The Morning After Hangover

Now the divorce proceedings begin between England and the EU. The stock market tanked yesterday, which it always does when there is uncertainty, but the sky hasn't fallen yet and it won't. Economic analyst Larry Kudlow tells why:

"And there need be no economic catastrophe. The EU needs Britain more than Britain needs the EU. The London Stock Exchange is one of the most powerful financial centers in the world. Frankfurt will never replace it. 

Trade is the key to the economic outlook in Britain and the EU. Many corporate chieftains joined large bank CEOs and the fearmongering IMF to suggest that the EU will deal harshly with Britain if it leaves and stop all trade. That’s mutually assured destruction — MAD. A tariff-driven trade war would destroy both power centers. 

Not only does the EU need Britain’s financial capabilities, Britain itself is major importer of EU goods and services. If sanity prevails, there’s no reason why the EU and Britain can’t hammer out a free-trade agreement in the two years allotted by the Lisbon Treaty."

Yes, it will take time to sort things out but cooler heads will prevail - business after all is business. In fact, European economies are fragile for a number of reasons, so I would expect a very focused effort to reach a successful agreement so as to not further injure them and they need Britain in the mix. Time will tell but I'm leaving my money in the market which I think will improve after some initial bumps and bruises.

www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/06/24/magna-carta-2-0-good-freedom-good-growth-trump-big-winner-obama-got-crushed/

Historical Comments on the "Religion of Peace"

An article in WND quotes several historical personages analysis of Islam like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexis de Tocqueville, and Winston Churchill. None of them were very complimentary of the faith and were well aware of  its dangers. Churchill's view is representative. He fought in the Sudan as a cavalry officer and commented:

 “Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyzes the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science … the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome.” 

If you look at virtually every trouble spot in the world at the moment, Islam is at the center and is the aggressor. Do we really want to allow something that has been at war with civilization for 15 centuries into this country without very careful vetting? History's answer would be a resounding "No!"

www.wnd.com/2016/06/we-contained-communism-now-its-islams-turn/#dd4DhtVz17pTi0W9.99

A Stunning Lack of Stratigery

I like Marco Rubio. I think he has a better grasp of defense issues than most, he is adamantly pro-life, he is young and thinks and speaks well on his feet. It's too bad his strategic judgment stinks. 

When running for President, he continually promised he would not run for Senate re-election in Florida. Times change. Having lost his Presidential bid, he has now reneged on his promise. Then there's the matter of him being a part of the Gang of Eight with Chuck Schumer to boost already out-of-control immigration to the U.S. Marco is getting the reputation that he is not a man of his word and that haunted him this year in his Presidential quest and with this decision, it will haunt him in the future. As long as he is content with being just a senator from Florida, that's fine, but if he wants a role on the national stage in the Executive Branch, it just doesn't cut it. 

www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/06/23/gang-8-rubio-starts-political-comeback-attacks-trump/

Another Movie Theater Shooting

Another cinema was shot up by a gunman who some witnesses say appeared to have mental problems. When are we going to get gun control in this country to stop this carnage!!! Oh wait, this was in Germany. And Germany does have very stringent gun control. So that means ... Hmm.

www.wnd.com/2016/06/german-cinema-in-chaos-as-gunman-opens-fire/?cat_orig=world

Another One Bites the Dust

Remember the battle over free condoms in schools in the 1990s? Liberals said that kids are going to do it anyhow so they might as well be safe. Conservatives said it would lead to more kids having sex? And the envelope, please.

David Limbaugh reports that:

"A recently published study by the National Bureau of Economic Research reveals clear evidence that access to condoms in schools leads to a 10 percent increase in teen pregnancy and a rise in sexually transmitted diseases. Unlike the bogus studies the left relied on, this one involved thousands of schools."

Whatever difference does it make now? Well, ask those kids who got STDs. And besides, the Left has moved on to immigration, climate change, selling baby parts - there won't be any harm to society from these either. These people should have warning labels: "Dangerous to your Health!"

www.wnd.com/2016/06/free-condoms-what-could-go-wrong/

Way to Go Brits!

Congratulations on your decision to be Britain again! May the U.S. always stand with you. Hail Britannia! 

