Justine Damond: video shows Australian rescuing ducklings near Minneapolis home

UK Guardian    "Exclusive: Weeks before she was shot dead by Minneapolis police the Australian, also known as Justine Ruszczyk, was filmed reuniting a family of stranded ducks."

"When reporters asked friends and family for stories about Justine Damond, many of them asked: “Have you heard about the ducks?”

"Three weeks before she was shot dead by police Damond, a 40-year-old Australian who had changed her surname from Ruszczyk in anticipation of her wedding, climbed into a storm drain and rescued a group of ducklings near her home in Minneapolis by gathering them in the folds of her skirt. The way her friends tell it, this incident was special but not atypical.

Video added;TD

 "By chance, the rescue happened at a corner in the Linden Hills neighbourhood, outside the home of photojournalist Angela Jimenez, who filmed it. After Damond died Jimenez sought and received permission from Damond’s family to release the footage and this has been shared by the Guardian.

"Damond, originally from Sydney, was on her way to teach a meditation class at the Lake Harriet Spiritual Centre when she saw the trapped ducklings. Jimenez remembers that two teenage boys had spotted the ducks first, but that Damond was the first to jump in the sewer, less than two minutes after she arrived.

"On the video she is shown gathering the ducklings and persuading the mother of the ducklings to walk over the road for a family reunion. She can be heard telling neighbours: “She might just need to chill a bit … I’m going to let you guys be the duck rescuers, are you guys OK with them?”

"And then she heads off to work, with the family of ducks reunited.

“ 'That was beautiful,” says a neighbour." . . .

Minneapolis officer who allegedly shot Justine Damond offers condolences

On Obamacare, it is time to play hardball

First this:
American Thinker   "Shockingly, Republican senators, having failed to pass any healthcare reform legislation, appear poised to leave Washington in August for an undeserved vacation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has decided to force them to vote on a repeal plan (thereby exposing their true positions) which cannot eliminate many of the worst provisions of Obamacare.  For example, this does nothing to block-grant Medicaid to control runaway costs, perhaps the best aspect of the failed second Senate attempt. 

"A vote to repeal Obamacare will leave Republicans exposed to well-deserved criticism as funding for the medical system becomes untenable.  If they could not agree on a repeal and replace bill, they will never agree to fully repeal Obamacare, despite years of promises.  Further, it allows Democrats, particularly New York Senator Chuck Schumer a greater hand in crafting a replacement, since there is no consensus among Republicans for replacement.  A stand-alone replacement bill will require 60 senators to pass a filibuster challenge." . . .

IBD: Democrats Will Soon Regret That Republicans Failed To Repeal ObamaCare  "Health Reform: There were lots of celebrations on the left side of the aisle after the Senate GOP bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare died. The good times will be short lived, because one way or another ObamaCare is going away, and it's not at all clear that Democrats will gain additional leverage over what comes next by waiting for its collapse. It was amusing to hear Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer say, after the Senate bill failed, that Republicans should "work with Democrats on a bill that lowers premiums, provides long-term stability to the markets and improves our health care system." 

"Lower premiums, stabilize insurance markets, improve health care? Wasn't that what ObamaCare was supposed to do in the first place? While Schumer and company were busy calling Republicans mass murderers, here's what was actually happening with ObamaCare. 

•  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reports that the number of insurers applying to participate in ObamaCare exchanges next year plunged by 38% compared with last year, and is half what it was in 2016. 
•  CMS also reported that 40 counties in Indiana, Ohio and Nevada are at risk of having zero insurance companies in their ObamaCare exchanges next year. The Kaiser Family Foundation put the number of at-risk counties at 38. 
•  In addition, CMS reported that 2.4 million enrollees in 40% of the nation's counties will have just one insurance company in their area. 
•  The average increase in premiums next year for a Silver plan in eight states will be 18%, according to Avalere. One of the last ObamaCare insurers in Iowa has put in for a 43.5% hike. In Washington state, the average boost is 22%. In Tennessee, the proposed rate hikes range from 21% to 42%. And so on. 
•  As we noted before in this space, these insurance defections and gargantuan rate hikes have nothing to do with the Republican's repeal effort, but with the continued deterioration of the ObamaCare markets. 

"We want God!'

