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I haven’t yet commented on Hillary’s “deplorable” outburst yet, but New England talker and Boston Herald columnist Howie Carr has and is offering up, a la Jeff Foxworthy’s “you might be a redneck if” style way of showing who Hillary Clinton was targeting (emphasis mine):

In case you’ve been wondering which side you’re on, you may be a deplorable if you stand for the National Anthem.

Or if you know all the words to the Pledge of Allegiance, especially, “under God.”

Or if when you go to Market Basket, you tend to buy generic products, because you’re using your own money, not an EBT card.

You may be a deplorable if you just got your car inspected.

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Forgetfulness occurs when those who have been long inured to civilized order can no longer remember a time in which they had to wonder whether their crops would grow to maturity without being stolen or their children sold into slavery by a victorious foe.
…
They forget that in time of danger, in the face of the Enemy, they must trust and confide in each other, or perish.

They forget, in short, that there has ever been a category of human experience called the Enemy. And that, before 9/11, was what had happened to us. The very concept of the Enemy had been banished from our moral and political vocabulary. An enemy was just a friend we hadn’t done enough for — yet. Or perhaps there had been a misunderstanding, or an oversight on our part — something that we could correct. And this means that that our first task is that we must try to grasp what the concept of the Enemy really means.

The Enemy is someone who is willing to die in order to kill you. And while it is true that the Enemy always hates us for a reason — it is his reason, and not ours.

I’ve mentioned it before, but it bears repeating today.

And unlike Obama, I do believe the Enemy gets to have a vote on this.  It’s rather simple – a paraphrased adaptation of Cicero’s aphorism on politics:

We may not be interested in War, but be sure the the Enemy is at war with us.

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Only a government wonk (or one seeking even more power for an organization wishing it to be a supra-national government) could ever say this:

Suicide is a complex issue and therefore suicide prevention efforts require coordination and collaboration among multiple sectors of society, including the health sector and other sectors such as education, labour, agriculture, business, justice, law, defense, politics, and the media. These efforts must be comprehensive and integrated as no single approach alone can make an impact on an issue as complex as suicide.

Or one that has no clue.  As someone who has had to cope, mediate, mitigate, and deal the aftermath of family members who have made such an attempt (and knowing that there is no “fix”) (and being a political blogger), I can’t believe the absolute gall and stupidity of this statement.  This is typical of a Big-Government-can-do-everything self-important I-know-better-speak.

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“It is tough to ask a guy to travel coach…”

So why should a political hack or flack get first class handling?  There mere statement of that line should tell us plenty about those that would spend other peoples’ money.  Seriously, what is the thinking that a public servant shouldn’t ride with the commoners who pay his salary simply because they are a political hack or flack? At what point, then, should we now start to equate such a Democrat as, oh say, a mere Kardashian or Jenner?  Emphasis mine:

Hillary Clinton supporter Julian Castro’s representative asked a public college to provide first-class travel for the Democrat to give a speech. Castro, the Obama administration’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development who flirted with Clinton running-mate speculation, was mayor of San Antonio when he mopped up some speaking fees with the help of his representatives at the William Morris Agency.

So, let me get this straight – the purpose of a tax payer supported political hack is to graft more taxpayer supported money from a tax payer supported public college?  And live higher on the hog than said tax payers?

NTK Network obtained an email (page 29) from January 2014. Castro’s rep at William Morris sent the message to Ohio State University, where Castro pocketed $15,000 for a speech and another $2,000 for his plane ticket.

One part of the Political Class enriching another part of the Political Class.  I guess that’s now the purpose of our betters because: Hunger Games.

“It is tough to ask a guy to travel coach, can you handle a first class ticket?” Castro’s agent said to the taxpayer-funded college.

And they claim that business people are greedy?  Oh, from the email thread:

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“Overall, many of the most affluent states are the ones hemorrhaging high-income earners the most rapidly. As in overall migration, New York sets the standard, with the highest outmigration of high income earners (defined as annual income over $200,000) relative to in-migrants (attraction ratio: 53). New York is followed closely by Illinois, the District of Columbia and New Jersey, which are all losing the over-$200,000-a-year crowd at a faster pace than California.”

