The Other McCain

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

Feminists Celebrate Chi-Com Swimmer, Exaggerate Olympic Record

Posted on | August 3, 2012 | 21 Comments

Feminists can ruin anything, even a 16-year-old’s gold medal. When China’s Ye Shiwen set a record time in the 400-meter individual medley, headline writers created the false impression that she swam faster than the men’s champion, Ryan Lochte. Selwyn Duke at The American Thinker explains the misperception:

The  confusion stems from the fact that Ye did swim the final 50m of her 400m race  marginally faster than Lochte swam his last 50, which rightfully raised  eyebrows.  Yet there were men in Lochte’s race who swam that short stretch  faster than Lochte (and Ye, of course), yet no one implies that they “beat” the  men’s gold medalist.

In fact, Ye’s record time for the full 400 meters was 23 seconds slower than Lochte, and also 14 seconds slower than the last-place finisher in the men’s 400-meter IM event. But why let facts get in the way of celebrating feminist-inspired androgynous egalitarianism, eh?

Communist China is the kind of country feminists admire: A totalitarian dictatorship with compulsory population control policies that include forced abortions. And let’s face it, Ye is a natural as a feminist: “Many times she has been turned away from the female changing rooms because she is mistaken for a boy.”

The Rachel Maddow of China!

Category: China, Feminism, Sports

LIVE AT FIVE: 08.03.12 (CENTRAL TIME)

Posted on | August 3, 2012 | 29 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Romney Slams Reid: Put Up Or Shut Up

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid


Says Reid’s accusations “totally and completely wrong”.

Opposition Reports Massacre In Hama
Also, Kofi Annan resigns

Kim Jong Un Meets PRC Visitors In First Diplomatic Act
Seeking help in wake of devastating floods?



POLITICS
Gay Rights Activists Plan “Kiss-In” At Chick-Fil-a Today

Lone protester confronts the crowds in Cranberry, Pa.


“This situation requires a really stupid and futile gesture be done on somebody’s part.” “We’re just the guys to do it.”

Congress Takes Five Weeks Off With Much Left Undone


Elizabeth Warren Calls Her Wall Street Claim “Silly”

Cybersecurity Bill Blocked In Senate By GOP Filibuster

Obama Braces For Another Round Of Lackluster Economic News

Anti-Islam Challenge To Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) Fails



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
NYMEX Drops, Brent Rises As US Jobs Data In Focus; NYMEX $87.90, Brent $106.67
Asia Stocks Drop As ECB Action Vow Falls Flat
US Jobless Claims Rise
Kraft Foods Profit Tops Estimates On Higher Prices
GM Profit Falls 41% On Weakness In Europe
BA, Iberia Parent IAG Plan For Spain’s Possible Exit From Euro
Apple, Take Note: New Samsung Phone Due
How The Microsoft Surface Stacks Up Against Its Tablet Competition
Samsung Reigns Supreme In US Smartphone Market
World Of Warcraft Loses 1.1 Million Players In Three Months
Judge Rules In Favor Of HP In Oracle Case



SPORTS
Lester Solid But Red Sox Lose

Boston starting pitcher Jon Lester


Twins blank Sox 5-0

Victorino Thanks Phillies Fans With Full-Page Ads

Josh Hamilton Helps Salvage Dempster’s Debut In 15-9 Slugfest With Angels

Blue Jays Drop Fifth Straight In Oakland Opener

Once-Maligned Pocono Track Winning Back Driers, Fans

Detwiler Shuts Down Phillies As Nats Avoid Sweep



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
See Katy Perry, John Mayer Together On Sexy Date

Katy & John


Romantic dinner in LA

Wife Lays Down Law To Rupert Sanders: You Will Never Direct Kristen Stewart Again

Unspeakable Armenian Ready To Host “X Factor”

Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel Looking Good At “Total Recall” Premiere

Jimmy Fallon In Talks To Host 2013 oscars, But ABC Objects

Katherine Jackson Duped Into Arizona Trip?



