California invested heavily in solar power. Now there's so much that other states are sometimes paid to take it

LA Times

"On 14 days during March, Arizona utilities got a gift from California: free solar power. 

"Well, actually better than free. California produced so much solar power on those days that it paid Arizona to take excess electricity its residents weren’t using to avoid overloading its own power lines.

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"It happened on eight days in January and nine in February as well. All told, those transactions helped save Arizona electricity customers millions of dollars this year, though grid operators declined to say exactly how much.And California also has paid other states to take power.

"The number of days that California dumped its unused solar electricity would have been even higher if the state hadn’t ordered some solar plants to reduce production — even as natural gas power plants, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, continued generating electricity.

"Solar and wind power production was curtailed a relatively small amount — about 3% in the first quarter of 2017 — but that’s more than double the same period last year. And the surge in solar power could push the number even higher in the future.

"Why doesn’t California, a champion of renewable energy, use all the solar power it can generate?" . . .

Johnny Depp Jokes About A Trump Assassination: 'Maybe It's Time'

INQUISITR  . . . "Perhaps what’s even in more bad taste, the hipsters in the audience cheered what the Pirates of the Caribbean star had to say, according to British media reports. . . . "When someone in the audience apparently asked him about Trump, Johnny Depp reportedly had this to say, according to the Guardian and the Telegraph.“ 'I think he needs help and there are a lot of wonderful dark, dark places he could go. It is just a question — I’m not insinuating anything. By the way, this is going to be in the press. It will be horrible. I like that you are all a part of it. When was the last time an actor assassinated a president? I want to qualify, I am not an actor. I lie for a living. However, it has been a while, and maybe it is time.' ”

Rick Moran comments on this in American Thinker:   . . . "Depp, like other celebrities seeking attention, knows the quickest way to gain tons of media exposure is to advocate the assassination of the president of the United States. His "qualifiers" notwithstanding, Depp knew that the assembled press would eat up his John Wilkes Booth reference and blast it all over the world.

"It's pathetic. Johnny Depp's descent will not be stopped by his gaining cheap headlines or calculated PR moves. They used to say that there's no such thing as bad publicity as long as they spell your name correctly. Only in the Hollywood cocoon is that still true."

Why don't we tire of Hollywood?  . . . "Pop pioneer Madonna, for example, celebrated the so-called “Women’s March” following Trump’s inauguration by telling crowds she “thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House.”

Comedian Kathy Griffin found herself in serious career trouble, losing tour dates and endorsement deals after she staged a bloody mock decapitation of the President last month."

The great Muslim civil war — and us

Russia has, for the first time in decades, an open door to the Middle East, all enabled and virtually welcomed by the feckless, docile Obama-Kerry-Clinton triad.  TD

Charles Krauthammer

An Iraqi Popular Mobilization Front fighter on the Iraq-Syria border

"The U.S. shoots down a Syrian fighter-bomber. Iran launches missiles into eastern Syria. Russia threatens to attack coalition aircraft west of the Euphrates. What is going on?

"It might appear a mindless mess, but the outlines are clear. The great Muslim civil war, centered in Syria, is approaching its post-Islamic State phase. It’s the end of the beginning. The parties are maneuvering to shape what comes next.

"It’s Europe, 1945, when the war was still raging against Nazi Germany, but everyone already knew the outcome. The maneuvering was largely between the approaching victors — the Soviet Union and the Western democracies — to determine postwar boundaries and spheres of influence. 

. . . 

"Much of the fighting today is about who inherits. Take the Syrian jet the United States shot down. It had been attacking a pro-Western Kurdish and Arab force (the Syrian Democratic Forces) not far from Islamic State territory.

"Why? Because the Bashar al-Assad regime, backed by Iran, Hezbollah and Russia, having gained the upper hand on the non-jihadist rebels in the Syrian heartland (most notably in Aleppo), feels secure enough to set its sights on eastern Syria. If it hopes to restore its authority over the whole country, it will need to control Raqqa and surrounding Islamic State areas. But the forces near Raqqa are pro-Western and anti-regime. Hence the Syrian fighter-bomber attack."

Why Democrats keep losing

comicallyincorrect

American Thinker  "They have gone 0-4 in the last special elections, and they keep blaming the wrong people and coming up with the wrong reasons for their losses.

"Here are ten reasons why they keep losing.

1. They have broken the federal budget.

We're still $19.8 trillion in debt, and this makes people nervous.  We have to be patient for the GOP to fix the problem.  The Dems don't even seem to believe that there is a problem.

