Hillary Clinton Exploits Oregon Massacre to Push for More Gun Control

At Bloomberg, "Clinton Proposes New Gun Measures, Staking Claim vs. Sanders."



Also at Memeorandum.

Image Credit: Ms. EBL.

Delta Force Secretly Killed Iranian Agents in Iraq — with IEDs

From Sean Naylor, at the New York Post:

The Iraq war was, in part, a proxy battle between the US and Iran. But fighting it had “political restrictions,” author Sean Naylor writes. In his new book, “Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command,” Naylor reveals that US special operations forces came up with a solution, one that would let them conduct secret assassinations without anyone — even our own FBI — finding out.

By early 2007, some US intelligence estimates held that as many as 150 Iranian operatives were in Iraq. Many were member of the Quds Force, the covert arm of Iran’s Shi’ite theocracy. Their mission was to coordinate the violent campaign being waged against US forces by Iraq’s Shi’ite militias.

“It was 100 percent, ‘Are you willing to kill Americans and are you willing to coordinate attacks?’ ” said an officer who studied the Quds Force’s approach closely. “ ‘If the answer is “yes,” here’s arms, here’s money.’ ”
The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) set up a new task force, named Task Force 17.

Its mandate was simple: go after “anything that Iran is doing to aid in the destabilization of Iraq,” said a Task Force 17 officer...

Keep reading.

I blogged Naylor's book last night, "Sean Naylor's New Book, Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command."

Putin's Aggression in Syria Taking Advantage of Obama's Inaction, New Regional Architecture

A great piece, from Caroline Glick, at Town Hall, "Israel's Risk Aversion Problem":

On Wednesday the Obama administration was caught off guard by Russia’s rapid rise in Syria. As the Russians began bombing a US-supported militia along the Damascus-Homs highway, Secretary of State John Kerry was meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, at the UN. Just hours before their meeting Kerry was insisting that Russia’s presence in Syria would likely be a positive development.

Reacting to the administration’s humiliation, Republican Sen. John McCain said, “This administration has confused our friends, encouraged our enemies, mistaken an excess of caution for prudence and replaced the risks of action with the perils of inaction.”

McCain added that Russian President Vladimir Putin had stepped “into the wreckage of this administration’s Middle East policy.”

While directed at the administration, McCain’s general point is universally applicable. Today is no time for an overabundance of caution.

The system of centralized regimes that held sway in the Arab world since the breakup of the Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago has unraveled. The shape of the new order has yet to be determined.

The war in Syria and the chaos and instability engulfing the region are part and parcel of the birth pangs of a new regional governing architecture now taking form. Actions taken by regional and global actors today will likely will influence power relations for generations.

Putin understands the opportunity of the moment.

He views the decomposition of Syria as an opportunity to rebuild Russia’s power and influence in the Middle East – at America’s expense.

Russia isn’t the only strategic player seeking to exploit the war in Syria and the regional chaos. Turkey and Iran are also working assiduously to take advantage of the current absence of order to advance their long term interests.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is exploiting the rise of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq to fight the Kurds in both countries. Erdogan’s goal is twofold: to prevent the establishment of an independent Kurdistan and to disenfranchise the Kurds in Turkey.

As for Iran, Syria is Iran’s bulwark against Sunni power in the Arab world and the logistical base for Tehran’s Shi’ite foreign legion Hezbollah. Iranian dictator Ali Khamenei is willing to fight to the bitter end to hold as much of Syrian territory as possible.

Broadly speaking, Iran views the breakup of the Arab state system as both a threat and an opportunity...

Keep reading.

Rose Bertram Takes Topless Dancing to Another Level (VIDEO)

Watch, at Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, "Topless dancing. Endless twerking. A bikini-clad SI Swimsuit rookie. If that doesn't get you excited for this video, I don't know what will. Rose Bertram visited St. John in the US Virgin Islands for her photo shoot and I'm not sure the folks of this quaint island knew what hit them."

No Room for Indifference on anti-Semitism

From Professor Michael Curtis, at American Thinker:

Actions speak louder than words, but nevertheless it is a welcome sign of change that the European Commission is holding its first annual Fundamental Rights Colloquium on October 1-2, 2015 in Brussels. Its theme is tolerance and respect, preventing and combating anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hatred in Europe.

The Colloquium is not simply an opportunity for a widespread discussion of issues. Participants, governments, political, civil, religious, and academic leaders, are expected to explore concrete ways to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred. However, it should be said at the outset that while anti-Arab and anti-black attitudes are contemptible and should be opposed, they do not have the same resonance as anti-Semitism.

The need is urgent. A 2013 EU Fundamental Rights Agency survey on discrimination and hate crime against Jews found that more than three quarters of those surveyed felt that anti-Semitism, including anti-Semitism on line, has got worse in the countries in which they lived. It is surprising that about three-quarters of Jewish people do not report anti-Semitic harassment to the police. More correct and accurate data on the perceptions and experiences of Jews is essential if corrective action is to be taken. A related problem is that the number of officially recorded incidents is so low that it is difficult to measure a long-term trend.

Evidence is clear that a worrisome increase in hate incidents concerning Jews has occurred in recent years. Some of the recorded data is as follows...

Oh, there's plenty of evidence, but keep reading.

High School Shooting Plot Foiled in Tuolumne County — 4 Boys in Custody (VIDEO)

Phew, good thing.

And sheesh, it's chilling.

At the Modesto Bee, "Tuolumne County sheriff offers details into arrest of four in Summerville High shooting plot":

SONORA - Deputies have arrested four male students after uncovering a shooting plot targeting Summerville High School, authorities said.

At a press conference Saturday afternoon, Tuolumne County Sheriff Jim Mele said the case came to him Wednesday when students noticed three suspects acting suspiciously and notified administrators. School staff on the Tuolumne campus immediately called the sheriff’s department.

During the investigation, detectives identified a fourth suspect. While serving two search warrants in the case, Mele said, authorities found “evidence verifying a plot to shoot staff and students at Summerville High School,” which the suspects later confessed to in statements to investigators. He said the plot was detailed, and included a list of victims, locations and methods for the attack.

“They were going to come on campus and shoot and kill as many people as possible on the campus,” Mele said. “It is particularly unsettling when our most precious assets —which are our students, their teachers — are targets for violence.”

Authorities said the plot was in the beginning stages and no students or adults were hurt. Mele said he wanted to emphasize that there is no current danger to students or staff at the high school and the department is confident they have all the suspects involved in custody.

“I believe, with all my heart, the reason we were able to stop this was because we have a level of trust within our community,” Mele said. “When you have a level of trust with the law enforcement, your education – we meet monthly, we meet constantly – you can do this.”

Detectives arrested all four students on charges of conspiracy to commit an assault with deadly weapons on Friday afternoon at their homes and turned them over to the Tuolumne County Probation Department. The suspects’ names were not released because they are juveniles. Mele also would not release their ages or grade levels. Mele said all of the suspects’ families have cooperated fully with the investigation.

Mele said the plan was uncovered when students overheard the suspects talking about it at school and alerted staff Wednesday afternoon. Evidence was later found included paperwork with statements and a list of potential victims including “several students and/or staff” who would be targets at an upcoming event on campus. Three of the students were taken out of school immediately on Wednesday and as the investigation continued the fourth was taken out of school on Friday morning.

No weapons were found, but Mele said the students were in the process of trying to obtain some to carry out the attack...

Keep reading.

California Capital Airshow 'After Dark' (VIDEO)

Hmm... It's a big weekend for air shows.

Watch, at KCRA News 3 Sacramento, "Planes set sky on fire during airshow."

Sean Naylor's New Book, Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command

At Amazon, Relentless Strike: The Secret History of Joint Special Operations Command.

