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FEBRUARY 7,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:05 P.M. ET:

GOOD FOR HER – FROM FOX:   A Maryland blogger has been forced to pay a “substantial sum” to Melania Trump as part of a settlement for a defamation lawsuit over an article containing unsubstantiated claims that the first lady once worked as an escort, her lawyers announced Tuesday.  “I posted an article on August 2, 2016 about Melania Trump that was replete with false and defamatory statements about her,” Webster Tarpley, the 71-year-old blogger, said in a statement by Trump’s attorneys, according to the Washington Post.  Trump’s legal team declined to provide the settlement amount. Tarpley, of Gaithersburg, didn’t respond to requests from the Washington Post for comment, but his lawyer confirmed a settlement had been reached.  I'm glad Ms. Trump fought back.  People thought they could use her as a punching bag, and she proved them wrong.

THE END OF EDUCATION – FROM FOX:   Joe Biden has a new title: Ivy League professor.  The former vice president, who has been out of a job exactly 18 days, has landed a new gig at the University of Pennsylvania, where he will teach a new generation the ins and outs of international diplomacy. Biden will lead the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, a new center focused principally on diplomacy, foreign policy, and national security. The Center will be located in Washington, but the Scranton-born Biden will also have an office on the Penn campus in Philadelphia.  This is like hiring a math professor who got zero on every test.  Joe's a decent guy, by common consent, but he's been wrong on every major policy issue of our time.  He was even, reportedly, against the bin Laden raid.  What can he teach those kids?

SIMILAR TO AMERICAN VIEWS – FROM THE INDEPENDENT:   A majority of Europeans want a ban on immigration from Muslim-majority countries, a poll has revealed.  An average of 55 per cent of people across the 10 European countries surveyed wanted to stop all future immigration from mainly Muslim countries.  The Chatham House study, conducted before US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning immigration to the US from seven predominantly Muslim countries, found majorities in all but two of the ten states opposed immigration from mainly Muslim countries.  Only 20 per cent disagreed, while 25 per cent said they did not know.   There is probably some bigotry involved, but I suspect fear of terrorism is at the root of the numbers.

February 7, 2017       Permalink

SHE'S IN – AT 12:51 P.M. ET:  Betsy DeVos has just been confirmed as secretary of education.   It took a historic tie-breaking vote  by the vice president to get her approved.   From Fox:

School choice advocate Betsy DeVos was narrowly confirmed Tuesday as the next education secretary despite deep opposition from teachers unions and other groups, after Vice President Pence intervened to cast a historic tie-breaking vote.

Pence’s vote marked the first time in American history a vice president has broken a tie on a Cabinet nominee’s Senate confirmation – and the first tie-breaking vote by a VP since 2008. Pence was compelled to cast the vote after two Republican senators – Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – joined all 48 Senate Democrats in opposing DeVos.

“The Senate being equally divided, the vice president votes in the affirmative and the nomination is confirmed,” Pence said, stepping into his role as president of the Senate in a brief appearance on Capitol Hill.

With his support, DeVos was confirmed on a 51-50 vote.

The confirmation of the wealthy GOP donor will mark a sharp change in philosophy at the helm of federal education policy, given DeVos’ history boosting alternatives to public education.

“She’s led the most effective school reform movement of the last 30 years,” Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said moments earlier on the floor, shoring up DeVos's Republican support.

Democrats mounted an all-night speaking marathon railing against her nomination in the run-up to the vote, questioning her experience and ties to charter schools though their opposition combined with lobbying efforts by teachers unions were not enough to block her.

COMMENT:  This was the first time in American history that a vice president had to break a tie in a confirmation vote for a Cabinet appointee.  It shows the sheer fanaticism of the Democratic Party.  Democrats in the Senate are being forced by pressure from the left to oppose literally anything Trump proposes.  It is a madness.

Even Rahm Emanuel, the embattled mayor of Chicago, said today that Democrats must cool down and build a party, not just oppose.  He also cautioned that Democrats cannot expect to return to real national power for a long while.  But his words will probably be ignored by the revolutionary clique in control of the party.  They just want to run a movement.  Governing is too difficult.

February 7, 2017       Permalink 

THE RESISTANCE SPEAKS – AT 11:51 A.M. ET:  And what clowns they are.   Apparently inspired by the excesses of the sixties...which wound up putting Richard Nixon in the White House...the brave anti-Trump resisters are planning major disruptions.  From Daily Caller: 

Behind the mass protests, choreographed chants and acts of violence, leaders of anti-Trump “resistance” efforts are communicating the same simple but dark message: they want to make America “ungovernable” for the president of the United States.

These protesters say they will do whatever it takes to keep Trump from enacting his agenda, and many of them have shown a willingness to destroy public property, assault law enforcement officers and inflict violence upon their fellow citizens.

Inauguration Day provided a hint of what to expect from the far left during Trump’s presidency: well-organized protests that feature alarmist rhetoric and have a proclivity to devolve into anarchic violence. Rioters smashed storefront windows, assaulted innocent bystanders and torched a limo all in the name of opposing Trump.

