The Other McCain

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

Not News? Columbia Professor and Huffington Post Contributor David Epstein Pleads Guilty in Incest Case

Posted on | May 25, 2011 | 84 Comments

You will recall that Palin-hating blogger David Epstein was arrested in December and charged with felony incest for having sex with his adult daughter (now 24) from 2006 through 2009.

One of our readers has obtained court documents (for Case #2010NY090162) indicating that Epstein copped a plea to a misdemeanor charge of attempted incest. (Click the image to enlarge).

That ruling was on May 11 — two weeks ago — and yet I can find no news reports about Epstein’s conviction. You might think that at least the New York Times would find the disposition of this case newsworthy.

The alert reader who informed me of this previously unreported news also passed along the court documents to some members of the Columbia University faculty, resulting in this angry e-mail from Epstein’s lawyer:

From: Matthew Galluzzo
Date: Tue, May 24, 2011 at 7:17 PM
Subject: notice
To: [Redacted]

Mr. [Redacted], I am an attorney and I represent Dr. Epstein. Please be advised that he does not wish to receive any further communications from you ever again. I have already alerted the District Attorney’s Office to the emails you have sent him thus far, and should you ever contact him or me again, we will make the appropriate criminal complaint to law enforcement.

Matthew J. Galluzzo, Esq.
Galluzzo & Johnson LLP
48 Wall Street, 11th Floor
New York, New York 10005

Well, facts are facts and if Professor Epstein has now pleaded guilty, the presumption of innocence is over. Epstein is still listed as a faculty member on the Columbia University Web site. 

Is Epstein’s behavior something that the university tolerates or approves?

Someone should ask Professor John Huber ([email protected]), chairman of the Department of Political Science, or Columbia University President Lee Bollinger ([email protected]).

UPDATE: Linked by Jeff G. at Protein Wisdom — thanks!

UPDATE II: Linked by Ann Coulter — thanks!

UPDATE III: Linked by Don Surber and Piece of Work in Progress — thanks!

UPDATE IV: Linked by the American Pundit — thanks!

UPDATE V: Linked by POH Diaries and by Rodney Graves at Wizbang — thanks!

UPDATE VI: Linked by Maggie’s Notebook — thanks! — and welcome, Instapundit readers!

PREVIOUSLY:


Category: Crime, Education, Huffington Post, Sex

Obamanomics: The Predictable Suckage

Posted on | May 25, 2011 | 4 Comments

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air:

“If the US economy got off to a bad start in 2011 with a 1.8% GDP annualized growth rate, the start of the second quarter looks like it might be worse. The Commerce Department reported this morning that durable goods orders fell 3.6% in April after a 4.4% increase the month before.”

Keynesian economist Brad DeLong analyzes the indicators and urges — wait for it — more Keynesian “stimulus” efforts. (Because if it hasn’t worked yet, we just need to do some more of it!)

The phrase “double dip recession” is cropping up again, as I’ve been predicting for months. We’re also starting to hear a lot about “stagflation,” another phenomenon I’ve been predicting since at least May 2009:

“The stimulus-and-bailout policies have not addressed the fundamental problems of the economy — namely, an excess of debt and a shortage of capital to spur job creation — while the entitlement trainwreck of Social Security and Medicare looms immediately ahead. By piling on new trillion-dollar deficits, at a time when the recession will result in significant tax revenue shortfalls, the Democrats are steering the economy into a stagflation trap.”

Why is it that the experts who have been so wrong for so long continue getting paid and praised as experts, while I — having no special claim to expertise — am so relentlessly right, and yet still rattling the tip jar?

Category: Economics

Ed Schultz Calls Laura Ingraham ‘Slut’; Feminist Outrage at MSNBC in 3, 2, 1 …

Posted on | May 25, 2011 | 26 Comments

What? No? You mean feminists aren’t threatening a boycott over this?

President Obama is going to be visiting Joplin, Mo., on Sunday but you know what they’re talking about, like this right-wing slut, what’s her name?, Laura Ingraham? Yeah, she’s a talk slut. You see, she was, back in the day, praising President Reagan when he was drinking a beer overseas. But now that Obama’s doing it, they’re working him over.

Via Michelle Malkin, who has much more (hat-tip to Alyssa Farah on Twitter). If anyone at Fox News — Bill O’Reilly or Sean Hannity or Glenn Beck — had used such a word in talking about Andrea Mitchell or Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz would be screaming about “right-wing hate,” and the story would be a front-page item at HuffPo with a half-dozen feminist bloggers commenting. But Laura Ingraham is a conservative, and so the feminist reaction . . .

