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AUGUST 30,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET:

MAJOR CRIME NEWS – From the New York Post:  This Hamptonite wants Hillary Rodham Clinton behind bars — and had to put his signs saying so behind an electric fence.  Andy Sabin’s first “Hillary for Prison 2016” signs lasted little more than a day before they were stolen from in front of his Amagansett home last week. So Sabin took steps to make sure the placards were secure.  The red, blue and white signs now sit atop a pair of 12-foot poles behind an electric fence with yellow warning signs. A surveillance camera keeps watch.  Signs he put up in 2008 supporting John McCain’s presidential bid were also taken, said Sabin, a Jeb Bush supporter who runs a precious-metals refining business.  “Living in a town with a lot of left-wing wackos, that’s what happens,” Sabin said.   I'm glad there's one tough, law-abiding Gary Cooper type left in New York State.  Give him a badge.

GREAT MOMENTS IN EDUCATION – From the College Fix:  Eve Bottando’s course “Mass Communications and Culture” at Indiana University Northwest this fall will be all about the “selfie.”  “People think selfies aren’t worthy of nuanced conversations, and they are,” Bottando says. “It’s an excellent teaching moment.”  The course will examine the latest research on selfies (people are actually engaged in such research?) and will “discuss when is an appropriate time to take a selfie.”  I understand the course is restricted to people who test at the genius level.

DEARIE, DO YOU REMEMBER? – From Daily Caller:  ABC News ran a news special in 2009 called Earth 2100, a program warning its viewers about the dangers of climate change.  ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff says the show “puts participants in the future and asks them to report back about what it is like to live in this future world. The first stop is the year 2015.”  A Harvard University professor says, “We’re going to see more floods, more droughts, more wildfires.”  Other voices can be heard saying that “Flames cover hundreds of square mile” and “We expect more intense hurricanes.” Another voice says, “Well, how warm is it going to get? How much will sea level rise? We don’t know really know where the end is.”  Describing dangerous temperature levels and dropping agricultural production, the news package brings in The Weather Channel’s Heidi Cullen, who says, “There’s about one billion people who are malnourished. That number just continually grows.”  The doomsday predictions for 2015 go further and include $12.00 for a gallon of milk and $9.00 a gallon for gasoline, if there is any gas at all that is left.  I paid $3.59 for regular yesterday.  And we're depending on these people to understand the future.

August 30,  2015     Permalink

AS NIGHT FOLLOWS DAY – AT 11:03 A.M. ET:  Some Israeli observers believe they're seeing the first "fruits" of our nuclear agreement with Iran.  From Fox: 

HAIFA, Israel – An unsettling surge in terrorism by Iranian proxies has many Israelis convinced the release to Tehran of tens of billions of dollars in frozen funds is already putting the Jewish state in danger.

In recent days, rockets have rained down on Israel from Gaza in the south and the Golan Heights to the north, Israeli forces foiled a bomb plot at the tomb of biblical patriarch Joseph, and Gaza-based terrorist groups that also have a presence in the West Bank have openly appealed for aid on Iranian television. Israeli officials fear the terrorist activity is spiking as groups audition for funding from Tehran, which is set to receive the long-frozen funds as part of its deal to allow limited nuclear inspections. They say the international focus on Iran's nuclear ambitions has left its more conventional methods of attacking regional adversaries unaddressed.

"The nuclear context is just one aspect of the negative Iranian activities in the region," Emmanuel Nahshon, senior Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, told FoxNews.com. "We can see the demonstration of this on a daily basis in Syria, in Yemen, and in Iraq. We see it also when we see the [Iranian] support of Hezbollah and other groups who operate against Israel."

Last month, National Security Adviser Susan Rice admitted that some of the money due to be released as part of the deal negotiated by the U.S. led P5+1 “would go to the Iranian military and could potentially be used for the kinds of bad behavior that we have seen in the region.”

COMMENT:  And the Iranians are making mischief in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, and other garden spots.  They may also be making a move to wreak havoc in the Sinai peninsula.  Why not?  Field Marshal Obama has shown no stomach for standing up to Tehran.  Why shouldn't they continue to test us?

The Europeans, led by Germany, now stand to make a fortune in trade with Iran.  What is their incentive for curtailing Iranian terrorism, as long as Iran leaves them alone for the moment.  Remember Churchill's warning about those who feed the alligator in the hope that they'll be eaten last.

August 30, 2015       Permalink

DON'T FORGET BERNIE – AT 10:48 A.M. ET:  The Dems are suddenly in love with Joe Biden, at least for a week.  But the guy who's getting the crowds in still Bernie Sanders, socialist of Vermont.  I think the party machinery will eventually crush Sanders, who can't even boast a single scandal to his name, but he's giving the queen a run for her considerable wad of money.  From Bloomberg: 

Hillary Clinton’s once-prohibitive advantage in Iowa has slipped enough to jeopardize her front-runner status and Bernie Sanders has moved to within striking distance, revealing a Democratic presidential field in unexpected flux as Vice President Joe Biden mulls whether to make a late entrance into the race.

