Just as Obama owned Democrats in 2008, so "Donald Trump is hypnotizing the GOP. Literally."

"America has become an idiocracy."

James Pethokoukis

. . . "These and other of Trump’s “master persuader” tricks and techniques — including engineeredinsults like calling Jeb Bush “low energy” — have been outlined and explained since last summer in a series of prescient blog posts by cartoonist Scott Adams. Best known as creator of the Dilbert comic strip, Adams is also a Berkeley MBA and trained hypnotist. While many analysts dismiss Trump as an idiot clown benefiting from America’s anxious id, Adams sees Trump as a savvy communicator “highly trained in the art of persuasion [who] literally wrote the book on it …There is a reason Trump’s message penetrates the crowd noise” while the other candidates flounder." . . .

"I don't get this Trump phenomenon"  On the contrary, I always enjoyed him on TV and agree with him on some things.  However, we are talking about the presidency, and I don't see Mr. Trump as the right man for that job.

National Review is Against Trump  . . . "Trump’s political opinions have wobbled all over the lot. The real-estate mogul and reality-TV star has supported abortion, gun control, single-payer health care à la Canada, and punitive taxes on the wealthy. (He and Bernie Sanders have shared more than funky outer-borough accents.) Since declaring his candidacy he has taken a more conservative line, yet there are great gaping holes in it." . . .

"Since 1984, when Jesse Jackson ran for president with no credential other than a great flow of words, both parties have been infested by candidates who have treated the presidency as an entry-level position. They are the excrescences of instant-hit media culture. The burdens and intricacies of leadership are special; experience in other fields is not transferable. That is why all American presidents have been politicians, or generals."

 Much more of NR's case against Donald Trump here.

Co-founder of Greenpeace: "Why I am a Climate Change Skeptic"

There was a time centuries ago when it was "settled science" that the earth was flat. In 1988 Ted Danson predicted  "the oceans would be "dead", in 10 years,".  Here we are three decades later.  TD

Dr. Patrick Moore  . . . "My skepticism begins with the believers’ certainty they can predict the global climate with a computer model. The entire basis for the doomsday climate change scenario is the hypothesis increased atmospheric carbon dioxide due to fossil fuel emissions will heat the Earth to unlivable temperatures.

"In fact, the Earth has been warming very gradually for 300 years, since the Little Ice Age ended, long before heavy use of fossil fuels. Prior to the Little Ice Age, during the Medieval Warm Period, Vikings colonized Greenland and Newfoundland, when it was warmer there than today. And during Roman times, it was warmer, long before fossil fuels revolutionized civilization.

"The idea it would be catastrophic if carbon dioxide were to increase and average global temperature were to rise a few degrees is preposterous.

"Recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) announced for the umpteenth time we are doomed unless we reduce carbon-dioxide emissions to zero. Effectively this means either reducing the population to zero, or going back 10,000 years before humans began clearing forests for agriculture. This proposed cure is far worse than adapting to a warmer world, if it actually comes about." . . .

[Editor’s Note: Patrick Moore, Ph.D., has been a leader in international environmentalism for more than 40 years. He cofounded Greenpeace and currently serves as chair of Allow Golden Rice. Moore received the 2014 Speaks Truth to Power Award at the Ninth International Conference on Climate Change, July 8, in Las Vegas. 

Medieval Science and Philosophy  "The web site for the book The Genesis of Science: How the Christian Middle Ages Launched the Scientific Revolution."

Hat tip to Don Cohee, Oregon 

Obama's legacy in the making; UPDATED

If the EPA “did their job” in Flint, why did their regional administrator just resign?  . . . "The first question which should come to everyone’s minds is, why was this woman allowed to just resign? Why wasn’t she fired? I understand that sounds like a silly question since nobody at the EPA has been held accountable for anything since McCarthy has been in charge, but surely this is different. It’s true that somebody made the decision to switch the city’s water supply from Detroit to the Flint River and the damage was accelerated by their failure to anticipate the water treatment required to prevent the pipes from rotting out. Those involved with that decision need to be held accountable. But the EPA knew (or strongly suspected) that the people of Flint were drinking what is essentially toxic waste for six months and they said nothing. They suppressed a report which could have gotten safety protocols in motion while they argued internally over petty bureaucratic concerns and allowed the citizens to continue ingesting lead for months on end."  And Obama extolled the virtue of government over this.
EPA did it's job well!

