Vegetarians bug chickens.

Some foodies want the best for their potential food.
Thus the craze for "vegetarian fed hens."
Except that might not be a good idea.
Yet for the chickens, who are natural omnivores that readily devour bugs and small animals when they’re available, the forced vegetarianism can be a disaster.
Chickens on an unsupplemented vegetarian diet typically fall short of an essential protein-based amino acid known as methionine, and without it, they fall ill. Worse, the birds will also turn on each other, pecking at each other in search of nutrients, and these incidents can escalate into a henhouse bloodbath, farmers say.
“They’re really like little raptors - they want meat,” said Blake Alexandre, the owner of a 30,000 chicken operation in far northern California that keeps its birds on pasture. “The idea that they ought to be vegetarians is ridiculous.”
Just keep making them delicious.

Not blue because of her

Don Surber tells the tale of Helen Taussig, who did pioneering work in pediatric cardiology.
"In 1944 doctors at Johns Hopkins performed the surgery that opened the door to today's heart surgery.Working together, The Johns Hopkins Hospital's chief surgeon, Dr. Alfred Blalock, his technician Vivien Thomas, and pediatric cardiologist Dr. Helen Taussig devised a means for improving the flow of oxygen into the blood by connecting one of the heart's major arteries with another feeding into the lungs. Known as the Blue Baby Operation, it brought relief to a young girl plagued with a combination of heart defects that kept her blood so starved for oxygen that her skin was literally blue. In time the procedure not only helped save the lives of thousands of similarly afflicted children around the world, but also opened the door to now-familiar procedures like coronary bypass surgery," according to the university's official history.
Many lived because of her work.

Pushback leak

We've reached the point in the Baltimore riots where a well-timed news leak throws the reason for the problem into a new light.
The Washington Post received word from another person arrested that day that Freddie Gray was trying to hurt himself while heading to the police station.
It's hard to believe that he would try to hurt himself that day.
But it's also hard to believe police officers would intentionally injure a prisoner in their care.
This leak offers a chance to pushback against the police brutality theme.
Like the leak of Michael Brown robbing the store, it puts the victim in a different light.
Not a completely innocent victim.
If you believe police are brutal, the current Gray story works for you.
If you believe police are trying to do a tough job the best they can, this leak provides a partial answer.

Sometimes when we touch

Via Instapundit, a list of new rules for hugging at the University of Virginia.
If you link arms during the "Good ole Song" at football games, do you need a group consent prior to the game?
Or each score?

Why they call it snail mail

Being a good citizen, I finished my Virginia state taxes and sent the check last week.
I checked this week and it hadn't been cashed.
With the May 1 deadline looming, I decided to call the county.
They processed the check yesterday.
I sent it on the 20th.
It was received on the 28th.
Eight days to go eight miles.

Don't just stand there, do something

PJMedia's resident police expert - Jack Dunphy - explains what he learned in L.A. in 1992.
And wishes Baltimore learned the same lesson.
If there was a lesson the LAPD learned in 1992, it is that if you do not respond decisively to lawlessness, you will quickly have much more of it.  That lesson was learned the hard way, when timid police supervisors (one of them in particular most egregiously) failed to act when violence first flared near the intersection of Florence and Normandie Avenues.  I would argue that had the LAPD responded as it should have in those first hours of the riot, much of the devastation and loss of life that followed could have been averted.  Proof of this came in the following months when a number of incidents in South Los Angeles threatened to break out into rioting but were quelled with a swift and sure response by police.

Driven the wrong way

The unrest in Baltimore gives commentators a chance to do what they do best - blame the other side.
Daily Kos features someone blaming the white reaction.
After sitting on the sidelines, silent at the lynching of Freddie Gray, you'd think that some property damage and non-lethal violence would fail to shake the conscience of the average white viewer. You'd be wrong.
The National Review looks at which party has led Baltimore since I was in kindergarten.

Black urban communities face institutional failure across the board every day. There are people who should be made to answer for that: What has Martin O’Malley to say for himself?
The Daily Kos piece seems to excuse the rioting as the last chance to get attention. A choice they were driven to make.

As a white male, I don't particularly care for looting and rioting. I wouldn't like to be one of the store or property owners who will have to replace or rebuild. But I'm forced to recognize this destruction as the final option for a group of people so systematically disenfranchised that their voices have not been heard.

I don't think that's going to work.

Exceptional book

Don Surber has a book out on Exceptional Americans.
There's stories of 50 Americans who made a difference.
Good reading for bad days.

Don't take me out to the ballgame

The Orioles and White Sox will play Wednesday before an empty house.
Maybe some of the police and firefighters can stop by between their shifts on the street.
They need to relax and enjoy themselves sometime this week.

No hockey night in America

I'm bummed.
The NHL first round series out west all ended early.
There will be no playoff ice hockey tonight.
What will I watch?

When can we play ball?

Another Orioles-White Sox game has been postponed.
The White Sox need to be in Minnesota Thursday, so the Orioles need to know when it's safe to play at home again - or play somewhere soon.
Shutting down Baltimore gives us plenty of time to think - how does this make lives better?

What you're seeing

The TV critic from the Baltimore Sun reviews Monday's coverage of the Baltimore riots.
I'm glad the folks at CNN finally realized the tremendous importance of what's been happening here and sent in several crews and show hosts Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo Monday.
But I have to note the irony of Lemon pressing Gov. Larry Hogan on why the National Guard and State Police were only coming in Monday night "when there was so much chaos Saturday."
Hogan might have asked Lemon: Why wasn't CNN covering Baltimore at all Saturday night "when there was so much chaos" here? Really, why not? I'd like to hear one the CNN executives answer me that.

Rubio's troubles

Pat from Shreveport tried to say how Marco Rubio could do well in the Republican primaries.
The reaction wasn't nice.
Rubio has been warned.
Republicans have long memories.

Happy now?

