An Interesting Prosecution

National Review "Yesterday, the Chronicle of Higher Ed reported that a local district attorney charged eleven University of California students with misdemeanors for disrupting Israeli ambassador Michael Oren’s speech at UC-Irvine last February."....
  "If a student believes they’ve been sexually assaulted, they should call the police, not their R.A. And if protestors rush a stage or commit misdemeanor civil disobedience, then they should answer primarily to law enforcement, not a student disciplinary committee. University students are just as much a part of the local community as any “townie,” and they should be subject to the same local justice."

UC Irvine students, local muslims and supporters, many with mouths taped rallied outside the Orange County District Attorney's office Feb. 1, 2011. They protested potential criminal charges against UCI Muslim student union members arrested last February after disrupting a speech in by the Israeli Ambassador to the United States. The sign says, "Stand with the 11."

Rather ironic photo from the OC Register, don't you think?



Unbiasing Academia

ThreeStooges.net

Megan McArdle in The Atlantic  "Meanwhile, liberals, who are usually quick to assume that underrepresentation represents some form of discrimination--structural or personal--suddenly become, as Haidt notes, fierce critics of the notion that numerical representation means anything.  Moreover, they start generating explanations for the disparity that sound suspiciously like some old reactionary explaining that blacks don't really want to go into management because they're much happier without all the responsibility."....
"Trying to be more conscious of one's own bias, and even to attempt to work against it, should not be such a hard task for people as brilliant, open-minded, and committed to equality and social justice as I keep hearing that liberal academics are. So it doesn't really seem like so much to ask."

Letting PATRIOT Act Provisions Expire Would Be Irresponsible

Heritage Research Report  "With at least 36 known plots foiled since 9/11, the United States continues to face a serious threat of terrorism. As such, national security investigators continue to need these authorities to track down terror leads and dismantle plots before the public is any danger. These three amendments—which have been extensively modified over the years by Congress and now include significant new safeguards, including substantial court oversight—are vital to this success. Congress should not let the sunset provisions expire and should instead seek permanent authorization."

Tea Party Defiance  "...This was the first test of the vote-counting abilities of the House GOP leadership. And either they knew this was going to go down and wanted to make a point, or they were surprised, which means their job in keeping their caucus in line is going to be as tough as the so-called 'Conventional Wisdom' crowd has been predicting."

House rejects measure that would extend key Patriot Act provisions through December  "The measure would have extended three key provisions of the Patriot Act that are set to expire on Monday, Feb. 28, unless Congress moves to reauthorize them. One of the provisions authorizes the FBI to continue using roving wiretaps on surveillance targets; the second allows the government to access "any tangible items," such as library records, in the course of surveillance; and the third is a "lone wolf" provision of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorist Prevention Act that allows for the surveillance of targets who are not connected to an identified terrorist group."

'I Didn't Raise Taxes Once' ; Refreshing the President's memory..

Wall Street Journal  "As for tax increases on individuals, perhaps he forgot the health-care bill's new 0.9 percentage point increase in the Medicare payroll tax for families making over $250,000 and singles over $200,000. That tax increase takes effect in 2013, as will the application of what will be a 3.8% Medicare surtax (up from 2.9% today) to "unearned income" for the first time. This is a tax hike on investment and interest income, which will reduce the incentive to save and invest."

There's this snarky little video done by an amateur.

Change! Feds Are Spying on US Citizens Based on Political Beliefs

Gateway Pundit  "The federal government is now spying on Americans based on their political beliefs. Daily Tech reported:"

The police are watching you. If you’re the wrong religion, they’ll spy on your every move. If you voice the wrong political opinions they’ll be watching you. According to Mike German, a 16-year veteran with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations, this is happening right in the U.S.

But what political beliefs? One commenter writes: (Reproduced as is.)

He never states if the “religious” targets are Muslim extremists or Christians.He never revels(sic) the political leanings,are they progressive,communists socialists or what?
"I mean in some cases,I think the FBI has to do what it has to do."

Another:

But you know that’s not who Obama’s cronies are watching. They are watching conservative and libertarians, Christians, anti-abortion groups, the Tea Party groups, anyone who is opposed to the continuing growth of government and the continuing restrictions on American rights.

