The Next Time Liberals Tell You Conservatives Control the Media...

Just point them to the past week of coverage, when a lunatic kills six people and shoots a Congresswoman in the head, and Sarah Palin and talk radio are blamed immediately.

Words fail me to describe the unmittigated gaul of the leftwing fringe--hell, everyone to the left of Sean Hannity--to lecture the public on the ills of conservative opinion. WTF is wrong with these people?

Why Don't We Just Start Branding People?

A new Texas law proposal would require people convicted of animal cruelty register with the state like sex offenders must.

"A predator is a predator, if it's against a human or it's against an animal," said Alexander, who in 2007 put muscle behind toughening Texas' animal-cruelty law.

I'm not advocating animal cruelty or sexual deviancy, but where does this sort of thing end? We've already had people placed on sex offender lists for hugging students and talking to children in public places, not to mention people placed on sex offender registries because of data processing errors. And being convicted of a sexual offense could be as simple as urinating in public. Will the same thing follow with animal cruelty offenders?

Americans are shocked at the barbarity of certain Middle Eastern regimes when it comes to crime. But once you start registering people for peeing in public, barring them from certain professions and living in certain places, how far-fetched does physical punishment sound?

Obama's Justice Department Quick to Launch Probe on Oil Spill, Slow to Launch Probe on Sestak Job Offer

Is it just me, or does it seem like the Obama administration is moving very fast to launch a Justice Department investigation of the gulf oil spill, but dragging its feet regarding Joe Sestak's claim that the White House offered him a job to drop out of the Senate race against Arlen Specter?

Hmm. The oil spill's been going less than 40 days and it gets an investigation. Joe Sestake first claimed the White House offered him a job in February, yet there's no investigation of what would clearly be a violation of federal law.

Nah, no conflict there, right?

Worse than Murderers

It's no secret that I find the current obsession with sex offenders to be overblown and dangerous. I've documented various cases where people have been falsely branded sex offenders because of errors or hysteria. This includes going to jail for hugging a student.

Now, add a new twist: being branded a sex offender because a virus on your computer pulled up porn.

A months-long investigation by the Associated Press (AP) found cases in which innocent people have been branded as pedophiles after their co-workers or loved ones stumbled upon child porn placed on a PC through a virus.

Being branded a sex offender is worse than being a murderer these days, and there's a much higher chance of false arrest.

Health Care News Round-Up

Bunches of interesting stuffs here.

--Nancy Pelosi pushes for vote on Pelosicare Thursday. I call it "Pelosicare," since it doesn't really seem to be what we will end up with, other than taxpayer-funded abortions, huge tax increases, and cuts in the care you can get. This is even taking into account the CBO estimates that the bill would cut the deficit (by not providing any benefits for the first three years, then steamrolling in the costs for the last seven), a dubious claim, at best.

--William Kristol argues that Pelosi may fail.

First of all, the new Rasmussen survey finds 42 percent favoring the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats -- down a bit from a week ago. 54 percent of the public is opposed. 23 percent of all voters strongly support the plan, with 44 percent strongly opposed.

Second, there are elections tomorrow. In Virginia and New Jersey, the Democratic candidates for governor will run 15 to 20 points behind Obama’s showing a year ago (in 2008 Obama won Virginia by six, New Jersey by 16). This is a pretty stunning one-year swing in two not-insignificant states. And many of the voters who are swinging are similar to voters who live in the competitive congressional districts Democrats picked up in 2006 and 2008.

So Virginia and New Jersey alone could give a fair number of Democratic congressmen reason to pause before they walk the plank in the House for Nancy Pelosi's health care plan.

Elections tomorrow play a big role in how moderate Democrats will approach Pelosi's plan. If Republicans (and I'm including Hoffman in that) win all three races, I can't imagine moderate Dems jumping into Pelosi's meat grinder. The writing on the wall will be plain to them.

--Ezra Klein points out that the difference in health care costs between the U.S. and other countries is because we pay more per unit. But Klein doesn't go into an important component of why our care costs so much more: consumers rarely know what the cost of each treatment, drug or procedure is. Why? Because the doctor or hospital talks to the insurer (be it private or government) and then patients get the bill for what the insurer doesn't pay. So the patient never sees the actual cost.

Here's a real world example. My husband attended a company meeting today where the CEO discussed a variety of things, including the fact that health care reform is necessary. At this company, which is pretty large, the costs of insurance have risen 10% for several years. And why are the prices going up? Because, as the CEO put it, we demand more and never check the prices. He said he'd had some numbness in his hand and went to the doctor, who did an electrical pulse procedure on it. When he went to pay for the visit, the person at the desk said, "That will be $25."

