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DECEMBER 24,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:51 P.M. ET: 

THIS JUST IN! – FROM DAILY CALLER:    A Canadian government website claims Santa Claus signed an international agreement to relocate his workshop to the South Pole to escape the effects of man-made global warming in the Arctic.  The website for Policy Horizons Canada, a government website, notes that due to “rapidly melting Arctic ice and growing human operations in the North, Santa Claus has signed an agreement with the International community to relocate his village next year to operate in an exclusive zone in the South Pole.”  So glad to know this.  I'll change my address book.

DRIVING THEM CRAZY – FROM DAILY CALLER:  A victorious Trump landed in Florida for Christmas vacation, fresh off signing the newly minted GOP tax bill into law, and he made a fan’s day while walking along the tarmac.  As Trump descended the staircase of Air Force One he fist pumped. The waiting crowd him cheered as Trump walked over to see them. After some handshakes and signing some autographs, Trump picked out a specific sign. He plucked it from the crowd and signed it. The sign read “Keep Tweeting.”   Give the guy his due.  As we've said here, he's a fighter.  And he doesn't run his office by poll numbers.

HOW DARE THESE ORDINARY PEASANTS HAVE OPINIONS! – FROM LONDON'S EXPRESS: The Standard Eurobarometer survey revealed half of Europeans also do not think that their voices count in the EU.  Immigration was the top concern, followed by the threat of terrorism. And most are against the key policy of future enlargement of the EU to include other countries.  The European Commission survey, carried out in November, showed that one in five people (21 per cent) had a negative image of the EU, 37 per cent were neutral and 40 per cent were positive.  Some 50 per cent disagreed that their “voice counts in the EU”, six per cent above those that did.  Not exactly a rousing vote of confidence.  But their sophisticated masters at the EU won't care.  They know best, just as they did in 1939.

December 24, 2017        Permalink

WHOOPS! – AT 3:18 P.M. ET:  Y'know, I guess President Trump isn't really Putin's puppet.  Maybe some journalists will have to revise their "narrative."  From, of all places, CNN:

Washington (CNN) In the space of a week, the Trump administration has named Russia a "rival power," sanctioned a close Putin ally, and decided to give Ukraine anti-tank weapons to help in its fight against Moscow-backed militias.

It's a series of steps that has been paired with tougher rhetoric from the State Department about Moscow's destabilizing activities in eastern Ukraine, and serious charges from the Pentagon that Russia is intentionally violating de-confliction agreements in Syria.

The slew of actions highlights a decided turn away from the warmer, more cooperative relationship with Russia that President Donald Trump called for during his campaign and early in his presidency.

As Trump nears the one-year mark in office, a number of factors have intruded on those plans. He has been hemmed in by the domestic political constraint of an ongoing investigation into Russia's interference with the 2016 election, as well as a widespread distrust of Russia and its continuing cyber activities that persists among the intelligence community, diplomats, the Pentagon and lawmakers.

Those close to Trump who advocated for more cooperation with Moscow have been shown the White House door. And national security positions across the administration are now staffed with people, including at the Cabinet level, who have expressed more cautious and traditional views of Russia.

COMMENT:  Okay.  Trump tried a better relationship, as did Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state.  It didn't work either time.  Now Trump is adjusting his policy.  The Obama administration never adjusted, which is why the Russians are in Crimea, with little resistance from the West.  The Democrats now feign deep concern about Russia, but laughed at that concern when Field Marshal Obama was in office.

December 24, 2017       Permalink

TRUMP'S YEAR – AT 1:40 P.M. ET:   Allies of the president are now fighting to control the narrative regarding Mr. Trump's first year in office.  From the Washington Examiner: 

With the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act this week, the Trump administration has scored 81 major achievements in its first year, making good on campaign promises to provide significant tax cuts, boost U.S. energy production, and restore respect to the United States, according to the White House.

And along the way, President Trump even outdid his own expectations and slashed at least 11 major legacy items of former President Obama, including cracking down on the open border, slowing recognition of Communist Cuba and effectively killing Obamacare by ending the mandate that everyone have health insurance or face a tax.

According to the White House, the 81 accomplishments are in 12 major categories and include well over 100 other minor achievements.

The unofficial list helps to counter the impression in the mainstream media and among congressional Democrats that outside the approval of Supreme Court Neil Gorsuch and passage of the tax reform bill little was done.

Administration’s typically tout their achievements broadly at the end of each year, but Trump plans to list jobs added, regulations killed, foreign policy victories won and moves to help veterans and even drug addicts.