D.C.’s inauguration weekend violence was believed to be mostly the work of a group calling themselves DisruptJ20, which began planning to disrupt the inauguration and destroy property weeks in advance.

COMMENT:  We saw the same in Berkeley last week.  Of course, they violate the law, and we'll be watching to see if the laws are actually enforced.  Many of these violent demonstrations occur in places where local authorities are sympathetic to the leftist cause, if not the leftist actions.  In Berkeley, only one arrest was made. 

Look for the possibility of the president using federal action – federalizing National Guard units or sending in troops, as happened a number of times in the fifties and sixties.   The president could count on widespread public support if violence gets out of control. 

February 7, 2017       Permalink 

IRAN RESPONDS – AT 9:53 A.M. ET:  There is a confrontation building between President Trump and Iran.  How Trump handles this has the potential to define his presidency.  It can't be done with tweets.  From AFP:

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday warned the US not to threaten Iran with sanctions, saying American President Donald Trump’s brow-beating would see a response in the coming days.

“Trump says fear me! No. The Iranian nation will respond to your comments with a demonstration on the 10th of February,” Khamenei said in a speech to military officers in Tehran on Tuesday. “They will show others what kind of stance the nation of Iran takes when threatened,” he said.

His comments came in the wake of Trump’s statement to reporters on Thursday about whether a military response to Iran was under consideration, following Tehran’s illicit ballistic missile test.

“Nothing is off the table,” Trump replied, borrowing a phrase Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has used for years vis-à-vis Tehran’s nuclear program. Days earlier, a top US administration official had said Iran was “on notice.”

Khamenei also responded to Trump’s tweet of February 3, which said: “Iran is playing with fire — they don’t appreciate how ‘kind’ President Obama was to them.”

The leader ridiculed the idea of being grateful to former president Barack Obama, saying he was the one who placed “paralyzing sanctions” on Iran.

“The new US president says Iran should thank Obama! Why?!” Khamenei posted on his website. “Should we thank him for [creating] ISIS, the ongoing wars in Iraq and Syria, or the blatant support for the 2009 sedition in Iran? He was the president who imposed paralyzing sanctions on the Iranian nation; of course, he did not achieve what he desired. No enemy can ever paralyze the Iranian nation.”

Khamenei also told the officers that Trump had revealed the true colors of the US.

COMMENT:  The supreme guy talks about a "demonstration" on February 10th, three days from now.  Sounds like another missile launch, or maybe a military parade showing off new weapons.  Or an overflight of American ships near Iran.

Trump had better get this right.  On the one hand, he can't back down, which was Obama's style.  On the other hand, he can't be sucked into a military action he really doesn't want to take. 

He can't be sure of much support from our "allies," many of whom are making fortunes in Iran.  And there are some American firms, like Boeing, who are also involved in the Iran trade.

A critical moment coming up.

February 7,  2017     Permalink

FEBRUARY 6,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:57 P.M. ET: 

SPORTSMANSHIP – FROM BREITBART:   As the New England Patriots performed a miraculous come-from-behind win to clinch another Super Bowl title, giving quarterback Tom Brady an historic fifth Super Bowl ring, liberals from coast to coast lapsed into despair that anyone close to President Donald Trump could become winners.  As soon as Patriots running back James White stretched over into the end zone to slam the pigskin down for that game-winning touch down, liberals took to Twitter to vent their outrage.  Immediately the hash tag #notmysuperbowlchampion started trending with many slamming Brady and Trump.  The word "crisis" is overused.  But, if we have a true crisis in America, it's a maturity crisis.  We are becoming a nation of perpetual adolescents.

MAJOR DIETING NEWS – FROM ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:   Most people turn to diets and exercise to lose extra pounds, but Girls star Lena Dunham is sharing a new weight-loss trick you may not want to try at home.  Dunham stopped by Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show Monday morning and revealed that she has none other than Donald Trump to thank for her slim figure.  “Donald Trump became president and I stopped being able to eat food,” she told Stern after he complimented her look. “Everyone’s been asking like, ‘What have you been doing?’ And I’m like, ‘Try soul-crushing pain and devastation and hopelessness and you, too, will lose weight.'”  The actress, who was on hand to promote the upcoming sixth and final season of Girls, has not been shy about her dislike for the President, and apparently, the feeling is mutual.  I watch videos of Elizabeth Warren.  It has the same effect.

GREAT MOMENTS IN SCHOLARSHIP – FROM THE COLLEGE FIX:   Santa Clara University’s student government recently voted to deny a pro-capitalism campus club official recognition, citing the possibility that the group may invite conservative speakers, and that allowing it would be a stand against “humanity.”  Santa Clara University’s student senate voted 16-10 on Feb. 2 to deny the conservative club Turning Point USA official status. That decision severely hampers the group’s ability to spread its free market message on campus, as the group cannot use campus funds to invite speakers without official recognition, and must recruit a staff member to book space for its activities.  At the Senate meeting, debate erupted after representatives from the Jesuit university’s multicultural center criticized Turning Point, according to eyewitness accounts and a video obtained by The College Fix.  This is insane, and an insult to free speech and inquiry.  We must develop a mechanism to cut off federal aid to colleges that restrict free speech, and commitment to basic American freedoms should be required for accreditation.

