The Political Establishment's Terrified by Donald Trump's 'Tangible American Nationalism'

I don't know if Noah Rothman's a neoconservative, despite his recent move over to Commentary Magazine, the bastion of neocon opinion and onetime home for writers such as Norman Podhoretz, Irving Kristol, and Nathan Glazer, among others. Norman's son John is the current editor at the magazine.

Rothman started slamming Donald Trump earlier this summer, almost as soon as the frontrunner uttered his words about Mexican illegal alien criminals and rapists. And he's been on a campaign against Trump at the magazine ever since.


I'm reminded of all this by Mark Ellis's post at Pajamas, "Trump for Neocons."

It turns out that the Weekly Standard, the other major neoconservative opinion magazine, founded by William Kristol, is out with a new issue offering all kinds of coverage of the "Donald Trump Phenomenon," with much of it glowing. Even William Kristol acknowledges the tipping-point significance of the Trump campaign, even if he can't fully wrap his arms around it. See, "Up from Trumpism."

Ellis at Pajamas is impressed with the wall-to-wall Trump coverage at the new Weekly Standard, which includes an essay by Christopher Caldwell, "What’s the Deal with Trump?" But see the particularly good piece from Julius Krein, "Traitor to His Class":

Donald Trump is not a serious candidate. Donald Trump is not a serious man. The truth of these statements is supposed to be self-evident. But one begins to wonder, are they true?

Trump’s popularity, while beyond doubt, is treated not as a legitimate expression of popular will but as a mass psychosis to be diagnosed. It would seem to be the duty of every American pundit today to explain the inexplicable and problematic rise of Donald Trump. The critical question, however, is not the source of Trump’s popularity but rather the reason his popularity is so shocking to our political culture. Perhaps Trump’s candidacy threatens a larger consensus that governs our political and social life, and perhaps his popularity signifies a profound challenge to elite opinion.

Why is Donald Trump so popular? Explanations range from mere celebrity, to his adoption of extreme positions to capture the most ideologically intense voters, to his explosive rhetoric. These explanations are not entirely wrong, but neither are they entirely right.

To begin with, his positions, as Josh Barro has written in the New York Times, are rather moderate. As Barro points out, Trump is willing to contemplate tax increases to achieve spending cuts. He supports some exceptions to abortion bans and has gone so far as to defend funding Planned Parenthood. He has called for protective tariffs, a position heretical for Republicans, who are typically free traders. Although opposed to Obamacare, he has asserted that single-payer health care works in other countries. Even on the issue of immigration, despite his frequently strident rhetoric, his positions are neither unique—securing the border with some kind of wall is a fairly standard Republican plank by now—nor especially rigid.

With respect to his rhetoric, whether one characterizes his delivery as candid or rude, it is hard to ascribe his popularity to colorful invective alone. Chris Christie, who never misses an opportunity to harangue an opponent, languishes near the bottom of the polls. Or ask Rick Santorum, as well as Mitt “47 percent” Romney, whether outrageous comments offer an infallible way to win friends and influence voters. Trump’s outré style, like his celebrity, helps him gain attention but just as certainly fails to explain his frontrunner status.

Most candidates seek to define themselves by their policies and platforms. What differentiates Trump is not what he says, or how he says it, but why he says it. The unifying thread running through his seemingly incoherent policies, what defines him as a candidate and forms the essence of his appeal, is that he seeks to speak for America. He speaks, that is, not for America as an abstraction but for real, living Americans and for their interests as distinct from those of people in other places. He does not apologize for having interests as an American, and he does not apologize for demanding that the American government vigorously prosecute those interests.

What Trump offers is permission to conceive of an American interest as a national interest separate from the “international community” and permission to wish to see that interest triumph. What makes him popular on immigration is not how extreme his policies are, but the emphasis he puts on the interests of Americans rather than everyone else. His slogan is “Make America Great Again,” and he is not ashamed of the fact that this means making it better than other places, perhaps even at their expense.

His least practical suggestion—making Mexico pay for the border wall—is precisely the most significant: It shows that a President Trump would be willing to take something from someone else in order to give it to the American people. Whether he could achieve this is of secondary importance; the fact that he is willing to say it is everything. Nothing is more terrifying to the business and donor class—as well as the media and the entire elite—than Trump’s embrace of a tangible American nationalism. The fact that Trump should by all rights be a member of this class and is in fact a traitor to it makes him all the more attractive to his supporters and all the more baffling to pundits...

Still more.

And note one more thing about the Bill Kristol piece cited above: He admits that Trump could end up being a flash-in-the-pan, and he notes, "His fall may be sudden or protracted, complete or partial. Conceivably he won’t fall at all."

Vanessa Ruiz, Anchor for NBC 12 News in Phoenix, Defends Spanish Pronunciation of Words (VIDEO)

Heh, you gotta love this.

And she handles it beautifully. Watch: "News Anchor Shuts Down Haters Giving Her Sh*t For Her Spanish Accent."

And at the New York Times (where else?), "Arizona News Anchor Is Drawn Into Debate on Her Accent and the Use of Spanish":

PHOENIX — An Arizona news anchor defended her pronunciation of Spanish words during English broadcasts, saying she delivers them the way the language is intended to be spoken.

In a broadcast on Monday, Vanessa Ruiz, who works for 12 News here, waded into the running debate over the use of Spanish that has divided Americans in different ways for years, and has been percolating on the campaign trail.

Ms. Ruiz, who was raised in a bilingual household, said some viewers had questioned her way of pronouncing Spanish words. Sandra Kotzambasis, the station’s news director, said viewers were asking why Ms. Ruiz “rolled her Rs.”

In the broadcast, Ms. Ruiz said, “Some of you have noticed that I pronounce a couple of things maybe a little bit differently than what you are used to, and I get that, and maybe even tonight you saw a little bit of it.

“I was lucky enough to grow up speaking two languages, and I have lived in other cities, in the U.S., South America, and Europe,” she continued. “So yes, I do like to pronounce certain things the way they are meant to be pronounced. And I know that change can be difficult, but it’s normal and over time I know that everything falls into place.”

The use of Spanish in the United States has been contested in a range of ways over the years, from objections to its use in the Pledge of Allegiance; to casual conversation on school buses, such as in Nevada; and in a New Mexico supermarket accused of having singled out Spanish-speaking employees with an “English-only” policy, according to some of the cases pursued by the American Civil Liberties Union.

It has most recently reached into the political stage among rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, such as when Donald J. Trump said this week that Jeb Bush should “really set the example by speaking English while in the United States.”

The United States has more than 55 million Hispanics and, according to the 2011 American Community Survey, 38 million residents age 5 and older who speak Spanish at home. But questions about the use of Spanish persist.

In Arizona, where the Hispanic population is at 30 percent and is growing, the conversation about language has included questions over the English fluency of candidates for public office. It has surfaced regularly in schools, notably in a state law banning, with some exceptions, b ilingual education.

In July, an appeals court agreed to give challengers a chance to void a state law designed to end an ethnic studies program in Tucson’s school district, where 60 percent of the children enrolled were of Mexican or other Hispanic descent. A former state school superintendent championed the law, taking particular issue at a popular district’s Mexican-American studies program.

Timothy M. Hogan, the executive director of the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, has worked on some state laws involving the use of Spanish in public schools. “My observation is people generally feel threatened by use of communication that they are unfamiliar with,” he said. “Underlying all of that is the implied threat to the vanishing majority.”

Ms. Ruiz was born in Miami, grew up in Colombia, and studied in Spain before a career in journalism that has taken her on international assignments. She joined 12 News in July.

She followed her comments on air with a statement posted on the station’s website: “Let me be clear: My intention has never been to be disrespectful or dismissive, quite the contrary. I actually feel I am paying respect to the way some of Arizona’s first, original settlers intended for some things to be said.”

Still more.

Pre-Order Garry Kasparov's New Book, Winter is Coming

Such an ominous title.

At Amazon, Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped.

Planned Parenthood in Pullman, Washington, Hit by Arson Attack (VIDEO)

This is not good, especially if anyone was hurt, but if it prevents Planned Parenthood from killing more babies, then I'm not going to sweat it.

Some people are going to meet leftist terrorism with more terror. Yep, I said it: Planned Parenthood deserves to be scared.

At the Spokesman-Review, "Planned Parenthood fire determined to be arson." (Via Memeorandum.)



More responses at Memeorandum.

