MRC"In the latest season of Netflix's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, released July 19, Ricky Gervais joined Jerry Seinfeld for two episodes. During this time, they reflected on the nature of comedy in today's easily offended culture that isn't so convinced about free speech. Ironically enough, they also told a joke that is making headlines for, you guessed it, being offensive.
"First, the "controversy." Early in the third episode, "China Maybe? Part 1," Ricky shared with Jerry that he loves New York, and Jerry makes a joke. It's two comedians in a car together with a camera on them, so that seems fairly predictable, right? What was interesting was that they're immediately aware that, although the joke was meant in fun, they would be excoriated for it on the internet and even discussed editing it out of the episode." . . .
. . . They knew people would comment and take the joke out of context, but they went for it.
Ricky Gervais doesn't really care much what the mob thinks, anyway. Over the past few days, he's been taken to task for standing up for women who refuse to wax the testicles of trans women. Seriously. Actually, he very much enjoyed NewsBusters' own coverage of the story.
"Pretty funny how life is aligning perfectly with the show, isn't it?"
National Review"House speaker Nancy Pelosi downplayed her differences with progressive freshman congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after a private meeting Friday. “It went very well,” Pelosi said. “I don’t think we have that many differences.” "Pelosi said they did not discuss Ocasio-Cortez’s recent remark suggesting the speaker was singling out female colleagues of color for criticism. "“I have meetings with members all the time,” Pelosi told reporters. “We covered a range of issues in our conversation particular to the congresswoman’s committees.” "The apparently amicable meeting comes after a tiff earlier this month between Pelosi and Representatives Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley, the four progressive first-term congresswomen of color nicknamed “the Squad.” The dispute started after the four voted against an emergency border-aid bill brought to the floor by leadership, saying they wanted to see more protections for migrants in the measure. “ 'All these people have their public whatever and their Twitter world,” Pelosi said after the bill passed. “But they didn’t have any following. They’re four people, and that’s how many votes they got.” . . .
"It turns out that taking a page from ISIS to make a point about the president is a bit too much to stomach for even many of the angriest Americans."
'toons added by TD
PJ Media "In the days, weeks, and months following Donald Trump's election and inauguration, liberal America took its collective mind, threw it in a Vitamix, and poured it down the toilet. It has been lost and floating around in a sewer of rage ever since. "One of the more notable Trump Derangement Syndrome meltdowns back then was publicly offered by comedian Kathy Griffin, who infamously posted a picture of her with a mock, blood-covered, severed head of President Trump. "The stunt was so beyond the pale that even the notorious Trump-hating execs at CNNsevered the network's professional relationship with her. She also lost an endorsement gig with "Squatty Potty," and the world is probably a better place for it. "The Los Angeles Times recently ran a profileon Griffin, detailing her professional woes of the past couple of years, as well as promoting a new documentary about her travails. "Griffin paints a pretty bleak picture of the treatment she is getting from Hollywood these days:
“I’m still totally blacklisted,” she said the other day, sitting in a red dress and taking stock of how a woman who starred on Bravo’s “My Life on the D-List” fell precipitously to the “S” list. “No agency will touch me. No network will touch me. No streaming service will touch me. Nobody. And yet, I’m an earner. I’ve made them all money, and I’ll make them money again. I have to dig myself out of this hole.”
"Although Griffin's old show said she was on the "D-List," her career has actually been a pretty good one. "And even though she says she has been "totally blacklisted" she is booking and being paid for live gigs. Still, she was a much hotter commodity before her stunt and the professional effects are enduring:" . . .
2017: Crybully Kathy Griffin Tries to Become a Victim of Her Sick Photo Shoot . . . "This is what the double standard of the Left looks like. Attack someone, receive some pushback (like all your upcoming jobs canceling on you) and start crying that you're the victim of a hate campaign. If I didn't know better, I would think that Griffin was a paid provocateur meant to take down the entire leftist movement. She has done more to rip the mask off the beast than anyone in the history of politics. Good job, Kathy!" . . .
