occasionally turned up in attacks in the United States as well:Faisal Shahzad, an American citizen who attempted a car-bomb attack on Times Square in May 2010, had a pressure cooker loaded with 120 firecrackers among the improvised explosives in his S.U.V. The devices smoked but never exploded.

Watching TV last night — no need to identify the particular cable-news host, since they’re all equally idiotic nowadays — I heard the question asked, What does the type of bomb tell us about why someone did this?

The honest answer would have been, “Absolutely nothing,” but the guest “expert” said something a bit more clever than that, because saying clever things — rather than honest things — is what TV news is about.

Look: I understand the desire to know the motive behind this atrocity, but until we know who did it, we can’t possibly know why they did it and, in remarking the media’s premature obsession with “why,” Da Tech Guy is compelled to quote Monty Python dialogue.

That’s how blatant the media’s absurdity has become: We cannot understand it except in terms of its joke value.

Complaining about media, however, is not news, so I don’t have much time for it today, except to briefly note the exemplary douchebaggery of Salon’s David Sirota, the guy who says it is crucially important that a “white American” be apprehended for this terrorist deed.

Is there any depth of indecency
that the Left will not plumb?

Yeah, that sums it up pretty good, although it must be admitted that some conservatives were a bit too quick to jump on the reports that a Saudi student was a suspect. Of course, those reports were  based on actual facts — cops grabbed this guy running from the scene of the bombings and served a search warrant at his apartment — rather than mere political convenience, but I kept emphasizing the obvious truth that we don’t know jack shit yet.

There is a regrettable tendency to play Internet Detective in situations like this, to imagine that bloggers can solve the mystery by clicking around the Web, even while there is an entire Joint Terrorism Task Force — experienced professionals with direct access to evidence — working night and day to find the perpetrators of this horrible act.

Who did it? What do we know? Both Ed Driscoll and Allahpundit have examined the mystification of “experts,” one of whom, Mark Pitcavage, is a ridiculous academic douchebag who got a million-dollar federal grant from Janet Reno’s DOJ back in the 1990s to train law enforcement about the dangers of domestic right-wing militias, thus wasting money to completely distract cops from the kind of terrorists who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks — but NEVER FUCKING MIND THAT, OK?

Angry? Never mind. My anger is irrelevant at this point, and both Pitcavage and his fellow “hate” expert Mark Potok seem to be correct in saying that there’s something screwy about this bombing attack on the Boston Marathon. It seems too puny and crude to be an Al-Qaeda attack, nor does the targeting of this event seem to fit the profile of the typical domestic “anti-government” terrorist.

So, unusual crime . . . unusual motive? Unusual perpetrator?

That’s just speculation, of course, but it’s a scenario we can’t rule out: This evil act might be the work someone whose motives don’t fit neatly within the political categories we think of when we think of terrorism. Maybe it’s somebody like “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, a deranged sociopath crazy enough to want to blow people up, but cunning enough to get away with it for years.

And now . . . back to the news.

 

 

PREVIOUSLY:

Category: Terrorism

LIVE AT FIVENINE: 04.17.13

Posted on | April 17, 2013 | 6 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Britain Bids Farewell To The Iron Lady

Margaret Thatcher's casket goes to Westminster Cathedral

Margaret Thatcher’s casket goes to Westminster Cathedral

Thousands line streets to watch her hearse pass; some protest silently


Envelope With Ricin Sent To Senator Wicker
Poisoned letter sent to Mississippi Republican


Boston Marathon Bombing Puzzle Being Pieced Together
Authorities certain “how”, but not “who” or “why” yet



POLITICS
Memorial Gathering Held At Boston Common

Runner holds candle and flower at vigil

Runner holds candle and flower at vigil

“No agenda, no speakers, and no nonsense”


Appeals Court To Hear Challenge To California’s Gay Therapy Ban, Execution Method


Mark Sanford’s Ex Accuses Him Of Trespassing

Weiner Not In, But Coming On Hard In NYT Poll

Groups File Suit To Overturn Arkansas Abortion Law

Advocates Whine About Immigration Bill’s “Too Stringent” Path To Citizenship

Senate Passes Thatcher Resolution

U.S. Footing Larger Bill For Overseas Bases Despite Cuts To Military



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Crude Oil Rebounds After Falling To Nine-Month Low: NTMEX $88.88, Brent $100.30
Stock Futures Fall On Commodities, Earnings
European Stocks Decline For Fourth Day; BHP, Tesco Slide
Bank Of America Quarterly Profit Quadruples As Revenues Fall
Icahn Agrees To Limit Dell Stake As LBO Alternatives Pursued
J&J Tops Estimates As Prescription, OTC Drugs Shine
Cleveland Browns’ Owner Haslam’s Truck Stop Business Probed By FBI
Microsoft Signs Android Patent Deal With Foxconn
Leap Motion Strikes Bundling, Embedding Deal With HP
WhatsApp Grows Bigger Than Twitter
Toyota Hybrid Sales Pass 5 Million
Taiwan’s FTC Investigates Samsung’s Marketing Tactics
EA Drops Three Facebook Game Titles
Verizon Reportedly Wants To Buy Clearwire Spectrum



