Couple pay with their lives for embrace of progressive delusions

Couple pay with their lives for embrace of progressive delusions
Couple pay with their lives for embrace of progressive delusions

By Thomas Lifson

This is a "tragedy" in the original Greek dramatic understanding: people undone by their fatal flaw, based on pride.

Benny Johnson reports in the Daily Caller:

An American couple decided to bicycle around the world in an attempt to prove evil does not exist.  They chose to bicycle through ISIS territory and ISIS killed them...

In one post, Austin – who is a vegan – said he worked for the Department of Housing and Urban Development during Obama's presidency explained how he and his girlfriend were planning to bike around the world with hopes to meet "generous" and approachable people.

He did acknowledge that biking makes one more "vulnerable." ...

In another post, right before entering the ISIS hotbed recruiting grounds of Tajikistan, Austin waxed about how "evil" does not exist in the world. ...

"I don't buy it. Evil is a make-believe concept we've invented to deal with the complexities of fellow humans holding values and beliefs and perspectives different than our own—it's easier to dismiss an opinion as abhorrent than strive to understand it. Badness exists, sure, but even that's quite rare. By and large, humans are kind. Self-interested sometimes, myopic sometimes, but kind. Generous and wonderful and kind. No greater revelation has come from our journey than this."

It is a lovely fantasy, to be sure.  
It's the same mentality that attaches a bumper sticker reading, 
"Mean people suck" to a Volvo.  

Image from simplycycling.org via the Daily Caller.

Read on.

What Went Wrong With Human Rights - WSJ

What Went Wrong With Human Rights - WSJ--James Taranto

"When the U.S. withdrew in June from the United Nations Human Rights Council, Ambassador Nikki Haley described the council as “a protector of human-rights abusers, and a cesspool of political bias.” Aaron Rhodes agrees but thinks Ms. Haley was too gentle.“The Human Rights Council has become a cover for dictatorships,” he says. “They assume the high moral ground of standing for ‘dialogue’ and ‘cooperation,’ a tactic for smothering the truth about denying freedom. Raising human-rights concerns is dismissed as divisive and confrontational, and a threat to ‘stability.’ Most of the debate there is technocratic blah-blah about global social policy—not about human rights at all.”

To U.N. watchers it’s a familiar critique, but Mr. Rhodes, 69, applies it far more broadly. 

In his recent book, “The Debasement of Human Rights: How Politics Sabotage the Ideal of Freedom,” he argues that virtually the entire human-rights enterprise has been corrupted by a philosophical error enshrined in the U.N.’s 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights—and that this explains the travesty of the Human Rights Council.

That error is the conflation of “natural law” with “positive law.” 
Mr. Rhodes explains the difference: “Natural law is a kind of constraint on positive law.” 

Think of America’s Bill of Rights, whose opening clause is “Congress shall make no law.” 

The idea is “that laws have to answer to a higher law,” he says. 

“This is a vision of law that is very deeply embedded in Western civilization,” finding premodern expression in the ideas of the Greek Stoics and the Roman statesman Cicero, as well as in biblical canon law. 

Natural law is universal—or at least claims to be.

“Positive law,” Mr. Rhodes continues, “is the law of states and governments.” 

A statute like the Social Security Act of 1935 creates “positive rights”—government-conferred benefits to which citizens have a legal entitlement..."

Read on.

Why Bruce Ohr Pushing His Wife's Oppo Research To The FBI Is Huge

Why Bruce Ohr Pushing His Wife's Oppo Research To The FBI Is Huge:

A review of publicly available information causes a reasonable person to wonder whether Bruce Ohr broke the law by promoting his wife’s anti-Trump research to the FBI when he was working at the Justice Department.

Engineers refute allegations of gender bias in licensing exam

Engineers refute allegations of gender bias in licensing exam

A recent academic journal article speculated that "biases in the exam itself" may be the reason that women pass the field's licensing exam at a lower rate than men, but professional engineers find the allegation "hard to believe."...

Professional engineers are expressing befuddlement over unsubstantiated scholarly accusations that the field’s licensure exam is biased against women..."
Read on.

Journalist probing child-trafficking allegations against Bill Clinton found dead

Journalist probing child-trafficking allegations against Bill Clinton found dead in her room at the Radisson Country Inn & Suites in Washington D.C. on Monday. 
She had been investigating claims of alleged involvement of former President William J. Clinton in sex trafficking. 
Four weeks before her death, Moore had provided information from interviews with the alleged victim to the Department of Homeland Security and allegations against Clinton. 
Records show that she contacted DHS from July 6 through July 9. 
True Pundit reported that she contacted the FBI one week later with identical information gleaned from the alleged victim..."
Read on.

