U.S. Estonia Ambassador Resigns Over Trump NATO Jibes

MSN  "The U.S. ambassador to Estonia is resigning in frustration at President Donald Trump’s jibes at America’s European allies. 

"Ambassador James D. Melville Jr. revealed in a Facebook posting that Trump’s comments about Europe had led him to bring forward his retirement. "

In the private Facebook post seen by Foreign Policy, Melville reportedly told friends: “A Foreign Service Officer’s DNA is programmed to support policy and we’re schooled right from the start, that if there ever comes a point where one can no longer do so, particularly if one is in a position of leadership, the honourable course is to resign. Having served under six presidents and 11 secretaries of state, I never really thought it would reach that point for me.

"For the president to say the EU was 'set up to take advantage of the United States, to attack our piggy bank', or that 'Nato is as bad as Nafta [the North American Free Trade Agreement]' is not only factually wrong, but proves to me that it's time to go."

"A career diplomat with 33 years in the foreign service, Melville was appointed to his position by President Barack Obama in 2015. " . . .

Reporter resigns after falsely tweeting that Maryland shooter wore MAGA hat

One wonders why this blame game continues. No one from . . . either side changes their minds about who is responsible. Most other Americans are repelled by this exercise in futility. But as America careens toward violent conflict between the two sides, the blame game will escalate and could eventually lead to tit for tat altercations. Violence will beget violence, reaction to counterreaction. Only losers will be left standing.

Rick Moran  "If the first casualty of war is the truth, it is also a casualty in the wake of any recent mass shooting in America.

"It has become de rigueur for both sides to heap responsibility for a mass shooting on the backs of their political opponents. Trying to make political hay out of a tragedy used to be an infamia - no one would dare use the bodies of innocent people to make a political point.

"Those days are in the past. Even if the shooter is demonstrably insane or mentally incompetent, there are always nuggets of information that can be unearthed in the shooter's past that will tie him to one side or the other. And sometimes both.

"A reporter in Springfield Massachusetts thought he was just playing the blame game when he tweeted that the man who killed 5 people in a Maryland newsroom "left behind" a MAGA hat. The intent was clear - blame the president's tirades against journalists for the massacre.

"But the reporter's newspaper reacted swiftly and decisively. The 21 year veteran newspaper man was fired.

Also in the above article:  

Reuters reporter Rob Cox tweeted Thursday, "This is what happens when @realDonaldTrump calls journalists the enemy of the people. Blood is your hands, Mr. President. Save your thoughts and prayers for your empty soul." 

What about the consequences of the "journalists"/ media and their unceasing call of this President being the enemy of the people? Is that restaurant's action against Sarah Sanders a foretaste of worse things to come? TD

The media, news and "entertainment" blame Trump for the Gazette murders? Well, what about THESE anti-Trump people?

Jerkitude  "The Jerk Store is open." 

Watch the Rogen-Colbert interview if you can stomach it. And they dare to say President Trump incites people to violence! TD

. . . The jerk culpably fails to appreciate the perspectives of others around him, treating them as tools to be manipulated or idiots to be dealt with rather than as moral and epistemic peers. . . .The jerk himself is both intellectually and emotionally defective, and what he defectively fails to appreciate is both the intellectual and emotional perspectives of the people around him.

"Which brings us to the owner who kicked Sarah Huckabee Sanders out of her restaurant, Robert DeNiro’s f-bomb at the Tony Awards, President Trump’s twitter feed, Corey Lewandowski’s “mwah-mwah” about a child with Down Syndrome, Maxine Waters, and actor, director, and thorough jerk, Seth Rogen." . . .

Suspect Arrested for Threatening to Kill FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s Children

“I will find your children and I will kill them”

"Federal authorities have located and arrested a California man suspected of threatening to kill FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s children. He faces a maximum of 10 years in the federal slammer.

"He “is charged with a threatening to murder a member of the immediate family of a U.S. official with the intent to intimidate or interfere with such official while engaged in the performance of official duties, or with the intent to retaliate against such official on account of the performance of official duties,” says the Department of Justice.

"According to a Department of Justice press release, the man was upset about the repeal of net neutrality and was trying to frighten Pai in retaliation." . . .

Journalists Spread Conspiracy Theory That DHS Document Contains Secret Nazi Code

Michael Moore Riles Up The Resistance: We Have To ‘Get Off The Couch’ And ‘Put Our Bodies On The Line’ Instead of sitting there growing corpulent

. . . "On the subject of civility, Moore began by calling out Democrats for being so “wimpy and weak” on “constantly giving in” on policy and insisted that “we don’t have to be violent.”[…]

"Colbert then asked the documentary filmmaker what the “end game” is if it avoids violence and some sort of “revolutionary confrontation.”

