Last-Minute Father's Day Gifts - Makita Power Tools

At Amazon, Father's Day - Makita Promotion: $20 Off $100 Promotion.

Also, Best Selling Products.

And, GoPro HERO4 Silver.

Still more, KIND Bars, Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt, Gluten Free, 1.4 Ounce Bars, 12 Count.

Plus, from Samuel Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order.

BONUS: Robert Spencer, Arab Winter Comes to America: The Truth About the War We're In.

Marc Lynch, The New Arab Wars

At Amazon, Marc Lynch, The New Arab Wars: Uprisings and Anarchy in the Middle East.

Plus, ICYMI, Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan, ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror.

Joby Warrick, Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS.

Patrick Cockburn, The Rise of Islamic State: ISIS and the New Sunni Revolution.

Fawaz Gerges, ISIS: A History.

BONUS: Robert Spencer, The Complete Infidel's Guide to ISIS.

Prime Minister Netanyahu Speaks Out on Orlando Islamic Jihad (VIDEO)

If only we had him here in the U.S. He's so awesome.

Via Legal Insurrection, "Prime Minister Netanyahu Says What We’re All Thinking About Orlando Terrorist Attack."

CIA Director John Brennan: Islamic State 'Will Intensify its Global Terror Campaign' (VIDEO)

Chilling.

Via CNN:

Kylie Jenner in Corn Rows and Bikini

Heh.

She's tryna act all black or something, lol.

At London's Daily Mail, "Nearly nude! Kylie Jenner dons flesh-coloured bikini to go with her braided hair in another revealing selfie."

More here, "Better luck next time: Kylie Jenner attempts to speak with the New Zealand accent as she hangs out with model Cassidy Morris...but instead sounds British."

Mr. President: We Need You to Act

From Brendan Bunting O'Connor, at the Orlando Sentinel, "Dear Mr. President: We need you to act. It's your last chance":

Guest viewpoint: Dear Mr. President: Honor Orlando with action https://t.co/GLwNCgMGtW

— OS Editorial Board (@OrlandoOpinion) June 16, 2016

President Obama, welcome to Orlando. We're honored to have you here during this awful time.

Your words of support have fallen on receptive ears this week, as we struggle to find meaning in our day-to-day lives after losing so many valued members of our tight-knit community. Your recent scorn for "politicians who tweet" really struck home. Thank you for being such a solid rock for us to cling to.

But we need more from you:

Orlando residents have had a few days to replace most of our initial shock and sadness with a constant, seething anger. An anger that frightens many of us, myself included. This man who stormed into our lives has shaken us to our core. Yes, our community should be commended for how quickly we have rallied together in the face of this violence — the response has been breathtaking. We're doing everything we can to clean up this mess, but we need you to do the same.

History has shown us that whenever an oppressed group becomes less so, there is always a backlash, and the queer community — the LGBTQ alphabet soup — is uniquely vulnerable to hate attacks. Even with recent strides in gay marriage (thanks, Obama!) and increasing acceptance of LGBT issues in popular culture, we are still being treated as "other," as objects of hate and ridicule. This hate crime could have happened anywhere, but it happened here, as John Oliver said, "At a Latin night at a gay club in the theme park capital of the world."

One man simply had to walk into a store and purchase a semi-automatic weapon, over the counter, like one would if he were ordering a pack of cigarettes at 7-Eleven. A type of gun so accessible that it has been used in multiple shootings across the country: Newtown, Aurora, San Bernadino, and now Orlando.

If children on a schoolyard are hitting each other with sticks, you take the sticks away. Yet, we are living in a society that is encouraging violence, and there is nothing keeping the next Omar Mateen from sauntering down to his corner gun shop to buy his own AR-15. Nothing, except maybe you President Obama — if you act with the agency granted to you by the American people and step in.

In my heart, I want to react to this shooting, labeled as an act of hate, with more hate. My gut is clenched, along with my fists, demanding some sort of answer. Some sort of retribution. Yet even as we all come to grips with the tragedy of losing so many beautiful friends, sisters, brothers and neighbors, we are hearing word that this man, Omar Mateen, may have been gay himself. And I really just feel sick. This young man reportedly joined us, in our safe spaces, possibly seeking answers, to reconcile who he was with what he had been told he was by his parents and his religion. And instead he returned with weapons to kill and to hurt.

