Michelle Malkin » Blogosphere

Attention, bloggers: BlogRescue.com is here for you

Michelle Malkin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:29:00 +0000

Longtime readers are familiar with the great work of one of our tech team leaders, Ed Burns.

He is the man behind the awesome MichelleMalkin.com iPhone/iPad and Android Apps, which have earned rave reviews from users.

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Ed’s a joy to work with and you won’t find a more attentive, energetic tech guru. Please spread the word!

From “I, Pencil” to iPhone: The spontaneous order of capitalism

Michelle Malkin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 03:50:28 +0000

There is perhaps no greater image of irony tonight than that of anti-capitalist, anti-corporate, anti-materialist extremists of the Occupy Wall Street movement paying tribute to Steve Jobs — the co-founder, chairman and former chief executive of Apple Inc., who passed away this evening.

While the Kamp Alinsky Kids ditch school to moan about their massive student debt, parade around in zombie costumes, and whine about evil corporations while Tweeting, Facebook-ing, blogging, and Skype-ing their “revolution,” it’s the doers and producers and wealth creators like Jobs who change the world. They are the gifted 1 percent whom the #OWS “99 percent-ers” mob seeks to demonize, marginalize, and tax out of existence.

Inherent in the American success story of the iPhone/iMac/iPad is a powerful lesson about the fundamentals of capitalism. The Kamp Alinsky Kids scream “People over profit.” They call for “caring” over “corporations.”

But the pursuit of profits empowers people beyond the bounds of imagination.

I am blogging on an iMac. When I travel, I use my MacBook Pro. I Tweet news links from my iPhone. My kids are learning Photoshop and GarageBand on our Macs. I use metronome, dictation, video, and camera apps. I use Apple products for business, pleasure, social networking, raising awareness of the missing, finding recipes, and even tuning a ukulele.

None of the people involved in conceiving these products and bringing them to market “care” about me. They pursued their own self-interests. Through the spontaneous order of capitalism, they enriched themselves — and the world.

Eleven years ago, I wrote about one of my favorite economics essays: Leonard Read’s “I, Pencil.” He turned a mundane writing instrument into an elementary lesson about free-market capitalism. What goes for the pencil goes for any of the products Steve Jobs introduced to the world.

“I have a profound lesson to teach,” Read wrote in the voice of a lead pencil. “I can teach this lesson better than can an automobile or an airplane or a mechanical dishwasher because–well, because I am seemingly so simple. Simple? Yet, not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me.”

Read traces the rich, deep genealogy of the metaphorical little pencil from the loggers who harvest its cedar wood grown in Oregon, to the millworkers in San Leandro, California, who cut the wood into thin slats, to the railroad employees who transport the wood across the country, to the graphite miners in Ceylon and refinery workers in Mississippi, to the farmers in the Dutch East Indies who produce an oil used to make erasers.

All these people, and many more at the periphery of the process, have special knowledge about their life’s work in their separate corners of the earth. But none by himself has the singular knowledge or ability to give birth to a pencil. Few will ever come in contact with the others who make the production of that pencil possible. It’s not because they “care about each other” that they cooperate to deliver any one good. It’s the result of self-interest, multiplied millions of times over.

As Read explains it: “Neither the worker in the oil field nor the chemist nor the digger of graphite or clay nor any who mans or makes the ships or trains or trucks nor the one who runs the machine that does the knurling on my bit of metal nor the president of the company performs his singular task because he wants me.” Indeed, there are some among this vast multitude who never saw a pencil nor would they know how to use one. Their motivation is other than me. Perhaps it is something like this: Each of these millions sees that he can thus exchange his tiny know-how for the goods and services he needs or wants.”

Read pushed the lesson of pencil further. “There is a fact still more astounding: The absence of a master mind, of anyone dictating or forcibly directing these countless actions which bring me into being. No trace of such a person can be found. Instead, we find the Invisible Hand at work.”

This spontaneous “configuration of human energies” is repeated endlessly in our daily lives. Think of the countless and diverse people involved in producing a Slinky, jump rope, or baseball, a diaper, refrigerator, desktop computer, Boeing 747, or iPhone.

Appreciating this voluntary configuration of human energies, Read argued, is key to possessing “an absolutely essential ingredient for freedom: a faith in free people. Freedom is impossible without this faith.”

Indeed. Without that faith, we are susceptible to the force of class-warfare mobs and the arrogance of master planners in Washington who believe the role of private American entrepreneurs, producers, and wealth generators is to “grow the economy” and who “think at some point you have made enough money.”

The progressives who want to bring down “Wall Street” will snipe that Steve Jobs was one of “theirs,” not “ours.”

He belonged to no one. He was transcendently committed to excellence and beauty and innovation. And yes, he made gobs of money pursuing it all while benefiting hundreds of millions of people around the world whom he never met, but who shed a deep river of tears upon learning of his death tonight.

Such is the everlasting miracle of the spontaneous configuration of human energies. Teach your children well.

***

Via ZoeyalaMode, a very related and relevant September 2011 reflection from Mises.org:

What made Jobs’s tenure at Apple great is that he wedded profits with aesthetic loveliness. Not every businessperson can or should do this. Even the entrepreneurs who provided the masses with tacky things are just as deserving of our admiration and praise, for they too do their part to lift us all out of the poverty and squalor that is the state of nature.

