Ingraham Agonistes

‘Trump before Trump’: Laura Ingraham brings populist fire to Fox News lineup The talk radio star makes her debut on Fox News on Monday – and by hiring  her, Rupert Murdoch seems to have picked a side in the Republican civil war Media Matters: It is not a surprise that another right-wing commentator would continue the tradition of making things up about President Barack Obama. SCROLL At the ‘Breitbart Embassy’ on Capitol Hill last week, Steve Bannon , the ex-Chief Strategist at the White House now back at the alt-right Breitbart news website, threw a book party for Laura Ingraham, the conservative talk radio star who is poised to ascend to one of the premier spots in American cable TV. Battle hymns of the Republicans: Trump civil war is just getting started When she makes her Fox News debut on Monday evening, in primetime, the media and political establishment will be watching. And by hiring her, it seems, Rupert Murdoch’s network has picked a side in the Republican civil war. Ingraham might as easily be considered an activist as an anchor. As the longtime conservative radio host Charlie Sykes put it to the Guardian: “She’s as hardcore a Trumpist as you’re going to find on the air.” If ties to Bannon were once a liability in Washington, in 2017 they appear to have become an asset – and one Fox wants to cash in on as well. The subtext, said Feldstein, now a professor at the University of Maryland, is that Fox sees Trump’s base as its core audience. During the recent Republican Senate runoff in Alabama, Ingraham threw her support behind Roy Moore, the Bannon-backed insurgent, even as Donald Trump backed the establishment incumbent, Luther Strange. On her radio show before the vote, Ingraham asked Moore if he thought Trump had become disconnected from his core constituency. “I think that he may be,” Moore replied. “And I think that he’s being badly advised out of the White House.” Moore duly won. When she takes over in Fox News’s 10pm hour, Ingraham will lay down a markerfor the direction Fox is heading, and how closely it intends to side with Trump in Bannon’s battle with the Republican “establishment”. Asked recently if she would be bringing a Breitbartesque, hard-right and nationalist-tinged approach to her show, she replied: “I don’t call it Breitbart, I call it American.” She also, it bears mentioning, offers Fox female star power at a time when the network sorely needs it. Beyond the barrage of sexual harassment claims, Fox recently lost star anchor Megyn Kelly to NBC after Kelly antagonized Trump during the campaign with a tough line of questioning around his treatment of women. Ingraham was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut, where her mother worked as a waitress. She attended Dartmouth, where she wrote for the conservative student newspaper, then graduated from the University of Virginia law school and clerked for the supreme court justice Clarence Thomas. She found her calling in the world of conservative radio and fashioned herself as something of an honest broker. A prominent personality, well-connected in Washington, she has her own following and a reputation that has held up over time. She also offers Fox some sorely needed female star power. There has been a barrage of sexual harassment claims against high-profile male employees. Star anchor Megyn Kelly recently moved to NBC. Ingraham lives in a big house on a leafy street in Virginia. As such, she may not seem an obvious pick to speak to America’s heartland. But, she says, she never forgets her working-class roots. The latest of her half a dozen books is titled: Billionaire at the Barricades: The Populist Revolution From Reagan to Trump. Murdoch was once thought to be ambivalent about Bannon, but he now appears to be opening his arms to the former White House strategist and his marshalling of forces set on destroying the “globalist” Republican establishment. Though Ingraham has been called “Trump before Trump”, she has said she will not soft-pedal her coverage. In a recent interview, she said Trump would likely be “irked”. But when she does depart from Trump, she typically does so by moving the discussion even further to the right. That is a different model to that of Trump-pleasing Fox News anchors like Sean Hannity. According to Angelo Carusone, president of the liberal thinktank Media Matters, it is a move straight out of the Bannon playbook. With Ingraham, he said: “When you think, ‘Wow, she’s just said something that was not 100% in lockstep the president,’ you step back to see what she said was actually worse and scarier and more extreme.” The veteran investigative journalist Mark Feldstein said Ingraham’s switch to Fox News primetime illustrates how transparent the alliance between conservative media and the president has become. “There’s actually a long history of journalistic commentators climbing in and out of bed with politicians,” he said. “What’s interesting, is how open this is.” In a recent profile by the New York Times, Ingraham referred to the president as a friend. CONTINUED That the  Guardian, a paper described as "the world's leading liberal voice," could, and would, publish—without any apparent leftist predisposition—this Laura Ingraham article reminds us of just how utterly enthralled by leftist agenda politics are America's news rags.  You know who they are.  Anyway, here's a story about my own, erm, fascination for Laura Ingraham.  I was a regular Free Republic contributor in the mid '90's when she caught my eye.  Knock-down beautiful!  When I read that she was a (1991) University of Virginia School of Law grad, I tried matchmaking. I am not making this up.  I e-mailed her that my son Greeper was himself  at UVA's law school, and would very much like to meet her.  Really had no expectations; didn't even tell Greep about it until later.  I recollect that she answered with a thanks-but-no-thanks.  Wouldn't have worked out anyway.  A few years later, after calling off his own wedding, Greep told his mother that he was gay (never has told me, to this day.)   Later, he asked his mom "what dad say?"   She answered," I was crying, and dad asked what was wrong. I told him you were gay and he said 'OMG, I thought you were going to say he turned a Democrat." True story. And now he is.  Sigh.

