I’m no fan of the guy, but this is just ludicrous. The Wrap:

CNN has suspended commentator Roland Martin over tweets during the Super Bowl that GLAAD and others blasted as homophobic.

“Roland Martin’s tweets were regrettable and offensive,” the network said in a statement Wednesday. “Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being…”

“If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!” he said in one tweet. In the other, he said, “Who the hell was that New England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit? Oh, he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass.”

Do you really think Roland Martin was seriously advocating violence against men who wear pink and/or enjoy looking at David Beckham in his underpants? Or was he just tweeting stupid stuff in the middle of a Super Bowl party? Do you think maybe you could just relax a minute?

I think it’s ridiculous to suspend Martin for this, but maybe some good will come of it. Maybe now he’ll think twice before he complains about “dog whistles.” Maybe now he sees firsthand how unfair it is when other people decide what your motives are for you.

Maybe. I doubt it, but maybe.

P.S. John Nolte: “Martin inadvertently stepped into a trap he probably didn’t know existed, and as a result he is now receiving an invaluable lesson about today’s politically-correct hierarchy, where gay trumps black.”

Do you know which movie grossed the most per theater last week? It wasn’t Chronicle, nope. Not The Woman in Black, either. No, it was a flick I hadn’t heard of until about 10 minutes ago:

What kind of a jerk takes a camera crew and follows around a rich, powerful man who refuses to talk to him? Does this guy really think he can make a career of this kind of crap? Yeah, right…

(Hat tip: Tim Bleah)

“Wow, look at the size of that. This Debt Gun really works!”

Surely you can do better. Go ahead.

P.S. Speaking of the dignity and comportment of the office:

First Obamacare supporters scolded us for calling it “Obamacare.” They think Obama is awesome, and they think the plan he pushed to give everybody cheaper, more efficient* health care is awesome, but putting the two together into one word is suddenly not so awesome. They’ve never really explained why, except to point out that you are a bad person, as if you didn’t already know they think so.

Now, one of the manufacturers of yet another Obama-branded product is annoyed that it’s not 2008 anymore. Politico:

It hasn’t been easy being the Obama Girl.

For Amber Lee Ettinger, the 29-year-old New Yorker who rose to fame as the Obama Girl in 2008 when her YouTube videos supporting Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign became viral sensations, it’s been a soul-searching time these past few years. After Obama won in 2008, the question for Ettinger was whether to bring back in 2012 a character that had earned her notable fame four years ago, or whether she was better off pursuing her true interests in fashion and entertainment (Ettinger has since moved to California).

Ettinger told POLITICO that while she does feel that the Obama Girl tag might forever be “stuck” on her, “it doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll have to be her forever…”

“I think four years ago, when the video came out and I got millions of views on YouTube, it definitely helped people know who Amber Lee Ettinger was. But it can definitely shut a lot of doors, too, because, if I’m striving to be an actress and they see me as this Obama Girl character, they say, ‘She’s not really an actress, she just did this YouTube thing.’ And people who may not like Obama, may not like me…”

“I haven’t really decided which way I’m going to go yet,” said Ettinger when asked who she’s going to vote for. “I’m still keeping my eyes and ears open. I certainly don’t dislike Obama. I think he’s done a lot of really great stuff, but he doesn’t get enough credit for the things he does. What he does is just never enough. For me, being Obama Girl, it’s hard because I get people saying, ‘switch to the other side! Make videos for Ron Paul! Why are you with Obama? He sucks!’”

You’d be irritated too if your only choices were Obama or Ron Paul. She’s also annoyed that Obama has never thanked her. Um, hello? She should be thanking him. Everybody should be thanking him. For being born.

Those heady days of ’08 are long gone, but we’ll always have the memories. And YouTube.

Crushes fade. If only the debt did.

*Because that’s what government does. Government makes everything cheaper and more efficient. Shut up.

