Saturday, April 8, 2023

The Arab world asks: Will America continue to act as the world’s policeman?

  Arab News

Joe Biden has also tended to be more domestic-focused. The US exit from Afghanistan was handled disastrously, hardly elevating the country’s prestige globally.

Joe Biden is greeted by Ilhan Omar upon arrival at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, Minnesota, 

"Back in the 1990s, if there was such a thing as the world’s policeman, then it was the US. This was the American moment, not least in the Middle East. The Soviet Union had collapsed, Russia was in crisis and the sleeping dragon of China was only just awakening.


"The questions many ask nowadays revolve around whether the US even wants this role part time anymore? Does the world need a policeman? States are meant to be equal, but of course they are not. And what happens if the US totally abandons such a function? Does China try to step in?
"America’s reputation is far from pristine. It made telling interventions for the better in both world wars. It was instrumental in the liberation of Kuwait in 1991. Without America’s role in the Balkans, things may have been considerably worse. But against that, many people see the US as having acted as a bully. They remember Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and extraordinary rendition. And what about when the US and others did absolutely nothing, as in Rwanda?
"Things went downhill for the US after 9/11. It saddled itself with two costly, lengthy interventions in Afghanistan and then Iraq. The former was initially broadly supported internationally. The latter certainly was not and ate away at America’s credibility and reputation. The cost in blood and treasure was gargantuan, but what really changed was the crushing of US domestic support for adventurism overseas. That said, America’s withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan did not bring order and security. Far from it.". . .

. . ."But the US will still matter. Any weakness is more about political will rather than any absence of military or economic might.". . .Full article here...

Transgender Suspect With Communist Manifesto Arrested For Planning Shootings At Schools, Churches: Police

 The Daily Wire   Law enforcement officials in Colorado have arrested a transgender individual with a communist manifesto for allegedly planning mass shootings at schools and churches in the area.

News of the arrest was made public on Thursday afternoon, but the arrest happened on March 31, just a few days after a transgender terrorist massacred six people, including three children, at a private Christian school in Nashville.

The individual, who The Daily Wire is not naming due to company policy about not giving notoriety to mass killers or those who allegedly aspire to commit such atrocities, is a biological male who goes by a different female name and uses “she/her” pronouns.

"The 19-year-old was charged with criminal attempt to commit murder in the first degree (two counts), criminal mischief, menacing, and interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions.

"The suspect allegedly targeted Timberview Middle School, Prairie Hills Elementary, Pine Creek High School, and “other targets were churches,” KRDO reported.

"A family member turned the suspect into police, telling 911 that they had threatened to shoot up schools and had severe anger issues.". . .

Can U.S. M1 Tanks Make A Difference In Ukraine?


 Issues & Insights  . . ."The short answer is no, for several reasons. The U.S. has pledged 31 M1 tanks but they will not arrive for at least a year. We will not send tanks with DU armor because the composition is still secret and because of the difficulty of cleanup if the armor is breached, so they will have to be re-manufactured with alternate armor or taken from stocks of other export versions. In any case, 31 tanks is a pittance in a war that has already seen roughly a thousand Russian tanks destroyed.

"In support of the government’s fight against ISIS, we gave more than 300 M1s to Iraq, so 31 is largely symbolic; their real purpose is to induce the Germans to provide 100 or more of their tanks during 2023. It is possible that those tanks will arrive in time and in sufficient numbers to make a difference, but even that number will have to be used very strategically if they are to have a significant impact. Russia has a huge advantage in numbers of tanks, so frontal assaults on Russian tank positions would quickly deplete the limited Ukrainian supply. Instead, their high mobility must be used to stage hit-and-run ambushes and Blitzkrieg-style rear-area raids.

"Unfortunately, despite our advances in armor protection, greater advances in anti-tank missiles have been developed, as exemplified by our own Javelin, which has devastated so many Russian tanks. Russia also has plenty of effective anti-tank missiles, which are widely deployed and hard to detect. A solution would be to provide the Ukrainians with tanks outfitted with the Trophy active protection system, which has radar that can detect incoming missiles and rockets and shoot them before they hit the tank. Trophy is a game-changer that largely eliminates the threat from anti-tank missiles and would allow much more flexible use of the tanks. The U.S. has outfitted several hundred M1s with Trophy; unfortunately, this does not appear to be in the cards for Ukraine.

"There is hope, however. Ukraine has shown great resourcefulness in its execution of the war thus far, and we expect that they will use these new assets wisely."  Much more...

Prof ‘Admires’ Murder Of Conservative Campus Speakers — CAN He Be Fired? -

 The Lid

Biden and his fellow leftists can cry ULTRA-MAGA hysterics all day long, but if they really cared about dealing with violence and division, they should stop making excuses for how many cynically malevolent people their ideology produces.