Once Upon a Time ...

RIP CONNIE

"Worst Possible News" Connie duToit My beloved wife Connie passed away this afternoon at about 3pm, of a pulmonary embolism (blood clot on the lungs), brought on by her cancer. Her passing was sudden, but painless -- and if there's anything to be gained from this, it's that she was spared a long period of pain from the cancer that was killing her slowly. She's survived by me, daughter Wendy (29), son David (26) and stepson Jack (27). Her funeral will probably be on Monday January 6, and will be for family only. (We are not given to big events, and would prefer just to keep it quiet.) I will keep anyone who's interested up to date on what happens to me, but life goes on, and so will I. Please forgive the mass mailing, but I couldn't face the thought of writing the same kind of letter to the dozens of people who knew and loved my wife. Best wishes to all. Kim

Stephen Miller: A Great Story

How a liberal Santa Monica high school produced a top Trump advisor and speechwriter Stephen Miller: a GREAT story!

Stilton Jarlsberg, Alas

I love this panel! Alas, Stilton Jarlsberg (Hope & Change) calling it quits, I'm already missing him.  I know skoonj  will too (he e-mail links me every day).  And, not just his 'toons; his commentary is usually dead-on, and deliciously written.

Darrow-Chesterton Duel

Darrow v. Chesterton

This video provides some clarification and demonstrates the sham that was the Scopes monkey trial that was initiated by the ACLU. Clarence Darrow went head to head with William Jennings Brian. It also includes the dramatic reenactment of the eventual debate between Darrow and G.K. Chesterton.  A real treat.

OKLAHOMA!

Oklahoma Moves to Strip All Power From Barack Obama

As President Barack Obama has advanced his progressive agenda over the past seven-and-a-half years with coerced help from a kowtowed Congress and ruling by executive fiat when they refused, there has been one state consistently at the forefront of opposition to his destructive efforts. That state is Oklahoma, and there are plenty of reasons why Obama failed to win even a single county in that state during the 2012 election. As President Barack Obama has advanced his progressive agenda over the past seven-and-a-half years with coerced help from a kowtowed Congress and ruling by executive fiat when they refused, there has been one state consistently at the forefront of opposition to his destructive efforts. That state is Oklahoma, and there are plenty of reasons why Obama failed to win even a single county in that state during the 2012 election. Furthermore, they are one of the few states that has declared themselves to be a sovereign state, meaning they are not necessarily beholden to any of Obama’s lawless and corrupt decrees and executive actions. Through the actions of the state legislature and governor, Oklahoma has made several moves to stymie the agenda of the Obama administration on such issues as gun control, illegal immigration, and religious liberty, among other things. As Obama has thrown open the borders to waves of illegal immigration, Oklahoma has cracked down by actually holding criminal illegals in custody until they can be deported, keeping a DNA sample in the process to better identify them if they come back and commit more crimes, and mandating the drivers license test be conducted in the English language only. Oklahoma has also rejected the Common Core educational standards and accompanying propaganda-filled curriculum and has stood strong against the Obamacare healthcare reform law, not to mention their staunch opposition to the job-killing regulations put forward by the Environmental Protection Agency. I have to say that, in my memory—going back to the Clintons,  Oklahoma has been our most stalwart defender of the Constitution.  Speaking of which, does anyone know what's happening with Merrily? I'm almost afraid to ask.