He says it’s not. Chrysler says it’s not. But according to the Hollywood Reporter:

Two members of the creative team that produced the two-minute minute spot for ad agency Wieden+Kennedy donated their personal time in 2008 to make pro-Obama art.

In the days ahead, similar politically charged queries also are likely to be raised about the highly regarded Portland Oregon-based ad agency that produced the spot—Wieden+Kennedy, some of whose key creative professionals privately supported Barack Obama in the 2008 election…

Several members of the Wieden+Kennedy team that produced the Eastwood spot were among the creative professionals who privately supported Obama’s first election campaign. Creative director Aaron Allen, for example, created a striking poster, called “United the States of America,” on candidate Obama’s behalf. The poster shows an Obama silhouette bringing together red and blue spheres meant to represent America’s partisan division. His official bio notes that he “also works on personal art projects, including a poster for the 2008 Obama campaign that was shown in several galleries and publications.”

The ad’s art director, Jimm Lasser, created an entire art exhibit in New York around Nike-style shoes bearing Obama’s image.

Another of the creative directors, Michael Tabtabai has used his Twitter account recently to send out the message “Obama x Incredible Hulk. America STRONG!” and linking to an image of an action doll of the president looking like the comic book super hero.

I don’t think it’s fair to call them Obama supporters. They’re Obama worshippers.

After a few years of watching Obama at work, not a lot of people are still buying the idea that he’s above partisanship, brings people together, and other such nonsense. But everybody loves Clint Eastwood, right? Especially those dumb gun-toting rednecks in Flyover. Obama’s brand isn’t doing so hot these days, so why not trot out cuddly, crusty Grandpa Clint to deliver the message? “Come on, team, let’s get behind Obama and win it in the second half! I’m not sure who the other team is supposed to be, but…” And just hope everybody forgets that Eastwood spoke out against the bailout.

Ehhh. I dunno. Maybe not. Maybe it really is the non-political ode to American toughness and ingenuity that they’re claiming it is. But man, the Obama worship is pretty funny. It’s not very nice to make fun of rubes, which is part of why I enjoy it. Dude, you made Obama sneakers. How did you decide which Obama poster to put up over your bed? How many times did you write his name on your Trapper Keeper? HA-ha!

P.S. And speaking of hypocritical, Obama-worshipping rubes:

I don’t really care about some singer or rapper or whatever she’s supposed to be flipping off the camera during Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show. That’s what you get for watching Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime show. All M.I.A. did was sum up everything that was wrong with it, and with all of us, in one quick gesture.

Still, I’m a big fan of silly, tedious leftists being held accountable for their actions, so I’m enjoying this news from TMZ:

M.I.A. will end up paying any fines imposed on NBC as a result of her finger wag during the Super Bowl halftime show…

Our sources say… the NFL has indemnified NBC… because the NFL is responsible for the halftime content.

But the NFL was smart, given the history of performers who wanted to do something shocking to get attention during the biggest TV event of the year. So we’re told… M.I.A. signed a contract with the NFL for the halftime performance, and in that contract M.I.A. agreed to indemnify the NFL for any money it might be forced to pay if the FCC comes down on the Peacock Network.

But hey, it’s all worth it to prove she’s not boring anymore, right? Hello?

(Hat tip: AV Club)

In case you’ve been in Papua New Guinea or someplace and haven’t seen it yet:

Yeah, there’s been plenty of roaring, alright. I don’t really share the outrage, though. The only thing about the ad that’s really bugging me? The mixed metaphors. It’s halftime, so when we get punched, we just get back up and rev our engines. Really, Clint?

As for cheerleading the bailout after he spoke out against it — from “If a CEO can’t figure out how to make his company profitable, then he shouldn’t be the CEO” to “We all pulled together” — I guess Clint deserves the hits he’s taking. I don’t really see it as somehow pro-Obama, although I guess these days everything either is or isn’t.

There’s one other thing that bugs me about the whole mess. Clint says his paycheck went to charity. Guess what? So did yours and mine. Difference is, Clint got to choose his.