E.W. Jackson   "On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland.  Stalin helped defeat the Nazis, but it was not with the intention of freeing the Polish people.  Under communist rule, 150,000 Poles were massacred and thousands tortured and imprisoned."
. . . 

On June 2, 1979, when the world watched Pope John Paul II speak in Victory Square, Warsaw, Poland, it was a prophetic moment foreshadowing freedom for the Polish people. 

While John Paul II was giving his sermon, the crowd erupted in a chant of "We want God!  We want God!  We want God!"  Millions of Polish citizens were moved not only by his words, but also by the response of the audience.  "We want God" reverberated across Poland and resonated in the hearts of its people.

. . . 

"There are forces at work in America that seek to deny truth and reality in order to usher in their version of a brave new world.  Do we really want God?  Some clearly do not." . . .

TD has added this video:

"Christians who dare voice the belief that marriage is a union between one man and one woman are being fired from their jobs and losing their businesses.  The clear message is, "Espouse Christian values at your peril."

"In this atmosphere, many pastors engage in self-censorship for fear of being booted off television and radio or having liberal media, politicians, and even their own church members attack them.

"It is not merely the government we must guard against.  This descent into the madness of totalitarianism is being led by individuals and institutions of cultural influence.  They are the new "thought police."

"What is needed to combat this threat to liberty is an army of courageous pastors, churches, and Christians reclaiming their role as the nation's moral thermostat, setting cultural standards rather than submitting to them."

Hillary Sided With Russia On Sanctions As Bill Made $500K For Speech In Moscow — Is That News?

Was all this collusion or what?

 Clash Daily  "The Media (D) refuses to look into Hillary’s misdeeds, but as scrutiny over Don Jr.’s nothing meeting with a Russian lawyer keeps up, some weird coincidences are coming to light.

"If you listen to any Democrat in Congress, Russia has always been our enemy. They’ve used Cold War era language and said that Russia has constantly been a dangerous foreign enemy." . . . 

"Here’s Obama lecturing Mitt Romney in the Presidential debate in 2012:"

. . . "Oh, and don’t forget this clip where Barry promises ‘flexibility’ to Russian President Medvedev with regard to missile defense and needed Putin to ‘give him space’ until he won the 2012 election:"

"And then, of course, the infamous misspelled ‘Reset’ Button:"

WaPo scratches its head at poll showing the Don Jr. "smoking gun" hasn't budged opinion about Trump and collusion with Russia.

People haven't moved from where they were back in April. 

Ann Althouse  "It’s hard to delineate all of the things that have changed since [the April] poll: The firing of James Comey, the appointment of the special prosecutor, reports about Trump hoping to intervene for Michael Flynn, the revelation of classified information in a meeting with the Russians — not to mention the Trump Jr. emails. But only a small change in the percentage of people who believe Trump’s campaign colluded with the Russians....

"Would any new evidence convince Trump supporters of collusion? We’re in the weird position, one week after the release of the Trump Jr. email, of already seeing that shockingly unexpected document as part of the background fabric of our political discussion....

"Maybe you shouldn't have cried wolf all those other times. Or was this one another crying of wolf? You squandered your credibility, trying so hard to get Trump. You built up our skepticism and our capacity to flesh out the other side of any argument against Trump."

California economic reality may dim the Kamala Harris star

While tech has boomed, "apologists" have been able to "ignore some 10,000 businesses that have left or expanded outside the state." Kamala Harris may be the latest "bright, shiny" progressive star, but the crushing reality of California's "disappearing" middle class may not be so attractive to Democrats.

Joseph Smith  "While California's Senator Kamala Harris has become the latest flame of big-money Obama-Clinton backers – "the big Democratic star right now, at a time when they badly need a star" – the economic picture in her home state may not be quite so attractive for Democrats in 2020.

"Jennifer Van Laar at townhall.com warns that "the last thing Republicans should do is underestimate" the "Dems['] rising star," but Ms. Van Laar also links to a 2015 San Francisco Magazine piece that casts the political rise of then-Senate candidate Harris in a slightly different light:

But, as is the case with so many bright, shiny things, her luminescence is all that you see: Any troubling material on the periphery is lost in the glare.

"California politics has, let us say, evolved since the last California politician became president, and Ms. Harris may have troubling material arising from her home state economy over the next few years.

