Dan Savage bullies student audience

Not news: Dan Savage speaks vulgar and bullies student audience.

News: Dan Savage was paid to teach against bullying.

Addressing a national conference of high-school journalists, Savage was calling the Bible bull**** repeatedly. Students started to leave. So he called them pansyasses. When the adult presenter calls 17-year-old students names isn't that bullying?

The Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association paid Savage to address the students. Didn't they know what they were getting? We did.

Fox News

“You can tell the Bible guys in the hall they can come back now because I’m done beating up the Bible,” Savage said as other students hollered and cheered. “It’s funny as someone who is on the receiving end of beatings that are justified by the Bible how pansy-assed people react when you push back.”

There were responsible adults present:

Rick Tuttle, the journalism advisor for Sutter Union High School in California, was among several thousand people in the audience. He said they thought the speech was one thing – but it turned into something else. 

“I thought this would be about anti-bullying,” Tuttle told Fox news. “It turned into a pointed attack on Christian beliefs.” Tuttle said a number of his students were offended by Savage’s remarks – and some decided to leave the auditorium. 

“It became hostile,” he said. “It felt hostile as we were sitting in the audience – especially towards Christians who espouse beliefs that he was literally taking on.”
Tuttle said the speech was laced with vulgarities and “sexual innuendo not appropriate for this age group.” At one point, he said Savage told the teenagers about how good his partner looked in a Speedo.

Obama campaign absurdly cites Bin Laden attack

A president who can run on his record talks about his record. If not he talks about anything else.

If he has an absurd argument he sends out Robert Gibbs to make it. Gibbs is following VP Biden's line that the attack on Osama bin Laden was the bravest decision made by an executive in decades… He claims that Mitt Romney would not have made the decision to shoot. This is Baghdad Bob logic… and Robert Gibbs logic.

Washington Times

Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican and Mr. Obama’s challenger in the 2008 presidential race, called the Democrats’ strategy “shameless” and blasted the campaign video as “a cheap political attack ad.” 

“This is the same president who said, after bin Laden was dead, that we shouldn’t ‘spike the ball’ after the touchdown. And now Barack Obama is not only trying to score political points by invoking Osama bin Laden, he is doing a shameless end-zone dance to help himself get re-elected...

Even liberal mainstay Arianna Huffington says Obama should not make politics on this. CBS News

"I don't think there should be an ad about that," Huffington said Monday on "CBS This Morning." "I think it's one thing to celebrate the fact that they did such a great job (with television specials). All that is perfectly legitimate. But to turn it into a campaign ad is one of the most despicable things you can do."

And we forgot... VP Biden was against the attack. ABC News

Candidate Inslee gives campaign cash to family

Jay Inslee had cash left over after he ran for governor of Washington in 1996. So he gave refunds to himself and family members but no one else. How about returning the hard-earned money to strangers he asked to help him? Didn't think of it, eh?

Legal - yes. Self seeking - yes.

Has he changed?

Seattle Times

Chuck Colson RIP

Chuck Colson died Saturday. He went from the height of success in President Nixon's White House senior staff to ignominy and prison. He experienced conversion to Christianity and did not fight charges, cooperated with the prosecution and pled guilty.

Then with quiet compassion he went back into the prisons to bring hope to millions and improved lives to hundreds of thousands - over 35 years! Townhall 

Prison Fellowship 

Colson was also at the forefront of the dialog of Christianity's role in our society. He was a master communicator on these issues. 

Breakpoint

The photo: Colson in his White House years from Wikipedia.

Daring raid on Tokyo 70 years ago

The US Army Air Corps stunned imperial Japan less than six months after Pearl Harbor by sending ten bombers that bombed Tokyo. It was a great morale boost for the US and our allies. And it forced Japan to station air craft for homeland defense that they intended to use for attacking the Solomon Islands. And to maintain a larger defense perimeter until the next raid on Japan over two years later.