Since the attacks of September 11, one organization has been at the forefront of America's military response. Its efforts turned the tide against al-Qaida in Iraq, killed Bin Laden and Zarqawi, rescued Captain Phillips and captured Saddam Hussein. Its commander can direct cruise missile strikes from nuclear submarines and conduct special operations raids anywhere in the world.

Relentless Strike tells the inside story of Joint Special Operations Command, the secret military organization that during the past decade has revolutionized counterterrorism, seamlessly fusing intelligence and operational skills to conduct missions that hit the headlines, and those that have remained in the shadows-until now. Because JSOC includes the military's most storied special operations units-Delta Force, SEAL Team 6, the 75th Ranger Regiment-as well as America's most secret aviation and intelligence units, this is their story, too.

Relentless Strike reveals tension-drenched meetings in war rooms from the Pentagon to Iraq and special operations battles from the cabin of an MH-60 Black Hawk to the driver's seat of Delta Force's Pinzgauer vehicles as they approach their targets. Through exclusive interviews, reporter Sean Naylor uses his unique access to reveal how an organization designed in the 1980s for a very limited mission set transformed itself after 9/11 to become the military's premier weapon in the war against terrorism and how it continues to evolve today.

 Buy the book, at Amazon.

Rangers Win American League West; Angels Playoff Hopes Shattered (VIDEO)

Well, considering all the ups-and-downs of the Angels' season, I think the players can be proud. They have no quit in them, and yesterday's spectacular comeback win was one of the best ever.

Frankly, I'm surprised they stayed in contention right to the very last game of the season. There were a couple of times in the last month or so that I'd pretty much given up on them.

Better luck next year.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Rangers use seventh-inning outburst to eliminate Angels from playoffs."

Also at ESPN, "Rangers win AL West on final day; Angels' loss puts Astros in playoffs."

Plus, watch, at MLB, "10/4/15: Rangers clinch AL West behind Hamels' gem."

Thousands Enjoy Last Day at MCAS Miramar Air Show, Despite Morning Rain (VIDEO)

Well, good thing we're getting some rain. I think folks down in San Diego can live with a shortened air show schedule. We need the water!

Watch, at ABC News 10 San Diego, "Thousands enjoy last day of Air Show despite morning rain."

$50 Credit with Qualifying Camera Purchase

Any photographers among my readership?

Get a credit on camera purchases at Amazon, Shop - Get a $50 Credit Toward a Camera or Lens with a Qualifying Accessory Purchase.

Plus, in books, from Michael Wolff, Television Is the New Television: The Unexpected Triumph of Old Media in the Digital Age, and Alan Wolk, Over the Top: How the Internet Is (Slowly but Surely) Changing the Television Industry.

'Saturday Night Live' Premiere Was Basically a Hillary Clinton Campaign Ad

Yes, unexpectedly!

(Click through at the link to a lengthy analysis at the Daily Beast.)

Arizona State Sorority Sisters Mocked for Taking Selfies at Baseball Game (VIDEO)

The MLB video's here, "9/30/15: Fans are having some fun with their smartphones, taking some selfies as the D-backs host the Rockies at Chase Field."

Also, an Inside Edition video, "Sportscasters Mock Sorority Girls Taking Selfies at Baseball Game."

See London's Daily Mail, "'Here's the first bite of my churro; here's the second!' MLB announcers mock sorority sisters taking selfies during Arizona baseball game in scathing rant live on air."

And they were given some free tickets, which they donated to charity. Pretty classy, at Hollywood Reporter, "Sorority 'Selfie' Girls Decline Free Baseball Tickets, Ask to Donate to Domestic Violence Charity," and ABC News 7 San Francisco, "SELFIE-TAKING SORORITY GIRLS USE INTERNET FAME FOR GOOD."

A Call to Arms for 'Conservatarians'

It's Charles C.W. Cooke's new book, The Conservatarian Manifesto: Libertarians, Conservatives, and the Fight for the Right's Future.

Two Israelis Murdered by Palestinian Terrorist in Stabbing Attack in Jerusalem

It's bad enough that Israelis are being murdered, but then the BBC whitewashes it with Orwellian headlines, "Palestinian shot dead after Jerusalem attack kills two."

They've changed the headline now, but see the Times of Israel, "Israel raps BBC for ‘unethical’ terror attack headline."

Plus, "Islamic Jihad threatens return to suicide bombing attacks."

And watch, at Arutz Sheva, "Funeral of Terror Victim in Jerusalem," and "Second Jerusalem Stabbing Victim Laid to Rest."

PREVIOUSLY: From yesterday, "Thousands Attend Funeral for Rabbi Eitam and Naama Henkin, Who Were Murdered by Arab Terrorists in Front of Four Children (VIDEO)."

Doctors Without Borders Closes Afghan Hospital, Condemns 'U.S. War Crimes' (VIDEO)

Nobel Peace Prize update.

At the Los Angeles Times:

The medical charity Doctors Without Borders closed its hospital in the Afghan province of Kunduz on Sunday, and charged that a suspected U.S. airstrike that killed 22 people there appeared to have been a war crime.

The closure was a blow to the embattled northern province where more than 400 people have been injured in the last week in fighting between Afghan security forces and the Taliban. The group took control of the provincial capital briefly last week.

The Pentagon said there are three investigations into the airstrike, one by the Defense Department, one involving both the United States and Afghanistan, and one by NATO. Pentagon officials have thus far said only that a U.S. airstrike Saturday morning may have caused collateral damage.

Doctors Without Borders said it would be satisfied only with an investigation by an independent, outside authority.

The aid agency called the bombing, which went on for more than an hour, horrifying and said it had informed U.S. and Afghan officials of the hospital's GPS coordinates before the strike occurred.

Doctors Without Borders, also known as Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) in French, said Sunday that the death toll had risen to 22 — 12 staff members and 10 patients, three of them children. The toll was an increase of three over the figure announced previously. In addition, dozens of people were injured.

“Under the clear presumption that a war crime has been committed, MSF demands that a full and transparent investigation into the event be conducted by an independent international body,” the organization said in a statement on its website. “Relying only on an internal investigation by a party to the conflict would be wholly insufficient.”

Senior Pentagon officials said the three investigations that have been launched are centered on whether the U.S. military knew the hospital was nearby when an AC-130 gunship opened fire and whether the clinic was being used by the Taliban to launch attacks.

Thus far, no U.S. or Afghan personnel have been able to gain access to the hospital because the area remains contested, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Sunday. He called the situation “confused and complicated.”

The investigations “will be, and needs to be, full and transparent," Carter told reporters aboard the Pentagon's E-4B “Doomsday” plane en route to Madrid. “There will be accountability, as always in these incidents, if that is required.”

Still more.

Springfield Armory M1A™ SOCOM 16

From Kurt Schlichter, on Twitter, "Picked up my SOCOM 16 today. Store packed with free Americans defying President Fail. @ChrisLoesch @DLoesch."

It looks like this! @rubedawg1061 @ChrisLoesch @DLoesch pic.twitter.com/5A5Q0AnChI

— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) October 4, 2015

Demi Lovato Vanity Fair Photo Shoot (VIDEO)

Here, "Demi Lovato’s Spontaneous, Nude, Makeup-Free Photo Shoot."

And watch, "Demi Lovato Explains Her Nude, No-Makeup Photo Shoot."

John Boehner Cries on 'Face the Nation', Wants to Be Remembered as 'a Good Man' (VIDEO)

Poor Boehner.

In the end, he's going to be remembered as a candy-assed compromising crybaby.

With John Dickerson this morning, at Face the Nation:



The full interview is here, "Full interview: John Boehner, September 27."

Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."



