This is good. Blazing Cat Fur has the background, ” Stop Calling Me Hitler Warns Hitler .” Blazing links to the outrageous outrage at the Electronic Intifada, where we find an outraged attack on Professor Rubin Gur of the Departments of Psychiatry, Radiology and Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania. And the source of all that outrage? Well, it’s Professor Gur’s righteous essay at the
See Noemie Emery, at Weekly Standard , ” Occupational Therapy “: “God, I love ’em,” wrote Eugene Robinson in the Washington Post not long after the glorious dawning of Occupy Wall Street, saying that the protests “arise at just the right moment and are aimed at just the right target” to grow into something quite big. Apparently, the stench from McPherson Square (the Washington, D.C., equivalent of Zuccotti Park in Manhattan) had not yet wafted the two blocks north to the Post building, for he was back a week later to praise it again, along with his stablemate E.J. Dionne and many other liberals who read into the Occupy movement numerous virtues that never existed, while wholly ignoring the vices that are only too real. And why would these clean, polite, well-mannered people, for whom an overdue library book would most likely seem like a major infraction, embrace a collection of ne’er-do-wells who are causing a public-health crisis in the midst of their city? Because they and the rest of the left are desperate for any kind of jolt to jump-start their party, which has been in a coma since the air seeped out of Obamamania sometime in 2009. So what if the occupiers have no idea what they want, and no plans for getting it? “Liberals need a tea party, damn it,” writes Jonah Goldberg, and thus “have embraced the movement in principle with the understanding that they’ll worry about the details later, if at all.” For similar reasons, labor and assorted left-wing organizations are also circling, hoping to connect to the “99 percent” the occupiers say they are speaking for. They hope to repeat the success of the civil rights and the Tea Party movements. But there are reasons this may not work out. The problem with Occupy is that it involves occupation, which gets it off to a very bad start. The Tea Party asked people to show up for a few hours on weekends, march, listen to speeches, perhaps call upon members of Congress, pick up their trash, and go home. Occupy by contrast asks people to leave their homes (should they have them) and live in a tent in a park for an indefinite period, for goals that are hard to explain. What kind of people move into a tent for an indefinite period? Those without strong connections to professions or to other people, without obligations, routines, and responsibilities; without children or clients or jobs. This self-selects against the 90 percent of the population that is productive and grounded, that supports itself and works hard, not to mention the part of the population that votes. Even before the camps were heavily infiltrated by homeless and/or criminal elements, the composition was tilted to those on the fringes, frequently by choice as well as necessity, which made it more like a cultural event such as Woodstock than like the Depression-age Hoovervilles, which were peopled largely by those who once had middle-class standing and were then down on their luck…. The civil rights and Tea Party movements addressed specific concerns—a cosmic injustice, and fiscal policies believed to be ruinous—that had means of redress through political remedies, which they pursued by legal, nonviolent means. The Occupy forces by and large have problems that do not admit of political solutions. The civil rights and Tea Party movements sprang from the middle of middle America; Occupy Wall Street from the fringe. Its happy embrace of a “communal”—and rag-tag and dirty—lifestyle was bound to alienate that much larger part of society that likes soap and water; clean clothes, sheets, and towels; indoor plumbing and sleeping in beds. The people who claimed to speak for the 99 percent who aren’t rich managed to repel the 98 percent who want order and cleanliness. Emery mentions New York Magazine ‘s John Heilemann, who published a piece about those holding out for a resurgence of Occupy in the spring and summer. Turns out there’s some planning to occupy the national party conventions: ” Yes, tent cities teeming with lice, rape charges, and piles of excrement (200 pounds of it in Santa Cruz, California) are just the thing to rally swing voters .” Yep, that’s exactly movement that James Walter “Occupy” Casper III endorsed with his exhortation: ” Occupy wherever you are .” Freakin’ scumbag. Criminal Hatesac3′s even more stupid than the doltish union idiot at the video. Man, Cavuto reams her a new one. That’s gotta hurt. Winning!
