LETTER: Evangelical Lutheran Church respond to political cartoon – The Dickinson Press

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Yet the really bewildering part of the cartoon is the clear identification of the church as part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the use of its logo. As leaders of the two ELCA congregations in Dickinson, we were surprised to see a political cartoon so directly pointed at our denomination.

While it is not true to say that the ELCA resettles refugees in North Dakota, it is true that the ELCA works very closely with Lutheran Social Services (LSS). LSS is the only intuition in the state of North Dakota that resettles refugees. If the cartoon version of Craig Cobb was hoping to be resettled in a town like Leith or Nome, he would likely be disappointed to find out that refugees are only resettled in Fargo, Bismarck, and Grand Forks. If he was angry at the ELCA for their work with refugees, he would also be disappointed to find many other denominations (like Catholics, Methodists, Congregationalists, and Episcopalians) that support the Christian effort to provide hospitality, safety, and refuge to those who flee from violence, fear, and oppression.

Craig Cobb is no refugee. He is not fleeing the threat of death by an oppressive government or war. He does not have the proper UN designation. He has not been vetted for years by both the UN and the US a process he would undoubtedly fail.

But in the meantime, if Craig Cobb would like to visit one of our ELCA churches in Dickinson, we would be more than happy to tell him all about the radical love of Jesus Christ - a love that does not distinguish between race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, or religion. It is a love with the power to transform even the most stone-hearted people. And unlike the cartoon depicted, that would not be the work of the devil. That would be the work of the Holy Spirit, who brings all kinds of people to our churches doorsteps.

Sincerely,

Pastor Joe Natwick, St John Lutheran Church

Pastor Lisa Lewton, St John Lutheran Church

Pastor Ellery Dykeman, Peace Lutheran Church

Deacon Anna Dykeman, Peace Lutheran Church

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LETTER: Evangelical Lutheran Church respond to political cartoon - The Dickinson Press

Israeli Knesset ‘legalizes’ robbery of Palestinian land – Liberation

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Palestine Israel Action Group

Amid a strong push by the Israeli government to increase construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank, the Knesset approved a bill on Feb. 6 that will retroactively legalize the construction of 4,000 settlement homes and the robbery of private Palestinian land. While the settler-colonial state of Israel is no stranger to land theft, this move comes just weeks after yet another UN resolution condemning Israeli settlement construction.

While the law states that the original landowners are compensated monetarily or with alternative land, they do not have to agree to concede their property rights. It is important to note that since the occupied Palestinian population does not have citizenship rights in Israel, they have no participatory role in the lawmaking process nor the ability to vote on Israeli policies.

Israel is an apartheid state in which the Palestinian population of the West Bank and Gaza live under belligerent, military occupation. The passage of this law highlights the complete contempt and disregard that Israel has shown towards the Palestinian people since its formation. The law itself is illegal and will no doubt be challenged. Back in November of last year, even Benjamin Netanyahu recognized that the passage if this bill could bring Israel to The Hague, the city that hoststhe International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

Israels occupation of Palestine, its brutal treatment of the Palestinian people, its demolition of Palestinian homes, and its blatant disregard for international law has brought sharp criticism from activists and organizations all over the world. Last year, the Movement for Black Lives Policy Platform called out the complicity of the U.S. government in the oppression of Palestinians through its financial support to Israel, all while Black communities, schools and services in the United States remain underfunded.

We will not sit idly by while the Palestinian people have their land ripped out from underneath them. We will continue to stand in solidarity with Palestine and all nations suffering imperialist plunder. Long live Palestine!

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Israeli Knesset 'legalizes' robbery of Palestinian land - Liberation

War on drugs has left us with a latticework of crime – The Boston Globe

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I thank David Scharfenberg for writing thoughtfully about the need for prison reform (Free more criminals, Ideas, Feb. 5). I disagree, however, with the notion that the drug war is not the major problem behind Americas huge prison growth. While less than 20 percent of prisoners may be serving time for drug offenses, the reality is that most crimes are the result of drug prohibition.

As a public defender attorney and a former mental health clinician at a mens maximum security prison, I have worked with hundreds of people charged with theft, robbery, and other crimes resulting from drug addiction. Addiction in and of itself usually does not lead to crime; it is the laws prohibiting drugs that trigger law-breaking.

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Why is it uncommon to see someone suffering from alcoholism robbing stores and yet common to see the person with opiate addiction doing so? Because the person suffering from alcohol use disorder can obtain alcohol for a small price compared with black-market opiates.

In addition, murders are too often committed in connection to drug warring.

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At the center of our disastrous drug policies are people suffering. We would all benefit from investing our money in prevention, rehabilitation, education, and employment opportunities rather than expensive cages.

Lisa Newman-Polk

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War on drugs has left us with a latticework of crime - The Boston Globe

President Duterte Changes and Defends Philippine Drug War – Voice of America

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is changing his deadly war on drugs.

The change came after the killing last October of a South Korean businessman by Philippine police officers working on the drug war.

The police agency blamed for killing the businessman has been suspended from anti-drug efforts.

Duterte has put the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in charge of anti-drug efforts. Duterte said the Philippine military would also assist efforts to stop illegal drug selling and use in the Philippines.

The businessman, Jee Ick-joo, was picked up by police and quickly killed, according to news reports in the Philippines.

The news reports said police led his family to believe Jee was still alive for several weeks, as they continued to ask for ransom payments.

Police offered no evidence that the businessman had any connection to illegal drugs.

Choi Kyung-jin, left, widow of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo, and their former housekeeper, appear before Philippine Senate Committee.

Duterte criticizes corrupt police

Duterte spoke this week to 400 police officers reportedly under investigation for corruption and other misconduct.

He said corrupt police would be sent for two years to a southern island that is a stronghold of Islamist militants.

Duterte also spoke about former Colombian President Cesar Gavirias recent column in the New York Times. The column was titled, President Duterte Is Repeating My Mistakes.

Duterte called Gaviria an idiot for warning that throwing more soldiers and police at the drug users does not work.

Gaviria wrote in the New York Times column that doing so is not just a waste of money, but also can actually make the problem worse.

Reuters news agency reported that Duterte said his war on drugs is different than Colombias because shabu, or methamphetamine, is the common drug choice in the Philippines. The drug damages the brain. Duterte said the effects of cocaine, the drug of choice by Colombias sellers and users, are not as bad.

Last week, Catholic Bishops in the Philippines wrote a letter that was read at church services. The letter called on Catholics to speak out against the violent drug war.

Let us not allow fear to reign and keep us silent, the bishops wrote.

Human Rights Watch has been critical of Dutertes war on drugs. The group says that more than 7,000 Filipinos have been killed in the war on drugs since Duterte became president in June of 2016.

Human Rights Watch has asked for the United Nations to investigate.

Phelim Kine, the Asian director for Human Rights Watch said that the Philippine police wont seriously investigate themselves, so the UN should take the lead in conducting an investigation.

Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by Reuters and other news sources. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page.

_____________________________________________________________

ransom - n. money that is paid in order to free someone who has been captured or kidnapped

misconduct - n. bad behavior

idiot - n. a very stupid or foolish person

methamphetamine - n. a powerful, addictive, stimulant that affects the central nervous system

cocaine - n. a drug that is used in medicine to stop pain or is taken illegally for pleasure

reign - n. to rule

conduct - v. to carry out

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President Duterte Changes and Defends Philippine Drug War - Voice of America

Why war on drugs fires up our soft political underbelly – The Standard (press release)

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War on drugs in Kenya. (Photo: Courtesy)

The drug trafficking issue has made it to the news cycle yet again. This time it is driven by the extradition of Akasha sons to the US to face drug trafficking charges.

