The Other McCain

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

Denver Post Quotes @DaTechGuyBlog About @OccupyDenver at #BlogCon11

Posted on | November 11, 2011 | 28 Comments

The authoritative source:

More than a dozen protesters who say they are part of Occupy Denver disrupted a conservative blogger conference in downtown Denver this afternoon and one man was led away in handcuffs, witnesses say.
Information about the man who was arrested for trespassing was unavailable but witnesses at the Blogcon 2011 conference say he shoved a police officer who was trying to clear the group of out of the lobby at the Crowne Plaza hotel.
Attendees of Blogcon say they knew Occupy Denver was going to try to disrupt their conference because the group had advertised their intentions on Twitter. . . .
The disruption began around 2 p.m. during a data visualization seminar in one of the ballrooms. A few of the protesters tried to charge the ballroom doors to get inside. . . .
But people attending the conference had already started to notice unusual activity by a number of people in the hotel’s lobby and they began to film them, said Peter Michael Dominic Ingemi, a talk show host.
“They started bantering back and forth,” he said. “We all had video. They were filming us and we were filming them.”
Occupy Denver protesters yelled out “We are the 99 percent” and Blogcon attendees yelled back “We want the dog!”

Pete is, of course, Da Tech Guy, who tells the story of the Occupy invasion and includes this video:

The Denver Post story also quotes Tabitha Hale, who hates me.

UPDATE: Conservative Hideout has more video, and we’re linked by The Lonely Conservative, who let me and Da Tech Guy crash at her house in October 2010 when we were covering Ann Marie Buerkle’s campaign.

UPDATE II: Welcome, Instapundit readers! When I talked to Pete earlier, he was puzzled as to why he wasn’t getting much traffic on his blog. Explanation: He had gotten in a hurry and misspelled Denver in the title. When he corrected the spelling, he changed the URL, so my link to him wasn’t throwing traffic. That’s been fixed, but he probably won’t notice my traffic now that he’s got the Instalanche, too.

Bob Belvedere at Camp of the Saints uses the word “soviet” to describe Occupy Denver and, if you know anything useful about Soviet history, you realize that his usage is accurate. Of course, nobody in the “Occupy” movement knows anything about the history they’re doomed to repeat — as farce, to quote their philosophical godfather.

Category: #Occupy, Da Tech Guy

#OccupyFail at #BlogCon11: What Fun!

Posted on | November 11, 2011 | 13 Comments

For the second consecutive year, Tabitha Hale didn’t think I was important enough to be invited to participate on a panel at BlogCon.

Or maybe Tabitha just hates my guts.

Either way, she subsequently offered me a “scholarship” to attend BlogCon, a consolation prize I was too proud to accept.

Pity is no substitute for respect, and if nothing I have accomplished in the past three years is worth respecting, I’d rather not be there in person for a repeat of the humiliation Tabitha inflicted by leaving me off the BlogCon agenda last year.

Like I said, maybe she just hates my guts and I could deal with that, if she would admit that it’s her personal contempt for me that explained the repeated exclusions. Instead, she permits my peers (and readers) to believe that the exclusion represents the inadequacy of my professional accomplishments. People say I shouldn’t take it that way, but I can see no other explanation.

Either (a) my blog sucks or (b) my blog’s good and Tabitha hates me.

Anyway, the Occupy Denver crowd descended on the hotel where all the really important and popular bloggers are hanging out:

There’s about 20 of them. They’re fairly young and dirty and speak in a strange jargon like the Oasis Tribe in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
Now they’re doing that “mike check” thing, and are chanting.
When the hell are the cops going to get here?

Also, when will the attendees at BlogCon realize that by confronting the Occupy scum, they’re imperiling their own health?

Good thing I’m not popular or important, or else I might be at BlogCon, contracting an incurable contagious disease.

