At Least 24 Dead in Taiwan Gas Explosions

Looks like a terrorist attack, but apparently not.

At the New York Times, "Videos Capture Terror of Deadly Taiwan Explosions," and "Gas Suspected in Fatal Blasts That Jolted a City in Taiwan."

Also at AP, "Raw: Rescuers at Taiwan Explosion Scene," and Rupty, "China: Deadly blasts rock Taiwan."

VIDEO: Obama's IRS Targeted Pro-Israel Groups for Harassment, Denial of Tax-Exempt Status

At Jihad Watch, "IRS and Obama State Department conferred about ways to deny tax-exempt status to pro-Israel groups":

Obama ought to be impeached for this alone. He has turned the United States government into an instrument to punish his political enemies, and shows in this particular incident how deeply he hates Israel and how ardently he supports the “Palestinian” jihad. Obama and the Left seem bent on destroying what was one of the great achievements of the United States: the continued existence of a loyal political opposition that was not subject to violence or oppression, but allowed to operate freely and accorded respect, as it accorded the same respect to the majority. Those days are over. There is a single perspective that is allowed in the mainstream media, the educational system, and the entertainment industry, and now Obama has gone one step beyond that and endeavored to make a group’s legal privileges subject to its submission to his political line. Dark days, indeed.

Keep reading. Robert quotes the Wall Street Journal's editorial at length, "The IRS's Foreign Policy."

Hamas Solidarity Protesters Issue Death Threats Against Kedem Cosmetics Shop in Manchester, U.K.

Europe is a tinderbox of left-wing racism waiting to explode.

At the Times of Israel, "Protesters threaten British store selling Israeli products: Callers say they will kill Kedem’s staff and burn down the shop." And at Arutz Sheva, "Pro-Palestinian Thugs Threaten Israeli Store in Manchester: Kedem cosmetics store a focal point for anti-Semitic violence; owners face death threats over operation in Gaza":

Violent pro-Palestinian protesters have focused upon the Kedem cosmetics shop in Manchester to vent their rage at Israel, according to the Jewish Chronicle and Manchester Evening News - threatening the owners and Jews in general with death.

Here's the Manchester Evening News, "Jewish community suffering anti-semitic backlash in wake of Gaza conflict," and "Police make five arrests during city centre clash during Gaza protest."

Sixty-One Soldiers Killed So Far in Operation Protective Edge

At Arutz Sheva, "Five Soldiers Killed Near the Border with Gaza":

The IDF Spokesperson has cleared for publication that five soldiers were killed Thursday evening while performing operational activities near the border with Gaza.

According to the IDF statement, there was high trajectory fire (usually meaning rockets or mortars) towards the soldiers.

The names of the five have not yet been cleared for publication.

As well, the IDF said, 19 soldiers were wounded on Thursday as part of Operation Protective Edge. Their families have been informed.

Since the beginning of the operation, 61 officers and soldiers have been killed.

And at the Times of Israel, "5 soldiers killed in mortar strike; 3-day ceasefire to start at 8 a.m."

Obama Sides with #Hamas Against Israel

From Caroline Glick, "Israel, Hamas and Obama's Foreign Policy":

When US President Barack Obama phoned Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday night, in the middle of a security cabinet meeting, he ended any remaining doubt regarding his policy toward Israel and Hamas.

Obama called Netanyahu while the premier was conferring with his senior ministers about how to proceed in Gaza. Some ministers counseled that Israel should continue to limit our forces to specific pinpoint operations aimed at destroying the tunnels of death that Hamas has dug throughout Gaza and into Israeli territory.

Others argued that the only way to truly destroy the tunnels, and keep them destroyed, is for Israel to retake control over the Gaza Strip.

No ministers were recommending that Israel end its operations in Gaza completely. The longer our soldiers fight, the more we learn about the vast dimensions of the Hamas’s terror arsenal, and about the Muslim Brotherhood group’s plans and strategy for using it to destabilize, demoralize and ultimately destroy Israeli society.

The IDF’s discovery of Hamas’s Rosh Hashana plot was the last straw for any Israeli leftists still harboring fantasies about picking up our marbles and going home. Hamas’s plan to use its tunnels to send hundreds of terrorists into multiple Israeli border communities simultaneously and carry out a massacre of unprecedented scope, replete with the abduction of hostages to Gaza, was the rude awakening the Left had avoided since it pushed for Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from Gaza.

In other words, in their discussion Sunday night, Netanyahu and his ministers were without illusions about the gravity of the situation and the imperative of winning – however defined.

But then the telephone rang. And Obama told Netanyahu that Israel must lose. He wants an unconditional “humanitarian” cease-fire that will lead to a permanent one.

And he wants it now.

And by the way, the eventual terms of that cease-fire must include opening Hamas-controlled Gaza’s borders with Egypt and Israel and ending Israel’s maritime blockade of the Gaza coast. That is, the cease-fire must allow Hamas to rebuild its arsenal of death and destruction quickly, with US political and financial support.

Until Obama made the call, there was lingering doubt among some Israelis regarding his intentions. Some thought that US Secretary of State John Kerry might have been acting of his own accord last Friday night when he tried to force Israel to accept Hamas’s cease-fire terms.

But then Obama made his phone call. And all doubts were dispelled.

Kerry is just a loyal steward of Obama’s foreign policy.

Obama is siding with Hamas, and its Muslim Brotherhood patrons in Qatar and Turkey, against Israel, and its Sunni Arab supporters – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates...

Keep reading.

Gisele Bündchen Bikini Hotness in Costa Rica

She's awesome.

At Egotastic!, "Gisele Bündchen Shows Off Her Bikini Body on a Beach in Costa Rica."

'Should Israel perish, the Holocaust will be upon us...'

At Blazing Cat Fur, "WSJ Notable & Quotable: Eric Hoffer, 1968: ‘Should Israel perish, the Holocaust will be upon us’":

The Jews are alone in the world. If Israel survives it will be solely because of Jewish efforts. And Jewish resources.

Yet at this moment, Israel is our only reliable and unconditional ally. We can rely more on Israel than Israel can rely on us. And one has only to imagine what would have happened last summer had the Arabs and their Russian backers won the war to realize how vital the survival of Israel is to America and the West in general.

I have a premonition that will not leave me; as it goes with Israel so will it go with all of us. Should Israel perish, the Holocaust will be upon us.

Illegal Alien Suspect in #USC Murder Wanted by ICE for Deportation: Victim's Family Fought for Entry Visa (VIDEO)

Oh man.

Another story on America's FUBAR politics.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Suspect in fatal USC attack entered country illegally, feds say." ICE wants the guy for deportation proceedings upon his release from local custody. Also at Pat Dollard's, "And So It Begins: Suspect In Fatal USC Attack Entered Country Illegally."

And at Truth Revolt, "Parents of USC Student Slain by Illegal Alien Were Delayed Entry by U.S. State Department."

'No details at all given about this situation. You couldn't make the effort to explain why he was moved out of there?...'

This video, which is unbearably sad, is a perfect summation of the ideological left. One commenter calls out the producers in the thread: "Homeless man had a request for police..."Can I watch?"

No details at all given about this situation. You couldn't make the effort to explain why he was moved out of there? Why his home was destroyed?