And aside from the prettiness of certain products or the elegance of the smartphone, there is another overarching beauty that we find in the market: a lovely, orderly, productive global matrix of cooperative exchange that leads to human flourishing for everyone, even in the absence of a global dictator. This is as beautiful a system as any product Steve Jobs ever made.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

Michelle Malkin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:22:57 +0000

A creative genius. American original. Entrepreneur extraordinaire. His vision transcended politics. His success showcased the power of the free market and individual initiative.

R.I.P.

From Apple CEO Tim Cook:

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

We are planning a celebration of Steve’s extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences in the interim, you can simply email rememberingsteve@apple.com

No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve’s death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Laurene and his children during this difficult time.”

Second U.S. jihadi reportedly killed in drone attack; Plus: Refresher course on American bloggers vs. Samir Khan

Michelle Malkin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:24:01 +0000

Whoa.

Fresh reports that a second U.S. jihadi was killed in the drone attack that allegedly took out al Qaeda spiritual guru Anwar al-Awlaki.

His name will be very familiar to longtime blog readers.

It’s Samir Khan:

A young American who edited al Qaeda’s English-language magazine, and had urged Muslims to mount deadly attacks on U.S. targets, was killed in the same CIA drone strike that eliminated Anwar Awlaki in Yemen Friday, U.S. officials said.

Khan, 25, was the Saudi-born, New York-raised editor behind “Inspire” magazine, the English language online publication of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP. Khan had become a rising figure in jihadist propaganda and an “aspiring” Awlaki, according to U.S. intelligence officials.

But while Awlaki relied on sermons to recruit jihadis, Khan used sarcasm and idiomatic English in an attempt to appeal to Western youth. As Khan himself has said, “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that I [am] Al Qaeda to the core.” He titled a rebuke of toppled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak “A Cold Diss.” Khan’s ability to use American vernacular, like a graphic depicting graffiti that reads, “Jihad 4 Eva,” had prompted concerns that young Muslims with an interest in jihad and al Qaeda would be drawn to a voice similar to their own.

“He does appear to be increasingly involved with operational activities [of Al Qaeda]“, a U.S. official told ABC News in 2010.

I repeat: God bless our military.

***

My friends at top counterjihad blog The Jawa Report have been on Khan for years and helped shut down several of his jihad-inciting blogs after tracking him across the Internet (he went by the name “Inshallahshaheed”).

In 2007, I noted Khan’s death threats against the founder of The Jawa Report, who goes by the nom de blog Rusty Shackelford:

Charlotte,N.C.-based Internet jihadist Samir Khan, who’s still hate-blogging, threatens the life of pseudonymous Jawa Report founder Rusty Shackleford after the Jawas wreak hot-linking havoc on the jihadist’s cyber-assets:

O Allah kill Rusty Shackleford and terrorize his family.

O Allah kill Rusty Shackleford and terrorize his family.

O Allah kill Rusty Shackleford and terrorize his family.

May this Kaafir rot in this world and be tortured forever in the Hereafter.

The Jawa Report continued to flag Khan’s online activities and his ties to jihad plotters.

Khan kept the American bloggers in his crosshairs:

In October 2007, the New York Times outed Khan.

In October 2010, Jawa Report broke the news of Khan’s coming out as an al Qaeda traitor working in America:

MSM followed up:

The text of Khan’s manifesto:

This is the story of the Muslim American jihadi, Samir Khan. After working a few years in the jihad media sector in America, he packed his bags and left for Yemen to help the mujahidin. This is an account of how he happily became a traitor to America and why he chose to make such a decision.

After my faith took a 180-degree turn, I knew I could no longer reside in America as a compliant citizen. My beliefs had turned me into a rebel of Washington’s imperialism. My faith and convictions gave me strength to lambast the greatest tyrant of our time. It angered and frustrated them, while it left me in a state of peace and joy. What they were doing and continue to do in the Muslim lands is what I felt, totally unacceptable to my religion. They installed and supported pawn regimes, sweet-talked them into deals, beefed up their military, all so that they could further their political goals of establishing a modern day ubiquitous policing government that would include in its policy the containment of all Islamic resistances that work for a just Islamic order. Throughout this process to this day, they have freely raped the Islamic nation at will, robbed what they pleased, and murdered for their ‘democracy’ while their donkey puppets went around capturing, killing and torturing those who have an ounce of willpower to defend their Islamic nation.

I decided to take up the pen and write out my thoughts and feelings regarding America’s cowboy behavior in the Islamic lands. I knew that I had to stay under the guidelines of the laws regarding freedom of speech, but at the same time, I knew the real truth wouldn’t be able to reach the masses unless and until I was above the law.

I proceeded to travel to Yemen, the land of faith and wisdom. After spending some time in Sana’a as an English teacher, I made my move quietly. I praise Allah and laugh at the intelligence agencies that were watching me for all those years. Back in North Carolina, the FBI dispatched a spy on me who pretended to convert to Islam; I took this man’s shahāda and kept him under my wing. At one point, he broke his cover, revealing his true identity. There were quite a few other incidents of regular surveillance and even one where they set me up to rain blows on an agent who pretended to be a jerk that hated me for my onlinework. I knew I had to rush out ofAmerica before the FBI got me in for a flimsy excuse as they have done to individuals like Tariq Mehanna. Even when in Sana’a, I caught one of their agents spying on me near my hotel. As I left Sana’a, I was surprised that they all easily fell for my cover. Throughout my experience of traveling from America to Yemen, I was expecting to be stopped and detained. But the most trouble I went through – if it’s even considered trouble – was that it took thirty minutes extra to get my boarding pass in North Carolina since, as the receptionist told me, I was being watched. It still surprises me when I reflect on it; I mean, I was quiet open about my beliefs online and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that I was al Qaeda to the core. That proved to my soul that if Allah wants to protect you, no one has the power on earth to harm you. I was to learn that lesson continually in close encounters with death later on.

