Harney County Sheriff David Ward Says #Malheur Militiamen to Face Charges

From the headlines at the Memeorandum thread.

I'll have more when I see an interview with the sheriff (he's quite telegenic, it turns out).

Meanwhile, at the Portland Oregonian, "Militants ramp up rhetoric over fears police are about to hit":

It's Day 5 of the standoff. Here's the rundown on what you need to know about the militants occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge...

Click through for the details.

Here's this morning's previous entry, "LaVoy Finicum, Malheur Occupier, Claims FBI Issued Arrest Warrants for 5 Anti-Government Militiamen (VIDEO)."

Actually, despite their restraint so far, I think authorities are gearing up for a raid, and are bulking up reserve forces so they'll deploy overwhelming power. See, "Oregon militants: Kate Brown seeks 'swift resolution' to standoff."

I'll have updates throughout the day.

Another Leftist Pushes the Example of 'Gun Control' in Australia, Which is the Go-To Model for Mass Confiscation of Citizens' Firearms

USA Today reporter Trevor Hughes made the case for buying a gun a couple of weeks back, "Voices: Why I decided to buy a handgun."

Well, it turns out that Susan Miller, a colleague at USA Today, wasn't pleased that Mr. Hughes deigned to escape from the Democrat-leftist gun control plantation.

Here's Ms. Miller's piece, and I quote the de rigueur reference to the Australian gun "buy-back." See, "Voices: More guns are simply not the answer":

Australia instituted stricter gun laws in 1996, including a major buyback that reduced firearms in the country by 20%, and since then the nation has had no mass shootings, Lankford notes. “No country in the world seems to have figured out a way to have a large number of firearms and not have public mass shootings happen,” he says.

Nancy Lanza, the mother of Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza, was an enthusiastic gun owner who took her unbalanced son to shooting ranges. Did the fact that Nancy Lanza had an arsenal in her house save her from her gun-wielding son? No. Perhaps if she didn’t have that arsenal, and she hadn’t taken him to shooting ranges, the result would have been very much different...

That's it. That's it right there. Leftists simply do not believe citizens should be able to own firearms. If they didn't own firearms, the thinking goes, we wouldn't have mass shootings.

The sheer stupidity in this boggles the mind. Remember, there are too many variables in the gun debate to make any kind of predictions on what will stop massacres. All of this rests on "perhaps." Perhaps if Ms. Lanza hadn't taken her son to a shooting range? Hell, perhaps if Ms. Lanza never had Adam in the first place! Yes, that's it, just abort everyone and we'll certainly prevent more mass shootings. Pregnancy will become criminal, abortions mandatory, and eventually the remainder of the human race will be wiped out through death by attrition. People are a cancer on the planet, so that's obviously the plan. Yay progs!

Obama Tightens Rules for Gun Dealers — Which Will Do Little Other Than Allow Him to Duck the Real Questions

From Fordham Law Professor Nicholas Johnson, at the Wall Street Journal, "A Glittery Gun-Control Distraction":

On Tuesday President Obama announced that he would take executive action to expand the definition of a “firearms dealer.” The intent is to require more people who sell guns to first obtain a federal license—which obliges them to perform background checks on buyers. Unnoticed is that this action, taken under the banner of “common sense” gun control to make Americans safer, reverses a Clinton administration gun-control policy that also was supposed to make us safer.

The story begins with the 1968 Gun Control Act, which is the foundation of the current federal gun regulation. It requires, among other things, that commercial sellers of firearms obtain a federal firearms license or “FFL.” Regulators in the early 1970s, like the Obama administration today, pressed the gun-control agenda through aggressive interpretations of the 1968 law.

Those prosecutions targeted hobbyists and collectors who sold a few guns at gun shows. One collector who sold three firearms over a period of two years had his gun collection seized and was prosecuted in 1972 for dealing without license. Many prudent and fearful gun owners responded by obtaining federal firearm licenses, even though they did not have storefronts or retail operations.

By the 1990s, the gun control mantra had changed. The claim became that it was a problem to have so many federally licensed gun dealers around, and that “kitchen table gun dealers” constituted a hazard. A claim often heard was that the U.S. had more gun dealers than gas stations. No one explained why the laws and penalties against illegal trading might work differently for “kitchen table dealers,” and there was no empirical support for the idea that these individuals were less trustworthy than the people who ran gun stores. But that did not get in the way.

As a plum to gun-control groups, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms under Bill Clinton responded in 1994. The ATF changed the requirements for who could obtain a federal license for the retail sale of firearms (by, for instance, mandating actual storefront operations). The antigun Violence Policy Center celebrated the results in a 2007 policy paper that said the number of licensed dealers “has dropped 79 percent—from 245,628 in 1994 to 50,630.”

Now President Obama proposes moving the furniture around again. The ATF’s new guidance on the matter says that storefronts are irrelevant: “it does not matter if sales are conducted out of your home, at gun shows, flea markets, through the internet, or by other means.” The agency also emphasizes that “courts have upheld convictions for dealing without a license when as few as two firearms were sold.”

We’re coming full circle, back around to the policies of 1972. Prudent hobbyists and collectors, fearing that they might face prosecution under the new, broader definition of a gun dealer, will apply for federal firearms licenses. The impact on gun crime, which is already dramatically down since the 1970s, will be negligible...

Well, of course. None of this is about reducing crime rates and saving lives. If it were we'd be keeping prisoners behind bars and making it easier for everyday citizens to keep and bear arms. It's about pushing the collectivist agenda, which is mired in sick left-wing hypocrisy.

But keep reading.

And don't forget to pick up Dana Loesch's book, Hands Off My Gun: Defeating the Plot to Disarm America.

With $6,000 Deductibles, Carlsbad Woman Cancels Health Insurance, Will Pay #ObamaCare Tax (VIDEO)

She's not a libertarian crusader or anything either. She doing what she has to do to save money, and would be happy for single payer to come along.

Actually, this was the Democrat plan all along. Destroy the private health insurance model in an Cloward-Piven push to flood the rolls, bring the collectivist revolution, and take over the healthcare system in a final socialist putsch.

At ABC 10 News San Diego, "Big risk: Why this woman canceled her health insurance."

Looking Back at the Waco Siege (VIDEO)

This is something I've been thinking about, with this Oregon occupation going on.

Folks could get killed.

At CNN:

'Relentless' Pace of El Niño Storms Has Officials Concerned

It's not so much that we're having huge downpours, it's that they don't stop coming.

At the Los Angeles Times, "A steady conveyor belt of El Niño storms is what has officials concerned":

To understand the power and potential dangers of El Niño, look at satellite images of the Pacific Ocean on Sunday.

At least four storms were brewing — the farthest still getting going in Asia — and all aimed at California.

It's this pattern, a series of back-to-back-to-back storms seemingly arriving on a conveyor belt, that concerns officials bracing for potential damage from the predicted winter of heavy rains.

"El Niño storms: it's steady, not spectacular. But it's relentless," said Bill Patzert, climatologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge. "It's not 10 inches in 24 hours and nothing afterward. It's a 1-inch storm, a 2-inch storm, followed by a 1-inch storm, followed by a 2-inch storm...

Keep reading.

And ICYMI, "Jackie Johnson's Got Your Rainy Weather Forecast."

Here's Nightline's Report on Obama's Controversial Gun-Grabbing Executive Orders (VIDEO)

All the left can do is play on emotion.

It's really kind of pathetic. We're stuck with the Crybaby-in-Chief for another year.

Watch, via ABC News:

This Crowd Shot from Donald Trump's Massachusetts Rally is Absolutely Mind-Boggling

WaPo's Chris Cillizza is impressed:

Donald Trump went to Lowell, Mass. — a town about five miles south of the New Hampshire border — for one of his now-trademark big-arena rallies on Monday night. This is what the crowd looked like per WaPo's Jenna Johnson...

Click through for the photo and additional commentary.

Amberleigh West is Playboy's Miss January 2016 (VIDEO)

She'll be one of the final nude Playmates in Playboy magazine.

Watch, "Miss January Amberleigh West Gets in Touch with Her Sexy Side in Nature."

