Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:

 
Reality Winner Reveals Deep-State Rot ~ What she did was bad enough –(leaking classified data) but because she’s such an unapologetic, unhinged leftist, the fact that she was ever allowed anywhere near classified information is really troubling – and indicative of a much more unsettling problem ~

There is no greater threat to national security than an NSA run by unelected, wholly unaccountable zealots.

 
An underwater Irish canyon is sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere ~ Excellent! Climate change solved ~ A mapping expedition from University College Cork (UCC) has discovered an interesting phenomenon at Porcupine Bank Canyon — a massive, cliff-walled underwater trench where Ireland’s continental shelf ends ~

Along the way, the researchers reported in a statement, they noted a process at the edge of the canyon that pulls CO2 from the atmosphere and buries it deep under the sea.

Of course the science reporter feels compelled to point out that this naturally-occurring activity is hardly enough to combat the evils of climate change (nothing ever will be). But it seems to me evidence that God, in His infinite wisdom, built mechanisms into all of creation to deal with any possible contingency.
 
Trump’s Rollback of CAFE Mandates Is a Big Win for Car Buyers, Consumer Choice ~ More welcome economic news the mainstreams won’t tell you about. CAFE standards were imposed when we thought we were running out of fossil fuels. We’re not ~

A 2016 Heritage Foundation analysis estimates the Obama fuel-economy mandates increased new-car prices $6,800 more than the pre-2009 baseline trend, and that eliminating the more aggressive standards would save 2025 car buyers at least $7,200 per vehicle […]
 
Consumers—not government bureaucrats—should make decisions about what cars they drive.
 
If consumers value saving money on gasoline, they will simply choose to purchase more fuel-efficient cars, and automakers will meet that demand without a federal mandate. If consumers value other attributes—vehicle weight, engine power, safety—Washington shouldn’t force automakers to ignore consumers’ preferences.

 
Emails Reveal High School Teachers Plotting To Hide Their Political Bias From Parents ~ Something to keep in mind as the kids head back to school; the teachers may not be on your side. Massachusetts H.S. principal calls for objectivity – history teachers (who oddly enough seem to have scant knowledge of actual history) “resist” ~

The Left is abusing American high school education in its struggle—not to do good, but to gain and retain political power. The ongoing trend of growing political intolerance and ideological bigotry among the newest American adults will continue, and nothing good will come of it. In the Soviet Union, I’ve seen what young people could be turned into, what I myself could be turned into. Trust me, America hasn’t seen anything yet.

Are We All Suffering From ADHD? ~ Is technology causing us to lose our ability to focus? (Yes! I just made three mistakes typing that last sentence! ) Dr. Michael Brown suggests it’s probably time for a break ~

Digital connectivity rules most of our lives. We are in constant communication with others via cell phone or tablet or computer. We live in a flood of texts and emails and updates and notifications. We have an endless stream of friends. We are linked to an ever-growing list of contacts. We are connected to a vast array of networks.

 
Illinois: Muslim leader says “Everything we represent goes in total contradiction to what the West represents” ~ Every once in a while they slip out of taqiyya mode, and we learn the truth ~

Speaking at Hizb-ut-Tahrir America’s annual Khilafa Conference, Ibn Thbait said that “we should be working within our own system, not democracy” and warned that “our children might prefer democracy to Islam.” “Can you imagine the Prophet of Allah standing alongside the LGBTQ community? Or with Pro-Choice? Or with… the Occupy movements?” […]
 
(W)hat we need to understand is that the battle between us and the West is an ideological battle… Everything we represent goes in total contradiction to what the West represents, because all of Islam is in opposition to secularism.

All of which begs the question, why are they here?

 
‘Big One’ talk swirls as 69 massive earthquakes hit the Pacific’s Ring of Fire in 48 hours ~ Hurricane Lane may not be the only threat facing Hawaii ~

Sixty-nine earthquakes, including 16 tremors registering 4.5 or above on the Richter scale, recently hit the area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which recorded the events but did not issue a warning […]
 
The Ring of Fire is a 25,000 mile horseshoe-shaped ring, accounting for approximately 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes, according to the USGS.
 
The region also contains 452 volcanoes, more than 75 percent of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes.

 
Another Greenie Bites the Dust. Aussie PM Forced out by Climate Policy ~ A promising development but, as James Delingpole points out, just a first step in the logical direction ~

Green energy has been a disaster for parts of Australia, notably in the state of South Australia which was brought to its knees by the policies of its environmentalist Labor government. Its drive towards 40 percent renewables led to blackouts and brownouts across the state, which hammered industry and smaller consumers alike. Eventually, the government was booted out by disgusted voters.

New HHS Documents Reveal that ‘Unaccompanied Alien Children’ Processed During Obama Years Included Violent Criminals, Drug Smugglers, and Human Traffickers ~ The mainstreams kind of missed all this during the halcyon years of BHO ~

“The Obama administration presided over a humanitarian and public safety nightmare in its handling of ‘unaccompanied alien children,’” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The incident reports also support the Trump administration’s contention that the UAC crisis, which continues, includes murderers, rapists, drug smugglers and human traffickers being routinely allowed into the United States.”

Welfare Ban for Immigrants Would ‘Help Out the American Taxpayer’ ~ President Trump has proposed a plan to keep foreign nationals who rely on welfare from permanently resettling in the U.S.. After all, where is it written that America is supposed to be the world’s welfare state? ~

“This isn’t some radical new change,” (RJ Hauman with the Federation for American Immigration Reform [FAIR]) said. “Public charge doctrine has existed in the country since 1882, the Immigration Act of 1882, which gave the government the ability to restrict entry of any person who is unable to take care of themselves without becoming a public charge.” […]
 
Such a plan would be a boon for American taxpayers, who currently spend about $57.4 billion a year on paying for the welfare, crime, and schooling costs of the country’s mass importation of 1.5 million new, mostly low skilled legal immigrants every year.

 
95% of plastic in oceans comes from just ten rivers ~ All those rivers are in Asia and Africa. Sorry California, your authoritarian plastic straw ban is futile.

 
Social Media Titans Holding Private Meeting To Coordinate Strategy For 2018 Midterms ~ To “coordinate strategy” for shutting up anyone who disagrees with them! This doesn’t infringe on our First Amendment rights at all does it? ~

If the coordinated takedown of Alex Jones, Infowars and those in his orbit is a taste of what’s to come, along with the aggressive “shadow bans” and “strikes” which are automatically triggered when activist groups swarm targeted accounts with complaints, it’s clear that regardless of what Jack Dorsey (Twitter’s CEO) claims – there is a clear mechanism for mass censorship of political opinions which is disproportionately punishing conservatives.

 
Oprah Winfrey Faces Huge Backlash After Promoting Campaign for Women Celebrating Their Abortions ~ Glad to see her fans haven’t drifted quite as far to the Left as she has ~

Aside from the most radical abortion supporters, most Americans do not think abortions are good or worth celebrating. Polls consistently find that most Americans oppose most abortions, and more think abortions are morally wrong than morally acceptable.

Oprah’s position is sad. Not just on the face of it, but because, as a single, childless woman, and someone who seems basically decent, it seems likely that she would truly have regrets about what might have been.