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SEPTEMBER 27,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:52 P.M. ET: 

DUPED – From The Times of Israel:   Iran has invited black Americans affected by police violence to a conference on discrimination in Tehran, the Telegraph reported Sunday.  “A large group of black Americans, including victims of police brutality and black activists are due to arrive in Iran for the conference,” an organizer told the Islamic republic’s Shargh newspaper, according to the Telegraph.  Sadly, some blacks are apparently being duped by this.  Iran's regime is racist and murderous.  It murders dissenters in the street.  Now some American blacks will see it as friendly, and the American left will help out in the hoax.

OUTRAGE IN BRITAIN – From Fox:  A British soldier was asked to move from a hospital waiting room last week because staff feared his uniform might offend other patients.  The family of Royal Air Force Sgt. Mark Prendeville said hospital workers told them “they didn’t want to upset people” and that the hospital has “lots of different cultures coming in,” according to the Guardian.  “To say I was incensed would put it mildly,” Prendeville’s father, Jim Prendeville, told the BBC.  The health system has now instructed hospitals to treat soldiers as they would any citizens.  That should not have had to be said.  Political correctness is very strong in Britain and Europe, and likely to grow stronger with the influx of Mideast refugees.

IDIOT – Looks like she's testing the waters for a presidential run.  From WaPo:   In a Sunday speech on racial inequality, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called for broad policing reform — including de-escalation training and body cameras for all police officers — and likened the current Black Lives Matter movement to the civil rights movement that won black Americans the right to vote in the 1960s.  "None of us can ignore what is happening in this country. Not when our black friends, family, neighbors literally fear dying in the streets." Warren said. "This is the reality all of us must confront, as uncomfortable and ugly as that reality may be. It comes to us to once again affirm that black lives matter, that black citizens matter, that black families matter."  Not a word about the horror of black communities in which citizens are murdered by the busload by others in the community.  There are substandard cops, of course.  But the greater tragedy in black America is cultural breakdown.  If it is not confronted, nothing else will matter.

September 27, 2015       Permalink

I CAN'T WAIT – AT 1:49 P.M. ET:  They're letting Obama out of the White House again.  From The Hill:

NEW YORK -- President Obama will hold a bilateral meeting on Tuesday with President Raul Castro of Cuba, White House officials announced on Sunday.

The meeting, which comes in the midst of the United Nations General Assembly, will be the second time the two leaders have met since the U.S. restored diplomatic relations with the communist nation last year. Obama and Castro also sat down at the Summit of the Americas meeting earlier this year in Panama. The two men also chatted on the phone earlier this month.

Castro will be in New York to attend U.N. General Assembly, marking his first appearance at the assembly.

The White House also announced Sunday that Obama would also be meeting with President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan.

COMMENT:  Someone restrain the president, please!  He may be tempted to give away more to Castro, just to get a photo of the two smiling.  Or, he may apologize for our rudeness during the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Or for the Spanish-American War.  Or for Lucy's divorce from Desi. 

Obama should, in fact, start making demands on the Brothers Castro for the release of political prisoners.  No chance.

September 27, 2015       Permalink 

SOME GOOD EDUCATION NEWS, FOR A CHANGE – AT 11:31 A.M. ET:   It has finally occurred to educators that "zero tolerance" policies for school discipline aren't working and are often grievously unfair.  From Fox: 

So-called “zero tolerance” is out and grownup discretion is back in at schools around the country, after years of policies that punished children for everything from playing cops and robbers at recess to chewing a Pop-Tart into the shape of a gun.

Educators from New York to Los Angeles and at numerous districts in between are rethinking policies intended to render classroom justice blind, but which produced dozens of cases in which kids as young as kindergarten paid dearly for behavior that would have been addressed by a simple scolding in a different era.

“We need discretion in imposing punishment,” said Elizabeth Rose, longtime New York public high school teacher and author of the memoir “Yo Miz!: 1 teacher + 25 schools= 1 wacky year.”

“Zero-tolerance policies forbid persons in authority, like teachers and school administrators, from exercising discretion or changing punishments to fit the circumstances, she added. “Basically, you are taking the authority away from trained education professionals and the people who know their students best.”

Among the cases of educators imposing punishments that did not seem to fit the crime that made national headlines in recent years:

In 2013, a fifth-grader in Fawn Grove, Pa., was suspended for pretending to shoot an imaginary bow and arrow.

Also in 2013, a 6-year-old boy from Canon City, Colo., was accused of sexual harassment and suspended for kissing a girl on the hand.

In 2012, a 7-year-old boy in Anne Arundel County, Md., was suspended for gnawing his Pop-Tart into the shape of a gun.

“Zero tolerance policies expose the totalitarian ambitions of school administrators,” said Cevin Soling, director of the documentary “The War on Kids” and author of “The Student Resistance Handbook.”

