Political establishment - you're fired

Peggy Noonan talks to a Donald Trump supporter to find the motivation.
His rise is not due to his supporters’ anger at government. It is a gesture of contempt for government, for the men and women in Congress, the White House, the agencies. It is precisely because people have lost their awe for the presidency that they imagine Mr. Trump as a viable president. American political establishment, take note: In the past 20 years you have turned America into a nation a third of whose people would make Donald Trump their president. Look on your wonders and despair.

Look up

Tonight brings the second full moon of July, and a pass of the International Space Station up the east coast just before 9:30 p.m.

Fetal parts control

Gun safety advocates think the world would be so much safer with gun control.
More laws would work.
Except for those who want to skirt the laws for money and power.
Like Planned Parenthood.
We have laws against selling parts from unborn babies.
Doesn't seem to bother them.
If laws can't stop selling parts from unborn babies, how will they stop gun violence?

Weekend watchdog

Saturday is August 1.
The time of the baseball season for contenders to kick into gear and pretenders to begin thinking about Spring Training 2016.
The Nationals hold the lead in the National League East, and visit the Mets for the weekend. Games are on MASN Friday and Saturday on MASN before playing Sunday night on ESPN.
The Orioles have a series with the Tigers. Games Friday and Saturday will be on MASN2, with the series finale Sunday afternoon on MASN.
FoxSports1 has the battle of Los Angeles between the Angels and Dodgers Saturday at 4 p.m., and TBS offers Yankees-White Sox Sunday at 2 p.m.
NASCAR visits Pocono, with the Sprint Cup race Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network. The Truck race goes Saturday at 1 p.m. on FoxSports1, while the Xfinity Series visits Iowa Saturday at 8 p.m.
The PGA tour visits Northern Virginia this weekend, with coverage on CBS Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.
ESPN2 carries the British Women's Open, with play Friday at 9 a.m. The third round hits the links Saturday at 10 a.m. and final round Sunday at noon.
The best NBA players from Africa take on the world in South Africa Saturday at 9 a.m. on ESPN. Former NBA players try to shine in the Basketball Tournament semifinals Saturday at 2 and 4 p.m. on ESPN. The winners meet for the championship Sunday at 3 p.m.
Saskatchewan takes on Edmonton in CFL action Friday at 9 p.m.
D.C. United hosts Real Salt Lake Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast. San Jose tangles with Portland Sunday at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 while Dallas heads to Chicago on FoxSports1 Sunday at 7 p.m.
ESPN2 has the semifinals of the BB&T Atlanta Open Saturday at 4 p.m., with the final Sunday at 3 p.m. There's World Team Tennis play Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Special Olympics World Games continues Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Diminishing returns

The new Social Security report is out.
One year closer to reduced benefits - and demographics is destiny.

Not viable

Another day, another video about Planned Parenthood.
The secrets are coming out.
The health of the organization is not looking good.

Love your work

At the job, the theme for the year is "Love your work."
I think we're just friends with benefits.

Life is more than the sum of its parts

National Review collects some of the best tweets on Unplanned Parenthood.
Glad to see them celebrate life.

Parting over parts

Powerline tries to find Hillary Clinton's position on the Planned Parenthood videos - knowing there's more to come.
While Hillary professed that she’s unalterably pro-choice and plans to “stand with Planned Parenthood,” there was the telltale hedging, as though she wants to leave room to run for the tall grass if subsequent videos are, as they may well turn out to be, even more indefensible.

Don't trade in - destroy

Tom Brady can work for cell phone companies during his suspension - his idea of destroying his phone works better than trading it in.
For the cell phone companies.

That's where I come from

Real Clear Politics tells of Scott Walker's tour of the town where he spent part of his youth.
Walker’s greatest asset in Iowa, however, might be his proximity. When he discusses his record as Wisconsin governor, Walker talks about what he did “just across the Mississippi [River].” At each stop, he shows a faded photo of himself and his brother David as small boys, holding an Iowa flag they raised money to buy for the Plainfield town hall. He jokes about the Big Ten, and he seizes any opportunity to use “Midwest” in the first person plural.
“That’s the kind of people we are here in the Midwest,” Walker told a crowd in Council Bluffs. “We stand up for what’s right, we do the right thing. We don’t make a lot of fuss about it, we just do it.”

Recycling update

Another recycling trip and another drop in the price of aluminum cans - down to 30 cents per pound.
Almost down to the levels of January 2009.
Hope the people who support President Obama adjust their memes accordingly.

Weather makes them sad

Mark Steyn shares the sad news about sad scientists - worried about their future now as much as the global warming they see.
If you're having trouble keeping score, the old post-traumatic stress disorder is what you get if you're just some nancy wuss pantywaist who goes to Iraq and gets blown up by an IED. But the far more serious pre-traumatic stress disorder is what you get if you sit around on government grants all day worrying about sea levels in the Maldives in the early 22nd century.

Make room for Carly

Carly Fiorina has high hopes to make the top 10 in the poll before the first Republican debate.
She loves to knock on Hillary Clinton.
Put her next to Donald Trump - that will be fun.

The cost of free healthcare

Ace provides the list of woes for states trying to have their own insurance exchanges.
figure.
My favorite.
2. Magical thinking.

Twelve states and the District of Columbia fully control their markets. Experts estimate about half face financial difficulties. Federal taxpayers invested nearly $5 billion in startup grants to the states, expecting that state markets would become self-sustaining. Most of the federal money has been spent, and states have to face the consequences.

Self-sustaining? How was "more services" and "fewer costs" ever going to be self-sustaining? It was magical thinking, as Vermont discovered:

In Vermont, a debate has been raging about whether to abandon the state exchange. Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin originally wanted a single state-run system for all residents, along the lines of Canada. Shumlin backed off because it would have meant prohibitively high taxes.

