New York Daily News:
John McLaughlin, the stalwart political commentator who created television’s “McLaughlin Group,” died Tuesday at his home in Virginia. He was 89.
His death came less than two days after he missed the first episode of his show in 34 years.For those of you not familiar with McLaughlin, he ran one of the tightest tv political talk shows ever made.
When I started college at George Washington University back in 1983, one of my Sunday morning routines (aside from nursing a hangover) was to watch McLaughlin Group on my little black and white tv. He would toss out a question, then move through his guests' responses in rapid fire fashion. McLaughlin Group was The Weakest Link of political talk shows, and John McLaughlin was the show's no nonsense host.
God bless you Mr. McLaughlin. I learned a lot from you.
At least he got out before Election Day, lucky dog...
CNN:
So Trump hired a "chief executive" (what the heck is that?) and a pollster? Even Fox News had this as the lede story. It isn't even the most interesting story on CNN:
CNN:
Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein has been waging an uphill battle for name recognition as she pursues her White House bid. But as she emerges in the public eye -- she is participating in a CNN-hosted town hall on Wednesday -- so have some of the retired medical doctor's past controversial comments on vaccines, her concerns about internet use being linked to poor health and GMOs.
My attorney general will prosecute Exxon for lying to the world about climate change. We need to end fossil fuels before it's too late.— Dr. Jill Stein (@DrJillStein) August 11, 2016
...The Green Party is first and foremost an environmentalist political movement, constantly calling for action over the established threat of climate change. Stein has made her signature policy a "Green New Deal," which would attempt to revolutionize the US' energy system and combat climate change.My main problem with the Green Party is their connection to the Global Warming fallacy. As I have said many times, until they can eliminate the largest variable in connection to climate change, namely the sun, their theories about man-made climate change are unprovable. (Before you argue with me, answer this one question: If the sun goes out tomorrow, will man-made CO2 emissions still keep the planet warm? If you say yes, go back to school.)
The most pervasive of the critiques has been Stein's past statements with regard to vaccines.
Her critics have said Stein played toward so-called "anti-vaxxers" when she told The Washington Post people had "real questions" over vaccines and their potential side-effects.
In an "ask me anything" post on Reddit, she accused the regulatory system in the US of corruption, calling the vaccine approval regime a case where "the foxes are guarding the chicken coop."This is one case where Stein and the Libertarians agree. While my kids did get all their vaccines, I don't necessarily see this as a case where we should be threatening people with the lethal force of government if they decide not to vaccinate their kids. That would be a case where the cure is literally worse than the disease.
And then there is this video about her views on computers and wireless:
"We should not be subjecting kids' brains especially to that," Stein said in March during a question-and-answer session. "We don't follow that issue in this country, but in Europe, where they do, they have good precautions around wireless, maybe not good enough."
Concerns about wireless signal, including cell phones and Wi-Fi, have abounded, leading the World Health Organization to address "anxiety" around electromagnetic fields of various frequencies. With regard to wireless networks, the WHO said, "no adverse health effects are expected from exposure to them."
Stein's concern also appears to be in conflict with the Green Party platform, which calls for universal access to broadband internet. If achieved, this policy would increase wireless internet signal.Finally, there are her views against Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), in spite of:
A wide-reaching study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine published this year found no health risks associated with commercially-available genetically engineered foods relative to non-genetically engineered foods.While I agree with having a fourth party, if it turns out to be the Green Party, I am ok with it, even though I disagree with most of their views.
Speaking of bad presidential candidates...
Washington Times:
Republican Donald Trump made his most direct appeal yet Tuesday for black voters in the presidential race, pushing forward an agenda to restore law and order and revitalize inner-city neighborhoods that he said suffer from years of misguided Democratic policies.
In a speech delivered not far from Milwaukee neighborhoods rocked by anti-police riots, Mr. Trump laid the blame for urban despair and conflict between police and minorities at the feet of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
“I am running to offer you a much better future,” Mr. Trump said in a speech in West Bend, Wisconsin. “Crime and violence is an attack on the poor and it will never be accepted in a Trump administration.”
...“The problem in our minority communities is not that there is too much police but that there is not enough police,” he said. “She is against the police, believe me. You know it and I know it and guess what, she knows it.”One of my biggest problems with progressives/socialists is they always fix a problem by doubling down on it (i.e. Welfare doesn't solve the problem? Spend more on it!). Trump is making the same mistake here.
Government is making too many mistakes in too many different areas to just say crime is being caused by not enough police. In addition, police shootings are not caused by "not enough police". There are cultural differences that need to be reconciled before we assume a tone deaf approach like "add more police".
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