Ace Pitcher Garrett Richards Injures Knee in #Angels 8-3 Win Over Red Sox

Looks like he'll need surgery and will be out for six months.

At LAT:

The Angels huddled around first base Wednesday night as medical personnel tended to Garrett Richards, who lay on his back, writhing in so much pain that first baseman Albert Pujols, on one knee, held the pitcher's hand to comfort him.

Richards, the hard-throwing right-hander who has emerged as one of baseball's best pitchers in his first full season as a starter, suffered what Manager Mike Scioscia called a "significant" left knee injury while covering first base on a potential double-play grounder in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Richards spent eight minutes on the ground before being wheeled out on a stretcher. His 2014 season appears finished, and he will likely need surgery on the patellar tendon, a procedure that would require at least a six-month recovery.

No doubt, fans and followers of this star-crossed franchise were wondering: Did the team's World Series hopes get carted off with Richards?

"To have something like that happen is a crushing blow to any team," Angels right-hander Jered Weaver said. "I heard him screaming down there, so you knew something wasn't right. It doesn't look too good for him. He's been our guy all year, one you could count on to get deep into games and pull out a victory."

More.

The Angels will call up Wade LeBlanc, per Mike DiGiovanna:

#Angels will recall LHP Wade LeBlanc from triple-A Salt Lake today. Will be in pen tonight, probably start Monday night vs. MIA.

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) August 21, 2014

Lt. Col. Ralph Peters Slams Obama Administration: 'Doesn't Know History ... Doesn't Want to Deal with Reality...'

A must-see video.

The reality is that we must kill the terrorists before the kill us. We must "kill them, keep on killing them until [we] kill the last one. Then, [we] kill his pet goat."

At Red Alert Politics, "Fox News analyst Ralph Peters on ISIS terrorists: ‘Hammer those suckers’."

CBS News Los Angeles Broadcasts Segments of #ISIS James Foley Propaganda Video

It's not distasteful, although it's hardly toeing the line with the left's #ISISMediaBlackout.

CNN's report, for example, by national security correspondent Barbara Starr, showed screencaps from the video, but no actual footage. Wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of the left's cultural censors ---- or God forbid, take too firm a stand against religious terrorism.

As I always say, it's better to spread the word about the evil of Islamic jihad.

Kidnapping of Western Journalists, Tourists, and Aid Workers Has Become Multimillion-Dollar Business

Somalian terrorists take hostages for money. The Islamic State just wants to murder them for propaganda purposes.

See USA Today, "Kidnapping Westerners is big business."

State Department's Marie Harf 'Won't Rule Anything In or Out' on Policy Responses to #ISIS Terrorism

We'll probably see a few more tactical airstrikes and that'll be it. In a few weeks the U.S. will be well into the post-Labor Day election campaign, and the Obama White House will have long forgotten about James Foley.

Video: Police Shoot and Kill Knife-Wielding Suspect Kajieme Powell in St. Louis

The main story is at St. Louis Public Radio and Memeorandum, "St. Louis Police Release Video, Calls From City Shooting."

Actually, there are two videos. One shows shows Kajieme Powel allegedly shoplifting donuts and energy drinks from a convenience store (and clearly somebody is shoplifting in the video), and a second video, captured by mobile phone, shows the shooting.

Watch: "Powell Shooting (Security Camera)," and "Powell Shooting (Cell Phone Camera)."

More at KSDK Newschannel 5‎ St. Louis, "Police name man who died in officer-involved shooting."

At at NewsMax, "Knife-Wielding Man Shot to Death by Police in St. Louis":

A knife-wielding man was shot to death Tuesday after allegedly shoplifting from a St. Louis convenience store. The incident took place just 2.6 miles from the protests in Ferguson.

According to local news reports, the 23-year-old suspect entered the store and stole two energy drinks, left the store, and returned to take a pastry.

The store owner followed the man from the store and police were called.

KMOV.com quotes police as saying that whens officers arrived, the man was acting erratically, yelling at officers, "Shoot me now, kill me now."

Fox2now.com reports that the man was warned repeatedly by the two officers on the scene to drop his knife, but he refused, instead charging at the officers. Both officers then shot the man, and he was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police Chief Sam Dotson told Fox 2 that the man was two or three feet from the officers in an attack posture when he was shot. The officers were not injured.

Asked about the incident by KMOV, Dotson said police officers have a right to defend themselves.

The incident occurred about 1 p.m. Central Time.

VIDEO: #ISIS 'Collecting' Hostages — 'Almost All Foreign Hostages' in Syria Held by Islamic State

It's NBC's Richard Engel reporting from the Turkey-Syria border. And remember, in 2012, Engel himself was taken hostage by Syrian forces loyal to Assad.

Here's his report from the Today Show this morning, at the link: "NBC: ISIL 'Collecting' Foreign Hostages."

He mentions "between 30 and 40" foreign hostages, including journalists and aid workers. It's dangerous over there, and public opinion is disinclined toward a renewed ground presence. So after this outrage cools off in the coming weeks, we'll be back to Obama's "realist" approach to the Islamic State threat.

New York Post: 'Time to Bomb #ISIS'

From the editors at the Post:

The time for games is over.

On Tuesday, America got a horrific wake-up call: Islamic State terrorists released a gruesome video that shows them beheading James Wright Foley, an American photojournalist held in Syria since 2012. The group also showed another US journalist held hostage, Steven Joel Sotloff, and threatened to murder him as well.

“The life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next decision,” declares the masked terrorist as he holds Sotloff by the neck.

True, that puts President Obama in a difficult spot. But the president must do whatever it takes to counter this vicious savagery: that is, launch full-throttled airstrikes against ISIS and its “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria — until the threat is gone.

With American lives now being taken and even more at risk, America is now directly involved. No more playing footsie with butchers....

ISIS has now sent what it called “A Message to America.” It’s time for America to send a more pointed message back.

PREVIOUSLY: "New York Post Runs Graphic Cover Photo of James Foley #ISIS Beheading."

Pro-Israel Hollywood Speaks Out

From Mark Tapson, at FrontPage Magazine:

RT if you can't wait for the wknd to start... Have a great wknd everyone & a happy summer!! xoxo #YOLO #LOVE pic.twitter.com/ygIboRcDju

— Gal Gadot (@GalGadot) June 21, 2013

Another superhero – Gal Gadot, who will play Wonder Woman in the upcoming Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice – spoke out as well via social media, posting this on Facebook:

I am sending my love and prayers to my fellow Israeli citizens. Especially to all the boys and girls who are risking their lives protecting my country against the horrific acts conducted by Hamas, who are hiding like cowards behind women and children…We shall overcome!!! Shabbat Shalom!

Gadot is a former Miss Israel who served two years in the Israeli Defense Forces. In a 2011 interview, she stated that:

I don’t feel like I’m an ambassador for my country, but I do talk about Israel a lot – I enjoy telling people about where I come from and my religion. I find that people in the U.S., especially in Hollywood, tend to have positive opinions on Israel – both Jewish and non-Jewish people alike. But when I travel to Europe, people often don’t know as much about Israel, and sadly a lot of them have a negative impression of the country.

Perhaps she should be an ambassador, because she handled that last sentence very diplomatically.

