UNFIT FOR PRINT: How the New York Times blew the Van Jones story. “The Times continues to treat communism as a cute campus peccadillo like pot smoking or nude streaking. . . . Being a communist is personal but being the pregnant teen daughter of a vice presidential candidate is public business?”
PROF. JACOBSON: Support Obama On Afghanistan.
‘TWAS ACCOUNTABILITY THAT KILLED THE MSM. The point from Virginia Postrel is amazing.
THIS IS COOL: Armadillo Aerospace Claim Level 2 NGLLC Prize. “Level 2 requires the rocket to fly for 180 seconds before landing precisely on a simulated lunar surface constructed with craters and boulders. The minimum flight times are calculated so that the Level 2 mission closely simulates the power needed to perform a real descent from lunar orbit down to the surface of the Moon. First place is a prize of $1 million while second is $500,000.”
CLEANLINESS IN WASHINGTON PROTESTS: A Comparison.
WHO’S KILLING the electric plane?
REPORTS ON THE QUINCY TEA PARTY from the Quincy News and the Quincy Herald-Whig.
A “PIE EVANGELIST?” That sounds like it would be a pretty easy job. I mean, it’s pie.
BIG MEDIA Ignores ACORN Scandal.
TYLER COWEN ON POLITICIZING THE ECONOMY:
FOR years now, many businesses and individuals in the United States have been relying on the power of government, rather than competition in the marketplace, to increase their wealth. This is politicization of the economy. It made the financial crisis much worse, and the trend is accelerating.
Well before the financial crisis erupted, policy makers treated homeowners as a protected political class and gave mortgage-backed securities privileged regulatory treatment. Furthermore, they allowed and encouraged high leverage and the expectation of bailouts for creditors, which had been practiced numerous times, including the precedent of Long-Term Capital Management in 1998. Without these mistakes, the economy would not have been so invested in leverage and real estate and the financial crisis would have been much milder.
But we are now injecting politics ever more deeply into the American economy, whether it be in finance or in sectors like health care. Not only have we failed to learn from our mistakes, but also we’re repeating them on an ever-larger scale.
Read the whole thing. Then send copies to your Congresspeople. Problem is, to the political class, politicizing the economy isn’t a bug, it’s a feature . . . .
CHARGES OF POLICE VIOLENCE in Berlin.
J. STORRS HALL on terrorism and advanced technology.
THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT: How We Got Here.
FACE-OFF: Obama Administration Stonewalls U.S. Civil Rights Commission on Black Panther Case. “The Justice Department won’t cooperate with an inquiry into why they helped the New Black Panther party avoid the legal consequences of voter intimidation.” You know, this case is a puzzlement. Perhaps there was fear that a prosecution would open up evidence of wider misconduct that would be more politically damaging than this scandal? Because that’s the only thing that makes sense here.
LARRY GELBART has died.
STEPHEN GREEN: the week in blogs.
SUBMARINES: Underwater Lasers Change Everything.
ROGER KIMBALL: Flipping America The Bird.
WOMEN GETTING ECO-FRIENDLY with a hand-cranked vibrator.
RETROFITTING CLASSIC CARS with diesel and electric upgrades.
NOW YOU’RE TALKING: the Boob Czar. “In a move that is being praised by experts, it was announced today that the Boob Czar will also be serving as the Pogo Stick Czar.”
UPDATE: A reader emails: “Now that’s big government I can support!”
IN THE MAIL: From Thad Carhart, Across The Endless River.
QUINCY WRAPUP: I’ve been involved with a lot of events over my life, from civil rights protests to rock concerts to science fiction conventions, and I’ve never been involved with an event that ran with such well-oiled efficiency. I was going to say “ruthless efficiency,” but of course it was cheerful, considerate Midwestern efficiency and not ruthless in the least. The Quincy folks were charming hosts, and threw a dinner party for us last night where all the food was homemade, and delicious.