In the absence of solid data, anecdotal evidence ranging from the increase in arrests of traffickers to the magnitude of heists, indicates an increase in the volumes of drugs being transited through Kenya. Undoubtedly, this is a serious issue.

As a country, it seems that we speak and attempt to deal with the issue regularly, but often with little success. In my view, this status of events can be explained by the politicisation of the issue.

Gernot Klantschnig, an expert on social policy and international crimes, examined the War on drugs in Nigeria and showed how the efforts to deal with drug trafficking had been politicised. He examined the narrative on the governments efforts to deal with drugs and established that it was characterised by three core elements: crisis, correction and success. This seems to be the same case here in Kenya.

First, characterised as a worsening crisis, the drug issue is always presented in a highly sensationalised manner taking two broad dimensions. For one, the country is presented as inevitably heading down to become a narco-state, falling from its current respectable status. The most significant concern in this respect is that drug money is being used to attain positions of influence, particularly in politics.

This view appears to be somewhat validated by the regular connection of powerful individuals to the drug trade. Naturally this leads people to worry whether our law-enforcement agencies can adequately address the issue. The other dimension is the fear that drugs will wipe out an entire generation of youth and hence rob Kenya of her promising future. Senior leaders, including the President, have previously expressed concern that drugs, by ruining young lives, will deny our country a bright future.

ALSO READ: Joho opens up on drugs claims

These views are based on alarmist speculations of interested parties. Instead, the government approach to such an issue should be based on a solid base of evidence and analysis that helps shape the strategy of intervention.

The second part of the drug narrative is correction; communicating the idea that the government is doing something about it. In this respect, the government has on various occasions put drug dealers and traffickers on notice. The most recent of these statements was issued by the Inspector General of the Police, Joseph Boinnet, who said the State is determined to uproot the tree, the roots, the stem and the leaves.

This is often accompanied by threats, such as the one issued by the President recently that the State machinery would be used to cut off their operations and arrest key individuals involved in drug trafficking. On other occasions, the game is to name and shame as demonstrated by when the late Prof George Saitoti named suspected drug barons in Parliament when he was Minister for Internal Security.

Threatening people or naming and shaming them without arresting them and parading them in court opens the State up for criticism of politicising the issue. And often, the accused individuals respond to the claims, following a fairly standard script. Often, they start with denying the accusations and the proceed to indicate that they are good and responsible citizens even good Christians or Muslims - who are being targeted by their political and business rivals. As in the case of Joho last week, some of them dare the government to arrest them if they have evidence. The arrests are usually not forthcoming.

The final part of the narrative is success; often an indication that we are winning this war. Even in the absence of evidence, the government tries to demonstrate some form of success in their efforts.

However, whether it is destruction of drugs or extradition of suspects, or regular arrests of drugs and arrest of dealers and traffickers, these indications of success punctuate long durations of outright failure. To be fair though, such instance signals commitment on the part of government and demonstrate the competence of our law enforcement agencies that is often ignored.

Our limited success in these areas is demonstrated by the politicisation of efforts to deal with this vice ranging from over-emphasizing the importance of the issue, naming and shaming people without the evidence to charge them in court and celebrating small successes, without a view of how big victories would look like.

ALSO READ: Exposed: Secretive Akashas dynasty

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Why war on drugs fires up our soft political underbelly - The Standard (press release)

Gambling Manga "Akagi" Begins Countdown to Conclusion – Crunchyroll News

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After some 27 years of serialization and 33 collected volumes of high-stakes gambling tension, Nobuyuki Fukumoto's seinen manga about a maverick mahjong master,Akagi, will be coming to an end with the final chapter to be published in February of 2018.

A series of posters announcing the manga's conclusion will be on display at the 15 major stations of the Japan Railways Yamanote Line from February 13 - 19, 2017. Akagi began serialization in 1992 in Takeshobo's Kindai Mahjong magazine, and the series has also been adapted into a 2005 TV anime and a 2015 TV drama, both of which are available via streaming on Crunchyroll.

Crunchyroll descibes Akagi as follows:

"Tokyo, 1958. A man seriously gambles at a mahjong parlor. He's playing against members of the Ryuzaki yakuza clan. If he loses, he must pay his debt through his own life insurance truly a game of life and death. With his own existence at stake, he can only play passively, and the game comes to a head. Suddenly, a mysterious boy appears. His name is Akagi, a thirteen-year-old kid. The man senses a strong aura around the youth and decides to have Akagi substitute for him in the next round."

Source: Mainichi Shimbun via Otakomu

Paul Chapman is the host ofThe Greatest Movie EVER! Podcastand GME! Anime Fun Time.

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Gambling Manga "Akagi" Begins Countdown to Conclusion - Crunchyroll News

Calendar urges gamblers to cut their losses l Dayton, Ohio – Dayton Daily News

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The volunteer Montgomery County Problem Gambling Prevention Coalition next month will begin distributing free calendars created by local students intended to draw attention to problem gambling during National Problem Gambling Awareness Month.

The calendars display the winning entries from local calendar competitions among art students from four schools Wright Brothers, West Carrollton and E.J. Brown Middle Schools and Ponitz Career Technology Center who created artistic posters with problem gambling prevention messages to be used as calendar pages.

The highest-rated poster was selected as the calendar cover, and 12 other posters were chosen for each month of the year.

The calendars feature the same images but come in two varieties: Fine Arts, created by middle-school kids using techniques such as sketching or drawing with crayons, colored pencils or markers, and Graphic Arts, created by students at Ponitz using computer software programs such as Illustrator and Photoshop.

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Calendar urges gamblers to cut their losses l Dayton, Ohio - Dayton Daily News

UFC 208 odds, gambling guide – MMA Fighting

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Welcome MMA bettors, speculators, and gambling lurkers! Were back at it again for another week of comprehensive gambling analysis from your friends at MMAFighting.com. This weekend we have the first ever UFC womens featherweight title fight between two top-15 bantamweights.

For those of you who are new here or those who have forgotten, this aims to be an exhaustive preview of the fights, the odds, and my own personal breakdown of where you can find betting value. The number after the odds on each fighter is the probability of victory that those odds imply (so Holm at +110 means she should win the fight 48 percent of the time). If you think she wins more often than the odds say, you should bet it because there's value in the line.

All stats come from FightMetric and all the odds are from Best Fight Odds. Net Value means how much money you would have made if you bet $100 on that fighter in every one of his/her fights that odds could be found for. Doubly as always, I'm trying to provide the most thorough guide I can for those who want to legally bet or who just enjoy following along. If you are a person who chooses to gamble, only do so legally, responsibly, and at your own risk.

Now with all that out of the way, lets go.

Breakdown

Holly Holm is predominantly an out fighter who relies on volume to rack up points. Though she made her name as a professional boxer, it is Holm's kicking game that is a threat on the feet. Holm lacks real pop in her hands when coming forward because she doesn't transition any weight into her shots, preferring to flick her punches out as set-ups for her left kick. When fighting on the counter, she is much better at sitting down into her punches and landing hard shots than pivoting out of the engagement, which makes her much more dangerous on the back foot.

