The Other McCain

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

New Federal Charges Filed Against Anonymous Spokesman Barrett Brown

Posted on | January 24, 2013 | 11 Comments

September 2012: Barrett Brown threatens an FBI agent in video

For the third time in four months, a federal grand jury in Texas has returned indictments against Barrett Brown, the former spokesman for the hacking group Anonymous. Brown was arrested in September after a video rant in which he threatened to “destroy” an FBI agent.

Brown was indicted in October on charges stemming from those threats and indicted again in December on multiple charges related to the “LulzSec” hacking of Stratfor. Now, the grand jury has returned an indictment on two obstruction of justice charges, accusing Brown of concealing evidence in a March 6 raid (at the same time that the feds arrested several members of the “LulzSec” hacking group).

In an interview with Wired magazine, Brown’s former attorney Jay Leiderman portrayed the latest indictments in a conspiratorial light:

“Clearly they’re more worried about what they perceive as his egging people on to go after defense contractors and secret spy organizations. . . . Barrett believes in privacy for individuals and transparency for corporations and government. The government doesn’t like his belief system. And Barrett was effective in expressing that belief system.”

Leiderman compared Brown to Aaron Swarz, the Reddit co-founder who committed suicide after being prosecuted for hacking an MIT database:

“I would have thought in the wake of Aaron Swartz that the government might have learned something and might have thought twice about bringing the weight of the entire [United States] down upon someone when it wasn’t warranted,” says Leiderman.

The Dallas Observer reports:

Brown is due in court again next Wednesday, in the case related to his alleged FBI agent-threatening. At that time, U.S. District Judge Sam Linday will rule on a prison psychologist’s recommendation that Brown be founded mentally competent to stand trial.

The video rant that led to Barrett Brown’s September arrest:

PREVIOUSLY:

 

Category: Barrett Brown

Gregory Kane Opines That Colin Powell Could Be A Latent Democrat

Posted on | January 24, 2013 | 19 Comments

by Smitty

I still recall with fondness then-JCS Chairman General Powell around 20 years ago speaking to us in a college setting. At the time, his sheer command presence had me thinking that he could well be our first black POTUS. And now he’s reduce to taking pot shots at women who are not (at the moment) even in any political spotlight:

There are two Republican Latino governors, and Republican governors in Louisiana and South Carolina whose parents came from India. This is the party that Powell claims “still looks down on the minority.”
To “prove” his assertion that Republicans are a bunch of intolerant rednecks, Powell dredged up exactly two examples.
When President Obama was trying to hoodwink the American public into believing that the terrorist attack on our consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was something other than what it was, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said, “President Obama’s shuck and jive shtick with these Benghazi lies must end.”
Powell objected to Palin’s use of the term “shuck and jive.” “That’s a racial-era slave term,” he said. Now if I really wanted to be testy about this, I could ask Powell, “And your point would be what, exactly?” But I’ll just use this rejoinder instead: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was New York state attorney general in 2008, used precisely the same term, about the same guy.
Referring to then-presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, Cuomo said, “You can’t shuck and jive at a press conference.”
So you see, Gen. Powell, there is bipartisan recognition of Obama’s “shucking and jiving.”

Read the whole thing. Great punch line.

Powell himself is kind of old news, but Gregory Kane is a great columnist, and well worth your attention.

Category: Uncategorized

Living Inside Your Head, Rent-Free

Posted on | January 24, 2013 | 16 Comments

Patterico has been cyberstalked since June 2011 by Neal Rauhauser, and Rauhauser’s use of psy-ops tactics (including “accuse the accusers” and “conflict cupid”) has the effect of casting a shadow of suspicion around his targets, creating confusion that prevents law enforcement from identifying Rauhauser as the source of malicious actions.

Go read Mike Stack’s account of Rauhauser’s interactions with New Jersey police. Stack, the first target of SWATting in the WeinerGate saga (with which Neal became obsessed), filed a harassment complaint against Rauhauser. Stack says Neal then contacted New Jersey police, seeking to convince them that somehow Stack was at fault. By sowing hostility between the cops and Stack (“conflict cupid”), Rauhauser avoided serious criminal sanctions for his harassing behavior.

Patterico sees Rauhauser as part of Brett Kimberlin’s operation:

What if you could recruit a whole team of cyberstalkers — all to aid you in a purely personal dispute?