Some guy named Sam has been living in a small shack, apparently on private property, for a couple of years, and the authorities come in and tear it down. The shack's destroyed as the man watches his abode crushed and the music pounds while you see him quivering with tears. It's sad. But there's no background about why this shanty was torn down. How was this man living there without breaking the law? We have laws and we have property rights. Without those things you don't have society. So, what is the purpose of this other than to generate leftist outrage at how terrible this county is? Seriously. Just read the comments at Huffington Post, linked at Barbara Starr's tweet:

Utter sadness..Homeless Man Tearfully Watches As Police Destroy His Shelter http://t.co/y5ZfJbNSFF via @HuffPostImpact

— Barbara Starr (@barbarastarrcnn) July 31, 2014

Tucker Carlson Smacks Down Kirsten Powers' Leftist Talking Points on Obama's Illegals

This is pretty good.

For awhile I thought Kristen Powers was going to escape from the dark side, but she's been so far to the left these days it's ridiculous.

Watch: "Tucker Carlson and Kirsten Powers Mix It Up Over Immigration."

Poll: Massive 68 Percent Disapprove Obama's Handling of Illegal Alien Invasion — #SecureTheBorder!

At the Washington Post:

A new poll from AP-GfK shows more than two-thirds of Americans (68 percent) disapprove of Obama's handling of the immigration issue in general. Just 31 percent approve -- down from 38 percent two months ago.

The raw toplines are here.

And from John Nolte, at Big Journalism, "BORDER CRISIS POLL: PUBLIC TURNS AGAINST OBAMA, DEMOCRATS & MEDIA":

A new AP-GfK poll is all around bad news for President Obama, Democrats, and a mainstream media determined to push his amnesty agenda. Not only is public approval souring towards Obama's handling of the issue, the idea of a path to citizenship for illegals, and the policy of offering  asylum for this wave of Central American children; a plurality now see the Republican Party as better able to handle the issue of immigration.

When asked about the President's handling of the immigration issue, only 31% said they approve, while a whopping 68% disapprove. That's a 14-point shift against the president since the middle of May, when he sat at 38% approve, 60% disapprove.

More.

Be sure to skim the raw poll numbers. Democrat identifiers are down 5 percent since the 2012 election. And way more Americans identify as moderate or conservative than as "liberal" (leftist).

Progs are in bitter denial if they think immigration won't affect the outcome of the November midterms. The Dems are going to get hammered.

Chicken Pox Lockdown at Illegal Alien Detention Facility in Artesia, New Mexico — #SecureTheBorder

Everything's FUBAR and there's no end in sight.

At NewsMax, "Chicken Pox Outbreak Locks Down Immigrant Facility":

An outbreak of chicken pox has slapped a quarantine lockdown on a New Mexico detention facility housing 500 illegal immigrant families and halted all deportations.

The Washington Times reported that the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) facility in Artesia, NM, has been placed under quarantine because of an outbreak of varicella, or chicken pox, in the center's residents.

Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., said in a statement, "As the FLETC facility reaches maximum capacity, I am increasingly concerned for the health and safety of the women and children at FLETC and for the local community. The virus, that has caused two residents to be put in isolation, has halted all departures."

Pearce noted that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has confirmed the quarantine, and KFoxTV 14, El Paso, quoted ICE spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa as saying, "One of the residents at the Artesia Residential Family Center has been diagnosed with chicken pox.

"The individual is being treated by medical professionals, and necessary precautions are being taken to protect the other detainees at the center. ICE has contacted both local and health officials, and is closely monitoring the situation. This case does not pose a health risk to the local community. Out of an abundance of caution, ICE has temporarily halted the intake and removal of detainees from the facility."

Right.

No "health risk to the local community." Well, just wait 'till these illegals are processed and released into the general population. Our freakin' entire country should be on lockdown. Sheesh.

Gaza Operation Continues as Israel Calls Up 16,000 More Reservists

At Telegraph UK, "Gaza conflict: Israel calls up 16,000 more reservists as US supplies army with ammunition":

Israeli call-up comes in face of intense international pressure to curtail operations in Gaza, where more than 100 Palestinians died on Wednesday – but US agrees to provide Israel with new ammunition supplies.

Israel mobilised 16,000 additional reservists on Thursday to bolster its forces waging military operations in the Gaza Strip that left more than 100 Palestinians dead in a day.

The call-up came after Washington announced it had agreed to restock Israel's dwindling supplies of ammunition despite its sharp condemnation of an attack on a United Nations school in Gaza blamed on Israel's army.

"The army has issued 16,000 additional mobilisation orders to allow troops on the ground to rest, which takes the total number of reservists to 86,000," an army spokeswoman said.

Israel's security cabinet, which met for five hours Wednesday, unanimously decided to pursue attacks against Hamas "terrorist targets" and other operations to destroy a network of tunnels used by the Islamist movement between Gaza and Israel, public radio said.

Public radio quoted Major General Sami Turgeman, the senior officer for the Gaza region, as saying that the destruction of militants' remaining tunnels into Israel could be complete "in a few days".

More.

7 Facts About Operation Protective Edge

From the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

Anti-Semitism on the Rise in Europe

Following-up from yesterday, "ADL's Abraham Foxman: 'Anti-Semitism on the Rise' in Europe; Protesters 'Want to Harm the Jews...'"

Here's another report from CNN:

Professors Suddenly Don't Like #ObamaCare Either

At iOWNTHEWORLD, "Leftist Intelligentsia and Academics Are Really Not All That Smaught, Are They?"

Abigail Disney Goes #BDS, Withdraws Investment from Israeli Company Over 'Occupation'

From Phyllis Chesler, at Big Peace, "DISNEY HEIRESS TAKES CODE PINK LINE, WITHDRAWS INVESTMENT FROM ISRAELI COMPANY OVER 'OCCUPATION'":

Abigail Disney, Walt’s great-niece and heiress, has just withdrawn her 12 million dollar investment in the Israeli Company Ahava because, she says, it is “stealing minerals” from an “Occupied West Bank.” Ms. Disney believes this violates both the 1970 Hague Convention and the Geneva Convention “by exploiting natural resources in occupied territories.”

Well—not exactly, and not so fast...

Continue reading.

The Real Immigration Crisis Is Not at the Border

A must-read essay from Michelle Malkin, "Want a real anti-poverty plan? Stop amnesty now!":

There are no longer two separate parties in Washington. There’s just one big Amnesty Inc. conglomerate addicted to Big Business donations and Big Government grievance politics. The Obama White House needs to buy off Hispanic voters, keep immigration lawyers employed and secure a left-wing permanent ruling majority. Establishment Republicans need to pay off the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, pander to minority lobbyists and curry favor with open-borders CEOS led by Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg.

The real crisis is not at the border. It’s being fomented inside our nation’s capital. The “border crisis” is a bipartisan D.C. catastrophe of craven politicians abandoning their constitutional duties to defend our sovereignty and put American workers first.

As always, RTWT.

Amid Ballooning Costs, Millions Raided from Other Programs to Deal with Illegal Alien Border Invasion!

We're running out of money to fund Obama's illegal scamnesty, as I reported earlier, "Illegal Alien Emergency Funding' Stalls as Dems Refuse Changes to 'Inapplicable' '08 Human Trafficking Law."

And now at the Los Angeles Times, "Budgets raided to address border crisis amid Congress' inaction":

Surveillance drones that hunt drug smugglers along the Mexican border could soon be grounded. Installation of pole-top cameras and ground sensors to intercept illegal crossings might be delayed.

About $44 million has already been diverted from the government's health-related accounts, including the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to pay for food, beds, clothing and medical care for the crush of unaccompanied minors who have crossed the Southwestern border.

And that's just the beginning.

