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Iran Still Reeling Nearly Two Months After Suleimani Assassination By P. David Hornik

Posted By on February 24th, 2020

https://pjmedia.com/trending/iran-still-reeling-nearly-two-months-after-suleimani-assassination/

The U.S. assassination of Quds Force commander Qasem Suleimani on January 3 was a dramatic event—but how much did it really set Iran back? After all, he was only one official; couldn’t Iran just replace him and move on?

Almost two months later, a report in The Guardian says that’s not so, and that Iran—and the Revolutionary Guard of which Suleimani’s Quds Force was the spearhead—is still trying to recover.

“There were 11 bodies pulled from the wreckage,” said one [apparently Iraqi] official. “We are talking about the entire inner sanctum of the Quds Force. This wasn’t just Hajj Qassem [Suleimani] and Abu Mahdi [al-Muhandis]. This was everyone who mattered to them in Iraq and beyond.”

Another source, a western intelligence agency, was more circumspect, suggesting that those killed may have been less decisive in the Iranian nexus than the Iraqis believed.

But even if that Western intelligence agency is right, The Guardian goes on to say:

From the bunkers of south Beirut to the battlefields of northern Syria and the combustible streets of Iraq, the loss of Suleimani and his entourage has derailed much of Iran’s momentum in the region….

“Two senior sources in Beirut” told The Guardian that Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah “agreed to help fill the gaping hole left by the deaths of Suleimani and Muhandis. But there were limits to what he could do. He had lived a life even more in the shadows than the Iranian general for the past 14 years. And a drone strike from a night sky was unlikely to make him feel safer.”

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION, POLITICS Comments turned off

Claims of Russian Election Meddling Are Still a Scam By David Harsanyi

Posted By on February 24th, 2020

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/02/russian-election-meddling-claims-still-a-scam/If you can’t handle some memes or misleading ads, you probably shouldn’t be voting.

The fearmongering over Russian election “interference” might be the most destructive moral panic in American political life since the Red Scare. Then again, to be fair, those who prosecuted the post-war hunt for Communists had the decency to uncover a handful of infiltrators. We’ve yet to meet a single American who’s been brainwashed or had their vote snatched away by an SVR Twitterbot. Probably because no such person exists.

Nevertheless, millions of Americans believe that a handful of terrible memes — and I mean the most amateurish and puerile efforts imaginable — on social media were enough to overturn a presidential election in the most powerful nation on earth. Or, more likely, most pretend to believe it. As Donald Trump’s fortunes have turned somewhat in recent weeks, and socialist Bernie Sanders looks poised to take the Democratic Party nomination, the Russians are once again coming to snatch your vote.

There were lots of “wows” from journalists on Twitter last week when the New York Times reported that members of the House Intelligence Committee were warned by an aide to Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire that Russia would be meddling in the 2020 campaign in order to get President Trump reelected. When Trump found out, the Times reported, he was furious that briefers had given Adam Schiff ammunition for political attacks.

HOMELAND SECURITY Comments turned off

Pentagon police chase ‘suspicious’ suspect through Arlington National Cemetery FBI now questioning man, who was ‘acting suspiciously’ By Ben Wolfgang

Posted By on February 24th, 2020

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/feb/24/pentagon-police-chase-suspect-through-arlington-na/?utm_source=onesignal&utm_campaign=pushnotify&utm_medium=push

A man was arrested after “acting suspiciously” in a Pentagon parking lot Monday and is now being questioned by the FBI, military officials said.

The suspect was approached by Pentagon security forces about 10:45 on Monday morning and then fled the area, spurring a chase through nearby Arlington National Cemetery.

It took authorities more than two hours to capture the man, and Pentagon Police, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Police, U.S. Park Police, and Arlington County Police were all involved in the search, officials said.“The suspect is currently being questioned by the Pentagon Force Protection Agency in coordination with the FBI. As this is now an ongoing investigation, we have no other details to provide at this time,” Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough said in a statement.

POLITICS Comments turned off

Charles Lipson: America’s House Divided Cannot Stand Voters tend to see their political opponents as enemies, which is dangerous for democracy.

Posted By on February 24th, 2020

https://www.wsj.com/articles/americas-house-divided-cannot-stand-11582563522?