Also at Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's SUNDAY FUNNIES," and Theo Spark's, "Cartoon Roundup."

Still more at Paco Enterprises, "Sunday Funnies."

Cartoon Credit: Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – Horrible."

BONUS: At Knuckledraggin', "You surely didn’t expect him to leave ’em hanging…"

Poll: Majority Doubts More Gun Control Would Stop Criminals and Mentally Ill from Purchasing Firearms

The poll's from September 14, at CNN, a couple of weeks before the Oregon shooting massacre.

We might see a bump in support for more gun control, but any increase will be ephemeral.

See, "CNN/ORC poll: Guns, immigration, abortion increasingly important to voters":

At the same time, many express doubts that expanded gun laws would be able to prevent those with mental health problems from buying guns (44% see that as likely, 56% unlikely), or that such laws would keep guns out of the hands of convicted criminals (42% say that's likely, 58% unlikely). But most also say it wouldn't necessarily make it harder for a law-abiding citizen without mental health problems to buy one, 57% say it's unlikely to do that.

Even among those who say it is now too easy to buy a gun, just small majorities believe that implementing more comprehensive background checks for all gun purchases would be likely to stop gun purchases by the mentally ill (53%) or convicted criminals (55%).

President Barack Obama receives mostly negative reviews for his handling of gun policy, 59% disapprove of his handling of the issue on which he said he's been the "most frustrated and most stymied" during his presidency; just 35% approve of his work. That's worsened since a June poll, and nears his 2014 low of 33% approval on it. That drop off comes particularly among liberals. In the new poll, just 53% of liberals approve of Obama's handling of gun policy, down from 63% in June. Among moderates (44% then, 41% now) and conservatives (23% then, 19% now), the declines have been smaller.

RTWT.

New Jobs Report Shows Weak Employments Gains, Corporate Earnings

Updates from the Obama depression.

At IBD, "Will Chilly Job, Wage Gains Keep the Fed on Ice?":

U.S. private-sector job growth downshifted to the slowest pace in more than three years as the labor force participation rate sank to a 38-year low, the Labor Department reported Friday.

The unexpectedly soft job growth and flat wages in September lowered the odds that the Federal Reserve will begin raising interest rates in December.

Stock indexes opened sharply lower on concerns that global weakness is hurting the U.S. more than was thought, but the prospect of a more patient Fed seemed to raise spirits. The S&P 500 turned a 1.6% drop into a 1.4% gain. The 10-year Treasury yield still settled at 1.99%, the lowest close since April.

The private sector added 118,000 jobs in September after August's downwardly revised 100,000 rise, the worst two months since the spring of 2012. Private hiring averaged 205,000 over the first seven months of the year and 254,000 in 2014.

Government added 24,000 jobs in September, lifting total payrolls by 142,000, well below the 206,000 expected.

The jobless rate held at 5.1%, the lowest since 2008, but only because 350,000 people stopped looking for work, pushing labor force participation to 62.4%, the lowest since October 1977.

IHS Global Insight Chief Economist Nariman Behravesh blamed the tepid job growth on "weakness outside the U.S. hitting exports and volatility in the stock market," which led firms to slow hiring and capital spending. He thinks slower hiring may persist for a few months but sees "slightly better than 50/50 odds" of a December hike, as long as the next couple of job reports aren't quite as bad as Friday's.

Barely more than half of all private industries — 52.9% — added staff, the weakest report since February 2010, noted John Silvia, chief economist at Wells Fargo Securities.

"Job losses in the mining and manufacturing industries reflect the effects of continued weakness in commodity prices and sagging global demand," he wrote...

Still more.

Oregan Shooter Chris Harper-Mercer Purchased Firearms Legally

Yeah, here's another fact that depraved leftists completely ignore.

At PuffHo, "Authorities: Weapons Recovered In Oregon Shooting Purchased Legally."

Dana Loesch Schools Cory Booker on Calls for Gun Control Laws That 'Already Exist'

At Twitchy, "Dana Loesch schools Cory Booker on calls for gun laws that ‘already exist’."

Let's follow with expanding ban of sales to those convicted of domestic violence - research shows it REALLY works. https://t.co/dkoWVuIEBZ

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) October 3, 2015

Omg. This is already a law. https://t.co/ZVrMTumC59

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) October 3, 2015

See the whole thing.

Obama Hails Australia's Gun Confiscation in Push to Abolish Second Amendment (VIDEO)

Following-up, "Obama to Exploit Mass Shootings to Push Gun Control for Remainder of Term (VIDEO)."

In his statements on Friday, seen below (toward the end of the clip), Obama hailed "other countries" like "Australia" that "almost eliminated mass shootings." And of course, Australia's the preferred example because in 1996 the government imposed a compulsory gun "buyback" program that confiscated somewhere between 650,000 and 1,000,000 automatic and semiautomatic rifles. The far-left ghouls at Vox have been touting the Australian confiscation regime in their latest gun control push here at home. Unfortunately for them, there's no conclusive evidence that the Australia law reduced the homicide rate. See, "Australia confiscated 650,000 guns. Murders and suicides plummeted":

Pinning down exactly how much the NFA [ National Firearms Agreement ] contributed is harder. One study concluded that buying back 3,500 guns per 100,000 people correlated with up to a 50 percent drop in firearm homicides. But as Dylan Matthews points out, the results were not statistically significant because Australia has a pretty low number of murders already.

However, the paper's findings about suicide were statistically significant — and astounding. Buying back 3,500 guns correlated with a 74 percent drop in firearm suicides. Non-gun suicides didn't increase to make up the decline.

Actually, there's no causal evidence that the Australian murder rate declined due to the 1996 gun confiscation regime. The Vox leftists are lying trough their teeth, and it's not the first time.

See, Mark Antonio Wright , at National Review, "Australia’s 1996 Gun Confiscation Didn’t Work – And it Wouldn’t Work in America."

Also, from Varad Mehta, at the Federalist, "The Australia Gun Control Fallacy":

After any mass shooting someone will invoke the name “Australia” and raise the question, “Can Australia’s gun-control laws be a model for the United States?” This time [after the Charleston massacre] the honor belonged to CNN’s Laura Smith-Spark, who recounts the circumstances that led to Australia’s current gun-control laws and outlines their provisions. The laws were passed after the Port Arthur massacre, a 1996 mass shooting in which one man killed 35 people. Australia outlawed semi-automatic rifles, certain categories of shotgun, and implemented strict licensing and registration requirements. The cornerstone of its new gun-control scheme, however, was a massive gun buyback program. The Australian government purchased 650,000 to one million guns with funds raised via a special tax.

The Australian paradigm became popular in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut, school shootings in 2012. USA Today, ABC News, Slate, the Washington Post, and the Christian Science Monitor were among the outlets that published articles urging Americans to look closely at the actions their antipodean cousins took after a similar tragedy. Nor are Americans the only ones who think we should heed the Australian example. Numerous Australians have expressed pride in their country’s gun laws by penning columns beseeching Americans to transport America’s gun laws from Down Under.

These articles all point to the reduction in the rate of gun deaths in Australia after the new system was established as its main achievement. But it is the policy that allowed that system to be established which holds the writers’ and consequently the reader’s attention. That policy is the gun buyback program, which removed up to one million weapons from Australians’ hands and homes. This was, depending on the estimate, a fifth to a third of Australia’s gun stock. The statistic does not seem remarkable as a raw number, but it is quite so when expressed as a percentage. No wonder commentators fixate on it. The problem is the way most of them tell that tale: when they describe Australia’s gun buyback program, almost none of them tell the truth about it.