Political Scientist Virginia Page Fortna, Carrying 9-Week-Old Baby, Kicked Out of APSA Conference Exhibit Room

I don't care about radical leftist political correctness and feminist collectivism, but if you're a political scientist attending the premiere academic conference, you should be able to cruise around the hotel, and visit the exhibit room (where you get lots of free stuff, especially books) without being expelled (and stigmatized).

So, needless to say, I'm down with Columbia University political scientist Virginia Page Fortna, who got the boot from the exhibit room at the APSA conference in San Francisco.

Our longtime blogging adversary Charlie Carpenter, formerly of Lawyers, Guns, and Money, has a report, at Duck of Minerva, via Instapundit, "WHY DOES THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION hate babies?"

And here's Professor Fortna:



CORRECTION: That's a "nine-week old" baby Professor Fortna has, not a "nine-month-old" baby. I just noticed the error while reading Steven Hayward, "APSA AFTER-ACTION REPORT."

Plus, see Inside Higher Ed, "Poli-Sci's Baby Ban."

What's Fueling Donald Trump's Surge

Well, by the look of the New York Times' website, you'd think The Donald was popping Viagra to keep up the pace, heh.

See, "Donald Trump's Staying Power."

Seriously, though. The immigration issue's got to be the biggest catalyst for his campaign. Here, "YouGov Poll: 64 Percent Want to Build Security Fence on Mexican Border."

BONUS: From Victor Davis Hanson, at Pajamas, "How Illegal Immigration Finally Turned Off the Public":

If there were not a Donald Trump, he would likely have had to have been invented.

Unhinged Leftist Demands for Gun Control Spur Sales of Firearms

Folks are arming up against the zombie left gun-control fanatics.

At USA Today, "Renewed calls for gun control laws spur sales":

WASHINGTON — Renewed calls for more restrictive gun laws, following a succession of fatal shootings in the United States, immediately appear to be generating a boost for the gun industry.

Newly released August records show that the FBI posted 1.7 million background checks required of gun purchasers at federally licensed dealers, the highest number recorded in any August since gun checks began in 1998. The numbers follow new monthly highs for June (1.5 million) and July (1.6 million), a period which spans a series of deadly gun attacks — from Charleston to Roanoke — and proposals for additional firearm legislation.

While the FBI does not track actual gun sales, as multiple firearms can be included in a transaction by a single buyer, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System's numbers are an indicator of a market upswing in the face of growing anxiety about access to guns...

Losing the War of Ideas

From Caroline Glick, at FrontPage Magazine, "The West's ideological delusions are now too dangerous to ignore":

We have arrived at the point where the consequences of the West’s intellectual disarmament at the hands of political correctness begins to have disastrous consequences in the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

Speaking last month at the memorial service for the five US marines massacred at a recruiting office in Chattanooga, Tennessee, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said, “The meaning of their killing is yet unclear, and what combination of disturbed mind, violent extremism, and hateful ideology was at work, we don’t know.”

US Vice President Joe Biden claimed, the “perverse ideologues...may be able to inspire a single lone wolf, but they can never, never threaten who we are.”

Both men were wrong, and dangerously so.

The meaning of the killings was no mystery.

Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez shot his victims down in cold blood because he was a jihadist. He wrote of his devotion to the Islamic war for global domination on his blog. He downloaded messages from Anwar Awlaki, the American al-Qaida commander killed in a drone attack in Yemen in 2011.

Awlaki’s most prolific follower to date was US Army Major Nidal Malik Hassan who massacred 13 soldiers and wounded 32 in his November 2009 assault at Ft. Hood, Texas. Yet, just as the Obama administration denies to this day that Hassan operated out of devotion to the cause of Islamic global supremacy through genocidal war, so Carter pretended away Abdulazeez’s obvious motive. And Biden stood before those whose lives were shattered by jihad last month and told them that jihad was not a threat to their way of life.

Ideas are the most powerful human force. And the idea of jihad that the Obama administration will not discuss is perhaps the most powerful idea in the world’s marketplace of ideas today.

The notion of jihad is fairly simple. It asserts that Islam is the only true religion. All other faiths are wrong and evil. It is the destiny of the one true faith to reign supreme. The duty of all Muslims is to facilitate Islam’s global rise and dominion.

How this duty is borne varies. Some take up arms.

Some engage in indoctrination. Some engage in subversion. And some cheer from the sidelines, providing a fan base to encourage those more directly engaged. What is most important is the shared idea, the creed of jihad.

The jihadist creed is a creed of war. Consequently, its adherents cannot live peacefully with non-jihadists.

By definition, those who subscribe to a jihadist world view constitute a threat to those who do not share their belief system.

Rather than contend with the idea of jihad, the West, led by the US, insists on limiting its focus to the outward manifestations of jihadist beliefs.

Physical bases of jihadists in places like Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen are targeted to kill specific people – like Awlaki. But the ideas that inspire them to action are ignored or dismissed as irrelevant and interchangeable with other ideologies, like Zionism and fiscal conservatism.

Unlike the Americans, the jihadists understand the power of their idea. And they invest hundreds of millions of dollars to propagate it. MEMRI recently reported that Islamic State (IS) runs at least three production companies. They disseminate professional- quality videos daily. The videographers, composers and singers who produce these films are IS members, no different from its beheaders, sex traders and chemical weapons purveyors.

Like IS’s battle successes and its sex slave industry, these videos have already had a profound impact on the shape of the Islamic world and the threat jihadist Islam constitutes for its opponents worldwide.

From Nigeria to Egypt to the Palestinian Authority to Pakistan, in Europe, the US and South America, jihadist armies and individual Muslims are embracing the idea of the caliphate – the ultimate aim of jihad – and pledging or weighing the option of pledging loyalty to IS and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

As a result, the never reasonable notion that you can limit war against jihad to the physical bases of IS and other terrorist groups while ignoring the idea that motivates their actions has become downright deadly...

Keep reading.

Main Migrant Routes to Europe

At the Economist, "Migration in Europe: Looking for a home":

Asylum-seekers, economic migrants and residents of all stripes fret over their place.

The Most Breathtaking Whale Photos

This is just wow.

At 500px ISO, "The Stories Behind the Most Breathtaking Whale Photos on 500px."

American Jack Sock Collapses, Retires from Match Against Ruben Bemelmans at U.S. Open (VIDEO)

At USA Today, "American Jack Sock, overcome by heat, retires from U.S. Open":

NEW YORK — For the second straight year, American Jack Sock was done in by the heat and cramps at the U.S. Open on Grandstand.

Leading 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 1-2 against world No. 107 Ruben Bemelmans, Sock suffered  cramps on the court, bringing the match to a halt. Sock, the No. 28 seed, had been given a point penalty because of his incapacity to serve at break point down at 1-1, handing the game to Bemelmans.

The trainer came out and assisted a grimacing Sock to the ground, who then motioned that he would opt out of the match.

Petra Kvitová Rule 5

Here's some hot Petra Kvitová action. She's playing at the U.S. Open right now, against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

She's lovely.

Through to the third round and my shoes glow in the dark :) #usopen15 #petrainnyc pic.twitter.com/fAk5pTidjk

— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) September 4, 2015

Gotcha Questions: Hugh Hewitt Reponds to #DonaldTrump's Criticism (VIDEO)

I don't think they're "gotcha questions," although they're specific questions, and a lot of candidates are unprepared for those. Yeah, perhaps the names of all the key terror leaders are a bit arcane, but this is the presidential race you're talking about, so there.

Jake Tapper interviews Hewitt, at CNN, "Radio Host talks about his Donald Trump interview."

And the story made the local television news, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "O.C. Radio Hosts Stumps Trump With Series of Foreign Policy Questions."

EARLIER: "Trump Hammers Hugh Hewitt as 'Third-Rate Radio Announcer...' (AUDIO)."

'Illegals Go Home' Poster Lands North Carolina High School Teacher in Hot Water

Uh oh.

Not the kinda class project you're supposed to assign these days. In Mexifornia, that teacher'd be run out of town on a rail, if not lynched outright on the school grounds.

Dang.

At the Asheville Citizen‑Times, "Buncombe parents demand answers over anti-immigrant signs."

And at Truth Revolt, "Student-Made 'Illegals Go Home' Sign Lands Civics Teacher in Hot Water."

WaPo Reporter Christopher Ingraham Visits Red Lake County, Minnesota — And He Likes It!

I was reluctant to even read this Christopher Ingraham essay, it being at Ezra Klein's old "Wonk Blog," but it's a pretty interesting piece. I can appreciate reporters who are self-depreciating.

