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SECOND SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE – 2016 – WEEK TWO – HELP!!

A BIT OF BOTHER YESTERDAY

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JUNE 23,  2016

NO "SHORT TAKES" TONIGHT, AS WE FOLLOW THE INCREDIBLE NEWS OUT OF BRITAIN:

It's now 1:36 a.m. ET:  The referendum in Britain is over.  With almost 99% of the vote counted, Brexit has won, 51.8% to 48.2%.  World markets are initially upset.  From the Daily Mail:

World markets were thrown into turmoil on Friday after a dramatic night ended in Britain voting to leave the European Union.

Initial polls had the 'remain' camp winning by a knife-edge. But the final count saw a narrow victory for 'leave' as the nation split 52-47 in favor of becoming the first ever EU member state to request an exit.

The historic result sent the British pound plummeting to a 31-year low, one of its biggest one-day falls in all time, dropping from about $1.50 to below $1.35.

US markets were expected to open down 550 points on Friday morning. Trading in Tokyo was halted after stocks plunged nearly 7 per cent, while South Korea's Kospi tumbled about 4 per cent. Crude oil prices also took a hit.

As results poured in, a picture emerged of a sharply divided nation: Strong pro-EU votes in the economic and cultural powerhouse of London and semi-autonomous Scotland were countered by sweeping anti-Establishment sentiment for an exit across the rest of England, from southern seaside towns to rust-belt former industrial powerhouses in the north.

This was pretty much expected, and there are also dire predictions that European countries will retaliate, the the U.S. will turn a cold shoulder, and that Britain will be isolated.

I think that's nonsense.  Britain is a needed country, and Europe will want to stay on as good terms as possible.  And Americans have a soft spot for Britain.  Well, American below the White House level. 

I wonder if there'll even be a European Union in five years.  Other countries apparently are disillusioned, and their populations will demand the same chance to vote on their future. 

We'll be back in the morning.

We're back on at 12:52 a.m. ET:   Current totals, with 93.2% in, 51.8% for Brexit, 48.2 for Remain, a gap of 3.6 points, the largest I've seen tonight. 

London voted heavily to remain.  But many working communities outside London voted to leave.  They may suffer some economic consequences, but they voted to preserve their nation and culture, and for that we should admire them.

Who should be sweating tonight?  1) Hillary Clinton.  The "Remain" crowd is her crowd, and Obama's.  These are the worthies who refer to real workers as "the flyover people."  The flyover people did some shooting down of the jet set tonight.  We may be seeing in Britain a bit of the "Trump effect" we've seen here, a rebellion by people who feel they've been disrespected.  2) The politically correct crowd.  Tonight's vote was a vote against people who force their views on other people, claiming that anyone who disagrees must be a bit, a racist, a misogynist, or an Islamophobe.  Tonight the politically incorrect fought back. 

Others should sweat as well.  We'll get to them as well. 

Stand by.

12:20 a.m. ET:  If present trends in the vote count continue, Britain will be leaving the European Union.  Brexit (meaning British Exit) has already been declared the winner by the BBC over "Remain," the label given to those who wish Britain to stay in the EU.

From BBC:

The UK has voted by 52% to 48% to leave the European Union after 43 years in an historic referendum, a BBC forecast suggests.

London and Scotland voted strongly to stay in the EU but the remain vote has been undermined by poor results in the north of England.

Voters in Wales and the English shires have backed Brexit in large numbers.

The pound fell to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985 as the markets reacted to the results.

It is widely accepted that resentment toward the EU's dictating of immigration policy had much to do with the expected result.  Many Brits believe, correctly I feel, that they are losing control of their own country.

Current totals, at 12:20 p.m. ET:    With 85.3% of the vote in, Brexit leads 51.6% to 48.4%, a bit narrower than the BBC projection.

Stand by.

BUT SHOULDN'T A QUEEN BE MADE COMFORTABLE? – AT 10:41 A.M. ET:   Why all this bother about the things Hillary Clinton has accepted, and demanded, in her sterling, absolutely pure past?  I'm upset by this sexism.  From Daily Caller: 

Democratic National Committee documents leaked by a hacker Tuesday reveal that Hillary Clinton’s requirements to give a speech included a private flight and a luxurious presidential hotel suite.