I remember when I traveled from Sana’a, for what seemed like years, in a car to one of the bases of the mujahidin, the driver played this one nashīd repeatedly. It was ‘Sir ya bin Ladin’. I already knew of this nashīd from before, but something had struck me at that moment. The nashīd repeated lines pertaining to fighting the tyrants of the world for the purpose of giving victory to the Islamic nation. But it also reminded the listener that Shaykh Usama bin Ladin is the leader of this global fight. I looked out the window at the tall mud houses below the beautiful sky and closed my eyes as the wind blew through my hair. I took a deep breath to let it all out. At that moment, I realized that my entire life would be changed by this one decision of mines. I was about to officially become a traitor of the country I grew up in for most of my life. I thought about many of the possible effects it could have on my life; but whatever they were, I was ready for it. That’s because I am an individual convinced that Islam’s claim to power in the modern world is not going to be as easy as walking down a red carpet or driving through a green light. I am cutely aware that body parts have to be torn apart, skulls have to be crushed and blood has to be spilled in order for this to be a reality. Anyone who says otherwise is an individual who is not prepared to make sacrifices that heroes and champions make.

As my eyes passed over the mysterious twirls of the sand dunes, I was reminded of the enigma of jihad in the contemporary world. It’s just absolutely enthralling to know that guerrilla’s can fight off global superpowers with the bare minimum resulting in great enemy losses, drainage of the enemy’s economy and a rising popular support for the mujahidin.

After some time passed in the company of the mujahidin, I quickly acknowledged that success does not rely upon the job you undertake from nine to five, nor does it rely upon the wealth that you have accumulated, nor does it rely upon how far you have taken your studies in college. All of these things are respectable, but by being with the mujahidin, it helped open my eyes that our reason in life has nothing to do with any of these things. The only thing in the entire world that matters to me, more than ever before, is the condition of my heart when I die. From our Islamic traditions, if the heart is tainted with greed, arrogance, haughtiness, niggardliness, and such, then entering Paradise will be a difficult task. So being in jihad makes me focus on my soul’s wellbeing for the purpose of being accepted by the Lord of the Worlds since death surrounds jihad although the guarantee of death is not there. Straying from the focus only brings me destruction, even if I were to own half the world. That is my message to those who rule the Muslim lands.

How could I become a traitor to myself by throwing away this holy odyssey? Living with myself would then be like a fish taken out of water. Thus, it only brought me gleeful tears and great joy to hear that America labels me a terrorist due to my love for correcting and straightening my soul out for the better. I have become a traitor for chasing after my love. What more evidence does one need that America and her allies hate Muslims who want to practice their religion to the very core?

I would always laugh whenever the start of Ramadan would occur in America and the President would take a few minutes to articulate on how marvelous Islam is; almost as if he himself was to become Muslim. I would laugh because they would show this face in their country, and a different face in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay. After knowing what America has accomplished in the Islamic world, what Muslim wouldn’t want to be a traitor? I seriously question the veracity of one’s faith when they have to think twice on taking a stand against America whether it is directly or indirectly. The list is endless when it comes to the crimes they have perpetrated upon the Islamic world. The recent leak of a 92,000-page document on the American crimes and realities of the war in Afghanistan is really only a scratch upon the surface. America has a long history of massacring and subjugating Muslims and yet the American regime is still scratching its head on the question: why did Usama bin Ladin attack us? America, take a hint for once: maybe you did something. It should then come as no surprise that the Muslims in your midst – like Nidal Hassan, Faisal Shahzad, and others – became traitors of your state due to your conduct. If you don’t want to spend the rest of your life worrying about preventing another attack, then take the advice of Wikileaks editor, Julian Assange: “If U.S. forces are demoralized because they have been assassinating people without going through the judicial process or because they have been engaged in civilian casualties; if they are demoralized by that, they should change their behavior.”[1]

With that said, my status as a traitor is not entirely a reaction to America’s criminality. The core of my being is really based on religious convictions in the absence of politics. I began on this path as an Islamic activist who didn’t believe in fighting any government since, as I had believed, taking on a standing army was impossible for Muslims today. I was already aware that the government’s of the modern world a shari’ah-based state that would have jihad as a part of its foreign policy. However, that didn’t stop me from believing in my general Islamic obligation of working for the establishment of an Islamic State. The ninth verse of Şūrah as-Şaff was my inspiration: {It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate others with Allah may hate it}. The way I understood this verse was that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was sent with the mission of bringing Islam to the world; not for it to only remain in the homes and mosques, but to have it as a working system of government that would shape entire societies based on the guidelines of Qur’an and Sunnah.

When my views changed regarding the obligation of jihad in this age – that it will remain individually obligatory (fard `ayn) upon all the Muslims of the world until all of our lands are recaptured from the occupiers – through a purely intellectual conviction from the religious texts (as opposed to pure hatred of American foreign policy), I knew at that point that my religion required me to fight America and her allies as Islam doesn’t shy from stating who is the occupier. I didn’t require sitting with any esteemed scholar to confirm this as the Islamic evidences supporting this position have remained irrefutable ever since the fatawa of Shaykh Abdullah Azzam became widespread; and as for many of those whom I tested, I saw fear and denial in their faces because, quite simply, the truth hurts as it requires our sacrifice to make it manifest.

