‘A Total F***-up’: Russian Mercenaries in Syria Lament U.S. Strike That Killed Dozens

Newsweek  "Recordings have emerged in which Russian mercenaries subjected to a joint U.S. strike that killed dozens of their comrades describe the incident as “a total f***-up.”

Polygraph.info, a Voice of America project, published three recordings, which it received from a source close to the Kremlin. The source said that the recorded phone calls were made by personnel from CHVK Wagner, a Russian private military company. 

"The incident in question occurred on the night and early morning of Feb. 7-8, when Syrian government forces—backed by Russian mercenaries employed by CHVK Wagner—attempted to capture an oil refinery near the Syrian city of Deir Ezzor. After Russian personnel came into contact with American troops stationed there, the U.S. forces responded with artillery and air strikes.

"Polygraph.info transcribed and translated the conversations recorded.

"In the first audio clip, a man says “one squadron f***ing lost 200 people …right away, another one lost 10 people… and I don’t know about the third squadron but it got torn up pretty badly, too... So three squadrons took a beating.”

A US military convoy drives on a Syrian highway on September 29, 2017

"The man explains that American forces used artillery and helicopter gunships to repel the assault. “They were all shelling the holy f*** out of it and our guys didn’t have anything besides the assault rifles… nothing at all, I'm not even talking about shoulder-fired SAMs or anything like that… they tore us to pieces, put us through hell,” he says.

"The speaker is also critical of the Russian government’s response to the incident, saying, “They beat our asses like we were little pieces of s**t... but our f***ing government will go in reverse now and nobody will respond or anything and nobody will punish anyone for this.”

" 'My guys just called me, they are sitting there drinking, many are MIA, it's a total f***-up, another humiliation... nobody gives a f*** about us." 

"In a second clip, a man explains that the battle quickly descended into a massacre as the Russians lost all armored support. “Out of all vehicles only one tank survived and one BRDM (Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle) after the attack, all other BRDMs and tanks were destroyed in the first minutes of the fight, right away.” . . .

Putin’s Chef Ordered Russian Mercenaries to Attack U.S. Troops in Syria, Report Claims  February 23, 2018

. . . "And now, reports also claim Prigozhin is the Putin ally who allegedly controls Russian mercenaries working in Syria. He was responsible for ordering a recent attack by Russian mercenaries and pro-government Syrian forces on U.S. troops stationed in Syria." . . .

The Schiff Memo

Full Text of the Schiff memo, with some redactions   . . . "Now, after a back-and-forth with the Trump administration, Democrats finally got permission to release their own memo in response, with some redactions. You can read the memo below, or at this link."

Lengthy article by Andrew C. McCarthy: The Schiff Memo Harms Democrats More Than It Helps Them

It confirms that the FBI and the DOJ relied heavily on uncorroborated, third-hand, anonymous sources in their FISA application.

. . . "Another major takeaway from the Schiff memo is that the FBI and the DOJ withheld from the FISA court the fact that Steele’s work was a project of the Clinton campaign. Naturally, the reader must ferret this admission out of a couple of dense paragraphs, in which Democrats risibly claim that the “DOJ was transparent with the Court about Steele’s sourcing.” . . .

Nunes: No, Schiff’s Memo Doesn’t Change Anything in My Memo  . . . "Background: Nunes released his memo earlier this month that alleged the FBI used the disputed dossier on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, authored by Christopher Steele, to receive a warrant to spy on Trump’s former campaign member Carter Page.

"Schiff released his memo this weekend that he claims counters Nunes’ memo, but it confirmed the main point of the GOP memo…that the officials used information from the unverified source to get that warrant. There were also some other agreements with the GOP memo.

"But the power struggle between these two continues because there are parts of  Nunes’ memo that remain unclear. Here are the main refutations Nunes provided:" . . .  Schiff’s Memo Also States FBI, DOJ Used Dossier to Obtain Warrant

Analysis: How Adam Schiff's Much-Hyped 'Counter-Memo' Actually Hurts His Case  . . . "In any case, for weeks, Adam Schiff and his fellow partisans loudly insisted that the Nunes memo misleadingly cherry-picked information in order to distort the wider picture. Their counter-memo would expose the GOP's chicanery, they said, while blasting Republicans for supposedly compromising intelligence 'sources and methods' through the publication of their initial memo. On that last point, the Nunes file did nothing of the sort, as became clear to anyone who bothered to read it. It was the Democrats' version that actually risked national security information, according to the FBI, which requested redactions to protect...sources and methods. That's why the release of Schiff's memo was delayed as long as it was." . . .

