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Rich Lowry Smacks Down Fox Lib: Media Stopped Covering Iraq When We Started Winning

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Rich Lowry on Saturday had a fabulous exchange with one of Fox News’s many liberal contributors over why the media stopped covering Iraq. As the discussion on “Fox News Watch” turned to this week’s troop withdrawal, the National Review editor claimed wartime press reports are “extremely defeatist all through the prism of Vietnam and then if we succeed it kind of ends in a whimper.” Newsday’s Ellis Henican countered, “People get bored in a hurry and we got bored with this [war] two or three years ago.”  Lowry marvelously sniped back, “When we started to win” (video follows with transcript and commentary):  RICH LOWRY, NATIONAL REVIEW: Well it’s a notable milestone. I mean, it’s obviously not the end by any means. We still have 50,000 guys there and there’s still a lot that’s up in the air. The problem I have, you know, NBC declared the Iraq War a civil war, rightly in my mind, but I’m not sure they ever walked that back and said, “No, actually the civil war has ended because the surge has suppressed the violence.” And this is the typical trajectory of war coverage. It’s going to happen in Afghanistan if we succeed there. We’re extremely defeatist all through the prism of Vietnam and then if we succeed it kind of ends in a whimper. ELLIS HENICAN, NEWSDAY: Let me say this quickly. The other typical trajectory of war coverage is people get bored in a hurry and we got bored with this one two or three years ago… LOWRY: When we started to win, when we started to win! HENICAN: No, whatever. But frankly it’s nice to see some coverage again. Maybe you and I should go over there, how about that? LOWRY: Would that all wars would be so boring. Indeed. After all, it seemed that once the 2007 surge showed success, America’s media totally lost interest. I guess it was much more fascinating for them when things weren’t going well. A marvelous example of this occurred on October 7 of that year. After the announcement that September 2007 saw a sharp decline in American casualties in Iraq, CNN’s Howard Kurtz asked  “Reliable Sources” guests Barbara Starr and Robin Wright why our media didn’t report the news. They amazingly responded: ROBIN WRIGHT, THE WASHINGTON POST: Not necessarily. The fact is we’re at the beginning of a trend — and it’s not even sure that it is a trend yet. There is also an enormous dispute over how to count the numbers. There are different kinds of deaths in Iraq. There are combat deaths. There are sectarian deaths. And there are the deaths of criminal — from criminal acts. There are also a lot of numbers that the U.S. frankly is not counting. For example, in southern Iraq, there is Shiite upon Shiite violence, which is not sectarian in the Shiite versus Sunni. And the U.S. also doesn’t have much of a capability in the south. So the numbers themselves are tricky. Long-term, General Odierno, who was in town this week, said he is looking for irreversible momentum, and that, after two months, has not yet been reached. KURTZ: Barbara Starr, CNN did mostly quick reads by anchors of these numbers. There was a taped report on “LOU DOBBS TONIGHT.” Do you think this story deserved more attention? We don’t know whether it is a trend or not but those are intriguing numbers. BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: But that’s the problem, we don’t know whether it is a trend about specifically the decline in the number of U.S. troops being killed in Iraq. This is not enduring progress. This is a very positive step on that potential road to progress. KURTZ: But let’s say that the figures had shown that casualties were going up for U.S. soldiers and going up for Iraqi civilians. I think that would have made some front pages. STARR: Oh, I think inevitably it would have. I mean, that’s certainly — that, by any definition, is news. Yep – losing is news. Winning isn’t. Good thing the media don’t cover sporting events that way. 

