LIVE AT FIVE – 09.19.11

“Once they let you get away with running around for ten years like a king hoodlum, you tend to forget now and then that about half the people you meet live from one day to the next in a state of such fear and uncertainty that about half the time they honestly doubt their own sanity.
“These are not the kind of people who really need to get hung up in depressing political trips. They are not ready for it. Their boats are rocking so badly that all they want to do is to get level long enough to think straight and avoid the next nightmare.”
— Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ‘72

I-70 EASTBOUND, SOMEWHERE IN OHIO
Doing this kind of work is easy in a sense. Success is inevitable if you set the threshold low enough, and who can say that I’ve failed at doing this kind of work when this kind of work – a roving presidential campaign correspondent paying his way by begging for online PayPal contributions from blog readers – is something nobody else has ever done? And the reason it’s never been done is that you’d have to be stone crazy even to think about trying it.

Insanity as a career qualification is a topic worthy of an essay, or perhaps even a entire book, but publishers aren’t lining up to offer me contracts, so there’s no point thinking about that now. Rather I meant only to make the point that no one can deny I’m the best at what I do, because nobody else would be crazy enough to do it. And it’s a folie a deux, you see, because you — the readers and tip-jar hitters who make this madness possible — share the psychotic notion that some useful purpose is served by my vagabond troubadour act, filing dateline reports from Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida and other “key battleground states.”

Many people have asked me why I’m doing what I’m doing and I usually answer with some kind of half-joking answer. “It was either this or go back to driving a forklift,” which was what I was doing for a living before that day in 1986 when I made the ill-advised decision to become a professional journalist.

OK, it wasn’t actually a “decision” but more like a bizarre cosmic fluke that the editor of a 6,000-circulation weekly paper in Austell, Georgia, offered me $4.50 an hour to become a staff writer, covering city council meetings, Fourth of July parades, recreation-league softball and other such local doings. It was a job that wouldn’t infringe on rehearsal time with my rock band and, best of all, no heavy lifting. Read more

Category: Fear. Loathing.

A Serious Debate About Affirmative Action

Posted on | September 18, 2011 | 19 Comments

by Smitty

Althouse, emphasis original:

I know very well from long experience that it’s nearly impossible to have a rational, serious debate about affirmative action. But I am trying. I am trying to make this blog a place where we can do that.

Let’s start here: racism, and also sexism are mostly DNA-based decision making.

Let us also be generous, and admit that affirmative action, like labor unions, may have had historical value, and maybe that has expired.

One good course of action would be to decide that the 2008 election marks the end of the affirmative action era. Let’s just gradually let the Racism Industrial Complex die out by letting anti-discrimination laws work their course, and ignoring the hucksters like Jesse Jackson and company.

I’m not doubting that legitimate acts of racism do occur. But there will always be a diminishing returns point, and the Duke lacrosse team probably would agree we’ve passed it, where the cure is worse than the disease. Too much economic activity is wasted on diversity management and lawfare. If you want economic recovery, trim this fat.

For an example in the Formidable Ann’s neighborhood, see Daily Pundit.

Category: Ann Althouse

Rule 5 Sunday: Talk Dirty To Me

Posted on | September 18, 2011 | 4 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Cleaning up the late entries from last week, we find a missive from Troglopundit concerning Danica Patrick. Ogle – er, I mean, Read- the whole thing.

Fishersville Mike reminds us that if the Ravens stink this season, Baltimore fans can console themselves with the Charm. At Randy’s Roundtable, the midweek break is with Nicci Pisari, followed the next night by Cora Skinner. The POH Diaries has a pic of Denmark’s new PM, who I guess is kind of cute if you like the Nordic blondes. The Eye of Polyphemus also gets in on the Scarlett Johansson hit parade, but adds Gillian Anderson for that special something something. Reaganite Republican prefers gals in glasses, specifically Jan Smithers. Jake Finnegan’s Burkalesque Babe this week is Sofia Vergara, while Dustbury this week is all about the Gwyneth Paltrow and the ever-entrancing Zooey. Postaldog reminds us that Pamela Anderson still has it at 43, and Three Beers Later brings the Coconuts.

El Opinador Compulsivo obviously has his ad-blocking software turned off, or he wouldn’t have noticed these lovelies here in the sidebar. On his own blog, it’s (Jamie) Hammer time! Attention is also paid to a cute alien, sleepless Ana, Scarlett Johansson naked, a bather in black & white, Capri, and vintage babes Jane Birkin & Brigitte Bardot.