Nunes Reacts to Schiff Memo: Dems 'Colluding with Parts of the Government to Cover This Up'  . . . "Nunes pointed out that the whole point of his memo was "to show that FISA abuse had occurred," which he noted was "totally unacceptable." He added that it was the legislative branch's job to provide oversight on government abuse.

"Nunes said that in the Democratic memo, "they are advocating that it's okay for the FBI and DOJ to use political dirt, paid for by one campaign -- and use it against the other campaign. I don't care who you are -- a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent -- in the United States of America, that is unacceptable.' " . . .

Progress on the People's Republic of California

These leftists govern the California schools and their curriculum; I'd say their goal is to create millions of Jerry Brown-Kamala Harris clones

The Berniefication of the Democrat Party Is Almost Complete

"Feinstein loses Cali Democrats, CAP pushes Medicare for All, and the DCCC attacks establishment Democrats

 . . . "Figures once considered fringe even among the left are now hailed as the voice of the party; these figures include self-proclaimed socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and radical progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).  Sanders and more recently Warren have been strong proponents of single-payer and “free” college.  Thanks in large part to Bernie, much of the left, the Democrat base, thinks of itself as “Democratic Socialist.' ” . . .

Feinstein reminded of Lieberman  " . . . In reality, this is about replacing moderates with insane lefties who will add little to the national debate except to be more irrationally critical of President Trump.

It's hard to see how any of this will be good for California.

"In the meantime, we will likely see more talk of secession or the breakup of the state.  We will continue to hear of prohibitive housing costs and more people packing up and going elsewhere looking for sanity."  

Thomas Lifson: Calif Dems dump Feinstein from party endorsement for re-election to Senate

The Democrats now are divided with a far left base able to deny endorsements and back fringe candidates.  The jungle primary system in California only aggravates the problems.  Meanwhile, the GOP base enthusiastically backs President Trump, himself an insurgent.  The prospect of future fractures for the moment lies more on the left than the right of American politics.

One can hope. 

Rick Moran: Oakland mayor tips off illegals to ICE sweep  . . . "I think we should open the borders and allow anyone who wants to come to the United States to be welcomed with open arms - as long as they settle in Oakland. We'll see how long Schaff continues to believe there is no difference between legal and illegal immigration."

‘National disgrace’: Community fights back as California overrun by homelessness, human waste, needles

. . . "Los Angeles’ homeless problem has now spread past Skid Row to much of downtown. The amount of feces littering the streets in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco has led to a hepatitis outbreak that spread throughout the state’s homeless communities, infecting 694 people. It skipped Orange County."Spitzer singled out for criticism Los Angeles and San Francisco. San Francisco’s feces problem is so bad that a website now exists to warn residents of which streets to avoid. Los Angeles raised taxes last year in order to build housing for the homeless and has started a roving toilet program." . . .

How the Dems' Crazy Wing Is Sabotaging the Party's Chances in November

. . . "The five-term former mayor of San Francisco used to be thought of as a "liberal's liberal." But today, the crazies prefer their candidates to the left of Vladimir Lenin. Her opponent, Kevin de León, president of the California Senate, sounds more like the kind of candidate the wild eyed left can get behind. He has stated that "half of my family" is residing in the United States illegally. He has proposed confiscatory gun control legislation, and was the author of the notorious "affirmative consent" law that denies male college students an affirmative defense (women are always to be believed)." . . .

Bobsledder Lauren Gibbs' Epic Responses to Critics Who Trashed Her Meeting With Ivanka

Cortney O'Brien

"Bobsledder Lauren Gibbs has no regrets for her fun photo session with First Daughter Ivanka Trump at the Pyeongchang Olympics. Trump, who arrived in South Korea as part of the U.S. delegation for the Games, greeted athletes Sunday before the closing ceremony.

