. . . "While visiting the kingdom, Trump helped inaugurate the Saudi government's new Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology.
"Al-Qaeda called the gathering in Riyadh the "summit of shame*."
" 'So what did the Muslims and their scholars prepare for the hard days ahead, to face this blatant apostasy, clear betrayal, and unprecedented thievery?" the terror group added. "So here are the Crusaders and the apostates, and they have stolen your money, fought your religion, shed your blood, and transgressed against your honor. When will you return to your religion and do jihad in the cause of Allah?"
"Past issues of the Al-Nafir Bulletin have included mocking Arab rulers for being at the mercy of "the kicks of the high heels" of Ambassador Nikki Haley and telling jihadists to go forth and just kill Americans without any Islamic consultations first."
* Their feelings should line up pretty well with Democrats and Hollywood.
Why Impeaching Trump Is a Bad Idea. . . "This scenario is no doubt frightening. But more frightening still is what could happen if Trump is impeached. "To be sure, a President Mike Pence would restore some semblance of normalcy to American politics. There would be no self-inflicted intelligence leaks, no 3 a.m. Twitter storms. He’d protect classified materials, uphold the Constitution, and staff his administration with responsible career Republicans. Just as important — especially for America’s allies — Pence would close down the circus show that currently occupies the Oval Office, allaying the perception that American politics have gone off the rails. "Impeaching Trump, then, would constitute a re-normalization of public affairs. And that is precisely the problem. Mike Pence is a Republican’s Republican. " . . . Read more
He mentioned that on Obama's Cairo apology tour speech he condemned extremism. Think of the courage it took to do that.
Daily Wire. . . "The Obama propagandist may have been listening to a different speech than the rest of us. Aside from the obvious absurdity of Axelrod’s hilariously Homeric prose, the claim that Obama “courageously” stood up to “extremism” and for “human rights” is patently false. "The first time Obama mentioned the word “human rights” in his controversial Cairo speech was in the context of America’s ill-placed “Islamophobia.” “ 'Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of Muslims. The attacks of September 11th, 2001 and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians has led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights,” read the Chamberlainian speech. “This has bred more fear and mistrust.’ "The second time the phrase appeared occurs when Obama apologized for the Iraq War and its “promotion of democracy.” “ 'So let me be clear: no system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other,” read the speech. "After some wishful thinking about his so-called “commitment” to the abstract idea of “governments that reflect the will of the people,” Obama finally stated that under his administration the U.S. “will support them everywhere.' ” . . . Really? Remember the Iranian Green Revolution that died for want of support from Obama? " 'Obama, Obama -- either with us, or with them!" chanted opposition members as they returned to the streets to protest. (Watch video)" We all know the rest of that story.
Egypt’s Mubarak was America’s staunchest ally in the Middle East other than Israel. Iran was (and is) our biggest enemy. Yet, Obama supported the overthrow of Mubarak but not the mullahs.It has been clear to me for years that Obama failed to back the green revolution because he wanted to negotiate with the Iranian regime.
The Manchester Arena was hit by at least one explosion during a concert by Ariana Grande
Police confirm 22 Dead, around 59 injured
Police state it is 'possible terrorist incident'
UK officials suspect it was caused by suicide bomber.
Senior counter-terrorism officials meeting in London
Police warn people to stay away from area
Emergency services rush to scene
Ariana Grande 'Okay' following the incident
"Here is the summary: A man armed with an “improvised” bomb has killed at least 22 people and injured 59 outside a concert arena filled with teenagers in central Manchester on Monday night, in the worst terrorism incident in the UK since 2005. Police said the bomber, who died in the explosion, detonated the device shortly after the end of a concert by US pop star Ariana Grande at about 10.30pm. The incident adds the northern English city to the growing list of recent western targets that includes London, Paris, Stockholm and Berlin.
"Quoted by the FT, Ian Hopkins, chief constable of Greater Manchester police, said they were still attempting to determine whether the attacker “was acting alone or was part of a network”." . . .
"Unfortunately, some of the graduates of Notre Dame, who didn’t want Vice President Mike Pence to speak, walked out as you’ve heard. Mainstream media talking heads are gloating over it, but they aren’t telling you the whole truth.
"You’ve been told by the media that 200 students and families walked out and the audience loudly booed Mike Pence.
"About 50 to maybe 75 students walked out, though CNN said it was 200. If families left as CNN reported, it wasn’t obvious. The booing wasn’t for Pence, it was for the rude students who walked out with the encouragement of the idiot adults teaching their classes and possibly the adults at home.
