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JUNE 18,  2017

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

ESCALATION IN SYRIA – FROM AP:  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military on Sunday shot down a Syrian Air Force fighter jet that bombed local forces aligned with the Americans in the fight against Islamic State militants, an action that appeared to mark a new escalation of the conflict. The U.S. had not shot down a Syrian regime aircraft before Sunday's confrontation, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. While the U.S. has said since it began recruiting, training and advising what it calls moderate Syrian opposition forces to fight IS that it would protect them from potential Syrian government retribution, this was the first time it resorted to engaging in air-to-air combat to make good on that promise. Unlike Obama, Trump keeps promises to allies.  Makes for better allies.

SICKNESS – FROM COLLEGE FIX:   The Young Democratic Socialists at the University of Georgia are in a bit of trouble after they … “elaborated” on a professor’s tweet which stated House Republicans “should be lined up and shot.”  The YDS apparently quoted Art Institute of Washington professor John Griffin‘s tweet, and then added “This is absolutely outrageous! House Republicans should NOT be shot! They should be guillotined.”  According to The Red & Black, the YDS Twitter account is now protected; however, a screencap of their death-wishing tweet was preserved by Campus Reform.  After the YDS remarks were featured in articles on The Blaze and the Associated Press, university police and the UGA Office of Student Conduct began investigating.  Apparently the YDS is distancing itself from the university, the better to avoid university discipline.  Another moment in campus maturity.

THE MARCH OF DUMBNESS – FROM PJMEDIA:  It's hard to determine whether some liberals are tone deaf or just downright mean. MSNBC hostess Joy-Ann Reid almost certainly falls into the latter category.  Reid was on with NAACP board member Rev. William J. Barber II  when the conversation turned to Rep. Steve Scalise, who was lying in a hospital bed in critical condition at the time.  The host and her guest accused Scalise of "extremism" because he wants marriage to be between a man and a woman, he voted for the House health care bill, and he co-sponsored a bill to repeal the ban on semi-automatic weapons.  No, really.   Taste, thy name is not MSNBC.

June 18,  2017     Permalink

UNDER OATH, UNDER OATH – AT 1:53 P.M. ET:  Maybe former Attorney General Loretta Lynch won't get away with it after all.  From The Hill: 

Senate Republicans are clamoring to hear from Loretta Lynch after former FBI Director James Comey raised concerns about her involvement in the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
 
Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are seizing on Comey’s testimony earlier this month that he was concerned over the former attorney general telling the FBI to refer to the Clinton investigation as a "matter," which resembled the Clinton campaign line.
 
The move could allow Republicans to attempt to pivot away from the investigation into Russia's election meddling — which top GOP lawmakers have signaled belongs to the Intelligence Committee — and focus on Lynch, who has long been a target of Republicans.

Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), the No. 2 Senate Republican who is a member of both the Intelligence and Judiciary committees, said it “would be very helpful” for Lynch to testify before the Judiciary panel, which oversees the Justice Department.
 
“Frankly, a lot of what Hillary Clinton was exposed to by Director Comey’s misconduct and the way he handled that was apparently in response to his lack of confidence in the attorney general, and I think there is a lot we could learn from that,” Cornyn said.

COMMENT:  Under oath.  Chop chop!  Let's go!

June 18,  2017     Permalink

NEWT KNOWS – AT 1:33 P.M. ET:   Newt Gingrich is one of the smartest people in American politics, and one of the most savvy.  He understands how these Washington investigations work, and how they must turn out.  From The Hill: 

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) told Fox News on Friday that "somebody" will likely go to jail following the FBI's investigation into Russian election meddling, but said it won't be President Trump.

"They're going to get somebody. I don't think they're going to get the president, but they're going to get somebody, and they're going to get him for something. And they're probably going to go to jail," Gingrich told Fox News's Sean Hannity.

The former Republican Speaker likened the mood at the FBI to an old Western film.

"This is like watching an old-fashioned Western movie. This is an Indian hunting party," Gingrich said. "They're out looking for a couple scalps, and they're not going to go home until they get some." 

On Wednesday, it was reported that special counsel Robert Mueller had expanded his investigation to include whether Trump had obstructed justice by firing former FBI Director James Comey last month. Trump called the investigation a "witch hunt" and his allies attacked Mueller in the media.

Mueller has reportedly hired 13 lawyers for the federal investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, and plans to hire more.

Gingrich on Friday said Mueller had hired too many "high-powered" lawyers to go home "without a scalp."

“The FBI leak of information regarding the president is outrageous, inexcusable and illegal," Trump's attorney said about the reports in a statement.

COMMENT:  Newt has it right.  These investigations must be justified, and the only justification that will satisfy press and public is a criminal charge, or a series of them. 

The whole process is awful.  Unelected people can disrupt parts of the executive branch for months or more, at their own whim.  No way to run a country.

