A mother's solace: A letter from a World War I enemy

Smithsonian

" 'You will look upon my writing, no doubt, as something unusual, and rightly so, for it is indeed not exactly usual for a former enemy of his own accord to report about his opponent in the World War. I was myself a German officer in the World War.' "

"Emil Merkelbach was the leader of a German balloon squadron stationed in o 'ccupied northern France in August 1918. Balloons were used by both the Allied and Central powers during the war as a way to observe enemy targets at a greater distance and from behind the front lines, allowing armies to more accurately aim their long-range artillery. Antiaircraft machine guns defended the balloons from the ground and patrolling airplanes protected them from the air. Armies' reliance on balloon observations, and the firepower employed to protect them, made balloons both an important and dangerous target for fighter pilots like Louis Bennett Jr., Mrs. Bennett's son."

. . . 

"During the ten days he served in combat before being killed in action, Louis shot down three enemy planes and nine balloons, four of which he shot down in one day. These feats not only earned him the distinction of being named a flying ace, and West Virginia's only World War I ace, but also placed him among the top of all World War I flying aces. Merkelbach saw Louis's impressive skill and total fearlessness first-hand on the battlefield, which he remembered years later and which eventually prompted him to write to Mrs. Bennett."

Read the full story at the link, which closes with these words:  Although never given an official award for his service, Louis Bennett Jr.'s courage and skill clearly inspired those around him to honor his memory in their own way: from the enemy German army that buried him with full military honors, to his mother who memorialized him across multiple countries, and finally to Emil Merkelbach, an enemy officer, who was inspired to write a glowing, respectful letter in memorial four years after they had fought on the battlefield.

"I hope that the foregoing lines, a memorial to your son, will be received by you living—he was my bravest enemy. Honor to his memory. With respect, Emil Merkelbach" 

SHERIFF DAVID CLARKE ON DALLAS MASSACRE OF COPS: “Obama fuels this…”

Has there been a shred of national benefit from this man's administration?

FedUp  “ 'He (Obama) didn’t cause this, but you know what, he fuels this sort of misplaced anger” – Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke"

Ex-Secret Service Agent Excoriates President Obama After Dallas Shootings  "Over the course of Barack Obama’s two terms as president, he has often been the subject of accusations that he is “anti-cop,” most prominently from Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke.

"One name that can now be put in the fierce critic category with Clarke is former Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino, who said that in the wake of President Obama’s comments following the massacre of police officers in Dallas Thursday night, he is “done” with him.

"On Friday morning, Bongino told Fox and Friends, “I’m done with President Obama, and frankly so are my law enforcement friends. I literally don’t have one law enforcement friend at the federal, state or local level who has anything nice to say [about the president].' ”

The War on Cops Comes to Dallas

We are not in a mood to tolerate another of Obama's scoldings.

Andrew C. McCarthy  "President Obama has wasted no time politicizing the attack. From Poland this morning, he punctuated his remarks praising the heroism and sacrifice of police, with the familiar demagoguery: We all need to be concerned about “racial disparity in the justice system” (as if there were no drastic racial disparities in offense behavior, and therefore that the police discriminate against African-Americans in enforcing the laws); and of course, “When people are armed with powerful weapons, it makes attacks more deadly and more tragic” (as if the real problem here is guns rather than radical ideology).
. . . 
"Did Black Lives Matter participate in this pre-planned mass-murder operation? We don’t yet know who executed this attack, and we must wait for details, which should be forthcoming soon enough. But to suggest that lethal attacks on the police are not made more likely by the hateful anti-cop climate stoked by Black Lives Matter — with the indulgence and often the encouragement of government officials and opinion elites — is to be detached from reality."

Chaffetz’s FBI referral on Hillary perjury a time bomb?

Thomas Lifson  "It was an astonishing moment when FBI Director James Comey told the House Oversight Committee that his “comprehensive” investigation of Hillary Clinton’s email practices had not bothered to consider her sworn testimony before Congress. Testimony that was odds with the conclusions reported by Comey.

Rep. Chaffetz spoke derisively:

"Do you need a referral from Congress to investigate her statements under oath?" Chaffetz asked, to which Comey responded, "Sure do."

With a chuckle, Chaffetz said, "You'll have one. You'll have one in the next few hours."

"And so another FBI investigation of Hillary Cinton criminality is underway.  Cynics may say that Comey will only apply the same logic: that Hillary didn’t really know the situation, and so she had no mens rea responsibility for the untruths she spoke. She believed they were true.

"Of course, this means that she didn’t bother to check facts before speaking under oath. That she was an entirely incompetent Secretary of State.