The Nuances of Nuanced Soft Power

I admit that I have been totally unable to understand the nuanced nuances of soft power as practiced by Obama in the Middle East. As I see it, Iran and its mullahs who want to usher in the Apocalypse even if it mean Iran's nuclear destruction in the process, are about to get the Bomb with the U.S. looking the other way. Iraq, which was largely pacified by the time W left office, is split between the government, which is a proxy of Iran, and ISIS, which is killing everybody in its path. Lebanon is in the Iranian camp. Syria is a Russian proxy, which has reasserted its influence big time in the region. And Israel is as isolated as ever. Andrew Klavan explains all, however, in this video. Thank you, Andrew. Take a look and see what you think.

www.andrewklavan.com/2015/04/20/revolting-truth-obamas-clown-car-diplomacy/

Barney Gets It

Barney Frank, one of the first openly gay members of Congress, responded to the tragic shootings in Orlando by saying that the U.S. needs to ramp up its surveillance of Islamic jihadists. He said that there is clearly a strain in Islam that not only hates gays but thinks it's fair game to kill them. I doubt that Barney and I have agreed on anything in the past but we agree on this. At least some people gain clarity of mind when they realize someone really is trying to kill them. 

www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/06/15/barney-frank-islamic-element-terrorism-need-surveillance-angry-islamic-hate-views/

¡Hasta Luego, Señor Jesse!

A couple of years ago Jesse Ventura, the pro wrestler and former governor of Minnesota, sued the estate of American Sniper hero Chris Kyle, for several million alleging Kyle had defamed him in a book. Kyle's widow, Taya, was the administrator of the estate and had to endure the misery of a trial. A jury awarded Ventura $1.8 million.

That was then, this is now, because a Federal appeals court just voided the verdict and sent it back for retrial. Sorry Jesse. Wasn't much impressed with your case then and I'm glad an appellate court agreed. Ventura is reported to have said that if he lost the appeal, he was moving to Mexico. ¡Hasta luego, muchacho!

www.dailywire.com/news/6533/appeals-court-tells-jesse-ventura-stick-it-18-amanda-prestigiacomo

Old West Alive and Well

A punk in Medford grabbed a lady's mountain bike at a Walmart and started to take off with her and several others in pursuit. But wait, in the distance - cue the theme from The Lone Ranger - a real cowboy arrived, on a horse no less, and ran the punk down lassoing him and hog-tied him until the cops showed up. Yee-haw! That's what I call a good time Western style!

www.oregonlive.com/trending/2016/06/would-be_bike_thief_brought_do.html#incart_river_home_pop

This One Might Do It

The media has carefully insulated the Clintons from any lasting damage from their questionable (at the very least) financial dealings over the years, but this one just might be the silver bullet that finishes them off. 

Without any introduction, quoting from Tweets posted yesterday, here is the raw emotional power of the allegations:

"Hillary Clinton made history as the 1st nominee to have stollen billions in donations meant yo rebuild Haiti"

"Never TRUST HILLARY CLINTON LOOK AT HAITI made PROMISES lied TOOK OVER SAID FREE VISA ONLY WANT GOLD&LANDutube it"

"@HillaryClinton And don't even get me started on Haiti!! Earthquake victims are still living in tents!! You drained their natural resourses"

"@HillaryClinton You robbed HAITI OF ITS GOLD You don't give a f**** about Black people or anyone but your own family https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/role-of-hillary-clintons-brother-in-haiti-gold-mine-raises-eyebrows/2015/03/20/c8b6e3bc-cc05-11e4-a2a7-9517a3a70506_story.html …"

What all these people are referring to is the huge 2010 Haitian earthquake that left 316,000 dead and another 300,000 injured. On the heels of this enormous tragedy, a mining company that had Hillary's brother on the board, was awarded a gold-mining concession in Haiti that had only been issued twice before in 50 years. According to the NYT, her brother admitted the Clinton Foundation was crucial in this occurring. A more complete list of some of the known "activities" of the Clinton Foundation can be found on the link below. 

www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/06/03/21-new-clinton-cash-revelations-that-have-imperiled-hillary-clintons-campaign/

Getting rich in Haiti while the bodies of dead Haitians rotted in the sun is an issue of sufficient emotional punch to mortally wound Hillary and take her off the American political scene forever. It's not enough to talk in general terms about the Clinton Foundation in general - it has to be crystallized into one story that glaringly illustrates the rotten heart of this crew. I am not a Trump fan, but he does know how to take the gloves off. Since the Left's view of politics is war by other means, it may be a good thing. We shall see if Trump is up to it.

