The Sickening Celebration of North Korea

MRC  "Every two years, Americans unite around the television to root for U.S. athletes and their dreams of gold medals come true. Unless you’re a journalist. Then the Olympics are a time to root against your country and her president on the world stage.

"At the opening ceremonies in Pyeongchang, South Korea, organizers strangely seated Vice President Mike Pence just a few feet from Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korea’s communist dictator Kim Jong-un. To American reporters who hate Trump, a star was born. Just the summaries on Twitter were enough to make you throw your phone across the room.

"Start with the wire services. The Associated Press gushed: “The trip by Kim Yo-jong is the latest move in an extraordinary show of Olympic diplomacy with Seoul that could prove to be a major challenge to the Trump administration's hard-line Korea policies.” Reuters echoed: “North Korea has emerged as the early favorite to grab one of the Winter Olympics’ most important medals: the diplomatic gold.”

"Could the North Koreans be any happier at the idiocy of the Western media?

"The newspapers also claimed Mike Pence lost to the woman who serves as the North Korean deputy director of propaganda. The New York Times headline was “Kim Jong-un’s Sister Turns on the Charm, Taking Pence’s Spotlight.” They turned to Asian history professor Alexis Dudden for the slam dunk: “The fact that he and Mrs. Pence didn’t stand when the unified [Korean] team came in was a new low in a bullying type of American diplomacy.”

"The Washington Post front page on Sunday declared they had found the “Ivanka Trump of North Korea.” She “has enraptured people in looks-obsessed South Korea with her sphinxlike smile and low-key beauty.” The story inside added her attendance at the Olympics was “a signal that North Korea is not this crazy, weird former Cold War state -- but it too has young women that are capable and are the future leadership.’” . . .

NKorean Defector: South Koreans 'Hate Kim Yo Jong . . . " Ji Seong Ho told The Daily Caller that South Koreans are not fans of Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, despite the media's fawning over her.
" 'Yo Jong's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, is a war criminal, and her father, Kim Jong Il, killed three million people by starvation," Ji said. "Kim Jong Un is responsible for human rights violations and assassination of his own half-brother.
" 'The Kim family is taking hostage of the North Korean people and threatening the world with its nuclear weapons. Therefore, South Korean people hate Kim Yo Jong and her visit." . . .

WashPost Reporter Suggests Stealth Hillary '2020 Comeback'

Newsbusters  "Shhhh! Hillary Clinton is stealthily running again in 2020. Spread it around very very quietly and be sure you only talk about the 2018 midterm elections.

"Washington Post reporter Robert Costa is sending the not so subtle signal that Hillary Clinton will be back again in 2020. However, since she has to do it on the sly, Costa portrays her as semi-secretly helping in select 2018 midterm campaigns. His focus is on 2018 but he reveals enough to let us know that it is really all about 2020 in Hillary Clinton, a favorite GOP foil, plans discreet 2018 strategy:

There was a long line for selfies with Hillary Clinton last week at a Georgetown soiree for Lanny Davis, a Clinton loyalist whose latest book blames former FBI director James B. Comey for her 2016 presidential defeat.

Clinton devotees — waiting patiently within earshot — speculated about her future. Maybe, one asked, she’d leave political winter behind and become President Trump’s foil? Another talked up a 2020 comeback.

Clinton smiled, but did not respond.

. . . 

Intel Officials: U.S. Shouldn’t Fall for North Korea’s Olympic Charm Offensive

Well, CNN buys it all.

 Free Beacon  

"DIA Director: Pyongyang's 'strategic calculus has not changed and we should not be misled' "

"Americans should not be deceived by North Korea's charm offensive at the 2018 Winter Olympics as Kim Jong Un remains intent on acquiring nuclear weapons capable of striking the United States, the nation's top spies warned Tuesday.

"In a rare open-door hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Robert Ashley cautioned that Kim's "strategic calculus has not changed and we should not be mislead by the events that are taking place around the Olympics."

"The dictatorial regime has received a bevy of positive media coverage in recent days following an appearance at the games by Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong. Several news reports published over the weekend hailed her visit to South Korea as a "diplomatic win" over U.S. Vice President Mike Pence as the regime released statements calling for reconciliation with South Korea.

"Intelligence officials said the United States needs to view North Korea's participation in the event for what it is: a propaganda campaign by the isolated nation to use the Olympics as a platform to present a reformed image." . . .

