American Power

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Rising French Anti-Semitism

Don't know how "new" this is, considering France's history going back to the Dreyfus affair, to say nothing of Vichy. But it's nevertheless extremely bad right now.

At the Washington Post, "A ‘new anti-Semitism’ rising in France."

And at the New York Times, "Number of French Jews Emigrating to Israel Rises."

Chinese Police Kill 13 Islamic Jihadists in Xinjiang

These are Muslim attackers, although from most of the headlines I'm seeing, you wouldn't know it.

See Pamela Geller, "Jihadists Bomb Police Station in West China."

Chinese police shoot dead 13 attackers who bombed a police station - official media http://t.co/l4IzGSF16t pic.twitter.com/iSWup4vGQW
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 21, 2014

Professor William Jacobson on the Larry Elder Show

At Legal Insurrection, "On the Larry Elder Show talking anti-Israel boycott movement."

And check the audio here.

PREVIOUSLY: "William Jacobson Speaks at Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel, Los Angeles."

Friday, June 20, 2014

Presbyterian Church U.S.A. Votes to Divest from Israeli Companies

What is happening to this church? It's like overnight they're taken hostage by radical leftists.

This was out yesterday, at USA Today, "Presbyterians in U.S. to allow gay marriage ceremonies," and the New York Times, "Presbyterians Vote to Allow Same-Sex Marriages":

The Presbyterians follow other religious groups that have taken similar steps, including the United Church of Christ, which affirmed “equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender” in 2005; Quakers; the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations; and the Reform and Conservative movements in Judaism.

Right. The Presbyterians are turning into a sadistic cult.

And now today, at the Los Angeles Times, "Presbyterians to divest from 3 companies to protest Israeli policies":

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA voted to sell its stock in three major companies Friday night in protest of Israeli policies in Palestinian-controlled lands.

During its national meeting, the general assembly narrowly voted to divest from Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions by a vote of 310-303. Those three companies are said to supply Israel with tools used in building settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem

Though advocates said the decision should not signal support for a broader movement aimed at taking action to encourage Israel to change its policies toward Palestine, there has been concern among Israeli supporters that a decision to divest could signal momentum for the movement. In the same meeting, the Presbyterian organization voted to reaffirm its stance that Israel has a right to exist.

“We recognize the complexity of the issues, the decades-long struggle, the pain suffered and inflicted by policies and practices of both the Israeli government and Palestinian entities,” the documents state.

That's a lie, of course. The Presbyterian Church has joined the push by the World Council of Churches to demonize and delegitimize Israel as an Apartheid state, as Melanie Phillips discussed in her must-read piece, "'Jesus Was a Palestinian': The Return of Christian Anti-Semitism." The Church has tacked leftward along with society's increasing abandonment of strong Christian values as the moral guide to life. It's not a good omen for the West, although fortunately the overall BDS movement continues to be widely repudiated.

VIDEO: BBC Crew Caught in Middle of #ISIS Gun Battle

Pretty intense, "Extended footage shows BBC caught in Isis gunbattle."

Secret Video of ISIS Jihadists Smuggled Out of #Iraq

From CNN's Senior International Correspondent Arwa Damon:

Canadian Animal-Lover Convicted for 2 Deaths After Parking on Montreal Provincial Highway to Save Baby Ducks and 'Take Them Home'

Further proof that leftism's a narcissistic disease that puts regular people's lives at risk. And her defense attorney was "surprised" at the conviction. Yes, because parking in the middle of the freeway to save baby ducks is so compassionate. Seriously, another case of radical leftist anti-humanism. Thank goodness she's going to the slammer.

Via Blazing Cat Fur, "Canada woman stops for ducks; guilty in 2 deaths":

MONTREAL (AP) — A Canadian woman who parked her car on a highway to help a group of ducklings on the side of the road was found guilty Friday of causing the deaths of a motorcyclist and his passenger daughter who slammed into her car.

Emma Czornobaj was convicted by a jury on two counts of criminal negligence causing death, a charge that carries a maximum life sentence, and two counts of dangerous driving causing death, which comes with a maximum of 14 years in jail.

The 25-year-old was charged in the deaths of Andre Roy, 50, and his daughter Jessie, 16.

She wiped away tears when the verdict was delivered to a packed courtroom in Montreal. Quebec Superior Court Justice Eliane Perreault said the 12-member jury voted unanimously.

Czornobaj was released until her pre-sentence hearing on Aug. 8.

Roy's motorcycle slammed into Czornobaj's car, which was stopped in the left lane of a provincial highway south of Montreal in 2010.

Czornobaj, a self-professed animal lover, told the court that she did not see the ducklings' mother anywhere and planned to capture them and take them home.

Defense lawyer Marc Labelle said his client was stunned by the jury's decision. "The fact that she was involved in the accident in the first place was a hard experience for her," he said. "The fact that she had to go through a trial with a lot of publicity was tough and to be confirmed by 12 citizens, the jury, that the conduct was criminal is a hard blow."

Freakin' demonic people. Let's hope she's raped bloody in the slammer.

#WorldCup Player Álvaro Pereira Kept Playing After Being Knocked Out Cold During Uruguay's Game with England

He was out cold on the grass.

At the New York Times, "‘Lights Went Out,’ but He Kept Playing: Uruguayan Player’s Return After Head Injury Stirs Debate."

And watch it at the Sydney Morning Herald, "Alvaro Pereira, knocked out then raring to go."

Pereira was clearly - clearly - out cold on his back needing to be revived. Now he's playing. That is just insane.
— Sam Borden (@SamBorden) June 19, 2014

Hate seeing doctors overruled with Pereira coming back on. World soccer clueless on concussions.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) June 19, 2014

Obama DHS Adviser Mohamed Elibiary’s Anti-American Tweets Celebrated by Brutal #ISIS Jihadists

Just mind-boggling.

At Freedom's Outpost.

This is the same guy who said the return of the Islamic caliphate is inevitable. Kinda like the EU or something, doh!

At Free Beacon, "Senior DHS Adviser: ‘Inevitable that ‘Caliphate’ Returns’."

@davereaboi #Silly. As I've said b4 inevitable that "Caliphate" returns. Choice only whether we support #EU like Muslim Union vision or not.
— Mohamed Elibiary (@MohamedElibiary) June 13, 2014

Rosie Jones' First-Ever Zoo 'Shoot

Love the accent.

Video at Zoo Today, "Rosie Jones is coming to ZOO! See her sexy topless shoot video!"

Secret U.S. Plan to Aid #Iraq Fizzled Amid Mutual Distrust

Isn't this just too typical of this administration. It's bad enough that Obama wants to weaken the U.S. and embolden our enemies. But this administration can't even handle the most basic alliance cooperation. No wonder Islamic jihad is on the march worldwide.

At WSJ, "The Obama's Administration Devoted Only a Handful of U.S. Specialists to the Task":

WASHINGTON—Amid growing signs of instability in Iraq, President Barack Obama authorized a secret plan late last year to aid Iraqi troops in their fight against Sunni extremists by sharing intelligence on the militants' desert encampments, but devoted only a handful of U.S. specialists to the task.

So few aircraft were dedicated to the program, which also faced restrictions by the Iraqis, that U.S. surveillance flights usually took place just once a month, said current and former U.S. officials briefed on the program.

Instead of providing Iraqis with real-time drone feeds and intercepted communications from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, the militant group that has overrun parts of Iraq, U.S. intelligence specialists typically gave their Iraqi counterparts limited photographic images, reflecting U.S. concerns that more sensitive data would end up in Iranian hands, these officials said.

Political and security sensitivities for leaders in both countries led the U.S. move cautiously to secretly set up the so-called fusion intelligence center in Baghdad. But Mr. Obama's announcement Thursday that the U.S. will deploy up to 300 military advisers and set up two joint operations centers shows the extent to which U.S. and Iraqi leaders are racing to catch up to an ISIS threat they had already identified but were slow to counter.

As Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, struggles with the Sunni insurgency and the sectarian divisions that spawned it, support for his own leadership came under fire on Friday by the country's most influential Shiite cleric. Mr. Maliki, who is trying to assemble a governing coalition following April elections, should consider stepping aside, a spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said during a Friday sermon.

To battle ISIS, U.S. and Iraqi leaders are taking steps proposed but not taken over the past months and years, including setting up larger intelligence operations and deploying teams of special operations forces. The small team set up last year "wasn't a priority and nobody thought it was a serious effort," said a senior U.S. official.

Administration and congressional officials say the U.S. also miscalculated the readiness of Iraqi forces: The White House's limited investment in the intelligence center was driven at least in part by the assumption that Iraqi forces would be more competent, the official said. Then, at the end of April, the Pentagon dispatched a team of special-operations personnel to assess the capabilities of Iraq's security forces, a defense official said.

The assessment they brought back was bleak: Sunni Army officers had been forced out, overall leadership had declined, the Iraqi military wasn't maintaining its equipment and had stopped conducting rigorous training. The response in Washington, summed up by a senior U.S. official, was: "Whoa, what the hell happened here?"

More.

Liar-in-Chief Barack Obama Claims #Iraq Troop Withdrawal 'Wasn't a Decision Made by Me...'

He's such a freakin' liar.

So, he wasn't the "decider," huh?

Actually, he was.

Scott Wilson, at the Washington Post, does an unexpectedly good job of fact-checking the Liar-in-Chief, "President Obama took credit in 2012 for withdrawing all troops from Iraq. Today he said something different."

Read it at the link, but I went right to the source documents. Here's the transcript from yesterday's speech, "Remarks by the President on the Situation in Iraq."

President Liar called on CNN's Jim Acosta, who offered this follow up question, to which the president responded with a bald-faced lie:

Q Just very quickly, do you wish you had left a residual force in Iraq? Any regrets about that decision in 2011?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, keep in mind that wasn’t a decision made by me; that was a decision made by the Iraqi government. We offered a modest residual force to help continue to train and advise Iraqi security forces. We had a core requirement which we require in any situation where we have U.S. troops overseas, and that is, is that they're provided immunity since they're being invited by the sovereign government there, so that if, for example, they end up acting in self-defense if they are attacked and find themselves in a tough situation, that they're not somehow hauled before a foreign court. That's a core requirement that we have for U.S. troop presence anywhere.

Perhaps one could see how President Liar might have a little wiggle room with his response, considering Iraq's concerns on troop levels or what have you (although remember, once the administration lowered the residual force levels to 3 to 5,000 troops, Maliki just said forget it). But then, again, President Liar campaigned on keeping his 2008 promise to wind down the war. Here's the transcript from President Liar's speech at an Ohio campaign rally, at Bowling Green State University, September 26, 2012. See, "Remarks by the President at a Campaign Event -- Bowling Green, OH":

Now, obviously, Governor Romney and I have a lot of differences when it comes to domestic policy, but our prosperity here at home is linked to what happens abroad. Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq. We did. (Applause.)

I said we would responsibly wind down the war in Afghanistan, and we are. You've got a new tower that's rising over the New York skyline, and meanwhile, al Qaeda is on the path to defeat and Osama bin Laden is dead. (Applause.) We made that commitment. (Applause.)

But as we saw just a few days ago, we still face some serious threats in the world. And that’s why, as long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, we're going to maintain the strongest military the world has ever known. (Applause.) And when our troops come home and they take off their uniform, we're going to serve them as well as they’ve served us, because nobody who fights for America should have to fight for a job when they come home. I believe that. (Applause.)

My opponent has got a different view. He said the way we ended the war in Iraq was “tragic.” He still hasn't explained what his policy in Afghanistan will be. But I have, and I will. And one more thing, I will use the money we’re no longer spending on war to pay down our debt and to put more people back to work rebuilding roads and bridges and schools and runways -- (applause) -- because after a decade of war, it's time to do some nation-building right here in Ohio, right here at home. (Applause.)

So this is the choice that you face; it's what this election comes down to...

Well, clearly, the American public made the wrong choice. Of course, they were lied to throughout the entire campaign. That's the only way President Liar could possibly be reelected.

In any case, Scott Wilson has more examples at the Washington Post.

And the outstanding Noah Rothman had this story yesterday, at Hot Air, "Obama insists he is merely hostage to events in the Middle East."

Obama Administration Negotiating Legal Immunity for U.S. Troops with Iraqi Government

Now they're negotiating.

Mighta done that back in 2011 and we coulda avoided this complete cluster Middle East meltdown.

At Pat Dollard's, "Obama Regime & Iraq Negotiating an Immunity Deal for New U.S. Troops On the Ground."

Recall Max Boot on failed immunity negotiations, "Obama's Tragic Iraq Withdrawal."

Iraq's Top Shiite Cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani Calls for New Government

At the Wall Street Journal, "Iraq's Top Shiite Cleric Calls for New Government: 'Effective' Government Needed That 'Avoids Past Mistakes'":

BAGHDAD—Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric called on Friday for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to step aside, breaking ranks with the leader of the Shiite-dominated government after nearly two weeks of fighting with Sunni militants that has left the country's military humiliated.

In a sermon to worshipers in the holy city of Karbala, a spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani didn't mention the prime minister by name. But Ahmed al-Safi said it was time for a different administration in Iraq, which is beset by a powerful Sunni insurgency led by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham.

"It is necessary for the winning political blocs to start a dialogue that yields an effective government that enjoys broad national support, avoids past mistakes and opens new horizons toward a better future for all Iraqis," Mr. al-Safi said.

Were Mr. Maliki to heed the grand ayatollah's call, it would mark a stunning reversal of fortune for the Iraq's premier, who had been planning for a third, four-year term after his electoral coalition won a plurality of votes in parliamentary elections only a few weeks ago.

Friday's declaration by Ayatollah Sistani came one week after he issued a call to arms to defend Iraq against the Sunni rebellion and a day after U.S. President Barack Obama blamed Mr. Maliki and his sectarian policies for the two-week-old conflict that has eroded Baghdad's authority throughout the country.

In a speech in Washington on Thursday, Mr. Obama said only an "inclusive agenda" will end the crisis facing Mr. Maliki's government.

Iraq's pro-government satellite television station on Friday played up Mr. Obama's support for Baghdad's fight against Sunni Muslim militants but overlooked what the U.S. president suggested was the Iraqi prime minister's sectarian and authoritarian governing style.

Iraqiyya television, which was created by U.S. forces following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 but has since become an important mouthpiece for Mr. Maliki, cast the turmoil in Iraq as a religious conflict and focused its reports on the necessity to rise to the militant Sunni challenge to the Baghdad government.

Mr. Obama, in his speech on Thursday, signaled some limited support for Iraq's fight against Sunni rebels but made clear he wouldn't launch airstrikes against the insurgents or deploy U.S. ground troops to the country. He said, however, that he would send 300 military advisers to assist the Iraqi military.

More.

Boom! New Poll Finds 65 Percent of Americans Reject Obama on #Immigration

At Gallup, "Approval of Obama's Handling of Immigration Falls to 31%."

A full 65 percent of those polled disagrees "with the way President Obama is handling immigration."

Recent developments contributing to the ongoing debate about immigration include Obama's delay of a review of deportation policies by the Department of Homeland Security in the hope of striking a legislative deal on immigration reform with Congress. Also, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's recent primary loss was widely viewed as a defeat rooted in Cantor's perceived stance on immigration. The primary loss and subsequent shakeup in House leadership could spell greater challenges for Obama as he tries to work with Republicans. Additionally, the media has recently enlarged its spotlight on the increasing numbers of unaccompanied Central American children who have crossed the U.S. border, seeking their already immigrated family members and a generally better life.

