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April 2017

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 08, 2017 40 Comments
Donald Trump ordered a limited military strike on a Syrian air base after the Syrian military was believed behind a chemical weapons airstrike that killed dozens. The military strike generally received praise both because it happened and because, at least for now, it was limited and intended to establish the red line that Obama ignored. Whatever other horrific warfare has taken place in Syria, and it has been horrible on a historic scale, the use of chemical weapons would not be tolerated. The plans for an attack were drawn up by the U.S. military, among many alternatives. The Russians, apparently, were alerted at some level beforehand since the attack was on an airbase also used by the Russians. To have done otherwise would have risked a wider conflict if Russian troops were hit by U.S. launched missiles. So that minimal coordination, which takes place among several militaries operating in the skies over Syria, was a cautious move by the U.S. military and Trump. The widespread praise for Trump's action has triggered some really bizarre conspiracy theories.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on April 08, 2017 6 Comments
As we learned from Scott Brown's (R-MA) supermajority-breaking special election win in January of 2010, special elections can and sometimes do serve as harbingers for midterms.  There are three upcoming special elections to replace House members who have joined President Trump's cabinet, and each is turning out to be unexpectedly challenging for the GOP, who are expecting a low turnout in the wake of the Republicans gaining control of both Congress and the White House. Kansas, Georgia, and Montana will hold special elections this spring, and if the Democrats pick up one or more of these seats, their "resist we much" campaign will get a much-needed boost.

Posted by Mike LaChance on April 08, 2017 26 Comments
Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute has been one of the leading voices defending law enforcement officers in the age of Black Lives Matter, particularly by showing that much of the rhetoric about police shootings is statistically inaccurate or misleading. Mac Donald's willingness to take on the foundations of the Black Lives Matter movement has earned her the ire of the movement. Mac Donald was supposed to give a speech at Claremont McKenna College but student supporters of Black Lives Matter went nuts. In a way, it was like a repeat of what happened at Middlebury College to Charles Murray. The College Fix reports Angry mob shuts down Blue Lives Matter speech at Claremont McKenna College:

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on April 08, 2017 16 Comments
Yesterday, we covered the terror attack in Sweden in which a terrorist drove a stolen truck into a mall and killed at least four people and injured dozens more.  Today, we are learning more about the 39-year-old native of Uzbekistan believed to be responsible for the attack and about the reaction of Swedes to the terror attack. CBS News reports:
The suspect in Stockholm’s deadly beer truck attack is a 39-year-old native of Uzbekistan who had been on authorities’ radar previously, Swedish authorities said Saturday. The prime minister urged citizens to “get through this” and strolled through the streets of the capital to chat with residents.

Posted by New Neo on April 08, 2017 21 Comments
After the Syrian gas attack, President Trump had a choice: do nothing or do something. It's a choice all presidents face, because sooner or later they will be tested---usually sooner, and not just once but many times and in many ways in many places. When faced with similar circumstances in Syria, Obama declared the existence of a red line and then ignored it. This is one of the worst response/nonresponses possible. It indicates indecision and lack of resolve, a president who talks tough but his threats means nothing and can be safely ignored.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 07, 2017 5 Comments
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, like the rest of the entertainment industry, is no friend of the Trump administration or Press Secretary Sean Spicer. But sometimes the entertainment industry, in its desire to mock Trump, ends up mocking itself or other Trump haters. We saw that with the Saturday Night Live skit about a Trump-loving dog. And Noah did the same thing portraying Spicer as a kindergarten teacher dealing with unruly press children.

Posted by Mary Chastain on April 07, 2017 10 Comments
Former Blaze employee Tomi Lahren has filed a lawsuit against Glenn Beck and The Blaze for wrongful termination and access to her Facebook page after he fired her over pro-choice views she expressed on The View:
"I can't sit here and be a hypocrite and say I'm for limited government but I think the government should decide what women do with their bodies."
The Blaze suspended Lehran a few days later before terminating her employment. The document says that Lehran "did not want to file this lawsuit, but the conduct of Defendants and their refusal to resolve this matter without court intervention" forced her hand.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 07, 2017 16 Comments
When Devin Nunes stepped away from the Russia probe despite his position as the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, it was a major victory for those seeking to obfuscate and stall one of the two tracks of investigation: The unmasking of names that Susan Rice has admitted doing, though she claims no political motive. The event precipitating Nunes withdrawal was a series of ethics complaints filed by left-wing groups, including MoveOn.org, which triggered a House Ethics Committee investigation. That fact that there is an investigation means nothing in itself. Mercedes Schlapp points out how the tactics used against Nunes helped shape the ultimate decision:

Posted by Mary Chastain on April 07, 2017 16 Comments
On Tuesday, almost 60 people died in Syria when warplanes dropped bombs filled with chemicals. Many suspected President Bashar al-Assad's regime for the attack. Many survivors went to Turkey and the Turkish Health Ministry announced that preliminary tests showed the poison in the bombs was sarin. Well, former President Barack Obama's national security advisor Susan Rice said in January that the administration forced Assad's regime to purge its chemical weapons.
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