The First Victory Over ISIS: Where do we go from here?

Max Boot  "At various points during the 16-plus years since 9/11, Americans have cheered the success of our armed forces in fighting terrorism. The first such moment was the rapid downfall of the Taliban regime in the fall of 2001, which led one American officer to crow that pitting the high-tech U.S. military against the primitive Taliban had been “the Flintstones meet the Jetsons.” Then, in the spring of 2003, came the equally sudden downfall of Saddam Hussein after the U.S. military’s “thunder run” into Baghdad, leading President George W. Bush to declare “Mission Accomplished.” The unexpected success of the surge in Iraq in 2007–8, after years of worsening violence, led to further cheering—but it was nothing compared with the cacophony of praise that greeted Osama bin Laden’s death at the hands of U.S. Navy SEALs in 2011. That feat alone practically guaranteed President Barack Obama’s reelection.

"And now we have arrived at yet another joyous moment, with the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in sight." . . .

The truth is that this was a bipartisan triumph. While Trump committed slightly more U.S. forces to the fight and gave them slightly more permissive rules of engagement, his administration, by and large, followed the blueprint laid out by the Obama administration, of assisting indigenous forces to fight ISIS with advisers, air power, and even artillery rather than committing U.S. ground-combat forces. Much of the credit for routing ISIS belongs, in any case, not to politicians in Washington but to the fighters on the ground . . .

San Francisco spits on Kate's grave (Updated)

 Barbara Simpson

"Because of the sanctuary city ruling, they said no. The man was released instead, to the streets – a homeless, unemployed illegal-alien felon. And until Kate Steinle was killed, he was someone who could have mixed into the huge illegal population of California. There are so many, no one even notices anymore, but if you do, you’re regarded as a racist."

" . . .The liberal establishment of the city has supported the result, and the insinuations are that anyone who complains is a bigot. Mayor Ed Lee continues to defend the city’s immigration policies even as a memorial grows at the scene of the shooting.

"But in reality, that verdict has made Kate Steinle’s murder a symbol of justice denied. I’ve been inundated with e-mails from people the news business and friends who are horrified that the rights of average citizens have been trampled in the rush to protect illegal immigrants from any criticism.

"A tweet from former Illinois congressman and conservative talk host Joe Walsh was printed on the front page of the East Bay Times – he wastes no words:

“Two years ago, the city of San Francisco killed Kate Steinle.

"Yesterday, the city of San Francisco spit on her grave.”

"A friend of mine, Jim Eason, wrote me:

“ 'There’s a 3-part suggestion: (1) get a weapon; (2) learn how to use it and (3) be able and WILLING to use it. The police cannot protect you – the bureaucracy will not help you – in California, you are on your own. Good luck' ”

Update: San Francisco Defends Sanctuary Status As Backlash Mounts

"Doubling down on stupid.  Via WBTV:" . . .

City officials vowed to stand behind their “sanctuary city” policy. It’s what led Jose Ines Garcia Zarate to be released from San Francisco’s jail despite a federal request to detain him for deportation several weeks before Kate Steinle was fatally shot in the back in 2015. He had been deported five times and was wanted for a sixth.
“San Francisco is and always will be a sanctuary city,” said Ellen Canale, a spokeswoman for Mayor Ed Lee.
Sanctuary policies improve public safety by allowing immigrants to cooperate with police without fear, said state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democratic former San Francisco supervisor.

The one big issue is how can we protect those illegals who are witnesses or victims of crimes who have the courage to come forward? TD

ANTIFA Met With ISIS, FBI Believes They Were Seeking Weapons and Bomb-Making Equipment

Infidel Bloggers    "Antifa radicals are meeting with ISIS. This is directly from an FBI field report."

The contributor is connected with Infowars, so watch for corroboration at other sources. TD

Walmart Under Fire for Selling Antifa T-Shirts?  A search found no such items, but Zazzle has them.