With the expected failure of Congress to agree Thursday on emergency funds to cope with the border crisis, the Obama administration is shifting an additional $94 million from other government programs and accounts — some far removed from the immigration debate — to meet the swelling costs of caring for the children through the summer, according to congressional aides.

Congress is scheduled to leave town Thursday for a five-week break without acting on the president's request for $3.7 billion in emergency funding or agreeing on an alternative.

But border agencies say their existing budgets — sapped by added costs from overtime, detention and transportation for the children, more than 57,000 of whom have arrived since October — will start running dry before lawmakers get back in September.

Administration officials warn that the price of congressional inaction will be steep, estimating the cost of caring for each immigrant youth runs between $250 and $1,000 a day.

"Scary," Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat, said about the agencies' budget outlook.

On Wednesday, officials at the Office of Management and Budget were putting together plans to scrounge up funds. But without congressional approval, President Obama is limited to moving around money only in small amounts. That probably means the redistribution will touch many different programs — a distressing prospect for officials in vulnerable agencies.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has already diverted funds from immigration enforcement, and is now reviewing other programs in what he has described as a "dramatic" effort to locate money. Another casualty of the budget crunch might be new X-ray screening equipment to speed up truck cargo traffic at the border, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said in a recent interview.

"We have huge investments in technology to speed up people traveling lawfully into the U.S. and [for] cargo advancement," Kerlikowske said. "There is money in those programs, but we would have to reprogram to keep up with the money that is now being spent on the Southwest border."

More at the link.

And as I wrote earlier, "the Obama White House is mounting a demonic Alinskyite campaign of manufactured crisis, putting untold alien migrant lives at risk, to say nothing of the dozens upon dozens of American communities now fearing for their safety and trying to protect themselves from Third World diseases."

New Video of #UCLA Flooding: Up to 20 Million Gallons Spilled, No Injuries; Pauley Pavilion Court Ruined

RT has some really dramatic footage, "Flood surge soaks UCLA: 93-yr old pipe rupture unleashes 50ft geyser."

And from CBS News KCAL Los Angeles, "As new video continues to come in of Tuesday's massive flood at UCLA, a new picture is painted of what it was like to be amidst the millions of gallons of water":



Also, "Work Continues to Fix Street, Broken Water Main Near UCLA"; "Pauley Pavilion May Be Ready For Basketball Season After Flood Damage"; and "More Than 900 Cars Stuck In UCLA Parking Structures After Westwood Water Main Break."

That third report linked indicates that up to 20 million gallons of water may have spilled, almost twice the estimates from last night's report embedded above.

Europe Prepares Tough Sanctions Against Russia

Meh.

I'm pretty skeptical about any talk of European sanctions against Russia.

But here's Der Spiegel, "The Wake-Up Call: Europe Toughens Stance against Putin":

It took the shooting down of a Boeing jet carrying almost 300 people before the EU agreed on the first true economic sanctions against Russia. The Americans want further action, but it is impossible to know if punitive measures can sway Vladimir Putin.

It was the images. Absurdly tattooed pro-Russian fighters, cigarettes dangling from their lips and Kalashnikovs tucked under their arms, stomping around in the field of bodies and wreckage at the crash site, as if the dead children from the downed Boeing had nothing to do with them. Experts holding their noses as they opened a railroad car full of dead bodies. A seemingly endless convoy of hearses leaving Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands. And Russian President Vladimir Putin took it all in without losing his composure.

It's usually the images.
It's part of the occasionally cynical business of political experts to refer to a tragedy of this magnitude, and to the endlessly repeated TV images of the suffering of innocent people, as a "game changer." It's the moment that divides the course of a crisis into "before" and "after" -- a time when the public and politicians hold their breaths and take a new look at the situation. But one of the unique features of the European Union is that in the "after" period, it often continues for a time to behave the way it did in the "before" period. Supporting evidence was provided by an exchange from last Tuesday, almost a week after Malaysian Airlines flight MH 17 was shot down:

Let's at least do an arms embargo, argued British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

No, you can't even do financial sanctions, responded his French counterpart Laurent Fabius in the hearing room of the European Council building in Brussels.

Prior to the meeting, EU foreign ministers had seemed deeply disconcerted. But behind closed doors, the overriding objective was apparently not to determine how best to force Putin to back down, but how best to protect their own domestic economies...

More.

23-Year-Old Serbian Heart Doctor Swamped with Patients After Winning Bikini Competition

Actually, she's still in medical school, finishing up her program as a "trainee" and treating patients who apparently can't get enough.

At London's Daily Mail, "The cardiologist who's BREAKING hearts: Serbian doctor swamped with patients feigning illness after winning bikini competition."

'Death to Israel' Pages A-Okay at Facebook: Not Hate Speech Under Social Network's 'Community Standards'

I was over there this morning. Blazing Cat Fur links to a "Death to Israel" page on Facebook, and it's still totally available at this hour.

At BCF, "Facebook says calling for death to Israel isn’t hate speech because it’s a country."

No violation of Facebook's "community standards," I guess. Or, well, communist standards, pfft.

Israeli Public Opinion Poll: Overwhelming (91%) Support for Operation Protective Edge — #IsraelUnderFire

It's almost unanimous support for Israel's war of self-defense in Gaza.

At Arutz Sheva, "Poll: Overwhelming Support for IDF Operation, Netanyahu":

Ninety-one percent (91%) of Israeli Jews support Israel's self-defense campaign against terrorism in Gaza, Operation Protective Edge, according to a survey published Monday - and just 4.2% believe the operation is a "mistake."

Over 1,000 people were polled by Dr. Yuval Feinstein, a Sociology and Political Science researcher at University of Haifa, on their opinions regarding the operation and other current events. All participants were Israeli, Jewish, and over 18.

The survey also revealed that 85% of respondents would only support a cease-fire agreement if Israel eliminated every Hamas rocket and destroyed the full network of terror tunnels before agreeing to do so.

Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Israeli Jews polled "very strongly support" Operation Protective Edge's airstrikes on Gaza; 17% "support" the airstrikes; and 4.5% had "weak support" for the airstrikes. Just 1.5% of respondents opposed the airstrikes on Gaza.

Similarly, 50% "strongly support" the IDF's ground offensive in Gaza; 28% "support" the ground campaign and 14% have "weak support" for the campaign. By contrast, only 9% of respondents oppose sending ground troops into Gaza.

Eighty-two percent (82%) of respondents "strongly disagree" with the statement "Israel launching Operation Protective Edge was a mistake"; 11% only "slightly disagree." Just 7% of respondents "agree" or "strongly agree" with that statement.

As to the operation's success, 74% of respondents overall believe the IDF is "achieving its goals" in Gaza; of those, 23% "very strongly agree" and 51% "strongly agree." Just 22.5% of respondents were neutral on the issue and only 3% believe the operation is failing.

Ninety-five percent (95%) of respondents said the operation has "made them proud of the IDF, the State of Israel, and the Jewish people," and only 2% disagreed with that statement...

Wow.

For the rest of the world, if you're against Israel's self-defense operations, you're against the Jews in Israel. Man.

Still more.

Bruna Marquezine Brazilian Bikini Shots at Ibiza

She's another soccer WAG, girlfriend to Brazil forward Neymar.

At Egotastic!, "Bruna Marquezine Bikini Booty on a Yacht in Ibiza."

Also at London's Daily Mail, "Neymar continues recovery from injury on holiday with girlfriend Bruna Marquezine."

