Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Hilarious: Hundreds of New York Times Staffers Rip Management Over Their Own Petty, Capitalist Concerns

As an aside, I read the Stuffington Roast so you don't have to.

New York Times staffers unhappy with management are letting publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. know it...

...In recent days, more than 270 current and former Times employees have signed an open letter expressing their "profound dismay" with recent company decisions...

...Bill O'Meara, president of the New York Newspaper Guild, said some staffers had considered even "more dramatic" actions.

"There were people who wanted to storm Arthur Sulzberger's office," O'Meara told The Huffington Post...

"There were people who wanted to stage a walkout."

And what are the staffers' major grievances? Curiously, for the world champions of wealth redistribution, the whining revolves around money.

The letter calls attention to several grievances. Last week, Times brass notified foreign citizens employed in the paper's overseas bureaus that their pensions would be frozen. In the letter, Times staffers dismayed by this decision point out to Sulzberger that some of these foreign employees, working alongside Times reporters in war zones, have "risked their lives so that we can do our jobs."

The open letter may have been prompted by this and other recent decisions, but it brought to the surface long-simmering tensions. In the past several years, staffers have faced temporary pay cuts, layoffs, and buyouts. They have worked since March without a new contract. Regarding ongoing negotiations, the letter notes that Sulzberger's "negotiators have demanded a freeze of our pension plan and an end to our independent health insurance." O'Meara said staffers did not receive a raise this year...

I find it uniquely hilarious that the world's foremost advocates for Statism -- people like Paul Krugman, who continuously lobby for endless confiscation and redistribution of money by a centralized, authoritarian government -- are concerned with petty concerns like money. With private property. With their own financial well-being.

Whatever happened to the collective?

Unhinged Statist jackasses hardest hit.


Hat tip: Memeorandum.

10 Fun Facts You May Not Have Known About Ron Paul

10. "Of the 620 measures that Paul has sponsored [since 1976], just four have made it to a vote on the House floor. Only one has been signed into law."

9. Ron Paul is 76 years old and would be 80 at the end of a hypothetical first term.

8. In 2007, Ron Paul criticized Abraham Lincoln for using military force to end slavery during the Civil War: "He shouldn’t have gone to war… Slavery was phased out in every other country in the world and the way I’m advising that it should have been done is do like the British Empire did; you buy the slaves and release them."

7. In 2009, Ron Paul said even the Nazi Holocaust was not sufficient cause for interventionism. He said, among other things, "No, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t risk American lives to [end the Holocaust]."

6. The Washington Post's Charles Lane -- hardly a "neocon" -- says that "Paul actually comes closest to the foreign policy views of Obama’s longtime religious leader, Jeremiah Wright."

5. Just days after the horrific 9/11 attacks that killed 3,000 Americans, Ron Paul blamed America for the attacks: "It is clear that protecting certain oil interests and our presence in the Persian Gulf help drive the holy war. Muslims see this as an invasion and domination by a foreign enemy, which inspires radicalism."

4. In a television interview he gave in 1995, Ron Paul explicitly and personally endorsed the views of his newsletter: "I also do an investment letter. It’s called the Ron Paul Survival Report, and I put that out on a monthly basis ... which is a gold-oriented newsletter, but it’s also, uh, convening — expressing concern about surviving in this age of big government, where there’s a lot of taxes and regulations, and attacks on our personal liberties."

3. Ron Paul refuses to disavow support from "the racists, anti-Semites and neo-Nazis in his coalition (sorry, but whatever you think of Lew Rockwell, Stormfront and David Duke certainly deserve such labels)."

2. In an interview he gave just last month, Ron Paul also refuses to disclaim the despicable 9/11 Truther movement and, in fact, actively encourages it. When asked "why won’t you come out about the truth about 9/11?", he responded: "Because I can’t handle the controversy, I have the IMF the Federal Reserve to deal with, the IRS to deal with because no because I just have more-too many things on my plate. Because I just have too much to do."

1. Ron Paul believes in pretty much every discredited, crackpot conspiracy theory you've ever heard of. To wit:

He knows how crazy his conspiracy theories about The Illuminatis are, so he initially deflects the question ("What do you think the Bildersbergers are doing?") with an empty demurral. Then the questioner asks it a second and third time, and he can no longer counterfeit his beliefs; he offers up the Illuminatis conspiracy.

Remember, we're fighting a "phony war" against Al Qaeda, and it's all ginned-up neocon nonsense that Iran is cooking up a nuclear bomb, and Hamas was created by Israel.

But the thing we've got to really keep our eyes on is the Bildersbergers and Trilateral Commissioners.

Presidential!


Image credit: iOwnTheWorld.

Larwyn's Linx: 'Mischief' voters push Paul to front of GOP race

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

'Mischief' voters push Paul to front of GOP race: York
Obama and the F-Word: Power Line
The Trouble with Ron Paul’s Defense: NRO

Did the VA GOP change primary rules last month?: RS
Sunlight needed from Virginia GOP: BauerBlog
VA A.G. Cuccinelli On GOP Primary Ballot: RSM

Ron Paul Campaigning In 1995: Hey, Read My Report!: Ace
The Virginia Primary Mess: Pundette
Paul Goldman helps Newt Gingrich with Virginia ballot: Politico

Economy

Obama gives back some of the Corzine cash: Hot Air
Crony Holidays: Schumer kin gets judgeship for Xmas: Malkin
Chart of the Day: Medicare Spending: Foundry

Certain prediction for 2012: Thomas
Pelosi Spends Holidays Sacrificing For Her Beloved 99%: Malkin
LTRO Bazooka an Epic Disaster: ZH

Gunrunner & Energygate

Folding Holder: PunditLeague
Obama’s Green Jobs Program “Infused with Politics at Every Level”: Foundry
List of Congressmen Calling for Holder’s Resignation Continues to Grow: Ammoland

