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DECEMBER 22,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:41 A.M. ET: 

GREAT MOMENTS IN BAD TASTE – From the Washington Times: The Washington Post pulled a political cartoon Tuesday night that portrayed the daughters of Ted Cruz — ages 7 and 4 — as monkeys.  The cartoon by Ann Telnaes showed the two girls as dancing like small simians before Mr. Cruz, who is Hispanic, dressed as an organ-grinder.  Ms. Telnaes captioned the cartoon as “Ted Cruz uses his kids as political props” and defended her portrayal of the girls on Twitter, saying that because the Texas senator showed them in a humorous political ad “they are fair game.”  Praise to the Washington Post for pulling the cartoon.  Children are off limits. 

GREAT MOMENTS IN FIGHTING RACISM – From the College Fix:  MRCTV’s Dan Joseph recently presented college students with a “petition” calling on radio stations to ban the song “White Christmas” because, according to the petition, it’s “insulting to people of color and perpetuates the idea that being white is automatically a positive attribute in our society.”  Here’s some of the comments Joseph made to students as he talked to them about the song.  “It perpetuates the idea that white is naturally good, and that other colors are bad, and we feel that that’s a micro-aggression,” he told one student.  “And we think that the song ‘White Christmas’ is insulting to people of color because it says snow is white and therefore it is good – but we know there are other kinds of snow,” Joseph told another student. “It’s dirty on the ground, sometimes it turns brown, sometimes it turns black.”...He got 18 signatures from students in about an hour.  See the video of these geniuses here. 

TRUMP GETTING BACKLASH – From ABC:   Fifty percent of American voters say they would be “embarrassed” if Donald Trump were president, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released this morning.  The current Republican frontrunner, whose 28 percent support in this poll tops his competition for the GOP nomination, would make 23 percent of voters “proud,” the poll found. Other recent national polls have found Trump’s lead for the GOP nomination at more than 20 percentage points.  I'm afraid Trump's vulgarity is catching up with him.  He makes some excellent observations, but Americans want a certain stature in a president, and Trump isn't supplying it.  He needs a finishing school.

December 22, 2015       Permalink

NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT – AT 10:08 A.M. ET:   Our economy is not doing well, despite the smiling faces of the Obama government and its press allies.  From marketwatch.com:

The economy expanded a touch slower in the third quarter than previously reported, revised government figures show, but the path of growth is still the same: The U.S. running well below the historical norm more than six years into a recovery.

Gross domestic product — the sum of all the activity in an economy — increased at a 2% annual pace from July to September, according to the government’s latest update. Previously the Commerce Department had said the U.S. grew at a 2.1% rate after a 3.9% increase in the second quarter.

The slight downgrade was triggered by a larger trade deficit and a smaller buildup in inventories than earlier estimates showed.

The U.S. expanded at a 2.2% rate through the first nine months of the year, and the economy is projected to grow at a similar pace in the fourth quarter that ends on Dec. 31. If so, the economy will have failed to reach 3% growth for the 10th straight year, marking the slowest stretch since the end of World War II.

Historically the economy has expanded at a 3.3% rate.

COMMENT:  Hillary won't be able to sell this economy to the American people.  And her foreign-policy record is bumpy.  The question is whether the Republican Party can exploit Clinton's weakness, or once again fail to perform.

December 22, 2015       Permalink

OH DEAR, OH DEAR, WE MUST SUPPRESS THIS! – AT 9:46 A.M. ET:  Who do these people think they are?  Scientists?  How dare they upset us.  We need a safe space.  From London's Express: 

Major theories about what causes temperatures to rise have been thrown into doubt after NASA found the Earth has cooled in areas of heavy industrialisation where more trees have been lost and more fossil fuel burning takes place.

Environmentalists have long argued the burning of fossil fuels in power stations and for other uses is responsible for global warming and predicted temperature increases because of the high levels of carbon dioxide produced - which causes the global greenhouse effect.

While the findings did not dispute the effects of carbon dioxide on global warming, they found aerosols - also given off by burning fossil fuels - actually cool the local environment, at least temporarily.

The research was carried out to see if current climate change models for calculating future temperatures were taking into account all factors and were accurate.

A NASA spokesman said: "To quantify climate change, researchers need to know the Transient Climate Response (TCR) and Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity (ECS) of Earth.

COMMENT:  Maybe we don't know as much about "climate change" as the scientific establishment claims we do.  This is a fascinating report.  Charles Krauthammer says that he is neither a proponent nor a denier of climate-change claims.  He wants more information.  So do I.  So do the American people, who rank "climate change" low on their priority list.

We are being asked to spend trillions of dollars to defeat said "climate change."  Maybe we'd better hide our checkbooks and ask some questions first.

December 22, 2015       Permalink

WHAT SIDE IS HE ON? – AT 9:31 A.M. ET:  John Kerry is, once again, going out of his way to help the Iranian mullahs.  From Fox: 

Republicans on Monday blasted Secretary of State John Kerry for suggesting in a letter to his Iranian counterpart that the administration could help the country get around new visa restrictions passed by Congress.