You’d think he’d have been better prepared for the backlash. Doesn’t he remember what happened the last time he tried to stand up for the people of Detroit?

P.S.

By their very nature, ninjas are mysterious and unknowable. Despite decades of study by outsiders, only three proven facts about ninjas have been discovered:

1. Ninjas are mammals.
2. Ninjas fight ALL the time.
3. The purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people.

That is, until today. Now we can add another fact about this ancient order of shadowy death-dealers: Sometimes they’re sultry Iranian ladies.

Not only is ninjitsu a great workout and a perfect way to kill Zionist infiltrators, but these gals don’t even need to change outfits to go back outside.

Got anything to say now, Israel? Huh?

(Hat tip: Hot Air)

Things were starting to look up for Newt, but now he’s back on a downslide and this next story is the clincher. Sure, petulant gay activists still throw fits during Gingrich events, but gone are the days of spectacle and glamour. This, from CBS News, is just tedious and cliche:

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Newt Gingrich’s final event of the day on Monday was interrupted by two protestors who stood up and accused the former House speaker of discriminating against gays and lesbians.

“Hey Newt, why do you support discrimination against gays and lesbians all the time? Serial hypocrisy!” a young man yelled at Gingrich, interrupting his 40-minute speech. After he was pushed out of the room by what appeared to be a supporter, a second young man took up the charge in the back of the room, chanting, “No hate in our state, why do you discriminate?”

As the crowd began chanting Gingrich’s name, a woman approached the second protestor and grabbed his wrists. Before a fight could break out, police escorted him from the room.

Gingrich was unruffled by the disruptions, saying he presumed most of the crowd supported him. “My guess is it’s 407 to three,” he said.

Leading questions? Yawn. Chanting? Bo-ring! These kids are just going through the motions. Clearly they don’t care about making their side look good and persuading people that their arguments are better, or it would look more like this:

Guess Newt’s no longer worth the effort. Or maybe they just didn’t have time to hit Jo-Ann’s or Michael’s on the way there.

The news seems to get more and more depressing by the hour, so I choose to start off my morning with a smile. Associated Press (emphasis mine):

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A tent city that’s among the longest-lived Occupy protest encampments is coming down as part of a new wave of eviction orders against demonstrators aligned with the movement in communities including Miami, Washington and Pittsburgh.

Occupy Maine demonstrators removed several large tents over the weekend, and the city on Monday gave them additional time to remove the rest…

The encampments that were the heart of the movement are becoming scarcer. On Monday, a judge issued what appeared to be the final notice for Occupy Pittsburgh to leave. Over the past week, police began removing demonstrators in Miami; Austin, Texas; and Washington, DC…

Like in many other cities, Portland officials cited concerns about disturbances, public safety and sanitation at the park, which is supposed to close between 10 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.

In Portland, the demonstrators were largely peaceful. But some of the city’s homeless moved in, along with associated problems of substance abuse and mental illness. Police said the number of calls to the park jumped after the demonstrators set up camp.

It’s now federal law that any news story about the Occupy movement must contain some variation of the phrase “largely peaceful,” to remind the reader that all the crime and violence that mysteriously breaks out at these encampments has nothing to do with anything. We shouldn’t blame an entire movement for the actions of a significant percentage of them.

And just look what they did to McPherson Square. It was a lovely green park, and now, one Occupation later, it’s a disgusting, barren mud pit:

As the mighty Iowahawk puts it: “For a ‘grassroots movement’ they certainly aren’t good for grass roots.” If anybody figures out what they are good for, please let me know.

P.S. Occupy DC might not have a free place to sleep anymore, but that just means they have to find other laws to break: “Speakers [at CPAC] will be physically assaulted, not just verbally confronted.” (Largely peacefully, of course!)

Via literallyunbelievable.org, here’s a now-deleted Facebook post from Congressman John Fleming (R-LA):

Oof. Here’s the Onion story in question. It’s kind of funny, if abortion jokes are your thing.

