The Tragedy of Tamir Rice

Yeah, it's a tragedy alright.

It's a tragedy that the boy apparently reached into his waistband to pull out a toy gun. If you're a policeman and you see a black youth reaching "into his waistband," what else are you going to do?

It's terrible that this boy was killed, but it's not terrible there was no indictment. Frankly, it's one more example that the criminal justice system hasn't lost its sanity, like the leftists constantly haranguing law enforcement.

But for the far-left take, see Jelani Cobb, at the New Yorker, "Tamir Rice and America’s Tragedy."

Radical Founder of Femen Brazil Renounces Feminism, Declares Herself Pro-Life, and Apologizes to Christians

Well, she regretted having an abortion after the birth of her second child (her first born).

At Truth Revolt, "Radical Feminist Activist Denounces Feminism, Apologizes to Christians."

Holiday Bowl: USC vs. Wisconsin

It's not on until 7:30 pm (Pacific), so a late game if you're on the East Coast.

In any case, at the Los Angeles Times, "For resilient USC seniors, a period of unprecedented tumult will end in Holiday Bowl":

They came to USC knowing that part of their careers would be played under NCAA sanctions.

No bowl games for a few years? They could deal with that.

A thinned roster because of scholarship limits? That might lead to more immediate playing time.

Four coaching changes and multiple off-the-field dramas later, USC's seniors are preparing for Wednesday's Holiday Bowl against Wisconsin, a final game in a span of unprecedented tumult.

Members of the 2011 and 2012 recruiting classes will leave the program with advanced degrees in resiliency.

"We went through hell and back," fullback Soma Vainuku said. "That's how you can explain us seniors."

These are players who signed on to play for Lane Kiffin, who had succeeded Pete Carroll and in his first season guided the Trojans to an 8-5 record in 2010.

They saw Kiffin get fired, Ed Orgeron promoted to interim coach, Orgeron bolt when Steve Sarkisian was hired, Clay Helton promoted to interim coach for a bowl game, Sarkisian fired, Helton promoted again to interim coach and, finally, Helton hired as permanent coach.

They also endured three changes at defensive coordinator, numerous arrivals and departures of position coaches and controversies surrounding coaches, teammates and Athletic Director Pat Haden.

Freshman tailback Ronald Jones II marveled at the seniors' ability to play through the upheaval.

"I can't imagine," he said. "I probably couldn't have stayed. It would be hard seeing a new face every offseason and then trying to buy into his motto and system. That would have been tough."

Not everybody did stay. Six players from those classes, Marqise Lee, Leonard Williams and Nelson Agholor among them, left early for the NFL, and a handful transferred or quit or were removed from the team. But a dozen seniors from those classes will complete their eligibility this week...

More.

And don't miss Lindsey Thiry at the video above.

Distracted Walking

Instapundit linked to a recent New York Times piece on the topic, "Distracted Walkers Pose Threat to Self and Others."

I expect this topic will be growing in importance, especially considering the increasing frequency of such cases, like the one in San Diego over the weekend, "Distracted Man Dies After Falling Off Cliffs in San Diego, Family Devastated (VIDEO)."

And watch, from earlier today, at CBS This Morning, "New research shows danger of distracted walking."

Harvard Professors Threatened With Investigation for Questioning Rape Documentary

At Blazing Cat Fur, "Harvard Professors Threatened With Investigation for Questioning Rape Culture Claims":

A group of Harvard professors who criticized the campus rape documentary “The Hunting Ground” are being menaced with the possibility of a Title IX sexual harassment investigation intended to silence their criticisms.

“The Hunting Ground,” released early this year, portrays American college campuses as hotbeds of sexual assault where administrators routinely allow perpetrators to get off scot-free. The film has attracted a great deal of criticism, though, both for the data it relies on and for the individual stories it uses to portray the campus rape epidemic.

Last month, a group of 19 Harvard Law School professors published an open letter denouncing it as a “propaganda” film in advance of its airing on CNN. In particular, the professors criticized the film for its treatment of Brandon Winston, a Harvard law student whom the film treats as almost certainly guilty of raping fellow student Kamilah Willingham. In fact, a criminal grand jury failed to even indict Willingham of a sex crime, indicating a severe lack of evidence against him.

