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SEPTEMBER 21,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:16 P.M. ET: 

CHARLOTTE – FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES:   North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency in Charlotte on Wednesday night after violent new protests over the police shooting of a black man erupted in the heart of downtown, leaving one man shot and critically wounded.  The shooting Wednesday night occurred as protesters waded into the streets and began streaming toward downtown hotels as police in riot gear fired tear gas and attempted to block their progress.  The governor announced he has initiated efforts to deploy the National Guard and state troopers to help quell the violence, which has raged for the last two nights in Charlotte in response to the death of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott.  It's about time the governor acted.  By the way, we've now learned that Scott had an extensive criminal record, whereas the black officer who him had an exemplary record.  Guess that doesn't matter much in today's climate.

CHEMICAL WEAPONS USED ON US TROOPS – FROM AFP:   Washington (AFP) - A rocket fired by Islamic State jihadists at US forces in Iraq may have carried a chemical agent, a US defense official said Wednesday.  No one was injured in Tuesday's blast near an airfield by the northern town of Qayyarah and no one showed any immediate signs of exposure to the suspected mustard agent, the official said.  Several hundred US troops are working with Iraqi partners to strengthen the airfield ahead of a push on the IS stronghold of Mosul.  The defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said an incoming round had exploded within the base perimeter during an "indirect fire" attack.  A small team of US troops later inspected the fragmented ordinance and found one bit with a suspicious, tar-like black oily substance that they tested in the field.  If true it's a military game changer.  If true, we'd also like to know how Islamic State forces got chemical weapons.  Gee, you don't think there were any left over in Iraq, do you?  Nah.

FRIENDLY FACES – FROM VANITY FAIR:   His presidency is winding down. A contentious election—fought largely over his record and legacy—is about to be decided. With that in mind, Barack Obama recently invited the presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to the White House for a long, personal, open-ended conversation. The meeting, arranged by Vanity Fair, took place in the president’s private dining room, just off the Oval Office.  I like some of Goodwin's work, but she is basically the Democratic Party's court historian, so the "open-ended" conversation isn't surprising.  I'm sure there'll be a book or a long article.  I might read a summary of it.  Keep it to a paragraph.

September 21, 2016       Permalink

NEW YORK'S NUTTY MAYOR – AT 12:07 P.M.  ET:  His city was just hit by a terrorist attack, but New York Mayor Bill de Blasio still proudly reminds us that he's a left-wing nut job.  From Polizette:

In the wake of a radical Islamic terrorist attack on New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio is telling citizens not to worry about the threat of jihadist violence and pushing for even more questionably vetted migrants to be resettled in the United States.

De Blasio and the mayors of London and Paris co-wrote an op-ed in which they said terrorism committed by refugees is “vanishingly rare.”

“Militant violence is vanishingly rare,” the trio wrote in The New York Times on the heels of three separate attacks in the United States.

The comments are not likely to go over well in a city on edge after the explosion. Police arrested Ahmad Khan Rahami after a shootout in New Jersey Monday. Authorities allege he is responsible for planting bombs in New York and near the site of a charity run in New Jersey.

Rahami is not a refugee — he is a naturalized citizen, having moved with his family to the United States from Afghanistan. Acquaintances say he returned from a trip to Pakistan a changed man, suddenly devout in his faith and wearing traditional Muslim robes, according to The New York Times.

COMMENT:  One would hope that the profound observations of His Honor would lead the people of New York to escort him out of City Hall in next year's mayoralty election.  But this is New York, so most voters will probably ask their psychiatrists who to support. 

September 21, 2016       Permalink

WELL...MAYBE – AT 10:32 A.M. ET:  The race is close.  Very, very close.  From the Washington Examiner: 

The latest vote projection from elections guru Nate Silver has Republican Donald Trump just six electoral votes short of winning and one point away from equaling Hillary Clinton's popular vote.

The newest Five Thirty Eight survey has Trump at 264 and Clinton at 272, two more than needed. It's the closest in recent weeks.