Media Bias: Hatred Of Trump Brings Disgraceful Fawning Over Kim Jong-un's Sister At Winter Olympics  
"Media Bias: Of all the many recent examples of glaring media bias, none stands out so much as the rank politicization by the U.S. media of the South Korean Winter Olympics. What should be a happy, come-together moment for all of America rooting for its athletes, instead became a hate-Trump, #Resistance moment for the far-left media. 

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"The trump-hatred has metastasized so far that today many journalists have completely abandoned any pretense of fairness and objectivity in their coverage of the world, so long as what they do makes Donald Trump and his administration look bad, stupid or ridiculous.
"Sorry, but fawning over the evil representatives of a country we are still technically at war with is really too much.

Re-'Imagine'-ing the secretly bloody peace song of the Olympic Games

Stephen McGhee  . . . "If we consider Lennon's vision with any level of seriousness, we will find that the concept of no possessions is synonymous with hell.  This is why he had to use trickery to draw us in.

"In truth, you don't have to be a dreamer to know what life without possessions would be like.  You just have to know a little history.  As brilliant as Lennon was (see "Ticket to Ride" and dozens more), he wasn't the first to imagine no possessions.  Josef Stalin and Mao Tse-Tung, to name just two, imagined it decades before him, and the combined result of their imagination was the murder of 100 million souls in peacetime and the enslavement of more than a billion people.  Did Lennon not know the history of these butchers?

"While we're on the subject, are the members of the Olympic Committee also ignorant of recent world history and current events?  They must be – otherwise, they wouldn't have missed the irony of South Korean K-Pop singers fervently pleading for a life without religion or possessions when that paradise is only a short walk away – across the DMZ.

"Imagine that."

US Strikes Kill 100 Russian Fighters In Syria

Zero Hedge

Here is the proper place for the bump stock.

"Following up to last night's bombshell report  that at least two Russian mercenary fighters in Syria had been killed by US-led coalition forces, this morning Bloomberg is out with an exclusive, according to which the body count is far greater than had been disclosed: U.S. forces reportedly killed "scores" of Russian contract soldiers in Syria last week "in what may be the deadliest clash between citizens of the former foes since the Cold War", Bloomberg reported.

"According to the unnamed US and Russian sources, "more than 200 mercenaries, mostly Russians fighting on behalf of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, died in a failed attack on a base and refinery held by U.S. and U.S.-backed forces in the oil-rich Deir Ezzor region" In terms of total body count, the U.S. official put the death toll at about 100, with 200 to 300 injured.

"A few caveats: the Russian operation was not officially mandated, and the assault "may have been a rogue operation, underscoring the complexity of a conflict that started as a domestic crackdown only to morph into a proxy war involving Islamic extremists, stateless Kurds and regional powers Iran, Turkey and now Israel."

"In a bizarre deflection of responsibility, Russia’s military not only did not demand an explanation from the US for the deaths, but said it had nothing to do with the attack and the U.S. military accepted the claim. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has called the whole thing “perplexing,” but provided no further details.

“Coalition officials were in regular communication with Russian counterparts before, during and after the thwarted, unprovoked attack,” U.S. Colonel Thomas F. Veale, a military spokesman, said in a statement. “Russian officials assured coalition officials they would not engage coalition forces in the vicinity.”

. . .  

Rippon: ‘I don't want my Olympic experience being about Mike Pence

The Hill  . . . "Last month, Rippon said he disagreed with the Trump administration's values. He added that Pence — who has long been seen as a top adversary to LGBTQ rights — "doesn't really stand for anything I believe in," asserting that the vice president supporter "gay conversion therapy."

 

"Pence's office has denied the vice president believes in "gay conversion therapy."

 

"USA Today reported earlier this month that Rippon refused a meeting with Pence after the vice president's staff reached out to the figure skater following his criticism.

 

"Rippon's mother earlier this month defended her son's interactions with Pence amid the controversy. She said her son didn't "refuse" to meet with Pence, but that he preferred not to do so before the competition.

 

"Rippon also said earlier this week he would boycott a visit to the White House. He added that he would hope to do "something positive and not just stay at home" instead." . . .

At Least 17 Democratic Socialists Of America Are Running For Office In Texas In 2018

Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

"Texas is in real trouble politically. The giant red state has been targeted by the left and they are dumping millions into the state to turn it blue forever. There are at least 17 Democratic Socialists of America candidates running for office in the state now. They look like just ordinary people… but these are socialists. They are communist-lite. They are Marxists and they are a stone cold threat to our way of life and our freedoms in this nation.

