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I appeared on Silvio Canto Jr's talk show from Dallas yesterday.  It's here.

AUGUST 31,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:53 P.M. ET:

HUH? – From NRO:   Though this election cycle was supposed to feature the most impressive field of Republican presidential candidates in decades, a handful of the party’s major donors and bundlers remain underwhelmed by their options. They are longing for the bad old days, and Mitt Romney is still their man. These holdouts continue to hope that the former Massachusetts governor, who said in January he would not run for a third time, will change his mind. They believe he could dispel the chaos that has reigned over the Republican field for months. Though they gave plenty of money to Romney’s presidential campaigns, this year they’re keeping their wallets shut, waiting for him to reenter the fray.  Do they really believe Romney can win?  He was underwhelming last time, although he'd make a much better president than anyone the Dems can offer.  I do think, though, that there are solid prospects among the GOP field.  If Romney gets in, it would be a statement that the GOP is weak on presidential talent, which it isn't.

WHAT BUSINESS IS COLBERT IN? –   Further illustrating how little difference there will be between CBS’ Late Show host Stephen Colbert and Comedy Central late-night host Stephen Colbert, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will be Colbert’s guest during his second week hosting on the CBS program...And, of course, Colbert in July told reporters attending TCA he plans get into politics on Late Show to a greater degree than have his broadcast competitors because it’s in his DNA. True to his word, he’s not only booked Breyer to guest on Monday, September 14, but will chat with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon three nights later and Dem White House hopeful/Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders that Friday. And, of course, Colbert already had tweeted that GOP White House hopeful Jeb Bush would be a guest when the host makes his debut taking over for David Letterman on Late Show, on September 8.  Oh, I just can't wait.  We really don't have enough politics on TV.  I'm sure the audience is just yearning for Ban Ki-moon to do Colbert.  And Stephen Breyer?  Show-business gold.  Snore.

THE CHILDREN'S REVOLT – From CBS:   HARTFORD (CBS Connecticut) — Though many students may be loading up fruits and vegetables on their lunch trays, a lot of those aren’t actually being eaten.  New federal guidelines that require healthier school lunches are in effect, but a lot of children are simply throwing out fruits and vegetables instead of eating them, according to a new study.  University of Vermont researchers conducted a small study using digital photos to capture students’ lunch trays after selecting food, as they were leaving the lunch line, and then again after they passed their lunch trays to the food disposal area, as reported by CBS News. The study indicates that while more children are placing fruits and vegetables on their trays, they’re consuming fewer of them, with food waste increasing by 56 percent.  This is what happens when the federal government tries to dictate to kids.  The discarded food could have been used to great benefit.

August 31, 2015       Permalink

OH, JUST WORDS – NOTHING TO HEAR, NOTHING TO HEAR – AT 10:32 A.M. ET:  There was a "black lives matter" march in Minnesota.   And there was an ugly chant.  From CBS: 

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) — Traffic disruptions and loud messages aren’t the only things memorable about Saturday’s Black Lives Matter march to the gates of the Minnesota State Fair.

One of the chants heard from protesters is being called “disgusting” by rank and file St. Paul Police officers. Police Federation President Dave Titus says the threatening refrain is divisive, dangerous and won’t lead to improved police relations.

By many accounts, Saturday’s march was a peaceful gathering. Although it was intended to disrupt leisure to deliver the group’s message of justice for those killed at the hands of police.

“We weren’t surprised it was peaceful, but we were glad everything worked out right,” March organizer Rashad Turner said.

But along the way, protesters broke into a pointed refrain that has St. Paul police officers upset.
Marchers chanted in unison, “Pigs in a blanket, fry ’em like bacon.”

What officers and many others find offensive is also protected free speech. But in this particular case what is ironic is that those voicing the chant were also being protected by very officers targeted.

“Statements and chants like that are just ignorant – I find it absolutely disgusting,” Officer Titus said.
Titus called the protester’s chant both dangerous and outrageous. All the more so Titus says, because it came just hours after a Texas deputy was gunned down in cold blood.

