The Debate

For John, BLUF:  Who pushed this early Presidential Debate, and what was their motive?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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They Knew

Here is the sub-headline:

Biden is no longer fit to be president. Last night’s debate exposed the lies we’ve been told.

From The Free Press, by Editor Bari Weiss, 28 June 2024.

Here is the lede plus one:

Rarely are so many lies dispelled in a single moment.  Rarely are so many people exposed as liars and sycophants.  Last night’s debate was a watershed on both counts.

The debate was not just a catastrophe for President Biden.  And boy—oy—was it ever.

But it was more than that.  It was a catastrophe for an entire class of experts, journalists, and pundits, who have, since 2020, insisted that Biden was sharp as a tack, on top of his game, basically doing handstands while peppering his staff with tough questions about care for migrant children and aid to Ukraine.

Anyone who committed the sin of using their own eyes on the 46th president was accused, variously, of being Trumpers; MAGA cult members who don’t want American democracy to survive; ageists; or just dummies easily duped by “disinformation,” “misinformation,” “fake news,” and, most recently, “cheapfakes.”

Were we shocked by the outcome?  I anticipted the outcome and wanted to skip the show, since I don't like watching people embarrass themselves in public.  However, my Wife said we should watch.  So we watched.  My response was not that of New York Times Columnist Thomas Friedman, but I understand:

"I watched the Biden-Trump debate alone in a Lisbon hotel room, and it made me weep," writes Thomas L. Friedman.  "I cannot remember a more heartbreaking moment in American presidential campaign politics in my lifetime."

But, back to Ms Weiss, I think she is correct in saying that people have been covering for President Biden and his decline.  For those of us who live long enough, decline will come.  My Mother passed from Cancer in her late 60s.  I visited her days before she died and she was sharp.  My Father lived to be 89, but it was agreed, at the end, by the three Sons, to take away the car keys.  Families have a role to play in how we deal with older people who have lost a step.

The question is the path forward.  There is time for the Democrats to replace President Biden on the 2024 ticket.  However, there is a stumbling blocks in the way.  One might think it should fall naturally to the Vice President, Kamala Harris.  However, she is not popular with the public, although more popular than some of the alternatives.  My Wife and I are thinking the Democrats will, after clearing away Ms Harris, settle on former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has been popping up in the news recently, after having gone to ground since he stepped down from the Governorship in August 2021.♠

As a note, I was pleased with the professional job done by the two CNN moderators, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  It is ironic that President Biden was one of those who called for Governor Cuomo to step down after the release of a report on his personal conduct by New York AG Letitia James.

The Eye for the Long Term

For John, BLUF:  A lot of us go for the quip that captures the moment, but ignores the long run.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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It’s time to admit it:  Mitt Romney was right about Russia

From CNN, by Editor-at-large Chris Cillizza, 22 February 2022, 3:42 PM EST.

Here is the lede plus three:

A decade ago, Mitt Romney went on CNN and made a statement that was widely perceived as a major mistake.

“Russia, this is, without question, our number one geopolitical foe,” Romney, who would be the Republican presidential nominee in the 2012 race against President Barack Obama, told Wolf Blitzer in March of that year.  “They — they fight every cause for the world’s worst actors.”

Obama and his team pounced on the comment, insisting that it showed Romney was hopelessly out of touch when it came to the threats facing the US.

In the third presidential debate between the two candidates in October 2012, Obama went directly after Romney for that remark.  “When you were asked, ‘What’s the biggest geopolitical threat facing America,’ you said ‘Russia.’  Not al Qaeda; you said Russia,” Obama said.  “And, the 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back, because the Cold War’s been over for 20 years.”

That is the way it is with National Security, with Foreign Affairs.  There are the immediate threats and there are the long term threats, the threats that existed decades ago and will still exist decades from now.  We should remember that 400 years ago China was the world's largest economy and 500 and some years ago China had the biggist "Truasure Fleet", in numbers and in size of ships.  China dismantled that fleet and it is taking a long time to recover.

It is nice to see CNN admit this error of the moment, back a decade ago.

Regards  —  Cliff

May One Question the Questioner?

For John, BLUF:  What goes around comes around, even for CNN.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Jim Acosta Gets Acosta’ed at CPAC

From the Victory Girls Blog, by Ms Kim Hirsch, 27 February 2021.

