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FDD's Long War Journal Joe Truzman April 19, 2024 Iran has sought to leverage its militias and proxies, including Lebanese Hezbollah, to destabilize Jordan, reported the pan-Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat on April 16. There are “intensive Iranian efforts to target security in the kingdom over the last few months,” an unnamed Jordanian source told Asharq al-Awsat. Illicit smuggling by Iran-backed militias in Jordan is not the only threat facing the Hashemite Kingdom. Following Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack, Iranian-backed militias have attempted to carry out infiltration operations inside Jordan to support Palestinian terrorist groups. “Iraqi militias loyal to Iran have tried, since last Oct. 7, to carry out infiltration operations across the Jordanian border with the goal of ‘popular mobilization’ to support the Palestinian resistance,” Asharq al-Awsat noted. The Jordanian army thwarted the attempts when it conveyed threats to Iraqi militias active on its border with Iraq. “However, the Jordanian army succeeded in foiling many of those attempts, directing ‘serious/credible threats’ which were delivered through official sources to bomb the Shiite masses which set up encampments for itself in the area of Trebil on the Iraqi side [of the border], which led to those militias withdrawing to a depth of more than 40 km within Iraqi borders,” Asharq al-Awsat reported. (Snip)

Hugh Hewitt Show Apr 19, 2024 _________________________________________________________________________ Jan 18, 2024 On October 10th, 2023, the Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, made a powerful speech, decrying the celebrations of Hamas massacres across New York City. His words of conscience “We Are Not Alright” begin my new song and music video “OK,” which addresses the barbaric Hamas October 7 attacks in Israel, and the global fallout that resulted.

The American Spectator I love being part of a religion whose leader’s first action was to bless wine. Itxu Díaz April 18, 2024 I just saw a typical protest march in some Arab country on the news. I think it was Jordan, but it could have been Tunisia; I tend to get them all mixed up. I was late to the report, so I don’t know what they were protesting, but it matters not. That lot are always angry. They scream like someone just raised their taxes. They elbow each other. And if the police didn’t contain them, they would likely eat someone alive without even bothering to cook them first. Even when their countries manage to stay peaceful for a time, most of them don’t experience that same peace in their souls. They always seem as though they have just been stung on a testicle by a wasp. I’m sure you have occasionally seen an imam preaching in a mosque. There are thousands of such videos on the internet. It is indeed very rare to see an imam instructing his people without raising his voice. The body language is aggressive even if you don’t actually understand anything he says. Sometimes, it is even more aggressive when you do understand it. When I have watched them on occasion, I have caught myself muttering under my breath: Dude, why don’t you calm down a little? Have you tried enjoying life? Even when preaching about how one should love one’s brothers, they speak with such vehemence that it’s unclear whether to love thy neighbor or headbutt him. (Snip) I said at the beginning that I do not intend to turn this into a theological confrontation between religions. Faith is often conditioned by the environment into which you are born, and the good Lord is not always in time to send you falling from a horse to bring you into his fold. But, yes, now that the Left is going on about how we should promote Islam in the West, I would like to stress that even for an atheist or a secularist, living with Christians is more bearable than living with Muslims. Christianity has a much more elaborate notion of freedom, and, unlike others, we do not consider all those who do not identify as Christians to be infidels. Christianity is peace of soul, joy in the home, a good turkey on the table at Christmas, and mountains of mercy. Well, it’s all that, and it’s Chesterton. I have needed a lot of lines to try to say something similar to what he was able to summarize in a couple of sentences: “The outer ring of Christianity is a rigid guard of ethical abnegations and professional priests; but inside that inhuman guard you will find the old human life dancing like children, and drinking wine like men; for Christianity is the only frame for pagan freedom. But in the modern philosophy the case is opposite; it is its outer ring that is obviously artistic and emancipated; its despair is within.” I’ll raise a glass to that.

