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JULY 12,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:31 P.M. ET: 

NO WHITE SMOKE YET – Although there were many predictions that a nuclear deal with Iran would be reached today, Sunday, it wasn't.  There is more negotiating planned.  At the same time, Republicans are warning that, based on their knowledge of what has been agreed to thus far, Obama and Kerry will have a hard time getting Congress to approve the anticipated pact.  Since we have not seen any drafts, it's hard to assess what has actually been achieved.  However, common sense tells us that if Iran were really negotiating in good faith, it would not have taken this long to come to any kind of agreement.

THE TRENDIES TRY TO KILL GENDER – From Newsbusters:  Friday’s Washington Post hyped a new trend in fashion on the front of the Style section. The headline was “His. Hers. Theirs. Whoever’s. In an increasingly genderless fashion industry, if the blouse fits, wear it.”  Fashion writer Robin Givhan championed designers who are asking “Why are clothes assigned a gender at all?” The story began:   Menswear designers are on a mission to eradicate it. Some are going full bore, wielding lace shirts and floppy, grandma blouses like cultural grenades. Others are taking a stealth approach, quietly chiseling away the boundaries between masculinity and femininity through non-traditional retail, models and silhouettes.
...And when New York hosts its first men’s fashion season in recent memory next week, one can only expect more of the same. The over-arching message: Gender is a mood, a metaphor, an anachronism.  And this story is ridiculous, immature, cartoonish.  I guess I must be out of it, but I haven't yet sensed a yearning on the part of men to dress like women, or vice versa.

NIKKI SPEAKS – Governor Nikki Haley's dignified handling of the lowering of the Confederate flag at the South Carolina state house has generated vice-presidential talk.  Haley is a conservative, and it's clear she's not about to trade her conservative values for temporary publicity.  From the Washington Times:   South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Sunday said the botched FBI background check that allowed the man accused of the massacre at a historic black church in Charleston to buy the handgun used in the attack is tragic but does not justify expanding such checks.  “We expect when the feds say they’re going to do something. We take them at their word that it is going to get done. The fact that it didn’t get done is terrible,” Mrs. Haley, a Republican, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”  “When we got the call from the FBI telling us what had happened, I was literally sick to my stomach,” she said, adding that she was told the problem was with the FBI and not state or local authorities.   I am not fanatically opposed to all proposals listed under the category of "gun control."  But I wish that the gun controllers would occasionally come up with ideas that work, don't interfere with legitimate Second Amendment rights, and are properly and professionally implemented.  Then we can talk. 

July 12, 2015       Permalink

THE COLLEGE RACKET – TRUTHS ARE STARTING TO BE TOLD – AT 12:15 P.M. ET:  Ever wonder what is driving the cost of college up to astronomical levels?  A new, serious, study has some answers that the political left will not enjoy.  From Fox: 

A new explosive study has found a direct link between expanded federal aid and rising tuition rates among the nation’s colleges and universities, re-energizing a debate over the escalating cost of post-secondary education for millions of Americans.

Critics say the findings prove a long-held theory that current aid policy is not helping, and may be actually hurting families who are struggling more than ever to afford college, and paying off a mountain of debt for the privilege.

“It’s a disturbing problem because when the government is trying to do something critical to educational success, trying to do something about the increasing wealth gap in this country, and then (schools) raise their prices and absorb it all – you’re just kicking the legs out of the government policy,” Erik Sherman, who writes about income disparity and education for Forbes, tells Foxnews.com, calling the situation a "tuition arms race."

The study, conducted by researchers for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, found that for every new dollar made available in federally subsidized student loans, schools – particularly expensive, private four-year institutions – rose their rates by 65 cents.

COMMENT:  This is not surprising.  Colleges are not the wise and virtuous places they claim to be.  They're political, sometimes corrupt, always looking for a fast buck.  Give them aid and they often squander it on this year's fashions, forcing new tuition hikes.

What if we, as a nation, cut off all aid to higher education outside the sciences?  Schools would then either have to raise tuition dramatically, driving students away, or cut their own expenses, which would be a public service.