Capital Gazette Keeps Working, And Publishing, After 5 Die In Newsroom Shooting

Greg M Sr.  🏳️‍🌈‏ @GregMSr

NPR  

"Today we are speechless," reads the opinion page in Friday's edition of The Capital, where the staff is still reeling after five of their colleagues were shot and killed. Despite Thursday's attack, the staff put out a newspaper, with powerful reporting on its own tragedy.

"That opinion page — A9 — sits almost entirely empty, with a huge blank space where columns and editorials would normally be.

"Beneath it, the editorial staff wrote, "Tomorrow this page will return to its steady purpose of offering our readers informed opinion about the world around them, that they might be better citizens.' " . . .

Pictured: The empty Friday Opinion page.

The limits of liberal virtue-signalling

"You might think that the Dems would get a clue that they were being trolled. But when you are full of angry self-righteousness, all perspective and any trace of a sense of humor disappear. (If you don’t believe me, tune in to any of the late night Trump-hating comedians and watch the unalloyed hatred that now replaces humor)."

Tony Branco

. . . "You might think that the Dems would get a clue that they were being trolled. But when you are full of angry self-righteousness, all perspective and any trace of a sense of humor disappear. (If you don’t believe me, tune in to any of the late night Trump-hating comedians and watch the unalloyed hatred that now replaces humor).

"That’s why the Dems at the convention fell for one of the great political  pranks of all time:

On Friday, conservative Houston-area Rep. Briscoe Cain pranked Democrats at their own convention. He, a political consultant and other activists others handed out yard signs reading, “This home is a gun-free safe space," according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

"It's amazing how many people took one and thanked us. They said they would put it in front of their house. I think it's funny," the Houston-area Republican told the newspaper, adding: "Nobody should put this in front of their house."

"I wonder how many of the Dems understand the natural limits of virtue signaling?" . . .

Under Trump, We win while wimps whine

Dig around some, however, and you’ll find plenty of victories. Here are just a few of the accomplishments that have taken place in 2018 thus far.

Ghenghis Gary

2018 Has Been Very Good to Trump  "In his final day of campaigning ahead of the 2016 primary in the state of South Carolina, then-Republican nominee Donald Trump held three different rallies. Feeding off the energy of the crowd, he delivered a classic Trump line.

“ 'We’re going to win so much,” he told thousands of supporters in attendance. “You're going to get tired of winning. You’re going to say, ‘Please Mr. President, I have a headache. Please, don't win so much. This is getting terrible.’ And I'm going to say, ‘No, we have to make America great again.’”

"It would become one of many classic Trump quotes from the 2016 campaigning season -- one that supporters would repeat with big smiles, and one that detractors would laugh about in dismissal as they mocked the real-estate tycoon’s chances of becoming president.

"The notion of winning so much that people would get tired was obviously delivered tongue in cheek, but here we stand, just over two years removed from that rally, and supporters are beginning to enjoy a glimpse of what the now-president predicted back then." . . .

“So Much Winning” in 2018

Everyone can agree that Trump had a unique strategy as a politician -- and now as president. Whereas most political figures use the same safe, cookie-cutter strategies, he goes against the grain.

He uses provocative tweets and tangential tales to send the media into a frenzy. Then, have gotten the media to yammer about issues that don’t really matter, he gathers his team and goes to work, unimpeded by reporters and commentators who are busy booking segments on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News.

Reckless: The Rush To Blame Trump for Maryland Newspaper Shooting Blew Up In The Left's Face

Matt Vespa

. . . "The rest of the media should have taken note. There was no drama, commentary, or jumping to conclusions with this story. The publication also had stories about the colleagues that they lost, which also served as a final goodbye  Still, plenty of anti-Trump folk on social media could not help but blame one person for this shooting: the president of the United States. No, I’m not kidding. Not shocking, I know—but it’s just totally unspooled. Ramos’ beef with The Capital stems back to 2011. In 2012, a defamation lawsuit was dismissed. All of this predated Trump as president, but it’s convenient. It’s reckless, and totally predictable that the Left stepped on a rake doing this. God bless Twitchy for doing this; I would go insane finding the worst of the worst on liberal Twitter. " . . .

Matt Ford

✔@fordm

There doesn't appear to be a connection to Trump's rhetoric based on what's available online by the Capital Gazette shooting suspect.

His bizarre feud with the paper goes back to at least 2011.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2018/06/29/las-vegas-cops-hallway-n2495654?utm_source=thdailypm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl_pm&newsletterad=

Read the vindictive comments here.

"It’s the age of Trump Derangement Syndrome, if you think the media, everyone really, would slow their roll on on stories like this in the Trump-era. Nope, not in the least bit, which ends up with the whole industry having egg on its face. When The New Republic notes this tragic and heinous shooting stemmed from the Obama-era days, you know a) it’s not Trump’s fault (so ridiculous we have to say this); and b) the Left stepped in it." . . .

