Please note that you can leave a comment on any of our posts at our Facebook page.  Subscribers can also comment at length at our Angel's Corner Forum.

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

OCTOBER 12,  2015

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

ONE HAND CLAPPING – That's pretty much the reaction of Democrats to the possibility of a Joe Biden candidacy.  From Reuters:   Almost half of US Democrats want the vice president to enter the field and challenge front-runner Hillary Clinton, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll...The declared Democratic presidential candidates, including Clinton and US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, her closest rival, will take the stage Tuesday night in Las Vegas for the first party debate.  Biden will not be there, but 48 percent of Democrats surveyed in the Reuters poll wish he were a candidate, compared with 30 percent who said he should stay out. Independents were split on the question, with 36 percent saying Biden should stay in and an equal share believing otherwise.  Not exactly an electric reaction when less than half your party wants you even to run. 

LIBERALS SHOCKED – From beliefnet.com:   According to a study in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, which cites the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the United Nations International Study on Firearms Regulation, the more guns a nation has, the less criminal activity.  In other words, more firearms, less crime, concludes the virtually unpublicized research report by attorney Don B. Kates and Dr. Gary Mauser. But the key is firearms in the hands of private citizens.  “The study was overlooked when it first came out in 2007,” writes Michael Snyder, “but it was recently re-discovered and while the findings may not surprise some, the place where the study was undertaken is a bit surprising. The study came from the Harvard Journal of Law, that bastion of extreme, Ivy League liberalism.  I wonder if the people who wrote the report are still alive.

MORE MADNESS IN WASHINGTON – From the Washington Examiner:   The U.S. is moving forward with plans to remove its Patriot missile defense systems from Turkey despite recent escalations in the region, including Iran testing a new long-range ballistic missile over the weekend.  Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan announced on Sunday the successful test of the newest Iran-made long-range missile, dubbed the "Emad," or Pillar, that could likely reach Turkey. In addition, the Russians are playing a greater role in the Syrian civil war, raging along Turkey's border.  Despite that, the U.S. is continuing with plans made in August to remove all Patriot missile defense systems from Turkey, a defense official said Monday.  We could formally surrender to the Russians and avoid all these distractions, don't you think?

October 12, 2015       Permalink

THERE THEY GO AGAIN – AT 11:14 A.M. ET:  The politically correct crowd comes out of the woodwork again today.  From AP: 

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- More cities are recognizing Native Americans on Columbus Day this year as they revive a movement to change the name of the holiday to celebrate the history and contributions of indigenous cultures around the country.

As the U.S. observes Columbus Day on Monday, it will also be Indigenous Peoples Day in at least nine cities for the first time this year, including Albuquerque; Portland, Oregon; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Olympia, Washington.

Encouraged by city council votes in Minneapolis and Seattle last year, Native American activists made a push in dozens of cities in recent months to get local leaders to officially recognize the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day. Their success was mixed.

The campaigns say the federal holiday honoring Christopher Columbus -- and the parades and pageantry accompanying it -- overlook a painful history of colonialism, enslavement, discrimination and land grabs that followed the Italian explorer's 1492 arrival in the Americas. The indigenous holiday takes into account the history and contributions of Native Americans for a more accurate historical record, activists have argued.

Columbus Day supporters say the holiday celebrates centuries of cultural exchange between America and Europe, commemorates an iconic explorer and honors Italian-Americans, a group that has endured its own share of discrimination.

COMMENT:  Both sides make some reasonable points.  The problem with the anti-Columbus troops is that they seem to have a larger agenda – a disparagement of the United States generally.  It's perfectly fine to honor native Americans.  No problem there.  But the larger agenda comes from the far left, and it is a problem.  A big one.

October 12, 2015       Permalink

THE PERFORMER PERFORMS – AT 10:14 A.M. ET:  Obama's appearance on "60 Minutes" last night was stunning.  First, Steve Kroft showed us he actually has a pulse, and asked tough, penetrating questions.  Maybe some in the press, having helped put Obambi in power, have decided not to go down with his sinking ship.

