Doug Baldwin and Seahawks stand arm-in-arm during national anthem before season opener

Seattle Times   "The Seahawks stood together arm-in-arm during the national anthem before Sunday’s season opener at CenturyLink Field, a striking visual on the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."

What the Benghazi attack taught me about Hillary Clinton

legalinsurrection.com

Gregory N. Hicks  "Last month, I retired from the State Department after 25 years of public service as a Foreign Service officer. As the Deputy Chief of Mission for Libya, I was the last person in Tripoli to speak with Ambassador Chris Stevens before he was murdered in the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on our Benghazi post. On this, the fourth anniversary of the Benghazi tragedy, I would like to offer a different explanation for Benghazi’s relevance to the presidential election than is usually found in the press.

"Just as the Constitution makes national security the President’s highest priority, U.S. law mandates the secretary of state to develop and implement policies and programs "to provide for the security … of all United States personnel on official duty abroad.”

"This includes not only the State Department employees, but also the CIA officers in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012. And the Benghazi record is clear: Secretary Clinton failed to provide adequate security for U.S. government personnel assigned to Benghazi and Tripoli.
. . .
"When asked about security at Benghazi on Sept. 11, Mrs. Clinton has repeatedly asserted her lack of responsibility. Initially, she said that she never read any of the reporting on security conditions or any of the requests for additional security, claiming that “she delegated security to the professionals.” More recently, she stated that “[I]t was not my ball to carry.” But the law says otherwise. Sound familiar?

Her decision to allow the Benghazi consulate to be separate from the CIA annex divided scarce resources in a progressively deteriorating security environment. U.S. personnel assigned to Benghazi tried to overcome this severe disadvantage through an agreement that the security personal from each facility would rush to the other facility’s aid in the event it was attacked. The division of our security resources in Benghazi is the root cause of the “stand down” order controversy so vividly portrayed in the movie “13 Hours.”
. . .
"Candidate Clinton and her campaign point to her record as secretary of state as a positive qualification for the presidency.

"However, the record shows that Secretary Clinton persuaded the president to overthrow Qaddafi and advocated maintaining a diplomatic presence in Benghazi after the Libyan revolution. And then she abandoned her diplomats by ignoring her security obligations. She sent Ambassador Stevens to Benghazi during the 2011 revolution and then induced him to return in the first few months of his tenure, which accounted for his September visit there. Despite the fact that Sidney Blumenthal had alerted her to the increasing danger for Americans in Benghazi and Libya, Mrs. Clinton apparently never asked security professionals for an updated briefing on the situation in Libya. Either she could not correlate the increased tempo of attacks in Libya with the safety of our diplomats, demonstrating fatal incompetence, or she was grossly negligent.

"If Mrs. Clinton was unable to fulfill her security obligations to the federal employees she was legally obligated to protect as secretary of state, how can we trust her with the security of our entire country? I won’t."

9/11 Moment Of Silence Moved Up Because Obama Was Impatient

"The moment of silence was originally slotted to take place at 9:37 AM — the time at which the Pentagon was attacked on September 11 — but ended up taking place a few minutes early.

Daily Caller   "A moment of silence remembering the September 11 victims at a Pentagon memorial service began early in order to accommodate a restless President Obama, a Department of Defense official told The Daily Caller."

"A source close to the situation told TheDC that Obama arrived early to the memorial service — which took place at the Pentagon — and wanted to get things started early.

"A Department of Defense official confirmed that the moment of silence was moved up a few minutes and that Obama was the one who made the decision, saying the president “moved early.' ”

Maybe he had a tee time to make.

10 ways 9/11 changed life in America

Leo Homann in World Net Daily:  

. . . "Most of the changes have not greatly affected the ability of Islamic terrorists to get into the country and harm Americans, say civil-liberties advocates. The bulk of the burden of the new laws and regulations has been shouldered by native-born Americans while potential jihadists find it easier than ever to enter as refugees, asylum seekers, students, tourists and work-related visa holders, says Robert Spencer, author of the JihadWatch blog and numerous books about Islam.

"This demonization of the right as “terrorists” is something the left has always sought to achieve but 9/11 made it much easier.“ 'That was a direct consequence of the official denial that Islam and jihad had anything to do with terrorism,” Spencer told WND. “That meant that some other terrorists had to be found to justify the regulations, even if sometimes by well-intentioned people who intended to use the laws to investigate and prosecute jihadists but knew they could not get them over except by speaking about ‘militias’ and ‘right-wing’ extremists. This played into the hands of the left’s agenda to demonize the right and associate it with terrorism.”