June 18, 2017       Permalink

CNN UNDER HEAT – AT 11:12 A.M. ET:  This continues a story we first noted a few days ago.  CNN came under attack at its own shareholders meeting this past week.  The top guy tried to claim that he's tryin' to keep the network honest.  Really?  I hadn't noticed.  From Western Journalism: 

CNN CEO Jeff Bewkes came under fire Thursday during a Time Warner shareholders’ meeting for his network’s overt bias against President Donald Trump.

David Almasi, vice president for the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, happens also to be a shareholder of CNN’s parent company, Time Warner.

The shareholders’ meeting occurred one day after a gunman opened fire on GOP lawmakers at an Alexandria, Va., baseball field. Almasi said he felt compelled as a shareholder to take Time Warner executives to task for “CNN’s contribution to the increasingly uncivil environment in Washington.”

“Mr. Bewkes, we have urged you many times to make CNN more objective,” Almasi told the CNN chief. “But bias is apparently worse than ever. As shareholders, we are concerned about the reputational risk to our investment in Time Warner, as CNN appears to be a key player in the war against the Trump presidency.”

“Are you concerned about advertisers leaving CNN?” Almasi asked. “Will you continue to ignore appeals for objectivity at the risk to our investment in Time Warner?”

Bewkes defended his network against the accusations of bias, but did “recommit” to “an attempt to be independent.”

“We will recommit — I’ll do it to you now — for an attempt to try to be independent,” the CNN chief said in response to Almasi’s questions. “I do understand from your questions that you’re skeptical that we’re achieving that. You think we haven’t.”

“I don’t want you to be skeptical of our effort, and we’re very sincere to try to achieve that, that’s what we are trying to do,” he continued. “The decision on whether we’ve failed — you’re right — will be made by the viewer.”

“But we are trying to keep it balanced and fair, and I understand that you’re thinking that we haven’t succeeded, but we are still trying,” Bewkes added.

COMMENT:  Trying?  Really?  I mean, does Bewkes think everyone is a fool?  CNN has become, as we've said here, an editorial page with reporters attached.   It is grossly biased, and obsessed with bringing down Trump.  In the process, it is ignoring major stories that should be reported. 

The guy in direct charge of CNN, Jeff Zucker, is a flaming liberal.  I don't think he's trying to maintain any balance at all.

June 18,  2017     Permalink

JUNE 17,  2017

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

PUNISHING A HOAX – FROM THE ALBANY TIMES UNION:   ALBANY — The former University at Albany students who were convicted of falsely reporting a hate crime on a CDTA bus last year avoided jail time Friday, and instead received a sentence of probation, community service and a fine.  The possibility of jail time for Ariel Agudio and Asha Burwell loomed large over Friday's sentencing in Albany County Court, where spectators and supporters of the women packed a standing room-only gallery. The Albany County Probation Department had recommended a split sentence for the women — time in jail followed by time on probation.  But Roger McDonough, the acting justice who presided over the eight-day trial in April and offered stern words for the women Friday, instead imposed a sentence of three years' probation, 200 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine.  "There have been significant consequences already for what has happened, but I don't think there's any benefit in sentencing you to a jail term — no benefit for society and no benefit for you," he said.  This was a major hoax that sucked in a university.  Jail time was appropriate, but at least the perps got community service and a fine.  Many reports of hate crimes are probably accurate, but there has been a spate of false charges in the last few years as well.  Some people feel a false report is just so much fun.

GO FOR IT, SARAH – FROM LAW NEWZ:  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says she’s talking to attorneys because of an inaccurate New York Times editorial. If it ever came to it, does she have a viable libel claim against the outlet?  This all started with a Wednesday article, where the Editorial Board tried to unpack the shooting that left four victims injured, including a Republican Congressman, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana. The piece tried to examine how incendiary political speech and easy access to guns may have facilitated the incident–shooter James Hodgkinson seemed to be a supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), and reportedly posted anti-Trump messages to social media.  The Editorial Board unintentionally walked into some dicey territory, however. They drew a parallel between the recent shooting and the 2011 attack on Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, which also left six dead and more injured. In doing so, the board said there was a “clear” link between the actions of shooter Jared Lee Loughner and speech by Palin’s political action committee. Commenters, many conservative, did not respond kindly.  Read the whole piece.  It's fascinating.  It's very hard for a public figure to sue a newspaper for libel, as a wide berth is given in law to those who report and interpret the news.  But this charge was so outrageous that a jury might just decide that The Times was guilty.  Stay tuned.

BEN AND JERRY, SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIORS OR HYPOCRITES? – FROM AP:  MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Scores of dairy farm workers and activists marched Saturday on a Ben & Jerry's factory to push for better pay and living conditions on farms that provide milk for the ice cream maker that takes pride in its social activism.  Protesters said Ben & Jerry's agreed two years ago to participate in the so-called Milk with Dignity program, but the company and worker representatives have yet to reach an agreement.  "We can't wait any more. We are going to pressure them and see what happens," said Victor Diaz, a Mexican immigrant now working on a farm in Vergennes.   I always knew there was something suspicious about cherry garcia.  It tastes like...hypocrisy. 

