After having spent all-day preparing that mega-communication, its necessary to defer comprehensive

coverage of fascinating facets of the newsto focus upon what may have been buried within. Inasmuch
as the Holocaust-Educational-Mandate is now going to become law, it is desirable to note what will be
published in the Jewish Exponent this week [noting that Id remitted notice of its passage to Eric Berger
immediately prior to the publication-deadline]. Due to space-limitations, all prior input [on the first two
versions of this article] was fragmented, but can be distilled thusly:

This was depicted as the third incarnation of this article, with prior versions having first
introduced the issue [noting senate passage] and then having included specific
reference to the delayed-mandate that had been so assiduously sought during the past
seven months [identical URL but, within this website, having different text]. The reader
can scroll-backwards to check-out the evolution of events.

The two letters associated with the revised-article dealt with direct interactions with the
author of the essay ["I spoke last night @ Federation with Eric, and he promised to
confirm my assertions by reading the primary-source data [unfiltered] and to correct the
above article accordingly...presumably, before it is published next week."]

The second letter also contained my conceptualization of how this topic should be
explored pedagogically:

Readers may also wish to know that advocates for this end-point have
accommodated other voices by working to ensure that this UNIT will not
only encompass the Shoah, but will also confront other genocidal events
[such as the Armenian massacre] within the context of human rights
violations. The goal is to ensure that curriculum is not just "historic" in
nature; rather, we envision students learning of more modern
manifestations of such mass-cruelty [e.g., Rwanda] so that they can be
encouraged to maintain vigilance when future behaviors comport with
these templates. We want our youth to recognize that the "bases" for
such inhumanity may vary and may overlap; sociological, religious,
economic, political forces must all be weighed when conveying an
appreciation for the profundity of this particular lesson-plan.

The task remains to capture the essence of what had been uploaded after the initial
article had been composed. After I had noted that reference to the delayed-mandate
had been indicated, Joyce Oxfeld wrote [to me]: "Thanx for giving us the real story on
the education bill." To-follow is the text of what I wrote:

Omitted from this piece, unfortunately, is the pivotal component of this
legislation; it will "REQUIRE SCHOOL ENTITIES TO OFFER INSTRUCTION
IN THE HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS...IF
THE STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION [a report
on the "voluntary" nature of this initiative, to be issued no later than
November 30, 2017] DEMONSTRATES THAT LESS THAN NINETY
PERCENT OF THE SCHOOL ENTITIES ARE OFFERING INSTRUCTION IN THE
HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS."

This language rectified what had become "the stumbling-block during the past
1/2-year of intense lobbying that was pursued regarding this trenchant issue."
Thus, I opined that I hadn't sensed any cogent reason to have excluded this
information, that only Sen. Washington had been absent], that the bill would
now fly through the House, and that the lede should now reference how
common-ground had been ID'ed and manifest.

I also cited a reference depicting the key-characteristics of shoddy journalism,
affording the reader the opportunity to draw independent conclucions: How to
Be a Really Lousy Journalist for Fun and Profit [citing each chapter-heading].
Having channeled my impressions of the piece accordingly, this was remitted to
Mr. Eric Berger, who would presumably amend his essay accordingly [as he did].

Finally, a series of hyperlinks was provided that the reader could ponder if a
more detailed blow-by-blow were to pique interest:

For the background of what transpired...note this summary of
the database.

For the prodrome for what transpired this week in the
Senate...note info in this follow-up document.

For an explanation of the rationale we followed rigorously,
despite unexpected and sustained opposition from the PA
Jewish Coalition...note this description of our rationale.

For a distillation of how we approached the reconvening of the
Senate last week...note how we planned to communicate with
key-people.

For a distillation of the key-questions raised with regard to the
original bill...note the way the legislative cover-memo was
painstakingly parsed.

Finally, for a terse summary of what transpired.

I concluded by expressing availability if questions existed [anyone wishing
color-commentary can contact me @ rsklaroff@gmail.com] and concluded
that, overall, no one "compromised" as everyone ID'ed and ultimately enacted
"common-ground."

