Too many thugs around here

Yet another mob comparison under this administration. This time it's not ACORN, or the SEIU, or Rahmbo, or the New Black Panther Justice Dept., or the President himself, it's the other de facto part of the perennial Dem, now Obama entourage--the MSM. Jeffrey Lord, TAS: Al Gore and the Media Protection Racket

And back in Chicago the local media is obsessed with some resume exaggeration on the part of the GOP Senate candidate, a squeaky clean moderate, equating it somehow in severity of behavior to the Democrat Bleepin' Golden mob banker who serves as Illinois state Treasurer. How is this a good thing in itself to have someone in public office with such sleazy connections, and now he wants to be the state's U.S. Senator?

Now we learn through the Blago trial Alexi Giannoulias wanted Blago to appoint him to the seat too.

This is the same media who busted into Obama's Dem Senate opponent's divorce files, busted into his GOP Senate opponent's divorce files. Barack was the establishment pick.

The same media who was curiously uninterested in our President Barack Obama's life aside from his supposed autobiography, while going through Sarah Palin's garbage cans.

The same media who doesn't ask one single question about the Gulf disaster after the G20 summit.

Many of us began as bloggers because we could see the establishment at work in our city and community newspapers--the only time you'd get an inkling about what was going on was in the letters to the editor, and even then you could easily be edited out. Which made many of us wonder what else we weren't hearing about.

Lately it seems like many Americans have a sense of urgency about the future of our country--we're all quoting de Tocqueville in one manner or another. And yet we get cheeseburger date lovefests on foreign policy from AP and have endured rosy scenarios on ObamaCare and the economy from most national publications, but thankfully not all.

There are too many establishment thugs around here who want us to just shut up.

Enough.

Remember in November.

Kirk is the Clear Choice

Kirk apologizes, then makes the case to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate:

Alan Dershowitz Endorses Joel Pollak

The video.

Pollak's first web ad:

Pollak for Congress. A Fresh Start.


More. Report from Sunday's pro-Israel rally in Skokie John Ruberry, Marathon Pundit.

I still haven't heard back from Jan Schakowsky on her dubious earmark for a bogus charity. Why is this all shrouded in silence, hmm Jan? Don't even those of us who live in the district have a right to know what you're earmarking and where our tax dollars are being spent?

Related: Blago, Obama, SEIU Corruption Front and Center, Pollak asks the right questions, An Open Letter to Jan Schakowsky, Investigate Schakowsky, Bogus Save a Life, ShoreBank, Pollak WSJ Op-Ed: Tea Party & Tocqueville, Anti-ShoreBank Tea Party, Jan Schakowsky's Personal Piggy Bank

Can Big Nanny Govt. Tell you to Eat your Veggies?

Watch Elena Kagan squirm under questioning by Sen. Tom Coburn. HT Powerline.

Putin KGB/SVR Ham-handed here, Brutal at Home

It looks like Boris and Natasha and Moose and Squirrel--what a dead giveaway, the screaming Russian red bad dye job hair--but there may be more to come, and this is just one part of Putin's thug arsenal.

The old KGB hand Vlad Putin (remember his undercover meeting with President Reagan as a young operative) postures and sputters and makes remarks laughable to Western ears:

Many Russian officials and analysts said they presumed that hawkish elements within the U.S. government had engineered and timed the arrests to embarrass President Obama and undermine the "reset." Mr. Putin echoed that concern during a meeting at his residence outside Moscow with former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

"Back at your home, the police went out of control [and] are throwing people in jail," Mr. Putin said. "But that's the kind of job they have," he added, drawing a laugh from Mr. Clinton when he heard the translation.

Out of control police? Back at your home, bad Vlad. Arresting art historians. I suppose we should marvel they weren't just "randomly" shot on the street.

Then we have the political trial of businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky, whom Putin arrested under flimsy charges as Khodorkovsky was on the verge of seriously challenging him with a real opposition party.

Yet our President smiles and has cheeseburgers and garners treaties to our disadvantage and toothless resolutions from the Russians on Iran.

Rank Dishonesty From Elena Kagan?

Kagan’s Abortion Distortion, Shannen Coffin, NRO. How the Supreme Court nominee manipulated the statement of a medical organization to protect partial-birth abortion.

John at Powerline calls it a smoking gun if she wrote it.

"Don't Steal"

Three cheers for this fine young man in Canada. Watch.

