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OCTOBER 7,  2017

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

FALSE ALARM? – FROM DAILY MAIL:  Pixie Lott's fiance told how he pinned down a taxi driver who had injured 11 people after mounting a pavement and running over pedestrians outside London's Natural History Museum.  Model Oliver Cheshire, 29, was sat in his Jaguar in Kensington when the man, said to be an Uber driver, ploughed into his vehicle.   He immediately leapt into action and helped apprehend the man, who he said was screaming on the ground.   Police have tonight ruled out terrorism and described the crash as a 'road traffic incident'.  A man aged in his 40s was arrested at the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving and was taken to hospital for treatment before being taken to a north London police station for questioning.  It comes as the country's current terror threat level stands at severe following a string of attacks this year and many witnesses feared the worst as panic ensued following the crash.  I want more information before accepting the "no terrorism" verdict.

POLITICAL CHILDREN AT WORK – FROM PJ MEDIA:  Violent left-wing anarchists have announced a nationwide campaign to deface Christopher Columbus statues this coming Monday.
Five Christopher Columbus statues have already been vandalized in New York City in recent weeks, according to Far Left Watch. In one case last month, vandals defaced a "larger-than-life" statue of Columbus in Central Park, leaving blood-red paint on his hands, and scrawled, "Hate will not be tolerated" and “#SomethingsComing” on its pedestal.  What is coming appears to be a coordinated campaign to destroy monuments all across the country on Columbus Day.   The NYC-based antifa group Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement (RAM) made the announcement on Thursday, September 21, calling on antifa groups nationwide to “decorate” their neighborhoods.   Thus far the Democratic Party has not denounced Antifa.  Parties have devised unique ways to commit suicide.

MAJOR ACADEMIC NEWS – FROM DAILY CALLER:  Amherst College in Massachusetts is offering a fall 2017 course to try to figure out why women are becoming more conservative.  The course, entitled “Contemporary Debates: Women and Right-Wing Populism,” will “explore the consequences of neoliberalism, cultural conservatism, Islamophobia, and anti-immigrant sentiments for women of different social and economic strata as well as women’s divergent political responses,” according to the course description.The college says students will delve into the topic of why some women have chosen to become conservative leaders while others have allied with liberal, anti-racist and progressive causes.  Campus Reform also noticed the hilarity of the course’s description and wrote about it on Thursday.  I rejoice that women, presumably, are becoming more conservative.  I wonder if any of these conservative women will be taking this course. 

October 7, 2017       Permalink

BREAKING – A NEW ATTACK IN LONDON? – AT 10:44 A.M. ET:    From Daily Mail:

Several people are injured after a car mounted the pavement and mowed down pedestrians outside the Natural History Museum in London. 

A man has been arrested at the scene after several pedestrians were mowed down by a vehicle.

Dramatic pictures taken at the scene show police holding down a man covered in blood with rubble strewn across the road.

Nearby museums and Tube stations including Sloane Square and South Kensington have been evacuated while roads in the area remain closed.

Several people are injured after a car mounted the pavement and mowed down pedestrians outside the Natural History Museum in London. 

A man has been arrested at the scene after several pedestrians were mowed down by a vehicle.

Dramatic pictures taken at the scene show police holding down a man covered in blood with rubble strewn across the road.

Nearby museums and Tube stations including Sloane Square and South Kensington have been evacuated while roads in the area remain closed.

An eyewitness told LBC: 'I saw a black man being held down by civilian.'

The woman said she had been walking down Exhibition Road when she heard a loud bang.
She said a little boy around eight or nine had been injured along with a woman.

The witness told the radio station she believed the boy had broken his leg but was responsive but said the woman 'wasn't moving'.

COMMENT:  We'll know more later today.  It doesn't look good.  It's one incident after another.

October 7, 2017       Permalink 

THE ONGOING THREAT – AT 9:31 A.M. ET:   We don't yet know the motive of the Las Vegas shooter, but we certainly know the motives of others out there who plan to bring us pain and grief.  From Fox: 

Three men, including an American and a Canadian, plotted ISIS-inspired terror attacks against New York City landmarks, concert venues and the city's subway system last summer, according to federal prosecutors.

Charges were unsealed Friday against Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, a 19-year-old Canadian citizen; Talha Haroon, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen based in Pakistan; and Russell Salic, a 37-year-old citizen of the Philippines.

El Bahnasawy was arrested in May 2016 and pleaded guilty this past October to seven terror-related charges, including conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism across national borders, and conspiracy to bomb a public transportation system.

His sentence is pending.

Haroon was arrested in Pakistan in September 2016, while Salic was arrested in the Philippines this past April. Both men are awaiting extradition to the U.S.

Prosecutors say that El Bahnasawy and Haroon plotted attacks that would coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ran from June 6 to July 5 last year.