Attention flipped to efforts to urge the Temple-U Adjunct-Prof to recant anti-Semitism/anti-Zionism,
using leverage supplied by a simplified deviation from societal norms, namely, his overt Holocaust-
minimalization. Supplied here have been personal communications intended to nudge the University to
do-the-right-thing, deigning to help the perpetrator to recognize publicly what transpiredand then
perhaps to achive a semblance of secondary-gain were he to be sufficienty enlightened to retract the
occupation-rhetoric. These issues were felt to be urgent, perhaps becausein the process of pursuing
themit had seemed necessary to recruit like-minded people to coadopt the strategy being followed.
This applied both to the political lobbying [exhaustively detailed, perhaps as a model-case] and to the
activist lobbying [documenting my pathway through the Provost-PR to the Department-Dean.

Recalling other topics covered, the key-point is that BHO is failing on multiple fronts;
failure in Syria has presaged failure in Iraq, although efforts must be maximized to help
Kurdistan flourish in both countries. That this is c/w this physicians efforts during the
past half-decade is both gratifying and challenging, for discourse remains focused on the
Sunni/Shiite divide; thus, it remains desirable to promote the capacity of Kurds to guide
co-religionists who dont share the unique culture of these previously-stateless people.
[Awareness of this fact is rising; e.g., Kurds Are a Beacon of Hope in the Middle East.]

Also, regarding anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, it is noted that the Metropolitan Opera
cancelled broadcast of Leon Klinghoffer, but has not cancelled its performance; also,
Israel is continuing to focus upon Hamas as responsible [with the PA] for kidnappings.
These events are occurring as Epic US-Iran military cooperation in Iraq coincides with
Israels war on Tehrans Palestinian ally, Hamas; one hopes BHO will see-the-light ASAP.



[This is provided again, for Id failed to ID Natalie Portman.]

Regarding the Illegals, it is increasingly clear that BHO is again demonstrating his venom
against those who adhere to rule-of-law; listen to the hyperlinks provided by DSouza
for insights that he also provided @ 5 p.m. on Dick Morris radio-show [1210-a.m.] for
an explanation of his effort to spew-forth envy as part of his anti-colonialism attitude.

At least one Dem/lib who pleads for gun-control [despite the 2
nd
Amendment] is pleased
with the SCOTUS decision that precludes flipping purchases [even among licensees], but
the ultimate ability of people to protect themselves is illustrated by almost-daily cites.
Also, Canada is again getting itchy while the EPA Chief Delighted Bill Maher by Admitting
to a War on Coal; the Keystone-XL languishes, as Hillary eschews discussing it.

Of course, BHOs Scandal-Sheet is expanding exponentially, now with BHO-defenders
reeling when confronted with the fact that othes in the upper-echelon of the IRS also
having mysteriously lost copies of their e-mails; again, quoting from todays radio-show,
Dick Morris interviewed an attorney for TEA-Party groups who appears empowered to
redouble discovery-efforts [whether direct or through Congressional oversight]. Thus,
Benghazi-Gate wont dissipate following capture of one alleged-perpetrator thereof.

More VA FALLOUT: DOCS SAY AGENCY PUNISHED STAFF WHO SPOKE UP
A half-dozen current and former staff members - four doctors, a nurse
and an office manager in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Alaska - said they
faced retaliation for reporting systemic problems. Their accounts, some
corroborated by internal documents, portray a culture of silence and
intimidation within the department and echo experiences detailed by
other V.A. personnel in court filings, government investigations and
congressional testimony, much of it largely unnoticed until now.

Bergdahl will now be investigated, notwithstanding the weirdness of his father; overall,
Islamism should have achieved proper status as a dire threat to Western Civilization,
regardless of whether it is manifest via Iran or via al-Qaeda. Thats why efforts to numb
Americans to the risk of Sharia Law constitute the highest-priority propaganda goal.

The politics of the GOP-House leadership-battle will, I believe, allow for McCarthy to rise
to the level of Majority Leader, although a true-conservative may become the Whip;
both Rushs commentary and associated e-mails are making everyone vigilant against
sudden proposal of an amnesty-bill for, far from feeling fearful, the establishment is
mad andthereforeitching to pursue its agenda, now that the Primary-Season is
winding down.

