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I appeared on Silvio Canto Jr's talk show from Dallas yesterday.  It's here.

JUNE 9,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:17 P.M. ET: 

WILL THERE ALWAYS BE AN ENGLAND? – From Fox:  "Inspectors in Britain investigating allegations of a plot to run several schools according to strict Islamic rules said Monday that there is evidence of an 'organized campaign' to target certain schools and a 'culture of fear and intimidation' exists on multiple campuses.  The Office for Standards in Education, or OFSTED, said five of 21 schools it inspected in the central English city of Birmingham failed to protect students from Islamic extremism. The Wall Street Journal reports the schools in question are state schools and have a Muslim majority."  Coming soon to a school near you.

COMMON SENSE – From AP:  "TOPPENISH, Wash. -- When school resumes in the fall in the Toppenish School District, some administrators will be armed for an added level of security.  The Yakima Herald-Republic reports that 11 principals, vice principals and administrators, including Supt. John Cerna, have volunteered under a program approved following the school shooting at Sandy Hook, Connecticut in December 2012.  The armed administrators at Toppenish must pass background checks, obtain concealed weapons permits and receive 16 hours of training. The training includes shoot-don't-shoot scenarios similar to the training police officers receive."  It is plain common sense to have trained personnel at a school, as long as they are carefully chosen.  If an armed intruder appears, "calling the police" is hardly a reply.  By the time the police arrive, it's all over, with tragic results.  Trained personnel can possibly end or deter the threat.  Yet many communities resist trained personnel because of liberal ideology.

TYPICAL – From Indiana Economic Digest:  "INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s largest teachers union is attempting to stop a proposed teaching license that would allow college graduates with good grades and work experience to become classroom teachers.  The so-called career specialist permit is part of an update to the state’s licensing rules that the Indiana State Board of Education may take a final vote on next month.  The Indiana State Teachers Association held a press conference at the Indiana Statehouse this week asking the board to reconsider its decision to keep the proposal alive. Supporters say the license will provide flexibility to high school principals and superintendents when hiring new teachers.  Echoing the sentiments of those against the proposal, Mark Lichtenberg, the head of the Evansville Teachers Association, said on Friday the license 'cheapens' the profession."  No, sir.  What cheapens the profession are the current low standards for teachers.  This new provision is good, and does give administrators additional flexibility to hire outstanding candidates who haven't gone the traditional route, which is loaded with "education" courses.

OBAMA LOSING PRISONER SWAP POLLS – From The Hill:  "A majority says President Obama should have alerted Congress in advance of the deal exchanging five Taliban prisoners for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a new poll finds.  Sixty-four percent believe Obama should be required to give prior warning about such decisions, while 34 percent said he should have the flexibility to make those calls alone, according to a Pew Research/USA Today poll released Monday."  The president's support is eroding.  More and more Americans no longer trust him.   Ordinarily, a president would be given the benefit of the doubt on something like this.

June 9, 2014       Permalink

THE IMMIGRATION CRISIS – AT 10:18 A.M. ET:  There is a new flood of illegal immigrants across our southern border.  This is the price we pay for not securing that border.  It is a mess down there.  There are also reports that a disturbing number of criminals are entering this country.  And many of those crossing the border are children, sent ahead of their parents, knowing that we'll take care of the children.  From the Christian Science Monitor:   

In recent weeks, a tide of young, unaccompanied minors crossing the Texas border illegally has pushed the US immigration system to its breaking point. Unable to cope with the volume of children crossing the border without their parents, immigration authorities have had to find emergency solutions, such as housing thousands in a San Antonio Air Force base, a California Navy base, and a makeshift detention center in Nogales, Ariz.

The Associated Press reported that the Nogales warehouse was running out of supplies.

The Obama administration has linked the trend to unrest in Central American countries, but Republican critics say an executive action that the president took in 2012 is to blame, calling the situation "an administration-made disaster."

President Obama delayed rolling out new deportation reforms in late May partly because it didn't want to further anger Republicans who accuse him of unconstitutionally bypassing Congress to set immigration policy. Now, if he proceeds, he will have to fend off fresh claims that the very policies he has set have pushed the country into crisis.

