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DECEMBER 28,  2016

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

THE MARCH OF COLLEGE ABSURDITY – FROM COLLEGE FIX:    The invitation of Sean Spicer, Donald Trump’s pick for White House press secretary, to the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics (IOP) is not sitting well with some folks.  According to The Chicago Maroon, the Spicer announcement “drew criticism from some students who say they may protest the IOP’s perceived normalization of hostility toward the press by the incoming president.”  This leads me to wonder if Trump himself will receive any invitations to give addresses at colleges, other than the service academies.  The left is so militant, and threatening, that I'd be willing to bet it would be successful in barring Trump from almost any college.

CHILLING – FROM REUTERS:   A pro-Islamic State group on Wednesday urged supporters of the jihadists to carry out attacks on targets such as markets and hospitals in Europe over the Christmas holiday period and urged Muslims to stay away from Christian celebrations.  The threat came as European authorities have stepped up security following an attack claimed by Islamic State in which a truck ploughed into crowds in a Berlin Christmas market and killed 12 people this month.  The Nashir Media Foundation, which backs Islamic State, posted its message online, accompanied by images of fighters with guns and knives, Santa Claus, reindeer and a Christmas tree, according to the according to the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant groups online.  "Their celebrations, gatherings, clubs, markets, theatres, cinemas, malls and even their hospitals are all perfect targets for you," the online message to Islamist "lone wolves" in Europe said.  I'd take this very seriously, considering past mass killings.  But I fear that people in the West are "normalizing" terror, considering it a part of modern society.

DE-FUND THE UN? – FROM FOX:   Mike Huckabee suggested, in the aftermath of the United Nations resolution condemning Israeli settlements, that the United States pull its portion of the international body's funding.  He said the hundreds of millions to billions of dollars could be better allocated to serve American veterans.  Eric Bolling reported that United States funds account for 22 percent or about $600 million of the UN's operating budget, while we have spent as much as multiple billions of dollars on peacekeeping and other UN initiatives.  Not a bad idea.  Spend the money on veterans, who have done more for peace than the UN ever has. 

December 28,  2016    Permalink

I'M SHOCKED, SHOCKED, TO LEARN THIS – AT 8:57 A.M. ET:  Who would have thought it, in our politically correct, fuzzy world?  From Deutsche Welle: 

Christmas market attack suspect Anis Amri visited 15 mosques in Germany and had contact with two men with ties to IS, according to a media report. Security authorities also reportedly labeled him a threat back in May.

Tunisian-born Anis Amri traveled to 15 different mosques - 12 of which were located in the western Ruhr region, according to a report from German public broadcaster WDR's "Aktuelle Stunde" television program.

Amri used one of eight aliases to apply for asylum in the western German city of Oberhausen, the report said citing a multi-page profile on the Berlin attack suspect put together by security authorities.

Starting in February 2016, Amri was located mostly in Berlin although he should not have been allowed to leave the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where he registered for asylum.

The state criminal investigation office in Düsseldorf classified him as a threat on May 10.

The profile stated that Amri behaved in an especially conspiratorial manner when he was in Berlin and had frequent contact with people who security services said had ties to the radical Salafist-Islamist scene. Two of the men Amri came into contact with were under suspicion of planning a terrorist attack.

Back in North Rhine-Westphalia, Amri also had two contacts in Dortmund who had ties to the so-called militant "Islamic State" (IS) group, the report said.

COMMENT:  And yet nothing was done.  That's some security.  Political correctness in Europe – we must not upset our new guests – has been carried to an extreme, and people are dying because of it.  Maybe, with the impact of President Trump, that will change.

December 28, 2016     Permalink

MORE CLASS FROM THE LEFT – AT 8:26 A.M. ET:  I'm always inspired by good manners.  From Fox: 

California Congresswoman Maxine Waters said she will not accept any invitation to meet with President-elect Donald Trump, and plans to obstruct much of his platform.

"I don't trust him, I don't believe him, I have no intentions of sitting down with him; I'm going to fight him every inch of the way," Waters told MSNBC.

The South Los Angeles Democrat said Trump has "stepped on everybody and has no respect for his colleagues" nor his ideological opponents.

Waters said, in contrast, Democrats are "nice" and "bend over backwards" to work with Republicans when in the majority.

However, Waters comments conflict with the stated position of incoming Democratic leader Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) who said he plans "not to oppose something simply because it has the name Trump on it."

COMMENT:  Maxine Waters is so far out in left field that she can't even see the pitcher.  And, no, I haven't noticed that the Democrats are "nice."  The majority seem to be narrow and mean-spirited.  And the majority would side with Waters.

