The Other McCain

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

Lindsey Stone of Plymouth, Mass., Has ‘Been Placed on Unpaid Leave Pending the Results of an Internal Investigation’

Posted on | November 20, 2012 | 148 Comments

“This is just us, being the douchebags that we are, challenging authority in general. . . . OBVIOUSLY we meant NO disrespect to people that serve or have served in our military.”
— Lindsey Stone of Plymouth, Massachusetts

Alas, Lindsey, it wasn’t quite as obvious to others as it was to you, eh?

While I hesitate to jump on the dogpile — e.g., the “Fire Lindsey Stone” Facebook page — my sympathy for you is limited by my suspicion that you’re not really sorry about what you did, you’re just sorry that you got caught. And I furthermore suspect that, as you sit home on unpaid leave, having deleted your Facebook page, you’re sulking in self-pity about how unfair it is and how mean these people are being to you.

But Lindsey, you did this on a company-paid trip to Arlington National Cemetery at THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNS!

“I can understand why veterans would be all upset over this,” says Edward LeBlanc who was in the Air Force for 20 years and served two tours in Vietnam.

Understatement of the year, sir. Perhaps you could explain to Lindsey, the daughter of Peter and Jeanne Stone of Plymouth, Mass., why the sign at the Tomb of the Unknowns asks for “silence and respect,” and why nobody’s laughing at her “clever” Facebook photo. Let me give it a try.

My childhood friend Dave brought his family to visit us a few years ago, and we all took a trip together down to Washington, D.C.

Dave was especially eager to visit Arlington National Cemetery. You see, Dave used to be a Scoutmaster and one of his former Scouts had grown up and joined the Army. This young man, whom Dave had taught in his troop all the way up to the rank of Eagle Scout — no small honor, that — had been selected by the Army for the even higher honor of Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

So we went there and watched as this young Sentinel stood his watch, then saw the Changing of the Guard, and afterwards went to the quarters and talked with this soldier, Dave’s former Eagle Scout.

Y’know, old Dave was so proud, he cried.

Thinking back to that day, I also think of my late father, who had a deep scar on his neck from a piece of German shrapnel that came this close to killing him. “You got a million dollar wound, Mack,” the medic told him — bad enough he’d never have to go into combat again, but not so bad that he would be permanently crippled.

A lot of guys weren’t so lucky. And the unluckiest of all were mangled so badly that their remains couldn’t even be identified. These are the men who are buried at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

They gave “the last full measure of devotion,” and all we are asked to give them in return are “silence and respect.” Too much to ask? I think not.

You’re really feeling sorry for yourself, aren’t you, Lindsey? You think this is all about you, because you are selfish, and can’t think of the widows and orphans and bereaved parents of troops who died in their country’s service, and whose sacrifice you disrespected because you’re so smart and funny, “challenging authority generally.”

“I gotta be me, as the douchebag credo goes.”
— Ace of Spades

Really, Lindsey, it was unfair and mean of Ace to make fun of your arm fat. Because there are people with fat arms I actually like, and I wouldn’t want them to be offended. You, on the other hand . . .

Like I said, Lindsey, it’s not my instinct to dogpile someone, to kick them when they’re down and laugh at their shame. I’ve done lots of stupid, embarrassing things in my life, so I tend to empathize with people who find themselves on the receiving end of public humiliation.

“Fire Lindsey Stone“? Yeah, they probably will, but I’ll take no joy in it, even knowing that you probably voted for Obama, you dumb bitch.

What will you do after they fire you, Lindsey Stone of Plymouth, Mass.? Maybe you should consider joining the Army. Maybe the Army would teach you a thing or two about respect. And maybe you’ll get mangled so badly they won’t be able to identify your remains.

Also, like Ace said, “a push-up wouldn’t kill ya.”

Category: Culture, Military

Benghazi Strategy: Bureaucratic Twister Until Americans Get Bored, Or Something

Posted on | November 20, 2012 | 5 Comments

by Smitty

Per HotAir, the latest position in the Benghazi cover-up is that the “Office of the DNI” is the bad. . .guy. Unclear at this point was whether:

  • The room where the DNI himself sits is haunted, and that some leftover from a Stephen King novel is making random edits to computer files, or
  • James Clapper, the no-kidding DNI, did the deed, or,
  • Maybe it was a the Microsoft Office of the DNI, in the conference room with the macro, or,
  • Some intern escapee from a Dilbert cartoon got his editorial jollies with the CIA memo.