 

The Capitol Gazette, the shooting, and the dead

NY Times  “ 'He didn’t have enough bullets for us,” Mr. Davis said, struggling to grapple with the images of his fallen colleagues. “It was terrifying to know he didn’t have enough bullets to kill everyone in that office, and had to get more.' ” . . .
From the Miami Herald:

A former leader of the Capital Gazette described the intensity with

which Ramos fought the newspaper in court.“He waged a one-person attack on anything he could muster in court against the Capital,” Tom Marquardt, a former editor and publisher of the Capital Gazette, told the Los Angeles Times. “I said during that time, ‘This guy is crazy enough to come in and blow us all away.’”Social media posts from an account in Ramos’ name indicate that — even after the lawsuit was dismissed — he held a years-long grudge against the newspaper, the Times reports.

MSM . . . "Paul Gillespie, a staff photographer, had just finished editing photos from one assignment and was preparing for the next when he heard shots behind him, and the newsroom’s glass doors shatter. Another shot, and Gillespie dove under a co-worker’s desk “and curled up as small as I could,” he said.

“I dove under that desk as fast as I could, and by the grace of God, he didn’t look over there,” he said. “I was curled up, trying not to breathe, trying not to make a sound, and he shot people all around me.”
"Gillespie said he heard one colleague scream “No!,” then a shot, then another colleague’s voice, and then another shot. Then came the sound of the gunman getting closer to where he was hiding, Gillespie said.
“ 'I kept thinking, ‘I can’t believe I’m going to die. I can’t believe this.’” Gillespie said.
"Instead, the gunman passed him, continuing to shoot, he said. Eventually, there was a lull in the shots, and Gillespie said he stood and ran for the exit, through the shattered glass, jumping over a colleague who he believed was dead as another shot rang out in his direction. Once outside, he ran to a nearby bank, where he screamed for people to call the cops." . . .

Capital Gazette shooting victim Rebecca Smith:   "Rebecca Smith was a recent hire at the Capital Gazette but had already proved herself a valuable asset.
"Smith, 34, a sales assistant, worked in the news organization’s office in Annapolis. She was one of the five people who were shot and killed Thursday afternoon.
Her boss, Capital Gazette advertising director Marty Padden, said she made sure the sales office ran smoothly.
“ 'She was a very thoughtful person,” Padden said. “She was kind and considerate, and willing to help when needed. She seemed to really enjoy to be working in the media business.” . . .


Rob Hiaasen, journalist killed in Maryland newsroom shooting, had deep South Florida ties

"Hiaasen, 59, had worked as a columnist and editor for the Capital Gazette in Annapolis since 2010. But his connections to South Florida were lifelong. He grew up with his brother, Miami Herald columnist and author Carl Hiaasen, in the Fort Lauderdale area and worked at the Palm Beach Post in the 1990s." . . .



Capital Gazette shooting victim Gerald Fischman: Clever and quirky voice of a community newspaper  . . ."Fischman’s personality was so quiet and withdrawn that it hid the brilliant mind, wry wit and “wicked pen” that his colleagues would treasure.
"For more than 25 years, Fischman was the conscience and voice of the Annapolis news organization, writing scathing, insightful and always exacting editorials about the community.
He was the guardian against libel, the arbiter of taste and a peculiar and endearing figure in a newsroom full of characters.

Capital Gazette shooting victim John McNamara: Sports reporting was his dream "John McNamara was toiling as a news copy editor at the Capital Gazette when he left to pursue his dream: sports reporting.
"He honed his skills at the Prince George’s Journal, a competitor to the Annapolis news organization. Within a few years, the Capital Gazette hired him back. He would work there for nearly 24 years.
"McNamara, 56, was one of five staff members who was shot to death at the Capital Gazette on Thursday." . . .


Capital Gazette shooting victim Wendi Winters: A prolific writer who chronicled her community  . . .  "After a career in fashion and public relations in New York City, the 65-year-old mother of four moved to Maryland 20 years ago and began stringing for the Annapolis news organization. She soon built a reputation as a prolific freelance reporter and well-known community resource.
"The Edgewater woman was one of five Capital Gazette staff members killed in the shootings Thursday.
"Her daughter Winters Geimer said the family was gathering late Thursday." . . .

The Capital Gazette web site.

At this hour the names of the wounded could not be found.

Dan Rather Goes To Smack Trump, Ends Up Giving Him Possible Campaign Slogan

Daily Wire  "Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather tried to attack President Donald Trump at the start of the week and ended up giving him a possible campaign slogan to use, calling him "mean as a wolverine.' " . . .

Lean and mean as a Wolverine!

The Maryland shooter

An idiot who killed over a personal grievance, after the paper, accurately, reported on him.  . . . "So for the liberals who immediately jumped on it and said it had to be a white male Trump supporter who hated the media, wrong again."

