Displaying posts published in

September 2018

200 Women Testify to Kavanaugh’s History of ‘Treating Women With Respect,’ Going Back to High School By Tyler O’Neil

https://pjmedia.com/trending/200-women-testify-to-kavanaughs-history-of-treating-women-with-respect-going-back-to-high-school/

Roughly 200 women have testified to Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s history of treating women “with decency and respect,” going back 35 years. This testimony seems particularly important, given the suspiciously timed accusation of sexual assault coming from 51-year-old accuser Christine Blasey Ford. On Friday, 65 women who knew Kavanaugh in high school joined at least 131 other women who testified to his character over the years.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court this Thursday. On Monday, Kavanaugh again reiterated his denial of the allegations. With the Democrats increasingly desperate to stop the judge at all costs, these allegations seem particularly convenient…

“We are women who have known Brett Kavanaugh for more than 35 years and knew him while he attended high school between 1979 and 1983,” the women wrote in a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee members Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

“For the entire time we have known Brett Kavanaugh, he has behaved honorably and treated women with respect. We strongly believe it is important to convey this information to the Committee at this time,” the women added, directly addressing Feinstein. Last Thursday, Feinstein announced she had referred a letter accusing Kavanaugh of sexual assault to “federal authorities.” Later that day, the FBI announced it would not open an investigation.

On Sunday, the accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, came forward with her allegations in an interview with The Washington Post. Ford said Kavanaugh and his friend, Mark Judge, were “stumbling drunk” when they got her in a room. According to her account, Kavanaugh “held her down with the weight of his body and fumbled with her clothes, seemingly hindered by his intoxication.”

The accuser said the now-Supreme Court nominee “groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it.”

“I thought he might inadvertently kill me,” Ford added.

Ford did not express her account until she spoke with a therapist in 2012. She sent the letter to Feinstein in July, and Feinstein did not reveal the letter until the 11th hour.

In a statement provided by the White House, Kavanaugh denied the allegation. “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time,” he said. Mark Judge called Ford “absolutely nuts.”CONTINUE AT SITE

The #MeToo Kavanaugh Ambush A story this old and unprovable can’t be allowed to delay a Supreme Court confirmation vote.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-metoo-kavanaugh-ambush-1537197395

The woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of a drunken assault when both were teenagers has now come forward publicly, but that should not deter Republicans from proceeding with their current confirmation-vote schedule. There is no way to confirm her story after 35 years, and to let it stop Mr. Kavanaugh’s confirmation would ratify what has all the earmarks of a calculated political ambush.

This is not to say Christine Blasey Ford isn’t sincere in what she remembers. In an interview published in the Washington Post on Sunday, Ms. Ford offered a few more details of the story she told anonymously starting in July. She says she was 15 when Mr. Kavanaugh, who would have been 17, and a male friend pushed her into a bedroom at a drinking party, held her down, and pawed her until the male friend jumped on them both and she escaped to a bathroom until the two boys left the room.

Mr. Kavanaugh denies all this “categorically and unequivocally,” and there is simply no way to prove it. The only witness to the event is Mr. Kavanaugh’s high school male friend, Mark Judge, who also says he recalls no such event. Ms. Ford concedes she told no one about it—not even a high school girl friend or family member—until 2012 when she told the story as part of couples therapy with her husband.

The vagaries of memory are well known, all the more so when they emerge in the cauldron of a therapy session to rescue a marriage. Experts know that human beings can come to believe firmly over the years that something happened when it never did or is based on partial truth. The Post reports that the therapist’s notes from 2012 say there were four male assailants, but Ms. Ford says that was a mistake. Ms. Ford also can’t recall in whose home the alleged assault took place, how she got there, or how she got home that evening.