"That was one expensive education wasted. They protested free speech. The Vice President’s speech was about the importance of free speech.
"When VP Pence concluded his speech, most of the graduates stood and applauded. No doubt many were not supporters but they were either pleased with his speech or they wanted to counter their rude classmates." . . .
"The head of the California Democratic Party African American Caucus said Monday he was working with state party officials to determine who was responsible for cutting off the sound to U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters' microphone as she spoke to the group at the party's convention on Saturday.
" 'This is a very unusual situation, and we are collectively trying to figure out a path forward to address what happened and make sure these things do not happen in the future," Caucus Chairman Darren Parker said.
"Waters, a Los Angeles Democrat whose acerbic comments on President Trump have brought her national attention in her 14th term, was in the middle of a rousing speech against Trump on Saturday night when she was approached by a man who appeared to work for the convention center.
" 'Hey, leave her alone," audience members shouted as he interrupted to speak to her privately, prompting Parker to show the man away.
" 'That's all right, that's OK — they try to shut me up all the time," Waters quipped to loud cheers as she continued to speak. " . . .
Todd Starnes"A school worker in Augusta, Maine was ordered to stop using religious phrases like “I will pray for you” and “You were in my prayers” because such language is not allowed inside a public school building – even in private conversations with coworkers.
"The Augusta School Department launched an investigation of Toni Richardson after they alleged she “imposed some strong religious/spiritual belief system” towards a coworker.
"Now, imposing your religion on someone is a serious allegation. Was Ms. Richardson forcing her coworker to convert to Christianity? Did she attempt to baptize him against his will?
"It turned out to be nothing of the sort.
"According to an official memorandum from the school district, Ms. Richardson had told a colleague that she was going to pray for him. It just so happens that Ms. Richardson and the colleague attended the same church.
Back in 2016, the colleague had been having a difficult time adjusting to his new job and Ms. Richardson did what most Christians would do – she told him that she would be praying for him.
"Months later, the colleague and Ms. Richardson had a falling out – leading to the complaint about the prayers.
"The district sent Ms. Richardson a “coaching memorandum” – warning her that such language is not acceptable – “even if that other person attends the same church as you.”
"She was not even allowed to use the word “blessing.”
“In the context of the ‘separation of church and state,’ this case prohibits public school-sponsored religious expression,” the memo read. “Therefore, in the future, it is imperative that you do not use phrases that integrate public and private belief systems when in the public schools.”
"She was also specifically ordered not to make any “reference to your spiritual or religious beliefs.”
"The district warned her that any additional infractions could lead to disciplinary action or dismissal.
“ 'I was shocked that my employer punished me for privately telling a coworker, ‘I will pray for you,’” Ms. Richardson said. “I’m afraid I will lose my job if someone hears me privately discussing my faith with a coworker.”
"It's hard to figure out what's more appalling about this episode: the ease with which powerful faculty members can strip their colleagues of their ability to do their jobs just because those colleagues exercise free speech and don't sign on to their ideological priorities—or the increasing power of bloated university bureaucracies, especially "diversity" bureaucracies over every facet of existence at a university that is supposed to be devoted to the life of the mind."
Paul Griffiths was an esteemed professor at Duke before facing disciplinary action.
You're in your early 60s, and you hold an endowed-chair professorship at Duke University's prestigious divinity school, where your specialty is Catholic theology, and where the subjects of the courses you teach include a range of religious and secular philosophers from Augustine of Hippo to Wittgenstein. You've also written 10 scholarly books as sole author and seven more as co-author or editor. Your endowed chair is the capstone of a distinguished academic career that includes teaching stints at the University of Notre Dame, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. "And then you get a mass email—in early February of this year—from one of your younger professor-colleagues.It says:
On behalf of the Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Standing Committee, I strongly urge you to participate in the Racial Equity Institute Phase I Training planned for March 4 and 5. We have secured funding from the Provost to provide this training free to our community and we hope that this will be a first step in a longer process of working to ensure that DDS is an institution that is both equitable and anti-racist in its practices and culture. … We recognize that it is a significant commitment of time; we also believe it will have great dividends for our community. … Duke Divinity School will host a Racial Equity Institute Phase I Training on March 4 and 5, 2017, 8:30—5 pm both days. Participants should plan to attend both full days of training.