Well, don’t worry about it, Congressman Fleming. It happens to all of us, by which I mean it happens to not really all of us.

Keeping the homeland secure isn’t easy when so many crazy, brainwashed wackjobs are still out there, worshipping ancient documents written by long-dead troublemakers. Patrick Poole at PJ Media reports:

A recently published “lexicon” distributed to thousands of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) targets citizens concerned about their Second Amendment rights and the steady encroachment of the federal government, categorizing such as “militia extremists…”

Its definition of “militia extremists” states:

(U//FOUO) Groups or individuals who facilitate or engage in acts of violence directed at federal, state, or local government officials or infrastructure in response to their belief that the government deliberately is stripping Americans of their freedoms and is attempting to establish a totalitarian regime. These individuals consequently oppose many federal and state authorities’ laws and regulations, (particularly those related to firearms ownership), and often belong to armed paramilitary groups. They often conduct paramilitary training designed to violently resist perceived government oppression or to violently overthrow the US Government. (Page 2 of 3, emphasis added)

So what drives militia extremism according to DHS now is “belief that the government deliberately is stripping Americans of their freedoms.” It is demonstrated by opposing “many federal and state authorities’ laws and regulations, (particularly those related to firearms ownership)…”

Another indicator, according to DHS, is that militia extremists “often belong to paramilitary groups,” which would mean that there are “militia extremists” who aren’t part of a militia. So if you oppose federal regulations and support the Second Amendment to the Constitution, and though you don’t actually belong to a militia, you can still be branded a “militia extremist” by your own government, and presumably be targeted by law enforcement agencies.

Such talk is just paranoid. No wonder these teabaggers are on a watchlist.

If you hear somebody humming this repugnant, subversive piece of propaganda, report him to DHS immediately:

If we don’t put a stop this now, these dangerous extremists might start vandalizing public property and burning things and throwing bricks at cops. Every moment we wait is another moment these deranged Amendment-huggers plan their terrifying crime spree. Let’s stop it before it starts, America. Liberty is too important to waste on the undeserving.

P.S. If you won’t listen to me about how much the Constitution sucks, maybe you’ll listen to Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Just give him one more chance, America. Is that too much to ask? A second chance?

The Hill:

During an interview that aired Monday on NBC’s “Today” show, President Obama said that he gets “better as time goes on” at his job and that he believes the grassroots movement that propelled him to victory in 2008 will help him win a second term.

“What’s frustrated people is that I’ve not been able to implement every aspect of what I said in 2008. Well, it turns out our Founders designed a system that makes it more difficult to bring about change than I would like sometimes. But what we have been able to do is move in the right direction,” Obama said.

“And you know what? One of the things about being president is you get better as time goes on,” he added.

At what, he did not specify.

What’s this about “Founders,” by the way? Since when do they matter? If the Constitution prevents him from getting what he wants, he just ignores it. Rules are for people who aren’t Obama. Oh, you don’t think so? Racist.

P.S. And if that doesn’t shut you up, you should shut up because Obama is the Commander-in-Chief and you’re a soldier or something. And it’s okay for him to say such things because he’s not Bush.

P.P.S. Daniel Foster at NRO:

I don’t think his comments betray the president as a secret Red or anything, but the plain meaning of them is that there are things about the separation of powers, and maybe other parts of the Constitutional order, that he would change. I’d like to see him asked to clarify at one of the debates in the general. Mr. President, if you could tweak the Founders’ vision anyway you wanted, what would you do?

(HINT: SNL doesn’t like Republicans.)

They finally cleared the trash and vermin out of DC’s McPherson Square this weekend. Plus a bunch of dead mice and rats. WaPo:

U.S. Park Police swept through the Occupy D.C. camp at Freedom Plaza on Sunday and made one arrest in a scene that was far less contentious than the raid the day before on McPherson Square.