"How much does that procedure really cost?" he asked.

"$25."

"No, really. Not my co-pay. What is the cost of that procedure?"

"$2,300."

The man was astounded. He said if he'd known it would cost $2,300 for the procedure, he would have lived with the numbness. But how many procedures do we all have done without knowing the costs or, really, having much choice in what we pay?

--Orrin Hatch says Obamacare will destroy the two-party system.

Hatch asserted that the health bills, which he believes represent a "step-by-step approach to socialized medicine," will lead to Americans' dependence on Democrats for their health and other issues.

"And if they get there, of course, you're going to have a very rough time having a two-party system in this country, because almost everybody's going to say, 'All we ever were, all we ever are, all we ever hope to be depends on the Democratic Party,' " Hatch said during an interview with the conservative CNSNews.com.

"That's their goal," Hatch added. "That's what keeps Democrats in power."

Hatch is correct that handing out the goodies is what keeps Democrats in power. That's why they like pointing to popular programs like school lunches, Social Security and Medicare. What they don't want to point to is that dependence on the government is no more freedom than any other tyranny. It's a soft boot on your face as opposed to a spiked one.

--More food for thought about closing the deficit. Top earners would pay 95.2%. Even the bottom sixth would pay more than a quarter of their earnings in wages. I don't see anyone proposing this any time soon.

--Even if Obamacare fails--and the closer we get to 2010 without a law, the better that prospect looks-- Democrats can cheer each other for enacting important legislation that makes killing a person for being a woman less of a hate crime than killing the same woman for being a lesbian.

Overcriminalization

Something both the Left and the Right should be able to agree on is the overcriminalization of essentially unknowing or careless acts.

Kathy and George Norris lived under the specter of a covert government investigation for almost six months before the government unsealed a secret indictment and revealed why the Fish and Wildlife Service had treated their family home as if it were a training base for suspected terrorists. Orchids.

That's right. Orchids.

By March 2004, federal prosecutors were well on their way to turning 66-year-old retiree George Norris into an inmate in a federal penitentiary - based on his home-based business of cultivating, importing and selling orchids...

Mr. Norris ended up spending almost two years in prison because he didn't have the proper paperwork for some of the many orchids he imported. The orchids were all legal - but Mr. Norris and the overseas shippers who had packaged the flowers had failed to properly navigate the many, often irrational, paperwork requirements the U.S. imposed when it implemented an arcane international treaty's new restrictions on trade in flowers and other flora.

The judge who sentenced Mr. Norris had some advice for him and his wife: "Life sometimes presents us with lemons." Their job was, yes, to "turn lemons into lemonade."

The judge apparently failed to appreciate how difficult it is to run a successful lemonade stand when you're an elderly diabetic with coronary complications, arthritis and Parkinson's disease serving time in a federal penitentiary. If only Mr. Norris had been a Libyan terrorist, maybe some European official at least would have weighed in on his behalf to secure a health-based mercy release.

Those on the Left often complain that George W. Bush "shredded the Constitution" after 9/11, but the U.S. government has been actively expanding its power to snoop, inspect, and pry into Americans' lives without warrants or cause for most of the last 30 years. The first excuse was the War on Drugs, allowing police officers to search cars for ordinary traffic stops, hold suspects until the suspect defecated, snooped into homes with infrared cameras and more. After 9/11, the government used terrorist attacks as the latest excuse for more snooping, spying and surveilling.

Now, we're faced with more than simply snooping and spying. The article cited cases of ordinary citizens making simple mistakes--inappropriate paperwork or failure to place a sticker on a UPS package--to lock those citizens away in federal penitentiaries for years.

It's one thing when people knowingly and willfully commit crimes. But the activities discussed in this article and by the House Judiciary committee on overcriminalization simply do not rise to the same levels. These are crimes based on vague laws written intentionally without specifics. Such cases are shameful.

Media Matters: We Defend School Officials Who Don't Protect Your Children

It's kind of pathetic watching Media Matters try so hard to protect liberals that they are now forced to defend Kevin Jennings, the Obama "school safety czar" who didn't worry about children's safety when it came to them having sex with adults.

This post practically cackles with glee at the idea that the student involved was 16 (not 15) and therefore of legal age to have bathroom sex with adults!

As Dan Riehl points out, it wasn't a "relationship," as MM tries to pretend it was.

