Sunday, September 25, 2016

With Donald Trump's Nomination, College Republicans Face Tensions Nationwide

Don't care, personally.

I was the adviser for the student YAF club last year. I like conservatives. I don't think the GOP is conservative. And it cracks me up that Trump's upended the campus GOP clubs' reputation for great parties.

It's hard out there.

At the New York Times, "College Republicans, Once ‘the Best Party on Campus,’ Endure Taunts Over Trump."

Dangerous Weather Conditions Across Southern California (VIDEO)

Following-up from earlier, "Kristen Keogh Hot Sunday Forecast."

At ABC News 10 Sand Diego, "Dangerous heat and fire risk."

And at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "Firefighters on High Alert Due to Dangerous Weather Conditions."

Kristen Keogh Hot Sunday Forecast

It's going to hit triple digits in parts of the Southland today.

Via ABC News 10 Sand Diego:



Protest Thugs and the Real Evil in Charlotte

From Daniel Greenfield, at FrontPage Magazine:
Keith Lamont Scott was scum.

He had been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in two different states and convicted of assault in three states. He had been hit with “assault with intent to kill” charges in the 90s. His record of virtue included “assault on a child under 12” and “assault on a female.”

The media spin; “Family and neighbors call Scott a quiet ‘family man.’”

Nothing says “quiet” like “assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill” and nothing says “family man” like assaulting women and children.

Keith Lamont Scott, the latest martyr of Black Lives Matter and its media propaganda corps, was shot while waving a gun around. He had spent 7 years in jail for “aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.”

This vicious monster’s career of crime ended when he was shot by Brentley Vinson, an African-American police officer, protecting himself from the latest rampage by this “quiet family man.”

Brentley Vinson is everything that Scott isn’t. The son of a police officer, Brentley dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps. He used to organize his football team’s bible studies and mentored younger players. Former teammates describe him as a “great guy” with “good morals.” His former coach calls him a “natural leader” and says that, “We need more Brent Vinsons… in our communities.”

Except that Obama, Black Lives Matter, the media, the NAACP and everyone else going after this bright and decent African-American officer has decided that what we really need are more Keith Lamont Scotts. And the streets of Charlotte are full of “Scotts” throwing rocks at police, assaulting reporters and wrecking everything in sight in marches that are as “peaceful” as Scott was a “quiet family man.”

That’s what Hillary Clinton wanted when she tweeted that, “We have two names to add to a long list of African-Americans killed by police officers. It’s unbearable, and it needs to become intolerable.”

What exactly should be intolerable? An African-American police officer defending his life against a violent criminal who happened to be black? Should black criminals enjoy a special immunity? The greatest victims of black criminals are black communities.

Whom does Hillary Clinton imagine she’s helping here? Instead of standing with heroic African-American police officers like Vinson, she’s championing criminal scum like Scott.

Tim Kaine, Hillary’s No. 2, wants us to think about Scott’s family. We should do that. Scott’s brother announced on camera that all “white people” are “devils.” Timmy should check to see if he can get an exemption from white devildom.  But if there are any white devils, it’s men like Kaine and women like Hillary who enable the worst behavior in a troubled community while punishing those who try to help.

Every time the lie about “peaceful” protests is repeated, another black community becomes unlivable.

Twenty police officers have been injured and National Guard troops have arrived to deal with all those “peaceful” protests. Protesters chanted, “Black Lives Matter” and “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” before throwing things at police and then peacefully shooting each other. Stores had their windows broken and decorated with Black Lives Matter graffiti. A Walmart was peacefully looted and trucks were torched.

A police officer was peacefully hit by a car. Another was peacefully hit in the face with a rock. Mobs besieged and attempted to break into hotels. Reporters were attacked and a photographer was nearly thrown into a fire. White people were targeted by the racist Black Lives Matter mob and assaulted.

But all these peaceful rioters are probably just quiet family men too.

The peaceful protests are as big a lie as the “bookish” Keith Lamont Scott reading a book in his car. Police had no trouble finding a gun. They couldn’t have found Scott anywhere near a book. The only thing he could have done with a book is try to beat someone to death with it. Maybe a child.

