I wonder why they didn't take him alive

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced that US special forces in a raid in Syria, killed the #2 ISIS guy.  Good work.  We ought to do more of this. 
   If we got close enough to this guy to snuff him, we must have been close enough to grab him and bring him back.  An enemy this high up must know some things that we could sweat out of him, assuming we still have the stomach for a little wet work.  Even if we don't do that kind of rough stuff anymore,  we could still put him on trial for murder, and then execute him.  Nice long trial, lots of weeping victims as witnesses, tasteful orange jumpsuit accessorized with shiny handcuffs. 

I wonder what they are doing to us.

From Megavote:

Genetically Modified Organism Food Labeling – Cloture
Vote Rejected (48-49, 3 Not Voting)

The Senate rejected a McConnell, R-Ky., motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House message to an unrelated bill (S 764) with a Senate amendment containing the genetically modified organism food labeling measure. The amendment would have blocked state and local labeling requirements for genetically engineered food and seeds. It also would have required the Agriculture Department to establish a national voluntary labeling standard for bioengineered foods, and later would have required the department to issue a mandatory standard if there is not at least "70 percent substantial participation" in voluntary labeling. Sixty votes were required to invoke cloture. 
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen voted 
NO
Sen. Kelly Ayotte voted 
YES

" Motion to invoke Cloture on the motion to concur in the House message to an unrelated bill with a Senate amendment containing the GMO food labeling measure.  " 

What in Hell does that mean?  Are we for GMO labeling or against it?

  All I know is my democratic senator Jeanne Shaheen voted NO, and my good republican senator Kelly Ayotte voted yes. I think Jeanne Shaheen is slime, and I trust Kelly Ayotte. But it would be nice to know if Kelly's NO meant she was stopping the GMO labeling bill or promoting it. 

  This is an example of modern Congressional procedure, make everything so opaque that the voter's don't know which way their rep or senator voted.  Give the Congress critters the option of claiming they were both for it and agin it, all in one opaque vote.  The vote should have been, do we pass this GMO labeling bill, yes or no.  Then at least we voter would know what is going down.   

What the Euro's ought to be doing

After the Brussels airport atrocity, the Europeans need to tighten things up.  First off, they need to catch the perps, and most important, once caught, put them on trial and convict them of premeditated murder, and sentence them to death.  And force the courts to get it done within six months from the arrest.  And actually carry out the death sentence, not take ten years of appeals and welfare for lawyers.  The deterrence effect of  conviction and punishment wears off over time.  When the courts take ten or twenty years to render a decision, nobody cares.  I can't get excited about a ten year old crime.  Too much time has passed.  But I can get excited about a fresh horror. 
   BTW, US courts need to get on the stick too.  For instance they haven't done a thing about Tsarnaev, the Boston Bomber and it's been three years. 
   Second, Euro cops need to develop some sources, informants, who can tip them off to bad guys setting up to do bad.  The cops need to be where the perps live.  They cannot write off the Molembeeks and the banlieus as "too tough to bother with".  You gotta have cops, on foot patrol, making contacts, and developing informants in the places that the bad guys live.  You start with the shop keepers and the landlords.  Let them know that hordes of government inspectors, tax audits, and other official badness will descend upon them if then don't become informants, and finger bad guys.  Every small time criminal they catch, is offered a choice between cooperation with the cops, or prosecution.  A few months of this will develop some sources. 
   Then the EU needs take real military action in Syria.  Like send in an army, occupy the place, blow Assad and his government away, execute what ISIS people they catch. Set up decent law enforcement, fire protection, and get the schools open and operating.  Make sure they are real schools and not Islamic madrassahs.  Do land reform, namely dispossess the landlords, and give the land out to the farmers who actually work the land.  Give those farmers good titles to their land, and make sure the courts enforce the new titles.  Set up land offices to record exactly who owns what.  Fix up the irrigation systems, canals, reservoirs, dams, pumps, locks, and such.  Get the local industry back into business, hiring people and paying wages.  Give military protection to any place that employs people (out side of family members)  Set up some banks to finance business.  Make Syria a decent place to live, with jobs and a rule of law and then the Euros won't have all those Syrian refugees swarming into Europe. 
   This might take a few years and cost a bundle, but it's worth it. 
  

Trump is still ahead, Cruz is not dead yet

According to FiveThirtyEight.com  Trump now has 754 delegates, Cruz has 465.  Trump won Arizona, Cruz won Utah.  To clinch the nomination, you need 1237 delegates by convention time.  If no one has 1237 (a real possibility) then all kinds of wheeling and dealing take place at the convention to select a nominee.  We have a lot of heavy duty primaries still to go. 
   Cruz must be out talking to all the delegates won by candidates who dropped out, and Kasich who might drop out.  We can assume he is saying " Get behind me, we can beat Trump, and I'll reward you with cabinet jobs, the vice presidency, and some nice pork to take back to your  district."  Whether anyone is listening is unknown. 
   Whether Trump or even Cruz will collect the required 1237 delegates before the convention is too close to call.  Trump is really good on TV, and stands for taking names and kicking ass.  Lotta people like that.  He also has a lot of enemies, and the worst unfavorable rating of anyone in politics, worse even than Hilliary, who is pretty bad herself.  The anti Trump people, who include the party establishment have three more months for Trump bashing.  It might work, although it hasn't been very effective so far. 

You oughta get out and vote

Even if you don't like your party's nominee.  If you don't vote, you forfeit any rights to complain about what the government is doing for the next four years.  You got two candidates going for each open office.  One of the two has to be better than the other.  It is your responsibility as a citizen of a democracy to vote for the better of the two candidates.  Can't tell which candidate is better?  You haven't done your home work.  Go to each candidates website.  It's the 21st century, they all got websites now.  Read their campaign promises.  You gotta like one set of promises better than the other.  Google on the candidate's name.  See what kinda dirt comes up.  See who endorses them.  If all fails, flip a coin.  But go out and vote.  If you don't, the worse guy will win. 
   If the choice for president comes down to Trump vs Hilliary, neither of which I like much, you gotta make a pick.  And vote your pick.

Kasich, Trump and Cruz address AIPAC

AIPAC, American Israeli Political Action Committee.  I watched Kasich, followed by Trump, followed by Cruz address this Jewish pro Israel group.  All three of 'em said all the right things, and received lots of applause.  This is an important group, they represent most American Jews, who can be a decisive factor in American elections.  Most Jews back the state of Israel all the way, although they tend to vote democratic.  After 8 years of Obama trashing Israel, they might b ready to vote Republican.   

Parts per trillion

Apparently some chemical that I never heard of was detected is some water wells in some obscure NH towns whose names mean nothing to me.   They finally got a guy on from state Dept of Environmental Services who actually knew a few things.  Apparently the contamination is no worse than 100 parts per trillion.  Wow.  First time I have heard things quoted as parts per trillion.  Used to be one part per million was about the limit of lab work. 
   Then he said that the EPA limit for magic chemical (SFRA? something strange) was 400 parts per trillion.  In short the detected levels are still way below the limit. 
   Could the newsies be looking for something they can blow up into a Flint Michigan type scandal?