For constitutional democracies to thrive—or even muddle through—voters and candidates have to respect their political opponents. Parties must see the competition as legitimate even amid vigorous disagreement on ideas. This shared sense is a load-bearing wall for democracy.

Over the past decade, the U.S. has become much more divided, sawing holes in this wall and hoping to miss the support beams. Progressives and conservatives agree on one thing: It’s the other guys with the chain saws. A 2018 Axios poll summed up the sentiment: Some 61% of Democrats thought of Republicans as racist, bigoted or sexist. About half of Republicans described Democrats as ignorant or spiteful.

Why do so many Americans see their political opponents in such stark terms? One reason is that many on both sides think the future of American democracy hangs in the balance, that a victory for their opponents could ruin the republic. Conservatives fear the growth of the administrative state—powerful bureaucrats who rule by fiat and undermine elected leaders. For progressives, the perceived danger is Donald Trump. The left sees him as an aspiring dictator who is willing to shred constitutional norms.

The two sides might seem diametrically opposed, but they aren’t. Both could be true and form a vicious circle. If “the swamp” and the “deep state” bureaucracy are out to sink President Trump, he can stay afloat only by fighting them ferociously. The harder he fights, the more progressives double down to defend the administrative state, which their policies have built.

ANTI-SEMITISM Comments turned off

“What Ails Us?” Sydney Williams

Posted By on February 24th, 2020

www.swtotd.blogspot.com

In the summer of 1961, after my sophomore year in college, I worked in the smelter of Canada’s Falconbridge Nickel Mines just outside of Sudbury, Ontario. There were a number of Canadian students – all men – working in the mine that summer. On weekends, we would head into Sudbury to have a few beers and otherwise relax. One evening, fortified with libations, we attended a student union debate. The subject:“Resolved: I Would Rather be Dead than Red,” a common debate topic at the time. At the debates’ conclusion, members of the audience were asked if they would like to come up and speak, first for the affirmative and later for the negative. Having enjoyed debate in school and with vocal cords loosened with a couple of Molson Ales, I approached the dais and gave my reasons in the two minutes of allotted time. A few other students did as well. Then the moderator asked who would speak for the negative. At first no one rose, so again I approached the dais, this time to applause, to offer my opposing views.

The idea of debating two sides of an issue was always good training. Aristotle is alleged to have said that “it is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” I would go further and claim that if one does not understand an opponent’s position, then there is no possibility of reaching compromise. We have entered a twilight zone where biases are so extreme that we no longer communicate but talk over one another. Institutions, like family, church (or, at least, traditional Christian churches) and community organizations are in decline. They have been replaced by groups like #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo, #Resistance, #MAGA and social media, which give participants a chance to gather on like-minded platforms but offer little opportunity to witness or appreciate opposing views.

Unlike Swedes, French, Chinese or Japanese, we are Americans by choice, a choice that was either ours or that of our forefathers. While a typical Swede or Chinese can be imagined, a typical American cannot. We are too diverse.

BOOKS Comments turned off

“AMERICAN INGRATE” BY BEN WEINGARTEN

Posted By on February 24th, 2020

https://mailchi.mp/7a206fee7c5e/bhw-2374242?e=a0fa704ef6

In American Ingrate, Federalist Senior Contributor Benjamin Weingarten exposes Ilhan Omar’s radical and revolutionary Left-Islamist agenda, her seminal role in the progressive takeover of the Democratic Party, and the dire threat she poses to U.S. national security by way of her collusion with subversive anti-American forces.

She says that America was “founded by the genocide of indigenous people and on the backs of slaves,” and that “ignorance really is pervasive” among Americans today.

She says America must “dismantle” capitalism and “demilitarize” U.S. foreign policy, which she sees “from the perspective of a foreigner,” tweeting “thousands of Somalis [were] killed by…American forces…#NotTodaySatan.”

She says American support for Israel is “all about the Benjamins baby;” and that American Jews disloyally pledge “allegiance” to Israel’s “apartheid…regime,” which has “hypnotized the world.”

She says of the 9/11 attacks: “some people did something.”