Police officers injured.
Looting.
Orioles game postponed.
Curfew at 10 p.m. starting Tuesday.
Those who encouraged the protests, are you happy now?
Do you think the people of Baltimore and Maryland are more inclined to support you?
Or just disgusted.

Capitals fans don't need the reminder

The Capitals and Islanders will play a seventh and deciding game of their series Monday.
In 1987, their seventh game went into four overtimes before the Islanders won in Washington.
My brother was there.
He and Capitals fans don't need a reminder of that game.
But there will be plenty of them before the opening puck drops.

Who needs proof?

Liberals want to crow that there's no proof of pro quid pro by the author of Clinton Cash.
How convenient to forget Harry Reid accused Mitt Romney of not paying taxes without proof.
I'm sure they lamented those unproven allegations.

Signs of spring

A mama robin set up her nest in our backyard this spring.
This morning, the first baby hatched.

Thousands detained

Baltimore's protests of a death in police custody spilled into the streets around Camden Yards Saturday night.
For their safety, fans were kept inside the stadium for a time.
Does that help the cause?

The force is not strong with this one

Via Powerline's weekly roundup, Hillary trying the Jedi mind trick on the press.

Saturday song

I stumbled upon this song for today - Stumblin' In.

Facebook quote of the week

I am quite confident that my recent string of bad luck is because i didn't copy and paste that facebook post asking if I loved any family member ever in my entire history.

The worth of children

Via Instapundit, an interesting look at how Christianity changed the viewpoint toward children.
Various pagan authors describe children as being more like plants than human beings. And this had concrete consequences.
Well-to-do parents typically did not interact with their children, leaving them up to the care of slaves. Children were rudely brought up, and very strong beatings were a normal part of education. In Rome, a child's father had the right to kill him for whatever reason until he came of age.

Hungry for good news

Don Surber tells the good news about Twinkies after the rebirth.
The government protected the very things that brought down GM: Unions, lack of innovation, inefficiency, and not knowing the market. GM is just another Amtrak.
Have a Twinkie. Those we will make because the politicians have no interest in them. Now if you don't mind, my red Mustang GT convertible awaits me.

Weekend watchdog

Richmond gets to host a pair of NASCAR races under the lights - one before the 16 driver playoff begins and this weekend.
Fox has coverage Saturday at 7 p.m., and racers hope the flag drops shortly thereafter - not after a long rain delay like last week at Bristol.
Kevin Harvick leads the Sprint Cup field with two wins in the first eight races. When the drivers return to Richmond in September, the final 16 driver Sprint for the Cup lineup will be finalized.
 The Xfinity Series racers hit the track Friday at 7:30 p.m. on FoxSports1.
NBC Sports network offers the IndyCar Grand Prix of Alabama Sunday at 3 p.m.
The NBA postseason heads into its second weekend, starting Friday at 7 p.m. when ESPN offers the Mavericks and Rockets Friday, followed by Spurs-Clippers. The Wizards host Toronto at 8 p.m. on ESPN2 and Comcast.
There's a pair of games on TNT Saturday afternoon - Hawks against Nets at 3 p.m. before the Bulls battle the Bucks. New Orleans hosts the Warriors at 8 p.m. on ESPN, then it's Grizzlies-TrailBlazers.
ABC has the Sunday afternoon action - Game 4 of Cavaliers-Celtics at 1 p.m. and Clippers against Spurs at 3:30 p.m. the Wizards host Toronto on TNT and Comcast at 7 p.m., then it's Rockets facing the Mavericks.
Anaheim has moved on in the NHL postseason, and Friday's action starts at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports network with the Penguins meeting the Rangers. Ottawa tries to stay alive in Game 5 at Montreal on CNBC, and the Wild and Blues meet on NBC Sports network at 9:30 p.m.
The Capitals can boot the Islanders from contention in their Game 6 Saturday at 3 p.m. on NBC. The Red Wings visit Tampa Bay at 6 p.m. on NBC Sports network, with Predators-Blackhawks on NBC Saturday at 8 p.m. Calgary clashes with Vancouver at 9 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
Sunday's slate will be determined after Friday's contests.
The Orioles host the Red Sox for the weekend (Friday and Sunday on MASN, Saturday on MASN2). The Nationals head to Miami for the weekend (Friday and Sunday on MASN2 and Saturday at 4 p.m. on MASN).
FoxSports1 offers the Indians' trip to Detroit Saturday at 1 p.m., followed by Mets-Yankees at 4 p.m. That series concludes on ESPN Sunday at 8 p.m.
On the college diamond, Georgia Tech faces Clemson at 1 p.m. Saturday on Comcast. LSU and Texas A&M tangle on ESPN Saturday at 2 p.m. and Alabama meets Mississippi Sunday at 1 p.m. FoxSports1 has Kansas State-Baylor Sunday at 3 p.m.
The PGA tour visits New Orleans Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. on CBS.
Manchester City meets Aston Villa on NBC Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Southampton faces Tottenham Hotspur on NBC Sports network Saturday at 7:45 a.m., followed by Burnley battling Leicester City. Arsenal and Chelsea bring the battle of London Sunday at 8:30 a.m.
The Red Bulls meet the Galaxy on ESPN2 Sunday at 5 p.m. FoxSports1 has a pair of games Sunday, with Toronto at Orlando City at 7 p.m. followed by Portland visiting Seattle at 9:30 p.m.
Comcast carries the ACC women's lacrosse tournament, with semifinals Friday at 1 and 3 p.m. and the final Sunday at 1 p.m.
In college softball, Texas takes on Texas Tech Saturday at 3 p.m. on MASN2.