I don't know the whole picture, but what I do know is this volatile man was investigated twice by the FBI for possible links to terrorism. That he had a history of violence. And that he was still allowed to legally purchase a weapon that allowed him to open fire on a building full of people. Just the night before, another man was able to walk into a concert venue and shoot a young pop star, Christina Grimmie. In the past few days, almost 100 people have died and more than 200 people have been injured due to gun violence in America, and that doesn't include Orlando...

That's very heartfelt, but the guy focuses way too much on the gun issue and not enough on the jihad issue. And Mateen didn't use an "AR-15." This is so far is one of the biggest lies in the whole sordid leftist debate following the massacre. See, Bearing Arms, "NARRATIVE FAIL: Orlando Islamic Terrorist Did NOT Use An AR-15."

Indeed, Senator John McCain is out with a brutal take down of the president. At AP, "McCain: Obama 'directly responsible' for Orlando shooting."

Hillary Clinton Fundraising Off the Orlando Jihad Massacre, Demonizing Donald Trump

This is in the mail this morning, from the Hillary Clinton campaign. These people are freakin' shameless:

Donald --

In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in United States history, the GOP nominee for president didn't pledge to stand with the LGBT community, didn't make a distinction between Muslims and jihadists, didn't lay out a measured and thoughtful plan to prevent tragedies like this from happening again.

Instead, he said I told you so. He took to the internet and fired off a tweet: “Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don't want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart!”

We don’t need your self-congratulatory victory lap at a time of mourning, Donald. Our nation needs time to heal and reflect. We need a leader who can calmly and rationally lead us out of the darkness we find ourselves in -- not one who creates light with kerosene and a match.

Donald, the only thing standing between Donald Trump and the White House is you and this team. Today of all days, I need to know if you're in. Our country needs this campaign, and this campaign needs you:

Thanks,

Christina

Christina Reynolds
Deputy Communications Director
Hillary for America 

The bold highlighting is in the original.

On the Verge of Collapse: Falling Demand for Carbon Permits in California's Failing Cap-and-Trade Program

It's not working.

Unexpectedly!

At the Los Angeles Times, "California's cap-and-trade program faces daunting hurdles to avoid collapse":

California's cap-and-trade program is on the verge of collapse https://t.co/2hkkXC8iDl pic.twitter.com/JIo3pnu7Dx

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 14, 2016

The linchpin of California’s climate change agenda, a program known as cap and trade, has become mired in legal, financial and political troubles that threaten to derail the state’s plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The program has been a symbol of the state’s leadership in the fight against global warming and a key source of funding, most notably for the high-speed rail project connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles.

But the legality of cap and trade is being challenged in court by a business group, and questions are growing about whether state law allows it to operate past 2020. With the end of the legislative session in August, Gov. Jerry Brown, lawmakers and interest groups of all stripes are laying the groundwork for what could become a battle royal over the future of California’s climate change programs.

Unless the state acts, “the whole system could fail,” said Senate leader Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles). “If that happens, we could lose an entire stream of revenue to make our communities more sustainable.”

California received an unwelcome reminder of cap and trade’s precarious situation last month.

The program functions by capping how much greenhouse gas can be emitted into the atmosphere and requiring companies to obtain permits, each allowing 1 metric ton of emissions. Those permits can be purchased at auctions or traded in a market, a system intended to provide a financial incentive for businesses such as power plants, oil refineries and manufacturers to reduce emissions.

By selling the permits, the state generates revenue that can be spent on other initiatives that reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, such as weatherizing homes and helping low-income residents buy cleaner cars. The bullet train is the biggest recipient, getting 25% of the cap-and-trade funds.

During the most recent auction in May, only 11% of the permits offered for sale were purchased.

Analysts suggested that legal uncertainty around cap and trade has damaged faith in a system that, like other markets, requires investors’ confidence to operate smoothly. They also said corporations and speculators are holding more permits than currently needed to cover the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the state, a supply-and-demand problem that has been growing in every auction over the last year and could continue to choke revenue through 2017...

Oh, it's a "supply and demand" problem. Who could have predicted that? Not California's Marxist economists, who no doubt ignored neoclassical economic theories in their statist models of environmental regulation. Note though, when you get the fundamentals wrong, it's likely you'll get the entire state-led regulatory structure wrong. Actors in the economy respond to signals and incentives, and when they see the system's built-in disincentives to participation, they'll exit the program, sit on the sidelines, and wait for better business opportunities.

That's how markets work, come to think of it.

