If the left can't find racism, they'll make it up

Ben Shapiro wrote of this in 2014:

 . . . "Two years ago, she told David Letterman about the same incident:

I thought I was undercover. I have to tell you something about this trip though. No one knew that was me because a woman actually walked up to me, right? I was in the detergent aisle, and she said — I kid you not — she said, ‘Excuse me, I just have to ask you something,’ and I thought, ‘Oh, cover’s blown.’ She said, ‘Can you reach on that shelf and hand me the detergent?’  I kid you not…And the only thing she said — I reached up, ’cause she was short, and I reached up, pulled it down — she said, ‘Well, you didn’t have to make it look so easy.’ That was my interaction. I felt so good. ... She had no idea who I was. I thought, as soon as she walked up — I was with my assistant, and I said, ‘This is it, it’s over. We’re going to have to leave.’ She just needed the detergent.

"Being asked to take things off shelves as a taller woman is the new Jim Crow. 

"Charming and funny two years ago. Racism now." Life is better for a victim.

Target Customer Asks Michelle Obama For Help; First Lady Believes Request Was Racially Motivated   "A Target customer asked Michelle Obama to help her grab an item during a trip to the mega retailer back in 2011. In an interview with People Magazine, the First Lady talks about her own experiences as a black woman and why she believes the customer’s simple request may have been influenced by racial stereotypes.

"In her highly publicized Target trip, Michelle Obama said that not a single customer approached her other than one woman who asked her to grab an item off the shelf for her. The First Lady believes that despite being the wife of the Commander-in-Chief, people will always see her first as a helping hand due to the color of her skin.

"In the same interview, Michelle Obama also talks about similar incidents with her husband and how he was once mistaken for a valet when he wore a tux for a black-tie event." . . .

"The interview has quickly drawn comments from people on both sides of the aisle. Supporters believe the First Lady is merely echoing a truth that white Americans will never and often refuse to understand. Critics, however, is bashing her for making the issue about race. Numerous commenters have pointed out that Michelle Obama stands at 5’11” and anyone at that height would get asked by a shorter person to grab an item off a high shelf for them. Many have also pointed to their own experiences of being asked to grab something from a shelf despite not being black.

"Whether you believe a Target customer asking Michelle Obama for help reaching an item is racist or not, it is certainly one of those stories that create a heavily opinionated debate on a highly sensitive topic.

House Democrats Introduce Five Articles of Impeachment Against Trump

"Pelosi said on Nov. 5 that impeachment is "not some place I think we should go," and she denied the idea that Democrats would immediately impeach Trump if they win a House majority in the 2018 midterm elections."

Free Beacon

"House Democrats introduced five articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying they took the action because of their "great concern" for the country.

"Reps. Steve Cohen (D., Tenn.), Luis Gutierrez (D., Ill.), Al Green (D., Texas), and Adriano Espaillat (D., N.Y.) spoke at a press conference outlining their support for a move that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) has publicly opposed.

" '[We've] taken this action because of great concern for the country and our Constitution, our national security, and our democracy. We believe that President Trump has violated the Constitution, and we've introduced five articles of impeachment," said Cohen, who went on to outline them.

"The first article states that Trump obstructed justice by firing FBI Director James Comey in May, and the others allege various violations of the Emoluments Clause, undermining the judiciary, and undermining freedom of the press.

"Cohen said Trump has shown a "pattern of behavior" that belittles institutions important to American democracy." . . .

With Maxine Waters in the shadows? No no.
Video: Maxine Waters Leads ‘Impeach 45’ Chant At Glamour’s Women Of The Year Awards

President Brown of the People's Republic of California speaks boldly

California Gov. Jerry Brown took the anti-Trump resistance to the Vatican over the weekend, declaring that the world is in need of a so-called “brainwashing” on climate change.

