My husband likes to say that there is no such thing as a one-way street: all roads are 2-way. Looks like he’s right. On the bright side, when the time comes, at least we’ll be able to establish our Politboro properly, using proven methods and ideas from our favorite trading partner. :–/
Last year, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte made an announcement to great fanfare: The university would soon open a branch of the Confucius Institute, the Chinese government-funded educational institutions that teach Chinese language, culture and history. The Confucius Institute would “help students be better equipped to succeed in an increasingly globalized world,” says Nancy Gutierrez, UNC Charlotte’s dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and “broaden the University’s outreach and support for language instruction and cultural opportunities in the Charlotte community,” according to a press release.
But the Confucius Institutes’ goals are a little less wholesome and edifying than they sound—and this is by the Chinese government’s own account. A 2011 speech by a standing member of the Politburo in Beijing laid out the case: “The Confucius Institute is an appealing brand for expanding our culture abroad,” Li Changchun said. “It has made an important contribution toward improving our soft power. The ‘Confucius’ brand has a natural attractiveness. Using the excuse of teaching Chinese language, everything looks reasonable and logical.”
Li, it now seems, was right to exult. More than a decade after they were created, Confucius Institutes have sprouted up at more than 500 college campuses worldwide, with more than 100 of them in the United States—including at The George Washington University, the University of Michigan and the University of Iowa. Overseen by a branch of the Chinese Ministry of Education known colloquially as Hanban, the institutes are part of a broader propaganda initiative that the Chinese government is pumping an estimated $10 billion into annually, and they have only been bolstered by growing interest in China among American college students.
Yet along with their growth have come consistent questions about whether the institutes belong on campuses that profess to promote free inquiry. Confucius Institutes teach a very particular, Beijing-approved version of Chinese culture and history: one that ignores concerns over human rights, for example, and teaches that Taiwan and Tibet indisputably belong to Mainland China. Take it from the aforementioned Li, who also said in 2009 that Confucius Institutes are an “important part of China’s overseas propaganda set-up.” Critics also charge that the centers have led to a climate of self-censorship on campuses that play host to them.
Despite years of these critiques—including a recent outcry at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and the shuttering of Confucius Institutes at two of the nation’s top research universities—they’re still growing in number in the United States, albeit at a slower clip than a few years ago. Several opened on American campuses last year. And vanishingly few schools have rethought the institutes and closed them, suggesting that once they’re implanted, they’re entrenched. At several campuses, they’re actually expanding their footprints with bigger facilities and new courses. I contacted more than a half-dozen Confucius Institutes, and several officials said in interviews that they’re not looking back. (Others declined to comment or simply ignored me, further suggesting a commitment to keeping the Institutes going. The Chinese Embassy in Washington also did not respond to a request to comment by publication time.)
That so many universities have welcomed the Confucius Institute with open arms points to another disturbing trend in American higher education: an alarming willingness to accept money at the expense of principles that universities are ostensibly devoted to upholding. At a time when universities are as willing as ever to shield their charges from controversial viewpoints, some nonetheless welcome foreign, communist propaganda—if the price is right. ….
Poor Bill Kristol has to pay attention. It is his job. The rest of us can watch basketball or read about better times.
Serious people need to read this piece and think about how we're going to make it through the next three years. It won't be easy, especially if members of Congress and others keep hoping against hope that this presidency is even quasi-normal.https://t.co/RGXpe7RUyi
This article (and the poll on which it is based) is consistent with my experience. I know many middle-aged uneducated Hispanic males who love Trump. However, even in Texas I have found that most educated white women loathe the man.
Kristol still does not understand the scope. The sizable shift that has been happening in the experience of the American population is not going away—not for either party. The power structure on both sides of the aisle are still in denial.
This article gives a little window peek into the Democrat’s dilemma (which is similar to the Republican’s)…
Debra, I agree with you that Kristol does not understand the Heartland. Having come from lower-middle class semi-families in the Heartland, both Vance and Williamson fully understand the situation. However, no one likes what they have to say. Their solutions are hard and involve serious life changes by individuals.
Donald Trump may be making the immigration debacle a little worse, but the great mass of that whole disaster started decades ago. Even Reagan exacerbated the problem in a way Trump hasn’t remotely done, and the can just keeps getting kicked.
The @#@#% hat wearing women never vote R anyway, so there’s nothing new here. Trump just needs to keep the female voters he had and it’s a wash. Ross Douthat knows this too, or at least he should.
And racist? How original…. 🙄
——————-
And Kristol just get’s more bitter by the day. Poor guy, it’s tough being a never-Trumper nowadays. You keep screaming the sky is falling!, but nobody cares what you think. Must be tough on him and his establishment pals.
