June 22, 2011
— Ace Bumped, as this got buried quickly in all the draaamaaa.
Top Ten Things Almost As White As Keith Olbermann's Staff
10. The Oakridge Boys
9. The South African Army Officer Corps, circa 1932-1985
8. John Kerry's annual Harvard/Princeton Crew Race Pre-Party
7. Micheal Moore's voluptuous inner thighs (assuming he has not dripped hot wing sauce on them)
6. The audience at a Laser Lynyrd Skynyrd show (a.k.a. "Lysyr Skynyrd")
5. People who own Friends on DVD and/or people who own at least one NPR-branded bag or umbrella
4. Hall and Oates, if Oates were actually named Hollis Brower Sturbridge III and was a frequent attendee of John Kerry's annual Havard/Princeton Crew Race Pre-Party
3. Deerfield Academy's 2011 Mathletes Team* (*Note: I'm counting AZN's and Indians as "white" for these purposes, but -- and I do want to stress this -- but only for these purposes)
2. Alas, we are saddened to know for a fact -- almost as white as Anthony Weiner's shaven underscrote
...and the number one thing almost as white as Keith Olbermann's pale-hued crew...
1. The staff at every other liberal media operation
Via Greg Pollowitz, thanks to Arthur.
Bonus: Michael Moore Says Obama's Authorized War in Libya Is Okay Because Obama's Heart Is In The Right Place. Wow.
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— Ace Ladd Ehlinger, Jr. has been screaming that the right is dwelling on the Betty/Veronica follies while an actual election to replace Jane Harman is going on.
I'm going to interview him about this, but here's some of the basics.
It's CA-36, which is Torrance, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, and other LA sprawl-towns.
Obviously the district skews Democratic. I'ma tryin' to find that figure but can't; if you know, please let me know. Update: Courtesy of Drew, the Cook Political Index puts it at Democrat +12. Steep. But read on.
Ladd Ehlinger, Jr. made an ad for his PAC, Turn Right USA, which called attention to Janice Hahn's involvement as a city councilwoman in paying gang members some kind of money for "gang intervention." That is, supposedly, gangbangers were being paid by the city to... um, tell other gangbangers that the gangbanging lifestyle just wasn't cool? Or something?
Several convicted gangsters, including a bank robber, list their occupation as a "gang intervention" specialist, paid by Janice Hahn. Behind her back, the gangsters laugh at her, but do enjoy the free money.
Pressed on this, she says these guys may have been part of the problem in the past, but are now "part of the solution."
One gangster on the payroll was shot and killed. Janice Hahn spoke at his funeral, praising him as "working for peace." However, the gangster was actually reported as saying he had "no idea" of what it was, exactly, he was supposed to be doing to earn city money.
Ladd's ad has been derided as "racist" because it features "steroetypical behavior by rap performers" and gangster posturing.
However, check this actual news report, via American Power, and note that Ladd's ad basically just mimics the actual video put out by one gangbanger on Janice Hahn's payoff list, one "Bow Wow," who praises the gangster life in rapper style.
Worth watching in full. It's long, but it's one of those "I can't believe this shit" type things.
One of the gangsters on Hahn's payoff list took his crew to a... waterpark, as part of his gang outreach efforts. I mean, that's not so bad, until you remember -- the city is paying for this crap.
That's the context for the video. Another bit of context is the rappers here are actually real rappers -- Ladd didn't write this song. They did. They just modified it a little for this ad. And Ladd tells me that their actual original song is now getting a little radio play in L.A. more...
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— DrewM The headline is a bit of snark because the whole piece is by Jose Antonio Vargas, who was sent to the US illegally as a kid and did live 'in the shadows' but got tired of it.
It's the usual tale of woe and unfairness by some over achiever who is supposed to represent the norm. Seriously, if you ever listen to Harry Reid or Dick Durbin shilling for the DREAM Act you'd think that every valedictorian in American is an illegal alien. or war hero. Anyway, this particular poster child for the horrors of immigration rules is now a reporter, writer and filmmaker.
His tale begins in the early 90s when he arrived here from the Philippines via a smuggler.
I grew more aware of anti-immigrant sentiments and stereotypes: they donÂ’t want to assimilate, they are a drain on society. TheyÂ’re not talking about me, I would tell myself. I have something to contribute....After I arrived in America, Lolo obtained a new fake Filipino passport, in my real name this time, adorned with a fake student visa, in addition to the fraudulent green card.
