Dabbling in Syria

At the Wall Street Journal, "Obama arms the rebels, but not enough to defeat Assad and his patrons" (via Google):

It took two years, 93,000 casualties, the use of chemical weapons, and the growing prospect of victory by strongman Bashar Assad and his Iranian patrons, but President Obama has finally decided to arm the Syrian rebels. We'd say better late than never, but the question now is whether Mr. Obama is going to do just enough to prevent a rebel defeat but not nearly enough to help them win.

The official justification for the policy switch is the Administration's new confidence that Assad's forces have used sarin gas against the rebels. "The President has said that the use of chemical weapons would change his calculus, and it has," said deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes on Thursday evening.

This epiphany was also long in coming, following solid intelligence findings weeks ago from Britain and France. The White House now says U.S. intelligence has confirmed that Syrian forces used the nerve agent sarin "on a small scale" but "multiple times in the last year," according to Mr. Rhodes. Sarin has killed an estimated 100 to 150 people, including an attack in the Aleppo suburb of Khan al-Assal on March 19, and as recently as May 23 in Adra in eastern Damascus.

This puts Assad in some rare and despicable historical company for having used chemicals in warfare, including his old Baath Party comrade Saddam Hussein in Iraq against the Kurds. This also fingers Assad's main benefactors, Russia and Iran, as abettors of the world's latest user of WMD.

The Kremlin responded on Friday by calling the U.S. evidence "unconvincing," but that is a non-denial denial. Like Iran, Russia is providing Syria with weapons, military advisers and diplomatic cover at the United Nations, and it can't have been blind to reports of sarin use. We trust Mr. Obama will bring the point up when he meets one-on-one with Vladimir Putin at next week's G-8 summit. If he doesn't, Mr. Putin won't take him seriously.

Mr. Obama's sudden policy change was also no doubt driven by the fact that Assad's forces have the rebels on the run. Thousands of Hezbollah fighters crossed the border from Lebanon, at Iran's request, to help the Syrian military take back the strategic town of Qusayr last week. Their sights are now on rebel-held Aleppo, Syria's commercial capital.

No doubt it was a coincidence, but on Thursday morning Bill Clinton was quoted by Politico as saying in a private meeting that Mr. Obama risked looking like a "wuss" and a "fool" for failing to act in Syria and then saying public opinion wouldn't have supported U.S. intervention. Mr. Obama may want to avoid involvement in Syria, but he also wants to avoid responsibility for the slaughter of the rebels and a strategic victory for Iran, Russia, Assad and Hezbollah. So just as he intervened in Libya only as Gadhafi's forces descended on Benghazi, so he turned at the last minute here...

RTWT.

Man, this president is the f-king worst.

PREVIOUSLY: "Mideast Escalation: Iran to Send 4,000 Revolutionary Guards to Bolster Assad in Syria."

Activist or Journalist? Glenn Greenwald Defends His Role in Snowden Surveillance Leaks

I only applaud Greenwald for his consistency. He's generally vile otherwise.

Mostly, though, I love how he's putting a spotlight on the radical left's hypocrisy.

See NewsBusters, "Greenwald Slams Media for Backing Obama's Domestic Surveillance When They Opposed Bush's."

Bob Schieffer: Edward Snowden 'Is No Hero...'

Yeah, time to face the music for the little freakin' traitor boy.

Bob Schieffer has little patience:

Crackdown in Istanbul

At the Wall Street Journal, "Crackdown to Clear Istanbul Park."

And at Telegraph UK, "Turkish police clear park as protesters regroup."

And check Claire Berlinski on Twitter for updates.

ADDED: William Jacbonson has an excellent post, "Turkish protests — Erdogan supporters joyously bused in, opponents gassed and beaten."

Rule 5 Father's Day

I left off Proof Positive from my roundup yesterday, so let's get this party started with some of Proof's links.

See, "Best of the Web* Linkaround," and "Friday Night Babe – Shannon Richardson."

And see 90Miles From Tyranny, "Girls With Guns," and "Late Night Ladies."

And at Knuckledraggin', "Your Good Morning Girl," and "For Irish."

Now, from Bob Belvedere, "Rule 5 Saturday: Dalia Dayze."

Also, from Gator Doug, "DaleyGator DaleyBabe Bre Tiesi."

Pirate's Cove has his "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup," and "If All You See……is horrible CO2 infused beer causing the Antarctic to get colder which causes the planet to boil, you might just be a Warmist."


Soylent Green has hot "Afternooner: Ashley," and "Afternooner Twofer."

And check A View from the Beach, "Rule 5 Saturday - Rebecca Romijn."