James Foley, Far Left-Wing Journalist, Supported Islamic Jihad Against Bashar al-Assad in Syria

From Daniel Greenfield, at FrontPage Magazine:

James Foley Went Looking to Support Terrorists in Syria, Instead They Cut Off His Head | FrontPage Magazine http://t.co/uicv8uvVXw

— Daniel Greenfield (@Sultanknish) August 20, 2014

Any human life lost is tragic, but a moral individual would have much more empathy for the Syrian Christians who suffered at the hands of Foley’s favorite Jihadists than one of their pet propagandists.

Foley came to Syria to support the Sunni Islamist rebels against the Syrian government.

He cheered on the Sunni Muslim terrorists fighting to ethnically cleanse the Christians of Aleppo. In the conflict between Israel and Hamas, his tweets and retweets were chock full of pro-terrorist propaganda.

But Foley ran afoul of at least some of the Sunni Jihadists in Syria. His twitter feed was filled with references to the FSA. And the FSA was going to be eclipsed by the Al Qaeda affiliates. And that was where he ended up.

When Austin Tice, an actual freelance journalist was kidnapped by Jihadists, Foley ridiculed the idea that Jihadists had kidnapped him. Surely Syrian Jihadists wouldn’t do that sort of thing.

Except they did.

When Newsweek’s Muslim Rage cover story came out, Foley mocked it too. Raging Muslims. How silly and Islamophobic.

Foley was fanatically anti-Israel and was even willing to echo Iranian propaganda.

RTWT.

Prime Minister David Cameron: 'Increasingly Likely' Foley's Murderer British (VIDEO)

At the Telegraph UK:

David Cameron cut short his holiday to return to Downing Street and oversee the response after the horrific video was posted online.
Speaking to reporters in Number 10, Mr Cameron said it seemed "increasingly likely" that a British citizen was the killer.

"Let me condemn the barbaric and brutal act that has taken place and let's be clear what this act is - it is an act of murder, and murder without any justification," he said.

"We have not identified the individual responsible, but from what we have seen it looks increasingly likely that it is a British citizen.

"This is deeply shocking. But we know that far too many British citizens have travelled to Iraq and travelled to Syria to take part in extremism and violence. And what we must do is redouble all our efforts to stop people from going. To take away the passports of those contemplating travel, arrest and prosecute those who take part in this extremism and violence. To take extremist material off the internet and do everything we can to keep our people safe. And that is what this Government will do."

New York Post Runs Graphic Cover Photo of James Foley #ISIS Beheading

Personally, I think the news of this horrific murder should be disseminated widely, and the New York Post went no-holds-barred with this graphic cover photo and story, "SAVAGES! Bloodthirsty ISIS militants behead US journalist James Foley."

And here's UPI for a taste of the inevitable backlash, "New York Post defies #ISISMediablackout with graphic James Foley cover."

Also at Toronto's National Post, "#ISISMediaBlackout: Social media users urged to shun beheading video of American journalist James Foley."

SAVAGES! Bloodthirsty ISIS militants behead US journalist James Foley http://t.co/INoHYFOLfa pic.twitter.com/yCMGE5GBQE
— New York Post (@nypost) August 20, 2014

PREVIOUSLY: "Google Takes Down Blog Post: 'GRAPHIC VIDEO: Islamic State Beheads U.S. Journalist James Foley in Warning to Obama'," and "VIDEO: Islamic State Beheads American Journalist James Foley (GRAPHIC)."

Islamic State Trolls 'American Power' on Twitter with James Foley Beheading Video — UPDATED!

Here's the irony, Google and YouTube are busy taking down blog posts and videos of the James Foley beheading, and just as soon as they take them down, more will pop back up. It's a whack a terrorist game, and Google's losing.

Here's the screencap of an Islamic State troll trolling my Twitter feed with the Foley video:



As of 12:10pm, neither Twitter nor YouTube has pulled the video, seen at the link.

UPDATE: Twitter took down the ISIS page, but the tweet's YouTube video of Foley's beheading is still up at 2:35pm.

UPDATE: The video is still up, at 9:35pm.

Google Takes Down Blog Post: 'GRAPHIC VIDEO: Islamic State Beheads U.S. Journalist James Foley in Warning to Obama'

Here's the blog post from yesterday, now gone: "GRAPHIC VIDEO: Islamic State Beheads U.S. Journalist James Foley in Warning to Obama."

You can see the URL identifying the post:




I posted a statement to my cross-post at Theo Spark's, "Warning! Islamic State Beheads Kidnapped American Journalist James Wright Foley as 'Message to America'."

I suspect the post violated Google's terms of service, especially on posting violence. The thing is, I've posted beheading videos for years. As gruesome as these are, my policy is to have people see the evil and thus know the enemy. Some folks take a different view, and in fact there's a hashtag campaign not to share the Foley video. But whatever.

In any case, Google owns YouTube, and the video service is having a difficult time dealing with the use of its services to disseminate the Foley beheading. Here's the Scotsman, "YouTube will take down James Foley beheading video":

This afternoon a YouTube spokesman said: “YouTube has clear policies that prohibit content like gratuitous violence, hate speech and incitement to commit violent acts, and we remove videos violating these policies when flagged by our users.

There you go. As always, I'll keep doing what I do, which is to get the important news out there on leftist and Islamic evil. Unfortunately, Google aligns with those very forces, but it is what it is.

Why Does Walter James Casper III Deny Evil?

It's a rhetorical question.

I know why Repsac3 denies evil. To confront it you have to perceive the world in terms of right and wrong, just and unjust, good and bad.

Leftists universally refrain from this dichotomy because they must to invert morality to achieve the perverted political agenda. From homosexuality (good and virtuous) to the war against Islamic terrorism (criminal and imperialistic), the left cannot elevate moral righteousness without undermining its own agenda, which is to undermine all that's right and good.

Here's Jonah Goldberg on Twitter yesterday:

People looking to put ISIS in "context" desperately avoid most obvious context. They're evil. They do obviously evil things for evil ends.

— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) August 20, 2014

And here's Walter James Casper III on Twitter some time back.

"To perceive 'evil' is an attempt to deny that we are all one. We have a myth that relates to this. The myth of God and Satan."

— W. James Casper (@repsac3) August 11, 2014

There is evil in the world. If you don't confront it you are joining it. Repsac3 long ago went over to the dark side, which is why I will continue to expose his demonic political agenda and fight back against his stalking and harassment.

Same as it ever was.

New Poll Shows Race Tightening for #NCSEN

At Politico, "Democratic poll: Kay Hagan lead narrows."

It's Public Policy Polling, a Democrat firm that polls for Daily Kos.

They were ranked most accurate after the 2012 election, so there's that.

Race Hustler Ta-Nehisi Coates Demands Reparations for #Ferguson

It's been awhile since I've blogged about this idiot. From last May, "Ta-Nehisi Coates' Insidious, Invidious 'Case for Reparations'."

And now here he comes, continuing his race hustling shakedown scam, at the Atlantic, "Reparations for Ferguson."

Missouri Governor Calls for 'Vigorous Prosecution' in #Ferguson Black Shakedown Shuffle

At Gateway Pundit, "MO Governor DEMANDS #Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson be Prosecuted (Video)."