Apr. 19 2024

Why Mike Johnson Is Correct Ben Shapiro Apr 18, 2024 Being Speaker of the House with an extraordinarily slim majority is a really tough job. You have to cut deals because you have no other capacity to get anything done. That’s because given the fact there is a one-vote “motion to vacate” rule that is in place in the House of Representatives, any one member of the Republican caucus can challenge the job of the Speaker of the House at any given time. It also means if a bunch of headline-grabbing people in the Republican caucus are more interested in being on television than in actually governing, maintaining a majority, or growing that majority to get big things done, that can hold up the works. All this is coming to a head because House Speaker Mike Johnson has now put forward a series of bills related to foreign aid. (Snip) Foreign aid represents well under 1% of the federal budget of the United States nearly every year. Yet I have been noticing a lot of people screaming to the heavens about the cost of foreign aid: “Oh, I can’t believe how much this is costing.” There are some people who are consistent libertarians. There are some people who say the government shouldn’t be spending on Social Security, disability, welfare, and foreign aid. That is, at least, a consistent position. I think it’s wrongheaded because America’s foreign policy interests require that we have strong allies who eventually will be able to take care of themselves. But there is also a group of people in the Republican Party who are taking the view that foreign aid is a uniquely bad spend, that we’re wasting taxpayer dollars. (Snip) Now, is this going to be a perfect bill? No. There’s going to be a bunch of crap in the bill you don’t like. There’s going to be a bunch of crap in the bill I don’t like. Is this bill perfect? No. Does it have a lot of problems? Yes. Is this bill necessary in order to preserve the strength of America’s allies? Yes. That is why Johnson is right to move the bill forward. There’s also a politically important reason to do so: If you want Republicans to win a broader majority and actually make the serious kinds of cuts to government that are necessary, you need to win Congress by more than three votes. In order for that to happen, you have to win purple districts. And the bill is relatively popular in purple districts, by every available polling metric.

Triple threat: Gosar joins MTG and Massie on motion to vacate Speaker Johnson Rachel Schilke April 19, 2024 Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) became the third Republican to co-sponsor a motion to vacate House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) shortly after the House advanced the speaker’s four-pronged foreign aid plan to a final passage vote. Gosar joins Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) in supporting vacating Johnson from the top leadership position after Democrats helped Johnson push a procedural rule vote over the finish line — a sign that certain House Republicans are growing frustrated with the speaker’s leadership. “I have added my name in support of the motion to vacate the Speaker,” Gosar said in a statement. “Our border cannot be an afterthought. We need a Speaker who puts America first rather than bending to the reckless demands of the warmongers, neo-cons and the military industrial complex making billions from a costly and endless war half a world away.” (Snip) ___________________ Democrats bail out Johnson as foreign aid clears key House hurdle Rachel Schilke April 19, 2024 The House advanced Speaker Mike Johnson‘s (R-LA) four-pronged foreign aid legislation through a procedural vote on Friday, largely thanks to House Democrats who helped push it over the line, setting up for a final vote on the package this weekend. Though rule votes historically fall along party lines, several hard-line House GOP members have weaponized the rule vote over the 118th Congress to push back against legislation with which they do not agree. On Friday, over 50 House Republicans voted against the rule, but ultimately over 160 Democrats joined Republicans in voting for the rule, allowing it to pass, 316 to 94. This is not the first time Democrats have bailed out Johnson for this package. Three GOP members — Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Chip Roy (R-TX), and Thomas Massie (R-KY) — voted against the rule during a late-night meeting of the House Rules Committee on Thursday. All four Democrats on the committee voted in favor of the rule, allowing it to advance out of committee, 9-3, and head to the floor for a full-member vote. “The world is watching. It is time for Congress to act. And act we must,” Rules Committee ranking member Jim McGovern (D-MA) said during debate ahead of the vote, reminding members that Democrats are providing the votes necessary to bring the bills to the floor. (Snip)

The Blaze BlazeTV Staff April 19, 2024 “America’s Cultural Revolution” author Christopher Rufo has warned that “the right faces an inflection point.” While there are real issues — like changing policies and culture — that conservatives face, some on the right have leaned into “conspiracy theories that lead nowhere.” “Given the dynamics of online media advertising audience building, and then just the dynamics of kind of general tech and media trends, some people are being generously rewarded with clicks and attention who don’t actually offer anything substantive,” Rufo tells Glenn Beck. This, Rufo believes, get’s the conservative audience into an “outrage cycle,” where listeners are “outraged for outrage sake,” without being guided toward anything constructive. (Snip) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Apr 19, 2024 #glennbeck #blazetv #chrisrufo Recently, “America’s Cultural Revolution” author Christopher Rufo warned that “the Right faces an inflection point.” Instead of focusing on actually changing policies and culture, he argued, some on the Right have leaned into “conspiracy theories that lead nowhere.” Some of these, especially related to Israel, have caused massive debates. But how should we approach this divide? And what’s causing it? Christopher and Glenn make the case that the answer is self-discipline, NOT censorship, and providing better content than just “cheap attention” tweets. In order to win against the progressive elites, conservatives must get their own house in order firs