Here is the lede plus one:

CNN’s Jim Acosta must miss the verbal pugilism that happened whenever he confronted President Trump with a question.  So on Friday he ventured into the bears’ den at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, FL.

He got what he came for — a confrontation.  But what he didn’t expect were any of those “true believers” to give him a taste of his own medicine.

Was MrAcosta not down at CPAC looking for trouble?  Is his style not one of confromtation?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

CNN Loses the Bubble

For John, BLUF:  Actually, I am not sure CNN knows there is a bubble..  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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How QAnon's lies are hijacking the national conversation

From CNN, by Reporters Rob Kuznia, Curt Devine and Drew Griffin, 15 December 2020.

Here is the lede plus one:

It started with a Tweet from a QAnon supporter at 2:09 in the morning:  #SubpoenaObama.

Though devoid of context, the cryptic message made sense to anyone in tune with the groundless conspiracy theory that the Obama administration -- prior to leaving office in 2017 -- had taken active measures to undermine the incoming Trump presidency.

Are these three Reporters living in some time capsule, sealed in 2016?  By now all but the most partisan Democrats, and, apparently, news media, know that the Trump campaign, and Administration, faced a "hostile work environment".  From Carter Page to LTG Michael Flynn, to the President himself, under Impeachment, the land mines laid before Inauguration were signs of an Obama Administraition and Deep State resisting the President.  Sure, the President plowed through it, up until 3 November, but it was still there.

I am not a follower of QAnon.  However, neither am I a follower of CNN.  Neither is reliable.  Sadly, each has its followers.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Impeachment Rumors Continue

For John, BLUF:  It is unfortunate that neither side can concede to the othere side the fact that that side is patriotic,if mistaken.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Clinically Deranged Adam Schiff Mounts His Dead Russia Horse Again

Here is the sub-headline:

Schiff to Russia: “I Can’t Quit You.”

From PJ Media, by Opinionator Stephen Kruiser, 10 September 2020.

Here is the lede plus one:

As has been pointed out by many of us recently, the Democrats really aren’t behaving as if their presidential candidate had a substantial lead in the polls.

Yes, the polls have been tightening, but the Dems have been in a sort of flop-sweat panic mode since the Republican National Convention ended.  There is, of course, the fact that every public appearance by der Bidengaffer since then has been hovering in the neighborhood of “unmitigated disaster.”

The Democrats do seem to be trying to get to their October surprises early this year.  That reeks of desperation.

Speaking of reeking, California’s little impeachment pitbull Adam Schiff is back.  Guess what, kids?  He’s got another whistleblower!

I have to say, I think thzt Stephen Kruiser was a bit over the top with his headline.  I don't think that Representative Adam Schiff is Clinically Deranged.  Rather, he is a Democrat, under the thumb of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  And they are both from Coastal California, along with Representative Maxine Waters.

That said, the idea of another set of dishonest impeachment hearings fills me with dread.  More dishonesty doesn't help bring us together.  It makes the media look like fools.  This is a terrible ay to run the Government.

The whole thing is based on the idea that the Department of Homeland Security is suppressing the truth, from the Intelligence Community, about who is meddling in US Elections.  Hint:  Everyone.  And how long has this been going on?  Hint:  For longer than you have been alive.  If you aren't also worried about China and Iran and North Korea you aren't paying attention.

Yes, there is a Whistleblower involved.  Whistleblowers are not necessarily bad people.  In fact there is a role in our system of Government for Whistleblowers.

The biggest external interference in the Presidential Election of 2016 was the Steele Dossier.  It was a fabrication of lies, fouisted off on the American Public, by folks like the Brookings Institution and the Hillary Clinton Campaign.  Thanks to former British Intelligence Officer Christopher Steele.

At the article, linked above, you can find a link to the Fox News article.  For those of you who prefer CNN as a source, there is this link.

