memeorandum: Why does college cost so much? (Tyler Cowen/Marginal Revolution)

1:25 AM ET, February 20, 2011

Top Items:

Tea Party Descends on Madison Protests — Wisconsin Tea Party Activists Are Now Weighing In on the Ongoing State Worker Protests and Exploring Measures to Recall the Missing Democratic Senators — Wisconsin tea party activists are now weighing in on the ongoing state worker protests …

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Sky Dancing, Wall Street Journal and The “Badger 14”

Michelle Malkin:

Photo gallery: What Big Labor protesters are teaching kids (language warning); Update: Slobs — Thanks to reader Justin Falk for sending along these pictures from the progressive Peace&Love march in Madison, Wisconsin today (language warning). Keep it classy, progs! — New Civility.

Discussion: Pajamas Media, Pundit & Pundette and CNSNews

Gov. Tim Pawlenty / Big Government: I Stand with Scott Walker

Charles Lane / PostPartisan:
Tyranny in Wisconsin, Part 4

Discussion: Mother Jones, NewsBusters.org blogs, Balloon Juice and AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

Robert Stacy McCain / The Other McCain:
HERMAN CAIN VIDEO ADDED

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Pundit Press, National Review, Instapundit, GayPatriot, Moe Lane, WisPolitics Budget Blog, No Runny Eggs and Big Government

Lady Liberty / The Gateway Pundit:
Bloggers For Peace Flotilla Arrives In Madison...SITUATION TENSE ...Update: Thousands of Walker Supporters Are Here!

Discussion: Washington Times, Weasel Zippers, Atlas Shrugs, National Review and Da Techguy's Blog

Patrick McIlheran / Real Clear Politics:
FDR's Ghost Is Smiling on Wisconsin's Governor

Discussion: Maggie's Notebook, Weasel Zippers and Althouse

JSOnline:
Biggest protests yet as pro-Walker side, larger union crowd meet peacefully

Discussion: TPMDC, WisPolitics Budget Blog, Crooked Timber and AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

Monica Davey / New York Times:
For Wisconsin Governor, Battle Was Long Coming

Discussion: Sky Dancing, New York Magazine, Runnin' Scared and Mother Jones

New York Times:
Dueling Protests in a Capital as Nothing Much Gets Done

Discussion: CBS News and New York Times

John Fund / Wall Street Journal:
What's at Stake in Wisconsin's Budget Battle

Discussion: The Democratic Daily, International Liberty, Daily Kos, NO QUARTER, YID With LID, Instapundit, PoliPundit.com, Questions and Observations, Bloomberg, Da Techguy's Blog and The Policy Page

Washington Times:
Obama's war on democracy

Discussion: UrbanGrounds

Ben Howe / RedState:
WEAC Publishes Home Addresses of Wisconsin Legislators

Discussion: The Nation, Michigan Capitol Confidential, Reuters and Associated Press

Sara Jerome / The Hill:
Rangel: Wis. proposal attempts to ‘crush the union movement’

Discussion: Weasel Zippers

MacIver Institute:

Fake Doctors' Notes Being Handed Out at Wisconsin Gov. Union Rally — [Madison, WI] As tens of thousands of public employees skipped work this week to attend protest rallies outside the Wisconsin State Capitol, many wondered if they would face any disciplinary action for unexcused absences.

Discussion: Althouse, Left Coast Rebel, Pundit Press, Pajamas Media, The Gateway Pundit, Doug Ross, Daily Kos, Instapundit and JSOnline

Karoli / Crooks and Liars:

Wisconsin Protesters Breitbarted Over Bogus Teachers' Excuses — Fox News broke this bulletin about an hour ago. It stems from a video posted by the MacIver Institute Wisconsin alleging that a doctor is signing bogus excuses for teachers protesting in Madison.

