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JUNE 5,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:58 P.M. ET: 

THE GREAT MORAL LEADER SPEAKS – From the Washington Times:  "Former President Jimmy Carter told AARP Inc. during a recent interview that many Americans hold 'feelings of superiority' toward minorities.  Mr. Carter spoke on a range of subjects with the magazine, including campaign spending and lobbyists, but he made a point to say that the U.S. still is lacking in terms of safeguarding civil rights.  'The recent publicity about mistreatment of black people in the judicial and police realm has been a reminder that the dreams of the civil rights movement have not been realized. […] Many Americans still have racist tendencies or feelings of superiority to people of color,' Mr. Carter told AARP, The Hill reported Thursday." 
What a complete jerk.  Americans have elected a black president.  Such racists.  And Asian Americans, obviously of a different race, are held in the highest esteem because of their work ethic and accomplishments.  Carter likes to pose as a moral leader, but his relationships with Mideast dictators and bullies have been duly noted.

THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS CROWD COMES OUT – From Gateway Pundit:  "'Black Lives Matter' protesters are planning a rally on Friday in support of Usaamah Rahim, the Boston terrorist who was shot and killed in Boston this week."  Why am I not surprised?

NICE TO KNOW – From Fox:  "Fracking supporters were boosted Thursday by a new Environmental Protection Agency report finding the controversial oil-and-gas extraction process has not caused 'widespread' harm to drinking water.  The findings were contained in a draft assessment, as part of a report requested by Congress.  The report said the agency 'did not find evidence' that any process has 'led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States.'"  They'll find something else to dry to disrupt fracking.  You can be sure of that.

DRONE NEAR WHITE HOUSE – From AP:  "The White House has once again been locked down after a drone was spotted in the area.  That's according to a federal official, who wasn't authorized to comment by name and requested anonymity. The official says security was bumped up Friday afternoon but has returned to normal at the White House.  This is the second time in as many months that a drone incident has prompted a lockdown. In May, the Secret Service apprehended a man flying a small drone in a park outside the White House. And in January, a quadcopter drone piloted by an off-duty government worker landed on the White House lawn. President Barack Obama wasn't at home."  After several incidents, why is it still possible for a drone to get near the White House? 

June 5, 2015       Permalink

JUST AS WE'D THOUGHT – AT 1:20 P.M. ET:  I never thought that leftists had much sense of humor.  Now we have documented evidence from a high source.  From Breitbart: 

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld appeared on ESPNU and ESPN Radio’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on Thursday and spoke on how other comedians have told him to not do comedy at college campuses because they are so politically correct now.

According to Seinfeld, people do not even know what they are talking about when they throw out terms such as “racist” or “sexist” and this has made its way into colleges, making them too politically correct to do comedy.

“I don’t play colleges but I hear a lot of people tell me, ‘Don’t go near colleges, they’re so pc.’ My daughter’s 14. My wife says to her, ‘Well, you know, in the next couple of years, I think maybe you’re going to want to hang around the city more on the weekends so you can see boys.’ You know, my daughter says, ‘That’s sexist.’ They just want to use these words. ‘That’s racist. That’s sexist. That’s prejudice.’ They don’t even know what they’re talking about.”

COMMENT:  A reflection of what our educational system has become, under the guidance of the awful sixties generation.  They seek a dull, gray society, everyone conforming, looking the same, where all art, even comedy, exists in the service of the state. 

The mainstream media should be appalled, but it is mostly silent.

June 5, 2015       Permalink

HILLARY MEETS IOWA STUBBORN – AT 9:26 A.M. ET:  You know, Hill, not everyone thinks you're wonderful.  From NRO: 

A new poll released Thursday might contain some bad news for Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton: Iowans want a candidate who is open with the press and voters.

A survey of likely Iowa caucusgoers conducted by the Des Moines Register and Bloomberg Politics from May 25-29 found that 77 percent of the 437 Democrats polled want to elect a nominee who will “meet with and answer questions from news reporters and editors.” An astounding 96 percent of respondents want a nominee who will “take questions from voters.”

"Clinton hasn’t sat for an interview with the Des Moines Register or any other Iowa newspaper this election cycle, but rival Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley have each done multiple interviews,” writes Jennifer Jacobs. “Vice President Joe Biden, who is still weighing whether to jump into the 2016 race, has answered Iowa reporters’ questions at a news conference.”

Clinton’s lack of transparency with the press has become a recurring theme of her second bid for the White House since it was formally announced on April 12. One month to the day after that announcement, the Washington Post debuted a clock on their website that tracks when Clinton last answered a question from the press. At the time the clock launched, it had been three weeks since the former secretary of state had answered a question from the press. Clinton’s lack of transparency with the press has become a recurring theme of her second bid for the White House.

