When a former Hillary and Bill Clinton aide says the Mueller probe is absurd, you know the slime in Washington D.C. has hit the high water mark. Mark Penn spells out what's wrong with the foundation of the Trump-Russia investigation:
April 30, 2018
April 29, 2018
April 28, 2018
Saturday Learning Series - Geography (Hungary)
Time for another installment of educational stuff. Today's geography lesson - Hungary.
The Hungarian flag:
The Hungarian flag:
Gorka & Rubin Discuss PC culture and foreign policy
One of president Trump's early and vocal supporters, Sebastien Gorka visits the Rubin Report to discuss political correctness and foreign policy, as well as other things.
Rubin's interviews are so good that I've included all of the Gorka videos here as they are all worth the watch.
Video II:
Video III:
April 27, 2018
Imagine if North Korean peace talks happened on Obama's watch.
Imagine what liberals would do and say. Oh wait, you don't have to imagine:
Let's get real. The press would be— Noah Shachtman (@NoahShachtman) April 27, 2018
in the midst of a collective orgasm if this Korea summit happened under Obama's watch. So let's call the meeting what it is... an unalloyed good thing.
Friday Musical Interlude - Chase
Italian music producer and songwriter provided the instrumental theme, Chase, for the Movie Midnight Express in 1978.
April 26, 2018
Conservative Insurgent Thursday - Episode #5
Insurgent: noun a rebel or revolutionary.
"an attack by armed insurgents"
synonyms: rebel, revolutionary, revolutionist, mutineer, insurrectionist, agitator, subversive, renegade, incendiary
Finally, after a far-too-long delay, Episode #5.
If you've heard the name Red Pill Black, you may not know it, but you've heard of Candace Owens. This timing of this weeks episode is fortuitous since there's been a bit of a firestorm ever since Kanye West recently stated that he loves the way she thinks.
Who is Candace Owens?
Candace Owens, a.k.a. Red Pill Black was woke, to use the vernacular, to the Red Pill (apropos the reference comes from the movie The Matrix, wherein the hero awoke to true reality) reality after being pummeled for trying to start an anti-bullying website. The Left accused her of unwarranted doxing of individuals. She awoke to the reality of the Left and has since gravitated towards
Background:
Candace was born in Stamford Connecticut in 1990. She attended the University of Rhode Island and graduated with a B.A. in journalism. She has worked for Vogue and for a private equity firm. During her appearance on the very well done Rubin Report she details much of her own journey.
Candace was born in Stamford Connecticut in 1990. She attended the University of Rhode Island and graduated with a B.A. in journalism. She has worked for Vogue and for a private equity firm. During her appearance on the very well done Rubin Report she details much of her own journey.
Notable Achievements:
In addition to a successful YouTube channel that can boast a video that reached 80 million people (!) she has done a number of great speeches at universities and been taken on as the Communications Director at Turning Point USA. She's been the subject of stories from all corners of the internet (for example, this one that includes a discussion of push back from true black conservatives). But that's just good for her brand, and her brand is young, African American emerging conservatism. That's part of why we need her in the conservative movement.
Why We Need Her:
Given that Republicans have repeatedly dropped the ball with conservative supporters in the last year and a half or so, it's not surprising that they have continually been unable get a foothold in the African American community beyond a paltry few percent. Sure, there have been African American conservatives like Thomas Sowell who brilliantly advocate for conservatism. But they have been unable to reach the audience with the effectiveness that "Red Pill Black" does. In that regard her outspoken advocacy of conservatism checks two boxes: (i) it reaches the right audience and (ii) it does so in a succinct and understandable way to which the audience can relate. For example, her response to the Kanye West backlash was a brilliant tweet of her own:
Far right? Allow me to clarify: I believe the black community can do it without hand-outs. I believe the Democrats have strapped us to our past to prevent us from our futures. And I won’t stop fighting until all black Americans see that.— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) April 21, 2018
I’m not far right—I’m free. pic.twitter.com/wtqCuYPtM2
There is a simple effectiveness to that response at a visceral level. And she can reach a younger African American audience that Mr. Sowell would have difficulty reaching. Indeed, her views need not be limited to any 'community'; they are universal in their common sense. It's not that the common sense has been lacking, it's the right messenger. Candace delivers her message in a truly effective manner.
Highlight Reel:
Since being thrust into the limelight Candace has done a remarkable job putting forward conservative ideas from an African American perspective, and she has done so fearlessly and frequently. As a result narrowing down her highlights to just one has been difficult (just as it has with all of the previous Conservative Insurgents). However, to keep this short, I've narrowed it down to this particular one as emblematic of her ability to communicate and push back against unfair attacks on her and those who would listen to her.
April 25, 2018
Window Wednesday - The Entitlement Class
Former Hillary Clinton fundraiser and now former NY/NJ Port Authority Commissioner tried to bully police over a police stop of a car involving her daughter.
