Charlie Hebdo: Journalistic Courage and Appeasement

Posted on January 9, 2015 by ChrisA

Journalistic Courage and Appeasement after the Charlie Hebdo Killings | National Review Online.

Some media outlets in the United States and Europe today honored the Charlie Hebdo journalists killed or injured by radical-Islamist gunmen yesterday by publishing some of the Charlie Hebdo cartoons satirizing the Prophet Mohammed that led to this vicious attack.

National Review Online, Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, the Weekly Standard, Bloomberg, the Huffington Post, the Daily Beast, Getty, and some other U.S. media outlets ran one or more of the cartoons today.

In the U.K., the Guardian, the BBC, and the Times of London ran the cartoons. The Financial Times ran them on its website. Spain’s El Pais and Germany’s Berliner Zeitung also ran them.

Noticeably absent from this list are the New York Times, CNN, NBC, MSNBC, and the Associated Press. These U.S. media outlets chose to self-censor their coverage of the Charlie Hebdo killings by not running the controversial cartoons of Mohammed because of intimidation by radical Islamists. (emphasis added)

The good ole’ “all the news that’s fit to print” New York TImes did not stand up and be counted. Their excuse…

The New York Times said its decision not to run the Charlie Hebdo cartoons is because “Under Times standards, we do not normally publish images or other material deliberately intended to offend religious sensibilities. After careful consideration, Times editors decided that describing the cartoons in question would give readers sufficient information to understand today’s story.”

Fred Fleitz at the National Review calls them to task. If only it weren’t so easy…

Give me a break. The New York Times never hesitates to run material offensive to Christians.  Moreover, as a former intelligence officer, I find it hypocritical that the Times eagerly runs stories revealing classified material causing serious harm to U.S. national security in the name of freedom of the press but refuses to run Charlie Hebdo cartoons that go to the heart of this freedom.

For media outlets, it’s time to stand up and be counted. For New York Times readers, I recommend cancelling your subscription. Don’t see any Boulderites doing that.

h/t to Betsy’s Page, who cruises the web for good conservative news at least Monday through Friday.

 

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Posted on January 9, 2015 by ChrisA

Progress – Nebraska high court tosses Keystone XL challenge | WashingtonExaminer.com. I’m sure the State Department will kick the can somewhere.

With the price of oil what it is, it will take some forward thinking to build it at this time anyway.

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Boehner takes revenge

Posted on January 6, 2015 by ChrisA

PUNK – Boehner takes revenge – Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan – POLITICO.

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CNBC to Stop Using Nielsen for Ratings – WSJ

Posted on January 6, 2015 by ChrisA

Guess if you don’t like the messenger, you find a new one – CNBC to Stop Using Nielsen for Ratings – WSJ.

CNBC, let me fill you in on a little secret: You have exactly the ratings you deserve.

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Every Republican is…. No Democrat is….

Posted on January 1, 2015 by ChrisA

So Boulder – Razor on Twitter: “Every Republican is Todd Akin, but no Democrat is Anthony Weiner, Ted Kennedy, Bob Filner, or Bill Clinton.”.

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ALERT: The Progressive Case for Fracking

Posted on December 30, 2014 by ChrisA

News Boulderites can use – James Bloodworth: The Progressive Case for Fracking – WSJ.

One consequence is a massive fall in the price of oil just a few years after the words “peak oil” were being bandied around as gospel by environmentalists. Peak oil now looks like one of the most outlandish theories of our era. Rather than contract, the global supply of energy continues to diversify and expand, in no small part because of the boom in American shale.

This ought to put a smile not only on the faces of free-market economists, but liberals and progressives, too. (emphasis added) As America becomes a net exporter of energy, shale could help topple some of the world’s worst regimes.

Color me skeptical that Boulderites and Mr. Bloodworth would agree on which nations belong to the “worlds worst regimes.”

Mr. Bloodworth mentions the environmental mantra twice…

Despite legitimate environmental concerns about fracking and horizontal drilling, the long-term impact of shale on the global oil price means that regimes that have long relied on a single export for their survival are facing a potentially ruinous economic future.

and

This is not to dismiss the environmental concerns regarding shale extraction in urban areas, nor to call for the abandonment of a long-term strategy in the West for the development of green renewables. Yet it is to recognize that American shale producers are engaged in a price war with some of the world’s vilest regimes. In that respect, the left should get on board the fracking revolution. (emphasis added again!)

