The Other McCain

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

No, We Can’t.

Posted on | December 11, 2012 | 23 Comments

Memeorandum features this headline from Think Progress:

We Could End Homelessness With The Money
Americans Spend On Christmas Decorations

This is false. It could only be true if the complex problem known by the misleading label “homelessness” were just a matter of money, but it’s not.

Homelessness made headlines in the 1980s and was exploited for purposes of partisan propaganda by liberals who saw an opportunity to dramatize what they construed as consequences of “Reaganomics.” In fact, as researchers discovered, homelessness is primarily caused by non-economic factors: mental illness, substance abuse and family disruption.

Insofar as homelessness resulted from public policy, it was not the Reagan administration’s budget policies, but rather the de-institutionalization of the mentally ill — a liberal priority during the 1970s — which had done most to aggravate the problem.

Prior to the 1970s, people with serious chronic mental illnesses like schizophrenia were for the most part incarcerated in psychiatric wards at state institutions. (For example, when I was a kid growing up near Atlanta, a common synonym for “crazy” was “Milledgeville,” the town where Central State Hospital was located.) As a result of court rulings, new ideas about the nature of mental illness and governmental policy, in the late ’70s long-term involuntary committment became much less common. Unless it could be proven that a patient was an immediate danger to himself or others, the mentally ill could not be hospitalized against their will.

As a result of these policy changes, many thousands of seriously deranged individuals were turned loose in society. While these patients were eligible for (and, in some cases, under court order to participate in) outpatient psychiatric treatment, many were unwilling or unable to cooperate with the outpatient process. This is, by the way, how the phrase “off his meds” entered our language as a slang for craziness.

If these liberated lunatics were off their meds — not taking the anti-psychotic drugs needed to control their symptoms — they were not incapable of self-medication, and many of them resorted to alcohol, marijuana and other drugs that did nothing to improve their condition. And as strange as it may seem, liberals in many instances actively assisted in keeping such people on the streets.

The most infamous case was Joyce Brown, alias “Billie Boggs,” a schizophrenic in New York City who in the 1980s defecated and urinated on the sidewalks of Manhattan, yelling obscene gibberish and harassing passersby. The American Civil Liberties Union went to court to protect the crazy woman’s right to live in this manner and, when authorities tried to have her involuntarily committed for psychiatric treatment, her ACLU lawyers actually described Brown as a “political prisoner.” During one 1988 hearing, the ACLU represented Brown as having established “a fearless, independent life style.”

A junkie, a drunk or a schizophrenic may be “homeless,” but this isn’t a problem that can be solved with the money you could save by not decorating your home for Christmas. And the same is true of violent criminals, who make up a larger portion of the homeless population than most people are aware. Joyce Brown had a criminal record, including an assault charge in New Jersey, and so too did another notorious homeless drug addict who terrorized New Yorkers, Larry Hogue, the “Wild Man of 96th Street”:

He was big and he was bad, regularly mugging people to support his drug habit.
He set fires under cars, heaved rocks through stained glass church windows, masturbated in front of kids, stalked seniors and threatened children with nail-studded clubs.
Cops would arrest him and take him to the psychiatric ward, where he would be cut off from his crack supply.
After a few weeks his demons would disappear and he’d be back to his old tricks on W. 96th St.

Hogue’s case illustrates why money can’t prevent homelessness: Hogue received a $3,000-a-month disability check from Veterans Affairs, but his mental illness and drug abuse made him incapable of spending this responsibly, and his dangerous violence finally got him committed to Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens.

There was never any shortage of housing or other assistance available to people like Joyce Brown and Larry Hogue. The problem was a set of government policies and court rulings that made it impossible to incarcerate them for their crimes, rescue them from their drug addiction or institutionalize them for their insanity.

Despite these facts, however, the Grinches at Think Progress want to guilt-trip Americans this holiday season by insinuating that Christmas decorations are the cause of homelessness.

To which I reply: “Bah! Humbug!”

 

Category: Christmas, Liberals

LIVE AT FIVE: 12.11.12

Posted on | December 11, 2012 | 5 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Michigan Legislature Set To Pass Right-To-Work Laws

Detroit after 80 years of pro-union policies

Governor Snyder says he’ll sign; President Obama, labor unions whining
Related: Worker Liberation In Michigan

HSBC Settles US Money Laundering Case For $1.9 Billion
Brit bank slammed by Feds, states for handling Iranian, drug cartels’ money

Obama & Boehner Talking About A Debt Deal
Aides say each side wants more details from the other



POLITICS
Should Congressional Conservatives Sack Speaker Boehner?

