Victor Davis Hanson: Iran Wants Endless Negotiations While America Pays the Price

 The Daily Signal

These Celebrity Ghouls Danced on Lindsay Graham’s Grave

 Christian Toto  

"Yet, that’s exactly what we see now with the rise of social media and, as Jimmy Failla puts it, the death of shame."

"Margaret Cho has spent decades pleading for tolerance on behalf of the gay community.

"The far-Left comic calls herself bisexual and became a queer icon thanks to that status and her LGBTQ activism. Her politics are progressive to a fault, and she’s no fan of the GOP.Fine. Good. Nothing wrong or controversial there.

"Yet when Sen. Lindsay Graham suddenly passed away at the age of 71 over the weekend, the reaction from Cho’s fellow liberals proved shocking.

"Gross. Cruel. Unacceptable.

"Sure, we might celebrate the death of a modern-day monster, like Osama bin Laden or Ted Bundy. Dancing on a politician’s grave immediately after his or her death is another matter.

"Yet, that’s exactly what we see now with the rise of social media and, as Jimmy Failla puts it, the death of shame.

"That meant figures like Cenk Uygur did just that. So, apparently, did Cho. And, along the way, she cheered on the death of another GOP figure, the sickly Sen. Mitch McConnell.

"Cho shared a video where she said, “Bye, gurl” to the late senator, adding “good riddance.”

"She also mocked the notion that he might have been a closeted gay man in the process.

“From the closet to the coffin. Real seamless.”

"'The former is vile. The latter is precisely what one shouldn’t do to someone who wishes to keep his or her sexuality to themselves. Unless that person is a Republican, then all bets are off.

"Apparently.

"Not to be outdone, CNN contributor Michael Ian Black did his own dancing on Graham’s grave.

" . . .Of course, Sunny Hostin has to be nasty and attack a dead man and claims he “betrayed his country for power.”

She does it by hiding behind the comments of Steve Schmidt, a sad and mentally broken man:   More...

Only certain people will care what MSNOW has to say about Sen. Graham. Pretty much same as The View but with less people watching, I'd say. 

Zohran Mamdani Accused of Sabotage: How NYC’s Mayor Gutted the Biggest US Navy Parade in 50 Years

RedState   

"Paladino believes colluding with Iran is just one part of Mamdani's DSA-fueled plan, noting "they will collude with any and all of our enemies.'"

"New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) is facing accusations of undermining what was intended to be the largest U.S. naval parade in 50 years during the Sail4th 250 events celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.

Maritime expert, CEO of gCaptain, and a member of the Pentagon Press Corps, John Konrad, alleges that Mamdani’s administration used multiple city agencies to create obstacles, including complicating Navy permits, deploying barricades that misdirected crowds, and shutting down ferry service to the sold-out Governors Island viewing area following a minor overnight storm.

Konrad cites multiple military sources, ranging from O-5 ranks to admirals, in laying out a long string of allegations on X.

David Hitch

"Mamdani closed the ferry to the main viewing area (on the) morning of the US Navy parade," he initially states regarding what has been reported as a "flash storm."

"There was a minor storm the night before the parade, and Mamdani ordered the ferry that services the island closed," Konrad wrote in a follow-up post. "The storm was good luck for Mamdani, but that’s irrelevant: sources within NY DOT tell me someone close to the mayor was looking for mechanical or safety reasons to close it regardless." . . .

@johnkonrad posted:

Mamdani closed the ferry to the main viewing area morning of the US Navy parade. He made it significantly more difficult than usual for the Navy to obtain permits. He put up barricades that misdirected crowds. He threatened to coopt a Naval event with his political rhetoric Show more

Hon. Vickie Paladino

@VickieforNYC

I've said this before and I'll say it again. We are in a soft secession under Zohran. He considers New York an independent city-state with its own foreign policy, immigration policy, and economic policy. He does not recognize the authority of the federal government except to the extent he can extract money or political wins from it," Paladino asserts.