UPDATE: Da Tech Guy risked his health by getting close enough to interview one of the Occupiers:

UPDATE II: Denver’s KUSA-TV reports:

DENVER – Denver Police responded to the Crowne Plaza Hotel Friday afternoon where several Occupy Denver protesters reportedly caused a disturbance.
According to reports, a group of conservative bloggers are at the hotel, which may have incited the chanting.

Did you catch that? The presence of “a group of conservative bloggers” at a hotel incited the disturbance — as if the Occupy Denver riffraff were just minding their own business until those nasty bloggers provoked them.

UPDATE III: The unpopular and unimportant Jeff Goldstein:

The Occupy Denver kiddies got wind of the conference and naturally have to protest it. Because, you know — well, because, uh, KOCH BROTHERS RACISM HATE HATE HATE!
Hundreds of bloggers with video-capable phones, and these morons decide we’re to be the target of their disjointed, intellectually scattershot “protests”?
That’s some strategy, that is.

UPDATE IV: “I am really starting to lose faith in the hippies of my generation.”

UPDATE V: Denver police: Not nearly brutal enough. Why aren’t they beating these hippies unmercifully?

Because hippies are white. And Denver cops are racist.

Refute that!

UPDATE VI: John Hawkins:

About 15 scruffy looking protesters arrived in the lobby with, as far as I can tell, no intention other than disrupting the conference.
They succeeded — but, not in the way they expected because after they started chanting, bloggers poured out of the conference to take pics and videos. Soon, there were 30 bloggers surrounding 15 Occupy people and chanting things like “We love Koch money” and “Breitbart, Breitbart!” There was lots of chanting, lots of yelling, and Steven Crowder got shoved by one of the female Occupiers.

Now a Memeorandum thread.

UPDATE VII: Sister Toldjah posts video:

UPDATE VIII: “Denver HS Teacher Brings Students to Join #OWS Mob As They Storm Conservative Conference (Video).”

Category: #Occupy, Ace of Spades, Da Tech Guy, Tabitha Hale

Victor D. Hanson Offers Meanness And Mitt

Posted on | November 11, 2011 | 37 Comments

by Smitty

VDH is one of the few academics worthy of the respect formerly afforded the ivory tower. His analysis is pure gloomy realpolitik: only Romney has the chops to take on Barack.

Where I badly want to disagree with Victor is that he seems not to hold out much hope for the American people. While fully in the Anybody But Obama camp, it seems a lighter Fail if the replacement has to be Some Personality. That the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in our founding documents seem insufficient to excite the people on their own plays into the Left’s thesis that people are sheep, and should be herded by experts.

The subtext of Mitt at the CNBC Economics Debate seemed to be acceptance of the pre-2008 state of diminished liberty, with enough Tea Party flourishes to pull in conservatives for the ‘win’, where winning means crashing more slowly. Romney does not seem a terribly visionary statesman who is bent on rolling back the federal overreach of the last century.

Update: I want this to be wrong, but somehow I don’t think it will prove so: “Big Labor’s Scorched-Earth Campaign in Ohio a Preview of Obama’s Reelection Campaign”

Update II: linked at The Camp of the Saints.

Category: PJTV, Politics

Small Arms May Stop Spread Of Tuberculosis At #OccupyObamaVilles

Posted on | November 11, 2011 | 16 Comments

by Smitty

Ladd Ehlinger seems surprised that anarchy, poor sanitation, and the onset of winter can lead to outbreaks of diseases like tuberculosis.

I disagree with those who said the Occupy movement was doomed at the first sign of winter. This is because I have never seen it as a grass-roots movement, but one cooked up by Obama’s OFA organization, in collusion with Anonymous and Lulzec members, and funded by all the usual suspects, including Soros. The reasons for the cooking had little to do with today’s politics, but the 2012 election, and scaring the bejesus out of soccer moms inclined to vote Republican.
Now an unlikely enemy has arrived to lay waste to these plans, the super-tuberculosis bug. Lie down with dogs, get fleas; lie down with Occupiers, and get both fleas and a disease that can’t be cured and may well kill you.

