The Achilles heel of Iran

On those Obama pallets of cash: Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, when asked about the payment by a local Denver, Colorado, television station, said it was "old news."

Peter Skurkiss "When it comes to Iran, most analysts and commentators speak as if the country were a homogenous monolith comprising Persians.  It is not.  In fact, the seldom mentioned Achilles heel of Iran is its diverse ethnic and religious make-up.  This is highlighted by Brenda Shaffer of Georgetown University, who is a leading expert on Iran's ethnic minorities.

Shaffer projects that Iran's current population of more than eighty-five million is made up of forty-two million Persians, an estimated twenty-seven million Azerbaijanis, and roughly eight million Kurds, five million Arabs, two million Turkmen, and one-and-a-half million Baluch.

 . . .
 "As luck would have it, there is civil unrest in the Khuzestan province, which is located at the center of Iran's oil production.  This gets the regime's attention. 

To get an idea of how fragile Iran might be, Berman writes that average Iranians are so fearful of national fragmentation that they mute their criticisms of Tehran's brutal treatment of the non-Persians in the outer provinces even as they themselves suffer under the regime's lash.

"It does not take a geopolitical genius to see that Iran is internally vulnerable.  Its enemies could take the county's ethnic divide as an opportunity to sow the seeds of rebellion within Iran.  This would be poetic justice.  Since the 1970s, Iran has been attempting to export its Shia Islamic revolution to other countries in the region, creating murderous mischief in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Israel, and the Gulf countries through its proxies. 

"To date, these countries have spent their energy and resources responding to Iranian initiatives.  This has essentially been a one-way street and a draining exercise for those on the receiving end.  A country with resources — say, Israel — could decide that it is time to return the favor and take serious aim at destabilizing Iran.  The rationale here is clear.  If Iran is tied up with armed civil resistance at home, it will be far less capable of causing trouble far afield.  Given the current environment, this might not be that hard to accomplish."

Double Exposure: The Dems Coddling of Criminals and Iranian Terrorists

Clarice Feldman  "This week, the Democrats have been revealed as the party that exposes us to (1) criminal mayhem (often anti-Semitic) on the streets of New York and (2) terrorism everywhere as they consistently ignored it, indeed, paid off the perpetrators with pallets of airlifted unmarked bills and praised the worst of its perpetrators. The President has the magical power, it seems, to get idiots and criminals to expose themselves.. . . 

Toon added by TD

"Precision bombings in Iraq Expose the Democrats’ Love Affair with Iranian Terrorism

Precision bombing in Iraq killed the number-one terrorist in the world, far more dangerous to U.S. personnel and interests than Osama bin Laden was when he, a frail, isolated old man, was killed: Qassem Suleimani. 

“General Suleimani was the architect of nearly every significant operation by Iranian intelligence and military forces over the past two decades, and his death was a staggering blow for Iran at a time of sweeping geopolitical conflict.”

"Also killed, according to Iran, were General Hussein Jaafari Naya, Colonel Shahroud Muzaffari Naya, Major Hadi Tarmi, and Captain Waheed Zamanian. Other reports include Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi paramilitary leader, who attacked American and Western embassies and was the founder of a group responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers in Iraq.

. . . "Back in 1992, Obama’s friend Professor Skip Gates warned of the dangers of Black anti-Semitism,  Al Sharpton and Louis Farrakhan and Obama’s pastor Jeremiah Wright have been leaders in stirring this pot and yet no Democratic leader has called them on it. Indeed, most seek their endorsement and support. Linda Sarsour, the new anti-Semite on the block, is an ally of Mayor de Blasio. Obama named her one of his “Champions of Change.” Don’t look to the media to report honestly about this Democrats' tradeoff of black underclass votes for Jewish votes. Don’t expect leftists of any background to call them on it. 

