What's with the leftward political movement of the NFL? UPDATED

Kaepernick named finalist for NFL Players Association 'Community MVP' award

"NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been named a finalist for an award honoring players for their community service work.

"Kaepernick and four other players were announced as finalists for the NFL Players Association’s (NFLPA) Byron “Whizzer” White Community MVP award, according to NBC Sports.

"The free agent quarterback pledged $1 million to various charitable organizations during the 2016 season. He won the NFLPA’s “Community MVP” award during Week 1 of the 2017 season after donating $100,000 to four charities and holding a back-to-school backpack giveaway in New York City." . . .

NFL rejects military veterans' 'Please Stand' Super Bowl program ad
"The military group American Veterans (AMVETS) says the NFL has rejected its full-page Super Bowl program ad that contained the hashtag "#PleaseStand." The ad, with the picture a color guard holding the American flag, also included a call to donate $20 to AMVETS.

"The ad jumps right into the controversy surrounding NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem, originally stoked by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick prior to last season and recharged after inflammatory comments by President Donald Trump last September.

"In a letter sent to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday, AMVETS National Commander Marion Polk wrote that "freedom of speech works both ways." Polk goes on to say, "We respect the rights of those who choose to protest," but "imposing corporate censorship to deny those same rights to those veterans who have secured it for all is reprehensible.' " . . .

UPDATE: NFL Remains Kneeling: Are They Afraid To Show Veterans Respect?  . . . "But Goodell and company still seem to be behaving as if they have more to lose by running afoul of Kapernick’s camp, which includes the player’s union and the vast left-wing media sphere, than they do the fan base and the people they count on to buy tickets to the games." . . .

Beyoncé Bashes Cops in Half-Time Show After Getting Police Escort to the Game  

 "Beyoncé performed a tribute to the militant Black Panthers Party during Sunday evening’s halftime show at Super Bowl 50 that some, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, called a blatant attack on law enforcement. But the pop star might have been late to the performance if she hadn’t received a highway-clearing police escort to deliver her to Levi’s Stadium on time." . . . The video.

Clinton–Obama Emails: The Key to Understanding Why Hillary Wasn’t Indicted

Andrew C. McCarthy

"New FBI texts highlight a motive to conceal the president’s involvement."

Can we assume Obama is checking to see if the cameras are on him?

 Obama, using a pseudonymous email account, had repeatedly communicated with Secretary Clinton over her private, non-secure email account. 

"These emails must have involved some classified information, given the nature of consultations between presidents and secretaries of state,  . . .  and the fact that the Obama administration adamantly refused to disclose the Clinton–Obama emails. If classified information was mishandled, it was necessarily mishandled on both ends of these email exchanges.

"If Clinton had been charged, Obama’s culpable involvement would have been patent. In any prosecution of Clinton, the Clinton–Obama emails would have been in the spotlight. For the prosecution, they would be more proof of willful (or, if you prefer, grossly negligent) mishandling of intelligence. More significantly, for Clinton’s defense, they would show that Obama was complicit in Clinton’s conduct yet faced no criminal charges. 

"That is why such an indictment of Hillary Clinton was never going to happen. The latest jaw-dropping disclosures of text messages between FBI agent Peter Strzok and his paramour, FBI lawyer Lisa Page, illustrate this point." . . .

 Read more.


The Final Year Reveals the Obama Administration’s Naïvety and Arrogance

. . . "So The Final Year is about the Obama Doctrine, also known as hashtag diplomacy, also known as leading from behind, also known as voting “present” — also known as hands-off. That a lot of people can get killed while you’re wringing them is the movie’s unintended lesson. Summing up, I give you none other than Samantha “Soft” Power herself, who near the end of the doc says in a moment of sudden clarity: “My world is a world where you have 65 million displaced. Yemen and Syria and Iraq, Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad, Central African Republic, Burundi, South Sudan, Darfur, you know, the list, Afghanistan, of course, Venezuela imploding . . . There are concerns about terrorism and there is a fear of the other and . . . all the trendlines — on democracy, right now, at least — are going in the wrong direction.”

