What Happens When The Facts Don't Fit The Progressive Script?: "Progressive overconfidence shows itself most obviously in their serial efforts to remake American society, but most ominously in their lack of tolerance for those who endanger their deepest commitments. The measure of a man (or a movement) is not what he will plead when he is weak, but what he will do when he is strong. From powerful corporations like Hobby Lobby to all but powerless bakers in Oregon more and more have seen what happens when the Progressive mask is removed and those who asked only for toleration half a generation ago enforce an ever-narrowing conformity today.
Progressives call this progress?"
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Monday, March 31, 2014
Sebelius: Oh, by the way, insurers tell us 10-20% of ObamaCare enrollees haven’t paid their premiums yet « Hot Air
Sebelius: Oh, by the way, insurers tell us 10-20% of ObamaCare enrollees haven’t paid their premiums yet « Hot Air: "She’d happily tell you the official HHS number rather than rely on insurance company data if not for the small detail that HHS hasn’t built a payment system on Healthcare.gov yet. Upshot: Figure somewhere between 500,000 and 1.5 million “sign-ups” for ObamaCare are nonpayment cases who’ll sooner or later be bounced from the rolls."
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Fatal self-defense shootings running high in Detroit « Hot Air
Fatal self-defense shootings running high in Detroit « Hot Air: "After an incident last week, however, in which a northwest Detroit homeowner fatally shot two men he said were trying to break home, the number of fatal self-defense shootings for the year will likely be up to 10 already. In 2012, there were 25 justifiable homicides by citizens in the D, and 15 in 2013 — and whether or not its because more people have taken Chief Craig’s advice to heart and starting exercising their Second Amendment rights, it looks like more would-be criminals are finding citizens who aren’t willing to be made into victims."
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“Walking Dead” season finale grumble thread: Rick’s mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore « Hot Air
“Walking Dead” season finale grumble thread: Rick’s mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore « Hot Air: "Let’s get the praise out of the way: I liked what they did with the flashbacks. It’s a neat trick to kill off a major character — a beloved major character — earlier in the season and then shove him back in front of an unsuspecting audience after they’ve made peace with his loss. Never did I like Hershel as much as I liked him last night; it was a clever way to make the viewer feel Rick’s own grief. At first I was left wondering why, after the encounter with the rednecks, Rick would be flashing back to life at the prison rather than to the serenity of life before the zombie apocalypse with Lori and Carl. Then I remembered: No one liked Lori, Rick apparently included. He’d actually rather daydream about growing vegetables while surrounded by flesh-eating monsters than about his dearly departed wife. I also admired their guts in broaching the subject of rape in the redneck scene. There’d be a lot of that in a world as brutal as zombie Earth but the writers, for understandable reasons, have stayed away from it for fear of being accused of exploitation. (Offhand, Shane’s attack on Lori a few seasons ago is the only instance that I can remember.) Making a child the intended victim was even bolder, although you knew the attempt would be thwarted somehow."
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ObamaCare’s victims: The Supercut « Hot Air
ObamaCare’s victims: The Supercut « Hot Air: "The promise was never that some people would like some parts of Obamacare. The promise was it would work for everyone, no one would lose what they had and liked, and everyone’s premiums would go down— not rise more slowly, which they’re not either, but go down. Because they can’t meet their promises, they must pretend the Americans they’ve hurt don’t exist."
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'Man vs Food' restaurant Sizzle And Grill in Cardiff serves up 96oz steak and six-pound burger | Mail Online
'Man vs Food' restaurant Sizzle And Grill in Cardiff serves up 96oz steak and six-pound burger | Mail Online: "When seven people got free meals at a Cardiff diner by completing its challenge of eating a 69oz mixed grill in only one hour - the owner decided to beef up his menu to defeat his customers.
Restaurant boss Paul Stevens has created an entire menu of 40 different Man Vs Food mega-meals.
Father of one Mr Stevens, 53, beefed up his Desperate Dan-style cuisine to include a giant 96oz rump steak, a 6 ½ pound ‘baby’ burger weighing more than a sack of potatos, ‘suicide’ chicken wings covered in hot chilli sauce and a selection of giant desserts."
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Restaurant boss Paul Stevens has created an entire menu of 40 different Man Vs Food mega-meals.
Father of one Mr Stevens, 53, beefed up his Desperate Dan-style cuisine to include a giant 96oz rump steak, a 6 ½ pound ‘baby’ burger weighing more than a sack of potatos, ‘suicide’ chicken wings covered in hot chilli sauce and a selection of giant desserts."
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“I Can See Climate Change From My House” | Power Line
“I Can See Climate Change From My House” | Power Line: "The “impacts” report of the IPCC is out today, and we’ll try to get through some of the highlights of the thousand-page plus report. (Always reminds me of Churchill’s note about an overlong memo: “This report, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read.” We’ll take the risk.) Turns out that an acquaintance of mine helped write the FAQ portion of the report."
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Best of the Web Today: Laboratories of What? - WSJ.com
Best of the Web Today: Laboratories of What? - WSJ.com: "Well, this is it. Today is your last chance to enroll in a medical insurance plan under ObamaCare. There will be no exceptions, other than people who haven't yet enrolled. And if you don't have insurance, you will pay a penalty. Make that a tax. Unless the tax would be a hardship in any way, in which case just don't pay it and the IRS will be totally cool."
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Couple on the run for over $160,000 in welfare fraud « Hot Air
Couple on the run for over $160,000 in welfare fraud « Hot Air: "The Chisholms are getting enormous media attention, as they should. Hopefully, they are arrested and charged to the full extent of the law, and their experience brings about the right policy changes to state and federal anti-poverty programs.
Politicians and bureaucrats don’t like to talk about it in any substantive fashion, but fraud and other inefficiencies are enormous, and the Chisholms aren’t even the biggest culprits. The federal government alone sees hundreds of billions of dollars lost each year to fraud, though nobody knows exactly how much or how it’s done. And while conservatives rightly express concerns about the financial stability of anti-poverty programs like Medicaid, food stamps, Social Security, and Medicare, improperly and inefficiently spent federal dollars cost taxpayers enough to balance the budget and then some for years to come."
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Politicians and bureaucrats don’t like to talk about it in any substantive fashion, but fraud and other inefficiencies are enormous, and the Chisholms aren’t even the biggest culprits. The federal government alone sees hundreds of billions of dollars lost each year to fraud, though nobody knows exactly how much or how it’s done. And while conservatives rightly express concerns about the financial stability of anti-poverty programs like Medicaid, food stamps, Social Security, and Medicare, improperly and inefficiently spent federal dollars cost taxpayers enough to balance the budget and then some for years to come."
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U.S. Agency Knew About G.M. Flaw but Did Not Act - NYTimes.com
U.S. Agency Knew About G.M. Flaw but Did Not Act - NYTimes.com: "Federal regulators decided not to open an inquiry on the ignitions of Chevrolet Cobalts and other cars even after their own investigators reported in 2007 that they knew of four fatal crashes, 29 complaints and 14 other reports that showed the problem disabled air bags, according to a memo released by a House subcommittee on Sunday.
Then in 2010, the safety agency came to the same decision after receiving more reports that air bags were not deploying.
The memo also revealed that General Motors approved the faulty design of the switch in 2002 even though the company that made the part, Delphi, warned the automaker that the switch did not meet specifications. This followed a warning the year before — when the Saturn Ion was being developed — but G.M. said that “a design change had solved the problem,” according to the memo."
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Then in 2010, the safety agency came to the same decision after receiving more reports that air bags were not deploying.
The memo also revealed that General Motors approved the faulty design of the switch in 2002 even though the company that made the part, Delphi, warned the automaker that the switch did not meet specifications. This followed a warning the year before — when the Saturn Ion was being developed — but G.M. said that “a design change had solved the problem,” according to the memo."
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Christie deftly defends appointment of Muslim Judge at RJC meeting | The Daily Caller
Christie deftly defends appointment of Muslim Judge at RJC meeting | The Daily Caller: "Much has been made of Christie’s gaffe about “occupied territories,” but I think this exchange was probably more instructive in the long run. If Christie runs for president, this is one of the lingering questions he will have to continue to address. And his ability to defend this appointment — in what might have been a challenging environment — speaks well of his political courage and ability to communicate. The fact that Christie actually garnered some applause is indicative of his ability to do just that."
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How many “new” Obamacare exchange enrollees were previously uninsured? « Hot Air
How many “new” Obamacare exchange enrollees were previously uninsured? « Hot Air: "Laszewski adds that independent of the previously uninsured issue, the administration’s enrollment figures are also inflated by counting unpaid “sign ups” — an issue we’ve covered ad nauseam. The administration claims it doesn’t have access to payment delinquency stats, but that may not be true. In any case, unless and until the White House releases complete and transparent data, the public will rely on outside estimates and studies to answer core questions. So I’ll reiterate my question: How many “new” Obamacare exchange enrollees were previously uninsured?"
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Concha: NY Times Piece on Convicted Palestinian Murderer’s New Life a Mockery of Journalism | Mediaite
Concha: NY Times Piece on Convicted Palestinian Murderer’s New Life a Mockery of Journalism | Mediaite: "As the old saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. And after reading a Sunday front-page piece, “Remaking a Life, After Years in an Israeli Prison” — a gushing, sympathetic (and pathetic) piece on a freed Palestinian murderer named Muqdad Salah — the Times now embarrasses itself in a stratosphere all its own.
Here’s the background on why Mr. Salah was sent to an Israeli prison: In June of 1993, he attacked and viciously murdered Israel Tenenbaum — 72-years-old at the time — by taking a metal rod to the side of his head while he was sleeping in the Israeli beach town of Netanya. Very few deserve a death like this, particularly Mr. Tenenbaum, who also happened to be a Holocaust survivor."
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Here’s the background on why Mr. Salah was sent to an Israeli prison: In June of 1993, he attacked and viciously murdered Israel Tenenbaum — 72-years-old at the time — by taking a metal rod to the side of his head while he was sleeping in the Israeli beach town of Netanya. Very few deserve a death like this, particularly Mr. Tenenbaum, who also happened to be a Holocaust survivor."
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The FBI isn’t breaking up with the SPLC — it’s just not keeping the relationship “official” « Hot Air
The FBI isn’t breaking up with the SPLC — it’s just not keeping the relationship “official” « Hot Air: "Last week, the FBI received a lot of attention and praise from conservative sources for finally eliminating the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) from its website’s list of “hate crimes” resources. However, while a headline at Breitbart says the FBI “dumps [SPLC] as hate crimes resource,” and an article at The Daily Caller said the FBI was “breaking ties” with the SPLC, a public statement from the FBI and the agency’s own website indicate the removal may mean just that — removal from the site, not a diminishing of the relationship between the two organizations."