The CNN piece says, among other things, that "White supremacy is 'most lethal threat' to the US, DHS draft assessment says".  I am not convinced that the biggest threat facing us is domestic, "right wing" white supremacy.  The piece, by Ms Geneva Sands, wanders over to accusing President Trump of race baiting.  This seems to be a meme being pushed by CNN and the Media in general.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Avoiding Future George Floyds

For John, BLUF:  Decades of Federal Government intervention and we are still miles from solving this problem.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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THIS IS CNN:  Antifa Supporter Chris Cuomo All but Lights Matches for NYC Rioters in Despicable On-Air Rant

From Red State Blog, by Sister Toldjah, 3 June 2020.

Here is the InstaPundit except:

“Now, too many see the protests as the problem.  No, the problem is what forced your fellow citizens to take to the streets, persistent, and poisonous, inequities and injustice.  And please, show me where it says that protesters are supposed to be polite and peaceful.”

And, of course, the InstaPundit Blogger, Mr Ed Driscoll, obliged, by quoting the First Amendment.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

So Newscaster Christ Cuomo doesn't really know the First Amendment.  I am not shocked by that.  He seems to be all emotions and little knowledge.

The other place Mr Cuomo falls down is in not acknowledging that this problem of minorities feeling they are not being listened to is decades old and thus falls on his Brother and his Father, with regard to New York State.  Why is he not excoriating his own kith and kin?

The death of Mr George Floyd is an example of a failure of local government.  Not just the police department, which failed to discharge this officer with over a dozen complaints, but also the local States Attorney, who let him slide on a previous complaint.  And she, now Senator Amy Klobuchar, was short-listed for the Democratic Party Vice Presidential nomination.  If she had acted decisively back in the day might we not be here today.

The problems we are facing today, the abuse of civil rights, the lack of trust in government on the part of some groups in these United States, is not for lack of laws.  It is for lack of good law enforcement.  And not just the police.  This includes things like building inspectors and folks enforing zoning codes.  It is about the education of our children and where the sewer lines are being installed.

If we want to fix this we need to elect local leaders who want to make thing fair.  As for legislation, we might consider this tweet:

Jane Coaston  @cjane87 · 21h
1. End qualified immunity.
2. Curtail the power of police unions
And here’s the toughest one:
3. We probably need fewer laws, in general.

The InstaPundit himself, Law Professor Green Reynolds, bumped this, because it is true.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Dealing With WuFlu

For John, BLUF:  Do you think the President really takes hydroxychloroquine (and zinc), or is he just stirring the pot?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Here is a Tweet I saw today, referencing the President's medical choices:

David Harsanyi   @davidharsanyi   ·   15h
Killing a unborn baby is a decision made solely by a woman and her doctor.  Taking hydroxychloroquine is a joint decision between a man, his doctor, every Democrat in congress, and all on-air talent at CNN.

David Harsanyi identifies himself as a " Follow and Senior writer, @NRO.  Syndicated columnist.  Contributor, @nypost.  Author, FIRST FREEDOM. Captain Beefheart/Warren Harding fan."

In response one wag questioned Mr Harsanyi's use of the word "talent" with regard to people at CNN.

Why do people bite every time the President opens his mouth?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Reporting on the President

For John, BLUF:  Given how the Press is reporting on the President, maybe Reporter Acosta is properly matched up.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Former CNN Producer:  Jim Acosta Is Just A Fame-Seeking Attention-Getter

Here is the sub-headline:

Acosta Only Cares About Making Himself Famous.

From The Lid Blog, by Mr Jeff Dunetz, 13 Apr 2020.

Here is the lede:

It’s unknown whether any White House reporter has been drop-kicked in the butt by as many different people in one administration as Jim Acosta of CNN.  There are very few people in the administration who likes or respects him.  He is considered by many observers as the most unprofessional member of the White House press corps.  Steve Krakauer, a CNN producer-turned media watchdog, used to work with Acosta.  In the latest edition of his media newsletter, Krakauer confirmed what we all knew, his former colleague Acosta, is a fame-seeking attention-getter who doesn’t care about the news as much as he cares about making himself famous.

The part of the story I liked was the suggestion that Reporter Jim Acosta is actually working in cooperation with the Trump team, to get President Trump reelected.  Nothing else makes sense.

I think this cartoon, from Monday, by Cartoonist Chris Muir captures some of it.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Banana Republic

For John, BLUF:  I am embarrassed for my Nation and its Government.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Mueller Indicts Roger Stone On Seven Counts

From Hot Air, a short item, with no reporter attribution, 25 January 2019.