Obama's approval on immigration has dropped since last August across all political affiliations, even among those in his own party....

Notice how Gallup is clueless on "the bottom line" at the entry.

The GOP doesn't need to approve "immigration reform." That's not the message coming out of these data. Americans are shocked that our borders are out of control and they want a clamp down. Seriously, people are seeing through this manufactured crisis. It's a threat to national security and the White House --- and the open-borders amnesty-shilling Democrat Party --- will pay the price.

Added: Linked by the Mad Jewess, "MANY Diseases That Are Horrible Come In to America From Mexico. Leftists LIE."

Thanks!

Britain's Michael Fabricant Apologizes for Saying He'd Punch Leftist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

Here's the Guardian, which has the screencap of the offensive tweet, "Tory MP Michael Fabricant apologises for tweet saying he might punch female journalist."

It turns out conservative commentator James Delingpole joined the debate with an "inflammatory" post (which I like), "THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH WANTING TO PUNCH YASMIN ALIBHAI-BROWN IN THE THROAT."

That got Louise Mensch's dander up and she defended Alibhai-Brown.

.@y_alibhai although #Delingpole is UKIP and not Tory, I am mortified by the abuse you are receiving from right-wing men #feminism
— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) June 20, 2014

And here's the woman debating Rob Little on Channel 4, which is worth a look, heh.

In any case, I wouldn't make a comment about punching a woman (at least not so publicly), although I don't think you can ban emotional speech like that. Who knows, though. Feminists generate a lot of power with the "misogyny" meme. You have to push back and stand up for free-flowing speech.

#CNN Reporter Roughed-Up During #Hamas Protest

It's CNN's Ben Wedeman, who gets beaten-up by Hamas security agents:

More at Blazing Cat Fur, "IDF Troops Continue to Search for Kidnapped Teens #EyalGiladNaftali."

Calgary Police Service Issues Warning on Canadian Muslims Joining #ISIS Jihad in Iraq

Following-up from Wednesday, "Somali-Canadian Farah Mohamed Shirdon of Calgary Joins #ISIS Jihad in Iraq."

And also at Blazing Cat Fur, "Mosaic of Diversity Alert: Farah Mohamed Shirdon of Calgary fighting with ISIS, threatens Canada in Jihadi vid."

Here's the CBC with the warning on Canada's Islamic jihad from the Calgary Police Service:

Paul Ryan Eviscerates 'Lying' #IRS Commissioner John Koskinen

Whoa!

Paul Ryan gets fired up!

From Katie Pavlich, at Town Hall, "IRS Commissioner in the Hot Seat on Capitol Hill Over 'Lost' Emails."

And from Noah Rothman, at Hot Air, "Videos: Paul Ryan, Kevin Brady expose holes in the IRS’s story."

Clayton #Kershaw's No-Hitter Was MLB's All-Time Best

At LAT, "NO ONE BETTER: Why Clayton Kershaw's no-hitter was MLB's all-time best":

Belly up and plant a flag, because there's no way of settling this debate. Still, it doesn't mean that an argument can't be made that Clayton Kershaw on Wednesday provided baseball with its greatest pitching performance.

Not this season, but ever. As in the history of the game. Impossible to prove? Sure, but not to argue. It's all subjective, especially when you mix eras and different ballparks.

But consider this: Kershaw no-hit the Rockies while striking out 15 and not walking a single batter.

There have been 283 no-hitters in baseball history, but Kershaw is the only one to have at least 15 strikeouts and no walks.

Only one other pitcher has even thrown a no-hitter with at least 15 strikeouts. Nolan Ryan managed it in three of his record seven no-hitters, but accompanied them with walks of four, eight and two.

Kershaw was a model of precision Wednesday. He needed only 107 pitches. He averaged less than four pitches per batter. Only one batter made it to a three-ball count...

Keep reading.

And be sure to watch the clip, which splices together Vin Scully's comments on Kershaw's no-hitter.

Plus, more on the bugaboo of the season, the cable blackout, from Chris Erskine, "Dodgers blackout should be lifted for Clayton Kershaw's no-hit replay."

America's Enemies in #Mosul and Tehran Spot Obama's False Commitment Right Away

The editors at the Wall Street Journal cut through the crap from Obama's press conference on Iraq yesterday. See, "Obama's Iraq Feint":

In international politics, influence is a function of power, and commitment is a prerequisite to achievement. If Mr. Obama were serious about the threat posed by ISIS and the possible breakup of Iraq, he would not be making the token commitments he made Thursday. It may take some of our liberal friends a while to understand that what the President proposed isn't a strategy; it is a feint. America's enemies in Mosul and Tehran will have spotted it right away.

Time Magazine Cover Story: 'The End of Iraq'

Yep, it's pretty much kaput as a viable nation-state.

This is nevertheless a dramatic cover feature.

From Michael Crowley, at Time:

The End of Iraq photo BqhyUAAIUAAUIuG_zps1d9eb781.jpg

The End of Iraq photo BqhyUAAIUAAUIuG_zps1d9eb781.jpg

The Sunni radicals’ dream of establishing an Islamic caliphate–modeled on the first reign of the Prophet Mohammed in the 7th century–has no place for Shi’ites. That’s why Iraq’s leading Shi’ite cleric responded to ISIS’s advance by summoning men of his faith to battle. So begins another Iraqi civil war, this one wretchedly entangled with the sectarian conflict that has already claimed more than 160,000 lives in Syria. Poised to join the fighting is Iran, whose nearly eight-year war with Iraq in the 1980s cost more than a million lives.

To Americans weary of the Middle East, the urge is strong to close our eyes and, as Sarah Palin once put it so coarsely, “let Allah sort it out.” President Obama has kept a wary distance from Syria’s civil war and the turmoil of postwar Iraq. But now that the two have become one rapidly metastasizing cancer, that may no longer be possible. As long as the global economy still runs on Middle Eastern oil, Sunni radicals plot terrorist attacks against the West and Iran’s leaders pursue nuclear technology, the U.S. cannot turn its back.

“There is always the danger of passing the buck,” says Vali Nasr, a former Obama State Department official and an expert on Islam. “Not to say the region doesn’t have problems or bad leadership. It does. But these things won’t go away. They are going to bite us at some point.” What Leon Trotsky supposedly said about war is also true of this war-torn region: Americans may not be interested in the Middle East. But the Middle East is interested in us.

****

Barack Obama first ran for President, in large measure, to end the Iraq War, and he takes pride in having done so. It surely wasn’t easy, then, to announce that some 170 combat-ready soldiers were headed to Baghdad to secure the U.S. embassy. The White House insists that Obama won’t re-enter a ground war, though military planners are exploring possible air strikes. (For now, limited intelligence and ill-defined targets have put bombing on hold.) The likelier option is a small contingent of special forces to advise Iraq’s military. But Obama wants to leverage any possible U.S. help to force al-Maliki into major political reforms. A new governing coalition giving Sunnis real power could offer the country’s only hope for long-term survival. Whether something the U.S. couldn’t accomplish when its troops were still in Iraq is feasible now is another question.

Clearly, Obama was mistaken in declaring, after the last U.S. troops departed in 2011, that “we’re leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq.” But while Washington plunged into the blame game, fair-minded observers could see that the U.S.’s road through the region is littered with what-ifs and miscalculations. What if we had never invaded Iraq? What if we had stayed longer? What if Obama had acted early in the Syrian civil war to put arms in the hands of nonradical rebels? “We would have less of an extremism problem in Syria now, had there been more assistance provided to the moderate forces,” Obama’s former ambassador to Damascus, Robert Ford, told CNN on June 3.

