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NOVEMBER 27,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET:

VETS TAKE ON THE ACADEMIC LEFT – FROM WWLP.COM:    Amherst, Mass. (WWLP) – At least one thousand veterans gathered in Amherst this afternoon to protest the removal of the American flag at Hampshire College. 22news spoke to protesters about why they strongly disagreed with the college’s decision.  Freedom is not free. That’s the lesson that hundreds of veterans, their families and friends and other local residents hoped to teach students at Hampshire College Sunday afternoon.  Jerry Maguire, Veteran said, “They took down my flag, they have a right to that, I’m here to defend their right to do that but I want them to understand how bad that hurts me.”  Hundreds gathered to show their support of the American flag and what it stands for after the College removed the flag on campus earlier this week following the presidential election results. A decision by the college that outraged many.   Hampshire is one of the most left-wing colleges in the country.  I'm glad the vets took them on. 

BRITS UPPING ANTI-TERROR OPERATIONS – FROM SKY NEWS:   Anti-terrorism police patrol units are hitting the streets of London in an attempt to spot people carrying out "hostile reconnaissance" and other criminal activity.  Lambeth and Wandsworth will be the first areas to see the new patrol units of uniformed and undercover officers from today, and are due to be extended to other boroughs in the coming months.  Scotland Yard stressed the move was "not in response to a specific threat".  Operation Servator, as it is known, is a tactic of policing already used by other forces including City of London and British Transport Police.  There are repeated warnings that ISIS will soon strike in Europe and Britain.  France last week arrested a group of ISIS plotters who were preparing an attack in France. 

ANOTHER DISPLAY OF COMMON-SENSE AMERICANISM – FROM DAILY CALLER:   Miami Dolphins fans mercilessly booed San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick Sunday afternoon in Miami.  Kaepernick has been in the news recently after a tense exchange over the merits of recently deceased Cuban dictator Fidel Castro with a local Florida reporter. Miami, which has a large Cuban population, didn’t let Kaepernick forget about it.  As he took the field the stadium broke out into an insane amount of booing.  I generally don't like booing, but it was justified this time.  Kaepernick goes out of his way to offend, and a little razzing won't hurt him.  He's a pathetic fool who really believes Fidel Castro was a man of the people.

November 27, 2016       Permalink

WHAT IS THAT RECOUNT ABOUT? – AT 12:32 P.M. ET:   Wisconsin, at the urging and with the financial support of Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, is about to recount its presidential ballots.  But why?  There doesn't seem to be much of a problem at all.  From the Washington Times: 

he Wisconsin Elections Commission has found no evidence that any of its voting machines were hacked during the Nov. 8 election, a spokesman said Saturday.

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein on Friday filed a petition to have a state recount on the sole grounds that data experts believe there may have been a cyberattack. They have no evidence, but contend that Democrat Hillary Clinton performed better where paper ballots, rather than electronic ones were used.

The Washington Times asked commission spokesman Reid Magney if there has been any indication of hacking.

“No evidence of hacking,” Mr. Magney said in an email.

The commission previously issued a statement saying it will routinely audit the performance of a sample of machines, which must achieve a performance rate of no more than one mistake per 500,000 votes. Since performing the audit beginning in 2006, not one machine has failed, the commission said.

Ms. Stein is raising a huge sum, heading toward $7 million, to pay for recounts in three battleground states where Republican Donald Trump scored upsets and won the presidency –– Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

COMMENT:  It's very strange, but there are some new theories coming forward about the possible real purpose of this recount madness.  We'll discuss them during the week as more facts are known. 

November 27, 2016       Permalink

THE IRAN "RADIOACTIVE DEVICE" STORY – AT 11:52 A.M. ET:  This updates the second item in our "Short Takes" of last night.  It is turning into a significant source of concern.  From the Jerusalem Post: 

Radioactive material produced at Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Plant has reportedly been stolen raising concerns about the potential use of a so-called dirty bomb in the future, according to London-based Arabic language newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.

The missing material, Iridium-192, was reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency by Iran's nuclear regulatory body earlier this month, who warned neighboring Gulf States of its possible nefarious use.

A so-called dirty bomb, or radiological dispersion device, is a conventional weapon equipped with nuclear material. The idea behind a dirty bomb is to blast radioactive material, such as powder or pellets, into the area around an explosion.

Citing Saudi intelligence sources, Asharq al-Awsat reported Friday that the Iridium-192 was stolen as it was being transported from the Bushehr facility. The vehicle carrying the nuclear material was later found abandoned with its contents seized.

It remains unclear who stole the nuclear material and for what purpose.

The IAEA defines Iridium-192, a highly unstable isotope which emits both electrons and gamma-rays, as a category-2 radioactive substance. Substances with a category-2 classification can permanently injure or even kill a human being if exposed to the material within hours or days.

Iridium-192 is generally used for industrial reasons, utilized to locate flaws in metal components, despite the danger it poses to humans.