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Maureen Dowd: Obama Needs Bush’s Help On Ground Zero Mosque

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Mark August 18, 2010, on your calendar as the day New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd published a piece bashing Barack Obama and praising George W. Bush. This comes less than 24 hours after CNN.com did exactly the same thing over the same issue. Needless to say, Dowd’s position in her column entitled “Our Mosque Madness” went completely contrary to public opinion regarding the building of an Islamic center at Ground Zero. But before we get there, let’s first take a look at a few paragraphs destined to give many readers whiplash as they slam on their reading brakes in disbelief: The war against the terrorists is not a war against Islam. In fact, you can’t have an effective war against the terrorists if it is a war on Islam. George W. Bush understood this. And it is odd to see Barack Obama less clear about this matter than his predecessor. It’s time for W. to weigh in. This – along with immigration reform and AIDS in Africa – was one of his points of light. As the man who twice went to war in the Muslim world, he has something of an obligation to add his anti-Islamophobia to this mosque madness. W. needs to get his bullhorn back out. And it is odd to see Barack Obama less clear about this matter than his predecessor. It’s time for W. to weigh in. Actually, what’s odd to see is this liberal stalwart bashing an unabashedly liberal President – maybe the most liberal President America has ever seen! – while praising the object of her disaffection in the very same paragraph. Forgive me – I’ve got to take a few moments to compose myself. After all, didn’t Dowd just three days prior tear into Obama’s left-leaning critics – including MSNBCers with rare unkind words for the current White House resident! – for having the nerve to speak ill of the leader of the growing less and less free world? Now in roughly 72 hours, this same woman is so disappointed in her hero that she excoriated him with the ultimate dissing: even W understands this issue better than you! That could leave a scar that will only come out with serious counseling. Of course, readers shouldn’t get giddy over the President being humiliated by a fan, for Dowd had a larger point:  Have any of the screaming critics noticed that there already are two mosques in the same neighborhood – one four blocks away and one 12 blocks away. Should they be dismantled? And what about the louche liquor stores and strip clubs in the periphery of the sacred ground? By now you have to be willfully blind not to know that the imam in charge of the project, Feisal Abdul Rauf, is the moderate Muslim we have allegedly been yearning for. As I’m still recovering from the W is better than O at something remark, let me bring in Commentary’s Jennifer Rubin to assist in tearing apart this inanity: Uh, not really. We’re yearning for a Muslim who specifically condemns Hamas as a terrorist group and doesn’t suggest that the U.S. is responsible for 9/11. We’re yearning for a Muslim who doesn’t use “hallowed ground” – where 3,000 Americans died at the hands of Islamist extremists – to build a “a symbol of victory for militant Muslims around the world.” ( That from an American Muslim whose mother was incinerated on 9/11 by those who “believed that all non-Muslims are infidels and that the duty of Muslims is to renounce them.”) We’re yearning for a Muslim who is “desperate to reform his faith” and forthright in his assessment that the placement of the mosque at Ground Zero is based on “a belief that Islamic structures are a political statement and even Ground Zero should be looked upon through the lens of political Islam and not a solely American one.” (That from a Muslim and former U.S. Navy officer.)  So much for Maureen’s moderate Muslim moniker. But let’s allow that to pass for a moment, as what seems more interesting than her typically errant banter about this so-called religion of peace was that Dowd wasn’t the only liberal columnist to suggest in the past few days that Obama needs help on this issue from Bush. As Byron York wrote Wednesday at the Washington Examiner, this appears to be a strain being caught by others: Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson is also looking for an assist from Bush. “I…would love to hear from former President Bush on this issue,” Robinson wrote Tuesday in a Post chat session. And Peter Beinart, a former editor of the New Republic, is also feeling some nostalgia for the former president. “Words I never thought I’d write: I pine for George W. Bush,” Beinart wrote Tuesday in The Daily Beast. “Whatever his flaws, the man respected religion, all religion.” For the moment, with Obama failing to live up to expectations, Bush-bashing is over. It’s all a little amusing — and perhaps a little maddening — for some members of the Bush circle. When I asked Karl Rove to comment, he responded that it means “redemption is always available for liberals and time causes even the most stubborn of ideologues to revisit mistaken judgments.” But won’t these Bush critics shortly return to criticizing Bush? “This Bush swoon by selected members of the left commentariat is temporary,” Rove answered. “Their swamp fevers will return momentarily.” Well, if it doesn’t, liberals can rest assured the Obama administration is working on a vaccine it hopes will be far more effective at preventing this malady than the one it forced upon Americans to fend off the dreaded swine flu.