Tom Selleck v. Obama

Tom Selleck Explains Importance of Family, Hard Work, AND…  Actor Tom Selleck is once again under fire and in the spotlight for making controversial comments, ones that have sparked ire amongst his liberal Hollywood peers and the media as well. Selleck is no stranger to controversy, as he’s been known for speaking his mind and shooting straight from the hip. Whether defending The Second Amendment or playing the role of Frank Reagan on the CBS crime-drama series, Blue Bloods, the former Magnum PI star continues to carry a love-hate relationship with tinsel town and those who put him under the microscope. Selleck isn’t shy about how he feels about President Obama, and he recently implied that serving in the military may have done him (Obama) some good. In one of his latest video commentaries, Selleck all but slaps Obama in the face by talking about good old fashioned family values: “The greatest satisfaction in life I know is family. They’ve been my best friends and the people who keep me in line. I wouldn’t be obviously where I am today without family, and support, structure and values I got from my parents.” Selleck goes on to talk about how he served in the military during the Vietnam War, which may have been another dig at the president for not serving in the armed forces. While the video does reveal his patriotism for his family and his country, he may very well have been taking another shot at Obama in terms of how he was raised. Needless to say, Tom Selleck has become a true hero with American conservatives for going against the grain of Hollywood haters and giving the president a piece of his mind! Blue Bloods is by far our favorite series; and Selleck our favorite actor. Stands to reason then that Hollywood hates him.

Mother Angelica RIP

Mother Mary Angelica, nun who built Catholic media network, dies at 92 Mother Angelica: 60 minutes 1984

Making a House from Trees

10, maybe 50, years ago I'd be doing this cuzzin ricky

I had a dream ...? A bad one, it seems.

##### I just read this post this morning - Sunday, Feb. 13. I hope it was not the cause of Scalia's death. # posted by  Linda Fox : 2/14/16, 5:55 AM ~ ##### I'll say it was a degree o prescience on my part, and not a curse. I am saddened beyond ... words. # posted by  Rodger the Real King of France : 2/14/16, 9:16 AM ~ Re: THIS; But far worse

Prostate Cancer Cure?

Another Miracle from Israel? Prostate Cancer Cure in 20 Minutes

When Liberals Are Losing ...

a major award

“ SCOTT WALKER Wisconsin Ranger Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is a sheriff who's been called-out by the bad guys so many times it's a wonder he's still walking.  But he is, and the floor is littered with dead union thugs who tried to kill him.  What we have here then, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,  is the familiar Liberal contrivance of offering advice to the guy who's just kicked your ass. Is Wisconsin better off with weaker unions? Some conservatives think so. Legislators will consider the question when right-to-work legislation is introduced early next year. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said members in his house would begin debate within weeks. But I think Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican leadership should tread carefully. There is scant evidence that right-to-work laws boost job creation; there is evidence that weaker unions hurt working people. And there is no doubt whatsoever that a fight over right to work in Wisconsin will be bloody. Remember Act 10? Under right-to-work laws, workers in unionized shops cannot be required to pay dues as a condition of employment. That creates a "free rider" problem for unions as workers calculate that they can benefit from representation without paying for it. As a result, unions have a harder time organizing and less clout. Twenty-four states have some form of right to work including Michigan and Indiana. Walker says right-to-work is not a priority but he hasn't said whether he would sign a bill if one reaches his desk. If a bill gets to Walker, I don't think there is any question what he will do. He will sign it. Conservatives have long argued that workers should be free from the coercion that comes from forced union dues, and they believe that right-to-work gives workers more choices. I understand their arguments. Years ago, I was approached to organize the newsroom where I was working at the time by a rep from the typographers union. I declined. As a young reporter, I wanted the freedom to work as many hours as I needed to learn the craft and felt the union might limit my ability to do that. But that said, I don't think workplace freedom is the real objective here. This is about weakening unions. James Sherk of The Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank, wrote in a 2011 paper that right to work "makes unions less aggressive and encourages business investment, creating jobs." Does it really encourage job growth?  (OMFG, YES).  (Continued) ”

