"Jesus Stomp" Professor on Leave, Becauce You Monsters Threatened Him
— Ace

That's right, he's not been suspended (as the student reporting him was) due to his lesson being almost deliberately crafted to have no legitimate purpose, but because, you see, the University cannot guarantee his safety with you bloodthirsty maniacs lurking about.

FAU instructor Deandre Poole, Ph.D., has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately for safety reasons. As a result of the reaction to a recent exercise in Dr. PooleÂ’s intercultural communications class, the instructorÂ’s personal safety has been compromised.

In addition, this decision will prevent further disruption to the day-to-day operations of Florida Atlantic University.

Sexton adds:

By suggesting that Poole is on leave for his own safety, the school manages to get rid of him while simultaneously making him the victim.

I think that's part of it but not all of it. Being the aggrieved party is only half of the equation; the equation still needs a Designated Villain. Which means you. As usual.

I don't think an argument about the lesson itself would turn out so well for the professor or the local school. The activity seems narrowly crafted to teach only one slender cohort of the populace something about giving up their symbols.

Instead, they resort to what I'm calling the political collateral attack: changing the topic from the terms of actual debate (where they'd lose) to something they're more comfortable arguing. To wit, how awful and monstrous and violent and irrational these right-wing maniacs are, as a personal matter.

Rather than discuss the issue as educated adults with good-faith intents discuss things, they always return to the primitive urge inborn in us, and practiced first as children: Just calling their opponents names.

Hah! mama winger--

I don't get it. The safest place for him to be would be on the college campus. It's a gun free zone, isn't it?

Funny that.

Posted by: Ace at 08:43 AM | Comments (363)
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NYT Reporting: Easter Celebrates Christ's "Resurrection Into Heaven"
— Ace

The report was datelined Vatican City so you'd think the reporter on that beat would at least know the basics of the subject matter.

It's now been corrected:

Correction: April 1, 2013

An earlier version of this article mischaracterized the Christian holiday of Easter. It is the celebration of JesusÂ’s resurrection from the dead, not his resurrection into heaven.

Assault Savior?

Posted by: Ace at 08:11 AM | Comments (242)
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Obama Bricking Basketball's: The NBC Edit
— Ace

wiserbud found this.* more...

Posted by: Ace at 07:43 AM | Comments (140)
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Tuesday Morning News Dump
— Pixy Misa

• Left Wing Terrorist Killed In Drone StrikeGiven Job At Columbia And NYU
  
• NY State Senator And NYC Councilmen Arrested For Trying To Rig NYC Mayor's Race
  
• Ariana Huffington Sued After Trashing Manhattan Loft
  
• Health And Human Services Secretary Doesn't Understand What Insurance Is
  
• Chris Matthews Changes The Definition Of Racism
  
• How America Lost Its Four Great Generals
  
• China Mobilizing Troops And Jets Near Korean Border
  
• SC-1 Runoff Today
  
• Sandra Day O'Connor's Book Is Apparently Awful
  
• Obama's Bad At Basketball
  
• Stockton, CA To Enter Bankruptcy, Largest City To Date
  
• Obama Is A Faithful Man Says Obama's Spiritual Advisor
  
• Chicago Teachers Union Official's Sexually Explicit Language Caught On Tape
  
• This is Probably The Worst Story You'll Ever Read
  
• Today Cyprus, Tomorrow..
  
• Russia's Long Game In The Mediterranean
  
• Smart Developing Economies Dump The Euro
  
• David Lee Roth Insured His Penis
  
• The Syrian Civil War Is A Deadly Affair
  
• Justified At The Crossroads Of Culture
  

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Posted by: Pixy Misa at 05:25 AM | Comments (283)
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Top Headline Comments 4-2-13
— Gabriel Malor

Happy Tuesday.

Allahpundit wrote the post, so now I don't have to. Evangelicals have been telling a story about how they were lukewarm for Romney and would have turned out in greater numbers if only the party had selected a candidate that was stronger on values.

The point of this story -- and, indeed, Huckabee's point in this instance -- is twofold: (1) lay some blame for Romney's defeat; and (2) threaten the GOP with future defeats unless evangelicals' demands are met. The problem with the story (as Allah discusses in some detail) is that it is not true. Evangelicals had a larger share of the vote in 2012 than ever before.

Which brings me to another myth of Election 2012: the claim that the election demonstrated that the GOP needs to change policies to attract new voters. I've been writing since November (see here and here) that the party has a messaging problem, not a policy problem. The chart accompanying the second claim here makes that point.

We're still going round and round about Election 2012, btw, because the first step to solving a problem is to identify the problem.

Some other news, Vermont is the first state to post the prices for insurance bought through its shiny new Obamacare exchange. "[A] family of four with an annual income of $32,000 would end up paying $45 a month out of pocket. A single person with a $40,000 income would pay $317 a month." Taxpayers, you know who's paying the difference.

