Obama’s Options Narrow in Syria

Yeah, Putin's kicked Obama's ass in Syria. Few options left now.

At WSJ, "Pentagon abandons plan to build rebel army as U.S. suggests Assad could remain for a time":

WASHINGTON—Ten days into a Russian military campaign that has upended U.S. policy in Syria, President Barack Obama is picking from two bad options for how to respond.

The U.S. is hesitant to become more involved in Syria’s bloody and messy civil war, at the risk of forcing a proxy war with Russia. The president’s goal continues to be resisting any greater U.S. military commitment, aides say.

That leaves one other choice: to accept Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s hold on power, even though U.S. policy calls for his removal, and hope to negotiate his exit when the battlefield is less volatile.

On Friday, the Pentagon said it would abandon its failed, $500-million program to build an army of opposition fighters in Syria in favor of an effort to directly arm favored Syrian rebel commanders to fight Islamic State.

U.S. officials are no longer demanding Mr. Assad must step down immediately. Rather they are advocating a “managed” transition in which Mr. Assad could remain in Syria for some time.

The U.S. also is discussing ideas that require less military intervention and might provide additional humanitarian relief. One effort under discussion is the establishment of local cease fires negotiated with the Assad regime. Ben Rhodes, one of Mr. Obama’s closest foreign-policy advisers, noted Friday this has been tried by the United Nations. But he cautioned that the U.S. would want to ensure that such an effort not aid Mr. Assad at the expense of the opposition.

The deliberations are complicated by a fast-changing situation on the ground, as Russian airstrikes relieve some of the pressure on the Assad regime, Moscow’s longtime ally.

U.S. officials initially expressed optimism that Moscow might help in the fight against Islamic State militants. But since the first Russian airstrikes on Sept. 30, U.S. officials have voiced alarm at what they say is a campaign to strengthen Mr. Assad by targeting any opponent of his regime, including ones backed by the U.S.

Mr. Rhodes said that while the president will continue to refine his strategy, he isn’t considering options that would significantly ramp up U.S. military involvement, such as a no-fly zone.

“We see significant resourcing challenges associated with focusing on the establishment of no-fly zone that could, frankly, take away from other elements” of the campaign against Islamic State, he said...

Keep reading.

Mets' Ruben Tejada Broken Leg on Chase Utley Dirty Slide in 7th Inning — #MetsVsDodgers

Harsh.

At SB Nation, "Mets' Ruben Tejada breaks leg on vicious Chase Utley takeout slide."

And at the Los Angeles Times, "Mets' Ruben Tejada carted off field after controversial slide," and "Dodgers beat Mets, 5-2, to even the NLDS series after controversial play."

Chase Utley should have been called out, and Howie Kendrick as well. No runs should have scored. Rule 6.01 (6) pic.twitter.com/jS2MUOdJo2

— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) October 11, 2015

Dirty slides have been happening all season, all postseason, really throughout time. Rule against them is hardly ever enforced.

— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) October 11, 2015

Here's Pedro Martinez, speaking on TBS about Chase Utley's takeout slide Saturday. pic.twitter.com/HJwhvwgM19

— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) October 11, 2015

Chase Utley's dirty take-out slide dooms Mets as Dodgers even series http://t.co/y0yKWPJPYs pic.twitter.com/6OgtNeLr7H

— New York Post (@nypost) October 11, 2015

Hey #Mets fans, there's no crying in baseball. Quit yer bitchin'. #MetsVsDodgers

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 11, 2015

Outrageous Universities

See Andrew Delbanco, at the New York Review, "Our Universities: The Outrageous Reality."

Books reviewed:

* Suzanne Mettler, Degrees of Inequality: How the Politics of Higher Education Sabotaged the American Dream.

* Joel Best and Eric Best, The Student Loan Mess: How Good Intentions Created a Trillion-Dollar Problem.

* William Zumeta, David W. Breneman, Patrick M. Callan, and Joni E. Finney, Financing American Higher Education in the Era of Globalization.

* William G. Bowen and Eugene M. Tobin, Locus of Authority: The Evolution of Faculty Roles in the Governance of Higher Education.

* Elizabeth A. Armstrong and Laura T. Hamilton, Paying for the Party: How College Maintains Inequality.

* Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa, Aspiring Adults Adrift: Tentative Transitions of College Graduates.

And see Sajay Samuel, "Outrageous Universities."

Trey Gowdy's Benghazi Investigation Has Been a Model of Seriousness, Professionalism, and Discreetness

From Kim Strassel, at WSJ, "The Real Benghazi Investigation":

Kevin McCarthy unexpectedly withdrew from the House speaker’s race on Thursday, a casualty of a fractured Republican conference. The Californian didn’t do much to inspire confidence last week when he suggested that the House Benghazi committee had been designed to attack Hillary Clinton.
One pity of the McCarthy comments is that they tainted the committee’s work with politics. The bigger pity is that they are dead wrong. South Carolina Republican Trey Gowdy is 18 months into the committee that the House purpose-built to investigate the 2012 terrorist assault in Libya that killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. His Benghazi investigation has been a model of seriousness, professionalism and discreetness.

The statistics alone bear this out. The committee has so far reviewed 50,000 new pages of documents. Less than 5% have anything to do with Mrs. Clinton’s work as secretary of state. It has interviewed 51 witnesses. Forty-one of those were brand-new—no committee had bothered to speak with them before, though seven were eyewitnesses to the attack.

Not that you will have seen any of this testimony. Congress generally loves public hearings—members relish parading in front of cameras, grilling and humiliating witnesses. But Mr. Gowdy, a former prosecutor, is more interested in getting information. All 51 of the committee’s interviews have been done in private, attended by committee members or staff from both parties. In a public hearing, the majority Republicans get more time than Democrats to speak. In private interviews, time is divided equally. Mr. Gowdy is fine with that.

If Republican Rep. Darrell Issa were running this committee, is there any doubt that he would have put Clinton fixer Sidney Blumenthal in the public hot seat? Mr. Gowdy’s committee interviewed him privately. When Mr. Blumenthal’s lawyer said he would be out of the country on the proposed interview date, Mr. Gowdy rescheduled; he wanted the Democratic operative to have competent counsel. Former Clinton chief of staff Cheryl Mills’s private interview concluded with the remarkable sight of her, Mr. Gowdy and ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings together at a post-interview press availability, where she thanked the committee for its “professionalism” and “respect.”

The House Select Committee on Benghazi has held three public hearings. Mr. Gowdy allowed Democratic members to choose the first two topics. They predictably focused on the work of the State Department’s Benghazi Accountability Review Board, which they like to claim has already settled what happened in Libya. Mr. Gowdy nonetheless committed to thorough hearings. When Washington Democrat Adam Smith looked likely to miss a hearing because of hip surgery, Mr. Gowdy set up a Skype connection so that he could ask his questions. Mr. Gowdy made the same offer to Illinois’s Tammy Duckworth, who’d just had a child. When she politely declined, he allotted her question time to Mr. Cummings—a fair-play move rarely seen in D.C.

Washington lawmakers love their powers, and Mr. Gowdy has plenty. He has exercised them prudently. The Benghazi committee has issued only threes subpoenas. One to Mr. Blumenthal, whom the committee had trouble tracking down. One to the State Department for a specific batch of emails. And one to Mrs. Clinton, when the news first broke that she had maintained a private server for her email. When Mrs. Clinton later claimed that she was not under subpoena, Mr. Gowdy didn’t complain, he simply released the subpoena to set the record straight. He has declined to answer questions about whether he thinks she has committed any crimes...

That's amazing.

RTWT.

Santa Ana Hits Record 106, More Heat Coming This Weekend

That was 106 yesterday. It was definitely in double-digits today.

At the O.C. Register.

More, from this afternoon, "Placentia Heritage Parade shut down; 60 people striken with heat exhaustion."

I had that earlier, "Police Department Shuts Down Placentia Heritage Day Parade."

Video Shows Immediate Aftermath of Terrorist Suicide Bombings in Ankara, Turkey

Following-up from earlier, "Scores Dead in Suicide Bombings at Peace March in Turkish Capital (VIDEO)."

