Friday, June 2, 2017
Thursday, June 1, 2017
Mark Levin: The Obama Administration's Silent Coup vs. Trump
In summary: the Obama administration sought, and eventually obtained, authorization to eavesdrop on the Trump campaign; continued monitoring the Trump team even when no evidence of wrongdoing was found; then relaxed the NSA rules to allow evidence to be shared widely within the government, virtually ensuring that the information, including the conversations of private citizens, would be leaked to the media.Article
Retired UW Law Prof and Obama Voter Ann Althouse Calls NYT Article About Russian Hackers "Fake News"
Althouse BlogWednesday, May 31, 2017
On this day in 1889
JOHNSTOWN FLOOD KILLS 2,209
On this day in 1889, the Johnstown Flood killed 2,209 people. The flood occurred when the South Fork Dam, 60 miles east of Pittsburgh, collapsed after heavy rains. The dam had recently been bought and modified by the local hunting club, which had turned the area into a vacation retreat for notable millionaires, including Andrew Carnegie.
As the storm worsened, a dam engineer noticed that a spillway was blocked and might cause the dam to collapse. He tried to notify all local townspeople but telegraph lines were down or the warning was ignored because there had been many previous false alarms.
Ninety-nine entire families died in the flood, including 396 children. One hundred twenty-four women and 198 men were widowed, 98 children were orphaned. One-third of the dead, 777 people, were never identified; their remains were buried in the "Plot of the Unknown" in Grandview Cemetery in Westmont.
Clara Barton led 50 volunteers in the Red Cross’ first major relief effort.
The Johnstown area suffered from several subsequent floods until 1936, when the Army Corps of Engineers reworked the river and declared it “flood free.” However, in 1972, a “100 year flood” killed 78 people, caused $200 million in damage, and rendered 50,000 people homeless.
In 2016 a hydraulic analysis concluded that the hunting club’s pre-1889 modifications to the dam severely weakened it, rendering it unable to withstand severe storms like the one which caused the Johnstown Flood.
On this day in 1862
THE BATTLE OF SEVEN PINES
On this day in 1862, Union and Confederate forces started the Battle of Seven Pines, a little known skirmish that proved to have a big impact on the remainder of the Civil War. The outmanned Confederate forces, led by General Joseph Johnston, tried to draw the Union forces, led by Gen. George McClellan, into a trap as the Rebels retreated to their capital, Richmond. As the Yankees struggled to cross a river and marsh area, Johnston ordered three divisions to attack one of McClellan’s vulnerable flanks from three directions. The inexperienced Rebels bungled the maneuver, allowing the Union forces to bring in reinforcements. The battle was essentially a draw but 6,000 Union soldiers and 5,000 Confederate soldiers were killed. McClellan was so distraught over the carnage he witnessed that he became far more cautious in his future battles, causing Lincoln to replace him months later. Confederate General Johnston was shot and seriously wounded during the battle, requiring his replacement by Gen. Robert E. Lee, who to this time had served without distinction in Western Virginia.
This is a good start - now make all drugs legal
Michelle Malkin: A Conservative Mom Breaks the Pot Taboo - to Help Her Young Epileptic Daughter
Michelle MalkinLet's talk about marijuana.Specifically, let's talk about how and why I came to be one of the countless parents across America (and around the world) who have let their chronically ill children try it.A groundbreaking new study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine reported on the health benefits of cannabidiol for children with epilepsy. The randomized, double-blind, controlled study found that among children with Dravet syndrome taking cannabidiol, the decrease in the frequency of convulsive seizures was 23 percentage points greater than the decrease in seizures among children taking a placebo.