And in a sign of support for conservatives, the White House also is highlighting achievements for the pro-life community.

COMMENT:  I'm glad they're doing it.  Say what you wish about Trump, but he's a fighter.  And I get the sense, just watching him, that he's finally easing into the job, and the style of the job.  The Dems have nothing to offer but contempt, hatred, and impeachment.  I hope the public notices.

December 24, 2017       Permalink

A CHRISTMAS EVE STORY – AT 11:57 A.M. ET:  Many people justly complain about the exploitation of Christmas for non-religious purposes, diminishing the true meaning of the holiday.

The worst exploitation I've seen does not come from commercial sources, but from governments that send out Christmas greetings while terrifying their own Christian populations.  From the Algemeiner:

Iran’s foreign minister encountered an angry response on Sunday when he took to Twitter on Christmas Eve to wish a “happy and peaceful Christmas to all.”

Citing a verse from the Quran, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif – a key architect, with former US Secretary of State John Kerry, of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal – declared: “May Christ’s universal message of peace be embraced in the coming year.”

Dozens of responses to Zarif’s message emphasized Iran’s long record of persecuting Christians.

Many of them highlighted the arrest of four Iranian converts to Christianity in the city of Karaj on December 12.

According to Article 18, an organization that advocates on behalf of persecuted Christians in Iran, “Milad Goudarzi, Amin Khaki, Alireza Nour-Mohammadi and Shehabuddin Shahi were all arrested by security forces on Tuesday, December 12, in Karaj.” Six houses used by the converts as a church were also reported to have been raided by the Iranian regime’s security forces.

Iranian Christian news outlet Mohabat News reported in addition that security forces raided two shops belonging to two of the detainees.

The shops were sealed off for “overcharging”, “profiteering” and “breaking guild regulations.” A Bible and a laptop computer were also confiscated.

IRNA, the Iranian regime’s official mouthpiece reported that “elements of a devious Christian cult who were promoting it and attempting to disrupt the market and economic order have been arrested.”

Iranian official figures show that more than 100,000 Christians live in Iran, although some Christian organizations believe the number could be 270,000 or even more. While traditional ethnic churches, such as the Armenian church, are generally tolerated, evangelical Christians and converts are brutally treated by the authorities. Under Iranian law, converting from Islam to another faith is a crime that can carry the death penalty.

COMMENT:  And Merry Christmas to you, Mr. Foreign Minister.  But from now on please restrict your greetings to your pal, John Kerry.

December 24,  2017     Permalink

DECEMBER 23,  2017

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

THUMBS DOWN – FROM THE L.A. TIMES:  Hollywood is celebrating the end of 2017 with astronomical sales from “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” which is on track to soon exceed $1 billion in global ticket sales and eventually become the biggest movie of the year. But that won’t be enough to write a happy storyline for the industry.  Although movie ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada are expected to dip just below last year's record of $11.38 billion, the number of tickets sold is projected to drop 4% to 1.26 billion — the lowest level since 1995, according to preliminary estimates from studio executives.  The falloff in ticket sales can mostly be explained by a handful of movies that flopped, especially during the dreary summer season that posted the worst results in more than two decades.  The excuses will start to flow, but maybe better movies, including some that appeal to those over twelve, might help the situation.

WHAT?  HOW CAN THIS BE? – FROM DAILYSTAR:  The coldest winter in five years has been forecast for Britain, with “widespread snow” and brutal lows of -17C across Christmas expected to be a “shock to the system”.  During the first two weeks of winter, the UK was crippled by an onslaught of cold snaps that brought heavy snow, hazardous ice and sub-zero temperatures virtually everywhere.  Speaking to Daily Star Online, climate and weather experts predict one cold spell a week until the end of winter in the UK, warning “you have been cool and it will get colder”.  In the coming years, David Dilley, CEO of Global Weather Oscillations, believes winters will only become “more intense” in the UK due to a combination of “dangerous” climate factors.  His research shows that by 2019, Earth will enter a natural 120-year cooling cycle that happens roughly every 230 years, bucking the warming trend.  Do not allow Al Gore to read this.  Let him live quietly.

