MOE LANE LAUGHS AT The CNN estimate of the Searchlight Rally.

JAMES TARANTO: The curious case of John Avlon and the “scary new GOP poll.”

UGLY WHITE HOUSE INFIGHTING OVER ISRAEL, including charges of “dual loyalties” on the part of Dennis Ross. Well, if this is true, it certainly undercuts my earlier hope that there’s some sort of big master plan here involving Iran. . . .

THE MUDVILLE GAZETTE: Obama in Afghanistan.

MORE HORSEPOWER than Tim Blair should be allowed.

SO LAST WEEK READER RYAN BLEEK WROTE, asking what he could do to fight big government plans, given that he lives in an uncompetitive Congressional district. Various readers chimed in. Here’s some advice:

From a reader who asks anonymity:

I would say to Ryan (yesterday, 10:18am) that he needs to volunteer to go door-to-door on a close House campaign during the final weekend before the election, and preferably through election day. Knock on 500 doors a day, be willing to face opponents with good cheer and a smile, get great exercise. Putting feet on the ground en masse is the best way to show that we’re serious about changing our political leadership. I’ve done it four times and it’s often hard but definitely worth it.

It worked for Scott Brown, who got thousands of volunteers coming in this way. Reader Eric Cowperthwaite emails:

I sent email to my two senators in Washington State. This is a fairly blue state and those seats are probably considered “safe” for the Democrats. I think that’s no longer true, but it’s time to make sure they know that. So, I told them that I will be donating money to their opponents, volunteering for their opponents and voting for their opponents. I told them it is because of healthcare reform specifically. And I reminded them that democrats lost in Massachussetts before this bill was passed.

If everyone reading your page who is in “blue” or “purple” territory writes their democratic senator or representative that will send a big message. If half of us follow through, that’s an even bigger message.

Reader George Bednekoff emails: “I would lobby for term limits. Even fairly loose term limits of 12 years for the House and 18 years for the Senate would insure that congressmen in uncompetitive districts would get replaced periodically.”

Lynne Hulbert writes: “Scott Brown had a system where you could make phone calls for him from anywhere in the U.S. using your cell phone, most likely, since most people have free long-distance calling on their cell phones. I did it, and the system worked very well. Judging by the results, that might be one way to help in districts outside your own. I live in Arizona and called for a guy in Massachusetts, so there is no limit.”

And Lynwood Wilson emails: “Campaign against your local Congress critter regardless. Donate to his opponents. Even if he wins in spite of your efforts the strength of the opposition may worry him and affect his votes. And you might beat him. Who expected us to win Kennedy’s seat (sic) in Mass.?”

Another reader emails: “I live within 100 miles of a Dem congressman’s district in my state. He voted against the bill. BUT…before the vote I called his office and informed them I will contribute to his opponent if the Democrats pass this. AND I told them I will drive the 1 1/2 hours to help his opponent knock on doors, stuff envelopes, answer phones, get out the vote….whatever it takes to defeat him. As a clincher, I told them I am unemployed thanks to his party’s policies. I’ll have plenty of time to devote to his opponent.”

I think the most important lesson is to stay engaged, and don’t be silenced.

UH OH: Greenspan Calls Treasury Yields ‘Canary in the Mine.’

Related: Poor Demand For US Treasury Bills Because of Obamacare.

JUST SAW OBAMA’S SPEECH TO THE TROOPS AT BAGRAM: One of his better performances, really.

RON RADOSH: The MSM Gang-up On Israel: Now it’s David Remnick and Joe Klein.

RANDY BARNETT has an email exchange on liberty and federalism.

VIDEO: Erick Erickson on CNN.

CATO: Your medical records aren’t secure.

Well, your student loan records aren’t looking very safe . . . .

PRESS WARS: RUPERT MURDOCH impugns “Pinch” Sulzberger’s masculinity.