Now, though, activists appear to be searching for a way to have the professors silenced by the federal government for criticizing their film...

RELATED: From Jeannie Suk, at the New Yorker, "The Trouble with Teaching Rape Law."

Lauren Louise

On Twitter:

#Saturdayselfie 😉😉😉😉😉 pic.twitter.com/jhdAUQG0BB

— Laurenlouise Model (@laurenlouise221) December 19, 2015

And Instagram as well.

Missouri Flooding Evacuations (VIDEO)

It's bad over there. Really bad.

At the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Historic rainfall brings floods, worries to St. Louis region," and "The rain is over, but the risk is not."

State Department Counts 'Bringing Peace' to Syria as One of Its Wins in 2015

This was a pretty excitable topic on Outnumbered this morning, on Fox News. Katherine Timpf even blew off the suggestion as "insane."

But see Politico, "State Dept. counts 'bringing peace' to Syria as a 2015 win."

The Republican Road to Absolute Chaos?

Pfft. It's not going to be that bad.

From Benjamin Ginsberg, at the Wall Street Journal, "Flirting With a Chaotic GOP Convention" (via Memeorandum):

Reports of Republican officials convening a closed-door session over the possibility of a deadlocked convention are feeding speculation over what happens if 19 weeks of primaries, caucuses and conventions leave a muddled picture.

The past nine Republican conventions began with a presumptive nominee. And the chances of delegates arriving at the convention in Cleveland next July with no clear nominee remain small. But the odds are no longer infinitesimal thanks to the multicandidate field, required early proportional voting, and the fact that only 16.2% of the delegates will have been chosen in decisive, winner-take-all contests.

Three convention scenarios can emerge after 56 states and territories choose their delegates between Feb. 1 and June 7: There will be a clear winner, a bunched up field of several candidates, or a leader who can’t get a majority of delegates on the first ballot. The latter two scenarios would make Cleveland uncharted territory.

Here’s how each of those scenarios could come about...

Keep reading, FWIW.

Actually, I expect we'll have a clear leader by Super Tuesday, March 1.

But we'll see. We'll see.

Shunned by Canada and Sweden, Unmarried Syrian Muslim Woman Opts for Sensuality-Drenched Brazil

Well, I guess those Canadian and Scandinavian welfare states aren't so welcoming after all.

At the Los Angeles Times, "FLEEING SYRIA: Refugees find dizzying freedoms and unexpected dangers in Brazil":

Soon after she arrived, she began to feel conspicuous. On the street, on the bus, in the subway, people looked. They didn’t seem hostile, just puzzled. Even in Latin America’s biggest city, a woman in a headscarf stood out.

“Everyone was staring, and I was feeling alone,” says Dana Balkhi, 27. “I felt like I was choking.”

She had come to Brazil by herself, an anomaly among unmarried Muslim women. In Syria, she had studied English literature at Damascus University and loved the novels of Jane Austen.

After a missile hit her house, she fled to Turkey with her sister, but couldn’t find work there.

Canada said no, then Sweden said no, and in the winter of 2013, she faced a choice. She could return home, as her sister did, even as civil war obliterated the country. Or she could try Brazil, which was handing out fast, low-hassle “humanitarian visas” to Syrians escaping the carnage.

She went on Google and typed: Sao Paulo Arabic community helping refugees, and found some Brazilian-based Muslims who offered to help.

Who would she be coming with? they wanted to know.

Just me, she said.

They picked her up at the airport in December 2013 and gave her a bed. She learned to brace herself for the questions, when local Muslims discovered she was on her own.

“Not everyone respects my choice,” she says. “They’ll say my family doesn’t care about me, or I’m not a good girl. Of course, there are other girls that did that, but not many.”

Who knows?

Maybe she'll hook up with a bisexual fitness club down on the Copacabana? Who needs that hijab when you can be strutting a hip monokini down the beach?

Still more.