Yet on a deeper level, the blame belongs to history itself. At this ancient crossroads of the human drama, the U.S.’s failure echoes earlier failures by the European powers, by the Ottoman pashas, by the Crusaders, by Alexander the Great. The civil war of Muslim against Muslim, brother against brother, plays out in the same region that gave us Cain vs. Abel. George W. Bush spoke of the spirit of liberty, and Obama often invokes the spirit of cooperation. Both speak to something powerful in the modern heart. But neither man–nor America itself–fully appreciated until now the continuing reign of much older spirits: hatred, greed and tribalism. Those spirits are loosed again, and the whole world will pay a price.

12 Suspected #ISIS Jihadists Detained in Beirut Hotel

In Lebanon.

Think about it. Right next to Israel. A hop and a skip from Jordan.

ISIS by definition is a region-wide movement for the caliphate.

At the New York Times, "A Dozen Men, Reportedly Islamist Militants, Detained in Beirut Hotel":

BEIRUT — Lebanese security forces detained 12 men in a Beirut hotel on Friday, in what local news media reported was a move to capture members of the Sunni militant group ISIS who were suspected of plotting to assassinate a leading Shiite political figure.

Security forces blocked off numerous streets in Hamra, the main commercial district of West Beirut, and surrounded the Napoleon Hotel. Outside the hotel, in a neighborhood of narrow streets full of shops, apartments and midrange hotels, dozens of armed security officers forced pedestrians off the streets, then led 12 men, their heads covered, out of the hotel.

According to Lebanese news channels, security forces were still hunting down other militants believed to be at large in the Hamra neighborhood. The channels said that the militant cell comprised mostly foreigners, including Syrians, Iraqis, Pakistanis and others, and that as many as 17 men had been arrested or were being sought.

Earlier on Friday, the Amal movement, a Shiite political party, canceled a conference at a United Nations building downtown, citing security concerns. NOW Lebanon, a local news website, reported that the ISIS members arrested were suspected of planning to assassinate Amal’s leader, the parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, and Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, the commander of Lebanon’s general security agency.

mal is an ally of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite party and militant group that has provided decisive military help to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria against insurgents, including Sunni jihadist groups.

More.

Shocking Worldwide Support for Islamic Jihad with #AllEyesOnISIS Twitter Storm

It's a strange thing to behold, a fanatical Twitter storm for a terrorist army that butchers and beheads everything in its path, but if you check the #AllEyesOnISIS hashtag you'll see: Islamic jihad as a pop culture phenomenon.

At London's Daily Mail, "'We love you ISIS': From USA to Rome to Australia - disturbing notes from EVERY continent show support for Islamist Jihadis terrorising Iraq after group's Twitter charm offensive."

Continuous support for ISIS flooding from all over the world. #AllEyesOnISIS pic.twitter.com/wo4FJ7MDKv
— أيوب (@_ayoub82_) June 20, 2014

⭕️ س ؛ ماذا يجب عليّ كمسلم في : #حملة_المليار_مسلم_لنصرة_الدولة_الإسلامية ؟ #AllEyesOnISIS ج : سبعة أمور 👇 : pic.twitter.com/DojftwZ6VZ
— #رابطة_اﻷنصار (@ansaar999) June 20, 2014

#AllEyesOnISIS New way & new life with ISIS . Only enjoy (: it's coming !! pic.twitter.com/1vnv7Inx55
— #باآاقية ¿? تركي (@f_r_a_g_1) June 19, 2014

#Democrats Before the Iraq War Started

I'd long forgotten about this video clip featuring soundbites of top Democrats making the case for regime change in Iraq. I can't remember a more treasonous backstabbing retreat in my lifetime. The Democrats are the party cut-and-run. Indeed, Senator Harry Reid is featured at the clip. I just wrote about his perfidy the other day, "Troop Backstabber Harry Reid Dismissed Iraq War as Lost in '07: Smirks at #ISIS Bloodbath Today."

Watch it, at American Glob, "The #Iraq War Comments @TheDemocrats Would Like You to Forget."

Pat Condell: 'You too should support Israel whatever your political persuasion...'

Another outstanding video clip.

Via Truth Revolt, "Pat Condell: BDS No Better than Book Burning."

Heritage Questioner Saba Ahmed on #Hannity

Following-up from a couple of days ago, "Brigitte Gabriel Destroys 'Moderate' Muslim Saba Ahmed at Heritage Benghazi Accountability Panel."

The woman missed her chance to call out Islamist jihad.

This was her chance to have spoken out against radical Islam, and Saba Ahmed did not.
— Brigitte Gabriel (@act4america) June 20, 2014

Police Shoot Armed Suspect at LBCC's Pacific Coast Campus

This is the "downtown campus" at my college.

It's definitely urban. Last time I had a meeting down there, a couple of months ago, I was met by an aggressive panhandler in the parking lot demanding gas money to drive to San Bernardino. Fortunately he was satisfied after I forked over a couple of bucks. Big black mofo. What are you gonna do?

In any cast, at the Long Beach Press-Telegram, "Police respond to possible shots fired at Long Beach City College."

Also at the Los Angeles Times, "Police shoot armed suspect near Long Beach City College."

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Elizabeth Warren Scolds Chris Matthews for Tough Questions

At Breitbart "'STOP THIS!' ELIZABETH WARREN SCOLDS CHRIS MATTHEWS FOR TOUGH QUESTIONS."

Video is here.

Good on Chris Matthews. Warren's a liar and hypocrite. Blames everything on the Republicans. What a loser.

#ISIS Jihadists Enter Ruthless Alliance with Former Saddam Loyalists in Baath Party of #Iraq

Following up on my previous entry, "#ISIS Advance Through Iraq is 'Basically a Blitzkrieg'."

And now at the New York Times, "Uneasy Alliance Gives Insurgents an Edge in Iraq":

Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri photo aldouri-sized_zpscf619e44.jpg

ERBIL, Iraq — Meeting with the American ambassador some years ago in Baghdad, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki detailed what he believed was the latest threat of a coup orchestrated by former officers of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party.

“Don’t waste your time on this coup by the Baathists,” the ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, chided him, dismissing his conspiracy theories as fantasy.

Now, though, with Iraq facing its gravest crisis in years, as Sunni insurgents have swept through northern and central Iraq, Mr. Maliki’s claims about Baathist plots have been at least partly vindicated. While fighters for the extremist Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, once an offshoot of Al Qaeda, have taken on the most prominent role in the new insurgency, they have done so in alliance with a deeply rooted network of former loyalists to Saddam Hussein.

The involvement of the Baathists helps explain why just a few thousand Islamic State in Iraq and Syria fighters, many of them fresh off the battlefields of Syria, have been able to capture so much territory so quickly. It sheds light on the complexity of the forces aligned against Baghdad in the conflict — not just the foreign-influenced group known as ISIS, but many homegrown groups, too. And with the Baathists’ deep social and cultural ties to many areas now under insurgent control, it stands as a warning of how hard it might be for the government to regain territory and restore order.

Many of the former regime loyalists, including intelligence officers and Republican Guard soldiers — commonly referred to as the “deep state” in the Arab world — belong to a group called the Men of the Army of the Naqshbandia Order, often referred to as J.R.T.N., the initials of its Arabic name. The group announced its establishment in 2007, not long after the execution of Mr. Hussein, and its putative leader, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, was one of Mr. Hussein’s most trusted deputies and the highest-ranking figure of the old regime who avoided capture by the Americans.

Referring to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria’s fighters, Michael Knights, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who has researched the Naqshbandia group, said, “They couldn’t have seized a fraction of what they did without coordinated alliances with other Sunni groups.”