The death toll's up to 95 now.

And watch here, "Warning! Graphic Video of Suicide Bombing in Turkey."

More at the Daily Beast, "Who’s Behind the Horrific Bombing that Hit Ankara?"

And at the Independent UK, "Ankara terror attack: Turkey censors media coverage of bombings as Twitter and Facebook 'blocked'."

Daredevils Charge Bulls at Festivals in Spain

At WSJ, "To These Bull Runners, Pamplona Is for Wimps: Those Looking for a Lot of Bull Stampede Into Spain's Tiny Towns":

ALCALÁ DE CHIVERT, Spain—For daredevils the world over, Pamplona’s running of the bulls is a once-in-a-lifetime thrill, a chance to charge alongside 1,200-pound beasts hurtling down narrow streets.

For Saul Boix, the annual dash is a cakewalk.

“In Pamplona, you run with the bulls for about two minutes,” the 26-year-old Spaniard said. What really beefs up his adrenaline, he said, is spending an entire day at a town festival, provoking one bull after another to charge him, or if that fails, charging directly at the bull.

“In the small towns,” Mr. Boix said, “you have hours with the animals.”

Every year across Spain, bull-obsessed adrenaline addicts seek their fix by traveling from town to town to participate in local iterations of Pamplona. They’re a haphazard group, so it is hard to hit the bull’s-eye on their numbers—at least several hundred, according to fans and some of the men themselves.

The Mediterranean coastal region of Valencia, Mr. Boix’s home turf, holds around 7,000 festivals each year that feature bulls and cows with horns, mainly in the summer and autumn.

“Where there’s a bull, there’s a fiesta,” said Francisco Miró Simó, 62, president of the club that organizes a festival in nearby Alquerías de Santa Bárbara. “If there are no bulls, only a quarter of the people would show up” at festivals, he said.

“We are always with bulls,” Mr. Boix said of his fellow itinerants. They are often called recortadores, those who intercept the bull’s path, quickly sidestep its charging horns, then use their bodies like a bullfighter’s cape to steer the animal around. They are also called corredores, or runners, when sprinting alongside the animals.

“They see risk as a kind of entertainment,” said José Ramón Caballero de la Calle, a veterinary professor at Spain’s University of Castilla-La Mancha who treats festival bulls...

I love it.

Keep reading.

BONUS: Flashback to 2010, "Julio Aparicio, Spanish Bullfighter, Gored at Feria San Isidro, Plaza de Toros de las Ventas, Madrid (May 21, 2010)."

Plus, more at my "Pamplona" search link.

Don't Forget Your Halloween Goodies

At Amazon, "Shop - Up to 20% Off Halloween Candy.

Also, Halloween Shop --- Toys & Games.

Fight for Killer Whales Not Over for SeaWorld in San Diego (VIDEO)

Following-up from yesterday, "California Coastal Commission Bans Captive Breeding of Orcas at SeaWorld (VIDEO)."

At the Los Angeles Times, "What the Coastal Commission's ban on orca breeding means for SeaWorld":

If there's a star at SeaWorld San Diego, it's the 11 mammoth killer whales that thrill children and parents with their magnificent grace and acrobatic tricks.

So does the animal park have a future without Shamu?

That's the existential threat the San Diego theme park is facing after this week's stunning decision by the California Coastal Commission to ban captive breeding of the park's killer whales — as a condition of building a much larger $100-million holding facility.

The vote, condemned by the park, comes as SeaWorld tries to fend off criticism highlighted in the 2013 documentary "Blackfish" accusing the marine park of neglecting and abusing its killer whales.

SeaWorld has rejected those accusations but faced plummeting attendance and a constant barrage of public criticism. It planned to win back public support by building a much larger living environment for its orcas — a 450,000-gallon pool and a 5.2-million-gallon tank in place of its 1.7-million-gallon pen.

The Coastal Commission approved the plan, but placed restrictions on the park that could mean an end to SeaWorld's orca program. Without breeding or bringing in new orcas, its animals would grow old and die in the park, ending the shows permanently.

"It means that the California Coastal Commission is asking them to manage these animals to extinction in the state of California," said Grey Stafford, director of conservation at the Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium in Phoenix.

SeaWorld could abandon the project and allow the animals to live and continue performing in their current enclosure — in essence thumbing its nose at a growing chorus of critics.

But few see the company pursuing either option.

The twice-a-day shows by the animals, which weigh several tons, are by far the biggest attraction at the park, which also features other marine shows, animal exhibits, a roller coaster and water ride.

The commission's decision might complicate SeaWorld's future plans, but doesn't spell the company's demise, said James Hardiman, equity research analyst and managing director at Wedbush Securities.

"A lot would need to happen for SeaWorld's business to be over," he said. "This does not mark the end of SeaWorld." ...

Bill Hurly, past president of the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums, an international accreditation body, said he expects that SeaWorld will follow through on its threat to challenge the legality of the decision, a move that would be supported by the industry.

"If I were SeaWorld, I'd use my legal resources," he said.

Indeed, aquarium and zoo officials have blasted the Coastal Commission's restrictions, saying breeding programs help biologists improve their understanding of the behavior and habits of killer whales. They blamed the panel's vote on "misinformation" disseminated on social media by animal rights activists.

"Most of what is known about marine mammal reproduction has been learned by studying animals in zoological facilities," said Rob Vernon, a spokesman for the Assn. of Zoos & Aquariums.

Even so, the vote will likely give animal rights groups new momentum to call on local agencies throughout the nation to change the way animals in captivity are treated after several unsuccessful reform efforts.

A bill introduced in the California Legislature to ban killer whale shows at SeaWorld San Diego was tabled last year for further study, and its author confirmed later that he won't reintroduce it this year. In Vancouver, British Columbia, a parks board voted last year to halt the breeding program at the Vancouver Aquarium, but the ban was never implemented.

"Blackfish" director Gabriela Cowperthwaite said the commission's decision shows that the public is now taking a greater interest in how animals are treated.

"It's a sign that everyone is exercising any authority they might have over this place to force them to do the right thing," Cowperthwaite said.

Fuck 'em. Fuck the totalitarian leftists who have not one fun bone in their bodies.

The De-Valuing of America

Bill Bennett got in a lot of moral trouble when folks found out he had a multi-million dollar gambling addiction, but his broadsides against the collectivist left's war on traditional culture are like prophesies today.

It's out of print, but still worth a read, The De-valuing of America: The Fight for Our Culture and Our Children.

Police Department Shuts Down Placentia Heritage Day Parade

It's too hot out for a parade.

From the Placentia Police Department, "Heritage Day Parade stopped due to approx 30+ heat related illnesses. OCFA & PPD on scene and triaging."

And from the Orange County Fire Authority, "Placentia - Multiple heat related patients during a parade. 2150 block of Kraemer Blvd. OCFA PIO onscene. Time of call 11:45."

It's triple-digit weather in Orange County. Seems like parade organizers would have cancelled the parade on their own.

Freakin' Jacob deGrom Smokes Dodgers in Game 1 of NLDS (VIDEO)

From Bill Shaiken last night on Twitter, "Jacob deGrom's 97th pitch was 97 mph."

I tweeted this morning, "My gosh did you see the Mets' pitcher deGrom? That dude smoked the #Dodgers."

And now at the New York Times, "Straight Out of Hollywood: The New Guy Outpitches the Ace":

LOS ANGELES — Rawboned and gangling, he peered peek-a-boo over his glove, rocked and curled the ball behind his head. Sucking his lips hard against his teeth, he spun toward the plate, his right leg kicking up behind him, his hair a whirling dervish mop of locks.

All evening Friday, Jacob deGrom executed this delivery, tossing that most intriguing pitch: the seemingly effortless 97-98 miles per hour fastball. Some skidded sideways, others slithered downward. When for punctuation he tossed a couple of 3-2 changeups, the effect on the batters was almost unfair.

He completed seven innings, striking out 13 and walking just one. He gave up five hits. The Mets won, 3-1.

This was movie-set baseball playoffs on Friday evening. Fringed by palm trees and hills, Dodger Stadium sits against the backdrop of the San Gabriels, which turn red-hued as the sun sets. Add an autumnal heat wave, and the baseball crackled.