And here's the shakedown shuffle, with black shakedown artist, Spike Lee, "Race Hustler Spike Lee: “Something Smells BAD in Ferguson and It’s Not Just the Tear Gas” (Video)."

More on Twitter:

Dear State of Missouri, You must impeach @GovJayNixon for what he says at 3:26 in this video. http://t.co/NzVDl28BHN

— FloridaJayhawk (@HouseCracka) August 20, 2014

"ITS WRONG FOR THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI TO SAY WHAT HE SAID TONIGHT" LT GOV MISSOURI DROPS HAMMER ON GOV!!!!!

— FloridaJayhawk (@HouseCracka) August 20, 2014

Barack Obama is using @GovJayNixon to destroy the judicial process in America. Witness Tampering Grand Jury Tampering Case Tampering

— FloridaJayhawk (@HouseCracka) August 20, 2014

Obama wanted a RACE WAR in Missouri & @GovJayNixon just put a truckload of gasoline on the fire tonight. @kmov @stltoday @ksdknews @FOX2now

— FloridaJayhawk (@HouseCracka) August 20, 2014

Vile Anti-Semitism at Code Pink Protest in Oakland

From the San Francisco Voice for Israel, which covered the protest today in Oakland.

Vile signage at @codepink's protest at Sen. Barbara Boxer's office pic.twitter.com/HUPJY6kaUE

— SFV4I (@SFV4I) August 20, 2014

Chants from todays @codepink protest in Oakland included "We support the Intifada" and "Go back to Germany"

— SFV4I (@SFV4I) August 20, 2014

Curmudgeonly Take on the Ice Bucket Challenge

From Bill Dwyre, at the Los Angeles Times, "Throwing some cold water on the Ice Bucket Challenge":

Apologies here if I get less than giddy over millions of extra dollars coming in because people dump water on their heads. I have two problems with it.

First, I lost one of my best friends to this evil thing. I saw the deterioration of the body, the continuing sharpness of the mind and the total dissolution of hope. His name was John Rountree, and he has been gone for almost three years now. He was 65. I see film clips of Pete Frates. He is 29.

One could be the other, right down to the hesitant steps, then the slurred speech and soon the motorized wheelchair with the computer serving as the voice. ALS plays no favorites with age. It plays no favorites, period.

If, at this time next year, or a few years down the line, there is an ALS breakthrough and it is traceable, even minutely, to the money raised through this Internet furor, I will write 17 columns praising the human spirit and its current technological driver.

But at the moment, pouring water on our heads, or each other's, seems a slightly distasteful disconnect to the reality of ALS.

Certainly and hopefully, it is not the intention of people such as LeBron James or Bill Gates or Steve Ballmer or Jimmy Fallon — or the thousands of other celebrity types who have done this and got huge Internet attention — to further their own brand.

Still, I wish more had said, when challenged, that pouring water on heads, with its accompanying attention-grabbing and frivolity, didn't quite mesh with the cause. ALS isn't the least bit funny.

A few did, including the president of the United States.

The good news is that the money will keep the researchers researching. The bad news is that $13 million probably doesn't buy as many test tubes as it used to...

RTWT.

Plus, some bonus video from CNN:

VIDEO: Suspect Shown Spraying Anti-Semitic Graffiti Outside Staten Island School

This is more common with the Obama-Democrats in power.

Sick.

At CBS News New York, "Police: Suspect Sprayed Anti-Semitic Graffiti Outside Staten Island School."

Jessica Simpson Introduces 'The Signature Fragrance'

She's back with a new fragrance, the lovely Jessica.



HAT TIP: Egotastic!, "Jessica Simpson in ‘The Signature Fragrance’."

VIDEO: #Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson Shown Standing Over Body of Suspect Michael Brown

At the Washington Post, "New video purports to show the moments after Michael Brown’s death."

Via CNN, "Piaget Crenshaw, a witness to the Michael Brown shooting, talks with CNN's Michaela Pereira."



This woman was in the news days ago with video from the same location and angle, and apparently she waited until Monday to release the clip of Officer Wilson standing over the body.

CNN Spites Conservative Dana Loesch, Runs Bombshell 'Friend of Officer' Interview Without Proper Attribution — #Ferguson

It's a perpetual revolt in Ferguson, Missouri, and I'm late to blogging this evening, so I don't hope to share any under-reported news.

However, I think it's pretty significant that here we are on Monday, after the long weekend of rioting, and events have confirmed what Dana Loesch found out in her interview from last Friday: "Alleged Friend of Officer Darren Wilson Offers His Side."

I blogged this story with multiple updates, "Suspect Mike Brown, Seen with Cigars 'Connected to Robbery', Bum-Rushed Officer Darren Wilson — #Ferguson," and "AUDIO: New #Ferguson Witness Corroborates How Suspect Mike Brown Bum-Rushed Officer Darren Wilson."

Also, "Private Autopsy Corroborates How Mike Brown Bum-Rushed Officer, Shots Fired to His Front — #Ferguson."

Now here's CNN's report on the "officer interview," attributing the source as "FM NewsTalk 97.1," with no "by-line" attribution, thus dissing Dana's outstanding journalistic coverage:



Here's the response on Twitter. Spiteful indeed:

Hi @CNN please get your credit correct http://t.co/JQd90nf7m7

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) August 18, 2014

Spiteful @CNN used @DLoesch audio crediting only her local affiliate. pic.twitter.com/QmhgOdZEIY

— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) August 18, 2014

. @CNN asked me on for this evening. Have to say no after this.

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) August 18, 2014

Potential bombshell in Ferguson shooting: CNN now reporting what alleged friend of Darren Wilson told @DLoesch: http://t.co/WM7MdjNE7J

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) August 18, 2014

No doubt. Dana's coverage offered a "potential bombshell" on the riots, and she deserves full by-name attribution.

I swear @CNN, you're just pilfering @DLoesch by running "Josie" audio with no by-name, interviewer attribution. That really sucks.

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) August 19, 2014

RELATED: The accounts at the Friday interview are being confirmed by multiple witnesses. At Gateway Pundit, "BOMBSHELL!… Reporter: A Dozen Witnesses Confirm #Ferguson Cop’s Version of Brown Shooting."

Witnesses, Commentators Claimed Mike Brown Shot in the Back, But Not So Much After All — #Ferguson

I don't know how many times I heard "shot in the back" in the immediate reports and commentary on the Michael Brown shooting. Leftists lied to get their narrative dominating media reports, and it's funny how some on Twitter are still claiming he was shot from behind.

It's all an information battlespace, and as more information comes out, leftists are losing it decisively this time around.

Weird. Eyewitnesses said he was shot 8 times. In the back. • Autopsy Shows #MikeBrown Was Struck 6 Times. In Front. http://t.co/nzgnrTTHlA

— Vern Demerest (@TxAv8r) August 18, 2014

Brown wasn't shot "execution style" in the back autopsy shows. http://t.co/lDx29LHVLW #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/VdFHnlHetw

— Chris Loesch (@ChrisLoesch) August 18, 2014

.@getatnard @ 9:00 Dorian says #MikeBrown was shot in the back. #Ferguson @LawSelfDefense https://t.co/NwLSj4dEWp

— coreshift (@coreshift) August 18, 2014

Private Autopsy Corroborates How Mike Brown Bum-Rushed Officer, Shots Fired to His Front — #Ferguson

Following-up on my earlier reports, "Suspect Mike Brown, Seen with Cigars 'Connected to Robbery', Bum-Rushed Officer Darren Wilson — #Ferguson," and "AUDIO: New #Ferguson Witness Corroborates How Suspect Mike Brown Bum-Rushed Officer Darren Wilson."

