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NOVEMBER 16,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE –  AT 11:56 P.M. ET:

GOVERNORS REVOLT ON SYRIAN REFUGEES GROWING – From Breitbart:   The growing number of governors rejecting Syrian refugees comes after reports that one of the suspects in Friday’s Paris terrorist attacks, which killed more than 120 people, had entered Paris by masquerading as a Syrian refugee.The number of Republican governors who have called for the rejection of the relocation of Syrian refugees in their states continues to climb. Currently, the GOP Governors of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, New Jersey, Kansas and Wisconsin have all rejected Obama’s resettlement plan. That means 22 sitting GOP governors have rejected Obama’s plans–and only nine sitting GOP governors haven’t come out against the plan.  In addition, Kentucky’s governor-elect Matt Bevin is publicly opposed to the plan as well, which means when he is sworn in as the next governor of Kentucky there will be at least 23 states with GOP governors opposed to Obama’s Syrian refugee resettlement plan. That’s also all in addition to New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan–a Democrat–coming out against President Obama’s plans.  This list will grow.  Americans are coming to their senses.  American lives matter.

IS THIS THE END OF ENGLAND? – From Fox:   LONDON – The old adage says an Englishman's home is his castle. But a court says Robert Fidler's castle can't be his home.  A judge ruled Monday the 66-year-old farmer will go to prison if he doesn't demolish a mock-Tudor castle he built without planning permission.  Fidler built the property south of London in 2000, keeping it hidden behind straw bales. Local authorities ordered him to tear it down in 2007, saying it breached planning rules designed to protect the countryside, and Fidler lost several legal challenges against the order.  High Court judge Ian Dove said Fidler would be jailed for three months for "intentional defiance" unless he complied by June 6, 2016.  We know we're in trouble when England starts demolishing castles or...er...mock castles.  Can't we ever be at one with history and tradition?

MORE CHILDREN AT PLAY – The current protest fashion has struck Columbia University in New York, from which I took a master's degree some years ago.  The usual rhetoric is being used.  From the New York Post:   Hundreds of Columbia students gathered at the South Lawn Thursday, and some speakers heckled bystanders who did not participate.  “Look at those guys playing Frisbee — that is the definition of privilege,” said one speaker.  The students stopped playing Frisbee and left the area.  Another student wearing a T-shirt with the words “Kill White Supremacy” called Columbia a “white supremacist institution.”  She led the crowd in a progression of chants including “I love black people,” “I love all black people” and “I love queer black people,” before adding “I love black criminals” and “I love black people who steal.”  How brilliant.  How "intellectual."  I don't love criminals.  Call me a racist imperialist warmonger.

FUTURE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF? – From the New York Post:  WASHINGTON – Hillary Clinton’s longtime aide said her boss is “often confused” and needs plenty of guidance to understand the schedule, according fresh emails out Monday.  Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, released new emails from Huma Abedin that show her concern among her State Department staff on making sure Clinton knew whom to call.  In one email exchange on Jan. 26, 2013, Abedin asks fellow staffer Monica Hanley whether Clinton knows to call Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.  Hanley replies: “She was in bed for a nap by the time I heard that she had an 8am call. Will go over with her.”  Abedin stresses the importance of reviewing the schedule with Clinton: “Very imp to do that. She’s often confused.”  What a confidence builder.

November 16, 2015       Permalink

OUR LEADER – AT 10:25 A.M. ET:  As you know, the leader of the free world, or at least one block in Chicago, is in Turkey for a G20 summit.  He is proudly representing us.  From the Washington Times:   

President Obama walked in late Sunday on a moment of silence being held by world leaders in Turkey to honor the victims of Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris.

Reporters traveling with the president said Mr. Obama had not yet arrived when other world leaders at the G-20 conference in Turkey began their silent observance around a large conference table.

Mr. Obama walked in after they had begun, and took his place next to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

When the leaders began their working session, Mr. Obama said the Paris attacks show “there is a strong link between economy and security.”

In a reference to the Syrian refugee crisis, he said “society has not passed this exam with good grades.”

COMMENT:  No comment is really necessary.  The story, and Obama's behavior, speak for themselves.  I thought it significant, though, that the other leaders had no problem with starting their moment of silence without the president of the United States.  Tells us something about Obama's status.

