Blog Heap of Links for the day 5 April 2012

Wrote Alinsky: “In war, the end justifies almost any means.” And for Alinsky, as for Lenin and now for Obama, politics is war. Thus a politician is justified in hiding his intention to ban guns while running for office, and likewise justified in reversing position and working “under the radar” for gun bans once in office. Also, a politician is justified in pointing out the problems with a healthcare mandate while running for office, and also justified in reversing course and pushing a healthcare mandate once in office. These are the Rules for Radicals.

Valerie Jarrett is not only one of President Barack Obama’s closest advisors; she also is one of the most radical, with close connections to the Chicago left that nurtured Obama in his early political career.

Mind-bending ‘psychotronic’ guns that can effectively turn people into zombies have been given the go-ahead by Russian president Vladimir Putin.

[h/t Kratos (Ghost of Sparta) at Ace of Spades]

Because it’s all about the Trayvon, no matter what the actual facts of the case:

The Congressional Black Caucus unveiled a resolution on Wednesday that honors the life of Trayvon Martin and calls for the repeal of “Stand Your Ground” gun laws in every state that has one, including Florida, where Martin was killed.

Please be aware that leftists have taken to committing identity theft to impersonate me in comments sections of blogs and are using a fraudulent email that looks similar to my public email address to make it look as if I am saying horrible offensive things in an attempt to destroy my reputation, apparently because I did well in a recent contest for political bloggers, they have been doing this to the winner of the contest, The Lonely Conservative, as well. If you see something that appears to have come from me but is totally out of character for me to say, know that it is in all likelihood, NOT ME, but a leftist troll who thinks a campaign of personal destruction against a person who is fighting serious and potentially fatal illness is a good and proper thing to do.

Jim Marshall, who helped shape the sound of rock ’n’ roll with his groundbreaking amplifier designs, died in a hospice Thursday morning, his family said. He was 88.

So far, scientists know that squirrels, upon detecting a rattler, "approach it head-first in an elongated posture, making flaggin movements with its tail," according to a UC Davis report. The robosquirrel can flick its tail as well as heat it -- features controlled independently. Now the research team has determined the snakes respond to the heated tail. "It was the first example of infrared communication in the animal world…."

True confession: I was once among the late adopters. I freely put down the techno enthusiasts. I wrote a highly negative review to Virginia Postrel’s provocative book The Future and Its Enemies, which turns out to have seen what I did not see. After the digital revolution advanced more and more, I began to notice something. By being a late adopter, I gained no advantage whatsoever. All it meant was that I paid a high price in the form of foregone opportunities. If something is highly useful tomorrow, chances are that it is highly useful today, too. It took me a long time to learn this lesson.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeal has handed down a big decision in Viacom's $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube. The appellate circuit rules Thursday that while the district court judge correctly interpreted the safe harbor provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which YouTube parent company Google said shielded it from Viacom's copyright claims, the judge shouldn't have dismissed the case on summary judgment. The appellate circuit judges ruled that a reasonable jury could conclude that YouTube had knowledge or awareness of infringing clips on its system. As such, the case has been remanded back to the trial court.

Courts are expanding rights but cops are cracking down. Find out how to keep your footage, and yourself, out of trouble. If you choose to record the police you can reduce the risk of terrible legal consequences and video loss by understanding your state’s laws and carefully adhering to the following rules.

The emerging demographic situation developing here between Russia and China is simply catastrophic. The crisis is due to the creeping expansion of thousands of Chinese migrants. Chinese workers entering Siberia are replacing Russians who are not prepared to toil 12 hours a day for a pittance. Chinese students are taught that Siberia is their land, stolen from China in the 19th century. It is suspected by many Russians here that China is subsidizing the migration of its citizens. Demographers predict that by 2025 Chinese will be the Russian Far East's predominant ethnic group. Then, it is feared, they will gain the right to vote and demand union with China.

Russia's military is as bad off as its health care system. Its draftee troops are mercilessly mistreated and have no morale. Its equipment old and rusted, its technology obsolete, it couldn't take on Poland much less China. Its nukes are useless as the Chinese have lots as well and would be the last men standing in an exchange.Russia's GDP is smaller than Mexico's (766 billion vs. 768 billion - the US is 12.5 trillion). And it will get smaller as its main export, oil, becomes less competitive given high extraction costs.The geopolitical bottom line is that there is no way Russia is going to be able to hold on to Siberia for much longer. Within 20 years or less, it's going to be Chinese Siberia.It won't take a war. The demographics will become so overwhelming that Moscow will just give up and sell the place. Maybe not all at once. Maybe in bites.

The core problem is shaving cream itself, and the solution is a radical one: throw it out and never buy it again. It is destroying you and making your skin weak and sickly.

To write the new constitution, the people of Iceland elected twenty-five citizens from among 522 adults not belonging to any political party but recommended by at least thirty citizens. This document was not the work of a handful of politicians, but was written on the internet. The constituent’s meetings are streamed on-line, and citizens can send their comments and suggestions, witnessing the document as it takes shape. The constitution that eventually emerges from this participatory democratic process will be submitted to parliament for approval after the next elections. … Today, that country is recovering from its financial collapse in ways just the opposite of those generally considered unavoidable….

Allow me to remind the American people of the only US President who violated a SCOTUS order, and the despicable outcome of his actions.

It was 1830, and Andrew Jackson, one of the founding pillars* of the Democratic Party, had signed the "Indian Removal Act of 1830."

Seven months from the election, we find Obama regressing to play what Fineman calls the “Grim Warrior.” Tuesday’s speech announces to the world that Team Obama has no confidence the economy will improve much between April and November. Tuesday’s speech announces that Obama does not believe he can win on his record. Tuesday’s speech announces that Obama thinks he must convince voters mushy Mitt Romney is a radical extremist to win. Conservatives and libertarians may be disgusted by the text of Obama’s speech, but they should be delighted by the subtext.