The Other McCain

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

Holy Crap — I Was Right! Republicans Considered Craziness Issue With Judd

Posted on | April 9, 2013 | 8 Comments

Headline on the very first news article I wrote for ViralRead after becoming editor-in-chief on March 13:

Will Ashley Judd’s Mental Illness Impact Her Senate Bid?

Top of Memeorandum today, David Corn, Mother Jones:

Secret Tape: McConnell and Aides Weighed
Using Judd’s Mental Health and
Religion as Political Ammo

Certainly my news report about Ashley Judd’s admitted history of mental illness did not reflect any knowledge of private discussions by the Senate Minority Leader and his staff. This information about Judd was an obvious enough vulnerability to anyone who bothered to Google.

But . . . damn. It’s just spooky sometimes.

Read more about this story by Oliver Barie at ViralRead.

 


Category: Kentucky, Mitch McConnell

A Great First Sentence

Posted on | April 9, 2013 | 11 Comments

One basic thing you learn as a journalist is that, once you’ve got the lead right, the rest of the story almost writes itself:

If the news media hadn’t told you how brilliant Barack Obama was every day for  the last six years, you might have your doubts.

Read the whole thing.

Category: Barack Obama, Journalism

Homophobic Bigotry Update

Posted on | April 9, 2013 | 51 Comments

Why is there so much anti-gay prejudice nowadays? For example, Dave Blount at Moonbattery says only “a sick, demented society” would “facilitate” adoption by same-sex couples. I can’t imagine why anyone would say that, can you?

George Harasz and Douglas Wirth, a married couple from Glastonbury, Conn., were arrested in November 2011 following allegations by two of their nine adopted children of sexual abuse.

But these are merely allegations! It’s not as if these two guys have shown any unusual interest in young boys, right?

The case of a same-sex Connecticut couple accused of repeatedly raping and abusing two of their nine adopted boys is headed for trial. . . .
Harasz and Wirth adopted nine children — three sets of male siblings — beginning in 2000 . . .

Yes, but this doesn’t prove anything, does it? Just because two gay men adopted nine boys . . .

“They took turns raping me over and over,” one of the boys said at a hearing Friday in Hartford Superior Court, testifying that the abuse began when he was only 6 years old.

Stop that, you haters! Obviously, this is just a cheap homophobic smear-job created by right-wingers on Fox News!

Oh, “facts.” Facts are just so . . . unfair.

 

Category: Connecticut, Crime, Gays, Sex

LIVE AT SIX: 04.09.13

Posted on | April 9, 2013 | 8 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Baroness Thatcher Dies, 87

Good night, sweet Baroness

Margaret Thatcher, 1925-2013 RIP

Prime Minister of UK 1979-1990, leader of the Conservative Party 1975-1990
World leaders pay tribute to iconic “Iron Lady”

The Future Is Now: Navy Deploys Laser Prototype In Persian Gulf
USS Ponce to carry high-energy laser capable of destroying drones, small boats

Patriot Anti-Ballistic Missiles Deployed As Norks Threaten Launch
Japan deploys ABM batteries to supplement Aegis destroyers in Sea of Japan



POLITICS
Mary Jo White Confirmed As Head Of SEC

Mary Jo White

Mary Jo White

Former prosecutor approved by Senate with unanimous consent

Abortionist On Trial In Philly Gets Zero National Media Attention

Senator Tim Johnson Evolves

NY/NJ Port Authority Fined $3.5 Million For Lapses In Safety Training

Coup Against Silver? Cuomo’s The One Feeling The Heat

Chelsea Clinton Interview Adds To Speculation About Hillary’s Plans

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew Travels To Europe

Vitriol Infests Reactions To Warren Family’s Grief

IRS Tells Silicon Valley: “No Free Lunch” (Video)

