New Born Termination

For John, BLUF:  Democrats, aided by their Press Partners, are trying to hide their more extreme abortion views.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Trump Repeats a False Claim That Doctors ‘Execute’ Newborns

From The Old Gray Lady, by Reporter Chris Cameron, 28 April 2019.

Reporter Cameron claims that this assertion by the President has been "fact checked" by the Paper.

Either they are ignorant or they think Virginia isn't part of the Union.  Here is Virginia Governor Ralph Northam:

“If a mother is in labor...the infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians & mother"

Maybe it is a question of tone.  But, this slippery reporting is disgraceful.

Hat tip to Memeorandum.

Regards  —  Cliff

Looking Forward From Notre Dame

For John, BLUF:  Not an explanation, but hope.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Grieving for Notre Dame? Turn to Nagasaki for comfort.

From The Washington Post, By Ms Meghan Kruger, Associate Opinion Editor at The Wash Post, 17 April 2019.

Here is the lede plus two:

How does one begin to dry the tears streaming down the ash-stained faces of Parisian Catholics?  To be sure, Notre Dame Cathedral is a treasure for the world, for people of all nations and creeds.  But it is first and foremost a Catholic church — where the sacraments have been celebrated for centuries, where the faithful labored more than a hundred years to erect a glorious monument to God.  To watch this sacred space burn during Holy Week — the most solemn of the Christian liturgical year — stings all the more.

Here’s one suggestion for where Paris’s grieving faithful might turn for comfort: eastward, to Nagasaki, Japan.

Nagasaki has been the heart of Catholic Japan almost since St. Francis Xavier arrived on the island of Kyushu in 1549.  By 1580, the country had an estimated 200,000 converts, many of them concentrated in the trading port that regularly welcomed their Portuguese co-religionists.

Hope is one of the three Theological Virtues.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

Kansas Goes Abortion

For John, BLUF:  We are at the point where many consider unwanted babies as not human, ever after birth (eg, Virginia's current Governor).  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Kansas: Now The Abortion State

From The American Conservative, by Mr Rod Dreher, 26 April 2019.

Here is the lede:

The Kansas Supreme Court issued a stunning 6-1 decision today that guarantees expansive abortion rights in the state, no matter what happens at the federal level.  To make this clear:  even if Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortions will be legal in Kansas, because the state Supremes say abortion is guaranteed in the state constitution.

We face two problems, one moral and one demographic.  In both cases we need to leave a trail, in case we wish to walk back from where we find ourselves.  Demographically, we need to encourage enough births that, with immigration, we can sustain our population.♠  The moral issue refers to if we are on a slippery slope, one that will eventually lead to euthanasing the "worthless eaters".

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  And avoid the orally dubious activity of depopulating other countries with our immigration policies.

Losing Trying to Win

For John, BLUF:  Not everyone one the Left wants to jump off the cliff of impeachment.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Noam Chomsky Calls Dem Focus on Russia a ‘Huge Gift’ to Trump:  ‘They May Have Handed Him the Next Election’

From Mediaite, by Mr Joe DePaolo, 19 April 2019, .

Here is the lede plus one:

Noam Chomsky, the noted progressive scholar, believes Democrats have focused far too much on Russia.  And he thinks it might earn them four more years of President Donald Trump.

Speaking at a forum in Boston with Amy Goodman, Chomsky stated his view that he always believed there was going to be little to no proof of collusion in the Mueller Report.

Professor Chomsky is not a lightweight, and not a Trump supporter.

Hat tip to the Drudge Report.

Regards  —  Cliff

Banning Kate Smith

For John, BLUF:  I am old enough to remember watching Kate Smith on TV after arriving home from Grade School.  I remember no racism.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Yankees Drop Kate Smith's Version of 'God Bless America' Because People Were Racist in the 1930s

Here is the sub-headline:

This is a tricky one, but is worth examining

From PJ Media, by Stephen Kruiser, 19 April 2019.