And at Bro Bible, "Amber Leigh West Is Playboy’s Miss January 2016 and She’s a Total Stunner."

Also, at the Chive, "Meet Playboy’s final nude centerfolds, Amberleigh West and Kristy Garett (21 Photos)."

LaVoy Finicum, Malheur Occupier, Claims FBI Issued Arrest Warrants for 5 Anti-Government Militiamen (VIDEO)

Following-up from yesterday, "Dave Ward, Harney County Sheriff, Says Steps Being Taken to Move Militiamen Off Malheur Reserve."

According to this KOIN report, the occupation is disrupting everyday life, and things have reached a boiling point. There's a huge law enforcement presence in the nearby community of Burn, and LeVoy Finicum says the FBI's got arrest warrants out for five of the militiamen.

Hopefully, they'll just pack up and go home without a freakin' gun battle. I suspect they've made their point and the restraint of the authorities so far has been quite admirable, to say the least.

Watch, at KOIN 6 News Portland:

Jennifer Lawrence Explains Her 'Slutty Power Lesbian' Style as She Poses in Bikini for Glamour Magazine

She's not serious, right?

I mean, it's hard to tell these days, since practically everyone's homosexual or thinks it's cool to be.

At Glamour, "Jennifer Lawrence Gives the No-Filter, No-B.S. Interview of Your Dreams."

(I read the interview. She thinks Planned Parenthood provides cancer screening, *smh*. )

And at London's Daily Mail, "'I've got t*** and ass': Jennifer Lawrence explains her 'slutty power lesbian' style as she poses in a bikini for Glamour while adding she 'doesn't date a lot'."

New Alessandra Ambrosio Bikini Pics

Well, life's rough for the Victoria's Secret bikini set, heh.

At London's Daily Mail, "'Forever on vacation!' Alessandra Ambrosio shows off her angelic body in a bikini as she strikes a pose on the beach in Brazil."

Roots of Ranchers' Land Dispute Stretch Back Decades (VIDEO)

At the Wall Street Journal, "Roots of Oregon Land Dispute Stretch Back Decades":

Behind the armed protest at a national wildlife preserve in Oregon lies a decadeslong struggle between agencies that manage vast tracts of federal land in the West and the ranchers, loggers and miners who depend on access to them for their livelihoods.

The U.S. government owns roughly 640 million acres of property in the country, much of it in the West—making up the majority of land in some states such as Utah, Oregon and Nevada. Fights with the government have intensified as it has added mandates to preserve the environment and wildlife, especially in times of drought and wildfires.

For more than 70 years in north Texas, Ken Aderholt’s family has grazed cattle on lush pastureland that hugs the Red River. So Mr. Aderholt was stunned, he said, when an official with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management told him in 2013 that about 650 acres of his approximately 900-acre property was federal public land.

“This land was bought and paid for and people struggled to acquire it, so for them to just come in and swoop in and say it’s theirs is pretty devastating,” said Mr. Aderholt. He filed a lawsuit in November saying the BLM has no right to his property, to which Mr. Aderholt said his family has held a deed since 1941.

The BLM, which declined to comment on Mr. Aderholt’s suit, contends that the land in the area had long been federal property but was never actively managed by the agency.

The tensions have become a growing political issue in western states, where some communities say federal land controls hurt their economies.

“These are more localized, spontaneous protests, but the issues are all the same: dissatisfaction and anger with the federal government over what they see as unnecessarily restrictive regulations of public lands to protect environmental values,” said Gregg Cawley, a political-science professor at the University of Wyoming and federal land policy expert.

The Oregon occupation, in its fourth day Tuesday, was spurred by a dispute involving rancher Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steven. A jury convicted the pair of arson after they set fires that spread to federal lands; they said they set the blazes to protect their property from invasive plants and prevent wildfires. They turned themselves in Monday to serve the remainder of a five-year prison sentence.

The occupiers, led in part by Ammon Bundy—the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a similar standoff with federal officials in 2014—indicated Tuesday that they were making plans to go home after certain conditions were met and local residents could better stand up for themselves. LaVoy Finicum, a protester and rancher from northern Arizona, said the group would leave the when “the state of Oregon is safe from threat and intimidation of a central power.” But they didn’t detail their exact demands, and it remained unclear when the occupation would end...

Keep reading.

Wheaton College Prepares to Fire Larycia Hawkins, Hijab-Wearing Professor Who Claimed Christains and Muslims Worship Same God

I didn't get a chance to blog this story earlier.

The woman's definitely a weirdo. And fired! Wow, that's major. But yes, it's a private Evangelical Protestant Christian college, and Professor Hawkins' pro-Muslim advocacy is not keeping with the mission of the institution, obviously. Frankly, she's a freakin' radical leftist who's working to destabilize the school's traditional program. It's so clean-cut it's ridiculous. And she's been there nine years. Man, you'd think someone might have seen this coming?

Here's the statement from the college, "Statement by Wheaton College Regarding Notice of Recommendation to Initiate Termination Proceedings as to Dr. Larycia Hawkins."

And at the Washington Post, "Wheaton is planning to fire professor who said Muslims and Christians worship the same God":

Wheaton College, an evangelical college in Illinois, had placed associate professor of political science Larycia Hawkins on administrative leave after she made a controversial theological statement on Facebook that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. The school has now begun the process to fire her due to an “impasse,” it said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Hawkins, a tenured political science professor, posted on Facebook that she would wear a hijab during the Advent season in support of Muslims.

“I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book,” Hawkins wrote on Facebook. “And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.”

It’s unclear what specific statement Hawkins was referring to from Pope Francis, though the pontiff said in November that “Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters.” The Catholic Church has taught since the Second Vatican Council that Muslims and Christians worship one God, though they view Jesus differently.

The theological debate has centered on how evangelicals teach about a Trinitarian God, meaning that they believe in a three-person God — God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit — existing as one being. Muslims do not believe in the Trinity.

“While Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic, we believe there are fundamental differences between the two faiths, including what they teach about God’s revelation to humanity, the nature of God, the path to salvation, and the life of prayer,” the college said in a Dec. 22 statement.

During Hawkins’s administrative review process, which was paused over the holidays, Wheaton administration requested a theological statement, which Hawkins submitted. She was put on leave through the spring semester pending review.

“Following Dr. Hawkins’ written response on December 17 to questions regarding her theological convictions, the College requested further theological discussion and clarification,” the college said in the statement. “However, as posted previously, Dr. Hawkins declined to participate in further dialogue about the theological implications of her public statements and her December 17 response.”

Hawkins, a tenured political science professor, posted on Facebook that she would wear a hijab during the Advent season in support of Muslims.

“I stand in religious solidarity with Muslims because they, like me, a Christian, are people of the book,” Hawkins wrote on Facebook. “And as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.”

It’s unclear what specific statement Hawkins was referring to from Pope Francis, though the pontiff said in November that “Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters.” The Catholic Church has taught since the Second Vatican Council that Muslims and Christians worship one God, though they view Jesus differently.

The theological debate has centered on how evangelicals teach about a Trinitarian God, meaning that they believe in a three-person God — God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit — existing as one being. Muslims do not believe in the Trinity.

“While Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic, we believe there are fundamental differences between the two faiths, including what they teach about God’s revelation to humanity, the nature of God, the path to salvation, and the life of prayer,” the college said in a Dec. 22 statement.

During Hawkins’s administrative review process, which was paused over the holidays, Wheaton administration requested a theological statement, which Hawkins submitted. She was put on leave through the spring semester pending review.

“Following Dr. Hawkins’ written response on December 17 to questions regarding her theological convictions, the College requested further theological discussion and clarification,” the college said in the statement. “However, as posted previously, Dr. Hawkins declined to participate in further dialogue about the theological implications of her public statements and her December 17 response.”

Hawkins has been asked to affirm the college’s statement of faith four times since she started teaching at Wheaton nearly nine years ago, according to the Chicago Tribune. She was called in over a paper on black liberation theology that the provost thought endorsed Marxism, the paper reported. She was reportedly asked to defend a Facebook photo showing her at a party inside a downtown Chicago home the same day as Chicago’s Pride Parade. And she was asked to affirm the college’s statement after suggesting that diversifying the college curriculum should include diplomatic vocabulary for conversations around sexuality, according to the Tribune.