Climate & Energy

Shutting down power plants: Imaginary benefits, extensive harm: Watts
The Volt is a jolt to taxpayers shelling out subsidies: Kelly
New Expansive EPA Power Grab: FPM

Media

Libertarians, Republicans would have benefited from giving Paul the attention he deserves: Betsy's Page
Ron Paul in 2009–‘I Wouldn’t Risk American Lives’ to End the Holocaust: BigGovt
What, If Anything, Could Convince a Ronulan Not to Vote for Ron Paul?: RS

Feds' War on Religion: Norris
Kathleen Sebelius Destroyed Evidence to Protect Planned Parenthood in a Child Rape Case: NewAm
Random Thoughts: Sowell

New Gingrich video: Victory or death: Hot Air
White Supremacist Founder of Stormfront Says His Followers Are Volunteering For Ron Paul’s Campaign: WZ
Just days after 9/11, Ron Paul blames America: Scoop

World

A Month of Christian Persecution: Power Line
Tennessee mom finds Islam in kid’s textbook, revised and sanitized: Creeping
Over 1,000 Christians Targeted & Murdered Worldwide by Islamists in 2011: GWP

Ron Paul is the Real Warmonger: RedState
Iranian Lawmaker: 'These War Games Are a Warning to the Western Countries': CNS
Twitter Continues To Evade Explaining Its Breaking of U.S. Law and Its Indirect Support For Online Jihad: MEMRI

Black Muslim Who Harrassed Many Shot Dead by Atlanta Police: GWP
Japan Seeks to Market Record 145 Trillion Yen Bonds in 2012: Mish
Italian Yields Spike To The Highest Level Since November: Insider

Sci-Tech

Highly critical zero day vulnerability in Windows discovered: Gladiator AV
Stratfor Hacking Victims Targeted After Comments: ABC
Who owns your Twitter account? Check out this lawsuit: CNet

Cornucopia

Kids say the darndest things: MOTUS
A perfect example of self-defense, and sound good sense: Bookworm
Obama Golfs for the 90th Time as President: Dossier

Image: Ron Paul and the racist newsletters (Fact Checker biography)
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Action Alert: Contact Virginia's GOP Regarding Ballot Access

QOTD: "Shortly after he gave General Motors a $53 billion bailout in 2009, President Barack Obama said the plug-in Chevrolet Volt would be salvation of the beleaguered automaker. Consumers will buy 120,000 Volts each year from 2012 onwards, the Energy Department predicted then. But through November, only 6,142 Volts have been sold. And that pitiful figure is inflated by purchases for government fleets.

Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi of America, isn’t surprised.

“No one is going to pay a $15,000 premium for a car that competes with a (Toyota) Corolla,” he told Lawrence Ulrich of MSN Autos in 2009. “So there are not enough idiots who will buy it.”" --Jack Kelly

Monday, December 26, 2011

Breaking: Statement on the 2.7 million emails obtained from Stratfor

More than 48 hours after it was rooted, the website of intelligence firm Stratfor Research remains down. In fact, as of this moment, even its temporary server (showing an "Under Maintenance" page) is inaccessible, perhaps due to an ongoing denial-of-service attack.

Via Wikileaks, the following statement describes some of the motives for the compromise.

In the wake of the recent operation by which Stratfor's servers were compromised, much of the media has focused on the fact that some participants in the attack chose to use obtained customer credit card numbers to make donations to charitable causes. Although this aspect of the operation is indeed newsworthy, and, like all things, should be scrutinized and criticized as necessary, the original purpose and ultimate consequence of the operation has been largely ignored.

Stratfor was not breached in order to obtain customer credit card numbers, which the hackers in question could not have expected to be as easily obtainable as they were. Rather, the operation was pursued in order to obtain the 2.7 million e-mails that exist on the firm's servers. This wealth of data includes correspondence with untold thousands of contacts who have spoken to Stratfor's employees off the record over more than a decade. Many of those contacts work for major corporations within the intelligence and military contracting sectors, government agencies, and other institutions for which Anonymous and associated parties have developed an interest since February of 2011, when another hack against the intelligence contractor/security firm HBGary revealed, among many other things, a widespread conspiracy by the Justice Department, Bank of America, and other parties to attack and discredit Wikileaks and other activist groups. Since that time, many of us in the movement have dedicated our lives to investigating this state-corporate alliance against the free information movement. For this and other reasons, operations have been conducted against Booz Allen Hamilton, Unveillance, NATO, and other relevant institutions. The bulk of what we've uncovered thus far may be reviewed at a wiki maintained by my group Project PM, echelon2.org.

Although Stratfor is not necessarily among the parties at fault in the larger movement against transparency and individual liberty, it has long been a "subject of interest" in our necessary investigation. The e-mails obtained before Christmas Day will vastly improve our ability to continue that investigation and thereby bring to light other instances of corruption, crime, and deception on the part of certain powerful actors based in the U.S. and elsewhere. Unlike the various agents of the U.S. Government, the hacking team that obtained this information did not break down the doors of the target, point guns at children, and shoot down any dogs that might have been present; Anonymous does not resort to SWAT tactics, and this is simply one of many attributes that separate the movement from the governments that have sought to end our campaign and imprison our participants. Of course, such points as these will not prevent our movement from being subjected to harsher scrutiny than is given to those governments which are largely forgiven their more intrusive tactics by virtue of their status as de facto holders of power in a world that has long been governed in accordance with the dictate that might makes right.

Incidentally, many of us are more than happy to proceed according to that amoral dictate if we find it to be necessary. And, increasingly, we have found it to be so.

Barrett Brown
Project PM
irc.project-pm.org


Winner of our Prestigious Tweet o' the Day Award: @JamesTaranto

The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto wins our prestigious Tweet o' the Day Award.*

How very true.


