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AUGUST 26,  2014

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

GOOD CHANCE UP NORTH – There's a chance for a GOP Senate pickup in Alaska.  From Rasmussen:  "A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Alaska Voters shows Republican Dan Sullivan with a 47% to 45% lead over incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Begich. Three percent (3%) like some other candidate in the race, and four percent (4%) are undecided."  That's better than I'd expected at this point.  Keep pourin' it on, Dan.

A NEW GOP STAR? – From Fox:  "Martha McSally, one of the GOP's most touted 2014 candidates, easily defeated her primary challengers Tuesday in her bid to win an Arizona congressional seat.  The 48-year-old McSally was leading Tuesday with 70 percent of the vote, compared to 22 percent for retired Air Force Sgt. Chuck Wooten and 8 percent for businesswoman Shelley Kais. The Associated Press called the race for McSally with just 8 percent of precincts reporting.  McSally, a Harvard-educated retired Air Force combat fighter pilot, now faces Democratic incumbent Rep. Ron Barber in a rematch of their highly-competitive 2012 contest that Barber won by less than one percentage point."  This is the district that had been represented by Gabrielle Giffords.  McSally is considered one of the Republican Party's best prospects this year. 

A ROMNEY HINT?  – Well, maybe.  From Mediaite:  "Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has denied he’s going to make a third bid for the White House but on Tuesday he left open a very small window.  'I know you’re going to press, but you know, this is something we gave a lot of thought to when early on I decided we’re not going to be running this time,' Romney said in an interview with Hugh Hewitt. 'And again, we said look, I had the chance of running. I didn’t win. Someone else has a better chance than I do. And that’s what we believe, and that’s why I’m not running. And you know, circumstances can change, but I’m just not going to let my head go there.'"  Hmm.  Circumstances can indeed change.  There's been a boomlet for Romney, especially in the GOP establishment, but he still runs behind Hillary in the 2016 matchups.

EDUCATIONAL ADVANCEMENT NEWS – From Reuters:  "TAMPA Fla. (Reuters) - The library opening with the first day of classes on Monday at Florida's newest college features a sunlit arched roof and cozy reading chairs - but not a single book.  A fully digital library is among the futuristic features of Florida Polytechnic University's striking dome-shaped building, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.  'It's a boldly relevant decision to go forward without books,' said Kathryn Miller, the university's director of libraries.  The inaugural class of 550 students, offered scholarships covering tuition to attend a public university so new it's not yet accredited, can access more than 135,000 ebooks on their choice of reader, tablet or laptop."  I'm much more concerned about college libraries, with books, attended by students who can't read or write at a college level. 

August 26, 2014       Permalink

MAJOR SAVE-THE-EARTH NEWS – AT 9:52 A.M. ET:   I will sleep better knowing that our EPA is on the job.  From the Washington Examiner: 

For many students, the unwelcome return to school is often sweetened with a shopping trip for school supplies and new clothes. Not anymore.

As college, high school and grade school students begin returning to classes, the Environmental Protection Agency is urging students to use recycled material, even garbage, for their supplies and to shop at thrift stores for “retro fashions.”

And don’t even think about taking more than one napkin or salt packet in the lunch line.

“Buy smart! Purchase and use a wide assortment of supplies made from recycled products, such as pencils made from old blue jeans; binders made from old shipping boxes,” urged the agency in a back-to-school posting on its website dedicated to “Waste — What you can do.” The agency tweeted a link out on Monday.

When it comes to protecting books, the EPA recommended against new Batman covers. “Cover your textbooks with cut-up grocery or shopping bags helps reduce waste and keeps your books in good condition.”

In a message Target and Walmart won’t like, the agency added, “Buy used goods from resale shops. This is an inexpensive way to get assorted merchandise, and retro fashions are always coming back into style.”

And for those buying lunch, pay attention. The EPA doesn’t want students taking more ketchup packs or napkins than needed. “If you buy lunch, take and use only what you need: one napkin, one ketchup packet, one salt packet, one pepper packet, one set of flatware. Remember to recycle your cans and bottles, and separate your waste if your school has separation bins!”

COMMENT:  I'm on board.  I've always believed that we must stamp out all fun.  I want to see kids walking around with those good socialist, grim faces.  Gray uniforms, made from recycled fabric.  Sensible shoes and cars that run on Milky Ways.   And let's get rid of parenthood.  And swing music.  Readers are encouraged to send in suggestions of things that should be banned.

