Saudi Royals signal the real magnitude of the deal they made with Trump

Thomas Lifson  "President Trump’s spectacular reception in Riyadh is a signal to the world (and to Saudi subjects, in particular) that big changes are coming. Elderly and frail King Salman ventured out onto the apron in 110 degree heat and actually shook Melania Trump’s hand as she deplaned Air Force One, thereby touching a female infidel."

"Perhaps even more important in terms of Saudi daily life, the women in attendance at functions did not wear head coverings and abayas.  The entire nation saw this on television and understands that the fracking-created global oil glut changes everything, that the infidels no longer cower in fear of a cutoff of the oil that Allah granted to the protectors of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.  The old arguments of the fanatics hold less water.  Change is coming. The King signaled that the restrictions declared by the Wahhabi clergy are no longer the ultimate arbiter of personal behavior, and that Saudis are going to have to start respecting the customs of the infidels.  Something like his handshake gesture can seem trivial, quaint, or even humorous to Americans, but it is very serious business. The role modeling of the women at the highest and most formal level reaches deep into the culture.

"It is now clear that the King and his two designated successors (Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nyef and Mohammad bin Salman) have made a deal to liberalize Saudi Arabia. The deal-maker president has told them that there is a price of continued American support." . . .

How can other nations not feel contempt for Democrats and the Americans who put them into office?

Why couldn't that "presidential" idol of TV talk shows have been capable of doing these things, instead of showing submission like this?

Obama was a "president" who was sorely ashamed of his own country.

Democrats Should Put Country above Party, Too

"The New York Times reported President Trump asked James Comey to drop the FBI probe of Mike Flynn in February and added that Comey heroically refused. It never ends. Trump should re-nominate Jim Comey as FBI Director just to watch the Democrats change positions on him again."The Washington Post says Trump leaked intel on ISIS to the Russians Friday. Now Congress is on the warpath. Any guy who might get impeached over an unsubstantiated report from an unnamed source denied by everyone in the room may want to hire one of the Clinton defense lawyers."  Comedian Argus Hamilton

National Review

"It is reckless to throw around words like “impeachable” and “treason” before the evidence is in."

. . . "Then again, recklessly throwing around words like “impeachable” and “treason” before the evidence exists to level those consequential charges also puts party above country. Hysteria also erodes trust in our institutions for nothing more than political gain. You will, for instance, have to read six paragraphs into Reuters’s recent highly shared scoop headlined “Exclusive: Trump campaign had at least 18 undisclosed contacts with Russians: sources” to learn that “people who described the contacts to Reuters said they had seen no evidence of wrongdoing or collusion between the campaign and Russia in the communications reviewed so far.” 

"Talk about burying your lead. 

"For those keeping score, despite ceaseless leaking from the intelligence community, there has really been no evidence offered so far to prove “collusion” between Trump officials and Russia to “hack the election” — an absurd oft-used phrase that has convinced millions of Americans that their votes, their government, and their free will have been abducted by another country. If that day ever comes, I will write a column in favor of impeachment. Until that day, I’m certain folks with giant platforms like David Gregory will continue claiming that the Russians “hacked the election.' ” . . .

Dilbert's Perspective on the Muslim Invasion

Eileen F. Toplansky

Scott Adams has gone full-on climate denialist in his latest Dilbert strip, causing liberal heads to explode.

Now from climate predictions to the main point, immigration predictions:

. . . "At his own blog, Adams asks, "[I]f scientists can make climate prediction models that are reliable (or so they tell us), why can't they do the same with Muslim immigration predictions?"  Thus:

Predicting the average temperature on Earth ten years from now is hard. There are too many variables. But predicting the outcome of immigration policies probably involves far fewer variables. All we need to do is look at other countries that experienced lots of Muslim immigration and subtract out the countries that reversed the trend with military force[.] 

A good immigration prediction model would find the 'tipping point' where the percentage of Islamic population nearly guarantees the entire country will become Muslim in the long run. Is that 10% or 65%? I have no idea.

