The Other McCain

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

Counter-Factual Assertions

Posted on | May 17, 2012 | 14 Comments

Dylan Byers of Politico promotes (or at least calls for a discussion of) the Left’s latest propaganda campaign: The assertion that the polarization of American politics is entirely the fault of extremists who allegedly have pulled the Republican Party rightward. This is both (a) untrue, and (b) a transparent effort by the Left to scapegoat its antagonists for a problem the Left and its Democratic Party allies have caused.

Do not permit yourself to be deceived by this humbug, and do not trust any “conservative” who cedes an inch to this vicious lie.

Category: Media Bias

The Myth of Gay-Rights ‘Tolerance’

Posted on | May 17, 2012 | 50 Comments

Any conservative who has ever tried to have a rational discussion about what progressives call “marriage equality” understands the problem: The very fact of your opposition to this radical policy becomes the basis for attacks on your motives and character.

Never mind that you are defending 5,000 years of civilization, while your antagonist is a deranged fanatic demanding that a fundamental social institution be altered (some would say, abolished) to conform to a theoretical abstraction of “equality.”

No, it is you — standing on the side of settled custom and common sense — who will inevitably be accused of “hate” you do not feel and diagnosed as suffering from an irrational “phobia.”

The fact that your accuser (volunteering also as an amateur psychologist) is demonstrably a fool, unfit to judge the morality and mental health of others, ought to serve as adequate evidence that any “debate” is a futile waste of time and effort. One might as well debate heroin with a junkie as to debate gay rights with Andrew Sullivan or Dan Savage.

They don’t want to debate, they want to lecture, and their preferred method of “argument” is to silence critics. So when conservatives post a video critical of same-sex marriage, what happens?

Did you try to watch that video against gay marriage that we posted yesterday?
You can’t. Now.
If you try, you’ll instead see this: “This video has been removed as a violation of YouTube’s policy prohibiting hate speech.”
So much for the free expression of ideas. . . . .
[T]here is an element of gay fascism behind the whole gay marriage movement.
The fact of the matter is that these gay rights extremists believe in censorship. They will attempt to remove from public discourse anything that calls into question the morality of their behavior.

Such tactics ought to cause concern. If these are the means, what are the ends? What does it say about a cause, that its advocates endeavor to silence opponents as practicing “hate speech”?

Part of the problem, it seems to me, is that conservatives are making the wrong arguments. Defenders of tradition should not stoop to the level of their foes by engaging in “debate” with frothing lunatics who routinely resort to the tactics of totalitarianism. Rather, resolve yourself calmly to convey a simple determination: They are wrong, and we are right; therefore, we must win, and they must lose.

For a careful exposition of this problem, please see my article, “Gay Rights, Gay Rage,” The American Spectator, Nov. 17, 2008.

Category: Gays

The Politics Of DirecTV Advertising

Posted on | May 17, 2012 | 1 Comment

by Smitty

Via email from Maggie Thurber, we have an epic WSJ comment:

When you vote for Obama based on “Hope and Change” you get suckered. When you get suckered you cry in front of your girlfriend during acceptance speeches.
When you cry in front of your girlfriend during acceptance speeches, she questions your manhood.
When your girlfriend questions your manhood she has doubts.
When she has doubts, she leaves you.
When she leaves you, you question why you voted for Obama.
When you question why you voted for Obama, you surround yourself with other delusional people with degrees in theatre who voted for Obama.
When you surround yourself with other delusional people with degrees in theatre who voted for Obama, you crap in the streets, destroy property, and live in your parents basement.
When you crap in the streets, destroy property and live in your parents basement, you lash out. When you lash out, you ignore facts and reason.
When you ignore facts and reason, you blame others for your failures.
When you blame others for your failures, you post stupid comments on chat forums.
When you post stupid comments on chat forums your ex-girlfriend reads them.
When your ex-girlfriend reads them she thinks “I am glad I matured and dumped that loser”.
Don’t get suckered again — switch to Mitt Romney.

This is clearly in the form of recent DirecTV ads, e.g. this one with blog favorite Charlie Sheen:

Update: naughty Paco is naughty.

Update II: linked at Mental Recession

Update III: linke by WyBlog amidst a post on Jonah Golberg’s new book, which is great.

