LIVE AT FIVE: 12.11.12

Meanwhile — and I’m sure this is just a coincidence, Neal Rauhauser — the pro-Kimberlin trolls decided to create a slam-dunk case of Twitter terms-of-service violations against themselves. One account has already been suspended, and others are likely to suffer the same fate shortly.

It is important to remember why the cyberstalking harassers do what they do. It’s about defending their patron saint, Brett Kimberlin.

So every time they start jumping up on Twitter, I respond by Tweeting out the facts about their hero: “When ‘Jessica’ Was 10, 11, 12.”

How’s that “brass knuckles reputation management” workin’ for ya?

Category: Patterico, The Kimberlin Files

The Neitzschean Existential Angst of Blogging in the Same Sphere as Ace

Posted on | December 10, 2012 | 43 Comments

BTW, in case you didn’t know it, @joenbc hates conservative talk-radio with the heat of ten thousand suns.

— Robert Stacy McCain (@rsmccain) December 10, 2012

OK, the pretentious title is both:

An anti-intellectual mockery of show-offs who throw around terms like “existential angst”; and
An honest admission of inner doubts about my own relevance, given that at least half my blog-shtick is ripped off from Ace.

While I’ve improvised, adapted and, perhaps to some extent, genuinely innovated on the AOSHQ model, the derivative nature of my act is still something I occasionally bump my head against.

Back in the day when I was trapped in a desk-editor’s job at The Washington Times, I’d look over the fence at the green grass of the blogosphere and say, “Wow, those guys are actually having fun.”

Nobody was having more fun than the AOSHQ Morons. So when I finally stepped across the fence, it was certain that I was going to try to do something Ace-ish with my own personal corner of the ‘sphere. And discovered, inevitably, that it ain’t nowhere near as easy as it looks.

You know how, when you were a kid watching baseball, you’d see the games on TV and then go out in the backyard to play ball with your friends? And you weren’t exactly clobbering homers over the fence in every at-bat? As a matter of fact, you were striking out a lot, and hitting foul balls that broke out the neighbor’s window?

People who succeed at something are usually very good at what they do, and tend to make it look a lot easier than it actually is. So if your idea of a career plan is, “Hey, I’ll learn to play guitar like Yngwie Malmsteen,” good luck with that. If everybody could do it, there would be no distinction or honor in the achievement, and it’s the same way with me trying to be an Internet Funny Guy Like My Hero Ace of Spades.

He’s just a hell of a lot funnier than me, so I have to figure out some other formula for “value-added” besides the funny stuff. Also, there’s a lot more to Ace than just the wisecracks, and his serious stuff is pretty damned awesome, too. Either way, it’s a mighty hard dollar, this independent blogging racket and, nearly five years into the gig, my appreciation of Ace’s work has increased rather than diminished. Read more

Category: Ace of Spades, MSNBC, Talk Radio

Class Warfare Nation

Posted on | December 10, 2012 | 8 Comments

Media sycophancy provides Democrats with free campaign advertising. It also influences policy. Propaganda works, and the incessant ABC/NBC/CBS drumbeat in favor of Obama’s tax-hike agenda has persuaded a majority Americans that the problem with this country is that the wealthy aren’t “paying their fair share.”

Philip Klein points out that higher rates actually increase the value of certain deductions, and Ed Morrissey sees hypocrisy at the New York Times.

Category: Uncategorized

Ohio Democrat Makes Bestiality Jokes; Humane Society Official Not Amused

Posted on | December 10, 2012 | 25 Comments

In Ohio, believe it or not, it’s legal to sodomize your dog. Or fellate your horse, or otherwise have carnal knowledge of whatever species might arouse your perverse erotic interest. Some members of the Ohio legislature want to pass a law to outlaw bestiality, and the leader of the state’s House Democrats decided to make a few “humorous” remarks about the subject:

“I was appalled,” said [Missy] Houghton, an agent with the Richland County Humane Society. “I do not think this is something that should be laughed at or made into a joke. To me, this bill is a no-brainer that should have been passed. We are one of the few states that do not have a law against bestiality.”

Indeed, and some Republicans suspect that Ohio Democrats are secretly beholden to the North American Man-Dog Love Association. But why bring Sherrod Brown into this? The article in the Manfield News-Journal recounts efforts to apprehend one such deviant:

Peter Bower, 32, was sentenced to community service and two years probation after authorities discovered a history of sexual activity with his 3-year-old shepherd mix, Aurora.
Authorities said previous investigations revealed the dog was not the only animal Bower abused. He posted photos and stories of his encounters with other dogs and a horse on multiple bestiality websites.
A year later, Bower was arrested again and later found guilty of violating his probation after an ad was discovered at www.sittercity.com offering his dog-sitting services.

Wanna bet Peter Bower is a registered Democrat?

