Ashura Thing It Is Not A Pro-Diversity March

Muslims were marching hrough the streets of Dearborn for the festival of Ashura.

Lots of religious themed flags, lots of Lebanese flags, what appears to be a Hezbollah flag, were all flying in the breeze.

Not a single American Flag in sight.

Blaze Media: 'No American flags': Calls for remigration intensify after latest Muslim demonstration in Dearborn, Michigan

 But there was, as expected, plenty of anti-semitism on  display: 

 Middle East Forum: Dearborn Heights Mosque Demonizes Israel and Its Supporters for Ashura

All the standard anti-Semitic tropes of Jews controlling the America, controlling the world and all that. Including hilariously enough, blaming Jews for the Battle of Karbala, which was strictly a Muslim on Muslim affair where those who would become the Shiites Muslims got defeated by those who would become the Sunni Muslims, with no Jews involved. 

It's ashura thing that they're not pro-America, and not much for tolerance and diversity, except when used to suit them, now isn't it?

Killer Behind Murder Of Five US Soldiers Is Now Kaput

Fox News: IDF announces elimination of Hezbollah commander behind murder of 5 American soldiers

ELIMINATED: Ali Musa Daqduq, a senior Hezbollah commander who held a series of 5 senior positions within Hezbollah," the IDF hailed on X. "Daqduq played a central role in advancing terrorist attacks and combat operations against Israel and IDF soldiers. In 2007, he orchestrated the kidnapping and murder of 5 American soldiers." 

Good riddance to very bad rubbish.  Daqduq was behind the killing of five US troops in Karbala, Iraq in 2007.  Yes, Hezbollah, Iran, and Iraqi insurgents were working together to kill Americans then, and they still are now.

The murderer of CPT Brian Scott Freeman; 1LT Jacob Noal Fritz; SPC Jonathan Bryan Chism; PFC Shawn Patrick Falter; and PVT Jonathon Miles Millican has finally met justice.

Ah, It's That Kind of Ceasefire Then

A little bit of political double-think going on in this post from CENTCOM:

Yep, it's an Islamic ceasefire - Iran can fire at others, but if you fire at them it is violating the ceasefire.   We've seen these all around the Middle East.

In reality when one side continuously violates the ceasefire by firing at the other side, you do not, in fact, have a ceasefire. 

That the US is accepting the concept that Iran can continue firing missiles at American forces and it is still an "ongoing ceasefire" is a bad sign. 

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.

Iran Lied Yet Again

Remember how Obama giving Iran billions under a deal that specifically not limit Iran's ballistic missile development? 

Remember how in addition to claiming they weren't developing nuclear weapons they swore their ballistic missile program was restricted to a  range of 2,000 km?  

Good times, those. 

Anyone actually believed them was a credulous idiot, because yet again, not surprising anyone who knows about the Iranian regime, they lied. 

They just launched two missiles at Diego Garcia, 4,000 km away.

While the two missiles failed to hit their targets, this is a their revealing a capability they had sworn they were not devleoping. 

Fox News: Trump proven right on Iran's long-range missile capability as regime targets US-UK base, experts say

This officially puts Iran into the Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Club, and they now have missiles that can reach Paris, London and Berlin.  Hopefully that is a wake up call to European powers, and yet another reaosn to ensure the Mullahs do not remain in power.

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.

Still No Word From Megan Rapinoe

Of the members of the Iranian women's Soccer Team who originally were going to seek asylum in Australia or the USA rather than return to Iran, all but three have reversed that decision and will be returning to Iran, where they will likely be killed for publicly daring to defect, not to mention removing their hijabs.

CBS News: 3 more members of Iran women's soccer team change course, decline to accept asylum in Australia

Have your families remaining behind in Iran being threatened with death or worse by the regime if you do not return will do that to you. 

Meanwhile, Megan Rapinoe, that "champion" of women's issues and soccer, who is all for men participating as women in women's sports, and who has "most stunningly and bravely" called out the US men's hockey team for celebrating their victory, apparently can't be bothered to publicly support real women in her own sport who are in very real danger.

