Scandal in Britain as Gordon Brown Aides Conspire to Use Blog to Plant Malicious and False Smears About Tories
— Ace

Nice.

THE shocking extent of planned smears against the Tories which led to the resignation of Gordon Brown's most trusted aide last night are revealed today by the News of the World.

The Prime Minister's personal spin doctor Damian McBride quit after it emerged he and Derek Draper, Labour's internet campaign chief, conspired to spread false and sinister stories of a highly personal nature.

McBride boasted that the sleaze campaign "will put the fear of God" into the Tories.

Have they learned something from David Axelrod, the "Master of Astroturfing"? As a Concerned Christian Conservative, I have conservative concerns of a Christian nature.

Via S. Weasel, thanks to LauraW.

Posted by: Ace at 09:20 AM | Add Comment
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Blagojevich Pleads Not Guilty
— Slublog

Huge news? Not really, I guess. But we haven't had a chance to use the Blagoskull lately. Kind of missed the little fella.

Posted by: Slublog at 08:26 AM | Comments (1)
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Newsweek Finally Concerned About Obama Campaign Promises
— Slublog

On guns. In this particular bit of advocacy, Michael Isikoff and Suzanne Smalley practically beg the administration to reinstate the assault weapons ban. After recounting the story of cop-killer Richard Poplawski, the reporters get to the meat:

In the past, national political leaders might have raised troubling questions about how such an unstable character could obtain easy access to high-powered weapons. They might have been even more motivated given that Poplawski's cop-killing spree was part of a near epidemic of mass homicides that have left 58 people dead over the past month. Or given that Mexico's insanely violent drug cartels are arming themselves with high-powered assault weapons purchased at U.S. gun stores and later smuggled south of the border. Yet many past champions of stricter gun-control measures are silent. These include top Obama White House officials who have squelched any talk within the administration about pushing further gun-control measures."It's weird," says Peter Hamm, the communications director for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "When you see people like [Attorney General] Eric Holder or Hillary Clinton or [White House chief of staff] Rahm Emanuel become muted on this issue, you feel like you want to call up a friend and say, 'What's up?' "

Running for president in last year's Democratic primaries, Barack Obama promised to restore a federal ban on certain semiautomatic assault guns—a position that's still on the White House Web site. The ban was originally passed by the Democratic-controlled Congress in 1994 and lapsed five years ago. In recent years the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has also lifted virtually all restrictions on imports of foreign-made assault weapons, permitting a flood of cheap Romanian, Bulgarian and other Eastern European AK-47s to enter the country, according to gun-control groups. "There's been an absolute deluge of these weapons," says Kristen Rand of the Violence Policy Center.

But Obama and top White House aides have all but abandoned the issue.

In the first sentence, you can practically hear the thoughts of the reporters as they struggle to understand why the template that worked so well during the Clinton administration seems to be falling on deaf ears now. It's interesting to note how delicately the reporters dance around the issue of guns from Mexico, no longer using the thoroughly-debunked 90% statistic. They're still using the same language, though - anyone here ever heard of a 'low powered' assault weapon?

The barely disguised advocacy and confused tone continues throughout the story, until the reporters show their hands at the end of the last paragraph. They quote a woman who saw Poplawski's rampage, then add to it:

"Something is very, very wrong with the system," she says. That might sound like a sensible refrain. But you'll struggle to hear a leading Democrat repeat it these days.

She's right, you won't. And there's a very simple explanation - it was the price of winning back the House of Representatives. The reporters quote a 'Blue Dog' Democrat (after noting he has a "stockpile" of guns) who states the obvious: gun control cost Democrats control of Congress in 1994 and the presidency in 2000.

The recent mass shootings in the United States have been horrifying, and I find it sad but typical that reporter-advocates like Isikoff and Smalley are using human tragedy as data points in their ideological argument. In their zeal to wave the bloody shirt, these advocates never take the time to note that such tragedies are remarkably rare in a nation of 300 million that contains an estimated 200 million firearms, and 80-90 million gun owners. My state, Maine, has a large number of gun owners (40%) and a concealed carry law and our 2007 murder report is one page long, with only eight homicides committed by firearms. Isikoff and Smalley ignore the fact that gun control simply doesn't work as a deterrent against crime. In fact, you know what does deter crime? Guns. Turns out criminals don't like being shot at. Who knew?