Category: Barack Obama, humor

LIVE AT FIVE – 05.17.12

Posted on | May 17, 2012 | 3 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho


TOP NEWS
Greece Gets Caretaker Prime Minister Until Next Vote In June

PM Pikrammenos (r) poses with outgoing PM Papademos (l)

Possibility that rejectionist SYRIZA will take the most seats next month and form coalition high

White House Warns GOP Over Debt Limit Standoff
Speaker Boehner refusing to allow rise in limit without spending cuts


Trayvon Martin Autopsy Report Disclosed
Zimmerman’s attorney moves to have murder charge dismissed



POLITICS
Romney Moves Into Dead Heat With Obama In NC

All out of chewing gum

PPP shows Obama 48/Romney 47 +/- 3.8%; Rasmussen 51-43 Romney +/- 4.5%

Judge Approves Class-Action Lawsuit Over NYPD Stop & Frisk Tactics



House Grudgingly Passes Violence Against Women Act

Perfect Timing Buoys Fischer

Even With Brown’s Tax Increase, California Could Face Chronic Deficits

Kucinich Decides Against Running In Washington State, Will Retire

FBI Confirms JP Morgan, Al Qaeda Bomb Plot Leak Probes

Army Opens Wide Review Of PTSD Diagnosis System



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Crude Oil Prices Continue To Slide; NYMEX $92.81, Brent $111.71
WTO Rules Against US “Dolphin Safe” Tuna Rules
Greek Turmoil Spreads Pessimism Across Markets
Dimon Shows No Retreat
Asian Shares Steady After Sell-Off, Greece Fears Weigh
JC Penney Stock Plunges 20% On 1Q Earnings News
Limited Brands 1Q Net Income Falls As Sales Slip
US Unlikely To Condemn Argentina’s Seizure of YPF…Yet
Verizon Wireless To End Unlimited Data Plan
Paralyzed Woman Moves Robotic Arm With Her Mind
Nielsen’s “Top Five Smartphone Apps” Data Raises More Questions Than It Answers
Report: Google To Begin Selling Nexus Smartphones, Tablets Directly
Facebook IPO Stirs Privacy Fears
HALO 4 Spawns Live Action Series, New Weekly Missions
Study Says Google+ Is A Ghost Town



SPORTS
Garnett Refuses To Show His Age As Celtics Roll

Kevin Garnett being dominant

Garnett, Pierce Rondo all have double-doubles in 107-91 flogging of Sixers

Rangers Suffer Another Game 2 Letdown; Devils Win 3-2

Citi Field To Hold 2013 All-Star Game

Pacers Focus On Keeping Pressure On Heat

Toronto Buries Yankees 8-1 As Bautista Leads 4-Dinger Attack

Marlins Continue Hot May Behind Stanton, Trounce Braves 8-4


Bodemeister 8-5 Favorite To Win Preakness

Junior Seau’s Restaurant Closes Its Doors

Twins Beat Sloppy Tigers 11-7

Nats’ Wilson Ramos To Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

The Seat Of Power: Five Of Seven Nats’ Hits Go For Extra Bases In 7-4 Win Over Pirates



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Jennifer Lopez Leaving “American Idol”?

Steve Tyler, J-Lo, Randy Jackson

Wants to spend time with kids while touring

RFK Junior’s Estranged Wife Is Dead

Nick Stahl Reported Missing; Played John Connor In “Terminator 3”

Man Up, Bieber

Elisabetta Canalis “Killed”  At Cannes



Another Travolta Groping Victim Comes Forward

Joey Lawrence Joins The Chippendales

Robert Downey Jr. Pay From “The Avengers” Could Top $50 Million

Linda Hogan Splits With Younger BF

“Anchorman: The Legend Continues” First Official Poster



FOREIGNERS
Contagion Threat To Irish Banks If Greece Exits Euro?
Ratko Mladic War Crimes Prosecution To Focus On Srebenica Massacre
UN Team Witnesses Clash Between Government Forces, Syrian Protesters
Pakistan Clears Way For NATO summit, Reopening Supply Routes
President Hollande Names His Cabinet
Leader Of Egyptian Junta Promises A Fair Election
Philippines Beginning To Feel Economic Cost Of Standing Up To PRC
EU Team To Probe Tymoshenko Case
It’s Make Or Break Time For The Euro, Says Cameron



BLOGS & STUFF
WyBlog: As Obama Goes Gay, More States In Play
Riehl World View: Politico’s Dylan Byers Calls Buzzfeed’s Zeke Miller A Whore?
Legal Insurrection: Walker, Kleefisch Ahead In Polls, Job Numbers
Lonely Conservative: Obama Tells Boehner He Wants Debt Ceiling Increase With No Spending Cuts
Power Line: Senate Dems Achieve A New Standard In Irresponsibility
Ed Morrissey: Hot Air Interview With Mitt Romney
Just One Minute: Keeping Hate Alive At The Times
Conservatives4Palin: Dave Weigel’s Predictable, Pathetic Response To Deb Fischer’s Win
Gateway Pundit: Wikileaks Document Led To Death Of Western Spy In Teheran
James Pethokoukis: The Three Economic Charts That Could Crush Obama’s Re-Election Hopes
Weasel Zippers: Poll – Traditionally Blue Wisconsin Up For Grabs
Ed Driscoll: CNN’s Ratings Collapse
Catholic Bandita: Archdiocese Of Washington Condemns Georgetown’s Invitation to SecHHS Sebelius As Speaker
Via Meadia: OWS RIP
Jawa Report: Van Jones Admits Environmentalists Kept Quiet During Gulf Oil Spill Because Obama Was President

Category: Live at Five

Is ‘Morally Repugnant Political Whores’ an Acceptable Synonym for ‘Democrats’?

