MY USA TODAY COLUMN: Obama right again on P.C. campus speech: As the president said, students shouldn’t try to silence other side but listen, engage and persuade.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN FOLLOWS THE HILLARY PRECEDENT FOR HANDLING UNRULY JOURNALISTS. Naturally, the Washington Post sniffs, “Trump campaign hassles CNN journalist for doing his job:”

After CNN reporter Noah Gray left “the pen” to document a group of protesters who unveiled a sign reading “Migrant lives matter,” Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski turned to campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks and said: “Hey: Tell Noah, get back in the pen or he’s f—— blacklisted,” according to a recording of the incident.

As Gray went into the crowd to film reaction to the sign, which had already been taken down, Lewandowski confronted him directly: “Inside the pen, or I will pull your credentials. Media goes in the pen.” Lewandowski at first said the order was because of security, but then said: “I’m telling you. I’m telling you. Media stays in the pen.”

Funny, the media didn’t look too upset in July, when Hillary kept them in the pen.

And speaking of hecklers, Trump himself seems pretty nonplussed by them…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIGWtIICb3o

…Particularly when contrasted to other candidates: Clinton Campaign Reportedly Threatens Comedy Club For Making Fun of Her.

JARED FOGLE SENTENCED TO NEARLY 16 YEARS IN PRISON: “Former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle was sentenced on Thursday to 15 years, eight months in prison for possession and distribution of child pornography and traveling across state lines for sex with a minor.”

DOD BANS MILITARY & CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE TRAVEL TO PARIS: “Unofficial travel to Paris is prohibited — including leave, liberty and special pass — and includes a 50-kilometer radius around the city. The travel restriction, implemented in the aftermath of Friday’s deadly attacks in Paris, applies to all Defense Department personnel, according to a statement from U.S. European Command,” Army Times reports.

I’d call it a giant “no-go zone” for American military personnel, but I was told by the New York Times those don’t exist in Europe.

THE NEW YORK TIMES VS. NAIL SALONS: The gray lady’s inaccurate reporting wreaks havoc on an immigrant-dominated industry:

In May 2015, The New York Times published a much-discussed two-part story claiming, among other things, that nail salon workers in New York State are routinely exploited—earning wages as low as $10 per day.

Immediately after the first article appeared, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) started a regulatory crackdown on nail salons. The result has been to wreak havoc on this immigrant-dominated industry and to close off employment opportunities for undocumented workers.

And the New York Times story that inspired Cuomo’s crackdown broadly mischaracterized the nail salon industry. Manicurists are skilled employees whose labor is in high demand, and they have a good deal of bargaining power. Some of the men and women the Times reporter spoke with say she misquoted them or misrepresented their businesses.

Click above to watch a short documentary on the New York Times attack on the nail salon industry.

And thus the Gray Lady, hamstrung by its manic support of Hillary and Obama and a raging case of PC (but I repeat myself) has a minor story in which to divert itself from the real news of the day, in much the same way that the Howell Raines-era Times was obsessed with the Augusta National Golf Course in the immediate wake of 9/11.

ADJUST NEWSPEAK DICTIONARIES ACCORDINGLY: Hillary hammers ‘obsession’ with the words ‘radical Islamic terrorism’ as she insists ‘Muslims … have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism.’

UPDATE: Naturally, Trump goes the polar opposite, though equally extreme direction. “Trump won’t rule out special IDs, warrantless searches for Muslims,” Allahpundit writes, adding, “I can’t tell if he’s serious or if this is a sort of game being played between him and a reporter, Hunter Walker, who knows how Trump operates rhetorically. Note that it’s Walker, not Trump, who floats the idea of special IDs and warrantless searches, picking up from what Trump said this past week about closing down mosques.”

MICHAEL BARONE: OBAMA GETS REALLY ANGRY — AT AMERICANS:

All of which makes more grating Obama’s denunciation of Americans critical of his call to admit 10,000 refugees here. In Antalya he accused them of closing their hearts to victims of violence and of being “not American” in suggesting prioritization of the Christian refugees who have been singled out for torture and murder.

