Brothers Share Private Texts During Shooting . . .

Mad World News  . . . "Out of several students who undoubtedly sent a plea for help through a desperate text, two brothers, Sam Zeif, 18, and Matthew Zeif, 14, had a heartbreaking conversation during what they feared were their last moments on earth. Fortunately, they were both able to come out alive, but now that they are safe and sound, Sam has decided to share their private conversation, which occurred during the shooting. Within their texts, there were three words said that will undoubtedly send chills down your spine.

"The brothers were in different classrooms when the 19-year-old gunman began his attack, according to Daily Mail. Shortly after the shots began, Sam instantly worried about his little brother and began the conversation by desperately asking, “Are you okay?” You can almost feel his sigh of relief when he gets Matthew’s answer, a simple “Hopefully.” However, he would soon add, “Just know, I love you forever and you’re the best brother,” which probably made his brother’s heart sink, knowing his younger sibling was doubting whether he’d make it out alive." . . .

Russian hoaxers ‘hijacked’ Mizzou protests to inflame racial tensions, says military researcher

We are so easily manipulated; the Left must love the sheep they have to mold and shape. The Obamas were willing operatives as Michelle went from campus to campus posing as a victim of racism, and Barack as the defender against racist police. Will honest liberals ever grow sick of this Democrat Party and what it has become?  TD

Kayla Schierbecker - St. Louis Community College-Meramec .  
. . . “ 'The cops are marching with the KKK!” wrote @FanFan1911. “They beat up my little brother! Watch out!” The tweet included a photo of bruised black child, ostensibly the Twitter user’s younger brother.

" 'Like many other alarmist Mizzou-related tweets that day, it appeared to have been widely shared.

" 'The only problem, Prier quickly determined: The photo had been lifted from 2013 news reports of alleged police brutality in Ohio.

" 'He suspected the heightened notice the tweet drew was no accident. In addition to well-meaning users who shared it, the tweet had been boosted by dozens of apparently fake accounts.

" 'In an act of one-off online vigilantism, Prier fired back at @FanFan1911: “[S]top spreading lies.”

" 'It didn’t work.

" 'Mizzou was not embroiled in chaotic street-by-street fighting, but these outwardly authentic social media hoaxes scored an apparent win: goading Mizzou’s student body president into tweeting that the Ku Klux Klan was on campus."

Federal abuses on Obama's watch represent a growing blight on his legacy

The Hill   "In all of the discussions about the political weaponization of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI, alleged corruption at the highest echelons of those agencies and serial abuse of the secret FISA process surrounding the 2016 election, one name has been conspicuously absent: President Barack Obama.

"High-ranking officials and other major players in those agencies — which Obama oversaw — are increasingly embroiled in the growing scandal: James Comey, Loretta Lynch, Andrew McCabe, Andrew Weissmann, Sally Yates, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, Bruce Ohr.

"Given the tight control Obama exercised over every part of his administration and agenda, the idea that any of these appointees and loyalists freelanced their activities without at least his tacit approval or that of his White House strains credulity.

"These kinds of abuses of power were nothing new, given the Obama team’s long history of this type of misconduct on everything from the Benghazi terror attack to the political misuse of the IRS. They weaponized the most fearsome government agencies to target, monitor and presumably illegally unmask political opponents, including members of Congress, journalists reporting unfavorable stories, Trump allies and average Americans.  

"These dark institutional offenses didn’t just materialize out of thin air. One of the criticisms of President Nixon was that even though he wasn’t aware of the Watergate break-in, he had created an environment in which such an action was acceptable.

"Decades later, Obama created a climate in which the potentially criminal misuse of the DOJ and the FBI, as currently being unraveled, was not just acceptable but perhaps encouraged, thereby giving rise to what could be the most dangerous scandal in American history." . . .

Emphasis mine, TD

A Gun-Control Measure Conservatives Should Consider

David French at National Review

Gun-violence restraining orders (GVROs) make us all safer while empowering the individual and protecting liberty.

"To understand the American gun-control debate, you have to understand the fundamentally different starting positions of the two sides. Among conservatives, there is the broad belief that the right to own a weapon for self-defense is every bit as inherent and unalienable as the right to speak freely or practice your religion. It’s a co-equal liberty in the Bill of Rights, grounded not just in the minds of the Founders but in natural law." . . .

. . . "there is broad conceptual agreement that regardless of whether you view gun ownership as a right or a privilege, a person can demonstrate through their conduct that they have no business possessing a weapon.

