MOVIES AND TELEVISION Comments turned off

Dinesh D’Souza hits it out of the park with new film ‘Vindicating Trump’ By Monica Showalter

Posted By on September 28th, 2024

https://www.ruthfullyyours.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

Dinesh D’Souza’s new film, “Vindicating Trump” hits the theatres tonight around the country, and should go a long way towards bringing the real Donald Trump to the public, including Democrats and independents. Go see it.

It’s fast-paced, it’s full of information, it has humorous moments, and it’s a polished production, so it’s a good film to see on movie night as the election seasons carries on.

Done as a tightly scripted docu-drama, and quite professionally done at that, given the short time it must have been produced in (I marvel at how quickly they must have gotten this done so smoothly), it starts with the rise of Trump and ends with the events today, but also projects into the election and the post-election, seeking answers about what voters are concerned about, which is fraud.

The storyline begins with the rise of Trump, brashness and all, and intellectually looks into first the calumny dished out against him, then the lawfare, and finally the assassination attempts, and carefully links how these trains of thinking build on one another, which makes the storyline coherent and powerful.

Some of it features actors in scenes re-enacting the chains of events that sought to take down Trump (and the acting is very good, it’s a splendid look into the minds of sleazeball political operatives, malevolent politicized government officials, and corrupted media satraps. The DoJ official named “Cliff” is particularly nasty. One of the funniest lines was between a couple of Screwtape-like characters not wanting to dig around in CNN’s “trash can” for media promoters). The wokesterly wokesters at the political operative desks are just so comically convincing. The acting here is very engaging, and you find yourself rooting for as well as wanting to throw rotten eggs the antagonists.

But it also features interviews with the actual players, including Trump himself, his daughter-in-law Lara Trump who leads the Republican National Committee, and his lawyer Alina Habba who has been present at all the Trump trials, describing what they saw and felt, and the effect is immersive and engrossing, even if you already know most of the story. 

However, that ‘most’ is merely that — there is a lot of new information and reporting within in that is well worth seeing the movie along for, particularly during the last half hour of the video, which if you see it on streaming, you may want to watch again and again.

ISRAEL Comments turned off

Israel Accused of the Crime of Defending Itself What other nation is disallowed to fight for its existence? by Hugh Fitzgerald

Posted By on September 28th, 2024

https://www.frontpagemag.com/israel-accused-of-the-crime-of-defending-itself/

British journalist Brendan O’Neill is appalled at the way so many in the West paint Israel’s efforts to defend itself as “war crimes.” No matter how precisely it attacks its targets — as the Hezbollah possessors of pagers, hand-held radios, and walkie-talkies were — the IDF is accused of “indiscriminate” killing in Lebanon. No matter how many ways the IDF warns civilians in Gaza to leave places and buildings that are about to be targeted, Israel remains accused of “indiscriminate” bombing. For too many people around the world, everything Israel does is “a war crime.” More on this world-wide condemnation of the Jewish state for defending itself can be found here: “This wasn’t a war crime – it was an audacious assault on anti-Semites,” by Brendan O’Neill, Spiked, September 18, 2024:

…All eyes are on Israel, naturally. Experts suspect Mossad intercepted a massive stash of pagers destined for Hezbollah militants and planted explosive material in the batteries. Then they sent a signal, from hundreds of miles away, that caused the batteries to overheat and eventually to blow up. The planning required for such a spectacular op blows the mind – no pun intended. I know Israelophobia is the default position of the influential classes, but surely even they will admit this was an ingenious way for the Jewish State to take out the adherents to a self-styled ‘army of god’ that has sworn itself to excising the ‘cancerous growth’ of Zionism from the Middle East. (They mean Jews.)…

That many in the West view Israel’s every action as criminal is depressing, but not surprising. Fundamentally, they think it is a crime for Israel to defend itself. They think it is a crime for Israel to take any action that might limit the threat posed by the apocalyptic anti-Semitism of Hezbollah and Hamas. And they think this because they think Israel’s very existence is a crime. They view the Jewish State as a criminal enterprise, a vile, law-defying blot not only on the Middle East but also on the reputation of humankind itself. When you harbour such intense, irrational hatred for one nation, it is a short step to telling that nation to down its weapons, lower its defences and let itself be attacked.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

‘We’re Gonna Get You:’ Pro-Hamas Mob Rampages Across New York City During Mass Protest by Dion J. Pierre

Posted By on September 28th, 2024

https://www.algemeiner.com/2024/09/27/were-gonna-get-you-pro-hamas-mob-rampages-across-new-york-city-during-mass-protest/

Pro-Hamas activists stormed the streets of New York City on Thursday night, amassing in the hundreds to stage a demonstration outside the Loews Regency New York Hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was staying before addressing the United Nations the following morning.