In other national political-news, it seems the GOPs senatorial-nominees will befit the
Buckley Rule, with polls suggesting the positive impact of Cantors loss in many races.
Quotes from Cruz continue to be as scintillating as necessary, and efforts to promote
Bush may be flagging; hell easily displace Rick Perrys effort to return. Although its too
early to ID what may become campaign-fodder [domestic vs. foreign vs. social], it is
remarkable that major concerns [economy, education, ObamaDontCare] are being
squished-away by aforementioned intrigue, both within the Primary Season and
projected to remain extant after Labor day. {Also, dont miss the chance to view a brief
satire focused on BHO; the latest is a barn-burner: Hitler Reacts To Eric Cantor's Defeat.}

The media are continuing to misbehave [both print and broadcast], both by commission
and omission; for example, no one speaks of how Putin just introduced tanks into the
Eastern Ukraine conflict. Admixed are manifestations of the Culture-Wars, and they are
correlated with debates regarding the fusion of Conservatism and Libertarianism among
those in the GOP.

Among the Dems, it is clear that Hillary did quite-well during her FNC-interview, even as
follow-up could snag her; for example, she said she knew of no evidence supporting a
terrorist-etiology of Benghazi-Gate, despite numerous quotes from Presser-Carney.

Turmoil persists in Harrisburg; perhaps matters will be clarified by the time when the
Signing-Ceremony is held for the Holocaust-Education-Mandate; Ill want to attend
[assuming I dont have to testify], if for nother reason than to have the opportunity to
eyeball Hank Butler. Also, imminent release of the Sandusky/PSU Report by AG-Kane
indubitably enhances apprehension, despit e the leak, for obvious electoral reasons.

The WSJ/NBC News Poll Shows Erosion in BHO's Support; his job approval rating is 41%,
matching a previous low; approval of his handling of foreign policy hit a new low of 37%.

Levity: Brian Williams Raps "Baby Got Back."

Theyre potent [but lack hyperlinks], Morning Joltswith Jim Geraghty are [partially] uploaded:

'Practically Speaking, [Iraq] Has Broken Apart' [6/16/2014]

News from the Middle East, and Iraq in particular, is usually bad. Today is no different:

Fighters affiliated with an extremist Al Qaeda-inspired faction seized
control Monday of another town in the northwest of Iraq, beating back
pro-government forces scrambling to stop the group's advance.

Tal Afar, an ethnically diverse town of Sunni Muslims and Turkmen, was
overrun by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, after heavy clashes
with Iraqi army units and Turkmen tribal fighters, according to Turkey's
semi-official Anatolia news agency. Pro-government activists in Tal Afar,
however, asserted on social media that the fight was continuing, with
heavy airstrikes against the militants' positions.

Eli Lake:

American presidents and Iraqi strongmen have been trying for decades
to keep the country intact. But that effort is now failing under pressure
from the Islamic extremists who are taking over more and more of Iraq's
cities. "Practically speaking, the country has broken apart," a top official
in Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government told The Daily Beast.

On the Sunday shows, Washington politicians aren't downplaying the danger:

The bloodthirsty Islamist group hellbent on overthrowing the Iraqi
government claims to have massacred 1,700 soldiers and posted a
series of gory pictures of executed captives that kicked off a chain
reaction of fear from Baghdad to the Beltway.

And in further evidence of the deteriorating security situation in Iraq,
terrorists killed more than 20 people with four bombs on Sunday in
Baghdad, and the State Department moved to protect the U.S. Embassy
and its employees.

"This is as dangerous as it gets," House Intelligence Committee
Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers said on "Fox News Sunday." He was one of
several GOP lawmakers who called on the Obama administration to act
aggressively against the Sunni militants who call themselves the Islamic
State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, another Iraq War proponent, echoed Rogers with
a dire caution of his own.

"Iraq and Syria combined are going to be the staging area for the next
9/11 if we don't do anything about it," the South Carolina Republican
said on CNN's "State of the Union." "If Baghdad falls . . . a disaster
awaits us of monumental proportions."

Thomas Friedman is sounding . . . almost isolationist, or at least noninterventionist:

Hence my rule: The Middle East only puts a smile on your face when it
starts with them -- when they take ownership of reconciliation. Please
spare me another dose of: It is all about whom we train and arm. Sunnis
and Shiites don't need guns from us. They need the truth. It is the early
21st century, and too many of them are still fighting over who is the
rightful heir to the Prophet Muhammad from the 7th century. It has to
stop -- for them, and for their kids, to have any future.

There are a lot of people who don't know what to do now, so they'll spend a lot of
energy arguing about what should have been done in March 2003.