www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/06/09/twitter-users-react-hillary-clintons-latest-attacks-donald-trump-robbed-haiti-gold-dont-give-fck-black-people/

The Stanford Rape Case

The Left is going ape-spit over a judge's recent decision to give a very light sentence to a well-to-do Stanford male athlete who raped an unconscious young woman behind a garbage dumpster. Both were over the legal blood alcohol limit for driving, he 2 times over and she by a factor of 3. There was a mandatory 2-year minimum sentence which the judge ignored and gave him instead only 6 months in the county lockup and probation. Wrong. It was a despicable criminal act. Do the crime, do the time. So far, so good, but ...

As Mona Charen, the author of the column goes on to say:

"Here is the truth that the left will never acknowledge -- the hookup culture they celebrate and defend is the greatest petri dish for enabling rape and sexual assault imaginable. It does women no favors to tell them that the way they drink is irrelevant. It may not be a crime to get blind drunk at a bar or party -- but it's reckless. The Stanford woman's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit. Again, that doesn't make her a criminal, but who can doubt that, but for that, she would not have become a victim?"

We are all responsible for reasonably looking out for our own safety and well-being. If I leave all my doors unlocked and windows wide open in the summer and get burglarized, the illegal entry and theft are still a crime to be sure, but I certainly bear some responsibility for what happened. A person cannot behave as if it's a perfect world out there when anyone over the age of 5 knows it's not and then cry "foul" when that imperfect world abuses them. Do the crime, do the time and this kid should, but let's quit pretending that risky behavior carries no risks. 

townhall.com/columnists/monacharen/2016/06/10/what-the-stanford-rape-case-reveals-n2176251

A Non-Socratic Dialogue

Jonah Goldberg has a good piece in Townhall today. As you may know, Katie Couric and her producer recently were caught with their hands in the cookie jar lying through their teeth in a special that aired about gun violence. She apologized, sort of, then took it all back when asked by sayings:

"I can understand the objection of people who did have an issue about it ... Having said that, I think we have to focus on the big issue of gun violence. It was my hope that, when I approached this topic, that this would be a conversation starter."

Ah yes, the great "conversation starter" which I guess is sort of like a sourdough starter for bread - you keep it going to make new batches except that in this case it's a lie that is perpetuated. 

Goldberg is on to this, however, and warms to the theme:

"Well, OK then.

After all, who denies that starting conversations -- or, as they often call them in academia, "dialogues" -- is the highest aspiration there is?

For instance, a Central Michigan University professor claimed last year that she was punched in the face at a Toby Keith concert for being a lesbian. She later admitted that she actually punched herself, but said it was worth it because she wanted to start a dialogue.

As the Washington Examiner's Ashe Schow recently chronicled, this sort of thing is common on college campuses. Students and professors initiate or exacerbate a hate-crime hoax or a false rape accusation. The orchestrators are perfectly happy to pretend the fraud is real and demonize anyone who casts doubt on the claims."

Indeed. That's how this sourdough starter works. As Goldberg concludes, the Left really doesn't want a conversation, it wants its conversation, which is in the nature of a diktat - do it this way or else! Perfect little Nazis and Communists these little buggers! And there are a lot of them around trying to impose their will on the rest of us. Such a tangled web they weave. 

townhall.com/columnists/jonahgoldberg/2016/06/10/going-to-extremes-to-start-a-conversation-n2176248

Oopsie!

The Democratic-controlled Oregon Legislature passed the highest minimum wage bill in the country, but in an unusual order of events, the state economic analysts weighed in on the effects after its passage. Shades of "We have to pass it to see what's in it." But I digress. And the envelope please - drum roll. What do we have for the folks Johnny? 40,000 - that's right - 40,000 fewer jobs by 2025 than Oregon would have had without the legislation! Oh boy! 

Democratic leaders off camera promised a "fix" next session. I can hardly wait.

townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2016/06/10/oregons-minimum-wage-hike-already-has-dems-admitting-they-made-a-mistake-n2176449

The Procurement Fiasco

The U.S. Air Force badly needs a new tanker. A competition was run and the Air Force picked the Boeing KC-46, which is based on the 767 platform, an airplane that has been flying for a long time. Its competitor was the Airbus/EADS A330 MRTT based on another passenger jet that has been around for awhile, the A330. 