A FULL-SERVICE BLOG: Reader Dave Daniels emails: “Glenn, some time ago on your blog you recommended buying a wet vac for the home. Well, I bought one, and thank you thank you thank you. It really saved my ass today. Just thought you’d like to know. :-)”

Yeah, that was in this post. And the vac I bought came in handy more recently. I was also glad I had a tarp. Don’t ask . . . .

UPDATE: Reader Larry Moore writes:

You got that one right, Glenn. Last week my folks’ water heater went out, it had a leak. (They’re in their 80′s.) So I arranged a good plumber guy I know to come by and change it out when he got off work at 4. I got off work at 4:30 so I thought I’d mosey by and see how things were going. When I walked in, the bottom had just burst loose and water was flowing everywhere! So I drove to my house across the pea field, got my vac and it saved the day. Damned good thing to have.

Yep.

MARKDOWNS ON anime movies and TV shows.

Take that, Rep. Nick “more than two nukes” Levasseur!

INDEED. GOP Politicians Must be Held to Their Promises on Limited Government.

ETHICS QUESTIONS FOR MOTORHEADS: When is it okay to tear up a junkyard car to get your part?

POLITICAL WIRE: Where’s Obama’s Bump in the Polls?

Last year, former President Clinton told Political Wire that “the minute health care reform passed, President Obama’s approval ratings would go up 10 points.”

However, the Gallup daily tracking poll still shows Obama’s approval rate at 48%, essentially unchanged.

Oops. Listening to Bill may have been a mistake . . . .

UPDATE: Double-oops. That’s yesterday’s poll. Today he’s dropped two more points.

HOW LONDON’S PIRATE RADIO keeps hidden.

IN RUSSIAN CITY, thousands protest against Putin.

UPDATE: A reader emails: “Or, using CNN’s numbers, ‘dozens protest against Putin!’”

MICKEY KAUS BEWARE: Barbara Boxer’s secret weapon: Danny DeVito.

HEY, WAIT, I THOUGHT POLITICIANS ALWAYS EXEMPTED THEMSELVES: A tax on clowns.

WHO’S YOUR ICON? J.J. Abrams vs. Joss Whedon.

FROM STEPHEN GREEN, it’s The Week In Blogs.

JOHN SCALZI answers your questions.

HMM: Microbes thrive in harsh, Mars-like lakes.

Life not only survives but thrives in Australian lakes where conditions may be as harsh as those on ancient Mars, a new DNA analysis suggests.

Minerals on Mars studied by the NASA rovers suggest water once flowed on the planet’s surface, but was very salty and acidic, raising doubts about whether it could have supported life.

But in 2007, Melanie Mormile of Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla and colleagues cultured a bacterium from water sampled from one of several salty, acidic lakes in Western Australia.

Of course, the only way to be sure is to look. But personally, I hope there’s no life on Mars.

THE RISE OF quantum-dot camera phones.

THE AR-15 MARKET, not actually near “collapse.” It would be more accurate to say that the Obama-election sales bubble has burst.

MICHAEL YON POSTS SOME COOL PICS FROM AFGHANISTAN, and reports: “A scent of weakness is in the air. The Taliban remain deadly and capable – yet they seem to be losing the initiative. ‘Shaping Operations’ are underway. Special Operations Forces are picking off and collecting key Taliban leaders. With our increase in troops, the Taliban must spend more time on self-defence, deducting from their capacity for offensive operations.” Remember that he’s supported by reader donations, so if you like his work, consider donating. I’ve done so in the past, and just donated again.

UTILITIES: Security problems with “smart” meters. “Smart meters have security flaws that could let hackers tamper with the power grid, opening the door for attackers to jack up strangers’ power bills, remotely turn someone else’s power on and off, or even allow attackers to get into the utilities’ computer networks to steal data or stage bigger attacks on the grid.”

THE TIMING APPEARS CONVENIENT: FBI stages domestic raids.