The Australian Law Banned and Confiscated Guns

The crucial fact they omit is that the buyback program was mandatory. Australia’s vaunted gun buyback program was in fact a sweeping program of gun confiscation. Only the articles from USA Today and the Washington Post cited above contain the crucial information that the buyback was compulsory. The article by Smith-Spark, the latest entry in the genre, assuredly does not. It’s the most important detail about the main provision of Australia’s gun laws, and pundits ignore it. That’s like writing an article about how Obamacare works without once mentioning the individual mandate.

Yet when American gun control advocates and politicians praise Australia’s gun laws, that’s just what they’re doing. Charles Cooke of the National Review shredded the rhetorical conceit of bellowing “Australia!” last year after President Obama expressed his admiration for gun control à la Oz:

You simply cannot praise Australia’s gun-laws without praising the country’s mass confiscation program. That is Australia’s law. When the Left says that we should respond to shootings as Australia did, they don’t mean that we should institute background checks on private sales; they mean that they we should ban and confiscate guns. No amount of wooly words can change this. Again, one doesn’t bring up countries that have confiscated firearms as a shining example unless one wishes to push the conversation toward confiscation.

Following the links takes us to Cooke's article, at National Review, "Obama Praises Australia’s Gun Confiscation."

The key thing about all of this, for the millionth time, is the staggering secrecy and deceit that accompanies the president's ---- and the left's ---- calls for more and more gun control. The secrecy is required because what their calling for is not only massively unpopular, but unconstitutional as well. And as both the articles by Wright and Mehta point out, if the radical left were fully able to implement mandatory gun confiscation in the U.S., we'd end up with massive violence (and perhaps an untold loss of life) as citizens rose up against efforts by law enforcement to confiscate the firearms of law-abiding citizens. It's simply not going to happen. But that fact will not stop the left from trying, because, seriously, that people might die in such a program is just so much acceptable collateral damage.

Obama to Exploit Mass Shootings to Push Gun Control for Remainder of Term (VIDEO)

That's an excellent clip from CBS News 2 Los Angeles below.

And at WSJ, "Obama to Use Public Campaign Against Gun Violence":

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama vowed to use the bully pulpit for the remainder of his term to draw attention to gun violence following Thursday’s mass shooting on a college campus in Oregon.

Mr. Obama, speaking during a news conference on Friday, appeared resigned to getting no traction on gun-control legislation before he leaves office. Instead, he said his primary strategy going forward would be to mount a public campaign.

“I’m going to talk about this on a regular basis, and I’m going to politicize it,” Mr. Obama said. “Because our inaction is a political decision that we are making.”

Thursday’s shooting took place at Umpqua Community College, outside Roseburg, Ore., which is about 180 miles south of Portland.

Mr. Obama said until the political dynamic on gun safety changes, he won’t make a big dent in the problem.

He dismissed critics’ argument that the issue is mental illness—not guns. The majority of people who have mental illnesses aren’t shooters, he said, and other countries have angry young men but lower homicide rates.

“The only thing we can do is make sure they can’t have an entire arsenal when something snaps,” the president said. “You can’t kill as many people when you don’t have easy access to these kinds of weapons.”

And at Big Government, "Obama Goes Beyond Mere Gun Control, Hints at Confiscation."

Homeland Season 5 — Premieres Tonight (VIDEO)

I love this show.

At Vanity Fair, "Homeland’s Renaissance Continues in Season 5."

MCAS Miramar Air Show (VIDEO)

Folks were having a lot of fun.

At ABC News 10 San Diego, "Thousands enjoy day two of MCAS Miramar Air Show."

From Kumbaya to Chaos: 7 Years of Obama's Appeasement

An editorial, at the New York Post, "How 7 years of Obama brought the world from Kumbaya to chaos" (via Memeorandum):

Just three years ago, President Obama famously ridiculed GOP opponent Mitt Romney’s statement that Russia remained America’s main geopolitical foe by taunting: “The 1980s are calling to ask for their foreign policy back.”

Four years before that, Obama stood at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate to declare that once he became president, all people would join him around a global campfire, hold hands and put an end to the world’s evils and miseries.

Well, seven years into Obama’s presidency, the promised worldwide Kumbaya is instead global chaos — caused in large measure by his willful retreat from America’s position of leadership.

Washington’s traditional allies increasingly feel abandoned, its enemies emboldened. The United States isn’t even leading from behind — it’s cowering in weakness.

And no one is taking better advantage of this than Vladimir Putin, now storming headlong into the yawning chasm of American retreat and reasserting Russia’s global influence and power — just as Mitt Romney said.

Putin remains unchallenged in his invasion of Ukraine, leaving him free to intervene — again unchallenged — in the Middle East.
In Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, Obama’s outreach to the Muslim world hasn’t ended the threat of terrorism. On the contrary, it has seen the rise of “JV team” ISIS and new power for the Taliban. Israelis and Palestinians remain as far apart as ever — because only Israel has been targeted to make concessions.

This president accuses his political foes of wanting to wage war as their first option and warns of the limits of unilateral military power.

But in his eagerness to leave office as the president who ended America’s wars, he refuses to consider any use (or even a credible threat) of US force — even when hundreds of thousands are being massacred in Syria, many by the chemical weapons he claimed to eliminate.

His premature abandonment, against all military advice, of Iraq and Afghanistan (where the pullout is still under way) has left both countries worse off. Iraq, in particular, is bleeding far more than it did even in the worst years of “George Bush’s war.”

Equally eager to open America’s arms to longtime adversaries, this president has begun new relationships with Iran (all but giving Tehran a direct path to a nuclear arsenal) and Cuba without any concessions in return — even on such basic issues as human rights...

Keep reading.

It's been chaos for awhile now, actually. I mean, those "red lines" in Syria are to die for, literally.

Keep reading.

#Angels Mount One of the Most Spectacular Comeback Victories in Franchise History (VIDEO)

Needless to say, I'd written off the Angels. I mean, it was the top of the 9th and the Rangers had come back to take a 10-6 lead. I was resigned to it. All I could hope was that the Astros would lose to the Diamondbacks tonight, heh.

But then, as Yogi Berra might say, "It ain't over 'till it's over."

Watch, MLB's YouTube page, "10/3/15: Angels' five-run 9th keys comeback win."

At the Los Angeles Times, "Angels beat Rangers with miraculous ninth-inning rally, keep alive playoff hopes":

The Angels staged one of the most improbable comebacks in franchise history on Saturday, rallying for five runs with seven hits in the ninth inning for an 11-10 victory over the Texas Rangers that kept their slim playoff hopes alive.

With the Angels trailing, 10-6, Erick Aybar and Kole Calhoun opened the ninth with home runs to right field off Rangers closer Shawn Tolleson to cut the deficit to 10-8.

Right-hander Ross Ohlendorf replaced Tolleson and got Mike Trout to ground out to shortstop. Albert Pujols reached on a bloop double that dropped when the gloves of first baseman Mike Napoli and second baseman Rougned Odor collided in shallow right field.

With a Globe Life Park crowd of 37,277 on its feet in anticipation of the Rangers clinching their sixth American League West title, the Angels followed with four straight two-out singles to take the lead...

More.

Also at the O.C. Register, "ANGELS STAGE TEXAS-SIZE RALLY TO STUN RANGERS, STAY ALIVE."

.@Rangers are THREE OUTS AWAY from winning the AL West. pic.twitter.com/p6XTmJvpel

— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2015

BACK-TO-BACK! 💪💪 @Angels cut it to 10-8 with no outs in the 9th.

— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2015

Bloop double for Pujols, tying run at the plate in Murphy with one out. #Angels

— Angels (@Angels) October 3, 2015

.@Angels within ONE!

— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2015

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP! @Angels score 4 in the 9th, tie @Rangers 10-10.

— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2015

And the @Angels take an 11-10 lead! This is WILD.

— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2015

I've covered some 3,000 MLB games in last 20 years ... this might be the craziest.

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) October 3, 2015

Stunning. Absolutely stunning. http://t.co/bPTP0ZYj3M #WhatAComeback pic.twitter.com/Xw4ahzq5c0

— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2015

Last time @Angels scored 5+ runs in the 9th to win a 9-inning game by 1 run was Aug 29, 1986. pic.twitter.com/5AnWPVajCw

— MLB Stat of the Day (@MLBStatoftheDay) October 3, 2015

True definition of team win today...WOW!!! One of the best comebacks I been a part of...lots of work still to do!!! pic.twitter.com/rr4zDtBljN

— Shane Victorino (@ShaneVictorino) October 3, 2015

A rally for the ages. http://t.co/TqS6tvdeYH #ThrillOfTheGame pic.twitter.com/LV4arhVH6p

— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2015

Last time #Angels scored five or more runs in ninth to win a 9-inning game by one run was Aug. 29, 1986.

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) October 3, 2015

VIDEO: Two F-35C Lightning II Landings Aboard the U.S. Navy's USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69)

Via Lockheed Martin on Twitter.

Kelly Rohrbach for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 'Fill in the Dots' Series (VIDEO)

She's beautiful.

Roseburg Grieves After Attack at Umpqua Community College

This is the lead front-page story at today's Los Angeles Times, "'This is a time to grieve,' mayor tells town in wake of Oregon college shooting."

'This is a time to grieve,' mayor tells town in wake of Oregon college shooting http://t.co/CEfLZWez0f pic.twitter.com/CzjJ09gySV

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) October 3, 2015

Ben Carson Surges in New IBD/TIPP Poll

I don't love Ben Carson, but he's definitely an outsider, and that's what the voters want this season.

At IBD, "Donald Trump Falls: Ben Carson Surges to Lead in Poll":

Donald Trump has boasted that he's "leading every poll and in most cases big." Not anymore. The latest IBD/TIPP Poll shows him in second place, seven points behind Ben Carson.

The nationwide survey found that 24% of Republicans back Carson, compared with 17% who say they support Trump.

Marco Rubio came in third with 11% and Carly Fiorina fourth at 9%. Jeb Bush, once considered a prohibitive favorite, ranked fifth with just 8% support, which was a point lower than those who say they are still undecided.

The IBD/TIPP Poll has a proven track record for accuracy, based on its performance in the past three presidential elections. In a comparison of the final results of various pollsters for the 2004 and 2008 elections, IBD/TIPP was the most accurate. And the New York Times concluded that IBD/TIPP was the most accurate among 23 polls over the three weeks leading up to the 2012 election.

The October poll, conducted from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1, included 377 registered voters who are Republican or registered independents who lean toward the Republican Party, with a margin of error of +/- 5 percentage points...

Keep reading.

Thousands Attend Funeral for Rabbi Eitam and Naama Henkin, Who Were Murdered by Arab Terrorists in Front of Four Children (VIDEO)

At Astute Bloggers, "MURDERED IN FRONT OF THEIR CHILDREN."

And at the Times of Israel, "Israeli mother and father shot dead in West Bank terror attack," and "Israeli parents gunned down in terror attack were ‘dream couple’."

Her Majesty's Secret Server: For Hillary's Eyes Only

From American Crossroads, via Theo Spark.

Russia Now the World's Sole Superpower

Yeah, well, Russia's sure acting like it.

From Joshua Muravchik:

Obama's "reset." 2008: US is the world's sole superpower & Russia is a pathetic has been. Today the roles are reversed.

— Joshua Muravchik (@JoshuaMuravchik) October 2, 2015

Astros Beat Diamondbacks 21- 5 in Massive Blowout

I mentioned this prevouisly, when I scheduled my blog post it was 17-2 in the eighth inning.

Just wow.

At Bleacher, "Astros Score 21 Runs vs. Diamondbacks: Stats, Highlights and Reaction."

And at MLB on YouTube, "10/2/15: Astros' offense runs wild on the D-backs."

Save on Halloween Candy

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

Plus, Shop Amazon - Halloween Shop.

And hey, thanks to all my readers who've shopped through my Amazon links.

Chris Harper-Mercer's Voter Registration Was 'Independent Party'

The fucker wasn't a "conservative Republican." Not in a million years.

He was a Christian-hating radical leftist.

At Red Alert Politics.



Yeah, and ICYMI, "The Curious Case of Oregon Shooter Chris Harper-Mercer – A Social Media Profile Shaped, Modified and Deleted."

The Curious Case of Oregon Shooter Chris Harper-Mercer – A Social Media Profile Shaped, Modified and Deleted

Yes. Curious.

At iOTW Report.

Correcting the New York Times’s Absurd Vision of the Modern Man

By Stephen Miller, at National Review, "New York Times' “27 Ways to Be a Modern Man”: A Rebuttal":

Yesterday, the New York Times published a list of “27 Ways to Be a Modern Man.” The Times’s attempt to reach out to metropolitan pseudo-intellectuals too highbrow for cat memes and Saved by the Bell gifs is so absurd as to warrant a point-by-point rebuttal. What follows, then, is the original list, corrected to reflect the defining characteristics of a real modern man.

RTWT.

I posted on it here, "The 'Modern Man' Is the Man Who Has Been Castrated."

Added: At American Digest, "'The Modern Man' Fisked.... By Hand."

Umpqua Community College Massacre Puts Focus on Campus Security (VIDEO)

At the Wall Street Journal, "Oregon College Shootings Put Focus on Campus Security":

The shootings that left 10 dead at an Oregon community college on Thursday are focusing attention on security measures on U.S. campuses and stoking debate over whether firearms should be allowed on campus for protection.

Federal officials said Friday that six guns had been recovered from Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., where the shooting took place, along with a steel-enhanced flak jacket and five magazines of ammunition. Seven more guns were found at the alleged gunman’s nearby apartment, officials said.

In recent years, colleges across the U.S. have implemented measures to identify potentially violent students and respond more effectively to mass shootings. Many of the changes came in the wake of the 2007 rampage at Virginia Tech that killed 33 people, in the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history.

Colleges have focused broadly on two areas: improving emergency notifications to people on campus and responding quickly and forcefully to crises, said S. Daniel Carter, director of a campus-safety initiative at VTV Family Outreach Foundation, which was formed as a result of the Virginia incident. “The campus-security landscape has changed profoundly since the 2007 shootings,” he said.

The number of campus attacks at colleges has increased in recent decades, according to a 2010 study by a group of federal agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service. Under the study’s definition of such incidents, they grew to 83 in the 2000s—including data only through 2008—from 79 in the 1990s and 40 in the 1980s. Data compiled by Everytown for Gun Safety, which advocates for stricter gun controls, show that shootings at colleges increased to 31 in 2014 from 14 in 2013. Thursday’s incident was the 17th this year, according to the group.

More broadly in the U.S., federal authorities also have reported an increase in mass shootings in recent years. The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified 160 shootings from 2000 through 2013 that it defined as “active shooter” events, or an “individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area.” There were an average of 16.4 active-shooter incidents a year between 2007 and 2013, up from an average of 6.4 a year from 2000 to 2006. A total of 486 people were killed and 557 wounded in the incidents.

The Virginia Tech shootings highlighted weaknesses in identifying potentially troubled students and intervening to prevent them from acting violently, security experts say. Though the gunman had raised concerns among numerous people on campus who encountered him, there was no centralized system to gather such warning signs.

Since then, many colleges have implemented “threat-assessment programs” that bring together law enforcement, administrators, counselors and others to share information and investigate worrisome reports, said Gene Deisinger, managing partner at Sigma Threat Management Associates and a former deputy police chief at Virginia Tech. “Once you’ve got an initial concern, you don’t wait,” he said.