“Netanyahu, we’re gonna get you,” the protesters, led by Within Our Lifetime (WOL) and its founder and leader Nerdeen Kiswani chanted, appearing to threaten the prime minister’s life. Flanked on all sides by dozens of New York City Police Department (NYPD) Bike Unit officers assigned to contain the demonstration, they waved Palestinian flags and signs calling for the destruction of Israel.

Later in the night, the protesters defied law enforcement officers’ orders to stay within the space they allowed, resulting in several arrests and additional charges for resisting arrest and obstructing justice. During the detainments, the protesters screamed expletives at officers, calling them “fascists,” “p—ssies,” and “pieces of sh—t.” Others, jamming their cell phone cameras into the thick of the confrontations, demanded to know the officers’ names, presumably to report them for misconduct.

In a statement WOL accused the NYPD of setting off a “cop riot to protect Netanyahu, the Butcher of Gaza.” It continued, “The NYPD incited another egregious riot against New Yorkers, arresting and injuring dozens. The NYPD’s violence and aggression exemplifies that they will continually prioritize protecting the forces of imperialism and zionism [sic] over the safety and rights of the people of NYC.” The group added that “two protesters remain in state custody.”

The demonstration shows that, nearly a year removed from Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, pro-Hamas extremists are as active as ever and intend to continue targeting major cities for mass disruptions and clashes with law enforcement.

ELECTIONS, NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

The Democrats’ Joy Of Hating America

Posted By on September 28th, 2024

https://issuesinsights.com/2024/09/27/the-democrats-joy-of-hating-america/

The London Telegraph reports that the Labour Party intentionally “threw open Britain’s borders to mass immigration to help socially engineer a ‘truly multicultural’ country.” Obviously, Labour feels the British culture is inferior and must be eradicated. America’s Democrats are no different. They hate their country so much they want to fundamentally transform it.

George Orwell captured the burgeoning self-hatred among the British smart set when he wrote in a 1941 essay:

England is perhaps the only great country whose intellectuals 
are ashamed of their own nationality. In left-wing circles it is always 
felt that there is something slightly disgraceful in being an Englishman 
and that it is a duty to snigger at every English institution. … All through the critical years many left-wingers were chipping 
away at English morale, trying to spread an outlook that was sometimes 
squashily pacifist, sometimes violently pro-Russian, but always 
anti-British.

In the 21st century, nothing has changed. The Telegraph’s 2009 story recounts “the huge increases in migrants over the last decade,” attributing it “to a politically motivated attempt by ministers to radically change the country” – this according to Andrew Neather, who advised the Tony Blair Labour government. Neather wrote in another British publication that mass immigration “enriched” the country and made London more attractive, more cosmopolitan.

Another purpose was to “rub the right’s nose in diversity,” which lines up perfectly with what the American left has been up to for several decades, because the right unabashedly, and sincerely, loves this country, and that triggers the other side.

ISRAEL Comments turned off

“An Age of Appeasement” Alan Mendoza

Posted By on September 28th, 2024

https://henryjacksonsociety.org/

The State of Israel is fighting for its future.

It began on the morning of October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists from Gaza invaded Israel. They went on to commit the worst pogrom since the Holocaust. Afterwards, Israel had no choice but to enter Gaza. The goal: eliminate Hamas. 

Cut to a year later, and Hamas has been nearly defeated. But, alas, Israel’s existential war is not over yet. Another terrorist threat looms large: Hezbollah. 

Every day since October 8, 2023, the Islamist group has been firing missiles from Lebanon into northern Israel. Their targets: Israeli civilians living peacefully next to the Israel-Lebanon border. Because of Hezbollah’s reign of terror, more than 100,000 people have had to flee their homes. They are staying in hotels paid for by the government, their lives on pause. 

The situation is no longer tenable. “We will return residents of the north safely to their homes,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

To make that vow a reality, Israel has been going after Hezbollah. 

Last week, it remotely detonated the pagers and walkie-talkies of Hezbollah’s senior operatives. Although Israel has not officially taken responsibility for the operation, it has been widely attributed to its intelligence services. 

And this week, the IDF has been conducting precision air strikes on Hezbollah facilities in Lebanon. Several commanders have been killed, including the head of Hezbollah’s air units. Be in no doubt: the terrorists are on the ropes.