"If only she or her friends had held positions of authority, maybe they could have done something about some of that."

Democrats’ DACA blink long overdue lesson in humility

The Washington Times

"The Democratic blink on DACA, led by none other than Sen. Chuck Schumer, was a long-time-coming lesson in humility for the left.

"And, it’s one that’s going to end up emboldening President Donald Trump further, much to Democrats’ dismay.

"For years, Democrats have run roughshod over the Republican Party, even at times when the GOP held the majority.

“ 'With State of Union, Obama faces Republican-led Congress for first time,” the Chicago Tribune wrote in January of 2015.

"What a so-what moment that turned out to be for Republicans. It was after that, after all, that Obama was able to ramrod through a nuclear deal with Iran — much to the consternation of Israel — as well as broker, with 196 countries, the economy-destroying Paris Climate Agreement. And Obamacare? No comment needed.

"But Trump has broken the camel’s Democratic back — or at least, bruised it a bit. By standing strong and refusing to cave, he led the party to a not-so-significant win on the government shutdown." . . .

Loretta Lynch – Bill Clinton tarmac meeting now makes sense, it was the end not the beginning

Rich Terrell

Legal Insurrection

A signal to the Clintons that all was good; the FBI had made its exoneration decision, and key investigators believed Lynch was aware.

. . . "The key facts we know now but did not know then are:

1. The tarmac meeting was planned, not spontaneous, as we covered on August 5, 2017, ACLJ: DOJ Document Dump Shows Lynch-Clinton Tarmac Summit Planned, Media Coverup.
2. The conduct of Lynch in trying to conceal details was not consistent with it being an innocent meeting, as we covered on August 7, 2017, Loretta Lynch used alias “Elizabeth Carlisle” to email about Bill Clinton tarmac meeting and August 10, 2017, Why did Loretta Lynch need DOJ Talking Points about a meeting she alone attended?
3. The FBI has tried its best not to produce documents regarding the tarmac meeting, and when it did, those documents focused heavily on how the meeting was discovered, as Judicial Watch reported on November 30, 2017.
4. The FBI decided, sometime by early May 2016, not to charge Hillary. The drafts of the exoneration statement now are public, and show a concerted effort to reword the language to support exoneration. These drafts took place prior to the tarmac meeting and prior to the interview of Hillary on July 4th weekend.
5. Senior FBI agent Peter Strzok, who was part of the team investigating Hillary, was removed from the Mueller investigation of supposed Russia collusion in the summer  of 2016 for sending anti-Trump text messages (though the removal was not disclosed for several months). Strzok was involved in editing and softening the Comey draft exoneration statement.
6. Strzok was having an affair with FBI lawyer Lisa Page, Based on text messages recently released, it appears they believed Hillary would not be charged and suggested Lynch Knew the Outcome of FBI Hillary Probe in Advance.

More posts at the Tunnel Wall

Why isn't Chelsea Manning back in jail? Make that "Chelsea"

Monica Showalter   "Chelsea Manning is thumbing his nose at the law again.  Laws, it seems, are for little people, not publicity hogs who get their name in the news.  Or perhaps, as Obama's pardon taught him, it's quite possible to get away with anything" . . .

. . . "It's also reality, if not formally so, that Manning is out of the Army and will never be welcome within a mile of its bases, given his odiously treasonous behavior. 

"But there's something distinctly disturbing about how this guy thumbs his nose at anything he ever agrees to, such as following Pentagon regulations, which he had to consent to for the position he got that enabled him to abuse that trust.  Such rules, in his fevered mind, are for normal people, not him.  The fact that he keeps breaking the law – and getting away with it – pretty well reinforces that he will just go on doing it and, in the end, diminishing the country.

"He's got to learn limits if there is to be any rule of law at all."

Here Are The 20 Senators Who Voted To Keep The Government Shut Down…

Daily Caller  "The Senate passed a bill to keep the government funded through early February early Monday afternoon, putting a swift end to a three-day shutdown that left hundreds of thousands of government employees without pay.

