Kopp-Etchells Effect: Michael Yon Named Sparkling Photographic Phenomenon to Honor Soldiers

I haven't kept up with Michael Yon since he left Afghanistan.

Instapundit has an update, "THE PHOTOGRAPHER IS MICHAEL YON, WHO MANY INSTAPUNDIT READERS WILL REMEMBER: How a Combat Photographer Named a Phenomenon to Honor Soldiers."

Supermodel Paulina Porizkova, 51, in Tiny Bikini on Beach in Hawaii

She's amazing.

Still looking fabulous.

And she's a rock-solid mom as well.

At London's Daily Mail, "'No makeup and no filters!': Paulina Porizkova, 51, proves she's still a supermodel as she poses in tiny bikini on beach in Hawaii."

FLASHBACK: "Rule 5 Saturday: Paulina Porizkova."

On Board the USS Eisenhower (VIDEO)

At London's Daily Mail, "EXCLUSIVE: 'We kill bad guys and blow up their stuff' - on board the USS Eisenhower as its Top Guns blast ISIS with bombing missions around the clock."

Also, via the Joint Forces Channel:

Hedge Funds Take Short Position Against Germany's Deutsche Bank

This is interesting.

Hedge funds are attacking Deutsche Bank AG, and profiting.

At WSJ, "Hedge Funds Profiting on Bets Against Deutsche Bank":

Hedge funds that have placed bets against Deutsche Bank AG are reaping the rewards.

Deutsche Bank shares are down nearly 50% since the start of the year on concerns about its capital position, leading to large profits for a number of hedge funds who have been running short positions on the German lender, betting its stock will fall further.

However, it has been a bumpy ride. Deutsche’s shares fell as much as 8% in morning trading Friday, reaching a record, following reports that clients, including several large hedge funds, have pulled billions of dollars from the bank. But they later recovered to close up 6.4% in afternoon trade in Frankfurt.

Greenwich, Conn.-based AQR Capital Management, which runs $159 billion in assets, revealed that it had a short position in Deutsche Bank on Wednesday, according to a filing made public by the German regulator on Thursday.

AQR was also among a number of funds that have recently taken steps to withdraw securities or cash from the bank, or dial back their trading activities, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Deutsche Chief Executive John Cryan said in a message to employees Friday that media speculation that a few hedge funds had reduced some activities with the bank was causing “unjustified concerns.”

He said the bank had “strong fundamentals” and pointed to the sale this week of British insurer Abbey Life for $1.2 billion and the bank’s plans to sell its stake in China’s Hua Xia Bank. “We fulfill all current capital requirements and our restructuring is well on track,” he said.

Other hedge funds to have bets against the bank include Marshall Wace LLP, Discovery Capital Management LLC and Highfields Capital Management LP, according to filings. Marshall Wace first declared a 0.5% short position in Deutsche Bank in February. By Tuesday, it had doubled its bet to 1.03%, although this was cut back Thursday to 0.9%.

Discovery first disclosed a position at the start of August and increased it late that month, while Highfields first disclosed a position in July, which it quickly increased.

Hedge funds’ bets against the troubled German lender have been cranked up in recent days, although they are still below levels hit earlier this summer...

More.

Edward Majerczyk Pleads Guilty in Celebrity Hacking Scandal

I wondered why search results were pulling up my old Jennifer Lawrence posts.

At LAT, "Man convicted of hacking Gmail and iCloud accounts of at least 30 celebrities in L.A."

Angelo Codevilla, The Ruling Class

At Amazon, Angelo Codevilla, The Ruling Class: How They Corrupted America and What We Can Do About It.

And see Professor Codevilla's essay, "After the Republic" (via Instapundit).

Senate Votes to Override Obama's Veto of Saudi 9/11 Lawsuit Bill (VIDEO)

And the vote was 97-1?

Can Obama really be that badly on the wrong side of the issue?

Indeed he can.

At USA Today, "Congress rejects Obama veto of 9/11 bill; first override of his presidency":

WASHINGTON — The House and Senate voted Wednesday to reject President Obama's veto of legislation allowing lawsuits against foreign sponsors of terrorism — the first successful override of a presidential veto since Obama took office.

The president had vetoed the legislation Friday because he said the bill — known as the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA — would infringe on the president’s ability to conduct foreign policy. It was the 12th veto of his presidency.

But after an intense push by 9/11 survivors and families of victims who want to sue Saudi Arabia based on claims the country played a role in the 2001 terror attacks, even Obama’s Democratic allies on Capitol Hill voted to override his veto.

The House voted 348-77, well above the two-thirds majority needed. The final vote tally in the Senate was 97-1. Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., cast the lone dissenting vote.

"In our polarized politics of today, this is pretty much close to a miraculous occurrence," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said. Democrats and Republicans in both chambers agreed, he said, that the bill "gives the victims of the terrorist attack on our own soil an opportunity to seek the justice they deserve."

The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said he shared some of Obama's concerns but said the victims' rights outweighed them.

"We cannot in good conscience close the courthouse door to those families who have suffered unimaginable losses," Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said.

Obama told CNN on Wednesday that he thinks overriding his veto was a "mistake" and "basically a political vote." But he said he understood why Congress voted the way it did, despite what he suggested were private misgivings among some lawmakers.

“If you're perceived as voting against 9/11 families right before an election, not surprisingly, that's a hard vote for people to take," he said. "But it would have been the right thing to do."

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest decried the override as the "single most embarrassing thing the United States Senate has done possibly since 1983."

"Ultimately these senators are going to have to answer their own conscience and their constituents as they account for their actions today," he said, adding that Reid showed "courage" in opposing it.

The measure essentially creates an exception to sovereign immunity, the doctrine that holds one country can’t be sued in another country’s courts. It allows plaintiffs to sue other nations in U.S. federal courts for monetary damages in cases of injury, death or property damage caused by acts of international terrorism in the United States.

The White House has argued that the legislation will prompt other nations to retaliate, stripping the immunity the United States enjoys in other parts of the world. Obama said in a letter to Reid before Wednesday's vote that lawsuits already are allowed against countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism by the U.S. government.

The president warned the law could be "devastating" to the U.S. military, diplomatic and intelligence communities...

More.

And watch, at CNN, "Senate overrides Obama's veto 97-1."

The House voted 348 to 77 to override as well, so it's a done deal: the first congressional override of this administration. At LAT, "In a first, Congress rebukes Obama with veto override of 9/11 bill."

Deal of the Day: Save on FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System

At Amazon, FoodSaver FM2435-ECR Vacuum Sealing System with Bonus Handheld Sealer and Starter Kit, Silver.

Also, Nathaniel Persily, ed., Solutions to Political Polarization in America.

And, James Campbell, Polarized: Making Sense of a Divided America.

BONUS: Beth Akers and Matthew M. Chingos, Game of Loans: The Rhetoric and Reality of Student Debt.

Robert L. Shibley, Twisting Title IX

This is a vital read.

At Amazon, Robert L. Shibley, Twisting Title IX.

Alan Taylor, The Internal Enemy [BUMPED]

Following-up from Sunday, "Wendy Warren, New England Bound."

At Amazon, Alan Taylor, The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832.

I'll have more blogging tonight.

El Cajon Police Officer Shoots and Kills Black Man (VIDEO)

I don't know the full details yet, especially the genuine details outside of the leftist media propaganda machine.

FWIW, at the San Diego Union-Tribune, "Man shot, killed by El Cajon police officer."

And at ABC News 10 San Diego:

AlfonZo Rachel: My Observations on the Clinton/Trump Debates (VIDEO)

At Theo's, "My Observations on the Trump / Hillary Debates by AlfonZo Rachel."

Hannah Ferguson Irresistibles (VIDEO)

At Sports Illustrated:

WATCH: Charlotte McKinney Strips Down in New Pete Yorn Video

At the London's Daily Mail, "Charlotte McKinney strips off her lacy lingerie in provocative new music video."

Here's the video, "Pete Yorn - I'm Not The One."

