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NOVEMBER 12,  2015

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

STILL NUTS AFTER ALL THESE YEARS – From The Hill:   Author and recording artist Sister Souljah on Thursday blasted Hillary Clinton’s public persona.  “She reminds me too much of the slave plantation white wife of the white ‘master,’ ” Souljah said, according to Time.  “She talks down to people [and] is condescending and pandering,” she said of the Democratic presidential front-runner.  “She even talked down to the commander in chief, President Barack Obama, while she was under his command,” Souljah added, referencing Clinton’s tenure as secretary of State from 2009 to 2013.  Souljah’s remarks continue a feud with Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton that began more than a 20 years ago.  There are psychiatric services available for people like this.

ONLY? – From Reuters:  NEW YORK – At least one in five adult New Yorkers suffer from depression, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts or other psychological disorders every year, according to a report released on Thursday ahead of Mayor Bill de Blasio's new mental-health initiative.  This is great news.  Having lived here most of my life, I would have thought the number was much greater, especially in the Democratic precincts. 

THE MARCH OF MADNESS – From Campus Reform:   On Tuesday, November 10, the Minnesota Student Association (MSA) – the undergraduate student government at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (UMN) – rejected a resolution for a moment of recognition on future anniversaries of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.  Theo Menon, the student group representative to MSA for the College Republicans (CRs) at UMN, introduced the resolution; MSA’s forum voted against it 36-23 (with three abstentions)...At-large MSA representative and Director of Diversity and Inclusion David Algadi voiced severe criticism of the resolution. He also made sure to emphasize 9/11’s status as a national tragedy in his response.  “The passing of this resolution might make a space that is unsafe for students on campus even more unsafe,” said Algadi, “Islamophobia and racism fueled through that are alive and well.”  Algadi added that holding a moment of recognition over a tragedy committed by non-white perpetrators could increase racist attitudes on campus, asking, “When will we start having moments of silence for all of the times white folks have done something terrible?”  This is a state university.  The people of Minnesota might consider a sizable cut in funding until the inmates improve the asylum.

WARNING – From CBS Local:   SAN JOSE, Calif. (CBS Sacramento) — When choosing a smart television, buyers are often presented with a variety of features. One they may not be aware of: that TV could be watching you.  Vizio Smart TVs, one of the most popular manufacturers, can track your viewing tendencies and report them to advertisers, as reported by ProPublica.  The feature, “Smart Interactivity,” is already turned on as a default setting for millions of people who have purchased the device. Viewers are able to turn off the setting, that is, if they know it even exists.  Should be a big warning label as a matter of practice. 

November 12,  2015     Permalink

HILLARY, WE HARDLY KNEW YE, AND THAT'S GOOD NEWS FOR US – AT 9:41 A.M. ET: I still think the Dems will get Hillary out of serious legal trouble, while the Republicans botch their response, but the fact is that the FBI probe appears to be getting very serious.  The bottom line here is that, even if Hillary isn't indicted, results of the probe will leak out.  Can't do her any good.  From Fox: 

The FBI has expanded its probe of Hillary Clinton's emails, with agents exploring whether multiple statements violate a federal false statements statute, according to intelligence sources familiar with the ongoing case.

Fox News is told agents are looking at U.S. Code 18, Section 1001, which pertains to "materially false" statements given either in writing, orally or through a third party. Violations also include pressuring a third party to conspire in a cover-up. Each felony violation is subject to five years in prison.

This phase represents an expansion of the FBI probe, which is also exploring potential violations of an Espionage Act provision relating to "gross negligence" in the handling of national defense information.

"The agents involved are under a lot of pressure and are busting a--," an intelligence source, who was not authorized to speak on the record, told Fox News.

The section of the criminal code being explored is known as "statements or entries generally," and can be applied when an individual makes misleading or false statements causing federal agents to expend additional resources and time. In this case, legal experts as well as a former FBI agent said, Section 1001 could apply if Clinton, her aides or attorney were not forthcoming with FBI agents about her emails, classification and whether only non-government records were destroyed.

Fox News judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano said the same section got Martha Stewart in trouble with the FBI. To be a violation, the statements do not need to be given under oath.

COMMENT:  Let's see what they find.  Bottom line, it will be up to the attorney-general, Loretta Lynch, to decide whether to prosecute.  She works for Obama.  He'll make the decision, and he'll do what's good for his "legacy."  Joe Biden is waiting in the wings.

November 12, 2015       Permalink

MAJOR CORONATION NEWS – AT 8:52 A.M. ET:   This is a silly story, but I present it because it's a silly story.  With all that's going on in the world, look what's happening on our college campuses, those $50,000-a-year sandboxes we call "higher education."  From the College Fix:

San Diego State University has axed its longtime tradition of naming a homecoming “king” and “queen,” and this year will go with the gender-neutral term “royals,” the Daily Aztec campus newspaper reports.