UPDATE: Thoughts from Dan Riehl. Helping law enforcement with searches? I didn’t realize the Michigan Militia was still around.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Lawprof Tom Smith senses a media spin campaign: “Just wait for the MSM to associate them with ‘tea baggers’ and anybody not wild about health care. It could be something else but it looks like a plausible rumor at this stage. I am not hopeful that any distinctions will be made by our opinion leaders between those who think the Illuminati and the Joooz are running the world and those who think we should not create a debt that is half the size of our GDP. I hope the FBI understands the difference.”

MORE: According to this report, it’s got nothing to do with the Michigan Militia: “The group Hutaree, which has absolutely no connection to the Michigan Militia at all, has gotten into some serious trouble. From what my source has told me, this group was actually making threats towards Islamic groups.” Well, stay tuned. As has been noted here before, early reports on stuff like this are often wrong.

BRAIN REPAIR with cell therapy. Faster, please.

OBAMA MAKES SURPRISE VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN: Well, Bush did it when he was underwater in the polls, so I guess it makes sense. My advice to Obama: If you pass out any food, be sure to take a bite on camera, or some idiot will claim it was plastic.

ARE ELECTRIC CARS FOR GEEKS?

Well, this one certainly is.

IN THE MAIL: Reality Marketing Revolution: Transform Your Small Business Into a Money Making Machine!

POLL: Majority Says Tea Party More in Touch With Reality Than Congress. “The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of U.S. voters believe the average member of the Tea Party movement has a better understanding of the issues facing America today than the average member of Congress. Only 30% believe that those in Congress have a better understanding of the key issues facing the nation.” If this poll holds up, expect another U-turn on Tea Party-bashing.

UPDATE: Related: WaPo poll: Even with skewed sample, ObamaCare not getting any more popular.

Plus this: ‘Interestingly, Obama’s worst issue by far is immigration. Only 33% approve of his handling of immigration issues, while 43% disapprove, 28% strongly so. Obama has expressed interest in taking on immigration with the ObamaCare fight mainly over, but these numbers suggest that he may want to wait until after the midterm elections.”

Plus, from the comments: “Time for Waxman and Stupak to call the pollsters in for hearings.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: But among Democrats, voter enthusiasm is up. And trying to excite that base is probably the real reason for all the attacks on opponents this week.

Related: Majority of U.S. People Are Racist Because They Oppose Health Care Reform.

WSJ: THE GOVERNMENT PAY BOOM. “It turns out there really is growing inequality in America. It’s the 45% premium in pay and benefits that government workers receive over the poor saps who create wealth in the private economy. And the gap is growing. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), from 1998 to 2008 public employee compensation grew by 28.6%, compared with 19.3% for private workers. In the recession year of 2009, with almost no inflation and record budget deficits, more than half the states awarded pay raises to their employees. Even as deficits in state capitals widen and are forcing cuts in services, few politicians are willing to eliminate these pay inequities.”

There’s more: “What if government workers earned the average of what private workers earn? States and localities would save $339 billion a year from their more than $2.1 trillion budgets. These savings are larger than the combined estimated deficits for 2010 and 2011 of every state in America. In a separate survey, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis compares the compensation of public versus private workers in each of the 50 states. Perhaps not coincidentally, the pay gap is widest in states that have the biggest budget deficits, such as New Jersey, Nevada and Hawaii. Of the 40 states that have a budget deficit so far this year, 28 would have a balanced budget were it not for the windfall to government workers.”

SMART DIPLOMACY: 327 House members tell Obama to make U-turn on US-Israeli relations. “The letter’s lead signatories were Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Steny Hoyer (D-MD). The letter had only circulated for three days last week before garnering 327 signatures, probably the most bipartisan effort seen on Capitol Hill in this session of Congress. It provides a measure of just how far out of the mainstream the Obama administration has gotten on relations with Israel. Moreover, they’re entirely correct. Thanks to what amounts to a reversal of 20 years of American policy on settlements in Jerusalem, Obama has given the Palestinians a reason to refuse to come to the table that Israel simply can’t address. Obama has made peace a lot less likely than it was fifteen months ago by throwing his tantrum in such a public manner. Weakening Israel won’t bring peace — it will bring more attacks on Israel as Palestinians begin to believe that the US won’t back its ally any longer.”