The Mets’ prospects did not look promising. The Dodgers started Clayton Kershaw, who is the arch deacon of National League pitchers. Zack Greinke will follow Saturday evening. Together they form the most fearsome pitching duo in the league.

The Mets’ young arms are formidable; their pitchers throw with microwave-dialed-high intensity. But Kershaw had been near unhittable of late. His style is sui generis. He stares samurai style into space somewhere over first base. Then he stretches his arms high over his head, like a cat in full stretch, and turns to the plate and unfolds a halting delivery. He has perhaps eight pitches, which arrive at speeds of between 97 and 74 miles per hour.

If you sit on his fastball, Kershaw’s changeup or sweeping curve can all but pull your shoulders out of sockets.

The Mets’ center fielder, Yoenis Cespedes, looking fashionable in his radioactive lime-green hitting sleeve, settled into the batter’s box in the first inning. Kershaw gave him a 96 m.p.h. hello. Two more strikes followed and Cespedes took a seat back in the dugout.

In his home stadium and throwing well, Kershaw should have been the story of the night.

But deGrom offered his own flip of that script. Friday’s matchup played as The Kid against the Ace; in fact, deGrom, 27, is just three months younger than Kershaw. His path to the majors had been as winding and tangled as Kershaw’s was straightforward.

DeGrom’s career plays as an improbable dice roll of chance, and a study in the tenuous nature of success for a pitcher. He played shortstop in college and only then turned to pitching. His statistics offered no hint of dominance.

The Mets drafted him in the ninth round. “We liked his attitude, and he was an athlete,” the Mets’ former general manager Omar Minaya said recently. “But you take a kid in the ninth round of the draft, you can’t claim you saw it all play out.”

The Mets’ staff is thick with golden boys. Their blond giant Noah Syndergaard got a signing bonus of $600,000 from the Toronto Blue Jays. Matt Harvey, the erstwhile Dark Knight, signed for a cool $2.5 million. (The Dodgers signed Kershaw to a bonus of $2.3 million.)

DeGrom signed for $95,000. The Mets packed him off to rural Tennessee and after six not-terribly-impressive starts he tore his ulnar collateral ligament. He embarked on a year of anonymous rehabilitation.

Somehow, improbably, his fastball gained a foot of hop. The kid who threw 93 now touches 98 m.p.h.. And he became a more polished pitcher; Johan Santana, who was rehabbing his shoulder, taught him to throw a changeup. He also broke a finger castrating a calf, which set him back. He finally made it to the majors last year, at age 26. Kershaw pitched his first season at age 20.

DeGrom throws with an insistent urgency, as if intent on wasting no more time...

Keep reading.

And see Bill Plaschke, at LAT, "Dodgers' Don Mattingly makes right call to pull Clayton Kershaw."

Scores Dead in Suicide Bombings at Peace March in Turkish Capital (VIDEO)

From Color Me Red, on Twitter, "Massacre in Turkey...at least 86 reported dead after bombing."

More at Weasel Zippers, "Video of terrorist bombing in Turkey," and Reuters, "Video captures moment of deadly Turkey blast."

And at the Telegraph UK, "Turkey bomb massacre kills 86 and injures over 180 at pro-Kurdish peace rally":

Warning: The video in this article shows the moment a bomb explodes at the peace rally killing at least 86 people and injuring over 180. Contains distressing scenes.

A double attack believed to be the work of suicide bombers on a march in the Turkish capital Ankara yesterday killed 86 people and injured more than 180 others in the worst terrorist outrage in the country’s modern history.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which was captured in dramatic video footage taken by a cameraman filming the start of the demonstration. A group of young activists doing a traditional Turkish dance flinch and duck as an sheet of orange flame punctures the sky behind them.

They had been setting off on a protest backed by the pro-Kurdish HDP political party and leftist secular groups calling for the government to make peace with the Kurdish guerrilla group, the PKK.

One of the men who can be seen in the video, Goksel Ilgin, told The Sunday Telegraph how the massive blast erupted right behind him.

“We started dancing the ‘halay’ dance as we were cheerful and determined to promote peace,” said Mr Goksin, who can be seen at the far right of the picture wearing a blue cardigan and jeans. “Then we heard a sudden blast about 15 metres behind us.

"After the explosion I was overcome by shock. I fell on my knees, and couldn't believe what I was seeing. Then 15 seconds later there was a second blast. We saw flags and pieces of bodies flying into the air.

"People were injured and running around unconsciously. It took ten to fifteen minutes for someone to slap me to get over the shock. She told me to walk fast and scream. I did and started to feel better.

"But I will never forget the smell of burned human flesh. Even after I left the scene, I couldn't help feeling it. So my friends made me smell some flowers and perfume to stop it. It took a few hours to smell the air again. I am OK now but I will never forget it."

Keep reading.

Also, at the Wall Street Journal, "Pair of Explosions in Turkey’s Capital Kill at Least 86 People."

Black Bear Caught on Video in Monrovia (VIDEO)

This is no ordinary bear either. It's a huge black bear with a deep brown coat.

He was just chilling around the neighborhood. A grown man would not be able to fight off a bear that size with his bare hands.

What a trip.

Watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "Large Bear Roams Monrovia Neighborhood."

Donald Trump's Exit Strategy

He'd quit the race rather than lose a primary.

Or so they say at the New York Times, "From Donald Trump, Hints of a Campaign Exit Strategy."

We'll see. As I always say, we'll see.

Controversy Over UCLA's ‘Kanye Western’ Theme Party (VIDEO)

At Instapundit, "UNIVERSITIES HAVE NO BUSINESS PUNISHING ANYONE FOR SPEECH, “OFFENSIVE” OR OTHERWISE: UCLA Is Investigating a Fraternity’s Offensive ‘Kanye Western’ Theme Party. It Shouldn’t."

And watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "UCLA Frat, Sorority In Hot Water After Hosting Kanye West-Themed Blackface Party."

Republican Party Chaos

Following-up from earlier, "Grass-Roots Anger Transforms Republican Party Establishment."

From Karen Tumulty, at WaPo, "The GOP sinks deeper into chaos. Can it still function as a party?":

Less than a year after a sweeping electoral triumph, Republicans are on the verge of ceasing to function as a national political party.

The most powerful and crippling force at work in the ­once-hierarchical GOP is anger, directed as much at its own leaders as anywhere else.

First, a contingent of several dozen conservative House members effectively forced Speaker John A. Boehner (Ohio) to resign rather than face a possibly losing battle to hold on to his job. Now they have claimed House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), who had been considered the favorite to replace Boehner until he announced Thursday that he is dropping out of the race.

With no obvious replacement for Boehner in sight, “it is total confusion — a banana republic,” said Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.). “Any plan, anything you anticipate — who knows what’ll happen? People are crying, they don’t have any idea how this will unfold, at all.”

Parallel currents of rage and chaos have been roiling the 2016 presidential race, diminishing hopes that an eventual nominee can bring order and direction to the increasingly dysfunctional party.

Initially, GOP elders believed that their primary would be a showcase for a cast of ­well-regarded senators and governors, current and former. They were confident it would be an appealing contrast to the quirky group of GOP candidates who had run in 2012, and to the Democratic contest, where Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared to be cruising to the nomination.

But government experience has become a liability for Republicans, rather than a credential. Celebrity billionaire Donald Trump, the leader in every poll, has rallied the conservative base by mocking the entire GOP establishment as weak and feckless. Many of the other candidates have followed his lead.

“You know Kevin McCarthy is out, you know that, right?” Trump crowed to a crowd of about 1,500 in Las Vegas, “They’re giving me a lot of credit for that, because I said you really need somebody very, very tough — and very smart.”

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, a presidential contender at the back of the pack, added in a statement blasted out by e-mail: “The race for Speaker of the House is not about Kevin McCarthy, it’s about burning the corrupt Washington political machine to the ground and rebuilding our country.”

The forces that have made the House ungovernable are coming from the same wellspring of insurgency, beginning with the tea party movement, that propelled the Republicans back into control of Congress...

Still more.