Scott wasn’t a quiet family man; he was a violent criminal with a horrifying vicious streak. He and the rest of the Black Lives Matter rioters remind us of the monsters that we need dedicated police officers to protect us from.

The spin on what happened between a deranged black criminal and a courageous black police officer fell apart as fast as the Freddie Gray case, where black police officers were targeted and a city terrorized over conspiracy theories relating to the accidental death of a drug dealer.

The claims of racism are absurd. Not only was Scott shot by an African-American police officer, but Charlotte Police Chief Kerr Putney, who has taken the lead in defending him, is also African-American.

Are we supposed to believe that an African-American police officer and an African-American police chief are racists or that these two black men took the lead in a genocidal conspiracy to kill black men?

That’s the laughable premise of the racist Black Lives Matter hatefest that alternates between “Stop killing us” street theater and violent assaults on police officers, reporters and anyone in the area.

But the truth doesn’t matter. Black Lives Matter rioters are still chanting, “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” long after the Michael Brown lie fell apart. They’re holding up signs reading, “It Was a Book.”  The lie is backed by some of the biggest media corporations in the country, by $130 million from George Soros and the Ford Foundation, by Barack Hussein Obama and by Hillary Clinton.

These are the malign forces destroying Charlotte, as they trashed Baltimore. On the ground there are the vulture community organizers of Black Lives Matter, funded by the left, who parachute in to organize race riots, behind them are the reporters who sell the spin live on the air and the photographers who capture glamor shots of the racist rioters, and after them come the lawyers of the DOJ out to ruin, terrorize and intimidate whatever law enforcement survived the riots.

They did it in Ferguson and a dozen other places. Now they want to do it in Charlotte.

They want to do it because they hate white people and black people. They hate peace and decency. They hate the idea of people getting up in the morning and working for a living. They hate the idea of good officers, white and black men and women, like Brentley Vinson, who genuinely believe in doing the right thing. They want unearned power. They demand unearned wealth. And they thrive on destruction.

This is the real evil in Charlotte. And we need to stand up to it. From the ghetto to the manors of the liberal elite from burning cars to pricey restaurants in exclusive neighborhoods, it plots against us.

It is a lie repeated a million times. Sometimes the lie is simple. Other times it’s sophisticated. But the way to fight it is to begin with the truth.

The truth is that Keith Lamont Scott was a violent criminal who came to a bad end because of his own actions. Just like Michael Brown, Freddie Gray and too many other Black Lives Matter martyrs to count.

The truth is that everything Black Lives Matter does reminds us of why we need police officers.

The truth is that this is not about race, but about those who want to build and those who want to destroy. It’s about the difference between Brentley Vinson and Keith Lamont Scott.

It’s about what kind of country we want to be. Is it a country that celebrates a young black football player who chose to follow in his father’s footsteps, who organized bible study and helped others, who risked his life to keep other people safe. Or is it one that celebrates Keith Lamont Scott, who assaulted a woman, a child and anyone else he could get at, who terrorized three states and died as he lived.

Obama and the left want a nation of Keith Lamont Scotts. But now it’s our turn to choose.


Stanford Crushes UCLA Hopes, Scoring Touchdown With 24 Seconds Left (VIDEO)

I had my hopes up for UCLA, big time.

Frankly, they should've won this game. The Bruins played well throughout, especially on defense. But the Cardinal got fired up for the final drive.

What can you do?

At LAT, "UCLA can't escape its past in stunning loss to No. 7 Stanford, 22-13":


It happened again. How could it happen again?

For all but the final two minutes Saturday night, UCLA did everything in its power to break an eight-game losing streak to a Stanford team that has long occupied its nightmares.

Then it happened again. Somehow, it happened again.

Stanford got tough. UCLA got tentative. Stanford found focus. UCLA lost control.

Stanford celebrated its history, while UCLA wallowed in its history, and everything changed as quickly as Josh Rosen fell into a heap while thousands stood stunned and frozen in the Rose Bowl stands rising around him.

The nightmare is back because, it turns out, the nightmare never left.