Blago Trial Hits White House Q & A

Gibbs gets asked about Obama's role:

Q Tom Balanoff is a local labor leader in Chicago and in testimony today at the Blagojevich trial he talks about a phone call that he got from Barack Obama on Monday evening before the Tuesday election, at which he quotes Mr. Obama as saying that he thinks Valerie Jarrett should be a United States senator, that she fits the criteria; "I would prefer that she remain working for President Obama, but she does want to be Senator." And Balanoff said he told the soon-to-be President, "I said, 'Thank you, I'm going to reach out to Governor Blagojevich with that.'" Did the President make that phone call?

MR. GIBBS: You're telling me about this testimony. I'm not going to get into commenting on obviously an ongoing trial. And I have had not had an opportunity to see that.

Q But you've said before that the President did not get involved with the suggestions or the conversations with Blagojevich.

Stonewalling, word parsing.

Bleepin' Golden Boy Alexi

Famous f-ing golden tape played for jurors. On the other end of the call: Doug Scofield.

He wanted that Obama Bleepin' Golden Senate seat about as much as Blago wanted to sell it.

Alexi Giannoulias. He's Bleepin' Golden.

To clarify:

The tape, which is part of an FBI investigation from 2008, was in part played in court Tuesday. It will not be released to the public until it is officially entered into evidence in Blagojevich's corruption trial.

Bombshell at Blago Trial on Alexi

Blagojevich on Giannoulias appointment: I won't appoint that "mother f-----" On Schakowsky: She needs ancestors who came over on slave ships.

Alexi just said Sunday he was only interested in the Senate seat for Valerie Jarrett. (Note below earlier contradictory statements.) Today Illinois SEIU president Tom Balanoff says Alexi specifically asked him to ask Blago for it. On Nov. 24th, 2008.

You know, in all honesty Alexi, it's hard for liars to keep their lies straight. Isn't it. The last statement is pretty rich in retrospect:

December 12, 2008: Alexi Giannoulias said that he hadn’t “really thought about” Obama’s Senate seat.

Giannoulias, a Democrat, said he's been busy sorting through the state's financial woes following Tuesday's arrest of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

"I haven't really thought about it to be honest with you," he said during an appearance at Aurora University. "I've been focused on trying to do my job and trying to rebuild the public's trust in us as elected officials."[4]

Good luck with that.

These Democrats just think they're entitled to these seats and the money, perks, and opportunity for corrupt influence peddling. Alexi bankrolls Obama early on, Obama endorses him for Illinois state Treasurer, Alexi gets elected, wants to move up, parlays his SEIU connections, basketball frat friendship with The One and family bank bucks to get top consideration for the Obama Senate seat. If Valerie didn't get it, Alexi wanted it. Blago had his own ideas.

Now Alexi is running for the Obama Senate seat, despite his abysmal record as Treasurer of a bankrupt state, investment losses of Bright Start college funds, and the failure of his family bank largely because of his risky loans to mobsters and high rollers, including convicted felon Tony Rezko, Barack's fundraising and real estate fairy. Oh, and taxpayers bail out Alexi's family bank while he and his family loot it for millions in dividends and then tax credits on the subsequent losses.

Why is Alexi running?

He thinks he's entitled. We'll see about that.




Illinois GOP:

Giannoulias Has Questions To Answer

“You have to be as transparent as possible and answer questions.” – Alexi Giannoulias, June 18, 2010

SEIU Official Tom Balanoff testified in federal court today that Alexi Giannoulias asked him to ask Rod Blagojevich about appointing him to Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat.

Union leader Tom Balanoff testifies to a couple of other discussions.

He says Alexi Giannoulias, a friend to then President-Elect Barack Obama, asked him to ask Blagojevich about a possible appointment for him.

In a Nov. 24th meeting, Balanoff raises the point.

Blagojevich bristled, he testified.

"That mother f-----, I wouldn't do s--- for him. Every chance he got he took a shot at me."[1]

Balanoff’s sworn version of events directly contradicts at least three claims made by Alexi Giannoulias.

December 4, 2008: Alexi Giannoulias told the Chicago Tribune that Rod Blagojevich’s staff had reached out to him about a possible appointment to the vacant Senate seat.