Shockingly, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) words merely scratch the surface of her hatred of America—and the West—and divert our gaze from the nefarious actions she is taking to sabotage it from within.

American Ingrate is the defining book on the size, scope, and nature of the threat posed by Representative Omar—the personification of the anti-American Left-Islamist nexus—heightened by her hidden collusion with like-minded adversaries foreign and domestic, and alleged criminality and corruption.

This is a clarion wakeup call to the dangers epitomized by Rep. Omar. For she is not merely a lone radical in Congress, but the archetype of the new Democratic Party—and a uniquely dangerous figure at the heart of a uniquely dangerous challenge to America.

Among other things, this heavily researched work:

Makes the definitive case that as President Trump has argued, Rep. Omar is the face of the Democratic Party, while delving deeply into her unexplored background, unchallenged beliefs, and under-appreciated effort in leading her party to advance a fundamentally subversive, intersectional- and identity politics-based agenda geared towards destroying our core institutions under the guise of “social justice;” 
Sets forth the argument that she not only personifies but leads the unholy progressive-Islamist alliance–held together by the glue of Jew-hatred as a proxy for hatred of Judeo-Christian Western civilization–that truly has triumphed over the Democratic establishment; and
Builds the as yet ignored case for her collusion with corrupt and anti-American actors and regimes foreign and domestic–on top of credible allegations of criminality and corruption, including previously unreported details pointing to her fraudulence

CHARLOTTE'S NEWS WEB Comments turned off

AMIL IMANI ON ISLAM’S EXPANSION IN THE WEST, AND DIANE WEST ON THE CONTINUING COUP

Posted By on February 24th, 2020

Islam’s Expansionism in America by Amil Imani

HTTPS://GRANITEGROK.COM/BLOG/2020/02/ISLAM-EXPANSIONISM-IN-AMERICA

“Well, that did not work. The events of 9/11 did nothing to wake people up. Eighteen years have come and gone since the horrific attacks of 9/11. Sadly, we still have not learned the lessons of it. Whose fault, is it?”

Here is one reason, from a headline: “Loophole used by 9/11 hijackers still open with 6 million visa overstays in the U.S.”  Here is another: Sharia law continues to stealthily insert itself into every aspect of American life and culture. The number of mosques has tripled and many Muslims have been brought to America and resettled in every corner of the country. And because it is obligatory for a Muslim to follow Islamic laws and not some fabricated laws like the U.S. Constitution, therefore, a Muslim can never be both, a Muslim and an American at the same time. They are incompatible.

Diana West explains the anti-Trump conspiracy that has continued into 2020

https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/2020/02/21/diana-west-explains-the-anti-tru

DIANA WEST, Nationally syndicated columnist, Blogs at Dianawest.net, Author of Death of the Grown Up, American Betrayal, and Red Thread: A Search for Ideological Drivers Inside the Anti-Trump Conspiracy:

The sentencing of Roger Stone
The continuation of the anti-Trump conspiracy into 2020

(PART TWO):

How the case of Rich Higgins underscores the issues with the anti-Trump establishment
Is there equal justice in the US with respect to political figures?
The infiltration of the justice department and intelligence community by the deep state

(PART THREE):

Will the Russian collusion narrative re-surface during the 2020 presidential election?
The connection between the Obama administration and Russia through Skolkovo

(PART FOUR):

Understanding the roots of McCarthyism
What are the motivations behind the Democratic Party?

BOOKS Comments turned off

Impeachment Witness Marie Yovanovitch Signs Book Deal Reportedly Worth 7 Figures By Ivan Pentchoukov

Posted By on February 24th, 2020

https://www.theepochtimes.com/impeachment-witness-marie-yovanovitch-gets-7-figure-book-deal_3247408.html

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, a key witness in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump, has signed a book deal.

Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt confirmed that it acquired the rights to Yovanovitch’s as-yet-untitled memoir.

The book will follow her career as a foreign service officer in Mogadishu, Somalia; Kyiv, Ukraine; and eventually Washington, “where, to her dismay, she found a political system beset by many of the same challenges she had spent her career combating overseas,” the publisher said in a statement.

“Yovanovitch’s book will deliver pointed reflections on the issues confronting America today, and thoughts on how we can shore up our democracy.”

