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After all of shittypants' whining about not getting to go to barron's hs graduation (fact: he never attended any of his other children's graduations) to the judge, turns out trump never intended to go, I imagine the judge loves being lied to. A fundraiser... LOL... keep sending money, dupes, E. Jean needs another pedicure.
Trump plans to attend a fundraiser on the day of Barron's graduation.
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) May 7, 2024
Wonder what Judge Merchan thinks when he sees this. pic.twitter.com/d74ms3FhP1
Ivy League Grads Slip Below County Fair Carnies On Forbes List Of Most Desirable Employee Candidates
U.S. — Forbes has released its newest list of "Most Desirable Employee Candidates", which saw Ivy League graduates slip down just below carnies and the people who wash car windows at stoplights.
"We surveyed the top 500 companies in the United States," explained lead author Dan Rollins. "Employers consistently stated they would pass over a Harvard or Columbia grad for a guy with two years of experience operating a Tilt-A-Whirl. It's been quite a shift."
According to Rollins, most CEOs stated they wouldn't even bother interviewing an Ivy League grad if they had the option to hire a four-year carnie with balloon dart experience. "The carnies are so much better at conversing with people from every walk of life. They aren't stuck in that Ivy League bubble," explained business owner Larry Fink. "Also, they don't attempt to burn down your corporate office because the break room coffee machine was made in Israel. Advantage, carnie."
Carnies received higher marks than Ivy League grads in work ethic, interpersonal communication, and not attempting to destroy people and institutions with racist neo-Marxist ideology. "The only real downside to hiring carnies instead of Columbia grads is we had to go back to allowing smoke breaks," said Fink. "Otherwise, it's been a massive upgrade. No stating pronouns, no trigger warnings, no boycotts... and they actually know how to work. I'll take that along with some Marlboro Reds any day."
At publishing time, Forbes had updated the list again as Ivy League graduates fell below guys who drive poorly marked ice-cream trucks around family neighborhoods.
https://babylonbee.com/news/ivy-league-grads-slip-below-county-fair-carnies-on-forbes-list-of-most-desirable-company-hires
New York DA Indicts Trump For Bringing Firefighters Pizza But No Salad Or Cheesy Bread
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump has been indicted by the New York District Attorney for allegedly bringing firefighters pizza but without a house salad or cheesy bread.
"After a lengthy day in court, former President Trump personally delivered pizzas to New York firefighters without a single leaf of salad or some cheesy bread," declared District Attorney Alvin Bragg. "For the sake of our democracy, he must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and then a bit futher."
According to sources close to the investigation, Trump allegedly attempted to feed firefighters without any sides to accompany the delicious fresh pizza. "Has Trump no decency, no shame?" cried MSNBC's Joe Scarborough as he played clips of firefighters shaking Trump's hand. "Look at those firefighters being bamboozled by this charlatan. Not a crouton in sight! Lock him up! Lock him up!"
Critics were quick to condemn Trump's actions, decrying them as a flagrant abuse of power and yet another attempt to destroy democracy. "Pizza accompanied by a garden salad is the bedrock of democracy," declared DA Alvin Bragg, wiping marinara from his mouth. "If you're going to just give people pizza, you might as well rip the Constitution in half."
At publishing time, Trump was indicted once again as he was spotted entering the New York sewers with more pizza, undoubtedly trying to buy the teenage, mutant, ninja turtle vote.
https://babylonbee.com/news/new-york-da-indicts-trump-for-paying-off-firefighters-with-hush-pizza
Ric Grenell exposes Jack Smith as the king of sleaze
By Monica Showalter
Ric Grenell, President Trump's former ambassador to Germany, and Director of National Intelligence, knows a thing or two about Jack Smith, having lived in Europe when Smith was active in prosecuting war crimes in The Hague.
Now that Smith has been caught tampering with evidence in his case against President Trump, Grenell's put out a devastating series of tweets about Smith's history of dishonest behavior.
Let’s be clear:
Jack Smith is accused of tampering with evidence, manufacturing witnesses, bribery and corruption…
And that’s in the investigation of the President of Kosovo 3 years ago when Jack Smith worked at The Hague.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 5, 2024
This is not his first rodeo for this kind of sleaze, it's actually how he rolls:
Congress should ask Bruce Swartz what he said to Jack Smith after I told him that Serbia and Kosovo had agreed to end his job and The Hague court for Kosovo/Serbia.
Bruce told me that he thought Jack Smith wouldn’t like having his job dissolved and so he wanted to talk to Jack…
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 6, 2024
And as I’ve said before, I still have a voicemail saved from Bruce Swartz to me from January 29, 2020.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 6, 2024
The latter two tweets involving Swartz are a little hard to follow if you don't read Balkan news, but this Balkan press item in English, written by an American international judge, gives some of the background of that Smith prosecution of the elected and sitting Kosovo president from four years ago:
In November 2018, I had the pleasure of attending a speech given by [Smith-indicted Kosovo President] Thaci to US governmental officials, foreign ambassadors, policy analysts, dignitaries, members of the public and media outlets at the Atlantic Council, a well-reputed Washington think-tank.