Sheriff Clarke doesn't mince words

“ Sheriff Clarke doesn't mince words. Ever. Including on Ferguson. And Democrats Milwaukee County Sheriff  David Clarke tells it like it is. He’s a stellar reminder of what true leadership looks like and what it means to uphold the rule of law. It is a relief to hear someone speak with such honesty and candor. To give you a taste of how fearlessly this man puts truth on display, here are two videos of Sherriff Clarke speaking about Ferguson. Below is a quote from a speech he gave at the National Press Club (video above) a couple of weeks ago: … I’m known for not sugar coating things. This pissed me off … I sat up there and listened to Eric Holder throw law enforcement officers under the bus for political expediency…. His densely packed 6-minute speech is worth a listen, as is his recent interview with Neil Cavuto. I’ve transcribed a few gems for AT readers, but hope you’ll take the time to listen to this man. I can only hope and pray he is the voice of our future because, Lord knows, this is the kind of leadership and vision we desperately need. On Al Sharpton: ... Anytime Al Sharpton shows up on the scene, nothing good is going to come of that. On Barack Obama: … I heard some of the president’s comments last night. And he said that what we need to do is try to understand them and he said that the anger was an understandable reaction. And I was just floored by that because it’s not an understandable reaction. People have to come up with a more socially acceptable way to deal with anger and frustration. This is totally and unequivocally intolerable …. … when I heard the president call for calm after the rioting started, I questioned his sincerity because some of his political strategy of divide and conquer fuels this sort of racial animosity between people. And so I think when he called for calm after the rioting started I believe it was done with a wink and a nod. On Jay Nixon: … I think Governor Nixon is trying to soft shoe this thing. I don’t think he has the intestinal fortitude to deal with this. What’s happening down there right now is real ugly and the response isn’t going to be pleasing to the eye with what law enforcement and the national guard have to do. But, Neil, I mean come on. They have to restore order and the law enforcement officers and the national guard have to use all reasonable force to get that under control. Restraint is not an option right now for law enforcement .… There’s always going to be people on the sideline that are going to second guess you. That’s part of what Governor Nixon has to deal with. It’s something that I have to deal with when I have to make tough decisions. He has to block that out and do what’s in the best interest of Ferguson, Missouri, and the state of Missouri and he has to get this thing under control and not worry about the optics so much. You know, nobody’s saying all due force or any force. What I’m calling for is all reasonable force to get this thing under control. And you’re going to be criticized. And he’s afraid to be criticized and he’s worried about what people might say in second guessing him? Then he’s in the wrong position. On Eric Holder: … Eric Holder is one of those that was in a very visible position to have talked reasonably and to kind of quell this thing early on and instead he engaged with inflammatory rhetoric. So for him to come on and announce what he’s going to today. You know, look, justice is about due process. You’re not guaranteed a result. You’re guaranteed due process. Due process played it out at the state level. If he wants to start a federal probe he’s entitled to do that, but that’s just going to prolong this thing and unless he thinks or he believes that there’s something nefarious that went on here with the Grand Jury investigation, I think he ought to reconsider that … For Eric Holder to come in I think it just continues to prolong this thing and fan the flames. And let’s say he comes out with some indictment of his own and  it’s thrown out at the federal level, because in the end I don’t see a judge in this country upon appeal that would uphold any kind of conviction here against the officer. And then we may have to relive this all over again. Read more: David Clarke is atop my wish list for AG after Obama is out.  And it's not entirely a specious thought.  I would vote for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in a heartbeat in 2016.  It's not that big a leap to see him tag the head of Wisconsin's largest sheriff's dept. to restore order in the DOJ, is it?  ”

Whereas a despotic government no longer operates with the consent of the governed,

Tails of the Gun, and the Second Amendment Whereas .... “ Monday I ran across this letter to the editor in our local rag, The Capitol; which, now that it's been purchased by the Sun Papers, truly deserves that sobriquet.  The author, Mr Clement, hath I think eloquently captured, in form and substance, my own long held view that the citizenry must be allowed to arm themselves equally with such police (and I include the military) that can be used against them by a despotic government. I don't know Mr. Clement, but I imagine he looks something like this As a staunch supporter of the right of the people to keep and bear arms, even in this age of WMD, I think I have found a small foothold on the slippery slope of gun control where I might safely and permanently stand.  I offer a proposition.    Whereas the purpose of the military is defense against foreign enemies, and    Whereas the purpose of the police is enforcement of domestic law, and    Whereas a  government is despotic which turns its military against its people, and    Whereas a despotic government no longer operates with the consent of the governed, Now, therefore, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall be limited only to the extent that these same limitations apply to all police forces having jurisdiction over the citizen. Simply draw up a list of that subset of weaponry which the police may use,  and you  have a list of authorized weaponry for the common citizen. Some lament that such a proposal leaves the police "outgunned."  Our founders knew otherwise.    "… all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, then to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations...".    A public armed  as herein described poses no threat to the civil society but, rather, is the key check to that unbridled power which inevitably leads to a long train of abuses and usurpations. William Clement, Arnold, MD The Capital, August 25, 2014 ”