Here is the lede plus one:

Yankees drop Kate Smith’s "God Bless America" after questions of possible racism arise

It isn't God Bless America, but a couple of other songs Ms Kate Smith belted out in the 1930s.

Frankly, I think this is really about "Fat Shaming".

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

One View on Mueller Report

For John, BLUF:  Progressive Reporter Glenn Greenwald says Mr Mueller delivered the Report and shot down collusion.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Robert Mueller Did Not Merely Reject the Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theories.  He Obliterated Them.

From The Intercept, by Reporter (and Lawyer) Glenn Greenwald, 18 April 2019.

Here is the lede plus one:

THE TWO-PRONGED CONSPIRACY THEORY that has dominated U.S. political discourse for almost three years – that (1) Trump, his family and his campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election, and (2) Trump is beholden to Russian President Vladimir Putin — was not merely rejected today by the final report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.  It was obliterated:  in an undeniable and definitive manner.

The key fact is this:  Mueller – contrary to weeks of false media claims – did not merely issue a narrow, cramped, legalistic finding that there was insufficient evidence to indict Trump associates for conspiring with Russia and then proving their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  That would have been devastating enough to those who spent the last two years or more misleading people to believe that conspiracy convictions of Trump’s closest aides and family members were inevitable.  But his mandate was much broader than that: to state what did or did not happen.

That’s precisely what he did:  Mueller, in addition to concluding that evidence was insufficient to charge any American with crimes relating to Russian election interference, also stated emphatically in numerous instances that there was no evidence – not merely that there was insufficient evidence to obtain a criminal conviction – that key prongs of this three-year-old conspiracy theory actually happened.  As Mueller himself put it:  “in some instances, the report points out the absence of evidence or conflicts in the evidence about a particular fact or event.”

Proving that Reporters can rise above their clans.

Hat tip to the Drudge Report.

Regards  —  Cliff

Fair is Fair

For John, BLUF:  Consistency is not a common political virtue.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Leftists Demand That All Criticisms Of Trump Cease Until He Stops Getting Death Threats

From The Babylon Bee, 15 April 2018.

Here is the lede plus two:

The left has urged people to stop quoting stupid things Representative Ilhan Omar has said and to stop accurately pointing out that she’s a bigot because Omar has received death threats.  It was revealed, though, that President Donald Trump has also received death threats.

“Yes, it’s hard to believe, since I’m the greatest president ever,” Trump told the press.  “My death would be the worst tragedy this country has ever seen -- I’d expect mass suicides if it happens.”  Still, he confirmed that the Secret Service has intercepted numerous death threats.

If there is one thing the American left is known for, it’s being extremely consistent and never only espousing certain principles in a partisan or self-serving way.  Thus when they heard President Trump had received death threats, they immediately went after those who would criticize the president.

UPDATE:  An alternative view is provided by Mr Jim Treacher at PJ Media.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Is 2020 The Year America Goes Socialist?

For John, BLUF:  If the US goes "Socialist" in 2020, will fly over country be our Vendée?  Or will It be the Central Valley of California?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The Progressive Revolution:  From Democratic to Liberal to Progressive to Socialist

Here is the sub-headline:

Obama kick-started a cycle that moves ever farther left — even he now seems passé.

From National Review, by Professor Victor Davis Hanson, 16 April 2019.

Here are the last two paragraphs:

What we are seeing in the Democratic party’s movement to the hard left is not the beginning but the end of a long march.  Socialists and progressives believe that control of the Congress, the presidency, and courts is the final missing tessera from their already expansive socialist mosaic.

They believe that the future is theirs.  They no longer need to apologize for pushing government-sanctioned redistribution.  And with an administrative state that nearly pulled off a coup in the past two years, with 21 trillion dollars in national debt and the courts as de facto progressive legislators, and with an open 2,000-mile border, they may well be right.