* At last check, the award consists of a handsome email and a $5 off coupon to Applebee's (if I can find it and it hasn't expired).

ACTION ALERT: Virginia GOP Changed Ballot Access Rules Last Month; Here's How to Contact Them and Demand Changes

Based upon several reliable reports at RedState, it would appear that Virginia's GOP establishment changed the rules of ballot access just last month. Front-runner Newt Gingrich, for one, saw his campaign hurt badly by reports that it bungled the Virginia ballot process. He and Rick Perry were excluded despite each turning in over 10,000 signatures. But if the new reports are true, the state GOP has a hell of a lot to account for.

Moe Lane provides the introduction:

...the very short version is that the VA GOP only certified Mitt Romney and Ron Paul for its primary ballot. Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich both had too many signatures tossed; Jon Huntsman, Rick Santorum, and Michele Bachmann didn’t even try. Of the seven candidates, one (Romney) had more than enough signatures (15K) to bypass the verification process entirely. All of this has caused a lot of agitation among Republicans following the primary process, of course; and not just from people who disapprove of what the VA GOP has done...

...There has been a good deal of defending of the outcome; and one argument heavily used in this defense has been that the campaigns all knew the rules and that previous Republican campaigns were able to get on the ballot, so clearly a competent current Republican campaign should have done so.

One small problem with that: as Winger argues, the rules were allegedly drastically changed. In November of this year.

So what changed?

...prior to the 2012 elections it was Republican party policy in Virginia to simply deem any candidate that brought in ten thousand raw signatures as having met the primary ballot requirements under Virginian state election law.

Under these rules, of course, both Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry would have qualified easily.

And why did the rules change?

...On October 24th independent state delegate candidate Michael Osborne filed suit against the Republican party of Virginia [challenging the signature review process and who performs it] ... according to Winger the VA GOP decided in response to bump up from 10K to 15K the threshold for simply deeming the requirements as being met.

...I think that John Fund’s general comment is correct: this is going to go to the courts. John was not discussing this specific wrinkle, but his larger point that Virginia’s ballot access policies have systemic problems gets a big boost when it turns out that the state party can effectively increase by fifty percent the practical threshold for ballot access – in a day, and in the middle of an existing campaign.

...If it is true that the Republican party of Virginia decided in November of 2011 to increase the threshold for automatic certification from 10K to 15K, then it is reasonable to suggest that this was a change that unfairly rewarded candidates who had previously run for President in Virginia.

Lane asserts that the state GOP has ultimate control of the ballot and could, if pressed, decide to certify Gingrich and Perry.

Either way, the issue is going to the courts.

And, either way, the Virginia GOP looks incompetent... or ill-intentioned against conservative candidates.

Action Alert: I urge you to contact the Virginia GOP and demand that they include Gingrich and Perry on the ballot. Be polite, but firm. There's no excuse for issuing new rules at the last minute that just happen to exclude the leading candidates. In fact, it's an outrage.

Email: Contact Form
Phone: 804-780-0111
Fax: 804-343-1060
Facebook: www.facebook.com/VirginiaGOP
Twitter: @va_gop

Make contact now. Time is growing short.


Is Oslo Dead Yet? [Dan from NY]

Dan from NY:

'PLO might revoke recognition of Israel'


Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi says Palestinian leadership may renege on its recognition of Israel if peace process continues to falter...

PM: Israel to refuse talks if Hamas joins PA


PM declares Israel will not renew peace negations if terror group joins Palestinian government. 'I will not allow a Palestinian state to turn into Gaza, Lebanon,' he states...

###

All of which brings to mind the great Monty Python dead parrot sketch.


Tell us how you really feel

As seen from Highway 60-70-84, 5 miles east of Clovis, New Mexico:




Hat tip: Moonbattery.

Larwyn's Linx: Eric Holder Blocks Voter ID For Racial Reasons

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

Eric Holder Blocks Voter ID For Racial Reasons: Adams
The Obama administration discovers the Constitution: Instapundit
DoJ rejects South Carolina Voter ID law: Greenroom

Exclusive: Statement from Former Ron Paul Staffer: RWN
Virginia’s GOP Isn’t For Lovers of Newt or Perry: BigGovt
California atheists block out nativity scenes: Hot Air

Why Ohio Is the Most Muddled Swing State Ever: RCP
Elisabeth’s Barrenness and Ours: Steyn
Is Twitter Breaking U.S. Law?: Pollak

Economy

A Country in Denial About Its Fiscal Future: Samuelson
Businesses Flee California and Illinois: Mish
House Dems prepping for fight over cuts to jobless benefits: Hill

The 7 Most Illuminating Economic Charts of 2011: Peth
The new Winter White House: Politico
Pelosi Slips Quietly into Big Island Resort: HawaiiRep

Gunrunner & Energygate

Solyndra: Politics infused Obama energy programs: WaPo
Heavily Dem downstate IL county: 7,100 voting age residents, 7,800 registered to vote: Marathon
Eric Holder's Lawlessness: Frontpage

Climate & Energy

Everything you ever needed to know about man-made global warming in one sentence and a graph: Bayonet
Warmists Trot Out Old Santa Painting To Prop Up Globull Warming: RWN
Modern-day climate change witch hunt: ABC Au

Media

Strike Three for Politifact: Cato
The Awful Unfairness of Iowa: Polipundit
How will the Obama administration’s misleading “New Poverty” line be abused?: Kaus

Progressives Attempt To Hijack Story Of Christmas: Loesch
"All-American Muslim" TV Show Plummets in Ratings Dive: Atlas
RINO Dick Lugar Spouts More Idiocy on CNN: Hill

