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MARCH 22,  2018

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

SHE'S STILL HERE – FROM PAGE SIX:  Just as Democratic donors thought they’d finally put away wallets for Hillary Clinton, she’s coming back to NYC for a fund-raiser for her nonprofit — while also creating a party stink by throwing the bash at the exact same time as an event for DNC chairman Tom Perez.  Clinton will be in town on April 30 for her “Onward Together” organization, to support young political leaders.  With great fanfare, Clinton announced in an email to her 2016 supporters that she is launching the Onward Together Leadership Council and that they could become charter members — in return for coughing up at least $10,000.   The Dems must figure out a way to exile her to a Pacific island, but one that allows fundraisers to save local plant life.

SAVE THE DATE – FROM COLLEGE FIX:   A lecture scheduled for next month at Columbia College in Chicago will examine the topic of “whiteness in decline” and look at how whites’ current social position has led to a “resurgence of white supremacy.”  The lecture, titled “Whiteness in Decline: The Emotional Politics of White Nationalist Resurgence,” will take place April 12 and include a presentation from professor Paula Ioanide of Ithaca College in New York.  Ioanide’s remarks will touch on the “imagined and real losses in entitlements white Americans have come to expect and the ways these connect to the resurgence of white nationalism,” according to an online description of the event.  “Ioanide argues that the reactionary emotional politics of white nationalism indicate both the precarious structure of white domination and the effectiveness of racial justice movements,” a flyer for the event states.  Ioanide, a professor of comparative race and ethnicity studies, did not respond to The College Fix’s request for comment regarding her upcoming talk.  I will rush to Chicago to take notes.

A BOLTON OF LIGHTNING – John Bolton will replace H.R. McMaster as national security adviser, President Trump announced.  Bolton is considered a hardliner, and thus his appointment was met with 1) shock and 2) dismay, by the liberal Washington establishment.  Medical assistance was needed.  Smelling salts were administered, along with Zoloft.  I've heard John Bolton speak.  He's actually a very reasonable, thoughtful man, but one who seriously believes in the rigorous defense of the United States.  He and Bernie Sanders are not best friends.   I think he'll do an outstanding job as adviser, but expect terrible abuse from the political left and the diplomatic crowd.  The Europeans are probably digging bomb shelters.

March 22, 2018       Permalink 

DEMOCRATIC TOLERANCE – AT 1:40 P.M. ET:   Well, there isn't much of it.  But there is a new, intriguing kind of Democratic Party tolerance – tolerance of the bashing of one Nancy Pelosi.  Even Nancy is going along.  She just celebrated the victory of someone who said he wanted her replaced.  Amazing.  From the Los Angeles Times: 

The morning after Democrat Conor Lamb's electoral upset in a Pennsylvania House district that backed Donald Trump by 20 points, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi shrugged off questions about whether she was worried that the candidate had campaigned on a pledge to replace her.

"We won," said the ever-confident Pelosi. "I just wanted him to win."

Pelosi has been the reluctant star of GOP attack ads for years, typically cast as a stereotypical San Francisco liberal who wants to raise taxes and collect all the guns.

And in an election year where there is a chance she could once again lead the Democratic caucus to the majority and become House speaker, expect Republicans to flood the airwaves with ads connecting candidates to the long-serving leader.

But as Lamb's campaign showed, the Democratic Party appears to have an unconventional new strategy for dealing with anti-Pelosi campaign ads in 2018: Disavow her.

Rather than defend Pelosi or try to change the subject, Democratic candidates are being given leeway — at least unofficially — to buck her if that's what's needed to win a seat in a conservative-leaning district — or even in a moderate one, since voters seem to be asking for broad change.

It's a bold strategy that may short-circuit GOP efforts to use her as their boogeyman. But it could also leave Pelosi — who increasingly has had to fight back efforts to push her aside as leader — without the votes she'll need to get the gavel again.

In the final weeks of the Pennsylvania race, Lamb announced he wouldn't support Pelosi. "I think we need new leadership on both sides," Lamb told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

COMMENT:  The problem of course is that if Pelosi is pushed aside, the Dems will probably choose someone even more to the left.  Where will that leave these so-called "moderates"?  If experience is any guide, they'd be ordered to go along, or forced to the margins of the party.