If the Democrats continue along the current path (that is, the Pelosis and Clinton's are not able to wrestle back control) the 2020 will be a big roll of the dice and if they lose it will be serious rebuilding time.  The will be looking for a new Bill Clinton (and I don't mean Hillary).

"Nearly pulled off a coup in the past two years."  I wonder to what that refers?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Don't Idle Your Auto On The Continent

For John, BLUF:  When overseas, take the bus.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Did you know: Why leaving your car engine running in France could land you in trouble

Here is the sub-headline:

Did you know there is a fairly unknown law in France about leaving your engine running that you'd be wise to be aware of, especially given the French police seem to be cracking down on it.

From The Local, 4 March 2019.

Here is a key paragraph:

… in France this is in fact punishable with a fixed fine of €135, which may be reduced to €90 or increased to €375, or even a daunting €750 depending on the case and how long it takes you to pay the fine.

As of this writing 1 Euro trades for 1.13 dollars (1€ = $1.13).

In Belgium it is a €130 fine.

Another reason for being happy living in America.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Redress

For John, BLUF:  Not The Cisco Kid, but Robin Hood.  Robin Hood represents an oppressed group of Anglo-Saxons being lorded over by Conquering Romance Language speaking invaders.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

'Robin Hood' Mexican president says to return stolen wealth to the people

From Reuters, by Reporters Daina Beth Solomon and Sharay Angulo, 15 April 2019.

Here is the lede plus one:

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday he will create a “Robin Hood” institute to return to the people the ill-gotten wealth seized from corrupt politicians and gangsters.

His administration is drawing up a bill to create an independent “Robin Hood” institute “against the corrupt” that would put confiscated goods such as real estate, jewelry and cars into the public’s hands, the president told reporters.

I have my doubts about the execution, but it sets the right tone.  Good on AMLO.

My main question, however, is with regard to if this is "cultural appropriation".

Hat tip to the Drudge Report.

Regards  —  Cliff

House Unreast

For John, BLUF:  I don't recall this kind of turmoil in the old days, President Nixon excepted.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: ‘I Support Impeaching This President’

From Talking Points Memo! By Mr Matt Shuham, 15 April 2019.

Here is the lede:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Sunday said she supports impeaching President Donald Trump.

One wonders if it is "hate speech" to repeat this information?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Free Speech Questions

For John, BLUF:  I worry about a mob mentality of "free speech for me, but not for thee."  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Facebook and Twitter Reps Squirm, Refuse to Say Whether Mother Teresa Quote Is 'Hate Speech'

From PJ Media, by Mr Tyler O'Neil, 10 April 2019.

Here is the quote:

Abortion is profoundly anti-woman.  Three quarters of its victims are women.  Half the babies and all the mothers.

Mother Teresa

I am surprised that this is even an issue.  That it is Mother Teresa just is frosting on the cake.

What don't folks understand about free speech, which trumps your hurt feelings?  Once we start regulated free speech we go down a dark tunnel, in which freedom dies.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Popcorn Buy Time

For John, BLUF:  I am reminded of the comment from Humorist Will Rogers:  I am not a member of an organized political party.  I am a Democrat.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Democrats Take Aim At Themselves

From Victory Girls Blog, by Ms Deanna Fisher, 15 April 2018.

Here is the lede plus one:

Barack Obama just warned his fellow Democrats about creating their own “circular firing squad.”  Proving that his power within the party is severely diminished, the Democrats are ignoring him and taking aim at each other.

This also means that everyone else should be buying stock in popcorn, because this is some fine entertainment.

Which leads to comments like this in various venues:

All they had to do to win in 2020 was unify and not be crazy.  They can’t do it.

Worse, they "think" they are the sane ones.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Win in Israel

For John, BLUF:  The results are in in Israel and Bibi's coalition will return to power.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Ultra-Orthodox Jews Boost Netanyahu to Fifth Term as Israeli Prime Minister

From The Other McCain, 10 April 2019.

