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February 2015

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 28, 2015 24 Comments
Gawker Media website Deadspin helped Cory Gardner win the Colorado Senate race, and contributed to Republicans taking the Senate, by botching a gotcha story about Garnder supposedly faking his high school football record. Deadspin was dead wrong, and we said Thanks Deadspin! Now Gawker Media website Jezebel has done the equivalent for Scott Walker. "Senior Reporter" (what could that possible mean at Jezebel?) Natasha Vargas-Cooper thought she had a big, BIG scoop that proved Walker hated women, or something. You see, Walker supposedly didn't want sexual assault statistics reported by the University of Wisconsin because budget cuts would defund such reporting: Jezebel Scott Walker Sexual Assault Reporting Original It was the perfect WAR ON WOMEN narrative. But Vargas-Cooper didn't know the full story, perhaps because she was too busy dancing on Walker's political grave. The Daily Beast then picked up the story, and Scott Walker supposedly hating women spread like wildfire. Turns out the reporting cut was requested by the University of Wisconsin itself because it was redundant of federal reporting it already did -- why spend the money to report the same thing twice? And the world came crashing down on Jezebel and Vargas-Cooper, but she stood strong in the face of the patriarchy:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on February 28, 2015 12 Comments
When it comes to domestic problems, a common joke among my independently minded friends is, "It's all Bush's fault." However, when it comes to problems of a more international scope, the preferred target is the United States. So, when tasked with figuring out what went wrong, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues blamed America first! Despite the fact that there have been regular flare-ups of Ebola in Africa since 1976, and that there is a United Nations group that is tasked "to improve health, particularly among disadvantaged populations", a recent report lays the blame for the spread of the virus at America's doorstep.
The United States fumbled its response to the Ebola epidemic before it even began, neglecting experiments to make vaccines and drugs against the virus, and cutting funding to key public health agencies, a presidential commission said Thursday. Americans focused on their own almost nonexistent risk of catching Ebola from travelers instead of pressing to help the truly affected nations, the scathing report from the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues says. They've been acting against their own best interest, the commission said in its report. "Both justice and prudence demand that we do our part in combating such devastating outbreaks. Once we recognize our humanitarian obligations and the ability of infectious diseases to travel in our interconnected world, we cannot choose between the ethical and the prudential," it reads. "Ethics and enlightened interest converge in calling for our country to address epidemics at their source."

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 28, 2015 7 Comments
Which means Congress gets to have this same fight all over again next week. Joy. The Senate passed a clean funding bill late yesterday afternoon, placing efforts to combat President Obama's executive overreach in a separate piece of legislation. Last night it looked as though a DHS shutdown was imminent. Democratic lawmakers in the House were actively whipping votes against the three week stopgap appropriations bill, resulting in the bill's failure---even though the White House indicated President Obama would've signed the bill to prevent an agency shutdown. The Washington Post reported (emphasis added):
The House passed a measure earlier Friday afternoon to go to conference with the Senate to hash out the differences between their long-term bills. No Democrats voted for it. Senate Democrats oppose a conference. Senate Democratic aides acknowledged that the bill would probably have passed their chamber if it had cleared the House.
Just two hours before the shutdown deadline, Democratic hold outs caved and agreed to pass a temporary funding bill that will only fund the agency for one week. According to USA Today:
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., rallied Democrats to support the one-week extension before funding expired. She said that voting for the seven-day measure would put Democrats on a path toward possible passage next week of a $40 billion spending bill that would fund the agency through the end of September.