Giannoulias also said that staff within Blagojevich's office have "reached out" to him as a possible candidate to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate, though a Blagojevich spokesman said the governor has not contacted Giannoulias directly.[2]

December 4, 2008: In the same interview, Giannoulias told the Chicago Tribune that he was not “pushing for the seat”

Giannoulias said he's not pushing for the seat, but if it's offered he'd have to take a "very, very hard look," at the opportunity to work in Washington D.C. alongside his close friend Obama.[3]

December 12, 2008: Alexi Giannoulias said that he hadn’t “really thought about” Obama’s Senate seat.

Giannoulias, a Democrat, said he's been busy sorting through the state's financial woes following Tuesday's arrest of Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

"I haven't really thought about it to be honest with you," he said during an appearance at Aurora University. "I've been focused on trying to do my job and trying to rebuild the public's trust in us as elected officials."[4]

---

[1] Blagojevich on Giannoulias appointment, Chicago Sun Times, June 29, 2010

[2] Giannoulias mulls governor run, Senate seat, Chicago Tribune, December 4, 2008

[3] Giannoulias mulls governor run, Senate seat, Chicago Tribune, December 4, 2008

[4] Giannoulias 'too busy' to think about vacant Senate seat, Daily Herald, December 12, 2008

Blago, Obama, Alexi SEIU Corruption Front and Center

Tom Balanoff: Obama called day before election about Jarrett appointment

Witness: Giannoulias at meeting with union leader and Valerie Jarrett

The ACORN/SEIU Branch at the White House

Jan Schakowsky and SEIU Get Out the Vote For Chicago Mob Linked Alexi Giannoulias

More. Oh and how about this little nugget. Obama aide fails to disclose $40K payday from SEIU

They really wanted that ObamaCare bailout.

Previous posts: Dems (Un)Officially in Search of Macaca Moments, Alexi the Artful Dodger

Caterpillar building Brazil factory

And China. Crain's Chicago Business.

What about that free trade agreement, Mr. President?

If you can't export, you export jobs.

Related: Obama Kills Midwest Jobs, Navistar HQ Pushed Out of Illinois

Dems (Un)Officially in Search of Macaca Moments

Look homeward angel.

Ruby Slippers.

24th State.

Marathon Pundit.

Major macaca.(Source: Session 374, 10:46 AM)

...and this old favorite:

73 page masseuse complaint on Gore sex attack

Byron York, DC Examiner.

The accuser said Gore maneuvered her into the bedroom. His iPod docking station was there, he told her, and he wanted her to listen to "Dear Mr. President," a lachrymose attack on George W. Bush by the singer Pink.

Yuck. The definitive detail for me, however repulsive.

You know, Gore really rates up there with Bill Clinton, his running mate.

pjMom, why liberals make dangerous friends. Agreed.

Hamas Attacks UN Summer Camp in Gaza

Because children are fair game for terrorists.

...is it any wonder Jewish Americans are markedly shifting away from the president?

Jon Stewart Asks David Axelrod:

Has This Government Proven Itself Competent Enough To Regulate Industry? Newsbusters. HT Instapundit.

Let's look at what's going on, shall we? Good thing they have all those presidential meetings.

Amazing. Axelrod gave the H1N1 as an example of their stellar performance.

The level of deception of this administration, including self-deception, is breathtaking.

The Racist Roots of Gun Control

In case you didn't know.

Ironic as well that Justice Thomas, having survived his own “high-tech lynching,” wrote an impassioned concurrence and that his vote was, in essence, the only vote that mattered.

P.S. Chicago Handgun Ordinance Pushed By Chicago Mob Member Struck Down

Thank you and God Bless you Otis McDonald.

Thomas Sowell. John Lott:

In contrast, gun bans dramatically raised murder and other violent-crime rates in Chicago and D.C. when they were adopted, as shown in the third edition of my book "More Guns, Less Crime."

Before the ban, Chicago's murder rate was falling relative to other large cities, nearby counties and the U.S. as a whole. After the ban, however, Chicago's murder rate rose relative to all these other places. For example, if you compare murder rates among the 50 most populous cities, Chicago's murder rate went from equaling the average for the other cities in 1982 to exceeding it by 32 percent in 1992 and by 68 percent in 2002.

More. Tribune (the mayor thinks the Supreme Court is out of touch):

But for Otis McDonald, who took on the city and won, the ruling was as much about correcting misdeeds done to his African-American ancestors as giving law-abiding residents the right to have guns at home to protect themselves from violent crime.

