Wednesday, September 17, 2014

The Buckley Program Stands Up for Free Speech

Bruce S. Thornton

Photo vai FrontPage Magazine
 
... "The Buckley Program is a rare instance of an academic organization staying true to the ideals of free speech, academic freedom, and the “free play of the mind on all subjects,” as Matthew Arnold defined liberal education. Most of our best universities have sacrificed these ideals on the altar of political correctness and identity politics. Anything that displeases or discomforts campus special interest groups––mainly those predicated on being the alleged victims of American oppression–– must be proscribed as “slurs” or “hateful,” even if what’s said is factually true. No matter that these groups are ideologically driven and use their power to silence critics and limit speech to their own self-serving and duplicitous views, the modus operandi of every illiberal totalitarian regime in history. The spineless university caves in to their demands, incoherently camouflaging their craven betrayal of the First Amendment and academic freedom as “tolerance” and “respect for diversity.' ”...
 
I found the Yale Muslim Students Association website, typed "Ayaan Hirsi Ali" into the search box and got - if I may use a Yiddish word - bupkis

Hirsi Ali speaks at Yale despite protests from the Yale Humanists.   "Muhammad Syed, the co-founder and Executive Director of Ex-Muslims of North America has some strong words about this, the most succinct of which were:
I believe the Yale Muslim Students Association should be ashamed of their attempt to silence Hirsi Ali, and the Yale Humanists should be ashamed for being complicit in the effort.
Syed
There is no doubt that Hirsi Ali has made comments that are often deemed inflammatory to Muslims. Although I find myself often disagreeing with her stances, I admire her courage and stamina. No one has shed light on the barbaric practices continued in the name of Islam as forcefully as she has. The fact that she is one of the only ex-Muslims speaking out about these kinds of practices is not evidence that the abuse is rare or confined to small fundamentalist communities. Rather, it is evidence of the censure and targeting of those who are willing to speak frankly about Islam and demand change in the Muslim world.    
 In California, her free speech could be denied by the "heckler's veto"  " ...student speech could be restricted if “school authorities [can reasonably] forecast substantial disruption of or material interference with school activities” stemming from the speech."
 

YOUR 'TO DO' LIST TO SAVE AMERICA


Ann Coulter  "The most important words printed in The New York Times since "REAGAN EASILY BEATS CARTER" were from a front-page article last Sunday about how, after six years of Obama, the federal judiciary is now dominated by Democratic appointees. Edward Whelan, head of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, responded to this by saying: "The best way for conservative voters to prevent further damage to the courts is to swing the Senate to Republican control in the elections this November."

   " He's absolutely right. Turn that into a mnemonic, sew it on needlepoint pillows, include it in your wedding vows, right-wingers. For the next six weeks, nothing matters more to the country than Republicans taking a majority in the Senate. When it comes to politics, conservatives need to learn one thing from liberals: All that matters is winning.

    "Here's a preliminary report on where the election stands and my assignments." ...

Full article. Be sure to read her final point about these third party candidates - any of them. A vote for a third party candidate is a vote for Democrat judges all the way up the ladder.

... "The biggest current danger for Republicans is that idiots will vote for Libertarian candidates in do-or-die Senate elections, including Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina and Colorado. (That's in addition to the "Independent" in Kansas who's a Democrat.) Democratic candidates don't have to put up with this crap -- they're even trying to dump the official Democrat in Kansas to give the stealth Democrat a better shot.

"When we're all dying from lack of health care across the United States of Mexico, we'll be deeply impressed with your integrity, libertarians.

   "Which brings me to my final assignment this week: If you are considering voting for the Libertarian candidate in any Senate election, please send me your name and address so I can track you down and drown you. "

Emphasis added, TD


Sept 15, 1944: Battle of Peleliu

Peleliu: 70 Year Anniversary   ... "But like many of the other battles into which American boys were thrown, few but the most ardent history buffs can relay much, if anything, about the agony that was the struggle for Peleliu." ...
 

Battle of Peleliu Home Page   See also the photos

Dear Mrs. South,
Nothing I could write can express the sympathy we hold for you or make less the grief you bear at the loss of your son Private First Class Joe Lloyd South.
Regulations do not permit my giving any details of your son's death at this time, but I wish to say that all of us who served with him knew him as a fine Marine and friend, respected and liked by both officers and men. Having him no longer with us is a real and personal loss. There is consolation only in the knowledge he gave his life for his God and country and for all the things he himself held dear.
May I express again my deepest sympathies and those of your son's comrades in this company. Please feel free to write if I may be of any service.Sincerely
Doug WychoffCaptain USMCCommanding OfficerB Co 7th Marines

HBO's The Pacific; Battle of Peleliu


NRO Slideshow
"Awaiting the invasion force were some 10,000 Japanese defenders who had no hope of escape or resupply, and who had built formidable defenses in hundreds of caves on the island’s sheer coral cliffs."
USMC History photos


Tell me again: why do you want to be a "journalist"?