November 16, 2015       Permalink 

PRELUDE TO ATTACK – AT 9:56 A.M. ET:  There were indications before the Paris attacks that something big was coming.  From Catherine Herridge, the chief intelligence correspondent for Fox News (and a fine reporter): 

ISIS claims of responsibility for Friday’s Paris massacre are being reviewed by US intelligence analysts Sunday morning, with a focus on the English-language version, which is delivered in American-accented English, Fox News has been told. It is now clear the plot included a rollout of ISIS propaganda, which was prepared in advance, including threats directed toward the Russian people, Rome, London and Washington DC.

Separately, Fox News has learned that four credible, ISIS-linked social media accounts began sharing messages 72 hours before the Paris attack, including images of weapons, the Eiffel tower, as well as blessings for the attackers’ mission. A military intelligence source says the social media traffic is now seen as evidence the three teams had gone operational.

The translations include “God bless you in your mission” and “Support the deployment,” as well as a reference to our “sister,” suggesting an operative, or member of the support team was a woman.

Meanwhile, FBI Director James Comey has told field offices across the country to intensify surveillance on ISIS suspects, hoping to prevent violence in this country. Before the attack, Comey confirmed there are 900 active ISIS investigations, spread over all 50 states.

COMMENT:  Even if the social media posts had prompted governments to increase their alert status, it's unlikely the attack could have been prevented.  Apparently, the attackers never communicated by electronic means, and went entirely undetected.  The attacks of 9-11 in the United States, some 14 years ago, also went undetected.  Despite all the improvement in intelligence techniques since 9-11, it's obvious that at least some terror groups are still one step ahead. 

November 16, 2015       Permalink

NEW YORK NEXT? – AT 9:31 A.M. ET:  As a New Yorker, I take this very seriously.  A new ISIS video mentions Washington as being on their target list, but John McCain is warning New York.  The warning is reasonable.  ISIS would love to best Al Qaeda, its rival, in an operation in New York.  From Newsmax: 

New York City could be the next terror target, Arizona Sen. John McCain warns in a radio interview on Sunday.

Following the Paris attacks on Friday that left 129 dead and 352 wounded, McCain blamed President Barack Obama's "failed, feckless foreign policy" for placing "the world in more crises than any time since World War II," McCain told John Catsimatidis, host of "The Cats Roundtable" on AM 970 in New York.

"I am sure that [Abu Bakr al] Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS (the Islamic State), has already told some of these young men, go into the refugee flow and call us when you get to Berlin, New York, Paris, wherever it is," McCain said.

Officials believe ISIS is responsible for the coordinated attack in Paris, and at least one of the attackers is thought to have entered Europe as a Syrian refugee. That has led New York Rep. Pete King and presidential candidates Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, both U.S. senators, to call for the halt to the influx of Syrian refugees into the United States.

McCain said the United States must be "very, very careful ... Our hearts go out to them, but we can’t endanger the security of the United States of America."

And there's this, from CIA Director Brennan, by way of the Washington Examiner:

Terrorists are getting better at hiding their plans from global intelligence agencies and it's important to find new ways to thwart their plans, CIA Director John Brennan said Monday.

"I do hope that this is going to be a wake-up call," he said during a talk at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' annual Global Security Forum. "This is not the only operation that [the Islamic State] has in the pipeline."

Though Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 129 people and injured more than 350 appeared to have been planned weeks or months in advance and were preceded by warnings that the Islamic State was planning to strike in Europe or the United States, the plotters were able to take advantage of technologies and policies that shielded their efforts from detection by intelligence agencies, he said.

"Their operational security really is quite strong," he said.

COMMENT:  Repeat after me:  "Forget this.  The real problem is global warming."  Now you're thinking Washington.

It's a pretty grim picture.  ISIS has turned out to be a sophisticated, first-class terror operation, only a year after Field Marshal Obama described them as the junior varsity.

November 16, 2015       Permalink

INEVITABLE – AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  It may be grossly unfair to some refugees, but American governors are simply trying to protect their own citizens.  From Fox: 

The governors of Alabama and Michigan said Sunday that they would not resettle any refugees from Syria in their states, amid reports that at least one of the Paris attackers slipped through Europe’s immigration system and concerns about “gaping holes” impacting America’s screening process.