Fox News: Piers Morgan rips Megan Rapinoe as 'hypocritical' over silence on Iranian women's soccer team

Then again, the left and progressives have been remarkably silent, if not outright supportive of the Iranian regime, so it is not really a surprise. 

Progressives Protesting Against Their Own Progressive Interest

So what leads women who dress up like this:

To protest in support of the Islamic mullah-led government of Iran, that makes women dress up like this:

 Heck, how do you explain how progressive Calla Walsh, a former campaign worker for  Senator Elizabeth Warren can get on stage in Iran, complete with the obligatory hijab, and on live Iranian TV recite "Death to America". ?

She is progressively propagandizing for a regime that, among other heinous things, requires women protestors seeking freedom to be raped before they are executed to prevent them under Islamic law from going to heaven, which they would if they died as virgins? 

These progressive women are quite simply fantasizing when they claim the government under President Trump and Republicans is a burgeoning theocracy that will force them to wear the snazzy red outfits.  Not going to happen.

Indeed, the Trump administration is taking active steps to free women currently trapped under the material of such similar outfits in Iran, far beyond the platitudes and lack of action of the progressives and prior Democratic leadership both. 

At the same time this is going on, these progressive women protest on behalf of a Islamic regime that, by any metric, abuses women in a fashion even the fictional wankers of the women's fantasy that run the theocracy in the Handmaid's Tale would find repugnant.

How to square that circle? 

It's basically a combination of fantasy, ignorance, and the Red-Green progressive alliance.

After all, with the fall of the Soviet Union, it looked to progressives that western civilization was in its ascendancy and communism and its promise of socialist paradise just wasn't going to happen.

So instead, they sought out support of regimes and peoples that while anti-progressive by word, act and ideology, stood the best chance of destroying western civilization that these progressives had convinced themselves was the source of all evil.

This is how you get progressive LGBT-ers protesting on behalf of peoples and regimes that think that the best LGBTer is one who is given a flying lesson - off a multi-story building. And it is how you get women protesting on behalf of regimes and ideologies that, if these same women were under their control that regime would systematically strip them of their rights including their rights to protest.

Never mind that women and indeed all mankind have never been freer than they are now in places where western civilization is ascendant. The progressive believe it is a hellhole where any moment now they will be forced into handmaid's suits and a socialist paradise waits around the corner if they just protest enough.

The Socialist Paradise they work for never actually arrives mind you, and if it does it inevitably fails in hunger and poverty, and is discarded by them as not a real "Socialist Paradise".  Progressives then try out the next one to lay their hopes upon.

So why the Red-Green alliance?  

Well, Islam is the only force, aside from Communist China, that right now has a real capability of tearing down western civilization, especially if the progressives in positions of power give it a helping hand with open immigration,  protection of it from criticism, and giving Islamism a free rein in their countries.

Somehow, the progressive figure, just like the gnome underpants theory of value, that if they stuff in enough Islamists, it will bring down western civilization and then lead to a socialist paradise where the enlightened progressives end up on top like white saviors to lead the unwashed Islamic hordes to paradise.

This cunning plan of the progressives has holes in it, a lot of them, to say the least.  

It doesn't have a good track record. Indeed the progressive leftists in Iran who supported the overthrow of the Shah by the Ayatollahs were among some of the first to be executed by the regime of the Ayatollahs.

But the plan is what they've got, even as it lacks any logical consistency, and it explains the rather inexplicable love the progressives have for people that are decidedly the very definition of UN-progressive.

Also, this irony of progressive women demonstrating in favor of regimes that are decidedly un-progressive towards women is not just found in the United States: Daily Mail: Ironic moment women's rights activists swear and jeer at protesters demonstrating against Iranian regime... which has brutally oppressed women for decades

MrGarabaldi over at My Daily Kona also chose today to write about the Red Green alliance.  

F-35 Scores Its First Air-To-Air Kill

An Israeli F-35 Lightning II has shot down an Iranian Yak-130 over Tehran.

