International Scandal Revealed: Bristol Palin Fixes Strand of Sarah Palin’s Hair

Patterico's Pontifications  "If the media was unfair to Sarah Palin, it must show that Sarah Palin was being a big huge jerk to the media. Because, why else would the media be unfair to Sarah Palin??
"Here’s the problem. The sleuths at Free Republic figured out, based on clothing, that the “hairdresser” was Sarah’s daughter Bristol."....

"...That’s right: Bristol Palin was the hairdresser, simply fixing an out of place strand of hair on her mom’s head.

Which, of course, the photographer would have known. But deliberately chose not to reveal.

What media bias?"

The Ethanol Idiocy that Will Not Die

National Review  "In his wisdom, the Goracle recently acknowledged what almost all disinterested observers concluded long ago: Ethanol is a fraud. It has no environmental benefits, and harmful side effects. The subsidies that support its use are an object lesson in the incorrigibility of Washington’s gross special-interest politics. It is the monster that ate America’s corn crop."....
"But who cares about the facts? Once we have fired up a vast machine that from cornfield to distilleries produces 38 million gallons of ethanol a day, it will be nearly impossible to turn it off. Too many people will have a vested interest in continuing the scam, and its supporters — like Harkin and Grassley now — will always argue that any change is too disruptive. We’ll still be mandating ethanol long after the internal-combustion engine is obsolete"

Press releases are more informative than diplomatic cables in the Arab world.

Daniel Pipes "It’s intuitive to privilege the confidential over the overt and the private over the public. However, Middle East politics repeatedly shows that one does better reading press releases and listening to speeches than relying on diplomatic cables. Confidential views may be more heartfelt but, as Dalia Dassa Kaye of the Rand Corporation notes, “what Arab leaders say to U.S. officials and what they might do may not always track.” The masses hear policies; high-ranking Westerners hear seduction." National Review

On the Court, Leftist Justice vs. the Rule of Law

Pajamas Media  "Elections do indeed have consequences, and Justice Breyer has done a public service in revealing America’s future should Barack Obama or anyone remotely like him be able to shift the balance of the Supreme Court away from the rule of law to the whims of “progressive” men."

Another Victory on the Road to Repeal (Updated)

Heritage  "But whether or not courts will invalidate just Obamacare’s individual mandate is rapidly becoming irrelevant. Obamacare simply may not survive that long. It is already collapsing under its own financial and bureaucratic weight. Just last week, Congress voted to stop reductions in Medicare payments to doctors by raiding future revenues from Obamacare’s insurance subsidy program. The number of waivers the Obama Administration has to grant from Obamacare’s unworkable regulations grows each day. Doctors are telling pollsters they will leave the medical profession in droves if Obamacare is implemented as planned by 2014. And according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll Obamacare is now more unpopular than ever, with only 43 percent approving the law and 52 percent opposed."

Obamacare Ruled Unconstitutional; Americans Favor Repeal Almost 2 to 1  "The Times writes that the ruling, which the Obama administration will of course appeal, is "striking given that only nine months ago, prominent law professors were dismissing the constitutional claims as just north of frivolous." In this way, yesterday's ruling further highlights the gap between the views of elites and those of everyday Americans on the impending fate of Obamacare."

Why Not Soak the Rich?

Victor Davis Hanson  "If we prefer high rates, we will see either more tax avoidance or a certain reluctance to work an extra day, buy new equipment, or hire a new employee — given that any additional income will be mostly eaten up in taxes. Those who make over $250,000 are those who would be more likely to hire new employees, and they usually can do it far more efficiently than the federal government."

Are We Too Dependent on Rich Taxpayers?. "In 2005, the richest 13.5% of California taxpayers (or those earning more than $100,000) paid 83% of all income taxes. Capital gains from the top 5% of taxpayers accounted for $100 billion out of the $111 billion in total capital gains reported.
"“Those revenues rise and fall dramatically with the stock market, resulting in California’s unstable and volatile revenue stream,” the state Controller wrote.
"Why is this a problem?
"Some might say fairness. Conservatives are frequently arguing that it’s not “fair” that the top 1% pay more taxes than the bottom 90%." Hat tip to Neal Boortz.

Agency decides it can't afford to stay in S.F.