On behalf of the Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Standing Committee, I strongly urge you to participate in the Racial Equity Institute Phase I Training planned for March 4 and 5. We have secured funding from the Provost to provide this training free to our community and we hope that this will be a first step in a longer process of working to ensure that DDS is an institution that is both equitable and anti-racist in its practices and culture. … We recognize that it is a significant commitment of time; we also believe it will have great dividends for our community. … Duke Divinity School will host a Racial Equity Institute Phase I Training on March 4 and 5, 2017, 8:30—5 pm both days. Participants should plan to attend both full days of training.
"Uh-oh, a "training" session. Anyone who's ever worked for an entity with a human resources department knows what that's going to be like: two very, very long days of "workshops" in which overpaid "training" hucksters—sorry, I meant consultants—haul out the PowerPoint slides and waste your time with yada-yada about multiculturalism, structural racism, microagressions, and whatever else is in the social-justice-warrior weapons cache these days. The email continued:" . . .
"The Obamas telegraphed their Kardashian tendencies over the years by inviting criminal rappers, who had to wear ankle monitors so law enforcement could keep track of them, to perform at the White House. They embraced the Black Lives Matter thugs while, for eight years, they dissed the police. We will thankfully not see any of that in the Trump administration. The Kardashian administration is over, and the Obamas are free to fulfill their full Kardashian dreams of all that the Kardashians represent."
Patricia McCarthy"One need not to have watched the long-running reality television show Keeping Up with the Kardashians to know what it sells, what it represents, or what it says about American culture. Since its debut in 2007, the show is a sort of flashing neon light warning about the failure of our educational system and our intellectual and critical decline. In short, the Kardashian family is an exercise in greed, materialism, shallowness, amorality, superficiality, and the self-absorption that characterizes much of the millennial generation. The family, in all its soap-operatic nonsense, is a sad commentary on the entertainment industry and its willingness to capitulate to the lowest common denominator of our selfie-obsessed society. The characters are, as the saying goes, only "famous for being famous."
"Over the eight years that the Obamas were in the White House, they spent one hundred million taxpayer dollars taking luxury vacations all over the world. Often Mrs. Obama traveled with her mother, her daughters, and a bevy of pals to the finest, most expensive destinations in the world on our dime. The presidential family was never one for a small footprint. No. They lived like royalty while lecturing the rest of us on how we should live, how our hard-earned money should be redistributed to those who earned nothing." . . . Case in point: Obama to Honor Controversial Rapper Known for Cop-Killing, Misogynistic Lyrics"Are you kidding me? What is this “artist” doing performing at the White House? Is there no shame, is there no decency left in America? Where is the liberal outage at someone who advocates killing cops performing at the White House? Under Obama, America has not just gone Socialist, we’ve gone ghetto.
“ 'First Lady Michelle Obama has scheduled a poetry evening for Wednesday, and she’s invited several poets, including a successful Chicago poet and rapper, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., AKA “Common.” However, Lynn is quite controversial, in part because his poetry includes threats to shoot police and at least one passage calling for the “burn[ing]” of then-President George W. Bush." . . .
Mike Adams. . . "Under the current system, the only speakers members of Students for Life at CSUSM hear are those they are required to subsidize, which are hired by administrators in the Gender Equity Center and the LGBTQA Pride Center. It should go without saying that members of the group disagree with the speaker viewpoints, which include advocating for abortion and sexually promiscuous behavior. Yet they are banned from bringing in their own speakers to present a contrary view.
"I first learned about all of this last semester when Students for Life at CSUSM applied for funding and invited me to speak on their campus about the issue of abortion. Unsurprisingly, ASI denied the funding request.
" That is when I put the students in touch with my old friends (and my former lawyers) at ADF.
"As of this writing, ASI continues to provide funding through mandatory fees to the Gender Equity Center and the LGBTQA Pride Center, allowing them to pay to bring numerous speakers to campus, giving voice to their own views on a variety of topics that conflict with those of Students for Life, including abortion and human sexuality.
"However, their chokehold on the marketplace of ideas will soon be broken and students at CSUSM will be granted the right to bring in their own speakers with opposing viewpoints. In other words, CSUSM has absolutely no chance of winning this lawsuit. " . . .
Paul Bedard"The former chairwoman of the Federal Election Commission, who famously eyed regulating the politics of conservative outlets like the Drudge Report, has joined an advocacy group funded by George Sorosand run by his son.
"Ann Ravel is the first fellow listed with the California advocacy group New America.
" 'We want to help amplify the work of each of our fellows, both to help them better articulate and reach their target audience, and to raise their profiles as change-makers," according to the group.
"Since leaving the FEC, Ravel has continued to speak out for more election regulation, especially on the internet where she sees political advertising shifting to in the next presidential contest." . . .More.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com