Still more.

Britain at the Breaking Point

The Guardian blamed Nigel Farage and the British nationalist party for fueling "hate" in the murder of Jo Cox.

But reports indicate that the suspect was non-political and that witnesses denied the he shouted "Britain First" before the murder.

I'll have more on this throughout the day.

The EU has failed us all. pic.twitter.com/Lb7txUghar

— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) June 16, 2016

"The EU has failed us all" https://t.co/zFS8oAlz1W

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) June 16, 2016

Jo Cox killer was mentally ill, DID NOT shout "Britain first". https://t.co/LCKAtXFCPL

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) June 16, 2016

Jo Cox killer "had no political views," said nothing about EU referendum. But the left will still exploit this. #Brexit

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) June 16, 2016

The killer had no political views and was mentally ill. Delete your account. https://t.co/guA3FiKIdY

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) June 16, 2016

LATEST: Jo Cox killer known to locals, said “not politically minded” https://t.co/BCgvEX5ptT

— Raheem Kassam (@RaheemKassam) June 16, 2016

Except the attack was NOT politically motivated. Shameful exploitation of tragedy from the Guardian. https://t.co/BCcUw67YFe

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) June 16, 2016

The truly shameful mainstream media disgraces itself once again. https://t.co/wF2XtXJLKn pic.twitter.com/yH9ShTCDY0

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) June 16, 2016

A lot of shameful idiots are having to delete their tweets right now because of this. #Brexit. pic.twitter.com/SyK4bVLino

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) June 16, 2016

The killer had no political views. pic.twitter.com/O6rkckvp9A

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) June 16, 2016

I thought Remain had hit its lowest point when it was Geldoff screaming at fishermen. Sadly I was wrong. https://t.co/IlPlk78N5e

— (((Donna_R_E))) (@Donna_R_E) June 16, 2016

If you're still exploiting the murder of Jo Cox for political grist, YOU are the problem. Killer had no political views. Delete your account

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) June 16, 2016

Even though the Jo Cox murder was NOT political, people are stupid and will believe the first thing they hear. Left will be relying on this.

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) June 16, 2016

Labour MP Jo Cox Dies After Being Shot and Stabbed in West Yorkshire (VIDEO)

So much bad news of late. Evil news. It's sickening. And depressing at the same time.

But I do think that in times likes these, in times of mass alienation from elites, and hyper-partisanship, we'll be seeing more and more resorts to violence to settle conflict and express outrage and disgust at opponents. It's terrible it's come to this, but it's happening.

At the Telegraph UK, "Live: Labour MP Jo Cox dies after being shot and stabbed in her West Yorkshire constituency."

Also, at the BBC, "LIVE Latest updates on killed MP."

Video from the police press conference, "Labour MP Jo Cox dies after gun and knife attack."

The Guardian view on Jo Cox: an attack on humanity, idealism and democracy https://t.co/5WXxPddXrp pic.twitter.com/c4fcPFbxj4

— The Guardian (@guardian) June 16, 2016

More, from Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit, "BREAKING: LABOUR PARTY MP JO COX MURDERED IN BRITAIN."

Some witnesses are saying the suspect did not scream "Britain First!" before the attack.

UPDATE: The leftist "remain" forces have viciously exploited the murder. See, "Britain at the Breaking Point."

Obama's Continued Denial About the War We're In

From, Marc Thiessen, at WaPo, "After Orlando, Obama continues to be in denial about terrorism":

New column by @marcthiessen "After Orlando, Obama continues to be in denial about terrorism" https://t.co/NTvPwZeXJ6

— Dana Perino (@DanaPerino) June 15, 2016

After the Islamic State began releasing videos of American citizens being beheaded, White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett reportedly told President Obama that Americans were worried that they would soon bring this violence here to the United States. Obama was unfazed.

“They’re not coming here to chop our heads off,” the president promised.

Now a terrorist pledging allegiance to the Islamic State has murdered 49 Americans in Orlando. What inspired him? CNN reports that “analysis of Mateen’s electronic devices showed searches for jihadist propaganda, including . . . ISIS beheading videos.”

Obama dismissed Omar Mateen as a “homegrown” terrorist who had announced his allegiance to the Islamic State “at the last minute” and declared that “there is no evidence so far that he was in fact directed by ISIL.” That distinction (if it turns out to be true) is irrelevant. Last month, the Islamic State commander responsible for external attack plotting, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, gave a speech calling on supporters to carry out killings in the United States during the holy month of Ramadan. “The smallest action you do in the heart of their land is dearer to us than the largest action by us, and more effective and more damaging to them,” he said.

