Yahya Sinwar is dead!

Israel ELIMINATES Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza Strike | Erik Stakelbeck
The head of Hamas is dead. The guy who masterminded October 7th. The guy who was released from Israeli jail in one of those ill-advised exchange deals, where a few Israeli hostages in Gaza are swapped for thousands of jailed terrorists.
I, for one, celebrate the death of a mass murdering terrorist.
https://www.youtube.com/live/wdzg8633jyg?si=1UNBrcuktqSeTkSC

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A warning to the “Free” world | Alex Armstrong on X

	Alex Armstrong ⁦‪@alexharmstrong‬⁩ The President of El Salvador, ⁦‪@nayibbukele‬⁩, has sent a chilling warning to the west. He's not wrong. pic.x.com/NrmEhYHEuT   17/10/2024, 4:05 PM

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"What if Palestinian had been Chinese"? | Post from 20 February 2010

Reposting from 20th February 2010 post.  

============================

In the early post-48 establishment of Israel, and after the failed attack on the new state by the Arab League, some of Israel’s neighbours indicated willingness to deal with the new state. These included Jordan, Lebanon and even previously belligerent Egypt. What happened?  The Mufti of Jerusalem Haj Amin al-Huseini organized assassination of these moderate elements. Al-Huseini went on to mentor Yasser Arafat and his murderous reign, so disastrous for the Palestinians. (See “Icon of Evil: Hitler’s Mufti and the rise of Radical Islam”)....

Think about what could have been if al-Huseini had not terrorized these acceptors of Israel into radicalism. Think of Hong Kong, where I live.

Here in Hong Kong, I contemplate the fact that the Communists in China killed millions on their way to the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949, sixty years ago last October. Many more millions fled to Taiwan and Hong Kong. That was pretty unfair too, just as the establishment of Israel was unfair on hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. That also involved massive expropriation of property, just as it did for Palestinians.  [ADDED, 17 Oct 2024: The "expropriation" was not because the Jews, aka, new Israel, kicked them out. The Israel Declaration of Independence says that it welcomes all ethnicities, religions and cultures. No, the reason they were kicked out was because surrounding Arab states told them to leave, so that the Arab armies could destroy Israel and kick all Jews into the sea. That's the truth of what happened.]

But what did these Chinese refugees do? Did they hunker down in a victimhood mentality, and fire rockets over the border to China?  They did not.  They got on with creating one of the most vibrant, tolerant, successful and wealthy economies in the world.  Part of a region that is now discussing the potential for a regional currency: will it be the Chinese Yuan, or should there be an Asian “Euro”?

Gaza is about the same size as Hong Kong. Think what they could have done with that land alone, or what they could have done with Gaza and the West Bank together, if they hadn’t attacked Israel in ’67 and if they hadn’t been mired in the victimhood mentality all these years; or even if they had used the hand-back of Gaza for some confidence building, rather than rocket launching, which could have led to the consideration of handing back the West Bank. Think of the possibilities if there had been one whit of recognition of Israel and its right to exist.

Had the “exiled” Palestinians done as the exiled Chinese did, would we debating the rights and wrongs of a nuclear weapons policy for Iran? We would not. We – or rather they, Israel and Iran, and Lebanon and Syria and Egypt – would be arguing about the details of the Middle East Economic Union and what to name the regional currency….

SpaceX Does it! The capture of the Starship booster | Elon Musk

Click above to go to the video

This is historical, but nothing from the MSM and no congratulations from the Biden administration, to Elon Musk, because they hate him -- used to love him but now hate him, because he got pissed off with the sharp leftward tilt of the Democratic party, which he'd always voted for, and went All-in Trump. 

But, he goes agains the tide and continues to achieve. 

Just before this triumph, he'd unveiled the RoboTaxi car and his latest iteration of the Tesla Robots. 

A man for all seasons. A man of the ages. The world's best entrepreneur. I feel privileged to live at the same time as the Musk era. 

Here's what he's doing in Texas, with a whole city growing up to house his Tesla, Gigafactory, Boring Company, SpaceX and X. 

Musk, the Da Vinci of the 21st Century:

Joe Macchi: "Elon Musk is an African-American who's white. He's a nerd who sleeps with models. He has 12 children but he's not poor." 

The Biden Crime Family | Miranda Devine

Click above for the video

Here are the dots. Feel free to join them up.This is going back to the second Obama term, so around 2012-16.

• Burisma is a Ukrainian energy company. Widely believed to be the most corrupt company in a very corupt country. 
• New Ukraine government attempts to tackle corruption so it can join NATO.
• Appoints clean-skin Viktor Shokin as prosecutor.
• Shokin goes after Burisma. Remember: the most corrupt company in a corrupt country. 
• Burisma puts Hunter Biden on its Board and pays him and his partner Devin Archer, $2 million pa, while Joe Biden is Veep to Obama in charge of most foreign affairs including Ukraine. 
• Burisma demands Hunter ask his father to call off prosecutor Shokin — and demands a phone call with Joe, which Hunter arranges.
• Joe visits Kiev, demands Shokin be fired, holding back $1 billion in aid as a threat. 
• Shokin gets sacked.
• Burisma is happy
• White House is not happy. Because it's not a good look.
• They cook up a story that it was Europe wanted the sacking of “corrupt” prosecutor Shokin 
• Western media swallows the story.
• Biden, father and son, get away with it. 