"The bill keeps the government funded through Feb. 8 and provides a 6-years of funding for roughly 9 million children’s health insurance.

"Some 81 senators voted in favor of the bill, with 18 Senate Democrats and 2 Republicans voting against the bill, including:

Richard Blumenthal of ConnecticutCory Booker* of New JerseyCortez Mastro of NevadaDianne Feinstein of CaliforniaKirsten Gillibrand of New YorkKamala Harris of CaliforniaMazie Hirono of HawaiiPatrick Leahy of VermontEd Markey of MassachusettsBob Menendez of New JerseyJeff Merkley of OregonChris Murphy of ConnecticutBernie Sanders of Vermont (Independent)Jon Tester of MontanaRon Wyden of OregonMike Lee of Utah (Republican)Rand Paul of Kentucky (Republican)

*This Cory Booker:

Republican Congresswoman Disinvited from Women’s March Appearance

Free Beacon "The office of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R., Wash.) says organizers of a local Women's March backed out of an agreement to play a message she recorded after learning she was unable to attend due to the government shutdown, according to the local Spokesman-Review.

"McMorris Rodgers had planned to attend the Women’s Persistence March, which was supposed to feature a speech by both the congresswoman and Lisa Brown, the Democrat running to unseat her. Brown attended, but McMorris Rodgers was held in Washington, D.C., to vote on legislation to fund the federal government.

"Event organizers had initially told McMorris Rodgers, the highest ranking Republican woman in Congress, they would play a video message she recorded for the event. After the video was sent on Friday, however, the organizers told her office a "video wouldn’t work" and she "would need to be there in person."

"The video message, which was provided to the Spokesman-Review and can be viewed below, is on her ability to "work in a male-dominated field.' " . . .

Weasel Zippers reported it thus: Republican Congresswoman Disinvited from Women’s March Appearance

"Murderers and terrorists are cool to speak, but not so much Republicans."

That Salute back in 2009

Stormbringer   Friday’s post regarding the episode at Dover AFB – where Barack Obama conveniently had himself conspicuously photographed saluting a flag-draped casket – has generated controversy within my family. This is an EXTREMELY touchy subject of course. The honorable war dead cannot speak, and so we speak for them; to me this is the essence of the controversy, and why I cannot let this story rest.

"And yet this week we see Barack Obama - a man who's never served a day in uniform - performing a flawless salute right out of Army Field Manual 3-21.5 Drill and Ceremony:

. . . 

"NO civilian knows how to do that – Obama has DEFINITELY been given a class on how to stand at attention and render a military salute: . . .

"Friday afternoon I became aware of some facts: Barack Obama showed up at Dover AFB at 1230 and hung around until 0445; he asked all the families if he could be photographed beside their family members remains as they were being unloaded. 17 of the 18 families refused; so he hung around until he finally got permission; then he got the photo and he was out of there.

"So what's going on here? 

. . . 

"To me there is no speculation; this was an orchestrated event. Obama stalks bodies like some sort of ghoul until he strikes paydirt and gets the photo, but anybody who calls him on it is a sicko for daring to suggest those bodies were used as props." . . .

Plus this from 2016: Obama Mentions Himself 119 Times In Speech About Hillary

And here is a poem about the camera-shy (more or less)Obama:

A look at how things work in this government

WND

Earl of Taint

So Nikki Haley, Sarah Sanders, and Sarah Palin didn't attend the Women's March?

These three, and others like them, are the real role models for the lady-marchers.  But they're too formidable, so the marchers will march again, repeating and repeating while wondering why they aren't getting anywhere.