Also at Reaganite, "Guess Who Contacted Me re. That Recent 'Miss Honduras - Jennifer Andrade' Post?"

Check The Last Tradition, "Rule 5 Saturday: Lauren Bacall."

More at Drunken Stepfather, "FORMER MISS USA WINNERS NAKED FOR PETA OF THE DAY."

And at Egotastic!, "Vanessa Hudgens Ever So Sweetly Black and White Hot in Bra and Panties."

And at Animal Magnetism, "Why A Man Should Never Bet on a Pool Game When He’s Playing Against a Hot Redhead," and "Saturday Asian Invasion."

Also from EBL, "Paige Butcher Rule 5."

And at Barking Moonbat EWS, "ATTENTION GETTER."

At First Street Journal, "Rule 5 Blogging: United States Marines."

And at Good Stuff, "GOODSTUFF'S BLOGGING MAGAZINE (106th Issue)."

One more time with Woodersterman's, "Being Blonder ~ OR ~ Rule 5 Woodsterman Style."

Okay, that was one hella roundup.

If you're not linked drop your babes in the comments and I'll update ASAP.

Have a Happy Father's Day, tweeps!

Sarah Palin's Speech to Faith and Freedom Coalition

At the Washington Post, "Sarah Palin at Faith and Freedom conference: 'Let Allah sort it out' in Syria, Middle East."

Former Vice President Dick Cheney Slams #NSA Leaker Edward Snowden as a 'Traitor'

Well, count on old Dick to lay it out there the way it is...

At the Hill, "Cheney calls Snowden a ‘traitor,’ defends NSA surveillance programs." (Via Memeorandum.)

Here's That Declan McCullagh Article at CNET Everybody Was Tweeting Earlier — #NSA

Here's the link, "NSA admits listening to U.S. phone calls without warrants" (via Memeorandum).

Read it all above.

Glenn Greenwald, especially, was really tweeting this yesterday:

As for claims that Snowden was lying in his claims, read the NSA's admissions and decide for yourself: http://t.co/EEiNoz21Pd

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 16, 2013

"If NSA wants 'to listen to the phone,' an analyst's decision is sufficient w/o any legal authorization required" http://t.co/EEiNoz21Pd

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 16, 2013

DOJ "has secretly interpreted surveillance law to permit thousands of low-ranking analysts to eavesdrop on calls" http://t.co/EEiNoz21Pd

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 16, 2013

"The disclosure appears to confirm some of the allegations made by Edward Snowden" - you think? http://t.co/EEiNoz21Pd

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 16, 2013

Mideast Escalation: Iran to Send 4,000 Revolutionary Guards to Bolster Assad in Syria

Wow, this is old school!

At Independent UK, "World exclusive: Iran will send 4,000 troops to aid Bashar al-Assad’s forces in Syria":

US urges Britain and France to join in supplying arms to Syrian rebels as MPs fear that UK will be drawn into growing Sunni-Shia conflict.

Washington’s decision to arm Syria’s Sunni Muslim rebels has plunged America into the great Sunni-Shia conflict of the Islamic Middle East, entering a struggle that now dwarfs the Arab revolutions which overthrew dictatorships across the region.

For the first time, all of America’s ‘friends’ in the region are Sunni Muslims and all of its enemies are Shiites. Breaking all President Barack Obama’s rules of disengagement, the US is now fully engaged on the side of armed groups which include the most extreme Sunni Islamist movements in the Middle East.

The Independent on Sunday has learned that a military decision has been taken in Iran – even before last week’s presidential election – to send a first contingent of 4,000 Iranian Revolutionary Guards to Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad’s forces against the largely Sunni rebellion that has cost almost 100,000 lives in just over two years.  Iran is now fully committed to preserving Assad’s regime, according to pro-Iranian sources which have been deeply involved in the Islamic Republic’s security, even to the extent of proposing to open up a new ‘Syrian’ front on the Golan Heights against Israel.

In years to come, historians will ask how America – after its defeat in Iraq and its humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan scheduled for  2014 – could have so blithely aligned itself with one side in a titanic Islamic struggle stretching back to the seventh century death of the Prophet Mohamed. The profound effects of this great schism, between Sunnis who believe that the father of Mohamed’s wife was the new caliph of the Muslim world and Shias who regard his son in law Ali as his rightful successor – a seventh century battle swamped in blood around the present-day Iraqi cities of Najaf and Kerbala – continue across the region to this day. A 17th century Archbishop of Canterbury, George Abbott, compared this Muslim conflict to that between “Papists and Protestants”.