At issue is Mr. Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which in 2012 allowed some undocumented immigrants who came to America as minors to defer deportation for two years. Last week, the administration announced guidelines for how these immigrants could defer deportation for a further two years.

COMMENT:  We don't want to establish immigration policies on the backs of children, and of course we'll watch over them, no matter how they entered.  But this situation is outrageous, and the president, as usual, doesn't seem much bothered.  If he were a true leader, he'd invite Republicans to the White House and hammer out a comprehensive immigration policy.  Neither side would get everything it wants, but we simply must stop this flood of undocumented immigrants.  We must, in a compassionate way, enforce our laws.  We've seen what's happened in Europe with chaotic immigration.

June 9, 2014       Permalink

INTELLIGENCE, FOR A CHANGE – AT 9:31 A.M. ET:   I must say it's encouraging to see an environmental group working with a corporation to improve the public good, rather than attacking the corporation.  I don't know anything about the science of this, but the story is fascinating.  From Fox: 

FREEPORT, Texas – Before Houston and its suburbs were built, a dense forest naturally purified the coastal air along a stretch of the Texas Gulf Coast that grew thick with pecan, ash, live oak and hackberry trees.

It was the kind of pristine woodland that was mostly wiped out by settlers in their rush to clear land and build communities. Now one of the nation's largest chemical companies and one of its oldest conservation groups have forged an unlikely partnership that seeks to recreate some of that forest to curb pollution.

The plan drafted by Dow Chemical and the Nature Conservancy is only in its infancy and faces many hurdles. But it envisions a day when expensive machines used to capture industrial pollutants might be at least partially replaced by restoring some of the groves of native trees that once filled the land.

"It looks very promising at the early stage of the research," said Mark Weick, director of sustainability programs for Dow. "But for this to become something that is an emission control, everyone needs to know it works."

Many plants, and especially trees, capture pollution naturally when it hits their leaves. Trees with the biggest leaves and the widest canopies capture the most pollutants, especially nitrogen oxide, a common byproduct of combustion that can irritate lungs and contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone. The reforestation proposal imagines emissions from Dow's largest North American factory drifting downwind into the trees near Freeport, Texas.

Dow and the Nature Conservancy began a six-year, $10 million collaboration in 2011, when they came together to look at ways natural resources could be used to save the company money.

After reading an obscure notation by the federal Environmental Protection Agency that suggested reforestation could improve air quality, the two groups decided to research how the idea might work and whether it could be cost-effective.

Scientists used a complex model from the U.S. Forest Service that considers everything from wind patterns to the size of tree leaves and the overall canopy to estimate the air-quality improvements that might come from 1,000 acres of forest.

COMMENT:  We'll follow this.  Maybe sanity is beginning to appear.  Big maybe.

June 9, 2014       Permalink

WE WEEP, WE CRY, WE FEEL THEIR PAIN – AT 9:16 A.M. ET:   At some point the Clintons had to explain their vast speaking fees.  Let the excuses begin!  From The Politico: 

Hillary Clinton is defending taking public speaking fees, saying that she and President Bill Clinton left the White House “dead broke.”

"We came out of the White House not only dead broke, but in debt," Clinton told ABC News in an interview airing Tuesday,. "We had no money when we got there, and we struggled to, you know, piece together the resources for mortgages, for houses, for Chelsea's education. You know, it was not easy."

Clinton’s individual speaking fees average $200,000 per appearance, ABC News notes. She pointed out she has also delivered a number of free speeches.

Her husband, she said, has also worked hard to pay off their debts.

“Bill has worked really hard — and it's been amazing to me — he's worked very hard. First of all, we had to pay off all our debts, which was, you know, he had to make double the money because of obviously taxes and then pay off the debts and get us houses and take care of family members."

Clinton said giving paid speeches allows her to not get attached to a particular group.

"I thought making speeches for money was a much better thing than getting connected with any one group or company as so many people who leave public life do.”

ABC News will air the interview Tuesday in a one-hour special at 9 p.m. ET. Clinton will sit down for a live interview on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday morning.