Using the fake passport, we went to the local Social Security Administration office and applied for a Social Security number and card. It was, I remember, a quick visit. When the card came in the mail, it had my full, real name, but it also clearly stated: “Valid for work only with I.N.S. authorization.”
When I began looking for work, a short time after the D.M.V. incident, my grandfather and I took the Social Security card to Kinko’s, where he covered the “I.N.S. authorization” text with a sliver of white tape. We then made photocopies of the card. At a glance, at least, the copies would look like copies of a regular, unrestricted Social Security card.
...For more than a decade of getting part-time and full-time jobs, employers have rarely asked to check my original Social Security card. When they did, I showed the photocopied version, which they accepted. Over time, I also began checking the citizenship box on my federal I-9 employment eligibility forms. (Claiming full citizenship was actually easier than declaring permanent resident “green card” status, which would have required me to provide an alien registration number.)
This deceit never got easier. The more I did it, the more I felt like an impostor, the more guilt I carried — and the more I worried that I would get caught. But I kept doing it. I needed to live and survive on my own, and I decided this was the way.
So far his "contributions" are to engage in identity fraud. On behalf of all Americans...um, thanks.
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— CAC Cat people- satisfied.
Dog people- confused.
Me- tired and going to sleep.
You- snark away: more...
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— andy They said if I voted for McCain, the government would interfere with my fundamental right to choose, and they were right!*
The federal government has a growing interest in the eating habits of Americans for the same reason it has an interest in tobacco consumption, said Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.The reason is money, because three-quarters of medical-spending is driven by chronic diseases, such as obesity and tobacco-related diseases, she said.
I mean really. Who could have seen this one coming?
The Dems got their holy grail of socialized medicine, and you, citizen subject, have been summarily reduced to a number on a spreadsheet.
When we conservatives opposing Obamacare made the point that socialized medicine fundamentally altered the relationship between citizen and state, this is what we meant.
* As always, thanks to Instapundit. He should get royalties.
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— CAC Courtesy Bloomberg News, the latest poll on the President, the economy, and his re-election chances show a solid base of support for President Obama, so I suppose we might as well accept the media meme that it is safer to bet on his re-election than on his defeat:
more...
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— Dave in Texas Because four minutes will put you in a coma.
If you got less that 6 hours of sleep last night, I suggest you skip this video. more...
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— Gabriel Malor If the moon were made of cheese, would you eat it?
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June 21, 2011
— Ace The whole post-WeinerGate drama may finally be ending.
A hot chick and a dog, to keep your patience with this convoluted story.
This hot chick is actually part of this story. Sort of.
Her picture was lifted to use as a fake picture on a Twitter account.
More at Verum Serum.
All Right, A Recap: Before the dic-pic, two accounts, purportedly created by teenagers, attempted to attract the attention of Weiner. He wound up following them both, and they followed him.
When you heard allusions to Weiner following underage girls, these were two of the girls meant. (A third girl, who we call "Ethel," is quite real and is 17. The cops visited her home two weeks ago. She is not part of this Betty and Veronica thing at all.)
We have called these two "Betty" and "Veronica" to protect their identities, as they are minors.
However, it is now clear they are not minors, or, if they're minors, they're at least not the minors they say they are. They're not real, they're sockpuppets. What similarities the supposed account-holders might have with their online personas is not known. Probably almost none.
The accounts had the names "Nikki Reid" and "Marienela Alecea" or something... something Spanish. I don't know. It's all gibberish to me.
Now, these accounts seemed to be fans of Weiner. However, they also offered information -- vague stuff -- the #bornfree crew, dirt on Weiner, but they never revealed the actual dirt. (To the best of my limited knowledge.)
Post dic-pic, they tried to push claims on Breitbart, too. But Breitbart, for whatever reason, declined to use their claims. He couldn't verify it and besides he didn't need it.
Now, several days later, the people running these accounts agree to talk to Tommy Christopher. They claim that Weiner has never been anything but a gentleman, and the #bornfree crew are big meanies who harass them, and, improbably, that Andrew Breitbart and Dana Loech are the real bad guys here because they attempted to induce the girls to lie and claim that... Weiner was attempting to recruit them for an underage prostitution ring.
The article, with its retraction/correction update, is here.
Although I've gotten into spats with Lee Stranahan on Twitter, he has been dogged in questioning Christopher's reporting, doubting the girls where who they say they were (Content Warning for Profanity-Filled Drama As Christopher Curses at Stranahan for Calling Him Out Publicly).
Tommy Christopher told people that charge on the phone (he never wrote it in a report) and now says that wasn't really the charge, but apparently something at that level of absurdity.