COMMENT:  What really strikes me is that Hillary never seems to learn anything, and has utter contempt for those who are wiser than she is.  She believes she can bully her way to the presidency, avoiding even those in the press who have supported her.  Sadly, she may be right.  But she also may be very wrong. 

There is no love for Hillary.  There doesn't seem to be any great yearning for her.  Polls show she is not trustworthy. 

The trouble is, the Democratic bench is almost nonexistent.  Who else, really, is there? 

Michael Dukakis?

June 5, 2015       Permalink

HILLARY PLAYS THE DEMAGOGUE CARD – AT 9:16 A.M. ET:  She'll do and say anything.  Hillary Clinton yesterday went the demagogue route, with crass, wild appeals to low-information voters.  From The Hill:

Hillary Clinton on Thursday blasted potential Republican rivals for the voting requirements in their states as she proposed a series of policies meant to expand access to the polls

The Democratic presidential candidate called for ensuring at least 20 days of early voting across the country, restoring key pieces of the Voting Rights Act and instituting automatic voter registration.

"Today Republicans are systematically and deliberately trying to stop millions of citizens from voting," she said during a speech at Texas Southern University in Houston.
"I call on Republicans at all levels of government, with all manner of ambition to stop fear-mongering about a phantom epidemic of election fraud and start explaining why they are so scared of letting citizens have their say."

Clinton went after former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush by name, accusing the Republican presidential hopefuls of taking part in “a sweeping effort to disempower and disenfranchise" minorities, young people and the poor.

She also condemned the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision to quash a key portion of the Voting Rights Act, which forced certain states with a history of discriminatory election laws to pre-clear their changes with the federal government. That, she argues, has allowed localities to pass more restrictive voting laws without oversight.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has pushed for new legislation to address that decision. But Republican leaders in Congress have said action is unnecessary because the current structure provides ample protections for voting rights violations.

Clinton suggested Republicans intended to keep voters away from the polls. She said it was a "cruel irony, but no coincidence" that young voters "are now facing so much exclusion."

She said that automatic voter registration across the country, except for those who opt out, would have a “profound impact on our elections, on our democracy,” while panning the current system as a “relic.”

Critics hit back, pointing to the lack of early voting in Clinton's adopted home state of New York, one of 14 states without the option, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“Hillary Clinton’s rhetoric is misleading and divisive. In reality, the vast majority of Americans — including minority voters — support commonsense measures to prevent voter fraud," said Orlando Watson, a Republican National Committee spokesman focused on black media, in a statement.

COMMENT:  Yes, that's correct.  Poll after poll shows that African Americans favor practical measures to avoid voter fraud.  We have standards for voters, like residency and age requirements, and it's up to the voter to show, by accepted means, that he or she meets those standards.  We long ago did away with unfair standards, like literacy tests and poll taxes.  The methods suggested these days are well within reason.

June 5, 2015       Permalink

AMERICANS WANT ISIS DEFEATED – AT 8:52 A.M. ET:  Ordinary Americans seem to have a greater understanding of ISIS than do high Obama officials.  They want ISIS beaten, according to the latest Fox poll: 

Two-thirds of American voters favor doing “whatever it takes” to defeat ISIS. They also think the White House doesn’t have a clear plan to get the job done.

A new Fox News poll finds that 66 percent support “doing whatever it takes” to defeat Islamic extremists.

Far fewer think the president is with them. Just 41 percent think President Obama is prepared to do whatever it takes. Over half say he isn’t (53 percent).

In addition, a 57-percent majority supports the U.S. using its military strength to destroy Islamic extremist groups “once and for all.” That includes a majority of Republicans (69 percent), half of independents (50 percent) and a 48-percent plurality of Democrats.

Most voters approve of the ongoing U.S. airstrikes against ISIS (79 percent) and favor increasing them (68 percent). Another 71 percent favor using drone strikes.

The fervor wanes somewhat when voters are asked about other tactics.

About half -- 51 percent -- favor sending a limited number of U.S. ground troops to Iraq and Syria to fight ISIS. Support drops to 37 percent for sending a “significant number” of troops.

And...

By a 55-35 percent margin, voters think the president has failed to express an appropriate level of outrage over the killing of Christians and Jews around the world by Islamic militants.

COMMENT:  The people are ahead of their government.  They understand the threat.  But don't expect any major change from Field Marshal Obama.  His priority is a pact with Iran, and getting the U.S. out of the Mideast and out of the way of the Muslim Brotherhood, for which he has a strange affection.

We have a bit more than a year and half of Obama, but he can do enormous harm in that time, and seems determined to do it.