"A prof calling for the murder of Conservatives is a new low. The left pretends to care about rights and ‘harm’ to someone so long as those victims are politically convenient to their cause.

"Anyone who doesn’t march lockstep with their agenda doesn’t get the dignity of being considered truly ‘human’ in that sense.

"Their reactions when conservative judges are targeted for assassination, when churches and crisis pregnancy centers are destroyed, or when a whole range of bully tactics are brought to bear on people who check some combination of identity boxes are ‘fair game:

"Those identity boxes include conservative, white, heterosexual, male, and Christian. The more boxes you check off, the less human value your life has in their eyes.

"We are seeing that play out in real life. Rand Paul has been personally attacked on several occasions. At the time of writing, we do not know the condition of the Rand Paul staffer who was clinging to life after being stabbed in the head by an assailant. That Christian school in Nashville? It was a targeted attack by someone who is trans.

"Hardly a day goes by when some elected Democrat doesn’t use a pejorative in front of the word ‘Christian’ these days… often cynically pairing it with ‘White’ and ‘Nationalist.". . .

Wyoming Democrat Says She Supports Murdering People Who Oppose Transgenderism - The Lid (lidblog.com)

. . ."Wyoming Democrat State Rep. Karlee Provenza has kicked up outrage in the Cowboy State for posting memes on social media in which she suggested that anyone who opposes the radical, groomer transgender agenda should be murdered.

"Three memes, in particular, have gotten this leftist lunatic in hot water. One features a photo of an old woman in a jacket festooned in trans flag colors and holding a rifle with the caption “Auntie Fa Says Protect Trans Folks Against Fascists & Bigots.” A second with a voice stating that first-degree murder is the proper policy. And a third advertising for Antifa patches to be worn at protests."

For Soros-funded prosecutor, Trump indictment is a campaign promise kept

 Byron York  "Alvin Bragg, the local district attorney in Manhattan who has led the effort to indict former President Donald Trump, is an elected official. He ran for his current office in 2021. In that campaign, he won a Democratic primary crowded with fellow Democrats who promised that, if elected, they would go after Trump. Now, having been elected, Bragg is going after Trump.

"Getting Trump has been a common feature in New York elections for law enforcement positions. The 2018 campaign for state attorney general was a virtual bidding war in which each candidate promised to pursue Trump more zealously than the other candidates. The winner, Attorney General Letitia James, has been unable to come up with criminal charges against Trump personally, but she did, along with Bragg, prosecute the Trump Organization on questionable grounds -- or, if not questionable, at least grounds that led observers to wonder whether the case would have been pursued with such fervor against an organization not named Trump. Top Trump official Allen Weisselberg pleaded guilty to 15 felony charges.

"Now Bragg has won the indict-Trump sweepstakes. And for him, indicting Trump on charges that seem truly questionable is more than just indicting Trump. It is keeping a campaign promise. No, Bragg did not specifically pledge, "If elected, I will indict Donald J. Trump." But he promised to pursue Trump and hold him "accountable," which is progressive code for going after Trump in any way possible.". . .

'Preacher' Kamala Harris Shows Up in Nashville to Deliver a Grotesque Political Spectacle –

 RedState   "Kamala Harris is truly the most tone-deaf, incapable politician of the modern era. She’s so terrible that she makes Hillary Clinton seem personable and compelling.

"That reality was on full display on Friday as Harris jetted off to Nashville to visit the “Tennessee Three” and to stump for gun control. That decision came after the Biden administration originally all but ignored the tragic mass shooting by a transgender militant that set off the current chain of events. To this day, no one within the administration has even mentioned that the murderer purposely targeted Christians in an obvious hate crime.

"To that effect, it was also obvious that Harris had no intention of visiting Nashville until it became politically convenient to do so. While administration officials, including Joe Biden himself, had previously gone to the sites of school shootings in the past, this one was largely ignored and obfuscated. Yet, the moment three Democrats perpetrated an insurrection at the Tennessee capitol, Harris decided it was time to put boots on the ground.

"There wasn’t even any question about what the vice president’s priorities were in making the trip. Her own staff bragged about them.

"Imagine being one of the parents who lost a child in the Nashville shooting, having been ignored for nearly two weeks only to have the vice president show up to proclaim solidarity with spoiled, fame-seeking legislators that used a mob to shut down the legislature. Three dead children (and six deaths total) weren’t enough to move Harris, but meeting with insurrectionists was.". . .