I haven't always felt this way about the Second Amendment. In fact, one could call me a recent convert to the cause. A blog series I wrote about my experiences with a pistol safety class showed me that the most ferocious advocates of gun safety are those who own guns. It's too bad Isikoff and Smalley are too invested in their advocacy to note it.

Cross posted at the Greenroom.

Posted by: Slublog at 07:25 AM | Comments (3)
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Hells Yes...Pat Toomey Announces He's Going To Announce A Challenge To Arlen Specter (RINO, Scotland)
— DrewM

Senator "Not Proven" is about to get his political ass kicked.

In a widely expected move, Pat Toomey announced he's going to challenge Sen. Arlen Specter in the Republican Senate primary in Pennsylvania.

Toomey, who stepped down as president of the fiscally conserative Club for Growth, made the announcement yesterday in an e-mail to supporters.

“I personally believe that it is time for him to go,” Toomey wrote of Specter, per Roll Call. “And that job falls on me. Very soon, I intend to announce my candidacy for the United States Senate in a Republican primary challenge against Arlen Specter.”

Nice. Really nice. More than a year out an awful lot can happen but at this point it's looking good for Toomey in the primary. Given that Specter was running ads against Toomey before this announcement, it's clear this is going to be a long and expensive race. Given that Specter's ad was negative and full of outright bullshit, it's also going to be an ugly one.

More: This son of a bitch Specter is openly soliciting Democrats to become Republicans, "at least for a day". Man, I can not wait to write Toomey a check.

Posted by: DrewM at 06:59 AM | Comments (1)
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Texas Governor Rick Perry is a Supporter Of The 10th Amendment
— DrewM

Drudge has this up. I'm not sure how big of a deal it is but given Gabe's earlier post about Homeland Security's worries over people who are not fully on board with Hope and Change, it's timely.

The Texas Governor has come out in support of a state resolution reminding the people and the federal government that states don't exist just to funnel federal money.

The resolution aims to reaffirm state rights guaranteed under the 10th amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and to serve as a notice to the federal government that it should desist measures that go beyond its constitutionally protected powers.

“I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state,” Perry said. “That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states’ rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union.”

How quaintly 19th/early 20th century. Too bad there's not more of it.

Posted by: DrewM at 06:15 AM | Comments (1)
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And Now We Point And Laugh
— LauraW

The internet has discovered its newest shiny superstar for to throw rotten cabbages at.

At 1:08 he whips out his own business card, which bleeds Holy Water, destroys your enemies, and can save your life if you're ever thrown out of a jet. It is at this moment that you will fall in love.

...with the idea of punching him in the jimmie as hard as you can.

Thanks to Matt Miller and Mesablue.

UPDATE: The guy's website. Thanks to Patrick in the comments, who is looking forward to giving us tremendous value while significantly impacting change. He's a real gift, a real gem.

Posted by: LauraW at 04:26 AM | Comments (10)
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Obama's DHS Targets "Rightwing Extremists"
— Gabriel Malor

Like Michelle I wasn't too sure this was for real when I first saw it; but now she's confirmed it. The report, "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment", was made available April 7 and then posted by the Liberty Papers.

DHS tends to paint with a rather broad brush. From pages 3 and 4:

Rightwing extremists are harnessing this historical election as a recruitment tool. Many rightwing extremists are antagonistic toward the new presidential administration and its perceived stance on a range of issues, including immigration and citizenship, the expansion of social programs to minorities, and restrictions on firearms ownership and use. Rightwing extremists are increasingly galvanized by these concerns and leverage them as drivers for recruitment. From the 2008 election timeframe to the present, rightwing extremists have capitalized on related racial and political prejudices in expanded propaganda campaigns, thereby reaching out to a wider audience of potential sympathizers.

