Netanyahu Renames Golan Heights Town "Ramat Trump," or "Trump Heights"
—Ace of Spades
Earlier today, @netanyahu and @USAmbIsrael held a ceremony for the inauguration of 'Trump Heights' — a town in #Israel's Golan Heights that has been named in honor of the US President.
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 16, 2019
Watch more here: https://t.co/Enqf9X3Uvf pic.twitter.com/ldBLLdqmHB
The Trump name graces apartment towers, hotels and golf courses. Now it is the namesake of a tiny Israeli settlement in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Cabinet convened in this hamlet Sunday to inaugurate a new settlement named after Donald Trump in a gesture of appreciation for the U.S. president's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory.
The settlement isn't exactly new. Currently known as Bruchim, it is over 30 years old and has a population of 10 people.Israel is hoping the rebranded "Ramat Trump," Hebrew for "Trump Heights," will encourage a wave of residents to vastly expand it.
I never woke up today. I've been dead all darned day. So I'm knocking off.
Supreme Court Remands Decision Against "Sweet Cakes by Melissa" Bakery, Which Refused to Bake a Cake for a Gay Wedding
—Ace of Spades
They sent the case back down to lower courts to reconsider in light of their Colorado decision, which said that a state agency cannot prosecute such cases while motivated by "animus" against religion.
The Supreme Court on Monday threw out a ruling against two Oregon bakers who refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple.The couple, Melissa and Aaron Klein, cited religious beliefs as their reason for not providing services for a gay wedding. This touched off the latest in a series of such cases making headlines in recent years. During the court's last term, justices ruled in favor of a Colorado baker in a similar situation, stating that a state body demonstrated improper hostility toward the baker's religion in finding that he violated a state anti-discrimination law.
On Monday, the Supreme Court sent the Klein case back down to a lower court "for further consideration in light of" their Colorado decision.
Remember that The Also Fiercely Heterosexual Former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's decision in Colorado was a punt, though: his vote tipped the court against the Colorado persecution, but only on the narrow grounds that it had been mounted with "animus" against the religious.
Well, what if a state agency persecutes a business for refusing to violate their religious beliefs by taking a major role in a gay marriage, but the state agency does not exhibit an "animus" against religion while doing so?
The Supreme Court didn't say.
The Supreme Court had earlier remanded the state persecution of a florist in Washington State, sending the case back to the Washington (state) Supreme Court, also telling that state supreme court to reconsider in light of the Colorado decision.
Well, on June 6, the Washington (state) Supreme Court found again against the florist, finding that there was no "animus," just good ol' neutral discrimination against the religious.
Now that case will likely return to the Supreme Court, who will not be able to punt again.
In a hotly anticipated decision, the Washington Supreme Court ruled against a florist who was fined for not providing services for a gay couple's wedding.
The court had previously heard the case, State of Washington v. Arlene's Flowers, ruling that Barronelle Stutzman and her store, Arlene's Flowers, violated the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) for refusing to make floral arrangements for a gay couple in 2013. Stutzman claimed that she was only acting in accordance with her religious beliefs. The U.S. Supreme Court asked the state high court to take another look at whether it violated her religious rights by not being neutral to her religion when making its decision.
That court said no.
"We now hold that the answer to the Supreme Court's question is no; the adjudicatory bodies that considered this case did not act with religious animus when they ruled that the florist and her corporation violated the Washington Law Against Discrimination ... by declining to sell wedding flowers to a gay couple," the Washington Supreme Court's ruling said, "and they did not act with religious animus when they ruled that such discrimination is not privileged or excused by the United States Constitution or the Washington Constitution."
Ousted Egyptian President and Muslim Brotherhood Leader Mohammad Morsi Collapses in Court, Then Dies
—Ace of Spades
Obama virtually installed this Muslim Brotherhood terrorist into the presidency.
Mohamed Morsi, the former president of Egypt and top Muslim Brotherhood official who was ousted by the military in 2013 and had been standing trial for espionage, collapsed and died during a court session Monday, state television reported.Morsi, 67, was in court when he suddenly blacked out and then died, according to state television.
An Egyptian judicial official told the Associated Press that Morsi had just addressed the court, speaking from the glass cage he is kept in during sessions and warning that he had "many secrets" he could reveal before collapsing minutes later.
Thanks to ChupaMe.
Rachel Dolezal Decides She Needs Another Round of Identity-Cosplay Attention, Announces She's a Bisexual Now
—Ace of Spades
These people are totally, totally sane.
She thinks she's playing the Supermarket Sweep version of identity check-box collecting.
Just wanted to take a moment to recognize Pride Month 🌈 I am in absolutely no rush to explore a new relationship, but it still matters to stay visible. I am bisexual. #pride #bisexual pic.twitter.com/u8nu7FuqYN
— Rachel Anne Doležal (@RachelADolezal) June 16, 2019
Meanwhile, in #Woke Financial Services, MasterCard will begin issuing cards in whatever name you like, even -- especially -- if it's not your legal name.
They're calling it the "True Name" program, and it's for transgenders, though I suppose identity thieves will be early adopters as well.
Many #trans and #nonbinary people have to fight to show the world who they are - Mastercard is introducing the True Name card to reflect you #AcceptanceMatters https://t.co/6sw5B5kbTG pic.twitter.com/2N5L0E3DL9
— Mastercard News (@MastercardNews) June 17, 2019
Oberlin College Administrator Testifes That Oberlin Is Worse Than a Nursery School
—Ace of Spades
Legal Insurrection took a victory lap this weekend, tweeting out excerpts from their daily coverage of the Oberlin defamation trial.
Some choice cuts below:
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Lindsey Graham and Jim Jordan: Psst, Hillary Clinton and the DNC Employed a Foreign Agent to Buy Disinformation From RUSSIANS
—Ace of Spades
The only documented, admitted instance of a political campaign colluding with Kremlin agents attempting to interfere in a US election, and for some reason -- for reasons I could not possibly fathom -- the impartial truth-tellers of the "American" media don't want to talk about it at all.
How long can Jake Tapper completely ignore these very salient facts until even he begins to feel the embarrassment we all feel on his behalf?
Here's Graham:
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Harvard Withdraws Admission of Parkland Survivor and Conservative Gun-Rights Advocate Kyle Kashuv After Social Media Mob Demands It
—Ace of Spades
Allegedly he made "racist" comments, and the mob demanded its weekly scalp.
Screenshots of the offensive statements surfaced about a month ago when Kashuv's critics in both lefty media and far-right circles teamed up to destroy him....
[T]his decision is troubling. For one thing, it represents a major victory for the online mobs of cancel culture. One way to discourage Twitter trolls from dredging up old dirt on their enemies would be to ignore them. By giving the bullies exactly what they wanted, Harvard has only emboldened them. Indeed, gun control activist David Hogg--a fellow Parkland survivor--is currently a trending topic on Twitter, in part because some on the right would like to find a basis on which to argue that Harvard should de-admit him as well. (Inappropriate and conspiratorial claims that Hogg isn't smart enough have occasionally flooded social media.)
Harvard's decision here is also an endorsement of the position that people should be shamed and punished for their worst mistakes as kids. But moving forward, as technology gives everyone the ability to record every moment of our lives, this will be an untenable position--all embarrassing moments will be preserved forever, available for re-litigation.
A culture of narcs and Stasi informants -- and the cucks can't stop applauding.
Trump Fires His Pollsters Who Leaked Sagging Polls to New York Times, Leaked Word That Trump Wanted the Polls Kept Secret
—Ace of Spades
Via the Morning Briefing, news of the firing of the saboteur from Politico.
The Trump campaign is cutting ties with three pollsters after damaging internal polling results were leaked to the media, according to a person familiar with the matter.The leak, which showed that Trump trailed Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential contest in several states, prompted a swell of negative headlines, causing a headache for Trump's advisers and annoying the president himself...
As a result of the leak, the Trump campaign is ending its relationship with Brett Lloyd, Mike Baselice and Adam Geller, according to the person. It will continue working with its other pollsters, Tony Fabrizio and John McLaughlin.
In a "Compromise" Solution, California Will Spend $100 Million (They Claim) to Insure Illegal Immigrants Until They're 26
—Ace of Spades
This is a "compromise," you see, because immigrant activists and their representatives in the US state of California were also pressing to have elderly illegal immigrants insured for the rest of their lives as well.
John Sexton observes:
If anything, I suspect the estimates of the cost of these proposals, including this current one extending Medi-Cal to illegal immigrants, are going to be on the low side. As even Vox is now acknowledging, we already have a crisis on the southern border:What's happening at the border is the result of a regional crisis in which -- if current rates continue -- close to 1 percent of the entire population of Guatemala and Honduras will attempt to immigrate to the US this year.So what happens when word gets back to people in Central America that California is offering free health care to anyone under 26 regardless of status? It's a very simple principle: What you subsidize, you get more of. California is about to further subsidize illegal immigration.
I don't think there's any way to do this, but I'm interested in the notion of a reverse-secession: That is, we just boot California out of the union.
