What if the Russians hack the eclipse? Dave Barry answers your celestial questions

"Scientists tell us that during the eclipse UPS trucks will appear to be green, microwave ovens will actually make food colder, and any Starbucks beverage with a name ending in “ino” will spontaneously explode. Also all of the television sets on Earth, even those that are turned off, will simultaneously show the same “My Pillow” commercial."

Dave Barry

"On Aug. 21, the United States, having won a bidding war against Qatar for the rights, will host a total solar eclipse. To help you get maximum enjoyment from this rare celestial event with minimal injury or death, here’s an eclipse Q&A:

"Q. What causes a total eclipse to happen?

"A. The best way to understand it is to imagine that the Earth is a cantaloupe, and the moon is a grape. The grape travels in a circular path (technically called a “trajectory”) around the cantaloupe, while at the same time the cantaloupe travels around a flaming basketball representing the sun. Once in a great while, the grape reaches a certain point (the “hypotenuse”) that causes it to cast an unusually harsh shadow (the “penumbra”) and the resulting reduction in temperature extinguishes the basketball, thus plunging the cantaloupe into total darkness.

"Q. So you’re saying that during an eclipse the sun actually goes out?

"A. Only for a few minutes. It usually comes back.

"Q. What if it rains on Aug. 21?

"A. The eclipse will be held the following Monday." . . .

Hurricane Harvey through cartoonist's eyes

Tucker Slams California (naturally) Dem For ‘Criminalizing Speech’

Daily Caller

"Fox News’ Tucker Carlson tore into a Democratic strategist Tuesday night for supporting a California bill that could imprison people for calling someone by the wrong pronoun.

"Robin Biro argued that “all LGBT rights” need to be included in patient rights, including proper pronoun usage. Carlson accused Biro of ignoring free speech for political purposes, taking issue with the bill’s criminalization of speech.

“ 'You have the right to express your view and if other people don’t like it, they don’t like it,” The Daily Caller founder said. “But you can’t be put in prison for saying what you think is true. And this bill seems to ignore that longstanding right we’ve enjoyed, and I find it terrifying for that reason.”

"Biro replied that using the wrong gender pronoun to refer someone can be classified as “abuse” if it is done repeatedly and intentionally." . . .

Trump-Haters Fall For And Push Fake Pic Of Obama Serving Food To ‘Hurricane Victims’

Weasel Zippers

"So dumb. And obviously fake.

"Via Biz Pac Review:

When it comes to the gullibility of the average social media user, it’s not surprising to see fake news spread like the wind.

A recent example of this was a photo of former President Barack Obama allegedly serving food in Texas, which continues to feel the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Harvey.

The caption stated, “Something you’ll never see trump do: Obama is in Texas serving meals!”

Keep reading…

Obama Admin Hid Intel on Iranian Militants in Syria to Push Nuclear Dea

Washington Free Beacon

"The Obama administration likely hid information about Iran illicitly ferrying militants into Syria on commercial aircraft in order to promote the landmark nuclear deal and foster multi-billion dollar business deals with Tehran's state-controlled airline sector, according to lawmakers and other sources familiar with the matter.

"The Washington Free Beacon first disclosed last week that congressional leaders are calling for an investigation into Iran for using its state-controlled air carrier, Iran Air, to ferry militant fighters into Syria, where they are taking up arms in defense of embattled President Bashar al-Assad.

"Photographs provided to Congress show Iran using Iran Air to ferry these soldiers between 2016 and 2017, in part when the Obama administration removed sanctions on Iran Air and promoted multi-billion dollars sales between the carrier and aircraft manufacturer Boeing, which is seeking to provide Iran Air with a fleet of new planes that many suspect will be used to carry terrorist fighters and weapons into regional hotspots.."   . . .

Why I Left The GOP, by Mike Adams

In 1994, I sat in on my first faculty hiring committee meeting at UNC-Wilmington. After hearing the head of the committee reject an applicant because he was “a little too white male” I rejected race-based affirmative action. I realized it was just another form of racism advanced by illiberal leftists masquerading as enlightened liberals.

Mike Adams

Over the last fifteen months, I have received numerous requests to speak at GOP events. In response, I have had to write numerous polite notes to my would-be hosts explaining that I must decline, as I am no longer a member of the Republican Party. Rewriting variations of the same note has become so tedious that I have decided to write a column I can forward to Republicans explaining why I can no longer speak at their events. But, first, let me say some positive things about why I joined the party in the first place.

