Universal truths about the media in 2017

The liberal media doesn’t just ask questions and report the news. They shape the narrative and they have been trying to “get” Trump since he won the election. It’s time to call them what they are – activists.      Eddie Scarry writes at the Washington Examiner. . .  Gateway Pundit.

Washington Examiner

"New year, new media? Good luck with that.

"As the first full year of President Trump’s time in office wraps up, there’s absolutely no indication the national media want to do anything different, even if there’s every reason they should.

"Out of the major newspapers, the Wall Street Journal’s opinion page stands alone in providing anything that even looks sort of like a reasonable perspective on the still-young White House.

"The Washington Post, New York Times, and USA Today still refuse to employ a single columnist that won’t begin each piece with anything less than “Mr. Trump, you are a liar!”

"CNN this year had to retract one story and significantly modify a second one (both were related to Trump and Russia) after it turned out the former wasn’t supported by any facts (otherwise often referred to as “ction”) and the latter was inaccurate to the point of libel.

"Brian Ross, with his apparent lifetime tenure at ABC News, was suspended in early December after he once again reported catastrophically wrong information about Trump and, of course, Russia.

"These are the universal truths about the media in 2017: " . . .

The anti-Trump press goes to the Olympics

NBC hires gay bronze-medalist who is Pence critic as Olympics commentator  "Politicizing its ratings-impaired Olympics coverage, NBC doubles down on stupid, thanks to its ideological obsessions.  NBC’s Olympics coverage joins the propaganda efforts of that network’s news division by hiring a third-place medalist as a commentator, apparently because he has gone after VP Mike Pence because Pence is a believing Christian who follows the biblical teachings on homosexual activity. Christine Brennan writes in USA Today:" . . .  Thomas Lifson

Here is a sample of CNN coverage on President Trump and Lindsey Vonn

. . . "And Vonn revealed she wouldn't accept an invitation to the White House if she were to win gold at Pyeongchang.  "Absolutely not," said Vonn. "No. But I have to win to be invited. No actually I think every US team member is invited so no I won't go.

Sunday Schadenfreude: Olympic Trump-haters jinx themselves  . . . "Starting with Lindsey Vonn, the much-vaunted skiier, who washed out on the Triple-G, her signature ski event, after insulting us all pre-game by stating she would refuse to go to the White House for the traditional post-game honoring by the president. "Absolutely not," she sniffed. "That was because the president we elected (that's won, Lindsey, won) wasn't good enough for her. Normally, a good professional athlete can compartmentalize on the field, and presumably transfer that to distinguishing between the man and his office. Not ol' Linds. She refused to distinguish between the man and the office, gave us a lot of blather about respecting the flag and then flopped out on her event. She was last seen consoling herself with talk on Twitter about her mother still loving her, or something. She was bested by a cute perky little Czech who did the run with borrowed skis, and was delightfully suprised by her gold medal. Anyone out there not glad she won?
"And anybody out there want to buy a product now endorsed by Vonn?" . . .

Let's not gloat over Vonn's injury; we must be better than that. Better to have competed and not won. TD

Twitter users call for boycott of Lindsey Vonn's sponsors

"Lindsey Vonn does not support President Trump and now I and my family will not support her sponsors"

. . . "Procter & Gamble, an official sponsor of the Olympic Games, may also find itself changing its promotional plans. Vonn and her mother have been front and center in the company's "Thank You, Mom" campaign spots, which depict moving stories of mothers supporting their children through their Olympic dreams.The company will still be able to feature Vonn leading up to and throughout the Olympics, but without potential victories in Sochi to use as a springboard, P&G is unlikely to feature her in quite the same way it had planned after the games end, Mickle says.Vonn's other sponsors, however — including Under Armour, Rolex, Red Bull and Head, to name a few — may actually benefit from the athlete's change in plans." KCUR

Here Are the 17 Victims of the Tragic Shooting in Florida

Townhall

"Seventeen people lost their lives Wednesday in a tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. A heroic teacher, an assistant football coach, and many, many beloved students were among the dead. Here is a list of the victims and their pictures." . . .

Maxine Waters Attended Nation Of Islam Convention Where Farrakhan Defended Suicide Bombers

Daily Caller

• Waters attended a Nation of Islam Convention where Louis Farrakhan defended Palestinian suicide bombers

The Nation of Islam believes white people are inherently inferior to black people

• Farrakhan is an anti-Semite who called Jews “Satanic” and said Hitler was “a very great man” 

• Waters’ convention appearance is just the latest tie to emerge between Democrats and the Nation of Islam.

"Democratic California Rep. Maxine Waters attended a Nation of Islam convention where the hate group’s leader, Louis Farrakhan, defended Palestinian suicide bombers.

"The convention, which took place in California in 2002, is just the latest tie to emerge between Democrats and the Nation of Islam, a black nationalist group known for being viciously anti-Semitic.

“ 'We have Maxine Waters here,” Farrakhan told the convention audience, gesturing to the seats behind him, “our great congresswoman from this area.” The audience cheered Waters’ name." . . .

Also here.

