The Other McCain

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

John Willis, R.I.P.

Posted on | November 28, 2012 | 5 Comments

The Rome (Ga.) News-Tribune reports that my former colleague and good friend John Willis has died of a heart attack at age 63, quoting publisher Otis Raybon, “John was a mentor for many young and upcoming journalists and will be missed by  many.”

When I first met John in the late 1980s, I was sports editor of the Calhoun (Ga.) Times and he was working for a weekly regional business journal that had been purchased by News Publishing Company, parent company of the Times and several other newspapers in Georgia and Alabama. We renewed our acquaintance in 1991 after I was transferred to the company’s flagship daily Rome News-Tribune, where John was business editor. He was one of a handful of reporters for the Rome News-Tribune who made it to work on the day of the Great Blizzard of 1993, and gave me a ride to the office after my car got stuck in the snow.

In addition to his excellent all-around skills as a journalist, John had the cynical sense of humor and talent for sarcasm common to great newspapermen, and his ascerbic wit made him a cheerful and much-loved newsroom presence. We often traded lines from our favorite comedies, including Blazing Saddles and Animal House.

Category: Journalism

Naked Protesters: Unattractive People Demand Action to Protect Boondoggle

Posted on | November 28, 2012 | 18 Comments

In terms of newsworthiness, it might be a clever idea to have, say, Brad Pitt and Anne Hathaway stage a naked protest in Harry Reid’s office, demanding action to reduce out-of-control federal spending. On the other hand, it’s hard to see the logic of sending out a bunch of ugly freaks to harass John Boehner about their pet boondoggle:

Seven naked protesters swarmed the office of Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) on Tuesday for some 20 minutes of loud chanting against cuts to AIDS funding.
Among their chants: “Boehner, Boehner, don’t be a dick, budget cuts will make us sick.” And: “Fight AIDS. Act up. Fight back.” And: “End AIDS with the Robin Hood tax, no more budget cuts on our back.” And: “Budget cuts are really rude, that’s why we have to be so lewd.”

The ugly freaks got a blip of publicity that didn’t do much to explain what they were actually protesting about. However, one photo showed a protester with the phrase “Fund HOPWA” painted on his torso, and a bit of Googling identifies the acronym: Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS, a 20-year-old program under the federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), with a budget of more than $300 million a year.

Exactly why the federal government has a program to provide housing for AIDS sufferers but not, say, people with herpes or chlyamida, can only be explained in terms of identity politics. Over the past 30 years, clever organizers have succeeded in making AIDS a propaganda sledgehammer with which to bludgeon politicians. “AIDS funding” includes a vast category of government spending, of which HOPWA is a classic example, that is considered sacrosanct because anyone who doesn’t support it will be slammed as a heartless homophobe.  In September, the White House released a report from the Office of Management and Budget describing plans for budget sequestration:

According to page 98 of the very official and incredibly dense report, HOPWA is slated to lose 8.2% of its funding, or $27 million should the sequestration take place. In very real terms, since HUD calculated that for every $1 million of funding, 192 households are served, the sequester would mean the loss of housing assistance to 5,184 households. In addition, outside of HOPWA reductions, according to calculations from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, “More than 185,000 households would lose their tenant-based rental assistance vouchers, 92,400 households would lose their project-based rental assistance housing, and 145,900 people would be remain homeless, instead of being housed under the Homeless Assistance Grant program. In addition, more than 140,000 currently housed households that include an elderly person or a person with a disability would receive reduced unit maintenance and lower levels of supportive services in units funded by Section 202 Housing for the Elderly or Section 811 Housing for People with Disabilities.”

In other words, it’s about money — tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded grants — and the people who get that money are insisting that they won’t give up one red cent of it, despite the fact that the federal government is headed toward bankruptcy.  As far as I’m concerned, HOPWA belongs in the same “Stuff We Can’t Afford Anymore” category as Big Bird and the National Endowment for the Arts.

BTW, apologies to anyone mystified by my 24-hour absence from the Internet. Don’t believe those crazy rumors that I was arrested for staging a naked protest against federal funding for Auburn University.

 


Category: Budget

Benghazi Tragedy Lives On As Farce

Posted on | November 28, 2012 | 6 Comments

by Smitty

Vadum offers an excellent summary of the news to date:

A Washington Post editorial supports the left-wing Congressional Black Caucus’s wild contention that Republicans are out to get Rice “because she is an African American woman.” Perhaps the editorial writers forgot that President George W. Bush’s secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, an immensely popular figure in the GOP, was also a black woman.