Katy Perry Nude Funny or Die Video

At London's Daily Mail, "'Let those babies loose!' Katy Perry strips NAKED at polling station but later gets arrested in new parody clip urging fans to vote..."

She's wild.

Amber Lee's Wednesday Forecast

It's been very hot, although my school's air conditioning has been working just fine (or at least in my building).

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Shimon Peres Has Died

A great obituary at NYT:

#ShimonPeres Dies at 93; Built Up #Israel’s Defense and Sought Peace. https://t.co/n8Rr8V2bYG

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) September 28, 2016

Los Angeles Unified Has Nearly 700 Unresolved Complaints About Failed Air-Conditioning During This Week's 100-Degree Weather

What a nightmare.

At LAT, "L.A. Unified has almost 700 unresolved complaints about broken air conditioning":

Jessica Melgoza is one of the lucky ones. A freshman at Banning High School’s new firefighter magnet, the 14-year-old has a prime seat in her English class — right in front of one of two fans.

All Los Angeles Unified School District classrooms are supposed to have working air conditioning. But as of Monday, when temperatures crept above 100 degrees by early afternoon, L.A. Unified schools had almost 700 unresolved complaints about problems with air conditioning.

Five, including two received Monday, came from Banning, located in Wilmington.

The current number of unresolved complaints is half of what the school system faced in mid-August, after school started, said Roger Finstad, L.A. Unified’s director of maintenance and operations. For the most part, the temperatures this school year have been more forgiving than last year, he said.

“For us, that’s a very modest backlog,” Finstad said. The district has about 30,000 classrooms...

Modest?

Well, I wouldn't want to see a severe backlog then. That's inflicting cruel and unusual punishment on students, inadvertently or not.

Keep reading.

Statement from Dean Melanie Wilson About Professor Glenn Reynolds's tweet

I saw this at Memeorandum yesterday, "Statement from Dean Melanie Wilson about Professor’s Tweet."

And at Instapundit, "THE UNIVERSITY ENDS ITS INVESTIGATION: “In short, no disciplinary action will be taken against Professor Reynolds. The tweet was an exercise of his First Amendment rights.” Though perhaps not the most brilliant such."

Heh, it goes with the territory these days. If you're a conservative online, and a public intellectual college professor, expect the attack mobs to come after you with 20 divisions.

More here.

Hillary Clinton Feels the Pressure

At the Hill, "Clinton feels the pressure":

Hillary Clinton is feeling the pressure in the race for the White House — even after a strong night in the first 2016 presidential debate.

Clinton has a huge staff advantage over Donald Trump, which should help her turn out supporters this fall.

The Electoral College is tilted in her favor, and demographics are moving in the Democratic Party’s direction.
She’s running to succeed a popular president who is firmly on her side, and the economy is strengthening.

She’s also running against Trump, who has divided the Republican Party while alienating large groups of Americans.

Despite all those advantages, Clinton finds herself in an excruciatingly tight race.

As recently as Aug. 27, she had a more than 6-point lead over Trump in the RealClearPolitics national average of polls after a strong stretch following the Democratic National Convention.

On Tuesday, her lead was 2.4 percentage points in RealClearPolitics national advantage.

Polls have shown Trump ahead in the swing states of Florida and Ohio, and he has at least a fighting chance in all of the other battlegrounds, from purple states such as Nevada and Virginia to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, two states a Republican hasn’t won in decades.

Clinton’s team believes its candidate had a strong performance in Monday’s debate that will translate into a wider lead going into the second and third contests next month.

“The debate buoys her to the next big thing and the next debate,” said one Clinton surrogate.

They also argue that it is Trump who faces some pressure. The next presidential debate on Oct. 9 in St. Louis could be a must-win situation for the Republican.

All the same, Clinton and her supporters acknowledge they are in a dogfight over the next six weeks that could still go either way.

And they expect a fierce challenge from Trump...

Well, no one should taking it easy at this point.

More.

Debate Reactions

Honestly, I'd say Hillary Clinton won the first debate, but by decision rather than a knockout.

She was clearly prepped with lots and lots of policy details, memes and attacks against trump on racism and sexism, and she was ready with a couple of zippy one-liners. But for all that, she couldn't put Trump away.

In fact, Trump on a number of occasions made Hillary look bad, awful even. Unfortunately he missed a number chances to deliver a tough blow. For me, most of all, he missed the chance to call her out on her endless "racism" attacks, which as Trump pointed out, are desperately unfounded. Also unfortunately, Trump indulged her, especially on the birther issue, rather than waving away the issue as done and settled. That was a mistake, and he wasted time defending his position, as Laura Ingraham pointed out in the post-debate analysis segment on Fox News.

Charles Krauthammer, also on Fox, called the debate a draw, and a challenger usually gets the benefit of the doubt when it's a draw, hence Trump held his own and beat expectations. Perhaps, although I'm certain Trump left some juice opportunities hanging. He was very strong on trade and international treaties. He was also good on law and order, and stayed consistent on longstanding themes of his campaign. But he looked reactive more than proactive. That hurt him, although not too bad all around. [Added: See Glenn Reynolds here, "SO I’D CALL IT A DRAW. Both Trump and Hillary left key points out. Neither looked awful, but neither looked great. And people I follow on social media seem equally divided.")

One thing not to forget: Trump was respectful, didn't call Hillary names, and avoided so-called sexist attacks, even though Hillary tried to make some sexist hay out of his remarks.

I've got CNN on now and the chyron just flashed saying Hillary won the debate according to a CNN/ORC snap poll. Whatever. That's not going to be a trustworthy poll, considering the tiny number of those sampled. Trump, for example, may have helped himself greatly in the Rust Belt with his consistent attacks on the economy and the offshoring of jobs. We won't know for sure on that until the next round of high-quality polls.

So, Hillary came out on top, but not by much, and only won be a decision.

There's more at WSJ's live blog, "First Presidential Debate: Live Coverage."

Also, at LAT, "Clinton and Trump clash often in ferocious opening debate."

And FWIW, the pro-Hillary spin, at Politico, "Clinton gets under Trump’s skin: The Republican nominee loses his cool as a composed Clinton hits him on his business record, the Iraq war, and his secret Islamic State plan."

The Democrats Are Worried

They are indeed.

From John Hinderaker, at Power Line:

In recent days, it has begun to dawn on a lot of people that Donald Trump really may win the election. (I, of course, have been predicting it all along…) This is causing near-hysteria in some quarters, and louder demands by Democrats for journalists in general, and the debate moderators in particular, to put their thumbs on the scale. As if they weren’t already doing so!

More.

And more from Hind-Rocket, "ELECTORAL COLLEGE MATH, AND WHY I THINK TRUMP WILL WIN."

Wayne Allyn Root, Angry White Male [BUMPED]

This is great!

At Amazon, Wayne Allyn Root, Angry White Male: How the Donald Trump Phenomenon is Changing America—and What We Can All Do to Save the Middle Class.

Clinton and Trump Deadlocked Before the Debate; Leftists Media Goes All Out to Paint Trump as 'Unprecedented Liar'

The number of undecided voters at this point is probably ten percent or less, which makes the left's freak out even more hilarious. Polls show the presidential horse race neck and neck, and leftist are worried.

Here's Bloomberg, via Memeorandum, "Trump, Clinton Deadlocked in Bloomberg Poll Before Key Debate."

And Trump deadlocked in the Keystone State, which I've considered my benchmark state for Trump's turning-point in the Electoral College. I'll need to see a couple more polls out of Pennsylvania, but it's exciting.

And see Larry O'Connor, at Hot Air, for the leftist media's coordination with the Clinton campaign on the Trump "unprecedented liar" meme over the weekend, "Where did all those ‘Trump Lies’ articles come from this weekend? The Clinton campaign, of course."

Amber Lee's Triple-Digit Forecast

It's extremely hot.