In some areas under militant control, including areas around Mosul, Kirkuk and Tikrit, he said, “there are definitely pockets where the Naqshbandias are wearing the pants.”

Mr. Douri, the king of clubs in decks of cards given to American forces in 2003 to identify the most-wanted regime leaders, is a mysterious figure, so furtive he was even declared dead in 2005. It is believed that he is still alive today — he would be in his early 70s — although even that is uncertain. After the American invasion he was said to have fled to Syria, where he reportedly worked with Syrian intelligence to restore the Baath Party within Iraq and led an insurgency from there that mainly targeted American interests.

“He’s a great totem of the old regime,” Mr. Knights said. “You need that kind of individual to keep the flame going.”

It's said that representatives of Douri's Naqshbandia group have met with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the secretive ISIS leader sometimes considered the next Osama bin Laden.

Notice the irony here: The left claimed there was no evidence that Saddam Hussein maintained ties or support for al-Qaeda before 9/11, and it was claimed no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq in 2003; but in 2014 Saddam's top butchers are now coordinating chemical weapons development with al-Qaeda-in-Iraq's splinter group, all while the Democrat who was once the most antiwar member of the U.S. Senate prepares to launch airstrikes on some of the world's most dangerous elements, who President George W. Bush had placed in the Axis of Evil.

Blow-back is a bitch sometimes, especially for the Democrats.

PREVIOUSLY: "No WMDs? #ISIS Jihadists Seize Saddam's 'Premiere' Chemical Weapons Production Facility."

#ISIS Advance Through Iraq is 'Basically a Blitzkrieg'

An interview with Michael Maloof, at RT.

And he's also at WMD, "ISIS SCORES BIG WITH IRAQI WMDs."

PREVIOUSLY: "No WMDs? #ISIS Jihadists Seize Saddam's 'Premiere' Chemical Weapons Production Facility."

#Iraq Crisis Raises Questions Over Obama's Withdrawal from Afghanistan

At London's Daily Mail, "Iraq crisis raises fresh questions over Obama’s withdrawal from Afghanistan as Taliban strikes Nato post destroying trucks and sparking gun battle."

Obama Suggests 'Targeted and Precise' Airstrikes Against #ISIS Jihadists

No boots on the ground but the U.S. "will be prepared to take targeted and precise military action, if and when we determine that the situation on the ground requires it."

Transcript of the president's press conference at CNN, "Transcript: Obama's remarks on U.S. response to Iraq crisis."

And a report at the Los Angeles Times, "Obama to send up to 300 advisors to 'train, advise and support' Iraq."

Major Garrett, below, reports for CBS Evening News.

And at the Washington Post, "White House beginning to consider conflicts in Syria and Iraq as single challenge":

The Obama administration has begun to consider the conflicts in Syria and Iraq as a single challenge, with an al-Qaeda-inspired insurgency threatening both countries’ governments and the region’s broader stability, according to senior administration officials.

At a National Security Council meeting earlier this week, President Obama and his senior advisers reviewed the consequences of possible airstrikes in Iraq, a bolder push to train Syria’s moderate rebel factions and various political initiatives to break down the sectarian divisions that have stirred Iraq’s Sunni Muslims against the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Senior administration officials familiar with the discussions say what is clear to the president and his advisers is that any long-term plan to slow the progress of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, as the insurgency is known, will have far-reaching consequences on both sides of the increasingly inconsequential desert border that once divided the two countries.

Although spreading faster in Iraq, the advance of ISIS could also force the administration to reconsider its calculations in Syria, where Obama has taken a cautious approach, declining to arm moderate rebel factions or conduct airstrikes on government airstrips, as some advisers have recommended.

“The key to both Syria and Iraq is going to be a combination of what happens inside the country, working with moderate Syrian opposition, working with an Iraqi government that is inclusive, and us laying down a more effective counterterrorism platform that gets all the countries in the region pulling in the same direction,” Obama said at a news conference Thursday. “Rather than try to play whack-a-mole wherever these terrorist organizations may pop up, what we have to do is to be able to build effective partnerships.”

More.

Grim Overcrowding, Filthy Conditions at Illegal Alien Detention Centers in #Arizona and Texas

At the Los Angeles Times, "Overcrowded, unsanitary conditions seen at immigrant detention centers":

Immigrant youths covered the dirty concrete floors of the Border Patrol holding cells here, sprawled shoulder to shoulder and draped in grubby Red Cross blankets, enveloped in a haze of sweat and body odor.

Groups of girls and boys stared out the windows of their cells, some of the girls holding babies of their own, as agents watched from a central monitoring station. A girl could be seen scrubbing her armpits at the back of the cell.

This 4,900-square-foot detention center near the Mexican border in south Texas was built to house 250, but for the last few months it has been holding twice that, thanks to what U.S. officials say is an unprecedented influx of children and families, most from Central America, hoping for refuge in the United States.

More than 800 of the youngsters are being held at a former warehouse in Nogales, Ariz., now also deployed as a detention center for migrant youths.

Facing growing controversy over reports of crowded and unsanitary conditions, Border Patrol officials on Wednesday provided the first limited public access to the two facilities, allowing reporters on brief, controlled tours for glimpses of children and a few mothers detained there at the end of their often long journeys from places as far away as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

In Arizona, most were corralled behind chain-link fences topped with razor wire, huddling for warmth on plastic mats under flimsy metallic Mylar blankets. A television was suspended from the ceiling. Banks of portable toilets served as sanitary facilities. Beside a recreation area, a camouflage tarp had been strung up to shield temporary showers.

In Brownsville, the group included young mothers, many of whom looked exhausted. Some of the children looked dazed or stared blankly from the cells, while others waved and smiled. Many slept.

In Nogales, children clung to the towering chain-link fences around their cells, staring at visitors. Some appeared to have been crying, with swollen and red eyes. Others simply stared.

Immigrant advocates say the latest images of overcrowded cells and dirty floors reinforce their concerns that U.S. Customs and Border Protection is ill-prepared for the influx and is not properly safeguarding immigrants rounded up along the border...

It's a leftist Democrat Party scam to put pressure on Republicans to pass amnesty.

More from Katie Pavlich, at Town Hall, "After Leaked Photos Expose Unaccompanied Child Crisis, Border Patrol Agents Threatened With Firings," and "Texas Allocates $1.3 Million For Law Enforcement Surge on The Border":

As the federal government continues to be overwhelmed by a new surge of illegal immigrants from Central America, states are taking matters into their own hands by allocating more resources for border protection.

Yesterday Texas Governor Rick Perry announced the allocation of $1.3 million for a law enforcement surge at the border with a goal of stemming the ongoing crisis...

More.

'Maybe if al-Qaeda renames itself the #Redskins, then Obama will bomb them...'

Heh.

At Blazing Cat Fur, "Obama gets serious about al Qaeda takeover, will send Kerry to general area, go on doing nothing."

The 20 Hottest Conservative Women In the New Media for 2014

From John Hawkins, at Right Wing News.

Katie Pavlich comes in at the No. 2 spot.

VIDEO: #ISIS Executes Two Alawites in Aleppo: Bodies Hung Crucifixion-Style

The Alawites are a mystical splinter sect of Shia Islam. The ISIS terrorists are of course Sunnis, although they'll kill anyone who opposes their jihad for the caliphate.

At Weasel Zippers, "Video: ISIS Publicly Executes Two Alawites In Syria, Crucifies Bodies…"

And at MEMRI, "Viewer Discretion Advised: Footage of Executions and Hanging of Bodies by ISIS near Aleppo, Syria (June 8, 2014)."

Bowe Bergdahl Lodged False War Crimes Allegations Against His Platoon

Boy, Lt. Col. Ralph Peters is going to be pissed!