Debra’s right, the leadership of both parties just doesn’t get it. Graham is a traitor to his own party and it’s voters. Things didn’t go the way they expected, so they clutch their pearls and virtue signal, ranting and railing, on and on and on….. Lather, rinse, repeat.
“Tucker Carlson debated a New Jersey state assemblyman who supports new Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D-N.J.) plan to set up an agency to provide legal aid to illegal immigrants.
Carlson said New Jersey is full of underprivileged areas, calling Camden – across from Philadelphia – largely unsafe, and Newark – the state’s largest city – home to high schools with a low percent math proficiency.
He said Murphy’s top priority is not New Jersey citizens, but instead “people who shouldn’t be there.” “It’s a tragedy in slow motion and everybody knows it.”
——————–
“He said Murphy and McKeon should focus instead on areas of Paterson, Newark and Jersey City that have been blighted for some time.
He asked how giving legal and tuition assistance to illegal immigrants helps the law-abiding citizens of New Jersey.
“Why not help your own people first?” he asked. “Why should a New Jersey resident who is an American citizen think this helps them?”
——————–
The Democrat had no answer, because he knows it doesn’t help them at all.
Warning. The link is vulgar and inappropriate in my view of what a lady ought to be discussing with a man but you went there so I am sharing the link(s) http://ace.mu.nu/archives/373348.php
Brilliant Jeff Flake. He points out how dictators and authoritarians were falling down on the job until Trump reminded them to get right back on the horse and keep on a-tryin’!
Fortunately, Ross Douthat can read, comprehend and analyze. Unlike many Trumpers and their idol, he can do more than look at pictures and make fun of someone’s name using foul words.
You do realize that few of his supporters actually like him, right?
But he’s doing a job that’s needed doing for quite some time. It ain’t pretty, it requires bomb throwing, but it’s necessary. It’s why we voted for him. We kept giving your nice, clean spoken, church goin’, family values do-gooders a shot, but they turned out to be back-stabbing frauds who never really did much of what we expected of them when they were elected. They’ve been mostly frauds. So now, you got Trump.
And it could be worse. And it will be as long as you refuse to get the message.
As for Flake… well the name says it all. But he does get 5 bonus points for at least calling Trump a commie instead of a racist. I hope he enjoys his retirement, whoring for whatever big money interest he eventually becomes a lobbyist for. He’s better suited for that anyway, since it’s who he really serves as a Senator.
——————
You are however right on one thing. It was a low blow shot at Douthat, deserved or not, so I’ll edit the comment.
Ace of Spades HQ? I’m impressed. Not exactly what I’d think was your cup of tea.
I’ve always loved the H. L. Mencken quote as well. 🙂
It’s pretty much where I’m at politically right now, and why I voted for Trump.
“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”
And here’s another of my favs from H. L., one Ricky is sure to agree with 🙂
“On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
What would you think my cup of tea is? I get out of my bubble on occasion. I am just tired of the Anti-Trumpers, the Pro-Trumpers, and those who let politics get under their skin.
I have tried more than once to explain that in the South, Politics are for entertainment purposes only and you only get as good a politician as you can afford. 😉
“It’s been quite a while now since two collisions in the western Pacific involving US Navy vessels took the lives of a total of 17 sailors, injuring many others and significantly damaging their ships. The investigations being conducted by the military are wrapping up and charges have been filed against a number of senior personnel, including some which caught me totally by surprise. The Associated Press reports that a total of five officers, including the commanding officers of both the destroyers USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain, are being charged with negligent homicide in the deaths of the sailors. (Hat tip, Daily Beast)
The Navy said it is filing at least three charges against four officers of the Fitzgerald, including the commanding officer, who was Cmdr. Bryce Benson at the time. Benson suffered a head injury in the collision and was airlifted to the U.S. Naval Hospital at Yokosuka, Japan. A Navy investigation found that Benson left the ship’s bridge before the collision. Also facing charges are two lieutenants and one lieutenant junior grade, whose names were not disclosed. The Navy said all four face criminal charges, including negligent homicide, dereliction of duty and endangering a ship.
Fewer officers from the McCain are being charged. The Navy said the ship’s commander at the time, Cmdr. Alfredo J. Sanchez, is being charged with negligent homicide, dereliction of duty and endangering a ship. A chief petty officer, whose name was not disclosed, faces a charge of dereliction of duty.
While not entirely unknown in naval history, this is still an unusual move, perhaps signaling an urgent need for the top brass in the Navy to show precisely how seriously they’re taking these incidents. But is homicide of any sort (even negligent) an appropriate charge here? Being on a warship at sea is dangerous business, even during peacetime, and in a worst case scenario sailors can and do occasionally lose their lives.”
