Our Ex-Presidents' Insincere Praise of 'American Generosity'

Now Clinton deserves credit for signing the welfare reform act of 1996, which for the first time put caps on welfare* along with time limits. Able-bodied and able-minded people got off the couch and into the job market. But for the most part, these Presidents, while in office, expanded the federal government to do things that could and should be done by the very same American people they insist are so compassionate.

Larry Elder at Investors Business Daily "All five living former Presidents recently came together at a benefit concert for victims of this year's devastating hurricanes. A month earlier, they broadcast an appeal for Americans to donate for hurricane relief efforts.

Former President Jimmy Carter praised the generosity of Americans: "Across this great country, Americans have answered the call." So did former President George W. Bush, who said, "That special calling that compels us when others are down to step up and do whatever it takes." Former President Barack Obama said: "We could not be prouder of the response of Americans. When they see their neighbors, when they see their friends, when they see strangers in need, Americans step up." Former President Bill Clinton said, "We've been volunteering since before the Constitution, when Benjamin Franklin organized the first volunteer fire department in Philadelphia."

"But the former Presidents' records of expanding government belie their rhetoric about the generosity of Americans." . . .

* Made to do this by Newt Gingrich and Republicans.

Major sponsor of NFL broadcasts blames sales decline on kneeling controversy

Thomas Lifson   "Becoming the NFL's "official pizza sponsor" worked out well for Papa John's until Colin Kaepernick launched his protests.  Yesterday, the chain's founder, John Schnatter, blamed the NFL kerfuffle for his company's same-store sales decline that sparked a 13% tumble in its stock price.  In a post-earnings report conference call, via Bloomberg:

"The NFL has hurt us by not resolving the current debacle to the players' and owners' satisfaction," Schnatter, who serves as the pizza chain's chairman and chief executive officer, said on a conference call. "NFL leadership has hurt Papa John's shareholders." ...

"Leadership starts at the top, and this is an example of poor leadership," Schnatter said.

"This has got to scare the NFL owners, if they have any brains.  It is evidence that their brand is becoming toxic.  For years, companies have sought identification with the NFL by licensing, advertising, sky box rentals, Super Bowl events, and other expensive investments.  That process is now working in reverse." . . .

Ending 'Sue-and -Settle' Extortion

Timothy D. Terrell  "Last week, federal Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a directive aimed at reducing “sue-and-settle” lawsuits. For those who like voters to have input in the creation of environmental regulation, this is a great move.

"For decades, environmental advocacy groups have exerted outsized influence—and profited financially—from “friendly” lawsuits against the EPA. These lawsuits have been a conduit for activists inside and outside the EPA to get new regulations in place over the protests of state governments, businesses, and consumers that must bear the costs.

" Starting about 1970, Congress began writing clauses into certain environmental statutes allowing “any person” to file suit alleging that the EPA had insufficiently enforced the law, whether or not the plaintiff was personally harmed by the violation. These “citizen suit” provisions in environmental legislation opened the courtroom door to environmental organizations, which quickly discovered the money-making potential of these lawsuits.

" Some settlements involve a “mitigation project” that often benefits environmental groups, and in addition, the groups often received above-cost reimbursements of attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses. The revenues became so substantial that environmental law attorney Michael Greve referred to citizen suits as “an off-budget entitlement program for the environmental movement.” Environmental organizations also discovered that citizen suit-based “sue-and-settle” tactics could be used to obtain regulatory changes without legislative action.

"Green groups could accomplish their goals without Congress and without much worry much about objections raised during the “public comment” period following a consent decree or agreement. By the time public comments are made, it’s pretty much a done deal." . . . 

Here's What 'Allahu Akbar' Really Means

Daily Wire

. . . "When the terrorist (ISIS, an Islamic extremist group, has claimed responsibility) jumped from the vehicle, witnesses say he yelled, "Allahu akbar!" CNN likes to translate this phrase as meaning "God is great." The New York times does, too, as in this passage from its front-page story on Wednesday, when it said the terrorist "ran up and down the highway waving a pellet gun and paintball gun and shouting “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is great...."

"But it doesn't mean that — not by a longshot.

" 'Allahu akbar" means, literally, "Allah is greater." But the elative tense in Arabic is somewhat flexible, so it can also mean "Allah is greatest." Either way, though, there is no generic deity — it isn't just "God." No, Allah is explicit in the phrase and means, literally, "Allah" — not "God."