At the New York Times, "Autopsy Shows Michael Brown Was Struck at Least 6 Times."

BREAKING: Michael Brown Was Shot IN CHEST As He Charged #Ferguson Cop – Autopsy Released http://t.co/4MJYGXnXH3 via @gatewaypundit

— Jim Hoft (@gatewaypundit) August 18, 2014

BREAKING: Michael Brown Was Shot IN CHEST.... Not in the Back – GO HOME PROTESTERS! http://t.co/ZmMheEBHYW via @gatewaypundit

— Jim Hoft (@gatewaypundit) August 18, 2014

VIDEO: New Violence, Molotov Cocktails, Tear Gas in #Ferguson Protest War Zone — UPDATED! — REPORTS: OFFICER DOWN!

Some reports on Twitter:

Molotov cocktails being thrown at police. Tactical units on scene. Please leave the area!

— St. Louis County PD (@stlcountypd) August 18, 2014

Cops made concessions. Pulled back. Looting and molotovs continued. No more mr nice guy. #Ferguson
— Shnyda (@ShnydaOne) August 18, 2014

They throwing molotovs at police officers. They are not joking. They are no longer playing. The people of Ferguson want blood now.
— Ellis Johnson (@EllisJohnson94) August 18, 2014

Masked white dude with a hammer and sickle shirt rolling a shopping cart full of molotovs lmao #ferguson
— We Are All MikeBrown (@ModernLeftist2) August 18, 2014

Also at CNN, "Late Sunday night, a day of peaceful protests devolved into a night of gunfire, Molotov cocktails and tear gas."

Plus video:





UPDATE:

Officer Down!! At US Bank in #Ferguson !!!

— Jim Hoft (@gatewaypundit) August 18, 2014

BREAKING: Shoot-out in progress - Police and Protesters - North of the QT in #Ferguson

— Jim Hoft (@gatewaypundit) August 18, 2014

PROTESTER DOWN! #Ferguson Protester Shot Down on Street (VIDEO) http://t.co/e3z28dyZSH via @gatewaypundit

— Jim Hoft (@gatewaypundit) August 18, 2014

AUDIO: New #Ferguson Witness Corroborates How Suspect Mike Brown Bum-Rushed Officer Darren Wilson

Follow-up to my earlier report, "Suspect Mike Brown, Seen with Cigars 'Connected to Robbery', Bum-Rushed Officer Darren Wilson — #Ferguson."

And now here's Gateway Pundit, "EYEWITNESS AT SCENE OF CRIME Vindicates #Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson in #MikeBrown Shooting (VIDEO With Captions)."

This new eyewitness account corroborates the account given by the friend of Officer Darren Wilson in an interview with Dana Loesch, "Alleged Friend of Officer Darren Wilson Offers His Side."

Here's the new account at the link, "Mike Brown Witness Audio - 'He Came Back Towards Police'."

New #Ferguson race-mob narrative: Even if #thug #MikeBrown was rushing the cop he shouldn't have shot so many times! #HandsUpDontShoot

— Progressives Today (@ProgsToday) August 17, 2014

#1 How’d he get from there to there?

#2 Because he ran, the police was still in the truck – cause he was like over the truck

{crosstalk}

#2 But him and the police was both in the truck, then he ran – the police got out and ran after him

{crosstalk}

#2 Then the next thing I know he doubled back toward him cus – the police had his gun drawn already on him –

#1. Oh, the police got his gun

#2 The police kept dumpin on him, and I’m thinking the police kept missing – he like – be like – but he kept coming toward him

{crosstalk}

#2 Police fired shots – the next thing I know – the police was missing

#1 The Police?

#2 The Police shot him

#1 Police?

"You Say 'Radical Lesbian Man Hater' Like It's a Bad Thing..."

Heh, from Robert Stacy McCain's interactions with "Rebel Grrl" on Twitter:

Modern feminism, in less than 140 characters. Thanks! @queenfeminist #fem2 pic.twitter.com/kDlGCZ6NpS

— Robert Stacy McCain (@rsmccain) August 17, 2014

VIDEO: NAACP President Slams 'Character Assassination' of Gangsta Thug Michael Brown - #Ferguson

Remember, this is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a relic of the past.

If you called a black American a "colored person" today you'd be attacked as a racist faster than you can say Al Sharpton!

And of course, it's no "character assassination." Mike Brown was gangsta thug.

At CBS "Face the Nation":

More Police Departments Outfitting Policemen with Wearable Cameras

Well, Officer Darren Wilson sure could've used one, although we haven't heard from him yet, so more on that later.

At WSJ, "More Officers Wearing Body Cameras" (via Google):

More police departments are giving officers wearable cameras: http://t.co/YlGr0fmhi4 pic.twitter.com/MUNPEJdNg8

— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 17, 2014

More police departments are outfitting policemen with wearable cameras that tape what officers see as they do their job, providing a record in the aftermath of incidents like the one in Ferguson, Mo., where a policeman shot and killed an unarmed black teen.

The cameras have shown promise in reducing incidents involving use of force as well as citizen complaints, according to new studies. Worn on officers' lapels, glasses or hats, the cameras can document a more definitive version of police work.

"If you look at what's happening in Ferguson—basically you have two entirely different versions of events," said Michael White, a professor of criminology at Arizona State University. "If that officer was wearing a body-worn camera we could just go to the tape."

Dr. White, who has studied the use of the cameras, said "there's tremendous potential to head off these types of incidents from blowing up afterwards."

In a press conference earlier this week, Thomas Jackson, chief of the Ferguson police department, said the department had only recently been budgeted $5,000 to buy a limited number of dashboard cameras and body cameras for officers. Mr. Jackson said the department had not yet put them into use at the time of the shooting but plans on incorporating them into vehicles and on officers soon.

In the Southern California city of Rialto, the number of citizen complaints against police dropped from 24 to 3 in the first year that the patrol officers began wearing cameras in 2012. Use-of-force incidents plummeted from 61 to 25 during the same period.

Tony Farrar, Rialto's chief of police said, "When you talk about putting a camera on somebody, human nature is going to dictate that you're going mind your p's and q's and you're going to be on the best behavior."

"At the same, I think it's had an impact on citizens—if they know you're wearing a camera they too will be on their best behavior," he said.

More.

'Cassandra Rules' — 'Not Even Mad' as Media Outlets Identify Location of #Ferguson Officer Darren Wilson's Home

Man, she's a blood-thirsty wannabe cop-killer:

I'm... not even mad... DEATH WISH? Media Draws Map to Home of #Ferguson Police Officer Who Shot #MikeBrown http://t.co/KhHpqf9LlR

— Cassandra (@CassandraRules) August 17, 2014

REVEALED! Photo of #Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson

At Big Journalism, "YAHOO! NEWS PUBLISHES PHOTOS OF FERGUSON OFFICER DARREN WILSON."