Muslims Brutally Beat Christians in Berlin After Christmas Day Celebrations

Boy, the Islamists are assimilating really well over there.

At Pamela's, "Muslims Brutally Beat Christians in Berlin After Xmas Day Celebrations; ‘I Am Muslim, What Are You?’ Screams Attacker."

Beatles Streamed 70 Million Times During First Three Days on Spotify

I was at my son's new apartment yesterday, helping him finish his recent move, and we were listening to the Beatles. He mentioned that he'd been using Spotify.

I tweeted, and below is David Joachim, at the New York Times:

Helping my son move in at his Artist's Village apartment. Listening to the Beatles too, heh. pic.twitter.com/fIatXa8Okn

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) December 28, 2015

In the Beatles’ first three days on Spotify, their songs were streamed 70 million times - https://t.co/SwQWRfdb7Y

— David Joachim, NYT (@davidjoachim) December 28, 2015

Syrian Journalist and Anti-Islamic State Filmmaker Gunned Down in Turkey (VIDEO)

At the Telegraph UK, "Syria anti-Islamic State documentary maker 'assassinated' in Turkey":

Naji Jerf was killed in Gaziantep, only a couple of months after Isil claimed responsibility for killing Ibrahim Abdelkader and a friend in southern Turkey.

Tourists Skip Christmas in Bethlehem (VIDEO)

Well, it's not safe. You might get stabbed by a "Palestinian" jihadist.

At France 24:

Charlotte McKinney for LOVE Advent 2015 (VIDEO)

She's heavenly as ever.

Watch, "Day 23 - Charlotte McKinney by Drew Jarrett (LOVE Advent 2015)."

The Deep and Growing Ideological Divide in the 2016 Presidential Election

From Gerald Seib, at WSJ, "Most Important Election 2016 Feature: Deep and Growing Ideological Divide":

As the nation heads into what figures to be a dramatic election year, its defining political characteristic isn’t love or hate for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.
Instead, the most important feature of America’s political landscape is a deep and growing ideological divide.

This divide will be especially apparent early in the new year, when the most divided groups in America, the Republican and Democratic voters who show up for primary elections and caucuses, hold the keys to the presidential selection process. These folks disagree, deeply, on an array of social issues, on the nation’s top priorities, and on what kind of leader they are seeking in the next president.

Collectively, these voters are driving Republican candidates to the right and Democratic candidates to the left—and ensuring that the challenge of bringing the country together will be tougher after the election, regardless of who wins.

A clear picture of this divide emerges from the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, taken in mid-December. Consider:

— Almost 7 in 10 Republican primary voters describe themselves as strong supporters of the traditional definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman. Among Democratic primary voters, the figure is just 25%.

— Among Democratic primary voters, 62% say they strongly back immediate action to combat climate change. Just 13% of Republican primary voters share that view.

— A new issue splitting the parties at their bases is the Black Lives Matter Movement. Almost half of Democratic primary voters call themselves strong supporters of the movement. Only 6% of Republican primary voters do so.

— The National Rifle Association drives one of the biggest wedges of all. Among Republican primary voters, 59% strongly support the NRA, while just 11% of Democratic primary voters are strong backers.

Republican primary voters put national security and terrorism at the top of their list of priorities for the government. Democratic primary voters put job creation and economic growth at the top of the priority list. About a third of Democrats say health care is a high priority; among Republicans, a comparable share worry about deficits and government spending.

Republicans are more likely to say they worry that the U.S. isn’t projecting a sufficiently tough image abroad; Democrats are more likely to say they think the U.S. should be focused on concerns at home.

When pollsters asked what voters are looking for in the next president, Republicans used terms like bold and a strong leader who could restore American strength abroad. Democrats were more likely to say they want a leader who is diplomatic and inclusive and who will preserve recent progressive gains.

These differences are why the country has two main political parties, of course, and they aren’t entirely new. But there is clear evidence that the ideological divides are bigger than they used to be...

Still more.