10 Most Hated Movies of 2011: Wired
Remember: If You Want Ron Paul to POOF! Away, You Must Say His Name Backwards Every 90 Days: HillBuzz
Newt Gingrich, Bill Clinton battle over 1990s legacy: Politico

World

The Region: Obama preaches, dictators sneer: BRubin
U.N. Passes leaner 2012-2013 budget amid economic turmoil: NewsDaily
Anti-Putin Protest Draws Tens of Thousands: Blaze

No Worse Friend, No Better Enemy: Belmont Club
A terrible truth written in blood: AT
Religion of peace kills 39 Christians in Nigeria: Scoop

Sci-Tech

Anonymous Says It’s Hacked U.S. Security Think Tank, Promises Weeklong Assault: Blaze
The 30 Best iPad Games: CNet
The joys of real-time data analysis for online retailers: CNet

Cornucopia

A Christmas Blessing 2011: Dewey
Dogs Like Christmas, Too: Ace
Pelosi Tramp Stamp: iOTW

TSA: Keeping us safe from cupcakes: RWN
Bengals beg fans to show up for decisive game: Trib
Ronald Reagan's 1981 Christmas Address: ZH

Image: National Journal
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Please support the Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "The Obama administration won't be bound by a gun control ban in the $1 trillion spending bill for 2012, the president said Friday.

The funding provision for the federal health agency says that "none of the funds made available in this title may be used, in whole or in part, to advocate or promote gun control." The language aims to ban taxpayer dollars from supporting gun safety research.

"I have advised the Congress that I will not construe these provisions as preventing me from fulfilling my constitutional responsibility to recommend to the Congress's consideration such measures as I shall judge necessary and expedient," Obama said in a statement as he signed the bill into law." --Julian Pecquet, The Hill

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Rep. Joe Walsh: Prepare for the Race Card to Be Played As Never Before

Because of President Obama's litany of failed domestic and foreign policy initiatives, we already knew that the 2012 presidential campaign was destined to be the dirtiest in history.

Mr. Obama simply can't run on his record, given his failed Stimulus, an incredibly unpopular takeover of the health care industry, dozens of crackpot "housing recovery" programs, Cash-for-Clunkers, green jobs scams, the takeovers of GM and Chrysler that abrogated bankruptcy law, and the rise of an Islamist Middle East, to name but a few.

So the billion dollars he and David Axelrod plan on raising for 2012 will be spent -- literally -- tearing down his opponent in every way imaginable. It's the Chicago way.

And Rep. Joe Walsh, a Republican from Obama's home state, has some additional predictions for the campaign.

Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) says the Obama administration has shown a pattern of accusing its detractors of being racists, and said he’s afraid the president will use such accusations in the 2012 election to stymie criticism.

“We’ve seen this behavior with this president where he’s gently and sometimes not-so-subtly thrown out the race card,” Walsh said.

Speaking on Thursday to the National Rifle Association, Walsh was discussing Attorney General Eric Holder’s recent comment that the “more extreme segment” of his critics were going after him as a way to get at the president, because “we’re both African-American.”

“The minute you say, 'They’re criticizing me because I’m African American,' or whatever, that is voter intimidation... You are trying to stifle honest debate, and my fear is this is going to happen again in the next election. We saw it in ’08; thankfully, the president now has a record — he didn’t have a record in ’08 — so now we can criticize the fact that he destroyed the economy, and hopefully we can do that without being accused of being racist.”

Walsh also reiterated his claim that when Holder played the race card, it was part of an “orchestrated” effort by the administration to silence its critics by branding them racists.

“I can say something like, ‘This president in many ways had no business getting elected; he’s in over his head,’ and when I say something like that, often I’m accused of racism,” Walsh said. “When his attorney general sort of sings along the same tunes, you have to wonder if this is some, you know, orchestrated strategy of theirs, because they know they’ve got a media that will protect them every single day.”

Walsh called the behavior “shameful,” and said the media was complicit with the administration in pushing the storyline.

“This isn’t unusual,” he said. “When the left runs out of arguments and can no longer defend a position, they will often throw out the race card. This administration has done it, this president has done it, and Eric Holder is no different.”

Personally, I feel Rep. Walsh isn't giving the Democrat Party enough credit. It generally strives to maintain the most ethical debate positions, always arguing on principle, and never resorting to underhanded tactics like name-calling and slurring critics as racists.

HAHHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAH!

Just kidding.


Post-attack: Stratfor Research website still down after 24 hours

The website of intelligence firm Stratfor Research remains down more than 24 hours after it was rooted and defaced.

A comment on ZeroHedge by "Osgo" seems to summarize some of the key issues.

I find it astounding how people who just have no f'ing idea about INFOSEC, Anonymous, 4Chan, or Lulzsec... who still think AOL is the Internetz... are suddenly Armchair Warrior Commando Supremo, ready to wreak havoc upon enemies of capitalism... actually thinking that WikiLeaks, etc..is some sort of black-ops, Soros-scheming, FEMA camp-making endeavor ready to enslave their family, firmly ensconced in their gated community where most of the cars are shiny and their kids a little too clean... get some f'ing perspective, people, this is the Internetz equivalent of you driving around in your old '73 Camaro with a few too many Oly's in you as you took out your neighbors mailboxes, laughing with glee, later discovering your erstwhile girlfriend's angora sweater along with the twin treasures within.

Stratfor's site wasn't updated, patched well or maintained in a way commensurate with their public image. Indeed, it was a public secret that anyone could read ALL the articles in Google's cache... what they just went through is typical... Podunk site from a few years ago grows exponentially without proportionate security measures that EXCEEDED growth. While they hired and promulgated new authors, contributors and analysts with a pantload of letters after their names, they 'prolly didn't hire enough IT/web developers/security folks 'cause let's face it...they're usually considered a cost center, not a name that would bring in new subscribers/biz/accolades. I seem to remember they had open positions for interns... not pro's... go figure....