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The EPA’s next regulatory frontier: Methane emissions « Hot Air
The EPA’s next regulatory frontier: Methane emissions « Hot Air: "The progressives’ wealthy eco-contingent has been growing increasingly displeased with the Obama administration and their relatively mild efforts to temper global warming via executive action revealed in their Climate Action Plan announced last summer — namely, the administration’s refusal to more quickly squelch the fossil-fuel industry and more rapidly bring about those “necessarily skyrocketing” energy prices about which President Obama once spoke so dreamily.
Ergo, on Friday, the Obama administration announced a new set of regulatory measures to target the greens’ latest pet peeve: Methane emissions. They have recently turned to methane emissions especially as a bludgeon with which to hammer the shale oil-and-gas boom, claiming that methane’s status as an especially potent greenhouse gas (about 20 times the warming effects as carbon dioxide over time, they say) actually cancels out the lower carbon-emitting benefits we’ve been recording from our lately increased natural gas usage."
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Ergo, on Friday, the Obama administration announced a new set of regulatory measures to target the greens’ latest pet peeve: Methane emissions. They have recently turned to methane emissions especially as a bludgeon with which to hammer the shale oil-and-gas boom, claiming that methane’s status as an especially potent greenhouse gas (about 20 times the warming effects as carbon dioxide over time, they say) actually cancels out the lower carbon-emitting benefits we’ve been recording from our lately increased natural gas usage."
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Europe Wants U.S. Energy | National Review Online
Europe Wants U.S. Energy | National Review Online: "Some of America’s biggest and most influential environmental groups are not only out of touch with reality, they are actively promoting an agenda that would harm the security of the U.S. and its allies in Western Europe.
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Crimea, political leaders in the U.S. and Europe have agreed on some economic and diplomatic sanctions, but the one obvious and essential action they must take is this: Europe must reduce the amount of natural gas it buys from Kremlin-controlled energy giant Gazprom, which in 2013 provided 30 percent of the natural gas consumed in Europe."
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In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Crimea, political leaders in the U.S. and Europe have agreed on some economic and diplomatic sanctions, but the one obvious and essential action they must take is this: Europe must reduce the amount of natural gas it buys from Kremlin-controlled energy giant Gazprom, which in 2013 provided 30 percent of the natural gas consumed in Europe."
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Sunday, March 30, 2014
France’s ruling Socialists lose big in local elections « Hot Air
France’s ruling Socialists lose big in local elections « Hot Air: "It hasn’t taken long for the “pink” wave toward Hollande’s Socialist party during his own election less than two years ago to reverse course, with most of the gains going toward the center-right UMP party — but the country’s much more right-wing National Front is getting increasing attention from voters. Robert Zaretsky at Foreign Policy compares the conservatism spreading rapidly throughout the country as Socialism’s massive economic failures mount to the quick rise of the Tea Party as a reaction to big spending and ObamaCare."
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“Making it harder for Democrats to vote” « Hot Air
“Making it harder for Democrats to vote” « Hot Air: "The article also tackles questions about voter ID, but that’s been covered here ad nauseam. What’s more interesting to me today is the question over voting days and hours. Overlooked in the lengthy flood of analysis is the fact that it is well established that each state decides its own voting procedures, including how and when you vote. While it’s true that some states currently allow for generous, extending polling periods, not all of them do. (As an aside, I’m not talking about absentee voting, which is a separate matter.) If a state decides to tighten up the window for voting, that applies to everyone. If you find a state trying to say that Republicans get seven days to vote and Democrats only get five, let me know. I’ll be right there with you protesting the law."
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Video: Gunman invades Dollar General, meets concealed carry permit holder « Hot Air
Video: Gunman invades Dollar General, meets concealed carry permit holder « Hot Air: "Another story crosses our desk, courtesy of Rationality Rebooted. I’ve gone through a few reports of this story and it’s still not clear why Kevin Mclaughlin went into the Dollar General in Orrville, Alabama last week, but it certainly wasn’t to find a good deal on tube socks. He began shouting and waving a gun around, herding customers and an employee into a back room. Things were looking bad, but that’s when he ran into Marlo Ellis."
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Saturday, March 29, 2014
Which Side Are You On? | National Review Online
Which Side Are You On? | National Review Online: "For conservatives, the story of the Obama years has been the depressing spectacle of Republicans fighting a rearguard action covering their retreat from a Democratic agenda backed by superior numbers. Republicans began the Obama administration with effectively no leverage: Barack Obama in the White House, Nancy Pelosi in the speaker’s chair, and Harry Reid running the Senate. The outcome of that was the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, the worst domestic defeat for the cause of limited government in a generation. The 2010 congressional elections gave Republicans some relief in the form of a House majority empowered to contain the worst fiscal and policy inclinations of the Obama administration and its congressional allies, and the blessed Republican obstructionists in the Senate have kept a few very bad apples out of high office, but a House majority alone is a poor foundation for advancing conservative policies or reversing the Left’s advances."
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Landrieu gets to work swinging that Energy Committee gavel « Hot Air
Landrieu gets to work swinging that Energy Committee gavel « Hot Air: "Which is all something of a conundrum for the Obama administration. No way are Landrieu and the handful of her fellow red-state, pro-energy, and electorally vulnerable colleagues (Pryor, Begich, Udall) going to come out swinging in favor of any of the even milquetoast climate-change regulations and executive actions, never mind legislation, with which the Obama administration is trying to prove their worth to well-monied and well-organized cadre of eco-radical Democratic donors that give progressive campaigns so much cash. These vulnerable Democrats could definitely use the help from the administration approving more natural-gas exports approvals and an OK on the Keystone XL pipeline, but they can’t come off as too antagonistic toward the green lobby, either. Such a dilemma."
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New Dem plan – Bridget Kelly is a feminist heroine « Hot Air
New Dem plan – Bridget Kelly is a feminist heroine « Hot Air: "But this leaves a rather inconvenient rock left to be turned over. Whether or not you continue to believe that Christie was involved in planning this and it’s all a massive coverup, everyone was previously in agreement that Kelly was one of the instrumental tools in pulling it off, right? I mean, weren’t you all in agreement that this bridge plan was a bad thing? I mean, people could have been killed, fergoshsakes! Surely you all remember that this was just terrible, and that Kelly sent out the now infamous “time for some traffic problems” e-mail, right? And she’s now the sympathetic figure in this passion play?
I know you desperately need to bring down Chris Christie, guys. And this is national level politics, so we all have to put on our Kevlar undies and be ready for fastballs. But you really need to comb through the memos that come out of these strategy meetings a little bit better."
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I know you desperately need to bring down Chris Christie, guys. And this is national level politics, so we all have to put on our Kevlar undies and be ready for fastballs. But you really need to comb through the memos that come out of these strategy meetings a little bit better."
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BuzzFeed Reporters Not Impressed by White House’s Obamacare Pitch on BuzzFeed | Mediaite
BuzzFeed Reporters Not Impressed by White House’s Obamacare Pitch on BuzzFeed | Mediaite: "With the elusive deadline to enroll in the Affordable Care Act reportedly nearing, pending the whimsy of the Obama administration, ACA supporters in the White House are scrambling to enroll as many young, healthy individuals into the insurance exchanges as possible in order to ensure that they remain actuarially sound.
In pursuit of that project, the president and his team have taken their pitch to every venue where their sophisticated demographic research suggests the young people are; Funny or Die, professional sports programs, and Ryan Seacrest’s radio program, to name just a few."
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In pursuit of that project, the president and his team have taken their pitch to every venue where their sophisticated demographic research suggests the young people are; Funny or Die, professional sports programs, and Ryan Seacrest’s radio program, to name just a few."
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Make Fun Of Everything | TIME.com
Make Fun Of Everything | TIME.com: "Would you make fun of a burn victim? Well, we did. Sort of …
We’re comics. In the most recent season of our TV show, in a sketch titled “Insult Comic,” a traditional stand-up comedian professes that he is “going to get everybody” in his set (the guy toward the front with big ears, the fat guy, the woman with comically large breasts). That’s the phrase, isn’t it, when a critic wants to praise a comedian for the fearless nature of his or her comedy? That he or she “gets everybody”? That “nobody is safe”? One of the club patrons in our sketch, however, is a wheelchair-bound burn victim. “You skipped me,” he calls from the audience, with a robotic-sounding artificial larynx. “Go for it,” he says, “I can take it.”
But can we, as a society, take it anymore?"
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We’re comics. In the most recent season of our TV show, in a sketch titled “Insult Comic,” a traditional stand-up comedian professes that he is “going to get everybody” in his set (the guy toward the front with big ears, the fat guy, the woman with comically large breasts). That’s the phrase, isn’t it, when a critic wants to praise a comedian for the fearless nature of his or her comedy? That he or she “gets everybody”? That “nobody is safe”? One of the club patrons in our sketch, however, is a wheelchair-bound burn victim. “You skipped me,” he calls from the audience, with a robotic-sounding artificial larynx. “Go for it,” he says, “I can take it.”
But can we, as a society, take it anymore?"
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The Eagle
The Eagle: "Former Vice President Dick Cheney refuted accusations that he is a war criminal during his speech to students and members of the AU community in Bender Arena on March 28. The Kennedy Political Union hosted Cheney as part of a stream of speakers coming to campus.
“The accusations are not true,” Cheney said."
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“The accusations are not true,” Cheney said."
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Media career path: Cry 'media bias' - Dylan Byers - POLITICO.com
Media career path: Cry 'media bias' - Dylan Byers - POLITICO.com: "Earlier this month, Attkisson reached an agreement to resign from CBS News ahead of contract. The reason for the Emmy-Award winning reporter’s departure: a deep-seated frustration with the way the media — including CBS News — was being manipulated by political and corporate interests. Her reporting, which frequently cast a critical light on the Obama administration, was increasingly marginalized by the network.
There is “increasing obfuscation, obstructionism and intimidation,” Attkisson told POLITICO. “The images that the public sees every day, in many forms, are influenced and manipulated by political, corporate and other special interests through orchestrated and well-financed campaigns."
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There is “increasing obfuscation, obstructionism and intimidation,” Attkisson told POLITICO. “The images that the public sees every day, in many forms, are influenced and manipulated by political, corporate and other special interests through orchestrated and well-financed campaigns."
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Dzhokhar Tsarnaev attorneys seek government evidence on Tamerlan; say it may help in defense - Metro - The Boston Globe
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev attorneys seek government evidence on Tamerlan; say it may help in defense - Metro - The Boston Globe: "Lawyers for accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev asserted Friday that his older brother and alleged accomplice had been encouraged by the FBI to be an informant and to report on the Chechen and Muslim community, according to court records.