“Four individuals from the Bay Area who planned to attend a Milo Yiannopoulos lecture at UC Berkeley last year have sued the school and the city for failing to protect them from left-wing rioters. From the Daily Californian:
SEE ALSO: In Touch magazine publishes details of Stormy Daniels’ alleged affair with Trump
The complaint states that plaintiffs John Jennings, Katrina Redelsheimer, Trever Hatch and Donald Fletcher attempted to attend Yiannopoulos’ speaking event, which was held on campus, when they were allegedly physically attacked by masked figures protesting the event…
“In this case we had four innocent people who were not doing anything to provoke anyone,” said Bill Becker, an attorney representing the plaintiffs with Freedom X Law. “The problem was created by the campus administration, the UC Police Department and Berkeley Police Department not doing their job to protect the public.”…
According to a crowd management policy that the lawsuit cites in the document, UCPD is responsible for removing “uninvolved parties” from situations involving riots. However, the lawsuit alleges that UCPD “abandoned” Sproul Plaza, where the disturbances took place, and delivered “feckless attempts” to break up the crowd, which left bystanders vulnerable.
“It’s deliberate because they made a conscious decision to employ tactics that were ineffective and showed weakness, thereby emboldening the demonstrators and angering them with their empty threats,” Becker said.
The lawsuit itself offers a series of figures of the four defendants suffering from injuries sustained during the riot. This image above shows Katrina Redelsheimer after she was beaten and pepper-sprayed by masked Antifa protesters. “
“Late yesterday afternoon, I filed an amicus brief in one of the most dangerous free-speech cases in a generation. For the second time this term, the Supreme Court is considering whether the government can compel Americans to express or support ideas they find repugnant. The first case, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, was the talk of the nation. This case, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) v. Becerra, has almost entirely escaped public attention.
That’s a mistake. If anything, the violation of the First Amendment in the NIFLA case is more egregious, and the implications potentially more far-reaching. As readers almost certainly recall, the issue in Masterpiece Cakeshop was whether the state of Colorado could compel a Christian baker to design a cake for a gay wedding. One of the state’s principal arguments against the baker’s First Amendment claim was that designing a custom cake wasn’t an expressive act, so forcing him to design a cake wasn’t compelled speech.
The NIFLA case, however, is unquestionably about compelled speech. The state of California has enacted a law, the so-called FACT Act, that requires pro-life crisis-pregnancy centers to prominently place a notice informing clients that California offers low-cost and even free abortions to women who qualify and providing them a phone number that grants quick access to abortion clinics.
In other words, California is requiring pro-life professionals — people who’ve dedicated their lives to protecting the unborn by offering pregnant mothers alternatives to abortion — to advertise state-sponsored abortions. California is making this demand even though it has ample opportunity to advertise state services without forcing pro-life citizens to do so. The state can rent billboard space on the very streets where crisis-pregnancy centers are located. It can hand out leaflets on the sidewalk. It can advertise on television and the radio. It can advertise on the Internet or social media. But rather than using its own voice, it is co-opting the voices of its pro-life citizens, forcing them to join its pro-abortion crusade.
And the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the FACT Act is constitutional. To validate California’s oppressive act, its decision carved out a dangerous First Amendment exception for what it deemed “professional speech” — “speech that occurs between professionals and their clients in the context of their professional relationship” — and ruled that the state had much greater leeway in regulating, for example, doctor/patient communication.”
“Democrats are threatening to hold national security hostage, potentially costing the economy billions and forcing hundreds of thousands of federal government employees to go without pay in exchange for securing legal protections for 800,000 illegal immigrants.
Congress has three days to strike a deal to keep the government funded through October. If members fail to come to an agreement by Jan. 19, all “non-essential” government employees and active U.S. Military personnel will be working with out pay (including troops currently deployed). Funding for agencies like federal museums or national parks will also be cut off.
Congressional Democrats are apparently content with allowing military and law enforcement personnel to go without pay to secure protections and benefits for illegal immigrants and members of their extended families.”
I’m surprised by negligent homicide charges as well. Obviously, the investigators found egregiously behavior by the COs.
That sub that killed the Japanese students 15 years ago faced charges, but I don’t believe they were this severe– and he wand grandstanding at the time.
Curious times. Kim’s friend will probably weigh in and we can trust him. 🙂
“Congressional investigators released a report indicating, “Democrat IT aides made unauthorized access to congressional servers in 2016, allegedly accessing the data of members for whom they did not work, logging in as members of Congress themselves, and covering their tracks, according to a presentation summarizing the findings of a four-month internal probe,” reported the Daily Caller Tuesday.