Iran Attempts To Dismiss Israeli Strike As ‘Not A Big Deal,’ Not An ‘External Attack’ Ryan Saavedra Apr 19, 2024 The Islamic Republic of Iran attempted to save face on Friday morning by dismissing reports of Israeli airstrikes in the country. (Snip) Shortly after the attack, Iran went on the defensive and tried to downplay the strikes, which Israel interpreted as a sign that Iran was no longer interested in escalating tensions — for now. Iranian officials and state news outlets gave multiple explanations for the explosions. “The foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed. We have not received any external attack, and the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack,” an Iranian official told Reuters. Other officials told outlets that the strike only involved a few small drones that were destroyed by Iran’s air defense systems. (Snip) ________________________________________________________

Also at Christopher F. Rufo Substack

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You're welcome, as always & the same to you, Rcat!

My pleasure & the same to you, MISBAILEY!

You're welcome & the same to you, mass55th!

Personnel: Gregg Allman - organ, vocals Duane Allman - guitar, vocals Dickey Betts - guitar, vocals Berry Oakley - bass, vocals Butch Trucks - drums Jai Johanny Johanson - drums Tom Doucette - harp _____________________________________ Maybe not THE greatest Rock & Roll Band...But Right Up There.

Thanks for the week of toons and links Pookie. 🙂 Have a great weekend y'all. 😉

Variety Chris Morris Apr. 18 2024 Dickey Betts, whose country-inflected songwriting and blazing, lyrical guitar work opposite Duane Allman in the Allman Brothers Band helped define the Southern rock genre of the ‘60s and ‘70s, died Thursday in Osprey, Fla. He was 80. His family posted a statement on Instagram, writing, “It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that the Betts family announce the peaceful passing of Forrest Richard ‘Dickey’ Betts (December 12, 1943 – April 18, 2024) at the age of 80 years old. The legendary performer, songwriter, bandleader and family patriarch passed away earlier today at his home in Osprey, FL., surrounded by his family. Dickey was larger than life, and his loss will be felt world-wide.” In 1969, Betts and bassist Berry Oakley of the Florida band the Second Coming joined members of two other Sunshine State groups — guitarist Duane Allman and his keyboard-playing brother Gregg of the Hour Glass and drummer Butch Trucks of the 31st of February – and Mississippi-born drummer Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson in a new unit that ultimately based itself in Macon, Ga. (Snip) __________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you O. 🙂

City Journal Larry Sanger remembers the promise of the web. He co-founded Wikipedia in 2001, with the hope that it could sustain a “free and open” Internet—a place where information, dissent, and creativity could thrive. At Wikipedia, he proposed a system of rules that encouraged users to “avoid bias” and maintain a “neutral point of view.” That Internet is gone. I reached out to Sanger following the revelation, from my original reporting, that former Wikimedia Foundation CEO Katherine Maher, who is now CEO of NPR, had explicitly rejected the principles of a “free and open” Internet, collaborated with government officials to censor dissent, and spurned the concept of objective truth altogether, in favor of left-wing relativism. Sanger told me he was shocked, but not surprised. Our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, should prompt champions of the free and open Internet to push back against the rising censorship regime before it is too late. Christopher Rufo: What are you thinking as you’re watching these statements from former Wikipedia CEO Katherine Maher, who is now the CEO of NPR? Larry Sanger: I’ve been following your tweets. You’ve kind of shocked me. The bias of Wikipedia, the fact that certain points of view have been systematically silenced, is nothing new. I’ve written about it myself. But I did not know just how radical-sounding Katherine Maher is. For the ex-CEO of Wikipedia to say that it was somehow a mistake for Wikipedia to be “free and open,” that it led to bad consequences—my jaw is on the floor. I can’t say I’m terribly surprised that she thinks it, but I am surprised that she would say it. Rufo: In another clip, she says explicitly that she worked with governments to suppress “misinformation” on Wikipedia. Sanger: Yes, but how did she do that in the Wikipedia system? Because I don’t understand it myself. We know that there is a lot of backchannel communication and I think it has to be the case that the Wikimedia Foundation now, probably governments, probably the CIA, have accounts that they control, in which they actually exert their influence. And it’s fantastic, in a bad way, that she actually comes out against the system for being “free and open.” When she says that she’s worked with government to shut down what they consider “misinformation,” that, in itself, means that it’s no longer free and open. But the thing is—I’m using the words carefully here—the Wikimedia Foundation doesn’t have an authority in the Wikipedia system: the website, its talk pages, the various bureaucratic structures. It just doesn’t have the authority to shut things down. So, if Big Pharma or their government representatives want to shut down a description of their research of a Covid-critical biochemist, I want to know how that happens. And I think the other people who are at work on Wikipedia, we want to know how that happens. Rufo: I’ve talked with some reporters who cover “misinformation” and they have noted that Katherine Maher has ties to multiple NGOs that are deeply connected to U.S. intelligence services. Do you have any suspicion that she has been working with American intelligence to shape Wikipedia entries from a distance?