COMMENT:  Obviously, a significant story.  We'll follow it and see if there's anything definitive to report.

November 27, 2016       Permalink

OH JUSTIN, YOU DAMNED FOOL – AT 11:16 A.M.   The boy prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, is in serious hot water over his adolescent-level praise of Fidel Castro.   He deserves the heat, and has revealed himself as the amateur that he is.  From CBC:

The prime minister is facing criticism for his statement expressing "deep sorrow" about the death of the controversial former Cuban president Fidel Castro.

Justin Trudeau posted a written statement early Saturday after the late-night announcement that Castro had died at the age of 90.

Trudeau remembered the late president as a "legendary revolutionary and orator," and said he was a good friend of his father's.

But others in Canada were less generous in their description of the controversial leader.

Opposition leader Rona Ambrose said in a written statement that under Castro's rule, thousands of people were impoverished, imprisoned and executed.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Cuba who continue to endure his long and oppressive regime, even after his death," she wrote.

And...

And many people — particularly members of the Conservative Party — are condemning the prime minister's statement, pointing out human rights violations during Castro's half-century regime.

Conservative leadership hopeful Lisa Raitt wrote on Facebook that Trudeau should be ashamed of himself after his remarks.

"With those words, Justin Trudeau has placed himself on the wrong side of history — against the millions of Cubans yearning for freedom. The Prime Minister should be ashamed of himself. He must retract this statement and apologize," she wrote.

COMMENT:  Trudeau, like Obama, tried to present himself as a kind of modern pragmatist during his election campaign, but eventually the truth comes out.  He is the son of hard-partying Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, anti-American and pro-Castro, and I don't think the apple has fallen far from the tree.

November 27,  2016     Permalink

NOVEMBER 26,  2016

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

TRUMP BLASTS RECOUNT EFFORT – FROM AP: WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- For months Donald Trump called the presidential election "rigged." The president-elect has a different word - "scam" - for the recount effort aimed at revisiting the vote in three pivotal battleground states.  "The people have spoken and the election is over," Trump declared Saturday in his first comments about the growing effort to force recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. He added, "We must accept this result and then look to the future."  Trump is right.  A recount is called for if the vote tally is very close or if tampering is seriously suspected.  No one has shown, so far, that there were any serious irregularities.  Yet, I'd take any recount seriously, for then we have to watch the recounters for any sign of corruption or intimidation.

MISSING IRANIAN RADIOACTIVE DEVICE – FROM OILPRICE.COM:   The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is concerned over a missing radioactive device from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor, Saudi-owned Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat reported on Thursday.  Aside from the security concerns, at the forefront in the GCC’s mind is what impact the radioactive device—wherever it may be today—could have on water supplies.  According to the newspaper, the device went missing after the car transporting it was stolen. Thankfully, the vehicle was recovered, but the radioactive nuclear device was not so lucky.  The GCC has contacted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over the incident—both organizations are concerned that Iran’s nuclear program may pollute the waters in the Gulf, Asharq al-Awsat quoted GCC Emergency Management Center chairman, Adnan al-Tamimi, as saying.  Another brick on the load.  I'm not sure we actually know what's happening in Iran.  But nuclear devices are not supposed to go missing.
UPDATE:  Concern is increasing, reflected in news reports, that the device was stolen, and could provide materials for a so-called "dirty nuclear bomb."

NUT CASE – FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER:  Green Party perennial presidential hopeful Jill Stein praised former Cuban strongman Fidel Castro on Saturday, as encomiums by many left-of-center politicians continued to roll in following his death.  "Fidel Castro was a symbol of the struggle for justice in the shadow of empire. Presente!" Stein wrote on Twitter Saturday afternoon.  Stein is also, as readers know, the instigator of the campaign to recount the presidential vote in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.  She is a specialist in nutty causes.  She needs help, and I think Obamacare should pay for it.  It's the least we can do for the unhinged.

November 26, 2016       Permalink 

AND AT COLUMBIA... – AT 1:06 P.M. ET:  Even at liberal Columbia, some are speaking out in ways that were rare just months ago, before the Trump election.  From the Washington Times:   

A humanities professor at Columbia University in New York City says Donald Trump’s presidential win should signal the end of liberal identity politics.

Speaking with NPR Friday morning, Mark Lilla argued that Mr. Trump’s election victory was due to American voters being “disaffected with the liberal message.”

“Democrats have simply lost the country,” he said. “They have lost the capacity to speak to the vast middle of America, an America that is, in large part, white, very religious and not highly educated.
“Ever since Reagan, [Republicans have] been able to capture the message and an understanding — or persuade people of a certain understanding of what the nation is about and what’s good for it,” he added.

Mr. Lilla, author of “The Shipwrecked Mind: On Political Reaction,” described identity liberalism as “expressive rather than persuasive.”