The report continued, alleging Democrats misrepresented the entire scandal:
Their behavior mirrored a “classic method for insiders to exfiltrate data from an organization,” and they continued even after orders to stop, the briefing materials allege. There are indications that numerous members’ data may have been secretly residing not on their designated servers, but instead aggregated onto one server, according to the briefing and other sources. Authorities said that the entire server was then physically stolen.
When acting on the findings, Democratic leadership appear to have misrepresented the issue to their own members as solely a matter of theft, a comparison of the investigators’ findings with Democrats’ recollections and a committee’s public statement shows, leading 44 Democrats to not conduct protective measures typically taken after a breach — including informing constituents whose personal information may have been exposed.
House investigators don’t believe multiple unauthorized logins were “innocuous”, saying, “This pattern of login activity suggests steps are being taken to conceal their activity.”
A second presentation shows that shortly before the election, their alleged behavior got even worse. “During September 2016, shared employee continued to use Democratic Caucus computers in anomalous ways:
Logged onto laptop as system administrator
Changed identity and logged onto Democratic Caucus server using 17 other user account credentials
Some credentials belonged to Members
The shared employee did not work for 9 of the 17 offices to which these user accounts belonged.”
The investigation found “possible storage of sensitive House information outside the House … Dropbox is installed on two Caucus computers used by the shared employees. Two user accounts had thousands of files in their Dropbox folder on each computer.” Using Dropbox is against House rules because it uploads files offsite.
The Daily Caller’s report is detailed, lengthy, and well worth the time to read.”
———————-
“The presentation, written by the House’s Office of the Inspector General, reported under the bold heading “UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS” that “5 shared employee system administrators have collectively logged into 15 member offices and the Democratic Caucus although they were not employed by the offices they accessed.”
It found indications that a House “server is being used for nefarious purposes and elevated the risk that individuals could be reading and/or removing information” and “could be used to store documents taken from other offices.” The server was that of the House Democratic Caucus, a sister group of the DNC that was run at the time by then-Rep. Xavier Becerra.
The aides named are Imran Awan, his wife Hina Alvi, his brothers Abid and Jamal, and his friend Rao Abbas, Pakistani-born aides whose lives are filled with reason for concern. Abid’s Ukranian wife Natalia Sova and Haseeb Rana were also involved in the Awans’ activities but departed the House payroll prior to the investigation.
One systems administrator “logged into a member’s office two months after he was terminated from that office,” the investigative summary says.
———-
“The investigation found “possible storage of sensitive House information outside the House … Dropbox is installed on two Caucus computers used by the shared employees. Two user accounts had thousands of files in their Dropbox folder on each computer.” Using Dropbox is against House rules because it uploads files offsite.
The Washington Post referenced the presentation in July, and quoted a House source who claimed that the server was full of the Awan children’s “homework” and “family photos.” The presentation offers reasons to doubt that. “Based on the file names, some of the information is likely sensitive,” it reads.
The statements of numerous Democrats indicate that the Democratic staff of the House Administration Committee and other House officials may have withheld information about cybersecurity breaches from members who employed the suspects, and appear to have misled them about the basic nature of the investigation.
“This is the first I’ve heard about that,” said Missouri Democratic Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver — who employed almost every member of the Awan group — of cybersecurity issues.”
I was affected by a government shutdown once.
I tried to go to Jamestown National Park
That’s it.
I think all the employees affected got back pay.
Government shut down is essentially nothing.
Except something for the press to talk about.
“Apple announces plans to repatriate billions in overseas cash, says it will contribute $350 billion to the US economy over the next 5 years
Apple says the new tax law will help it will contribute $350 billion to the U.S. economy over the next five years.
It says it will create 20,000 new jobs and open a new campus.
Apple expects to pay about $38 billion in taxes for the horde of cash it plans to bring back to the United States.”
———–
“Apple says it will pay $38 billion in U.S. taxes to bring home cash that it had stashed abroad.
It’s an astonishing number, even by the vast standards of Washington spending.
To understand just how much money this is, consider that in 2014 the entire bottom 50% of individual income tax filers paid a total of $37,740,000,000 in federal income taxes, according to the Tax Foundation.”
“U.S. factory production rose for a fourth straight month in December, capping the strongest quarter since 2010 and underscoring a resurgence in manufacturing that’s primed for further advances, Federal Reserve data showed Wednesday.”
“Dow spikes 322 points, closes above 26,000 for the first time
The S&P 500 gained 0.9 percent, with staples and tech rising more than 1 percent.