TAXPROF: Bank of America, Wells Fargo to Pay Zero 2009 Income Tax.

LARGE TEA-PARTY CROWD supports Washington State Attorney General. “A large crowd gathered this morning at the state Capitol in support of Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna, a day after people at a much smaller rally took him to task for taking legal action against recently passed federal health care legislation.”

IN THE SAME SENSE THAT “at least dozens” watch CNN. Check out the photos. Good grief, CNN. You’re managing to underperform even my expectations. . . .

POLITICO: 2,000 House Staffers Make Six Figures.

WAIT, I THOUGHT THIS WAS A RECESSION: Skyrocketing college tuition. No wonder people need food stamps.

UNIVERSITIES ENCOURAGE COLLEGE STUDENTS TO . . . go on food stamps? Because cutting tuition is out of the question, I guess. Also, you can get surprisingly good provender:

“I’m sort of a foodie, and I’m not going to do the ‘living off ramen’ thing,” one young man said, fondly remembering a recent meal he’d prepared of roasted rabbit with butter, tarragon and sweet potatoes. “I used to think that you could only get processed food and government cheese on food stamps, but it’s great that you can get anything.”

The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service did not respond to request for comment.

Like the song says . . . .

IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, retracting bogus claims of Tea Party racism.

VALERIE JARRETT: “Iran will back down.” Well, I hope she’s right.

LOOKS LIKE THERE WON’T BE MUCH DEBATE on Britain’s Digital Economy Bill. “Rather than calling for a full debate on the bill’s provision allowing the record industry to take away your family’s internet access if they believe (but can’t prove) you’ve infringed on copyright, the LibDems have joined the other parties in supporting a short, 45-minute half-day second reading. After that, the Digital Economy Bill will disappear into ‘wash up,’ a fast-track, no-debate way of passing bills, usually reserved for bills that everyone agrees on and that need to get pushed through before an election.” Sounds kinda familiar . . .

MARKDOWNS ON digital kitchen scales.

THE ELECTORATE IS receptive to “repeal and replace.” “The public has not, contrary to the Left’s expectations, become enamored of big government in the wake of the financial meltdown. To the contrary, the bailouts and stimulus plan have engendered suspicion and contempt. The ‘Trust us, it’s working!’ rhetoric has contributed to the public’s growing unease with governing elites. And the mound of debt has reinforced the public’s suspicion that the White House and Congress are unserious and ill-equipped to address our fiscal train wreck.”

BRITISH: “Special Relationship” with U.S. Is Dead.

UPDATE: Reader Paul Jackson writes:

Who could have foreseen that the president who follows Obama will have to hit the reset button…..with Great Britain and Israel!!! And the list may grow longer, he’s only been president for 14 months. India anyone?

Yeah, so far this “smart diplomacy” thing isn’t living up to the promises.

DAVID BOAZ ON the Washington Post’s diversity problem.

JOE BIDEN: Real Man of Genius.

IT’S AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST. And well “researched.” The top 6 bloggers &/or personalities that are smart.

REX MURPHY: The Ann Coulter Show and What It Means.

Coulter’s visit, finally, did have one permanent utility. It was another vivid illustration of how elastic and feeble, at least in certain quarters, the Canadian understanding of free speech has become. The idea, evidently held by certain of the protesters, that merely to call something “hate speech” licenses an attempt to halt that speech is depressing because it has become so common.

The talk of the university as a “safe space,” meaning a place when people will neither hear nor confront speech or ideas with which they are not “comfortable,” is politically correct cant of the highest order. It is close to a contradiction of the idea of a university. If Coulter’s tempestuous visit teased a few of these considerations into the minds of those otherwise innocent of them, it was worth all the flurry and the fury.

Read the whole thing.

SO IS THIS GOOD NEWS, OR BAD? Joint Committee on Taxation Confirms that ObamaCare Does Not Enforce Individual Mandate. I’m not sure.

