(Via Real Clear Politics)
Month: January 2015
More class warfare idiocy from the liberal left.
These people have no shame anymore:
I first encountered the upper middle class when I attended a big magnet high school in Manhattan that attracted a decent number of brainy, better-off kids whose parents preferred not to pay private-school tuition. Growing up in an immigrant household, I’d felt largely immune to class distinctions. Before high school, some of the kids I knew were somewhat worse off, and others were somewhat better off than most, but we generally all fell into the same lower-middle- or middle-middle-class milieu. So high school was a revelation. Status distinctions that had been entirely obscure to me came into focus. Everything about you—the clothes you wore, the music you listened to, the way you pronounced things—turned out to be a clear marker of where you were from and whether you were worth knowing.
via The upper middle class is ruining all that is great about America..
Believe me, it gets worse from there. Ann Althouse comments:
Shaming, eh? Salam imagines guilt-tripping families that make $200,000 a year or so into sacrificing their mortgage interest and college savings tax breaks for the greater good. If we could only get the people who have gained some decent economic security to stop paying attention to their own self interest, we could avert the destruction of America — that’s Salam’s idea. I’m not exaggerating: the article accuses the upper-middle class of “ruining America.”
Meanwhile, liberals are always fretting about the way less-than-upper-middle-class Americans are failing to pay attention to their own self interest. That’s “What’s the Matter with Kansas.”
Exactly how selfish are we supposed to be? Promoting unselfishness is a strange business, but I don’t trust the big shamers and guilt-trippers of this world. They have their own self-interests, and they’re choosing to promote them by tromping about in the darker parts of our psyche.
Indeed. I have nothing to add to that at all.
Andrew Sullivan pulls off another head fake
Remember when Andrew Sullivan said that he was quitting blogging? Well, maybe not. Looks like this was nothing more than some stunt to boost readership…. Again.
Quoting the important stuff and ignoring the touchy feely psycho babble nonsense:
And, of course, it is also yours. We’ve all been deeply moved by the wave of protest that this community not simply be disbanded. There’s an intimacy to this conversation that makes this feel less like a business decision and more like a terrible family break-up. I understand all that. I’m deeply torn about it. It takes time to process.
So give us a little space to absorb this week. As of tomorrow, we’re going back to regular blogging. And let us know if you would be prepared to give the team a chance to figure this out or if you think it’s best to leave the Dish as a 15-year adventure that helped shape the Internet conversation.
This may be the denial part of grief. Or it could be something else.
See you in the morning
The problem is, Sullivan did this before; he left for a while and, of course, came back. Now, he had made headlines again and is now basking in the glow of popularity and huge hits. It is the classic attention seeking head fake and the media world, myself included, fell for it…again. 🙄
I will say this, from a legal standpoint, Sullivan could find himself in the middle of a huge lawsuit. The Dish is a business and was soliciting subscriptions to his archives, I think. So, if someone just plunked down a good deal of cash to become a member of that site and he suddenly decides to stop publishing. Someone could, in fact, sue Sullivan for false advertisement and a good deal of other things as well. I believe he was offering subscriptions on a yearly basis; so, that could get dicey, if he decided to pull the plug.
Still I share a good deal of his feelings about blogging. The total freedom of self-publishing, without editors, without people telling you what you can and cannot print is the ultimate drug high. I also can relate to his physical issues, as I have them myself. So, I happen to think that if Sullivan is being straight up and honest about the whole thing; then maybe he should just take some time off and relax a little and let his staff run the place until feels like coming back to the grind.
On another note that’s related, I happen to think that this here, is soooo funny!: 😆
New look of sorts
I decided that things were a bit too cluttered around here. So, I basically removed all of the ads in the sidebars, save my Amazon book store and other Amazon stuff. One Ad, at the top, is enough and the ones at the bottom on the posts page, is enough.
Not like I was making any money on all of those ads anyhow. They are all pay per action ads; which means, I don’t get paid, unless someone buys something. It sucks, but since Adsense killed my account a few years back, it’s all I have been able to get.