Tech stocks got a boost from Apple, which erased losses after announcing plans to repatriate billions in overseas cash.
Earnings season is off to a strong start thus far.”
Wandering Views 
My husband likes to say that there is no such thing as a one-way street: all roads are 2-way. Looks like he’s right. On the bright side, when the time comes, at least we’ll be able to establish our Politboro properly, using proven methods and ideas from our favorite trading partner. :–/
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Poor Bill Kristol has to pay attention. It is his job. The rest of us can watch basketball or read about better times.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This article (and the poll on which it is based) is consistent with my experience. I know many middle-aged uneducated Hispanic males who love Trump. However, even in Texas I have found that most educated white women loathe the man.
LikeLike
Kristol still does not understand the scope. The sizable shift that has been happening in the experience of the American population is not going away—not for either party. The power structure on both sides of the aisle are still in denial.
This article gives a little window peek into the Democrat’s dilemma (which is similar to the Republican’s)…
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/01/11/terry-goodin-rural-democrats-indiana-216273
LikeLiked by 1 person
Debra, I agree with you that Kristol does not understand the Heartland. Having come from lower-middle class semi-families in the Heartland, both Vance and Williamson fully understand the situation. However, no one likes what they have to say. Their solutions are hard and involve serious life changes by individuals.
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Donald Trump may be making the immigration debacle a little worse, but the great mass of that whole disaster started decades ago. Even Reagan exacerbated the problem in a way Trump hasn’t remotely done, and the can just keeps getting kicked.
Question: Should a nation have borders?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Silly Ricky.
The @#@#% hat wearing women never vote R anyway, so there’s nothing new here. Trump just needs to keep the female voters he had and it’s a wash. Ross Douthat knows this too, or at least he should.
And racist? How original…. 🙄
——————-
And Kristol just get’s more bitter by the day. Poor guy, it’s tough being a never-Trumper nowadays. You keep screaming the sky is falling!, but nobody cares what you think. Must be tough on him and his establishment pals.
Debra’s right, the leadership of both parties just doesn’t get it. Graham is a traitor to his own party and it’s voters. Things didn’t go the way they expected, so they clutch their pearls and virtue signal, ranting and railing, on and on and on….. Lather, rinse, repeat.
And again, racist. How original…. 🙄
You guys need some new material.
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Solar,
Yes. Borders, a shared language, and assimilation by newcomers are all necessary. We’re lacking in 2 outta 3.
Follow up question…
Should a country put it’s citizens welfare first?
—————————
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/01/16/tucker-battles-nj-dem-over-phil-murphys-plan-help-illegal-immigrants
“Tucker Carlson debated a New Jersey state assemblyman who supports new Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D-N.J.) plan to set up an agency to provide legal aid to illegal immigrants.
Carlson said New Jersey is full of underprivileged areas, calling Camden – across from Philadelphia – largely unsafe, and Newark – the state’s largest city – home to high schools with a low percent math proficiency.
He said Murphy’s top priority is not New Jersey citizens, but instead “people who shouldn’t be there.” “It’s a tragedy in slow motion and everybody knows it.”
——————–
“He said Murphy and McKeon should focus instead on areas of Paterson, Newark and Jersey City that have been blighted for some time.
He asked how giving legal and tuition assistance to illegal immigrants helps the law-abiding citizens of New Jersey.
“Why not help your own people first?” he asked. “Why should a New Jersey resident who is an American citizen think this helps them?”
——————–
The Democrat had no answer, because he knows it doesn’t help them at all.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Warning. The link is vulgar and inappropriate in my view of what a lady ought to be discussing with a man but you went there so I am sharing the link(s)
http://ace.mu.nu/archives/373348.php
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https://legalinsurrection.com/2018/01/goodbye-pussyhats-they-may-hurt-the-feelings-of-transgender-people/
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Brilliant Jeff Flake. He points out how dictators and authoritarians were falling down on the job until Trump reminded them to get right back on the horse and keep on a-tryin’!
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Fortunately, Ross Douthat can read, comprehend and analyze. Unlike many Trumpers and their idol, he can do more than look at pictures and make fun of someone’s name using foul words.
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Ricky, you should totally punctuate your posts with an all caps “BOOM!” for a fuller effect. Maybe an occasional “BOOYA, SUCKA!”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Idol?
Now that’s funny.
You do realize that few of his supporters actually like him, right?
But he’s doing a job that’s needed doing for quite some time. It ain’t pretty, it requires bomb throwing, but it’s necessary. It’s why we voted for him. We kept giving your nice, clean spoken, church goin’, family values do-gooders a shot, but they turned out to be back-stabbing frauds who never really did much of what we expected of them when they were elected. They’ve been mostly frauds. So now, you got Trump.
