CNN wants this

"CNN firmly believes that certain behavior inspires, provokes, and causes political violence — including assassination attempts.

Therefore, when CNN itself consciously engages in this exact same behavior, we know for a fact that their intent is to inspire, provoke, and cause political violence — including assassination attempts.

You may choose not to blame CNN for Wednesday's near massacre. You may choose not to believe that words and images and rhetoric and conspiracy theories can be blamed for violence. Whatever. That is not my point.

The point is that if CNN believes those things result in violence and then does those things, the network's intent is not in dispute."

 http://www.dailywire.com/news/17568/if-you-need-proof-cnn-wants-trump-and-his-john-nolte#!

Peggy Noonan opines on the current incivility of the media

“Tuesday I talked with an old friend, a figure in journalism who’s a pretty cool character, about the political anger all around us. He spoke of “horrible polarization.” He said there’s “too much hate in D.C.” He mentioned “the beheading, the play in the park” and described them as “dog whistles to any nut who wants to take action.”

“Someone is going to get killed,” he said.

That was 20 hours before the shootings in Alexandria, Va.” . . .

 “A comic posed with a gruesome bloody facsimile of President Trump’s head. New York’s rightly revered Shakespeare in the Park put on a “Julius Caesar” in which the assassinated leader is made to look like the president. A CNN host—amazingly, of a show on religion—sent out a tweet calling the president a “piece of s—” who is “a stain on the presidency.” An MSNBC anchor wondered, on the air, whether the president wishes to “provoke” a terrorist attack for political gain. Earlier Stephen Colbert, well known as a good man, a gentleman, said of the president, in a rant: “The only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin’s c— holster.” Those are but five dots in a larger, darker pointillist painting. You can think of more.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/rage-is-all-the-rage-and-its-dangerous-1497571401

And I thought.  But the incivility is not spread equally—even though the media has warned us incessantly about dangers from the right wing extremists. The conservatives are not the news anchors and reporters; they are not the entertainers; they can't get tenure at the universities to melt little snowflakes into submission. The left owns the culture and they own this mess. Conservatives haven’t burned buildings or prevented speakers at graduation or political forums on college campuses and they haven’t threatened sponsors of talk radio or conservative shows. It's not the right who insist that boys will be girls, and if you know better we'll destroy you.  The right wasn’t in control of the federal government PR campaign the last 8 years. All they are guilty of is voting. And it has created a call for a violent revolution.
 

Our trip to Scotland--Day 1 and 2, June 8-9

 All flights for our June trip were right on time.  We left Columbus at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7, and arrived in JFK New York at 8 p.m. Even the wait at Kennedy was preparing us for Scotland.  As we sat amongst others who would board, we were with a family of four from Scotland, who had been in New York for a week visiting all the sights, including a play, the Statue of Liberty, and the usual.  Also encountered a young lady about 25 who collects whisky--yes, my first, but I would learn more on the trip about Scotland and whisky. We also met Pat and Emily from Washington, a grandmother and granddaughter, who were going on the same tour.

Our travel agent had arranged for wheelchairs, we thought just for the return trip to meet us at JFK, but we accepted because I thought it would be better to save my back and legs for climbing around castles. But I did feel a little "invisible" as a little old lady in a wheelchair.  People do step aside as you glide quickly through the lines, but I felt an odd sense that I was invisible non-person.

We left NYC at 11:16 p.m. and arrived in Glasgow at 11:15 a.m. in the rain on Thursday (5 hour time difference) where we met our Globus tour guide who was from London, John, and our driver who was Scottish, David. Two of our tour companions had problems with their luggage, and had brought nothing along, so went shopping as soon as we got to our hotel, the Hilton Doubletree on Cambridge Street.  We changed clothes, napped and met for dinner in the hotel dining room at 6 p.m.  We sat with Pat (73) and Emily (21) whom we'd already met.  Some went for a walkabout, but it was cool and rainy, so we didn't get far.