Read the rest here:
Occupy Wall Street: A Movement Custom-Designed to Make Democrat-Socialists Look Like a Bunch of Freaks
David Trumble, senior director for corporate communications for the Hilton hotel chain, replies to my inquiry on whether Herman Cain ever rented or upgraded to a suite in their Washington hotel in July 1997: “The hotel has a privacy policy which prohibits releasing specific information regarding guests. Thank you for your understanding.” I elaborated on how this information could corroborate or contradict the claims of Herman Cain’s accusers here .
Read this article:
Hilton Hotels: We Will Not Release Any Information on Cain Stays or Upgrades
Via Theo Spark, ” Video: Understanding UN Bias Against Israel — Invite to Durban 3 Protest, NYC, Sept 21 “:
Excerpt from:
United Nations Bias Against Israel
At Reuters : In his first comment via a lawyer since his arrest, Anders Behring Breivik, 32, said he wanted to explain himself at a court hearing on Monday about extending his custody. “He has said that he believed the actions were atrocious, but that in his head they were necessary,” Geir Lippestad said. The lawyer said Breivik had admitted to Friday’s shootings at a Labour party youth camp and the bombing that killed seven people in Oslo’s government district a few hours earlier. However, “he feels that what he has done does not deserve punishment,” Lippestad told NRK public television. “What he has said is that he wants a change in society and in his understanding, in his head, there must be a revolution.” Added : From New York Times , ” Police Say Oslo Suspect Admits ‘Facts’ in Massacre ” (via Memeorandum ).
See more here:
Lawyer’s Statement From Anders Behring Breivik
Andrew Lawton, a Canadian conservative blogger and radio host on whose show I’ve had the pleasure and honor to appear , suffered a life-threatening medical emergency last December. Today, he courageously discloses the full story behind his health scare: He had attempted to take his life through an intentional drug overdose. Family and faith lifted him up and brought him back. Please read his entire essay. Take it to heart if you are in despair or know someone who is. The saying is true: One person can make a difference. Andrew is making a difference. You can help him make an even bigger impact. Share his message. Act on it: On December 9, 2010, I was admitted into Victoria Hospital in London, Ontario, Canada. Given my medical history, when the news got out about my admission, people made assumptions that I had had another stroke. I’ve since learned that some of my friends were under the understanding I had been a car accident; others that I had a heart attack. How these rumors started I don’t care. Any assumptions people made further separated those in my life from the truth, and people not knowing the truth made life easier for both me and my family while in hospital, and since. Everything shared about me and my medical condition while in hospital was true. I was in a coma; I was on heart and lung bypass; I also had multiple blood transfusions and four cardiac arrests. What people don’t know is that hours prior to my entry to Victoria Hospital, I had taken an intentional overdose of prescription medications in an attempt to end my life. I tried to kill myself. When I described the suicide attempt – and the events leading up to it – to the psychiatrist in the hospital, I didn’t have a good reason. By that I don’t mean to say that there is ever a good reason for suicide, but my understanding is that there is generally an element of logic to it, at least to the victim. In my case, that wasn’t so. In the weeks and months leading up to the day that would forever change – and almost take away – my life, I wasn’t depressed, stressed, or even sad for that matter. I had, in a very short period of time, endured what one medical professional creatively referred to as “acute hopelessness” through the breakdown of several things I cared about in my life. When these things collapsed, I literally felt that I had nothing in my life to live for. My accomplishments were irrelevant; my family and friends weren’t a factor; I had simply felt nothing. The ensuing emotion wasn’t depression, but rather the feeling that my life had completely lost all direction. The decision to commit suicide had been made about a week prior to the actual suicide attempt. It wasn’t rational, but it was calculated. I tied up some loose ends and prepared for it internally. But beyond that, I kept up appearances, showing no signs of weakness to friends and family. I kept writing and doing television and radio appearances as usual. I made no attempts to seek help. I knew help was available; I just had no intention of seeking it. Contrary to many others in this situation, this was not a desperate cry for help or a misguided plea for attention. I wanted to die… Life can be a struggle, but