One of the documents leaked is a form filled out by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Foundation for the Harry Walker Agency. The Harry Walker Agency is a speaker’s bureau, which represented Hillary Clinton. On top of the $225,000 fee for her 20 minute speech, the agency gave the UNLV Foundation “standard travel expenses” for Clinton.

This “include[s] a chartered roundtrip private air transportation (e.g., a Gulfstream 450 or larger jet), which must be paid in advance of the event. The host will also need to pay for roundtrip business class airfare to and from the event city for two (2) advance staffers who will arrive in the city of the engagement up to three (3) business days prior to the event,” the document reads.

“The host is responsible for hotel accommodations at a hotel identified by Speaker’s staff. Accommodations should include a presidential suite for the Speaker and up to three (3) adjoining or contiguous single rooms for her travel aides and up to two (2) additional single rooms for the advance staff. The host is responsible for all ground transportation for the Speaker, her travel aides and the advance staff while they are in the city of the engagement, as well as all phone charges/cell phones and meals during their stay.”

COMMENT:  What this outrageously biased report doesn't say is that Hillary provided her diamond crown and the golden coach.  Why were these things not included?

June 23, 2016       Permalink

UNBELIEVABLE – AT 9:58 A.M. ET:  There is no end to this administration's twisted behavior.  This takes the prize.   From FOX:

A U.S. immigration official blamed in a federal report for barring law enforcement agents from a suspect in the San Bernardino terror attack has been nominated for a prestigious agency award – but her bosses in Washington refuse to say what she did to earn consideration.

Irene Martin heads the San Bernardino U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, where last December, she allegedly blocked five armed Department of Homeland Security agents from the man authorities say supplied the firepower in the deadly attack a day earlier. Although an Inspector General's report found she acted improperly, and then lied to investigators, FoxNews.com has learned she has been nominated for the Secretary’s Award for Valor.

“To give Irene Martin an award for valor is insulting to all the prior awardees – the agents and officers who truly displayed valor and risked their lives to save someone else,” said Jessica Vaughan, director of Policy Studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington-based research institute.

Department of Homeland Security officials declined to say what Martin did to merit consideration for the award, which is described as “the highest departmental recognition for extraordinary acts of valor by an employee or group, occurring while on or off duty” and is reserved for “those who have demonstrated extraordinary courage in a highly dangerous, life-threatening situation or emergency under extreme stress and involving a specific act of valor, such as saving another person’s life or property.”

COMMENT:  I hope Fox pursues this story, and names names.  This is a public agency, its employees are employed by the American people.  We have a right to know who is proposing this farce.

June 23, 2016       Permalink

BRITAIN VOTES – AT 9:33 A.M. ET:  Britain votes today on whether to remain in the European Union, or leave, and maintain British culture and independence.  The "remain" side, backed by the EU's vast bureaucracy, waged an ugly scare campaign, designed to intimidate voters into thinking their jobs would disappear if Britain left the EU.  Last-minute polls show "remain" leading by as much as ten points, but with many voters undecided.  From the Daily Mail:

Millions of Britons have defied the wet weather to queue in torrential rain and even wade through deep water to vote in today's historic EU referendum as a final poll revealed the result is on a knife edge.

Several polling stations were closed in London because of floods as Britain was finally having its say on whether to stay in the EU or cut our ties with Brussels after a gruelling 10-week campaign.
Thundery showers caused chaos across London and the south of England overnight and could potentially push the result towards a Brexit because polling data is clear that Leave voters are less likely to be put off by the bad weather than Remain voters.

Today long queues snaked down the road from many polling stations as voters rushed to have their say when the polls opened at 7am,

David Cameron voted in Westminster with his wife Samantha this morning with the final EU referendum polls making the contest too close to call.

An exclusive survey for the Daily Mail and ITV News, gave the Remain camp a lead of six points, by 48 per cent to 42 per cent – but 11 per cent of electors said they were still undecided.

The In camp are ahead of Leave by 52 per cent to 48 per cent, according to an Ipsos Mori survey for the Evening Standard this afternoon. To add further uncertainty to the outcome, 12 per cent of those polled said they could switch sides as they head for the polling booth.