ISRAEL Comments turned off

Three Observations About the US, Iran, Israel, and “Escalation” When much nonsense is being spoken, it’s worth it to mine for clarity. P. David Hornik

Posted By on September 28th, 2024

https://pdavidhornik.substack.com/subscribe?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=email-subscribe&r=8t06w&next=

1.       Israel had barely begun to up the ante in fighting Hizballah before the world powers began making proclamations about it.

President Biden and President Macron said jointly: ““It is time for a settlement on the Israel–Lebanon border that ensures safety and security to enable civilians to return to their homes. The exchange of fire since October 7th, and in particular over the past two weeks, threatens a much broader conflict, and harm to civilians.”

A convocation of the European Union, the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates called for a three-week ceasefire to “provide space for diplomacy” and said the current “intolerable” situation “presents an unacceptable risk of broader regional escalation.”

Here in Israel, we couldn’t help noticing that almost a year of daily Hizballah missile, rocket, drone, and mortar fire into Israel, predominantly at civilian targets, did not count as an “escalation,” was not “intolerable” or “unacceptable,” and did not “threaten a broader conflict.” At no time, of course, did President Biden or any other Western leader demand Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to

tell Hizballah to stop the bombardment. It could have gone on for another ten years; it was not, after all, an escalation, since only Israel is capable of escalating.  

2.       Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Mitch McConell have sent a letter to President Biden that “strongly condemn[s] your administration’s continued delay in providing critical military equipment and weapons to our ally Israel in the midst of an existential war.” The letter says the US is denying Israel MK-84 bombs, which Israel needs “to hit Hamas’s deeply buried tunnels and other military infrastructure in Gaza,” while “Hezbollah also has significant military infrastructure that Israel must destroy”; Apache attack helicopters, which “Israel requested . . . last December, recognizing the increased need given the war in Gaza,” a need that “has only increased with Hezbollah’s escalation in the north”; and Caterpillar D9 tractors, which the administration is “holding up” even though Israel uses these “to clear improvised explosive devices (IEDs)” and “to save the lives of scores of Israel Defense force (IDF) soldiers and civilians.”

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Who Is More Corrupt, Eric Adams Or The Biden-Harris DOJ/FBI? Francis Menton

Posted By on September 28th, 2024

https://us7.campaign-archive.com/?e=a9fdc67db9&u=9d011a88d8fe324cae8c084c5&id=852c51fdb4

The answer to the question is that it’s not a close call. The Biden-Harris DOJ/FBI is far more corrupt.

For the latest evidence, consider the new federal criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Yesterday, a federal grand jury, acting at the behest of the Biden-Harris Department of Justice and FBI, handed down an indictment of Adams. The indictment was then released today. The full text can be found here.

Plenty in the Democrat Party media took the occasion to credit the work of the feds and jump all over Adams. As an example, the headline at Bloomberg News is “NYC Mayor Was Corrupt For Years, US Claims in Scathing Case.” Adams, on the other hand, responded by accusing the Biden-Harris DOJ/FBI of engaging in corrupt pay-back for his speaking out about the Biden-Harris immigration crisis and its impact on the City. Adams released a video with his response, available at the New York Post website. Excerpt:

Despite our pleas, when the federal government did nothing as its broken immigration policies overloaded our shelter system with no relief, I put the people of New York before party and politics. . . . I always knew that if I stood my ground for New Yorkers that I would be a target — and a target I became.

Who has the better side of the case? I’m old enough to remember when if the feds handed up an indictment of a politician, you could be very sure that they had a real case. Those days are long gone. Today under Biden and Harris, the DOJ and FBI are very much in the business of corruptly using their power and resources to harass their political opponents, and jail them if possible.

Could that be what’s going on here? Let’s look at the indictment. I have read the whole thing carefully, and it is shockingly thin. There has been a full-bore federal investigation going on for many months, probably more than a year. Many millions of federal taxpayer dollars have been expended. Is this all they have come up with?

ELECTIONS Comments turned off

Liz Peek: 10 critical priorities for Trump’s first day back in the White House

Posted By on September 28th, 2024

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4901314-trump-second-term-priorities

Donald Trump told Fox News’s Sean Hannity last year that he wouldn’t be a dictator “except on Day One.” On that first day back in office, he said, “I want to close the border, and I want to drill, drill, drill.”

It was clear what he meant — and he even added, “After that, I’m not a dictator” — but liberals across the country at least feigned outrage over such “authoritarian” comments.  

They conveniently ignore the whirling dervish nature of Joe Biden’s earlyWhite House days.