Florida Senate Advances Bill To Put Cap On Nuclear Fees



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Crude Oil Extends Gains In Asian Trade: NYMEX $93.65, Brent $105.17
Asian Development Bank Forecasts Fragile 2013 Recovery
Study: Oil-Eating Bacteria Mitigated Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
PRC Buys One Billion Tons Of U.S. Wheat After Price Drop
J.C. Penney Jumps After Report CEO Ousted
Alcoa Earnings, PRC Inflation Info Lifts Euro Markets
Ford Focus Grabs Global Sales Crown As World Turns To Smaller Cars
New Caribou Coffee Owner Shuts 80 Stores, Rebrands 88 Others
Google Now Faces Antitrust Scrutiny In Europe Over Android
HTC Posts Record-Low Profit After Latest Smartphone Delayed
HP Rolls Out Moonshot Servers For Big Data, Cloud Workloads
EE Doubles 4G Speeds
Microsoft Tempts XP Laggards With $84 Upgrade Discount
WhatsApp Denies Billion Dollar Google Buyout
Apple Pulls Discovery Service AppGratis From App Store
U.S. Air Force Designates Six Cyber Tools As Weapons



SPORTS
For Injured Kevin Ware, Nothing But Net

Kevin Ware finishes the job

Kevin Ware finishes the job

Louisville teammates deliver storybook ending, beating Michigan 82-76 for national championship

Mets Hand Phillies’ Halladay Another Rough Outing

Rangers Can’t Hold On, Fall To Leafs 4-3

Pronk Goes The Opener: Hafner Returns To Ruin Tribe’s Home Debut

Ron Burkle Not Able To Play Role In Keeping Kings In Sacramento; Conflict Of Interest Cited

Questionable Call Gives Joe Nathan 300th Career Save As Rangers Edge Rays

Little Jack Hoffman An Inspiration To Nebraska Football

Kesler Shows Coyotes He’s Top Dog As Canucks Blank Phoenix

Braves Blank Marlins 2-0

Span’s Skills Have Immediate Impact On Nationals’ Defense



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
America’s Most Beloved Mouseketeer Dies

Good night, sweet princess

Annette Funicello, 1942-2013 RIP

Actress dies at 70 after two-year battle with multiple sclerosis

Halle Berry On Second Pregnancy: “Biggest Surprise Of My Life”

“Teen Mom” Farrah Abraham Sex Tape For Sale – With James Deen?

Rihanna And Chris Brown Call It Quits

Bizarre Bynes Hits Gym In Fishnets, Wig

LeAnn Rimes Says Brandi Glanville’s Kids Call Her “Mom”, Vows Not To Back  Down

Taylor Swift: “I Have No Idea Whether I’m Going To Get Married Or Be Single Forever”

FearNet Picks Up Off-Net Rights To Cult Dramedy “Reaper”, Sets Reunion Special

Brad Paisley Talks About His Duet With LL Cool J “Accidental Racist”

Matt Damon, Michael Douglas Sizzle In “Behind The Candelabra” Trailer

Ray J Downplays “I Hit It First”: “People Are Going Way Too Deep. We’re Just Making Music.”

Scarlett Johansson: Scarlett’s Web



FOREIGNERS
Police Injured, Arrests Made As Hundreds “Celebrated” Death Of Lady Thatcher
Thatcher Confusion: Cher Is Not Dead (And Neither Is Teri Hatcher)
Norks Tell Foreigners To Evacuate ROK
Putin Warns Korean Conflict Could Be Worse Than Chernobyl
Thirteen Killed In Serbian Shooting Spree
Syria Rejects “Broadening” Of UN Chemical Weapons Probe
Modi: UPA Government On “Borrowed Time”
Congress Party Slams WikiLeaks Revelations Linking Rajiv Gandhi To Swedish Fighter-Jet Deal
French Forces In Mali Launch Offensive Against Jihadis
Guatemala War Trial Brings Past Closer To Present