Posted on | May 16, 2012 | 16 Comments

Apparently, Mike Huckabee doesn’t think so, because he’s asking Citizens United to pull a fundraising letter he “wrote” that used that phrase to describe Obama’s advisers.

Our First Gay President Who Ate a Dog is the target of a $25 million TV advertising campaign by a conservative super-PAC:

Isn’t it weird how that ad completely ignores all the wonderful economic progress Obama has made? All the jobs he “saved or created” through the most reckless deficit-spending spree in history?

Category: Barack Obama, Election 2012, Mike Huckabee

Shaken, Distraught @MichelleMalkin On The End Of Dennis Kucinich’s Career

Posted on | May 16, 2012 | 19 Comments

by Smitty


Destiny,
Lamentably,
Trumps
Dramatic
Hearts
Yearning
Only
To
Warble
On

More at Twitchy.

Category: Democrats, Michelle Malkin

Fear and Loathing in Thurmont: G-8 Summit Will Be 15 Miles From My House

Posted on | May 16, 2012 | 27 Comments

Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for all the Euros in Athens!

Thurmont ready for G-8 Summit,
not worried about protests

THURMONT, Md. –
Eight leaders of the world’s largest economies will converge on Camp David this weekend for the 38th annual G-8 Summit, which will likely bring protesters from Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
Caught in the middle of all the hoopla nearby is the small town of Thurmont, where law enforcement have put the final touches on security plans for the G-8 Summit. Area merchants said they hope for a weekend spike in business.
As soon as the Secret Service informed Thurmont Police Chief Greg Eyler that the G-8 Summit would be held at nearby Camp David, Eyler immediately met with other local, state and federal law enforcement to come up with a plan.
“We’ve been meeting every week, and we’ve had special meetings to how we want to handle it and take into consideration crowd management, traffic congestion and so forth. We’ve got our plans together and we’re ready to deal with it,” Eyler said. . . .
Occupy protests are expected. In fact, Eyler has been in touch with a number of them, and the city has agreed they can protest at the Thurmont Community Park.
“They’re going to be peaceful. They just want to present their cause, walk the streets a little bit on the sidewalks and show the people what they are protesting. I don’t think it’s going to be a big issue,” Eyler said.
On Main Street, there didn’t seem to be many worries, for the most part.
“I think it’s going to go fine. It’s going to be really easy, and when they come in — the protestors — if they act up, we just sit back and watch them get arrested and laugh at them,” said Pamela Hamrick, of Hearts and Hands.

Dude. The Greek economy is melting down, threatening to take down the Eurozone with it. President Obama is locked into a dead-heat re-election campaign, trailing in two of the three most recent national polls.

The elite of the international press corps will be coming to Camp David for the G-8 summit and . . .

The Occupy movement is fighting to re-assert its relevance:

OWS has essentially fallen apart. It is not a significant presence on the streets; it is not a significant presence in Democratic Party politics; it is not a significant presence in the national conversation.

(Hat-tip: Instapundit.) OK, so if Occupy Wall Street is now being mocked as “not a significant presence” — a discredited joke, without any purpose or relevance — doesn’t it make sense that this weekend at the G-8, these demented nutjobs will engage in antics so bizarre as to exceed in degenerate criminal absurdity all the bizarre antics of their past?

Yeah, it makes sense that we are sure to witness a harmonic convergence of moonbat decadence this weekend in the tiny mountain town of Thurmont, with the elite of the international press corps on hand to witness whatever weirdness goes down. And I will be among them, covering the entire twisted carnival freak show. Hit the freaking tip jar!

UPDATE: Suppose that you were a farmer in Frederick County, Maryland, and a bunch of dangerous Marxist scum were coming to town. What would you do? Invite them to camp at your farm!