Institutions also have rolled out far more robust emergency notification systems to alert people about dangerous situations. The University of Texas has a system that can send text messages to 68,000 students, faculty and staff within three to four minutes, said Bob Harkins, associate vice president for safety and security at the Austin campus. It can also send warnings by email, social messaging and to desktop computers around campus.

Colleges are also increasingly replacing security guards with police officers they have hired or enhancing existing police departments on campus, said William Taylor, president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. Agencies are outfitting officers with equipment such as body armor, ballistic helmets and rifles. And they are providing more training on how to respond to active shooters.

One program at Texas State University has been adopted as a model by the FBI. The main areas of training involve how to neutralize a gunman on a rampage—moving in quickly rather than waiting to establish a perimeter—and how to tend to victims before medical personnel can arrive, said J. Pete Blair, executive director of the program.

Yet many of these reforms are concentrated at larger four-year colleges with greater resources. In contrast, at Umpqua Community College, there is only one, unarmed security guard on campus at a time...

More.

English Professor Lawrence Levine Murdered in Umpqua Community College Massacre

More sadness.

Professor Levine was a gentle soul who lived next to the North Umpqua River, and liked to help other fly fishers. That's a Christian life if there ever was one, just what leftists hate. It's why he was murdered by the Christian-hating Chris Harper-Mercer, just one more hateful leftist in a long line of murdering hateful leftists.

In any case, at the Oregonian, "Oregon college shooting: Lawrence Levine had simple needs, passion for writing."

More, "Umpqua Community College instructor becomes Oregon's 12th workplace homicide victim since 2011."

Angels Win Game 2 Against Rangers, in Final Series of Season, Staying in Playoff Contention

It's a four-game series in Arlington, and the Angels can't lose another game, or else they'll be eliminated from the wild card race.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Angels keep pace in playoff chase with 2-1 win over Rangers."

And at the O.C. Register, "Final: Mike Trout sparks Angels to critical victory over Rangers."

As this post was being scheduled, the Astros were up over the Diamondback 17-2 in the eighth inning in Phoenix. Nobody in the American League West is giving up just yet.

Oregon Shooter Chris Harper-Mercer Had Substantial Ties to Los Angeles Area (VIDEO)

Following-up from yesterday, "Oregon Shooter Chris Harper-Mercer Was Discharged from Army, Had History of Mental Health Problems (VIDEO)."

And here's more information, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "Oregon Mass Murderer Had Many Ties to Southland."

Social Media Self-Defense

Helpful hints for the paranoid hacker, here. (Via Oakland Elle.)

Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59, Former Orange County Woman, Murdered in Umpqua Community College Massacre

Sad.

At the O.C. Register, "Former Orange County woman killed in Oregon shootings; Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59, is being mourned by husband Eric Dietz and others."

REPORT: Oregon Shooter Chris Harper-Mercer Worshiped Satan, Claimed 'I Serve Darkness'

He was evil. An evil far-left murderer.

At People Magazine, "'I Serve Darkness': Oregon Gunman Wrote About Obsession with Satan in Reported Manifesto, Says Source."

People Magazine hasn't confirmed the existence of the Satan-worshiping report, although Mercer did leave behind written statements. Here's a lengthy piece at the New York Times, "In Note Left Behind, Gunman ‘Did Not Like His Lot in Life,’ Officials Say."

More at the New York Post, "Oregon gunman singled out Christians during rampage."

Hateful. Demonic. Leftist.

BONUS: Watch this video, at KOIN 6 News Portland, "Sheriff: Umpqua CC shooter had 13 weapons." The dude had serious mental infirmities. He was loner who sat in his room all day, lurking on his computer. Apparently the local sheriff knows more about the shooter's writings, but isn't speaking about them now.

Russia and the U.S. in Syria: A Prelude to War?

From Noah Rothman, at Commentary, "A Prelude to War?":

World War I didn’t begin in Europe. It started in Africa.

By the time the shooting erupted in 1914, in fact, a retrospective analysis of the conditions that led to war had lent credence to the conclusion that a great clash was almost inevitable. Germany’s perceived “encirclement” and that resurgent nation’s belief that they had been unfairly cut off from their share of colonial possessions in Africa led Berlin to embrace bellicosity. Germany forcefully protested France’s subjugation of a Moroccan rebellion and subsequent occupation of that territory in 1911 — a territory that Germany coveted. Paris’s move prompted Italy to declare suzerainty over the state of Libya, leading to a war with the Ottomans for control of that North African nation. After the Turks had lost control of the North African coast, the race was on to divide the spoils of the Ottoman Empire’s Balkan possessions, culminating in the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913. By the onset of August Crisis in 1914, the world had already been at war for the better part of three years.

As the study of the First World War has fallen out of fashion in the United States, the presumption that the United States entered the stalemated war immediately following the sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat has become prevalent. In fact, the United States would enter the war 23 months after that galvanizing attack. Such was Woodrow Wilson’s commitment to his 1916 pledge to keep America out of Europe’s war. An internationalist and an anti-imperialist, Wilson was burned by his experience intervening in the Mexican Revolution (which led to an even greater civil conflict and the rise of Pancho Villa’s bandit raids into the Southern United States). But as Germany’s position in Europe deteriorated and it prepared for a more robust anti-shipping campaign that almost certainly meant more Lusitantias, Berlin sought to electrify Mexican revanchism with the ill-fated Zimmermann Telegram. The alliance that was meant to squeeze the United States on two fronts had the precise opposite effect. Reluctantly, Congress followed Wilson into war.

Today, another great and embittered power is on the march. Ruled by a rancorous cabal of ambitious men who are all but consumed with a desire to reacquire lost grandeur, it is Russia that threatens the peace. It is Russia that is taking advantage of long-simmering conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa to advance its interests. It is Russia that is pressing its luck on the outer fringes of Europe. Nearly 100 years to the month after the August crisis, another civilian transport was targeted and destroyed by forces loyal to a revanchist European nation.

Then as now, a great power conflict was virtually unthinkable. By 1914, it had been over 40 years since the last major European war. Then as now, the sun long ago set on La Belle Époque, but its lingering effects were pleasant enough to mollify the public. Then as now, few would predict that an Earth-shattering calamity that would forever change millions of lives was just around the corner.

To understand the dire state of affairs in Syria, one need only observe the behavior of American policymakers.  Administration officials were caught off guard by the brazenness of Russia’s intervention into the five-year-old Syrian civil war, the commencement of which was announced by a Russian three-star general who boldly marched into the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and gave the United States one hour to clear the airspace around the city of Homs. Russian bombers were soon targeting not the Islamic State but CIA-armed and trained rebel forces. The effects of Russia’s bold maneuver will be swift. The risk of NATO and Russian air assets with limited military-to-military contacts all shooting at different targets in the same theater increases the risks of accidental confrontation exponentially. If there was a conflict, there are few mechanisms in place to prevent it from escalating. The United States may soon find itself forced out of theater merely because to continue to operate in Syria is too dangerous...

Boy, that's melodramatic.

Come out from under the covers, and keep reading.

President Obama Says Vladimir Putin is 'Acting Out of Weakness' in Syria

Yeah. Right.

Actually, Obama's being humiliated by Putin.

At WaPo, "President Obama says Putin is acting out of weakness rather than strength."

And at Gateway Pundit, "Obama: Putin Acted “Out of Weakness” By Moving Military to Syria (VIDEO)."



PHOTO CREDIT: Ray Filitto on Facebook.

Charles Cooke Presses Mark Halperin and Mika Brzezinski on Their Vague Threats to the Second Amendment (VIDEO)

See Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit.

