The Flag Of The Only County In The Middle East

Where gays and trannies don't get flying lessons by being thrown off buildings, is now considered by progressive LGBTQEIEIO idiots to be a "hateful symbol".

The Detroit News:  Michigan LGBTQ group labels Israel flag 'harmful symbolism'

Apparently the mere presence of Israeli flag at the pride march caused trauma and, per the director of the pride festival, "real harm" to gay Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrian, and other LGBTQs from those hotbeds of toleration for LGBT rights.

This is, of course, totally unlike the trauma and "real harm" they might experience of being thrown off buildings or being stoned to death for being LGBTQ in those hotbeds of toleration like Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.

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.

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?

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. 

Democrats Learn A Little, Take Impeachment Off The Table

Democrats may just be learning that always being on the 20% side of an 80/20 issue isn't the best place to be.  Not if they're going to succeed in politics beyond their rather out of touch, Trump-hating, progressive, base.

The Detroit News: House shelves effort to impeach Trump over Iran strikes

As the strikes on Iran were impressively successful, effective, popular, and didn't cause World War III to break out, impeachment is off the table.

Someone likely also explained to the radical Dems pushing the matter that impeaching Trump for doing what Obama and other Democrat Presidents had regularly done would be a tad embarrassing should the matter move on to a hearing. 

After all,  Democrat Presidents had no problem using military action without Congressional Authorization, and in the case of Obama it was a whole lotta unauthorized military action.  Obama had over 25,000 bombs dropped without Congressional authorization.   Kinda hard to impeach Trump for doing that which the great Democrat light bringer did to a far, far greater (and much less successful) extent - and for which Democrats had supported him doing even as the same ones seek Trump's impeachment for less. Well, if the Dem politicos didn't have double standards, they'd have no standards at all, would they?

On top of that, as presidents, including future Democrat presidents, may need to use force without congressional Authorization in the future, this was likely not a winning move.

Good on Democrats to realize there's at least one 20/80 hill of theirs that they're not willing to die on. 

Syrious Change - The Assad Regime Falls

The fall of the despot Bashar Assad has opened new risks and opportunities in the Middle East.

The Detroit News: Jubilation and gunfire as Syrians celebrate end of Assad family's half-century rule

This change, after a 50-year dictatorship passed down from father to son, opens both syrious opportunities and lots of syrious risks.

The big winner - Turkey - who backed the Sunni rebels against the Alawite Assad regime and its Hezbollah, Iranian and Russian Backers. Turkey gets to expand its sphere of influence, and pushes Iran and Russia away from one of its borders.

The big losers - Russia, Hezbollah and Iran.

Russia: Syria was Russia's greatest remaining client state, and that Russia could not preserve the regime, having most of its resources tied up in its ill-chosen war in Ukraine demonstrates Russian weakness to the world.  Expect lesser client states to take note. Russia also loses its warm-water port at Tartus in Syria which is a major blow to Russian maritime strategy, such as it is.

Iran: Iran loses a close ally in the region and a easy transit route to get weapons and support to its client Hezbollah in Lebanon. A stronger Sunni Turkey is a threat to Shiite Iran as both rivals contend to try and lead the Muslim world. 

Hezbollah: Hezbollah loses an easy line of communication to its patron and controller Iran. Hezbollah having been the major puppet force of Iran in propping up the Assad regime weakened itself by its choice to launch a war with Israel that saw its command and control networks neutralized, it's forces being beaten and being on the verge of defeat until Biden, Macron, et al imposed a ceasefire on Israel. It's war with Israel distracted it from propping up the Syrian regime which fell after rebels were heavily supported by Turkey.

The possible winners:  Israel and Lebanon - The Assads kept in power as an Alawite minority in the Sunni nation of Syria by doing the typical dictator move - blame everything bad on the Jews and Israel rather than themselves.  

Israel: A new regime that may be interested in peaceful relations with its neighbors instead of supporting terrorism and continually threatening war would be a very good thing for Israel, reducing tensions on its borders and further hampering Hezbollah from getting support and supplies via an overland route from Iran. 

Lebanon:  Syria heavily supported Hezbollah in Lebanon, preventing the Lebanese from controlling their own destiny. This change may give the rather fragmented and weak Lebanese state a chance to reclaim its control over its own territory and end Syrian and Iranian supported Hezbollah domination.

Or, Syrian could fall apart into civil war with instability and a foothold for the Islamic State and Al Qaeda that would be very bad for all its neighbors, including Israel, Lebanon and Jordan, and indeed the world as Al Qaeda likes to get around.

Time will tell but it will take time before this shakes out and we see who assumes control, who influences them, and what their stance will be on the world stage.  Interesting times indeed, and the maps sure have been all flag-y and arrow-y recently.