It’s worth reading. The overlap between Kimberlin and Rauhauser remains a subject of much mystery. If Neal and others are actually being paid to cyberstalk Brett’s enemies, this would explain a lot. The other (and more likely) explanation is that they’re all just bat-shit crazy.

Politically motivated stalking is never actually politically motivated. It’s about the personality defects of the stalkers. It’s perhaps most useful to compare Neal Rauhauser to John Tiessen — these are psychologically damaged people whose interest in politics is about the Moment of Glory fantasy: By destroying the hated political enemy, they will vindicate themselves as Winners and (they imagine) be celebrated by their allies.

Is Neal Rauhauser part of Brett Kimberlin’s army of hired stalkers? Or is Neal just an obsessed loser chasing the Moment of Glory fantasy? Obviously, this is not an entirely moot question for Patterico or others they have tried to destroy, but we must be pretty doggone important — Winners! — if we’re living rent-free inside their heads.

P.S.: I’d like to tell you this is all a Koch-funded conspiracy, but unfortunately the check hasn’t shown up yet, so please hit the freaking tip jar!

 


Category: Uncategorized

Death by Criticism

Posted on | January 24, 2013 | 9 Comments

Bernard Loiseau was one of the world’s most famous French chefs:

Ten years ago, Loiseau was France’s most feted chef. The charismatic cook’s beaming face smiled from billboards, TV shows and recipe books. His restaurant, Le Relais Bernard Loiseau in Saulieu, Burgundy was a favourite with the late president François Mitterrand.
Robert de Niro would drop in by helicopter for his signature dish of frog’s legs with garlic purée and parsley sauce.
But on February 24, 2003, the chef finished his lunchtime service, rolled up his apron and drove home. Telling his ten-year old son — one of three children — to go and play outside, he went upstairs, locked the bedroom door and shot himself in the head with a hunting rifle, a present from his wife.

What happened? Loiseau had been privately warned by the editor of the Michelin travel guides that his restaurant was in danger of being demoted from the coveted three-star ranking. Michelin denied it at the time of Loiseau’s suicide, and tried to fix the blame on other critics, but a just-discovered note confirmed the truth.

The night manager at Waffle House doesn’t have any self-esteem issues, but the great French chef couldn’t stand to be a mere two-star chef.

(Hat tip: T.R. Sterling.)

Category: France

Complete Decadence

Posted on | January 24, 2013 | 58 Comments

“You can kill half of your young men and repopulate your country in relatively short order. . . . But when you kill your young women . . . your country has no future.”
— Roxeanne de Luca, “Really, Leon Panetta? You want Sandra Fluke in combat?”

Have Americans become so decadent that they have lost all instinct for their preservation as a people? Well, 55 million abortions in the past 40 years would certainly seem to indicate this. And remember that a key issue in 2012 was Sandra Fluke’s “right” to free contraception, because it’s such a horrible thing when sex results in pregnancy. So this shouldn’t really surprise anyone:

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is lifting the military’s official ban on women in combat, which will open up hundreds of thousands of additional front-line jobs to them, senior defense officials said Wednesday.

Oh, did you hear about the 11-year-old transgender who “transitioned” in kindergarten? This is the future America voted for: No future at all.

 

Category: Culture, Military

Jimmy Buffett: Feminist Hero?

Posted on | January 24, 2013 | 7 Comments

I really do appreciate the fact you’re sitting here.
Your voice sounds so wonderful,
But you face don’t look too clear.
So bar maid bring a pitcher, another round of brew.
Honey, why don’t we get drunk and screw?

Is this what they’re teaching in Women’s Studies classes nowadays? Evidently so, according to one young British feminist:

The idea that my generation are unhappy and sexually unfulfilled because, thanks to the dwindling of traditional gender roles, we’ve been able to have sex on our own terms, makes absolutely no sense to me. Especially as in Britain, we never really had a dating culture to begin with. Americans are complaining because “dinner and a movie” has been replaced with “hanging out”, when on this side of the Atlantic people have been flinging themselves at one another outside the pub following last orders since time immemorial, and it’s worked fine. Likewise, while the Americans see the classic “are u out?” fishing text as evidence of shallow promiscuity, we see it as a convenient way of minimising social embarrassment by ensuring both parties are too drunk to attempt a conversation capable of, let’s face it, shattering the illusion whose maintenance is so essential for successful coitus.

