Lester Holt sides with Kim Jong-un, mass murderer

John Dietrich   (Cartoons added by TD) "Lester Holt's travels in North Korea have given a favorable view of that dictatorship.  This is unfortunate.

"NBC's Lester Holt traveled to North Korea in advance of the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea in order to inform the American public about the situation there.  North Korea is possibly one of the most tragic examples of what 21st-century despotism is capable of.  The Human Rights Watch World Report 2017 claimed, "North Korea remains one of the most repressive states in the world."

"Holt's report can be described only as despicable.  He follows a long line of Western reporters who have been willing tools of leftist dictators.  They were and are accomplices in the mass murder of millions of people.  Pulitzer Prize-winner Walter Duranty is perhaps the best example of this, as he tried to minimize the impact of Stalin's policies in Ukraine.  These policies led to the deaths of millions of people.

"Holt reported from a Potemkin ski resort as apparently happy North Koreans were enjoying their time on the slopes.  Holt also interviewed "people on the street."  To everyone's surprise, they all mimicked the party line.  Had he interviewed someone with suicidal tendencies who wanted to tell him the truth, the tape would never have gotten out of the North.  Holt claimed, "It's impossible to know what people on the street really think."

"Holt's report covering the Olympics has the added benefit of attacking President Trump.  It was an opportunity to portray North Korea in a favorable light while accusing the U.S. president of giving an adolescent response to the North Korean dictator's threats.

"In response to Kim Jung-un's threat Trump tweeted, "North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the 'Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.  Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"  This "mine is bigger than yours" technique may sound undiplomatic, but it might just be a language Kim Jong-un understands.

"Were previous professional diplomatic efforts successful?  The 2008 Congressional Research Service report claimed that the U.S. provided North Korea with over $1 billion in assistance between 1995 and 2008.  This does not include aid provided by the U.N. and NGOs.  Much of that aid originated in the U.S.

In addition to billions in financial aid, former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright gave Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un's father, a basketball signed by Michael Jordan.  This aid comes from ordinary American taxpayers.  This money is going to a man whose net worth is reportedly $5 billion.  The need for aid was necessitated by a climatic phenomenon that seems to frequently attack socialist countries.  North Korea claims that it has been hit by its worst drought in a century.

"Holt's mission was important to NBC.  The network  did not want any mistakes.  Holt is not the sharpest knife in the drawer.  It was important enough to be supervised by NBC News president Noah Oppenheim.  Oppenheim is playing the role played by CNN's former head, Eason Jordan.  Jordan wrote an op-ed in the New York Times entitled "The News We Kept to Ourselves."  In it, he explains how CNN intentionally distorts the news.  In order to maintain access, a reporter must not offend his source.  This is understandable.  However, when the source is responsible for mass murder, moral considerations enter the equation.  NBC apparently has decided to take the side of the mass murderers. "

John Dietrich is a freelance writer and the author of The Morgenthau Plan: Soviet Influence on American Postwar Policy (Algora Publishing).  He has a Master of Arts degree in international relations from St. Mary's University.  He is retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

Bradley Manning to the Rescue...of Republicans? Updated

By Taylor Lewis . . . "Manning is many things to many people.  To veterans and current military personnel, he is an unrepentant traitor who carelessly handed over classified information to WikiLeaks, putting active-duty troops in danger.  To leftists and libertarians, Manning is a whistleblower who bypassed traditional media outlets to warn the world about America's war crimes.

"Even the government is split on what Manning is.  For indiscriminately sending 700,000 military field reports and diplomatic cables to a Russia-friendly foreign entity, . . .

 "Manning was charged with numerous crimes, including espionage.  But, after serving seven years of his 35-year sentence, former president Barack Obama commuted his sentence." . . .

. . . "There are innumerable reasons why Manning is unfit for public office.  His previous crimes, however well intentioned, were recklessly treasonous.  He has a known history of attempted suicide attempts, which, if the science is to be believed, is driving his current gender dysphoria.  Then there is the obvious question: why should Manning be a senator?  What experience does he bring to the table, besides spending countless hours in the brig?" . . .

Traitor Chelsea Manning calls for dismantling ICE, no borders, no prisons: ‘Let everyone go’  . . . "Translation: Manning wants hordes of illegal criminals marauding through America’s streets murdering innocent people willy-nilly with no enforcement whatsoever.  Moreover, Manning wants to erase our borders, and apparently wants to close all of our prison, letting criminals run loose on our streets." . . .

Chelsea E. Manning‏ Verified accountMoreno more compromises no more deportations no more prison camps no more borders dismantle @icegov let everyone go #WeGotThis #DACA #DACADeal

. . . " This. by the way, is the modern Democrat Party.  One could hope that the adults in Maryland put an end to this charade, but sadly, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen." . . .

Update,related: 'Harold' the vulture shocks staff by laying an egg after they thought 'he' was male for 20 years

Psychologist’s Explanation Why ‘Right Not to Be Offended’ Is Absurd Silences Media Host

Western Journalism  Video   "Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, a clinical psychologist and University of Toronto professor, takes a methodical and calculated approach to debates with adversaries who often times become flustered by his stoic demeanor.

"Peterson, who has been a notable crusader for the protection of free speech in Canada, sat down with Channel 4 News host Cathy Newman to discuss his rise to prominence after opposing Canada’s controversial law that “amends the Canadian Human Rights Act to add gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination.”

"“Why should your right to freedom of speech trump a trans person’s right not to be offended?” Newman asked the University of Toronto professor of psychology, The Washington Times reported.

“ 'Because in order to be able to think, you have to risk being offensive,” Peterson stated. “I mean, look at the conversation we’re having right now.

“ 'You’re certainly willing to risk offending me in the pursuit of truth. Why should you have the right to do that? It’s been rather uncomfortable.”

" Peterson continued: “You’re doing what you should do, which is digging a bit to see what the hell is going on. And that is what you should do. But you’re exercising your freedom of speech to certainly risk offending me, and that’s fine.
“More power to you, as far as I’m concerned,” he added. " . . .

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