We must consider the pattern of this administration. Who would Bill Ayers, Rev. Wright and Bernie Sanders most dislike?

Offshore Drilling and the Federal Deficit

Heritage "“The administration’s energy policy has clearly stifled Louisiana’s coastal economy, and now all American taxpayers could seriously pay the price by having to foot the bill for breach of contracts caused directly by the Interior Department’s actions,” Vitter said. “The Obama administration has made a real mess of the permitting process, and companies can’t just keep waiting around for Interior to meet their contractual obligations. And quite frankly, it’s hard to blame them for suing.”"

Even PolitiFact Admits: President Obama Raised Taxes  "This Sunday while defending charges that he was a “man who wants to redistribute wealth,” President Barack Obama told Fox News‘ Bill O’Reilly: “I didn’t raise taxes once.” As PolitiFact points out, not only is this completely false, but President Obama began raising taxes almost immediately upon taking office:"...

Obamacare taxes listed:

National Marriage Week: It Pays to Get Married, Even in a Recession

The Foundry  "Despite these economic hardships, almost one-third of married Americans who experience some kind of financial stress agree that the strain has led to greater personal commitment to their marriage."

Big Government, Big Business, Big Problem

Heritage  "President Barack Obama spoke to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce yesterday, claiming: “I understand the challenges you face. I understand you are under incredible pressure to cut costs and keep your margins up. I understand the significance of your obligations to your shareholders and the pressures that are created by quarterly reports. I get it.” No. No, he doesn’t."

Here’s a Good Start, Mr. President: 20 Burdensome Regulations  "Recently, Heritage released a list of the top 20 burdensome regulations* that should be immediately eliminated in addition to our annual Red Tape Rising Report, which this year identified 43 new major regulations. From credit card fees to the war on the lightbulb, these reports would excellent resources for an Administration serious about regulatory reform.
"In short, the President faces a choice: he can either continue to talk about tackling regulation or he can actually take concerete steps to free Americans from unnecessary regulations which hamper economic growth."
*Rolling Back Red Tape: 20 Regulations to Eliminate  "Americans are besieged by regulations. At every level, government intrudes into citizens’ lives with a torrent of do’s and don’ts(sic) that place an unsustainable burden on the economy and erode Americans’ most fundamental freedoms."

Bob Englehart: http://www.consumerfreedom.com/cartoons.cfm#cartoon144

Multiculturalism

British PM: Multiculturalism Has Failed  "But, like Cameron, Merkel doesn’t quite get it. Like German President Christian Wulff, as the BBC reported, she believes Islam is as much a “part of Germany” as Christianity. “We should not be a country either which gives the impression to the outside world that those who don't speak German immediately or who were not raised speaking German are not welcome here.”
"That is exactly what Germany has been doing and the reason the left has been pushing multiculturalism, however. And it might the reason at least 30 percent of Germans believe their home has been “overrun by foreigners.”"

Obama DOJ Colluded with ACLU to Attack Arizona’s Immigration Law

Big Government  "These documents, obtained through a June 17, 2010, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, include email exchanges between DOJ officials and ACLU staff. And I think when you read them for yourself you’ll see how difficult it is to tell where the ACLU ends and the DOJ begins.

"For example, check out this July 27, 2010, email exchange between Lucas Guttentag, leader of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project and the DOJ’s Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler:"

Obama’s Reactive Pronouncements in the Middle East Are Not Leadership; They Are Deadly

Big Peace "But [Obama's] comments clearly downplayed the possibility of a Muslim Brotherhood victory indicating some elements of the Brotherhood (in Egypt) were anti-American. If the Muslim Brotherhood has not been forthright with their behavior to this point, what is that gives him any optimism and does he have any right to hang our future sovereignty and security on his personal perceptions?"

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en

Social Scientist Sees Bias Within

NY Times  "He polled his audience at the San Antonio Convention Center, starting by asking how many considered themselves politically liberal. A sea of hands appeared, and Dr. Haidt estimated that liberals made up 80 percent of the 1,000 psychologists in the ballroom. When he asked for centrists and libertarians, he spotted fewer than three dozen hands. And then, when he asked for conservatives, he counted a grand total of three. "