At the Washington Post, "Soldier: Bowe Bergdahl lodged false war crime allegations against his unit":

An Army veteran who served alongside Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan said Wednesday that the long-captive soldier was deeply frustrated with the mission and had lodged false allegations that their unit had carried out atrocities.

Bergdahl “didn’t understand why we were doing more humanitarian aid drops, setting up clinics, and helping the populous instead of hunting the Taliban,” former Spec. Cody Full told lawmakers during a hearing on the exchange of Bergdahl for five Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. “He wanted to hunt and kill.”...

Full, who was honorably discharged and served with Bergdahl in the same fire team, the military’s smallest type of organized unit, railed against Bergdahl’s attitude during his deployment in 2009 and rejected media reports that he was a sensitive young man trying to define himself during a time of war. His handwritten journal, along with essays, stories and e-mails provided to The Washington Post, painted him as a soldier full of worry about his own mental health and the situation in Afghanistan.

“Bergdahl was complaining to his parents that our platoon was committing atrocities instead of helping the local populous,” Full told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “But he was telling our platoon that we needed to stop trying to win hearts and minds and focus more on killing the Taliban.”

Full also dismissed suggestions that Bergdahl’s platoon had discipline issues.

“It’s a ridiculous charge,” Full said. “Security was always in place. These acts of common sense survival did not jeopardize the security or put anyone in danger.”

Bergdahl, who is not believed to have spoken to his parents since his release, is currently recovering in San Antonio, Tex., after a brief stay at Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany. He is set to be released in the coming weeks following the completion of reintegration treatment.

Video: "Bergdahl SPC Cody Full June 18, 2014."

Also at London's Daily Mail, "Bowe Bergdahl's platoon-mate testifies before Congress that he should face EIGHT criminal charges including desertion."

Marine Veteran Kyle Carpenter Receives Medal of Honor

At CNN, "Marine who took grenade blast for comrade receives Medal of Honor."

You gotta watch both of these clips, "Marine Cpl. Carpenter awarded Medal of Honor," and "Cpl. Kyle Carpenter Just Getting Started."

No WMDs? #ISIS Jihadists Seize Saddam's 'Premiere' Chemical Weapons Production Facility

At the Wall Street Journal, "Sunni Extremists in Iraq Occupy Hussein's Chemical Weapons Facility: Officials Don't Believe the Militants Will Be Able to Create a Functional Weapon From the Material."

WSJ's report suggests there's no immediate danger that ISIS could convert old chemical materials into working weapons of mass destruction, but the more interesting thing is that we were told that there were no WMDs Iraq after the 2003 invasion, despite all the evidence to the contrary pre-invasion (evidence that Democrats repeatedly used to make the case for regime change).

From WSJ:

WASHINGTON—Sunni extremists in Iraq have occupied what was once Saddam Hussein's premier chemical-weapons production facility, a complex that still contains a stockpile of old weapons, State Department and other U.S. government officials said.

U.S. officials don't believe the Sunni militants will be able to create a functional chemical weapon from the material. The weapons stockpiled at the Al Muthanna complex are old, contaminated and hard to move, officials said.

Nonetheless, the capture of the chemical-weapon stockpile by the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, known as ISIS or ISIL, the militant group that is seizing territory in the country, has grabbed the attention of the U.S.

"We remain concerned about the seizure of any military site by the ISIL," Jen Psaki, the State Department spokeswoman, said in a written statement. "We do not believe that the complex contains CW materials of military value and it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to safely move the materials."

The takeover underscores the chaos gripping Iraq and the possibility that the growing Sunni rebellion could further destabilize the Middle East. Not lost on U.S. government and military officials is the irony that the latest chapter in a war designed to strip Iraq of chemical weapons could see radical Sunni extremists take control of that same stockpile.

The rise of ISIS has reignited the debate about the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the Bush administration and the 2011 decision by the Obama administration to withdraw remaining military forces from the country. The takeover of a chemical weapons stockpile—even if the weapons are useless—seems likely to further intensify those debates.

During the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, Hussein used the Muthanna complex to make chemical weapons, including sarin, mustard gas, and VX, according the Iraq Study Group, which conducted the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in the aftermath of the war.

The Iraq Study group did find chemical munitions at Muthanna but determined that inspections by United Nations Special Commission, or Unscom, had ensured the facility was dismantled and remaining chemical stocks militarily useless and sealed in bunkers.

"Two wars, sanctions and Unscom oversight reduced Iraqi's premier production facility to a stockpile of old damaged and contaminated chemical munitions (sealed in bunkers), a wasteland full of destroyed chemical munitions, razed structures, and unusable war-ravaged facilities," the Iraq Study Group's 2004 report concluded.

The Muthanna complex is near Lake Tharthar, roughly 45 miles northwest of Baghdad, an area now firmly in control of the Sunni rebels. ISIS has taken control of most of Anbar province as well as Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city.

Military officials said the U.S. was well aware of the Muthanna stockpile and wouldn't have left it there if it posed a military threat. Still, when the U.S. pulled out of Iraq, it didn't anticipate a large swath of the country, including numerous military bases, would be overrun by radical Sunni militants. One defense official said that if the U.S. had known the Iraqi government would lose control so soon, it might not have left the old chemical weapons in place.

So now we can blame the Obama administration for WMDs falling back into the hands of jihadist enemies of the United States.

Norman Podhoretz 'Re-Litigates' the War in #Iraq: President Obama 'Has Opened the Doors of Hell...'

Here's the piece at Commentary, "Iraq: What We Know Now and What We Knew Then" (at Memeorandum).

Podhoretz uses George Will's Monday op-ed at the Washington Post as his foil, and picking it up from there:

“Given the absence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction,” his indictment of Bush begins, but the only “given” in 2003 was the exact opposite. All fifteen agencies involved in gathering intelligence for the United States agreed “with high confidence” that “Iraq is continuing, and in some areas expanding its chemical, biological, nuclear, and missile programs contrary to UN resolutions.” So did the intelligence agencies of Britain, Germany, Russia, China, Israel, and France.

“Given” also that the Democrats would later accuse Bush of lying about this, here is a (partial) list of Democrats who had previously joined in the consensus: Bill Clinton; his Vice President Al Gore; his Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; his Secretary of Defense William Cohen; and his National Security Adviser Sandy Berger. In the Senate, there were Teddy Kennedy, Harry Reid, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Edwards, Jay Rockefeller, Robert Byrd, and Bob Graham–not to mention Nancy Pelosi, among scores of others, in the House, as well as liberal papers like the New York Times and the Washington Post. Each and every one of them saw Saddam Hussein as a threat, and they all advocated taking action against him.

“Given” all this, I would go so far as to say that not only was George W. Bush justified in ordering the invasion, but that if he had failed to do so, he would have deserved to be impeached for violating his oath to “preserve, protect, and defend” this country against any and all foreign enemies.

As to the other items in George Will’s parade of horribles, they all belong to the period that followed the successful military phase of the invasion itself. I am willing to stipulate that many mistakes were made in the three years that followed, and that the entire operation would very likely have ended in defeat if Bush had not finally found in David Petraeus a general who wanted to win and knew how to do it. The upshot was that by the time Barack Obama took office, American casualties were all the way down, and that the Iraq turned over to him was a country largely at peace and living under a nascent democratic regime. So much for the case for blaming Bush.

Turning now to the case for blaming Obama, a commensurately eloquent one has been made by another old friend of mine, David Pryce Jones, the eminent British authority on the Arab world. After explaining why and how the al-Qaeda affiliate ISIS has been able to capture city after city in Iraq and is now only about fifty miles from Baghdad, David flatly declares that “President George W. Bush is vindicated. The sole way Iraq could have continued was under a permanent American presence that gave and guaranteed state functions. President Obama’s withdrawal of American forces is already a historic error. They alone could have kept the peace. Arabs have a phrase to the effect that some mistake has opened the doors of Hell. President Obama has opened those doors.”