" 'The translation of the phrase is often rendered as 'God is Great,' but when you unpack the term you quickly realize that it is much more than a simple expression," The Jerusalem Post wrote. "After all, a simple expression would never do as the last words a Muslim speaks while maiming and murdering innocents.' " . . .

Joseph Curl has covered politics for 30 years, working as the White House correspondent for The Washington Times from 1998-2010 and then as a columnist. He also ran the Drudge Report for four years as the a.m. editor. He'll watch things you don't want to watch — like Rep. Nancy Pelosi's Thursday presser and sometimes Rachel Maddow's really awful show — and tell you about them. It's his job.

Florida Man Has Fender Bender in Manhattan

What I would really like to have, but despair of ever having, is an honest conversation about race, requiring white Americans to sit down and patiently listen to hours and hours of angry denunciations of their privilege.

Ann Coulter  "A man in a Home Depot truck deliberately drove into a bike path in lower Manhattan on Tuesday, mowing down cyclists and pedestrians, crashed into a school bus, then fled the truck, brandishing fake guns and shouting "Allahu akbar!" He was shot by a policeman and taken to the hospital. At least eight people were left dead and many more injured. 

     "Those are the facts, but facts don't matter. In cases like this, what counts is the spin. The post-Islamic-attack commentary goes more like this ... 

     "So far, the only concrete information we have about the driver is that he was a lone attacker, he is from Florida, and he has recently been living in New Jersey.
     "In the bubble of your white-skinned privilege, I know you badly wanted this to be a dark-skinned person, a foreigner -- the "other" -- but you're just going to have to accept the fact that the driver was a guy from Florida. Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov -- just another homegrown terrorist.
     "Going forward, our most urgent task as a country is to figure out how to defeat Islamophobia. I plan to spend the rest of the week shaming Islamophobes on Twitter and Facebook.
     "For clarity, immediately after the incident, sources inside the New York Police Department debunked the "terrorism" narrative, saying that it was an incident of road rage between two truck drivers. At a press conference hours later, Police Commissioner James O'Neill refused to confirm whether the suspect had shouted "Allahu akbar" and declined to state the attacker's name or nationality.
     "I don't know why, since he's from Florida. But the bigotry of Islamophobia doesn't always pay attention to details.
     "Contrary to the toxic delusions of Faux News hosts, white men are a BIGGER domestic terrorist threat than Muslim foreigners. 

     "Here's a recent tally:

• Fort Hood massacre, Nov. 5, 2009: Nidal Malik Hasan -- VIRGINIA MAN 
• Boston Marathon bombing, April 15, 2013: Tamerlan Anzorovich Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Anzorovich Tsarnaev -- MASSACHUSETTS MEN 
• San Bernardino slaughter, Dec. 2, 2015: Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik -- ILLINOIS MAN (AND WIFE) 
• Pulse nightclub massacre, June 12, 2016: Omar Mir Seddique -- NEW YORK MAN 
• Ohio State car and knife attack, Nov. 28, 2016: Abdul Razak Ali Artan -- OHIO MAN 
• Charlottesville car attack, Aug. 12, 2017: James Alex Fields Jr. -- OHIO MAN 
• Oops, no! I mean: WHITE SUPREMACIST, ALT-RIGHT NEO-NAZI James Alex Fields Jr. 
• Manhattan truck attack, Oct. 31, 2017: Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov -- FLORIDA MAN 

"Although some of these assailants were born elsewhere, "extreme vetting" is not only racist, but most important, it doesn't work. An intelligence assessment by the Department of Homeland Security in March of this year found that most foreign-born U.S. terrorists become "radicalized" only after living in America for a number of years. Traditional masculinity, whiteness and heteronormativity are the root causes of terrorism. " . . .

French High Court Orders Removal of Cross Above Statue of Pope John Paul II

Breitbart London  "The French administrative court has ordered the removal of a cross from a monument to Saint John Paul II in a public square in the northwest of France, saying it violates the secular nature of the state."

"Italian media noted the irony of the ruling, remarking that the cross-removal is not taking place “in Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic State in Syria, but in Brittany, in the heart of Western Europe.”

"The Conseil d’Etat, France’s highest administrative court, ruled last week that the statue of the Polish Pope in Ploërmel, Brittany, could remain but the large cross above the monument must be eliminated.

