The Other McCain

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

AllahPundit: No

Posted on | April 28, 2011 | 6 Comments

by Smitty

This is precisely the opposite of what we need.


Related: the future report.

Category: Blogging, Hot Air

Foreskin Fetishists, Again

Posted on | April 28, 2011 | 23 Comments

Really, are we surprised by the news that San Francisco wants to outlaw circumcision?

Because to develop a distinct preference for either the circumcised or uncircumcised penis, you would probably have to do a good bit of comparison shopping. It would appear that some people — perhaps the sort of people one finds in San Francisco — have pursued this subject quite avidly.

These people have a connoisseur’s interest in the matter, we might say.

As circumcision was long considered the hygienically superior choice — for many decades, 90% of U.S.-born infants were circumcised — the uncircumcised penis was exotic. Its relative rarity made the uncircumcised penis a sort of status item among the comparison-shopping connoisseurs, who have now enlisted arguments of science and “rights” on behalf of what they regard as a cherished delicacy.

This is the entirety of the subject. Yet I guarantee you that this post will draw the attention of fetishists, who will denounce me as a hateful advocate of “male genital mutilation” — do you see my sarcastic eye-roll here? — and cite a bunch of moralitic and/or “scientific” (there’s that eye-roll again) arguments against circumcision.

Because I’m an unenlightened bigot, while they are sophisticated and open-minded, so I need them to lecture me endlessly about “rights” and “science.”

Science? Really, you want to talk science?

There is compelling evidence that male circumcision reduces the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection in men by approximately 60%.

“Compelling evidence”? That’s only the World Health Organization.

Let’s ignore their advice, OK? And most of all, let’s ignore that advice in San Francisco, because there is certainly no HIV infection risk in San Francisco.

You sick freaks.

Ed Driscoll wonders “what’s the point of passing these laws when there are fewer and fewer kids left in the city?”

Category: Sex

Rule 5 Alert: Former Miss AmericaUSA
Susie Castillo Violated By TSA

Posted on | April 28, 2011 | 7 Comments

by Smitty (hat tip: Uncoverage)

Update: Yeah, I tubed it. Oddly, no job offers from the NYT.

sorry, not the time for a bikini pic

This is not her travel face.

If it isn’t a six year old girl, it’s a former Miss AmericaUSA. Liberties of the past continue to be tossed under the bus, not for any actual increase in security, but for theater, to be seen as “taking action”, to employ a few miscellaneous louts, and to condition the proles for further government excess.
Susie seems genuinely upset about having her junk touched. This does not appear to be a mere publicity stunt. She’s not even made up. I watched about half the video on my lousy connection, on the suspicion that this may have been staged. If it is a fake, then someone should cast her in a movie STAT.
Since we live in an age where everything is political, even a random trip to Rio by an ex-Miss America, this blog is calling for the outright replacement of the TSA by something that doesn’t suck. Tea Parties need to pressure candidates to emancipate the United States from Those Salacious AsAardvarks. While federal control of airspace kind of makes sense, those airports exist within States. Make it a Tenth Amendment challenge.

Update: linked at The Lonely Conservative.

Category: Blogging, Rule 5, Uncoverage

Before Her Arrest, Nicole Sandler Smeared Allen West on Radio Show

Posted on | April 28, 2011 | 6 Comments

Great catch by Brian Maloney at the Radio Equalizer: Former Air America host Nicole Sandler was guest-hosting for liberal colleague Randi Rhodes just hours before her arrest Tuesday at a town-hall meeting with Rep. Allen West (R-FL22). She unleashed a rant in which she called West a “misogynistic teabagger” — and urged her listeners to go online to look up the obscene definition of “teabagger”:

(Hat-tip: Jonathon M. Seidl at The Blaze.) As Maloney notes, the Rhodes show is hosted by the same network that syndicates the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity radio programs.

PREVIOUSLY:

Category: Allen West, Florida, Talk Radio

LIVE AT FIVE – 04.28.11

Posted on | April 28, 2011 | 1 Comment

TOP NEWS
Fatah, Hamas Agree To Reconciliation, Interim Government

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (L) and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R)

Talks brokered by new Egyptian government; elections to be held in eight months

Pakistan Pushes Afghans To Distance Itself From The West
Suggests closer ties to PRC, Pakistan


Can Trump Become More Than A Birther Candidate?
Declares victory in struggle for birth certificate, moves on to economic issues



POLITICS
Panetta For Defense, Petraeus For CIA

Petraeus from Afghanistan to Langley, Panetta from CIA to the Pentagon

No questions taken by Obama at “press conference” where moves announced

Defense Attorneys Foresee Slow Death Of McDowell Case

Senate To Vote On Ryan Budget




Indiana Passes Ban On Late-Term Abortions, Defunds Planned Parenthood; Also, Statewide Voucher Program