What’s that, ladies? You’ll have to speak up. I can’t hear you because of the noise from all these chirping crickets.

UPDATE: Tim Graham at Newsbusters:

MSNBC anchor David Shuster was suspended in 2008 for suggesting Hillary Clinton had “pimped out” her daughter Chelsea on the air. So how will MSNBC handle their host calling Laura Ingraham a “right-wing slut” and a “talk slut”? Will Schultz be pressed to apologize to the Catholic churchgoer and mother of two?

Remember “civility”?

It’s the New Motherf–ing Tone!

Now a Memeorandum thread.

UPDATE: Laura Ingraham responds on Facebook.


Category: Feminism, MSNBC

Media Psy-Ops in NY-26

Posted on | May 25, 2011 | 7 Comments

In my very first post about the NY-26 special election (May 10), I warned:

NY-26 is a winnable district, and a GOP defeat would be interpreted by the media (however falsely) as a repudiation of the conservative agenda.

And on May 17, I warned that a Democrat victory “will be headlined as evidence that the Paul Ryan budget plan is a political liability for Republicans.” You can see those prophecies fulfilled in this morning’s headlines at Memeorandum:

Democrat Wins G.O.P. Seat;
Rebuke Seen to Medicare Plan 

Six Months After Midterm Disaster,
Hopeful Signs for Democrats 

Democrat Kathy Hochul Wins Upset In NY-26,
Medicare Vote Key To Victory

Readers should be asking themselves, “Why didn’t I hear any warnings about NY-26 on talk radio or Fox News? Why have MSNBC and other liberal media been banging the drums about this special election for weeks, while most conservative media ignored it?” I don’t have any answers to those questions, but I think it’s important to ask.

Da Tech Guy contrasts the media spin on NY-26 with their spin on last year’s Hawaii special election. Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) are attempting to turn perception into reality, by engaging in what Da Tech Guy accurately describes as “psy-ops.”

Category: Congress, Da Tech Guy, Election, Media Bias, New York

Oh, My: Hearing Turns Ugly

Posted on | May 25, 2011 | 4 Comments

Harvard Law professor Elizabeth Warren, a special advisor to President Obama, got raked over the coals yesterday by Rep. Patrick McHenry and other Republicans:

A House committee hearing on Tuesday about the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau disintegrated into heated accusations of lying, with the panel’s chairman accusing Elizabeth Warren of giving misleading testimony at a hearing in March and of making up facts about her agreement to testify this week.
Representative Patrick T. McHenry, a North Carolina Republican who is chairman of a subcommittee of the House oversight committee, told Ms. Warren, who is directing the start of the consumer agency, that he believed she had misled Congress about her role in settlement talks between government authorities and mortgage servicing companies. . . . .
After an hour in which Ms. Warren repeatedly parried efforts by Mr. McHenry and other Republicans to pin her down with “yes or no” answers to questions about her March testimony — and about the bureau’s powers and responsibilities — Mr. McHenry abruptly moved for a temporarily recess so lawmakers could attend a floor vote.
Ms. Warren objected, saying that she had agreed to be present for only an hour and had no more time. . . .

It was at that point that the following exchange took place:

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air:

Warren claimed that they had agreed to work around her schedule, and that she had important meetings to attend . . . What meeting might Warren have that would be more important than a Congressional hearing into the activities of her agency?

(Via Memeorandum.) Permit me to observe that, if Obama is going to put Harvard Law faculty in charge of economic policy, perhaps he should appoint some economists to the Justice Department. Just to be fair.

UPDATE: The meeting that Elizabeth Warren was so insistent on attending may have had a political purpose:

Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., who is fending off criticism from members of his own party for publicly opposing a GOP plan to overhaul Medicare, could face a potential challenge to his seat from the woman appointed by President Obama to run a controversial agency designed to protect consumers from bank abuses.
Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard law professor who is anathema to Republicans for her fierce criticism of the banks, reportedly is being recruited by Democrats to run for the seat that was held by Ted Kennedy for nearly half a century. Brown surprised Democrats by winning the seat in a special election in January 2010. He is up for re-election in 2012. . . .
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) would not confirm that it is wooing Warren to run nor would a spokesman deny it.

Was Warren supposed to be meeting with Chuck Schumer and the DSCC staff to discuss the Massachusetts election? And if so, did McHenry and his colleagues know it?