"Felons, the dangerously mentally ill, perpetrators of domestic violence — these people have not only demonstrated their unfitness to own a weapon, they’ve been granted due process to contest the charges or claims against them. There is no arbitrary state action. There is no collective punishment. There is, rather, an individual, constitutional state process, and the result of that process is a set of defined consequences that includes revoking the right to gun ownership.

"Now, let’s back up for a moment and apply this reasoning to our contagion of mass shootings. Time and again mass shooters give off warning signals. They issue generalized threats. They post disturbing images. They exhibit fascination with mass killings. But before the deadly act itself, there is no clear path to denying them access to guns. Though people can report their concerns to authorities, sometimes those authorities fail or have limited tools to deal with the emerging danger.

"What if, however, there was an evidence-based process for temporarily denying a troubled person access to guns? What if this process empowered family members and others close to a potential shooter, allowing them to “do something” after they “see something” and “say something”? I’ve written that the best line of defense against mass shootings is an empowered, vigilant citizenry. There is a method that has the potential to empower citizens even more, when it’s carefully and properly implemented." . .  .

"I’ll believe that a restraining order can give a family the power federal incompetence has taken away — the power to save lives."

CNN, a favored news source of the California schools

From a Ventura County California middle school textbook

Universal truths about the media in 2017

The liberal media doesn’t just ask questions and report the news. They shape the narrative and they have been trying to “get” Trump since he won the election. It’s time to call them what they are – activists.      Eddie Scarry writes at the Washington Examiner. . .  Gateway Pundit.

Washington Examiner

"New year, new media? Good luck with that.

"As the first full year of President Trump’s time in office wraps up, there’s absolutely no indication the national media want to do anything different, even if there’s every reason they should.

"Out of the major newspapers, the Wall Street Journal’s opinion page stands alone in providing anything that even looks sort of like a reasonable perspective on the still-young White House.

"The Washington Post, New York Times, and USA Today still refuse to employ a single columnist that won’t begin each piece with anything less than “Mr. Trump, you are a liar!”

"CNN this year had to retract one story and significantly modify a second one (both were related to Trump and Russia) after it turned out the former wasn’t supported by any facts (otherwise often referred to as “ction”) and the latter was inaccurate to the point of libel.

"Brian Ross, with his apparent lifetime tenure at ABC News, was suspended in early December after he once again reported catastrophically wrong information about Trump and, of course, Russia.

"These are the universal truths about the media in 2017: " . . .

The anti-Trump press goes to the Olympics

NBC hires gay bronze-medalist who is Pence critic as Olympics commentator  "Politicizing its ratings-impaired Olympics coverage, NBC doubles down on stupid, thanks to its ideological obsessions.  NBC’s Olympics coverage joins the propaganda efforts of that network’s news division by hiring a third-place medalist as a commentator, apparently because he has gone after VP Mike Pence because Pence is a believing Christian who follows the biblical teachings on homosexual activity. Christine Brennan writes in USA Today:" . . .  Thomas Lifson

Here is a sample of CNN coverage on President Trump and Lindsey Vonn

. . . "And Vonn revealed she wouldn't accept an invitation to the White House if she were to win gold at Pyeongchang.  "Absolutely not," said Vonn. "No. But I have to win to be invited. No actually I think every US team member is invited so no I won't go.

Sunday Schadenfreude: Olympic Trump-haters jinx themselves  . . . "Starting with Lindsey Vonn, the much-vaunted skiier, who washed out on the Triple-G, her signature ski event, after insulting us all pre-game by stating she would refuse to go to the White House for the traditional post-game honoring by the president. "Absolutely not," she sniffed. "That was because the president we elected (that's won, Lindsey, won) wasn't good enough for her. Normally, a good professional athlete can compartmentalize on the field, and presumably transfer that to distinguishing between the man and his office. Not ol' Linds. She refused to distinguish between the man and the office, gave us a lot of blather about respecting the flag and then flopped out on her event. She was last seen consoling herself with talk on Twitter about her mother still loving her, or something. She was bested by a cute perky little Czech who did the run with borrowed skis, and was delightfully suprised by her gold medal. Anyone out there not glad she won?
"And anybody out there want to buy a product now endorsed by Vonn?" . . .