National Review"Ding-Dong! The witch hunt is dead! "After nearly three years, Russiagate is lifeless, and Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III killed it. "The former FBI director’sstumbling, stammeringappearances Wednesday before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees provided a rare moment of bipartisanship. Democrats and Republicans were shocked to see the Vietnam War hero, Purple Heart recipient, and veteran federal lawman as adrift as a helium balloon in a hurricane as hestruggled to answermany questions about the Mueller report and dodged others. Thursday’sNew York Postsummed it up: “Bumbling Bob Bombs.” "Early on, Mueller called the president “Trimp.” Congressmen reminded him six times to speak into the microphone. He looked lost while navigating a three-ring binder stuffed with his eponymous missive’s 448 pages. Mueller asked48 timesfor questions to be repeated and evaded198 queries. Passages of Mueller’s report sounded like breaking news to him. Late in the day, hegrasped fruitlesslyfor a synonym for “collusion” for 28 seconds until Representative Peter Welch (D., Vt.) suggested “conspiracy.” This word should roll like a tater tot off any G-man’s tongue. “ 'Much as I hate to say it, this morning’s hearing was a disaster,” Harvard Law professor and Trump foe Laurence Tribe conceded via Twitter. “Far from breathing life into his damning report, the tired Robert Mueller sucked the life out of it.” Obama’s campaign strategist David Axelrod simply said, “This is very, very painful.” "Gaffes aside, the substance of Mueller’s statements shot holes into his own report, like Al Capone emptying a machine gun." . . .
The Daily Beast “Russia conspiracy was great for ratings among the key demographic of empty nesters on the coasts with too much time on their hands,” she said.
A former longtime MSNBC anchor lashed out this week at her former employer over its coverage of the Russia investigation.
"In a Thursday segment on The Hill’s online streaming service, Krystal Ball, the former host of MSNBC’s now-cancelled midday show The Cycle, admonished the network for its incessant coverage of the Russia investigation.
“ 'MSNBC built segment after segment, show after show on building anticipation for a big reveal when we would learn the true depths of Trump's fealty and direct conspiracy with Putin,” she said." . . .
Tom Tancredo "As usual, the dustup about the census including a question about citizenship has nothing to do with what the loony left claims as their motivation to exclude it. They say it’s all about being sensitive to the hurt feelings and paranoia of people who are illegally present in the U.S. And, by the way, asking the question it is not a Donald Trump trick to ferret out those folks who are hiding under their blankets, afraid that the next knock on the door will be the jackbooted ICE agents, come to drag them from their beds and put them on boxcars headed for concentration camps.
"A brief history lesson here. The Constitution of the United States directs the President to conduct a Census every ten years, and that has been done without controversy since 1790. And with rare exceptions, the question on citizenship has been part of it from the beginning. Yet, its inclusion in the 2020 Census has become controversial. The reasons for the opposition to the citizenship question tell us a lot about the declining health of our American constitutional republic.
"The vehement opposition to the 2020 Census question on citizenship is a symptom of a deep divide in the body politic, a chasm that only grows wider and deeper as politicians postpone a decision over the meaning of the Constitution's opening words, "We the People.' " . . .
. . . "As Schwartz commented in a later tweet, keep all of this in mind as you watch CNN;s coverage of Israel. Or, as James Earl Jones sonorously intones on CNN’s air so often, “THIS is CNN….”
The voice of Darth Vader seems serendipitous Thomas Lifson"In the space of two days, tweets by 2 CNN staffers have been brought to light that seem to express horrific sentiments about Jews. One of the staffers, CNN photo editor Mohammed Elshamy, “resigned” from CNN. The other, Karim Farid, who appears on CNN’s Arabic service, is claiming that his tweets have been taken out of context and is defending himself. There is no formal indication that he has left the network." . . . Mr. Lifson provides us with another source on this: Another CNN Personality’s Antisemitic Tweets Unearthed: ‘I Love You Hitler’ "Another CNN personality who was presenting on the CNN Arabic network as recently as last week appears to have expressed a series of antisemitic sentiments on Twitter, even praising Hitler. This follows the recent resignationof a CNN editor, whose past antisemitic statements surfaced Thursday afternoon.