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Feminist Bloggers/Journalists Offended When Dallas Police Chief Suggests Preventative Measures Against Date Rape

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

A startling statistic was presented at the August 2 Dallas Public Safety Committee meeting: Rape there is up 25.3% over last year. Police Chief David Brown (pictured right) was pressed on this, and here was how blogger Andrea Grimes of the Dallas Observer interpreted his remarks: But Ms. Jasso read my mind, asking the Chief to explain the… increase…. is it that victims are reporting rapes more frequently, or that more rapes are happening? The answer, unfortunately: More rapes, says Chief Brown, specifically date rapes. And we all know what the solution to date rape is: getting women to stop drinking, because that is what causes date rape. Not dudes raping women, but women drinking. Blogger Shelby Knox piled on : Thank you law enforcement official charged with preventing or at least condemning crimes like, oh say, RAPE for suggesting that if I get raped it’s my fault…. Guess I should leave the short skirt at home too, right Chief? Men of Dallas: Your Chief of Police doesn’t seem to think you possess enough self-control or self-respect to resist violating a woman who’s been drinking. Be offended by this and be part of the solution. You watch your friends and remind them that if a woman is too drunk to say ‘yes,’ she’s too drunk for sex. Women of Dallas: Rape is rape is rape. If you were raped while drunk it doesn’t make it your fault or any less of a crime. And Bethany Anderson at D magazine added : So date rape solved? Don’t drink if you have two x chromosomes. Forget the fact that the drunk cannot consent to sex, and nonconsensual sex = rape. I’m sure glad we cleared that up. But wait a minute. Would a high profile modern man be so stupid as to place the fault of rape on women? Scott Goldstein at the Dallas Morning News was the 1st to challenge the stereotypical and stereotypist feminist mob: Some writers at a couple of local Dallas publications are accusing… Brown of essentially blaming rape victims in comments he made during a City Hall committee meeting yesterday…. No need for me to judge whether the folks at D magazine and the Dallas Observer are being unfairly provocative. You be the judge. Watch the video clip and tell us what you think. Yes… Liberal feminists are often caricatured as over reactive, and here was just another example of the Birkenstock fitting. Fortunately, and surprisingly given this touchy subject, there was immediate blowback. Goldstein wrote in follow-up: Brown… was unaware of the way some bloggers are portraying [his] comments…. I filled him in and asked him to respond. “I absolutely did not state that the victims are to blame for sexual assault,” Brown said. He said that he was explaining yesterday that a DPD analysis of the increase shows that many of the cases involve alcohol and date rape. “I do want to continue to emphasize that women be aware of their surroundings and, when possible, travel in pairs or in a group to enhance security around sexual assault,” Brown said. Speaking specifically about the way some have characterized his comments, Brown said: “I just think it’s irresponsible for bloggers to put inaccurate information in reports to excite or to create this uproar that is not consistent with my statement,” Brown said. “They’re being irresponsible. This is a very sensitive issue and we really do want to make victims aware of how to protect themselves from these predators.” Commenters proceeded to take Anderson to task … “I know it’s cool to suddenly be playing gender-centric neo-1970s games regarding what people actually say vs. how others claim they spoke… or even to interpret what they meant. But to me, hanging people out to dry, with an agitator’s agenda being the motivation to twist and shout, that’s every bit as shocking as the Chief’s ‘summarized’ comment in question here….” Guess i’ll be the contrarian here, i don’t see anything about drinking causing rape in his quote. What i see is a suggestion for friends to keep an eye on each other when they’re out partying, something guys do all the time. If you’re friend isn’t acting herself, maybe it’s because something was slipped in her drink, a friend would probably be able to notice something like that if they were keeping an eye on one another when out partying.” … to such an extent Anderson had to perform a mea culpa, “of sorts” … After listening to the video of Chief Brown, and reviewing his statement about how his comments were taken, I’ve done some thinking. Yes, you get more of an idea of what he was getting at, and it confirmed my gut reaction: He meant well…. If I had been at the meeting, or watching it, I admit, my response would’ve been more measured… I do think that the resulting discussion was, by the whole, a good leaping off point for exactly the sort of thing Chief Brown said we needed – more preventive measures…. Really? What Brown was saying in the first place? I know it’s verboten to say women, particularly young women in bars, ask for it when they get raped. But as we saw in this instance, it’s to the point where liberal feminists aren’t even allowing women to be educated on common sense preventative measures. Why is there a 25% increase in rape this past year in Dallas? Is it that there are more perpetrators on the street or more naive victims? I think it’s a combination of both, the former thanks in large part to another verboten topic, increasing access to porn, and the latter because liberal feminists have created an environment that makes it nearly impossible to discuss preemptive measures women can take to stop it. I look back to many instances when I did stupid things that opened the door to crime, such as picking up male hitchhikers. As recently as last week I walked through a large, dark parking lot at O’Hare Airport alone to my car at 11:30p at night. I should have asked Security for a ride. Liberal feminists don’t like it, but the simple fact is the bar scene, particularly late at night, isn’t necessarily safe. There aren’t a lot of date rapes in church. [Photo via CBS News ]

