"they weren't raised to respect girls."

I don't think I need to add anything - the post headline and story say it all.

Four arraigned in alleged gang rape of California girl
By TERRY COLLINS (AP) – 3 hours ago

RICHMOND, Calif. — Four teenagers face adult charges in the alleged gang rape of a 15-year-old girl outside a Northern California high school's homecoming dance.
The four were arraigned Thursday in Contra Costa County Superior Court. The defendants are 19-year-old Manuel Ortega, 15-year-old Cody Ray Smith, 16-year-old Ari Morales and 17-year-old Marcelles Peter.

"These are people who played a significant role in the incident," Richmond Police Lt. Mark Gagan said. "I'm confident that more arrests will be made."

Besides rape, the 19-year-old, Manuel Ortega of Richmond, was charged with robbery and assault causing great bodily injury. It was unknown if he had an attorney.
The other three face one count each of felony rape with a foreign object. They were charged as adults because of the severity of the crime, Gagan said. The 16-year-old also faces robbery charges.

All four remained in custody Wednesday. A fifth suspect arrested Tuesday, 21-year-old Salvador Rodriguez of Richmond, also remained jailed but had not been charged.

The alleged gang rape and beating Saturday night at Richmond High School have rattled the city of about 120,000 in the San Francisco Bay area.

Police believe as many as 10 people ranging in age from 15 to mid-20s attacked the girl for more than two hours in a dimly lit area. As many as two dozen people witnessed the rape without notifying police.

Dara Cashman, head of the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office sex crimes unit, told the Contra Costa Times, a Bay area newspaper, that those who witnessed the alleged rape and did not report it could face aiding and abetting charges — if it can be proven that their actions facilitated or goaded the perpetrators.

Police hope a $20,000 reward will bring more people forward with information.
Police received a tip about a possible assault on campus from a former student, who heard two males bragging about it. Officers found the girl semiconscious and naked from the waist down near a picnic table.

Margarita Vargas, who was watching television Saturday night with others at her home two blocks from the school campus, told the newspaper she reported the assault as soon as she heard about it. The newspaper did not say whether Vargas was a student at the school.

"They think it's cool," Vargas said of the alleged perpetrators. "They weren't raised to respect girls."

Gagan said the victim, a sophomore, left the dance and was walking to meet her father for a ride home when a classmate invited her to join a group drinking in the courtyard. The girl had consumed a large amount of alcohol by the time the assault began, police said.

Gagan said the girl's father tried to call her cell phone, but no one answered.

She was released from the hospital Wednesday.

ouch! bonnie erbe on obama + health care news

Obama Not Comfortable With Women in Basketball, Golf ... or Anywhere Else
October 27, 2009 11:39 AM ET
By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

President Obama drew heat last week for a story that surfaced outing his private White House male-only b-ball games. The story was that even though two female members of his cabinet were members of their college basketball teams, they were excluded, as were all women, from this most private of male-only clubs. The story became a metaphor for how the president views women generally and threatened to reveal some inconvenient truths about the man.

snip

President Obama could invite Chamique Holdsclaw to the private White House basketball court and Billie Jean King to play tennis with him. I still wouldn't believe he's any more comfortable dealing with women or concerned about "women's" issues than the dearly departed former Sen. Jesse Helms. President Obama talks the talk a lot better and a lot louder than Helms. But Jesse Helms was so rooted in his atavist traditions, he chose to remain true to his misogyny rather than pose for cameras with faux female golfing partners. President Obama must hide the side of his personality that is clearly uncomfortable with women because he needs their votes much more than Helms ever did.

Whether it was his treatment of Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail (as in his condescending remark that she was "likeable enough") or his clearly career-oriented mate who has been toned down and remorphed into a Stepford Wife, I just don't get the impression this man is comfortable with women. Nor do I believe he cares about them beyond needing women's votes. It's an act and a thoroughly see-through, amateur one at that.

Like I said, ouch.

Did you see this story?

The WellPoint Revelation
Private insurance premiums could triple under ObamaCare.

In all of the 14 states WellPoint scrutinized, ObamaCare would drive up premiums for the small businesses and individuals who are most of WellPoint's customers. (Other big insurers, like Aetna, focus on the market among large businesses.) Young and healthy consumers will see the largest increases—their premiums would more than triple in some states—though average middle-class buyers will pay more too.

Or this one?