Not holding my breath that the left will board the fracking revolution anytime soon.

Pretty soon Mr. Bloodworth will be the editor of the Blog “The Right Foot Forward” instead of the “Left Foot Forward.” Perhaps I should visit his blog before I make such an outrageous statement!??

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Democrats flush money down the toilet with midterm donations

Posted on December 25, 2014 by ChrisA

Mega Rich Overwhelmingly Donated to Democrats in 2014 – Breitbart.

Out of the $128 million spent by the top 10 individual donors to outside groups, Democrats hauled in $91 million or 71% of donations.

“Among groups that funneled more than $100,000 to allies, the top of the list tilted overwhelmingly toward Democrats—a group favoring the GOP doesn’t appear on the list until No. 14,” reports the AP.

And those EVIL, WICKED, MEAN and NASTY (apologies to John Kay/Steppenwolf) Koch brothers….

The libertarian Koch Brothers came in tied for the 23rd spot of largest spenders, according to the Associated Press.

Oh and hey, Boulderites, note they are libertarians!

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BoCo FIRM: “Boulder County lied to the Courts about subdivision paving”

Posted on December 23, 2014 by ChrisA

Say the folks at BoCo FIRM, the group that’s taking Boulder County to court so the County will  fulfill its STATUTORY obligation to fix our roads in accordance with state law.

FIRM NEWS & NOTES
Keeping you informed on Subdivision Paving issues.
 
This is the first of a series of updates detailing how Boulder County continues to mislead us on the Subdivision Paving issue.
 
BoCo FIRM continues our fight in the courts and elsewhere to get our streets fixed without new taxes. For additional information on our efforts go to www.BoCoFIRM.org .

Boulder County has lied in court filings  
BoCo FIRM has filed two lawsuits against Boulder County in the past year. The first suit, won by BoCo FIRM,  forced the County to abandon their illegal Subdivision LID and return to county residents taxes they had illegally collected. Since the County refuses to do so, the second ongoing BoCo FIRM lawsuit asks the courts to require the County to fulfill its STATUTORY obligation to fix our roads in accordance with state law.
During these lawsuits Boulder County has submitted written documents to the court that included statements that we know now are false. These statements include:
  • “The Board cannot reallocate existing revenues to subdivision road paving because that would result in cuts to critical county services.”  –  Boulder County Rule 106 Answer Brief, filed on May 8, 2014
  •  The Board also claimed just a few weeks ago that in order to fix subdivision roads “these commissioners could slash other county projects and services in favor of a massive road paving project that serves this limited group of property owners” – Boulder County Motion to Dismiss, filed on October 29, 2014

2014 spending and 2015 Budget proves County lied to the Courts

Last week the Boulder County Commissioners finally had to come clean on the massive and ever increasing amount of funding available to the County that they continue to refuse to spend to fix subdivision roads. 

 

The facts clearly contradict what the County told the courts.

 

1.  In 2014, at the same time the County was telling the Courts that in order to fix our roads it would have to make “cuts to critical County services”  the County increased spending by $128.2 million.

 

2. Instead of having to “cut and slash” programs in 2015 in order to fix our streets, just last week the Commissioners approved a 2015 budget of $438.8 million an increase of $72.0 million compared to 2014. 

 

 
What we are doing about this
It is one thing to mislead the community regarding complex issues such as county finances and transportation budgets to further a political agenda (we will detail these allegations in a separate email). But it is a completely different situation to submit a brief to a court that contains information that is not grounded in fact. Rule 11 of the Colorado Civil Proceedings states that “The signature of an attorney constitutes a certificate by him that he has read the pleading; that to the best of his knowledge, information,and belief formed after reasonable inquiry, it is well grounded in fact. ” 
It is our position that Boulder County has and continues to submit information to the courts that are not grounded in fact. Our attorney Madeline Meacham of Meacham Halpern has made our position clear to the courts. We hope the court will rule in our favor and require the County to live up to their statutory responsibilities.
In the interim, we will continue to keep you informed about the truth regarding this issue while we pursue all remedies available to us.
Join our effort to fix our streets without new taxes
We are continuing our legal battle to fix our streets without new taxes.  So if you’ve already donated, thank you, we appreciate your generosity. And if you’ve been meaning to make a contribution, click on the following link. Donate now.
Please forward this email to everyone you know by clicking on the link below.
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Trouble at “The Gray Lady”

Posted on December 23, 2014 by ChrisA

NY Times Insider: Multi-Million Dollar Shortfall Causing Drastic Cuts | New York Observer.