Welcome to the party, pal

Politico gathers the mainstream media's interest in "Clinton Cash."
Can they protect both Clinton and the Obama team?
If not, who goes down?
"[T]he best-case scenario is bad enough: The Clintons have been disorganized and greedy," Chait writes. "The news today about the Clintons all fleshes out, in one way or another, their lack of interest in policing serious conflict-of-interest problems that arise in their overlapping roles."
Chait also places the "Clinton Cash" revelations in the context of larger Clintonian secrecy: "The Obama administration wanted Hillary Clinton to use official government email. She didn’t. The Obama administration also demanded that the Clinton Foundation disclose all its donors while she served as Secretary of State. It didn’t comply with that request, either."
Obama may be on his way out of office.
But the next few months should remain quite interesting.

Dis-enchanted

Growing up in Howard County, Maryland, I made a few trips to the Enchanted Forest.
The site is now a shopping center, and the remaining structures from the theme park are being moved to a farm away from the busy highway.
But we'll always have our memories.

Clinton indulgences

If you remember your history, you know the story of indulgences in the late Middle Ages.
Indulgences were considered ways to help penitents deal with their sins. As time went on, the powerful used them to extract money from the people and build their power.
Sounds like the Clinton Foundation. They like to talk about the good they want to do. But are donors giving from the good of their hearts or to gain something for themselves?
And the Clintons are getting very rich on the way.

Moving on

Augusta County Supervisor David Karaffa announced his resignation Wednesday as he prepares to move out of state.
Best of luck for the future.

Do you feel safe to comment?

Over at Volokh Conspiracy, they try to get to the bottom of the "feeling unsafe."
While feeling the First Amendment's future may be unsafe.
Today’s college students are going to be tomorrow’s judges, and if they truly believe that “safety” means “never having to deal with opinions that disagree with one’s cherished beliefs,” then censorship has a good chance of gaining the upper hand over freedom of speech. After all, public safety can be a justification for suppressing speech, as with the “fighting words” doctrine.

Not so hot

Sales numbers aren't looking so good for Chipotle.
Ricochet has some ideas to help.
Despite being advertised as “healthy,” a Chipotle burrito clocks in at about 1,000 calories — 1,600 if you get all the fixings. That latter number is all the calories you need in a day, and you wasted it on a horrible fast-food burrito.

McCain explains it all

The Other McCain has been on a quest to expose the radical thinking of current feminists.
He sums it up pretty nicely.
Mutual trust and respect are necessary to effective teamwork, and feminist discourse is calculated to destroy women’s ability to trust or respect men. Feminists relentlessly derogate males, per se, while celebrating the virtue of females, per se. To any woman who accepts feminist ideology, every male-female conflict becomes self-explanatory: He is the wrongful oppressor, and she is his victim. Because feminists believe this dynamic of male oppression and female victimization is ubiquitous under the system of male supremacy, there can never be a reason for a woman to consider any man trustworthy. She must view men with suspicion, hostility and contempt.

Sounds fishy

Don Surber has the bad news from drought-stricken California - an idea to release billions of gallons of the water to save six fish.
People who blame climate change for California's water woes want to waste water for a few fish.

Closing the door on kids in need

I used to live in Bluefield, West Virginia, where local volunteers have turned an old school into a ministry center.
But hopes for working through the summer have been dashed.
They bring in people to help in the summer, and they live in the school.
Except the living spaces didn't meet the fire code.
It's an old school.
It's will be harder for the Wade Center to help kids this summer.
But rules are rules.

Follow the money

Up next on the campaign trail - the release of "Clinton Cash."
And newspapers are going to use the book to follow the money.
David Brock isn't impressed.
"Schweizer is a partisan right-wing activist whose writings have been marked with falsehoods and retractions, with numerous reporters excoriating him for facts that 'do not check out,' sources that 'do not exist,' and a basic failure to practice 'Journalism 101,'" Brock said in a statement. "Buyers should beware and consider the source."
Change right-wing to left-wing and Brock describes himself.

A woman to listen to

John Fund checks out the performance of Carly Fiorina on the Republican campaign trail.

Fiorina also seems to relish the role of being the most pointed critic of Hillary Clinton. “She tweets about women’s rights in this country and takes money from governments that deny women the most basic human rights,” she jabbed back in February when a scandal involving the Clinton Foundation surfaced. She contrasts her background as a “problem solver” with Clinton’s record as a professional politician. Her critique of Clinton’s record is withering: “I come from a world where speeches are not accomplishments. Activity isn’t accomplishment. Title isn’t accomplishment. I come from a world where you have to actually do something; you have to produce results.”

Hospital games

Should you be offended or relieved that hospital workers use gallows humor to cope with their daily grinds?
Makes you want to slim down.

Researchers at Northeast Ohio Medical University say the patients most likely to be joked about are the ones perceived to have brought on their own medical problems. The California nurse told me: “We all play a game called Interesting Things I Have Found in Obese People’s Rolls of Fat. So far I’m sitting in third with a fork, second place is an ICU nurse who found a TV remote, and the winner is an ER nurse who found a tuna fish sandwich.”

Surely you can't be serious

Relive the fun of Airplane! in this oral history.
And forget the sequel.

Can we have our fair share?

You'll often hear liberals saying business CEOs should reduce their pay to help the people who work for them.
How many CEOs made $136.5 million between 2001-12?
I'd like a few bucks from the Bill and Hillary Clinton income stream.

Punching up

The new term or excuse is "punching down."
Garry Trudeau excused the murder of the staff of Charlie Hebdo because their Muslim attackers were "punching up." To criticize Muslims is punching down.
Among our presidential candidates, who rides the highest?
Hillary.
Thus, anything said about her is fine because it's "punching up."

Peace, if you're quiet

Powerline provides a recent list of Muslim attacks against Christians in Africa and Australia.
In Uganda, five Muslims gang-raped the daughter of a Christian minister who refused their demands that he close his church:

“One of the short messages in my phone read, ‘Be you informed that we do not want your church in this area. If you continue worship here, then you will live to regret it,’” the pastor told Morning Star News.

Peace if you're quiet is not true peace.

