Apparently For Iran, Ceasefire Doesn't Mean What We Consider Ceasefire To Mean

Often the Arabs and Iranians will say one thing in English for foreign consumption while saying the opposite in their native language. Or say ne thing while acting the opposite.

Right after the ceasefire was announced, Iran launched missiles at both Israel and the gulf states.

Mirror: Iran fires missiles at Israel minutes after Donald Trump's war ceasefire

CNBC:  Gulf countries scramble to intercept missiles hours into U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement

 It is, of course, possible that the Iranians took ceasefire to mean "No attacks on us, but we can attack others", which tends to be par for the course for the type.

We will see if this was a last-minute barrage so Iran can claim they got the last salvo in, or if the ceasefire breaks down due to continuing Iranian violations.

When Even Al Jazeera Says It

Then mayhaps the US is indeed winning, and decisively winning,  the current conflict with Iran.

Al Jazeera: The US-Israeli strategy against Iran is working. Here is why

For Al Jazeera, the Qatari, pro-Iranian media to publish this piece means things are likely going very, very, well for the US in this conflict - so much so that the results can't be hidden:

- Top Iranian leadership dead and successors keep getting eliminated as they get announced

- Achieving Air Superiority on the way to Air Supremacy in the skies over Iran

- Iranian nuclear, weapons, and command and control and communication sites getting worked over repeatedly.

- Dismantling of Iran's air defense network, touted as some of the finest Russian and Chinese technology available.

- Sinking Iran's Navy wherever it can be found including it's mine-layers.

- Reducing Iran's ballistic missile and drone attacks by 90% so far 

 -Now playing whack-a-Basiji thug in the streets on demand via drone. Iranian citizens are reporting locations of Basiji checkpoints, and the US and Israel send drones over to whack them and thus save civilian lives from those thugs.

The Democrats and the Mainstream media both want the USA to lose and Trump to suffer a defeat in time to boost the Democrat's chances for the midterms.   Party over country for them, every time.

In short by any metric the US and Israel are winning, and are on the way to winning decisively.  Don't let the Democrats and the Media tell you otherwise.

Victor Davis Hanson puts it rather succinctly: Victor Davis Hanson: This Is A Surreal War, What Is Actually Happening In Iran Is Not Being Reported

Well worth a watch, that.  In short don't be misled by claims that 2 weeks in we're somehow in a "forever war" and Iran is winning.  It is not. But Iran's regime and the Left and the media are desperately hoping a propaganda campaign can save them and deal a defeat to President Trump, America, and Israel in spite of the facts on the ground and in the air.

Iran's Mullahs Getting Massively Mauled

Its now confirmed that Khamenei and a whole host of the upper echelon of the Mullah's government in Iran have indeed been sent to meet their maker.

Included in that host is former President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who had repressed his own people harshly, and announced that he would wipe Israel off the map. He has himself now been wiped off the map.  Poetic justice, that. 

The Israeli and American action against Iran seems to be focused on decapitating the despotic regime in order to assist the people of Iran change their regime to a less oppressive one, and also eliminating Iran as a regional threat and source of world terrorism. 

This is all to the good. 

The Detroit News: U.S. strikes over 1,000 Iranian targets, military says

So far, 9 ships of Iran's navy have been sunk with the sinking of the remainder pending. 

The Detroit News: U.S. sinking Iran's Navy, Trump says

Meanwhile, protesters, here in America who can be counted on to protest against the USA are at it yet again, exchanging their Venezuelan flags for Iranian ones.  

These protestors regularly protest claiming that the USA is a despotic, theocratic, and anti-woman country (quick note - by any objective measure it is not any of those), are now busy protesting against the USA on behalf of what IS objectively a despotic,  theocratic, and anti-woman regime.

Meanwhile, the people of Iran are cheering the attacks against the Mullahs, demonstrating in the streets in support of the attacks, and shedding their theocraticaly-mandated-on-pain-of-death hijabs.

Iranians in the USA are similarly grateful for the actions to help end the theocratic regime. 

Funny, that. 

Bye Bye Khamenei?

Reports, so far unconfirmed, is that Ayatollah Khamanei has gone on to meet his appointment with judgment for his multitude of evil deeds, both to his own citizens, and to people around the world.

Times of Israel:  Israeli TV report, citing unnamed Israeli sources: Growing indications that Khamenei killed.

The Iranian regime seems to have been effectively decapitated in the initial Israeli strike, and the US strikes are cleaning up hitting Iranian command and control centers.  The Iranians are currently reacting by firing blindly, attacking the gulf states that were effectively neutral in this conflict until Iran started dropping missiles and drone attacks on them.

If this gives the Iranian people a chance to overthrow their despotic regime, which has just this year killed over 36,500 of its own people, this is a very good thing and an opportunity to stop the number one regime sponsoring terrorism through the Middle East and the world.

Hamas Rejects Ceasefire Proposal

Hamas' refusal to accept the United State's ceasefire proposal is not unexpected, after all they expect to get bailed out and are taking the statements by Britain, France, Canada, and Germany warning Israel not to win as proof that they will get bailed out and stopped form losing the war they started. 

Yahoo News:  Hamas to reject US Gaza ceasefire plan

BBC: Hamas official says it will reject new US Gaza ceasefire plan backed by Israel

On the upside, Hamas' rejection of the deal, which was quote favorable to it leaves the door open for continued Israeli pressure to get them to come back tto the table. The US-made deal featured yet another lopsided exchange of 10 live and 18 dead Israeli hostages held by Hamas for 1,200 Hamasniks.  This was not a good deal for Israel by any stretch of the imagination.  The deal still left approximately (as we don;t really know if they are alive or not) 10 live Israeli hostages in the hands of Hamas for another 60 days.

Hamas figures it can wait for external pressure on Israel to stop Israel from decisively defeating Hamas, and let Hamas remain to commit more terror attacks in the future.  

Unfortunately, they may just be right.

Some 51st State Humor

President Trump was in the Oval Office when his telephone rang, "Hello, President Trump," a heavily accented voice said, "This is Archie, up 'ere at the Harp Seal Pub in Badger's Cove, Newfoundland, Canada, eh?

"I am callin' to tells ya dat we are officially declaring war on ya!"

 

"Well, Archie," The Donald said, "This is indeed important news!  How big is your army?"

 

"Right now," said Archie, after a moment's calculation, "there's myself, me cousin Harold, me next-door neighbour Mick, and the whole dart team from the pub.  That makes eight!"

 

Donald paused.  "I must tell you Archie that I have one million men in my army waiting to move on my command."

 

"Wow," said Archie.  "I'll have t' call ya back!"   Sure enough, the next day, Archie called again.

 

"Mr. Trump, the war is still on!  We have managed to acquire some infantry equipment!  We have two combines, a bulldozer, and Harry's farm tractor."

 

President Trump sighed.  "I must tell you Archie, that I have 16,000 tanks and 14,000 armed personnel carriers.  Also, I've increased my army to one and a half million since we last spoke."

 

"Lord above," said Archie, "I'll be gettin' back at ya."   Sure enough, Archie rang again, the next day.  "President Trump, the war is still on!  We have managed to git ourselves airbourne!  We up an' modified Harrigan's ultra-light wit a couple of shotguns in the cockpit, and four boys from da Legion have joined us as well !"

 

Donald was silent for a minute and then cleared his throat.  "I must tell you, Archie, that I have 10,000 bombers and 20,000 fighter planes.  Huge.  My military complex is surrounded by laser-guided, surface-to-air missile sites.  And you need to know, since we last spoke, I've increased my army to TWO MILLION!"

 

"Jumpins, Lord tunderin!"  "Two million, ye say!!" said Archie.  "I'll have ta call youse back.

 

Sure enough, Archie called again, the next day.  "President Trump!  I am sorry to have to tell ya dat we have had to call off dis 'ere war."

 

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Donald.  "Why the sudden change of heart?"

 

"Well, sir," said Archie, "we've all sat ourselves down and had a long chat over a bunch of pints, and come to realize dat dere's no way we can feed two million prisoners."

Now, it is true that the Canadian Forces are small but mighty.  They are rather confident in their capabilities, and they do punch far above their weight. 

Indeed, apocryphally, the Geneva Convention was started because of the Canadian military, who refer to it even today as the Geneva Checklist.

But in reality, should the Canadians kick off Defence Scheme No. 1 and  War Plan Red ever gets dusted off and updated in return, this can only end one way:

 

Sure China, We'll Discuss Doing That Right After Recognition Of An Independent Taiwan, Ok?

Reuters:  China's foreign minister says admitting Palestinian state to UN is move to rectify injustice

China's foreign minister Wang Yi on Saturday said efforts to admit a Palestinian state into the United Nations were a move to rectify a prolonged injustice, state media Xinhua reported.

. . .

"A prompt admission of Palestine into the United Nations is a move to rectify a prolonged historical injustice," Xinhua quoted Wang as saying.

 At least the Biden Administration did cave to the Islamist Democrat vote and actually did the right thing and vetoed this latest bit of rewarding ongoing acts of Hamas terrorism.

But sure thing Wang, right after recognition of Taiwan's independence is made by China and Taiwan gets a seat in the United Nations, I'm sure we can discuss rectifying "injustice", as counterfactual as that is,  in the Middle East.

 I'll note Taiwan that Taiwan has a far better claim to independent statehood and hasn't been firing rockets at, committing acts of terrorism, mass murder, or rape of its neighbors while China backed Hamas sure hasn't been holding back in those areas.

Inflation And Product Shrinkage - The Subtle Way Of Paying More For Less

Peter at Bayou Renaissance Man has a rather sobering post up about inflation - complete with the mind-boggling fact that 40% of all dollars in existence were produced in the last year alone.

40 percent.

That which can't go on forever, won't.  

The amazing question is how are we not facing massive inflation after all these dollars have been injected into the economy in such a short time?  

We're being told that inflation is a measly and practically non-existent 1.4%

How can this be?

Some of it is demand destruction preventing inflation - locking down the economy over the past year certainly slowed the velocity of money by quite a bit and chilled if not froze out the economy almost completely.  

Some of it is the money being invested into the stock market where it's raising the price of stocks by leaps and bounds and likely creating an asset bubble, and in other investments, but not entering the real world of shops and everyday prices.

Yet, in other ways inflation is already here and eating into our savings and raising prices - but in an insidious manner.  Instead of paying more for the same, you'll now pay more for less - and you'll either not be told of the switch - or be told it's good for you and the environment.

Yahoo News: Coca-Cola Debuts New Bottle Size, Recycled Packaging Strategy

The Atlanta-based company's new 13.2 ounce bottle will be introduced this month for the Coca-Cola Trademark line . . .with a nationwide rollout by the end of 2022.

The new 13.2 oz. bottle is smaller than the retail staple 20 oz. bottle and slightly larger than the 12 oz. aluminum can used by the company. In a press statement, Coca-Cola said the new bottle is "a more sippable package and reduces the use of new plastic."

Expect it to replace the 20oz in the name of reduced packaging and the environment, and I'd wager you'll pay close to, if not the same as what the 20oz bottle was going for now when you buy the 13.2 oz bottle - a third less in size for what I expect will be 20oz prices within the next year - an inflation rate as far as Coca-Cola goes that far exceeds the official 1.4% rate.

Coca-Cola isn't the only company reducing the size of its products while maintaining prices and you can expect even more of these reductions, sold as environmental awareness rather than the raising of prices, in the near future.

Teamwork Makes The Dream Work - Al Qaeda Now Looking For A New #2

The Detroit News: US, Israel worked together to track and kill al-Qaida No. 2

There's now another opening for the number two position in Al Qaeda's hierarchy.

The US and Israel worked jointly to track down and kill Abu Mohammed al-Masri in Tehran, Iran.

With a fine sense of  timing and poetic justice, they nailed him on August 7, the anniversary of the 1998 bombings of the US Embassies that he orchestrated in Kenya and Tanzania.

That Sunni terrorist Abu Mohammed al-Masri was being sheltered by the Shiite Iranian government certainly gives the lie to the claim that the Iranians will not work with the Sunni Wahhabi/Qutbist factions when it suits them, and that the two are always enemies. They're not, and they will work together to ataack the West when it suits them.

Now Biden is eager to return to the Iranian treaty even while Iran harbors and assists America's enemies, if not outright encouraging them and assisting them against America.

Shabbat, A Week After Pittsburgh

This Shabbat was a week after the attack in Pittsburgh.

Along with other synagogues around the USA, ours held a special service this Shabbat, appropriately hash tagged in this day of social media as #ShowUpForShabbat, both to show the community will not be intimidated and dissuaded from attending synagogue, but more importantly to together join in honoring and commemorating the eleven victims of the attack:

-Joyce Fienberg, 75;
-Richard Gottfried, 65;
-Rose Mallinger, 97;
-Jerry Rabinowitz, 66;
-Cecil Rosenthal, 59;
-David Rosenthal, 54, (brother of Cecil);
-Bernice Simon, 84;
-Sylvan Simon, 86, (husband of Bernice);
-Daniel Stein, 71;
-Melvin Wax, 88; and
-Irving Younger, 69.

Eleven memorial candles burned on the bima during the service.

We also said a prayer for healing of those injured in the attack and specifically named the brave officers wounded in responding to the attack:

Officers Daniel Mead, Michael Smidga, Anthony Burke and Timothy Matson all of whom were injured by gunfire as they attempted to stop the shooter at the synagogue.
Officer John Persin suffered a hearing injury, and Officer Tyler Pashel injured his knee during the incident.

May they all be swiftly healed.

There was a rather large turnout for a Shabbat morning service, and the sermon was very powerful in addressing that these kinds of attacks can happen as much as we did not believe they would, even here in the USA, as they have happened around the world. The sermon also was focusing on the need for good deeds and outspokenness to balance the evil of this attack and that these sort of attacks will not stop Jews being Jews and continuing to worship as we will.

A very meaningful singing by the congregation of God Bless America followed.

Quite a powerful service.

Crazy Currency Coincidence

One of my Facebook friends posted a rather interesting picture.

With the revamping and redesigning of the currency lately, now all of our bills have color schemes that match those of Monopoly money. Yes, really.

The new 100 bill has very visible yellow areas to it at the watermarks, matching the monopoly bill even more so than the older bill pictured.

Just a coincidence? Or is this an inside-the-Treasury joke on the declining value of the dollar?

That's Some Fugly Money

The US Government has announced the roll-out of the new $100 bill, due to start circulating this October and it is not exactly aesthetically pleasing.

While the bill has enhanced security features, poor Ben must feel he was just struck by lightning while flying his kite, or by a graffiti tagger on crack. There are multiple vivid splashes of color all around the bill, accompanied by a purple broken stripe reminiscent of when a cash register is running low on receipt tape. I mean Purple and Orange on a pale green background? Yuck.

While the US $100 bill has gone through many changes to prevent counterfeiting, including government-sponsored counterfeiting such as by Iran and others, there was no need to ugly up the bill this much in order to save it.

At least they could have gotten creative and had Ben's eyes roll around when the bill is held to bemoan the loss in value of the dollar, or perhaps a watermark of a kite hit by lightning might have been apt.

To think we once accused the Canadians of having monopoly money.....

Books Worth Reading: 1812 The Navy's War

The Bicentennial of the War of 1812 is causing a new burst of histories to be written about this almost forgotten war.

1812: The Navy's War by George C. Daughan, also available in a Kindle edition, published in 2011 is a very good one indeed.

First, the book for your reading enjoyment provides a wonderful diagram of a sailing ship, identifying every mast and sail, which makes understanding what happened when a sea battle took place and why it mattered much easier. Now you'll understand what it means to have a topgallant shot off.

The book also has an extensive glossary. If you ever wondered what a Razee is and why a brig might run away from it, among many other terms, you'll know. In addition, the maps are excellent in showing the various naval and land battlefields.

The book begins with the causes of the war - The British restrictions on American trade with Europe and the impressment of thousands of American sailors. High-handed acts of impressment including boarding even US Navy ships to shanghai sailors served to inflame American opinion against the British. Conditions upon British ships of the time were so terrible for ordinary sailors, and by contrast much better aboard US navy and US merchant vessels that impressment was a necessity to keep the British navy functioning in the war against Napoleon as the idea of improving service conditions for British sailors never took hold in the Admiralty or among its political leaders at the time.

The book then outlines how unready and ill-prepared America was for this war - a theme we will see repeated through the beginnings of World War 1, World War 2 and Korea and likely will experience again.

The US started the war with a navy that was tiny, with no ships of the line, was about to take on the greatest maritime power of the day. It went to war with an army that was tiny and without adequate supplies, with leaders chosen more for political reasons than for any military genius, and was supplemented by militia that were ineffective or in the case of the New England militias, that often had ties and loyalties to Britain and refused to cross the border to invade Canada.

The book covers the impressive success of the American Navy's heavy 44 gun frigates, and the often overlooked success of her privateer commerce raiders that together forced the British to take American maritime power seriously. American privateers operated extensively off the coast of Great Britain and Ireland, capturing British merchant ships in her own backyard. The privateers also competed with the navy for sailors - offering better pay and prize money that the navy.

The book also notes how the New England states, even as the war was going on, would not only trade with the British but even sold provisions to the blockading British ships and troops.

The book covers not only all of the major and many minor maritime engagements of the war as well as the land campaigns and how they were interrelated with the state of war at sea. Control of the Great Lakes, considering the terrible state of roads in the Michigan, Ohio and other wilderness territories was vital to get troops where they needed to go. The book details British plans to hem in and divide the US, with such plans ending after some effective American naval victories and the American victory at the Battle of New Orleans that occurred after the peace treaty was signed.

The belligerents then returned to the status quo that existed before the beginning of the war, but the reputation of the US Navy had been well established.

The book concludes with the US Navy's successful battles against the Bey, the Deys and Basha in the Second Barbary War in the Mediterranean - ending the US payment of tribute to these Muslim pirates and leading to a US naval presence in the Mediterranean that continues to this day.

A very well-written book that thoroughly examines the political, nautical and military history of the War of 1812 timely completed for the bicentennial anniversary of the conflict. Highly recommended.