Trump Declares Iranian IRGC Terrorist Group, Resistance Upset

By William Teach April 9, 2019 – 6:48 am

Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, particularly against Israel (which Democrats hate) and America (which Democrats hate). Democrats have to back Iran, after Obama did the horrendous Iran deal, and because they have a kneejerk reaction to oppose everything Trump

Trump designates elite Iranian military force as a terrorist organization

President Donald Trump announced Monday the US will formally designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a move some in the administration had opposed over concerns about potential risks to US troops in the Middle East.

The step “recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft,” Trump said in a statement that described the IRGC as “the Iranian government’s primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign.”

Administration officials said the move is a response to Iran’s destabilizing behavior across the Middle East, including support for the regime in Syria, Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as for assassination plots in Europe and the US.

The announcement aims to drive a stake through the heart of a central institution in Iran. Formed after the Islamic revolution in 1979, the IRGC is not only Iran’s most powerful military institution, it holds deep influence over domestic politics and the economy, with interests extending to and beyond the construction, telecommunications, auto and energy industries.

So, of course, the Washington Post “analyzes” (meaning some opinion) this, and finds it to be problematic

“This so-called ‘maximum pressure’ strategy demonstrates that not a lot of thought was given about the complexities involved in the designation, such as the fact that the IRGC is not a monolith and is also made up of conscripts who have no choice but to serve,” Holly Dagres, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, said to Today’s WorldView. She added that this was part of the reason the national security establishment in Washington long resisted making the move.

The White House’s targeting of Iran also betrays its deep ideological animus toward Tehran. It has entertained no similar measures for the military intelligence services in Pakistan or the Persian Gulf monarchies, which, at various points have maintained their own networks of support for a host of extremist groups with blood on their hands. Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of the National Interest, argued that the latest decisionwas “championed by the lurid duo of John Bolton and Mike Pompeo” — Trump’s national security adviser and secretary of state, respectively — neoconservatives who are leading the president “willy-nilly, to a fresh conflict in the Middle East.”

That’s a point that the more unhinged are making all over Twitter, that Trump and Pompeo want to start a war with Iran. Let’s face it, if Trump said he was removing all sanctions against Iran and reaching out to do a big deal, the #Resistance and #NeverTrumpers would find a problem with that

At minimum, the U.S. designation forecloses the remote prospect of rapprochement between the Trump administration and the Islamic Republic, goads the Iranians into taking provocative action, and would make returning to the nuclear deal — something some Democrats have vowed to do should they win in 2020 — a more complicated and difficult exercise.

Question: why would we want rapprochement with Iran, when the government leads chants of “Death To America” and sponsors terrorism against our citizens? Right, right, TDS.

Oh, hey, we have a “distraction” call! Many are also thinking that this is Trump assisting Netanyahu, they just don’t say how.

Read: Trump Declares Iranian IRGC Terrorist Group, Resistance Upset »

Posted in Current Affairs, Donald Trump, Iran | 20 Comments | Trackback URL

Bummer: Rhino Poacher Crushed By Elephants, Eaten By Lions

By William Teach April 8, 2019 – 3:59 pm

Does it make me a bad person that I got a good laugh at this?

RHINO POACHER CRUSHED BY ELEPHANT, DEVOURED BY LIONS IN KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

A suspected rhino poacher was trampled to death by an elephant and his body devoured by lions in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, officials said Monday.

South African rangers have recovered the skull of the man in the vast Kruger sanctuary, which has born the brunt of much of the country’s poaching crisis.

According to a park spokesman, rangers were alerted after the victim’s alleged accomplices told his family that he had been crushed to death by an elephant. (snip)

“Our field rangers looked around the area and made the unfortunate discovery of a skull. That was the only remaining part of the deceased,” Kruger national park spokesman Isaac Phaahla told AFP.

He said a pride of lions was thought to have been in the area and were believed to have devoured the man’s remains.

The other men involved were arrested and will soon have their day in court. Too bad you can’t throw them out there in the wild to fend for themselves. And, yes, I am a little extreme on certain environmental issues.