OK, so if getting “too drunk to attempt a conversation . . . is so essential for successful coitus,” how is this a triumph for women? Is this what being “able to have sex on our own terms” means?

Or does it mean, you’re getting played?

Making the bar/club/party scene your native habitat makes you a potential prey for the practicioners of “game.” And if he’s good at it, you won’t realize you’ve been played until it’s too late. Ladies, if want to know what the players really think of you, you should read their blogs:

What is a bar? It’s a social venue where women can receive attention from men at predictably constant rates. Every approach performed will increase her worth. Every hot stud who lays pipe inside her via a one-night stand will reinforce in her mind that she deserves Mr. Perfect. These men feed her ego like an IV bag nourishes a surgery patient.
The effect of all this is cumulative so that a 30 year old woman who is well past her prime will put out attitude multiple times higher than a hot 18 year old who just started going to clubs. Since the older woman simply can’t forget all those men who have approached her and wanted to take her home, she won’t receive your approach unless you’re nearly the best of what has attempted to f–k her in the past, even though the number of guys willing to wife her up has decreased exponentially. Nightlife venues give average women near unlimited choice and attention, causing a sharp degradation in her attitude, warmth, and even her appearance. . . .

Sure, go read the whole thing. It’s foul, cynical and offensive, but it’s a real first-person expression of the worldview of the player, provided by a guy who quite literally wrote the book on “game.”

The idea that “hook-up” culture results in women being “able to have sex on our own terms,” as Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett claims, is an assertion unsupported by evidence — which is true of nearly everything feminists believe, but especially true in this case.

Tyler O’Neil at Counter-Cultured has some polite advice on this topic. But if you ladies don’t want to listen, here’s your theme song:

 

Category: Feminism, Sex

Let The 2016 Campaign Begin, With A Show Of ‘Support’ For Hillary

Posted on | January 24, 2013 | 17 Comments

by Smitty

The mighty Looking Spoon thinks that Hillary could be a stand-in for Omar Saeed al Sahaf:

To paraphrase Jean-Pierre McGarrigle:

“In an age of spin, Clinton offers feeling and authenticity. Her message is consistent–unshakeable, in fact, no matter the evidence–but she commands daily attention by her on-the-spot, invective-rich variations on the theme. Her lunatic counterfactual art is more appealing than the banal awfulness of the Reliable Sources. See is a Method Actress in a production that will close in a couple of days. She stands superior to truth.”

Via just a conservative girl,

And, finally, some theme music from ma Twitter feed:

I was gonna fix the security, but Ambassador died
I was gonna tell the American people, Ambassador died
I was gonna have Ms. Rice come clean, but talking points fried!
Ambassador died, Ambassador died, Ambassador died.
[To Congress] LaDaDaDaDaDa

I was gonna spring Nakoula from the can, cuz Ambassador died
I was gonna honor the other dead man, cuz Ambassador died
I was gonna ‘splain about the two ex-SEALs, and I know why!
Ambassador died, Ambassador died, Ambassador died.
{To Congress} LaDaDaDaDaDa

I was gonna ask me the Turkish envoy, cuz Ambassador died
I was gonna find me a Syrian gun-toy, cuz Ambassador died
I was gonna plumb me a Taliban death-ploy, and I know why!

Category: Hillary Clinton

LIVE AT FIVE: 01.24.13

Posted on | January 24, 2013 | 4 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho

TOP NEWS
Emotional Hillary Angrily Denies Benghazi Coverup

“What difference does it make?”

“Nothing could be farther from the truth,” she insisted
Ayotte: So many questions that went unanswered

Norks Plan Nuclear Test Aimed At U.S.
Also, rockets.


Panetta’s Parting Gift: Lifting Ban On Women In Combat
Policy change calls for women to be serving in combat roles by January 2016



POLITICS
House Votes To Suspend Debt Limit

Speaker Boehner says it’s time to get serious about deficit reduction

Refuses to extend debt limit suspension unless Senate cuts a deal to cut deficit

AF General Welsh Calls Sexual Assault A “Cancer”

