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MARCH 4,  2018      

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

OSCARS – I didn't watch.  Can't stand the politics and most of the movies.  But I'm delighted that Gary Oldman won best actor for his portrayal of Winston Churchill.  Indeed, I'm glad to see Churchill portrayed, and I hope that a new generation will now be introduced to this 20th-century giant, even if it's through a movie.  The portrayal was excellent, even if some of the scenes stretched history to the breaking point.  I liked the fact that Churchill was presented, defects and all, as very human, and a mite unstable.  If he'd faced today's anti-Trump press, he'd have been destroyed before he could even start his prime ministership.  He was the right man for the moment, in many respects the man who saved Western democracy.

ITALY, FIRST RESULTS – FROM AFP:  Rome (AFP) - A surge for populist and far-right parties in Italy's election could result in a hung parliament with a right-wing alliance likely to win the most votes but no majority after a campaign dominated by anger against immigration.  With over half the ballots from Sunday's vote counted, the right-wing coalition was at 37 percent, including the far-right, eurosceptic League party with 18 percent and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy) party with 14 percent.  That raises the prospect of League leader Matteo Salvini, who has promised to shut down Roma camps, deport hundreds of thousands of migrants and tackle the "danger" of Islam, becoming Italy's next prime minister.
The anti-establishment Five Star Movement, which has drawn support from Italians fed up with traditional parties and a lack of economic opportunity, was second with 31 percent.  The trend in Europe, starting with Britain's Brexit vote, is against the establishment, against the EU, and against forced immigration, often involving immigrants who have no intention of integrating into the local culture.  Storm clouds for Europe ahead.

ONLY IN CHICAGO – FROM CBS:  CHICAGO (CBS) — Violence at cemeteries, and during funeral processions, in Cook County is increasing.  A Hillside police chase is just one example of some of the violence. Chief Joe Lukaszek says three guns were recovered from the stolen SUV, which had just left a cemetery.  “There’s no respect for the dead anymore,” he said.  Cemeteries in Hillside are the final resting place for many gang members killed in Chicago. Funeral processions from the city often end up on the expressways, which lead to dangerous situations.  “People, literally, are jumping on other sides of the road, driving next each other, weaving in and out of traffic, guns being waived out of cars. There’s been shots fired from vehicles, as well,” Sheriff Tom Dart said.  As a result, Dart is creating a new task force to tackle the problem. It will be comprised of community leaders, citizens and law enforcement, as well as cemetery and funeral home owners.  I'm sure the Chicago authorities will study the question for years, and end up blaming either Donald Trump or Dick Cheney.

March 4, 2018       Permalink

THE GREAT SALENA – AT 2:48 P.M. ET:  We are great fans of Salena Zito here.  Based in Pittsburgh, she has emerged as one of the few national reporters who goes out and talks to real people.  She probably has never attended a Georgetown cocktail party, and I doubt if she'll ever be invited to give a commencement address.  But she knows, in the best sense of that word.  This column is based on an interview with an ordinary guy named Sam.  From the New York Post:   

After 17 people were killed in a mass shooting at a Florida high school on Feb. 14, a slew of big-name corporations, including Best Western, Delta Air Lines, MetLife, the Bank of Omaha and the Avis Budget Group, have terminated their promotional programs for NRA members.

Not because the NRA had anything to do with the shootings, but because an organized campaign to boycott the gun organization appeared on Twitter within hours of the shooting. As the hysteria rose and thousands of activists bullied companies allied with the NRA, corporations panicked and canceled their affiliate programs. The left cheered and the rest of the country bristled as politics suddenly invaded the once-innocuous world of corporate discounts — yet another sector of America formerly untouched by activism.

Sam is perplexed that NRA members have become the target of so much hate, given that the very institutions employed to keep people safe in Parkland failed that day. But he is far from angry.
“I’m not furious, not at all. They made a business decision. I get it. They want to step out of their non-political lane and become corporate activists. I can calmly step out of my lane, too. And given every chance I get, I will not use their products,” he said.