Click though at Instapundit, "BELTWAY REPORTER DISCOVERS AMERICA: I called this place ‘America’s worst place to live.’ Then I went there."

Chicken Stops Traffic on Oakland's Bay Bridge (VIDEO)

OMG this is a riot.

You gotta love the chick-crossed-the-bridge jokes.

At the San Francisco Chronicle, "Chicken stops traffic at Bay Bridge toll plaza."

At CBS News 5 San Francisco, "Fowl Play: Chicken Halts Traffic at Bay Bridge Toll Plaza."

Former Gov. Jan Brewer's Face Has Been Used in Online Ads for Anti-Aging Products (VIDEO)

Jan Brewer's a freakin' patriot.

And she's not pleased that her image is being used by online marketers.

Watch, at ABC News 15 Phoenix, "Gov. Jan Brewer threatening legal action over ads."

Courtney Knox's Sensationally Sexy Strip!

She's at Zoo Today.

And watch, Zoo's YouTube page, "Curvy Courtney may not have been modelling all that long, but her debut ZOO shoot is not to be missed. Hailing from the port of Plymouth, she certainly puts the naughty into all things nautical. And if seeing her strip doesn't make waves, we don't know what will! So it back, relax and admire Miss Knox..."

Hey, you gotta start somewhere.

Laughable New York Times Reporting on 'G.O.P Talk' on Illegal Immigration (Screen Shot)

Heh, you can see how the Old Gray Lady has juxtaposed these two articles on illegal immigration and the G.O.P. at the webpage.

Utterly laughable.



On the one hand, you've got that top story on Iowans allegedly wavering on robust border security, with the caption reading, "Farms and factories in eastern Iowa have long been a draw for immigrants, and many argue that a one-size-fits-all approach to immigration reform might not work." The implication, of course, is that all this bluster from Donald Trump and conservatives about the illegal onslaught is just so much more racist nativism. You know, down home folks in Iowa know better, and if you want our vote you better jettison all those bloviating "one-size-fits-all" policies. Indeed, the smaller print at the photo caption reads, "“I think there is less prejudice now that more of the Hispanics have come into the job market, the schools, and everything,” Michelle Coghill of Blue Grass, Iowa, said."

And then below that is the chaser, some catnip for collectivist leftists rubbing their hand together while attacking Republicans for the "Trumpification" of the G.O.P. Note the acid caption slamming the frontrunner, "Many think that Donald J. Trump’s harsh manner and attacks are endangering efforts to compete in the general election." How stupid can you be? I mean, the New York Times is now the mouthpiece for the Republican National Committee? You know, the G.O.P establishment surely knows what it takes to win the general election, right? Donald Trump and his supporters are just a bunch of ignorant flyover bigots.

The obvious and hilarious response is to highlight those inconvenient YouGov poll findings out today, showing almost two-thirds of Americans supporting a security wall along the Mexican border. Seriously, it's like Pinch Sulzberger and his "elite" reporters are just a tad bit out of step with public opinion.

And FWIW, go right to the reports at the Times, via Google, "Iowa Questions G.O.P. Talk on Immigration," and "Republican Donors Puzzle Over How to Stop Trump."

Truly ridiculous.

Europe's Slow-Motion Refugee Crisis Highlights Failures of Western Democracies

Well, I'm not sure if it's "slow motion," actually. But certainly there's a failure on the part of the Western democracies, and not just with slowing the refugee inflow, but in tamping down the Middle East jihadi threat in the first place. You reap what you sow.

At the New York Times, "Exodus of Syrians Highlights Political Failure of the West":

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Arresting images of desperation on the West’s doorstep have brought Syria, for the moment, back to worldwide attention: refugees cramming into train stations and climbing border fences; drowned Syrian toddlers washing up on beaches, a girl in polka dots, a boy in tiny shoes.

It was never any secret that a rising tide of Syrian refugees would sooner or later burst the seams of the Middle East and head for Europe. Yet little was done in Western capitals to stop or mitigate the slow-motion disaster that was befalling Syrian civilians and sending them on the run.

“The migrant crisis in Europe is essentially self-inflicted,” said Lina Khatib, a research associate at the University of London and until recently the head of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. “Had European countries sought serious solutions to political conflicts like the one in Syria, and dedicated enough time and resources to humanitarian assistance abroad, Europe would not be in this position today.”

The causes of the current crisis are plain enough. Neighboring countries like Lebanon and Jordan became overwhelmed with refugees and closed their borders to many, while international humanitarian funding fell further and further short of the need. Then, Syrian government losses and other battlefield shifts sent new waves of people fleeing the country.

Some of these people had initially thought they would stick it out in Syria, and they are different from earlier refugees, who tended to be poor and vulnerable, or wanted by the government, or from areas hard-hit early in the civil war. Now those departing include more middle-class or wealthy people, more supporters of the government, and more residents of areas that were initially safe.

One of those, Rawad, 25, a pro-government university graduate, left for Germany with his younger brother Iyad, 13, who as a minor could help his whole family obtain asylum.

They walked from Greece to save money, Rawad reported via text message, sleeping in forests and train stations alongside families from northern Syria who opposed President Bashar al-Assad.

People like Rawad and Iyad have been joined by growing numbers of refugees who had for a time found shelter in neighboring countries. Lebanon — where one in three people is now a Syrian refugee — and Jordan have cracked down on entry and residency policies for Syrians. Even in Turkey, a larger country more willing and able to absorb them, new domestic political tensions make their fate uncertain.

As the numbers of displaced Syrians mounted to 11 million today from a trickle in 2011, efforts to reach a political solution gained little traction. The United States and Russia bickered in the Security Council while Syrian government warplanes continued indiscriminate barrel bombing, the Islamic State took over new areas, other insurgent groups battled government forces and one another, and Syria’s economy collapsed.

For years, Yacoub El Hillo, the top United Nations humanitarian official in Syria, has been warning that with the Syrian crisis — the “worst of our time” — the international system of humanitarian aid has “come to the breaking point,” especially as protracted conflicts pile up around the world, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and elsewhere.

“This is the price of political failure,” he said in Beirut in March, declaring that the breakdown of the aid system results from the strategic stalemate over Syria. “This is a direct affront to international peace and security.”

He said that it cost the United States $68,000 an hour to fly the warplanes used to battle the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, while the United Nations has received less than half of the money it needs to take care of the half of Syria’s prewar population that has been displaced.

For neighboring countries alone, just $1.67 billion of the needed $4.5 billion for 2015 has been received. For those displaced in Syria, $908 million has been given of $2.89 billion needed. This week, World Food Program benefits were canceled for 229,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan.

“It is not really a question of money,” Mr. El Hillo said. “It is a question of in which pot the money is sitting.”

Few refugees have been accepted by the regional and global players that have supported combatants in the conflict. The Gulf Arab states and to a lesser extent the United States have armed and trained rebel groups, while Russia and Iran have armed and financed the Assad government, but those powers have devoted much less to humanitarian assistance. Politics also intrudes on aid, with the combatants trying to restrict aid to areas held by their opponents...

Still more.

Obama Hellbent of Pushing Personal Foreign Policy of Weakness and Treason

A righteous essay, from Phyllis Chesler, "The Situation":

The game was over the minute Americans elected President Obama for the second time. He then knew that he could implement, quite autocratically, despotically, some might even say, traitorously—his own personal foreign policy which consists of weakening America's importance in the world; humiliating Israel even further on the world stage; recognizing (communist) Cuba despite its enormous legacy of persecuting its own people and without demanding a single change; and financially arming (totalitarian) Iran so that the mad mullahs may wage further attacks against civilians, both in Israel, America, and throughout the Middle East.

Obama is a cold and calculating Doomsday machine. He is also a very angry man.

And yet, many Beautiful People share his point of view. Not one of them would agree with my opening paragraph. They would argue that most people are good and can change—even the leaders of a Death Cult; that we have to "give peace a chance;" that we cannot cruelly impose sanctions on a suffering populace—as if the mullahs actually plan to build hospitals and universities with this money.

They would further argue that America can't police the world—true enough; that delaying an Iranian nuclear holocaust by 15 years is a great accomplishment; that "black (male) lives matter" more—and that Arabs and Palestinians are like American black men who are, allegedly, being wantonly killed by white police officers; that jihadists who have killed American soldiers on American soil are really mentally ill loners with unfortunate access to guns; that the suffering of 60 million Christian, Muslim, and Yazidi refugees and displaced persons have little to do with Islamist terrorism; and, that we are not at war.