"People like Farrakhan are not “fringe figures,” they are key players in the Democratic effort to round up votes. As by online friend Alex Bensky writes:

He comes to Detroit every year or so and fills the arena with twenty thousand people, while local black leaders jostle for prominent seats. A black guy I know decided to see for himself a couple of summers ago when fifteen thousand filled an outdoor theater. He said the crowd was very enthusiastic, equally so when Farrakhan went into the Jew stuff, applauding and cheering as for anything else he said.
Both local gazettes limited themselves to observations at the end of their stories that Farrakhan has sometimes said things "that some people consider anti-Semitic." The local black weekly gives him extensive and admiring coverage and doesn't mention the Jew-hatred at all.
Imagine a comparable situation -- a caucus of Republicans in Congress has close and longstanding ties with an out and out racist who can command the presence of thousands wherever he goes. My guess is the media's coverage would have a different tone.. . . 

Advertisement Iran threatens the WHITE HOUSE: Tehran ups the ante by promising a 'crushing and powerful retaliation on American soil' and US military sites and calls Donald Trump a 'terrorist in a suit' for warning he will attack 52 Iranian targets

"Iran has threatened to attack the White House in response to Donald Trump's warning that any strike on American interests in the region will bring massive retaliation as Iranian leaders brand the president a 'terrorist in a suit'. On Sunday, Iranian MP Abolfazl Abutorabi (left) said: 'We can attack the White House itself, we can respond to them on the American soil. We have the power, and God willing we will respond in an appropriate time.’ Abutorabi went on to say that 'this is a declaration of war, which means if you hesitate you lose. When someone declares war do you want to respond to the bullets with flowers? They will shoot you in the head.' Abutorabi came during an open session of parliament in Tehran, Iran, on Sunday, and just days after Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani (top right), the architect of Tehran's overseas clandestine and military operations as head of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, was killed on Friday in a US drone strike on his convoy at Baghdad airport. Following massive funeral marches in Iraq, Soleimani's body was flown to the city of Ahvaz in southwest Iran on Sunday. His casket (center) was wrapped in an Iranian flag as it was unloaded from a plane as a military band plays and the crowd angrily chanted 'Death to America'. On Saturday, Revolutionary Guards commander Major General Hossein Salami promised 'a strategic revenge which will definitely put an end to the US presence in the region'. However, Trump threatened to hit 52 critical targets in Iran in retaliation if Tehran strikes any American interests in the region, upping the stakes after Iran said it had identified 35 targets for potential strikes and raised its red 'flags of revenge' over a key mosque."

'Iranian hackers' breach US government website operated by the Federal Depository Library Program in retaliation for airstrike  . . . "It followed the similar hacking of websites for a number of obscure, non-governmental entities, including the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, the Taiwan Lung Meng Technology Company, and the Human Rights Protection Association of India.
"The website for a British company called Bigways was also struck in the cyber attacks.

Security experts have already warned that cyber attacks could be part of Iran's retaliation for the U.S. airstrike on Friday that killed Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani, a top official in Iran and beloved there. 

"Iran's state-backed hackers are already among the world's most aggressive and could inject malware that triggers major disruptions to the U.S. public and private sector.

"Potential targets include manufacturing facilities, oil and gas plants and transit systems. A top U.S. cybersecurity official is warning businesses and government agencies to be extra vigilant." . . .

Defense stocks rise after U.S. kills Iranian general in Iraq

American Military News  "American gasoline prices could rise in the coming weeks over fears about the potential fallout from the U.S. killing of an Iranian military leader. And those price hikes could escalate if the conflict intensifies.
"But with oil production strong in the U.S. and elsewhere, the effect on fuel is likely to be muted in the near term.
"“We’re talking about making a nickel of an impact on gas prices over the next week,” says Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at fuel-savings app GasBuddy.
"To be sure, the American airstrike that killed the Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, while he was visiting Iraq could trigger a chain of events that would have a greater effect on the price of gas.
“ 'The severity of their response is what’s going to impact gas prices most,” DeHaan says. “This could really escalate from here on out.”

"If oil jumps more than $5 a barrel and gasoline follows it higher, the increase in prices could have a “pretty significant impact to consumers” says AAA spokeswoman Jeanette Casselano. Gas is made by refining crude oil.

