Theodore Olson: Obama's Enemies List

From the WJS opinion page:

David and Charles Koch have been the targets of a campaign of vituperation and assault, choreographed from the very top.


"Whoever may be the victim of such abuse of governmental authority, the press and public almost invariably unify with indignation against it. If a journalist, labor-union leader or community organizer on the left can be targeted today, an academic or business person on the right can be the target tomorrow. If we fail to stand up against oppression from one direction, we abdicate the moral authority to challenge it when it comes from another."

The comments posted to this article, I'm sure, will be heated. I think standing up for the freedom to express even the most unpopular ideas is very American indeed. Interesting that so many people shamelessly fail to do so in the case of the Koch brothers.

The White House refuses to respond to the petition to investigate Chris Dodd, even though it got 25,000+ signatures...

From Ann Althouse:

... and they promised to respond, if there were that many signatures.

To be fair, saying we're not going to respond is a kind of response. In fact, it's an especially meaningful response in the context where one is obligated to respond.

Or perhaps they were never obligated. Look at the text of the refusal to respond

Why We Can't Comment

Thank you for signing this petition. We appreciate your participation in the We the People platform on Whitehouse.gov. However, consistent with the We the People Terms of Participation and our responses to similar petitions in the past, the White House declines to comment on this petition because it requests a specific law enforcement action.

The link is in the original text. Maybe you're not supposed to click on it. Maybe you're just supposed to assume that it goes to a page of official terms of participation that would show that there was always an exception for petitions that request a specific law enforcement action. But if you click, you'll see it just goes to the currently active petitions, and if you search that page for the word "terms" or "participation," you get nothing.

I spent some time looking for the terms of participation, and I couldn't find any. What is the rule? Was it really a rule? I see a button "Helpful Hints," but the only hint is to check your spelling and grammar because you won't be allowed to edit or delete

And what were the "similar petitions" that were rejected in the past? I'd like to see how much like those other petitions this one was and also whether all similar petitions were rejected. What if the "similar" ones were the ones that named individuals the administration chooses to protect?

I "signed" this petition myself and got the email from the White House last night. Three observations: (1) I was (pleasantly) surprised at the time that this petition was allowed on the WH website, (2) by the time I got the "response," I had forgotten about signing it ... nature of the nonstop news cycle, and (3) after getting the "response," I feel like I was being naive in the first place thinking that the WH might actually do anything other than blow off this petition.

How to Think about Private Equity

How to Think about Private Equity: If the overall pattern is so positive—for investors, companies, and even employment—why is private equity so controversial?

First time I've been completely impressed by Romney.

He delivers a great line during his victory speech in Florida. (Scroll down for video) Great use of the Rule of Three.

"Thomas Paine was reported to say, 'Lead, follow, or get out of the way.' Mr. President, you were elected to lead, you chose to follow, and now it's time for you to get out of the way."

UPDATE:  Link to Romney's complete victory speech in FL.  The quoted line comes at 3:15.

TSA UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT: “Instead of screening passengers as they boarded trains ..."

And another great story about the TSA, via Instapundit:

"Instead of screening passengers as they boarded trains — which is standard security procedure — officers were screening passengers as they were getting off trains."

It's starting to look like a Mel Brooks movie. Assholes.

Car chase ends with the SUV atop a man in bed

Car chase ends with the SUV atop a man in bed

"The newspaper says he 'appeared to be in good spirits,' although suffering from second and third-degree burns to his buttocks."

TSA agents reportedly wait 6 hours before alerting cops about potential bomb - Fox News

TSA agents reportedly wait 6 hours before alerting cops about potential bomb Fox News Transportation Security Administration agents at New York's La Guardia Airport reportedly found two possible pipe bombs in a passenger's luggage and left the materials in a public area for six hours before alerting police. The New York Post reported ...

It's not that I don't appreciate the need for airport security. It's just that the "solution" that was given to the American public is so obviously ineffective. It's one thing to deal with horribly invasive and offensive fondling in the name of public safety, but it really stings knowing that we're all getting groped while actual problems are being ignored.

