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JUNE 16,  2017

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

WARM CONGRATULATIONS – OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND IS TURNING 100 – FROM DAILY MAIL:   She’s one of the last surviving legends of Hollywood’s golden age.  Her beauty and enigmatic smile saw Olivia de Havilland play alongside the biggest names of the silver screen – Errol Flynn, Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift.  Off screen she was romanced by the likes of Jimmy Stewart, John Huston and Howard Hughes – and reportedly turned down the advances of John F Kennedy. She won two best actress Oscars in a career spanning six decades and 49 feature films – many of them considered to be classics.  But it is only now – two weeks before her 101st birthday – that the Gone With The Wind actress has been given a damehood for services to drama. It makes her the oldest woman ever to receive the honour. In a statement, she called it ‘the most gratifying of birthday presents’.  She is the only surviving star of "Gone With the Wind." 

STUNNING – FROM DAILY CALLER:   James T. Hodgkinson, the shooter who opened fire on dozens of Republican congressmen and staffers at a baseball practice in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday, had a list of Republican names in his pocket that was recovered by the FBI, The Daily Caller has learned.  The news that the shooter had a list of names suggests the shooting was not a random outburst, but instead appears to be a premeditated political assassination.  The list was written out on notepad paper and found in the shooter’s pocket, according to multiple sources with intimate knowledge of the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the investigation. The list of names included Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks, South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan and Arizona Rep. Trent Franks, TheDC has confirmed. Fox News reported after this story that Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, Tennessee Rep. Scott DesJarlais and Virginia Rep. Morgan Griffith are also on the list. All six congressmen are members of the House Freedom Caucus, which contains the lower chamber’s most conservative members.  He'll probably get a posthumous honorary degree from some chic university.

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS UP – FROM DAILY CALLER:  Canada passed a law Thursday making it illegal to use the wrong gender pronouns. Critics say that Canadians who do not subscribe to progressive gender theory could be accused of hate crimes, jailed, fined, and made to take anti-bias training.  Canada’s Senate passed Bill C-16, which puts “gender identity” and “gender expression” into both the country’s Human Rights Code, as well as the hate crime category of its Criminal Code by a vote of 67-11, according to LifeSiteNews. The bill now only needs royal assent from the House of Commons to pass into law.  “Great news,” announced Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister. “Bill C-16 has passed the Senate – making it illegal to discriminate based on gender identity or expression. #LoveisLove.”  Freedom dies slowly in "progressive" nations.

June 16, 2017       Permalink

HOLDING THE MEDIA ACCOUNTABLE – AT 11:42 A.M. ET:   As we see elements of the media spin out of control, giving up cherished credibility for a moment of Trump-bashing, there is increasing scrutiny of the media itself and its classic mission to hold government to account.  From Howard Kurtz at Fox: 

So much for unity.

Just when a debate erupts over the role of media and mendacity in the shooting of a Republican congressman, the New York Times revives a discredited theory about the six-year-old shooting of a Democratic congresswoman.

This was so egregious and embarrassing that the Times editorial page was compelled yesterday to run a correction.

And worse than that, it was utterly tone-deaf in the wake of the shooting of Steve Scalise and four others, with the Republican whip still in critical condition. The editorial seemed to say, the hell with that, what about right-wing hatred?

The argument involving the near-fatal shooting of Gabby Giffords wasn’t true at the time, and appears even more ludicrous in retrospect. To resurrect it now undercuts any effort at breaking the cycle of guilt by association. The editorial suggests that it’s fine to blame conservative rhetoric, but not liberal rhetoric, for senseless violence.

Here’s what the Times said:

“Was this attack evidence of how vicious American politics has become? Probably. In 2011, when Jared Lee Loughner opened fire in a supermarket parking lot, grievously wounding Representative Gabby Giffords and killing six people, including a 9-year-old girl, the link to political incitement was clear. Before the shooting, Sarah Palin’s political action committee circulated a map of targeted electoral districts that put Ms. Giffords and 19 other Democrats under stylized cross hairs.

“Conservatives and right-wing media were quick on Wednesday to demand forceful condemnation of hate speech and crimes by anti-Trump liberals. They’re right. Though there’s no sign of incitement as direct as in the Giffords attack, liberals should of course hold themselves to the same standard of decency that they ask of the right.”

Palin’s use of the crosshairs may have been unfortunate, but to link it to the mass shooting was, and is, nonsensical.

COMMENT:  Both sides have some explaining to do, but it's been my experience that many on the committed left don't care about the truth.  As their intellectual hero of the 1960s, Herbert Marcuse, believed, the truth is what supports "progressive" causes. 

Much of the press is now committed to the destruction of Donald Trump.  That destruction is being carried out largely through anonymous sources.  It is no way to run a newspaper, or a democracy.  We are in the weeds, our government being tortured by leakers.

June 16, 2017       Permalink 

IT'S OBAMA'S HOME STATE – AT 10:51 A.M. ET:  And where his presidential library will be located.  And now it's...seriously broke.  From CBS: 

Illinois residents may feel some solidarity with the likes of Puerto Rico and Detroit.