BLOGS & STUFF
The Hope For America: Consrvatives Should Learn From These Great Moments In Margaret Thatcher’s Life
Michelle Malkin: The Iron Lady Passes
PJ Tatler: Glenn Greenwald, Pseudo-Dissident
Toby Young: The Trendy Leftist Gadflies Celebrating Her Death Would Probably Be Rotting In The Gulag If Not For Margaret Thatcher
Jerusalem Post: Netanyahu – Thatcher A True Friend Of The Jewish People And Israel
Sarah Palin: The Grocer’s Daughter
Weasel Zippers: Mitch McConnell To Join Gun Control Bill Filibuster
Allahpundit: Emotional Newtown Dad Says More Gun Control Not The Answer
NewsBusters: Fox News Reporter Faces Jail For Protecting Source, Lamestream Media Silent
NRO Corner: Matt Salmon Says Piers Morgan, Lawrence O’Donnell Cancelled Interviews After He Refused To Bash Republican Congressman Father
Power Line: A Futile Protest
Elder Of Ziyon: Carter At YU/Cardozo Media Update
Hot Air: Liz Cheney Seriously Considering Run For Senate In Wyoming
Protein Wisdom: “You Don’t Know What Freedom is Because You Never Lost It!”
James Pethokoukis: Here’s One Problem With The Schultz-Becker Carbon Tax Idea
Glenn Reynolds: We Need An IQ Test For Politicians
Clayton Cramer: Not Straining Their Necks
Ed Driscoll: “Horrible Jolt This Morning: How Awful Current Leaders Are”
Lonely Conservative: Despite What The Media Tell You, Obama’s Budget Doesn’t Really Cut The Budget


Category: Live at Five

E-Mail From a Former Maryland Resident to Howard County (Md.) State’s Attorney

Posted on | April 8, 2013 | 40 Comments

REQUESTING STATEMENT ON HARASSMENT POLICY
Monday, April 8, 2013 1:22 PM
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Dear Sirs:
As I am certain you are now aware, it has been reported that the office of Howard County State’s Attorney has refused to prosecute persons accused of online harassment, in apparent contravention of Maryland Criminal Statutes 3-803 and/or 3-805. In fact, it has been reported that a member of your staff, Assistant State’s Attorney Jim Brewer, advised persons complaining of such harassment, “If you’re so concerned about your safety, don’t come to Maryland,” and, “Stay off the Internet if you don’t want to be harassed.”
While I understand that authorities have wide discretion in choosing which complaints to pursue as criminal matters, these reports of official indifference to online harassment are certainly disturbing, and I wish to verify their accuracy. Has your office issued any statement clarifying your policy on this matter, or do you intend to issue such a statement in the future?
I ask this question as a reporter, a career journalist with more than 25 years in the news industry, but also as a former Maryland resident who left the state last year to escape the increasingly hostile climate of harassment that is apparently tolerated by officials there. While I am not a lawyer, and thus not qualified to state whether any particular action qualifies as a crime under Maryland statutes, I know right from wrong, and the harassing behaviors complained of in these reports would seem clearly wrong.
If you have any comment, please contact me via this e-mail address, as I hesitate to include my phone number or address in communication with your office.

Sincerely,

ROBERT STACY McCAIN
Editor-in-Chief, ViralRead.com
Correspondent, The American Spectator
Blogger, TheOtherMcCain.com

————————

Today is Everyone Blog About the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office Day. John Hoge lists the participating sites:

Monitor’s Access
R. M. Nixon (Deceased) / Dead Republican Party
Tanny O’Haley
The Other McCain
Batshit Crazy News
Grumpy Opinions
Ameryx le Gallois
The Lonely Conservative
Raging Against the Rhetoric
Joyce Junior
Allergic to Bull
Patterico’s Pontifications

Certainly, this list will grow longer before the day ends. Dustyn at Monitor’s Access reports that the number at the office of Howard County State’s Attorney’s Dario J. Broccolino is (410) 313-2108; the number for Wayne Kirwan, the public spokesman for the office, is 410-313-3002.