“ 'They ruled the arguments of the right outside the realm of acceptable discourse, while simultaneously whitewashing the jihad threat,” Spencer said.

"Anti-Shariah activist Pamela Geller lays most of the blame at the feet of the Obama administration." . . .

Hillary's health moves to the top of the pile

Politico: Clinton scare shakes up the race  "The incident comes after two weeks of tightening polls that have seen Trump close to within striking distance nationally and in some battleground states and capped off what was arguably the shakiest 48 hours of her general-election

campaign that began when she called Trump supporters “deplorables,” a rare gaffe by a fastidiously stage-managed candidate."
. . . 

"One Republican lobbyist who raises money for Trump offered the campaign similar advice: “Trump should not say or tweet a thing about Hillary’s health, unless it’s to say, ‘I hope she feels better.’ He needs to be very careful and sensitive, and not reinforce the worse things people think about him. . . "

"A person close to Trump hoped – and doubted – he could toe that line." . . .

Hillary Clinton Is Being Treated for Pneumonia, Leaves 9/11 Ceremony Feeling 'Overheated' (New York Times)

Yeshiva World News, Israel  "Hillary Clinton has pneumonia, her doctor said Sunday, hours after the Democratic nominee stumbled and exited a 9/11 commemoration ceremony early."  Wayne Dupree thinks different.

What is happening with Hillary in this video?   "Hillary Clinton was being escorted into her van by security after she had an emergency medical episode during the 9/11 memorial. Reports say she felt “dizzy, disoriented”, and passed out. You can see she was unable to walk, her head was bobbling, and they had to basically drag and carry her into the van.

"The overheating explanation seems far fetched, they had to literally drag her. " . . .

Roger L. Simon: Will the Democrats Dump ‘Overheated’ Hillary?  "In other words, she could do, or be forced to do, what most of us did at one time or other in school—use a doctor's note to get out!

"The motivations for this medical excuse would be considerably deeper than the obvious fact that the former secretary of State has health issues of some sort.  Two other far more important factors account for Donald Trump's catching her in the polls." . . .

Hillary health 'conspiracy' goes 'mainstream'  "In the blink of an eye Sunday, the attitude about Hillary Clinton’s health among the nation’s “mainstream” media went from dismissing them as nutty “conspiracy theories” to genuine concern, if not panic."
" . . . Taking the Clinton team’s word for it on her health – in light of the episode on Sunday morning – is no longer enough. Reasonable people can – and will – have real questions about her health.' ”

beforeitsnews.com

On Eve of 9/11, Most Divisive President in History Says Don't 'Give in to Those Who Would Divide Us'

Independent Journal Review

During Saturday's weekly White House address, which comes the day before the 15th anniversary of 9/11, President Obama made what some might call an ironic statement (emphasis added):

"In the face of terrorism, how we respond matters. We cannot give in to those who would divide us. We cannot react in ways that erode the fabric of our society. Because it's our diversity, our welcoming of all talent, our treating of everybody fairly — no matter their race, gender, ethnicity, or faith — that's part of what makes our country great."

"According to multiple Gallup surveys, Barack Obama has been one of the most divisive presidents in modern history." . . .

WSJ Op-ed: Dangers Rise as America Retreats

"Fifteen years after 9/11, the next president will face greater risks and a weaker military to combat them."

Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney  "Fifteen years ago this Sunday, nearly 3,000 Americans were killed in the deadliest attack on the U.S. homeland in our history. A decade and a half later, we remain at war with Islamic terrorists. Winning this war will require an effort of greater scale and commitment than anything we have seen since World War II, calling on every element of our national power.

"Defeating our enemies has been made significantly more difficult by the policies of Barack Obama. No American president has done more to weaken the U.S., hobble our defenses or aid our adversaries.

"President Obama has been more dedicated to reducing America’s power than to defeating our enemies. He has enhanced the abilities, reach and finances of our adversaries, including the world’s leading state sponsor of terror, at the expense of our allies and our own national security. He has overseen a decline of our own military capabilities as our adversaries’ strength has grown.

"Our Air Force today is the oldest and smallest it has ever been. In January 2015, then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno testified that the Army was as unready as it had been at any other time in its history. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert testified similarly that, “Navy readiness is at its lowest point in many years.”

"Nearly half of the Marine Corps’ non-deployed units—the ones that respond to unforeseen contingencies—are suffering shortfalls, according to the commandant of the Corps, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. For the first time in decades, American supremacy in key areas can no longer be assured.

"The president who came into office promising to end wars has made war more likely by diminishing America’s strength and deterrence ability. He doesn’t seem to understand that the credible threat of military force gives substance and meaning to our diplomacy. By reducing the size and strength of our forces, he has ensured that future wars will be longer, and put more American lives at risk.