Hoping this isn't you

Along with parents dreading the empty nest, summer is the time when the nest fills back up.
Congratulations. Two months ago, your kid graduated from college, bravely finishing his degree rather than dropping out to make millions on his idea for a dating app for people who throw up during Cross Fit training. If he’s like a great many of his peers, he’s moved back home, where he’s figuring out how to become an adult in the same room that still has his orthodontic headgear strapped to an Iron Man helmet.

Ready for the empty nest

Some moms are having problems letting go of their college-bound children.
Singing the Frozen song doesn't work.

Love telling the story

The youngest, now 14, wants to understand the sign of Virginia coming back to our state.
Why does it say "Virginia is for Lovers"
Glad I had the answer before checking Wikipedia.

Listen to what Trump said

Don Surber finds something good coming from the mouth of Donald Trump - a truth about Hillary Clinton.
Billionaire businessman Donald Trump on Saturday seized on new reports that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is under criminal investigation for her private email server, warning that “bad things have to happen.”

“I don’t know how a person with that cloud over their head can actually be running for president,” Trump told a rally in Iowa.

Spock for the pipeline

The proposed Atlantic Coast pipeline continues to cause troubles, because people don't want it in their backyard.
Or ever built.
They just see the pipeline pushed by a business, instead of how it will provide cheaper, more secure energy for millions who depend on that.
(while we wait for the sun to shine or windpower that doesn't kill birds)
They forget the words of Spock.
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
Build the pipeline. It's only logical.

Idea for liberals - show me the money

Liberals are now trying to remove Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson from the names of their events.
Turns out they were bad in some way. (Besides helping start the Democratic party).
I'll help any liberal who doesn't like the idea of Jefferson or Jackson out there.
Jefferson is on the nickel.
Jackson on the $20 bill.
No way you can use those.
I'll take your money with those offensive images, and you can feel better.

Fix the system first

Via Powerline, the answer for those asking how Thursday's shooter was allowed to get a gun.
The system - already in place - failed.
 Liberals are constantly proposing legislation to extend NICS to firearms transactions that don’t involve licensed dealers. As I have written repeatedly, the major problem with NICS is not that it doesn’t cover transactions between relatives, etc., but rather that the database is deficient. All mass shooters (I am not including terrorists here) are more or less crazy, but the vast majority are not in the database. So the exercise becomes futile, as it was here.

His account is in arrears

Facebook gives you a wild view of the world.
Like the Wyoming man caught with eyeballs - from cows at a slaughterhouse where he works - in his bowels.
“Company won’t let us take animal scraps home and instead toss them in the landfill,” Tilbott said in the police report. “They’re a very wasteful company. We should be allowed to take scrap meat and other parts home. The company should start a green initiative. They don’t even have recycling at the plant.”
Tilbott explained his actions:  “I enjoy eating bovine eyeballs and smuggling them out in my colon was the only way I knew how to get them out without potentially getting caught and fired.”
btw dude, your plan didn't work.

Who could have seen this coming?

A federal grand jury indicted a psychic on fraud.
She said she could see the future.
Why didn't she see the indictment coming and prevent it?

No place in the tent

Politico notes the woes of Southern Democrats - watching the national party turn left and doom their chances.
“The national Democratic Party’s brand makes it challenging for Democrats in red states oftentimes and I hope that going forward, the leaders at the national level will be mindful of that and they will understand that they can’t govern the country without Democrats being able to win races in red states,” said Paul Davis, who narrowly failed to unseat Republican Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback last year.

Truth of the deal

Powerline's weekly cartoon roundup includes one with the truth behind the Iran deal.

Saturday song

Bringing back Duran Duran might make you hungry - like the wolf.

Facebook quote of the week

Can't sleep so trying again to watch Sharknado 3

Show us that it works

Liberals want a $15/hour minimum wage.
Conservatives say it won't work.
That it will kill jobs.
Shouldn't liberals just pay their employees $15 an hour or more, to show us how it's done.
Right, Senator Sanders?

Seeing the sites

My favorite billboard on today's trip into West Virginia?
The sign for the Beef Jerky outlet.
Next exit.

Weekend watchdog

Jeff Gordon won the first Brickyard 400 race in 1994.
He gets his final shot at the famous track Sunday at 3:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
Gordon claimed his fifth win at Indianapolis last year, but hasn't won yet on his farewell tour around the circuit. Sunday's winner will get their chance at history, and to kiss the bricks.
NBC has the Xfinity race Saturday at 3 p.m. There's qualifying Saturday at 11:30 a.m. for both series on NBC Sports network and practices for the races will be Friday at noon.
The Tour de France rides into Paris for its finale Sunday at 8 a.m. on NBC Sports network. There are mountain stages Friday and Saturday at 7 a.m. before the trip to the final stage.
The Orioles head to Tampa for the weekend on MASN. The Nationals visit Pittsburgh on MASN2.
FoxSports1 offers the A's against Giants Saturday at 4 p.m., followed by the Braves and Cardinals at 7 p.m. The Dodgers take on the Mets Sunday at 1:10 p.m. on TBS, with the Tigers meeting the Red Sox on ESPN at 8 p.m.
Jamaica faces Mexico in the Gold Cup final from Philadelphia Sunday at 8 p.m. on FoxSports1.
Barcelona meets Manchester United in International Champions Cup play Saturday at 4 p.m. on Fox.
D.C. United visits Philadelphia on ESPN2 Sunday at 5 p.m. while FoxSports1 has Orlando against New York City Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Canada hosts the PGA tour this weekend, with the Canadian Open on CBS Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.
The best senior golfers gather for the British Senior Open on ESPN2, with second round Friday at noon. Play continues Saturday at noon, with the final round Sunday at noon.
The United States amateur concludes Saturday at 2 p.m. on FoxSports1. The semifinals are Friday at 2 p.m.
ABC carries the WNBA all-star game Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Pan-Am games close Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN. Coverage of the action will be on ESPN2 Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 3:30 and 7 p.m.
The Opening Ceremonies of the World Special Olympics games are Saturday at 9 p.m. on ESPN. There's more action Sunday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
NBC Sports network has motorcycle racing from Washougal Saturday at 6 p.m.

