Please note that you can leave a comment on any of our posts at our Facebook page.  Subscribers can also comment at length at our Angel's Corner Forum.

AUGUST 27,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:50 P.M. ET: 

MEXICANS LIKE USA – From Breitbart:  "As Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto travels across California and declares America to be 'the other Mexico,' a Pew Research survey has found that 60% of Mexicans disapprove of Peña Nieto on the economy. Perhaps as a result, a plurality of Mexicans think that life is better across the border, and a third want to move to America."   Only a third?  What did we do wrong?

FAMILY VALUES – From the New York Post:  "A sister of the Boston Marathon bombers was busted in New York City Wednesday for allegedly threatening to blow up her live-in lover’s baby mama, The Post has learned.  Ailina Tsarnaeva, who lives in North Bergen, NJ, allegedly phoned the woman at her Harlem home on Monday and warned her to keep her distance or face explosive consequences.  'Leave us alone. I know people who can put a bomb on you,' Tsarnaeva, 23, allegedly said.  Law-enforcement sources said Tsarnaeva’s boyfriend, George Briones, is currently embroiled in a bitter custody dispute with his ex over their three kids."  Aw, come on.  Maybe she just wants to practice the family profession

BRUISED FEELINGS AT NBC – And how concerned we are.  From the New York Post:  "NBC News president Deborah Turness had to apologize after infuriating top execs and talent by announcing the network news organization had been asleep for 15 years.  Turness, who came to the job from Britain’s ITV News one year ago, dropped the tactless clanger in a New York Times interview on Sunday, saying, 'NBC News hadn’t kept up with the times in all sorts of ways, for maybe 15 years . . . I think the organization had gone to sleep.'  Sources tell us Tom Brokaw, managing editor and anchor of NBC’s 'Nightly News' from 1982 until 2004, Turness’ predecessor Steve Capus (NBC News president from 2005 to 2013 and now executive producer of “CBS Evening News”) and CNN chief Jeff Zucker 'are apoplectic' over Turness’ remark."  Actually, I prefer them asleep to awake.  Less damage.

I'M AFRAID IT'S TRUE – From Newsmax:  "CNN has been transformed from a sober and respected news network into a shrill and biased mouthpiece for liberals, according to actor, author and economist Ben Stein.  Stein, a speechwriter for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, said the dramatic change is particularly noticeable in CNN's coverage of the racial strife in Ferguson, Mo., following the fatal shooting of a black teen by a white police officer.  'They've flipped out. I don't know what happened to CNN because CNN used to really be great and I can remember when it was great,' Stein said Tuesday on 'The Steve Malzberg Show' on Newsmax TV."  Well, I'm not sure it was ever great.  They've had, and still have, some fine people, but the tilt to the left, especially over Ferguson and Gaza, is unmistakable  They're doomed.

August 27, 2014       Permalink

GREAT STORY – AT 9:03 A.M. ET:  It is wonderful to feel a connection with history, and especially with honor.  From Fox:   

The White House has announced that a Union Army officer killed at the Battle of Gettysburg will receive the Medal of Honor next month in a White House ceremony.

The decision to honor 1st. Lt. Alonzo Cushing, originally of Wisconsin, brings a successful end to a campaign by Cushing's descendants and Civil War buffs that began in the late 1980s with a series of letters to then-Wisconsin Sen. William Proxmire.

Congress granted a special exemption last December for Cushing to receive the award posthumously since recommendations normally have to be made within two years of the act of heroism and the medal awarded within three years.

Cushing was born in 1841 in Delafield, Wisconsin, raised in Fredonia, New York, and buried at his alma mater, West Point. At Gettysburg, he commanded about 110 men and six cannons as part of Battery A of the 4th U.S. Artillery company.

During the battle, Cushing's small force stood their ground under a severe artillery bombardment as nearly 13,000 Confederate infantrymen waited to advance as part of Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863. Cushing was wounded, and his battery was left with two guns and no long-range ammunition. Historians say his stricken battery should have been withdrawn and replaced with reserve forces, but Cushing insisted on ordering his guns to the front lines on the last day of fighting. He was shot in the head and killed instantly.