“We seek this information based on our belief that these contacts were among the precipitating events for Tamerlan’s actions during the week of April 15, 2013, and thus material to the defense case in mitigation,” the lawyers said in their court filing."
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“We seek this information based on our belief that these contacts were among the precipitating events for Tamerlan’s actions during the week of April 15, 2013, and thus material to the defense case in mitigation,” the lawyers said in their court filing."
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Maryland to dump its ObamaCare exchange « Hot Air
Maryland to dump its ObamaCare exchange « Hot Air: "If you like your exchange … you can keep your exchange? And if you don‘t like your state ObamaCare exchange — because it hasn’t functioned properly in six months despite endless promises that Maryland would fix it — you don’t have to keep your exchange. The state will finally throw in the towel on its $125 million web portal, and will replace it with a copy of Connecticut’s."
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Video: Juan Williams, Raffi Williams on diversity of thought « Hot Air
Video: Juan Williams, Raffi Williams on diversity of thought « Hot Air: "Daily Caller founder Tucker Carlson hosted an interesting tête-à -tête this morning on Fox between a staunch conservative and a well-known liberal on the lack of tolerance for diversity of thought demonstrated again this week, this time by a senior editor for Ebony Magazine. The two squared off — or actually supported one another as son and father, respectively and respectfully. RNC deputy press secretary Raffi Williams joined his father Juan Williams to blast the pervasive notions that ideology has to be linked to ethnicity, and Juan urged everyone to open their minds to new ideas rather than dismiss people out of hand."
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Friday, March 28, 2014
Kim Strassel: Obama's Inequality Pitch Falls Flat - WSJ.com
Kim Strassel: Obama's Inequality Pitch Falls Flat - WSJ.com: "With his disapproval ratings at record highs, his health law flailing, President Obama decided 2014 would be the year for a new agenda. "Inequality has deepened," he warned in the State of the Union. "Upward mobility has stalled." He laid out a roster of populist proposals: more unemployment insurance, raising the federal minimum wage, giving women "equal pay for equal work." The White House and congressional Democrats have since spent every waking minute holding rallies, issuing reports, tweeting and giving interviews on all those issues.
The political calculus is that vulnerable Republicans can be bludgeoned into joining Democrats to support poll-tested and popular pocketbook issues—thereby changing the political subject and rallying the Democratic base. If they don't, Democrats can hammer the GOP as villains through November, thereby changing the political subject, and rallying the Democratic base. A version of this, after all, worked for Mr. Obama against Mitt Romney."
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The political calculus is that vulnerable Republicans can be bludgeoned into joining Democrats to support poll-tested and popular pocketbook issues—thereby changing the political subject and rallying the Democratic base. If they don't, Democrats can hammer the GOP as villains through November, thereby changing the political subject, and rallying the Democratic base. A version of this, after all, worked for Mr. Obama against Mitt Romney."
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Rate That Oligarch - WSJ.com
Rate That Oligarch - WSJ.com: "You may have noticed that our friends on the left have begun to refer to the Koch brothers and other rich conservatives as "oligarchs." Like calling evangelicals "jihadists" and the tea party "racist," this comparison to the billionaires in Vladimir Putin's circle is meant to stigmatize and marginalize these men politically and socially.
This latest Saul Alinsky tactic got us thinking about who really qualifies as an American oligarch. If the definition is someone who becomes rich by association with government power and policies, and then assists those in power, the Kochs would barely make the list. Their companies are usually harassed by government."
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This latest Saul Alinsky tactic got us thinking about who really qualifies as an American oligarch. If the definition is someone who becomes rich by association with government power and policies, and then assists those in power, the Kochs would barely make the list. Their companies are usually harassed by government."
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Mr. Putin's Revealing Speech - WSJ.com
Mr. Putin's Revealing Speech - WSJ.com: "It is not fully remembered or appreciated—to some degree it's been forced down the memory hole—that a primary reason the American people opposed the Soviet Union and were able to sustain that opposition (and bear its costs) was that the Soviets were not only expansionist but atheistic, and aggressively so. It was part of what communism was about—God is a farce and must be removed as a force. They closed the churches, killed and imprisoned priests and nuns. Wherever communism went there was an attempt to suppress belief.
Americans, more then than now a churchgoing and believing people, knew this and recoiled. That recoil added energy, heft and moral seriousness to America's long opposition. Americans wouldn't mind if Russia merely operated under an eccentric economic system—that was their business. They wouldn't mind if it had dictators—one way or another Russia always had dictators. But that it was expansionist and atheistic—that was different. That was a threat to humanity."
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Americans, more then than now a churchgoing and believing people, knew this and recoiled. That recoil added energy, heft and moral seriousness to America's long opposition. Americans wouldn't mind if Russia merely operated under an eccentric economic system—that was their business. They wouldn't mind if it had dictators—one way or another Russia always had dictators. But that it was expansionist and atheistic—that was different. That was a threat to humanity."
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Matt Ridley—Climate Forecast: Muting the Alarm - WSJ.com
Matt Ridley—Climate Forecast: Muting the Alarm - WSJ.com: "The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will shortly publish the second part of its latest report, on the likely impact of climate change. Government representatives are meeting with scientists in Japan to sex up—sorry, rewrite—a summary of the scientists' accounts of storms, droughts and diseases to come. But the actual report, known as AR5-WGII, is less frightening than its predecessor seven years ago.
The 2007 report was riddled with errors about Himalayan glaciers, the Amazon rain forest, African agriculture, water shortages and other matters, all of which erred in the direction of alarm. This led to a critical appraisal of the report-writing process from a council of national science academies, some of whose recommendations were simply ignored."
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The 2007 report was riddled with errors about Himalayan glaciers, the Amazon rain forest, African agriculture, water shortages and other matters, all of which erred in the direction of alarm. This led to a critical appraisal of the report-writing process from a council of national science academies, some of whose recommendations were simply ignored."
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Family claims hacker taking control of cable box, sending threats | Fox 59 News – fox59.com
Family claims hacker taking control of cable box, sending threats | Fox 59 News – fox59.com: "A family claims they are being terrorized by their cable box. For more than a week, personal and harassing messages are showing up on their TVs.
Alana Meeks has no idea who’s behind it.
“This stuff is uncanny. I haven’t heard anything like this in my life,” she said. “He says he’s a stalker.”
Meeks said it started more than a week ago — “he” or someone has taken control of her AT&T cable box and typing messages on two of her TVs.
The family showed us a few. One wrote: ‘ISEEYOUHAHA’. Others even threatened to hurt Alana’s 9-year-old granddaughter, Aniya."
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Alana Meeks has no idea who’s behind it.
“This stuff is uncanny. I haven’t heard anything like this in my life,” she said. “He says he’s a stalker.”
Meeks said it started more than a week ago — “he” or someone has taken control of her AT&T cable box and typing messages on two of her TVs.
The family showed us a few. One wrote: ‘ISEEYOUHAHA’. Others even threatened to hurt Alana’s 9-year-old granddaughter, Aniya."
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Harry Reid: Nate Silver 'bad most of the time' - POLITICO.com
Harry Reid: Nate Silver 'bad most of the time' - POLITICO.com: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took a direct shot at Nate Silver on Friday, calling into question the political forecasters ability to acurately predict elections.
In an interview with The Washington Post's sports blog, Sen. Reid said Silver, the editor-in-chief of FiveThirtyEight, had consistently been wrong when predicting the fate of Senate Democrats.
"He gave me a 16 percent chance of being reelected, he gave Heidi Heitkamp an 8 percent chance of being reelected, he gave Jon Tester a [34] percent chance of being reelected,” Reid said of Silver’s previous forecasts. “So all polls are about like Nate Silver’s predictions: good sometimes, bad most of the time."
Earlier this week, Silver declared that there was a 60-percent chance Democrats would lose the Senate to Republicans."
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In an interview with The Washington Post's sports blog, Sen. Reid said Silver, the editor-in-chief of FiveThirtyEight, had consistently been wrong when predicting the fate of Senate Democrats.
"He gave me a 16 percent chance of being reelected, he gave Heidi Heitkamp an 8 percent chance of being reelected, he gave Jon Tester a [34] percent chance of being reelected,” Reid said of Silver’s previous forecasts. “So all polls are about like Nate Silver’s predictions: good sometimes, bad most of the time."
Earlier this week, Silver declared that there was a 60-percent chance Democrats would lose the Senate to Republicans."
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U.S. now producing more than 10 percent of the world’s crude oil « Hot Air
U.S. now producing more than 10 percent of the world’s crude oil « Hot Air: "I feel like a broken record at this point, but I cannot stress enough just how deeply President Obama and his woebegone economic policies are indebted to the shale oil and gas boom that, just a few years ago, nobody even saw coming. It is exquisitely galling to hear Obama administration officials try to assign all of the credit for what meager job and economic growth we have seen to the big-government, big-spending, high regulatory environment they have created, instead of to the innovative technologies that brought about an energy revolution that took place mostly on state and private lands — i.e., completely independent of any federal action."
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'via Blog this'
Video: Questions mounting over GM, NHTSA response to deadly defect « Hot Air
Video: Questions mounting over GM, NHTSA response to deadly defect « Hot Air: "Over the last couple of weeks, questions have been raised over why General Motors did not act to recall vehicles with a known ignition-switch defect, which has been linked to at least 12 deaths and possibly hundreds more. Even more questions are coming up about the lack of action from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), especially during the same period as their crackdown on Toyota — and the government’s ownership stake in GM. The Associated Press now reports that the NHTSA missed other clues as well on another GM vehicle, even though they had plenty of data available to catch the problem."
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McCain: I want to name America’s new immigration reform law after Ted Kennedy « Hot Air
McCain: I want to name America’s new immigration reform law after Ted Kennedy « Hot Air: "A bon mot from his speech last night to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, preserved for posterity on Twitter by Benny Johnson of BuzzFeed. It’s a testament to Maverick’s eagerness to pander to his audience that he’d say something like this, knowing that House Republicans are already nervous about how amnesty will be received by conservative voters. In fact, a right-wing friend mine of who works in politics saw Johnson’s tweet and assumed McCain must have been joking. Surely, with immigration reform already imperiled by righty opposition, a GOPer already loathed by tea partiers wouldn’t offer up the effort as a prayer to Teddy’s memory. Would he?"
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Video: God made a trial lawyer « Hot Air
Video: God made a trial lawyer « Hot Air: "You know about the gaffe heard ’round the political world but what you might not know is that Braley’s not done gaffing yet. A day after apologizing for sneering that Chuck Grassley was a mere “farmer from Iowa who never went to law school,” Team Braley put out a press release celebrating his own experience with farming — which managed to misspell several farming terms. Then they posted a picture of a farm to their Facebook account. The pic turned out to be of a farm in England. We’re maybe a day away from a photo op of this guy driving a tractor while wearing Gucci loafers."