"I think it is hopeless to expect a criminal referral from the FBI to the DOJ. But I can hope that Comey delivers another speech on what Hillary knew and didn’t know, and why she was so irresponsible that she can’t be held legally responsible."

 "Before the election, please."

Email Scandal: Was The Fix In For FBI's Investigation Of Hillary?

FBI Director Refuses To Answer Simple Question About Hillary Clinton

Fox NewsVerified account‏@FoxNews

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Calls for Black Lives Matter to be recognised as 'terrorist organisation' after Dallas shootings

White House petition comes after five police officers shot dead during protest by the group.  "More than 4,000 people have signed a White House petition urging the US Federal Government to formally recognise the Black Lives Matter (BLM) campaign as a "terrorist organsiation". The calls come as five police officers were shot dead by snipers during a BLM protest in Dallas on 7 July.

"The petition was started one day before the shooting, however, it gained popularity following events in Dallas. Anyone aged 13 or older can sign a petition on the website and the White House will respond to the request should it gain 100,000 signatures by 5 August"

Before the gunman, named as Micah Johnson, was blown up he told a negotiator he had opened fire because he wanted to kill white people.

UPDATED: BLM supporters: Dancing on the dead bodies of cops

Rick Moran  "InfoWars has gathered a couple of dozen tweets from supporters of Black Lives Matter that have to be read to be believed. I hope you have a strong stomach.

"First, a video of BLM protesters in Dallas celebrating in front of police following the killings.

Video at the link.

"And the sentiments expressed in the following tweets are just a sampling of the raw hate being expressed by BLM and their supporters. "(WARNING: Graphic, unedited language)

UK Daily Mail video

Black Lives Matter supporters celebrate Dallas shootings on Twitter

"A post at the International Business Times said: “The shootings unfolded after President Barack Obama said he was troubled by law enforcement officers who target blacks and Latinos.' ” . . .

What does Obama blame? Guns, not BLM

OBAMA SUGGESTS 'POWERFUL WEAPONS' PROMPTED DALLAS

"President Obama from Warsaw on Friday weighed in on the fatal shootings of five police officers and wounding of seven more, as well as of two civilians, by saying the attack was inexcusable, unjustified and tragic – but then suggested easy access to weapons was at least partly to blame.

"He first expressed outrage and condolences.

Then comes his usual: “. . . Anybody involved will be held accountable.”

He weighed in on the shooting of Alton Sterling on Friday night before the Dallas shooting.

He did so in his usual style before the blood was dry and before the facts were in.  "Obama spoke in his characteristic style on such occasions. He lectured; he condescended; he assumed facts not in evidence; he rode his racial hobby horse. If anyone thought the moment might call for something in the way of reconciliation, he would have been well advised to look elsewhere." . . . 

"Obama also demonstrated his traditionally poor timing. Within hours of his statement in Warsaw five police officers were murdered and seven others shot by snipers in Dallas. We pray for those who are still struggling for their lives this morning.

"From Warsaw Obama has now given a formulaic statement on the events in Dallas. “We still don’t know all the facts,” Obama noted. I can’t find this statement on the White House site. The Dallas Morning News reports on it here." . . .

No comment as yet from Mr. Obama that the suspects hate white people and want to kill them  "Dallas police chief David Brown told reporters at a press conference that the suspect who engaged authorities in a standoff before being killed by a robot that blew up a bomb built by the sniper "hated white people" and wanted to kill more white officers."
. . . 

"The real fear is that cops across America might become even more trigger-happy.  Well trained policemen won't let this attack alter their approach.  Unfortunately, there are many policemen across America who are not well trained and may take a more aggressive attitude toward blacks.

"The job of policeman is hard enough without adding race as a factor."

Loretta Lynch Calls For Gun Control, Says Support Police, But Calls Anger At Police ‘Justified’, Protesters Shouldn’t Be Blamed…

Powerful Statement By Dallas Police Chief: “We Don’t Feel a Lot of Support Most Days…Please, We Need Your Support’

Drudge links on the Dallas shooting

I hope we have heard the last of complaints over the "militarized" police.

The names of the five officers killed during an ambush Thursday night are starting to be released. Some worked for DART and some worked for the Dallas Police Department. Eleven total were shot.

SICK: ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’ SUPPORTERS CELEBRATE MURDER OF DALLAS COPS

Paul Joseph Watson @PrisonPlanet comments:

Repulsive video

Getting Downtown Will Be Difficult, Says Dallas Mayor  "Police are still conducting sweeps of the downtown area. Many parts of Dallas are now off-limits. The city put out a traffic map to help drivers better understand which blocks are completely closed to the public, and how cars are being diverted around the downtown scene."