"U.S. oil futures prices rose 3.7% to $63.44 at 9:51 a.m. ET on Friday.

"The national average price of gasoline reached $2.59 on Friday, up 3 cents from a week earlier, according to AAA.

"Traders are bracing for the possibility that Iran will retaliate by restricting the flow of oil in the Middle East or potentially attacking production sites." . . .

Donald Trump sees Iran's threat against 35 US targets and raises them by vowing to strike 52 Iranian sites - as Islamic Republic unfurls its red flag of war and White House expects retaliation 'within weeks'

UK Daily Mail

Iran raised blood red 'flags of revenge' over the minarets at the
 revered Jamkaran Mosque in the holy city of Qom on Saturday

"President Donald Trump has threatened to hit 52 critical targets in Iran in retaliation if Tehran strikes any American interests in the region, upping the stakes after Iran said it had identified 35 targets for potential strikes and raised the red 'flags of revenge' over a key mosque..

" 'Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!' Trump tweeted on Saturday from Mar-a-Lago, after spending the day at his nearby golf course.
" 'Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, & badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime, including recently hundreds of Iranian protesters,' Trump said.
" 'He was already attacking our Embassy, and preparing for additional hits in other locations. Iran has been nothing but problems for many years,' he continued.
"Trump's threat referenced the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-1981, in which 52 U.S. diplomats and citizens were held hostage by student revolutionaries in Iran. His threat to target sites important to 'Iranian culture' drew many accusations from critics that he was threatening to commit 'war crimes'. 
"A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the list of U.S. targets from DailyMail.com on Saturday evening.
"The U.S. military confirmed two rocket attacks near American facilities in Iraq on Saturday, saying that no U.S. personnel or allies were injured. The attacks took place near the Green Zone in Baghdad and Balad Air Base in northern Iraq.
"Earlier on Saturday, an Iranian official said at least 35 U.S. targets, including warships and Tel Aviv, have been identified for retaliatory strikes." . . .

Terry Gilliam faces backlash after labeling #MeToo a 'witch-hunt'

Terry Gilliam

The Guardian  . . . The website PinkNews offered swift condemnation, calling the 79-year-old’s comments “a feeble attempt to prove that white men are the real victims”.

"The Time Bandits director and Monty Python cast member, who first described himself as a black lesbian in interviews last year, made his latest comments to the Independent while promoting his film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, released later this month.
. . . "Gilliam was essentially repeating comments he made in 2018, at a film festival in the Czech Republic. Then, he said: “I no longer want to be a white male, I don’t want to be blamed for everything wrong in the world: I tell the world now I’m a black lesbian … My name is Loretta and I’m a BLT, a black lesbian in transition.”
"Speaking to the Independent, he said: “You can hate what I just said. That’s fine! No problem. I mean, you can believe whatever you want to believe, but fundamentalism always ends up being, ‘You have to attack other people who are not like you,’ and that’s what makes me crazy.' ”

 Monty Pythons Jailer Sketch 2

This sketch really shows the brilliance of Terry Gilliam, the animated cartoonist for the Monty Python gang. I'd like to show you the 'Jailer scene' from 'The Life of Brian' Gilliam is the jailer who stands behind Michael Palin the organizer and plays dumb with Eric Idle brilliantly - it always has me rolling in the isles - enjoy

Kaepernick Sparks Outrage With Unbelievable Remark After Killing of Top Iranian General

Moreover, Kaepernick alleges the airstrike was race related, stating that America is targeting attacks against “Black and Brown people for the expansion of American imperialism.”

Analyzing America  "Failed NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who is endorsed by NIKE, sunk to a new low following the U.S. airstrike that killed the world’s top terrorist, Qassem Soleimani.

"Kaepernick wrote on Twitter, “There is nothing new about American terrorist attacks against Black and Brown people for the expansion of American imperialism.”
“ 'America has always sanctioned and besieged Black and Brown bodies both at home and abroad,” Kaepernick added."
. . . Now on to the comments about his words...