Last month, college officials said in a statement that Hawkins’s administrative leave came from her theological statement that Christians and Muslims worship the same God, not her desire to wear a hijab, her race or her gender. The statement has sparked a larger discussion over theological questions and the identity of the evangelical college where faculty are required to sign a statement of faith. Attempts to reach Hawkins and college administrators on Tuesday were unsuccessful...

Still more.

Dying Lion Caught in Poacher's Snare Saved After Tourists on Safari Share Photos on Facebook

I think we can all agree that this is cruel and absolutely unacceptable.

At London's Daily Mail, "Happy ending for king of the jungle caught in a poacher's snare: Dying lion is rescued after staggering across road in front of horrified safari group in apparent plea for help."

Dying lion rescued after staggering in front of horrified safari group https://t.co/LCYIANH5ZM pic.twitter.com/dAoRgnPMJM

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) January 5, 2016

Jackie Johnson's Got Your Rainy Weather Forecast

She's been quite accurate, heh.

Obama Wipes Away Crocodile Tears During Call for New Gun Confiscation Measures (VIDEO)

At this point, it's all for show.

Even CNN's Kate Bolduan asked panelists if it wasn't all optics by now.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Obama announces crackdown on gun purchases, but it illustrates limits of his office."



More, at Twitchy, "'Enough to make you physically sick': Media lapdogs swoon over weepy gun grabber Obama," and "'Straw men shortage'? Tears of a clown prince: So, what REALLY makes Obama cry?"

Muslim Rape Gangs Attack Women, and Feminists Won't Say a Word About It

From Robert Stacy McCain, at the Other McCain:

American feminists, who have incited irrational hysteria over a non-existent “rape epidemic” on U.S. college campuses, will ignore this news. American feminists never said a word about the Rotherham Horror, in which English girls as young as 11 were pimped out by Muslim predators. American feminists don’t want to call attention to certain crimes committed by certain criminals, and it is not just Juanita Broaddrick’s rape accusation against Bill Clinton that feminists demand that we ignore. The feminist movement in the United States is controlled by the Democrat Party, and therefore rape is just a talking-point to them, an “issue” that feminists help Democrats exploit for partisan purposes. Because feminists are dishonest partisans, their agenda requires a lot of deliberate falsification — the phony “1-in-5” statistic, the UVA rape hoax, etc. — and it also requires feminists to ignore a lot of actual rapes which do not fit the Democrat Party-approved propaganda narrative...

Sing it, brother.

Lots more at the link.

The New York Times Turns Terror Supporters Into 'Hipster Palestinians'

Well, that's what they normally do.

At BCF, "NYT Turns Terror-Supporters Into ‘Hipster Palestinians’."

Jennifer Lopez on Jimmy Kimmel Live (VIDEO)

Watch, "Jennifer Lopez is Very Busy."

And at London's Daily Mail, "J Lo has perfect legs. Literally. That is all."

Fiftieth Birthday Bikini Babe Explodes Watermelon with Smith & Wesson Model 500 (VIDEO)

This massive cannon fires a .50 caliber bullet.

Watch, via Theo Spark, "Smith .500 Against Watermelon: .50 cal for Early 50th Birthday for Farm Girl."

Heh, explosive!

Britt Bergmeister Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Casting Call (VIDEO)

Here's a lovely break from politics blogging.

Via Sports Illustrated:

ISIS Weapons Engineers Develop Self-Driving 'Suicide Bomber' Car for Mass-Casualty Terror Attacks (VIDEO)

And that's not all they're developing.

According to Sky News, ISIS "scientists have stunned western weapons experts by producing a homemade thermal battery for surface-to-air missiles."

Watch, "Exclusive: Inside an Islamic State Terror Weapons Lab."

Dana Loesch, Defeating the Plot to Disarm America

She really is.

And she was back on CNN a little while ago, on Anderson Cooper's show. I was surprised. I had CNN on because I was too lazy to turn the channel over to Fox while I was blogging, heh.

Here's her book, Hands Off My Gun: Defeating the Plot to Disarm America.

'We have a President who's not asleep at the wheel, he's not at the wheel at all, he's somewhere else...'

The inimitable Charles Krauthammer, hammers President Obama's delusional and meaningless (and probably unconstitutional) executive orders on gun control.

Watch, from today's All-Star Panel at Fox News, "Charles Krauthammer on Obama's Executive Action on Gun Control."

Dave Ward, Harney County Sheriff, Says Steps Being Taken to Move Militiamen Off Malheur Reserve

At the Portland Oregonian, "Sheriff says steps being taken to end militants' occupation of federal compound":

BURNS – Steps are in motion to resolve militants' occupation of a federal compound outside of town, Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward said Tuesday.

"There are things being done," Ward said. "It's not visible to the public."

The sheriff sought to assure the community and the country that police aren't sitting back and leaving the group of about 20 militants with a free hand.

He wouldn't disclose details, saying the FBI and federal agencies are handling the siege at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

He's focused on protecting people from possible militant violence in town, he said in an exclusive interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive.

"It takes only one unstable person to show up with a skewed belief window to create something that can't be taken back," he said.

Worry over that possibility led officials to close schools and government buildings this week...

More.

Kinda vague though.

The Guardian's a little more specific on what might happen, "Authorities plan to cut off power to militia at occupied Oregon refuge." (Via Memeorandum.)

Ted Cruz Releases 'Invasion' Campaign Spot: Bankers and Journalists Flood Across the Rio Grande (VIDEO)

Heh.

I like this.

At the Dallas Morning News, "New Ted Cruz ad targets immigration with an ‘invasion’ of white collar workers."



And from earlier, "Ted Cruz's Voter Base Has Largest 'Room-to-Grow' in Latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll."

Newly Single Kelly Rohrbach Shows Offs

Well, according to People Magazine, "Leonardo DiCaprio and Kelly Rohrbach Split."

That's good news for eligible bachelors. She's smokin'!

At Last Men on Earth, "Kelly Rohrbach got the pink slip from DiCaprio (PHOTOS)."

Nice bikini!

PREVIOUSLY: "Kelly Rohrbach for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 'Fill in the Dots' Series (VIDEO)," and "Kelly Rohrbach, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Rookie, Offers Very Sexy Golf Tips (VIDEO)."

Leftists Take the Low Road on Militia Occupation at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

Actually, leftists take the low road on everything, but yeah, on the standoff too.

From Michael A. Cohen, at the Boston Globe, "Liberals take the low road in Oregon standoff":

Fair points. https://t.co/jK2hZfzvaY pic.twitter.com/3F6d7Jplwx

— Josh Greenman (@joshgreenman) January 5, 2016

Over the weekend, a bunch of guys with legally procured guns took over a federal bird sanctuary in the Malhuer National Wildlife Refuge in rural Oregon. They did so as a protest on behalf of two local ranchers, the Hammonds, who are being sent back to prison. The two men had previously been found guilty of committing arson, but even though they were required to serve a mandatory five years in prison, a judge gave them a lesser sentence. Now, after an unusual appeal by the prosecutor, they are being returned to a federal penitentiary to complete their full sentence.

Now, granted the seizure of federal property is nothing to sneeze at; certainly not when the men doing it are armed with high-caliber weapons and have spoken of responding to police efforts to dislodge them with force. Moreover, those involved include the son of Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher locked in a long-standing dispute with federal officials over the use of federal land for cattle grazing. These fights between right-wing Westerners and the federal government are not new, though Bundy took it to a new level last year by bringing in armed civilians to “protect” his ranch — and forcing the federal government to back down. But this is not a rebellion or an insurrection and, in some respects, those involved have a legitimate beef — sending someone who has already served time back to prison is not a normal circumstance and one that, in certain situations, would enrage not just conservatives but liberals.

Yet, it’s been liberals, in the days since the militia seizure, who have been loudly calling for blood — and pointing out alleged double standards. On Twitter, regular comparisons have been made between the response in Oregon and the shootings by police of black youths like 17-year-old Laquan McDonald and 12-year-old Tamir Rice. One widely retweeted tweet even went so far as to posit a “crazy idea” to “treat armed adult white militia like they’re unarmed black children. Just for one day.”