I couldn't even go out today it was so hot. Ridiculous. I'm glad the Rams weren't playing at home. The Colosseum would have been miserable, if not downright treacherous.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles, the lovely Amber Lee:

Wendy Warren, New England Bound

Back in July, I posted the link to Edmund Morgan's, American Slavery, American Freedom.

I've been thinking about it because when my buddy Greg Joseph retired from the college in June he gave me a bunch of old books that he wasn't going to keep, including his old copy of Morgan's tome.

So it's even more interesting to find Wendy Warren's new and related book, New England Bound: Slavery and Colonization in Early America.

You can't read everything, of course. But I like to dapple all over the place, so I'll keep the Warren book in mind.

The Silencing of KrebsOnSecurity

On Techmeme earlier, "Brian Krebs' site hit by record 620Gbps sustained DDos attack, nearly twice as big as any previous attack seen by Akamai..."

Up now, "The Democratization of Censorship: As insecure IoT devices make large-scale DDoS attacks more potent, the Internet community should work to adopt standards and tools to prevent these attacks..."

And at Ars Technica, "Why the silencing of KrebsOnSecurity opens a troubling chapter for the ‘Net":

For the better part of a day, KrebsOnSecurity, arguably the world's most intrepid source of security news, has been silenced, presumably by a handful of individuals who didn't like a recent series of exposés reporter Brian Krebs wrote. The incident, and the record-breaking data assault that brought it on, open a troubling new chapter in the short history of the Internet.

The crippling distributed denial-of-service attacks started shortly after Krebs published stories stemming from the hack of a DDoS-for-hire service known as vDOS. The first article analyzed leaked data that identified some of the previously anonymous people closely tied to vDOS. It documented how they took in more than $600,000 in two years by knocking other sites offline. A few days later, Krebs ran a follow-up piece detailing the arrests of two men who allegedly ran the service. A third post in the series is here.

On Thursday morning, exactly two weeks after Krebs published his first post, he reported that a sustained attack was bombarding his site with as much as 620 gigabits per second of junk data. That staggering amount of data is among the biggest ever recorded. Krebs was able to stay online thanks to the generosity of Akamai, a network provider that supplied DDoS mitigation services to him for free. The attack showed no signs of waning as the day wore on. Some indications suggest it may have grown stronger. At 4 pm, Akamai gave Krebs two hours' notice that it would no longer assume the considerable cost of defending KrebsOnSecurity. Krebs opted to shut down the site to prevent collateral damage hitting his service provider and its customers.

"It's hard to imagine a stronger form of censorship than these DDoS attacks because if nobody wants to take you on then that's pretty effective censorship," Krebs told Ars on Friday. "I've had a couple of big companies offer and then think better of offering to help me. That's been frustrating."

Until recently, a DDoS attack in excess of 600Gb was nearly impossible for all but the most sophisticated and powerful actors to carry out. In 2013, attacks against anti-spam organization Spamhaus generated headlines because the 300Gb torrents were coming uncomfortably close to Internet-threatening size. The assault against KrebsOnSecurity represents a much greater threat for at least two reasons. First, it's twice the size. Second and more significant, unlike the Spamhaus attacks, the staggering volume of bandwidth doesn't rely on misconfigured domain name system servers which, in the big picture, can be remedied with relative ease...

Pretty amazing.

Keep reading.

Deal of the Day: Save Big on Fall Camping with Coleman

At Amazon, Save on Coleman Camping Equipment.

More, Coleman 6201A748 100 Quart Xtreme 5 (Wheeled Cooler).

And, Coleman WeatherMaster 6-Person Screened Tent.

Also, Coleman North Rim 0-Degree Mummy Bag.

Still more, VIZIO SB3821-C6 38-Inch 2.1 Channel Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer (Certified Refurbished).

Plus, TriggerPoint GRID Foam Roller with Free Online Instructional Videos, Original (13-inch).

And, AmazonBasics Apple Certified Lightning to USB Cable - 6 Feet (1.8 Meters) - White.

BONUS: James Campbell, Polarized: Making Sense of a Divided America.

David Horowitz, Black Book of the American Left, Volume 7: The Left in Power — Clinton to Obama [BUMPED]

Out October 10th, at Amazon, The Black Book of the American Left, Volume 7: The Left in Power — Clinton to Obama.

Arcan Cetin Islamic Jihad Terrorist Arrested in Cascade Mall Massacre (VIDEO)

Boy, the leftist media almost got away with turning this massacre into a run-of-the-mill, more gun-control active shooter situation.

It wasn't. It was jihad.

At Weasel Zippers, "Cascade Mall Shooting Suspect Arcan Cetin Had Tumblr With Chant to Allah, Pic of Ted Bundy, Was Sent Pic of ISIS Leader…"

And at Jihad Watch, "Washington state: Turkish Muslim, Arcan Cetin, arrested for murder of five people inside Cascade Mall," and "Washington state mall shooter: “Say SubhanAllah [Glory to Allah] 10x”."

And from Pamela, "Mall shooter Arcan Cetin supported Hillary Clinton, linked to page supporting ISIS."

Here's the report at ABC News, FWIW:

With Donald Trump's Nomination, College Republicans Face Tensions Nationwide

Don't care, personally.

I was the adviser for the student YAF club last year. I like conservatives. I don't think the GOP is conservative. And it cracks me up that Trump's upended the campus GOP clubs' reputation for great parties.

It's hard out there.

At the New York Times, "College Republicans, Once ‘the Best Party on Campus,’ Endure Taunts Over Trump."

Dangerous Weather Conditions Across Southern California (VIDEO)

Following-up from earlier, "Kristen Keogh Hot Sunday Forecast."

At ABC News 10 Sand Diego, "Dangerous heat and fire risk."

And at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "Firefighters on High Alert Due to Dangerous Weather Conditions."

Kristen Keogh Hot Sunday Forecast

It's going to hit triple digits in parts of the Southland today.

Via ABC News 10 Sand Diego:

Protest Thugs and the Real Evil in Charlotte

From Daniel Greenfield, at FrontPage Magazine:

Keith Lamont Scott was scum.

He had been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in two different states and convicted of assault in three states. He had been hit with “assault with intent to kill” charges in the 90s. His record of virtue included “assault on a child under 12” and “assault on a female.”

The media spin; “Family and neighbors call Scott a quiet ‘family man.’”

Nothing says “quiet” like “assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill” and nothing says “family man” like assaulting women and children.

Keith Lamont Scott, the latest martyr of Black Lives Matter and its media propaganda corps, was shot while waving a gun around. He had spent 7 years in jail for “aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.”

This vicious monster’s career of crime ended when he was shot by Brentley Vinson, an African-American police officer, protecting himself from the latest rampage by this “quiet family man.”

Brentley Vinson is everything that Scott isn’t. The son of a police officer, Brentley dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps. He used to organize his football team’s bible studies and mentored younger players. Former teammates describe him as a “great guy” with “good morals.” His former coach calls him a “natural leader” and says that, “We need more Brent Vinsons… in our communities.”

Except that Obama, Black Lives Matter, the media, the NAACP and everyone else going after this bright and decent African-American officer has decided that what we really need are more Keith Lamont Scotts. And the streets of Charlotte are full of “Scotts” throwing rocks at police, assaulting reporters and wrecking everything in sight in marches that are as “peaceful” as Scott was a “quiet family man.”

That’s what Hillary Clinton wanted when she tweeted that, “We have two names to add to a long list of African-Americans killed by police officers. It’s unbearable, and it needs to become intolerable.”

What exactly should be intolerable? An African-American police officer defending his life against a violent criminal who happened to be black? Should black criminals enjoy a special immunity? The greatest victims of black criminals are black communities.

Whom does Hillary Clinton imagine she’s helping here? Instead of standing with heroic African-American police officers like Vinson, she’s championing criminal scum like Scott.

Tim Kaine, Hillary’s No. 2, wants us to think about Scott’s family. We should do that. Scott’s brother announced on camera that all “white people” are “devils.” Timmy should check to see if he can get an exemption from white devildom.  But if there are any white devils, it’s men like Kaine and women like Hillary who enable the worst behavior in a troubled community while punishing those who try to help.