Let's not gloat over Vonn's injury; we must be better than that. Better to have competed and not won. TD

Twitter users call for boycott of Lindsey Vonn's sponsors

"Lindsey Vonn does not support President Trump and now I and my family will not support her sponsors"

. . . "Procter & Gamble, an official sponsor of the Olympic Games, may also find itself changing its promotional plans. Vonn and her mother have been front and center in the company's "Thank You, Mom" campaign spots, which depict moving stories of mothers supporting their children through their Olympic dreams.The company will still be able to feature Vonn leading up to and throughout the Olympics, but without potential victories in Sochi to use as a springboard, P&G is unlikely to feature her in quite the same way it had planned after the games end, Mickle says.Vonn's other sponsors, however — including Under Armour, Rolex, Red Bull and Head, to name a few — may actually benefit from the athlete's change in plans." KCUR

Here Are the 17 Victims of the Tragic Shooting in Florida

Townhall

"Seventeen people lost their lives Wednesday in a tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. A heroic teacher, an assistant football coach, and many, many beloved students were among the dead. Here is a list of the victims and their pictures." . . .

Maxine Waters Attended Nation Of Islam Convention Where Farrakhan Defended Suicide Bombers

Daily Caller

• Waters attended a Nation of Islam Convention where Louis Farrakhan defended Palestinian suicide bombers

The Nation of Islam believes white people are inherently inferior to black people

• Farrakhan is an anti-Semite who called Jews “Satanic” and said Hitler was “a very great man” 

• Waters’ convention appearance is just the latest tie to emerge between Democrats and the Nation of Islam.

"Democratic California Rep. Maxine Waters attended a Nation of Islam convention where the hate group’s leader, Louis Farrakhan, defended Palestinian suicide bombers.

"The convention, which took place in California in 2002, is just the latest tie to emerge between Democrats and the Nation of Islam, a black nationalist group known for being viciously anti-Semitic.

“ 'We have Maxine Waters here,” Farrakhan told the convention audience, gesturing to the seats behind him, “our great congresswoman from this area.” The audience cheered Waters’ name." . . .

Also here.

Obama's latest Presidential portrait

By ZMT via American Thinker

How to Preserve the True Nature of American Greatness

Real Clear Politics, via   American Greatness

The conviction that the federal government and the executive knew best was so strong in Barack Obama’s mind, apparently . . . he could act if Congress failed to do so, and he and his administrative agencies did. President Obama, really, became the exponent of the very kind of arbitrary power our framers feared.

. . . "There are at least four basic principles which have animated our development since the break with Great Britain in the late 18th century. These are 1) an abhorrence of arbitrary power, and a commitment to the rule of law, 2) the belief that sovereignty properly belongs only in the American people themselves, and not in a King or a hereditary aristocracy, 3) a commitment to economic progress and social mobility, and 4) the understanding that there must be limits to the power of our government, and that some space must be permitted for the development of private property, individual freedom and conscience (including morality and religion).  

"These four principles lead to particular corollaries. For example, there ought to be a separation of legislative, executive, and judicial powers, to prevent excessive oppression and arbitrary action. There ought to be checks and balances through such mechanisms as dual state and federal governments. No private property should be confiscated without compensation.

"Generally speaking, our country has flourished when the four principles are simultaneously operative, and we have encountered difficulty when one or more of the four are forgotten at the expense of others. This is made more complicated by the obvious fact that the four principles are in conflict. Too much emphasis on popular sovereignty (democracy) can lead to arbitrary power, and the suppression of individual rights; too much emphasis on economic progress can lead to dangerous levels of inequality which threaten popular sovereignty, and corruption which threatens the rule of law itself." . . .

Democrats: the party shaping our children's minds

CNN Falsely Claims Ted Cruz “Afraid” To Discuss Guns Outside the Fox “Mothership”                  
"Just when you thought CNN might make it through a week without disgracing itself, anchor Chris Cuomo accuses Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) of being “afraid” to talk to CNN about the Florida shooting and GOP measures to prevent such shootings.  The problem?  Cruz had given CNN a 15-minute interview the day before, and CNN decided not to air all of it." . . .

No, Jimmy Kimmel, Trump Did Not Make It Easier For the Mentally Ill To Buy Guns  . . . "Scott Shackford of Reason debunked the line about the mentally ill and guns:

"No, Trump Did Not Make It Easier for Mentally Ill People to Buy Guns"

Democrats Criticize Trump For Smiling, Giving Hospital Staff, First Responders Thumb’s Up For Their Response In Florida

S.E. Cupp: Democrats, spare me your hypocrisy on guns  . . . "Then they put a Democrat lawmaker on air or a former Republican lawmaker who shares their point of view to complain that Republicans will never do anything about guns. They never, these journalists, ask those lawmakers what Democrats did about gun control when they had the White House, House and Senate for two years under Barack Obama. Because the answer is NOTHING.  

"These journalists never say: where was Democrats' courage? Were Democrats too afraid to lose their seats, like they did in 1994, to pass another assault weapons ban?"

Maybe if they stopped disguising activism as journalism those Republicans would talk with them. Maybe if they could have these conversations without offending half the country they would.