I think we're in for warfare.  I'm not sure that Chuck Schumer will survive long as Senate minority leader. 

December 28, 2016     Permalink

GRAND ADMIRAL KERRY TO SPEAK – AT 8:17 A.M. ET:  Kerry will speak today to outline the Obama-Kerry vision of an Israel-Palestinian peace agreement.

The act itself is unbelievably tacky and small-time.  Great nations do not announce major foreign-policy positions in the last three weeks of an administration.  And decent presidents do not try to tie the hands of their successors. 

Obama has been in office for eight years.  Why now, as the moving vans are pulling up to the White House, does he have his secretary of state announce a new vision for the Mideast?  The answer is easy.  He no longer has to submit any of his ideas to the American people through elections.  He's taking the route of political cowards, the route of no political risks.

Obama tried the same stunt when announcing that the Iran nuclear deal would be treated as an executive agreement, rather than a treaty.  All previous arms agreements had been treaties, ratified by the Senate.  Obama knew that the Iran deal was unpopular, so, poof, it suddenly became a non-treaty, meaning it didn't have to be ratified by the Senate.  And it was signed by Obama and delivered to Iran.

We await Kerry's oration with no sense of anticipation.  And we await a new administration that will understand the American tradition, and act with some class.

December 28,  2016     Permalink

DECEMBER 27,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE –  AT 10:08 P.M. ET:

NO ALOHA – FROM FOX:   Honolulu’s Café 8 ½ gets rave reviews on Yelp for its “Radiatore Verde” and “Italian stir fry,” among other popular dishes at the eclectic mom-and-pop restaurant – but the response to its new 'policy' barring pro-Trump patrons has been decidedly more mixed.  A bright yellow, handmade sign posted on the restaurant's front glass door declares: “If you voted for Trump you cannot eat here! No Nazis.”  A photo of the sign was shared with FoxNews.com. One also is proudly posted on the café’s Facebook page, and was “liked” by some 40 people.  “…The next time you're in Honolulu, eat lunch here, not only are they on the right side of things, the food is delicious and reasonable,” one Facebook user wrote next to the photo.  Others aren’t so charmed.  Honolulu resident and Donald Trump voter Susan Roberts told FoxNews.com she found the sign in “extreme poor taste.”  “It's childish and very unprofessional,” she said in an email. “… The restaurant owner doesn't have to worry ... I will not be stepping foot in that establishment.”  Willes Lee, former chairman of the Hawaii Republican Party and now president of National Federation of Republican Assemblies, told FoxNews.com the sign is discriminatory, and harkens back to “racist and hate-filled” days before statehood.  “Remember when Filipinos couldn't go in certain places, or Japanese wouldn't be allowed [in] many homes? And, it didn't matter who they voted for,” said Lee, who is of Japanese descent.  The anti-Trump crowd is vastly overplaying its hand.  The man hasn't even been inaugurated.

WASHINGTON POST EXPANDING – FROM AFP:   Washington (AFP) - The Washington Post, purchased three years ago by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, will turn a profit in 2016 and expand its newsroom, defying the downward trend in the newspaper industry.  A memo to staff this month from Post publisher Fred Ryan, obtained by AFP, said the newspaper has been helped by its digital efforts and will be launching new "initiatives" in the coming year.  "Thanks to the incredible work of the entire team, the Washington Post will finish this year as a profitable and growing company," Ryan said in the memo.   "In addition to reinforcing our belief that there is a viable business model in quality journalism, this will provide additional funding for several new initiatives that build upon the successes of this year."  The newsroom was "larger this year than last year, and it will grow even more next year," he added.  I'm willing to bet that virtually all the gain came from liberal readers seeking a safe space, rather than mature adults looking for good journalism.  While the Post has a better editorial page than the even-more-liberal New York Times, the paper never makes any effort to appeal to other than liberal readers.

TAKE THAT, VLAD – FROM ZEROHEDGE:   Just a week after Obama held a press conference announcing that he sent a stern warning to Vladimir Putin regarding his alleged "election hacking" efforts (see "Obama Told Putin To "Cut It Out" On Hacking"), the Washington Post is reporting that the Obama administration is close to announcing a series of economic sanctions and other measures to punish Russia for its "interference" in the 2016 presidential election. Quoting "U.S. officials," WaPo said that an announcement from the Obama administration could come as early as this week and would likely include "covert cyber operations."  Gee, you think this is a little late?  The obvious reason for the move is not to punish Russia, but to put President Trump in a position where only Trump could remove the sanctions, thus raising further suspicions about his closeness to Putin.  I have no problem about questioning Trump's ties to Putin, but this is a tacky way to do it.  It's the Obama style – direct from the Chicago City Council.