In other words, the accounts sure seemed to be on Team Weiner-- defending him and maybe trying to push a false story on the #bornfree crew, and then Breitbart, to embarrass the right.
Now, flash forward to last Friday. A NYT reporter named Jen Preston checks the drivers licences that the girls faxed to Tommy Christopher to confirm their IDs and discovers they are fraudulent.
Jen Preston says in her article the accounts were created to dig dirt on Weiner, and strongly implies they are part of a right-wing covert action sting against Weiner.
Further, Gennette Cordova has chatted with these accounts. We're not sure of what was said. But she says now (quoted by Jen Preston) that she quickly guessed the accounts were fake and warned Weiner to not communicate with them.
Now, this is interesting to people like me, because at the current moment Jen Preston seems to be going for the "rightwing operative" angle. Not that there's anything wrong with that, necessarily, but I really don't feel like hearing the left whine about Dirty Tricks for twenty fucking years, either.
On the other hand, some people believe the fake accounts were actually created as a leftwing operation to punk #bornfree/Breitbart.
As it is likely the creator of at least one of the accounts (maybe both) will soon be exposed by someone, we should know the answers here soon.
Plus, the father of the girl who created one account -- I guess he's the father, or something, who knows, we don't know who these people are -- is raging against Gennette Cordova for, I'm guessing, throwing his daughter under the NYT bus, and threatens to release emails she sent to him and his daughter. I guess. I don't know because I just heard about the "father's" anger. He's been a mysterious figure throughout this and his Twitter account has always been locked (only people he permits to see it can see it). I have no idea what he's saying, but I guess he's talking to people.
Anyway, it's drama, and it should all be over soon.
My speculation that "someone like Gennette" could be behind the sockpuppets was wrong, I'm pretty sure. At least, it certainly doesn't seem to be someone exactly like Gennette! It's not her.
We'll see if it turns out to be someone like her or not.
Resolved Questions:
* The "girls" here appear to be a complete fiction.
Unresolved Questions:
* What was the motivation of the persons behind the sockpuppets -- rightwing, leftwing, other? To Get Weiner? To Get Bornfree? Gossip? Attention? Getting a juicy story for publication in the media?
* Are Gennette's public representations accurate?
* Jen Preston has been greasing the hell out of her source Gennette, even quoting her in her recent article exposing the "girls" as fake. Is Jen Preston wise to have relied on Gennette? Was Gennette straight with her, or did she lead Jen Preston down a crooked path? Will she soon have to do a Tommy Christopher Walk-Back?
* Does any of this have anything to do with Stranahan's White Whale -- PatriotUSA76? Or is that still just what it seemed to be?
A Question That Seems Resolved:
* None of this actually involves the dic-pic, or the Meghan Broussard dic-pics. Or, so it seems. Weiner confessed to the dic-pic. I suppose it still remains possible that the sockpuppets were created by someone who had heard Meghan Broussard's tale and, knowing about that, tried to catch Weiner. But it must be remembered that even if they did try to catch Weiner -- they failed. None of this actually has anything to do with Weiner's guilt.
It's really just about the weird, cloak-and-dagger games partisans play on the internet.
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— Maetenloch Why Joe McCarthy Hated ItÂ’s a Wonderful Life
Okay McCarthy was paranoid and a jerk - but maybe not all wrong on this on this particular issue.
Apparently he thought the movie was too critical of capitalism and sicced the FBI on the movie and the director:
So, what made Senator McCarthy so angry? The part involving the maligning of fat-cat banker and slumlord Henry Potter. While Bailey (who lends money to the working poor) is the movieÂ’s hero, Henry Potter (who focuses on the financial bottom line alone) is the villain. According to the FBIÂ’s memo, portraying a capitalist in such a negative light was a classic communist trick.
Of course given the recent sub-prime loan debacle the overall moral of the movie isn't as clear-cut as it used to be. In retrospect Mr. Potter was right about mortgage requirements and George Bailey was a nice, well-meaning fool.
Meanwhile, opinions about Henry PotterÂ’s character have changed over the years. In light of the housing-market crisis, the fiscally responsible banker may not have been such a bad guy after all [Ed - well apart from the outright thievery]. The loans that he tried to prevent George Bailey from handing out were essentially subprime mortgages. Mr. Potter may have just been trying to stop the poor citizens of Bedford Falls from over-leveraging themselves. WhoÂ’s the evil capitalist now?And if you let quasi-government institutions take away all the risk from Bailey and the Building and Loan, why you can could nearly bring down the entire real estate industry.
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