I am a traitor to America because my religion requires me to be one, {although those who associate others with Allah may hate it}. I am terrifically proud to be a part of such a religion and what Muslim wouldn’t? Islam has the answer to life’s problems and it is what bonds humanity together for the good. The annual hajj is just one example of that. Islam requires its domination and after eighty plus years of living in a post-Caliphate world, I would think that it’s about time Muslims came together to tear down the obstacles. The most important of these obstacles today is obviously America. It is America who has her military and intelligence bases spread throughout our lands in order to help protect their client governments from Muslims who work for Islam’s establishment. It is America who has killed millions of Muslims around the world and is able to get away with it wearing a tuxedo. In the case of the oppressive state of Israel, it wouldn’t be what it is today without heavy U.S. military and financial backing.

A traitor can either be praiseworthy or despicable. The good and bad are defined by a certain political agenda in the eyes of someone. A traitor of Islam however only gains a loss of both worlds; the type of traitor that America prefers working with. The beauty of Islam has taught me that nobility is in the perpetuation of victorious principles and humiliation is in the inability to hold on to righteousness. Righteousness is not that you turn your face to the East or West, but that your belief in Allah remains unwavering no matter the consequences.

Therefore, I am proud to be a traitor in America’s eyes just as much as I am proud to be a Muslim; and I take this opportunity to accentuate my oath of allegiance (bai`yah) and the mujahidin of the Arabian Peninsula’s bai`yah to the ferocious lion, the champion of jihad, the humble servant of God, my beloved Shaykh, Usama bin Ladin, may Allah protect him. Verily, he is the man that has shook the thrones of the tyrants of the world. We pledge to wage jihad for the rest of our lives until either we implant Islam all over the world or meet our Lord as bearers of Islam. And how reputable, adventurous and pleasurable is such a life compared to those who remain sitting, working from nine to five?

As Rusty put it after digesting Khan’s manifesto:

This makes two Americans who are in charge of al Qaeda media — Adam Gadahn in Pakistan/Afghanistan for their as Sahab label and Samir Khan in Yemen for the English side of their al Malahein label.

This should drive home the point that the global jihad is not an Arab or a Pakistani problem. Violent jihad is not only being imported from these countries, but we are now exporting the future leaders of the jihad.

Think about that for awhile.

For those who have serious reservations about targeting American citizens using drones, I wonder if this changes anything for you? Does that fact that Khan openly and gleefully admits that he is a traitor change your mind? Or do you still think that people like Khan, Adam Gadahn, and Anwar al-Awlaki can’t be targeted due to some overriding principle of “justice” only happening within the confines of US courts?

Exit quotation from FBI Assistant Director Mark Giuliano in April 2011:

An an official “statement for the record” to the The Washington Institute for Near East Policy yesterday, FBI Assistant Director Mark Giuliano noted that al Qaeda central remains a threat, but that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is now the greatest threat to the homeland. Why? Because Americans like spiritual leader Anwar al-Awlaki and chief propagandist Samir Khan know our security weaknesses:

I believe the most serious threat to the homeland today emanates from members of AQAP. AQAP leaders such as Anwar Aulaqi and Samir Khan have published articles on the internet detailing their intent to strike the United States. Several key AQAP figures were born or educated in the United States and understand our culture, our limitations, our security protocols, and our vulnerabilities. They use this understanding to develop and refine new tactics and techniques to defeat our security measures and attack us.

***

Reax from Rusty at the Jawa Report here: “As long time readers know, Samir and I have had personal disputes over the years. It was Samir, then blogging as Inshallahshaheed, who threatened to kill my family. He even made this nice little graphic to go along with the threat. He who laughs last, laughs loudest. Also, the guy not killed in a drone strike. He laughs loudest, too.”

As regular readers know, The Jawa Report has been at the forefront of demonstrating the potent capabilities of online American bloggers/activists to play a critical role in combating jihad. The Jawas have done heroic work unmasking jihadi operatives online and on YouTube.

Last March, I linked to the Jawas’ story of the citizen who turned in the American “Jihad Jane” operative who pleaded guilty to conspiracy in a Muslim terror plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist who offended Islam.

I’ll say again what I said then: Be sure to send thanks and praise to the vigilant bloggers and watchdogs looking out for us and acting.

Happy Father’s Day! (Plus a Video from Right Online)

Doug Powers — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 17:20:18 +0000

**Written by Doug Powers

A very happy Father’s Day to all our dad readers, and I’d like to send out a special one to my own dad.

My kids made me homemade cards. I don’t melt easily but that does it every time, although some will blame global warming. So far though nobody here has volunteered to mow the lawn or vacuum the pool, but I’m working on choosing volunteers as we speak.

Quickly changing the subject… last but certainly not least, via The Right Scoop, here’s a video of Michelle’s great speech at Right Online. I don’t know if Michelle’s planning to post this herself at some point in the coming days, so if she does, please do me a favor and pretend you haven’t seen it yet:

**Written by Doug Powers

Twitter @ThePowersThatBe

Read this now if you are in despair: Andrew Lawton’s message

Michelle Malkin — Tue, 31 May 2011 13:25:20 +0000

Andrew Lawton, a Canadian conservative blogger and radio host on whose show I’ve had the pleasure and honor to appear, suffered a life-threatening medical emergency last December.