"The intent is to use the resources and authority of New York City to wage war against the federal government and the rest of the country. The DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) is quite open about it. They're telling us what they plan to do, and Zohran is executing."      More...

They came for the soccer. They fell in love with ranch dressing

 Ranch dressing: World Cup tourists fall in love with America’s favorite salad dressing | CNN

"In the meantime, she has a recommendation for international travelers who have fallen in love with ranch and want to take it home. “Stuff your suitcase full of dry packets,” she says. “As far as I’m aware, nobody will stop you.'”

"Long before South Korean culture went global, the 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by the Asian nation, introduced its crispy fried chicken to the world. Travelers to South Africa for the 2010 tournament sampled its jerky-like biltong. And when Brazil played host four years later, the icy caipirinha cocktail was in the spotlight.

"The World Cup has long been a showcase for the culinary culture of the host nation. And this year is no different.

"Ranch dressing, a sauce made from mainly buttermilk, vegetable oil and spices, is getting love from tourists experiencing American food and culture for the first time.

“Ranch dressing should be a human right,” wrote one Redditor, who identified as a European tourist, in a thread about World Cup visitors’ feedback on the country.

Fans are going so gaga for the sauce that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which manages passenger screening at airports, commented on the trend." . . . More...

 Anuschka van lent got hooked on Ranch dressing!

In Memoriam - The Most Interesting Revelation Released by Senator Lindsey Graham

NY Post: Lindsey Graham had among the lowest wealth in Congress despite a lifetime at the center of power trib.al/ZyutBzu

The Last Refuge  

"How does the office of a U.S. president; and more importantly the republic itself; survive a coordinated coup effort involving all three branches of government; while simultaneously those in charge of exposing the corruption fear the scale is too damaging for them to reveal?"

"Many people have specific citations for the impact of Senator Lindsey Graham. Several people have noted his importance in releasing information associated with the fraudulent “spygate’ and “Russiagate” operations. However, to me, the most interesting release from Senator Lindsey Graham was the release he could never again mention.

"Senator Graham released a highly compartmented letter [STILL ACTIVE LINK] that proved the depth of the fraud targeting President Trump. The letter formally outlined a complete governmental fraud using all three branches of government, and as a consequence it could never be discussed in public.

"In/around April 2020 (the letter is technically undated) the Senate Judiciary Committee (Graham and Feinstein) along with the Senate Intelligence Committee (Burr and Warner) received a copy of a letter previously transmitted secretly by the Mueller-led Dept of Justice to the FISA Court in July 2018.

"BACKGROUND: The Mueller led DOJ (Rosenstein compliant, Sessions recused) had previously sent a notification to the FISA Court, July 12, 2018, saying despite the Office of the IG investigation showing clear manipulation of Carter Page FISA application process, there was still “sufficient predication” to believe the FISA warrant was appropriate.

"The Mueller team were covering their ass, and racing against the clock while hiding information from the public. The letter clearly establishes in July 2018 the Mueller team were lying to the FISC.

"After the December 2019 OIG Horowitz report that exposed how the Mueller probe, DOJ and FBI having clearly manipulated information to continue using the FISA warrant, despite information showing the warrant was obtained using fraudulent information, the FISA Court demanded the DOJ, now under Bill Barr, inform the Legislative Branch (Judiciary Committee) of the July 12, 2018, lie told to them by the Mueller team.

"The DOJ had to comply and send the secret letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee. That’s how Graham received a copy of it in early 2020, which he then made public.

"Until that moment in 2020, no one knew the Mueller team was saying one thing to the FISA Court, and another thing entirely to the media and public." . . .  More...

All emphases in the original. TD

A few hard truths for the gay cruise that’s not allowed to dock

"[President] Reagan was polite when he said, 'The trouble with our Liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.”

 Andrea Widburg

". . . Still, it’s statistically likely that the people on this cruise have absolutely no idea what Islam stands for, even as they enthusiastically support a political party that loves Islam, even as Islam wants them dead."