Let's Rip Raven-Symoné for Ripping Black Names

A bird's eye view to our fucked up culture, from Jamilah-Asali Isoké Lemieux, at Ebony, "Raven-Symoné Rips Black Names, But Forgot About Her Own."

And here's all the fuss, "The View‘s Raven-Symoné: I Discriminate Against ‘Ghetto’ Names Like ‘Watermelondrea’."

Grass-Roots Anger Transforms Republican Party Establishment

It's hard out there for a Republican.

At WSJ, "Grass-Roots Anger Transforms Republican Party in Congress and Presidential Campaign":

WASHINGTON—The insurgent uprisings rocking the Republican Party in Congress and the presidential campaign are creating heartburn among establishment party figures, who worry an unguided fury will keep the GOP from reclaiming the White House next fall. But that same turmoil is eliciting cheers from many in the party’s grass roots, who, far from fearing the turbulence, think it serves their burning desire to force changes in the government.

Both sides suspect that the Grand Old Party, long run by a hierarchical and well-organized elite, is being transformed by the conservative anger that initially propelled the party back to congressional power in 2010.

The shocking news that Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) abandoned his bid to become House speaker on Thursday put an exclamation point on the party’s divisions. Coming on the heels of House Speaker John Boehner’s own surprise resignation, the episode showed the growing clout of the activist wing of the party, which is also fueling the White House bids of celebrity real-estate developer Donald Trump and other political newcomers.

“Everyone in Washington is in denial and they wonder when this bubble is going to burst; it ain’t going to burst,” said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. “The House Republican turmoil is a symptom of the larger tidal wave. It is not a problem in itself.”

One GOP presidential candidate openly taunted his party’s leaders over the upheaval in Washington. “It’s bedlam in Washington right now,” Mr. Trump declared at an event Thursday in Las Vegas. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

GOP lawmakers are hoping that the storm in Congress will be calmed if Rep. Paul Ryan, a conservative who enjoys respect across the party, can be persuaded to run for speaker. On the presidential trail, many establishment-oriented Republicans are despairing of finding a way to restore order—other than to wait for the insurgent spirit to burn out and let a more conventional candidate emerge and lead the party into 2016.

“It’s quite a mess,” said Fergus Cullen, a former chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party. “What went on in D.C. is a reminder it’s not just confined to the presidential race.”

The fissures first appeared before President Barack Obama took office but have grown pronounced now that he is on his way out. The tumult is driven by long-simmering, grass-roots frustration with the party establishment since George W. Bush’s presidency.

The turmoil produced some of the party’s biggest successes—the GOP takeover of the House, its dominance in state governments around the country and its seizure of Senate control—but also stacked Congress with more conservative, confrontational lawmakers. One factor is the absence of one clear national leader. Conservative groups and talk-radio hosts have filled the void, agitating against party leaders or anyone deemed an “establishment figure.”

Still more.

The Outrage Industry

I just found out about this book, from Jeffrey Berry and Sarah Sobieraj, The Outrage Industry: Political Opinion Media and the New Incivility.

Also, from Alan Abramowitz, The Polarized Public: Why American Government is so Dysfunctional.

Democrats Move Left on Immigration, Republicans Move Right

Well, it must have taken Einstein to figure that out.

At LAT, "Democrats move left on immigration, GOP to the right":

American views on immigration have grown more polarized, with Republicans taking harder-line positions as Democrats and independents take more liberal stands, a new poll indicates.

The shift can be seen on several issues, including whether children born in the U.S. to people in the country illegally should be eligible for citizenship. Over the last nine years, Democrats have become steadily more supportive of so-called birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed by the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. Republicans have become slightly more opposed to it.

Just more than half of Republicans favor amending the Constitution to end birthright citizenship, according to a new poll by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. Donald Trump is among the leading Republicans who have called recently for ending birthright citizenship, although Trump has argued the change could be made without amending the Constitution.

Fewer than 1 in 4 Democrats back an end to birthright citizenship, the poll found. That's a notable shift since 2006, when slightly more than 1 in 3 Democrats took that position. Among independents, 37% would back a constitutional amendment, down from 44% in 2006. Blacks and Latinos have both become more opposed to an amendment, as have Americans younger than 50.

A similar shift has taken place on the issue of building a fence along the entire U.S. border with Mexico. Overall public opinion has remained stable, with just less than half of Americans backing the idea. But support has grown in the GOP, from 65% in a 2007 Pew survey to 73% now. Democrats have gone in the opposite direction, from 37% support to 29%.

Despite the intense campaign debate among Republicans over immigration, two-thirds of Republicans continue to say that they believe that at least some immigrants in the U.S. illegally should be allowed to stay. One-third say they should not be allowed to stay, the position taken by Trump and several other GOP presidential candidates.

Armed Activists Protest Obama Visit to Roseburg, Oregon (VIDEO)

From Nina Mehlhaf, on Twitter, "Anti-Obama protestors already gathering at Roseburg airport-some w/ holstered guns saying not to politicize tragedy," and "More Roseburg protestors showing off their right to carry guns well ahead of the President's arrival."

Also at Gateway Pundit, "HUNDREDS TURN OUT to Protest Barack Obama in Oregon “Go Golf!” (VIDEO)." (Via Memeorandum.)

And watch, "AMAZING turnout today to protest Obama in Oregon after the mass shooting at Umpqua College."

California Coastal Commission Bans Captive Breeding of Orcas at SeaWorld (VIDEO)

Look, leftists are trying to shut down SeaWorld, and they're winning.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Coastal Commission bans captive orca breeding at SeaWorld San Diego."

And at the San Diego Union-Tribune, "The Coastal Commission’s dubious decision to ban whale sex at SeaWorld":

The authoritarian decision by the California Coastal Commission to ban breeding of killer whales at SeaWorld San Diego seemingly carries the unusual assertion that the commission has the authority to regulate mammalian procreation in the coastal zone. The legal foundation for that is clearly shaky.

The commission was already on dubious legal ground when its staff demanded that, as a condition of approval for SeaWorld’s proposal to double the size of its orca habitat, it agree to take no more whales from the wild. That is a federal issue; the park is licensed and authorized to operate as a public display facility for orcas under two federal animal-welfare laws. But SeaWorld hasn’t taken any whales from the wild for 35 years anyway, so it agreed to that condition before Thursday’s hearing.

The new conditions prohibiting captive breeding and whale transfers, apparently meaning SeaWorld also cannot bring orcas here from its other parks, were another matter. They will over time mean the end of the park’s whale programs. And that could mean the end of SeaWorld, at least in San Diego.

The commission decision was based on emotion and shallow animal-rights politics. It fails to recognize that breeding is a fundamental part of orca life...

Common Response After Killings in Oregon: 'I Want to Have a Gun'

Makes sense. Well, that is if you're a normal American.

At the New York Times.

8th-Grader Wearing Patriotic Pro-Veteran T-Shirt Sent Home from Dexter McCarthy Middle School in Gresham, Oregon (VIDEO)

This stuff is despicable and out of control.

At KOIN News 6 Portland, "Principal sends student home for patriotic shirt with gun."

UPDATE: Linked at Legal Insurrection, "8th Grader sent home for patriotic shirt with gun image on it (#IStandWithAlan)." Thanks!

Renee Ellmers Resignation Rumors

Kevin McCarthy resignation rumors as well.

At Twitchy, "DEVELOPING: Amid affair rumors, Kevin McCarthy and Renee Ellmers expected to resign?"

PREVIOUSLY: "The Renee Ellmers Rumor and Kevin McCarthy’s Decision (CACHED)."

HIllary Clinton's Laughable Internet Illiteracy

From Ashe Schow, at the Observer, "Hillary Clinton’s (Democrat) Woman Privilege":

The drip, drip of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s emails has revealed one narrative that doesn’t seem to have been played up in the media.

Hillary Clinton is technologically illiterate. If she were a Republican man, she would be chastised for being so bad at, well, everything that has to do with technology. Heck, if she were a Republican woman, she’d be ripped to shreds as a moron on par with how the media treated former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin or former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. If either of those two women couldn’t figure out how to find an NPR station, for example (as Ms. Clinton couldn’t), they would be the subject of continuous mockery.