But he is a role model for those on the US women's soccer team that many consider to be "ugly Americans".

Right After Trump Kills Top Terrorist, Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar Says The Unthinkable  . . . "Cruz had asked why congressional Democrats are outraged by the killing of Soleimani, considering that even according to the Obama Dept. of Defense, soleimani was a terrorist directly responsible for the murder of over 500 US service men & women.

"Omar agreed that she is outraged and referred to the terrorist as a “foreign official.' ”

Will Dems Impeach Trump For Killing Soleimani, Too?

Issues & Insights  "Shortly after the news broke that U.S. forces had killed Qassem Soleimani with a precision drone strike, Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted that “Trump wants war, knows this leads to war and needs the distraction.”
"That’s a pretty serious charge, since she’s saying that Trump is taking the country to war for personal political gain. Doesn’t that constitute a high crime?
"Omar wasn’t the only Democrat making such claims. New Mexico Sen. Tom Udall accused Trump of taking the country “to the brink of an illegal war with Iran.”
"Rep. Tulsi Gabbard – who voted present on the two Trump impeachment charges – said Friday that “This was very clearly an act of war by this president without any kind of authorization or declaration of war from Congress, clearly violating the Constitution.” 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the assassination was conducted “without an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iran.”  Over at the conservative-leaning Washington Examiner, Jack Hunter says, apparently in all seriousness, that “Trump’s Iran general strike is the kind of thing you should actually impeach him over.” Waging war unconstitutionally “is a textbook example of executive overreach and abuse of power.”
"Hunter doesn’t think Democrats would dare impeach Trump for this. But why is he so confident of that? They wanted to impeach Trump for comments he made at a summit in Helsinki in 2018 and for owning a hotel in Washington, D.C." . . .

Trump causes the American left to quake in their boots

Feckless: why I like using the word for the American left

. . . The “feck” in feckless began as a short form of effect used in the Scots dialect. So feckless essentially means "ineffective," but is also used to describe someone who is irresponsible, incompetent, inept, or without purpose in life.

Tony Branco

Everyone Has A Different Take On Soleimani And Iran, But There’s Only One That Trump Should Listen To   "Not everything is black and white. Take, for example, the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani near a Baghdad airport on Thursday, an event that drew mixed reactions from all sides of the political spectrum. There were, of course, the usual suspects always looking for an excuse to attack or question President Trump. Democrats and media figures on the left, like Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, MSNBC contributor Joyce Alene, CNN commentator Karen Finney, and many more accused him of ordering the strike to create a “distraction” from domestic issues. Former Obama staffer Ben Rhodes wondered if Trump “is equipped to handle a complex, enduring, international crisis that could play out in many countries and demand expertise, rigorous process, and judicious decision-making?” Among countless others to question the president’s ability to handle the situation included Vox founder Ezra Klein, Harvard professor Samantha Power, and Washington Post columnist Brian Klaas." . . .
How's this for a feckless Hollywoodite?:

And then there was Hollywood actress Rose McGowan, who, believe it or not, actually apologized to Iran for his death. “We are being held hostage by a terrorist regime,” she wrote. “We do not know how to escape. Please do not kill us.”

. . .
 Bernie Sanders out to knock the legs out from under Trump's victory on terror

Instead of just whining about the beast's demise alongside the Hollywood elites, this pair, Sanders and Khanna, who serves as his campaign co-chairman, are now attempting to block funds from President Trump to keep him from hosing the terrorist hellhole out and getting the job done. They don't want that. They know it's 'winning' and they abhor it.

Wrong president and wrong year, Ayatollah  You shoulda picked on a Democrat you knew CNN liked.
. . . "Khameini got the year and the president wrong. This wasn’t 1979 and Jimmy Carter, or 2015 and Barack Obama. After a couple days Trump airmailed his response – a seeing-eye missile that took out Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani along with other generals and some colonels." . . .
. . . "While CNN is spending hours covering “mourners” in Baghdad demonstrating over the raid that killed Soleimani,  less attention is being paid to the crowds celebrating his death, such as this celebration in Syria: . . .