August 26, 2014       Permalink

A CHILLING POSSIBILITY – AT 9:28 A.M. ET:   Has the Islamic State acquired surface-to-air, shoulder-launched missiles?  If so, it is a new danger that must be faced all over the world, including the United States.  These things can be broken down and transmitted easily in parts.  From Powerline:

While our government dithers, ISIL is rampaging around the Middle East. In northern Syria, the terrorists routed a Syrian army detachment and captured an air base in Tabqa. Reportedly, the base yielded surface to air missiles suitable for bringing down airplanes along with other weaponry:

The seizure of Tabqa air base, while not the first installation of its type to fall to militants, highlights the Islamic State’s gains in the region and the group’s continued pilfering of advanced military equipment, particularly the surface-to-air missile systems known as MANPADS, short for Man Portable Air Defense Systems.

Matt Schroeder, a senior researcher at the Switzerland-based research group Small Arms Survey and author of a recent report on MANPADS in Syria, believes that the takeover of Tabqa airbase could mark a “significant proliferation” of the weapons across the region.

The Washington Post article linked above cautions that MANPADs are not as simple as they look, have a limited shelf life, and require some skill to use. The problem with Islamic terrorists, however, is that they aren’t stupid. A disproportionate number of them are engineers, doctors and so on. Mastering battery technology likely won’t be an obstacle for long.

COMMENT:  How many years have we been reading about this threat?  It is a true nightmare.  A few successful attacks on airliners on a single day – mimicking our 9-11 attacks – will thoroughly disrupt the international air system and do enormous economic damage.  Needless to say, they would also produce many human tragedies.  And if such attacks occurred, how many people would want to fly again, especially soon after the attacks.

There are anti-missile systems available for airliners, but I believe only the Israelis are installing them. 

There have also been a number of reports that shoulder-launched missiles are missing from Libyan arsenals.

August 26, 2014       Permalink

U.S. MOVES ON SYRIA – AT 9:16 A.M. ET:  We're now using drones in Syria.  From Fox: 

The U.S. has started flying surveillance drones over Syria after President Obama authorized the missions, two senior Defense officials told Fox News, in a move that could pave the way for eventual airstrikes against Islamic State targets in the country.

A decision still has not been made, at least publicly, to launch airstrikes in Syria. But the Obama administration would likely need additional intelligence on possible targets should the president take that step.

Sources told Fox News that Obama approved surveillance missions in Syria for the first time over the weekend; they have since begun.

It remains to be seen whether the Syrian government will raise any objections to the move. On Monday, the Syrian regime demanded that the U.S. seek permission before launching any airstrikes on its territory against Islamic State targets, but did not discuss its position on surveillance drones.

The internal discussion over whether to expand the U.S. mission into Syria comes after the U.S. military earlier this month began launching a volley of strikes against Islamic State targets in northern Iraq. Top Pentagon officials have said that the only way the threat from the militants can be fully eliminated is to go after the group inside neighboring Syria as well.

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday that the U.S. wants more clarity on the militants in Syria, but declined to comment on the surveillance flights.

"Clearly the picture we have of ISIS on the Iraqi side is a more refined picture," said Dempsey, using one of the acronyms for the Islamic State group. "The existence and activities of ISIS on the Syrian side, we have ... some insights into that but we certainly want to have more insights into that as we craft a way forward."

COMMENT:  It was a year ago when President Obama caved in and refused to order American air strikes in Syria.  The situation has only gotten worse, and now we're contemplating strikes again.  As Douglas MacArthur said, all military disasters begin with two words:  "Too late."

August 26, 2014       Permalink

REMEMBER UKRAINE? – AT 8:47 A.M. ET:  The country has some new visitors.  From WaPo: 

KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine said Tuesday its forces detained a group of Russian paratroopers who crossed the border into eastern Ukraine, and the U.S. ambassador to Kiev warned of a possible “Russian-directed counteroffensive” by pro-Moscow separatists, raising tensions between the two countries ahead of a planned meeting between their presidents at a regional summit.

