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JUNE 12,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET:

GREAT MOMENTS IN LEARNING – From London's Telegraph:  "One of the world's best universities is planning to hire a professor - of Lego.  The lucky candidate will be the head of their own research department at prestigious University of Cambridge.  Officials say the role is expected to be created within the Faculty of Education after the university received £4 million of donations from the Lego Foundation.  Cambridge's general board has recommended for the Lego professorship 'of play in education, development and learning' to start in October 2015.  The professor will be director of the Research Centre on Play in Education, Development and Learning."  A professor of play.  I love it.  We should have more professors of play here, and maybe professors of nursery rhymes as well.  It will keep the professors from doing more damage than they're currently doing.

HILLARY, THE POLITICAL "TITANIC" – From London's Daily Mail:  "As Hillary Clinton gears up to reboot her historic but underwhelming presidential campaign with a dramatic New York City speech on Saturday, poll numbers show she might need more than a Big Apple skyline to motivate voters next year in key swing states.  Polling data collected this month by Vox Populi Polling in the six battleground states most likely to determine the 2016 presidential election show that Clinton trails a generic Republican candidate by 1 percentage point overall.  The 46–47 showing for the former secretary of state is a departure from nearly every poll since March that asked voters to choose between Clinton and a specific GOP candidate. Only Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, has posted a winning margin against Clinton, and that was a month ago in a Fox News poll."  Hillary will now make her mother the centerpiece of her "reason for being in the race."  And if that doesn't work, maybe she'll try a cousin.

KERRY WALKING – From ABC:  "Secretary of State John Kerry emerged from the Massachusetts General Hospital today walking on crutches, remarking that it was great to finally get outdoors in the summertime.  He’d been there for over a week recovering from surgery to set a femur that he broke in a cycling accident outside Geneva on May 31.  He thanked his medical workers in Switzerland and in Boston for their efforts and even thanked his fellow foreign ministers for their well wishes. 'I’ll tell you ... when you’re feeling a little down, that’s nice,' Kerry said."  Yeah, when I'm down I yearn for a greeting from the foreign ministers of Iran, Russia, and Venezuela.  Kerry has odd tastes, don't you think?

June 12, 2015       Permalink

OH PLEASE – AT 1:14 P.M. ET:  The administration and its press boosters are becoming desperate to justify the upcoming Iran nuclear deal, which looks as if it will have more holes than Swiss cheese.  The latest member of the choir to sing is the well-known Fareed Zakaria, a sometime adviser to Barack Obama  From IBD: 

Of the many unnerving aspects of the Middle East's future, a nuclear arms race would top the list. And it is to feed that unease that Saudi Arabia has been periodically dropping hints that, if Iran's nuclear ambitions go unchecked, it might just have to get nuclear weapons itself.

Last week, the Saudi ambassador to London made yet another threat, warning that "all options will be on the table."

Oh, please! Saudi Arabia isn't going to build a nuclear weapon. Saudi Arabia can't build a nuclear weapon. Saudi Arabia hasn't even built a car. (By 2017, after much effort, the country is expected to manufacture its first automobile.)

Saudi Arabia can dig holes in the ground and pump out oil, but little else. Oil revenue is about 45% of its GDP, a staggeringly high figure, much larger than petrostates like Nigeria and Venezuela. It makes up almost 90% of the Saudi government's revenues. Despite decades of massive government investment, lavish subsidies and cheap energy, manufacturing is less than 10% of Saudi GDP.

Where would Saudi Arabia train the scientists to work on its secret program? The country's education system is backward and dysfunctional, having been largely handed over to its puritanical and reactionary religious establishment. The country ranks 73rd in the quality of its math and science education, according to the World Economic Forum — abysmally low for a rich country. Iran, despite 36 years of sanctions and a much lower per capita GDP, fares far better at 44.

COMMENT:  Under the logic of Zakaria's argument, we can ask how Pakistan got the bomb?  Money buys a lot, and experts can be hired.  The financing is there.  Nuclear knowledge is fairly easy to come by.  Building a nuclear bomb isn't a scientific project, it's an engineering project.  (Researchers knew how to build at atomic bomb before World War II.  They just didn't have the engineering programs and facilities to test their ideas.)

If the Saudis want a bomb, they'll get one, with foreign help, for which they'll pay lavishly.  Zakaria is parroting the line that a bad nuclear agreement with Iran won't lead to a Mideast arms race.  I wouldn't bet on that.

June 12,  2015     Permalink

COMMON SENSE – AT 11:16 A.M. ET:  And a political milestone.  The Iowa GOP straw poll is no more.   From the Washington Times:

The Republican Party of Iowa’s State Central Committee dealt the final fatal blow to the 2015 Iowa Straw Poll, unanimously voting Friday morning to cancel the event.