“Instead of bending over backwards to try to placate the Iranian regime, the White House needs to be holding it accountable for its recent missile tests, its continued support for terrorism, and its wrongful imprisonment of Americans,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., said in a statement to FoxNews.com.

At issue are tightened security requirements for America’s visa waiver program, which allows citizens of 38 countries to travel to the U.S. without visas. Under changes in the newly signed spending bill, people from those countries who have traveled to Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan in the past five years must now obtain visas to enter the U.S.

Top Tehran officials, however, complained the changes violate the terms of the nuclear deal, which says the U.S. and other world powers will refrain from any policy intended to adversely affect normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran.

Kerry responded to these concerns in a to his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif -- and suggested the administration could simply bypass the rules for Iran.

“I am also confident that the recent changes in visa requirements passed in Congress, which the Administration has the authority to waive, will not in any way prevent us from meeting our [nuclear deal] commitments, and that we will implement them so as not to interfere with legitimate business interests of Iran,” he said.

Kerry’s letter to Zarif assured that the U.S. would “adhere to the full measure of our commitments.” As for changes to the visa program, Kerry floated several alternative options for easing any impact on Iran – including waiving the new requirements.

COMMENT:  Absolutely unbelievable.  We're effectively working for an enemy nation.  This is appeasement at its worst.  In addition, there are these little detailed provisions of the nuclear agreement that got very little publicity when the agreement was announced.  A press failure, in my view, and one that can come back to haunt us.

December 22, 2015       Permalink

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT – AT 9:18 A.M. ET:  Associated Press has named ISIS as the top story of 2015.  This will no doubt upset Field Marshal Obama and Grand Admiral Kerry:

NEW YORK (AP) — The far-flung attacks claimed by Islamic State militants and the intensifying global effort to crush them added up to a grim, gripping yearlong saga that was voted the top news story of 2015, according to The Associated Press' annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors.

The No. 2 story was the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that led to legalization of same-sex marriage in all 50 states. But several of the other stories among the Top 10 reflected the impact of the Islamic State, while another group of major stories related to the series of mass shootings in the United States.

Among the 100 voters casting ballots, first-place votes were spread among 17 different stories. The Islamic State entry received 37 first-place votes and same-sex marriage 13. The No. 3 story — the deadly attacks in Paris in January and November — received 14 first-place votes.

A year ago, the top story in AP's poll was the police killings of unarmed blacks in Ferguson, Missouri, and elsewhere — and the investigations and protests that ensued. In this year's poll, a similar entry, with more instances of blacks dying in encounters with police, placed fifth.

The first AP top-stories poll was conducted in 1936, when editors chose the abdication of Britain's King Edward VIII.

COMMENT:  The key is that ISIS is a continuing story.  Also, the American people are far ahead of the administration, which is not uncommon.  They understand that there can be many strikes on the United States in one day.  After all, 9-11, a complex operation, hit three separate targets – New York, Washington, and an airliner over Pennsylvania.  The recent Paris attacks hit six targets, almost simultaneously.  Americans also understand that, eventually, ISIS and other groups will get much more sophisticated weapons, including weapons of mass destruction.

The president whined yesterday that the media exaggerates the threat of terrorism.  He is wrong, as he usually is.

December 22,  2015     Permalink

DECEMBER 21,  2015

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

OH, THE TIMING – From USA Today:  Chelsea Clinton announced on Twitter that she is pregnant with her second child, due sometime next summer.  Absolutely perfect.  The birth will come about the same time as the Democratic convention.  If they name the baby Barack you'll know who's running things.

TRUMP AHEAD IN LINCOLNLAND – From the Chicago Sun-Times:  Trump, at 30 percent, is the top GOP presidential candidate in Illinois, according to a new poll, with double the points of Sens. Ted Cruz at 15 percent and Marco Rubio at 13 percent.  Okay, but 30% is far from a majority.  There are many more people who are not for Trump than for him.  As the field thins, competitors will start to rise.

THE FALL OF OUR CIVILIZATION – From Newsmax:   In the Netherlands, where prostitution is legal but regulated, the government has ruled that it is legal for driving instructors to accept sexual favors in return for driving lessons, Great Britain's The Telegraph reports.  Students and instructors must be over age 18 – and the ruling is a one-way street: Instructors can ask to be paid with sex, but students cannot offer to pay with sex.  The arrangement is legal, though "undesirable," Transport minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen and Justice minister Ard van der Steur said.  That is called a "progressive" country.  Coming soon to Obamaland.

GRAFFITI BACK IN NYC – From CBS:   NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Graffiti was an infamous symbol of the decline and decay of New York City in the 1970s and ’80s, and some now say it appears to be making a comeback.  As CBS2’s Scott Rapoport reported Monday, residents have noticed and they want it gone.  Bold graffiti lines parts of walls, ramps and pavement at the Forest Hills Long Island Rail Road station in Queens.  “It’s awful,” one man said.  “Most of the time it’s ignored,” said City Councilmember Karen Koslowitz (D-29th).  This is what happens when a city elects a far-left, "tolerant" mayor like Bill de Blasio.  Do voters ever learn?

