The Other McCain

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

Keep Your Site Patched And Your Pimp Hand Strong

Posted on | August 3, 2012 | 8 Comments

by Smitty

American Glob, like The Lonely Conservative and so many others, is in a rough patch due to site hackers. The heart goes out to Aliester at AG. Blogging has enough challenges with the technology alone without some Nazgûl wrecking your day with a hack.

Do visit the link above and offer some encouragement to one of the good guys.

Category: Blogging

Kayla Harrison: ‘This Is My Day. This Is My Purpose. I’m Not Afraid to Win.’

Posted on | August 3, 2012 | 11 Comments

The title quote is the pre-match mantra of the 22-year-old who won a gold medal in judo yesterday, and who in an interview last month told a reporter: “I do believe things happen for a reason.”

There are times in life when survival is victory. You make up your mind every day just to keep going, and you count each new day as another win.

Some people have easy lives, safe lives, privileged lives. The successes of such people surprise no one and inspire no one. But the people who succeed despite hardship, misfortune, humiliation and discouragement — the survivors, who had to fight merely to keep up the courage to keep fighting — these are the great heroes, the inspirational champions whose victories give hope to the downhearted.

Kayla Harrison won the Olympic gold medal.

Her former coach is serving 10 years in prison.

 


Category: Sports

Tom DeWeese Of American Policy Center At Fauquier County Tea Party Protest

Posted on | August 3, 2012 | 3 Comments

by Smitty

Yesterday this blog was privileged to attend and document a protest in favor of liberty, private property, and the general American imperative to resist the Bloomberg-ification (if you will) of our lives. Tom DeWeese of APC offers a high-level overview of the situation, touching on some of the creepier Agenda 21 aspects of the issue:

Previously:

Category: Tea Party, Virginia

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
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