Trump in a baseball hat

If the Republican establishment wants to derail Donald Trump, make him wear a baseball hat everywhere.

Yikes.

Take advantage of the opportunity

Commentary thinks the debate among Republican candidates out of the top 10 might be worthy of attention.
The debate format eliminates the incentive for these candidates to punch wildly upward at the Republicans who are performing better in the polls. While it’s likely to expect the debate participants to make reference to those Republican candidates who will be battling it out later that evening, it would be wasted effort if any of these debaters did not use their fleeting hour before a national audience to make a positive case for themselves. And each candidate has a positive case to make; one unique to themselves and often radically divergent from their fellow second-tier candidates.

Swifty

Ed Driscoll likes the idea of Taylor Swift gear in China.

Who's inevitable?

Worried about the chances of the Republican nominee winning in 2016?
Maybe you don't need to be.
Today's Quinnipiac poll puts Scott Walker, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio all in front of the top Democrat contenders.

Hillary Clinton is not honest and trustworthy, Virginia voters say 55 - 39 percent. She is a strong leader, voters say 54 - 42 percent, but she does not care about their needs and problems, voters say 50 - 45 percent.

Bush gets a positive 43 - 39 percent favorability in Virginia. Voters say 51 - 33 percent that he is honest and trustworthy and 63 - 28 percent that he has strong leadership qualities, but split 44 - 41 percent on whether he cares about their needs and problems.

Virginia voters give Rubio a 36 - 27 percent favorability rating and say 45 - 27 percent that he is honest and trustworthy; 43 - 28 percent that he has strong leadership and 41 - 36 percent that he cares about their needs and problems.

Walker gets a 36 - 26 percent favorability rating in Virginia. Voters say 39 - 26 percent that he is honest; 46 - 24 percent that he has strong leadership qualities, but split 37 - 33 percent on whether he cares about their needs. Only 39 percent trustworthy? Virginians know they like honesty, and that's not Hillary's game.

Their argument is "enthusiastic and sober"

Reason checks out the sexual consent policies at Coastal Carolina University.
That’s right: a simple “yes” is not good enough from the standpoint of CCU administrators. Students who want to hook up must agree to each and every sex act beforehand, they must express consent enthusiastically, and they must be sober.
The university’s definition of consent is at odds with the legal one—as well as any common sense understanding of how sex happens. If complete sobriety were required before every sexual encounter, than any person who was even slightly drunk could be branded a rapist. In fact, it’s incapacitation that renders consent invalid, not mere intoxication.

Chasing paperwork

A Facebook friend posted this plea from the ACLU - voter registration is bad because the government can lose your paperwork.
And yet they would endorse single-payer healthcare.
If the government can lose a single piece of paper, what can be done with an entire medical record?

Fly me to the moon

Via Instapundit, trying to find cheaper ways to get to the moon - and beyond.
The report envisions setting up a lunar industrial base that mines water from the lunar regolith, processes it into hydrogen, then sends the hydrogen into orbit around the moon so that spacecraft on their way to Mars (or elsewhere in the solar system) can stop by to get a fuel boost. Such an endeavor could shave off $10 billion per year in the cost of getting to the red planet. The report estimates that this industrial base would house four astronauts, and within 12 years of the initial landings, provide 200 megatons of propellant at a total cost of $40 billion.

Where the girls aren't

Should there be female Minions?
We at LwC are been too busy having a life, but apparently there is concern among the interwebs as to whether or not there are any female Minions. Not since the Smurfs have people been so concerned as to how cartoon characters reproduce. – btw, the answer can be found on Google, just be sure to have the ‘safe search’ on.
Some people have too much time on their hands to complain.

Don't try to beat gamers

The Other McCain exalts in the trouble with Gawker.
You see how #GamerGate became nemesis for Gawker. This was assymetrical warfare. Whereas liberals are used to attacking people whose instinct is to flinch and apologize when accused of ThoughtCrime — sexism, racism, homophobia, etc. — gamers are like Homey D. Clown: Homey don’t play that, see? They take pride in their disdain for political correctness because, in the world where they work and play, nobody gives a damn about anything but the fun of winning.

Sad end

In the nearly seven-year history of this blog, this post received the second most hits.
Thanks to a picture of Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert before their wedding in 2011.
And now it's over.

Life under debt

Legal Insurrection tells the tale of Greece's first day under the bailout payoff terms.
Although doors opened and ATMs were stocked, Greeks looking to cash out were met with the continuation of withdrawal restrictions of 60 euros per day; the government slightly relaxed the rules put in place during its negotiations with the rest of the Eurozone, and set an additional 420 euro per week limit, eliminating the need for daily runs on ATM machines and bank tills. Checking transactions are limited to deposits, and account holders are still restricted from taking out cash while abroad.
Shoppers saw a 10% hike in the country’s VAT tax approved by parliament on Thursday; parliament also agreed to reforms of pension and early retirement programs that have Greek citizens worried.

Making their life easier

The news broke over the weekend - background checks for those on Social Security.
Are they looking at everyone individually, and checking their situation, before making a decision?
Of course not.
They are taking an existing category - those who need help with their finances - and making a blanket decision on their ability to handle a gun.
People are different.
Government wants to make one decision instead of multiple decisions.
It makes their life easier.
Until it makes many people unhappy - unnecessarily.

Latest on global warming

Forget about the polar bears.
How about kangaroos in the snow in Australia?
First snow in Sydney since 1836.
Doesn't look like global warming to me.

Anger all around

Saleno Zito sees enthusiasm for Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders coming from the same reason.