Suppose I said to you that 20% Islamic population will guarantee that eventually – perhaps in a hundred years or more – the country will have a dominant Islamic culture, with all that implies for women and the LGBTQ community.

I don't know if having 20% Muslim citizens is anywhere near the tipping point. But consider that gays represent perhaps 10% of the country, and that was enough to change laws. Consider that the United States is strongly pro-Israel while the Jewish population of the United States is under 2%. The size of the minority seems less important than their level of motivation. Muslims appear to be motivated.

"Concerning the tipping point, Jerome Corsi in 2013 described how "[t]he nightly rioting in Stockholm that establishment media ascribes merely to 'youths,' is being carried out by Muslim immigrants."  Thus, four years ago, "Muslim immigrants in Sweden [totaled] slightly more than 6 percent of the population, providing additional support for the maxim that a Muslim population of 5 percent is a tipping point for political turmoil. In other countries, Muslim immigrants at that point have begun to seek concessions, including, typically, the right to govern themselves by Shariah, or Islamic law.' " . . .

Chelsea Manning and the Problem with Pronouns

David French at NR

"Intolerance of disagreement in the debate over transgender issues begins to creep into law."

"Yesterday trans Twitter got very, very angry with me. I wrote a Corner post about Chelsea Manning’s release from prison, and the focus was squarely on Manning’s misconduct. Manning betrayed fellow soldiers, put their lives in danger, and did it simply because he wanted to stimulate debate. Trans twitter was angry not with my description of Manning’s actions (though some defended him) but with my description of Manning. I used male pronouns. I identified a man as a man.

"Immediately I was deluged with passionate but reasonable tweets explaining to me exactly what was wrong with my pronoun usage. No, wait. That was in a parallel universe. Here in the real world, I received a series of tweets you can’t post on a family website. In the real world, I was called a transphobe, “America’s worst person,” and many other names simply because I wouldn’t identify Manning as a woman.

"Sure, that’s just Twitter, but the furious sentiments of transgender activists are making their way into law. For example, in New York City the government will punish employers, landlords, businesses, and professionals who use the “wrong” pronoun. Here’s how the New York City Human Rights Commission describes a “violation” of its human-rights law:

Refusal to use an individual’s preferred name, pronoun, or title because they do not conform to gender stereotypes. For example, calling a woman “Mr.” because her appearance is aligned with traditional gender-based stereotypes of masculinity.

"Even worse, the Obama administration put the issue of pronouns front and center in every federally funded educational institution in the United States. It issued guidance (since repealed, though the issue is far from resolved) containing clear language mandates:" . . .

President Trump’s Middle East Trip: An Opportunity to Reset Relations

Middle East Eye

Heritage  "President Trump has an opportunity to reset relations with key Middle Eastern allies and restore confidence in American leadership. He can capitalize on the fact that Israel and the Sunni Arab gulf states, alarmed by what they regarded as the Obama Administration’s feeble and disastrous policy toward Iran, found themselves cooperating under the table to protect their own security. The President should use this Middle East trip to repair bilateral relationships undermined by his predecessor and build multinational coalitions to unite Arab leaders against ISIS, al-Qaeda, Iran, and other Islamist totalitarian threats.
. . . 
"President Trump has an opportunity to reset relations with key Middle Eastern allies and restore confidence in American leadership. He can capitalize on one of the Obama Administration’s legacies: Israel and the Sunni Arab gulf states, alarmed by what they regarded as a feeble and disastrous U.S. policy toward Iran, found themselves cooperating under the table to protect their own security. The President must use his Middle East trip to repair bilateral relationships undermined by his predecessor and build multinational coalitions to unite Arab leaders against ISIS, al-Qaeda, Iran, and other Islamist totalitarian threats." 

James Phillips is Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy, of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullum Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, at The Heritage Foundation.

Governor Jerry Brown calls California taxpayers “freeloaders”

A view from a “deplorable” in “Podunk” California!

