NANOTECHNOLOGY UPDATE: UK SuperSTEM facility advances imaging and analysis of materials.

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FASTER, PLEASE: Dodge goes all-out with the 2016 Viper ACR.

I IMAGINE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG INSTAPUNDIT READERS, ESPECIALLY THE ONES WHO FOLLOW THE RIPPETOE / TAUBES APPROACH: Why Your Online Dating Photo May Be Too Hot for Your Own Good. But what are you gonna do?

BTW, in case you missed it, here’s the post where readers shared their experiences.

SOMETIMES HATEFUL IS GOOD:  Case in point:  David French:  I’m more hateful than Pamela Geller.  A snippet:

I’m far more hateful than Pamela Geller. In fact, I’d argue there’s no way that she could hate jihad more than I do. I’ve seen jihad up-close, in an Iraqi province where jihadists raped women to shame them into becoming suicide bombers, where they put bombs in little boys’ backpacks then remotely detonated them at family gatherings, where they beheaded innocent civilians while cheering wildly like they were at a soccer match, and where they shot babies in the face to “send a message” to their parents.

Exactly– hating jihad/radical Islam is a good thing, because hating evil is always good.

READER BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Reader Travis Blake writes to recommend Tactical Barbell: Definitive Strength Training for the Operational Athlete. “The programming is fairly straightforward, but allows some variation for people with time constraints or other physical activity demands (e. g., running, military PT, etc.). I’m on my second six week cycle and and am very pleased with the program.”

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NEWS YOU CAN USE: How to Destroy the Galaxy in 4 Easy Steps.

NOT ALL ROCKERS ARE IDIOTS: The Who’s Pete Townshend: ISIS Makes It ‘Very Important That We keep Our Ammunition Ready.’

Hey, if you want to keep your ammunition ready, visit my former law students’ ammo company, LuckyGunner.com.

TAXPROF ROUNDUP: The IRS Scandal, Two Years And Running.

For those seeking the White House, the conflagration in Baltimore exposed a complicated truth: The racial comity that the election of Barack Obama seemed to promise has not materialized, forcing them to grapple with a red-hot, deeply unresolved dynamic that strays far from their carefully crafted messages and favored themes.

A strange idea has been running through some of the commentary about Baltimore: wasn’t electing Barack Obama supposed to fix this? Why are black people still so mad all the time when we elected a black president? . . . What [this] means is that people (and, let’s say this right here: white people) are eager to pay off the whole legacy-of-slavery-and-systemic-racism tab, to finally settle up and not have to think about social justice anymore. Wasn’t making a black guy president enough? . . . .

Reeve’s next move is to suggest that racist, white people are just never satisfied:  “As the country has slowly inched toward a more equal society, at every step, certain white people have protested that this is enough, that black people ought to be satisfied by now.”  Reeve then, remarkably (and hilariously) equates the New York Times’ acknowledgment of Obama’s worsening of race relations with the Confederacy: “There you have it: You can draw a straight line from supporters of the Confederacy all the way to page A20 of the April 30, 2015, edition of The New York Times.”

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. . . .

It’s a story that hasn’t made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts – that out of many, we are truly one.

[Reverend Wright’s statements] expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country – a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Reverend Wright’s comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems . . . .

But I have asserted a firm conviction – a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people – that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

Gee, I wonder why anyone would think a President Obama would help heal our racial divide?  As Reeve put it, what a “strange idea”!  Improving racial relations was a hope many Americans–black and white–held, in good faith, when supporting the first (half) black President. The fact that Americans now realize that race relations have actually gotten worse isn’t evidence of white racism, as Reeve insinuates, but evidence of President Obama’s failure to lead, or indeed his intent to mislead.

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE UPDATE: Turkey & Saudi Arabia Form Pact to Take Down Assad.

Al Nusra is, of course, the Syrian branch of al Qaeda. The AP reports that Turkish sources say that “mutual frustration with what they consider American indecision” drove the Turks and the Saudis together on this, and that U.S. officials for their part have expressed concern.