PROF. WILLIAM JACOBSON: I Don’t Care What You Say, Think Progress Is Not Homophobic.

SHOCKER: Harry Reid’s gun-imagery takes aim at political targets. When will Democrats stop inciting political violence with their hateful rhetoric? (Analysis via Christian Science Monitor).

Then there’s talk like this: Obama: ‘If They Bring a Knife to the Fight, We Bring a Gun’. This sort of violent gun-related eliminationist rhetoric is likely to produce further unrest. For shame!

EMAIL OF THE DAY: A call for civility:

I cannot emphasize this enough: your brand of public discourse is hurting our country. It us poison. So fuck you, you GOP utensil, and fuck your mother for bringing you forth.

Plus this stirring conclusion: “Replies will not be read, you fuck.” With this degree of eloquence and commitment to reasoned debate, he must be a Glenn Greenwald reader. But I blame the hateful, violent rhetoric from Democratic leaders and media figures. They’re like modern-day Klansmen, inciting a mob of ignorant, violent followers. When will they renounce their hateful rhetoric? . . . .

UPDATE: Prof. Stephen Clark writes:

Greenwald reader? Are you sure it wasn’t Greenwald? After all it’s not hard to setup a dummy email account. And we are talking Greenwald here.

Actually, I’ve been fascinated with the Democrats’ harrumphing about political violence. Krugman’s challenge no less! How can any group of people be less self-aware than the Democrats have shown themselves in this latest campaign? What I particularly love is that the entirely predictable and appropriate response by you and others is driving them completely nuts.

Don’t think I need to tell you to keep it up. You’re having too much fun!

Heh. Indeed. And I don’t think it was Greenwald — if it had been him, it would have gone on for many, many more paragraphs. . . .

ANOTHER UPDATE: Hey, thanks for all the concerned emails. But although I get hate mail and the occasional death threat — I guess I should have had a press conference, who knew? — all things considered I don’t get all that much. This one was just funny because it combined the “civility” talking point with f-bomb personal abuse. It’s like he got the talking-points memo but didn’t quite manage to execute. . . .

MARKDOWNS ON electric razors, etc., from Panasonic.

“CONSTITUTIONAL GIMMICK:” New York Times condemns recess appointments. Er, well, in 2006.

DAN CLEARY: Sarah Palin’s Folly: Stumping For John McCain.

LAW DORK: Where’s Dawn Johnsen?

DOCTOR ZERO: Don’t be weary. It’s time for us to be amazing again.

MADE THE GOAT CHEESE PASTA for dinner tonight. It was good. For some reason, hadn’t done that in a while. Follow the link for the recipe if you’re interested — it’s quick and easy.

MORE ON TODAY’S CLIMATE OF HATRED AND VIOLENCE: Andrew Breitbart Describes Unhinged Harry Reid Supporters on the Attack. I hope that those Democratic politicians and media figures who have incited this sort of violence against the tea parties with their extremist rhetoric will try to rein in their violent followers before their violent rhetoric produces still more political violence.

UPDATE: John Hinderaker: More Thoughts On Liberal Violence.

We talked about this on our radio show today, and several callers reminded us of a particularly sorry episode of liberal violence that, for some reason, has not gotten much attention: the 2008 Republican convention in St. Paul.

I attended the convention and remember the terrorist acts that were carried out by anti-Republican protesters very well. They threw bricks through the windows of buses, sending elderly convention delegates to the hospital. They dropped bags of sand off highway overpasses onto vehicles below. Fortunately, no one was killed.

These were anti-Bush and anti-Republican protesters. Is it a stretch to think that some of them, at least, may have been inspired by over-the-top, hateful attacks on the Bush administration by Democratic Congressmen, DNC Chairman Howard Dean, Michael Moore, who was a guest of honor at the Democrats’ own convention, various show business personalities, and many other leading liberal figures? I don’t think so. We haven’t seen that sort of hate campaign since the Democrats went after Abraham Lincoln. It seems unlikely that none of the “protesters” who tried to commit murder were inspired by those liberal voices.