"I was fed up with drug dealers and gang-bangers messing with my home, my property and eventually threatening my life, and somebody saying that all we needed was to get guns out of the houses," said the 71-year-old McDonald, who was at the Supreme Court when the ruling was issued.

"I couldn't take that anymore. I knew I had to look somewhere and find somebody to do something about this. It was all designed by a great power. … It was all for a reason."

On his journey through the legal process, McDonald said he came to understand more about his history and the "slave codes" enacted in Southern states during the Civil War that prohibited slaves from owning guns. After slavery was abolished, states adopted "black codes" that applied to freed blacks.

"There was a wrong done a long time ago that dates back to slavery time," said McDonald. "I could feel the spirit of those people running through me as I sat in the Supreme Court."

More. Scott Stantis cartoon

More. Leftist justices don't accord the 2nd amendment validity in the Bill of Rights. WSJ:Five Gun Salute. The High Court's four liberals are holding out to overturn Heller:

Justice Stephen Breyer, joined by Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, even did a rare turn as a states' rights advocate, noting that incorporation will curtail the ability of states to craft their own gun laws. This problem doesn't seem to bother Justice Breyer or the other liberals when they overturn state laws based on a "right to privacy" that, unlike the Second Amendment, is mentioned nowhere in the text of the Constitution.

Related: Isaac Hayes Lauds Court Decision for Chicago, Businessman Shoots, Kills Robber in Chicago, Mayor Daley, Buffoonery Remarked, Second Amendment, Sister, Gang Member Fakes 911 Call to Get Faster Response, With a handgun, Mayor Daley, The Chicago 2nd Amendment Case, A 2nd Amendment Story, The right to protect myself, Wilmette Strikes Handgun Ban, Burglaries in Wilmette,2nd Amendment Empowers Women, Oak Park Intolerance, A Win for Individual Freedom, Trigger Happy, Give Us Our Gun Rights, The Law Didn't Save Her

Maybe AP should hire these Russian spies

Yes, it was just the other day they covered the cheeseburger date in Arlington between Putin's puppet Medvedev and our President Barack Obama, just a short drive away from the home of a pair of the Russian spies just picked up by the FBI.

Will we have another reset of relations now? And will the AP report it?

...next we'll hear they were going to lose their homes.

Because it's natural for Americans to hate America.

More. TSG:

On Saturday, after Chapman was contacted by an FBI undercover agent posing as a Russian consulate employee, she went to a Verizon store in Brooklyn and purchased a new Motorola cell phone. Apparently concerned that she was being monitored electronically, Chapman used the name "Irine Kutsov" on a customer agreement, which listed her address as "99 Fake Street."

Clearly she had lost her home.

More. TWS on the Russians' calculation.

Finreg Fox Guarding the Henhouse

Let's hope for this: A Chance Financial Regulation Bill Won't Pass?

NRO editorial against the bill:

Limits on leverage, for instance, might have put limits in fact on bank size, reducing the damage they could inflict on the economy if they failed. Changes to the bankruptcy code could have made bank failures more orderly when they occurred. Breaking up the rating agencies’ oligopoly would have encouraged smarter risk assessment on Wall Street. Most important, a new approach to housing policy — starting with a plan for dealing with Fannie and Freddie — would have removed an enormous distortion in the economy that contributed to the crisis.

But the bill that Congress has produced, which President Obama is eager to sign, did not include any of these measures.

P.S. For the success of government regulation, see previous post.

...

They've Pearl Harbored the American people enough. It's time for our Midway.

White House Gushes

Politico sucks it up uneasily. (But the oil is still gushing)

Nonetheless, West Wing officials are feeling very good about how the BP and McChrystal crises turned out -– and believe that their response may help the president pivot to the offensive. In each case, Obama did little second-guessing and acted decisively, according to participants in presidential meetings.

Well, and they would know. For sure.

But what about that huge skimmer that hasn't been used yet?

And Bill Clinton has had enough. He says blow up the well.

...

Same goes for trying to save oiled birds or other wildlife. Federal permits—which can take up to three years to process—are required, and violators are subject to arrest, fines, and jail. So if an oiled mallard washes up on shore, best leave him be and call the proper authorities to scrub him down with Dawn soap, never mind if he dies before they get there.