If they want to be Central America, El Norte Extension, that's fine, but count the rest of us out.
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The Morning Rant
—OregonMuse
"Before the rush to canonize this whole 'trans' thing, I think we should remind ourselves of a few basic facts: if a man puts on a dress and calls himself "Charlotte", he's not a woman, he's a mentally ill man with a woman's name wearing a dress. If he starts receiving female hormone injections, he's still not a woman, he's a mentally ill man with a woman's name wearing a dress, with messed up body chemistry. If he undergoes gender reassigment surgery, he's still not a woman, he's a mentally ill man with a woman's name wearing a dress, with messed up body chemistry and no penis. If he gets a document from a court or other government agency saying he's a woman, he's still not a woman, he's a mentally ill man with a woman's name wearing a dress, with messed up body chemistry, no penis, and a legal document that caters to his delusion. And if he and his friends manage to get a law passed that says he must be addressed by the female pronouns he prefers, he's still not a woman, he's a mentally ill man with a woman's name wearing a dress, with messed up body chemistry, no penis, a legal document that caters to his delusion, and backed with the force of law. To sum all of this up: He's still a man, baby! And do you know what the funny part of all this is? The people who are vigorously pushing this like to think of themselves as the party of science."
SCIENCE!
(click for bigger science)
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The Morning Report - 6/17/19
—J.J. Sefton
Good morning kids. Start of a new week and we're loaded with linkage so let's commence. First up, some positive headlines on the immigration and border crisis front. Louisiana's Bill Cassidy is proposing legislation to cut off illegal alien foreigners from American taxpayer-funded free health care. While we're at it, how about blanket legislation cutting them off from American taxpayer-funded everything?! That said, I would assume it's already illegal for foreigners to have access to any government bennies of any kind, but when you have areas controlled by Democrat-Leftists, the law goes right out the window. That said, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida just signed a bill outlawing sanctuary cities in Florida. I fully expect the Left to take this all the way to the SCOTUS, but how disgustingly ironic is it that the Left uses the law itself as a means to destroy the rule of law (now you know why having originalists on every bench is crucial)? Also, the President says we're on track to have 400 miles of border wall built by the end of next year. Meanwhile, Julian Castro tells a victim of illegal alien identity theft "crime happens," get ready for a mumps epidemic, father whose daughter was murdered by an illegal alien animal yet to see any justice and as the census citizenship question heads to the SCOTUS, is Chief Justice Roberts going to get rolled by the ACLU?
On the Clinton/Obama Coup Against Trump, the big story remains President Trump's "gaffe" answer to a hypothetical from fake journalist Stephanopoulos. Meh, the only real gaffe was his getting within a thousand miles of that midget malefactor, but I can argue either way on that. In any case, as I ranted on Friday, the cases of actual collusion and criminality between Democrats and foreign operatives, including our enemies, is extensive if completely covered up and ignored by their allies in the agitprop media, are manifold, egregious and cross well past the line of prosecutable. Lindsay Graham finally comes right out and defends the President's remarks, marking a shift from a relatively mild criticism of him last week. Also, a thoughtful essay from MR favorite Rabbi Dov Fischer weighing one hypothetical response against myriad actual crimes, a dismantling of Robert Mueller and, lest we forget, it was the John Kerry-run State Department that pimped the Steele/Clinton Dossier and the myth of Russian collusion. And hopefully, the reaction from the criminal conspirators and treasonous bastards over AG Barr's wanting to question elements of the CIA and FBI means they are indeed "running scared."
Nothing on the Democrat Scandal Sheet this morning but in the subset of officially sanctioned Democrat Party anti-Semitism, Daniel Greenfield takes a look at Mayor Buttplug's swallowing of the anti-Israel poison by embracing Obama's foreign policy.
In Civil War 2.0 news, the Stalin airbrush is being warmed up in Charlottesville where the mayor, some Nyuk-Nyuk Walker dame is looking to eradicate the holiday celebrating Thomas Jefferson because, despite being the major thinker behind all our founding documents that ultimately led to the ending of slavery, he held slaves and so must have his memory and legacy blasted from the face of the earth, not to mention shoved in our faces, for all time. Not coincidentally, all our laws and documents enshrining individual liberty are the major part of that legacy (hint-hint). Feh.
To politics we go, where Chiquita Khruschev AOC is still taking swipes at Nancy Palsi, a related essay on the aging baby-boomers who still control the party, Joey Bidet's smearing of our wonderful President gets smacked down with the eloquence, two articles on Justin Amash's (hopeful) political suicide; he's going down in the polls faster than Sandra Fluke during Fleet Week and Donald Trump Jr. is offering to campaign for his opponent, Michigan State Rep Jim Lower. Elsewhere, Mayor Buttplug is still calling for Coonman and Poonman to step down in Virginia, which is weird since the Dem-Media Complex has already "rehabilitated" them, n'est ce pas? Also, an essay on how the attempt by the Dems to destroy the Electoral College could actually bite them in the ass, Reparations once again comes to the fore like a bad case of herpes, Move-On's massive impeach Trump rallies across America were a complete flop and Obama stirs up shit from a chateau on the south of France.
First Amendment and Fake News Fakery: Secretary of State Pompeo slaps the media hard for obsessing on the Trump "oppo research" remark, several links on how to approach Big Tech Big Brother including Glenn Reynolds making the case to regulate them, a look at libertarians and government regulation in this case and the Pinterest whistleblower blowing a loud whistle. Also, the hit job on the analyst who exposed "journalists" cheering on Antifa, with the war on religious freedom in full swing now might be a good time for Jehovah's Witnesses to get off the bench and into the trench, "Jm J" Acosta's book signing was a laugh, and a look at these dangerous "deep fake" videos.
Guns: At Virginia Beach, guns don't kill but gun-free zones sure as hell do. Tragic.
Abortion: How the Trump administration can beat Planned Parenthood, Melinda Gates is all in on exterminating the population of Sub-Saharan Africa, Delta Airlines does the right thing in the wake of the new Georgia pro-life legislation, black anti-abortion activists rip into blonde blivet blowhard Gillibrand for her stupid remarks, one of the few voices critical of Justice Thomas' recent remarks vis a vis abortion and eugenics, and University of Alabama returns its largest donor's gigantic gift after the latter called for a boycott of the college over the state's pro-life stance.
Foreign Desk: The Hong Kong situation tops the news where despite the government's apology over the extradition law, citizen leaders are not happy and reject the apology. Also, the mild Chi-Com response to what was a million person protest so far is merely an indication of a strategic withdrawal a la Sun Tzu, and there are calls for Trump to criticize China over this, but I think he is waiting for the G-20 to do so face to face with Xi and a look at rapprochement with Putin as a way to contain Xi. Over in the Middle East, the attack on the tanker has calls for military retaliation coming from Tom Cotton (ugh) while other voices are saying this is not worth it. Meanwhile, Saudi Prince MBS is blaming the Farsis directly while Bloomberg op-ed goes for the tinfoil hat. Elsewhere, Ronald Lauder of the World Jewish Congress is calling for massive protests worldwide against the ramping up of Joo-hatred, German students seem to be heeding that call, the lunacy of Justin Trudeau, divided Britain in light of the Brexit fiasco, Argentina and Uruguay suffer a massive power outage and an essay on the travails of Argentina. That country has so much potential but is just perpetually mired in post-Peron corruption. I hope they can dig themselves out of it.
DEE-Fense: Tu-Ca looks at a massive, and potentially corrupt, DoD-Amazon deal involving Mad Dog Mattis.
We-All-Slam-For-I-Slam: How the Army War College knuckled under to CAIR and squelched a lecture by noted Islamic scholar Raymond Ibrahim, and the man himself with an essay on the historic antipathy of Eastern Europe to Islam.
Domestic Affairs: On the Department of Agriculture moving some of its offices out of the cozy swamp to the hinterlands of Kansas City (can we move the EPA to Barrow, Alaska so they can "protect the environment" as they claim their mission is?), the housing crisis that's really an addiction crisis and Thom Tillis emerges yet again to help the Dems screw over America by completely cocking up our patent laws. This bedbug needs to be primaried, like yesterday.
Crime & Punishment: 11-year-old fends off a home invader... with a machete! As Chicago gets ready for the summer body count the new commie mayor pisses off the cops, and Trump looks to drastically cut unemployment for ex-cons. Good on him. Pro Tip: Deporting illegal aliens and sealing the border will help that cause tremendously.
Healthcare: Forget single-payer; the real fight is against Medicare expansion.
Red Greens: Obama-era money waste studying fast food and global warming, and WebMD joins the propagandists in pimping the fraud.
Feminazism, Homosexualization, Transgender Psychosis: US Powerlifting Federation about to feel the heat from the crazies for not allowing freaks to compete as women, and amen to that second item. How we do it when more and more areas of society are infiltrated by the Marxist cadres is the problem.