It was a one night stand in a men's restroom after which it seems the older man didn't return the student's phone calls. Whether the student was straight or gay, does anyone really believe that a 15, or 16 year old student involved in restroom sex with total strangers is the bar we want to set for safe and acceptable behavior in our public schools? Give me a break. Media Matters might have done better to not engage this issue at all.

Indeed. Teachers have an obligation to report cases of suspected abuse, and Jennings was told it was "unethical" not to. What teacher would not understand that bathroom sex between a student--even a 16-year-old student--and an adult is not appropriate and should be taken to the authorities? It's not like teenagers have great problem-solving skills in the first place, but parents expect teachers to act in loco parentis--even with their 16-year-olds.

Even Jon Stewart Gets It

Via Hot Air comes Jon Stewart's monologue ripping the MSM for ignoring the ACORN story for so long.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Audacity of Hos
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You Can't Make This Stuff Up

Transsexual prisoner wins move to women's jail.

A transsexual prisoner serving life for manslaughter and attempted rape committed while she was a man has won a high court battle to be transferred to a women's jail...

The judge said the refusal was a violation of her human rights. He said: "I declare her continued detention in a male prison is in breach of her rights under Article 8 [right to private and family life] under the European Convention on Human Rights."

This Is What a Threat Looks Like

Blogger Surrenders on Lawmaker-Threat Charge

A New Jersey blogger who urged readers to "take up arms" against Connecticut lawmakers and who suggested government officials should "obey the Constitution or die" surrendered Thursday on a charge of inciting violence.

Harold "Hal" Turner, a former radio talk show host from North Bergen who broadcasts commentary on his Web site, was angry over legislation that would have given lay members of Roman Catholic churches in Connecticut more control over their parish's finances. The bill, brought by state Sen. Andrew McDonald and Rep. Michael Lawlor, was withdrawn in March.

Turner was charged by Capitol Police in Connecticut with inciting injury to persons or property, and released after posting bond. He is due in court June 22.

On June 2, Turner wrote on his blog, turnerradionetwork.blogspot.com, that Catholics should "take up arms and put down this tyranny by force," and promised to post the lawmakers' home addresses.

"It is our intent to forment direct action against these individuals personally," Turner wrote. "These beastly government officials should be made an example of as a warning to others in government: Obey the Constitution or die."

This is considerably different from, say, the arguments against Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly, neither of whom endorsed killing people. Sadly, I can't say the same for liberal bloggers.

Abortion Doctor Gunned Down at Church

Expect all pro-lifers to be tarred by the evil act of one man.

The gunman, Scott Roeder, was a member of the Freemen, a radical anti-government group. He was convicted in 1996 on possession of bomb parts.

Other expectations:

1. All pro-lifers will be proclaimed happy Dr. George Tiller is dead, regardless of their statements.

2. The report on "rightwing extremism" to be cited many times.

3. All pro-life protests only lack the will to be this violent.

4. All tea party supporters will be proclaimed violent.

My condolences to Tiller's family, and particularly his wife, who was singing in the choir when the event occurred. I cannot imagine anything worse than watching your spouse gunned down in cold blood.

Good video here (excluding the first part, since we know who did this now):



Typical moonbat responsehere.

H/T: Jill Stanek.

UPDATE: Another view on Tiller's murder.

UPDATE x2: An analysis that should make both sides uncomfortable.

While the shooters in such cases obviously ought to be arrested and tried, it's less clear what the responsibility is of anyone who believes that Dr. Tiller was not just a murderer but an especially heinous one. The reality is that in past incidents killers of abortionists have not so much been acting from considered moral positions but out of insanity, like John Salvi, and/or, have been so indiscriminate as to threaten the innocent themselves, as Eric Rudolph. Were we on the juries considering what to do with such actors it would be a simple enough matter to determine that they needed to be locked away.

Suppose though a Valkyrie scenario, where a decent man or men, for noble motives, acted so as to stop an evil man and try to save lives? Wouldn't we be obligated to act as nullifying jurors refusing to vote for a conviction?

And given the very real possibility that the climate of violence against abortion providers had a salutary effect on the willingness to provide the procedure can the life-saving component of such violent acts be dismissed out of hand?

Ideas, as conservatives are fond of noting, have consequences, and we need to be honest about confronting the consequences of our own even if the Left won't do likewise. Dr. Tiller believed some of us should be killed for the good of others. It is quite possible that he died today because someone agreed with him on the principle, but differed on the application. His is a death that raises difficult questions for all of us.

Not Right Wing Extremist Added to FBI Most Wanted List

We hear so much about right wing extremists--abortion doctor murderers, church shooters, etc.--but I wonder if we'll be hearing much about this.