This Will Complicate Hillary's 'War on Women' Narrative, Won't It?

Alana Goodman, with one of your must-read items of the day:

Newly discovered audio recordings of Hillary Clinton from the early
1980s include the former first lady's frank and detailed assessment of
the most significant criminal case of her legal career: defending a man
accused of raping a 12-year-old girl.

In 1975, the same year she married Bill, Hillary Clinton agreed to serve
as the court-appointed attorney for Thomas Alfred Taylor, a 41-year-old
accused of raping the child after luring her into a car.

The recordings, which date from 1983-1987 and have never before
been reported, include Clinton's suggestion that she knew Taylor was
guilty at the time. She says she used a legal technicality to plead her
client, who faced 30 years to life in prison, down to a lesser charge. The
recording and transcript, along with court documents pertaining to the
case, are embedded below.

If asked about it -- and I'll bet a doughnut right now that the Clinton machine is working
the phones, claiming vast right-wing conspiracy, insisting that this is a long-ago non-
story that "Hillary's enemies" are trying to bring back into the media bloodstream -- it
will be a fascinating no-win situation for Hillary.

If asked, Hillary will presumably attempt to revert to "everyone is entitled to the best
legal defense/legal ethics," spin and try to keep it there, try to make it a boring story of
two legal professors arguing abstract principles. The more interesting question will be
whether anyone asks how she feels about the ethics of attacking the credibility of a 12-
year-old rape victim -- particularly when she believes her client committed the crime.
It could change the race if this blows up big enough. If Hillary says, "yes, I regret it,"
she's admitting to an unpardonable sin in the eyes of the feminists, the Left, and
honestly, a lot of Americans.

But if she says, "no, I didn't do anything wrong, I did what every good lawyer would do"
she looks callous and harsh and ruthless, confirming all of the old 1990s stereotypes.

Irony of Ironies: President Obama Sends U.S. Troops to Iraq

It's hard to disagree with the decision to move troops to protect our people in country.
It's also hard to stifle a chuckle that the man whose entire rise in national politics was
driven by the insistence that we had to get all U.S. troops out of Iraq, and that the fate
of that country was no longer America's concern, now finds himself sending more
troops into that country and realizing that control of Iraq is indeed very much an
American concern.

As Islamic militants continue their murderous advance in Iraq, the
Pentagon is moving more firepower and manpower into the region to
prepare for whatever U.S. President Barack Obama orders.

Already at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, dozens of Marines and Army
troops have moved in to beef up security.

The aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush and five other warships are now
in the Persian Gulf. More than 500 Marines and dozens of helicopters
are on standby.

A top priority: evacuate all Americans at the embassy if it comes to that.

It's nice to see the Obama administration taking the security of American diplomats in
an unstable, dangerous Muslim country seriously for a change, isn't it?

Of course, we may see more than just embassy protection: "On Monday, Secretary of
State John Kerry, in an interview with Yahoo! News, acknowledged that airstrikes on
Iraqi targets are under consideration."

To quote William Shatner in Airplane 2, "Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes." []

In the military community, there's some skepticism that the several thousand guys of
ISIS will be able to conquer Baghdad. Maybe it's time for those guys to get bogged down
in the nightmare of urban fighting.

But they are getting close:

Iraqi government forces are engaged in heavy clashes with Sunni
insurgents who have made major advances in the past week.

Reports say parts of the city of Baquba just 60km (37 miles) from
Baghdad -- were briefly taken over by the rebels.

Of course, sectarian killing may arrive in Baghdad before ISIS does:

The first recent sign of sectarian killing appeared in Baghdad late Monday when
police found the bodies of four young Sunni men shot to death and left on a
street in a mainly Shiite area of eastern Baghdad.

They were between 25 and 30 years old and had been shot numerous
times, according to a police source in the Interior Ministry.

Iraq's largest oil refinery is now shut down.

The Echo Chamber Effect, Hobbling Obama as Much as the Right [6/17/2014]

Conservatives sometimes lament that we can become our own echo chamber,
convinced that we're reaching a larger audience than we really are, unable to relate to
or persuade those who don't already agree with us. It's a fair criticism. We need to
address it.