But according to an online poll by Populus the Remain campaign is at 55 per cent compared to Leave on 45 per cent.

Today's EU vote is a historic day for Britain because it is only the third nationwide referendum ever to take place in the UK. A record 46.5million are registered to vote.

COMMENT:  The heavy rains may help the "leave" side because the "leave" people seem more passionate, more likely to come out in terrible weather.

In an unprecedented act, President Obama literally threatened Britain that if it left the European Union, Britain would go to the back of the line in trade deals.  It's not true, but Barack Obama and "truth" are not terms usually found in the same sentence.

Even if Britain votes to remain, the "leave" campaign may have sparked other independence movements throughout Europe, as more and more citizens realize they're losing their independence and cultures to a faceless, largely leftist bureaucracy in Brussels.  Look for other "leave" movements to form.

June 23,  2016     Permalink

JUNE 22,  2016

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

MAJOR STRATEGIC INSIGHT – FROM THE WASHINGTON TIMES:  Attorney General Loretta Lynch told Florida’s LGBT community that the “most effective” weapon at America’s disposal against Islamic terrorism is “love.”  Mrs. Lynch told reporters in Orlando on Tuesday that an ongoing investigation will determine the precise motive for 29-year-old Omar Mateen’s June 12 massacre at Pulse, a gay nightclub. Mateen, a former security guard, called 911 and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group while killing 49 people and wounding 53 others.  It's obvious.  People who chop other people's heads off will respond to love.  Get this woman another job.

POLICAL REVELATION – FROM FOX:  Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders acknowledged Wednesday that "it doesn't appear" he will be the Democratic presidential nominee.  Sanders made the comments during a taped C-SPAN interview, in which he didn't address the state of his campaign, but said he did expect to speak at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.  “It doesn’t appear that I’m going to be the nominee, so I’m not going to be determining the scope of the convention," he said.   Well, I wouldn't have known that unless Bernie said it.  Hillary must be relieved.

THE GREATS ARE FADING AWAY – FROM RAVALLI REPUBLIC:  Now it’s down to one.  David Thatcher, one of the last two airmen from the fabled Doolittle Raiders of World War II, died early Wednesday in a Missoula hospital.  His son Jeff said Thatcher, 94, had been going downhill for the past month or so and suffered a massive stroke on Sunday, Father's Day.  “He was an incredible father, just a very humble, soft-spoken man,” the younger Thatcher said. “A man of few words, but significant actions.”  Thatcher’s death leaves Dick Cole of Comfort, Texas, as the lone survivor of the 80 Doolittle Raiders who flew 16 B-25s on a daring bombing foray over Japan on April 18, 1942 – months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Cole, Col. Jimmy Doolittle’s co-pilot on the raid, turned 100 last September.  It is hard to contemplate that the greatest generation is dying off.  The youngest veteran of World War II would be about 87 today. 

June 22, 2016       Permalink

NOT QUITE ON THE RUN – AT 8:47 A.M. ET:  The president gives a smiling report on our famous victories against ISIS, but the basic facts lead us elsewhere.  From Rowan Scarborough at the Washington Times:   

The Islamic State terrorist group has created at least six functioning armies outside its Iraq-Syria base that threaten governments in Africa, the Middle East and Afghanistan, according to a new report to Congress.

Rather than shrinking, the Islamic State — also known as ISIL and ISIS — is metastasizing globally by attracting waves of henchmen in Libya, Egypt, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Afghanistan, the Congressional Research Service said in a June 14 report for lawmakers.

The fact that six irregular Islamic State armies are operating in three world regions, not to mention various cells in Europe and the U.S., is in contrast to the Obama administration’s generally upbeat reports on containing the violent group.

In another break from that positive White House message, CIA Director John Brennan told the Senate intelligence committee last week that, while the Islamic State has lost territory in Iraq and Syria, as well as thousands of fighters in those two countries, its ability to direct or inspire terrorist attacks remains robust.