Caren Z. Turner, a Democratic lobbyist from Tenafly, has resigned as a commissioner from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, after an investigation was opened into what agency officials would only describe as "profoundly disturbing conduct." Turner's resignation allegedly involved her intervention in a recent traffic stop in connection with her daughter. Turner apparently flashed her Port Authority badge in an effort to intercede with police officers on the scene.
The sense of entitlement is exactly what is wrong with government in America. "I'm important, you're not and your rules don't apply or matter to me." This is the swamp that needs to be drained.
And in this case, it has been.
Window Wednesday - Double standards
Your visual look into today's political landscape. The media is in meltdown over president Trump's nomination of Ronny Jackson to head the VA because of his terrible past of harassing women, being drunk and trying to hand out drug prescriptions - while working in the Obama White House. Oh, and apparently everybody knew about it but nobody said anything.
 |
| This guy (on the right) is the new Public Enemy #1, because Trump. |
April 23, 2018
Toronto tragedy
Toronto is my home town, and this is really saddening.
It's been reported that the driver, in custody is known to police. It was a terror attack, even if the motive is not currently known.
Cambridge Analytica was playing by Facebook rules
So says a researcher at Cambridge Analytica. Whether it was used improperly is still a debatable point but there was no hack, there was no Russian interference in this at all. Facebook didn't care what CAmbridge Analytica was doing until it turned out that it was benefiting Trump. And even then it seems like for Facebook, Cambridge Analytica makes a convenient scapegoat, and that's all they really care about at this point.
April 22, 2018
April 21, 2018
Saturday Learning Series - Geography (Honduras)
A Central American geography lesson. Honduras.
The Honduran flag:
The Honduran flag:
April 20, 2018
April 18, 2018
White Privilege Debunked
A few well spoken videos deconstructing the myth of white privilege. First a video I stumbled upon by Brandon Tatum, it's brilliant.
And Ben Shapiro speaks to it brilliantly as he always does.
April 16, 2018
Lyin' Comey, now it's a website
Worth a chuckle. Former FBI Director James Comey has never been above politics. He's never even been above being a self-serving swamp dweller. His credibility stands up only if you are so blindly partisan that anything he says that helps your world anti-Trump view.
Even Democrats used to call him not credible when it was convenient for them to do so. Of course their tune has changed, unlike conservatives and Republicans who were skeptical even when we thought he was 'one of us'.
April 15, 2018
April 14, 2018
April 13, 2018
Friday Musical Interlude - Travellin' Man
When I was in high school I listened to a lot of older music - from the 1920's through the 1970's - instead of just the pop tunes of the day. That's how I stumbled onto this song (among others): Ricky Nelson's Travellin' Man from 1961.
April 11, 2018
Right direction means re-election
Are the midterms going to hurt Republicans? A lot of incumbent Republicans, and of course all Democrats seem to think so, but I'm not convinced. I don't see a blue wave at this point. I may be guilty of confirmation bias but in my opinion everyone predicting a blue wave are guilty of the same confirmation bias they exhibited in 2016 regarding president Trump in the primaries and then again in the general election. Besides which, even though it's already April, an awful lot could happen between now and the midterms in November.
There's more to it than that. I looked at Rasmussen's survey of whether the country is going in the right direction or wrong direction, going back to 2010 - that's an eight year window. This could be where you argue my confirmation bias comes in, but I'll address that in a moment.
There is a definite change in Rasmussen's survey results as you can see in the chart I've created below, and it's particularly visible since November of 2017, when president Trump won the election.
Detractors could accuse me of exhibiting confirmation bias by using Rasmussen, which is generally regarded as a conservative pollster. Except that they appear to have used the same methodology in the survey as far as I can see. And Rasmussen does not interview only Republicans. Any bias Rasmussen exhibits is inherent in the data and reflected across time. You can argue the scope of the bias by the relative weighting of Republicans, Democrats and Independents being surveyed. But if the numbers are relatively consistent (or consistent with other measures that Rasmussen employs to determine the ratio of those groups) then the bias is limited to the original error and consistent across time eight years' worth of time). Therefore the uptick is real because within his survey, consistent in methodology, there is indeed a Trump uptick.
That said, the uptick could represent two different things; (1) people generally feeling things are getting better, to some varying degrees, across the political spectrum or (2) conservatives or Republicans becoming more positive, and Democrats becoming less positive but not enough to offset Republican (and perhaps Independents as well) growing enthusiasm. Either way that does not point to a blue wave.
There could still be a blue wave, and indeed Republicans should ALWAYS operate under that assumption in order to prevent it. But so far the evidence put forth to validate the conjecture is not convincing. Whether many Republicans deserve re-election is another issue, but the uptick means many voters seem willing to at least overlook their recent 'transgressions', and or president Trump's.
April 10, 2018
#MAGA moment
Today the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up over 400 points today. What changed? Not the Facebook hearings. Not the Mueller probe or the raid on president Trump's lawyer by the DOJ. Nope. This:
Remember last week people were freaking out over a trade war? President Trump is still winning and there's your #MAGA moment.
