Hamas Official: ‘October 7 Ruined Us’

 Joel B. Pollak

"A senior official within the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas admitted to a Saudi media outlet that the October 7 terror attack caused the destruction of the organization because of the ferocity of Israel’s response."

 . . ."Israel Hayom reported Sunday:

A senior Hamas official currently based in Turkey told Saudi media that the 37th anniversary of the terrorist organization’s founding comes during a period of decline due to defeats in Gaza and the broader region.

The official disclosed, “Hamas is suffering from a genuine leadership crisis. The Al-Aqsa Flood attack backfired on us, submerging us in a sea of blood and crises. The most recent blow was the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, with which Hamas had been attempting to rebuild relations.”

According to a report by the Saudi news site Elaph, the Syrian government has ordered Palestinian terrorist groups to shut down their offices, hand over their weapons, dismantle training camps, and leave Syria as soon as possible. The primary Palestinian group active in Syria has been the Islamic Jihad. In contrast, Hamas’s political bureau left Syria earlier due to its support for Islamist rebels at the start of the Syrian civil war, which sparked a rift with Assad.

"Israel Hayom also cited reporting that Palestinian terrorists in Syria fled to Iran, but may leave for other countries due to the fear of assassination (Israel is suspected of having killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.)

"There are also Hamas officials in Turkey, and some are in Qatar — including some who reportedly returned there at the urging of the incoming Trump administration, solely for the purpose of negotiating a hotage deal by January 20.

"The report that Hamas leaders are accepting that the October 7 terror attack was a strategic mistake is a reversal from past months, and suggests that Israel is succeeding in restoring a deterrent against its enemies.

"However, there are European nations who continue to reward Hamas, with Ireland the latest to join South Africa’s “genocide” case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Ireland, Spain, and Norway also recognized a Palestinian state." . . .

It Turns Out That Biden Never Considered the 'Specifics' of the 1500 Clemency Cases He Commuted

 PJ Media 

So she's not sorry about her crime. Shouldn't "remorse" have been one of the top criteria Biden should have looked at? 

"A "Massachusetts woman on Biden’s clemency list was sentenced for ‘lethal’ fentanyl trafficking conspiracy," according to the Boston Herald. She led a "large-scale criminal enterprise that reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits and caused untold misery."

"Former Dixon Comptroller Rita Crundwell stole $53 million from the little town, a crime so notorious that a documentary was made -- highlighting that she perpetrated the largest case of municipal fraud in American history," reports Politico.

"Perhaps most incredibly, the "Cash for Kids" judge in Pennsylvania who wrongly sent dozens of minors to a for-profit prison and got kickbacks for it, was released without any examination of the facts of his case.

" 'The White House commuted the sentence of the judge at the center of a notorious 'kids-for-cash' scandal without considering the specifics of his case, beyond whether it fit into a broad set of criteria," reports Politico. We can assume the rest of the cases of the 1500 prisoners were also examined just as thoroughly.  

"The governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, strongly disagreed with Biden's decision to commute the sentence of former judge Michael Conahan, who was convicted in 2011 and sentenced to 17 years, only to be released to house arrest during the pandemic.

“ 'I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania,” Shapiro, a Democrat, said at an event on Friday. Conahan, he said, “deserves to be behind bars, not walking as a free man.”

"The mother of one teen wrongly sentenced by Conahan who then committed suicide, Sandy Fonzo, said she was “shocked…and hurt” by Biden's clemency.

“ 'Conahan‘s actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son‘s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power,” Fonzo told a local publication. “This pardon feels like an injustice for all of us who still suffer. Right now I am processing and doing the best I can to cope with the pain that this has brought back.” . . .

When Lack of Seriousness Becomes Downright Disrespectful

 Substack  "Gwen Walz, wife of Governor and VP candidate Tim Walz, demonstrated open disrespect for the U.S. Marine Corps and its storied traditions at a recent campaign event."

"Walz’s wife, appears to be cut from the same unserious cloth, disrespectful towards institutions and people who have given their lives so she and her husband can cavort on the public stage."

"Yesterday, while finalizing today’s lineup for American Free News Network, I got a call from a friend, fellow veteran, conservative pundit, single malt sampler and cigar aficionado, David Webb.** Webb had come across something on X (more on this in a moment) and was asking for my assistance in properly expressing umbrage.