A View From The Beach thinks you need a reason to post Monica Bellucci. He also illustrates the only reason we should be paying attention to Jenny McCarthy, posts a couple of attractive nerds, and draws our attention to a kerfluffle over breast cancer awareness in a middle school.

We end this Rule 5 Sunday as we usually end all Rule 5 Sundays, which is to say with the DaleyGator’s DaleyBabes. This week, it’s Cheryl Cole, Simone Annan, Jada Pinkett Smith, Amber Heard, and the ever-popular Asian Babe Friday.

Thanks to everyone for their links! To be included in next week’s Rule 5 Sunday roundup, please send your links to Rule 5 Wombat no later than Saturday, September 24.

Category: Rule 5

HOLY. FREAKING. CRAP.

Posted on | September 18, 2011 | 155 Comments

Just now got in off the road, returning from Ohio where my wife’s parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. On the way — quite literally writing “on the road,” since the trip was seven hours — I composed a long post that I’ll put up later tonight.

But that’s going to have to wait a while, because I just logged on and saw this by Ladd Ehlinger and this by Dan Riehl. Both Dan and Ladd called me yesterday while I was driving to Ohio, but the cell-phone reception on the road was sufficiently crappy that I was unable to understand what they were talking about. And then I caught this link via Dan’s blog and . . .

HOLY. FREAKING. CRAP.

The blog-war aspect of this incident rather dwindles into insignficance when measured against the apparent willingness of a Las Vegas radio station to allow Mike Tyson to spew such filthy and derogatory racial stereotypes. Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Norm Clark writes:

Former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson is under fire for “deplorable” and “stomach-churning” graphic sexual descriptions in a local radio interview about Sarah Palin’s alleged fling with Glen Rice.
The website, Mediaite.com, also leveled criticism at “Gridlock” hosts Mitch Moss and Paul Howard, of ESPN affiliate KWWN-AM, 1100/ 98.9 FM, for finding humor in Tyson’s shocking take.
“The fact that someone convicted of sex crimes even talked about it in such disturbingly gross ways”… and “so violently like this over mass media” raises serious questions, wrote Mediaite columnist Frances Martel.
Moss, who also serves as “Gridlock’s” program director, and Howard “cackled and guffawed in harmony at Tyson’s deplorable comment,” according to Martel.

Does FCC know about this? How about AttackWatch? Now that I think of it, have we heard from Jill Filipovic, Jessica Valenti, Melissa McEwan or any of the other feminists? Because if Sarah Palin weren’t a Republican, I think they’d probably be outraged by this.

UPDATE: Catching up, I see Jim Hoft wondering:

Is this it? Is there anything else they could say about Sarah Palin?

Dunno. But if there is, they’ll say it.

UPDATE II: Greta Van Susteren calls out Tucker Carlson by name:

I keep asking myself, why would Tucker allow this to be posted on his website? . . .
Tucker has daughters and a wife and I would think he in particular would not want to be a purveyer of smut (and this is actually more, this is violence against women) and allow this to be posted on his website.
I emailed Tucker yesterday and asked him about it. He did not reply. I wanted to know what action he was going to take about it since I really did not want to blog about it and felt some urge to protect him. 24 hours have passed and I have not heard from Tucker and it is still on the front page of his website.
So…I am calling him out on this. This is not about whether you are in favor of Governor Palin’s policies or not — this is about whether women should be treated this way and whether this is journalism. It is also about the willingness to stand up to a friend when he or she has gone way over the top and this is one instance where a friend has gone way over the top.
Tucker can’t hide behind ‘this is news, it was said by Mike Tyson and we are simply reporting it.’ It is not news. This denigrates women. He knows that, I know that, you know that. . . .

Much much more at the link, explaining how a story about what Mike Tyson said became a story about how the Daily Caller reported it.

UPDATE III: Tammy Bruce slammed Daily Caller on Twitter, as did Jedediah Bila, while Sissy Willis wrote a whole post about it.

UPDATE IV: Linked by Da Tech Guy and now a Memeorandum thread.

Category: Dan Riehl, Ladd Ehlinger, Racism, Sarah Palin

Is Harry Wayne Casey A Descendant Of Joseph Lochner?

Posted on | September 18, 2011 | 1 Comment

by Smitty

If you’re a reader of Volokh.com, and you should be, then you’ve heard about Rehabilitating Lochner. For some background, see Lochner at Wikipedia. Shorter Lochner: the nanny state is not omnipotent, and privacy of contract exists.