My object is to get some kind of official statement from Broccolino or his spokesman, as to why there seems to be no legal redress for those complaining of harassment. Readers communicating with Broccolino’s office should be civil and polite.

 

Category: Bill Schmalfeldt, Crime, Maryland, The Kimberlin Files

‘Defeat? I Do Not Recognize the Meaning of the Word!’ Margaret Thatcher, R.I.P.

Posted on | April 8, 2013 | 29 Comments

When my daughter Kennedy was 11, Margaret Thatcher came to Washington to give a speech — sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, as I recall — and I managed to get Kennedy inside on my media pass. While I don’t recall exactly what Baroness Thatcher said on that occasion, I was deeply grateful that my daughter got to see and hear the former British prime minister, who died today at age 87:

One of the most influential world leaders of the 20th century, Thatcher was elected to Parliament at age 34 as a member of the Conservative Party and spent the next two decades ascending the ranks to become Prime Minister in 1979. She set about reversing many socialist economic policies of the British Labour Party, famously saying, “The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”
Thatcher’s resolve was tested in April 1982 when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. The British military had been weakened by years of neglect under Labour leadership.
When she was advised that the nation should not risk defeat in a distant and strategically irrelevant conflict, Thatcher famously replied: “Defeat? I do not recognize the meaning of the word!” . . .

Read the rest at ViralRead.

UPDATE: Linked by Becca Lower and Da Tech Guy — thanks! — and ViralRead managing editor Nathan Martin got a statement from Iron Lady star Meryl Streep praising Thatcher as “a figure of awe for her personal strength and grit.”

The British Left has reacted to Thatcher’s death with the kind of crude viciousness you’d expect of the British Left.

As for this “tribute,” well . . . later.

 


 

ELSEWHERE:

Category: Great Britain, History

LIVE AT SIX: 04.08.13

Posted on | April 8, 2013 | 4 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
“Mr. Kerry, How Do You Ask A Woman To Be The Last To Die In Afghanistan?”

Good night, sweet princess.

Anne Smedinghoff, 25

Diplomat killed along with five others in an explosion Saturday

Rick Warren “Overwhelmed” By Support After Son’s Suicide
Matthew Warren committed suicide after a long battle with mental illness

Ex-Porn Star Jenna Jameson Arrested
Charged with battery, given court date and released



POLITICS
Chuck “U.” Schumer Sees Deal On Immigration This Week

"It's gonna be THIS big!"

“It’s gonna be THIS big!”

GOP insists no deal without secure border

Senate Filibuster Gains Support To Delay Gun Control Vote

Three Priests Sacked From Philly Ministries Following Allegations

Community Organizer Walczak Becomes Seventh Candidate To Replace Boston’s Menino

Mormon Patriarch Eldred Smith Dies, 106

Romney’s IRA Is Obama’s Target For Revenue

Joe Biden Not Sequestering Any Of His Pay Yet

How ObamaCare Will Distort The Health Market



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Asian Oil Up Slightly After U.S. Jobs News Causes Drop: NYMEX $92.84, Brent $104.44
Passenger Complaints Surge As Airlines Stuff More People Into Fewer Planes
IMF’s Lagarde Backs Bank Of Japan’s New Easing
Luxembourg’s Finance Minister Says Grand Duchy Willing To Ease Banking Secrecy
Icahn Refuses To Drop Dell Proxy Fight Option
Minneapolis City Officials Help Brew Up Craft Beer Growth
Labor Participation Rate Hits 34-Year Low
Fisker Hit With Lawsuit Over Layoffs
Sony Reveals Pricing For Its More Budget-Friendly 4K TVs
GPS Bracelet Uses Social Media To Protect Civil Rights Activists
“Torment” Kills It On Kickstarter AS Top-Funded Game Ever
Creative Setting, Gameplay Elements Provide “Infinite” Shocks, Delights
Electronic Arts The Worst Company In America? Again?
“Black Rock Shooter: The Game” Heads To PSN April 23rd
Namco Bandai Confirms “Project X Zone” Release Date For North America