“His key point, which he delivered emphatically, was that despite the horrors of the war with Serbia, which Kosovo will never forget, Kosovo was prepared to negotiate a final and permanent settlement agreement with Serbia, and that the time to do so is now. He was roundly applauded,” I wrote at the time.
Two weeks later, President Trump took an unusually proactive position by writing directly to Thaci and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic, imploring them to sign an agreement and suggesting that they would be invited to the White House to commemorate it.
However, at the same time, Thaci was dogged by allegations that he had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity as initially claimed by Council of Europe human rights rapporteur Dick Marty in his infamous report of 2010 titled ‘Inhuman Treatment of People and Illicit Trafficking in Human Organs’.
Marty’s report, which was adopted by the Council of Europe in January 2011, and a subsequent investigation ultimately led to the creation of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague, which opened for business in 2017. The court is designed specifically to prosecute former Kosovo Liberation Army fighters, while having no jurisdiction over Serbian war criminals, and is generally loathed in Kosovo.
One of the key reasons for creating the court in a far-away location was the fear of witness intimidation if any of the high-level cases, like Thaci’s, were prosecuted in Kosovo.
American prosecutor Jack Smith, who had been a top-tier prosecutor at the US Justice Department, took office as the chief prosecutor at the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague in September 2018, and spent the next two years continuing the investigation of Thaci and others.
On June 24, 2020, while the investigation was still underway, Thaci was in route to Washington at the invitation of President Trump to meet with him and Serbian President Vucic at the White House on June 27 in an effort to bring the two sides closer together, a historic opportunity.
However, at the very same time, Smith’s office issued a press release stating that an indictment had been filed against Thaci (and three other KLA veterans), causing Thaci to return home immediately, and the White House meeting to be cancelled, surely a lost opportunity for normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia.
Wow. Trump was out sealing the deal for peace in that war-ravaged land and Smith, despite hearing that peace was at hand, went ahead with the prosecutions just ahead of the Trump signing, just to Get Trump, and too bad if no peace happened. Anything but allow Trump to take credit for yet another peace deal. Smith seems to be a fan of more war, more swamp consultant contracts, and who cares about legal ethics, let alone peace.
Grenell is also speaking out, because he had been watching Smith and his sleazy lawfare tactics in Europe well before he appeared on the news radar here in the states:
Jack Smith has a history of this - at home and abroad
Ric Grenell @RichardGrenell exposes a major corruption scandal that the American media refuses to cover
Oh I wonder why https://t.co/HM6IVVJRaq pic.twitter.com/sur5SBuwVw
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 5, 2024
Grenell outlines a charge by a Spain-based Kosovar businessman with ties to Russia who alleges that Smith took a $16 million bribe from two Russians to have sanctions dropped, which if true, is a doozy. Grenell says it's been all over the Balkan press since last December, individual parts of the story have been confirmed as true, and "there's definitely smoke," so at a minimum, the allegation should be investigated or at least looked into by the press here, which he urges.
Grenell said that Smith also coaxed the businessman to find individuals to pin something on Kosovo's president for his Hague case, while at the same time the cash was being allegedly offered.
He also said he heard recordings from Smith and his prosecutors where the prosecutors objected to Smith mischaracterizing what they were saying, saying they were putting words in his mouth. He's not a guy who seems to care about the facts.
Since then, John Ratcliffe, an intelligence-community colleague of Grenell's from the Trump administration, summed up the Smith sleaze against Trump here:
Jack Smith admits “mishandling” classified documents evidence and then “misrepresenting” that fact to the Court. Tampering evidence and then lying to the court reeks of Crossfire Hurricane, when the Obama-Biden DOJ got caught doing the same thing to illegally spy on the Trump…
— John Ratcliffe (@JohnRatcliffe) May 5, 2024
With that kind of record on Europe, it should come as no surprise to anyone that this is what he is doing now.
Grenell also added this:
🚨🚨🚨 Breaking:
Democrat Marie Harf says on @FoxNewsSunday that Democrats believe the J6 and Georgia cases are their best hope of getting Trump.
She drops any mention of the Jack Smith cases.
Jack Smith is imploding even with Democrats.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) May 5, 2024
Not sure what Grenell means by J6 case, as I think that is one of Smith's two cases. I think it will be thrown out by the Supreme Court, actually, or Obama gets prosecuted for droning Americans. Grenell didn't bring it up, but there is also the matter of Smith not being a government employee which is a legal requirement for being appointed a special counsel, which ought to get all of his cases tossed, too.
But it's unmistakeable that Smith moves crooked and he's been caught way too often. It's helpful that Grenell is speaking out since no one else has the kind of information he has and the press is ignoring the story. There seems to be quite a dirty backstory to Smith and his sleazy doings against President Trump. Keep an eye on anything else Grenell may be posting because there could be more bombshells. Based on the behavior thus far seen, Smith needs to be yanked from the Trump case immediately.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/05/ric_grenell_exposes_jack_smith_as_the_king_of_sleaze.html
Climate lockdowns next?