Given the preexisting differences between the Turkish government and the Saudis, this is unlikely to be a long-lasting alliance. But in the short term, it will certainly result in strengthening some rebel groups in Syria that the U.S. worries about. By not moving forcefully early on, the U.S. has left the field open to others—whose ideas about what groups should get money, weapons and training may make Washington nervous.

See, when Jeb Bush recently said his biggest foreign policy influence was W, maybe he was cannily figuring that after the Obama debacles, the W era will look pretty good in retrospect.

THE ATLANTIC: Blasphemy Is Not Racism: Dissenting from the tenets of a particular religion is very different than discriminating against a category of people.

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ASHE SCHOW: It’s okay to victim blame if the perpetrator is a Muslim extremist.

Ever since two gunmen were shot dead in Garland, Texas, on May 3, the media’s focus has been not on the radical men who intended to kill some 200 people at the “Draw Muhammad” event, but on the woman who organized it.

The Washington Post ran the most egregious headline in this regard, writing “Event organizer offers no apology after thwarted attack in Texas.” Seriously, WaPo?

The Associated Press came close with this gem: “Activist: No regrets about cartoon contest ended by gunfire.”

In both instances, the blame is clearly laid on Pamela Geller, who organized the event, and not on the murderous men.

But blaming Geller is akin to blaming any other victim or near-victim of a violent crime. Let’s rewrite those headlines to correspond with rape.

“Woman wearing short skirt offers no apology after thwarted rape attempt.” (Credit goes to Twitter user Sister Toldjah for this tweet.)

Or how about: “Victim: No regrets about night of drinking that ended in rape.”

No one would ever write an article with such headlines because that would be victim-blaming. But when the perpetrator is a Muslim and the victim is someone who organized an event that offended the Muslim’s religion, then somehow it is the victim’s fault.

It’s impossible to see how this would fly in any other situation.

Indeed.

Related: MSNBC’s Chris Hayes Defends Pamela Geller.

And here’s that Erik Wemple piece from the WaPo.

YOU FIGHT TERRORISM BY NOT BEING TERRORIZED: Norway repeals blasphemy law, in response to Charlie Hebdo murders.

Norway has scrapped its longstanding blasphemy law, meaning it is now legal to mock the beliefs of others, in a direct response to January’s brutal attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

The proposal to rush through the change [originally voted on in 2009, but delayed for technical reasons since then,] was made in February by Conservative MP Anders B. Werp and Progress Party MP Jan Arild Ellingsen, who argued that the law “underpins a perception that religious expressions and symbols are entitled to a special protection”.

“This is very unfortunate signal to send, and it is time that society clearly stands up for freedom of speech,” the two wrote in their proposal.

Would that more Americans felt that way.

NATIONAL JOURNAL: At Nike, Obama Offers Loud Defense of Trade Deals: The president says trade pacts won’t undermine his efforts to rescue the economy after the great recession.

Well, you can’t undermine a sinkhole. Still, not everyone is happy:

Nike has been Exhibit A for trade-deal critics for years. It was among the first American companies to build a business based on manufacturing products in low-wage countries for sale domestically. It has faced allegations since the 1990s that it contracts with what amount to overseas sweatshops.

The company has aggressively marketed its attempts to enforce better labor standards at the 800 factories from which it buys shoes and clothing in Asia and Indonesia. Last year it reported profits of $12.4 billion and a profit margin of 45 percent.

The “fast-track” authority bill would limit congressional input on trade agreements to simple up-or-down votes, without the ability to make any changes. Most presidents in recent decades have had this latitude, but the last such law expired in 2007. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, still under negotiation, would lower tariffs and other trade barriers among the United States and 11 other countries around the Pacific Rim on four continents.

I don’t trust the deal, which has been all-too-secretive.