What's more, he has the popular vote within the margin of victory, Clinton 45.4 percent to Trump's 44.3 percent.

Silver is famous for making a prediction of victory and that's nearly close to, Clinton at 51.9 percent and Trump at 48 percent, his closest since the conventions.

The chart shows a huge gain for Trump, recovering from just a 3 percent chance of winning a month ago.

COMMENT:  Okay, but Trump has to keep it up.  In fact, some polls show him slipping a bit this week, or at least losing his momentum, after some unforced errors in rhetoric, and speculation that he's reverting to the "bad" Trump.

Monday's debate, as just about everyone has noted, will be utterly critical.  If Trump wins, or holds his own, he can be on his way against the unpopular Hillary Clinton.  But if he blows it, and he has that remarkable capacity to do so, his spectacular run can be over.

Hillary, a practiced debater, has to stand up and not faint. 

September 21, 2016       Permalink

ERUPTION, AGAIN – AT 9:56 A.M. ET:  And what effect will it have on the election?  From Fox: 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Authorities used tear gas to disperse protesters, officers were injured and a highway was shut down during protests in Charlotte, North Carolina, over the fatal shooting of a black man by police who said he was armed and posed a threat.

The protests broke out Tuesday after 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott was fatally shot by a black officer at an apartment complex on the city's northeast side. They continued into early Wednesday morning, when TV footage showed dozens of protesters on Interstate 85 apparently looting semi-trucks and setting their contents on fire on the highway.

Neither the North Carolina Highway Patrol nor Charlotte police could immediately be reached for comment. The North Carolina Department of Transportation website showed a portion of I-85 near UNC Charlotte was closed in both directions early Wednesday. The website said the closure was due to police activity.

Tuesday night, a larger group of demonstrators gathered near the scene of the shooting. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department tweeted that demonstrators were destroying marked police vehicles and that approximately 12 officers had been injured, including one who was hit in the face with a rock. Photos and TV video showed police firing tear gas to break up the crowd. Some officers were in riot gear.

COMMENT:  We don't know the facts.   The fact that the officer involved is black removes any racial motive, but that won't satisfy the crazies.  There is an expectation of more violence tonight.

There was also an officer-involved fatal shooting of a black man in Tulsa.  Even though the incident was videotaped, the facts are in dispute.  The officer involved is a white woman. 

CNN went berserk over these events this morning.  The Clinton News Network was in its liberal glory.  Emotional trauma was obvious.  I personally alerted a number of paramedics in case CNN staffers needed help. 

Why don't we just wait for the facts.

September 21,  2016     Permalink

SEPTEMBER 20,  2016

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

BULLETIN:  GLORIA STEINEM, NOT PREVIOUSLY KNOWN FOR SCIENTIFIC SCHOLARSHIP, SPEAKS OUT – FROM LIFENEWS.COM:   “Forced childbirth is the single biggest cause of global warming,” Gloria Steinem said at a recent gala celebrating Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region’s 75th Anniversary.  Steinem, a prominent abortion activist in the feminist movement, gave the keynote address at the event, The Commercial Appeal reported. She used the opportunity to celebrate the nation’s largest abortion chain and push abortions.  Steinem began her 20-minute speech by promoting “reproductive rights.” She said: “Nothing but nothing is more important than ensuring our fundamental right to reproductive freedom. The principle that government power stops at our skin.”  She then went on to attribute global warming to “forced childbirth.” This comment reflects prior statements she made last year regarding Pope Francis and global warming. During an interview with Cosmopolitan, Steinem attributed global warming to the teachings of the Catholic Church on the sanctity of human life.  Well that settles that.  No further research needed.  Next time a dear one has a baby, just say to her, "Congratulations, but you've just caused the Interstate Highway System to melt."