Because the bulk of corporate CEOs or PR teams for these companies live in Westchester or Los Angeles or San Francisco, they forget that many of their regular consumers who live Akron, Ohio; Westby, Wis.; or Baldwin, Mich., do not share their point of view. When you’re a national brand, you have to sell your product nationally. You can’t be ignorant of the cultural divide...

...Last fall even the NFL — the strongest brand in America — suffered a ratings hit when players refused to stand for the national anthem. Annoyed that the NFL did nothing to stop politics and division from invading the national pastime, consumers found other ways to spend their Sundays. According to Nielsen, the average football audience was 14.9 million in 2017, compared to 16.5million in 2016.

Now banks, hotels and rental cars are picking a side, and they are all starting to take a hit. A Politico/Morning Consult survey of US adults conducted Feb. 23-25 found that consumers felt more negatively toward businesses after they learned they had cut ties with NRA members...

...One of the few companies that got it right on the issue was FedEx. On Monday, they proved it with a statement saying that while they oppose some of the NRA’s policy positions they refuse to change their discount policies because they value their customers for more than just their politics. (Meanwhile, both Apple and Amazon have remained silent while continuing their discount programs.)...

...The sad thing is, our national divisiveness appears to have no end, hurting not just corporate bottom lines but society, too. We are split in two more than ever — and the chasm just keeps growing.

COMMENT:  Well said, as always.  I'm not an NRA member, but the smears against that organization are worse than the worst of McCarthyism.  Yet, the mainstream media has no problem with the tone of the anti-NRA campaign.  It is, after all, an outgrowth of the tone on American college campuses, the home base of today's "journalists."

March 4, 2018       Permalink

ITALY VOTES – AT 12:31 P.M. ET:  Italy voted in national elections today.  The outcome is unknown, but could affect the future of the European Union, already weakened by Britain's withdrawal.  From Newsmax: 

Italians voted Sunday in one of the most uncertain elections in years and one that could determine if Italy will succumb to the populist, euroskeptic and far-right sentiment that has swept through Europe.

The campaign was marked by the prime-time airing of neofascist rhetoric and anti-migrant violence that culminated in a shooting spree last month against six Africans. While the center-right coalition that capitalized on the anti-migrant sentiment led the polls, analysts predict the likeliest outcome is a hung parliament.

That's less-than-precise reporting.  Yes, there are fascists and far rightists.  (There are also Communists and far leftists, but that's left unsaid.)  There are also thoughtful voters who have had enough of the European Union and its demands.

That will necessitate days and weeks of back-room haggling and horse trading to come up with a coalition government that can win confidence votes in Parliament. Just which parties coalesce from among the three main blocs — the center-right coalition, center-left coalition and the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement — will determine Italy's course.

"Basically it is very likely that, at the end of the day, none of these three groups will have an absolute majority and they will be forced to start talking to each other and see how to put together a coalition government," said Franco Pavoncello, dean of the John Cabot University in Rome.

More than 46 million Italians were eligible to vote from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. (0600-2200GMT), including Italians abroad who already mailed in ballots. Exit polls were expected after polls closed, projections sometime thereafter and consolidated results Monday.

With unemployment at 10.8 percent and economic growth in the eurozone's third-largest economy lagging the average, many Italians have all but given up hope for change. Polls indicated a third hadn't decided or weren't even sure they would vote.

"The situation is pretty bad," said Paolo Mercorillo from Ragusa, Sicily, who said he had decided not to even bother casting a ballot. "There aren't candidates who are valid enough."

COMMENT:   Italy has always been politically unstable.  Its instability today is increased by the refugee crisis, which is also destabilizing Western Europe's strongest nation, Germany.  The future does not look good.  Many of these countries aren't even reproducing their populations, and their new immigrants are forcing politicians to accept very damaging changes to culture. 

The future does not lie in Western Europe, which may soon be a memory.