Posted by Amy Miller on February 28, 2015 28 Comments
On Thursday, Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas) introduced a bill that would call on the President to honor "American Sniper" Chris Kyle posthumously with the Medal of Honor.
From the Washington Post: “Chris gave the ultimate sacrifice and served his nation with distinction and bravery while saving countless American lives,” said Williams. “There is no doubt that this true American hero is worthy of our nation’s highest military honor. While the Medal of Honor will not bring back a husband, father, son and a model Texan, we owe Chris Kyle and his family a great deal of gratitude for his relentless devotion to his country.” Kyle already is highly decorated for his heroism in combat. He received two prestigious Silver Stars, which are two levels below the Medal of Honor, and five Bronze Stars with V device for valor. Kyle left the military in 2009, and released his memoir “American Sniper” in January 2012. Williams, whose district includes part of the county where Kyle was killed, said in a news release that on a number of occasions, legislation has been introduced to waive restrictions and encourage the president to award the Medal of Honor.
This type of waiver wouldn't be unprecedented, but it is rare---which means that the move by Rep. Williams is causing a hailstorm of controversy not over Kyle's record, but over whether or not the Medal of Honor is the appropriate award to honor Kyle and his family for his service both during and after his time in the military. Some say that this move is being fast tracked because of Kyle's sudden "American Sniper"-fueled popularity, and not by his service overseas. On "Fox and Friends" this week, vets Howard Wasdin and Carl Higbie explained both sides of the debate. Watch:

Posted by Amy Miller on February 28, 2015 8 Comments
Obama knows he's vulnerable on Iran, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's impending visit to the U.S. and Congressional address isn't doing him any favors when it comes to gaining a vote of confidence from lawmakers and other world leaders. The White House expects Netanyahu to hit back against its efforts to strike a nuclear deal with Iran---and they're already rebutting what they anticipate Netanyahu will say:
In a briefing for reporters, senior administration officials contended that even an imperfect agreement that kept Iran’s nuclear efforts frozen for an extended period was preferable to a breakdown in talks that could allow the leadership in Tehran unfettered ability to produce enriched uranium and plutonium. “The alternative to not having a deal is losing inspections,” said one senior official, who would not be quoted by name under conditions that the administration set for the briefing, “and an Iran ever closer to having the fissile material to manufacture a weapon.”
Since House Speaker John Boehner announced the invitation, reactions from Democrats and the White House have unraveled, from boycotts, to snubs, to outlandish statements like one from national security advisor Susan Rice, who said that the address would be "destructive" to the U.S. - Israel relationship. This is nothing new. The tension began the moment Obama took control of the White House.

Posted by Amy Miller on February 28, 2015 6 Comments
This week, the FCC voted 3-2 in favor of implementing net neutrality policies. These rules will prevent internet service providers like Verizon or Comcast from blocking or throttling traffic, ban giving priority to providers who are willing to pay for faster service, and reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service. This means that internet service will now be regulated under stricter, utility-based laws the government currently uses to control wired telephone and other similar services. The pro-NN moves made by the FCC have come under attack from both activists, and members of Congress. A recent poll shows that only 1 in 3 Americans thinks that more regulation will lead to a freer internet. We're looking at one of the most controversial regulatory decisions made in recent years, and still, only about 1/4 of Americans have heard of "net neutrality," and have a basic understanding of how these policies could affect the way they use the internet. This is a problem---but we may have a solution. TomoNews, a Taiwan-based animation firm, has released a (moderately whacked-out) cartoon out that both lampoons the ridiculous moves by the FCC, and educates its audience about what net neutrality could mean for the future of the internet. Watch:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 27, 2015 31 Comments
What a mess this has become. Hell bent on pursuing legislation that would allow for the dissolution of Congressional powers (a.k.a. Obama's Executive immigration overreach), House Democrats refused to pass a short term funding bill for DHS. The bill would've funded DHS through March 19 and prevented an agency shut down. Unless a deal is reached and an appropriations bill is passed by midnight tonight, agency shutdown is imminent. Some 200,000 of DHS's 231,000+ are deemed 'essential' and would remain in place in the event of a shut down (as they did in the shut down of 2013), as NRO noted. Weeks ago, the House passed a DHS appropriations bill that sought to curb Obama's immigration overreach. Since the House bill's passage, Senate Democrats have continually filibustered, thus disallowing any Senate debate on the the House bill. Then, a judge in Texas issued a temporary injunction, preventing implementation of Obama's Executive immigration action; the same executive action Democrats insist on implementing. In an attempt to build a bridge across the impasse, the Senate passed a clean funding bill, creating a separate bill to address the president's Constitutional curb stomp.