Today, he courageously discloses the full story behind his health scare: He had attempted to take his life through an intentional drug overdose. Family and faith lifted him up and brought him back.

Please read his entire essay. Take it to heart if you are in despair or know someone who is. The saying is true: One person can make a difference. Andrew is making a difference. You can help him make an even bigger impact. Share his message. Act on it:

On December 9, 2010, I was admitted into Victoria Hospital in London, Ontario, Canada. Given my medical history, when the news got out about my admission, people made assumptions that I had had another stroke. I’ve since learned that some of my friends were under the understanding I had been a car accident; others that I had a heart attack. How these rumors started I don’t care. Any assumptions people made further separated those in my life from the truth, and people not knowing the truth made life easier for both me and my family while in hospital, and since.

Everything shared about me and my medical condition while in hospital was true. I was in a coma; I was on heart and lung bypass; I also had multiple blood transfusions and four cardiac arrests. What people don’t know is that hours prior to my entry to Victoria Hospital, I had taken an intentional overdose of prescription medications in an attempt to end my life. I tried to kill myself. When I described the suicide attempt – and the events leading up to it – to the psychiatrist in the hospital, I didn’t have a good reason. By that I don’t mean to say that there is ever a good reason for suicide, but my understanding is that there is generally an element of logic to it, at least to the victim. In my case, that wasn’t so.

In the weeks and months leading up to the day that would forever change – and almost take away – my life, I wasn’t depressed, stressed, or even sad for that matter. I had, in a very short period of time, endured what one medical professional creatively referred to as “acute hopelessness” through the breakdown of several things I cared about in my life. When these things collapsed, I literally felt that I had nothing in my life to live for. My accomplishments were irrelevant; my family and friends weren’t a factor; I had simply felt nothing. The ensuing emotion wasn’t depression, but rather the feeling that my life had completely lost all direction.

The decision to commit suicide had been made about a week prior to the actual suicide attempt. It wasn’t rational, but it was calculated. I tied up some loose ends and prepared for it internally. But beyond that, I kept up appearances, showing no signs of weakness to friends and family. I kept writing and doing television and radio appearances as usual. I made no attempts to seek help. I knew help was available; I just had no intention of seeking it. Contrary to many others in this situation, this was not a desperate cry for help or a misguided plea for attention. I wanted to die…

Life can be a struggle, but it’s a battle that I fight knowing that I have God carrying me through, and you guys cheering me on from the sidelines. Thank you everyone for all that you’ve done; it has, truly, made a difference.

Thank you. All of you.

The stigma attached to openly discussing this subject remains overwhelming. It transcends politics and race and cultures — and the civilian/military divide, too.

We have been dealing with it in my family in our search for my cousin Marizela, who was taking anti-depressants and had fought such despair for years. The daunting possibility that she took her life — and the signs that cannot be ignored — weigh heavily on our minds as we continue to push for progress in her case.

One of the organizations she supported was To Write Love On Her Arms, a non-profit support group dedicated to “presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.” The group has kindly spread word of Marizela’s disappearance and kept her in their members’ thoughts. If you are in need of support or know someone who could use a helping hand, please check TWLOHA out. You may not agree with all their politics, but as I said, this is a subject that reaches far beyond those lines. Another helpful resource: Hope for Hurting Parents.

God bless you, Andrew, and all the brave, compassionate activists/volunteers dedicated to saving lives and restoring faith and hope to those in need.

New MichelleMalkin.com iPhone/iPad app

Michelle Malkin — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:22:52 +0000

I’ve been so preoccupied with family matters that I’ve neglected to tell you that our tech wizard Ed Burns of BlogRescue has written a super-cool iPhone/iPad app for the blog.

You can now get it at the App Store.

Click here for more info and be sure to tell your Apple-using friends and family.

***

Reminder: The app for Android users is here.

Hacked

Michelle Malkin — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 03:37:21 +0000

Hi, readers.

Earlier today, the site was maliciously attacked. Many of you were either unable to access the site or received an intrusion message.

The tech team is on it.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience as we get the site back up and running.

Philadelphia tax fever: Bloggers get hit

Michelle Malkin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:23:56 +0000

The Founding Fathers must be rolling in their graves. In Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, the city government has proposed smacking bloggers — our generation’s pamphleteers — with a $300 business tax. Yes, they are now requiring a license for Internet activists and hobbyists to exercise their free speech.

Via Philly City Paper:

Even though small-time bloggers aren’t exactly raking in the dough, the city requires privilege licenses for any business engaged in any “activity for profit,” says tax attorney Michael Mandale of Center City law firm Mandale Kaufmann. This applies “whether or not they earned a profit during the preceding year,” he adds.

So even if your blog collects a handful of hits a day, as long as there’s the potential for it to be lucrative — and, as Mandale points out, most hosting sites set aside space for bloggers to sell advertising — the city thinks you should cut it a check. According to Andrea Mannino of the Philadelphia Department of Revenue, in fact, simply choosing the option to make money from ads — regardless of how much or little money is actually generated — qualifies a blog as a business. The same rules apply to freelance writers. As former City Paper news editor Doron Taussig once lamented [Slant, "Taxed Out," April 28, 2005], the city considers freelancers — which both Bess and Barry are, in addition to their blog work — “businesses,” and requires them to pay for a license and pay taxes on their profits, on top of their state and federal taxes.