Hither and Yon: Christian Toto on how even reliable Lefties like DiCaprio and Madonna are now the targets of the SJW goon squads, a look at Greg Gutfeld's success, it takes a real sicko to tell parents to buy their kids sex toys (or laying the groundwork for the normalization of pedophilia), the diminishing dad, and lastly, as "Juneteenth" approaches, while the Left ramps up the war on Jefferson and the Founders as well as pimps reparations for people 4-5 generations removed from the Civil War era, a look at real slavery as it actually was and as it still is in the here and now. Hint: it ain't in the USA, baby.
Anyway, links from around the world, across the nation and up your street. Have a better one and remain blessed.
NOTE: The opinions expressed in some links may or may not reflect my own. I include them because of their relevance to the discussion of a particular issue.
- Bill Cassidy Proposes to Prevent Americans from Subsidizing Health Care for Illegal Aliens (cut off Uncle Sugar and let 30 million self-deportations bloom - jjs)
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Anti-Sanctuary City Bill Into Law
- With 297 Confirmed Cases of Mumps in ICE Custody, How Many Have Been Released Into the US?
- Julian Castro Tells Woman Whose Social Security Number Was Stolen: "Crime Happens"
- Angel Dad Yet to See "Real Justice" for Daughter Killed by Illegal Alien
- Trump: "We Are Going to Have Over 400 Miles of Wall Built by the End of Next Year"
- Will Roberts Get Rolled on Census Case?
CONGRESSIONAL COUP, SPYGATE, DEEP STATE, THE MUELLER DECEPTION
- The CIA Is Running Scared
- Lindsey Graham: "President Trump Is Right. Talking To People Is Not a Crime"
- Rabbi Fischer: "I Think I Would" - A Clause Challenging Those Who Incite Before Thinking
- Robert Mueller: A Scary and Mendacious Man
- No Outrage Over Democrat Ties to Foreign Election Interference
- The Kerry State Department Promoted the Steele/Clinton Dossier and Russia Collusion Fantasy
OFFICIALLY-SANCTIONED DEMOCRAT PARTY ANTI-SEMITISM>
- Greenfield: How Mayor Buttplug Entered the Anti-Israel Echo Chamber, and Adopted Obama's Foreign Policy
CIVILWAR 2.0
- Mayor In His Hometown Proposes Grinding Thomas Jefferson's Birthday Into the Dust
POLITICS
- Chiquita Khruschev AOC: Progressive Frustration with Pelosi "Quite Real"
- Mr. Bidet: President Trump Is an Existential Threat to Your Legacy and Obama's, Not to National Security
- Amash, Who Called For Impeaching Trump, Losing Big In Poll; Donald Trump Jr. Makes Offer to Campaign For Opponent
- "Squash Amash" Rally Takes Aim at Michigan's Anti-Trump GOP Rep
- Mayor Buttplug Repeats Call for Coonman Northam, Poonman Fairfax to Resign (hmm, just as they swept this under the rug - jjs)
- Why Senators Who Lobby For Eliminating the Electoral College Should Worry
- Aging Boomers Rule the Democrat Party
- House Panel to Examine Slavery Reparations; 2020 Democrat Hopefuls Back Legislation
- Will Dems' Presidential Fate Repeat Past Wins, Or Past Losses?
- MoveOn.Org Held Nationwide "#ImpeachTrump" Rallies Saturday... Fewer Attendees Than a Hillary Book-Signing
- Obama Playing Dicator-in-Exile From a Kingly South of France Palace?
FIRST AMENDMENT, CENSORSHIP, FAKE NEWS, BIG BROTHER BIG TECH
- Pompeo Hits Media For Obsessing Over Trump's Foreign Oppo Comment
- Who Will Replace Sarah Sanders as White House Press Secretary? (I'm pale, restive and recalcitrant! - jjs)
- "Principled" Rightists Have Forgotten What the Principles Are (on libertarians and government regulation of Big Tech - jjs)
- Glenn Reynolds Makes the Case For Trust-Busting Big Tech Companies
- Pinterest Whistleblower: "Normalization Of Censorship Within Big Tech Companies Is Un-American"
- Inside a Hit Job on the Analyst Who Exposed Journalists Cheering Antifa
- Now Might Be a Really Good Time for Jehovah's Witnesses to Start Voting
- "Jm J" Acosta's "Quiet" Book Signing: 30 Books Sold
- Former Trump Official Explains How "Deep-Fake" Videos Pose a Very Real Threat to American Sovereignty
SECOND AMENDMENT
- "Gun-Free Zone" Policy Stopped Virginia Beach Victim From Carrying Her Gun To Work
ABORTION
- How the Trump Administration Can Beat Planned Parenthood
- Melinda Gates Champions Population Control In Third World Countries (and lebensraum in the east, too, Mindy? - jjs)
- Delta Airlines Refuses To Boycott Georgia Over Abortion Laws
- GOP Rep. Hurd Disinvited From Cyber Conference Over Pro-Life Votes
- Black Anti-Abortion Activists Chastise Gillibrand for Comparing Pro-Lifers to Racists
- Clarence Thomas' Confusion Concerning Abortion and Eugenics (one of the few voices critical of the Justice's opinion - jjs)
- Hugh Culverhouse, Planned Parenthood, and Eugenics
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, INTERNATIONAL
- Leader Of Hong Kong Apologizes To Protesters After Halting Passage Of Extradition Bill
- 2 Million at Hong Kong Protest Want Leader Out Despite Extradition Apology
- China Strategically Withdraws in Art of War Offensive
- Million-Person Protests Of Beijing In Hong Kong Warrant a Response From Trump (he's waiting for the G-20 - jjs)
- Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Blames Iran For Oil Tanker Attack
- Sen. Tom Cotton: Iranian Actions in Persian Gulf Warrant a "Retaliatory Military Strike"
- Bloomberg Op-Ed Suggests Iran Tanker Attack Was a False Flag
- Don't Rush to War with Iran Over Some Tankers (Al Leppo? Meet Lucy Tania - jjs)
- "Preventative War" Against Iran Would Be Foolhardy and Unpopular With Americans
- World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder: Take to the Streets to Combat Anti-Semitism (stop voting for goddam Leftists and importing Muslims - jjs)
- Chronic Conflict in the Global World: Right at Your Doorstep or on Your Computer
- German Student Associations Unite to Fight Anti-Semitic BDS Movement
- How to Create Your Own Enemies (make nice with the Russkies to deter the Chi-Coms - jjs)
- Justin Trudeau's Post-Nationalism
- The Divided State of Britain
- Argentina and Uruguay Without Power After Massive Electrical Failure
- The Unique and Tragic Case of Argentina
DEFENSE, MILITARY, SECURITY AFFAIRS
- Tu-Ca Reports Defense Secretary Mattis Had Secret Dinner With Amazon Official Before $10 Billion Contract Announced
ISLAM, TERRORISM, SHARIA, DHIMMITUDE
- How CAIR Forced the US Army War College to Its Knees
- Ibrahim: Kosovo's "Field of Blackbirds": The 630-Year-Old Reason Eastern Europeans Resist Islam
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS, THE BUREAUCRACY, WASTE, FRAUD, CORRUPTION
- Kentucky Fried Bureaucrats: "Take Them to Kansas City!" (move the EPA to Barrow, AK - jjs)
- An Addiction Crisis Disguised as a Housing Crisis
- The Forgotten Bargain that Made America (on the 17th Amendment's lethal effect on the 10th - jjs)
THE ECONOMY, STUPID
- President Trump Predicts Stock Market Crash if He's Not Re-Elected
- Mayor Buttplug on Tax Cuts: "The Reagan Neo-Liberal Era is Now Over"
- Thom Tillis (R)-Etard, Joins Orwellian Effort to Destroy Language of US Patent Law
CRIME & PUNISHMENT, NON-DOSTOYEVSKY
- 11-Year-Old Uses Machete on Alleged Home Invader's Head (we need sensible machete control - jjs)
- As Summer Shooting Season Commences in Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot Picks a Fight with Police
- Trump Sets "Ambitious Goal" of Cutting Unemployment Rate for Ex-Cons to Single Digits
HEALTHCARE
- The Real Health Care Battle Isn't Single-Payer Care; It's the Public Option
EDUCATION, INDOCTRINATION
- Department of Education Going After Elite Colleges For Allegedly Taking and Hiding Foreign Cash
RED-GREENS, CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX, LYSENKOISM
- Obama Admin Spent $4.1 Million to Link Pollution to Eating Fast Food
- WebMD Misleads on Agriculture and Climate Change
FEMINAZISM, TRANSGENDER PSYCHOSIS, HOMOSEXUALIZATION, WAR ON MASCULINITY/NORMALCY
- Powerlifting Federation Prepares To Defend Transgender Athlete Policy In Court
- We Must Reject LGBTQ Craziness Becoming America's Accepted Norm
CULTURE WARS, HITHER & YON
- Toto: DiCaprio, Madonna Collared by "Woke" Police; Who's Next?