"The story is kind of funny—an LGBTQ+ filled cruise that is being turned away from ports in Muslim countries for being inconsistent with Islamic values. However, what’s a little less funny is that, statistically speaking, most of these passengers support the Democrat party and its love affair with Islam. Indeed, at least one passenger has let his followers know that the animus the ship is facing is all...wait for it...Trump’s fault.

"It all began with Patti LuPone’s outrage. LuPone is a true Broadway star, having originated the diva role of Eva Perón in the musical Evita, before Madonna came along. She’s also done turns in movies and TV shows. She’s a genuine talent, and she knows where a large part of her fan base comes from: Gay men.

"Naturally, then, LuPone was happy to make a guest appearance on a gay-themed cruise carrying over around 2,000 LGBTQ+ passengers across the Mediterranean. The cruise ran into a hitch, though, when it tried to dock in the Turkish port town of Kuşadası, the gateway to Ephesus. (I’ve been on a cruise ship to Ephesus, and I must say that this historical site, one of the best-preserved ancient cities in the entire Mediterranean, is spectacular.)

"It turns out that the Kuşadası port authorities thought it was a very bad idea to have 2,000 LGBTQ+ people descend on the local community:" . . .

. . . "As for the anti-Israel animus, while there is no polling information about how LGBTQ+ voters specifically view Israel and her enemies in the West Bank and Gaza, Democrats have repeatedly shown themselves to hate Israel and love Gaza. Can we say “Queers for Palestine”?

"This is ironic, of course, because Israel is one of the most homophilic countries in the world, while gays are thrown off of roofs in the West Bank and Gaza." . . .More...

What Americans Don’t Appreciate About Iran

"When Iranians view nuclear power, they view it not through a “mutually assured destruction” filter, but as the fulfillment of prophecy."

Allan J. Feifer   

"Energy markets do not stop at borders. Neither do shipping lanes, alliance commitments, or the ripple effects of regional conflict. When those systems are disrupted, the consequences are not regional—they are immediate and far-reaching, requiring new strategic thinking, including the possibility of early intervention."

"Iran is about 7,300 miles away from where I live in Florida. To many Americans, that distance makes the Middle East irrelevant, appearing in their lives only as something associated with higher gas prices, periodic wars, and political arguments that seem disconnected from daily reality. So they ask a reasonable question: why are we involved at all?

"It’s a simple question, but the wrong answer is uniquely dangerous.

"America, more than any modern nation, functions as its own ecosystem. The belief that distance insulates it—and that security can be reduced to guarding its borders—is widespread, but fundamentally wrong. With dominance in technology, energy, finance, and culture, it is tempting to believe we can wall ourselves off from global instability. That belief only works if instability stays contained, but that’s not how instability works.

"Americans tend to reduce the Middle East to two variables: oil and Israel. Energy independence is cited as proof that the region no longer matters. Israel is increasingly treated as either a moral cause or a political liability, depending on perspective. But both frameworks miss the deeper structure underneath the region’s instability.

"That structure starts with Iran.

"Iran is not simply another regional actor. It is the primary organizing force behind much of the region’s persistent instability. Remove Iran and its network of aligned actors, and the Middle East does not become peaceful—but it does lose its coordinated, multi-theater pattern of sustained proxy warfare. Instead of an arc of linked conflicts spanning multiple regions, most violence would likely revert to more localized, fragmented disputes.

"This pattern is visible across multiple theaters, from Hezbollah’s sustained military infrastructure in Lebanon to Houthi disruption of maritime traffic in the Red Sea, where commercial shipping routes tied to global energy flows have repeatedly come under pressure.

"That matters because Iran is not operating as a conventional state acting only through narrow national interest. It is a system shaped by an espoused belief that combines ideological mission with strategic calculation.

"Iran is not a conventional nation-state. It is the product of a revolution that defines itself as unfinished." . . .   More...

Socialism is Always a Move Towards Communism -- with the Same Results

Communism and socialism have terrible records. To understand what Mamdani calls "The warmth of collectivism" study the Holodomor.

Mark Landsbaum - American Thinker  

"[British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher] no doubt agreed with Williams when he wrote, “I keep what I earn and you keep what you earn. Do you disagree? Well then tell me how much of what I earn belongs to you -- and why?”

