The LITD roundup of annoying second-tier stories that must be dealt with

First, there's the Rolling Stone article about the UVA frat-paty rape.  While all conscientious pundits are careful to point out that there is a chance - not great - that the whole story may prove true and several brutes will go to jail for decades, consider that the author of the piece zeroed in on UVA as the result of a fishing expedition:

Erdely admits she set out to find a sexual assault story at an elite school like UVA. She looked at lots of other colleges first, but "none of those schools felt quite right" in the words of a Washington Post profile of Erdely. But UVA, which Erdely describes in Rolling Stone as a school without a thriving "radical feminist culture seeking to upend the patriarchy," was just right. As Worth magazine editor Richard Bradley noted last week, the whole thing seems like an adventure in confirmation bias.

Then there's the story about the big-time donor to the Freedom-Hater party who, in addition to his deep pockets became a darling to the FHers for his demographic identity, until the sordid side of that came to light:

A relentless schmoozer, the campaign finance bundler introduced the commander in chief to his 25-year-old ex-boyfriend, Kiah Lawson. The pair posed for a cozy snapshot beneath an august portrait of George Washington in the White House library in 2013.

Late last month, however, the former lovebirds posed for a seedier set of pics: their creepy mug shots at the Multnomah County, Ore., Detention Center. After a sweeping investigation led by the Portland police department's sex crime units and two county district attorney's offices, authorities charged Bean with two felony counts of third-degree sodomy and one misdemeanor count of third-degree sex abuse. Lawson was indicted on third-degree sodomy and third-degree sexual abuse.

Then there is the dust-up over the obscure Pub staffer's remark about how Sasha and Malia dressed for a public appearance:

Political decorum demands that presidential children should be left out of political commentary. The same courtesy should be shown toward presidential spouses -- unless the subject is their policy initiatives. You can evaluate or criticize Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" campaign or Michelle Obama's school-lunch program. It is never, ever fair to attack their children, and anyone doing so deserves the Lauten treatment and fate. 

Liberals would agree -- making them hypocrites. Wouldn't it be nice if the liberal media observed this notion for all presidents and presidential contenders and their families? But they have failed repeatedly to be consistent on this principle. They have refused, time and again, to denounce liberal partisans who have verbally assaulted children of Republicans. Usually they don't even cover it! 

Take, for example, the radioactive crud that "comedians" have dropped on Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol. This is what Bill Maher had to say in 2011: 

"In Bristol's new memoir 'Not Afraid of Life' -- working title, 'Whoops, There's a Dick in Me' -- Bristol claims that the night she lost her virginity she had accidentally gotten drunk on wine coolers that she didn't know contained alcohol and then blacked out and didn't remember a thing," Maher declared. "Oh, the Palins. I tell you, the s--t doesn't fall far from the bat."

Or consider the Washington Post-owned website Slate in 2012 holding a caption contest for a picture of presidential candidate Rick Santorum's daughters Elizabeth (age 21) and Sarah (age 14). Sadly, liberal commenters predictably started mocking how these conservative Catholic daughters -- yes, including the middle schooler -- were on contraceptives, or wearing chastity belts or touching themselves sexually.

Then there are the two examples of noteworthy people making a sociopolitical gesture out of the "hands up, don't shoot" fabrication: the St. Louis Rams upon taking the field Sunday, and the five House member who came onto the House floor pulling this stunt. 


What a rich stew of mendacity, hypocrisy, orchestrated balkanization, and distraction from real and urgent national threats (ranging from jihad to debt to the illegal alien flood to the shredding of the Constitution) we have here.  Feminists will of course cling to any possibility of veracity in the UVA story, but continue to lionize Bill Maher.  The St. Louis police will be portrayed as out of touch with post-America's gritty realities for being outraged over the Rams gesture.  The Human Rights Campaign - and the Freedom-Hater National Committee - will continue to be recipients of the largesse of self-righteous gentrified preeners.

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of all this is how easily distracted we are.  A serious nation would be so alarmed at the immediate threats facing it that no one would have time for either grandstanding or reacting to it.

But that's part of the plan.  That's how much the enemy hates the idea of a free, confident and prosperous America.