December 27, 2016       Permalink

THE TRUMP EFFECT – AT 10:18 A.M. ET:   More good news for American workers.  From AP:

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese electronics company Panasonic and U.S. electric car maker Tesla said Tuesday they plan to begin production of photovoltaic cells and modules at a factory in Buffalo, New York.

The two companies said they finalized an agreement calling for Tokyo-based Panasonic to pay capital costs for the manufacturing. Palo Alto, California-based Tesla made a "long-term purchase commitment" to Panasonic.

Their statement gave no financial figures.

The factory in Buffalo is under development by SolarCity Corp., a San Mateo, California-based solar panel company owned by Tesla. The PV cells and modules it produces will be used in solar panels for non-solar roof products and solar glass tile roofs that Tesla plans to begin making, the announcement said.

Production is due to begin in mid-2017. Tesla said it will create 1,400 jobs in Buffalo, 500 in manufacturing and plans further expansion in Buffalo.

Panasonic also is to work with Tesla on next-generation technology, the companies said.

COMMENT:  I can't absolutely guarantee that Donald Trump had anything to do with this specific advance, but it's amazing how many announcements like this we're starting to see.  Companies want to be on the right side of the White House.

American workers are starting to benefit.  Since the Democratic elites don't know any American workers, they probably won't notice.

December 27, 2016        Permalink

FAREWELL FROM A GREAT MAN – AT 9:50 A.M. ET:  Tom Sowell, the distinguished, conservative, African-American columnist, is giving up his Creators Syndicate column after 25 years.  He is 86, and has written some of the most thoughtful prose of our time.  Of course, being a black conservative, he is ignored by the trendies in journalism.   In his farewell column, Mr. Sowell gives us this recollection:

With all the advances of blacks over the years, nothing so brought home to me the social degeneration in black ghettos like a visit to a Harlem high school some years ago.

When I looked out the window at the park across the street, I mentioned that, as a child, I used to walk my dog in that park. Looks of horror came over the students’ faces, at the thought of a kid going into the hell hole that park had become in their time.

When I have mentioned sleeping out on a fire escape in Harlem during hot summer nights, before most people could afford air-conditioning, young people have looked at me like I was a man from Mars. But blacks and whites alike had been sleeping out on fire escapes in New York since the 19th century. They did not have to contend with gunshots flying around during the night.

We cannot return to the past, even if we wanted to, but let us hope that we can learn something from the past to make for a better present and future.

Goodbye and good luck to all.

COMMENT:  And good luck to you, Mr. Sowell.  I wish you had been listened to by more of our intellectual "leaders."

December 27,  2016     Permalink

STATE OF THE NATION – AT 9:28 A.M. ET:  Is violence becoming the new normal for the holiday season?  From AP:

BEACHWOOD, Ohio (AP) — Fights broke out at malls around the country Monday night sending shoppers, who were looking for post-holiday deals, scrambling for the exits.

No one was seriously injured in the mall melees, which, during the panic, also prompted numerous false reports of gunfire.

Police in Ohio told Cleveland.com that officers used pepper spray to disperse a large crowd following a fight at an upscale shopping mall in Beachwood, just outside of Cleveland.

A report of shots fired was later determined to be unfounded.

One male juvenile was arrested for allegedly trying to hit an officer during the incident, which police said appeared to have been "loosely organized on social media."

There were similar disturbances at malls around the country including in New York, New Jersey and North Carolina, where chaos erupted at a mall in Fayetteville and emergency medical personnel were called in to assist someone who had a medical episode while fleeing.

In Memphis, Tennessee, police arrested several people following fights at two malls there. No one was injured and no gunshots were fired, despite reports indicating otherwise.

"Somebody yelled 'gun!' and youths stampeded through the mall," Deputy Chief Terry Landrum told The Commercial Appeal.

Police in Aurora, Colorado, near Denver, evacuated a mall due to multiple skirmishes.

COMMENT:  These are understandable reactions to oppression.  Not being able to get one's desired bargain on December 26th is a form of oppression, as listed in the Guinness Book of Excuses, 43rd edition.  Check it out. 

Says something about our society that we've begun to accept this degeneration.  Daniel Patrick Moynihan called it "defining deviancy down."

December 27, 2016     Permalink