Does Biden get impeached ? No, he does not. Does Hunter get punished? No, he does not.

President Trump tries to find out what was going on. Makes phone call to new Ukraina president Vladimir Zelensky.

Trump gets impeached for his troubles. Gets impeached for trying to find out about Biden corruption which is itself impeachable. 

Hah! 

And that’s just Ukraine. There’s also China and Romania. Where Hunter is the face of the Biden Crime Family. The Bag Man. For “The Big Man” (Joe). The Big Man who is due 10% of every deal that his son Hunter does while his dad is Vice president. 

Aussie star reporter for the New York Post, Miranda Devine has a new book about it. “The Big Man”. Talks to ex Mumford & Sons banjo man Winston Marshal.  “it’s a rip-roaring story in itself. The lack of curiosity by the legacy media is amazing”. 

When will Israel attack Iran? | Caroline Glick

Click above for the video

It has to be soon. Otherwise the advantage of the winning momentum is lost. 

I've criticised Obama's Middle East policy before. I've called it the "be nice to Iran and they'll be nice to us" strategy. Kind of like the “cross your fingers and hope” strategy. Which of course is not a strategy, coz “hope is not a strategy”. 

Despite the ongoing, clear, unequivocal, catastrophic failure of this “be nice to Iran” strategy, from it beginning to its end, from soup to nuts, it still grips the Biden-Harris administration. This is best explained by assuming that Biden-Harris is really the Third Obama Presidency. Obama being the OG of the Democratic Party. Godfather Barry. 

The Dems can’t give up this “be nice to Iran” strategy in part because they can’t give up the idea of a “Two State Solution”. Which I also used to believe in, but no longer do, after finally realising the Levantine Arabs (aka “Palestinians”) don’t want it and never did want it. All they’ve wanted all along is to drive the Jews out of Arabia. They’ve been crystal clear about stating this aim, but we, the west -- China included -- have not listened. We’re still not listening. At least the Obama-Biden administration is not listening. 

And then there's the Trump (45) policy: which was to ignore all the received "wisdom" of the decades past, about the need to ensure Palestinian solution first, and went for a deal with the Sunni States against the expansionist, theocratic, Shia state of Iran. 

Caroline Glick has a better summary. Along the same lines, but better. More succinct. 

• The Obama-Biden Middle East strategy: Make nice with your enemies to squeeze your friends. (In the belief that a stronger enemy will be nice to us in return. Kind of like the "Unicorns in our back garden" strategy...).

• The Trump Middle East strategy: Make nice with your friends, to defeat your enemies. Hence the Abraham accords. Which could have (under Trump 45), or still could (under Trump 47), expand to include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE. 

It is the Trump strategy that is the truly inventive and the truly practical and the truly achievable. 

As Sir Richard Dearlove, ex head of Britain's intelligence services, points out in Caroline's podcast above, the Sunni states like Saudi and Jordan are quietly cheering on Israel in its war with theocratic Shia Iran; whatever the might say in public. 

Why Israel stands alone | Bernard-Henri Lévy

Click above for the video 

One of the world’s most famous public intellectuals, Bernard-Henri Lévy, committed Zionist, philo-Semite. Has met every Israeli PM. Talks to Jonathan Tobin.

Gets a lot of things right.

Like, it’s not enough to say “Israel has the right to self defence”. Every country has the right to self defence. 

Israel has to have the right to Win.

The west must support Israel. The rights Israel is fighting for are the rights the west cares about (or, should care about and used to care about). The rights won over a long enlightenment. 

Hamas and Hezbollah are medieval death cults and we much be clear about that. They embody none, zero, of western liberal progressive ideals. 

Gets some things wrong. 

Like — towards the end — his belief that “Palestinians” can “change their minds and Hearst” to learn to accept Jews in the Levant. He compares it to how Germans changed after the war. But the German never had the cradle to grave immersion in Jew-hatred supported by Allah, mosque to kindergarten, school to mosque. 

And: says “who would have guessed, when Gaza was handed back to Palestinians in 2005, that we would have an October 7th?”  Answer: Benjamin Netanyahu did! He had resigned from the Knesset when Ariel Sharon pushed ahead with the de-jewification of Gaza. Bibi “guessed”,  Bibi knew it would be a disaster and a threat.

Bibi called it, the mistake of handing back Gaza. That’s who “would have guessed it”, professor.. Which is maybe why Lévy hates Bibi….

ADDED: Who would Bernard-Henri Lévy suggest take over from Bibi? Answer has he none. He just says something like “Well, Israel has always found a strong and visionary leader when the times demanded it”. Hope is not a strategy, professor!

