Baltimore Is Burning
Whenever this kind of unforgivable idiocy occurs, some chin-stroking media wise man assures us that rioting is an expression of anger from oppressed communities, a cry for justice from those who feel every other avenue of protest has been unfairly blocked, blah blah blah. It's all nonsense. The last "riot" that achieved anything useful was the Boston Tea Party. If everyone in the United States swore a pledge declaring, "I will never riot," there would be less injustice in this world, not more. Hey. At least somebody got some Pringles. 
Here's what the mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, said: "I've made it very clear that I work with the police and instructed them to do everything that they could to make sure that the protesters were able to exercise their right to free speech. It's a very delicate balancing act, because, while we tried to make sure that they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well. And we worked very hard to keep that balance and to put ourselves in the best position to deescalate, and that's what you saw." And here's what the mayor of Baltimore meant to say, according to a release by her office: "I've made it very clear that I work with the police and instructed them to do everything that they could to make sure that the protesters were able to exercise their right to free speech. It's a very delicate balancing act, because, while we tried to make sure that they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we also [as a result] gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well. And we worked very hard to keep that balance and to put ourselves in the best position to deescalate, and that's what you saw." Eh, not quite the same, Ms. Mayor. And after we saw Baltimore turn into Mogadishu, Somalia, Monday afternoon, one can't help but wonder if some troublemakers took her remarks as a green light. Steven Crowder, addressing the rioters: You are animals. If you are able to destroy the home or business of your neighbor, you've lost your humanity. If you are able to harm your fellow man, to scare their children, to do so with a clean conscience, merely because of something that some cop may or may not have done, which has nothing to do with you . . . you are a horrible human being. You disgust me, as you should anyone who wishes to be a part of civilized society. Leftists will come to your defense and demand "understanding". You deserve none. We are past the point of understanding. You deserve justice. I reserve my "understanding" for the people you've hurt, for the businesses you've cost countless sums of money, blood, sweat and tears. If that makes me "insensitive", then you are the one who is placing greater value on the grievance of the felons, than that of the tax-paying, law abiding citizen. You are siding with the criminal, over the local business owner. If you can stand some strong not-safe-for-work language, one mom appeared absolutely determined to drag her son away from the rioting. The Clinton Foundation Is Not a Charity This sort of thing is going to hit the S.S. Hillary Clinton 2016 below the waterline: The Clinton Foundation's finances are so messy that the nation's most influential charity watchdog put it on its "watch list" of problematic nonprofits last month. The Clinton family's mega-charity took in more than $140 million in grants and pledges in 2013 but spent just $9 million on direct aid. The group spent the bulk of its windfall on administration, travel, and salaries and bonuses, with the fattest payouts going to family friends. On its 2013 tax forms, the most recent available, the foundation claimed it spent $30 million on payroll and employee benefits; $8.7 million in rent and office expenses; $9.2 million on "conferences, conventions and meetings"; $8 million on fundraising; and nearly $8.5 million on travel. None of the Clintons is on the payroll, but they do enjoy first-class flights paid for by the foundation. In all, the group reported $84.6 million in "functional expenses" on its 2013 tax return and had more than $64 million left over -- money the organization has said represents pledges rather than actual cash on hand. Some of the tens of millions in administrative costs finance more than 2,000 employees, including aid workers and health professionals around the world. But that's still far below the 75 percent rate of spending that nonprofit experts say a good charity should spend on its mission. Charity Navigator, which rates nonprofits, recently refused to rate the Clinton Foundation because its "atypical business model . . . doesn't meet our criteria." Charity Navigator put the foundation on its "watch list," which warns potential donors about investing in problematic charities. The 23 charities on the list include the Rev. Al Sharpton's troubled National Action Network, which is cited for failing to pay payroll taxes for several years. Donations from foreign governments and shady foreign investors tied to the Russian government + enormous expenditures on themselves and their closest backers + giant speaking fees for Bill + little money to the actual good causes they claim motivates them = a giant bribery scheme. Here's the kicker: "It seems like the Clinton Foundation operates as a slush fund for the Clintons," said Bill Allison, a senior fellow at the Sunlight Foundation, a government watchdog group where progressive Democrat and Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout was once an organizing director. That statement is going to show up in a lot of ads. Just Who Does Mike Huckabee Want to Compare to the Fort Hood Shooter? Over on the home page, I take a look at Mike Huckabee and how his long-standing grudge match with the Club for Growth isn't just continuing – it seems to be getting angrier and more personal. Here's a segment from Huckabee's book, published in January, that somehow escaped attention until now: Pat Toomey, then a former Congressman form Pennsylvania, and currently a U.S. Senator, was the head of Club for Growth at the time. I left the meeting feeling as if I had wasted my time because it didn't appear that CFG was driven by facts, but by checkbooks of those who wanted to target someone for character assassination. Later, when Toomey joined with a Senate Democrat to pass some gun control legislation in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting tragedy and got pummeled by conservatives for "becoming a squish" on the Second Amendment, I wondered if he ever thought about the many broadsides he had leveled against other Republicans. I heard him on TV lament how he was being misunderstood and how unfair it was to paint him as not supporting the Second Amendment. Forgive me if I was not moved to tears. "They that take the sword shall perish with the sword," said Jesus in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 26, verse 52. Some Republicans have failed to heed those critical words of warning, and instead wake up each morning and look for the sword. It's the same as throwing a grenade in your own tent. I really don't think Nidal Hassan is the role model the GOP wanted to emulate. Senator Toomey's office declined comment. You can love Pat Toomey or you can hate Pat Toomey. You can watch at the Club for Growth ad from December 2007 that Huckabee found so out of line here. (It does consist of a portion of a Huckabee address to the state legislature from 2003.) But . . . Nidal Hassan? Are you kidding me? Are you out of your mind? How do you make that comparison in a chapter of a book that's supposed to be about uniting Republicans? We must all come together… other than those damn maniacal terrorists over there! ADDENDA: I'm scheduled to appear on the panel on Greta Van Susteren's On the Record this evening. One of the highlights of Monday was reading to my younger son's preschool class, and teaching them how to draw Snoopy: 
Another great part was that the official Snoopy Twitter account liked it, too. | 
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