MORE WORRIES?  – FROM ZERO HEDGE:   If there was a time Hillary needed to make a public appearance in the key battleground state of North Carolina to drum up voter support, it was today, if for no other reason than a just released Elon University poll finding Trump now has a modest 44% advantage among likely voters in the Tar Heel State, with 43% going to Clinton...Which is why we find it surprising that with Hillary's desperately needing to make an appearance, overnight CBS reported that Clinton campaign officials said that a Tuesday fundraiser in Chapel Hill was postponed.  The Clinton event was billed as “lunch with Hillary Rodham Clinton” and had four donation levels to attend. Those contribution levels were described as $100,000, which featured “chair reception with Hillary,” $33,000, which included a “host reception with Hillary,” $5,000, which included “preferred seating” and $2,700.  No reason was given for postponement of the Clinton event, which was planned to take place at the home of Betty Craven and Michael Warner.  Doesn't sound good.  The reason the Clinton camp finally gave is that she had to study for Monday's debate.  Really?  She's been a national figure for 25 years.  How much study does she need?  There are suspicions that the reason for the cancellation is medical, that she needs rest.  It's a legitimate concern.

THE GENIUS – FROM DAILY CALLER:  CNN contributor and progressive activist Sally Kohn criticized free speech advocacy during a Friday debate at the University of Missouri (MU), saying such advocacy was really just an excuse for attacking multiculturalism and other progressive attitudes.  Kohn was at MU as part of a two-day symposium on the topic of campus free speech. Kohn’s event was a debate with fellow CNN contributor Kirsten Powers, in which the two clashed about whether recent campus trends have been harmful to free expression.   Victoria Stroup, a student at MU, described the event in a piece for Campus Reform. She said Kohn’s argument defended recent protests that seek to silence conservative speakers and events, arguing that those claiming to champion “free speech” are really just trying to give cover for regressive, anti-diversity views.  Sally Kohn suffers from terminal obnoxia.  She would have had a great old time in the Soviet Union sending dissidents to the Gulag.   

September 20,  2016     Permalink

TRUMP RISING WITH HISPANICS – AT 11:55 A.M. ET:  It is clear that if Donald Trump can cut significantly into Hillary Clinton's lead with blacks and Hispanics, he could probably win the election, and possibly win it easily.  He seems to be doing better with both groups.  The Hill reports on Hispanics: 

Donald Trump is performing about as well with Hispanic voters as GOP nominee Mitt Romney did in 2012, according to opinion polls — something that unsettles Democrats and surprises even some Republicans.

Skeptics had suggested that Trump would suffer a blowout among Hispanics, given that his rhetoric, on illegal immigration in particular, has been controversial.

Trump’s promise to build a wall on the southern U.S. border and force Mexico to pay for it is perhaps the best known of his campaign pledges. And at his campaign launch in June 2015, he said people coming into the country illegally were “rapists.”

But as of right now, there is not much evidence to suggest that Trump is faring any worse among Hispanics than did Romney, who at one point argued that illegal immigrants in the United States could be persuaded to “self-­deport.”

In some places, Trump is actually outperforming Romney. In Nevada, for example, President Obama ran up a 47-point margin of victory among Hispanic voters in 2012, according to exit polls, defeating Romney 71 percent to 24 percent. A recent Marist poll in the state for NBC News and The Wall Street Journal showed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton leading among Hispanics, but by the smaller margin of 35 points, 65 percent to 30 percent.

A series of Univision polls earlier this month surveying Hispanic voters in four battleground states — Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Nevada — also put Trump in the same ballpark as Romney four years ago. Clinton’s lead over Trump among Hispanics in Colorado was smaller than Obama’s margin in that state in 2012.

A Bloomberg Politics "poll decoder" on Tuesday averaged several national surveys and found Clinton leading among Hispanics by 38 points. But Obama won the group by six points more in 2012, according to exit polls.

That has led some Democrats to question Clinton’s strategy. In a Washington Post report over the weekend, some suggested her campaign was too slow to begin Spanish-language advertising.

COMMENT:  The press likes to assign to ethnic groups the opinions that journalists think they should have.  Thus, the press is shocked when African Americans or Hispanics support Trump.  Reports from a few days ago suggested that Trump's black support is growing.  That may well be what prompted President Obama to make the bizarre statement that he'd consider it a personal insult if blacks voted for Trump.  And now we have this piece from The Hill on Hispanics.