Martha Raye- USA

OLD HOLLYWOOD-Martha Raye [..] 'Maggie' had been visiting her SF 'heroes' out 'west'. We took off, short of fuel, and headed to the USAF hospital pad at Pleiku. As we all started unloading our sad pax's, a  USAF Captain said to Martha.... "Ms Raye, with all these dead and wounded to process, there would not be time for your show!" To all of our surprise, she pulled on her right collar and said ...... "Captain, see this eagle?  I am a full 'Bird' in the US Army Reserve, and on this is a 'Caduceus' which means I am a Nurse, with a surgical specialty.... now, take me to your wounded!" He said, "Yes ma'am.... follow me." [... Full] RIP Metz'ger Hat Dance ”

Jimmy Played That

“

Cobbled All hail the RKOF :-)To take this off of your blog page, I will gladly assist via email, should you find that convenient. Least I can do to repay you for Ivet Lalova. --Jimmy don\'t play that I accepted likkety-split, and 12 hours of stuff like this ensued via e-mail. trkof@trkof-p7-1205 ~ $ mount /dev/mapper/mint--vg-root on / type ext4 (rw,errors=remount-ro) proc on /proc type proc (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev) sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev) none on /sys/fs/cgroup type tmpfs (rw) none on /sys/fs/fuse/connections type fusectl (rw) none on /sys/kernel/debug type debugfs (rw) none on /sys/kernel/security type securityfs (rw) none on /sys/firmware/efi/efivars type efivarfs (rw) udev on /dev type devtmpfs (rw,mode=0755) devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,noexec,nosuid,gid=5,mode=0620) tmpfs on /run type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,size=10%,mode=0755) none on /run/lock type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,size=5242880) none on /run/shm type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,nodev) none on /run/user type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,size=104857600,mode=0755) none on /sys/fs/pstore type pstore (rw) /dev/sda2 on /boot type ext2 (rw) /dev/sda1 on /boot/efi type vfat (rw) binfmt_misc on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev) systemd on /sys/fs/cgroup/systemd type cgroup (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,none,name=systemd) gvfsd-fuse on /run/user/1000/gvfs type fuse.gvfsd-fuse (rw,nosuid,nodev,user=trkof) /dev/sr0 on /media/trkof/VRMSP_EN type iso9660 (ro,nosuid,nodev,uid=1000,gid=1000,iocharset=utf8,mode=0400,dmode=0500,uhelper=udisks2) /dev/sdf2 on /media/trkof/d5cee394-9e36-45fc-b0d1-e1aae1c8fdeb type ext2 (rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=udisks2) trkof@trkof-p7-1205 ~ $ etc .... In the end it appears that, somehow, the partition holding Windows 7 had been encrypted and without that PW only NSA are able to unleash it ... which they prolly already have,  Ahem.  At any rate I am now running Windows XP and a massive 60GB slow as hell computer that I passed on to MoSup years ago.  But, it keeps me off the streets.  Thank you all who kindly offered solutions, and especially Jimmy who took the bull by the horns, and made hay while the sun shone, so to speak.  Now, back to bashing the Evil Empire.

”

From the mouths of babies

Rediscovering Our Greatness “ 12-Year-Old Girl’s Speech on Abortion Leaves Her “Pro-Choice” Teacher Speechless   Lia Mills is a student pro-life activist who surprised her class with a moving speech on abortion that is so good it’s gone viral on the Internet. “My daughter prepared and delivered this speech for her grade 7 class. Even those who didn’t agree with her loved it,” he mother says in a note accompanying the video on YouTube. Lia, who is now 17, has since blossomed into an articulate pro-life advocate, penning an article taking on euthanasia that ran at LifeNews last year and was very well-received. Here is how she describes herself on her Twitter account: “Lover of Jesus. Daughter of the Most High. Human Rights Activist. Public Speaker. Pro-life. Survivor. Revivalist. Nation shaker. World changer.” Judge for yourself here: Clap Calp Clap ”