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Video: Yes, Ted Cruz just put out what looks like a presidential campaign ad « Hot Air
Video: Yes, Ted Cruz just put out what looks like a presidential campaign ad « Hot Air: "Via the Examiner, you can thank Ben Howe for producing this. Is it a presidential campaign teaser? The last line, borrowing Obama’s campaign slogan from 2008, seems freighted with extra significance. I’d never seen something like this from Cruz before either. At first blush, I thought maybe it was his way of stealing a little thunder from Rand Paul’s overt presidential maneuvering lately. Here’s Cruz reminding conservatives that Rand won’t be the only game in town next year."
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Pew: Support for death penalty at lowest level since early 1970s « Hot Air
Pew: Support for death penalty at lowest level since early 1970s « Hot Air: "The magic-bullet explanation is that it’s a reaction to the steep decline in violent crime in America since the early 1990s. The safer people feel, the less urgent their impulse to punish society’s worst offenders severely. (Tangentially, that may also help explain why support for prison reform is growing within both parties.) But the crime rate can’t explain everything; to see why, read this post from last year flagging a pair of graphs from Gallup showing that trends in how safe people feel haven’t steadily declined over time. They’re down from where they were in the 90s, but they’re actually up from where they were a few years ago — and yet support for the death penalty continues to plummet. There must be more happening here. A clue from Pew in the last three numbers here."
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Daniel Henninger: Why Can't the Left Govern? - WSJ.com
Daniel Henninger: Why Can't the Left Govern? - WSJ.com: "Surveying the fall in support for the governments of Barack Obama, New York City's progressive Mayor Bill de Blasio and France's Socialist President François Hollande, a diagnosis of the current crisis begins to emerge: The political left can win elections but it's unable to govern.
Once in office, the left stumbles from fiasco to fiasco. ObamaCare, enacted without a single vote from the opposition party, is an impossible labyrinth of endless complexity. Bill de Blasio's war on charter schools degenerated into an unseemly attack on poor New York minority children. François Hollande's first act in 2012, like a character in a medieval fable, was to order that more tax revenue be squeezed from the French turnips."
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Once in office, the left stumbles from fiasco to fiasco. ObamaCare, enacted without a single vote from the opposition party, is an impossible labyrinth of endless complexity. Bill de Blasio's war on charter schools degenerated into an unseemly attack on poor New York minority children. François Hollande's first act in 2012, like a character in a medieval fable, was to order that more tax revenue be squeezed from the French turnips."
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Gunshot victims to be suspended between life and death - health - 26 March 2014 - New Scientist
Gunshot victims to be suspended between life and death - health - 26 March 2014 - New Scientist: "Doctors will try to save the lives of 10 patients with knife or gunshot wounds by placing them in suspended animation, buying time to fix their injuries. Neither dead or alive, knife-wound or gunshot victims will be cooled down and placed in suspended animation later this month, as a groundbreaking emergency technique is tested out for the first time."
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RNC chair to Ebony magazine: Apologize « Hot Air
RNC chair to Ebony magazine: Apologize « Hot Air: "Yesterday, a Twitter fight exploded when Ebony senior editor Jamilah Lemieux dismissed RNC deputy press secretary Raffi Williams as “a white dude trying to tell me how to do this Black thing.” However, Raffi is not a “white dude,” as those of us who know him can attest, but is African-American. Lemieux later offered an apology of sorts for not checking his Twitter profile more closely, but as Twitchy noted, that was hardly the salient issue at hand.
Today, the RNC decided to escalate the situation. RNC chair Reince Priebus wants an apology from Ebony, and has published an open letter to editor-in-chief Amy Barnett to demand one."
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Today, the RNC decided to escalate the situation. RNC chair Reince Priebus wants an apology from Ebony, and has published an open letter to editor-in-chief Amy Barnett to demand one."
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Bullet train won't meet target travel time, lawmakers told - latimes.com
Bullet train won't meet target travel time, lawmakers told - latimes.com: "Regularly scheduled service on California's bullet train system will not meet anticipated trip times of two hours and 40 minutes between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and are likely to take nearly a half-hour longer, a state Senate committee was told Thursday.
The faster trips were held out to voters in 2008 when they approved $9 billion in borrowing to help pay for the project. Since then, a series of political compromises and planning changes designed to keep the $68-billion line moving ahead have created slower track zones in urban areas."
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The faster trips were held out to voters in 2008 when they approved $9 billion in borrowing to help pay for the project. Since then, a series of political compromises and planning changes designed to keep the $68-billion line moving ahead have created slower track zones in urban areas."
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Thursday, March 27, 2014
Matthew Kaminski: Putin's Neo-Soviet Men - WSJ.com
Matthew Kaminski: Putin's Neo-Soviet Men - WSJ.com: "Late the other night at 7 Pyatnits ("7 Fridays"), one of a few fashionable restaurant bars in the Crimean capital, the Soviet national anthem came on the karaoke machine. A couple of guys grabbed the microphone. Their girlfriends and a few others joined in, formed a dancing circle and together sang out the last refrain, "O Party of Lenin, the strength of the people,/ To Communism's triumph lead us on!"
None of them looked old enough to remember the U.S.S.R. They wore casual clothes and carried smartphones. It's safe to say their nostalgia wasn't for class struggle or the Soviet lifestyle. This kind of nod to past Soviet glory is a favored way to express support for a revived Great Russian power in the future."
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None of them looked old enough to remember the U.S.S.R. They wore casual clothes and carried smartphones. It's safe to say their nostalgia wasn't for class struggle or the Soviet lifestyle. This kind of nod to past Soviet glory is a favored way to express support for a revived Great Russian power in the future."
'via Blog this'
Abby McCloskey and Tom Miller: The Individual Mandate Goes Poof - WSJ.com
Abby McCloskey and Tom Miller: The Individual Mandate Goes Poof - WSJ.com: "One by one, the myths of the Affordable Care Act have been revealed. When the curtain on open enrollment falls on March 31, the last remaining big myth of ObamaCare will be fully exposed: The individual mandate has failed.
After a last-ditch effort with President Obama himself encouraging "young invincibles" to sign up before the deadline, the administration is scrambling to boost enrollment. On Tuesday, the White House announced that people who applied for coverage on the federal health-insurance exchange will have until mid-April to finish the paperwork."
'via Blog this'
After a last-ditch effort with President Obama himself encouraging "young invincibles" to sign up before the deadline, the administration is scrambling to boost enrollment. On Tuesday, the White House announced that people who applied for coverage on the federal health-insurance exchange will have until mid-April to finish the paperwork."
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Colorado exchange forgets basic rule: job’s not done until paperwork complete « Hot Air
Colorado exchange forgets basic rule: job’s not done until paperwork complete « Hot Air: "Thousands of Colorado residents may find themselves without health-insurance coverage, thanks to the failure of their state exchange to finish their paperwork. Megan Reardon thought she had completed her ObamaCare application in November for herself and her children. In January, she discovered that her application never got filed with her chosen insurer, and she’s not alone."
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States are using a loophole to negate Congress’s food-stamp savings « Hot Air
States are using a loophole to negate Congress’s food-stamp savings « Hot Air: "Earlier this year and after quite the drawn-out kerfuffle, both chambers of Congress finally managed to agree to move beyond the stopgap legislative maneuvering they’d been using in place of a long-term farm bill — and despite making very few and really only cosmetic changes to the shameless corporate welfare that is agricultural portion of the legislation, House Republicans and Senate Democrats settled on cutting the federal food stamp program’s almost $80 billion/year budget by a total amounting to one percent. Republicans had originally been looking for something more along the lines of a five percent budget cut, seeing as how the program’s enrollment went from about 34 million in 2009 to more than 47 million in 2013. Even though Democrats keep informing us that the recession is over, the economy is rebounding, and employment has genuinely improved, they loudly insisted that five percent in budget savings more or less amounted to a spitefully inflicted human rights violation. They still weren’t happy about the one percent cut, mind you — citing it as an example of Republicans’ allegedly perverse penchant for watching people starve, rather than their actual desire to pare down our tremendous national debt and metastasizing government and welfare state in an effort to grow the economy back to health — but Democrats went along begrudgingly.
For a hot second, that is."
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For a hot second, that is."
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Mission almost accomplished-ish: White House says ObamaCare has reached six million sign-ups « Hot Air
Mission almost accomplished-ish: White House says ObamaCare has reached six million sign-ups « Hot Air: "So that’s why they decided to extend the enrollment deadline past March 31st for people who are already “waiting in line” or whatever. Megan McArdle was wondering about that yesterday: Why, having hit five million enrollments just 10 days ago and with the website working reasonably well, would the White House suddenly feel obliged to give people even more time? What do they gain from it? I think this is the answer. They’re now within striking distance of hitting their original target of seven million for the first year, averaging fully 100,000 new sign-ups per day over the last 10 days as the deadline approaches. (They’re at 1.8 million for this month alone.) That number is meaningless on its own terms but it’s a juicy talking point for Senate Democrats who are desperate for good news about the law to mention when they’re challenged on it by voters. “We promised you seven million and we made it. The law’s a success. America loves ObamaCare.”"
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Yep, Rand Paul’s already building a 50-state presidential organization « Hot Air
Yep, Rand Paul’s already building a 50-state presidential organization « Hot Air: "You knew that, though, even if you didn’t formally “know” it. No American politician, Hillary included, has been clearer about his intentions in 2016 than Paul. CNN remembers him talking about running for president as far back as November 2012, just weeks after the last election. That reminds me of something a friend who works in Democratic politics once told me, that Obama had someone in Iowa quietly sniffing around about 2008 from virtually the day he was elected to the Senate in 2004. I didn’t peg Rand initially as someone who had his heart set on the presidency, but maybe I misjudged. Maybe, after watching his dad catch fire with libertarians in ’08 and fizzle with the rest of the party, he sensed an opportunity for a truer libertarian/conservative hybrid candidate. Paul père bequeathed him a network in Iowa and New Hampshire; if, Rand may have thought, he could build on that by reaching further towards the mainstream than his old man was willing to, he could be a legit contender in the early states and then for the nomination. It could be that his Senate run, a la Obama’s, was always just a stepping stone in taking his ideological vision to a bigger stage."
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Legal Debate on Using Boastful Rap Lyrics as a Smoking Gun - NYTimes.com
Legal Debate on Using Boastful Rap Lyrics as a Smoking Gun - NYTimes.com: "The case had gone cold.
Four years after the 2007 murders of Christopher Horton, 16, and Brian Dean, 20, detectives here had little to go on.
