Tuesday, December 16, 2025

After Bondi Beach terror attack, the West must face Islamist ideology with clear eyes

Rich Lowry 

 "It is foolish to think that some element of Muslim immigrants to the West won’t share this worldview and act on it — to our great regret." 

"The Bondi Beach attack in Australia was shocking, but not at all surprising. 

"Some of the details were distinctive — an idyllic spot on the Pacific Ocean instantly turned into a killing field; a father-son terror squad — but the basic picture of radicalized Muslim immigrants targeting a gathering of Jews was drearily familiar.

"These events follow the same pattern because the fundamentalist version of Islam is, at its root, hostile to Jews. 

"Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that there was a refugee flow of Unitarians, and some proportion of those Unitarians were antagonistic to traditional Christians — such that they vandalized their businesses, harassed them in the streets, and launched massive protests in favor of overseas Unitarian terror groups.

"In that case, we’d obviously cast a skeptical eye on Unitarian immigration. 

"Mainstream political parties across the West that have presided over this open-handed policy are, understandably, losing ground to restrictionist parties that are more clear-eyed about the realities of immigration. 

"Antisemitism comes in all sorts of varieties, whether Christian, Muslim or secular. 

Still, it’d startle us to learn that someone who had been attending a fundamentalist Christian church went and shot up a Jewish event — whereas it’s not the least bit unusual in someone who’s an adherent of fundamentalist Islam. 

"Now, there are different interpretations of Islam, and it’s not the role of an outsider to say which is more correct: The key point is that important Muslim authorities and countless millions of the faithful embrace the fundamentalist version that’s influential in war-torn areas of the broader Middle East that have sent so many refugees to the West. 

"The fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood — Hamas is the Palestinian branch — was markedly antisemitic well before the establishment of the state of Israel.

"As one analyst has noted, its anti-Jewish agitation included “boycotts, graffiti and physical violence.' ” . . .

Sound familiar?" . . .

A rancid paranoia about the Jews runs through this worldview.: . . .


Interpreting Gavin Newsom’s Weird Sitting Posture

  Ellie Gardey Holmes  

"Newsom will be made to answer for the scandal soon. After all, it was he who fired Wipper and his administration that settled the suit against Activision."

Something about Newsom doesn't sit quite right.

Gavin Newsom’s appearance at the New York Time’s DealBook Summit was met with mockery, as the public made fun of him online for his awkward sitting posture.

The Spectator P.M. Podcast hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo discuss the reaction to Newsom’s criss-crossed legs and the negative response he received for saying that the Democratic Party needs to be “culturally normal” and “less judgmental.” Ellie and Lyrah also discuss celebrity Halle Berry’s open criticism of Newsom at the event. Berry called out the California governor for “devaluing women” and not passing the Menopause Care Equity Act."

Gavin Newsom's Office Does Unthinkable, Makes Nut-CrushingGate Even Worse | OutKick


Arrest of Newsom’s Ex-Chief of Staff Prompts Allegations of Misconduct Within the Governor’s Office.   

"If what the indictment alleges is true, it very much appears that Williamson had both the means and the motive to interfere in the California government’s lawsuit on Activision’s behalf. If she indeed took action, then this case could involve corrupt actions within the Newsom administration. And, even if it is never shown that she interfered in the case on behalf of Activision, the appearance of corruption in Newsom’s office will remain. California’s newspapers are all covering the possibility this week with bated breath."

Gavin’s Golden State — The Hilarious California Reality Check 

'You Magnificent Idiot': Swalwell Mercilessly Mocked After Deranged 'Wrecking Ball Promise' Post on New WH Ballroom

 "Democrats, of course, have made a spectacle of themselves in denouncing Trump’s planned ballroom. They have no good reason for their opposition. They simply hate the president."