Every org. has growing pains... but the pain point here? The manageable risk that was unfortunately overlooked by "America's Private CIA" endeavor? By promoting and evangelizing themselves as an alternate intelligence organization, they failed to take into account good OPSEC. Here we have hundreds of records soon to be available, dead-drop names, sovereign ID's, aliases and a Who's-Who of people and corps. who just don't wanna be found....easily cross-referenced with other public disclosures... that any counter-intel org. could use to their great advantage. At this point it may even be an issue of maskirovka, but certainly the intrusion in no way approaches a sovereign level of expertise, IMHO...

This has got to be a flat-out awful Christmas for everyone involved with Stratfor. The company's website is a crucial element of its marketing and service delivery arms; yet, as Osgo implies, the organization's I.T. function may have received short shrift.


Report: Virginia GOP May Have Improperly Excluded Signatures From Perry, Gingrich

Tom White has an exclusive that could be an important development in Virginia's ongoing GOP soap opera:

I know that it is highly improbable that I am the only person in the country that has actually read the Code of Virginia on Presidential Primaries, but the requirement that signatures also include an address IS correct for a statewide election, but not for a Presidential Primary, though the number of signatures are identical.

Anyone know an election attorney available on Christmas?

###

Various reports have stated that the signatures turned in by Newt Gingrich included at least 2,000 that were invalidated because there was no address given with the signature.

If this were a Virginia Statewide office, that would be correct. But this is a Presidential Primary. And while the rules are similar, they are actually addressed in two separate sections of the Virginia Code.

There is a requirement in a Statewide General Election that the address be included, but there is no such requirement for a presidential primary. The number of signatures are the same, 10,000 and 400 per Congressional District. But the address requirements are different.

Tom suggests that Gingrich and Perry request that the signatures excluded for lack of address be reinstated and a recount be initiated.

If this report pans out, it could be another huge story attributed not to legacy media, but to what I like to call the new mainstream media.


Larwyn's Linx: Silent Night For Christians In Afghanistan And Iraq

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

Silent Night For Christians In Afghanistan And Iraq: IBD
Obama to ignore 20 policy riders in omnibus funding bill: AT
The Reagans at Christmas: Foundry

Obamacare is DOA, How Scams Will Break the Plan: LoneCon
Day Two of the Great VAGOP Meltdown: RS
Gingrich attacks Va. for keeping him off ballot: DC

Ron Paul!: Ace
Just Words: Cold Fury
Gingrich Presses Ron Paul to Explain Racist Newsletters: ABC

Economy

Governor of the Year: Scott Walker: GovJrnl
Published: So What If Corporations Aren’t People?: Cato
Conquering the private sector: Philanthropy Daily

Ogabenomics: hasn't worked, won't work, can't work: Cold Fury
Obama Goes Shopping for His Kids at Best Buy: Dossier
NLRB could be shut down in new year: Trib

Gunrunner & Energygate

Congressman trumps Holder’s race card, asks if Mexican gun-walking deaths were ‘racially motivated’: DC
Angry former ATF chief blames subordinates for Fast and Furious: LAT
Opinion: Remember Post-Racial America? Neither Does Eric Holder: WNYC

Climate & Energy

Lights Out, America: Hayward
Insiders: serious misgivings about data at the center of the greatest scientific fraud in history: Nelson
Mann hockey stick co-author Bradley: “it may be that Mann et al simply don’t have the long-term trend right”: Watts

Media

Allen West, The Liberal Media’s Boogeyman: RWN
#Hacked!: Ron Paul's Claims About His Newsletters Are Less Plausible Than Anthony Weiner's: Ace
Michael Tomasky: Time for Ron Paul to Fully Answer Racism Charges: Tomasky

Exposing the Palestinian Narrative Gingrich-Style: BigPeace
Moore: "Wall Street Has Their Man And His Name Is Barack Obama": RCP
Manhattan Mini Storage really, REALLY Hates Rick Perry: Urban Infidel

Michelle Obama Insisted on $4 Million Trip to Hawaii When Barack Wanted Local Vacation: GWP
ZoNation: Why Ron Paul is the Jeremiah Wright of the Right: Scoop
Yes Virginia The Internet Does NOT Replace Old Fashioned Politics: Publius

World

Mark Steyn on Ron Paul’s worldview: ‘Sheer stupid, half-witted parochialism’: DC
Muslim sect claims Nigeria Christmas church attacks; 25 dead: AP
Pope delivers message of peace on Christmas: CBS

Unlimited Muslim Entitlement: Sultan Knish
"Arab Spring" cleaning: The "religious cleansing" of Christianity from the Mideast: JihadWatch
Richard Dawkins, who claims to oppose genocide, vows to “destroy” Christianity: Wintery Knight

Egyptian Youth Disillusioned: Was Life Any Worse Under Mubarak?: BigPeace
Six Degrees of George Soros: Loudon
Permit needed to sing Christmas carols, move in groups in Muslim Malaysia: Creeping

Sci-Tech

21,000 domains transfer out of Go Daddy in 1 day: CNet
Stratfor Hacked, 200GB Of Emails, Credit Cards Stolen, Client List Released: ZH
Rare Galaxy from 'Dawn of Time' Photographed: Fox

Cornucopia

Something Wonderful: Last Minute Shopping: AmDigest
Portal Xmas Tree: Boing Boing
Says It All: Green Mountains

Image: Adapted from Rian.ru
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "You guys need to — you need to stop this. It’s not an organic thing that’s just happening. You guys are behind it.” --Eric Holder

Saturday, December 24, 2011

15 Crazy Photos From the Air Jordan Riots #AirJordans #Riots #Retro

Not, it's not the Occupy movement, though the resemblance is uncanny -- what with the pepper spray, the gunfire, and the riots. But in this particular case, the unrest accompanies the release of the new Air Jordan sneakers.