The newspaper then implies that Republicans are secret members of the Ku Klux Klan, citing a recent letter signed by 97 House Republicans questioning Rice’s fitness for the post of top U.S. diplomat. The paper casually opines that “[M]ore than 80 of the signatories are white males, and nearly half are from states of the former Confederacy.”

Like defense lawyers for an obviously guilty client, these left-wing journalists are working overtime to confuse the public about what happened in Benghazi, Libya, the Obama administration’s role, and what it all means. Democrats and the mainstream media are trying to obstruct progress in the investigation by misdirection, grabbing at any shiny object within reach.

I’d like to think that if conservatives keep the pressure on, #OccupyResoluteDesk’s 2012 re-election could be the most pyrrhic since that of Nixon in 1972.

Alas, I’ve moved to the notion that BHO wins a third term on a write-in, as our entire Constitutional order implodes. [Hint: reverse psychology.]

Meanwhile, where is RSM? And where is Cassone’s video to go with his Benghazi anthem?

Category: Uncategorized

U.S. Senator Erick Erickson?

Posted on | November 28, 2012 | 30 Comments

by Smitty

I do like the cut of his jib. Seriously, patriots: if you thought unwinding a century of Progressive drift was going to be easy, re-calibrate. We’ve barely gotten into the Sinai, and the deadweight wants to get back to the government handouts in exchange for pyramid work. Stand by for two generations to pass before we can return to being the Promised Land.

But to get there, you have to show up.


The only way to restore confidence in elections is overwhelming turnout.

You may have disagreed with Erickson on this or that nuance, but, for the other 99.8% of the discussion, the guy is spot on.

So get recharged over the holidays, and come back in 2013 ready to preach liberty and guys like Erickson in the breadline!

via Insty

Category: Uncategorized

LIVE AT FIVESIX: 11.28.12

Posted on | November 28, 2012 | 5 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Ayotte: No Answers On Benghazi? No New SecState

Senator Kelly Ayotte, R-NH

Backed by Graham, insists nobody involved in Benghazi debacle will get new job until the Senate has answers

Administration Shifts From Negotiations To Brute Force
Obama campaign being revved up again to press for higher taxes

Marvin Miller Dead At 95
Players’ union leader fought to bring free agency to baseball; many argue he belongs in the Hall of Fame



POLITICS
Bob Dole Hospitalized At Walter Reed

Former Senate majority leader Bob Dole

Contra Harry Reid, it’s a routine procedure and he should be out today.

ROK Strips Jill Kelley Of Honorary Consul Title

GOP Senators Unhappy With Susan Rice Meeting; More Questions Unanswered


Female Soldiers Sue Pentagon Over Ground Combat Ban

Senate Democrats Divided Over Benefit Cuts

Kyl, McCain, Hutchinson Introduce Immigration Reform Plan

Pac State Democrat (BIRM) Senators Still Don’t Understand Economics, Call For Gasoline Price Probe



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Oil Prices Slump After OECD Cuts Growth Forecast: NYMEX $87.22, Brent $109.80
Eurozone States Face Losses On Greek Debt
Asian Stocks, Metals Fall On Fiscal Cliff Concerns
Treasury Again Declines To Name PRC A Currency Manipulator
Green Mountain Coffee Profit Up 22% On K-Cups
PRC Stocks Decline To 2009 Lows As Trading Decreases
Barge Industry Wants Federal Action On Falling Mississippi River Levels
Patent Office Rejects Dunkin’ Donuts’ Claim To “Best Coffee In America”
Ericson Files Patent Suit Against Samsung
Manager Responsible For Apple Maps Debacle Has Been Sacked
Commenters Push Facebook Policy Changes To Public Vote
Nintendo Sells 400K Wii U Consoles In First Week
Two Windows 8 Hybrids Work Better As Laptops Than Tablets



SPORTS
#1 Hoosiers Roll Past Tar Heels, 83-59

Indiana head coach Tom Crean encourages his team

Indiana defense proves it’s for real

Lakers Fall To Pacers On Last-Minute Hill Shot

Love Grabs 24 Rebounds As Timbermutts Beat Kings 97-89

Glendale Approves Arena Deal For NHL’s Coyotes

Harden Fuels Rockets’ Fourth Straight Win

Phillies’ All-Star Catcher Carlos Ruiz Gets 25-Game Suspension For Speed

Are The Nationals Better Off Letting LaRoche Walk?