"Tragically, we face today burgeoning support for socialism, largely because the U.S. socialist-inspired public schools have intentionally avoided teaching the system’s evil ways and disastrous results everywhere on earth it’s ever been attempted. As red flags go, they don’t come much bigger. Or redder.

"I have a long-time family friend, who should know better. He’s a lifelong business journalist who even for a while wrote for the conservative Wall Street Journal. Nevertheless, my buddy insists “socialism” is quite different from communism, and that in fact many socialist countries, such as in Scandinavia, are quite happy with the “benefits” of socialism.

"He may be right that many people are happy in Sweden, whose major political party is the Swedish Social Democratic Party. But the happy faces in Sweden and its Scandinavian neighbors can be explained by the fact that many people find pleasure in receiving benefits paid for by other people. As U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher so coyly noted in 1976 before she became prime minister, “The problem with socialism is that eventually they run out of other people’s money.”

"The difference between those happy-faced socialists and actual communists is just a matter of degree. As those benefitting from seizing other people’s wealth and income taste the fruits of their government-enabled theft, their appetite only grows for more. When was the last time you heard a socialist demanding less of other people’s money?

"As Karl Marx, the unemployed German who came up with the idea of communism, spelled out in detail in his Das Kapital, Communist Manifesto, and other writings, socialism is not a goal. It is an essential step toward the goal.

"That means even those enjoying short-term benefits by living off the sweat of others, in fact are nudging their nations closer and closer to the communist goal, whether they realize it or not. Today’s socialist is tomorrow’s communist; that’s the plan. Don’t think otherwise."... More...

Historical Photographs of the Holodomor - HREC Education  . . . 'For more information about some of these photos please visit the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide in Kyiv, Ukraine web pages. These photos may be viewed on their gallery pages. We cannot grant permission to use any of these photographs, they are not ours."

Hidden camera showed the victims of Stalin's "collectivism" 

. . . "Stalin had imposed collectivization, which replaced individually owned and operated farms with big state-run collectives." . . .

1930s; dead child in Ukraine.

holodomor photos - Search

Religious Liberty Means More Than Mere Toleration

 The American Spectator  

"The Supreme Court should make clear that the First Amendment means what it meant in 1791: that Americans possess an inalienable right to live out their faith that no city zoning code can extinguish. Home worship, Bible study, prayer groups, and Sabbath minyan, should not require a permit."

"In 1790, the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island wrote to President George Washington with words that carried the weight of centuries of persecution: “Deprived as we heretofore have been of the invaluable rights of citizens, we now behold a government which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”

"Washington’s letter to the Hebrew Congregation is one of the most remarkable documents in American history, not for its eloquence alone, but for what it rejected. The new republic, Washington insisted, would not merely tolerate its religious minorities. It would guarantee their rights. Every American, he promised, “shall sit in safety under his own Vine and Figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.

"Two hundred and thirty-six years later, the town of University Heights, Ohio, failed to live up to that promise for one of its Jewish residents. Daniel Grand is an Orthodox Jew. His faith requires him to pray three times a day, preferably with a minyan, a quorum of at least 10 men. On the Sabbath and High Holidays, when driving is forbidden, that means gathering on foot within walking distance of home. In January 2021, Grand sent an email to about a dozen neighbors, inviting them to pray together at his house. One neighbor informed the mayor.

"The next day the city’s law director sent Grand a cease-and-desist order. The letter warned Grand that if he held his planned prayer meeting at his home, his residence would be transformed into “place of religious assembly,” prohibited by the town’s zoning laws. If he wanted to pray with friends, he would need to apply for a special-use permit.

"What followed was a systematic campaign of civic harassment. When Grand applied for the permit, the hearing was converted to a “quasi-judicial” format that locked the record and prevented him from submitting supporting evidence. Neighbors sent letters of protest, including one that read, “I do not want our neighborhood labeled as Jewish.” When Grand withdrew his application, the mayor doubled down, publicly declaring that the cease-and-desist remained in full force and urging neighbors to report any signs of religious gathering at Grand’s home to city authorities. Police began conducting drive-bys, and the city withheld Grand’s certificate of occupancy and tax abatements, costing him thousands of dollars. Sanitation workers stopped collecting his trash." . . .  More...

