Democrats want people to think Republicans are threatening a civil war. But all Republicans need is a return to a federal system where the federal government only takes care of truly national issues. Democrats keep saying we're on the cusp of civil war but it doesn't arrive. Maybe they want it. They've lost their bloody minds. Tips to Instapundit.
Admirably refusing to ignore the threats looming over them.
Don't throw away the Marine Corps.
Via Instapundit, "It is still hard to fathom the number of freedoms, information, and liberty we have willingly given away for the past two years during the pandemic to the influential cultural curators within government and institutions such as unions, academia, media, and corporations." I say Make America Free Again.
In the wake of the January 6th riot, it is amazing to see how quickly Democrats turned from demonizing police as racists to anointing them saviors of democracy. Via Instapundit.
Finland and Sweden: "Vladimir Putin's demands that the US ban the Nordic nations from the alliance has made their joining more likely in the wake of heightened tensions around Russian troops along the border with Ukraine."
Strap in, we're still in transition: "The hard times aren’t over yet. Isolated expertise continues to rule, and our animosity for those different from us politically, socially and racially will not give up."
To me, as the deployments stand, it looks like the Russians would attack in the south while trying to freeze Ukrainian forces around Kiev in place. Additional forces could change that, of course.
China continues to stomp on the embers of freedom in Hong Kong: "China’s military says the former head of internal security in the Xinjiang region will lead the People’s Liberation Army’s garrison in Hong Kong[.]"
To be fair, his paranoia divines threats everywhere: "Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Monday that Russia saved Kazakhstan from what he called a 'foreign-backed invasion,' according to reports."
We are so screwed. Tip to Instapundit.
"I know what you’re asking: 'Who amongst us, for 200 large, wouldn’t put a monkey in a dress?'" Really those are tears of laughter running down my cheeks. And I'm ROFL--not curled in a fetal position.
Let's go, Brandon--and the media he rode in on.
Tried for being in combat? "Sgt. 1st Class Robert Nicoson, the paratrooper who was accused of leading a patrol into an unnecessary gunfight in Syria before ordering troops to delete videos of the incident, was acquitted of all charges Friday[.]" I've long worried about fighting under a microscope. And it would be nice to know why our troops might need to fight there.
This is appeasing BS! "Biden admin weighs offering Russia cuts to U.S. troops in Eastern Europe[.]" America has few troops there, with combat units rotated through the region--not "permanently station" there. This is a gift to Putin, if carried out. So much for "restoring" trans-Atlantic relations.
Maybe China escaped the worst of the Xi Jinping Flu with its massive lockdown, while the rest of the world suffered the last two years. But as China heavily locks down to get to zero Covid in the face of the mild Omicron variant, isn't China making sure its economy gets hurt as bad as the rest of the world? Thank God China is more worried about how China looks during their Olympics.
Putin's goal? "His objective is not just to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO but to ensure it is a failed state that Moscow can dominate, if not eventually reincorporate. He may even seek to coerce Kyiv into recognizing the independence of separatist territories." Ukraine needs to defeat corruption to thrive rather than fail; and charge rent for the latter issue, including Crimea.
I think it is safe to assume Russia is responsible: "An undersea fiberoptic cable located between mainland Norway and the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic Ocean has been put out of action in a still-mysterious incident."
Worst. White supremacist. Ever. Via Instapundit. Also, Hillary started the birther thing.
China turned Hong Kong into Hell on Earth. Exploiting the Xi Jinping Flu didn't only help the Chinese Communist Party cleanse China of Uighurs.
Russia declares victory: "Russian-led forces will begin withdrawing from Kazakhstan in two days' time after stabilising the Central Asian nation following serious unrest, the [Kazakh] president said on Tuesday, in a speech that took aim at wealthy associates of his predecessor." Russia needs a victory as its diplomats try to leverage a threat to invade Ukraine.
India said this is an anti-submarine weapon: "Sometimes, before a torpedo can travel underwater to sink a ship, it needs to fly through the air first. India, as part of the ongoing modernization of its military, recently tested a missile-delivered torpedo system." I've wondered if this concept can be used as an anti-ship weapon to evade anti-missile defenses.