In a briefing Tuesday, Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said the Ukrainian army detained 10 Russian paratroopers in the Donetsk region, scene of some of the heaviest fighting with separatist rebels in the east. The spokesman said the Russians were detained with their documents and weapons and had provided statements.

In Moscow, news agencies quoted a Russian defense official as saying the soldiers had crossed the border by accident and surrendered to Ukrainian forces without attempting to resist.

Huh?  Paratroopers crossed the border by accident?  Of course, we all know that paratroopers have a terrible sense of direction.

The incident came a day after Ukraine accused Russian forces of carrying out a cross-border foray into southeastern Ukraine with tanks and armored personnel carriers.

The U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey R. Pyatt, said in a Twitter posting: “The new columns of Russian tanks and armor crossing into Ukraine indicates a Russian directed counter offensive may be underway.”

Separately, White House national security adviser Susan E. Rice tweeted that “Russia’s military incursions into Ukraine” — which she said include artillery, air defense systems, dozens of tanks and military personnel — “represent significant escalation.”

COMMENT:  I wonder if Suzie discusses this with Barack, and whether Barack is even interested.  Russia is resurgent.  Militant Islam is resurgent.  Those who shaped Obama's life must be proud.

August 26,  2014     Permalink

AUGUST 25,  2014

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

COMING HOME TO ROOST – From The Wrap:  "Some 550 buyouts are to be offered at Time Warner's Turner network this week, including a large number of those at CNN and HLN, which will lead to layoffs if they are not taken voluntarily, according to an individual with knowledge of the network's plans.  The buyouts will come across the Turner division, with a couple of hundred expected at CNN and HLN, the individual said.  A CNN spokeswoman had no immediate comment."  Another sign of trouble at CNN.  I monitor CNN, which seems blind to the cause of its ailments – a persistent left-wing tilt that turns off half the potential audience before a program even starts.

BUT HEALTH AT FOX – From Variety:  "A busy week in news was a good one for Fox News Channel, which logged its second highest-rated frame of the year, but a weak one for MSNBC, which found itself deep in third place.  FNC, with several shows hitting 2014 highs, won in adults 25-54 and total viewers on both a primetime and total-day basis for Monday through Friday of last week. Tune-in was above average across the news board due to coverage of the protests in Ferguson and the murder of James Foley.  Looking at the Nielsen numbers, Fox News averaged 443,000 adults 25-54 in primetime to finish ahead of CNN (361,000) in the key news demo, with both networks more than doubling the tally of MSNBC (179,000). CNN had narrowly won in the demo on Monday and Tuesday, before Fox News asserted itself Wednesday through Friday.  In total-day numbers, FNC averaged 272,000, to 241,000 for CNN and just 106,000 for MSNBC."  And those numbers are only in the 25-54 group.  Fox is even stronger if all viewers are included.

FERGUSON POLLS MOVING – From Breitbart:  "A very useful YouGov poll that tracks public sentiment about Ferguson over time shows that despite the 24/7 racial demagoguery from cable news network's like CNN and MSNBC, public opinion is moving in the exact opposite direction of what the media is aiming for.
Between August 14-17 a plurality of only 45% believed Ferguson residents reacted unreasonably following the shooting of Michael Brown. Four days later that number jumped to a clear majority of 56%. Those who consider the resident reaction reasonable only increased from 25% to 27%.  Despite a week of heavy and heavily biased reporting, support for the Ferguson police has also jumped. A plurality of 40% now believe the Ferguson police have been 'reasonable' in 'reaction to the protests.'  That's up from 32% four days ago. The percentage of those who say the police have been unreasonable has stayed the same at 33%.  In both cases, those who had been undecided during the first poll almost all moved against the media position."

AND AMERICAN BOYS WERE THERE – From Fox:  "PARIS – President Francois Hollande has kicked off a day of commemorations for the 70th anniversary of the liberation of France in World War II.  Unfazed by a downpour on Ile de Sein island in Brittany, Hollande made a speech Monday recalling the scores of locals who joined Gen. Charles de Gaulle's expatriate administration in London after the Nazi invasion in 1940...Later, Hollande was to attend ceremonies at the Paris police prefecture and City Hall in recognition of the Aug. 25, 1944, liberation of the capital by American and French troops."  General Eisenhower, ever the diplomat, graciously allowed French troops to march into Paris first, even though American units had done far more fighting.  Ike's greatest gift was his understanding of people."