Team Work, by TerrellAfterMath.com (September 17, 2014)
 
Poll: Black & White Ferguson Residents Agree - Media Made Things Worse   .... "The media didn't care about facts, so injustices was manufactured -- just so a bunch of elite, rich, predominantly white, leftwing  cable news anchors and reporters could grandstand and pretend they are Down With The Struggle.

"This poll won't matter. No one in the elite media gives a damn about the residents of Ferguson. The media storm was never about making anyone's life better. It was about preening and politics and pretty pictures of burnt out buildings. The media fed the mob at the expense of the people. And they can't wait to do it again."

On that premier source of news for low-information voters, "The View": Rosie O’Donnell asks: Who's Charles Krauthammer?
... "The group discussed Krauthammer’s recent remarks that the president was a narcissist, with O’Donnell stating that she didn’t know who Krauthammer was or what he did for a living." ...

CNN Reporter asks Obama biased question – “Are GOP candidates uninformed, out of touch, or irresponsible?”    Video
"Wow, you’d think Lothian would have been more subtle about his bias, especially since he is strictly functioning as a news reporter. I would have expected a question framed with “do you agree with…?” or simply “what are your thoughts about this?”. But he exposed himself as many others have, and now we know.  Video


On the New York Times: Gray Lady Suffers Malaise   ... "Fair enough, but consider the source — over the past 12 years, the New York Times, when not going on benders on the evils of golf courses and air conditioning, and publishing outright fabulism, has, more recently, published pieces calling for the end of the US Constitution, and mocking the “fervid subsets of evangelical Christianity” of its presidential candidates — only, upon further review, to discover that these extreme worldviews are Catholicism, Lutheranism and Mormonism, bedrock religions of America’s history. .... And of course, in 2008, it went all-in to champion a man who was clearly not ready to be president, to the point of actively burying potentially damaging stories about him and refusing to run op-eds from his opponent." ...   Emphasis mine, TD

 The press on domestic violence    On Obama's 2008 Father's Day address in Jesse Jackson's Chicago church:
Obama’s message was unequivocal. The New York Times took a day off from worrying about the separation of church and state and headlined its article on the talk,“Obama Sharply Assails Absent Black Fathers.”
Past highlight of the press:
 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

On violent and non-violent Muslims

The Mysterious Moderate Muslim   "What, and who, is a moderate Muslim?

"Islamic values are codified in the Koran. The idea that some Muslims might interpret those values in a moderate way is like saying there’s such a thing as jihad lite. There’s no getting around the fact that a central tenet of the Koran is mass murder – whether through the directive to kill infidels (non-believers), apostates (those who leave Islam), or hypocrites (Muslims who don’t practice their religion appropriately). In other words, most of civilization is fair game for slaughter. What, pray tell, would be a moderate version of that? "

"And if people try to suggest there are many peaceful verses in the Koran, they are either uninformed or practicing taqiyya, because older, more peaceful teachings are abrogated by more recent violent teachings, as written in Sura 2, Verse 106."  Read more: 


 
 Making Friends Rather Than Enemies   "Essentially, Islam is a mirror-image of Christianity.  The more closely a Christian follows Christ, the better a person he becomes.  The less closely a Muslim follows large pieces of the Koran, the better a person he becomes.
...
"Telling peaceful anti-Sharia Muslims that their faith is evil will only create in their minds the idea that they are hated.  And how do people who think they’re hated behave?  They riot, they support violence, they lash out, they become our enemies." ... Read more:

I'm sorry, but I just cannot get incidents such as his out of my mind:
Previously friendly Muslim neighbors turned on Christians of Maaloula  and...
Syria: Longtime Muslim Neighbors Joined al-Qaeda Rebels Against Christians 

How Illegal Immigrant Juveniles Will Serve the Democrat Party


Michael Bargo Jr.   "As thousands of illegal immigrant juveniles cross the southern border of the U.S., the knee-jerk response of media has been to either support the migration as benefiting those who are fleeing violence of Central American countries, or to complain about the potential health risks and costs of the movement. Neither of these perspectives explains the real reason the illegal immigrant juveniles are being brought into the U.S. They are being brought into the country to serve the Democratic National Machine." Read more:
...
 