This is, to put it mildly, an over-reaction and a damaging one at that. If one believes that police should not be using deadly force against children (you can count me in that group), then calling for deadly force to be used against gun-toting whites is just a tad hypocritical.

The Washington Post asked why those in Oregon aren’t being branded terrorists. The answer is actually rather simple: Nothing this group has done looks or sounds like terrorism. No violence has occurred; no one has yet been harmed, and these individuals, as bizarre as it may seem, are legally allowed to possess the guns they have for protection...

Tamir Rice wasn't "unarmed." He reached to his waistbelt for a pellet gun that was perfect replica of .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun.

But keep reading. Leftists are pure scum.

Ammon Bunday Says Militia Won't Leave Until Malheur Refuge Turned Over to Locals (VIDEO)

At the Portland Oregonian, "Bundy: Militants 'forwarding our plan' to privatize Oregon wildlife refuge":

BURNS -- The leader of anti-government protesters occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge said Tuesday that the group won't leave until ranchers, loggers, farmers and other private landowners have wrested full control of the reserve's tens of thousands of acres.

Ammon Bundy, who has acted as a spokesman and head of the group, took no questions from reporters after making brief remarks vowing to hold his ground at the refuge until the private landowners "can stand strong enough to defend them themselves."

"We have been very active in forwarding our plan and assisting the people of Harney County in claiming and using their rights," he said. Once that happens, "then we will go home."

His statements followed Harney County Sheriff David Ward's call for the protesters to pack up and leave town.

Many of them hail from out of state -- places like Nevada, Arizona and Texas. Their presence has disrupted the community's daily rhythm, with Burns' schools and public buildings shuttered and law enforcement presence growing in town.

Bundy offered no details about which residents, if any, have accepted the militants' offer for land on the refuge.

Pulling up in a silver Chevy Silverado pickup with a "Bye Bye BLM" bumper sticker in the back window, a flannel-clad Bundy emerged with a posse of several men for what has now become a daily 11 a.m. press conference. As reporters swarmed, a man in military garb barked into a walkie-talkie.

"All sectors, all sectors, maintain radio silence unless it's an absolute emergency."

Silently, Bundy approached a podium in the snow-covered roadway at the refuge.

Bundy said the group will leave only if "the community" signals that the protesters no longer are welcome. Despite the sheriff's statements and a general sense of unease among townspeople and ranchers alike, militant leaders said so far that they haven't received that signal...

Keep reading.

Cologne, Germany, Shocked — Shocked! — by Dozens of Sexual Assaults on New Year's Eve (VIDEO)

At Deutsche Welle, "A 'new dimension' of sexual assault in Cologne."

And at Der Spiegel, "New Year's Eve Attacks: Dozens of Women Sexually Assaulted in Cologne":

Dozens of women celebrating New Year's Eve in Cologne have said they were the victims of sexual assault. With a group of men with North African and Middle Eastern appearances under suspicion, the incident threatens to augment growing concern over Germany's refugee policies.

German politicians and officials are voicing concern on Tuesday over reports that dozens of women were harassed and groped in the heart of Cologne on New Year's Eve by a large group of men on the crowded square in front of the city's main train station. According to police, many also had personal items stolen and fireworks were also fired into the crowd of revelers. According to police, some 90 complaints had been filed by Tuesday morning, with witnesses saying that the perpetrators were young men between 15 and 35 years old and appeared to have migrant backgrounds.

"We will not tolerate such cowardly and abhorrent attacks," said German Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Tuesday. "This is apparently an entirely new dimension of organized crime." All of those involved, Maas demanded, must be "identified and made accountable."

At a press conference on Monday evening, Cologne's police chief, Wolfgang Albers, said that a quarter of the complaints made were related to sexual harassment or groping, with many others pertaining to theft of purses, wallets and mobile phones. He said that smaller groups of men repeatedly emerged from a crowd of about 1,000 young men to surround women, harass them and steal from them. According to the Cologne daily Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, many of the presumed perpetrators are suspected of being from a large group of men that has attracted the attention of police in the past several months. Prior to New Year's Eve, the group had been involved in theft and petty crimes in Cologne nightlife districts.

"The entire square was full of almost exclusively men with just a few fearful women among them being stared at," says Anne, a 27-year-old who was at the scene on New Year's Eve and who spoke to SPIEGEL ONLINE. "I can hardly describe it. I felt very uncomfortable." She says that she was groped soon after arriving to the square.

Careful Calibration

The attacks occur at a time when sentiment toward Muslims and foreigners in Germany appears to be becoming increasingly antagonistic. Even as the numbers of refugees arriving in Germany has slowed with the onset of cold weather, those critical of Chancellor Angela Merkel's policy of welcoming refugees fleeing war and violence have become more vocal. Indeed, groups critical of Islam and foreigners have been quick to seek to appropriate the events in Cologne for their own purposes. Pegida, for example, the Islamophobic movement that got its start in Dresden, has posted several comments about the Cologne attacks on its numerous Facebook sites, with supporters responding in a predictably offensive manner.

Many German politicians commenting on Tuesday about the events in Cologne have been careful to calibrate their responses so as to avoid playing into the hands of right-wing Islamophobes. "We will not tolerate organized groups of men from North Africa that debase defenseless women with brazen sexual attacks," said Ralf Jäger, interior minister of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. He added, however, that the authorities will do everything in their power to ensure that such attacks are not repeated. "We owe that to women as well as to those North African refugees who want to live peacefully among us."

Germany's integration commissioner, Aydan Özoguz, demanded a rapid investigation "because on the one hand, the women need clarity and on the other, refugees and foreigners are quickly becoming the focus of broad suspicion."

Despite such urgings, however, it will likely take some time before any of the perpetrators can be identified...

More at Pamela Geller's, "VIDEO Shows WILD MUSLIM CHAOS on New Years in Germany, Sex Attacks, Fireworks THROWN at Crowd."

Denmark and Sweden Tighten Border Controls to Staunch Tide of Jihadist 'Refugees' (VIDEO)

I don't know. Perhaps even some of the Scandinavia social justice loonies are starting to wake up. Of course, the prospect of being beheaded on the streets has a bracing effect.

At the New York Times, "Sweden and Denmark Add Border Checks to Stem Flow of Migrants":

LONDON — The continued flow of people along Europe’s migration trail, from Turkey and Greece to the Balkans to Scandinavia, faced new impediments on Monday as two of the northernmost destinations further tightened border controls in response to political, economic and logistical pressures.

Sweden, once one of the most welcoming of nations for refugees, introduced new identity checks on Monday for travelers arriving from Denmark. Fearful that migrants who otherwise would pass through on their way to Sweden would now be unable to leave, Denmark swiftly moved to impose new controls on people traveling via its border with Germany.

The moves by the two Scandinavian countries represented another step in the erosion of the ideal of borderless travel across most of the European Union, amid rising concerns about the costs imposed by the tide of migration and fears that terrorists are seeking to enter Europe masquerading as refugees.

In recent months, Scandinavian countries, like other countries in Europe, have expressed increasing concern about the scale of the influx of migrants seeking to reach prosperous Northern European countries known for their generous welfare systems and for relatively welcoming attitudes.

The arrival of migrants — roughly one million reached Germany last year alone, though a significant minority were from other parts of Europe rather than from Syria, Iraq and other conflict-ridden nations — has gradually led European countries from south to north to seek to stem the tide.

Hungary built a razor-wire fence along its border to keep migrants out. Denmark has cut benefits to new arrivals by about 50 percent and has introduced tough language requirements for those seeking permanent residency. Finland has issued news releases in Arabic detailing additional restrictions, apparently with the aim of warning would-be asylum seekers that the country is not a paradise.

Under the temporary border controls introduced Monday in Sweden, travelers to Sweden from Denmark will have to show valid identification with a photograph, like a passport, for the first time in more than half a century. The move raised the prospect of continuing delays in travel between the two nations, especially on the Danish side of the Oresund Bridge, a major link between Copenhagen, the Danish capital, and Malmo in southern Sweden, a popular gateway for migrants seeking to enter Sweden.