Rich Terrell

Michael Schwarz  "Present-day psychologists and future historians could build careers by studying and explaining modern Democrats’ unhinged loathing of President Donald Trump.
"Meanwhile, we may settle for mocking those Democrats when they say and do things indistinguishable from parody.
"For instance, Sunday on the social media platform X, Jeff Blehar of National Review referred to Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California as “You magnificent idiot” because Swalwell, in demanding that the next Democratic presidential nominee must promise to take a “wrecking ball” to Trump’s ballroom, fulfilled Blehar’s half-joking prediction.
"Democrats, of course, have made a spectacle of themselves in denouncing Trump’s planned ballroom. They have no good reason for their opposition. They simply hate the president.
"Thus, on Friday in National Review, Blehar, having observed Democrats’ anti-Trump hyperbole for the last decade, predicted that before the ballroom hubbub subsides, “we shall see which Democrat is willing to escalate first, by publicly demanding a wrecking ball on Day One of the next Democratic administration.”
"Blehar meant that prediction as parody.
“ 'The voters are guaranteed to respond well to that,” he added.
"Indeed, only a gargantuan moron would urge Democrats to campaign on a ballroom-destruction platform. But Trump Derangement Syndrome has produced plenty such morons."  . . .
. . . "For one thing, Democrats hang their hopes on anti-Trump hatred because they offer nothing else. Having pledged to defend the indefensible, such as open borders and men in women’s sports, they cannot convince voters of the soundness of their policies, so instead they rely on demonizing Trump and his supporters, for instance, by slandering them as “Nazis.”
"On a deeper level, many Democrats have turned their TDS into an idol. Since they do not worship Jesus, they use their hatred to fill a spiritual void." . . .
"When TDS sufferers focus their wrath on inane things like ballrooms, however, we have nothing else to do but relentlessly mock them."  Full article here.
Michael Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in History and has taught at multiple colleges and universities. He has published one book and numerous essays on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Early U.S. Republic. He loves dogs, baseball, and freedom. After meandering spiritually through most of early adulthood, he has rediscovered his faith in midlife and is eager to continue learning about it from the great Christian thinkers.

McDonald's responds to the other Minnesota crime wave

 Mike McDaniel  

"Minnesota’s Democrat rulers are more than willing to force citizens to put up with the destruction they’ve caused. What remains to be seen is how long McDonald’s will put up with it. When McDonald’s flees, civilization flees with it."

"Minnesota has been much in the news of late due to ever-growing revelations of rampant fraud largely committed by members of the “Somali community.” Legacy media coverage has been reluctant at best, but even they can’t avoid a story of this magnitude. What hasn’t been so well covered has been the constant and growing crime rate in Minnesota’s urban centers, particularly Minneapolis and to a lesser degree, St. Paul.

"This should come as no surprise. It was in Minneapolis that George Floyd committed drug-induced suicide by cop, sparking the 2020 “Summer of Love” and its nationwide, "mostly peaceful but fiery," protests. Governor Tim Walz’s wife bragged she left the windows open, the better to enjoy the aroma of burning tires and revolution, and Tim played along by letting Minneapolis and the rest of the state burn.

"Minneapolis burned that summer. The damages were enormous and the city, particularly the downtown business district and the businesses that served and supported it, have never recovered. That’s largely because the City Council and Mayor jumped fully on the “Defund the Police” bandwagon and injected themselves and the city with the “embrace every criminal and every kind of civil disorder” pathogen." . . .  More...

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger

"Why I am defending Trump: The outrage crowd was silent when a real dictator took over"

Seeing this in Trump back during 2015-16, I was very anti-Trump, preferring several other of the numerous choices. Only after seeing his post-election qualities such as the elimination of ISIS forces did I realize this man was a most effective leader, far above others. He appeared the best man to  go head-to-head with world leaders, including Russian and Chinese and light years ahead of the shameful crop of dunderheads from the mold of Crockett, Newsom and Swalwell. TD

 Don Surber   

"Writing about Trump in self-righteous anger though spares the press from having to deal with the Bondi Beach Massacre of Jews celebrating Hanukkah by the sea by two Muslims." . . ."Dumping on Trump again before acknowledging a Muslim terrorist attack on Hanukkah is a low-IQ move."

. . . "And people wonder why the media is dying.