No suspects. No sign of the gun used to shoot the men. No witnesses to the shooting outside a house where officers found Mr. Horton sprawled next to a trash can and Mr. Dean on the front porch.
But in 2011, the case was reassigned to a detective who later came across what he considered a compelling piece of evidence: a YouTube video of Antwain Steward, a local rapper with the stage name Twain Gotti, performing his song “Ride Out.”"
'via Blog this'
Four years after the 2007 murders of Christopher Horton, 16, and Brian Dean, 20, detectives here had little to go on.
No suspects. No sign of the gun used to shoot the men. No witnesses to the shooting outside a house where officers found Mr. Horton sprawled next to a trash can and Mr. Dean on the front porch.
But in 2011, the case was reassigned to a detective who later came across what he considered a compelling piece of evidence: a YouTube video of Antwain Steward, a local rapper with the stage name Twain Gotti, performing his song “Ride Out.”"
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Best of the Web Today: Ezekiel's Prophesy - WSJ.com
Best of the Web Today: Ezekiel's Prophesy - WSJ.com: "Ezekiel Emanuel, Rahm's elder brother, is a physician who helped design ObamaCare and has been one of its most intense champions. So you may be surprised to learn that in his new book, "Reinventing American Health Care," he predicts that tens of millions more Americans will lose their medical plans in the coming decade.
In its "You're the Boss" small-business blog, the New York Times quotes his prediction that by 2025, "fewer than 20 percent of workers in the private sector will receive traditional employer-sponsored health insurance." As of March 2013 such benefits were available to 85% of full-time private-sector workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If Emanuel is right--and especially if, as he implies, ObamaCare was designed to produce such an outcome--the president's repeated pledge that "if you like your plan, you can keep your plan" was a far more widespread fraud than has yet been realized."
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In its "You're the Boss" small-business blog, the New York Times quotes his prediction that by 2025, "fewer than 20 percent of workers in the private sector will receive traditional employer-sponsored health insurance." As of March 2013 such benefits were available to 85% of full-time private-sector workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If Emanuel is right--and especially if, as he implies, ObamaCare was designed to produce such an outcome--the president's repeated pledge that "if you like your plan, you can keep your plan" was a far more widespread fraud than has yet been realized."
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Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Unruly Progressives | National Review Online
Unruly Progressives | National Review Online: "Shortly after Barack Obama rose to the presidency, the Right became fascinated by Saul Alinsky, and in particular by the philosopher and community organizer’s “Rules for Radicals.” Many on the right focused their attention on Alinsky’s Fourth Rule: “Make opponents live up to their own book of rules. You can kill them with this, for they can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity.”
The strategy of “making them live up to their own book of rules” is frequently mentioned and discussed these days at Breitbart.com, Instapundit, Ace of Spades, and just about every other conservative website and blog."
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The strategy of “making them live up to their own book of rules” is frequently mentioned and discussed these days at Breitbart.com, Instapundit, Ace of Spades, and just about every other conservative website and blog."
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House committee chair: Sebelius lied when she said she doesn’t know how many ObamaCare enrollees paid their first premiums « Hot Air
House committee chair: Sebelius lied when she said she doesn’t know how many ObamaCare enrollees paid their first premiums « Hot Air: "Dave Camp uses the more delicate term “evasive and perhaps misleading” in his letter to her but it’s clear enough what he means. This wouldn’t be the first time the White House has been, ahem, evasive and perhaps misleading when it comes to enrollment data either. Sebelius and Jay Carney spent last October hemming and hawing over why they hadn’t released any early enrollment figures yet, insisting it’d be premature to do so and that numbers would be reported at regular intervals. Turns out they had a daily dashboard on Healthcare.gov that was keeping them updated all along. The big take on day one, as you might recall, was … six enrollments. Nationwide."
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The Most Important Two Minutes of Obama’s Warning to the World | Mediaite
The Most Important Two Minutes of Obama’s Warning to the World | Mediaite: "When Winston Churchill descended on a college campus in Fulton, Missouri, in March of 1946, he was already a revered figure in the United States. But the former British prime minister, who served as a symbol of stoic resistance to Nazi aggression throughout the Second World War, did not come to revel in the West’s victories as his audience had hoped.
From Stettin to Trieste, he warned, “an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.”"
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From Stettin to Trieste, he warned, “an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.”"
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House votes to revoke the executive’s unilateral national monument authority « Hot Air
House votes to revoke the executive’s unilateral national monument authority « Hot Air: "It would be easy to interpret this bill as just another spiteful, obstructionist, hostage-taking move from a Republican-controlled Congress that wants so badly to do anything and everything to get in the way of President Obama that they don’t even care how small and petty they have to get anymore… but that would be inane. For people who actually care about the environmental health of the American landscape and want to protect it from politicized profiteering, this should be a pretty heartening move, regardless of who’s passing it and the administration it currently affects."
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Obama to Russia: No, invading Iraq isn’t the same as annexing Crimea « Hot Air
Obama to Russia: No, invading Iraq isn’t the same as annexing Crimea « Hot Air: "A welcome bit from a surprisingly strong speech in Brussels today warning Europeans not to look the other way at fascist expansionism aimed at the neighborhood’s lesser powers. Casual indifference to Ukraine, he said in an uncharacteristically good line, “would ignore the lessons that are written in the cemeteries of this continent.” As for the Iraq bit, I wonder if that was really aimed at Russia or at hardline anti-war critics in the west whose eagerness to score points on the U.S. and/or shill for Russian irredentism (“whataboutism”) leads them to seize on Iraq as a tu quoque. O could have played this two ways, by agreeing that Iraq and Crimea are malignant misadventures and emphasizing that he opposed both of them or by defending his country’s war while overseas despite his opposition to it. The first route would have been classic “above the fray” Obama, the second route more statesmanlike. He chose route two. And if you think this point doesn’t need to be made, go read the new statement from the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. “Noninterventionism” is a very nuanced concept in some whataboutist quarters."
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Udall: I would vote for ObamaCare again… but there are a few things I would have done differently « Hot Air
Udall: I would vote for ObamaCare again… but there are a few things I would have done differently « Hot Air: "Par for the course on the Democratic talking points here: Koch brothers!; ObamaCare is awesome because you can’t be charged for preexisting conditions or because you’re a woman; we need to fix ObamaCare, not completely get rid of it. Sen. Udall has been trying to gently distance himself from President Obama, and while he isn’t in quite the tragically vulnerable position as some of his Democratic Senate colleagues in redder states, a PPP earlier this month put him at only 2 points ahead of challenger Rep. Cory Gardner — and it sounds like Udall’s taking the advice of that Democratic pollster Allahpundit mentioned yesterday pretty darn seriously."
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Video: The great escape « Hot Air
Video: The great escape « Hot Air: "To cleanse the palate, a real-life action flick caught on camera yesterday in Houston. You can gawk without regret: The worker on the ledge is fine, as are his co-workers who were inside the building when the fire broke out. All that’s missing is a lovable cop sidekick muttering, “I’m too old for this sh*t.”
Show of hands: Who among you would have had the agility and the balls to try that little balcony move that probably saved his life? Darwinism at work, my friends. Hope this dude has a dozen kids."
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Show of hands: Who among you would have had the agility and the balls to try that little balcony move that probably saved his life? Darwinism at work, my friends. Hope this dude has a dozen kids."
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Putin reinstitutes a Soviet-era fitness program while Kim Jong Un forces everyone to get his haircut « Hot Air
Putin reinstitutes a Soviet-era fitness program while Kim Jong Un forces everyone to get his haircut « Hot Air: "I happened across both of these stories today out of Everybody’s Favorite Saber-Rattling Gulag State and America’s Bestest Frenemy, and I don’t even… obviously, “palate cleanser” is not the right term here. Whatever the antonym of “palate cleanser” is, this is that."
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Reid’s granddaughter also got Nevada grants for her NYC theater « Hot Air
Reid’s granddaughter also got Nevada grants for her NYC theater « Hot Air: "I can’t imagine how these connections were made. A nice gig for a 20-something in Obama’s crushingly bad economy for recent grads, if your grandpa’s a senator.
But don’t you dare ask him any questions about it."
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But don’t you dare ask him any questions about it."
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How Strong Will the Anti-Democratic Backlash Be? - NYTimes.com
How Strong Will the Anti-Democratic Backlash Be? - NYTimes.com: "Why isn’t the Republican Party paying a heavy price for its dependence on a shrinking white electorate, its rejection of immigration reform and its “just say no” legislative strategy?
According to a number of analysts, including Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com, Republicans are slightly favored this year to retake the Senate and to increase their majority in the House.
Most explanations involve likely turnout patterns – the pro-Republican tilt of the whiter, older and more affluent electorate in nonpresidential election years. Another key factor is Obama’s current 52.6 percent disapproval rating."
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According to a number of analysts, including Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com, Republicans are slightly favored this year to retake the Senate and to increase their majority in the House.
Most explanations involve likely turnout patterns – the pro-Republican tilt of the whiter, older and more affluent electorate in nonpresidential election years. Another key factor is Obama’s current 52.6 percent disapproval rating."
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Lefties May Be Biased Toward the Left-Hand Side of the Ballot - NationalJournal.com
Lefties May Be Biased Toward the Left-Hand Side of the Ballot - NationalJournal.com: "Say it's Election Day. Once inside the booth, a voter feels a pang of anxiety. He's ambivalent and decides to pick a candidate at random.
The voter is a lefty. And though he may not realize it, the hand he writes with has influenced the candidate he votes for—the one listed on the left side of the booth. When his friends ask him how he voted, he says he guessed. But a subliminal bias is at play.
In a recent experiment published in the journal Political Psychology, candidates listed on the left-hand side of the ballot enjoyed a 15 percent bump among lefties compared with right-handed voters. "Righties implicitly think right is good, lefties implicitly think left is good," says Daniel Casasanto, a coauthor of the study."
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The voter is a lefty. And though he may not realize it, the hand he writes with has influenced the candidate he votes for—the one listed on the left side of the booth. When his friends ask him how he voted, he says he guessed. But a subliminal bias is at play.
In a recent experiment published in the journal Political Psychology, candidates listed on the left-hand side of the ballot enjoyed a 15 percent bump among lefties compared with right-handed voters. "Righties implicitly think right is good, lefties implicitly think left is good," says Daniel Casasanto, a coauthor of the study."
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Bombshell In WaPo/Keystone Scandal: Did the Post Coordinate With Congressional Democrats? | Power Line
Bombshell In WaPo/Keystone Scandal: Did the Post Coordinate With Congressional Democrats? | Power Line: "A major development occurred today in the scandal surrounding the Washington Post’s attempt to advance Democratic Party talking points by falsely linking Koch Industries to the Keystone Pipeline. In the unlikely event that you are not already familiar with the story, you should begin by reading this post and this one, as well as the one from last October where I dismantled the International Forum on Globalization report that was the basis for the Washington Post’s story of March 20.
