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SEPTEMBER 22,  2017

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

GO AWAY, GO AWAY – FROM ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:  Bill Clinton has landed a major TV series deal.  The former president and bestselling author James Patterson have selected Showtime to adapt their upcoming thriller, The President Is Missing.  The novel, set to be published in 2018, tells the story of a sitting U.S. president’s mysterious disappearance with the level of detail that only someone who has held the highest office can know.  The president is missing because the first lady, whose name is Hillary, has locked him in the White House basement and is running the country.

FADING – FROM REUTERS:  Time Inc (TIME.N) said on Friday it was looking to sell several assets, including Time Inc UK, and warned it experienced more-than-anticipated softness in both print and advertising revenue during the current quarter.  The publisher, which said in April that it would not sell itself, said assets identified for sale include Time Customer Service and a majority stake in the Essence magazine.  The assets marked for divestitures represent about $488 million, or 17 percent of total revenue for the 12-months ended June 30, the company said.  A sale may be announced as early as the fourth quarter, the company said in a regulatory filing on Friday. bit.ly/2xkudm5.  The internet and the 24-hour TV news cycle have, for many people, rendered weekly or monthly magazines obsolete, and expensive.  I still think they have value, but the public increasingly disagrees. TIME was once a mighty empire, and the Time-Life Building in New York a center of power.  A sad fadeout.

THE INSANITY OF SOME EDUCATORS – FROM FOX:  A patriotic parent in Mesa, Ariz., got her fourth-grade child moved to a different class after finding out the teacher had students recite a gender-neutral version of the Declaration of Independence.  Parent Elizabeth Vaillencourt, whose child attends Salk Elementary School, shared a photo on Facebook, showing the unidentified teacher displayed a copy of the declaration in the classroom, with "all men are created equal" changed to "all humans are created equal," KGUN-TV reported.  After Vaillencourt spoke with school officials, her child was moved to a different class. But school officials told her that her social media post had "hurt the teacher's feelings," the television station reported. Vaillencourt told the station that the school superintendent’s office informed her that the teacher’s actions were against school policy.  A teacher should never change an original document.  That is academic malpractice.  The proper approach is to teach from the original, and then perhaps open a discussion on whether a change would be made if the document were written today.

September 22, 2017       Permalink   

BUT SERIOUSLY FOLKS – AT 11:29 A.M. ET:  And it is serious, even though it's about laughter.  One of our truly funny men sounds off on political correctness, and its damage to comedy. 

This is important.  Humor is important.  When humor dies, what do we have?  We have the grim, gray world that the far left plans for us.  I've always felt that the state of a nation's comedy tells us much about the state of the society.  From The Telegraph: 

Society's "stupidly politically correct" sensibilities will lead to the "death of comedy", the veteran Hollywood comedian Mel Brooks has warned.

Brooks, known for his plethora of acclaimed comedy movies, said political correctness was becoming a stranglehold on comedians.

"It's not good for comedy. Comedy has to walk a thin line, take risks," he said.

"Comedy is the lecherous little elf whispering in the king's ear, always telling the truth about human behaviour."

The producer and director said that his iconic western parody Blazing Saddles could not be made in today's political climate.

The 1974 comedy western starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder featured a black sheriff in a racist town.

Brooks said it was the racial prejudice portrayed within the film that was the mechanism behind its cultural significance. 

"Without that the movie would not have had nearly the significance, the force, the dynamism and the stakes that were contained in it,” he said.

COMMENT:  Comedians, when they're good, are the best commentators.  As Brooks said, comedy is that lecherous little elf, whispering the truth.

Other comedians, like Jerry Seinfeld, have also expressed their frustration with political correctness, and some have stopped playing colleges.  Political correctness is killing comedy, and the human spirit.

September 22, 2017       Permalink

POLL EXPOSED – AT 10:33 A.M. ET:  This is excellent journalism – breaking down the internals of a recent poll just to show how phrasing the questions can dramatically change the result.  From Dailywire: 

A new survey from NBC News/Wall Street Journal is the perfect example of the utter worthlessness of public polling as it relates to the implementation of government policy.

In the poll, which covers numerous political topics, one question stands out: “Would you favor or oppose a single-payer health care system in which all Americans would get their health insurance from one government plan that is financed by Taxes?”

To this question, 47% said they “favored” such a system, 46% said they “opposed,” and 7% said they were “not sure.” However, when pollsters added a bit of specificity to the question, the results changed rather dramatically.