The new border controls in Sweden are likely to present a hurdle to thousands of would-be asylum seekers, many of whom lack official documents. (The Oresund Bridge has also gained a foothold in popular culture, being at the center of the hit Scandinavian crime television series “The Bridge,” which starts with detectives from the two countries teaming up to investigate the murder of a woman whose body is found on the structure.)

Still more.

Donald Trump's War on Political Correctness Taps Into Mainstream Frustration (VIDEO)

Amazing that WaPo even green-lighted this piece.

From Karen Tumulty and Jenna Johnson, "Why Trump may be winning the war on ‘political correctness’":

Cathy Cuthbertson once worked at what might be thought of as a command post of political correctness — the campus of a prestigious liberal arts college in Ohio.

“You know, I couldn’t say ‘Merry Christmas.’ And when we wrote things, we couldn’t even say ‘he’ or ‘she,’ because we had transgender. People of color. I mean, we had to watch every word that came out of our mouth, because we were afraid of offending someone, but nobody’s afraid of offending me,” the former administrator said.

All of which helps explain why the 63-year-old grandmother showed up at a recent Donald Trump rally in Hilton Head Island, S.C., where she moved when she retired a year ago.

The Republican front-runner is “saying what a lot of Americans are thinking but are afraid to say because they don’t think that it’s politically correct,” she said. “But we’re tired of just standing back and letting everyone else dictate what we’re supposed to think and do.”

In the 2016 Republican presidential primary season, “political correctness” has become the all-purpose enemy. The candidates have suggested that it is the explanation for seemingly every threat that confronts the country: terrorism, illegal immigration, an economic recovery that is leaving many behind, to name just a few.

Others argue that growing antipathy to the notion of political correctness has become an all-purpose excuse for the inexcusable. They say it has emboldened too many to express racism, sexism and intolerance, which endure even as the country grows more diverse.

“Driving powerful sentiments underground is not the same as expunging them,” said William A. Galston, a Brookings Institution scholar who advised President Bill Clinton. “What we’re learning from Trump is that a lot of people have been biting their lips, but not changing their minds.”

In an October poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University, 68 percent agreed with the proposition that “a big problem this country has is being politically correct.”

It was a sentiment felt strongly across the political spectrum, by 62 percent of Democrats, 68 percent of independents and 81 percent of Republicans. Among whites, 72 percent said they felt that way, but so did 61 percent of nonwhites.

“People feel tremendous cultural condescension directed at them,” and that their values are being “smirked at, laughed at” by the political and media elite, said GOP strategist Steve Schmidt.

“ ‘Political correctness’ are the two words that best respond to everything that a conservative feels put upon,” added pollster Frank Luntz, who has advised Republicans. The label is, he said, a validation that what many on the right see as legitimate policy and cultural differences are not the same as racism, sexism or heartlessness...

Keep reading.

Bill Clinton and the Left's Sex-Harassment Problem

From Carrie Lukas, at the New York Post, "The Bill Clinton effect: Behind the left’s sex-harassment problem":

News of rampant sexual harassment at a leading progressive public relations firm seems to have surprised some on the Left: How can enlightened liberals, so staunchly committed to women’s equality and progress, allow old-school sexism and abuse of power to persist?

How could FitzGibbon Media, which represented MoveOn.org, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the AFL-CIO, have a CEO sending text messages asking for dirty pictures from female underlings?

Conservatives shouldn’t start throwing stones: There are plenty of cads in every political party. Yet progressives really shouldn’t be surprised that such behavior exists in liberal enclaves; in fact, there’s reason to suspect there may be more mistreatment of women by the Left than the Right.

It’s a phenomenon I call “the Bill Clinton effect.” President Clinton wasn’t just another example of a prominent pol who habitually cheated on his wife with many women, including those on his staff. Clinton showcased how those who normally police behavior and work to penalize men for mistreating women will excuse men aligned with them politically.

In other words, Clinton revealed that liberals can expect to get away with a lot more in terms of abusing women than conservatives...

More.

Leftists are more than anything hypocrites and liars. The Clintons are at the heap of the lying-leftist molehill.

New Hampshire Shaping Up to Be Ground Zero for 2016 Presidential Contest (VIDEO)

At CBS News 4 Miami.

Glenn Reynolds: 'People Who Own Guns in This Country' Are Obama's Real Enemies (VIDEO)

This is a great segment!

Dana Loesch interviews Glenn Reynolds, at the Blaze.

Watch: "Obama is Starting 2016 With a Bang."

Dana Loesch Fisks Obama's Executive Orders on Gun Control (VIDEO)

At Dana's blog, "A Thorough Fisking of Obama’s Executive Orders on Gun Control."

And on Hannity's last night:

ATMs Run Out of Money at Virginia Gun Show (VIDEO)

Barack Obama is America's greatest gun salesman.

At CNN:

Here's Nightline's Report on the Militia Occupation at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (VIDEO)

From just a little while ago, via ABC News:

Ted Cruz's Voter Base Has Largest 'Room-to-Grow' in Latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll

This is interesting, at WSJ, "Poll Points to Upside for Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio in GOP Race":

The heated rhetoric and large candidate field have made the Republican primary race look loud and messy. But here’s a simple way to view the landscape: The GOP electorate is divided into three, broad groups, each roughly equal in size.

There is the socially conservative wing, which has elevated Sen. Ted Cruz and Ben Carson. The GOP’s establishment-friendly, more-centrist wing backs Sen. Marco Rubio and a few others. And then there are the Donald Trump voters, a largely working-class and male group drawn together by Mr. Trump’s unique persona and, in large measure, his promise to end illegal immigration.

With about one-third of voters in each camp, according to indications seen in December Wall Street Journal/NBC News polling, the stage is set for some drama: Which candidate has the crossover appeal needed to win majority support? Once Iowa and New Hampshire start to winnow the field, which surviving candidate has the most room to grow?


The short answer, based on Journal/NBC News poll results: As of now, Mr. Cruz looks well-positioned to draw voters from outside his cadre of social conservatives, presuming he does well in one of the first two races. Mr. Rubio also shows signs of crossover appeal beyond his establishment lane.

Donald Trump, by contrast, doesn’t show as strong a pull beyond his own set of supporters. And it will come as little surprise, given his standing in the polls, that Jeb Bush would have a challenge even if he scored well in the early balloting...

Yes, but be sure to click through to the graphics. Trump pulls in 57 percent of the social conservatives (Cruz's base), which is more than Marco Rubio pulls in of the Trump voters. So, it's a matter of perspective. I'm discounting so-called establishment voters in this poll, mainly because we're talking about the primaries, and secondly I see the establishment folks like Rubio as the extreme long-shots. So, it's going to be interesting once we see the shakeout from both Iowa and New Hampshire.

More.

Jackie Johnson's Got Your Tuesday Forecast

Folks are really worried about flooding.

Good thing we're having some rain, though.

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Ranchers Dwight Hammond and Steven Hammond Surrender to Authorities in San Pedro

At the Los Angeles Times, "As Oregon occupation grows, rancher and his son quietly surrender."

And at Fox News, "Rancher family reports to prison, does not endorse Oregon siege":

As armed protesters occupied buildings on a federal wildlife preserve in Oregon Monday, the father and son whose cause they claimed to embrace turned themselves in to police in California.

On Sunday, Dwight Hammond, 73, and his son, Steve, 46, embarked on their road trip across their home state, took a flight to Los Angeles and then traveled some 25 miles south to Terminal Island Federal Correctional Institution, in San Pedro, Calif., where they will finish their prison sentences.

The Hammond family has “run out of hope” that the siege by self-professed patriots some 70 miles from their home in rural Oregon will change things.

“Our government is so broken,” family matriarch Suzie Hammond told FoxNews.com of their ongoing legal battle. “We can’t keep fighting the government – for decades this fight has disrupted our lives, our ranch operation.”

While deeply upset over their situation, Suzie Hammond stopped short of supporting the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, south of Burns. More than 100 protesters moved into the site on Saturday after participating in a peaceful rally in Burns on behalf of the Hammonds.