Tony Heller Apr 18, 2024 Michael Mann has determined from a Wikipedia article (which had nothing to do with me) that I am an anti-Semite, racist and misogynist. As a Jew married to a beautiful Asian bride, I was quite surprised.

Columbia's Joseph Massad Calls BS on University President Minouche Shafik's Testimony 'President Shafik misconstrued what happened,' professor says Jessica Costescu April 18, 2024 Columbia University professor Joseph Massad emerged on Wednesday contradicting claims made by the school's president earlier that day before a congressional panel. Massad told the Electronic Intifada that, contrary to Shafik's claims, he is not to his knowledge under any investigation by university officials, nor has he been removed from his post as chairman of the school's Academic Review Committee. "I remain the chair of the Academic Review Committee, a one-year position, for the next few weeks, which is the normal end of my chairmanship," Massad said. "Indeed, I just had a meeting with the committee staff yesterday [16 April] and informed them that I will miss the next and final meeting on 8 May, due to my travel schedule. No one has contacted me at all from the university with regards to my current chairmanship. I will also remain a member of the Academic Review Committee next year, which is a three-year appointment." Massad's statement contradicts Shafik's testimony to the committee, during which the university president said Massad is "under investigation" and was "spoken to" over an Oct. 8 op-ed he published in the Electronic Intifada. Massad in the op-ed lauded Hamas's Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel as "incredible" and "awesome." Shafik said that she was "appalled" by the op-ed and that Massad was told the language in his piece was "unacceptable." Shafik also suggested Massad was removed from his role as the chairman of the Columbia Arts and Sciences Academic Review Committee, which conducts reviews of the school's departments and guides "administrative decisions." After Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) informed Shafik that Columbia's website still listed Massad as the chairman of the committee, Shafik backtracked from the claim and pledged to remove Massad from the chairmanship. The discrepancies could spell trouble for Shafik, given that the House committee's Republican members said they would not hesitate to hold another hearing should they deem one necessary. The committee is in the process of obtaining internal documents related to Columbia's response to campus anti-Semitism. (Snip)

The Conversation Lynn Greenky Apr. 18 2024 How did today’s hearing differ from the one on Dec. 5? Unlike Claudine Gay, Liz Magill and Sally Kornbluth – the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT, respectively – Shafik and the other witnesses representing Columbia University spoke with greater moral clarity on the issue of what constitutes antisemitism on campus. Of course, they had the benefit of being able to first see what happens when you don’t. Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik, as well as David Schizer and David Greenwald, co-chairs of the Columbia University Task Force on Antisemitism, and Co-Chair of the Board of Trustees Claire Shipman, came ready to acknowledge their responsibility, even culpability, in their failure to recognize and control hate speech directed at Jews on campus. Shipman in particular made it clear that Columbia is suffering a “moral crisis” on its campus. All of the witnesses showed a lot of deference to the committee. They even thanked the committee for the investigation and asked for the committee’s help to address antisemitism on campus. In fact, Shipman concluded her opening statement saying she looked forward to the committee’s input as Columbia seeks to refocus its vision back to its core values of wisdom, empathy and respect. (Snip) _____________________________________________________________________________

I must admit, it is nice to get more than a lousy half percent on a CD. I did notice (haven't looked in a while though) that as far as CDs go there was an inverted yield curve. Seemed strange to me. That kind of seemed to me that the people who watch these things were expecting lower rates long term.

Ever notice how good Progressives (Communists) are at getting RICH?