"Refusing to evacuate to the rear despite his severe wounds, he directed the operation of his lone field piece continuing to fire in the face of the enemy," the White House said in its announcement. "With the rebels within 100 yards of his position, Cushing was shot and killed during this heroic stand. His actions made it possible for the Union Army to successfully repulse the Confederate assault."

More than 1,500 soldiers from the Civil War have received the Medal of Honor, most recently Cpl. Andrew Jackson Smith of Clinton, Ill., who was awarded the medal in 2001 by President Bill Clinton.

The White House also announced that Obama will award the medal in a ceremony on Sept. 15 to two Vietnam War soldiers who also received the congressional exemption — Army Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins and Army Spc. Donald P. Sloat.

The award also will be given posthumously to Sloat, who was killed in action in Vietnam on Jan. 17, 1970, at age 20. Sloat, of Coweta, Oklahoma, picked up a live grenade triggered by a fellow soldier and used his own body to shield the blast and save his fellow soldiers.

COMMENT:   We have always had great men and women.  I just hope we continue to honor them, and not yield to the degeneracy of the political left.

August 27, 2014       Permalink

BRITS TAKING IT SERIOUSLY – AT 8:27 A.M. ET:  There does seem to be an awakening in Britain toward the jihadist threat.  It took some time, but it took some time for Britain to recognize the Nazi threat before World War II.  Sadly, there's no Churchill this time, and part of the British press, the leftist part, has some sympathetic "understanding" of Muslim extremism.  But an awakening there is.  From Reuters: 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top counter-terrorism police officer said on Tuesday arrests linked to fighting in Syria had risen dramatically this year and that significant progress was being made to trace a British man suspected of murdering American journalist James Foley.

Launching an appeal to Muslim communities to help identify "aspiring terrorist," Mark Rowley, the National Policing Lead for Counter Terrorism, said Britain had been escalating its efforts to address rising terrorism problems relating to Syria.

"There is a lot at stake," Rowley said in a statement. "High priority operations, especially against those involved in attack planning or on the cusp have increased greatly."

A video released by Islamic State (IS) last week showing the beheading of Foley, apparently by a masked knifeman speaking English with a London accent stirred proposals for tough new laws to deal with British Islamist militants traveling to Iraq and Syria to join the jihadists.

"Every reasonable person in the country has been touched by the pitiless murder of James Foley at the hands of Islamic State terrorists, and the murderer's apparent British nationality has focused attention on extremism in the UK as well as the Middle East," he said in a statement.

"Investigators are making significant progress but we will not be giving a running commentary."

On Sunday, the British ambassador to the United States said Britain was close to identifying Foley's killer.

A number of possible identities have been suggested by British media although sources on both sides of the Atlantic have told Reuters that there was little likelihood of the British government naming the suspect imminently.

COMMENT:  Compare please to our government's pathetic attempts to minimize the threat posed by the Islamic State and other terror groups.  Indeed, the massacre at Fort Hood is still classified by the Pentagon as "workplace violence," even though the perpetrator was clearly an Islamic extremist. 

We have been relatively lucky in American history to have, in most cases, good leadership in times of crisis, or at least committed leadership.  Think Lincoln, FDR, Truman, Kennedy, Reagan.  We are not lucky today.  I don't know if we can take two more years of this.

August 27, 2014       Permalink

TERROR WARNING – AT 8:08 A.M. ET:  Wait.  I thought the war on terror was over.  Maybe I was misinformed.  From Fox: 

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have sent out a bulletin to law enforcement officials warning that U.S. airstrikes in Iraq could provoke retaliation by Islamic State sympathizers in the U.S., Fox News has learned.

The warning on Friday comes shortly after U.S. intelligence officials said there is evidence foreign fighters have returned to their home countries and started Islamic State cells. While there is no evidence of a credible plot against the U.S. now, the latest bulletin warns that the lone wolf nature of the threat would make it difficult to thwart.

"It is difficult to predict triggers that will contribute to [homegrown violent extremists] attempting acts of violence," the bulletin said. "[Lone wolf terrorists] present law enforcement with limited opportunities to detect and disrupt plots, which frequently involve simple plotting against targets of opportunity."