I’m impressed by Jonathan Tobin. He’s well read and fair. A good interlocutor.

Dems have said they plan to hack the Overseas vote. What to do?

ADDED: The Dems have made clear that they want to increase the votes of overseas voters. They skew heavily to the Dems, seems to be the story. That was certainly the case with Philadelphia in the 2020 election, which Trump had won, by votes to the evening of voting day, but which got overturned by incoming overseas ballots, which were heavily Democrat. 

The numbers of Americans overseas is between 5 and 9 million. About 3 million are eligible to vote, by the latest stats. On average, by the Median, about 10% of them vote, about 300,000. Even this number could affect a swing state. Let alone that Dems have said they plan to increase the vote from overseas. I've even seen numbers up to 9 million, which would be crazy. 

In any case, the numbers are significant in a close election and they are eminently hackable. Which I have proved myself, by registering to vote in the election, though I'm Australian and not at all American. 

That's the point of the email copied below, to someone who the GOP heavies seem to listen to. It's my little effort to see if I can in any way help the election to be fairer. Heh...

ALSO: Greg Foreman on election denialism on both sides. Especially the Dems. 

================================

Hi xxx, 

This needs to be got to Lara Trump, even if it’s doubling up on what she already knows. You’re a conduit, Scott. 

====================

I’m here in Hong Kong, Australian, not citizen of the US, but I got online and registered to get a Ballot for the November US election, in about ten minutes. Though the Home page of the voting site said I needed ID,  either a Social Security number or a Driver licence, when I got to the last page, there was a drop-down menu with a third choice; “I don’t have an ID at the moment”!  Click that and I’m good to go. 

To be clear: I did NOT get the actual Ballot because I didn’t want legal jeopardy of signing an Affirmation that I was who i said i was (coz I wasn’t). But it was clear that the next step of getting the Ballot form and sending it in — by email or post — would have been super easy for anyone not worried about the arm of US law. Like, say, Call Centres in Asia. 

I registered to get a Ballot for the county of Dauphin in Philadelphia since this is a Swing State. It has 69 counties. 

By contrast, I wanted to vote in the Australian Referendum last year, but was not able to do so because I’ve not been living in Australia in the last three years, and could not have proved that. Offshore voting in Australia is tightly controlled; offshore voting in the United States is scandalously easy. 

It strikes me — as it does you — to be super easy for Overseas voting to be hacked. You’ve expressed the worries around this. I calculated that 10,000 people in overseas Call Centres — easy to find in the Philippines, India, indeed anywhere in Asia — could fill out 7 million Ballots in a week. And it’s super easy, via the system in place right now, to ensure that those votes are Democrats. (or largely so; you wouldn’t want it to look like the results of a North Korean election…).

“What now?”

A few ideas. Some may be glimpses of the obvious. Some may be easier said than done.

1. Challenge the legal basis for the Overseas Voting sites, that are private and tacked onto the US government Electoral system. I used "Vote from Abroad" and "US Vote Foundation”, but there are others. 

2. Demand the right to see the IP address of all those Ballot requests run through those OS voting sites. If there’s a concentration of IP addresses from one area or one computer that’s a prima facie case for claiming fraud. 

3. Demand the right to observe ALL the incoming Ballots by post. Check the source of them. If many coming from one area, that ought to be prima facie evidence of fraud. 

4. Demand the right to observe ALL the incoming Ballots by email. Check the source of them, by checking the IP addresses. If many come from one area, that ought to be prima facie evidence of fraud. 

5. Have GOP observers in all counties of all Swing States, focused on the Overseas ballots issue. This is a huge ask, as in just one Swing State, PA, there’s 69 counties. It could be focused on those counties that are the most Swing, and this is easily known (i can find it myself, from here in Hong Kong). 

You’ve said that Lara Trump has a much bigger operation than the GOP has in the past, with many lawyers and volunteers. This area of the likely cheating on overseas voting should lead Lara to focus a team on this. They need a War Room-type team onto it. It’s super important. (I realise you know this). 

e. g. From Wikipedia, re 2020 vote:

Because of the way [Pennsylvania] counted in-person ballots first, Trump started with a wide lead on election night. However, over the next few days, Biden greatly closed the margin due to outstanding votes from Democratic-leaning areas, most notably Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as well as mail-in ballots from all parts of the state which strongly favored him.

It’s only got worse since, and Dems are openly talking of what basically amounts to cheating. It’s why they’ve pushed for no voter IDs. 

Something else crazy: PA allows some overseas postal votes (those who say they plan to return to the US), up to the 12th November. A full week past voting day! This is crazy!  

This needs to be got to Lara Trump, even if it’s doubling up on what she already knows. You’re a conduit, xxx. 

Added: I know you don’t like to click links in emails, but just in case, here’s what I wrote in detail about my recent experience in applying for a US election Ballot form. 

Pf

Israel: the war is “far from over” but Israel is winning | Col Richard Kemp

Click above for the video 

Yishai Fleisher talks to multi-decorated British Colonel Richard Kemp. The Colonel has spent most of the last year since October 7th in Israel talking to all sides, in civic society and the armed forces, the IDF. 

