The Other McCain

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

VIDEO: World’s Least Excitable Redneck Captures North Carolina Tornado

Posted on | April 18, 2011 | 10 Comments

Listen to him talking to his wife on the phone: “Oh, half a mile. . . . I’d say it’s coming straight towards me.” And he never sounds even remotely excited about it, much less scared:

It is reported that the man with the camera, Steven Hoag, explained his eerie calm thus: “I was a Marine and I love Jesus.”

Via Tabitha Hale, Mary Katharine Ham and John Noonan on Twitter. In response to the video, Noonan says, “God I love the South.”

I’m reminded of the story of a Tennessee soldier in Archer’s Brigade at Gettysburg. As they lay in the woods awaiting the orders to send them forward in the assault that would become known as Pickett’s Charge, the men watched as a rabbit — evidently frightened by the artillery barrage — took off running across the battlefield. The Tennessean laconically remarked: “Go on and run, rabbit. If I was a rabbit, I’d run, too.”

Category: North Carolina, Video

Hollywood Rocked by Another Shocking Natalie Portman Body-Double Scandal

Posted on | April 18, 2011 | 14 Comments

Let’s see: Politics, taxes, Libya — yep, I’ve covered all those insignificant trivial stories today. Time for some really important news:

Her dance double for Black Swan has claimed that she did hardly any of the full body shots seen in the film.
And now it is claimed that Natalie Portman used yet another body double for her latest film Your Highness.
In fact, the actress is said to have avoided diving into an icy lake in Belfast and a local Irish girl was paid just £250 to take the plunge instead.
Caroline Davis from Ulster was paid the sum of money to jump into the cold waters meaning that Portman avoided braving the freezing lake.
The Irish student told The Sun: ‘I’m a film studies student so I jumped at the chance to be on set.’

In the interest of getting to the bottom of this scandal, I’m obliged to provide these photos to let readers examine the evidence for themselves:


While you study the evidence — and trust me, I’ve examined it very closely myself — I’ll share some other important news: Gary Busey got fired from Celebrity Apprentice:

UPDATE: Ace of Spades reviewed Your Highness:

I think Natalie Portman’s butt, which you see a lot (at least in a tiny thong), is in fact CGI.

This will require more careful study of the images. Meanwhile, Jimmie Bise Jr. predicts the Internet reaction to this shocking news:

UPDATE II: Yes, Professor Glenn Reynolds, I’m calling you a cynic. Because if you were an altruistic idealist, you would have linked me. (Life in an egocentric universe — where the only standard is whether I get more blog-traffic — makes such moral distinctions very simple.)

Category: Celebrities

‘Mission Creep’ in Libya: Cameron Won’t Rule Out Use of British Ground Troops

Posted on | April 18, 2011 | 2 Comments

The London Telegraph reports:

The Prime Minister insisted that there would be no “occupation” of Libya, but repeatedly refused to rule out short-lived ground-level operations by British forces. Mr Cameron’s words, in a television interview, led to renewed warnings of “mission creep” in Libya. . . .
It is understood that British Special Forces soldiers are already operating inside Libya and some military experts have suggested those troops could be asked to help train and lead rebel forces. . . .
Mr Cameron said that restriction had complicated the Western intervention. “Because we’ve said we’re not going to invade, we’re not going to occupy, this is more difficult in many ways,” he said.
Asked if he was categorically ruling out putting any form of British forces on the ground in the Libya, Mr Cameron replied: “What I’ve said is there is no occupying force, no invasion. The position hasn’t changed.”
Asked whether a “temporary” ground operation was possible, he said: “I’ve answered the question. We’re not occupying, we’re not invading.”
Sir Menzies Campbell, the former Liberal Democrat leader, said Mr Cameron had opened up the possibility of British ground forces operating in Libya. “The PM’s words need careful interpretation. ‘Occupation’ necessarily implies large numbers of troops being in Libya for a substantial period of time,” he said.

So, no “occupation,” but perhaps some more British troops to help stiffen the rebels. My colleague Wombat complained this morning about the difficulty of figuring out the military situation in Libya based on news accounts, which are at times wildly contradictory. Yesterday, I highlighted the artillery attack on Ajdabiya by Qaddafi’s forces. Here is a very informative video report filed yesterday by Al-Jazeera:

As of this morning, according to Bloomberg News, it appears that the rebels repulsed the attack by Qaddafi’s forces and are currently holding on at Ajdabiya.