It's gotta be the shoes.


Hat tips: Mediaite, WCHS-6 and Blippit.

Screenshots: Stratfor Research Website Pwnt by Attackers

The website of intelligence firm Stratfor Research appears to have been defaced and then DOSed (suffered a denial-of-service attack) by attackers.

The message traffic (below) -- if accurate -- portrays a defiant IT manager offering a, eh, perhaps unwise challenge.

The Google cache recorded some of the content including shadow files and other sensitive info apparently rooted from Stratfor's servers. I've tactfully redacted some of the more sensitive info.

// OH STRATFOR. IF YOU ONLY KNEW WHAT ALL IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN.
// 'BUT WAIT', YOU ASK. 'IS THIS IT?' 0H N0, WE GOT MORE IN STORE...
// BUT FOR NOW, SOME INSPIRING WORDS OF WISDOM FROM IT MANAGER FRANK GINAC:

"You do realize how preposterous it is to suggest that stratfor simply
shutdown completely for 2 days, right? The plan that you've attached paints a
gloom and doom picture claiming no chance that such a move will succeed. Does
that really seem a rationale conclusion?"

// YOU DONT EVEN KNOW THE EXTENT OF THE GLOOM AND DOOM WE HAVE PLANNED, FRANK


"Attended the TakeDownCon security conference. Focus of the conference was on
wireless and mobile security. No vendors pushing product or service at this
conference. Instead, great presentations by renowned white hat hackers (good
hackers) and security experts. Bottom line is that no mobile platform is
secure, including the Blackberry, but there are best practices that minimize
the risk of their use within the enterprise. We will be incorporating these
best practices in our operation over the coming months."

// INCORPORATING PRACTICES FROM "GOOD WHITE HAT HACKERS"? HOW'D THAT WORK OUT?

"It blew my mind to discover that our email server backups are being stored on
the same physical server. I'm affectionately referring to these little
discoveries as 'Mooney turds'."

// SO SAD WE RM'D YOUR MAIL SERVER AND ALL BACKUPS, FRANK

"Most if not all of us use professional and social networking sites like
LinkedIn and Facebook. All offer levels of privacy ranging from wide open
where everyone can see your profile, activities, and posts to closed allowing
only your immediate connections (or friends) access. As a private intelligence
company we must all take extra care to protect our personal information from
those who would use that information to exploit us personally or
professionally. Although we don't have hard and fast rules on how to set your
privacy settings nor do we restrict use of such sites, I suggest that you
temper your need to share with prudence and consider the business that we are
in. It's also important to check your privacy settings regularly to ensure
that the sites you use haven't changed the meaning or scope of privacy
settings -- we've all heard or read the news regarding this practice at
Facebook. I suggest that you never include any information in your profile --
regardless of privacy setting -- that could be used to compromise your
identity. Specifically, never include: your birth date, your exact street
address (although this information can usually be found on the web quite
easily), your cell phone number, SSN or other government issued ID number
(that should be obvious), or any other information that someone could use to
compromise your identity if your account were compromised."

// EVEN WITH ALL THE BEST SECURITY PRACTICES LEARNED FROM THE "RENOWNED WHITE
// HAT HACKERS" WE STILL MANAGED TO STEAL ALL YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION. UMAD?

Interesting, to say the least.

Update: Cryptome:

Subject: Important Announcement from STRATFOR
Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2011 19:49:58 -0500
From: STRATFOR

Dear Stratfor Member,

We have learned that Stratfor's web site was hacked by an unauthorized party. As a result of this incident the operation of Stratfor's servers and email have been suspended.

We have reason to believe that the names of our corporate subscribers have been posed on other web sites. We are diligently investigating the extent to which subscriber information may have been obtained.

Stratfor and I take this incident very seriously. Stratfor's relationship with its members and, in particular, the confidentiality of their subscriber information, are very important to Stratfor and me. We are working closely with law enforcement in their investigation and will assist them with the identification of the individual(s) who are responsible.

Although we are still learning more and the law enforcement investigation is active and ongoing, we wanted to provide you with notice of this incident as quickly as possible. We will keep you updated regarding these matters.

Sincerely,

George Friedman

STRATFOR
221 W. 6th Street, Suite 400
Austin, TX 78701 US

Update II: Police-Led Intelligence:

PLI is far more concerned about the state of the classified information provided by STRATFOR to the US Government... STRATFOR maintains separate classified and unclassified networks and information, and PLI understands that none of the STRATFOR data has been spared the attention of the hacking group. Of course, had STRATFOR placed any classified data on the server which we know has been hacked, they’d be in blatant violation of the laws of the US and of common sense, but it’s against the law why? Because it’s happened before.

If classified data has been compromised in the hack, it will create a larger impact – and response – than if it is unclassified commercial intel. In addition, Sabu, a leading member of the group, boasted on Twitter that... "Over 90,000 Credit cards from LEA, journalists, intelligence community and whitehats leaked and used for over a million dollars in donations..."

The AntiSec/LulzSec crowd, on the AnonymousIRC Twitter channel, has promised that this is the first of many attacks.


Major Screw-up... or Grand Design? [Dan from NY]

Dan from NY:

Guess what? It doesn’t matter. What we’re witnessing could be part of Obama’s plan or a byproduct of Obama’s negligence, and either way the results are still the same. Only three years into his first term and Obama has turned the Mideast and North Africa into a hotbed for sharia and political Islam (terms his administration has expressly forbidden). At the same time he's made the rest of the world much more unstable. Extrapolate, if you dare. Four more years of Obama... and you won’t recognize this place. Guaranteed.