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‘The Expendables’ Stars Talk Sequel

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘I would love to come back. Thank god I don’t die,’ laughed Terry Crews. By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Sylvester Stallone in “The Expendables” Sylvester Stallone knows exactly where he’s going to take the Expendables, his band of grizzled mercenaries , now that their flick has grossed $35 million over its opening weekend: back to the multiplex for a sequel. And Sly’s “Expendables” co-stars are primed and ready to go, as they told MTV News when we caught up with them at Comic-Con last month. “I would love to come back. Thank god I don’t die,” laughed Terry Crews. “I’m ready to come back and do another.” Dolph Lundgren also expressed his desire to return for a second installment, which Stallone has said is already plotted out in his mind. Sly is hoping that with Arnold Schwarzenegger leaving the California governor’s mansion early next year, the action hero will return to “Expendables” territory, perhaps for a meatier role this time. “If this works, I would love to get him in the next one,” Stallone told us. “I really think so. He’s been out of the limelight a long time, and I think this is the kind of film that would be a nice intro.” Sly convinced Arnie to do it once; there’s no reason to think he can’t do it again. There’s just something magnetic about Stallone, as interviews with his co-stars made clear. Again and again during our Comic-Con chats, the cast spoke effusively about Sly’s leadership skills on-set. “With all this testosterone and all this adrenaline walking around, he kept it all in check,” laughed Steve Austin. Added Crews, “There’s no other person on the planet who could have put something like this [together] except for Sylvester Stallone. He created the whole summer tent pole as we know it. To be involved and to be with these guys, these legends, the whole thing, I’m just honored.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Expendables.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .

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Ke$ha Eyes Headlining Her Own Tour

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘It’s all I think about,’ the singer tells MTV News of hitting the road after opening on Rihanna’s Last Girl on Earth Tour. By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Christina Garibaldi Ke$ha Photo: MTV News Ke$ha is currently on the road with Rihanna , but the “Tik Tok” singer says once the Last Girl On Earth Tour wraps up, she’d like to plot a trek of her own. And she’s hoping that the lessons she’s learned opening up for the pop star will be useful on any tour she might embark on in the future. “I’m finishing up this tour and going in to start writing again — some more music for you guys — and will continue touring throughout the rest of the year,” she told MTV News. “I don’t know who’s going to go on tour with me yet, but I think I’ll be going on my tour later this year perhaps.”

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N.J. Supreme Court’s refusal to hear gay marriage case raises question of Christie’s influence | NJ.com