It is always remarkable to witness experts not understanding the field in which they are experts; even more remarkable, they still do not recognize the frustration of the masses, despite the unsettling wave elections of 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2014 that vividly affirmed populist movements against both political parties' establishments.

Americans are just tired of it all. Tired of no one speaking honestly to them, tired of being told they cannot speak honestly.

Saving the day

Yid with Lid reminds us of Israel's daring raid into Iraq in 1981.
Over twenty years later when the world began to face a terrorist threat as never before the world began to realize the service performed by Israel, the IAF and Menachem Begin.
Just imagine a world with Iraq or, God Forbid, a terrorist with their hands on a nuclear weapon. If it wasn't for Menachem Begin, a Prime Minister with guts to give the orders to protect Israel, knowing (but not caring) that a world would absolutely freak, and the heroes of the IDF who flawlessly performed their mission, this scary world have happened already. For those who are still questioning PM Netanyhu's reaction to Barack Obama's P5+1 deal, remember what happened thirty-four years ago, and understand that Israel will do anything it takes, no matter what the world thinks, to defend herself. And if they do, eventually the world will say thank you. But it really doesn't matter.

O'Malley doesn't matter

Martin O'Malley tried to speak at Saturday's Netroots gathering.
He had company on the stage quickly.
The protesters chanted about black lives and the names of black women who have died in police custody. The women who took the stage spoke about the tragedy of black lives lost, “structural racism in the United States,” and how “we are in a state of emergency.”
The activists were also on stage to confront O’Malley about his plans to deal with racial issues and out-of-control law enforcement targeting minorities.
O’Malley’s conversation with Jose Antonio Vargas got sidelined for quite a bit of time, and Vargas was really trying to keep things going so O’Malley would have enough time to address their concerns. And after they left the stage, address them he did, talking about the “pain and grief” everyone feels when anyone loses their life.
Good luck trying to get a message out, O'Malley.

Saturday song

My health insurance cards included a mistake - our doctor was West End.
Obviously, these guys hacked the system to promote their song from the 80s.

Facebook quote of the week

Whenever there is injustice in the world, Americans will rise up and post politically correct comments on the internet hinting at mild irritation.
And that, is why you don't mess with the U.S.!

That's entertainment

Ace blasts the Huffington Post (aka Puffington Host) for moving Donald Trump news to entertainment.
Human beings are pack mammals. There are various ways to get a human being to claim agreement with your way of thinking. Excluding the more physical ways, such as simply beating that human being with the thigh-bone of an auroch until he rolls into the fetal position of surrender, here are the two main socio-intellectual ways to convince someone of something:
1. You can have an honest discussion with him, conducted on an intellectual, not emotional, not social, plane, in which you both offer your ideas and your best possible arguments for them. While such discussions rarely change minds, when they do change minds, they change them honestly and purely, by reason, by force of logic, by persuasiveness.
2. You can run a series of social-hierarchy, social-shaming political games against the person you wish to convince; you can ostracize him, setting him away from the group, alone and afraid, to be ritually mocked by the group until his humiliation and desire to end the torment of social pain compels him to confess a (coerced) agreement with you.
Guess it's time for more Trump news, to push back against Huffington.

Weekend watchdog

Will there be a Speith slam?
Five-under par in the first round is a good start.
Jordan Speith claimed the first two majors of 2015, and goes for the third this weekend at The Open, being played at St. Andrews.
ESPN has second round coverage starting Friday at 4 a.m. The third round gets underway Saturday at 7 a.m., with the final round beginning at 6 a.m.
Tom Watson, five-time winner of the Open, will be making his trip around the course. Wild weather might invade on Friday, making the historic course even tougher.
Celebrity golfers gather at Tahoe this weekend, with action Friday at 6 p.m. on NBC Sports network and moving to Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. on NBC.
With the All-Star break over, the Nationals host the Dodgers on MASN for the weekend. Saturday's game will also be shown on FoxSports1, and TBS carries the Sunday contest. The Orioles tangle with the Tigers in Detroit on MASN2.
FoxSports1 offers Indians-Reds Saturday at 7 p.m. and ESPN closes the weekend when the Red Sox visit the Angels Sunday at 8 p.m.
NBC Sports network carries the NASCAR race from New Hampshire Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The Xfinity Series goes Saturday at 4 p.m., after qualifying for both groups at 11 a.m. There's practice Friday at 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The IndyCar series visits Iowa Saturday at 8 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
Baltimore hosts the United States' match with Cuba in the Gold Cup Saturday at 5 p.m. on Fox. FoxSports1 has a pair of games from the Meadowlands Sunday, with Trinidad-Panama at 4:30 and Mexico meeting Costa Rica at 7:30 p.m.
D.C. United heads to Dallas on Comcast Saturday at 9 p.m. The Crew take on Chicago Sunday at 5 p.m. on ESPN2
The Tour de France continues on NBC Sports network Friday at 8 a.m. There's more racing Sunday at 8 a.m.
ESPN2 has the Pan-Am games from Toronto Friday at 8 p.m. The action continues Saturday at 7 p.m., with more on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Stand down

It's been a good week for Wisconsin.
Governor Scott Walker announces his presidential bid.
His friends, who got attacked by political enemies, get justice.
It is fortunate, indeed, for every other citizen of this great State who is interested in the protection of fundamental liberties that the special prosecutor chose as his targets innocent citizens who had both the will and the means to fight the unlimited resources of an unjust prosecution. Further, these brave individuals played a crucial role in presenting this court with an opportunity to re-endorse its commitment to upholding the fundamental right of each and every citizen to engage in lawful political activity and to do so free from the fear of the tyrannical retribution of arbitrary or capricious governmental prosecution. Let one point be clear: our conclusion today ends this unconstitutional John Doe investigation.