"In conversations over the course of the last few years, Mr Webb has became well aware that during my last 10 years in the Army, I spent an inordinate amount of time in joint assignments. This of course required an ability to speak the language of the various service components.

"For example, I learned that the Navy, when referring to the pointy end of their boats, uses the term, “the bow.” The right side is, “Starboard” and the left, “Portside.”

"Marines speak in even more arcane terminology. For example, when marching troops, Marine Gunnery Sergeants can often be heard repeating “Jeow Freddie.” At first, I thought this was a Marine version of Army running cadences that refer to “Jody,” a n’ere-do-well who is well-known for taking liberties with Soldiers’ ladies while they are deployed. Alas, “Jeow Freddie, Jeow Freddie,” is just the Devil Dog manner of saying, “Left, Right. Left, Right.” Go figure.

"I love Marines. I especially like them when they are irritated…by enemy actions…or leftist comments. In the first case, they usually vent their irritation via a violent bayonet attack (as in Fallujah) automatic fire or in more serious cases, an M-67 grenade…or perhaps, Naval Gunfire. 16” rounds, the weight of a Volkswagen, will definitely get your attention, that is, if you survive.

"However, when stateside, not in a combat zone, and/or no longer an active member of The Corps, Marines are of course, limited to verbal responses. These responses are usually along the lines of proposing biologically impossible acts, said proposals often accompanied by observations as to the uncertain parentage of the offending party. However, even those are proscribed in polite company.

"This brings me back to my conversation with Mr. Webb, sometime attendee of the Boat School on Chesapeake Bay and honored member of the United States Marine Corps. He was soliciting my assistance in answering an egregious act of disrespect to the Marine Corps and its storied history.

"Despite the tongue-in-cheek comments above, I am very serious about the issue Mr. Webb brought to my attention…yet another instance of lack of seriousness by the Harris-Walz campaign. 

"He sent me a Post on X from Libs of TikTok to make this point." . . .Full article here.

'Going to be painful': Venezuelan expert sounds alarm about what's next if sanctuary city policies continue

 Fox News 

 . . ." 'The sanctuary policies have to go," she said. "It's critical that these local law enforcement agencies are able to share information with ICE and vice versa."

"An expert on the international criminal group Tren de Aragua (TdA) is warning that if sanctuary city and state policies are allowed to continue, the U.S. will soon be facing a slate of targeted assassinations across the U.S.

"The next step is targeted assassinations," said Jose Gustavo Arocha, a former lieutenant colonel in the Venezuelan army. "That is what has happened in Venezuela, what is happening in Latin America and that will happen here in the U.S."

Tren de Aragua, which means "Train from Aragua," is a massive criminal and terrorist organization that originated a decade ago in a Venezuelan prison. In addition to Venezuela, the group has already established a significant presence in Southern American countries, including Colombia, Peru and Chile and is present in 30 major U.S. cities. 

"According to Arocha, who fled the country after being imprisoned by socialist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro for eight months, TdA is a "state-sponsored, Maduro regime organization," formed and trained by the Venezuelan government to sow chaos, violence and discord throughout the Western hemisphere.

" 'Right now is the right moment to take action," he said. "If you let them grow, they are going to be more embedded in the communities, it's going to be harder to take any action against them, and it's going to be painful for U.S. society."

"He said that recent movements to defund the police and enshrine sanctuary city and sanctuary state policies into law only further embolden and enable TdA to carry out its crimes with impunity.

"If policies like this are allowed to continue, he said TdA is "going to be all over the United States" like a "disease.' " . . .

With little opposition from Democrats such as these:

"SANCTUARY CITY DENVER SPENDING A WHOPPING $356 MILLION ON MIGRANTS: STUDY"

Pelosi Defies S.F. Archbishop’s Eucharist Ban for Pro-Abortion Politicians: ‘I Received Communion Anyway’

 

National Review  

"Electorally, the Democratic Party performed worse with Catholics this time around, as Vice President Kamala Harris took an unapologetically left-wing position on abortion and skipped the famous Al Smith dinner, a lighthearted event that raises substantial funds for Catholic charities."

"Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), a left-wing Catholic, responded defiantly to the archbishop for her home city banning her from receiving Holy Communion in the archdiocese because of her support for abortion.

"Pelosi spoke with the National Catholic Register about a range of issues including San Francisco archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s letter in 2022 prohibiting Pelosi from being given communion, an order she did not take to heart.