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

http://www.queerty.com/did-some-of-new-jerseys-supreme-court-justices-refuse-gay… The New Jersey Supreme Court doesn't give interviews, so no one can ask whether the tribunal balked on the gay marriage issue because it was afraid of the reaction of Gov. Chris Christie. “There won't be any comment,” says Winnie Comfort, a spokeswoman for the court. “Of course, people are free to speculate. There is nothing we can do about that.” Comfort made the comments in response to remarks by legislators who raised the issue of whether the court — or, at least, three members — might have been afraid to touch the gay marriage case because Christie can remove them by appointing other justices. The way he did to Justice John Wallace, the court's only African-American. Both state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) and Assemblyman John D. McKeon (D-Essex) told The Star-Ledger's Matt Friedman the decision raised the question of whether Wallace's ouster led three non-permanent court members to duck the issue. Those members — Chief Justice Stuart Rabner and Justices Roberto Rivera-Soto and Helen Hoens — voted against a motion to have the court immediately revisit its earlier decision in the Lewis vs. Harris case that, in 2006 ruled the Legislature must provide marriage-like rights to same-sex couples. The court then left the details up to lawmakers and they decided to create “civil unions” rather than extend marriages to gays and lesbians. The three judges who don't have to worry about reappointment — Justices Virginia Long, Jaynee LaVecchia, and Barry Albin dissented from the order. They wanted arguments on the motion to go forward. Coincidence? “I think the three justices who voted against the motion looked over their shoulders and saw Chris Christie,” says Frank Askin, a Rutgers Law School professor and constitutional scholar in Newark. “There is no question in my mind that fear of what the Governor would do played a part in that decision.” Michael Drewniak, Christie's spokesman, declined to answer questions about the decision. The state court action contrasts with the robust ruling handed down by federal Judge Vaughn Walker who overturned a California plebiscite — Proposition 8 — banning gay marriages. Forget worrying about a governor, Walker rejected the will of the state's voters because, he ruled, Proposition 8 “violates the due process and equal protection rights” of gays seeking to marry. Walker's decision chews through the arguments of opponents of gay marriage, refuting contentions gay marriages are unstable and that children raised by gay parents do less well than kids from heterosexual households. He also makes it obvious supporters of Proposition 8 were trying to inject their religious views into law. “The evidence presented at trial,” Walker wrote, “fatally undermines the premises underlying proponents' proffered rationales for Proposition 8.” New Jersey once had a supreme court willing to render significant decisions. Under chiefs like Joseph Weintraub, Richard Hughes, Robert Wilentz, James Zazzali and Deborah Poritz, the state's highest court was a national leader in individual rights. It is often in state courts that individual rights are most effectively protected. New Jersey's decisions on school funding and fair housing — also now endangered — went far beyond what the federal courts would do. Even Walker's decision, for all the hype it has generated, could set back the cause. Rutgers Law Professor Carlos Bell, an expert on gay marriage, explains it could lead to an adverse decision by a conservative U.S. Supreme Court: “That is why most of the other same-sex marriage lawsuits (including New Jersey's Lewis v. Harris) have been brought in state courts alleging violations of state constitutions. When a case is decided on state constitutional grounds, it cannot be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. “It is likely the court will hear the Proposition 8 case. The upside for gay people of a favorable decision is tremendous: It would mean same-sex couples all over the country would have to be afforded the opportunity to marry. But the downside is also great: It would mean a Supreme Court decision, which would likely stay on the books for a long time, holding gay people are not entitled to marry under the federal constitution.” Maybe too much has been read into the state court action. Even Steve Goldstein, the chairman of Garden State Equality, the state's leading proponent of gay rights, says “it's not a dooms-day scenario — we'll get our day in court.” Perhaps. But a lot is at stake, and one has to wonder — do the three judges up for reappointment really think Christie will keep them no matter what they do? This looks more like an opportunity to make history rather than curry favor. added by: toyotabedzrock

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Civil Discourse is Overrated