Stanford drove down the field in the final two minutes Saturday night to score the go-ahead touchdown on a leaping catch by J.J. Arcega-Whiteside from Ryan Burns with 24 seconds left, then added a fumble return for a touchdown on the final play for a 22-13 victory.

“Obviously that’s about as difficult as it gets,’’ said Bruin Coach Jim Mora...
Keep reading.

Plus, "UCLA suffers cruel loss to No. 7 Stanford, 22-13."

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Gennifer Flowers to Attend First Presidential Debate Between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton (VIDEO)

That woman was a blonde bombshell back in the day.

She's accepted Donald Trump's invitation to attend the debate.

Heh, this oughta be interesting.

From Austin Bay, at Instapundit, "AN APT RIPOSTE TO TEAM HILLARY’S MARK CUBAN (NOT FIDEL) GAMBIT: Demonstrating his genius for political theater, Trump is threatening to give Gennifer Flowers a front row seat at his upcoming debate with Hillary Clinton."

And at BuzzFeed, via Memorandum, "Gennifer Flowers Agrees to Join Trump at Presidential Debate."



Obama Administration Has Done Little to Pursue War Crimes Trials Against Islamic State

This should surprise no one.

At A.P. "WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL FOR IS DETAINEES LACKS SUPPORT":
WASHINGTON (AP) -- War crimes investigators collecting evidence of the Islamic State group's elaborate operation to kidnap thousands of women as sex slaves say they have a case to try IS leaders with crimes against humanity but cannot get the global backing to bring current detainees before an international tribunal.

Two years after the IS onslaught in northern Iraq, the investigators, as well as U.S. diplomats, say the Obama administration has done little to pursue prosecution of the crimes that Secretary of State John Kerry has called genocide. Current and former State Department officials say that an attempt in late 2014 to have a legal finding of genocide was blocked by the Defense Department, setting back efforts to prosecute IS members suspected of committing war crimes...
More. (Via Austin Bay at Instapundit.)

Heh. 'It used to be cars were made in Flint...'

This is pretty good, from the Notorious DJT:


Friday, September 23, 2016

Professor Allan Lichtman Says Donald Trump Headed for Win on November 8th

Sounds good to me, heh.

At the Washington Post, "Trump is headed for a win, says professor who has predicted 30 years of presidential outcomes correctly" (via Memeorandum).

Here's Professor Lichtman's book, Predicting the Next President: The Keys to the White House 2016.

RELATED: Professor Helmut Norpoth, who also has an outstanding prediction record, similarly pegs Trump to win in November. At BizPac, "Poll-predicting prof with stellar record says never mind the media, Trump’s going to win."

Ayaan, Heretic

It's a good time to re-up Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

At Amazon, Heretic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali photo HERETIC_zpsl7klzosi.jpg

Glenn Reynolds 'Planning on Quitting Twitter'

I just saw this, at Politico, "USA Today suspends columnist Glenn Reynolds for one month."

Instapundit's got the best column over at the newspaper. That'd be lame of he got canned, so obviously posting on Twitter's not going to be worth it.

Frankly, I quit for a week after Robert Stacy McCain's @RSMcCain got banned. I didn't miss it that much.

In any case, here's the Professor, "TWITTER HAS UNBLOCKED MY ACCOUNT ON CONDITION OF DELETING THE OFFENDING TWEET."

Also, "OPENED UP TWITTER TO SEE THIS..." Click through to see the offending tweet.

Frankly, it wasn't what he said. It's who he is. Leftists hate Glenn Reynolds and they want his scalp. The Internet's one big lynch mob and demonic fever-swamp progs seized a chance to destroy the Instapundit.

More at Zilla of the Resistance, "The Long Knives Are Out for @Instapundit – The Mob Demands He Lose His Job":
Leftists can use violent rhetoric and actual acts of violence against people with impunity, but a politically incorrect statement by a non-leftist MUST be punished, according to our self proclaimed moral superiors, so the “offended” will scream and howl until the target of their rage is utterly ruined.