“I don’t think chanting or singing what’s basically promoting killing police officers is peaceful,” Titus said.

Black Lives Matter organizer Rashad Turner says there’s a big difference between rhetorical chanting and somebody’s actions.

COMMENT:  It's the rhetoric that leads to the action, dummy.  We have, by the way, heard no statement from the White House on the Texas shooting.  That has become typical of an administration that has done its best to divide the nation along racial lines.

August 31, 2015       Permalink

BIAS IN THE LAW – AT 9:53 A.M. ET:   Who is educating young people?  What does it mean for our future as a nation?  The legal profession is critical to our standing as a nation of law, so those who educate lawyers are also critical, by definition.  And who are they?  Guess.  From College Fix: 

Legal scholars educating the next generation of attorneys and judges are mostly Democrats, according to a wide swath of research, a troubling trend that some say hinders academic freedom, unduly influences judicial rulings and scholarly work, shortchanges students, and is antithetical to the notion of diversity.

Republicans – as well as right-leaning women and Christians of both genders – are vastly underrepresented among law school faculties, a trend that spans much of the last two decades, according to a recent study published by a Northwestern University law professor.

Law Professor James Lindgren found that in 1997, women and minorities were underrepresented among law professors compared to some populations, but Republicans and Christians were vastly underrepresented. Today, Republican women remain “almost missing from law teaching,” according to his survey, published in March.

“In the 2010s, the dominant group in law teaching remains Democrats, both male and female. Democrats make up nearly 82 percent of law professors,” Lindgren stated.

“Affirmative action has succeeded so thoroughly that, compared to lawyers, the largest underrepresented groups in law schools today are white Christians, Christians, white Republicans, and Republicans,” he adds. “In terms of absolute numbers, the dominant group in law teaching today remains Democrats, both male and female … a disappointing result after four decades of hiring intended to make law professors more representative of American society.”

COMMENT:   Always be careful when the left launches its code words and code phrases.  When they say they want a group to look "more like America," they're really saying that they want that group to look more like the America they wish existed.  The left is getting its way in the colleges and universities, including the law schools.  That bodes ill for our future.

August 31, 2015       Permalink

CHENEY SPEAKS – AT 9:24 A.M. ET:  No man has been more smeared by the McCarthyite left than Dick Cheney.  In my view, Cheney is an ideal public servant who has served this country well, with honor and integrity.  His comments about Hillary Clinton are choice, are true, and reflect Cheney's common sense.  From the Washington Times: 

Former Vice President Dick Cheney described former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s handling of her private email through a private server as “sloppy and unprofessional.”

“Maybe she was ignorant, but I find that hard to believe. She’s an intelligent woman. She spent a lot of time in the White House,” Mr. Cheney told CNN. “I think she should have known better.”

Asked if he thinks the Russians and Chinese could have copies of the emails of Mrs. Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential front-runner, Mr. Cheney said: “They’ve gotten my personnel records. How can they not have her emails?”

Mr. Cheney and his daughter, Liz Cheney, are out this week with a new book called “Exceptional: Why the World Needs a Powerful America.”

Mr. Cheney also said he’d “love” to see Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. jump into the 2016 Democratic presidential nominating contest.

“He’s tried twice before. He obviously is interested. I think there’s a lot of support for him in the Democratic Party. I think it would stir things up. They’re short of candidates on their side. So I would urge Joe to have a shot at it,” Mr. Cheney said.

COMMENT:  Cheney will continue to be ridiculed by the left, blamed for the Iraq War, even though it was Obama who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq.  But in the fullness of time, it will be the wisdom of Dick Cheney that will be proved correct, even though that may never be taught in our universities.