Obama Told House Democrat He Wasn’t Talking about House Health Bill When He Told Congress ‘Our Plan’ Doesn’t Fund Abortion
Monday, October 26, 2009
By Terence P. Jeffrey, Editor-in-Chief

Rep. Bart Stupak (D.-Mich.) told CNSNews.com that President Barack Obama told him in a telephone conversation that when he said in his Sept. 9 speech to a joint session of Congress that “under our plan no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions” he was not talking about the actual bill drafted in the House but about the president’s own health care plan—which has never been written.

“I don’t know if it is a game of semantics or what,” Stupak said of Obama’s nationally televised declaration to Congress that the health-care plan will not allow federal funding of abortion.

Both the House and Senate versions of the health-care bill permit federal funds to pay for insurance plans that cover abortions.

Yea...but let's just call Joe Wilson a racist...

Update: In the comment section of my earlier post below I got into a dialog with one of my regular visitors. He didn't see this particular topic as an issue, and commented, in part:

I have been convinced since the beginning of his campaign, and remain unswayed otherwise until today by any single act or set of actions, that Obama is genetically and irremediably very old style Chicago party politics, and all that that implies in terms of secrecy, corruption, paranoia, old-boys you scratch my back, favoritism politics. My real worry about your objection to his playing basketball with men is that in the bigger scheme of things, it seems to be almost nitpicking compared to other, more important problems.

I wanted to share my reply, for those who might agree with him. (edited and expanded for a little more clarity):

Agreed there are perhaps bigger issues at the moment. Frankly, there are so many, it is almost exhausting to try and cover them all.

This story interested me, and I do find the old boy's network a problem. Obama can play ball with his friends, but when he is inviting male members of Congress for fun recreational basketball and not inviting women or making equal time for the women in Congress, it is a problem - whether you think so or not.

Obama was elected to represent all Americans, and works for all Americans. How he spends his office time and recreational time is closely watched by the world. He is one of the most powerful leaders in the world. What he does, how he leads, and the examples he sets, matter.

When Obama plays 23 rounds of golf, not a woman in sight, and invites men only from the House to play hoops, THAT is old school boy time networking.

And when the guy who was labeled a feminist by MS. Magazine - calls the concern BUNK about excluding women from his outings, it raises some eyebrows.

And when you have a website called Feminists for Obama screaming WE WON WE WON! you have to wonder what exactly they think they won.

obama's boy's club update

From Jake Tapper:

We asked Terry O'Neill, the new president of the National Organization for Women, what she thought of those Democratic women and others quietly complaining about a "boy's club" atmosphere at the White House, as exemplified by the president playing basketball earlier this month with 11 members of Congress and four Cabinet Secretaries -- all men.

Jake Tapper on All the President's Men

As the New York Times and cable news chatter looked at whether the Obama White House is too fratty yesterday, President Obama brought along a woman golf partner for the first time in his 24 golf outings as president, domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes.

Is this much ado about nothing?

O'Neill says no.

"Relationships get built in those more informal settings," O'Neill told ABC News, "and the relationships have a huge impact on the influence an individual has. We know what happens when we segregated whether it by race or whether it by gender -- you end up with 1st class citizens and you end up with 2nd class citizens."

O'Neill told ABC News' Mike Callahan, "we need to see the White House leading the way for desegregating the work places all around the country and it is troubling."

It’s extremely important now especially for the president to have as many women as men in his closest circle of advisors. ... If women had been at the heads of the companies on Wall Street instead of these masters of the universe then we might not be in the predicament that we’re in today." She says the ratio "needs to be 50/50. Women are 52 percent of the voting public so obviously there needs to be 50/50 of any Cabinet."

Interesting tid-bit from Politico:

President Barack Obama has only been in office for just over nine months, but he's already hit the links as much as President Bush did in over two years.

CBS' Mark Knoller — an unofficial documentarian and statistician of all things White House-related — wrote on his Twitter feed that, "Today - Obama ties Pres. Bush in the number of rounds of golf played in office: 24.

Took Bush 2 yrs & 10 months."

"...you've crossed the line."

From Newsbuster: NYT: White House Attacking Fox Because It Is News, and That's the Problem

The cat is out of the bag at the New York Times. The Times has exposed, albeit passively, the true motivation behind the White House's Fox News attacks. Contrary to the administration's claims, it is deriding Fox not because it doesn't report the news, but rather because it does.