Every time the lie about “peaceful” protests is repeated, another black community becomes unlivable.

Twenty police officers have been injured and National Guard troops have arrived to deal with all those “peaceful” protests. Protesters chanted, “Black Lives Matter” and “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” before throwing things at police and then peacefully shooting each other. Stores had their windows broken and decorated with Black Lives Matter graffiti. A Walmart was peacefully looted and trucks were torched.

A police officer was peacefully hit by a car. Another was peacefully hit in the face with a rock. Mobs besieged and attempted to break into hotels. Reporters were attacked and a photographer was nearly thrown into a fire. White people were targeted by the racist Black Lives Matter mob and assaulted.

But all these peaceful rioters are probably just quiet family men too.

The peaceful protests are as big a lie as the “bookish” Keith Lamont Scott reading a book in his car. Police had no trouble finding a gun. They couldn’t have found Scott anywhere near a book. The only thing he could have done with a book is try to beat someone to death with it. Maybe a child.

Scott wasn’t a quiet family man; he was a violent criminal with a horrifying vicious streak. He and the rest of the Black Lives Matter rioters remind us of the monsters that we need dedicated police officers to protect us from.

The spin on what happened between a deranged black criminal and a courageous black police officer fell apart as fast as the Freddie Gray case, where black police officers were targeted and a city terrorized over conspiracy theories relating to the accidental death of a drug dealer.

The claims of racism are absurd. Not only was Scott shot by an African-American police officer, but Charlotte Police Chief Kerr Putney, who has taken the lead in defending him, is also African-American.

Are we supposed to believe that an African-American police officer and an African-American police chief are racists or that these two black men took the lead in a genocidal conspiracy to kill black men?

That’s the laughable premise of the racist Black Lives Matter hatefest that alternates between “Stop killing us” street theater and violent assaults on police officers, reporters and anyone in the area.

But the truth doesn’t matter. Black Lives Matter rioters are still chanting, “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” long after the Michael Brown lie fell apart. They’re holding up signs reading, “It Was a Book.”  The lie is backed by some of the biggest media corporations in the country, by $130 million from George Soros and the Ford Foundation, by Barack Hussein Obama and by Hillary Clinton.

These are the malign forces destroying Charlotte, as they trashed Baltimore. On the ground there are the vulture community organizers of Black Lives Matter, funded by the left, who parachute in to organize race riots, behind them are the reporters who sell the spin live on the air and the photographers who capture glamor shots of the racist rioters, and after them come the lawyers of the DOJ out to ruin, terrorize and intimidate whatever law enforcement survived the riots.

They did it in Ferguson and a dozen other places. Now they want to do it in Charlotte.

They want to do it because they hate white people and black people. They hate peace and decency. They hate the idea of people getting up in the morning and working for a living. They hate the idea of good officers, white and black men and women, like Brentley Vinson, who genuinely believe in doing the right thing. They want unearned power. They demand unearned wealth. And they thrive on destruction.

This is the real evil in Charlotte. And we need to stand up to it. From the ghetto to the manors of the liberal elite from burning cars to pricey restaurants in exclusive neighborhoods, it plots against us.

It is a lie repeated a million times. Sometimes the lie is simple. Other times it’s sophisticated. But the way to fight it is to begin with the truth.

The truth is that Keith Lamont Scott was a violent criminal who came to a bad end because of his own actions. Just like Michael Brown, Freddie Gray and too many other Black Lives Matter martyrs to count.

The truth is that everything Black Lives Matter does reminds us of why we need police officers.

The truth is that this is not about race, but about those who want to build and those who want to destroy. It’s about the difference between Brentley Vinson and Keith Lamont Scott.

It’s about what kind of country we want to be. Is it a country that celebrates a young black football player who chose to follow in his father’s footsteps, who organized bible study and helped others, who risked his life to keep other people safe. Or is it one that celebrates Keith Lamont Scott, who assaulted a woman, a child and anyone else he could get at, who terrorized three states and died as he lived.

Obama and the left want a nation of Keith Lamont Scotts. But now it’s our turn to choose.

Stanford Crushes UCLA Hopes, Scoring Touchdown With 24 Seconds Left (VIDEO)

I had my hopes up for UCLA, big time.

Frankly, they should've won this game. The Bruins played well throughout, especially on defense. But the Cardinal got fired up for the final drive.

What can you do?

At LAT, "UCLA can't escape its past in stunning loss to No. 7 Stanford, 22-13":

It happened again. How could it happen again?

For all but the final two minutes Saturday night, UCLA did everything in its power to break an eight-game losing streak to a Stanford team that has long occupied its nightmares.

Then it happened again. Somehow, it happened again.

Stanford got tough. UCLA got tentative. Stanford found focus. UCLA lost control.

Stanford celebrated its history, while UCLA wallowed in its history, and everything changed as quickly as Josh Rosen fell into a heap while thousands stood stunned and frozen in the Rose Bowl stands rising around him.

The nightmare is back because, it turns out, the nightmare never left.

Stanford drove down the field in the final two minutes Saturday night to score the go-ahead touchdown on a leaping catch by J.J. Arcega-Whiteside from Ryan Burns with 24 seconds left, then added a fumble return for a touchdown on the final play for a 22-13 victory.

“Obviously that’s about as difficult as it gets,’’ said Bruin Coach Jim Mora...

Keep reading.

Plus, "UCLA suffers cruel loss to No. 7 Stanford, 22-13."

Gennifer Flowers to Attend First Presidential Debate Between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton (VIDEO)

That woman was a blonde bombshell back in the day.

She's accepted Donald Trump's invitation to attend the debate.

Heh, this oughta be interesting.

From Austin Bay, at Instapundit, "AN APT RIPOSTE TO TEAM HILLARY’S MARK CUBAN (NOT FIDEL) GAMBIT: Demonstrating his genius for political theater, Trump is threatening to give Gennifer Flowers a front row seat at his upcoming debate with Hillary Clinton."

And at BuzzFeed, via Memorandum, "Gennifer Flowers Agrees to Join Trump at Presidential Debate."

Obama Administration Has Done Little to Pursue War Crimes Trials Against Islamic State

This should surprise no one.

At A.P. "WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL FOR IS DETAINEES LACKS SUPPORT":

WASHINGTON (AP) -- War crimes investigators collecting evidence of the Islamic State group's elaborate operation to kidnap thousands of women as sex slaves say they have a case to try IS leaders with crimes against humanity but cannot get the global backing to bring current detainees before an international tribunal.

Two years after the IS onslaught in northern Iraq, the investigators, as well as U.S. diplomats, say the Obama administration has done little to pursue prosecution of the crimes that Secretary of State John Kerry has called genocide. Current and former State Department officials say that an attempt in late 2014 to have a legal finding of genocide was blocked by the Defense Department, setting back efforts to prosecute IS members suspected of committing war crimes...

More. (Via Austin Bay at Instapundit.)

Heh. 'It used to be cars were made in Flint...'

This is pretty good, from the Notorious DJT:

Today is the day! Knock on doors and make calls with us on National Day of Action! #TrumpTrain #MAGAhttps://t.co/NQEgRxQN2m pic.twitter.com/4UFXDuj5vy

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2016

Professor Allan Lichtman Says Donald Trump Headed for Win on November 8th

Sounds good to me, heh.

At the Washington Post, "Trump is headed for a win, says professor who has predicted 30 years of presidential outcomes correctly" (via Memeorandum).

Here's Professor Lichtman's book, Predicting the Next President: The Keys to the White House 2016.

RELATED: Professor Helmut Norpoth, who also has an outstanding prediction record, similarly pegs Trump to win in November. At BizPac, "Poll-predicting prof with stellar record says never mind the media, Trump’s going to win."

Ayaan, Heretic

It's a good time to re-up Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

At Amazon, Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now.

Glenn Reynolds 'Planning on Quitting Twitter'

I just saw this, at Politico, "USA Today suspends columnist Glenn Reynolds for one month."