One interesting note: I’ve said this before, but those in the GOP who think that the Tea Party movement is for their benefit need to think again. Roger Stone spoke, and while nobody had anything against him in particular, several people told me that they thought the GOP was trying to co-opt the Tea Party Movement, and they weren’t happy about that. My advice to the GOP — and, for that matter, to those Democrats who care — is to try to find a way to address the Tea Party crowd’s interests, bearing in mind that if you don’t they’re just as happy to throw Republicans out of office as Democrats.
But it probably doesn’t matter. Based on the level of organization, commitment, and sheer likability I saw this weekend, the folks from Quincy are going to wind up ruling the world anyway . . . .
NORMAN BORLAUG, the man who saved more human lives than any other, has died.
This article by Gregg Easterbrook is worth reading. Borlaug may have saved a billion lives, yet he’s barely known. The lives he saved were poor people, and he saved them with science. Doesn’t fit the narrative.
ON SALE: Automotive Diagnostic Scanners.
UPDATE: Reader Rainer Kissel writes:
Re. the Amazon auto scanner sale: Be advised that these scanners can only monitor those items covered by the OBD II standard, namely those deemed important for emission control.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OBD-II_PIDs
They can not work with the numerous proprietary codes governing transmission, brakes, suspension, climate control and much more.
To get those codes, a scanner tool containing vehicle specific software is needed. Tools like these typically run in the $ thousands range. Then the yearly updates for the new car models cost extra, many hundreds at least.
Often the factory-issue tool/software combo is the only one covering everything. Now we’re talking tens of thousands of $$. Quite an investment. Not practical for most independent shops. One reason they need to charge high hourly rates, something many customers don’t appreciate.
I didn’t know that.
COLOR ME SUSPICIOUS: “The man federal prosecutors pressured to cooperate in the corruption probe of ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich died of an apparent aspirin overdose on Saturday, law enforcement sources said.”
ROGER SIMON: America Goes to Washington: I Was Wrong About The Tea Party Movement. “Boy, was I wrong. I can remember telling Glenn Reynolds during CPAC that these Tea Party demonstrations were rinky-dink and going nowhere. Barely more than a half-year later, they’re putting two million people on the Washington Mall. Wow! If I were Obama & Co., I’d be afraid, I’d be very afraid. . . . Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod are going to be looking at each other like nervous apparatchiks in the Politburo because someone is going to have take the bullet for the disaster they have wrought. Emanuel is looking like a particular dummy right now for opening his mouth about not missing a good crisis.”
UPDATE: “Two million people with jobs.“
GLENN DERENE: Will the Video iPod Nano Kill Off The Flip?
MATT WELCH POSTS a report from today’s Washington march.
Quincy, Illinois.
HOW TO USE MATH to choose a wife.
THE IMPORTANCE OF Bigfoot.
Quincy, Illinois. Taken with the Panasonic Lumix LX-3.
A TURING TEST for computer game bots.
So maybe I was wrong to be so skeptical. But cut it in half and it’s still a huge number. And this is priceless: “Many protesters said they paid their own way to the event – an ethic they believe should be applied to the government.” Why is the British press more honest in its reporting on this stuff than the American press?
Meanwhile, a reader emails: “I’ll tell you what I find impressive. I’m watching the Fox news video about 15 minutes after the end of the event. The crowd has thinned out enough that you can see the ground and there is not a speck of trash on the grass. Absolutely clean. To contrast, google ‘pictures of litter on the mall after the inauguration.’”
AERIAL TIME LAPSE VIDEO of the 9/12 march in DC.
I CAN’T SAY I’M SURPRISED TO HEAR THIS: Early Risers Crash Faster Than People Who Stay Up Late.
THE BOY WHO harnessed the wind.
FROM ED FRANK, VIDEO FROM TODAY’S D.C. TEA PARTY:
STEPHEN GREEN IS continuously updating with reports from DC. He says CNN has estimated the crowd at 2 million. That seems improbably high to me, but hey, what do I know — I’m in Quincy, Illinois. On the other hand, the weather here is a lot better, so maybe I know something . . . .