And watch, "Mark Halperin Insists U.S. Must Do Something About Gun Violence But Can't Offer Solutions."

Why Do Mass Shooter Tragedies Always Seem to Happen in Gun-Free Zones?

Dana Loesch talks to John Lott, Jr., at the Blaze TV, "John Lott, Jr., on Gun Rights in Wake of Shooting."

Plus, Lott is the author of More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws.

Oregon Shooter Chris Harper-Mercer Was Discharged from Army, Had History of Mental Health Problems (VIDEO)

The shooter has roots in L.A. County's South Bay, including attending a school for kids with emotional and behavioral problems, the Switzer Learning Center in Torrance. See Robert Stacy McCain, "Reports: Chris Harper Mercer, 26, Identified as #UCCShooting Gunman."

And now there's more details about this individual's psychologically-troubled background. At the Oregonian, "Shooter Chris Harper-Mercer was discharged from Army, experienced apparent mental health issues":

A darker picture emerged Friday of slain Umpqua Community College shooter Chris Harper-Mercer as a deeply troubled, anti-religion, anti-government recluse obsessed with guns.

The U.S. Army discharged him just five weeks into basic training in 2008. Records indicate he graduated in 2009 from a high school catering to troubled and special-needs students. Multiple media sources reported Friday he left behind an angry note that is now in the hands of investigators.

The Los Angeles Times said Harper-Mercer's note was several pages long and talked about his anger and depression.

Sofia Camarena of Long Beach, California, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that she used to date Harper-Mercer's father."I used to change Chris' diapers when he was a baby," she said, upset after learning that he was the shooter in Thursday's massacre and was himself dead. "He was born with problems. He was hard to discipline. If you told him 'no,' he would scream like you had just hit him."

Camarena said that she had heard Harper-Mercer's mother was having "a hard time" with him and that he attended a special school.

Camarena said she last saw Harper-Mercer when he was 18 and she had asked him how he was doing.  "He said he was doing good," said Camarena, whose son went on to marry Harper-Mercer's step-sister.

There are a number of indications that Harper-Mercer had mental health or behavioral issues. His screen name on some social media sites was "lithium love." Lithium is used as a psychiatric medication.

Harper-Mercer graduated from The Switzer Learning Center in 2009, according to a graduation listing in The Daily Breeze newspaper. Switzer Center is a private, nonprofit school in Torrance, California, geared for special education students with a range of issues from learning disabilities, health problems and autism or Asperger's Disorder, according to the school's website.

"They take in students that are referred to them by the surrounding school districts," said Thomas Buescher, former chairman of the Switzer board. Enrollment typically ranges between 90 and 100, Buescher said. Two-thirds come from a nontraditional household, like a group home or foster home, according to Buescher, who said a high proportion also come from low-income homes.

A neighbor told The New York Times that Harper-Mercer's mother had told a neighbor, "My son is dealing with some mental issues," and was intolerant of roaches that had infested the building.

Witnesses said Harper-Mercer singled out the religious during the shooting. He reportedly asked students and staff their religion and shot those who answered they were Christians.

The U.S. Army confirmed Friday it discharged Harper-Mercer just halfway through his 10 weeks of basic training in 2008. "A review of Army records indicate that Christopher Sean Harper-Mercer was in service at Ft. Jackson, S.C., from 5 November-11 December 2008 but discharged for failing to meet the minimum administrative standards to serve in the U.S. Army," said Lt. Col. Ben Garrett.

Garrett declined to elaborate on what those "minimum administrative standards" were.

There's also evidence Harper-Mercer tried to engage with the world...

Still more.

And here's the Los Angeles Times, "Oregon gunman left hate-filled note and long struggled with mental issues, sources say."

13 Weapons Recovered in Umpqua Community College Massacre

Unlike President Obama and radical gun-control leftists, I'm waiting for more information to come in before politicizing the issue.

That said, we actually know a lot about the killer, and as it's been in most recent cases of horrific mass murder, the suspect fits no easy ideological template. Indeed, you'd think the guy was an immature, confused emo-prog, but then he claimed to be a "conservative Republican" in a dating site profile. That's obviously impossible, considering the proof coming out that Chris Harper Mercer hated Christians. Leftists hate Christians, and they're willing to kill them to prove it.

I'll have more.

Meanwhile, at the Los Angeles Times, "Oregon college shooting updates: Gunman Chris Harper Mercer described as 'hate-filled':

13 weapons recovered in college shooting

Law enforcement officials said 13 weapons were recovered from Umpqua Community College and the gunman's residence.

Six were found at the school.

Seven were taken from the apartment of Chris Harper Mercer, 26.

All were purchased legally, officials said.

Mercer opened fire at the college Thursday morning, killing 9 people. He was killed in a gunfight with police.

Also, at the Daily Beast, "Umpqua Gunman Chris Harper Mercer Hated Religion Online."

Amber Lee's Got Your Weekend Weather

We're getting into Indian summer.

It's still very hot in Southern California.

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Charles Krauthammer: Obama's Syria Debacle (VIDEO)

From the irreplaceable Dr. Krauthammer, at WaPo, "Obama's Syria Debacle":

“Russia hits Assad’s foes, angering U.S.”

— Headline, Wall Street Journal, Oct. 1

If it had the wit, the Obama administration would be not angered, but appropriately humiliated. President Obama has, once again, been totally outmaneuvered by Vladimir Putin. Two days earlier at the United Nations, Obama had welcomed the return, in force, of the Russian military to the Middle East — for the first time in decades — in order to help fight the Islamic State.

The ruse was transparent from the beginning. Russia is not in Syria to fight the Islamic State. The Kremlin was sending fighter planes, air-to-air missiles and SA-22 anti-aircraft batteries. Against an Islamic State that has no air force, no planes, no helicopters?

Russia then sent reconnaissance drones over Western Idlib and Hama, where there are no Islamic State fighters. Followed by bombing attacks on Homs and other opposition strongholds that had nothing to do with the Islamic State.

Indeed, some of these bombed fighters were U.S. trained and equipped. Asked if we didn’t have an obligation to support our own allies on the ground, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter bumbled that Russia’s actions exposed its policy as self-contradictory.

Carter made it sound as if the Russian offense was to have perpetrated an oxymoron, rather than a provocation — and a direct challenge to what’s left of the U.S. policy of supporting a moderate opposition.

The whole point of Russian intervention is to maintain Assad in power. Putin has no interest in fighting the Islamic State. Indeed, the second round of Russian air attacks was on rival insurgents opposed to the Islamic State. The Islamic State is nothing but a pretense for Russian intervention. And Obama fell for it.

Just three weeks ago, Obama chided Russia for its military buildup, wagging his finger that it was “doomed to failure.” Yet by Monday he was publicly welcoming Russia to join the fight against the Islamic State. He not only acquiesced to the Russian buildup, he held an ostentatious meeting with Putin on the subject, thereby marking the ignominious collapse of Obama’s vaunted campaign to isolate Putin diplomatically over Crimea.

Putin then showed his utter contempt for Obama by launching his air campaign against our erstwhile anti-Assad allies not 48 hours after meeting Obama. Which the U.S. found out about when a Russian general knocked on the door of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and delivered a brusque demarche announcing that the attack would begin within an hour and warning the U.S. to get out of the way...

"Démarche." I love that word. It means that a state is issuing or taking a dramatic military or diplomatic step, usually implying some threat of force. You used to read about Nazi Germany issuing démarches in the military buildup to World War II. Now the Russians are issuing them in the Middle East, warning the U.S. to just stand aside. "Our moves are a fait accompli."

But keep reading.

We're being utterly humiliated. It's actually kind of sad at this point.

Visit the Halloween Shop at Amazon

October's here. Time to get ready for trick or treat.