Instapundit's got the best column over at the newspaper. That'd be lame of he got canned, so obviously posting on Twitter's not going to be worth it.

Frankly, I quit for a week after Robert Stacy McCain's @RSMcCain got banned. I didn't miss it that much.

In any case, here's the Professor, "TWITTER HAS UNBLOCKED MY ACCOUNT ON CONDITION OF DELETING THE OFFENDING TWEET."

Also, "OPENED UP TWITTER TO SEE THIS..." Click through to see the offending tweet.

Frankly, it wasn't what he said. It's who he is. Leftists hate Glenn Reynolds and they want his scalp. The Internet's one big lynch mob and demonic fever-swamp progs seized a chance to destroy the Instapundit.

More at Zilla of the Resistance, "The Long Knives Are Out for @Instapundit – The Mob Demands He Lose His Job":

Leftists can use violent rhetoric and actual acts of violence against people with impunity, but a politically incorrect statement by a non-leftist MUST be punished, according to our self proclaimed moral superiors, so the “offended” will scream and howl until the target of their rage is utterly ruined.

USA Today published an apology from Reynolds along with a statement from the paper that his column has been suspended for a month, but in the comments section, predictably, there is screeching that he should also lose his job at the university where he works.

The University of Tennessee is now investigating the good professor.

The PC mob will not be satisfied until they have utterly destroyed a good man’s reputation and ability to make a living.

It's true. And all of that over a throwaway snarky tweet.

.@Instapundit Considering anarchy in #Charlotte last night, to "run them down" would be purely defensive. Screw the leftist speech police.

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) September 22, 2016

Glenn Reynolds, @instapundit, has been reinstated. Deets at https://t.co/AUY3qZQGJc pic.twitter.com/lQ3xgCZx2g

— reason (@reason) September 22, 2016

(Longtime readers know that I've dealt with these lynch mobs myself and they're demonstrably evil. It's chilling too, but you can't back down. Fight these fuckers, even if you have to hire a lawyer. They'd murder you if they could get away with it, so watch your back. I do.)

'Between Two Ferns': Shrillary Clinton Trolls for Young Voters (VIDEO)

Following-up, "Shrillary."

At Bloomberg, "Hillary Clinton Goes ‘Between Two Ferns’ in Search of Young Voters."

She's clearly desperate to be liked:

Shrillary

I've been joking about Shrillary in my classes for years, but this video's a classic.

During the primary debates I had to hit the mute button she got so bad. I can barely stand to hear her voice sometimes. It's like a screech.

At Hot Air, "Hillary: ‘Why aren’t I 50 points ahead?’"

On YouTube as well, "IT'S OFFICIAL - Hillary Clinton Has Lost Her Mind - Yelling ‘Why aren’t I 50 points ahead?’."

Hat Tip: Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit, "IT’S DEJA DUKAKIS ALL OVER AGAIN!"

Presidential Horse Race Tightens in Colorado, Iowa, and Virginia

It's amazing that Colorado's in reach. Gary Johnson's pulling in ten percent there, mostly among young people I suspect, and that's hurting Hillary Clinton.

I'm not surprised about Virginia though. Terry McAuliffe took 48 percent to Ken Cuccinelli's 45 percent in the 2013 governor's race, with the third party candidate taking about 6 percent. Keep an eye on Old Dominion this year. I think Donald Trump'got a good chance. (Mostly, though, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Pennsylvania. If the voters start breaking for Trump in the Keystone State, I think Hillary's fried.)

At Politico, "Swing-state polls: Trump leads in Iowa, narrows the gap in Colorado and Virginia."

Rioting May Tip Presidential Scales in Crucial North Carolina

Actually, I'm not getting my hopes up. North Carolina's an extremely leftist state.

But if these riots continue over the weekend, and perhaps beyond, then yes: undecided whites may shift over into the Trump column.

At Bloomberg (via Memorandum):

Riots threaten to sway a deadlocked presidential race in race-riven North Carolina by pushing enough undecided voters toward Republican Donald Trump to overcome Hillary Clinton’s lead among blacks.

The shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, 43, outside a Charlotte apartment complex was the third at police hands in less than a year in a swing state whose 15 electoral votes are crucial to White House hopes. The ensuing riots culminated a period of charged politics that began in 2013, when Republicans took over both the legislature and governor’s office for the first time in a century.

The state went for Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 and for Republican Mitt Romney in 2012. This year’s race has been a statistical tie for weeks between Trump, who has pushed a law-and-order platform, and Clinton, who has campaigned with the parents of black men shot by police. The contest remained a toss-up in the days leading up to Tuesday’s killing of Scott, according to a New York Times poll released today.

Democratic challengers were also polling even with or ahead of Republican incumbents Governor Pat McCrory and U.S. Senator Richard Burr, according to that poll and one released by Public Policy Polling on Wednesday.

Many voters -- between 10 and 12 percent of the electorate -- haven’t made up their minds on the presidential race, said Carter Wrenn, a Republican political consultant. “The undecideds have been staying undecided.”

More.

Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby Charged in Shooting of Unarmed Black Man (VIDEO)

Authorities says Terence Crutcher was unarmed.

At the Tulsa World, "Officer Betty Shelby charged with first-degree manslaughter in fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher":

The Tulsa County District Attorney's Office filed a first-degree manslaughter charge on Thursday against Officer Betty Shelby in the fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher last week.

District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said during a brief press conference that a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Shelby, 42, who is expected to turn herself in to authorities.

Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said Monday that Crutcher, a 40-year-old father of four, was unarmed when Shelby shot him once in the upper right lung area next to his stopped SUV near 36th Street North and Lewis Avenue at 7:44 p.m. Sept. 16. He was pronounced dead at a hospital less than an hour later.

"The tragic circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Crutcher are on the hearts and minds of many people in this community," Kunzweiler said at the press conference Thursday. "It is important to note that despite the heightened tensions felt by all — which seemingly beg for an emotional reaction — our community has consistently demonstrated a willingness to respect the judicial process. It is the shared responsibility of all who have the ability to control their actions to do just that."

The charges against Shelby are the second Kunzweiler has filed in less than two years against an officer who killed someone while on duty. His office filed a second-degree manslaughter charge against former Tulsa County Reserve Deputy Robert Bates in the April 2, 2015, shooting of Eric Harris during an undercover operation in north Tulsa.

Bates resigned from his post and was convicted in April of this year, receiving a four-year prison sentence.

Shelby faces one count of manslaughter committed in the heat of passion, or in the alternative while resisting a person's attempt to commit a crime. First-degree manslaughter carries a sentence of four years to life in Department of Corrections custody, according to Oklahoma law.

If convicted, Shelby would have to serve 85 percent of her sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

A probable cause affidavit in the case alleges that Shelby "acted unreasonably by escalating the situation from a confrontation with Mr. Crutcher, who was not responding to verbal commands and was walking away from her with his hands held up, becoming emotionally involved to the point that she overreacted."

The affidavit states she told Sgt. Dave Walker in a police interview that she was in fear for her life and thought Crutcher would kill her. Shelby reportedly told investigators she was yelling repeatedly for Crutcher to stop walking to his vehicle and get on his knees.

However, dash cam and police helicopter footage shows Crutcher walking to the SUV, which was stopped in the middle of 36th Street North, with his hands up while Shelby had a gun pointed at him. The videos show that at least three officers had either a gun or Taser drawn as Crutcher walked back to the SUV.

Shelby turned on her police car's rear flashing lights only when stopping to approach Crutcher, which meant her dash camera did not turn on, Sgt. Shane Tuell told reporters Monday.

Attorney Scott Wood, who has represented Shelby so far, said there are about two unrecorded minutes of interaction between Shelby and Crutcher.

Officer Tyler Turnbough reportedly told Shelby he had his Taser ready before deploying it about the same time Shelby fired her gun.