April 9, 2018
Facebook makes Diamond and Silk Unsafe
Diamond and Silk support president Trump, ergo Facebook thinks they must be banned.
These ladies are no shrinking violets and have enough cache to be able to get their retort out there.
April 8, 2018
April 7, 2018
Saturday Learning Series - Geography (Guyana)
This week, the South American country of Guyana.
And the flag:
And the flag:
April 6, 2018
April 4, 2018
Quick Hit: Factual History vs. Frantic Hysteria on Military Border Patrols
CNN is no doubt definitely panicking over president Trump's decision to treat the Mexican border as a national security issue and use the military to patrol the border. One analyst went so far as to describe it as the military taking to the streets. Um, no. Military at the border is a real thing. Not just on the Mexican border, but throughout history. The Berlin Wall. The DMZ in Korea. Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Countless other examples exist.
When faced with factual history, apparently left prefers frantic hysteria. But that's not news, and neither is CNN.
Quick Hit: Mueller has nothing, but you wouldn't know it
The Mueller investigation apparently doesn't currently hold the president as a criminal target of it's investigation. The media hasn't really mentioned that much. In fact, the Washington Post which reported it yesterday, are holding out hope that he could still become a target.
Nevertheless, there are some important considerations as Johnathan Turley at The Hill points out:
That Mueller does not believe there is “substantial evidence linking [Trump] to the commission of a crime” would seem to merit some, albeit grudging, recognition. However, there has been a disturbing lack of objectivity in the coverage of this investigation from the start. Throughout it, some of us have cautioned that the criminal case against Trump was far weaker than media suggested. Fired FBI Director James Comey himself told Congress that Trump was not a target of his investigation. Indeed, Trump was reportedly upset with Comey largely because Comey would not say that publicly.When Trump fired Comey, I supported the call for a special counsel, and I still support Mueller in completing his investigation. However, the case of criminal conduct by Trump has not materially improved over the last year. Last October, Mueller brought the first indictments against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy, Richard Gates. Notably, none of the indictments were linked to the campaign, let alone Trump. When that obvious point was raised, we were told that it meant nothing and Mueller was likely holding back the really damaging indictments while pressuring Trump aides. Commentators continue to announce “bombshell” disclosures against Trump on a daily basis, with experts alleging clear cases for treason to obstruction to witness tampering and other crimes.
But time and again, evidence continued to indicate that chances of president trump becoming a target were evaporating.
Then, in November, came the disclosure of plea agreements with former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn and former campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos. However, these pleas were for making individual false statements to federal investigators. Neither the charges nor the narratives in the filings tied Trump or his campaign to any criminal act. Later indictments involving lawyer Alex van der Zwaan and internet operator Richard Pinedo involved a false statement and a single count of identity fraud, again unrelated to Trump or his campaign. Nevertheless, commentators insisted Mueller was just laying the groundwork for his major filing.In February, Mueller handed down indictments of 13 Russian nationals and three Russian organizations for election-related crimes, from hacking to identity fraud. Not only did these charges not implicate Trump or his campaign, but the filing expressly stated that no one in the Trump campaign knowingly engaged Russians in these efforts. Now, Mueller reportedly has said he does not consider Trump a “target” of the criminal investigation. Looking at each of the prior filings, the disclosure would seem consistent with a lack of compelling evidence of a crime by Trump. Indeed, it would indicate Trump’s status has not changed from when Comey told Congress that Trump was not a target.
And yet, the mainstream media continues to be purveyors of self-deluded Trump-prosecution porn:
Still, some analysts immediately denied that Mueller’s disclosure was anything but bad news for Trump. On CNN, legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin insisted that “being a ‘subject’ is a very serious thing” and a “very significant designation” because it is clear “the FBI is investigating the president.”
The only outstanding question is when will Mueller wrap up his investigation.
Quick Hit: Youtube is the master of it's own fate
With recent news of a demonitized Youtube-hater going to Youtube and trying to kill people, it's time to ask a few questions of the non-transparent behemoth. While the shooting was terrible and violence is not justified Youtube has treated it's content creators very poorly and if it doesn't change it will lose them, and then eventually it's audience.
Megan Fox at PJ Media expounds on this:
...While there is never an excuse for shooting innocent people, Aghdam's frustration with YouTube highlights ongoing problems that must be addressed by the company: mass deletions, loss of livelihood, and censorship. They seem to think they don't have to answer to anyone, including the press, about the asinine business decisions they keep making that suppress the First Amendment and oppress their own content creators.Most people, like O'Brien, (who are sane and normal) take their content elsewhere, like to Vimeo and Bitchute, but the psychological games YouTube plays with them are maddening! Deleting videos, then reinstating, demonetizing then remonetizing...this goes on and on with no reasonable explanation...
YouTube has a terrible business model that treats its content creators (and the Constitution) like garbage. It should be abandoned en masse and investigated.
Her article is spot on and really worth the read. Her suggested solution, is definitely the better way to go than Aghdam's shooting rampage.
April 1, 2018
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