A fugitive animal rights activist believed to be hiding outside the United States has become the first domestic terror suspect named to the FBI's list of "Most Wanted" terrorists.

Daniel Andreas San Diego, a 31-year-old computer specialist from Berkeley, Calif., is wanted for the 2003 bombings of two corporate offices in California.

At least it wasn't an abortion clinic. Then it would be a big deal.

Woman Listed as Sex Offender for Five Years Because of Data Processing Error

Luckily for her, DPS says it's sorry.

The Texas Department of Public Safety apologized Friday and accepted blame for mistakenly posting a Dallas woman's name and photo on the state's sex offender Web site for nearly five years.

"After investigating the facts in this case, it is clear that a data entry error at DPS led to this mistake," said DPS spokesman Tom Vinger. "DPS deeply regrets the error and apologizes for any inconvenience."

The woman, Rachel Marquez, 20, of Dallas, said she's glad DPS admitted its mistake...

Marquez learned she was on the list when she tried to move into a new apartment. Managers denied her application and informed her she was a registered sex offender.

Marquez logged on to the Web site to see for herself.

"My heart just dropped," she said. "How could this be me?"

The problem apparently stemmed from a minor trespassing arrest in 2003 when she was 13 years old. A data entry operator at DPS mistakenly checked the "sex offender" box on her entry, automatically publishing her information on the sex offender registry, Vinger said.

"Just someone clicked the wrong thing and it happened," she said. "That's crazy, that I had to be the one, you know?"

Given the severe consequences for being branded a sex offender, including restrictions on residence and employment, Marquez should sue the state for everything it can get.

This is just another example of the abusive nature--and inaccuracy--of the sex offender registry. One error can scar a person for life.

UPDATE: Excellent article on the case against adolescence. Teenagers may not have the same judgment as adults, but they need experience to teach them how to be adults.

Fighting Crime by Fining the Victims

Via Lone Star Times, comes this object lesson:

A Dallas woman acted fast after hearing someone try to break into her home.

She pushed the panic button on her security alarm.

The police came, even made an arrest, so why was she charged a false alarm fine?

Jill Frederick lives alone. She's been burglarized twice. So when a stranger banged on her door at 11 p.m., she hit the panic button on her alarm.

"I thought if I wait one more second, then this guy is coming in. I just did the thing I thought would make them respond fastest," she said.

The panic button triggered what police call a "code 3 call." Officers use their lights and sirens. They got there in six minutes. The man was still there and was drunk so they arrested him.

"To me, that's what a panic button is for," said Frederick.

But a few weeks later, Frederick got a $100 fine for a false alarm.

Jill Frederick said she would do the same thing next time. Police told her there wasn't really an offense, since the man didn't actually try to break in.

"I think that's not right and I don't think anyone should have to pay a $100 to have the police come out and arrest somebody," said Frederick.

Dallas police say there's a city ordinance that allows them to fine people who use their panic buttons in non-emergency situations.

"We encourage people to use their panic alarm where there really is an emergency when there is an offense going down when someone is kicking in, coming in or trying to get into the house," said Lt. Chris Aulbaugh from Dallas police.

DPD says instead of pushing the panic button, Frederick should have called 911.

So, you've been victimized twice, a guy bangs on your door in the dead of night and you're supposed to hope the 911 operator sends someone out? And what's this about waiting till the guy is in the house before hitting the panic button in an apartment?

Even if the police got there in six minutes with the panic alarm, this woman could have been dead or seriously injured if she had to wait till he crossed the threshhold before hitting the button.

If a panic button isn't for people in bad areas of town to avoid becoming victims, what is it for?

FBI Nabs Illinois Governor Blagojevich

The Pandagonistas really twitched and screamed when I talked about Obama's rise to power through the "Chicago Machine." There were even threats of violence against me if I went to Chicago because of it. But the facts are the facts and Chicago specifically and Illinois in general is a corrupt and Democratic cesspool. The arrest of Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich just confirms that.

The dirty details:

Blagojevich and Harris were accused of a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy that included Blagojevich conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for financial benefits for the governor and his wife. The governor was also accused of obtaining campaign contributions in exchange for other official actions.

Anyone who has read any of the books out on Barack Obama knows about the shady politics practiced in Illinois (remember, Obama has said that if you can win, you should win). This news is unsurprising, really.

And the reaction from the moonbats is also unsurprising.

One thing’s for sure, the Justice Department moves very quickly and efficiently when members of the opposing party are being investigated. Certainly a lot faster than they nab crooked private contractors in Iraq.

Yes, because it's ok as long as he's a Democrat crook.

