Robert Spencer's History of Jihad Opens Eyes

That was the birth of "jihad."  Be meek and deceptive first, until you gather enough power, then unsheathe the sword.  It worked then and it is working today.

Amil Imani  "When I read Robert Spencer's new masterpiece, The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to ISIS, it was as though George Orwell had summed up Robert Spencer and uttered his famous words: "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

"Before starting to tell you about this unique documentary book about the history of jihad, I must tell you I have firsthand experience with this ideology.  I confess, there are not many people able to put this into words so accurately and so eloquently and so easy to read and understand as does Robert Spencer.  In the history of jihad, from cradle to grave, Spencer has outlined – irrespective of what the term in "Islam" may mean – the facts on the ground and conclusively demonstrated Islam's violent nature from its very beginnings.  No need for us to go back to the time of Muhammad and re-examine the historical records; Spencer has already done it and provided us with many anecdotal insights.  

"It is true: Islam has been imposing its oppressive, intolerant, and deathly dogma without let-up.  This archaic, primitive belief of over 1,400 years' duration has been and continues to be at war with valiant people the world over who refuse to bend their necks to its yoke.  What Spencer has done is turn on the lights brightly for all to see." . . .

Maaloula, we saw it happen in our time:  

Maaloula Christians say town - their neighbors and friends - Muslims took part in attack  "According to families who fled Maaloula (Syria), some of their Muslim neighbours were involved in the attack that devastated their village located about fifty kilometres from Damascus, dispersing its residents.
"Perceived as a betrayal of the long-lasting trust that existed between Christians and Muslims in Maaloula, where Muslims make up about 30 per cent of the village population.
"The presence of young Muslim fighters from the village among Syrian rebels appalled the Christian population. However, it is a sign of the growing ambiguity of Syria’s armed rebellion."

When she remembers how US Secretary of State John Kerry described the SLA forces as "moderate" before a Senate committee, she shakes her head in a sign of weariness over such ignorance or bad faith. In her eyes, the Western press seems to have lost all credibility.

. . .  

Study: 'Medicare for all' would cost $32.6 trillion over 10 years

. . . Republican presidential candidate Graham ripped into the 2016 Democratic front-runners, saying Bernie Sanders "went to the Soviet Union on his honeymoon" and never came back.

The Moderate Voice

Rick Moran  "The Mercatus Center, a libertarian think-tank out of George Mason University, is releasing a study today that will show how much Vermont senator Bernie Sanders's "Medicare for all" idea would cost.

Over ten years: $32.6 trillion.

"The Associated Press wants to make sure you read that correctly:

That's trillion with a "T."

The latest plan from the Vermont independent would require historic tax increases as government replaces what employers and consumers now pay for health care, according to the analysis being released Monday by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in Virginia.  It would deliver significant savings on administration and drug costs, but increased demand for care would drive up spending, the analysis found.

Sanders' plan builds on Medicare, the popular insurance program for seniors.  All U.S. residents would be covered with no copays and deductibles for medical services.  The insurance industry would be relegated to a minor role.

"When asked how she would pay for her democratic socialist agenda, which includes the Medicare for all program, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made is sound so easy:

"This is an excellent, excellent question," she replied. "I sat down with a Nobel Prize economist last week – I can't believe I can say that, it's really weird – but one of the things that we saw is, if people pay their fair share, if corporations and the ultra wealthy – for example, as Warren Buffett likes to say, if he pays as much as his secretary paid, 15 percent tax rate, if corporations paid – if we reverse the tax bill, raised our corporate tax rate to 28 percent ... if we do those two things and also close some of those loopholes, that's $2 trillion right there."

"That "$2 trillion right there" is over ten years.  In other words, Ocasio-Cortez is coming up only $30 trillion short in funding her fantasy.

"No response yet from the democratic socialists, but you can imagine them impugning the integrity and motives of the people who conducted the study rather than intelligently debating the issue.  That's because they are economic dunces and don't have a clue how they are going to pay for free health care, free college, or other freebies they think we all need.  All they know is that the coercive, tyrannical power of government to seize and control must be employed in service to their agenda. 

"Be afraid.  Be very afraid."

Study: 'Medicare for all' projected to cost $32.6 trillion

After taking into account current government health care financing, the study estimated that doubling all federal individual and corporate income taxes would not fully cover the additional costs.

AP  "Sen. Bernie Sanders' "Medicare for all" plan would increase government health care spending by $32.6 trillion over 10 years, according to a study by a university-based libertarian policy center.

That's trillion with a "T."

"The latest plan from the Vermont independent would require historic tax increases as government replaces what employers and consumers now pay for health care, according to the analysis being released Monday by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in Virginia. It would deliver significant savings on administration and drug costs, but increased demand for care would drive up spending, the analysis found.

"Sanders' plan builds on Medicare, the popular insurance program for seniors. All U.S. residents would be covered with no copays and deductibles for medical services. The insurance industry would be relegated to a minor role.