Some brave souls are resisting this nonsense. A couple of fire chiefs from the Magnolia River and Fish River communities in Alabama got tangled up in five weeks’ worth of red tape just to bring in equipment to block the oil from getting into their rivers. “They can arrest me and Jamie if they want to,” one of them said, “This is the biggest damn mess I’ve ever seen.” [snip]

According to the Coast Guard there are 400 skimmer vessels working along the affected coast—which, depending on how its measured, is somewhere between 500 miles (the linear measure) and 5,000 (if you measure every cove and creek). There are said to be 2,000 skimmers available in the United States. Gulf Coast residents are wondering just what the other 1,600 are doing. Apparently many of them are required by government regulation to remain right where they are in case of emergency. The mayors of a number of small towns along the coast are seeking to purchase their own skimmers instead of relying on the effort by BP and the government, but that leaves open the danger of government regulators insisting on weeks of training and testing before they can be put to use.When the oil is upon you, it is not a matter of weeks, but of hours, even minutes. The cleanup effort is drowning in the proverbial sea of red tape. The interesting contradiction here is that the entire response is turning into one of the greatest arguments against government regulation that could possibly be imagined.

Ace vs. Ebert Twit

Here.

Pollak asks the right questions

ShoreBank: The 11th-Hour Cover-up

And I still haven't heard back from Rep. Jan Schakowsky on her role in the the Save a Life scam.

Bailouts and earmarks, ripe for corruption.

Enough!

Remember in November.

Snoozing Senator Stuart Smalley?

The video:)

Franken's still good for a joke.

This does not endear you to Illinois, Blago

Adam asked whether Harris was aware of an executive order in 2007 prohibiting any members of the governor's family from doing any business with the state. Harris said he was.

And there were other limitations, Harris agreed.

"We generally avoided fundraising on government phones on government time," Harris said.

Blagojevich generally did not discuss fundraising at his state offices, he said.

"That's one of the reasons he spent the majority of his time at the campaign office on Ravenswood or at his home," Harris testified.

That's why he shirked his real job. Government time. I guess we should be thankful he didn't wear the jogging suit 24/7.

...And yes, the judge shuts down the Obama FBI interview files request by the Blago team. So it doesn't look like any Obama subpoena will be allowed.

Isaac Hayes Lauds Court Decision for Chicago

HAYES SAYS SUPREME COURT DECISION WILL PROTECT FAMILIES AND PROPERTY

CHICAGO: Republican nominee for Illinois 2^ndCongressional District Isaac Hayes released the following statement following today's Supreme Court decision overturning the Chicago handgun ban:

“Today’s Supreme Court decision will allow residents being held hostage by urban terrorists the opportunity to defend themselves, their families and property. With 26 people being shot in Chicago this past weekend and 50 the week before, it is quite apparent the Chicago gun ban is not working.

"Gangs don’t honor gun bans so infringing on the 2^nd Amendment right of law abiding citizens only leaves them defenseless against violent offenders. In communities across Chicago urban terrorists must now think twice before entering private property.”

This statement appears on the Citizens for Isaac Hayes website at:
www.isaac4honesty.com

BREAKING NEWS: BUDGET CANCELLED

New GOP.gov video.

Sean Duffy for Congress

Still has it. Lumberjack skills. WaPo enthuses. And there's a spoof video that has some comparing him to Scott Brown.

Sean Duffy for Congress.

Previous posts: The Next Generation: The Brave and Exceptional, Sean Duffy's First TV Ad, Around and Around, Hey, hey, ho, ho David Obey's Gonna Go, NY Times Up by the UP, Dump Obey, Go Duffy, Can Sean Duffy Defeat David Obey?, Wisconsin's Sean Duffy Gets a Look

Alexi the Artful Dodger

So we learn Alexi has been subpoenaed by Blago. That's kind of a BFD which he chose not to mention until we heard on the Blago trial tapes that Alexi called Blago about the Senate seat. He didn't want to talk about Broadway Bank either until the primary was over. Are we going to let this Artful Dodger get away with this Illinois? Do you think this guy will represent us in the U.S. Senate. Well, he will to our shame if we elect him. Illinois, the Sleazy State.