Shelby said in her interview that she saw Crutcher reach into the driver's side front window before she shot him. Lead investigator Doug Campbell wrote in the affidavit that the videos show that Crutcher's right hand is up and that his left hand is "unobservable" at the time he was shot...

More.

Plus, more video at KJRH News 2 Tulsa, "Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby charged with first degree manslaughter in death of Terence Crutcher."

Teaching Today: Buy Heather Mac Donald's, The War on Cops

Here's her book, The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe.

I'll be teaching all day. More blogging tonight.

Marion Cotillard Denies Romantic Affair with Brad Pitt

At Vanity Fair, "Marion Cotillard Responds to Rumored Brad Pitt Affair."

Here's her statement, posted on Instagram:

This is going to be my first and only reaction to the whirlwind news that broke 24 hours ago and that I was swept up into. I am not used to commenting on things like this nor taking them seriously but as this situation is spiraling and affecting people I love, I have to speak up. Firstly, many years ago, I met the man of my life, father of our son and of the baby we are expecting. He is my love, my best friend, the only one that I need. Secondly to those who have indicated that I am devastated, I am very well thank you. This crafted conversation isn't distressing. And to all the media and the haters who are quick to pass judgment, I sincerely wish you a swift recovery. Finally, I do very much wish that Angelina and Brad, both whom I deeply respect, will find peace in this very tumultuous moment.

With all my love, Marion

Trump Derangement Syndrome is Crippling the Left

From John Podhoretz, at the New York Post.

Get Ready for the Mother of All Corrections

From Jeremy Warner, at the Telegraph U.K., "Get ready for the mother of all stock market corrections once central banks cease their money printing."

A great piece.

Read it all at the link.

NYPD Opens Special Victims Investigation Into Anthony Weiner Sexting Allegations

Man, this dude needs to be institutionalized.

It's just not funny any more, seriously.

At London's Daily Mail, "EXCLUSIVE: NYPD Special Victims Unit launches investigation into Anthony Weiner after DailyMail.com reveals he had an on-line sexting relationship with 15-year-old girl" (via Memeorandum).

Breaking: Anthony Weiner carried on an online sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl - https://t.co/vgFlmMMXZP

— Alana Goodman (@alanagoodman) September 21, 2016

Thanks to the Reader Who Picked Up Some Gillette Shave Cartridges Yesterday [BUMPED]

Thanks for shopping through my Amazon links. It's appreciated.

These are some nice blades, Gillette Mach3 Base Cartridges 15 Count.

Shop for books as well, folks, at the link.

Your purchases support my book habit at no extra cost to you. It's really cool and I'm always thankful.

Deal of the Day: Gorilla Carts Heavy-Duty Poly Yard Dump Cart

At Amazon, Gorilla Carts GOR6PS Heavy-Duty Poly Yard Dump Cart with 2-In-1 Convertible Handle, 1,200-Pound Capacity, Black.

Also, Gorilla Carts Heavy-Duty Steel Utility Cart with Removable Sides with a Capacity of 1000 lb, Gray.

More, Acer Aspire Switch 10 SW5-015-198P10.1-inch HD 2-in-1 Tablet & Laptop with Microsoft Office Mobile Apps.

Plus, CybertronPC Borg-Q Gaming Desktop - AMD FX-4130 3.8GHz Quad-Core, NVIDIA GeForce GT610, 8GB DDR3 Memory, 1TB HDD, DVD±RW, Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit.

BONUS: Billy Idol, Dancing with Myself (New York Times bestselling autobiography).

Once Again: Heather Mac Donald, The War on Cops

I can't post this link enough.

This book is essential reading for this election season.

Be sure to get your copy, at Amazon, The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe.

Low-income Families Face Eviction to Make Way for Facebook Employees in Silicon Valley

You can see why I hate Mark Zuckerberg, him and the entire culture he represents.

Entitled spoiled leftists kicking hard-working Latinos out of their homes.

Hey, that's progressive values for you! Democrat values!

At Truth Revolt, "Liberal Leftist Hypocrites: Low-Income, Hispanic Residents of Silicon Valley Apartment Evicted to Make Room for Facebook Staff."

CNN Denies Reports Corey Lewandowski Booted from Network Over Trump Contract

Here's the buzz at Memeorandum, "BREAKING: Corey Lewandowski Suspended by CNN."

At at Heat Street, "CNN is denying reports that Corey Lewandowski has been suspended from his job at the network after FEC filings showed his consulting company pulling in $20,000 from the Trump campaign during July and August."

I actually like Lewandowski, but he shouldn't be having conflicts of interest.

Donald Trump Rally in High Point, North Carolina (VIDEO)

Watch, via ABC News 15 Phoenix, "FULL SPEECH: A Very Animated Donald Trump in High Point, N.C. Today (VIDEO)."

Also, at the Washington Times, "Donald Trump calls for unity after police shootings."

The situations in Tulsa and Charlotte are tragic. We must come together to make America safe again.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2016

Kendall Jenner for Vogue Spain

At Egotastic!, "Kendall Jenner is Braless for Vogue Spain (VIDEO)."

Donald Trump: 'It's a Movement, Not a Campaign' (VIDEO)

Via Hot Air:

CNN, Kaiser Family Foundation Poll on White Working Class Voters (VIDEO)

At CNN, "The anatomy of a white, working-class Trump voter."

Seattle to Create Government-Financed 'Heroin-Injection Clinics', 'Safe Sites' for Junkies to Shoot Up

It's a terrible idea, but then, this is Seattle, the far-left freakazoid enclave on Puget Sound.

At LAT, "Seattle's new war on drugs: Giving heroin addicts 'safe sites' to shoot up":

Seattle officials are moving forward with a controversial plan for what would be the nation’s first supervised heroin-injection clinics — government-financed shooting galleries that supporters say can save lives but that critics say will only enable drug users.

A new 99-page task force study envisions at least two safe-use facilities — one in Seattle, another in the suburbs — where heroin addicts can legally take narcotics while being monitored by medical personnel who can administer aid or call 911 if needed.

The project is modeled after North America’s first supervised heroin haven, InSite, a government-funded injection facility 140 miles north in Vancouver, B.C., which in 13 years of operation has never had an overdose fatality, officials there say.

That success has inspired other cities — including San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland — to consider government-approved safe sites for addicts to inject heroin. But Seattle is moving fastest, convinced there is “urgent need for action,” as the new study puts it.

“For me personally, what has worked,” says Seattle social worker Thea Oliphant-Wells, a task force member and recovering heroin addict for 11 years, “was to have harm-reduction folks engaging me long before I was ready to change my drug-abuse behavior. I promise you, when you give people the opportunity to get better, they will.”

Jeff Duchin, head of Seattle-King County Public Health, said the safe sites — officially known as Community Health Engagement Locations — will increase the odds for drug users to return to healthy lives by reducing overdoses, preventing HIV and other infections and cutting down on other drug-related medical problems.

The proposal has the support of King County’s chief executive and the mayor of Seattle, a city once dubbed by Rolling Stone as “Junkie Town.” Heroin use here and across the U.S. dripped, then spiked in the last decade as Americans addicted to pain killers such as OxyContin and Percocet looked to the streets for cheaper alternatives.

A United Nations study released this summer found that use of heroin has soared in the last two decades. U.S. deaths related to the narcotic have increased fivefold since 2000 and the number of U.S. users has tripled to one million in that time.

In King County, with good Samaritan laws that prevent prosecution of anyone who, in good faith, aids an overdose victim, and with wider use of the recovery drug Naloxone by first responders, overdose deaths actually dropped last year — 132, compared with 156 in 2014.

But from 2010 to 2014, the number of users seeking treatment here doubled from 1,439 to 2,886, and the death toll in 2015 was a third higher than two years ago.

With no apparent end to the upward trend, local officials say safe-use sites are a worthy intervention...

Sorry. I'm not convinced giving addicts a government-sponsored heroin safe space is the path to creating drug-free lives. The article needed to cite addiction experts who provide evidence why this isn't a great idea. It's still experimental at this point. My hunch is that enabling addicts to shoot up only legitimizes hardcore drug dependency. If you want to help people, get them into treatment. Drug use will continue to spike as long as government-financed bleeding-heart leftists enable drug addicts to get high.