So, I’ve removed the extra column and removed the ads in the sidebars.
Hope you like the new look.
Mitt Romney not running in 2016
This news comes via Hugh Hewitt and it is Mitt Romney’s Full Statement:
Let me begin by letting you know who else is on this call, besides Ann and me. There are a large number of people who signed on to be leaders of our 2016 finance effort. In addition, state political leadership from several of the early primary states are on the line. And here in New York City, and on the phone, are people who have been helping me think through how to build a new team, as well as supporters from the past who have all been kind enough to volunteer their time during this deliberation stage. Welcome, and thank you. Your loyalty and friendship, and your desire to see the country with new, competent and conservative leadership warms my heart.
After putting considerable thought into making another run for president, I’ve decided it is best to give other leaders in the Party the opportunity to become our next nominee.
Let me give you some of my thinking. First, I am convinced that with the help of the people on this call, we could win the nomination. Our finance calls made it clear that we would have enough funding to be more than competitive. With few exceptions, our field political leadership is ready and enthusiastic about a new race. And the reaction of Republican voters across the country was both surprising and heartening. I know that early poll numbers move up and down a great deal during a campaign, but we would have no doubt started in a strong position. One poll out just today shows me gaining support and leading the next closest contender by nearly two to one. I also am leading in all of the four early states. So I am convinced that we could win the nomination, but fully realize it would have been difficult test and a hard fight.
I also believe with the message of making the world safer, providing opportunity to every American regardless of the neighborhood they live in, and working to break the grip of poverty, I would have the best chance of beating the eventual Democrat nominee, but that is before the other contenders have had the opportunity to take their message to the voters.
I believe that one of our next generation of Republican leaders, one who may not be as well known as I am today, one who has not yet taken their message across the country, one who is just getting started, may well emerge as being better able to defeat the Democrat nominee. In fact, I expect and hope that to be the case.
I feel that it is critical that America elect a conservative leader to become our next president. You know that I have wanted to be that president. But I do not want to make it more difficult for someone else to emerge who may have a better chance of becoming that president. You can’t imagine how hard it is for Ann and me to step aside, especially knowing of your support and the support of so many people across the country. But we believe it is for the best of the Party and the nation.
I’ve been asked, and will certainly be asked again if there are any circumstances whatsoever that might develop that could change my mind. That seems unlikely. Accordingly, I’m not organizing a PAC or taking donations; I’m not hiring a campaign team.
I encourage all of you on this call to stay engaged in the critical process of selecting a Republican nominee for President. Please feel free to sign up on a campaign for a person who you believe may become our best nominee.
I believe a Republican winning back the White House is essential for our country, and I will do whatever I can to make that happen.
To all my supporters, friends and family who worked both tirelessly and loyally to support my campaigns in the past, I will always be deeply appreciative. What you have already done is a tribute to your patriotism. We are overwhelmed and humbled by your loyalty to us, by your generosity of spirit, and by your friendship. God bless you all.
I am glad to see that Mitt Romney decided to face reality and know that he could not get elected in this new field for 2016. I wish him and Ann the best.
Others: Washington Monthly, Weekly Standard, Washington Post, Hit & Run, The Moderate Voice, LifeNews.com, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Business Insider,Booman Tribune, NPR, RedState, National Review and New York Magazine
Leftist nutbag over at MSNBC calls Chris Kyle “a racist” who went on “Killing Sprees” in Iraq
They are not trying to hide their hatred of the American Military anymore.
The Video:
The Story Via ‘Busters:
Ayman Mohyeldin has suggested that Chris Kyle, the real “American Sniper,” was a “racist” whose military missions were nothing less than “killing sprees.”
With opinions like that, you might imagine Mohyeldin to be some unhinged bloviator from the bowels of the anti-American far left. Or, an NBC foreign correspondent [who formerly worked for Al Jazeera] who regularly reports on events in the Middle East. Which is exactly what he is. Ayman vented his bile on today’s Morning Joe.