- How Greg Gutfeld's Success Exposes the Media's Cultural Blindspots
ColumnistCommunist Says Parents Should Buy Their Kids Sex Toys
- The Diminishing Dad
- This Juneteenth Read The Real History of Slavery
AMNESTY, IMMIGRATION, MIGRANT INVASION BORDER WALL, BORDER SECURITY
Sunday Overnight Open Thread (6/16/19)
—Misanthropic Humanitarian
Quote I
Socialism is really the ultimate form of greed. Oh, the big bad capitalists are always being accused of being greedy. Coming up with a world-changing idea – like Amazon or Spanx – and getting incredibly rich, paying the salaries of thousands of people is “greedy” in LeftWorld. TAKING stuff from the ones who earned it is “fair.” You betcha. Powerline Blogger Ammo Grrrll
Quote II
"Overcrowding is nothing new. This is not the reason people are dying. It's pressure on young climbers by some companies describing Everest as easy. Everest is never easy." Kami Rita Sherpa
Quote III
“The phrase ‘climate change,’ for example, sounds rather passive and gentle when what scientists are talking about is a catastrophe for humanity,” Katharine Viner
Quote IV
“The Chairman’s request that Treasury turn over the President’s tax returns, for the apparent purpose of making them public, amounted to an unprecedented use of the Committee’s authority and raised a serious risk of abuse,” Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, Steven A. Engel
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Gun Thread: Happy Father's Day!! [Weasel]
—Open Blogger
My Dad passed on many years ago, and we went shooting together exactly once. One of my biggest regrets is he didn't live to see some of my accomplishments later in life simply as evidence he'd done a good job as a parent, and that at some point I eventually got my head out of my ass. I sure do miss him.
Did you go hunting or to the range with your dad? Did he teach you how to shoot? If you're the dad now, what sort of things do you do together with your kids? Not the big things, but what sort of small everyday things that really matter?
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Food Thread: Yes, They Look Like Aliens, But They Are Tasty, Tasty Aliens!
—CBD
The opportunity for a Northeasterner to eat crawfish is limited, particularly if one wants to enjoy good American crawfish, and not the heavy-metals and coliform laden ones from China (the frozen variety around here). My first experience was as a kid in New Orleans, and while I was a bit put off by the weirdness of eating them, they sure tasted good!
The crawfish season is roughly spring, but there are enough farms that produce them year-'round that I imagine the ones served in Louisiana are always pretty good. I would be deeply suspicious of any offered to me outside of that region, but it's an excuse to go to New Orleans and also enjoy their other fine foods.
I have had them in a plain old (and marvelous) boil, in etouffee, and even in a pie (also wonderful). Hell, if I lived where they were plentiful I can imagine eating them all of the time, in all sorts of concoctions. Maybe not in a cocktail, although I wouldn't scoff at a Bloody Mary garnished with one!
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Free Speech Is Free Speech Is Free Speech: We Don't Get To Choose!
—CBD
Sorry, but this is just stupid. Burning an American flag, while offensive to many (including me), is obviously a protected expression of a political opinion, and the idea that it should be illegal is illogical, irrational, and just plain embarrassing.
All in for Senator Steve Daines as he proposes an Amendment for a strong BAN on burning our American Flag. A no brainer!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2019
"We had to destroy the village to save it" is not wise public policy. A vibrant public square, in which all ideas are fair game for criticism, but none are prohibited, is the best way to convince the body politic that free markets and limited government and freedom of expression and religion are absolutely the pinnacle of political philosophy. Limiting speech from one side of the debate eases the way for exactly the same thing from the other side when they return to power.
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Your Right To Protest Ends At My Property Line
—CBD
I have no illusions about the state of animal welfare at this farm. Whether they treat their animals appropriately is still in question, but the news reports I have read are distinctly one-sided, and that makes me very, very suspicious.
But there are other issues: property rights being foremost among them. I'm no lawyer, but what these "activists" did sure sounds like breaking and entering. And maybe toss in vandalism. Whatever happened to peaceful protest? 'Almost Decapitating My Head:' Animal Rights Activist Upset After Chaining Himself To Machine
And where do these people learn to speak English?
"Almost decapitating my head from my neck," Chiang told ABC7. "I was feeling my life leave my body, as I was struggling to get out of that lock."
"We have to escalate all of our actions because this is a global crisis we're under,"Yes, yes, it's the progressive newspeak that masquerades as ideas. But can't they use proper grammar. and have some passing knowledge of vocabulary?
Again, I am not justifying the conditions at this duck farm, but the progressive conceit that the law doesn't apply to them because they have some elevated privilege to right the perceived wrongs of society smacks of elitism.
[Hat Tip: Bitter Clinger]
Sunday Morning Book Thread 06-16-2019
—OregonMuse
Another View of T. Boone Pickens' Private Library
Good morning to all you 'rons, 'ettes, lurkers, and lurkettes, wine moms, frat bros, crétins sans pantalon, nitwits, half-wits, twinks, pinks, skinks, bull dykes, train robbers, horse thieves, and Methodists. Welcome once again to the stately, prestigious, internationally acclaimed and high-class Sunday Morning Book Thread, a weekly compendium of reviews, observations, snark, and a continuing conversation on books, reading, writing, and publishing by escaped oafs who follow words with their fingers and whose lips move as they read. Unlike other AoSHQ comment threads, the Sunday Morning Book Thread is so hoity-toity, pants are required. Even if it's these pants, which show what you can do with all of those wine corks you've been saving up.
Blog Note
I need to apologize to moron author Francis Porretto for misrepresenting his new novel, The Wise and the Mad, in last week's book thread. I issued an NC-17 warning for it because I made a wrong assumption about the novel's contents without having read it. Fran reached out via e-mail and informed me that the warning was not warranted. I very much regret my error.
It Pays To Increase Your Word Power®
BUMPH, meaning "tiresome work or writing", was originally a military nickname for toilet paper. It derives from a shortened form of ‘bum fodder’.
Quiz: 'Bum fodder' is a perfect description of:
a) Twitter
b) Facebook
c) CNN
d) The House Judiciary Committee
Book Lists
Couple of months ago, Mike Hammer posted this link to 40 Classic Books & Why You Should Read Them. It's worth looking at just for the old book cover art alone. Lots of classics here.
Another moron, I forget who, sorry, sent me this link to a larger list, 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die, which is this guy's personal list. It's a bit more idiosyncratic than the first list, but you should be able to find something on it you like.
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Saturday Overnight Open Thread (6/15/19)
—Misanthropic Humanitarian
Little Larry attended a horse auction with his father. He watched as his father moved from horse to horse, running his hands up and down the horse’s legs and rump, and chest.
After a few minutes, Larry asked, ‘Dad, why are you doing that?”
His father replied, “Because when I’m buying horses, I have to make sure that they are healthy and in good shape, with firm legs, a strong chest, and a solid rump before I put good money down.”
Larry, looking worried said, ‘Dad, I think the UPS guy wants to buy Mom.
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Saturday Evening Movie Thread 06-15-2019 [Hosted By: TheJamesMadison]
—OregonMuse
The Second Time Around
For the kinds of stories that lend themselves to serialized storytelling in the motion picture medium, sometimes the second time around can prove more fruitful than the first. In the first, the story is concerned with origins of characters, conflicts, and settings. Oftentimes the first half of that first film is dedicated to simply explaining things.
Given a second two-hour timeframe to tell a story in the same universe with the same characters and suddenly that legwork isn't necessary. You don't have to explain everyone's relationships, the setting, and the overall conflicts. The audience should walk into the movie with the first film in the back of their minds. It's one way that franchise films actually operate differently from completely stand-alone movies. Franchise films are allowed a shorthand on certain key elements that allow for greater emphasis on more pressing storytelling elements like the plot and theme of the story at hand.
So, we can all think of second films that work better than the first, but I want to focus on one recent series that simply got better with every subsequent film: The Planet of the Apes trilogy.
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Saturday Afternoon Chess Thread 06-15-2019
—OregonMuse
The Chess Players
Theo Michael
As always, the chess/dress pr0n thread is an open thread, so there is no such thing as an off-topic comment.
And TheJamesMadison's movie thread will be up later up this evening.
Pic Note
This artist likes the "noir" theme (i.e. guys wearing fedoras) and it shows in a lot of his paintings you can look at on his site.
Easier Problem - White To Play (999)
Goal: White can either force a quick mate or win Black's queen
Hint: The protection given by Black's f7 pawn is mostly illusory
r1b2r2/1q2Qpkp/pp3np1/3p4/3N4/4P3/P3BPPP/R4RK1 w - - 0 1
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Ace of Spades Pet Thread
—Misanthropic Humanitarian
Good afternoon Morons, Lurkers and everyone in between. Welcome to the almost world famous Ace of Spades Pet Thread. The Pet Thread appreciates your indulgence last weekend. It has been a crazy spring here at Villa Misanthrope.
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Saturday Gardening Thread, How's June workin' out for ya? [KT]
—Open Blogger
Hi, Gardeners! June is supposed to be a great gardening month. Is it for you? Anyone dealing with flooding?
The striking photo above is from Admirale's Mate in Andover, MA. Can you tell what kind of iris it is?
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Thread before the Gardening Thread, June 15 [KT]
—Open Blogger
Happy Saturday!