Shame shame shame

Megan McArdle examines how shaming someone changes from a small community to the whole internet.
On the Internet, when all the social context is stripped away and you don't even have to look at the face of the person you're being mean to, shame loses its social, restorative function. Shame-storming isn't punishment. It's a weapon. And weapons aren't supposed to be used against people in your community; they're for strangers, people in some other group that you don't like very much.
The internet can be used for good.
It will be a shame if it's not due to this abuse.

Understanding the love of Jesus

Via Instapundit, an interesting take on what it means to "love your wife as Christ loves the church."
One of the problems with modern Christian culture is the misconception that loving is a synonym for nice.  Jesus is often considered to be a sort of passive non judgmental friend, instead of our Lord, our Master.

Not over the hill yet

Have you passed your 40th - or 50th - birthday?
And have people joke about being over the hill?
According to this, you haven't reached the peak yet.
Celebrate.
If it's not your bedtime yet.

Meeting the thoroughly vetted people

Business Insider tells of all the hoops five people had to go through to be part of a meeting with Hillary Clinton.
The people who had coffee with Clinton had to sign the release forms because the event was filmed for a video the Clinton campaign released on Friday. However, everyone who spoke to Business Insider said they weren't able to get take their own pictures of the meeting because Price asked to take their phones before the encounter.
"I was so excited," Yowell said. "But then they took our cellphones and I was, like, 'But I can't call and tell anyone?'"
"We had to turn our cellphones in to them before we went in," Nelson said. "We all handed them over."
We can talk - after you follow all my rules.

Saturday song

Going back to the 80s with Gloria.

Facebook quote of the week

Memo to ‪#‎Wrestling‬ fans: The "What!!" chants have been ruining live shows for more than a decade now. Please stop.

Out of sync

Michael Barone doesn't feel Hillary Clinton's campaign opener meshes well with the mood of 2015.
Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992 as a different kind of Democrat, more moderate on some issues than previous nominees, vastly interested in alternative public policies that he had advanced as head of the moderate Democratic Leadership Council.
His party was prepared to accept him because Democrats were uncomfortably aware that their candidates had lost five of the six previous elections and had won the other one only by a narrow margin. Political scientists proclaimed that Republicans had a lock on the White House. Liberal Democrats were willing to settle for half a loaf to break that lock -- which they did.
Democrats have won four of the last six presidential elections and won a popular-vote plurality in another. Liberals no longer feel they need to compromise to win.

Listen my children

Legal Insurrection notes the 240th anniversary of Paul Revere's ride.

Grand Old Buffet

Vodkapundit is impressed with the wealth of choices Republicans will have over the next few months.
At this point in the pre-primary cycle, I’m like my young boys let loose in the toy section at Walmart. There’s so much to choose from, so much to take off the shelves and check out — the GOP bench is an embarrassment of riches like the party hasn’t seen since… since maybe not in my lifetime.More fun to come.

Weekend watchdog

If you're an ice hockey fan, you're about to embark on the best two months of the year.

The quest for the Stanley Cup continues Friday with the second game between the Capitals and Islanders on NBC Sports network at 7 p.m. (also on Comcast) then Nashville meets Chicago at 9:30 p.m. North of the border, Montreal hosts Ottawa at 7 p.m. on CNBC and Calgary clashes with Vancouver at 10 p.m.

NBC has a pair of games Saturday at 3 p.m. - Detroit against Tampa Bay or Minnesota facing St. Louis - and Penguins-Rangers at 8 p.m. The Ducks and Jets battle at 10:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network.

The Islanders start their final postseason at Nassau Coliseum Sunday at noon, meeting the Capitals in Game 3. The Predators take on the Blackhawks at 3 p.m. The Canadiens and Senators meet at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports network, followed by Vancouver-Calgary at 10 p.m.

Multiple games continue each night throughout the coming week.

The NBA's postseason tips Saturday on ESPN, with the Wizards meeting the Raptors at 12:30 p.m. West top-seed Golden State hosts New Orleans at 3:30 p.m. on ABC, then ESPN has an evening doubleheader - Bulls against Bucks at 7 p.m. and Rockets-Mavericks at 9:30 p.m.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers battle the Celtics Sunday at 3 p.m. on ABC. TNT has the rest of the first round action, with Nets-Hawks at 5:30 p.m. followed by Portland visiting Memphis at 8 p.m. and San Antonio against the Clippers at 10:30 p.m.

The WNBA gears up for its new season with its draft Thursday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

The Nationals host the Phillies for the weekend, with action on MASN2 Friday, MASN Saturday at 1 p.m. and MASN2 Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The Orioles head to Boston Friday at 7 p.m. on MASN, Saturday at 4 p.m. on MASN2 and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on MASN.

FoxSports1 has Saturday's Orioles-Red Sox game at 4 p.m., followed by the Rays against Yankees at 7 p.m. ESPN offers the Reds battling the Cardinals Sunday at 8 p.m.

On the college diamond, Texas-San Antonio takes on Rice on Comcast Saturday at 3 p.m. FoxSports1 has St. John's against Creighton Friday at 7 p.m. and Vanderbilt meets South Carolina on ESPN2 Saturday at 1 p.m.

NASCAR visits Bristol this weekend, with the Sprint Cup race Sunday at 1 p.m. on Fox. FoxSports1 has the Xfinity series contest Saturday at 1 p.m.

Bahrain hosts the Formula One race Sunday at 11 a.m. on NBC Sports network. There's practice Friday at 11 a.m.

The IndyCar circuit goes to Long Beach Sunday at 4 p.m. on NBC Sports network.

After the Masters, the PGA tour heads to Hilton Head for the Heritage on CBS Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.

D.C. United hosts Houston Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast. Philadelphia takes on New England Sunday at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 and Portland heads to New York City Sunday at 7 p.m. on FoxSports1.

Liverpool and Aston Villa meet in a semifinal of FA Cup Sunday at 10 a.m. on FoxSports1.