This is Officer Darren Wilson as he received a recent commendation from his department. pic.twitter.com/BlZQ8RimA8

— Goldie Taylor (@goldietaylor) August 16, 2014

#Ferguson: Cycle of Racial Tension Boils Over Into Rage

The obligatory socio-political analysis, at the New York Times, "Around St. Louis, a Circle of Rage":

FERGUSON, Mo. — Garland Moore, a hospital worker, lived in this St. Louis suburb for much of his 33 years, a period in which a largely white community has become a largely black one.

He attended its schools and is raising his family in this place of suburban homes and apartment buildings on the outskirts of a struggling Midwest city. And over time, he has felt his life to be circumscribed by Ferguson’s demographics.

Mr. Moore, who is black, talks of how he has felt the wrath of the police here and in surrounding suburbs for years — roughed up during a minor traffic stop and prevented from entering a park when he was wearing St. Louis Cardinals red.

And last week, as he stood at a vigil for an unarmed 18-year-old shot dead by the police — a shooting that provoked renewed street violence and looting early Saturday — Mr. Moore heard anger welling and listened to a shout of: “We’re tired of the racist police department.”

The origins of the area’s complex social and racial history date to the 19th century when the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County went their separate ways, leading to the formation of dozens of smaller communities outside St. Louis. Missouri itself has always been a state with roots in both the Midwest and the South, and racial issues intensified in the 20th century as St. Louis became a stopping point for the northern migration of Southern blacks seeking factory jobs in Detroit and Chicago.

As African-Americans moved into the city and whites moved out, real estate agents and city leaders, in a pattern familiar elsewhere in the country, conspired to keep blacks out of the suburbs through the use of zoning ordinances and restrictive covenants. But by the 1970s, some of those barriers had started to fall, and whites moved even farther away from the city. These days, Ferguson is like many of the suburbs around St. Louis, inner-ring towns that accommodated white flight decades ago but that are now largely black. And yet they retain a white power structure.

Although about two-thirds of Ferguson residents are black, its mayor and five of its six City Council members are white. Only three of the town’s 53 police officers are black.

Turnout for local elections in Ferguson has been poor. The mayor, James W. Knowles III, noted his disappointment with the turnout — about 12 percent — in the most recent mayoral election during a City Council meeting in April. Patricia Bynes, a black woman who is the Democratic committeewoman for the Ferguson area, said the lack of black involvement in local government was partly the result of the black population’s being more transient in small municipalities and less attached to them.

There is also some frustration among blacks who say town government is not attuned to their concerns.

Aliyah Woods, 45, once petitioned Ferguson officials for a sign that would warn drivers that a deaf family lived on that block. But the sign never came. “You get tired,” she said. “You keep asking, you keep asking. Nothing gets done.”

Keep reading.

Curfew? What Curfew? Livestream from #Ferguson — UPDATE! Shots Fired!

Supposed to be a curfew in Ferguson tonight.

Doesn't look like that's working out, according to people on the scene:

A hardcore group has congregated on Red's Barbeque lot. They say they aren't moving. Some are armed.
— Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) August 17, 2014

this is not good. there are guys armed & they are gathering at top of the road. "we're making history tonight"
— Amy K. Nelson (@AmyKNelson) August 17, 2014

Live Streams: #Ferguson Missouri August 16, 2014 Curfew, what curfew? http://t.co/Tq4ovrXD0k #curfew #FergusonRiot #MikeBrown #DorianJohnson
— Velvet Hammer (@velvethammer) August 17, 2014

#Ferguson protestors defying curfew: "No justice, no curfew. We want, we want justice!" pic.twitter.com/6L9D7tNwrX
— Steph Lecci (@stephlecci) August 17, 2014

Livestream here.

More:

Demonstrators have made a barricade of cars across West Florissant. https://t.co/29966Xz4f2

— Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) August 17, 2014

Demonstrators have made a barricade of cars across West Florissant. pic.twitter.com/6YQa11adtW

— Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) August 17, 2014

They have built a wall of cars akin to wall cops built. So they are challening cops to come. "this is your line" pic.twitter.com/IIqRLkzzex

— Amy K. Nelson (@AmyKNelson) August 17, 2014

that line of cars is now gone and people are spread in street some walking slowly toward officers not organized

— Amy K. Nelson (@AmyKNelson) August 17, 2014

Chanting "No justice, no curfew."

— Jeremy Kohler (@jeremykohler) August 17, 2014

BREAKING VIDEO: 150 Protesters Break Curfew – Face Off with Police in #Ferguson http://t.co/PSWMR5jEhQ via @gatewaypundit

— Jim Hoft (@gatewaypundit) August 17, 2014

Police movin in confrontation with protesters imminent #ferguson pic.twitter.com/jSfE28xNve

— John Eligon (@jeligon) August 17, 2014

Police: You must disburse immediately or you'll be subject to arrest and or other actions #Ferguson

— John Eligon (@jeligon) August 17, 2014

Bottle rocket thrown. Smell of gas #Ferguson

— John Eligon (@jeligon) August 17, 2014

I'm behind the line. I was warned got an out route. they are facing the cops pic.twitter.com/l3QxzuQuua

— Amy K. Nelson (@AmyKNelson) August 17, 2014

this is all incredibly unorganized. there is a group much farther up the street mostly in cars unclear what they are doing

— Amy K. Nelson (@AmyKNelson) August 17, 2014

"they coming from behind!" cops surrounding on other side they are trapped gun shots

— Amy K. Nelson (@AmyKNelson) August 17, 2014

now tear gas again

— Amy K. Nelson (@AmyKNelson) August 17, 2014

Police ordering remaining demonstrators to leave. #Ferguson https://t.co/YIVc79GU7e

— Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) August 17, 2014

Street mostly clear now. Still hear a crowd in the distance. #ferguson https://t.co/u18MpufzNz

— Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) August 17, 2014

Man shot in leg. Just taken to hospital in car pic.twitter.com/DdMBc9l0vp

— Jon Swaine (@jonswaine) August 17, 2014

Protesters cleared street, single armored vehicle advanced, shining lights, squeaking megaphone. #Ferguson

— Danny Wicentowski (@D_Towski) August 17, 2014

Shots still being fired down Canfield. I'm in the neighborhood with reporters and residents trying to get out of the protest zone.

— jg (@JustinGlawe) August 17, 2014

#ferguson https://t.co/Ypa1M4zeed

— Alex Wroblewski (@alexwroblewski) August 17, 2014

Police marching forward, and we're hearing more shots #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/JkPhg9N8oB

— Alice Speri (@alicesperi) August 17, 2014

pic.twitter.com/cXhPxwsRQM

— Jeremy Kohler (@jeremykohler) August 17, 2014

Police making first arrests #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/baadYxGclK

— Alice Speri (@alicesperi) August 17, 2014

SWAT #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/nXyF3llPWh

— The Tech CEO (@TheTechCEO) August 17, 2014

VIDEO: Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain: We've Failed to Answer '911 Calls...' #Ferguson

It's Captain Ronald S. Johnson at today's press conference:

VIDEO: #Ferguson Violence: Black Panthers Chant 'We Want Darren Wilson Dead...'

Well, another way of saying "No Justice, No Peace."