Category: Congress, Massachusetts

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Love-Child Scandal Leak Came From Maria Shriver

Posted on | May 25, 2011 | 13 Comments

Hell hath no fury, et cetera:

The Arnold Schwarzenegger baby drama story was leaked to the media by Maria Shriver’s own people … and they did it because Maria was so angry at Arnold, she wanted to do it herself. . . .
We’re told when Maria found out that Arnold was the father of Mildred Patty Baena’s son, she was “hysterical” and wanted to hold a news conference blowing the lid off the scandal.
We’re told Maria’s friends talked her off a ledge and a plan was eventually hatched to leak the details to the L.A. Times and TMZ.

Maria has hired a private investigator for her divorce case.

Category: California, Celebrities, Scandal

LIVE AT FIVE – 05.25.11

Posted on | May 25, 2011 | 1 Comment

TOP NEWS
Violent Storms Kill Seven In Oklahoma, Kansas

Deadly storms rage through Midwest just two days after Joplin tornado

Five dead in Oklahoma City, suburbs from rush-hour tornado; two killed by falling tree in rural Kansas as more storms rip Midwest just days after destruction in Joplin



Netanyahu Cheered During Speech To Congress
Frequently interrupted by standing O’s, Israeli PM lays out his vision for peace: a strong Israel

New US Sanctions Target Iran’s Refined Petroleum Imports For First Time
Chavez’ PDVSA hardest hit



POLITICS
Democrats Claim Medicare The Key To Victory In NY-26

Congressman-elect Kathy Hochul

Behold the power of the fully-operational narrative!

John Edwards Faces Indictment For Campaign Violations

Advocates Call For More Sidewalks, Bike Lanes

Christie Blasts NJ Supremes On School Funding Ruling

Biden Aims For $1 Trillion In Budget Cuts, Opens Medicare Debate

Blagojevich Defense To Call Rahm Emanuel, Jesse Jackson Jr. As Witnesses



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
BRIC Nations Unhappy With European Dominance Of IMF
Russian Internet Firm Leads IPO Pack
AIG Stock Sale Raises $8.7 Billion; Feds Still Own 77% Of Company
Barnes & Noble Simplifies The Nook
Dollar, Yen Advance As Stock Market Declines Boost Demand For Safer Assets
Smucker Raises Coffee Prices; Folger’s, Dunkin Donuts Among Store Brands Affected
Twitter Acquires TweetDeck
Google To Unveil Mobile Payments Platform
Why Amazon Is Preparing To Enter An Overcrowded Tablet Market



SPORTS
Experience Matters As Heat Nail Down Win In Game 4

LeBron James drives for the basket in Game 4

Heat win again, 101-93 in OT

Canucks’ Power Line Delivers In Game 5

UConn Men: Academic Performance A Total Joke

Lakers Make Offer To Mike Brown



Dodgers Freshmen Show Their Class In Win Over Astros

Quentin’s Three Dingers Lead Chisox To Damp Victory

Adam Jones’ Sayonara Shot Lifts O’s Over Royals



FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Maria Shriver’s People Behind Bastard Leaks

Ugh.

Friends talked her out of taking point on story, leaking to media instead.

Anna Kournikova Replaces Jillian Michaels On “Biggest Loser”



Oprah Winfrey’s Final Guest Revealed

“Dancing With The Stars” Crowns A Winner

“Glee” Star Jane Lynch Top Pick To Host Emmy Awards

Chelsea Handler Not A Fan Of “Teen Mom” Penomenon

FOREIGNERS
Volcanic Ash Cloud Nears Germany
IMF Chief To Attempt Consent Defense Against Rape Charges
Mubarak Faces Murder Charges
Yemeni Loyalists Spar With Tribal Forces – Using Machine Guns



BLOGS & STUFF
Republican Redefined: Netanyahu Says To Congress “This Is Real Democracy”
Dave Weigel: Rand Paul’s Absence Not Snub To Netanyahu
Jonah Goldberg: Run, Paul, Run
Ramesh Ponnuru: don’t Underestimate Republicans In 2012
Atlas Shrugs: Facebook Fascism?
Lonely Conservative: Study Shows Liberal Historians Routinely Deprecate Republican Presidents
American Digest: And All The News Just Repeats Itself
Transterrestrial Musings: Two Can Play at That Game

— compiled by Wombat-socho

Category: Live at Five

NY-26 ELECTION NIGHT HQ
UPDATE: Democrat Hochul Wins

Posted on | May 24, 2011 | 42 Comments

12:30 a.m. ET: The predicted spin from the New York Times:

Democrats scored an upset in one of New York’s most conservative Congressional districts on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the national Republican Party in a race that largely turned on the party’s plan to overhaul Medicare.