"Trump’s post was not my cup of tea but then again, Reiner didn’t imply for 10 years that I was a Nazi. You are not a critic if you denounce everything a man does. You’re a spoiled brat who is angry that you didn’t get you way.

"Frankly, I doubt that those demanding satisfaction much care about Reiner. Politics is theater. The virtue signalers demand Republicans denounce Trump for bringing up Reiner’s mental illness." . . .

"Sadly, some Republicans used the tweet to bash Trump. The New York Times reported:

President Trump seized on the stabbing death of Rob Reiner and his wife to make a baseless attack on the Hollywood director less than a day after reports of his killing, suggesting that Mr. Reiner’s criticism of Mr. Trump may have led to his murder.

The attack on Mr. Reiner, so soon after his death, prompted a rare backlash against the president from some MAGA-aligned Republicans, some of whom urged the president to retract his comments." . . .

 Rob Reiner's words on Charlie Kirk murder echo sadly after director's death

. . . "Reiner, a liberal political activist, paid more than lip service to the shooting of Kirk, a get-out-the-vote advocate for young conservatives, when Morgan asked Reiner for his gut reaction to the assassination.

“ 'Absolute horror and I unfortunately saw the video of it,” Reiner replied. “It’s beyond belief what happened to him. That should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable. That’s not a solution so solving problems.”

“ 'And I felt like what his wife [Erika] said at the service at the memorial they had, was exactly right,” he continued. “I’m Jewish but I believe in the teachings of Jesus and I believe in ‘do unto others’ and I believe in forgiveness and what she said to me was beautiful. She forgave his assassin. And I think that is admirable.”

"Reiner’s words hit viewers hard in the wake of his death.

“ 'Rob Reiner and his wife deserve the respect as he has shown toward Charlie Kirk,” one wrote on X." . . .

Trump has been the man America needs as President. Pray that his unwise words do not rob America of his gifts. TD

Monday, December 15, 2025

Mr. President, Don’t Mock the Dead; You make it harder to defend you in other things

The Free Press  "Americans have become inured to Trump’s social media taunts. Yet he still finds ways to shock us on occasion."

"Trump almost certainly won’t walk it back, and the usual suspects will find some rhetorical contortions with which to defend this outburst. But there is no point in anyone defending this. It should be widely opposed—particularly by those who otherwise support him." 

GIPHY

"Even Rob Reiner’s contributions to American culture—from his days as a sitcom star on All in the Family to his direction of iconic films such as When Harry Met Sally and A Few Good Men—it was entirely appropriate for the president of the United States to weigh in on his horrifying death over the weekend.

"Sadly, the way President Donald Trump has done so is beyond the pale. His Monday post on Truth Social is worth reading in full, in part because many Republican lawmakers will spend the next few days claiming not to have seen it.

"This is what we know. Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found stabbed to death on Sunday. Their troubled son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, has been arrested for their murder. There is no evidence that the slaying had anything to do with Trump. But the president has a penchant for making everything about himself, and so he has here, casting their deaths as somehow the result of their opposition to him and his politics.

"We’re living through an era of political violence, something we take very seriously. We’ve published numerous essays on how Americans can and must come together and solve our differences the way they are meant to be solved: civil debate, the democratic process, a respectful airing of differences. Those values are at the heart of everything we do. ' . . .

It’s Time for Ilhan Omar to “Face the Music”

 