Via Gateway Pundit, "BLACK PANTHERS Lead Massive March in #Ferguson==> ‘Death Chants’ to Officer Darren Wilson (Video)."

Amnesty International 'On the Scene' in #Ferguson as 'Observers'

Well, I'm sure they'll really tamp down the unrest.

From Ryan Reilly:

Amnesty on the scene, wearing yellow "Observer" t-shirts. #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/KlO7X8tYck
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 17, 2014

#Ferguson: People Are Scared

At CNN:

Michael Brown Anarchy Plays Out on Main Street

An interesting piece, at the Los Angeles Times, "Race, violence in Ferguson, Mo., cop killing play out on Main Street."

NYC's Clara Vondrich Chases Down Cellphone Thief Wearing 3-Inch Platform Wedge Pumps! (PHOTOS)

She's a badass!

At the New York Post, "Woman chases down, bearhugs alleged thief."

Click through for the photo of her platform wedge shoes. She's chased down that black mofo!

Just when you think it's safe to take a business call.... http://t.co/3J8ASnjPB8 #poorkid #phoneless #ditchtheheels pic.twitter.com/Xn8U7mGiHa

— Clara Vondrich (@Clara_Vondrich) August 16, 2014

.@ValleyPatriot This must be racist, right? #caring #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/rM6h6du3Ii

— Joe Dunn (@JoeDunn8) August 16, 2014

Anarchy in #Ferguson: Convenience Store Targeted for Looting in Michael Brown Unrest (VIDEO)

Obama's America.

At the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Volunteers hit Ferguson streets for cleanup; governor to return."

And at Twitchy, "Friday night fight: Looters wreak havoc again in #Ferguson; protesters try to stop the madness; Update: thieves take over," and "Ferguson police stand down; Looters run wild again; Local store owners plead for help: ‘Where the cops at?’"

St. Louis County Police say they were told to stand down by the Missouri State Highway Patrol #Ferguson

— FOX2now (@FOX2now) August 16, 2014

Still more at Gateway Pundit, "Black Ferguson Resident: “Why Didn’t They Shoot Those Looters?” (Video)."

Anti-Semitism and its Limitations

From Caroline Glick:

From Paris to San Paulo, from Berlin to Boston the public space Jews can enjoy without fear is becoming more and more limited.

No words other than it's hard to believe in this day and age.

RTWT.

Legendary Skateboarder Jay Adams Has Died

At the Los Angeles Times, "Jay Adams dies at 53; legendary skateboarder."

Rest In Peace #JayAdams #legend pic.twitter.com/SN0ytBq5j9

— Shaun White (@shaun_white) August 15, 2014

Skateboarding legend from "Lords of Dogtown" movie dies from heart attack. http://t.co/peLnOYJSng (Updated image) pic.twitter.com/tpoUwQ5oWk

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) August 15, 2014

Suspect Mike Brown, Seen with Cigars 'Connected to Robbery', Bum-Rushed Officer Darren Wilson — #Ferguson

More details are coming in on the shooting death of Ferguson teenager Michael Brown, but contrary to the mainstream media meme, reports indicate that Officer Darren Wilson did in fact know that Brown was a robbery suspect, and in fact assaulted and "bum-rushed" Wilson before being fired upon.

At V-Dare, "Ferguson, MO: Michael Brown Had Just Robbed a Convenience Store and Assaulted the Clerk, When He Tried to Murder the Policeman Who Stopped Him; See Pics from CCTV/ Police Report!," and "Ferguson, Missouri: Another “Al Sharpton Is Right” Moment for National Review?":

Michael Brown was the suspect in a robbery and assault (apparently there is video) that had taken place earlier in the morning and his Facebook page shows him flashing gang signs. The 18-year-old 300lb Brown (the media are calling him a ‘gentle giant’) already had a rap sheet for assault and burglary.

The main witness who the media and rioters were relying on—Brown’s friend, Dorian Johnson—is also a suspect in the robbery. Johnson had said Brown was shot for merely walking down the street and had his hands up.

The police version of events is that Brown was shot after an officer approached him on the street during a routine patrol. Brown pushed the cop into his squad car, assaulted him and tried to take the officer’s weapon. [Police: Teen shot by cop suspect in recent robbery, By David A. Lieb and Alan Scher Zagier, Associated Press, August 15, 2014]

The officer in question is a six-year veteran with a spotless record.

And then Jack Tapper tweets that Brown was in fact seen with cigars in his hands following reports of the convenience store robbery:

Ferguson police chief tells SLPD officer saw cigars in Brown's hands and then connected to robbery http://t.co/BEnSgcqEBt

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) August 15, 2014

And then Dana Loesch has the interview with the friend of Officer Wilson, who explains that Brown assaulted Wilson at the police car, walked 35-feet away, and then turned and launched into a crazed "bum-rush" toward the police car, via Gateway Pundit, "EXCLUSIVE: Friend of OFFICER DARREN WILSON Speaks Out on Shooting of Mike Brown (AUDIO)":

He pulled up ahead of them. And then he got a call-in that there was a strong-arm robbery. And, they gave a description. And, he’s looking at them and they got something in their hands and it looks like it could be what, you know those cigars or whatever. So he goes in reverse back to them. Tries to get out of his car. They slam his door shut violently. I think he said Michael did. And, then he opened the car again. He tried to get out. He stands up.

And then Michael just bum-rushes him and shoves him back into his car. Punches him in the face and them Darren grabs for his gun. Michael grabbed for the gun. At one point he got the gun entirely turned against his hip. And he shoves it away. And the gun goes off.

Well, then Michael takes off and gets to be about 35 feet away. And, Darren’s first protocol is to pursue. So, he stands up and yells, “Freeze!” Michael and his friend turn around. And Michael taunts him… And then all the sudden he just started bumrushing him. He just started coming at him full speed. And, so he just started shooting. And, he just kept coming. And, so he really thinks he was on something.”

Go straight to the radio interview here, "Josie On The Dana Show 8-15-14."

Pepperdine Pulls Faculty Page for Professor Russell A. Burgos, Who May Have Been Fired

Following-up from the other day, "Pepperdine University Issues Statement on Professor Russell Burgos."

And now here's Twitchy, "Exclusive: Pepperdine removes Russell Burgos’ bio from its website; Update: Pepperdine President says there’s no longer an active investigation: ‘We know all we need to know’."

The university has not released a formal statement on whether Burgos has been fired, but University President Andrew K. Benton said Wednesday, "We know all we need to know and there is no ongoing investigation."

NEW: @PresidentBenton on the social media saga between #Pepperdine alumna @MichelleFields & professor Russell Burgos http://t.co/QnKCrVHBIk

— Pepperdine Graphic (@PeppGraphic) August 12, 2014

At Pepperdine's Facebook page, a commenter wrote, "I guess the professor is no longer teaching at Pepperdine."

Professor Burgos was probably fired, although I'll update if the university releases a formal statement. And to be clear, Burgos is a flaming leftist who lied about his online activity, essentially attempting to cover up his hateful anti-conservative bigotry. Just the attacks on Pepperdine alumna Michelle Fields were likely fireable offenses by themselves (these attacks had been ongoing for years), but with his attempted cover-up, Burgos unequivocally crossed the ethical line. I expect they threw his rat's ass out on the street like a plague. Pepperdine cut him out like the cancer he was.