And it could be worse. And it will be as long as you refuse to get the message.
As for Flake… well the name says it all. But he does get 5 bonus points for at least calling Trump a commie instead of a racist. I hope he enjoys his retirement, whoring for whatever big money interest he eventually becomes a lobbyist for. He’s better suited for that anyway, since it’s who he really serves as a Senator.
——————
You are however right on one thing. It was a low blow shot at Douthat, deserved or not, so I’ll edit the comment.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, and…
BOOYA, SUCKA!!! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
And Kim,
Ace of Spades HQ? I’m impressed. Not exactly what I’d think was your cup of tea.
I’ve always loved the H. L. Mencken quote as well. 🙂
It’s pretty much where I’m at politically right now, and why I voted for Trump.
“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”
And here’s another of my favs from H. L., one Ricky is sure to agree with 🙂
“On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
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What would you think my cup of tea is? I get out of my bubble on occasion. I am just tired of the Anti-Trumpers, the Pro-Trumpers, and those who let politics get under their skin.
I have tried more than once to explain that in the South, Politics are for entertainment purposes only and you only get as good a politician as you can afford. 😉
LikeLiked by 2 people
Michelle,
I thought this was surprising.
https://hotair.com/archives/2018/01/17/navy-filing-unexpected-charges-ship-collisions/
“It’s been quite a while now since two collisions in the western Pacific involving US Navy vessels took the lives of a total of 17 sailors, injuring many others and significantly damaging their ships. The investigations being conducted by the military are wrapping up and charges have been filed against a number of senior personnel, including some which caught me totally by surprise. The Associated Press reports that a total of five officers, including the commanding officers of both the destroyers USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain, are being charged with negligent homicide in the deaths of the sailors. (Hat tip, Daily Beast)
The Navy said it is filing at least three charges against four officers of the Fitzgerald, including the commanding officer, who was Cmdr. Bryce Benson at the time. Benson suffered a head injury in the collision and was airlifted to the U.S. Naval Hospital at Yokosuka, Japan. A Navy investigation found that Benson left the ship’s bridge before the collision. Also facing charges are two lieutenants and one lieutenant junior grade, whose names were not disclosed. The Navy said all four face criminal charges, including negligent homicide, dereliction of duty and endangering a ship.
Fewer officers from the McCain are being charged. The Navy said the ship’s commander at the time, Cmdr. Alfredo J. Sanchez, is being charged with negligent homicide, dereliction of duty and endangering a ship. A chief petty officer, whose name was not disclosed, faces a charge of dereliction of duty.
While not entirely unknown in naval history, this is still an unusual move, perhaps signaling an urgent need for the top brass in the Navy to show precisely how seriously they’re taking these incidents. But is homicide of any sort (even negligent) an appropriate charge here? Being on a warship at sea is dangerous business, even during peacetime, and in a worst case scenario sailors can and do occasionally lose their lives.”
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Maybe this will force the leftists in places like Berkeley to do a better job of leashing their pet attack dogs.
https://hotair.com/archives/2018/01/16/uc-berkeley-sued-injuries-sustained-antifa-riot/
“Four individuals from the Bay Area who planned to attend a Milo Yiannopoulos lecture at UC Berkeley last year have sued the school and the city for failing to protect them from left-wing rioters. From the Daily Californian:
SEE ALSO: In Touch magazine publishes details of Stormy Daniels’ alleged affair with Trump
The complaint states that plaintiffs John Jennings, Katrina Redelsheimer, Trever Hatch and Donald Fletcher attempted to attend Yiannopoulos’ speaking event, which was held on campus, when they were allegedly physically attacked by masked figures protesting the event…
“In this case we had four innocent people who were not doing anything to provoke anyone,” said Bill Becker, an attorney representing the plaintiffs with Freedom X Law. “The problem was created by the campus administration, the UC Police Department and Berkeley Police Department not doing their job to protect the public.”…
According to a crowd management policy that the lawsuit cites in the document, UCPD is responsible for removing “uninvolved parties” from situations involving riots. However, the lawsuit alleges that UCPD “abandoned” Sproul Plaza, where the disturbances took place, and delivered “feckless attempts” to break up the crowd, which left bystanders vulnerable.
“It’s deliberate because they made a conscious decision to employ tactics that were ineffective and showed weakness, thereby emboldening the demonstrators and angering them with their empty threats,” Becker said.