"Some Olympians like Gus Kenworthy gave her an icy reception, asking her on Twitter what the "F" she was doing there. But silver medal-winning bobsledder Lauren Gibbs took a different course. She warmly welcomed Ivanka and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and at one point let Ivanka wear her silver medal.

It’s important to remember that we don’t have to agree on everything to get along, be civil to each other and enjoy each others company. #itsforamerica it was a pleasure to meet you both! pic.twitter.com/bEkenz3EF5

— Lauren Gibbs (@lagibbs84) February 25, 2018

"When the rebukes started rolling in, Gibbs didn't apologize. She stood her ground and explained over and over again that pride in one's country should come before any petty political differences. Name calling and nastiness solve nothing. " . . .

FL Shooting Survivor: Sheriff 'Virtue-Signaling Against the NRA'

Fox News Insider  "A survivor of the Florida school shooting spoke out against the Broward County sheriff as well as those who are injecting gun control politics into the tragedy.

"Kyle Kashuv said Gov. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and others have done "definitely enough" to bring attention to school safety issues." . . .

"He said the mental health issue is a "bipartisan" topic, and that people should be coming together rather than retreating to political corners.

"Kashuv said Sheriff Scott Israel "outraged" him with his conduct at Wednesday's televised town hall event."

"Israel railed against the National Rifle Association and its key spokeswoman, Dana Loesch.

"Meanwhile, Kashuv said Israel likely knew about his department's shortcomings, in that several officers remained outside during the gunfire.

"Kashuv said Israel was "virtue signaling against the NRA" and "didn't even act properly."

"He said Israel's department failed the community and that the Democrat "absolutely needs to resign" his elected post." . . .

Related: Counterattack Hard Against Liberal Attacks on Our Gun Rights and Other Civil Liberties

. . . "These gullible outliers don’t change the fact that the rest of the GOP is solid. That’s why the left is changing the rules and trashing our norms to do what they can’t do politically through intimidation. They have cultural power and we don’t, and they now seek to use businesses to destroy our rights and silence our voices. Understand that they don’t want an argument or a conversation - they want to use their non-governmental cultural power to deny us access to a platform so that we are unable to make our views heard. We need to recognize this dangerous trend and counterattack ruthlessly with our political power," . . .

Monica Lewinsky: Emerging from “the House of Gaslight” in the Age of #MeToo

By Monica Lewinsky in Vanity Fair

On the 20th anniversary of the Starr investigation, which introduced her to the world, the author reflects on the changing nature of trauma, the de-evolution of the media, and the extraordinary hope now provided by the #MeToo movement.

"How do I know him? Where have I seen him? The Man in the Hat looked familiar, I thought, as I peered over at him a second time.

"It was Christmas Eve 2017. My family and I were about to be seated at a quaint restaurant in Manhattan’s West Village. We had just come from Gramercy Park—on the one night each year when the exclusive park (accessible only to nearby residents with special keys) opens its gates to outsiders. There had been carols. People had sung with abandon. In short, it was a magical night. I was happy.

"Amid the glow of candles and soft lighting, I strained to look again at the Man in the Hat. He was part of a small group that had just exited the main dining room. They were now gathering their belongings, likely vacating what was to be our table. And then it clicked. He looks just like . . . no, couldn’t be. Could it?

"A student of Karma, I found myself seizing the moment. Whereas a decade ago I would have turned and fled the restaurant at the prospect of being in the same place as this man, many years of personal-counseling work (both trauma-specific and spiritual) had led me to a place where I now embrace opportunities to move into spaces that allow me to break out of old patterns of retreat or denial.

"At the same moment I stepped toward the Man in the Hat and began to ask, “You’re not . . . ?,” he stepped toward me with a warm, incongruous smile and said, “Let me introduce myself. I’m Ken Starr.” An introduction was indeed necessary. This was, in fact, the first time I had met him." . . . Full Article..

"Bake the damned cake for the NRA, Mister Banker" !!