Suzie Hammond, reached at her home in the Oregon wilderness, said her family had no role in the planning or execution of the standoff and said she has no intention of visiting. The standoff is being led by Ammon Bundy – whom the Hammonds have met previously – and his brother Ryan Bundy, sons of rancher Cliven Bundy who had his own armed standoff with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Nevada in 2014.

“I wouldn’t say I was grateful,” Hammond said when asked about the protesters’ bid to draw attention to their plight. “But maybe there is the capability of doing some kind of change that might make life worth living for us again. Soon, there will be no ranchers left.”

As armed protesters occupied buildings on a federal wildlife preserve in Oregon Monday, the father and son whose cause they claimed to embrace turned themselves in to police in California.

On Sunday, Dwight Hammond, 73, and his son, Steve, 46, embarked on their road trip across their home state, took a flight to Los Angeles and then traveled some 25 miles south to Terminal Island Federal Correctional Institution, in San Pedro, Calif., where they will finish their prison sentences.

“I wouldn’t say I was grateful. But maybe there is the capability of doing some kind of change that might make life worth living for us again.”

- Suzie Hammond
The Hammond family has “run out of hope” that the siege by self-professed patriots some 70 miles from their home in rural Oregon will change things.

“Our government is so broken,” family matriarch Suzie Hammond told FoxNews.com of their ongoing legal battle. “We can’t keep fighting the government – for decades this fight has disrupted our lives, our ranch operation.”

While deeply upset over their situation, Suzie Hammond stopped short of supporting the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, south of Burns. More than 100 protesters moved into the site on Saturday after participating in a peaceful rally in Burns on behalf of the Hammonds.

Suzie Hammond, reached at her home in the Oregon wilderness, said her family had no role in the planning or execution of the standoff and said she has no intention of visiting. The standoff is being led by Ammon Bundy – whom the Hammonds have met previously – and his brother Ryan Bundy, sons of rancher Cliven Bundy who had his own armed standoff with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Nevada in 2014.

“I wouldn’t say I was grateful,” Hammond said when asked about the protesters’ bid to draw attention to their plight. “But maybe there is the capability of doing some kind of change that might make life worth living for us again. Soon, there will be no ranchers left.”

A longtime friend and neighbor of the Hammonds, Ruth Danielsen, told FoxNews.com that the Bundy brothers didn’t want the Hammonds to turn themselves in. But Danielson said the father-son rancher duo is hardly the image of angry domestic terrorists, despite being charged under such laws.

“They are the nicest humans you would ever want to meet, very polite, salt-of-the-earth types,” Danielsen said. “They are always giving hay away to other ranchers who need it and donating money to local schools and charities, really nice people. Not the people the government should be going after.”

A legal team for the Hammonds insisted in a statement released Monday that Dwight and Steve “respect the rule of law.”

“They have litigated this matter within the federal courts for over five years and, in every instance, have followed the order of the court without incident or violation. That includes serving the entire sentences imposed in this case by the judge who heard the evidence at trial and who concluded that imposition of a five-year sentence under these circumstances would ‘shock the conscience,’” read the statement...

Still more.

Inland Regional Center Reopens: 'You Can't Beat Us,' Rudy Giuliani Tells Terrorists (VIDEO)

At the Riverside Press-Enterprise, "SAN BERNARDINO SHOOTING: ‘You can't beat us,' Rudy Giuliani tells terrorists in memorial speech."

And watch, at AP, "Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and evangelical pastor Rick Warren are spoke at a memorial for those killed in the San Bernardino terror attack on Monday."

More, at ABC News 7 Los Angeles, "SAN BERNARDINO MASS SHOOTING: INLAND REGIONAL CENTER REOPENS AFTER SAN BERNARDINO TERROR ATTACK."

So Far, Local, State, and Federal Authorities Have Taken Low-Key Approach to Malheur Occupation

Well, yeah, better to avoid a Democrat Party, Janet Reno-style massacre.

At the New York Times, "Cautious Response to Armed Oregon Protest":

BURNS, Ore. — Clad in boots, cowboy hats and camouflage, a small band of antigovernment protesters stood in the snow and subfreezing cold on Monday at a federally owned wildlife sanctuary they have taken over, called themselves defenders of the Constitution, and declared that they were at the vanguard of a national movement to force Washington to release its hold on vast tracts of Western land.

For its part, the federal government appeared content, for now, to monitor the situation and wait out the protesters.

The armed group, which said it had adopted the name Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, has occupied a handful of buildings at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near here since Saturday and says it does not plan to budge until its conditions are met.

The group is small — an exact number is hard to pin down — but claims to have the backing of a long list of antigovernment groups. Its goals are ambitious: The protesters want “the federal government to give up its unconstitutional presence in this county,” said Ammon Bundy, one of the leaders, at a news conference on Monday.

Members of the group also want state and local officials to hold a hearing on what they say is the abuse of federal authority against one particular ranching family here, the Hammonds, two of whom surrendered to the authorities on arson charges on Monday and went to prison.

The confrontation at Malheur seems to be the latest iteration of a generations-old struggle between Westerners who make their living off the land, and the federal government that controls so much of it.

But for the protesters at the wildlife refuge — a preserve for native birds, “closed until further notice,” according to its website — there was no sign of the national groundswell of support they hoped to attract. While media attention was plentiful, there was no sign of officials trying to meet their demands or of law enforcement closing in on them. The F.B.I. said it would take the lead in handling the standoff, working with state and local agencies, but no effort was made to keep the occupiers from coming and going as they pleased.

In Burns, the nearest town to the wildlife center, people said they were exasperated by the activists, most of whom seem to be from outside the area.

“They’ve put us backwards,” said Patty Hodge, a bartender in this small town, who said the stream of patrons through the Central Pastime Tavern had expressed overwhelming disapproval of the protesters. “They’re here for their own agenda, not for the people of Harney County at all.”

Keep reading.

Health & Personal Care

At Amazon, Health, Household and Baby Care.

Plus, Shop Amazon - New Year New You.

And from Michelle Malkin, Sold Out: How High-Tech Billionaires & Bipartisan Beltway Crapweasels Are Screwing America's Best & Brightest Workers.

Militia Update: Dave Ward, Harney County Sheriff, Tells Malheur Occupiers to 'Go Home' (VIDEO)

Actually, the so-called "armed militants" are settling-in for a long haul.

But see the Portland Oregonian, "Harney County sheriff to Oregon militants: 'Go home'":

BURNS — The sheriff of this small community has a short, unmistakable message for the militants occupying a complex of federal buildings southeast of town.

"Go home."

During a news conference that lasted only about a minute Monday afternoon, Harney County Sheriff David Ward read from prepared statements condemning the group led by the sons of controversial Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy.

The people who have occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge since Saturday evening say they don't plan to leave. In fact, they have outlined plans to turn the refuge over to area ranchers and loggers.

Their beef in Harney County is part of a larger, longer-standing debate over the ownership and management of U.S. public lands.

Ward took no questions from reporters and offered no clues to the response that local, state and federal law enforcement officials might have planned to quell the occupation 45 minutes outside town.

The FBI is leading the response. The Oregon State Sheriff's Association, the Oregon State Police and sheriff's offices from around Oregon also have sent people to Burns to help.

"Our goal is to work together and restore calm and regular services for the people of that community," Ward said...

More.

Alana Blanchard Lingerie Photos

At Hollywood Tuna, "Alana Blanchard Is The All-time Hottest Surfer!"

PREVIOUSLY: "Alana Blanchard Catches Some Great Surf in Mexico (VIDEO)."

GRAPHIC: Islamic State Propaganda Video Shows Murder of 5 Alleged British Spies (VIDEO)

It's another slick extermination production from ISIS.

The clip is embedded at Breaking 911, "GRAPHIC: New Video Shows ISIS Executing 5 “British Spies”."

Pamela Geller has the report, via Telegraph UK, "WATCH VIDEO: Islamic State threatens UK, shows murder of five “British spies”:

Intelligence agencies were hunting a new ‘Jihadi John’ after an Islamic extremist with a British accent murdered five men accused of spying for the UK.

In a video released on social media the masked gunman warned David Cameron that the West could never win in the war against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil), while mocking the impact of RAF airstrikes.

In a further chilling twist, a young boy aged around four, and appearing to speak with a British accent, also appeared on screen, threatening to kill non-Muslims.