Likud Herut UK  "Here is a gentle reminder of the terror empire Qassem #Soleimani built and controlled across the Middle East. This man truly was evil personified. In #Syria alone, his terror groups assisted #Assad in the murder of 500,000 of his own people, 125,000 of them children."

 Arsen Ostrovskyposted:    To all those condemning President @realDonaldTrump and the U.S. for taking out arch Iranian terrorist Qasem #Soleimani, I am reminded of this timely quote by Winston Churchill: “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it will eat him last.“ 

Placing American lives above politics  "I awoke around 7:30am, turned on the TV and flipped through channels. I briefly stopped on CNN and MSNBC. True to form, both fake news outlets were lying. They were selling the lie that by killing Iran's top general, Qasem Soleimani, Trump had recklessly put the U.S. in danger. While I realize that fake news medias' mission is to spin everything to make Trump look mean, incompetent, and insane, it is amazing that they never take a break; laser-focused on destroying Trump 24/7.

"Ninety-two percent of media coverage of Trump is negative, designed to have him removed from office." . . .

How's this for feckless?  Attacked By The Left For Calling Soleimani A Murderer, Elizabeth Warren Releases New Statement  "Last night, Elizabeth Warren tweeted a response to the airstrike on Soleimani which began “Soleimani was a murderer, responsible for the deaths of thousands, including hundreds of Americans.” That is all completely accurate, but it was too much for the far left of the party which began attacking Warren as a warmonger:: . . .

Soleimani, Abu Bakr, the Dem Washington Gnats, and the Corrupt Journalist Corps Ring in the Year

The American Spectator   "When Obama got word that Bin Laden was in our sights, he gave the OK to send in Seal Team Six and dispatch Bin Laden to eternal damnation. The Democrats cheered Obama, as though he somehow had done something mighty or brave. I never understood that. What President, other than a Bernie Sanders or an Elizabeth Warren, would not have given the OK? Where was the courage, the guts, the greatness?
"What was the risk in OK’ing taking out Bin Laden? That our intelligence might have been wrong? The cost-benefit equation was so one-sided. If that was the intelligence the President was given, then that was an incredibly easy call. Even fair-minded Obama opponents would have recognized that, given the intelligence, it still would have made a positive statement even if Bin Laden had not been hiding in the reported compound: that we will get the guy, one way or another, sooner or later. In any event, it was a wonderful American moment, and Republican conservatives greeted the Bin Laden wack with joy, even as Democrats were delirious with glee. No Dem complained that Congress had not declared war or that the President had overstepped his Constitutional authority. He is the commander-in-chief, period. Bin Laden was evil and needed to be wacked. The moment presented itself. All fair-minded Americans understood this.
"Recently, Trump did something amazingly courageous when he authorized taking out Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Jeffrey Epstein of the Middle East, who raped dozens of young girls, headed ISIS and authorized their horrible terrors, and predictably was mourned in the corrupt Washington Post’s obituary as an “austere religious scholar.” Trump’s risk was that he had a Democrat Congress actively politically gunning for him, and any mistake in the intelligence would get him personally into a world of negative outrage from the hypocritical left. The intelligence was pretty good but not as solid as with Bin Laden. The location, rather than in the relatively accessible Pakistan urban area where Bin Laden lived, was in the middle of a Syrian wasteland, with Abu Bakr changing locations almost nightly. But Trump gave the approval, and our Special Ops team took him down, as he died like a dog, like a coward, whimpering, crying, screaming all the way, dead as a doornail.
"Given the incredible evil that Abu Bakr represented — who could dispute what ISIS is? — the Democrats were muted in their approval." . . .