Bloviating abroad, Obama reminds us why we elected Trump

Monica Showalter  "Miss him yet? Former President Obama is back, taking big-dollar speaking engagements in places like Paris, and unintentionally reminding us why we elected Trump.

"Based on his speech for a group of communications executives called 'Les Napoleons,' he thinks women make better leaders than men, men are 'having problems' with sex harassment, global warming's Paris Treaty is coming back, and 'global challenges' must be faced.

"Retch.

"Agence Presse-France has a couple of versions of the ex-president's Paris speech yesterday and it's godawful. They can be read here and here.

"What Obama's speech was full of provides a handy checklist for why we voted for Trump. To wit, it includes:. . . 

. . . "What we are seeing here is an empty suit with absolutely nothing to say. He hasn't changed a bit after all these years and now stands for the 'resistance,'luxury quarters, edition. He obviously intends to keep sniping at President Trump on foreign shores, for big dollars. AFP reports that the whisper number is $400,000 a pop. What a pathetic picture this is. Keep talking, Obama. All you do is remind us why we voted for Trump."

Our jury system seems to lack something in today's political climate

"Justice was rendered, but it was not served."

Elise Cooper: Injustice: The American Way?   "Four recent cases show how there is no justice for victims.  Who is speaking for the victims, since they can no longer speak for themselves?  In three of the instances, the "surviving victims" appear to be forgotten as they suffer from losing a loved one forever and ever.  People need to question what is going on in our society." . . .
Kate Steinle . . .
Ahmed Abu Khatallah . . .
Bergdahl . . .
Sarah Sims  . . .
. . . What all these cases show is the complete disregard for victims and their families.  It appears that the judge and jury were looking for any excuse to allow the perpetrator to be given a lesser sentence and not to take responsibility.  For all these cases, Kate's father, Jim Steinle, summed it up: "We're just shocked – saddened and shocked[.] ... [T]hat's about it[.] ... There's no other way you can coin it.  Justice was rendered, but it was not served."

Selwyn Duke: We can thank a flawed jury system for the Steinle verdict  

"Much has been said about the acquittal of felonious invader José Inés García Zarate, the killer of young Kate Steinle, who died in her father's arms.  While most of the focus has been on "sanctuary cities" – a euphemism for treasonous, lawless cities – there perhaps has been no scrutiny of the people whose minds are too often a sanctuary from knowledge and reality: modern jurors.

"The problem stems from "The Error of Impartiality," which is the title of an essay on this very subject.  For what is often perceived in jurors as fairness is just fecklessness – of the moral variety.

"When choosing jurors, pains are taken to dismiss people with preconceived notions about the case.  But consider:  if in question is a high-profile matter such as the O.J. Simpson or Steinle case, what kind of person would know nothing about it or have formed no opinions?  Does this reflect impartiality or just indifference?. . ."

"Lionel Cryer (Depicted by actor on FX series) is the juror who gave OJ Simpson a black power fist as he left the courtroom after the verdict"

. . . "In the final episode of American Crime Story: The People V OJ Simpson showed the moment when one juror gave Simpson a black power fist as he left the courtroom following the jury's verdict.

"That moment did indeed happen too, though it was not caught by the cameras in the court because they could not reveal the identity of the jurors.

"It is now known that it was Lionel Cryer who raised his fist, a former Black Panther who Marcia Clark decided to not have removed as a juror in the racially-driven case." . . .

Counterpoint: Why Steinle ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict Is Not ‘Disgraceful’
. . . "14. If I could change the system in any way, I’d change the verdict forms. Instead of “guilty” and “not guilty,” I’d change it to “proven” and “not proven.” That’s really what the criminal system is about. It’s not about finding the truth as some people think. It’s exclusively about what can be proven. Sometimes the truth is difficult to prove.(just ask any prosecutor)" . . .

Can we finally stop calling them moderate Democrats?

Silvio Canto, Jr.   "It was very late, or very early, depending on your time zone, but the tax bill passed the U.S. Senate.  The final tally was 51-49 with no last-minute surprises.