FOREIGNERS
Putin Calls For Leniency In Pussy Riot Trial
Nork Leader Calls For Greater Prosperity
Philippines Typhoon Death Toll Hits 39
Spain Nabs Three Al-Qaeda Suspects, Plot Feared
Syrian Kurds Seek Greater Autonomy After Assad Toppled
SecState Clinton Urges Reconciliation Between Sudans
Bangladesh: Refugee Aid Discouraged For Burma’s Rohingyas
Fiji’s Military Government Accused Of Stifling Opposition
Ex-Army Chief To Share Dais With Shri Anna



BLOGS & STUFF
An Ex-con’s View: Don’t They Know The Con Is Blown?
Zilla Of The Resistance: Broken
WyBlog: Obama Wants You To Buy His Campaign A Drink
Valley Of The Shadow: The Lovecraftian Horror Of Harry Reid – A Disturbing New Rumor
Jim geraghty: Fact Check Harry Reid, Please!
Riehl World View: Why Doesn’t Reid Answer Sourced Accusations Of Racism, Corruption?
Weasel Zippers: MSM Hyperventilates Over Poll Showing Obama Up By 10 – Yeah, The One That Skews D+19
Mark Hemingway: The Silent Majority Goes To Chick-Fil-A
Gateway Pundit: Gay Rights Group Files Suit against Chick-Fil-A For Thoughtcrime
Daily Caller: Chick-Fil-A Harasser Gets Fired For Being Asshat
Jawa Report: Obama Campaign Sues To Restrict Military Voting
American Thinker: DCCC, Humiliated, Apologizes To Adelson
James Pethokoukis: Economic Forecasting Model Predicts Epic Electoral Beatdown Of Obama In November
Donald Sensing: The Government Knows Jesus Better Than Jesus?
Lonely Conservative: Solyndra CEO Called Obama Administration “The Bank Of Washington”
Karl Rove: The Obama Ad Blitz Isn’t Working

Category: Live at Five

Tea Party Protest In Support Of Virginia Farmer Over Fauquier County Zoning

Posted on | August 2, 2012 | 17 Comments

by Smitty


First they came for the farmers. . . as was demonstrated at the Warren Green Building in Warrenton, Virginia. Previous reporting here. It was a pleasant summer day in what looked to be a quaint rural Virginia town. Not the kind of place you’d expect to be ground zero in the current national discussion of whether individual liberty matters in the face of the all-powerful regulatory state. Matters of zoning are as cogent as ObamaCare, we quickly find.

In the matter before the Board of Zoning Appeals on August 2, Fauquier Zoning Administrator Kimberley Johnson violated Virginia law in citing a Paris, Virginia farm for selling farm products grown and produced at the farm. Virginia law protects the rights of farmers to sell what they grow and agricultural value-added products such as hand-made soap, bees wax candles, jelly/jam, peach pie or even alpaca gloves or yarn.

“Fauquier County has crossed several lines by violating sensitive private property rights and individual liberty. The County is breaking the law, and is trespassing on the rights of farmers, wineries, and their patrons from and visiting the Commonwealth of Virginia. Perhaps even more egregious are the County’s Orwellian allegations that a pumpkin carving and a birthday party for eight 10-year-old girls transgressed the County’s zoning ordinance, and constitute grounds to cite and fine farmers.”

The Tea Partiers sang various paeans to Ms. Johnson, “Hey! Ho! Kimberly Johnson’s got to go!”

Former Virginia Governer and U.S. Senator George Allen did not have enough advance notice to attend in person. The depth of his concern for Constitutional issues such as private property and liberty was more than adequately expressed, though. Former U.S. Senate candidate E. W. Jackson  delivered spirited remarks. Check back tomorrow morning for them.

The crowd was of sufficient size that the hearing room was filled to capacity, leaving the bulk of the 50 or so Tea Party protesters outside, where, in contrast to #Occupy events, no one fretted personal safety.

By around 2:40 PM, a despondent group of protesters filed out of the building, the Orwellian nature of the judgment weighing on them. Kimberly Johnson had found the farm in violation, inviting an Angela Corey comparison. Stay tuned as the effort to save liberty from bloody-minded, petty bureaucracy moves to the courts.

Here are a few other photos from the protest, as I shift to editing video.