Yes, many educated and decent people really say and think and desperately want to believe all this. The alternative would mean that they would have to admit that there are radically evil people in the world who have declared war against Israel and America and against the values of Western civilization.

Obama may now believe that he can refuse to arm Israel with bunker-buster bombs. He may now think that by championing an anti-Zionist J Street that he "owns" (or has silenced) the Jewish-American street. He does not seem to care that the majority of Americans oppose this non-deal deal with Iran and the way he went about obtaining it, and that American media editorials from coast to coast are on record about this. He does not mind that he had to strong-arm Democrats into voting for a very bad deal.

Why should he? All despots--excuse me, all Beloved Leaders--know they have to break some eggs in order to make an omelet.

Continued frenzy over voting is now diversionary. Long ago, Obama chose to baldly bypass Congress when he went to the United Nations Security Council in order to lift sanctions. He cannot walk this back. Russia and China will be selling weapons to Iran as will Europe.

We must ensure that Obama does sell bunker-buster bombs to Israel. We must ensure that American sanctions are not lifted. In fact, we must work hard to impose even more American-only sanctions. Sanctions are the only reason Iranians bothered to talk to Secretary of State, John Kerry.

As former Navy Seal, Ken Stethem said at the anti-Iran deal rally in NYC: "People, this is a Paul Revere moment. Ride well."

Jackie Johnson's Got Your Labor Day Weekend Forecast

We have cool evenings and mild daytime temperatures, with some high pressure warming things up for the Monday holiday.

Should be just lovely.

YouGov Poll: 64 Percent Want to Build Security Fence on Mexican Border

Well, same thing, it's YouGov, which is an Internet panel poll. I don't trust 'em. Still, it's just obvious that the illegal immigration issue has the public's blood boiling. And Donald Trump just talking about it makes the issue resonate even more. On top of that is the left's murderous sanctuary city policies. This is getting to be the most amazing primary season ever.

At YouGov, "Build a fence with Mexico, not Canada."

And at Hot Air, "YouGov poll: 64% want a border fence with Mexico — including pluralities of Dems, blacks, and Hispanics."

Refugee Shelter Firebombed in Heppenheim, Germany (VIDEO)

Hmm... I guess that assimilation thing isn't working out too well over there.

At Deutsche Welle, "Five injured when refugee shelter in Heppenheim near Frankfurt catches fire."

Sweden is the Only European Country Favoring Non-EU Immigration

Well, that Nordic model up there is extremely politically correct. But I doubt Swedish openness will last too much longer, especially if folks up there in Stockholm start getting flooded with hundreds of thousands of refugees.

At the Independent UK, "Refugee crisis: Sweden the only European country with a majority favourable towards non-EU immigration."

Black Sabbath Announces Farewell Tour

Well, it's not like they haven't been touring recently.

But see the Sound L.A., "Black Sabbath: The End Tour Announcement."

My Old Kentucky Double Standard

Actually, this lady Kim Davis isn't the best standard bearer for religious liberty. What's key though is the left's genuinely evil double-standards. Leftists are truly diabolical.

At the Wall Street Journal, "Vilifying a county clerk while lauding other official disobedience":

So the most famous county clerk in America is now in jail. Kim Davis is the clerk for Kentucky’s Rowan County who says her Christian beliefs preclude her from issuing marriage licenses for gay couples. She maintains this position notwithstanding the Supreme Court’s June decision finding a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, and an August ruling by federal Judge David Bunning ordering her to issue these licenses.

On Thursday Judge Bunning said Ms. Davis would stay in jail until she changes her mind, adding that a fine would clearly not do the trick. Ms. Davis seemed prepared. “To issue a marriage license which conflicts with God’s definition of marriage, with my name affixed to the certificate, would violate my conscience,” she said in a statement.

Judge Bunning’s principle—that Americans, and especially government officials, do not get to pick which laws and orders they will follow—is certainly right.

Yet the Davis case also underscores a glaring double standard. In response to Judge Bunning’s decision to jail Ms. Davis, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, “The success of our democracy depends on the rule of law, and there is no public official that is above the rule of law.”

We don’t recall President Obama insisting on “the rule of law” when his then Attorney General, Eric Holder, announced in 2011 that he wouldn’t defend challenges to what was then the law—the Defense of Marriage Act signed by President Bill Clinton—in the courts. Nor did we hear about upholding the law when mayors such as Gavin Newsom in San Francisco issued marriage licenses to same-sex couples in defiance of state laws...

Oh, that's just the beginning of it. The left's sanctuary cities agenda is the biggest far-left lawbreaking scam in recent years, and it's getting people killed.

See also Sean Davis, at the Federalist, "Kim Davis Uproar Shows That Breaking the Law Is Only Okay When Progressives Do It."

Swimmer Dies After Rescue at Venice Beach

At 28-year-old man.

Watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "Swimmer Pulled from Ocean Off Venice Dies."

And at the Santa Monica Mirror, "Swimmer Dies After Being Pulled from Surf at Venice Beach."

Hot Caroline Wozniacki Sports Illustrated Outtakes (VIDEO)

Well, she certainly looks fabulous in a bikini.

Here, "Caroline Wozniacki Swimsuit Photos Sports Illustrated."

But she washed out at the New York Open, at USA Today, "Petra Cetkovska stuns Caroline Wozniacki at US Open," and the Guardian UK, "US Open 2015: Caroline Wozniacki tumbles out to Petra Cetkovska."

Labor Day Weekend Special: Save Up to 25 Percent on Select Osprey Backpacks

At Amazon, Shop Outdoors Specials - Save Up To 25% On Select Osprey Backpacks.

And check out Ben Carson's new book, One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America's Future.

Trump Hammers Hugh Hewitt as 'Third-Rate Radio Announcer...' (AUDIO)

I've listened to the audio, here: "Donald Trump and Hugh Hewitt Discuss Foreign Policy."

And shoot, I don't even know half of these terrorist honchos Hewitt's talking about, and he expects Donald Trump to be some split-second expert on Mohammad Al-Massari and Ayman al-Zawahiri?

Well, okay then.

And frankly, Trump's absolutely right that he'll no doubt be up to speed on all the terror identities by the time of the election. He's not a politician or a policymaker. I think it's perfectly reasonable for him to be working up the learning curve, and now look: He's going on the attack, which will only help him among those at the base who see Huge Hewitt as part of the establishment. I mean CNN's even tapped Hewitt as one of the debate moderators. Heh. Selling out much?

At Politico, "Trump rips into Hugh Hewitt after terror gaffe."

And at the Hill, via Memeorandum, "Trump blasts Hugh Hewitt as ‘a third-rate radio announcer’."

More at Gateway Pundit, "Trump Blasts Hugh Hewitt as “Third-Rate Radio Announcer” After Islamist “Gotcha” Question."

See all the links at Memeorandum.

Gallup: Trump Gains 16 Points in Net Favorability in Last Two Weeks

I think folks are starting to see Trump as a likely and credible GOP nominee.

From the Gallup Poll, "Trump's Image Up Sharply Among Republicans." (Via Memeorandum.)

And ICYMI, "Charles Krauthammer and Megyn Kelly Talk About Elections, Primaries, and Republicans."

Charles Krauthammer and Megyn Kelly Talk About Elections, Primaries, and Republicans

This is a great discussion.

And Krauthammer absolutely nails it on Donald Trump's decision to sign the Republican Party loyalty pledge.

WATCH: "Krauthammer explains why Trump is focusing on Bush."

The Schengen Agreement Is Doomed

Background at the BBC, "Q&A: Schengen Agreement," and "Schengen free movement 'may be in danger', says German minister."

And at Stratfor, "Europe Rethinks the Schengen Agreement":

When France, West Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg signed the Schengen Agreement in 1985, they envisioned a system in which people and goods could move from one country to another without barriers. This vision was largely realized: Since its implementation in 1995, the Schengen Agreement eliminated border controls between its signatories and created a common visa policy for 26 countries.

The treaty was a key step in the creation of a federal Europe. By eliminating border controls, member states gave up a basic element of national sovereignty. The agreement also required a significant degree of trust among its signatories, because it put the responsibility for checking foreigners' identities and baggage on the country of first entry into the Schengen area. Once people have entered a Schengen country, they can move freely across most of Europe without facing any additional controls.

The Schengen Agreement was implemented in the 1990s, when the end of the Cold War and the prospect of permanent economic prosperity led EU members to give up national sovereignty in many sensitive areas. The creation of the eurozone is probably the most representative agreement of the period. But several things have changed in Europe since then, and member states are beginning to question many of the decisions that were made during the preceding years of optimism.