Ethel C. Fenig  . . . "But many women were able to register to vote and actively involve themselves in politics independently, without prodding by a mass female self-victimization.  They didn't attend the pity parties.  They were too busy and too productive elsewhere.  Here are just a few prominent ones; and there are so many more: 

"Two years ago, Nikki Haley (R), the daughter of immigrants from India and a woman of a little color, was governor of South Carolina.  Last year, President Donald J. Trump (R) appointed her as U.S. ambassador to the U.N.  On the eve of the first anniversary of her new job, she was in Afghanistan, meeting the women of that country who have real problems of health, education, and safety, hoping and helping to improve their condition.  However, the terrible plight of the women of Afghanistan, of Iran was just not on the minds of the pink pussy-hatted self-centered silly sign-carrying women Saturday." . . .

Senator Chelsea Manning? Democrats Should Be Proud (Updated)

Susan Stamper Brown

"Democrats have outdone themselves this time. Chelsea Manning, (D-Fort Leavenworth), the former U.S. Army soldier-turned-traitor, who was a male named Bradley until he betrayed America and swiped on some lipstick, is running for the United States Senate in Maryland on the Democratic Party ticket.

 "Manning is the perfect Democratic Party candidate: Anti everything that’s quintessentially America in stilettos and a skirt. 

"Manning’s campaign video features a defiant Chelsea proclaiming, “We don’t need them anymore,” with clips of police clashing with protesters. It is about as ludicrous as Democrat Dana Nessel’s campaign ad for Michigan attorney general where she says: “When you’re choosing Michigan’s next attorney general, ask yourself this: Who can you trust most not to show you their penis in a professional setting? Is it the candidate who doesn’t have a penis?” 

"Maybe Nessel should ask Chelsea. 

"Manning is a darling of the radical left, whose super-duper ginormous tent includes everyone except those who don’t live in New York and California, love America, the Rule of Law, the U.S. Military, law enforcement, guns, freedom of speech, conservatism, Judeo-Christian values, the unborn, and God -- to name a few. 

"Manning wants U.S. borders open, prisons closed, inmates freed and all hospital services free." . . .

UPDATE: Former Military Lawyers: Chelsea Manning Subject To Prosecution For Running For Office   

If the Pentagon declines to prosecute, it’s possible that other active-duty members of the military will assume that running for office or engaging in political campaigns or advocacy in ways that overstep the bounds of regulations won’t be met with much resistance.

. . . "As part of the coverage of Manning’s filing with the FEC and state board, virtually every media organization has declared that Manning is a former Army private. In fact, as the Army confirmed to The Daily Caller News Foundation in September 2017, Manning remains an active-duty soldier, albeit on excess leave and in a non-pay status while his appeal of a general court-martial for violating the Espionage Act and other orders is underway. And as ABC News noted in May 2017, Manning must remain in an active-duty status while the appeal process continues.
"Manning was originally sentenced to 35 years in prison, but then-President Barack Obama commuted the sentence as one of his last acts in office, freeing Manning from a military prison in Kansas.
"The Army further stated that Manning holds an active-duty identification card and acknowledged his status and access to government health care prior to his release." . . .

Code Pink is still around, in case you cared

Remember this lady? Here she is again.

Benjamin

Code Pink

In addition to its focus on anti-war issues, it has taken action on issues such as drones (including protests, trips to meet with drone victims in Pakistan and Yemen, bringing them to the US), Guantanamo Bay prison (including a delegation that included former prisoners and yearly protests at the White House), Palestinian statehood (including its involvement in the BDS movement to protest Ahava, SodaStream, ReMax, and AirBnB), the Iran nuclear deal, Saudi Arabia(including protests to end U.S. alliance with Saudi Arabia, its airstrikes on Yemen, and its executions of its political dissidents), and Women Cross DMZ. The organization characterizes itself as women-initiated.

. . . " Code Pink was founded on November 17, 2002 by Americans Jodie Evans, Medea Benjamin* and other activists.The group's name is a play on the United States Department of Homeland Security's color-coded alert system in which, for example, Code Orange and Code Red signify the highest levels of danger." . . .

*Benjamin met her intellectual match in a street debate that showed the depth of her ignorance and shallowness.

Here was a Pinkster harrassing then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

More at the Tunnel Wall