Show me the money

Powerline tries to understand President Obama's thinking on the Iran deal.
Obama has done everything possible to narrow the options through which we can thwart the mullahs. He’s like a man who gave away all of his family’s clothing and now responds to its complaints about having to wear fig leaves by asking “what’s your alternative?”
Even so, as I have tried to demonstrate, there remains a better non-military alternative to this deal. That alternative is no deal and the maintenance of as tough a sanctions regime as possible.

Been there. Done that. Got the war anyway

Commentary finds the talking points of the Obama administration - in the words of the New York Times after the Munich agreement in 1938.
On October 9, 1938, the Times published its weekly “News of the Week in Review,” which observed that a “new Europe began to emerge last week … as new alignments appeared over the horizon.” There was little doubt, the Times noted, that Germany would soon dominate Eastern Europe and the Balkans, but it reported that Britain saw the agreement as the first step toward stabilizing the continent. The countries most directly affected, however, had “many doubts,” and made it clear that in the future “they would depend less upon the bulwark of diplomacy than upon the strength of their arms.”

Who has a shot; who is taking up space

Don Surber has the rundown of the 2016 Republican field.

Don't trust it can be verified

The Iran deal could be a good deal.
If Iran complies.
If.
Critics are doubtful.
The happiness of mullahs should give pause to those who support the deal.
The agreement legitimizes Iran’s nuclear program, allows it to retain core nuclear facilities, permits it to continue research in areas that will dramatically speed its breakout to the bomb should it choose to flout the deal, but also enables it to wait out those restrictions and proceed to become a nuclear threshold state with full international legitimacy.
Flout the deal.
Critics expect it.
History shows that's what Iran will do - they've done it since 1979.

Win first, keep going

Scott Walker has a simple strategy for the Republican nomination - win Iowa and keep winning.
“Scott Walker’s path to the nomination goes through Iowa. There is no alternate plan,” says Republican David Avella, the chairman of GOPAC, a fundraising committee that is not aligned with a presidential campaign. If Walker doesn’t win Iowa, Avella tells NR, “the path becomes a lot harder for him.” While candidates usually try to lower expectations, Team Walker has done nothing of the sort.
Great expectations for him as he enters the race.

Greenhouse of doubt

NBC News opened tonight talking about "seeds of doubt" on the Iran deal.
Not seeds.
A jungle of doubts, from Jerusalem to Washington.
Lots of smart people have extreme doubts about this deal.
There's a good reason why they are smart.

Minimum understanding

The report on fewer sunspots throws a nice curve for the global warming fear crowd.
Best?
We don't really know what it means.
Our time studying sunspots covers just 400 years - not a lot of data to discuss the impact on temperature.
But looking at the sun instead of human activity is scary for those who want change.
The sun is out of their control.
They should look forward to the opportunity.
If temperatures drop or remain steady as sunspots drop, then they'll better understanding the problem.
If temperatures rise while the sun's output reduces, then it's full steam ahead for them.
But the quest for control can't wait.

Get out of your room

Via Instapundit, the reality of on-line services - people who rarely leave their rooms.
Many services promote themselves as life-expanding — there to free up your time so you can spend it connecting with the people you care about, not standing at the post office with strangers. Rinse’s ad shows a couple chilling at a park, their laundry being washed by someone, somewhere beyond the picture’s frame. But plenty of the delivery companies are brutally honest that, actually, they never want you to leave home at all.

GrubHub’s advertising banks on us secretly never wanting to talk to a human again: “Everything great about eating, combined with everything great about not talking to people.”

If that's what you call a life.

Wait for the online funeral services to pick up your corpse.

Ready for the next stage in space

I vaguely remember the moon landing in 1969, just before I turned seven.
My oldest heads off to college as this era of space exploration closes.
What does his future - and ours - hold?

Junka from Trumka

Paco has the answer for Rich Trumka's statement on Scott Walker.

Harnessing the anger

Why the boomlet for Donald Trump?
Enough people like what he says and that he's saying it.
Just like the crowds for Bernie Sanders.
And Elizabeth Warren if she ran.
Enough of the talkers.

Pet death panels

Via Instapundit, a cat owner tells her second thoughts of extending her cat's life through expensive medical procedures.
The medical technology that extends your grandparents' lives can now help your pet.
Not what some expected.
“In a major ironic twist of fate, rather than human medicine learning the wisdom of euthanasia for suffering animals from veterinary medicine … veterinary medicine assimilated some of the more pernicious aspects of human medicine,” Rollin wrote. “In particular, as animals became increasingly viewed as members of the family, the reluctance to euthanize began to enter veterinary medicine.”

Government wants to control final costs for humans.

Government has no part in your pet's final months and days.

People want to live, and want their pets to live as long as possible.

You might think of the pain initially, but the good memories will rule in the long term.

How will you pay for this?

Hillary Clinton plans to discuss economic issues this week.
Not as many goodies as her Democratic colleagues, but still able to blast Republicans for favoring the rich.
Who will ask how she plans to pay for all this?
Will anyone get a chance?

Ice in their veins

Esquire tries to provide sympathy for the climate scientists wondering why nobody listens to their warnings.
Among climate activists, gloom is building. Jim Driscoll of the National Institute for Peer Support just finished a study of a group of longtime activists whose most frequently reported feeling was sadness, followed by fear and anger. Dr. Lise Van Susteren, a practicing psychiatrist and graduate of Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth slide-show training, calls this "pretraumatic" stress. "So many of us are exhibiting all the signs and symptoms of posttraumatic disorder—the anger, the panic, the obsessive intrusive thoughts."
They might be right about the future.
Billions of dollars would be needed, and billions inconvenienced for possible benefit.
But if they are wrong?
Billions of dollars wasted.
Other priorities shortchanged.
It's hard having stress.
Would they prefer billions panic instead?

Question of the day

Powerline knows the reason why President Obama hasn't commented on the death of the young woman in San Francisco, shot by an illegal alien.
Obama remains silent because he cannot plausibly turn Steinle’s death to his narrow political advantage.
If there has ever been a smaller man or bigger jerk than Barack Obama holding the office of president, we need to know now.