A financial crunch is spiraling into a serious problem for Illinois lawmakers, prompting some observers to wonder if the state might make history by becoming the first to go bankrupt. At the moment, it's impossible for a state to file for bankruptcy protection, which is only afforded to counties and municipalities like Detroit. 

Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection could be extended to states if Congress took up the issue, although Stanford Law School professor Michael McConnell noted in an article last year that he believed the precedents are iffy for extending the option to states. Nevertheless, Illinois is in a serious financial pickle, which is why radical options such as bankruptcy are being floated as potential solutions. 

Ratings agency Moody's Investor Service earlier this month downgraded Illinois's general obligation bonds to its lowest investment grade rating, citing the state's growing pile of unpaid bills and its mounting pension deficit. Illinois, by the way, has the lowest credit rating of any state. Lower ratings mean higher borrowing costs, since lenders view such borrowers as riskier bets.

"Legislative gridlock has sidetracked efforts not only to address pension needs but also to achieve fiscal balance, allowing a backlog of bills to approach $15 billion, or about 40 percent of the state's operating budget," the agency noted. 

As noted by the Fiscal Times, Illinois is the only state that's been operating without a balanced and complete budget for almost two years. 

"We're like a banana republic. We can't manage our money," Gov. Bruce Rauner said after the Illinois Legislature failed to produce a full 2017 budget earlier this month.

COMMENT:  May I gently point out that states around Illinois, like Wisconsin and Indiana, are doing quite well.  The governor of Indiana was, until recently, Mike Pence. 

I wonder why Illinois is in trouble, but not those other states.  Oh, I see that Chicago is in Illinois.  And raiding the treasury is a Chicago specialty.

Maybe Mr. Obama can help.  After all, he just made a $65-million book deal. A little bit for the people, Mr. President?

June 16, 2017       Permalink 

YIKES! – AT 9:40 A.M. ET:  Is Trump soaring?  We've gotten some indicators in the last few days that the president is starting to gain in public opinion.  It might be a result of public sympathy in the fact of the onslaught against him in Washington, and by the press.  From Rasmussen: 

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty percent (50%) disapprove.

This is the first time the president’s overall approval rating has hit the 50% mark since late April. His approval rating has ranged from a high of 59% in late January shortly after he took office to a low of 42% in early April.

The latest figures include 31% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 42% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -11.

And note these findings:

A sizable number of voters, including most Republicans, believe former FBI Director James Comey should be punished for leaking to the media.

Most voters think Congress needs to investigate whether former Attorney General Loretta Lynch interfered in last year's FBI investigation of Hillary Clinton.

As the unemployment rate drops to its lowest level in 10 years, optimism among voters that the U.S. economy is fair has soared to new highs.

COMMENT:  There's some good news for the president in there.  One risk of pursuing an investigation of a president intensely is that the investigators may face a backlash.  That's what happened when Republicans impeached Bill Clinton during his second term.  He may have technically deserved it, but the public didn't think so, and the GOP was damaged in the polls.

June 16,  2017     Permalink 

JUNE 15,  2017

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET: 

WISE STATEMENT – FROM THE HILL:  The Justice Department issued a statement Thursday night warning the media and other Americans against believing anonymous sources, and warning that the Justice Department doesn't confirm statements from unnamed officials.  "Americans should exercise caution before accepting as true any stories attributed to anonymous 'officials,' particularly when they do not identify the country - let alone the branch or agency of government - with which the alleged sources supposedly are affiliated," Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein wrote Thursday.  "Americans should be skeptical about anonymous allegations," the statement continues. "The Department of Justice has a long-standing policy to neither confirm or deny such allegations."  It's about time someone said this.

BIG MOUTH FUMBLES – FROM HOLLYWOOD REPORTER:  Elizabeth Banks messed up, and she is very sorry.  Those are the words Banks used in a tweet posted Thursday afternoon, a lengthy apology directed at Steven Spielberg and anyone offended by her comments on Tuesday night from the podium at Women in Film's Crystal + Lucy Awards, where she claimed Spielberg had never directed a film featuring a female lead.   "I framed my comments inaccurately. I want to be clear from the start that I take full responsibility for what I said and I'm sorry," posted Banks, who made the gaffe during her acceptance speech for the Crystal Award for Excellence in Film, presented to her by Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley. "When I made the comments, I was thinking of recent films Steven directed, it was not my intention to dismiss the import of the iconic #TheColorPurple."  My dear, grown-ups do their research before they open their mouths, especially when attacking a revered director.  Why do I think this thespian will have trouble  getting another job?

June 15, 2017      Permalink

TRUMP APPROVAL STILL HOLDS– AT 10:43 A.M. ET:  We are constantly being assured that the president is collapsing.  He is a goner.  Off the charts unpopular.  While it's true that some polls show slippage in his approval, others do not.  And we should remember that Barack Obama spent most of his presidency with approval in the low forties.  From Rasmussen, today:   

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 47% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-three percent (53%) disapprove.

