What about Iran now?

America can and should help the cause of freedom in Iran

Utilizing our economic, political, and technological might, rather than armed intervention, the United States should rectify past inaction and amplify the voices of Iranians. 

From The Skeptics: America Should Keep Iran's Protesters at Arm's Length
" . . . the expressions of solidarity that some U.S. officials and foreign-policy activists have voiced are ill advised. Washington’s close embrace easily could do more harm than good. There are two crucial reasons for greater reticence and caution. First, the political and ideological composition of the demonstrators is murky. Second, many Iranians, even those who have no love for Khamenei and his ilk, are suspicious of any indications that the United States is meddling, once again, in Iran’s internal political affairs." . . . 

Iran and Daesh Lite in North America  "Recent mass demonstrations in Iran, and the government's violent crackdown has been met with a deafening silence by Muslim "civil rights" organizations in the U.S. and Canada.  Why have they refrained from supporting the Iranian people's uprising to overthrow the oppressive mullahs?  After all, the same organizations have vocally and financially supported the mass demonstrations in the Middle East and North Africa that erupted in December 2010 and led to the rise of Egypt's short-lived Muslim Brotherhood government and caused turmoil and destabilized these regions." . . .

. . . Taha Ghayyur explained the rationale behind the harsh punishments in Islam (execution, stoning, cutting off thieves' hands, etc.) and argued that the Islamic law (sharia) can be implemented in North America. 

The biggest Hillary Clinton scandal no one's talking about

Washington Examiner

"You've heard of Benghazi and Uranium One. But more than a year after Hillary Clinton’s resounding loss to President Trump, she must now grapple with a new scandal: An ongoing Federal Election Commission investigation into an alleged $84 million money laundering scheme orchestrated by the Hillary Victory Fund — the $500 million joint fundraising committee between the Clinton campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and Democratic state parties.

"Based on former DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile’s public comments, a memo by former Clinton campaign manager Robbie Mook, and months of reviewing FEC reports, the Committee to Defend the President has filed an FEC complaint accusing the Democratic establishment of using state chapters as straw men to circumvent campaign donation limits and launder money to Clinton’s campaign. The Hillary Victory Fund solicited six-figure donations from major donors, including Calvin Klein and “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, “papered” them through state parties en route to DNC and then the Clinton campaign.

"In reality, the fund either never transferred $84 million to state parties, sending the funds straight to the DNC, or it made the transfers without state parties having actual control of the money. In either case, the fund violated campaign finance laws in precisely the way the Supreme Court deemed illegal in its 2014 McCutcheon v. FEC ruling. And that’s only the tip of allegations in this particular iceberg." . . .

Rich Terrell

Full Replay: Trump Meets With Congress on DACA in Rare Public Negotiation    54 minute video of the meeting

Victor Davis Hanson: From Resistance to Nullification to What Next?
. . . "Yet, so far, the Resistance, despite helping to drive down presidential approval ratings to the low 40 percent range, has not stopped the Trump agenda. The Mueller investigation will likely settle for face-saving charges against a few Trump officials for crimes not envisioned under its original directives. Its own biases and the FBI’s involvement with the discredited Steele dossier may result in a number of successful appeals of those who confessed or acquittals of those charged." . . .Full article.

CNN's Dana Bash: "I'll Get Hit For This," But Meeting Was What People Thought Trump Was Capable Of   "CNN's Dana Bash delivered praise for the nearly hour-long recorded meeting President Trump held with Congressional leaders on immigration reform Tuesday afternoon. However, the CNN correspondent was nervous what the reaction would be when she delivered commentary on the transparent meeting." . . .

"This really was a negotiation," she said. "We really got to be the fly on the wall in this room listening to the way they talk. I'm really not convinced that it would have been any different had the cameras not been in there. I was just communicating with now two Republicans who were in that meeting who said that they had no idea that the cameras were going to stay in there as long as they did. The president before the cameras came on said we will just do a typical thing. They're going to come in, I'm going to make a remark and you guys can too. And so on and so forth.' "

Well, CNN is the channel California school districts encourage their students to watch. I have seen this for myself on a Ventura homework assignment.TD

Dershowitz: The Left Couldn't Criminalize Trump, Now Trying To "Psychiatrize Political Differences"  . . . "Dershowitz said it is tyrannical governments that use the power of psychiatry and not the merits to debate their political opponents.

" 'They're trying to say, 'Oh maybe we can't get him on crime but we're going to show that he has mental problems, that he's disturbed.' The guy on CNN today was talking about he has Alzheimer's and he should be subjected to a neurological exam," Dershowitz said.

" 'That is so dangerous," he added." . . .

Why was Juanita Broaddrick never a guest on Oprah's show?

If she runs for president thinking she can ride recent events in Hollywood and politics as a champion of women, Oprah will have to explain why such a powerful and self-made woman at least sat in stony silence as people like Bill Clinton and Harvey Weinstein preyed on the very women she claims to champion.

Phantom of the Oprah  "There was Oprah Winfrey at the Golden Globes, with her big glasses and 2020 visions of a presidential run, speaking to the greatest collection of sexual predators and their enablers pontificating about the rights of women in an industry where not long ago these same people, led by the pompous and condescending Meryl Streep, gave a standing ovation and an award to director Roman Polanski, child rapist. 

"Oprah didn't mention Polanski, or Harvey Weinstein, or Bill Clinton, or why she didn't use the show that made her rich and famous to condemn predators such as these and the Hollywood culture that demeans women and exploits them for fun and profit.  If Oprah wants to run for president as a champion of women, she has a lot of explaining to do." . . .

. . . "Juanita Broaddrick was never a guest on Oprah's show and noted that Oprah was a willing participant in the "nothing to see here" Clinton cover-up.  She also promoted the presidential candidacy of Bill Clinton's enabler, Hillary Clinton, who ignored his predatory activities and covered up his "bimbo eruptions" as she rode his stained coattails to political prominence:" . . .  By Daniel John Sobieski

President Oprah: Another hypocrite  . . . "If Oprah and her Hollywood pals dressed in expensive black gowns had given this speech in 1997 when Bill Clinton, darling of the Hollywood left, was abusing Monica Lewinsky, groping Kathleen Willey, harassing Paula Jones by dropping his pants, and credibly accused of rape by Juanita Broaddrick, then Oprah and Hollywood would have some credibility.  Oprah and her Hollywood pals did not support the victims of Bill Clinton, nor say they should have been believed.  Clinton's victims were vilified and insulted by the Clinton thugs, such as James Carville, as "trailer trash," as if a certain social class of women can be sexually abused by Clinton with no recourse and no support from the Oprah crowd." . . .

Speaking of Hollywood's hate for conservatives, never forget this Law & Order stunt:
"Law & Order": another TV show that sucker-punches half the American population  From 2011:
"Why, you ask? Because this same episode of Law & Order ran on TNT again this week

"We began watching a 2009 episode of "Law and Order" entitled "Fed" last night and I had to shut it off at the start. We saw people like ourselves - TEA par-tiers, portrayed as rifle-toting, hateful bigots. Only Hollywood is capable of inspiring dislike and outrage by the simple means of the skillful acting of those who portray people like you and me as despicable and violent. They give us the same treatment they give to pharmaceutical  and insurance companies.

"May God bless all courageous conservatives in our country trying to stem the socialist tide sweeping America because the left has such massive force to bring against them. And the propaganda is being spoon-fed to the American public. How do we stand a chance?"

Hail To The Oprah

Being Oprah, she is a master of speaking with applause lines*.  

Remember, Oprah Winfrey Is Our Premier National Snake Oil Salesman . . . "There are a great many reasons Winfrey should not run for president. Chief among them is that she has built her career, not just as a charismatic daytime television star, but also as our nation’s premier snake oil salesman. She is responsible for promoting a whole variety of quack medical nostrums and launching the careers of questionable experts. She may not be as prolific as Gwyneth Paltrow—to my knowledge, she has never tried to sell us a coffee enema—but she is far more influential.

"She invited Suzanne Somers onto her show to peddle hormone injections and an absurd vitamin regimen." . . .The religion of Oprah has its saints, too

While Hollywood Gushes Over Oprah, Juanita Broaddrick Delivers a Devastating Reminder  . . . "A number of individuals close to Winfrey have since revealed that the media mogul is seriously considering a 2020 White House bid, according to CNN. Any plans she might be entertaining hit an early snag, however, when a woman who has long accused former President Bill Clinton of rape spoke out against Winfrey’s perceived indifference to the claim.

"In response to a tweet celebrating Winfrey’s speech, Juanita Broaddrick accused her of ignoring accusations against her “friend.” . . .

“You’ve had so many opportunities to bring up my allegations, which have never been discredited,” she wrote. “Why??' ” . . .

British actress Kadian Noble came forth with shocking accusations.
. . . "Noble is the most recent in a long list of actresses and models who claim Harvey Weinstein either forced himself on them or coerced them into sex. After meeting Weinstein for the first time in London, Noble brought along her “show reel” to his hotel room when she met up with him again in Cannes in February 2014. During their second meeting, Noble alleges Weinstein used promises of career advancement to lure Noble to his hotel room, where he forced himself on her." 

Make Hollywood Great Again "I watched NBC’s broadcast of the Golden Globe awards last night with morbid fascination to soak in the self-love and the self-praise of the Hollywood crowd. The hours spent in psychotherapy seem to have paid off big league, though introspection was nowhere in evidence. The sexual harassment panic featured as a motif. My favorite moment was Halle Berry’s appearance as a presenter in the obligatory black gown with the voluntary exposure of cleavage." . . .

In "The Godfather", a guy like Weinstein woke up to find his horse's head in bed with him.

Richard Young photo

Oprah Winfrey may be the perfect Democratic presidential contender, but her Hollywood cheerleaders compromise her chances.


Dems pin their 2020 hopes and dreams on Oprah   . . . "The ability to give an emotionally evoking speech and tell a good story and a healthy dose of star power is all it takes to get liberals excited about a presidential run these days:" . . .

It’s easy to imagine that, to match Trump, a Democratic party burdened by a deep bench of mediocrities will embrace their own media celebrity with no political experience. But there is one potentially serious problem to her candidacy that the unexpected launch of the Oprah movement revealed.

*Start with a steadily rising pitch and volume. Then lower the pitch to a mid point to signal finality. Slow right down towards the end and put strong emphasis on the final few words." . . .

State of the Oprah Address

Mark Steyn
"On Monday evening I joined Tucker Carlson to discuss Oprah's appearance at the Golden Globes - and her newfound status as 46th President-in-waiting. Click below to watch:"

Comment to the above by John Shuba • Jan 9, 2018 at 10:26

"We deserve no better. Mr. Obama was the acme of the "content free" politician. Everyone lauded him (and practically worshipped him) for his "manner", his "bearing", his "eloquence" and his great abs and superb baritone voice. But, to resurrect the Gertrude Stein chestnut, "There was no "there" there." Nobody I know can actually remember one of his "memorable" speeches or "eloquent" phrases. He was a "Potemkin President" made out of stage scenery to look the part. His real genius was to be exactly what our betters thought we needed - A black President who would "heal us." (How did that work out?) Meanwhile his public deification enabled him to work 24/7 against American interests.

"Oprah will give us the same thing to the nth power. She will be in danger of drowning from the tongue baths she will receive from the press and and her cult-like followers. The intense and unceasing hatred of Trump that we now experience from the Left and "moderate Republicans" will be transformed into uncritical worship of President Oprah. American interests and sane policy will again be buried under an ocean of treacly sentiment and media pandering....... Well, as i said - Perhaps we deserve no better." . . .

Shapiro At 'Sacramento Bee': Hollywood Got Caught, So They Lecture Us

Hollywood only steps up under pressure, so spare us the star-splaining on morality

"Spare us the self-righteous lectures. And try setting some standards for yourselves before you tell us all about how we’re the barriers between women and respect." Ben Shapiro

"Yes, the town that brought you the casting couch and the X-rated film now proclaims that it is the leading edge on behalf of female empowerment. All it took was the worst scandal in modern Hollywood history to make that happen.

"A few short months ago, Hollywood had nothing to say about the sexual abuse of women in the industry. Hollywood is a visual medium, and that means that powerful men in the industry have treated beautiful women as objects for their play and pleasure for literally decades.

YOU DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE. YOU ONLY SAID SOMETHING WHEN YOU WERE CAUGHT WITH YOUR PANTS DOWN, LITERALLY.

"In fact, Hollywood’s leading lights cheered such men. Meryl Streep gave convicted child rapist Roman Polanski a standing ovation at the 2003 Oscars. In 2012, the Golden Globes honored Woody Allen, a man credibly accused of molesting his own seven-year-old step-daughter, with a lifetime achievement award. Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy ran a joke about baby Stewie running naked screaming across the screen, shouting, “Help! I’ve escaped from Kevin Spacey’s basement!” Famed actress Jean Arthur, star of films including “Shane,” told author Joseph McBride that she quit the industry rather than deal with the molestation from studio head Harry Cohn; she even says she planned to murder him before quitting. Marilyn Monroe told a young Joan Collins that producers were like “wolves.” And modern actresses talked for years about the predations of figures like Harvey Weinstein. But nobody did anything. Nobody said anything.

"But now we’re supposed to believe that Hollywood has something to tell the rest of us about sexual abuse." . . .

UPDATE: P. Gao opines over at Mark Steyn

Oh yes! All in black, but with cleavage down to the navel! And wearing those exposing gowns to promote the designers... flashing their flesh to sell products! If they didn't want to be 'exploited' then why wear what they were wearing? Can't they afford their own dresses? They give awards to themselves like crazy. How come no glamorous awards for the emergency room doctor and nurse of the year? Or the linemen who quickly restored power to millions suffering after the hurricanes? They save lives, not pretend to save lives or pretend to do jobs.

Oprah might run for president. We did the opposition research for you

Oprah is a fine person, but once again, this all shows liberals are silly people indeed. Perhaps the rest of us are not far behind them. TD

Washington Post   "Since everyone's suddenly talking about Oprah 2020, let's talk about what her campaign might look like — or more specifically, what her opponents might do to it.

"There's no reason to think politics will become any less brutal in the next two years. And there's every reason to expect that opposition researchers would happily dig through Oprah Winfrey's storied history as a talk-show host, cultural icon, fake book promoter, advocate of mystical healing powers, fearer of hamburgers and apparent chum of Harvey Weinstein.

"Not to mention the child sex abuse scandal.

"Here's a sampling of the awkward and potentially problematic issues that Winfrey might have to explain on the campaign trail." . . .

Hollywood culture: "They should hand out awards for hypocrisy, preening, and lack of self-awareness"

They should hand out awards for hypocrisy, preening, and lack of self-awareness.  . . . "No, for me it was when the house rolled over for Oprah Winfrey, the nation’s most prominent retailer of quack medicine, the celebrity shill who made herself some $3 billion pitching supernatural wishful thinking and life-endangering crackpot pseudoscience to poor people and women, and NBC declared her our next president in a tweet. Oprah, friend to women and the oppressed, the coming anti-Trump? Say what you want about our president, but no one has linked him to a surge in whooping cough." . . .

Weinstein accusers claim they weren’t invited to Golden Globes

Asia Argento, Rose McGowan, Rosanna Arquette and Mira Sorvino

. . . "Argento had a bit more pessimistic opinion of the omission. “It would have been too much of a downer… an embarrassment,” she wrote. “Victims aren’t glamorous enough.' ” . . .

James Franco’s Golden Globes Win Prompts More Sexual Harassment Accusers To Come Forward  "The “Disaster Artist” star was one of many Hollywood stars wearing a “Time’s Up” pin at the awards show, prompting two actresses to come forward with sexual harassment claims against the big winner, calling him a hypocrite for taking part in the demonstration, Fox News reports. "

Violet Paley tweeted:

Remember the time you pushed my head down in a car towards your exposed penis & that other time you told my friend to come to your hotel when she was 17? After you had already been caught doing that to a different 17 year old?

Hollywood holds a funeral    " . . . the hypocrisy hasn't gone unnoticed."

. . . "The final insult?  Like the casting couch, Hollywood's political bent is no secret.  It's a Democrat stronghold – not only for votes, but for massive amounts of political campaign contributions.  I have no doubt that Meryl Streep not only voted for Bill Clinton (unrepentant serial sexual predator), but most likely contributed money to the campaign of Hillary Clinton (Bill's enabler).  I also have no doubt that many of the women who walked the red carpet in black and proudly wore their "Time's Up" lapel pins at the Golden Globes also voted for Bill and contributed money to Hillary." . . .

Harper's BAZAAR gives name of stars who did not wear black  Outed!

ownhall photo

Oh, No! Just when it seems liberals can't get more silly, they come up with THIS!

There seems to be no joy in the lives of these people. TD

Prof: Snow White, Sleeping Beauty Promote 'Sexual Assault on an Unconscious Person'

. . . "Here’s a perfect (if laughable) example of this disconnect: a Japanese professor named Kazue Muta thinks the princes from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are sexual predators. This sounds ridiculous (because it is) but it actually gets to the heart of this whole sex conundrum.

"Muta sent out a tweet last month which translates, “When you think rationally about 'Snow White' and 'Sleeping Beauty,' that tell of a ‘princess being woken up by the kiss of a prince,’ they are describing sexual assault on an unconscious person. You might think I’m ruining the fantasy of it all, but these stories are promoting sexual violence and I would like everyone to be aware of it.” So basically, because the princes kissed their princesses while the princesses were sleeping (and therefore couldn’t give verbal consent that a kiss was acceptable to them) the princes are guilty of sexual assault." . . .

So, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation would have been sexual assault? How about chest compressions?

Soviet-style abuse of psychiatry is now practiced in the US

By Oleg Atbashian | First published in Bombthrowers

"Comrade Psychiatrist is unhappy with Mr. Trump's "delusional reformism' "

"American progressives have been enamored with many Soviet ideas in their time, trying to transplant them to the U.S. -- from government diktat and central planning to academic indoctrination and propaganda through entertainment. And while the Soviet Union has gone the way of the dodo, its glorious socialist legacy is still up for the picking.

"One of these unparalleled Soviet achievements is the use of psychiatry to silence dissent and delegitimize political opposition, allowing the KGB to lock up dissidents in mental hospitals nicknamed psikhushkas.

"In the United States today hundreds of zealous progressive psychiatrists are similarly diagnosing Donald Trump "in absentia" with a variety of incapacitating diseases, from narcissism to neurosyphilis, demanding that he be deposed (and hopefully locked up in a psikhushka along with his supporters).

. . . "No doubt, American progressive psychiatrists would be only too happy to diagnose "reformist" delusion in Trump and his supporters, who are known for their persistent calls to "drain the swamp." The rationale behind the "mental disorder" diagnosis seems familiar: no sane person who has attended public schools and watched CNN would oppose Obama's "fundamental transformation of America" or the candidacy of the honest, intelligent, healthy, and mentally stable Hillary Clinton.

"Therefore, only the mentally ill would challenge political correctness, the growth of government, redistribution of wealth, socialized healthcare, man-made climate change, multiculturalism, open borders, the media's trustworthiness, and the Democratic Party in general." . . .

. . . "Back in 2009, a conference of British "eco-psychologists" argued that "climate change denial" should be classified as a form of "mental disorder" -- a notion cheered on by American progressives.

"In 2012, a professor of sociology and environmental studies at the University of Oregon addressed a major international science conference in London with a message that any "resistance" to the man-made climate change theory "must be recognized and treated.' " . . .

Malpractice – A.F. Branco Cartoon

'Oprah 2020': Winfrey's longtime boyfriend says star 'would absolutely' run for president

Fox News  "Oprah's longtime boyfriend Stedman Graham said in response to Sunday night's Golden Globe push for an Oprah Winfrey 2020 presidential run that if called, the talk show host will serve.

" 'It's up to the people," Graham told The Los Angeles Times. "She would absolutely do it."

"Graham's comment only reinforced growing rumors that Winfrey is seriously considering a presidential bid.

"NBC network and celebrities dubbed Winfrey "our future president" following her appearance at the Golden Globes and her speech referencing civil rights and the #MeToo campaign that highlighted rampant sexual harassment." . . .

Oprah for President? Could the TV star be the woman to take down Donald Trump?  . . . "In response to her remarks, social media users were quick to support a possible presidential bid by the 63-year-old with many seeing her comments has an opening salvo to a possible presidential campaign. 

"Taking to twitter, one user wrote: “Oprah went from being dirt poor to becoming an ACTUAL self made billionaire*, is intelligent, empathetic, hardworking & has done so much humanitarian work on top of being one of the best communicators on earth, why SHOULDN'T she run for president?! #Oprah2020.' ” . . .

*AKA, the hated one percent. Remember "Eat the Rich"? 

Steven Tyler, a singer-songwriter famous for fronting the successful rock band Aerosmith, has an estimated net worth of $130 million