Lately, George Will wrote about the resurgence of interest in the Lochner case, and this has led to follow-on beclownment at Media Matters, to which Bernstein replies:

So, I’d like to thank Media Matters for illustrating my point. You might even say that Media Matters has shown that Lochner remains a liberal bogeyman, at least among the less constitutionally and historically sophisticated.

Now, I may not be a hotshot lawyer, but I can at least come up with a sophomoric riff on the Volokh post:

Category: Uncategorized

Rule 5,000: Time For The Full Monty

Posted on | September 18, 2011 | 9 Comments

by Smitty

This blog strives to appreciate beauty in a workplace safe, family friendly way. We don’t want to be decadent, and give our wives occasion to wield the rolling pin with excess vigor; also, we don’t subscribe to Puritanism or Shari’a. Somewhere in the middle is a pleasant operating point where a healthy, platonic admiration of the human form affords this simplest variety of stress relief.

But if we were the sort of blog to push the envelope of propriety in the direction of Not Safe For Work territory, we would probably try for something economical:

Oh, you wanted something a little closer-in for your 5,000 nudes? Sorry, we’re not that sort of blog.

Category: Rule 5, Uncategorized

FMJRA 2.0: Tangaroa

Posted on | September 18, 2011 | 4 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho

On September 10th

The Todd Palin Legal Defense Fund

Krugman Shows Off His Oxymoron

NY-9: Turner Time?
UPDATE: ‘I See Dead Voters!’
UPDATE: GOP’S TURNER WINS!

Union Activist Teaches Civility Seminar

Daily Pundit

Arguably The Best Thing Written On The Subject Of 9/11

Joe Fein, in a Fighting Mood

The Camp Of The Saints

Lakoff: A Seminar In Hooey?

LIVE AT FIVE – 09.12.11

Don Surber

Standing By For The Muslim Protest Against The Flight 93 Memorial

Daily Pundit

As If One Needed Another Reason For Uncertainty About Romney

So, Does This Mean Bono Should Be The Front Man For Rammstein?

Don Surber

Fear and Loathing in Tampa

CNN: Sarah Palin Turned Down Invitation to Appear in Tonight’s Tea Party Debate

Red Dog Report

No Time for Final Wisdom in Tampa

CNN/TEA PARTY EXPRESS DEBATE

LIVE AT FIVE – 09.13.11

Don Surber

Looking Forward To GBTV

Bride Of Rove

Goldman Sees The Image Of A Piece Of Toast In Egypt

The Camp Of The Saints

The Prisoner on Flight 1884

‘I Fear No Boy Named Sioux,’ Said Custer

Peopleware Goes To Software

Democrats Discover the SCOAMF Factor

Could Anthony Weiner Offer Jim Moran Some Life Coaching?

Don Surber

Obama’s Down. Can GOP Put Him Out?

Did You Know the Word ‘Miscegenation’ Was Invented by Democrats as a Smear?

The Recklessness of Joe McGinniss

LIVE AT FIVE – 09.15.11

AttackWatch: HR2911 Thugs The Title ‘American Jobs Act’

James Carville Brings The Funny

‘This Neofascist Fantasy’

Daily Pundit

Sex, Drugs and … Fifth-Graders?

‘This Crazy Blogger, Stacy McCain’

LIVE AT ~~FIVE~~SIX – 09.16.11

Don Surber

In Search Of, You Know, A More Peaceful Kind Of Peace

Ruthfully Yours

Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn, 1820-1863

American And Proud

Republicans? In California?

Daily Pundit

Solyndra: Pump And Dump

Bride Of Rove

This week’s top linkers:

Daily Pundit (9)
(tied) Da Tech Guy and Don Surber (8)
The Camp Of The Saints (5)

Thanks to all for their linkagery! If you want to be included in next week’s FMJRA, and your trackbacks don’t automatically show up, please send me an e-mail by Friday, September 23 with “FMJRA” or “Shameless Blogwhoring” in the subject line.

Category: FMJRA Award

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The Other McCain

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

LIVE AT FIVE – 09.19.11

Generosity, Gratitude and Gonzo

A Serious Debate About Affirmative Action

Rule 5 Sunday: Talk Dirty To Me

HOLY. FREAKING. CRAP.

Is Harry Wayne Casey A Descendant Of Joseph Lochner?

Rule 5,000: Time For The Full Monty

FMJRA 2.0: Tangaroa

THE FULL METAL JACKET REACH-AROUND AWARD

HIT THE FREAKING TIP JAR!

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