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MAY 24,  2018

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

PREDICTABLE – FROM FOX:   A second founding board member of a progressive group inspired by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ failed 2016 presidential run resigned Wednesday, raising concerns of a racial strain within the organization, a report said.  Our Revolution former co-vice chair Catalina Velasquez, an undocumented immigrant and transgender activist, said she left the group because it was insensitive to Latino and immigrant issues. The departure fueled worries of tension between Latinos and African-Americans within the group, Politico reported.  “For the past month, we have been fighting divisive narratives targeting immigrants and pinning us against other oppressed peoples,” Velasquez wrote in a letter she posted on Twitter. “I have faced this with little to no support from the organizational leadership.”  This is what happens when you make identity politics the core of your beliefs.  No emphasis on policy.  No emphasis on results.  Only an emphasis on who is more oppressed, and who gets what right now.

THE TIME WASTERS – FROM THE HILL:   Various NFL players are reportedly discussing different forms of protesting in response to a new policy requiring players to stand for the national anthem.  “I talked to a former NFL player yesterday who has said that players are already talking about other ways in which they can protest," NBC's Craig Melvin said on "Today" on Thursday.   Melvin did not specify which players he spoke to, or what other forms of protesting they were considering.   Meanwhile, black children are being murdered by the carload by their neighbors.  I wonder how many black lives are being saved by football players who have salaries in the millions.

MORE ANTI-FUN AGGRESSION – FROM MEDICALXPRESS:   New research suggests graphic warnings on junk food packaging would prove an effective deterrent to consumers when deciding what to eat – and it appears the more graphic and negative the message the better.  The finding by researchers at the University of Melbourne and Cancer Council Victoria reinforces arguments for mandatory health warnings on unhealthy food as an effective tool in improving diets and combating rising rates of obesity-related chronic diseases.  More important for our future:  How about warning labels on liberals?

May 24,  2018     Permalink

THE DECISION –AT 11:18 P.M. ET:   The usual suspects have been out in force, anguishing over President Trump's correct decision to cancel, at least for now, is upcoming meeting with North Korea's rocket man.

The Dems have been in high anguish, refusing to back the American leader in his entirely appropriate diplomatic move.  Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times's resident Democratic Party pen pal wrote, as quoted in The New York Sun, that "we’re entering a 'more dangerous' patch and Mr. Trump’s decision to cancel 'topped a particularly inept diplomatic period.'  The old policy of 'maximum economic pressure on North Korea,' he reckons, 'may no longer be viable.'"

Ah, but the same Sun editorial said, "Call it President Trump’s Reykjavik moment. He canceled the Singapore summit with the North Korean communist party boss, Kim Jong Un, the way Reagan walked out on the Soviets at Reykjavik. Our guess is that Americans will back Mr. Trump. The minute the North Koreans issued a statement calling Vice President Pence 'stupid,' it was time to kaput the parley. No president could stand for his vice president to be spoken of that way."

The editorial is correct, Kristof's comment merely predictable.

At any rate, by afternoon the Norks had reacted with a letter that criticized Trump's decision, complained about all things American, but also left the door wide open for future negotiations.  We are reminded that, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, never an elegant man, sent a message to Washington bashing the United States, but inserting one conciliatory sentence.  President Kennedy ran with that sentence, and eventually negotiated an end to the crisis, getting the Soviet missiles removed from Cuba, and not firing a shot. 

We await further diplomacy.  My guess is that some kind of meeting will eventually take place.

May 24,  2018     Permalink

BULLETIN:  TRUMP PULLS OUT OF KOREA SUMMIT – AT 10:08 A.M. ET:  Fox is reporting that President Trump has sent a letter to Kim Jong Un, pulling out of the June 12th summit.  From Fox: 

President Trump on Thursday cancelled the highly anticipated summit with North Korea that was set for next month, calling the talks “inappropriate” following the “hostility” displayed in the latest comments from dictator Kim Jong Un.

The move to pull out of the summit, slated to take place in Singapore on June 12, came after threats from Kim to call off the talks. In a letter to Kim on Thursday, Trump said the world, and North Korea, has lost a "great opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity." 

“Based on the tremendous anger and open hostility displayed in your most recent statement, I feel it is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting,” Trump wrote in a letter to Kim on Thursday. “Therefore, please let this letter serve to represent that the Singapore summit, for the good of both parties, but to the detriment of the world, will not take place.” 

COMMENT:  The president has probably made the right decision.  This, in a way, is part of the negotiating process. 

To go to the talks now would have represented a comedown for the United States, and President Trump, unlike Field Marshal Extraordinaire and Super Barack Obama, does not bow down.