"Joel Kotkin at forbes.com makes the case that the "Bay Area tech boom" has masked disturbing trends in the California economy, and that dependency on a volatile "tech economy" could "pose dangers":

People tend to forget the depth of the tech bust at the turn of the century.

"Mr. Kotkin further notes that the "growing hegemony" of a few very large firms" has reduced "opportunities for potential rivals, much as the monopolists of the late 19th century did," leading to a decline in "high-tech startup formation."  The upshot of slowing tech growth, and a possible "major correction," is that economic problems elsewhere in California become more pronounced.

"Progressives love to campaign on inequality, but California may not be the best example for Democrats, according to Forbes: . . .

Are PBS and Ken Burns about to Rewrite History Again?

The Old Jarhead  . . . "Here is a nice piece on the upcoming Ken Burns series on the war. In service to full disclosure, this is from Vietnam Veterans for Factual History, of which I am the secretary, and in fact contributed some parts of this myself. So take you can blame me for anything you don't like.... (But please pass this on far&wide) --Del"

Photo Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration

Are PBS and Ken Burns about to Rewrite History Again? "PBS is planning to run a new documentary series this September on the Vietnam War, produced and written by Ken Burns.  Burns is a left-wing "historian" and documentary film producer with a history of having his politics shape the narrative of the story he is telling, with a number of resulting inaccuracies.

"Ken Burns correctly identifies the Vietnam War as being the point at which our society split into two diametrically opposed camps.  He is also correct in identifying a need for us to discuss this aspect of our history in a civil and reflective manner.  The problem is that the radical political and cultural divisions of that war have created alternate perceptions of reality, if not alternate universes of discourse.  The myths and propaganda of each side make rational discourse based on intellectual honesty and goodwill difficult or impossible.  The smoothly impressive visual story Burns will undoubtedly deliver will likely increase that difficulty.  He has done many popular works in the past, some of which have been seriously criticized for inaccuracies and significant omissions, but we welcome the chance of a balanced treatment of the full history of that conflict.  We can only wait and watch closely when it goes public.

"The term "Vietnam War" itself, although accepted in common parlance, would more accurately be called "The American Phase of the Second Indochina War" (1965 to 1973). " . . .

But Hillary said she is like our Abuela!

Even with the massive efforts of the press to undermine President Trump...

Hillary more UNPOPULAR than Trump  "Latest poll shows that for Hillary, absence does not make the heart grow fonder"

. . . "A survey shows that she is still unpopular, her second lowest rating in 8 years. And lower than Trump.

"The Washington Examiner reports:

More people have a favorable view of President Trump than his 2016 Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, according to a Bloomberg poll released Tuesday.

The July 8-12 survey found Trump topped Clinton by two points, 41 percent to 39 percent. Clinton also posted a higher unfavorable score of 58 percent compared to the president’s 55 percent. Trump beat her out in the poll even though Trump’s approval rating has been extremely low for a new president.

Clinton’s results are her second-lowest rating in the eight-year survey’s history — her lowest score of 38 percent was in September 2015.

Bloomberg concluded the former secretary of state is losing support from some backers, one-fifth of whom have an unfavorable view of her.

“There’s growing discontent with Hillary Clinton even as she has largely stayed out of the spotlight,” said J. Ann Selzer, the pollster who oversaw the survey. “It’s not a pox on the Democratic house because numbers for other Democrats are good.”

Even this sickening tripe didn't help her.

Fox News Takes a Sharp Left Turn

"As a longtime fan of the Fox News channel, Sundays – and the Fox News channel itself – just aren’t the same anymore."

Peter Barry Chowka

Ezekiel Emanuel, M.D. in his office at the University of Pennsylvania

"If any doubts remained that the Fox News channel is continuing to swerve hard left away from its conservative roots, they were erased on July 16, 2017 when *Ezekiel (Zeke) Emanuel, M.D. appeared on the channel’s signature weekly program Fox News Sunday in his new role as a paid contributor. Dr. Emanuel was a principal architect of Obamacare and he is now speaking out widely in favor of its retention as the law of the land. He’s a very influential medical policy maker and also happens to be a life long, in-your-face spin doctor for the Democrat socialist left. During the Fox News program, the ever arrogant Emanuel jumped on the Resist Trump bandwagon and suggested that President Trump is worthy of being impeached. Hired last February by Fox News primarily as a health policy analyst (he is a prominent physician and professor, after all), Emanuel is now providing opinions not only on medical subjects but on political ones, as well.