The party had been working to overhaul the format of the event, an Iowa staple since 1979 that has presented an unofficial kickoff to the presidential campaign season in the early caucus state.

“I’ve said since December that we would only hold a straw poll if the candidates wanted one, and this year that is just not the case,” party chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement. “This step, while extremely distasteful for those of us who love the Straw Poll, is necessary to strengthen our first in the nation status and ensure our future nominee has the best chance possible to take back the White House in 2016.”

COMMENT:  It was also silly, and of no great value to anyone.  I happy to believe in the primary system because it tests candidates and tells us much about them.  It takes time for the public to get to know a presidential contender.  But when an event becomes burdensome, silly, or superfluous, it ought to go.  Goodbye Iowa Straw Poll.  It was nice while it lasted.

June 12, 2015      Permalink

MAJOR EDUCATIONAL STORY – AT 10:53 A.M. ET:   It is rare for a major American university to be subjected to this kind of scrutiny.  The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the most prestigious public institutions in the country.  Now its accreditation is being threatened by corruption within its walls.  From Fox: 

RALEIGH, N.C – An accreditation agency important to colleges receiving federal funds put the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on probation Thursday for a year over its academic fraud scandal.

The board of Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges stopped short of imposing the harshest penalty, which would have blocked the country's oldest public university from receiving federal funds including student loan proceeds.

At a meeting in Portsmouth, Virginia, the group determined that UNC-CH failed to comply with seven key operating principles for member universities, among them: integrity, program content, control of intercollegiate athletics and academic support services.

The practical effect of the sanction is that "they just have to send us more documentation to show their compliance with seven of these principles," commission President Belle Wheelan said.

The agency previously opted against punishing UNC-CH, but acted after learning last fall of the scope of fake classes and artificially high grades in one academic department. A report revealed that the fake classes in the African studies department had gone on between 1993 and 2011. About half the 3,100 students who took the classes were athletes.

"Most of the students here aren't athletes and a lot of them go to class and work hard in class," senior psychology student Merrick Osborne said as he crossed the Chapel Hill campus Thursday. "I think the biggest concern I would have is the probation would affect people who don't really have anything to do with the incidents."

COMMENT:  There are so many things wrong with our universities – from academic corruption, to left-wing takeovers, to speech codes, to political correctness, to phony departments set up to keep this or that group happy. 

So why do we see so little coverage of these things in the mainstream media?  Because the most dubious relationship in journalism today is the relationship between journalists and universities.  We will be exploring that.

June 12, 2015       Permalink

THIS IS TOO MUCH – AT 9:24 A.M. ET:  I wish to issue a trigger warning:  Please have seasickness pills available before reading this story. 

It appears that Mr. Clinton is now embracing the candidacy of Mrs. Clinton, and expressing his deep affection for her.  His testimony, which is very removing, reminds us of other testimony he has given:  "I did not have sex with that woman..."  From The Hill:

Former President Bill Clinton credits a large part of his political success to his marriage with Hillary Clinton.

“I trust her with my life, and have on more than one occasion,” he told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union” in excerpts of their interview released on Friday.

“Whenever I had trouble, she was a rock in our family,” he added during the pair’s talk in Denver.

"Oh Bill, I understand your lust for interns.  I truly do."

Clinton said that his wife, the 2016 Democratic presidential front-runner, helped him navigate formative years in politics “plagued by self-doubt.”

He said that he was consumed by insecurity upon losing the Arkansas governor’s office in 1980.
“I was the youngest former governor in American history in 1980 on election night,” he said of his loss to former Gov. Frank White (R).

“I got killed in the Reagan landslide,” he added. “People I had appointed to office would walk across the street, they were so afraid of the new regime in Arkansas, and would not shake hands with me. My career prospects were not particularly bright.”

“And she never blinked,” Bill Clinton added of Hillary Clinton. “She just said, ‘Hey, it’ll turn around. I believe in you. You’ve got this.’”

Can you imagine her saying that?

The former first couple has been married for 40 years with one daughter, Chelsea.

“We built a life together based on the things that we cared about, the things that we loved,” Bill Clinton said. “We were blessed with a daughter who turned out very well, I would say. We have been very blessed.”

I can't take much more of this.

The Clintons faced scrutiny over their relationship during Bill Clinton’s second term upon revelations that he had an affair with Monica Lewinksy, then a 22-year-old White House intern.

Hillary Clinton has described the scandal and its related fallout as one of her biggest challenges thus far.

COMMENT:   Yes, I'm sure the Lewinsky scandal enhances Hillary's qualifications to be president.  Because her tenure in public office certainly doesn't.

My pills, my pills!