Everton takes on Burnley Saturday at 10 a.m. on NBC Sports network. Manchester City battles West Ham United Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

NBC Sports network offers Notre Dame's Blue-Gold game Saturday at 12:30 p.m.

Cleveland and Philadelphia meet in Arena Football Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

In college softball, Baylor battles Oklahoma on ESPN2 Thursday at 9 p.m. and Florida faces Georgia Saturday at 4 p.m. Mercer meets Samford Saturday at 1 p.m. on Comcast and ESPN offers Oregon against Stanford Sunday at 3 p.m.

Nazi knees

Ever wanted to see pictures of Adolf Hitler in shorts?
Apparently Hitler didn't after these pictures were published.

Winning the TMZ primary

The TMZ coverage of Marco Rubio's return to Washington caught the eye of Powerline.
Not only is Rubio a knowledgeable sports fan, he actually listens to rap, hip-hop and similar abominations. Normally I wouldn’t think this sort of thing would impress young voters, but this TMZ video might suggest otherwise.
Think of all the voters who weren't born, or even in kindergarten, when Hillary Clinton became First Lady in 1993.
Rubio is much closer to their cultural life experience.

End of the run

The NBA regular season has come to an end.
For some - Lakers and Knicks - it really ended a long time ago.
Oklahoma City went into the final day needing a win and some help.
The Thunder got the win.
Not the help.
Dustbury will need to find something else to write about until October.

Mullet over

Virginia Right compares mullets and Hillary Clinton.
And what is it about a mullet that makes the voice of the wearer collide with the ear drums like fingernails on the chalkboard? compare Hillary a Hillary speech and Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart”. Our enemies would scream for water-boarding rather than spend time listening to either.

Mitt Romney of the Democrats

Megan McArdle offers reasons Hillary Clinton won't win next year.
First, she's old.
And she's not good at what she needs to do - woo voters.
She has never won a tough election. In fact, she's only won in deep blue New York, which is not exactly playing against the varsity. On the stump, she has nowhere near the appeal of her husband, or Barack Obama. She's a totally fine speaker, but she is not inspiring, and she does not come off as warm; her tone ranges from "well coached" to "annoyed." You might call her the Mitt Romney of the Democrats.

Schwing

Via Althouse, Mad Magazine finds inspiration in Hillary Clinton's new logo.

About those emails

The private email server story will continue to haunt Hillary Clinton.
The New York Times has the latest - she ignored a question about using private email account in 2012.
How do you spin this?
I'm just like you.
I bet you ignore questions from Congress all the time.

We're not potted plants

The Obama administration wanted to push its Iran deal through without bothering to ask the opinion of the Senate.
Senators didn't like it.
But politically, it’s important to show that Congress disapproves of the President’s diplomacy to such an extent that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee just advanced legislation 19-0 prohibiting him from touching Congressional sanctions until they review a deal. It builds pressure on the administration to explain what they’re doing. It will serve as a formal way for the Senate to have a debate on the floor. It forces the issue.
The Senate is there for a reason.
Not to look good during presidential speeches.
But to provide their input on the country's course.

Rubio's in

Powerline has high hopes for Marco Rubio's run for the Republican nomination.
Importantly, Rubio portrayed not just Hillary Clinton, but liberalism itself as superannuated, over the hill and out of ammo. This is, I think, more significant than his brief reference to Mrs. Clinton. Liberalism is indeed vulnerable to that charge: the leadership of the Democratic Party is uniformly geriatric, and is there any idea so thoroughly discredited, so dismally left over from the 19th century, as socialism? Of course, to persuade voters Rubio will have to show that he has ideas that are newer and better. But that is an eminently achievable task, given the comprehensive failures of the Obama years.

Rut roh

Paco highlights the Scooby Doo van that's taking Hillary Clinton to Iowa.
She's in her 60s.
Her announced opponents are in their 40s and 50s.
I've already got her concession speech for next year.
"I would have won this election if not for those meddling kids."

Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone

It's nice that Marco Rubio can use the Clinton song of 1992 - Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" - against Hillary in 2016.
Yesterday is over.
It's time for the youngsters to have a say, granny.

Why

Victor Davis Hanson has a simple three-letter word to ask Hillary Clinton - why.
The point is that Mrs. Clinton has neither a past record that she is proud to run on nor support for an Obama administration tenure that she will promise to continue. She is not a good speaker and has a disturbing habit of switching accents in amateurish attempts to mimic regional or racial authenticity. She accentuates her points by screaming in shrill outbursts, and dismisses serious questions by chortling for far too long. She is deaf to human cordiality, has a bad temper, and treats subordinates with haughty disdain. In that sense she is more authentic than her equally callous and narcissistic, but charismatic husband.
UPDATE: Linked by Dustbury.

Many questions, few answers

The Atlantic has 10 questions about the Hillary Clinton campaign.
Many more to come.
I like number three.
3. What will her campaign be about? This is perhaps the biggest unanswered question. Everyone knew she was running; but why? What will her campaign theme be? Is it about income inequality? Foreign policy? Change? Staying the course? We still don't know.

Not you

As Hillary Clinton announces her plans to lose the presidency, the media keeps showing the clip of her saying "Don't you want to see a female president?"
Yes, it would be nice to have a female president.
Not you.
It's that simple.

Foot in their mouths

People trying to push global warming worries have a new tactic - enshrining their projections into government rule making.
They project sea level rise of 5.5 to 7.2 feet by 2115.
So building in those areas should be restricted based on those projections.
Unfortunately, they have to deal with historical data.
They use a baseline from 1992 - 23 years ago.
They claim sea level rise of six inches (.5 feet) since then.
Using that data, in 100 years, sea level rise will be less than 2.5 feet.
The scary maps are a lot less scary when you reduce sea level rise by two-thirds.

Brain cells are alive

Want to keep your brain active? Sing show tunes.
It doesn't say if they tested the songs from "Frozen."
Those might cause dementia.

