Chappaquiddick Review: “the movie is fundamentally the portrait of a weasel”

Legal Insurrection

"New film examines Ted Kennedy and the death of Mary Jo Kopechne."

. . . "Ted Kennedy’s life was derailed that night? Really?

"Here’s how People describes the film (emphasis is mine):

Nearly five decades ago, on July 18, 1969, a car went off the Dike Bridge on the island of Chappaquiddick. The driver, Ted Kennedy escaped. His 28-year-old passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, did not.

The result is a haunting look back into the mystery that surrounds that night when a group of six women who had worked for Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential bid, and six men, including Ted Kennedy, gathered for a party at a rented cottage on the island for a reunion party and ended in Kopechne’s death by drowning.

"It’s really not a mystery. Kennedy walked away from the scene of a crime and let Kopechne drown because he was scared of what it would do to his political aspirations." . . .

Trump and Haley's magnificant moment at the UN

Haley warns against Jerusalem resolution ahead of UN vote
. . . " 'The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly,” Haley told the U.N. General Assembly. "We will remember it when we are called upon to, once again, make the world's largest contribution to the United Nations.”
“ 'America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do, and it is the right thing to do,” she continued. “No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that. But this vote will make a difference in how Americans view the U.N.' ” . . .

An Insult the US Won't Forget  

"Abbas revealed himself as an Arafat in a suit by following his predecessor beliefs in denying any Jewish history in Jerusalem at all and presenting Jerusalem as a Christian/Muslim city whose only connection to Jews is that they are lying about it and defiling it, and “are excellent in faking and counterfeiting history and religion.'”

"On Monday, the U.S. vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution criticizing the United States’ decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.  The vote was 14 to 1 and stated that the U.S. decision is null and void and must be rescinded, with only the U.S. voting against it.  Under pressure by the Palestinians and Arab and Muslim nations, the president of the UN General Assembly has called an emergency session of the General Assembly for Thursday to consider a resolution similar to the one presented to the Security Council for the sole purpose of condemning the U.S. again." . . . 
. . . "This is a critical moment for the Trump Administration and an important turning point in American foreign policy. The only explanation to those one-sided anti-American vote and criticism is a lack of fear of those nations and entities from any retaliation from the United States. It seems those nations seem to be more afraid of insulting or humiliating the Muslim, Arab, and the Palestinian crime family than the United States. If these allies are not afraid of the Trump administration why would the dangerous actors in the Middle East such as Iran, its proxies, and other Jihadists be afraid? If tiny, weak nations such as Bolivia, Uruguay, and Ukraine are not deterred by the U.S., why would North Korea be? " . . . (emphasis added by TD)

Side note: Rabbi Yaakov Menken wrote, Not Just Jerusalem: Why America's Rabbis Voted Trump and Don't Regret It

Which candidate and which party will better protect innocent lives – our lives – here and around the world, and keep America closer to our core values?

UN Jerusalem vote - live updates: Nikki Haley tells General Assembly 'We are asked to pay for privilege of being disrespected' in row over Israel capital decision  . . . "Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the UN should teach Donald Trump a “very good lesson” as it votes on a resolution calling for the US to withdraw its decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital." . . .

Haley's Moment  ". . . she has at all points sought to distinguish our course under President Trump from the blasted days of Barack Obama when the United States prostrated itself before the murderous regimes that throw their weight around in that desiccated body. Earlier this week she let it be known that the United States would not have abstained from the last-minute resolution by which President Obama stabbed Israel in the front on the matter of Jerusalem. There the contrast was explicit; in her statement today (tweet below) the contrast is implicit.

"This week Ambassador Haley brings Moynihan’s moment to mind. It was November 10, 1975, when the General Assembly passed Resolution 3379, declaring Zionism a form of racism. After the vote, then Ambassador to the UN Moynihan rose to speak, his voice shaking with anger. “The United States rises to declare,” proclaimed Moynihan, “before the General Assembly of the United Nations, and before the world, that it does not acknowledge, it will not abide by, it will never acquiesce in this infamous act.' " . . .

DOJ prosecutors asking FBI agents to explain Uranium One evidence: report

The Hill

"Department of Justice officials are asking FBI investigators at Attorney General Jeff Session's request to describe evidence uncovered in an investigation into the sale of a uranium mining company, NBC Newsreported early Thursday.

"A senior Justice Department official told the news outlet that the questions stem from an assistant attorney general's pledge to analyze whether a special counsel is warranted.

"The inquiry relates to the 2010 sale of Uranium One, a Canada-based firm with holdings in the U.S., to Rosatom, a Russian state-owned nuclear energy agency.