WATCH: Kamala Harris Screams With Rage During Speech, Defends TN Reps Storming Capitol (trendingpoliticsnews.com)

Friday, April 7, 2023

Beyond Baghdad Bob

First you need to meet the real Baghdad Bob who was the press secretary for Saddam Hussein in Iraq as Allied troops were in Baghdad itself. Our equivalent of Bob is Karine Jean-Pierre


 Power Line (powerlineblog.com)   "The Biden administration has rendered its final judgment on our catastrophic exit from Afghanistan. Insofar as it went poorly, you will be shocked to learn, it was Trump’s fault. The Washington Free Beacon’s Ben Wilson reports on the administration’s unclassified National Security Council summary that was released yesterday.

"NSC spokesman John Kirby answered questions at a press conference minutes after the summary was released. The White House has posted transcript of the press briefing here. The administration didn’t want reporters to have too long to digest the summary’s transparent absurdities before Kirby fielded their questions. Even so, however, Kirby was put on the spot sufficiently that he went full Baghdad Bob. Here is one example."..

"Indeed, Kirby repeatedly went beyond Baghdad Bob — why do I persist in typing Baghdad Bog? — in the briefing. So far as we know, no one is to be fired for any flaws in the withdrawal because it all went down so well. Video of the 90-minute press briefing is posted here on YouTube and here on C-SPAN."


Cash App creator Bob Lee moved out of San Francisco because he thought the city was 'deteriorating'

 Cash App creator Bob Lee moved out of San Francisco because he thought the city was 'deteriorating' shortly before he was stabbed there, friend says (yahoo.com)


. . .Cash App creator Bob Lee moved out of San Francisco because he thought the city was "deteriorating" shortly before he was fatally stabbed, a friend told NewsNation on Wednesday.

Jake Shields, a former mixed martial arts fighter, told the outlet that he used to live in the area Lee was attacked in but ended up moving away because he didn't feel safe there anymore.

"[Lee] did comment on San Francisco deteriorating, which is why he actually had just relocated to Miami," Shields told the outlet.

" 'That wasn't the only reason but was a reason," Shields told Insider. "I can't remember the exact words he used, and want to be careful putting words in a dead man's mouth, but he was extremely happy about how much cleaner and safer Miami felt."

"Lee died after he was stabbed while walking near Rincon Hill and the Bay Bridge early on Tuesday morning, according to an NBC Bay Area report.

"Few details have emerged about the circumstances of the attack and police have yet to identify a subject or announce any arrests related to the incident.". . .

Cash App founder Bob Lee is seen in video staggering and collapsing after being stabbed | Daily Mail Online  . . ."At the intersection with Harrison Street, a short walk from the iconic Embarcadero waterfront, he steps in front of a car and appears to lean over the hood pleading for assistance.

"The interaction lasted around seconds but the driver of the unidentified red vehicle shockingly drives away." . . .

. . ."So far this year there have been 39 murders in the city. The San Francisco Police Department is currently experiencing a shortage of 541 officers. 

"Twitter and Tesla CEO Elon Musk was among a host of tech leaders hitting out at the
lawlessness in the wake of Lee's slaying, writing on Twitter: 'Many people I know have been severely assaulted.

" 'Violent crime in SF is horrific and even if attackers are caught, they are often released immediately.'

"Locals told DailyMail.com they blamed the 'soft-on-crime' progressive policies brought in by the likes of former District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who was tossed from office in a recall election last year.

" 'It's too liberal. Too much. And we're paying for it,' said one. 'Repeat offenders are back out on the streets in a heartbeat and there's nothing we can do about it. We're scared.' ". .  .

Don Lemon’s Misogyny at CNN, Exposed: Malicious Texts, Mocking Female Co-Workers and ‘Diva-Like Behavior’

 Variety

“I saw a new Don emerging, and I didn’t like the new Don,” she says. “He likes celebrity. He likes fame, likes power. He was no longer the same person.” 


"Back in 2008, Don Lemon was co-anchoring CNN’s “Live From” weekday show with Kyra Phillips, a gig that he landed after he arrived at the network two years prior from local news in Chicago. For months, tensions between the pair kept mounting. On more than one occasion, a “Live From” producer and a newsroom supervisor had to pull Lemon off the air during a commercial break because of the anchor’s provocative antics, not unlike his recent declaration that the 51-year-old Nikki Haley isn’t a viable presidential candidate because she “isn’t in her prime.” Amid the charged atmosphere, sources say Lemon disrespected colleague Nancy Grace on the air and Soledad O’Brien during an editorial meeting attended by roughly 30 staffers." . . .

. . ."He became increasingly polarizing, particularly when it came to discussing women, which sometimes came off as tone-deaf. In 2014, he drew widespread condemnation when he told a Bill Cosby rape accuser that she could have stopped an attack by biting the comedian’s penis." . . .

If Rule Of Law Dies, So Does Our Republic –

. . ."Once government can indict you for your politics, censor you on social media, and give left-wing groups free rein while jailing conservatives, it will have shredded our Constitution and erased all your God-given rights. Don’t sit on the sidelines. 