But wait, there's more

Legal Insurrection notes the offer to attract donations to Ted Cruz - an afternoon of shooting.
Rand Paul will sell you a signed copy of the Constitution.
What's going to be the Hillary Clinton offer?
Your own email address on the Clinton server?

Facebook quote of the week

Sad News
The inventor of speed boats died.
The funeral is tomorrow, followed by the wake.

Saturday song

Nobody beats this song by Sylvia.

No noose is good news

Via Instapundit, a vanishing story.
A noose was found at Duke.
Duke promised to find out who did it.
Duke found the person.
The noose was discovered about 2 a.m. Wednesday morning. By Thursday afternoon, the university had collected enough evidence about who did it that officials were able to announce that a student had been identified and had admitted to the act.
Citing confidentiality issues, the university refused to identify who the student was, other than to say the student was no longer on campus. Not everyone is buying that "confidentiality" line. But, notably, every major national news outlet that is no longer publishing "Duke noose" stories -- which includes, basically, every national news outlet -- seems to be accepting the university's rationale for silence.
Silence.
Interesting.

Her final losing campaign

I'm ready for Hillary - to lose.
I'm still waiting for that top secret email about her plans.
Let the fun begin.

Weekend watchdog

Tiger Woods missed last year's Masters.

He's missed the past two months of the PGA tour.

Will he make it to the weekend this year?

Tiger has four green jackets in his closet, but he stands nine strokes off the lead after Thursday's first round.

ESPN has coverage Friday at 3 p.m. and  CBS has the weekend action, starting Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

The latest green jacket awaits in Butler Cabin.

The Orioles have their home opener Friday at 3 p.m. on MASN against the Blue Jays, then continue the homestand Saturday and Sunday.

The Nationals visit the Phillies for the weekend on MASN2.

FoxSports1 offers the Red Sox facing the Yankees Saturday at 1 p.m., and the Royals meet the Angels at 9 p.m. The Red Sox and Yankees close out their series on ESPN Sunday at 8 p.m.

Southern Mississippi faces Western Kentucky on Comcast Sunday at 1 p.m.

It's the final weekend of the NHL season, and the Capitals and Rangers gear up for the postseason Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on Comcast.

NBC offers the Sharks-Kings and Wild against Blues Saturday at 3 p.m.

Tampa Bay hosts Boston Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network.

Boston hosts the NCAA's Frozen Four, with Providence facing Boston University in the final Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Let your hair hang down and watch the NASCAR race on Fox Saturday at 7 p.m. The Xfinity drivers hit the track Friday at 8:30 p.m. on FoxSports1.

NBC Sports network has the Chinese Grand Prix Sunday at 1:30 a.m., with qualifying Saturday at 2 p.m.

The IndyCar circuit visits Louisiana this weekend, with the race Sunday at 3 p.m. on NBC Sports network. There's qualifying Saturday at 5 p.m.

The Wizards visit the Nets Friday at 7:30 p.m. on Comcast and host Atlanta Sunday at 6 p.m.

In Arena Football, Las Vegas visits the LA Kiss Saturday at 10 p.m. on ESPN2.

D.C. United battles the Red Bulls Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast. ESPN has Portland's trip to Orlando Sunday at 5 p.m. and Seattle takes on the Galaxy Sunday at 7 p.m. on FoxSports1.

Swansea City meets Everton Saturday at 7:45 a.m. on NBC Sports network. Queens Park Rangers battle Chelsea at 8:30 a.m. followed by Manchester United-Manchester City.

Tennessee takes on LSU in college softball Saturday at 5 p.m. on ESPN.

ESPN2 has action from the Family Circle Cup tennis tournament, with play Friday through Sunday at 1 p.m.

The top women's bowlers gather for the NCAA championships Sunday at 4 p.m. on ESPN. The PBA has its league semifinals at 2 p.m.

How about a "liberal privilege" board?

Campus Reform notes a "Christian privilege" board that went up at Appalachian State.
And went back up after being defaced.
Liberals get the privilege to annoy all the time.
The defaced board was trying to note that privilege.

The parent trap

Lileks looks at the run of stories of childless people - trying to say they are on the frontlines of societal change.

“Don’t you sit there watching a school band concert, listening to everyone beat poor Sousa to death with their artless bleating, and wish you were engaged in a great historical experiment that put you at the vanguard of existential truths?”

 “Depends how long the concert is.”

“I suppose, yes. But look at me. I made a choice, and it’s forced me to face a naked question.”

“You face a lot of those when you’re a parent, too, and it’s usually whether you have enough wipes.”

You can say your choices matter.
When you make sure you have enough diaper wipes, your choices really matter.

Do NFL teams matter?

Twenty years ago, St. Louis had the nice new indoor stadium and lured the Rams from Los Angeles.
Today, that dome isn't among the best.
The team wants a new home, and eyes a return to Los Angeles without a new deal.
St. Louis spent tons of money and prestige to get back in the NFL after the Cardinals left in 1988.
The dome they built hosted a Super Bowl championship season and several big basketball tournaments.
Some economists doubt sports teams bring that much positive impact.
Then why is Los Angeles spending so much to lure the Rams back?

Deal for disaster

Powerline outlines the continuing problems with President Obama's potential deal with Iran.
Iran is providing us with a road map of its future non-compliance (whether explicit or masquerading as a dispute about what was agreed to). By continuing to negotiate as if a meaningful framework were in place, Team Obama is providing Iran with confirmation of its indifference.

Lessons for years to come

The first person to raise flags offers a detailed analysis of the Rolling Stone article and its review.
The summation?
“A Rape on Campus” is fashioned on selective presentation of material, the use of bogus or discredited statistics, quotes that are either fabricated or taken out of context, unconfirmed allegations, anonymous sources, the deliberate exclusion of evidence contrary to the author’s thesis, and material that is either fabricated or presented in a way that is so profoundly misleading it can only be evidence of incompetence or dishonesty. (The multiple verses of a UVa fight song, for example, that nobody at UVa has actually heard.)