The latest figures for Trump include 30% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 44% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of -14.

A sizable number of voters, including most Republicans, believe former FBI Director James Comey should be punished for leaking to the media.  

Following Comey’s public testimony before a Senate panel last week, voters tend to believe that President Trump tried to interfere with the Russia probe. But as usual, party affiliation makes a big difference.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of voters think Congress should investigate whether Loretta Lynch, President Obama’s Attorney General, sought to influence the FBI’s probe of Hillary Clinton’s handling of top secret information in her e-mails.

A gunman with a reported history of posting anti-Trump and anti-Republican messages on social media opened fire on Republican members of Congress during baseball practice yesterday in Virginia. Rasmussen Reports is asking voters whether or not they think the shooting represents a growing trend toward political violence in this country and will release those results tomorrow.

COMMENT:  On balance, not bad for the president.  If he can score some legislative victories, he might start moving ahead.  He is under relentless attack, but the attacks are falling short.

Reagan was very far down at one point.  Truman was almost lost.  Look at their reputations today.

June 15, 2017       Permalink

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS – AT 9:54 A.M. ET:  The Washington probes may be turning into a useless farce, but they may still bring Trump down, which is the objective.  The Democrats are trying everything, literally everything.  From IBD: 

Politics: It is merely a coincidence that just as the Trump-Russia collusion story started seriously falling apart, Democrats suddenly shifted gears to file a lawsuit against President Trump for allegedly violating an obscure provision of the Constitution involving foreign "emoluments."

On Monday, attorneys general from Maryland and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit against Trump claiming that he is "flagrantly violating" the Constitution because he is still the owner of his businesses, even though he's given up the operation of them.

On Wednesday, nearly 200 Democratic lawmakers sued Trump on the same basis, with Michigan Rep. John Conyers claiming that "Trump has conflicts of interest in at least 25 countries, and it appears he's using his presidency to maximize his profits."

For those who don't know, Article I, Section 9, of the Constitution stipulates that "no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State."

The idea that Trump's businesses could be a problem vis-a-vis this clause never came up before the election. In fact, the only article we found in a search was one that questioned whether Hillary Clinton violated it as secretary of state when her foundation was getting fat foreign gifts while she was making decisions that benefited foreign governments.

The topic came up only after the election — but before Democrats decided to charge Trump with colluding with Russia to swing the election, after which the topic disappeared from view.

But after Democrats came up empty-handed with James Comey's testimony last Thursday — in which the former FBI director made it clear that Trump had not been a subject of the investigation and that he didn't believe Trump had pressured him to drop his investigation into Russian collusion — "emoluments" suddenly shot to the front of the Democrats' agenda. Why?

The chance that Democrats will succeed in their cases against Trump are incredibly slim. The Supreme Court has never heard a case involving this clause. As a result, it's not even known whether it applies to the president; there is in fact a debate about that among legal scholars. It's also far from clear whether Democratic lawmakers or state attorneys general have standing to bring such a suit, because they'd have to show that they were somehow harmed by the Trump Organization's business dealings.

COMMENT:  Read the rest.  It's fascinating.  I'm especially worried about the activities of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, former head of the FBI.  Special counsels have a bad history.  They often become witch-hunts, designed more to keep the probe going and to justify their salaries than to find real truth.  Some good people have been badly hurt.  And special counsels tend to take a long time, disrupting government and casting a cloud of suspicion over officeholders who may have done nothing wrong.

June 15,  2017     Permalink

HORROR IN BALTIMORE – ART 9:33 A.M. ET:  Remember Baltimore?  It got some news coverage last year when the national press thought it could stick it to the police there.  Then, when the cops charged in an officer-involved death were all acquitted, the national press went home, leaving a demoralized police force to try to save the city.  It's not working out very well.  From CBS:

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore sees multiple deadly shootings in just a matter of hours. It was a burst of violence that forced the commissioner to make a drastic move today.

All uniformed officers will be on mandatory 12-hour shifts, as the city hustles to control the crime.

Ava-joye Burnett reports the violence spilled over from the night into broad daylight today.

After a violent night, the police department announced a plan on how to address this problem, as the Police Commissioner was angered by the violence.

The violence in Baltimore started Monday evening and lasted through the night. It spilled over into the middle of Tuesday and by the end of it all, at least 12 people had been shot and at least six dead.

The victims include a 28-year-old man killed during a drug dispute on Bentalou Street, a 37-year-old woman killed in a bullying incident on Gertrude street and a man and woman– both in their twenties, killed during a quadruple shooting on Bonaparte Ave.

The police commissioner didn’t hold back or temper his tone.

“Quite frankly it pisses off the community, it angers us, it frustrates us,” says Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis.

COMMENT:  But who cares, right?  See any interest by "Black Lives Matter"?  See former President Obama rush to the city to help calm things?  Hey, Reverend Al Sharpton, where've you been?

No TV cameras, no interest.  What a farce.  Baltimore has many great qualities, swallowed up by senseless violence.

June 15,  2017     Permalink