By Brian Sussman
the first individuals to contend the environment was in peril due to human behavior were direct disciples of Karl Marx. Their contempt for capitalism and private property motivated them to conjure up a fallacious argument: the earth’s ecosystem was being mutilated by the industrial revolution.
Bidenbucks working with far-left NGOs to slant the election for Democrats -report
By Monica Showalter
It's the unholiest politicization of government functions anyone can even seen, and again, done on our dime. This cries out for legal challenges and congressional investigations, this is not how elections are supposed to go, nor will they result in a fair election. They will result in a Castro-style election, such as is seen in hellholes like Cuba.
NY lawmaker who voted for the ‘get Trump’ Adult Survivors Act gets hit with a rape lawsuit, so now he calls the law ‘unconstitutional’
By Olivia Murray
File this under the “you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up” tab.
Kevin Parker is a state lawmaker from Brooklyn, New York, and he was one of the many legislators to (proudly) throw his support behind the Adult Survivors Act of 2022—Parker wanted “to ensure all New Yorkers can seek justice and be heard,” of course—which granted alleged victims of sexual assault a one-year time period to sue their alleged abusers in civil court, even if the alleged crime was outside of the statute of limitations. It was a “get Trump” scheme, to open the door for the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit, but like all things “get Trump” it has backfired…spectacularly.
Because, at the eleventh hour before the act was set to expire, a young woman (Olga Jean-Baptiste) accused Parker of forcibly raping her in 2004, so now, Parker is calling the law “unconstitutional.”
New York State Senator Kevin Parker, a state lawmaker from Brooklyn who supported and voted for the "Adult Survivors Act," enabling E. Jean Carroll to sue Trump over accusations of assault from 3 decades ago, now asserts that the law is unconstitutional because he is accused of… pic.twitter.com/ecHJuJi4HQ
— ??ê? ??ê? (@TheThe1776) May 6, 2024
Parker is definitely a low-IQ DIE hire.
Furthermore, according to a local report, Parker called the accusation “absolutely untrue.” Huh, interesting response; so am I to understand that he’s accusing Jean-Baptiste of lying about the alleged assault?
Now, it’s not like I expect the case to go anywhere, but since he’s basically labeling his accuser a liar—perhaps she’s a mentally-ill hag with a ludicrous series of events who’s been obsessing over him for years, because in that case, I would be more inclined to believe Parker—he too should be subject to an $83.3 million fine, for the sake of optics and an even-handed application of the law and punitive measures of course. Because, as precedent dictates, this is “defamation” and that’s a very serious issue. (Heaven help him if he ever tried to implement an NDA or pay Jean-Baptiste a “hush money” sum to go away.)
As I mentioned above, Parker isn’t a merit hire, so allow me to point to the fatal flaw in the legislation that he endorsed—this is a case of a poorly-written and inarticulate law. (Perhaps all the DIE lawyers hired for legislative counsel are to blame? This was clearly a “get Trump” initiative, but the bill’s text read that the law could be used against “any party” accused of a “sexual offense” (as defined by state code elsewhere). Naturally, this was going to ensnare more Democrat politicians than anything (Andrew Cuomo, Eric Adams, now Parker) since they are the preeminent (and bona fide) abusers, so they really should have been a little smarter, and instead of writing the bill to allow “any party” to be subjected to a lawsuit, they should have been clearer and more specific; see a suggested draft below:
[E]very civil claim or cause of action brought against any party [Donald J. Trump]...which would constitute a sexual offense…which is barred as of the effective date of this section because the applicable period of limitation has expired…is hereby revived….
Sure, it seems unconstitutional, but that didn’t stop them before!
Lawfare is a bad deal for all, because it also includes the law of unintended consequences for those waging the lawfare, and it is like a boomerang—it’s amazing that the Democrats have yet to figure this out.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/05/ny_lawmaker_who_voted_for_the_get_trump_adult_survivors_act_gets_hit_with_a_rape_lawsuit_so_now_he_calls_the_law_unconstitutional.html
The question of ‘outside agitators’
By George W. Shuster
Now that Democrats are getting concerned about the possible impact that the widespread anti-semitic protests across America may have on Joe Biden’s re-election chances, they are beginning to blame the escalating threat on “outside agitators.” New York City’s Democrat mayor Eric Adams, for example, denounced the revelation that the protests at Columbia were fomented by “outside agitators” who were “individuals not affiliated with the university,” adding that these people were “professionals.” And, even the mainstream media is now uncovering infusions of outside funding to fuel the movement.