June 12,  2015     Permalink

JUNE 11,  2015

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

YOUNG FLEE VENEZUELA – From Fox:  "CARACAS – If you are between 15 and 29 years old and you live in Venezuela, there’s a one in four chance you are planning to leave the country and put down roots somewhere else.  The acute financial crisis in the South American country is hitting particularly hard on the young, some of whom, having had grown up under the 16-year-old Chavista regime, still have hopes of starting a family in a society where they can at least dream of prosperity."  Remember those Hollywood stars who used to rush down to Caracas to praise the way the leftist country was being run?   Haven't seen them recently.

TERROR USA – From Fox:  "The FBI arrested a third man Thursday in connection with a plot to attack and behead a free speech activist and Boston police officers.  The agency's Rhode Island Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested Nicholas Rovinski in Warwick, R.I. shortly after 8 p.m. local time. FBI spokeswoman Kristen Setera told Fox News that Rovinski was arrested without incident and referred further questions to the U.S. Attorney's office in Boston.  The Boston Herald reported that Rovinski is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Boston Friday, where the charges against him will be announced."  Just remember that the war on terror is over.  Barack said so.

MAJOR SNACK NEWS – From the Irish Examiner:  "Eating half a handful of peanuts or nuts a day could protect against death from cancer and heart disease, research suggests.   A study found men and women who eat at least 10g of nuts or peanuts per day have a lower risk of dying from several major causes of death than people who do not consume them."  The major downside, not included in the study, is that this could make Jimmy Carter rich.

FAILED POLICY – From The New York Times:  "WASHINGTON — President Obama is open to expanding the American military footprint in Iraq with a network of bases and possibly hundreds of additional troops to support Iraqi security forces in their fight against the Islamic State, White House officials said on Thursday.  As Iraqi forces struggle on the battlefield, aides said Mr. Obama would consider establishing a series of outposts where American advisers would work with Iraqi troops and local tribesmen. The bases would be run by Iraqis, and Americans would still not engage in ground combat, but they would play a more active role closer to the front lines."  Obama has totally botched Iraq.  Now he's trying to patch the problem by small additions of troops.   This is a perfect definition of amateurism.

June 11, 2015       Permalink

THE GLORIOUS MARCH OF HYPOCRISY – AT 12:31 P.M. ET:  Obama needs a secretary of hypocrisy.  An entire cabinet department may be needed to regulate the flow of hypocrisy and deceit.   Consider the latest case, airliner emissions.  From Breitbart:   

On Wednesday, according to The Hill, the White House Office of Management and Budget approved new plans to regulate airplane emissions.

The Environmental Protection Agency will now hold hearings on the prospective findings, then write up regulation. According to the OMB, the EPA has shown that such emissions justify an “endangerment finding” because they affect climate change; the regulations will reportedly “align… with regulations that the International Civil Aviation Organization, an agency of the United Nations, is developing.”

So the Obama administration wants to crack down on emissions from airplanes. Except, of course, if President Obama is aboard. Then, it’s a different story. The Air Force has now chosen a $367 million Boeing 747-8 (before upgrades) that runs 4,786 square feet; Business Insider calls the plane a “palace in the sky.” It’s the longest airliner ever and flies 8,000 nautical miles at a clip. The interiors are glossy and gorgeous, including leather couches, big screen TVs, top-of-the-line side tables, a state room that would make the MGM Grand envious, a huge office, and a conference room.

The current Air Force One is insufficient for the Obama administration and the Air Force. A Boeing 747-200B series model, Air Force One can refuel in midair, has in excess of 4,000 square feet on three levels, and includes an office, a conference room, a medical suite, two galleys capable of feeding 100 people, plus quarters for the president’s staff, press, and guests. Taxpayers currently spend $206,337 for every flight hour aboard Air Force One.

COMMENT:  Personally, I want President Obama to be very comfortable on his ride home on January 20, 2017. 

As for the hypocrisy, it's the mark of this administration.

June 11, 2015       Permalink

CENTRIST DEMS WARY OF HILLARY – AT 10:25 A.M. ET:  And for good reason.  Hillary's move to the left is isolating her from states that prefer a saner Democratic Party.  From The Hill:

Moderate Democrats are worried about Hillary Clinton’s recent embrace of liberal policies.

After positioning herself as a centrist and steely potential commander in chief in the 2008 Democratic primary, Clinton has shifted.

Clinton is now to the left of President Obama on the federal minimum wage. While Obama has endorsed a $10.10 hourly rate, Clinton has signaled support for more than doubling it, to $15 an hour.

The former first lady says same-sex marriage should be a constitutional right and endorsed Obama’s executive action shielding millions of illegal immigrants from deportation. She wants broad reform of a criminal justice system and calls for automatic voter registration.

Red-state Democrats in Congress don’t want Clinton to lose sight of a broadly appealing economic message that can win over white working-class voters who have deserted the party in droves recently.