August 31,  2015     Permalink

AUGUST 30,  2015

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

MAJOR CRIME NEWS – From the New York Post:  This Hamptonite wants Hillary Rodham Clinton behind bars — and had to put his signs saying so behind an electric fence.  Andy Sabin’s first “Hillary for Prison 2016” signs lasted little more than a day before they were stolen from in front of his Amagansett home last week. So Sabin took steps to make sure the placards were secure.  The red, blue and white signs now sit atop a pair of 12-foot poles behind an electric fence with yellow warning signs. A surveillance camera keeps watch.  Signs he put up in 2008 supporting John McCain’s presidential bid were also taken, said Sabin, a Jeb Bush supporter who runs a precious-metals refining business.  “Living in a town with a lot of left-wing wackos, that’s what happens,” Sabin said.   I'm glad there's one tough, law-abiding Gary Cooper type left in New York State.  Give him a badge.

GREAT MOMENTS IN EDUCATION – From the College Fix:  Eve Bottando’s course “Mass Communications and Culture” at Indiana University Northwest this fall will be all about the “selfie.”  “People think selfies aren’t worthy of nuanced conversations, and they are,” Bottando says. “It’s an excellent teaching moment.”  The course will examine the latest research on selfies (people are actually engaged in such research?) and will “discuss when is an appropriate time to take a selfie.”  I understand the course is restricted to people who test at the genius level.

DEARIE, DO YOU REMEMBER? – From Daily Caller:  ABC News ran a news special in 2009 called Earth 2100, a program warning its viewers about the dangers of climate change.  ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff says the show “puts participants in the future and asks them to report back about what it is like to live in this future world. The first stop is the year 2015.”  A Harvard University professor says, “We’re going to see more floods, more droughts, more wildfires.”  Other voices can be heard saying that “Flames cover hundreds of square mile” and “We expect more intense hurricanes.” Another voice says, “Well, how warm is it going to get? How much will sea level rise? We don’t know really know where the end is.”  Describing dangerous temperature levels and dropping agricultural production, the news package brings in The Weather Channel’s Heidi Cullen, who says, “There’s about one billion people who are malnourished. That number just continually grows.”  The doomsday predictions for 2015 go further and include $12.00 for a gallon of milk and $9.00 a gallon for gasoline, if there is any gas at all that is left.  I paid $3.59 for regular yesterday.  And we're depending on these people to understand the future.

August 30,  2015     Permalink

AS NIGHT FOLLOWS DAY – AT 11:03 A.M. ET:  Some Israeli observers believe they're seeing the first "fruits" of our nuclear agreement with Iran.  From Fox: 

HAIFA, Israel – An unsettling surge in terrorism by Iranian proxies has many Israelis convinced the release to Tehran of tens of billions of dollars in frozen funds is already putting the Jewish state in danger.

In recent days, rockets have rained down on Israel from Gaza in the south and the Golan Heights to the north, Israeli forces foiled a bomb plot at the tomb of biblical patriarch Joseph, and Gaza-based terrorist groups that also have a presence in the West Bank have openly appealed for aid on Iranian television. Israeli officials fear the terrorist activity is spiking as groups audition for funding from Tehran, which is set to receive the long-frozen funds as part of its deal to allow limited nuclear inspections. They say the international focus on Iran's nuclear ambitions has left its more conventional methods of attacking regional adversaries unaddressed.

"The nuclear context is just one aspect of the negative Iranian activities in the region," Emmanuel Nahshon, senior Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, told FoxNews.com. "We can see the demonstration of this on a daily basis in Syria, in Yemen, and in Iraq. We see it also when we see the [Iranian] support of Hezbollah and other groups who operate against Israel."

Last month, National Security Adviser Susan Rice admitted that some of the money due to be released as part of the deal negotiated by the U.S. led P5+1 “would go to the Iranian military and could potentially be used for the kinds of bad behavior that we have seen in the region.”

COMMENT:  And the Iranians are making mischief in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, and other garden spots.  They may also be making a move to wreak havoc in the Sinai peninsula.  Why not?  Field Marshal Obama has shown no stomach for standing up to Tehran.  Why shouldn't they continue to test us?