DEMOCRATS FOR TRUMP? – FROM FOX:   The chairman of Democrats for Trump reacted to repeated calls for the president's impeachment and obstructionist behavior by members of his party.
"I think it's Trump derangement," former New York City Council President Andrew Stein said on "Fox & Friends."  Ed Henry played video of Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) introducing articles of impeachment and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) telling a crowd that President Trump's motives and actions "are contemptible."
"Impeach 45 every day," she later said.  Stein said he doesn't know why his fellow Democrats think Trump is a "bad guy."  "The deep state - Clinton [and] Obama holdovers - they're trying to delegitimize this president and they want to impeach him," Stein said, calling the rhetoric "a big mistake."  "It's nonsense," Stein said, praising Trump's tax cut law and stating his hope that his fellow Democratic New Yorker, Sen. Charles Schumer, will help Trump with infrastructure legislation.  I think it's a vain hope.  The Democratic Party today is a far-left party, not the responsibly liberal party of Andy Stein. 

December 23,  2017      Permalink

UVA GETS A USEFUL SHOVE – The University of Virginia has gotten smart after some alumni gave it a push.  Occasionally, alumni are useful.  From College Fix: 

Former Gov. George Allen, Fox News personality Brit Hume and other influential alumni let loose on the University of Virginia after it refused to officially recognize a conservative student group on the grounds that it required members to affirm its conservative values.

Warned by lawyers for the Young Americans for Freedom chapter that it had until Wednesday to change the nondiscrimination policy under which it was rejected, UVA met the deadline, according to Young America’s Foundation, the umbrella organization for student chapters.

The foundation said the university’s counsel told it the chapter “would be recognized” and the university “would be reevaluating its policy to ensure compliance with state law and the First Amendment.”

The chapter had been recognized for “several years” but the administration objected to a new requirement this semester that members agree with the Sharon Statement, the founding document for Young Americans for Freedom, according to the foundation.

UVA claimed this requirement discriminated against students for their “political affiliation,” which is prohibited for so-called contracted independent organizations.

The foundation said the chapter was far from the only recognized campus group to impose such litmus tests.

COMMENTS:  There are some signs that college administrations are starting to realize the cost of their left-wing indulgences.  More on that next week.

December 23, 2017       Permalink

WARNING FROM THE MARINES – AT 12:38 P.M. ET:  The commandant of the Marine Corps has issued a serious warning about possible military action.  From The Hill: 

The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert Neller, told troops Thursday that "there's a war coming" and urged them to be prepared.

"I hope I'm wrong, but there's a war coming," Neller told Marines stationed in Norway, during a visit there, according to Military.com. "You're in a fight here, an informational fight, a political fight, by your presence," he added. 

The commandant pointed to Russia and the Pacific theater as the next major areas of conflict, predicting a "big-ass fight" in the future. 

"Just remember why you're here," he said. "They're watching. Just like you watch them, they watch you. We've got 300 Marines up here; we could go from 300 to 3,000 overnight. We could raise the bar."

Neller's visit comes amid tensions between Russia and NATO allies. Russia warned neighboring Norway that the presence of American troops could hurt relations, after Norway decision to host a new unit of U.S. soldiers through the end of 2018. 

The administration says the Marines are there to enhance ties with European NATO allies and train in cold-weather combat.

In a question-and-answer session with the troops, Neller said the U.S. could shift its focus after years of fighting in the Middle East to Eastern Europe, citing Russia's conflicts with Ukraine and Georgia. 

On Monday, President Trump unveiled a new national security strategy that focused on the threats posed by Russia and China to U.S. interests.

COMMENT:  This is a serious administration, and it is determined to increase American military strength, which is the best guarantee of a peaceful outcome.  Field Marshal Obama flopped, or really wasn't interested.  Ditto for Grand Admiral Kerry and Hot Air Commander Susan Rice.  The new team is different.

December 23, 2017       Permalink

ANOTHER STEP FORWARD – AT 11:46 A.M. ET:  We're seeing signs of economic progress everywhere.  It's not a perfect picture, but it's a lot more perfect than when Chief Economist Barack Obama left office.  From Breitbart: 

President Donald Trump announced that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told him of plans to build a factory in North Carolina as a result of his tax cut bill.

“He just wanted to let me know he’s going to buy a big plant in the great state of North Carolina,” Trump told reporters.

Kraft, who is Trump’s friend, has visited and called the president since he took office. The Patriots even gave Trump a Super Bowl ring during their visit to the White House to celebrate their NFL championship.

The Kraft Group owns International Forest Products as well as RandWhitney, a packaging company.
Trump said that he had many calls from prominent business leaders who said that the tax bill would encourage them to invest more in the United States.

“They’re going out and they’re going to buy, frankly, factories that are closed, abandoned and now not going to be abandoned any longer,” Trump said. “This is having a bigger impact — faster than I thought.”

COMMENT:   An economy is partly run on psychology.  The psychology of America is turning positive, which will mean a better economy.  The president is ending the year well.

December 23,  2017     Permalink