Illinois GOP:

Giannoulias Must Explain Contradictions, Answer Questions on Blagojevich Trial

“You have to be as transparent as possible and answer questions.” – Alexi Giannoulias, June 18, 2010

“Giannoulias attended this year's gay pride parade but didn't answer any questions about the subpoena.” –

NBC Chicago, June 27, 2010

For months, U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias decided the people of Illinois didn’t have a right to know:

· That he called Rod Blagojevich’s Chief of Staff John Harris to discuss Illinois’ Senate seat;

· That he brokered a meeting between Valerie Jarrett and SEIU Illinois President and Blagojevich confidant Tom Balanoff;

· That he was questioned by federal investigators regarding the alleged sale of the U.S. Senate seat;

· And that he misled voters by claiming that the Blagojevich staff was “reaching out” to him as a potential candidate.

Now, with Balanoff preparing to testify in the Blagojevich trial, Giannoulias continues to make statements that raise serious questions.

· Alexi Giannoulias claims Tom Balanoff needed Alexi in order to contact Valerie Jarrett. But why would Balanoff need help if he had a direct line to the President-elect?

"Tom Balanoff reached out to me to get in touch with Valerie because he didn't know how to get a hold of her, and I put the two of them together," Giannoulias said. He said he also attended an informal meeting between Jarrett and Balanoff sometime after Obama's election but "didn't really participate in it." (Associated Press, 6/27/2010)

Two sources with knowledge of the investigation say Obama called Balanoff on Nov. 3, 2008, to give Balanoff the green light to continue talking to Blagojevich about Jarrett's possible appointment. The man who would be elected president the next day first left Balanoff, whose union also supported Obama, an innocuous message asking him to return the call. (Chicago Sun-Times, 4/23/2010)

· Alexi Giannoulias claims there was “nothing noteworthy” about the meeting he brokered between Balanoff and Jarrett. But we’ve already learned that this meeting was, in fact, noteworthy.

Giannoulias said he voluntarily talked to federal investigators about the meeting between Jarrett and Balanoff, but "they politely sent me on my way," because there was nothing noteworthy about it. (Associated Press, June 27, 2010)

In the same conversation, Jarrett said, Balanoff also told her Blagojevich had raised the possibility of his being named as secretary of Health and Human Services in the new Obama Cabinet, a possibility that Balanoff and Jarrett agreed would never happen. (Chicago Tribune, 4/30/2010)

· Alexi Giannoulias claims that Rod Blagojevich didn’t like him. But in 2008, Alexi claimed Blagojevich staff “reached out” to him as a potential replacement.

The former governor's ill will toward Alexi is no secret.” – Giannoulias campaign statement, June 27, 2010

“Giannoulias also said that staff within Blagojevich's office have "reached out" to him as a possible candidate to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate, though a Blagojevich spokesman said the governor has not contacted Giannoulias directly.” (Chicago Tribune, “Giannoulias mulls governor run, Senate seat,” 12/4/2008)

· Remember what David Hoffman said during the primary?

The National GOP is champing at the bit to make the 2010 U.S. Senate election in Illinois all about former Governor Rod Blagojevich. This morning, the Alexi Giannoulias campaign is serving them up a free punch, trotting out an endorsement from the union leadership that was Blago's biggest supporter and whose president was completely enmeshed in the controversy over Rod’s attempt to sell this Senate seat. (He even appears on the infamous Blagojevich wiretap!)

You can bet Giannoulias will sit silently on the dais and smile broadly as he receives the endorsement of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) leadership, just as he did when the Blagojevich controversy first surfaced. He doesn't rock the boat, and he's no doubt excited about stepping up to the same trough that netted Blagojevich more than a million dollars in campaign cash.

Obama Kills Midwest Jobs

It Begins… Obama Kills 1,000 American Jobs In Coal Industry

What a joke this president is: Obama: Countries Must Not Have "Undue Advantage" If World Is To Recover

More. Video:"Stop Spending!": CNBC's Santelli Warns Liesman "November 2nd Is The Day"

Obama's Funny Numbers

Chicago Gun Ruling Expected Today*WIN for Gun Rights

I'll be in and out so check Bench Memos or the SCOTUS Blog for analysis and news. Also Kagan's hearings start today. Heritage take on that.

UPDATE: Althouse.