Meanwhile, Robert Mayer writes: “The crowd surrounds the capitol and extends past the washington monument!” If somebody’s got a link to some reasonably trustworthy estimates of crowd size, please send it. I’m kinda busy doing PJTV stuff here in Quincy and don’t have time to look around.
Andrew Breitbart, speaking in Quincy.
MORE ON THAT bomb threat against the Tea Party organizers in DC.
QUOTING ANDREW SULLIVAN on the importance of administering the law evenhandedly, without favoritism.
Mary Katharine Ham emails this pic from the Newseum balcony in DC.
And Stephen Green is posting reports from the ground.
TRACKING INFECTIOUS DISEASES with an iPhone app.
IN THE MAIL: From Michael Barone, the 2010 edition of The Almanac of American Politics. Likely to be popular with the Tea Party crowd, and those following them.
POLIWOOD: Fonda, Moore and Stone: They’re Back!
ANOTHER TRAFFIC-CAM PIC FROM D.C.:
UPDATE: Reader Debra Fitz writes: “Are you aware that your link to the DC rooftop camera now shows empty streets and a flag at full staff, while your screen shot from awhile ago shows thousands of people and the flag at half staff? What’s going on?” Beats me. Either it’s an old pic now, or the crowd has moved on.
And another reader emails: “Is someone tampering with the DC Traffic Cams? The pictures on Fox News don’t match what is being displayed by the Cams. Could they be running a closed loop from an average Saturday? I can’t find any demonstrations on the Traffic Cams!” I doubt it, but maybe someone can look into things.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader John Coppella writes:
I’ve been watching them all morning. The view from the cam you initially
posted showed a sizable crowd gathering for quite some time (about 2 hours?)
and then it quite clearly began moving toward the Capitol. You could follow
the crowd’s progress very clearly on the other traffic cams positioned along
Pennsylvania Ave. I don’t think there’s any conspiracy or technical
problem — it’s just that everyone’s on the Mall now and you can’t really
see the crowd from that specific camera.
That makes sense.
STRATEGYPAGE: “A major reason for poor morale in the Iraqi security forces (army and police) is the lack of long term medical care for wounded troops. In theory, the Iraqi government is supposed to allow badly wounded soldiers and police to retire on a pension (based on the extent of their injuries), and provide lifelong medical care for service connected injuries. But the government rarely does this, and keeps the wounded men on the payroll, while not providing continuing health care. The injured soldiers end up spending much of their military pay on needed medical care.”
ASK DR. HELEN: Advice to men on dating borderlines, with Randi Kreger, author of Stop Walking on Eggshells.
IT’S EARLY YET, but the Tea Party crowd in DC is already looking pretty big, judging from these traffic cam shots.
UPDATE: A reader sends this Blackberry pic:
MEMORIES PERSIST even when “forgotten.” It’s a retrieval issue, not a storage issue. “Using advanced brain imaging techniques, the scientists discovered that a person’s brain activity while remembering an event is very similar to when it was first experienced, even if specifics can’t be recalled.”
HMM: Pelosi, Dems Bracing For Huge Turnout At Glenn Beck/Tea Party Gathering. Actually, I think they’re floating huge numbers — two million? are you kidding? — so that they can paint it as a disappointment if we see “only” hundreds of thousands.
But no, that can’t be it: “The House leadership memo predicting huge turnout could have been written in hopes that it would leak and inflate expectations for turnout, anticipating that it will fall far short. But Dems on the Hill insist they’re genuinely worried about what tomorrow will bring.” Well, if they insist that they’re genuinely worried . . .
UPDATE: Moe Lane shares my suspicions:
I am certain of three things:
1. The Democrats are trying to manage expectations about today’s DC demonstration by coming up with a number of ‘expected’ protesters that is far above actual expectations;
2. The media will play along;
3. It won’t actually work.
He’ll be there.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Matthias Shapiro writes:
As a numbers guy, I’d like to ask: What numbers you think would constitute success or failure for the Tea Parties?