" 'Enacting something like 'Medicare for all' would be a transformative change in the size of the federal government," said Charles Blahous, the study's author. Blahous was a senior economic adviser to former President George W. Bush and a public trustee of Social Security and Medicare during the Obama administration." . . ."

So if all else fails, blame it on the Koch Brothers...

Townhall

NO ANTI-KAVANAUGH GROUNDSWELL IN MAINE OR ALASKA

Power Line  "The hope of Democrats that they can stop the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh rests largely on two moderate Republican Senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. So far the signsregarding these two aren’t encouraging for Democrats, though we’re still relatively early in the process.

"Democrats recall that during the fight over repealing Obamacare, Collins and Murkowski bucked the GOP leadership and, along with Sen. John McCain, defeated legislation that would have effectuated a repeal. The Washington Post reports that, in the hope of a repeat performance, a “well-organized campaign” is under way to pour millions of dollars worth of anti-Kavanaugh ads into small towns throughout Maine and Alaska.

"The Post also reports that, so far, constituents are unmoved. In separate interviews with the Post, Collins and Murkowski say that voters view the health-care debate and the Supreme Court very differently:

“The protests are similar, the media campaign is more aggressive this time, but the constituent involvement is less. And I think that’s because health care is so personal and affects everybody,” Collins said.

“A different level of intensity, a different level of intensity. What I was hearing at home were very personal stories,” Murkowski recalled of last summer’s interactions with constituents. “Literally people in tears. The level of just emotional outpouring that made it just — intense is the best word — is different than it is now.”

"That doesn’t surprise, but this does:

Some Senate aides said the confirmation battle for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos sparked more constituent outreach than either Kavanaugh’s nomination or last year’s confirmation of Justice Neil M. Gorsuch.

. . . 

4 Reasons A Straw Ban Isn’t As Sustainable As You Think

American Thinker

Bustle  . . . "There are myriad environmental benefits to reducing or eliminating single-use plastics, which aren't recyclable more often than not. But it's important to move towards a more sustainable future in a way that doesn't make life more difficult for people who rely on plastic. Straws have been the particular focus of attention in recent years, David M. Perry writing for Pacific Standard notes, following a viral video of a sea turtle with a straw in its nose, even though straws haven't been shown to be a particularly large source of plastic pollution in our oceans. If we're thinking about solutions to the problem of single-use plastics, we need to consider options that don't cause undue harm and that are truly sustainable, in every sense of the word. Here are a few reasons that plastic straw bans might not be as sustainable as you'd think." . . .

Hollywood's transgender revolution

Daily Caller   "Transgender persons are now more easily celebrating their identities in Hollywood, according to the number of transgenders working in the business.

“ 'It’s a revolution,” transgender film director Rain Valdez told ABC News, calling the changing culture in Hollywood a movement. “It’s exciting to me that we’re finally asking for our seat at the table, to tell our stories because no one can tell them better than we can,” Valdez said."

" 'Transgender Silas Howard began as a largely unknown director of independent films, but is now directing episodes of hit TV shows like “The Fosters,” “This Is Us,” and “Transparent.” Howard is also directing a film about a set of parents coming to terms with their child being transgender, starring Claire Danes, Jim Parsons and Octavia Spencer among other famous actors and actresses.

“ 'It’s a big shift,” Howard told ABC. “We’re seeing so much talent. We are seeing shows that are told from the ground up. It is so authentic and it is so universal and that’s an exciting thing to witness.”

"The CW’s TV show “Supergirl” recently announced its first transgender superhero who will also be played by a transgender person.

"Scarlett Johansson abdicated herself from playing the role of a transgender character in an upcoming film, following backlash largely from the transgender community.

“ 'I’ve learned a lot from the community since making my first statement about my casting and realize it was insensitive,” she said, CNN reported. “I have great admiration and love for the trans community and am grateful that the conversation regarding inclusivity in Hollywood continues.” (RELATED: Woman Decides To Become A Man. Now She’s Accused OF ‘Mansplaining’ And ‘Male Heterosexual Privilege’)" . . .

5 Reasons Hillary Clinton Was the Worst Presidential Nominee in History

PJ Media

"Like every presidential election that liberals lose, years later we’re still hearing about how unfair it all was. Of course, the favorite complaint of liberals this time around is “Russia did it!” Even if you accept for the sake of argument that Russia wanted Trump to win and hacked John Podesta’s email (and neither of those assertions may be true), buying some inconsequential Facebook ads for both sides and revealing the contents of John Podesta’s emails (none of which turned into truly major stories) wasn’t exactly a game changer.

"Liberals also noted that Hillary would have won had the election been decided by the popular vote. This is like noting that if football games were decided by passing yards instead of the score, the Patriots would have beaten the Eagles in the Super Bowl. It doesn’t work that way, by design. We’ve also heard complaints that Bernie Sanders is responsible, presumably for daring to run against Hillary at all and we can’t forget “sexism.” That’s always a liberal rallying cry. 