But, here is how Blogger Glenn Reynolds presented it:

WORST. NAZI. PRESIDENT. EVER. President Trump is actually more popular in Israel than he is in the United States.

And, of course, there is the Corbynization of the Democratic Party.

Congratulations, Bibi!

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

It Wasn't Originally About Mr Trump

For John, BLUF:  But Mr Trump got swept up in it, which, I am sure, made him leery of the Intelligence Community.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The Russia Hoax was originally aimed at Flynn, not Trump.

From The Chicago Boyz, by Mr Michael Kennedy, 4 April 2019.

Here is the lede plus three:

I am more and more coming around to the opinion of David Goldman and Michael Ledeen.

The Russia hoax was aimed at Michael Flynn and his role as a Trump advisor.

It was all about General Flynn.  I think it began on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, when Flynn changed the way we did intelligence against the likes of Zarqawi, bin Laden, the Taliban, and their allies.

General Flynn saw that our battlefield intelligence was too slow.  We collected information from the Middle East and sent it back to Washington, where men with stars on their shoulders and others at the civilian intel agencies chewed it over, decided what to do, and sent instructions back to the war zone.  By the time all that happened, the battlefield had changed.  Flynn short-circuited this cumbersome bureaucratic procedure and moved the whole enterprise to the war itself.  The new methods were light years faster.  Intel went to local analysts, new actions were ordered from men on the battlefield (Flynn famously didn’t care about rank or status) and the war shifted in our favor.

One can imagine the corporate Intelligence Community, centered in DC, not being happy about someone like Lieutenant General Mike Flynn ascending to the job of the President's National Security Advisor, especially someone not steeped in the ways of the Federal Government, someoe who was pledging to drain the swamp.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Another Face of Marxism

For John, BLUF:  The Antisemitism within the Democratic Part this year is repulsive.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The Democratic Party Is Being Corbynized

That would be British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbin, who has brought Antisemitism back to British politics.

From The Daily Wire, by Ms Ziva Dahl, 2 April 2019.

Here is the lede plus one:

Anti-Semitism now thrives within the Democratic Party, representing a normalization of Jew-hatred not previously seen in the U.S. political mainstream.  The progressive Left’s socialism, devotion to intersectional ideology, and defense of Islamism have incubated and birthed this reality.

Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) (the socialist), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) (the Palestinian) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (the Islamist) — three “women of color” who are “untouchable” in the identity politics of the Left — have changed the conversation regarding anti-Semitism and Israel.  As Omar recognized, it is now “OK” to discuss anti-Semitic slurs such as Jewish dual loyalty and Zionist influence-peddling.  As Ocasio-Cortez put it, support for Israel today should be equated with support for the Iraq War.

According to the Democratic Left, American Jews, quintessentially “white” and “privileged,” must be stripped of their power in order to isolate, marginalize, and destroy Israel — the proxy for capitalism and colonialism.  Normalizing anti-Semitic slurs seems a small price to pay for a sea change in American foreign policy.

The nineteenth-century socialist movements in Europe often exploited the anti-Semitic stereotype of the Jewish capitalist as a tool to target the entire mercantile class.  They used the same arguments to critique capitalism as anti-Semites used to attack Jews. Socialist Charles Fourier portrayed the Jews as evil moneylenders and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon considered them the embodiment of corrupt commerce.

Karl Marx echoed those sentiments.  Professor Robert Wistrich observed, “The net result of Marx’s essay ['On The Jewish Question'] is to reinforce a traditional anti-Jewish stereotype — the identification of the Jews with money-making — in the sharpest possible manner.”  Some of Marx’s followers used anti-Semitism to introduce anti-capitalism to the public.  Hate the Jewish merchants and you’ll come to hate the non-Jewish ones.

So, Capitalism is seen as an evil by Progressives and tying Jews to Capitalism is an OK move.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

To Be Free and Safe

For John, BLUF:  A Blogger explains the Second Amendment.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Where a Redneck Jew and a Hispanic Catholic write about Gun Rights, Self Defense and whatever else we can think about.