The most important change of the past six years is probably Europe's economic crisis and its byproduct, the rise of nationalist political parties. Not far behind, though, is the substantial increase in the number of asylum seekers in Europe, which is putting countries on the European Union's external borders (such as Greece and Italy) and countries in the Continent's economic core (such as France and Germany) under significant stress. This is not the first time the Schengen Agreement has been questioned, but the combination of a rising number of asylum seekers, stronger nationalist parties and fragile economic recovery are leading governments and political groups across Europe to request the redesign, and in some cases the abolishment, of the Schengen Agreement...

And at the New York Times, "Migrant Crisis Tests Core European Value: Open Borders."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban Says Migrant Crisis Is Germany's Problem

Hey don't come. Turkey's a good country. Stay in Turkey. We're trying to preserve our culture here, and don't even mention the Islamist invasion.

At WSJ, "Chaos at Budapest train station as migrants rush trains":

Hundreds of migrants seeking to reach Germany rushed trains at Hungary’s main international rail station on Thursday after police stopped manning the door, as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blamed Europe’s migration crisis on Berlin.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected the criticism, saying her country is doing what all European Union member states should be by taking in refugees in need of protection. Ms. Merkel said she agreed earlier in the day with French President François Hollande that the EU needs binding quotas to distribute refugees fairly.

Tensions have been rising within the bloc as it struggles to deal with thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa, underlining competing national interests amid warnings that the bloc’s cherished policy of border-free travel is at risk. Hungary—on the bloc’s edge—has emerged as a key transit point for people seeking to reach wealthier states where they believe they will have better prospects.

Mr. Orban took a defiant stance during a news conference at the European Parliament in Brussels, where he was holding a series of meetings with top officials. He said he was abiding by EU rules in seeking to register migrants before allowing them to pass into another EU country and is considering the deployment of the army to protect Hungary’s borders with non-EU member neighbor Serbia. He brushed off calls for Hungary to reconsider its rejection of a fairer redistribution system for refugees across the bloc.

“The problem is not European, it’s German. Nobody would like to stay in Hungary, neither Slovakia, Poland or Estonia,” Mr. Orban said after talks with European Parliament President Martin Schulz. “All of them would like to go to Germany.”

The chaos continued at Budapest’s Keleti station, where Hungary has blocked migrants from traveling farther into the EU, sparking three days of protest and leaving hundreds camped outside. The state-owned rail company MAV said all direct westward-bound services were suspended indefinitely for safety reasons.

Ammar Hamsa, 26, from the Syrian city of Homs, and others said migrants rushed the trains in the station because they saw German language text on the side of the forward engine, even as railway officials announced no international trains that day. Crowds of people struggled amid the crush to get on board, with some pushing their children through open windows.

“The station was closed. Then suddenly without organization or decision, they opened the doors and everybody rushed in, in a disorganized way,” Mr. Hamsa said. “Nothing is clear.”

Two trains were eventually allowed to leave Budapest on Thursday, but instead of crossing the border they halted at the Hungarian town of Bicske, site of an already overcrowded refugee camp. Attempts by police to get the migrants to disembark there led to further scenes of chaos.

Outside Budapest’s station, migrants have spread out blankets, set up tents and washed in temporary facilities. On a wall nearby, someone scrawled in big white letters, “I want go to Germany (please).”

Many migrants see Hungary as the shortest route to Western Europe and safer than the often deadly option of crossing the Mediterranean. In Germany, officials have stressed that the country can handle the influx of people in the short run, but described the migration crisis as Europe’s biggest challenge...

More.

Earlier, "The Hijrah Into Europe: Islam's Jihad Immigration."

Spencer Stone Homecoming (VIDEO)

At the Sacramento Bee, "French train hero Spencer Stone returns to California."

And at KCRA News 3 Sacramento, "Euro train hero Spencer Stone welcomed home at Travis AFB."

The Hijrah Into Europe: Islam's Jihad Immigration

From Robert Spencer, at FrontPage Magazine, "“Refugees” colonize a continent":

Approximately 104,460 asylum seekers arrived in Germany during the month of August, setting a new record. That makes 413,535 registered refugees and migrants coming to Germany in 2015 so far. The country expects a total of around 800,000 people to seek asylum in Germany this year. And that’s just Germany. The entire continent of Europe is being inundated with refugees at a rate unprecedented in world history. This is no longer just a “refugee crisis.” This is a hijrah.

Hijrah, or jihad by emigration, is, according to Islamic tradition, the migration or journey of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib, later renamed by him to Medina, in the year 622 CE. It was after the hijrah that Muhammad for the first time became not just a preacher of religious ideas, but a political and military leader. That was what occasioned his new “revelations” exhorting his followers to commit violence against unbelievers. Significantly, the Islamic calendar counts the hijrah, not Muhammad’s birth or the occasion of his first “revelation,” as the beginning of Islam, implying that Islam is not fully itself without a political and military component.

To emigrate in the cause of Allah – that is, to move to a new land in order to bring Islam there, is considered in Islam to be a highly meritorious act. “And whoever emigrates for the cause of Allah will find on the earth many locations and abundance,” says the Qur’an. “And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allah and His Messenger and then death overtakes him, his reward has already become incumbent upon Allah. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.” (4:100) The exalted status of such emigrants led a British jihad group that won notoriety (and a shutdown by the government) a few years ago for celebrating 9/11 to call itself Al-Muhajiroun: The Emigrants.

And now a hijrah of a much greater magnitude is upon us. Evidence that this is a hijrah, not simply a humanitarian crisis, came last February, but was little noted at the time and almost immediately forgotten. The Islamic State published a document entitled, “Libya: The Strategic Gateway for the Islamic State.” Gateway into Europe, that is: the document exhorted Muslims to go to Libya and cross from there as refugees into Europe. This document tells would-be jihadis that weapons from Gaddafi’s arsenal are plentiful and easy to obtain in Libya – and that the country “has a long coast and looks upon the southern Crusader states, which can be reached with ease by even a rudimentary boat.”

The Islamic State did not have in mind just a few jihadis crossing from Libya: it also emerged last February that the jihadis planned to flood Europe with as many as 500,000 refugees. Now the number is shooting well beyond that in Germany alone. Of course, not all of these refugees are Islamic jihadis. Not all are even Muslims, although most are. However, no effort whatsoever is being made to determine the refugees’ adherence to Sharia and desire to bring it to their new land. Any such effort would be “Islamophobic.” Yet there are already hints that the Islamic State is putting its plan into effect: jihadis have already been found among the refugees trying to enter Europe. There will be many more such discoveries.

Eight hundred thousand Muslim refugees in one year alone. This will transform Germany, and Europe, forever, overtaxing the welfare economies of its wealthiest nations and altering the cultural landscape beyond recognition. Yet the serious public discussion that needs to be had about this crisis is shouted down by the usual nonsense: the Washington Post Wednesday published an inflammatory and irresponsible piece likening those concerned about this massive Muslim influx into Europe to 1930s Nazis ready to incinerate Jews by the millions...

More.

Plus, at the New York Times, "Hungarian Leader Rebuked for Saying Muslim Migrants Must Be Blocked ‘to Keep Europe Christian’."

Of course he was rebuked. Radical leftists are traitors to their respective European nation-states, and they're facilitating the destruction of their own countries with an Islamic jihad conquest. Just standing up for state sovereignty and the culture, like Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, will get you branded a racist.

The Populist Revolt Against Brain-Dead Politics

A great post, from Larry Sabato, at Sabato's Crystal Ball.

British Prime Minister David Cameron Bows to Pressure to Accept More Refugees

At the Guardian UK, "Cameron bows to pressure to let in more Syrian refugees."

And at Telegraph UK, "Britain will take in thousands of new Syrian refugees, David Cameron to announce":

Prime Minister understood to be preparing plans to resettle thousands of asylum seekers fleeing Isil jihadists.

Britain will accept thousands more Syrian asylum seekers in response to the migration crisis engulfing Europe, David Cameron will announce in the coming days.

In a marked shift in tone, the Government is preparing plans to resettle the refugees fleeing Isil jihadists in the region in an attempt to fulfil its “moral obligation”.

Officials are working on a “detailed package” to give asylum to Syrians under the “vulnerable persons relocation scheme”, which has so far seen 216 people allowed to come to the UK.

It will be seen as a change of direction by Mr Cameron, who on Wednesday insisted that Britain would not accept “more and more” migrants.