Mateen answered al-Adnani’s call, Orlando is awash in blood, and the Islamic State claimed credit for the attack and declared Mateen “one of the soldiers of the caliphate.” He was an Islamic State terrorist. This was an Islamic State attack. And Obama’s stubborn refusal to see this is part of a larger pattern of downplaying or dismissing terrorist dangers. According to the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, who spent hours interviewing Obama about his foreign policy doctrine, the president “has never believed that terrorism poses a threat to America commensurate with the fear it generates” and “frequently reminds his staff that terrorism takes far fewer lives in America than handguns, car accidents, and falls in bathtubs do.” That’s right, our commander in chief sees the mass shooting of 49 people in Orlando as akin to a slip in the tub.

In his 2016 State of the Union address, Obama blithely dismissed the Islamic State as “fighters on the back of pickup trucks” who he said, in typical strawman fashion, “do not threaten our national existence.” In a 2015 BBC interview, he said , “If you look at the number of Americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism, it’s less than 100.” In other words, no big deal.

After his anti-Islamic State strategy came under withering criticism following the Brussels terror attacks in March, Obama said “my top priority is to defeat ISIL.” But he has admitted elsewhere that is untrue. Obama has openly declared that climate change is a much higher priority for him than terrorism because “ISIS is not an existential threat to the United States. Climate change is a potential existential threat to the entire world if we don’t do something about it.” Indeed, Goldberg writes, Obama “gets frustrated that terrorism keeps swamping his larger agenda” and “his advisers are fighting a constant rearguard action to keep Obama from placing terrorism in what he considers its ‘proper’ perspective, out of concern that he will seem insensitive to the fears of the American people.”

The “proper” perspective. No wonder the president keeps getting the terrorist threat wrong...

OMG! Donald Trump Tweeted Story of Obama Administration's 'Secret Memo' on Support for Islamic State!

There's no "there" there at this made-up controversy at Memeorandum.

The Patrick Howley story stated precisely what the issue is: The Obama White House was shown in a routine "intelligence information report" to have cultivated diplomatic and military ties with Muhammad Al Adnani, formerly of the notorious jihad terror organization al-Qaeda in Iraq, and now is the senior spokesman for the Islamic State.

It's important precisely because it shows the convoluted lines of alliance and counter-alliance in the administration's poorly-conceived anti-Assad policy on rebel support in Syria. The deaths in that conflict have long ago passed over 200,000, and history will show that it's the Syrian civil war, not regime change in Iraq, that has been the most horrific and destabilizing blunder in the Middle East in the post-Cold War era.

So, Donald Trump tweeted it, as well he should. This kind of thing is the tip of the iceberg in the catastrophe of America's retreat from global power and leadership.

An: Media fell all over themselves criticizing what DonaldTrump "may have insinuated about @POTUS." But he's right: https://t.co/bIIdYtvZYw

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2016

More, at the Hill, "Trump tweets story claiming 'secret memo' shows Obama supports ISIS."

We're long past the point in the campaign where everything Donald Trump does or says is THE WORST CLUSTER IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION HISTORY, whereas everything that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton do or say represents all that's good and righteous in the postmodern Democrat collectivist universe of THAT'S NOT WHO WE ARE socialist identity politics America.

And that's why, despite polls showing an "unfavorability spike" for Trump following Orlando, we're going to continue to see an extremely tight presidential horse race over the next few months, with the trends on support for Trump vs. Clinton heavily influenced by leftist media news coverage of the key milestones in the campaign (post-convention bounce, traditional post-Labor Day campaigning, the "debates," etc.).

The leftist establishment press has been wrong about Donald Trump's political prospects since he first entered the race last June. There's nothing that's likely to change the left's inaccuracy in reporting on the Trump phenomenon. Americans are unhappy with the direction of the country, both candidates have the highest negatives for any major-party nominees in history, and both the economy and terrorism will be the leading campaign issues heading into the fall. The Democrats are desperate and on the defensive. It doesn't look good for them.

Sophie Tweed-Simmons, Gene Simmons' Daughter, at Premiere of 'The Neon Demon' in Hollywood

Hey, I guess this is sexy celebrity daughters week at AmPow, lol.