America’s alliance now includes the wealthiest states of the Arab Gulf, the vast Sunni territories between Egypt and Morocco, as well as Turkey and the fragile British-created monarchy in Jordan. King Abdullah of Jordan – flooded, like so many neighbouring nations, by hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees – may also now find himself at the fulcrum of the Syrian battle.  Up to 3,000 American ‘advisers’ are now believed to be in Jordan, and the creation of a southern Syria ‘no-fly zone’ – opposed by Syrian-controlled anti-aircraft batteries – will turn a crisis into a ‘hot’ war.  So much for America’s ‘friends’.

Its enemies include the Lebanese Hizballah, the Alawite Shiite regime in Damascus and, of course, Iran. And Iraq, a largely Shiite nation which America ‘liberated’ from Saddam Hussein’s Sunni minority in the hope of balancing the Shiite power of Iran, has – against all US predictions – itself now largely fallen under Tehran’s influence and power.  Iraqi Shiites as well as Hizballah members, have both fought alongside Assad’s forces.

Washington’s excuse for its new Middle East adventure – that it must arm Assad’s enemies because the Damascus regime has used sarin gas against them – convinces no-one in the Middle East.  Final proof of the use of gas by either side in Syria remains almost as nebulous as President George W. Bush’s claim that Saddam’s Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.

That's Robert Fisk, by the way, a bona fide antiwar leftist.

Still, you gotta love the knots this administration's tying itself into.

Via Dana Loesch on Twitter.

Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter Struggles to Take Off

At the Los Angeles Times, "F-35 fighter jet struggles to take off":

After a decade of administrative problems, cost overruns and technical glitches, the F-35 is still not ready for action.

Far beyond the electronic security gates and razor-wire topped fences, Col. Rod Cregier surveys a team of technicians busily readying a lithe F-35 fighter jet for its next test flight.

As the F-35 program director at the base, Cregier and his team play a crucial role in a nationwide military effort to get the high-tech jet ready for battle.
After a decade of administrative problems, cost overruns and technical glitches, the F-35 is still not ready for action. The program has consistently come under political attack even though the military considers it crucial to the nation's defense needs.

Cregier believes the program is finally on course and said he is convinced that the jet can successfully replace the military's aging fighter fleets — some 34 years old — though he does not downplay the significant challenges his team faces.

"This is an incredibly complex aircraft, the most complex aircraft ever built," Cregier said. "Getting it right isn't easy."

In the skies above the Mojave Desert, test pilots today are pushing the radar-evading F-35 to new heights and flying to ever-increasing speeds to uncover design flaws. Just last week, an F-35 launched a missile in mid-flight from its internal weapons bay for the first time in a test flight for the Air Force.

But problems constantly crop up. Twice this year alone, F-35s have been grounded after different parts failed.

More at the link.

Plus, some responses at the letters to the editor, at the Los Angeles Times, "Letters: No support for the F-35."

PHOTO CREDIT: Wikimedia.

Freedom to Blog Update: June 15, 2013

I haven't done a Freedom to Blog update in awhile.

It turns out that Robert Stacy McCain has been updating us on the developments with the ultimate harassment troll Bill Schmalfeldt.

See, "Peace Order Against Bill Schmalfeldt: A Defeat for the ‘Troll Rights’ Movement," and "Hoge’s Victory Lap."

Hoge is John Hoge of Hogewash. And at his blog, "WOOT! Peace Order Granted Against Schmalfeldt," and "My Side, Part 2."

'Some people, ah, are willing to go to jail for their beliefs...' http://t.co/Xo6lcACDgZ @RSMcCain
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 15, 2013

'... but I see that as a risk in this, ah, ongoing exploration of Internet First Amendment rights...' http://t.co/Xo6lcACDgZ @RSMcCain
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 15, 2013

.As long as Donald Douglas is posting a public blog that accepts comments, I'm going to continue to comment on what he posts...' @RSMcCain
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 15, 2013

That's what my troll rights harasser @ Repsac3 wrote after I banned him, and he never stopped, even after I went to the police.
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 15, 2013

So, yeah, the Hogewash post hits pretty close to home: https://t.co/ESpsaLxgnJ @RSMcCain
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 15, 2013

.@RSMcCain Repsac3 Banned from American Power http://t.co/QCmTjk1xNR @Smitty_One_Each
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 15, 2013

'As Stacy McCain has often said, you don't have to let trolls use your own bandwidth against you." via @Stogie2 @RSMcCain
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 15, 2013

I've amended this post in response to Mr. Hoge's comment.