Three IDF Soldiers Killed in Booby-Trapped #UNRWA Clinic

At the Times of Israel.

And at Yid With Lid, "Three Israelis Killed In Booby-Trapped Gaza UNRWA Medical Clinic. Where's The UN Complaints?"

ADL's Abraham Foxman: 'Anti-Semitism on the Rise' in Europe; Protesters 'Want to Harm the Jews...'

This segment aired a couple of days ago. Wolf Blitzer, bless him, tries to get Abraham Foxman to agree that the Jew-haters are "just a small segment" of the protests. Foxman's not having it. He's not sure exactly what's going on, but we're seeing "a new dimension" of outright left-wing racism, inflamed by European imams preaching "death to the Jews."

Foxman has never come off as hardline Israel-backing "neocon." In fact, he's often criticized as being soft on Islamic jihad. But he's emphatic here. An excellent clip:

Phil Robertson of A&E's 'Duck Dynasty'

I just like the photo at this hit piece from the L.A. Times, "'Duck Dynasty' audience ebbs even as Phil controversy fades."

Actually, the audience is hardly "fading," but the "cultural elites" at the Times can't disguise their contempt for the Robertsons.

Growing Backlash Against Celebrity Attacks on Israel

The Jewish Voice for Peace, the same useful idiots who staged the Seattle "die-in" this week, have organized a celebrity attack on Israel's right to self-defense, including some big names on the anti-American, anti-Israel left. See the press release, "Gloria Steinem, Chuck D, Jonathan Demme and Other Celebrities, Artists, Activists and Nobel Peace Laureates Stand Up for Palestinian Rights in New Video."

The video's here, "Freedom for Palestine: #GazaNames Project." Communist Angela Davis is the first far-left celebrity featured at the clip, followed by epic Jew-hating scum Roger Waters.

Meanwhile, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz have published a strongly-worded open letter attacking Israel. See the Hollywood Reporter, "Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem Denounce Israeli 'Genocide' in Open Letter."

Ben Shapiro, at Truth Revolt, takes Hollywood Jews to task, "Hollywood Jews Ignore Hollywood Jew-Hatred."

But according to CNN, some powerful people in Hollywood are committed supporters of Israel, so speak out at your peril.

Heh, it usually goes the other way.

Gaza Civilians Lash Out at Hamas

Palestinians want a cease-fire.

Lisa Daftara, on last night's "The Independents" with Kennedy:



And here's her piece, at Fox News, "War-weary Gazans lash out at Hamas."

Congresswoman Kristi Noem: 'Harry Wants to Kill Our Bill' to Help Democrats 'This Election Cycle...'

Background at National Review, "John Boehner: Harry Reid’s ‘Deceitful and Cynical’ Ploy to Kill House Bill."

TERRIBLE! OUTRAGEOUS! Hamas Releases Graphic Propaganda Video of #Gaza Tunnel Attack at Kibbutz Nahal Oz

At the Jewish Daily Forward, "5 Israeli Soldiers Killed During Thwarted Attack on Kibbutz Nahal Oz: IDF Death Toll Rises to 53."

And at Arutz Sheva, "Five Soldiers Killed During Attempted Terrorist Infiltration."

Here's the propaganda video:



A longer, graphic version is here, "Hamas Posts Video of Deadly Attack on Israeli Outpost via Tunnel."

Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes — #KYSEN: Iron Dome Defends Against Terrrorist Tunnels

Low-information Democrats.

At Free Beacon:

Bless her heart. RT @billmurphy: Alison Lundergan Grimes Thinks Iron Dome Goes Underground http://t.co/grVJsFVL8z #KYSEN

— Jackie Wellfonder (@Wellfonder) July 30, 2014

Democrat Candidate in KY @AlisonForKY thought the Iron Dome dealt with tunnels! This is your low info democrat. What an embarrassment. #tcot

— Brittany Pounders (@LibertyBritt) July 30, 2014

VIDEO: Newcastle 'Hamas Solidarity' Protesters Chant 'From the River to the Sea...'

"Palestine will be free..."

Because they plan on murdering the Jews.

Watch: "Pro Hamas / Gaza / Palestine protest in Newcastle city centre 26/07/2014." (Via Douglas Murray.)

Pilot of 'Quadcopter' Drone Ordered to Stay Away from Massive #SandFire East of Sacramento (VIDEO)

The dude may have been interfering with low-flying aircraft dropping water and fire retardants.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Pilot of drone ordered away from California wildfire posts video." (Click through for videos at the link.)

The Genocide Libel

From Dennis Prager:

In order to justify killing Jews, Jew-haters throughout history made up libels about the Jews that were so awful that they justified, at least for the Jew-hater, the mass murder of Jews. The charge that the Jews of every age — not just some Jews at one time — killed God Himself was used by medieval Christians to justify mass murdering of Jews.

Then came another grotesque libel — what is known as the blood libel. Also prevalent in the Middle Ages, this charged Jews with kidnapping Christian children, sacrificing them and using their blood to bake matzo (the unleavened Passover bread).

Later libels against the Jews included the forgery known as “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” which purported to prove that Jews plotted to rule the world.

At this very moment, we are living through as enormous a libel — directed not against all Jews, but against the Jewish state: Israel is committing genocide of Palestinians and is, therefore, morally identical to the Nazi regime.

This libel is spread by left-wing radicals and by Muslims, especially in the Middle East. Some examples...

Keep reading.

Boston 'Gaza Solidarity' Protesters Demand Extermination of Israel

An astonishing photo-roundup at CAMERA:

What The Local #Media Missed: Days of Rage in #Boston - http://t.co/Ill56WybGT #MediaBias #Israel

— CAMERAorg (@CAMERAorg) July 29, 2014

"No justice, no peace- Free Palestine." RT @JVPBoston: 2 protesters holding roses for Palestine #Boston4Gaza pic.twitter.com/LoXgW0JtLU

— Stop The Wars (@sickjew) July 26, 2014

The... hostility displayed at these putative "peace" rallies cannot be excused, justified or explained by the tragic deaths currently taking place as a result of fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The underlying emotion at these rallies is hate toward the very notion of Jewish sovereignty and hate toward Jews who support Israel.

If these protesters were serious about promoting peace and human rights, they would have confronted the terrible acts of violence perpetrated by ISIS in Syria and Iraq, where thousands of people have been turned into refugees and hundreds, if not thousands, of young men have been murdered, and in some instances, have had their heads cut off.

These atrocities have largely gone unnoticed by the activist organizations that organized these days of rage in Boston. They have, however, held more than five anti-Israel rallies in the last month alone.

This is not about peace. This is not about justice. And it's not about human rights.

It's about hate.

And lots of it.

Los Angeles Officials Discuss #UCLA Flooding Aftermath

Lots of coverage on yesteday's flooding at the Los Angeles Times.

And here, "Stunning images from the UCLA water main break."

And from CBS News Los Angeles:

At Front Lines, Bearing Witness in Real Time

A great piece, from David Carr, at the New York Times.

Ransoming Citizens, Europe Underwrites al-Qaeda Terrorism

At the New York Times, "Paying Ransoms, Europe Bankrolls Qaeda Terror":

BAMAKO, Mali — The cash filled three suitcases: 5 million euros.

The German official charged with delivering this cargo arrived here aboard a nearly empty military plane and was whisked away to a secret meeting with the president of Mali, who had offered Europe a face-saving solution to a vexing problem.

Officially, Germany had budgeted the money as humanitarian aid for the poor, landlocked nation of Mali.