It is news, after all, when an organization potentially receiving billions in federal funds aids and abets what it thinks is a criminal organization. It is news when a high-level White House adviser, responsible for the distribution of $80 billion in federal funds, is outed as a communist and a 'truther' conspiracy theorist. It is news when the president's chief communications officer admits her admiration for a murderous dictator.

From ABCnews.com: Obama's Fox News Offensive: Has it Worked?
Fox News is Labeled as Wing of the Republican Party. Critics Say Fox News is Changing Its Ways

But the White House's tactic has befuddled many pundits and reporters. ABC News' Jake Tapper asked White House press secretary Robert Gibbs Tuesday whether the White House is "saying thousands of individuals who work for a media organization … do not work for a 'news organization"?

"That's our opinion," Mr. Gibbs replied. snip

What's more, to many viewers, Fox News simply respects conservative ideas – something they see as lacking in other mainstream media outlets, which are often criticized for leaning to the left.

Indeed, some free-speech experts say the administration's tactics run counter to the First Amendment.

"The White House has basically said that they don't believe in the marketplace of ideas, they're not willing to engage in debate, and they are going to be associated with John Adams and the Sedition Act and Richard Nixon and his 'enemies' list – is that the company they want to be in?" says Mike Farrell, director of the First Amendment Center at the University of Kentucky.

On the health care reform front:

From HotAir.com: AP: On further review, ObamaCare could cover abortions

It only took the Associated Press six weeks after Rep. Joe Wilson’s “You lie!”, but they finally have reported that Barack Obama told a whopper in his joint speech to Congress — and that Democrats have lied all along about abortion and ObamaCare. Even at that, they bury the lead on the story several paragraphs into an analysis of the debate among Democrats on abortion funding, although not far enough for Life News to miss it:

But the Democrats’ health overhaul bill would create a new stream of federal funding not covered by the restrictions.

Stupak says language specifying that someone obtaining an abortion must use her own money, not federal money from the subsidies, doesn’t go far enough because it’s impossible to clearly segregate funds in that way.

“Once you get the affordability credits (subsidies) in there, that’s public funding of abortion. We’re not going there,” Stupak said. “How do you get past the affordability credits is really the issue. And we can’t.”

Who picks up the tab for health reform?
Insurance companies stand to lose; doctors look like winners

And beyond the contentious battle over the public insurance option, there's a huge fight over another question: Who will pay to cover the uninsured? It's safe to say doctors will give up the least, pharmaceutical and medical device makers will fall somewhere in the middle, and insurers will be the big losers.

Then there's the taxpayer. Senate Democrats want to levy a 40 percent excise tax on so-called Cadillac plans, policies that cost more than $21,000 a year. Backers say the tax would bring in $215 billion, but unions are determined to block it, arguing that middle-income workers will get hit with the tax as well.

A fierce battle will erupt over the levy when the Senate and the House begin to work on the final bill. Meanwhile, the 85 percent of citizens with insurance of any kind, Cadillac or Hyundai, should probably assume that most costs levied on other parties to health reform will be passed along to them through higher premiums. snip

She argues that the industry will have no choice but to raise customers' premiums to fund the new fees. Moreover, a mandate requiring everyone to buy insurance or pay a fine has been so watered down that insurers won't gain enough new customers—the basis for their reform support in the first place.

obama and the old boy's network

Obama invited a bunch of men to the White House for some hoops. No women were invited, and the men were members of the House. Some women are upset, calling this typical of the old boy's network.

Obama thinks the whole issue is "bunk". Really? What does he think the old boy's network is?

How is this any different from the "old days" when men used to go to strip clubs or private male clubs to conduct business? Or when blacks were not included or allowed to attend anything?

This is face to face, bonding time with the President of the United States, in a high stakes business. There is no way this could be considered anything other than the old boy's network.

The women should have been invited, and given the opportunity to accept or decline. But to not invite them, or offer them equal time with the President, is wrong.

And as Savannah points out, Obama golfs every weekend, with men. Women are quite capable of playing golf (and b-ball!).

Listen to how antiquated Obama is here:

Five to six years ago and Obama still felt it was all Michelle's responsibility to care for the kids...? Why was it all her responsibility? Especially when Obama was only working 55 days a year in the IL Senate!

It's like Mad Men in the White House...