" 'I received Communion anyway. That’s his problem, not mine,” Pelosi said. “My Catholic faith is, Christ is my savior. It has nothing to do with the bishops.”

Pelosi further described her reliance on her faith and her belief that there is a “divine spark” in each person, a view she shared with the late Representative John Lewis (D., Ga.).

“My faith is always with me. I always feel there’s an angel on my shoulder,” she said.

“ 'That spark of divinity is what I respect in every person, especially if they respect it in themselves.”

"Pelosi also voiced her opposition to the Vatican’s controversial deal with the Chinese Communist Party related to the appointment of Bishops for the state-approved church. Her views are more aligned with retired Hong Kong cardinal Joseph Zen, an outspoken critic of the Vatican’s agreement with China, which began in 2018 and was most recently renewed in October.

“ 'Let me say it this way, ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.’ Every bishop has sprung from that rock. And now, the Chinese government?” Pelosi stated, a reference to Matthew 16:18, when Jesus appoints Peter head of the Catholic church.

"A strong critic of China’s human rights record, Pelosi said Republicans and Democrats were opposed to the Holy See’s agreement with China, and recalled bringing her concerns to the papal nuncio, the Vatican’s equivalent to an ambassador to the U.S.

“ 'We showed him what our concerns were, what had been said and written by Democrats and Republicans, House and Senate,” Pelosi said. “This brings a lot of us together, because over time, even bishops were being killed. I mean, this is like martyrs.' ” . . .

Archbishop Timothy Broglio reportedly refused Pelosi, a self-described Catholic who advocates for abortion, the sacrament after a Mass he celebrated in the Capitol on December 12 in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

. . ."According to Catholic News Agency (CNA), one of Pelosi’s staffers “approached Broglio to inform the archbishop that Pelosi was coming to ‘say hello’ and that she had also wished to ‘receive Communion.’”

"However, as CNA reported, “Broglio agreed to meet with Pelosi but did not give her Communion.' ” . . .

Why do so many in the media not strive for integrity?

"Or Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, could buy the network, as he has suggested, and transform it as he did Twitter. Whatever the case, MSNBC will remain in turmoil." . . .

Better cheesecake than CNN  . . ."As for CNN, they foolishly bought into fighting with MSNBC for the anti-Trump memes. Well, it didn't work, so it may be time to start having their hosts share their recipes and how they use coupons to save money. It might increase their audience, and isn't that what that business is all about?

"Hey Anderson -- what’s your recipe for cheesecake?"

At MSNBC, Rising Tensions Fuel Fears of Collapse    "MSNBC’s postelection viewership decline has surpassed its executives’ worst fears. Several top shows have lost more than half of their viewers since Nov. 5. This includes Rachel Maddow’s flagship show, as well as Joy Reid’s ReidOut, The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle, All In with Chris Hayes, and Inside with Jen Psaki. Morning Joe has suffered a fate nearly as bad, with hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough losing over 400,000 viewers in the same period.

"In total, MSNBC averaged more than one million viewers during election week, but that number fell to just above half a million two weeks ago. This decline comes even as Fox News is scoring huge ratings, as viewership jumped 21 percent at the network following Trump’s win. (RELATED: MSNBC’s Attacks on Pete Hegseth Are Not About Trump — It’s About Fox News) . . .

NBC and crime: who you gonna believe, them or Trump? . . ."As a necessary first step on what’s going to be a long journey to restoring FBI credibility, FBI Director Christopher Wray has announced his resignation. Restoring media credibility may be impossible, but reporting narratives rather than reality will help as one by one, networks go bankrupt." . .  .

Revoke the media's License to Lie   . . ."According to BBC:

During the 10 March broadcast, Stephanopoulos asked South Carolina Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace how she could endorse Trump.

The anchor falsely said “judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape.”

Stephanopoulos repeated the claim 10 times throughout the broadcast. Rather
than make Stephanopoulos face deposition this week, the network agreed on Saturday to pay $15 million to Trump and a million to his lawyers, and make its No. 1 news reader apologize on the air.

"After six decades of not being held liable for libel, corporate media knows Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito are itching to overturn Sullivan and revoke that License to Lie. This may save journalism from journalists, who are an unhappy lot right now that the people have restored the Trump presidency.

"Fox News reported, “60 Minutes reporter Lesley Stahl admits worry about future of legacy media: ‘I’m very dark about it.’ ” . . .