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH)

Tom Price isn’t interested in the job


SEAL Killed In Rescue Of Dumbass NGO Doctor

Pot Legalization In Colorado Intentionally Low-Key

GOP Sets Up Group To Review Election Failures


Federal Judge Rules NC’s “Choose Life” Plates Unconstitutional

Are The Republicans Really Incapable Of Beating Hillary In 2016?



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Oil Continues Slide On Fiscal Cliff, PRC Growth Concerns: NYMEX $85.45, Brent $107.14
Stocks Notch Small Gains
McD’s Same-Store Sales Up 2.4% In November
Treasury Department To Sell Remaining AIG Shares
ObamaCare Surprise: $63 Per Person Fee For Next Three Years
Google Doodle Celebrates Programming Pioneer Ada Lovelace
Twitter Introduces Instagram-Style Photo Filters
FTC Voices Concerns Over Mobile Apps For Kids
Lenovo Announces Windows 8-Optimized ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch
More TV Apps Come To XBox Live As Usage Grows
Facebook, GMail Crash And Recover
Google Chromebooks Steeply Discounted For Classrooms, But There’s A Catch



SPORTS
Brady & The Patriots Steamroll AFC-Leading Texans

Tom Brady and WR Brandon Lloyd celebrate one of many touchdowns

Giselle Bundchen’s hubby throws four TDs, no interceptions in 42-14 blowout


Dodgers Rearm With Greinke, Ryu Hyun-Jin

Late-Breaking Linsanity Not Enough To Save Rockets From OT Loss To Spurs

NHL Lockout: Even The AHL Wants It To End

Heat Beat Hawks, Improve To 10-1 At Home

Bounty Ruling For Players Finally At Hand

Twins Sign Kevin Correia To Two-Year Deal

Suddenly, DC Is The Place To Be



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Lea Michele: Best In Show

“Glee” starlet Lea Michele

The Marie Claire interview

Brooke Mueller: Back In Rehab For 19th Time

Sheen Claims Lohan Never Thanked Him For Bailout

Demi Parties On After Split

Hayden Panettiere & Scotty McKnight Break Up

LeAnn Rimes Wishes She Had Handled Affair With Eddie Cibrian Differently

Tom Cruise: I’m Spending Christmas With My Kids

Miley Cyrus Dances With Topless Stripper, Flaunts Cleavage In Shocking Concert

Kevin Clash Sued By Fourth Accuser



FOREIGNERS
Mali PM Resigns After Army Arrest
Egypt Braces For Rival Referendum Protests
Berlusconi Accuses Monti Of Pursuing “German-Centric” Fiscal Policy
Pentagon Says Afghan Army Not Ready, Pakistan Aggravating Afghan Problems
State Department Declares Syrian Rebel Jabhat al-Nusra Group Terrorists
Syrian Government Fears Being Framed For Chemical Weapon Use
Victims Beg For Food After Typhoon Devastates Mindanao, Leaves 700 Dead
Can Maduro Succeed As Chavez’ Successor?
PRC Detains Monks For Inciting Immolations



BLOGS & STUFF
Valley of the Shadow: Democrats’ Pyrrhic Victory – No Mandate Of Heaven
JustOne Minute: Trouble In Paradise, Zero Dark Thirty Edition
Washington Free Beacon: The Preemptive Strike On “Zero Dark Thirty”
Legal Insurrection: Michigan Is The New Wisconsin
NRO Corner: Price For Speaker?
All Things D: Google Stashed $2 Billion In The Bermuda Triangle In 2011
NewsBusters: Jamie Foxx Jokes About “Killing All The White People” In His New Movie
Sacred Monkeys: Jamie Foxx Thinks It’s Funny To Joke About Killing Whitey
Beltway Confidential: Why The GOP’s Plan B Is Obama’s Worst Nightmare
Weasel Zippers: Unionized Teachers Shut Down Michigan School To Protest Right-To-Work Law
Jihad Watch: UK In Talks With US, Others To Aid Syrian Jihadis
Breitbart: UN Hosts Art Depicting Palestine As All Of Israel
Daniel Foster: Also, Pronouns Are Now Racist
Jim Treacher: You’ll Never Guess The Real Reason Behind Criticism Of Obama’s Tax & Spend Policies

Category: Live at Five

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

Posted on | December 10, 2012 | 7 Comments

The diligent John Hoge calls our attention to the report at Popehat which indicates that the plaintiff was unable to show a valid claim during a Monday hearing in federal court.

Admonishments against sarcasm are duly noted.

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

OK, the pretentious title is both:

  1. An anti-intellectual mockery of show-offs who throw around terms like “existential angst”; and
  2. 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
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