Second, Obama made a total fool of himself.  He couldn't answer a single foreign-policy question intelligently.  He is being exposed for what he is – a small-time Chicago precinct captain with a golden voice.  From Andrew Malcolm at IBD: 

Where to begin? In an interview broadcast Sunday night, President Obama claimed Russian President Putin's recent major military moves in Syria are a sign of weakness and present no challenge to the American leader.

Well, that's a relief, isn't it?

Because after annexing Crimea, fomenting armed rebellion in eastern Ukraine, ignoring Obama's ineffective economic sanctions, selling arms to Iran, moving troops and naval assets into Syria, delivering a diplomatic note ordering U.S. planes from Syrian skies, then bombing Assad regime opponents, all in defiance of the American leader, it sure did strike some as a pretty clear challenge.

In what became a rather contentious interview, after some previous softball sessions, "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft addressed Obama: "You said a year ago that the United States – America leads. We're the indispensable nation. Mr. Putin seems to be challenging that leadership."

"In what way?" responded the disingenuous Democrat, attempting to put his interrogator on the defensive.

In the interview taped Oct. 6, Kroft proceeded to detail the Russian moves against U.S. wishes. To which Obama responded, "So that's leading, Steve?"

Notice what Obama did there. He twisted Kroft's question to concern leading, which Kroft had not asked, and away from the real question of challenge, which Obama could not answer without seeming even dimmer. Later, Obama added:

“If you think that running your economy into the ground and having to send troops in, in order to prop up your only ally is leadership, then we’ve got a different definition of leadership."

Obama's responses fit perfectly with the widespread impression, especially after his long crafting of a hollow Iran nuclear deal, that Obama sees the world as he wants it to be, not as it really is.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  It's a gem.  When Obama ran for president, he became the dream of the sixties generation.  That dream has now turned into our nightmare.  Our children will pay the price.

October 12, 2015       Permalink

I LOVE IT – AT 9:17 A.M. ET:  Sadly, Great Britain has cut its defenses repeatedly, under pressure from the part of British politics that is not so great – the British left.  But, even so, the best of Britain retains that English pluck.  And now London is driving Vladimir Putin crazy, while Putin laughs at our own student government in Washington.  From the Express: 

VLADIMIR Putin's military officials are reportedly furious with Britain after RAF pilots were authorised to shoot down Moscow warplanes.

Outraged Russian officials asked UK ministers "to provide an official explanation" of reports that RAF Tornados operating over Iraq have been fitted with heat-seeking missiles designed for aerial combat.

The Russian ambassador in London, Alexander Yakovenko, said he had "urgently requested explanations" of the reports from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

He said: "These reports are worrying, as they refer to senior cabinet members. We have urgently requested explanations from the Foreign and Commonwealth office.

"The very premise of a potential conflict of UK and Russian combat aircraft over Iraq is incomprehensible."

COMMENT:  No, it's not incomprehensible.  British Prime Minister Cameron understands the danger of Russian expansion into the Middle East.  Our own president, who was brought up and nurtured by people heavily influenced by Marxism, just doesn't care.  Hey, we Yanks have to stop thinking of ourselves as special, right?

I wonder what Obama would say if there were a clash between British planes and Russian planes.  Would he take the side of our closest NATO ally, or would he go neutral.  I suspect he'd go neutral.  After all, this is the president who returned a bust of Winston Churchill to Britain at the start of his administration, an obvious snub. 

This is a president who should never have risen above the level of town councilman.

October 12, 2015       Permalink

THE RACE – AT 8:48 A.M. ET:  The first Democratic debate is tomorrow night.  Aren't you excited?  I am curious to see what the ratings are.  Recall that the first Republican debate drew 24 million viewers, a record.  I think it's quite possible the Dems can fall considerably short of that, but I could be very wrong.  I mean, what's the attraction?  A corrupt older woman versus a Vermont socialist? 