In truth, all sides understood that the cash was bound for an obscure group of Islamic extremists who were holding 32 European hostages, according to six senior diplomats directly involved in the exchange.

The suitcases were loaded onto pickup trucks and driven hundreds of miles north into the Sahara, where the bearded fighters, who would soon become an official arm of Al Qaeda, counted the money on a blanket thrown on the sand. The 2003 episode was a learning experience for both sides. Eleven years later, the handoff in Bamako has become a well-rehearsed ritual, one of dozens of such transactions repeated all over the world.

Kidnapping Europeans for ransom has become a global business for Al Qaeda, bankrolling its operations across the globe.

While European governments deny paying ransoms, an investigation by The New York Times found that Al Qaeda and its direct affiliates have taken in at least $125 million in revenue from kidnappings since 2008, of which $66 million was paid just last year.

In news releases and statements, the United States Treasury Department has cited ransom amounts that, taken together, put the total at around $165 million over the same period.

These payments were made almost exclusively by European governments, who funneled the money through a network of proxies, sometimes masking it as development aid, according to interviews conducted for this article with former hostages, negotiators, diplomats and government officials in 10 countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The inner workings of the kidnapping business were also revealed in thousands of pages of internal Qaeda documents found by this reporter while on assignment for The Associated Press in northern Mali last year.

In its early years, Al Qaeda received most of its money from deep-pocketed donors, but counterterrorism officials now believe the group finances the bulk of its recruitment, training and arms purchases from ransoms paid to free Europeans.

Put more bluntly, Europe has become an inadvertent underwriter of Al Qaeda...

More.

Associated Press: 'Members of Congress are falling over one another to show their support for Israel...'

It's not just on Twitter. AP's lede at the article claimed "Members of Congress are falling over one another" to show support for Israel.

At Twitchy, "‘Like the title of a Hamas press release': This is how the AP does ‘objective journalism’."

As much of world watches Gaza war in horror, members of Congress fall over each other to support Israel: http://t.co/DepO2etLQS
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 29, 2014

Massive Flooding at UCLA After Water Main Breaks

Sunset Boulevard is shut down in both directions and UCLA's Pauley Pavilion is "threatened."

Water soaks UCLA campus as seen by @GadiNBCLA http://t.co/TR6BHiTMLk pic.twitter.com/2s2mtXir5T

— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) July 30, 2014

Flooding on UCLA campus threatens Pauley Pavilion http://t.co/dHqnYexUl5 via @usatoday

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) July 30, 2014

#SunsetFlood: 10630 West Sunset Blvd. Water rising. Drivers avoid area #TRAFFICALERT http://t.co/5ldkqHexCI pic.twitter.com/2WpSEl08Yg

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 29, 2014

#SunsetFlood: UCLA Medical Center not affected by water main break at this time http://t.co/u5lTvejony

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 29, 2014

PHOTOS: Water main break floods Westwood street and parts of UCLA #SunsetFlood http://t.co/3v8f7MBxWR pic.twitter.com/8qkgrCoCcR

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 29, 2014

MAP of #SunsetFlood http://t.co/5ldkqHexCI pic.twitter.com/bEt1GZyobH

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 29, 2014

#SunsetFlood update: fire officials making requests for sand bags to stop significant water flow on #UCLA campus.

— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) July 29, 2014

#LAFD Captain reports that #DWP officials expect water to progressively decrease within the next two hours in #Westwood.

— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) July 30, 2014

#UPDATE: Officials say at one point 36,000 gallons of water was flowing per minute from the water main break near #UCLA

— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) July 30, 2014

Islamic State's Black Flag Waves as Crowds Chant 'Death to the Jews' in Europe (VIDEO)

Coming to America?

From Nadette De Visser, at the Daily Beast, "ISIS’s Black Flags Are Flying in Europe." (Video here.)

And at Atlas Shrugs, "VIDEO: Al Qaeda and Islamic State flags in London’s tunnels."

Stacey Poole in Stars and Stripes

She's lovely.

At Egotastic!, "Stacey Poole American Flag Bikini Photoshoot."

VIDEO: Joe Arpaio, 'America's Toughest Sheriff', Speaks to Ramona Tea Party, San Diego County

At the Ramona Sentinel, "Illegal immigration tops Sheriff Arpaio’s talk at Ramona TEA’d forum."

Incitement to Genocide: How N.Y. Times' Coverage and U.N. Complicity Breed Anti-Semitism

From Phyllis Chesler, at Big Peace.

WAR CRIMES VIDEO: Islamic State Killing Fields in Iraq, Jihad-Suicide Martyrdom Operation — GRAPHIC!

ISIS released a new propaganda video, including images of mass slaughter in Iraq.

At Gateway Pundit, "HORROR! NEW VIDEO ~~>>> ISIS Terrorists Slaughter HUNDREDS
OF SHIITES in Iraq."

#ISIS posts a video for Eid al-Ftr showing how it massacred dozens of Shiite hours after the fall of #Mosul & Tikrit pic.twitter.com/Jh1N5rjAUo
— Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) July 29, 2014

ISIS's latest video: unimaginable barbarism. An ISIS-run state would be a menace to all. http://t.co/U4SF5Yr8B4
— Roland Paris (@rolandparis) July 29, 2014

And London's Daily Mail reports, "The Islamic State Killing Fields: Terror group releases horrifying video showing drive-by shootings, suicide bombings and dozens of other victims rounded up and executed."




More at the Long War Journal, "Analysis: Islamic State advertises war crimes in video commemorating end of Ramadan."

VIDEO: Brazen Illegal Alien Criminals Protest Outside White House with No Fear of Arrest!

And these brazen illegals are boycotting any White House immigration negotiations, demanding that illegal aliens have a seat at the table!

Hey, and Japan could have dictated the terms of its surrender in 1945. Sorry General MacArthur, no U.S. occupation troops in Japan. We'll be good --- we promise!!

ILLEGALS PROTEST OUTSIDE OF WHITE HOUSE; NO FEAR OF ARREST http://t.co/KWfzLU9OCL

— DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) July 29, 2014

Heh, Reactions to Left-Wing Idiots' Seattle 'Die-In' Against Boeing

Heh, following-up from yesterday, "PHOTOS: Hamas' Useful Idiots Stage 'Die-In' Protest Against Boeing in Seattle."

Pat Houseworth was especially cracking me up:

@AmPowerBlog @vermontaigne It appears that the only way to "Fix Stupid" is with a bullet in these moron's brains....should they have any.

— Pat Houseworth (@prhouseworth) July 28, 2014

Gosh that's not Applewhite-culty at all RT @AmPowerBlog Hamas' Useful Idiots Stage 'Die-In' Protest http://t.co/9FVdmHsRA1

— Film Ladd (@FilmLadd) July 28, 2014

@AmPowerBlog @RichardDeLaGar4 Too bad the Islamist scum weren't assisted by blowing off their heads

— Gen. Robert E Lee (@Suthen_boy) July 28, 2014

Israel Rejects Hamas Cease-Fire Negotiated by Obama's Terror-Enabler John Kerry

From Josh Rogin, at the Daily Beast, "Inside the Kerry-Israel Meltdown":

Kerry on personal attacks from Israel: "I've taken hits before in politics, I'm not worried about that. This is not about me."
— Ali Weinberg (@AliABCNews) July 29, 2014

On Monday, Secretary of State Kerry took to the podium at the State Department to say that he was working with Israel and Hamas to negotiate an extension of their temporary ceasefire.