. . . "In an appearance Saturday at an event organized by the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Mr. Brown assured leaders that the “Trump factor” on climate change is minimal compared to the efforts taking place worldwide, but that it’s not the only problem fueling delusions on the climate threat, The Sacramento Beereported.

“ 'The Trump factor is very small, very small indeed,” the Democratic governor, who has been a vocal opponent of the president’s actions on climate change, said to applause. “That’s nothing to cheer about, because if it was only Trump that was a problem, we’d have it solved. But that’s not our only problem.

“ 'The problem … is us,” he continued, The Bee reported. “It’s our whole way of life. It’s our comfort … It’s the greed. It’s the indulgence. It’s the pattern. And it’s the inertia.

“ 'At the highest circles, people still don’t get it,” he said. “It’s not just a light rinse” that’s needed. “We need a total, I might say ‘brainwashing.’ " . . .

Moonbeam Jerry Brown calls for brainwashing, getting ever cultier "For Jerry Brown, it was never about science.  Or, for that matter, spirituality.

"On confronting global warming, it's all about coercive government power:" . . .

NYT Column: I Believe, And Am 'Haunted' By, Juanita Broaddrick's Rape Accusation Against Bill Clinton

"But Clinton was not left to the swift and pitiless justice that today’s accused men have experienced. Rather, he was rescued by a surprising force: machine feminism." 

" . . .contemporary feminism as a weaponized auxiliary of the Democratic Party."

Guy Benson

"We touched on this issue yesterday, highlighting a tweet from alleged Clinton rape victim Juanita Broaddrick in response to the Left's "believe women" mantra vis-a-vis Roy Moore -- as well as a tweet from an MSNBC host exhorting liberals to finally engage in a "real reckoning" over multiple accusations of sexual misconduct and assault against America's 42nd president.  Taking up that charge, a liberal writer penned a New York Times piece entitled, "I believe Juanita."  She writes that she finds some claims against Clinton dubious (glossing over the highly relevant fact that Clinton paid Paula Jones a $850,000 settlement in 1999, which would be worth more than $1.2 million in 2017 dollars), and that she abhors right-wing "bad faith" on these issues (seeking consistency isn't bad faith or 'whataboutism').  Nevertheless, she confesses that Ms. Broaddrick's consistent rape charge against Clinton has always 'haunted' her:

Of the Clinton accusers, the one who haunts me is Broaddrick. The story she tells about Clinton recalls those we’ve heard about Weinstein. She claimed they had plans to meet in a hotel coffee shop, but at the last minute he asked to come up to her hotel room instead, where he raped her. Five witnesses said she confided in them about the assault right after it happened. It’s true that she denied the rape in an affidavit to Paula Jones’s lawyers, before changing her story when talking to federal investigators. But her explanation, that she didn’t want to go public but couldn’t lie to the F.B.I., makes sense. Put simply, I believe her...One of the sick ironies of the 2016 campaign was that it was Hillary who had to pay the political price for Bill’s misdeeds, as they were trotted out to deflect attention from Trump’s well-documented transgressions. And now they’re being trotted out again. It’s fair to conclude that because of Broaddrick’s allegations, Bill Clinton no longer has a place in decent society.

"Even I had forgotten the detail about five witnesses contemporaneously corroborating her story.  Another aspect of the Clinton scandals that is receiving renewed attention is the lengths to which so-called feminists rallied to the president's cause, smearing alleged victims in order to protect a liberal president (content warning):" . . .  All emphases in the original. TD

Drip, drip: Bill Clinton's reckoning nears

'Mooring' Bill Clinton

The Democrats are devious, even using the actual crime as a defense that their shallow supporters will accept eagerly. As when they were exposed for renting out the historic Lincoln bedroom, Bill claimed it was necessary because of the pressure to raise monies for the political campaign and they were victims of the system; now they would be the leaders of finance reform. On subsquent occasions they would refer to themselves as campaign finance reformers! TD

The Shame of America’s Public High Schools

John Hinderaker at Power Line  "I wrote here, here, here (a video of a speech by me), here and here about the sad decline of the Edina, Minnesota public schools into hard-core leftism. Edina’s school district was once among the nation’s most respected, but its administrators have been content to see the district slide down to second or third tier status, because their sole priority is “racial equity,” which is code for a long list of left-wing hobby horses.