LIB FASCIST FREE SPEECH HYPOCRISY
BARRON TRUMP THOUGHT BEHEADED IMAGE WAS HIS DAD
She did this knowing dang well what the response would beBarron Trump was watching television Tuesday at home with Melania when Kathy Griffin's photo appeared on the screen, and his initial reaction was that something terrible happened to his father.Trump family sources tell us Barron was in front of the TV watching a show when the news came on and he saw the bloody, beheaded image. We're told he panicked and screamed, "Mommy, Mommy!"As it was put to us, "He's 11. He doesn't know who Kathy Griffin is and the head she was holding resembled his dad."Melania called out Kathy, saying what she did was disturbing, wrong and "makes you wonder about [her] mental health."President Trump also blasted Griffin for posing with the head, saying, Barron was having a hard time dealing with it.Griffin has apologized.
THE SCANDAL HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
John Hinderaker ArticleThere is a deep irony in the fact that Democrats are hysterically demanding investigations of President Trump and his campaign team, and in fact multiple investigations are now in progress, even though there is zero evidence that anyone associated with the president has done anything wrong. On the other hand, we now know for certain that the Obama administration weaponized the intelligence agencies in order to use them against political opponents, in a manner that is unprecedented, highly dangerous to our democracy, and criminal.This scandal, which dwarfs anything of which the Trump team is even suspected, has been exposed and lies largely in plain sight for all to see. Yet it has generally been greeted with yawns, if acknowledged at all, by politicians and commentators.
LIB-FASCIST FREE SPEECH HYPOCRISY
Article
MIDDLEBURY PROF ATTACKED BY MOB STILL SUFFERS FROM CONCUSSION
Allison Stanger is the distinguished Middlebury professor who was physically assaulted for escorting conservative political scientist Charles Murray to an event on the Middlebury campus. Stanger, a Democrat, had agreed to moderate a session with Murray because she is committed to the robust exchange of views.An angry mob charged the car carrying Stanger and Murray. Someone pulled her hair. Others shoved her. The car was rocked. Initial reports were that she sustained injuries to her neck.It appears that this was not all. Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen writes:From time to time, I email Allison Stanger. She answers always, but says she is not yet healthy enough to talk. . .Stanger is still suffering from a concussion.
Article
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Eat fat to lose weight?
Scientists say it’s the smart thing to do
Eat fat to lose fat – wait, what? Nutrition experts and public health officials have been telling us for decades to eat less fat to lose weight. But it turns out a high-fat diet can actually help you lose weight, gain energy and fight obesity-associated conditions such as diabetes. Why did the experts lead us astray for so long? In short, weak science is to blame. . .It’s not just that sugar is bad for you, but dietary fat is actually vital for survival. Fat is needed for production of cell membranes and hormones and aids in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and beneficial plant metabolites such as polyphenols. However, not all fats are created equal. Contrary to popular belief, saturated fats are good for you and many polyunsaturated oils may actually be harmful.Polyunsaturated oils from corn, safflower and soybean contain lots of omega-6 fatty acids, which are precursors to inflammatory compounds known as eicosanoids. Saturated fats, like those found in grass-fed butter and coconut oil, contain anti-inflammatory compounds. Other sources of healthy fats include avocados, nuts, seeds, egg yolks and grass-fed beef. And no worries if you can’t give up sweets entirely: Natural sugar substitutes such as stevia, xylitol and monkfruit make for suitable replacements.If you want to lose weight, increase energy levels, reduce inflammation and balance your hormones, you could investigate whether a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet is right for you. Two recently published books, one from Dave Asprey, “Head Strong,” and another by Joseph Mercola, “Fat for Fuel,” are great resources.
Article
LIB-FASCIST FREE SPEECH HYPOCRISY:
Portland Mayor Seeks to Ban Trump Free Speech Rally
While Kathy Griffin holds the severed head of President Trump
Ann Althouse nails it:
Quite aside from the mind-crushingly unAmerican idea of banning free speech about free speech, why is the federal government involved?The federal government controls permitting for the plaza where both rallies are set to take place. The city of Portland will not issue any of its own permits allowing organizers to hold the events elsewhere, [Mayor Ted] Wheeler said.The organizer of what is called the “Trump Free Speech Rally,” Joey Gibson, said: “There’s going to be more intensity, there’s going to be more threats. They’re using the deaths of these two people and Jeremy Christian — they’re using it to get Portland all rowdy about our June 4 rally and it’s absolutely disgusting.”