Obama evidently now thinks that a de facto alliance with Iran—Iran!—is the way to close those doors, but such an alliance would only guarantee that they would open even wider than they are now. It would also solidify Iran’s influence over Iraq while giving a green light to an Iranian nuclear bomb.

Alas, none of the other proposals for getting us out of this fix seems fully persuasive. Which means that it may be too late to prevent Iraq from joining Syria as part of a new Iranian empire. It is not too late, however, to keep that empire from building a nuclear arsenal, and neither is it too late to keep Afghanistan from reverting to the al-Qaeda haven it was before 9/11. The problem is that doing those things would require Barack Obama to acknowledge that his policies are exposing us to an infinitely greater danger than we were in before 9/11. In my opinion–and I express it with fear and trembling–it would take something close to a miracle for him to undergo so radical a change of heart and mind. God help us then.

Read it all at the link.

Terror's New Headquarters

At the Economist, "The Capture of Mosul: Terror's New Headquarters":

In coming weeks the jihadists may fall prey to overstretch (see article). Perhaps Iraq’s humiliated army will muster the resolve to make a stand, or even retake Mosul. But, with its symbolic victories and an endless supply of young men, that will be of little comfort. ISIS aims to redraw the map of the Middle East by creating a Sunni state, starting with eastern Syria and the heart of Iraq. Its brand of militancy is spreading poison and terror across the Arab world. One day, if they have their way, ISIS’s suicide-bombers will also target Europe and America. Without a change of heart in Baghdad and Washington, ISIS and groups like it will continue to cause mayhem. Even with a new approach, it will be hard to stop the jihad.

Keep reading.

Amazon's Smartphone Release

Amazon's turning into the next tech juggernaut, and not so much in a good way.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Amazon unveils Fire smartphone."

And at Techmeme, "Introducing Fire, the First Smartphone Designed by Amazon."

'Morning Joe' Panel Mocks IRS for Lost Lois Lerner Emails

They're cracking up, "MSNBC Panel Mocks and Ridicules IRS for Losing Lois Lerner Emails."

Will Iraq or Syria Survive? U.N. Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi on Middle East Crisis

An interview at the hard-left Democracy Now!

Brahimi takes the standard leftist line that the current crisis is all the Bush administration's fault. Doh!

And FWIW, at attack on Brahimi from 9/11 truther Thierry Meyssan, "Taking stock of Lakhdar Brahimi."

Iraqi Government Denies Loss of Baiji Refinery to #ISIS Jihadists

Well, if that ISIS video from last night is authentic, it doesn't much look like Iraq forces control much around that refinery.

But here's this from Holly Williams for CBS News "This Morning":

South Carolina DMV Makes Transgender Teen Remove Makeup Before Taking Driver's License Photo

Here we go, at the "tipping point" of the civil rights agenda.

At the New York Daily News, "DMV forces gender non-conforming South Carolina teen to remove makeup for license photo: activists."

Click through at NYDN for the selfie Culpepper took right before removing his makeup.

photo 773845627118504369_zps7d505696.jpg

photo 773845627118504369_zps7d505696.jpg

Also at the Los Angeles Times, "Gender group asks South Carolina to let teen wear makeup for DMV photo."

The Assassination of Nouri al-Maliki? U.S. Looks to Oust Iraqi Prime Minister

I suggested on Twitter a couple of days ago that the administration should go the Ngo Dinh Diem route. Nouri al-Maliki's been tightening his grip in defiance of Washington. But his time is up and it's not like there's no precedent for decisive action.

At the Wall Street Journal, "U.S. Signals Iraq's Maliki Should Go: The White House Is Convinced the Shiite Leader Is Unable to Reconcile With the Nation's Sunni Minority and Stabilize a Volatile Political Landscape":

Ngo Dinh Diem photo Diem_dead_zpse8fa8c9f.jpg

Ngo Dinh Diem photo Diem_dead_zpse8fa8c9f.jpg

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration is signaling that it wants a new government in Iraq without Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, convinced the Shiite leader is unable to reconcile with the nation's Sunni minority and stabilize a volatile political landscape.

The U.S. administration is indicating it wants Iraq's political parties to form a new government without Mr. Maliki as he tries to assemble a ruling coalition following elections this past April, U.S. officials say.

Such a new government, U.S., officials say, would include the country's Sunni and Kurdish communities and could help to stem Sunni support for the al Qaeda offshoot, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, that has seized control of Iraqi cities over the past two weeks. That, the officials argue, would help to unify the country and reverse its slide into sectarian division.

No worries, of course.

The U.S. wants nothing to do with a coup against Maliki, because in reality the White House is just washing its hand of the whole affair. A violent overthrow of Maliki's regime would signal a return to America's viceroy role in Iraq. And that ain't happening. Shoot, as it is Obama's backing away from airstrikes against the insurgents. Basically, we're stuck with hashtags from here on out.

More at WSJ.

PHOTO: The body of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem (via Wikimedia Commons).

Kurdish Women Guard Against #ISIS

Well, you do what you gotta do.

From Jenan Moussa, who's reporting from Iraq:

RT @HaraldDoornbos Kurdish women in Kobani-region in Kurdish controlled N- #Syria guard their village against ISIS: pic.twitter.com/Ob0zNYlS2i
— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) June 17, 2014

The Implosion of #Iraq

At Der Spiegel, "A Country Implodes: ISIS Pushes Iraq to the Brink":

The terror group ISIS has occupied vast portions of Syria and Iraq in the hopes of establishing a caliphate. The jihadists' success lays bare Iraq's disintegration and could ignite yet another civil war between Shiites and Sunnis in the country.

Masoud Ali, a tall, friendly man with a beard and green eyes, was a taxi driver in Mosul until a few days ago. He likes the desert, and he loves his wife and his yellow Nissan. He never paid much attention to politics until now. "Inshallah," he says. Whatever happens is God's will. But then fighters with the "Islamic State in Iraq and Syria," or ISIS, overran the city of two million.

An evening curfew has been in force in Mosul since last Monday, says Ali. He and his family heard gunshots near their apartment on Tuesday, and when Ali looked outside, he saw a dead body lying on the street. Then the rumors began. "They've occupied all government buildings and the airport," said a friend. "The power station and the water works, too," a neighbor added. There were television reports of banks being robbed, the release of thousands of prisoners and the confiscation of oil wells. A day later, Masoud Ali loaded his family into his car and stepped on the gas. As they drove away, they could see police uniforms and abandoned military vehicles in the ditch. Government troops, most of them Sunnis, had surrendered to the Sunni ISIS fighters.

Ali, like most residents of Mosul, is also a Sunni. He had heard the mayor calling for the citizens of Mosul to defend themselves against ISIS. "But why should I have defended myself?" he asks. "For the Shiite government? For Prime Minister Maliki, who oppresses the Sunnis?" He shakes his head. "The conflict has escalated because people in Iraq don't like the government anymore."

Keep reading.

Nice slideshow there as well.

L.A. County Judge Denies Occidental College Request to Seal Due Process Lawsuit

This is interesting, at LAT, "Judge denies Occidental request to seal suit over expulsion."

Background at Fox News, "Good grades, good home gets college student profiled as rapist, claims lawsuit."

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

#ISIS Parades Through Beiji, #Iraq

An ISIS video clip, c/o AP: "Raw: ISIL Militants Parade Through Beiji."

And at Gateway Pundit, "Report: ISIS Takes Control of Baiji Oil Refinery (Video)."

VIDEO: F/A-18 Super Hornets Launch from USS George H.W. Bush Amid #Iraq Crisis

Via the U.S. Navy on YouTube:

And at WVEC-TV ABC 13 Norfolk, "USS George H.W. Bush Arrives in Persian Gulf."