Sexism, as we well know, is alive and well.

obama wins noble Peace Pipe prize

U.S. eases stance on medical marijuana
Attorney general says prosecuting such cases 'will not be a priority'

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. directed federal prosecutors Monday to back away from pursuing cases against medical marijuana patients, signaling a broad policy shift that drug reform advocates interpret as the first step toward legalization of the drug.

The government's top lawyer said that in 14 states with some provisions for medical marijuana use, federal prosecutors should focus only on cases involving higher-level drug traffickers, money launderers or people who use the state laws as a cover.

I was confused this whole time...I thought Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize - now I get it - it was the noble Peace Pipe Prize! ;O)

I don't know why the heck they just don't legalize pot, and tax and control it. It is absolutely ridiculous that cigarettes and alcohol are legal, but pot isn't.

This guy didn't end up like this by smoking pot:


Marijuana is as natural and relevant in the way the world works as bees.

Cannabis is indicated for treating and preventing nausea and vomiting, stimulating hunger in chemotherapy and AIDS patients and for the treatment of glaucoma due to its lowering of intraocular pressure, as well as a non-addictive general analgesic or painkiller. Other studies have show that CBD or cannabidiol a cannabinoid can lower the affects or stop schizophrenia. Individual studies also have been conducted indicating cannabis to be beneficial to a gamut of conditions running from multiple sclerosis to depression.

If the government wants to label something harmful and illegal, they should go after junk food.

Lots of stories covering this on memorandum.com

drive by president...

The Biggest Disappointment of the Obama Presidency ~ Eugene Robinson

President Obama's brief display of drive-by compassion Thursday in New Orleans was, for me, by far the worst outing of his presidency thus far -- and the biggest disappointment.

juan williams answers back to being called house negro

If you missed the original show:


"If you disagree, you get put down." That's what we've been saying all along, Juan.

a rant...and an update on afghanistan

I posted the below rant on Facebook the other day, in response to this article:
NYT: Lobbyists fight plans to cut health costs

This is what drives me crazy about politicians. How many years have Dems been dreaming for radical health care reform? They now have the dream team - Senate, House and WH, but they are too friggin in the pockets of special interests to enact real reform.

Instead they are going to come up with some watered down, half ass expensive as crap bill that doesn't do much, but costs billions, and still leaves 25 Million without health insurance. And they want to blame it all on Republicans? They don't need republicans, and if they really truly wanted real reform, wouldn't they not give a hoot about Special Interests, and their campaign donations?

The way they always, year after year, go on and on about the dire need for reform, shouldn't this be bigger than worrying about financing their next election? They need to quit blaming conservatives, and look in the mirror.

And why isn't tort reform on the table? $43 M in donations...

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee and author of the main health care reform bill now being debated in the Senate, was one of the biggest beneficiaries of this one-two punch from the lobbyists and their clients. From January 2007 through June 2009, Baucus collected contributions from 37 outside lobbyists representing PhRMA, the pharmaceutical industry's chief trade association, and 36 lobbyists who listed drug maker Amgen Inc. as their client. End of rant.

Front Page of Huffington Post...

And there is a breaking story, so far reported only by FOX and WaPo that Obama has quietly authorized sending an additional 13,000 troops to Afghanistan.

"President Obama announced in March that he would be sending 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. But in an unannounced move, the White House has also authorized -- and the Pentagon is deploying -- at least 13,000 troops beyond that number, according to defense officials.

The additional troops are primarily support forces, including engineers, medical personnel, intelligence experts and military police. Their deployment has received little mention by officials at the Pentagon and the White House, who have spoken more publicly about the combat troops who have been sent to Afghanistan.

The deployment of the support troops to Afghanistan brings the total increase approved by Obama to 34,000. The buildup has raised the number of U.S. troops deployed to the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan above the peak during the Iraq "surge" that President George W. Bush ordered, officials said."

And here is a funny piece by Jon Stewart on CNN.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
CNN Leaves It There
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

*nobel "speech" prize*

A lot of people on the Left are mad at the Right for their criticisms of the Nobel Peace Prize committee awarding the Peace Prize to Obama, even accusing them as "siding with the terrorists".

The only thing is the criticism is not only coming from the Right. There appears to be an universal sense of "huh?"

Here's a round up of just some of what was said yesterday.

From Newsbuster: NYT’s Brooks: Obama Nobel Prize Award a 'Joke' and 'Travesty'; WaPo’s Marcus: Not 'Necessarily Good News'

obama wins nobel peace prize for wanting world peace

The Nobel Committee awarded Obama the Nobel Peace Prize to encourage his initiatives in calling for world peace and cooperation.