The City of Brotherly Love is in dire financial straits, facing a $179 million shortfall for 2011. Same old tired liberal solutions: Tax, tax, tax. The blogger tax comes on top of new hikes on existing taxes, a new tobacco-products tax, a property tax increase and a higher commercial trash fee.

Time for overtaxed Philadelphians to go Galt. What are you waiting for?

Into the (An)droid

Michelle Malkin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:50:27 +0000

A few weeks ago, many of you helped out as beta testers for the michellemalkin.com Android app. My website tech guru Ed Burns informs me that our free blog app is now up and running. Just go to the Android Market on your phone and search for “Michelle Malkin.”

If you have a smartphone with a barcode scanner, here you go:

Related tech story: Android Phones Overtake iPhone Sales

“Net neutrality:” Ain’t over ’til it’s over

Michelle Malkin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:46:18 +0000

The U.S. Court of Appeals unanimously rejected the Obama FCC’s bid to expand its regulatory powers over the Internet this afternoon. As Clarice Feldman headlined the ruling succinctly:

“Nyet to ‘Net Neutrality.’”

Your refresher course via ReasonTV (more background here):

Adam Bitely’s right. The speech redistributors may have lost this battle, but they won’t give up on the war. It ain’t over ’til it’s over:

Don’t expect progressives to give up on Net Neutrality now because of a court ruling. At this time, more than ever before, we should be keeping a watchful eye on what they do next to sneak these Internet regulations through. Progressives never take no for answer.

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More on the Left’s ‘net control alliance.

Announcing the Sammies Awards winners

Michelle Malkin — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:57:55 +0000

I had the pleasure last year of attending the 2009 Sammies Awards ceremony in Chicago held by the Sam Adams Alliance. The awards honor the country’s finest in citizen leadership and political activism — and I met some amazing grass-roots leaders, entrepreneurs, creative artists and whistleblowers. The group has just announced the 2010 winners, including our friend and Tea Party foremother Keli Carender. More info on tickets for the awards ceremony on April 16 here. Congrats to all the winners!

The Sammies are awarded in six categories and include cash prizes totaling $20,000. The categories include Blogger, Watchdog, Video, Town Hall, Tea Party and the premier award, Modern-Day Sam Adams.

Brian Costin of Schaumburg, Ill., won the $3,000 Watchdog Award for advancing transparency and exposing waste in the village of Schaumburg. As a result of his work, the village shut down one of the country’s most lucrative red light cameras. Costin saved taxpayers $15 million after exposing a fraudulent tax-break scam and, moreover, built a government transparency website when the village rejected his transparency measures. His work has been featured on the local Fox and ABC affiliates, Chicago Tonight, as well as in the Daily Herald and Chicago Tribune.

John Papola of Verona, N.J. and Russ Roberts of Potomac, Md. won the $3,000 Video Award for their video “Fear the Boom and Bust,” which boils down the complex economic theories of John Maynard Keynes and F. A. Hayek into a highly entertaining 5 minute, 26 second rap anthem. With over one million YouTube views, the video has been translated into a dozen languages and won praise from PBS, NPR, CNBC, the Chicago Tribune and The New York Times, among others.

Keli Carender, of Seattle, Wash., won the $3,000 Town Hall Award for challenging Congressman Norm Dicks (D-WA) to personally take her $20 bill to pay for government health care, directly illustrating the demands the bill would make on taxpayers. Well-known as “Liberty Belle,” Keli has also been active in the Tea Party movement from its beginnings, and regularly blogs at Redistributing Knowledge. She has been featured in the The New York Times and on NPR.

Jamie Radtke, of Richmond, Va., won the $3,000 Tea Party Award for her work in creating a coalition of almost 40 Tea Party and Patriot organizations in Virginia under the banner of the Federation of Virginia Tea Party Patriots. In addition, Mrs. Radtke mobilized the Federation membership and business community to recruit backers for the Health Care Freedom Act and to secure final passage. The bill received bi-partisan support and is now being used by the Attorney General of Virginia to challenge the constitutionally of President Obama’s health care bill.

David Frazier, of Boise, Idaho, won the $3,000 Blogger Award for his blog Boise Guardian, which exposes government waste and malfeasance at the state and local level. Frazier, whose suit against the City of Boise resulted in the 2006 “Frazier Decision” that requires Idaho municipalities to get voter approval for long term debt, has become the top source in Idaho on issues of public debt and urban financing. His blog is cited in state and local media on a weekly basis.

Ed Osborne of Wilmington, Del. won the $5,000 Modern Day Sam Adams award for his vigorous defense of property rights against eminent domain in Delaware. Osborne gained notoriety as an activist when he and 61 other Wilmington business owners received notification that their businesses were on the city’s property acquisition list. Osborne resisted government offers for his land, and instead went on to lead a three-year battle in the Delaware General Assembly for legislation against eminent domain abuse. Despite heavy opposition and a gubernatorial veto, the legislation eventually passed, and transformed Delaware’s once-vulnerable property rights environment into one that protects private ownership.

Who turned in “Jihad Jane?”

Michelle Malkin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:23:38 +0000

My friends at The Jawa Report, the counterterrorism blog that has done heroic work unmasking jihadi operatives online and on YouTube, have an exclusive report on the whistleblower who turned in “Jihad Jane.”