SPORTS
Louisville, UConn To Meet For Women’s Championship

Louisville's Monique Reed shoots over Cal's Gennifer Brandon in the semifinal game Sunday

Louisville’s Monique Reed shoots over Cal’s Gennifer Brandon in the semifinal game Sunday

Huskies Beat Irish 83-65
Slaughter Lifts Louisville Over Cal 64-57

Sabres Get Shootout Win As Devils Continue Slide

Royals Hang On For 9-8 Win Against Phillies

Clippers Clinch Pacific Against Lakers

Blue Jackets Blanked By Wild

Tribe Pounds Rays 13-0

Pistons Play Spoiler To Bulls, 99-85

Ovechkin, Capitals Stay Hot, Top Bolts

Rangers Power Past Angels

Strasburg’s Poor Control Dooms Nats In Rubber Game Against Reds



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Jamie Pressly, Estella Warren Questioned By Police After Fight At Hollywood Hotspot

Pressly and Warren

Pressly and Warren

More like tense discussion than catfight, really. Until they found the drugs.

Kordell Stewart Claims Porsha Williams Parties, Neglects Stepson In Divorce Docs

Ray J Wants Kanye To Know “I Hit It First”

Review: Kathy Griffin Doesn’t Have Jokes Or A Show

Tom Arnold Welcomes Son Jax Copeland

Jay-Z And Beyonce Blasted For “Ignorant, Insulting” Cuban Vacation

Selena Gomez – SWATted



FOREIGNERS
RBC Denies It Replaced Laid-Off Canadians With New Arrivals From India
Egyptian Police Firing Tear Gas Join Mob Attacking Coptic Cathedral
Venezuelan Opposition Candidate Capriles Holds Massive Rally In Caracas, Vows To Win Presidency
Both Sides Claim Victory In Montenegro Vote
Syrian Government Shells Civilians In Aleppo
Madonna Slams Malawi Education Ministry, President Banda’s Sister
Chile Seeking Answers In Death Of Poet Neruda



BLOGS & STUFF
Via Meadia: Elites Close Ranks Around Ivy League Intermarriage
Weasel Zippers: MoDo Pretty Sure Hillary’s Running In 2016 Because Of Her New Haircut
Althouse: The Sex And The Presidency Analogy
Moe Lane: Lemme Fix This Hot Air Headlines Headline
Scared Monkeys: John McCain Doesn’t Understand Threats To Block Gun Bill Debate
NewsBusters: “Face The Nation” Completely Ignores Friday’s Lousy Jobs Report
Gateway Pundit: Weiner Has Eye On NYC Mayoral Race
Israel Matzav: “Brave” Anonymous Hackers Hack Website For Kids With Cancer
Legal Insurrection: Is #OpIsrael Invited To CUNY’s Homonationalism And Pinkwashing Conference?
Jawa Report: #OpIsrael – Anon Will Hack Israeli Websites On Holocaust Remembrance Day – Israel Hacks Back
Mark Steyn: Metaphor Alert
Atlas Shrugs: Reuters Reports “Five Die In Christian-Muslim Clashes In Egypt”
Jihad Watch: #MyJihad In Nigeria – Jihadis Misunderstand Islam, Murder Eleven People
Lonely Conservative: TSA Calls The Stuff They Take From You “Voluntary Abandoned Property”
Protein Wisdom: If You Believe In God, The Army Teaches That You Are An Extremist


Category: Live at Five

Bill Schmalfeldt, Violentacrez, Barrett Brown and the Scourge of ‘Troll Rights’

Posted on | April 7, 2013 | 27 Comments

“Arrogant sociopathic punks think they can go around threatening people and if you dare say a word back to them, you’re the bad guy.”
— Robert Stacy McCain, Sept. 4, 2012

Donald Douglas at American Power reminds me of the deranged cyberstalker’s irrational grievance: “Troll rights.”