“It’s important that she has an economic platform that people can get on board with regardless of what state they live in,” said Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

“Be everywhere — Montana, Missouri, everywhere,” Tester added.

Centrist Democrats say Clinton should broaden, not narrow, her approach.

“I don’t think you write anything off. You show that you’re not afraid and you show the ability to go into an area, and it will help lift spirits,” said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). “I always do visit all 55 counties in my state. So when I ran statewide, I didn’t give up on certain counties and never visited. So you don’t give up on anybody.”

It is very common for presidential candidates to move closer to their base in the primary and shift back to the center in the general election. But Clinton’s strategy suggests she needs to shore up more of the base and is responding to pressure from liberal leaders such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Still, moderate Democrats are particularly concerned about Clinton’s potential effect on state legislative races in Republican dominated states. They worry if she stays away from solid-red states, they will have a hard time winning down-ballot races that could shape the congressional districts of the future.

COMMENT:  The trouble is, the leftists have contempt for people who don't think as they do.  To the left, the debate is over.  Anyone who doesn't agree with them is a racist, an Islamophobe, a flat-Earther.  They would prefer that Hillary not contaminate herself with the rabble, and certainly not with people who run small businesses.  They are beneath contempt.

And there is something else, which we will explore in the future – the possibility that Hillary is just coming home to the left, that, in her heart, that's really where she wants to be.  The Democratic Party wants to return America to the world of the late 1960s.  That's when Hillary emerged.

June 11, 2015       Permalink

IS ISIS RUINING AL QAEDA? – AT 9:56 A.M. ET:   Is it possible that ISIS, because of its greater militancy and flashier image, is sinking Al Qaeda?  From Fox: 

Two of Al Qaeda's spiritual leaders have said that the terror organization is barely functioning after losing money and manpower to the rapidly rising Islamic State group, according to a report.

Abu Qatada and Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi have described Al Qaeda as being without "organizational structure," the Guardian reports. Maqdisi said Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri is isolated from his top lieutenants and "operates solely based on the allegiance.

"There is no organizational structure. There is only communication channels, and loyalty," he reportedly said.

Qatada, who was deported to Jordan from Britain in 2013 to face terrorism charges, also acknowledges that ISIS has gotten the better of Al Qaeda in the propaganda wars as well as those fought on the battlefield.

The Guardian report traces the beginning of Al Qaeda's downfall to the ascension of Zawahiri as Al Qaeda's leader following the death of Usama bin Laden in May 2011. While Zawahiri has been forced to move in secret in the remote mountain regions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, hundreds of thousands of militants have flocked to the new battlefields in Syria and Iraq.

"What is leadership," asked Dr. Munif Samara, an Al Qaeda associate quoted in the report, "if your leader is in Afghanistan and your soldiers are in Iraq?"

COMMENT:  We stress that this is one report.  But it does seem logical.  Most of the focus these days is on ISIS, and for good reasons:  It takes land.  It seizes.  It controls.  If it can take over a country, you'll see its flag raised over the capital.  Al Qaeda, at least now, can make no such claim.

But don't write Al Qaeda off as a source of terrorism and mass attacks.   All they need is 20 guys and some planes.

June 11, 2015       Permalink

PANIC TIME – AT 9:44 A.M. ET:  Hillary Clinton isn't on a sinking ship.  She is a sinking ship.  The new bad news comes from Ohio.  From the Washington Times: 

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s favorability is underwater in Ohio and she trails in head-to-head potential 2016 match-ups against native son Gov. John Kasich and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, according to a new poll.

Fifty-four percent of Ohio voters have an unfavorable opinion of Mrs. Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential front-runner, compared to 38 percent who have a favorable opinion, according to the survey released Wednesday by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling.

That tracks with a 50 percent/34 percent unfavorable/favorable split among independents for Mrs. Clinton in the survey. Ninety-one percent of Republicans said they have an unfavorable view of Mrs. Clinton, while 73 percent of Democrats said they have a favorable view.

Mr. Kasich, a possible presidential candidate, led Mrs. Clinton by 7 points in a head-to-head match-up, 47 percent to 40 percent. Mr. Paul was the only other Republican to lead Mrs. Clinton in a head-to-head contest, getting 44 percent to Mrs. Clinton’s 41 percent. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida was tied with her at 44 percent apiece.

She still dominates the Democratic field, getting 61 percent to 13 percent for Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, her next closest competitor on that side.

But her largest leads against other potential Republican rivals in head-to-head match-ups were just 3-point margins.

COMMENT:  I love it, I love it, I love it.  And remember, she's one of the most famous people in America.  The country already knows her.  It's known her for 25 years.   Where is the upside?  Will something new and wonderful come out about Hillary?  I doubt it.  If anything, it will be the reverse.

The Republican nomination for president next year is very valuable.  We must choose wisely.

June 11,  2015     Permalink