It was daring to launch land-based aircraft from a carrier. They were modified for extended range and intended to land in China. But they launched early too far out because the carrier encountered a Japanese fishing boat that might report their presence.

Of 80 men three died when bailing out, several were executed by Japan, at least one died of malnutrition while a prisoner. The only plane that landed did so in Russia and all were taken prisoner. All received honors. Five are still alive! Kudos to these heroes.

Doolittle Raid Site

Think about tax increases this week

Getting your tax return ready for April 17? Waiting for your refund? Senator Murray and Senator Cantwell are following Senator Harry Reid. They refuse to write a budget - for the third year in a row - in violation of  Congressional Budget Act of 1974. This week, instead of doing this required work, they are making politics with tax increases.

Yes, they want you to think about tax increases while you are suffering from the complexities in the tax laws - complexity that they have sustained and increased.

The US already has a Buffett rule. The Alternate Minimum tax was instituted in 1969 (modified 1982) because - guess - some high-income people were paying little to no federal income tax. Don't our senators know our current tax laws? Senator Murray 

And where is the tax return for Warren Buffet's secretary? And for Buffet? How can we make policy without seeing the basic data? Warren has a sound bite, but how can we check its validity?

Repairman forced to join Antarctic expedition

A New Zealand repair man is on his way to Antarctica after a renegade Norwegian yachtsman set sail unaware he was still on board. Unaware? I think he knew and didn't care. Telegraph UK

The marine mechanic was reportedly working on an anchor aboard the 52ft Nilaya in Auckland harbour, when the yacht hurriedly cast off as immigration officials tried to serve deportation papers on the skipper, Jarle Andhoy, 34. Mr Andhoy and three crew members have embarked on an unpermitted voyage to Antarctica's Ross Sea, in defiance of both the Norwegian and New Zealand governments. 

A previous trip he made to Antarctica almost a year ago ended in disaster when his yacht Berserk sank in a fierce storm and three men died. 

Declaring himself "a Viking", the Norwegian adventurer says he is seeking the wreckage of the Berserk, which was serving as a supply ship for an attempt to reach the South Pole on quad bikes. 

New Zealand authorities, who co-ordinated an extensive search and rescue operation last year in which Mr Andhoy and a companion were airlifted to safety, are furious about his return voyage. They are trying to track down the Nilaya. 

Mr Andhoy told the Norwegian public broadcasting service NRK that the presence on board of the unnamed New Zealander was not part of his plan, but was the result of "a hectic departure" from Auckland last week. He said it was "a somewhat tricky situation" because the man did not have a passport or papers with him. 

But Mr Andhoy insisted: "Everything is on schedule and the atmosphere is good on board. "We are well prepared for what may befall us." 

The broadcaster reported him as saying that the Nilaya was not carrying a locator beacon so it would not put rescue services at risk.

Did the expedition leader make sure the workman he kidnapped has adequate clothing? Did he increase provisions for an additional person? He doesn't care.

60 years for the B-52

The Boeing B-52 first flew on April 15, 1952. It entered line service in ___; the last one left the production line in October, 1962. And it is still in service and will be for a long time. There are families with three generations of B-52 pilots - example in the quote below.

DEW Line blog at Flight Global

The US Air Force's Global Strike Command is planning on commemorating the 60th anniversary of the first flight of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress on 15 April. The original event happened on 15 April, 1952, when the YB-52 prototype took to the air over Seattle, Washington. 

Anyways, the B-52 has been in the USAF fleet for so long that there are quite literally generations who have flown the type. One such example is the 23rd Bomb Squadron's 1st Lt Daniel Welch, who is stationed at Minot AFB, North Dakota. His dad and grandfather both flew the eight-engine bomber. 

There is a joke in the USAF that when any given newer type of bomber is retired to the "Boneyard", the last crew who drops off that aircraft to Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona will be picked up in a B-52. And there is more than a grain of truth to that...
The B-52 has outlived all of its would be replacements. Remember the B-58 Hustler Mach 2+ bomber? Gone. XB-70--it's in a museum in Ohio. FB-111? Those are rotting away in the desert somewhere. And probably so will the B-1 and B-2 when it comes to their turn... (Don't have a crystal ball, just willing to make that bet) 

The USAF is working on a new stealth bomber under a new program called the Long Range Strike-Bomber... 