Cartoon added by TD

"Unfortunately, it was a party-line vote.  Every Democrat voted no – another example that diversity in that party is a word and not much else.

"So can we finally stop talking about all those Democrats who will work with President Trump because he carried their state by double digits?  Where in the world are those people?

"What we saw in that vote was two things:

1. The Democrats stick together, no matter what they say back in West Virginia or Montana.  A Democrat in the U.S. Senate is a vote for Senator Schumer.Are you listening, Alabama?  Judge Moore may have his many faults, but a Senator Jones from Alabama will be another Schumer disciple!2. The red-state Democrats will have a lot of explaining to do, unless the GOP nominates a total loser and gives away Missouri, Indiana, et al.

Thursday Night’s NFL Game Looked Like A Ghost Town

Daily Caller

michael phillips@michaelpRTD

Midway through the first quarter and a lot of folks are sitting this one out.

"The Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins Thursday night in Dallas, 38 to 14.

"The matchup between the two teams is one of the most storied in the NFL and the two teams are historically popular with their rabid fan bases.  

"However, that fact was not on display last night when the teams gathered in Dallas. According to tweets from reporters at the game, the crowd was absolutely abysmal for the matchup." . . .

"The popularity of the NFL has taken a severe hit since dozens of players in the league participated in national anthem protests. Fans have burnt their gear and ratings have steeply declined.

"If last night’s game is any indication, the NFL is in big trouble."

Via Weasel Zippers

Andrew Napolitano: Michael Flynn's guilty plea a 'nightmare' for Trump

Washington Examiner   “This is probably the tip of a prosecutorial iceberg, so to speak,” Napolitano, a Fox News contributor, said on the network’s “Outnumbered” on Friday. “It’s a nightmare for Donald Trump because Gen. Flynn was his constant companion on foreign policy and national security matters from June of 2015 to the time the president fired him.”
. . . 

"ABC News reported that Flynn intends to testify against Trump and members of his family and plans to say then-president-elect Trump told him to make contact with Russians.

"Flynn was removed from his post at the White House earlier this year after it was revealed he misled the administration about his sanctions-related communications with the Russians." . . .

What the Flynn Plea Means

Andrew C. McCarthy

"There’s less to the news than meets the eye", in spite of Joy Behar's glee on "The View".

. . . "Obviously, it was wrong of Flynn to give the FBI false information; he could, after all, have simply refused to speak with the agents in the first place. That said, as I argued early this year, it remains unclear why the Obama Justice Department chose to investigate Flynn. There was nothing wrong with the incoming national-security adviser’s having meetings with foreign counterparts or discussing such matters as the sanctions in those meetings. Plus, if the FBI had FISA recordings of Flynn’s conversations with Kislyak, there was no need to ask Flynn what the conversations entailed. 

"Flynn, an early backer of Donald Trump and a fierce critic of Obama’s national-security policies, was generally despised by Obama administration officials. Hence, there has always been cynical suspicion that the decision to interview him was driven by the expectation that he would provide the FBI with an account inconsistent with the recorded conversation — i.e., that Flynn was being set up for prosecution on a process crime." . . . Read more

Ammoland

Thomas Lifson: Flynn pleads guilty in plea deal with Mueller  . . . "Flynn already is a proven liar and was fired for lying to Vice President Pence.  His word is not worth much.  There would have to be corroborative evidence to convict Trump of anything.  But absence of evidence would not stop the demands for impeachment.  Give the Democrats control of the House next year, and impeachment is what we'll get.

"During the transition, then-president Obama famously said, "There's only one president."  This may be what is seized upon to demand Trump's impeachment and indictment for the Logan Act.  Nobody ever has been prosecuted for violating it, much less convicted.  But Mueller conceivably could do so.

"There will also be plenty of calls for indictment for treason."

History shows that special counsels almost inevitably overstep their mandates.