The thing is, Mr Stone was arrested in a early dawn raid by a dozen Agents.  Why the massed raid when an invite to Mr Stone's lawyer could have had him show down today at some reasonable hour?  And the presence of the Press?  CNN, to be precise.

Here is the Tweet from Reporter Glenn Greenwald regarding the Press presence:

It's possible this tip-off came from FBI rather than Mueller's office, but either way, nobody should be comfortable having law enforcement engineer with media outlets the filming of someone's arrest at their home like a reality TV circus.  But it's Roger Stone, so few will care.

I care.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Presidential Visit

For John, BLUF:  My very limited experience is thatVIP visits are a pain for the local senior staff and a delight for most of the rest of the base.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Air Force shoots down CNN claim troops violated regs by having Trump sign MAGA hats

Here is the sub-headline:

“There is no rule against Airmen bringing personal items to be signed by the president.”

From Legal Insurrection, by Ms Mary Chastain, 28 December 2018.

That quote is from Headquarters, USAFE, The Air Force Major Command (MajCom) in Europe.

I wonder what would be acceptable for young Army and Air Force personnel to present for an autograph from the President?

In the words of the Blogger, Mr Ed Driscoll:  "AMERICA’S HALL MONITOR REBUKED".

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Really?

For John, BLUF:  I suspect that if the Special Counsel delivers a lot of narrow legal technicalities against President Trump it won't go well with the American People, perhaps even those who are anti-Trump.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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CNN's Jeffrey Toobin says that for the first time, he thinks 'Trump might not finish his term in office'

From The Week, no named reporter, 29 November 2018.

Here is the lede:

"You know, today's the first day I actually thought Donald Trump might not finish his term in office," CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin told Anderson Cooper Thursday night, after a week of revelations about the Trump campaign and Russia.  "Really?" Cooper asked.  "I mean, I think this thing is enormous," Toobin said.  He laid out a series of "preposterous" positions now being staked by President Trump, including that lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen negotiated Trump Organization deals in Russia for six months without telling Trump, that Trump and Roger Stone never discussed WikiLeaks, and that Don Jr. never talked to his father about the Trump Tower meeting with Kremlin-linked Russians offering dirt on Hillary Clinton.

The President needs 34 Senators to stand by him to avoid conviction in the event of Impeachment.  Not a very big number.

One of the early questions is if the Democrats have learned from the Clinton Impeachment that an impeachment can be politically costly.

Hat tip to the Drudge report.

Regards  —  Cliff

Who Do You Trust?

For John, BLUF:  I say trust no one, and cut the cards.  The flip side of that is "Trust, but verify".  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Chuck Todd Can’t See It’s The Media’s Fault Americans Don’t Trust Them

Here is the sub-headline:

Chuck Todd’s recent article in The Atlantic was an insult to the intelligence of those of us who are ordinary voters and avid media consumers.

And here is Friday's Poll from Saturday's edition of The [Lowell] Sun, 15 September 2018.

Yes, those are probably "older Caucasian voters".  The kind of folks who actually get out and vote.

From The Federalist, by Saritha Prabhu, 14 September 2018.

Here is the lede plus three:

Chuck Todd’s recent article in The Atlantic was an insult to the intelligence of those of us who are ordinary voters and avid media consumers.  He blames conservative media and their stars for the unprecedented distrust and credibility problems mainstream media outlets face.

That’s right: he thinks millions of Americans loathe and distrust the national press solely because Fox News, Tucker Carlson, and Sean Hannity regularly—and falsely, in his opinion—tell their viewers about the bias in national media.  He is being either clueless or dishonest, and it might be a bit of both.

Let me explain some of the many reasons the national media’s approval ratings have been tanking.  It is because our biggest and most prestigious media outlets like CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, The Washington Post, and The New York Times have become mutant ninja outfits in the Trump era.  They have not only joined the opposition but have joined the Resistance, becoming nothing but propaganda machines that actively present alternative realities to the American public.

One of Donald Trump’s favors for American voters, through his candidacy and presidency, has been to reveal to a majority of them just how biased and dishonest their media is.  I say this as a former Democrat who used to implicitly trust our national press to give me an even-handed picture of our politics.