The Times Of Israel: In world 1st, Israeli F-35 shoots down Iranian jet in air-to-air combat over Tehran

This successful air-to-air kill for the F-35I marks the first time the F-35 has shot down another manned aircraft in combat so it is now 1-0.  

Yes, the Yak-130 is a light attack aircraft and jet trainer, but it is capable of air to air combat, and a kill is a kill.

This is just a first in a hopefully long string of air-to-air successes for the F-35.

Why Is Iran Regretting Using The Metric System?

Because they've lost a Kilo. 

TWZ.Com: One Of Iran’s Most Advanced Wacky Catamaran Warships Sunk In Epic Fury 

The single Kilo class submarine, Iran’s most advanced, which was docked at the base, also appears to have been sunk, and a large scorch mark sits next to where it was tied-up pier-side. U.S. Central Command confirmed it had targeted the “most operational Iranian submarine” in ongoing strikes last night.

In addition to the sinking of the Kilo, the other historic news, also submarine related, is that we now have an active-in-service US Navy Warship, other than the USS Constitution, that has destroyed an enemy warship:

FoxNews: US submarine sinks Iranian warship by torpedo in a first since World War II.

In addition to that milestone, the submarine successfully sinking the Iranian frigate marks the first time since the Falklands War, when the HMS Conqueror sank the ARA General Belgrano, that a nuclear submarine has torpedoed and sank an enemy vessel. 

The Imam Within

Yep, Imam Mohammad Elahi, from the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn is, true to form, busily praising the now deceased Iranian dictator Ayatollah Khamenei and condemning America and the US military as evil.

Memri:   Dearborn Heights Shi’ite Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi EulogizesIranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei 

Imam Elahi is very much of the Mullah's regime.  

Prior to his travel to America to propogandize on behalf of the Islamic regime, he was appointed the head Imam to the Iranian navy- as the regular navy was insuficiently zealously Islamic - in other words he was the religious zampolit for the Mullahs. He's very much a Shia twelver true believer and believes and backs the Islamic theocracy in Iran, and propagandizes on the regime's behalf here.

He's also rather popular among Democrats seeking the Islamic vote. Is he also acting as a conduit or connection between Democrat pols and the Islamic regime?  Who knows?

So, the interesting question is: Why is a known member of the Iranian Mullah's regime and propagandist for same free to unrestrictedly spread this hostile foreign regime's propaganda in America and proselytize on its behalf and their apocalyptic fanatical religion while we are in a state of open hostilities with said regime?

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.

Or, As The Rest Of The World Calls It, Tuesday

 From OSINT on X:

Yep, the Ayatollahs (and a large segment of the populace of Dearborn for that matter) have been constantly going on about "Death To America" and "Death To Israel".   Yet another call in the mullahs rather endless repetitive calls for global jihad is just same stuff different day.

Meanwhile brave men and women in Iran are busy protesting and fighting against the mullah's regime.

Meanwhile, I can still get better coverage of the momentous events in Iran on Instapundit and X than I can from the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press - as  both have not a peep about it today.  The lack of coverage is rather interesting.

As to why the media is impressively incurious with their coverage, one reason is that quite simply "No Jews, No News" as in no Jews to blame, so no coverage.

Another far more involved reason is given by Tahmineh Dehbozorgi and can be read here, and it is well worth reading in full. 

Iran Protests Finally Getting Some Notice

While no mention in either the Detroit News nor the Detroit Free Press -- Instapundit has better coverage than both of them which isn't hard because their level of coverage has been zero -- the massive protests in Iran are finally getting some media notice.  

Considering that the Iranian regime has blocked the country's internet services and  it is only thanks to Elon Musk and Starlink that we have an idea of what's going on.

And whats going on are very large protests against an actual theocratic and despotic authoritarian regime, where women get to unfortunately actually live A Handmaid's Tale, not just cosplay it.

Trump actively supporting the protesters is a big deal, unlike his predecessors who let them get crushed by the regime in for all intents and purposes silence, if not support for the regime.

An end to the terror-organizing mullahs would make for a far more peaceful Middle East and indeed the world at large.

2026 Starting Off With A Bang

Waking up to find Venezuela's dictator in custody, and Venezuelans around the world are celebrating is rather a nice way to begin a Saturday.

The US went in and grabbed Maduro, ostensibly for drug and terrorism charges and his role in importing illegal drugs into the United States.

The unsealed indictment makes for interesting reading.  

The drug conspiracy and terrorism charges  seem rather convincing, but some of the indictment, namely the firearms charges, reads like it was pulled off a domestic drug dealer form indictment.

The firearm charges - namely possession of machine guns, and the carrying of firearms in furtherance of a crime -  appear rather aout of place - considering there is no allegations that the firearms were ever carried in the US or US territory by any of the named defendants. 

Strange stuff indeed. On the upside that's one dictator removed and a chance for the actually elected opposition to have a chance to dismantle the chavismo dictatorship and have a free(r) country again.

In other news, protests against the regime continue in Iran, and those protests should be supported. With any luck the mullahs too will experience regime change and the middle east will become a lot more stable and free as well.

Certainly an interesting start to the year. 

There Are No Walmarts In Iran

Only Targets.

President Trump ordered a successful strike of  Iran's nuclear facilities.

6 B-2 bombers dropped MOP bombs on Fordow and Natanz 

All aircraft involved have returned safely, thanks to excellent planning. stealth, and Israel systematical dismantling Iran's air defense systems, with the B-2s landing back in the United States after a 36-hour mission. 

FoxNews: A full breakdown of Operation Midnight Hammer, the 'largest B-2 operational strike in US history'

Hopefully, this sets back Iran's nuclear ambitions for quite some time, making it's nuclear programs pronouns was/were - at least for the immediate future.

Well done Mr. President.  The strike has been years overdue.

Israel Hits Iran

A nuclear-armed Iran is a threat not just to the region, but the world. 

The world's leading sponsor of terrorism, supporting the Houthis, Hamas, Hezbollah, and others, Iran has attacked Israeli and US personnel around the world.

When even the UN finally admits that Iran is on the road to acquiring a bomb, and has been actively hiding its activities from inspectors, it is more than late in the game to stop it.

UN.org: Atomic watchdog says Iran not complying with nuclear safeguards

It's more than overdue that action is taken to stop them from getting a working nuclear device, especially as they have continually worked to enrich uranium beyond the level required for "peaceful" nuclear power and towards the level for a bomb.

 PJ Media: BREAKING: Israel Bombs Iran in Preemptive Strike 

In addition to hitting research sites in Tehran, the main enrichment site at Natanz has reportedly been hit:

Fox News: Israel hits the ‘heart’ of Iran’s nuclear program in Natanz facility strike

Hopefully, the strikes are successful and Iran is setback yet again from its path to nuclear weapons. 

Biden Talks Tough On Iran, Sends Them Another $10 Bilion

 The Detroit News: Biden approves national security memo on China, Iran, North Korea and Russia ahead of Trump's return

 The document includes four broad recommendations: improving U.S. government interagency cooperation, speeding up the sharing of information with allies about the four adversaries, calibrating the U.S. government's use of sanctions and other economic tools for maximum effectiveness, and bolstering preparation to manage simultaneous crises involving the adversaries.

Yet at the same time as this memo talks tough on Iran, the Biden administration is waiving sanctions and approving Iran getting $10 Billion dollars that it can use for more terrorism:

New York Post: Biden admin quietly renewed controversial $10B Iran sanctions waiver two days after Election Day

Does the left hand know what the farther left hand is doing in regards to Iran?

Iran Launches Over 200 Missiles At Israel

So far, Iran has fired over 200 missiles at Israel.

Most have been successfully intercepted by Israel's missile defense systems.

Some have gotten through, destroying a school in Gedara, Israel and destroying houses and wounding people elsewhere. 

Ironically, or more demonstrably to show that the Iranians, just like their puppets in Hamas and Hezbollah really don't care who they may hit with their missiles, an Iranian missile killed a Palestinian in Jericho.

The Jerusalem Post: Iran launches hundreds of rockets into Israel in massive aerial attack

We will see how Israel responds, hopefully quite severely.