Seriously Biden?

I mean Biden is known to be a gaffe machine, indeed the Democrats excuse his regular misspeaking and nonsensical statements by claiming he's a gaffe machine on a regular basis.  Who exactly thought that was a good excuse, exactly?

Biden really stepped in the latest one in his bid to shore up Islamic support for the Democrats in key states by, of course, throwing our ally Israel under the bus and cuddling up to Hamas supporters.

But this gaffe on the worlds stage, when he didn't realize he was still on a hot microphone is rather quite something:

abcnews: Biden 'meant what he said' in saying he’ll have 'come to Jesus meeting' with Netanyahu: VP Harris'

In an interview with ABC News Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris reacted for the first time to President Joe Biden's hot mic comment in which he's heard saying he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon have a "come to Jesus" conversation about the war in Gaza.

"He meant what he said," Harris told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce. "Some of us grew up in communities where when a 'come to Jesus talk' is about having a serious talk, based on candor."

After delivering his high-stakes State of the Union address on Thursday, Biden was caught on a hot mic chatting with Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado. Bennet told Biden he needed to "keep pushing" to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, to which Biden responded: "I told Bibi, don't repeat this, you and I are going to have a 'come to Jesus' meeting."

"I'm on a hot mic here. Good. That was good," Biden then says after being warned by an aide.

Let's start off with the obvious: The telling to the Jewish leader of the Jewish state you're going to have a 'come to Jesus' meeting with him is rather a major faux pas.

In fact it is a rather offensive and moronic thing to say.   Hardly appropriate language when dealing with allies, especially if you want them to do things clearly against their own interest.

I doubt he's said anything like that to any Muslim leaders.

Let's add that doubling down after being you;re told you just said something stupid on a hot mike is extra Biden. 

Let's ask Biden to list all the times the US had provided humanitarian aid to a territory while they were at war with that territory and while attacks form an enemy continued form that territory and said enemy still held Americans hostage.

The answer,   Biden doesn't know it, is never.

Let's further note that in this current operation, Israel continues to have a 2:1 or lower ratio of enemy civilians to enemy combatants killed in urban combat - easily beating out the US Military's current ratio of 5-7:1 when dealing with entrenched Islamic combatants in urban settings.

Still waiting for Biden to apply as much pressure to Hamas and Iran as he's trying to assert on Israel.  I sure won't be holding my breath for him to do so as he throws an ally under the bus to court the terrorist appeasement vote.

Biden Administration Succumbs To Green Pressure

It looks like the Biden admin really wants the pro-Hamas vote in Michigan and elsewhere in America for November.

Reuters: US pushes for UN to support temporary Gaza ceasefire, oppose Rafah assault

The United States has proposed a rival draft United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and opposing a major ground offensive by its ally Israel in Rafah, according to the text seen by Reuters.

Great, this is what happens when you combine the Arabists in the State Department and the Biden Admin's need for progressive and Islamist votes in November: Some Arab American, Muslim leaders meet with Biden officials in Wayne Co. amid protests.

Will The Houthis Finally Find Out?

The US Navy stopped yet another drone and missile barrage by the Houthis at ships in the Red Sea.

USNI News: US Destroyers, Ike Aircraft Shoot Down Houthi-Launched Missiles, Drones Over Red Sea

USS Laboon (DDg-58), USS Gravely (DDG-107), USS Mason (DDg-87) and F/A-18s from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), along with the United Kingdom’s HMS Diamond (D34), shot down a number of Houthi-launched drones and missiles over the Red Sea, U.S. Central Command announced via social media site X Tuesday night.

The ships and aircraft shot down 18 one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles, two anti-ship cruise missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile Tuesday at around 9:15 p.m. local time, CENTCOM said in the release.

As reported in the article, this is the 26th time the Houthis have launched weapons at shipping in the Red Sea. That's twenty-six separate attacks without any retaliatory strikes on the launchers and launchees. Not much deterrence is going on right now.

Freedom of navigation in the sea lanes is rather important for the world economy, and such freedom has been aptly and ably enforced by the US Navy in the past.

At a certain point, eventually even the passive Biden Administration will get tired of the Houthi's antics, stop being weak and indecisive, and finally let the gloves come off.

Assuming the Navy is given free reign to both restore deterrence and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, the Houthis will definitively find out what happens when you interfere with US shipping and fire weapons at US warships.

Update:  The Biden Administration apparently is continuing to refuse to re-designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization,  The Biden Administration had removed them,  both as an appeasement move to Iran (the backer and shot-caller for the Houthis), and to stick a thumb in the eye of Saudi Arabia.  The Biden policy of appeasement and weakness is sure paying dividends - for America's enemies.