Broc Smith

It’s Time for Ilhan Omar to “Face the Music”  "Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar has always been a controversial figure in the House of Representatives. Now that her involvement with a massive scam regarding non-profit organizations in the state of Minnesota has come out, perhaps it’s time we take a look back at her personal behavior.
"On August 12, 2016, powerlineblog.com posted the following…
"  'A reader has written us to point out that the Somali website Somalispot posted information last week suggesting Omar’s involvement in marriage and immigration fraud. The post notes that Omar married Ahmed Hirsi in 2002. Hirsi is the father of Omar’s three children. Omar is depicted with Hirsi and their children on Omar’s campaign website here.
"The post further notes that Omar married her brother Ahmed Nur Said Elmi in 2009, implying that the latter marriage assisted his entry into the United States. Her brother was a British citizen. “As soon as Ilhan Omar married him,” the post continues, “he started university at her [a]lma mater North Dakota State University where he graduated in 2012. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Minneapolis where he was living in a public housing complex and was later evicted. He then returned to the United Kingdom where he now lives.”
"So, she was legally married AND married her brother while married to Hirsi, finally legally divorcing her brother in 2017.
"But wait… there’s more…
. . . "It was President Teddy Roosevelt who said, and I paraphrase, There is no such thing as a half American. You cannot hold loyalties to two countries at the same time. If you don’t swear allegiance to America, then you don’t need to be here.
Representative Omar needs to face punishment for her actions involving the Minnesota scam. In fact, every representative or senator who has been involved in the illegal activities needs to be called out and punished for them. The two-tier justice system, which has spread throughout the country like a cancer, must be rectified so that we may truly be a country that can probably proclaim “justice for all”.
Until He Comes, KJ

Did Iran Orchestrate the Hannukah Murder of Jews at Bondi Beach?

 The American Spectator  

"But even more disturbing than Iran’s potential involvement in the recent attack, is that the Australian authorities failed to prevent such a mega attack."

A Hanukkah menorah is projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House in memory of the victims of a shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney on Dec. 15, 2025. A father and son opened fire on a Jewish festival at Australia's Bondi Beach in a shooting spree that killed 15 people, including a child, authorities said on December 15, denouncing the attack as antisemitic "terrorism."   USA Today

"As of this writing, at least two terrorist shooters have murdered 15 people at a Hannukah celebration in Bondi Beach, including Chabad Rabbi Eli Schlanger who was Chabad’s emissary in Sydney since 2008, and Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytmanwho was able to shield his wife and save her from death. Arsen Ostrovsky, a human rights lawyer and popular figure on social media who was a refusnik who fled the Soviet Union with his family to Australia in 1987, and then moved to Israel, was also wounded in the attack. The Hannukah celebration was reportedly attended by approximately 2,000 people.

In a sliver of good news, Ahmed al-Ahmad, a 43-year old Muslim fruit shop owner, succeeded in tackling and disarming one of the shooters, avoiding further loss of life. Such heroism resulted in praise from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stated: “We saw an action of a brave man — turns out a Muslim brave man, and I salute him — that stopped one of these terrorists from killing innocent Jews.”

"One of the gunmen has been identified as Naveed Akram from Pakistan. Mike Burgess, the head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), stated that “One of these individuals was known to us, but not in an immediate-threat perspective, so we need to look into what happened here.”

somalispot
"In the wake of that statement, one can’t help asking if Iran has its hands in this attack. Indeed, there are reports that Australia is investigating if this is the case. Additionally, an unnamed senior Israeli security official told Israeli press outlet Israel Hayom that “in recent months there has been increased activity by Iran to orchestrate attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world,” adding: “There is no doubt that the direction and infrastructure for the attack originated in Tehran.”

"Such an attack on the “soft targets” of Jewish religious and civil life would not be out of Iran’s wheelhouse. Australia assessed that Iran has orchestrated other recent attacks on Jews in Australia. This August, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that “The Iranian government directed at least two of these attacks. Iran has sought to disguise its involvement but ASIO [the Australian Security Intelligence Organization] assesses it was behind the attacks.” Specifically, the ASIO had established links between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and “cut-outs, including people who are criminals and members of organised [sic] crime gangs to do their bidding or direct their [IRGC’s] bidding,” according to ASIO’s chief Burgess. Albanese confirmed this assessment in that authorities were: “able to trace the chain of command, if you like, right back to the IRGC.' ” . . .

What we know about the victims in the Bondi Beach Hanukkah attack | CBC News  

American Families Pay The Price For Excessive Litigation

Issues & Insights
   "Such is the case with another TPLF bill, Litigation Transparency Act, sponsored by California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa. Ensuring this bill is ready for passage would underscore Congress’s commitment to addressing the issue."  