The Air Force picked the Boeing aircraft, which is now significantly past development deadlines and way over budget. The picture shows a British RAF A330 MRTT on an everyday mission (over the U.S. no less) doing what it is supposed to do. What is the problem with military procurement? What is the problem with Boeing? It seems that neither can find their rear-ends with both hands. The U.S. military is heading into a major equipment cycle. Do we need to offshore it all?

A Civilization in Twilight

Political "debate" in the United States has devolved to egging women and mugging Trump supporters. Free speech has become mob rule to shut down and intimidate anybody with whom you disagree. That's like not the United States, but then not much is these days. It has been seen before, though, in places like Germany in the early-1930s or Mao's "Great Leap Forward" movement. It did not work out well there and it will not work out well here either. The root cause is moral and spiritual, not political, as Plato wrote about a few thousand years ago.

In The Republic, Plato discusses with two fictitious students how a democracy goes bad:

"In short, the boys begin to realize that justice and happiness in a community rests upon the moral condition of its citizens. This is what Socrates meant when he said: "The state is man writ large."

Near the end of the Republic Socrates decides to drive this point home by showing Adeimantus what happens to a regime when its parents and educators neglect the proper moral education of its children. In the course of this chilling illustration Adeimantus comes to discover a dark and ominous secret: without proper moral conditioning a regime's "defining principle" will be the source of its ultimate destruction. For democracy, that defining principle is freedom. According to Socrates, freedom makes a democracy but freedom also eventually breaks a democracy.

For Socrates, democracy's "insatiable desire for freedom and neglect of other things" end up putting it "in need of a dictatorship." The short version of his theory is that the combination of freedom and poor education in a democracy render the citizens incapable of mastering their impulses and deferring gratification. The reckless pursuit of freedom leads the citizens to raze moral barriers, deny traditional authority, and abandon established methods of education. Eventually, this uninhibited quest for personal freedom forces the public to welcome the tyrant. Says Socrates: "Extreme freedom can't be expected to lead to anything but a change to extreme slavery, whether for a private individual or for a city."
Democracy is a fragile thing and we are well on our way to losing it. Much of this country has become amoral or even immoral as freedom has become license and it is reflected in our leaders, especially the prospective Presidential candidates. Unless freedom is securely linked to a strong sense of obligation and self-control, both of which are moral and spiritual virtues, and this linkage is passed from generation to generation, then slavery is our ultimate destination, not some Leftist or Rightist political Paradise on Earth. 

www.americanthinker.com/articles/2009/02/how_democracies_become_tyranni.html

Bernie Sanders' Political Platform

Omaha: The Road to Berlin - June 6, 1944

Science Marches On

Under the header of "Don't Confuse Me with the Facts," The Portland School Board has decreed that: 

"PPS [Portland Public Schools] will abandon the use of any adopted text material that is found to express doubt about the severity of the climate crisis or its root in human activities."

So who would have joined the likes of those persecuting Copernicus and Galileo? You decide. 

townhall.com/columnists/patrickmichaels/2016/06/05/portland-versus-oregon-n2173330

Running the TSA Gauntlet

TSA can be a zoo. I have been doing enough traveling to run into that particular nut house now and then, usually at Denver where recently I spent 1.5 hours winding my way through a line that started at the terminal doors, went past the baggage carousels, turned the corner down a corridor, hit the main terminal area, and then went through the normal TSA cordon zig-zags. It was a lovely experience.

Delta has now decided to do something about it, putting up $1 M of its own money to bring a little efficiency to the "system." They have added a newly-designed unloading station with 5 separate bays where 5 people at a time can load their bins. As each finishes they place their bin on the moving belt on the far side of the station, thus eliminating the problem of one guy dropping his stuff all over and blocking the rest of the line. Next, as the bag moves through the scanner, if a suspicious object is spotted, a separate belt kicks it out of the queue for close inspection while the rest of the bags proceed through. Finally, once through, the belt loops around and redeposits empty bins back at the original starting point obviating the need for a lackey to physically transport them by hand and instead focus on more important things, like say security screening. Efficiency gains of 25-35% are estimated from using the new system. 