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

So Matt Lewis writes a column decrying, I think,  the Political climate’s nastiness . I say, I think, because after reading it, I’m not quite sure what he’s saying. Matt brings up two pieces of evidence: Matt Yglesias saying that lying is okay was one distressing example. Well, duh. Yglesias is a liberal and I have yet to read a liberal blogger who doesn’t believe the ends justify the means. There is no true objective truth, after all. And, really, lying is fine, if a greater truth is served yada yada. This is not new. Nor is it shocking. Everything from science (Al Gore and global warming) to social science (single mothering is as good as dual-parent families) to religion (Christianists!) to media coverage is manipulated to serve the statist i.e. Democratic good . And to make the arguments, lying isn’t just recommended, it’s necessary. Matt then notes a poll by  John Hawkins at Right Wing News  about the worst Americans in history. Well, that’s rather vague, right? Full disclosure: John invited me to participate and talked to me about the poll. Two things prevented me from answering: my internet went out for two days. Also, upon consideration, I was thinking about all the evil Americans and realized my scope and grasp of American history wasn’t broad enough. Who, for example, was the dumbass who convinced people that DDT was worse than dying from malaria and by extension participated in the deaths of over 25 million African children? That’s pretty evil (good intentions be damned) in my book. I don’t know the answer off-hand and immediately. Ugh, I’d have to go look. Also, is a dude who buried grandma and 20 bodies in the backyard more evil? How about Will Duranty who facilitated Stalin? And on and on. Well, this is how my mind works, which is why I fatigue myself and I realized I didn’t have the time or lack of laziness to do the poll. As it turns out, most of the people taking the poll,  Ed Morrissey included (though he didn’t participate), figured it was worst  American politicians  in history. Okay. Well fine. I looked at the list of what everyone came up with and rolled my eyes (with all do respect to the fine people who answered). It was just too modern-heavy. History and evil did not begin in the 1930s. But again, I had no desire to go sifting through American’s past and taking the time to consider measuring evil acts against one another. I suspect that my fellow busy bloggers felt the same way so went with what they knew. Fine. Ultimately, the poll was not some serious scholarly exercise, anyway. It was a fun diversion and interesting-inevitably, I wonder who chose whom and why. Sure, there were a lot of Democrats on there. I figure that conservative bloggers weren’t paying attention to the intention, but to the outcome of the actions taken. Thus, some beloved Democrat sacred cows made the list. Whatever. I don’t see either of the examples as evidence pointing to devastation of political discourse. I’m also not someone who has over-emphasized civility either. Civility ultimately serves the Left because they play by nasty dirty rules. They’ve got less game and so they only survive by cheap shots. I’ve played basketball with guys like these. And there’s two ways to go: Be so skilled that you annihilate them with pure awesome skill; and/or, elbow them in the mouth, hard, and let them know they will suffer pain if they try to hurt you. Think I’m base and crass? Well, I’ve been blind-picked and nearly knocked out. I’ve nearly had my nose broken. I’ve been clothes-lined. Nice does not always win. Some opponents only understand direct, hard, physical contact. And there are times when a foul is not only warranted but absolutely necessary. Sometimes fouls are required to win the game. And, by definition, a foul is breaking a rule. Ack! We’re conservatives. We should be goody goodies! My land! My heavens! A hard foul would be, why, it would be wrong! Not to mention uncivilized. Eek! And the political discourse! It will degrade. Oh phooey! As long as it’s legal and it’s the truth, a good punch can be extremely productive. Hard hits just must be used with intelligence and not serve as the whole game. The best players have great game. They win with skill and finesse and strength. They also know how to send a message-both psychologically and physically-and aren’t afraid to do it when necessary. Since when did opponents speak in honey hues and debate melodiously? Please. And as for  sounding  more moderate, I give you Christopher Hitchens who, with his acerbic wit and fierce intelligence can sound positively delightful while he’s eviscerating his opponent. The guy on the other side doesn’t even realize he’s holding his own entrails until he feels the last of his life drain out of him. Too many on my own side emphasize form over substance. They’ll watch a game that is played technically perfectly and then be astonished when a less skilled, but more fierce team wins. To make this post even unnecessarily longer, I’ll extend the basketball metaphor. Back in the day, Michael Jordan’s Bulls did not win the NBA championship. Jordan, without question, was incredibly skilled. He didn’t quite grasp teamwork. He also suffered a weakness: Dennis Rodman could get inside his head. Easily. The Pistons had a great team, to be sure. Great shooting. Great teamwork. Incredible defense. But their skill wasn’t their only weapon. Bill Lambeer talked more smack than anyone, used cheap shots effectively, and was a flopper-drawing phantom fouls that enraged opponents. Combine Lambeer with Dennis Rodman, and Michael Jordan was overwhelmed and non-stop frustrated. As a Detroit fan, it was beautiful to behold. As Jordan matured, he recognized that the game was more than spectacular, individual talent and gravity-defying finesse. Here’s another thing: In basketball, there is a winner and a loser. There are two teams. Some politicians and pundits get all mushed up and confused. They act as though we’re in a system where getting along means winning. No, it doesn’t. Getting along means Democrats winning, because getting along means compromising on government programs which, by definition, expands the size, scope and reach of the government. When compromise wins, government wins. People lose. So no. Time for decisive victory…for the American people. And I have bad news for those decrying the civility in the political discourse. Wait until the Democrats have obviously and completely lost. They will get crazier. These last two years have been the apex, the absolute zenith of big-government policies. When they lose, there will be a great gnashing of teeth. And in their impotence, there will be rage. Also, another warning. The Republicans have not quite found their soul yet. Time may demonstrate that they do not, in fact have a soul. As the Republicans fight for core values-you know, crazy, edgy stuff like fiscal discipline in contrast to “refining” programs-it will get nastier rhetorically. These primaries have been brutal. And memories are long. And there are those who will want revenge. Let’s hope the terror of unfettered Democrats keeps the Republicans focused. But I doubt it will. So expect more incivility on our own side. Politics ain’t beanbag. It’s a bloodsport. And it ain’t civilized. All the way back, I don’t see any evidence that Democracy has ever been a chummy process. It’s adversarial. Why? Because the debate is over ideas and the ideas drive policies and the policies do affect us. It’s  personal . Sometimes, that means it’s uncivilized. Crossposted at Liberty Pundits  