UPDATE: By the way, I was just discussing on Twitter the fact that Al-Jazeera’s reporting on the Libya war has been quite good — which isn’t an admission I enjoy making, but there has been a shortage of clear, intelligible reporting, and so I’m grateful for what there is.

Speaking of grudging admissions, the New York Times has covered itself in glory with C.J. Chivers’s reporting from Libya. Chivers actually made it into besieged Misrata, where one of his blog updates included this:

A quick note: we have a terrible satellite connection here, and that and the ongoing battle beside the building we are working in has made swift updates difficult. Please excuse the delays.

That earned Chivers “Excuse of the Week” honors, according to Thomas Ricks at Foreign Policy, who recommends Chivers for a Pulitzer. I second that commendation, and add this advice for NYT publisher Pinch Sulzberger: Fire Tom Friedman, Paul Krugman and David Brooks, and give Chivers a raise.

Category: Great Britain, Libya

Tax Day 2011

Posted on | April 18, 2011 | 3 Comments

It is no small irony that Tax Day came late this year because on Friday, Washington, D.C., celebrated “Emancipation Day.” The Lonely Conservative:

Isn’t it nice to know that so many of our fellow Americans pay no federal taxes?

The Associated Press article linked does not make clear that most of these non-taxpayers are low-income households, many of whom are exempted from taxation because of the child tax credits that are the one part of the “Bush tax cuts” nobody ever seems to talk about. As a father of six (our youngest was born in 2002, the year the credits took effect) I love those credits!

As for the Obama idea that we can balance the budget by hiking taxes on “millionaires and billionaires” — hey, do they teach math at Harvard Law School?

If there are any guilt-stricken billionaires out there who think their taxes are too low, just hit my tip jar. It’s for the children!

Category: Barack Obama, Budget, Taxes

‘Civility’ and Professor Krugman

Posted on | April 18, 2011 | 13 Comments

Paul Krugman lives in a universe where reality is whatever liberals say it is. And he is now concerned that Democrats are being too civil. Without seeming to grasp the irony, Krugman writes:

Eventually, of course, America must choose between these differing visions. And we have a way of doing that. It’s called democracy.
Now, Republicans claim that last year’s midterms gave them a mandate for the vision embodied in their budget. But last year the G.O.P. ran against what it called the “massive Medicare cuts” contained in the health reform law. How, then, can the election have provided a mandate for a plan that not only would preserve all of those cuts, but would go on, over time, to dismantle Medicare completely?
For what it’s worth, polls suggest that the public’s priorities are nothing like those embodied in the Republican budget. Large majorities support higher, not lower, taxes on the wealthy. Large majorities — including a majority of Republicans — also oppose major changes to Medicare. Of course, the poll that matters is the one on Election Day. But that’s all the more reason to make the 2012 election a clear choice between visions.

In other words, last year’s mid-term elections — in which Republicans scored their biggest net gain of House seats since 1938 — were a “mandate” only insofar as it means what Paul Krugman says it means. (He is recycling an Associated Press story from April 13.) If nothing else, the election was a negative referendum on ObamaCare, but Krugman won’t accept that.

As for Krugman’s assertion that the Ryan budget would “dismantle Medicare completely,” Krugman’s just playing the old “Medi-scare” game as a way to demand a do-over on last year’s election. Instead of 2010 having been “a clear choice,” the professor says, let’s make that choice in 2012.

But if last year’s election was not “a clear choice,” we have only Democrats to blame. In district after district, Democrats ran ads accusing Republicans of advocating “tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas.” And then there was the Democrats’ assertion that the GOP was funded by “secret foreign donors.” So Krugman evidently fears that Democrats who spent millions of dollars promoting dishonest smears in 2010 are now in danger of becoming too “civil.”

Professor Krugman evidently wants Democrats in Washington to mimic the tactics of Wisconsin Democrats, who resort to burglary to prevent a “clear choice” and also attempt to shut down Republicans with incoherent shouting.

Category: New York Times

LIVE AT FIVE – 04.18.11

Posted on | April 18, 2011 | 1 Comment

TOP NEWS
45 Dead As Tornadoes Pound South, Midwest

Sanford, NC Lowe's employee stands in the store's parking lot

Tornado weather could persist through Easter

Libyan Fighting Rages; Press In As Much Disarray As Rebels
Does anybody really know WTF is going on? The press sure doesn’t






TEPCO Lays Out Plan For Stabilizing Fukushima Reactors
Crisis management over; utility plans to have reactors completely shut down in nine months



POLITICS
TurboTax Timmy Claims GOP Leaders Support Debt Limit Increase

This man lied about doing his taxes. You going to believe him now?