UPDATE: Welcome, Instapundit readers (and other zoophobic bigots)! Please don’t forget to shop our Amazon holiday deals!

Category: Crime, Ohio, Sex

Obama Has Consequences

Posted on | December 10, 2012 | 30 Comments

“God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs . . .”
— Dr. Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park

Lots of bloggers are science-fiction buffs, but I prefer reality, regarding fiction generally as a puerile waste of time. If you wish to improve your mind, it is much more productive to read history than any work of fiction. (I’ve recently been re-reading Alan Moorehead’s Gallipoli, which I borrowed from Joe Fein in 2010 and feel guilty for not having returned.)

However, it must be admitted that great science fiction makes us think, and Jurassic Park is a fine lesson in unintended consequences, a sort of Hayekian insight into the failure of planning and “expertise.” Genetically engineering the re-creation of extinct monsters might seem like a great idea for a theme park, but to quote another witty line by Jeff Goldblum’s intellectual character from the movie, “if The Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don’t eat the tourists.”

Yes, and I’m sure it must have seemed like a great idea during the “Arab Spring” to arm Islamic extremists in Libya:

In spite of the threat of American weapons ending up in the hands of terrorist groups, President Barack Obama secretly approved an arms transfer to Libyan rebels through Qatar at the height of the rebellion against Moamar Khadhafi, a knowledgeable source noted on Friday.
However, American counterterrorists are discovering that some of those U.S. weapons ended up in the hands of radical Islamists including associates of al-Qaeda, according to a law enforcement source who trained police in the Middle East.
Some Americans who are retired from the military, as well as intelligence and law enforcement agencies, believe there should be an investigation into possible connections between the weapons provided by the Qataris back then and the attack that killed an American ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012.

More at Gateway Pundit: “Benghazi Terrorists Were Armed By Obama”

One of the lessons of Gallipoli is how seemingly minor mistakes can have enormous consequences. The Allied effort to force a passage through the Dardenelles, capture Constantinople and thus knock Turkey out of the war was meant to relieve pressure on Russia and open a second front against the Central Powers.

Before the campaign began, it was suggested that the Greeks be brought in to aid the effort against the Turks, but the Czar objected to the idea that the Greeks might gain a colonial foothold in Turkey. It is speculation to wonder what might have happened in the historical alternative, but as it was, the campaign against Constantinople failed, the war lasted until 1918, and the Czar was executed by the Bolsheviks.

Exit question: Is comparing Obama’s policies to dinosaurs racist?

Category: Barack Obama, Libya, Terrorism

Two Weeks Until Christmas and
Three Weeks Until ‘Fiscal Cliff’

Posted on | December 10, 2012 | 18 Comments

On the one hand, I hope everybody’s having a happy holiday season — and shopping our amazing Amazon holiday deals! — while on the other hand, I suspect you’re bummed out by the tedious ongoing downer in Washington. Politico:

Time is running short — and so are the options available to avert the fiscal cliff.
President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) have just 21 days to resolve their differences over how to handle more than $500 billion in expiring tax rates and steep spending cuts.
Although they met Sunday for the first time in more than three weeks — signaling a new, potentially more productive stage of the negotiations — there was no progress on the staff level ahead of that sit-down, according to Democratic and Republican sources.
The White House and Capitol Hill are now staring at a narrow set of options fraught with political and policy peril.

Yadda, yadda, yadda. Washington Post:

The contours of a deal to avert the year-end fiscal cliff are becoming increasingly clear. But progress has been slow, and time is running out for leaders to seal an agreement and sell it to restless lawmakers who so far have been given little information.
With hope still alive for a resolution by Christmas, President Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) met Sunday at the White House, their first face-to-face meeting in nearly a month and their first one-on-one session since July 2011, when they last tried to forge a far-reaching compromise to tame the national debt.
Neither side would provide details, but White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage and Boehner spokesman Michael Steel released identical statements saying “the lines of communication remain open.”

It’s either (a) a hopeless stalemate, or (b) the prelude to a total GOP surrender, and there not really anything you or I can do about it. Which means there’s only one thing to do . . .

SHOP OUR AMAZON HOLIDAY DEALS NOW!

Category: Budget, Taxes

LIVE AT FIVE: 12.10.12

Posted on | December 10, 2012 | 2 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho

TOP NEWS
Obama, Boehner Go Mano A Mano

Speaker Boehner at a Friday news conference

Sunday meeting apparently without result

Morsi Annulls Controversial Decree
Opposition calls for more protests after demand for vote postponement rejected

Race To Replace Bloomberg Picks Up Speed
Lots of hype, lots of secrecy, only two declared candidates so far

POLITICS
House Democrats Push For Discharge Petition On Tax Rate Extension

Discharge petition sponsor Tim Walz (D-MN)

Walz hopes to split off 27 Republicans, do end run around Boehner

UC Students Arrested For Feeding Pot Brownies To Unknowing Victims; Three Hospitalized

Tea Party Losing Steam?