Yet, hardly anyone seems to be aware of the violence that took place in 2008. At most, the story was treated with a ho-hum attitude in the press. For some reason, political violence was not a concern less than two years ago. Yet today, we can hardly imagine what would happen if a group of tea partiers were to drop sandbags off a highway overpass, trying to kill motorists below. Liberal reporters’ heads would explode. Yet this is exactly what anti-Republican Party protesters did in 2008, and no one cared. To my knowledge, not a single Democratic politician condemned this anti-Republican violence or attempted in any way to distance the Democratic Party from it.

Keep that in mind next time you hear a Democrat whining about the Republican effort to “fire Nancy Pelosi.”

Indeed.

HEH: “At this rate, he’ll be picking fights with Barbara Bush by late spring.”

GOOD GRIEF: Sony accuses Beyonce of piracy for putting her videos on YouTube.

DANA LOESCH AND BILL HENNESSY: Tea Parties, the MSM and the Case of the Curious Coffin.

STIMULUS FAIL: Weatherizing Program Creates Zero Jobs in Alaska, Wyoming and DC.

FRANK MUNGER: Enough to make a sailor blush.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: In the end, there is only the debt. “That we are borrowing now at cheap interest hundreds of billions for things that are unnecessary or counterproductive will only make it worse, psychologically, when we have to pay it all back with high interest.”

GOOGLE’S IDENTITY and China.

GET RID OF REPUBLICANS ENTIRELY: Eliminationist rhetoric from Alan Grayson.

FINALLY: A pushup bra for your butt.

TRUE ROMANCE: A bouquet of bacon roses.

MORE HATE AND VIOLENCE: Harry Reid Supporters Threaten Violence Against Breitbart at Tea Party Protest. I blame Democratic leaders’ and media figures’ violent rhetoric and inflammatory hate speech.

HOW TO grow your own tomatoes.

LIVE COVERAGE FROM SEARCHLIGHT, NEVADA on PJTV now.

WHY POT GROWERS favor pot prohibition.

POLITICO: Face Of The Tea Party Is Female. “Many of the tea party’s most influential grass-roots and national leaders are women, and a new poll released this week by Quinnipiac University suggests that women might make up a majority of the movement as well.” This is no surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention.

MICKEY KAUS: IT’S ON!

I just received the official candidates’ notice from the California Secretary of State’s office. It’s on.

There are serious issues to be raised, and I will do my best to raise them.

Is there really no place in the Democratic party for voters who believe in “affirmative government”–including health care reform– but have doubts about the power of public employee unions, including the unions that protect bad teachers?

Is there no place for voters who recognize the immense contributions of immigrants but have doubts giving amnesty before we secure our borders? …

If you share my doubts about current Democratic dogma on these issues, and others, I hope you will join with this effort.

A campaign web site will be up shortly. I’ll link to it from this blog. (www.kausfiles.com). The primary is June 8, more than two months away. An eternity in internet time!

Stay tuned. This should be fun.

VENN DIAGRAM: The Difference between Nerd, Dork, and Geek Explained.

MORE HATE AND VIOLENCE: Harry Reid Supporters Throw Eggs at Tea Party Express Bus. When will President Obama and the Democratic leadership rein in their inflammatory rhetoric and stop inciting hatred?

OBAMACARE APPROVAL DROPPING AGAIN. Not much of a bounce, there.

DAVID POST ON ACTA: Outrageous Treaty Nonsense, or The Copyright Tail Wagging the Internet Dog. “It’s time to fight back.”

UNION GOES AFTER GREEDY CAPITALISTS OVER EXCESS PAY:

Those paydays that New York Times Co. Chairman Arthur Sulzberger and President Janet Robinson received last year are once again coming back to haunt them.

The Boston Newspaper Guild, which absorbed more than $10 million in pay and benefit cuts to members last year in order to save The Boston Globe, has lashed out at the Sulzberger and Robinson 2009 bonuses and are demanding their lost wages and benefits be restored.