There’s always a “fog of war”. Col Kemp helps us peer through the mist and have see some of what’s going on. 

There are many people in the west, especially on social media, hugely critical of Israel. But they are a very loud minority. The majority still support Israel. 

On the hostages issue. I’m inclined to side with Yishai. Watch out for the discussion on this about two-thirds way through. 

I don't hate Benjamin Netanyahu enough | Israeli liberals tell me

Occasional Readers -- ORs -- who shall remain anonymous, have a go at me. Numbers in [square brackets] are my additions to refer to the commentary below:

[1] I haven’t got you to see why 70% of Israelis want Bibi (and Sarah) to disappear. [2] There are so many reasons,  [3] but it doesn’t mean they disagree with everything he does.. the I I I contrasts with the Ben Gurion example..  that is the start for many.. [4] he’s toxic for much of the population here. Not just my moshav friends.. [5] but we now wait the Israeli response to Iran, and Saturday ( actually starting Friday sunset) the country closes down (for a time of reflection).. no traffic, every shop closed etc.. the secular all go cycling..

To which I answer, line by line. From above: 

[1] I haven’t got you to see why 70% of Israelis want Bibi (and Sarah) to disappear. 

I might first respond with "so what?". Who cares what they think, if what they think is absurd?

But, okay, let's take it seriously. 

First up: that was then and this is now. 

Then (June '24): 66% of Israelis want him to leave. 

Now (Sept '24): "An overwhelming majority of Israelis support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu...". Given that these wars are existential for Israel, this is a rather more relevant poll than the earlier ones on his popularity. 

If it's a choice between polls of leftist Israeli media and Caroline Glick, I'm going to go with Caroline. 

Moreover, you've made no case -- you ORs -- for me to "see" that Bibi ("and Sarah") should "disappear". 

Nothing other than the assertion that you and "your moshav friends" don't like him. 

To be fair, you have indeed said that you and "your moshav friends" don't like the fact that Bibi is always "I this and I that...". Which is little more than not really liking his narcissism (if that's what it is). Which I've already argued, is wrong. 

But, anything else?

...(and Sarah)...

Well, there's the "(and Sarah)" allegation. By whom our ORs mean Sara [no "h"] Netanyahu, wife of Benjamin. Against whom there are various allegations. I know nothing more than what I find on the internet, though I do see that a number of the allegations were found false by the courts. Others remain allegations. I draw no conclusion from this other than that if one chooses to believe all the allegations without believing any of the cases where the allegations were proven false in court, seems a touch unfair, IMO. 

[2] There are so many reasons,...

Oh, and what might they be? I've still only got the charge of Bibi being a narcissist. That he's all "I this and I that..." . But even that, I take issue with. The one specific example you give, the speech to Israelis on 29 September 2024, I had a close look at, in two different translations. In neither did he talk about "I". He was all about "we". I wrote about that here. 

Maybe I need to supply some of those "so many reasons" myself. Just off the top of my head they're that he was corrupt and was so charged; that he was trying to undermine the judiciary with his proposals for major an overhaul of the Supreme Court. I'm no expert in either, but I've looked into them a bit, and in neither would I, me, myself, I, see anything worthy of the hate thrown on the man. Or to believe the ludicrous theory that he started a war to get out of either. 

The corruption case remains unproven. It's case against him that he tried to do a deal with a newspaper publisher to get better coverage if he (Bibi) passed legislation to hobble the said publisher's rival. Wrong, and criminal, if true. But as I write, it's not proven. And I know from following American politics that Lawfare is a thing. Much more than in the past. And this could be lawfare. If it's not lawfare, then what Bibi did was wrong, but hardly a hanging crime.

[3] ... but it doesn’t mean they disagree with everything he does.. the I I I contrasts with the Ben Gurion example..  that is the start for many.. 

Very noble of them, these ORs. Still, I really don't get this. I wonder if the "I I I " bit is a typo. Bringing in the "Ben Gurion example" adds nothing to my understanding of why they hate Bibi, other than that Ben Gurion is presumably the perfect example of a man against whom all should be measured. In which case, all fall short. Still, I don't understand this. It does nothing to clarify why I should share in their hatred of Bibi. 

[4] ... he’s toxic for much of the population here. Not just my moshav friends..

Well, that I do get. I do get that they find him "toxic". Quite why is not made clear however, at least by anything these Occasional Readers have said, or any evidence they've proffered. As is the whole point of this post. 

And, sure, "not just my moshav friends". Of course there's all his Opposition in the Knesset. Who also hate him. But for clear political reasons. Though I note, almost parenthetically, that after the IDF killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Bibi was greeted with applause in the Knesset, against normal practice. 

[5] ...but we now wait the Israeli response to Iran, and Saturday ( actually starting Friday sunset) the country closes down (for a time of reflection).. no traffic, every shop closed etc.. the secular all go cycling..