Whatever one thinks of the Iraq War; whether you think that it was a Wilsonian wet dream turned a neoconservative nightmare or a legitimate war to prevent more terrorism — I think everyone, who is not some anti-American scumbag, who hates this Country and values it stands for — can agree that our Military serviceman should get the uttermost respect for the jobs that they do out on those battlefields.
Obviously, this America-hating leftist piece of dung didn’t get the memo. Here’s the complete transcript, the important parts highlighted:
AYMAN MOHYELDIN: It is a very compelling, very thought-provoking, very emotional movie.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: B-u-u-u-u-t?
MOHYELDIN: When you juxtapose it with the real Chris Kyle and what has emerged about what kind of personality he was, in his own words —
WILLIE GEIST: You’re talking about the stories when he was back home in Texas which may have not been true? Is that what you’re talking about?
MOHYELDIN: A lot of his stories when he was back home in Texas, a lot of his own personal opinions about what he was doing in Iraq, how he viewed Iraqis. Some of what people have described as his racist tendencies towards Iraqis and Muslims when he was going on some of these, you know, killing sprees in Iraq on assignment. So I think there are issues —
SCARBOROUGH: Wait, wait. Killing sprees? Chris Kyle was going on killing sprees?
MOHYELDIN: When he was involved in his — on assignments in terms of what he was doing. A lot of the description that has come out from his book and some of the terminology that he has used, people have described as racist.
. . .
GEIST: It wasn’t a commentary about the war. It wasn’t about the politics of the war. It was a character study of what this guy went through. And you don’t have to like him and all the comments about him calling Iraqis savages. He was calling the people he was shooting savages. He was calling people who he thought had IEDs, who he thought were going to kill his buddies savages. He didn’t — some people have seized on that term that he thought all Iraqis or everyone in the Middle East is a savage. That’s just not what he said. It’s not what he said. He was talking about the people he was fighting in the theater, calling them savages.
SCARBOROUGH: All right, when we come back, Ayman is going to kick around Santa Claus.
This, my friends…..this… is progressivism in 2015.
Related: Washington Free Beacon: MSNBC Reporter: ‘Racist’ Chris Kyle Went on ‘Killing Sprees’ in Iraq
Others: The Daily Caller and CBS Connecticut, Hot Air, Conservatives4Palin and National Review
Andrew Sullivan calls it quits
This is mildly surprising.
One of the things I’ve always tried to do at the Dish is to be up-front with readers. This sometimes means grotesque over-sharing; sometimes it means I write imprudent arguments I have to withdraw; sometimes it just means a monthly update on our revenues and subscriptions; and sometimes I stumble onto something actually interesting. But when you write every day for readers for years and years, as I’ve done, there’s not much left to hide. And that’s why, before our annual auto-renewals, I want to let you know I’ve decided to stop blogging in the near future.
Sullivan has been blogging for a very long time, since before 9/11. 15 years. That is an eternity in online years. I can understand the reasoning:
I’ve had increasing health challenges these past few years. They’re not HIV-related; my doctor tells me they’re simply a result of fifteen years of daily, hourly, always-on-deadline stress. These past few weeks were particularly rough – and finally forced me to get real.
I can totally relate. Sitting on my butt and writing for 10 years, basically caused me to get type II diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I mean, it does run in my family; but sitting around and writing did not help any either.
I did not always agree with Sullivan, but I did think that he was a talented writer.I hate to see someone just walk away from the blogging scene. It causes the field to become more bare. I think lots of opinion is good; and Sullivan had a legit position — even if I did not agree with it.
I wish him and his partner the best.
Others: The Moderate Voice, Hit & Run, Gawker, Politico, Towleroad News #gay, Wall Street Journal, CNNMoney, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Post, FishbowlDC, Capital New York, The Daily Caller,Althouse, susiemadrak.com, Talking Points Memo, American Power, Gigaom andNew York Magazine, more at Mediagazer »
Rep. John Yarmuth is absolutely correct
The Audio:
The Story:
Rep. John Yarmuth says Republican House Speaker John Boehner inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to the House of Representatives is “close to subversion.”