But the same phenomenon does occur on the other side, and arguably with more severe
consequences. Here's the president, speaking at UC Irvine this weekend, discussing his
climate-change and carbon-emission proposal:

It's pretty rare that you'll encounter somebody who says the problem
you're trying to solve simply doesn't exist. When President Kennedy set
us on a course for the moon, there were a number of people who made
a serious case that it wouldn't be worth it; it was going to be too
expensive, it was going to be too hard, it would take too long. But
nobody ignored the science. I don't remember anybody saying that the
moon wasn't there or that it was made of cheese.

President Obama is really, really, really bothered by the fact that some Americans don't
believe that human activity can significantly impact the climate. To him, this is
something to fume about in public. It's a top priority to him even if climate change
ranks near the bottom of the electorate's priorities.

Here's a Tweet from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Monday morning:



The link is to an e-mail signup list for a U.S. State Department conference on oceans.

An audit of the Department of Veterans Affairs found that "more than 57,000 patients
have been waiting more than three months for medical appointments at hospitals and
clinics run by the VA, and nearly 64,000 others have been enrolled in the system for a
decade but have still not been seen by doctors despite their requests," and Monday
brought new revelations of "dozens" of allegations of punishing whistleblowers who
balked at falsifying records. One can reasonably argue that VA staffers ought to pay
more attention to their actual jobs than climate change issues.

The U.S. State Department is currently evacuating nonessential personnel from Iraq, and
by the time you read this, we may be evacuating essential personnel, too. They, too,
may have more pressing concerns than promoting a conference on oceans.

But the Obama administration has set its agenda for 2014, and it's not going to let little
things like world events get in the way. Obama intends upon running upon climate
change, the minimum wage, the need for "common sense" gun control, and workplace
equality.

He'll campaign upon the need for "comprehensive immigration reform," complete with
a "path to citizenship," even though we're facing a humanitarian crisis on the border
from a sudden influx of unattended children an entirely predictable response to a
policy change that provides a path to U.S. citizenship to children who enter the country
illegally.

And he'll spend the summer on his traditional golf and fundraising schedule.

If you ask a conservative what issues are on his mind, you might get a list that included
the administration's shameless dishonesty about the Benghazi terror attack, the
national shame that is the VA scandal, and the sense that crises from Ukraine to Syria to
Iraq to the South Pacific are spinning out of control. The border is unsecured.
Obamacare is a mess, forcing people to buy coverage they don't want, paying higher
premiums than they expected, forced into narrow networks where they can't keep the
doctor they like. We're letting the worst of the worst out of Guantanamo Bay for one
imprisoned American.

You and I know those are legitimate concerns, but a lot of Americans don't think about
those topics much. If you asked those folks either in the middle or tuned out what
worries them, and what they wish lawmakers would address, you would probably get a
much simpler list.

People are having trouble finding jobs. The jobs don't pay particularly well. It's tough to
find a good job with manageable hours and decent benefits. There's no guarantee that
your local public school will educate your kids particularly well. If your kids do make the
grades they need to get into college, most schools are way too expensive. You can take
out student loans, but you'll spend half your life paying them back, and a college degree
is no longer a guarantee of a well-paying job. Are young people able to start their lives,
start their careers, get married, start families of their own? How long can young adults
last in a perpetual adolescence? With all of these financial pressures coming at people
from all directions, retirement seems like a more faraway goal.

It feels like a covenant with Americans, set a generation or two ago, is broken. Perhaps
this is what Salena Zito is getting at when she describes the populist storm building in
America's heartland:

It is a cautionary thread yet most people in Washington do not
understand this moderate-in-tone populist wave. First, the wave is not
going to take out every incumbent, so no "secret sauce" can "fix" it;
second, it will have broad impact on both parties; third, it is relatively
invisible because it has no name, no brand or party allegiance.

The problem is that while it's easy to articulate what feels wrong about modern
American life, it's hard to put together a set of policy proposals that have a decent shot
at fixing it. Ultimately, a lot of us would like to live in the America of the 1980s again -- a
booming economy capable of creating 500,000 new jobs in a month, a military buildup
with no actual shooting wars going on, and Bill Cosby on our television screens.

It's frustrating that the country's middle or apolitical chunk of the electorate doesn't
share the concerns and priorities of the conservative grassroots. But they also don't
share the concerns and priorities of the progressive grassroots, either. President Obama
is going to spend the next few months trying to get a country, beset by crisis after crisis,
mess after mess, to ignore what's worrying them and adopt the priorities of the Left.