Against "haters of mankind"

Rand Paul can no worse than saying he will defend America against "haters of mankind."
But everyone knew he was against "haters of mankind."
He's a Republican, going against Democrats.

Their safe space is Lane Stadium

Virginia Tech football players are getting criticism for their behavior at a "Take Back the Night" event.
"They disrupted our safe space."
You can blame the players. But if they were mandated to attend, you must understand they were not in their safe space.
Barring a class conflict, the players were required to attend, said Associate Director of Athletics Communications Jimmy Robertson on Wednesday.

Robertson said approximately 105 players attended and were required to wear team-issued sweatsuits.

“Coach Frank Beamer wanted to show support of the cause and the group, while also using the event as an opportunity to educate our players on one of the many diversity and inclusive events sponsored by Virginia Tech,” he said.
Hopefully the athletic department has learned its lesson.

Bad from both sides

I enjoy Blue Virginia's rants about "both sides" coverage at the Washington Post and other media.
They bemoan presenting both sides of an issue, since they disagree with the other side.
Then comes the Rolling Stone fiasco.
What's the angle from Blue Virginia?
Both sides mess up.
The Washington Post missed on Iraq in 2003, so they can't talk about Rolling Stone today.
Who cares what the Post did a decade ago?
They got this right - and found Rolling Stone wrong.

Romney beats Obama

Did you think Wisconsin would meet Duke in tonight's national championship game?
Mitt Romney did.
Barack Obama did not.
Guess he shouldn't be asking the Iranians for basketball picking help.

Blaming the victim

Who's the person that made the Rolling Stone story fall apart?
Rolling Stone points to the source.
They are skeptical now, after being exposed after publication.
Too bad they weren't skeptical during the reporting.

Protect us from crazy liberals

The Wall Street Journal shows the real reason to back religious freedom laws - to protect people from zealous liberals.
To the extent anyone is offering a good-faith criticism, it seems to apply to the narrow exceptions of sole proprietors in the wedding industry, such as florists, bakers, photographers and singers. Our view is that their speech and conduct is protected by the First Amendment, but do liberals really now believe that the very few vendors who object to working at same-sex weddings should be forced to participate in what they believe to be a moral wrong?

Not understanding the eternal concept

Easter - the day Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead and showed the way for eternal life for all.
Lots of concepts there to trip up an atheist.
Recently, there appears a total misunderstanding of eternity on this side.
They see eternity as a horrible monotony. All the problems of our current lives, stretching out forever.
That's misunderstanding the concept.
Our problems of the world don't follow us to heaven.
Jesus wipes away our tears.
Of course, the confusion over the nature of eternity comes because they can't prove there's no afterlife.
Just because they believe it doesn't make it so.
If you make afterlife the same or worse as life on Earth, then their argument to focus on the here and now makes some sense.
Reading this guy's column sounds like sour grapes - I didn't get the spiritual experience I sought with Christianity, so it must be bad.
The Bible says all of creation cries how about God's work in creation.
If only this guy and others had ears to hear.

May the State compel you?

Sarah Hoyt provides a list of questions.
Emphasis on May, not Can.
The questions provide the battlefields we've been through, and those to come.

There's no there there

Later today, Columbia Journalism Review will release its report on the Rolling Stone/UVa story.
Emphasis on story.
They had a concern.
Rolling Stone thought they had the perfect example of the problem.
The reality didn't meet the story they wanted.
This review is a story they really didn't want.

He'll be gone and we'll still be there

Smitty notes how Samuel L. Jackson assumes racism on the part of the Tea Party.
Because, obviously, the Tea Party is only against President Obama because of his race.
January 21, 2017 and on are times to prove him wrong.
Barack Obama will leave office.
The Tea Party will continue it's political quest - unfortunately with eight years of debt and bad decision to fight.

Make college an alcohol-free zone

C-Ville weekly enters the debate on the drinking age - and leads me to believe it should be raised.
Or banned at college.
Having the drinking age at 21 means some college students can partake and some can not.
That leaves two choices.
Reduce the age to 18, before people enter campus, or raise it beyond the age you should graduate - 22.
(You say many don't graduate in four years? Another reason to raise the age.)
The article also tries to debunk the link between drinking age and car accidents involving alcohol.

For UVA student Ken McDaniels, 20, with the Libertarian group Students for Individual Liberty, the drinking age law “instigates some violence as a trade-off for having those under 21 not drink.” It also violates a sense of privacy, giving the ABC the right to “terrorize” those it suspects of underage drinking, he said.

McDaniels rejects the argument that the 21 drinking age prevents underage drunk driving. “At UVA, everyone is walking everywhere,” he said. “And people are drinking anyway.”

Not all 18-20 year olds were admitted to UVa. Some have access to cars.

But there's been lots of bad news nationwide on college campuses.

Some due to alcohol use.

If colleges want to make themselves safer by banning guns, why not ban alcohol there?

Let those who fight for their country at age 18 drink.

Those who fight for party invites can wait a few years.

Walker - Smart shopper

Could Scott Walker get a sweater at Kohl's for just a dollar?
Politifact had to check it out.
The nation learns about Kohl's cash.

Hear the bells ringing

Time to hear Keith Green's Easter Song.

How much hate for your ancestors?

As the backlash against attacks against Memories Pizza grows, we're trying to find the point where the mob comes to its sense.
How about this?
The DNA of people who disapprove of same-sex marriage flows through your body.
It might be grandparents.
Or great-grandparents.
Or someone who lived in the 19th century.
Their opinion on the subject is the same as the Memories Pizza woman.
Do you want to attack them like you attack her?
You didn't know them - they died before you were born.
But you share a closer connection to them than the woman in Indiana.
You must denounce your own body.
It contains traces of what you consider hateful speech.