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No Booze Sundays So Lets Get Legally Stoned

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Use of spice climbs in Northern Utah. OGDEN — With an increase in the use of spice, an incense smoked to get a high much like marijuana, government agencies are looking at ways to curb the use of the currently-legal drug in the Top of Utah. “There is a definite presence,” said Brock Alder, director of the substance abuse division of Bear River Health Department. “It's a real problem.” Spice, which is also known as Black Mamba, Bliss, or Bambay Blue, contains mostly damiana, a shrub with small, yellow flowers that grows in dry, rocky climates generally found in Mexico, California and Texas. The herb acts on the nervous system as an antidepressant to soothe anxiety, nervousness and mild depression. It has a reputation as a relaxant and an aphrodisiac. It is currently sold in tobacco shops and convenience stores as an incense, and is labeled that it is not meant for human consumption. However, many users buy the incense and smoke it, giving them a marijuana-like, but legal, high. While the drug may be bought and possessed legally, that doesn't mean users won't have to face consequences. Alder said that the health department recently began sending urine drug tests to a lab in California so they could be tested for damiana. He said they have done the testing for less than a month, but they already have had several tests come back positive for the drug. “Our policy here is, they can't use any mood or mind-altering substances, even alcohol,” he said. “We just want them completely clean so we know we have a clean brain (to work with during treatment.)” Capt. Klint Anderson, of the Weber County Sheriff's Office, said officers have seen an increase in people driving while under the influence of spice. “We're starting to see arrests for DUI impairment, and the drug of choice is spice,” he said. “It can be legally sold and possessed, apparently. That's where the problem comes in.” The problem is while police can observe someone driving erratically, and can witness them fail a field sobriety test, there is no way law enforcement can check their body fluids for traces of the drug, like they can with alcohol or illegal drugs. “If we have impaired drivers, we have no way to detect blood levels,” Anderson said. “It makes it that much more difficult to prosecute.” But that doesn't mean the officer won't cite the driver. “We still charge them with DUI,” Anderson said. “It just becomes more difficult (to prove in court.)” Anderson said the police department doesn't have access to any urine test like the Bear River Health Department does, but said they would like to be able to. “We'd like to,” he said about the possibility of a urine test. “We see it as a public safety risk.” Alder said that while the product is legal, little is known about the effect of the drug. Some clients have spoken of medical issues resulting from the spice, such as seizure-like symptoms or heart palpitations, but nothing has been documented yet. “Anything that is going to alter your mind is dangerous,” he said. “Too many people, when someone hands them something and says 'Try it,' they do. They need to find out what they're trying. They need to understand it's dangerous.” I agree, people shouldn't drive under the influence of anything but if this herb in fact does help people as an antidepressant, soothes anxiety, nervousness, mild depression as well as a relaxant and an aphrodisiac shouldn't it be looked at as a possible solution? However, I am not so sure that Utah is in need of an aphrodisiac! added by: JuliusBC