Read the whole thing here — and be sure to send thanks and praise to the vigilant bloggers and watchdogs looking out for us and acting.

A note on the acquisition of Hot Air

Michelle Malkin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:52:45 +0000

Note from MM: The following message about the acquisition of Hot Air, the group blog I founded in 2006, is cross-posted at Hot Air this morning.

What a great week it was for Hot Air. And what a great future lies ahead for Allahpundit, Ed Morrissey, and the new Salem team!

My thanks to Salem’s David Evans, Jonathan Garthwaite, Tom Perrault, Bob Mesrop, and especially Rick Killingsworth, for their work on the acquisition, for recognizing the value of our company, for understanding what makes Hot Air tick and click, and for having the vision and skills to take Hot Air to the next level as a conservative multimedia powerhouse with the 2010 and 2012 elections just around the corner.

Thanks to attorney extraordinaire Eric Costello (eocostello@aol.com), who represented Hot Air in the acquisition negotiations. Thanks to Hot Air’s current advertising sales management firm, Intermarkets, and past advertising reps, Blogads and Pajamas Media.

Old-timers will remember that we flipped the switch on April 24, 2006 at 4:15am. The folks at The Blog Studio came up with the clean, simple, user-friendly format that you still see today. Our technical crew has been led by WordPress guru Mark Jaquith, who has worked with Ed Burns and Erik Tamplin to keep the site running smoothly. Thanks to all of them for their creative energy and hard work through the years.

Thanks, most of all, to you.

I can’t begin to tell you how grateful we are to each and every one of you for your continued readership, comment participation, links, tips, feedback, encouragement, and support over the past four years. You are what keeps Hot Air rising.

Initially, Hot Air featured original daily videos called “Vents” (many of which you can still watch and enjoy on YouTube or track them all down here) while the indefatigable Allahpundit held down the blogging fort. It was a blast to produce the Vents (here’s the highlight reel from year one) — which ranged from original reporting in Baghdad; to pop-culture commentaries, including an exposé of R&B singer Akon that was yanked from YouTube under pressure from Universal Music Group and restored after we successfully challenged the DMCA abuse with the help of the Electronic Frontier Foundation; to some of my favorite shows mocking the Cindy Sheehan Diet Plan, creating a conservative alternative to The View, and smacking back at Keith Olbermann’s smears. We also featured original video from several guest show hosts, special correspondents, and contributors, and we thank them all for their contributions.

But while the original video production side of Hot Air was an immensely fun and creatively satisfying outlet, it was not a viable business model. Video ad revenue did not materialize; viewership numbers didn’t grow. Things might have turned out differently today with the advent of the iPhone/smartphones and increasing numbers of people watching Internet video on their TVs. Perhaps we were just a little too ahead of our time. In any case, it taught me one of the most valuable lessons we learned as a small, independent start-up company:

To survive, we needed to adapt, respond to market forces, and adjust the business focus to meet readers’ revealed preferences.

Like the teleprompter reader-in-chief always says, “Change is never easy.” I made the decision to redirect our resources away from original video reluctantly. But we looked at the metrics, we looked at the bottom line, and we listened to you. You wanted a 24/7, up-to-the-minute, one-stop, all-purpose conservative blog and aggregator. You wanted an Internet water cooler to hang out with your friends — a place where you could find all the political coverage you needed, but also a place where you could get comic relief, humpbot videos, the latest “Duuudes” and “Hmmms” and “Heart-aches,” and off-beat stories of the day.

From the time he burst onto the Internet scene in 2003, Allah has understood the value of creating community. His willingness to absorb the slings and arrows of commenters piqued over his atheism or his Palin coverage or whatever other positions he took that were deemed unorthodox or “candy-ass;” his intensely personal and elegiac memories of how 9/11 changed his life; his resistance to cult politics of any kind; his intellectual honesty; healthy skepticism; and self-deprecating humor combined with the sharpest, fastest, one-man synthesis of breaking news you will find on the Internet– all of these have been hallmarks of his Hot Air blogging from day one. While traffic skyrocketed, Hot Air managed to maintain the vibe and intimacy of a small blog. It’s not just a resource for radio and TV producers looking for show prep material. It’s a cool place to hang out. This is no small feat with more than 22,000 registered commenters of all backgrounds, ideologies, interests, and agendas. And it is inextricably tied to the uniqueness of Allah’s personality and voice on the right side of the blogosphere. Intensely attuned to the reader/participant experience, Allahpundit also came up with the invaluable “Headlines” and “Green Room” features, which expose readers to a wide range of voices and views.

Some have wondered why I hired Allahpundit despite our stark differences on many social and policy issues. Are you kidding me? The phenomenal success of Hot Air speaks for itself. I valued diversity of thought on the site. The traffic and popularity of the site — from 0 to more than 25 million page views a month last fall in the short span of four years, with plaudits too numerous to track — show that you do, too. More to the point: No one has been more fiercely dedicated to this company than Allahpundit — from conceiving the Hot Air logo/flame that you see every time you come to the site, to hounding our tech team at the first sign of any glitch or hiccup, to combing over traffic and revenue statistics, to posting your “Quotes of the Day” at the end of every night and making sure you have a fresh set of headlines when you wake up first thing every morning.

Which brings me to another invaluable lesson that my experience running Hot Air has imparted:

Loyalty is a precious commodity. So is industry. Like gold, they have many imitators. Never take the real things for granted.