"Kareem Farid heads up a digital tech show on CNN Arabic. He began in January 2019, according to his LinkedIn profile. He is also listed as the “Lead of Storytelling and Video Production at APCO Worldwide.”
"On Friday, tweets surfaced, showing Farid writing, “I love you Hitler” and commending the Nazi dictator for “his determination to reach his goal.' ” . . .
The old "out of context" card will be played in three...two...
Free Beacon"PHILADELPHIA—A Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee compared Jewish Israeli settlers to termites on Monday while speaking at an event sponsored by an anti-Israel organization that supports boycotts of the Jewish state.
"Rep. Hank Johnson (D., Ga.) launched into a tirade against Israel and its policies toward the Palestinians, comparing Jewish people who live in disputed territories to "termites" that destroy homes. Johnson also compared Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, a remark that drew vocal agreement from those in the room.
" 'There has been a steady [stream], almost like termites can get into a residence and eat before you know that you’ve been eaten up and you fall in on yourself, there has been settlement activity that has marched forward with impunity and at an ever increasing rate to the point where it has become alarming," Johnson said during an event sponsored by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, an anti-Israel organization that galvanizes supporters of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, or BDS." . . .
Rep Johnson is one of those great minds in Washington who oversees our Armed Services. He takes part in discussing our Marines being garrisoned on Guam:
Washington Post "Everyone’s favorite soccer star Megan Rapinoe is quickly becoming a favorite pick in Fantasy Political Football — despite her own thoughts on the matter. "Presidential candidate Gov. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) made a whopper of a campaign promise on Saturday: If he makes it to the White House, he will ask the U.S. women’s national team co-captain to serve as the country’s secretary of state. “ 'My first act will be to ask Megan Rapinoe to be my secretary of state. I haven’t asked her yet so this could be a surprise to her,”Inslee said at the progressive Netroots Nation conference in Philadelphia. The governor explained that he wanted a secretary of state that leads with “love rather than hate*.” . . . Like this?
. . . “ 'I actually believe this, because what I think what she has said that has inspired us so much is such an antithesis of the president’s foreign policies,” said Inslee, who isn’t the first politician to throw Rapinoe’s jersey in the political ring. When Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) dropped out of the 2020 presidential race last week, he joked that Rapinoe would have his support if she chose to run for the White House.“I think she turns 35 next July,” Swalwell quipped. "Rapinoe certainly fits that bill for some. She has publicly clashed with President Trump, who she has said “excludes people who look like me and are me.” During her much-discussed speech at last week’s FIFA Women’s World Cup ticker-tape parade in New York, Rapinoe challenged the assembled crowd to “be better.' ” . . . *Emphasis mine, TD: "Love rather than hate"? Jay Inslee ranked as the absolute worst governor on taxing, spending"As Governor Jay Inslee embarks on his inevitable unsuccessful presidential campaign, seeming to spend more time out of Washington than in it, a new report rates him as the worst Governor in the country when it comes to fiscal policy. Literally the worst." . . . And his Secretary of State who will interact with world leaders?Megan Rapinoe’s antics and foul language"Reading about Megan Rapinoe’s antics and foul language directed at President Trump and the disrespect that she showed during the playing of the national anthem, proves that she is a bitter recalcitrant toddler. "She missed an opportunity to meet the president and state her concerns face to face. Instead, she chose to spew obscenities and show bad behavior and the leftist media was only too happy to coddle her. She cannot be taken seriously and I am saddened that her team members did not call her out for her childish behavior that tainted their accomplishments." Sports columnists and left-wing pundits have also speculated that Rapinoe’s potential political endorsements could move the needle on the left while Trump is in the White House if she decides to get involved in politics.
“I’m not going to the f**king White House,” Rapinoe told Eight By Eight. “No, I’m not going to the White House. We’re not going to be invited. I doubt it.”