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Kanye West Confirms Bon Iver Cameo On Upcoming Album

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Collaboration, called ‘Lost in the World,’ will appear on MC’s fifth full-length, due in November. By James Montgomery Kanye West Photo: MTV News Kanye West has always been a man of discerning taste — check the roughly 18,000 fashion-related posts on his blog, or his sampling of Daft Punk on his massive hit “Stronger” — but earlier this week, when rumors began circulating that he was working with austere indie auteur Bon Iver (aka Justin Vernon), they seemed, frankly, too discerning to be true. But on Friday (August 13), West confirmed that Vernon will appear on his upcoming new album, which is supposedly due November 16 . “I called [Vernon] and we ended up becoming, like, really good friends, playing basketball together every day, and going into the back studio and just recording his parts,” West told Rolling Stone . “He’s similar to me, like where he just does sh–; so people would be like ‘Oh sh–, how did you do that? How did that happen?’ ” West and Vernon collaborated on a song called “Lost in the World,” which features re-recorded vocals from the Bon Iver track “Woods.” West told Rolling Stone that he became a fan of the song, which features Vernon’s Auto-Tuned vocals, when Ed Banger Records honcho Pedro Winter played him the track and talked about his plans to sample it. West then asked Winter if he could use the song instead, and quickly flew Vernon out to Hawaii. The two quickly bonded (we like to imagine it was the basketball that did it), and West now counts Vernon as one of his friends. “He’s just a really cool guy to be around,” West said. On Friday, Vernon talked about the collaboration, and the pair’s budding friendship, in an interview with Pitchfork . “I think he’s very aware of the person he is, and I applaud him for that,” said Vernon. “It takes a lot of strength just to stay how he is amongst all the sh– that he’s subjected to. But I found him extremely like a bro. You could talk to him about whatever.” It’s been a busy 24 hours for West. On Thursday, he announced that he would appear on the Video Music Awards on September 12; Thursday night, he performed at a secret black-tie show in New York City . Are you excited for Kanye West’s new album? Let us know in the comments! Related Artists Bon Iver Kanye West

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Kanye West Confirms Bon Iver Cameo On Upcoming Album

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Lady Gaga Says Her New Album Is ‘Utter Liberation’

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Pop star tells i-D magazine she wants to ‘create the anthem for my generation.’ By James Dinh Lady Gaga Photo: Getty Images Lady Gaga may have caused a stir with her recent talk of sex and drug use, but the singer knows that in the end it all boils down to the music. In the pre-Fall issue of i-D magazine that surfaced online on Friday (August 13), the songstress opens up about what she has planned for her upcoming album. “The new album is my absolute greatest work I’ve ever done, and I’m so excited about it,” Gaga said of her still-untitled album. “The message, the melodies, the direction, the meaning, what it will mean to my fans and what it will mean to me in my own life — it’s utter liberation. I’m on the quest to create the anthem for my generation for the next decade, so that’s what I’ve done.” While the singer has frequently worked with producers like RedOne (“Bad Romance” and “Just Dance”), Gaga plans to keep her sound fresh with a line of new producers on the forthcoming project. But she’s keeping them a secret, saying, “I will never tell because as soon as I tell, everyone starts working with them. So all I can say is that nobody knows who they are. They’re all new.” And for those who were wondering if the Elton John-esque ballad “You and I” was an indication of the project’s sound, Gaga said, “It’s not totally indicative of the new album sound; it’s just a really big rock-and-roll hit.” The pop star confirmed that the song, which she first performed at Elton John’s White Tie and Tiara Ball in June, will appear on the LP. “I do have these hopes that it could be a great rock crossover record, so I’m going to put my producer’s hat on and get it to a place where I feel like it could reach the masses,” she said. “It’s a beautiful, beautiful lyric and melody. I wrote it at the piano I grew up playing in New York.” Despite the success of Gaga’s collaborations with Beyonc

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