Okay, we do the same. ...we now wait the Israeli response to Iran....

No argument there. I await it, as does the rest of the world. In my case, with more comfort that the man in charge is the war-hardened, the brave, the clear-headed Benjamin Netanyahu. 

=====================

My turn. 

I see in Bibi the Lion of Israel. Maybe even the Lion of the West. 

His speech to the United Nations was a triumph. Powerful, direct, clear. With vision for the future of the region, a future vision which all we in the west ought to support. Which would be such a benefit not just to the world, but to all the Levantine Arab Muslims who call themselves "Palestinians" whose duty, today, is to hate and kill jews. 

How much better a future of The Blessing for the region and the world than The Curse!

...the secular all go cycling..

Of course they do! That's all they ever do. These sweet secular folk. Natter and chatter and pin-prick and cavil and get get on their cycles, and cycle, and cycle. 

Cycle away babies. Bibi's got your back. Even as you hate on him, he still has your back. So you can keep on cycling. Cycling... cycling. 

=====================

All this hate on Bibi is so reminiscent to the hate on Trump. I can easily agree with Trump haters that he's a blohard, bloviating, braggard. But not that he's Hitler or a would-be dictator. 

Same with Bibi. I could agree -- perhaps -- that he's a narcissist; even that he may have tried to influence a newspaper propritor -- who doesn't?  But not that these overwhelm his leadership qualities, his clear-eyed visions for his country and the Jewish nation. No, not at all. 

=====================

Have at it, Occasional Readers! Take me apart. Take apart my views above. By all means. And I'll happily print whatever you have to say, if that's what you'd like. 

I'm Australian but I just registered to vote in the US elections!

My completed application for a Ballot in the US election
which I've redacted some details. I did NOT send this in

I'm Australian living in Hong Kong. I don't have dual nationality. I'm a simple Aussie.

But I registered to get a Ballot to vote in the US election. 

It was super easy. 

To be clear; it was to apply for the Ballot form, which would be sent to me by email. I did not go through the process to actually get the Ballot and to send it in, because that would've made me liable to criminal penalties. But I can imagine that there may be plenty of people out there, beyond the reach of US law, who may be quite happy to go ahead and get the Ballot and to vote however they are paid to do so. 

I Googled "voting in the US from overseas" and got various sites that allow you to apply for a Ballot. I tried two -- "Vote from Abroad" and "US Vote Foundation" . I filled them out -- for the swing state of Pennsylvania --  and got as far as the Affirmation Page, where I was to sign (jpeg of signature was fine!) that I was who I said I was on pain of perjury. At that point I stopped because I didn't want to do anything illegal. All I was doing was to see if it was as easy as I'd heard to register for a Ballot from overseas. And I proved that it was.

And it was quick. It took me only about ten minutes. You could streamline an operation down to minutes per application. 10,000 people in call centres overseas could do 10 million Ballot applications in a week. 

Kaaa-raaay-zeee!

Imagine how many people there may be overseas who would be quite happy to invent names and to Affirm they are who they say they are, and to then get a Ballot. And to fill in the Ballot for whichever Party they've been paid to fill it in for. 

Once you've got the Ballot, you then send it -- by email if you want -- to the County in which you've chosen to vote. 

This is in contrast to Australia. Where I actually am a resident. Last year I wanted to vote in the Voice Referendum. I had to prove that I'd lived in Australia sometime in the last three years. I had to prove it by some form like a Proof of Address, Passport or the like. I couldn't do that, so I couldn't vote. It was way stricter than the US. 

The two US sites I tried couldn't have been easier. 

At first I baulked at the requirement for ID. But I thought, let's try it anyway and maybe I can try to use fake numbers. No need. Because when I got to the end of the form, and there's the ID bit, there's a choice in the drop-down menu: "I don't have an ID at this time". Clicked that and I was good to go!

Next it asked me to Affirm that all I'd filled out was true, on penalty of perjury charges. There I stopped. Because I'd used fake addresses in the US and in Hong Kong, and a fake name. 

But consider this: how easy would it be to find Call Centres in places like the Philippines, India, anywehere in Europe... or just about anywhere really. And to pay them to fill out fake names and addresses and to Affirm and then to email them to the selected County electoral office and to get the Ballot sent back to fake email addresses. 

The Democratic Party has said that it plans to the maximise overseas vote. The two Voter Registration sites I used were both Democrat leaning, even though they claimed to be "non-partisan". What's to stop them doing some funny games as above?

Consider that an audit of the overseas ballots for Georgia in the 2020 election found that they voted 93% Democrat. That's the sort of number you only get in North Korea. Something fishy there.  

Thinking about it, it's not even necessary that this be done from actual real-life overseas as I did. You could just use a VPN in the US and look like you're applying from anywhere overseas. 

Given that it seems the Democrats are on top of this, if the Republicans want to stop it -- or at least match it -- they need to focus on auditing. This probably needs to be done at the County level, asking to audit every overseas Ballot and to work out ways to check if they're real or not. 