Saturday song

I remember this song being turned into "Puckeater" while I did an internship at Baltimore's ice hockey team.
Instead, Hall and Oates tell of the Maneater.

Facebook quote of the week

I'm robbing Peter to pay Paul and working at least 10 hours of OT each week, to make ends meet and have good health insurance. Where can people like me get some EBT?????? I could have used the 3 bucks for some gas

Go dry up

Victor Davis Hanson checks out the real reason for California's current water woes - not thinking ahead.
We’re suffering the ramifications of the “small is beautiful,” “spaceship earth” ideology of our cocooned elites. Californians have adopted the ancient peasant mentality of a limited good, in which various interests must fight it out for the always scarce scraps. Long ago we jettisoned the can-do visions of our agrarian forebears, who knew California far better than we do and trusted nature far less. Now, like good peasants, we are at one another’s throats for the last drops of a finite supply.

Stay down and fight hard

At Ace, a celebration of the fundraising in support of Memories Pizza.
The old model of the Outrage Brigades was to pick a target, call in the mob and hound the target out of polite company. Think of Justine Sacco. Well, a new model may develop from the Memories Pizza fiasco....the left still tries to destroy an innocent person who has the temerity to express an unapproved thought but instead of being destroyed by the lynch mob, the target is supported and literally enriched by the experience.
This isn't the way it's supposed to go and now the hatemongers are upset. Naturally they aren't reexamining their tactics or beliefs, they are doing what insane people always do...delve into deeper and deeper into comforting fantasies about how their victims are really powerful oppressors engaged in a complex conspiracy.

Weekend watchdog

Can Kentucky complete the 40-0 run?
The Wildcats take aim at college basketball history this weekend, facing Wisconsin Saturday in the second semifinal at the Final Four.
TBS has coverage of Saturday's contests, starting at 6 p.m. when Duke battles Michigan State.
CBS carries Monday's final at 9 p.m., finishing with the cutting down of the nets and a new edition of One Shining Moment.
The women hold their Final Four Sunday, with four top seeds taking the court. South Carolina clashes with Notre Dame at 6:30 p.m., followed by Maryland-Connecticut. The women's championship contest will be Tuesday.
ESPN has a boys high school championship game Saturday at noon, after semifinals on ESPN2 Friday at 3 and 5. The best girls teams play Saturday at 10 a.m. on ESPN2.
Oklahoma City battles Memphis on ESPN Friday at 8 p.m., with Trail Blazers-Lakers as the nightcap.
The Wizards meet the Knicks Friday at 7 p.m. on Comcast.
The Thunder take on the Rockets Sunday at 1 p.m. on ABC, followed by Bulls-Cavaliers.
With the Wrigley Field bleachers under construction, the Cubs and Cardinals open the season Sunday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Orioles and Braves get ready for Opening Day with a contest Friday at 6 p.m. on MASN, while the Nationals host the Yankees Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Capitals hit the road this weekend, visiting Ottawa Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast before meeting Detroit Sunday at 5 p.m.
Comcast offers Flyers-Hurricanes Saturday at 1 p.m. and NBC has the Flyers' battle with the Penguins Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
The Blues battle the Blackhawks Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
Arsenal tangles with Liverpool Saturday at 7:45 a.m. on NBC Sports network, followed by Manchester United-Aston Villa. Burnley battles Tottenham Hotspur Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and Newcastle United takes on Sunderland at 11 a.m.
San Jose takes on Real Salt Lake Sunday at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 and Philadelphia meets Kansas City at 7 p.m. on FoxSports1.
There's an international women's friendly between the United States and New Zealand Saturday at 4 p.m. on FoxSports1.
The PGA tour gears up for the Masters at the Houston Open this weekend, with NBC coverage Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.
NBC Sports network has the road to the Kentucky Derby with the Wood Memorial and Bluegrass Stakes Saturday at 5 p.m.
Arizona meets Las Vegas in Arena Football Saturday at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
ESPN2 offers the men's semifinals of the Miami Open Friday at 1 and 7 p.m. with the women's championship Saturday at 1 p.m. The men's crown will be decided Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN.
FoxSports1 has Villanova against Denver in college lacrosse Friday at 8:30 p.m. \
Oregon takes on UCLA in college softball Sunday at 3 p.m. on ESPN2.

Terror in Kenya

Are you worried about possible mild inconvenience in Indiana?
Or wholesale slaughter in Kenya?

How did inspections work in Iraq?

The Obama administration claims a win in negotiations with Iran - just trust the inspections.
The “framework” codifies the Obama administration’s cave-ins but casts them as thrilling reductions in Iran’s capacities rather than what they are—a pie-in-the-sky effort to use inspections as the means by which the West can “manage” the speed with which Iran becomes a nuclear power.
We had years of inspections in Iraq.
If you think there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the inspections we had then never showed that.
If you think there were weapons of mass destruction - or just Saddam thinking he did - the inspections never answered the obvious question.
We've moved on from chemicals in a defeated country to nuclear plans by a country with plans for regional domination.
What hopes do inspections have to protecting the world?

The courageous conservative way

DaTech Guy looks for reasons that Ted Cruz has surged in the Republican primary polls.
Bottom line, leaders lead. Ted Cruz is leading from the front and in the face of unrelenting pressure from media and leftist activists and Republicans voters are taking notice.

An idea to become rich

A prank on the Outer Banks just might work.
Beginning June 6, 2015, the very first high-speed car-carrying hovercraft ferry service will begin for the Outer Banks.
Right now, it can take four hours to cross the last 40 miles to your vacation destination on a summer Saturday.
How much would some people pay to ride across the water and enjoy more time at the beach?
Now if they could figure a way to get your cars across easily.

What will you be watching?

It's the weekend for the men's and women's college basketball championships.
Three top seeds reached the men's Final Four.
All four top seeds reached the women's Final Four.
Did you even know who's in the women's tournament?
No matter what Geno Auriemma thinks, the men will get the fans and women only a few people not watching baseball's opening week.