On Day 2 we had breakfast with three ladies from Canada, Laurie, Ann and Rose and drove to the Glengoyne whisky distillery for a tour that was more interesting than I expected, and which was in a very scenic area.  Then we were off to Stirling Castle, a symbol of Scottish independence and residence of many kings and queens. We enjoyed seeing Robert the Bruce statue, the magnificent rooms, and views. We had a lot of fun that week with the Bruce name.

Bob with Robert the Bruce

The Castle has numerous events, including weddings and plays, and this gown was part of an art show.

We could see the William Wallace Monument at Stirling from the castle.

We had lunch at a little cafe in the compound and then back on the bus to visit Brannockburn Visitor Centre and a 3-D presentation about the June 23-24, 1314, battle which made Bruce so famous. Our notes say that on the return to Glasgow we had an orientation drive past the 12th century cathedral, university buildings and elegant Georgian squares built by wealthy tobacco barons, and I sort of have a memory of that, but suspect I dozed a bit on the bus. We walked and looked around for a place to eat, but ended up back at the hotel dining room and had a fine dinner of salmon.

If I'd had more time in Scotland (returned Wednesday evening), I would have visited more museums, ruins and looked at more art. The battles, whether clan on clan or Scots against Vikings or English, are all mushed together in my mind. But I still would have had the same questions. If Scotland became independent of the U.K., would they tear down all those statues of deceased or visiting kings and knock down museums to failed causes? Would they sink the Britannia ship the Queen used on family holidays?

Scots were/are not united on language, culture, religion, politics, monarchies, or distilled beverages, and it's a very small country. But they don't seem to be ripping apart their history because of the warts as we are doing in the USA. And one other thing, that beautiful landscape is from "climate change." We saw numerous non-violent volcanoes, and strange rocks and boulders dumped there by retreating glaciers thousands of years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=mI2oJbk-bcI

Beautiful Glengoyne Distillery 

 

Here I am at the Glengoyne Whisky Distillery to see how barley, water, and yeast create a popular drink

Nutrition advice for Americans

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.
4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans...
5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Comey the leaker

 "My judgment was I needed to get [the memos] out into the public square," Comey said. "So, I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter. I didn't do it myself for a variety of reasons, but I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel."  I wonder how "I asked a friend.." works in murder or a robbery?


Gob smacked is what Judicial Watch described their reaction. We weren't in the country during the testimony--blissfully unaware traveling in Scotland. But I think everyone is shocked by Comey's illegal behavior of leaking his memo--but one more piece of evidence in Trump's favor.  It was worse than even Trump suspected.  I don't expect the Never Trumper Republicans to eat crow.  Comey is another Reality Winner (NSA contractor), just another member of the Deep State attempting to thwart the November election.  Trump is not our problem--it's the unelected.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ1MDKlgrnE 

 "The testimony of James Comey proved long on atmospherics and short on ethics. While many were riveted by Comey’s discussion of his discomfort in meetings with President Trump, most seemed to miss the fact that Comey was describing his own conduct in strikingly unethical terms. The greatest irony is that Trump succeeded in baiting Comey to a degree that even Trump could not have imagined. After calling Comey a “showboat” and poor director, Comey proceeded to commit an unethical and unprofessional act in leaking damaging memos against Trump."   http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/the-administration/337160-opinion-the-damaging-case-against-james-comey

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/06/09/yes-james-b-comey-is-a-leaker-but-all-leaks-are-not-created-equal/   Washington Post, of course, says not big deal. Who knew?

The Comey story is dead, done, zip. Nothing against Trump, all against Comey.  Democrats had to move on, and then came the shooting and bumped their crushed hopes off the front page.

Failed again--Washington Post blind to its own crimes

I just read some background research in the Washington Post on the shooter of Republicans playing ball, James Hodgkinson.  Or should have been.

1) Interview with the station attendant who put air in his tires who remarked how he'd had a temper tantrum, 2) blaming Trump (lots of detail just in case you've missed all the dirt)
3) for his lack of work when the attendant worked 6 days a week;
4)  interview with his wife in Illinois who knew nothing.
5) Also interviewed the local Democrats in Illinois who don't claim him--called him a lone wolf.
6) Nothing about his decade of anti-Republican rants in newspapers and social media.