Lunch video-----The Privilege Game

Noon-toon

Feds accuse Facebook of discrimination over ad-targeting policy - Washington Times

Feds accuse Facebook of discrimination over ad-targeting policy - Washington Times:

The complaint goes to the heart of Facebook’s business model, which depends on being able to offer advertisers micro-targeting.
“Facebook mines extensive user data and classifies its users based on protected characteristics. Facebook’s ad targeting tools then invite advertisers to express unlawful preferences by suggesting discriminatory options,” the Housing and Urban Development Department said in the complaint.

Fourth instance of mob violence this year shuts down Chicago’s fanciest shopping district

Fourth instance of mob violence this year shuts down Chicago’s fanciest shopping district
"Business interests and police are doing their best to minimize attention to the slide into mob rule of the streets in Chicago’s nicest, most famous neighborhood.  
But shoppers, tourists, and ordinary working Joes and Janes can no longer take for granted the freedom to walk around Chicago’s upscale shopping district along North Michigan Avenue near the famous Water Tower. 
Four times this year, mobs of “urban youths” have taken to “wilding” and attacking random pedestrians while looting stores.

The latest instance happened on Tuesday. CBS Chicago reports:

A brawl involving dozens of teenagers broke out near Chicago’s Water Tower Place Tuesday night, prompting a flurry of 911 calls as the mob spread to Chicago Avenue and State Street.

The disturbance grew so large at one point that some businesses in Chicago’s busiest tourist district were forced to shut down

One person who witnessed the fight asked to stay anonymous, but told CBS that a group of about seven teenagers jumped a person walking down Chicago Avenue between Wabash Avenue and Rush Street.

Read all!

Thread by @KimStrassel: "1) It is never fun to tackle fact checkers, but this one is a case study in that modern art of omitting details, stating unsupportable asser […]"

Thread by @KimStrassel: "1) It is never fun to tackle fact checkers, but this one is a case study in that modern art of omitting details, stating unsupportable asser […]"

1) It is never fun to tackle fact checkers, but this one is a case study in that modern art of omitting details, stating unsupportable assertions as fact, slipping things in, manipulating a narrative. 

Opinion as "fact." 

So let's go through it. 

Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis

Fact Checker Analysis

Who is Bruce Ohr and why does Trump keep tweeting about him?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/08/16/who-is-bruce-ohr-why-does-trump-keep-tweeting-about-him/?utm_term=.e30d884f001c

2)"Ohr exists in a netherworld — a subject of fascination in right-leaning media". Right, though piece fails to note that is because mainstream media is more "fascinated" by Omarosa than it is the news that a high ranking DOJ official--

3)--whose wife worked for Clinton oppo-research group Fusion GPS--was feeding said oppo research to the FBI. And that the FBI was taking it even after having officially terminated Fusion employee Christopher Steele as a source, for breaking FBI rules.

4)"Ohr is less of a central player." The guy was among highest ranking DOJ officials. And anybody who works for one central player in this drama (DOJ) and has dozens of contacts with all the other central players (Fusion, FBI, Steele) is by definition pretty central..."

Read all!

#1 This day 1975-----Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds - Fallin' In Love

Police work to stop overdoses after 76 fall ill in Connecticut | Daily Mail Online

Police work to stop overdoses after 76 fall ill in Connecticut | Daily Mail Online
Shocking images of mass overdose in Yale park as number of victims hits SEVENTY SIX and cops raid homes to try to stop the bad batch of synthetic marijuana spreading

• More than 76 people were transported to hospitals this week in Connecticut 
• Social workers and mental health professionals responded to the New Haven Green, where most of the overdoses happened Wednesday 
• Police said that the illnesses were blamed on a batch of synthetic marijuana 
• Officials said 76 people overdosed Wednesday and 17 more fell ill Thursday 
• It's unclear whether Thursday's overdoses involved the same batch of 'K2'
• Some of the New Haven victims tested positive for the powerful opioid fentanyl 
• No deaths were reported and most brought to hospitals have been discharged

Police swarmed a Connecticut park near Yale University and searched people's homes for drugs Thursday in an effort to prevent more overdoses from a batch of synthetic marijuana blamed for sending more than 70 people to the hospital..."
Read all.

You ought to know!

Richard Burr blasts John Brennan for Russian collusion claim - Washington Times

Richard Burr blasts John Brennan for Russian collusion claim - Washington Times:

Sen. Richard Burr, who leads the Senate Selective Committee on Intelligence, issued a sharp rebuke of former CIA Director John Brennan, saying that if he has evidence of Russian collusion he should have presented it to his panel.
The North Carolina Republican’s statement was remarkable in that he has adhered to a strict nonpartisan approach as the committee pursues a more than yearlong investigation into Russia’s hacking Democratic Party computers and other interference.