According to court documents, El Bahnasawy bought bomb-making materials and secured a cabin outside of New York City to use as a safe house, while Haroon consulted an "explosives expert" in Pakistan and made plans to travel to the U.S. to carry out the attacks. Salic allegedly wired money from the Philippines to support the operation.

COMMENT:  Hmm.  I don't wish to indulge conspiracy theories, but have you noticed the number of times the Philippines comes up in terror investigations?  The Oklahoma City bombers had a connection to the Philippines.  So did the Las Vegas shooter.  And now we have wired money from the Philippines.

I have no direct knowledge of the Philippines issue, but it certainly should be investigated.   The nation of The Philippines is an ally of the United States, but there are sections that are hotbeds of Islamic extremism. 

More reporting please.

October 7, 2017        Permalink

TRUMP DRIVES THE LEFT CRAZY – AT 9:08 A.M. ET:  Monday is Columbus Day.  We are ordered by the political left and much of the media to feel guilty.  One guy clearly does not.  From AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is proclaiming Monday as Columbus Day — without any of his predecessor's qualms.

The president's proclamation Friday directs the U.S. to celebrate his discovery of the Americas, noting "the permanent arrival of Europeans ... was a transformative event that undeniably and fundamentally changed the course of human history and set the stage for the development of our great Nation."

Trump's proclamation only praises Columbus, Spain and the explorer's native Italy.

It contrasts with President Barack Obama's document almost exactly a year earlier. Obama's proclamation acknowledged Columbus' spirit of exploration. But he said the nation should "also acknowledge the pain and suffering reflected in the stories of Native Americans who had long resided on this land prior to the arrival of European newcomers."

COMMENT:   Of course we should understand that there was some pain associated with Columbus's arrival.  But too often this acknowledgment drifts into what historians call "presentism," judging the past by today's standards.

The left accuses Columbus of bringing European diseases with him, as if he did it intentionally.  Medicine in 1492 was utterly primitive.   Columbus could not possibly have known about the transmission of disease.

We should celebrate Columbus Day, and the Italian and Spanish heritage that Columbus brought, while recognizing that exploration in his time lacked the sensitivity we would expect today.

October 7,  2017     Permalink

OCTOBER 6,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:52 P.M. ET:

ONE SMALL STEP FOR STUDENTKIND – FROM THE COLLEGE FIX:    University of Wisconsin campuses already have the authority to punish students for “disorderly or violent conduct” under state law. But they have apparently been using it sparingly when it comes to disruptions of controversial events.  The UW System Board of Regents approved a so-called three strikes policy Friday that mandates expulsion for students found thrice responsible for “violent or other disorderly misconduct that materially and substantially disrupts the free expression of others,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.  Two findings of responsibility would require suspension. The policy is not specific for a first offense, simply saying “protests and demonstrations that interfere with the rights of others to engage in or listen to expressive activity shall not be permitted and shall be subject to sanction.”   A very good start, at least in theory.  I suspect campuses will make it impossible to find someone guilty of even two offenses.  After all, we must take past oppression into account.

NFL LOSING – FROM THE WASHINGTON TIMES:   NFL ticket prices have plummeted in the wake of the uproar over the national anthem protests, dropping for the first time this year below the 2016 season’s prices.  An analysis released Friday by CNBC found that ticket prices during the first three games of the 2017 season enjoyed a 20-40 percent increase over last year, but then skidded in Week 4 and actually dropped by 2 percent in Week 5.  The timing coincides with the uproar following President Trump’s criticism of the protests on Sept. 22, which prompted nearly 200 players to sit or take a knee during the national anthem in the Sept. 24-25 games in Week 3.  “After the president’s comments and NFL player reactions, Week 4 saw only a 5 percent increase, and now we’re seeing an outright decline. So that’s a bad direction,” said CNBC’s Eric Chemi.  The market works. 

LOW CLASS – FROM FOX:   A New York Democrat running for the House of Representatives is under fire for calling the female Republican incumbent in his district a “child,” while admitting it’s fair to call him “a sexist.”  Democratic congressional candidate Steve Krieg, a member of the Plattsburgh City School Board, made the comments about New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik during a Tuesday candidate forum with others seeking the seat.  “I recognize her as a child, and it has nothing to do with her age,” Krieg said. “I see her as a child because she’s a child. She thinks like a child. She has people set things up for her. She has people put their words in her mouth and she happily repeats them.”  The Democrat added, “I apologize if that’s mean.”  We await the reaction of the Democratic Party to this man's vulgar behavior.  I think we'll be waiting a long time.

October 6, 2017       Permalink

NATURALLY – AT 1:22 P.M. ET:   The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded today, to a group that opposes nuclear weapons.  Hurrah.