The Problem with Bambi-nomics

From The American:

"We tend not to teach children about vultures, fungi, slime molds, or maggots. More importantly, we do not teach them why such things are every bit as important to the ecology as Bambi."


Interesting centrist article about Bain Capital, idealists, and politicians.  And nature.  


To summarize:  What Romney did wasn't pretty, but it was necessary.

Clamor grows to rein in California pension benefits

Clamor grows to rein in California pension benefits

"Hallabrin, 61, used a 'revolving door' that allows a government employee to retire one day and go back to work the next day for the same agency, drawing a paycheck and a pension. Brown's plan would not prevent that." 


Problem identified. And ignored. Nice!!

K.C. JOHNSON: The Times Vilifies Another Athlete, Presenting No Evidence. “But, of course, this is…

via Instapundit:

K.C. JOHNSON: The Times Vilifies Another Athlete, Presenting No Evidence. “But, of course, this is…:

K.C. JOHNSON: The Times Vilifies Another Athlete, Presenting No Evidence. “But, of course, this is the New York Times. And if the Duke lacrosse case left no other legacy, it’s that the paper frames its coverage of campus allegations of sexual assault in such a way that ignores issues of due process.”

On the other hand, they know how to send the desired message.

The down side of the politically correct norm of treating alleged victims with kid gloves while failing to respect the due process rights of the accused. The interesting thing is that those screaming loudest for the protection of the "victims" in cases like this would probably also champion the rights of indigent defendants accused of drug offenses, squatters "occupying" foreclosed homes, and "undocumented immigrants" who are in violation of immigration laws. Do we as a society have less sympathy for those "1%-ers" like Yale quarterbacks and Duke lacrosse players, Lindsey Lohan and Martha Stewart? Should we?

Android ads get parodied

From androidandme.com, what everyone thinks when they see someone else with a new tablet:

Android ads get parodied:

Maybe you already saw the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 parody on reddit, but did you check out the new Asus Transformer one yet? Videos after the break.

Report: Man spends 2 years in solitary after DWI arrest

Unbelievable. I can't imagine how anyone could walk by a person every day for two years in desperate need of help and do nothing. And all for a DWI?!?! The money is not enough. People need to get fired. Maybe prosecuted. Report: Man spends 2 years in solitary after DWI arrest

Romney Tax Return–Lots of Deception In Comments

Romney Tax Return–Lots of Deception In Comments

Gird your loins for the attack of "the 99%." Going to be a long election year, as always.

Things you might learn in law school

From LawProf Blogger Ann Althouse:  Irony.  So I had to think for just a second before I picked up on the Casey reference.  I think I'd actually like to take the 4 hour class if it was me buying the gun.  Thanks to Richards' Individual Rights class for making me feel quite knowledgeable.

Some Creative Contract Language

What Are Verizon Wireless' Rights to Limit or End Service or End this Agreement?

We can, without notice, limit, suspend or end your Service or any agreement with you for any good cause, including, but not limited to: (1) if you: (a) breach this agreement; (b) resell your Service; (c) use your Service for any illegal purpose, including use that violates trade and economic sanctions and prohibitions promulgated by any U.S. governmental agency; (d) install, deploy or use any regeneration equipment or similar mechanism (for example, a repeater) to originate, amplify, enhance, retransmit or regenerate an RF signal without our permission; (e) steal from or lie to us; or, if you're a Postpay customer, (f) do not pay your bill on time; (g) incur charges larger than a required deposit or billing limit, or materially in excess of your monthly access charges (even if we haven't yet billed the charges); (h) provide credit information we can't verify; or (i) are unable to pay us or go bankrupt; or (2) if you, any user of your device or any line of service on your account, or any account manager on your account: (a) threaten, harass, or use vulgar and/or inappropriate language toward our representatives; (b) interfere with our operations; (c) "spam," or engage in other abusive messaging or calling; (d) modify your device from its manufacturer's specifications; or (e) use your Service in a way that negatively affects our network or other customers. We can also temporarily limit your Service for any operational or governmental reason.

They are just like you and me--they don't like stealing or lying ... or spam.