Via Althouse, there is also Zuccotti Lung, as this blog raises awareness of recent advances in our respiratory tract sickness choices.

These public health concerns may be mitigated somewhat by what seems to be a rash of shootings at ObamaVilles around the country. I was just wondering out loud on Twitter if the gun violence might not be a backup plan for the collapse of Fast & Furious. The American people must somehow be made to accept that the 2nd Amendment is as moot as the 10th Amendment if we are to reach the next stage of Holy Progress. Is it possible that the shooting victim in Oakland was a poet named Horst Wessel?

Is this all part of some grand scheme masterminded by #OccupyResoluteDesk? If so, then liberty-loving Americans must ponder, harden their resolve, and let their peaceful, patriotic actions answer the mail on this sad, creepy #Occupy movement.

Category: #Occupy, Ann Althouse, Barack Obama, Ladd Ehlinger

‘Just Win, Baby’

Posted on | November 11, 2011 | 44 Comments

“There was a time, about ten years ago, when I could write like Grantland Rice. Not necessarily because I believed all that sporty bulls–t, but because sportswriting was the only thing I could do that anybody was willing to pay for.”
— Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72

When I was 12 years old, the Sweetwater Valley Red Raiders got a new coach, Terry Kipta. Unlike many of our other rec-league coaches who had never played beyond the high-school level, Coach Kipta had been a starting lineman in college and had even spent a year or two on the lower rungs of pro ball.

We had a battle for quarterback that year, because there was a kid named Latimer who had previously played halfback, but had worked hard in the off-season on his passing. He actually had a better arm than our quarterback, but Latimer had a goofy sense of humor and thus was judged deficient in the kind of “leadership qualities” desirable in the quarterback role. Also that year, we had an end named Sims, a lanky kid with blinding speed, and this combination of Latimer and Sims led to a certain magic.

Coach Kipta was the first coach in our league to use what was called a “pro set” formation on offense: Two running backs, a split end and a wingback who could line up either as a flanker (outside the tight end) or on the other side in the slot between the tackle and split end. In the early 1970s, the triple-option wishbone was the most common offense, although some teams used the power-I or even the old straight-T.

One of the plays Kipta used was a halfback option pass. We practiced and practiced that play, and used it with devastating effect.

Our very first game of the season, when we came out on offense, broke the huddle and lined up, it was clear that our opponent had not prepared to defend against the pro set. Their coaches started yelling for their linebackers and defensive backs to cover the flankers, and there was a Chinese fire drill as the opponents went scrambling around to try to get in position. And then we did the “silent soldier.”

The “silent soldier” was another sneaky genius trick in Coach Kipta’s bag, The quarterback called “down,” “set” and then – nothing.

However, we were counting silently inside our heads: “Thousand one, thousand two . . .” So if it was “silent soldier 3,” the center would count to three before snapping the ball, at which time the whole play went into motion simultaneously. The other team, naturally expecting the quarterback to call “hut-hut-hut” as the signal for the snap, would be caught off guard, a step behind, unless they had been relentlessly drilled (as all defensive players should be) to watch the ball instead of listening to the quarterback’s signals.

Our opponents had never seen anything like the pro-set offense, and had never encountered the “silent soldier,” so they were already badly off-balance when our center Royce McAllister snapped the ball without warning. Caught by surprise from the start, the play they saw developing looked for all the world like a standard toss-sweep, as the quarterback pitched the ball to the halfback Latimer. The opposing linemen, of course, didn’t take long to notice that those of us Red Raiders on the line (I was at right guard) didn’t “fire out” across the line of scrimmage but instead were forming a protective pocket of pass blocking.

Their linebackers were completely fooled, however, and by the time any of the defensive linemen (and their coaches on the sideline) started yelling “Pass! Pass!” the linebackers were already chasing toward Latimer under the assumption that he was running a sweep. The other running back was there to block for Latimer — who, of course, had the option of running if he saw an opening — but instead he was looking downfield for Sims, who was racing deep on the fly down the right sideline.