"For the first time in my life, I did not root for an American team. Whatever the sport, I have always rooted American. And if those who called in to my radio show were representative of my audience, many millions of Americans made the same sad choice. "It takes a lot for people like me not to root for an American team. But Megan Rapinoe, the foul-mouthed star of the team, and her fellow players made it possible. "The U.S. women’s team disgraced itself. Either its members were cowed into submission by Rapinoe or they agreed (or, at least, never disagreed) with her attacks on the president, her reference to the White House as the “f—ing White House,” her refusal since 2016 to participate in the national anthem, and her repeatedly shouting during the team’s parade in New York City, “New York, you’re the motherf—ing best!” "For example, Rapinoe said, “Every member of the team that I have talked to would not go” to the White House. "Rapinoe is a great soccer player. Other than that, she is unimpressive. She comes across as arrogant, a fool, and a lowlife." . . . . . . . . . "With their politicization of their victory, their expletive-filled speech, and their publicly expressed contempt for half their fellow citizens, the women of the U.S. women’s soccer team succeeded in endearing themselves to America’s Left. But they earned the rest of the country’s disdain, which is sad. We really wanted to love the team. "What we have here is yet another example of perhaps the most important fact in the contemporary world: Everything the Left touches it ruins."
Are this current generation and its millennials not capable of seeing the evil infecting our culture?
Police as targets"Recently, three extremely disturbing events involving police as targets show that American society is rapidly approaching a state of anarchy.
"The events, all captured on video, took place in various New York neighborhood: on Monday, July 22, 2019, in Brooklyn and Harlem, and on Wednesday, July 24, 2019, in the Bronx.
"The incident in Brooklyn, captured in a 19-second video, shows bucketsfull of water hurled towards cops, and a cop hit with a bucket while making an arrest, as onlookers watch, laugh and prance in glee.
. . .
“ 'This looks like it’s becoming a disgusting trend,” said one police source after the Bronx incident.
"Back in those years, Republican Mayor (1994-2001) Rudolph Giuliani was successfully applying the broken windows theory, according to which targeting minor crimes prevents more serious crimes. Broken windows policing has become associated with the use of “stop-and-frisk” police practice, which caused significant drops in crime rate in New York City.
"But those days are long gone. The current Democrat Mayor (since 2014), Bill de Blasio, has been consistently applying a hands-off approach to perpetrators. He ended the stop-and-frisk practice, while in public speeches he vilifies the police and victimizes the thugs for political expediency.
"Anti-police rhetoric characterizes also many Democrat presidential contenders, like Kamala Harris and Julian Castro, who don’t blame “the few bad apples” but advocate instead for the whole system to be reformed." . . . Much of this was begun during the Obama administration but the soil was nurtured during the Vietnam protests. Rudy Guiliani discusses Obama's role in this at the 2016 Democrat convention. TD
"Logically, this anti-police approach has immediate effects and longer-term effects. Immediate effects include non-intervention of police in violent protests and drops in police recruitment rate.
"On June 29, 2019, a clash with the left-leaning militant group of Antifa in Portland, Oregon, left conservative writer Andy Ngo with a brain hemorrhage, while police didn’t intervene. Instead, officers told him they wouldn’t approach the aggressors because it could incite the crowd. Portland police and city Mayor (since 2017) Ted Wheeler (another Democrat) have received national criticism of how the demonstrations were handled after videos and photos of Ngo being attacked went viral.
"Also, studies show a decrease in the number of police officers by 11 percent, and that, nationally, 66 percent of police departments report seeing declining numberof applications.
"Long-term effects will show erosion of public authority in society and a spiral down toward anarchy." . . .
Former MSNBC host admits the network got deep into Russia conspiracy theories and damaged the Dems"In the wake of the Robert Mueller testimony debacle, a few leftists are starting to honestly assess the damage the abortive effort to swing a presidential election and then enact a coup is doing to the Democrats. And to reckon with the role that the Trump-hating media played in pushing an effort whose backlash is only beginning to unfold, as the investigation of the investigators is using grand juries in secret to identify the laws that were broken by those who mobilized the intelligence and law enforcement apparatus of the federal government to spy on a presidential campaign and oust the victor from office.
