Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Bigotry Backfires in Montana

Mike Adams

Bigotry Backfires in Montana

"Larry Abramson, Dean of the University of Montana (UM) School of Journalism, has irreparably harmed the reputation of his school. With its 93% acceptance rate, UM has never been a selective university with a stellar reputation. Nonetheless, Abramson’s decision to reject my selection as the keynote for 10 th annual Jeff Cole Distinguished Lecture Series has backfired and badly embarrassed the institution. To make matters worse, UM President Sheila Stearns has missed a golden opportunity to mitigate the damage by responding with an unequivocal defense of free speech. 

"Those needing additional background information on the controversy can read my column “Grizzly Bigotry at the University of Montana” published here on Townhall.com back in October. The letter/column, which was actually sent to President Stearns, provoked a response. Fortunately, that response has produced a dialogue, which has culminated in a rescheduling of my speech. It will now occur on February 13 th at 6 p.m. in UM’s Dennison Theater, a venue seating 1100 people. 

"As much as I appreciate President Stearns for answering my letter and for assuring me I will be allowed to speak on campus, there are four specific problems with her response to the controversy. Two take the form of affirmative misstatements. Two take the form of omissions. I’ll start with the two misstatements: " 
The outline of the rest of this column:

1. Does the J-school really have unlimited authority to decline to sponsor controversial speakers? . . .
2. Did a speaker ban ever really occur in the current controversy? . . .

"In a similar vein, there are two crucial elements missing from Stearns’ response to the controversy at UM:" . . .
1. Is Larry Abramson guilty of sexism (if not hate speech)? . . . 
2. Is Mr. Abramson even fit to be a Dean? . . .

As the Dossier Scandal Looms, the New York Times Struggles to Save Its Collusion Tale

Political Cartoons by Ken Catalino

Andrew C. McCarthy

"The totality of the evidence undermines the Times’ collusion narrative."

"Trump Adviser’s Visit to Moscow Got the F.B.I.’s Attention.” That was the page-one headline the New York Times ran on April 20, 2017, above its breathless report that “a catalyst for the F.B.I. investigation into connections between Russia and President Trump’s campaign” was a June 2016 visit to Moscow by Carter Page.

"It was due to the Moscow trip by Page, dubbed a “foreign policy adviser” to the campaign, that “the F.B.I. obtained a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court” in September — i.e., during the stretch run of the presidential campaign. 

"You’re to be forgiven if you’re feeling dizzy. It may not be too much New Year’s reverie; it may be that you’re reeling over the Times’ holiday-weekend volte-face: “How the Russia Inquiry Began: A Campaign Aide, Drinks and Talk of Political Dirt.”

"Seven months after throwing Carter Page as fuel on the collusion fire lit by then-FBI director James Comey’s stunning public disclosure that the Bureau was investigating possible Trump campaign “coordination” in Russia’s election meddling, the Gray Lady now says: Never mind. We’re onto Collusion 2.0, in which it is George Papadopoulos — then a 28-year-old whose idea of résumé enhancement was to feign participation in the Model U.N. — who triggered the FBI’s massive probe by . . . wait for it . . . a night of boozy blather in London." . . .  Read more

Iran will see that Trump is not Obama

Report: US gives green light to Israeli assassination of Iranian general  "A report in a Kuwaiti newspaper says U.S. intelligence has given a green light to Israel to assassinate a top Iranian Revolutionary Guards general.
"Qassem Soleimani has commanded the notorious Revolutionary Guards unit known as the Quds Force for 20 years.  The Quds Force is responsible for projecting military power outside the borders of Iran.  Soleimani has been in command of Iranian and Hezb'allah units in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq and has overseen several assassinations of Iranian dissidents in Europe and elsewhere.
"Israel wanted to kill Soleimani three years ago, but the Obama administration tipped off the Iranians, and the effort failed.
Three years ago, Israel came close to assassinating Soleimani near Damascus, al-Jarida quoted unnamed source as saying, but the Americans tipped off the Iranians against the background of intense disagreement between Washington and Jerusalem.
That was during the Obama administration, which, according to reports at the time, was so focused on securing the 2015 Iran nuclear accord that it chose to overlook and even obstruct efforts to clamp down on Iranian-backed terror organizations.
It's not clear if the reported tip-off was related to efforts to secure the Iran deal.
Today, the Trump and Netanyahu administrations see eye to eye on Iran. "  . . . 

Intel Committee will now investigate how dossier was used to ensnare Trump



"With the Russian collusion investigation going nowhere, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has now expanded its investigation to determine how law enforcement was able to use the infamous Trump dossier to ensnare the president.
"Chairman Devin Nunes is accusing the FBI and Justice Department of misleading the committee on the dossier, which has been used to raise questions about the Trump campaign's connection to Russia." . . .