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Charlie Sheen: “Two And A Half Men” Cursed

Charlie Sheen and Angus Jones

Former cast member reacts to flap over Angus Jones’video

Melissa Rycroft Wins DWTS All-Stars Finale

Gabriel Aubry Strikes Out In Family Court

Brad Pitt: Wedding Will Happen “Soon”

Lisa Robin Kelly From “That 70’s Show” Arrested For Assault

“He Plied Me With Booze”

Jessica Chastain Smolders Between The Sheets



FOREIGNERS
Pakistan Fires Nuke-Capable Ballistic Missile
Police, Anti-Morsi Protesters Clash In Cairo
France To Back Palestinian Bid For UN Status
Car Bombs Kill 20 In Damascus’ Loyalist Suburbs
Congolese Rebels Send Mixed Signals On Goma Withdrawal
Neighbors’ Fury: Asian States Angered By New PRC Passports
Tzipi Livni Returns To Politics, Forms Centrist Party To Oppose Netanyahu
Onion Fools Peoples’ Daily With Kim Jong-Un “Sexiest Man Alive” Article



BLOGS & STUFF
Michelle Malkin: Yet Another Interior Department Scandal Unfolds
Brent Bozell: Pushing Conservatives Off The Fiscal Cliff
Lonely Conservative: PoliSci Prof Says Give Up Your Whiteness, American-ness, Maleness, Heterosexuality
Weasel Zippers: Rice – We Didn’t Mean To Lie About Benghazi
Power Line: It Doesn’t Pay To Work
Gateway Pundit: When Work Is Punished – The Sad State Of Obama’s America
Allahpundit: Hey, Remember When Democrats Loved The Filibuster?
Erick Erickson: Regarding Saxby Chambliss
The Blaze: Rand Paul Warns Against GOP Becoming A Dinosaur
Gretawire: Laura Ingraham Off The Air; In Talks With Distributors
Rick Moran: Is The GOP Doomed By The Generation Gap?
Protein Wisdom: After Victory, Liberals Want Income Redistribution

Category: Live at Five

Not Sure About @rsmccain Whereabouts

Posted on | November 27, 2012 | 18 Comments

by Smitty

I had a good day at work, nerding about on this and that.

The last week has been all about a fiction project of mine, as I’ve been re-writing a 30k word draft. 1/3 through my draft chapters, I’m up to 22k words, and liking my characters/plot even more. So there’s that.

Meanwhile, RSM didn’t answer a cel call, or SMS. No idea about the story with him. Sorry.

Update: sorry, Instapundit. No call, no SMS.

Category: Uncategorized

LIVE AT FIVESEVEN: 11.27.12

Posted on | November 27, 2012 | 8 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Morsi Does Partial Backdown On Expanded Power

Egyptian protesters meet in a burned-out school

Spokesman says “only some acts” protected from judicial review


Investigators Dig Up Arafat’s Corpse
Death by polonium poisoning? Stroke? The JOOOOOS?


Much Talk Of Compromise, But Fiscal Deal Elusive
White House still adamant on increasing tax rates



POLITICS
Jeb Bush Pushes Contentious School Reforms

Bush addresses the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Annual Conference in Lake Buena Vista

Former governor pushes vouchers, online schools
Rumors of 2016 run

Feds Seize 132 Websites For Selling Counterfeit Merchandise

Christie Concerned About Sandy Victims Falling Through The Cracks

Medicaid Costs To Rise Even Without Program Expansion

Feds Charge Teachers With Praxis Test Fraud

Cox & Archer: We Can’t Tax Our Way Out Of Debt

Supremes Take On Question Of Who’s The Boss In The Workplace



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Oil Prices Rebound On Greek Debt Deal; NYMEX $88.09, Brent $111.17
Greek Bankruptcy Averted For Now
OECD Expects Weak Exports To Curb PRC Rebound
Dow, S&P 500 Stumble, NASDAQ Gains
ConocoPhillips Flees Kazakhstan With $5 Billion Sale
Warren Buffett Back To Complaining He’s Not Paying Enough Taxes
Union Fail: Walmart Survives Labor’s Intimidation Campaign
No, Google Didn’t Buy WiFi Provider ICOA
Galaxy S III Survives Extreme Stress Tests
Cellphones Becoming Go-To Device For Online Activities, Banking, And More
Microsoft To Release WinPhone 8 Apollo Plus Next Year
GM Bringing iPhone’s Siri To Your Car
Google Launches Campaign In Germany Against Proposed Link Tax
“Mass Effect 3” Takes The Flight To Omega



SPORTS
Newton Leads Panthers Past Eagles, 30-22

Panthers QB Cam Newton

Writing on the wall for Andy Reid as Eagles’ skid hits seven?