Police were looking for the same types of violations they discovered in the pre-dawn hours Saturday: Evidence of overnight camping and potential biohazards. But Park Police said there has been greater self-policing and fewer potential health-code violations at Freedom Plaza than at McPherson Square, where 11 people were arrested. Rats and feces were found in the square.

Hey, you can’t have revolution without some rats and feces. And then, if you go all the way down to paragraph 14:

Although some protesters occasionally voiced their disapproval of the sweep, the dissent paled in comparison with Saturday’s scene at McPherson Square, where protesters pushed against riot shields as police tried to erect additional barricades. One protester threw a brick that hit a police officer, causing “serious facial injuries,” Schlosser said.

Three of the 11 arrests Saturday were classified as assaults on a police officer.

Correction: largely nonviolent assaults on a police officer. After all, there are more cops without serious facial injuries than with serious facial injuries, right? Tell us more, Associated Press (emphasis mine):

Dozens of U.S. Park Police officers in riot gear and on horseback converged before dawn Saturday on one of the nation’s last remaining Occupy sites, with police clearing away tents they said were banned under park rules.

At least seven people were arrested. Officials said it was relatively peaceful but got tense late in the day when an officer was struck in the face with a brick as police pushed protesters out of the last section of the park. The officer was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Protesters held a general assembly Saturday evening and vowed to continue the movement. One of the speakers acknowledged the injured officer and urged everyone to practice nonviolence.

Oh. Well, then, that makes it all better! As long as you keep saying you’re nonviolent, then your acts of violence don’t count.

Meanwhile, at the relatively peaceful and largely nonviolent Occupy Oakland… LA Times (emphasis mine again):

Another American flag was burned at an Occupy Oakland rally late Saturday, capping off a smaller, more peaceful march compared to last weekend’s burst of violence…

Saturday’s Occupy march, however, was the second to feature a burning U.S. flag in a week…

The Associated Press said protesters threw a bottle of urine at a KTVU-TV Channel 2 truck and a wooden board at a KPIX-TV Channel 5 truck.

Last weekend, more than 400 people were arrested after a violent Occupy Oakland demonstration in which marchers broke into City Hall, smashed display cases, cut electrical wires and burned an American flag.

That’s right, just look at all the news trucks they didn’t throw stuff at. Look at all the American flags they didn’t burn. And they didn’t even break into City Hall and destroy stuff this time. Why can’t you wingnuts at least give them some credit for that?

Here’s the future of our great nation. (WARNING: Children screaming curses.)

Peace. No peace. Whatever. Let’s not bother them with such details.

P.S. WSJ:

Workers wearing masks and white hazmat suits began clearing a second Occupy D.C. encampment Sunday afternoon, a day after 11 were arrested and a police officer was hit in the face with a brick following a pre-dawn raid Saturday at a separate downtown park.

National Park Service police said Sunday’s action at Freedom Plaza, site of a months-long protest just blocks from the White House, was a continuation of the enforcement of a camping ban that began a day earlier…

On Sunday more than a half dozen tents remained at McPherson Square. Mr. Schlosser said those tents stayed because they serve a symbolic purpose and won’t be used for overnight camping. Tents that were removed posed a health hazard, officials said. Police said they found some bedding soaked in urine and urine-filled bottles.

Well, that’s dumb. You’re supposed to throw those bottles at news trucks! Once again the West Coast leads the rest of the nation.

P.P.S. “This is the point where I’m no longer asking you to leave. I’m telling you to leave.”

P.P.P.S. Occupy mudbowl: What’s left of McPherson Square.

This is 2012. It’s the 21st Century. Just something to keep in mind as you read the following from Reuters:

The Arab world’s most famous comic actor, Adel Imam, has received a three-month jail sentence for insulting Islam in films and plays, a court document showed on Thursday.

Imam, who has frequently poked fun at authorities and politicians of all colors during a 40-year career, has one month to appeal the sentence and will remain out of jail until the appeal process is concluded.