The Oberlin Verdict
I am still impressed by this verdict against a social justice witchhunt. How about you? Legal Insurrection has done a great job of covering the trial. William Jacobson was on with Tucker Carlson last night, noting that a witchhunt like this could happen to anybody, even off-campus:
These are people who get up at 3 or 4 in the morning [to go to work] when Oberlin students are just getting home.
As Steven Hayward asked, "Will Oberlin learn its lesson?" Short answer: No, they won't.
His long answer involves course descriptions from their department of "Comparative American Studies". Where the Dean shown in the photo above, who caused so much trouble for the school, previously taught.
What is comparative American studies? I suspect at Oberlin it means comparing the United States to Nazi Germany and finding the U.S. coming out the worse.
I like the title of his second "sample" course in this department:
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Saturday Morning Coffee Break
—Misanthropic Humanitarian
Good morning Horde. Let us take a peek at a few stories that didn't get their due here at the AoSHQ this past week.
Life has returned to almost normal.
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Saturday Morning Open Thread
—J.J. Sefton
Good morning, kids. Bugs Bunny / Road Runner Hour, Banana Splits, Wacky Races and a big ass bowl of Kaboom? Nah, just an open thread until Misanthropic Humanitarian shows up with the covfefe. Enjoy.
Seven Minutes of a Foreign Lady Petting and Feeding Street Cats
—Ace of Spades
It's cuter than it might sound! It's very relaxing.
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Not a Hint of Scandal: Obama Administration Deleted 190 Speeches About Immigration (and Immigration Enforcement) Just Before Trump Took Power, Most Likely To Erase the Record of the Obama Administration's Own Pro-Border-Enforcement Rhetoric
—Ace of Spades
MinTruth edits the past to shape the future, again.
The Daily Caller:
The Obama administration deleted hundreds of speeches and statements on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website just hours before President Donald Trump officially entered office, according to research released Tuesday.A collection of 190 transcripts of speeches on ICE's website was deleted on Jan. 18 and late in the evening on Jan. 19, 2017, according to research conducted by the Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for government transparency. Statements made by high-ranking ICE officials regarding controversial immigration topics such as sanctuary cities, E-Verify, treatment of detainees, and other issues were included in the reported deletions.
"With a couple of clicks of a mouse, access to a federal government web resource containing 12 years of primary source materials on ICE’s history was lost," the Sunlight Foundation wrote, noting that archived speeches dating back from 2004 were among those deleted.
Speeches from former acting ICE Director Thomas Homan, a public supporter of Trump's immigration policies, were among those prominently included in the deletion list.
Who are the fascists and Nazis again?
Nolte: CNN Has Lost One-Third of Its Primetime Audience, and a Whopping 55% of the Most Important Demo (25-54 Year Olds)
—Ace of Spades
Trump Bump, followed by No Collusion Collapse.
The far-left CNN's ratings death spiral marched into last week as the fake news network lost one-third of its primetime audience and a breathtaking 55 percent of its demo viewers.When compared to this same week last year, CNN also lost 21 percent of its total day viewers.
How bad is this?
Well, you can’t blame a slow news week because not only was President Trump on an overseas trip, but as you will see, CNN stands completely alone with this massive audience implosion.By comparison, in primetime, MSNBC and Fox News only lost four percent of their viewers compared to last year and seven and five percent of their total day viewers, respectively.
Let me lay this out for you as starkly as I can.
Primetime Viewership Compared to Same Week Last Year
Fox News: -4 percent
MSNBC: -4 percent
CNNLOL: -33 percent
More details at the link.
The only people watching CNN are Comfort Dogs lost in transport and waiting in the Dallas airport lounge for a new flight.
And they're like, "Can't we just watch Paternity Court?" And also, "Brian Stelter looks like a plus-sized snausage."
Thanks to Guy Mohawk.
Big: Greg Gutfeld's weekend show gets higher ratings that almost all of the horrible late-night "comic" shows, but the media constantly talks about them, and never mentions Gutfeld.
Sarah Sanders Will Hang Up Her Spokeswoman Spurs Next Month
—Ace of Spades
Roger Kimball documents the Mean Girls of the press cursing her.
Then we come to another leitmotif in the anti-Sanders orgy that has so delighted the anti-Trump stalwarts commenting on Sanders’s departure. I mean the fact that she long ago dispensed with daily press briefings. 'Other press secretaries and the administrations they served have catered to us, why don’t you?'Here I come to a melancholy truth that, being of a charitable disposition, I hesitate to impart to the yapping pack of sensitive and entitled scribes who have closed ranks against the president and his staff. It is this: Donald Trump does things differently from other presidents. You may have been used to being fed pabulum daily by previous administrations, some of which you treated with hostile disdain, some with uncritical adulation.
But nowhere, except in the odiferous annals of your inflated self-importance, is it written that you are entitled to daily, weekly, or monthly press briefings. I know that is a blow to your vanity, but there it is. Mirabile dictu, the republic survives, even in the face of your neglect. The truth is, as any dispassionate observer will acknowledge, that Donald Trump and Sarah Sanders have treated the press with far more courtesy and candor than they have treated them.
What the press cannot abide is their continued existence: that Donald Trump is still, even now, even after they, thundering bullfrogs of the press, have laid out their objections to an indifferent populace. How could they, the ingrates. And now a Trump loyalist is departing. Let's hound her on the way out and exhibit just how small, ungracious, and craven we are.
Woman Discovers Herself as a Lesbian, Leaves Her Loving Husband and Children
—Ace of Spades
This is, of course, being portrayed as a wonderful, brave act on the voyage of self-discovery by CNN.
Now, ask yourself: Would the media be praising a man who decided that he, like this woman, was dissatisfied in his marriage and left his kind wife and needful children to pursue more fulfilling sexual prospects?
No, of course not. A straight man would be attacked in the press for leaving an intact, loving marriage for a woman, whereas women are considered flighty creatures with a child-like level of moral comprehension (yay, infantilizing feminism!), and of course gays are straight-up Holy Creatures, Fabulous Angels fashioned directly by God's hand, who mere human beings are required to endlessly praise.
Psst: A lot of men are dissatisfied in their marriages, CNN. If they see a hot chick on SNL, will you praise them too for abandoning their families?
Rod Dreher:
CNN runs Pride Month essay by married mother of two (a former CNN reporter) who watches Saturday Night Live, decides to leave her husband and break her family up to live as a lesbian. No, really, this is a thing that happened:But there I was, at 36 years old, realizing I didn’t know myself at all.I had everything I thought made my life perfect. I was married to my best friend and we had two beautiful, healthy and hilarious children, with successful careers and a beautiful home.
My life would change forever after a simple Google search in November 2016. I had just seen Kate McKinnon perform the song "Hallelujah" on SNL and discovered that she’s a lesbian. That shocked me because she didn’t fit the awful stereotype often depicted in the media.
I quickly declared her my "new girl crush." But it was more than that.
At that moment, I realized that I wanted a relationship with a woman like her -- but I felt terrible for even having this thought, as someone who was faithfully married.
It was slowly becoming clear to me that I was not straight.
"I wanted." So she made it happen. More:
I kept waiting for the moment where I would realize I was no longer gay so I could put a halt to everything. My family was being shattered and I couldn’t stop it. I constantly had to remind myself, "You get one life. This is your life and no one else's."No, Melisa Raney, you’re wrong. When you married and had children, your life was no longer your own exclusively.
But, woman. But, gay.
Different rules.
Are women adults with responsibilities and the expectation of honor or are they children who are free to pursue each whim because they don't know any better and can't be expected to know any better?
They cannot be either or both, depending on what the current leftwing sexual propaganda needs them to be.
Today's Feminism-Forward Woman
She can be anything she wants to be -- including an irresponsible tweener girl, when she feels the pangs of young romance moving through her.
Julie Kelly: Was Russian Ambassodor Kislyak Part of the Russia Disinformation Op?
—Ace of Spades
If the Trump-Russia election collusion hoax was a movie, Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak would have a starring role.From Attorney General Jeff Sessions' fateful recusal to National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s resignation to the aftermath of FBI Director James Comey's firing, the former Russian diplomat made more than just a few consequential appearances. The question is, were these incidental cameos or was Kislyak following a script written for him by the collusion fraudsters?
As Senate Republicans threaten to excavate the origins of the corrupt investigation into Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, they might want to take a closer look at how Kislyak helped shape the bogus Russian collusion plotline.Kislyak appears 55 times in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s recent report. Alleged spy Maria Butina, sentenced last month to 18 months in federal prison for one count of conspiracy, met with Kislyak numerous times in 2015 and 2016 and promised to "collect the contact information of prominent conservatives" for him. He has openly bragged about his numerous contacts with Trump associates.
But it’s Kislyak;s relationship with the Obama Administration that should raise suspicions that his interactions with Trump campaign aides before and after the election were intentional, designed to help fuel the phony collusion narrative.