He was fixated on blaming others for his failures--even before Obama. But they sure had details on the guns. Not a peep that perhaps the drip, drip, drip (98% negative) of lies and hysteria in WaPo about Trump could have contributed to Hodgkinson's feelings of failure, smallness, and depression. WaPo needs to hire some real writers, if there are any left in DC.

Hateful remarks from the Left creating chaos

"Here’s a list of political hate-speech from the left; ignored or endorsed by prominent democrats, members of the media, or Hollywood celebrities.

• Hollywood Actor Mark Ruffalo calls on NBC News to "cease hiring white conservatives."
• "Knights for Socialism" group at a Florida University teaches students how to "fight the fascists."
• Anti-Trump "resistance" leaders say they want to "Make America Ungovernable," call for "direct action" tactics against Republicans.
• Kathy Griffin's photoshoot depicting President Trump's severed head.
• Charlie Sheen wishes death on Donald Trump, tweeting, “Dear God; Trump next, please! Trump next, please!" following the death of actress Carrie Fisher. 
• President Trump murdered in musician Marilyn Manson's music video.
• Katie Tur insinuates Donald Trump will begin killing journalists on MSNBC, saying “Donald Trump has made no secret about going after journalists"
• Unhinged NYU professor calls on students to attack conservative speaker Gavin McInnes, calls his supporters "Nazis."
• Rachel Maddow says Donald Trump wants to murder journalists.
• Comedian Jim Carrey supports Kathy Griffin's photoshoot, says he dreams of killing President Trump.
• Madonna says she wants to "blow up the White House" during a speech.
• Black Lives Matter say they want to "fry cops like bacon" during a rally in Minnesota.
• President Obama urges liberal activists to, "Get in their faces."
• Actor Mickey Rourke goes on anti-Trump rant, says "F*** him, F*** the horse he rode in on, his wife's one of the biggest gold-diggers I know."
• Rapper Big Sean raps about murdering Donald Trump with an icepick. 
• Late-Night host Stephen Colbert goes on anti-Trump tirade, calls him "Vladimir Putin's c***-holster."
• Comedian Bill Maher jokes about Trump family incest.
• Rapper Snoop Dogg stages phony execution of 'clown' Donald Trump.
• NBC and New York Times contributor Malcolm Nance calls on ISIS to suicide-bomb Trump-owned properties. 
• NYC Theater group stages performance of 'Julius Caesar,' showing the savage stabbing-death of 'Donald Trump.'
• Protesters in Philadelphia chant "Kill Trump - Kill Pence" during May Day demonstrations. "

And he didn't list them all; this is just since Trump won the election. . .  like Obama suggesting Democrats bring a gun to a knife fight. Hodgkinson had had a grudge against Republicans long before Trump became the candidate. He swallowed all the media hate and vitriol about conservatives.

There is a backlash, more from the left than the right

We didn't know about the shooting of Republicans at the baseball practice--we were flying over the nation on our way home from Edinburgh, then saw a snippet on a Fox crawl through the seats on the plane. Rush Limbaugh said Hodgkinson’s Facebook Page Reads Like a CNN Panel on Russia. Yet, remember, Rush and "talk radio" are always blamed by the left, but the violence comes from them. They are blind to the hammering of Trump and Republicans (98% negative according to a recent study done at Harvard) and the ridicule on late night TV which is earning them high ratings and more money. They night after night talk about Russia hacking the election and destroying our democracy when in fact they are the ones, drip, drip, drip, until the unhinged believe them, despite no evidence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3M-kpsC4BQ