"President Trump and some Republicans have used the deal in an attempt to discredit Hillary Clinton, because the sale occurred when the former Democratic presidential nominee was head of the State Department. Clinton has denied that she was part of the deal’s negotiations.

"The sale was subject to approval by a nine-agency panel, which included the State Department. The State Department official who was part of the agency’s approval said Clinton did not interfere in the dealings, NBC News noted.

"Trump has used the renewed scrutiny surrounding the deal to push back against the investigation into Russia’s election meddling, including any potential ties between Trump campaign staff members and Moscow."

How Obama Appeased Iran by Turning a Blind Eye to Hezbollah’s Crimes/ Obama's Obstruction So To Not Offend Iran

National Review

It’s a strange feeling indeed to ride down Iraqi roads knowing that there’s a weapon out there that would render all the armor surrounding you virtually irrelevant. EFPs killed hundreds of American soldiers, and they were supplied by the Iranian government and its Hezbollah allies. But never mind. The Iran deal had to get done.

Photo added by TD

 "Over the weekend Politico’s Josh Meyer published a blockbuster report that can’t be allowed to disappear into the void of the holiday season. In painstaking detail, it documents claims that the Obama administration crippled Drug Enforcement Administration operations against Hezbollah as part of its effort to reach a nuclear deal with the Iranian regime. 

"Why would the DEA, of all agencies, target an international terrorist organization? It turns out that Hezbollah had become a major player in international cocaine trafficking and was using proceeds from its drug-running and arms-dealing to finance — among other things — the purchase of explosively formed penetrators (EFP’s), the deadliest IEDs used against American soldiers in Iraq.

Photo added by TD

" Hezbollah had transformed itself into an “international crime syndicate that some investigators believed was collecting $1 billion a year.” The DEA’s “Project Cassandra” was designed to disrupt this syndicate. And just as the operation began reaching into the highest echelons of one of the world’s worst terrorist organizations, the Obama administration started to shut it down:"  Full article

But he is beloved by Hollywood!

Obama's obstruction of Hezbollah drug-trafficking investigation to not offend Iran
The following posts are following up on the Politico story by Josh Meyer: The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook

Republicans Should Try Doing Something Popular

 Liberty Alliance. 

Ann Coulter  "When the Titanic struck an iceberg, the crew might have rushed to the storeroom, grabbed the materials and spruced up the ship with a shiny new coat of paint. Women in their beautiful fur coats could stand on deck, admiring the lustrous sheen, as everyone pointed to it saying, "What a thing of beauty!" 

"The new paint job would have "succeeded" to the extent that it would make the Titanic more lovely, but today we would recognize that it might have been kind of beside the point. 

"Word has now reached us that congressional Republicans have passed tax reform. Everyone is standing around admiring the lustrous sheen, pointing to it and saying, "what a thing of beauty!" 

"The iceberg is immigration and the Titanic is our country. 

"Picking the battleground on which to fight is one of the most important advantages the ruling party has. But instead of choosing the fights that make Republicans heroes and Democrats swine, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have decided to lead with the GOP's least popular ideas. 

"They're being bullied by rent-seekers, hucksters and people who don't have America's self-interest as their No. 1 concern -- or in their top 20 concerns. Cheap labor advocates don't actively hate America, like university professors do. They're just indifferent to it. We wish you the best of luck getting re-elected, but in the meantime, we need more foreign workers. " . . .

Congressional Republicans: What if we start impeaching judges who block enforcement of immigration laws? 
YES! Start right away. 
Congressional Republicans: Should we earmark specific funds for a border wall, even though the president has full authority as commander in chief to build a wall without us? 
You should have done this Jan. 21. Hold lots of votes. Get Democrats on the record voting against a wall. 
Congressional Republicans: Should we end the diversity lottery and chain migration policies that require us to take the rest of the world's losers? 
YES! Great idea! 

Watch Ted Kennedy's Life Get Derailed in Exclusive Chappaquiddick Trailer

People Movies  Nearly five decades ago, on July 18, 1969, a car went off the Dike Bridge on the island of Chappaquiddick. The driver, Ted Kennedy escaped. His 28-year-old passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, did not.

"An upcoming movie, Chappaquiddick, attempts to tell the story of what happened that night and why it took Kennedy some ten hours to report the accident to the local Edgartown police — and PEOPLE has the exclusive first trailer and teaser poster!

"The film, directed by John Curran, stars Jason Clarke as Senator Kennedy, Kate Mara as Kopechne, and Bruce Dern as Ted’s father Joe Kennedy. It’s based on the 1969 inquest into the accident." . . .