And flashback to November, "WELL, WITH THE WORST POLITICAL CLASS IN HISTORY, THERE’S PLENTY TO BE ANGRY ABOUT: Americans’ Mood Darkened by Widespread Anger, New WSJ/NBC News Poll Finds."

Heh. Caltrans Sign on Northbound I-15 Hacked to Read: 'Vote Donald Trump' — UPDATE: 'Vandalism Investigation' Now Underway

That's the best.

At LAT, "Caltrans sign in Corona is hacked to show support for Donald Trump."

Someone reprogrammed the northbound 15 Freeway sign https://t.co/e6FIR6hrYC pic.twitter.com/H3nUCnQmSZ

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 28, 2015

Well, this being California, I'm sure quite a few people were not pleased with the Donald Trump-hacked Caltrans sign. Here's the update, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "Vandalism Investigation Underway Into ‘Vote Donald Trump’ Freeway Message Sign."

Distracted Man Dies After Falling Off Cliffs in San Diego, Family Devastated (VIDEO)

Initial reports said the man was distracted by some kind of "device."


At the San Diego Union-Tribune‎, "Man in fatal fall appeared distracted by electronic device," and "Man who died in cliff fall was visiting."

More at ABC News 10 San Diego:



Still more, "Family 'heartbroken' after man falls to his death."

Today, Americans More Likely to Say Terrorists Are Winning Than at Any Time Since 9/11 (VIDEO)

Frankly, this is just sad, considering all the sacrifices made by U.S. military personnel.

Of course, the Democrats are the party of defeat, so it's no surprise the public thinks we're losing the war on terror.

At CNN:

'Undeclared' Voters Could Be Wildcard in New Hampshire

New Hampshire has both election-day voter registration and an open primary system. It makes for intense voter mobilization right up to election day.

At the Los Angeles Times, "In New Hampshire, undeclared voters could be a key wild card in the primary":

Catherine Johnson's day started at 6 a.m. She left her home in Hanover, drove 100 miles southeast across New Hampshire to a campaign event in Plaistow, then worked her way back with stops in Londonderry, Bedford and Goffstown.

Her itinerary rivals that of some presidential candidates. But Johnson will be casting a ballot, not appearing on one. She wanted to do her homework.

"I'm having so much fun," Johnson said recently as she talked of watching Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who campaigned Dec. 19 for Sen. Lindsey Graham's now-ended GOP run, and of planning to see New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is seeking the Republican nomination. She also plans to attend a Democratic primary debate.

"I just want to vote for who I think is the best leader for this time in our country's history. And I'm not sure I know who that is yet," she said.

Johnson is registered as an independent — "undeclared," as such voters are called in New Hampshire — one of 380,993, more than 40% of the electorate, who can choose to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary on Feb. 9.

She grew up in Republican politics, the daughter of a former state party chairman, and said she spent her 7th birthday stuffing envelopes for her father's Senate campaign.

After voting for McCain in the 2008 primary, she supported President Obama for reelection in 2012, she said. She met Hillary Clinton this year and is considering the former secretary of State, but is concerned about Donald Trump's standing in the polls and considering which Republican might be the best alternative.

"You want your vote to count," she said.

Not all undeclared voters will put in her kind of mileage in weighing their options, but neither is Johnson a total anomaly in this state, which grows obsessed with presidential politics every four years. Undeclared voters represent a significant wild card here, and campaigns will work overtime to monitor their changing attitudes in the final weeks before the first ballots are cast.

"You have to recognize there's always going to be shifting ground because of the nature of New Hampshire," said Joel Benenson, chief strategist for the Clinton campaign. "You have to be vigilant and staying on top of it, and looking for changes and asking as many questions as you can to assess who's going to vote where."

Many undeclared voters are not truly independents and vote consistently in one primary or the other, analysts stress. The true swing, independent vote here might be as little as 4% of the final electorate, said Andy Smith, a University of New Hampshire pollster.

But in a close primary contest, those voters can make a significant difference. So can undeclared voters who lean toward one party or the other but don't vote in every election. Both groups add another unpredictable element to a state where more than a third of voters often make up their minds in the final three days before the primary, according to exit polls taken over the years.