The reluctance of Continetti to give the label of “establishment” candidate to Jeb Bush is a strategy. A strategy not of Continetti’s construction, but more of Jeb’s team.

This is one of the central nuances we find annoyingly not outlined. Jeb is the “establishment” BIG GOP pick – however, Team Jeb also recognize that such an openly discussed self-evident truth is also a barrier to their victory plan.

Team Jeb’s path is brutally obvious to those willing to accept it. It is not far away from the Romney path, and therefore considered a successful strategy in the GOP primary. (more…)

“I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.”

That is the one thing we must not say.  A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic–on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg–or else he would be the devil of hell.

You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a mad man or something worse.

You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher.

He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

–C. S. Lewis

Sheeesh, if there’s a presidential legacy of Obama to be written it has to include numerous chapters of the weaponized use of government to attack opponents. Jason Chaffetz chairs the committee with oversight of the Secret Service agency; and given the nature of the continual troubles and scandals within the agency he is now considered an enemy for the Secret Service itself.

(Via Fox News) The Secret Service reportedly is being accused of leaking private information on how Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz — one of the agency’s toughest critics — was rejected for a job there more than a decade ago.

The bizarre chain of events prompted Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to personally call Chaffetz on Thursday night and apologize. Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy also called to apologize, according to a DHS spokeswoman. (more…)

Mark Steyn

(more…)

• *Greece has signaled its willingness to default on its upcoming IMF payment
• *Sets in place a plan to shift from Euros to a new issue of Greek controlled Drachmas
• *Tspiras boards a plane for Moscow
• *Seeks alternative creditors in Russia and China
• *A “Grexit” would be the de facto end of NATO and shift alliances in the Aegean from Europe to Russia
• *IMF formally withdraws staff from Athens….

Greece arrives at an existential fork in the road:  which way to turn? Continue to go West or strike out for an unknown path heading East ——————————————————————————————————————————–

The far-Left Syriza party of Greece, contrary to assertions of the European Monetary Union (EMU) has not agreed to further “austerity” measures, but has decided to double down on its threats to default on its IMF payments and align itself with Russia.

The Telegraph explains some of the backstory for Syriza’s popularity and rejection of “austerity” measures that don’t include significant debt write-offs (forgiveness).

“…One might righteously protest at what amounts to open blackmail by Mr Tsipras, deeming such conduct to be a primary violation of EU club rules. Yet this is to ignore what has been done to Greece over the past four years, and why the Greek people are so angry…

An apartment building for “middle class” Athens residents, in a “decent” part of Athens, 1 block from our 4 star hotel  (Jan 2015).  According to local social workers, 50% of the population of Greece has migrated from the countryside to Athens in an effort to find work and pool resources with other like-impoverished family members. (Click to embiggen detail)

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(more…)

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

Mark Steyn […]  “Betrothed gays looking for wedding cakes and floral arrangements are not just carelessly stumbling into homophobic bakeries and florists. It’s an organized campaign consciously targeting particular establishments. That’s why no gay couples have wandered into a Muslim patisserie in Dearborn.

(more…)

…”I think this is a ginned-up controversy by people who play identity politics that has divided the nation in a way that is really unhelpful”…

Spot on, albeit a little politely presented.

(Via The Hill) Former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina on Thursday blasted Apple CEO Tim Cook’s opposition to Indiana’s religious freedom law as “hypocrisy.”

Fiorina, a potential 2016 GOP presidential contender, said Cook had a double standard and cited Apple’s operations in other countries with controversial laws about gays and women in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

“When Tim Cook is upset about all the places that he does business because of the way they treat gays and women, he needs to withdraw from 90% of the markets that he’s in, including China and Saudi Arabia,” Fiorina argued. “But I don’t hear him being upset about that.”

Fiorina said his stance exposed a “level of hypocrisy here that is really unfortunate.”
She added that Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act contained “nothing objectionable” and that Cook’s criticism stemmed from “narrow special interests” rather than reality. (more…)