Here's the SCOTUSblog post. The Second Amendment case is out:
Erin: Alito announces McDonald v. Chicago: reversed and remanded

More. Trib/AP

Your Morning Jolt on the Gulf

"Did they plug the leak yet, Daddy?" NRO's Geraghty:

This headline, 68 days after the spill began, is pretty appalling: "No skimmers in sight as oil floods into Mississippi waters." The Biloxi Sun Herald shares the bad news: "A morning flight over the Mississippi Sound showed long, wide ribbons of orange-colored oil for as far as the eye could see and acres of both heavy and light sheen moving into the Sound between the barrier islands. What was missing was any sign of skimming operations from Horn Island to Pass Christian. U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor got off the flight angry. 'It's criminal what's going on out there,' Taylor said minutes later. 'This doesn't have to happen.' A scientist onboard, Mike Carron with the Northern Gulf Institute, said with this scenario, there will be oil on the beaches of the mainland. 'There's oil in the Sound and there was no skimming,' Carron said. 'No coordinated effort.'"

Bruce McQuain, writing at QandO: "He's right -- it doesn't have to happen. We've been told ad nauseum that the federal government has the containment situation in hand having been on the job since 'day one.' Obviously that's fiction. After a couple of trips to shore up his image, President Obama is back to the routine of golf vs. crisis management."

The blog So It Goes in Shreveport offers this depressing bit: "Admiral Allen was asked about the lack of skimmers by Carol Rosenberg of the Miami Herald. His response? 'The discussions we are having with the Navy and other folks right now is the availability ofskimmers that are on standby because they might be needed for a spill someplace elseand how we might go about assessing the availability of those resources. So I would separate out the resources that the Navy had that they've already given to us and the discussions we're having across the entire country where we have equipment that's out there as a requirement -- legal requirement to cover spill response of those areas and how we might free those up, and that's a work in progress inside the administration right now.' Got that? We've got skimmers on standby but can't use them because they might be needed somewhere else."

So, where are these other places that need the skimmers so badly that they can't be deployed to the worst environmental disaster in American history?

Dold Money Bomb

$24K in 24 hrs. Keep the 10th strong for jobs and growth.

Michael Barone - Americans relate to Founders, not Progressives

Robert Dold is a small businessman who lives in the district (what a concept), grew up and is raising his own kids here, and understands what is at stake for our future and the future of our kids and grandkids.

Crooked Judges in Crook County

Playing golf with the lawyers who appear before you in your courtroom, as their guest, creates an obligation. The lawyers are not your clients, they are not your bosses, the citizens of Cook County are. Aren't they?

HT Steve Bartin.

More from JUSTPAC:

1. What do you get when you mix a grill brush, a BBQ grill and a fajita? A lawsuit, of course! Only in Illinois... http://ow.ly/23bi0 8:17 AM Jun 25th via HootSuite
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2. Think lawsuit abuse doesn't impact IL employers? Our state's corporations’ self-insured liability costs are 3rd highest in the nation. 3:38 PM Jun 24th via HootSuite
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3. Another fact: Tort costs for medical-malpractice liability are a greater share of IL economy than of any state’s save NY. http://ow.ly/22JVf 12:40 PM Jun 24th via HootSuite
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5. "IL residents ... can only dream of government policies that restrict -- rather than encourage -- litigation." http://ow.ly/22sO0 #twill 5:01 PM Jun 23rd via HootSuite
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6. IL is now country's worst credit risk. Lawsuit abuse chases away jobs, hurts tax base and makes debt crisis worse: http://ow.ly/22lTq 1:02 PM Jun 23rd via HootSuite
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7. 67% of biz leaders report state's lawsuit climate affects where they locate jobs. IL ranks poorly. Lawsuits = job loss. http://ow.ly/22jDT 11:54 AM Jun 23rd via HootSuite
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8. Illinois judges asleep on the job? Actually, they're sunbathing. Take a look at this recent story: http://ow.ly/21J4l #twill 10:12 AM Jun 22nd via HootSuite
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9. Did you know? Because of a broken court system, our state's legal system ranks 45th out of 50 states. Learn more: http://ow.ly/21gee 11:46 AM Jun 21st via HootSuite
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10. Did you see this recent Fox Chicago News story on Justice Kilbride's retention battle? We're quoted.... http://ow.ly/20eCF #twill 11:35 AM Jun 18th via HootSuite
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11. Did you know? The IL Supreme Crt's overruling of medical liability reform = less access to quality/affordable healthcare. http://ow.ly/20euU 8:20 AM Jun 18th via HootSuite
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12. Hey, Illinois ... How much are bad judges and bad rulings costing you? Click here to learn and join the fight. http://ow.ly/1YYCk #twill