In the meantime, CBS is out with the latest polling on the Republican side.  From The Hill:

Donald Trump maintains his spot atop the 2016 GOP presidential field, according to a new CBS News poll that shows outsider candidates drawing 63 percent of the vote.

The real-estate mogul garners 27 percent support in the poll, the same number he drew in the last edition of the poll one month ago.

Ben Carson continues to place second with 21 percent support, down 2 points since the last poll.

Carson is followed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) with 9 percent support and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) with 8 percent support. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush and former business executive Carly Fiorina tie for fifth place with 6 percent support each.

Trump, Carson, Cruz, and Fiorina – who are all running on an anti-establishment platform – combine for 63 percent of the vote.

Eighty-four percent of respondents say Trump has strong leadership qualities, compared to 72 percent who said the same of Carson, and 60 percent who thought Fiorina was a good leader.

However, Trump is also perceived to be the least honest candidate, with only 53 percent of voters saying they can trust the businessman, compared to 81 percent who say they trust Carson and 60 percent who trust Fiorina.

Trump is also the least favorable candidate in the field, with 53 percent of respondents in the survey saying they do not view him positively. Bush places second in that category, with a 48 percent unfavorable rating.

The poll sampled 419 Republican primary voters by telephone from Oct. 4 – 8. The margin of error is 5 percent.

COMMENT:  I'm struck by the small number in the sample.  Polling 419 people in a nation of 320 million doesn't tell me all that much.

This race is still shaking out.  The frontrunner only has 27 percent.  Some 73 percent aren't for him.

October 12,  2015     Permalink

OCTOBER 11,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET: 

MORE CLIMATE-CHANGE DOUBTS – We'd been told that "climate change" would produce all kinds of natural disasters.  Not so fast.  From Climate Depot:  The Geneva-Switzerland based International Federation of the Red Cross recently released its 2014 Natural Disaster Report.   US hurricane and tornado activity trends since 1950 have remained flat or are decreasing respectively.  90% less deaths: A total of 8186 people died in 2014 because of natural disasters. Bild reports: “2014 the number of deaths from natural disasters was almost 90 percent under the 10-year average of 76 500 deaths.”  In 94 countries there were a total of 317 floods, earthquakes, forest fires, cyclones and a number of other nature events with deaths. “But that was the lowest number in 10 years.“  For the third consecutive year, tornado season in the United States was one of the least active since Doppler radar began being deployed in the early 1990s.”  Violent tornadoes on the decrease: Since 1950, the overall trend of higher-end tornadoes rated at F3/EF3 and above has remained nearly flat and shows a slight annual decrease of 0.8 percent.  I guess another batch of doomsday predictions are headed for the scrap heap.

OBAMA PREDICTS!  From channelnewsasia.com:   WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama is fairly certain of one thing when it comes to next year's election - Donald Trump won't succeed him in the White House.  The billionaire businessman, the frontrunner in the race to become the Republican party's White House nominee, has raised hackles with his controversial comments on immigration, gun control and women, among other issues.  "He knows how to get attention. He is, you know, the classic reality TV character, and at this early stage, it's not surprising that he's gotten a lot of attention," Obama said of Trump in an interview on CBS television's "60 Minutes" news programme.  "I don't think he'll end up being president of the United States," Obama said in the interview, which aired on Sunday (Oct 11).  I know of another guy who knew how to get attention, was the classic reality TV character, and who ran for president in 2008.  He made it, unfortunately.

MADAM SPEAKER? – From Breitbart:   Several Republicans who aren’t as closely associated with outgoing House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) as House Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) are considering running for Speaker as Ryan’s nascent campaign is crumbling before it even begins.  The two who have, at this time, the most likely ability to unite the GOP conference and achieve well more than the necessary 218 votes on the House floor are House Energy and Commerce Committee vice chairwoman Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and former House Chief Deputy Whip Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL).  Other Republicans like Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ),  Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA),  and even current non-House member former Speaker Newt Gingrich are considering bids. More names than those have been tossed out, too.  In a way, this is exciting.  I know it looks chaotic, but Republicans are actually demanding a number of choices.  Hillary must think it's curious and tribal.