The sentence Wednesday evening came weeks after Islamists swept most seats in a parliamentary election. The case was brought by Asran Mansour, a lawyer with ties to Islamist groups, and had languished in court for months, judicial sources said.

Mansour accused the actor of offending Islam and its symbols, including beards and the Jilbab, a loose-fitting garment worn by some Muslims, the Egyptian news portal Ahramonline reported.

So, yeah, things are going great in Egypt. Looks like Obama’s Cairo speech really did the trick.

P.S. Maybe I’m judging them too hastily. Here’s Imam at work:

So okay, I guess I can see why they’re so upset with him.

I don’t blog about it as much as I used to (you’re welcome), but two years ago today I got hit by a car and I’ve been dealing with it ever since.

On the evening of Feb. 3, 2010, I was trying to cross the street at 22nd and M here in DC, inside the crosswalk and with the Walk signal. As I was crossing, a State Department security SUV made an illegal left turn and hit me, shattering my left tibial plateau. The surgeons put my knee back together and held it together with a bunch of hardware, but it didn’t heal correctly. So after 10 months of pain and infirmity, I had a second surgery called an osteochondral allograft. Now, 14 months later, that one seems to be working. My surgeon says I’ve still got a ways to go, and I’ll probably never be 100%, but it’s healing up as well as we could’ve hoped. (For more info on the whole thing, see here, here, here, and here. And if you need pictures, see here.)

Two years later, I’m able to walk unassisted. I’ve still got some screws and stuff in there, and I walk with a limp and it never doesn’t hurt, but with Aspercreme and Advil and a knee brace and as much positive thinking as I can muster, most days it’s tolerable. I haven’t needed opiates in quite a while, and good riddance. Going up and down stairs still sucks, physically. Crossing the street really sucks, emotionally. But hey. What are you gonna do.

Just wanted to make a note of today’s date. Thanks to everybody who has encouraged me as I get through this. I’ll keep you posted on any further developments I’m allowed to keep you posted about.

Good day and hello to everyone in the Occupy movement. You guys doing alright? I know, I know, things haven’t been going the way you wished they would. There are still people who have more money and/or better jobs than you, no matter how many tambourines you bang and windows you smash, and it’s just not fair. You probably wish you could pack up your lice-infested sleeping bag and your Guy Fawkes mask and just move to another planet.

Hey, guess what?

Fox News:

A potentially habitable alien planet — one that scientists say is the best candidate yet to harbor water, and possibly even life, on its surface — has been found around a nearby star.

The planet is located in the habitable zone of its host star, which is a narrow circumstellar region where temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to exist on the planet’s surface.

“It’s the Holy Grail of exoplanet research to find a planet around a star orbiting at the right distance so it’s not too close where it would lose all its water and boil away, and not too far where it would all freeze,” Steven Vogt, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz, told SPACE.com. “It’s right smack in the habitable zone — there’s no question or discussion about it. It’s not on the edge, it’s right in there…”

The researchers estimate that the planet, called GJ 667Cc, is at least 4.5 times as massive as Earth, which makes it a so-called super-Earth. It takes roughly 28 days to make one orbital lap around its parent star, which is located a mere 22 light-years away from Earth, in the constellation Scorpius (the Scorpion).

“This is basically our next-door neighbor,” Vogt said. “It’s very nearby. There are only about 100 stars closer to us than this one.”

Liquid water is a plus if you want to bathe. Not that I’m saying you should, but you’d have that option. And you’d be far, far away from the rest of us stupid Earth morons, so you could start up your own perfect society where nobody has more stuff than anybody else and nobody gets jealous. Plus, you could coexist peacefully with the planet’s current inhabitants and teach them how to hacky-sack. (Unless they don’t have legs and feet, just like tentacles or whatever, which is totally cool, I’m totally not judging.)

Just imagine the possibilities:

Live long and prosper… Just don’t prosper too much!

“Um… hello? What about all the ATF agents who didn’t get killed because of my incompetence and corruption?”