What’s totally clear at this point is that Chris Cassone has written the definitive tune on the topic, which bears viral transmission wherever patriots be found.

Category: Hot Air, Libya

Cease-Fire? With These Monsters?

Posted on | November 20, 2012 | 8 Comments

What kind of fool would believe that Hamas wants “peace”?

Six men accused of being ‘Israeli spies’ were dragged through the streets of Gaza City and executed in front of a chanting mob today as Israel warned Palestinians to evacuate some areas of the territory in apparent preparation for a ground invasion.
Witnesses said the six were taken to an intersection in the north of the city where they were summarily shot for providing intelligence that helped Israel pinpoint key figures in Hamas and the Islamic Jihad targeted by their warplanes. . . .
Gunmen chained the body of one of the alleged collaborators to a motorcycle and dragged it throughout the main streets of Gaza City in a warning to others who ‘betrayed’ Palestinians.

Pamela Geller has much more, including horrifying video and photos. I think it goes without saying that these six men were not spies, but rather innocent scapegoats targeted by henchmen of the paranoid terrorist thugs of Hamas, who seek to divert blame from themselves for the destruction they have brought down upon their people.

Category: Israel

Sad Elmo’s Very Bad Week

Posted on | November 20, 2012 | 13 Comments

Hello, boys and girls, it’s your favorite furry red Muppet who . . .

What’s that, boys and girls? Elmo’s not your favorite Muppet? You say Elmo doesn’t like girls? That’s so sad.

And what’s that? You say Elmo likes boys just a little bit too much?

Kevin Clash — known as the voice of Elmo — is facing NEW allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a SECOND underage boy …
The accuser — who is now in his 30s — has filed a lawsuit against Clash … claiming the two met on a gay phone chat line … when the accuser was 15 years old and Clash was 32. . . .
Among the allegations, [Cecil] Singleton claims, “[Clash] trolled gay telephone chat line rooms to meet and have sex with underage boys.”
In the lawsuit, filed in federal court in NYC, Singleton claims Clash “groomed [the accuser] to gain his trust by, among other things, taking him to nice dinners and giving him money.”
Singleton claims while Clash was featured on “Sesame Street,” he was “preying on teenage boys to satisfy his depraved sexual interests.”

That’s so sad. And now Elmo’s going bye-bye.

UPDATE: Today’s episode is brought to you by the letters “C,” “Y” and “A.” Also, “W,” “T” and “F.” Mary Katherine Ham:

Sesame Workshop has an incentive to protect its brand, and Clash had become a big part of it, but one would think any hint of sexual impropriety with minors would have gotten Clash tossed out of an organization whose entire mission is to work closely with children thanks to tremendous trust from parents.

Exactly, and notice the Sesame Street statement:

Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us wants, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street.

Yeah, the “controversy” is a “distraction,” i.e., a public relations issue, rather than a troubling accusation that might indicate children have been put at risk by the organization’s willingness to ignore evidence (if there was evidence) of wrongdoing (if there was wrongdoing).

One can think of many contexts in which such accusations against an individual would raise questions about the suspect’s employer.

As I said to Pete Da Tech Guy, it’s a good thing Elmo’s not a Catholic priest, or else this might be a real scandal.