The victims were all shot in the head at point blank range after the well-spoken British sounding terrorist delivered his propaganda rant.

The sickening ten and a half minute video had echoes of those posted by the Isil terrorist dubbed Jihadi John, who was responsible for a string of murders including the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning.

Jihadi John, who was later identified as 27-year-old Mohamed Emwazi from London, was killed in a US drone strike last November.

MI5 agents were urgently working to establish the identity of the new terrorist, amid concern that the video might signal the start of a new Isil propaganda campaign, which comes in the wake of the Britain’s decision to join coalition airstrikes against Isil targets in Syria.

A source in the Foreign Office said the propaganda video had likely been released to “divert attention away from Isil’s recent military failures in Iraq and its inability to look after the citizens in the areas it controls”.

As well as speaking with a London sounding accent, the terrorist made reference to the soldiers working being paid the minimum wage, further betraying his UK roots.

The video began with apparent confessions from the five Arabic men who were wearing orange prisoner style jumpsuits.

One of the men claimed to have passed information to the West about prominent Isil figures who were subsequently targeted by the coalition, including the group’s deputy leader Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, who was killed in a US drone strike last August.

Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant governor for territories held by the organization in IraqAbu Muslim al-Turkmani was killed by coalition forces last August

The video then cut to a desert landscape where the victims were shown kneeling before five gunmen clad in camouflage clothing and black Isil masks.

More.

Michelle Malkin Backs Donald Trump on Hillary Clinton Attacks

At Big Government:

Michelle Malkin was a guest on Breitbart News Daily with host Stephen K. Bannon to announce that she’s signed on to Conservative Review, a new fast-growing, must read site for conservatives online.

Conservative columnist and author Michelle Malkin will join Conservative Review with nationally-syndicated radio host Mark Levin, Breitbart News has learned exclusively.

“The mainstream media and Beltway establishment have not only attempted to hijack the political process, but have also sought to hide the awful truth—that both political parties have sold out to the Washington Cartel,” Malkin said in the statement provided to Breitbart News. “I am proud to join the team at Conservative Review and will help them fight political spin by promoting conservative values and free-market principles with some of the best and brightest minds in the conservative movement.”

Levin, the organization’s editor-in-chief, added that Malkin is a “super addition” to the team there.

When asked if she supports Donald Trump’s attacks on the Clintons, Bill as a sexual predator and Hillary as an enabler, “Of course you should go there,” said Malkin. “At a time when the GOP establishment has effectively failed to push back against the ‘war on women’ meme in the Democrat Party … To be able to talk bluntly about it is something most people on the Right have been thirsting for.”

Malkin did, however, go on to question if Trump was the right vehicle for the attacks, citing her own experience with the businessman turned politician...

 RELATED: "RELEASE: Conservative Review Welcomes Michelle Malkin."

Donald Trump Launches New Round of Attacks on Hillary Cinton (VIDEO)

Trump's going after Bubba.

At ABC News, via Memeorandum, "Bill Clinton Brushes Off Trump Attacks."

And Ed Henry reports, at Fox News:

BuzzFeed Gets Punked by Insane Prisoner Lawsuit Mentioning Cliven Bundy

This is the best, lolz.

From Mollie Hemingway, at the Federalist.

Even Ben Smith with promoting this fraud of a story on Twitter, heh.

Saudis Cut Ties with Tehran (VIDEO)

Holly Williams reports, for CBS This Morning, "Saudi Arabia cuts diplomatic ties with Iran over cleric execution."

Also at the Los Angeles Times, "Mideast rift widens as Saudi allies cut ties with Iran."

Donald Trump: 'Hillary Clinton Created ISIS with Obama' (VIDEO)

Oh man.

The truth has gotta hurt. I can't wait to see Trump debate Hillary in October, if he's the nominee, of course.

He's not going to take any of her bull.

Via the Telegraph UK:

NFL Playoff Picture 2016

Well, the Minnesota Vikings are clinching the NFC North title as this post goes live.

See USA Today, "NFL playoff picture: Broncos seize top seed; Steelers take final spot."

Watch, at the NFL's YouTube page, "The Return of Peyton Manning! - Chargers vs. Broncos - NFL Week 17 Highlights."

More at the Los Angeles Times, "NFL Week 17: Patriots fail to earn top seed; Steelers nab playoff spot."

(Buffalo beat the Jets as well, which ruined another batch of playoff hopes. Tough season, heh.)

UPDATE: The Packers are NOT out of the playoffs, my mistake. I've corrected the post. Thanks to Ms. EBL for the heads up.

Amber Lee's Got Your Monday Forecast

It's just been mild weather this weekend, but we're supposed to be getting rain this week.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Militia Occupation Update: KOIN 6 Reporter Gets Guided Tour of Malheur Wildlife Refuge Buildings (VIDEO)

Well, Ammon Bundy and company look to be really digging in for the winter.

And as KOIN 6 News reporter Jennifer Dowling reports, they're "not afraid to use force" if the feds escalate the standoff:



I've got a roundup of previous blogging at Theo Spark's, "Latest on Militia Occupation of Oregon National Wildlife Refuge (VIDEO)."

LifeSpan TR 1200i Folding Treadmill

It's the deal of the day, at Amazon.

Plus, Shop Amazon - Kindle Book Deals.

And, Books in Soviet History.

BONUS: From William Taubman, Khrushchev: The Man and His Era.

Donald Trump Cut Deals with Banks and Pulled Cash Out of Casinos to Weather Credit Crisis in the 1990s

Hmm, sounds like real world experience, something the current occupant of the White House sorely lacks.

At WSJ, "Trump and His Debts: A Narrow Escape":

On Labor Day weekend in 1990, as Donald Trump faced the worst crisis of his career, he and Wilbur Ross Jr. headed to Atlantic City, N.J., for talks at Mr. Trump’s opulent Taj Mahal casino, which had just opened but was already on the verge of missing a bond payment.

Mr. Ross, as an expert on distressed assets, represented bondholders. Mr. Trump brought him to the seaside town for talks, in a helicopter bearing the name “Trump” in giant red letters.

“The bondholders were obviously quite angry,” Mr. Ross says. “Their initial inclination was to throw the rascal out.”

The chopper landed on a helipad near the boardwalk. Instantly, people swarmed around a waiting car, thinking Mr. Trump was in it. “They were shoving video cameras at it…It was amazing the adulation he got from the crowd,” Mr. Ross recalls.

“It changed my whole opinion. That memory stuck with me and got me to the conclusion that the Taj Mahal stripped of Trump the individual would likely be a lot less successful than the Trump Taj Mahal with Donald.”

In 1990, Mr. Trump, though known publicly as financially savvy and very rich, was in deep financial trouble. He and his companies owed $3.4 billion and couldn’t make the payments. That posed the risk of lenders seizing his hotels, casinos and other assets.

Worse, $830 million of the debt carried his personal guarantee. Creditors, if they wanted, could force him into personal bankruptcy.

He survived. Today he is a billionaire, who cites his wealth and success as a reason that, as president, he could make America “great again.” Mr. Trump has no government record to weigh. One way to gauge the kind of president he might be is to examine his business career, and particularly how he dealt with its biggest crisis...

It's fascinating.

Keep reading.

Americans Divided on Obama's Executive Power Grab for Gun Control (VIDEO)

From the latest Quinnipiac University National Poll:

Americans are divided on gun laws, as 47 percent support stricter gun laws, with 50 percent opposed.

But voters support 89 - 9 percent, including 84 - 14 percent among voters in households where there are guns, requiring background checks on gun purchases at gun shows or online.

Voters also support 58 - 38 percent a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons. Voters in gun households oppose such a ban 53 - 45 percent.

It is "too easy" to buy a gun in the U.S., 55 percent of voters say, including 40 percent in gun households. Another 4 percent, including 6 percent in gun households, say it is "too difficult," and 36 percent, including 49 percent in gun households, say it is "about right."

"American voters say it is too easy to buy a gun in the United States. And in a loud voice they say - as they've said in three years of Quinnipiac University polls - let's do background checks," Malloy said...

More at the poll.

