Reflecting on the last eight years

File under "nice to think about": MOAB Makes Foreign Adventurism Less Likely Because Less Necessary

. . . "For deterrence to work, three conditions must be met. First, the party that seeks to deter an adversary must have the capability to do what it threatens to do. Second, the deterring party must demonstrate the will to follow through on a threat. Finally, there must be an element of uncertainty at work.

"Our adversaries became more aggressive during the Obama years because of the absence of the last two factors. The Obama administration made it clear that it lacked the will to carry through on threats, e.g. Obama’s “red line” in Syria. Obama’s predictable behavior also lessened our adversaries’ uncertainty.

"Trump’s actions have restored the missing two elements (our will to use force and the enemy’s uncertainty) to the concept of deterrence." . . .

"Mackubin Thomas Owens is dean of academics for the Institute of World Politics in Washington DC, a Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) in Philadelphia, and editor of Orbis, FPRI’s quarterly journal. He recently retired after 29 years as Professor of National Security Affairs at the US Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island." . . .

Former Intel Officer on MOAB: 'The Next 4 Years Will Be Different Than the Last 8'

. . . "He said it's difficult to use precision strikes on such a complicated system of caves, canyons and tunnels, so a massive bomb like the MOAB is a much more effective option.

"Pregent explained that the bomb is intended to destroy surface-level tunnels, denying our enemies the ability to use them.

"He added that the devastating effects of the weapon will also make ISIS fighters think twice about using such tunnels.

"Why did the Obama administration allow this complex to exist for all these years? Tucker asked.

"Pregent said the MOAB is a "bravado weapon," and the past administration was focused on handing the fight off to the Afghan people and pulling Americans out.

"He said that the decision to deploy the bomb sends a message to our adversaries around the world: "The next four years will be different than the last eight.' " . . .

Krauthammer: Russia Now Knows '8 Years of Free Lunch Is Over' 

 "Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer responded to the meeting between American and Russian diplomats by saying he was encouraged by its "iciness.

"Krauthammer said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made it clear to the Kremlin that "the eight years of [a] free lunch is over."

"He said Tillerson struck the perfect tone of reserve and glumness, while telling Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov exactly where America stands on the Syrian attack and other issues.

"Krauthammer said Tillerson was a refreshing change from former Secretary of State John Kerry (D-Mass.), who went "around like a puppy dog" telling the world Russia was listening to the West.

"He called the meeting "beautiful" and was "encouraged... by its iciness."

"While he would not call the icy relationship a "cold war," Krauthammer said the temperature has definitely "begun to fall" since the Georgian invasion six years ago." . . .

Another option:  Hollywood Director: We Can Only Defeat ISIS With Love

. . . " "Atrocity. Murder. Abomination. When will we learn that only love stops hate, and bombings only create more ISIS," Fox wrote in a tweet.

" 'Love your enemy. Don't create more of them. Teachers, diplomacy, culture and aid helps peace. Bombs don't," he added." . . .

His movies: "Josh Fox is a director and writer, known for GasLand (2010), Gasland Part II (2013) and How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change (2016)." 

Alan Dershowitz turns the tables on Sean Spicer’s critics ...

Spicer and Trump would never make the Jewish Prime Minister leave the White House by the back door

Power Line  "Last night, I wrote about the over-the-top criticism of Sean Spicer’s misstatement about Hitler and the use of chemical weapons. Spicer shouldn’t have compared Hitler favorably to Assad on this score, but to suggest that his comment shows latent anti-Semitism, or makes him a Holocaust denier, is slanderous. 

"Alan Dershowitz agrees. Indeed, he takes the analysis further, finding that those trying to make political hay out of Spicer’s misstatement are the ones showing insufficient sensitivity to the Holocaust.

"Dershowitz writes:

The politicization of the Holocaust dishonors the memory of the six million. Sean Spicer made a serious mistake when he compared Bashar Assad to Hitler, and to make matters worse, he got his facts wrong. He quickly and fully apologized. There was no hint of anti-Semitism in his historical mistake and his apology should have ended the matter. But his political enemies decided to exploit his mistake by pandering to Jews. In doing so, it is they who are exploiting the memory of the six million during the Passover Holiday.

"Foremost among the exploiters is the Democratic National Committee:

The Democratic National Committee issued a rebuke with the headline “We will not stand for anti-Semitism.” Its content included the following: “Denying the atrocities committed by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime is a tried and true tactic used by Neo-Nazis and white supremacists groups that have become emboldened since Donald Trump first announced his campaign for president.”

. . .

Updated: Palestinian TV: Promised Land Is Where The “Jews Will Be Exterminated By Divine Decree”…

And these are the darlings beloved by the liberal elite such as Hollywood.

Weasel Zippers, with the comment, "How delightful".

Palestine From the River to the Sea? Ask Khaled Meshaal

"The creation of a Palestinian Arab state within the mere 40 miles separating the Mediterranean and the Jordan River is a recipe for war and for the piecemeal destruction of the Jewish state."