SFGate  "After almost 100 years, the State Compensation Insurance Fund is pulling 755 of its 830 jobs out of town, having determined that San Francisco is just too expensive - and its workforce too dumb - for the agency to continue doing most of its business here.
"Workers called to a recent meeting at the Herbst Theatre were told that 293 jobs will move to Pleasanton, 422 to Vacaville and 40 to Sacramento, with 75 employees remaining in the city."
The fruits of liberalism, er, progressivism.

Katie versus Condee: no contest

American Thinker  Katie Couric versus Condoleeza Rice. Wow. Rarely is an intellectual shellacking so thorough as what happened when these ladies went high-heel to high-heel over the intelligence behind the deposing of Saddam"....
"It also recalls this from Ronald Reagan: "The trouble with our liberals(sic) friends is not so much that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn't so." "

What Communism Feels Like

Warning Signs  "Recently I received an email and requested permission to share it. It says a great deal about the danger of a government inclined to ignore the Constitution. December 15th is Bill of Rights Day; time to read them if you have not done so already."....

....I was born, raised, and grew up in Communist Poland. I presently reside in the USA since June 1983. I love the country and love Americans. Every time the national anthem is played I tear up with happiness to be lucky enough to live in The Greatest Country on Earth!!
What I see happening all around us is very troubling, since Obama's election and the great number of people looking forward to change and hope to get us on track to build a better tomorrow. The light at the end of a tunnel, however, has turned out to be a TRAIN!!....

Posted by Alan Caruba, Warning Signs blog

Mike Ramirez cartoon, via Warning Signs

FLASHBACK: When Asked Where the Constitution Authorizes Congress to Order Americans To Buy Health Insurance, Pelosi Says: 'Are You Serious?' 

"CNSNews.com originally published this story in which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed the question of whether Obamacare was constitutional on Oct. 22, 2009"

Rich Terrell Cartoon

http://terrellaftermath.com/   

U.S. Health-Care Law's Insurance Requirement Struck Down in Virginia Suit

Bloomberg  “At its core, this dispute is not simply about regulating the business of insurance -- or crafting a scheme of universal health insurance coverage -- it’s about an individual’s right to choose to participate,” wrote Hudson, who was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002.*"....

"To overcome that conclusion, the Obama administration ultimately may have to persuade at least one of the five Republican-appointed justices on a Supreme Court that in recent years has limited Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce."

* Emphasis added. You knew they would throw this in, didn't you?

Holder and Sebelius trot out the auto-insurance canard  "You have to feel for the editors of the Washington Post.  The day after a federal judge rules ObamaCare’s mandate unconstitutional, they get an opportunity to let the woman who runs it and the man who directed its defense publish an essay rebutting the critics dancing on the mandate’s grave.  Once the editors receive it, though, they see that the argument relies on a canard that has been thoroughly debunked for months — and renders the entire exercise useless.  Do the editors kill the celebrity column, or run with it and hope no one notices? Guess:"  CNN photo.

Individual mandate not easily fixable "But here's the tricky part: Justice Elena Kagan, having served in the Obama Justice Department, is surely to recuse herself. With the "liberals" one judge down, even a Kennedy vote to uphold the individual mandate would presumably result in a 4-4 tie. And guess what? If there is a tie, the lower ruling stands. In other words, this is really bad for ObamaCare advcoates." Emphasis added. The Klein article Rubin refers to is next:

Is the Hudson ruling good news for health reform?"Hudson ruled against the government, but he didn't stop it (you can read the full opinion here.). He refused the plaintiff's request for an injunction against the legislation's continued implementation. The construction of the bill's infrastructure will continue. And second, he refused to overrule anything but the individual mandate itself."

Holbrooke's death leaves major void in Obama's Afghan strategy

Washington Post "The death of Richard C. Holbrooke, who directed the civilian side of the war in Afghanistan, leaves a major void in what has always been the most difficult and vulnerable aspect of President Obama's strategy."

ABC News  "Family members said his last words before he headed into surgery were: "You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan," according to the Washington Post."

U.S. special envoy for Pakistan Richard Holbrooke visits Pakistani children who survived floods and live in a camp set up for displaced people in the Makli area of Sindh province (File). From VOA News

West Bank Shows There Is a Military Solution to Terror  "The “expert” report Max cited yesterday, which declared Afghanistan unwinnable even while acknowledging progress in the war, reflects a broader problem: the claim that “there is no military solution to terror” has become virtually unchallenged dogma among Western intelligentsia. Yet as Israel’s experience in the West Bank shows, terrorist organizations can be defeated — if their opponents are willing to invest the requisite time and resources."