Or, we could link federal aid to a school's endowment.  Let them spend some of their own cash for a change.  And let them examine if they really need that new department studying the literature of left-handed Pacific Islanders with trans tendencies.  You know what my answer is.

July 12, 2015      Permalink

HILLARY WOBBLES – AT 11:51 A.M. ET:  Hillary Clinton is about to make a major economic speech.   Notice the excitement?  She probably wouldn't be making the speech if it weren't for the challenge thrown down by Bernie Sanders.  Hillary apparently thought she could coast to the coronation in a gold carriage, with the peasants blowing kisses at her.  Not too many kisses are being blown, and they are worried in the Clinton camp.  From Financial Times: 

Tactical blunders. A strained relationship with the media. An insurgent rival drawing enormous crowds.

For Hillary Clinton, the past few weeks of her 2016 presidential campaign have brought back uncomfortable memories of her failed bid in 2008.

Three months in to what should be one of the best funded, best organised campaigns in history, Mrs Clinton has been unable to draw a line under a series of controversies, or to generate the kind of grassroots enthusiasm that will be crucial to maintaining momentum in the gruelling months ahead.

As she prepares to outline her economic vision for the country in a high-profile address on Monday in New York, Mrs Clinton’s team is betting that a rollout of popular, middle-class friendly policies such as paid sick leave and universal prekindergarten provision will help to reset the debate.

But her rockier-than-expected start continues to unnerve some long-time allies and Democratic donors, who view the rise of rival Bernie Sanders, the 73-year-old self-proclaimed socialist who has galvanised progressives, as a symptom, rather than a cause, of so-called “Clinton fatigue.”

“We are worried about him, sure. He will be a serious force for the campaign, and I don’t think that will diminish,” Jennifer Palmieri, the Clinton campaign’s communications director,” acknowledged this week.

COMMENT:  The reality is that Clinton inspires very little enthusiasm.  Even on the liberal left she is often seen as a devious operator who got rich by marketing her "public service," and who cannot really be trusted to tell the truth.  I think she'd even lie about what she had for lunch. 

She is also seen as too cozy with Wall Street.  She's been left-wing all her life, but the left sees her as not left enough. 

She has one thing left, her most powerful weapon:  gender.  In a party that divides people by groups, and that really has bought into the whole "race, gender, and ethnicity" line of elite colleges, she can claim it's her turn.  And the American people might just go along with her.

July 12, 2015       Permalink

WE'LL SEE – AT 11:14 A.M. ET:   We are being told that a nuclear deal with Iran is close.  Watch for the fine print and the asterisks.  From Fox: 

Negotiators at Iran’s nuclear talks are expected to reach a provisional agreement Sunday that would curb the country’s atomic program in return for sanctions relief, diplomats told The Associated Press, a day after Iran slammed the U.S.

The two diplomats – who are at the talks and demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly -- cautioned that final details of the pact were still being worked out Sunday afternoon and a formal agreement still awaits a review from the capitals of the seven nations at the talks. They said plans now are for the deal to be announced on Monday.

The agreement would cap nearly a decade of diplomacy, including the current round in Vienna that has run more than two weeks and blown through three deadlines.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry dropped warnings Sunday that the talks could go either way.

En route to Mass at Vienna's gothic St. Stephens Cathedral, Kerry said twice he was "hopeful" after a "very good meeting" Saturday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who had Muslim services Friday.

Kerry noted that "a few tough things" remain in the way of agreement but added: "We're getting to some real decisions."

A senior State Department official also said Sunday that the department will not speculate about the timing of anything during the talks and that key issues remain unresolved.

Iran and the U.S. have both threatened to walk away from the table unless the other side made concessions.

Iran’s state-run Press TV cited Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday as calling the U.S. an “excellent example of arrogance.” It reported that Khamenei told university students in Tehran to be “prepared to continue the struggle against arrogant powers.”