Note that in Philadelphia some of these overseas ballots -- for "Civilians who intend to return" -- are valid until a full week AFTER the election day. This is crazy. Why would they allow this to stop a final count for a full week after the election day? See below screenshot. 

This sort of nonsense used not to happen. It arose out of the mess of the 2020 Covid-influenced election.As Victor Davis Hanson says, the Republicans have to "emulate and master" this. It's too late to change the big mess of voting and Ballot handling "radical, revolutionary changes".  All to benefit of Democrats. See him talk it here. 

What's needed? Simple. As proposed by Vivek Ramaswamy.  Single day voting. A holiday on the day of voting. Paper only voting. Locked and secure Ballot boxes, which have a clear chain of custody. ID required. No early voting. Absentee voting much stricter that it is now. VDS above, notes that the European States continue to have paper only voting and to get results in one day. Which used to happen in America. 

But the Democrats have staunchly refused any such reform. They've in fact gone the other way, as in California which just passed a law to specifically NOT require ID. 

Prepare for the Big Steal. 

Biden schizophrenic on Israel

Joe Biden recently claimed that Israel had no greater a supporter than the Biden administration  I beg to differ. The Trump administration was markedly stronger in support, organising the Abraham Accords, recognising Jerusalem as its capital, never stinting in arms sales, assassinating Sukeiman Solemani, vetoing anti Zionist moves in the United Nations. 

Biden by contrast has been fickle, inconsistent and schizophrenic. Support for Israeli self-defence swiftly followed by warnings about “proportionality” and calls for “ceasefire”. Just at the time when it would be best for Israel to push its wins to victory. Arms sales are continued when the mood takes him; then halted on a whim. Israeli politicians are scandalously put under sanction, the first time ever such an action taken by a so-called ally. The Biden DOJ supports the United Nations claiming immunity for UNRWA members who took part in October 7th massacres. Biden administration supports the scandalous ICJ investigations into alleged (and bullshit) Israel “genocide” (an ICJ headed by a Lebanese judge!) and the equally scandalous (and probably illegal) finding of the ICC against Israeli individuals.

This is your “great support”, Joe? Give me a break. 

I recently came across a letter Dennis Prager wrote to the now-certifiably crazy Candace Owens, which is here. 

Part 3 covers some of the ways Israel has been a strong ally to the United States and how it has helped move the world forward with its remarkable inventions. Not to mention its contributions to music, arts and literature. Name one single thing the equivalent of this in the Islamic world. One. Let alone in the world of the “3 Hs”: Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi.  There is none. 

The headings in the letter refers to views which Candace has espoused, which Dennis debunks.

Quote:

3. Israel is not our ally

You [Candace Owens] say you are “over the idea that Israel is our ally . . . if another person says that stupid statement, I am going to personally punch you in the face.” You then add that the “punch in the face” comment was a joke. But nothing else was meant as a joke.

The “joke” conveyed your contempt for anyone who says such a thing. I am one of those. And I am hardly an outlier in this regard. American administrations, Democrat and Republican, since Harry Truman saw Israel as America’s greatest ally in the Middle East, and one of its greatest allies in the world. Only the Biden administration has begun to regard Israel differently.

In every year for which I could find data — 2005 to 2021 — Israel voted with America at the United Nations more often than any other country in the world.

And no country has supplied the U.S. with more intelligence or as much arms innovation as has Israel. I’ll cite an example from 1986: The New York Times quoted retired Air Force intelligence chief, Gen. George F. Keegan, as praising “Israeli assistance in discovering Soviet Air Force capabilities, new weapons, electronics and jamming devices. ’I could not have procured the intelligence . . . with five CIAs. The ability of the U.S. Air Force in particular, and the Army in general, to defend whatever position it has in NATO owes more to the Israeli intelligence input than it does to any other single source of intelligence, be it satellite reconnaissance, be it technology intercept, or what have you.’”

The Iron Dome has become a critical part of the U.S. Army’s defense system. It is produced in America, but its technology was invented in Israel.

Bill Gates, whom I do not like, but who knows the tech industry, said in 2006 that the “innovation going on in Israel is critical to the future of the technology business.”

Mike Huckabee, another conservative Christian who supports Israel — in your view, if I understand you correctly, foolishly and counter to Christian values — wrote in the conservative Washington Examiner:

“Modern Israel has given us the mobile phone, the drip irrigation system, the USB thumb drive, many of the most effective cancer killing drugs in use, voice mail, video on demand, and cherry tomatoes. America’s relationship with Israel is not merely organizational, it’s organic. Israel is a mirror image of America in its commitment to religious liberty, education, women’s rights, free speech, democratic governance and free-market capitalism. Women have equal access to education and workplace opportunities. While a Jewish state, Israel also protects all religious shrines and provides Christians, Muslims and Jews universal access to all religious sites. (How many churches or synagogues are equally protected by the Syrians or the Iranians?)”

https://www.prageru.com/dennis-pragers-letter-to-candace-owens

“You started. You lost. You lose” | Post by Kosher

	Kosher🎗🧡 ⁦‪@K0sher_C0ckney‬⁩ A 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 watch and a 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 share. One of the best explanations of the conflict and is STILL true to this day. Short and to the point. He nails it. pic.x.com/g76lC8C9Vx   9/10/2024, 6:52 PM

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Kamala non-answer answers

From Elon, here. 