The Europeans, led by Germany, now stand to make a fortune in trade with Iran.  What is their incentive for curtailing Iranian terrorism, as long as Iran leaves them alone for the moment.  Remember Churchill's warning about those who feed the alligator in the hope that they'll be eaten last.

August 30, 2015       Permalink

DON'T FORGET BERNIE – AT 10:48 A.M. ET:  The Dems are suddenly in love with Joe Biden, at least for a week.  But the guy who's getting the crowds in still Bernie Sanders, socialist of Vermont.  I think the party machinery will eventually crush Sanders, who can't even boast a single scandal to his name, but he's giving the queen a run for her considerable wad of money.  From Bloomberg: 

Hillary Clinton’s once-prohibitive advantage in Iowa has slipped enough to jeopardize her front-runner status and Bernie Sanders has moved to within striking distance, revealing a Democratic presidential field in unexpected flux as Vice President Joe Biden mulls whether to make a late entrance into the race.

The results of the latest Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll, released Saturday, show Clinton is now the first choice of 37 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers in the state where the first ballots of the presidential contest will be cast early in 2016. She's followed by Sanders at 30 percent and Biden at 14 percent. It’s the first time the poll has had Clinton's support under 50 percent.

In May, the Iowa Poll put Clinton, a former secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady, at 57 percent, Sanders at 16 percent, and Biden at 8 percent.

"It looks like what people call the era of inevitability is over," said J. Ann Selzer, president of West Des Moines, Iowa-based Selzer & Co., which conducted the poll. "She has lost a third of the support that she had in May, so any time you lose that much that quickly, it’s a wake-up call."

COMMENT:  The wind has gone out of Hillary's campaign.  All that's left is hot air.  Not only does she have an FBI investigation hanging over her, it's increasingly clear that she isn't even a good candidate.  Further, she's held many jobs, but doesn't have many accomplishments to show for her tenure.  She's the classic ticket puncher. 

Comparing Republicans this week to terrorists and Nazis has not improved Hillary's reputation.

August 30, 2015        Permalink

DR. BEN IS IN – AT 10:35 A.M. ET:  With all the Trump talk, let's not forget the steady, quiet rise of Dr. Ben Carson in the Republican presidential sweeps.  People simply like him and respect him, although he's been correctly criticized for not being thoroughly prepared on some issues.  Personal qualities can overcome a great deal.  From Bloomberg:

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has emerged as a leading Republican presidential candidate in Iowa and is closing in on frontrunner Donald Trump in the state that hosts the first 2016 nomination balloting contest.

The latest Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa Poll shows billionaire Trump with the support of 23 percent of likely Republican caucus participants, followed by Carson at 18 percent. When first and second choices are combined, Carson is tied with Trump.

Trump finds himself in a vastly better position than when the previous Iowa Poll was taken. He has become a credible presidential candidate to many likely Republican caucus-goers. The real estate mogul is rated favorably by 61 percent and unfavorably by 35 percent, an almost complete reversal since the Iowa Poll in May. He finds his highest ratings among those planning to attend the caucuses for the first time (69 percent) and limited-government Tea Party activists (73 percent). Just 29 percent say they could never vote for him, a number cut in half since May.

Although he isn't generating the headlines enjoyed by Trump, Carson has quietly built a dedicated network of supporters in Iowa. During the past month, he also aired more ads than any other presidential candidate in Iowa. Carson has the highest favorability rating among Republican candidates, with 79 percent of likely GOP caucus-goers seeing him positively.

COMMENT:  Remember that we have almost a year to go before the conventions.  That's about 20 lifetimes in politics.  The Republican field may look entirely different next summer.  The Democratic field may not because, let's face it, they haven't got many candidates on the presidential level.  Harry Truman is unavailable.

Don't underestimate Dr. Carson.  He gets constantly better on the stump.  If he can't take the top spot, he could turn out as a favorite for vice president.

August 30,  2015     Permalink