MILO YIANNOPOULOS: Attack Of The Killer Lesbians. “We’re told that the greatest predator on earth isn’t the tiger shark or the lion but the lowly straight white male, a violent, aggressive thug who prowls the streets, raping, beating and killing unsuspecting women. But it is not so: in fact, women in relationships with other women are dramatically more likely to get knocked about by their partners. Lesbian violence is poorly understood because it is poorly researched, and poorly researched because it makes the gay lobby deeply uncomfortable. We’re not supposed to admit that any kind of gay relationship might have a dark side. It’s all unicorns and Mariah Carey, as far as charities, politicians and the media are concerned. . . . Up to 45 per cent of lesbians have been the victim of at least one act of violence perpetrated by a female partner and that 30 per cent of lesbians have reported sexual assault or rape by another woman. And those are conservative figures from a small domestic violence support group.”

SENATE: GOP Searches for Patty Murray Challenger.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee might be Sen. Patty Murray’s best friend in 2016.

A Republican operative confirmed to CQ Roll Call the party is looking to target Murray this cycle, but with many of the state’s most eligible Republicans expressing more interest in challenging the Democratic governor, a formidable candidate remains elusive.

The man who could be the GOP’s top recruit is, publicly at least, noncommittal. Rep. Dave Reichert, a six-term congressman who’s flirted with statewide office before, told CQ Roll Call in a statement Monday, “My entire career I have always kept my options open. I have considered every possibility that has been put in front of me.”

Reichert isn’t ruling out a Senate bid, but he’s more often mentioned as a gubernatorial contender. He could just as well decide to stay put in Washington’s 8th District, which, thanks to redistricting, is now safer turf for a Republican. But just in case, Reichert’s aides confirmed last year to the Seattle Times that he has owned ReichertforGovernor.com and ReichertforSenate.com since at least 2011.

As for other top recruits from the congressional delegation, few Washington State sources expect Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers to risk her position as House Republican Conference chairwoman in a competitive race against the four-term senator.

Other Republican names in the mix include state Sen. Steve Litzow, state Sen. Andy Hill and Seattle Port Commissioner Bill Bryant. But all three have been more vocal about their interest in the gubernatorial race.

Whoever runs against her better keep a close eye on the vote-counting. . . .

ROGER SIMON: UK Election Should Make the Democrats Nervous. “Silent majority? Seems like it was, but why? For one thing, the media, including the all-dominant Beeb, leans left in the UK and wants to convince themselves and others that they are in good shape, spouting their party line time after time until it becomes accepted cant by them and their global audience. We know that this happens here in the U.S. as well and many people get browbeaten by it, tending to keep their opinions to themselves. It may even be worse over there.”

Plus: “One of the inaccuracies of polling is that low-information voters tend to get overcounted because they tend not to vote in the end. At the same time, many who are keeping their heads down lest they be accused — almost always falsely — of racism, homophobia, greed, etc., are undercounted. This could well have been what happened in the UK and in the U.S. during the 2014 election when Republicans did better than expected. Will it happen in 2016? It’s not impossible, especially with the conditions in our country being what they are.”

UP YOURS, YOUR HONOR: Feds issued 2K expanded immigration permits after court order.

The government “erroneously” doled out about 2,000 expanded immigrant work permit authorizations under President Obama’s controversial executive actions, even after a federal judge blocked the move, the Justice Department says.

“The Government sincerely regrets these circumstances and is taking immediate steps to remedy these erroneous three-year terms,” the Department of Justice wrote in a court advisory filed late Thursday in the Southern District of Texas.

The advisory comes after District Court Judge Andrew Hanen halted the implementation of the executive actions, which defer deportations for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally and provide them with expanded access to work permits, until the courts could decide whether the policies are constitutional.

What an unfortunate “error.”

FAUSTA WERTZ reviews Carly Fiorina’s new book.

A HOSTILE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY: Boston University Professor Tweets That White Males Are A “Problem Population.” And Yes. There’s More.

Quick, report her to the Office of Equity and Diversity!

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