The facts, very briefly, are these: Koch Industries has no interest in the Keystone Pipeline; it has not lobbied in favor of the pipeline; if the pipeline is built, Koch will make no use of it to ship oil from Alberta or anywhere else; and construction of Keystone would actually damage Koch’s economic interests by raising the price of midwestern oil that flows to Koch’s Pine Bend refinery. The reporters who wrote the Post article that tried to portray Koch as the driving force behind the Keystone pipeline, Juliet Eilperin and Steven Mufson, did not dispute any of these facts."
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The facts, very briefly, are these: Koch Industries has no interest in the Keystone Pipeline; it has not lobbied in favor of the pipeline; if the pipeline is built, Koch will make no use of it to ship oil from Alberta or anywhere else; and construction of Keystone would actually damage Koch’s economic interests by raising the price of midwestern oil that flows to Koch’s Pine Bend refinery. The reporters who wrote the Post article that tried to portray Koch as the driving force behind the Keystone pipeline, Juliet Eilperin and Steven Mufson, did not dispute any of these facts."
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Ted Cruz: The Russians are 'openly laughing' at Obama | WashingtonExaminer.com
Ted Cruz: The Russians are 'openly laughing' at Obama | WashingtonExaminer.com: "Sen. Ted Cruz believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian leaders no longer respect President Obama because of his failure to lead.
"The only thing Putin respects is strength ... At this point the Russians are openly laughing at the president," Cruz, R-Texas, told the Washington Examiner.
Cruz added that Putin's aggressiveness was "a direct consequence" of the absence of American leadership in the world."
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"The only thing Putin respects is strength ... At this point the Russians are openly laughing at the president," Cruz, R-Texas, told the Washington Examiner.
Cruz added that Putin's aggressiveness was "a direct consequence" of the absence of American leadership in the world."
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Why are 'feminists' so obsessed with birth control and abortion? | WashingtonExaminer.com
Why are 'feminists' so obsessed with birth control and abortion? | WashingtonExaminer.com: "Sandra Fluke, now running for California state Senate, became famous when she declared that paying for birth control was a “burden” for many women. Because college girls can't make decisions unless they're on pills, apparently.
In both cases, the argument is that, for women, freedom means freedom from having to think about being pregnant. The implication is, of course, that women need birth control and abortions in order to do anything else with their lives.
It’s condescending, sexist and ignores real issues that women face, like finding good jobs."
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In both cases, the argument is that, for women, freedom means freedom from having to think about being pregnant. The implication is, of course, that women need birth control and abortions in order to do anything else with their lives.
It’s condescending, sexist and ignores real issues that women face, like finding good jobs."
'via Blog this'
Poll: Undecided 2014 voters disapprove of Obamacare by 40 point margin « Hot Air
Poll: Undecided 2014 voters disapprove of Obamacare by 40 point margin « Hot Air: "Overall support for the law is underwater at (41/53), with an intensity gap of 20 points. Obamacare’s approval rating is upside-down among virtually all demographic groups: Men, women, independents, young voters, seniors and Hispanics (the lone exceptions being Democrats and African-Americans). Tellingly, Fifty-fix percent of uninsured Americans disapprove of the law. Among those who describe themselves as likely but undecided 2014 voters, Obamacare approval sits at a robust (25/65) — which is surely why Nancy Pelosi keeps advising Republicans that campaigning against the law is a waste of breath."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Harry Reid: We need to extend the ObamaCare deadline because … some people don’t know how to use the Internet « Hot Air
Harry Reid: We need to extend the ObamaCare deadline because … some people don’t know how to use the Internet « Hot Air: "True enough. And most of those people work as web designers for HHS.
Never mind the hubris needed to blame public ignorance for the most epic website fail in Internet history. He’s surely right, to whatever small extent, that some older people who’ve never been online and have no younger friends or family members to help will have trouble navigating the website. (Although, ironically, the story he tells below about the 63-year-old woman makes it sound like she did know what she was doing but was, alas, thwarted in the end by another Healthcare.gov glitch.) Since the potential problem of Internet ignorance was apparent from the day ObamaCare was passed, though, why should anyone need extra time past the statutory deadline to sign up?"
'via Blog this'
Never mind the hubris needed to blame public ignorance for the most epic website fail in Internet history. He’s surely right, to whatever small extent, that some older people who’ve never been online and have no younger friends or family members to help will have trouble navigating the website. (Although, ironically, the story he tells below about the 63-year-old woman makes it sound like she did know what she was doing but was, alas, thwarted in the end by another Healthcare.gov glitch.) Since the potential problem of Internet ignorance was apparent from the day ObamaCare was passed, though, why should anyone need extra time past the statutory deadline to sign up?"
'via Blog this'
Putin leaking private phone calls in challenge to West « Hot Air
Putin leaking private phone calls in challenge to West « Hot Air: "Yesterday, Barack Obama shrugged off the suggestion that Vladimir Putin had become an antagonist to US and Western interests. Insisting that the move on Crimea came out of “weakness,” Obama dismissed Russia as only a “regional power,” and that he’s more worried about terrorist attacks than a relaunch of the Cold War. But that dismisses what Putin’s thinking, or more to the point, doing. Eli Lake reports today that Russian intelligence has begun a campaign to undermine Western leaders by tapping their phone conversations and leaking them to the public."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Hot tip from Ezra Klein’s new site: Stop freaking out about the national debt « Hot Air
Hot tip from Ezra Klein’s new site: Stop freaking out about the national debt « Hot Air: "Of all the current affairs they could be usefully Voxplaining to the BuzzFeed generation right now — a primer on Crimean geopolitics or Venezuela post-Chavez, a quickie take on what the Fed’s “taper” could mean to the average paycheck, etc — it’s revealing that they put out a sort of Krugman-for-kindergarteners video like this. Also revealing is how self-contained it is: There’s no hint of counterarguments, like, say, what growing interest payments on ballooning debt will do to a federal budget that’s already slowly being cannibalized by Medicare, nor is there even a hint that the issue might be more complex than this. That’s smart rhetorically, especially given the time constraints, but … complicates, shall we say, the site’s pretensions to explanation. What sort of “explanatory journalism” launches by encouraging its readers not to spend too much time thinking about a particular subject, especially one this politically salient?"
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Robert Gates: Putin's Challenge to the West - WSJ.com
Robert Gates: Putin's Challenge to the West - WSJ.com: "Russian President Vladimir Putin has a long-festering grudge: He deeply resents the West for winning the Cold War. He blames the United States in particular for the collapse of his beloved Soviet Union, an event he has called the "worst geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century."
His list of grievances is long and was on full display in his March 18 speech announcing the annexation of Crimea by Russia. He is bitter about what he sees as Russia's humiliations in the 1990s—economic collapse; the expansion of NATO to include members of the U.S.S.R.'s own "alliance," the Warsaw Pact; Russia's agreement to the treaty limiting conventional forces in Europe, or as he calls it, "the colonial treaty"; the West's perceived dismissal of Russian interests in Serbia and elsewhere; attempts to bring Ukraine and Georgia into NATO and the European Union; and Western governments, businessmen and scholars all telling Russia how to conduct its affairs at home and abroad."
'via Blog this'
His list of grievances is long and was on full display in his March 18 speech announcing the annexation of Crimea by Russia. He is bitter about what he sees as Russia's humiliations in the 1990s—economic collapse; the expansion of NATO to include members of the U.S.S.R.'s own "alliance," the Warsaw Pact; Russia's agreement to the treaty limiting conventional forces in Europe, or as he calls it, "the colonial treaty"; the West's perceived dismissal of Russian interests in Serbia and elsewhere; attempts to bring Ukraine and Georgia into NATO and the European Union; and Western governments, businessmen and scholars all telling Russia how to conduct its affairs at home and abroad."
'via Blog this'
Matthew Slaughter: How America Loses a Job Every 43 Seconds - WSJ.com
Matthew Slaughter: How America Loses a Job Every 43 Seconds - WSJ.com: "The first of next month is a big day for the U.S., and not because it's April Fools' Day. April 1 is when the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services begins accepting new H-1B visa petitions for 2015.
An H-1B visa allows a company to create a new job for a highly-educated foreigner in the U.S. for at least three years. The H-1B program, which accounts for nearly all of America's skilled immigration, imposes an annual cap of 85,000 new visas: 65,000 with at least a bachelor's degree and 20,000 with at least a master's degree."
'via Blog this'
An H-1B visa allows a company to create a new job for a highly-educated foreigner in the U.S. for at least three years. The H-1B program, which accounts for nearly all of America's skilled immigration, imposes an annual cap of 85,000 new visas: 65,000 with at least a bachelor's degree and 20,000 with at least a master's degree."
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Kathleen Parker: Hobby Lobby case creates unexpected allies in Dershowitz and Starr
Kathleen Parker: Hobby Lobby case creates unexpected allies in Dershowitz and Starr: "The core of the argument is that Green’s business is protected by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), passed by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993. The RFRA basically requires that the government prove “compelling interest” when someone’s religious rights are “substantially burdened” by what the state wishes to do. Although individuals and religious groups are clearly covered by the RFRA, it isn’t clear whether the act’s protections also extend to companies."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Best of the Web Today: So God Made a Lawyer - WSJ.com
Best of the Web Today: So God Made a Lawyer - WSJ.com: "Iowa's Sen. Tom Harkin, a popular left-wing Democrat, announced early last year that he'll retire at the end of his fifth term. Elected in 1984, Harkin is now the sixth most senior senator, and the most senior junior senator--a 21st-century Fritz Hollings. Iowa's senior senator, Republican Chuck Grassley, was elected in 1980 and won a sixth term in 2010. At age 80, he's the second oldest member of Congress's upper chamber, after California's Dianne Feinstein.
Most observers believe Democrats are likelier than not to hold the Harkin seat. Vulpine prognosticator Nate Silver put the odds at 75%, meaning "lean Democratic but with a plausible GOP pick-up." While Republicans face a crowded primary in June, the Democratic field is clear for Rep. Bruce Braley. But the other day Braley went to Texas and made a little unintentional news."
'via Blog this'
Most observers believe Democrats are likelier than not to hold the Harkin seat. Vulpine prognosticator Nate Silver put the odds at 75%, meaning "lean Democratic but with a plausible GOP pick-up." While Republicans face a crowded primary in June, the Democratic field is clear for Rep. Bruce Braley. But the other day Braley went to Texas and made a little unintentional news."