Americans have really gotten soused on the climate-change Kool Aid, sheesh. Thank goodness we've got a GOP Congress (to block Democrat legislation), if for nothing else.

'You Are Very Rude' — Hillary Clinton Scolds New Hampshire State GOP Rep. Katherine Prudhomme O'Brien (VIDEO)

Well, you can tell Grandma doesn't appreciate anyone other than the plants that attend her functions.

At CNN, "NH GOP lawmaker heckles Hillary Clinton over Bill Clinton's sex scandals."

And watch, "Lawmaker heckles Clinton over sex scandals."

ADDED: Hmm, there's more, from Red Steeze, "NBC News reporter posts address and phone number of GOP rep who questioned Clinton."

And from Kimberly Morin, "Clinton wasn't heckled. She needs to be CALLED OUT for her HORRIFIC behavior against RAPE VICTIMS."

Hammond Brothers Were Convicted of Arson of Federal Property; Fires Allegedly Destroyed Evidence of Deer Poaching

I needed to dig down for myself, to get to the root of some of these issues, since of course leftists are going to feverishly demonize the Hammonds and the militia members as "terrorists."

A good report is at the Heavy, "Dwight & Steven Hammond: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know."

Also, at the Portland Oregonian, "Oregon ranchers' fight with feds sparks militias' interest."

And once again, from Rachel Alexander, "Obama’s DOJ Demands More Prison Time for Ranchers; Protesters Seize Wildlife Refuge Headquarters."

Here's the DOJ's press release from October, "Eastern Oregon Ranchers Convicted of Arson Resentenced to Five Years in Prison."



PREVIOUSLY: "Echoes of Waco? Report Says Oregon Protesters 'Bringing Children Onto the Grounds' at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge," and "Oregon Militiamen at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge 'Ready to Be Killed If Necessary' (VIDEO)."

Echoes of Waco? Report Says Oregon Protesters 'Bringing Children Onto the Grounds' at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

This is according to the Portland Oregonian, "Oregon militants in high spirits, ready for long wait at refuge, supporter says."

One supporter says #ORmilitia are moving in and out of occupied facility, bringing children onto the grounds. https://t.co/RUjZp4iZxc

— The Oregonian (@Oregonian) January 3, 2016

The newspaper was unable to independently confirm that children were being brought into the refuge, but if true, it raises a particularly ominous element to any standoff scenario. Janet Reno's ATF, FBI, and other federal agencies justified the storming of the Waco compound, where David Koresh was holed up with Branch Davidian members, by citing allegations of child abuse. (According to ABC News, 46 children were inside the complex at the time of the raid; however, scholarly research indicates the allegations have not been proved conclusively.)

PREVIOUSLY: "Oregon Militiamen at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge 'Ready to Be Killed If Necessary' (VIDEO)."

Oregon Militiamen at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge 'Ready to Be Killed If Necessary' (VIDEO)

Following-up from my previous entry, "Ammon Bundy, Leader of Oregon Occupation, Plans No Violence Unless Government Intervenes (VIDEO)."

While Mr. Bundy's pledged non-violence, some of the militiamen are seriously ready to fight to the death.

On Twitter:

I talked to Ryan Bundy on the phone again. He said they're willing to kill and be killed if necessary. #OregonUnderAttack

— Ian Kullgren (@IanKullgren) January 3, 2016

One of the militia men occupying the fed wildlife refuge in OR left a goodbye video to his family. https://t.co/GIg65GbieV

— JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) January 3, 2016

At the bottom video is Jon Ritzheimer, a former U.S. Marine and one of the leaders of the anti-Islam protests in Phoenix earlier this year.

Ammon Bundy, Leader of Oregon Occupation, Plans No Violence Unless Government Intervenes (VIDEO)

Here's the latest, following a press conference, this morning, at the Portland Oregonian, "Ammon Bundy says refuge-occupying militants plan no violence unless government intervenes":

Ammon Bundy, a leader of a group of militants occupying a wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon, said during a news conference Sunday morning that the group has no intention of violence unless the government acts against them.

Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Clive Bundy, would not disclose how many militants are occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters.

The occupation began when self-described militiamen from several states came to Burns to protest the impending imprisonment of two Harney County ranchers. Some time after the rally, key militia leaders broke off and drove across the high desert basin south of Burns to the wildlife refuge. They said they took over the refuge headquarters, which was unoccupied for the holiday weekend.

More.



Plus, see my earlier entry, "Ammon Bundy on Oregon Occupation: 'We Want the Government to Abide By the Constitution' (VIDEO)."

Angry Anti-Refugee Protest at Church World Service Building in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (VIDEO)

Man, 2016's going to be the year of the epic anti-government protests.

My prediction: We're going to see violence, and it won't be isolated to so called "far-right" militias. Leftists are going start going all Red Army Faction on the hated reactionaries of AmeriKKKa.

At LancasterOnline, "Groups for and against Syrian refugees have loud but peaceful face-off in Lancaster":

Two very different visions of America emerged in the cold in downtown Lancaster Saturday afternoon over the Syrian refugee issue.

Rallies for and against refugees ended up in a peaceful — though sometimes punctuated by loud shout-downs — face-off on busy East King Street.

At noon, a group of about 30 people gathered outside the Lancaster office of Church World Service at 308 E. King St. for a series of speakers who warned of the dangers of letting refugees from war-torn Syria into the U.S.

Church World Service is a refugee resettlement service. Three Syrian families have been relocated in Lancaster County so far with at least two others on their way.

About 250 pro-refugee men, women and children soon showed up from a counter-rally in Musser Park and formed a block-long queue just on the other side of King Street.

Leaders for both rallies urged non-confrontational behavior and for the most part that was the case as participants let their many signs do the talking.

Those who want to see more Syrian refugees come to Lancaster County carried placards with such slogans as “We Are All Refugees,” “Welcome Refugees — Proud Lancaster Tradition,” “Compassion, Not Fear, Love, Not Hate,” and “Bigots Go Home.“

Across the street, amid waving American and Tea Party flags, signs read, “Aiding A Foreign Invasion is Treason,” “Keep Syrians Out,” “Remember Paris” and “No Sharia Law In America.”

One brief moment of solidarity surfaced when the anti-refugee rally started singing “God Bless America” and refugee supporters quickly joined in.

America is not being compassionate by bringing to its shores Islamic people who are not tolerant of other religions and homosexuals, said Dan Gray, a Schuylkill County resident and rally organizer.

“Sharia law is fundamentally incompatible with the Constitutional laws of the United States,” Gray said. “Syrians are not refugees. Bad things are happening there but we don’t have the space to take in everyone who had bad things happen to them.
“You want to help Syrians? Help them over there.”

It's going to get violent folks. Leftists are going to bring "some muscle" to silence the opposition.

More.

Ammon Bundy on Oregon Occupation: 'We Want the Government to Abide By the Constitution' (VIDEO)

Ammon Bundy won't rule out violence if authorities attempt to remove the militiamen from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

Rachel Alexander has a post on the occupation at the Stream, "Obama’s DOJ Demands More Prison Time for Ranchers; Protesters Seize Wildlife Refuge Headquarters":

Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, said that he, two of his brothers and scores of other protesters were occupying the headquarters. The Oregonian reports:

In phone interviews from inside the occupied building Saturday night, Ammon Bundy and his brother, Ryan Bundy, said they are not looking to hurt anyone. But they would not rule out violence if police tried to remove them, they said.

“The facility has been the tool to do all the tyranny that has been placed upon the Hammonds,” Ammon Bundy said. The Oregonian story also includes an Ammon Bundy Facebook video asking others to come help him. There he says that “this is not a time to stand down. It’s a time to stand up and come to Harney County.” Beneath the video, the AP reports, is this statement: “ALL PATRIOTS IT’S TIME TO STAND UP NOT STAND DOWN!!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! COME PREPARED.”

More.

And at the Portland Oregonian, "Militia standoff in Oregon: Key players."

Bundy's also interviewed at CNN. He doesn't mention the use of force to defend the occupation, but he calls the federal government's land policies an illegitimate tyranny over the people.



PREVIOUSLY: "Update on Militia Siege at Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (VIDEO)."