Obama's latest Presidential portrait

By ZMT via American Thinker

How to Preserve the True Nature of American Greatness

Real Clear Politics, via   American Greatness

The conviction that the federal government and the executive knew best was so strong in Barack Obama’s mind, apparently . . . he could act if Congress failed to do so, and he and his administrative agencies did. President Obama, really, became the exponent of the very kind of arbitrary power our framers feared.

. . . "There are at least four basic principles which have animated our development since the break with Great Britain in the late 18th century. These are 1) an abhorrence of arbitrary power, and a commitment to the rule of law, 2) the belief that sovereignty properly belongs only in the American people themselves, and not in a King or a hereditary aristocracy, 3) a commitment to economic progress and social mobility, and 4) the understanding that there must be limits to the power of our government, and that some space must be permitted for the development of private property, individual freedom and conscience (including morality and religion).  

"These four principles lead to particular corollaries. For example, there ought to be a separation of legislative, executive, and judicial powers, to prevent excessive oppression and arbitrary action. There ought to be checks and balances through such mechanisms as dual state and federal governments. No private property should be confiscated without compensation.

"Generally speaking, our country has flourished when the four principles are simultaneously operative, and we have encountered difficulty when one or more of the four are forgotten at the expense of others. This is made more complicated by the obvious fact that the four principles are in conflict. Too much emphasis on popular sovereignty (democracy) can lead to arbitrary power, and the suppression of individual rights; too much emphasis on economic progress can lead to dangerous levels of inequality which threaten popular sovereignty, and corruption which threatens the rule of law itself." . . .

Democrats: the party shaping our children's minds

CNN Falsely Claims Ted Cruz “Afraid” To Discuss Guns Outside the Fox “Mothership”                  
"Just when you thought CNN might make it through a week without disgracing itself, anchor Chris Cuomo accuses Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) of being “afraid” to talk to CNN about the Florida shooting and GOP measures to prevent such shootings.  The problem?  Cruz had given CNN a 15-minute interview the day before, and CNN decided not to air all of it." . . .

No, Jimmy Kimmel, Trump Did Not Make It Easier For the Mentally Ill To Buy Guns  . . . "Scott Shackford of Reason debunked the line about the mentally ill and guns:

"No, Trump Did Not Make It Easier for Mentally Ill People to Buy Guns"

Democrats Criticize Trump For Smiling, Giving Hospital Staff, First Responders Thumb’s Up For Their Response In Florida

S.E. Cupp: Democrats, spare me your hypocrisy on guns  . . . "Then they put a Democrat lawmaker on air or a former Republican lawmaker who shares their point of view to complain that Republicans will never do anything about guns. They never, these journalists, ask those lawmakers what Democrats did about gun control when they had the White House, House and Senate for two years under Barack Obama. Because the answer is NOTHING.  

"These journalists never say: where was Democrats' courage? Were Democrats too afraid to lose their seats, like they did in 1994, to pass another assault weapons ban?"

Maybe if they stopped disguising activism as journalism those Republicans would talk with them. Maybe if they could have these conversations without offending half the country they would.

Watch Laura Ingraham Rip the Crown Right Off the Empty Head of King James

Downtrend

"The ongoing feud between Fox News host Laura Ingraham and multimillionaire NBA narcissist LeBron “King” James is now at a slow-rolling boil.

"James was called out for his constant dropping of the “F-Bomb” which he did once again during an interview during which he blasted President Trump as not giving a “f*ck” about the people. Ingraham was quick to slam dunk on the King by pointing out that he has a dirty mouth, is a poor role model, should have gotten more education and that he should just “shut up and dribble.”

"Fighting words and the SJW’s immediately swarmed with their standard accusations of racism. The egomaniacal James was even driven to declare that “I am more than an athlete” via social media." . . .

"For good measure, she invited two black conservatives onto her show (or as the SJW’s would refer to them “Uncle Toms”) to help to make her point about the cultural elite and its hypocrisy. Even going back into the vault to dredge up clips of the inarticulate man-child casually tossing around F-bombs at a rally to celebrate the Cleveland Cavaliers’ last NBA championship." . . .

Parkland School Shooting: People saw something and repeatedly said something, to no avail

Legal Insurrection

Dozens of Red Flags Ignored.

"We recently noted that the FBI dropped the ball on the Parkland shooter, having a received a very specific and explicit warning about Nikolas Cruz in early January 2018. That warning, including that Cruz was a potential school shooter, was ignored by the FBI.

"Yet the more we learn about everything that came before the attack, the worse it gets. There were so many red flags.

"Mandy Mayfield of the Washington Examiner reports that law enforcement got multiple calls about the shooter:

Sheriff says office received 20 calls about Florida shooter over last few years

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said Friday that his office found that it had received approximately 20 calls related to Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old suspected of carrying out Florida’s deadliest high school shooting that left 17 people dead.

“We have uncovered at the Broward Sheriff’s Office that we’ve had approximately 20 calls for service over the last few years regarding the killer,” Israel told reporters. “Every one of these calls for service will be looked at and scrutinized.”