Report Obama warned Tehran in 2015 of an Israeli plan to kill Soleimani

From the fertile imaginations of Babylon Bee: Democrats Call For Flags To Be Flown At Half-Mast To Grieve Death Of Soleimani  "WASHINGTON, D.C.—At a press conference held on Capitol Hill Friday, mourning Democrat leaders called for flags to be flown half-mast to honor the death of Qasem Soleimani.
"Flags were spotted flying at half-mast around the country, notably at The Washington Post, The New York Times, and in front of several celebrities' homes. The celebrities went out and bought an American flag for the first time just to fly it at half-mast for this important time of grief.
" 'The grieving process is painful but necessary," said Rep. Ilhan Omar. "As a nation, we need to stop and grieve this great, austere, revered religious scholar. He was one of the good ones."
"In a rare moment of unity with The Squad, Pelosi gave each of the girls a hug, telling them to just "let it all out" in their time of sadness.
"Ocasio-Cortez didn't seem to know what was happening but adjusted her glasses to look smart.
"A teary-eyed Barack Obama was also seen solemnly lowering the flag in front of his seaside mansion. "To think, this all could have been prevented with a few pallets of cash." "He sighed and stared off into the distance, a look of pain and regret on his face. "If only Trump had targeted a U.S. citizen with a drone strike instead.' " . . .

Independent Sentinel  "The Obama-Biden administration is accused of helping Soleimani achieve untold power in Iraq. Joe Biden allegedly forced out Soleimani’s competition and Barack Obama reportedly warned Iran of a plan to kill Soleimani.
"Joe Biden’s Role in Iraq
"Free Beacon reports that former vice president Joe Biden enabled recently assassinated Iranian terror leader Qassem Soleimani to push the United States out of Iraq and deliver the country into the hands of Iran.
"In 2010, as Iraq faced pivotal elections that decided the country’s direction, Soleimani went to great lengths to ensure Iranian-backed politicians won control of the government.
"During that time, then-vice president Biden called pro-America Iraqi politician Ayad Allawi to demand that he stop trying to form a government. That paved the way for Soleimani to orchestrate an Iranian takeover of the Iraqi political system, according to Free Beacon."
. . . 
"Barack Obama Is Accused of Warning Tehran
"In 2015, Barack Obama took a pass on killing Soleimani. Israel had a plan to kill him, allegedly.
"According to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida in January 2018, three years before, the Obama administration warned the Iranian government about the Israeli operation. It allegedly caused issues between Israeli and U.S. intelligence.
"“The report says Israel was ‘on the verge’ of assassinating Soleimani…[in 2015], near Damascus, but the United States warned the Iranian leadership of the plan, revealing that Israel was closely tracking the Iranian general,” Haaretz reported.
"It wouldn’t surprise us if it’s true.
"If true, it means Barack Obama aided and abetted the enemy and stood in the way of our ally.
"Soleimani and his Quds Force were designated terrorists by the State Department in 2007." . . .

Ian Macfarlane

Liberal Law Professor Noted Something Odd About Schumer's Trump Impeachment Speech

Matt Vespa  “ 'Schumer's statement today is curious since he not only opposed any witnesses in the Clinton trial but also supported a summary vote without a trial,” tweeted Turley.  “He is insisting on ‘following precedent’ that he opposed creating. He also ran on the pledge to vote to acquit before any trial.”
"From the beginning, Turley wasn’t supportive of this impeachment nonsense the Democratic Party was peddling, noting that it was all bereft of anything concrete that would even be remotely impeachable. 
“Passion over proof” is how he summed up this whole circus act. He testified before Congress before the House Intelligence Committee when chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) got the ball rolling on this (via The Hill):

In my testimony …I stated repeatedly, as I did 21 years ago, that a president can be impeached for noncriminal acts, including abuse of power. I made that point no fewer that a dozen times in analyzing the case against Trump and, from the first day of the Ukraine scandal, I have made that argument both on air and in print. Yet various news publications still excitedly reported that, in an opinion piece I wrote for the Washington Post five years ago, I said, “While there is a high bar for what constitutes grounds for impeachment, an offense does not have to be indictable,” and it could include “serious misconduct or a violation of public trust.” . . .