Clinton’s memoir Hard Choices is due out in bookstores Tuesday.

COMMENT:  Yeah, those debts.  Lots and lots of lawyers, as I recall.  It's estimated by some sources that Bill Clinton has made almost a hundred million dollars since leaving office. 

I love Hillary's explanation that by painfully accepting big bucks to give speeches she isn't getting attached to any one group.  Yeah, right.  Tell me:  How many groups can afford to pay $200,000 for a half-hour speech that everyone has heard before?  I suspect Hillary will get reminders from those groups if she ever makes it to the Oval Office. 

June 9, 2014       Permalink

WARNING FROM PAKISTAN – AT 9:07 A.M. ET:  As we prepare to leave Afghanistan, the Taliban are becoming increasingly active.  Their morale is high.  They will soon be augmented by the Taliban commanders released last week from Guantanamo.  From Reuters: 

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Their backpacks stuffed with food and ammunition, a squad of highly trained Taliban fighters attacked Pakistan's biggest airport in what they clearly expected to be a protracted siege.

Seven fighters were shot dead by Pakistani forces after five hours of intense gunfire at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport. Three died after detonating their suicide-bomb belts.

The Pakistani Taliban said they carried out the attack in response to air strikes in their strongholds near the Afghan border and that their mission was to hijack a passenger plane.

"The main goal of this attack was to damage the government, including by hijacking planes and destroying state installations," said Shahidullah Shahid, a Taliban spokesman.

"This was just an example of what we are capable of and there is more to come. The government should be ready for even worse attacks."

At least 27 people, including 10 militants, were killed.

COMMENT:  Obama tells us that he's ended two wars.  That is not true in any way.  The war in Afghanistan, spilling over into nearby, Islamic, nuclear-armed Pakistan, will continue.  The daring Taliban raid is only an indication of things to come.  And we will worry anew about Pakistan's nuclear weapons falling under radical control.

There is no indication that Obama particularly cares.

June 9,  2014    Permalink

JUNE 8,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:44 P.M. ET: 

WEIRD, MAN – From Mediaite:  "According to one U.S. official, Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has declined to speak with his family by phone after five years in the captivity of Taliban forces.  The report, which came Sunday from Wall Street Journal, also quotes the unnamed official as saying that doctors at a U.S. military hospital in Germany are treating Bergdahl slowly due to the firestorm of controversy surrounding his name stateside."  This is getting stranger by the day.  A lot of hush-hush going on.

ANOTHER GENIUS HEARD FROM – From Fox:  "Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday the Taliban detainees released in a prison swap for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could indeed return to terrorism but largely dismissed the argument that the deal will put U.S. troops further at risk.  Kerry told CNN’s 'State of the Union' the argument that troops in Afghanistan would be more at risk was 'baloney' now that the Taliban commanders have been released, particularly because the United States is winding down its military presence in that country.  'Our combat role in Afghanistan is over,' Kerry said. 'We’re going to have very few people in that kind of position.'"  Those "very few" must be thrilled to hear that.  Many years ago, Kerry said that the Soviet Union was no threat to the U.S. because half the lights were out at Moscow Airport.  A strategic thinker he is not.

GREAT MOMENTS IN EDUCATION – From Fox:  "A Texas mom is angry over a school ban on sunscreen that she says led to her daughter getting a severe sunburn during a field trip.  The North East Independent School District has the restriction because it considers sunscreen toxic, and fears kids will eat it, parent Christy Riggs, of San Antonio, told Fox News.  'The reality is: Children don’t eat sunscreen and they’re not going to,' Riggs said."  Not unless Michelle Obama orders them to.

June 8,  2014     Permalink

LAUNCHING THE NATIONAL CONVENTIONS – AT 11:18 A.M. ET:  The parties are in the process of choosing the cities for the 2016 presidential nominating conventions.  Such excitement.  From Fox: 

Washington Democrats on Saturday announced the names the of U.S. cities that have submitted official bids to host their 2016 national convention -- Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Birmingham, Ala., and Columbus, Ohio.