COMMENT:  There have been vicious anti-American demonstrations in Tehran, at the same time that we're negotiating a life-and-death agreement with the regime.  It's not madness, by the way.  It's Barack Obama's well-thought-out plan to weaken his own country and strengthen the Muslim Iranian regime.  It is so clear that this man is a hard leftist, but the media dare not mention it.

July 12,  2015     Permalink

JULY 11,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET:

MAJOR HUMAN-RIGHTS NEWS – From Breitbart:   On July 7 the Memphis City Council voted unanimously to exhume the body of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest from its 110 year resting place and move it to another location.  The body of Forrest’s wife will be exhumed as well. According to Local Memphis, the council voted to exhume Forrest’s remains from Health Sciences Park on Union Avenue. They plan to sell a statue of Forrest as well–they are thinking of “selling the statue to anyone who wants it.”  Forrest was the founder of the Klan, and therefore not a nice guy.  But this new anti-Confederacy hysteria has become absurd.  It will not improve the life of a single black child, and does not address the real problems holding that child back. 

BERNIE BURNED? – I was wondering when this would come up.  Bernie Sanders is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, but he isn't a Democrat.  From AP:  CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — From his run for mayor of Burlington to numerous campaigns for Congress, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has for more than three decades eschewed traditional party labels in his pursuit of political office, winning election after election as an independent.  As he seeks the presidency as a Democrat, that unwillingness to be pigeonholed could be a liability in New Hampshire. To get on the ballot in the first-in-the-nation primary state, candidates must fill out paperwork that requires them to identify as a registered member of a political party.  "I don't know if it will be a problem," New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner said when asked whether Sanders' independent status could keep him off the ballot.  These days, when the president of the United States routinely ignores laws, why should New Hampshire be any different?  I have no doubt they'll find a way for Bernie to get around the law.

THE JOYS OF SOCIALISM – Movie stars used to rush to Venezuela to embrace the new order.  They must be having trouble getting air tickets these days.  From Reuters:  CARACAS (Reuters) - Origami-like boats made from Venezuela's rapidly depreciating bolivar bills sit on the cash register of a small fruit and vegetable store in Caracas.  Cashier Marisol Garcia makes the Bolivar boats to illustrate roaring inflation and the currency's tumble on the black market, where even the country's biggest bill is worth just 16 U.S. cents.  "People ask: 'What's that?' I say: 'Our reality,'" explains Garcia, 44, as she rapidly counts wads of notes customers hand her for bananas, coconut juice and mangos.  "We're sinking."  I anticipate that Barack Obama and his crowd will soon rush to embrace the dear, brotherly Venezuelan victims of Yanqui imperialism. 

July 11,  2015     Permalink

BACK TO THE SIXTIES – AT 12:22 P.M. ET:   I'm not so sure that most Americans think this is change they can believe in.  From the Washington Examiner: 

President Obama said Saturday he will use the power of the federal government to pressure communities to integrate low-income minorities into affluent areas.

Obama said his administration is implementing a new rule that will require communities to frequently review the racial and socio-economic makeup of local neighborhoods and regularly report the results to the federal government.

"Just a few weeks ago, the Supreme Court ruled that policies segregating minorities in poor neighborhoods, even unintentionally, are against the law," Obama said, referencing a ruling on the Fair Housing Act largely ignored by the media due to attention on the Obamacare and gay marriage rulings.

The Fair Housing Act was passed under President Lyndon B. Johnson to initiate his failed "Great Society," which sought to eliminate poverty through a series of government programs. Critics charge that its programs, which included housing projects in cities and welfare payments to single mothers, led to the destruction of the black family.

"In some cities, kids living just blocks apart lead incredibly different lives," said Obama in his weekly Saturday address. "They go to different schools, play in different parks, shop in different stores and walk down different streets."

"And often, the quality of those schools and the safety of those parks and streets are far from equal — which means those kids aren't getting an equal shot in life," he said.

COMMENT:  Standard leftist thinking, right out of the sixties.  Sure, we can do better in housing policies, but what Obama doesn't realize is that it's attitudes, social behavior, and social breakdown that are the problem, not skin color.  While there are still segregationists left in America, many communities are successfully mixed, but the success is based on common attitudes and standards.

