[guest post by Dana]

Nobody self-humiliates more than the ninnies on the front lines of the War on Women. Offending women everywhere.

“Scott Walker has given women the back of his hand,” said Wasserman Schultz, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I know that is stark. I know that is direct, but that is reality.”

“What Republican tea party extremists like Scott Walker are doing is they are grabbing us by the hair and pulling us back,” she added. “It is not going to happen on our watch.”

Stop shaming the gender!

–Dana

Update: In a fun little bit of irony, I found this:

In a fundraising email to her ‘peeps,’ Wasserman Schultz says that Republicans impeachment strategy “is the height of crass” and “partisan cynicism.”

Wasserman Schultz adds that the GOP knows that Obama “hasn’t committed high crimes and misdemeanors,” and this is just a ploy by them to “distract voters from their radical agenda.”

[guest post by Dana]

Following the beheading of journalist Steven Sotloff, John Kerry felt compelled to assure the audience he spoke before today, which was made up largely of Muslims, that Islam is the religion of peace and not what ISIS is representing to the world:

“Those who have murdered James Foley and Steven Sotloff in Syria need to know that the United States will hold them accountable, no matter how long it takes,” he warned in his speech.

“But here today, what is really important — and I want to take advantage of this podium and of this moment, to underscore as powerfully as I know how — that the face of Islam is not the butchers who killed Steven Sotloff,” he continued, to immediate applause. “That’s [ISIS].”

“The face of Islam is not the nihilists who know only how to destroy, not to build,” Kerry went on. “It’s not masked cowards whose actions are an ugly insult to the peaceful religion that they violate every single day with their barbarity, and whose fundamental principles they insult with their actions.”

“The real face of Islam is a peaceful religion based on the dignity of all human beings,” the secretary asserted. “It’s one where Muslim communities are leading the fight against poverty. It’s one where Muslim communities are providing basic health care and emergency assistance on the frontlines of some of our most devastating humanitarian crises.”

(Considering his audience was there to welcome the State’s new “special representative for Muslim communities,” Shaarik Zafar, it would have been a golden opportunity to query the audience with Yasmine Bahrani’s compelling question.)

Also today, Joe Biden was focused on rallying his audience at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard after the latest act of barbarianism of ISIS:

“The American people are so much stronger, so much more resolved than any enemy can fully understand,” Biden said. “As a nation, we’re united. And when people harm Americans, we don’t retreat, we don’t forget.

We take care of those who are grieving and when that’s finished, they should know we will follow them to the gates of hell* until they are brought to justice,” Biden said. “Because hell is where they’ll reside.”

Note: Back in 2007, John McCain was attacked for using similar language regarding Osama bin Laden.

–Dana

Note: I am remiss in not including the president’s comments today. Here’s the long story short:

At a press conference in Estonia, Obama declared that his objective was to “degrade and destroy ISIL.” Moments later, though, Obama said he’d like to pressure the group to render it “a manageable problem.”

TechDirt:

Reading Weigel’s account of the trial, you can quickly see why the judge ruled that way. So many of the points raised by Kimberlin clearly had nothing to do with anything coming anywhere near defamation, but rather were focused on “people said mean things online.” . . . . After the ruling, Kimberlin made it clear to Weigel that he wasn’t done, and he intended to keep bringing new legal actions to tie everyone up in court (Kimberlin, in the past has allegedly made similar threats, saying, “I have filed over a hundred lawsuits and another one will be no sweat for me. On the other hand, it will cost you a lot of time and money and for what,” in an email to another blogger (who posted the email).

That blogger was me, by the way.

For years we’ve written about various attempts by people to get others to shut up when they say or write unkind things. Our legal system isn’t supposed to allow that sort of thing. Kimberlin’s actions are, once again, a (strong) reminder why we really need a federal anti-SLAPP law that will help get bogus lawsuits designed to stifle constitutionally-protected speech tossed out quickly.

Indeed.

Bill Gertz:

Islamist militias in Libya took control of nearly a dozen commercial jetliners last month, and western intelligence agencies recently issued a warning that the jets could be used in terrorist attacks across North Africa.

Intelligence reports of the stolen jetliners were distributed within the U.S. government over the past two weeks and included a warning that one or more of the aircraft could be used in an attack later this month on the date marking the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against New York and Washington, said U.S. officials familiar with the reports.

“There are a number of commercial airliners in Libya that are missing,” said one official. “We found out on September 11 what can happen with hijacked planes.”

Why are they worried only about “terrorist attacks across North Africa”? These planes can’t cross oceans?