MOVIES AND TELEVISION Comments turned off

EMMA- A REVIEWS BY MARILYN PENN

Posted By on February 24th, 2020

http://politicalmavens.com/index.php/2020/02/23/emma-a-review/

I haven’t read Jane Austen’s original version of Emma since college, but judging from its latest incarnation, a title that better suits it is Much Ado About Nothing. By now, after so many treatments of the source, everyone must know that Emma is a privileged young woman who fancies herself a do-gooder, particularly vis a vis her friendship with Harriet Smith, a young woman missing everything Emma has – wealth, lineage, social standing and personality. Unfortunately, that last quality is not in evidence in either the screenplay or bland performance by Anya Taylor Joy. But, even if it were, it’s hard to see what the two women would ever have in common except the endless flattery of Emma herself.

The exterior landscapes and interior designs of the various great houses are beautiful, as are the varied musical backgrounds and costumes. The hairstyles couldn’t possibly be less flattering so I will assume that this was the director’s nod to us that these characters were not allowed the freedom to think for themselves. One of the fallacies of many period films is to equate antiquated social customs with primitive thinking – thus none of the women in this film has anything clever to say except the one sentence that Emma utters to humiliate the unfortunate spinster, played by Miranda Hart who was Chummy on Call the Midwife. That may seem extraneous for you to know in this review, but it was a bright note for me to recognize her and smile at the memory of her much better part on that series. I should mention that Bill Nighy, an actor who is normally a scene stealer par excellence, has only one opportunity to do that and mainly functions in this movie as a mannequin of himself.

As you will guess from my suggestion of a better title, by the last scene you will know that All’s Well That Ends Well, so if you’re looking for a chance to take a nap and wake up to a wedding, see Emma.

ISRAEL, WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Fiamma Nirenstein Anti-Semitism can’t be fought with lip service The EU’s message with regard to the settlements grants tacit permission to blame and hate Israel and, by extension, the Jews. To combat this, words are not enough; action is required.

Posted By on February 24th, 2020

https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/anti-semitism-cant-be-fought-with-lip-service/

Anti-Semitism turns truly dangerous when it becomes the organizing principle of society. This occurred during the past century under Nazism and communism, and it is occurring again today.

Unrelenting bias against Israel, Zionism and thereby the Jewish people has become progressively interwoven with institutional power. It has penetrated the mindset of all those living under the “intersectionality” roof, i.e., those who feel oppressed and who harbor social frustration in various forms. Zionism and by extension the Jewish people are cast as oppressors, and this view has been granted political legitimacy by organizations such as the European Union and United Nations.

Ethnicity, gender, culture, etc. – are have become commingled. And all – feminists, university professors, members of the LGBT community, Hollywood directors, child-rights advocates – attack Israel, for reasons that can vary from “pinkwashing” to white supremacy to neo-colonialism. There are seemingly infinite themes available. This commingling not only animates but also strengthens bias. This stream of thought holds the State of Israel to be warmongering, colonial and racist in nature; Judaism, which generated Israel, is held responsible. The simple idea that Judaism includes the entire Jewish people then closes the circle of anti-Semitism.

The most important institutions in the world today push this line of thought, even if not explicitly. The parents of contemporary anti-Semitism are the same ones appearing in conferences, institutions, synagogues and even in Israel to proclaim their campaigns against anti-Semitism.

So what can be done? The generally accepted International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism is a positive step because it ties anti-Semitism and “Israelophobia” together. Yet it is not enough. Only policy action, not blame or promises to teach the history of the Shoah, can combat anti-Semitism. This is why US President Donald Trump’s Executive Order against anti-Semitism is so essential; it is composed of political steps that destroy the paradigm of political anti-Semitism.

There has been some progress in Europe as well. Hungary and the Czech Republic made great strides against anti-Semitism by abstaining from the UN General Assembly’s 2017 vote condemning Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Six EU member states (including, once again, the Visegrád Four) also took a stand against anti-Semitism earlier this month by opposing a resolution by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell calling for a joint European condemnation of Trump’s “Peace to Prosperity” plan. By their action, they opened a real discussion about Israel’s security needs and the legality of the settlements.