June 5,  2015     Permalink

JUNE 4,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:14 P.M. ET: 

PLEASE HELP – From the Washington Times:  "Hillary Clinton’s campaign is asking supporters to offer up their New York City residences for staffers who need a place to crash.  The campaign sent an email Wednesday asking supporters to sign up to host Clinton campaign workers arriving in the city, Fox News reported.  'Got a spare room (or couch!) that another supporter could sleep on for a few days?' asks the sign-in form.  Marlon Marshall, director of State Campaigns and Political Engagement at Hillary for America, wrote in the email that the campaign needs its new hires to start 'right away' at the Brooklyn headquarters."  Of course, the Clintons wouldn't offer any couches in their own home, a bit upstate.  Royalty doesn't do that.

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK – From the Washington Times:  "Most of the illegal immigrant criminals Homeland Security officials released from custody last year were discretionary, meaning the department could have kept them in detention but chose instead to let them onto the streets as their deportation cases moved through the system, according to new numbers from Congress.  Some of those released were the worst of the worst — more than 3,700 'Threat Level 1' criminals, who are deemed the top priority for deportation, were still released out into the community even as they waited for their immigration cases to be heard."  And if they commit horrible crimes, Obama will blame the Republicans, or Bush.

GOOD MAN – Rick Perry is back in presidential politics.  From Reuters:  "Former Texas Governor Rick Perry announced on Thursday he will pursue the Republican presidential nomination again in 2016, seeking redemption for a fumbled White House bid in 2012 and adding to a crowded field of conservative candidates.  Perry said at a rally in Addison, a Dallas suburb, that he would boost the US economy and improve homeland security.  'We don't have to resign ourselves to debt, decay and slow growth. We have the power to make things new again, to project American strength again, to get our economy going again. And that is exactly why today I am running for the presidency of the United States of America,' Perry said. 'If you elect me your president, I will secure that border. Homeland security begins with border security.'"  Perry gave a very good speech.  Sadly, temperatures in the hall soared into the 90s, and he appeared sweaty and grimy, instead of cool and fresh.  First rule of campaigns:  Get an advance team that knows what it's doing.

REMARKABLE – From The Times of Israel:  "An extremely unusual public meeting of high-ranking Israeli and Saudi officials took place in Washington on Thursday, when the incoming director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry shared a stage — and shook hands — with a retired Saudi general who is a former top adviser to the Saudi government.  In their back-to-back addresses to the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations think tank, Dore Gold and Anwar Eshki both espoused Israeli-Saudi peace and identified Iran as the chief threat to regional stability."  Things are happening in the Middle East, mostly as a response to America's weakness and Obama's bizarre cozying up to Iran.  It is clear that Israel and Saudi Arabia are in touch, as the Saudis realize they can no longer depend on the United States.

June 4, 2015       Permalink

OUTRAGE! – AT 10:10 A.M. ET:  Consider this case of a wonderful Asian-American kid, and how he was treated in college admissions.  There is now a lawsuit underway against Harvard for discrimination against Asian Americans in admission decisions. 

Despite their remarkable record of accomplishment, Asian-Americans are not loved by some elite colleges.  They refuse to play the victim role, and their achievements, despite they being of a different race, go against the accepted leftist narrative of a racist society.  If there's anything the left hates in a minority, it's achievement.  How dare they wreck the accepted party line?  From the College Fix: 

Even his perfect ACT score, 13 Advanced Placement courses, a 4.67 weighted grade point average (second in his class), a 2230 on his SATs, participation in national speech, debate and math competitions, plus his piano and choir talents – all that – could not land Michael Wang a spot in the Ivies, Business Insider reports.

“An Asian-American, Wang suspected his race might work against him,” Business Insider notes, “but he was still shocked when he was rejected by Stanford and every Ivy League school except for the University of Pennsylvania.”

As The College Fix reported, Wang filed complaints against Yale and Princeton in 2013 after they rejected him, and he stated at a press conference in Washington D.C. last month announcing a new complaint by other Asian Americans against Harvard that his accomplishments – second in his class, high scores all around and many extracurriculars – should have made him a lock for admission.

“I’m not here to brag about my achievements,” Wang said, describing the “helpless” feeling he had reading rejection letters.

COMMENT:  I hope he wins his case.  Merit should determine college admissions, not quotas.

June 4, 2015       Permalink 

THE QUEEN COMMANDS – AT 9:28 A.M. ET:  Hillary Clinton's behavior toward the press is outrageous, and dangerous.  No matter how flawed the press is, we depend on it to bring us at least some useful information.   The queen apparently feels no obligation to submit herself to routine press questioning.  From Daily Caller:

Reporters attending a Hillary Clinton speech in Houston on Thursday must remain within the confines of barricade and will not have a chance to interview the Democratic presidential nominee, they were informed in a note with big, bold red letters.