 

Category: Crime

Skepticism, Balance and Error: A Brief Note on Kimberlin-Rauhauser Apologists

Posted on | November 20, 2012 | 21 Comments

Brett Kimberlin could have been sentenced to 230 years in federal prison

Evil Blogger Lady calls attention to Charles Johnson’s endorsement of a rather elaborate defense of Brett Kimberlin and Neal Rauhauser. CJ links a 3,200-word post by Crooks and Liars contributor “Karoli” that is perhaps worthy of a point-by-point fisking, which I have neither the time nor the inclination to provide at this point. However, I will briefly note four points:

  1. Karoli’s purpose is to exculpate Kimberlin and Rauhauser, and she willfully ignores evidence of their wrongdoing.
  2. Karoli replicates the Kimberlin-Rauhauser “accuse the accusers” strategy, publishing negative information (including falsehoods) about the targets, which is (a) irrelevant to the truth of what Kimberlin and Rauhauser have done, but (b) serves to undermine the credibility of the witnesses and victims of wrongdoing by Kimberlin and Rauhauser.
  3. Karoli’s excuse-making amounts to a Rauhauser-influenced conspiracy theory, as she accuses Andrew Breitbart, Patrick “Patterico” Frey, Aaron Walker and others of engaging in a plot against Kimberlin and Rauhauser, which she calls a “Right-Wing Blueprint.”
  4. To justify her defense of Kimberlin-Rauhauser, Karoli cites previous defenses of them by unreliable sources.

On this fourth point, let’s cite two examples. Karoli quotes what she calls “a really well-done post” in July by Salon’s Alex Pareene:

Basically you have a large group of people who receive a great deal of joy from pretending to be the victims of unprovoked and terrible persecution, and they are united against an incredibly litigious narcissist — possibly because he is attempting to block them from exposing his past through intimidation, or possibly because they’re attempting to block him from exposing malfeasance by the activist right. Or maybe a little of both.

Pareene did zero reporting on that article, although he easily could have. I had been on the story for six weeks at that point. Pareene knows me personally and could have contacted me, and I could have put him in direct communication with those whom he accused of “pretending to be victims.” Instead, Pareene glibly dismissed the whole thing as a bunch of silly people squabbling on the Internet.

If her citation of Pareene’s dismissive non-reporting served Karoli’s exculpatory purpose, still more did she reveal her motives by quoting an August post by Matt Osborne:

They made Neal Rauhauser into a left-wing supervillain because they wanted and needed one so badly. And for a moment, right wing bloggers seemed to finally be picking on someone their own size, because no one could find Rauhauser to engage him in “lawfare.” So they wrote with what little information they had, embellished and inflated it, and called the whole fiasco their finest hour.

This is what poker players would call a “tell,” because Matt Osborne is an active accomplice of Neal Rauhauser. Read more

Category: Conspiracy Theories, Media Bias, The Kimberlin Files

Allen West Concedes FL-18, Expected To Take Up Watercolors And Scrapbooking

Posted on | November 20, 2012 | 15 Comments

by Smitty

CNSNews has a writeup:

Saying it’s time to “move ahead,” Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) announced Tuesday morning that he is conceding his House race to Democrat Patrick Murphy.
“I think that now is not the time to try to draw the process out,” West told “Fox & Friends.”
“We brought up some incredible voting irregulaties, not just in Saint Lucie County, but also some that we found in Palm Beach County, but now is not the time for the poeple down here in Congressional District 18 to be left in the lurch.”
West said “leaders don’t need a title in order to continue to lead and also to be a voice, and so I will continue to a citizen-servant of this great nation and do the things that help restore this constitutional Republic.”

If you incline the ear, you can hear the echo back in time from a CPAC 2013 speech where that patriot is going to raise him some roof.

via Twitchy

Category: Allen West, Florida

LIVE AT FIVESIX: 11.20.12

Posted on | November 20, 2012 | 2 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
SecState Clinton To Visit Mideast In Pursuit Of Ceasefire

Secretary Clinton and President Obama in Cambodia

Leaving Cambodia today for Jerusalem, Ramallah and Cairo

South China Sea Dispute Overshadows Obama’s ASEAN Visit
Philippines object to “consensus” on negotiations with PRC

FBI: Four Southern California Men Charged In Terror Plot
Conspired to join Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan



POLITICS
Tax Hikes At Center Of Fiscal Cliff Talks

Orrin Hatch argues against raising rates on top earners

Massachusetts Offers Tuition Break To Illegals

Hobby Lobby Loses Bid To Block Obamacare

Federal Judge Nixes Nativity Displays In Santa Monica

NJ State Senator Introduces Early Voting Law

NYPD Officer Pleads Not Guilty To Cannibalism Charges

San Francisco Board Of Supervisors To Vote On Nudity Ban Today

Conservative Republicans Fight Back After Romney Loss



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Oil Prices Retreat After Spiking On Gaza Fighting: NYMEX $89.28, Brent $111.54
Twinkie The Kid Reprieved: Hostess, Union Head To Mediation
France Downgrade A Blow As Eurozone Remains Split On Greek Aid
Bank Of Japan Independence: War Of Words Sparks Words On War
US Existing Home Sales Rebound In October
Dow Jumps 200 On Fiscal Cliff Hopes
Why The Wii U Will Make Or Break Nintendo
US Analysts Unimpressed With Windows 8
Fiber Optic Breakthrough Improves Internet Security Cheaply
Sony Announces PlayStation Mobile Developer Program
Internal Videos Show Why The Microsoft Kin Cratered
Why Leap Wireless Shares Popped



SPORTS
Kaepernick Gets Big Assist From Aldon Brown As 49ers Whip Bears, 32-7

Davis and Kaepernick celebrate in the first quarter

Kaepernick’s virtuoso outing creating a QB controversy for Niners?


Beckham Hanging Up His Spikes At LA Galaxy

Maryland Leaves ACC For Big Ten: It’s All About The Money

Spurs Lose Game To Clippers, Also Lose Jackson 4-6 Weeks

Afridi Says No To BBL After Getting PCB Clearance

Bud Light Approves Marlins/Jays Deal: “Seems Legit”

Hayward, Jazz Run Away From Weary Rockets

South Australia Suspends Dan Christian For Trashing Change Room

Hoyas Upset #11 UCLA



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Grand Finale: MC Hammer And Psy Close Out American Music Awards

MC Hammer and Psy do the horse dance

Pair close out AMAs with “Gangnam Style” and “2 Legit 2 Quit”, bringing down the house


Rihanna’s 777 Tour Group “Revolts” Against Singer

Judge To Revoke Lindsay’s Probation?

Olivia Munn: Dry, With A Twist

Selena Gomez Visits Hospital After Spending The Night With Justin Bieber

Jessica Biel: Working With Justin Timberlake Would Be So Much Fun

New Documentary Argues OJ Was Right

THR’s Actress Roundtable: Seven Stars On Nightmare Directors, Brutal Auditions, And Fights With Papparazzi

Jessica Simpson Reveals Sixty-Pound Post-Baby Loss



FOREIGNERS
Israel Puts Temporary Hold On Gaza Ground Operation
Congolese Rebels Take Goma
EU Backs Syrian Opposition Coalition
Islamabad High Court Dismisses Blasphemy Charges Against 14-Year-Old Christian Girl
Indian Social Media Users React Angrily To Arrest Of Facebook Posters
Hu Steps Away: Parsing The CCP’s Big Surprise



BLOGS & STUFF
Valley Of The Shadow: How Romney Lost California
Legal Insurrection: The Crazying Of Marco Rubio Begins
Riehl World News: Buzzfeed’s “How The Conservative Media Lost The Election”
Power Line: Obama’s Latest Foreign Policy Blunders
Lonely Conservative: While Obama Blundered, Hillary Slept
Gateway Pundit: New Hope For HoHos? Judge Orders Hostess To Mediation With Union
Questions & Observations: Would You Hire These People?
Daily Mail: California Poverty Rate Highest In America, Beating Out Florida And DC
Allahpundit: Pew Media Study Shows Obama Coverage Improved Dramatically In Final Week Of The Race
Washington Free Beacon: Administration Won’t Criticize Turkey’s Assertion Israel Is Terrorist State
Rush Limbaugh: The GOP Consultant Class Blames Me
Gates Of Vienna: State Department Moves Istanbul Process Forward
Protein Wisdom: New Study Shows Why Heavily Taxing The Rich Won’t Work

Category: Live at Five

“You’d Be Excited If Barack Ripped A Post Tex-Mex Back-Blast Next To Your Face”

Posted on | November 19, 2012 | 3 Comments

by Smitty

Misfit Politics serves the toilet humor straight up:

via Chris Loesch

Category: humor
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