June 17, 2017        Permalink

I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT – AT 12:47 P.M. ET:  A shareholder revolt in journalism companies?  From Breitbart: 

A Time Warner shareholder accused CNN of acting like it was the part the “resistance” movement against President Donald Trump.

“I’m inquiring about CNN’s bias and our return on investment,” shareholder David Almasi reportedly told Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes during Thursday’s annual shareholders meeting.

“Half the American public—which includes potential and current CNN viewers—voted for Trump last November and supports his agenda. CNN acts as if it is part of the anti-Trump resistance.”

According to the Hollywood Reporter, “about half of the 300 people” at the annual shareholders meeting “applauded” Almasi while “several others later approached” him to “thank him for his questions.”

Almasi reportedly “cited data from the Media Research Center indicating that among the CNN panelists dissecting the May 9 firing of FBI director James Comey, 96 were anti-Trump and seven were pro-Trump.”

COMMENT:  A good moment in American capitalism.  If more shareholders speak out, maybe there's a chance we'll get some welcome change.  Or maybe investors can be moved to invest in new journalism outlets that are more balanced, and more capable.

CNN, which bills itself as the first name in news, is fast becoming the first name in views.  It is an editorial page with reporters attached.  It has plenty of talent, and misuses it.

June 17, 2017       Permalink 

PLAY INTERRUPTED – AT 11:51 A.M. ET:  I don't approve of this kind of behavior, but it does indicate the level of tension in the country today.  From Fox:

Protesters disrupted a New York City stage production of "Julius Caesar" Friday that featured a bloody assassination of a character that resembled President Trump. 

One protester, identified as Rebel Media's Laura Loomer, stormed the stage and shouted, "Stop Leftist Violence."

Another protester, identified as Jack Posobiec, rose to his feet and yelled, "The blood of Steve Scalise is on your hands" and "Goebbels would be proud."

Video of the incident was quickly posted on social media. It showed the crowd booing as an announcement was made that the show was briefly halted.

Loomer was arrested and Posobiec was escorted out of the Shakespeare in the Park theatre complex located in Central Park. 

I interviewed Posobiec by phone at the Central Park Police Precinct - where he was waiting for his colleague to be processed on a criminal trespass charge. 

"We were protesting what we saw was the normalization of violence," he told me. "I couldn't believe they were going on with the play in light of what happened with the attack on Congressman Scalise."

COMMENT:  We cannot and should not approve of the protest, which disrupted the Shakespeare company's right of free speech.

ON THE OTHER HAND...now maybe some of those on the left will understand what conservatives and even moderates face every day on college campuses, where their speakers are shouted down, chased, and silenced.  It's a good lesson.   Problem is, leftists aren't very adept at learning lessons.

June 17, 2017       Permalink

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? – AT 11:14 A.M. ET:  An American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer was struck by a Philippines-flagged cargo ship off Japan.  A number of Americans are injured or missing.  From CNN:

Tokyo (CNN) Seven US sailors are missing and the commanding officer of a US destroyer is among the injured after the warship and a merchant ship collided off the coast of Japan, the US Navy said.

The smaller guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald suffered severe damage to its starboard side.
"The collision affected Fitzgerald's forward starboard side above and below the water line, causing significant damage and associated flooding to two berthing spaces, a machinery space, and the radio room," according to a statement from US 7th Fleet.

The statement hinted that the missing sailors could be trapped in the damaged area of the destroyer.

"It remains uncertain how long it will take to gain access to the spaces once the ship is pier side ... to methodically continue the search for the missing," the statement said.

And...

The warship was towed back to Yokosuka, escorted by a Japanese coast guard ship, naval officials said. It arrived at port late Saturday, when divers began inspecting the damage.

Earlier, the ship's commander, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, was evacuated by a Japanese naval helicopter while US military copters evacuated two injured US sailors. All three are in stable condition at the US Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, said Cmdr. Ron Flanders, public affairs officer for US Naval Forces Japan.

And...

The merchant vessel involved is the ACX Crystal, a container ship flagged in the Philippines, officials said. It is chartered by Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and owned by Dainichi-Invest Corporation, NYK said.

COMMENT:  Thus far there is no evidence of anything terror-related in the incident, although it does seem strange that a cargo ship would strike a U.S. Navy vessel in what looks like a direct hit to the destroyer's starboard side.

The offending ship is Philippines-flagged, and there is a substantial Muslim insurrection in the Philippines.  I mention that only as a point of information. 

There will be a naval inquiry, which should include a full background check of those in charge of the cargo ship at the time of the incident.   

June 17,  2017     Permalink