Legal Insurrection

. . . "Sacramento has been in hyper-drive since the Democratic Party obtained super-majority after Newman’s surprising election win. Since the legislative session opened, not only has it passed the gas tax hike, but published an insulting letter to President Donald Trump, initiated a move toward single-payer healthcare, and declared California a “sanctuary state.”

"That Jerry Brown feels comfortable enough to be so demeaning to a substantial number of Californians is not a shock. He cannot run for re-election, and unless the recall election is successful, has until 2018 to pass whatever insanity our state Assembly and Senate put before him. There is no need to persuade, negotiate, or compromise.

In fact, Brown seems to be acting as the “President of the Left Coast” in many ways.  Remember that Brown taunted President Trump during a visit earlier this to the nation’s capital (“Come on down from Trump Tower”).  Also, upon hearing that the administration’s plans for NASA meant a refocus on space exploration science instead of climate change pseudoscience, Brown threatened to launch a California-built satellite.

Jay Leno: Late Night Should Ease Up on Trump

PJ Media

"Jay Leno knows a thing or two about late-night TV.

"The veteran comic didn't just host NBC's "The Tonight Show" for more than 20 years. He took the baton directly from Johnny Carson, the man whose very name is synonymous with late-night excellence.

"So when Leno speaks, comedians should listen. Here's betting they won't, at least this time around.

"Leno was interviewed The New York Times about the late-night landscape in general and Jimmy Fallon in particular. Fallon replaced Leno on "The Tonight Show," and for a while replicated Leno's ratings success.

"Then along came Trump.

"Suddenly, Fallon's mostly apolitical shtick became "problematic" for many critics. And, to be fair, Fallon watched as the mean-spirited barbs thrown at President Donald Trump by his colleagues boosted their ratings. Considerably, in the case of Stephen Colbert of "The Late Show" fame.

4 Reasons Stephen Colbert Isn't Going Anywhere*

"Yet Leno isn't ready to slam Fallon for his stance. In fact, just the opposite. He says Fallon carries the Carson torch more than "anybody in a long time." Carson famously played it down the middle, politically speaking. Leno says that approach is missing from today's late-night crew." . . .

*Remember that rodeo clown who got fired for poking fun at President Barack Obama in one of his live sketches? That performer got a lifetime ban from that particular rodeo, too, along with some death threats.

"Why? He targeted President Obama, a politician the culture overlords said was mostly off limits.

Stupid Biographer Tricks  "Now, compare that to President Trump. Few, if any, media outlets would rise up to defend Trump against a similar attack. We're seeing that play out right now. Or, more specifically, not play out.

"Sarah Palin. Paul Ryan. Mitt Romney. They all got viciously attacked at various points in their political careers. Few, if any, of the folks who slammed them suffered any consequences." . . .

Late-Night Comics Have Hillary's Back. Again

"Today's late-night humorists won't follow Johnny Carson's template when it comes to the current presidential election.

"Carson famously stayed bipartisan with his yuks. To do anything else, he argued, meant potentially losing half his audience. He stayed true to that philosophy, shaping a legendary late-night run in the process. His immediate successor, Jay Leno, stayed true to that mantra." . . .

That means more funny business for her late night court jesters. Chances are, Kimmel and co. will be savaging her critics far more than the candidate herself in the days and weeks to come.

Charles Krauthammer: The guardrails can't contain Trump

Charles Krauthammer  "The pleasant surprise of the First 100 Days is over. The action was hectic, heated, often confused, but well within the bounds of normalcy. Policy (e.g., health care) was being hashed out, a Supreme Court nominee confirmed, foreign policy challenges (e.g. North Korea) addressed.

"Donald Trump’s character — volatile, impulsive, often self‑destructive — had not changed since the campaign. But it seemed as if the guardrails of our democracy — Congress, the courts, the states, the media, the Cabinet — were keeping things within bounds.