As recently as last year SDSU named a homecoming “king” and “queen” during its annual football game, according to the university’s website. But this Saturday when the Aztecs take on the University of Wyoming Cowboys, the Royal Court will end up with the “final two Royals,” the website adds. It’s unclear if those final two “royals” will be one male and one female, or some other iteration of the LGBTQAAII spectrum.

“During the application process, candidates were allowed to select gender-neutral pronouns to identify themselves,” the Daily Aztec campus newspaper reports. “These gender-inclusive pronouns aim to dispel the common gender binary of categorizing people as solely masculine or feminine.”

Not all students are happy with the changes.

“It’s just a case of the PC police feeling the need to screw with an all-American tradition under the façade of ‘progression,'” Jordan Dennison, chairman of the SDSU College Republicans, said Wednesday in an email to The College Fix. “Imagine all of the alumni at the game who are going to see that and wonder ‘what the hell was SDSU thinking?'”

But other students have voiced support for the decision.

“We are lucky to be on a campus that is really diverse, and so I think having systems in place that reflect the students on campus is a really positive thing,” SDSU Women’s Resource Center Coordinator Jessica Nare told the Daily Aztec. “The reality is we don’t live in a gender-binary system and so really recognizing that in a public way is really important and exciting.”

COMMENT:   No, we do live in a gender-binary system, but with exceptions.  We can respect those exceptions without destroying everything else.  The people who are wrecking every tradition say they want respect, but notice that they never show respect for anyone else.  If you disagree with them, they simply
call you a racist or a bigot.

There is a term for that.  It is called McCarthyism.  It is the McCarthyism of the left.

November 12, 2015       Permalink

AIRLINER LATEST – AT 8:29 A.M. ET:  I think it's finally dawning on people how serious the alleged downing of the Russian airliner in the Sinai was.  This was a direct attack on the airliner of a major power, a challenge to Russia re-entry into the Mideast.  Our own government is saying little, the president indifferent as always.  Probably sitting around sneering at those "Cold War" thinkers.  From Fox:   

Investigators analyzing the deadly crash of a Russian jet in Egypt uncovered intelligence about “a two-hour timer,” though it is not clear whether the reference came from intercepted communications between known terrorist operatives, or physical evidence, a source familiar with the investigation told Fox News.

A separate source, also not authorized to speak on the record, said that based on the facts so far, one of the working theories is that a bomb was planted at or near the fuel line or where it attaches to the engine, with the fuel burning off the explosive. This theory would explain the apparent lack of residue immediately found, the source says.

Fox News was told both scenarios point to an "airport insider."

"If proven accurate, if ISIS did put a bomb on this aircraft which I believe to be true, it's a new chapter with respect to ISIS," Texas Republican Rep. Mike McCaul told Fox News. McCaul -- who receives regular briefings -- cannot discuss classified information, but said the Obama administration has consistently underestimated ISIS by emphasizing its focus on gaining territory, rather than expanding its reach to global plots.

"We always assumed Al Qaeda had this capability but now if ISIS has this capability, the threat to American airlines as well and our homeland, I think is very significant."

COMMENT:  Last week, a student at a California college went on a stabbing spree.  The student had a Muslim name.  Authorities found religious references in his statement of purpose.  He owned ISIS flags.  Notice the lack of interest.

We are asleep.  We have a president who has put us there.  We'd better wake up.

November 12,  2015     Permalink

NOVEMBER 11,  2015

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

NICE, HUH? – From London's Daily Mail:   A Black Lives Matter protester burned an American flag outside the GOP debate last night as hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Milwaukee.  A man set fire to the flag outside the Milwaukee Theater, where the Republican presidential candidates were speaking, and said he was protesting against the death of an unarmed black man who was shot dead by police.  He and two other men were earlier seen trampling over the U.S. flag while holding their fists in the air as they raised a Black Liberation flag.   You may be sure that, behind these "protests" are the standard old red groups, who exploit these protesters for their own use.  The language, over the years, stays remarkably the same.

TRENDS – From Reuters:   A record portion of young U.S. women are living with parents or other relatives, largely because of higher college attendance and delayed marriage, a research report said on Wednesday.  The Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data showed that 36.4 percent of women ages 18 to 34 lived with family in 2014, mostly in the home of mother, father or both.  The number tops the record set in 1940, when 36.2 percent of young women lived with relatives, the analysis said. 1940 is the earliest year for comparable data.  Among young men, 42.8 percent were living with relatives last year, below the 1940 high of 47.5 percent.  Those figures from 1940 represent an economy that had not yet been mobilized for World War II.  It was a late-Depression economy.  From what I've seen, economics plays a major role in young people still living with their parents.  Recovery?  What recovery?

GOOD GUY – From the Dallas News:   A group of veterans were in for quite a surprise Tuesday while touring the George W. Bush Presidential Center.  As the group toured the Oval Office exhibit on Veteran’s Day, former President George W. Bush made a surprise entrance, speaking and taking pictures with the group of veterans.  “One of the things I’m dedicated to, for the rest of my life, is helping vets,” Bush said. “I miss saluting those who wear the uniform. And the reason why is after we got attacked on 9/11, I made it clear that we were going to defend ourselves and millions of people volunteered, not thousands but millions, such as you all.”  He's a good guy.  He has a warmth that Obama lacks, and he understands America.