 Issues & Insights   "A number of columns and editorials in recent weeks have openly wondered if the notion of a nation ruled by laws — fair laws reasonably interpreted by well-trained, unbiased, disinterested judges — was dying. Sorry, but it might already be dead.

The overtly political mugging of Donald Trump by a Soros-backed New York district attorney wielding a risible 34-count felony indictment that could put the ex-president behind bars for more than 100 years is bad enough.

But the absurd nature of the accusations make clear the legal charges have nothing to do with the law, and everything to do with Democratic politics.

It’s an obvious example of overreach by a prosecutor, New York’s leftist District Attorney Alvin Bragg, solely for political reasons. It’s an embarrassment to the once-great Empire State, and a travesty of law that will have a damaging effect on Americans’ faith in the legal system.

The left has mastered on technique, straight out of Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” — Rule #13: “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”

"That’s precisely what is being done to ex-President Donald Trump.

"With 2024 looking grim for the Democrats, their only hope is to make Trump into an arch-villain. This, they seem to think, will unite their party’s dispirited base voters, while depriving MAGA voters and others who see Trump as a bulwark against the left’s virulent socialism with an option on Election Day.

"Why? Trump, right now, has a significantly large lead over the next biggest potential Republican rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. In our own I&I/TIPP Poll, taken in early March, Trump held a 51% to 27% lead over DeSantis among Republican-leaning voters for the 2024 GOP presidential primaries.

"President Joe Biden, meanwhile, looks weaker and weaker by the day. The same poll shows just 43% of those who support the Democrats would vote for Biden. He doesn’t have a majority in his own party. Worse, his net approval rating is -12, near its record low.". . .

Here's the VP of Bud Light marketing - and suddenly EVERYTHING makes perfect sense...


But first: BOYCOTT BEGINS: Liquor Store Pulling Bud Light From Shelves After Trans Endorsement | The Gateway Pundit | by ProTrumpNews Staff


Here's the VP of Bud Light marketing - and suddenly EVERYTHING makes perfect sense... - Revolver News   "Bud Light is taking a beating right now, thanks to its affiliation with controversial trans TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney.

"Mulvaney choose April Fools Day to share news that he was partnering with Anheuser Busch. Obviously, given the date, many people were confused. Was it real or was it a prank?

"It definitely felt like a really bad joke."


. . ."We, as Americans, have the ability to fight back and win using our mighty purchasing power to send a clear message directly to the head honchos at Budweiser. 

"And speaking of those Budweiser bigwigs, we’ve come across a photo of the vice president of marketing for Bud Light, and suddenly, this entire transvestite disaster makes perfect sense.

"Her name is Alissa Heinerscheid, and if the “I’m With Her” logo had an actual “face,” it’d be Alissa’s.". . .

"Here’s what folks online are saying."

“A three name pronoun freak from nyc geez what could go wrong”

“She/her proved that Bud Light makes you gay”

“How sure are we that Alyssa is female?”

“Babbles about women needing more representation… proceeds to pay a biological man who mocks and insults women to represent the company.”


 

UPDATED: Trump blasts ‘moron’ Biden after White House blames him for Afghanistan

 


How Hunter Biden’s Firm Helped Secure Cobalt for the Chinese - The New York Times (nytimes.com)    "The president’s son was part owner of a venture involved in the $3.8 billion purchase by a Chinese conglomerate of one of the world’s largest cobalt deposits. The metal is a key ingredient in batteries for electric vehicles."

Earlier this week, Biden ordered the intelligence community to begin a 90-day review of evidence to determine whether the coronavirus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in the central Chinese city.
Trump blasts ‘moron’ Biden after WH blames him for Afghanistan (nypost.com)  “These Morons in the White House, who are systematically destroying our Country, headed up by the biggest Moron of them all, Hopeless Joe Biden, have a new disinformation game they are playing – Blame ‘TRUMP’ for their grossly incompetent SURRENDER in Afghanistan,” Trump, 76, hollered on Truth Social on Thursday.
" 'I watched this disaster unfold just like everyone else. I saw them take out the Military FIRST, GIVE $85 Billion of military equipment, allow killing of our soldiers, and leave Americans behind. Biden is responsible, no one else!”
"Shortly before Trump’s eviscerating rant, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby took questions on the 12-page after-action review of the controversial August 2021 withdrawal, which resulted in the deaths of 13 US service members and hundreds of Afghans. 
"The report blames the chaotic evacuation on Trump’s administration promising the Taliban that US forces would leave the country by May 2021 — but fails to account for the fact that the US also had the option to renege on the agreement if Afghan peace talks failed.". . .