At London's Daily Mail, "Gene Simmons' stunning daughter Sophie displays some SERIOUS side-boob as she steps out in a patterned sleeveless dress at The Neon Demon premiere."

She's on Twitter as well.

Very beautiful young lady.

Deal of the Day: Save Up to 36% on Select Lotos Metalworking Products

At Amazon, Lotos LT5000D Plasma Cutter 50Amps Dual Voltage Compact Metal Cutter 110/220V AC 1/2" Clean Cut, and Lotos set of Nozzle Electrode and Cup 40-Piece PCON40.

Also, Delsey Luggage Helium Aero 3 Piece Spinner Luggage Set.

And, 3M WorkTunes Hearing Protector, MP3 Compatible with AM/FM Tuner (90541-4DC).

More, Samsonite Syndicate Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Backpack.

BONUS: From Dana Loesch, out next Tuesday, Flyover Nation: You Can't Run a Country You've Never Been To.

Hillary Clinton Received Secret Memo Stating Obama Administration 'Support' for Islamic State

From Patrick Howley, at Breitbart:

So this is the smoking gun, right? Or will this be glossed over too? https://t.co/aY1hhJakOI

— Wzrthnu (@wzrthnu) June 15, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Hillary Clinton received a classified intelligence report stating that the Obama administration was actively supporting Al Qaeda in Iraq, the terrorist group that became the Islamic State.

The memo made clear that Al Qaeda in Iraq was speaking through Muhammad Al Adnani, who is now the senior spokesman for the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Western and Gulf states were supporting the terrorist group to try to overthrow Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad, who was being propped up by the Russians, Iranians, and Chinese.

In August 2012, a “SECRET” classified memo was sent to various top Obama administration officials and agencies, including to the State Department and to Clinton’s office personally.

“The document is an IAR, an intelligence information report,” said Christopher J. Farrell, who serves on the board of directors of Judicial Watch, which obtained the document. “It is produced by somebody within the Defense intelligence agency (DIA). It is reporting from the field by an intelligence agent” who could be a U.S. government agent, a defense attaché, or a source.

“It’s a report from the field back to headquarters with some intelligence that somebody is willing to bet their career on,” Farrell said.

Farrell confirmed that the report was sent to Clinton’s office, based on the recipient marking “RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC.”

The report identifies Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) as being one of the principal elements of the Syrian opposition, which the West was choosing to “support.”

The enormity of the lies and deception of the Obama years have only begun to be unfolded. We're going need and national truth and reconciliation commission under the Trump administration, and that still will only scratch the surface of the left's evil war on the U.S. over these last few years.

The document's at the link.

More at Memeorandum.

Obama's Failed Feadership

From Michael Goodwin, at the New York Post, "Obama's tantrum a striking display of failed leadership."

Obama's speech was a striking display of personal anger and pent-up grievances https://t.co/S0HSvD6bt7

— New York Post (@nypost) June 15, 2016

Political Correctness to Blame for Orlando Massacre

From Kenneth Timmerman, at the Hill:

The FBI placed Orlando shooter Omar Mateen, 29, on its terrorist watch list in 2013 after co-workers reported that he had made “inflammatory comments” they felt showed his sympathies for terrorist groups.

When agents questioned him, they determined that Mateen “had not broken any laws,” and closed the investigation. In Obama’s America, it’s not illegal to declare your sympathies for radical Islamic terrorist groups - even repeatedly and vehemently, as Mateen’s co-workers claim was the case - because radical Islamic terrorism doesn’t exist. So the FBI took him off the watchlist.

In 2014, the FBI came back for a second try. This time, they found that Mateen had been in contact with an American who had traveled to Syria, joined ISIS and volunteered for jihad, blowing himself up in a homicide bombing.

An FBI official told reporters that they closed that investigation “because they concluded the contacts with the suicide bomber had been minimal.” Once again, they took him off the terror watchlist.

Now, obviously no rational American wants the FBI arresting people because of their opinions, even though the Obama Justice Department and several Attorneys General are trying very hard to criminalize as “hate speech” anyone who cites scientific data showing that man-made global warming isn’t happening.

But when the FBI investigates the same individual for suspected terrorist ties twice in two years, you would think they might conduct an undercover investigation to learn more.

Remember: they hadn’t investigated Mateen twice because he was a Muslim. They investigated him because he exhibited behavior that suggested he might pose a potential threat. Despite this, they were not allowed to push that investigation further, because of political correctness.