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner last month signed into law a comprehensive revision of disciplinary policies, banning fines and fees for transgressions in public schools. New York City’s Department of Education has also moved to curtail automatic school suspensions for minor violations.

COMMENT:   A move in the right direction.  Obviously, we have to be careful.  Removal of "zero tolerance" could turn into an assault on all discipline.  I am suspicious of changes in New York City, where the dream of the current mayoral administration is to return to the failed educational policies of the 1960s. 

We'll follow this.  I can't wait for the pushback from special-interest groups.

September 27, 2015       Permalink

HOT GOP RACE – AT 11:16 A.M. ET:  New NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows a Trump-Carson horserace, with Rubio and Fiorina gaining.  From NBC News: 

Donald Trump and Ben Carson are running neck and neck in the national Republican presidential horserace, while Carly Fiorina is now tied for third place with Marco Rubio, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

And on the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton has lost ground to Bernie Sanders — she leads him by just seven points with Joe Biden in the race, and 15 points without the vice president. That's down from Clinton's 34-point lead over Sanders in July and her whopping 60-point lead in June.

In the GOP race, Trump is the first choice of 21 percent of Republican primary voters — followed by Carson at 20 percent and Rubio and Fiorina tied at 11 percent each.

And...

In the Democratic race, Hillary Clinton is the first choice of 42 percent of primary voters, Sanders is in second at 35 percent and Joe Biden third at 17 percent. No other Democrat gets more than 1 percent...

...When Biden - who is still mulling a campaign - is removed from the field, Clinton's lead over Sanders grows to 15 points, 53 percent to 38 percent, which suggests that Biden's entry would hurt Clinton more than Sanders.

Back in July, Clinton held a 34-point lead over Sanders, 59 percent to 25 percent. And in June, it was 60 points, 75 percent to 15 percent.

COMMENT:  The sense I get is that Trump is losing momentum.  This seems to be confirmed by other polls, as Carson, Rubio and Fiorina come up.

And...in the Dem race, Queen Hillary has gone from 75% to 42% in only three months.  Sanders and Biden together get 52%.  I wouldn't say Hillary is toast, but the toaster-oven is clearly set to "warming."  If she continues this downward spin she'll be looking for work as an MSNBC commentator.

September 27,  2015     Permalink

SEPTEMBER 26,  2015

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

ABUSIVE – From CBS Local:  SAN JOSE (KPIX) — A bill that would end birthright citizenship in the U.S. is gaining steam in Washington, thanks to the Republican Presidential campaign.  It targets a controversial underground industry known as birth tourism, pregnant foreign women traveling to this country just for the purpose of delivering American citizen babies.  Business is booming here in the Bay Area, especially in the South Bay.  But publicity is not welcome.  “I don’t have a comment, I don’t have a comment,” said Jerry Zhou. He runs a popular tourist agency. The destination, not Fisherman’s Wharf, or the Golden Gate Bridge, but a regular home on a residential street in North San Jose.  This may be perfectly legal, but it's an abuse of our system.  We have millions of struggling Americans, of all backgrounds and races, who are paying for services for immigrants.  We are a generous nation, but birth tourism offends that generosity.

CARSON AND TRUMP CLOSE IN N.C. – From The Hill:   Donald Trump leads Ben Carson by less than 1 point among GOP voters in North Carolina, according to an Elon University poll released on Saturday. The real-estate mogul leads the pack in the Tar Heel State with 21.5 percent support, followed closely by the retired neurosurgeon with 20.9 percent support.  Businesswoman Carly Fiorina places third in the state with 9.9 percent support, followed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) at 7.4 percent support, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush with 7 percent support, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) with 6.7 percent support.  While Trump is still the top choice among Republicans, Carson appears to have broader appeal. Carson handily defeats Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton by 11 points head-to-head, while Clinton bests Trump in a hypothetical general election matchup by 7 points.  Trump's negatives among the general population are starting to hurt him.  Not everyone loves that personality.

BILL ON DONALD – Bill Clinton thinks Donald Trump really has a shot.  From The Hill:  President Bill Clinton says Donald Trump could win the GOP nomination thanks to his ability to promote a unique personal brand.  “He’s a master brander,” Clinton said during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Saturday.  “And when you’ve got a lot of people running, and people are trying, got to make distinctions, being able to put a personal stamp on it so people identify who you are, certainly counts for something, at least in the beginning.”  When asked by Zakaria if he believed Trump could win, Clinton said “I think so.” But he was quick to qualify and note that he’s been out of politics for years.  “I think so, how do I know?” Clinton said.  “I’m not the best pundit anymore, I don’t have a good feel for this, all I know is what I’ve heard from the country.”  Bill should worry about whether his wife can win, and stay out of jail at the same time.