"Meanwhile, the threat from global terrorist organizations has grown. Nicholas Rasmussen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told the House Homeland Security Committee in July that, “As we approach 15 years since 9/11, the array of terrorist actors around the globe is broader, wider and deeper than it has been at any time since that day.” Despite Mr. Obama’s claim that ISIS has been diminished, John Brennan, Mr. Obama’s CIA director, told the Senate Intelligence Committee in June that, “Our efforts have not reduced the group’s terrorism capability or global reach.”

"The president’s policies have contributed to our enemies’ advance. In his first days in office, Mr. Obama moved to take the nation off a war footing and return to the failed policies of the 1990s when terrorism was treated as a law-enforcement matter. It didn’t matter that the Enhanced Interrogation Program produced information that prevented attacks, saved American lives and, we now know, contributed to the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden. Mr. Obama ended the program, publicly revealed its techniques, and failed to put any effective terrorist-interrogation program in its place.

"We are no longer interrogating terrorists in part because we are no longer capturing terrorists. Since taking office, the president has recklessly pursued his objective of closing the detention facility at Guantanamo by releasing current detainees—regardless of the likelihood they will return to the field of battle against us. Until recently, the head of recruitment for ISIS in Afghanistan and Pakistan was a former Guantanamo detainee, as is one of al Qaeda’s most senior leaders in the Arabian Peninsula.

"As he released terrorists to return to the field of battle, Mr. Obama was simultaneously withdrawing American forces from Iraq and Afghanistan. He calls this policy “ending wars.” Most reasonable people recognize this approach as losing wars.

"When Mr. Obama took the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, Iraq was stable. Following the surge ordered by President Bush, al Qaeda in Iraq had largely been defeated, as had the Shiite militias. The situation was so good that Vice President Joe Biden predicted, “Iraq will be one of the great achievements of this administration.' ” . . .

What does the NFL have in store for America on 9-11?

"Politicized NFL Has to Do Something About the Craptastic Seahawks"

"Watching black football players who earn millions of dollars make insulting gestures to protest “oppression” is ludicrous. These are the same people who haven’t done much if anything for poor blacks and gang youth and they don’t have their facts straight.

"The Seattle Seahawks are probably going to protest alleged oppression of blacks and police brutality on 9/11 at the game in support of Colin Kaepernick’s display of disrespect for our flag and our country.

"The NFL — that wouldn’t let the Denver Broncos wear a memorial police decal on their helmets to honor the murdered cops in Dallas — is the same NFL that won’t do a blasted thing about players disrespecting the flag. If this continues, the NFL needs to feel a pinch in their pocketbooks. Don’t watch their games for a while until they get the message."

New York Giants wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz are preparing to kick off the season in patriotic style.
"Beckham will wear a special 9/11 cleat during warmups, while Cruz will have a fire truck cleat with his late father's engine number on them. Cruz's dad was a fireman in Paterson, New Jersey."

More on this here.

Police Unions Slam Goodell, Promise To Pay NFL Player’s Fine If He Wears 9/11 Cleats

"We were snarky earlier about Goodells’s reaction to another player’s 9/11 shoes. But turns out our knock on him was true. Decals honoring police, Cleats honoring 9/11 victims=bad. Sitting for anthem=cool." Via NY Post:

And then...

THE AMERICAN MILITARY AND THE SPECTER OF AN UNTRUSTWORTHY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF

Ari Lieberman
"A track record of failure and fabrication puts military voters on edge."

"In August 1993, Hillary Clinton’s husband Bill dispatched a force of U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force commandos to war-torn Somalia in an effort to seize the Somali warlord, Mohammed Farrah Aidid. Military commanders had assessed the need for armor and air cover to carry out the dangerous mission. They requested M-1 Abrams tanks, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, as well as AC-130 gunships but the Clinton administration obscenely denied the request placing U.S. forces in a very vulnerable situation.. . . 

"Though the Rangers and Delta Force commandos ultimately prevailed, 18 soldiers were killed (some of the bodies were mutilated), 73 were wounded and a helicopter pilot was captured. Had the request for armor and air cover been granted, there is no question that the outcome of the Battle of Mogadishu would have been vastly different and U.S. casualties would have been minimal. Adding insult to injury, Aidid’s aides, captured at great cost and sacrifice, were quickly released on orders from the political echelon.

"Bill Clinton should have resigned but instead passed the buck to his loyal secretary of defense, Les Aspin, who resigned in disgrace a few months later.  . . .