“It’s about recognition and self-definition,” he said. “It’s narcissistic. It’s isolating. It looks within. And it also makes two contradictory claims on people. It says, on the one hand, you can never understand me because you are not exactly the kind of person I’ve defined myself to be. And on the other hand, you must recognize me and feel for me. Well, if you’re so different that I’m not able to get into your head and I’m not able to experience or sympathize with what you experience, why should I care?

“To take one example,” he continued, “the whole issue of bathrooms and gender — in this particular election, when the stakes were so high, the fact that Democrats and liberals, more generally, lost a lot of political capital on this issue that frightened people. People were misinformed about certain things, but it was really a question of where young people would be going to the bathroom and where they would be in lockers. Is that really the issue we want to be pushing leading up to a momentous election like this one? It’s that shortsightedness that comes from identity politics.”

COMMENT:  Wonderfully said.  Read the whole piece.  Professor Lilla is already being accused of racism, and I hope he survives the ordeal to come.  We need more like him.

November 26, 2016       Permalink

AT LIBERAL HARVARD, OUR SIDE STRIKES BACK – AT 11:52 A.M. ET:  There is conservative pushback in the world of "higher" education, and Trump's election may well embolden non-liberals to take up the fight.  One woman at Harvard is already in action.  From College Fix: 

What is it like being a conservative at Harvard?

“Difficult,” said government major Emily Hall.

Many of her professors have displayed overt liberal biases in the classroom, and often her fellow students are not willing to engage in meaningful debate, Hall said.

“A recent survey revealed that more undergraduates identify as socialist than as conservative,” she told The Fix, adding one of the institution’s nicknames is even “Kremlin on the Charles.”

And...

But Hall – who was valedictorian of her high school class – is not one to shy away from challenges.

Frustrated with a lack of intellectual diversity, Hall took action. She recently founded a Network of Enlightened Women chapter at Harvard, and has become more outspoken about her conservative beliefs on campus, she said.

NeW is a national organization that helps empower women to defend and promote conservative and free market principles on their liberal campuses.

“Founding a chapter here has helped us to create a space for conservatives, particularly conservative women, to come together and discuss the often overwhelming liberalism that we face each day,” she said.

And...

“I hope that as our chapter grows, we can also bring speakers to campus that will expose much of the student body to ideas that may be antithetical to their own, but can also open their minds to diverse viewpoints and lead them to give conservative political thought a chance,” Hall said.

COMMENT:  Good for Emily Hall.   I hope the hard left at Harvard doesn't try to short-circuit her, which happens often to conservatives.  The usual method is to shout down speakers or attempt to have funding for conservative groups eliminated.  We'll try to follow Emily's adventure.

November 26, 2016       Permalink  

DEATH OF A TYRANT – AT 11:14 A.M. ET:  Best reaction to the death of Fidel Castro came from President-elect Donald Trump, who tweeted, FIDEL CASTRO IS DEAD! 

Note the exclamation point.  Love it. 

Other world leaders were, er, more traditional.  Most nauseating was former President Jimmy Carter, who exclaimed, "Rosalynn and I share our sympathies with the Castro family and the Cuban people on the death of Fidel Castro. We remember fondly our visits with him in Cuba and his love of his country. We wish the Cuban citizens peace and prosperity in the years ahead."

Yeah, right on, Jimmy.  Castro loved his country so much he ruled it for half a century without a free election.   That's lefty love for you.

CNN went brain dead this morning "reporting" on Fidel's death.  Two anchors mumbled through some uninformative introductory remarks, with one assuring us that the mood in Havana was "sad."  They then switched to their Havana correspondent, who remarked that most people he'd met hadn't even heard that the dictator had passed.  I wonder where the "sad" came from.  Probably from CNN's view of the world.

Cuban-Americans in Miami made clear their feelings.  From the Miami Herald: 

Fidel Castro died, and Cuban Miami did what it does in times of community celebration: It spilled onto the streets of Little Havana — and Hialeah, and Kendall — to honk horns, bang pans, and set off more than a few fireworks, saved for exactly the sort of unexpected occasion worthy of their detonation.

The scene across Miami-Dade County, the cradle of the Cuban exile community, was one of pure, raw emotion. This time, after decades of false alarms, Castro’s death was real.

“I wish my dad was here to see this,” 27-year-old Abraham Quintero cried just before 2 a.m. Saturday.

Wearing an “I love Hialeah” T-shirt, he stood on West 49th Street and Ludlam Road, where police quickly set up watch posts to make sure impromptu revelers stayed safe.

“Beautiful madness,” 29-year-old Christopher Sweeney said, describing the scene.

“I wish my dad was here to see this,” 27-year-old Abraham Quintero cried just before 2 a.m. Saturday.

Wearing an “I love Hialeah” T-shirt, he stood on West 49th Street and Ludlam Road, where police quickly set up watch posts to make sure impromptu revelers stayed safe.

“Beautiful madness,” 29-year-old Christopher Sweeney said, describing the scene.

COMMENT:  The Cuban-Americans in Florida were Castro's loss and our gain.  They rebuilt the city of Miami.

November 26,  2016     Permalink