Blockbuster Video: Dick and Liz Cheney on #KellyFile — 'The Collapsing Obama Doctrine'

Here's the Cheneys Wall Street Journal op-ed, "Dick and Liz Cheney: Rarely Has a U.S. President Been So Wrong About So Much at the Expense of So Many."

And from tonight's Kelly File with Megyn Kelly, the interview:

Have you read Dick and Liz #Cheney’s powerful @WSJ editorial? They’re on #KellyFile at 9p ET to talk #Obama crises. pic.twitter.com/SjdZiaQuFF
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 18, 2014

Somali-Canadian Farah Mohamed Shirdon of Calgary Joins #ISIS Jihad in Iraq

Via Blazing Cat Fur, "Mosaic of Diversity Alert: Farah Mohamed Shirdon of Calgary fighting with ISIS, threatens Canada in Jihadi vid."

Washington #Redskins Trademarks Canceled

I saw this early today at Legal Insurrection, "“Redskins” trademark cancelled by USPTO as “disparaging” — Are “Negro” and “Colored” next?"

And here's the Wall Street Journal's report, "U.S. Patent Office Cancels Washington Redskins Trademarks: Federal Agency Rules Redskins Name Disparages Native Americans."

And another unhinged leftist at MSNBC, race-baiting Joy Reid, "Joy Reid 'Warns' MSNBC Viewers That 'Racial Slur' Redskins Will Be Said During Segment."

VIDEO: On the Frontline of the Battle Against #ISIS Insurgents

Ruth Sherlock reports from Tal Afar:

And at Telegraph UK, "Iraq crisis: Saddam's men return to power in city once held by US."

Unhinged #MSNBC Blowhard Ed Schultz: 'Obama's Way is Working' in #Iraq

Heh, the world is literally burning down. Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Ukraine. It all worked out just as planned, says the unhinged blowhard Ed Schultz.

It's like freakin' freak show.

At Free Beacon, "Big Eddie: ‘Obama’s Way is Working’ in Iraq."

At the Wall Street Journal, "Poll Shows Erosion in President's Support Only 37% Back Obama's Handling of Foreign Policy, but Respondents Side With Him on Climate Change and Education."

At AoSHQ, "Chuck Todd: Given Grim Polling Showing 'Disaster' In Level of Support, Obama's Presidency is 'Over'."

Here's the video: "Chuck Todd: WSJ/NBC Poll 'Disaster for the President'."

#Iraq Battles for Control of Oil Refinery

At the Wall Street Journal, "Iraqi Government Forces Battle for Control of Major Oil Refinery Elite Counterterrorism Units Battle Islamist Rebels for Control of Baiji Refinery":

Iraq's counterterrorism units backed by other security forces and helicopter gunships were battling insurgents on Wednesday for control of the country's main oil refinery, trying to keep the fuel hub that supplies Baghdad from falling to a powerful week-old offensive by Sunni Muslim militants, Iraqi officials said.

The gunships bombarded positions of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham fighters inside the refinery in the northern city of Beiji, a state oil official said.

Two fuel-storage tanks were in flames after hours of fighting that erupted before dawn on Wednesday, when ISIS militants attacked with mortars and machine guns, another state oil official said. The refinery's several hundred employees fled the facility as it came under the latest assault in the weeklong siege of the oil hub.

A military spokesman, Gen. Qassim Atta, insisted on Iraqiya state television that the refinery was under full government control, contradicting oil ministry officials and others who said the oil facility was at least partly in insurgent hands. By late Wednesday, ISIS fighters had retreated from the refinery complex to an adjacent compound for employees, ministry officials said.

Keep reading.

Troop Backstabber Harry Reid Dismissed Iraq War as Lost in '07: Smirks at #ISIS Bloodbath Today

The treasonous Senate Majority Leader voted for 2002's Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq, but soon began stabbing American troops in the back by abandoning his support for the deployment.

Here's the New York Times report on Harry Reid from 2007, "Leading Democrat in Senate Tells Reporters, ‘This War Is Lost’." Just one more member of the cut-and-run Democrat Party of defeat.

And now the Los Angeles Times reports, "Senate leader Harry Reid rejects call for U.S. troop buildup in Iraq."

Also, see Robert Tracinski, at the Federalist, "Obama’s Wish-Fulfilling Prophecy in Iraq."

Communists Call Cops, Shut Down 'Right-Wing Blogger' at Portland State Open Public Meeting

This is excellent.

I know how the guy feels. I remember when ANSWER's Richard Becker got in my face when I went to take his photo at Los Angeles City College in 2009: He screamed, "What right-wing organization do you work for"?!! Later, the ANSWER thugs hit me with flag poles when I was covering their protest against the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2010. I think they'd forgotten about me last year, when I covered the ANSWER march protesting police brutality in Anaheim.

But man, these goons up in Portland are even more over-the-top.

At the Salem-Keizer Sentinel, "Communists Shut Down Press: 'WE DON’T ALLOW RIGHT WING BLOGGERS TO TAPE OUR EVENTS'."

And at Truth Revolt, ""You're a f*****g piece of s**t!" — Socialist University Group Tries to Eject Blogger for Filming Public Meeting."

It's "right-wing blogger" Dan Sandini of Daylight Disinfectant.

Great work:

Prime Minister Cameron: #ISIS Planning to Attack Britain

At Telegraph UK, "Iraq crisis: Isis planning to attack Britain, says Cameron - live":

Latest developments and news from the Iraq crisis, where David Cameron has warned that Isis jihadists seeking to build an Islamic caliphate also plan to "attack us here at home in the United Kingdom."

Clarissa Ward on Growing Sectarian Violence in #Iraq

At CBS News "This Morning":

Dick and Liz Cheney: Rarely Has a U.S. President Been So Wrong About So Much at the Expense of So Many

At the Wall Street Journal, "The Collapsing Obama Doctrine" (at Memeorandum):

As the terrorists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) threaten Baghdad, thousands of slaughtered Iraqis in their wake, it is worth recalling a few of President Obama's past statements about ISIS and al Qaeda. "If a J.V. team puts on Lakers' uniforms that doesn't make them Kobe Bryant" (January 2014). "[C]ore al Qaeda is on its heels, has been decimated" (August 2013). "So, let there be no doubt: The tide of war is receding" (September 2011).

Rarely has a U.S. president been so wrong about so much at the expense of so many. Too many times to count, Mr. Obama has told us he is "ending" the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—as though wishing made it so. His rhetoric has now come crashing into reality. Watching the black-clad ISIS jihadists take territory once secured by American blood is final proof, if any were needed, that America's enemies are not "decimated." They are emboldened and on the march.

Keep reading at Memeorandum, and not especially the leftist heads exploding there.

#ISIS Moves Seized U.S. M-1 Abrams Tanks Into Syria

This is unreal.

It's like ISIS jihadists just asked for U.S. hardware and the Iraqis said "How much do you need"?

At Free Beacon, "ISIL Moving Seized U.S. Tanks, Humvees to Syria."

'The goal of BDS is to sow the seeds of discord on college campuses...'

The campus BDS movement, at Inside Higher Ed, "Middle East Conflict, U.S. Campuses":

As pro-Palestinian, pro-BDS activism has increased on campuses, it's upset many pro-Israel students, who question whether student governments are being urged to hold Israel to higher standards than other countries in the world and whether the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is being portrayed accurately in campus discussions and debates.

"There was more anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activity on American campuses in this past one year than there have been in the last 10 years combined,” said David Eden, the chief administrative officer at Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.

“The goal of BDS is to sow the seeds of discord on college campuses,” said Eden, who described the movement as “pro-hate” and “anti-peace.” (He also noted that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has come out against it.)

Keep reading.

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