Egypt: Islamists consolidate gains in 2nd round of parliamentary elections


By Associated Press, December 24

CAIRO — Islamist parties have consolidated earlier gains in Egypt’s multistage parliamentary elections, winning nearly 70 percent of the seats determined so far, according to results announced Saturday.

...the Muslim Brotherhood says it won around 86 of estimated 180 seats up for grabs in the round, or 47 percent. The Al-Nour Party, the political arm of the ultraconservative Salafi movement, won around 20 percent of the vote.

The secular and liberal forces that largely drove Egypt’s uprising against former leader Hosni Mubarak were trounced, failing to turn their achievement into a victory at the polls. The secular alliance of Egyptian Bloc and youth Revolution Continues won less than 10 percent of the seats.

...A third round of voting is to be held Jan. 3-4. It is not expected to alter the result and could strengthen the Islamists’ hand.

Just to keep everything straight in my mind... as I understand it, the Obama Doctrine consists of the president staying completely silent on:

...murders of peaceful protesters by Iran's vicious dictators
...murders of American evangelists by Somali pirates
...Iran's continual threats to wipe America and Israel "off the face of the Earth"
...murders of Christian Copts by "freedom-loving" Egyptians
...incessant rocket attacks by Hamas into Israel
...the continued build-out of Iran's nuclear weapons program
...the transit of the Suez Canal by Iranian warships in an outright provocation of Israel
...Iranian military personnel operating with impunity in Venezuela on missile technology
...a failed narco-terror state descending into civil war on our unprotected southern border

However, the president is willing to courageously speak out on:

...how our Egyptian ally Mubarak should leave office and/or stay but work on "an orderly transition"
...how Libya's rebels -- who turned out to be hard-core Islamists aligned with Al Qaeda -- are worthy of our military support
...and how Israel's construction of apartments in its capital city is a "provocation"


Image: The Fire at the Institut d'Egypte Cairo, by AncientWorld.

Congressman calls Holder's race card, raises: asks whether Gunwalker's Mexican deaths were racially motivated

You gonna put some ice on that, Mister Holder (if that is your real name)?

Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar told The Daily Caller that Attorney General Eric Holder’s race-card play to attack his critics is “absolutely horrendous.” But Gosar said he thinks race may have played a role in the Department of Justice’s execution of Operation Fast and Furious — but in a different way from how Holder is framing it.

“He [Holder] brought up the race card, and while I think it’s absolutely horrendous that he would bring up the race card, in Fast and Furious, we were in fact impugning the Mexican people,” Gosar said in a phone interview. “About 300 people have lost their lives.”

When the attorney general brings up the race card, he’d better be very, very careful — particularly for the Hispanics and what’s happened to them,” Gosar adds. “He’s been very insensitive, not only to the [U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian] Terry family in making an apology and making it very public, but where’s the apology to the Mexican government and the families of the victims in Mexico?”

My pet conspiracy theory regarding Operation Fast and Furious is simple: foment an all-out civil war in Mexico by arming the rival Zetas and Sinoloa cartels. Consider:

• The ATF armed the Sinaloa cartel
• The State Department armed the Zetas
• The combination could help fuel a full-blown civil war in Mexico
• Civilians would start streaming north to safety

The resulting humanitarian crisis would be used as a lever for a mass immigration event. The resulting influx of refugees -- fleeing the violence and demanding asylum in the U.S. -- would provide a nice, hefty bump of undocumented Democrats just in time for the 2012 presidential election.


Larwyn's Linx: The Devolution of Society

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

The Devolution of Society: TL in Exile
The Obama-mas Choir sings “Home for the Holidays”: Malkin
Ryan: We Cannot Survive Another 4 Years of Obama: HE

Virginia Primary To Be Romney Vs. Ron Paul: RightPer
Santorum Surges: Morris
Gingrich demands Paul explain anti-gay, racist newsletters: Dollard

Gingrich fails to make Virginia ballot too: RSM
Obama: ‘There’s a laziness in me’: DC
Are Our Nuclear Secrets Safe In Obama's Hands?: IBD

Economy

Stopping SOPA: Erickson
Washington DC Dangerously Out Of Control: Strata-Sphere
Romney: I'd consider a Value-Added Tax: WSJ

Lighting Up Democratic Crony Capitalism: AmSpec
Class envy-produced unemployment defines year in review: DeVine
Fights for new Nikes break out across U.S.: Tele

Gunrunner & Energygate

"Maybe it is time for him to get another job.”: SSI
Calling Out Attorney General Eric Holder: The Razor
Holder's Voter ID Fraud: WSJ

Climate & Energy

Alt Power Gestalt: AT
NYT reporter engages in zany conspiracy theory – suggests bloggers “knew” FOIA emails were coming: Watts
Lead global warming author quits IPCC project: Surber

Media

Inside Game?: DC
Obama “won’t release his college transcripts” campaign criticizes Mitt Romney…: Lane
Dog days: Bo's whereabouts spark latest White House controversy: LAT

TNR Exclusive: A Collection of Ron Paul’s Most Incendiary Newsletters: New Republic
Classics of the Golden Age of Fringe, Or: Ron Paul Digs the Beatles’ White Album: RSM
Ron Paul Denies Writing the 'Coming Race War' Letter He Signed: Atlantic

Alex Massie Discovers the Most Offensive Newspaper Column of the Year: Ricochet
Paul's Attack On Perry Based Upon Lies, A Pattern For Paul: Riehl
Journalists complain the White House press office has become overly combative: WaPo

World

Iran Launching "Massive" Ten Day War Game Tomorrow In Close Proximity To CVN-74 John Stennis: ZH
Patriot Missiles Found on China-Bound Ship: BlackFive
North Korea Demands South Korea Attend Kim Jong Il's Funeral: Atlantic