it’s a battle that I fight knowing that I have God carrying me through, and you guys cheering me on from the sidelines. Thank you everyone for all that you’ve done; it has, truly, made a difference. Thank you. All of you. The stigma attached to openly discussing this subject remains overwhelming. It transcends politics and race and cultures — and the civilian/military divide , too. We have been dealing with it in my family in our search for my cousin Marizela, who was taking anti-depressants and had fought such despair for years. The daunting possibility that she took her life — and the signs that cannot be ignored — weigh heavily on our minds as we continue to push for progress in her case. One of the organizations she supported was To Write Love On Her Arms , a non-profit support group dedicated to “presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.” The group has kindly spread word of Marizela’s disappearance and kept her in their members’ thoughts. If you are in need of support or know someone who could use a helping hand, please check TWLOHA out. You may not agree with all their politics, but as I said, this is a subject that reaches far beyond those lines. Another helpful resource: Hope for Hurting Parents. God bless you, Andrew, and all the brave, compassionate activists/volunteers dedicated to saving lives and restoring faith and hope to those in need.
See the original post here:
Read this now if you are in despair: Andrew Lawton’s message
For some reason beyond my understanding, MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell welcomed Dan Sinker to his primetime program Friday night, a man who made a name for himself by tweeting vulgar insults and curse-laden notes under the handle “MayorEmanuel” via Twitter. I’m not actually sure which is more distressing: the fact MSNBC thought the man’s “work” was praiseworthy enough to grant him his first national television interview, or the fact “MayorEmanuel” came to the national forefront because some people and media thought his foul-mouthed dispatches actually belonged to former White House chief of staff and Chicago’s new mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel. Meet ” MayorEmanuel “: “Your next m*****f***ing mayor. Get used to it, a**h***s.” He’s classy in the kind of way anybody would be when tweeting such intellectual gems as “WHAT THE M*****F***ING F***?” and “CODE F***ING RED: Whoever scheduled me to be at both a candidate forum and a debate tonight is going on my c***-punch list.” On Feb. 22, “MayorEmanuel” sent this lovely message to conservative blogger Michelle Malkin: “Just so we’re perfectly f***ing clear here: You’re a crazy f***ing s***wad. Enjoy your night.” O’Donnell praises Sinker, a journalism professor, for his juvenile stunt, calling it “fascinating style of fiction writing.”
Continued here:
MSNBC Host Praises Foul-Mouthed Rahm Emanual Twitter Impersonator
Over at FrumForum , Andrew Pavelyev argues that Republicans “dodged a bullet” with Mike Pence's decision to not run for president; in an e-mail, he mentioned that his post was partially inspired by my disappointed reaction to the Pence news on the Three Martini Lunch. At the heart of complaint with Pence is TARP, and that by leading the charge against TARP at the time, “Pence failed to discern the lesser of two evils correctly, [raising] serious questions about his judgment (as well as his understanding of conservative principles).” Most Americans don't follow the financial markets closely; almost all of us, including myself, wish we understood it better. In autumn of 2008, we were told that if TARP did not pass, financial Armageddon would soon follow. I recall believing at the time that the stakes made the distasteful steps necessary. Even then, however, there were indications that the whole enterprise was a cynical game : Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was imploring House Republicans to get on board with the TARP proposal, while her lieutenant, Chris Van Hollen at the DCCC, was planning to use the vote in attack ads against Republicans in the 2008 House elections. In this light, Pence was trying to prevent his colleagues from acquiescing to a politically suicidal act spurred by bad-faith arguments. Pavelyev can argue that the financial results since the enactment of TARP demonstrates it necessity; I'll let the fiscal and economic pros argue that. But the populist outrage against TARP is not based on ignorance. The management and oversight of TARP since that vote represents a fundamental violation of trust with the American taxpayer, indicating TARP opponents had good reasons for their doubts. If you're going to ask the federal government to give you gobs and gobs of taxpayer money to save your business because you claim the economy itself depends upon it, you had better treat that money as preciously as if it were water in the desert.