Rather than recognizing concrete achievement, the 2009 prize appeared intended to support initiatives that have yet to bear fruit: reducing the world stock of nuclear arms, easing American conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthening the U.S. role in combating climate change.

Other candidates for consideration include:

Miss Teen South Carolina - For her desire to provide the US Americans, South Africans and The Iraq with maps.

don't let go

Four-year old Paige didn't want to say goodbye to her daddy before he was shipped off to Iraq.

obama: we are held hostage by insurance companies that deny coverage

"We are held hostage at any given moment by health insurance companies that deny coverage or drop coverage or charge fees that people can't afford," Obama said in August.


And on whitehouse.gov, the Administration promises more stability and security with health care reform, and points out that 20,000 people were denied treatment, to save money:

2012 olympic bid videos

The second place winner, in my opinion, is Tokyo:



I love the idea of the ribbons running through the city. I love the colors and brightness of the images, and the combination of modern with traditional images. It drags on too long, though. A minute or two shorter and it would have been much more enjoyable. I knew the ribbons would do something in the end, but thought they would combine to form the rings, instead they form the logo, from Idsgn:. "Using the slogan “Uniting our worlds,” the logo ties the five Olympic colors in the form of a traditional Japanese knot. The knot, known as ‘musubi,’ has long been utilized in Japan to signify blessings during times of celebration." (Which makes sense, if you know that, but I didn't...but it is cute.)



Third place, Chicago (in my opinion):



Very professionally done, as I would expect. However, the opening quote leaves me a bit put off from the beginning. "a Chicago man..." Right off the bat it is not inclusive of women or people of the country, or the world. I think the four athlete stories are nice, and would make good promotional ads had Chicago won the bid, but for a Bid, I found the video very cold, and very small. Very self centered.

The image of the man walking made me think of Obama, which bugged. It felt more like "What having the Olympics here will do for me" not, "What we can do for the Olympics by having them here." I think there is room for some *how important the Olympics are to me* but the that was the overall theme, including the speeches by the Obama's, which was just way too much. Too cold, and too non-worldly. Also, the Olympics are in the summer, so the cold, autumn/winter feel felt out of place.

I also think it's unfortunate that they used the same paraplegic sport (biking) as Tokyo. And too much talk about fire, I don't like the end quote about the fire sitting at the end of a torch. I also think the comment about building a stadium over the park where the guy used to work out is depressing. There are some beautiful shots of the city, nice use of the architecture, and the waters edge. Like I said, if Chicago had won, these individual stories would make nice lead up commercials for the games, but they just felt too cold and self centered for an international bid.



Last place, Madrid:



Way too long, and boring. I guess it would help if I understood Spanish, but the video just drags on and on. If the assignment was just to show all the new construction ideas, they would win hands down. But five minutes of computer generated mock ups...blech. It also looks way too smoggy and the landscape looks awful. I can't imagine that is the best Madrid can look. Nothing about the video would make me want to go there. I have been to Barcelona, and LOVED it, but this did not sell Madrid at all. If you are an architect junkie, or a builder or something, this is probably right up your alley, but as an IOC member, looking for excitement, and energy, this was not it. The best thing about the video was their cute Olympic logo at the end.


"Named “Corle,” the logo features a hand in the Olympic colors—which intends to represent unity among different cultures, people, and nationalities—along with silhouette of an ‘M’. The city’s bid slogan is “Hola everyone.” ~Idsgn

And the winner is...



Great use of Olympic images, combined with the beauty of Rio. The video focuses on Rio, all it has to offer, but has a very international feel, and communicates the Olympic spirit - the thrill of the games, and the emotion. It is also short, and doesn't drag on like some of the others. It has a very warm feel. If I were on the IOC, and voting on these videos, I would have selected Rio. Their video, combined with the fact that South American has never hosted a game makes them an excellent choice. And I like their heart shaped logo.



And for those who are trying to blame the loss on Bush, Chicago was selected as a finalist for the 2016 games last summer, when Bush was still president.

On April 14, 2007, Chicago was selected by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) as the United States Bid city, and on June 4, 2008, the IOC named Chicago as one of four finalists to host the 2016 Olympic games.

hmmmm...

when my baby...

Congratulations to Rio on their win, and the first ever South American Games!