Losing What Reagan Won   . . "Moreover, we are building our battle plans upon lies, because the religions of Jews and Christians are, quite clearly, better than Marxism and better than radical Islam. 

"Instead, we watch while Israel is driven into increasingly desperate straits and while Christians are driven from their historic homeland in Asia and Africa.

thefederalistpapers

Obama releases inventor of the "shoe bomb" from Gitmo 

. . . Al Suadi has been described as an explosives trainer for Al Qaeda who in 2008 was still considered a potential high risk to the U.S., but also with high intelligence value. He was recommended for release by prison officials less than two years later. He has been at Gitmo since 2002, and is being transferred to the government of Montenegro.
"A third detainee, Muhammad Bawazir, a 35-year-old also from Yemen, refused to board a plane as the others were being flown out for resettlement in the Balkans. Transfer to Yemen is not an option, as the nation is in the midst of a bloody civil war, and Bawazir’s lawyer, John Chandler, said he prefers to stay in the military prison for now." . . .

 

Rich Terrell. Also posted here: The fruits of the Obama presidency

Bernie Sanders and the Realists. And, well, the Soviets too

The New Yorker  . . . "With polls showing Sanders leading, or challenging Hillary Clinton for the lead, in Iowa and New Hampshire, his proposals demand inspection. Until recently, there hadn’t been very much of this."

Linden doesn’t question the attractiveness of the vision Sanders is promoting—an America with a universal public health-care system, universal paid leave, free college tuition at state colleges, and a huge infrastructure program. Ultimately, a single-payer health-care system “could offer us enormous benefits,” Linden writes. But he also points out that Sanders, in order to finance such a system, would have to raise taxes sharply. “There’s no realistic chance of getting even a decent fraction of what Sanders has asked for. And if that’s the case, then Sanders has clearly not done the hard work of figuring out priorities, of operating within constraints, of balancing trade-offs,” he writes.

Where did Sanders' spending ideas come from? This may be a clue:  Fun Fact Of The Day: Bernie Sanders Honeymooned In The Soviet Union…  . . . "Sanders married his current wife, Jane, in May of 1988 and the next day left for their “romantic honeymoon” to Yaroslavl, in the then-Soviet Union. The trip was an official delegation from Burlington to cement the two cities’ sister-city relationship. “Trust me. It was a very strange honeymoon,” Sanders writes.

"He also visited Cuba with Jane in 1989 and tried to meet with Fidel Castro, but it didn’t work out and he met with the mayor of Havana and other officials instead." . . .

Bernie Sanders’s Soviet Honeymoon  "What is it about worn-out socialist “worker paradises” like the old Soviet Union and Cuba that bring out the romantic in American radical politicians?" . . .

Did Sanders ACTUALLY Honeymoon In The Soviet Union? Da, Comrade [VIDEO]

“Did you go on your honeymoon to the Soviet Union?” Roberts asked.“The fact is that I went to establish a sister city program with Yaroslavl, then in the Soviet Union, now an important city in Russia which is still in existence today,” Sanders replied. “The purpose of that trip was a sister city. Did it take place after my marriage? It did.”

"The No. 2 guy [running for the Democratic nomination] went to the Soviet Union on his honeymoon, and I don't think he ever came back," Lindsey Graham

Five Ways We Know Al Gore’s Been Running A Global Warming Racket

Investor's Business Daily  . . . "The terrible truth for Gore is that there is no planetary emergency. Not one of the dire predictions he and the rest of the alarmist community made has come to pass. In fact, there is plenty of evidence that they have been running a racket. Here’s how we know:

"One, Earth hasn’t warmed in nearly 20 years. Yes, 2015 supposedly “smashed” the previous temperature record. But actually it was the third-warmest year on record — or maybe “not even close to the hottest year on record,” says James Taylor of the Heartland Institute.

