Israel has responded…

Posted on by October 25, 2024

It appears last night was ‘a’ retaliation strike on Iran, possibly by up to 100 Israeli jets against targets in Iran, Syria, and Lebanon.

From Fars Iran-

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reports that several military bases in the Tehran area were targeted in Israeli strikes. It specifies that several bases in the western and southern areas of the capital were attacked.

Iranian media also says there are no fires or explosions reported at a key refinery south of the capital. “There are no reports of fire or explosions at a Tehran refinery,” Tasnim news agency reports.

Iranian state TV, meanwhile, says operations at Tehran’s airports, including Imam Khomeini International airport, are continuing as usual.

“Operations at Imam Khomeini International Airport and Mehrabad Airport are normal and they continue to operate according to the schedule,” the state TV presenter says, citing the chiefs of Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini airports.

The AP had an interesting take, HERE, basically saying Israel was pushing the Middle East toward war.

I firmly believe Israel has the right to defend themselves, and do what is necessary to get their hostages back. The US use to have a policy of not negotiating with terrorists, but sadly that went out the window…

The question is, what’s next???

Is Israel done, or is there more to come? And what will happen after the election? Anybody want to try to pin ‘that’ tail on the donkey???

Why oh why…

Posted on by October 24, 2024

Does anybody trust ANY of these organizations???

The World Bank was created, in part, to help alleviate the extreme poverty in about 10% of the world’s population. That’s 700 million people living on less than $2 a day. 

The bank gets its funding from contributions made by rich nations. However, a recent decision to divert 45% of its development funds from poverty programs to climate change programs is meant more to assuage the guilt of rich nations than to help the poor climb out of poverty.

About $40 billion a year from the World Bank is now earmarked to fund climate change mitigation efforts. Naturally, with that much loose cash floating around, sticky fingers are busy “misplacing” the money, and isn’t that a darn shame?

An investigation by Oxfam of the World Bank’s finances shows that anywhere between $24 and $41 billion of “misplaced funds” has gone missing due to “poor record-keeping practices, says Oxfam.

Full article, HERE.

If it’s not the UN, it’s the WHO, and now the World Bank.

How many billions of dollars have been scraped off that SHOULD be going to help the poor and disenfranchised, but ends up in the pockets of those who are supposed to ‘administer’ the money?

A nothing will be done yet again. Oh, there will be an ‘investigation’, probably scraping off another few million, it will then drop out of the media, and nothing will be done. Again…

Bueller, Bueller???

Sigh…

What is going on…

Posted on by October 23, 2024

With CBS and the whole 60 Minutes kerfuffle???

As we recently outlined, it has been a damaging, credibility-harming few weeks for CBS News.  The network violated its own debate rules with a disputed-to-misleading ‘fact check’ of JD Vance at the Vice Presidential debate, then cut off his microphone as he calmly picked apart their assertion.  Their morning show was thrown into chaos when some employees melted down over an anchor asking pointed, tough questions of an anti-Israel zealot, resulting in angry recriminations, tears, and a series of embarrassing leaks.  Then there was the curious 60 Minutes edit of Kamala Harris’ answer regarding US-Israeli relations, which looked completely different in a teaser clip, compared to what aired on the broadcast itself.

Full article, HERE from Town Hall.

I know we bitch about the MSM coverage of pretty much ‘everything’ these days, but this one is a head scratcher…

Normally, or maybe used to be normally, the company doing the interview would release at least a written transcript of said interview.

This time, zip, nada…

And word salad from CBS, on top of their earlier behavior. I can’t help but wonder if this is a ‘new’ procedure, based on the White House refusing to allow the FBI to release either a transcript or the actual tapes of Robert K. Hur’s interview with Biden over the classified documents scandal (that got quickly swept under the rug).

I guess the latest way to ‘handle’ stuff like this is to bury it, hoping something else will happen to distract the viewing public (like a hurricane or two), or some international crisis like Israel vs. Iran and proxies.

It’s pretty sad when the go to these days for news is overseas papers and media! Granted the reporting may be slanted, but at least it’s out in the open!

We are less than two weeks out from Nov 5th, which is election day. I don’t care WHO you vote for, but I am asking each of you to go vote!

RIGHT OF CITIZENS TO VOTE

FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT

SECTION 1. The right of citizens of the United States to

vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by

any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

SECTION 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this

article by appropriate legislation.

This was re enforced by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, HERE.  But you still need to go exercise that right!!!