Leadership replies “Not so fast there, bucko.”

Old Allies Emanuel, Blagojevich In Spotlight Again

Doug Kmiec Resigns As Ambassador To Malta



President Ignores Defunding Of His Czars

Obama’s Plan: Soak The Rich, Bust The Budget

Texas Asks For Federal Help In Wildfire Fight

Christie Not Just A Fiscal Conservative

States Seek Greenhouse Gas Curbs



THE ECONOMY, STUPID
Common Tax Breaks For Families, Individuals
PRC Inflation Poses Risks For Global Trade
Six States, Nation’s Capital Now At $4 Gas
Crude Oil Dips As Saudis Say Market “Oversupplied”
Google Shutting Down Google Video
Apple Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over In-App Purchases
Magid: Death Of Flip A Sign Of Smartphones’ Growing Power


SPORTS
Dubinsky Saves The Day For Rangers

NY Rangers celebrate at the Garden after 2-1 win over Caps

Rangers stave off elimination with 2-1 win

A Day Of Upsets In NBA Playoffs

Johnson Wins Talladega, Assist To Earnhardt

Bitter Boston Columnist Adds Fuel To Bruins-Habs Fire

Haren Delivers Again As Angels Beat Chisox For Fifth Win In A Row

Gee Improvises And Mets End Losing Streak

Marquis & Hernandez Heed Call To Arms As Nationals Take Two, Sweep Brewers


FAMOUS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Dog The Bounty Hunter Bails Out Nic Cage

A friend in need...

Reality show star posts $11,000 bond for jailed actor

“Teen Mom 2″‘s Leah Messer Files For Divorce

Christina’s BF Below Legal Limit During DUI Bust


Prince Harry Makes Captain

Rebecca Black Has New EP In The Works

Charlie Sheen Heads Back To Court As Brooke Mueller Refuses Drug Test



FOREIGNERS
Goodluck Jonathan Appears Headed For Victory In Nigeria
Cuban Dissidents Discuss Forming Opposition Front To Push Reforms
Syrian President’s Pledge To Repeal Emergency Laws Falls On Deaf Ears
Euro Zone Woes Face New Conservative Finnish PM
Franco-Italian Row Over Migrants Continues



BLOGS & STUFF
Cubachi: Rand Paul – “The people elected me to shake things up”
Proof Positive: Mean Streak – Obama Is Not As Nice As He Looks
JammieWearingFool: Eric Holder, Tax Deadbeat
Protein Wisdom: De Facto Sharia In London
Moe Lane: Petitions Stolen From “Recall Dave Hansen (D)” Office
Red State: Democrat Recruit For Texas Senate Seat Once Object Of Scorn For Military Interrogations
Mark Steyn: Losing The Future
Watts Up With That?: Face Plam – EPA Bureaucrat Tap Dances During Testimony; Apparently Jobs Don’t Matter


— compiled by Wombat-socho

Category: Live at Five

Sunday Libya Update: Qaddafi Forces Strike Ajdabiya With Artillery Again

Posted on | April 17, 2011 | 2 Comments

The see-saw struggle in eastern Libya has turned against the rebels once more, the U.K. Guardian reports:

Muammar Gaddafi’s forces mounted a heavy assault on Libyan rebels holding the key town of Ajdabiya on Sunday in a sign that the regime is stepping up efforts to regain territory in the east of the country.
Explosions were heard for several hours in the morning, forcing some of the few remaining families to flee to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, 90 miles away.
Dozens of vehicles, some of them rebel trucks with heavy machine guns mounted in the back, were seen leaving Ajdabiya for Benghazi. Rebels were also seen laying anti-tank mines at the eastern gate of the city, highlighting their fears that Gaddafi’s forces could retake the town. . . .
Assisted by sandstorms, which have provided cover for air assaults, Gaddafi’s forces have increased their attacks near Ajdabiya’s western gate in recent days, mostly through long-distance shelling.
On Saturday, eight rebels were killed and 27 injured on the road leading west to the oil port of Brega, according to Dr GS Mohamed, the head surgeon at Ajdabiya’s hospital. . . .
During a lull in the fighting around midday, more than 20 rebel vehicles — pickup trucks mounted with heavy machine guns, rocket launchers and anti-aircraft guns — sped into Ajdabiya to provide reinforcements.
“Gaddafi is trying to clear the city before sending his troops in,” said Ahmed Shomi, 30, a rebel volunteer driving a battered pickup with no windscreen.

