Can the WNBA act in its own interest?

 Mike McDaniel

 My Kendo—Japanese fencing—sensei taught that when beaten, the only thing to do was to bow and say: “thank you for teaching me I must be better.” A little of that humility could go a long way toward building the WNBA. 

"Children trained in a variety of sports learn the aphorism: “there is no “I” in team.” That they must use their talents while subordinating their egos for the good of their team is relentlessly drilled into them. They quickly learn there are always others bigger, faster, stronger and more talented and if their coaches are people of common sense and integrity, they’re also taught they should appreciate those people because they make the team stronger.

"Coaches also say playing sports is all about building character, about learning to work and play with others, which inevitably takes a backseat to winning.

"That’s why study of Caitlin Clark and the WNBA is such a useful morality tale.

"Prior to Clark, the WNBA was the fringiest of fringe sports. On pain of death, few, if any Americans could name a single player. Now they can name at least one. Almost immediately upon joining the league, she single-handedly raised interest, and revenue, to previously unimagined levels. Suddenly, athletes making a pittance could see a future of increased salaries and perhaps even lucrative endorsement deals. Clark is the tide raising all boats.

"But how could a single athlete do that? In his 1992 movie, Leap of Faith, Steve Martin said you never mess with the genuine article. That’s Caitlin Clark. She has it all. She’s pretty, smart, reads the court like no one else, has every skill required, is relentlessly hard-working, is a born leader, and is genuinely nice. She passes the ball, helps her teammates score and as a guard routinely makes rebounds. People are watching the WNBA in record numbers because she’s the genuine article, and she has made her team a winner." . . .

Maybe Caitlin should start her own league

 "As you can see, the girls in the league have decided to declare war on Caitlin Clark, the new kid on the block. Caitlin is not only a great player, but she is also the only reason that people are watching on TV. One would think that these young women want Caitlin to play as many minutes as possible. She fills the arena! Not these girls. It’s all-out war on her, and no one is winning.

 Black racism is bigger than basketball   

"It’s time to face these actions and behaviors and call them out for what they are—black racism:" . . .

Hilarity Ensues After Desperate Gavin Newsom Challenges JD Vance to a Debate

Sister Toldjah

"Last time you debated all it took was taking a poop map out."

"Like his boss, President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance has a knack for oftentimes triggering his political opposition, which was evident Friday when Vance referred to Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) as "Jose Padilla" in remarks made during a visit to the Golden State.

"As we reported, Vance's comments, made in Los Angeles in context of a question about Democrats arrested by the Trump administration, sparked a response from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who said, "You served with him today, and how dare you disrespect him and call him Jose, but I guess he just looked like anybody to you. Well, he's not just anybody to us. He is our senator."

"California Gov. Gavin Newsom, too, reached for the (insinuated) race card, tweeting, "JD Vance served with Alex Padilla in the United States Senate. Calling him 'Jose Padilla' is not an accident."

"But that's not all Newsom said about Vance on Friday night. 45 minutes later, a desperate Newsom challenged Vance to a debate:

Hey @JDVance — nice of you to finally make it out to California. Since you’re so eager to talk about me, how about saying it to my face? Let’s debate. Time and place?

"Obviously, the guy who is all but certain to officially commence with a 2028 presidential run at some point forgot how things turned out when he issued a similar challenge to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023." . . . 

No Kings, Except In California 

 . . ."Newsom’s excess was recently restrained by Congress and President Donald Trump through the proper lawmaking process. Trump signed a bill that he said “will kill, totally kill” California’s EV mandate “forever.”

"Newsom’s response was not only to sue, which is certainly within the scope of his position, but to also behave as if, again, he is accountable to no one. He defiantly shot back on June 12 with an order that “reaffirms” the state’s “commitment to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission technologies, including passenger, medium and heavy-duty vehicles.” He recognizes no one’s authority but his own." . . .

Reaction to Trump's Stunning Attack on Iran Lights Up Social Media

 RedState  Donald Trump made the massive move to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites Saturday night and is expected to speak to the nation at 10 p.m. EST.

The reaction has not surprisingly taken over the headlines, but social media is also on fire with opinions on the strikes. Perhaps the most interesting one so far came from Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman, who, based on his record and his campaign, was expected to be a far-left legislator. However, he has broken with his party numerous times, and he does so once again here:

As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS

Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities.

I’m grateful for and salute the finest military in the world.

Reports are that Iran's nukes are no-va so far, at least until Democrats become once more in charge of that nation. TD

https://rofcbybroc.com/

US bombs three nuclear sites in Iran including key Fordow bunker as Trump hails 'our very successful attack' and demands 'now is the time for peace'

UK Daily Mail

"The United States has bombed three nuclear sites in Iran in a risky move that could spark a wider regional conflict.