I look forward to new polling, and especially polling after next week's first debate.  That should give us a clearer indication of where ethnic groups are going.  If they are going toward Trump, Hillary can cancel the moving van.

September 20,  2016     Permalink

OUR FIGHTING PRESIDENT – THAT IS A JOKE – AT 10:18 A.M. ET:  The condition of our military is frightening.  The commander-in-chief is out to lunch, or out to ice cream, or something.  Military leaders, including those appointed by Obama, are clearly frustrated.  From the fine defense journalist Rowan Scarborough, at the Washington Times:   

As the four armed forces chiefs testified in the Senate about the national security dangers of mandated budget caps, Sen. Lindsey Graham asked each officer if he had discussed the readiness crisis with President Obama.

Their unanimous answers before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week underscored a key aspect of the Obama presidency, noted by his own past defense secretaries and, in a recent disclosure, a former NATO commander: The president maintains a wary approach in dealing with the four-star generals and admirals who direct his wars.

“Have you told the president what you’re telling us about the state of the military under sequestration?” asked Mr. Graham, South Carolina Republican. “Have you had a conversation with the commander in chief, telling him what you just told us?”

Army Gen. Mark Milley was the first to answer. “I have not personally had a conversation.”
As Mr. Graham’s roll call continued, Navy Adm. John Richardson, Marine Corps. Gen. Robert Neller and Air Force Gen. David Goldfein gave the same answer: “No.”

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said this month at an NBC News forum that generals have been “reduced to rubble” by Mr. Obama. Although that may be Trump hyperbole, the president’s own political appointees acknowledge a problem.

Robert M. Gates, Mr. Obama’s first defense secretary, wrote in his memoirs that Mr. Obama deeply distrusts senior military leaders and suspects them of conspiring against him. He recalled one meeting in which the president resorted to a clipped “That’s an order” to the top brass.

“That order was unnecessary and insulting, proof positive of the depth of the Obama White House distrust of the nation’s military leadership,” a “shocked” Mr. Gates wrote.

COMMENT:  You put a left winger in the White House, that is what you get.  You put a left-wing amateur in the White House, you get even worse.  That is what we did in 2008 and 2012, and I'm afraid our children will pay the price.

Not that the political left ever cared much about children.  Children are so...so...last generation.

September 20, 2016      Permalink     

A DAY IN NEW YORK – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 9:16 A.M. ET:  Oh, we are so lucky here in New York.  The UN is coming to town.  Funnier and more entertaining than anything put out by Ringling Brothers.  And the irony is that we will be giving a warm welcome to the very people who organize and advocate the kind of terror we've seen in New York in recent days.  From the brilliant Anne Bayefsky, at Breitbart. 

The leaders of terror-sponsoring states are currently descending on Manhattan for the annual opening of the UN General Assembly and their words are guaranteed to be blasted across the global airwaves. It is about time we made the connection between the terror-enablers in Turtle Bay and the terrorism in the streets beyond.

Monday brought new meaning to the phrase “upstairs, downstairs.” Above ground, the limousines glided in and out of UN Headquarters – recently renovated with more than half a billion dollars from U.S. taxpayers alone. Below ground, millions of New York straphangers were held up in subway and train stations until police gave the all-clear.

The contrasts get even starker. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is being protected by New York’s finest, while he is endangering American sailors and pilots in the Persian Gulf.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is paying “martyrs” that kill Americans and Israelis, while Americans are paying to take good care of his health and welfare when he is in town.

Then there are the other so-called “world leaders” that New Yorkers are hosting. All have immunity to travel to and from the UN in the name of “world peace.” And yet they include despots and dictators from terror hotspots like Lebanon, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen.

There is something seriously wrong with this picture.

COMMENT:  Oh no, Anne, there's nothing wrong with it if you're a good leftist.  Why, it's just a wonderful multicultural gathering.  Who are we to question other cultures?  One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.  Isn't that right?

No, it really isn't.

September 20,  2016     Permalink