"The global average temperature, a devilish thing to determine anyway, depends on what temperature readings are being used and who is “adjusting” the data to fit their political purposes. The scientific community cannot be trusted to provide honest numbers. And 2015 was, after all, an El Nino year. Higher temperatures, with no link to man’s activities, were expected." . . .

The Chart or Two That Indicate Donald Trump Has No Chance In A General Election

Doug Ross Journal   "Your handy, dandy Trump vs. Cruz comparison chart!  Presented without comment for your consideration.

Simply click each policy or issue to read the back-story."

Policy or Issue	Trump	Cruz
In 2013, supported Amnesty for all 20 million illegal aliens in the U.S.	Yes	No
In 2000, supported an Assault Weapons Ban	Yes	No
In 2015, supported "touchback" Amnesty for every illegal alien in the U.S.	Yes	No
In 2000, supported Partial-Birth Abortion	Yes	No
In 2015, lied to gun media about his past support for an Assault Weapons Ban	Yes	No
Supports seizure of private property by the government using Eminent Domain (Kelo)	Yes	No
Supports Mitch McConnell's habitual lies to constituents and fellow GOP Senators	Yes	No
Currently courting and being courted by GOP establishment	Yes	No
Currently supports crony capitalism: billions in taxpayer ethanol subsidies	Yes	No
In 2000, supported Extended Waiting Periods to Acquire Firearms	Yes	No
Amount of debt owed to bankers	Many billions	$1 million
Amount donated to the bogus Clinton "Foundation"	$100,000	0
Endorsed by GOPe icon Bob Dole, who thought Ronald Reagan was "too fringe"	Yes	No
Number of bankruptcies declared by firms he led	4	0
Amount of debt defaulted on	$4.7 billion	$0.00
Number of times married	3	1
Number of "birther" conspiracy theories circulated	2	0
Praised/endorsed Communist for Mayor of New York	Yes	No
Spends virtually every waking moment on social media	Yes	No
Appears to shift his position on important issues literally overnight	?	No
A guy so stable, sober and poised that you want his finger on the button	?	Yep

A Heroic Muslim

Red State   "Not all Muslims are evil.  I acknowledge this, I understand this, and I believe this.  My counterpoint is that the “silent majority” of Muslims who want to live and let live need to stand up and take back their faith.  By loudly and proudly denouncing the actions of extremists at every opportunity that is given.  By making it clear that extremists and their ideologies are not welcome.  A genuine Muslim hero died in Kenya the other day*.  Farah Salah a Muslim was aboard a bus that came under attack from Al-Shabab.  Gun men demanded that passengers separate based upon their faith (so that Christians could be executed) Mr. Salah refused to leave the Christians and stood between the terrorists and their intended victims.  For his courageous actions he was shot.  He left behind a wife and children.  He is an example and role model to others who want to reclaim their faith and their nations."  More on this here.

Kenyans honor 'hero' Muslim who shielded Christians in attack

More sources say Hillary is toast

http://earloftaint.com/

"Thirteen Hours was released in theaters Friday about the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi four years ago. It’s got Democrats jumpy. Hillary Clinton’s campaign said she won’t see the movie because she’s too busy campaigning, the same reason she didn’t stop the actual attack."  Comedian Argus Hamilton

Experts Agree: Clinton Is Toast  Settled political science, to borrow a Democrat phrase.

. . . "Former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey believes the FBI has enough cause to prosecute Clinton. “But will it be brought?” Mukasey wrote. “That depends in part on the recommendation of FBI Director James Comey, a man described by President Obama, at the time the president appointed him, as ‘fiercely independent.’” " .  . .