SPORTS
Former Kicker, Broadcaster Pat Summerall Dies

Summerall and Bradshaw arrived on Fox in 1994

Summerall and Bradshaw arrived on Fox in 1994

Felled by heart attack while in hospital for broken hip

Rockies Sweep Doubleheader From Mets In Snow, Extra Innings


Clippers Win Sixth Straight Against Blazers

Wild Break Slump With 5-3 Win Over Oilers

Astros Fall Short In 4-3 Loss To A’s

Raptors Rip Lazy Hawks 113-96

Capitals Win 8th Straight, Trounce Leafs

Haren Searching For Answers After 8-2 Loss To Marlins



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Robert Downey Jr. – Not Wanted For Iconic “Iron Man” Role

"Under no circumstances are we prepared to hire him for any price."

“Under no circumstances are we prepared to hire him for any price.”

The GQ profile
Related: Retiring from “Iron Man”?

Billy Ray Cyrus Not Sure About Miley’s Wedding

Bradley Cooper Sounds Off: The Details Interview

Jodie Sweetin Shares Photos And Details From Her Secret Wedding

Malin Akerman Welcomes Son Sebastian

Michael Rooker Joins “Guardians Of The Galaxy”

“Fast And Furious 7” Gets July 11 Release Date


Emily Blunt Is InStyle’s May Cover Girl

Faith Hill Leaves “Sunday Night Football”

Miranda Kerr Confirms She’s No Longer A Victoria’s Secret Angel

Beyonce’s Raciest Outfit Yet!

Jamie Foxx Pictured As “Amazing Spider Man” Villain For First Time



FOREIGNERS
Rockets Fired Across Egyptian Border At Israeli Resort City
Bangalore Bomb Blast Injures 16; BJP Slams UPA Government
U.S. Troops To Leave Morocco After War Games Canceled
Kenya Court Seeks Criminal Probe Into Voting Machine Purchases
Temporary Truce In Aleppo
Taiwan Holds First Live-Fire Military Drill Since 2008
Mexican Judge Acquits Former Drug Czar Accused Of Ties To Cartel



BLOGS & STUFF
Ninety Miles From Tyranny: The Coming Ammunition Price Crash
American Power: The LA Times And The #Gosnell Blackout
First Street Journal: Health Care, The American Way!
Michelle Malkin: Desperate Dem Terry McAuliffe Sues Watchdog.org Over Green Tech/Cash-For-Visas Expose
Protein Wisdom: Salon’s David Sirota On Boston Bomber – “I SEE WHITE MEN!”
Shot In The Dark: A Crisis Not To be Wasted
Power Line: On Gun Control, The Dems Don’t Have The Votes
NRO Corner: “Anti-Gun Legislation Before The Senate”
Lonely Conservative: Ricin-Laced Letter Sent To Republican Senator
Ramesh Ponnuru: Obama’s Second Term, So Far
Bryan Preston: Senate Democrats Refusing To Note Thatcher’s Record
Ed Driscoll: More Hellish Gosnell Details
Weasel Zippers: Nation’s Biggest Movie Chain Cuts Employee Hours Because Of Obamacare
Israel Matzav: Priorities – Obama Cut Domestic Bomb Prevention Budget By 45%


Category: Live at Five

Colorado Conservative SWATted After Argument With Bill Schmalfeldt?

Posted on | April 16, 2013 | 3 Comments

First, the news from the Hollywood Reporter:

Conservative pundit and author Erik Rush has become the latest victim of “swatting,” a growing trend in which individuals place fake 911 calls drawing police response to a celebrity’s home. Rush, who resides in Fort Collins, Colo., appears to have been targeted following a series of controversial tweets regarding the Boston Marathon explosions.
According to Coloradoan.com, an individual claiming to be Rush called Fort Collins police Monday at about 5 p.m., reporting that two men wielding AK-47 rifles were firing rounds inside his home. But with no additional calls reporting the gunshots and because the call came to 911 through a third-party relay service, police dispatchers were suspicious. Rush was contacted by police via his home phone and confirmed that the call was fake.

Now, the interesting coincidence explained by Patterico:

Schmalfeldt credited himself as being “the first person” to respond to Rush. One of Schmalfeldt’s fellow travelers credited Schmalfeldt as the person who called out Rush, and told Schmalfeldt that she had gotten his screencaps in an email from People from the American Way. Another Twitter user told Schmalfeldt that his tweet had appeared on Turkish TV, to which Schmalfeldt replied: “Man. I’m famous!”

Read the rest at Patterico, and follow Eric Rush on Twitter. Anybody hated by Bill Schmalfeldt must be awesome!

 

Category: Bill Schmalfeldt
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