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OCTOBER 16,  2017

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

MORE NFL DAMAGE – FROM CNBC:  Declining NFL television ratings will lower CBS earnings, according to Credit Suisse.  The firm cut its third-quarter EPS estimates by 5 percent, citing CBS' softer Sunday NFL ratings. The media company reports on Nov. 2.  "We expect third-quarter network advertising to decline 3 percent (previously +1 percent), driven by soft ratings for both the summer schedule and for the start of the NFL season," wrote Credit Suisse analyst Omar Sheikh. "With only one of the three content licensing deals we expected for the second half announced in third quarter, we also expect content licensing revenue growth to be skewed to the fourth quarter."  The NFL continues to be damaged by its indecisiveness and maneuvering over the anthem issue.  The TV networks will not put up with the farce much longer. 

SENIOR SENATOR FORMALLY CHALLENGED – FROM DAILY CALLER:  California Senate leader Kevin de León announced Sunday that he will be challenging fellow Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein for her U.S. Senate in 2018.  De León, the state senate’s president pro tempore, framed his Senate run as a battle against President Donald Trump in an email to supporters.  “We’re overdue for a real debate on the issues, priorities and leadership voters want from their senator. I think California needs a senator not just fully resistant to Trump’s presidency, but who understands the issues most Californians face every day,” De León wrote, according to the Los Angeles Times.  “He disregards our voices. Demonizes our diversity. Attacks our civil rights, our clean air, our health access and our public safety. We can lead the fight against his administration, but only if we jump into the arena together.”  de Leon isn't well known outside Los Angeles, whereas Feinstein is an institution.  Still, Feinstein is in her mid-eighties, and Californians might be looking for a youthful face, and for a change.  If de Leon comes out on top, the California congressional delegation will move even further to the left.  Knowing the Republican Party, they will probably give up on the race and fail to field a first-class candidate.

IT HAD TO COME TO THIS – FROM THE MIAMI HERALD:  WASHINGTON – Florida has a U.S. senator who once flew aboard the Space Shuttle.  A congressional candidate from Miami can go one better: Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera says she’s been aboard a spaceship too. But this one was crewed by aliens. As in extraterrestrials.  Three blond, big-bodied beings — two females, one male — visited her when she was 7 years old and have communicated telepathically with her several times in her life, she says. (Sen. Bill Nelson served as payload officer aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1986. All seven people aboard were from Earth. As far as is known.)  This is nothing.  When one of those aliens runs for Congress, and becomes Speaker, then I'll be impressed.

October 16, 2017       Permalink

BUT WILL THEY LISTEN? – AT 12:54 P.M. ET:  The Democrats smell blood.  Some believe they can retake both houses of Congress next year.  But one of the more adult Dems, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, is warning the party about doing exactly what it's doing.  From The Hill:   

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) predicted that Democrats would lose to President Trump again in 2020 if they are too liberal.

Durbin — the second highest-ranking Democrat in the Senate — said on local Chicago radio station WLS-AM on Sunday that Democrats shouldn't “overdo it” by acting too liberal in response to Trump.

The senator was responding to comments by Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), who the host of the radio show Durbin was on said warned Democrats against moving too far to the left out of fear they could lose votes to Trump.

"We need to be balanced. She's right about that,” Durbin said.

“We don't give up on our values, but we better be sensitive, too, that there are people with more moderate views, and people who may disagree with some parts of the Democratic platform as they are presented. We've got to be open to that possibility," he said.

The host asked Durbin if Democrats could lose seats by “being too liberal.”

"You can," Durbin replied. "I think you can overdo it. We have to really appeal to that sensible center. It's a thin stripe now. It used to be a lot wider stripe, but it's an important and determining factor in most elections."

COMMENT:  Durbin is right, but I think he'll be ignored.  The Democrats have become more and more extreme.  And many of the extremists are violent or condone violence.  In addition, Bernie Sanders, himself a left-wing extremist, has attracted many people to Democratic politics who are absolute true believers.

There are moderate, thoughtful Democrats, but many moderates have been driven out of the party or marginalized.  I think Durbin realizes he's on the radical hit list, as is Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate.  Neither of these men has the necessary credentials for the new Democratic Party.  Think Barack Obama.

October 16, 2017       Permalink

NFL HOBBLES ALONG – AT 11:42 A.M. ET:   We wait for NFL football each week now, not necessarily to watch the game, but to count the number of empty seats.  From Breitbart: 

The NFL likely hoped for a return to normalcy for Week 6, especially after Commissioner Goodell’s call to “move past the anthem controversy,” and address the issue in detail at league meetings on Tuesday. Instead, what the NFL got was a return to what has become the “new normal” in the age of anthem protests: empty seats.

Throughout the league, stadiums could be seen with thousands of empty seats at kickoff, and, in some cases in the middle of the game.