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The Republican Style | National Review Online
The Republican Style | National Review Online: "Dutch leaders not only are better at republican manners than ours are — no caesaropapist trappings for Mr. Rutte — but also offer a standing rebuke to American cultural practices by reminding us that it is possible to ride a bicycle without special shoes, a helmet, or spandex. "
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'via Blog this'
‘Comedian’ Laura Levites to pro-life teen Bethany Bowra: ‘You should be murdered’ | Twitchy
‘Comedian’ Laura Levites to pro-life teen Bethany Bowra: ‘You should be murdered’ | Twitchy: "Even vicious trolls like Laura Levites.
As Twitchy reported, the alleged “comedian” recently tweeted that she’d “personally like to castrate every Male Conservative Christian so that they have NO reproductive rights.” This afternoon, she’s turning up the charm."
'via Blog this'
As Twitchy reported, the alleged “comedian” recently tweeted that she’d “personally like to castrate every Male Conservative Christian so that they have NO reproductive rights.” This afternoon, she’s turning up the charm."
'via Blog this'
AP, Politico Attempt Damage Control for Iowa Democrat's 'Farmer' Insult | NewsBusters
AP, Politico Attempt Damage Control for Iowa Democrat's 'Farmer' Insult | NewsBusters: "Here's an example of a gaffe which the left-loving press can't ignore — at least online.
Democratic Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Braley of Iowa spoke of the mortal dangers the nation faces if Republicans win back the Senate in November at a trial lawyers' fundraiser in Texas in January. Among those dangers is the near certainty that "a farmer from Iowa who never went to law school" will be put in charge of the Senate's Judiciary Committee. That "farmer" happens to be five-term Hawkeye State GOP Senator Chuck Grassley. Jennifer Jacobs at the Des Moines Register's Iowa Politics Blog appears to have filed the first establishment press report on Braley's belittling, and revealed an important point which others covering the story are conveniently ignoring."
'via Blog this'
Democratic Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Braley of Iowa spoke of the mortal dangers the nation faces if Republicans win back the Senate in November at a trial lawyers' fundraiser in Texas in January. Among those dangers is the near certainty that "a farmer from Iowa who never went to law school" will be put in charge of the Senate's Judiciary Committee. That "farmer" happens to be five-term Hawkeye State GOP Senator Chuck Grassley. Jennifer Jacobs at the Des Moines Register's Iowa Politics Blog appears to have filed the first establishment press report on Braley's belittling, and revealed an important point which others covering the story are conveniently ignoring."
'via Blog this'
Networks Parrot White House Spin That Latest ObamaCare Delay Due to 'Surge in Demand' | NewsBusters
Networks Parrot White House Spin That Latest ObamaCare Delay Due to 'Surge in Demand' | NewsBusters: "On Wednesday, all three network morning shows repeated the White House line that the reason for delaying the March 31 ObamaCare enrollment deadline was due to a last-minute "surge" of people signing up. In a 20-second news brief on NBC's Today, fill-in news reader Tamron Hall announced "a reprieve this morning for people who've been trying to sign up for ObamaCare," before noting that "the Health and Human Services Department says there has been a last-minute surge in demand.""
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
O’Reilly Scolds Arianna Huffington: ‘You Need To Be A Little More Fair On That Website’ | NewsBusters
O’Reilly Scolds Arianna Huffington: ‘You Need To Be A Little More Fair On That Website’ | NewsBusters: "Fox News host Bill O’Reilly had some tough words for “Huffington Post” Editor and Chief Arianna Huffington on “The O’Reilly Factor” on March 25.
Huffington appeared on Fox News to promote her new book and was met with some harsh words from O’Reilly who criticized her website arguing that it needed “to be a little more fair” and that liberals should stop reflexively defending President Obama."
'via Blog this'
Huffington appeared on Fox News to promote her new book and was met with some harsh words from O’Reilly who criticized her website arguing that it needed “to be a little more fair” and that liberals should stop reflexively defending President Obama."
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3 to 1: Nets Quote Liberal Over Conservative Justices in Hobby Lobby Reports | NewsBusters
3 to 1: Nets Quote Liberal Over Conservative Justices in Hobby Lobby Reports | NewsBusters: "In the case of Hobby Lobby’s fight for religious freedom, what you report is just as important as who you report – at least for the broadcast networks.
The evening news programs lavishly quoted the liberal female Supreme Court justices in their Hobby Lobby reports yesterday. Among ABC, CBS and NBC, the nets recognized only one conservative justice’s opinion: Chief Justice John Roberts."
'via Blog this'
The evening news programs lavishly quoted the liberal female Supreme Court justices in their Hobby Lobby reports yesterday. Among ABC, CBS and NBC, the nets recognized only one conservative justice’s opinion: Chief Justice John Roberts."
'via Blog this'
MSNBC Devotes 16 Minutes of Coverage to 'Indefensible, ' 'Racist' Redskins 'Slur' | NewsBusters
MSNBC Devotes 16 Minutes of Coverage to 'Indefensible, ' 'Racist' Redskins 'Slur' | NewsBusters: "With all the important things going on in the world, MSNBC on Tuesday chose to devote 16 minutes of coverage over four shows to the "indefensible," "racist" "slur" that is the Washington Redskins logo. The fight to force team owner Dan Snyder to change the name came up on Morning Joe, The Reid Report, All In With Chris Hayes and The Last Word With Lawrence O'Donnell.
Hayes began his coverage by sneering, "Dan Snyder is the owner of the NFL's Washington, D.C. football team, whose name might be the last racial slur you can get away with saying at work." The host cited NBC colleague Bob Costas's 2013 rant as proof of a groundswell, adding, "With this kind of pressure building against it, it is getting harder and harder for Dan Snyder to defend the team's name, to defend what is really indefensible.""
'via Blog this'
Hayes began his coverage by sneering, "Dan Snyder is the owner of the NFL's Washington, D.C. football team, whose name might be the last racial slur you can get away with saying at work." The host cited NBC colleague Bob Costas's 2013 rant as proof of a groundswell, adding, "With this kind of pressure building against it, it is getting harder and harder for Dan Snyder to defend the team's name, to defend what is really indefensible.""
'via Blog this'
Foreign Media, Fox News Cover British Prenatal Incineration Scandal; Other Media Out to Lunch | NewsBusters
Foreign Media, Fox News Cover British Prenatal Incineration Scandal; Other Media Out to Lunch | NewsBusters: "On Monday, The UK's Daily Telegraph spotlighted the scoop of another British media outlet, Channel 4, which discovered the beyond abhorrent practice of 10 NHS hospitals incinerating over 15,000 bodies of unborn babies from miscarriages and abortions. The investigation by the Channel 4 program Dispatches found that some of the infants' remains were even used to heat the medical facilities.
This scandal, which got picked up by newspapers across much of the Anglosphere – including The Vancouver Sun and The Ottawa Citizen in Canada – has yet to receive wide coverage in the United States. So far, the only TV outlet to devote air time to the story was Monday's The Five on Fox News Channel. Host Greg Gutfeld led the segment with a warning about the repugnant nature of the subject, and likened to abuse of the bodies to a well-known sci-fi movie from the 1970s."
'via Blog this'
This scandal, which got picked up by newspapers across much of the Anglosphere – including The Vancouver Sun and The Ottawa Citizen in Canada – has yet to receive wide coverage in the United States. So far, the only TV outlet to devote air time to the story was Monday's The Five on Fox News Channel. Host Greg Gutfeld led the segment with a warning about the repugnant nature of the subject, and likened to abuse of the bodies to a well-known sci-fi movie from the 1970s."
'via Blog this'
17 News Companies Support FOIA Lawsuit Against Michael Mann | NewsBusters
17 News Companies Support FOIA Lawsuit Against Michael Mann | NewsBusters: "A group seeking access to climate scientist Michael Mann’s emails through Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act (VFOIA) has a surprising new group of news media allies.
From wire agencies to liberal Atlantic Media, Inc., 17 news groups have supported the release of documents, according to Columbia Journalism Review.
“Organized by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, 17 news organizations, including National Public Radio, Dow Jones, and The Washington Post, submitted an amicus brief in November, supporting the group’s rights to Mann’s emails,” CJR said. Other groups include Politico, Associated Press and Reuters, Gannett Co. which owns USA Today, and News Corp. Among the missing: broadcast network TV companies, CNN and The New York Times."
'via Blog this'
From wire agencies to liberal Atlantic Media, Inc., 17 news groups have supported the release of documents, according to Columbia Journalism Review.
“Organized by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, 17 news organizations, including National Public Radio, Dow Jones, and The Washington Post, submitted an amicus brief in November, supporting the group’s rights to Mann’s emails,” CJR said. Other groups include Politico, Associated Press and Reuters, Gannett Co. which owns USA Today, and News Corp. Among the missing: broadcast network TV companies, CNN and The New York Times."
'via Blog this'
Flight MH370: Pilot in wrong state of mind to fly - friend - Air Accidents - NZ Herald News
Flight MH370: Pilot in wrong state of mind to fly - friend - Air Accidents - NZ Herald News: "The captain of Flight 370 was in no state of mind to fly the day it disappeared and could have taken the Boeing 777 for a "last joyride" before crashing into the Indian Ocean, a fellow pilot says.
Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah's world was crumbling, said the long-time associate. He had been facing serious family problems, including separation from his wife and relationship problems with another woman he was seeing.
The man, who spoke to the Herald on condition of anonymity, said Captain Zaharie was "terribly upset" when his wife told him she was leaving and believed he may have decided to take the Malaysia Airlines plane to a part of the world he had never flown in."
'via Blog this'
Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah's world was crumbling, said the long-time associate. He had been facing serious family problems, including separation from his wife and relationship problems with another woman he was seeing.
The man, who spoke to the Herald on condition of anonymity, said Captain Zaharie was "terribly upset" when his wife told him she was leaving and believed he may have decided to take the Malaysia Airlines plane to a part of the world he had never flown in."
'via Blog this'
New ‘Star Wars’ Plot Revealed? - Yahoo News
New ‘Star Wars’ Plot Revealed? - Yahoo News: ""A satisfying sequel is difficult to pull off. Many geniuses have defeated themselves through hubris."—Abed Nadir, Community
"Objection, your honor. The pod race was pretty cool."—Lawyer, Clerks: The Animated Series
The idea of a spoiler, much like the Ewok Nanta, slain in the Battle of Endor, is dead. Despite all protests to the contrary, audiences love advanced knowledge of a dramatic work and its intricate plot details."
'via Blog this'
"Objection, your honor. The pod race was pretty cool."—Lawyer, Clerks: The Animated Series
The idea of a spoiler, much like the Ewok Nanta, slain in the Battle of Endor, is dead. Despite all protests to the contrary, audiences love advanced knowledge of a dramatic work and its intricate plot details."