The Northern Virginia Tea Parties are as about as dead as a Chick-Fill-A buycott. Kimberley Johnson, one anticipates, is going to find her position much less comfortable as this case unfolds.

Update: thank you, Instapundit!

Update II: linked at EBL.

Update III: linked at The American Thinker

Category: Tea Party, Virginia

SWAT an L.A. County Deputy D.A.? That’s Not News. SWAT a Teen Starlet …?

Posted on | August 2, 2012 | 8 Comments

Has the Los Angeles Times ever written about the SWATting of Patrick “Patterico” Frey? Never mind: Miley Cyrus is victim of a “prank”!

On Wednesday night, Cyrus was the target of “swatting” — a prank in which an anonymous caller reports a heinous crime to authorities so a SWAT team will swarm an innocent person’s home — TMZ reported.
The caller, whom Los Angeles police are said to be tracking, told a 911 operator that Cyrus’ property had been invaded by a kidnapper and there had been a shooting.
At least a dozen officers and firefighters responded to the scene, according to L.A. Now. Luckily for all involved, it turned out to be a hoax.

Pranks! They’re so hilarious! But “pranks” are only news when they happen to famous celebrities. Did Miley eat at Chick-fil-A or something?

UPDATE: A guy who’s not a famous celebrity writes:

The more people do this without consequence, the more it will happen. One day someone is going to get hurt.

Yeah, but unless the victim is a famous celebrity, who cares? It’s Hollywood. We probably never would have heard of Charles Manson except for the fact that Sharon Tate was one of his victims.

Category: Celebrities, Crime, Patterico

Obama Adviser on Solyndra: ‘Ugh’

Posted on | August 2, 2012 | 4 Comments

Congressional investigators got hold of some e-mails between Obama administration officials about the Solyndra deal, and White House adviser Stephanie Cutter’s one-word summary — “Ugh” — gets the headline treatment from Zeke Miller at Buzzfeed.

Y’know what I’m noticing about that e-mail, though? It was CC’d to President Obama’s campaign strategist David Plouffe. Kinda interesting.

Anyway, whereas most of the mainstream media publish “news articles” that are actually more like Obama campaign press releases, I thought I’d try something different: Re-print a Romney campaign press release and actually tell readers that it’s a press release! Enjoy!

* ROMNEY CAMPAIGN PRESS RELEASE *

“UGH”

“From the President’s senior adviser to his deputy campaign manager, it seems like every member of the Obama inner circle knew President Obama would pay a political price for his decision to sink half a billion taxpayer dollars into Solyndra. But that didn’t stop the Obama Administration – and American taxpayers and the 1,800 unemployed workers are the ones still paying the price.” – Ryan Williams, Romney Campaign Spokesman

 Internal White House Emails Reveal “Concern, Frustration” From President Obama’s Inner Circle On The Solyndra Loan:

Emails Between President Obama’s Senior Advisers “Reveal Concern, Frustration” As Solyndra Headed Toward Bankruptcy. “Emails between White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer and then-Deputy Senior Advisor Stephanie Cutter reveal concern, frustration as former poster-child for clean energy investment failed. The House Energy and Commerce Committee peels back the curtain on Solyndra in a new report.” (Zeke Miller, “White House On Solyndra Failure: ‘Ugh,’” BuzzFeed, 8/2/12)

White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer, On Solyndra’s Impending Bankruptcy: “This Is Going To Be A Real Pain…” PFEIFFER: “This is going to be a real pain, solyndra is about to go under apparently.” (Zeke Miller, “White House On Solyndra Failure: ‘Ugh,’” BuzzFeed, 8/2/12)

  • Pfeiffer: “And There Is An Additional Complication I Will Explain Tomorrow.” (Zeke Miller, “White House On Solyndra Failure: ‘Ugh,’” BuzzFeed, 8/2/12)

Obama Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter: “Ugh.” (Zeke Miller, “White House On Solyndra Failure: ‘Ugh,’” BuzzFeed, 8/2/12)

But Pfeiffer And Cutter Aren’t The Only Obama Insiders Involved – Jacob Lew Ignored Solyndra Warnings And Ultimately Cost Taxpayers Millions:

“White House Chief Of Staff Jack Lew May Have Disregarded Warnings From Lower-Level Budget Employees That The Administration’s Efforts To Prop Up Solyndra Were Unwise And Possibly Illegal…” “White House chief of staff Jack Lew may have disregarded warnings from lower-level budget employees that the administration’s efforts to prop up Solyndra were unwise and possibly illegal, The Washington Post is reporting based on an upcoming House Energy and Commerce Committee report. The Post’s story says the report ‘suggests’ that Lew — in his previous role as director of the Office of Management and Budget — ‘let the refinancing move forward without intervening, even though some OMB analysts thought a refinancing plan that favored private investors might violate the law.’” (Bob King, “Solyndra Report May Implicate Lew, Washington Post Writes,” Politico, 8/2/12)

Lew Let The “Refinancing Move Forward Without Intervening,” Despite Warning From OMB Analysts That The Solyndra Restructuring Plan “Might Violate The Law.” “The House energy committee is expected to release the results of its 18-month investigation into Solyndra this week. Its report, parts of which were obtained by The Washington Post, suggests that then-OMB Director Jack Lew let the refinancing move forward without intervening, even though some OMB analysts thought a refinancing plan that favored private investors might violate the law. Lew is now White House chief of staff.” (Joe Stephens and Carol D. Leonnig, “White House Analyst Warned Saving Solyndra Could Cost More Than Letting It Fail,” The Washington Post, 8/1/12)

Why Were President Obama’s Closest Advisers So Worried? Solyndra’s Bankruptcy Cost Taxpayers Over Half A Billion Dollars And Nearly 2,000 Workers Lost Their Jobs:

“Last Week, Solyndra’s Final Liquidation Plan Estimated That The Government Will Recover Just $24 Million Of The $527 Million That Taxpayers Lent To The Company.” “Even so, senior officials in the White House’s Office of Management and Budget did not discourage the Energy Department from proceeding with its plan to restructure a federal loan to Solyndra — a move that put private investors ahead of taxpayers for repayment if the company closed, the investigation by Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee found. The restructuring went forward, but within months Solyndra failed anyway, leaving federal taxpayers on the hook for much of the half-billion-dollar federal loan. Now, a year after the company’s collapse, debate continues over whether the refinancing plan was legal or a wise investment. Last week, Solyndra’s final liquidation plan estimated that the government will recover just $24 million of the $527 million that taxpayers lent to the company.” (Joe Stephens and Carol Leonnig, “White House Analyst Warned Saving Solyndra Could Cost More Than Letting It Fail,” The Washington Post, 8/1/12)

Solyndra’s Bankruptcy Cost 1,861 Workers Their Jobs. “On the day it closed, Solyndra said it was laying off 1,100 full-time and temporary employees. But 1,861 workers lost their jobs as the solar panel manufacturer shut its doors, according to U.S. Labor Department documents provided to The Bay Citizen under the Freedom of Information Act.” (Aaron Glantz, “Solyndra Layoffs Larger Than Previously Reported,” The Bay Citizen, 6/13/12)

* * * * * * *

This Neutral Objective Journalism has been brought to you by the Citizens’ Committee for Vanuatu-American Friendship. IYKWIMAITYD.

Category: Barack Obama, Economics, Election 2012, Mitt Romney

Slander on the Senate Floor: Harry Reid Repeats Romney Tax Accusation

Posted on | August 2, 2012 | 27 Comments

Ed Morrissey calls it “despicable and grossly irresponsible,” while Jeff Goldstein predicts there will be a harsh backlash against Reid’s tactics:

The arrogance of power can be truly astonishing to watch. Harry Reid hasn’t passed a budget in nearly four years, and has obstructed every meaningful effort to reduce the out-of-control federal deficit. For Reid — a man who has notoriously benefitted from corrupt land deals in his home state of Nevada — to be lecturing Mitt Romney on financial propriety is every bit as outrageous as Obama’s “you didn’t build that.”

UPDATE: People are wondering why I haven’t said anything about the “Harry Reid pederasty” scandal. A month or so ago, a person who had blogged at Ace of Spades HQ called my office and said, “Harry Reid is the Jerry Sandusky of Nevada!”