A basic problem of online life: People Who Don’t Understand How the Internet Works, No Matter How Often You Try to Explain It to Them.

Back in the day you could — and, in many places on the Internet, you still can — say anything you want to say in the comments. People who habitually frequent such places become accustomed to unleashing their id at will, and believe that this is a basic First Amendment freedom, which it is — as long as the proprietors of the site don’t care what people say in the comments. But one way or another, that online space is owned by someone, and the proprietor makes the rules.

Try going over to Democrat Underground or Daily Kos, spewing out GOP talking points, and see how long it takes them to ban you.

Trolls don’t understand this. They believe that having access to the Internet confers on them the inalienable right to say anything they want anywhere they want to say it, and any site operator who refuses to acknowledge that right is a fascist totalitarian.

To which I customarily reply: Get your own damned blog.

Here in my space, I will say what I want to say and — while disagreement and criticism from commenters is tolerated — there are clear limits to what can be tolerated without destroying the value of the site as a community of readers. Some of our regular commenters regularly disagree with me, and disagree with each other, and that’s OK. But what is not permitted is intentionally disruptive behavior, or personal attacks impugning the character of the hosts or the integrity of the site, which is inevitably the kind of “argument” trolls want to make.

This rule is a matter of hospitality and courtesy. You don’t accept an invitation to a party then show up and start harassing your fellow guests, complaining about the food and saying rude things about the hosts. Well, maybe you do that, but decent people don’t.

If you hate me, there are lots of places on the Internet where you are free to express that hatred. The comments of this blog are not such a place.

The classic example of the troll mentality was Michael Brutsch, a.k.a. Violentacrez, the notorious “jailbait” troll on Reddit.

In the free-for-all environment which the proprietors of Reddit seemingly encouraged, Violentacrez’s domineering id-monster act flourished. There were no limits he would not transgress, no sensibilities he failed to offend, and anyone who tried to get in his way was denounced as a crybaby, a “pussy.”

Well,  it was anonymous, you see?

Except for a few trusted friends, nobody knew who Violentacrez actually was, and so there were no consequences for his deliberately vile behavior until, one day, consequences happened.

One of his “few trusted friends” finally had enough of his outrageous bullshit and narked him out to Adrian Chen of Gawker:

Last Wednesday afternoon I called Michael Brutsch. He was at the office of the Texas financial services company where he works as a programmer and he was having a bad day. I had just told him, on Gchat, that I had uncovered his identity as the notorious internet troll Violentacrez (pronounced Violent-Acres).
“It’s amazing how much you can sweat in a 60 degree office,” he said with a nervous laugh.
Judging from his internet footprint, Brutsch, 49, has a lot to sweat over. If you are capable of being offended, Brutsch has almost certainly done something that would offend you, then did his best to rub your face in it. His speciality is distributing images of scantily-clad underage girls, but as Violentacrez he also issued an unending fountain of racism, porn, gore, misogyny, incest, and exotic abominations yet unnamed, all on the sprawling online community Reddit. At the time I called Brutsch, his latest project was moderating a new section of Reddit where users posted covert photos they had taken of women in public, usually close-ups of their asses or breasts, for a voyeuristic sexual thrill. It was called “Creepshots.” Now Brutsch was the one feeling exposed and it didn’t suit him very well. . ..
“My wife is disabled. I got a home and a mortgage, and if this hits the fan, I believe this will affect negatively on my employment,” he said.

Alas, too late. Within a week, Michael Brutsch was fired from his job.

There are many words to describe Brutsch’s online behavior, but the important word is antisocial — a hostility to rules, a defiance of authority, an unwillingness to cooperate with others. Rules exist for a reason, and if you have a problem understanding why “distributing images of scantily-clad underage girls” is against the rules . . .

Dude, do I even need to finish that sentence? Read more

Category: Barrett Brown, Bill Schmalfeldt, How This Here Internet Thingy Works
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