Posted by Amy Miller on February 27, 2015 14 Comments
Every year, conservatives waste time and energy debating the point of attending CPAC. We have this obsession with debating why we're all here. Debate? Solidarity? Passing judgment on the presidential prospects? No one really knows. And that's okay. It's okay because, for better or for worse, everyone comes to CPAC for different reasons. Those who don't find much relevance tucked within the many layers of the conference have stopped attending; those who enjoy attending speeches sit in the ballroom and listen to speeches; up and comers who need a leg up take every opportunity to network (and rub elbows at the bar.) I've previously said that we're already well into the 2016 election cycle; gatherings like CPAC throw into full relief the fractured nature of the conservative movement, and the Republican party at large. Walking around, I've run into tea partiers, libertarians, establishment Republicans, college Republicans, disaffected Republicans, and everyone in between---but I'm still not sure the various factions of whatever sort of gathering this is truly recognize the nature of the movement they're a part of. Republicans' greatest challenge in 2016 will be controlling the narrative---on both sides of the aisle. The reality of the situation is that we will never come to a consensus about "what it means to be a conservative." We will never be able to float, vet, and select a candidate that makes everyone happy. We will never stop disagreeing about which leg of the three-legged stool should or should not be sacrificed when push comes to shove during an election cycle. Rinse and repeat. It's never going to happen.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on February 27, 2015 39 Comments
America has lost one of its most iconic actors. Leonard Nimoy is dead at age 83.
Leonard Nimoy, best known for playing the role of Spock in the "Star Trek" movies and television series has died at age 83, his rep confirmed to FOX411. Nimoy was taken to the hospital earlier this week and treated for lung disease. His son told the Associated Press he died in Los Angeles. The actor wrote on Twitter last month that he suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, despite quitting smoking 30 years ago. On Sunday, he tweeted: "A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. "

Posted by David Gerstman on February 27, 2015 16 Comments
Yesterday's New York Times editorial on the emerging nuclear deal between the West and Iran is completely delusional. I will try to tackle the editorial's arguments in the order of ridiculousness, from most to least:
Critics of any deal — including those in Congress, such as Senator Mark Kirk, a Republican of Illinois, and Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat of New Jersey; and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel — demand complete dismantlement of Iran’s program given the country’s history of lying about its efforts to produce nuclear fuel and pursue other weapons-related activities. But their desired outcome simply cannot be achieved. President George W. Bush wasn’t able to secure that goal in 2003 when Iran had only a few dozen centrifuges, the machines that enrich uranium for nuclear fuel. Now, 12 years later, Iran has an estimated 19,000 centrifuges, not to mention scores of other facilities, including some that have been hardened to withstand a military attack.
Hold on. This is saying that a miscreant gets to determine the level of his punishment. We can't get Iran down to zero centrifuges because Iran refuses to dismantle them. This is just saying we don't have the political will to demand such a result. We haven't been able to secure that result is because we haven't tried. Certainly if we say we're going allow 6,000 or 6,500 centrifuges we're not going to get zero. But given Iran's "history of lying" we also don't know how many undeclared centrifuges it might have either. To give Iran veto power over how many centrifuges it gets to keep operating, considering its "history of lying," means that we'll be enabling it to enrich enough uranium for a nuclear bomb.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on February 27, 2015 4 Comments
On Thursday, I had the pleasure of giving a presentation to House staffers on the BDS movement, and the role Congress legitimately can play in addressing the new form of the century-old Arab boycott of Jews in the land of Israel. I spoke about pending legislation, as well as possible additional legislation. The moderator for my presentation was David Hazony of The Tower Magazine: Back at CPAC, I spent some time on "Radio Row," where many high profile radio talk shows have set up booths. I've been fortunate to interview with several of them, including Larry O'Connor of WMAL in D.C. ...