I think the “2 million” number is hilarious. Do the Dems really think that the Tea Party will be 3 times bigger than the biggest Iraq war protest in the country (Feb 13, 2003) ? A protest whose organizers hired hundred buses across the nation to ship protesters in?
I think that meeting the 200,000 mark would actually mean far bigger things for the Tea Parties than for the Iraq wars. It would mean either 1) a higher percentage of those who disagree showed up (since urban areas tend to lean heavily Democratic and liberal), which means the topic reaches far closer to the middle or 2) more people came in from out of town.
Given that, I think 200,000 is a huge number for a protest. And, if you’re counting protests across the country, I think it the Tea Parties will reach that number and more.
Iagree. Two million would be about double the turnout of Obama’s inauguration. I don’t believe the Dems really expect that.
THE MERCEDES GULLWING flies again.
WHERE UNDERPANTS come from.
SO WHAT AM I DOING FOR SEPT. 11TH? In the past I’ve given shooting lessons to a Marine, and over the years I’ve blogged, not blogged, etc. This year, I’m going to a Tea Party.
UPDATE: Andrew Breitbart, hanging with his homies.
Plus, me with Jim Hoft, Andrew Breitbart, Dana Loesch, and Adrian, whose last name never heard. He came all the way from Texas, though, which is pretty cool.
More pics at Foundingbloggers.com.
REMEMBERING THE 1988 Ford Mustang 5.0.
ACORN: When you expose us, it’s racism!
I suppose it was racism when Acorn fired those people too, then. This whole thing is like a Saturday Night Live skit.
UPDATE: Census Bureau Terminates Relationship With Acorn. So is the Census Bureau racist, too?
TEA PARTY PLANNERS hit with bomb threat.
ANTI-ABORTION PROTESTER shot in Michigan.
TWITTERING while Rome burns.
SOME THOUGHTS ON civility and politics.
MARK TAPSCOTT loves the BMW 335d. “I never thought I would hear myself saying this, but I had a ball driving the 335d in great part because of the spark plug-less powerplant under the hood. I mean for starters, what’s not to love about 265 horsepower from a 3.0 liter twin-turbo inline six?”
JOHN SCALZI ranks Star Trek directors.
FIRST LOOK: Batman / Superman: Public Enemies.
SHIKHA DALMIA: Obama’s Health Plan: Put Up And Shut Up.
PRAISE FOR BING.COM from reader Martin Shoemaker:
Today on Bing (Bing.com), we have:
A photo of the 9-11 Tribute in Light.
A link to information about the Tribute in Light.
A link to construction information about the permanent monument.
A link to information about the history of the World Trade Center.
A link to videos of Philippe Petit’s World Trade Center tightrope walk.Today on Google (www.google.com), it’s just another day. No Google Doodle to remember the attacks.
No surprise there.
UPDATE: Reader Jennifer Ciccarella writes: “Hi Glenn, ask.com also has a beautiful tribute. I have finally decided to delete Google once and for all, and start using bing.com and ask.com.”
There’s a nice one at Dogpile.com, too.
HMM: Judge angered by special treatment for Andrew Sullivan. “Political commentator, author and writer for The Atlantic magazine Andrew M. Sullivan won’t have to face charges stemming from a recent pot bust at the Cape Cod National Seashore — but a federal judge isn’t happy about it.” Interesting who Sullivan’s attorney was. I don’t think anyone should be punished for possessing a bit of pot, but this does sound like there was special treatment. Related thoughts from Jacob Sullum and from Dan Riehl, who notes that at least it wasn’t hard stuff, like No-Doz. Plus, from Stephen Green, “Make point about the media feeding frenzy if, say, George Will had been busted for pot.”
It’s probably also fair to point out that Andrew would no doubt make a big deal out of any special treatment afforded to a member of the Palin family under similar circumstances. . . .
UPDATE: Best take so far: “The Sullivan precedent plus the Charlie Rangel precedent and we live in a free country!” Heh.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Several readers write that this is more evidence that there really are two Americas. And Ron Radosh sees a payback, and strings.