He could have acknowledged people’s qualms as legitimate and argued at greater length, as former Ambassador to Iraq and Syria Ryan Crocker did in the Wall Street Journal, that we have processes in place that would effectively screen out terrorists. Or he could have proposed, like Speaker Paul Ryan, a pause before accepting any.

But that would have meant not taking cheap shots against the political opposition at home — the people who really make him angry.

And thus Obama begins his last year in office the way he came in, as the reverse Von Clausewitz,  the president who views American politics as the continuation of warfare by other means, to flip Von Clausewitz’s axiom on its head. As David Horowitz noted in 2009, it’s not just the Chicago way, it’s the Alinsky way. And he’d much rather focus on his own brand of domestic warfare, than anything going on overseas that would distract from it.

QED: Obama: I’m thinking I’ll spend my last year in office focused on gun control.

AT AMAZON, deals for Winter Decorators.

Also, the Home and Garden Gift Guide.

Plus, today only at Amazon: Up to 60% Off Select PC Components and Accessories.

And, also today only: Save $25 on Madden NFL 16.

NOT JUST SYRIANS: Thousands of Somali Refugees Enter US, Despite Having Same Terror Vetting Problem.

“More Somali former refugees have left the U.S. to fight with Al-Shabaab and ISIS than any other ethnic group.”

I DUNNO, THIS COULD END BADLY: Attempt no landing there? Yeah right—we’re going to Europa.

THIS IS KIND OF COOL: $1.5 million simple to use personal submarine, Deep Flight, targets wealthy yacht owners.

ADVICE TO SECOND YEAR LAW STUDENTS: Start working on your clerkship applications.

THE WOMEN OF THE ISLAMIC STATE: An oped in the Wall Street Journal today discusses radical Islam’s growing appeal among some women:

Why do these young women and girls go? Surely they can see that life is far more just and liberated in the West?

The short answer is that Islamic State is highly effective at analyzing its target audience and tailoring its propaganda to them . . . . The group is especially adept at exploiting Muslim women who feel isolated, perhaps as a result of anti-Muslim hatred, domestic turbulence, gender inequality or the lack of representation in society. As an alternative, they are offered a strong narrative of Islamist ideology, with suggestions that by joining Islamic State they can reverse the ills of life outside the caliphate. They are enticed by the idea that they will find a tight-knit collective sisterhood there that will provide them with support and friendship. This new Islamic life, in turn, is eventually used as a means to justify their radicalization and sacrifice. . . .

Now with the advent of the female suicide bomber Wednesday morning, we are potentially seeing Islamic State synthesize the idea of women as state builders into the idea of them as operational spearheads too—another luring and dangerous appeal to idealistic young women. We may now see women actively targeted and recruited by Islamic State for specific terrorist violence rather than just “state building.” History shows that the allure of physically taking up arms is not limited to men. Recall that the core operatives of Germany’s Baader-Meinhoff gang in the 1970s were women.

Recruiting women in such roles holds a tactical appeal for Islamic State and raises new security challenges for Western officials. Female terrorists can sometimes avoid detection more easily than men, and are less likely to be stopped and searched. Concealing weaponry or physical signs of trepidation before an attack—warning signs that security forces look for—can be achieved by wearing appropriate clothing. . . . .

So Muslim women want to join the “tight-knit collective sisterhood” and become a “spearhead” for misogynist men who view them as little more than property? Um, okay. So ISIS is basically an institutional form of a sociopathic predator:  It lies, lies, lies to get the target “hooked,” with visions of love/grandeur, with the goal of using/abusing them for its own selfish needs.  

FASTER, PLEASE: Three Alternative Fusion Projects That Are Making Progress.