Note, that the Jets played New England on Sunday, meaning there should have been a big crowd for that game. The Texans, Atlanta, and Baltimore are also very relevant teams with relatively loyal fan bases. Yet, thousands upon thousands of fans no-showed or didn’t buy tickets for those games.

COMMENT:  The NFL has now caved to the players, not handing down an edict requiring respect for the flag.

All kinds of "solutions" are being thrown around, including not televising the national anthem.  I suspect that will make things worse.

Fans are distancing themselves from the NFL, and the fans are right.  Sponsors are reportedly also looking around for alternatives.  I doubt if professional football will die, but it's possible the current damage, combined with increased sensitivity to the physical danger of the game, may produce permanent losses. 

Baseball used to be the "national pastime," but no one speaks of it that way today.

October 16, 2017       Permalink

A REMINDER OF THE WEIRD AGE OF OBAMA – AT 10:18 A.M. ET:  We recall with embarrassment how Field Marshal Obama presented us with Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, after he'd been released from enemy captivity in Afghanistan, along with Bergdahl's parents, including his terminally weird father. 

Why, it was a great moment, an American soldier coming home, Obama assured us.  Yeah, if you were a profoundly left-wing president, it sure was a great moment.  But the military saw Bergdahl very differently, not exactly the hero toasted by the president.  From Fox: 

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is set to plead guilty Monday to charges he endangered comrades by walking away from his post in Afghanistan in 2009 -- the court case wrapping up just three years after a stunning Rose Garden spectacle in which former President Barack Obama, flanked by Bergdahl's parents, triumphantly announced the soldier's release from captivity.

Bergdahl was released in May 2014 after a highly-criticized deal in which five Taliban terrorists were set free. At the time, Obama administration officials said Bergdahl had "served with honor and distinction."

The U.S. Army said Bergdahl asked to enter his plea before the military judge at Fort Bragg. The Associated Press previously reported that he's expected to plead guilty to charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy.

It's not clear if Bergdahl, 31, has a deal with prosecutors to limit his punishment, or if he's simply pleading guilty in hopes of leniency from the judge, Army Col. Jeffery R. Nance. The misbehavior charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, while the desertion charge is punishable by up to five years.

COMMENT:  Bergdahl's celebrated return was one of the lowest moments of the Obama administration.  And yet, I haven't seen a single word of criticism in the mainstream media.

October 16,  2017     Permalink

OCTOBER 15,  2017

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

ACTION AT LaGUARDIA – FROM AP:   NEW YORK (AP) — A 70-year-old passenger was arrested Saturday at LaGuardia Airport after authorities say he became irate over a $50 fee to check his bag and told an airline worker there was a bomb in the bag.  John Park of Farmington, Michigan, was arrested on a charge of making a terrorist threat after Saturday morning’s incident at the Spirit Airlines ticket counter.  The perceived threat prompted a partial evacuation of the terminal and the summoning of explosives experts.  It was the proper response, and not an overreaction, as some are claiming.  Some boasts turn out to be accurate.

OH PLEASE GO AWAY – FROM BLEACHERREPORT:   After remaining unsigned through six weeks of the 2017 NFL season, Colin Kaepernick claims the league is participating in collusion.  As first reported by Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has filed a grievance against the owners for collusion under the latest collective bargaining agreement.  I think this man should be sent to a good finishing school.

CLINTON FINANCE – FROM FOX:  The Clinton Foundation will not return as much as $250,000 in donations from disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein following the accusations of sexual harassment and rape.  The foundation said Sunday that donations, ranging from $100,000 to $250,000, have already been spent on projects, The Daily Mail reported.  The move to keep the money was expected following tweets from the foundation’s spokesman Craig Minassian. “Suggesting @ClintonFdn return funds from our 330,000+ donors ignores the fact that donations have been used to help people across the world,” Minassian wrote on Twitter.  Hillary could make that up in a couple of speeches.  The foundation should return the amounts donated, but the Clintons have their own moral rules.

October 15, 2017        Permalink

THOSE CRAZY GREAT MEN – AT 2:11 P.M. ET:    The current narrative on the left has President Trump described as "crazy" or "mad."  Often "dumb" or "uninformed."  It is almost amusing to look back and realize how many other statesmen, some who have achieved immortality, were described in the same way.

Consider this, on Abraham Lincoln, from the Civil War Trust:

"The illustrious Honest Old Abe has continued during the last week to make a fool of himself and to mortify and shame the intelligent people of this great nation. His speeches have demonstrated the fact that although originally a Herculean rail splitter and more lately a whimsical story teller and side splitter, he is no more capable of becoming a statesman, nay, even a moderate one, than the braying ass can become a noble lion. People now marvel how it came to pass that Mr. Lincoln should have been selected as the representative man of any party. His weak, wishy-washy, namby-pamby efforts, imbecile in matter, disgusting in manner, have made us the laughing stock of the whole world. The European powers will despise us because we have no better material out of which to make a President. The truth is, Lincoln is only a moderate lawyer and in the larger cities of the Union could pass for no more than a facetious pettifogger. Take him from his vocation and he loses even these small characteristics and indulges in simple twaddle which would disgrace a well bred school boy."
 