The Global Strike Command has put together a timeline:
April 15, 1952 - The first flight of the YB-52 Stratofortress will be commemorated with a long-duration flight from AFGSC Headquarters at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. 

[June, 1955 Entered service at Castle Air Force Base, California Wikipedia] 

Oct. 26, 1962 - Strategic Air Command received the last B-52 from production line. 

June 18, 1965 - Operation Arc Light - The first use of the B-52D Stratofortress as a conventional bomber from bases in the U.S. to Guam to support ground combat operations in Vietnam. 

May 10 through Oct. 23, 1972 - Operation Linebacker - Linebacker was the first continuous bombing effort conducted against North Vietnam since the bombing halt instituted by President Lyndon B. Johnson in November 1968. 

Dec. 18 through 29, 1972 - Operation Linebacker II - This operation saw the largest heavy bomber strikes launched by the U.S. Air Force since the end of World War II. 

Aug. 2, 1994 - B-52's first round-the-world bombing mission.

Jay Carney can't say

Jay Carney just can't admit the truth. The attack on Ann Romney was from the White House. The spear carrier Hilary Rosen works for Obama.

Mediate

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney appeared to attempt to dodge a question from a reporter on Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen who made news last night when she said Mitt Romney’s wife Ann Romney had not “worked a day in her life.” Carney’s initial response to the question was “I know three, personally, women named Hilary Rosen.”

Was he saying he knows nothing about her? White House records show that Hilary Rosen has been signed into the White House 35 times. He didn't know that. Yeah! He just knows that he sees her there all the time. By comparison General Petraeus has been there nine times.

Michelle Malkin is having fun with this. She is showing the White House entry log entries. Most of the Hilary Rosen entries say “Hilary B. Rosen”.

Jay?

Unscripted glance into North Korea

North Korea limits all visitors to its Potemkin city - well maintained areas of Pyong Yang. Areas that are well lit at night while the rest of the city - and county - are dark. But three buses carrying journalists made a wrong turn so several dozen outsiders got a glimpse.

Associated Press

The press bus took a wrong turn Thursday. And suddenly, everything changed in the official showcase of North Korean achievement. 

A cloud of brown dust swirled down deeply potholed streets, past concrete apartment buildings crumbling at the edges. Old people trudged along the sidewalk, some with handmade backpacks crafted from canvas bags. Two men in wheelchairs waited at a bus stop. There were stores with no lights, and side roads so battered they were more dirt than pavement. 

"Perhaps this is an incorrect road?" mumbled one of the North Korean minders, well-dressed government officials who restrict reporters to meticulously staged presentations that inevitably center on praise for the three generations of Kim family who have ruled this country since 1948. 

So as cameras madly clicked, the drivers of the three buses quickly backed up in the narrow streets and headed back toward the intended destination: a spotlessly clean, brightly-lit, extensively marbled and nearly empty building  

Dark North Korea vs. a tiny bit of light

Is reality the cluster of tall buildings within view of the main foreigners' hotel, where long strings of bright, colored lights are switched on when the sun goes down, illuminating entire blocks like some gargantuan Christmas decoration? Or is it the vast stretches of Pyongyang, by far the most developed city in impoverished North Korea, that go deathly dark at night?

Books to lend; one to give

I have two interesting books I want to lend to someone who will read them.

Land of Lincoln by Andrew Ferguson, 2007, autographed. 

What is Lincoln's place in our lives today? Ferguson has a life-long interest. He hit the road to the three places Lincoln lived, talked to memorabilia collectors and witnessed at least one conference of Lincoln fans - lots of impersonators of all sizes! 

Mao, the unknown story by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday, 2005.