Elsewhere, Holm is a competent fighter but somewhat reliant on her size and athleticism instead of a depth of technique. She has good positional awareness in the clinch and is very difficult to control, but she provides no real offense and mostly just looks to disengage. Shes an excellent defender of takedowns and can also wrestle a bit offensively, though she doesnt often look to do so. As a grappler though, she still isnt great and lacks urgency in getting back to her feet.

Germaine de Randamie is a big, rangy striker who likes to use her physical advantages to her best effect. Shes a former Muay Thai practitioner and her game looks like you would expect. She operates behind a heavy, thudding jab, which she follows up with sharp right hand. She also has ridiculous kicks and all of her strikes carry real power. Moreover, she is textbook sound in her technique and her footwork is some of the best in womens MMA.

De Randamie also has the clinch as an excellent secondary skill set. Her size and Muay Thai background make her a handful, and she also has excellent uppercuts to compliment her elbows and knees. Shes a solid defensive wrestler at range, but once she gets taken down, GDR offers very little off her back.

Many people are underwhelmed by this main event but its only because of the circumstances of the title fight. Were the specter of Cris Cyborg not hanging over this fight, everyone would be excited about the high-level striking match thats about to ensue. De Randamie is the better, more powerful striker, but Holm is more athletic and has faced a much higher level of opposition. Holm also trains out of a much better camp and can theoretically use other avenues besides just striking to engage GDR.

This fight is a question of tactics. If de Randamie keeps a long range, this fight instantly becomes a nightmare for Holm who isnt great at leading and will be walking herself into de Randamies power shots. If de Randamie chooses to pressure, Holms chances go up dramatically, as she is much better on the counter, attacking and angling out. It also depends on whether Holm is content to stay striking or whether she mixes things up. Holm was never getting dominated by Valentina Shevchenko, but she wasnt winning the rounds and her lack of desire for changing the theater of combat cost her.

So really its a question of whether de Randamies stylistic advantages are the controlling factors or whether Holms intangibles add up enough for a win. The confluence of Holms small edges in cardio, experience, athleticism, camp, and strength of competition make me genuinely unsure of this one but ultimately I will favor de Randomie to win a back and forth decision. As for a bet, I think the odds are close to right, though just a hair too much in favor of de Randamie here so a bet on Holm by decision at +250 is a decent value bet since Holm has never been much of a finisher.

Breakdown

To put it bluntly, Anderson Silva is old. Hes 41 years old and he hasnt officially won a fight in five years. At his peak, Silva was the best fighter in the world thanks to sniper accuracy, sneaky power, and unprecedented countering ability, but even then he was still known for curious instances of inactivity and disinterest that would show up between explosions of offense. Now that hes older, those lulls are even more frequent to the point that he often looks entirely defensive but for one or two salvos each round. When hes feeling it, though, he still poses a threat to anyone alive, as evidenced by the liver shot to Daniel Cormier in the third round at UFC 200 that badly hurt the light heavyweight champion.

Derek Brunson is an athletic, powerful fighter who is often too aggressive for his own good. He likes to pressure forward before leaping in with a big straight left. If he connects, the fight is often over, but his reckless leap forward also opens him up to counters, which is how Robert Whittaker took him out in his last fight.

Outside of over-explosive striking, Brunson is also a great clinch fighter and grinder. He works well with knees and punches in the clinch and he also can change levels to drop for takedowns. When he gets the fight to the floor, he is a punishing ground-and-pounder and defensively sound.

If this were a couple of years ago, Silva would be the prohibitive favorite, as the stylistic match up favors him a good deal. Unfortunately, its not 2015 and Silva appears to be on his last legs as an elite fighter and his chin is a major concern. If Brunson lands on him, that will probably be the end of the fight. The question is, can Silva snipe the overly aggressive Brunson coming in? I think Silva absolutely could do that, but Im not predicting it. In my head, I think Brunson understands the threat Silva presents and wont come out as ridiculously, chin-up aggressively as he did against Whittaker. I expect Silva to back himself up to the fence like he has done his last few fights, and from there, Brunsons clinch game is enough to neutralize the faded Silva and allow him to secure takedowns and landing punches inside. Silvas chin fails him and Brunson earns a TKO in the second round. Having said all that, I think Brunson should only be a -120 favorite, so a bet on Silva is not a bad idea.

Breakdown

Ronaldo Souza is, at worst, the second- or third-best grappler in the history of MMA. A multiple-time world champion jiu-jitsu practitioner who also possess elite athleticism and top level wrestling, there is a very good argument that Jacare is the best middleweight on the planet right now.

Everything about Souzas ground game is impeccable, but whats perhaps even more impressive is his success as a striker. He has an excellent pressure game and he cuts the cage well. He throws punches and kicks with big power. He doesnt have sensational cardio though, and his athletic window is closing at 37.

Tim Boetsch is a brute of a puncher with a power wrestling game to supplement it. This isn't to say that he has no skills elsewhere they're fine just that his success comes almost entirely as the result of his big-time power and a strongman style clinch game, replete with punches, knees, and elbows that do enormous damage.

Take a gander at Boetschs record as an underdog above. Tim Boetsch is the consummate spoiler, which means you should never count him out. That being said, this fight should be one-way traffic in favor of Jacare. Boetsch doesnt have great wrestling defense and Jacare is a great finisher of takedowns. While Jacare could do fine on the feet as well, I expect him to plant Boetsch on the mat and find a submission early in the bout. The pick is Jacare, and though I dont support a bet on him straight, parlaying Jacare Inside The Distance at -255 with somebody else isnt bad. Alternatively, you can play Jacare straight and offset it with Boetsch by TKO at +725 to basically guarantee a small profit.

Breakdown

Glover Teixeira has an excellent pressure game on the feet that is backed up by well-rounded offensive skills. Hes a meat-and-potatoes striker centered on a sharp jab, straight right, and a left hook. While not the most diverse attack, Glover's pressure footwork, speed, and timing make it a highly effective one, and his power means he doesnt have to land a lot to win the fight. Hes a bit plodding, but he feints well enough to set up the big left hook kill shot, and not many people can eat that without falling down.

Where Teixeira really excels though is on the ground. Hes an excellent wrestler on the inside (though not much of a shot takedown artist). He chains snatch singles and doubles off of duck-unders to great effect, and once on top, hes a hellion, punishing and passing until he can lock up a submission.

Jared Cannonier is the inverse of Teixeira: a striker who prefers to use his exceptional reach to fight at a long range and would much rather avoid the ground. Hes works at a good clip on the feet and is an accurate striker, building everything off of his jab. He also is a good kicker, but his best asset is his sharp right hand, which packs tremendous power.

Cannonier isnt much for grappling. Hes a middling defensive wrestler but he is very defensively minded when taken down, constantly moving and looking to stand back up. Hes also got excellent cardio for the division but hes a small 205 pounder who has talked about eventually ending up at middleweight.

I think this fight is closer than the odds indicate. 2017 looks like it might be the year we start getting major turnover at the top of the higher weight divisions and Cannonier might be part of that trend. Hes much younger and looks to be coming into his own as a future light heavyweight contender, whereas Teixeira is 37 and coming off a violent knockout loss. Moreover, Teixeira needs to get inside to operate, and Cannonier has the power and mobility to deny him that. This fight comes down to the wrestling and whether Cannonier has improved enough to keep the bigger man from dragging him to the mat. I think we can expect some improvement in that department but ultimately not enough to save him. I expect Teixeira may have some early trouble but will eventually be able to clinch up with Cannonier and get the fight into his comfort zone. It also helps that Cannonier has been susceptible to a solid left hook in the past and that is Teixeiras best weapon. The pick is Teixeira by late submission but the odds here are much wider than I believe they should be and so I suggest no bet or a small value bet on Cannonier.

Breakdown

Dustin Poirier is a well-rounded fighter who has found his stride since moving up to the lightweight division. He is a good combination boxer who works well in the pocket and has big-time power. Hes still a lacking defensive fighter, but he's been steadily improving his footwork and head movement, which has been a big part of his recent success. While Poirier is at his best when he is coming forward, hes also an improved counter puncher on the inside and keeps a high pace.

Poirier is also an excellent clinch fighter. He has good knees and trips from that range, and he has a really nice uppercut that he hides behind his own head before bringing it up the body to score. He has good defensive wrestling and solid takedowns. Once on top, he is a powerful ground-and-pounder with solid scrambling.

Jim Miller is a rugged southpaw who can do everything at well above average skill level. He is a serviceable striker with an underrated kicking game, decent defensive fundamentals, and a snappy left hand. Though hes fading physically, hes still a fairly durable guy as well.

Millers real talent lies in his grappling. Hes aggressive in hunting for submissions either from on top or on bottom and hes a great scrambler. Hes also a very solid takedown artist who has excellent timing on his shots. Defensively, though, hes not much above average as far as staying on his feet goes.

Miller is surprisingly on a three-fight winning streak after the Diego Sanchez loss, but that likely ends here. Poirier is a good enough wrestler to keep this on the feet and Miller doesnt really have the power to put him in danger. From there, Poiriers speed and power should give Miller fits, and I expect him to win a wide decision or possibly a late stoppage. Despite my confidence in Poirier here, though, theres not enough meat on this particular bone and you should pass on betting this one.

Randy Brown (-140/58%) vs. Belal Muhammad (+120/45%)

Randy Brown is a long, athletic striker who throws powerful combinations and a good jab. Hes enormous for the division and uses his length well, especially in the clinch, where he can use trips to compliment his knees and elbows. Muhammad is a sharp, technical striker who prefers to strike at range and at a high volume.

This seems like a tough row to hoe for Muhammad. He wants to fight at distance but hes giving up four inches of height and six inches of reach to Brown, who also has more power. Moreover, Brown is better in the clinch and can hit takedowns if need be. The pick is Brown by decision, and I like a bet on him.

Wilson Reis (-600/86%) vs. Ulka Sasaki (+450/18%)

This is a weird fight. Reis had a title shot until Demetrious Johnson got injured, and now hes fighting an opponent whos 2-2 in the UFC. Reis is a slick, dangerous grappler with explosive takedowns and fair striking. Sasaki is huge for the division and has a six-inch reach advantage. Hes also a good grappler and hes strong in the clinch as well.

Reis is a much better fighter than Sasaki and that should be enough to carry him here, but it wont be easy. Sasaki has a massive size advantage here and is a willing striker. He isnt a great defensive wrestler though, so I expect Reis will be able to land takedowns eventually and find his way to the back for the submission. The pick is Reis, but the odds are way off and you should definitely not have money down here.

Nik Lentz (+240/29%) vs. Islam Makhachev (-290/74%)

Makhachev is the long time training partner of Khabib Nurmagomedov and he fights like a guy who has been grappling with Khabib for most off his life. Hes a stifling wrestler/top control artist who excels in the transitions between the phases of the game. Lentz is also a grinding top control artist but one who also likes to scramble. He can strike a bit but that is definitely not his best facet.

Both guys want to grapple and, as Chris Wade found out, spending prolonged amounts of time on the floor with Nurmagomedovs lifelong grappling partner is not a winning strategy. On top of that, Makhachev is also the more dangerous striker and will have a slight size advantage. The pick is Makhachev by decision, but the line is high. If the line drops to -250 or so, he would be a fine parlay include though.

Ian McCall (-105/51%) vs. Jarred Brooks (-125/56%)

McCall is a grappler by trade with a variety of trips and takedowns and excellent scrambling. Hes also a solid, high-volume striker, but hes been out of action for two years and hes been open about his many injuries that have hampered him. Jarred Brooks is a hot-shot 23-year-old who is making his UFC debut on short notice. Hes a good wrestler and passer and a willing, powerful striker but hell be small for the division having competed at 115 pounds before.

I have no idea what to expect here. McCall, at his best, is several steps up in competition for Brooks, but hes also been out for a long time and is open about his close proximity to retirement due to injuries. The pick is McCall by decision based on his skill set and experience but theres no real confidence and you should definitely not bet this one.

Rick Glenn (-200/67%) vs. Phillipe Nover (+170/37%)

Glenn is a tall guy for the division who doesnt always use his length to his best advantage. He prefers to walk opponents down and maul them in the clinch, where he can use his long frame to great effect. Nover is an anomaly in that he can do everything decently, but he never seems engaged and his lack of urgency often costs him.

Nover likes to operate at range and Glenns game is built around denying his opponent space. I expect Glenns preferences will prevail here and he will overwhelm the stagnant Nover, earning a late stoppage. The pick is Glenn by TKO, but dont bet on this one.

Ryan LaFlare (-300/75%) vs. Roan Carneiro (+250/29%)

Jucao Carneiro is my BJJ coach and a friend, and as such, Im going to refrain from speaking on this fight. But I am very excited for the match-up and believe it will be a good one.

That's all folks. Enjoy the fights everyone and good luck to those who need it. If you've got any questions, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @JedKMeshew

(Editor's note: All of this advice is for entertainment purposes only.)

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UFC 208 odds, gambling guide - MMA Fighting

US Grabs Biggest Global Gambling Industry Win Share in 2016 – Casino News Daily

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The global gambling industry generated $385 billion in profit in 2016, data provided by betting and gaming market intelligence firm H2 Gambling Capital and cited by The Economist showed. What is more, online gambling was the fastest growing sector last year. Proceeds from iGaming products accounted for 11% of the bulk.

A chart by The Economist providing information about the biggest gambling losses by country once again demonstrated the immensity of the US gambling market. The nation was the one to top the full-year losses chart for 2016. Here it is important to note that losses stand for the amounts staked by gambling customers minus payouts.

Americans collectively lost the total amount of $116.9 billion last year. Services offered by brick-and-mortar casinos were the most popular gambling products among US customers. Lotteries were also among the biggest contributors to the nations gambling industry.

The US gambling landscape may change significantly in the years to come, provided that multiple industry re-regulation efforts in a number of states succeed. It is believed that there is a huge demand for online gambling and sports betting offering in the US, and legislators from here and there have been pushing for the legalization of these particular sectors.

China, including its special administrative region Macau, lost $62.4 billion on gambling last year. The aforementioned figure could have been larger, if it had not been for a gambling crackdown initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping that resulted in a withdrawal of high value players from Macau, known to be Asias and the worlds largest gambling hub at the moment.

Japan, Italy, and Australia comprised top 5 of the global gambling losses chart (or the global gambling gross win chart, as seen from the industrys perspective) with losses of $24.1 billion, $19 billion, and $18.3 billion, respectively.

Australia, which has proved to be a highly lucrative market over the past several years, topped another chart the one for the biggest losses per resident adult. An annual average of $990 per adult gambling customer was lost last year, according to H2 Gambling Capital. Slot machines, or pokies as they are known Down Under, were the most popular gambling product last year.

Singapore, with its two large integrated casino resorts, was listed as a runner-up in the losses per resident adult chart. Gambling customers lost an average of close to $700 per resident adult in 2016. Ireland came next with an average loss of around $500 per resident adult. Online gambling was the activity Irish gambling customers lost the most on last year. Finland and the United States were the other two countries listed in top 5.

Here is the original post:

US Grabs Biggest Global Gambling Industry Win Share in 2016 - Casino News Daily

Duterte targets illegal gambling in the Philippines – Yahoo News

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3KZ X#pF[2$:%2uYUb-bH_|q4YG+$~ $~}Ev"]'wgqZB=Tsujda ;/H^>h^N+U8N/,xqyh=?pF"%^.8aX{p2A' j%E|7k5iO?Zz`YYaaq z(JZ5rX^pfLXc.-fQs}5c.I[CBFGp &uk:ul=MsE.y rTBMzB5D1]s8xC0~Ufb Fq7(D +E(Mk,l9d-a"/Z*T'Dj620$>:&4]ifth,F{u? ?W6Jn |8]GX(B'C]KW0jy8S(.=#. 3H-QAYk&^lEq@YVZ6a)AjMJ#B2H;NbJ +o^cc4:[ .JJT:6tM-FEm^m^m^Ik8+5,CFYYmewq{IlEoJ:}=]rSEj5erKCvs&Pdbl/tDBM%(yS'Qk~R_(b !;jH+bu=d]o4dql?d{ABm&;9h?y%Mo:4aO#g hM8S"=#y. cF{M}/Xf]3QZldl5u+kR MS^is[FJEaJRO)(8P `8T8R 8V y8Psgy$#T>KR9 _I6i%i!irhS }%9M+bJbQ$2UTw%_{tx|w:6cyOJNNNu#x,E2"uz&^ BCj[i+jz)FO7Rd9qV'd[x*xZL^du>83 a0'QP7?abL *$ )Nbpb

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Duterte targets illegal gambling in the Philippines - Yahoo News

Labour will not introduce private members bill on euthanasia – Scoop.co.nz (press release)

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Labour will not be introducing a private members bill on euthanasia Andrew Little MP, Leader Labour Party.

MEDIA RELEASE FEBRUARY 11, 2017

Andrew Little MP, leader of the Labour Party recently advised Right to Life in a letter that It does not reflect Labours view and Labour will not be introducing a private members bill on Euthanasia. Right to Life commends Andrew Little for his integrity and courage in emphatically rejecting the threat of Euthanasia which would permit doctors to kill their patients or assist in their suicide. This is a victory for a culture of life. Right to Life is hopeful that the Labour caucus will fully support their leader on this important issue.

The Labour Party has a long and illustrious history of defending life. Andrew Littles stand is in the tradition of its great leaders who defended life; Michael Savage, Peter Frazer, Walter Nash, Arnold Nordmeyer, Bill Rowling, David Lange and Mike Moore.

The first duty of government is to protect the right to life of every member of the human family from conception to natural death.

Andrew little also stated that Euthanasia is a conscience issue, not a party political issue and it is not one of Labours priorities. This is a welcome assurance, that should Labour be elected to govern at the general election on Saturday 23rd September 2017, a Labour government would not present a bill promoting Euthanasia. It is also reassuring that should a private members bill on Euthanasia be drawn from the ballot, Labour members would have a conscience vote.

The Labour Party has traditionally defended the weak and the marginalised in society. The assurances of Andrew little will be of comfort to the most vulnerable members of our community, the aged, the disabled and the seriously ill.

Andrew little has previously shown integrity and courage in refusing to allow Ian Lees-Galloway MP permission in December 2015, to return to the ballot the Euthanasia bill drafted by Maryan Street, a list MP who lost her seat at the last general election.

The petition of Maryan Street and 8974 others on Euthanasia is currently being considered by the Parliamentary Health Select Committee. There were an unprecedented 21,435 written submissions to this petition. The Committee has recently completed hearing oral submissions. A scientific random analysis of the written submissions revealed an overwhelming 78 per cent of submissions in opposition to Euthanasia and assisted suicide. David Seymour MP Leader of ACT is pushing hard for Euthanasia and currently has a bill in the ballot; its title is End of Life Choice bill

Ken Orr

Spokesperson

Scoop Media

Just in case war breaks out over the weekend for the past 10 days or so, the court rulings on President Trumps travel ban have dominated the news out of the United States. At the same time, a more serious threat has been gathering in intensity.

Iran and the Trump administration are on a collision course over Irans testing of ballistic missiles, which Iran maintains are a valid part of its domestic defence planning. The US, via Trumps national security adviser Michael Flynn, has put Iran on notice and imposed fresh sanctions. Undaunted, Iran has continued to test more missiles. More>>

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Labour will not introduce private members bill on euthanasia - Scoop.co.nz (press release)

Health Insurance to Meet Your Needs & Budget | UnitedHealthOne

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No individual applying for health coverage through the individual Marketplace will be discouraged from applying for benefits, turned down for coverage, or charged more premium because of health status, medical condition, mental illness claims experience, medical history, genetic information or health disability. In addition, no individual will be denied coverage based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, personal appearance, political affiliation or source of income.

References to UnitedHealthcare pertain to each individual company or other UnitedHealthcare affiliated companies. Dental and Vision products are administrated by related companies. Each company is a separate entity and is not responsible for another's financial or contractual obligations. Administrative services are provided by United HealthCare Services, Inc.

Products and services offered are underwritten by Golden Rule Insurance Company, Oxford Health Insurance, Inc., UnitedHealthcare Life Insurance Company. In New Mexico, products and services offered are only underwritten by Golden Rule Insurance Company.

All products require separate applications. Separate policies or certificates are issued. Golden Rule Short Term Medical plans are medically underwritten. Related insurance products offered by either company may be medically underwritten see the product brochures and applications. Healthiest You is not an insurance product and is provided by HY Holdings, Inc., d/b/a Healthiest You. Travel Health Insurance and Pet Insurance are underwritten by different companies that are not related to the UnitedHealthcare family of companies. Product availability varies by state.

UHOHFR05

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Health Insurance to Meet Your Needs & Budget | UnitedHealthOne

Shock on The Voice UK as coaches break a golden rule of the show and meet rejected Blind Audition singer Ciara Harvie – Radio Times

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The coaches broke a golden rule of The Voice UK tonight when they insisted on meeting a singer that none of them had turned around for.

When the show moved to ITV, the rules of the programme were amended meaning that if Gavin Rossdale, Sir Tom Jones, Jennifer Hudson and will.i.am didnt turn for someone, they werent allowed to see or meet whoever it was they had missed out on.

Now 18-year-old Ciara Harvie has become the first act that the coaches have spoken to after having an unsuccessful Blind Audition.

All four coaches unanimously decided not to spin as she sang Nessun Dorma, but after finishing her performance, will.i.am peeked from his chair and repeatedly pressed his button as she walked off the stage despite him then getting a ticking off from Jennifer Hudson.

That was close. Pure opera. Beautiful voiceshe is my new closest, remarked Gavin as Sir Tom Jones asked the audience whether the coaches had made a mistake in not turning for her.

Unsurprisingly everyone shouted yes as will added: I think so too.

Gavin and will then insisted that she was brought back out so they could speak to Ciara, as stickler for the rules Tom covered his eyes and said he didnt actually want to see her after all. Although curiosity got the better of him eventually as he also met the teenager from Edinburgh.

After a hug from will she got plenty of encouraging words from Gavin, who said: I shouldve turned around and I was dithering and I missed itYoure the only person we didnt pick and we brought back out.

A spokesperson for The Voice UK told RadioTimes.com it was "very much at [the coaches'] discretion" that Ciara came back out to meet them after failing to make it through the Blind Auditions.

The Voice UK continues next Saturday on ITV.

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Shock on The Voice UK as coaches break a golden rule of the show and meet rejected Blind Audition singer Ciara Harvie - Radio Times

Small-l liberal voters have been abandoned in the race to the right – The Sydney Morning Herald

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So far in 2017, so conservative. Cory Bernardi, Pauline Hanson, Tony Abbott, all dominating political coverage, despite one being Australia's worst former prime minister since Kevin Rudd.

Why should conservatives get all the notice? Granted it's far easier for someone on the hard right to provoke his way to an easy headline, with an attack on Islam here, a backbencher dig at the "current" prime minister there.

Throwing bombs, even those you don't believe in, is the straightforward route to national headlines. No strategy for winning attention beats inciting anger. There's a reason the tabloids prefer shouty upper-case font on their front pages.

But the news devoted to Bernardi, the delusional hard-right deserter, won for swindling those voters of South Australia who thought they were electing a Liberal rather than a rat, perfectly illustrates why political bomb-throwers do what they do.

The ultimate in ego-driven attention-seeking is to leave the party that gave you a political career to set up your own "movement" with scant regard for the damage done in the process.

And scant regard for reality. Bernardi uttered this sentence in the Senate, apparently without shame: "It is not in the interests of our nation to yield to the temptation of personality politics, which shrink the debate to the opinion of the few whilst compromising the good sense and values of the many."

How remarkable to utter those words and have the self-regard to think they apply to you.

It must be so liberating to claim to speak for the majority when your fearful, hard-hearted constituency is both small and already well served both by One Nation and the right fringe of the coalition Bernardi just deserted. That reality is likely to strike him hard in the face at the end of his term, five-and-half years and $1.1 million in parliamentary salary payments from now.

In the meantime, the race to the right within the government or at least the fear of doing anything to antagonise the internal haters from Eric Abetz in the south to George Christensen in the north puts the small-l liberal voter in an ever-more difficult position.

Where to turn if you're liberal on both social and economic issues? Which party to pick if you both favour marriage equality, and want attention devoted to attacking the return of the anti-trade brigade, the rise of a disturbing neo-protectionism?

Labor? The Coalition? The Greens?

No option is even merely adequate, let alone perfect. The Liberals are in permanent thrall to the protectionist Nationals who make up the coalition numbers, some of whom have social positions which to describe as antiquated is insulting to antiques.

Labor might have progressive social policies, and a far more sensible position on climate change, but Bill Shorten's rhetoric on trade is appalling.

The leader of the Greens is charismatic, many of its social policies are attractively pragmatic, but its protectionist outlook and secondary consideration for matters economic put many small-l liberal voters entirely off. As does its internal war between the hard left and those devoted environmentalists who live in the real economic world.

No political home for the centrist liberal is comfortable in Australia right now. It's tempting to suggest a break-away party for the centre. Not the pragmatic centre of the deal-making, compromising Nick Xenophon Team, but a principled liberal party, one that is actually liberal free in trade and life rather than the one held hostage by conservatives but still masquerading under the name. One that is reasonable in the exercise of its principles, one that doesn't suffer from delusions that the market is never wrong, or that income tax is theft. A reasonable liberal party in the centre of Australian politics.

What do we want? Reasonable middle-of-the-road policies. When do we want them? Introduced at an incremental pace.

The obvious problem with that idea is few people pay attention to the reasonable person in public debate, even if they agree with the reasonable position espoused. And even if they did, break-away parties usually decline to be mere flotsam on the political sea.

The depressing likelihood is that the turmoil of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd-Abbott-Turnbull era will end only as soon as one of the major parties lives by the cardinal rule of stable political dominance. Keep the middle.

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Small-l liberal voters have been abandoned in the race to the right - The Sydney Morning Herald

This liberal Brooklynite is on the hunt for conservative friends – New York Post

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Even though Alex Reinoso is a proud liberal, he felt more frustrated than ever after attending local rallies protesting Trumps travel ban.

Its been an echo chamber everything is one-sided, the advertising executive, 33, told The Post. [Liberals and conservatives] are divided on so many levels. But we dont talk to each other, and we dont know our neighbors. Weve lost this middle ground.

We asked about each others different points of view. Even though our politics are different, we have fundamental values that align

Ive had enough of that. Its time to talk to one another.

The only problem? He doesnt know any conservative New Yorkers.

So Reinoso, who lives in Greenpoint, posted more than 150 flyers around Midtown and the Financial District. Those areas have high foot traffic and commuters from different [areas], he said.

All my friends are liberal. My newsfeed is one-sided, the flyers read. Are you a conservative dealing with the same issue? If so Id like to talk . . . The first round is on me.

Since then, hes received more than 100 e-mails and texts. And although some people have trolled Reinoso with essay-long messages supporting the travel ban, he has begun to make genuine connections.

Last week, he met up with a middle-aged Republican man over beers in Midtown, where they talked about their views. They were both against the nomination of education secretary Betsy DeVos and the immigration ban.

It was very adult there was no debate, Reinoso said. We asked about each others different points of view. Even though our politics are different, we have fundamental values that align.

Reinoso has another chat set up, and he hopes to meet more than 30 people in the next few months.

Itd be great to make friends out of this, he said. I love encounters with strangers and being able to talk about anything. Thats the New York I fell in love with.

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This liberal Brooklynite is on the hunt for conservative friends - New York Post

A new, liberal tea party is forming. Can it last without turning against Democrats? – Washington Post

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(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Grass-roots movements can be the life and death of political leaders.

Its a well-worn story now about how John A. Boehner, then House minority leader, joined a rising star in his caucus, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, in April 2009 for one of the first major tea party protests in the California Republicans home town of Bakersfield.

A little more than six years later, after they surfed that wave into power, the movement consumed both of them. Boehner was driven out of the House speakers office and McCarthys expected succession fell apart, leaving him stuck at the rank of majority leader.

Democrats are well aware of that history as they try to tap the energy of the roiling liberal activists who have staged rallies and marches in the first three weeks of Donald Trumps presidency.

What if they can fuse these protesters, many of whom have never been politically active, into the liberal firmament? What if a new tea party is arising, with the energy and enthusiasm to bring out new voters and make a real difference at the polls, starting with the 2018 midterm elections?

(Alice Li,Whitney Leaming/The Washington Post)

The womens marches that brought millions onto streets across the country the day after Trumps inauguration spurred organically through social media opened Democratic leaders eyes to the possibilities.

With a 10-day recess beginning next weekend, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has instructed her members to hold a day of action in their districts, including town halls focused on saving the Affordable Care Act. The following weekend, Democratic senators and House members will hold protests across the country, hoping to link arms with local activists who have already marched against Trump.

[Swarming crowds and hostile questions are the new normal at GOP town halls]

It was important to us to make sure that we reach out to everyone we could, to visit with them, to keep them engaged, to engage those that maybe arent engaged, Rep. Ben Ray Lujn (D-N.M.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told reporters at a Democratic retreat in Baltimore that ended Friday. The trick is to keep them aiming their fire at Republicans and Trump, not turning it into a circular firing squad targeting fellow Democrats.

Now we want people to run for office, to volunteer and to vote, Lujn added.

[Schumers dilemma: Satisfying the base while protecting the minority]

Its too early to tell which direction this movement will take, but there are some similarities to the early days of the conservative tea party.

In early 2009, as unemployment approached 10percent and the home mortgage industry collapsed, the tea party emerged in reaction to the Wall Street bailout. It grew throughout the summer of 2009 as the Obama administration and congressional Democrats pushed toward passage of the Affordable Care Act.

Many of the protesters were newly engaged, politically conservative but not active with their local GOP and often registered as independents. Their initial fury seemed directed exclusively at Democrats, given that they controlled all the levers of power in Washington at the time; the protesters famously provoked raucous showdowns at Democratic town halls over the August 2009 recess.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumers first brush with the anti-Trump liberal movement came in a similar fashion to Boehner and McCarthys Bakersfield foray in 2009. Originally slated to deliver a brief speech at the womens march in New York, Schumer instead spent 41/2 hours on the streets there, talking to people he had never met. By his estimate, 20percent of them did not vote in November.

That, however, is where Schumer must surely hope the similarities end.

By the spring and summer of 2010, the tea party rage shifted its direction toward Republican primary politics. One incumbent GOP senator lost his primary, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) defeated the Kentucky establishment favorite, and three other insurgents knocked off other seasoned Republicans in Senate primaries (only to then lose in general elections).

One force that helped the tea party grow was a collection of Washington-based groups with some wealthy donors, notably the Koch-funded Americans For Prosperity, who positioned themselves as the self-declared leaders of the movement. For the next few years, they funded challenges to Republican incumbents, sparking a civil war that ran all the way through the 2016 GOP presidential primaries.

Boehner could never match the rhetorical ferocity of the movement. He was perpetually caught in a trap of overpromising and under-delivering. Republicans never repealed Obamacare, as they derisively called the ACA, and they could not stop then-President Obamas executive orders on immigration. Boehner resigned in October 2015.

Democrats want and need parallel outside groups to inject money and organization into their grass roots. There are signs it is happening: The thousands of activists who protested at a series of raucous town halls hosted by Republican congressmen over the past week were urged to action in part by sophisticated publicity campaigns run by such professional liberal enterprises as the Indivisible Guide, a blueprint for lobbying Congress written by former congressional staffers, and Planned Parenthood Action.

[Should House Democrats write off rural congressional districts?]

What is less clear is whether such energy and resources will remain united with Democratic leaders or will be turned on them, as happened with the tea party and the Republican establishment, if the activist base grows frustrated with the pace of progress.

There have been some signs of liberal disgruntlement toward Democratic leaders. Pelosi and Schumer (D-N.Y.) were jeered by some in a crowd of more than 1,000 that showed up at the Supreme Court two weeks ago to protest Trumps executive order travel ban. Marchers showed up outside Schumers home in Brooklyn, demanding he filibuster everything and complaining that he supported Trumps Cabinet members involved in national security.

But there are two key differences between the conservative and liberal movements: their funding, and their origins. Some anti-establishment liberal groups have feuded with leaders, but they are poorly funded compared with their conservative counterparts. And the tea party came of age in reaction not only to Obama but, before that, to what the movement considered a betrayal by George W. Bushs White House and a majority of congressional Republicans when they supported the 2008 Wall Street bailout.

There is no similar original sin for Democrats, as the liberal protests have grown as a reaction to Trump, not some failing by Schumer and Pelosi.

Schumer remains unconcerned about the few protesters who are angry at Democratic leaders. I think the energys terrific. Do some of them throw some brickbats and things? Sure, it doesnt bother me, Schumer said in a recent interview.

How the liberal activists respond to early defeats may be the next sign of which direction the movement takes. Their demand that Schumer block Trumps Cabinet is impossible to satisfy, because a simple majority can confirm these picks. All Schumer can do is drag out the debate, which he has done to an unprecedented degree.

The stakes will be even higher for the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch, whose lifetime appointment still requires a 60-vote supermajority to reach a final confirmation vote. A Trump victory on Gorsuch might deflate the liberal passion, and some think that was the main ingredient missing for Democrats in 2016.

We just didnt have the emotional connection, Pelosi told reporters in Baltimore. He had the emotional connection.

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A new, liberal tea party is forming. Can it last without turning against Democrats? - Washington Post

Finley: Left bites Ivanka’s liberal hand – The Detroit News

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Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump walk down the West Wing Colonnade following a bilateral meeting between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe February 10, 2017 in Washington, D.C.(Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

Liberals are so determined to vanquish all things Trump that they risk losing the one friend they may have in this new White House.

Ivanka Trump, the new presidents oldest daughter and most trusted personal adviser, is as stylish a first family member as the country has seen in a while. She turned her fashion sense into a clothing line that is sold in many of the nations top stores, including Nordstrom.

Or at least it was. The sight of Ivanka Trumps name on the garments labels so triggered the derangement of her fathers haters that they demanded the upscale retailer rid the clothing from its racks, or face boycott.

Boycotts are the favorite weapon of the resistance movement. Anyone who suggests affinity for Donald Trump or cooperates with his administration or fails to speak out against him on command (see Tom Brady) faces being ostracized or having their livelihoods threatened and their names smeared.

The lefts demand for conformity in loathing Trump is creating a blacklist to rival that of Joe McCarthys Red Scare.

So Ivanka Trumps fancy dresses are a natural target. Its not the first time the first daughter has been villainized. Shortly after the election, she and her children were shouted off a commercial plane by rude, self-righteous wackos.

Ivanka, though, like her father has donated to several Democrats in the past, is not quite a true liberal she endorsed Mitt Romney in 2012. But shes a far sight left of some of Trumps more ideological counselors.

Like Trump himself, shes a product of the New York social scene, meaning shes spent more time with liberals than with conservatives, tempering her views on social issues.

She and her husband, White House adviser Jared Kushner, reportedly killed an attempt by Trumps inner circle to rescind an Obama executive order on LGBT rights. That influence was also evident in Trumps acceptance speech in Cleveland, when he pledged support for gay and transgender individuals in an arena filled with roaring Republicans.

Ivanka also is pushing her dad to attack the wage gap for women, and to develop a parental leave policy. And she signaled her views on climate change by inviting former Vice President Al Gore and actor/activist Leonardo DiCaprio to Trump Tower for post-election meetings on the Paris accord and other global warming concerns.

Conservatives worry about Ivanka, seeing her as a liberal Svengali too close to the ear of a president who already stretches the definition of conservatism. Youd think at a time in Washington when they have so little influence, the left would find opportunity in courting someone who might carry their concerns into the Oval Office.

But liberals cant see past their blind fury. To embrace Ivanka as a possible ally would mean letting go of a bit of their malice toward Trump.

So if you want an Ivanka Trump original, dont look in tony clothing stores. I thought about ordering one online, as I did a sandwich last week from a D.C. deli being boycotted because its owner shook Trumps hand. But the red lace sheath I fancied was not available in plus sizes.

nfinley@detroitnews.com

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Finley: Left bites Ivanka's liberal hand - The Detroit News

The Paranoid Style of Anti-Trump Politics – National Review

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In the 1990s, a serious malady appeared on the American public square in which citizens were driven over the edge by their antipathy for incumbent presidents. It came to be known as the presidential-derangement syndrome and over the course of the Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama administrations its victims grew in number. But while it was a given that whoever won last Novembers election would have one named after them, we really had no idea what we were in for once Donald Trump moved into the White House. As weve seen this past week, presidential paranoia has not only gone mainstream in terms of the public, its now found a home in the mainstream media.

Though it was limited at first to the fever swamps of American politics where some on the right first imagined that black helicopters were about to swoop in and steal their freedom or that the Clintons were operating a drug cartel, the derangement virus adapted to the changing political environment in the years that followed. Those deranged by Bush were less marginal than the Clinton victims but shared the belief that the 43rd president was somehow a front for a vast conspiracy and not only blamed him for lying the country into war but viewed the entire national-security response to 9/11 as a put-up job intended to mask the theft of liberty.

As awful as the Bush version was, the Obama-derangement syndrome was in many ways even worse as the 44th presidents citizenship was questioned along with his religious faith and anything else about him that anyone could think of. Though Obamas liberal policies and power grabs were bad enough from a conservative point of view, some on the right preferred to instead spend their energy pondering the authenticity of his birth certificate (see Trump, Donald) or whether or not he was an Islamist mole. We can blame the Internet and the rise of social media for the more pervasive nature of Obama conspiracy theories but even that dispiriting spectacle may turn out to be insignificant when compared to the psychological torment Trump has inspired among not merely the far Left but also mainstream liberals.

Anyone with a Facebook account already knows that many of our liberal friends are convinced that Trump is, at best, setting the U.S. up for a rerun of the last days of Weimar Germany. At worst, they see him as not merely a billionaire with a thin skin but as the mastermind of a scheme aimed at replacing democracy with a dictatorship that will repress women and minorities.

When liked, shared, and echoed in comments on social media, that sort of thinking is a form of mass group therapy for those who still cant believe Trump won the election. But its also what helped to motivate the counter-inaugural marches and the rest of the reaction to the new administration that increasingly calls itself a resistance rather than mere political opposition.

That there is no more proof of a coming Trump coup than there was for past derangement-syndrome theories is immaterial. What matters is that growing numbers of liberals are operating under the assumption that Trump isnt merely an inappropriate figure or wrong on the issues; they think he is really plotting to destroy democracy.

One would hope that mainstream, liberal publications would, as serious conservative journalists did during the Obama presidency, act as a check on this sort of foolishness. But the fever pitch of angst about every one of Trumps appointees and the over-the-top denunciations of his immigration orders in mainstream publications like the New York Times and on cable-news networks have only served to reinforce the tendency to view the debate through a conspiratorial mindset.

But on Thursday the Washington Post went a step further. In his discussion of the controversy over Judge Neal Gorsuchs reported comments about Trumps criticism of judges, Chris Cillizza used The Fix column to probe the question of whether the entire kerfuffle what Gorsuch said and the reaction from both the president and Kellyanne Conway was a charade.

While its true that one can argue that Gorsuchs statement might make him more palatable to Democratic senators (though the odds that more than one or two will resist the party bases demand for an all-out war and filibuster of Trumps choice for the High Court are minimal), Cillizzas reasoning was based in a common thread of liberal thought these days: the belief that Trump is operating off a master plan only he can see and that the chaos of his administrations early days is actually careful orchestration. Trump fooled the country during the campaign and whats to say hes not doing it again now?

The conceit of the piece was that if you dig a little deeper this relatively minor sidebar to both the confirmation and the litigation over Trumps executive orders the conspiracy theories begin to seem, well, not so conspiratorial. Though the supposed proof for this is entirely circumstantial, Cillizza insisted we couldnt rule out the possibility that the ensuing controversy was all part of his [Trumps] broader plan. The column crossed the line between D.C. gossip and a bow in the direction of the social-media paranoia that is driving the anger of what is no longer a fringe element of the Democratic party.

Once even the gatekeepers of responsible liberal opinion begin to see hidden agendas everywhere then it is fair to ask whether the extremism and paranoia of the anti-Trump camp is matching or exceeding the bad judgment being exhibited by the White House. We cant know where this will lead as liberal hysteria and Trumpian contempt for political norms compete in a race to the bottom of the barrel. But what we can be sure of is that this derangement syndrome is already farmore serious than those that afflicted critics of Clinton, Bush, and Obama and is bound to get even worse over the next four years.

Jonathan S. Tobin is a contributing writer to National Review Online. Follow him on Twitter @jonathans_tobin.

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The Paranoid Style of Anti-Trump Politics - National Review

What the Liberal-One Nation preference deal could mean at the ballot box – ABC Online

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Posted February 12, 2017 19:51:12

The success of the Liberal Party's preference deal with One Nation in WA could be determined by how many support staff are available to hand out how-to-vote cards on the day, according to a political analyst.

"In order to know what you're supposed to do with your preferences, what you need to do is go to someone handing out a how-to-vote card and find the order for this," said Emeritus Professor David Black.

"In the Legislative Council it's completely different. As soon as you vote any party ticket, the preferences will flow in the pre-arranged order, which that party has lodged."

Professor Black said it was likely the Liberal Party, with its larger base of volunteers, would need to help hand out One Nation how-to-vote cards on election day.

"In a difficult election for the Liberal Party, if they can get some kind of deal which works and an adequate number of people available to hand out how-to-vote cards, then it could be a crucial fact in an election which could be very, very tight," he said.

"The impact of preference distribution in the Lower House will be crucially affected by the extent by which the parties can provide the staff at the polling booths to make this happen."

Professor Black said it appeared One Nation could receive a significant primary vote in WA's March election.

"We know that in the previous election when this happened their preferences went against sitting members in the Liberal Party, which suffered," he said.

"In a very difficult election for the Liberal Party this is one obvious way [the Liberals] can see of trying to boost their chances by having a party that's likely to get a pretty strong primary vote more likely to give preferences towards the Liberal Party than against."

"The Labor Party, to win the election, has to probably win 11 to 12 seats or more. If they [the Liberals] can save two, three or four seats, that can make all the difference."

Professor Black described the National party as an election wildcard.

"In the end, what their votes do, how well they do, what happens in places like the Pilbara because of the mining tax and so on, which party benefits is very much up in the air and that just makes it an even more complicated election than we'd otherwise have," he said.

"In order for the Liberals to lose, the Labor Party has to have absolutely everything going right."

Professor Black said the Labor Party appeared to be a in a slightly stronger position, but at the same time they needed to win a lot of seats.

"It's an election that the Liberals, according to the polls, are facing a very, very real prospect of losing," he said.

"But they are confronted by this situation, where for a variety of reasons, One Nation has re-emerged from the clouds and all the opinion polls suggest they're going to get a very substantial portion of the vote."

Professor Black said there could also be some retaliation from the WA Nationals, who could direct their preferences elsewhere.

Topics: elections, liberals, one-nation, polls, wa

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What the Liberal-One Nation preference deal could mean at the ballot box - ABC Online