I made some noise about this news story yesterday on twitter. The claim, made in the headline and repeated in quotes and paraphrases, is that the sequester is delaying cruise ship debarkation and the passengers are really mad about it. Only, if you read the story, you'll note that it is entirely based on hearsay. They "heard" that sequestration has caused the number of CBP officers to be reduced, which is forcing them to stand in line. Who'd they hear it from? Oh, some other people.

Did the reporter bother to ask DHS if the agency had reduced its workforce yet? Of course not, because if the reporter had, the story would have had to explain that sequestration-related furloughs haven't started yet. Oh, and you know what? CBP is now saying it might have no furloughs at all.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 02:54 AM | Comments (420)
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McClatchy: Civil war on the left [Purp]
— Open Blogger

Speaking "Truth to Power", McClatchy peels away the happy talk BS and reports on something I've been saying for a while now -- OFA is essentially Obama's attempt to hijack whatever remains of the traditional Democrat party.

Obama’s new group, [PA: it ain't really "new", its the same old OFA] Organizing for Action, will focus on his policy agenda – not on electing Democratic candidates – by raising unlimited amounts of cash and accessing the president’s secret list of 20 million supporters, volunteers and donors.

The operation wonÂ’t share money, resources or the priceless Obama email list with the Democratic National Committee or campaign committees that help elect members of Congress, governors and legislators. And it has no plans to coordinate efforts, leading some Democrats to worry that it will take money and manpower away from the party as it heads into the 2014 elections for control of Congress.

If they'd had a couple of firing neurons to rub together, this whole cult of personality thing Obama's been working should have been setting off alarm bells among party oriented Dems. Obama is a political creature of a stripe the Dems have never really encountered before in their midst and they assumed he was one of the hive. That was a huge mistake in judgment. Kerry, Hillary, Mondale, Billy Jeff, etc WERE of the hive, this dude, not so much.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 11:51 PM | Comments (52)
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Overnight Open Thread (4-1-2013)
— Maetenloch

The Tennessee-Georgia Cold War About to Go Hot

Forget about tensions in the Korean peninsula - we've got trouble with a capital-T right here in the SEC. For those not up speed I'm talking about the recent recent threats and saber-rattling by Georgia towards its peaceful northern neighbor, Tennessee.

You see Georgia with its megapolis, Atlanta, is fast exceeding its natural water supply and after studying the map has decided that the best solution would be the Tennessee river. But there are two problems with this: 1) the river water belongs to Tennessee (via the TVA) and 2) Tennessee aims to keep it.

But the Peach State wants what it wants, and is prepared to take what it needs - by force if necessary. It's now demanding that Tennessee cede all territory below the 35th parallel.

Last week, the Georgia state senate voted to sue the state of Tennessee in order to claim a sliver of land that would grant Georgia access to the Tennessee River. Georgia, readers must understand, has mismanaged its own water resources to the point where it now struggles to supply enough water for the residents of Atlanta (and its sprawling suburbs and exurbs) to fill their above-ground pools and wash the TruckNutz on their mini-vans. Dangerously, the state is actually seeking to redraw a border that has kept the peace for over 200 years, and all over a crucial resource - a resource belonging, rightfully, to the Tennessee of my ancestors.

Since then tensions have been rising and both TN and GA state guard forces as well SUV-mounted militia have been converging on the disputed region near Chattanooga. Based on reports from truck-stop observers this is the current disposition of forces in the standoff:

 

Meanwhile volunteers in the Volunteer State are volunteering to defend their state against the approaching Peach Horde. A single misunderstood comment or an unexpected NCAA elimination is all it would take to turn this critically tense situation into an actual battle.

 

But Georgia should beware - getting into East Tennessee is a far different thing from holding East Tennessee.

As a soldier, I fought in both Iraq and Afghanistan; as a scholar, I performed most of the fieldwork for my doctoral dissertation in southern Lebanon. Nowhere in the world, though, have I ever encountered a more brutal, tribal and violent race of people than the Scots-Irish of East Tennessee.

...And as either Vegetius or the Carter Sisters once sang, si vis pacem, para bellum. Translated into the Tenneessean: If you're a-lookin' for peace, best get ready for the warrin'.

more...

Posted by: Maetenloch at 06:26 PM | Comments (385)
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Evening Open Thread
— Ace

more...

Posted by: Ace at 03:01 PM | Comments (472)
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Behold The God Who Bricks His Shots
— DrewM

Enjoy.

Posted by: DrewM at 12:53 PM | Comments (509)
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April Fool: Obama Dedicates Month of April to Financial Responsibility
— Ace

But not for the government. For you.

You see, you need a more accurate budget, and the Government Is Here to Help.

What is National Financial Capability Month? It's the federal government helping individuals and families make more accurate budgets.

I don't even know a joke for this situation.

Posted by: Ace at 11:49 AM | Comments (293)
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