"President Donald Trump tonight hailed the 'very successful attack' on the key Fordow bunker, Natanz and Esfahan sites. 

"He said American planes had dropped a 'full payload of bombs' and had now left Iranian airspace. 

'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,' Trump declared in a post on social media. 

'All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.'

Trump added in a later post that he would address the national at 10pm eastern time (3am UK time), writing this was a 'historic moment' for the United States. 

The president said B-2 stealth bombers were used but did not specify which types of bombs were dropped.

The decision to directly involve the US comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that have moved to systematically eradicate the country's air defenses and nuclear program. " . . .

 

Read more about the three locations pictured above and much in addition here.

Financial Data Reveals ‘No Kings’ Protests Are Hypocritical Astroturfing

The Federalist   

"I’ve asked several of my local No Kings supporters about this obvious double standard, but I have yet to receive a reasonable answer. Thus, I can only conclude that these folks are perfectly fine with a monarch (even one who is clearly mentally unfit) so long as he has a “D” after his name."

"Last weekend was shaping up to be a depressing one for the American left. Between the celebrations of Flag Day (which is also President Trump’s birthday) and Father’s Day, it seemed Democrats would have to spend all Saturday and Sunday bed-rotting to survive the “toxic” combination of patriotism and patriarchy. 

"But their hopes were restored by the efforts of a bevy of leftist protest organizations. Using the anti-ICE riots happening in Los Angeles and elsewhere as their inspiration, these wannabe tyrants initiated a series of so-called No Kings rallies across the country on Saturday. The obvious purpose of these rallies was to galvanize opposition to the Trump administration and its efforts to reestablish law and order.

"If this all seems eerily familiar, that’s because we’ve seen it before. Americans should not be deceived by this latest clunky combination of astroturfing and gaslighting by ideologues desperate to return to power. 

"Trump’s reelection in November represented the triumph of his common-sense populist appeal in the face of massively organized resistance. To counter Trump, Democrats need to hide their centralized structure behind a façade of spontaneous grassroots activism. Yet the No Kings effort failed to deceive any but the most superficial observer, thanks in large part to Asra Nomani’s efforts with the Pearl Project.

"In an op-ed published last Friday, Nomani detailed how Saturday’s protests were organized by close to 200 groups, “all of which are aligned with the Democratic Party and many of which claim tax-exempt ‘nonpartisan’ non-profit status,” with over $2 billion in annual revenue. 

"Under the moniker of “Indivisible Digital Asset Management,” this protest machine provided promotional materials for demonstration organizers along with an online “toolkit” for messaging and mobilizing support. While these materials seem to emphasize a nonviolent approach, an “orientation” slide deck provided by #ResistTrump, one of the partner organizations involved, reportedly included “political violence” on its continuum of protest, further confirming the left’s descent into radicalism." . . .

Robert Busek is a Catholic homeschooling father of six who has taught history and Western Civilization in both traditional and online classrooms for over twenty years. His essays have also been published in The American Conservative and The American Spectator. 

Supreme Court Unanimously Agrees Victims Can Sue Palestinian Groups

Newsweek   

"The victims brought their claims under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1992, a law enacted in response to the 1985 killing of American citizen Leon Klinghoffer during a hijacking of the Achille Lauro cruise ship. The law was designed to provide a legal avenue in U.S. courts for victims of international terrorism."

"The Supreme Court on Friday reinstated long-standing lawsuits brought by American victims who were killed or injured in terrorist attacks in the Middle East against Palestinian authorities.

"The justices unanimously upheld a 2019 law passed by Congress that explicitly permits these legal actions to proceed against the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority.

"The lawsuits stem from multiple attacks, including several from the early 2000s that killed 33 people and injured hundreds, and a 2018 incident in which a U.S.-born Israeli settler was fatally stabbed by a Palestinian outside a shopping mall in the West Bank.

"Victims and their families allege that Palestinian operatives were either directly involved in or incited the attacks. Palestinian officials, however, have consistently argued that such cases should not be tried in American courts.

"The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York has repeatedly sided with the PLO and Palestinian Authority, despite Congressional amendments intended to enable victims' access to justice. In 2016, the appeals court overturned a $654 million jury verdict in favor of the victims, ruling that U.S. courts lacked jurisdiction over foreign-based organizations in cases involving random attacks not explicitly directed at the United States." . . .

Does anyone think that poor little Greta Thunberg’s latest publicity stunt is anything short of pathetic?