" My status as a left wing Democrat began to become a bit shaky in December of 1992. That was when a fraternity brother of mine was abducted and murdered along with his girlfriend who was also sexually assaulted before she was shot at point blank range in the head. Both were unarmed. I immediately abandoned my previous support for a federal ban on handguns. 

"In 1993, a family friend educated me concerning the scientific facts about abortion; namely, that abortion intentionally kills a distinct, living, and whole human being. After hearing her cogent argument, I abandoned my anti-science fundamentalism, which previously led me to accept the lie that the unborn was merely a “clump of tissue.”

" In 1994, I sat in on my first faculty hiring committee meeting at UNC-Wilmington. After hearing the head of the committee reject an applicant because he was “a little too white male” I rejected race-based affirmative action. I realized it was just another form of racism advanced by illiberal leftists masquerading as enlightened liberals.

" Eventually, enough was enough. I grew weary of rejecting the individual planks in the Democratic Party platform one by one. So I finally joined the GOP in 1999. That was also the year I joined the NRA. 

"Since joining the GOP in 1999, I can safely say that they have failed to nominate a single conservative over the span of five presidential election cycles. Three of those nominees have been particularly problematic with the last finally driving me over the edge and making me re-register as an independent. I will deal with each disappointment in chronological order." . . .

About those "peace activists" called Antifa

Thomas Lifson writes: Berkeley mayor urges surrender to Antifa as smarter lefties realize they have a big problem  "Berkeley's Mayor Jesse Arreguin has just endorsed the rioter's veto.  In the wake of his police department standing by and allowing hundreds of masked and armed Antifa demonstrators to breach barricades and attack a handful of peaceful free speech and anti-Marxist demonstrators – to the horror of even the Washington Post – the mayor is sending a message to the world, which over the weekend saw extensive video coverage of thugs beating up heavily outnumbered peaceful protesters, that the city wishes to reward the mob."

#UPDATE: Black-clad anarchists attack 5 protesters in Berkeley, including organizer of SF Patriot Prayer rally. http://nbcbay.com/fPpBKfM 

Rick Moran: The author of "Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook" refers to the mayhem created by Antifa as "an activity of social revolutionary self defense."

"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who last week denounced the Patriot Prayer gathering in San Francisco as a "white supremacist rally," had no public comment on the leftist violence."

 Cops must never stand down against ‘antifa’ thugs

 . . . "From the Los Angeles Times’ James Que­al­ly: “There is a complete mob mentality here. People are randomly accusing random people of being Nazis.”

"And: “Masked protesters, claiming to be Antifa, threatening to break reporters’ cameras if they film them.”

“ 'Antifa” stands for “anti-fascist” — the most perverse use of “anti” ever. If this keeps up, Berkeley will soon be known as the deathplace of free speech."

BOOM! Air Force Veteran Tears Into Paul Ryan For Defending Violent Antifa

“After all the times you’ve seen Antifa attack people who were peacefully demonstrating, how can you call them anything but what they are – domestic terrorists?” asked the vet.
“This weekend in Berkeley is a classic example of the MANY times Antifa has attacked conservatives. Why do you legitimize domestic terrorism by not calling it what it is?” the letter continues.

Will CNN denounce Antifa for assaulting reporters?   "For months, CNN has wrongly accused President Trump of inciting violence against reporters by daring to call the news media out on it lies, distortions, and prejudices.

"But the people beating up reporters are the anti-Trump crowd. So far Woolf Blitzer and his brethren have not demanded Hillary Clinton and other members of the Resistance to denounce this form of fascism.

"No, the fascists have the tacit approval of CNN, which ran a story on August 18 under the headline, "Unmasking the leftist Antifa movement: Activists seek peace through violence.' "

Legal Insurrection: Elizabeth Warren Dances Around Condemnation of Antifa
. . . "One has to wonder why Warren would even want to condemn Antifa. Many of these masked thugs are her ideological children from the Occupy movement. When pressed by Dunn, Warren twice turned the conversation back to the narrative that President Trump condoned white supremacists in Charlottesville." . . .