"What happens when a public school district falls into the hands of race-obsessed leftists? For one thing, students think it’s cool to disrespect America’s veterans. Last Friday, Veterans’ Day, Edina High School held a ceremony to honor Edina’s vets. The high school kids assembled, and most of them behaved properly. But many did not. Some giggled and talked loudly, among themselves or on their cell phones, through the ceremony. Worse, a group of students made a deliberate show of disrespecting veterans–even during the playing of “Taps”–by lounging prominently on the floor in front of the crowd rather than standing. This was an anti-American political statement, as some of them later confirmed on Facebook and other social media.

"Here is the video:"

. . . "So now, as the dust settles, are the Edina schools cracking down on the fascist students who issued threats behind a mask, or the students who disavowed allegiance to America and referred to fellow students as “females on their periods,” “some bitches” and “that ho over there”?

"Just kidding. Superintendent Schultz says that he appreciates the anti-American demonstrators because they protested “peacefully,” if contemptuously. Tonight, there are multiple reports that Edina High School is cracking down on conservative students because they dared to criticize the anti-American, anti-veteran display that took place on Friday. Suspensions have been reported, although these have not yet been confirmed. On the other hand, we have seen no reports of any actions being taken against the anti-American demonstrators or the fascists who posted the threatening video." . . .

Cal Thomas warns about mixing politics, religion

Greg Corombos

'There's a lot of effort in this country to get evangelicals off their focus on Jesus of Nazareth'

"Are politically active Christians a critical force in changing public policy toward a more biblical perspective, or are they getting drawn into ugly political infighting that distracts them from sharing the gospel and ultimately damages their witness to unbelievers? America’s most widely syndicated columnist fears it’s the latter.

"In his latest column, longtime conservative activist and writer Cal Thomas says many Christian conservatives get so immersed in politics, they become convinced they are indispensable to God’s plans.

“ 'There is an unstated conceit among some evangelicals that God is only at work when a Republican is elected, even a Republican who does not share their view of Jesus, or practice what He taught. It is the ultimate compromise, which leads to the corruption and dilution of a message more powerful than what government and politics offer,” writes Thomas.

"In an separate interview, Thomas says the endless flurry of controversies and scandals keeps believers away from their primary mission.

“ 'The first thing we learn about Satan in scripture is not that he’s evil – that comes later – but that he’s subtle or crafty. And I think there’s a lot of effort in this country to get evangelicals especially off their focus on Jesus of Nazareth and onto the kingdom of this world,” said Thomas.

"While the debate plays out over the allegations against Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, some Christians in Alabama have used scripture to defend Moore even if he did engage in sexual contact with a 14-year-old, with the state’s auditor comparing the alleged relationship to Mary and Joseph and other likening the offense to stealing a lawn mower.

"Because of the political, cultural and moral issues at stake, Thomas says many believers they have no choice but to vote for Moore no matter the facts from 38 years ago. Thomas disagrees." . . .

ABC Highlights Dad Who Used Gun to Save Daughter from Kidnappers

Newsbusters  "On Tuesday's Good Morning America on ABC, there was a rare example of the dominant media actually taking the time to inform viewers of someone using a gun for self-defense as news reader Amy Robach filed a report about a man who saved himself and his daughter from home invaders after they attempted to kidnap his daughter as she arrived home."

. . . "He told ABC News that when he stepped outside he spotted two people attempting to break into his garage.

"That's when I yelled at them and fired three shots with my glock, and they took off running," he said. "It was at that point that I went back in my house and called 911."

"Brackney said that when authorities arrived at the scene and uncovered the weapons, he began to realize the magnitude of the situation.