The past few months have proved that hope for nuclear fusion as the ultimate clean and nonpolluting energy source springs eternal. One reactor plan projects a tantalizing gigawatts-per-year net energy out of its still-on-the-drawing-board idea. Another scheme uses the same reaction as the first but seeks smaller-scale reactors. A third uses the familiar “heavy hydrogen” reactions of decades past—deuterium and ­tritium hydrogen isotopes combining to create helium, neutrons, and energy—but relies on possibly transformative design changes enabled by using the latest superconducting magnets.

To be clear, unexpected errors or oversights could still ground one or all of these efforts. But when so much of the research world is depending on the overdue and overbudget US $20 billion ITER project, each of these efforts counteracts the monoculture mind-set in fusion research that has been the subject of some industry questioning and criticism.

“There’s inertia in having the established magnetic [fusion reactors], and it’s a mature technology that’s being used,” says Dennis Whyte, director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center. “But the new superconducting technology has improved over even the last three to four years. Even since we started the project, the capability of the technology has improved.”

I’d certainly like to see a success here.

A STEEL-DRIVING MAN: I Raced a Self-Driving Audi To Defend Humanity’s Honor.

I test-drove the non-robotic RS7 a while back. Here’s my review.

CAMPUS PROTESTS NOT PLAYING SO WELL: Poll shows disapproval of MU protests, football coach Pinkel. “By a three-to-one margin, Missourians disagree with the actions of protestors at the University of Missouri over the past weeks, a new poll shows. . . . When asked ‘do you agree or disagree with the University of Missouri student protestors’ actions in the past week,’ 20 percent of those surveyed said they agreed, while 62 percent said they disagreed (18 percent were unsure.)”

FLASHBACK: Doug Laycock: Vicious Stereotypes In Polite Society.

KIM DU TOIT IS STILL ALIVE: and wishes to remind everyone that November 19th is National Ammo Day. 100 rounds (or more) of your favorite ammo.

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): Thanks for the reminder! Just went to my former law students’ LuckyGunner.com store and ordered some.

HARVEY MANSFIELD: Are All Men Created Equal?

TAXPROF ROUNDUP: The IRS Scandal, Day 924.

YOU SPELLED “BECAUSE OF” WRONG: Wealth of Congressional Democrats Spikes Despite Income Inequality Agenda.

ON STEVE CROWDER’S SHOW: Ted Cruz Like You’ve Never Seen. Throws Gauntlet on Obama and Refugee Crisis.

ED MORRISSEY: Obamacare’s Bait and Switch Has Left Consumers Scrambling in 2016. Fundamentally transformed!

YET ANOTHER PLACE WHERE POLITICIANS HAVE CHOSEN FUTURE DISASTER IN EXCHANGE FOR PRESENT-DAY POLITICAL ADVANTAGE: The Pension Problem Is Worse Than You Think.

It’s not just stagnating cities in states like California or Illinois that are running into pension troubles. The pension vise is now tightening around Houston too, an oil-rich metropolis that has been enjoying rapid job growth for years. . . .

Houston’s experience is a cautionary tale. The city counted on oil money and didn’t manage its finances well when times were good, and, like many cities, built its pension promises on overly optimistic projections for future growth. Pensions are in trouble in states and municipalities all over the country because while politicians have strong incentives to over-promise in the short-term, they have little incentive to plan for future slowdowns. And if Houston can’t create sustainable pension systems, despite its impressive economic fundamentals, what hope is there for Chicago?

The WSJ story also highlights the many divisions and conflicts that will flare up in the coming years as a pension reckoning approaches. Houston residents are “reluctant to support any tax increases” even as the pension woes “have contributed to reductions in hiring of police officers and spending on pothole repairs, which have become issues in the mayoral race.” This type of tradeoff is part of what we call the blue civil war. Various interests (in particular, the people who produce public services and the people who consume them) will be pitted against each other as the unsustainability of the blue model of governance, present in both Republican and Democratic states, becomes more and more clear.

Politicians don’t care if it’s unsustainable, so long as they get theirs before it collapses. This is a problem.