“We were astonished to learn that the two of you received more than $10 million in stock awards and options in 2009,” the Guild wrote in an open letter urging its members to send to Sulzberger and Robinson. “During the year for which you were so richly rewarded, the 600 members of the Boston Newspaper Guild gave back almost the same amount in pay and benefit reductions — $10 million to be exact — after you threatened to close our newspaper, lay off hundreds of people, and strip Massachusetts of its largest newspaper.”

Generally, what they condemn in others is what they’re doing themselves . . . .

PROFESSOR BAINBRIDGE on housing sector fragility. “It’s pretty clear that government bailouts aren’t working very well in this sector.”

LOOKING AT THE NEW X-47B carrier-based attack drone.

PUNK’D: Fake Products and Companies Certified by Energy Star. “The Government Accountability Office Punk’d Energy Star recently by submitting fake products and companies for certification. The Environmental Protection Agency’s arbiters of efficiency standards rubber-stamped 15 out of 20 bogus products and a handful of fake firms became Energy Star Partners. Here are three of our favorite fabrications.”

NEVADA: Day of Tea Party Events Set To Kick Off in Reid’s Hometown.

There’ll be live coverage on PJTV.

IN THE MAIL: From Patrick Garry, Conservatism Redefined: A Creed for the Poor and Disadvantaged.

GREG GUTFELD: Anger Is A Right!

So as the anger surrounding the health care bill escalates, many in the media are reporting how the anger surrounding the health care bill is escalating!

Now I’ve been down this road so many times I could navigate it blindfolded and covered in peanut butter.

It goes like this: for the media, anger is only okay if its targets meet their stereotypical, romanticized criteria. Meaning: the corporation, the conservative, the daddy who never loved them.

Here’s a list of people doing angry things the media is okay with:

-People calling Bush a Nazi
-Students and non students rioting on college campuses
-Animal rights freaks dousing rich folks with paint
-Actors wishing average folks would get rectal cancer
-Bureaucrats labeling military vets as potential violent right wing extremists
-Radical environmentalists advocating violence against loggers
-Pranksters throwing pies at conservative commentators (you know, somehow they never pie Michael Moore, which makes him sad; he likes pie)

But this health care bill anger is different from all that – not just because it’s right, but because it involves Obama. And being angry at Obama is like being mad at Santa Claus. How can you be mad at Santa, when he brings us so many gifts?

And so, this anger is scary! It’s a mark of incivility! It’s deadly!

Read the whole thing. Including this advice: “When jackasses try to take away your right to be angry – by calling it racist or extremist – tell them they’re the racists. Because it’s those tools who assume that anger can only be about race. And if they disagree with you, then clearly they’re not just racists – but probably homophobic cannibals, too.”

UPDATE: Reader Cheng-Jih Chen writes:

Perhaps apropos of your post, I’m listening to an NPR piece from a couple of weeks ago on Nina Simone, where the interviewer and the author of a biography on her are praising Simone’s rage and righteous anger during the civil rights era. Civil rights analogies used by ObamaCare proponents cut both ways, I suppose.

Heh.

JIM TREACHER: A brief history of racism: the Clyburn files.

THE ECONOMY: Remembering the good old days.

HISTORY: “Whiteness thus became a method of stigmatizing dissenting ideas, a marker of ideological respectability…”

JAMES TARANTO: “One sign that ObamaCare is both bad and unpopular is that since its enactment–indeed, since just before its enactment–its supporters have been laboring mightily to change the subject. They’re eager to talk not about their great legislative and social achievement, but about how violent, racist and all-around crazy ObamaCare opponents are. On the whole, this is a false narrative.”

Plus, more on Courtland Milloy’s hate-filled violent rhetoric.

HEH: Daddy, I want a golden ticket and I want it now!

BIG JOURNALISM: O’Keefe Deserves an Apology From MSNBC… At the Very Least.

A.P.: NJ’s Gov. Christie targets spending ‘addiction’.

IS THE ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TRADE AGREEMENT unconstitutional?