UNFIT FOR PRINT: How the New York Times blew the Van Jones story. “The Times continues to treat communism as a cute campus peccadillo like pot smoking or nude streaking. . . . Being a communist is personal but being the pregnant teen daughter of a vice presidential candidate is public business?”

PROF. JACOBSON: Support Obama On Afghanistan.

PROGRESS: Stiglitz Says Banking Problems Are Now Bigger Than Pre-Lehman.

‘TWAS ACCOUNTABILITY THAT KILLED THE MSM. The point from Virginia Postrel is amazing.

THIS IS COOL: Armadillo Aerospace Claim Level 2 NGLLC Prize. “Level 2 requires the rocket to fly for 180 seconds before landing precisely on a simulated lunar surface constructed with craters and boulders. The minimum flight times are calculated so that the Level 2 mission closely simulates the power needed to perform a real descent from lunar orbit down to the surface of the Moon. First place is a prize of $1 million while second is $500,000.”

CLEANLINESS IN WASHINGTON PROTESTS: A Comparison.

WHO’S KILLING the electric plane?

REPORTS ON THE QUINCY TEA PARTY from the Quincy News and the Quincy Herald-Whig.

A “PIE EVANGELIST?” That sounds like it would be a pretty easy job. I mean, it’s pie.

BIG MEDIA Ignores ACORN Scandal.

TYLER COWEN ON POLITICIZING THE ECONOMY:

FOR years now, many businesses and individuals in the United States have been relying on the power of government, rather than competition in the marketplace, to increase their wealth. This is politicization of the economy. It made the financial crisis much worse, and the trend is accelerating.

Well before the financial crisis erupted, policy makers treated homeowners as a protected political class and gave mortgage-backed securities privileged regulatory treatment. Furthermore, they allowed and encouraged high leverage and the expectation of bailouts for creditors, which had been practiced numerous times, including the precedent of Long-Term Capital Management in 1998. Without these mistakes, the economy would not have been so invested in leverage and real estate and the financial crisis would have been much milder.

But we are now injecting politics ever more deeply into the American economy, whether it be in finance or in sectors like health care. Not only have we failed to learn from our mistakes, but also we’re repeating them on an ever-larger scale.

Read the whole thing. Then send copies to your Congresspeople. Problem is, to the political class, politicizing the economy isn’t a bug, it’s a feature . . . .

CHARGES OF POLICE VIOLENCE in Berlin.

J. STORRS HALL on terrorism and advanced technology.

THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT: How We Got Here.

FACE-OFF: Obama Administration Stonewalls U.S. Civil Rights Commission on Black Panther Case. “The Justice Department won’t cooperate with an inquiry into why they helped the New Black Panther party avoid the legal consequences of voter intimidation.” You know, this case is a puzzlement. Perhaps there was fear that a prosecution would open up evidence of wider misconduct that would be more politically damaging than this scandal? Because that’s the only thing that makes sense here.

LARRY GELBART has died.

STEPHEN GREEN: the week in blogs.

SUBMARINES: Underwater Lasers Change Everything.

ROGER KIMBALL: Flipping America The Bird.

WOMEN GETTING ECO-FRIENDLY with a hand-cranked vibrator.

RETROFITTING CLASSIC CARS with diesel and electric upgrades.

NOW YOU’RE TALKING: the Boob Czar. “In a move that is being praised by experts, it was announced today that the Boob Czar will also be serving as the Pogo Stick Czar.”

UPDATE: A reader emails: “Now that’s big government I can support!”

IN THE MAIL: From Thad Carhart, Across The Endless River.

ANN ALTHOUSE: Reading Memeorandum this morning, I see it clearly: Obama’s in trouble.

QUINCY WRAPUP: I’ve been involved with a lot of events over my life, from civil rights protests to rock concerts to science fiction conventions, and I’ve never been involved with an event that ran with such well-oiled efficiency. I was going to say “ruthless efficiency,” but of course it was cheerful, considerate Midwestern efficiency and not ruthless in the least. The Quincy folks were charming hosts, and threw a dinner party for us last night where all the food was homemade, and delicious.

One interesting note: I’ve said this before, but those in the GOP who think that the Tea Party movement is for their benefit need to think again. Roger Stone spoke, and while nobody had anything against him in particular, several people told me that they thought the GOP was trying to co-opt the Tea Party Movement, and they weren’t happy about that. My advice to the GOP — and, for that matter, to those Democrats who care — is to try to find a way to address the Tea Party crowd’s interests, bearing in mind that if you don’t they’re just as happy to throw Republicans out of office as Democrats.

But it probably doesn’t matter. Based on the level of organization, commitment, and sheer likability I saw this weekend, the folks from Quincy are going to wind up ruling the world anyway . . . .