Now, do I know that that’s true? Well, I’m not certain. But I mean, gee whiz, that is a story you should be writing.

PREVIOUSLY:

Category: Uncategorized

Olympic Boob Shot? USA! USA! USA!

Posted on | August 2, 2012 | 12 Comments

My prescient news judgment is vindicated: While guys were drooling over those lanky beach volleyball chicks — or even getting twisted thrills watching jailbait gymnasts, you sick freaks — who told you that women’s water polo is the sport to watch for real Rule 5 Olympic action?

Now, via Deadspin and Mediaite, we learn that NBC briefly showed a live glimpse of NSFW nudity during yesterday’s Spain-USA match:

Water polo can be a rough sport, with athletes lunging through the water for control of the ball. And sometimes, lycra swimsuits get pulled and breasts are exposed.
Such was the case Wednesday during the Olympic match between Spain and the U.S. A player’s suit was pulled to the side and her bare breast was broadcast live, via NBC’s underwater camera.

No word on whether our favorite player, Melissa Seidemann, was involved in this incident. Here is the underwater catfight video footage:

Not much to see, really — a fleeting glimpse, nothing remotely erotic, probably not even enough to earn an “R” rating if it were a movie.

Still, it proves my point that women’s water polo is actually the best sport to watch for the Rule 5 gold-medal competition. And in a completely unrelated incident, federal employees have once more been told to stop surfing porn on the taxpayer’s dime:

The Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency warned its employees and contractors last week to stop using their government computers to surf the Internet for pornographic sites, according to the agency’s executive director.

Does that ban include NSFW Olympic competition?

Category: Rule 5, Sports

Harry Reid’s Financial McCarthyism: ‘I Don’t Think the Burden Should Be on Me’

Posted on | August 2, 2012 | 64 Comments

The top Senate Democrat evidently believes he can make outrageous accusations based on anonymous secondhand “sources” and then require the accused to disprove his accusations:

Earlier this week, Harry Reid revealed why Mitt Romney is refusing to release more tax returns: He didn’t pay taxes for an entire decade! It almost sounds too crazy to be true, and in fact, Reid is “not certain” that it isn’t a total lie. However, he is sure of one thing: “I am not basing this on some figment of my imagination,” Reid told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I have had a number of people tell me that.” So we aren’t talking about just one anonymous Bain investor, but several people who have seemingly only shared this story with Reid.
In an interview with Nevada reporters on Wednesday, Reid refused to name his sources or back down on his accusation. “I don’t think the burden should be on me,” he said. “The burden should be on him. He’s the one I’ve alleged has not paid any taxes. Why didn’t he release his tax returns?”

This is preposterous and I feel compelled to offer an apology for using the term “McCarthyism” to describe Reid’s tactics, given that Sen. Joe McCarthy was an American patriot who never wrongly accused anyone of being Communist. (See M. Stanton Evans, Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy and His Fight Against America’s Enemies.) The comparison, however, is quite instructive: One of the reasons McCarthy’s critics were able to destroy him was because McCarthy’s investigations — like the investigations of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, with which they are often confused in popular legend — were often based on sources whose secrecy was a matter of national security.

McCarthy had access to information derived from FBI investigations, from CIA espionage and from the “Venona” decryptions of Soviet messages. He could not reveal the sources of this information (indeed, he was in most cases unaware of how the FBI and CIA got their information) without compromising the intelligence-gathering ability of these agencies. So when his critics accused McCarthy of making unsubstatiated accusations, McCarthy’s inability to say, “Here is the FBI report that supports the charge” made him look irresponsible.

What ultimately destroyed McCarthy was when he turned against the Eisenhower administration, and vice-versa. McCarthy knew that administration officials were aware of the factual basis of his investigations, and so when the White House showed, at best, lukewarm support for McCarthy, he began to suspect that they were “in on it,” complicit in a cover-up of Soviet subversion. The downfall of McCarthy was brought about by his fellow Republicans, and this produced a lingering suspicion that gave rise to the conspiracy theories promulgated by the John Birch Society (an organization that, whatever its errors, has been as unfairly maligned as McCarthy himself).