Remembering Lindsey Graham’s Pivotal Role in the Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearings

 Legal Insurrection

“I would never do to them what you’ve done to this guy. This is the most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn’t have done what you’ve done to this guy.” 

"As these things often go, the aftermath of a political figure’s passing brings along with it varying opinions about the person, debates over their legacy, and speculation as to who will take their place if they still happen to be holding office.

"That has certainly been the case since news broke early Sunday morning that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), whose first Senate term began in January 2003, had passed away Saturday night “from a brief and sudden illness.”

"Graham, who had just gotten back from a Friday meeting in Ukraine with its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was 71.

"One of the things Republicans and Democrats alike will most remember Graham for was his powerful defense of then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and his blistering criticisms of Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, during the highly contentious confirmation hearings for Kavanaugh in the fall of 2018.

"Total war was declared on Kavanaugh, as Democrats were growing increasingly terrified that more conservative justices to the court would result in the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Relatedly, two senators on the committee, Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), were preparing to run for president and used the hearings to stage stunts and elevate their national profiles.

"There were also the behind-the-scenes machinations of then-Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), which ultimately set the stage for the fiery speech Graham would later give during the hearings:

Senator Dianne Feinstein knew that a woman had sent a letter claiming the Kavanaugh assaulted her in high school, but Feinstein said nothing. Not during the hearings, not during her consultations with fellow Senators, not during her private interview with Kavanaugh.

Instead, after the confirmation hearings were closed and a committee vote ready, it was 

conveniently leaked to The Intercept and Buzzfeed that the letter existed, and that Feinstein had forwarded it to the FBI. Days later the accuser was revealed in a Washington Post interview and story to be Christine Blasey Ford." . . . More...

Minimum-Wage Bill Shows Yet Again That Congress Is A Refuge For Know-Nothings

"We'll put Democrats in power again if it takes every dime you've got!"

Issues & Insights  

"In addition to killing jobs, minimum-wage hikes also increase prices, as employers pass on to consumers as much of their additional labor costs as is possible." 

"Democrats have many problems, not the least of which is an inability to understand, and for some the refusal to accept, basic economics. If they did, there wouldn’t be proposals to raise the federal minimum wage to a preposterous $25 an hour.

"House Resolution 8555 would “place the federal minimum wage on a durable path toward a living wage,” requiring “large, highly profitable corporations to lead the transition.” Under its yoke, large employers would have to raise their lowest wage from the current $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour on Jan. 1, 2027, a more-than-double spike that would shock the market.

"Large companies, defined as those with annual gross revenues in excess of $1 billion (there are more than 6,000 of them) or with 500 or more employees nationwide, will have to ramp up their minimum wage every Jan. 1 thereafter until the minimum hits $25 an hour on Jan. 1, 2031. Smaller companies will have to boost their hourly minimum to $14 next New Year’s Day and will have to meet the $25-an-hour standard by 2038.

“'We can afford it,” declares Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, who late last month introduced a similar bill in the Senate. “It’s not like we can’t pay a $25 minimum wage, we just choose not to because we’ve become okay with dozens and dozens of people in this country making hundreds of billions of dollars.”

"Who is “we,” Senator? Which company do you own? Which business did you start that will fall under the government’s wage boot? When was the last time you had to meet a company payroll? Anyone who would say “we” in this context is definitionally low-minded.

"Minimum-wage hikes are a combination of economic tyranny (there is no moral authority for lawmakers to tell private businesses how much they have to pay their workers, so they simply delegated the power to themselves) and economic lunacy.

"Raising the cost of anything, including labor, will lower demand, and in the case of a government-mandated minimum wage, that would be the demand for workers in the private sector." . . .

Trust the wisdom of the best and brightest leaders the Democrats provide.