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

Such an ominous title.

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

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

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

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

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



More responses at Memeorandum.

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

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

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

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

And here's Professor Fortna:



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

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

What's Fueling Donald Trump's Surge

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

See, "Donald Trump's Staying Power."

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

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

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

Unhinged Leftist Demands for Gun Control Spur Sales of Firearms

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

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

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

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

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

Losing the War of Ideas

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

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

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

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

Both men were wrong, and dangerously so.

The meaning of the killings was no mystery.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keep reading.

Main Migrant Routes to Europe

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

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

The Most Breathtaking Whale Photos

This is just wow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Petra Kvitová Rule 5

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

She's lovely.

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

— Petra Kvitova (@Petra_Kvitova) September 4, 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

Uh oh.

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

Dang.

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

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

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

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

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

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

OMG this is a riot.

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

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

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

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

Jan Brewer's a freakin' patriot.

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

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

Courtney Knox's Sensationally Sexy Strip!

She's at Zoo Today.

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

Hey, you gotta start somewhere.

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

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

Utterly laughable.



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

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

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

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

Truly ridiculous.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Still more.

Obama Hellbent of Pushing Personal Foreign Policy of Weakness and Treason

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jackie Johnson's Got Your Labor Day Weekend Forecast

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

Should be just lovely.