Here, Shop Amazon - Halloween Shop.

Plus, Shop Books in Horror.

Also, Books from R.L. Stine.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Stares Down United Nations in Rebuke to Iran Nuclear Deal (VIDEO)

At Town Hall, "Chilling: Netanyahu Glares at UN Delegates for 45 Seconds for Their 'Deafening Silence' on Iran Deal."

Chilling:

Dana Loesch: 'Gun Free Zones are Criminal Protection Areas...'

Here's Dana on "The Kelly File" last night:



And see her big write-up on Oregon's policy on gun free zones, "After UCC Tragedy, White House Calls For Stronger Gun Laws."

Don't Miss Mark Levin's Plunder and Deceit

I picked up my copy, at last.

Maybe commenter Art Deco will pick up a copy as well. He wasn't too pleased with Morton Kondracke and Fred Barnes' biography of Jack Kemp.

Check out Levin's book on Amazon, Plunder and Deceit: Big Government's Exploitation of Young People and the Future.

Up to $120 Off the New Canon EOS M3 Mirrorless Camera

Amazon's really pushing this promotion, Shop - Up to $120 Off on Canon's New EOS M3 Mirrorless Camera.

Plus, pre-order Anthony Beevor's, Ardennes 1944: The Battle of the Bulge.

And thanks again to all my readers who've been shopping through AmPow's Amazon links. I'm having a lot of fun with it, and every little bit helps.

Epic Troll Jon Hendren Hijacks HLN Segment on Edward Snowden, Goes on About Edward Scissorhands

Well player, sir.

Well played.

At USA Today, "Genius gives TV interview on Edward Snowden, only talks about Edward Scissorhands."

Edward Snowden: 'Can you hear me now?'

The traitor's on Twitter:

Can you hear me now?

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 29, 2015

Also, from James Bamford, at Foreign Policy, "What @Snowden Told Me About the NSA’s Cyberweapons."

Ana Cheri, Playboy's Miss October 2015

Watch, at Playboy's YouTube page, "Behind The Scenes of Miss October 2015 Ana Cheri - Playboy."

Plus, "Today we're announcing that Ana Cheri will take the title of Miss October 2015 and becomes our newest Playmate of the Month."

Larry Flynt, Founder of Hustler Magazine, Calls Out Mainstream Media Cowards

This is amazing!

Bill Whittle interviewed Larry Flint:



The full interview is here, "Larry Flynt's Unfiltered Thoughts on Politics, the Press and Free Speech!"

Question & Answer with Molly Nocheck

She's one of the organizer's of FIRE's Student Network Conference.

This is interesting.

Watch, "Fighting 'Bodily and Mental Harm' Speech Restrictions."

The 'Modern Man' Is the Man Who Has Been Castrated

He's a eunuch, like Brian Lombardi, at the New York Times, "27 Ways to Be a Modern Man."

Modern man feels powerfully, dreams passionately, can't achieve an erection in the presence of a living woman. #caring @petersuderman

— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) October 1, 2015

Bouthaina Shaaban, Advisor to Syria President Bashar al-Assad, Says Russia's Airstrikes Coordinated with Damascus (VIDEO)

Following-up from yesterday, "Russia's First Airstrikes in Syria Hit U.S.-Backed Rebels Fighting Bashar al-Assad (VIDEO)."

Erin Alice Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Casting Call (VIDEO)

Watch, at Sports Illustrated's YouTube page, "Erin Alice Casting Call - Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016."

Ellie Gonsalves Perfect Body Video

Watch, "Ellie Gonsalves Workout - Model - Building a Perfect Body - AUSTRALIA."

Palestinian Flag Flies at the United Nations (VIDEO)

Well, if the world body just says Palestine's a state, then the international collective left will just say it's so, a fait accompli.

At the Christian Science Monitor, "Palestinian flag flies at UN for first time."

And watch, at CNN:

Inland Empire Woman Burned by Exploding E-Cigarette Wins Nearly $2 Million from Distributor (VIDEO)

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Donald Trump Holds Strong at 23 Percent in Latest USA Today/Suffolk University Poll

You know, folks keep saying Trump's support is tanking, that he's shooting himself in the foot, blah, blah.

But frankly, he keeps chugging along, in this case running almost twice as strong as his nearly rivals.

At USA Today, "Poll: Donald Trump still on top as outsiders Fiorina, Carson rise":

WASHINGTON — Billionaire businessman Donald Trump has strengthened his lead at the top of the USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll while two other outsider candidates, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, have gained ground over rivals with electoral experience.

Jeb Bush, who  was second to Trump two months ago in the USA TODAY survey, has tumbled to single digits and fifth place. The third-place finisher last time, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, suspended his campaign  this month.

"Unfortunately, I'm leaning toward Trump, only because he's a non-political figure," said Ginger Mangam, 58, a customer service representative from Little Rock who was among those surveyed. Asked about his lack of electoral experience, she replied, "I don't think it's a problem; I think it's a message."

Anthony Edelen, 37, a small-business owner from Vermillion, S.D., likes what he hears from Trump and Fiorina. "I just want somebody who is going to move our country in a direction different from where it is currently," he said in a follow-up interview.

The shifting landscape underscores an electorate that is fed up with politics-as-usual and willing to embrace contenders who promise to shake things up. Some presidential hopefuls with significant political experience — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham among them — have failed to gain traction and  score at 1% or below, a standing that may make it harder for them to raise money and command a spot on stage in televised debates.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has risen to fourth place, backed by 9% of those surveyed.

The poll of 380 likely Republican primary voters, taken Thursday through Monday, has a margin of error of +/- 5 percentage points. The full sample of 1,000 likely voters has an error margin of +/-3 points...

Still more.

I'd be blogging a lot more polls but most of them keep finding the same thing: Donald Trump floats in the mid-20 percent range consistently, regardless of whatever latest controversy the leftist media tries to gin up.

Dana Loesch Slams Far-Left Ghoul 'Pin Head' on 'The Kelly File' (VIDEO)

Following-up from the other day, "Dana Loesch's Birthday Today, and She's Standing Strong."

She contacted the FBI about this ghoul, who's a typical leftist anti-gun extremist.

Here's Megyn Kelly's interview with Dana from Tuesday:



RELATED: At Twitchy, "Awful: Somebody made a DISGUSTING video of Dana Loesch shooting herself in the head [video]."

BONUS: At Mediaite, "Dana Loesch Speaks on Threat Video: Always Gun-Haters That 'Want You to Die by a Gun'."

Naked Man Who Terrorized Drivers in Victorville Has Schizophrenia, Was on Drugs (VIDEO)

Well, clearly the dude had problems.

Serious problems.

Watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "Mom: Naked, Bloodied Teen Has Schizophrenia, Was on Drugs."

PREVIOUSLY: "Naked Man Terrorizes Drivers in Victorville (VIDEO)."

Kelly Gissendaner Executed, Georgia's First Woman Put to Death Since 1945

At the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Gissendaner executed":

Before the drugs that were to kill her were administered, Kelly Gissendaner asked her lawyer to be sure her children knew that she left this world singing "Amazing Grace."

She cried and sang with joy until the powerful sedative took over and she closed her eyes.

Then she drifted off and minutes later died, punishment for her part in the murder of her husband, Douglas Gissendaner, in 1997.

For the next few minutes, the only sounds were sobs from one of her attorneys.

Two doctors checked her for signs of life and nodded to the warden that she was dead.

And it was then that warden Bruce Chatman announced to witnesses that it was done.

“The court-ordered execution of Kelly Rene Gissendaner was carried out,” he said before the curtains on the window to the death chamber were drawn.

More, "Gissendaner executed early Wednesday morning."