The Dems, and their echo chamber in the press, will call this a Trump failure.  No, it is a decision along the way.  The American people will understand that.  The alumni of the sixties and seventies generation who run the media, will not.

May 24, 2018       Permalink

FLUKE OR REAL? – AT 9:28 A.M. ET:  A second major poll, following Reuters earlier, now shows a dramatic tightening in the "generic ballot," which is a good predictor of miderm Congressional results.  From Rasmussen: 

Republicans have closed the gap in the Rasmussen Reports Generic Congressional Ballot.

The latest telephone and online survey finds that 43% of Likely U.S. Voters would choose the Democratic candidate if the elections for Congress were held today. Forty-two percent (42%) would opt for the Republican. Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate, and 10% are undecided.

This is the closest the ballot has been all year, but it remains to be seen whether this is a developing trend or a fluke.

Democrats held a 46% to 40% lead last week.

COMMENT:  We note that the election is a bit more than five months away.  That's about 20 lifetimes in politics.  If this is a trend, and not a fluke, the Dems are in serious trouble.  If they wish to take back the House and Senate, they should be much further ahead by now. 

One problem the Dems have is that they offer nothing besides hatred of Trump.  There is no real Democratic program.  Any attempts within the party to formulate one runs into the deep split between traditional Democrats and the new, radical left, which must be called what it is – socialist.  Most Americans are not socialists.

May 24,  2018     Permalink 

MAY 23,  2018

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

NOT GOOD – FROM DAILY HERALD:  NEW YORK -- New government data show U.S. death rates rose last year, suggesting 2017 will mark the third straight year of decline in American life expectancy.
Death rates rose for Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, flu and pneumonia, and three other leading causes of death.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted the statistics online Wednesday.  Full-year data is not yet available for drug overdoses, suicides or firearm deaths. But partial-year statistics in those categories showed continuing increases.  This should be a major news story, although the mainstream media might be frightened of the details.  We always prided ourselves on ever-increasing life expectancy.  We'd better study the causes of the decline.

GREAT MOMENTS IN JOURNALISM – FROM NEWSMAX:   Monica Hesse, a veteran journalist and prize-winning mystery novelist, has been named by the Washington Post as the newspaper’s first gender columnist.  Hesse, who began her career with The Post in 2007 as an intern, is "one of our most distinctive writers, she excels at everything from long-form narratives to breaking news, and is known for writing with poignancy and humor," The Post’s senior editors said.  "[She’ll bring] her signature voice to a wide-ranging column that will explore this defining social issue."   I can't wait.  This is what journalism really needs – a gender columnist.

NIKKI HANDLES IT – FROM THE ALGEMEINER:   Washington’s ambassador to the United Nations was interrupted by protesters waving Palestinians flags while speaking at the University of Houston in Texas on Tuesday.  Less than three minutes after taking the podium, Nikki Haley’s speech on US foreign policy achievements was interrupted by a male protester who accused her of sanctioning “the genocide of a native people.” She seemed startled by the exclamation, muttering, “Oh jeez.”  About two dozen students, some affiliated with the school’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter, quickly rose in unison and chanted, “Nikki, Nikki can’t you see, you are on a killing spree,” and “free, free, free Palestine.”  The disruption continued for more than two minutes, until most of the protesters were removed from the Cullen Performance Hall by police. The audience then applauded and Haley resumed speaking, only to be shouted over once again. “Any more?” she asked to loud applause after the final interruption.  She's terrific, and should be on a national ticket.  But the knives are out for her, as they generally are for any rising star.

May 23,  2018     Permalink

NEW NFL POLICY – AT 2:31 P.M. ET:  The NFL has announced new rules dealing with the "kneeling" issue that erupted last season.  From USA Today:

Amid repeated protests during the playing of the national anthem over the past two seasons, the NFL on Wednesday passed a revised policy that mandates players and team personnel present on the sideline “shall stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.”

The revision allows players who would not wish to stand to remain in the locker room. Also under the revision, each franchise will have the power to issue their own policies, which could include fines for players protesting the anthem, under the conduct detrimental provision of the league’s personal conduct policy.

The league also now has the power to fine any franchise that has personnel that does not stand or "show respect" while present on the sideline for the anthem.

The policy was passed Wednesday in Atlanta at the spring league meeting.

One issue that may arise is a disagreement with players. Though NFL ownership hammered out the anthem policy over the course of a couple of days in Atlanta, no players or their union were part of the policy change.

“Maybe this new rule proposal that is being voted on is a ‘compromise’ between the NFL office and club CEOs on various sides of the issue, but certainly not with player leadership; we weren't there or part of the discussions,” George Atallah, director of external affairs at the NFL Players Association, wrote on Twitter.

COMMENT:  Already the leftist columnists are erupting, charging that these rules represent deep oppression, racism, the dark ages, and Trumpism.