“There will be NO opportunities to interview Hillary Clinton,” a press blast from Texas Southern University reads. “Her speech will be her interview.”

After attending fundraisers in Dallas and Austin, Clinton will head to Texas Southern University in Houston to talk about voting rights and to receive the first inaugural Barbara Jordan Public-Private Leadership Award, named after the late Texas congresswoman.

The award goes to “a deserving woman anywhere in the world who shall have made the highest achievement during the preceding year or years in any honorable field of human endeavor in the public or private sector.”

Oh, Hillary certainly deserves it.  All those achievements.  Name one.  These awards are generally given to attract a famous person as a speaker, and call attention to the organization.   Cynicism on steroids.

The strict rules imposed on reporters attending the event are par for the course so far for Clinton’s campaign. She has been criticized repeatedly for choking off reporters’ access and refusing to take questions.

COMMENT:  Criticized, yes.  But, if she is the nominee, the mainstream media will do its ideological duty and work to get her elected.  She'd be a first, you know.

June 4, 2015       Permalink

NEW FOX POLL – AT 8:56 A.M. ET:  A Fox poll just out seems to ratify other polls.  The disappointing number is for Carly Fiorina, whose campaigning has gotten almost universal praise, but who can't seem to gain traction among the voters...at least not yet.  From Fox: 

National security is a much bigger issue for Republicans this time than during the last primary. And more GOP hopefuls make it official -- yet they barely move the needle. Bernie Sanders nearly doubles his numbers and support for Hillary Clinton dips -- even as Democrats say they’re not concerned about allegations of her dishonesty.

These are some of the findings from the latest Fox News poll on the 2016 presidential election.

There’s no true frontrunner in the race for the GOP nomination - and not all the candidates in the poll have declared yet. The new poll, released Wednesday, finds three Republicans receiving double-digit backing from GOP primary voters: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker each receive 12 percent and neurosurgeon Ben Carson gets 11 percent.

They are followed by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul at 9 percent, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 8 percent, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 7 percent, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 6 percent and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 5 percent.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who will make his candidacy official Thursday, and businessman Donald Trump get 4 percent each.

Three Republicans officially threw their hat in the ring recently. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham announced June 1, former New York Gov. George Pataki announced May 28 and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum declared May 27. Each receives 2 percent.

Businesswoman Carly Fiorina and Ohio Gov. John Kasich also each garner 2 percent.

COMMENT:  At this stage polls are heavily influenced by name recognition.  There's been a lot of press on Bush, Walker and Ben Carson, who's become very well known in recent years.  Rubio should probably be higher, and I'm confident that will come as more and more Republicans get to know him. 

A fear is being expressed in some Republican circles that Carly Fiorina will be kept out of the initial debates because of her low poll standing.  That would be a political tragedy.  As a speaker she outshines most of the other candidates. 

There are so many GOP candidates that a debate becomes almost silly.  The audience won't be able to remember the names.  Maybe several debates, over several nights, each one featuring a different group, might be an answer.  An independent panel would choose the matchups.

June 4, 2015       Permalink

NOTHING TO SEE, NOTHING TO SEE – AT 8:21 A.M. ET:  At least according to Field Marshal Obama and the Obama Singing Chorale.  But the fact remains:  Iran continues to build its nuclear program.  From ace defense reporter Bill Gertz at Washington Free Beacon: 

Iran is continuing to develop missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons despite an interim agreement on its nuclear programs, according to a Pentagon report.

“Although Iran has paused progress in some areas of its nuclear program and fulfilled its obligations under the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA), it continues to develop technological capabilities that also could be applicable to nuclear weapons, including ballistic missile development,” a one-page unclassified summary of the report says.

A copy of the report was obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

The report was due to Congress in January but was not sent to the Armed Services Committee as required by law until this month. Analysts said the delay appeared designed to avoid upsetting Tehran and the nuclear talks.

Disclosure of the continuing development of nuclear delivery capabilities comes amid reports that Iran increased the amount of nuclear material that could potentially be used to build nuclear weapons despite the JPOA.

The State Department sought to challenge International Atomic Energy Agency reports on the increase in Iranian nuclear material, despite President Obama’s claim that the nuclear agreement had halted Iran’s nuclear program.

COMMENT:  President Obama, who this last week took on the character of a P.R. guy for the Iranian regime, told us that the Iranians are sticking to every letter of their obligations.  (He did this while relentlessly bashing Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel, America's ally.)

Obama sees a nuclear agreement with Iran as a key part of his legacy, no matter how bad or deceptive the agreement is. 

Countries don't develop long-range ballistic missiles to carry conventional warheads.  They are useful only as nuclear-tipped delivery systems. 

We're certainly in a great place, with great leadership, aren't we?

June 4,  2015     Permalink