Discussion: iOwnTheWorld.com

Michelle Malkin:

Badger State Battle: Unions vs. Tea Party in Wisconsin; Runaway Dems could be AWOL “for weeks;” recall campaigns launched; nine anti-Walker protesters arrested; fake doctors' notes for fake sick teachers (VIDEO) — It's Battle of the Protest Bands in Madison today, with thousands …

Discussion: Nice Deb, The Page, Pundit Press, Doug Ross, Althouse, GayPatriot, Fire Andrea Mitchell!, Pundit & Pundette, Gawker, Blogging Blue, The Gateway Pundit and AmSpecBlog

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:

Video: Doctors handing out fake medical excuses at WI union protest — Teachers playing hooky. How instructive. — Via Drudge, one of the more hypocritical moments of the union protests in Madison gets committed to videotape by MacIver Institute. Why hypocritical?

Discussion: Instapundit and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

BBC:

Libya protests: Reports of intense Benghazi violence — A former UK envoy to Libya says a key question is what happens in the capital Tripoli (Footage from Libyan TV and amateur sources) — Intense violence has been reported in Libya's second city, Benghazi, with troops said to have opened fire again on anti-government protesters.

Discussion: Guardian, The Atlantic Online, Chicago Boyz, Unqualified Offerings and Libya February 17th

CNN:
Libyan demonstrators say they'll soldier on despite violent crackdown

Discussion: New York Times, The Daily Beast, New York Magazine and The Other McCain

hrw.org:
Libya: Security Forces Kill 84 Over Three Days

Discussion: Guardian, Washington Post, Arabist.net, Firedoglake, The Reaction, The Jawa Report, Outside the Beltway, FP Passport and BBC

Alexander Burns / The Politico:

Florida threatens to shred 2012 calendar — A deepening standoff between national Republicans and top party leaders in Florida has the potential to blow up the 2012 presidential primary calendar — and do lasting damage to the GOP in the nation's largest swing state.

Oregonian:

Rep. David Wu's staff confronted him over concerns about his mental health — WASHINGTON — Three days before the Nov. 2 election, U.S. Rep. David Wu's most loyal and senior staffers were so alarmed by his erratic behavior that they demanded he enter a hospital for psychiatric treatment.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Fox Nation, The Other McCain, Associated Press and JammieWearingFool

Lexington Green / Chicago Boyz:

Getting to a Wisconsin Senate Quorum — Wisconsin Senate rules require a 3/5 quorum in the Senate. There are currently 19 Republican senators, and 14 Democrat senators. — The GOP needs one more to get to 20. — The Democrat senators have apparently said they will stay away for weeks if necessary.

Discussion: The Other McCain

John Merline / AOL News:

Opinion: What Does Government Do? … Pop quiz. What's the biggest single job the federal government undertakes? — National defense? Nope. — Homeland security? Wrong. — Transportation? Not even close. — Law enforcement? No way. — Education? Getting colder. — Foreign aid?

Discussion: Hot Air, Outside the Beltway, CARPE DIEM and Verum Serum

Rick Piltz / Climate Science Watch:

House votes 244-179 to kill U.S. funding of IPCC — Just before 2 a.m. on February 19, the war on climate science showed its grip on the U.S. House of Representatives as it voted to eliminate U.S. funding for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The Republican majority …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Crooks and Liars, The Reality-Based Community, Watts Up With That? and Pirate's Cove

Randy Wyrick / Vail Daily:

Michelle Obama in Vail for weekend — VAIL, Colorado — First lady Michelle Obama is among the Presidents Day weekend crowd. — Obama arrived Friday night for a weekend of skiing in Vail and Beaver Creek, according to local sources. — A motorcade of about a dozen vehicles …

Discussion: Don Surber, Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit, Scared Monkeys, Political Punch and JammieWearingFool

Fausta / Fausta's Blog:

Will the hunger strike in Venezuela lead to another Egypt? #OperacionLibertad #HuelgaDeHambre — While the US goes broke and the Middle East bursts in riots, students have gone on hunger strike in Venezuela protesting human rights conditions in the country.