Hillary's word game  "Judge Andrew Napolitano, being interviewed on The Kelly File, recently said something that caused my head to pop out of my nether regions – namely, that Hillary Clinton was playing a word game with the media when she denied that none of the emails in question were marked "classified."  It was almost an "aha!" moment for me for the simple reason that even though I have written that Hillary is playing word games in this matter, I had not previously perceived just how devious her word parsing is.  And unless you've had a federal security clearance and understand the system of security classification and document marking, you aren't likely to have a prayer of deciphering Hillary's deception."

The fruits of the Obama presidency

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Whose side is Obama on? The dangerous decisions of a lame duck 
. . . "And what damage could Obama possibly do in the 364 days remaining in his luxurious taxpayer-financed life? In fact, Obama has ominously vowed to "squeeze out every ounce of change I can."

"Obama's Thursday releases included a man named Tariq Mahmoud Ahmed al-Sawah -- a jowly, gentle-looking killer without the unkempt beards terrorists favor." . . .

The Administration Is Ruling by Decree   "Yesterday, the Department of Labor unexpectedly issued a new rule (which it called an interpretation) that will upend thousands of businesses’ established practices. It did so with no notice, and no comment by affected businesses is either sought or allowed. Effectively, the administration is now ruling by decree."

The administrator of the DoL’s Wages and Hours Division, David Weil, is very clear that he will be looking to ensure that big businesses are on the hook for the decisions of smaller businesses.

Bill Clinton to Speak in Las VegasThe Same Time as the National Porn Convention

gopthedailydose.com

Where are Willy's hands in this photo?

Will YOU let your daughter intern at a Clinton White House?

"According to the Washington Free Beacon Bill Clinton is going to Vegas. The former president will speak (solo, obviously) in Sin City later this evening.

"Clinton’s trip happens to coincide with the annual AVN Adult Entertainment Expo at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, just a 20-minute drive from the Advanced Technologies Academy where Clinton is speaking."

Obama Preparing Executive Order to Change the First Amendment

More on this at The Hill  . . . " 'The American people deserve to know the ways in which those who seek contracts with the government are trying to influence the political process.' " . . .

politicalincorrectnessrunamuck.

NY Times  "WASHINGTON — President Obama is seriously considering an executive order that would require companies doing business with the federal government to disclose their political contributions, White House officials said on Tuesday, a step long awaited by activists to reduce the influence of secretive corporate donations in elections.

" The directive, known as the “dark money” executive order, would mandate that government contractors publicly report their contributions to groups that spend money to influence campaigns. Advocates inside and outside the White House believe the executive order would prompt some companies to spend less, by exposing their donations to public scrutiny.

"Mr. Obama has been considering the action for more than a year, but discussions have intensified in recent weeks, according to activists and administration officials, as the president moves to deliver on unfulfilled promises in his final year in office." . . .

Via Conservative Tribune 

The GOP Gets the Iran Prisoner Swap Wrong

absoluterights.com

Charles Krauthammer   "Give President Obama credit. His Iran nuclear deal may be disastrous but the packaging was brilliant. The near-simultaneous prisoner exchange was meant to distract from last Saturday’s official implementation of the sanctions-lifting deal. And it did. The Republicans concentrated almost all their fire on the swap sideshow.

"And in denouncing the swap, they were wrong. True, we should have made the prisoner release a precondition for negotiations. But that pre-emptive concession was made long ago (among many others, such as granting Iran in advance the right to enrich uranium). The remaining question was getting our prisoners released before we gave away all our leverage upon implementation of the nuclear accord. We did." . . .

. . . In 1938, the morning after Munich, Europe woke up to Germany as the continent’s dominant power. Last Sunday, the Middle East woke up to Iran as the regional hegemon, with a hand — often predominant — in the future of Syria, Yemen, Iraq, the Gulf Arab states and, in time, in the very survival of Israel.  And we’re arguing over an asymmetric hostage swap."