Compare this to Harry Reid’s claim that he has been told, by persons whom he will not name, that Mitt Romney didn’t pay taxes for 10 years. Romney has committed no crime. If Romney has illegally evaded taxes all this time, why hasn’t Romney been prosecuted?

Is Harry Reid claiming that Eric Holder’s Justice Department failed to do its duty? Or does Reid believe there was some gigantic loophole in the tax code that permitted Romney — who by all accounts made a lot of money during those years — to avoid paying taxes legally?

I think it is neither of these. I think Harry Reid knows doggone well that Romney paid taxes, and if anyone has actually told him otherwise — if Reid is not lying about having “a number of people” tell him that Romney didn’t pay taxes — he knows better than to believe them.

How could they possibly know what’s in Romney’s IRS file?

That’s the real question, you see.  John Heilemann of New York magazine suspects that the real reason Democrats are demanding to see all of Romney’s tax returns is because it would show that he has contributed millions to the Mormon church over the years. And I believe the Obama administration, in Nixonian fashion, has actually provided Romney’s IRS information to the president’s re-election campaign.

Therefore, let us look at how Harry Reid originally made this accusation in his interview with Sam Stein and Ryan Grim:

A month or so ago, he said, a person who had invested with Bain Capital called his office. “Harry, he didn’t pay any taxes for 10 years,” Reid recounted the person as saying. “He didn’t pay taxes for 10 years! Now, do I know that that’s true? Well, I’m not certain,” said Reid.

Hmmm. The obvious question, as Phil Klein of the Washington Examiner immediately pointed out, was how someone who was merely an investor in Bain Capital would know what was in Romney’s personal tax returns. The provenance is suspicious and, while I don’t think Harry Reid is as smart as Phil Klein, surely Harry isn’t so stupid as to believe that hhis mysterious source had access to such information.

When challenged on this claim, Reid doubled down, asserting that he’s talked to lots of people who say Romney paid zero taxes for ten years, and implied that reporters have been negligent:

Asked to elaborate on his sources, Reid declined. “No, that’s the best you’re going to get from me.” . . .
Reid challenged the media to be more aggressive in digging into Romney’s finances.
“What if he has paid no taxes, like I am saying he hasn’t,” Reid said. “What if he has all these moneys as we already know … in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Swiss banks. I mean, gee whiz, rather than ask me why I should do this, that is a story you should be writing.”

Hmmm. Harry wants to dictate to journalists what is a story (i.e., Romney’s finances) and what is not a story (i.e., the basis for Harry’s claims).

What if reporters refuse to play along? What if, instead, reporters bulldog Harry Reid and demand that he explain his accusations?

Now that Harry has claimed that he had multiple sources for his accusations, shouldn’t he provide some specific descriptions of his contacts with these informants? Shouldn’t reporters ask why Harry Reid was so confident that his sources were knowledgeable of Romney’s taxes?

Because frankly, I don’t believe this crap. I do not believe that Harry Reid’s interest in Mitt Romney’s tax forms is based on any phone calls or casual conversations with Bain investors or anyone else outside the world of Democrat Party politics. Harry’s tale is implausible.

What I believe is this: Whatever Harry Reid knows about Mitt Romney’s taxes, he obtained from Democrat Party sources who, in turn, got it via the leaking of this confidential information from IRS officials to individuals affiliated with the Obama campaign.

Reid is lying — mischaracterizing his sources — to conceal the fact that the Obama campaign has illegally obtained Romney’s IRS forms.

But don’t expect me to prove that accusation. I don’t think the burden should be on me. The burden should be on Harry Reid. He’s the one I’ve alleged is part of a Nixonian conspiracy at the White House. Why didn’t Harry identify his sources?

Also, somebody called me last month and said, “Harry Reid is a communist!” Now, do I know that that’s true? Well, I’m not certain. But I mean, gee whiz, that is a story you should be writing.

 





 

 

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Category: Barack Obama, Conspiracy Theories, Election 2012, Harry Reid, Mitt Romney, Taxes
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