11:45 p.m. ET: Erick Erickson at Red State:

The truth of the matter is that the Republican Party of New York sucks and has sucked for a while. It is especially terrible at special elections where the out of touch party leaders pick state legislators who everyone hates and runs them.
Jane Corwin is a sitting member of the NY State Legislature, just like Jim Tedisco, just like Dede Scozzafava, and she was handpicked by the party elders. Notice a trend?

Good points. This election was anomalous, as I said earlier today. With 97% of precincts reporting, Jack Davis’s vote (9,495) is more than double Democrat Kathy Hochul’s 4,694 margin over Corwin. However, the impact of Davis’s phony “Tea Party” candidacy — like the blunders of the New York GOP — will be all but ignored as the MSM spins NY-26 as a huge Democrat triumph of national significance.

10:45 p.m. ET: Now that it’s over — Jane Corwin has conceded, as Jazz Shaw reports — let me say a few words to the Republican Party of New York.

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?

In the middle of a recession, why would you nominate an heiress for Congress? Not to play class-warfare here, but do you really think that it helps the GOP win over hard-pressed blue-collar voters when you run a candidate who inherited part of a $4o0 million fortune? You think folks can relate to that?

And why, Republican Party of New York, if you were going to insist on nominating Jane Corwin for this special election, couldn’t you have at least done something to keep David Bellavia on the GOP team? Bellavia’s endorsement of Jack Davis hurt you guys pretty bad, but your campaign was so generally mismanaged that maybe you didn’t notice.

So now we have to listen to Democrats gloat about what a huge setback this is to the conservative movement when, as we all know, it’s just further proof of the incompetence of the Republican Party of New York — as if we needed further proof!

UPDATE 10:14 p.m. ET: It’s over. With 75% of precincts reporting, and Democrat Kathy Hochul leading by nearly 5,000 votes — 48%-42% — she has been declared the winner over Republican Jane Corwin. Third-party spoiler Jack Davis’s vote total will be greater than Hochul’s margin of victory.

With 469 (75%) of 627 precincts reporting:

Kathy Hochul (Democrat) . . . . . . 39,492 (48%)
Jane Corwin (Republican) . . . . . . 34,553 (42%)
Jack Davis (Crazy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,722 (8%)

UPDATE 9:50 p.m. ET: Still no precincts reporting from Genesee or Orleans counties. Hochul’s lead of about 2,700 votes is coming entirely from Erie County.

UPDATE 9:45 p.m. ET: With 345 (55%) of 627 precincts reporting:

Kathy Hochul (Democrat) . . . . . . 29,063 (48%)
Jane Corwin (Republican) . . . . . . 26,277 (43%)
Jack Davis (Crazy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,090 (8%)

UPDATE 9:37 p.m. ET: With 210 (33%) of 627 precincts reporting:

Kathy Hochul (Democrat) . . . . . . 18,022 (48%)
Jane Corwin (Republican) . . . . . . 16,033 (42%)
Jack Davis (Crazy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,369 (9%)

UPDATE 9:33 p.m. ET: Looking at the county-by-county results, I notice that so far we haven’t gotten any results from Genesee (53 precincts), Orleans (32 precincts) or Wyoming (40 precincts) counties.

UPDATE 9:28 p.m. ET: With 87 (14%) of 627 precincts reporting:

Kathy Hochul (Democrat) . . . . . . 7,393 (46%)
Jane Corwin (Republican) . . . . . . 7,004 (43%)
Jack Davis (Crazy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,644 (10%)

Linked by The Lonely Conservative — thanks!

UPDATE 9:23 p.m. ET: With 20 (3%) of 627 precincts reporting:

Kathy Hochul (Democrat) . . . . . . 3,098 (46%)
Jane Corwin (Republican) . . . . . . 2,811 (42%)
Jack Davis (Crazy) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 790 (12%)

UPDATE 9:05 p.m. ET: The Buffalo News will be the go-to source for live election results, and they’ve also got the vote breakdown county-by-county.

PREVIOUSLY: Polls close at 9 p.m. ET in the special election to fill the seat vacated by Chris Lee in New York’s 26th District. We will have complete results and analysis.

Dave Weigel, who traveled to the district to cover the closing week of the campaign, is liveblogging at Slate. Jessica Taylor is liveblogging at National Journal.

Jazz Shaw has an open thread at Hot Air, and notes that Republican Jane Corwin has already gone to court to prevent an early certification of tonight’s results.

PREVIOUSLY:

Category: Congress, Election, New York, Republicans
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