A soap opera with hints of gender bias thrown in…

According to a source on the edit side familiar with Mr. Thompson’s thinking, taking away some of Ms. Warren’s responsibilities boiled down to digital growth. “Mark’s thing is to get digital to 3 million [subscribers] and we’re stuck at 800,000.” Ms. Warren declined to accept a job with half her former responsibilities and joined Ms. Abramson and Ms. Robinson plus deputy editorial page editor Carla Robbins in a parade of high-profile women who have either been fired or seen their authority slashed. Early last month, yet another high-profile female executive, chief consumer officer Yasmin Namini, said goodbye as well.

That’s five top female executives who were unceremoniously separated from service. Was there any truth to Ms. Abramson’s claim of gender bias?

The source told the Observer that Ms. Abramson’s complaint about alleged gender-based pay inequity, ferociously batted down by Mr. Sulzberger himself, was rearing its head in a subtler way—not necessarily by paying women less for the same job, but by paying men the same for lesser jobs.

Wonder how the Boulder Daily Camera is fairing these days? I did notice awhile back that Erika Stutzman left on short notice.

I rarely visit the Camera website since as a non-subscriber the mobile website is useless and the regular website works as long as it’s visited infrequently. I applaud them for trying to make money on the digital side, it just won’t be my money, at least not in any version of the future I can possibly imagine.

Posted in legacy media | Tagged | 1 Comment

“The court questions the constitutionality of the state’s action in the sequence as memorialized by the deposition,”

Posted on December 23, 2014 by ChrisA

Judge Blasts School Board for Unlawfully Arresting Concerned Father! – Eagle Rising.

“The court does not find the actions of the defendant to be criminal in nature which is necessary in the ordering of restrictions on a citizen’s liberties in First Amendment considerations,” the judge concluded. “The court finds that the defendant’s action never created a breach of peace sustaining a criminal complaint.”

Baer says that in the time since his unlawful arrest, his and his family’s lives “have been in disarray.” According to Baer, the Gilford Police Department, the school board and the state of New Hampshire have targeted him like a common criminal, but he is happy with the judge’s decision in the case.

Turn the tables on them Mr. Baer.

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Favorite liberal numbers are: 1in 5, 97 and 77

Posted on December 23, 2014 by ChrisA

97 Percent of All Liberal Claims Are Wrong | Power Line.

If you keep up, you’ll recognize them immediately, of course: 1 in 5 women are raped in college; 97 percent of all scientists agree about human-caused climate doom, and women only earn 77 cents on the dollar compared to men’s earnings.

Sounds like Boulder to me.

Oh, and the author of this blog post? University of Colorado’s first-ever visiting conservative scholar, Steven Hayward.

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In case you wonder why it’s seems impossible to get things done in Boulder…

Posted on December 23, 2014 by ChrisA

Bob Greenlee: Perfection is the enemy – Boulder Daily Camera.

So difficult is a response, according to the memo, that it might not be possible to resolve the issues until the third quarter of 2015.

And the question is?

In October, a member of Boulder’s city council composed an email request to the city’s “hotline” asking if it would be possible for city staff to initiate a “pilot project” to ensure meals provided to city council and staff members before their meetings were “locally sourced.”

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Obama on the “biggest problems we’re facing”

Posted on December 18, 2014 by ChrisA

Flashback: Barack Obama on the “biggest problems we’re facing” – The Washington Post.

“The biggest problems that we’re facing right now have to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all. And that’s what I intend to reverse when I’m president of the United States of America.”