Syrian Government Hit By Suicide Car Bombings: Atlantic
The Fire at the Institut d'Egypte Cairo: AncientWorld
Italian 10-Year Yield Back Over 7 Percent: Mish

Mr. Islam's Blindfold and Machete: Knish
Courageous Ex-Muslim Woman in Muslim Country Starts Extraordinary New Website: HyScience
French Muslim Man Imprisoned After Punching a Nurse Who Removed His Wife's Burqa: Blaze

Sci-Tech

For Bloggers at Risk: Creating a Contingency Plan: EFF
Can Loving a Robot Lead to Divorce?: HuffPo
Go Daddy spanks SOPA, yanks support: CNet

Cornucopia

A Brother’s Lesson on Christmas: Anchoress
Last Minute Gift Idea For Him: C&S
The Little Drummer Boy’s World Tour: A Christmas Card for You: MOTUS

Preparing To Celebrate The Twelve Days Of Christmas: Wolf Howling
"Mission Impossible": I Don't Understand How Tall Everyone Is: Awl
You're a good Jihadi, Charlie Brown: BNI

Image: "New Air Jordans cause shopping frenzy"
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Jim DeMint's Senate Conservatives Fund

QOTD: "Despite all [the misgivings], I prefer [Newt] to all the others. Much like Abraham Lincoln said of General Ulysses Grant, “He fights”. I want someone in the White House who won’t shy away from a fight over conservative principles. I want someone who will kick recalcitrant Congressional Republicans in the tail, like he did when he was Speaker of the House (and don’t think for a moment that they removed him from the position for any other reason than because he upset their apple carts). I want someone who will look Democrats in the eye, grin, and take them to school so quickly they barely have time to figure out how they lost.

I believe Newt Gingrich will be that man and so he has my support." --Jimmie Bise, Jr.

Friday, December 23, 2011

The Islamist's M.O.: Obliterating the Past [Dan from NY]

Dan from NY:

If there is a recurring theme within political Islam it is the permanent jihad to wipe out any trace of non-Muslim civilization. Once you appreciate that you’ll begin to see the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Mosque built over the Jewish Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the persecution of Christians in Muslim lands and the spread of “no-go” neighborhoods in Europe in an entirely new light.

###

Ynet News, 12/23/2011, by Guy Bechor

Welcome to Cairostan


Op-ed: Egypt’s radicals eliminating country’s connection to West, but does anyone care?

It was barely mentioned in the Israeli and global media, but the following event pertains to the whole of Western civilization: Last Saturday, violent groups of Islamic-Salafi radicals burned the famous scientific institute established by Napoleon in Egypt after its first encounter with the West. Some historians consider it the start of modern times in the Middle East.

The site, L’Institut d’Egypte, held some 200,000 original and rare books, exhibits, maps, archeological findings and studies from Egypt and the entire Middle East, based on the work of generations of western researchers. Most of the artifacts were lost forever, burned or looted.

It’s difficult to understand the modern Middle East without these studies, which were overcome by an immense fire. The large building was situated in the center of Cairo and torching it was a symbolic, intentional act. Those who burned the building and its artifacts meant to burn the era of logic, enlightenment, research and individualism.

This was a grave provocation against the whole of Western civilization, a desire to disconnect from science, research and modernity, while cynically using a Western means – that is, democracy – in order to take power.

One need not go all the way to blowing up the pyramids, as some of Egypt’s Salafis wish to do after they seized some 35% of the new parliament seats (alongside 40% of the Islamic brotherhood,) and there is no reason to go as far as Afghanistan, where the Taliban blew up the huge Buddha statues. The elimination of Egypt’s non-Muslim past is already here.

...This isn’t a new phenomenon, and in Jerusalem as well we see elements associated with political Islam trying to erase any presence of the 3,000-year Jewish existence there, on Temple Mount for example – existence that pre-dated Islam.

... And who is supposed to raise a hue and cry over the burning of Egypt’s Western past? Who is supposed to be greatly disturbed by the fact that Egyptian authorities are having trouble protecting their own museums? UNESCO, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Yet not much is happening there. Well, we can’t blame this organization; after all, it is preoccupied with admitting “Palestine” into its ranks.


Images: Ancient World Bloggers Group - "The Fire at the Institut d'Egypte Cairo"

Hard-hitting ABC special: Barbawa Wawa asks Obama what super-power he wants

Oh, that cwazy, whacky legacy media. And I do mean legacy, since Barbawa Wawa recently celebrated her 160th birthday (but doesn't look a day over 150).

In one of her hard-hitting, cut-to-the-chase interviews, Barbawa sat down with President Obama and asked not about his record-setting deficit spending, the country's loss of its AAA credit rating, the hundreds killed by Operation 'Fast and Furious', the dozens of Congressional leaders to call for the resignation of his attorney general, the record number of Americans living in poverty and receiving food-stamps, or even his 'Arab Spring' diplomacy, which has seen the rise of Islamists around the Middle East.

No, Barbawa was interested in what super-power Obama would like to have:

WALTERS: What's the trait you most deplore in yourself and the trait you most deplore in others?

BARACK OBAMA: Laziness. [Ed: gee, you'd never know if from his schedule.]

WALTERS: You're lazy?

BARACK OBAMA: You know, it's interesting. There is a deep down, underneath all of the work I do, I think there's a laziness in me. I mean, it's probably from growing up in Hawaii. It's sunny outside, sitting on the beach.

...On Monday's "View," Walters played this clip: "We asked middle school and high school students to throw a few questions. I'd like to read their questions. If you were a super hero and you could have one super power, what would it be?"

The President relayed that he'd like to be able to fly.

Please, no jokes about the president's admitted use of cocaine and reefer.

Oh, and can someone put Barbawa back in formaldehyde to preserve her for the next hard-hitting ABC special?


Cartoon: Ramirez, IBD.