November 11, 2015       Permalink

RUBIO AND CRUZ IN THE LEAD? – AT 9:04 A.M. ET:  That's the thoughtful conclusion of one political observer.  From Timothy Carney at the Washington Examiner:   

Ben Carson and Donald Trump still stand atop the polls, but Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are now the front-runners. Cruz and Rubio both debated brilliantly, and Jeb Bush failed to turn things around.

There's a trend here: The strong showing of fresh-faced first-term senators in their 40s shows a real readiness for change — a fact also evidenced by the poll dominance of outsiders Carson and Trump.

Rubio captures this spirit best, and packages it as an attack on Hillary Clinton, saying he'll make the general election a choice between the past and the future. Rubio, Cruz, and Fiorina all tap into newly receptive conservative veins by blasting crony capitalism.

Meanwhile, consider Bush's weak campaign, John Kasich's flailing debate performance, and the negligible candidacies of Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Jim Gilmore and George Pataki. The theme is clear: the Republican Party of the 1990s and 2000s is no longer in demand.

Our power rankings are not echoes of the polls or statements of the odds, but a measure over who matters the most in the race. Among the GOP Establishment, attention is decidedly drifiting from Jeb to Marco. Among the conservative base, you'll see a consolidation on Cruz. For now, this race is about Cruz and Rubio.

COMMENT:  I think there's a lot of sense in that.  As the primaries and the Iowa caucus move ever closer – in other words, when real voters start to vote – the field will shake out and things will get serious.  I can't imagine Donald Trump keeping his support.  And Ben Carson, whom I mightily admire, may also weaken because he really isn't strong on the issues.

The three best retail candidates in the race are Rubio, Cruz, and Fiorina.  But Fiorina can't seem to gain numerical strength.  I don't know why.  Rubio and Cruz are left as the best contenders in the ring.  Between the two, Rubio seems to be gaining the most, in part because the GOP establishment, which still has influence, dislikes Cruz.

But all this can be wrong.  We're in for a very historic four or five months.

November 11, 2015       Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 8:50 A.M. ET:  A good contrast to the values we celebrate on Veterans Day.  Jonathan Chait, a firm liberal, expresses worry over what is happening on our college campuses.  I have begun to see some on the left finally wake up to the monster they've created.  From New York magazine: 

The upsurge of political correctness is not just greasy-kid stuff, and it’s not just a bunch of weird, unfortunate events that somehow keep happening over and over. It’s the expression of a political culture with consistent norms, and philosophical premises that happen to be incompatible with liberalism. The reason every Marxist government in the history of the world turned massively repressive is not because they all had the misfortune of being hijacked by murderous thugs. It’s that the ideology itself prioritizes class justice over individual rights and makes no allowance for legitimate disagreement. (For those inclined to defend p.c. on the grounds that racism and sexism are important, bear in mind that the forms of repression Marxist government set out to eradicate were hardly imaginary.)

COMMENT:  Right on.  There has always been a "good" liberal left, which, though sometimes misguided, respected the fundamentals of freedom.  And there is a bad left, which throws freedom to the wind in favor of some small, tentative gain, usually benefiting only the leaders of the movement.  It's the bad left we're seeing too often on our college campuses, although we also see a backlash from sane students and teachers.

Where is the president of the United States?  The cat has apparently got his tongue.

November 11, 2015       Permalink

OUR MEN AND WOMEN – AT 8:15 A.M. ET:  Today is Veterans Day.  I'm glad it's actually celebrated on November 11th, and not shoved to Mondays to create a three-day vacation or sales event.

As we celebrate the service of our veterans, and their sacrifice, let us note that the youngest veterans of World War II this year turn 87.  The youngest veterans of the Korean War are about 79.  The youngest veterans of the war in Vietnam are about 57.  We have new veterans of course, men and women who have fought in the first Gulf War and in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Each year we say the same thing, that we are losing more and more of our veterans of the "big" wars, and that Americans are becoming more and more detached from the military.  Both are true.  Both are concerning.  Today many Americans have never met a soldier.  They are not necessarily taught in schools to respect military sacrifice.  The draft ended in 1973, so the last conscripted vet would now be about 58. 

And let us not forget the veterans who served between wars, keeping the peace, and preventing further conflict.  Without them we would never have won the Cold War.

Douglas MacArthur worried just before his death that there might be a time when Americans would refuse to defend their country.  We have seen some disturbing trends in that direction, trends aggravated by the militant left in our universities.  I still believe we will always have a solid corps of patriotic young people who will serve, and serve well.  But I do worry that Veterans Day, 20 years from now, may become a forgotten holiday.

We must prevent that if we want to safeguard our future.

November 11,  2015     Permalink