Union Membership Falls To Lowest Percentage In 76 Years

Boehner: Obama’s Goal Is To Annihilate The Republican Party

Some Female Vets Say The Time Has Come For Women In Combat Arms

LA Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing Up To 20 Kids

NRA’s LaPierre Says Obama Doesn’t Understand Gun Owners



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
U.S. Oil Prices Plunge After Seaway Pipeline Cuts Rates: NYMEX $95.23, Brent $112.80
PRC Manufacturing At Two-Year High
Asian Stocks Swing Between Gains, Loss; Japan Stocks Jump
Defense Department Cuts Spark Losses At General Dynamics
Logitech Swings To Third-Quarter Loss On Weak Global PC Market
Netflix Gets A Boost From New Streaming Customers
McDonald’s Expecting Decline In January Sales
US Airways 4Q Profit Doubles
Apple Plunges After Flat Earnings Report
Zelda, Mario Kart, other Favorites Coming To Wii U
Feds Bust Three For Widespread Gozi Virus
RIM Gains Momentum Ahead Of Blackberry 10 Launch
Facebook Overtakes Google Maps As Top Mobile App
Researchers Turn DNA Into Digital Storage Medium
Windows 8 To Mainstream Solid-State Drives?
THQ Dissolved In Bankruptcy, Assets Split Among Several Companies



SPORTS
Grizzlies Maul Lakers, 106-93

The Grizzlies’ Rudy Gay, left, and the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (24) battle for a loose ball

Memphis sends the Lakers to their fourth straight loss

Tom Brady Fined $10K For Unnecessary Roughness Against Ravens

Lopez Leads Nyets Past Timbermutts 91-83

Gaborik’s Hat Trick Gives Rangers 4-3 Win In OT Against Bruins

Dick Vitale Rips Duke After Blowout Loss To Miami


Heat Outlast Raptors In 123-116 OT Win

Junior Seau’s Family Files Wrongful Death Suit Against NFL

Hofstra Loses On Half-Court Shot As Buzzer Sounds

NCAA Investigation Of Miami Flagged

Soriano Provides Needed Storyline For Nats Beat Reporters
A sports story about the difficulty of writing sports stories. Kill me now.



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Queen Of Soul Amused By Beyonce Lip-Sync Controversy

The Queen of Soul and some rapper’s wife

Celebs have mass Chris Crocker moment in support of Beyonce

SXSW Rejects Lohan/Schrader Flick “The Canyons” Over Quality Issues

Private Diaries Reveal Dark Secrets About Unspeakable Armenian Clan

Bieber’s Stoned Sex Romp With Nursing Student Drove Away Selena Gomez

Manti Te’o’s Real Girlfriend Speaks Out: He Was The Victim Of A Hoax

Taylor Swift Poses As Rapunzel For Disney

Paula Deen: How My Whole Family Got Fit

National Enquirer Claims Rachael Ray’s Husband Repeatedly Visited Manhattan Swinger’s Club Before – And After – His Marriage

Inigo Montoya T-Shirt Causes Stir On QANTAS Flight
Yes, people really are this dumb.



FOREIGNERS
PM Cameron Promises Britain More Freedom From The EU
Barak: Elections A Win For Social Justice Movement
Mali’s Army Accused Of Summary Executions By NGO
Indian Panel Pushes For New Laws After Fatal Gang Rape
Mexican Court Frees Frenchwoman In Kidnapping Case
Chavez Ally Morales Claims Ailing Venezuelan President Undergoing Physical Therapy
Russians Flee War-Ravaged Syria For Moscow
Philippines Takes PRC Island Dispute To UN Tribunal



BLOGS & STUFF
Elliott Abrams: Hillary Clinton’s Management Failure
Breitbart: Hillary On Libya – “What Difference Does It Make?”
Theo Spark: Hillary Clinton #Benghazi Hearings
Riehl World News: Idiot Liberal Blogger Dishonestly Defends Hillary, Falsely Attacks The Right
Weasel Zippers: Rand Paul Hammers Hillary Over Benghazi During Senate Hearing
NRO Corner: Benghazi – They Know We’re Stupid
Rush Limbaugh: The Cleansing Of Hillary Clinton’s Record
Twitchy: Salon Writer – Abortion Is Killing, And I’m Okay With That
Power Line: Unions’ Decline Continued In 2012
RightWingNews: 2/23/2013 Will be A Day Of Resistance
Stephen Kruiser: Forget Subtlety – Media Encouraging Executive Overreach For Second Term
Maggie’s Farm: The Left’s Unfinished Agenda
Gateway Pundit: Morsi Warns US Officials Of Jewish Media, Gets F-16s Anyway
Ed Driscoll: Blank Generation
Kori Schake: Flawed Diamond – A Vanity Project Posing As Anthropology




Category: Live at Five
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