"Naturally, nobody still earning a paycheck from a guilty media organization is willing to fess up yet, but an ex-host on MSNBC, Krystal Ball, now employed by Hill TV is. In a six-minute segment on Hill TV yesterday, Ms. Ball unburdened herself:"
Time for Democrats to give up on the impeachment thing"Maybe Speaker Pelosi is the happiest woman in Washington. She can remind the "impeach Democrats" that impeachment won't get to first base. Maybe she can, but the "squad" will be hard to discipline.
To be sure, since the Democrats now control the House they had to do something to force Mueller to testify. The Squad and the Justice Democrats wing of the party forced that course of action. Now, they essentially must press forward on impeachment since the Mueller Report punted to Congress. If they don’t press forward on impeachment, they’re essentially admitting they know that everything they’ve said for the past two and a half years is b-------. With a number of Dems in swing districts unable to vote for impeachment, even that will likely fail, and will only make the shriekers look even more unhinged. . . .
"We can’t let the Mueller fiasco be forgotten. This was really dangerous, almost beyond imagination."
"But emotion is not the way to assess what we saw. It’s not an overstatement to say that the Hillary-DNC-Fusion GPS-Steele operation, as embraced by influential members of the FBI and possibly intelligence services, compounded by leaks to and collusion of a willing media, came close to undermining a presidential election before and after Election Day.
"In many ways the Mueller testimony confirmed our worst fears that the Mueller Investigation was the Mueller Investigation in name only, that it was run the way the pre-Mueller investigation of Trump was run — by people with a political agenda to override the 2016 election result, or at least to make sure it didn’t happen again in 2020. It’s a theme we’ve covered here pretty much since the Inauguration.
Whether Robert Mueller was a mere figurehead or in control, he was a participant. So while he was a sorry figure in the congressional hearings, and his appearance did substantial damage to Democrat and media plans, the gravity of what happened should not be lessened. It almost worked.
"The media, of course, was a full participant in what happened. Just when you thought the major organizations who control almost all of popular and social media couldn’t get any worse, they do. This all takes place while high tech companies put the thumb on the scale by penalizing non-liberal content.
"After Mueller had testified for several hours, and it was clear that it was a disaster for Democrats and the media, I was asked by someone who works in the neighborhood, knows about this website, and is a big Trump supporter, how it was going. We talked about the hearings for a little while, since he was unable to watch, then he asked me: “Do you still have hope?”
"That simple question somewhat set me aback." . . .
We’re doing construction at the house. The contractors we’re using told me they’ve never seen the economy this strong, that they can’t hire enough people for all the work they could get. Some of the workers blasted Rush Limbaugh on the radio. I smiled.
We saw how these democrats and their allies laughed over "destroying Justice Kavanaugh's life". What compassion would they possibly feel toward their tool, Robert Mueller? Perhaps in their last days, they will feel deep sorrow and regret over what they have become, but what good does that do for our nation now? TD Mueller was Weissmann's Sock Puppet "Robert Mueller was revealed to be an empty suit during his feeble performance before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees on Wednesday, unable to answer questions on a report that it became painfully clear he could not defend because he did not write it. The true author is likely longtime associate Andrew Weissmann, often called Mueller’s “pit bull,” who perhaps should also have the title of Mueller’s “Rasputin.” As Rep. Louis Gohmert, one of Mueller’s questioners, told Tucker Carlson Wednesday night:" . . . Robert S. Mueller: An epitaph"The Robert Mueller hearing delivered two shockwaves. First, the extent of Mueller's mental deterioration was revealed — highlighting so many pressing issues for the I.G. and Durham teams to explore. Second, it exposed the Left's role in conducting this grand, sweeping deception — this two-year-long ventriloquism act — known as the Mueller Investigation or Mueller Report. They broadly conspired to prop up this enfeebled man so that his reputation — deserved or not — would lend legitimacy to their witch hunt." . . .