USA Today published an apology from Reynolds along with a statement from the paper that his column has been suspended for a month, but in the comments section, predictably, there is screeching that he should also lose his job at the university where he works.

The University of Tennessee is now investigating the good professor.

The PC mob will not be satisfied until they have utterly destroyed a good man’s reputation and ability to make a living.
It's true. And all of that over a throwaway snarky tweet.

(Longtime readers know that I've dealt with these lynch mobs myself and they're demonstrably evil. It's chilling too, but you can't back down. Fight these fuckers, even if you have to hire a lawyer. They'd murder you if they could get away with it, so watch your back. I do.)

'Between Two Ferns': Shrillary Clinton Trolls for Young Voters (VIDEO)

Following-up, "Shrillary."

At Bloomberg, "Hillary Clinton Goes ‘Between Two Ferns’ in Search of Young Voters."

She's clearly desperate to be liked:



Shrillary

I've been joking about Shrillary in my classes for years, but this video's a classic.

During the primary debates I had to hit the mute button she got so bad. I can barely stand to hear her voice sometimes. It's like a screech.

At Hot Air, "Hillary: ‘Why aren’t I 50 points ahead?’"

On YouTube as well, "IT'S OFFICIAL - Hillary Clinton Has Lost Her Mind - Yelling ‘Why aren’t I 50 points ahead?’."

Hat Tip: Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit, "IT’S DEJA DUKAKIS ALL OVER AGAIN!"

Presidential Horse Race Tightens in Colorado, Iowa, and Virginia

It's amazing that Colorado's in reach. Gary Johnson's pulling in ten percent there, mostly among young people I suspect, and that's hurting Hillary Clinton.

I'm not surprised about Virginia though. Terry McAuliffe took 48 percent to Ken Cuccinelli's 45 percent in the 2013 governor's race, with the third party candidate taking about 6 percent. Keep an eye on Old Dominion this year. I think Donald Trump'got a good chance. (Mostly, though, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Pennsylvania. If the voters start breaking for Trump in the Keystone State, I think Hillary's fried.)

At Politico, "Swing-state polls: Trump leads in Iowa, narrows the gap in Colorado and Virginia."

Rioting May Tip Presidential Scales in Crucial North Carolina

Actually, I'm not getting my hopes up. North Carolina's an extremely leftist state.

But if these riots continue over the weekend, and perhaps beyond, then yes: undecided whites may shift over into the Trump column.

At Bloomberg (via Memorandum):
Riots threaten to sway a deadlocked presidential race in race-riven North Carolina by pushing enough undecided voters toward Republican Donald Trump to overcome Hillary Clinton’s lead among blacks.

The shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, 43, outside a Charlotte apartment complex was the third at police hands in less than a year in a swing state whose 15 electoral votes are crucial to White House hopes. The ensuing riots culminated a period of charged politics that began in 2013, when Republicans took over both the legislature and governor’s office for the first time in a century.

The state went for Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 and for Republican Mitt Romney in 2012. This year’s race has been a statistical tie for weeks between Trump, who has pushed a law-and-order platform, and Clinton, who has campaigned with the parents of black men shot by police. The contest remained a toss-up in the days leading up to Tuesday’s killing of Scott, according to a New York Times poll released today.

Democratic challengers were also polling even with or ahead of Republican incumbents Governor Pat McCrory and U.S. Senator Richard Burr, according to that poll and one released by Public Policy Polling on Wednesday.

Many voters -- between 10 and 12 percent of the electorate -- haven’t made up their minds on the presidential race, said Carter Wrenn, a Republican political consultant. “The undecideds have been staying undecided.”
More.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby Charged in Shooting of Unarmed Black Man (VIDEO)

Authorities says Terence Crutcher was unarmed.

At the Tulsa World, "Officer Betty Shelby charged with first-degree manslaughter in fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher":


The Tulsa County District Attorney's Office filed a first-degree manslaughter charge on Thursday against Officer Betty Shelby in the fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher last week.

District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said during a brief press conference that a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Shelby, 42, who is expected to turn herself in to authorities.

Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan said Monday that Crutcher, a 40-year-old father of four, was unarmed when Shelby shot him once in the upper right lung area next to his stopped SUV near 36th Street North and Lewis Avenue at 7:44 p.m. Sept. 16. He was pronounced dead at a hospital less than an hour later.

"The tragic circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Crutcher are on the hearts and minds of many people in this community," Kunzweiler said at the press conference Thursday. "It is important to note that despite the heightened tensions felt by all — which seemingly beg for an emotional reaction — our community has consistently demonstrated a willingness to respect the judicial process. It is the shared responsibility of all who have the ability to control their actions to do just that."

The charges against Shelby are the second Kunzweiler has filed in less than two years against an officer who killed someone while on duty. His office filed a second-degree manslaughter charge against former Tulsa County Reserve Deputy Robert Bates in the April 2, 2015, shooting of Eric Harris during an undercover operation in north Tulsa.

Bates resigned from his post and was convicted in April of this year, receiving a four-year prison sentence.

Shelby faces one count of manslaughter committed in the heat of passion, or in the alternative while resisting a person's attempt to commit a crime. First-degree manslaughter carries a sentence of four years to life in Department of Corrections custody, according to Oklahoma law.

If convicted, Shelby would have to serve 85 percent of her sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

A probable cause affidavit in the case alleges that Shelby "acted unreasonably by escalating the situation from a confrontation with Mr. Crutcher, who was not responding to verbal commands and was walking away from her with his hands held up, becoming emotionally involved to the point that she overreacted."

The affidavit states she told Sgt. Dave Walker in a police interview that she was in fear for her life and thought Crutcher would kill her. Shelby reportedly told investigators she was yelling repeatedly for Crutcher to stop walking to his vehicle and get on his knees.

However, dash cam and police helicopter footage shows Crutcher walking to the SUV, which was stopped in the middle of 36th Street North, with his hands up while Shelby had a gun pointed at him. The videos show that at least three officers had either a gun or Taser drawn as Crutcher walked back to the SUV.

Shelby turned on her police car's rear flashing lights only when stopping to approach Crutcher, which meant her dash camera did not turn on, Sgt. Shane Tuell told reporters Monday.

Attorney Scott Wood, who has represented Shelby so far, said there are about two unrecorded minutes of interaction between Shelby and Crutcher.

Officer Tyler Turnbough reportedly told Shelby he had his Taser ready before deploying it about the same time Shelby fired her gun.

Shelby said in her interview that she saw Crutcher reach into the driver's side front window before she shot him. Lead investigator Doug Campbell wrote in the affidavit that the videos show that Crutcher's right hand is up and that his left hand is "unobservable" at the time he was shot...
More.

Plus, more video at KJRH News 2 Tulsa, "Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby charged with first degree manslaughter in death of Terence Crutcher."

Teaching Today: Buy Heather Mac Donald's, The War on Cops

Here's her book, The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe.

I'll be teaching all day. More blogging tonight.

 photo BC_TheWarOnCops_zpslfj0gilp.jpg

Marion Cotillard Denies Romantic Affair with Brad Pitt

At Vanity Fair, "Marion Cotillard Responds to Rumored Brad Pitt Affair."

Here's her statement, posted on Instagram:
This is going to be my first and only reaction to the whirlwind news that broke 24 hours ago and that I was swept up into. I am not used to commenting on things like this nor taking them seriously but as this situation is spiraling and affecting people I love, I have to speak up. Firstly, many years ago, I met the man of my life, father of our son and of the baby we are expecting. He is my love, my best friend, the only one that I need. Secondly to those who have indicated that I am devastated, I am very well thank you. This crafted conversation isn't distressing. And to all the media and the haters who are quick to pass judgment, I sincerely wish you a swift recovery. Finally, I do very much wish that Angelina and Brad, both whom I deeply respect, will find peace in this very tumultuous moment.

With all my love, Marion

Trump Derangement Syndrome is Crippling the Left

From John Podhoretz, at the New York Post.

Get Ready for the Mother of All Corrections

From Jeremy Warner, at the Telegraph U.K., "Get ready for the mother of all stock market corrections once central banks cease their money printing."

A great piece.

Read it all at the link.