August 25,  2014     Permalink

THERE ARE SOME STORIES I JUST LOVE – AT 9:44 A.M. ET:  I say, pay those kids!  From Breitbart: 

Little League Baseball CEO Steve Keener suggested that Little Leaguers who appear on national television could get some compensation in the future.

"I've always felt we need to be as progressive an organization as we can," he told Yahoo Sports. "We don't know what's coming. If at some point in time that would be deemed to be appropriate, we'll consider it. At the moment, I don't see the necessity and don't think we should be compensating kids right now.

Little League Baseball reportedly signed an eight-year deal with ESPN worth $76 million, and Keener said, "whether at some point down the road any funds could be put aside to help them with college I don't know. Down the road that's something we might take a look at even if it's feasible."

Now get this:

Keener reportedly "made $430,844 in salary and benefits between October 2012 and September 2013, and was one of seven employees with six-figure compensation packages," according to Yahoo Sports. In addition, "Little League paid a Connecticut company called SJX Partners $472,062 last year for a 'corporate sponsor search,'" and critics have said they could use some of that money to set up scholarship funds for players who make it to Williamsport.

I certainly think so!  Keener is paid more than the president of the United States.

A federal judge recently found that the NCAA was in violation of antitrust laws by not compensating players for certain uses of their images and likeness. Ed O'Bannon, the lead plaintiff in that case, testified that he felt that Little Leaguers should be compensated if networks are profiting off of them.

This year, the issue came to the fore after, as Yahoo Sports noted, Mo'ne Davis, the 13-year-old female pitcher from South Philadelphia's Taney Dragons, "drew a higher rating for ESPN than any MLB game since April 2007" in her last game. She was the first Little Leaguer to make the cover of Sports Illustrated. She has endorsement opportunities on the table, but her family will not accept any because it may jeopardize her dream of playing college basketball for the UConn Huskies.

COMMENT:   It is outrageous that funds are not set aside for the kids and their families.  And then when you look at the salaries of some of the "executives" of Little League baseball, you see the pattern you see in so many other places – the guys in the front offices get the checks, the people doing the work get shafted.

Yes, yes, I know, athletes are paid too much.  They certainly are.  It's part of the excess we see in our economic system.  But at one time they were paid so little that major stars often wound up in menial jobs after their athletic careers were over.

There is a balance – but first let's get some money to the kids. 

August 25, 2014       Permalink

MORE ON THE PROBABLE EXECUTIONER OF JAMES FOLEY – AT 9:18 A.M.  Like father, like son.  From London's Daily Mail: 

The father of the man suspected of being 'Jihadi John' is accused of being one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants and is currently awaiting trial in the US for his part in the bombing of two US embassies in which 224 people died, MailOnline can reveal.

Adel Abdel Bari, 54, is now locked up in New York awaiting trial for the bombing of the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania after being extradited from Britain along with hook-handed cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri.

Bari was allowed entry into the UK when he was granted political asylum from his native Egypt in 1993.

Two years later he was sentenced to death in absentia for a 1995 plot to blow up a market in Cairo's bazaar district. In a separate Egyptian trial in 1999 he was also sentenced to life in prison.

Jihadi John — who cruelly beheaded American journalist James Foley in a video released by the terror group Islamic State last week — is believed to be Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, Bari's 23-year-old son, who left the million-dollar home in Maida Vale, London, which he shared with his mother Ragaa and five sisters, to fight with the ruthless group which has run rampage through Syria and Iraq.

Bari showed his barbarism when he posted a grisly picture of himself holding a severed head to his Twitter account.

He captioned it 'Chillin' with my other homie, or what's left of him.'

In another picture, captioned 'Fireworks', he stands in front of dozens of bags of plastic explosives.

Videos posted to YouTube show Bary, who used the names Lyricist Jinn and L Jinny, show him praising his father in rap.

'Give me the pride and the honor like my father, I swear the day they came and took my dad, I could have killed a cop or two.

'Imagine then I was only six. Picture what I’d do now with a loaded stick. Like boom bang fine, I’m wishing you were dead. Violate my brothers and I’m filling you with lead.'

Other lyrics express his disgust with drugs and drink.

COMMENTS:  Although the guy now says that he disavows those earlier statements, we have to wonder if he really does. 