The Associated Press reports:

Moammar Gadhafi’s forces shelled the eastern edge of Ajdabiya Sunday, bringing the fight to the front-line rebel town that has been the scene of fierce fighting in recent weeks.
Loud booms rocked the city throughout the morning, sending a column of cars — some with rebel fighters, others with families — fleeing north through a thick sandstorm to more securely held rebel territory. . . .
The government strikes highlight the rebels’ inability to hold territory along the desert road to the city’s east where weeks of fighting has seen neither side able to make significant advances.
Rebels acknowledged the setback a day after claiming they had reached the outskirts of the oil town of Brega, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) to the west. . . .
Rebel advances west of Ajdabiya — through Brega and its companion oil center of Ras Lanouf, another 60 miles (100 kilometers) farther on — have ultimately foundered as rebels overextended their supply lines and were routed by the heavier firepower and more sophisticated tactics of the government forces.

And now the New York Times:

Rebel fighters fled [Ajdabiya] Sunday after a rocket and artillery attack by government forces that were reportedly on the western outskirts.
Scores of rebel pickup trucks and other vehicles could be seen leaving the eastern approaches of Ajdabiya, headed toward the rebel capital of Benghazi, about 85 miles north. Explosions could be heard in the city.
Their flight seemed to bring to an end a claimed rebel push that had taken them to the outskirts of the oil refinery town of Brega, about another 40 miles further west of Ajdabiya. . . .
Strong winds and a sandstorm lowered visibility Sunday and may have made it difficult for air support to engage targets . . .

Let’s recap the past week: Last Sunday, the rebels were fighting to hold onto Ajdabiya after two days of attacks by Qaddafi’s army. NATO air strikes helped repel those attacks, and by Wednesday, it was reported that the rebels were again advancing on Brega. Now, however, Qaddafi’s forces have once more pushed back east to bring Ajdabiya under artillery fire, and sandstorms have impeded NATO air power.

Expect the fighting to begin anew Monday morning. And then we’ll see whether the “stalemate” remains stalemated.

Category: Libya

Rule 5 Sunday

Posted on | April 17, 2011 | 13 Comments

Actually on a Sunday this week!

The POH Diaries lead off this week with a nude shot of Kaley Cuoco from this month’s Allure, and close things out as well with some very nice pix of January Jones.

Soylent Green offers cream in our coffee (I think he has that backwards) and follows it with some NSFW corset fillers and broken French.

Randy’s Roundtable makes its debut with Jennifer Walcott, as does Reaganite Republican with this none-too-subtle pitch for Donald Trump. Postaldog also joins the Rule 5 Rookie squad, with some vintage Tara Reid.

Just in time for the end of tax season, Joe Kristan offers Rule 5-related tax advice, at least if you live in Iowa.

Fishersville Mike notes the Capitals’ advance into the Stanley Cup playoffs with hopes that the Red Rockets get to spend more time at the Verizon Center this spring. Eye of Polyphemus, on the other hand, prefers Kate Upton in a warmer environment and fewer clothes. The RioNorte Line takes a look at the costumed heroines of the recent comic book movies (not in their costumes), while A View From The Beach looks at the girls of Silvio Berlusconi. On a closely related topic, Maggie’s Notebook is asking voters to pick their favorite conservative woman with beauty and brains out of the 26 she offers. Kinda wish S.E. Cupp had left her glasses on, myself. Three Beers Later, on the other hand, offers us another Juliana Moreira video, NTTAWWT. Rio Norte Line’s jet lag produces not monsters but Rule 5 goodness as he produces another thematic masterpiece of linkagery, The Women Of Culinary Delight. With healthy helpings of Rachael Ray and Padma Lakshmi, this is guaranteed to satisfy your daily requirement for Rule 5 all by itself!

The Camp of the Saints talks about inflation, using Leanne Crow as a visual aid, then moves on to Playmate Chris Koren, some vintage Carroll Baker, an enlarged (sic) follow-up to a post at Reaganite Republican, and finally some Tax Day Rule 5.

This week the DaleyGator gets to close out the post with some excellent slideshows featuring Louise Glover, Ursula Mayes, Rihanna, Kristine Enrile, Kaylani Lei, and an excellent midweek collection of random DaleyBabes.

Thanks to all for their links; to be included in the next Rule 5 roundup, send yours to Rule 5 Wombat. Good night, Kimberly Patton, wherever you are.

Category: Rule 5
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