The ACLU — it's still true! — supports free speech:“It may be tempting to shut down speech we disagree with, but once we allow the government to decide what we can say, see, or hear, or who we can gather with, history shows us that the most marginalized will be disproportionately censored and punished for unpopular speech. If we allow the government to shut down speech for some, we all will pay the price down the line.”WaPo found a Portland State University professor, a "longtime activist" named Tom Hastings to reject the ACLU position: “I know these lines are perceived as pretty fuzzy when we’re dealing with constitutional First Amendment rights. But there’s no long fuse anymore. Everybody’s fuse seems to be quite short.” What?! Things are "fuzzy" and "fuses" are deemed short, and that's enough to throw out the free-speech tradition?!
WaPo tells us that Portland has a problem with "anarchists" getting violent at "peaceful anti-Trump demonstrations."In April, Portland’s typically family-friendly rose parade was canceled after antifa activists threatened to shut down roads if a Republican group wasn’t barred from the event. And earlier this month, dozens of “black bloc” anarchists destroyed property at May Day protests.So violence gets its way? What a twisted response to the horrible murders!
Link to Althouse
From Pat Buchanan, the man who presaged Trump
Full Buchanan Article
BREAKUP OF THE WEST?
From his rough remarks, Trump sees the Europeans as freeloaders on U.S. defense, laggards on their NATO contributions and mercantilists who craft policies to run endless trade surpluses at our expense, especially the Germans who are “bad, very bad.”The European half of Trump’s trip should be taken as a fire-bell-in-the-night warning: Shape up, Europe, or you may find yourselves on your own when it comes to the defense of your continent.For we Americans have had about enough.
Full Buchanan Article
Swedish Study Finds Ethnic Diversity Bad for Social Cohesion
New research from Gothenburg University on solidarity in Sweden backs up evidence from previous studies that ethnic diversity is bad for social cohesion.
The SOM Institute’s findings that people feel less solidarity with ethnic groups other than their own add to a growing body of research showing ethnic diversity has a negative effect on societal cohesion.
Source ArticleU.S. researchers who in 2013 showed homogeneous or highly segregated neighbourhoods are almost always more cohesive than those which are diverse, reported that diversity prevents “the formation of dense interpersonal networks that are necessary to promote sense of community”.Similarly, 2014 research from Australia found diversity had a negative impact on social cohesion and caused residents to “hunker down”, avoiding engagement with the community.Researchers said their work supports the theory of Robert Putnam, whose U.S. study yielded similar results, that ethnic diversity erodes trust.And a 2014 study by the University of North Carolina which examined regions across Europe, found that “an increase in immigration is related to a decrease in social trust”.
Reynolds/USA Today
Did Barack Obama try to hack the election?
In 1972, some employees of President Nixon’s re-election committee were caught when they broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters to plant a bug. This led to Nixon’s resignation and probably would have led to his felony prosecution had he not been pardoned by his successor, Gerald Ford.But if a single bugging of the political opposition is enough to bring down a presidency — and maybe lead to an unprecedented criminal prosecution of a former president — then what are we to make of the recently unveiled Obama administration program of massively spying on political opponents in violation of clearly established law?Because that’s what was unveiled last week. . .
Will the Justice Department investigate and prosecute former Obama officials? It seems hard to imagine. But then, so did Nixon’s resignation, when the Watergate burglary was first discovered.This debacle also raises serious questions about the viability of our existing “intelligence community.” In the post-World War II era, we gave massive power to the national security apparatus. In part, that power was granted in the belief that professionalism and patriotism would lead people in those agencies to refuse to let their work be used for partisan political purposes.It now seems apparent that we overestimated the patriotism and professionalism of the people in these agencies, who allowed them to be politically weaponized by the Obama administration. That being true, if we value democracy, can we permit them to exist in their current form?That’s a decision that President Trump and Congress will have to face. Ironically, they may be afraid to — for fear that intelligence agencies will engage in further targeted political leaks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)