December 21, 2015       Permalink

GRAHAM OUT – AT 9:56 A.M. ET:  Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has pulled out of the GOP presidential race.  From CNN:

Senator Lindsey Graham is ending his presidential campaign, he told CNN during an exclusive interview airing Monday.

"I'm going to suspend my campaign. I'm not going to suspend my desire to help the country," the South Carolina senator said in a wide-ranging and candid discussion in which he acknowledged: "I've hit a wall here."

He made the official announcement in an email to supporters and Youtube video posted Monday morning.

Graham is known for his quick wit and famous for his one-liners (just ask Princess Buttercup about his retort from the last debate), but he was sober, serious and emotional as he described his decision to leave the race just weeks before the voting begins.

One thing is clear: Graham still wants his voice heard on the direction his party is headed, especially with regard to the Middle East.

"Here's what I predict. I think the nominee of our party is going to adopt my plan when it comes time to articulate how to destroy ISIL," he said. "We've fallen short here, but the fight continues. To those who are doing the fighting, I want to be your voice. To those in the Republican Party who want to win, check my plan out. Hillary, if you get to be President, I'll help you where I can. I hope you're not. But if you are, I'll be there to help you win a war we can't afford to lose."

Graham's decision -- which leaves a field of 12 main GOP candidates (CNN had 13 at its last Republican debate, including Graham) -- comes just days after the CNN Republican Presidential Debate in Las Vegas, where he was widely viewed as dominating the undercard debate.

COMMENT:  Graham has been controversial in the Republican Party.  Some consider him a RINO (Republican in name only) because of his willingness to compromise with the other side.  But on foreign and defense policy I think he's been superb, and his voice will be missed.  He has a clear view of who are enemies are and why they must be decisively defeated. 

We don't have to agree with someone on every issue to realize his value on the most critical issues.  I hope Graham, despite disagreement on some things, continues to be an active voice on national security.

December 21, 2015       Permalink

CHILLING – AT 9:19 A.M. ET:  The president says we must keep terrorism in perspective.  Okay, Field Marshal Obama, how about providing some perspective on this!  From The Wall Street Journal:

Iranian hackers infiltrated the control system of a small dam less than 20 miles from New York City two years ago, sparking concerns that reached to the White House, according to former and current U.S. officials and experts familiar with the previously undisclosed incident.

The breach came amid attacks by hackers linked to Iran’s government against the websites of U.S. banks, and just a few years after American spies had damaged an Iranian nuclear facility with a sophisticated computer worm called Stuxnet. In October 2012, then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta called out Iran’s hacking, prompting fears of cyberwar.

The still-classified dam intrusion illustrates a top concern for U.S. officials as they enter an age of digital state-on-state conflict. America’s power grid, factories, pipelines, bridges and dams—all prime targets for digital armies—are sitting largely unprotected on the Internet. And, unlike in a traditional war, it is sometimes difficult to know whether or where an opponent has struck. In the case of the dam hack, federal investigators initially thought the target might have been a much larger dam in Oregon.

Many of the computers controlling industrial systems are old and predate the consumer Internet. In the early digital days, this was touted as a security advantage. But companies, against the advice of hacking gurus, increasingly brought them online in the past decade as a way to add “smarts” to U.S. infrastructure. Often, they are connected directly to office computer networks, which are notoriously easy to breach.

These systems control the flow in pipelines, the movements of drawbridges and water releases from dams. A hacker could theoretically cause an explosion, a flood or a traffic jam.

COMMENT:  Of course, now with the Iran nuclear agreement, the Iranians are our pals.  They'd never do something like this again, would they?  Please give the approved answer, as certified by Valerie Jarrett.

December 21, 2015       Permalink

TRUMP AT HIS WORST – AT 8:24 A.M. ET:  Vladimir Putin praised Donald Trump last week.  Trump, a man with a monumental ego, has now responded with some of the worst, most incompetent statements I've ever heard from a presidential candidate.  From The Hill:

Donald Trump is defending Russian President Vladimir Putin against allegations that he has given orders to kill journalists in his country.

“As far as the reporters are concerned, obviously I don’t want that to happen, I think it’s horrible,” Trump said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “But, in all fairness to Putin, you’re saying he killed people, I haven’t seen that. I don’t know that he has. Have you been able to prove that?

Does the name "Ukraine" come to mind?

The Republican primary front-runner, who has complimented Putin as “highly respectable,” said there is no evidence that the Russian strongman has killed reporters out of political motivation.
“Now, I think it would be despicable if that took place, but I haven’t seen any evidence that he’s killed anybody in terms of reporters,” he said.

Reporters just have a way of disappearing in Moscow.  Must be a coincidence.  Or the flu.

Trump acknowledged that there are allegations of nefarious activity against the Russian president, but said Putin has “always denied it.”

“He’s always denied it. He’s never – it’s never been proven that he’s killed anybody. So, you know, you’re supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, at least in our country. It has not been proven that he’s killed reporters,” he said.

The billionaire businessman has been criticized by Republicans and Democrats for his congenial rhetoric about Putin.

COMMENT:  This is embarrassing.  It's just disgraceful.  A man with this judgment must never be president.   I just hope the voters see it clearly.

December 21,  2015     Permalink