. . . "The Land of Israel stretches from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. It has been the ancestral, biblical and native land of the Jews from time immemorial - every centimeter of it - despite what the Arabs who call themselves Palestinians may deceptively claim otherwise. And even now, they are producing official stationary and postage stamps with the word "Palestine" showing a map including all of Israel in it.

"The phrase "Two State Solution" has also been embraced by politicians and journalists alike, repeated endlessly, and touted as the panacea for a "just and equitable" solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. But it is based on erroneous geography and history; on a mixture of wishful thinking, naiveté and a brilliant Arab propaganda campaign of disinformation and falsehood. It has sullied the minds of liberal Christian churches and that hateful repository of anti-Israel sentiment: the Left." . . .

Update: Don't count on Muslim grandmothers defending Israeli children

Video: Obama's pastor for 20 years on Israel and whites. None of whom he likes.

2008: Reverend Wright: The Bible and No Jews  “ 'I said that dirty word again, Israel.” This was one of the many disparaging remarks Obama’s pastor Jeremiah Wright made about Israel. According to Wright, Israel is occupying Arab land and has no right to its existence. He eliminates the legitimacy of the Jewish state of Israel in one speech; then he compounds the injury by usurping the Jewish historical ties to the land.

"In Barack Obama’s apologia for Reverend Wright on March 18, the senator recounted his first service at Trinity church. " . . .  Read more

The California natives are getting politically restless

Legal Insurrection

California elections of 2018 may turn out to be a referendum…on the Democratic Party.

"I have previously noted that many of California’s legal citizens were extremely unhappy with the Democratic super-majority in Sacramento ramming through unpopular legislation, such as the “Sanctuary State” measure or the new gas tax.

"Now, the first signs of a substantial political fallout are on the horizon as citizens are organizing a Golden State version of the Resistance.

"To start with, Californians are now preparing to strip the Democrats of the super-majority status they have abused.

Carl DeMaio, a talk radio host and former city councilman in San Diego, said Tuesday that plans are moving forward to launch a recall of Sen. Josh Newman, D-Fullerton, who voted for the $52 billion road repair package, paid for by fuel taxes and registration fees, just four months after he took office.

Sen. Josh Newman, left, is joined by his family during the national anthem in 2016 before he was sworn in to office. Carl DeMaio, a talk radio host and former city councilman in San Diego, said Tuesday that plans are moving forward to recall Newman, D-Fullerton, who voted for the $52 billion road repair package paid for by fuel taxes and registration fees. Hector Amezcua hamezcua@sacbee.com

“This is the right strategy. There’s consensus on it. And we are moving forward,” DeMaio said.

While the gas tax is the impetus of the action, DeMaio said he and others in the nascent coalition to oust Newman are primarily setting their sights on the Democratic Party’s two-thirds supermajority in the Legislature.

"Next, one of California’s cities has voted to oppose the “Sanctuary State” measure. Dawn Wildman, key organizer for California Tea Party Groups reports:

“The Glendora City Council Members voted 5 to 0 to officially OPPOSE the CA Sanctuary State bill. The city council will submit an official letter of opposition to Sacramento.”

"Glendora is a city within the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, a fairly blue area in this state that went for Hillary Clinton by over 70%." . . .

Legal Insurrection‏ @LegInsurrectionMore Losing by not as much as they thought they'd lose is the Democrats' new definition of victory #KS04

The Great Reversal — for now

Charles Krauthammer

"The world is agog at President Trump’s head­snapping foreign policy reversal. He runs on a platform of America First. He renounces the role of world policeman. He excoriates parasitic foreigners that (I paraphrase) suck dry our precious bodily fluids — and these are allies! On April 4, Trump declared: “I don’t want to be the president of the world. I’m the president of the United States. And from now on, it’s going to be America First.” 

"A week earlier, both his secretary of state and U.N. ambassador had said that the regime of Bashar al­Assad is a reality and that changing it is no longer an American priority. 

"Then last week, Assad drops chemical weapons on rebel­held territory and Trump launches 59 Tomahawk missiles into Syria. 

"This was, in part, an emotional reaction to images of children dying of sarin poisoning. And, in part, seizing the opportunity to redeem Barack Obama’s unenforced red line on chemical weapons.

"Whatever the reason, moral or strategic, Trump acted. And effectively reset his entire foreign policy. 

"True, in and of itself, the raid will not decisively alter the course of Syria’s civil war. Assad and his Iranian, Russian and Hezbollah co­combatants still have the upper hand — but no longer a free hand. After six years of U.S. passivity, there are limits now and the United States will enforce them. 

"Nor was the raid the beginning of a campaign for regime change. It was, however, a reassertion of an American stake in both the conduct and the outcome of the war. America’s abdication is over. Be warned. " . . .