We'll see how it works. It's entirely possible that the government will figure out some way to screw this up, but one hopes not. The question occurs, why couldn't TSA have figured this out sooner? Or not. OK, probably not. 

crankyflier.com/2016/06/02/instead-of-waiting-for-more-tsa-funding-delta-is-betting-1-million-on-improving-efficiency/

We're Here to Help

American elites love to love everything that Europe does. Well, how about this:

"The European Commission plans to attack citizens’ right to online privacy, insisting that state-issued ID cards should be used to log into platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and even Uber."

Actually, there are already signs of it here with "safe spaces" and "trigger warnings" and royal edicts from the White House and Federal agencies. Why is it that elites have such trouble seeing that the all-encompassing authoritarian state is still a pig no matter how much lipstick you put on it?

www.breitbart.com/london/2016/06/02/former-commie-ec-commissioner-calls-people-log-onto-youtube-national-electronic-id/

This Means War!

Obamacare is a disaster. We will really begin to pay the price next year, when Obama is out of office of course, and here is a minor example but one that touches on something near and dear to my heart:

As of December 2016, Obamacare dictates that all brewers must include a detailed calorie count on every type of beer they produce. Failure to comply with the new regulations means craft brewers will not be able to sell their beer in any restaurant chain with over 20 locations. Because this is a major market for selling beer, it hamstrings smaller craft brewers if they do not comply.

The compliance cost is estimated at $77,000 per brewery, which is a sizable amount of coin for a small craft brewery. So how much did Bud or Miller pay to get this slipped into the 3,000 page Frankenstein's monster of a bill? We'll never know, but since the craft brewing sector employs 440,000 nationally and has revenues of almost $56 billion, the more little guys the big brewers can run off, the better heir bottom lines look. Better healthcare is what Obamacare is all about? Ja sure - Crony Capitalism and government meddling at its finest! And messing up craft beer. Sacrilege!

townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2016/05/31/obamacare-is-coming-after-your-beer-n2171764

Islam: Religion of Peace

"On Monday evening, a barbaric horde of villagers set upon an 18-year-old Pakistani girl, who was beaten mercilessly and then set on fire after she declined a marriage proposal from her male suitor. Maria Abbasi, the deceased young woman, was a schoolteacher, responsible for molding the minds of children in notoriously undereducated northeastern Pakistan.

The attack wasn’t a simple execution. After beating her half to death, the villagers pinned the 18-year-old down and drizzled petrol all over her flailing body. Then they set her on fire until she burnt to a crisp."

www.dailywire.com/news/6221/pakistani-muslim-woman-turns-down-marriage-michael-qazvini

Iron Dome Puts to Sea

The Israeli Iron Dome anti-missile system is not perfect but darn close. As I noted in a blog piece from July 16, 2014, it saved Israel from massive casualties when Hamas launched a rocket barrage to terrorize the Jewish state. Now the Israelis are putting it on their naval vessels to defend against rocket attacks by small, fast patrol boats like the ones that say, Iran or its proxies might use. Like in the Persian Gulf, where U.S. Navy ships sail. Hello Pentagon - anybody listening?

www.defensenews.com/story/defense/international/mideast-africa/2016/05/18/israel-claims-intercept-success-sea-based-iron-dome/84540328/

Freedom Wins a Round

The U.S. Supreme Court just handed a 8-0 slap down to the Obama Administration. The Obamaites via the Corps of Engineers told a small Minnesota company that it had jurisdiction over its property because it was a "wetland" despite being 120 miles from the nearest river. This declaration made the property functionally unusable because of all the Corps' rules and regulations. Oh, and BTW said the Corps, you can't appeal this decision to the courts. Really?

Not surprisingly the Supremes disagreed with this imperial decree and unanimously said "Not so fast there fellers." As far as the Court was concerned, the agency had made a final order that was appealable, as a long line of Federal cases had held "... where such proceedings carry the risk of ‘serious criminal and civil penalties." If the Corps' action had been allowed to stand, then the Feds could have asserted jurisdiction to regulate anywhere water existed in the U.S., that is - everywhere. Grandiose does not begin to describe the designs of the Left. 

www.wnd.com/2016/05/supremes-slap-down-obama-in-wetlands-fight/?cat_orig=money