 But first:The cult of the keffiyeh  "Douglas Murray, author of On Democracies and Death Cults , explains why privileged Western ‘progressives’ love to cosplay as Hamas."

I love Israel: "

Dear Little Greta,

"You’re probably wondering why there’s such a fuss over your journey to Gaza. After all, I'm sure you think that you’re doing good for the world as you perceive it. But, my dear little girl, the optics of your actions reveal that you have no knowledge and an overbearing level of self-indugence in your deeds. So here’s a truth alert for you, sweetheart: your symbolic scarf, a.k.a. kufiyah, helps to identify you as an albeit naïve individual who thinks that it’s OK to murder innocent babies (I believe you were once a baby too, so one would naturally think you would empathize with those who suffer at the hands of Hamas). Further, your not-so-pretty scarf reveals that you think it’s OK to rape women believe it’s OK to kidnap and murder people of all ages. Although you do try to act like an adult, sweetie, in reality you’re just not there yet.

"I recall how you were grandstanding for climate changed, but I’m curious why you changed direction and decided to take up a lesser cause. After rehearsing the lines you were given to recite back then, it seems like your current mentors have let you down. Sweetie, the world is laughing AT you for these latest antics. I can’t believe someone has convinced you into believing misguided barbaric notions which celebrate unprovoked crimes - I thought you fancied yourself as a leader, not a follower. Do you embrace death like Hamas does? I certainly hope not! Does this latest romp make you feel good about yourself? If Israel and its population of Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and so many others were so horrible by “kidnapping” you, they wouldn’t have offered you and your comrades kosher snacks, sandwiches, and drinks before sending you back home to mummy and daddy. Yeah, honey, you ate KOSHER foods. How does it feel to eat kosher food when you’re an antisemite?

"I see that you enjoy using redefined words like “kidnapped” as well as “genocide” “apartheid” “colonialism” and “occupation”. Perhaps if you open a dictionary before babbling, you might be humbled by the actual definitions of the above quoted words. I realize English is not your first language which makes for an even stronger argument that you verify the words you choose to use.

"Sweetie, maybe it’s time for you to go back to school. You’ve clearly missed quite a bit of education while you were basking in the media limelight. Andy Warhol (he was a famous New York City artist) quipped that everyone will get 15 minutes of fame. Dearie, you’ve had yours so now I suggest you start a new campaign of self-reflection which will do you some good as you approach adulthood. Add to that some humility and do read history books that were written with integrity and verified facts. If you take on this task, you’ll quickly find that you’re rooting for the wrong side of humanity.

"Sincerely,  One of your smallest fans"

‘No Kings’ Protests Prove Dems Only Hate ‘Tyranny’ When Not in White House

 American Greatness    "The “No Kings” protests weren’t grassroots uprisings—they were choreographed, billionaire-funded spectacles masquerading as democracy while shielding decades of Democrat deportations."

The media wants you to believe that these protests are organic reactions to Trump’s mandate to uphold the law and secure America’s borders. To the contrary, the marches are nothing more than choreographed PR events, orchestrated by leftist elites who would rather be kings in their own right than help American citizens prosper.

"This past weekend, some 2,000 “No Kings” protests visited American cities in opposition to President Trump’s deportation efforts after violent riots engulfed Los Angeles the week prior.

"In addition to signs reading, “Due process is for everyone,” and Immigrants make America great,” there have been numerous violent encounters between rioters and law enforcement, bystander battery and harassment, and even a shooting in Salt Lake City, Utah.

"Meanwhile, Democrat politicians posted an almost verbatim script on social media, espousing America’s greatness in defiance of tyrants. California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis remarked to MSNBC: “People are very determined to get out there and be seen. This is the United States. We do not want a king.” New York Sen. Chuck Schumer posted, “Millions of Americans are standing up today to say loud and clear: No kings in America.” Sen. Patty Murray of Washington wrote, “There are no kings in America. We need to remind ourselves that our voices are important. … That’s how we change the direction of this country. That’s what democracy is.” Illinois governor and Hyatt hotel billionaire JB Pritzker exclaimed: “Let me remind you: we don’t have kings in America—and I won’t bend the knee to one. … This is what democracy in action looks like.”

"While it is a breath of fresh air to see Democrats adopting a new love for liberty, do these “No Kings” protests actually reflect a grassroots effort against “tyranny,” or are they something else entirely?

Think the ‘No Kings’ Protests Are Grassroots? Think Again

"While the legacy media portrays the nationwide protests as the will of the common people, the numbers don’t lie, and it appears the so-called “voices” Democrats are celebrating are not those of regular Americans, but of billionaires and moguls who are diametrically opposed to Trump’s plan to reduce illegal migration and enforce our laws.

"Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna revealed how the “No Kings” protests were being advertised by Walmart heiress Christy Walton, a billionaire and avid Democrat funder who has given hundreds of thousands to leftist organizations like the Lincoln Project, and has opposed Trump’s tariff and immigration policies.

"Indivisible, a self-proclaimed progressive, grassroots organization, took pride in organizing “No Kings” months in advance, working with a coalition of Democrat and progressive organizations to plan the nationwide protests. While Indivisible may want to appear as a genuine, grassroots movement against tyrannical Republicans, records show that the organization received $3 million in 2023 alone, and over $7 million total since 2018, from the Open Society Foundation—the radical organization formed by George Soros to spread Marxist propaganda such as mass migration policy, and to destabilize America by funding terrorist sympathizers.

" 'It is obvious just how influential some of these “No Kings” funders are. Data compiled from DataRepublican shows involvement by the ACLU, the Action Network Fund, the American Federation of Teachers, Black Voters Matter Fund Inc., and other entities, many of which receive millions of dollars in federal grants. Contributions are also tied to local branches of AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States, which has reported receiving over $59 million in federal grants in 2022, and an additional $69 million in 2023. "DataRepublican warned that the AFL-CIO is one of America’s “soft-power” NGOs known for effecting global regime change: “That AFL-CIO is openly involved in sponsoring the No Kings rally should raise extreme concerns as to the rally’s true purpose.” . . .

Progressive Christianity Watch: Let's Hear It for the Queer, Black, Woman Jesus!

 PJ Media 

" No, the rainbow isn’t a “symbol of God's diversity.” It’s God’s promise that He would never again destroy the earth by flood."

"It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I didn’t realize that it’s been over a month since I shared some of the craziness of progressive Christianity with y’all. It’s not for lack of good material, that’s for sure. And here are three examples of the wildly heretical nature of people who play fast and loose with doctrine.

"Let’s head over to Lafayette, Ark., where Clint Schnekloth pastors Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. It’s an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), so you know he’s going to have some nutty things to say.

"By the way, this shows up at the bottom of the church’s website:

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church acknowledges that Indigenous peoples were forced to leave their ancestral lands, including the Osage, Caddo, and Quapaw Nations with ties to Northwest Arkansas. We further recognize that a portion of the Trail of Tears runs near our church facilities, and that the Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), Chickasaw, and Seminole Nations passed through what is now Arkansas during this forced removal. We acknowledge all Indigenous teachers, researchers, and residents in our community and region today. 

"All right then.

"Schnekloth recently preached a hot mess of a sermon on the Great Commission, in which Jesus commands His disciples (including us), “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

"He goes ridiculously off the rails by saying that he doesn’t like the Great Commission because he sees it as a condescending command for us to share Jesus’ message with the world:

…my inherent problem with the Great Commission is how unilateral it is, right? "You all who have the Gospel, go and preach the Gospel to all those heathens who don't have the Gospel, and make them disciples and baptize them."

"Yes, that’s exactly what the Great Commission means." . . .Keep reading, it gets more in depth.   

How Israel tricked Iran’s top military leaders which allowed Israel to take them out in a single strike

BareNakedIslam  

"In perhaps the most dominant, decisive show of military force this century, the IDF managed to gain air superiority in the first three days of strikes and has been able to loiter over Tehran without consequence, while not losing a single plane in the operation. To say Iran was a paper tiger would be an insult to paper tigers."

https://rofcbybroc.com/

. . ."Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service, infiltrated Iranian backchannels and then placed 20 different fake phone calls to IRGC leaders. Those calls instructed them to all meet a reinforced bunker in Tehran, an order none of them questioned. It’s safe to speculate that Mossad agents were on the ground to confirm their arrival, and shortly after, the entire place was blown sky-high.

"It was a boon for Israel because Iran’s command and control structure was cripled. It took almost a day for the Mullahs to finally muster a military response, and by then, the IDF had severely hampered their ballistic missile capabilities. While initial barrages did cause damage, including tragically killing several civilians due to Iran’s indiscriminate salvos, in context, they were very ineffective counterstrikes, accomplishing nothing of military value for Iran.

"Still, as impressive as the nuts and bolts of the plot were, it’s how thought-out this all was that’s truly incredible. It’s one thing to place fake calls through Iranian back channels. It’s another to have every general who answered the phone fall for the ruse.

"How did that happen? The answer lies in how antiquated and authoritarian Iran’s military structure was and remains. When you serve at the behest of an Islamic dictator who tortures and kills people who step out of line, you aren’t exactly in a position to question an order. When the calls came in to head to the bunker, wondering if things seemed a little suspicious wasn’t an option. So all the generals blindly listened." . . .

ADL director asks if Hamas is writing MSNBC’s scripts in coverage of attack on Israel

 The Hill 

"Hamas is also reportedly holding an unspecified number of hostages in Gaza and has threatened to broadcast executions of hostages if Israel targets civilians in Gaza."

"The director of the Anti-Defamation League criticized MSNBC while appearing on the network for the way it was covering the ongoing fighting between Hamas and Israeli military force.

"“While I am sad and trying to cope, I’ll be honest. I am angry. I am angry with the world that allowed the dehumanization of Israelis and sanitized the terrorism of Hamas,” said Jonathan Greenblatt during an appearance Monday on “Morning Joe.” “I must say, I love this show, and I love this network, but I’ve got to ask, who’s writing the scripts? Hamas?”

"Greenblatt described in detail the atrocities that have been committed in Israel by members of Hamas during the surprise attack over the weekend, saying, “They are not fighters. … They are not militants. And I’m looking right at the camera, they are terrorists.”

" 'So I just think, like, guys get this story, right, and all these pictures of like, you know, missiles or the rubble in Gaza, please talk to the Israeli mothers and fathers who lost their children,” he said. “And please stop calling this a retaliation. This is a defensive measure against an organization that is committed to one thing: killing Jews, not a peaceful resolution of a conflict, but murdering Jews. And if you’re wondering if I’m exaggerating, please, I beg of you, everyone watching and everyone at this network, just watch the footage.”. . . 

“Burn Tel Aviv to the ground,” shout anti-Israel protesters in the middle of Times Square   "JPost “Iran, Iran makes us proud! Burn Tel Aviv to the ground!” shouted pro-Islamic Republic protesters in New York’s Times Square.

"The “Solidarity with Iran” rally was organized by the socialist, pro-Hamas Bronx Anti-War coalition, which called for people to come out in “full force to support the brave Iranian and Palestinian people fighting for all free people worldwide.”

"Tiny anti-Zionist, self-hating Jewish cult called ‘Neturei Karta’ also participated, standing atop Israeli flags as they marched in solidarity with Tehran." . . .

Joy Reid: Recall why decent people should never trust MSNBC

 Never forget Joy Reid; How Did She Treat Jewish People and Israel? - Algemeiner.com  

"Accuracy is tough to come by when it comes to Israel, and I hope the lies that are spread by the media and others vilifying Israel won’t be believed. Still, no journalist should fear being punished by being accurate in their criticism, even if controversial." 

"A student of mine once asked if it was more important to be accurate or entertaining in TV journalism. I explained that ethically, it is crucial to be factual, but ratings are important  — so on balance, an extremely charismatic person that could make people have an emotional reaction could be more valuable than a boring host who only conveys facts.

"TV host Joy Reid is charismatic, and she delivers her comments with a strong cadence and power. It was announced that she will be leaving MSNBC this week. Before the 2024 election, she said that her goal was “to keep Hitler out of the White House,” and on her MSNBC show, she said that the Trump rally at Madison Square Garden mirrored a Nazi rally at MSG in 1939.

"But that’s not right. She was correct that some of the language was disturbing — and there were things at the event that were vile and absurd, including calling then Vice President Kamala Harris the anti-Christ. But that does not make it a Nazi rally.

"Reid played a clip of Sid Rosenberg, who is Jewish and a radio host, saying at the rally that it was “out of character for me” to speak at a Nazi rally, and her analysis was that Rosenberg “said the quiet part out loud.” Not at all. He was being sarcastic and poking fun at people who called it a Nazi rally.

"And Reid has a history of being problematic on Israel.

"Karen Bekker of CAMERA, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis, wrote that Reid’s show on the Monday after the October 7 attack “would have been right at place if it had aired on Iranian state TV”:

Her guests Peter Beinart, Ayman Mohyeldin, Ali Velshi and Lt. General Stephen Twitty ignored Hamas’s dedication to genocidal violence as expressed in its charter and in its leaders’ rhetoric, omitted any mention of offers of Palestinian sovereignty and independence, and sought to imply that the carnage was inevitable due to Israel’s actions – therefore excusing and justifying Hamas’s barbaric attack.

"I did not see that episode. On another show, Reid said that she hated the killing of all children, whether it was at a kibbutz or in Gaza. I think all people of good conscience want all children to grow up and live in peace. But Reid was making a moral equivalence between Israeli children who were intentionally massacred by Hamas, and unfortunate cases where children may have been accidental and unintended victims of Israel’s war of defense against Hamas." . . .