Just Google a very general search about liberals (politicians, media, entertainers) who ask the public to kill, assassinate or maim conservatives/Republicans, or who accuse Republicans of wanting to starve or kill the poor and elderly and you'll see that the search bring up their hatred, the incendiary language, the riots at little Middlebury and huge Berkeley, burning buildings, blocking speeches, and insulting millions of Americans by Clinton as racists, sexists and bigots, all in the name of the first amendment while demonizing the second amendment. Obama blamed the right with no evidence after the Gifford shooting, but it is the left weirdos and anarchists who actually commit the violence in the name of protecting THEIR free expression.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Baiv4YG7QGk

In February 2016 an Atlantic article opined:   "There is a backlash against the liberalism of the Obama era. But it is louder than it is strong. Instead of turning right, the country as a whole is still moving to the left." Yes, this Atlantic article eventually gets around to blaming the right for violence on the left. Racism and growing violence in the Black Lives Matter movement is blamed on whites (for any reason including their race).

"The Right doesn't like it but the Left loves it. And it is economic violence in our system. "There has been little public backlash on economics, either. President Obama has intervened more extensively in the economy than any other president in close to half a century. In his first year, he pushed through the largest economic stimulus in American history—larger in inflation-adjusted terms than Franklin Roosevelt’s famed Works Progress Administration. In his second year, he muscled universal health care through Congress, something progressives had been dreaming about since Theodore Roosevelt ran as a Bull Moose. That same year, he signed a law re-regulating Wall Street. He’s also spent roughly $20 billion bailing out the auto industry, increased fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks, toughened emissions standards for coal-fired power plants, authorized the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the production of carbon dioxide, expanded the Food and Drug Administration’s ability to regulate the sale of tobacco products, doubled the amount of fruits and vegetables required in school lunches, designated 2 million acres as wilderness, and protected more than 1,000 miles of rivers."

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/01/why-america-is-moving-left/419112/

The endless ironies

"No one worried much when Obama promised on a hot mic to Medvedev that he would be more flexible with the Russians after his reelection, as if they were to conform to a desired sort of behavior in service to Obama that would earn them dividends from him later on — the kind of unapologetic partisan “collusion” that would have earned Trump a Comey-induced indictment.

 

No one cared that Obama pulled all peacekeepers out of Iraq and thereby ruined what the surge had saved.

 

Nor did anyone fret much about the serial scandals at the GSA, the VA, the IRS, and the Secret Service, or his disastrous reset policy with Russia and the implosion of the Middle East or the strange spectacles of Obama’s interview with GloZell or polarizing Oval Office guests, such as the rapper whose album cover portrayed celebrations over a dead white judge."

 http://www.nationalreview.com/article/448562/donald-trump-ironies-wrecking-ball-long-overdue-may-benefit-country

 

What made the mainstream media and lefty overpaid "entertainers" revere Obama as god-like and sent shivers up their legs, now drives them beyond the bend when a Republican president does similar things. . . even stupid and dangerous things.

About the rhetoric and the left urging violence. . .

"When Kathy Griffin posed with a mock severed head of President Trump, she had more than a few defenders, with actor Jim Carrey saying her only sin was being the brave soul to voice what everyone else felt.

When controversy erupted over an iteration of Julius Caesar that depicted Trump as the assassinated leader, playwright Tony Kushner blamed Breitbart and the right wing media for manufacturing outrage.

Enter David Simon, creator of HBO's hit show The Wire, who less than 24-hours before the shooting on Wednesday, openly called for anti-Trumpers to commit violence, advising them to "pick up a goddamn brick" if they don't get their way." http://www.conservativenews.com/article/3132/just-one-day-gop-congressman-attacked?

Riots break out when a conservative is invited to speak on college campuses; 98% negative reporting on Trump in the MSM; the DNC candidate calling half the country "deplorables;" one major candidate a designated socialist, the form of politics at the root of non-war death in the 20th century; disagreeing about climate change is considered a crime; death in the womb is part of the Democrat party's mission statement.  So who are the violent ones?

Monday Memories--Letter from Dad, June 18, 2001

A letter from Dad.  He always left the correspondence up to Mom, but I did have a few notes from him after her death in January 2000, and found this one recently.  I had been writing him frequently, maybe once a week.