"Over the last five years, inflation has crushed American families. Despite great progress over the past year thanks to President Donald Trump, many household budgets are still stretched too thin. To make things even worse, the American economy is losing hundreds of billions each year due to out-of-control tort litigation. To address America’s affordability crisis, legislators, regulators, and courts can and must curb the expansion of costly, profit-driven lawsuits. 

"For years, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform has been sounding the alarm on the costs of such lawsuits. The total cost of the abuse amounted to $529 billion in 2022, equal to about 2% of America’s entire economic output. For businesses, tort costs are increasing by an average of 8.7% a year.  

"These litigation-related costs currently equate to $4,207 per American family each year, with households in some states paying far more. Californians are hit with an annual “tort tax” of $5,429 and New Yorkers face a tort burden of more than $7,000 each year. This increasingly high economic cost can be seen in rising prices, fewer jobs, and lost innovation and product choices.  

"Out-of-control tort litigation makes American businesses less competitive, decreases worker productivity, and discourages companies from investing in their operations – instead having to hold money back for the potential of a rent-seeking lawsuit. 

"However, some states are demonstrating that it’s possible to greatly reduce excessive tort costs. West Virginia legislators passed reforms that introduced more transparency in predatory third-party litigation financing (TPLF). The measure also addressed the consequences of misleading legal advertising. These and other reforms resulted in a 20% reduction in West Virginia tort costs from 2016 to 2022, giving the state the lowest per-household cost in the nation – at about half the national average." . . .  

No, nobody on the right is celebrating the murder of director Rob Reiner. (Please let this be so. TD)

 Monica Showalter

  "Nearly all conservatives are just as shocked and saddened as everyone else. Conservatives never wanted him dead, some just wanted him to shut up. That's far from dancing with glee and singing with joy as some (and not all) on the left did on the death of Charlie Kirk."

"

It's hard to prove a negative, but I didn't see anyone on the right celebrating the tragic murder of lefty Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle Singer Reiner, reportedly at the hands of their second son, Nick, in a domestic dispute, stabbed after an argument. The New York Post reports that the son is "in custody."

" 'Sure, Reiner was a lefty. But people are more than just their politics. And a guy who focuses his entire life on making movies might not be a very deep thinker on politics anyway, even if he was vociferous.

" 'My immediate response upon hearing the news was one of sadness and sorrow. Such an amazing talent -- The Princess Bride, Stand By Me, Spinal Tap, When Harry Met Sally -- such misguided politics, but a nice guy all the same, meeting a an ending no one deserves. 

" 'And no more good movies for us from him, either.

" 'All I could think was that despite living a glittering life as a prince of Hollywood, renown for his excellent movies, there must have been a lot of suffering in Reiner's home, having a son, Nick, who was made addicted to drugs by some evil person at the age of 15, and Reiner paying for 17 trips to rehab for him by the time he was 19. Drug addiction is hell on whole families, not just the addict, it can happen to good families, too, while the failure of rehab to cure it is pretty common. He must have loved that son.

" 'So there's a certain amount of nonsense out there on the left, claiming that conservatives are celebrating the death of Reiner in these circumstances the same way a certain segment of the left (and it wasn't Reiner) celebrated the death of Charlie Kirk." . . .

One of Reiner's most famous scenes

Rob Reiner's words on Charlie Kirk murder echo sadly after director's death

. . . “ 'Absolute horror and I unfortunately saw the video of it,” Reiner replied. “It’s beyond belief what happened to him. That should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable. That’s not a solution so solving problems.”

“ 'And I felt like what his wife [Erika] said at the service at the memorial they had, was exactly right,” he continued. “I’m Jewish but I believe in the teachings of Jesus and I believe in ‘do unto others’ and I believe in forgiveness and what she said to me was beautiful. She forgave his assassin. And I think that is admirable.' ” . . .  