"Moreover, it is impossible to overemphasize that, other than a few true believers, almost all of the political professionals (myself included) thought Hillary would win. In fact, if you believe Michael Wolff’s book, Fire and Fury, even the Trump campaign thought it was going to lose – and no wonder" . . .

How Hillary Clinton used the anti-Trump Russia dossier during the campaign

Look what was a companion article today as well...

The US in one direction, Cuba and Venezuela in another

Tony Branco

Silvio Canto, Jr.  "On Friday, President Trump celebrated some good news from the U.S. economy.  In the last week, a different message is coming from Cuba and Venezuela.
"We are watching three countries going in different economic directions: the U.S., Cuba, and Venezuela.  It is a classic case of free markets versus socialism.
"Down in Cuba, the message has not changed over the years, as the new president reminded us:

Cuba's economy grew less than expected in the first half of 2018 and an ongoing liquidity crisis will force fresh belt tightening, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Sunday.

"He is proposing constitutional changes.  However, Cuban perestroika won't work any better than the one we saw in the USSR.

"Venezuela is more than falling apart: "Venezuela could eventually have 1 million percent inflation."

"What does that inflation level mean?  It means this: "Venezuela's currency has lost 99.9997 percent of its value in the past 6½ years.  To put that in perspective, $333,333 worth of bolivars in 2012 would be worth $1 today."

"A failed state?  I think so!

"As I recall, a "bolivar," the currency, was 4.29 to a U.S. dollar back in the 1980s.  It used to be a middle-class country!

"On the other hand, we had great news in the U.S.

"It was a good day for the U.S. economy; for workers; and, yes, for President Trump.  It is not the same down in Cuba and Venezuela."

Obama scolds Transgender activist: 'You're in my house!'

From Update America:  Obama tells reporter "This is my house!" Press cheers

CNN Politics  . . . "Shortly after the incident, an immigration group claimed the protestor was an undocumented immigrant named Jennicet Gutiérrez, who is transgender. According to a press release, Gutiérrez was a founding member of FAMILIA TQLM, established to advocate for LGBTQ immigrants who the group says are often excluded in the immigration debate.

"Immigration activists often interrupt Obama when he's delivering speeches on the road -- examples have included remarks he delivered in San Francisco in 2013, and speeches he delivered in Chicago and Las Vegas last November.

"Interruptions are more rare at the White House, where guests are typically invited and pre-screened. One previous example came in June 2012, when Obama was announcing a change in immigration policy.

"A reporter from the Daily Caller website called out a query in the middle of Obama's remarks, leading the President to retort that it wasn't the time for questions.

"The reporter later said he miscalculated the ending of Obama's speech." 

Comedy for Conservatives Week at Legal Insurrection

Legal Insurrection

"For people on the right, there was plenty to chuckle about this week."

• Democrats’ embrace of Socialism reflects the desperation of a party losing control of the judiciary and regulatory state
• They’re Losing Their Minds: Trump Derangement Syndrome Descends into New Level of Ridiculousness
• Hilarious Satirical Interview of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Triggers Liberals  (That video)
• . . . 

This person seems to have a personal idea of racism

Shehan Jayawardene: The Federalist Papers; Snowflake's Safe Space & Buttercup Ranch

Virtue Signaling Is Now A Cheap, Prolific Substitute For Actual Virtue

The less prone we are to self-examination, the more self-aggrandizing we become in our denunciations. It’s making our society harsher.

Both left and right are guilty, though we must admit that it is far easier to be a liberal than a conservative. TD

The Federalist

  "For several reasons, all embarrassing testaments to my vice, I was listening to an interview of a beloved former contestant on ABC’s “The Bachelorette.” He was making public amends after having traded his good-guy persona for a series of one-night stands and unfulfilled promises.

"I’m sure it’s a temptation of some enormity to be suddenly surrounded by beautiful and willing young women who see you as you want to see yourself. Still, he knew, as all celebrities must know, that how his fans saw him wasn’t real. He began to cope with that disparity by becoming louder in support of various charities. Somehow he thought that by putting his weight behind a good cause he could bridge the chasm between perception and reality, a chasm exacerbated by his womanizing.

"His case was less egregious than, but still reminiscent of, Harvey Weinstein’s bizarre public mea culpa about fighting the National Rifle Association in light of the revelations of his predation. Such a jarring non sequitur was deemed unacceptable because he’d violated the last sexual norm: consent. But it was still revealing in how we’ve come to see public support of a popular cause as a great balm for our personal guilt.

"It made me wonder how often we all do this. We feel the dissonance between who we ought to be and who we are, and we make up for it by becoming noisier about some issue. If our noise can also implicitly condemn moral beings with whom we disagree, then we might come that much closer to feeling satisfied with ourselves." . . .

Noelle Mering is the arts and culture editor and social media manager for helenadaily.com. She received her undergraduate degree from Westmont College in California and did graduate work in philosophy at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Noelle and her husband live in Southern California with their six children. Noellemering.com