Cancer: It's not always what you eat, but when you eat it

Cancer: It's not always what you eat, but when you eat it:
"Here’s some disturbing news for those of us who like late dinners:
A new study from Europe, where many cultures also prefer eating dinner later in the evening, finds that cycle increases your risk of both prostate and breast cancer.
The new study found two protective habits:
Eat your evening meal before 9 p.m.
Do not go to bed for at least two hours after the meal.
Each habit had a 20 percent protective effect on developing either prostate or breast cancer.
The positive effects were especially pronounced among people who prefer morning activity over evening activity..."
Read on.

AM Fruitcake

History for August 19

History for August 19 - On-This-Day.com
Bernard Baruch 1870, Orville Wright 1871, Coco Chanel 1883


Ogden Nash 1902, Malcolm Forbes 1919, Gene Roddenberry 1921


1856 - Gail Borden received a patent for his process of condensing milk by vacuum.


1909 - The first car race to be run on brick occurred at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.


1917 - Team managers John McGraw and Christy Matthewson were arrested for breaking New York City's blue laws. The crime was their teams were playing baseball on Sunday.


1919 - Afghanistan gained independence from Britain.


1929 - "Amos and Andy," the radio comedy program, made its debut on NBC starring Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll.


2004 - Google Inc. stock began selling on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The initial price was set at $85 and ended the day at $100.34 with more than 22 million shares traded.

Criminal Foreigners in Prison Cost American Taxpayers $1.4B Every Year

Criminal Foreigners in Prison Cost American Taxpayers $1.4B Every Year:

As Breitbart News most recently noted, welfare for foreign refugees costs taxpayers about $870 million every year. That cost is expected to dramatically decrease as President Trump’s administration has slowed the flow of refugees to the U.S. in the last year.
The majority of Americans, about 51 percent, say illegal immigration increases crime in the country, and nearly half of Americans, 48 percent, say illegal immigration crushes wages for America’s working and middle class.

The way we were-----Please Don´t Let Me Be Misunderstood- The Animals

Boob-tube-----CREEPY MOMENTS ON TV

Hey You Guys – You Can’t Say 'You Guys' Anymore | Intellectual Takeout

Hey You Guys – You Can’t Say 'You Guys' Anymore | Intellectual Takeout
"...Yet another sense-demolishing instance of campus lunacy was reported last week in The New York Times, which informed readers that their children off at college are being 

• sternly warned not to say “you guys” (it might make women feel excluded), 
• not to “show surprise” if a feminine-looking woman says she is a lesbian (acting ability now being as essential as learning ability) and 
• to be very very careful about singing along with rap lyrics, even when alone in a car.

Needless to say, everyone should be on the lookout for “white privilege” and report any suspicions along these lines to the authorities for immediate correction. 

Helpful re-education camps are already being set up for this purpose..."

Read all!

Michigan’s Trial Courts Have a Major Funding Problem – Michigan Capitol Confidential

Michigan’s Trial Courts Have a Major Funding Problem – Michigan Capitol Confidential
The statutory scheme that keeps them running is set to expire in 2020 – and there’s no back up plan in place yet

It’s past time for Michigan to pass some legislation to address the problem of funding its county courts.
If lawmakers do nothing, counties will have to scramble to come up with hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep their local courthouses open.
Michigan’s county courts recoup their operating expenses by passing their expenses on to convicted criminal defendants in a user fee model. 
This model is problematic because it’s a poor business practice (courts recoup only a fraction of what they charge) that is also probably unconstitutional. Moreover, it’s about to get thrown out, because the statute that authorizes courts to fund themselves this way will expire in 2020...

Depending on User Fees: A Failed Business Model

Summary of Circuit Court Cost Data, 2015

Costs Imposed by Average County	$311,612.82
Costs Imposed in Average Case	$464.61
Costs Collected by Average County	$76,414.33
Average Amount Collected	$150.08
Average Number of Cases with Costs	575
Average Percent of Costs Collected	24%

Summary of Circuit Court Cost Data, 2016

Costs Imposed by Average County	$334,645.10
Costs Imposed in Average Case	$432.18
Costs Collected by Average County	$112,124.90
Average Amount Collected	$206.24
Average Number of Cases with Costs	586
Average Percent of Costs Collected	51%

Read on.

Judicial Watch Uncovers Five More Clinton Emails Containing Classified Material on Her Unsecure, Non-‘State.gov’ Email System - Judicial Watch

Judicial Watch Uncovers Five More Clinton Emails Containing Classified Material on Her Unsecure, Non-‘State.gov’ Email System - Judicial Watch:

“These classified Hillary Clinton emails that she tried to hide or destroy show why it is urgent that the DOJ finally undertake a honest criminal investigation,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “These emails show how the prior sham investigation by the Comey-Strzok-McCabe-Lynch crowd was a joke. It is past time for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to order a new investigation of the Hillary Clinton email scandal.”