A long, thorough, footnoted history book which includes interviews with Mao associates who have never before spoken. They show the Long March to be true but mythologized beyond recognition: 

- Chiang Kai Chek's army knew where the originally 80,000 force was - his airplanes circled over every day - and could have stopped them. And Mao invented a battle at the crossing of the Dadu River which journalist Edgar Snow swallowed.

But it is bone chilling to read how evil Mao was. He terrorized every one. Even Chou En Lai, his most loyal sub leader; Mao denied him the medical care he needed after 30 years of loyal service.

AND ONE TO GIVE

A Life Against the Grain: the autobiography of an unconventional economist by Julian L. Simon.

One of my favorite intellectuals. The most effective explainer of the high value of people: ordinary people.

-> Leave a comment or contact me if you know how to.

Green Marin stops Lucas green development

The greenies eat their own… Film legend George Lucas did it right. He was bringing jobs in a green development to Marin County. His neighbors fought him tooth and nail for 25 years. 2,500 acres of green space wasn't enough. High paying jobs? No!

So he will sell the land to developers for more subdivisions. What else did they want? Low-income housing? Got it.

SFO Chronicle

"The level of bitterness and anger expressed by the homeowners in Lucas Valley has convinced us that, even if we were to spend more time and acquire the necessary approvals, we would not be able to maintain a constructive relationship with our neighbors," said a letter to the community from Lucas' Skywalker Properties. "The residents of Lucas Valley have fought this project for 25 years, and enough is enough. Marin is a bedroom community and is committed to building subdivisions, not business." 

The letter said Skywalker Properties - tired of constant delays in getting approval for plans despite bending over backward to meet and often exceed environmental demands - will now sell Grady Ranch and build in a place that is more likely to accommodate the company's need to open up shop in 2013. 

… "The land will revert back to its original use for residential housing. We hope we will be able to find a developer who will be interested in low income housing since it is scarce in Marin."

Via American Thinker

Photo at Daily Mail - UK

Muslim Brotherhood collected $1.5 billion from US

Hurry and pay your taxes. Obama spent our money again; this time for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. For… you know… sharia law, "getting rid" of the Coptic Christians… But democracy? They are opposed to that!

Canada Free Press

“Washington, April 5, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)—The White House defended the decision to release USD 1.5 billion in foreign aid to Egypt, on Thursday, following meetings between U.S. officials and lawmakers and representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood in Washington.” 

In his Wednesday CFP report, Hagmann, who described the “Origins of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) as having been founded in Egypt on 30 April, 2011 by the Muslim Brotherhood, “which is the ideological forefather of al Qaeda and Hamas, supporter of Sharia Law, and an advocate of terrorism against Israel and the West”, named names: 

“Abdul Mawgoud Dardery, a VIP of the delegation hosted at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is an outspoken proponent of Sharia law over democracy and openly critical of American business influences in Egypt. In the same USA Today report, Dardery complained that “American non-profit groups were working toward a type of democracy that will not bring Islamists to power, and this is wrong.”

See the February USA Today story.

Updated NBC modified the 911 tape of Trayvon Martin call

I thought Dan Rather worked for CBS: "Fake but accurate." MRC The false news is from NBC this time. Someone at NBC modified the tape of the 911 by George Zimmerman so it says what the editors want it to say. In the NBC version Zimmerman volunteers that Martin is black. And you believe it because you heard the tape.

From Media Research Council:

The story in question was a March 27 Ron Allen report on NBC's 'Today' in which 911 audio was edited to make it sound like George Zimmerman said "he looks black" immediately after saying "this guy looks like he's up to no good."

But Zimmerman was responding to question from the 911 dispatcher when he said his attacker was black. NBC intentionally modified the tape.

In the actual 911 audio, Zimmerman only described Martin's race after the dispatcher asked, "And this guy: is he white, black, or Hispanic?"

Uh, NBC. Why did you change the tape? Aren't you a news organization?

UPDATE: NBC is hiding the producer who doctored the tape. NY Magazine