Saturday Night Live’s repeated skits about Ms. Palin, for example, led many people to believe the former 2008 vice presidential candidate actually said she could see Russia from her backyard.

But with Ms. Clinton, the comedy sketches to date have been tepid (humorous, but tepid) and have avoided her obvious failings with technology. Now would be the time to list a couple examples of Ms. Clinton’s—let’s call them “disagreements”—with technology, but I think the sheer number of these instances needs to be pointed out. I’m also going to include some other instances of Ms. Clinton showing she’s out of touch with regular people...

Keep reading. It's gold.

Stunning Footage of the Northern Lights

Watch:

Hamas Chief Calls Surge of Violence a New Palestinian Intifada (VIDEO)

At the Times of Israel, "Hamas leader declares ‘intifada’ in the West Bank":

Hamas’s chief in Gaza on Friday called violence that has hit Israel and the West Bank in recent days an “intifada” and urged further unrest.

“We are calling for the strengthening and increasing of the intifada… It is the only path that will lead to liberation,” Ismail Haniyeh said during a sermon for weekly Muslim prayers at a mosque in Gaza City.

“Gaza will fulfill its role in the Jerusalem intifada and it is more than ready for confrontation,” he added.

The Islamic terror movement Hamas rules Gaza, the Palestinian enclave squeezed between Egypt and Israel and separated from the West Bank.

Gaza has been the site of three wars with Israel since 2008, but it has remained mainly calm amid the recent unrest in Israel and the West Bank...

Also at the Guardian UK, "Violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories – the Guardian briefing," and "Hamas leader in Gaza declares intifada as deadly attacks continue."

National Dialogue Quartet wins Nobel Peace Prize (VIDEO)

It's the Tunisian pro-democracy group that pushed the Arab Spring.

At USA Today, "Tunisia's National Dialogue Quartet wins Nobel Peace Prize":

The 2015 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Tunisia's National Dialogue Quartet for its efforts to bring democracy to the country, where the political upheaval in 2011 sparked pro-democracy movements throughout the Arab world.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised the group "for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011."

“It established an alternative, peaceful political process at a time when the country was on the brink of civil war,” the committee said.

The National Dialogue Quartet is made up of four organizations: the Tunisian General Labour Union; Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts; Tunisian Human Rights League; and Tunisian Order of Lawyers....

More.

Plus, so far so good, at the Times of Israel, "Tunisia’s elections represent yet another Muslim Brotherhood defeat."

The Renee Ellmers Rumor and Kevin McCarthy’s Decision (CACHED)

This was at Memeorandum earlier today, "The Renee Ellmers Rumor and Kevin McCarthy's Decision."

But clicking through shows that the post, at Red State, was taken down. It turns out Congresswoman Ellmers got a cease and desist order against Erick Erickson. See Matt Lewis, "Why did Kevin McCarthy quit?"

The cached version of Red State is here, "The Renee Ellmers Rumor and Kevin McCarthy’s Decision."

These are salacious rumors. Renee Ellmers is a hot woman. See Terresa Monroe-Hamilton, at Right Wing News, "Rumored Renee Ellmers Affair Helps Drive Establishment Squish Kevin McCarthy Out of Speaker’s Race [Video]."

France Train Hero Spencer Stone Stabbed in Sacramento Street Fight (VIDEO)

The Sacramento Police Department's going all out in stressing that the knife attack on decorated hero Spencer Stone wasn't terrorism.

See the Sacramento Bee, "Train hero Spencer Stone stabbed, in serious condition."

But news reports out of Britain say that authorities are searching for two "Asian" suspects, which for the politically correct British media means two Muslim suspects. See Jihad Watch, "Spencer Stone stabbing: police searching for two “Asian” male suspects, say attack not terrorism":

The Daily Mail is a British paper, and in the British press, “Asian” is the universally-employed code word for “Muslim.” If this British paper is suddenly using the word to refer, as in the American custom, to people from China or Japan, they’re not saying so. It is also possible that the Sacramento police said they were looking for “Asians,” by which they really did mean Chinese or Japanese or Koreans or Southeast Asians, etc., and the Daily Mail is too careless to note the difference in usage.

And so now the plot thickens. Police are insisting this attack had nothing to do with terrorism, but they always do that, no matter what the circumstances. If Spencer Stone was indeed stabbed by Muslims, then the possibility that the stabbing was related to his stopping the jihad attack on the French train cannot be dismissed out of hand...

Also at Atlas Shrugs, "Watch VIDEO: CCTV of Fight, France Train Hero Stabbed, Police Hunt 'Asians,' aka Muslims."

The 7-inch Amazon Fire Tablet

They're hoping to do high volume with these.

At Amazon, Fire, 7" Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB - Includes Special Offers, Black.

Plus, from Orlando Figes, A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution: 1891-1924.

Germany Faces Few Mass Shootings Amid Tough Gun Laws

Well, we're not Germany, but then, leftists never tire of attacking America's tradition of freedom and basic constitutional guarantees.

At the New York Times.

Gun-Free America

At Reason TV:



BONUS: From Charles Cooke, at National Review, "An Open Rant Aimed at Those Who Would Repeal the Second Amendment."

Governor Jerry Brown Signs Assisted Suicide Bill Into Law

There's supposed to be all kinds of safeguards with the legislation, but I still don't like it.

At the Los Angeles Times, "After struggling, Jerry Brown makes assisted suicide legal in California."

FLASHBACK: "Assisted Suicide of Healthy 79-Year-Old Raises Right to Die Issues."

Abigail Ratchford Slow-Motion Video

At Zoo Today, "Abigail Ratchford's slow-motion bouncing boobs!"

Donald Trump Beats Rivals in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania (VIDEO)

He's like the energizer bunny.

At CNN, "Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton lead in swing state polling."

'Open Your Eyes'

Actually, a corny song, complete with campy theatrics.

But then, with the level of political ignorance among today's youth, old Stiv might've been onto something.

The Lords of the New Churchs, "Open Your Eyes."

Video games train the kids for war. Army chic in high-fashion
stores.

Law and order's done their job. Prisons filled while
the rich still rob.

Assassination politics. Violence rules
within' our nation's midst.

Well ignorance is their power tool. You'll only know what they want you to know.

The television cannot lie. Controlling media with smokescreen eyes.

They play a politician's picture show. The acting's lousy but the blind don't
know.

They scare us all with threats of war. So we forget
just how bad things are.

You taste the fear when you're all
alone. They gonna git'cha when you're on your own.

The silence
of conspiracy. Slaughtered on the altar of apathy.

You gotta
wake up from your sleep. 'Cause meek inherits earth...six feet
deep.

Open your eyes see the lies right in front of ya.

Open your eyes...

Charlotte McKinney Posted Sexy Selfie in Plunging Top on Instagram on Wednesday

At London's Daily Mail, "'Late night on set!' Charlotte McKinney posts a sexy selfie in plunging top."

And on Instagram, "Late night on set .. Excited to share with you guys."

Plus, flashback, "Charlotte McKinney: They're Real. And They're Spectacular (VIDEO)."

Governor Jerry Brown Signs Major Climate Change Bill (VIDEO)

At the San Diego Union-Tribune, "California governor signs major climate change bill to boost renewables, building efficiency."

Also, "California wants renewable energy for half its power by 2030."



And flashback to June, from Joel Kotkin, "Putting climate change ahead of constituents."

Jessica Mendoza Attacked After Debut in Nationally Televised Postseason Broadcast

I just don't see what's the big deal. If she knows her stuff, let her get out there and announce some games.

At the New York Times, "Criticized for Being a ‘Woman Announcer,’ Jessica Mendoza Shines Anyway."

And flashback to August, "Jessica Mendoza Debuts on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball."

Iraq After Russian Intervention in Syria

From Patrick Martin, at the Institute for the Study of War:

The Russian formation of a coordination cell in Baghdad is an inflection point aimed at undercutting U.S. influence over the direction of the anti-ISIS efforts in Iraq and Syria. However, the Russian footprint in Iraq is much smaller than in Syria, while U.S. influence over the ISF and Iraqi state are much greater than U.S. influence in Syria. The U.S. and the U.S.-led Coalition can maintain its position as Iraq’s essential ally in the anti-ISIS fight by increasing advisory, materiel, and aerial support to the Iraqi state, without substantially increasing its ground presence. Such changes must prepare Iraq to recapture territory from ISIS quickly in order to demonstrate the value of cooperation with the U.S.