Don Surber  "So, First National Bank of Omaha thinks it can blacklist the National Rifle Association and refuse to do business with [them].
"Uh-uh.
"Not in 21st century America.
"The courts have ruled that a business has no discretion in whom it will do business with.
"If a Christian baker must bake a wedding cake for gay weddings, then you had better believe a bank must do business with the NRA."

. . . 

" 'The New York Times, through a column by John Corvino, a professor of philosophy at Wayne State University on November 27, said businesses cannot act on personal beliefs.

"At first glance, the Masterpiece Cakeshop case — for which the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments on Dec. 5 — looks easy. In 2012 Charlie Craig and David Mullins attempted to buy a wedding cake at Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colo. The owner, an evangelical Christian named Jack Phillips, refused to sell them one. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission found Phillips liable for sexual-orientation discrimination, which is prohibited by the state’s public accommodations law. State courts have upheld the commission’s decision," the column began.

. . . 

"But Corvino reached the conclusion that Christians must break their moral beliefs.

" 'It’s a mistake to treat sexual-orientation discrimination as exactly like racial discrimination — just as it’s a mistake to treat it as entirely dissimilar. But the underlying principle from Piggie Park holds in the case at hand: Freedom of speech and freedom of religion do not exempt business owners from public accommodations laws, which require them to serve customers equally. The Court should uphold the commission’s decision and rule against Phillips," Corvino concluded.

"If a religious belief is not sacrosanct in the eyes of the court, why should a political one be protected?" . . .

Highlights added by TD

Transgender boy wins girls’ state wrestling title for second time

Theorically going from girl to boy in this case.

NY Post

"CYPRESS, Texas — For the second year in a row, a transgender wrestler has won the Texas girls’ Class 6A 110-pound division.

"Mack Beggs, an 18-year-old senior from Euless Trinity High School near Dallas, entered the tournament in Cypress outside of Houston with an undefeated record. He beat Chelsea Sanchez — who he beat for the title in 2017 — in the final match Saturday.

SEE ALSO

Transgender boy booed, cheered after wrestling title he didn't want

"Video posted online showed a mix of cheers and boos from the crowd following Beggs’ win.

"Beggs is in the process of transitioning from female to male and taking a low-dose of testosterone.

"It was his steroid therapy treatments while wrestling girls that stirred a fierce debate about competitive fairness and transgender rights last season. It’s been a lot quieter since last year when his march to a state championship was dogged by a last-minute lawsuit that tried to stop him.

"Beggs had asked to wrestle in the boys’ division, but the rules for Texas public high schools require athletes to compete under the gender on their birth certificate.

"Beggs entered the state tournament with a 32-0 record, beating three female wrestlers on his way to the championship.

“ 'He has so much respect for all the girls he wrestles,” said Beggs’ mother, Angela McNew. “People think Mack has been beating up on girls … The girls he wrestles with, they are tough. It has more to do with skill and discipline than strength.” . . .

A must-read: The Politically Incorrect Guide® to Climate Change

Watts Up With That?  . . . "I particularly liked this bit of history, one I hadn’t read before.

---

"The world is running a fever, and the effects will be dire. As another commentator observed,

Snows are less frequent and less deep. They do not often lie, below the mountains, more than one, two or three days, and very rarely a week. They are remembered to have been formerly frequent, deep and of long continuance. The elderly inform me the earth used to be covered with snow about three months in every year. The rivers, which then seldom failed to freeze over in the course of the winter, scarcely ever do now. This change has produced an unfortunate fluctuation between heat and cold in the spring of the year which is very fatal to fruits.

"This same observer also noted,

“I remember that when I was a small boy, say 60 years ago, snows were frequent and deep in every winter.”

"Who said that? Al Gore? Leonardo DiCaprio? Nope. That’s Thomas Jefferson, in his 1799 book “Notes on the State of Virginia.”

---

"It just goes to show, that even before the industrial revolution started around 1850, before the world saw an invasion of big, bad, carbon belching machines, the climate was changing just like it always has. In today’s political climate, Thomas Jefferson would be labeled a “denier”."

. . . 

The left wants to talk only about guns, but that's not the problem

Dark Angel Politics

Silvio Canto, Jr.  "Have you tried talking to gun control advocates about school shootings?  Or the one down at the church near San Antonio, Texas?