Islamic State militants claimed last week that the execution of American journalist James Foley was in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes in Iraq.

The group's presence outside Iraq and Syria remains a mixed picture, according to intelligence officials -- with some operatives taking the initiative to start up operations and others tasked by senior leadership.

Still, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest on Monday downplayed the threat to the homeland at this point by the group, also known as ISIS or ISIL.

"We are concerned about the threat that is posed by ISIL, but it is the assessment, as stated by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, by the intelligence community, that there currently is not an active plot underway to attack the U.S. homeland by ISIL," Earnest said, in a carefully worded response.

The recent law enforcement bulletin also discussed the organization's social media strategy, warning that ISIS will continue to use Twitter hashtags to spread its propaganda -- essentially hijacking other news events to do so. (There are reports that this strategy was used to piggyback on the social media traffic following the California earthquake over the weekend.)

COMMENT:  You know, if the president would just level with the American people and assert the obvious – that the threat has increased and that he needs the help of all of us – his stature would grow, not diminish.  But he's a man obsessed with proving he was right all along, that he's incapable of error, and that his left-wing ideology will carry history.  He's wrong on all counts, but don't tell him.

August 27, 2014       Permalink

MORE THAN A LOCAL STORY – AT 7:46 A.M. ET:  How embarrassing.  A police union in the Democratic stronghold of New York City is warning the Democratic Party not to hold its 2016 convention in New York because...it's too dangerous.  I love it.  From The New York Times: 

A union of New York City police sergeants warned the Democratic National Committee on Tuesday against holding its 2016 convention in Brooklyn, issuing an open letter that doubled as a broadside against a mayoral administration with which some officers have grown increasingly frustrated.

In the letter, addressed to the group Mayor Bill de Blasio wooed during its visit to New York two weeks ago, the president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, Edward D. Mullins, said the city was going “backward to the bad old days of high crime, danger-infested public spaces and families that walk our streets worried for their safety.”

He presented a city overrun with “squeegee people” and other panhandlers, with shootings on the rise and morale among police officers flagging.

The city said it had enough hotel space to accommodate any guests, noting Midtown Manhattan’s proximity to the Barclays Center by train or car.

“The D.N.C. should choose another venue,” said the letter, which appeared as an advertisement in The New York Times and The New York Post. “Mayor de Blasio,” it continued, “has not earned the right to play host to such an important event.”

While shootings are up slightly, according to the de Blasio administration, the homicide rate has fallen 12.3 percent this year after a 20 percent decline in 2013, when there were 335 murders, punctuating a steep drop under the former mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg. The administration also noted that overall crime had fallen 3.6 percent this year.

Mr. de Blasio, speaking at an unrelated news conference in Brooklyn on Tuesday, called the union’s actions “opportunistic” and “irresponsible.”

“It’s fear-mongering to try and benefit their own position in contract talks,” he said. “Don’t stoke fear in the city we love.”

COMMENT:  Well, both sides have good points, and there is probably some union opportunism here.  But the fact is that the rate of decline in serious crime in New York appears to be dropping alarmingly.  As the story notes, the homicide rate dropped 20 percent in 2013, the last year of Bloomberg, and is down only 12.3 percent this year, the first year of the "progressive" DeBlasio administration.

Just as important, there is a changed "feel" to the city, a sense that it is, indeed, going back to the good old days, when crime-ridden communities were run by radicals who kind of liked the high crime rates because they ratified the radical view of society. 

Under DeBlasio, "stop, question and frisk" policing has been cut way back, despite evidence that it worked to reduce serious crime by reducing the number of illegal weapons on the street.

But, of course, New York is Hillary's state, and DeBlasio is her ally, and that will be a factor in any party decision.  If Hillary looks like she'll be the nominee, and wants New York, it'll be New York.  But would she actually want it?  Go back to 1968, when the riot-plagued Democratic National Convention was held in the Dem city of Chicago.  It hardly helped the presidential campaign of Hubert Humphrey.

Maybe Hillary would prefer a quieter place for a convention.

August 27,  2014     Permalink

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