And then that trust was destroyed, as the writer shows us.

I think anyone who thinks they know the outcome of the November election is fooling themselves.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

The Other Side of the Trade War

For John, BLUF:  President may be a light weight, but if he is he is a very lucky player, which is just as good.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Trump has Red China reeling

From Don Surber, 16 August 2018.

Here is the lede plus one:

Omarosa. The show trial for Paul Manafort.  These are the things CNN chipmunks chattered about endlessly the last few days.  But CNN has no news judgment because it is run by a moron with a Harvard degree and a Napoleon Complex.

To find the news, I read the South China Morning Post, which is worried spitless that the Red Chinese economy will tank like its stock market has.

Yes, the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

China throws its weight around, but it isn't all smooth sailing for the new Great Helmsman, General Secretary, Chairman and President Xi.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

CNN, Keeper of Secrets

For John, BLUF:  Standards?  I don't think they have any standards.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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CNN Fights to Keep Editorial Guidelines Secret amid Lawsuit over Ethical Breach

From Pajama Media, by Mr Chris Queen, 8 May 2018.

Here are the first three paragraphs:

Our modern news media thrives on transparency.  The freedom and openness of information helps the media do their job. That's a fact that I can vouch for as a writer.

It stands to reason that media outlets would have the same transparency standards as the entities they cover, wouldn't it? Print and web outlets generally make their editorial guidelines public.  When it comes to broadcast media, that's another story.

CNN is at the center of a lawsuit involving their ethics and standards.  In 2015, the network aired a report investigating the mortality rate of babies at St. Mary's Medical Center in Florida.  The piece eviscerated the pediatric cardiac surgery program at the hospital, which terminated the program shortly afterward.

With all the leaking we see in the Sieve one would think the news agencies themselves would follow suit.  Apparently not.

Regards  —  Cliff

Working Together

For John, BLUF:  The Bridge Rule is "A cheap trick now costs you later".  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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REPORT:  Attorney for @CNN and @NYTIMES convinced judge to publicly name Sean Hannity

From Twitchy, by Greg P, 17 April 2018.

From the article:

Here’s a little tidbit from yesterday’s Michael Cohen hearing that’s pretty interesting…

According to reports from inside the courtroom, Judge Kimba Wood was ready to allow Michael Cohen to submit the name of his 3rd client — who we now know is Sean Hannity — under seal, but an attorney for CNN and the New York Times convinced her otherwise.

I just want to see other media going after CNN and The Old Gray Lady with friend of court briefs, just to keep it even.

Hat tip to the Drudge Report.

Regards  —  Cliff

Never Getting It Right

For John, BLUF:  With the Feds tell the truth or take the Fifth.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Jake Tapper Falsely Claims Scooter Libby "Leaked" Noted Anti-Semite Conspiracy Theorist Valerie Plame's Name to Press; Refuses to Correct

From the Ace of Spades, on 13 April 2018.

Jake is wrong.  Mr I Lewis Libby♠ didn't leak the name.  Just flat out wrong.♥

Incidentally, Mr Lewis was not convicted of "burning" Ms Valerie Plsme, but of lying to the FBI.♦

O F F E N S I V E   L A N G U A G E   W A R N I N G
Not here, but at the link at the top.

President Trump did give Mr Lewis a full pardon on Friday the 13th.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Full disclosure, while in the Pentagon for my second tour I interacted with Mr Lewis, a little.
♥  While Mr Lewis did get his law license back, it took President Trump to give him the pardon.
♦  Yes, it is OK for the Feds to lie to you, but not for you to lie to the Feds.  I think that is very un-American.

Decorum Lost

For John, BLUF:  Do reporters lack all sense of self-respect?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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CNN Reporter Shouted Down, Tossed Out of News Conference

This is from Entertainment Daily and Reporter Rebecca Carter, 17 January 2018.

Here is the lede plus one:

President Donald Trump got fed up with CNN correspondent Jim Acosta, and kicked him out of a White House press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

Acosta, who is currently the Chief White House Correspondent for the cable network, pressed Trump with questions about his views on immigration.

But as the president attempted to wrap up the conference, Acosta continued to ask questions prompting Trump to demand that the reporter leave the room.