The willingness to face that reality when it suits their purposes contrasts with the Left’s unwillingness to do so when it does not. It was not that long ago that anyone raising the idea that government-sponsored agent provocateurs played a role on January 6 was immediately labeled a conspiracy theorist and ruthlessly censored. The Pelosi-selected committee steadfastly refused to interview a single one of the prominent instigators video-taped on the scene. The FBI stonewalled any questions about these persons, or the role played by anyone employed by the Deep State. The complicit social media platforms dutifully silenced any such inconvenient questioning.
The use of “outside agitators” is not just consistent with what we are learning about today’s campus protests, and other leftist movements such as BLM/Antifa. It is also consistent with other aspects now known about January 6—that the Democrats were the party that wanted the legislative procedures presided over by Vice President Mike Pence to be shut down. That it was President Trump who repeatedly urged his supporters to be peaceful and obey law enforcement. That it was the Capitol Police under Pelosi’s command that opened the doors and waved people into the building. That it was Pelosi and the D.C. Mayor who turned down Trump’s offer ahead of time to provide law enforcement assistance. That it was Democrats who tried to use January 6 as a pretext for a wide range of further repressive actions: impeachment, indictments, imprisonments, and even a fake show of major military presence complete with barricades and barbed wire in D.C., against the supposed “insurrection” which somehow never came.
Now that Democrats are beginning to admit the use of “outside agitators” as a tactic in Leftist protests should we not open that subject to transparent uncensored investigation regarding January 6? Just asking.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/05/the_question_of_outside_agitators.html
Nathan Wade calls his affair with Fani ‘as American as apple pie’ in first interview since his resignation from Georgia election case
By Olivia Murray
Not only did these two seemingly lie under oath, Fani even implied propriety from the pulpit of a church—so how many counts of perjury does this admission warrant between the two lovers who repeatedly swore that nothing unethical ever happened? Certainly a whole lot more than the 13 counts lobbied against Trump.
New York judge threatens to go banana republic on Trump over gag orders
By Monica Showalter
If that judge lets his desire to jail Trump get the best of him, the U.S. will become a laughingstock globally as the first nation that willingly chose to give up its superpower status and become a banana republic.
I guess that's why the Obama girls didn't go to Chicago schools
By Silvio Canto, Jr.
Like Barack and Michelle Obama, most parents will move their kids out of Chicago's public schools. In the meantime, the collapse of Chicago's public schools will continue damaging a generation of minority students.
Bernie Sanders wants to raise your prescription costs
By Dr. Ben Tapper
Responding to a recent Yale study, which found that drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk is selling the popular type two diabetes drug Ozempic, which costs less than $5 to produce, for nearly $1,000, Sen. Bernie Sanders recently called on major drug companies to knock it off and stop price-gouging.
Unfortunately, however, behind the scenes, he’s quietly working to allow them to raise costs even higher.
In a recent press release, Sen. Sanders said, “The American people are sick and tired of paying, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs while the pharmaceutical industry enjoys huge profits,” and he made it clear that he’s using all the authority vested in him as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions to demand the companies in question stop this racket.
Sen. Sanders provided a great statement, and I bet it riled his populist base of supporters. But his words are no different than those of the Wall Street-aligned government regulators who promised to hold the actors who exploited the American people during the 2008 recession accountable. They ring hollow and then some.
Despite talking a great game against Big Pharma, Sen. Sanders is sponsoring legislation to help the drugmakers raise costs.
Big Pharma has spent millions lobbying his colleagues to support and pass his bill, the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act, which will add regulations that make it more difficult for the private sector to negotiate better drug pricing deals with manufacturers.
Almost every employer in the country uses the powerful PBM (Pharmacy Benefit Manager) groups Sanders is targeting to hold Big Pharma accountable. Because PBMs manage the health plans of thousands of employers at one time, they have a lot of juice, and it’s hard for the drugmakers to ignore their demands, leading to really good bulk pricing discounts, cheaper generic drugs, and more fairly priced brand-name products for customers. So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that everyone from President Trump’s former HHS Director to President Obama’s Office of Management and Budget director speak very highly of these groups, which a 2019 Government Accountability Office study found reduced Medicare pricing by an incredible 20% -- $145 billion -- in a single year.
On the other side of the coin, it shouldn’t surprise anyone why Big Pharma is working so hard to shut them down. Every dollar PBMs save consumers comes out of the drugmakers’ pockets!
One would think that Sanders, who likes to position himself as one of Big Pharma’s fiercest critics, would love everything about PBMs, but it seems that he cares more about what Big Pharma does financially for his progressive allies. This legislative crusade is partisan politicking at its worst, plain and simple.
This episode is not the first one the American people have seen in the never-ending movie of Bernie Sanders’ hypocrisy, a so-called socialist who owns three homes and flies on private jets despite professing the need to spread the wealth and ban gasoline. But it’s undoubtedly one of the most egregious of the bunch as, to paint himself as independent from the sector, the senator has gone so far as to pledge not to take any money from the pharmaceutical industry.
