Moe Lane

[UPDATE] AoSHQ thinks it’s a coup, and has its own suggestion for a resolution.

Because either the NY Senate Democrats are trying something sneaky…

Democrats in the Chamber! (But Still No Agreement)

ALBANY—Most the Democrats in the State Senate have barricaded themselves in the chamber.

[snip]

The Democrats arrived around 12:30. It’s unclear what’s going on. All the doors are locked, and journalists as well as Republican staffers cannot get in.

…or they’re acting like kids…

Republicans ‘Legislate’ as Democrats Sit in Silence

ALBANY–Now Republicans have entered the Senate chamber and are reading bills and ostensibly passing them as Democrats do nothing.

The remainder of the 62 senators entered the chamber around 2:30, and the lights went on. State Senator George Winner, an Elmira Republican, attempted to take he dais. He was blocked by a deputy sergeant at arms, who said he was acting on the orders of Senate Secretary Angelo Aponte.

Without hesitating, Winner walked to the area below the chamber, said the Pledge of Allegiance (the Dems didn’t say anything) and began moving through an active list of local bills and extenders. The bills were read, the roll was called, and as Democrats sat silently, Republican parliamentarian Jack Casey said the bills were passed, 62-0.

…or (probably) both.

ENOUGH OF THIS!

SIXTY-TWO ENTER!
THIRTY-ONE LEAVE!
SIXTY-TWO ENTER!
THIRTY-ONE LEAVE!
SIXTY-TWO ENTER!
THIRTY-ONE LEAVE!

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

This isn’t a criticism of Ben Smith – what was he going to do, not run with it? – but the comments section of his post on the intersection of Governor Sanford and Naked Hiking Day certainly yielded a bumper-crop of Left-homophobes**.  No wonder the President thinks he can get away with not doing anything meaningful for gay right activists…

Moe Lane

*Literary reference.

**Provincial ones, too.  The European press is going to have a field day laughing at the way that the stereotypical American yahoos just can’t help but sexualize nudity.  Thanks, guys; that’s a great way to help our reputation abroad.

Crossposted to RedState.

Gird your loins.

Question: What do these two stories have in common?

Iran Unrest Reveals Split In U.S. on Its Role Abroad

[snip]

Obama’s approach to Iran, including his assertion that the unrest there represents a debate among Iranians unrelated to the United States, is an acknowledgment that a U.S. president’s words have a limited ability to alter foreign events in real time and could do more harm than good. But privately Obama advisers are crediting his Cairo speech for inspiring the protesters, especially the young ones, who are now posing the most direct challenge to the republic’s Islamic authority in its 30-year history.

[Via The Campaign Spot]

US says hot dog diplomacy still on with Iran

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States said Monday its invitations were still standing for Iranian diplomats to attend July 4 celebrations at US embassies despite the crackdown on opposition supporters.

President Barack Obama’s administration said earlier this month it would invite Iran to US embassy barbecues for the national holiday for the first time since the two nations severed relations following the 1979 Islamic revolution.

[Via Weasel Zippers, via Hot Air]

Answer: Both demonstrate that the administration’s only real focus on any issue is its effect on domestic policy. (more…)

‘Why did it have to be mind flayers?’ See also here, here, and here. On the other hand, it was always nice to see one in Nethack; once you killed it, eating it would raise your Intelligence score a point. Of course, hopefully you had on a helmet that would keep it from eating your brain down to Intelligence 3 first.

Why, yes, that link does lead to a download that will likewise eat your brain through the wonders of text-based nostalgia. You want that to happen again? No? Then hit the tip jar for the travel fund, and maybe it won’t.

Moo hoo bwah hah.

Those being the four states that are not running a deficit right now. The relative sizes of the rest can be seen via this handy visual tool:

Via @MelissaTweets

I’d make more commentary on this, except that I can sum it up as stop spending money you don’t have, you idiots. And that is one of those binary things: people either already get that, or they don’t. Either way, there’s not much point for follow-up material. I will note, though, that the ‘top’ five deficit-ridden states (who make up 52% of the total deficit, interestingly enough) have one thing in common: their state legislatures are all dominated by Democratic politicians*.

Yes. Shocking.

Moe Lane

*With the sort-of exception of New York’s; their State Assembly is run by Democrats, and their Senate is currently being run by nobody at all…

Crossposted to RedState.

Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter.

Just what you were expecting, in other words.

More here and here. No website for the movie yet, or at least I can’t find it – but I did find this hat.

Which some of you will want. I’m sure of it.

Thick As A Brick (Edit No 1), Jethro Tull

No, it doesn’t actually mean anything. I don’t think that it’s supposed to mean anything. It’s just supposed to be pretty words that rhyme. Either that, or you need to smoke copious amounts of marijuana before listening to it.

Not that I’d know anything about that, of course.

Moe Lane

The subject: This administration’s lack of transparency!

The spokesperson for the Left: Jane Hamsher, of FireDogLake!

The battle:

…called on account of mutual agreement, more or less.

(more…)

(Via, obviously, Fausta’s Blog) Mostly on Iran, and may I be proven wrong on all of it after tomorrow’s press conference. Just don’t ask me if I do anything more than hope.

I think that they’ve fixed the autoload problem on this.

(The book being referenced is You Can Do Anything, Daddy, which was MoeLane.com’s Book of the Week because I got it for Father’s Day.)

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Via Andrew Malcolm.

I don’t regret voting for this man.  Just to be clear about it.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Real quick summary: the FTC wants to keep an eye on blogs to see whether we’re trading favorable reviews of products for financial reward – which doesn’t sound so bad, until you consider that this apparently includes things like Amazon Associates links.

But they would need to think twice if, for instance, they praise parenting books they’ve just read and include links to buy them at a retailer like Amazon.com Inc.

That’s because the guidelines also would cover the broader and common practice of affiliate marketing, in which bloggers and other sites get a commission when someone clicks on a link that leads to a purchase at a retailer. In such cases, merchants also would be responsible for actions by their sales agents – including a network of bloggers.

Going down the list:

• Ed Morrissey suspects a political aspect.  The administration’s reputation precedes them, you see.
• James Joyner doesn’t suspect a political aspect, but he used the word ‘insane’ a lot.
• Aaron Brazell apparently thinks that this is an appropriate extension of existing marketing rules, and that affiliate marketing is ‘borderline seditious’ anyway. Err, OK?
• Daily Danet mentions that he’s not getting any of this sweet, sweet blogger swag. Something that popped into my head, too*.
• And I’m guessing that this is going to be Glenn Reynold’s roundup post. Might as well link to it now.

My personal opinion?  The FTC doesn’t have to want to muck up our lives in order to successfully muck them up.  Always assume that any regulation or law that can be used inappropriately will be used inappropriately, whether or not malice was intended.

Also: buy stuff at Amazon Associates. While you still can!

Moe Lane

*I got a used copy of a book mailed to me once so that I could be up to speed for a conference call. Whoopee.

Crossposted to RedState.

Unlike Neil, I will respond:

Yes. Yes, it is.

Speaking of idiots, Perez Hilton supposedly got beat up by Will.I.Am. And you can associate the term ‘idiot’ with the participants in any way that you like.

Moe Lane

PS: RS Gathering. Tip jar for travel fund. Etc, etc, etc.