Hours after he made those comments, images emerged of a three-year-old boy lying lifeless on a Turkish beach. Aylan Kurdi died when the boat carrying him and his family from Syria capsized.

The pictures encapsulated the human cost of the crisis and prompted debate over whether Britain was accepting its "fair share" of refugees.

It is understood that Mr Cameron spent much of Thursday in talks with his closest advisers discussing how to respond to the changing public mood.

His decision to accept more refugees to the UK came as the crisis showed no sign of abating...

More.

One Killed, Two Wounded in Shooting at Sacramento City College (VIDEO)

At the Sacramento Bee, "Update: Manhunt for active shooter near Sacramento City College."

And watch, at KCRA News 3 Sacramento:

Whoa! Trump Hits 30 Percent in Latest Monmouth University Poll (VIDEO)

It's a traditional telephone poll, not an Internet panel, so this is pretty important.

Here's the survey from Monmouth, "NATIONAL: Trump Holds Lead, Carson 2nd":

West Long Branch, NJ – Donald Trump has increased his GOP vote share since last month’sdebate. The latest Monmouth University Poll of Republican voters nationwide also finds Ben Carson moving into second place, Jeb Bush slipping to third, and Scott Walker fading into the background. The poll also tested Trump directly against nine opponents in head-to-head match-ups and found that only Carson is able to get the better of him.

When Republicans and Republican-leaning voters are asked who they would support for the GOP nomination for president, Donald Trump leads the pack at 30%, which is up 4 points from early August before the first debate. Ben Carson (18%) has increased his vote share by 13 points and now holds second place. Jeb Bush (8%) has dropped by 4 points and now stands in a tie for third with Ted Cruz (8%). Following behind are Marco Rubio (5%), Carly Fiorina (4%), and Mike Huckabee (4%).

Scott Walker (3%), who held third place in Monmouth’s August poll, has dropped 8 points since then. Chris Christie, John Kasich, and Rand Paul each get 2%. The remaining six candidates included in the poll score no higher than 1% each.

“None of the establishment candidates is having any success in getting an anti-Trump vote to coalesce around them. In fact, any attempt to take on Trump directly only seems to make him stronger,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch, NJ.

The Monmouth University Poll tested the strength of Donald Trump’s support by presenting Republican voters with nine hypothetical head-to-head match-ups. Trump tops the field in all but one of those contests. If it came down to just two candidates, Trump beats the putative establishment favoriteJeb Bush by a 56% to 37% margin. Trump also gets the better of Chris Christie (63% to 30%), John Kasich (62% to 29%), Rand Paul (60% to 27%), Scott Walker (53% to 38%), Marco Rubio (52% to 38%), Carly Fiorina (50% to 37%), and Ted Cruz (48% to 41%). The only candidate who is able to take on The Donald and win is Ben Carson, who gets 55% support to 36% for Trump in a hypothetical matchup.“

“The fact that the only one who can challenge Trump is the only other candidate who has never held or run for elected office speaks volumes to the low regard GOP voters have for the establishment,” said Murray.

By a more than 2-to-1 margin, Republican voters nationwide say the country needs a president from outside government who can bring a new approach to Washington (67%) rather than someone with government experience who knows how to get things done (26%).

Murray added, “Conservative activists believe the Republican Party has abandoned its principles. Moderates feel their leadership is ineffective. So Republican voters have created their own job description for the next nominee - Wanted: Someone who can shake up Washington; No elected officials need apply.”

Keep reading.

Why America Loves Donald Trump and Why Democrats Are Dumbstruck

From Tomi Lahren, "Tomi's Final Thoughts: Why America Loves Trump Part I," and "Tomi's Final Thoughts: America Loves Trump & Dems are Confused."

Extra 20 Percent Off on Already-Reduced Clothing and More

At Amazon, Shop Fashion - Extra 20% Off Select Fashion.

Plus, don't forget about Ann Coulter's new book, Adios, America: The Left's Plan to Turn Our Country into a Third World Hellhole.

German Benevolence Tested by Unrelenting Influx of Third World Refugees

While often sad, the migrant crisis is utterly fascinating in the end.

And note, this story's from over a month ago. With this last week's news of "biblical" incursions of migrants, German benevolence is being tested even more.

At Der Spiegel, "Testing the Limits: How Many Refugees Can Germany Handle?":

More Germans than ever before are at ease with themselves and their asylum-seekers. But this year the country is expecting to receive around 400,000 new refugees, a figure that raises the painful question: Can Germany's new welcoming culture handle it?

Anyone wondering about the state of the nation in Germany would be well advised to take a ride on the A33 highway and get off at the very last exit in Bielefeld, in northwestern Germany. The state of the nation is now encapsulated in a property in the city's Brackwede neighborhood. A few weeks ago, the name of the street would have been worth mentioning. But now it doesn't seem like a good idea.

The property is the site of a four-story addition with room for 200 asylum-seekers, complete with a dining room with floor-to-ceiling, soundproof windows and white-tiled bathrooms. Everything is state-of-the-art. The building even has the same kind of stand-up toilets made from stainless steel that are so often found in Mediterranean countries -- the kind your typical asylum-seeker from that region is accustomed to.
If ever a building epitomized Germany's architecture of goodwill or its welcoming culture for asylum-seekers, this is it. But it comes at a time when Germans' fears of that welcoming culture are also building. The new wing isn't finished yet. Completion is scheduled for Aug. 1. That's why for the past six weeks, security guards have been patrolling the construction site day and night, on the lookout for anyone trying to burn the place down before the first asylum-seekers can move in.

Jürgen Beier, the facility's manager, couldn't have imagined any of this a year ago, when the foundation was laid for the new addition to the existing refugee hostel. But today, in the summer of 2015, it's a different story with the number of people seeking asylum here rising sharply. It's not like anyone has sprayed graffiti on the walls or sent threatening letters. On the contrary, women from the local parish show up every day to play "Memory" and the beloved boardgame, "Sorry," with the refugee children.

But who knows what could happen now, what with arsonists active elsewhere in Germany and ordinary citizens filing lawsuits against new asylum hostels? Not to mention the good, old acquaintances of Beier's -- no, these people don't have a drop of xenophobic blood in them! -- who are suddenly asking him where all this is heading. Even the new facility, with its 200 beds, is far from enough, they say. What happens when more asylum-seekers turn up?

State of the Nation

This, it seems, is the state of the nation: a plot in Bielefeld where the most wonderful aspects of Germany are concentrated. There are people who are generous, who know they are fortunate -- at least more so than others. These are people who are determined to do everything right and to atone for Germany's sins, even 70 years later. They know that they owe something to their collective conscience, and that whenever they give something up, they also gain something in return. That something is the feeling of doing the right thing, the important thing.

But there is also the fear of being overwhelmed. It is the fear of people who are willing to give, but only to a point, only as long as it doesn't hurt them. People who are willing to share as long as they don't have to make sacrifices. And that, all generosity aside, is why so many people now feel that limits should be imposed on immigration. They may not know where these limits should lie, but they are convinced that they should exist.

So what is the state of the nation really? When it comes to refugees, it's a state of anxiety. In reality, it boils down to a question of how the growing influx of refugees and asylum-seekers adversely affects the Germans' relationship to these newcomers. The 400,000 asylum-seekers predicted to arrive this year will put Germany's new welcoming culture to the test. Can it endure? Can it survive?

Keep reading.

Freddie Gray Protests Erupt as Hearing Held for Indicted Baltimore Police Officers (VIDEO)

Here's the background, at Baltimore Sun, "Judge orders six separate trials for the officers charged in #FreddieGray's death," and "Baltimore Police suit up in tactical gear as protesters gather near Inner Harbor amid Freddie Gray hearing."

And watch, at CBS News 13 Baltimore, "SPECIAL REPORT: Protester Arrested As Demonstrations Begin Downtown," and "1 Officer Injured, 1 Protester Arrested During Demonstration."

And related, at the Guardian UK, "Freddie Gray trial judge denies motion to remove Marilyn Mosby from case."

Czech Police Pull Refugees Off Trains, Mark Identification Numbers on Their Arms in Ink

Now this is something else --- and it's not good.

No small irony there, either, considering how the Czechoslovakia crisis of 1938 (the Munich agreement) helped trigger World War II.

At the Independent UK, "Czech police haul migrants off trains to Germany and 'write numbers on their arms in ink'."

Also at the BBC, "Migrants crisis: Unease as Czech police ink numbers on skin." And at London's Daily Mail, "Fury as Czech police write numbers on arms of migrants 'like concentration camp prisoners' as thousands of refugees are locked in stand-off with police at Budapest station."