Nyets Grind Out 96-89 Win Over Knicks In OT

NHL, Players Association Turn To US Mediators

Rays, Longoria Agree To 10-Year/$136 Million Extension

Week 12: Bungles No More

Suh Avoids Suspension For Kick To Schaub’s Groin

Bucks Erase 27-Point Deficit, Stun Bulls

Nationals Cash In On Post-Season Payout



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
“Two Toxic People Cannot Be Together”

Samantha Ronson and Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay talks about her relationship with Ronson, other matters in Us magazine interview
“Liz And Dick” Pulls In 3.5 Million Viewers

Angus T. Jones Says “Two And A Half Men” Is “Filth”: “Please Stop Watching”

Gabriel Aubry Gets Restraining Order Against Olivier Martinez After Getting Face Broken In Brawl

Ben Savage, Danielle Fishel Join “Girl Meets World” Pilot

Jessica Simpson’s “Super Secret” Weight Watchers Diet Plan

Dolly Parton: Sorry Ladies, I’m Not A Lesbian

Oprah At The Crossroads

Voice Of Elmo Hit With Third Underage Sex Accusation

Lenny Kravitz To Play Marvin Gaye In Julien Temple Film

Bieber: Why I Wore Overalls To Meet The Prime Minister



FOREIGNERS
Mursi Opponents Rally In Tahrir Square
M23 Rebels Say They Won’t Leave Goma
Norks Preparing For Another Missile Test
Bangladesh Says Second Factory Fire Caused By Sabotage
French Right Splits As Leadership Crisis Deepens
Pak Journalist Defiant After Taliban Botches Car Bomb Assassination
Secession Popular In Catalonia; Austerity, Not So Much
Fire Kills Fourteen At Workshop For Disabled In Germany
Aid Pours In After Debut of India’s New Aam Aadmi Party



BLOGS & STUFF
The Lid: We’re About To Be Bushwhacked
Jammie Wearing Fools: White House Claims GOP Is Going To Ruin Christmas Or Something
NRO Corner: White House Won’t Change Social Security To Make Fiscal Cliff Deal
Mediaite: Tom Ricks Booted From Fox Interview After Accusing Network Of Operating As Wing Of GOP
Weasel Zippers: McCain To Meet With Susan Rice, Explain Why He’s Not A Racist
Palm Beach Post: Crist Wing Of Florida GOP Says Voter Suppression Was Aim Of New Election Law
Weekly Standard Blog: Santorum Open To 2016 Run
Legal Insurrection: Epistemic Closure Of The Epistemic Closure Pundits
Israel Matzav: NYT Reporter Fooled By Hamas
Breitbart: Time Magazine Honors Sandra Fluke As “Person Of The Year” Finalist
Charles Murray: Why Aren’t Asians Republicans?
NewsBusters: AP Stylebook Now Discourages Reporters From Using “Homophobia”, “Islamophobia”
Power Line: The “Nuclear Option”, Then And Now
Professor Bainbridge: Warren Buffett, Tax Evader
Lonely Conservative: Obama Depicted As Christ On The Cross
Twitchy: Jamie Foxx Calls Obama “Our Lord And Savior” During Soul Train Awards, Backlash Erupts
Protein Wisdom: White House Taps Geithner To Run Fiscal Cliff Talks

Category: Live at Five

I Want To Agree With James Joyner, But I Fear He Shot Us Both Down

Posted on | November 27, 2012 | 30 Comments

by Smitty

Emphasis mine on James Joyner in The Atlantic:

The Republican Party needs a new message on foreign policy that is true to the conservative principles of the base and yet has a broad appeal to the American public. It so happens that one already exists, has a proven track record of electoral success, and is only slightly used: the “humble foreign policy” that candidate George W. Bush espoused during the 2000 campaign but abandoned with the Global War on Terror and the Iraq invasion.

I’ll be the first to agree that it would be cool if history allowed a fully Paulian ‘non-interventionist’ foreign policy. Joyner’s article, read the whole thing, figures that all would have been more swell if Bush had stayed the HFC course.

That’s a nice counter-factual, but how, given the hegemonic status of the United States, does one avoid the suction of history into events?

I submit that, if you haven’t told me how you’re deconstructing the Military-Industrial Complex, and offloading your hegemonic position to someone else (The UN? That outfit couldn’t lead water to flow downhill) you haven’t told me much. And I submit that the Dovish Democrat who bombed the Balkans and #OccupyResoluteDesk, who bracket Bush historically, are dealing from the same deck.

In review, the Democrats hopped in their gunboat and overtook GOP diplomacy. How progressive of the Dems. The bewildered GOP is going to have to pony up, put some deeds where its Constitutional bleatings are located, and deliver a return to Constitutional, balanced government, or remain indistinguishable from the Dems and keep right on losing elections.

Category: Uncategorized
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