2. They keep promoting the multiplier effect.

That is, if the government gets bigger and bigger and keeps spending money, then the economy will prosper, because for every one dollar the government spends, the expenditure puts at least $1.50 to $2.50 back into the economy.  They say this to promote big government.  Of course, this is nonsense, no matter how many line graphs they produce to prove their theory.  If there really is a multiplier effect, let it happen in the private sector.

3. Obamacare is still a disaster.

Dems and their fact-checkers keep telling us it is not in free fall, but more and more insurance companies are leaving the exchanges.

. . . 

. . . "All in all, the Dems are pushing too hard.  It's so odd that otherwise intelligent people can advocate such silliness that destroys themselves and stalls and hinders our country.

"It's clear enough that if Trump can do two things, he'll win re-election: simplify the tax code, and roll back the gigantic regulation bureaucracy.  Dems either adjust their views, which doesn't seem "imminent," or they'll keep losing the country.  And I say the country will be better off with more of their losses."

When A Free Press Opposes Free Speech

Mike Adams

"If you are a conservative or an honest liberal you know there is a free speech problem on college campuses. Obviously, there are no conservatives or honest liberals working on the editorial board of The Charlotte Observer."

"The Charlotte Observer recently ran an editorial, which seeks to intentionally misinform the public about HB527 – a bill to restore free speech on campuses in the UNC system. Let me be as clear as I possibly can: The editors who wrote this piece are not confused about what HB527 says. They are intentionally misrepresenting what it says because they oppose free speech. That’s a bold statement, which I intend to back by reprinting the worst parts of their editorial followed by my own observations: "…

"(T)he move by North Carolina and a handful of other states to enact laws that enhance punishment for students who disrupt speeches is a solution that would be worse than the problem. Despite what happened to (Ann) Coulter and the likes of Tom Tancredo over his immigration views, UNC Wilmington Professor Mike Adams and his conservatism, and Spike Lee, who faced death and bomb threats when he spoke in North Carolina years ago, free speech is well­protected on college campuses. The proposed law, which passed the House in Raleigh late last week, may end up undercutting some forms of free expression to purportedly enhance the protection of other forms." 

"The editors have managed to put three unsupported assertions into the same paragraph. They twice assert that HB527 may hurt free speech but they don’t tell us how. As bad as that is, it pales by comparison to the utterly absurd assertion that “free speech is well­ protected on college campuses.' ”  . . .

Sorry ladies; To Kamala Harris and other Democrats you're not their kind of Muslims

Ayaan Hirsi Ali . . . actively opposes honor violence, child marriage and female genital mutilation. She has founded an organisation for the defense of women's rights . . . A former practicing Muslim, Hirsi Ali is an atheist. She has received numerous death threats because of her criticism of Islam. Pittsburgh imam Fouad El Bayly was reported as saying that the activist deserved the death sentence but should be tried and judged in an Islamic country.

Asra Q. Nomani is a Muslim, an immigrant, a woman and a Trump supporter. Here's why this long-time liberal voted for Donald Trump..  Also read where a Georgetown professor told her to go to hell.

Kamala Harris, Speak Up, Don't Be Silent on Women's Rights

Unfortunately it has to be read at the link, TD

Also here: Kamala Harris Was Silenced. Then She Silenced Us.

"Last week, Senator Kamala Harris, a Democrat from California, made headlines when Republican senators interrupted her at a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee while she interrogated Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The clip of the exchange went viral; journalists, politicians and everyday Americans debated what the shushing signified about our still sexist culture.The very next day, Senator Harris took her seat in front of us as a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. We were there to testify about the ideology of political Islam, or Islamism." Via Lucianne 

Sorry Ladies, You’re the Wrong Kind of Muslims  . . . "The other witness was Asra Nomani, a writer and activist for equal rights for women in Islam. She has taught journalism at Georgetown University. She was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. In 2002, she was on assignment in Karachi, Pakistan. A fellow WSJ reporter, Daniel Pearl, and his wife were staying with Nomani. In January of that year, Pearl was kidnapped by Muslim terrorists. Nine days later Pearl’s captors released a video in which Pearl addressed the world: “My name is Daniel Pearl. I’m a Jewish American from Encino, California, USA.” Then, on camera, the terrorists slit Pearl’s throat and cut off his head.