Capital Gazette Shooter Identified: 39-Year-Old JARROD RAMOS

Authorities have identified the Capital Gazette shooter using facial recognition software.His name is Jarrod Ramos; he is 39 [maybe 38] years old, according to NBC.Law enforcement is now telling media sources the shooter previously sued the Capital Gazette for defamation.NBC News: The shooting suspect’s name is JARROD RAMOS. 38 years old. He was identified by multiple law enforcement officials to NBC News. He had sued the paper in 2012 for defamation. Case was tossed by a judge. @Tom_Winter @MSNBC

 CBS Evening News

‏Verified account @CBSEveningNews

"This individual had some type of vendetta against the Capital newspaper and they were specifically targeted," law enforcement says. https://cbsn.ws/2KebFLw 

He sued the paper a few years ago for defamation and it was later overturned by an appellate court:

Jarrod Ramos of Laurel made the defamation claim in Prince George’s County Circuit Court in 2012 after a 2011 column by then-Capital staff writer Eric Hartley about Ramos’ guilty plea to criminal harassment.
Prince George’s Circuit Court Judge Maureen M. Lamasney dismissed Ramos’ claim in 2013, saying the article was based on public records and Ramos presented no evidence it was inaccurate.
Ramos, who represented himself, appealed the decision to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, which upheld Lamasney’s ruling in an opinion filed Thursday. Source: Capital Gazette

 Posted by Dell Cameron

Scrubbing Laura Ingalls Wilder Is A Dangerous Step Toward Ignorance

The Federalist

Pretending things that make us uncomfortable never happened isn’t going to make America better, or make American children more informed.

"Few people are unfamiliar with the Little House on the Prairie book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her simple retellings of her childhood memories of life in the big woods of Wisconsin, to the prairie of the Dakota territories, to her life as a married frontier wife have captured the imaginations of generations of readers.

"Wilder’s stories of her family’s journey west in a covered wagon, the careful details of the minutiae of their daily lives, and her descriptions of an America most commonly seen in history books should, without question, cement her place in history as a talented and important author. Wilder’s books also have served to introduce children for decades to disability issues, specifically blindness, and are an important look at the positive difference a supportive family can make for people with special needs. The enduring nature of her work is a testimony to her ability to write, and that talent and ability to capture reader’s minds and hearts led the Associate for Library Service to Children to name a literary award after her in 1952. Now her presence has been stripped from the the award, which has been renamed the Children’s Literature Legacy Award.

"Wilder’s removal came after repeated rounds of criticism that her books, written about her girlhood in the 1800s, contained racist and offensive characterizations most commonly of Native Americans. These complaints started in the 50s with a reader writing into Harper, the publisher of Wilder’s books, about sentences that she disagreed with. The publisher responded by rewording sections. These gentle rewordings quelled critiques until more recently, when statutes and school names became battle grounds for removing the presence of people with problematic parts of their history. No longer can Confederate leaders of the past have any public monuments. Their part in the Civil War renders them best forgotten, ripped from places where their names and images could remind people of uncomfortable parts of history. And here is where Wilder’s name and image are now being stripped away." . . .

 What is the origin of this movement to delete America's history as a nation? This smacks too much of Stalin's regime airbrushing banished (or murdered) officials out of Soviet photos.  

New Socialist Darling Caught Celebrating With Known Anti-Semite And Racist

Daily Caller

"Oh my, this guy is a definite loony toon. Which says a lot about her, if her being a socialist didn’t already say enough." Weasel Zippers

"Democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stunned the political world and rank-in-file Democrats by defeating incumbent Joe Crowley in Tuesday’s New York primary. The Ocasio-Cortez win signaled the growing swing leftward for national Democrats, a party undergoing a power struggle and identity crisis after Trump’s election victory in 2016. The platform Ocasio-Cortez ran on was deeply progressive, calling on the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, nationalized health care, universal jobs guarantee and getting America to 100 percent green energy.

"However, footage reveals that Ocasio-Cortez also has associates with regressive views.

"One of Ocasio-Cortez’s most enthusiastic campaigners and a man who stood behind her at her victory party, Thomas Lopez-Pierre, is a known anti-Semite and racist. Lopez-Pierre has regularly used slurs against Jewish and black New Yorkers in public forums and while running for office himself.

"While running for office in 2017, Lopez-Pierre specifically campaigned on “protecting tenants from greedy Jewish landlords.” Lopez-Pierre’s own campaign website shows his rantings agains(sp) “Greedy Jewish Landlords.” His campaign website applauds the arrest of “Greedy Jewish Landlords” and says that “Jewish Landlords” are “punishing” black and Hispanic families." . . .

Turns out this guy is a simple party-crasher and nothing more.