Typical progressive. So much hate it engulfed him.

Supporting #Hamas is Anti-Semitic

Of course.

Supporting Hamas is racist eliminationism.

See Alan Dershowitz, at the Gatestone Institute:

There is no way around it: Supporting #Hamas is supporting anti-Semitism: @AlanDersh http://t.co/8sYDEMnVGE pic.twitter.com/Y4Hwfd25DY

— Gatestone Institute (@GatestoneInst) August 15, 2014

PREVIOUSLY: "Pro-Terror #ANSWERLA Organizers: 'We Stand with Hamas!'"

Stalking Hate-Troll Walter James Casper III Spewing Hate and Disinformation on #Ferguson Shooting

Stalking troll Reppy was tweeting out the racist hate-tweets from Jamelle Bouie earlier today. And Twitchy was all over Bouie's depravity, "‘Brown deserved execution’? Slate journo thinks he’s got ‘right-wing Twitter’ pegged."

And now the depraved hate-troll is spewing disinformation on the convenience store robbery:

Michael Brown Named as Suspect in QuikTrip Robbery Before Shooting Death | Hinterland Gazette http://t.co/7N1A63IleM
— W. James Casper (@repsac3) August 15, 2014

I'll update should racist Repsac issue a correction. It's the decent thing to to do, but then, Reppy's not decent.

UPDATE: Hate-troll Reppy has issued a new tweet reluctantly correcting his hateful disinformation, although he has not disavowed the widely repudiated Jamelle Bouie and his demonization of "right-wing Twitter." That's just like the despicable stalker Repsac. A terrible person. A hate-mongering anti-conservative bigot.

Shooting Witness Dorian Johnson Confirms He and Michael Brown Robbed #Ferguson Convenience Store — UPDATED!!

I'm pulling the information from Fire Andrea Mitchell (sorry).

It wasn't the QuickTrip store that was robbed. It was "Ferguson Market and Liquor."

Hat Tip to Chris Denappy:

@AmPowerBlog @WayneBogda @MsEBL it wasn't at QT that was robbed, it was a liquor store; "Ferguson Market and Liquor"
— Chris Denappy (@octopinappy) August 15, 2014

@exposeliberals @famblog it wasn't at QT that was robbed, it was a liquor store; "Ferguson Market and Liquor"
— Chris Denappy (@octopinappy) August 15, 2014

@AmPowerBlog thanks... @QuikTrip stores are much nicer than the one in the video, and employees wear uniforms
— Chris Denappy (@octopinappy) August 15, 2014

More at WDEF News 12, "Lawyer: Friend confirms that he and shooting victim had robbed convenience store."

And at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Ferguson officer realized during encounter that Michael Brown might be suspect in robbery":

The name and address of the store police say was robbed are redacted from the documents, but the store is Ferguson Market and Liquor on West Florissant Avenue.

Also named as a suspect in the robbery is Dorian Johnson, 22, a man who has said he was with Brown when he was shot.

The document release includes surveillance images of the robbery, showing an employee being attacked.

An unidentified employee had just come out of the restroom and come to the counter when she observed Brown telling a clerk he wanted several boxes of cigars, the reports say. The name of two employees have been redacted from the report:

"As (redacted) was placing the boxes on the counter, Brown grabbed a box of Swisher Sweets cigars and handed them to Johnson who was standing behind Brown. (Redacted) witnessed (redacted) tell Brown that he had to pay for those cigars first. That is when Brown reached across the counter and grabbed numerous packs of Swisher Sweets and turned to leave the store. (Redacted) then calls '911.' Meanwhile (redacted) comes out from behind the counter and attempts to stop Brown from leaving. According to (redacted),(redacted) was trying to lock the door until Brown returned the merchandise to him. That is when Brown grabbed (redacted) by the shirt and forcefully pushed him back in to a display rack. (Redacted) backed away and Brown and Johnson exited the store with the cigars."

The lawyer for Johnson, who was walking with Michael Brown when Wilson fatally shot Brown, said Johnson told authorities about the cigar theft earlier this week.

“He told them about the cigarillos and that Big Mike took cigarillos,” said the lawyer, former St. Louis Mayor Freeman Bosley Jr.

He decried the timing of the release of the robbery information.

“It was Ferguson grabbing at straws,” Bosley said. “Their whole press conference was a disaster and unprofessional. At the end of the day this is about whether the officer used excessive force to kill Michael Brown.”

Asked whether Dorian Johnson will be charged, Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson said today, "No. We determined he didn't steal anything or use force."

Video of Teenager Michael Brown Convenience Store Robbery — #Ferguson

Following-up, "#Ferguson Police Releases Name of Officer Who Shot Criminal Homeboy Michael Brown (VIDEO)."

This Michael Brown dude was a big criminal thug mofo:

#Ferguson Police Releases Name of Officer Who Shot Criminal Homeboy Michael Brown (VIDEO)

At NYT, "Ferguson Police Identify Darren Wilson as Officer in Fatal Shooting and Link Teenager to Robbery."



More from Ms. EBL, "Separated by Perspective: Ferguson, Missouri Update: Michael Brown was a suspect in a gas station robbery just before he was shot?"

Why Iraq Air Strikes Might Not Be Enough

From Michael O'Hanlon, at Foreign Affairs, "How to Win in Iraq":

Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama announced his decision to airlift food and water to members of the Yezidi minority stranded in the Sinjar mountains of Iraq, and to use air-to-ground munitions against formations of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) moving against Kurdish units near Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region. So far, Obama’s strategy has been well calibrated and at least partly successful; the Yezidis’ plight appears less dire than a few days ago, and ISIS’ forays into Kurdistan have been stymied for the moment, perhaps even partly reversed in some places.

Obama’s restraint in providing major assistance to the central Iraqi government in Baghdad has likewise been prudent, since, by coming to the aid of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki too soon, the United States would squander the leverage it could use to persuade the Iraqi government to find a different and better prime minister. It is, after all, Maliki who governed so badly that major Sunni political and tribal leaders acquiesced to ISIS’ advances rather than work with a man they increasingly saw as a dictator to stop the brutal group’s march. The Iraqi army will likely not be willing to do its part to restore security in Iraq’s Sunni Arab heartland under Maliki, so it would be a fool’s errand for the United States to attempt too much while he still leads the country.

In other words, Obama’s critics should give him some space and some time. Over the years, most everyone in the United States, including the president, most of his critics, and certainly most of us in the think tank community, have had ample opportunity to be both right and wrong about Iraq and Syria. And, whatever those past debates, ISIS’ takeover of large swaths of Iraq and Syria constitutes a serious threat to U.S. national security that must be addressed on its own terms -- as the Obama administration seems to have realized.

Although the president has been correct to use only limited airpower so far (even while warning that U.S. involvement in Iraq could last for months), he needs to avoid any sense of complacency that he can limit the United States’ role to modest actions taken several thousand feet up in the air. For now, the United States’ only realistic goal in Iraq is to prevent further ISIS advances. But ultimately, the collective aim of the United States, Iraq, and others in the region should be to fully push back the radical and brutal group, which is committed to the creation of a caliphate throughout much of the broader Middle East and even parts of Europe, and is willing to employ brutal tactics to achieve its aims. This group simply cannot be allowed to remain in power in large sections of Iraq and Syria indefinitely.