Threat Profiling

From Amanda Carpenter, on CNN, via Twitter:

Threat profiling! Good idea. Why is Trump backing down? From me on #CNNSOTR https://t.co/PqTpL2fjXL

— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) September 20, 2016

Why FBI Suspects Keep Attacking Americans

Following-up, "Ahmad Khan Rahami Hailed Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki in 'Scrawled Journal' Seized During Arrest," and "Gee, What Could Possibly Be Causing All of These 'Lone Wolf' Terror Attacks?"

From Matthew Vadum, at FrontPage Magazine:

Why does the Obama administration keep failing to thwart Muslim terrorist attacks in the U.S. after receiving apparently good intelligence warning of those attacks?

It turns out that Americans keep turning in budding Muslim terrorists to the Obama administration and the administration keeps on doing nothing. For example, the alleged mastermind of the weekend pressure-cooker bombing in New York City was turned in by his own father but the Federal Bureau of Investigation failed to do much of anything about him.

These intelligence failures have become a recurrent theme in the Obama era, with deadly results. Excluding the events of the last few days, there have been 89 Muslim terrorist plots and attacks in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001 and 25 of those have taken place since the beginning of 2015, according to David Inserra of the Heritage Foundation.

Counterterrorism expert Sebastian Gorka, vice president at the Institute of World Politics, blamed political correctness for the FBI’s inability to do something about Rahami before he acted.

“There are certain sensitivities,” Gorka said on the “O’Reilly Factor” last night.

“A certain political matrix is being forced upon our operators and investigators,” he said. Usually this kind of political pressure originates not from the FBI, but from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, he said.

The FBI is also hindered by inadequate human resources, Gorka said. There are reportedly 900 active terrorist investigations in all 50 states and the bureau can only do so much, he said.

The FBI has indeed been handcuffed in terrorist investigations by President Obama whose administration has worked with terrorist front groups like the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The law enforcement agency has also become increasingly politicized in the Obama era.

The pressure-cooker terrorist was apprehended after he injured a score of New Yorkers on the weekend but not through brilliant police work. He was caught during a shootout with cops.

Ahmad Khan Rahami, a.k.a. Ahmad Rahimi, was charged yesterday with use of weapons of mass destruction and bombing a place of public use. Rahami was born in Afghanistan but became a U.S. citizen.

Prosecutors say Rahami planted a pipe bomb and triggering cellphone Saturday morning in Seaside Park, N.J., before a scheduled U.S. Marine Corps charity run. Later that day he placed a pressure cooker bomb in the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan that the complaint states caused injuries and “multiple-million dollars of property damage across a 650-foot crime scene.” Twenty-nine people were wounded. He was previously charged with multiple counts of attempted murder of police officers and other offenses arising from a gun battle when he was captured Monday.

Police also discovered and safely detonated a pipe bomb at a train station in Elizabeth, N.J. Although it is unclear if Rahami is connected to that bomb, his family did sue the city of Elizabeth in 2011 claiming harassment and religious discrimination related to their family restaurant, First American Fried Chicken.

Rahami came to the attention of the FBI two years ago when his father suspected his son was involved in terrorism. Mohammad Rahami told reporters he contacted federal authorities after Ahmad stabbed Nasser, another one of his sons, and attacked another family member, which led to a criminal investigation.

The FBI apparently performed a superficial examination of the case at the time.

“In August 2014, the F.B.I. initiated an assessment of Ahmad Rahami based upon comments made by his father after a domestic dispute that were subsequently reported to authority,” the agency said in a press release. “The F.B.I. conducted internal database reviews, interagency checks, and multiple interviews, none of which revealed ties to terrorism.”

It would seem the fact that Rahami made a three-month trip to Quetta, Pakistan, in 2011, and visited Quetta again during an 11-month trip beginning in 2013, were ignored by the FBI. Quetta is a Taliban stronghold and a hotbed of Salafi jihadism.

About two miles from the Chelsea attack, President Obama gave a speech at the United Nations in which he said the U.S. should take more immigrants like Rahami and implicitly attacked GOP candidate Donald Trump. Obama blamed America for the world’s problems as he jabbed at Trump’s promise to secure the border, crack down on illegal aliens, and change our asylum policies.

“The world is too small for us to simply be able to build a wall,” Obama said. “We have to open our hearts and do more to help refugees who are desperate for a home,” he said. He added, “today a nation ringed by walls would only imprison itself.”

Obama also suggested that Americans and Europeans are racist for not wanting to be swamped by outsiders from hostile cultures. “And in Europe and the United States, you see people wrestle with concerns about immigration and changing demographics, and suggesting that somehow people who look different are corrupting the character of our countries,” he said...

More.

Gee, What Could Possibly Be Causing All of These 'Lone Wolf' Terror Attacks?

Occam's razor says go with the simplest explanation, and in this case it's not too complicated. Repeat after me: "It's the jihad."

At WSJ, "Experts See No Single Explanation for 'Lone Wolf' Terror Attacks."

Typical PC bull: Experts see no single explanation for ‘lone-wolf’ terror attacks. #NYC #Chelsea #Jihad #GWOT https://t.co/dcSpNVUMpP

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) September 20, 2016

Ahmad Khan Rahami Hailed Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki in 'Scrawled Journal' Seized During Arrest

This Rahami mofo was a very bad dude.

If you hear people saying they "don't know what the motive" was, just tell 'em to fuck off.

At the Los Angeles Times, "'The sounds of the bombs will be heard in the streets': A scrawled journal found with New York bombing suspect":

Federal authorities on Tuesday filed charges against Ahmad Khan Rahami in a series of bombs planted over the weekend in New York and New Jersey, and said they have recovered a journal in which the 28-year-old immigrant from Afghanistan invoked instructions to attack unbelievers “in their backyard.”

“Inshallah [God willing], the sounds of the bombs will be heard in the streets. Gun shots to your police. Death To Your OPPRESSION,” were some of the words scrolled in a journal FBI agents found with Rahami when he was taken into custody Monday.

“My heart I pray to the beautiful wise ALLAH. To not take JIHAD away from [me]. I beg...for shahadat [martyrdom],” said the journal, which was damaged during the exchange of gunfire with police that preceded Rahami’s arrest.

The complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan said the bomb that exploded Saturday in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood was powerful enough to shatter windows three stories above ground and cause millions of dollars in damage.

Fragmentation from the explosive, fashioned from a pressure cooker and left in a dumpster, was blasted up to 650 feet away, according to an affidavit from Special Agent Peter Frederick Licata of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Rahami faces federal charges of using a weapon of mass destruction, bombing a public place, destruction of property by fire or explosive and using a destructive device in the commission of a crime of violence.

In their charging document, federal authorities said they have recovered a cellphone video, shot two days before the Chelsea bombing, that appears to show Rahami blowing up a cylindrical container at or near his home in Elizabeth, N.J.

The video, recovered from a phone believed to belong to a family member of the suspect, shows a fuse being lighted, then an explosion.

“The video depicts the lighting of the fuse, a loud noise and flames, followed by billowing smoke and laughter,” according to Licata’s affidavit. “Rahami then enters the frame and is seen picking up the cylindrical container.”

The 31 people injured in the attack suffered lacerations from flying glass, shrapnel and fragmentation as well as “various head injuries,” according to the criminal complaint. At least one victim was hospitalized.

More.

Ten Times in Past Two Years Terrorists Slipped Through Immigration Process into U.S.

From Matthew Boyle, at Breitbart (via Jihad Watch):

NEW YORK CITY, New York — In the wake of the terrorist attacks in New York City and Minnesota during the weekend, the focus of the national debate has again shifted back to America’s enemies exploiting weaknesses in U.S. immigration screening processes to get into the country to attack the United States.