To those who said they favored a single-payer health care system, a follow-up question was asked: “And, if you learned that virtually all health care costs would be covered, but it would eliminate employer-provided health plans and there would be only one government plan, would you favor or oppose a single-payer health care system?”

This more specified question changed the results by more than ten points. The final results are as follows: 36% said they would “favor” a single-payer plan, 55% said they would “oppose,” and 9% were “not sure.”

COMMENT:  Definitely read the rest of this excellent piece, then look at polling more skeptically.  We note that Donald Trump was hovering at about 40% in the polls on election day.  Obviously, pollsters were missing something.   They often miss something, as the late President Dewey might have told us.

September 22, 2017        Permalink

TRUMP AND ROCKET MAN CLASH AGAIN – AT 10:15 A.M. ET:  The rhetoric is escalating.  We must hold firm.  From Fox: 

Amid new North Korean threats to test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean, President Trump tweeted Friday that the rogue regime's leader would be "tested like never before."

Trump, during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week, warned the U.S. would "totally destroy" North Korea if Pyongyang continued its provocative actions, leading North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to up the ante by calling Trump "deranged." North Korea escalated the situation further when the nation's foreign minister revealed Pyongyang could conduct the H-bomb test, and, between tweets about healthcare and "The Russia hoax," Trump fired back.

"Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind starving or killing his people, will be tested like never before!" Trump wrote.

Trump has previously derided Kim Jong Un as "rocket man," both on Twitter and during his U.N. speech. But on Friday, Trump didn't use the playful moniker.

The Yonhap news agency reported Thursday on the hydrogen bomb threat from North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Ri framed the possible new nuke test as a response to Trump's U.N. speech.

"This could probably mean the strongest hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean. Regarding which measures to take, I don't really know since it is what Kim Jong Un does," Ri said.

Such a test would be considered a major provocation by the U.S., South Korea and Japan. Ri was scheduled to address the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday, a day later than previously scheduled.

COMMENT:   Some "experts" are warning against the rising rhetoric.  These are the same "experts" who've been kicking the can down the road on North Korea for more than two decades.  They were dead wrong, but, as a famous comedian once observed, few in America ever resign in shame.

September 22,  2017     Permalink

SEPTEMBER 21,  2017

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

IMPRESSIVE AND HONEST – FROM CNN:  Washington (CNN) Education Secretary Betsy DeVos uses her own private plane for work trips and pays for it herself, her office said Thursday.  Her office told CNN she has never requested the use of any government aircraft. The Associated Press first reported the arrangement.  DeVos is extremely wealthy; Forbes has estimated her worth at upwards of $1 billion.  Rich lady contributes financially to government, and does a great job.  The establishment hates her.

EMBARRASSMENT – FROM CNSNEWS.COM:  (CNSNews.com) - Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), who previously has called for the impeachment of Donald Trump, on Thursday told a Congressional Black Caucus Town Hall on Civil Rights that she expects other members of the black community to back her up:  “Don't come here and tell me, ‘Maxine, you keep on doing what you do.’ But when you gonna give me some support?” she asked. “How many of you in your organizations have said, 'Impeach 45' ?”  The fact that this nutcase is taken seriously shows how low the Democratic Party has sunk. 

PRESS FREEDOM AT PRINCETON – FROM COLLEGE FIX:  Leaders of the student newspaper at Princeton University have disbanded the publication’s independent editorial board, a move that comes after the group put forth a string of right-leaning opinions, including denouncing the women’s center for its radical feminist agenda and arguing in favor of due process.  “The top editors of the Prince have no involvement in what we write,” said Jack Whelan, a member of the dissolved editorial board, in an interview with The College Fix. “The reason why were we were destroyed is the opinions we published on a regular basis were more conservative than the opinions published on a daily basis in the Princetonian as a whole.”  Only certain opinions are allowed.  Once a great university.

September 21,  2017     Permalink

AFGHAN PRESIDENT ENDORSES TRUMP STRATEGY – AT 11:34 A.M. ET:   Trump is a serious president.  Even some journalists are starting to get that.  And he is changing our foreign and defense policies for the better.  The president of Afghanistan, where we have troops in combat, likes what he sees.  From the Washington Times: 

President Trump received glowing praise Thursday from Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani for the new war strategy, which was credited for turning around the 16-year war against Taliban militants and other radical Islamic terrorists.