In Michigan, which has a large Arab-American population, Gov. Rick Snyder said he was putting his prior calls for the state to accept more refugees on hold until the Department of Homeland Security reviewed its screening procedures.

"Michigan is a welcoming state and we are proud of our rich history of immigration," Snyder said in a statement. "But our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents."

The governor later added, "It's also important to remember that these attacks are the efforts of extremists and do not reflect the peaceful ways of people of Middle Eastern descent here and around the world."

The Detroit Free Press reported that between 1,800 and 2,000 refugees had been resettled in Michigan over the past year and that approximately 200 of those were from Syria.

In a statement, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said he reached his decision "[a]fter full consideration of this weekend's attacks of terror on innocent citizens in Paris ... I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm's way."

COMMENT:  The governors are right.  Administration assurances that we can vet refugees are ludicrous.  Just how to you vet people when we're not even sure they're using their actual names?  It is certainly true that the great majority of refugees are not terrorists, but that is irrelevant.  The Paris operation, and our 9-11, were both carried out by a handful of operatives.

The governors should brace themselves.  They'll now be called a bunch of names.  I await the reaction at the University of Michigan, which has a fair number of nutball students on the political left.

November 16,  2015     Permalink

NOVEMBER 15,  2015

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

NAILING IT – Ted Cruz said perfectly what so many are thinking:  From PJ Media:  In the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said President Obama is not interested in protecting the United States. “I recognize that Barack Obama does not wish to defend this country,” Cruz said on “Fox and Friends” “He may have been tired of war, but our enemies are not tired of killing us. And they’re getting stronger.”  The truth eventually does come out.  Barack Obama is a leftist, not a liberal.  His loyalty to the United States is of a very strange kind.  Cruz will undoubtedly be called a racist or a McCarthyite for his efforts.

A GOOD IDEA – From Fox:   A team of hungry crocodiles could soon guard a proposed island prison in Indonesia, because a top official says the animals won't give in to bribes. The prison would house convicted drug criminals on death row, the Daily Telegraph reported.  The head of Indonesia's anti-drug agency, Budi Waseso, told local media, "We will place as many crocodiles as we can there. I will search for the most ferocious type of crocodile."  Look no further than Hillary Clinton's staff.

THERE ARE REASONS WHY PEOPLE DON'T GET ANYWHERE – From The Times of Israel:  A Sunday opinion piece in the official Palestinian Authority daily al-Hayat al-Jadida blamed Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency for Friday’s deadly terror attacks in Paris, suggesting they were orchestrated in order to undermine new European moves promoting a two-state solution and providing for the clear labeling of produce from Israeli West Bank settlements.  The tragedy of the Palestinians is their terrible leadership and the indoctrination they get in their schools and media. 

NUTS – From The Hill:  The Pentagon announced Sunday evening that it has transferred five Guantánamo detainees to the United Arab Emirates, just ahead of President Obama signing a defense bill that would place restrictions on moving prisoners from the facility.  "The United States is grateful to the Government of the United Arab Emirates for its willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility," said Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook.  The timing couldn't be worse.  Yessirree, even after Paris the closing of Guantanamo is top priority.  I wonder how many of these five will be returning to us wearing suicide belts.

November 15, 2015       Permalink 

THE SELF-INDULGENT – AT 12:16 P.M. ET:  And what have the little darlings on American college campuses been doing in response to the Paris horror?  What do you think?  From Breitbart:

Campus activists in America showed their true faces during an international tragedy last night: they are the selfish, spoiled children we always knew they were.

Black Lives Matter and Mizzou protesters responded to the murder of scores of people in Paris at the hands of Islamic extremists by complaining about losing the spotlight and saying their “struggles” were being “erased.” Their struggles, remember, consist of a poop swastika of unknown provenance and unsubstantiated claims of racially-charged remarks somewhere near Missouri’s campus.

So debased has the language on American campuses become that these incidents, which many observers believe to be hoaxes, just like previous campus scandals celebrated by progressive media, are being referred to as “terrorism” and a “tragedy” by moronic 20-year-olds who have never been told, “No.”