"Like Hirsi Ali, Nomani is a heretic. In a Washington Post guest column she wrote, “I am a Muslim, a woman, and an immigrant. I voted for Trump.” This admission set off Professor Christine Fair, one of Nomani’s colleagues from her days at Georgetown. Taking to social media (where else?), Fair advised Nomani, “I have written you off as a human being.” Fair went on to denounce Nomani for “pimping yourself out” for media attention, and characterized her as a one-woman “fame mongering clown show.” Then, predictably, Fair added “F*** off” and “GO TO HELL.” Nomani filed a complaint with Georgetown’s Institutional Diversity, Equity and Affirmative Action organization. I’m sure the organization’s administrators will censure Fair most severely. 

. . . "During the question and answer period, none of the Democrats on the committee addressed a single question to Hirsi Ali or Nomani, not even the four women senators, McCaskill, Senator Kamala Harris of California, Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, and Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, who you think would be eager to give the floor to two women of color who were advocates for women’s rights." . . .

Why Did Claire McCaskill Ignore Two Women Testifying About Islam?

"There are four females senators on the committee: Sen. McCaskill (D-MO), Sen. Heitkamp (D-ND), Sen. Hassan (D-NH), and Sen. Harris (D-CA) (the same Senator fundraising off claims she was ‘silenced’ for rudely interrupting witnesses during a Senate Intel Committee hearing).

"The only senators attending were ranking members, Sen. Johnson (R-WI) and Sen. McCaskill (D-MO).

"After opening statements were given, Hirsi Ali and Nomani were almost completely ignored for the duration of the hearing.

. . . "Nomani didn’t mince words, speaking specifically to radical Islamic groups promoting sharia within the United States, citing Northern California, Michigan, and Northern Virginia. Rather than address these realities, her testimony and insight were ignored in favor of two think tankers.

"But please, lecture me about how the patriarchy oppresses women in this country."

Spot the difference: CNN vs. Breitbart edition

First this: Most Americans (On All Sides) Now Agree Bias Infects The Media  

 . . . But it is disturbing for the healthy, long-term functioning of a democracy that’s supposed to rely on consensus decisions made by an informed electorate.

Jack Hellner  "Two articles, one in CNN and one in Breitbart.  Can anyone spot the difference?

"From CNN:

A police officer was stabbed in the back and neck Wednesday at an airport in Flint, Michigan, and the suspect is in custody and being questioned, according to authorities.

The FBI said it believed the attack was an "isolated incident" and is investigating whether it was an act of terrorism.

"We are aware of reports that the attacker made statements immediately prior to or while attacking the officer, but it is too early to determine the nature of these alleged statements or whether or not this was an act of terrorism," the FBI said.

"From Breitbart: 

Officer stabbed in Michigan by man yelling "Allahu Akbar"

"Why would CNN leave out what the stabber actually said in the article plus the person's race?  CBS radio also is not saying what the person said or his name and saying it is impossible to tell if it is terrorism.

"Somehow, the other day, when a white person drove a truck into Muslims in London, the media were immediately able to declare it terrorism and say the driver's race.  Isn't that amazing?" . . .

The Forgotten War that Changed American History

Recall the words in the Marine Hymn, . . . "to the shores of Tripoli"?

"Thus, Kilmeade and Yaeger conclude in their dramatic retelling of this mostly forgotten war that the Americans under James Madison finally put a stop to the centuries-old practice of Barbary kidnapping, theft, terror, and slavery.  From this early international victory in the Barbary Wars, the U.S. embarked on its journey to become one of the world's greatest military and economic superpowers."

American Thinker  "In the late 1700s, the newly independent republic of the United States was continually beset by piracy at sea from four Muslim Barbary Coast states: Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, and Morocco.  The U.S., with limited military resources and staggering debts from the War for Independence, sought to establish secure routes for international commerce to spur rapid economic growth needed to build the emerging country.  Yet the U.S. faced constant Ottoman attacks on its merchant ships.  American and European ships venturing into the region routinely faced capture of crewmembers, who risked being held as slaves until hefty ransoms were paid.  The persistent Barbary pirate raids created a major crisis for a new nation that could not afford to either suffer from economic isolation or pay the exorbitant tributes demanded by the pirates.

"In Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates (Sentinel, 2015), coauthors Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger explore "the forgotten war that changed American history."  In an action-packed thriller that aptly captures the time, place, politics, and circumstances, the authors chronicle the crisis leading up to the Barbary Wars and their triumphant aftermath." . . .

Georgia - no Russians, no misogyny. Rain! That's it!

But Hillary...what about the misogyny factor that was totally the reason you lost?