September 26, 2015       Permalink

ANOTHER FAMOUS OBAMA/KERRY VICTORY – AT 1:16 P.M. ET:   Can this administration point to a single American victory in foreign policy?  I look hard, but find nothing.  From Fox:

The leader of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah group said Friday that he welcomed what he described as Russia's growing "combat presence" in Syria, saying it will have a significant impact on the war in the neighboring country.

Moscow has denied that it is building up its presence in Syria to protect its long-time ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, but says instead that it wants to help him fight the Islamic State group.

Hassan Nasrallah said the deployment of Russian warplanes and precision missiles, as well as "resources with operating teams" is a "great development" that will influence the situation on the ground.

Nasrallah made the comments Friday on Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV.

He said Russia has been talking with allies about an expanded alliance against the IS after U.S.-led airstrikes failed to uproot the extremists.

During the interview, Nasrallah said it was the failure of the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State that had forced Moscow's hand, Reuters reported.

"The failure of America and the international coalition to bring defeat to Daesh was one of the reasons which called or pushed Russia to also come, and to get directly involved," he said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

COMMENT:  Just what we need.  Russia, not being content with its aggression in Ukraine, moves right into Syria.  I'm sure Obama will order "talks" on the issue.

September 26, 2015       Permalink

A POLITICAL SIGN PERHAPS – AT 11:21 A.M.  ET:  Sometimes there are these signs indicating who's up and who's down.  This is fascinating.  From, of all places, the liberal-leaning Politico:

The Clinton Foundation invited everyone from Pope Francis and Leonardo DiCaprio to Bill de Blasio and Janet Yellen to its showcase gathering starting Saturday in New York City, according to multiple sources familiar with the planning.

But those invitations were among the dozens turned down by all manner of celebrities, dignitaries and donors, according to the sources, who said the controversies swirling around the foundation and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign have made some bold-faced names and donors wary of the foundation.

The glitzy Clinton Global Initiative gathering in New York, which has the lofty title “The Future of Impact,” was supposed to have been a celebration of the accomplishments of the $2-billion Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation’s past work as it pivots towards a future with Chelsea Clinton at the helm.

Instead, it’s become emblematic of the foundation’s struggles to regain its luster, while scaling back some of its ambitions and restructuring amid heightened scrutiny of its internal workings, the diminished role of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the prospect that former president Bill Clinton also could be forced to step back.

“They've had a lot of rejections from people – both for membership renewals and speaking roles this year between the campaign, Hillary not being at CGI this year, bad press,” said one person who has worked on planning foundation events.

COMMENT:  Bottom line:  Hillary is in trouble and the world knows it.  And big shots with reputations to sustain don't come rushing to be photographed with people in trouble.  There are no friends in the political business, only temporary allies. 

September 26, 2015       Permalink

TRUMP STUMBLES – AT 10:44 A.M. ET:  There is legitimate debate over whether Donald Trump has hit is peak in the polls, but there can be very little debate over the extent of the blunder he committed yesterday before a conservative audience.  Trump went too far, and was told so in no uncertain terms.  From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — After training his fire for much of the summer on former Gov. Jeb Bush, Donald J. Trump has found a new favorite Republican rival to taunt: Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.

But Mr. Rubio is proving capable of giving it back. And Mr. Trump also discovered on Friday that some conservatives do not respond as kindly when the insults are directed toward Mr. Rubio, who is not viewed with the sort of suspicion that Mr. Bush engenders among hard-line activists.

“You have this clown, Marco Rubio,” Mr. Trump began, in a speech to the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit here. “And I’ve been so nice to him.”

Before he could go further, though, the audience of social conservatives let out a cascade of boos.

Mr. Trump had brought a Bible with him on stage, but he is not a natural fit for movement conservatives, particularly the born-again Christians who are involved in politics chiefly because of their faith and attend conferences such as this.

COMMENT:  Trump is a talented man whose ego is completely out of control.  People are starting to realize it.  To refer to a distinguished senator like Marco Rubio as a clown is way out of bounds.  He earlier referred to him as a kid.  Rubio is a respected Senate voice on foreign policy.  The audience booed Trump for good reason. 

I believe that Trump is wearing out his welcome.  We expect in our presidents a certain stature.  Saying, "He tells it like it is," is not enough.  It's like Democrats defending Bill Clinton by saying that his personal behavior was unimportant because the presidency is a "CEO position."  No it isn't.  It is, as FDR said, "pre-eminently a place of moral leadership."

We revere Ronald Reagan in part because of the way he carried himself.  We dislike Jimmy Carter in part because of the way he carried himself – a little man who remained little.  Trump is not revered.

September 26,  2015     Permalink