I was struck by the following sidebar too. I bet you'll know why:

Scholars and experts disagree over poverty’s role in motivating violent radicalization or terrorist activity. High unemployment, however, has the potential to lead to alienation, thus increasing an individual’s susceptibility to extremist ideas. According to a 2007 study from the German Institute for Economic Research, there appears to be a strong association between a parent’s unemployment status and the formation of rightwing extremist beliefs in their children—specifically xenophobia and antidemocratic ideals.

"Alienation"? Oh, please. Could the author be any more transparent?

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:10 AM | Comments (2)
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Top Headline Comments 04-14-09
— Gabriel Malor

Time is running out...

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 04:02 AM | Add Comment
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Overnight Open Thread (genghis)
— Open Blog

Too lazy to actually hunt down tonight’s non-topic topic, so you’re on your own. (About the most interesting thing in the news today was the “Spokane Squirrel Detonation Plan” over in the “Top Headlines.” Sounds like the sort of thing one might see in a movie).

I filched a couple of things from Phil the News JunkieÂ’s blog tonight since itÂ’s a treasure trove of material. All of itÂ’s worth reading, but my two favorites are videos heÂ’s posted:

First up, because I hate all of you, is a sample video from a kid who is apparently the first person on YouTube to reach the 1 million subscriber mark. I sense there may be a Ritalin issue at play here.

Second one is (now that I think about it) somewhat similar to the first one, though in cartoon format. Maybe this foretells what the future holds for the kid in the first video. Safe for work, but IÂ’ll avoid mentioning who the cartoon parodies. I can already envision an inbox full of angry e-mail, never mind the comments. Why add to those troubles?

One last item: Saturday night’s “commenter bestiary” ended up being pretty comprehensive, but I don’t recall seeing this one offered up: The “It’s Old” Commenter. This one inevitably shows up in any thread where the post has a link to any sort of video, humor piece, cultural phenomenon etc. to proclaim how cutting-edge he or she is by having seen it before. Doesn’t matter if it was 5 years, 5 months or 5 minutes ago, you are on notice that you’re behind the times, and in fact are something of a Neanderthal for that reason.

They’re a kind of updated intermesh version of the guy we all knew in high school. You remember him. You’d mention that you liked a band that had suddenly had a big hit or album and in return you’d get a snide remark like “I was into them a couple of years ago. Now they’re just a bunch of commercial sell-outs.” The real question is though: why didn’t you beat the living shit out of this smart-ass at the time? Or at minimum give him a swirly in the restroom? You’d have been providing a service to the rest of humanity.

Notice: Posted by permission of AceCorp LLC. Please e-mail overnight open thread tips to xgenghisx@gmail.com. Otherwise send tips to Ace.

Posted by: Open Blog at 06:22 PM | Comments (1)
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Franken Declared Winner, Coleman Promises To Go To Court
— DrewM

Not surprising, yet still depressing.

A Minnesota court ruled Monday night that Democrat Al Franken has defeated Republican Norm Coleman and should be granted the election certificate that will allow him to take his seat in the U.S. Senate.

The Coleman camp immediately vowed to appeal.

"More than 4,400 Minnesotans remain wrongly disenfranchised by this court's order," Coleman attorney Ben Ginsberg said in a statement. "By its own terms, the court has included votes it has found to be 'illegal' in the contest to remain included in the final counts from Election Day, and equal protection and due process concerns have been ignored. For these reasons, we must appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court so that no voter is left behind."

The three-judge panel rejected Coleman's equal-protection arguments, saying that "errors or irregularities identified by contestants in the general election do not violate the mandates of equal protection."

We'll see if he goes through with the court challenge or not. At some point (fairly or not) at some point it starts to look like sour grapes to average people. Plus, it's expensive to keep these going.

Meanwhile, in upstate NY it's still basically tied in the race for the 20th CD. There are still votes left to be counted and challenges to be determined. Get ready for Minnesota on the Hudson, hopefully with a better outcome.

Posted by: DrewM at 04:40 PM | Add Comment
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