February 6, 2017       Permalink

THE CLOSEST – AT 12:46 P.M. ET:   Because of Democratic obstruction, many of the president's Cabinet nominees have not yet been confirmed by the Senate.  It is expected that all will eventually get through, but one will require a historic tie-breaking vote by the vice president.  From the New York Post: 

WASHINGTON — The Senate begins deliberations today on Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos, whose confirmation is likely to require a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Mike Pence.

The final vote is shaping up as 50-50, with all Democrats unified in opposition along with two of the 52 Republicans – Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Pence predicted Sunday he’ll be needed to push DeVos over the finish line.

“I’m going to be called on … for the first time in American history as vice president to cast the deciding tie-breaking vote for a cabinet nominee,” Pence told “Fox News Sunday.”

He blamed the close vote on Democratic “obstruction.”

“We are very confident that Betsy DeVos is going to be the secretary of education,” Pence added. “It would be my high honor to cast the deciding tie-breaking vote on the floor of the Senate.”

COMMENT:  What a disgrace!  Democrats are voting almost as a bloc against virtually all Trump's nominees.  How thoughtful.  How patriotic.  It is frightening to think of how the far left has the Democratic Party at its mercy.  Qualifications don't mean a thing.  Resistance is the only thing they know.

And they haven't even started on Judge Gorsuch, one of the finest nominees to the Supreme Court we've ever seen.

February 6, 2017       Permalink

THE WAYWARD PRESS – AT 9:46 A.M. ET:   That was the way the late critic, A.J. Liebling, described the press.  Wayward then, wayward now.  Except the waywardness now is far more vicious.  In the opening weeks of the Trump administration we've seen a press literally out of control, anguished that their gal lost the election, unable to cope.  There are clinics for this.  Prescription drugs.  Counseling.  Religious instruction.  But the journalists avoid all of them.  And the media mistakes are piling up.  From Daily Caller: 

Journalists can’t seem to get their stories straight in the opening weeks of the Trump administration, whether in tweets or in articles where falsehoods have been spread almost daily.

The mistakes have not just been from newer liberal news outlets such The Huffington Post or BuzzFeed, but from legacy media like Reuters, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.

What follows are several botched stories or conflicting reports since President Trump took office.

The Trump administration eases sanctions on a Russian intelligence agency.

NBC reported Thursday that the Trump administration was easing sanctions on the FSB, one of Russia’s primary intelligence agencies. Peter Alexander, NBC’s national correspondent, tweeted, “US Treasury Dept easing Obama admin sanctions to allow companies to do transactions with Russia’s FSB, successor org to KGB.”

Less than an hour later, he wrote, “Source familiar w sanctions says it’s a technical fix, planned under Obama, to avoid unintended consequences of cybersanctions.” His initial and incorrect tweet received nearly seven thousand retweets and the correction has less than 300 retweets.

Vanity Fair is still running the uncorrected article: “Russian Stocks Surge As Comrade Trump Eases Relations With Vlad.”

The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice were blindsided by Trump’s executive order on immigration and refugees.

The New York Times came out with a report this past week titled: “How Trump’s Rush to Enact an Immigration Ban Unleashed Global Chaos.”

COMMENT:  Please read the entire well-reported piece.  It demonstrates just how botched things have become in the media.  There is a general recklessness and immaturity, and the clear result of several generations of lightweight "higher" education, administered by leftist leftovers from the 1960s.  Other than that, all is fine.

February 6, 2017       Permalink

I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT – AT 9:18 A.M. ET:  Ah, the sense that last night in Houston was election night all over.  We glow.  From Breitbart: 

Pundits and predictors were forced to re-live Election Night on Sunday evening, as Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots completed an improbable comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons.

After a disastrous first half for the Patriots, the Falcons jumped out to a 28-3 lead early in the second half. At that point, the oddsmakers said there was virtually no chance New England could recover.

There was more than a tinge of delight in some of the predictions, as Brady and Belichick are well-known supporters of President Donald Trump. One the eve of Election Day, at a late-night rally in New Hampshire, Trump read a letter of support from Belichick and informed the crowd that Brady had voted early for him. At the time, journalists mocked Trump’s claims. Super Bowl Sunday looked like an opportunity for revenge — at first.

But then Brady found his groove. Despite Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan — the league’s Most Valuable Player this season — being on track to set an NFL record for passer rating in the Super Bowl, the New England veteran found a will, and a way, to win.

And suddenly… it was déjà vu, all over again.

The first overtime in history. The greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. The greatest quarterback in history.

There are certainly Trump voters among Falcons fans, who are feeling the pain of defeat.

But CNN is based in… Atlanta.

And those who, like the Washington Post, spent the earlier part of the evening spiking the football…

COMMENT:  That game was spiritual.  Never give up!  I'm not much of a fan.  I've been semi-boycotting organized sports since 1957, when the Dodgers left Brooklyn, and brought decency to an end.  I will someday forgive, but I'll need a written apology. 

Last night was a glorious exception to my general indifference.

February 6,  2017     Permalink