KRAUTHAMMER: TRUMP SENT A MESSAGE ‘THERE IS A SHERIFF IN TOWN’; ‘THERE WAS AN ABSENCE FOR 8 YEARS’
. . . "He could have shut down the air force, but he just wanted to say, it’s not that there’s a new sheriff in town, there is a sheriff in town. There was an absence for eight years. America is back and you are not allowed to do whatever you want. That in and of itself is going to have a big effect.' "

Extreme religious acts mark Good Friday in the Philippines

It is as if they have no understanding of the meaning as to why Christ suffered all this Himself, that it was in their place and that one time was sufficient.

UK Daily Mail  "Whipping their backs to a bloody state and nailing themselves to crosses, devotees in the fervently Catholic Philippines marked Good Friday with extreme acts of faith that have become tourist attractions.

"In towns north of Manila at least five people were nailed to crosses, while in an island to the south hundreds of residents dressed up as Roman centurions as part of decades-old traditions in the Southeast Asian nation. 

"These customs flourish, although they are not officially endorsed by church leadership." . . .

. . . "Half-naked men showed their devotion in a cemetery by flogging their backs that had earlier been sliced by a razor as part of their vow to God. 

" 'I've been doing this for 15 years. I do this so my sins will be forgiven," said Sammy Matre.

"Newcomer John Allen Jamig, 17, briefly fainted after his flogging drew blood.

" 'I don´t know why I felt dizzy, I think because I didn´t have enough sleep last night," he insisted.

"In San Pedro village north of Manila, 56-year-old Ruben Enaje underwent his 31st crucifixion after surviving a construction accident." . . .

"People also whip their backs, drawing blood, to show their devotion and be cleansed of their sins"

But the Scriptures say in the book of Hebrews, chapter nine, verses 25-27: 

25Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26Otherwise, He would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
27Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him. 

Salon: 5 reasons Maxine Waters should be our next president

Hat tip to YesI'mRight

Salon  "Today on Salon 5 we will discuss Waters, her amazing political talents, and why we millennials love her so much. Watch the video to learn more about why Maxine Waters should be our next president."
D. Watkins is an Editor at Large for Salon. He is also a professor at the University of Baltimore and founder of the BMORE Writers Project. Watkins is the author of the New York Times best-sellers “The Beast Side: Living (and Dying) While Black in America” and "The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir."

More on the character and wisdom of Maxine Waters here.

Video: The Three Stooges: Featuring Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, Elizabeth Warren

Don Surber: Napolitano vindicated. Britain meddled in our election.

When Fox News suspended Judge Andrew Napolitano for saying British intelligence helped Barack Obama spy on Donald Trump's campaign, the New York Times went out of its way to make the judge look like a mad man.

From the New York Times on March 17:

The saga began on Tuesday on “Fox & Friends,” the chummy morning show, where Mr. Napolitano made a bizarre and unsupported accusation: Citing three unnamed sources, he said that Britain’s top spy agency had wiretapped Mr. Trump on behalf of President Barack Obama during last year’s campaign.

. . .

"On Friday, Fox News was forced to disavow Mr. Napolitano’s remarks. “Fox News cannot confirm Judge Napolitano’s commentary,” the anchor Shepard Smith said on-air. “Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind that the now-president of the United States was surveilled at any time, any way. Full stop.' ”

. . . 

"Always in such a controversy, go to the exact words -- not some partial quote.

"But weeks later, the truth came out, vindicating Napolitano.

"From the Guardian this week:

Britain’s spy agencies played a crucial role in alerting their counterparts in Washington to contacts between members of Donald Trump’s campaign team and Russian intelligence operatives, the Guardian has been told.

GCHQ first became aware in late 2015 of suspicious “interactions” between figures connected to Trump and known or suspected Russian agents, a source close to UK intelligence said. This intelligence was passed to the US as part of a routine exchange of information, they added.

Over the next six months, until summer 2016, a number of western agencies shared further information on contacts between Trump’s inner circle and Russians, sources said.

"We now have proof that Britain meddled in our election." . . .

MOAB

Here's why the 'mother of all bombs' exploded 6 feet above its target in Afghanistan
. . . "The MOAB itself never touched the ground at the complex, however. Instead, like most large weapons, including nuclear bombs, it detonated in the air moments before impact. There was probably about 6 feet between the MOAB and the ground when it unleashed its destructive force, which was equivalent to about 11 tons of TNT. 

"Why didn't the MOAB strike the ground before detonating? "The main attribute of the MOAB is that it causes overpressure," Adam Lowther, the director of the US Air Force's School of Advanced Nuclear Deterrence Studies, told Business Insider reporter Alex Lockie. 

"Overpressure" is a term for the sharp spike in air pressure that a bomb causes. That change in pressure moves away from the bomb in a wave in all directions. Any mines, tunnels, or bodies caught in the blast would be unrecognizable after it passed." . . . 

Here are the basic facts about the MOAB:   "The idea behind an "air burst" weapon, as opposed to a weapon that explodes on impact with the ground, is to increase its destructive range. A bomb that penetrates the ground and then bursts tends to send all of its energy either down into the ground or straight up into the air. An air burst weapon sends a great deal of its energy out to the side."