The lawsuit itself offers a series of figures of the four defendants suffering from injuries sustained during the riot. This image above shows Katrina Redelsheimer after she was beaten and pepper-sprayed by masked Antifa protesters. “
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The SC needs to rein in California’s rabid pro-abortion legislature, AG, and the 9th Circus.
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/455470/nifla-becerra-supreme-court-case-religious-freedom-free-speech
“Late yesterday afternoon, I filed an amicus brief in one of the most dangerous free-speech cases in a generation. For the second time this term, the Supreme Court is considering whether the government can compel Americans to express or support ideas they find repugnant. The first case, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, was the talk of the nation. This case, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) v. Becerra, has almost entirely escaped public attention.
That’s a mistake. If anything, the violation of the First Amendment in the NIFLA case is more egregious, and the implications potentially more far-reaching. As readers almost certainly recall, the issue in Masterpiece Cakeshop was whether the state of Colorado could compel a Christian baker to design a cake for a gay wedding. One of the state’s principal arguments against the baker’s First Amendment claim was that designing a custom cake wasn’t an expressive act, so forcing him to design a cake wasn’t compelled speech.
The NIFLA case, however, is unquestionably about compelled speech. The state of California has enacted a law, the so-called FACT Act, that requires pro-life crisis-pregnancy centers to prominently place a notice informing clients that California offers low-cost and even free abortions to women who qualify and providing them a phone number that grants quick access to abortion clinics.
In other words, California is requiring pro-life professionals — people who’ve dedicated their lives to protecting the unborn by offering pregnant mothers alternatives to abortion — to advertise state-sponsored abortions. California is making this demand even though it has ample opportunity to advertise state services without forcing pro-life citizens to do so. The state can rent billboard space on the very streets where crisis-pregnancy centers are located. It can hand out leaflets on the sidewalk. It can advertise on television and the radio. It can advertise on the Internet or social media. But rather than using its own voice, it is co-opting the voices of its pro-life citizens, forcing them to join its pro-abortion crusade.
And the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the FACT Act is constitutional. To validate California’s oppressive act, its decision carved out a dangerous First Amendment exception for what it deemed “professional speech” — “speech that occurs between professionals and their clients in the context of their professional relationship” — and ruled that the state had much greater leeway in regulating, for example, doctor/patient communication.”
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Well I guess Democrats have answered my question…. with a resounding no.
“Should a country put it’s citizens welfare first?”
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/16/dems-shutdown-government-dreamers/?utm_campaign=atdailycaller&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=atdailycaller&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social
“Democrats are threatening to hold national security hostage, potentially costing the economy billions and forcing hundreds of thousands of federal government employees to go without pay in exchange for securing legal protections for 800,000 illegal immigrants.
Congress has three days to strike a deal to keep the government funded through October. If members fail to come to an agreement by Jan. 19, all “non-essential” government employees and active U.S. Military personnel will be working with out pay (including troops currently deployed). Funding for agencies like federal museums or national parks will also be cut off.
Congressional Democrats are apparently content with allowing military and law enforcement personnel to go without pay to secure protections and benefits for illegal immigrants and members of their extended families.”
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I’m surprised by negligent homicide charges as well. Obviously, the investigators found egregiously behavior by the COs.
That sub that killed the Japanese students 15 years ago faced charges, but I don’t believe they were this severe– and he wand grandstanding at the time.
Curious times. Kim’s friend will probably weigh in and we can trust him. 🙂
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Well looky here. Dems colluding with foreign entities who appeared to be spying using other Dems accounts.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2018/01/pakistani-democrat-it-aides-unauthorized-access-to-congressional-office-servers/
“Congressional investigators released a report indicating, “Democrat IT aides made unauthorized access to congressional servers in 2016, allegedly accessing the data of members for whom they did not work, logging in as members of Congress themselves, and covering their tracks, according to a presentation summarizing the findings of a four-month internal probe,” reported the Daily Caller Tuesday.
The report continued, alleging Democrats misrepresented the entire scandal:
Their behavior mirrored a “classic method for insiders to exfiltrate data from an organization,” and they continued even after orders to stop, the briefing materials allege. There are indications that numerous members’ data may have been secretly residing not on their designated servers, but instead aggregated onto one server, according to the briefing and other sources. Authorities said that the entire server was then physically stolen.
When acting on the findings, Democratic leadership appear to have misrepresented the issue to their own members as solely a matter of theft, a comparison of the investigators’ findings with Democrats’ recollections and a committee’s public statement shows, leading 44 Democrats to not conduct protective measures typically taken after a breach — including informing constituents whose personal information may have been exposed.
House investigators don’t believe multiple unauthorized logins were “innocuous”, saying, “This pattern of login activity suggests steps are being taken to conceal their activity.”