I had an exchange at this blog with Alex Knepper some time back, after California’s Proposition 8 became a national controversy. I don’t dislike Alex. Lately though, on Facebook and Twitter , Alex has come across as extremely combative, for example in response to my essay on Tyler Clementi. I had slammed his arguments as juvenile (and it looks like I’m not the only one ). Well I’ve been learning a bit about Alex of late. Alex is 20 years-old and homosexual. That I knew. What I didn’t know is that Alex has the hots for young boys, and he posts to gay adolescent hookup boards with an animated JPEG image of Justin Bieber. The folks at NewsReal Blog have been reporting on this. See, ” David Frum and His Pro-Pedophile Protege Alex Knepper .” It’s a fairly detailed post . Alex apparently posted under the alias “Lostpainting.” Patterico, who is an ADA in Los Angeles, confirmed that the NewsReal post checked out: ” Does a David Frum Protege Have Tendencies Towards Pedophilia? ” I tweeted the link to Alex last night. I found this tweet from Alex this morning: This is interesting, since I considered Alex a friend previously, and I’ve never ridiculed him or alleged any kind of moral depravity. I’m just now learning about all this stuff. And what I’m reading is not reassuring, for example, Alex was fired from NewsReal Blog in July: ” The Liar Alex Knepper Wasn’t Fired for Criticizing Ann Coulter, He Was Fired for Being An Intemperate, Unmanageable, Perverted, Impulsive, Narcissistic Child .” As for pedophilia, I think my understanding of it is like most people’s, and that pedophilia is sexual interest and molestation of children. One of the criticisms of Alex is that he turns deeply moral dilemmas into academic ones, which we can see above at the tweet parsing the definition of “pedophilia.” I’d think most folks would think it wrong for a 20 year-old man have a sexual interest in a 16 year-old boy. And while Wikipedia’s entry indicates that in clinical medicine pedophilia is defined as sexual advances toward pre-pubescent children. But the page continues: In common usage, pedophilia means any sexual interest in children or the act of child sexual abuse, often termed “pedophilic behavior”. For example, The American Heritage Stedman’s Medical Dictionary states, “Pedophilia is the act or fantasy on the part of an adult of engaging in sexual activity with a child or children.” This common use application also extends to the sexual interest and abuse of pubescent or post-pubescent minors. No one likes to be criticized, but as noted Alex seems to be particularly sensitive, and he’s become aggressively combative in response. He’s been doubling-down his defense of his behavior by offering explanations or excuses that are simply not appropriate. Just last week, Alex published an analysis of the Tyler Clementi suicide at The Daily Caller (cited at my link above). The page has now been pulled : And characteristically, Alex blames it on a NewsReal Blog smear campaign against him: Unfortunately, smear tactics sometimes work, and my relationship with the Daily Caller has ended. It has ended amicably, but it has ended. Well, in this case, those “smear tactics” provided damning evidence of morally questionable behavior — and it’s that activity that got Alex Knepper fired from Daily Caller . It will be extremely interesting now to see how long it will be until David Frum follows suit. Can’t be long, especially as the case of Alex’s pedophilia goes viral. Hard to explain all of this, although I know these kinds of extremist rationalizations are common in the fever swamps of the neo-communist left. And it’s stange that Alex claims to be a conservative, but I don’t think so, unless this is the kind of faux-conservatism David Weigel recently discussed . In other words, it’s not. Just more of the same morally relative post-modern radicalism that increasingly informs the mainstream of the Democrat Party left.
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Alex Knepper, FrumForum Blogger, Fired by Daily Caller Over Pedophile Controversy