Why Frequent Sex Increases a Woman's Pregnancy Odds

News you can use, at Instapundit, "NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF SCIENCE."

Christopher Harper-Mercer Discharged from Army After Attempting Suicide

Well, I knew he was discharged from the Army after just weeks of basic training, but I didn't know that was the reason.

At the Wall Street Journal, "Alleged Oregon Shooter Discharged From Army After Suicide Attempt":

The gunman who allegedly killed nine people and wounded nine others at a rural community college in Oregon last Thursday had been discharged from the Army after attempting to commit suicide, according to law-enforcement officials familiar with the case.

Christopher Harper-Mercer, who was 26 years old at the time of the shooting, was discharged from basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., after just one month in 2008. The Army said it couldn’t confirm details of his discharge due to privacy regulations. But law-enforcement officials familiar with the investigation into last week’s mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg said the discharge occurred after Mr. Harper-Mercer tried to take his own life.

The details of the suicide attempt haven’t been made public. But it is the latest indication that Mr. Harper-Mercer—described by former friends and neighbors as a disaffected loner who loved firearms and disliked religion—had been deeply troubled long before opening fire on fellow students and a teacher in Oregon.

The Army discharge didn’t affect Mr. Harper-Mercer’s ability to legally purchase firearms. He didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge, which would have required a court-martial, according to an Army spokesman. Because he didn’t have that type of discharge, often deemed equivalent to a felony, he wasn’t precluded from buying guns under existing federal law.

The nature of his administrative separation is protected by privacy laws, and an Army spokesman said it could have been for a wide variety of reasons.

Mr. Harper-Mercer’s parents couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific events that unfolded on Thursday,” the family said in a statement Saturday. “Our thoughts, our hearts and our prayers go out to all of the families of those who died and were injured.”

An official with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said last week that a total of six guns—five pistols and a rifle—were recovered from where the shooting took place, along with a steel-enhanced flak jacket and five magazines of ammunition. Eight more guns were found at the nearby apartment that Mr. Harper-Mercer shared with his mother, officials said.

The guns all appeared to have been purchased through a federally licensed firearms dealer by Mr. Harper-Mercer or his relatives, federal officials said.

Friends and neighbors have described Mr. Harper-Mercer as reclusive and odd, and also having shown a keen interest in guns. A classmate also told The Wall Street Journal that he attended a school for emotionally troubled students while living in Torrance, Calif. And in online postings linked to his email account, Mr. Harper-Mercer showed a fascination with mass shootings.

At a Wednesday news conference, Oregon authorities said that two plainclothes Roseburg police detectives were the first to confront Mr. Harper-Mercer after he opened fire on a writing class at the college. The two came across Mr. Harper-Mercer in a hallway and exchanged fire with him, wounding him once...

Still more.

Simon Sebag Montefiore, Stalin

I've been dipping into this the last few days, and it's finally starting to grab a hold of me.

At Amazon, Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar.

Eve Hewson Teaches You How to Text a Girl (VIDEO)

It's Bono's daughter.

At GQ, "Don't let your bad texting get in the way of a great thing."

Gallup Won't Do Tracking Polls for Campaign 2016

Well, Gallup's not doing tracking polls right now, and so far it has no plans to.

An interesting piece, at Politico, "Gallup gives up the horse race."

Radical Feminists Storm Red Carpet at London Premiere of 'Suffragette' (VIDEO)

Check out the homepage of these radical feminists, Sisters Uncut:

We are Sisters Uncut. We stand united with all self-defining women who live under the threat of domestic violence, and those who experience violence in their daily lives. We stand against the life-threatening cuts to domestic violence services. We stand against austerity.

In the UK, two women a week on average are killed at the hands of a partner or ex-partner. The cuts make it harder for women to leave dangerous relationships and live safely.

Safety is not a privilege. Access to justice cannot become a luxury. Austerity cuts are ideological but cuts to domestic violence services are fatal.

Every woman’s experience is specific to her; as intersectional feminists we understand that a woman’s individual experience of violence is affected by race, class, disability, sexuality and immigration status.

Doors are being slammed on women fleeing violence. Refuges are being shut down, legal aid has been cut, social housing is scarce and private rents are extortionate.

What’s more, local councils are selling out contracts to services who are running them on a shoestring – putting the safety of survivors at risk and deteriorating the working conditions for those who work with abused women.

To those in power, our message is this: your cuts are sexist, your cuts are dangerous, and you think that you can get away with them because you have targeted the people who you perceive as powerless.

We are those people, we are women, we will not be silenced. We stand united and fight together, and together we will win.

Demands

No more cuts to domestic violence services

Restore funding that has been cut

Secure funding for specialist domestic violence services; this should be ring-fenced* at a national level

Local Authorities to fully meet the demands of their communities, recognising that different women have different needs
Guaranteed access to legal aid for women experiencing domestic violence

Provide access to safe and secure social housing for women who otherwise cannot afford to flee

Panic rooms should not be classified as a spare room under the Bedroom Tax

Safety should not be subject to immigration status; extend access to safe housing to women with no recourse to public funds

The Year We Obsessed Over Identity

One of the themes of my earlier post is how the Democrats have become a cultural Marxist party on identity politics, while keeping a surprisingly centrist economic policy. See, "How Did the Democrats Become Favorites of the Rich?"

And there's more on that, especially on the larger pop cultural trends, at the New York Times, "2015's headlines and cultural events have confronted us with the malleability of racial, gender, sexual and reputational lines. Who do we think we are?"

Holly Williams Reports on Russia's Attacks on Opposition Forces in Syria (VIDEO)

Following-up from last night, "U.S. Concludes Russia Targeting CIA-Backed Rebels in Syria (VIDEO)."

And here's Holly Williams, at CBS News This Morning, "Russians launch new airstrikes on Syrian opposition forces."

How Did the Democrats Become Favorites of the Rich?

This is interesting, from Thomas Edsall, at the New York Times.

Obama's Justice Department to Release 6,000 Prisoners, the So-Called 'Non-Violent' Drug Offenders

I'm obviously not so thrilled about this, but Obama promised a fundamental transformation, so there you go.

At the New York Times, "6,000 Inmates to Be Freed as U.S. Tries New Tack on Drugs."

Also at Pajamas, "Happy Halloween! Feds to Release 6,000 Prisoners at End of Month."

FLASHBACK: From Heather Mac Donald, at City Journal, "Is the Criminal-Justice System Racist?"

Do Civilians with Guns Ever Stop Mass Shootings?

From Helen Smith, at Pajamas.

Far-Left Politics and the Obama Justice Department

At WSJ, "Notable & Quotable: Justice and the Obama Justice Department."

It's from Michael Mukasey, at the September issue of Hillsdale College's Imprimis magazine, "Justice and the Obama Justice Department."

Water Rationing in the Central California Town of Okieville

Yeah, rationing in the Central Valley, something you won't see in Beverly Hills and Malibu.

At CBS News 5 San Francisco:



And at the Los Angeles Times, "#drylandsCA: The drought’s hard lesson: ‘When water is life’."

LAPD Officers Feared Ambush Because of Rappers' Video

At the Los Angeles Times, "LAPD shooting: Officers feared ambush after seeing video, attorney says":

For days, a 15-second video circulated on social media that alarmed Los Angeles police.

Taken from a vehicle parked behind a black-and-white police cruiser in downtown L.A., the clip opened with a view of the patrol car then flashed down to show someone holding a revolver. The person showed the gun off for the camera, then cut back to the patrol car as an officer got out and walked away.

Worried the video was a threat against its officers, LAPD officials briefed the rank-and-file about the recording, warning officers in roll call meetings to be on alert.

On Tuesday, police said that the department’s robbery-homicide detectives — tasked with investigating the LAPD’s more complex and high-profile cases — now believe the video wasn’t a threat against officers but a promotional video filmed by an early 1990s rap group trying to earn street cred and make a comeback.

