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JUNE 6,   2015

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

HEAD CASE – From TIME:  "A Chinese doctor has been surgically transplanting the heads of mice—and he eventually wants to perform head transplants on humans, too.  Surgeon Xiaoping Ren has performed roughly 1,000 head transplants on mice since 2013, and has had more success than anyone else with the surgery, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The mice—whose new heads sometimes have different colored fur than their bodies—have lived as long as a day after the operations."  Hillary Clinton showed up at his office with a photo of Angelina Jolie and told him, "I want that."

VICTORY – American Pharoah won the Triple Crown in racing today through its victory in the Belmont Stakes.  President Obama is reported to have expressed frustration and annoyance.  He'd been told all his life that he was the American Pharoah.

HYPOCRISY – From American Thinker:  "You can’t get much more hypocritical than the New York Times, which acted as a megaphone for the oppo research efforts of American Bridge, the pro-Hillary operation founded by David Brock. The 'scandal' amounted to four traffic tickets for Marco Rubio over 18 years, puffed up by including his wife’s driving record into a headline of 17 violations for the couple.  The problem is that the Times studiously ignored the scofflaw behavior of Barack Obama, who ignored 15 outstanding parking tickets until his run for the presidency forced him to clean up his record."   A demigod doesn't have to pay parking tickets.  Those are the rules posted at the Democratic national headquarters.

June 6, 2015        Permalink

THIS DAY – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:   This is D-Day, the sixth of June.  It was 71 years ago today that the largest invasion in human history was launched at Normandy, on the coast of France. 

For those of us of a certain age, commemorations of D-Day were major events.  Perhaps the greatest of those commemorations was in 1984, the 40th anniversary, when President Ronald Reagan delivered one of the most stirring speeches of his career, at Normandy, with veterans of D-Day present:

We're here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For 4 long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here in Normandy the rescue began. Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.

And...

These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.

And...

Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender's poem. You are men who in your ``lives fought for life . . . and left the vivid air signed with your honor.''

And...

We are bound today by what bound us 40 years ago, the same loyalties, traditions, and beliefs. We're bound by reality. The strength of America's allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe's democracies. We were with you then; we are with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny.

Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: ``I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.''

COMMENT:   Compare please the words of Ronald Reagan to what we have today.  I'm afraid we have forsaken, at least for now.

A recurring theme of current commemorations is that we must not permit D-Day to be forgotten.  The youngest veterans of World War II will this year be 87.   Their numbers are diminishing rapidly.  In 13 years, the youngest vet will be 100. 

Will Americans still remember in 13 years?   I think enough will to make a difference.  And if our leadership remembers, that will make a great difference.  Reagan at Normandy showed us that great leadership uplifts the nation.

June 6, 2015       Permalink

OH, I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE – AT 10:58 A.M. ET:  Isn't it wonderful how Comrade Putin seeks to assure us, to put us at ease, to resist the warmongering class in American politics?  He is a peacemaker, just like our magnificent Saint Barack the First.  From AFP: 

Moscow (AFP) - Russia is not a threat to the West, President Vladimir Putin insisted in an interview published on Saturday, saying he was still committed to a Ukraine peace deal after a fresh flare-up in the country's east.

"I would like to say - there's no need to be afraid of Russia," Putin told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera in an interview published Saturday, ruling out a major conflict between Russia and NATO member countries.

"The world has changed so much that people in their right mind cannot imagine such a large-scale military conflict today."

"We have other things to do, I can assure you," the Russian president said.

"Only a sick person -- and even then only in his sleep -- can imagine that Russia would suddenly attack NATO."

The Russian president spoke ahead of his visit to Italy next week that will include a meeting with Pope Francis.

COMMENT:  Oh, it's so comforting.  I shall go through this weekend recalling his words.  I will not think about Ukraine today.  I'll think about it tomorrow.  After all, tomorrow is another day.

June 6, 2015        Permalink

ANOTHER NIGHT IN CHICAGO – AT 10:41 A.M. ET:  It's so routine, it doesn't even bother a mother trying to put her kids to sleep.  From CBS: 

(CBS) – The projectiles were flying were flying in a West Side neighborhood. It wasn’t gunfire, but it wasn’t exactly safe, either.

CBS Roseanne Tellez checked out a recent video that shows young people dueling in Garfield Park with roman candles, the tubelike fireworks that emit fireballs.

The “fight” among young men stopped traffic on busy Western Avenue and left debris strewn from Adams to Madison streets.

“I heard it through my window, i came outside, I saw them chasing each other with Roman candles, like battling each other in the middle of the street with Roman candles holding up traffic, it was crazy,” said Bridget Williams, who lives nearby. “Better that than guns and violence, I guess, but that’s still not safe.”

The Chicago Fire Department stresses that fire balls could ignite clothing, burn skin or even cause blindness if they hit eyes.

Chicago police were called and responded Tuesday night, but by then the crowd had dispersed. No one was arrested, and there were no reported injuries.

“It don’t bother me,” said Chaquita Lane, another neighbor. “Sometimes they do it when I try to put my kids to sleep. I guess that’s how they play over here.”

COMMENT:  Daniel Patrick Moynihan called it "defining deviancy down."  People get so used to something awful that it becomes normal.

We're getting there, we're getting there fast.

June 6,  2015     Permalink

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