Monday, June 18, 2001
Dear Norma,
As I promised I’m going to write you a letter, so you can tell all your friends.  I’m going to go from Sunday backwards, instead of starting a week ago and go forward like you do.

Church 9 a.m.   June 17
Home at 10:45
Over to 408 Sunset at 12 noon.  Drove to Byron, but before getting out of the car, Ruth said, “This is on me.  I’m filling in for Norma and Joanne.  They would pay if they were here.” Back to Mt. Morris by 2 p.m.
At 3:00 Ruth and I went to the Baptist Church dedication.  The old one burned 2 years ago and they have been worshiping in the Leaf River Grade School since.  I don’t know why the Baptists have all the good speakers and we have none.
Back at 408 by 6 p.m.  Home by 7:30.

Saturday June 16
Went to Rockford to see J. Groenewold. Then to K’s Merchandise to buy electric razor 10 a.m. Home by 12. Nothing except weeds and napping rest of the day.

Friday, June 15
Took Gene and Betty to VFW in Oregon for Fish Fry. I’m sure they liked it.  They have a meal every Friday night as a fund raiser.
Tomorrow night Ruth and I are going to “Good Samaritan” supper as a fund raiser for Pinecrest.  Tickets on Ruth $100.00.

Thanks for all you and Bob have done to make my life at 11 West 1st the joy that it has become. You two were a great help in my adjusting to life without Olive.  I still miss her every day.
Love, Dad

On reading and books

"Today is for celebration but starting tomorrow I humbly urge you to embark on a lifelong relationship with a faithful companion who will always help you and sometimes delight you -- who will never desert you, who will make you smarter, and wiser, who will always be by your side and enlighten you all the days of your life. I am talking about: books.

You must not stop reading books. That's all. If you seek a happy and interesting life, one of depth, meaning and accomplishment, you must read books." Peggy Noonan, commencement address at Catholic University

https://www.cua.edu/speeches-and-homilies/2017/commencement-2017.html

Being left is not being liberal

This is the disease of leftism.

 Climate change is more of a threat than Islamic extremism.
You think the cure for terrorism is a hug.
You think the president or people on the right are more dangerous than Islamic terrorism.
You watch The View....
You think Joe and Mika make a cute couple.
You were saddened by the television show Girls being canceled.
You have more disdain for friends who think differently than jihadists who want to kill you.
You need a “safe space.”
You think people should be fired for free speech.
You find yourself protesting in Birkenstocks.
You agree with Tucker’s second guest.
The president has caused you to lose sleep, given you rashes, harmed your sex life, or “broken you.”
You are or want to be a pundit on CNN or MSNBC.
You find Samantha Bee even mildly amusing.
You take ten private jets to a climate change summit
You have private armed security and call for gun control.
You are in the entertainment industry; yes, there are a handful of exceptions, and I mean a handful.
You have had a sexual fantasy featuring Bernie Sanders or Sarah Silverman and think a summer home in Venezuela sounds romantic.
You find Don Lemon informative.
https://spectator.org/leftism-an-incurable-disease/

Democrats still don't understand why Trump won

Democrats, who look down their noses at the middle class, who thought it was hilarious to call millions of Americans "deplorable," are still trying to figure out how Trump won, yet get it wrong. Good piece in the Wall Street Journal. https://www.orangepower.com/threads/why-trump-won.232923/

  "A new Journal analysis of standardized test results finds that over the course of their college careers, many students are not markedly improving their ability to evaluate evidence and analyze information. 'some of the most prestigious flagship universities, test results indicate the average graduate shows little or no improvement in critical thinking over four years,' reports the Journal. Given that more-educated voters broke for Mrs. Clinton, perhaps the lesson is that whether or not university professors can teach kids how to think, they have at least managed to teach them how to vote."

"The bank CEO sums it up: 'No wage growth. No investment earnings growth. No wonder families are stretched and stressed.' And no wonder they lost faith in the U.S. political establishment."