'via Blog this'
Putin's Latest Dirty Trick: Leaking Private Phone Calls - The Daily Beast
Putin's Latest Dirty Trick: Leaking Private Phone Calls - The Daily Beast: "The same government that gives asylum to NSA outlaw Edward Snowden is intercepting and leaking the private phone calls of its adversaries.
In the last seven weeks, intercepted phone conversations between Western and Ukrainian officials have mysteriously surfaced on the Internet. U.S. intelligence officials tell The Daily Beast these phone recordings are part of a deliberate Russian strategy to collect and publicize the private conversations of their adversaries."
'via Blog this'
In the last seven weeks, intercepted phone conversations between Western and Ukrainian officials have mysteriously surfaced on the Internet. U.S. intelligence officials tell The Daily Beast these phone recordings are part of a deliberate Russian strategy to collect and publicize the private conversations of their adversaries."
'via Blog this'
From the Department of Sentences That Aren’t True | Washington Free Beacon
From the Department of Sentences That Aren’t True | Washington Free Beacon: "I mean, I guess they are brands insofar as some very small number of people know who those people/shows are. But to suggest that they’re “powerful” or “worth maintaining” is just short of journalistic malpractice. Let’s go to the numbers!
Morning Joe gets absolutely crushed by Fox and just barely beaten by CNN."
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Morning Joe gets absolutely crushed by Fox and just barely beaten by CNN."
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Newfound pink world lurks at solar system fringes - Yahoo News
Newfound pink world lurks at solar system fringes - Yahoo News: "Peering into the far reaches of the solar system, astronomers have spied a pink frozen world 7½ billion miles from the sun.
It's the second such object to be discovered in a region of space beyond Pluto long considered a celestial wasteland. Until now, the lone known resident in this part of the solar system was an oddball dwarf planet spotted in 2003 named Sedna after the mythological Inuit goddess who created the sea creatures of the Arctic."
'via Blog this'
It's the second such object to be discovered in a region of space beyond Pluto long considered a celestial wasteland. Until now, the lone known resident in this part of the solar system was an oddball dwarf planet spotted in 2003 named Sedna after the mythological Inuit goddess who created the sea creatures of the Arctic."
'via Blog this'
Here Are All the Times the White House Said Latest Obamacare Delay Wouldn’t Happen | Mediaite
Here Are All the Times the White House Said Latest Obamacare Delay Wouldn’t Happen | Mediaite: "Late on Tuesday night, the White House “decided to give extra time” to prospective Affordable Care Act enrollees. At least, that’s how The Washington Post put it, though it is unlikely that the changes they made to the ACA’s online infrastructure was the result of a spur–of–the–moment decision.
Administration officials maintain that they are simply giving consumers who may be interested in insurance, but have not yet selected or paid for coverage, an extra two weeks to complete the arduous enrollment process. They add that this extension is only available to those who have begun the process of enrollment by March 31.
How do administrators verify that a prospective enrollee is eligible for this grace period? They don’t."
'via Blog this'
Administration officials maintain that they are simply giving consumers who may be interested in insurance, but have not yet selected or paid for coverage, an extra two weeks to complete the arduous enrollment process. They add that this extension is only available to those who have begun the process of enrollment by March 31.
How do administrators verify that a prospective enrollee is eligible for this grace period? They don’t."
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MSNBC, CNN in Race to the Bottom | Ricochet
MSNBC, CNN in Race to the Bottom | Ricochet: "“MSNBC is in serious trouble.” That according to Dylan Byers, Politico’s left-leaning media reporter and regular critic of Fox News.
The Peacock Network’s crazy uncle in the attic has struggled to find a voice ever since Bush left office and Obama’s halo began to fade. Shockingly, MSNBC’s obsessions with racial insults, ritualistic Palin hate and New Jersey traffic reports have not translated to ratings or revenue."
'via Blog this'
The Peacock Network’s crazy uncle in the attic has struggled to find a voice ever since Bush left office and Obama’s halo began to fade. Shockingly, MSNBC’s obsessions with racial insults, ritualistic Palin hate and New Jersey traffic reports have not translated to ratings or revenue."
'via Blog this'
All the Times White House Officials Said Latest Obamacare Delay Wouldn't Occur | Washington Free Beacon
All the Times White House Officials Said Latest Obamacare Delay Wouldn't Occur | Washington Free Beacon: "White House officials repeatedly promised the latest Obamacare delay either could or would not happen in the past month.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday night that the Obama administration had “decided to give extra time to Americans who say that they are unable to enroll in health plans through the federal insurance marketplace by the March 31 deadline.”"
'via Blog this'
The Washington Post reported Tuesday night that the Obama administration had “decided to give extra time to Americans who say that they are unable to enroll in health plans through the federal insurance marketplace by the March 31 deadline.”"
'via Blog this'
Obama's populist pitch fizzles | TheHill
Obama's populist pitch fizzles | TheHill: "President Obama’s populist economic pitch is fizzling.
The White House hoped to hammer Republicans this year on an array of pocketbook issues centered on hiking the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, an effort meant to appeal to independents and rally Democrats to the polls.
Three months in, Obama’s approval ratings are flailing in the low 40s, and Senate Democrats haven’t even been able to unify their 55 members on a minimum wage bill.
That’s made it tougher to contrast the positions of Democrats with Republicans in an election year that is shaping up to be about the healthcare law and Obama."
'via Blog this'
The White House hoped to hammer Republicans this year on an array of pocketbook issues centered on hiking the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, an effort meant to appeal to independents and rally Democrats to the polls.
Three months in, Obama’s approval ratings are flailing in the low 40s, and Senate Democrats haven’t even been able to unify their 55 members on a minimum wage bill.
That’s made it tougher to contrast the positions of Democrats with Republicans in an election year that is shaping up to be about the healthcare law and Obama."
'via Blog this'
Boss Emeritus: Put aside the pot jokes and look again at Colorado legalization « Hot Air
Boss Emeritus: Put aside the pot jokes and look again at Colorado legalization « Hot Air: "Our great friend and Boss Emeritus, Michelle Malkin, offers a powerful testimony today in her column on marijuana legalization — and a surprisingly personal perspective. Sure, we all have fun with jokes at Colorado’s experiment with recreational approval, but the access it creates does more than just serve as easy access to intoxication. Michelle found herself in one of the pot shops that have opened to serve demand that comes from more than just fun and games, hoping to find help for her mother-in-law."
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'via Blog this'
Actual coup attempt in Venezuela, or another wild conspiracy? « Hot Air
Actual coup attempt in Venezuela, or another wild conspiracy? « Hot Air: "And I mean that like an actual coup attempt, and not one of those made-up overthrow plots coming from unidentified foreign imperialist aggressors and subversive businessmen about which President Nicolas Maduro and Hugo Chavez before have always raved in times of political turmoil. …Or it could just be that again, too. It’s always easier to explain away your problems to the public when phantom conspirators are attacking you."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Video: US Senator finds a Supreme Court review of regulation “stunning,” or something « Hot Air
Video: US Senator finds a Supreme Court review of regulation “stunning,” or something « Hot Air: "Maybe Bruce Braley did have a point after all. Yesterday, as the Supreme Court conducted a review of regulation promulgated under the auspices of a massively intrusive law passed by Congress creating the first-ever peacetime federal command economy in American history, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) found it “stunning” that “nine people are going to make the decision” on whether religious liberty will trump the Department of Health and Human Services’ mandate to solve a non-issue. Apparently, the lawmaker has little familiarity with the legal process and the right to challenges laws and regulation. Of course, she’s never been to law school, so…"
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Feds Spending $53,282 to Study Sighs | Washington Free Beacon
Feds Spending $53,282 to Study Sighs | Washington Free Beacon: "The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is paying a researcher over $53,000 to study sighs.
The new study, which began in January, will focus on the role that brain cells play in “sigh generation.”
“Periodic sigh generation is required to maintain normal blood gas levels, and the inability to generate sighs is related to serious respiratory conditions such as lung atelectasis,” the project’s grant said. “Sighs also play an important role in triggering arousal, and the loss of sighs has been related to an increased risk of SIDS [Sudden Infant Death Syndrome].”"
'via Blog this'
The new study, which began in January, will focus on the role that brain cells play in “sigh generation.”
“Periodic sigh generation is required to maintain normal blood gas levels, and the inability to generate sighs is related to serious respiratory conditions such as lung atelectasis,” the project’s grant said. “Sighs also play an important role in triggering arousal, and the loss of sighs has been related to an increased risk of SIDS [Sudden Infant Death Syndrome].”"
'via Blog this'
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Biofuel producers snuggling up to Congress to beg for their subsides back « Hot Air
Biofuel producers snuggling up to Congress to beg for their subsides back « Hot Air: "Much like their fellow “green”-energy lobbyists in the wind industry struggling beneath the oh-so-crushing burden of not yet having their egregiously generous production and investment tax credits restored after their expiration at the end of 2013, biofuels enthusiasts are again ramping up their own calls for their restoration of their particular pork-tastic tax credits."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
On cue: Obama administration extends healthcare deadline for people who started enrolling before March 31st everyone « Hot Air
On cue: Obama administration extends healthcare deadline for people who started enrolling before March 31st everyone « Hot Air: "We all knew this one was coming, right? Administration officials can stand around and talk about how the March 31st deadline is the real deal until they’re blue in the face, but you know they’ve been watching the pace at which Healthcare.gov signups have been trickling in like hawks — and while they’ve been conspicuously backing away from their erstwhile goal of 7 million enrollments in the opening phase, this would seem to suggest that the pace still isn’t running as quickly as they’d like it to be."
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Peace in the culture wars --- if the Left wants it | Mobile Washington Examiner
Peace in the culture wars --- if the Left wants it | Mobile Washington Examiner: "Sometimes it’s hard to believe the other side is being honest.
Democratic politicians and liberal writers accuse Christian employers of “tell[ing] women what to do with their bodies,” and trying to “control” “access to birth control.”
But a contraception ban is not on a table. Forcing religious business owners to buy birth control is the matter at hand in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby, on which the Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday.
The Hobby Lobby case hinges largely on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. When conservatives invoke religious liberty – whether it's employers who oppose the contraception mandate or wedding photographers who want the right to say no to a gay wedding – liberals doubt these objections are sincere."
'via Blog this'
Democratic politicians and liberal writers accuse Christian employers of “tell[ing] women what to do with their bodies,” and trying to “control” “access to birth control.”
But a contraception ban is not on a table. Forcing religious business owners to buy birth control is the matter at hand in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby, on which the Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday.
The Hobby Lobby case hinges largely on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. When conservatives invoke religious liberty – whether it's employers who oppose the contraception mandate or wedding photographers who want the right to say no to a gay wedding – liberals doubt these objections are sincere."
'via Blog this'
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