We do not have absolute confirmation that he is the one who executed James Foley, but that is clearly the thinking of both British and American intelligence services.

August 25, 2014       Permalink

ANOTHER WARNING ABOUT ISIS – AT 8:52 A.M. ET:  Former CIA Director Michael Hayden has been one of the more clear-headed commentators about the challenges this country faces.  What I like about him is that he seems to proceed from facts, not ideology.  From CNN: 

(CNN) -- An ISIS attack against the West is a question of timing -- "not of inevitably, not of intent," according to the former head of the CIA, retired Gen. Michael Hayden.

Speaking to CNN's Jim Sciutto on "Fareed Zakaria GPS," Hayden said he expects ISIS to attempt an attack on targets in the United States or Europe.

"ISIS is a very powerful local organization, and probably a reasonably powerful regional terrorist organization," Hayden said. "But it's one that has global ambitions -- and it has the tools."

There's no clear consensus inside the intelligence community as to whether ISIS, which calls itself the Islamic State, is currently capable of striking the West.

That debate came to the forefront last week after the Sunni militant group beheaded American journalist James Foley in retaliation for the airstrikes -- an act that Michael Morell, the former deputy director of the CIA, called the group's "first terrorist attack against the United States," in an interview with CBS.

"It's expressed the intent," Hayden said. "There's no way more powerful way to express their street credentials among the jihadist community than a successful attack against the West."

The U.S. military has conducted targeted airstrikes in order to stop ISIS's progress in the region. The Obama administration initially said the strikes were carried out in order to protect U.S. personnel at the consulate in Irbil, Iraq, and prevent the genocide of the Yazidi people, a religious minority in the country.

COMMENT:  I have a rule of thumb about international threats:  If someone says he wants to kill you, he wants to kill you.  That should be the governing assumption.  When a failed circus clown like Jimmy Carter refers to the murderous Hamas charter as "ancient history," he reminds us of other humorists from the 1930s who dismissed Hitler"s "Mein Kampf" as mere rhetoric. 

I've not seen a single case in international affairs where a threat of death wasn't meant.  True, the perpetrator may not have carried out the threat, possibly because he couldn't, or was stopped, but he meant it.  All crimes begin with intent.

August 25, 2014      Permalink

ANOTHER DAY IN FERGUSON – AT 8:28 A.M. ET:  Michael Brown's funeral will be held in Ferguson, Missouri, today.  It will be, of course, a sad event for the family, but the only question that seems to intrigue journalists is who will benefit from it.  The cynicism and careerism surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer are remarkable.  From Howard Kurtz at Fox: 

Al Sharpton is again working both sides of the street, and it’s paying off for him.

As he’s inserted himself into the tense situation in Ferguson, he’s had an assist from none other than the president of the United States.

And he continues to bask in the spotlight at MSNBC, where he uses his nightly cable show to advance the causes he fights for as a civil rights activist.

But these two roles are increasingly coming into conflict. It happened last year with the killing of Trayvon Martin, and it’s happening again with the death of Michael Brown.

Sharpton is scheduled to deliver the eulogy at Brown’s funeral today. On Saturday, he led a rally on Staten Island to protest the death of a black man who police had placed in a chokehold. Tonight, on his show “Politics Nation,” he’ll undoubtedly be covering the very same events.

This is wrong on so many levels, and most news organizations wouldn’t allow it. MSNBC has defended this outrageous conflict of interest, saying people know who Sharpton is and where he stands.

But you can’t be a player and cover the game at the same time. That’s especially true now that we know more about Sharpton’s role as essentially an Obama operative.

In Ferguson, Politico reports, “Sharpton established himself as a de facto contact and conduit for a jittery White House seeking to negotiate a middle ground between meddling and disengagement.”

COMMENT:   Nothing is surprising here.  We in New York know "Reverend" Sharpton (he apparently was ordained at the age of nine) as a cynical race baiter and incendiary speaker who produced little for the "community" and much for himself. 

Sharpton will be on display today.  And in a few weeks, when the story fades, the networks will pull the plug on their cameras and lights, and Ferguson will go right back to its depressed state, with little interest shown.

As for MSNBC, and its employment of Sharpton, it is simply another example of the deterioration of journalism. 

August 25,  2014     Permalink