My Thoughts and Prayers Are With Mike G. and His Family

Dana has a post up linking to a post by Jeromy Brown at Iowa Liberal that fellow blogger Mike Ganzeveld was mugged this weekend at a cash machine in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

From Jeromy's post:

I’ll try to do some more blogging this weekend while Mike recovers from a crazed attack by a bunch of disgruntled rightwing bloggers who were screaming, “Long live Sarah Palin!” They broke his hand and mashed up his face pretty well, but Mike managed to kill one and maim the genitals of another. He would have maimed the genitals of both, but as you already know one out of two rightwing bloggers are eunuchs.

The crazy thing is that only the part about the broken hand and the face is true, and it was a mugging at a cash machine in Fort Dodge, Iowa, folks. Fort Dodge. I blame the rap music. Okay, actually I mean Dana Pico blames the rap music. Let’s all hope for a speedy recovery and nice strong pain pills to tide him over in the meantime.

Dana's snarky response was awesome:

And, feeling some snarkiness license thanks to Mr Brown’s post, I’d point out the old maxim that a conservative is a liberal who’s been mugged. I’m looking forward to Mike joining the staff of CSPT as soon as his hand heals!

I was upset by the news of this crime. I don't see eye to eye with Mike on everything, but I have enjoyed reading his posts and his comments always keep me on my toes. The blogosphere has its share of nutty, bad behavior, but rarely does it compare to real life. This is a reminder of the dangerous society we live in, even in places we don't think of as being unsafe. I mean, Fort Dodge, Iowa?

Here's praying for a speedy recovery for Mike and, as Dana has said, that the criminals are quickly caught, prosecuted, and jailed for this.

Shop Til You Drop?

This is why I don't shop on Black Friday.

Sounds Oddly Familiar

I read about the verdict in this cyber-bullying case,

A Los Angeles federal jury today convicted a Missouri mother of misdemeanor charges in the nationally watched MySpace cyber-bullying case involving the suicide of a 13-year-old girl. But the jury rejected more serious felony charges against Lori Drew.

Drew, 49, was accused of violating federal computer statutes and one count of conspiracy for creating the MySpace account in the name of a fictitious 16-year-old boy and using it to engage in an online relationship with 13-year-old Megan Meier.

Meier, of Dardenne Prairie, Mo., hanged herself Oct. 16, 2006, after the fictitious boy, “Josh Evans,” told her the world would be a better place without her, prosecutors alleged.

and thought of a comment made by Jeromy Brown at this post:

to be honest, too deranged and dishonest to continue besmirching the Earth’s good soil and air with your existence

I have to admit that when Jeromy wrote that, I was shocked. Not because of the stupidity behind such hyperbole, but because it wouldn't occur to most people to write things like that, particularly over political disagreement.

Fortunately, I'm not a 16-year-old who doesn't realize there are lots of sadistic people out there in the world who like to hide behind the anonymity of the internet to say things that would get them, at the very least, a punch in the nose in real life. The slap on the wrist Drew received is outrageous.

I've seen a lot of bizarre things in the 10 years I've been trolling around the internet. I've always found it amazing the way people see anonymity as permission to behave in the most horrible fashion possible, usually over things that are not all that important. There are untold numbers of women bloggers, for example, who have been threatened with violence of every sort, and have been called crybabies or victims for pointing out the despicable nature of such acts. But these comments aren't acceptable in a civilized society, and most people recognize that.

Of course, there are whiners who behave as though such cyberbullying is directed only at them for saying unpopular things. Unfortunately, it's becoming de rigeur on the internet, so it does lose its potency after, say, the 500th attack of this nature. But even so, the Drew case should make people aware that these words, which would be actionable if said or written in real life, should not be tolerated in cyberspace.

That 50 Miles Makes a Huge Difference

In crime rate rankings, that is.

CITIES OF 500,000 OR MORE POPULATION (33 CITIES)

Lowest Crime Rate

1. Honolulu, HI

2. New York, NY

3. El Paso, TX

4. San Jose, CA

5. Austin, TX

6. San Diego, CA

7. Seattle, WA

8. Los Angeles, CA

9. San Antonio, TX

10. Fort Worth, TX

Ranking Highest Crime Rate Ranking

1. Detroit, MI

2. Baltimore, MD

3. Memphis, TN

4. Washington, DC

5. Philadelphia, PA

6. Milwaukee, WI

7. Indianapolis, IN

8. Dallas, TX

9. Columbus, OH

10. Houston, TX

Notice that New Orleans, even smaller, is still the worst. Hmm.