From Gun Free Zone, by Miguel.

Where Miguel tells about coming to this Country to feel safe, protected by the Second Amendment.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Even RINOs Grasp the Obvious

For John, BLUF:  So Senator Mitt Romney is able to see the border problem Speaker Pelosi is not.  Put another way, Senator Romney nails it.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

"It's a little jarring to hear an American president say, 'Our country is full,' given the history of the United States of America."

Here is the sub-headline:

Said Chuck Todd, prodding Senator Mitt Romney to set himself apart from President Trump. But that's not what happened. Romney staunchly backed up Trump:

Blog Post from Rofessor Ann Althouse, 8 April 2019.

Here is the lede plus five:

MITT ROMNEY:  Well, we've seen a dramatic shift in the nature of immigration and illegal immigration just over the last few weeks.  I mean, a number of years ago and up until just a few weeks ago, the great majority of people coming into our country were coming, looking for work.  Single men and oftentimes just were turned at the border.  Sent back home typically to Mexico.  In the last few weeks, there's been a dramatic change and that is we're seeing unaccompanied young people, as well as families with lots of kids, pouring into the border.  And they say the magic word, "I'm seeking asylum."  And by virtue of our laws and processes here, we bring them into the country.  We don't begin to have enough space in our facilities to maintain the kind of care that these people deserve.  And so they're being just turned out into our country, 125,000 of them so far this year.  It's overwhelming our system.  We have got to be able to deal with this in a way. It's going to take some legislation to get it fixed.

CHUCK TODD:  Well, and that's what I'm curious about.  How would you be handling this?...

SEN. MITT ROMNEY:  Well, I think what has to happen is an effort for Republicans and Democrats to come together, generally with presidential leadership.  That's what's going to be essential to get us all together and say, “Okay, we need to fix --

CHUCK TODD: But you just said-- Senator I just heard your hesitation there.  Does he have the credibility to do this?

SEN. MITT ROMNEY:  Well, he does.  He has the capacity to bring together the top Democrats, top Republicans and to sit down and say, "Okay, what can we do legislatively to make sure that we're not creating this extraordinary asylum magnet that's bringing people into the country?"  And let me tell you, in my opinion, the Democrats are making a huge error by making border security an issue and saying it's a partisan issue.  Look, this is an American issue.  We can't have millions upon millions of people flooding into our country without a border that's secure, without ICE making sure the people that are here illegally are sent back.  This is a winning issue I think for Republicans.  But more importantly, it's a winning issue for Americans to say, "We have to have the sovereignty of our nation."

I think the president has tapped into something which the people feel very deeply.

And I think Professor Althouse is on to something.  And, I wonder, if The Host, Reporter Chuck Todd, was a little surprised and disappointed by the answer.

Hat tip to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

Wild Claims on Terrorism

For John, BLUF:  A wrong emphasis on who are the terrorists will just get in the way of reducing terrorism.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Who Commits Most of the World’s Extremist Violence?

Here is the sub-headline:

Evil as they are, white supremacists aren’t even close to the top of the list.

From City Journal, by Associate Editor Seth Barron, 8 April 2019.

Here is the lede plus two:

Last week, the New York Times featured an illustrated timeline of “white extremist” killings over the last nine years, with lines demonstrating citation and affiliation among the killers.  According to the Times, the record shows “an informal global network of white extremists whose violent attacks are occurring with greater frequency in the West.”

The idea that white supremacist violence is a growing global threat has gained more currency recently, notably in the wake of the ghastly Christchurch mosque massacre, when an avowed white nationalist murdered 50 Muslims.  New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for instance, asserted that “White supremacists committed the largest # of extremist killings in 2017.”  No one will deny that racial hatred is an evil ideology, and that people who kill in the name of white supremacy commit evil—but are the New York Times and Ocasio-Cortez correct that “white extremists” are increasingly sowing worldwide mayhem?