The Dems “Anita” Brett Kavanaugh Myron Magnet

https://www.city-journal.org/dems-anita-brett-kavanaugh-16173.html

It’s uncanny how closely the Democrats are following the Anita Hill playbook as they try to “Anita” Brett Kavanaugh, looking to prevent his confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice. Like Hill, Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford is a professor who made her accusation in the expectation of anonymity, never dreaming that newspapers from coast to coast would blazon her name across Page One. Hill had received assurances from a Democratic Senate Judiciary Committee staffer that, in all likelihood, Clarence Thomas would quietly withdraw his name from consideration, to spare himself and his family embarrassment. After all, Hill’s friend, administrative law judge Susan Hoerchner, had reportedly sprung a similar surprise on a fellow judge, with complete success, and it may well have been she who urged Hill to try the same tactic with Thomas. But there’s nothing leakier than a politician’s office, and Senate Democrats plainly considered Hill as a mere tool to derail Thomas’s confirmation without any concern about what would happen to her.

I didn’t believe Hill’s accusations back then, and now, having a clear picture of Justice Thomas’s sterling character, and having just reread the transcript of the Hill-Thomas hearings, I believe them still less. What, then, would have been her motivation in accusing the judge? her supporters ask. Though Hoerchner and many of Hill’s allies wanted to bar Thomas from the High Court to ward off any threat to the Roe v. Wade abortion decision, Hill’s own motive may have been her strong disagreement with Thomas’s opposition to affirmative action, about which the Supreme Court would have much to say in the years ahead. Also, those who believe her ask, how would such a prim-seeming young lady know some of the very concrete salacious details of what she claimed Thomas had said to her a decade earlier? The answer: the most graphic detail, complete with photograph, is in a federal appellate case whose transcript was in the library of the federal agency where Hill had worked as a Thomas employee. The other lurid detail comes from The Exorcist, a bestselling book and hit movie during the 1970s. But even supposing that Hill was telling the truth—which I do not—the most you could say, as Judiciary Committee member Orrin Hatch commented, is that Thomas talked dirty to her. He never touched her.

Collins knocks Democrats over handling of Kavanaugh assault allegation By Jordain Carney

https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/406952-collins-knocks-democrats-over-handling-of-kavanaugh-assault
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is knocking Senate Democrats for their handling of a sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Collins, a key swing vote in the Supreme Court fight, questioned why Democrats had waited for weeks to come forward with the allegation, arguing it wasn’t “fair” to either Kavanaugh or Christine Blasey Ford, who alleges that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s.

“What is puzzling to me is the Democrats, by not bringing this out earlier, after having had this information for more than six weeks, have managed to cast a cloud of doubt on both the professor and the judge,” Collins told The New York Times.

Collins asked if Democrats believed Ford, “why didn’t they surface this information earlier,” and if they didn’t believe Ford, “why did they decide at the 11th hour to release it?”

“It is really not fair to either of them the way it is was handled,” Collins said.

Collins’s comments come after Ford spoke publicly about the alleged incident for the first time during an interview with The Washington Post that was published on Sunday.

Ford told the Post that Kavanaugh “groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it.”

Kavanaugh has denied the alleged incident, which Ford says took place when they were both in high school.

Collins has not announced a decision on Kavanaugh, and where she ultimately comes down will help determine when, and if, he gets confirmed.

Why the Russia hoax is a constitutional crisis By Thomas Lifson

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/09/why_the_russia_hoax_is_a_constitutional_crisis.html

Mark Wauck, retired FBI agent and AT contributor, has written an important essay on the true dimensions of the Russia hoax, on his blog Meaning in History. Building on Andrew McCarthy’s close analysis of the redacted FISA warrants two days ago. I will take the liberty of quoting his argument, but urge those interested to read the whole thing:

McCarthy gets to the heart of the matter–the first of many important points he makes–right up front:

Page has never been charged with any crime, much less with espionage. That is a salient fact because to get a FISA warrant on an American citizen, the FBI is required to show that the citizen’s activities on behalf of a foreign power violate federal criminal law. The FBI and Justice Department went to the FISA court four times over nine months, from October 2016 through June 2017, claiming to have grounds that Page was involved in heinous clandestine activity. Why isn’t he in handcuffs?

I believe it is because they never had a case. All they appear to have had were the 2013 attempt by Russian spies to recruit Page as an asset, and the Steele dossier.