Posted by Leslie Eastman on February 27, 2015 32 Comments
Islamic terrorists have destroyed more priceless objects of beauty and incomparable historical value, this time in Mosul.
Islamic State thugs have destroyed a collection of priceless statues and sculptures in Iraq dating back thousands of years. Extremists used sledgehammers and power drills to smash ancient artwork as they rampaged through a museum in the northern city of Mosul. Video footage shows a group of bearded men in the Nineveh Museum using tools to wreck 3,000-year-old statues after pushing them over.
The pieces in the video date to the Assyrian and Akkadian empires. The destruction is being decried by the international community.

Posted by Mike LaChance on February 27, 2015 2 Comments
Getting to CPAC this year was a real challenge. As I was loading my car this morning, I slipped and went down my back steps like a human sled. I barely escaped the snow of my hometown and faced the traffic of Boston. I arrived at Logan airport on time only to find out that my flight was delayed. Once I landed at Reagan, I made the mistake of waiting for a hotel shuttle that never arrived. When I finally gave in and bought a ticket on a generic shuttle, the driver circled the airport half a dozen times looking for passengers to fill the other seats in his van. In spite of all that, I'm glad I'm here. I had a nice dinner with Team Insurrection and then went to Blog Bash where I got to meet some great people. Here are a few photos I took at the party. Mark Hemingway of The Weekly Standard and his wife Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist. See more below.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 26, 2015 17 Comments
It's not everyday llamas make national news. And it's not everyday I have an opportunity to write a headline with about a llama. According to Fox News:
Two escaped llamas sparked a high-speed chase in Sun City, Ariz., this afternoon. Police and residents alike swarmed the black and white llamas in an attempt to capture the two outlaws, who ran through the streets from their attempted captors. The llama drama came to an end after the partners-in-crime were lassoed and caught.

Posted by New Neo on February 26, 2015 76 Comments
Is there anyone who is surprised that the FCC has voted in favor of net neutrality, and that the vote followed party lines? I doubt it. The general trend has been for greater and greater control by agencies in matters that may seem innocuous, technical, and/or unimportant at the time but can have wide-reaching effects, especially when they are followed by ever-expanding restrictions. The net neutrality rules don't sound so bad. And maybe they'll stay that way. But I wouldn't bet a dime on it. Here's the "neutrality" part:
The Federal Communications Commission today voted to enforce net neutrality rules that prevent Internet providers—including cellular carriers—from blocking or throttling traffic or giving priority to Web services in exchange for payment.
Trouble is that it gets the camel's nose in the tent (although actually, I suppose the camel's nose was already in the tent):

Posted by Andrew Branca on February 26, 2015 71 Comments
I suppose it's to be expected that on the third anniversary of Trayvon Martin's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad victim selection day we would get to enjoy a resurgence of the many false narratives surrounding Martin's attack on George Zimmerman, Zimmerman's self-defense, the circus of Sharpton-led protests, the politically-driven prosecution, and the resulting acquittal. Back when this was all going on in real time I had the pleasure of writing several posts that gutted the worst of the memes.  It seems, then, that the most appropriate response to the re-emergence of these lies is to re-post their evidence-and law-based rebuttals. Here I'll just point to the myths I busted at length in my own posts--I'll defer on the other related nonsense, such as the ubiquitous portrayal of the 17-year-old Martin using a picture of him at age 12 (a more age-appropriate "selfie" of Martin is featured above), and the lightening of photos of George Zimmerman to place greater emphasis on the "white" rather than the "Hispanic." I don't have time to cover all of the carefully orchestrated falsehoods perpetrated by those who wished to put an innocent Zimmerman in prison for the rest of his life--there were easily dozens of these lies--but here's an afternoon's worth of enjoyable myth-busting reading.
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