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JUNE 17,  2017

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

PUNISHING A HOAX – FROM THE ALBANY TIMES UNION:   ALBANY — The former University at Albany students who were convicted of falsely reporting a hate crime on a CDTA bus last year avoided jail time Friday, and instead received a sentence of probation, community service and a fine.  The possibility of jail time for Ariel Agudio and Asha Burwell loomed large over Friday's sentencing in Albany County Court, where spectators and supporters of the women packed a standing room-only gallery. The Albany County Probation Department had recommended a split sentence for the women — time in jail followed by time on probation.  But Roger McDonough, the acting justice who presided over the eight-day trial in April and offered stern words for the women Friday, instead imposed a sentence of three years' probation, 200 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine.  "There have been significant consequences already for what has happened, but I don't think there's any benefit in sentencing you to a jail term — no benefit for society and no benefit for you," he said.  This was a major hoax that sucked in a university.  Jail time was appropriate, but at least the perps got community service and a fine.  Many reports of hate crimes are probably accurate, but there has been a spate of false charges in the last few years as well.  Some people feel a false report is just so much fun.

GO FOR IT, SARAH – FROM LAW NEWZ:  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says she’s talking to attorneys because of an inaccurate New York Times editorial. If it ever came to it, does she have a viable libel claim against the outlet?  This all started with a Wednesday article, where the Editorial Board tried to unpack the shooting that left four victims injured, including a Republican Congressman, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana. The piece tried to examine how incendiary political speech and easy access to guns may have facilitated the incident–shooter James Hodgkinson seemed to be a supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), and reportedly posted anti-Trump messages to social media.  The Editorial Board unintentionally walked into some dicey territory, however. They drew a parallel between the recent shooting and the 2011 attack on Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords, which also left six dead and more injured. In doing so, the board said there was a “clear” link between the actions of shooter Jared Lee Loughner and speech by Palin’s political action committee. Commenters, many conservative, did not respond kindly.  Read the whole piece.  It's fascinating.  It's very hard for a public figure to sue a newspaper for libel, as a wide berth is given in law to those who report and interpret the news.  But this charge was so outrageous that a jury might just decide that The Times was guilty.  Stay tuned.

BEN AND JERRY, SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIORS OR HYPOCRITES? – FROM AP:  MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Scores of dairy farm workers and activists marched Saturday on a Ben & Jerry's factory to push for better pay and living conditions on farms that provide milk for the ice cream maker that takes pride in its social activism.  Protesters said Ben & Jerry's agreed two years ago to participate in the so-called Milk with Dignity program, but the company and worker representatives have yet to reach an agreement.  "We can't wait any more. We are going to pressure them and see what happens," said Victor Diaz, a Mexican immigrant now working on a farm in Vergennes.   I always knew there was something suspicious about cherry garcia.  It tastes like...hypocrisy. 

June 17, 2017        Permalink

I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT – AT 12:47 P.M. ET:  A shareholder revolt in journalism companies?  From Breitbart: 

A Time Warner shareholder accused CNN of acting like it was the part the “resistance” movement against President Donald Trump.

“I’m inquiring about CNN’s bias and our return on investment,” shareholder David Almasi reportedly told Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes during Thursday’s annual shareholders meeting.

“Half the American public—which includes potential and current CNN viewers—voted for Trump last November and supports his agenda. CNN acts as if it is part of the anti-Trump resistance.”

According to the Hollywood Reporter, “about half of the 300 people” at the annual shareholders meeting “applauded” Almasi while “several others later approached” him to “thank him for his questions.”

Almasi reportedly “cited data from the Media Research Center indicating that among the CNN panelists dissecting the May 9 firing of FBI director James Comey, 96 were anti-Trump and seven were pro-Trump.”

COMMENT:  A good moment in American capitalism.  If more shareholders speak out, maybe there's a chance we'll get some welcome change.  Or maybe investors can be moved to invest in new journalism outlets that are more balanced, and more capable.

CNN, which bills itself as the first name in news, is fast becoming the first name in views.  It is an editorial page with reporters attached.  It has plenty of talent, and misuses it.

June 17, 2017       Permalink 

PLAY INTERRUPTED – AT 11:51 A.M. ET:  I don't approve of this kind of behavior, but it does indicate the level of tension in the country today.  From Fox:

Protesters disrupted a New York City stage production of "Julius Caesar" Friday that featured a bloody assassination of a character that resembled President Trump. 

One protester, identified as Rebel Media's Laura Loomer, stormed the stage and shouted, "Stop Leftist Violence."

Another protester, identified as Jack Posobiec, rose to his feet and yelled, "The blood of Steve Scalise is on your hands" and "Goebbels would be proud."

Video of the incident was quickly posted on social media. It showed the crowd booing as an announcement was made that the show was briefly halted.

Loomer was arrested and Posobiec was escorted out of the Shakespeare in the Park theatre complex located in Central Park. 

I interviewed Posobiec by phone at the Central Park Police Precinct - where he was waiting for his colleague to be processed on a criminal trespass charge. 

"We were protesting what we saw was the normalization of violence," he told me. "I couldn't believe they were going on with the play in light of what happened with the attack on Congressman Scalise."

COMMENT:  We cannot and should not approve of the protest, which disrupted the Shakespeare company's right of free speech.

ON THE OTHER HAND...now maybe some of those on the left will understand what conservatives and even moderates face every day on college campuses, where their speakers are shouted down, chased, and silenced.  It's a good lesson.   Problem is, leftists aren't very adept at learning lessons.

June 17, 2017       Permalink

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? – AT 11:14 A.M. ET:  An American Arleigh Burke-class destroyer was struck by a Philippines-flagged cargo ship off Japan.  A number of Americans are injured or missing.  From CNN:

Tokyo (CNN) Seven US sailors are missing and the commanding officer of a US destroyer is among the injured after the warship and a merchant ship collided off the coast of Japan, the US Navy said.

The smaller guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald suffered severe damage to its starboard side.
"The collision affected Fitzgerald's forward starboard side above and below the water line, causing significant damage and associated flooding to two berthing spaces, a machinery space, and the radio room," according to a statement from US 7th Fleet.

The statement hinted that the missing sailors could be trapped in the damaged area of the destroyer.

"It remains uncertain how long it will take to gain access to the spaces once the ship is pier side ... to methodically continue the search for the missing," the statement said.

And...

The warship was towed back to Yokosuka, escorted by a Japanese coast guard ship, naval officials said. It arrived at port late Saturday, when divers began inspecting the damage.

Earlier, the ship's commander, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, was evacuated by a Japanese naval helicopter while US military copters evacuated two injured US sailors. All three are in stable condition at the US Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, said Cmdr. Ron Flanders, public affairs officer for US Naval Forces Japan.

And...

The merchant vessel involved is the ACX Crystal, a container ship flagged in the Philippines, officials said. It is chartered by Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and owned by Dainichi-Invest Corporation, NYK said.

COMMENT:  Thus far there is no evidence of anything terror-related in the incident, although it does seem strange that a cargo ship would strike a U.S. Navy vessel in what looks like a direct hit to the destroyer's starboard side.

The offending ship is Philippines-flagged, and there is a substantial Muslim insurrection in the Philippines.  I mention that only as a point of information. 

There will be a naval inquiry, which should include a full background check of those in charge of the cargo ship at the time of the incident.   

June 17,  2017     Permalink

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