(Resisting Allah-style urge to insert “Stay gold, Ponyboy” clip here.)

On February 25, 2008, we welcomed Ed Morrissey aboard. Like Allah, he is an O.G. of the blogosphere. He founded Captain’s Quarters in 2003. As I wrote two years ago:

Ed has been a friend and kindred spirit since I entered the blogosphere. He brings keen political insights, boundless energy and optimism, and invaluable investigative skills/enterprise reporting to the team. His pioneering citizen journalism helped expose government corruption in Canada and brought down a rotten Canadian Liberal Party administration. He’s been the subject of moonbat cartoonist Ted Rall’s class bigotry and a target of Vanity Fair jerk James Wolcott’s snobbery. Ever the gentleman, Ed joked in response: “Success is when all the right people hate you.”

Hot Air now has two of the hardest working men in the blogosphere on board full-time– and one very lucky boss. As has been the case from launch, we’ll agree on many issues. But not all. We have an eclectic mix of conservative-to-libertarian perspectives, distinctive interests, life experiences, and styles. What unites Allah, Ed, and me: Hot Air’s company goal of informing, entertaining, and keeping you plugged in with piping hot blog commentary, headlines, political analysis, original reporting, video and other multimedia offerings all day, every day.

With his daily web shows, exclusive political scoops and analysis, and constant good cheer, Ed has increased Hot Air’s stature and standing enormously. He has earned the utmost respect of his peers and of the Right’s biggest names. Ed’s energy is on display every week. He covers it all from Obamateurisms of the Day, to film reviews, tax policy speeches, radio broadcasts, and the NFL. I’m ceaselessly amazed by Ed’s ability to squeeze the most out of every day, multi-task like a Swiss Army knife, and take care of and enjoy his wonderful family. When opportunity came Ed’s way, he grabbed it, hit the ground running, and has never let up. I’m forever grateful for his boundless optimism and initiative.

Which brings me to the next lesson that founding and managing Hot Air has reinforced:

Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero. ( “Seize the day, counting as little as possible on tomorrow.”)

Last but not least, as I did on the sixth-month anniversary of Hot Air (far too long ago), I want to say a public thank you to my hubby, Jesse. Behind the scenes, he served as human resources manager, payroll clerk, accountant, tech liaison, and CFO. He kept an even keel through the birth, growing pains, and evolution of the site. He wore the green eyeshades and took care of every last numbing clerical task of running the company so that the editorial staff could work without sweating those details.

Which demonstrates one last lesson of my tenure as Boss:

Every good hot air balloon needs strong anchor ropes. The pilots may get all the glory, but it’s the hidden support that makes all the difference between successful flight and crash-and-burn.

It’s been a great adventure and the adventure continues. Hot Air readers remain in excellent hands with my best blog friends Allah and Ed as co-pilots. The company is now in excellent hands with Salem’s superb New Media team manning the anchor ropes. And I am just a click away.

Exit send-off: Not “Au revoir,” but “Bon voyage, mes amis!”

The White House, the National Endowment for the Arts, and more do-it-yourself vetting; Updated: NEA, you lie!

Michelle Malkin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:59:22 +0000

Last month, Big Hollywood’s Patrick Courrielche broke news on how the NEA was rustling up artists to help “serve” the White House political agenda.

Big Government’s Mike Flynn and John Nolte have a follow-up here.

(Updated: Courrielche has posted audio from the call contradicting the NEA’s spin here.)

And the Washington Times — which reported earlier this month that “…16 of the groups and affiliated organizations received nearly $2 million in grants from the National Endowment for the Arts in the 150 days before the conference call” — today reveals a partial list of “artists and influencers” on the NEA’s August conference call. One of the participants? Al Gore’s Current TV.

Here’s where you come in.

The Times is crowd-sourcing its investigation and wants you to help do the reporting the rest of the MSM won’t do (another example of do-it-yourself vetting!). The Times has posted Excel spreadsheet data of some of the call participants.

We invite bloggers and other interested readers to check out the names on the list for themselves. Some individuals are more well known than others. We’re looking for solid, well-sourced information we can use to expand our coverage and generate new stories. This is an example. Here are some ideas on what to start with:

Is the information about them accurate/up to date?

Have these individuals been involved in Democratic politics?

Are they campaign donors? To whom?

Since the Aug. 10 conference call, have any of these individuals been involved in political activism related to health care, environment or education, the subjects suggested by the NEA in the call?

Are they members of any of the 21 arts organizations that endorsed health care reform two days after the call?

Are any of them involved in other arts groups funded through the NEA or through state-level arts agencies funded by the NEA?

Do they have a history of being involved with dubious causes such as 9/11 “Truther” statements?

How many of them have written for The Huffington Post (we’ve noticed a couple)?

When you’ve got something good, stick links to the supporting information in our comments or a post on your blog or email us at kpicket@washingtontimes.com . We’ll do our best to stay on top of any new information and credit the person who dug it up.

A couple quick things to keep in mind. We’ve already attempted to contact the people on the list, so there is no need to follow in our footsteps. As they respond, we’ll add an updated tally in another post on the Water Cooler. Second, the people on the list are private citizens who were asked to be on a call where a National Endowment for the Arts official went way too far in pushing for artists and arts groups to get behind the administration agenda. The people on the call didn’t neccesarily do anything controversial or wrong. The NEA and the White House are the ones who have gone too far.

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Another excellent resource: The NEA Wiki page from Media Mythbusters. Check often for updates.