"The result is a haunting look back into the mystery that surrounds that night when a group of six women who had worked for Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential bid, and six men, including Ted Kennedy, gathered for a party at a rented cottage on the island for a reunion party and ended in Kopechne’s death by drowning.

"Kennedy, who claimed he made a wrong turn and accidentally drove off the bridge late at night, said that he tried to save Kopechne, who was trapped inside the car" . . .

Juanita Broaddrick: The Original #MeToo

"Juanita Broaddrick, in a detailed interview with Dave Sussman of Whiskey Politics sheds light on the depraved and despicable nature of the Clinton relationship."

Michael P. Ramirez  " December 19, 2017 Juanita Broaddrick joins Dave at Whiskey Politics for an in-depth, transparent and honest discussion about her experience in 1978 that many had discounted for decades, but now with the #MeToo movement, even the liberal media are coming around including the New York Times which recently stated “We should look clearly at the credible evidence that Juanita Broaddrick told the truth when she accused Clinton of raping her.”

"This wide-ranging interview discusses her experience, the aftermath, her participation in the 2016 election and her feelings seeing so many women now come forward accusing powerful men of sexual abuse. We cover the Time Magazine snub toward her, the media, how Hillary Clinton approached her and a chilling side of Bill Clinton that almost no one else has ever seen. Juanita also discusses Donald Trump, Roy Moore and the pay-for-play being reported about Lisa Bloom.

"Juanita’s new book, to be released on January 3rd, 2018 You’d Better Put Some Ice On That; How I survived being Raped by Bill Clinton can be found at JuanitaBroadderick.com.
If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to Whiskey Politics audio podcast iTunes, Stitcher or GooglePlay where your 5-star rating would be appreciated! Whiskey Politics is also on Facebook and Dave can be followed on Twitter.

Huckabee Sanders Tells Dem Rep to Stop Spreading False Info and Do His Job

Townhall  "White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders regretted this week that Democrats didn't make an effort to participate in tax reform. It seems to be a pattern this year. You remember the infamous photoshoot of President Trump sitting between two empty chairs last month after top Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi bowed out of the meeting. They eventually did meet, one day before the government shutdown deadline. 

"Fed up with the partisan politics, Sanders said on Fox News that Democrats should have been "begging" to work with them on tax reform for the benefit of the American people.

"The Hill misquoted her. In their original tweet, the outlet suggested that Sanders had "begged" Democrats to help them on the bill. They later updated with the correct language.

. . . Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) jumped on the initial, inaccurate headline. In a (now-deleted) tweet, Lieu wrote, "Dear @PressSec: You don't serve in Congress. I do. And I can say with absolute certainty that you are lying."

 "Other Democrats called Sanders out for lying, insisting they never received one call or email from the White House.
" Sanders responded to Lieu with a fact check.

Sarah Sanders

✔@PressSec

Dear @tedlieu - I don’t serve in Congress, but I can read. If you had read the story, not an incorrect tweet, you would see that what I said was Dems should be begging to help Americans keep more of their money. You should spend less time tweeting, more time doing your job. https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/943196180716183553 …

3:01 PM - Dec 19, 2017

Replies

 
By Cortney O'Brien

William A. Jacobson: My interview about the landmark case involving religious freedom and free speech.

Legal Insurrection  "I have to admit, I fell asleep at the baker’s wheel.

"Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission was argued to the Supreme Court earlier this month and I, didn’t cover it. Not out of lack of interest, but more feeling like we’re chasing a swarm of daily dust ups created by (1) Trump Derangement Syndrome in all its many and varied forms, (2) Trump on Twitter, (3) media reacting to Trump on Twitter, (4) Alabama, (5) War on Women and #MeTwo, (6) Men at Work, (7) the End of the World. Plus, it was end of the semester, and things were busy.

. . . 

"This video from The Daily Signal has good background on the Cakeshop owner, and the controversy:"

. . . Justice Neil Gorsuch, who until recently lived in Colorado, seemed to object to part of the state’s order in Phillips’ case, which required him to provide “comprehensive training” to his employees. Why wouldn’t the training be compelled speech, Gorsuch asked, when it would require Phillips to tell his staff that his Christian beliefs are discriminatory?

"This is hopeful, but I’m not celebrating until we get the Opinion. Remember John Roberts in Obamacare I?

"The oral argument full transcript is here.  Here is the full audio:

How about these refusals from Muslim bakeries, whom I feel were also exercising their right to refuse a message they opposed? 