“Today, we are continuing to work toward establishing an unconditional humanitarian ceasefire, one that…will stop the fighting, allow desperately needed food and medicine and other supplies into Gaza, and enable Israel to address…the threat posed by tunnel attacks—and to be able to do so without having to resort to combat,” Kerry said.

An hour later, the Israeli military sent a text message to all Palestinians to stay in their homes and resumed strikes inside Gaza.

The resumption of violence was the latest example of just how disconnected Kerry’s whirlwind diplomatic efforts have been from the combatants he’s trying to get to stop fighting. The Israeli government has been particularly vocal in its criticism of Kerry’s peacemaker attempts. But in the Palestinian camps, there has been public discontent, too.

Ever since Kerry left the region Friday for Paris, he has been scrambling to patch together a series of short-term humanitarian ceasefires: first 12 hours, then another 4 hours. He was working on an extension Monday when the two parties decided to move on and resume their fighting. Kerry seemed unaware—or unwilling to admit—that his latest plan for a ceasefire extension was about to be rejected.

And the fact is, Kerry was pushing the Hamas cease-fire. At Free Beacon, "Israeli Officials, Press Criticize John Kerry’s Ceasefire Proposal: Kerry 'completely capitulating' to Hamas' demands."

20-Year-Old Nick Fagano, Killed by Lightning Bolt at Venice Beach, Was Set to Start at USC

Sometimes your number's just up.

Just a young kid looking to move forward, starting business school at USC after attending community college, and then struck by lighting.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Man killed in lightning strike was about to enter USC."



PREVIOUSLY: "VIDEO: Lightning Strike Kills Man at Venice Beach in Los Angeles."

Group of Illegal Aliens from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka Caught Entering Texas from Mexico

On Twitter yesterday, WTF!

WHAT THE FUCK! Group of Illegal Aliens from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka Caught Entering Texas from Mexico http://t.co/6olXwDQPQr
— Heidi (@HeidiL_RN) July 29, 2014

And see Breitbart.

Africa's Ebola Virus Only a Plane Ride Away from U.S.A.

At USA Today, "EBOLA VIRUS RAPIDLY SPREADING IN WEST AFRICA."

Ebola, which is spreading wildly in West Africa, is just a plane ride away: http://t.co/jFYYG7oNqQ (Youssouf Bah, AP) pic.twitter.com/Bi5vQFLPac

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 29, 2014

Naftali Bennett: IDF Operation 'Ripping Hamas Apart'

At Arutz Sheva, "Bennett: IDF Operation Must Bring Hamas 'To Their Knees'":

Economics Minister says war with Gaza terrorists 'ripping Hamas apart' and must go all the way; urges public to support PM's efforts.

Earlier Tuesday Bennett linked Israel's war with Hamas and Islamic jihad to the wider struggle against radical Islam.

“Radical Islam seeks to erase the Jewish state from the face of the earth,” he explained. “They do not seek a strip of land or a Palestinian state. Only our annihilation. [Ayatollah] Khamenei in Iran. Nasrallah in Lebanon. Haniyeh in Gaza. Meshaal in Qatar. All of the jihadist arms that are waiting to see how we respond."

Nick Slams Andi for 'Making Love to Him' on Bachelorette Final Rose (VIDEO)

I never liked Andi after last season's the Bachelor with Juan Pablo. She seems like a bitch to me. But my wife wanted to see this season's finale of the Bachelorette, and it took a dishy turn when Nick called her out for having no-commitment sex.

At Us Magazine, "VIDEO: Bachelorette After the Final Rose Recap: Andi Dorfman's Runner-Up Confronts Her About "Making Love" to Him."

shoutout to nick for throwing andi under the bus on after the final rose 👏 #attaboy

— bri dempsey (@bri_not_bree) July 29, 2014

Sarah Palin Launches Her Own Television Channel

At the Los Angeles Times, "Sarah Palin launches online channel."

Democrat Natalie Tenant Turns Out the Lights at the Obama White House: 'Where do they think their electricity comes from?'

From Chris Cillizza, at the Washington Post, "One of the most anti-Obama ads of the election is being run by a Democrat in West Virginia."

It's not easy being a Democrat in West Virginia these days. President Obama is deeply unpopular in the state -- thanks, at least in part, to his recent push to cut emissions at coal plants. Natalie Tennant, the party's longshot nominee for the state's open Senate seat knows it-- and in her first ad of the campaign she is doing everything she can to make clear she and Obama aren't too friendly...

And from Patricia Murphy, a the Daily Beast, "Red State Democrats Ditch Obama":

In West Virginia Senate candidate Natalie Tennant’s latest ad, she hits a switch, plunges the White House into darkness, and promises, “I’ll make sure President Obama gets the message” on the importance of the West Virginia coal industry to the rest to the rest of the country.

But what Tennant does not mention is that she is a Democrat running to replace retiring Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a detail probably best left unsaid in a state where President Obama’s latest approval rating was just 25 percent, the second-lowest of any state in the country...

Ouch.

'The Military Occupation of Gaza Can Continue Until the Military Threat Is Over...'

A great commentary from Alan Dershowitz.

And why is Marc Lamont Hill still on TV? God, I don't think I've ever heard him say an intelligent thing. And screw Peter Beinart. He's a freakin' embarrassment to decency. No, to humanity. Sheesh.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith Apologizes for 'Provocation' Comments (VIDEO)

Truth Revolt reports:

Friday Stephen A. Smith made the grave mistake of attempting to discuss domestic violence as a male on live television, cautioning against coming to conclusions about Ray Rice’s apparent abuse of his then-fiancé, now-wife without full knowledge of the event.

“In Ray Rice’s case, he probably deserves more than a two-game suspension, which we both acknowledged,” said Smith. “But at the same time, we also have to make sure that we learn as much as we can about elements of provocation. Not that there’s real provocation, but the elements of provocation...”

And at the Other McCain, "An Ill-Advised Apology":

This is another sad example of the harmful impact of feminism’s totalitarian impulse to suppress dissent. Anyone who has seriously studied domestic violence knows that, in many cases, bad relationships are characterized by toxic emotions on both sides. You’ve got two people with uncontrollable tempers — often drugs or alcohol are involved, and often one or both partners were raised in households where abuse and violence were a problem — and when they get into an argument, the argument turns into a physical fight.

Doesn’t anybody watch C*O*P*S? The police show up in response to a domestic disturbance call, and they encounter the scruffy tattooed brute and his foul-mouthed tattooed live-in girlfriend.
Both of them are bad drunk, and the police have to question them separately to try to figure out what actually  happened: How did it start? Who hit who? Each partner points the finger of blame at the other, and the police have to sort out the evidence and testimony. Has one or the other partner got a bruise or a busted lip? Does one of them admit doing something that can be considered assault?

Most of the time, it’s the guy who gets handcuffed and put in the back of the patrol car, but as you watch these  C*O*P*S episodes — unedited, unstaged — quite often your sympathy for the female victim is tempered by the fact that (a) she had, after all, chosen to move in with this wretched boyfriend, and (b) she’s not exactly a meek and helpless type. She’s drunk, she’s got a Marlboro hanging out of her mouth, and she’s cussing like a sailor. Lowlife women have a habit of gravitating toward lowlife men, and the fact that their relationships are fraught with ugly violence is an unfortunate but predictable reality. It is what it is.

Here's the "offending" segment: "Stephen A. Smith to Women: ‘Don’t Do Anything to Provoke’ Men Into Beating You."