"Then came the last 10 days. The country is now caught in the internal maelstrom that is the mind of Donald Trump. We are in the realm of the id. Chaos reigns.

"No guardrails can hold. Normal activity disappears. North Korea’s launch of an alarming new missile and a problematic visit from the president of Turkey (locus of our most complicated and tortured allied relationship) barely evoke notice.

"Nothing can escape the black hole of a three‑part presidential meltdown.

"• First, the firing of James Comey. Trump, consumed by the perceived threat of the Russia probe to his legitimacy, executes a mindlessly impulsive dismissal of the FBI director. He then surrounds it with a bodyguard of lies — aributing the dismissal to a Justice Department recommendation — which his staff goes out and parrots. Only to be undermined and humiliated when the boss contradicts them within 48 hours.

"Result? Layers of falsehoods giving the impression of an elaborate cover‑up — in the absence of a crime. At least Nixon was trying to quash a third‑rate burglary and associated felonies. Here we don’t even have a body, let alone a smoking gun. Trump insists there’s no there there, but acts as if the there is everywhere. •

Second, Trump’s divulging classified information to the Russians. A stupid, needless mistake. But despite the media hysteria, hardly an irreparable national security calamity.

"The Israelis, whose asset might have been jeopardized, are no doubt upset, but the notion that this will cause a great rupture to their (and others’) intelligence relationship with the U.S. is nonsense. These kinds of things happen all the time. When the Obama administration spilled secrets of the anti‑ Iranian Stuxnet virus or blew the cover of a double agent in Yemen, there was none of the garment‑rending that followed Trump’s disclosure. " . . .

Democrats start to worry they are out on a limb with Russia conspiracy theories, and Mueller has a saw

Thomas Lifson  "The appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate the wild charges of Russian interference in the 2016 election has turned the tables on the conspiracy theorists.  Some are even acknowledging the total lack of evidence behind the media-induced frenzy that grips the Beltway and left-wing crazies, but not most normal Americans.  MSNBC discovered the hard way that the mania gripping Rachel Maddow & Co. at its anchor desks was not shared by the people it interviewed on the street in North Carolina when it took "the pulse of the people."

"Perhaps remembering what happened to the GOP in the wake of the failed Clinton impeachment trial, Nancy Pelosi urged her House members to squelch their impulse to impeach.  Even rabid Trump-hater Adam Schiff warned the troops:

"That's not something that we should be rushing into or rushing to suggest," Schiff told CNN's New Day, according to The Hill.

He said the impeachment process would be a "wrenching experience" for the country, and it was important to get answers first.

"Dems, it seems, forgot to be careful what they wish for, because they just might get it.

"That lack of evidence is so worrisome that as Jason Willick pointed out at The American Interest, some of the Trump haters are de-escalating:" . . . More at the link.

"The Democrats and the Mainstream media with their so called “Anonymous Sources”, are a big part of the Washington DC swamp determined to destroy Trump. Cartoon by A.F. Branco ©2017."

Swamp Creature

Victor Davis Hanson: Democrats pushing the 'big lie" to destroy President Trump

Youtube

Harvard study: Extraordinary media bias against Trump

Rick Moran  "A study prepared by the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard reveals a shocking level of media bias against President Trump.  This comes as no surprise to anyone – friend or foe of the president.

"But the extreme percentage of negative coverage of the president is absolutely breathtaking."

Then the author shows the coverage based on individual issues:

Hannity: It's Time to Fight Back Against the Forces Trying to Destroy Trump

Fox News Insider

"In his opening monologue tonight, Sean Hannity called on supporters of President Donald Trump to come together and fight back against those who are trying to destroy the president.

"He said it's time to take on the five powerful forces that have aligned to undermine Trump's presidency: the deep state, the "destroy Trump media," the Democrats, establishment Republicans and "NeverTrumpers."

" 'Sitting back and doing nothing is no longer an option," Hannity said, putting out "a call to arms.' " . . .