RELEASE THE HOUNDS SOCKPUPPETS!
A READER REQUESTS A LINK TO MY 9/11 BLOGGING FROM EIGHT YEARS AGO. There it is — just keep scrolling up from there.
OMAR FADHIL AND AUSTIN BAY: Iraq Needs A Real Air Force.
ANOTHER ACORN “PIMP” VIDEO — FROM A DIFFERENT OFFICE: “One day after two ACORN officials in Baltimore were fired for offering to help a man and woman posing as a pimp and prostitute to engage in child prostitution and a series of tax crimes, another secretly shot videotape has surfaced that shows the same couple getting similar advice from ACORN officers in Washington. The newly released videotape, shot on July 25, shows ACORN staffers explaining to the pair how they can hide the woman’s professed work — prostitution — and get a loan that will help them establish a brothel. . . . The ACORN employee later suggests that O’Keefe, who said he had a budding political career, not linger at the house in case people ‘put the dots together’ and leave him ‘smeared and tarnished’ by his association with his prostitute girlfriend.” Yeah, those nasty “smears” are something you’ve got to watch out for.
Related: “So, while ACORN wanted people to think that this was some kind of isolated incident, it isn’t.”
UPDATING THE RULES for skin cancer checks.
ANTIOXIDANTS AND CANCER: Have we got it backwards?
LAW REVIEWS charging for submissions? Good luck with that. At least, I’d expect a much higher level of service . . . .
BYRON YORK: Democrats Stifle Republican Health Care Plans.
MAKE HISTORY at Jake Barton’s 911 History memorial site.
WHY MEN LOVE CRAZY WOMEN. I think the answer is #2. A shrink told a male relative of mine once, “Borderlines make great girlfriends, but don’t ever marry one.” Personally, I think they’re overrated as girlfriends, too, but my experience isn’t extensive.
IN THE MAIL: From Ivan Hare and James Weinstein, Extreme Speech and Democracy.
DISASTERS AND RESILIENCE: In my new Popular Mechanics column.
JACOB SULLUM ON FREE SPEECH: What’s so special about paper?
A CLICKABLE MAP of L.A. pot dispensaries. Plus some unsupportive comments from Xeni Jardin: “I live in an LA neighborhood in which there are far more weed dispensaries per square mile than Starbuckses. Almost without exception, the ones around here are shady, creepy and not professionally run. My favorite is either the one where the ‘clinic’ is split into two parts, one of which doles out 420, the other Botox and Juvederm injections (same doctor doing the prescriptions for both, apparently). Or, the other one where bikini-clad, hard-eyed Euro-hos jump right out at you in the street, grab you by the arm, and squeal, ‘Hiyeee! Doo yoo vant to get leeegal?’ No: I want to punch you.”
CHRIS DODD UPDATE: Let’s Get Ready To Rumble. “With Chris Dodd keeping his seat as Senate Banking Committee Chair, the players for the battle royale on regulatory intrusion are set. When not explaining his Countrywide-related actions to the Senate Ethics Committee, the good senator has made good sport out of arguing that when it comes to financial markets, government he knows best.”
DEMS TRY TO SHUT DOWN an anti-Harry Reid PAC. Democracy!
ANDREW KLAVAN ON SEPTEMBER 11TH.
GEE, WHO SHOULD GET CREDIT FOR THAT? In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, New Yorkers imagined a grim future that hasn’t come to pass.
RALPH PETERS on the 9/11 anniversary.
JOHN MCWHORTER: What 9/11 Taught Me About Human Nature.
Taken by my cousin-in-law Brad Rubenstein from his apartment in Manhattan.
And I link to this video tribute from just after the attacks every year. Whoever did it knew that people would tend to forget what had happened, and put it together as a reminder.
RAND SIMBERG AT POPULAR MECHANICS: Risk-Aversion And NASA Don’t Mix: An Augustine Report Analysis.
BILL WHITTLE, SCOTT OTT, STEPHEN GREEN: “Never Forget” Means Never Forgetting.