According to visitor logs, Kislyak visited the Obama White House nearly two dozen times, including at least twice in October 2016. He met with National Security Advisor Susan Rice in the White House on October 7, 2016, the same day intelligence officials issued the warning about Russian election interference. Kislyak was there allegedly to receive a harshly worded message to Vladimir Putin about the meddling efforts.
Kelly lays out a full case of suspicious contacts with Obama and Hillary folks, as well as his strange, random cameos at large events where he could say hello to a Trump supporter for three seconds (as he did with Sessions) and thus engineer a scandal. It's worth a read.
Meanwhile, Kelly is annoyed at people who have pushed this conspiracy theory for two years and are now pretending to have always debunked it:
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US Releases Video of Iranian Boat Removing Unexploded Mine -- Evidence, That Is -- From Burning Tanker
Report: Iran Fast-Boats Preventing Tugs From Recovering Damaged Tanker
—Ace of Spades
The United States has blamed Iran for an attack on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, releasing video footage that it claims shows an Iranian patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from one of the vessels' hulls....
In the video, a smaller boat is shown coming up to the side of the Japanese-owned tanker. An individual stands up on the bow of the boat and can be seen removing an object from the tanker's hull. The US says that object is likely an unexploded mine.
"Iran did do it, and you know they did it because you saw the boat," President Donald Trump said during a phone interview on Fox and Friends Friday morning, referring to the video.
A senior diplomatic source of a US ally told CNN Friday, "It is a virtual certainty Iran was behind this latest attack. The video now nails it."
The president of the Japanese shipping company whose tanker was attacked, and then had the object removed from it, is claiming, for some reason, that the ship wasn't attacked, and that the attacker wouldn't be Iran. His evidence for this is that the object is above "the naval line," which I take to be a mistranslation of "the water line."
Well, it is above the water line, true. But... thing is, though I don't know much about ships, I can imagine a ship losing its heavy cargo of oil (or chemicals) and then rising higher above the water line than it started.
I can imagine other scenarios to get the mine above the water line, too -- a ship listing badly to one side, for example, after the initial explosion.
Back and Forth: Marcus T says the inner hull wasn't breached, so that there wouldn't be any loss of liquid cargo. If that's true, that follows.
However, flounder points this out:
Traditionally, you would put limpet mines below the waterline, to sink the vessel, as it stood motionless in a harbor. That would be by frog men. What you do with a moving boat I suppose is get it anywhere you can on the hull from another moving craft, just the reverse as they removed it. Japan's claim is a non-sequitur.
That also makes sense to me.
Sure, if you cruised by on a boat to attach a mine, you'd probably want it as close to the waterline as you could manage, but this is would be a fast operation made in choppy waters against a ship that's also moving, so maybe this was the best they could do with one (dangerous) "kiss" against the side of a much bigger ship.
Oh, and another possibility: With the ship damaged, the crew might have dumped ballast (heavy material that fills the lowest part of the ship to maintain stability, keeping it bottom side down and top side up) out of the ship to raise the waterline. Which seems like it would be a standard thing to do in case of a hull breach. Though, really, I'm entirely speculating.
I don't know boats. /doctorevil
Update: Well, Iran sure is acting like they're responsible for the attacks and attempting to block recovery of the evidence -- even when the evidence is an entire tanker.
Iranian military fast-boats in the Gulf of Oman are preventing two privately owned tug boats from towing away an oil tanker damaged in attacks on Thursday, a U.S. official said on Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity.The U.S. official did not say how the United States knew of the reported standoff between the Iranian fast-boats and the tug boats, which were trying to tie up and tow away the Norwegian-owned Front Altair.
Thanks for that last update to Josephstan.
By the way, while the unexploded mine was about eight feet above the waterline (this is a guess, it's hard to judge scale), there's another picture of a hole in the hull, presumably from a mine that did explode, which is just a foot or two above the waterline.
IRS About to Shut Down Tax Dodge Scheme Which Liberal States Have Employed to Recast State Income Tax as "Charitable Donations" and Thereby Defraud the Federal Government of Its Fair Tax Take
—Ace of Spades
Via Jazz Shaw, high-tax liberal states have been chafing at the $10,000 max on the deduction of state and local taxes (SALT) paid from someone's federal taxable income.
They constructed a fiction -- a shell-game -- whereby wealthy blue staters could pretend their SALT taxes were actually charitable contributions and still deduct them from their federal taxable income.
I know there are Americans who deserve to keep their money in blue states, but the issue of high taxation has to be taken up with state and local government. Blue states can't be permitted to basically steal money from the federal fisc -- especially given that they're the ones pushing for higher and higher federal taxes at the same time they build fraudulent tax shelters to keep their high-dollar citizens from squealing too much.
But no more of that, says the IRS.
But I'd like to know why no one is being prosecuted for tax fraud, or why these states aren't being charged with massive penalties.
The Treasury Department on Tuesday finalized regulations that would bar individuals in high-tax states from creating charitable funds in exchange for state tax credits -- a maneuver developed as a workaround for changes to the treatment of state and local taxes under the 2017 tax reform.The Republican-backed law capped the amount of state and local tax -- or SALT -- payments that individuals could deduct from their federal taxes at $10,000. As a result, states like New York, New Jersey and Connecticut tried to find ways to minimize the economic pain felt by residents from the cap.
"The regulation is based on a longstanding principle of tax law: When a taxpayer receives a valuable benefit in return for a donation to charity, the taxpayer can deduct only the net value of the donation as a charitable contribution," the Treasury Department said in a statement.
In other words: Rich liberals would create charitable funds and donate them, and the state would give them state tax credits in return. Then they would use those credits to pay down their state taxes -- while then turning around to the federal government and claiming the "charitable funds" were actually charity, instead of just purchasing dollar-for-dollar credits they could use to pay state taxes.
The IRS is saying, "If you got something valuable in return for your 'charitable contribution,' like a dollar-for-dollar 'tax credit' you used to pay taxes you already had to pay, then that wasn't a charitable donation -- it was a straight-up purchase for value, and is taxable like any other voluntary expenditure."
Think of it like this: I "donate" my costs for rent to an organization that then pays my rent for me. Then I claim all of my rent money was a "charitable donation."
That's fraud, straight-up. I am attempting to shield money that would otherwise be taxed by laundering it through a third party who just pays my rent for me, but then claims I "donated" it, when in fact all I did I was send it to them, and then they sent it straight to my landord.
This is illegal. This is tax fraud conducted by states. This may be legal under state law, but it's fraud under federal law.
Weird how liberals who say always agitate for higher taxes resort to open criminality to shelter their precious dollars from the taxman's hands.
Wow: Email Suggests That Ilhan Omar's PR Firm Sought to "SHUT DOWN" Any Media Reportage on Her Sham Marriage Tax Filings, Says They've Used This Tactic Successfully Before With the (Red) Star-Tribune
—Ace of Spades
I shan't hear of it! I simply shannot!
The Twitchy story does not say where this email came from -- I am guessing it was not leaked, but maybe released as part of the investigation into her sham marriage tax filings.
If it had been leaked, we'd have a whole new round of Leftwing Tech Monopoly deplatformings, because it's now a violation of terms of service to reveal internal communications about a misbehaving Democrat or liberal concern.
You may continue leaking top secret government documents, of course.
My God. Props to @bloisolson for sharing.
— Nick Solheim (@NickSSolheim) June 13, 2019
From @IlhanMN’s crisis manager Ben Goldfarb:
“Does anyone in the team have a relationship with Blois? Someone should probably reach out to talk off the record and shut it down with him AS WE DO WITH THE STRIB” [emphasis added]
THREAD pic.twitter.com/cFx49KxZCm
More below:
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The Morning Rant
—OregonMuse
"So, it looks like ThinkProgress, one of the big fluffers for the Democratic Party, has been bleeding money like crazy. And Vox, another Democratic shill site, had to lay off a bunch of people due to poorer than expected revenue. And as the boss reported a few days ago, Disney has pretty much written off its big investment in Vice. HBO cancelling it's Vice news show is also not a good sign. For them. Buzzfeed is also taking it in the shorts. All the news for these guys is so grim, I can't wipe this smile off my face. Too bad none of these maroons know anything about economics. Because then they'd be aware of basic concepts such as 'supply', 'demand', and, most importantly, 'market saturation.' And perhaps then they'd be able to ask themselves what would happen if the supply of left-wing gasbaggery greatly surpasses the demand. And perhaps do some sort of market analysis to determine how much of a potential audience they actually have. I think they'll find it's smaller than they might expect: First, they need to write off every red state. That's nearly half the country right there. Next, the number of people who are normally on your side of the aisle but who now think you're batsh* crazy is a lot larger than you'd like to admit, and I believe that not only is their number only getting bigger the closer we get to 2020, it's big enough to more than compensate for the insignificant sliver of bitter clinger NeverTrump holdouts they could possibly appeal to. If Trump wins in 2020, I think one or more of these big progressive sites are going to go TU. Investors other than George Soros are probably tired of throwing money at these guys and getting zero return on their investment. And the remaining market share for left-wing gasbaggery has been well-covered by the left-wing gasbags at CNN, MSNBC, the NY Times, and the Washington Post. So who really needs another roomful of soyboy hipsters typing out anti-Trump tripe all day?"