Now here’s what I want to make clear. The original FISA order, when the target is a US Person (USPER) such as Carter Page, lasts for 90 days. A FISA order can be renewed, but the renewal is NOTgranted on an “if at first you don’t succeed, try try again” basis. To get an extension on a FISA–and let me say here that I completely agree with McCarthy that the initial FISA was pure BS–the FBI has to either:

1) make a reasonable showing that it is making progress in its investigation as a result of its use of FISA, i.e., it is moving forward with additional evidence gained through FISA that tends to confirm the presentation of the case that was made in the initial application, or

Historic Midterm Trends Tell Us…Nothing By Doug Usher

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2018/09/17/historic_midterm_trends_tell_usnothing_138087.html

There’s one question on Washington’s collective mind that hovers above the never-ending swirl of Trump news: Who will control Congress after the midterms?

As with everything in politics these days, there are lots of predictions – and those who manage to be right will be celebrated. But here’s the problem: It’s almost impossible to figure out if a blue wave will happen – and how big it might be – until it happens.

A quick look at House turnover in midterms since 1960 reveals one thing: uncertainty. The average midterm House loss for the sitting president’s party is 22 seats. Yet the actual numbers have been all over the map, ranging from +8 in 2002 for George W. Bush to -63 in 2010 for Barack Obama.

But can’t we look at some key indicators today to figure out what’s going to happen? Sadly, no. Here are just a few “leading indicators” that indicate… almost nothing.

GDP growth was at 4.2 percent in the second quarter – the highest since 2014 – which should help Republicans, right? Yes, that’s a strong number. But looking at second-quarter GDP over the past 58 years shows no correlation to House gains or losses. Indeed, Obama’s large loss in 2010 came at a time when second-quarter GDP was 3.7 percent. And Bill Clinton’s 54-seat loss happened with GDP sitting at 5.5 percent. By contrast, George W. Bush gained eight seats in 2002 with GDP growth at 2.4 percent.

LINDA GOUDSMIT- IT DOES NOT TAKE A VILLAGE, IT TAKES AN ADULT

http://goudsmit.pundicity.com/21621/it-does-not-take-a-village-it-takes-an-adult
http://goudsmit.pundicity.com and website: http://lindagoudsmit.com

Mammals, including humans, have a cycle of life with a beginning, a middle, and an end. The survival of the species requires that adult members of the group help newborns survive and develop into reproducing adults who can then help their own newborns develop into reproducing adults and the cycle of life continues. The growth process from the smallest to the largest mammals demands food, water, shelter, and a transfer of information from the knowledgeable adult to the uninformed young. The adults in the community teach their young how to survive. What happens when the process is impeded?

The United States of America and its social order was founded upon the principles of adulthood. Powers entrusted to the adult members of the family were gradually transferred to the children as they became adults themselves and began having families of their own. Parents taught their children survival skills and imbued them with their personal, moral, and religious values. What happened?

There has been a gradual shift in the established social order of America. Institutional “experts” pressured society toward regression, dependence, and mediocrity rather than growth, independence, and individual achievement. This movement has eroded parental authority and tilted young people away from independence and adulthood toward collectivism and middling both personally and professionally. The social order of adulthood is under attack. This is how it works.

Let’s begin at the beginning. Traditionally, when new babies are born young mothers turn toward their own mothers for guidance – grandmothers have standing in the transfer of knowledge about raising children. Grandma’s successes as well as her mistakes are a rich source of information for new moms – not anymore.

Authors Ari Brown, MD, Denise Fields, and Michele Hakakha, MD, have written an overbearing and incredibly condescending book titled Baby 411: Clear Answers & Smart Advice for Your Baby’s First Year. On the acknowledgements page of the 2014 edition they arrogantly state that, “It’s sad but true: any parenting book written before 2013 is already outdated.” REALLY?

Brexit Dilemmas Top Agenda at EU’s Salzburg Summit As U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May faces pressures at home over future arrangements, EU leaders see themselves able to go only so far to help her By Laurence Norman and Stephen Fidler

https://www.wsj.com/articles/brexit-dilemmas-top-agenda-at-eus-salzburg-summit-1537144448

European Union leaders will hold their first serious discussions on Brexit since March at a summit in Austria on Thursday as both the U.K. and the rest of the bloc step up preparations to reduce major economic disruptions if a deal isn’t reached.