Such a reaction is understandable, if grimly hilarious. These kids been raised by indulgent parents, instructed by professors racked with middle-class white guilt who secretly hate themselves and western culture, and promoted by a sympathetic media which bends over backwards to put them in the best light and paper over their tantrums.

COMMENT:  Read some of the examples given.  We are facing a horrible terror threat, and the self-indulgence is remarkable.

November 15, 2015        Permalink

JUST WHAT WE WERE THINKING – AT 11:06 A.M. ET:  Michael Goodwin is a superb columnist for the New York Post.  He floods his columns with common sense.  Today he reflects on something that, I'm sure, many Americans are thinking – that it's time for Barack Obama to go, to resign.  He won't, of course, but we can dream, can't we?  From the New York Post: 

In any time and place, war is fiendishly simple. It is the ultimate zero-sum contest — you win or you lose.

That eternal truth is so obvious that it should not need to be said. Yet even after the horrific slaughter in Paris, there remains a distressing doubt about whether America’s commander in chief gets it.

President Obama has spent the last seven years trying to avoid the world as it is. He has put his intellect and rhetorical skills into the dishonorable service of assigning blame and fudging failure. If nuances were bombs, Islamic State would have been destroyed years ago.

He refuses to say “Islamic terrorism,” as if that would offend the peaceful Muslims who make up the vast bulk of victims. He rejects the word “war,” even as jihadists carry out bloodthirsty attacks against Americans and innocent peoples around the world.

And...

Paris is the final straw. Obama’s exemption from reality has expired. He must either commit to leading the free world to victory, or step aside so someone else can.

There is no more time to avoid the truth of war. America must organize the combined forces of the civilized world before Islamic State makes good on its vow to “taste” more American blood.

As a top intelligence adviser told me yesterday, “What they did in Paris means they are coming here.”

Finally...

The time has run out for half measures and kicking the can down the road. The enemy must be destroyed on the battlefield before there can be any hope of peace.

If Obama cannot rise to the challenge of leadership in this historic crisis, then, for the good of humanity, he should resign. Those are the only options and it is his duty to decide.

COMMENT:  Beautifully written.  Read the entire piece, then send it on to friends.  It's completely worthwhile. 

Then contemplate how the media's negligence helped give us Barack Obama in 2008.  There are very few Michael Goodwins.

November 15, 2015       Permalink

OBAMA'S BLUNDER – AT 10:38 A.M. ET:  One of many, we might add.  Field Marshal Obama said that ISIS had been contained.  Only hours later, ISIS struck in Paris.  Now the White House is rushing, a rare thing in this White House, to defend the president's obvious absurdity.  From The Hill: 

The White House has been forced onto the defense over President Obama’s claim that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been “contained” — a statement that came one day before the group carried out the deadliest massacre in France in a generation.

"We have contained them,” Obama said in an interview with ABC News that aired on Thursday. “I don’t think they’re gaining strength.”

The following day, a series of coordinated terror attacks killed 129 people across Paris in the country's deadliest episode since World War II.

The attacks forced the White House to defend the comments, which appeared to confirm critics’ suspicions that Obama has consistently underestimated ISIS. More than one year ago, Obama appeared to liken ISIS to al Qaeda’s “JV team” in a comment that has been repeatedly mocked by the president’s critics.

“The president was referring very specifically to the question of ISIL's geographic expansion in Iraq and Syria,” White House deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, using an alternate acronym for ISIS.

“They had been on the march in both Iraq and Syria for some time,” he added. “But starting a year ago, we were able to halt that expansion.”

Rhodes made his way onto multiple Sunday morning political talk shows with nearly identical comments to defend the Obama administration’s push against ISIS.

“It’s a very specific point the president was making,” Rhodes said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

COMMENT:  All Rhodes has done is make matters worse.  By constantly defending the president's indefensible remarks, he just calls attention to them and emphasizes that we have a very inadequate man in the White House.  I think it's interesting that no one is looking to Barack Obama for leadership after the Paris attacks.  Even traditionally liberal journalists have given up on him.

November 15,  2015     Permalink