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The Morning Report - 6/14/19
—J.J. Sefton
Good morning kids. The weekend is here so let's get right to it. The big story the Democrat-Media-Complex is pushing is President Trump's "gaffe" and/or proof positive that he needs to be removed from office immediately and sent to Leavenworth or Old Sparky concerning his comment about accepting "dirt" on political opponents from foreign governments. Let's try and unpack a few things and put them into perspective. First, the question posed was a hypothetical. Second, and I'm no legal eagle, unless there is some sort of quid-pro-quo involved I don't see the strict illegality of accepting information regardless of the source (of course it behooves the recipient to vet the source and the material thoroughly). Third, the people who have their hair on fire over this are completely ignoring the fact that Hillary Clinton and company actually engaged and paid foreign powers, among them our geopolitical enemies, to manufacture "evidence" to be used not only as "opposition research" but as a pretext to pervert our courts in order to spy on Trump.
And, as egregious and blatantly criminal as that was, it's only one instance of Democrats up and down the line and over the course of decades colluding, conspiring and taking bribes from foreign powers for the purposes of monetary or political gain. Hello, Clinton Foundation and Global Initiative that was selling access to the State Department and presumed White House? Hello, enabling the sale of 20% of our uranium reserves to Russia? Hello Bill Clinton engineering the sale of top-secret missile technology to the Chi-Coms via Loral Space Industries? Hello Bill Clinton again selling the Lincoln Bedroom like it was a hot-sheet motel? Hello Obama provably accepting foreign campaign donations? Hello Teddy Kennedy secretly meeting with the Soviets in 1984 to sabotage Reagan's foreign policy vis a vis "Star Wars?" Hello Al Gore calling donors from his office at the White House? Hello, Obama actively interfering in the Israeli and Albanian elections? Hello, Joe Bidet using his influence to steer Chi-Com and Ukrainian business, no doubt for political influence, to his failure of a son? Hello, Obama in 2012 reassuring the Russians that he'll be more flexible after the election to sabotage and dismantle our nuclear deterrent? And so on, and so on, and scooby-doobie-doobie. (UPDATE: I almost forgot Adam Schiff-for-Brains being pranked by two Ukrainian comedians posing as Putin intelligence agents who offered to send him compromising dirt on Trump, and he told them he would have his assistants stay in touch with them. And that is recorded on tape)
So with that in mind, someone please tell me how Donald Trump, answering a completely hypothetical question about what he maybe might do in just accepting "dirt" without any quid pro quo involved is even remotely in the same universe as the aforementioned? Oh, yeah. Not Democrat-Leftist-Globalist. With that aside, let's get down to brass tacks on the practical implications of this "gaffe," if you will and if you consider them as such, the mistakes the President made. His biggest, some are arguing, is even sitting down with George Stephanopoulos in the first place. Considering Trump has spent the past two and a half years justifiably blasting what he accurately called "fake news" how can he not recognize that he is about to confront the biggest Leftist with a press pass of all time? The man was a co-henchman in the Clinton White House who helped engineer the total destruction of political enemies, real and perceived. The other one is, considering Trump is a master at messaging, I don't understand why, instead of taking the bait by answering Stephanopoulos' set-up question, he didn't immediately cite the phony dossier and force the little homunculus to go into Clinton defense mode? Opportunity lost IMHO.
On a broader level, the "Norway" gaffe has re-energized the Left not only in its new messaging that Trump somehow has admitted his guilt in rigging 2016 with Putin by saying what he would do in the future, it seemingly allows them to use this as a pretext to delegitimize the 2020 election if Trump wins that one. And then we get another Mueller persecution all over again. That is if the Democrats don't outright steal 2020 via the insane State Compact or attempting to once again strong-arm Electoral College electors into not voting as they are pledged (see the link in the Politics section). So, in that light, this was an unforced error that might have some serious ramifications going forward.
I say "might" because this is Trump we are talking about and the times have changed. As we all know, the Left is itching to pull the trigger on impeachment but even the botox and Efferdent-addled Nancy Palsi understands to do so while Trump is hovering in the 40% approval range and without control of the Senate to convict him and remove him from office, it's political suicide for the Dems for 2020 and maybe beyond that. So, that said, was this a gaffe on Trump's part or a deliberate attempt to goad the Dems over the edge and push for impeachment? More people than ever have come to the conclusion that the Russia collusion story was a hoax and a smear campaign to destroy Trump, so the calculus might be that what he said (and I ascribe to this) is essentially no harm, no foul, all things considered. As the esteemed Thomas Lifson over at the great American Thinker states:
...Laura] Ingraham said it seemed like he was "playing with" Stephanopoulos a bit but added, "Putting him in that situation, I don't get it."Here is some help for the perplexed: as the DoJ inspector general's report looms and U.S. attorney John Durham's mandate has been described in the broadest terms by AG Barr, Trump has the Democrats nattering on about how treasonous it is to accept any information from any foreign country. How about paying Russian agents with campaign money for fake dirt on an opponent, even if laundered through a law firm and Fusion GPS?
When and if indictments related to Fusion GPS are revealed, the defense lines of the progressives will have some Trump-sized holes in them...
Check and mate? Quite possibly. There is no doubt that not only is Trump a master communicator but perhaps for the first time ever, he has succeeded in turning the political narrative of Dem-Left good GOP-Conservative evil on its head, as well as the way DC operates and most crucially pulling back the curtain and exposing a lot of naked, ugly truths about people and institutions. But that said, as much as I love Trump, sometimes you just have to admit that a gaffe is a gaffe. George Patton was a hell of a general, but his mouth sometimes was his worst enemy. Meh; he spoke the truth and the press and DC were his enemy (sound familiar). But unlike Patton, Trump possesses two powerful traits: he fully understands messaging and the media and, most crucially, he is brutally honest about who and what he is, what he is going to do and keeping his promises come hell or high water. Shorter Sefton: This too shall pass, and Trump will use the slings and arrows of this to his advantage.
Elsewhere on this topic, Lindsay Graham echoes my sentiments, Andrew McCabe deserves the rack, Eric Swallowswell is now firmly in the impeachment camp, plus good Roger Simon on the disgusting attempt to destroy Kellyanne Conway with phony Hatch Act prosecutions, and an examination of the real foreign interference and collusion that attempted to, and still attempts to sabotage and decapitate Trump.
Now on to the border and the immigration crisis where SCOTUS has been asked to delay the ruling on the census citizenship question, sophisticated drones found operating near the border adds another dimension to the national security threat and ICE nabs 140 illegals, 42 with criminal records in a Midwest raid. Good. Ramp up the raids, expatriate with extreme prejudice and prosecute the living shit out of any business that hires the foreigners.
Civil War 2.0: Highly recommend Angelo Codevilla's latest essay, which hits home my frightening point of how to use the rule of law and the Constitution to fight a political enemy that recognizes neither. If you read between the lines, even he seems to think that the unthinkable may be inevitable. Also, Trump supporter speaks out after the violent encounter with a transgender freak, and that "innocent" black man martyred in cold blood by the evil police in Tennessee that sparked rioting? He was wanted in Mississippi for shooting a man.
Politics: A look at the first Dem prexy debate roster, Mollie Hemingway and the NY Post editors are high on Trump in '20, Sarah Huckabee Sanders is stepping down as press secretary and is evidently eyeing a run at the governorship of Arkansas, Kamala-Toe blathering that she would prosecute Trump if she is elected, Joe's Man-Chin may be ankling the Senate (so much for Dems gaining control), Nancy Palsi pissed at Cocaine Mitch for killing crazy radical House bills, the Maosits are going after the so-called moderates including long time incumbent Henry Cuellar, Bernie sez we're going to love getting taxed out the ying yang, California Democrat billionaire interfering in Mississippi election, Alan Dershowitz just won't let go of the crazy, wife of Duncan Hunter pleads guilty to corruption charges (ugh and feh), the record on veeps running and winning after two-term prexies, Leftists declare there will be no debate on moral questions, and a look at how they might swipe the 2020 elections.
First Amendment and Fake News Fakery: Daniel Greenfield declares a new civil rights movement, Fakebook adopting Chi-Com social credit system for users, what did Zuckerberg know and when did he know it? House reps demanding Twitter bans Hamas, Media smears Trump with allusions to Jap internment camps for illegal kids, YouTube is a menace to free speech, and is Trump the target of this Netflix propaganda film about the Central Park 5 animals? Stay tuned to the Crime section for more on this.
Guns: House GOP moves to end gun-free zones. Nice optics even if it stands no chance... right now.
Abortion: Tank Abrams loves baby-killing but not job-killing boycotts, dark money millions fund the baby killers, big abortion's big lie and the utter hypocrisy and failure of Planned Parenthood.
Foreign Desk: Now that we place the blame on Iran for the oil tanker attacks, what will Trump do?, mass protests planned for Hong Kong this weekend, Chi-Coms test new missile, (thanks Bill Clinton!), a look at the Danish elections and immigration, Caroline Glick connects the BDS-terrorism dots, and Humberto Fontova high on Trump socking it to Castro, and by extension Obama.