“It is a difference of day and night,” Mr. Ghani said at a meeting with Mr. Trump. “The cloud of uncertainty has been lifted, but equally important is your commitment to a political solution at the end of this process.”

Mr. Trump announced the new strategy a month ago. It included setting long-term goals for the war effort, sending more U.S. troops to train and assist the Afghan military and revisions rules of engagement.

Before Mr. Trump took office, President Obama had begun a drawdown of U.S. troops and then halted the pullout as conditions deteriorated.

“You made this decision on the basis of courage and determination. We salute you,” Mr. Ghani said of the renewed commitment to the war.

COMMENT:  I get the feeling that many foreign leaders, outside the decadent orbit of Western Europe, are far more impressed with Trump than they ever were with Obama.  They may not be able to say it publicly just yet, but they will.

September 21, 2017       Permalink

THE LAST-CHANCE EFFORT AT OBAMACARE REPLACEMENT – AT 10:38 A.M. ET:  The Republicans in the Senate are trying to pass legislation that will replace Obamacare with block grants to states.  Not the greatest idea, but better than what we have now.  But even this might not get through some determined opposition from within their own party.  From AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Wednesday the Republicans' last-resort "Obamacare" repeal effort remains two or three votes short, forecasting days of furious lobbying ahead with a crucial deadline looming next week.

The legislation by Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina would repeal major pillars of former President Barack Obama's health law, replacing them with block grants to states to design their own health care programs. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to round up 50 votes to pass the legislation before Sept. 30, when special rules preventing a Democratic filibuster will expire.

"We think this has a very good chance, Obamacare is only getting worse," Trump told reporters covering the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, as he prepared to meet Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. "At some point the Senate is going to be forced to make a deal."

By his reckoning, "we're at 47 or 48 already, senators, and a lot of others are looking at it very positively."

Trump's comments came several hours after McConnell's office announced that the majority leader's "intention" is to bring the legislation to the Senate floor next week, a question McConnell was noncommittal on a day earlier. After the embarrassing defeat of an earlier repeal bill in July, some Republicans believe McConnell would bring a bill to the floor only with the votes in hand.

COMMENT:  This will be a tight, tension-ridden situation, which might require Vice President Pence to break a tie.

Democrats will not provide a single vote.  Republicans aren't even trying to get Democratic senators on board, so bad is the partisanship.  But should the Republican proposal pass the Senate, the momentum could build in the House, and repeal-and-replacement of Obamacare could become a reality.

September 21, 2017       Permalink

THOSE NORTH KOREAN MISSILES – AT 10:14 A.M. ET:   This article articulates, with excellent reporting, something that is being whispered about regularly:  Do the United States, Japan, and Korea actually have the ability to shoot down North Korean missiles, or are our abilities far less than Americans think?  From the Australian source, news.com.au: 

The Patriot and Standard interceptor missiles currently stationed in and around Japan are advanced. But they’re not the latest technology.

New SM-3 Block IIA Standard missiles are being deployed by the United States. These are supposed to fly higher, faster - and with greater accuracy.

But they’ve also failed several tests.

This is not uncommon for missile interceptors.

Generally tests are conducted under optimal conditions. Launch times, directions and trajectories are often known in advance.

Yet, disturbingly frequently, the tests still fail.

Real-world operational conditions will likely reduce their success rate even further.

There are a few apparent aces up the West’s sleeve.

A new version of the Standard Missile, the SM-6, was test fired from a destroyer on August 30 - successfully downing a medium range ballistic missile in its final seconds of flight in its first attempt.

Then there’s highly-publicised successor to the Patriot air defence system - the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system (THAAD). This has been hyped as having a “perfect record on launches” with a claimed track record of 14 kills out of 14 targets so far.

It has also been deployed to Guam and South Korea.

But even this has not been extensively tested against ballistic missiles.

One timely test, however, did prove promising. In July a THAAD system in Alaska successfully downed a mid-range projectile.

But it is only able to intercept intermediate (such as the HS-12) and short range missiles.

The bad news is, in August, North Korea successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile. This appears to be outside THAAD’s scope.

COMMENT:  Read the whole piece.  It is speculative, of course, as the writer might not know all he needs to know about our latest advances.  But it is very cautionary.

Just what are our capabilities?  Are we up to date, or behind the times?  If a missile is fired at Guam, and we launch a number of interceptor missiles, and they fail, what happens to American deterrence and American prestige? 

This is important.

September 21,  2017     Permalink