IRAQI REFUGEES and domestic terrorism. “It took twenty years before the Somali refugee program began producing ‘home-grown’ terrorists in any numbers, and they were home-grown in a real sense; many were disaffected second-generation immigrants rediscovering their Somali roots and ancient Somali loyalties. The Iraq refugee program seems to have eliminated the twenty-year lag, admitting at least two fully-formed militant Islamic terrorists in April and July of 2009, according to the indispensable Lawfare blog. Upon admission as terrorists, and while they were probably still receiving welfare and other assistance from the US government, the two resumed their careers in support of terrorism aimed at American troops. Luckily, the FBI was in control of their terrorist planning, and the two have now been arrested and indicted.”

FIVE SYNTHETIC SUBSTITUTES for real blood. Faster, please.

AT BAEN BOOKS, a Heinlein Quiz.

GENTLE: “See, this is why comedians shouldn’t have friends.”

WEINERGATE: Weiner: I can’t say with certitude if that is me or not. Huh? Does that mean he’s got so many crotch shots out there he can’t keep track?

Plus, Where Is Nancy Pelosi, Ardent Feminist?

LASHING OUT at conservative students.

FOR JON HUNTSMAN, a rather narrow base of support.

HMM: Wall Street Baffled by Slowing Economy, Low Yields. It’s all so, er, unexpected!

I have an explanation, though. . . .

IN PICTURES: Why debt discussions won’t die down anytime soon.

ECONOMY: CNBC: 150 Economists Back US Republicans in Debt Fight. “More than 150 economists back U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner’s call to match any increase in the debt limit with spending cuts of equal size, according to a letter released by the Republican leader’s office Wednesday. . . . Signatories include Nobel laureate Robert Mundell of Columbia University and economists from schools like New York University and Georgetown University, as well as conservative think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute.”

TEA PARTY UPDATE: Justin Binik-Thomas of the Cincinnati Tea Party sends this picture and reports: “The Cincinnati Tea Party and The Ohio Project are at the Potter Stewart Courthouse today. They are collecting signatures for the Healthcare Freedom Amendment and standing in support of our freedoms and constitution. Judges Martin, Stuart, and Graham will hear a case questioning legality of obamacare – Thomas More Law Center et al V Barack Hussein Obama et al Eastern District of Michigan at Detroit.”

UPDATE: TV coverage.

IN CHINA, virtual-world slave labor: “While serving time at the Jixi labor camp in China Liu Dali and other prisoners were forced to play video games to earn virtual credits in games like World of Warcraft. Guards then sold those virtual credits for profit.”

UH OH: Gallup poll shows 57% of Americans won’t buy an electric vehicle.

MICHAEL TOTTEN: Darkness In Palestine.

IN THE MAIL: Resurgent: How Constitutional Conservatism Can Save America.

KEVIN WILLIAMSON ON BLOGGINGHEADS TV: Rick Perry: The Great Libertarian Hope?

WASHINGTON EXAMINER: Not so fast on ‘Mediscare’ and bellwethers.

So we’re supposed to believe that the special-election results in New York’s 26th Congressional District were a bellwether of a 2012 Republican disaster because Democrat Kathy Hochul won by making Medicare an issue. Of course, Democrats would say Medicare was the main issue, especially after one of the party’s ideological advocacy group allies gained national attention with a TV spot showing a Paul Ryan look-alike shoving Granny over a cliff. Predictably, the morning after the election, the New York Times pronounced the results “a referendum on House Republicans’ efforts to reform Medicare.” It was as if GOP candidate Jane Corwin and her national Republican supporters had begun every campaign speech by declaring, “I can’t wait to get to Washington to help John Boehner and Paul Ryan throw all those old people off of Medicare!”

And what should Republicans now be talking about instead of Medicare reform, according to their friends on the Democratic side of the aisle and in the liberal media? Jobs and the economy. And right on cue, those Republicans tearing away from Mr. Schumer’s tent whip out a “new” job creation plan that looks very much like the one they’ve been pushing all year. Apparently, they think that will make their tormentors stop jumping out of the bushes.

Here’s why such advice on campaign strategy is suspect: A quick check of House Speaker John Boehner’s website finds that since April 1 he has issued 64 news releases discussing jobs and the economy, compared to 22 on Medicare reform. By contrast during the same period, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democrats’ chief national campaign voice on NY-26, issued 16 news releases on ending Medicare, and only two on jobs and the economy. In other words, Boehner talked about creating jobs and getting the economy growing again almost three times for every one time he discussed Medicare. As for Corwin, she gave one speech with a lukewarm endorsement of the Republican Medicare reform proposal.

Put another way, maybe the Republicans lost because they didn’t talk enough about Medicare reform.

Read the whole thing.

ROLL CALL: Immigrants Turn To Tea Party:

“Why do immigrants leave their country? Because they don’t have opportunity and they don’t have freedom, because politicians control everything,” he said. “We come to America and we are going to have the same crap? Then we might as well go back there.”

Ouch.

ASKING THE WRONG QUESTION about Romney in 2012. “The fact is any Republican who wins the presidential nomination next year will have to run against Obama on health care. To comprehend that basic fact of contemporary political life is to understand why Romney has little or no chance of being the nominee.”

TODAY-ONLY SALE: Makita 18-Volt 1/2″ Drill/Driver Kit.

UNEXPECTEDLY! Little Job Growth In May.

Gee, what could explain that?

NEW YORK POST: Weiner Linked To Numerous Beauties On Twitter.

Meanwhile, reader Paul Jackson emails: “Know who the happiest guy on Capitol Hill is since the Weinergate story broke? Barney Frank. That guy’s got nine lives when it comes to accountability when his personal life intersects with his professional one.” Good point. Anybody know if Barney’s got Twitter-hacking skills?

NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL sues Feds over gas fracking.

IT’S COME TO THIS: Ku Klux Klan Protests Westboro Baptist Church.

MICHAEL BARONE: Gates’ Verdict: Pentagon’s Biggest Enemy Is Itself.

Gates spoke of “institutional obstacles in the Pentagon — cultural, procedural, ideological — to getting done what needed to get done” and the need for “fundamentally reshaping the priorities of the Pentagon.”

He insisted that the defense budget “is not the cause of this country’s fiscal woes,” but conceded that “as a matter of simple arithmetic and political reality,” defense cuts “must be at least part of the solution.”

Read the whole thing.