GOP Says No Retreat, No Surrender On Debt Ceiling Fight

Hillary For President In 2016?

Booker To Decide Soon On Christie Challenge

Homeless Numbers Steady In Latest Report, Some Improvement For Veterans

Newt Schools Lawrence O’Donnell On Clinton-Era Tax Cuts

THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Crude Falls For Fourth Straight Day: NYMEX $85.93, Brent $107.02
AIG Sells Unit To PRC Firm To Help Repay Bailout
Japan Revised GDP Signals Economy In Recession
PRC Export Growth Weaker Than Expected
Fed Likely To Continue Bond-Buying Program
PRC’s Wanxiang Wins Auction For US Government-Backed A123
Buying Time On Mississippi Rover Shipping Crisis
IBM Chip Aims To Use Silicon Nanophotonics In Bid To Speed Up Internet
Australian Police Warn Against Apple Maps, Citing “Potentially Life-Threatening Misdirection”
Apple, Google Team Up For $500 Million Bid On Kodak Patents
“Premium Suite” Packs Still More Features Into Galaxy S III
AT&T Adds $50 HTC One VX To Lineup
“Dark Souls II” Is Coming To Ruin Your Day

SPORTS
Royals Acquire Shields And Davis From Rays

James Shields

Kansas City gets two proven quality starters for top prospects Myers, Odorizzi

Grieving Cowboys Rally Past Bengals, 20-19

Kick Returns Ignite Giants In Win Over Saints

Redskins Rally To Beat Ravens 31-28 In OT After RG3 Hurt

Packers Keep Win Streak Alive With 27-20 Win Over Lions

Knicks Pull Away Late To Top Denver

Cardinals’ Woes Continue With 58-0 Rout By Seahawks

Fehr Maintains NHL, Players Were Close To Deal

FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Jenni Rivera, “Queen Of Banda”, Dies In Plane Crash

Jenni Rivera, 1969-2012, RIP

Star of Mexican music, Telemundo reality show dies en route to concert; was signed to ABC sitcom deal

Brandi Glanville To Undergo Breast Surgery For Tumor

Lindsay Lohan: I Can Barely Pay My Rent!

Rep: No, Jenifer Aniston Is Not Pregnant

Gwen Stefani Joins Hubby Gavin Rossdale On Stage In LA

Dallas Cowboys Player Jerry Brown Killed In Auto Wreck; Teammate Josh Brent Arrested

Katt Williams Arrested Again

First Look At “The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug”

Charlie Sheen’s Ex Brooke Mueller Hospitalized

FOREIGNERS
Norks Delay Rocket Launch
Morsi Orders Military To Cooperate With Police To Maintain Order
Ghana’s President Wins Re-Election; Opposition Claims Results Manipulated
EU Less Than Peaceful Ahead Of Nobel Ceremony
Rebel Gains In Syria Embolden Lebanese Sunnis
Venezuela’s Chavez Announces Return To Cuba As Cancer Strikes Again
Exit Polls Point To Landslide For Romania’s Ruling Alliance
Italy’s President Napolitano Wonders How Markets Will React To Premier Monti’s Call For Early Elections
BJP’s Narendra Modi Invokes Facebook Arrests To Counter PM Singh’s Comments On Minority Insecurity In Gujarat

BLOGS & STUFF
Althouse: Why Can’t David Savage Read?
NewsBusters: George Will – “Opposition To Gay Marriage Is Literally Dying”
WSJ: The Republican Tax Panic
William Kristol: The Journal’s Tax Advice
Rick Moran: Raising Tax Rates Only Part Of The Deal
Jazz Shaw: Hillary’s Not-So-Smooth Path To The White House
Algemeiner: Egypt’s Opposition Calls For More Protests Against Morsi
Jihad Watch: Syrian Rebels Say Christians Can Only Live In Postwar Syria If They Pay The Jizya
Weasel Zippers: Syrian Rebels’ Most Effective Fighting Force? Al Qaeda
Vodkapundit: Tax THIS!
Protein Wisdom: “So Who Will Tell The Truth – And Then Act On It?”

Category: Live at Five

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The Other McCain

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

LIVE AT FIVE: 12.11.12

REPORT: @NadiaNaffe’s Lawsuit Against @Patterico Flounders in L.A. Hearing

The Neitzschean Existential Angst of Blogging in the Same Sphere as Ace

Class Warfare Nation

Ohio Democrat Makes Bestiality Jokes; Humane Society Official Not Amused

Obama Has Consequences

Two Weeks Until Christmas and
Three Weeks Until ‘Fiscal Cliff’

LIVE AT FIVE: 12.10.12

THE FULL METAL JACKET REACH-AROUND AWARD

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