“If we find out, like in any investigation, that one of our deputies or call-takers could have done something better or was remiss, I’ll handle it accordingly,” he added.

"Haris Alic of the Washington Free Beacon goes back even further:" . . .

Democrats Discover Their Inner Totalitarians

Gonzo Overkill, via American Thinker

Dr. Hurd    "Jesse Arreguin, mayor of Berkeley, California, has been revealed to be involved with a violent, far-left group known as “BAMN,” meaning “By Any Means Necessary.”

"Indeed, Arreguin’s Facebook page shows him belonging to BAMN, according to The Gateway Pundit.

"The group formally describes itself on Facebook as “The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights, and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN).”

"BAMN is not just any “liberal” or “leftist” group. It is a group whose members have engaged in violence, and is affiliated with the violent antifascist, or antifa, movement.  [See also here]

"Leftist progressivism has gone full Communist. It’s not just in Berkeley. It’s all over the left-wing progressive movement. A Muslim Brotherhood supporter, Keith Ellison, is second in command of the Democratic party apparatus. Communists ally themselves with anyone who seeks to destroy liberty and individualism, and Islam is obviously at the forefront of such a quest.

"Many Democrats now openly call for restraints on freedom of speech whenever that speech is deemed “hateful,” which always means critical of their party’s policies and priorities. “You don’t agree with me? You’re a racist. Racism is hate speech. Why should hate speech be legal?”

"University professors at federally funded institutions (like Berkeley) openly call for Donald Trump’s execution and even the execution of those who voted for and supported him. Anyone who’s non-leftist literally risks his or her life by stepping foot onto a campus to support Trump or question anything leftist. Did you ever think it would come to this point in the United States? It’s like we’re living in a dictatorship already, and our government continues to provide the tax dollars to make sure these sociopathic freaks posing as intellectuals get to speak their demented, hate-ridden minds." . . .

Kamala Harris says babies shouldn't be slaughtered (except in the womb)

Harris wants people to see the horrible bodies of dead children so she can push through legislation to curb the Second Amendment.  But Harris doesn't want people even to see discussions of harvesting the bodies of dead babies, perhaps for fear of "shocking people into understanding."  With such compartmentalized sensibilities, I think Harris is a perfect nominee for the Democrats in 2020.

Ed Straker  "California senator Kamala Harris, who is widely expected to run for president in 2020 as the "female Obama," tried to make as much hay as she could regarding the school shooting in Florida, saying  that while she didn't want to use the massacre for political gain, she was going to anyway:

This cannot be a political issue.  We have to have smart gun safety laws – our babies are being slaughtered.

"It's a curious choice of words.  "Babies."  No babies were slaughtered.  Harris used a metaphor for children.  Real, actual babies, still inside their mothers, are slaughtered every day in California, but Harris has no problem with that, being a pro-abortion Democrat.

"I think one can conclude that Kamala Harris is more interested in metaphorical children than real ones.  I think she's more interested in the child actors in Black Panther than she is in the real children suffering in housing projects in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

"Harris made another curious statement:

"I had to look at autopsy photographs," Harris said on Thursday, referring to her time as California's attorney general.  "When you see the effect of this extreme violence on a human body, and especially the body of a child, maybe it will shock some people into understanding."

"Harris seems to be saying that we should look at horrible photos of the deaths of children in order to be shocked into action." . . .

Does Harris mean these children?

2017: Can’t tell if it’s fake news or the real thing? California has a bill for that

Sacramento Bee  "Here’s something that absolutely, undeniably, 100 percent happened: California lawmakers introduced legislation to help students become more media literate.
     "Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles, and Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, on Wednesday both announced bills that would direct a state curriculum board to develop resources for schools to teach students how to distinguish what news stories they can trust.
     “ 'Recently, we have seen the corrupting effects of a deliberate propaganda campaign driven by fake news,” Gomez said in a statement. “When fake news is repeated, it becomes difficult for the public to discern what’s real. These attempts to mislead readers pose a direct threat to our democracy.”
     "The phenomenon of “fake news” – made-up articles on what may appear to be legitimate journalistic websites, often appealing to hyperpartisan sentiment and shared across social media – exploded into controversy during the 2016 election.
     "False stories about President-elect Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton were widespread throughout the campaign, sometimes leading to real consequences, as when a man fired a rifle inside a Washington, D.C. pizzeria while investigating claims that it housed a child sex abuse ring led by Clinton.
     "Warnings that Russia helped spread the disinformation in an effort to influence the outcome of the election and undermine U.S. security led Congress to pass funding for new government efforts to identify and counter foreign propaganda.
     "Gomez’s Assembly Bill 155 envisions incorporating analytical skills for online information into subjects ranging from English to science at the high school and middle school level, while Dodd’s Senate Bill 135 would add media literacy training to social sciences standards for first through 12th grades. A recent study out of the Stanford Graduate School of Education found that students were easily duped by fake news sites and sponsored content.
     “ 'By giving students the proper tools to analyze the media they consume, we can empower them to make informed decisions,” Dodd said in a statement." . . .

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