We don't make predictions here, but my guess is that New York will get it, especially if Hillary runs.  Her husband was nominated in New York in 1992, and the new mayor of the city, Bill DeBlasio, is a Dem darling and a Clinton intimate.

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the bids will be evaluated in the coming months by a committee advisory group and that a decision will be reached by late 2014 or early 2015.

“Hosting a party convention is a true honor, and we’re thrilled with all the fantastic options that we have going into the next cycle,” the Florida congresswoman said.

The Democratic and Republican national conventions are where delegates nominate their respective party’s presidential candidate.

Republicans have already released their list of host finalists for 2016 -- Cleveland, Dallas, Denver and Kansas City, Mo.

I'm guessing Dallas, maybe Kansas City. 

On Friday, New York City Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio suggested to the DNC that his home district, Brooklyn, and its pro sports and entertainment facility, the Barclays Center, be the hub of the convention.

COMMENT:  The Barclays Center, as we've pointed out, is named for an international bank.  That may give some Dems heart attacks.  Besides, it's the ugliest sports arena I've ever seen.  I mean, it would win an ugly contest.  And the traffic is impossible. 

Most chic Dems probably want to have the convention in Indonesia, but that violates tradition.

June 8, 2014       Permalink

AFGHAN ELECTIONS – AT 10:55 A.M. ET:  As we prepare to leave Afghanistan, the country is going through elections that will be crucial to its future, and to its future relationship with the United States.  From Fox: 

The only election that might matter as much to America as the midterms this year is taking place next week, as Afghanistan chooses a new leader to guide the country after more than a decade of war.

For the first time since 2001, Afghans will be choosing a president whose name is not Karzai. The transition is an opportunity for the Afghan people to turn the page on a tenure fraught with corruption and mismanagement, and for America to move beyond an increasingly bitter and contentious relationship.

It also carries the risk that hard-fought gains could unravel in an instant -- observers were reminded of this Friday, when the leading presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah escaped an apparent assassination attempt when his convoy was bombed.

Those risks may have grown after the Obama administration freed five Taliban leaders from Guantanamo in exchange for captured American Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. Sources close to Abdullah told Fox News the candidate is extremely concerned about the Taliban members' release.

Who will lead the war-torn country will be decided in a June 14 runoff between Abdullah and rival Ashraf Ghani. Aside from evident security challenges, another key question is whether the winner will survive the horse-trading and notorious political corruption to emerge a reformer, or send Afghanistan down a path to more of the same, or worse, civil war.

COMMENT:  The war is in Afghanistan is not ending, as Obama inaccurately claims.  (He made the same dishonest claim about Iraq.)  It is entering a new phase.  We'll watch this election closely to see if all our sacrifice will be protected, or will go down the drain.

June 8, 2014       Permalink

GROAN – AT 10:22 A.M. ET:  Some Democrats are absolutely self-destructing over the prisoner swap.  A circular firing squad.  From NRO:

Democratic strategist and former Clinton-campaign manager Donna Brazile said this morning that veterans accusing recently returned Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl of desertion are part of a “PR campaign by Republicans.”

After fellow panelist Ana Navarro noted that members of Bergdahl’s unit had consistently expressed concerns about the circumstances of his capture, Brazile said it was an effort to “muddy the waters” surrounding the prisoner deal.

Quickly criticized for the comment by her fellow panelists on CNN, she said that she’d never impugn the testimony of a veteran, but stood by her comments.

“That’s all they do . . . all they do is focus their vitriol, their rage, against this president,” Brazile said. “If the president this morning had scrambled eggs and bacon, they’d say that’s an unhealthy breakfast. If the president had cereal and fruit, they’d say that’s an unhealthy breakfast.”

In the early days after Bergdahl was released, a former Bush administration official, Richard Grenell, reportedly was involved to some extent in helping soldiers who’d served with the sergeant connect with the media.

COMMENT:  Brazile, who usually knows better, came awfully close to playing the race card.  Many Democrats are actually drifting away from Obama on the prisoner exchange, which has proved highly unpopular with the American people.  But there are some, like Donna Brazile, who are trying to turn Obama into a victim on this one.  It won't work.

June 8,  2014     Permalink