“ 'Since the cross is a religious sign or emblem within the meaning of Article 28 of the Law of 9 December 1905 and its installation by the municipality does not fall into any of the exceptions provided by this article, its presence in a public location is contrary to this law,” argued the French court.

"The law of 1905, which separates Church and State, forbids “raising or affixing any symbol or religious emblem on public monuments or in any public place,” with the exception of museums, cemeteries and places of worship.

"The 25-foot high monument was donated to mayor Paul Anselin by Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli in 2006 and erected in a town square. The sculpture depicts Pope John Paul standing in prayer with his hands clasped, with a simple arch above him, surmounted by a cross." . . .

Police: NYC Terrorist Suspect Planned Attack Weeks in Advance

Western Journalism "Police revealed Wednesday that the Uzbekistan native who is believed to have perpetrated Tuesday’s terror attack in New York City had been planning the attack for weeks and did reconnaissance of the route along which he allegedly ran over pedestrians and cyclists with a rented truck.

"Sayfullo Saipov, 29, who is accused of killing eight people and injuring at least 11 more in the Manhattan attack, was interviewed at the hospital Monday following his surgery, according to John Miller, the NYPD’s deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism.

"Fox News noted that Miller declined to offer details of the interview, though reports indicated that Saipov bragged about the attack and claimed to be “proud” of his actions.

"Prior to Tuesday’s attack, the Islamic State group had urged its followers to kill infidels on Halloween. The group had put out propaganda featuring a graphic of a blood-soaked machete and the date, October 31." . . .

The truck refuses to talk to police, only declaring "truck rights" for oppressed trucks. The truck has aso requested a lawyer.

“Latino victory Fund” caught with its pants down

Power Line  "A group called the Latino Victory Fund produced an attack on Ed Gillespie, the Republican candidate for governor of Virginia. The video (see below) featured a pickup truck with a Confederate flag and an Ed Gillespie bumper sticker attempting to run down minority children.

Gillespie

"NRO’s Alexandra DeSanctis reports that the Latino Victory Fund pulled the ad yesterday, after a minority immigrant in a truck ran over people in downtown Manhattan. The Fund also deleted its tweets promoting the ad, including one in which the group defended the video in the face of strong criticism.
"Yet, in announcing the removal of the ad, the Fund seemed to double down on its defense. It stated:

We knew our ad would ruffle feathers. We held a mirror up to the Republican Party, and they don’t like what they see. Given recent events, we will be placing other powerful ads into rotation that highlight the reasons we need to elect progressive leaders in Virginia."Virginia Republicans might well be thinking, “bring them on.” The Fund’s “powerful” pickup truck ad seemed to be a boon for Gillespie. According to De Sanctis:" . . .

. . . "As De Sanctis concludes:"

Rather than taking Gillespie to task over his policy positions or his plans for Virginia, this group engaged in blatant fear-mongering and race-baiting, and in the process it downplayed the serious threat of terrorism and real murder.

This video didn’t “hold a mirror up to the Republican party.” Far from it. In fact, this ad held up a mirror to progressives, who have shown themselves willing to portray their political opponents as cold-blooded murderers merely to win elections.

Latino Victory Fund deletes race-baiting after Manhattan attack . . . " It is absolutely disgusting that it took a terrorist attack — an actual murderer mowing down Americans and other individuals in a pickup truck on the streets of Manhattan — for the Latino Victory Fund to take down its heinous video. And even though it did remove the ad, under immense pressure, the president’s statement reveals that he and his group have no comprehension of how utterly inappropriate and revolting the video itself was. To suggest that Ed Gillespie, a normal, mild-mannered Republican, wants to literally run over minority children — and, by extension, that his supporters must want the same thing — is not political debate." . . .

Terrorist murdered people from other countries, then shot by hero cop, pride of the New York Irish.

Feds interviewed suspected NYC truck attacker in 2015 about possible terror ties   . . . "Saipov, 29, came to the United States from Uzbekistan through a Diversity Visa Program lottery in 2010, making him a legal permanent resident of the United States upon arrival. He has lived in Ohio, Florida and, most recently, Paterson, N.J., where federal agents interviewed Saipov in 2015.
"Authorities say Saipov claimed in a handwritten note found near his truck that he carried out Tuesday’s attack on behalf of ISIS.
"Investigators searching Saipov’s online activities have found social media links to people who are or were subjects of terror investigations. However the portrait that is emerging so far is of someone who found ISIS propaganda online with no sense that he was part of a cell or in any way directed to do this.