One of the great things about America is our freedom to vote with our feet.  Don’t like the policies of your local community? Move to the next one.  Is your State acting like it owns you (or that your money belongs to them FIRST)?  Well, lots of people are making it rather clear which states are acting like that – interesting study on State out-migrations (reformatted, emphasis mine)

To measure the states that are most attractive to Americans on the move, we developed an “attraction” ratio that measures the number of domestic in-migrants per 100 out-migrants. A state that has a rating of 100 would be perfectly balanced between those leaving and coming. Overall, the biggest winner — both in absolute numbers and in our ranking — is Texas. In 2014 the Lone Star State posted a remarkable 156 attraction ratio, gaining 229,000 more migrants than it lost, roughly twice as many as went to No. 3 Florida, which clocked an impressive 126.7 attraction ratio.

Most of the top gainers of domestic migrants are low-tax, low-regulation states, including No. 2 South Carolina, with an attraction ratio of 127.3, as well as No. 5 North Dakota, and No. 7 Nevada. These states generally have lower housing costs than the states losing the most migrants. . . .

High costs go a long way to explain which states are losing the most migrants. At the top, or rather, the bottom of the list is

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After reading the latest report where three female Islamic terrorists, who were caught ready to blow up the Notre Dame cathedral by using a car loaded with gas cylinders, the correct question must be asked correctly.  And it isn’t about accommodation by the West:

SHOT: FRANCOIS HOLLANDE – French Republic must make room for Islam.

In a speech on terrorism and democracy in Paris he defended the country’s Muslim minority following a vitriolic debate on the banning of the Islamic burkini swimsuit. “Nothing in the idea of secularism opposes the practice of Islam in France, provided it respects the law,” Hollande said. Secularism was not a “state religion” to be used against other religions, he said, denouncing the “stigmatisation of Muslims.”

CHASER: Steven Green -“The problem isn’t that France hasn’t made room for Islam…the still-open question of whether there’s room for the French in Islam.

The problem isn’t that France hasn’t made room for Islam.

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And in the process, run the NH GOP FASTER towards that gorge named Democrat-Lite?

A few thoughts on Steve’s post:

• Will it make any difference?  The NH GOP Leadership, both in the Party and elected politicians, don’t pay much attention to the Platform as it is.  Listen to their words, watch their actions – how well do they hew to the Platform ideals?  Hint: it’s the reason I unenrolled from the NH GOP and became an Independent.
• If successful, it will torque off the dedicated base activists who actually think that the Party should live up to its base.  Will they finally look into their mirror and go “I don’t care anymore“?

I’m betting that the above NH GOP Political Class, given that giving up, continues to laugh and believe: “Where else will they go”?

My response to that, 

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Shot: Team USA Hockey Coach Warns Players What Will Happen if They Sit for National Anthem

The coach of Team USA for the upcoming World Cup of hockey is standing by his vow to bench players who refuse to stand for the national anthem. Coach John Tortorella told ESPN Tuesday, “If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game.” According to ESPN, Tortorella reiterated his remarks Wednesday.

“I’m not backing off,” Tortorella said. “I’ll tell you right now. Try to understand me. I’m not criticizing anybody for stepping up and putting their thoughts out there about things. I’m the furthest thing away from being anything political. No chance I’m involved in that stuff.”

Chaser: Report: Seattle Seahawks considering team-wide national anthem protest — on 9/11

Seattle receiver Doug Baldwin said Wednesday he is also considering sitting during the anthem before Sunday’s 1:05 p.m. kickoff at CenturyLink Field while linebacker Bobby Wagner said the team has been talking about a group action…Wagner said he couldn’t say exactly what the team might do, saying “whatever we decide to do will be a big surprise.” Baldwin, asked if players besides himself have considered joining Lane, said “our locker room has discussed it. So we’ll see.”…

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Over at Treehugger is yet another post on the EVEEELS that pod coffee is for mother gaia (reformatted, emphasis mine):

Data shows that, despite the environmental implications and high cost of single-use coffee pods, people continue to buy them more than ever before. They’re calling it “the Clooney effect.” Single-use coffee pods are flying off supermarket shelves at a faster rate than ever before, possibly aided by actor George Clooney’s persuasive good looks in European Nespresso advertisements since 2006 and, more recently, in the United States.

…This is sad news for those of us who wish that more sustainable consumer practices would infiltrate the mainstream. There is nothing

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