On the face of it, negotiators are advancing toward an agreement that must be settled, drafted and ratified before Britain leaves the bloc next March 29. In reality, progress toward a deal has been minimal since April.

The informal gathering of EU leaders in Salzburg—the first of three likely summits over as many months at which Brexit will be discussed—has been preceded by warm words from the EU side, and British Prime Minister Theresa May could hear more of them once she gets there.

EU leaders are aware that Mrs. May is under pressure from anti-EU lawmakers in her Conservative Party. That has intensified after a proposal for future relations with the EU was agreed by her cabinet in July at the prime minister’s country retreat at Chequers, prompting the resignation of two prominent ministers. European leaders want to help Mrs. May ahead of a Conservative party annual conference starting Sept. 30, hoping to ward off more British political chaos that could further set back negotiations.

Behind the scenes, however, many in the EU say Mrs. May’s proposal—which aims to give British firms frictionless access to the EU market in goods—is unacceptable.

19 Aliens Charged With Illegal Voting In 2016 The tip of the illegal immigration iceberg — of unknown proportions. Michael Cutler

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/271300/19-aliens-charged-illegal-voting-2016-michael-cutler

On August 27, 2018 the DHS website posted a report, 19 foreign nationals indicted for illegally voting in 2016 elections that began with this paragraph:

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Nineteen foreign nationals were charged with unlawfully voting in the 2016 elections Friday, and a U.S. citizen was charged with aiding and abetting an alien to falsely claim U.S. citizenship to register to vote. The indictments follow an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) as part of a newly created Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force (DBFTF) in the Eastern District of North Carolina.

On the following day, on August 28th, the Justice Department issued a press release about the very same case, Nineteen Foreign Nationals Charged for Voting in 2016 Election and added:

Multiple Defendants Voted In More Than One Election.

This press release reporting on the actions of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raises a number of significant issues that we will explore today.

First, however, I am compelled to note that I wrote about the newly-created Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force in my June 15, 2018 article, Trump Administration Opens Office To Find Naturalization Fraudsters in which I noted that this was a great first step, but much needs to be done.

The nineteen aliens who were the subject of the DOJ and DHS press releases were investigated by the Trump administration’s newly-created counter-fraud operation which hired additional attorneys and immigration officers to review the cases of aliens who had been ordered deported but then are believed to have assumed false identities to become lawful immigrants and subsequently acquire U.S. citizenship under their false identities by defrauding the naturalization process. Under the provisions of 8 U.S. Code § 1451 such alien’s naturalization can be revoked and the alien may also be criminally prosecuted for having committed such fraud.

Feds Indict New Mexico Terrorist Trainers Terrorist leader’s wife claims to be taking directions from the Angel Gabriel. Matthew Vadum

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/271347/feds-indict-new-mexico-terrorist-trainers-matthew-vadum

The five accused Muslim terrorists arrested in rural New Mexico near the Colorado state line this summer after an alleged school-shooter terrorist training facility was raided Aug. 3 were indicted last week on weapons and conspiracy charges by a federal grand jury.

This is the case in which five adults, including Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, were arrested after authorities found 11 hungry, filthy children living in squalid conditions in a terrorist training compound in Amalia, Taos County, a remote part of New Mexico. The children were reportedly being trained to commit school shootings. The remains of a three-year-old disabled boy, since identified as Wahhaj’s son, Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, were discovered on the property which was filled with weapons. The five individuals faced state-level child abuse charges but those were thrown out after local prosecutors failed to conduct preliminary hearings within state-imposed deadlines. The local district attorney said the charges will soon be refiled.

To the horror of law-and-order and counter-terrorism advocates, Judge Sarah C. Backus (D) of the Eighth Judicial District of New Mexico ordered the jihadist quintet released in August. Backus claimed a voter-approved state law left her no choice but to order the release of the defendants on a mere $20,000 bail per defendant with no up-front deposit. Feigning ignorance of the nature of Islamic terrorism, Backus wrote in her decision at the time that even though “[t]he state alleges that there was a big plan afoot … the state hasn’t shown to my satisfaction and by clear and convincing evidence what that plan was.” She added cutely that none of the defendants had a criminal record.