... "The real story is that President Obama cares not for the welfare of Hispanic juveniles.  His only concern is to keep the Democratic National Machine in power. He himself was placed in the White House to rewrite Immigration Law and preserve DNM campaign donations and electoral support."


 

70 Years Ago; Operation Market Garden September 17 - 27 1944

UPDATE: Operation Market Garden Slideshow

Operation Market Garden   "Operation Market Garden (17–25 September 1944) was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time.

"Field Marshal Montgomery's goal was to force an entry into Germany over the Lower Rhine. He wanted to circumvent the northern end of the Siegfried Line and this required the operation to seize the bridges across the Maas (Meuse River) and two arms of the Rhine (the Waal and the Lower Rhine) as well as several smaller canals and tributaries. Crossing the Lower Rhine would allow the Allies to encircle Germany's industrial heartland in the Ruhr from the north. It made large-scale use of airborne forces, whose tactical objectives were to secure the bridges and allow a rapid advance by armored units into Northern Germany."  More here...


Living Battlefield has this.    "This post will seek to explain what happened during  4 crucial days in September 1944.
 
"Unlike D-Day, which was 2 years in the planning, Market Garden was hastily put together in a matter of days. It involved the largest parachute drop of the war. 
 
Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery
"Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, fresh from his success in Normandy, believed he could 'walk on water', and this buoyed optimism led to an audacious, but hasty and ill prepared operation." ...
 


 
Liberation Route Europe  "Liberation Route Europe is a continuously growing, international remembrance trail, connecting important milestones of modern European history. Liberation Route Europe links the main regions along the advance of the Western Allied Forces."

The National WWII Museum:  FOCUS ON: OPERATION MARKET-GARDEN:

The Battle of Arnhem


 Wehrmacht Footage; Operation Market Garden The opening footage is of the Germans machine-gunning Polish paratroopers descending.

Video; Operation Market Garden 2014 - Official Trailer

Operation Market Garden; The Crossing of the Waal River

"The Second Omaha Beach" - Crossing the Waal  "On September 20, 1944 the war in the West depended on whether American Paratroopers could seize the Nijmegen Bridge before the Germans could destroy it.   The fate of Operation Market Garden and 10,000 beleaguered British paratroopers trapped in Arnhem rested on the capture of the bridge.  A daring daylight crossing of the Waal river was planned to capture the bridge. "







Crossing the Waal - 20 September 1944    The soldiers of the 504th that survived the crossing stormed the germans defenses on the north side of the river. Losses where very heavy, but the men were able to grab the northern end of the railway- and road bridges. The played a major part in the capture of both bridges. The men of C Company 307th Engineer battalion, that had not been killed or injured during the first crossing returned with the remainder of the boats and made several more crossings carrying more men of the 504th across.
 
"Third Battalion 504, H & I Companies were the first to cross the Waal River in small canvas/wood boats. First battalion crossed after 11 of the 26 boats returned. The German artillery was able to mow them down as they crossed. In spite of heavy casualties, the men of the 504 prevailed and captured their objective, the North end of the Bridges at Nijmegen." ...


  
 

The Liberal Media is having a hard time keeping up with their lies

Liberal Logic 101

Liberal Media 500x200
 
In a conversation on Twitter with Fox News Channel (FNC) contributor Richard Grenell, Boston Globe reporter Bryan Bender continued the media’s double standard of slamming then-President George W. Bush’s international coalition for the Iraq War and President Obama’s current coalition for fighting the Islamic terrorist group ISIS.
 
View image on Twitter
 
Newsbusters   "In a conversation on Twitter with Fox News Channel (FNC) contributor Richard Grenell, Boston Globe reporter Bryan Bender continued the media’s double standard of slamming then-President George W. Bush’s international coalition for the Iraq War and President Obama’s current coalition for fighting the Islamic terrorist group ISIS.


"Writing in a tweet addressed to Grenell, Bender stated that “Bush had no coalition” when going into Iraq. To that claim, Grenell cited how 48 countries were actually part of Bush’s “coalition of the willing” compared to the nine for President Obama’s ISIS coalition (as of Sunday morning).