We had practiced that play over and over, you see, and our opponents had never seen anything like it. Between the unusual formation and the “silent soldier” snap-count, their defense was confused and off-balance because, in those days of wishbone triple-option football, no team in that league ever threw the bomb on the first play from scrimmage until Coach Kipta’s Red Raiders did it — and did it on a halfback option pass.

Latimer unleashed his lanky arm and his pass went spiraling downfield in a precise arc to where Sims was three steps ahead of the defensive back. Latimer led him just right (I tell you, we had practiced it over and over) and Sims didn’t have to break stride as he scooped in the pass and raced straight into the end zone for a touchdown.

Mr. Brown, whose son Robbie was our tight end, snapped a picture of that play at just the moment Sims reached out to catch the pass and, at the end-of-the-year Red Raiders award banquet, Sims received an 11-by-17-inch framed enlargement of that photo. We used the halfback option pass sparingly that season — never more than once a game — and as I recall, the only variable in its success was if Sims dropped the ball. But the play was never more beautifully executed than it was on that first play from scrimmage in our first game of the season, when our opponents were caught completely by surprise.

Now, why did I tell that story? Am I just lost in nostalgia, re-living the glory of my youth? Or is there a moral to the story? Read more

Category: Election 2012, Football, Herman Cain

Sarah Palin Demonstrates A Better Grasp Of Leadership Than Obama, Though, Admittedly, Barack Sets A Low Bar

Posted on | November 11, 2011 | 24 Comments

by Smitty

Fire Eric Holder, saith the Arctic Fox:

Holder conceded this week, “I have ultimate responsibility for what happens in the department.” He can prove it by resigning. And if he refuses to resign, then President Obama – with whom the bucks ultimately stop – can prove that he respects honesty, transparency, and accountability in his administration by firing Holder.
I stand with the members of Congress who are calling for Holder’s resignation. I stand with the family members of Brian Terry who are demanding transparency and accountability. Mr. President, where do you stand?

I’m uncertain whether this is enough. It may be time to consider the wholesale replacement of the entire Department of Justice. Simple dissolve the Department and re-constitute its legitimate functions with fresh faces.

Of course, now that That Woman has dared to raise her voice, #OccupyResoluteDesk can be expected to offer his best “neener neener neener, you’re not the boss of me” response.

via Legal Insurrection

Category: Barack Obama, Eric Holder, Legal Insurrection

‘Pray Real Hard’

Posted on | November 11, 2011 | 28 Comments

After Monday’s ordeal, I wrote:

If I were in a position to advise Cain at this moment, the only thing I could advise him is to pray.
Pray real hard.

It seemed hopeless at that point. And yet here we are on Friday, and Cain’s still very much alive. So my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw this recap of Wednesday’s debate by Grace Wyler at Business Insider:

Herman Cain’s presidential campaign had basically been left for dead when the 2012 Republican presidential candidates took the debate stage in Michigan Wednesday. Sexual harassment accusations had plagued his campaign for nearly two weeks, and his deny-to-the-death strategy was not going as planned.
But divine providence stepped in on Cain’s behalf tonight, in the form of Rick Perry. The Texas Governor’s spectacular meltdown on stage at the debate did what many in the media had believed impossible — divert the spotlight away from the Cain affair and on to the embarrassing shortcomings of a lower-tier candidate, as reporters gleefully hopped off the Cain Train to start writing Perry campaign obits.

“Divine providence”? I hesitate to claim that the Almighty would intervene in a Republican debate, but neither can I rule it out.

Anyway, theological speculation aside, Zilla of the Resistance called my attention to this video from Nerds4Cain:

BTW, some people are making are big deal out of this CBS News poll today, which shows Cain at 18% and Mitt and Newt at 15% each. These results are anomalous, most previous polls having shown Cain and Romney neck-and-neck above 20%, so what’s the deal here?