I can understand Reporter Jim Acosta's insistence on asking more and more question, given the world is ending on Sunday, 4 February 2018 and we all will be dead and there will be no more press conferences.  Why the rest of us would then care about this is hard to understand.

And, for those who think the President lacks a certain decorum, what about Reporter Acosta?  Is he modeling himself after the President?  Yes.  Next question.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

-2, Fri 0.5

CNN Having a Bad Month

For John, BLUF:  Did you see a big headline on CNN walking this back?  Didn't think so.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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CNN Walks Back Jeff Sessions-Russia Bombshell

From The Daily Caller, by Reporter Amber Athey, 11 Dec 2017.

Here is the lede:

CNN has quietly walked back more of their “bombshell” reporting on the Trump-Russia collusion narrative, and this time it’s a story relating to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ security clearance forms.

So, the FBI did tell him to not include actions related to contacts with Russians related to Senate business.

I wonder if Attorney General Sessions is irritated with CNN over its bad reporting.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Ongoings in New Jersey Not Covered

For John, BLUF:  To the Media your Party makes a difference.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From the InstaPundit, quoted in fool.

THINK OF THEM AS DEMOCRATIC PARTY OPERATIVES WITH LAVALIER MICS AND IT ALL MAKES SENSE: CNN covered Republican Ted Stevens’ corruption trial 6 times more than Democrat Robert Menendez: Study.

But then it turned out that the DOJ was railroading Ted Stevens, and prosecutors got their hands slapped.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Be Careful of the Ctrl-Left

For John, BLUF:  Yes, Immigrant Sarah Hoyt is more "American" than second generation Cuban-American Jim Acosta.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Mr. Acosta, Can You Hear Me Now?

From PJ Media, on 3 August, we had this tirade by American Author Sarah Hoyt.

Here is the lede plus two:

There is one thing the ctrl-left and the alt-right agree on: it is impossible to change cultures.  If you're born into a culture, all your genetic predispositions make it impossible to change your eating habits, your language, much less your manners, your planning, and your ability to think as a member of this new culture.

But the hardest of all is language, which is virtually impossible to change, which is why we pay for bilingual education for children of Latin immigrants born in the US and sometimes third generation in the US.

Because, you see, the best you can achieve in terms of learning a foreign language is the sort of halting, broken speech such as children and toddlers.  In fact, if your children and grandchildren don't mate with English speakers, your family will never learn to speak the language and will remain an undigested cultural lump in the midst of your adopted culture forever.

Here is where it gets both funny and pathetic;

This is so much an article of faith on the Ctrl-Left that I had to monitor my kids like a hawk, all through elementary school.  If I got caught up in a book and wasn’t paying attention, my kids got put in bilingual education.  In Spanish.  Since they’re half Portuguese, the “compassionate” teachers thought it would be easier for them to do their homework in a related language.  Note that even if I had taught them some words of Portuguese — since the only time they heard me speaking Portuguese was the weekly conversation with my mom on the phone — neither of them learned the little I tried to teach.  Oh, they can both swear fluently in Portuguese.  They heard that too — their father speaks no Portuguese, and they are utterly immersed in an English-speaking society.  Robert was reading books published for grown-ups when he entered kindergarten; Marshall complained that his teacher patronized him in pre-school.  Yes, in those words.  And yet, while I was finishing Darkship Thieves for its first round of submissions, Robert spent two weeks in Spanish as primary language classes before he got fed up enough to complain to me.

The only thing that finally made the befuddled products of our teacher training system stop inflicting Spanish on my children was my mock serious explanation that they were offending my culture, due to how often the Portuguese and Spanish were at war throughout history.  And I barely managed not to burst out laughing until I was outside the school.

Then she goes after the Alt-Right.

Finally, she winds it up with this flourish:

You have insulted everything I am and believe in, in every way possible.  Given any self-consistency in your beliefs, you want to eliminate the country and culture I moved to, the country and culture I chose for me and for all my descendants.

You’re not just wrong, Mr. Acosta.  You are the enemy of everything American, of the very idea of a melting pot, where people come to BE American and become part of the culture, and claim for them and their descendants the blessings of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Unfortunately for you there are people like myself from all parts of the world who came here determined to build and uphold America and all she stands for.  And we will even do it in English.

Can you hear us now?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff