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JUNE 5,  2018

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:57 P.M. ET: 

PRIMARY RESULTS – Results are still coming in, especially from California, but we can safely predict that Gavin Newsom will be the Dem nominee for governor.  In California's "jungle primary" system, the top two vote getters face each other in November, even if they're from the same party.  But John Cox, a Republican, easily won the second slot, so Californians will actually have a real two-party election.  This could be exciting.  Cox has surged following President Trump's endorsement.  There's much discontent in the sunshine state.  Even though California has been deep blue in recent years, an upset is possible.

CALIFORNIA U.S. SENATE – This one has been watched closely.  There was a primary on the Dem side, featuring ancient incumbent Dianne Feinstein, seen as a centrist liberal, challenged by leftist firebrand Kevin de León, who represents the burgeoning radical wing of the party.  The Democratic Party is now so far left that its state convention refused to endorse Feinstein for re-election.  However, it appears that she's swamping de León, and that the threat from the left was exaggerated.  I mean, how many Marxists are there on the beach?

MAJOR DIPLOMATIC NEWS – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   NBA star turned Kim Jong Un soulmate Dennis Rodman will be in Singapore during President Trump’s summit with the North Korean dictator next week, The Post has learned.  “No matter what you might think about his presence, one thing’s for sure, the ratings will be huge,” a source said. “A lot of times in situations that involve complex diplomacy, countries like to identify ambassadors of goodwill and whether you agree with it or not Dennis Rodman fits the bill.”  The zany, 6-foot-7 ex-basketballer — who has struck up an unlikely bromance with the pint-sized, 5-foot-7 Kim, and has visited the rogue regime five times in the past — took some of the credit for getting the two leaders together.  In an April interview with TMZ, Rodman said that Kim didn’t understand the president until he gave the North Korean strongman a copy of Trump’s ghost-written book, “The Art of the Deal,” for his birthday in 2017.  Whatever works.

June 5, 2018       Permalink

THE END OF CIVILIZATION? – AT 11:29 P.M. ET:  It is, isn't it?  I mean, this is the day the Miss America pageant abolished the swimsuit competition, and also the evening gown segment.  And, oh, it won't be known as a pageant any longer.  Now it's a competition.

And the young women will talk a great deal about their opinions.  I look forward to hearing Miss Nevada discuss the impact of tax reduction on economic growth.  And I hear Miss Indiana is a killer on regime change in Iran. 

I happened to go into Manhattan today for a meeting, and I could overhear parts of many conversations on the commuter train.  No one was talking about Miss America.  I'm not sure anyone ever will.  Who really cares?  And I think civilization will survive.

What annoys me is the politicization of even an old tradition like Miss America.  If someone wants to hold a beauty contest, and women want to compete, let them.  If men want to hold a bodybuilding contest, let them. 

The main honcho at the Miss America organization is Gretchen Carlson, who was once Miss America herself.  She became, as you know, a Fox News broadcaster until she successfully sued Fox for sexual harassment.  I have no idea whether that experience influenced her decision about swimsuits.

I think today's changes will kill off Miss America.   Let's be blunt.  Who would want to watch?  It had been off network television for a number of years because of lack of interest.  ABC brought it back.  ABC now has a headache.

June 5, 2018       Permalink

AND IN THE REAL WORLD – AT 10:15 A.M. ET:   When we focus on the great game of American politics, we tend to take our eyes off the world of danger that awaits us.  From Fox: 

Iran’s regime has not stopped its drive to secure technology and scientific knowledge to produce weapons of mass destruction, the intelligence agency of the German state of Baden-Württemberg disclosed in a report last week.

“Iran continued to undertake, as did Pakistan and Syria, efforts to obtain goods and know-how to be used for the development of weapons of mass destruction and to optimize corresponding missile delivery systems,” said the intelligence document, reviewed by FoxNews.com.

The intelligence agency — the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution — monitors threats to Germany’s democratic, constitutional order and is the equivalent of the FBI, operating at the state level. The counterespionage officials wrote that Iran’s illicit activities in Germany are concentrated in the classic sectors for espionage: politics, the economy, science, the military and the armaments industry.

“The observation and combating of proliferation efforts of ... Iran was also an important task of counterintelligence" in 2017 in Baden-Württemberg, said the report.

Scores of specialized technology and engineering companies are located in the southwestern state.

FoxNews.com reported in February that Iranian businessmen purchased material from the Krempel firm in Baden-Württemberg that later turned up in chemical rockets used to gas Syrian civilians in January and February.

COMMENT:  Leave it to the modern, multicultural Europeans to sell to the Iranians the technology that will later be used against Europe itself.  It reminds me of how we, in America, sold scrap iron to Japan just before the outbreak of World War II.  It came back to us as bullets and shells.

It also reminds us of Churchill's warning against those who will feed the alligator, in the hope that they'll be eaten last.

President Trump, unlike the last president, takes the threat seriously.  His great task in dealing with Iran will be in trying to convince the Europeans, who are doing great business in Tehran, to go along with his efforts.  I can only be marginally hopeful.  Europe is Europe, and too many Europeans would rather see their civilization die than miss the next contract.

June 5, 2018        Permalink

VOTING TODAY – AT 9:51 A.M. ET:  Today is a major primary day, and we'll be watching the returns come in tonight.  From Fox: 

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. –  The Democratic Party’s ambitious midterm plan to regain control of the House of Representatives faces its biggest test yet in Tuesday’s California primaries – where candidates are tripping over each other for the chance to flip Republican-held districts.

The big question facing the party, however, is whether their candidates’ enthusiasm could backfire. So many Democratic contenders have jumped into key races – largely running on an anti-Trump platform – that the overload threatens to split the vote and boost Republicans. 

But the state nevertheless offers Democrats a wealth of opportunities to swipe seats. California's House races, meanwhile, are just a fraction of the action taking place on Tuesday, the biggest primary day so far this cycle. With eight states voting, an array of contests will reveal how each party is trending as the midterms near: 

CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR
California’s “jungle primary” is set up to advance the top-two finishers to the general election regardless of party. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a liberal Democrat, is the clear front-runner in the gubernatorial race, according to recent polls. But the fight for the second spot on the ballot is being fought among a handful of hopefuls – notably former Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Republican businessman John Cox, who appears to be surging after an endorsement from President Trump.

MONTANA SENATE
Republican candidates are lining up to challenge Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who represents a state President Trump easily won in 2016. Among the GOP challengers in Tuesday’s primary: state auditor Matt Rosendale, Judge Russ Fagg, state Sen. Albert Olszewski and combat veteran Troy Downing. Fox News’ Power Rankings rate the Montana race as one of eight Senate toss-ups this year.

CALIFORNIA SENATE
Longtime incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., remains the front-runner in the state’s Senate race despite her failure to secure the California Democratic Party’s endorsement in February. The fight for the second spot on the ballot is between the more liberal Democratic state Sen. Kevin de Leon and Republican James P. Bradley, among others.

COMMENT:  The man to watch is John Cox, in California.  If he cannot get into the number two position on the ballot, California – the state of Ronald Reagan –  will not have a Republican candidate for governor in November.  If he can, you just never know how far he can go, in a state where small revolutions are bubbling up all over.

June 5,  2018     Permalink

JUNE 4,  2018

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

NOT KIDNAPPED BY ALIENS – Melanie Trump made an appearance today at a White House ceremony honoring Gold Star families.  This ends weeks of speculation, stirred by the Zoloft press, that the first lady had disappeared, was being held captive at a Trump hotel, was the new Roseanne at ABC, or had decided to go back to her homeland and give away American national secrets.   She's fine, and entitled to some privacy.

BREATHS OF FRESH AIR – FROM DAILY CALLER:  Professors and a former administrator at The Evergreen State College bashed an “independent” report on the school’s spring 2017 riots.  Evergreen President George Bridges nominated the report‘s three authors, who were then confirmed by the Washington school’s board of trustees, reported Campus Reform.  “Somehow I must have missed the customary ‘April Fools!’ proclamation that normally follows these types of hoaxes, fake stories, and practical jokes,” Evergreen veterinary medicine professor Mike Paros said, describing the report in an op-ed obtained by Campus Reform. “Faculty and staff are also embarrassed but remain silent out of fear of losing their jobs.”
Most of his students “don’t want to be shielded from ideas and content they find discomforting and challenging,” Paros noted and that “many feel humiliated by the vulgar behavior of fellow students and the administration’s cowardly reaction.”  Evergreen State is one of the five most left-wing schools in the country.  If even members of its way-out progressive faculty are turned off by the political correctness and academic thuggery on campus, maybe we're making some progress.

GOOD MOVE, ABOUT TIME – FROM AP:  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department is poised to take over background investigations for the federal government, using increased automation and high-tech analysis to tighten controls and tackle an enormous backlog of workers waiting for security clearances, according to U.S. officials.  The change aims to fix a system whose weaknesses were exposed by the case of a Navy contractor who gunned down a dozen people at Washington's Navy Yard in 2013. He was able to maintain a security clearance despite concerns about his mental health and an arrest that investigators never reviewed.  Security clearance is one of the most vital functions of our federal government, and mistakes can cost lives and lose battles.  The system has been a disgrace for years.  Now we hope that will change.

June 4, 2018       Permalink

THESE EAGLES DON'T FLY – AT 11:07 P.M. ET:   President Trump has rebuffed an insult from the championship Philadelphia Eagles.  From Daily Caller: 

President Donald Trump canceled a planned reception for Superbowl champions Philadelphia Eagles after many players would not attend due to his position on the national anthem.

“The Philadelphia Eagles are unable to come to the White House with their full team to be celebrated tomorrow.  They disagree with their President because he insists that they proudly stand for the National Anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men and women of our military and the people of our country,” Trump said in a Monday evening statement.

“The Eagles wanted to send a smaller delegation, but the 1,000 fans planning to attend the event deserve better.  These fans are still invited to the White House to be part of a different type of ceremony—one that will honor our great country, pay tribute to the heroes who fight to protect it, and loudly and proudly play the National Anthem.  I will be there at 3:00 p.m. with the United States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus to celebrate America,” he continued.

COMMENT:  Again the Graduate School of Psychiatry at CNN and associated scholarly institutions are at work analyzing the president's move, and have declared it cowardly and egotistical.

No such thing.   Whether you like Trump or not, he has masterful political instincts.  He knows that the armed forces and the national anthem are vastly more popular than a ball team where players make millions of dollars and refuse to stand for the American flag. 

I, for one, look forward to the ceremony, and won't miss the Eagles. 

June 4, 2018       Permalink

BULLETIN:   SUPREME COURT ANNOUNCES MAJOR DECISION – AT 10:46 A.M. ET:  This case, involving a baker who declined to bake a cake for a gay couple based on the baker's religious beliefs, has been festering for a long time.  From CNBC: 

The Supreme Court on Monday handed a narrow victory to a Christian baker from Colorado who refused for religious reasons to make a wedding cake for a gay couple.

The justices, in a 7-2 decision, faulted the Colorado Civil Rights Commission's handling of the claims brought against Jack Phillips, saying it had showed a hostility to religion. In doing so, the commission violated his religious rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

But the court did not issue a definitive ruling on the circumstances under which people can seek exemptions from anti-discrimination laws based on their religious views.

The commission had said Phillips violated the Colorado anti-discrimination law that bars businesses from refusing service based on race, sex, marital status or sexual orientation by rebuffing gay couple David Mullins and Charlie Craig in 2012.

Two of the court's four liberals, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan, joined the five conservative justices in the ruling authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy.

COMMENT:  Details are just coming in on this, but in my view the Court decided correctly, and I am gratified that two liberal justices joined in the decision.

The narrowness of the decision, as noted in the extract above, makes it impossible to draw broad conclusions about future Supreme Court decisions dealing with religious rights versus the rights of others.  But the Court was properly outraged by the behavior of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which showed contempt for the baker's religious beliefs.  It is something we've seen in similar agencies in other states, especially Oregon.

Some initial news stories on the decision show the usual cynicism and manufactured dismay that we have come to expect from liberal news sources.

June 4, 2018       Permalink

IS THIS SERIOUS CHANGE? – AT 9:06 A.M. ET:  A major shakeup in the North Korean government is being reported, only eight days before the scheduled summit between President Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.  Is this serious, or cosmetic?  We have no indications yet.  From Reuters: 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea’s top three military officials have been removed from their posts, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday, as U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un prepare to meet on June 12 in Singapore.

The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was commenting on a report by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency that all three of the North’s top military officials were believed to have been replaced.

Trump on Friday revived the summit after canceling it a week earlier. The United States is seeking a negotiated end to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

U.S. officials believe there was some dissension in the military about Kim’s approaches to South Korea and the United States.

The U.S. official did not identify the three military officials. Yonhap identified them as defense chief Pak Yong-sik; Ri Myong-su, chief of the Korean People’s Army’s (KPA) general staff; and Kim Jong-gak, director of the KPA’s General Political Bureau.

Trump wants North Korea to “denuclearize,” meaning to get rid of its nuclear arsenal, in return for relief from economic sanctions. North Korea’s leadership is believed to regard nuclear weapons as crucial to its survival.

COMMENT:  Other outlets say that the fired officers are being replaced by much younger men, although we have no verification of that yet.  It's hard to believe these firings have nothing to do with the upcoming summit.  But what the connection is, and what the policy implications will be, are not clear.

June 4,  2018     Permalink