LOL!

yee haw ride em cowboy

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U Michigan Department Chair: We Should ‘Hate Republicans’

Posted on December 17, 2014 by ChrisA

So Boulder – U Michigan Department Chair: We Should ‘Hate Republicans’ | National Review Online.

Perhaps the University of Michigan could learn a lesson from the University of Colorado and implement the Visiting Scholar in Conservative Thought and Policy program. Don’t know if Steven Hayward is up for a rerun though, according to his Powerline bio, looks like he’s pretty busy.

h/t to Instapundit, who comments…

You know, if I were a Republican — or even Republican-curious — student at the University of Michigan, I’d feel unwelcome there. If I were a Republican governor or legislator in Michigan, and I think they have some of those, I’d be finding ways to encourage Michigan to be more inclusive and diverse. Especially given that — perhaps because of incitement caused by faculty views such as those above — the University of Michigan has already seen mob violence against conservatives. Perhaps Michigan lawmakers need to add political discrimination to their state’s civil rights code — at least as relates to institutions of education — especially in light of Cass Sunstein’s recent argument that political hatred is a serious problem in our society.

Repeat after me University of Michigan Department of Communications chairwomen Susan Douglas, “tenure is a wonderful thing.” If there’s “higher learning” going on in her department, hopefully it’s in spite of her efforts, not because of them.

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Double spaces…

Posted on December 16, 2014 by ChrisA

Megan McArdle – You Can Have My Double Space When You Pry it From My Cold, Dead Hands – The Atlantic.

Let me just add: if you’re spending time worrying over whether my emails contain one or two spaces, you need to ask them to let you out of the asylum more often so you can pursue a more interesting hobby.  I double space after sentences because I learned to type on a manual typewriter, and it’s not worth the effort to retrain myself.  Even if typographers groan every time they open one of my missives.

Touche!

 

h/t to Staci on Facebook.

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Moocher Hall of Fame

Posted on December 16, 2014 by ChrisA

Why work when you can live off the fruits of other labors – Which Costly Family Most Deserves to Enter the Moocher Hall of Fame? | International Liberty.

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Skeptics’ presentation at UN abruptly cut short

Posted on December 13, 2014 by ChrisA

Apparently the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) hasn’t heard the phrase “settled science” – Skeptics’ presentation at UN abruptly cut short by “Live Shot” Kerry.

“This is an outrage.  We are one of the few skeptical voices of reason here at the conference.  To interrupt our press conference and abruptly end our press conference smacks of a cheap form of censorship,” said Craig Rucker of CFACT.  “This was particularly obnoxious as the room remained vacant for quite a while after we left.”

According to our enlightened climate change “true believers,” when it comes to climate change, there is no such thing as a “skeptical voice of reason,” hence they were asked to leave before their time was up.

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Althouse: I’m skeptical (yet amused). [UPDATE: It’s real!]

Posted on December 13, 2014 by ChrisA

Althouse: I’m skeptical (yet amused). [UPDATE: It’s real!].

IceColdWhiskey

Yeehaw!

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Disinvitation Season: Arrogant, entitled, spoiled, sissified students unite

Posted on December 13, 2014 by ChrisA

Students Demand Censorship of George Will, Won’t Listen to Someone They Don’t Like – Hit & Run : Reason.com.

Another day, another group of insolent students demanding that their university censor a prominent speaker and deprive the rest of campus of the opportunity to learn from him.

One bright spot…

MSU President Lou Anna Simon, at least, has refused to disinvite Will, noting that “Great universities are committed to serving the public good by creating space for discourse and exchange of ideas, though that exchange may be uncomfortable and will sometimes challenge values and beliefs.” This sets her apart from some other university presidents who caved under pressure to disinvite controversial speakers.

Are these students really prepared for the real world? How shocking are they going to find it when they have to work with conservatives or libertarians? Do they believe their coworkers in the real world, assuming they find a job, are going to bow down to their superior intellect and ideas? I can’t wait.

 

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Health Care to Suppress Wages

Posted on December 11, 2014 by ChrisA

If you are concerned about wage stagnation, you have to be concerned about health care.

via Health Care to Suppress Wages Even More – The American Interest.

Posted in big government, healthcare reform | Tagged | Leave a comment