#MeToo hysteria may have met its match

Smiley is not taking this lying down, and has made it clear that he will resort to litigation if necessary to regain his plum position and his reputation. 

Thomas Lifson  "Sooner or later the fever will break when it comes to the hysteria consuming politics with unverified charges sufficient to destroy careers, and feminist thought-leaders (such as they are) expressing indifference to the fate of innocent men being caught up. Already, two Democrat Senators, one a member of the Judiciary Committee, have expressed regret over Al Franken being forced to promise to resign, sometime, at a date to be determined, without due process. The Senate Ethics Committee operates in secret, but a finding that no proof exists that Franken assaulted anyone could trigger a wave of support for keeping him among Senate Democrats.

"But another important case, that of Tavis Smiley, could also be a trigger for the fever breaking. Although I agree with him on few matters, I think the way Smiley was handled by PBS is a disgrace.  Smiley was terminated from his longtime gig at PBS, hosting a nightly talk show there, without being able to confront his accusers, or even know the nature of the accusations against him. This violates every pillar of due process, and is unfair in the face of it." . . .

Portion of Smiley's interview with Tucker Carlson:

What else are you going to meet people? Our business is full of people, producers and talk show host who met on the job. Millions of Americans who met their spouse at work. I don’t think I have the right to tell people who to date. The problem here is that we are starting to criminalize legitimate relationships between consenting adults and that’s a real problem for me. And if this does in fact end up in court, millions of taxpayer dollars are going to be spent by pbs to defend itself and I don’t think the taxpayers want their money spent that way.

What Might Civil War Be Like?

E.M. Cadwaladr  "The thought of Civil War has been in the minds of many people lately, on both sides of the political and cultural divide. This is not a thing to be wished for, though no one should kid themselves into believing it’s impossible either. Let us take a sober look at what such a conflict might entail."
. . . 

"Given an absence of legitimate government and the friction of proximity, ordinary people can be moved to settle grievances by killing one another without the need for governments to egg them on.

"Some dimensions of a future civil war would be, I think, largely unprecedented. When lesser countries have imploded in violence in recent times, they have done so with most of the world around them still intact. There were other nations to offer aid, assistance and intervention, welcome or unwelcome. There were places for refugees to go. The collapse of the world’s remaining superpower would take much of the world down with it. A global economic crisis would be inevitable. The withdrawal of American forces from bases across the world to fight at home would also create a power vacuum that others, even under economic strain, would be tempted to exploit. Whichever side gained control of our nuclear arsenal, our status as a nuclear power would probably persuade other nations not to interfere in our conflict militarily, but the collapse of trade alone would produce crippling effects that would be hard to overestimate. Many components for products our manufacturing sector makes are globally sourced. Add to this the breakdown of our transportation system, dependent on oil and transecting one new front line after another. The internet would fail. It is a frail enough now. Financial systems would fail. What happens if the banks find half their assets suddenly in hostile territory?" . . .

American Silliness: Dec 20, 2017

University teaches white employees how to overcome the ‘discomfort’ of being white  . . . "to help white employees deal with their “whiteness” so they could become better equipped to fight for social justice causes, according to organizers."

Student suspended for debating Islamic extremism with Muslim peer in debate club  . . . "A Missouri high school that suspended a student for making critical comments about Islamic extremism says he’s not allowed to appeal the finding of wrongdoing." . . .

The free speech movement of the early sixties might sound good these days, but it had more in common with today's SJW's than one might hope.

Prof: Trigger warnings 'serious threats' to teaching English  . . . "In a list of six possible consequences of trigger warnings, he argues that they “foster a culture where student fragility is promoted over the development of resilience,” and can “encourage students to avoid intense literary moments that they may perceive as too powerful.”

"Trigger warnings could also “handicap English teachers by censoring or casting certain literary moments as taboo,” and cripple “artistic freedom by arbitrarily sanctioning what is and what is not appropriate for class discussion and student experience,” he notes." . . .

First the statues, now the trees. 

Parents pull kids from class as Ivanka Trump visits CT school  "Some" parents; no word in this on how many. If it were just two, the press would have made big news out of the matter. From the comments: 

So sorry that these hateful parents are modeling their bad behavior and judgement to their children. Isn't the women's movement, suppose to be about respecting and honoring intelligent and successful women, no matter their political views ? Such hypocrites. 
Right or left in politics, Ivanka is an extremely intelligent articluate business woman and parents should raise their children to be respectful of all adults. I don't think "brain washing" was on Ivanka's agenda. It was disgraceful how the ultra liberal left ran the Ivanka Trump clothing line out of retails stores.