"It's frustrating, because they are always singing the same song, from "we have too many guns" to "we should follow the example of Australia."

"Yes, we indeed have too many guns, but so what?  We have a right to those guns.  We also have too many cars, and no one wants to outlaw them when a drunk driver kills a family on the road.  We also have a lot of residential swimming pool deaths, and no one is calling to outlaw them.

"As for comparisons to Australia, let's remember what John Lott recently wrote:

Gun control advocates like to note that there has been no mass public shooting in Australia since the buyback.  But they are simply picking out a country that happens to "prove" what they want it to prove. 

European countries such as Belgium, France and the Netherlands have even stricter gun control laws than Australia does, but their mass public shooting rates are at least as high as those in the United States.

During the Obama administration, the per capita casualty rate from shootings in the European Union was actually 27 percent higher than the U.S. rate.

"I tried to bring these numbers to the attention of a gun control advocate, and he told me to stop citing studies paid for by the NRA.

"So how do you talk to an ideologue?  You can't!"

President Trump may finally move the ball forward, because he is talking about school security, or the one issue that cuts through ideology.

American Silliness; Feb 25, 2018

War on Men Week in Higher Education  "Imagine if the gender roles were reversed in any of these stories.

• Hamilton College students protest too many “white, upper class, able-bodied males” at campus pub
• Stanford Hosts ‘Women Only’ Training Hours to Promote Inclusivity
• Stanford Academic: Quest to Colonize Mars Driven by Patriarchy and Male Entitlement

Stanford Hosts ‘Women Only’ Training Hours to Promote Inclusivity

"Nothing says inclusiveness like being exclusive of certain other people, right?

"The Daily Caller reports: . . . 

“Everything was being used and all the testosterone in the air was super suffocating — the kind of culture you find in the gym, it feels very aggressive and not very welcoming,” said Camille Townshend, a Stanford student, when describing her first experience lifting weights (outside the women-only hours).

The old "muscle-privilege" rears it's ugly head again. 

Black student complaint about Black History Month menu gets black employees canned  . . . "However, in today’s environment, it’s not hard to imagine the head cook getting grief if he had denied the two (black) employees’ menu choice — that would be exercising “white privilege/supremacy”: “How do you know what menu is best for us?' ”  

Harvard Law Prof Wants to Lower Voting Age to 16 
The attraction to that is because the decision-making frontal lobe hasn't fully developed by age sixteen, so they would tend to be Democrats. TD

School cancels ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’ due to white student getting lead role  "A New York high school has canceled a production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” after a student activist group complained about a white student being cast in a lead role.
"Students United’s letter conceded that the student cast as Esmeralda “is a stellar actor, singer, and dancer” and that any production would be “lucky to have her.”
"However, it added: “Our concern is not with her, but with the fact that in terms of demographics, she is the wrong choice for this role.”
Related:  Minnesota high school band: We’re only buying music by composers of color   Minnesota: The state that spawned the Wellstone Memorial.

Legal Insurrection/

Who’s Really Winning the North Korea Standoff?

Victor Davis Hanson

Kim Jong-un may seem to have the upper hand, but the U.S. is quietly proving otherwise.

"There have been wild reports that the United States is considering a “bloody nose” preemptive attack of some sort on North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. Such rumors are unlikely to prove true. Preemptive attacks usually are based on the idea that things will so worsen that hitting first is the only chance to decapitate a regime before it can do greater damage.
"But in the struggle between Pyongyang and Washington, who really has gotten the upper hand?
"With its false happy face in the current Winter Olympics, North Korea thinks it is winning the war of nerves. Yet its new nuclear-missile strategy is pretty transparent. It wants to separate South Korea’s strategic interests from those of the United States, with boasts — backed by occasional nuclear-missile tests — that it can take out West Coast cities.
. . . 
"Time, however, may actually be on the American side. The situation in 2018 will certainly be better than it was in 2016. Under the prior policy of “strategic patience,” Washington apparently accepted having North Korean missiles pointed at the West Coast. But things are changing in several ways." . . .

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON — NRO contributor Victor Davis Hanson is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the author, most recently, of The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won.