Czech police writing numbers on refugees' arms story in @Independent http://t.co/MgyKacrwHz And on @BBCWorld http://t.co/Z5bfeUyLPz

— Andrew Stroehlein (@astroehlein) September 2, 2015

Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan

Following-up from yesterday, "'Gen. Douglas MacArthur, commander of the U.S. Army in the Pacific, wanted officers to wear their daily service clothes — khaki button-up shirts with open collars and no ties...'"

Here's Herbert Bix's book on postwar Japan, Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan.

Hit-and-Run: Toddler on Life Support in San Bernardino (VIDEO)

The most adorable toddler.

Unbearable.

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "Toddler on Life Support After Hit-and-Run In San Bernardino."

British Prime Minister David Cameron Says Britain Should Not Take More Refugees (VIDEO)

At the Telegraph UK, "David Cameron: Britain should not take more refugees":

The Prime Minister refuses to heed calls for Britain to accept more refugees amid the ongoing Mediterranean migrant crisis.

Yeah, Muslims have turned London into Londonistan as it is. Who needs more asylum seekers from the Middle East, right?

BONUS: "EU migrant crisis: 'Schengen has now hit the buffers of the real world and is falling apart'."

Heh. "Hit the buffers of the real world." That's gotta raise the ideological hackles of Europe's leftist collectivists.

Leftist Media Digs the Dirt on Kim Davis, Kentucky Clerk Refusing to Issue Homosexual Marriage Licenses (VIDEO)

Here's Dana Loesch, on the Kelly File last night.

This lady is an elected official, it turns out. And that changes my thinking a little on the case. Sure, I'd expect her to issue marriage licenses as part of her duties, but it's up to the voters to remove her from office, or for the state legislature to impeach, which is unlikely. And as Dana points out, the woman's a Democrat. You're definitely not getting that tidbit of info from the collectivist press, conveniently.



Plus, at the New York Times, "What’s Next for Kentucky Clerk Who Refuses to Issue Licenses for Gay Marriage."

PREVIOUSLY: "Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis is Sudden Symbol of Recalcitrant Resistance to Depraved Leftist Homosexual Agenda."

Testicles Are Not a Social Construct

Yeah, and the way to prove it is to kick some male "feminist" in the balls to see how he likes it, heh.

The male feminist idiots'll be crying their eyes out like an overtired toddler.

At the Other McCain.

Tip Line Lets California Residents Report Irresponsible Drone Pilots

Yeah, that was a bummer earlier this summer with the Cajon Pass North Fire. Drones hampered firefighting efforts.

See CBS News Sacramento, "Drone Reporting Tip Line: The move comes after more than a dozen instances of firefighting operations being slowed by drones in the air."

Natalie Imbruglia on the Success of 'Torn'

She has a new CD out, "Male."

And below she talks about "Torn."

Dead Syrian Child Washes Up on Shore of Bodrum, Turkey

At the Telegraph UK, "Image of dead Syrian boy captures human tragedy of Europe's migrant crisis."

And at the Independent UK, "If these extraordinarily powerful images of a dead Syrian child washed up on a beach don’t change Europe’s attitude to refugees, what will?"

Sadly, no. A baby washed up on shore isn't going to change public opinion. Europe's overwhelmed by this. And this isn't the first death, by any means. People have been dying all year long. Dying to get to the European lands of prosperity and promise. It's a powerful magnet, especially for people desperate to escape the mortal hell of war and poverty in their homelands.

If these images of a dead child don't change our attitude to refugees, what will? http://t.co/WZUcQsSRrU pic.twitter.com/yJyzL9HtFc

— The Independent (@Independent) September 2, 2015

Bryan Pagliano, Former Aide to Hillary Clinton, Likely to Plead 5th Amendment in Investigation Over Private Email Server

Well, it figures, doesn't it.

At the New York Times, "Clinton Ex-Aide Is Likely To Invoke 5th Amendment in Response to Congressional Questions Over Private Email Server":

A former aide to Hillary Rodham Clinton who helped set up the server that housed Mrs. Clinton’s private email account plans to invoke his Fifth Amendment right in response to congressional questions about the email practices, according to two people who have been briefed on the matter.

The former aide, Bryan Pagliano, was subpoenaed to testify before a House committee, but a lawyer for Mr. Pagliano has told the panel that Mr. Pagliano will decline to answer their questions and will assert his Fifth Amendment right.

The subpoena was issued by the House committee investigating the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya. As part of its inquiry, the panel is examining Mrs. Clinton’s use of a private email account while she was secretary of state, which shielded her correspondences from congressional inquiries.

Mr. Pagliano was the information technology director for Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and then worked at the State Department as an adviser and special projects manager for its chief technology officer, according to his LinkedIn page. He left the State Department in February 2013, the same month Mrs. Clinton stepped down as secretary of state.

It is not clear why Mr. Pagliano is refusing to answer questions about the server. The F.B.I. is investigating how classified information was handled in connection with the account, but no evidence has surfaced that Mr. Pagliano had anything to do with those materials.

Mr. Pagliano’s lawyer, Mark MacDougall, declined to comment...

People plead the 5th when they have something to hide, like incriminating evidence. Clearly, Team Clinton has a lot to hide.

Still more.

Playboy Mansion Hosted Special Screening and After-Party for 'The Transporter Refueled'

Well, that would've been fun.

At Playboy, "Watch Playboy's 'The Transporter: Refueled' Party Recap."

On the other hand, the flick's not so great, apparently. At the Hollywood Reporter, "'The Transporter Refueled': Film Review":

If nothing else, the reboot of the Transporter franchise should do wonders for Audi sales, not to mention car safety. Every passenger who sets foot in the tricked-out, gleaming German automobile driven by the titular character is immediately ordered to fasten their seat belt. It's sound advice, because The Transporter Refueled is a cinematic bumpy ride.

Arriving seven years after the final installment of the trilogy originally starring Jason Statham, this latest version, inexplicably set in 2010, features a younger, slighter Frank Martin as played by Ed Skrein (Game of Thrones). It's a real diminishment, and not just in physical terms. Skrein moves well and has the requisite model-ready good looks, beautifully cared-for stubble and gruff, rumbling voice that make him machismo personified. But compared to his predecessor, he's seriously lacking in charisma, and his relentlessly monotonous performance fails to rev up the film's engine...

Russian Troops 'Fighting Alongside Assad's Army Against Syrian Rebels...'

Oh boy.

No red lines there, heh.

Reminds me of the Cold War, frankly.

At Instapundit, "UNEXPECTEDLY: Russian troops ‘fighting alongside Assad’s army against Syrian rebels’."

Bombshell Report! Majority of Immigrants on Welfare, Including 73 Percent of Mexicans and Central Americans

It's from Steven Camarota, at the Center for Immigration Studies, "Welfare Use by Immigrant and Native Households: An Analysis of Medicaid, Cash, Food, and Housing Programs."

And a write-up at USA Today, "Report: More than half of immigrants on welfare":

More than half of the nation's immigrants receive some kind of government welfare, a figure that's far higher than the native-born population's, according to a report to be released Wednesday.

About 51% of immigrant-led households receive at least one kind of welfare benefit, including Medicaid, food stamps, school lunches and housing assistance, compared to 30% for native-led households, according to the report from the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for lower levels of immigration.

Those numbers increase for households with children, with 76% of immigrant-led households receiving welfare, compared to 52% for the native-born.

The findings are sure to fuel debate on the presidential campaign trail as Republican candidates focus on changing the nation's immigration laws, from calls for mass deportations to ending birthright citizenship.

Steven Camarota, director of research at the center and author of the report, said that's a much-needed conversation to make the country's immigration system more "selective."

"This should not be understood as some kind of defect or moral failing on the part of immigrants," Camarota said about the findings. "Rather, what it represents is a system that allows a lot of less-educated immigrants to settle in the country, who then earn modest wages and are eligible for a very generous welfare system."

Linda Chavez agrees with Camarota that the country's welfare system is too large and too costly. But Chavez, a self-professed conservative who worked in President Reagan's administration, said it's irresponsible to say immigrants are taking advantage of the country's welfare system any more than native-born Americans.

Chavez said today's immigrants, like all other immigrant waves in the country's history, start off poorer and have lower levels of education, making it unfair to compare their welfare use to the long-established native-born population. She said immigrants have larger households, making it more likely that one person in that household will receive some kind of welfare benefit. And she said many benefits counted in the study are going to U.S.-born children of immigrants, skewing the findings even more.