Biden, of course, unilaterally canceled the Keystone Pipeline; dictated masks be worn on federal property (and on planes and trains); moved to rejoin the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accords; froze student debt collections; set stricter emissions limits for vehicles; suspended oil drilling leasing on federal lands; terminated Trump’s 1776 Commission; revoked Trump’s efforts to exclude illegal immigrants from the U.S. Census; reinforced the protections for illegal migrants brought to the U.S. as children; abolished the ban on travel to the U.S. from (at that point) 11 countries with serious terrorism problems (the so-called “Muslim ban”); paused deportations of people in the U.S. illegally; stopped building the border wall; banned workplace discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender employees; restored collective bargaining power and workplace protections for federal workers; undid Trump’s regulatory approval process; and approved a whole slew of measures addressing the COVID pandemic. 

This day of unilateral power was of course celebrated by the media, which cheered Biden’s efforts to undo pretty much everything his predecessor had done, including closing our southern border.   

So if Trump is reelected, what should be his top priorities for his first 100 days?  Here are 10 of them:

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

The Guilt of Intellectuals By Roger Kimball

Posted By on September 28th, 2024

https://tomklingenstein.com/the-guilt-of-intellectuals/

Let the Hosannas ring forth: Fredric Jameson, one of the world’s most owlish producers of reader-proof prose of a Marxian bent, has just shuffled off his mortal coil, age 90.  The New York Times was quick off the mark with a fawning obituary. Duke University, where Jameson emitted his signature brand of academic “anti-capitalist” fog for many years, actually lowered the campus flags to commemorate the passing of this maven of Marxist muddle. (I put editorial quotation marks around “anti-capitalist” because, like so many of his academic brethren, Jameson railed against capitalism, “bourgeois individualism,” etc., while eagerly lapping up their benefits.) 

I last thought about Jameson in the 1990s when I wrote an essay about him for The New Criterion. I thought it might be worth reprising, with a few alterations, now that he has gone to his worker’s paradise. 

I began with an epigraph from the master himself: 

It is rather the essential “innocence” of intellectuals which is here in question: this private inner game of theoretical “convictions” and polemics against imaginary conceptual antagonists and mythic counterpositions, … of passionate private languages and private religions, which, entering the field of force of the real social world, take on a murderous and wholly unsuspected power.

—Fredric Jameson, Fables of Aggression

Among the stars that twinkled in the academic firmament of the 1990s and after, none twinkled more formidably than the Marxist literary critic Fredric Jameson. Having taught at Harvard, Yale, and at various campuses of the University of California, Professor Jameson, who died on September 20, was for many years ensconced at Duke University — that favored perch for so many academic twinklers — where he was William A. Lane Professor of Comparative Literature and Director of both the Graduate Program in Literature and the Duke Center for Critical Theory. 

ISRAEL Comments turned off

Israel’s War Is Against Hezbollah, Not The Lebanese People by Bassam Tawil *****

Posted By on September 25th, 2024

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20968/war-against-hezbollah

On October 8, 2023, the very day after Hamas attacked, Hezbollah opened a “second front” against Israel to help Hezbollah’s brothers in Hamas.

On September 19, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah promised that his organization’s terrorist attacks on Israel would continue until the war in Gaza ended. Hezbollah, he said, will continue supporting the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip “no matter what the consequences are, what the sacrifices are, what scenarios will unfold.” Nasrallah further threatened that Israelis who have evacuated from their homes will not be allowed to return, implying that Hezbollah might be planning to invade and occupy Israel’s north.

The war in the Gaza Strip could end tomorrow if Hamas would lay down its weapons and release the 101 Israelis hostages it is still holding, only about half of whom are thought to be alive. Hamas, nonetheless, seems to have chosen to fight to the last Palestinian. Hamas evidently does not care if thousands of Palestinians are killed in the war. Its main objective is to hold onto power.

How would the US respond if a terrorist organization in Mexico began launching hundreds of missiles and drones into American cities?… How would France respond if its cities came under attack from terrorists based in neighboring countries… Would the French call for negotiations with the terrorists, or would they practice their right to self-defense?

Hezbollah has decided to destroy Lebanon and sacrifice a large number of Lebanese civilians to keep Hamas in control of the Gaza Strip. It has left Israel with no choice but to wage a counterterrorism offensive to defend its own citizens. After Hamas brought a nakba (catastrophe) to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah is bringing the Lebanese people another.

Some in the international media are misrepresenting the recent round of fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist organization, Hezbollah, as a war between Israel and Lebanon. This, however, is not a war between Israel and the Lebanese people. Rather, it is a war between Israel and a heavily armed terrorist group that has created a state within a state in Lebanon and is acting on orders from the mullahs in Tehran to advance their goal of destroying the “Zionist entity.” This war was initiated 11 months ago by Hezbollah in support of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, another Iran-backed proxy based in the Gaza Strip.