It just goes to show you: you can’t trust anyone in Washington -- not even the gentlemen many casual political onlookers believe is one the country’s most foremost defenders of the middle class.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/05/bernie_sanders_wants_to_raise_your_prescription_costs.html
Libs want a mommy and daddy in the White House
By Eric Dawe
Stern’s adulation was boundless -- and completely blind to the corruption of the Biden family, as well as the national and international crises that Joe Biden’s ineptitude has fomented: the rising crime rate in major cities; the flood of illegal and criminal immigrants pouring across our southern border; prosperity-killing inflation; violence on college campuses, and two wars -- in Ukraine and the Middle East -- that have brought the world to the precipice of World War III.
Entering Rafah on Yom HaShoah
By Shoshana Bryen
Israel’s opening attack on Rafah in Gaza coincides with International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah). Israel’s plans and the Biden administration’s response should be understood in light of history and its lessons.
Before engaging, Israel closed down Al Jazeera, the ostensibly independent media outlet that is, in fact, wholly owned by the government of Qatar. Then, having worked for weeks to establish a temporary refuge outside the Rafah corridor for Gaza civilians, Israel began alerting Palestinians to move to safer quarters — by phone, email, text, loudspeaker, and leaflets — with maps and routes defined. This is in line with its previous efforts to minimize civilian casualties. John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at West Point, wrote, “Israel has done more to prevent civilian casualties in war than any military in history — above and beyond what international law requires and more than the U.S. did in its wars in Iraq & Afghanistan.”
As the bombing began, the White House released President Joe Biden’s statement, mourning “the six million Jews who were killed by the Nazis during one of the darkest chapters in human history” and recommitting to “heeding the lessons of the Shoah and realizing the responsibility of ‘Never Again.’”
But as events unfold, the administration’s actions belie the president’s words and the “lessons of the Shoah” appear unlearned. The crucial first lesson is that “Never Again” is a pledge that Israel will defend the Jewish people.
The government of Israel articulated three goals after the Hamas-induced pogrom of October 7: to eliminate Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, to secure Israel’s borders and thus its people, and to rescue any surviving Israeli hostages. The rescue of Gaza civilians from their terrorist overlords would be a byproduct.
For the U.S., the articulated goal was to negotiate a ceasefire with Iranian-sponsored, Qatar-financed terrorist Hamas, perhaps forgetting that there was a “ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas until October 6.
Elevating American goals above Israel’s goals misses the first lesson entirely. Israel is an independent, free, and democratic country with a first-class, ethical military. Its ability to make military and political decisions should be respected by its principal ally and others.
But Washington was adamant.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan — with exactly no military background — opined, “A major ground operation [in Rafah] would be a mistake. ... [T]he key goals Israel wants to achieve in Rafah can be done by other means.”
He declined to specify the means.
Israel declined to substitute Sullivan’s judgment for its own.
The Biden administration then denounced the closure of Al Jazeera. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We believe in freedom of the press. It is critically important, and the United States supports the critically important work journalists around the world do. That includes those who are reporting on the conflict in Gaza. ... [F]reedom of the press is important.”
Yes, it is. But the “journalist” tag can be — and has been — misused by propagandists and terrorists — including on October 7. While media outlets may not have been aware of their freelancers’ freelancing with Hamas, free movement of Al Jazeera “journalists” can expose Israeli military information to AJ’s owners and thus to others. It should be noted that there have been closures and restrictions on AJ in countries including Australia, Bahrain, India, Kuwait, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine, the UAE, the U.K., and the United States.
The U.S. can, but Israel cannot? Again, a lesson missed.
The administration’s insistence that humanitarian considerations trump military reality is a mistake with larger ramifications. Trying to “protect” civilians in the middle of the battle actually prolongs the war and increases casualties. But Biden demanded supplies, built a $320-million pier off the Gaza shore (taxpayer money and U.S. service personnel), and failed until this week to recognize publicly that Hamas was stealing aid that entered Gaza. Taking the mantle of “guardian of Palestinian civilians” in the middle of a war for Israel’s current and future security fails to heed the lesson of “Never Again.” It is a publicity stunt at Israel’s expense.
The U.N. noted in August 2023 (well before Israel’s entry into Gaza) that 35 million people were on “the edge” of famine in seven countries: Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen, and Ethiopia. It later changed the number to 98.8 million people facing famine in nine countries, adding Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the list.
The administration has contributed to international aid organizations, certainly, but has done nothing directly to alleviate conditions for those 98.8 million people. Only Palestinians.
President Biden has been rhetorically good on Israel’s security requirements since October 7, and the coordination of Israel’s defense against Iranian attack was excellent. But its undermining of Israel’s decision-making is a mockery of the “mourning” on Yom HaShoah.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/05/entering_rafah_on_yom_hashoah.html
Kunstler:
CLUSTERFUCK NATION – BLOGMay 6, 2024
Prisoners of Themselves
“Ok, let’s be clear. If the intelligence community led by the CIA is not the “deep state,” what is?” — Jeffrey Tucker
You realize, don’t you, that the gross misconduct of government officials from RussiaGate on down to the courtroom of Judge Juan Merchan has amounted to one continuous operation against the American people? If it were ever honestly adjudicated, many hundreds of them might go to prison, or worse. Each successive seditious and treasonous action they attempt against their arch-nemesis, Mr. Trump, only compounds their criminal liability — the Steele Dossier, CIA agent Eric Ciaramella’s 2019 impeachment prank, the Covid-19 caper, the George Floyd-BLM hustle, the 2020 election hijinks, the J-6 op and the House J-6 Committee conjured up to spin it, the present battery of farcical court cases — and yet the Golden Golem of Greatness not only remains defiantly at large, but seems to amass ever more electoral mojo.
The epic failure of these mighty efforts, and the humiliation entailed, has lately driven this vast bureaucratic cabal — collectively styled as “the blob” — to a stage of abject desperation that looks a lot like insanity. They fear for their lives, their fortunes, their chattels, and their families, and they seem ready to wreck the republic to save themselves. They have so far pretty much wrecked American justice with their lawfare tactics — a degenerate campaign to use the vested authority of prosecutors and judges to twist and cheat the law at the cost of the law’s legitimacy. Merrick Garland, Norm Eisen, Andrew Weissmann, Mary McCord, Lisa Monaco, Marc Elias, Christopher Wray, Letitia James, Fani Willis, Alvin Bragg have made law the enemy of the people.
All this becomes more obvious each day, for instance events of the past week in Judge Aileen Cannon’s federal courtroom in Florida where the Mar-a-Lago documents case proceeds. Turns out that Special Counsel Jack Smith has deliberately messed with the evidence, which is patently felonious. Also, turns out that sometime between the “Joe Biden” inauguration and the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago in August, 2022, boxes of presidential documents stored by the US General Services Administration were “delivered” to Mr. Trump’s mansion without any proper accounting for what might have been in them. A set-up you suppose? Why not? After everything else the FBI and the DOJ have attempted since 2015?
Christopher Wray in particular might have wanted some surefire probable cause to get his agents into Mar-a-Lago where, rumor has it, Mr. Trump kept his own dossier of evidence against the FBI and DOJ officials who concocted the “Crossfire Hurricane” chapter of RussiaGate. Even if you assume that Mr. Trump had multiple copies of the thing, FBI Director Wray — in position since 2017 throughout most of RussiaGate — surely wanted to see what Mr. Trump was holding if it would become necessary for current and former FBI / DOJ officials to defend themselves in court against very serious charges.
You see the desperation, don’t you? And how stupendously amateurish these machinations have been? Planting evidence and then fiddling around with it? I’m waiting for the moment when Judge Cannon summons Jack Smith and announces to his face that she is tossing the case for prosecutorial misconduct. Will she add a criminal referral to that? How will that affect the other case (attempting to overturn the 2020 election) brought against Mr. Trump in Judge Tanya Chutkan’s DC federal district court? Who will prosecute it if Jack Smith can no longer function as Special Counsel? And since the case was contrived in his name — even if Eisen, McCord, Weissmann, and others are really the authors — does that case blow up, too?
Letitia James’s real estate case under Judge Arthur Engoron was so idiotic it can’t possibly survive an ultimate appeal, and the Alvin Bragg confection under Judge Merchan is playing out like something that usually only happens in places like Honduras or Liberia. Yet the American Left, the “progressive” Democratic Party, is staking everything on it. It’s all they have left Lawfare-wise, at least for now. Which brings us to the question: Why do the non-governmental elites of this land, the managerial and thinking classes, the college presidents, the cable news producers, the corporate execs, the movie directors, the whole arts establishment. . . why do they feel compelled, for nearly a decade now, to hitch their identity and their self-respect to this fantastic train of Kafka-esque corruption, tyranny, and abuse? How did they get owned by the blob?
We may never find out, and they may never know either, even after they snap out of the mass formation they’ve been in thrall to. But they have made themselves ridiculous — figures like Sam Harris, Stephen Colbert, and Rob Reiner — yelling about “saving our democracy” while the blob they worship systematically disassembles the US Constitution, and makes American law a global laughingstock.
Most of my old ex-friends are riding the same ideological bus. You have to wonder: how did the likes of “Joe Biden,” Merrick Garland, Liz Cheney, Adam Schiff, Christopher Wray, Fani Willis, Anthony Fauci, Klaus Schwab, and Bill Gates become their heroes? Did the Covid vaccines destroy their minds? Are they really avid for central bank digital money and surveillance of their every move? Do they want to be told how to live by the WHO? Things are going south fast now in our country. If these people ever cherished the idea of being free to think their own thoughts and live their own lives, it’s getting late in the game. They will end up prisoners of themselves.
https://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/prisoners-of-themselves/
Israel Must Choose The Achievable Over The Desirable
By Alexander G. Markovsky
According to the Times of Israel, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during a visit to the Palmachim Airbase, stated, "In Gaza, we are obligated to eliminate Hamas and also to return the hostages. We are working on these two tasks, and I am determined to accomplish both things. It will take as long as it takes." "….as long as it takes" is neither a strategy nor a policy. It conveys uncertainty rather than a focused operational approach. Moreover, the longer it takes, the higher the toll on military personnel's lives. General Gallant understands that he lost the war and is just trying to stay in uniform for as long as possible.
In 1967, it required six days for the fathers of today's Israeli military leaders to defeat a coalition of Arab nations, notably Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. The current Israeli military geniuses have already spent six months fighting a modest terrorist force that lacks the advanced weaponry of a modern army, failing to achieve the stated objectives.
Israel should not have any problem, moral, legal, or otherwise, to bring the terror back to those who have committed mass murder. But it does. Jews, in general, lack the moral fortitude to impose a collective punishment even for a collective crime.
The ongoing conflict exposed this inherent vulnerability. As we are ready to acknowledge that not all Palestinians belong to Hamas, it is equally significant for the world community to concede that all members of Hamas are Palestinians. Therefore, all residents of Gaza share the moral responsibility for the terror attacks as long as they remain silent. The Romans’ wisdom, Qui tacet consentire vidétur, “Silence is consent,” is as relevant today as it was two millennia ago.
It is time to remind Israelis that conflicts are not targeted at organizations but entire nations. In World War II, the Allies did not wage war against the Wehrmacht, SS, or the Imperial Japanese Army but fought against the Japanese and German nations. It is because civilians play a crucial role in the war effort, offering moral support, producing weapons, making uniforms, constructing fortifications, and providing essential resources like food. In the case of Palestinians, they are also accomplices, holding and subjecting Israeli hostages to torture within their own homes and willingly putting themselves in harm's way, acting as human shields for the terrorists. Hence, the term Hamas essentially refers to all Palestinians and vice versa.
Israel, however, has been hesitant to act against the entire Palestinian nation ruthlessly and expeditiously. This weakness has prolonged the hostilities and given its adversaries time to launch a global campaign in support of Hamas. The campaign eroded international backing for Israel, including unwavering American support in the aftermath of the attack. Israel had the advantage of holding every ace, king, and queen in the deck, yet failed to execute the operation swiftly and lost so much political capital in a short time.
Considering the current state of affairs, the sooner Israel ends this conflict, the better. The political and military situations are not conducive for Israel. The prolongation of the conflict will strengthen backing for Hamas and further isolate Israel diplomatically. Of utmost significance, it puts Israel on a collision course with the Biden Administration, which is committed to the two-state solution and will make every effort to safeguard Hamas.
Adding to the complexity of the situation, Israel remains politically divided, with ongoing attempts to overthrow Netanyahu's government. The country grapples with political uncertainty and a lack of resolve. The debates surrounding the potential invasion of Rafah, highlight the government’s indecisiveness. The city serves as Hamas' final stronghold. It houses the terrorist group's leadership, remaining fighters, hostages, and smuggling tunnels from Egypt, all protected by a human shield.
The caveat is that even if Israelis opt for military intervention in Rafah, they have no stomach to do it in a way that would stun the world, and, unfortunately, that is what it takes to win. Additionally, considering the ineptitude of the senior officers, the potential number of casualties could become insurmountable.
Most importantly, Israel needs to realize that the hostages held by Hamas serve as a form of insurance. Therefore, eliminating Hamas and returning the hostages alive are mutually exclusive objectives. If Hamas were to begin executing, let's say, ten hostages each day and continue to display their images on YouTube until Israel ceases its invasion, the scenario could rapidly escalate into a major disaster.
Regretfully, given its weak negotiation position, Israel, as a temporary retreat, must be prepared to make significant concessions to Hamas in exchange for hostages. It is undeniable that Hamas will breach any agreement it reaches with Israel anyway, and hopefully, Israel will be better prepared militarily and psychologically to embrace the historical fact that regardless of methods and motives, winners are not judged.
Alternatively, if Trump were to become President, he would eradicate Hamas without firing a single shot. For Trump and his Arab allies in the Abraham Accord, the Palestinian issue is an impediment to their mutual aspiration of achieving peace and prosperity in the Middle East. Gaza is surrounded by Israel, with a short border with Egypt. It will be easy to blockade, and no help will be coming unless Israel provides it...which it won’t. Trump will be in a position to force Arab countries to take Palestinians. Palestinians will have to accept the offer and relocate to other Arab countries. As far as Hamas fighters are concerned, the Arabs will know who they are and will take care of them.
Thus, one way or the other, Hamas will inevitably reach its expiration date. But today is not that day.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2024/05/israel_must_choose_the_achievable_over_the_desirable.html
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It is Your Economy .. yours, mine, our family, friends and neighbors -- EVERYONE to some degree is touched by the markets and their behavior. So we should be aware of the various mechanisms that make the markets and our economy tick. We live in a new era where politics, rumor, weather and just about anything you can think of effects the markets and our economy in some way, shape or form. Like it or not we are globally tied at the hip and in this new era where the advent of technology and the internet pushes information to the edge of the envelope, we can only hope to keep up with the many challenges ahead and the speed at which they develop. Technology is a double-edged sword and unfortunately can be used for good as well as evil, it just depends on who is holding the sword. This board was created to follow news, markets, stocks, cycles, trends, indicators and most of all to communicate and share ideas. Humor and Cartoons are welcome here, it breaks up the monotony from time to time and I am alays game for a good joke. I enjoy data mining, especially for info that the MSM (Main Stream Media) fail to or are not allowed to report. We must see things from all angles and aspects in order to verify what is true and what is false, basically becoming more atune to separating the wheat from the chaff. Hopefully in the long run this will help us all to make better and more sound decisions. This board is/was basically an information board, but all are welcome to post, (actually I encourage it because looking through another's eyes gives more perspective on issues). We can never learn too much about these ever changing times and the economy at hand.
* I have only a couple of rules and that is if you should post; NO PURE POLITICS or RELIGION and as always expected, please PLAY NICE !!!
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NOTE: What is meant by "pure politics" as stated in this boards' iBox decriptiion is just that.., it has no real ties to the economy and is mainly a composition of political innuendo. As I assume most of you know, it is difficult at times to separate politics from the economy due to the fact that politics plays a very large part in our everyday lives; be it on an economical, personal or other level altogether. Therefore this has created problems in the discernment of which posts should stay or go due to their leaning too far toward the political side and are slight on economic issues. As hard as my assistants and I try, we cannot please everyone. But we do what we do and want to be fair, we do want what should stay as part of this forums curricular. Everyone has an opinion and/or wants to be heard and I will do whatever I can to help ensure that is what takes place and hopefully most will not feel as though they are being targeted or alienated.
In the end all I can ask is that you be patient if a post of yours has been deleted, yet it has economic undertones that state otherwise and you feel should remain. If you feel you have been wronged - relax, sit back and PM me and I will make a final judgement. I am rather liberal, therefore more times than not I most likely will restore your post if it has merit and/or fallen between the cracks. Things happen or are interpreted differently and sometimes incorrectly, we are human. So do NOT throw a hissy fit nor become a foul mouth fool. Also PM harassment is frowned upon and should carry a level of disciplinary action, but I will leave that up to iHub Admin. Besides all that life is too precious to spend in a tirade. These types of behavior will get you no where except a closer view of the exit.. Treat people as you would like to be treated and we can work through most issues. It all starts with civil dialogue, respect for another's opinion even if not agreed upon. An agreement to disagree is the way I like to see things conclude when minds cannot meld. Just because an agreement cannot be reached does not mean we automatically have to trash another for their views and/or opinions. Let's face it, we all want better, we all want to be part of something bigger than ourselves and we all want to gain an edge in the game of life. This cannot be accomplished without an open mind and a certain level of tolerance for all that speak out.
As a matter of fact I encourage as many of you as possible to post, even if it is just once a month. You don't have to take the world by storm, it could be about something as simple as a neighborhood observation such as more homes up for sale than in months past or how empty the parking lots are at a traditionally known hot spot. Post an article or commentary that hits close to home, test the waters and see if others have seen similar events around the country. We have at our fingertips virtually 100s of libraries of information and cyber chat connections we can use to find out how different aspects of the economy are doing all around the nation. I truly believe we all have a lot to contribute and share and while we all will never see eye to eye on every subject or then again maybe none at all, but different points of view may enhance our own outlook or the way we see and do things. Right or wrong, the world is constantly evolving and technology will begin to pick up speed by leaps and bounds So we could serve each other better if we take what is posted for face value instead of an opportunity to lambaste someone that sees things in a different light than our own preconditioned mindset. When opposing views are met with hostile impositions it is of no service to anyone. I certainly would not want a cult following or a bunch of "yes" men setting the tone for this forum, I want diversity !!! Variety is the spice of life !!! You cannot expand your horizons if you automatically shut down and feel as though you have it all figured out. I got news for you, you don't and you won't until you are lying on your death bed. I do not care who you are or how worldly and educated you may be, we never stop learning unless we hold ourselves back with preconceived notions. Knowledge IS Power...
AND if you should feel the need to post on an otherwise different, yet similar stage:
Your Economy OT - Conspiracy, Politics, Religion, Terrorism, War (whatever else you can think of) (YE2OT)
It's open and ready for business. Over there you can post whatever you like to your hearts content, especially political/economic articles and commentary that does not quite fit in at YE1. So now you have 2 boards - One for economics, markets, trends, data, news, commentary, etc. - a more serious site for those who want the straight dope. And now the YE2OT board for everything else. I will play Moderator, but I am taking applications for an assistant who would control 90%+ of the interaction over there.
If people choose, they can travel between boards if they need a fix of some controlled chaos at YE2OT and then want some cold hard facts as (YE1) was intended.
I want everyone to have a voice, now you have a choice .. enjoy
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