Saturday song

You'll never find a better song than this one by Lou Rawls.

Facebook quote of the week

without holiness, everything turns to dust:

Keep it to your selfie

Jonah Goldberg found this story about banishment of selfie sticks, and a PSA to remind you why.

Close up photo of Pluto

NASA's probe is almost at Pluto.

 

Long time coming

NBC29 has an update on roadwork in Fishersville.
They say it will be done in August.
But it's been going on for two years now.
Bad timing with weather has played a part - you can't do roadwork in March when it snows a bunch - but it does seem like it's been going on forever.
I'll believe there's relief coming when I see it.

Weekend watchdog

The best players of the fortnight reach for the championship this weekend.
ESPN has the men's and women's finals from Wimbledon. The men hit the court Sunday at 9 a.m., after the women's championship matching Serena Williams and Garbine Muguruza Saturday at 9 a.m.
Friday's men's semifinals feature top-seed Novak Djokovic against Richard Gasquet, then Andy Murray battles Roger Federer. ESPN has coverage at 8 a.m.
The Nationals and Orioles have their Battle of the Beltways at Camden Yards this weekend. Coverage is on MASN and MASN2 Friday and Sunday, with Fox carrying Saturday's game at 7 p.m.
FoxSports1 brings the Tigers and Twins Saturday at 4 p.m. The Red Sox and Yankees meet Saturday on Fox and Sunday at 1:35 p.m. on TBS, while the Cardinals battle the Pirates Saturday on Fox and Saturday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
NASCAR visits Kentucky for the weekend, with coverage on NBC Sports network Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Xfinity racers go Friday at 7:30 p.m.
There's qualifying Friday at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
The Indy Car circuit visits Milwaukee Sunday at 5 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
CBS offers the John Deere Classic Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.
The U.S. Women's Open airs on Fox Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. FoxSports1 brings the second round Friday at 2 p.m.
Play continues in the Gold Cup as the United States meets Haiti Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Foxborough.
New York FC tangles with Toronto Sunday at 3 p.m. on ESPN. The Galaxy take on Club America Saturday at 11:30 p.m. in the International Champions Cup.
North of the border, Montreal meets Winnipeg Friday at 7 p.m.
In Arena Football, New Orleans faces San Jose Friday at 11 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Tour de France spends some time along the roads of northwest France, with Stage 7 starting Friday at 8 a.m. on NBC Sports network. NBC carries Saturday's stage at 8 a.m. It's back to NBC Sports network Sunday at 8 a.m.
There's action from the Pan American Games Friday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN and Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
Comcast offers NBA Summer League play, with the Wizards against the Suns Saturday at 6 p.m. and the D-League select team Sunday at 4 p.m.

Grounding the helicopter

Megan McArdle wants to help ground the helicopter parent.
People have been worrying about The Kids These Days since time immemorial. And yet, older people I talk to -- ones old enough to remember seeing the low-speed, low-stakes train wreck that was my own generation hurtling through college and into the workforce -- confirm my impression that This Time Really Is Different. The upper stratum of the Trophy Kids really are going into college expecting to live in a sort of Nerf universe where nothing ever really hurts, and there's always an adult to pick them up and put them back on track. And they're coming out into the workforce expecting the same sort of personal concierge service from a world that, as I was myself dismayed to find 20 years ago, really doesn't have time to care how they feel.

On Sur-reality

Via Instapundit, thoughts on our present reality at Camp of the Saints.
In order to more easily bring about their End Goal, the Left believes it must foster conditions in Society where the majority of it’s people come to believe that, indeed, everything is permissible, that Relativity governs all of Life. As this way of thinking goes against Human Nature, they must re-engineer the Souls of the People.
So, the Left engages in constant Deception and Fraud, relentlessly spewing an unending series of Big Lies. These Lies are designed to disrupt the normal reasoning of Human Beings, to sow Chaos in individual minds and in Society as a whole.

He went out with a bang

The story of the Maine man who died shooting off fireworks might bring a change in the law.
Probably not.
Keeping fireworks out of people's hands wouldn't stop bad behavior.
Staples’s fiancee, Kara Hawley, said the whole thing was an accident.
Hawley, 30, said Staples was likely “buzzed” from alcohol and that he accidentally lit the cigarette lighter in his hand while dancing with the firework on his head, the Portland Press Herald reported.
“He would never intentionally do something like that. He was just trying to get us to laugh,” Hawley told the Press Herald.
Friends of Staples who were with him at the time said they tried to dissuade him from the stunt and were taken aback when they saw the fuse was lit. Hawley told the Press Herald that after she saw the mortar was lit, she yelled at Staples to throw it away but “it was too late.”

Pay up to keep Europe

The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuvel has advise for European leaders - give Greece a chance.The Greeks citizens have given Europe another chance by overwhelmingly voting “no” on the ruinous conditions their government refused to accept. Now, Europe would do well to have some adult leadership. The European Central Bank (ECB) should resume the lending needed to reopen the Greek banks. The European community should resume negotiations, offering Greece a course that holds some hope for a way out — at the very least a less harsh austerity and a greater flexibility as to how the budget balance or surplus is achieved.
Where can Greece find the money?
If the democratically elected government of Greece chooses to crack down on the country’s wealthy tax dodgers rather than cut the pensions of the poorest retirees, its creditors should not stand in the way. And longer term, although this is surely too much to hope, Germany and France should lead the launch of a new European wide program of public investment, giving the indebted countries a chance to repay their debts and rebalance their economies in the context of growth, not stagnation or worse.
How cute that she thinks that will solve the problem.
The creditors have a desire not to lose more money.
They are people too, just like Greeks trying to get money from their ATMs - before it's too late.