The evidence suggests otherwise.  Even a superficial glance at the record indicates that of the nearly 20,000 people killed in thousands of extremist killings in 2017, white supremacists were responsible for very few.  The worst terrorist event of 2017, according to the State Department, was the explosion of a truck bomb outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, which killed more than 580 people.  This violent act is believed to have been the work of Al-Shabaab, which was responsible for 97 percent of the 370 instances of extremist killings in Somalia in 2017, accounting for about 1,400 deaths—mostly civilian.  The remaining violent acts were carried out by Jabha East Africa (ISIS-Somalia), a dissident Al-Shabaab splinter group.

And on it goes.  They don't even get to the 150 Christians killed recently in Niger.

And, if Egyptians or Turks aren't Caucasian, what are they?  Are they Asian?  I don't think so.  They are not African in the sense we here in the US understand the term.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Wages Going Up

For John, BLUF:  A mandated Minimum Wage make jobs go away, while tight labor markets make inherent minimum wages go up.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

How Trump’s border policies are boosting wage growth

From The New York Post, by Mr Charles Gasparino, 5 April 2019.

Here is the lede plus six:

The left won’t admit it, but Friday’s employment report is yet more proof that President Trump’s policies have achieved in a little more than one year something progressive politicians have been championing for nearly forever: a fairly significant increase in the federal minimum wage.

Trump hasn’t officially agreed to raise the federal minimum wage above its current level of $7.25 an hour, but then again, he doesn’t have to.  His policies are doing it all for him — including restricting illegal immigration.

A piece by The New York Times highlighted what’s happening in construction, where a labor shortage is pushing worker salaries to something like $25 an hour.  But because the Times can’t stand to give Trump any credit, the story was framed that this shortage was a bad thing, a terrible burden for wealthy construction companies and contractors. What hypocrisy.

We can argue about efficacies of wall building in curtailing illegal immigration another time, but the numbers don’t lie:  Friday’s employment report showed continued jobs gains and, lo and ­behold, a continued increase in wages.  And not for hedge-fund managers, the report showed, but in those industries that employ the vast working class, such as health care, what’s known as leisure and hospitality and, of course, construction.

For years wages and benefits have remained stagnant on the low end despite all efforts by progressives from former President Barack Obama and various elected officials to increase the minimum wage and force employers to offer workers additional perks.

Now that’s changing.  Wages and benefits are rising as businesses scramble to find workers in construction, health care and other industries.  Government-induced minimum-wage standards and benefits often force employers to cut their payrolls to make a profit.  But that’s not what’s happening now.  Businesses are growing because of the Trump administration is cutting regulations, and taxes and the labor pool on the low end.

Turns out supply and demand does work.

And still, it is like the Bolivarian Socialist don't understand that their ideas lead to the worst form of capitalism, the Black Market.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Keeping Up With Brexit

For John, BLUF:  To much fiddle-fiddling around.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Mogg:  It's Mrs May's Deal or no Brexit

From Order-Order, by Guido Fawkes, 3 April 2019.

Here is the lede:

Speaking to ConservativeHome yesterday, Jacob Rees-Mogg admitted that “the Prime Minister will not deliver a no deal Brexit.”  Speaking about the “hierarchy of choice”, the ERG Chairman revealed he believes that “No Deal is better than Mrs May’s Deal but Mrs May’s Deal is better than not leaving at all.  … : Is this deal worse than not leaving?  No, definitely not.  If we take this deal we are legally out of the EU…  Being legally out is of great importance.  It restores our independence.”

Out!

Hat tip to the Order Order.

Regards  —  Cliff

PC v Common Sense

For John, BLUF:  Is sociology a real science or just a murky branch of Statistics?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Everything wrong with academia in two pictures

From the Blog Gun Free Zone, by J. KB, on 5 April 2019.