Junk Science and Leftist Folklore Have Set California Ablaze | Frontpage Mag

Junk Science and Leftist Folklore Have Set California Ablaze | Frontpage Mag:
"How left-wing "global warming" policies are torching the West Coast.
The Left Coast is burning. Oregon is fighting 13 wildfires encompassing 185,000 acres.
California is battling 19 fires, including tornados of fire called "fire whirls," which have gobbled up 577,000 acres and left eight dead.
A good progressive who never lets a crisis go to waste, Governor Jerry Brown told Californians, “With climate change, some scientists are saying that Southern California is literally burning up.”
He warned that man-made global warming created a “new normal,” and that “more serious predictions of warming and fires to occur later in the century, 2040 or 2050, [are] now occurring in real time.”
A few days later Brown had a tweet-duel with President Trump, who in contrast claimed, “California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws,” like those against thinning and clearing forests: “Tree clear to stop fire spreading!” 
Seems like on this issue, the allegedly doltish Trump has the better argument than the Berkeley and Yale-trained Brown.
Indeed, doctor of environmental science and forester Bob Zybach for years has been the Cassandra warning about misguided policies on forest management.
According to Zybach, wildfires began to increase in the late 70’s, at the same time policies moved away from active management of forests to a more hands-off “natural” approach. 
In the past, “Mostly fuels were removed through logging, active management — which they [the Feds] stopped– and grazing,” Zybach said in an interview.
“You take away logging, grazing, and maintenance, and you get firebombs...”
Read all.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON----John Brennan’s Security Clearance -- Former CIA Head Deserved to Lose It | National Review

John Brennan’s Security Clearance -- Former CIA Head Deserved to Lose It | National Review:
"Scarier than former CIA chief John Brennan losing his security clearance is the idea that he ever had one in the first place.

 Perhaps to avoid the appearance of partisanship in pulling the security clearances of former intelligence chiefs, the Trump administration should now abide by some sort of universal nonpartisan standard.
I suggest that the following sort of improper conduct, either during or after one’s tenure, might result in the loss of a security clearance:
1) Lying to Congress. Brennan lied to Congress on at least two occasions (cf. his denial of CIA surveillance of Senate staffer computers and the claim of an absence of collateral damage in drone attacks), and perhaps three (his absurd denial of knowledge of the seeding of the Steele dossier among government agencies)...
2) Accusations of Treason against a Sitting President..."
Much more, read all!

Lunch video-----Paul Harvey The signers of the Declaration Of Independence

Noon-toon

Black Slaves, Muslim Masters | Frontpage Mag

Black Slaves, Muslim Masters | Frontpage Mag:

Arabs and Muslims have black slaves today and hardly anyone, especially the leftist class which preens about its devotion to human rights, is screaming about this. In five African nations —Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Sudan— blacks serve Arab/Muslim masters. They are bought and sold like furniture. They are worked until they drop, tortured, raped, forcibly converted to Islam, and murdered. This has been going on for many years, but it only occasionally makes today’s headlines.
This is an open secret. Anyone can Google “blacks sold as slaves in Libya” and see video of slave markets.

Freedom Philosophy: Eliminating Income Inequality is Evil - Being Libertarian

Freedom Philosophy: Eliminating Income Inequality is Evil - Being Libertarian:
"Poverty is a thing to be abolished.
We should all rally around this central point.
No one should go without food and water as long as it’s within our individual power to prevent it. This raises the immediate question of what is the most effective means of eliminating poverty.
The knee-jerk reaction of some is to take from the wealthy and give to the poor.
I shall, for the purposes of philosophical charity, ascribe this motivation to them.
However, I have encountered another motive among the left, one far more disreputable, sinister, and abhorrent – that they simply wish to take from the wealthy, which is little more than hatred and jealousy.
Our reality is that inequality cures poverty.
Inequality has many causes, but primarily it’s due to supply and demand.
If doctors didn’t economically outperform low-skilled workers, the supply of doctors would drastically diminish to the point that the scarcity of their professions would drive an increase in their wages.
Wages are a function of supply and demand.
This is why a skilled hockey player earns more than a nurse, even though nurses are more valuable to society – the supply of someone with the skills of Sidney Crosby is far less than those who have the capacity to become a nurse.
...Inequality isn’t desirous in and of itself but there is such a thing as natural inequality.
Some are born smarter than others.
Some are raised with a higher work ethic.
The result of each of these tends toward inequality...."
Read all!