Political leaning and Climate | Michael Shermer on X

	Michael Shermer ⁦‪@michaelshermer‬⁩ Political position (left or right) has long been a proxy for attitudes (right or wrong) toward climate change, which our Skeptic Research Center data confirm   9/10/2024, 9:51 AM

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No, Netanyahu is not responsible for the intelligence failures of October 7th

Well, he is, in the same way that any country’s leader is ultimately responsible as in “The buck stops here”. 

But there’s evidence that he wasn’t even told of the impeding attack. That the intelligence services of the IDF, its “Operations Branch”, did know, but that the leadership of the IDF did not believe -- or want to believe -- that anything would happen. And that therefore they instituted no preemptive measures. 

Where do we know this? From a report, 5 October, by the Israeli TV Channel 12, as reported by Caroline Glick here. There’s more on the why’s and wherefores of the IDF failures. 

How reliable is that? I don’t know, save what I read on Wikipedia about Channel 12, which seems to indicate that it’s pretty kosher, respected, and responsible. 

So, in a choice between the views of some “cosmopolitan, secular, liberal” Moshav residents in Tel Aviv, or Channel 12, I’m going to go with Channel 12. Until something better. 

IOW: it wasn’t Bibi that failed the intelligence test. It was his Generals, specifically the Hamas-friendly lefty ones. 

Israel seizes Hezbollah weapons dumps in Lebanon

 

Click above for the video

Hezbollah weaponry found in Southern Lebanon. 

Remarkable quantities. Remarkable quality. More and better than found in Gaza tunnels.

I wondered what happens to it. Do they keep it to use themselves? Or do they destroy it? The answer is they destroy most of it. Mainly because they can’t be sure of the quality of it. Some of it may even be booby trapped. 

coincidence

Anti-Zionist = Anti-Semitic.

“No!”, say the anti-semites, “it’s different!”. “We’re just legitimately criticising the state of Israel, not the Jews!”. 

Sure, Jan.

Because you can’t say Israel is the only country in the world that is not legitimate, despite being in the United Nations as are all the other countries in the world that we deem to be countries, without that being for a reason other than logic. And that reason is clearly anti-Semitism. Jew-hatred. Which is open amongst Muslim Arabs, but hidden amongst the rest of the world as “anti-Zionism”. 

What other reason could there be? What other reason than jew-hatred? For saying Israel is illegitimate? Could you claim that its foundation, 75 years ago, was “illegitimate”? Well no more so than the foundation of Pakistan, of Bangladesh, of Malaysia, of the Balkan states, dozens of others in the wake of World War II and of post colonialism. Or of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States itself. No, only Israel, unique amongst nations is “illegitimate” and a “settler colonial” state, that must be punished and wiped off the face of the earth. The only Jewish state must be expelled, expunged, extinguished. Only the Jews. 

Memorialising October 7th : “Anniversary of Evil"

Time for memories and prayers. For the many young, idealistic people, who believed in peace, were dancing for peace and were mowed down by barbarous Hamas and fellow Gazans.

Time to remind ourselves, to remind the peacenicks, to remind the Hamas-nicks, that stopping this war, the one in Gaza at least, is simple:

To Hamas leader Yahia Sinwar: (1) stop trying to kill Jews. And (2) return the hostages, those alive and those you’ve murdered. 

Then it stops. 

Not by “ceasefire”, not by capitulation, not by surrendering when we stand in the verge of victory over the world’s worst terrorists. 

The rally cry of October 7th is “ENOUGH!”  

“Anniversary of Evil” Philip Klein

BBC broadcasts the whole of the Ayatollah's Friday Sermon!

Click above for the video

Imagine! And.. Shocking! The BBC broadcasting the whole of the Ayatollah’s 40 minute Friday sermon! They don’t even do that for western leaders. Or, at least, those they don’t like, like Trump....

The BBC perhaps is practising today what it may be forced to do tomorrow. The expansionary Islamic Republic when it gains demographic power in the UK,  will force Sharia its obedient servants now in Britain. And that will include broadcasting every single one of the Supreme Leader’s divine thoughts. 

The head of the Islamic Theocracy. The brutal state that brutalises women, Jews, Christians, atheists and Sunni Muslims. That says it wants to export its hateful Sharia ideology to the world, that calls for the murder of anyone who doesn't agree with them, and is hell bent on all of that, making clear that it's not just talking the talk, but very much walking the walk, bombing Israel at every turn.... 

.... this is the country, the leader, the theocrat, the murdering barbarous regime that the BBC chooses to highlight yesterday. 

Horrible. 

Above: Alex Phillips talks to ex BBC guy Robin Aitken. "The BBC cannot imagine they are in the wrong. They cannot imagine that ideas other than theirs could be right". 