[Occupy Baltimore] was first invited to the town by a local farmer who lives about five miles from downtown Thurmont and offered space on his farm for up to 30 of them to camp, said Beth Emmerling, a group member.
Emmerling said she and another member of the group met with the farmer and local police and talked with local business owners May 2, to reassure them they don’t intend to cause trouble.
“We explained to them we’re completely non-violent, we’re very peaceful, we would have our signs, we would have our chants, and that we’re not even planning on any civil disobedience,” Emmerling said.
“Part of our goal here is to let people see that we’re good people who want good things for everybody, that we’re not looking to come in and cause trouble,” she said.
Emmerling said the farmer hosting the group wants to remain anonymous.
The group is inviting others to join them in their protests.

Yeah, they’re “good people.” Remember, I got caught in the middle of an attempt by Occupy DC to storm the AFP “Defending the Dream” Summit last fall. And I’ve been covering left-wing protests since the anti-IMF/WTO riots of the late 1990s. So they can talk all they want about how “non-violent” they are: Actions speak louder than words.

Every kind of lunatic commie and anarchist you can imagine is liable to show up in Thurmont this weekend, and here’s some news for everyone: Secret Service doesn’t f–k around.

If these Marxist freaks try their usual “civil disobedience” shenanigans, watch out for the guys with wires in their ears.

UPDATE II: From the Occupy Wall Street official Web site:

October2011/OccupyWashingtonDC.org has organized an Occupy G8 People’s Summit that will examine how to build a sustainable, democratized economy from the bottom up; the impact of the wealth divide on people’s well-being and on policy creation; and alternative economic structures that create a more democratic, sustainable economy. The event, which will be held in the Frederick Public Library from 10 to 2 on Friday, May 18th will feature the voices of the 99% along with experts on the Robin Hood Tax, food, water and energy issues, trade agreements, the wealth divide and a democratized economy. You can see the full schedule and details on the website of our partner organization, Its Our Economy.
Occupy Frederick is organizing events in Frederick, Maryland, fifteen minutes from Camp David. After the Summit people will march through downtown Frederick and will hold a “Counter-G8 Community Bloc Party” on Saturday, May 19th from 11 AM to 9 PM in Baker Park (band shell side) near 2nd and N. Bentz. The event is inclusive of all ages for radicals and residents alike and will include live music, workshops, speakers, face painting and a truly free market. You can see the details here.
Occupy Baltimore is organizing legal, non-violent protests on the public sidewalks in Thurmont, MD on Friday and Saturday (May 18th and 19th) from 8 AM until sundown on both days. People are urged to bring signs, banners, folding chairs, food and drink. Overnight camping is available nearby. Thurmont is located just a few minutes from Camp David off of Route 15. You can get details here.

Sounds like fun to me. Have you hit the tip jar yet?

 




 


Category: #Occupy, Barack Obama, Economics, Election 2012, Fear and Loathing at the G-8 Summit, Maryland, Shoe Leather Fund

Bank Run in Greece = DJIA Rises?

Posted on | May 16, 2012 | 25 Comments

Back in 2009, I started saying that U.S. economic policy was so far into uncharted waters that we’d reached that part of the medieval map where it says, “Here Be Dragons.” There was no precedent for what the Fed and the Treasury were doing, and any attempt to predict what came next was pure speculation because such bizarre conditions had never previously occurred in all human history.

Buy gold. Or maybe buy more ammunition. Maybe it didn’t matter, but the key point was that an awful lot of dung was being flung around, and sooner later, by the Law of Large Numbers, some of it would hit the fan. Anyway, today at Memeorandum I saw these headlines:

Greeks withdraw $894 million in a day:
Is this beginning of a run on banks?
— MSNBC

As Bank Withdrawals Surge,
Athens Relies More on ECB
— Wall Street Journal

Plug-pulling in Athens
— Financial Times

My first thought: What’s the Dow Jones Industrial Average doing? So I glanced over at the TV in my office and the Dow was . . . +25? WTF?

Evidence of a bank run in Greece, and investors aren’t pulling back? Or (alternate theory) European investors are buying U.S. stocks as a hedge?

Another theory: The zany inflationary policy at the Fed is so out of control that people are dumping dollars to buy stocks, figuring that at least stocks represent part of some tangible worth?

Who the helll knows anymore? “Here Be Dragons,” indeed!

UPDATE: Still watching the Dow. As of 2 p.m. ET, it was still around +13, defying what would seem to be normal economic logic. But again, I’m not any kind of expert. I just know a few common-sense basics. It would seem obvious that if Greece is on the verge of a final meltdown, with untold consequences for the rest of the Euro zone, there is at least a risk this could trigger a global financial crisis.

Given such a risk, one would think that investors would seek security, and nothing is more secure than gold. Perhaps the gold market has already calculated in that risk, however. Maybe investors are trying to snag the last few dollars of earnings before the crash hits.

Lots of possible explanations, but none of them make sense to me.

 


Category: Economics, Greece
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