Governor Sandoval Names Congressman Dean Heller To Fill Ensign’s Term

Gates Foundation Invests Millions In Online Learning, Educational Video Games

Comptroller Says Illinois Headed For $8 Billion Shortfall


THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Asia Higher; Fed Stance Buoys Risk Appetite & Hurts Dollar
Board Audit: Sokol Misled Buffett, Violated Trading Rules
Class Actions Limited As Supremes Decide For AT&T
Starbucks CEO Says Coffee Price Increases Not Sustainable
Exelon Said To Be Near $7.7 Billion Deal For Constellation
Chrysler Looking To Refinance $7.5 Billion In Government Loans
Jobs: “Oh, THAT Tracking File. We’ll Fix It.”
FBI May Conduct Search & Destroy Operation Against Zombie PCs Infected With Coreflood Bots
Delicious’ Death Sentence Commuted By YouTube Founders


SPORTS
Heat Eliminate Sixers With 97-91 Win

Dwayne Wade goes up for a shot against the Sixers' Jodie Meeks

Next, the Celtics

Horton Hears A Woo! As Bruins Finish Off Habs In OT, 4-3

Judge Denies Stay To NFL Owners On Lockout Ruling

Yankees Leak Season Ticket Holders’ Personal Info


Tribe Beats Royals For 9th Straight Home Win

Smart Out As Warriors Coach

Fan Accuses Braves Coach McDowell Of Improper Behavior


FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Julianne Moore Gets Into Character As Sarah Palin

Julianne Moore as the lead in HBO's upcoming "Game Change"

Movie starts production next week with Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman as executive producers

Star Magazine Apologizes To Katie Holmes For Drug Use Allegations

Confirmed: Diana Ross To Get Custody Of Michael Jackson’s Kids

Miley Cyrus Makes Surprise Appearance On “American Idol”

“Desperate Housewives” Insider Backs Nicollette Sheridan’s Story As ABC Lawsuit Heats Up


How Britney’s BF Lost 50 Pounds

Mark Wahlberg, Justin Bieber Making A Movie Together

“Three Stooges” Find Head Nun In “Glee”‘s Jane Lynch

NBC’s “Idol” Rival “The Voice” Debuts Huge

 




FOREIGNERS
Afghan Pilot Kills Nine US Trainers
UN Fails To Condemn Syria Violence
Leaks Probed As Japan Moves To Cool Reactors
Thai-Cambodian Clashes Continue For Seventh Day
Ivorian Renegade Warlord Killed After Refusing To Disarm
Blast At Egyptian Gas Terminal Cuts Gas To Israel, Jordan
Libyan Rebels In Southwest Repel Loyalists
Dippers To Become Opposition In Canada?



BLOGS & STUFF
Outside The Beltway: Is Trump’s Birther Rhetoric Hurting “Celebrity Apprentice” Ratings?
Mediaite: Eric Cantor Criticizes President For Wasting Time On Birth Certificate Controversy
Lonely Conservative: The Democrats Lie About Medicare And Paul Ryan’s Plan
Allahpundit: “Atlas Shrugged” Producer Unsure If He’ll Do Parts 2 & 3 After Horrible Reviews, Weak Box Office
Jawa Report: Muslims Outraged; Also, Boobies!
Red State: The Devil Put On His Snow Shoes – Massachusetts Passes Bill To Restrict Unions’ Collective Bargaining
Breitbart.tv: W To ABC – Just Because You’re Reporting It Doesn’t Mean It’s True (Video)


— compiled by Wombat-socho

Category: Live at Five

HOLY FREAKING CRAP: Video Shows Massive Tornado in Tuscaloosa AL

Posted on | April 27, 2011 | 9 Comments

I’m told that 32 people have been reported killed by the storms in Alabama today. Here’s video of one of them:

UPDATE: Here’s more video of tornados — and some weird clouds near the tornado — in Cullman:

UPDATE II: The New York Times reports:

A powerful tornado stretching a mile wide tore through downtown Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Wednesday evening, destroying homes and buildings and bringing further damage to a region already battered by storms. The storms killed at least 25 people in Alabama in a 24-hour period, officials said.

UPDATE III: More video of the Tuscaloosa tornado:

Category: Alabama

Don’t Touch My Birth Certificate Junk

Posted on | April 27, 2011 | 26 Comments

by Smitty

Ann Althouse:

You could criticize Obama for wasting our time by not just releasing the damned thing earlier. But he could have thought it was demeaning to have to do this, so I’m inclined to give him a pass.