"The Islamist assault on the U.S. consulate office in Benghazi on the anniversary of the 9-11 attacks was meticulously planned and well-coordinated. Requests for beefing up security at the site were either ignored or denied by Hillary’s State Department. An additional contingent of U.S. military personnel or private military contractors could have meant the difference between life and death.

"Despite Clinton’s best efforts to stage-manage the Benghazi hearings (as emails from the Clinton camp suggest), the Select Committee on Benghazi released a damning report that reflected poorly on the former secretary of state’s actions before, during and after the September 11, attack. Poor intelligence and needless bureaucratic bungling prevented rapid deployment of forces to the theater.

"But it was Clinton’s web of lies, spun after the Benghazi assault, that truly highlight the wretchedness of this person. As countless emails reveal, Clinton was well aware that the consulate attack was premeditated and the work of trained Muslim terrorists." . . .

conservativebyte.com/

Will “Basket of Deplorables” become the new “47 Percent”?

Hot Air  "Nothing says woman of the people like a political candidate who got filthy rich while serving in the Senate and State Department insulting millions of voters while surrounded by celebrities, right? Hillary Clinton shifted her attack from Donald Trump to his supporters at a fundraiser in New York City, putting “half” of them into “a basket of deplorables.” That’s a memorable turn of phrase, but will Hillary want to forget it?"

. . . "Those are the people Hillary insulted with these remarks last night. Merrill’s smart enough to know it, too. This sneering, condescending, and insulting stereotyping of millions of voters perfectly encapsulates the Clintonian quarter-century, especially with their above-the-law antics since leaving the White House. And that’s why most candidates stick to insulting each other, and not voters.

"In a way, it’s reminiscent of Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” remarks from four years ago." . . . 

On Obama as the leader of the Free World

Retired general claims Obama sees NATO as a 'threat'  . . . "A president who sees an alliance of our best friends as a threat? Too bad he doesn't see Iran in the same light. Or China, Russia, Cuba, and any other cutthroat, thuggish regime on the planet.

"Trump was criticized for claiming that the president constantly ignores the advice from his generals. This is apparently not only true, but doesn't tell the whole story. Obama has tried to undermine the most successful alliance in modern history, an act of towering stupidity that has affected our collective security in Europe. 

"Showing Obama's true feelings about NATO won't go over well in Europe. If they hadn't already taken his measure and found it wanting, they will now."

Obama purged military of those who sought victory . . . " It is a fait accompli, engineered by our commander-in-chief to reduce America's global footprint, an America he has profusely apologized for, and one he blames for all the world's ills.

 "Almost as soon as he took office, President Obama began a military purge not dissimilar to those routinely conducted by third-world despots, with the goal of eliminating voices that might oppose his withdrawing America from the world stage.  As Investor's Business Daily editorialized:". . . 
Recognize Bill Ayers or Jeremiah Wright in any of Obama's policies discussed here?

Islamist Terrorism Must Be Punished  . . . "On August 31, 2016 the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York surprisingly overturned a lower court decision that had imposed a large fine on the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization for supporting a number of terrorist attacks in Israel." . . .

Wonder what's next on the long line of cheap shots at the U.S.!
. . .  "We are living in extremely dangerous times, and President Obama does not have a clue.  Worse than that, no one in the U.S. media is bothering to ask him about it or hold him accountable for the disarray.  The media is obsessed with Trump, Mrs. Clinton is promising not to send ground troops, and our enemies are enjoying it a great deal. " . . .   

NYT calls for moderator ‘fact check’ after Lauer sins by allowing candidates to speak

HopeNChangeCartoons

Observer  . . . "Suddenly, Lauer is garbage, no better—in the eyes of the mainstream media—than some basement-dwelling right-wing blogger.

"His sin? He allowed Trump to speak during the candidate forum, and didn’t press the Republican presidential nominee on his answers to the liking of the liberal media. This morning, I detailed the extent of the hate being spewed against Lauer by his colleagues in the mainstream media." . . .

"It seems obvious they’re all just upset that Trump hasn’t said or done anything to take the heat off of Clinton’s two weeks of bad news coverage. Previously, whenever bad news broke for Clinton, Trump was there to say or do something outrageous that would suck up attention and allow Clinton to skate scrutiny. That has changed since Kellyanne Conway became campaign manager, Steve Bannon of Breitbart News became campaign CEO, and Jamestown Associates (full disclosure: a group I am collaborating with on a documentary) took over communications.

"Desperate to hold up their historically terrible candidate (second only to Trump himself), the media is now using Lauer as a scapegoat and sending a warning to debate moderators that if they don’t step in and do everything they can to sink Trump’s candidacy, they will be pariahs in their profession." . . .