"The turning point in his role – and an indication of where Fox News is heading – was his appearance on the high-profile, politically-charged Fox News Sunday. In addition to the nation’s cable and satellite channels, Fox News Sunday is also broadcast on over 200 Fox network-owned or -affiliate terrestrial broadcast television stations around the country.

"An excerpt from the July 16th program’s transcript provided by Fox News is illustrative:" . . .
. . . 
Now on to other Fox programming: "Enter Jessica Tarlov and Exit the Political Insiders"
"An additional rusty nail in the Fox News channel coffin, perhaps not quite as notable or obnoxious as Ezekiel’s ascent to on-camera prominence, is the ever expanding role of another left wing Fox News contributor, Jessica “Jessie” Tarlov," . . .

*Also called "Easy-kill" for his abortion stance.
. . . 

Mike Lee, GOP call on Ben Carson to undo Obama housing discrimination rule

Joseph Lawler  "A group of congressional Republicans is calling on Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson to undo the housing discrimination rule advanced under former President Barack Obama, saying the regulation will punish communities that are not as diverse as the Obama administration would have wished.

"Utah Sen. Mike Lee joined with 12 other senators and seven representatives late Friday to ask Carson to rescind the rule, known as "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing."

" 'We stand with you in opposing any and all instances of discrimination, but this rule does not actually help in that effort," the senators wrote, warning that the rule would increase federal involvement in local zoning decisions.

ABC News: Christians Who Believe In The First Amendment Are A ‘Hate Group"

Mollie Hemingway at The Federalist   "ABC News’ Pete Madden and Erin Galloway smeared Christians who believe the Bill of Rights secures religious liberty as a “hate group,” in an article this week headlined, “Jeff Sessions addresses ‘anti-LGBT hate group,’ but DOJ won’t release his remarks.” The lede of the story made it clear this was not just the work of a rogue headline writer but the failure of the reporters themselves:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivered a speech to an alleged hate group at an event closed to reporters on Tuesday night, but the Department of Justice is refusing to reveal what he said.

"First, a note that you can — and should — read the prepared remarks of the Attorney General here at The Federalist.

"Who is this “hate group”? Alliance Defending Freedom is not a hate group at all, but a civil liberties organization that battles for religious liberty. And they’re not a fringe group either. They just weeks ago won their most recent Supreme Court victory — Trinity Lutheran v. Comer — 7-2. It was their fifth Supreme Court victory in seven years, during which time they’ve had no losses at the high court.

"And the group is ranked among the top law firms in the country for its successes at the Supreme Court.

"Most recently the non-profit law firm found out that the Supreme Court agreed to hear another one of their cases dealing with artistic freedom and religious liberty.

"To characterize such an accomplished civil rights group as a ‘hate group’ is unacceptable and inexcusable. It boggles the mind why ABC News, in the midst of cratering credibility, would disparage Christian efforts in favor of religious liberty in such a mendacious way." . . .

Argus Hamilton perpetuates an urban legend

Comedian Argus Hamilton makes an egregious error but recovers nicely:

"Sarah Palin sued the New York Times for defamation for connecting her to the shooting of Gabby Giffords. She’s finally enjoying the last laugh. Sarah Palin became every Democrat’s punch line after she said she can see Russia from her house, now Democrats are seeing Russia from everywhere."

But listen to her reply to Charles Gibson ... closely. What does she say?

Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin did not say 'I can see Russia from my house.' That line originated with an SNL spoof. "Two days later, on the 2008 season premiere of Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler appeared in a sketch portraying Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton, during which Fey spoofed Governor Palin’s remark of a few days earlier with the following exchange:

FEY AS PALIN: “You know, Hillary and I don’t agree on everything …”POEHLER AS CLINTON: (OVERLAPPING) “Anything. I believe that diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy.”FEY AS PALIN: “And I can see Russia from my house.”

. . .  "In the middle of the Bering Strait are two small, sparsely populated islands: Big Diomede, which sits in Russian territory, and Little Diomede, which is part of the United States. At their closest, these two islands are a little less than two and a half miles apart, which means that, on a clear day, you can definitely see one from the other."