This poll was conducted by telephone from November 6-10, 2011 among 1,182 adults nationwide. 1,029 interviews were conducted with registered voters and 382 with voters who said they plan to vote in a Republican primary.

In other words, it’s a “random adults” poll and, at least in the CBS News story, you can’t tell whether most of the numbers cited involve GOP primary voters or “random adults.” We cannot therefore cite this one statistical outlier as evidence of a trend.

Category: Herman Cain

Patrick Murray Delivers The Best News I’ve Had All Week

Posted on | November 11, 2011 | 10 Comments

by Smitty

As hoped, Patrick Murray rides again, in the effort to Retire ‘Gentleman’ Jim Moran. From his 10 November email announcement:

Today I’m announcing my candidacy for US Congress in the 8th Congressional District of Virginia. This decision to run for a second time took much soul-searching, thought and prayer. Campaigns are a crucible, but, just as with my military service, this is a matter of duty for me. If I thought our nation was on the right track, that we had leaders who were governing with the Constitution and our children in mind, that we were secure and prosperous, then I would happily pursue other goals.

Also:

In 2010 when I ran, I started at ground zero, freshly out of the Army with no campaign experience, no name recognition and only a handful of supporters. Well, I’m very proud of what we accomplished; over 72,000 people voted for me, we raised a substantial amount of money, and we had legions of energetic volunteers out knocking doors, making phone calls, putting out signs and stuffing envelopes. Now we have that firm foundation to stand upon, and redistricting should also help our side. Combine all of that with Party backing and a dynamic, professional campaign team with national experience and a solid record of winning difficult races in tough Districts and we are light years ahead of where we were last time.

Now, VA-8 has got to be among the toughest districts in the country. ‘Gentleman’ Jim is not only among the senior Democrat wealth redistributors, but the district itself is infested by a high concentration of senior federal bureaucrats who

  • know on which side their bread is buttered, and
  • know that the butter in question was re-distributed from a cow in mooing in a distant pasture.

Homo bureaucratus, while typically a beta (fe)male, and rarely given to anything that could be mistaken for personal courage, can be seen gathering in vast, neck-tie wearing herds for acts of passive aggression against the private sector. Like supporting Moran.

Thus, it is crucial for all right-thinking, traditional Americans to rally around candidates of the caliber of Murray. Even those living in Princess Nancy Pelosi’s, or Princess Barney Franks’s districts need to support viable candidates, and make the Democrat cretins feel the heat. This has the effect of tying up resources, and indirectly supporting American candidates in other districts.

Anybody can wax enthusiastic when the going is easy. However, the recovery from Progressivism is only in its early stages. So this blog rejoices in having a courageous leader like Murray to support. Hopefully we’ll do a better job of getting Ladd Ehlinger on scene to liven up matters this time around.

Update: linked at Zilla of the Resistance. Indeed, happy Veteran’s Day. Want to make a Vet happy? Help drive the Commies out of our government.

Update II: ‘Gentleman’ Jim Moran, who famously doesn’t think military people are public servants still wants the military to think that he holds them in some esteem:

Today we recognize our nation’s veterans, the men and women who have given their time, risked their safety, and in some cases lost their lives in service to our country. Regardless of your position on past and present military operations, we owe a great deal of thanks to those willing to put on the uniform of the United States Military.

If you would really like to thank a veteran, ‘Gentleman’ Jim, what you can do is retire. About the only thing more important than separating you from levers of power, Mr. Moran, is ousting your buddy, #OccupyResoluteDesk.

Update III: via Insty, Kimberley Strassel has more good news about the Virginia political scene.

Update IV: Formal armistice with Paco, and concurrence on the Murray candidacy. My point on the fashion habits of homo bureaucratus seems to stand.

Update V: Now a Memeorandum thread.

Update V: Linked at The Lonely Conservative.

Category: Ladd Ehlinger, Patrick Murray, Virginia
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