Added: Here's a quote from my deranged criminal stalker admitting that he'd been banned from my blog -- but also claiming that since I had continued to comment about about him at my blog, he had a right to continue to harass me in the comments section. This is, in fact, the definition of troll rights harassment:

Donald did very clearly announce that I was banned from commenting on his blog ... As he did not choose to ban himself from attacking me ..., however, I did not take his verbal banning very seriously, and continued to submit comments to those posts where he referred to me or my blog by name or other identifying feature.

Stalkers have no right to directly address you after they have been warned to cease and desist. But left-wing stalkers like Repsac3 are very determined in their vile programs to harm and torment their ideological opponents.

Mr. Hoge has updated his blog, for example, "#BillSchmalfeldt, Anti-First-Amendment Troll":

Let me state this one more time: I fully support Bill Schmalfeldt’s First Amendment right to write whatever he wishes about me so long as he stays within the law’s usual limits regarding threats and defamation. However, I do not wish for him to contact me, attempt to contact me, or harass me, and I will seek enforcement of the peace order if I believe that it has been violated.

More at Aaron Worthing's, "BREAKING: Brett Kimberlin Ally Bill Schmalfeldt Threatens Me (and Mr. Hoge) With a Peace Order (Update: Schmalfeldt Bravely Runs Away!)."

Hassan Rowhani Wins Iran Presidential Election

The guy's supposed to be a moderate, but everybody keeps pointing out that with Iran, the term is meaningless.

See the Embassy of Israel, especially:

PM on Iran elections: They'll change nothing of significance. This regime will continue to be led by 1 man, 1 ruler: Khamenei. #iranelection
— Embassy of Israel (@IsraelinUSA) June 14, 2013

And at the American Spectator, "What’s So Moderate About Iran’s New President?":

Given that Rowhani was a confidante of the Ayatollah Khomeini and spoke on his behalf before the Iranian Revolution, was the National Security Adviser to both Presidents Rafsanjani and Khatami, later led Iran’s nuclear negotiation team and is currently a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts which chooses Iran’s Supreme Leader, I would say he stands a pretty darn good chance. Rowhani is as much of an insider as you can possibly get.

As to moderation, that is, of course, in the eye of the beholder. Rowhani might very well be more moderate in his temperament than Ahmadinejad. But even though Rowhani might not say that Israel should be wiped off the map, chances are he probably thinks it is a bloody good idea...

More at that top link.

 And notice the New York Times keeping with the "moderate" line, "Iranian Moderate Elected President in Rebuke to Conservatives."

Also at Memeorandum.

Why Marriage Matters? For the Children, at Least

I tweeted about Nathaniel Frank's essay, "Why marriage Matters," the other day.

Now there's some responses at the letters to the editor, at the Los Angeles Times, "Letters: Children and same-sex marriage":

Re "Why marriage matters," Opinion, June 9

Nathaniel Frank's piece revealed a compressed view of same-sex marriage. Nowhere did it mention children — conveniently dismissed, it seems, as if marriage is simply a celebration of individual rights and public recognition.

Through the centuries, in vastly different cultures all over the world, marriage has been a religious and social institution because it is the single greatest unifier of men, women and children. It is self-evident that marriage is much more than Frank's idea of "sharing in the symbolic space of first-class citizenship." This reduces marriage to something akin to membership in an exclusive country club. Marriage has historically enabled the entire concept of family and society to flourish. And that, of course, includes children.

So while Frank may believe same-sex marriage is about rights, benefits and recognition, those are secondary considerations. Perhaps he should consider marriage as something selfless, something based on giving, not just getting.

Gary P. Taylor
Santa Ysabel, Calif.

It's all me, me, me! with the freak narcissist progressives. They're destroying the country, the leftist ghouls.

#Dodgers Smirk at Inadequate, Arbitrary Suspensions

At LAT, "MLB suspensions are serious business, but Dodgers get a laugh":

PITTSBURGH — The Dodgers reacted with bemusement and amusement Friday after Major League Baseball issued eight suspensions to Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks personnel for their roles in a violent brawl during the teams' game Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.

Aside from a clear disdain for Arizona pitcher Ian Kennedy — whose 10-game suspension they viewed as insufficient after he struck rookie outfielder Yasiel Puig in the face with a fastball and nearly did the same to pitcher Zack Greinke — the Dodgers seemed to get a kick out of what they viewed as an arbitrary set of punishments.

How did Puig, who was seen throwing wild punches, escape with only a fine? Why was Dodgers utilityman Skip Schumaker, who was seen pulling players apart, suspended for two games? Why was Diamondbacks infielder Eric Hinske, who was described by the Dodgers as a "peacemaker" and "punching bag," hit with a five-game ban?

Those questions and others were a source of laughter for the Dodgers before and after their 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night at PNC Park.

Five Dodgers were suspended, but the penalties were relatively light. Schumaker, reliever J.P. Howell and hitting coach Mark McGwire received two-game suspensions, and Manager Don Mattingly and reliever Ronald Belisario received one-game suspensions.

Mattingly and Belisario served their suspensions Friday night and McGwire started to serve his. Schumaker and Howell are appealing their penalties, though Howell conceded that he might not have a case, as he was caught on camera nearly flipping a Diamondbacks coach into a camera well.

Greinke and Puig were fined, as were the Dodgers for allowing players on the disabled list to leave their bench.

Diamondbacks Manager Kirk Gibson received a one-game suspension. Kennedy and Hinske are appealing their suspensions. Catcher Miguel Montero and outfielder Gerardo Parra were fined but not suspended.

Hinske was in disbelief, saying his only crime was getting in the way of Puig's fist, which hit him in the back when he was doubled over.

"I didn't throw any punches and I had punches thrown at me by Puig," Hinske told reporters in San Diego. "He gets no games. I get five. You tell me what's right there."

More at the link.

Chinese Authorities Block Winnie the Pooh and Tigger

Something that funny just can't be allowed to stand.

At Telegraph UK, "Chinese censors target Winnie the Pooh and Tigger":

China’s army of internet censors have picked an unusual target in their battle to wipe dissent from the country’s computer screens: Winnie the Pooh and Tigger.

This was the most popular picture on Weibo for most of Tuesday: pic.twitter.com/2wSqpGtOJG
— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) June 13, 2013

Horrible Jellyfish Attacks Thwart Chloë McCardel Cuba-to-Florida Swim

Following up on this story, see London's Daily Mail, "'It's like fireballs in every fiber... I even had a tentacle coming out of my mouth': Woman reveals jellyfish attacks that ended her dream of becoming first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage."

Smokin' Bikini Model Shendelle Schokman at Cardiff State Beach in Encinitas

She's nice.

FLASHBACK: "Hot Shendelle Schokman Bikini Video."

'The Bling Ring'

A movie review from Betsy Sharkey, at the Los Angeles Times, "Review: Sofia Coppola's 'Bling Ring' a pretty, empty Hollywood tale":

For a brief and blinding moment in 2009, the Bling Ring crime spree ruled the social networks, TV news cycles and front pages of newspapers around the globe, including this one. At the time, I was bothered by the way the stories about a gang of affluent teen fashionistas stealing from trend-setting local celebrities underscored our out-of-control obsession with fame.

Sofia Coppola's new movie about the real-life Hollywood caper does not bring any comfort.

"The Bling Ring" is a warped tour of the teens' short but lucrative run when they lifted more than $3 million in luxe goods from the homes of Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan and others. Jewelry was their spoil of choice, thus the name.

One of the complexities of watching "The Bling Ring" is figuring out which subset of humanity to dislike the most. All in this sardonic tragedy are distinctly sketched in by the filmmaker.

The obvious choice would be the larcenous teens from tony San Fernando Valley neighborhoods. They are brought to vacuous life by the movie's stars: Emma Watson portrays flirty Nicki, her clipped British accent disappearing inside Valley-girl speak, her time spent in front of mirrors alarming. Taissa Farmiga plays Sam, the wild one, or perhaps the wildest one would be more accurate.

Impressive newcomer Katie Chang steps in as Bling Ring mastermind and driven shopaholic Rebecca. Marc (Israel Broussard) is the new kid at school and the one who has the best fashion sense. Chloe (Claire Julien) is so beautifully blond she can't be bothered.

They are model-thin, arrogant and camera-ready — despite Marc's worry that he doesn't have an A-list face. Their sense of entitlement and complete lack of a moral center make them a tough bunch to like.

And yet, meet the parents...

Continue reading.

John Galliano, Disgraced Fashion Designer, Can't Remember Anti-Semitic Outburst

Or so he says, in this interview with Charlie Rose:

And see LAT, "John Galliano's first TV sitdown, the cheat sheet."

Right Now, #Angels Are the Second-Worst Team in the American League

Well, they took it tonight against the Yankees.

#Angels win, beat Yanks. Big Bang Friday #LTBU pic.twitter.com/fvgYpprtmC

— Annette Irwin (@AnnetteIrwin27) June 15, 2013

But the Angels are at the bottom of the standings.

Winning World Series seems like an impossible dream for #Angels. Playing for pride might be best bet right now. http://t.co/xjsBnfuWhs

— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) June 14, 2013