March 4,  2018     Permalink

MARCH 3,  2018

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

EXPLOITATION – FROM THE HILL:  A survivor of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., last month is now helping the Democratic National Committee (DNC) fundraise ahead of the midterm elections in an effort to back lawmakers who support gun control measures.   In a DNC email blast Saturday, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Sara Imam urged supporters to not forget the 17 students and faculty who died in the Feb. 14 school shooting and register to vote for the fall elections.  "This week the Democratic Party launched IWillVote -- a national campaign to organize voters and get them to the polls," Imam wrote in the party's release, which links to the DNC's voter registration page. Respondents who provide their information are then asked to donate money "to help Democrats win."   I guess we should praise kids for wanting to get involved in elections, but some of this is taking the form of exploitation.  We can sympathize with a survivor of a tragedy, however that doesn't mean we have to accept his or her arguments.  "Believe the children" has been, on too many occasions, a false rallying cry.  Children often ask the right questions and come up with the wrong answers.

TRUMP LAUGHS AT HIMSELF – FROM THE HILL:   President Trump on Saturday participated in the Gridiron Club Dinner's longstanding tradition of presidential speeches filled with self-deprecating humor, flinging barbs at his own administration as well as the usual targets.   Since its foundation in 1855, almost every president has attended the annual white tie dinner at least once during their administration. The club extends a standing invitation to the president every year.  The event is known for its roast-style speeches, skits and political comedy, with lawmakers and journalists going after one another throughout the dinner.  I'm glad he did it.  His best line: "I won't rule out direct talks with Kim Jong Un, I just won't. As far as the risk of dealing with a madman is concerned, that’s his problem not mine," Trump said. 

MADNESS – FROM THE WASHINGTON TIMES:   Global warming skeptics, beware: A play with the alarming title “Kill Climate Deniers” may be coming to a theater near you.  Written by Australian playwright David Finnigan, “Kill Climate Deniers” kicked off Thursday the 2018 season of the Griffin Theatre in Sydney after a week of previews, with the final show scheduled for April 7.  The plot? “As a classic rock band take the stage in Parliament House’s main hall, 96 armed eco-terrorists storm the building and take the entire government hostage, threatening to execute everyone unless Australia ends global warming. Tonight,” said the play’s website.  The play was commissioned in 2014 with a $19,000 grant from the Australian government, but its first staging was shut down following a backlash led by conservative Herald Sun columnist Andrew Bolt.  “How does the ACT Government justify spending taxpayers’ money on a theatre work entitled ‘Kill Climate Deniers’?” asked Mr. Bolt in a column dated Sept. 30, 2014. “What sane Government donates to a project urging others to kill fellow citizens, even as a ‘joke’? Are these people mad?”  Yes, I'm afraid they're mad, and quite proud of it.  There are in fact people who believe that those who disagree with them should die.  These are people who play with fire, but who never take responsibility for the blaze that follows.

March 3,  2018     Permalink

DEATH OF A NATION – AT 11:38 P.M. ET:   Fighting apartheid in South Africa was one of the trendy causes of the 1970s and 80s.  You really were in, especially on Western college campuses, if you were in the "movement" to end white rule in the predominantly black country.

When apartheid ended, though, the TV news departments pulled the plug, turned off the lights, and went home.  The print reporters did likewise.  The people of South Africa were no longer interesting.  Who cared what happened to them?  There were no marches in the West for good government.

One thing the country did right was to ask the whites to stay.  They had the expertise to keep the economy going.  But in the intervening years, South Africa, under the rule of an essentially Communist government, started slipping, and slipping more, and becoming a dangerous, unruly place, with a terrible record of crimes against black women.  No one in the West was interested. 

Now the South African government is turning against the whites, and the result can easily be another Venezuela.  From Daily Mail: 

White South African farmers will be removed from their land after a landslide vote in parliament.
The country's constitution is now likely to be amended to allow for the confiscation of white-owned land without compensation, following a motion brought by radical Marxist opposition leader Julius Malema.

It passed by 241 votes for to 83 against after a vote on Tuesday, and the policy was a key factor in new president Cyril Ramaphosa's platform after he took over from Jacob Zuma in February.

Mr Malema said the time for 'reconciliation is over'. 'Now is the time for justice,' News24 reported.