" 'At that point is when I got scared, because I knew then that what was going to happen wasn't going to end up pretty had they ended up in my home," he said.

"Brackney said that he was shocked to eventually find out that he knew two of the teens allegedly involved." . . .

America's warrior-monk: Right man at the right place at the right time

Russ Vaughn  "The Daily Caller is reporting that Army veteran David Brown was visiting the graves of fallen friends in Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans' Day when he spotted a lone but familiar figure also visiting the graves in Section 60, which is where recent casualties are being interred.  That other visitor was secretary of defense James Mattis, a retired four-star Marine general.

Brown chronicled his encounter with Mattis in a viral Facebook post, noting that he himself was visiting the graves of two of his fallen friends in combat when "I met a lone man walking the stones at Section 60." He continued that he watched Mattis "listen patiently to stories from surviving friends and family members. An old man visiting his Marine son's grave told Mattis that he was his boy's hero; the Warrior Monk smiled sadly and said that the old man's son was one of his."

"That put a lump in the throat of this old Vietnam vet, and I silently thanked Donald Trump for selecting this tough but eloquent warrior to lead our military forces.  In my 76 years, I have never heard a similar vignette about any other SecDef.  This one is, in my opinion, most assuredly, the right man in the right place at the right time.  I can't possibly add anything further except to ask this question:

"How many members of Congress were in the cemetery when the general uttered those soulful words?"

Keurig's CEO apologizes for 'taking sides' as conservatives smash its machines to defend Sean Hannity

Business Insider

. . . "Keurig's CEO has apologized to employees for "any negativity" they faced because of the brand's announcement on Twitter on Saturday that it would stop running ads during Sean Hannity's Fox News show.

"In a memo obtained Monday by The Washington Post's Erik Wemple, CEO Bob Gamgort called Keurig's decision to explain its plan to "pause" its advertising with Hannity's show "highly unusual" and "outside of company protocols."

" 'This gave the appearance of 'taking sides' in an emotionally charged debate that escalated on Twitter and beyond over the weekend, which was not our intent," Gamgort wrote." . . .

 . . . "On Friday, Hannity aired an interview with Roy Moore, the Republican US Senate candidate in Alabama accused of engaging in sexual misconduct with a 14-year-old and pursuing relationships with other teenagers when he was in his 30s.

Many on the right have called for Hannity's supporters to boycott Keurig. On Sunday, some people went as far as posting videos of themselves smashing their Keurig coffee machines.

" 'I feel bad for Keurig. I recognize the bad spot Hannity put them in by fueling a backlash boycott," Angelo Carusone, whose tweet to Keurig prompted the company to announce its decision to pull its advertising, told Business Insider.

" 'I am comfortable with them saying what they feel they need to say to help the situation," said Carusone, the president of the left-leaning media watchdog Media Matters. "But at the end of the day, what really matters to me is whether their ads will run. They won't anymore."

LAWSUIT DEMANDS DONNA BRAZILE TELL ALL ABOUT SETH RICH SHOOTING

WND

'If this were a random murder,' why did she fear for her own life?

"The Washington lawyer who’s been on the hunt for slain DNC staffer Seth Rich’s killer and is suing the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton for allegedly rigging the 2016 presidential primary against Bernie Sanders now is going after another high-powered Democrat: Donna Brazile.

"Brazile knows the truth about Rich’s mysterious death, attorney and Republican lobbyist Jack Burkman contends.

"As WND reported, Burkman filed a lawsuit on Oct. 18 against the Democratic National Committee and scandal-ridden twice-failed Democrat presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton in D.C. Superior Court.

"The complaint is seeking financial compensation for Sanders’ supporters who contributed to the Vermont senator’s campaign by donating to the DNC. Burkman is also demanding the release of the DNC emaile server, which contained troves of Clinton campaign and DNC emails that were published by whistleblower organization WikiLeaks.