The clip, however, has already had serious consequences. Investigators have arrested one person who they say was in the car at the time and have a warrant for the man they believe was holding the gun.

Meanwhile, an attorney representing two officers who fatally shot a man Saturday night said the pair had seen the video and thought they were under attack when the man threw what turned out to be a beer bottle through their patrol car’s back window.

Attorney Gary Fullerton said the video was discussed in at least two roll call meetings that the officers attended, including one the same day as the shooting. The officers were also warned that they might be ambushed from behind, he said.

“Both officers were very focused on that,” Fullerton said. “When the window got blown out, they looked at each other and said, 'We're being shot at.'“

Fullerton said that after the shooting, the officers told investigators they thought they were being attacked because of the video they had seen.

The lawyer said that even if the video wasn't a threat, there are others who do want to harm police officers. He defended the officers' actions, saying it was reasonable for them to think they were being fired upon.

“Officers feel very, very vulnerable out there right now. They feel that at any moment somebody could attack them,” he said. “The officers feel terrible because they were 100% convinced that the guy was shooting at them.”

As of Tuesday evening, the man's name had not been released by coroner's officials, who are still trying to locate his family. He was the 18th person shot and killed by LAPD officers this year.

LAPD officials said the man walked up behind the police cruiser, which was stopped at a red light in Van Nuys, and threw a 40-ounce beer bottle, shattering the car's back window. The two officers bailed out of the car and opened fire, killing the man.

When investigators searched his body and the nearby scene, police said, they did not find a weapon...

Keep reading.

U.S. Concludes Russia Targeting CIA-Backed Rebels in Syria (VIDEO)

Holly Williams has the report at the CBS News clip below.

And at the Wall Street Journal, "U.S. Sees Russian Drive Against CIA-Backed Rebels in Syria":

Russia has targeted Syrian rebel groups backed by the Central Intelligence Agency in a string of airstrikes running for days, leading the U.S. to conclude that it is an intentional effort by Moscow, American officials said.

The assessment, which is shared by commanders on the ground, has deepened U.S. anger at Moscow and sparked a debate within the administration over how the U.S. can come to the aid of its proxy forces without getting sucked deeper into a proxy war that President Barack Obama says he doesn’t want. The White House has so far been noncommittal about coming to the aid of CIA-backed rebels, wary of taking steps that could trigger a broader conflict.

U.S. officials said Russia’s targeting of its allies on the ground was a direct challenge to Mr. Obama’s Syria policy. Underlining the distrust, the Pentagon decided against sharing any information with Moscow about the areas where U.S. allies were located because it suspected Russia would use that information to target them more directly or provide the information to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

“On day one, you can say it was a one-time mistake,” a senior U.S. official said of Russia’s strike on one of the allied rebel group’s headquarters. “But on day three and day four, there’s no question it’s intentional. They know what they’re hitting.”

U.S. officials say they now believe the Russians have been directly targeting CIA-backed rebel groups that pose the most direct threat to Mr. Assad since the campaign began on Wednesday, both to firm up regime positions and to send a message to Mr. Obama’s administration.

Russian officials said last week that they had launched the air campaign in Syria to fight the extremist group Islamic State and other terrorists—adopting the language that the Syrian regime uses to refer to all its opponents. U.S. intelligence officials said the primary mission of the operation appeared to be shoring up the Assad regime and preventing rebels gaining any additional ground on government-controlled areas, rather than fighting Islamic State.

A spokesman for Russia’s Embassy in Washington said: “Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has made it clear on multiple occasions that the airstrikes are targeted at ISIL [Islamic State], Nusra, and other terrorist groups.”

Top Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have described the current campaign as limited to airstrikes. But Adm. Vladimir Komoyedov, the head of the defense committee of Russia’s lower house of parliament, said he couldn’t rule out that Russian “volunteers” might surface in Syria, much as they did in Ukraine on the side of separatists, according to state news agency Interfax...

Russian "volunteers," like the "little green men" in Crimea back in early 2014. Funny how the "volunteers" just show up so conveniently in all the hot spots.

But keep reading.

Josephine Skriver Wicked Hot in Revealing Lingerie

She's a Victoria's Secret gal.

At Egotastic, "Jospehine Skriver just jumped several rungs on the sextastic ladder, both for Danish and international climbers, with her new revealing lingerie pimping particulars for Victoria's Secret."

And on Twitter.

'Whatever Gets You thru the Night...'

From the Sound L.A., during yesterday afternoon's drive time.

At Wikipedia:

This was Lennon's only solo number 1 single in the United States during his lifetime, and Lennon was the last member of The Beatles to achieve his first American number one solo hit. The recording featured Elton John on harmony vocals and piano. While in the studio, Elton bet Lennon that the song would top the charts, and such was Lennon's scepticism that Elton secured from him a promise to appear on stage at one of his performances should the record indeed hit number one. When the record did achieve that feat, Lennon appeared at Elton John's Thanksgiving performance at Madison Square Garden on 28 November 1974. It was his last major concert appearance.

Light My Fire
The Doors
3:33 PMCLICK TO EXPAND

Hot Blooded
Foreigner
3:22 PM

Back On the Chain Gang
Pretenders
3:18 PM

Old Time Rock & Roll
Bob Seger
3:15 PM

Straight On
Heart
3:11 PM

Hurts So Good
John Mellencamp
3:07 PM

Born to Be Wild
Steppenwolf
3:04 PM

Second Hand News
Fleetwood Mac
3:01 PM

London Calling
The Clash
2:52 PM

Whatever Gets You Thru the Night
Elton John & John Lennon
2:49 PM

Somebody to Love
Queen
2:44 PM

Welcome to the Jungle
Guns N' Roses
2:39 PM

Time
Pink Floyd
2:33 PM

Don't Stop Believin'
Journey
2:22 PM

Don't Do Me Like That
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
2:19 PM

Summer In the City
The Lovin' Spoonful
2:17 PM

Just What I Needed
The Cars
2:13 PM

Dana Loesch's Hands Off My Gun Out in Paperback!

Don't miss Dana's book in paperback, Hands Off My Gun: Defeating the Plot to Disarm America.

How About a Debate Over Common-Sense Mental-Health Laws?

At WSJ, "A Shooting in Oregon":

As we went to press Friday, federal, state and local authorities in Oregon were trying to piece together the inevitable puzzle of motive that led to the slaughter of at least nine students at a community college in the small town of Roseburg.

Sheriff John Hanlin of Douglas County, like law officers elsewhere recently, has ordered his staff not to use the name of the alleged killer, lest it merely glorify what he did. This is an understandable, if ultimately quixotic, gesture in the modern media age. The whole world soon will be saturated with the name of Chris Harper-Mercer and every possible detail—some of it true, some of it barely verified—of his life and the tragedy at Umpqua Community College.

One certainty in the wake of the massacre is that gun control will be discussed avidly for the next few weeks, as after past incidents. This debate emerged after a crazed gunman killed 12 individuals at the Navy Yard in Washington in 2013. And after a classroom in Newtown, the movie theater in Aurora and after Virginia Tech.

President Obama called for gun legislation: “This is a political choice that we make, to allow this to happen every few months in America.” But Americans did not choose to set a madman loose with a gun. Mr. Obama also called for “common-sense gun-safety laws.” The American people, we suspect, would like more evidence of which “common-sense” policies will work and which won’t before they consent to abrogating the Second Amendment.

Our own view remains that what deserves equal if not greater political attention are common-sense mental-health laws. It is now established that Harper-Mercer attended the Switzer Learner Center, in Torrance, Calif., which treats teenagers with emotional disabilities and mental-health problems. He ended up in Roseburg.

The element of untreated mental or emotional disturbance is present in most of the individuals who commit horrific mass killings in the U.S. If it is preordained that talking heads must argue for days now about guns in America, at least let some specialists enter the debate to discuss how identifying and treating disturbed brains might contribute to forestalling the madness of murdering innocent strangers...

More.

Leftists don't want a debate on mental health. They want to abolish the Second Amendment.