Far more than one would expect from a 2025 Democrat. Thank you, sir. TD

Rob Reiner and Wife Had Throats Slit By Family Member, Report Says  

"A source also told TMZ that the daughter (Reiner has another daughter from his marriage to the late Penny Marshall) who found the slain Reiners told police to focus on a family member who “should be a suspect” because this person is “dangerous.' ”

Mayor Frey wolfs down ‘Somali slop’ to spite Trump but the look on his face is worth 1000 words

Democrats hold allegiance to political power at the expense of America and her heritage, history, and traditions, all of which bind us as a nation and allow us to heal from our wounds. Wounds caused by mistakes of the past. Leftists - politicians, professors, celebrities, all consider it their need to daily scrape the scabs off wounds we all hope to heal. TD


BPR   "Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has set new standards when it comes to pandering to the Somali demographic, and a video of him chowing down on a plate of the African nation’s traditional fare has gone viral on social media.

"The far-left Democrat has taken great issue with President Donald J. Trump’s recent criticism of his city’s Somali community and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) as “garbage,” and he apparently thought that devouring the foreign grub was a way to spite the leader of the free world. And maybe it would have been if his facial expression didn’t look like he was wolfing down something that dripped out of a dumpster.

"In the short video that blew up X on Friday, the wimpy mayor is seen sitting at a table in a local restaurant and stuffing his face with the concoction, which greatly pleased his fellow diners while Somali music plays, and Frey has the appearance of a man battling the urge to throw up." . . .


. . . "He then proceeded to list a number of Somalian regions, saying, "Whether you are from Bosaso or Mogadishu, whether you are from Hargeisa or Garowe, whether you are from Beledweyne or southwest, Minneapolis is a place where you come to seek prosperity, where you come to raise your family."
"Here is what this election means. This election means this is a moment for unity, where the entire Somali community can come together and say, ‘This is our people. This is our city. We are united behind each other," he said."

. . . "Having entered office in 2018, Frey was elected to his third term as Minneapolis mayor on Tuesday. He is best known for marching with protesters during the 2020 Black Lives Matter riots, which were particularly destructive in Minneapolis, the city where George Floyd died. Frey was also seen kneeling and weeping by Floyd’s casket at a memorial service."

Douglas Murray Drops Shocking FINDINGS on Congresswoman Ilhan Omar "Nobody beats Douglas Murray in a honest and factual debate."

Sunday, December 14, 2025

If there is a Jewish Nobel for saving Jews, Ahmed al-Ahmed just won it - comment

 Jerusalem Post   "Ahmed al-Ahmed belongs in that moral family tree of the "Righteous Among the Nations.' "

 "The footage is hard to watch, and impossible to forget.

"On the eve of Hanukkah’s first night, as families gathered on Bondi Beach to celebrate the Festival of Lights, gunfire tore through the crowd. Then, in the middle of chaos, one man did the unthinkable. Identified by Australian and international media as Ahmed al-Ahmed, a 43-year-old Sydney fruit shop owner and father of two, he moved toward the attacker, wrapped him from behind, wrestled away the long gun, and forced the shooter to retreat. He was shot and hospitalized, but his split-second decision is widely credited with preventing even greater carnage.

"There is something profoundly Hanukkah about that moment.

"Not because Ahmed is Jewish (as far as the reporting shows, he is not), and not because heroism belongs to any one people or faith. It is Hanukkah because Hanukkah is the insistence that light is not a metaphor. It is a responsibility. A candle does not negotiate with darkness. It pushes back, stubbornly, flame-first."

"In Jewish history, the phrase “Righteous Among the Nations” is reserved for non-Jews who risked everything to save Jews during the Holocaust, recognized by Yad Vashem under a framework established by Israeli law. The names are etched into the Jewish conscience: Oskar Schindler, who used his factory to save Jews marked for death, and Raoul Wallenberg, who helped rescue Jews in Budapest with Swedish protective papers. Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who issued visas that became lifelines. Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker who helped smuggle Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto. The Ulma family in Poland, murdered for hiding Jews." . . .

New vision emerges of shooters loading and firing   The sirens are nonstop, but nobody arrives.