While President Barack Obama’s administration, and his would-be successor, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton, have promised to increase the amount of people they bring into the United States through immigration, refugee, and asylum programs, the Republican nominee for president, Donald J. Trump, has promised to put the brakes on allowing potential terrorists into the United States.

Below is a by-no-means comprehensive list of at least ten times in the last couple years—there are certainly many more instances—that terrorists have exploited the Obama-Clinton immigration weaknesses to get into the United States. This is the first in a series of stories that will examine specific examples on this front...

Keep reading.

Angelina Jolie Files for Divorce from Brad Pitt

Well, I'm not all sad about it or anything, although these two are probably my favorite people in Hollywood.

I hope he didn't abuse her, above all.

At LAT, "Angelina Jolie files for divorce from Brad Pitt, seeks full physical custody of their kids":

Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt after two years of marriage.

In her Monday filing under the legal name Angelina Jolie Pitt, the actress-director cited irreconcilable differences but didn’t elaborate on what those differences are.

She’s requesting sole physical custody and joint legal custody of their six children but indicated she is willing to give her husband visitation rights.

The separation date is listed as Sept. 15; Jolie Pitt and Pitt were legally married Aug. 14, 2014, and followed that up on Aug. 23 with a nondenominational ceremony held at their chateau in Provence, France, after a two-year engagement.

The couple, who met while working on the movie “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” got together in August 2005. They have six children together: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne.

"I am very saddened by this, but what matters most now is the well-being of our kids," Pitt said in a statement to People magazine. A source close to the couple told the magazine the divorce was "a complete shock."

The decision to divorce was made “for the health of the family,” attorney Robert Offer, who represents Jolie Pitt, told the Associated Press on Tuesday...

Steve Emerson, American Jihad

Emerson got a bad rap in 1994 when he made comments about the Oklahoma City bombing having "traits" common to Middle Eastern terrorism, which once Timothy McVeigh was named as the suspect, essentially destroyed his reputation as a terrorism analyst.

But he's looking more prescient all the time. I read his book years ago, but I think I'll pull it off the shelf for some review.

At Amazon, Steve Emerson, American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us.

Re-Upping David Solway, 'How to Defeat Terrorism'

I posted Solway in July. But since we're going through another round of deadly political correctness following the Chelsea bombing, I thought I'd re-up. This is key, and exactly the opposite of what leftists propose:

The measures and policies that would need to be put in place [to stop terrorism] are so obvious that the failure to implement them is nothing but a sign of lethal complacency and moral cowardice. What are these measures? The list is not unduly long and, as I say, entirely obvious.

* Islamic immigration must be drastically curtailed if not completely stopped. As Donald Trump has cogently warned, “We are allowing people into our country who we have no idea where they are, where they're from, who they are, they have no paperwork, they have no documentation, in many cases.” This, as the proverb goes, is like closing the barn door after the horse has escaped. But there are many more horses in the barn to be confined to their stalls. It’s a start.

* Since large Muslim populations are already settled within our borders, surveillance must be intensive, methodical and ongoing. No-Go Zones must be pacified by whatever means, and must be made Go Zones. Self-regulated ghettoes have to be opened up and rigorously policed. Islamic law must be ruled in contravention of common law and legally prohibited. Vigorous action is required. As Andrew Bieszad, one of Walid Shoebat’s co-bloggers, reported at com, the mayor of Calais has now decided to act, to dismantle the so-called refugee “jungle” that has disfigured the town and to displace or deport thousands of its characteristically violent denizens. As Bieszad says, “It has taken a long time, but the French are finally pushing back against the Muslims in Calais.” But nowhere else, it appears.

*All mosques, which are effectively command centers, must be stringently investigated and many must be closed down.

*Every imam in the country should be thoroughly vetted and many should be de-licensed and restricted from preaching.

*Jihadi suspects clearly and unequivocally known to law enforcement agencies should not be so readily allowed, as is far too often the case, to mix freely among the people. As has often been said, lone wolves are usually known wolves. Moreover, it is a mistake to consider them as “lone”; they are really part of a vast ideological pack. Of course, we would need to protect ourselves against abuse of authority where anyone in disfavor with policing agencies or political administrations can be randomly detained. Wolves may be responsibly “tagged,” so to speak, and monitored, whether digitally or in propia persona, by the intelligence community, with a reasonable prospect of interception before yet another outrage is committed—those like the Nice jihadist Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, who, as The Washington Post reports, “had been connected to assault and theft since 2010” and sentenced to a six month prison term (though “[i]t was not clear whether Bouhlel served any of that sentence”). Admittedly, there is a fine line between liberty and security, the issue will always remain moot, and safeguards will have to be agreed upon even if we lose some battles along the way.

*Muslims and non-Muslims who leave the country to fight alongside terrorist entities must not be repatriated, even if they are passport-holding citizens. They are accessories to those who would destroy us and are therefore enemy combatants.

*Muslim organizations with ties to terror-sponsoring organizations or that lobby for Sharia or for cultural and political influence must be disbanded and outlawed, no matter how powerful and widespread.

No less important, indeed, perhaps the most crucial of the measures I am proposing, has to do with terminology and the concepts it signifies. We keep hearing that the enemy we are facing is “Islamic extremism” or “radical Islam.” Nothing can be further from the truth. This is the most serious in its consequences of the evasions we practice and one that ensures our eventual destruction. The enemy is not radical Islam but Islam pure and simple. The terrorists, their enablers and the “entry” cohort take their warrant from their holy scriptures—the Koran, the Hadith, the Sira, the schools of jurisprudence, and centuries of political and religious commentary.

Read the whole thing.

Taleeb Starkes: Black Lies Matter

Here's the dude's book, at Amazon, Black Lies Matter: Why Lies Matter to the Race Grievance Industry.

And watch, via Prager University:

Max Boot Advising Hillary Clinton?

Max Boot jumped the shark earlier this year with his op-ed at the Los Angeles Times attacking the nomination of Donald Trump, "The Republican Party is dead."

I don't care about the GOP, but I do care about Donald Trump, who was the real target of Boot's wrath.

I'm reminded of Boot's tantrum with his new piece at Foreign Policy, "Why Trump Is the Islamic State’s Dream Candidate."

I probably wouldn't even be blogging this, but a passage from Boot's essay is virtually verbatim from Hillary Clinton's comments yesterday on the New York bombing. Here's Boot:

Trump is the Islamic State’s dream candidate, argues @MaxBoot https://t.co/wuD7MEShp3 pic.twitter.com/J4gu73KMAH

— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) September 20, 2016

The core of his [Trump's] approach [to global jihad] is to keep saying the enemy is “radical Islamic terrorism,” something that he (wrongly) claims Clinton never does. “To defeat Islamic terrorism,” he said in Ohio, “we must also speak out forcefully against a hateful ideology that provides the breeding ground for violence and terrorism to grow.” But there’s a good reason why both Presidents George W. Bush and Obama have been reluctant to speak of “Islamic terrorism,” and it’s not because Obama is a closet Muslim, as Trump has insinuated in the past. It’s because they realize that in the battle against terrorism, the United States cannot win unless it can get the support of most of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims. By seeming to insult Islam and Muslims as Trump does, he plays into Islamic State and al Qaeda propaganda, which posits that there is a battle between Islam and the West.

I've highlighted the key portion, the part about "Islam and the West," which is almost exactly what Hillary Clinton said yesterday when she claimed ISIS wanted to pull the U.S. into a "religious conflict," a "war against Islam," which is why they prefer Donald Trump.

I'm sick of people like Max Boot, to say nothing of Haggard Hillary. See my post from yesterday for more, "Democrat 'Our Values' Talking Point: It's Not 'Annoying' — It's Evil."

If Boot's not advising Clinton, then the Democrat Party and Clinton's campaign have been working extremely hard at unified messaging for their army of surrogates. It's impressive messaging, but wrong for America. Unfortunately for them, they're going to find that out too late when Donald Trump wins on November 8th, which is becoming a distinct possibility the ways things have been going this last couple of weeks.