'We must ensure that we restore the dignity of our people without compensating the criminals who stole our land.'

Mr Malema has a long-standing commitment to land confiscation without compensation. In 2016 he told his supporters he was 'not calling for the slaughter of white people - at least for now'.

A 2017 South African government audit found white people owned 72 per cent of farmland.

Rural affairs minister for the ruling African National Congress party said 'The ANC unequivocally supports the principle of land expropriation without compensation'.

'There is no doubt about it, land shall be expropriated without compensation.' 

Freedom Front Plus party leader Pieter Groenewald said the decision to strip white farmers of their land would cause 'unforeseen consequences that is not in the interest of South Africa'.

The deputy chief executive of civil rights group Afriforum said the motion was a violation of agreements made at the end of apartheid.  

COMMENT:  No doubt there's been some unfairness, but this is hardly the way to deal with it.  South African blacks have made little progress in part because their leaders are stuck in the last century's embrace of Marxism. 

We now can expect an exodus of whites, and with them their technical skills and commercial expertise.  Really brilliant.

March 3, 2018       Permalink

THE GOOD GUYS SAY NO – AT 1:20 P.M. ET:  The Czech Republic is one of the few bright lights in Europe – democratic, pro-American, pro-freedom, and wary of refugee groups that do not share those values.  Now the country is taking a stand against the chic, trendy policies of the European Union:.  Root for the Czechs.  From Breitbart: 

Andrej Babiš has said there is ‘no way’ the Czech Republic will agree to Brussels’ demand that the nation accept a quota of migrants from the third world.

Speaking in the country’s parliament on Thursday, the recently elected Czech Prime Minister slammed the European Union’s (EU) mandatory quota scheme as “ineffective” and divisive.

“It is certain that we will not accept anyone, and we are fundamentally against anyone dictating to us who should live and work in our country,” local media reported him saying.

“We consider it absurd that the European Commission sues us for something that is nonsense,” Babiš added, regarding the EU’s decision to sue the Czech Republic alongside Poland and Hungary over their refusal to take part in the quota scheme.

Passed in 2015, after German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the continent’s borders, the controversial rule dictates that asylum seekers who arrive in Europe seeking a new life are “fairly” redistributed across the bloc through a quota system.

Highlighting other contributions the Czech Republic has made to solving the migrant crisis, which includes having sent extra police officers to Hungary and Bulgaria to help protect the external EU border, Babiš pointed to the 35 million euro contribution from Visegrád 4 nations to help Italy crack down on people trafficking from Africa to Europe.

COMMENT:  Countries have a right to control their borders, and to control immigration.  We sympathize with the refugee streams coming from some pretty horrible countries, but a refugee stream can turn into a fifth column, seeking to destabilize a host country rather than integrate into it.  We're having that problem here, although those who thoughtfully point it out are automatically called racists in some quarters.

March 3, 2018       Permalink

TWITTER DOES SOMETHING RIGHT – AT 12:34 P.M. ET:  Twitter has banned an ANTIFA account, finally acknowledging what all rational people know, that ANTIFA is a violent organization.  From Daily Caller:

Twitter banned an Antifa student group after it said “bricks belong best thrown at pig heads,” according to a Wednesday report.

Watchdog group Far Left Watch noticed the Revolutionary Student Front at the University of Texas at Austin’s suspension after The Daily Caller News Foundation published two pieces regarding the comment inciting violence against police, as well as the group’s “self-defense” classes and its recruitment of those with mental illness.

Twitter has suspended the account of the violent communist group that has been advocating for armed violence against “capitalists."

“The primary method of combating the symptoms of mental illness that we face under capitalism must be organizing those suffering to come into violent class conflict with the system that creates their illness,” said the Antifa group, describing its 2017 Revolutionary Mental Health Program.

The Revolutionary Student Front tweeted “bricks belong best thrown at pig heads” and announced in February that it was restarting weekly “self-defense” classes.

COMMENT:  It's good to see a publication describing ANTIFA as a Communist organization, which it is.  To too many journalists, it's a protest group that occasionally gets out of line.

March 3,  2018     Permalink