October 11,  2015     Permalink

OUR NEW FRIENDS – AT 11:21 A.M. ET:   The ink isn't even dry on the Iran nuclear deal, and already Iran is laughing in our faces.  From CNN:

(CNN) Iran has successfully test-fired a new precision-guided, long-range missile, state-run media reported on Sunday.

The Emad (Pillar) surface-to-surface missile, designed and built by Iranian experts, is the country's first long-range missile that can be precision-guided until it reaches its target, said Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan, Iran's defense minister.

"To follow our defense programs, we don't ask permission from anyone," he said, according to state-run news agency IRNA.

The new rocket is "capable of scrutinizing the targets and destroying them completely," IRNA reported.

The Emad would be Tehran's first precision-guided missile with the range to reach its enemy, Israel.

Israel is bitterly opposed to Iran's nuclear program, and observers have speculated that it could be prepared to launch pre-emptive strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in an effort to derail their progress.

Dehqan said following the launch that the Emad would greatly increase Iran's strategic deterrence capability, state media reported.

COMMENT:  Iran is also developing ICBM's that can reach the United States.  But we're sure Obama is developing an ice cream cone that can stop them.

October 11, 2015       Permalink

DUMBNESS ON A SUPER-HUMAN SCALE – AT 10:58 A.M. ET:  Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the Democratic national chair.   No one ever confused her with a mature adult or a thinking person.  But now she outdoes herself.  From the Daily Caller: 

Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz told CNN’s Dana Bash Sunday that all of the remaining Republican presidential candidates are trying to “out-Trump Donald Trump” and are saying, “Yeah, let’s kick women. Let’s kick them and immigrants out of this country.”

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: I believe that any one of our candidates will stand in stark contrast, when it comes to the priorities of the American people and how they’re going to make their decision on who they’re going to vote for for president, to any of the Republican candidates. The Republicans are trying to out-right wing each other. Look, between the 15 Republican candidates who are left — all of whom are trying to out-Trump Donald Trump — by saying, “Yeah let’s kick women. Let’s kick them and immigrants out of this country. Let’s take away health care from women.” … Yes, I think any of the candidates on our side of the aisle … will be chosen and eventually elected as the 45th president of the United States of America because of that contrast.

COMMENT:  This is nuts.  It is also reminiscent of the tactics of Joe McCarthy.  The modern Dems have become the new McCarthyites.  It's an ongoing smear, with the next charge more outrageous than the one before.

Do Republicans really want to kick women out of the country?  I don't think so.

October 11, 2015       Permalink

OBAMA'S FOREIGN POLICY – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 10:31 A.M. ET:  The Wall Street Journal has run a piece by sane Harvard Professor Niall Ferguson, trashing Obama's version of a foreign policy.  It has received a tremendous amount of buzz on the internet.  The money quote:

It is clear that the president’s strategy is failing disastrously. Since 2010, total fatalities from armed conflict in the world have increased by a factor of close to four, according to data from the International Institute of Strategic Studies. Total fatalities due to terrorism have risen nearly sixfold, based on the University of Maryland’s Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism database. Nearly all this violence is concentrated in a swath of territory stretching from North Africa through the Middle East to Afghanistan and Pakistan. And there is every reason to expect the violence to escalate as the Sunni powers of the region seek to prevent Iran from establishing itself as the post-American hegemon.

Today the U.S. faces three strategic challenges: the maelstrom in the Muslim world, the machinations of a weak but ruthless Russia, and the ambition of a still-growing China. The president’s responses to all three look woefully inadequate.

COMMENT:  Please read the whole thing.  It's the best indictment of Field Marshal Obama that I've read.

Oh, by the way, Professor Ferguson will soon leave Harvard for Stanford University's conservative Hoover Institution, where he will thrive.  He is married to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the brave Somali woman who has stood up against radical Islam, at the risk of her life.

October 11,  2015     Permalink