This is not the first time that innocent Americans have died because of political correctness.

Just days after the San Bernardino shootings last December, we learned that the Department of Homeland Security had shut down an intelligence-based screening program that had identified the mosque shooter Syed Farook attended as a recruitment center for jihadis.

Had DHS been allowed to continue using that screening program and pursue its investigation of the mosque, they would have stumbled upon Syed Farook and arguably could have prevented a massacre of American innocents.

Instead, they fired the intelligence analyst who devised the program, Phil Haney, and ordered all the data he had uncovered about jihadi recruiting centers destroyed because it offended President Obama’s Muslim Brotherhood advisors, who worked hard to eliminate all such law enforcement programs on the pretence they were “offensive” to Muslims.

Political correctness kills.

More.

And ICYMI, from yesterday, "Dana Loesch Comments on the Orlando Terrorist Attack (VIDEO)."

Donald Trump: 'I watched President Obama today and he was more angry at me than the shooter...' (VIDEO)

Polls show that Americans dislike both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump's response to the Florida attack. But it's not even close for me. Trump nailed it.

At the Hill, "Trump: Obama ‘more angry at me’ than Orlando shooter."

Trump in Greensboro: "And I watched President Obama today, and he was more angry at me than he was at the shooter."

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) June 14, 2016

Guns Occupy a Critical Space in the Culture Wars

Here's a great piece, from Jason Willick, at the American Interest, "How to Tear a Nation Apart" (via Instapundit):

Guns occupy a critical space in America’s increasingly acerbic culture wars, a manifestation of the broader social convection currents taking place below the surface. For Jacksonians who are losing faith in the ability of established institutions to preserve order, the Second Amendment is a bulwark against totalitarian movements, like Islamism, that would undermine American liberty. Under this deeply held view, attacks by ISIS-enthusiasts strengthen, rather than weaken, the case for gun rights. But for cosmopolitan liberals, gun rights are an anachronism—a symbol of all the wrong-headed views espoused by working class whites. Set these two warring camps against each other in the context of an ongoing terror threat, and you push an already divided society even further down the path of tribalism and fracture.

More.

Obama and Clinton Say Donald Trump is Out to Destroy American Values (VIDEO)

I teach politics, so I'm literally obligated to keep up with the news. But I don't remember a campaign this nasty, and it's not the surrogates who're dragging everything down into the mud. It's the left.

I'm inclined to tune out more than I normally do in the summertime, but it's something that needs to be monitored. We're in a very unusual period of Democrat demonization. Citizens' vigilance is now more vital to freedom than any time in my lifetime.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Obama accuses Trump of 'doing the terrorists' work for them'":

President Obama and Hillary Clinton conducted an extraordinary joint attack on Donald Trump on Tuesday, with the president accusing the presumptive Republican nominee of “doing the terrorists’ work for them” and Clinton excoriating him as a liar and a “pathological” personality who is temperamentally unsuited to be president.

Their remarks, made at simultaneous speeches in Washington and Pittsburgh, came the day after Trump revived insinuations about Obama’s loyalty to the U.S. and vowed that as president he would ban immigration not only by Muslims but people from any country with a “proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies.”

The harsh exchanges between the two sides, with the election still five months away, underscored the brutal nature of the campaign to come, with its focus on intertwined issues of race, ethnicity, terrorism and immigration.

In his remarks, delivered after a meeting with national security advisors at the Treasury Department, Obama said that the proposals by Trump, whom he referred to as the “presumptive Republican nominee,” would undermine American values.

“Where does this stop?” Obama demanded, noting that the shooter responsible for the killing of 49 people in Orlando was born in the U.S., as were the attackers in several previous terrorists acts. “Are we going to start treating all Muslim Americans differently” than other citizens? he asked. “Are we going to start discriminating against them because of their faith?”

If the U.S. were to go down that path “we would have betrayed the very things we’re trying to protect,” the president said. “And then the terrorists would have won, and we cannot let that happen. I will not let that happen.”

Groups such as Islamic State want to present themselves as the leaders of a “war between Islam and America,” Obama said. “They want us to validate them.” Proposals such as the ones Trump has offered are “doing the terrorists’ work for them,” he said.

Trump, in a statement emailed to the Associated Press, responded that Obama "continues to prioritize our enemy over our allies, and for that matter, the American people."

"When I am president, it will always be America first," he wrote.

Keep reading.