Just Out from Steven Lee Myers, The New Tsar

Well, Putin certainly seems more impressive by the day. This last week's maneuvering in Syria, with Russia bombing U.S.-backed rebels, was quite the move --- and with no repercussions from the Obama White House!

See Steven Lee Myers, The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin.

Disneyland Raises Annual Pass Prices (VIDEO)

When he was in high school, we bought our oldest son annual passes a couple of years in a row. They were about $400.00. Now the top-level pass is going for $1,000.00.

At the O.C. Register, "Disneyland raises annual pass prices, introduces $1,000 pass, and discontinues Premium pass."

Angels Still Feel Sense of Achievement After Season-Ending Loss

Well, I was saying so much the other day.

At LAT, "After season-ending loss, Angels still feel a sense of achievement":

The adrenaline rush from three weeks of playoff-intensity baseball and the euphoria of several heart-stopping victories gave way to the emptiness of a long, cold winter for the Angels on Sunday.

Postseason longshots after a 10-19 August, the Angels kept their playoff hopes alive right up to the final day of the season, going 20-10 in September and October, winning 12 of 13 one-run games since Sept. 9 and staging a remarkable comeback with a five-run ninth inning Saturday.

But those visions of a momentum-fueled run through October were dashed amid a flurry of walks, fielding miscues and hits during a 37-minute seventh inning in which the Texas Rangers scored six runs against five Angels relievers en route to a 9-2 victory in Globe Life Park.

Left-hander Cole Hamels, acquired from Philadelphia in a July 31 trade, gave up two runs, three hits and struck out eight batters in a complete-game effort to help the Rangers clinch their sixth American League West title and knock the Angels out of playoff contention.

Adding salt to the Angels' wounds: Houston lost to Arizona on Sunday. Had the Angels defeated Texas, they would have forced a one-game tiebreaker against the Astros on Monday to determine the second AL wild-card team. Instead, Houston will play the New York Yankees in Tuesday night's wild-card game...

More.

Plus, "Angels' rallying cry next year: Remember Game No. 161."

Gerod Roth Fired from Polaris Marketing Group for Racist Facebook Post

At the Atlanta Blackstar, via Memeorandum, "Multiple Firings After Racially Charged Facebook Remarks Mocking a Black Child Go Viral."

Also at London's Daily Mail, "White marketing employee fired after posting a selfie and hateful racist comments with the son of a black colleague calling the little boy a 'slave'."

Just one more reminder that social media often brings out the worst in people, and also that people are way to casual about the kind of stuff they post to their feeds, thinking that their indiscretions won't be seen by the wider world out there. Times have changed folks. While personally I've seen much worse online, clearly, especially given how adorable that kid is, some people need to dig down deep in search of some moral well of decency.

Claire Danes Discusses 'Homeland'

Season five's first episode was great. I especially liked agent Peter Quinn's debriefing on his two years spent in Syria, in a meeting to top CIA honchos (he says the U.S. needs 200,000 boots on the ground, if we're serious, and that Islamic State has a strategy, plans for a caliphate, while the U.S. has bupkes).

See Variety, "‘Homeland’ Recap: Meet the New Carrie Mathison in ‘Separation Anxiety’." And at WSJ, "‘Homeland’ Season Five Premiere: An Intelligence Expert Weighs In."

Obama Not Welcome in Roseburg, Says Local Newspaper Publisher (VIDEO)

You gotta love it.

From Lee Stranahan, at Big Government:

David Jaques, the publisher of the conservative newspaper the Roseburg Beacon, says he believes that President Obama would not be welcome to the town after making remarks politicizing the shooting that left nine dead and nine injured at Umpqua Community College on October 1. Jaques told Breitbart News that he believes officials of Douglas County would also not welcome the President using the tragedy to score political points for a gun control agenda.

Any visit by President would be “a campaign stop for agenda to take away American citizen’s right to own firearms” said Jaques in an exclusive interview...

Plus, watch here, "Roseburg Beacon publisher David Jaques says a problem Obama is not welcome after his comments politicizing the shooting death of nine people at Umpaqua Community College."

Discrimination Against Asian-Americans in College Admissions

It's not a new problem, but as we get even more diverse, especially with Chinese immigrants emerging as the fastest growing immigrant group, expect to see more controversy over race-based affirmative action policies.

See Robert Stacy McCain for the write-up, "Anti-Asian Discrimination: The Hidden Secret of Elite Educational ‘Diversity’."

And see if you can get to this piece, which I can still recall from back in the day, at WSJ, "Is Admissions Bar Higher for Asians at Elite Schools?"

Also, on Facebook, Asian Americans Against Affirmative Action.

U.S. Freighter El Faro Sunk by Hurricane Joaquin (VIDEO)

Jeez, this is freakin' rad.

At the New York Times, "US-Based Cargo Ship With Crew of 33 Sank in Storm."

The Breakdown of the Black Family

From Kay Hymowitz, at the Atlantic, "Mass Incarceration and the Uncomfortable Realities of Black Family Life":

With the publication of “The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration” Ta-Nehisi Coates has added an elegant and forceful voice to the growing frustration with the inefficacy and injustice of America’s criminal-justice system. Mandatory-sentencing laws, the War on Drugs, juvenile-justice sentences that seem to do more to create than deter criminals, racial arrest and sentencing disparities: All are ready for a tough national cross-examination.

But even in the unlikely event that Washington and state legislatures successfully adapt the nation’s crime policies to a safer, more racially sensitive era, the nation will still look around to find more black men in prison than it might expect or want. There’s a simple reason for that, one that Coates himself notes: Relative to other groups, blacks commit more crimes. To understand why is to tackle some very hard-to-talk-about realities of black family life.  And on that issue—and despite his announced interest in the topic—Coates has been the opposite of lucid.

Coates puts forward two interconnected, but flawed, theories about mass incarceration. First, he argues that there is no relationship between crime and incarceration rates, pointing his readers to a chart showing two apparently disparate trend lines. The first line shows crime levels rising dramatically after 1960; the second shows the rise in incarceration rates coming some 15 years later. Because of the 15-year gap, Coates concludes something other than a crime wave must have led Americans to lock up so many black men after 1975. “Imprisonment rates actually fell from the 1960s through the early ’70s,” he writes “even as violent crime increased … The incarceration rate rose independent of crime—but not of criminal-justice policy.”

That conclusion ignores something American history teaches over and over: The democratic process is groaningly, and often tragically, slow. Policy lags the most pressing social problems: Today’s exhibit A is immigration. “Thought leaders were slow to catch up,” after crime rates began falling and incarceration rates rising in the early 1990s, Coates observes. So too were they slow to catch up in the 1960s as crime was on the rise while incarceration rates moved not at all. It takes time to distinguish trends from blips, national changes from local upticks; witness the current debate over the significance of murder rates that are rising in Baltimore, St. Louis, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., while remaining relatively flat in New York and Los Angeles. Contemporary surveys of public opinion show precisely the expected reaction to rising crime. “Popular support for liberal policies on crime and rehabilitation grew steadily” from the 1930s until the mid 1960s,” according to Thomas and Mary Edsall. “At that juncture public opinion shifted decisively in a rightward direction as crime rates rose sharply.”

Courts and legislatures dawdled, as they often tend to do. Today’s agonizing pictures from Europe, though, illustrate how people, particularly parents, living under the threat of violence will vote with their feet if they possibly can. In the 1960s, whites still living in increasingly crime-ridden urban areas, and more than a few blacks, simply left for safer suburbs. (An excellent chronicle of how this played out in the South Bronx can be found here.) Those blacks who remained, often because of the discriminatory housing policies Coates describes, joined local community and church groups to demand more aggressive policing and harsher penalties for crimes, including for drug offenses.


Black alarm about crime raises doubts about Coates’s second theory, that “the carceral state” was a new “system of control,” of black people. According to this line of thinking, the reason Americans started putting more people in jail circa 1975—“mass incarceration” wasn’t “mass” for years after it started—was that they wanted to perpetuate a racial caste system, or as Coates puts it, to keep blacks “unfree.”

Keep reading.

Hymowitz is the author of, Marriage and Caste in America: Separate and Unequal Families in a Post-Marital Age.