No, really: if we are truly an egalitarian society, then there is no pass for public figures on such documents.
We’re talking about a piece of information from decades ago, so there is no physical security argument to make.
Just before the above quotation:

I’d say, the reason Obama did not release the long-form birth certificate before is that he thought it was to his advantage to allow other people to look bad or crazy in one way or another by going on in the birtherist mode. But there was a tipping point, as Trump got traction and polls showed huge numbers of American’s entertaining doubts. So, it was all political strategy.

Well, no kidding, Ann! The POTUS had a guitar, and he riffed that thing until the strings were all broken, then acquiesced. Thank you, BHO! Way to be the conciliator, and pursue healing and unity in the country!
In fact, as a fellow Christian, let me pile on a bit here about integrity. Integrity is a habit that must be systematically exercised. Truly Christian men go to ridiculous lengths to keep their integrity intact. Many I know will not meet privately with women not their wives, no matter how innocent the occasion. Contrast Billy Graham:

Scandal never touched his life. He managed the finances of his profession as few itinerant preachers have ever done. The Billy Graham Evangelical Association had a board of directors that oversaw the operations and paid their star evangelist a fixed monthly salary. Their books were regularly audited and were open to public inspection.

Why is it that we cannot have an equally impeccable president? We don’t demand such as voters.
Also, one must address a commenter on the earlier birth certificate post:

I don’t give a fig one way or the other, but 99+ percent of the media, and RS McCain, have gotten this wrong: this is a Certificate of Live Birth, not a birth certificate. The difference is important: a birth certificate tells where someone is born, a certificate of live birth means ‘here’s a baby that’s alive’ but does NOT establish where said baby was born.

Here I can extend some Sympathy For The President. “Barack Obama was not born in Hawaii” becomes a non-falsifiable proposition at some point (not to say that the commenter in question has gone there, though). No matter what BHO does, there is always going to be some tinfoil hat type out there, claiming that he Hasn’t Done Enough.
It’s great that the Constitutional crisis has been averted. Now, back to the TSA group-grope.

Update: linked by That Mr. G Guy.

Update II: also linked by Amused Cynic.

Category: Ann Althouse, Barack Obama

Trump Certainly Heightens The
Dramatic Tension

Posted on | April 27, 2011 | 16 Comments

by Smitty

I, for one, am thankful that the birth certificate release proved to be pure anti-climax. Let this be a lesson to everyone to avoid investing energy in distractions. Try not to notice the amount of Obama Exceptionalism that was brought to bear.
The blog seems to have its comb-over in place today. Professor Jacobson at Legal Insurrection thinks that the ongoing Trump assault on the President is doing damage.
A few points:

  • It’s still a distraction to fret about a sworn President’s bona fides in the face of the diplomatic, military, and economic challenges besetting the country. Thanks, Trump, for sucking up valuable bandwidth. Oh, and your hairstyle is a joke.
  • The media has abetted this. The two-edged sword of the birth certificate as a news cycle management device seemed to be a Lefty Lure. Now, with new books on the subject being published and seeming to sell well, the ability to flip the switch on the topic may have been lost. Did the cabal of producers and editors know this, and push Trump anyway?

  • Trump seems a joker. Having attained a foothold with Barack Obama’s long form birth certificate, Trump appears to be branching out into lower-hanging fruit like, oh, college transcripts. Even Ace of Spades is applauding:

Ah well, I want to see his grades and which courses he managed his A’s in, even still, and I want to know there was no special non-grade-based track for magna at Harvard.Impress me, buddy.

I want to know. I’m tired of every Republican’s SAT scores and grades being leaked while the frigging colleges clamp down on Democrats’ records like they’re blueprints for hydrogen warheads.

 

What’s interesting here is that Trump started out with the tinfoil hat problem of the long form birth certificate and then walked back to the low hanging fruit of the college records. Whether that was the strategy from the outset, or an adroit shift on Trump’s part when he felt he’d maximized the LFBC issue is beside the point. It was well done.
Whether Trump leverages that into a GOP standard level of biographic disclosure for the good President remains to be seen. Possibilities:

  • Trump will gets a phone call from a plutocrat telling Trump to lay by his dish. He would then be a tool.
  • Trump gets the desired TV ratings and lays off of BHO willingly. He would then be a dilettante.
  • Trump presses the advantage and reveals BHO in his intellectually mediocre glory.

I still see Sarah Palin as a more rounded politician than Trump. Trump and BHO appear similar in that there seems to be more interest in the idea of being President than the crushing actuality of the job. Sarah is relatively more mature.
If Trump’s hijinks end up doing any good, it will be mostly in passing.

Update: Linked at Amused Cynic.
Update II: Also linked at The Camp of the Saints, who has a good roundup going.

Category: Ace of Spades, Legal Insurrection
« go back — keep looking »

    About

    This is an area on your website where you can add text. This will serve as an informative location on your website, where you can talk about your site.

    Subscribe to our feed

    Search

    Admin