The results of the latest Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll, released Saturday, show Clinton is now the first choice of 37 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers in the state where the first ballots of the presidential contest will be cast early in 2016. She's followed by Sanders at 30 percent and Biden at 14 percent. It’s the first time the poll has had Clinton's support under 50 percent.

In May, the Iowa Poll put Clinton, a former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady, at 57 percent, Sanders at 16 percent, and Biden at 8 percent.

"It looks like what people call the era of inevitability is over," said J. Ann Selzer, president of West Des Moines, Iowa-based Selzer & Co., which conducted the poll. "She has lost a third of the support that she had in May, so any time you lose that much that quickly, it’s a wake-up call."

COMMENT:  The wind has gone out of Hillary's campaign.  All that's left is hot air.  Not only does she have an FBI investigation hanging over her, it's increasingly clear that she isn't even a good candidate.  Further, she's held many jobs, but doesn't have many accomplishments to show for her tenure.  She's the classic ticket puncher. 

Comparing Republicans this week to terrorists and Nazis has not improved Hillary's reputation.

August 30, 2015        Permalink

DR. BEN IS IN – AT 10:35 A.M. ET:  With all the Trump talk, let's not forget the steady, quiet rise of Dr. Ben Carson in the Republican presidential sweeps.  People simply like him and respect him, although he's been correctly criticized for not being thoroughly prepared on some issues.  Personal qualities can overcome a great deal.  From Bloomberg:

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has emerged as a leading Republican presidential candidate in Iowa and is closing in on frontrunner Donald Trump in the state that hosts the first 2016 nomination balloting contest.

The latest Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll shows billionaire Trump with the support of 23 percent of likely Republican caucus participants, followed by Carson at 18 percent. When first and second choices are combined, Carson is tied with Trump.

Trump finds himself in a vastly better position than when the previous Iowa Poll was taken. He has become a credible presidential candidate to many likely Republican caucus-goers. The real estate mogul is rated favorably by 61 percent and unfavorably by 35 percent, an almost complete reversal since the Iowa Poll in May. He finds his highest ratings among those planning to attend the caucuses for the first time (69 percent) and limited-government Tea Party activists (73 percent). Just 29 percent say they could never vote for him, a number cut in half since May.

Although he isn't generating the headlines enjoyed by Trump, Carson has quietly built a dedicated network of supporters in Iowa. During the past month, he also aired more ads than any other presidential candidate in Iowa. Carson has the highest favorability rating among Republican candidates, with 79 percent of likely GOP caucus-goers seeing him positively.

COMMENT:  Remember that we have almost a year to go before the conventions.  That's about 20 lifetimes in politics.  The Republican field may look entirely different next summer.  The Democratic field may not because, let's face it, they haven't got many candidates on the presidential level.  Harry Truman is unavailable.

Don't underestimate Dr. Carson.  He gets constantly better on the stump.  If he can't take the top spot, he could turn out as a favorite for vice president.

August 30,  2015     Permalink

AUGUST 29,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 3:10 P.M. ET: 

HOPE AND CHANGE IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL –  From WaPo:  As D.C. police stepped up deployment aimed at curbing violent crime, gunfire erupted on the city’s streets Friday night, killing two and wounding at least five others within a few hours.  The fatal shootings brought the number of homicides in the nation’s capital to 105, equaling last year’s total with four months still left in the year.  No comment yet from President Hope and Change.

TELL IT, JOE – From Newsbusters:   On Friday’s Morning Joe, Bloomberg Politics managing editor Mark Halperin strongly condemned Hillary Clinton’s decision to compare Republican politicians to terrorists over the issue of abortion.  Halperin did not mince words when he repudiated the Democratic frontrunner's language and argued that “[i]f a Republican did this the world would come to a halt.”  Co-host Joe Scarborough was just as harsh on Mrs. Clinton and called her comments “disgusting." The Morning Joe host suggested Clinton "wanted us to talk about this. She wanted to throw a bright shiny object out there. So they don't -- so they don't talk about the e-mail scandal.”  After Scarborough listed off the numerous atrocities terrorists like ISIS commit against women on a daily basis he maintained that Hillary’s comments expose the “sick radicalism” of the Democratic Party.  Sick indeed.  It is a leftist party based largely on group identity and political correctness.  Its foreign policy has weakened this nation to an extraordinarily dangerous level.

REALLY? – From London's left-wing Independent:   Climate scientists are predicting that 2015 will be the hottest year on record “by a mile”, with the increase in worldwide average temperatures dramatically undermining the idea that global warming has stopped – as some climate-change sceptics claim.  Even though there are still several months left in the year to gather temperature readings from around the world, climate researchers believe nothing short of a Krakatoa-sized volcanic eruption that cuts out sunlight for months on end can now stop last year’s record being beaten.  It is rare for climate experts to make such a bold prediction so soon in the year, but they believe that a surge in ocean temperatures in particular now makes it almost inevitable that 2015 will turn out to be the hottest year globally since instruments were first used to gather readings more than 130 years ago.  Ho hum.  Another prediction.  Other predictions for this very year have fallen flat.  Catastrophe is not upon us.  I still say we need a Challenger-type commission to investigate the claims and counter-claims.  I'd also like to know where the money is going for all this "research."  There are plenty of top-quality scientists who are not impressed.