We-All-Slam-For-I-Slam: Islam and the compatibility with an open American society (spoiler alert: it isn't).
Domestic Desk: On Jon Stewart Liebowitz's grandstanding for 9/11 victims, Pennsy legislature to repeal a booze tax, pension reform goes bust in California, and an essay on improving struggling regions.
The Economy: Denver elects a woman who makes Bernie Sanders look like Milton Friedman.
Crime and Punishment: IG says the DoJ brought foreigners here to be witnesses and then somehow lost track of them, British law enforcement about as rational and sane as you'd expect, Oakland decriminalize 'shrooms and peyote because it's better to be ripped out of your gourd than step in feces and needles while being robbed, and about that Central Park 5, they were guilty as hell and deserved to be hung, drawn and quartered for what they did. Don't let the fucking media gaslight you on this one. I was here and I remember it like yesterday. Bastards.
Healthcare: Another possible cure for Alzheimer's on the horizon, and AARP in big battle to keep medicine expensive for seniors.
Red Greens: Set back for the commies as judge rules against NY AG in attempt to call all of Goldman Sachs as a witness, or something.
Feminazism and Transgender Psychosis: Some real vile items today as Vermont is allowing taxpayer funded child mutilation, Oxford bans an academic from speaking the truth about tranny insanity and feminazis would really be disappointed with an ERA.
Hither and Yon: Christian Toto on the SJW critics slamming the new Shaft (can you dig it?), a look at the real Chernobyl disaster and its political aftermath, Thomas Sowell brings it (can you dig it!), sad take on the culture war, Larry Elder on the racism myth that just won't die, and how ignorance fuels the America-hate from within. Same as it ever was. Have a great weekend.
Anyway, links from around the world, across the nation and up your street. Have a better one and remain blessed.
NOTE: The opinions expressed in some links may or may not reflect my own. I include them because of their relevance to the discussion of a particular issue.
- Supreme Court Asked To Delay Ruling On Census Citizenship Question
- With Reported Cartel Drone Found Near Texas Border, Are We Prepared for This Very Real National Security Threat?
- ICE Arrests 140 Illegal Aliens, 42 with Criminal Records, in Midwest Raid (ramp it up and keep it up - jjs)
CONGRESSIONAL COUP, SPYGATE, DEEP STATE, THE MUELLER DECEPTION
- McCabe: Trump's Foreign Dirt Comments "Reaffirm" Concern He Is a Threat to National Security
- Trump Successfully Baits His Foes with Comments to Stephanopoulos on Foreign Information on Opponents
- Liberal Fury, After Trump Says He Might Take Info on His Opponent From "Foreigners"
- The Left's Hypocrisy Knows No Bounds
- Eric Swallowswell Flips, Majority of House Judiciary Democrats Back Impeachment
- Graham: Trump Was Wrong To Say He'd Take Intel From Foreign Agent, and Hillary Was Wrong To Actually Do It
- Good Roger Simon: The Selective Prosecution of Kellyanne Conway
- The External Roots of Spygate
CIVILWAR 2.0
- Trump Supporter Speaks Out After Altercation With Trans Actress Indya Moore
- Codevilla: A Conservative Resistance?
- Man Killed By Police, Causing Riots In Memphis, Was Wanted For Shooting of Mississippi Man
POLITICS
- First Democratic Presidential Debate Stage Is Set: Who's In and Who's Out
- Hemingway: Media Claims Notwithstanding, Trump Is Favored To Be Re-Elected
- Trump's Far Stronger For 2020 Than the Media Admit
- White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to Step Down; Considering a Run for Arkansas Governor (damn, she was damned good - jjs)
- Kamala-Toe Harris Tells NPR Her Administration Would Have "No Choice" but to Prosecute Trump
- Joe's Man-Chin Considering Leaving the Senate
- Nancy Palsi Upset That Cocaine Mitch Keeps Killing Lunatic Fringe Progressive House Bills
- So-Called "Justice Democrats" Name 8-Term Incumbent Henry Cuellar As First Target In Bid To Primary Moderate Dems
- California Millionaire a Top Contributor to Mississippi Dem
- Bernie Sandersnista Claims Americans "Will Be Delighted to Pay More in Taxes" but Refuses to Himself
- Alan Dershowitz: I Would "Enthusiastically" Support Biden Over Trump in 2020
- Wife of Duncan Hunter Pleads Guilty To $250,000 Stolen Campaign Funds (ugh, California's lost but still, sheesh - jjs)
- The Vice-President Won-Lost Game
- Leftists Declare Fundamental Moral Questions Beyond Debate
- Stealing the 2020 Election: How it Could Happen
FIRST AMENDMENT, CENSORSHIP, FAKE NEWS, BIG BROTHER BIG TECH
- Greenfield: A Conservative Civil Rights Movement to End Internet Segregation
- Facebook's Process to Label You a "Hate Agent" Revealed; Chi-Com "Social Credit Score" Comes to the US
- House Reps Demand Twitter Ban Hamas Accounts
- Agitprop Media Stirs the Pot With Biased Coverage of Trump's Housing Plans for Illegal Alien Children
- What Did Zuckerberg Know and When Did He Know It?
- YouTube's Arbitrary, One-Sided Policies Threaten Free Speech In America
- Is Trump the Real Target of a Netflix Series? New film About Central Park Jogger Case Seems Conveniently Timed
SECOND AMENDMENT
- House Republicans Move to Permanently Eliminate Gun-Free School Zones From Federal Law
ABORTION
- Tank Abrams Urges Hollywood Executives Not to Boycott Georgia Over Abortion Law
- Millions in Dark Money Flows to Pro-Abortion Groups
- Big Abortion's Biggest Lie
- When I Was A Pregnant Teen Sleeping With Older Men, Planned Parenthood Failed Me
FOREIGN AFFAIRS, INTERNATIONAL
- US Blames Iran for Oil Tanker Explosions in the Gulf of Oman: Will Trump Call Their Bluff?
- Hong Kong Activists Plan Weekend Mass Rally Against Chi-Com Extradition Bill
- China Tests New Sub-Launched Strategic Missile (you can thank the Clintons for this - jjs)
- Hong Kongers Deserve Better Than Dictatorial China
- It's the Immigration, Stupid
- Glick: Where BDS and Terrorists Converge
- Fontova: Trump Tightens Stranglehold on Castro's Financial Throat; Scraps Obama's Failed Cuba Policy
ISLAM, TERRORISM, SHARIA, DHIMMITUDE
- On the Moral and Legal Status of Islam in the United States
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS, THE BUREAUCRACY, WASTE, FRAUD, CORRUPTION
- 5 Reasons Jon Stewart's Rant About Congress Was Completely Ignorant
- Pennsylvania Legislature May Repeal Stealth Drinks Tax
- Sad, Dying Gasps of Pension Reform
- A Missing Precondition
THE ECONOMY, STUPID
- Denver Elects Councilwoman Promising To Usher In Communal Ownership "By Any Means Necessary"
CRIME & PUNISHMENT, NON-DOSTOYEVSKY
- IG Report: DoJ Intentionally Brought Foreign Nationals Into US As Snitches... Then It Lost Some (Top. Men. - jjs)
- British Law Enforcement Hands Out Dull Knives To Abuse Victims To Prevent Violence (from Wilkinson's to Wilted-Some - jjs)
- Oakland Decriminalizes Hallucinogenic "Magic Mushrooms" and Peyote (because, of course they do - jjs)
- The 3 Biggest Lies About the Central Park 5
HEALTHCARE
- New Vaccine Might Prevent Development Of Alzheimer's (incredible if it pans out - jjs)
- Commie Front Group AARP and Drug-Maker Lobby Battle It Out Over Trump Administration Rule Aimed At Helping Seniors
RED-GREENS, CLIMATE CHANGE HOAX, LYSENKOISM
- Judge Rules NY AG Can't Call "Goldman Sachs" in Exxon Trial
FEMINAZISM, TRANSGENDER PSYCHOSIS, HOMOSEXUALIZATION, WAR ON MASCULINITY/NORMALCY
- The Equal Rights Amendment Can't Deliver Feminists Their Utopia
- Oxford Bans Cambridge Academic's Talk Transgressing Transgenderism
- Vermont to Allow Taxpayer-Funded Transgender Sex Reassignment Surgeries for Children
CULTURE WARS, HITHER & YON
- Toto: Critics Slam Shaft Remake as Racist, Sexist and Homophobic
- The Osirak-Chernobyl Nexus
- Thomas Sowell Talks About Discrimination, Race, and Social Justice
- "The Left Has Won the Culture War. Now They'e Just Driving Around Shooting Survivors"
- Elder: America Will Always Be "Racist"... If Nirvana Is the Goal
- How Ignorance of American History Feeds Demagogues Who Hate the Constitution
AMNESTY, IMMIGRATION, MIGRANT INVASION BORDER WALL, BORDER SECURITY