Did the Russians hack the Georgia election?  "Did the Russians hack the Georgia election? Leftists are all over media creating straw men to disguise the simple truth that voters have rejected their treasonous Trump resistance movement. Jon Ossoff losing in Georgia is the fifth election Democrats have lost since Trump's crushing defeat of Hillary. Losing the Georgia race has to be particularly painful because once again, leftists lied to themselves and their base that Ossoff would surely win, just like they did with Hillary." . . .

Ann Coulter: The Left Has One More Argument: Kill Them!

Here’s a Sample of All the Violent Liberal Rhetoric and Threats to Pres Trump  The left has taken American society to the bottom of the pit. 

Ann Coulter   "After a Bernie Sanders supporter tried to commit mass murder last week -- the second homicidal Bernie supporter so far this year -- the media blamed President Trump for lowering the bar on heated political rhetoric by calling his campaign opponents cruel names like "Crooked Hillary" and "Lyin' Ted." 

"As soon as any conservative responds to Trump's belittling names for his rivals by erupting in a murderous rage, that will be a fantastically good point. But until then, it's idiotic. Unlike liberals, conservatives aren't easily incited to violence by words. 

"What we're seeing is the following: Prominent liberals repeatedly tell us, with deadly seriousness, that Trump and his supporters are: "Hitler," "fascists," "bigots," "haters," "racists," "terrorists," "criminals" and "white supremacists," which is then followed by liberals physically attacking conservatives. 

"To talk about "both sides" being guilty of provocative rhetoric is like talking about "both genders" being guilty of rape. 

"Nearly every op-ed writer at The New York Times has compared Trump to Hitler. (The conservative on the op-ed page merely called him a "proto-fascist.") If Trump is Hitler and his supporters Nazis, then the rational course of action for any civilized person is to kill them. 

"That's not just a theory, it's the result. 

"A few months ago, 38-year-old Justin Barkley shot and killed a UPS driver in a Walmart parking lot in Ithaca, New York, then ran over his body, because he thought he was killing Donald Trump. During his arraignment, Barkley told the judge: "I shot and killed Donald Trump purposely, intentionally and very proudly." 

"In the past year, there have been at least a hundred physical attacks on Trump supporters or presumed Trump supporters. The mainstream media have ignored them all. (You can click the Anti-Trump Hate Map to see some of them here) . . .

Democrat Alan Grayson Claims "Republicans Want You To Die" This guy sounds like he would like to see Republicans shot en masse

The mind game the blue staters play on normal Americans

Americans used to deride European snobbery. Now that we have our own snob class, though, too many Americans write themselves off for failing to fit into that template. This self-derision is exceptionally silly considering that the most prestigious colleges graduate students who lack critical thinking skills. Meanwhile, America’s non-college class is inevitably learning the critical thinking skills that come with living in the real world.

Bookworm Room

"America’s Leftist-educated blue coast elites give normal Americans an undeserved inferiority complex."

. . . "My trip took me to a very different world, one in which GEDs are common and college degrees rare. These are not bookish people. Most of the people I left are what my mother, with beautiful European condescension, would have called “simple” people. I have a strong suspicion that, given the radical political climate in which we live, the blue staters would have bypassed that old-fashioned tact and just called them stupid.

"The reality, though, is that these people are neither stupid nor simple. While they are not educated, they are, in their own way, both thoughtful and accomplished. That they lack Shakespeare or queer studies degrees means only that they wouldn’t be comfortable in the faculty lunch room. On second though, I have a feeling that the Shakespeare scholar wouldn’t be comfortable there either, unless he or she was viewing Shakespeare solely through an LGBTQ etc. lens." . . .

It’s a crying shame that our elite, rather than lauding the common man, insists that they’re stupid, second-class citizens in their own country just because they lack that Progressive-approved piece of paper.

Obama’s newest cagey OBSTRUCTION on Susan Rice documents

Bloviating Zeppelin

"My, Barack Hussein Obama is being quite clever again, by moving documents relating to Susan Rice and her unmasking of Republicans to his library so that they may now be sealed and inaccessible.

"From Breitbart.com:

Judicial Watch: Susan Rice ‘Unmasking’ Documents Moved from NSC to Obama Library

by Kristina Wong

The National Security Council cannot hand over records relating to former National Security Adviser Susan Rice’s surveillance of Americans, because they have been moved to the Obama presidential library and may be sealed for as many as five years, conservative watchdog Judicial Watch announced Monday.

"Of course, the first thing one thinks is: surely nothing but innocent coincidence, yes?

The NSC informed Judicial Watch in a letter dated May 23 that materials related to Rice’s requests to know the identities of Americans swept up in surveillance of foreign targets, including any Trump campaign or transition officials, have been moved to the library.     Read more.