Dallas police shooting: 'Black Power group' claims responsibility for police killings and warns of more assassinations to come

Dallas police shooting: Hero human shield mum-of-four shot by snipers as she protected her children during slaughter

The gunman can be seen creeping up on the
 police officer, who is crouching behind a pillar

More Will Be Assassinated In The Coming Days! Do You Like The Work Of Our Assassins? Get Your Own Sniper" read a post on the Black Power Political Organisation Facebook account

Dallas police shooting: Horrifying footage shows moment police officer is executed with assault rifle at point blank range

Looks like Beyonce' got her wish  
 Beyonce Posted Letter Hours Before Dallas Shooting, Calling To “Fight” Against Police, That Murder Should Not Go “Unpunished”

"She also put the names of alleged victims of police brutality up in lights at her concert last night, including the name of Sandra Bland, who was not killed by police, but who killed herself."

Comey: A theory, by Charles Krauthammer

Charles Krauthammer

"Why did he do it? FBI Director James Comey spent 14 minutes laying out an unassailable case for prosecuting Hillary Clinton for the mishandling of classified material. Then at literally the last minute, he recommended against prosecution.

"This is baffling. Under the statute (18 U.S.C. section 793(f)), it’s a felony to mishandle classified information either intentionally or “through gross negligence.” The evidence, as outlined by Comey, is overwhelming." 

. . . 

"And with no guarantee that the prosecution would succeed, moreover. Imagine that scenario: You knock out of the race the most likely next president — and she ultimately gets acquitted! Imagine how Comey goes down in history under those circumstances.

"I admit I’m giving Comey the benefit of the doubt. But the best way I can reconcile his reputation for integrity with the grating illogic of his Clinton decision is by presuming that he didn’t want to make history.

"I don’t endorse his decision. (Nor did I Roberts’.) But I think I understand it." . . .

For Any ‘Reasonable’ Prosecutor, Damage to National Security Would Outweigh ‘Extremely Careless’ Hillary’s (Largely Irrelevant) Intent

greenvilleonline

Andy McCarthy   "After masterfully marshaling facts that showed Hillary Clinton was grossly negligent in mishandling the nation’s defense secrets – i.e., after demonstrating that she was patently indictable for a felony violation of federal law – Federal Bureau of Investigation. Director James Comey recommended against prosecution. His rationale is even more difficult to justify on close examination than it appeared at first blush.

"Director Comey contends that “no reasonable prosecutor” would bring a case due to the former Secretary of State’s purportedly benign intent. In point of fact, her intent – besides being very far from benign – is largely irrelevant: the criminal statute at issue, Section 793(f) of the federal penal code, merely requires proof that the defendant was grossly negligent – or, as Comey put it, “extremely careless.”

. . .
"Bottom line: Mrs. Clinton’s prosecution would be entirely consistent with Congress’s aim to protect national security by criminalizing grossly negligent mishandling of classified information. And it certainly appears that Mrs. Clinton’s actions were profoundly damaging. To a reasonable prosecutor, that would matter. A lot."

How can Justice be blind? How can America be great?

comicallyincorrect

Not So Blind Justice  "The Obama regime has ripped the blindfold from Lady Justice and allowed Hillary to live above the law. Political Cartoon by A.F. Branco ©2016."


How Comey Wrote Trump’s Acceptance Speech  . . . "The final minute of his articulate and compelling account of the methods and results of the Bureau’s investigation, cut the legs out from under his image as the lone remaining role model for high-profile fidelity to duty, honor and country in federal government service.

"The clock struck thirteen, and we gasped as Comey became the bookend to the fall of General David Petraeus.

"It hurt us to watch, on both occasions. But we needed to see it, remember it, and learn from it.

"American can’t be great until its government becomes honest.

"That’s what Trump needs to say – in one way or another." . . .

North Korea Says Obama Placing Sanctions On Kim Jong Un Tantamount To Declaring War…

Weasel Zippers

"There can only be one Dear Leader.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says U.S. sanctions on leader Kim Jong Un and other top officials for human rights abuses are tantamount to declaring war.

The country's Foreign Ministry issued a statement Thursday carried by the official Korean Central News Agency saying the announcement of sanctions on Kim and 10 other officials was "peppered with lies and fabrications."

North Korea has already been sanctioned heavily because of its nuclear weapons program. However, Wednesday's sanctions mark the first time Kim has been personally targeted, and the first time that any North Korean official has been blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury in connection with reports of rights abuses.

Has Obama finally grown a pair? Or is he hoping to pass this mess on to the next president? I consider this president's character to be that sort.