Michelle Nunn Campaign Strategy Memo

Well, this is interesting.

At the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Embarrassing leaked campaign memo spells out Nunn's strategies, vulnerabilities."

And at National Review, which first reported on the memo, "Michelle Nunn’s Campaign Plan." A Scribd version of the memo is at the link. (Via Memeorandum.)

William Jacobson has an analysis, at Legal Insurrection, "Michelle Nunn’s Campaign Plan is “Confidential, Proprietary,” and 100% on the Internet."

Michelle Nunn is a terrible candidate. And her opponent David Perdue is a very formidable Republican who comes from a respected family with a long line of political experience and elected office.

And Michelle Nunn is supposed to be one of the Democrats' best shots to pick up a Republican-held seat? Good luck with that.

100 Years Ago Today: Austria-Hungary Declares War on Serbia

When I was going to sleep last night, actually early this morning because it was after Midnight, I noticed it was July 28th, and I thought about that for second. One hundred years ago. Wasn't that the start of World War One? Then I googled it: July 28 1914. Nothing dramatic at the results, besides a few newspapers with WWI coverage.

Then this morning, after I got up and starting web surfing, I checked over at RealClearHistory for more. Seen there:

* Samuel Chi, "Top 10 Battles of World War I."
* David Reynolds, "How WWI Shaped Our World."
* Alan Taylor, "The Great War: A History in Photos."

Plus, commentary at Grim's Hall, "100 Years ago today..."

I'll have more blogging later...

Monday #Rule5

Well, here's a babe-blogging break from all the global "tranquility."

At Theo Spark, "Benghazi Black Friday Bedtime Totty..."

Also at Blackmailers Don't Shoot, "Rule 5 in Honor of Comic-Con 2014."

And Dana Pico, "Rule 5 Blogging: Hot Active Duty Babes!"

At the Other McCain, "Rule 5 Sunday: Mind the Gap."

90 Miles, "Morning Mistress."

And at Daley Gator, "DALEYBABE ERIN KARPLUCK."

Your Crazy Uncle Bubba, "Face Time!"

The Daily Smug, "William F Buckley Jr & Saul Alinsky - Mobilizing the Poor."

And SDA, "An Exceptionally Long Strike on Canada's Left Coast."

At Soylent, "Bath Night Bubblicious."

Bob Belvedere, "Rule 5 Flashback: Sarah Willis."

See the Nug, "Hot Girls at Random!"

At Drunken Stepfather, "JESSICA LOWNDES SELF SHOT BIKINI SHOOT OF THE DAY."

And Pirate's Cove, "If All You See……is a horrible flooded Earth due to Someone Else using a hair dryer, you might just be a Warmist."

The Hostages, "Big Boob Friday."

At Doubletroubletwo, "Random Hotties ... Enjoy :-)."

Knuckledraggin', "Guess which girl will never drown."

Odie has, "More Blondishness ~OR~ Rule 5 Woodsterman Style."

And from Proof, "Friday Night Babe: Coco Ho!"

See the Chive, "Turn that frown upside down, we’ll Find Her (38 Photos)."

And at Egotastic!, "Jessica Alba Wins Comic-Con Hottest Looker (She Wins Hottest Looker Everywhere)."

VIDEO: Five IDF Soldiers Killed in Gaza as Netanyahu Rejects U.N./Hamas Cease-Fire Call

At the Jerusalem Post, "Five IDF soldiers killed in Gaza as army death toll rises to 48."

Also at Arutz Sheva, "Names of Four Killed Soldiers Released," the Times of Israel, "4 soldiers killed in mortar attack, as PM says Gaza op goes on, vows to counter tunnels."

Four soldiers were killed by a mortar shell. A fifth died while fighting inside Gaza.

Poll: Young People Say Israel 'More to Blame' for Gaza War, Leftists Torn Between Israel and Hamas!

Young people are completely FUBAR, with almost 3-in-10 saying Israel is to blame:

Among Americans under 30, 29% say Israel is most responsible for the current violence compared with 21% who blame Hamas. Pluralities of all other age groups lay more blame for the violence with Hamas, than Israel.

Of course, conservatives and independents put the blame squarely where it belongs: on Hamas.

At Pew, "Hamas Seen as More to Blame Than Israel for Current Violence: Deep Partisan Divide in Reactions to Mideast Fighting."

Polarized reactions to Mideast conflict: 60% of Reps say Hamas is mostly responsible for violence vs 29% of Dems. http://t.co/KKrgR206iZ
— Carroll Doherty (@CarrollDoherty) July 28, 2014

And those poor leftists are torn --- torn! --- between blaming Israel and Hamas:

Liberal Democrats are evenly divided with 30% blaming Israel for the violence and 30% blaming Hamas. Conservative Republicans give more blame to Hamas than Israel by a wide 70%-6% margin.

PHOTOS: Hamas' Useful Idiots Stage 'Die-In' Protest Against Boeing in Seattle

These idiots might as well go to Gaza, where Hamas would use them as human shields.

At KING 5 News Seattle, "Israel protesters conduct 'die-in' outside Boeing."

And on Twitter:

Jewish activists blocking @Boeing HQ in protest of #Gaza massacre covered on @KIRO7Seattle : http://t.co/zQHgwtG1Yh

— Liza (@lizaveta9) July 28, 2014

Pro-#Palestinian protesters stage 'die-in' outside Seattle #Boeing offices http://t.co/pK8ZaFdFrX #Israel #Gaza pic.twitter.com/ffRptmB06z

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 28, 2014

Protesters dressed all in black have been lying in the road to prevent access to the Boeing parking lot. http://t.co/eB7Mp42wO8

— The Stranger (@strangerslog) July 28, 2014

Three hours locked down outside war-profiteer Boeing in Seattle. We stand with #Gaza. #BDSBoeing pic.twitter.com/tbU9154m5u

— JVP-Seattle (@JVPSeattle) July 28, 2014

Stop the one-sided war of death and destruction. Solidarity to #gaza from Seattle. #BDSBoeing #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/lGFUBQR7Cs

— JVP-Seattle (@JVPSeattle) July 28, 2014

Protest and blockade of Boeing by Jewish Voice for Peace. #bdsboeing #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/n2ocbNo0JV

— Alex Garland (@AGarlandPhoto) July 28, 2014

People locked together blocking entrance to Tukwila Boeing facility involved in manufacture of weapons used in Gaza pic.twitter.com/xOEbRxKUMs

— Ansel (@Ansel) July 28, 2014

Brave @JVPSeattle & allies locked down to stop Israeli war machine. Boeing profits from war on civilians #bdsboeing pic.twitter.com/KYwrh9DBFJ

— Matt Weiner (@walkingbassist) July 28, 2014

For real peace take the profit of out violence. #bdsboeing #bds #gaza pic.twitter.com/krFwbCVxWT

— Matt Weiner (@walkingbassist) July 28, 2014

.@JVPSeattle says: Stop killing civilians now. #bdsboeing #bds #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/SFDGipzvqg

— Matt Weiner (@walkingbassist) July 28, 2014

Caroline Glick: John Kerry Pushing Hamas Cease-Fire Proposal While Waging Economic Warfare on Israel

Man, she's on fire. Secretary Kerry is pushing as "a cease-fire that allows Hamas to regroup."

She will get your blood boiling.

Stay with the video. Caroline's the best! The left is "opposed to Israel's existence."