“Xena”. Around the Island Race, Hong Kong

Destroying the lies of Mehdi Hasan about Israel

Click above for the video

Natasha Hausdorff brings down the house with her powerful case for the existence of Israel. A debate back in June this year, but as relevant as ever. 

Note her four modern blood libels against Israel and the Jews. 

1. The Libel Israel as a "Settler Colonialist state". 

2. The Libel of Israel as "Ethnic cleansing". 

3. The Libel of Israel as an "apartheid state".

4. The Libel of Israel as committing "genocide". 

The link direct to the analysis of the modern blood libels bit is here. 

"Ajami": an Israeli-Arab film | Thoughts on Cultural Relativity and Cultural Equivalence

The other day Kemi Badenoch of the U.K., said that not all cultures are equal. That is self-evidently true. However, she got attacked by legions of twitterati, who claimed the view was “racist”. Of course!

Her simple point: that there’s no equality between a culture which respects all people equally, is tolerant of all, respects all religions and ethnicities, on the one hand, and, on the other, a culture which suppresses women, gays, minorities, and all religions other than the dominant one. Guess which culture is which here! 

Bur the BBC can’t have it. All cultures are equal! 

Ten years ago I wrote a mini essay, which relates to this: 

Vale David Padgham. Skiing like an Angel

David and Steve, Shanghai September 2013

David was an enthusiast.

Everything he did, he was enthusiastic about.

He'd want to teach you. With that wicked smile. And quick, ready laugh. So charming. He was a real charmer. 

So much so that he charmed the HSBC bank in Hong Kong — its headquarters! — to give him a job. Even when he was put in charge of Trust business, but thought it was, like, truss, as in a roof truss. Yet he charmed them. He was enthusiastic. And he grew that Trust business. As I'm sure he could have grown the business of a home-builder's roof truss business, just as well. 

He loved his sports, and was good at many. He was more than good at skiing. He was great -- an Aussie Junior Olympic ski team member. 

When we'd finished doing a classic car race in northern Italy in 2005 -- The Winter Marathon -- we went skiing together in Madonna di Campiglio. 

David was surprised that I could keep up with him ... though he was probably at half pace. 

He taught me how to "Ski Like An Eagle". This was his term. 

It was really a way of doing ski-racing turns, but he turned those turns into the flight of an eagle, going from side to side of the piste, a circling eagle in the thermals, arms up, like the wings of the raptor, hard down on the weight-shift, drive the carve of the turn into the white air of snowy powder. 

He is our David, our wonder man, our lovely father, husband, brother, uncle. Our dear friend. This enthusiast. This charmer. This man … is now skiing…. Skiing like an Angel. 

Skiing like an Eagle, sadly past, too early, past for him. And too early gone from us. 

There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,

The earth, and every common sight,

To me did seem

Apparelled in celestial light,

The glory and the freshness of a dream.

It is not now as it hath been of yore;—

Turn wheresoe'er I may,

By night or day.

The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

 Wm Wordsworth. “The Intimations of Immortality". 

Vale, dear David. . 

Watching the Vice Presidential debate

On CNN

And so far it’s a much more enlightening, civil and productive than the Trump-Harris debate. 

JD Vance did well. My guess is CNN are going to be pretty happy with Tim Walz performance. 

 Both did well, tbf. 

“Vance and Walz face off in, policy-focused debate” says CNN. Agree. 

CNN panel calling it for J D Vance. They think voters may score it a draw. 

My guess of CNN poll: 60/40 to Vance.

Actually: 51/49.

BREAKING: Iran attacks Israel, shrapnel rains down across the nation | the Israeli Guys

Click above for the video 
Holding a piece of shrapnel which fell in their home 

Amazing stuff from in the ground in Israel, near Judea and Sumaria. Israel is now at war with Iran. 

The biggest attack with ballistic missiles in Israel history. 

Not their comments on their immediate Arab neighbours just a mile down the road, in wild celebrations for the Iranian attack in the while of Israel. 

BTW as an atheist I don’t go for the god-bothering stuff at the end. It’s technology that’s topped the missiles, not the “finger of god”. But still, faith is important in this part of the world, and theirs is relatively benign, and I don’t mind it too much. It’s great to have voices from on the ground. 

As of now the only casualty from over 180 missiles is one Arab who was out celebrating in the streets of Jericho of the “West Bank”….

Israel “Red Alert” App showing Iranian missiles over Israel, last night (actually marking places under threat, not actual missiles):

Related:

Israel under attack : “history being made”

Iran launches attack 

Iran attacks Israel Sunrise 

A changed Middle East landscape | Jared Kushner on X

	Jared Kushner ⁦‪@jaredkushner‬⁩ September 27th is the most important day in the Middle East since the Abraham Accords breakthrough. I have spent countless hours studying Hezbollah and there is not an expert on earth who thought that what Israel has done to decapitate and degrade them was possible. This is…   29/9/2024, 8:05 AM

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