$10 Billion Is Going To Buy A Lot Of Drones

And Rockets, and missiles, and terrorist paraphernalia.

Daily Mail: USS Thomas Hudner shoots down drone launched from Yemen over the Red Sea in act of self-defense

USS Thomas Hudner shot down a drone sent by the Houthis, a terrorist force backed by Iran, after it approached the destroyer:

The official confirmed that the drone originated in Yemen and was heading toward the ship, which was operating in international waters. It's unclear whether the drone was armed or how close it came to the ship before being shot down.

The incident follows a wave of drone and missile attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria, launched by Iran's proxy militias in retaliation for America's support of Israel in its war against Hamas.

In Yemen, Iran backs and supplies the Houthis, a Shiite faction that has been at war against a Saudi-led Sunni coalition in the country since 2015.

Iran has been busy with its proxies attacking and sending missiles and drones at American soldiers and sailors. Nor is this the first occasion it has done so.

So, what does Biden and the Arabist Pro-Iranian US State Department do in response to these attacks?

Legal Insurrection: Biden Administration Renews Sanctions Waiver, Opening $10 Billion to Iran from Iraq

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the decision-making process, said Blinken signed the waiver mainly because the administration doesn’t want to cut Iraq off from a critical source of energy.

But, they said the administration is confident Iran will not be able to use any of the money for nefarious purposes. They said a rigorous vetting process is in place to ensure that the cash can only be used for food, medicine, medical equipment and agricultural goods.

Yes and if you can keep a straight face after reading and believe that last paragraph, the check is in the mail, and there's just a darling bridge for sale in Brooklyn just waiting for you.

Note that this is on top of the $6 Billion paid to Iran for 5 US-Iranian hostages. 

You really can't make this up.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy Getting Frisky Again

The Detroit News: US ship fires warning shots in encounter with Iranian boats

A group of 13 armed speedboats of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard made “unsafe and unprofessional” high-speed maneuvers toward U.S. Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter fired warning shots when two of the Iranian boats came dangerously close, U.S. officials said.

This is the second incident of warning shots being necessary in the past two months to keep Iranian fast attack boats away from US ships, and 150 yards is letting them get way too close. The Iranian regime is testing for a reaction (or lack of same) from the current administration, not to mention getting practice doing attack runs at US vessels.

The next time the Iranians try this, the warning shots should sink the next fast attack craft that gets too close.  

Those shots still be warning shots, mind you, as the shots will be a warning for the next Iranian attack boat boat contemplating getting too close.

Biden Reversing Course In The Middle East Has Entirely Foreseen Consequences

It's a really good thing Biden is cutting military aid and assistance to Saudi Arabia in its war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, isn't it?

Fox 13: Saudi TV: Yemen rebel attack on airport sets plane on fire

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday targeted an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia with bomb-laden drones, causing a civilian plane on the tarmac to catch fire, the kingdom's state television reported. The attack threatened to escalate Yemen's grinding war. 

Biden is also freezing arms sales and putting aluminum tariffs back in place on the UAE after they were removed as a carrot in the peacemaking UAE-Israel deal done under Trump.

Under Biden it appears the pro-Iranian/Arab rejectionist faction in the State Department are now back in charge and working to undo the  progress Trump made with peace in the Middle East and end Trump's pressure on Iran.  Biden instead has reversed course and is full steam ahead on appeasement and higher oil prices to benefit the Iranian regime.  

This should lead to lots of stability and peace in the region, right?  Right?

An Offer They Will And Have Refused

To no one's surprise, the Palestinian Authority and other organizations have rejected Trump's peace plan with a thousand nos. The Detroit News: Trump's Mideast plan dismissed by Palestinian advocates in Detroit area

Also to no one's surprise, Rashida Tlaib condemned it right after recently re-tweeting a blood libel about Jews.

More interestingly, Debbie Dingell, inheriting her seat from her husband, also condemned it, which while not completely surprising considering the very large Arab population in her district, it was still interesting to see as her objections showed she was just repeating Pali talking points.

Being a deal that required the Palis to actually uphold their obligations and make concessions, just as the Israelis made some major concessions, it wouldn't work.

Because the peace plan reflected reality and didn't allow the Arabs to realize their rejectionist fantasy to drive the Jews into the sea, it was a non-starter and they rejected out of hand.

In short, Trump just again highlighted that it's not Israel that's the obstacle to peace in the region, but the Palis intransigence and refusal to negotiate in good faith for peace rather than continuing rejecting Israel's existence.

Well It's An idea At Least . . . .