Californians should proudly support their compassion with taxes as high as they can raise them. Enjoy! And don't you Democratic voters dare move out. You aren't racist haters, are you? Lie back and think of equity!
The multi-war in Syria is complicated: "Since 2016, U.S. forces in Syria have fought not only members of ISIS but also Syrian government troops, Iranian-backed militias, and Russian mercenaries." I'm less concerned about the complicated legalities. I just want to know why we would fight and die there.
China relies on Russia's military to defend China's investments in Central Asia. For now.
Robin Sage exercises will practice counter-insurgency in North Carolina. I suspect this is more about how to wage insurgency and irregular warfare in the face of Russian occupiers in Europe. But I'm suspicious that way.
I honestly don't think that the popular vote initiative to commit states to cast their state electoral votes for whoever wins the national popular vote is constitutional. How can it be legal to ignore your own state's voters in order to vote the way people in other states vote?
Okay, that's way more than I needed to know about dolphins.
Sometimes I wonder if the end point of the Ukraine crisis is an East Ukraine under Russian control and a West Ukraine admitted to NATO and the EU.
Can't--or won't--answer that question?
May our teacher union leaders rot in Hell.
Can the FBI just refuse Congressional oversight? Via Instapundit.
Would I be out of line to wonder if the Lincoln Project is a deep conservative ploy to suck money from liberals that might otherwise be effectively spent to oppose Republicans? Via Treacher.
Some science must not be followed, comrades! Via Instapundit.
Putin's is persuading more Turks of the value of NATO membership. And more: "Possibly more significant might be Turkish efforts to shore up the defenses of Ukraine, which has drawn Putin’s ire, and Georgia." Returning Turkey to a NATO member in good standing will be another Putin legacy.
No margins for delusions: "Israel declared that it would attack Iranian nuclear weapons facilities alone if the U.S. and key European countries agreed to lift the economic sanctions on Iran in return of Iranian assurances that it will halt its nuclear weapons program. Israel does not believe Iran will abide by these terms, just as it has never halted work on nukes in the past." Israel won't subcontract their survival.
Despite the upsurge in cases, the fact that 75% of those vaccinated people who died from Covid-19 had 4 or more comorbidities means I'm just not worried. And that's before the weaker Omicron hit. And what would the percentage be for 3 comorbitities? Or two?
Yes: "After the Kremlin’s two “treaty drafts,” it is clear that for Russia, the goal is to reestablish dominion in eastern Europe, and push the U.S. out of Europe — effectively ending NATO." The latter is also the goal of the proto-imperial European Union.
I'm so old I remember when it was anti-science right-wing misinformation that the Wuhan Covid-19 virus escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China.
Is ISIL or al Qaeda the larger threat to global security? My view is that these--or any in the future--are a symptom of the biggest threat from Islam itself that spawns such terror groups. Help the normals win the Islamic Civil War. It's a long process to escape the anchor of Islamist backwardness and evil.
Britain is digesting lessons from its first carrier deployment in a decade.
This should be the easiest question to say "no" to and the FBI's failure to do that lets us know the answer is "yes." We need to fire the leadership and break up the FBI for parts.
Yes: "It is useful to recall that the pretext for Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine was not NATO expansion, it was a trade agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. Putin understands the challenge a successful Ukrainian democracy would pose to authoritarianism in Russia." Russia does not want Ukraine to fully join the West, regardless of NATO membership.
Don't trust China. China is a-hole.
Democrats keep saying that a minority is thwarting their will in the Senate, despite the fact that 52 senators oppose the Democratic Party's more woke proposals. This math obfuscation to make a minority appear to be the majority seems so familiar.
Resusable plastic grocery bags became the moral choice so quickly that nobody had a chance to notice they are worse than disposable. I assumed that was true from the beginning. I suspect many "green" practices and products are counterproductive.
The attention paid to China is way down as Russia threatens Ukraine. Is that intentional?
Are Russians willing to die for a Putin war with Ukraine? Ukrainian troops seem willing to fight hard. Let's make sure we give Ukrainian troops the means to fight and a reason for Russians to shrink from war.
Why is she working for NASA rather than the EPA? Tip to Instapundit.
Can you imagine Biden's approval without a media that treats his flatulence as brilliant oration?
Private flights to evacuate Americans, legal residents, and Afghan allies out of Afghanistan continue. I certainly hope our government is quietly helping despite denials.
Kazakhstan clearly decided to trick its people that the United Nations was supporting the government.
As I've long noted, the problem isn't the science, but what we are told about the science.
Democrats are lying about Republican voter suppression. Republicans are pointing that out. Sadly, the media parrots the Democratic lies. Via Instapundit. To repeat:
I would absolutely focus on treating pedophiles--for the wounds inflicted by the pack of hungry dogs set on them.
Department of Education Teacher Unions. Via Instapundit.
As long as our president is asking me to choose, I want to be on the side of people who ignore Biden.
Sweden: Rearming and less neutral.
The Navy knows how to describe what it wants. But it focuses on what it can't possibly build: "The Navy wants its next [DDG(X)] warship to fire hypersonic missiles and lasers
that would be ten times more powerful than the service’s existing laser
weapons[.]" FFS.
The Army wants a wheeled 155mm artillery piece.
What on Earth did the FAA do in Hawaii and the western U.S.? And why? Via Instapundit. Ah, clearing the skies to shoot down a North Korean missile. Recall how Iran shot down an airliner a couple years ago while prepared to defend against an American strike following Iran's missile barrage on our troops in Iraq.
Fine. NATO has no interest in taking over your vodka-addled Third World country with nukes. Clear enough? "Russia is not making ultimatums in its negotiations with the West but needs concrete answers regarding its security concerns, the Kremlin said [.]"
Well, I assume American nuclear attack submarines will be shooting almost immediately before officially intervening: "The vice chairwoman of the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday said new legislation is needed to allow the U.S. to respond faster should China invade Taiwan."
Democrats called any Republican president "Hitler." Then Obama called Democratic primary voters "bitter clingers" uncomfortable with a Black man. Then Hillary! said half of Republicans are "deplorables." Then she said all Trump voters are racists. Then Pelosi said Trump voters are traitorous racists. And now Biden says people who oppose him are traitors and racists. I sense an accelerating trend.
Follow the science politics. Democrats politicized the Covid-19 response from the start.
But newly Anschlussed Belarus under Russian domination gets away with using migrants as a human wave assault on NATO members. Ef the UN and the EU.
Huh: "The website of Iran's supreme leader has showcased an animated video that appears to show a robot calling in a drone strike to assassinate former President Donald Trump." Iran's nutballs sure know how to make Democrats love Iran even more!
Europe is counting on luck to get through their heating gas shortage this winter and believe wind and solar (LOL) are the long-term solution. I really don't get nuance. Unmentioned is giving in to Russian energy blackmail. Europe would never think it could get heat for our time, would they?
As Biden's approval rating dips below that of ISIL's in key Democratic demographics, expect Democrats to pivot to saying America itself is ungovernable. [Later: whoa, the pixels weren't even dry yet! Face it. America didn't set up Biden to fail. Biden set up America to fail.]
Couldn't happen to a more vile network. You'd need a strong stomach to be in a CNN focus group these days.
Let's see. You have to be a woman to have an opinion on things like child care or abortion. And
a man can decide to identify as a woman on a whim and demand to be
treated like a woman. Isn't there a problem for "women's issues" here?
Being a progressive is hard work.
Have fun storming the castle: "A top Russian diplomat on Thursday refused to rule out the possibility
of Moscow sending military deployments to Cuba and Venezuela, as
tensions between the Putin regime and the West intensify." Yawn.
During the Kazakhstan insurrection, the Russian-backed government arrested the intelligence chief. He has ties to China. Fascinating.
News that might have been important in the 17th century.
Yeah, I don't want to hear one damn word from Democrats about being racist. Tip to Instapundit.
Democrats: Health care should be free. Also Democrats: Those without a Covid vaccine should pay more for their health care.
Turkey chooses to be a road block rather than loved to remain in Libya.
Networking Aegis. The kill web forms.
Putin has more territorial ambitions.
The lying party of hate and its leader. Still, based on polling, the president is clearly on his way to uniting all Americans--against him.
The Swedes have noticed additional Russian military activity and are raising their guard, such as at their island Gotland.
Indeed: "But just because something makes waves on Twitter doesn’t mean it actually matters to most people. According to the Pew Research Center, only 23 percent of U.S. adults use Twitter, and of those users, 'the most active 25% … produced 97% of all tweets.' In other words, nearly all tweets come from less than 6 percent of American adults." I commented on that Twitter-reality divide some time ago.
I've never assumed crypto-currencies can't be hacked and stolen. That's one way to get around sanctions.
I don't want to go to war with Russia. But letting Putin get away with aggression against Ukraine doesn't prevent war. Sure, for now America might not be in it. But eventually we will be--minus an ally conquered or cowed by Russia.
To be fair, true "Islamophobia" rests on micro-aggressions: "China said Friday it gained support on issues including the treatment of Uyghur Muslims from a number of Persian Gulf states following talks between their foreign ministers at which they agreed to upgrade relations."
A fire erupted at a Kuwait refinery: "This is the second fire to erupt at the Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery in as little as three months." I pretty much assume Iran is responsible.
Good Lord, how can I trust ordering anything online now? We've descended to train robbery days. Trade and travel secure from roving bands of criminals is crucial. How much worse will it get? Tip to Instapundit.
Well, when everyone can "qualify" for special forces, nobody is special. When winning wars isn't the priority for our "leadership," this happens.
Speaking of Iranian attacks: "At least four rockets targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Thursday[.]"
Chest-pounding and flinging cyber-poo: "Ukraine was hit by a cyberattack splashing a warning across government websites to 'be afraid and expect the worst', while Russia, which has massed 100,000 troops on its neighbour's frontier, released pictures of more of its forces on the move." If Russia plans to invade Ukraine, it sure doesn't care about strategic surprise.
Russian military options against Ukraine. While Russia surely has control of the air, its technology edge is real but thin, relying on small stocks of advanced weapons. And control of the Black Sea--by default and not from Russian strength--won't provide much of an advantage on land. More thoughts. Mariupol, long in Russia's sights, is probably most at risk.
This fills me with such confidence in our Navy leadership's priorities: "The deployed aircraft carrier Carl Vinson suffered four so-called 'Class A' mishaps among its aircraft in the final six weeks of 2021, with three occurring in the space of a week[.]"
Being aware of the problem must be counted as a success by the Navy: "The U.S. Navy is paying more attention to its battle damage assessment and repair capabilities, as it considers what it needs in order to win a war against a sophisticated adversary."
Thank God our Constitution provides for a spare in case the president is incapable of carrying out his duties. Welp.
Good: "Taiwan on Friday commissioned new navy minelayers to add to its defenses against giant rival China."
Via Instapundit, Democrats effectively "colluding" with Russia's Putin? And with the filibuster, no less! To be fair, the Democrats' conversion to anti-Russian positions was both sudden and unnatural.
Hey! I'm reminded of an actual dangerous insurrection that put the White House in danger. Tip to Instapundit. I'd forgotten about that, lost in the entire period of burning and looting, I guess.
Hillary's Reconquista began with her reading the "victory speech she would have given on election night, 2016, had the nation not dodged her bullet, Matrix-style." I laughed hard at that line. But then I had to change my armor from the fear the prospect induced. I too want sane--if wrong--Democrats back.
Snow is not disappearing. Michigan is not "too hot" by any angle you look at it.
Philadelphia police decided that rather than being the 9-1-1 source of police protection, it will be the 4-1-1 for surviving criminals who can't be stopped. All in all, I wouldn't rather be living in Philadelphia.
CNN spent so much time telling us about the difference between an apple and a banana that the Child Nudes Network forgot the difference between an adult and child victims of their employees' sick urges. Allegedly, of course. Tip to Instapundit.
Surely this suspension is unjust. But it hasn't been that long that I've known Joy Reid and Joy Behar are different people. So how can I possibly weigh in?
Well, we already know it is lower than the climate models assume.
Supporting an anti-Russian insurgency in Ukraine if the Russians invade is a no-brainer. So obviously the Biden administration is "considering" it. Maybe by 2027 the study to implement the decision will start.
China is sinking roots into territory also claimed by Bhutan.
That's gonna leave a mark: "The Philippines has finalised a deal to acquire a shore-based anti-ship missile system from India[.]" It is the BrahMos supersonic missile.
Russia has already waged cyber war on Ukraine, counting on Russia's military power to deter an asymmetric response. But Russia should be careful that it doesn't get so bad for Ukraine that Kiev has no alternative but to respond with kinetics. Like dispersing mines off of Russian-occupied Crimea ports.
Well yes, a static Maginot Line at sea is no way to defeat China. But we need a recon screen. And the forces need to be mobile with reserves available, capable of counter-attacking and seizing the initiative locally. So don't simply abandon the line.
Is it time to end the panic to benefit the party in power already? But be careful, you don't want to undermine reasons for pandemic weak voting security! Tip to Instapundit.
It's kind of funny when the Vindman you launched circles around to attack you.
Duh: "WELL, THEY HATE HER, AND THEY HATE REPUBLICANS, SO THE CONFUSION WAS NATURAL: Whoops? CNN Chyron Labels Sen. Sinema a Republican During Anderson Cooper 360." I figured out that's how they know she's a Nazi.
I'm fine actually. Greatly reducing watching "news" hysteria helped a lot. And I was never stressed or sick over it, before that.
A happy ending to a terrorist mission in Texas. I like good jihadis. Let's see if he's just another member of the Amalgamated Union of Lone Wolves, as Mark Steyn puts it.
The only reason China is using lawfare against SpaceX is because China can't attack using a space militia vessel to ram Elon Musk's satellites. Of course, Musk's plan to provide uncensored access to the Internet simply provides access to self-censoring American social media.
In my view, liberals used to be wrong but reasonable. Twitter has infected them (via Instapundit): "Now, as to whether the liberals have changed? Yes, they’ve changed! They
used to be gentle, interesting, controversial, humorous people. Now
they’re strident ideologues who love every institution which they
professed to detest and suspect in the old days…" It's not me. It's them. (But much of that first link is about the media. Read it all).
Yes, "intellectuals" can't fathom that contiguous empires are empires as much as overseas empires were empires: "Intellectuals can’t stop denouncing the West for its legacy of
imperialism. But the imperialism on the march today is in the East.
Russia and China are determined to consume Ukraine and Taiwan, legacies
of the Romanov and Qing dynasties respectively, into the latest versions
of their historical empires." Also, Western intellectuals hate the West. But it is no fantasy that the West can play Russia off against China. We did it before. There is opportunity to do it again.
Is China looking at Ukraine as a predictor of what America might do for Taiwan? I don't think that Ukraine is fully analogous to Taiwan. We have more of an alliance difference in Europe. And by geography, Ukraine only gets close to the effects of the loss of Taiwan if western Ukraine falls to Russia. The author does note that. But I worry that China will see it as a predictor. I also worry we will do more than is wise--or Russia anticipates--because of our Afghanistan debacle. Although I think the author has the military degrees of difficulty for Russia and China backwards.
If an outgoing Republican governor issued such a pardon the media would force us to have a national conversation on perviness--and throw in race just in case.
This is absolutely not connecting with people. I don't know what it is but it is creepy and sad, and I want no part of it.
Is this the Russian assault on Ukraine? Or just the pre-H Hour softening up? Of course, disinformation may be less effective since Ukrainians understand that Russians are liars and aggressors. Alas, corruption obscures that for too many.
Michigan's Attorney General is apparently a moron. That's no way to improve respect for the A.G.'s opinions. Tip to Instapundit.
I really want to cut down the weekend data dump by almost completely limiting it to national security news. But honestly, progressives and media bias are eroding our rule-of-law democracy. I feel it is a duty to link to that news, too. I'd like to stop. But the woke won't let me escape.