Here is a key paragraph:

So here is this professor, with a Ph.D. in Sociology, shaming a road crew worker who she probably makes four times the salary of and most likely only has a high school diploma and on the job training, about a sign that he did not create and is required by law to put up.

The sign says "MEN WORKING".

The Blogger gives the Sociology Professor, Dr. Catlyn Collins, a right proper Fisking.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The [British] Deep State

For John, BLUF:  The British seem to have gottten themselves into a fine muddle over Brexit.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Civil Service:  Brexit Doesn't Mean Brexit

From Order-Order, by Guido Fawkes, 4 April 2019.

Here is the lede plus one:

The Civil Service seemingly have a deeper aversion to ‘Brexit’ meaning Brexit than might have first appeared.  Brexit-watchers will have noticed that official documentation never mentions the word, with officials instead being told to always use the phrase ‘EU Exit.’  One Civil Servant told Guido Brexit has been given the ‘Voldemort’ treatment…

Interestingly they aren’t the first people to avoid the word – Vote Leave also rigorously avoided using the word ‘Brexit’ because it was found to have less positive associations with voters than ‘Leave’.  Whatever people want to call it, it doesn’t change the fact that Brexit means Brexit and Leave means Leave…

Things haven't been this bad since Westminister tried or figure out the American Revolution.

I think it is time for the Members of Parliament to act.

Hat tip to Order-Order.

Regards  —  Cliff

Fear of Flynn?

For John, BLUF:  This is a phantasmagoric view of the Russiagate story, but not one to be dismissed too lightly.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

To Stop the Deep State, Bring Back Mike Flynn!

From PJ Media, by Mr David P Goldman, 3 April 2019.

Here is the lede plus two:

Why did the Deep State throw caution to the winds in an desperate effort to frame Donald Trump for alleged collusion with Russia--and failing that, to entrap him in an obstruction of justice case?  There are a lot of reasons for the Establishment to hate Donald Trump, but one of them stands out.  During the campaign, Donald Trump denounced the Obama administration for having created ISIS.  That claim drew ridicule from the mainstream media, but it is entirely correct.  Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, Trump's campaign adviser, was head of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2012 when the DIA blew the whistle on CIA backing for Sunni Islamists fighting the Assad regime during the then-raging Syrian civil war.  As my friend Michael Ledeen wrote at PJ Media on March 26, the Mueller investigation was all about Flynn.

President Trump should pardon Gen. Flynn right now and summon him back to Washington.  Mueller forced Flynn to plead guilty to an invented charge of lying to FBI agents, even though the FBI agents who interviewed him about Russian contacts said that they thought he was telling the truth.  Now that the Mueller investigation has come up with nothing, the frame-up of Gen. Flynn appears all the more heinous.  The Deep State feared Mike Flynn, with good reason. Trump should reappoint him to a top job, and really terrify his opponents.

Flynn's Defense Intelligence Agency produced a now-notorious 2012 report warning that CIA backing for Sunni rebels fighting Assad would lead to the rise of a new Caliphate movement, namely ISIS.  The Obama administration threw its support behind the "Arab Spring" rebellion in Syria, ignoring the fact that Islamist terrorists led the opposition to Assad.  This was reported exhaustively in specialist media, for example, Brad Hoff's July 2016 essay in Foreign Policy Journal:  Flynn humiliated the bungling CIA and exposed the incompetence and deception of the Obama administration, and got fired for it.

For sure, within the Intelligence Community, Lieutenant General Flynn was a disruptive force.  Perhaps what happened was that what started as a small, quiet, effort to keep Candidate Trump's campaign advisor on national security under control got away from them.  It morphed into an insurance policy, if you will.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Demographics Can Change

For John, BLUF:  There is a chance that the Democratic Party identity politics are looking at the wrong way people identify.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Hispanics Rally to Trump, Boosting His 2020 Chances

From Real Clear Politics, by Reporter Steve Cortes, 2 April 2019.