"Upon numerous retweets and responses to his inaccurate statement, Bender deleted the aforementioned tweet and replied to one individual that he was confused “what “war” you were talking about” and asked whether Grenell meant “at the start of the 2003 invasion or after 911?"
All emphases in the original. TD

Monday, September 15, 2014

This post is brought to you by the word "canard"

a :  a false or unfounded report or story; especially :  a fabricated report 
    b :  a groundless rumor or belief

toon140913

Benghazi Bombshell: Clinton State Department Official Reveals Details of Alleged Document Review

Cover-up unraveling? Brit Hume sees ‘big deal’ in Sharyl Attkisson’s Benghazi ‘bombshell’




Brit Hume         @brithume
If this is confirmed, it's a big deal as it points unmistakably to the Benghazi cover-up many have long suspected. http://dailysignal.com/2014/09/15/benghazi-bombshell-clinton-state-department-official-reveals-alleged-details-document-review/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social 





"Investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson has for a long time now been in pursuit of the full story about the Benghazi attack and surrounding events. Attkisson’s latest report concerns a former State Department official who alleges an effort to remove any damning documents from department files before they were handed over to the Accountability Review Board:" ...

Sharyl Attkisson         @SharylAttkisson
Benghazi Bombshell: Clinton State Dept Official Reveals Details of Alleged Doc Review http://dailysign.al/1tTxlK5  @SharylAttkisson @DailySignal


"New Benghazi allegation puts spotlight on Hillary Clinton confidants, alleged after-hours document review."

Daily Signal
Ray Maxwell (Photo: Sharyl Attkisson)
Raymond Maxwell, former State Department deputy assistant secretary (Photo: Sharyl Attkisson)
 
"As the House Select Committee on Benghazi prepares for its first hearing this week, a former State Department diplomat is coming forward with a startling allegation: Hillary Clinton confidants were part of an operation to “separate” damaging documents before they were turned over to the Accountability Review Board investigating security lapses surrounding the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya.:
 
"According to former Deputy Assistant Secretary Raymond Maxwell, the after-hours session took place over a weekend in a basement operations-type center at State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. This is the first time Maxwell has publicly come forward with the story.
 
"At the time, Maxwell was a leader in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, which was charged with collecting emails and documents relevant to the Benghazi probe."   ...
 

Forum: What Was Your Opinion Of President Obama’s Speech On ISIS?

 
Noisy Room   "Every week on Monday morning, the Council and our invited guests weigh in at the Watcher’s Forum with short takes on a major issue of the day, the culture or daily living. This week’s question:What Was Your Opinion Of President Obama’s Speech On ISIS?"
 
Excerpts from those bloggers who assessed the ISIS speech:

Bookworm Room: "I analyzed the speech at boring length at my own blog, so I’ll limit myself here to a few observations:" ...
 
Robert Avrech, Seraphic Secret: "Watching Obama once again unfurl his doltish skills as a community agitator it is clear that this man is a simulacrum of an American President." ...
 
JoshuaPundit: "Well I analyzed it here, but the short version? Aside from the usual outright lies and chest thumping, it’s obvious that President Obama isn’t interested in anything but trying to rescue his dismal poll numbers . This was a political speech to massage his far left base while hopefully convincing average Americans he’s involved." ...
 
GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD*: "So tired of these JV cats telegraphing their punches you know? For once maybe let the enemy wonder and worry what the heck may happen instead of helping them plot their defenses.
"Love to see, for once, 44 get angry with America’s enemies. The way he may react if Planned Parenthood funds were stolen to indoctrinate border immigrants on the awesomeness of the Tea Party."...
*Do you realize how hard it is to type this link with two fingers?
 
Laura Rambeau Lee, Right Reason: ..."He vowed to fight, but that we would not have boots on the ground. He promised a broad coalition of partners would join in this fight against ISIL. He has essentially told ISIS we will not commit the funds or the troops required to annihilate them." ...

The Independent Sentinel:  "When Democrats lauded Mr. Obama’s speech I wondered if we were listening to the same speech.Mr. Obama lost me at “This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years.” How could anyone take him seriously after that?" ...
 
The Razor: "Anything this president says is a waste of breath. We’re long past the time when his words matter in the least. He needs to stop talking and start doing. Or better yet – resign."

Finally, Argus Hamilton weighs in with his thoughts:
President Obama laid out his ISIS strategy to the nation Wednesday. So far he's vowed to make ISIS more manageable, he's threatened to degrade ISIS, he's promised to destroy ISIS. When asked if Obama was sending mixed messages to ISIS, the White House replied, yes and no.

 President Obama asked Congress for half a billion to arm the New Syrian Army members who have been fighting both ISIS and Syria for two years. It's very important that we get to know them. The New Syrian Army is the group that we'll be fighting a year after we defeat ISIS
 Democrats in Washington were stunned by President Obama's speech Wedneday(sp) to send the U.S. back into a new Mideast war. He ran for president solely on his opposition to a Mideast war. You know he's getting older when even President Obama doesn’t support President Obama.