"Burkman amended the suit Tuesday to include Donna Brazile, the former interim DNC chief, amid bombshell revelations she makes in her book.

"There, she claims the DNC conspired to ensure Hillary Clinton won the primary over Bernie Sanders.

"She also explains that she was frightened following the July 10, 2016, unsolved murder of Rich. In fact, she dedicated the book to Rich, whom she calls a “patriot.' ” . . .

Trump, the master deal-maker with China with the possible exception of North Korea?

For The First Time In A Very Long Time, An American President Stared Down China & China Blinked  "Donald Trump arrived at the APEC summit with a bit of swagger. Though already a naturally tall and broad-shouldered man, he stood bigger than life among his world leader contemporaries as a petulant Establishment Media did all it could to downplay the aura of strength that followed Mr. Trump everywhere he went. Gone was the rapid gun-chewing insecurity that marked Barack Obama’s participation in such gatherings. There was no apologizing for America’s past. No remarking how the United States owed others. No hiding from the fact that in an increasingly volatile and complicated world, America remains the one true superpower."  . . .
. . . 
"The applause among Asian leaders for POTUS Trump’s speech (with the exception of China) was thunderous and far surpassed anything received overseas in eight years by Barack Obama. It points to something Mr. Obama and his supporters never understood. Much of the world does not hate America – it envies it, it emulates it, it wants to stand with it. Some of the greatest cesspools against American values come not from places like Japan, Vietnam, or India, but rather the American media, Congress, and U.S. universities. It is a form of collective self-loathing that leaves the world shaking its head at us." . . .


In China, There’s No Hope on North Korea . . . "But according to Dr. Tong Zhao, a fellow at the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy in Beijing, the meeting between the two leaders was only surface level jargon and hardly diplomacy conducive to reaching a joint solution on solving the North Korean nuclear crisis.

“ 'I don’t see any substantive results,” Zhao said during a roundtable meeting discussion with a handful of journalists in China on a delegation hosted by the China-United States Exchange Foundation.  “I don’t think this meeting achieved much regarding North Korea. Maybe the two leaders got some personal time, private time together to discuss North Korea, but in terms of results, I don’t see any major results.”

"Zhao argues the breakdown and lack of progress comes with fundamental differences and disagreements between the United States and China about how to solve the North Korea problem." . . .

Let Down at the Top

"We lament political correctness and Stalinism on campuses, but the real crime is the ignorance that empowers it."

"Political correctness has become Maoist: All art must serve progressive struggle, defined in Hollywood as good race and gender warriors pitted against bad racists and sexists."

Victor Davis Hanson  . . . "Hollywood ran out of original thought about three decades ago, and the people noticed and so keep avoiding the theaters. How many times can a good-looking, young, green progressive crusader expose a corporate pollution plot, or battle a deranged band of southern-twangy Neanderthals, South African racists, or Russian tattooed thugs, or a deep-state CIA cabal in sunglasses and shiny suits? How many times can the nth remake of a comic-book hero be justified by updating him into a caped social-justice warrior from L.A.? Ars gratia politicorum is suicide. 

"The ruling generation in Hollywood is out of creative ideas mostly because it invested in political melodrama rather than human tragedy. It cannot make a Western, not just because Santa Monica’s young men long ago lost the ability to sound or act like Texans in 1880, but because its politics have no patience with the real world of noble people who are often doomed, or flawed individuals who are nevertheless defined by their best rather than worst traits, or well-meaning souls who can cause havoc, or courageous men who fight for bad causes. 

"Political correctness has become Maoist: All art must serve progressive struggle, defined in Hollywood as good race and gender warriors pitted against bad racists and sexists. Political correctness has become Maoist: All art must serve progressive struggle, defined in Hollywood as good race and gender warriors pitted against bad racists and sexists. The result is monotony and boredom. All the cleavage, flexed biceps, cheap obscenity, rap-music scores, and car crashes cannot hide that lack of an idea." . . . More here.

Legal Insurrection