“Our efforts have not reduced the group’s terrorism capability and global reach,” Mr. Brennan said.
The Islamic State’s ability to operate terrorist franchises across multiple regions presents formidable challenges to stretched U.S. forces now focused on the group’s Iraq-Syria base.

COMMENT:  The reality is that we're in for a long fight, and that the president wants to downplay it.  When he leaves office in January he will leave this country less safe than it was when he was first inaugurated.  That is his true legacy, although the facts will undoubtedly be rewritten by his allies in the press and in the universities.

June 22, 2016       Permalink

ANOTHER GREAT ADVANCE IN EDUCATION – AT 8:16 A.M. ET:  The stories are coming more and more frequently.  We are teaching our children, at least some of them, that freedom isn't terribly important.  From Campus Reform: 

The University of California, Irvine has suspended its College Republicans chapter for an entire year after the group hosted controversial conservative pundit Milo Yiannopoulos.

Breitbart News reports that a UCI administrator recently requested to meet with leaders of the CRs, during which CR President Ariana Rowlands suggested the possibility of bringing Yiannopoulos back to campus.

Just four hours after the meeting, the group received an email stating that it had been suspended for an entire year.

The email, however, apparently cited the group’s failure to provide proof of insurance for hired private security guards as grounds for suspension—making no mention of Yiannopoulos’ appearance on campus.

As Breitbart notes, the group had previously hosted David Horowitz on campus without being required to provide proof of insurance, nor was it penalized for not doing so.

Nonetheless, after Yiannopoulos’ visit to campus, the group has now lost its club status, meaning it will not be able to hold meetings, reserve space, or host events on campus.

Even before the event, the administration had attempted to complicate the process by requiring the CRs to dish out an additional $1,000 in security fees on the grounds that the group was not officially affiliated with the school—a claim that was later challenged by the CRs and eventually dropped.

COMMENT:  This reminds me of the tactics once used to prevent blacks from voting in the South – the poll tax, the rigged literacy test, the legal complications.  I do not see the so-called American Civil Liberties Union jumping into action.  It ceased being interested in civil liberties years ago, unless you're an approved group.

These anti-freedom tactics are growing.  We now have the spectacle of some campuses employing a "bias response team" to respond immediately to any complaint by any minority.  Hurt feelings have become a Constitutional crisis. 

Compare please to what American troops in the field have to endure every day.  I don't hear them complaining.

June 22, 2016       Permalink

THE PLOT SHE IS THICKENING – AT 8:03 A.M. ET:  Can the revolt against Trump succeed at the Republican National Convention?  Read on, from the Washington Times: 

Anti-Trump forces appeared to have been defeated after he ousted his remaining opponents from the race in early May and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus all signaled that Mr. Trump had sewn things up.

But weeks of bad press stemming from Mr. Trump’s criticism of a federal judge and uneven handling in the aftermath of the Orlando, Florida, terrorist shooting have kick-started efforts to deny Mr. Trump the nomination on the convention floor.

The dump-Trump forces may have received another opening last week when Mr. Priebus tapped Utah RNC member Enid Greene Mickelsen and Massachusetts RNC member Ron Kaufman as Republican National Convention Rules Committee chairwoman and co-chairman, respectively.

Ms. Mickelsen and Mr. Kaufman are political consorts of Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, who has announced he would not support Mr. Trump and has worked to recruit a challenger.

Ms. Mickelsen, Mr. Kaufman or both could explicitly or implicitly encourage delegates committed to vote for Mr. Trump to “vote their conscience” instead. If enough of them vote for anyone else, they could deny the billionaire businessman the 1,237 votes requisite for first-ballot victory. It would be difficult for Mr. Trump to recover from such a loss on subsequent ballots.

Some anti-Trumpers are hoping to go even further — to get the convention to pass new rules freeing “bound” delegates from their commitments to vote for Mr. Trump on the first ballot. They held an organizing call Sunday to talk strategy and said there are plenty of alternatives to Mr. Trump if delegates aren’t bound to him.

COMMENT:  Hard to know how realistic this is.  But it would definitely become realistic if Trump continues to stumble through his campaign, and if his poll numbers are sinking when Republicans meet in Cleveland on July 18th.

What a novel.  Wish I had thought of it.

June 22,  2016     Permalink