Speaking with the Stephanie Miller Show on Friday, the Kentucky Democrat added some Congress members’ strong support for Israel “had to do with fundraising.”
“I am totally outraged at Speaker Boehner for doing it, I think it’s, it was deliberately
designed to undermine the president — that’s close to subversion,” said Yarmuth of Netanyahu’s upcoming address to Congress.
“I mean, the president is supposed to be conducting foreign policy, not the Speaker of the House.”
Yarmuth then said a lot of the strong support for Israel has to with fundraising and pressure from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
“And you know, a lot of it has to do with fundraising — I’m sure some of it is sincere support for Israel,” Yarmuth said.
“You know, I’m a Jewish member of Congress, I’m a strong supporter of Israel, but my first obligation is to the Constitution of the United States, not to the Constitution of Israel. And unfortunately, I think, some of the demands that are made of members by AIPAC and some strong Jewish supporters are that we pay more attention — I guess we defer — to Israel more than we defer to the United States.”
“And that’s another thing, because if he’s going to come over here and say ‘well, my intelligence shows this’ — you know, there’s an implicit, I guess, admission — or not admission, I guess concession — that Israeli intelligence is superior to American intelligence. I’m not ready to sit there and endorse that kind of proposition, and I suspect he will, basically, talk about things like that — you know, try to match their assessment of the situation against ours. And I’m not willing to believe theirs is superior.”
Rep. John Yarmuth is absolutely correct. It is subversion and it has been happening for years in this Country. There some in the neocon media who are upset that this man would say this; but it is the truth and it has been happening for years.
Kudos to Rep. Yarmuth for having the guts to speak out about it too. 😀
Man takes responsibility for crashed drone at the White House
Despite some wishful thinking by some on the right. Looks like this might have been an accident.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A small drone flying low to the ground crashed onto the White House grounds before dawn Monday, triggering a major emergency response and raising fresh questions about security at the presidential mansion. A man later came forward to say he was responsible and didn’t mean to fly it over the complex.
The man contacted the Secret Service at midmorning after reports of the crash spread in the media. Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said the man had been interviewed by Secret Service agents and was cooperating with the investigation.
“Initial indications are that this incident occurred as a result of recreational use of the device,” Leary said. He added that investigators were interviewing others to corroborate the man’s story, as well as examining evidence from the scene.
A U.S. official said the man is a Washington resident and that investigators don’t currently have any reason to doubt his story. The official wasn’t authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke only on condition of anonymity.
Although President Barack Obama was not at home, the security breach prompted a lockdown of the entire complex until officials could examine the drone. The White House later said it did not pose a threat.
via Associated Press.
Looks like this was a huge nothing burger and despite the dreams of the neocon right, who want to see Obama and the White House destroyed in a terrorist attack; this was simply a drone, who got away with its owner. Nothing more, nothing less.
Update: NYT reports that it was a Government Employee. Hmmmm.
Tragic: Former Texas Fox Station employee shots himself outside News Corps Offices
This is tragic:
A former employee of a Fox station in Texas shot and killed himself outside the front doors of the News Corporation building shortly before 9 a.m. Monday, a law-enforcement official said.
The building houses 21st Century Fox and News Corporation, which owns The Wall Street Journal.
The man, Phillip Perea, 41 years old, of Irving, Texas, shot himself once in the chest outside of 1211 Avenue of the Americas, the official said. Mr. Perea had previously worked for a Fox station in Austin, Texas, police said.
Mr. Perea had also been handing out fliers, which criticized his employer for having “ended my career,” moments before he shot himself, the official said.
via Former Fox Station Employee Shoots Himself Outside News Corporation Building – Metropolis – WSJ.
Now, of course, the classless left and some classless ones on the right, are having a field day with this one. You will see the links to their postings below. All I will say about this is, my condolences and prayers to the family of this man.
Obviously, something happened to trigger this and I pray for the man’s family.
Others, including the classless ones on the right and left: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, Gawker,JIMROMENESKO.COM, Poynter and New York Magazine, Politico, Mediaite, TVNewser and The Gateway Pundit – more at Mediagazer