Garrison

Victor Davis Hanson  "Former FBI director Robert Mueller was supposed to run a narrow investigation into accusations of collusion between the Donald Trump campaign and the Russian government. But so far, Mueller’s work has been plagued by almost daily improper leaks (e.g., “sources report,” “it emerged,” “some say”) about investigations that seem to have little to do with his original mandate. 

"Now, there are leaks claiming that Mueller is going after former national-security adviser Michael Flynn for his business practices before he entered the Trump administration. Specifically, Mueller is reportedly investigating Flynn’s security assessment and intelligence work for the Turkish government and other Turkish interests. Yet possible unethical lobbying on behalf of a NATO ally was not the reason Mueller was appointed." . . .   Read more

Al Franken ‘Greatest Groper’ billboard by artist Sabo stuns L.A. commuters

The Washington Times

"Altered ad for Hugh Jackman’s upcoming ‘Greatest Showman’ spotlights sex scandal"

 

"Los Angeles commuters on their way to work Thursday morning were greeting with an unexpected surprise: a giant billboard altered to draw attention to Sen. Al Franken’s sex scandal.

"The California street artist known as Sabo has skewered Hollywood celebrities and liberal politicians for years, but he usually sticks to poster-sized pieces that blanket bus stops and areas of high foot traffic. His latest political commentary involving a billboard for the upcoming film “The Greatest Showman” considerably upped the size and scope of his efforts. 

“ 'This hit cost me about a $1,000 out of pocket,” he wrote tweeted Thursday morning. “I obviously can’t crowd fund these projects so donations via [my main] site at http://www.unsavoryagents.com are much appreciated.”

"The billboard, which immediately captured the attention of The Hollywood Reporter, shows Mr. Franken in a lecherous pose next to a circus performer for actor Hugh Jackman’s movie about P.T. Barnum’s rise to fame." . . .

Sabo

They tower over the 405 freeway near the National Blvd. . . . "When questioned, Sabo mischievously told The Hollywood Reporter: 'Efron wanted to catch her, but Franken got there first, I guess.' 

"The jibe is the latest in a string of unsavory moments for Franken who, in recent weeks, has been plagued with accusations of sexual misconduct from five different women.". . .   
. . . Sabo is a well known political street artist. His previous subjects have included Hillary Clinton, Lena Dunham, Donald Trump and Barack Obama. 

"After vowing to back Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2016 election, even though he was not a candidate, the artist finally switched his allegiance to Trump before the votes were cast. " . . .  More here.

"Previous works include this mock Rolling Stone cover depicting Lena Denham next to the headline Rape Fantasies "

There Is Still Time to Develop a Solution to the North Korea Crisis

The National Interest

"North Korea conducted its highest missile test yet. So much for the Trump administration’s forlorn hope that Pyongyang’s two-month pause of missile tests indicated that the Kim regime was prepared to negotiate terms of surrender with Washington. Western nations responded with the usual meaningless denunciations of the North. President Donald Trump announced: “We will take care of it.”

"How?

"No one outside of Kim Jong-un’s leadership wants the North to possess a capability to target the United States. Nevertheless, even normally sober Defense Secretary James Mattis repeated Washington’s meaningless litany of scary claims—that the launch threatens America and “everywhere in the world.” This misstates North Korea’s likely intentions for—and the actual impact of—its missile and nuclear programs. Pyongyang cares little about the world and everything about America.

"This isn’t the first time an unpleasant, hostile, and threatening government acquired weapons of mass destruction and the means to attack the United States. Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union and Mao Zedong’s China presented Washington with a similarly difficult conundrum when they developed nuclear weapons. Mao even dismissed America’s retaliatory potential because of his nation’s abundant population. The United States considered and rejected preventive war in both cases.

"The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea offers a similar threat, only far weaker. The DPRK is no superpower. Its economy is minuscule, population is small, and security situation is bleak." . . .

More from this source: North Korea's Latest ICBM Test Highlights America's Flawed Strategy
Nothing many can see would stop this mad little man Kim from putting his weapons into the hands of Islamic terrorists. TD