Dems and the Secret Service

For John, BLUF:  An assassination of any president would be a bad thing.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Hot Air is bothered by an interview on MSNBC by Wash Post Columnist Dana Milbank.

Among the fears Milbank suggests the GOP is aggravating for political gain are concerns that the Secret Service is underperforming.

“They’re even making a campaign issue of the Secret Service,” The Post columnist said, “saying things are so bad that even the President of the United States, the President of the United States we would like to remove from office by the way, is not being adequately protected by the Secret Service.”

First off, there is always the Representative Paul Ryan retort to suggestions Republicans, House Republicans, would like to Impeach President Obama.♠  Why take on a fight you can not win, especially when initiating the fight could cost millions of voters in November?  Impeachment is Senator Harry Reid's call.  When he calls the House Speaker and said the Senate Democrats are willing to vote impeachment, that is the signal to go for it.

That point aside, the Democrats have become shrill about this issue and Republicans bringing up concerns about the Secret Service should be viewed as representative of the fact that no one wants to go through a Presidential Assassination

Hat tip to the Instapundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  "Have you met Vice President Joe Biben?

Controlling Sexual Assault

For John, BLUF:  How about undertaking school?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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It appears that up in New Hampshire someone has introduced legislation managing sexual encounters for college students.  Per Reporter Ashe Schow of The Washington Examiner, "New Hampshire 'affirmative consent' bill copies California's".  The Live Free or Die State?  Apparently.  Here is the article.

We are getting into serious Loco Parentis territory.  We are, in fact, returning to 1964, or maybe even 1954.  I remember, in the '60s and '70s, people talking about those of us who had graduated from the Air Force Academy as not being ready for social interaction, because of having been locked away for four years.  Are we returning to that sort of thing?

On the other hand, the human brain is not really fully developed until age 24, or so.  Maybe it is time for Colleges and Universities to return to a more traditional case of children passing from their parents to the school for further maturation.

However, a question is, what happens to the rest of the high school graduates and school leavers?  Who is monitoring the sex life of Sally the waitress and Sam the waiter, after hours?  If Sam goes too far, too fast, who is the Den Mother?  I would assume, the DA.  Sally has to go to the police.  Why isn't that the solution on Campuses?

Then there is the question of what if Sally and Sam are going to Cosmetology College? OK, my last question is, given that my wife and I are taking Continuing Education Classes at UMass Lowell, does this apply to my Bride of 40 some years and myself?

Did I mention that this is messed up? Regards  —  Cliff

The Einstein-Szilárd Letter

For John, BLUF:  Immigrants have always been important for the success of the United States.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Today, 11 October, is the 75th anniversary of President Franklin Roosevelt receiving the "Einstein-Szilárd Letter."♠  This is the letter in which the President was warned about the possibility of Germany developing an atomic bomb and in which it was suggested the United States should do the same.  This letter resulted in the Manhattan Project.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Although the letter was dated 2 August, President Roosevelt received it on 11 October.

A Rose By Any Other Name

For John, BLUF:  A rose by any other name still has thorns.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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One of the themes on local access TV, City Life, is ISIS vs ISIL.  The thrust of Host George Anthes' remarks are that ISIL is how Democrats say it and ISIS is how Republicans name the Salafist group in Syria and Iraq.  Some would say that ISIL is the US Government preferred term.

The difference between ISIS and ISIL turns on how we translate the longer term the group has previously applied to itself, al-Dawlah al-Islāmīyah fī al-ʻIraq wa-al-Shām.  The difference further turns on what "al-Shām" means, Syria or the Levant.

And, the Insurgent Group is trying to shift to a new name.  They, themselves, describe themselves as IS, or the Islamic State.  But, that is not catching on.  The question is, is this crowd really IS?  If we call it a "state" does that give it standing under international law?

"France is ditching the ‘Islamic State’ name — and replacing it with a label the group hates, Da'esh."  This is discussed in The Washington Post, here.

Da'esh is an Arabic acronym for the name it has been calling itself.

Here is the French Government's Communique.

Regards  —  Cliff

Country's Smartest Politician

For John, BLUF:  I think even FDR had a hard time at the six year point.  Lost 6 Senate Seats and 78 in the Lower House.

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Yes, that would be former SF Mayor, former Speaker of the California Assembly, best dressed man in California, Willie Brown.

Breitbart has a short snipped from Mayor Willie Brown:

"I'd have Obama on an evangelistic schedule of black churches all over the country," said Brown.  "I think he really should go to the black base.  I don't think there's any other place I would trust he wouldn't create an adverse reaction rather than a positive reaction."

The Breitbart comment was extracted from an article in the The New York Times.  The lede from the Old Grey Lady:

When he soared to victory by almost 10 million votes in 2008, President Obama won in states like Virginia that Democratic candidates had not captured since 1964.  He was trumpeted as a transformational leader who remade American politics by creating a new electoral map and a diverse voter coalition to shape the Democratic Party for the 21st century.

There is something sad in this transformation as it has progressed.  Ah, what might have been.

Regards  —  Cliff

President Carter as Critiquer

For John, BLUF:  President Carter went "realist" for his last two years.  Will President Obama?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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It’s come to this:  Jimmy Carter is criticizing Obama for weakness over ISIS.

This is a twofer, the Instapundit linking to Ann Althouse.

Regards  —  Cliff

Where We Live

For John, BLUF:  Not reality based.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Wolkenkuckucksheim

(Cloud-cuckoo-land)

Regards  —  Cliff