March 22, 2018       Permalink

TRUMP AND RUSSIA – AT 12:31 P.M. ET:   It is time for the administration to clarify its views on Russia.  The president has been far rougher on Moscow than his predecessor, who never met a dictator he didn't like. 

At the same time, Mr. Trump has issued a statement saying we need Russian assistance to get things done in Korea and elsewhere.  Problem is, where is that assistance?

The more thoughtful Europeans, all three of them, are sounding the alarm about Moscow's intentions, and we should listen closely.  From the New York Post: 

British Prime Minister Theresa May will call for European allies to “stand shoulder to shoulder” against the Russian threat that will continue for “years to come.”

“As a European democracy the United Kingdom will stand shoulder to shoulder with the EU and with NATO to face these shared threats together,” May will tell European Union members in an address later Thursday in Brussels, adding that “united we will succeed.”

Moscow’s military-grade nerve gas attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia earlier this month in Salisbury was “an indiscriminate and reckless act against the United Kingdom” amounting to “attempted murder using an illegal chemical weapon that we know Russia possesses , ” she will say, according to released portions of her prepared speech.

Russia’s use of the Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent was a “clear violation” of international law and constitutes a threat against all European nations that requires a unified response , she will say .

“The Russian threat does not respect borders, and as such we are all at risk,” May will say.

COMMENT:  Trump is pursuing a tough, but cautious policy toward Moscow.  It may succeed, but, if it doesn't, the president must reverse course or suffer the same humiliation as his predecessor. 

Russia is not our friend.  Prime Minister May understands that. 

March 22, 2018       Permalink

AUSTIN AFTERMATH – AT 11:38 A.M. ET:  We're now getting insight into the police work behind the termination of the Austin bomber.  Hats are off to the fine detection, and use of technology.  From Fox: 

The 23-year-old man linked to the deadly bombings that rocked Austin, Texas, and surrounding areas over the past month had a "target list" of future locations he wanted to strike, the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security said Thursday.

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said that authorities have discovered that Mark Anthony Conditt, 23, had a "target list of future targets" including residences and addresses discovered by authorities.

"I think he had pulled these addresses, these were his future targets. It was a target list." he said on "America's Newsroom."

McCaul added that based on the data authorities were able to retrieve from Conditt, they were able to go the homes and "clear them" from any suspicious packages.

"We were also able to use technology to find a digital footprint of where his cellphone had been, so that the key evidence was getting his cellphone number so that when he turned his cellphone on immediately the SWAT teams descended on him at about 3 o’clock in the morning so we got close to him before he blew himself up," he said.

McCaul told Fox News that authorities are now looking at those addresses that Conditt pulled to try to find a link between them.

"That is what we are looking at right now. What is the common denominator between all these victims, or is it just completely random?" he said.

McCaul said law enforcement conducted a search of the home in Pflugerville, located northeast of Austin on Wednesday and have "a lot of computer data, hard drives."

"Those things will be very telling along with social media about what was motivating him to do this, and also was there any connectivity between all these victims or was it just a completely random event," he told Fox News.

COMMENT:  It was video surveillance at a FedEx location that proved decisive.  I know that there are some, and they are sincere, who worry about the privacy aspects of tools like video surveillance.  I don't share those worries.  Traditionally, there's been no right of privacy in public places.  We've always been patrolled by officers in police cars or foot patrolmen.  They have authority to peek into places if there's probable cause for concern.

The new technology has extended the capacity of the authorities to do better searches.  Often, these require warrants.  Sometimes they do not.  I do share concerns about invasion of privacy on personal computers and computer accounts.  From what I've observed, police surveillance techniques are working well.

March 22,  2018     Permalink

MARCH 21,  2018

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

WE'LL CERTAINLY BE FOLLOWING THIS – FROM CBS LOCAL:  Last week they protested gun violence.  This week, Rocklin High School students are using social media to organize a pro-life walkout using the hashtag #life.  “To honor all the lives of aborted babies pretty much. All the millions of aborted babies every year,” said organizer Brandon Gillespie.  He says his history teacher inspired the idea.  As thousands of students across the country walked out of class demanding strict gun laws, in honor of the Parkland shooting victims, Benzel was placed on paid administrative leave when she asked students to consider whether there’s a double standard in the national school walkout.  “I would like a conversation about when is too much? And are we going allow this on the other side?” said Julianne Benzel.  The principal at Rocklin High declined to meet with us for an on-camera interview, but a district spokeswoman tells us, he does plan to sit down with the student about the possible abortion walkout, and that’s not going over well with some of his peers.  I wonder if this will actually come off, or if the school, under liberal pressure, will find some reason to ban it.  We'll tell you.

REAL CLASS – FROM FOX:    An Iowa salon received major social media backlash this week after posting a photo of Ivanka Trump when she visited the store to get her hair styled before an event.
Salon Spa W, in Des Moines’ East Village, posted a picture Monday on its Facebook page of the first daughter, who was in town to tour Waukee school district's Aspiring Professional Experience program (APEX), with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, the Des Moines Register reported. Reynolds was standing next to Trump in the photograph.  “Our Monday kicked off with styling Ivanka Trump for her visit to Iowa! We [love] supporting women in politics,” the salon wrote in a caption on Facebook, which has since been edited.
Despite the salon’s excitement, hundreds of followers lambasted the business for styling the White House adviser and threatened to never return. Some people said the photo was “f---ing gross” and vowed to unfollow the page.  The intolerance of liberals is a thing to behold.  Whether you like or dislike the president, his daughter, who could have spent her life going to chic parties, has devoted herself to public service and building a company.  What a sin.

TRAGEDY – FROM FOX:  Police Officer Christopher Morton and two other officers were dispatched to the wrong address March 6 to respond to a disturbance call in tiny Clinton, Missouri. When the three entered the home, a man inside shot them all. Morton was killed and the two other officers were wounded.  Just three days later, Pomona, California, Police Officer Gregory Casillas attempted to stop a car for reckless driving. The driver crashed and fled into a nearby apartment. When Casillas and a second officer attempted to contact those in the apartment, they were struck by shots fired through the door. Casillas, who was only 25 and who had served in uniform for just six months, lost his life.  Morton and Casillas became the 14th and 15th police officers killed in the line of duty by fatal gunfire this year. Their deaths helped drive the almost 130 percent rise in police fatalities by gunfire so far this year.  Events in Austin remind us of our dependence on effective police work.  President Trump praised law enforcement for stopping the alleged Austin bomber.  Don't recall Mr. Obama offering much support when he was president.

March 21, 2018       Permalink

A SERIOUS ISSUE – AT 1:48 A.M. ET:  In a growing trend, local high-school students, and even younger ones, are demanding time off from school to engage in political protests.  Many of these protests are organized by "adult" groups seeking to recruit kids, and manipulate them.  From the Washington Times: 

The gun control movement notched a public relations coup with last week’s massive school walkouts, but now school districts that pitched in to ensure the protest’s success are stuck with the rising political and legal fallout.

A week after the March 14 walkout, school officials are grappling with complaints from parents outraged by the specter of their kids engaged in political protesting on school time, as well as reports of criminal mischief committed by teens who treated the event as a get-out-of-class-free card.

What’s more, the students get to do it all again next month. A substantially identical event, also called the National School Walkout, is scheduled for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre.

Chris Cleveland, chairman of the Chicago Republican Party, said he worried that the walkouts, aimed at pushing for tougher gun restrictions in the wake of the deadly Parkland shooting, have provided the template for advocacy groups eager to co-opt the public schools for progressive activism.

“If they get away with this, they’ll be free to engage in any kind of political activity in the schools that they wish,” said Mr. Cleveland, who has a third-grader in the Chicago Public Schools.

The party is moving to avert that scenario by preparing a lawsuit against the school system, arguing that the district violated state and federal law as well as its own policies by organizing a political demonstration — and pressuring students to attend — on the taxpayers’ dime.

The district has yet to comment, but it has other problems. About 60 students from Simeon Career Academy trashed a Walmart “while they were supposed to be protesting guns,” an incident under investigation by police, according to Fox32 in Chicago. 

COMMENT:  When I was a kid, General Eisenhower came to town while campaigning for president.  The school announced that we would be given time off to see Eisenhower, but added that the same privilege would be accorded if Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic nominee, were to visit.

That is a proper and civic-minded use of school time.  What we have today, by contrast, is disgraceful – kids walking off to "protest," with the protests often organized by, or guided by, left-wing groups.  This has to end.  The students are supposed to be in school, and the schools are supposed to be teaching.

Hitler said, "He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future."  We should remember that.

March 21, 2018       Permalink

THE SAUDI OFFENSIVE – AT 12:18 P.M. ET:  I must tell you that I've seen nothing like this from the Arab world.  Saudi Arabia, the radical Muslim nation from which most of the 9-11 hijackers came, is on a major reform offensive, and its seems to be serious.

As we've said before, we must reserve a little room for skepticism.  Nations, especially the old Soviet Union, have often used "charm offensives" to better their position, only to revert to their old selves in time.  And the man leading the Saudi campaign, the new crown prince, can suddenly not be there.

But we can hope that this time we'll see real progress.  From Reuters: 

Saudi Arabia is revamping its education curriculum to eradicate any trace of Muslim Brotherhood influence and will dismiss anyone working in the sector who sympathizes with the banned group, the education minister said.

Promoting a more moderate form of Islam is one of the promises made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under plans to modernize the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom.

The Education Ministry is working to “combat extremist ideologies by reviewing school curricula and books to ensure they do not reflect the banned Muslim Brotherhood’s agenda,” Ahmed bin Mohammed al-Isa said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

It would “ban such books from schools and universities and remove those who sympathize with the group or its ideology from their posts,” he added.

In September, a large Saudi public university announced it would dismiss employees suspected of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, adding to concerns that the government is clamping down on its critics in academia and beyond.

Earlier this month, Crown Prince Mohammed told CBS in an interview that Saudi schools have been “invaded” by elements of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been designated by Saudi Arabia as a terrorist organization along with other militant groups such as al Qaeda and Islamic State.

COMMENT:  This is all good.  It is also good that Saudi Arabia is a bulwark against Iran in the Mideast.  And there are reports which we've noted here, that the Saudis are carrying on a below-the-surface relationship with Israel.

We wait for the next act of reform.

March 21, 2018       Permalink

AUSTIN – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:  The alleged Austin, Texas, bomber is dead, presumably by his own hand, and he has now been identified.  From Fox: 

The serial bomber who terrorized Austin, Texas for three harrowing weeks was identified Wednesday morning -- just hours after he blew himself to bits with his own device as cops closed in.

Mark Anthony Conditt, 24, was named as the bomber, an ATF source told Fox News. A picture of Conditt in 2013 from his mother's Facebook page was authenticated by The Austin-American Statesman.

Conditt was killed near the motel he was traced to by authorities using surveillance footage from a Federal Express drop-off store and cell phone triangulation technology, according to The Austin American-Statesman.

He died after fleeing the motel in a car, with police hot on his tail. He drove into a ditch, sparking the fatal confrontation.

"We wanted this to come to a peaceful resolution tonight," said Austin Police Chief Brian Manley.

"However, we were not afforded that opportunity when he started to drive away."

Conditt was home-schooled and went to Austin Community College, neighbors told the Austin American-Statesman. 

“I know this is a cliché but I just can’t imagine that,” a neighbor who spoke to the newspaper on the condition of anonymity, and whose children grew up playing with Conditt.

Authorities have said Conditt was 24, but public records obtained by the Statesman indicate he was 23.

His mother, Danene Conditt, posted a picture of him in February 2013 to mark his completing a high school-level education.

COMMENT:  That's what we know so far.  Fox is reporting on-air that he posted some views on the internet in the past that would appear to put him on the political right, but that hasn't been nailed down.

He had two roommates.  We know nothing about them.  Nor do we know if he had accomplices.

Stand by.

March 21,  2018     Permalink