Seems to me the rules are perfectly reasonable.  No player is required to sing the anthem.  No player is required to place his hand on his heart.  No player is required to speak an oath.

The NFL is a private organization.  Players are invited to join a team.  They cannot be required to do so.  But if they choose to join, they must accept the reasonable, lawful rules of behavior set down by the league, just as television performers must accept the standards and practices of the network for which they work. 

If players cannot accept these reasonable rules, they can gather their millions together and form their own league.

May 23, 2018       Permalink

LET'S HEAR IT FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT – AT 11:51 A.M. ET:  Illinois was once known as the land of Lincoln.  Of course, Lincoln is out of style, so maybe we'd better call it the land of Barack Obama.  And Obamaland is having some really serious problems.  All roads lead outward.  From Breitbart:   

Illinois is losing more citizens than nearly every other state, and according to reports, the biggest reason citizens are leaving is that they can no longer afford to live in the Land of Lincoln.

Certainly, Americans move from place to place for a large variety of reasons. From new jobs, to schooling, to weather and family, Americans are a people motivated by the need for change. But in Illinois, one of the major reasons to seek a change of venue is because the state is simply taxing them out of their homes, according to Chicago’s WGN TV.

According to reports, Illinois alone lost 33,703 citizens to outward migration last year. In 2016, the state lost another 37,508 people. A report by the Chicago Tribune also noted that Chicago has been a net loser of its citizens for the last three years running. And the surrounding county was also a net loser of its population.

Indeed, Chicago is unique in the U.S. for being the only major city that has consistently lost citizens over the last five years. The Tribune’s editorial board even published an editorial saying that it no longer makes any sense to live in Illinois.

Because so many citizens are leaving, Illinois dropped from fifth-largest state to number six in 2017, the Tribune reported last year.

One Chicago couple who moved to Tennessee told WGN that the move gave them back an amazing 25 percent of their income that would no longer be lost to property taxes and other expenses associated with living in the deep blue state of Illinois.

Another ex-Chicagoan told WGN that her property tax in Tennessee was the same as those she paid in Chicago, but the size of her property in the Volunteer State is far larger than what she had back home.

Best-selling author Brad Thor, who calls himself an “economic refugee,” told WGN that he fled Chicago to stop “aiding and abetting” the city’s corruption.

COMMENT:  The problem is, many of the people leaving are in the middle class.  The people who run Illinois don't care about them.  They care about the very rich, who fund their campaigns, and the very poor, who are trapped, but will vote for them to maintain "services."  It's the ideal combination for a dim future.  But hey, let the bought politicians and the poverty pimps reign.  What could go wrong?

May 23, 2018       Permalink

THE HEAVY IRAN SANCTIONS – AT 11:08 A.M. ET:  President Trump's decision to reimpose severe sanctions on Iran is already producing results.  From Legal Insurrection:

European companies are leaving the Islamic Republic of Iran in droves fearing U.S. sanctions after President Donald Trump decided to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal earlier this month. The regime in Tehran is “particularly concerned by the decisions of various European companies to halt their Iranian operations until the future of sanctions was clear,” several German newspapers reported on Monday.

“The cascade of decisions by EU companies to end their activities in Iran makes things much more complicated,” Iranian Foreign Minister said. The statement comes days after the French oil company Total pulled out $5 billion worth of investments from Iran, fearing U.S. sanctions.

The EU, backed by the governments of France and Germany, has been scrambling to save the European business interests in Iran. German and French companies had made huge investments in Iranian oil and industrial sectors since the nuclear deal eased sanctions on the regime three years ago.

The EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who heads the bloc’s executive arm, proposed enacting laws to allow European companies to ignore the U.S. sanctions. This so-called ‘blocking statute’ could protect European firms from prosecution by the U.S. Treasury and other agencies.

The Trump administration has made its intentions clear to go after any foreign player found guilty of sanctions-busting in Iran.

COMMENT:  Oh, those Europeans.  Their diplomats float around the world announcing their moral superiority and love of peace, when we know it's all about money.  It's the profits from Iran that drove the Iran nuclear deal, not any desire to restrain one of the worst regimes on Earth.  Hey, isn't that America's job? 

We are reminded of Churchill's admonition about he who feeds the alligator, hoping that he'll be eaten last.  The Europeans are feeding the Iranian alligator, selling him the food, in hopes that the alligator will eat Europe last.

Gotta hand it to President Trump.  His very roughness is exposing certain truths. 

EU diplomats are now reportedly warning Israel that Trump will not be there forever, and that the Israelis had better start obeying the Europeans.  It would be nice if occasionally our European "allies" would warn the enemies of freedom, not its friends.

May 23,  2018     Permalink