Written as Abraham Lincoln approached Washington by train for his 1861 presidential inauguration, this tirade was not the rant of a fire-eating secessionist editor in Richmond or New Orleans. It was the declaration of the Salem Advocate, a newspaper printed in Lincoln's home ground of central Illinois. The Advocate had plenty of company among Northern opinion makers. The editor of Massachusetts's influential Springfield Republican, Samuel Bowles, despaired in a letter to a friend the same week, "Lincoln is a 'simple Susan.'"

And this, on Winston Churchill, from the International Bipolar Foundation: 

Widely regarded as one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century, Winston Churchill is believed to have suffered from bipolar disorder. After observing numerous symptoms such as depression, suicidal intention, mania, and a decreased need for sleep, Churchill's doctor, Lord Moran, recounted in his memoir Winston Churchill: The Struggle for Survival, that he had diagnosed a middle-aged Churchill with bipolar disorder. Churchill often referred to his periods of intense and prolonged depression as his "black dog." During these fits of lengthened, manic-depression, Churchill exhibited little energy, few interests, losses of appetite, and trouble concentrating, according to his wife Clementine. On the other side of the spectrum, when his "black dog" had become docile, Churchill exhibited abnormally high levels of energy and restlessness, often beginning to work at 8 am and ending work at around 2 am. Unfortunately, these times of abnormal productivity receded as his "black dog" returned after just a few months of absence. Churchill, despite the difficulties brought by his crippling depression, disregarded his affliction and fulfilled a life of purpose and achievement. 

COMMENT:  Remember that Eisenhower was described as a simpleton, Theodore Roosevelt an immature child, Ronald Reagan as an "amiable dunce."  Some called FDR "Featherduster" because he was considered an intellectual lightweight. 

Trump may be getting off easy.

October 15, 2017       Permalink 

AUSTRIA TRENDS RIGHT – AT 12:50 P.M. ET:   It is a trend throughout Europe, and America, and even Japan.  The establishment is being put on notice.  From Bloomberg: 

Austrian voters gave 31-year-old conservative Sebastian Kurz a mandate to form a new government in an election on Sunday, setting up a potential coalition with the nationalist Freedom Party as junior partner, according to projections based on partial returns.

Kurz’s People’s Party took 31.5 percent of the vote, with Chancellor Christian Kern’s Social Democrats in second place with about 27 percent and the Freedom Party third place at about 26 percent, according to Sora projections for ORF public television.

The outcome may mark a triumph for European populists after they were kept out of power this year in elections in the Netherlands, France and Germany, though the Freedom Party was already part of Austria’s government as recently as 2005. Norbert Hofer, its narrowly defeated candidate in the nation’s presidential election last year, immediately staked a claim to a strong role for his party.

“People demanded change,” Hofer said in an ORF television interview. Any coalition with the People’s Party should be “a partnership of equals,” he said.

Kurz, the Austrian foreign minister who took up the Freedom Party’s hardline stance on immigration during the campaign, now has a chance to become the world’s youngest government leader. After a campaign dominated by migration and fair access to social security, his likely vice chancellor would be the Freedom Party’s Heinz-Christian Strache, 48.

COMMENT:  We approach this result with caution.  On the one hand, it's about time the comfortable, self-important European establishment was jolted.  On the other hand, when we see "nationalist" together with Austria, Germany, and even most of Europe, we have reason to watch closely.  There is a history, and it's not a good one.  Many American military cemeteries attest to that.

So we'll wait and see, but, clearly, the European Union pseudo-aristocrats have some heavy worrying to do.

October 15, 2017       Permalink

A GREAT STORY – AT 11:46 A.M. ET:  We sometimes forget that we have some great allies in the war on terror.  Britain's Special Air Service (SAS) is a gem, as this spectacular story from Iraq, which just came to light, demonstrates.  From the Express: 

The crack snipers struck as crazed executioners held knives to the throats of a father and son near Mosul.

Both men, from a family of eight, had refused to convert to Islam and were about to be executed when the ISIS killers were blasted in their heads.

The operation was carried out following the fall of Mosul last July and but has only just been made public, the Star on Sunday reported.

British troops were informed a black-clad death squad of Islamic extremists were targeting Christian civilians near the war-torn city and set out to investigate.

Using L115 rifles and loaded with .338 Lapua Magnum bullets, the snipers shot dead two fighters from 1,000m away.

They then turned their weapons on another pair of fighters.

As more jihadis tried to flee in a truck, they were taken out in a firefight that lasted around half an hour.

The family were led to safety before another 80 fighters drove up to collect the bodies of the fallen terrorists.

A source told the paper it was “a great day for the SAS”.

COMMENT:  Next time some college-aged whiner demands a "safe space" on campus, think of that story.

October 15,  2017     Permalink