"When you take all of those issues into account, (the report) is less worrisome," she said.

Chavez, president of the Becoming American Institute, a conservative group that advocates for higher levels of legal immigration to reduce illegal immigration, said politicians should be careful about using the data. Rather than focus on the fact that immigrants are initially more dependent on welfare than the U.S.-born, she said they should focus on studies that show what happens to the children of those immigrants.

"These kids who get subsidized school lunches today will go on to graduate high school ... will go on to college and move up to the middle class of America," Chavez said. "Every time we have a nativist backlash in our history, we forget that we see immigrants change very rapidly in the second generation."

Yeah. Sure. And all these immigrants are about to start voting Republican, right Linda Chavez?

The system is out of control, frankly. What happened to the rugged individualist, pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps ethic that immigrants to America used to have? Well, for one thing, we've got Obama, and the welfare system has just gotten more generous and much larger with the hard-left Democrats in office.

It's a national disgrace.

Donald Trump Hammers Jeb Bush: He Should Be Speaking English While in the United States

At the New York Times, "Donald Trump Says Jeb Bush Should Stop Speaking Spanish."

And at Big Government, via Memeorandum, "Exclusive — Donald Trump Fires Back at Jeb Bush: He Should Lead by ‘Speaking English’ While in the United States'."

And watch, at CNN, "Trump to Bush: Set example and speak English."

Nina Kristin Fiutak Big Brother Germany

At Egotastic!, "Nina Kristin Fiutak Takes a Topless Bath In Big Brother Germany Promos," and "More Big Brother Germany Topless Bathing with Nina Kristin Fiutak."

Icelanders Sign Petition Calling on Government to Accept More Syrian Refugees (VIDEO)

Wow!

Iceland?

It's not like it's the biggest country, or anything, heh.

They're definitely radical leftists up that way, though. Birgitta Jónsdóttir, a radical member of Iceland's parliament, refused to cooperate with the FBI when it was investigating WikiLeaks back in 2013.

At the BBC, "Demand to open doors to Syrians spreading online":

More than 12,000 people have shown their support for an Icelandic writer's Facebook plea for her country to take in more refugees. That might not sound like a lot, but bear in mind the total population of Iceland is not much more than 300,000.

Although, unlike some outlets reported, not everyone who joined the group set up by Bryndis Bjorgvinsdottir is offering a refugee a place to stay ("Not everyone in this group is offering their home" the group's description reads), a vibrant debate kicked off on the page itself. The government of Iceland has said it will take in 50 asylum seekers this year.

Not everyone was supportive. "Islam is totally not compatible with Europe," read one comment. But most of the comments were broadly positive about the refugees and about Bjorgvinsdottir's initiative.

The large numbers of supporters in such a small country caught global attention. "Thank you, Icelanders, for again taking the lead as citizens - not only of Iceland, but also of the world," one American commenter said. "You a great country, a great people."

Bernie Sanders: 'Democratic' Socialism Is Good for America (VIDEO)

Yeah, let's just rehabilitate socialism, because, you know, it's as American as apple pie, or something.

Indeed, notice how I put "democratic" in quotation marks at the headline.

Socialism's a Utopian ideology imposed at the barrel of a gun. It's the opposite of democracy, which is why folks call them the "Democrat Party." Sanders is right at home in that regard, the freakin' socialist scum-bucket. Let's hope he wins his party's nomination, so we can spend most of next year rightfully attacking the Democrats as socialist tyrants, and, unlike in 2008 and 2012, this time around the leftist fever swamps and the MSM enablers won't be able to deny shit.

Watch: "Bernie Sanders Explains Why You Shouldn't Be Scared of the Term 'Socialism'."

“What Democratic Socialism is about, is having a government which reflects the interests of the ordinary people, rather than is currently the case, the billionaire class..."

Hat Tip: Legal Insurrection, "Bernie Sanders Explains ‘Democratic Socialism’."

And following the links there, to the stompy-feet New Republic, "Stop Calling Bernie Sanders a Socialist."

Julian Wilson Worst Wipeout, Pipeline, Hawaii (VIDEO)

Via Surfer Magazine:

Governor Nikki Haley Says #BlackLivesMatter Movement Is Endangering Black Lives (VIDEO)

Here's the video, "Nikki Haley to #BlackLivesMatter: Yelling and Screaming Isn’t Gonna Get You Anywhere."

And her full speech from earlier today, "Governor Nikki Haley Speaks at the National Press Club."

At the New York Times:

Gov. Nikki R. Haley of South Carolina, who won accolades for swiftly moving to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol after the June massacre of nine black churchgoers, sharply criticized the Black Lives Matter movement on Wednesday.

Citing the unrest that followed the police-involved deaths of unarmed black men in Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore, Ms. Haley, a Republican, said the swelling African-American movement protesting police misconduct was imperiling black lives and property.

“Most of the people who now live in terror because local police are too intimidated to do their jobs are black,” Ms. Haley said at a luncheon in Washington. “Black lives do matter, and they have been disgracefully jeopardized by the movement that has laid waste to Ferguson and Baltimore.”

Ms. Haley contrasted the rioting in those communities with what she described as the reconciliation that took place in South Carolina after the death in April of Walter Scott, who was shot in the back as he ran from a police officer, and the killing of nine members of the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston.

She noted that Mr. Scott’s killing prompted South Carolina to mandate that police officers wear body cameras, the first state in the country to do so, and she recalled her effort to build support for taking down the Confederate flag.

“Some people think that you have to yell and scream in order to make a difference,” Ms. Haley said. “That’s not true. Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume level.”

For Ms. Haley, at 43 the youngest governor in the country, her address to the National Press Club represented the next phase of what is essentially an audition to be the Republican vice-presidential nominee next year. Her response to the Charleston killings lifted her national profile and prompted many in the party to suggest that Ms. Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, should be on the short list of the eventual presidential nominee.

Ms. Haley did little to dissuade such talk during a question-and-answer session after her remarks, stating that she was focused on her state for now but that if the party standard-bearer next year approached her about joining the ticket, “of course I will sit down and talk.”

Her 28-minute address illustrated how, in positioning herself for higher national prominence, she is trying to balance her conservative views with a more inclusive brand of politics that could make her attractive in a general election...

Still more.

And see the Washington Post, "Gov. Nikki Haley criticizes ‘yell and scream’ strategy of ‘Black Lives Matter,’ but also says GOP needs new tone."

Meh. Don't know about the "new tone" part. I like how Donald Trump just gives the middle fingered salute to talk like that.

Republican Party Loyalty Pledge

Weird.

At Politico, via Memeorandum, "GOP circulates loyalty pledge to box Trump in."

At at the New York Times, "Republican Party Asks Candidates To Sign Loyalty Pledge":

Responding to growing pressure from party donors and officials to dissuade Donald J. Trump from mounting an independent campaign for president, the Republican National Committee on Wednesday asked each of the party’s presidential candidates to sign a statement vowing not to run as a third-party candidate.

With little warning, committee officials called and emailed campaign representatives requesting that they put in writing what every candidate, except for Mr. Trump, has already pledged to do.

“I ______ affirm that if I do not win the 2016 Republican nomination for president of the United States I will endorse the 2016 Republican presidential nominee regardless of who it is,” the document, on R.N.C. letterhead, states. “I further pledge that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party.”

The document, first disclosed by Politico, was emailed to the campaigns under the subject line “pledge” and includes a space for the candidates to sign and for the R.N.C.’s chairman, Reince Priebus, to witness...

And I agree with this, at Hot Air:

If I were Trump, I’d feel obliged now to refuse on principle, to show my populist fans that no one tells me what to do. I don’t know why the RNC would try to call his bluff this way unless this whole thing has actually been coordinated with his campaign, i.e. unless today’s news of the loyalty pledge is just priming the pump for the bigger news that Trump’s in the GOP race to stay. In that case, though, why would Trump need any help from the RNC to build anticipation? He’s a media master. He could have made a huge announcement splash without them...

Pretty fascinating.

And yes, Trump should tell the RNC to just fuck off.

More.

Overgrown Sheep Seen Wandering Near Canberra

So, what would sheep do with without their human masters, heh?

At the BBC, "Australia urgent plea to shear overgrown sheep."

The poor sheep couldn't even see, the wool had literally grown over its eyes.

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Plus, don't forget to pick up your copy of Michael Walsh's book, The Devil's Pleasure Palace: The Cult of Critical Theory and the Subversion of the West.