Rich Lowry: Stop Making Excuses for Antifa Thuggery  "One of the least safe places to be in Berkeley, California, is in the vicinity of someone holding a “No Hate” sign. So-called anti-fascist, or antifa, activists bearing shields emblazoned with those words assaulted any of the handful of beleaguered Trump supporters they could get their hands on at a small political rally over the weekend. All in the cause, mind you, of demonstrating their supposed opposition to hatefulness. Too many people were willing to perfume antifa in the wake of Charlottesville, where it clashed with Nazi thugs who caused, and deserved, a wave of national revulsion. But Berkeley demonstrates once again the true nature of this left-wing movement, which is thuggish in its tactics and totalitarian in its sensibility. Anyone who at this point makes excuses for antifa — or worse, justifies it — is participating in its moral rot." . . .

Branco Cartoon – Grave Indifference

About what black lives really matter.

George Clooney Donates $1M to Notorious Hate Group In Order to Fight ‘Hate Groups’

Jammie Wearing Fools  "Does he even realize the SPLC is an actual hate group?

George and Amal Clooney are donating $1 million to fight hate groups.

The couple announced Tuesday that their Clooney Foundation for Justice is supporting the Southern Poverty Law Center with a $1 million grant to combat hate groups in the United States.

George Clooney says in a statement Tuesday that they wanted to add their voices and financial assistance to the fight for equality.

Clooney said, “There are no two sides to bigotry and hate.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center monitors the activities of more than 1,600 extremist groups in the U.S. and has used litigation to win judgments against white supremacist organizations.

"They also distributed a map which resulted in an act of terror against the Family Research Council, yet somehow they escape any scrutiny and are still a go-to source for most of the media. And now we have an ignorant actor giving them a million dollars to keep attacking the right.

"Unreal."

Most of the Officers Charged by Marilyn Mosby Are Now Suing Her

The complaint. . . stated that Mosby "made statements for purposes of quelling the riots rather than prosecuting police officers who had committed a crime,"  . . .

Cortney O'Brien  

 

"Baltimore State Attorney General Marilyn Mosby's attempt to lock up the officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray has come up short. In a turn of events, she is now the one facing charges.

"Last year, after an independent investigation by her office, Mosby announced she was seeking charges against Officers William Porter, Edward Nero, Garrett Miller, Caesar Goodson, Lt. Brian Rice, and Sgt. Alicia White for the death of Freddie Gray, a young black man who died in their custody in a police transport van. 

"Following the acquittals of Nero, Goodson and Rice and the mistrial of Porter, Mosby announced last week she was dropping the remaining charges. Yet, she made it clear that justice was not served. In a press conference, she sounded more like a protester than a state attorney as she shouted that Gray was a victim of police brutality.

"After all is said and done, the five of the six officers Mosby sought punishment for are returning the favor by filing a lawsuit against her, alleging she is guilty of defamation, false arrest, false imprisonment and more." . . .

Awesome: Mike Rowe Goes Off When Someone Accuses Him of Catering to 'Anti-Intellectual' GOP, White Nationalists

Townhall

"Television host and prominent reasonable person Mike Rowe unloaded on a man who attacked him on Facebook recently, taking his critic to task over the accusation that Rowe embraces Republican "anti-intellectualism" and turns a blind eye to white nationalism.  He also parlayed the smear into an opportunity to advocate and model political restraint and humility among celebrities.  Let's start with the comment that set Rowe off in the first place, courtesy of someone named Chuck Atkins:

"One of the tenants of white nationalism is that college educated people are academic elitests. Comment? No? I'm not surprised. You never take a political stand because you don’t want to alienate anybody. Its bad for business. I get it. But there is a current of anti intellectualism in this country - promoted by Republicans. Those people love you, and they think your initiative is their initiative. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is kickin our ass academically."

What's rich about this supercilious and judgmental attempted defense of intellectualism is that it manages to both misspell "elitists" and mistake "tenants" for "tenets" in its very first sentence.  In a lengthy rejoinder, Rowe lets Atkins have it.  Some highlights:" . . .

RINOS Wrong on Arpaio

Daniel John Sobieski  "Arizona Sen. John McCain’s limited understanding of the law and the Constitution was on display when he falsely claimed that President Trump’s pardon of former Maricopa County Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio undermined the rule of law. McCain was joined by his Arizona colleague, Sen. Jeff Flake, who is up for reelection in 2018:"

. . .

. . . "Perhaps if Arpaio had given away the nation’s secrets, or been an international felon like the Clinton-pardoned Marc Rich, or been a New Black Panther intimidating Philadelphia voters in 2008, McCain, Flake, and Ryan might have a case. But they don’t. Joe Arpaio was and is a patriot fighting to protect our nation’s borders from invasion and was acting in good faith in enforcing federal laws it was originally written, not as reinterpreted by a liberal judge."