"As the Texas Observer put it, the revolution will be down-ballot. First up is Franklin Bynum’s campaign for Harris County misdemeanor court judge. He’s a 35 year-old former public defender and says he’s seen Houston’s criminal courts routinely railroad the poor into convictions that drive them further into poverty. Now, after nearly 10 years subject to the whims of conservative judges, he’s aiming to take the gavel for himself. I guarantee you that he will do what all liberal activist judges do… he’ll set criminals free to go back to what they were doing before. This has nothing to do with the poor. One of the primary goals of communists such as Van Jones is to empty our prisons regardless of the consequences." . . .

Why is this not obvious to liberals and their media sycophants?

Hat tip to Donna Rogers Boody at Mark Levin's Fan Club of Intelligent, Thinking Women (and Men)

In remembrance of the Obama Administration

A Year of Achievement; The case for the Trump presidency

"In 2018, it may be enough for congressional candidates to run on anti-Trump invective without expressing strong views on the issues or identifying with any particular national leader. But it won’t be so in 2020, especially if the Trump agenda grows more popular and Trump allows it rather than himself to become his signature message."

 

Victor Davis Hanson  "As President Trump finished his first full year in office, he could look back at an impressive record of achievement of a kind rarely attained by an incoming president — much less by one who arrived in office as a private-sector billionaire without either prior political office or military service. As unintended proof of his accomplishments, Trump’s many liberal opponents have gone from initially declaring him an incompetent to warning that he has become effective — insanely so — in overturning the Obama progressive agenda.
. . .
"Trump almost immediately voiced support for mass demonstrations in Iran, in a manner Obama failed to do in 2009. An ironic fallout of the disastrous 2015 Iran deal may be that the theocracy so hyped its cash windfalls from American relaxation of embargoes and sanctions that it inadvertently raised Iranians’ expectations of a rise in the standard of living. Then it dashed just those hopes by squandering hundreds of millions of newfound dollars in subsidizing Hezbollah, conducting a costly expeditionary war to save the genocidal Bashar al-Assad regime, and likely continuing an exorbitantly costly nuclear-weapons program.
. . .
"If the Republicans lose the Congress, these investigations will shut down entirely. Democratic majorities will give Mueller a free hand to do as he pleases without worries about past complaints over the ethical shortcomings of his investigation. Select Intelligence and Judiciary Committee hearings will likely give way in the House to impeachment proceedings." . . . Emphasis added by TD.   Read the full article

The left's love affair with brutal dictators...and their sisters

"Hatred for Trump and fondness for leftist dictators is a toxic combination."  Ben Shapiro

The little sister from hell   "Over the last 72 hours, we've witnessed a media rush over a young woman from North Korea named Kim Yo-jong.  She is not a defector or someone who risked her life to leave the country.  She is the dictator's sister – someone who probably never had a day without her favorite cereal or croissant, fashion pleasantries, or whatever else the elite in North Korea get to do, beyond not starving." . . .

Concern has only grown for the three Korean-Americans – Kim Hak Song, Kim Dong Chul[,] and Tony Kim – since the death of American college student Otto Warmbier last June after the he spent 17 months locked away in North Korea.  And though advocates said they were given some hope during President Trump's State of the Union address, when the image of a North Korean defector defiantly holding his crutches in the air was met with rapturous applause, there's also a desire to see continued action and pressure applied against the rogue regime.

Why the Media Is Fawning over North Korea . . . "The most obvious explanation is hatred for the Trump administration. North Korea is being celebrated as a charter member of the international #Resistance — a regime unwilling to sit down for Trump’s militaristic bluster. And so Pence was ripped up and down for his decision to invite Warmbier’s parents to the Olympics, and he received a heavy dose of scorn for his refusal to stand for the United Korean flag — a flag that represents mockery of the notion of peaceful reunification, given that the North Korean regime continues to aim its weaponry at the heart of Seoul. The same folks who praised Colin Kaepernick for kneeling for the American national anthem fulminated against Pence for staying seated to avoid honoring the North Korean regime." . . .