My Capitol Hill briefing last Friday on war in Gaza and significance for regional events and Israeli strategy. https://t.co/xjY9kk2qSm

— Caroline Glick (@CarolineGlick) July 28, 2014

Caroline Glick Interview on Steve Malzberg Show

Caroline comments on John Kerry's "incredible contempt for Israel."

Interview on Steve Malzberg show yesterday on the new war against Israel and John Kerry's contempt for Israel. https://t.co/GryX4KHB3U

— Caroline Glick (@CarolineGlick) July 23, 2014

CBS News/New York Times Battleground Tracker: Republicans Positioned to Take Senate in November

100 days out. That's the mantra this week as we're just over three months away from the November election, and the consensus view is that the GOP is well-positioned to take the Senate, although a number of races are extremely tight and things could change.

At CBS News, "Republicans narrowly favored to capture Senate in November."

Dr. Gina Gentry Loudon's 18-Year-Old Daughter Lyda Loudon Dating 57-Year Old 'Ray Donovan' Star Steven Bauer

Hat Tip: Wombat Socho at the Other McCain, "LIVE AT FIVE: 07.28.14."

At Us Magazine:

ICYMI: 57-year-old Scarface actor Steven Bauer is dating 18-year-old Lyda Loudon http://t.co/sIIByzont3 pic.twitter.com/aHuCFi0BzT
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) July 28, 2014

She's the daughter of Dr. Gina Loudon, of whom I've had some disappointment of late. Recall, "#Murrieta Protesters @CassandraRules and @BeautifulChaosJ Spew Lies and Hatred, Not 'Civility'."

My 18-year-old son was shaking his head, saying, "I'm all for freedom." So there's that.

#GOP Senate Prospects Brighten: Strong Candidates, Obama's Sagging Approval Expand Party's Map

At the Wall Street Journal, "Prospects Brighten for Republicans to Reclaim a Senate Majority" (via Google):

With 100 days to go until the midterm election, unexpectedly strong bids by several Republican candidates and President Barack Obama's continued sagging approval ratings are boosting GOP chances of capturing a Senate majority.

A battery of recent polling shows Republican candidates mounting competitive bids for at least 10 Senate seats now held by Democrats, including in Iowa and Colorado, states that have been leaning Democratic in recent years. Many Republican candidates have narrowed their opponents' fundraising advantage, according to the latest campaign-finance reports. And a series of international crises has dealt the president some of the lowest approval marks of his second term, weighing on his party's candidates.

"A lot of times, a party has to run an inside-straight to win the majority," said Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report who handicaps congressional campaigns. "Instead of having five cards in their hand, the Republicans have about 10."

The GOP needs a net gain of six seats for a majority in the Senate, which now has 55 Democrats and allied independents. Republicans have long been expected to contest seven Democratic-held seats in states that voted for Mitt Romney in 2012. But now the GOP is also waging solid campaigns in at least three states that backed Mr. Obama.

Still, Democratic incumbents have remained resilient after weathering millions of dollars in negative advertising. North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan, for example, holds a narrow lead in publicly available polling after absorbing $18 million in negative ads, far more than the amount spent on ads supporting her, her campaign said. Democratic prospects also are making serious bids for Republican seats in Georgia and Kentucky, the only two GOP-held seats that are thought to be possible Democratic pickups this year.

But Republicans are favored to win Democratic seats in Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia, and GOP challengers are pushing incumbent Democrats to the brink in Alaska, Arkansas and Louisiana, as well as North Carolina. Races for Democratic seats in Colorado and Iowa are now genuine tossups, with some analysts saying the same of Michigan.

This year's map clearly favors the GOP even as Democrats continue to lead on the question of which party Americans would rather see control Congress, according to a compilation of polls by the website Real Clear Politics. The Republican Party also remains far less popular than the president or the Democratic Party, public-opinion surveys show, particularly among women.

But Republicans this year are betting on an anti-Obama message, linking Democratic candidates to a president who is unpopular in many of the battleground states. Democrats, meanwhile, are doing what incumbents typically do when facing a negative election environment: building campaigns around local issues and reminding voters of all the things they do in Washington to help people back home.

Republicans have been here before. In each of the past two elections, the party failed to capitalize on a favorable map to recapture the majority. And to win this year, Republicans would likely have to do something the party hasn't done since 1980: beat more than two incumbents.

Sitting Democratic senators in the four most competitive battlegrounds—Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana and North Carolina—remain at risk but carry financial advantages and, in three cases, family names that are identified with long service to the state. Polls show close contests in each race, and all four Democrats ended June with more money in their campaign accounts than the Republicans running against them, according to Federal Election Commission data.

"All of these red-state Democrats knew they would have difficult campaigns. They've prepared for difficult campaigns, and they're all experienced politicians," said Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, who is working for Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu. "They all have a path to win."

By the end of June, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had raised $25 million more than its Republican counterpart, allowing the committee to spend freely on television ads and turnout opeartions. Democrats in seven of the 10 most competitive races also ended June with more money than their Republican rivals.

But the edge is diminishing in some states. In Colorado, where Democratic Sen. Mark Udall is defending his seat, Republican Rep. Cory Gardner trails in cash on hand by $2.3 million, according to campaign-finance reports. That gap is smaller than the $3.8 million lead that Mr. Udall held at the end of March.

There's a great graphic at the click through.

It think they'll do it. Republicans will take the Senate. They'll at least get the six seats needed for the majority. And if current events continue to dog the president, I expect they'll get more than that. The only bummer here is that Kay Hagan's looking stronger than I'd hoped for, but what can you do? It's gonna be good.

PREVIOUSLY: "Odds of a GOP Wave."

Professor Fernando Guerra: Local Governments Step Up as Obama Has "No Coherent Policy' on Border Invasion

I've never met him, but Dr. Guerra's a Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University.

He's got a good analysis --- especially on Obama's FUBAR border (non)policy --- although I disagree on the impact of the border invasion on the political mobilization of parties' core constituencies. Sure, the Republican base is already fired up, but I don't see how the border invasion increases Democrat Party mobilization. The Dems already have a huge enthusiasm gap going into November. And polls have shown a significant increase in support for greater border security, a trend that's put the Democrats on the defensive. See National Journal, "Immigration Isn't A Slam-Dunk Issue for Democrats Anymore."

But we'll see.



Also, at NewsMax, this sounds about right to me, "Dick Morris: Border Crisis Could 'Wipe Out' Democrats in Midterms."

Anti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism: A Global Contagion of Hatred Is Now Breaking; It's Fully Encapsulated by the Left

The global left right now is engaged it what is being called the most violent campaign of anti-Semitism since the 1930s.

I've been on top of these developments for weeks, as has Professor William Jacobson. See, "Anti-Semitism on open display in the name of anti-Zionism."

Meanwhile, that ghastly hate-driven troll Walter James Casper tweets a defense of the global left's anti-Semitism. As always with Repsac hate-troll, it's just "a few bad apples," as it always is when the left's hatred and ideological violence is on display.

Of course Repsac's a liar. Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. The global campaign is anti-Jew, because no other state is singled out for the same demonization and deligitimation as Israel. Apartheid exists literally across the Arab world, but only Israel is attacked as an "apartheid state." No other country in the world is subject to an ongoing genocidal campaign of extermination. If you're on the side of the global left, you're on the side of the left's hoped-for Holocaust.

It's anti-Semitism straight up, and Repsac3's down with it:

Disagreeing with 1+ Israelis because of what they do (as opposed to who they are) does NOT make one an anti-Semite. pic.twitter.com/aDi3Mg6pYj

— W. James Casper (@repsac3) July 18, 2014