A second presentation shows that shortly before the election, their alleged behavior got even worse. “During September 2016, shared employee continued to use Democratic Caucus computers in anomalous ways:
Logged onto laptop as system administrator
Changed identity and logged onto Democratic Caucus server using 17 other user account credentials
Some credentials belonged to Members
The shared employee did not work for 9 of the 17 offices to which these user accounts belonged.”
The investigation found “possible storage of sensitive House information outside the House … Dropbox is installed on two Caucus computers used by the shared employees. Two user accounts had thousands of files in their Dropbox folder on each computer.” Using Dropbox is against House rules because it uploads files offsite.
The Daily Caller’s report is detailed, lengthy, and well worth the time to read.”
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Here’s the DC piece.
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/16/house-report-concluded-pakistanis-made-unauthorized-access-to-congressional-servers/#pq=Q66djx
“The presentation, written by the House’s Office of the Inspector General, reported under the bold heading “UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS” that “5 shared employee system administrators have collectively logged into 15 member offices and the Democratic Caucus although they were not employed by the offices they accessed.”
It found indications that a House “server is being used for nefarious purposes and elevated the risk that individuals could be reading and/or removing information” and “could be used to store documents taken from other offices.” The server was that of the House Democratic Caucus, a sister group of the DNC that was run at the time by then-Rep. Xavier Becerra.
The aides named are Imran Awan, his wife Hina Alvi, his brothers Abid and Jamal, and his friend Rao Abbas, Pakistani-born aides whose lives are filled with reason for concern. Abid’s Ukranian wife Natalia Sova and Haseeb Rana were also involved in the Awans’ activities but departed the House payroll prior to the investigation.
One systems administrator “logged into a member’s office two months after he was terminated from that office,” the investigative summary says.
———-
“The investigation found “possible storage of sensitive House information outside the House … Dropbox is installed on two Caucus computers used by the shared employees. Two user accounts had thousands of files in their Dropbox folder on each computer.” Using Dropbox is against House rules because it uploads files offsite.
The Washington Post referenced the presentation in July, and quoted a House source who claimed that the server was full of the Awan children’s “homework” and “family photos.” The presentation offers reasons to doubt that. “Based on the file names, some of the information is likely sensitive,” it reads.
The statements of numerous Democrats indicate that the Democratic staff of the House Administration Committee and other House officials may have withheld information about cybersecurity breaches from members who employed the suspects, and appear to have misled them about the basic nature of the investigation.
“This is the first I’ve heard about that,” said Missouri Democratic Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver — who employed almost every member of the Awan group — of cybersecurity issues.”
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I was affected by a government shutdown once.
I tried to go to Jamestown National Park
That’s it.
I think all the employees affected got back pay.
Government shut down is essentially nothing.
Except something for the press to talk about.
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More winning…..
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/17/apple-announces-350-billion-investment-20k-jobs-over-5-years.html
“Apple announces plans to repatriate billions in overseas cash, says it will contribute $350 billion to the US economy over the next 5 years
Apple says the new tax law will help it will contribute $350 billion to the U.S. economy over the next five years.
It says it will create 20,000 new jobs and open a new campus.
Apple expects to pay about $38 billion in taxes for the horde of cash it plans to bring back to the United States.”
———–
https://www.futureofcapitalism.com/2018/01/apple-38-billion
“Apple says it will pay $38 billion in U.S. taxes to bring home cash that it had stashed abroad.
It’s an astonishing number, even by the vast standards of Washington spending.
To understand just how much money this is, consider that in 2014 the entire bottom 50% of individual income tax filers paid a total of $37,740,000,000 in federal income taxes, according to the Tax Foundation.”
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And more……
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-17/u-s-manufacturing-output-rose-in-december-for-a-fourth-month
“U.S. factory production rose for a fourth straight month in December, capping the strongest quarter since 2010 and underscoring a resurgence in manufacturing that’s primed for further advances, Federal Reserve data showed Wednesday.”
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And this I believe qualifies for a BOOM!
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/17/us-stocks-dow-earnings-bank-of-america.html
“Dow spikes 322 points, closes above 26,000 for the first time
The S&P 500 gained 0.9 percent, with staples and tech rising more than 1 percent.
Tech stocks got a boost from Apple, which erased losses after announcing plans to repatriate billions in overseas cash.
Earnings season is off to a strong start thus far.”
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Sudden booms make me nervous—especially in the National Casino.
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Ha!
Here’s a BOOYA SUCKA! 🙂
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Solar will be happy to see that his Krugman quote from yesterday took the #! spot. 🙂
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