The Mideast Beast, a news humor site along the lines of the Duffel Blog and The Onion, had an article with quite a modest proposal for dealing with the ongoing rocket attacks against Israel's southern communities from Gaza:

The Mideast Beast: Israel to Place Gorillas Near Gaza; Hopes Int’l Community Will Care About Rocket Attacks. Go read the whole article and enjoy with a rueful smile.

While it's a cunning plan as proposed, unfortunately it won't work as outlined in the article.

Instead, The UN would immediately condemn Israel for daring to endanger such an endangered species by exposing them to Hamas rocket fire. Simultaneously, the State Department and the Leftists would quickly castigate Israel for escalating the situation by engaging in Gorilla Warfare.

You Should Never Go Full Moral Equivalence

You never should, but sure enough, Obama's State Department has gone full moral equivalence.

PJ Tatler: Obama State Department Accuses Israel of Terrorism as Palestinian Terrorists Murder Jews

Yes, a spokesman for the US State Department actually equated Israeli Police and Military responding and stopping in progress Palestinian knife attacks on Israelis with the acts of Palestinian terrorists stabbing attacks on Israeli civilians.

I'm only surprised that the State Department has not yet issued a pic of one of their spokespersons holding up a sign with a new hash tag of #TerroristsLivesMatter.

If That's How Obama Measures Sucess, I'd Hate to See What He Calls A Failure

Unless, of course, weakening America's standing in the world and handing the Middle East over to Islamic Fundamentalists and Iran was the successful aim.

The Detroit Free Press: Reports: U.S. forces evacuating Yemen air base after losing track of $500 million in weapons recently given to Yemen.

Remember this? Obama Tonight: Yemen and Somalia Are Models of Success.

Expect Somalia to fall even farther apart in short order.

From the Junior Varsity taking over swaths of Iraq to now losing Yemen to Al Qaeda and Iran, Obama's sure been busy losing. Not sure if we should attribute this string of failures to malice, or stupidity, or both.

Don't Count Your Turkey Before It Actually Steps Up

Kerry: U.S. seeks aid from Turkey against Islamic State

Turkey: Yeah, we'll get back to you on that.

The Washington Post: Turkey breaks up crowds at Syrian frontier protesting Islamic State, border closings

The money quote from the WAPO article:

“Turkey does not have a problem with ISIS,” Xelil said. “Sometimes they facilitate the transit of their fighters and even open the hospitals for their injured, while they do not allow [our] injured to cross and use their hospitals.”

Turkey would rather support ISIS to weaken the Kurds and expand Sunni Islam than fight ISIS. Methinks Kerry will be waiting for real aid and participation from Turkey for quite some time.

That "No Boots On The Ground" Thing Sure Didn't Last Long

June 13, 2014 : Obama says he will not send troops to Iraq

August 11, 2013: Obama's Strategy in Iraq: Operation No Boots on the Ground

August 13, 2013: The Hill (via Instapundit): Obama orders more than 100 advisers to Iraq

One can only hope the advisers are bringing their laser-designators with them, as air strikes without spotters on the ground are not nearly as effective.

The "no boots on the ground" statement is one of two things, both of which are revealing. Either it was an empty promise with the famed Obama expiry date from the start to appease his base; or it was a statement that reveals he has no clue what an intervention along with air strikes requires and he's in way over his head on foreign affairs after making pronouncements with no idea what the follow-through involves.

Either way while the intervention in Iraq is the right thing to do, Obama's being dragged kicking and screaming into doing it, and he's begrudgingly doing it in the least effective way possible.

Hoist, Meet Petard.

It seems like the push for action and airstrikes in Iraq is running into a bit of an intelligence problem:

The Detroit News: CIA facing gaps in Iraq as it hunts for militants.

The CIA and other spy agencies are scrambling to close intelligence gaps as they seek ways to support possible military or covert action against the leaders of the al-Qaida-inspired militant group that has seized parts of Iraq and threatens Baghdad’s government.

The lack of clear intelligence appears to have shifted President Barack Obama’s immediate focus away from airstrikes in Iraq because officials said there are few obvious targets. However, officials said no final decisions had been made and suggested Obama ultimately could approve strikes if strong targets do become available.

Hmm, now why could this be?

Obama’s decision-making on airstrikes has been complicated by intelligence gaps that resulted from the U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq in late 2011, which left the country largely off-limits to American operatives. Intelligence agencies are now trying to close gaps and identify possible targets that include insurgent encampments, training camps, weapons caches and other stationary supplies, according to U.S. officials.

So in the rush to declare victory and leave, Obama deliberately failed to obtain a Status of Forces Agreement to keep troops in place and ripped up the very intelligence networks he needs now to act intelligently to provide air strikes requested by the Iraqi government.

Well, at least now we know what could possibly go wrong with that.