Interesting follow up…

Posted on by October 22, 2024

To yesterday’s post…

The Pentagon has denied allegations linking a specific department staffer to the leaks of two purported classified documents that held sensitive information related to Israel’s expected retaliation against Iran.

Two documents purportedly from U.S. government agencies, the National Security Agency and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, on Israel’s expected response began circulating online last week. The documents include sensitive information that reveals indications of how Israel intended to respond, though the leak may have forced the country to alter its response.

On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen Patrick Ryder denied that Ariane Tabatabai, the chief of staff to Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict Christopher Maier, is responsible for the leaks. Foreign outlets have pointed the finger at her, while her name has spread on social media.

Full article, HERE from the Washington Examiner.

Apparently this is not the first time her name has come up with respect to Iran influence operations…

And more interesting is that while none of the MSM are putting her name forward, many overseas news organizations ARE saying she is involved.

Now the question(s) will be are the FBI getting all the information, and how much ‘access’ is the Pentagon covering up.

And I don’t have good answers or good feelings about either one.

Gah… How???

Posted on by October 21, 2024

Once again, this administration is ‘leaking’ important documents to the enemy…

Or at least what most of us think is the enemy…

Earlier on Monday, a defense department official confirmed to the Guardian that an in-depth inquiry was under way into how the two documents, attributed to the US Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, came to be published on the Telegram messaging app four days ago.

<snip>

The first document is titled “Israel: air force continues preparations for strike on Iran and conducts a second large-force employment exercise” and the second is “Israel: defense forces continue key munitions preparations and covert UAV activity almost certainly for a strike on Iran”.

Full article, HERE from The Guardian (pretty sad when we get better news from the UK than our own media).

I don’t know about anybody else, but I’m beginning to wonder who’s side this administration is really on.

Between pushing for an early cease fire, and now doing the same with Hezbollah, to dealing with Iran for $$$ and hostages…

And ‘indications’ that there are players at State, and possibly deeper inside the administration that are more than friendly to Iran, plus not knocking the Houthis down when the Navy had two carriers worth of attack aircraft setting there, instead they send a couple of B-2s to hit ‘specific’ targets…

I’m not saying we were perfect in the past, because we damned sure weren’t, but the last three years of one security violation after another, either through DOD, JCS, or the administration ‘officials’ are enough to make me concerned about our future security.

Snerk…

Posted on by October 20, 2024

A little humor to start the week.

His Lordship was in the study when the butler approached and coughed discreetly.

“May I ask you a question, My Lord?”

“Go ahead, Bernard ,” said His Lordship.

“I am doing the crossword in The Times and found a word the exact meaning of which I am not too certain.”

“What word is that?” asked His Lordship.

“Aplomb, my Lord.”

“Now that’s a difficult one to explain. I would say it is self-assurance or complete composure.”

“Thank you, My Lord, but I’m still a little confused about it.”

“Let me give you an example to make it clearer. Do you remember a few months ago when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived to spend a weekend with us?”

“I remember the occasion very well, My Lord. It gave the staff and myself much pleasure to look after them.”

“Also,” continued the Earl of Grantham, “do you remember when Wills plucked a rose for Kate in the rose garden?”

“I was present on that occasion, My Lord, ministering to their needs.

“While Will was plucking the rose, a thorn embedded itself in his thumb very deeply.”

“I witnessed the incident, My Lord, and saw the Duchess herself remove the thorn and bandage his thumb with her own dainty handkerchief.”

“That evening the hole the rose made in his thumb was very sore. Kate had to cut his venison for him, even though it was extremely tender.”

“Yes, My Lord, I did see everything that transpired that evening.”

“And do you remember the next morning while you were pouring coffee for Her Ladyship, Kate inquired of Will in a loud voice,

‘Darling, does your prick still throb?’

….and you, Bernard, did not spill one drop of coffee?

That, Bernard, is complete composure, or aplomb.”

h/t Guy

Sigh…

Posted on by October 19, 2024

Hard to believe we graduated from high school 55 years ago…

We’re sure not 18 anymore… we’re old, fat, and missing a lot of hair. But it was great to see folks, and spend some time just catching up!

And folks came in from NYC, Florida, Arizona, and a few other states. A number of us are veterans, and we were commiserating about the state of the services today, until the ladies told us to shut up and party…LOL

There is one last get together this morning, and folks will be heading out after that. It has been

Book Promo…

Posted on by October 17, 2024

First up is Alma TC Boykin’s latest Familiars book- Healers, Hunters, and Hearts

As always, click on the cover for the Amazon link.