If good communities (of whatever color) are compromised by newcomers who don't share the community's values, the people who built those good communities – again, regardless of race or background – will flee.  We see it all the time.

Obama has been on a radical march since the November election, the last time he had obligations to his party.  We can only imagine what the next year and a half will be like.

July 11, 2015         Permalink

I'M SHOCKED, SHOCKED – AT 11:58 A.M. ET:  My pills, please, my pills.  I have just learned that the Iranians are already cheating on their nuclear agreements.  I cannot believe that these fine souls, who make such nice rugs, would do something like this.  From Fox: 

While U.S.-led world powers hold talks with Iran in Vienna to curb Tehran’s illicit nuclear weapons program, the Islamic Republic’s spies have been seeking atomic and missile technology in neighboring Germany as recently as last month, according to German intelligence sources.

Iran’s illegal activities have continued since talks between Iran and the P5+1 - the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as well as rotating member Germany - began with a Joint Plan of Action in 2013, according to German intelligence sources. The JPOA was intended to stop Iran’s work on a nuclear weapon until a comprehensive agreement is reached.

With a final agreement to restrict Iran’s nuclear program set for Monday, the intelligence data from Germany raises disturbing questions about the success of a deal.

”You would think that with the negotiations, [Iranian] activities would drop,” a source said. “Despite the talks to end Iran’s program, Iran did not make an about-turn.”

The startling revelations of Iran’s ongoing duplicity first appeared Friday on the website of The Weekly Standard.

Iran has a long history of illegally obtaining nuclear technology from within Germany and transporting it in ways that circumvent international sanctions. German companies have shown an eagerness to legally tap the Iranian market, though none are accused of abetting illegality in the latest efforts by Iran.

COMMENT:  None of this will bother Barack Obama.  He sees only his legacy, and how it will impress his true audiences – the American left, the Third World, and the Muslim world.  By the time Iran's nuclear program reaches fruition, Obama will be long out of the White House, possibly secretary-general of the UN, where he can finally shed his burdensome American identity. 

July 11, 2015        Permalink

MARCO IN SPANISH – AT 11:46 A.M. ET:  We've said for some time here that Marco Rubio may have the best shot at actually winning next year's presidential election...if he can get the nomination.  He and Carly Fiorina, perhaps the most articulate candidate in the race, are lagging in the polls.

Now Marco is demonstrating one of his greatest assets – the ability to connect with the growing Hispanic population.  From ABC:

On the campaign trail this week, Marco Rubio chatted with a woman from San Salvador. Claudia Steele, who is now an American citizen and a voter, eagerly told him she would do everything she could to support his presidential bid. Rubio thanked her, and the two discussed politics and family — all in Spanish.

When Steele told Rubio she was the only Latina member of her local Republican organization, Rubio answered, smiling, "Hay que cambiar eso.” (Translation: “We need to change that.”)

But this wasn’t downtown Miami. It was a western suburb of Des Moines, Iowa.

While Republicans worry recent comments by Donald Trump comparing illegal immigrants to rapists and drug dealers may harm the party’s chances with Hispanic voters during the 2016 election cycle, the 44 year-old Senator from Florida was welcomed with open arms — quite literally — by the Spanish speakers who came to meet him over the course of his three-day swing in Iowa. According to 2003 U.S. Census bureau, just 5.5 percent of the population of the Hawkeye State identifies as Hispanic or Latino, but more than a few found Rubio this week.

Steele said she thinks it’s important Rubio speaks Spanish. "It helps him communicate and connect with the community," she said in an interview with ABC News. (Fellow GOP candidate Jeb Bush is also a fluent Spanish speaker).

COMMENT:  Republicans must reach out to Hispanic voters.  Many Hispanics are socially conservative and are true believers in the American dream.  Historically, though, Republicans have been incompetent at convincing minorities that their best interests lie with the GOP.  Rubio can change that, if he's given the chance.

July 11,  2015     Permalink