I don't believe Obama's committed to pushing back ISIS. Actually, he's committed to riding out the remainder of his term without riling the antiwar base. Meanwhile, threats are piling up across the world stage and it's going to be a major salvage operation for the next president after January 20th, 2017. That is, if we don't have an attack on the homeland by then.

More from O'Hanlon, in any case.

The Banality of Anti-Semitic Violence in Europe

From William Jacobson, at Legal Insurrection, "Bubbling to the surface so often it’s now just part of the landscape in Paris and elsewhere."

Coming Face-to-Face with Anti-Semites in Paris

Well, I've come face-to-face with anti-Semites in Los Angeles. It's not for everyone but somebody's gotta do it.

In any case, from Cnaan Liphshiz, at the Times of Israel:

My friend Alain Azria gave me a puzzled look when I told him, with some indignation and disbelief in my voice, that I had just heard talk of killing Jews at an unauthorized anti-Israel demonstration last month in Paris.

A young black man with a Parisian accent told a dozen friends loudly, but without shouting, “OK, guys. Let’s go hunt some Jews.”

His friend answered, “Let’s break their heads.” To which the first speaker replied, “Catch them fast, kill them slow.”

The group blended into a mass of thousands of people who were marching toward the Gare du Nord train station while shouting slogans accusing Israel of genocide.

My shock stemmed from the fact that while anti-Semitic violence accounts for a fair share of my reporting here in Europe, I have personally been insulated from it — perhaps because I live in Holland, where such occurrences are rarer, or maybe because I had lived most of my life in Israel, where one receives only a theoretical understanding of the phenomenon.

But for Alain, a freelance news photographer who specializes in documenting France’s anti-Semitism problem, this was just another day at the office. Which is to say he didn’t really have time for my astonished discovery of the banal.

“OK, OK, welcome to Paris. Now let’s move it along,” he said as he took us on a shortcut designed to reach the station before the procession...

Heh, from the mouths of babes.

Keep reading.

'I Fought the Law'

The Bobby Fuller Four, "I Fought the Law," from last night on the Sound L.A.:

Don't Bring Me Down
The Animals
10:27 PM

I Fought the Law
Bobby Fuller Four
10:25 PM

Good Lovin'
The Young Rascals
10:23 PM

Bus Stop
The Hollies
10:19 PM

She Said She Said
The Beatles
10:17 PM

I Feel Free
Cream
10:13 PM

Eight Miles High
The Byrds
10:10 PM

Just Like a Woman
Bob Dylan
10:04 PM

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
The Rolling Stones
10:01 PM

Touch Me
The Doors
9:51 PM

Roadhouse Blues
The Doors
9:47 PM

Hillary Is Right About Obama

From Charles Krauthammer, at the Washington Post, "On Obama’s foreign policy, Clinton got it right":

“Great nations need organizing principles, and ‘Don’t do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing principle.”

— Hillary Clinton, The Atlantic, Aug. 10

*****

Leave it to Barack Obama’s own former secretary of state to acknowledge the fatal flaw of his foreign policy: a total absence of strategic thinking.

Yes, of course everything Hillary Clinton says is positioning. The last time she sought the nomination (2008), as she admitted before Defense Secretary Bob Gates, she opposed the Iraq surge for political reasons because she was facing antiwar Sen. Barack Obama in Iowa. Now, as she prepares for her next run (2016), she’s positioning herself to the right because, with no prospect of being denied the Democratic nomination, she has the luxury of running toward the center two years before Election Day.

All true, but sincere or not — with the Clintons how can you ever tell? — it doesn’t matter. She’s right...

Continue reading.

The quote at top is from Jeffrey Goldberg's interview at the Atlantic, "Hillary Clinton: 'Failure' to Help Syrian Rebels Led to the Rise of ISIS."

Israel in the Face of Aggression

From Professor Michael Curtis, at American Thinker:

At the outset the obvious should be stated, as Abraham Lincoln stated it in his Second Inaugural Address on March 4, 1865. There was no moral equivalence between the two sides in the Civil War. One side would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish.

There is no moral equivalence between the objective of the terrorist group Hamas to kill as many Israeli civilians as possible and the response of Israel to stop the flow of thousands of rockets directed against it. The directive to massacre all Jews is unmistakable in the Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas) broadcast of July 20, 2014. It called on Jihad fighters “to enter settlements (towns in southern Israel) to kill them all… they are all invaders, they are all criminals… have no mercy on them.”

Nor is any moral equivalence present in the desire of Israel to settle the Arab Israeli conflict by peace negotiations without conditions, and the refusal of Palestinians authorities to do so.      

On one side of the equation is the focus of Hamas, whether its political or military wings or its religious council (Majlis al-Shura), on destruction, and continuation of violence, even massacre, against Israeli citizens, rather than concentration on building a progressive prosperous society, in spite of obvious problems. The fighting in Gaza has revealed the wastage by Hamas of the human resources and the material, bought from funds given by the international community.

The funds have been used to buy sophisticated machinery and thousands of tons of cement and other materials in order to obtain rockets and to build a network of underground tunnels from which to attack Israeli civilians. The network of the tunnels, of which so far 32 have been destroyed, has cost at least $90 million. Each tunnel has used amounts of construction materials that could have been used to build 86 homes, seven mosques, six schools, or 19 medical clinics. In addition, 160 exploited children have died while being used to build them.

On the other side, if not without blemish and being subject to objective and appropriate criticism, is the constructive record, the process of nation building, of the State of Israel. Since 1948 this has continued in spite of the relentless hostility of the Arab world, of bigoted bias, discrimination, and use of double standards by the “international community,” and the deceptive Palestinian Narrative of Victimhood that projects Palestinians as the most grievous victims in the world.

That process of successful nation building with all the diversity -- religious, ethnic, and economic -- in Israeli society, continues even though unacknowledged by much of the media, mainstream churches, human rights activists who decry Israel’s attempts at self-defense. Little or no attention is paid to the remarkable innovative activity of Israel, in areas of high tech companies, medical research, pharmaceuticals, health care, cyberspace, drip irrigation, electronics, or academic scholarship.

Of the making of books on Israel there is no end, but, in view of the Hamas brutality and hatred, it is refreshing to read a new book, Israel since the Six-Day War, written by Leslie Stein, the Australian historian. It provides an up-to-date broad survey,  precisely and clearly written, of the struggle of Israel to overcome the Arab aggression against it and survive as a Jewish state. Based on secondary sources, the book, though it has a long chapter on social and economic developments, is essentially concerned with Israel’s actions and policies in dealing with the threats against it and the efforts to reach peace with the Arab states and the Palestinians.

Those threats have been based on hatred of Israel, and often of Jews. That hatred has been inculcated from Palestinian kindergartens on. Schoolbooks show maps of “Palestine” that include all of what is Israel. It is sickening that Palestinian groups engage in Holocaust denial or distortion. Palestinian Authority broadcasts have denied the Holocaust death camps and excused them as “disinfecting sites,” and that Hamas documentaries explained that it was Jewish leaders who planned the Holocaust...

Continue reading.