"The vetting process for all visa programs was substantially changed two years after Saipov’s entry to include vetting against a broad array of classified and unclassified information." . . .

Victims were from other countries.

Video added

Video; Hero Cop Shoots Terror Suspect In Deadly Lower Manhattan Vehicle Attack  . . . "Sources say that’s when 1st Precinct Officer Ryan Nash shot Saipov one time in the abdomen. The suspect was rushed to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue where he’s currently undergoing questioning.

"Officer Nash, a native of Medford, Long Island, was also taken to Bellevue for ringing in his ears. He was otherwise unhurt.

"Police sources say Nash joined the department in July 2012 and is a very active cop with more than 50 arrests to his record." . . .

New York Irish are proud of their local hero

Irish American cop shot Uzbekistan terrorist who mowed down 8 people and injured 11 others in Manhattan Halloween attack

Irish Central

. . . 'The Irish American cop took him down with a shot to the abdomen, from which he is expected to recover following surgery. Keeping the terrorist alive is a vital step for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies who can investigate his connections and question him at length." . . .

Reminder: Tony Podesta Had Uranium One as a Client

Katie Pavlich  . . . "As a reminder, Russian nuclear officials directed by President Vladimir Putin engaged in bribery and kick backs to gain 20 percent control of U.S. uranium supply back in 2010. This scheme was otherwise known as Uranium One, due to the connection to a Canadian energy company, which was approved by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton along with other U.S. government officials. After the deal went through, former President Bill Clinton was paid millions of dollars to give speeches in Russia and the Clinton Foundation saw a $145 million influx. 

Before the Obama administration approved a controversial deal in 2010 giving Moscow control of a large swath of American uranium, the FBI had gathered substantial evidence that Russian nuclear industry officials were engaged in bribery, kickbacks, extortion and money laundering designed to grow Vladimir Putin’s atomic energy business inside the United States, according to government documents and interviews.

Federal agents used a confidential U.S. witness working inside the Russian nuclear industry to gather extensive financial records, make secret recordings and intercept emails as early as 2009 that showed Moscow had compromised an American uranium trucking firm with bribes and kickbacks in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, FBI and court documents show.

They also obtained an eyewitness account — backed by documents — indicating Russian nuclear officials had routed millions of dollars to the U.S. designed to benefit former President Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation during the time Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served on a government body that provided a favorable decision to Moscow, sources told The Hill.

. . .  

North Korean defector recommends US engage with Pyongyang

Rick Moran  "A high level defector from North Korea says that the west should use "maximum engagement" to solve the crisis with Pyongyang.

"Thae Yong-ho, the former deputy chief of mission for North Korea in the United Kingdom is considered the highest level defector in 20 years. Thae addressed the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, on Tuesday.

VOA:

"I decided that the best gift which I may give to my son is the freedom which is so common to everyone here," Thae told the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, on Tuesday.

"I strongly believe if we educate the North Korean population, we can change North Korea."

He said nothing can stop what he called Kim Jong Un's "reign of terror," saying Kim would use soldiers and tanks against North Korean street protesters.

He said much more can be done to spread information about the outside in the North, including the use of what young North Koreans call "nose cards" — secure digital cards small enough to smuggle inside a nostril to avoid a body search.

Thae said he believes Kim's intense need to launch missiles and build nuclear weapons came out of his own insecurities and a need to prove his legitimacy after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il.

. . .  More at the link.

"These are all fine sentiments but why initiate talks with a regime when it would play directly into their hands? What Kim Jong-un desires most of all is an acknowledgement by the rest of the world of his country's nuclear status. Since the US and the west absolutely and categorically refuse to do that, "engagement" is a hollow recommendation.

"Besides, totalitarian regimes are known for prepping would be defectors so they spread false information. It may have been known by the Kim regime that Thae was disgruntled and liable to defect if given the opportunity. Thae may have unknowingly absorbed exactly what the regime wanted him to and then posted him to a place where it would be fairly easy to defect.