Stop pretending the Olympics are about world peace . . . "But the heart of the problem isn’t the obsession with Trump or even the North Koreans’ clever use of the Olympics to soften the image of what is arguably the worst tyranny on the planet. The real problem is that the Olympics always lend themselves to bad actors and foolish notions about the majesty of sports and international cooperation. The Olympics are the United Nations of sports — high-minded principles and feel-good sentiments exploited by hypocrites to the detriment of the cause of freedom." . . .

Democrats loved this photo

Triumph of the Shills  . . . "There could be many reasons for this embarrassing spectacle—ranging from outright complicity, to political malice, to plain old laziness. Most likely it’s that pre-existing biases and journalistic laziness are creating a witch’s brew that threatens to glamorize evil." . . .

What's a shill?  A person engaged in covert advertising. The shill attempts to spread buzz by personally endorsing the product in public forums with the pretense of sincerity, when in fact he is being paid for his services. Who are you shilling for? "Ignore him,"he's just here to shill."  Kind of like Marie Harf, Fox TV.

Before you praise Kim Yo Jong, remember how brutal the North Korean regime is

While media outlets fawn over Kim Yo Jong with headlines and news articles disturbingly similar to North Korean state-run propaganda, here are some facts to remember about the communist state. . . .

Everyone should read this

Those presidential portraits

I can just hear an Obama, especially Michelle, speaking on college campuses about the racism they encountered in the commentary on their portraits (along with racialist whites such as Chris Matthews), and perhaps some respectful consideration is due on the black approach in the art.  
My problem is that the subjects are two people who dislike this nation and are shamed by it, showing their contempt for all the world to see in their apologies, their treatment of America's allies and placing deference for bullies of the world who hate our nation at the expense of those they oppress.
We became less of a nation under that self-absorbed "I, me, my" administration.
The Tunnel Dweller

A green thought in a green shade . . . "I can also say that it put me in mind of Andrew Marvell’s great metaphysical poem “The Garden,” which I have not thought about for nearly 50 years. The unveiling event seemed to me a return to the ubiquitous world of identity politics, which I would like to be able to forget for 50 years. That world, I am afraid, is too much with us — permanently."

What's wrong with Obama's hand in that official portrait?  "I'm gonna go out on a limb here: I generally like the Obama official portrait.  It's an odd style, but it expresses him, and what's more, it reflects the art of his era. " . . . "But the front hand itself has problems in construction, at least if the aim is to create a realistic hand placed against a surreal background." . . . "In the past, artists were rewarded by their skills and merit.  Today, it's all razzle-dazzle plus the right political correctness.

"It represents the Obama era perfectly."

Some Presidential portraits: Which of these men met regularly and shook hands with racist demagogues such as Al Sharpton and Louis Farrakhan, haters of the Jewish people and the tiny nation of Israel? 
Which president's supporters chanted for the death of police officers, murdering them as often as opportunity presented in the name of "Black Lives Matter"?

The presidential portrait: Weird, but fitting for a narcissist-in-chief

Outcry greets newly unveiled Michelle Obama portrait that looks nothing like her - while Barack's is likened to Beyonce's birth announcement

"Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle were in attendance on Monday as their portraits were unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. While President Obama´s striking portrait by Kehinde Wiley garnered audible gasps of awe from the audience, Michelle´s portrait was not as warmly welcomed. Many online said that Amy Sherald´s portrait didn´t even look like Michelle. ´Amy Sherald should have met Michelle Obama before making that portrait,´ one user wrote." . . .

The Weak in Portraits: Obama Edition  Well, Jerry Brown's portrait (right) in Sacramento is nothing to brag about either.
. . . "The good news is that the Obama portraits are already coming in for heavy mockery from all sides, and hence providing Power Line with a surfeit of material for a modified, special Tuesday edition of “the Weak in Pictures.” We begin with the real articles, and then descend from there." . . .There's quite a gallery here.

Obama Portrait Artist Also Painted Black Women Holding Severed White Heads

. . . "For his part, Obama claimed that "what I was always struck by when I saw [Wiley's] portraits was the degree to which they challenged our ideas of power and privilege."

"Yeah, that must be it. A black woman holding a dead white person's head is...challenging.

"Wiley’s become pretty famous for his reimagining of traditional European portraits using black people, instead -- hardly a terrible thing, in and of itself. But while the majority of Wiley’s paintings focus on black subjects who aren’t holding the decapitated heads of white folks, that doesn’t really provide much comfort for the fact that our latest presidential portrait was done by a guy who’s apparently O.K. with glorifying racial violence." . . .