The dignity of Clarence Thomas

Rich Lowry marvels at the outage over Clarence Thomas' dissent on the same-sex marriage case.
The reaction to the Thomas dissent is, in part, about the historical and philosophical illiteracy of his critics. But they also have a profoundly different worldview. The Founders believed we have innate rights that must be protected from government.
As Thomas writes, “Our Constitution — like the Declaration of Independence before it — was predicated on a simple truth: One’s liberty, not to mention one’s dignity, was something to be shielded from — not provided by — the State.”
This notion is anathema to a left that identifies the state with progress, and that defines freedom much more loosely (not to say nonsensically) as including what government gives us, in an ever-expanding palette of benefits.

Do you really want to live?

Wyblog finds the looming regulations, encouraging doctors to talk to patients about the costs of end of life care.
The doctors can get paid for bringing up the subject.
Probably not enough for the abuse they and their staff will get for this.

Understanding elite opinion

William Jacobson tries to get behind the numbers of polling on Israel.

As someone who has been on the front lines of fighting the BDS movement on campuses, my sense is that Israel does have a problem with liberal Democratic opinion elites. That’s the result of a generation in which elite campuses that feed opinion-influencing organizations have seen faculty activism and student propaganda activities that present a skewed portrayal of the conflict.

And that is where I depart with some of Luntz’s recommendations as related in The Times report. The problem is educational, not messaging. Not mentioning Zionism does not solve the disease. Treat the disease through a generations-long educational effort and countering the negative propaganda against Israel with positive educational experiences.

Juggling multiple troubles

The Greeks have voted.
Now Europe has another problem area to deal with.
Even before the outcome of Sunday's Greek referendum was known, the atmosphere in Brussels was thick with recrimination - Greeks blaming Germans, most others blaming Greeks, Keynesian economists blaming a blinkered obsession with austerity, EU officials emphasizing the success of bailouts elsewhere in the bloc.
While its fate is still uncertain, Athens has already shown that the euro's founders were deluded when they declared that membership of Europe's single currency was unbreakable.

Fastest horse in the glue factory

While watching Greece, remember we have similar problems looming in our future.
Of course, the United States has some advantages that the Greeks lack. Greece owes a significant share of its debt to foreign governments, while the majority of American debt is domestically held. The United States also faces low borrowing rates, while Greece has been effectively shut out of capital markets. The US debt may be bad, but in many ways we are the fastest horse in the glue factory. As long as the euro remains in crisis, we will continue to be able to borrow money at absurdly low interest rates.

Teacher reading the wrong signs

Heading to the beach, we pass Currituck County High School.
And plenty of signs for Dirty Dick's crab house.
The Daily Caller combines the two, with a teacher from there who needed to ignore the signs.

Greece and Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders has been drawing large crowds and enthusiasm in his bid for the Democratic nomination.
Will it last?
The vote in Greece will be an indicator.
Sanders wants more stuff for the people, thinking the rich can pay for it.
Greece has wanted more stuff for its people, thinking the Germans can pay for it - or ignore the lack of Greek payments on their loan.
If Greece decides to leave the Euro, we'll have a real-life example of the trouble of overpromising fiscal goodies without paying for it.
Sanders' enthusiasm comes from the goodies he plans to offer.
Eventually, you need to pay for things.
Or convince those with money to pay.
Greece hasn't convinced its creditors this year.
We'll see if Sanders watches and learns.

Regulate thee, not me

Megan McArdle looks at the problems of saying certain employees should get overtime pay.
I cannot recall ever speaking to anyone, in any industry, who thought that their own personal jobs would be improved with a lot of new regulations and some powerful bureaucrats to stand over them, threatening them with fines every time they stepped out of line. To the contrary, these people could wax eloquent, often very convincingly, about the ways in which new regulations would distort their business, making things worse for both them and their customers.

Stars and Stripes Forever

The Boston Pops examines the parts "Stars and Stripes Forever," merging North, South and West to show how our country comes together.

P.C. Dukes of Hazzard

So nice to have Facebook friends to show you past TV shows that get the present so right.

Facebook quote of the week

Third day in a row. Trying to catch crabs, but have a snapping turtle eat our bait.

Saturday song

The song that provided the basis for Justice Kennedy's decision on same-sex marriage.

Maybe the creditors do know

The story about Greece's troubles includes this howler of a quote.
Mr Varoufakis vowed to resign if the Greek people voted yes. "I prefer to cut off my own arm rather than sign an agreement without debt restructuring," he told Bloomberg TV.
He said there is not a "smidgeon of an iota of possibility" that the terms on offer can lift the Greek economy out of a deflationary tailspin, insisting that the talks broke down because the creditors refused to face up to the fact that Greece's debt is unpayable.
The creditors haven't refused to face the fact.
The Greeks have for years.
They refuse to face up to the fact credit has limits.

Getting too close

We went to the northern Outer Banks three weeks ago.
Today, there's a 77-inch shark just over 10 miles away from here we stayed.
Those Sharknado guys will do anything to promote their movie.

Why government dislikes "Dukes of Hazzard"

Don Surber gives the real scoop beside the war on "Dukes of Hazzard."
Beneath all the veneer of Good Old Boys running around is a protest of a corrupt government, and the dangerous advocacy of self-reliance. The government took their guns. The Dukes used compound bows, baby.
Dukes began as a drive-in movie, "Moonrunners," based on the true adventures of 1950s moonshiner Jerry Rushing. Waylon Jennings narrated both the movie and the TV series. The concepts are the same. An uncle, bow-hunting cousins in fast cars, corrupt politicians, eye candy, and chase scenes.
When you don't show Dukes of Hazzard, the modern-day Boss Hogg wins.

Never meaning no harm

Poor Dukes of Hazzard.
Just two good ole' boys.
Never meaning no harm.
And the fans still support them.
If they don't get hateful looks when they say so.