August 29, 2015       Permalink

GOOD ADVICE FOR CONSERVATIVES – AT 11:55 A.M. ET:   It is time to stand up to the biased press, which has its finger on the scale in every election.  From John Hinderaker, at Powerline: 

There are several reasons why Donald Trump is popular with Republicans, even though he probably isn’t a Republican himself, and certainly is not a conservative. One of them is the way he stands up to left-wing media. This is a classic, from earlier today:

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said “CNN is terrible” after one of its reporters asked him about protesters outside his press conference in Norwood, MA on Friday.

After being asked about the protesters outside the event, Trump stated, “I don’t see many protesters. I see thousands of people, and there’s a few protesters. And I figured you’d ask that question because you know — no, that’s the way it is. CNN is terrible. CNN, you’re with CNN? Are you with CNN?”

After the reporter answered that they were, Trump continued, “You people do not cover us accurately at all. So they have a few protesters outside, and they have thousands of people, and the first question from CNN is about protesters.”

Exactly: don’t acquiesce in the liberals’ implicit claims of superiority. Push back, and name reporters for what they are–Democratic Party operatives. All other Republicans in the race should do the same.

COMMENT:  If our side speaks more loudly about press bias, some in the press may actually try to correct themselves, concerned about losing part of their audience.  I said "may."  I'd love to see it happen.

August 29, 2015       Permalink

GRIM FOR HILLARY – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:  The Clinton camp tries to make light of the FBI investigation into Her Majesty's e-mails, but it's anything but a light investigation.  From Fox:

An FBI "A-team" is leading the "extremely serious" investigation into Hillary Clinton's server and the focus includes a provision of the law pertaining to "gathering, transmitting or losing defense information," an intelligence source told Fox News.

The section of the Espionage Act is known as 18 US Code 793.

A separate source, who also was not authorized to speak on the record, said the FBI will further determine whether Clinton should have known, based on the quality and detail of the material, that emails passing through her server contained classified information regardless of the markings. The campaign's standard defense and that of Clinton is that she "never sent nor received any email that was marked classified" at the time.

It is not clear how the FBI team's findings will impact the probe itself. But the details offer a window into what investigators are looking for -- as the Clinton campaign itself downplays the controversy.

The FBI offered no comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

A leading national security attorney, who recently defended former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling in a leak investigation, told Fox News that violating the Espionage Act provision in question is a felony and pointed to a particular sub-section.

"Under [sub-section] F, the documents relate to the national defense, meaning very closely held information," attorney Edward MacMahon Jr. explained. "Somebody in the government, with a clearance and need to know, then delivered the information to someone not entitled to receive it, or otherwise moved it from where it was supposed to be lawfully held."

Additional federal regulations, reviewed by Fox News, also bring fresh scrutiny to Clinton's defense.

The Code of Federal Regulations, or "CFR," states: "Any person who has knowledge that classified information has been or may have been lost, possibly compromised or disclosed to an unauthorized person(s) shall immediately report the circumstances to an official designated for this purpose."

A government legal source confirmed the regulations apply to all government employees holding a clearance, and the rules do not make the "send" or "receive" distinction.

COMMENT:  There is no guarantee that Clinton will be indicted.  If she is, it's all over for her.  If she isn't, she can probably survive, but a severe reprimand could drag her down considerably.  We wait for the outcome of the probe.

August 29, 2015       Permalink

HOUSTON COP LATEST – AT 11:14 A.M. ET:  This is becoming a major national story, the execution of a police officer in Houston.  It is possible a suspect is in custody.  From KTRK:

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A person of interest is in custody after the deadly ambush of a Harris County sheriff's deputy, fatally gunned down without warning Friday night while filling up his patrol car at a northwest Harris County gas station.

We've learned the person of interest is inside the Harris County Sheriff's Office in east Houston and continues to be questioned. So far, no one has been charged.

Deputy Darren Goforth, 47, had just left an accident scene last night when he stopped by a gas station on Telge and West Road. As he was pumping gas, a man approached him from behind, said nothing and fired multiple shots. Once the deputy fell to the ground, authorities say the suspect fired more shots. Deputy Goforth was pronounced dead on the scene.

An intense manhunt covered Harris County for hours overnight. At about 2:30am, authorities converged on a home on Crystal Lake in Copperfield, led there by a tip. The focus of the investigation is on the red pickup truck in the home's driveway. The person of interest was taken into custody at what's said to be his mother's house. His identity has not been released.

The man's mother -- who didn't want to show her face or give her name -- told Eyewitness News her son is innocent. She said, "My son is innocent. I was in the house with him, so when that happened, my son was home."

COMMENT:  Please note that two officers were executed in New York City months ago, after Ferguson.  Law enforcement is under siege, but I don't see much interest by the politicized Justice Department in Washington.

August 29,  2015     Permalink