Bits and pieces from today’s Morning Jolt:

This Punk Unleashed a Hale Storm
I know Tabitha Hale can be fierce; I’ve seen her tackle wireless tech problems that would leave lesser event planners on the floor in the fetal position, murmuring about how the president had assured us all that high-speed Internet meant we would win the future. But I think she weighs about as much as my big toe. Anyway, some snot-nosed protester didn’t like the fact that Tabitha was recording her, and decided to take a whack at her. Outrageous, and yet depressingly typical.
For some reason lefty protesters show up at FreedomWorks because . . . well, why, really? Does any liberal feel like they’re going to show up, wave their signs, chant, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, privately-funded activist groups that promote free market economics and limited government have got to go!” and that somehow, the sheer moral power of their argument will prompt all of FreedomWorks employees to reevaluate their entire world view? I’ve never been personally protested, but I look forward to that day. I’d love to look into the eyes and ask . . . Why are you here? What are you doing with your lives? How little do you have in your lives to do that you can take time out of your day to stand there and wave a sign and shout in the hopes that someone, anyone around you will see or hear you and be persuaded? Have you no hobbies? No book you would rather be reading?
Are you that desperate to feel a sense of connection and shared purpose, and have failed so utterly at generating that sense of satisfaction and self-worth in every other aspect of your life, that you think that this is only way you can experience a frisson of purpose and mission and satisfaction with effort expended for a worthy cause? That worthy cause is filling the void of people yelling at me at this time and place?
You’re here because deep down, you fear no one loves you, don’t you?
. . . The snark is almost pro forma at this point, but again, media disinterest in this sort of thing reveals that they were never that interested in civil discourse. Hell, at this point, they’re only conditionally outraged about violence against women. Jeff Goldstein grumbles at Protein Wisdom, “I’m not sure how yet — I’m still waiting for that Pima County Sheriff to hit the talk show circuit to give me my talking points — but I’m pretty sure Sarah Palin, Mark Levin, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Michele Bachmann, Christine O’Donnell, Scott Walker, the TEA Party, and Barry Goldwater are to blame for this. Shame on them, pushing what I’m sure is a good man to such a breaking point. Racists.”
America’s unions: They hit girls!
That Phone Is Getting Tired of Ringing at 3 a.m. Every Night
So . . . as noted, the other day, Qaddafi gave a speech where the subtext is pretty much I WILL KILL EVERYONE. I’m pretty sure he offered the Libyan version of “You want to play rough? Okay, say hello to my lil friend!” which, as we all know, takes an hour and a half in Qaddafi-speak. Seriously, he invoked Tiananmen Square, Russian tanks shelling the Duma, and the siege on the Branch Davidian compound, called the protesters “rats” and “cockroaches,” pledged to fight to the last drop of blood, and ordered protesters to surrender their weapons, saying there would be a “slaughter” and pledging to purge Libya “house by house” and “inch by inch.” I’ve seen more subtle subtext in Eminem lyrics.
So when the White House or State Department keep issuing these statements declaring that the killing must stop, I’m left wondering if these folks would have tried negotiating with Charles Manson.