Weekend watchdog

July is a big month at West Virginia's Greenbrier resort.
The Saints come marching in for training camp at the end of the month, but this weekend it's the best of the PGA in town.
Even Tiger.
CBS has weekend coverage of the Greenbrier Classic Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.
NASCAR moves to the NBC networks for the second half of the season, with the Sprint Cup racers in Daytona Sunday at 7:45 p.m.
The Xfinity series goes Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network. NBC Sports network has practice coverage for both sets of drivers Friday at 2 p.m.
The Orioles head to Chicago on MASN2 Friday and Saturday, with Sunday's contest on MASN.
The Nationals host the Giants over the weekend. Friday's game at 6 p.m. will be on MASN and ESPN, with Saturday at 11 a.m. on MASN and Sunday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
ESPN2 offers the Cubs-Marlins Friday at 2:20 p.m. and ESPN has the Mets against the Dodgers at 10 p.m.
The Rays battle the Yankees on FoxSports1 Saturday at 1 p.m., and Fox brings the choice of five games Saturday at 7 p.m. - Mets taking on Dodgers, Phillies-Braves, Twins tangling with the Royals, Brewers-Reds and Cubs meeting the Marlins.
ESPN has Wimbledon coverage Friday at 7 a.m. and Saturday at 8 a.m.
Calgary tangles with Montreal Friday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Women's World Cup concludes with the championship Sunday at 7 p.m. on Fox as Japan tries to defend its title against the United States. Germany and England battle in the third place game Saturday at 3:45 p.m. on Fox.
There's an international friendly between the United States and Guatemala on FoxSports1 Friday at 7 p.m.
In MLS, Portland battles San Jose on ESPN2 Sunday at 5 p.m.
The Tour de France kicks off this weekend, with the second stage on NBC Sports network Sunday at 7 a.m.

Fun with Hillary emails

Zero Hedge enjoys the Hillary Clinton email showing her inept use of a fax machine.
But notice the headers.
The thread starts with one email address (HDR22) and closes with hrod17.
Two different email addresses in one day?
And she can't handle a government account?

The dream matchup

I now have my dream matchup for the 2016 campaign - Donald Trump against Joe Biden.
Can you imagine the fun?
The debate moderator would get combat pay, trying to maintain order.
The 90-minute debate would go on all night before they tired of talking.

It's different - ewww

Jazz Shaw has fun watching same-sex marriage supporters explain why polygamy isn't next.
I suppose one possible explanation is that, even though there was zero value seen in the traditional definition of marriage as being the union of one man and one woman, the math underlying the equation was somehow sacrosanct. It didn’t really matter what genders filled the values of A and B in the principle of sums so long as C was still equal to two. Any other number would be an insult to… something.
A perhaps more cynical argument might be phrased as follows: Holy cow! We spent so long arguing against that slippery slope theory where letting gays marry could lead to polygamy that we’d damned well better come up with a convincing policy presentation now or we’re going to look like a bunch of self-serving asses! Find us an ethicist, stat!

Rehabbing the name

Fishersville's Woodrow Wilson state complex has a new name - emphasizing its efforts returning people to the workforce.
“Business, industry, our community partners, and, most importantly, our consumers have offered a resounding endorsement for the new name,” said WWRC Director Rick Sizemore. “Adding the word ‘workforce’ to our name really helps those we serve to identify with our mission of helping develop employment readiness. Keeping the word ‘rehabilitation’ in our name ensures we are known for the comprehensive medical therapies we provide to help individuals with disabilities return to work.”
WWRC will unveil signage for the Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center following Creamer’s remarks in the center’s Garden of Hope at 9:30 a.m.,July 1.

Clean up, before it's too late

Via Dustbury, thoughts on being alone.
Maybe Justice Kennedy could have helped this guy.
Three months ago in an apartment on the outskirts of Osaka, Japan, Haruki Watanabe died alone. For weeks his body slowly decomposed, slouched in its own fluids and surrounded by fetid, fortnight-old food. He died of self-neglect, solitude, and a suspected heart problem. At 60, Watanabe, wasn’t old, nor was he especially poor. He had no friends, no job, no wife, and no concerned children. His son hadn’t spoken to him in years, nor did he want to again.
For three months no one called, no one knew, no one cared. For three months Watanabe rotted in his bedsheets, alongside pots of instant ramen and swarming cockroaches. The day that someone eventually called, he came not out of concern but out of administration. Watanabe had run out of money, and his bank had stopped paying the rent. The exasperated landlord, Toru Suzuki, had rung and rung, but no one had picked up. Sufficiently angry, he made the trip from his own home, in downtown Osaka, to the quiet suburb where his lodger lived. (Both men’s names are pseudonyms.)
First, there was the smell, a thick, noxious sweetness oozing from beneath the door frame. Second, there was the sight, the shape of a mortally slumped corpse beneath urine-soaked bedsheets. Third, there was the reality: Suzuki had come to collect his dues but had instead found his tenant’s dead body.

Embrace the secular fatwa

Jonah Goldberg reminds why the slippery slope is so slippery - what's denied yesterday becomes today's project for change.
A deeper and more poisonous problem is the breakdown in trust. Again and again, progressives insist that their goals are reasonable and limited. Proponents of gay marriage insisted that they merely wanted the same rights to marry as everyone else. They mocked, scorned and belittled anyone who suggested that polygamy would be next on their agenda. Until they started winning. In 2013, a headline in Slate declared "Legalize Polygamy!" and a writer at the Economist editorialized, "And now on to polygamy." The Atlantic ran a fawning piece on Diana Adams and her quest for a polyamorous "alternative to marriage."

Helping you retire

Don Surber tells the tale of the man who got the 401K retirement plan moving.
More than 30 years later, the 401-k is now a $4 trillion industry. Roughly $2.5 trillion is invested in equities. The rollout of the 401-k coincided with three of the best bull markets in America as in a little over 30 years, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose from 2,000 points to 18,000.