Here is the lede:

Get ready for the anti-Trump “resistance” to go truly loco, because new polling data indicates Hispanic support for the president is swelling, a trend that could seal his 2020 re-election victory.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Empires Come and Empires Go

For John, BLUF:  How did the Inca Empire replace the Tiwanaku Empire?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

A Mystery Religion Pre-Dated The Incas by 500 Years, Stunning Lake Discovery Reveals

From Science Alert, by Mr Peter Dockrill, 2 April 2019.

The Tiwanaku Empire (550-1000 AD) was replaced by the Inca Empire.

Hat tip to the Drudge Report.

Regards  —  Cliff

Population Change

For John, BLUF:  My whole life I have been receiving messages about the dangers of population growth.  Maybe that isn't the future.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

THE WORLD MIGHT ACTUALLY RUN OUT OF PEOPLE

From Wired Magazine, by Reporter Megan Molteni, 4 February 2019.

Here is the lede plus two:

YOU KNOW THE story.  Despite technologies, regulations, and policies to make humanity less of a strain on the earth, people just won’t stop reproducing.  By 2050 there will be 9 billion carbon-burning, plastic-polluting, calorie-consuming people on the planet.  By 2100, that number will balloon to 11 billion, pushing society into a Soylent Green scenario.  Such dire population predictions aren’t the stuff of sci-fi; those numbers come from one of the most trusted world authorities, the United Nations.

But what if they’re wrong?  Not like, off by a rounding error, but like totally, completely goofed?

That’s the conclusion Canadian journalist John Ibbitson and political scientist Darrell Bricker come to in their newest book, Empty Planet, due out February 5th.  After painstakingly breaking down the numbers for themselves, the pair arrived at a drastically different prediction for the future of the human species.  “In roughly three decades, the global population will begin to decline,” they write.  “Once that decline begins, it will never end.”

I don't buy into a never-ending decline in population.  The rest makes good sense.  Some people love having and raising children.  Others don't.  The trend is the don't folks outnumber those who want lots of children.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Good News in the Commonwealth

For John, BLUF:  Notwithstanding losing the race for State Treasurer, Ms Keiko Orrall is a strong presence in the Mass GOP, and young.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Former state representative to lead tourism office

From The Boston Globe, by Reporter Matt Stout, 29 March 2019.

Here is the lede:

Keiko M. Orrall, a former lawmaker and leading Republican Party figure, has been tapped by Governor Charlie Baker’s administration to return to state government, this time to take over the state Office of Travel and Tourism.

Welcome back, Keiko!

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Going After Biden

For John, BLUF:  A jaundiced view of former Vice President Joe Biden's recent #MeToo issues.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

The Timing Of All This Biden “Scrutiny” Is Certainly Convenient, Eh?

From Hot Air, by Blogger Jazz Shaw, 1 April 2019.

Internal Progressive action to try and cut down the Front Runner.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Mired in the Past?

For John, BLUF:  Even Democrats in the Hinterland want to move on.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

Why these Democrats fear ‘Mueller madness’ will boost Trump in 2020

From The New York Post! by Reporter Salena Zito, 30 March 2019.

Here is the lede plus two:

GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Now that special counsel Robert Mueller has concluded that no one from Trump’s presidential campaign “conspired or coordinated” with Russia, five residents of this Adams County town hope the national media moves on.

This has nothing to do with liking or voting for the president (they don’t and they didn’t) and everything to do with opinion news increasingly replacing straight news reporting.

Jim Henry, a fan of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” tuned into his favorite cable news program recently only to find the hosts still speculating about a Trump-Russia connection two days after the summary report was released.  “They just harp on the same thing, and you would think there’s nothing else Trump’s done wrong,” said Henry, 73.  “That’s the only thing they have on him?  Come on, talk about the other stuff.”

If the Democrats try to get President Trump by overthrowing the Mueller Report they will likely fail, and lose in 2020.

Overreach?  Yes.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff