#Ferguson Mayhem

Some video from CNN:



Also at Instapundit, "REPORT: No Indictment In Ferguson Case."

'Dang if that kid didn't start running right at the cop like a football player...'

Witness to Ferguson:

Witness journal entry in GJ evidence: "Dang if [Brown] didn't start running right at the cop like a football player" pic.twitter.com/cHtTIZnEjN

— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) November 25, 2014

Also, "No Indictment in Grand Jury Decision on Michael Brown Shooting (VIDEO)."

No Indictment in Grand Jury Decision on Michael Brown Shooting (VIDEO)

There's all kinds of coverage at Memeorandum.

And at the New York Times, "No Indictment of Officer in Ferguson Case: Grand Jury Finds No Probable Cause for Any Charge."

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon Won't Rule Out Armored Vehicles and Tear Gas (VIDEO)

Here, "Transcript Gov. Jay Nixon calls for restraint."

And, "Gov. Nixon calls for peace, discusses preparations for Ferguson announcement."

'We have 9mms, 40 cals, AK-47s...'

At Twitchy, "‘We ready for war’: Ferguson man tells reporter, ‘We have 9mms, 40 cals, AK-47s’ [Vine]."

Black Friday is Bigger Deal for the Have-Nots

At LAT, "Black Friday highlights the contrast between rich and poor":

In Northeast Los Angeles, 1,000 people huddled in the evening chill last Thanksgiving as they waited outside a Target store for the chance to snap up Black Friday deals.

Across town at the Grove, the mostly upscale stores such as Barneys and Nordstrom were closed that night. Holiday shoppers didn't start massing until well into the next morning.

This year's annual ritual of conspicuous consumption promises an even greater contrast.

Discounters and mid-priced chains, eager to gain an edge on competitors for limited gift budgets, have again moved their opening times earlier into Turkey Day, with Kmart leading the pack by launching specials at 6 a.m. Higher-end retailers, however, are keeping their doors firmly shut until Friday.

Increasingly, the seasonal shopping surge has become a window into America's class divide, in which high earners have benefited from a booming stock market and rising home prices as many others still grapple with stagnant incomes and lingering financial anxiety.

Consider these opposite scenarios: In 2013, Bloomingdale's went against the grain by offering fewer Black Friday bargains than the year before, according to the advertising experts at bestblackfriday.com. At a Wal-Mart in Duarte, customers elbowed one another to get their hands on Crayola crayon sets, marked down to $11 from nearly $20. (A trending Twitter hashtag last Thanksgiving was #WalmartFights.)

"You have people who really need a bargain — they will sit out for two days to get that deal because that may be the only big thing they can afford for the whole family," said Britt Beemer, founder of America's Research Group. "Luxury retailers don't do very well on Black Friday because their customers are not going to fight the crowds."

Uncertainty is driving both retailers and customers, especially on the lower end.

The National Retail Federation has forecast that spending will climb 4.1% to $617 billion in November and December, compared with a 3.1% increase the same period last year.

But a separate survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers predicted average household spending for the holidays will fall to $684 from $735 last year.

The slump is driven by those who earn less than $50,000, called "survivalists," whose ranks have been growing. This year, 67% of American shoppers fall into that category, up from 63% two years ago, the report said.

These are the families that retailers will fight over Thanksgiving night — ones with limited budgets who are willing to gobble down their apple pie and hustle to the malls to score enough discounts to check off Christmas lists, said Ken Perkins, president of Retail Metrics Inc.

"Once they have spent their budgets, they are done," Perkins said. "Retailers know if they get them first, they may not have anything left to go to other stores."

Katy Perry Twerking

At Egotastic!, "Katy Perry Bikini Pictures Twerking Hot Yacht Party Time Down Under."

Also at USA Today, "NFL confirms Katy Perry to perform at Super Bowl."

Ferguson's Mob Justice

From Professor Jonathan Turley, at USA Today, "Ferguson needs facts, not passions":

Brown allegedly was coming from the commission of a crime where he appeared to threaten a store clerk. The forensic evidence appears to contradict those who insist that Brown was not shot in a struggle but with his hands in the air. There is evidence that Wilson was injured in a struggle, the gun was discharged in the car and Brown was shot at close quarters leaving blood on the gun. Finally, more than a half-dozen black witnesses reportedly gave testimony supporting Wilson. Other scenarios could explain the evidence, and there is still the question of why so many shots were fired. But those questions might never be answered, a reality of some criminal cases.

The law requires us to deal with facts, and when those facts do not support a criminal charge, prosecution is barred regardless of popular demand.

In the end, it rings hollow to cry "no justice, no peace" when you are rioting or looting. There can be no justice if it is merely the result of demonstrations rather than demonstrated facts. Otherwise, the scales of justice become just one more object to throw through the window of an appliance store.

'Briefs laden with the f-word and vulgar references to the female anatomy attempt to provide a crash course on Eminem and Wu-Tang Clan for the justices, whose tastes lean more toward Wagner and Puccini, and illuminate what some scholars say are the misunderstood storytelling attributes of rap...'

Get a kick out of this piece, at the Washington Post, "Supreme Court case tests the limits of free speech on Facebook and other social media."

Hillary Clinton's Appeals to 'Female Victimhood' Just Arent' Going to Cut it in 2016

From Noah Rothman, at Hot Air, "WaPo’s Dan Balz’s message to Hillary: Being the first woman president is not a message."

At least WaPo's putting out some decent reporting on the 2016 presidential cycle. Recall, Dan Balz hammered the Dems earlier as the party of old white people. Ouch.

'Schoolhouse Rock' — 'Saturday Night Live' Rips Obama on Unlawful Executive Amnesty

Last night on "Saturday Night Live," via the Daily Signal, "‘Obama’ Rolls Immigration Bill in ‘SNL’ Riff on ‘Schoolhouse Rock!’," and the Lonely Conservative, "Obama Gets School House Mocked on SNL."

Republicans' 2016 Divisions

There's "divisions" every presidential primary season, although what would we do without the Old Gray Lady to remind us of the GOP's?

At the New York Times, "A Deep 2016 Republican Presidential Field Reflects Party Divisions" (at Memeorandum):

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Republican presidential primaries have for decades been orderly affairs, with any momentary drama mitigated by the expectation that the party would inevitably nominate its tested, often graying front-runner.

But as the 2016 White House campaign effectively began in the last week, it became apparent that this race might be different: a fluid contest, verging on chaotic, that will showcase the party’s deep bench of talent but also highlight its ideological and generational divisions.

As Democrats signal that they are ready to rally behind Hillary Rodham Clinton before their primary season even begins, allowing them to focus their fund-raising and firepower mostly on the general election, the Republicans appear destined for a free-for-all.

Balance of Power: What 2014 Elections Can Tell Us About 2016: Not Much at AllNOV. 6, 2014
“I can think of about 16 potential candidates,” said Haley Barbour, the former governor of Mississippi and a veteran of Republican presidential politics dating to 1968. “Almost every one of them have a starting point. But there is no true front-runner.”

The sprawling nature of the race was on display Thursday as an array of would-be candidates took steps to position themselves.

At a gathering of Republican governors here, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey sought to capitalize on the party’s victories this year in Democratic-leaning states while at least six fellow governors tested their messages and met with potential donors.

On the same day in Washington, Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor, addressed an education conference and tried to tamp down differences with the right on the Common Core standards. On Capitol Hill, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky continued his outreach to African-Americans by having breakfast with the Rev. Al Sharpton, while Senator Ted Cruz of Texas appealed to conservatives by citing Cicero on the Senate floor in a speech castigating President Obama’s executive action on immigration.

And in California, Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, just back from taking a group of evangelicals from early primary states on a trip to Europe honoring Ronald Reagan’s Cold War leadership, venerated Mr. Reagan in a speech at his presidential library.

If the dizzying activity on a single day captured the depth of the Republican field, it also underlined its factions, split among pragmatists, hard-liners and those trying to bridge the blocs.

Just reading this made me realize how not ready I am for the 2016 presidential cycle. It's on, folks. We're barely out of the midterms and the presidential election is on. Who'll be the first Republican to declare his or her candidacy?

More.

Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."



Also at Randy's Roundtable, "Friday Nite Funnies," and Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's Sunday Funnies."

Still more at Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – Poisoning The Well," and Theo Spark, "Cartoon Round Up..."

CARTOON CREDIT: William Warren.

'North Dakota has shed its identity as an agricultural state in decline to become an oil powerhouse second only to Texas...'

This is the marquee front-page report at today's New York Times, "The Downside of the Boom."

It's interesting, although caveat emptor. If the Old Gray Lady can smear and destroy the Bakken oil boom, they certainly will. As with any major economic development, folks need to find a nice compromise between private-sector growth and public-sector regulation. As it is right now, it sounds pretty Wild West and laissez-faire.

Israel Reconsiders Military Action Against Iran

An Israeli preventive attack on Iran? Wouldn't that be something else?

At Israel Matzav, "The military option is back on the table."

A lot of factors would have to come together just perfectly for Israel to be able to pull off such a strike. See Whitney Raas and Austin Long, "Osirak Redux? Assessing Israeli Capabilities to Destroy Iranian Nuclear Facilities," International Security (Spring 2007).

Indianapolis Star Pulls Allegedly 'Racist' Thanksgiving Cartoon

An outrage over accuracy. Wow, haven't seen that happen before.

At iOWNTHEWORLD REPORT, "This Cartoon Was Scrubbed By the Indianapolis Star":

Also at Twitchy, "IndyStar, ‘newspaper of record for all #Crackerland,’ pulls ‘appallingly racist’ Varvel cartoon." And here's the newspaper's apology, "We erred in publishing cartoon."

@jjauthor Guess who's coming to dinner? http://t.co/BpvRnf2qD4 @UniteRight @DailySignal @DavidLimbaugh pic.twitter.com/uxuovG6AZE

— varvel (@varvel) November 21, 2014

Jennifer Lawrence Sings 'The Hanging Tree'

Just got back from "Mockingjay Part I."

It's good. Really good. Makes me think.

In any case, here's London's Daily Mail, "Listen to Jennifer Lawrence sing The Lumineers' song The Hanging Tree for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt. 1."

Obama 'Dangerously Close to Totalitarianism'

At IBD:

Is Obama 'Dangerously Close To Totalitarianism'? http://t.co/iQjSCke1IP … #IBDEditorials via @IBDinvestors - pic.twitter.com/Mwh40v3RPf

— Daniel John Sobieski (@gerfingerpoken) November 22, 2014

Given the president's end-runs around Congress, his shredding of the Constitution and his assault on the authority of the courts, a second term free of electoral restraints may be a frightening prospect.

Judge Andrew Napolitano, a Fox News commentator, raised the question on Neil Cavuto's "Your World" show Wednesday. And while it seems fanciful in light of the safeguards built into our democracy and its institutions, it recognizes the threat posed by the president's policies and actions if left unchecked.

"I think the president is dangerously close to totalitarianism," Napolitano opined. "A few months ago he was saying, 'The Congress doesn't count, the Congress doesn't mean anything, I am going to rule by decree and by administrative regulation.'

"Now he's basically saying the Supreme Court doesn't count. It doesn't matter what they think. They can't review our legislation. That would leave just him as the only branch of government standing."

Dana Loesch Gives Emperor Amnesty a Lesson in Scripture

At Twitchy, "Dana Loesch gives Pres. Obama a scripture lesson":

Obama missed this Scripture in his immigration talk: Romans 13:1. Also Titus 3:1.

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) November 21, 2014

Here are the passages. Romans 13:1:

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

And Titus 3:1:

Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good...

Maybe the president should name a Bible czar to help him out of the tricky predicament he’s put himself in with his selective quoting of verse to fit his political agenda?

Islamic State Gains Support in Pakistan

This is truly a nightmare omen for trends in global terrorism. The world's worst terror state throwing its weight behind the world's newest source of Islamic terrorism.

At the New York Times, "Allure of ISIS for Pakistanis Is on the Rise":

LONDON — Across Pakistan, the black standard of the Islamic State has been popping up all over.

From urban slums to Taliban strongholds, the militant group’s logo and name have appeared in graffiti, posters and pamphlets. Last month, a cluster of militant commanders declared their allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State.

Such is the influence of the Islamic State’s steamroller success in Iraq and Syria that, even thousands of miles away, security officials and militant networks are having to reckon with the group, also known as ISIS or ISIL.

Its victories have energized battle-weary militants in Pakistan. The ISIS brand offers them potent advantages, analysts say — an aid to fund-raising and recruiting, a possible advantage over rival factions and, most powerfully, a new template for waging jihad.

Although the Islamic State is not operational in Pakistan, just its symbolic presence is ample cause for concern. It is there, after all, that Al Qaeda was founded in the 1980s, followed by other extremist ideologies that easily found the means and support to carry out international attacks...

More.