"These are all fine sentiments but why initiate talks with a regime when it would play directly into their hands? What Kim Jong-un desires most of all is an acknowledgement by the rest of the world of his country's nuclear status. Since the US and the west absolutely and categorically refuse to do that, "engagement" is a hollow recommendation.

"Besides, totalitarian regimes are known for prepping would be defectors so they spread false information. It may have been known by the Kim regime that Thae was disgruntled and liable to defect if given the opportunity. Thae may have unknowingly absorbed exactly what the regime wanted him to and then posted him to a place where it would be fairly easy to defect.

"I don't doubt the genuineness of his defection. But Thae's recommended course of action is naive." 

"I don't doubt the genuineness of his defection. But Thae's recommended course of action is naive." 

The Mueller Circus performs

Little evidence, so far, against President Trump  . . . "On the other hand, this shows that people with purported Kremlin ties wanted to establish a relationship with the Trump campaign, and some officials in the Trump campaign were clearly interested in that possibility. No one can know what any of this will amount to. The media and the Left feel a fierce certainty that Mueller’s investigation will result in impeachable offenses — as a matter of faith rather an estimation of the facts as we know them. For their part, Trump’s most fervent supporters want Mueller’s head." . . .   More.

Andrew McCarthy: The Manafort Indictment: Not Much There, and a Boon for Trump  "The Paul Manafort indictment is much ado about nothing . . . except as a vehicle to squeeze Manafort, which is special counsel Robert Mueller’s objective — as we have been arguing for three months. . .

McCarthy again, this time on prosecution strategy: More Thoughts on the Manafort Indictment  "In a Monday column on special prosecutor Bob Mueller’s indictment of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, I opined that the case seems to be “much ado about nothing,” and that some of the allegations that have been brought appear “shaky and overcharged.” Some commentators took this to mean that, being in the tank for Trump, I am pooh-poohing Mueller’s opening gambit.
"Not so. Readers who follow these columns know that I am not knee-jerk pro- or anti-Trump. I’ve opined that “Paul Manafort is a sleazeball.” And, while I concededly have strong political views, I try to be coldly clinical about legal questions and prosecution theories. That is my professional training, and the skill of being a prosecutor involves recognizing weaknesses in the case — you never want the defense lawyers to spot them first." . . .

This bit of analysis comes from an admirer of McCarthy: Rush Limbaugh:

. . . "The media is slowly and reluctantly — not all of them — but slowly and reluctantly realizing that the indictment of Manafort doesn’t even get them close to where they want to be, and certainly it doesn’t get them close to where they thought they would be on Friday when it was leaked that there had been sealed indictments."Over the weekend they all had convinced themselves that whatever this indictment, ’cause prosecutors come out with the big gun first. And stand by, because that’s a salient point here. All prosecutors who know what they’re doing come out with the big guns first, particularly when you’re at trial and you’ve got the jury impaneled. You load up the big guns because you want to create the indelible impression right off the bat that your perp is guilty." . . .

 

"Now, Andy McCarthy, my good friend who is a former federal prosecutor, as most of you know by now, successfully prosecuted the Blind Sheikh, Omar Abdel Rahman, 1993." . . .

Inspector Clouseau pounces!  . . . "The answer is that there is no legal, moral, or sane principle to be seen.  None whatsoever.  This is pure, emotional mob scapegoating under color of law – but not any law that adheres to the U.S. Constitution.  " . . .
. . . "In Stalin's Russia and Hitler's Germany, doing or saying anything that offended the dictator was against the law, ex post facto.  Just like Wellesley, Yale, and Harvard today. 

If you say something offensive to the LGBTX crowd, you're hung out to dry on our college campuses today.  It's universal primitive mob logic, and it belongs in the concentration camps of North Korea, if anywhere.  It certainly doesn't belong in any civilized, law-abiding nation.

"Outside a French bedroom farce, nobody believes this stuff.  Mueller and his team are the most expensive script-writing and amateur acting team in human history, just like Shakespeare in the Park, which recently stabbed the duly elected president of the United States in effigy, in front of a roaring mob of stoned liberals, today's version of the old Klan rallies of the antebellum South.  Why, Kathy Griffin even cut a symbolic mask of Donald Trump "at the neck," as prescribed in the Holy Quran, and paraded the nasty thing in front of even more howling liberals.

"You can't make this stuff up." . . .

Cartoons added by TD