The Nobel Peace Prize is something of a joke.  Please notice that "news" organizations never tell you exactly how it's decided and awarded.  It isn't given in Stockholm, like the other Nobels.  It's given in Oslo, and the decision is made by some obscure Norwegian parliamentarians.  If it didn't have the name "Nobel" attached, no one would care.

And no one should care.  After all, this is the same prize given to the likes of Al Gore and Jimmy Carter, neither of whom advanced peace one inch.  It has also been given to a whole bunch of unsavory characters.  Henry Kissinger tried to return his Nobel, given for the Vietnam peace agreement, when the agreement collapsed.  No one would take it back.  Results were not important.

So it shouldn't be surprising that today's laureates immediately went off on Donald Trump.  I mean, among the European leftists, it's a requirement.  From AFP:

GENEVA, Switzerland — US President Donald Trump’s presidency has put a spotlight on the risks of nuclear weapons, the Nobel Peace Prize winning nuclear disarmament group ICAN said on Friday.

“The election of President Donald Trump has made a lot of people feel very uncomfortable with the fact that he alone can authorize the use of nuclear weapons,” the head of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Beatrice Fihn, told reporters in Geneva.

She said the US leader appeared to have a track record of “not listening to expertise”, and insisted his supervision of a massive nuclear arsenal “just puts a spotlight” on the dangers of such weapons.

COMMENT:  Yup, it's always the American guy who puts the world in danger.  They said the same thing about Ronald Reagan, who actually did more to end the nuclear arms race than any other American president.  But it's not proper to make that observation, and you won't get an invitation to the correct cocktail parties. 

I guess these "anti-nuclear" groups mean well, but what have they ever accomplished?  President Trump is trying to end the North Korean and Iranian nuclear threats, but I haven't noticed that he's gotten much encouragement from the peace industry.

October 6, 2017       Permalink

SPLITS WITHIN THE GOP – AT 10:34 A.M. ET:   They are serious.  They are resulting in great anger and threats, and can cost the party the control of Congress.  From The Politico: 

Republicans are confronting a growing revolt from their top donors, who are cutting off the party in protest over its inability to get anything done.

Tensions reached a boiling point at a recent dinner at the home of Los Angeles billionaire Robert Day. In full view of around two dozen guests, Thomas Wachtell, a retired oil and gas investor and party contributor, delivered an urgent message to the night’s headliner, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: Just do something.

Wachtell, who has given tens of thousands of dollars over the years to Senate Republicans, recalled that McConnell responded defensively. Passing legislation takes time, the Republican leader responded, and President Donald Trump didn’t seem to understand how long it required.

“Anybody who was there knew that I was not happy. And I don’t think anybody was happy. How could you be?” said Wachtell, who has previously given over $2,000 to McConnell but recently stopped donating to Senate GOP causes. “You’re never going to get a more sympathetic Republican than I am. But I’m sick and tired of nothing happening.”

With the GOP’s agenda at a virtual standstill on Capitol Hill, the party is contending with a hard reality. Some of the party's most elite and influential donors, who spent the past eight years plowing cash into the party’s coffers in hopes of accomplishing a sweeping conservative agenda and undoing Barack Obama’s legislative accomplishments, are closing their wallets.

The backlash is threatening to deprive Republicans of resources just as they're gearing up for the 2018 midterms.

COMMENT:  We're hearing this every day.  We wonder if the GOP can even survive as a viable political party if it doesn't achieve anything legislatively in Washington this year or early next.  The Republicans are in the best position they've had in almost a century...and nothing is getting done.

Also, we hear that the absolutely required tax-reform bill is already in trouble, facing objections from individual Republican members of the Senate.  If tax reform fails, the Republicans have no argument to make to the voting public.

I've long believed that President Trump's dream is to start his own political party.  He may get the chance.

October 6, 2017       Permalink

CLOSE CALL – AT 9:54 A.M. ET:  A terrorist attack apparently averted in Sweden.  From The Sun: 

A SUSPECTED bomber has been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle Mother Of Satan explosives onto a plane in Sweden.

He was stopped at Gothenburg's Landvetter airport on Thursday morning trying to board a flight bound for an EU country.

A suspect, a German national in his twenties, is led away by police at a Swedish airport after allegedly trying to bring a bomb on a plane.

The German national, in his twenties, sparked a major security response.

Part of the airport was shut down while a bomb squad assessed a device — believed to be a Mother Of Satan explosive.

Photos published by local media show a man wearing a white hooded top being led away by police at around 8am yesterday.

The suspected bomb is also seen in luggage on a security conveyor.

COMMENT:  We'll await developments.  The sheer number of terror-related incidents in the last six months reminds us that terror threats are increasing, not decreasing. 

October 6,  2017     Permalink