The blurb-

Birds of mischief flock together …

Healer and Hunter, Deborah Chan Lestrang makes her way in the world as an herbalist and Healer who also hunts fell creatures when needed. Tensions inside her extended family call for a healer of hearts as well—a task far trickier, perhaps, than easing physical pain.

Weaker magic workers report being harassed by birds, birds inside a shield. Foul creatures appear, brought by a gate-spell cast by a coven. Or was it?

An old ill resurfaces …

Word comes from the north of a new drug, one that seems to grant magical abilities to those who take it. And that does not kill them as quickly as heart’s fire did. Could the birds of ill omen and the new pharmaceutical be related?

Next is James Totten with a new short story in his Breaching Ain’t Easy world- Annie’s Got A Gun

The blurb-

Ukraine is becoming a very dangerous place. Suicide drones attack civilians and infrastructure with impunity after all of the $100k surface to air missiles are gone and the “flack tracks” run out of bullets. In a horror show of a war, it’s time for some good old American ingenuity. Pole Dance Aviation, a Private Military Company, is established by its charismatic owner Jason Kane to assist with counter drone operations. Flying highly modified Cold War airframes, PDA gets down to the nitty gritty of shooting suicide drones out of the sky far cheaper than launching missiles that cost thousands of dollars a shot to kill hundred dollar drones. What happens if a PDA aircraft gets shot down? Send in the downed aircraft crew recovery platoon, The Shitheads, and they will fast rope into hell to get the pilots out. No fight is too tough and no enemy to too bad to keep the Shitheads from doing the deed and getting the pilots back. The Shitheads are supported by a cast of character’s, planes with call signs like Spy and Fat Amy, pilots named Axel and GO Juice, and leaders named Turtle and Mikey (that pre-workout fueled fight junkie will eat ANYTHING). Come along for the nonstop thrill ride set in the near future with headlines ripped out of tomorrow’s news feed. Oh, did I mention, Annie… yeah, she is there too, and she got a gun!! Mount up for grueling action as the Shitheads take on all comers in this high tech fight to the death on tomorrow’s battlefield in Eastern Ukraine!
And last but not least, Raconteur Press with another Wyrd West anthology- Cursed Canyon

The blurb-

What tales are you fixin’ to encounter here? You may encounter an inexperienced, in-over-his-head County Wizard trying to settle a dispute between landowners who seem to have escalated to using black magic in their feud. Or you might find a preacher and hooker fighting to save their town from some cult-like evil. Shapeshifters and werewolves may appear in one or t’other.

On the edges of civilization, here is where humanity encounters the wyrd in these tales of the Old West! The dangers are far more than the battle with nature–ride along with these authors into the strangest places, where the stories of the bold and the adventurous can claim to have survived the unknown.

Enjoy them and enjoy your weekend!!!

When…

Posted on by October 17, 2024

Does this crap end, or does it???

Two Canadians founded a boba tea company. Then the “anti-racist” mob came for them.

It all began when Sébastien Fiset and Jessica Frenette, a couple of Quebec entrepreneurs, started a bottled bubble tea brand called Bobba (officially Distribution Bobba Inc.) and then pitched their project last week on “Dragons’ Den,” which is essentially Canada’s equivalent of “Shark Tank.” Fiset and Frenette were seeking $1 million in exchange for 18 percent of the company.

They ended up getting much more than they bargained for: A pitchfork army banging down their door.

Full article, HERE from Town Hall.

So, even though they are working with people in Taiwan to make the product, since THEY aren’t Taiwanese, they are ‘charged’ with cultural appropriation by actor Simu Liu, who was a ‘guest’ on the show…

Should we be checking who owns ANY restaurant we walk into to make sure it’s ‘culturally correct’?

Or should we only eat foods that are ‘culturally correct’ for who we are? And what happens when you have a ‘mixed culture’ marriage? Say an Icelander married to a Hispanic? One eats only fish and the other only Mexican (not TexMex) foods?

What happened to the days when you were allowed to succeed on your OWN merits, regardless of what you were and what you were selling?

And able to eat or drank what you liked, regardless of where it comes from?

Internet problems…

Posted on by October 16, 2024

I can’t get to the net, so go read the folks on the sidebar. Hopefully, will get this cleared up sometime today.

Posted from my iPhone.