Read: Bummer: Rhino Poacher Crushed By Elephants, Eaten By Lions »

Posted in Environment | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach April 8, 2019 – 1:00 pm

…is a beautiful sunny day caused by too much carbon pollution that will soon be a disaster, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Don Surber, with a post on Nunes moving to prosecute spying on Trump.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

Good News: We Now Have 20 Years Left To Save The Planet From ‘Climate Change’ Doom

By William Teach April 8, 2019 – 10:30 am

There’s always an extension, because they’ve learned that the previous ones fail

And now, after the 12 years to save the world scaremongering, we get this from one of the best natural world documentarians (his stuff is great) who’s used vast amounts of fossil fuels to travel the world to make his shows

We’ve got just 20 years to save the Earth, warns Sir David Attenborough

The veteran BBC wildlife presenter, whose stunning programmes have influenced millions of people for decades, said it was vital we work to “solve the major problems” of the oceans. If we don’t, “the world is going to starve”, he said. Launching his new Netflix series, Our Planet, a passionate Sir David, 92, again highlighted the issue of plastic waste and also raised the problem of “acidification”. This is where the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide, killing plankton, one of the first building blocks of the food chain. This might eventually see the “oceans die”, according to the show’s co-producer, Kevin Scholey. Our Planet, an eight-part series, is an ambitious four-year project that has been filmed across 50 countries. More than 600 crew were involved, training cameras on a diverse range of habitats, from the remote Arctic wilderness and mysterious deep oceans to the vast landscapes of Africa and diverse jungles of South America.

It is the fragile interconnections between habitats, and the possible resulting extinction of species, which most worries Sir David.

In the first episode, Our Planet travels from the Brazilian rainforest to Norway’s dramatic Svalbard archipelago to discover how each habitat is connected. Sir David said: “This is probably the most important series I’ve done.

“The challenge and the dangers are more important and more powerful than they’ve ever been. It’s critical. We are facing major problems in the oceans. Unless we solve them, the world is going to starve.

“There are three times as many people on this planet than when I started making TV programmes.And it doesn’t seem so long ago to me. They all need feeding so where are you going to get the food from? It’s terrifying. The answer is from the sea and what are we doing to the seas? More should be done on plastics, just more.

What’s the carbon footprint of traveling to 50 countries with a crew of 600? How many planes, boats, and vehicles were involved? How many batteries mined using fossil fuels were needed? How much electricity? How many plastic bottles of water and other drinks? How much plastic for the phones and cameras and other needed materials?

Plankton actually needs carbon dioxide, as it is what’s called “food”, which is then turned into oxygen.

He is correct on plastic pollution, though. While, yes, China and India need to do their part, as they are the current main polluters, we can all do our own part to recycle, reuse, and to make sure we aren’t littering with straws, cups, etc. Do your part for the environment.

Sir David revealed he is making his own sacrifice to help save the environment.

He said: “I’m not so profligate with power for example, or heating the house, or turning on lights and leaving them. I’ve done what I can.”

Except for the massive amounts of fossil fuels as he travels the world. But, hey, we now have 20 years to Do Something.

Read: Good News: We Now Have 20 Years Left To Save The Planet From ‘Climate Change’ Doom »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Climahypocrites, Global Warming | 9 Comments | Trackback URL

Unhinged NY State Democrats Try Workaround To Get Trump’s Taxes

By William Teach April 8, 2019 – 7:43 am

While Democrats have never given up on getting Trump’s taxes, because THIS WILL BE THE WAY THEY FINALLY GET TRUMP yeaaarg!, with the collapse of the notion that Trump will be frogmarched out of the White House post-Mueller report getting his taxes has become an even bigger fixation among Democrats. Who are soon going to abut the notion of equal justice under the law and courts taking a very dim view of laws and abuse of power that targets one person, no matter who they are

To Get Trump’s Tax Returns, N.Y. Democrats Try a New Strategy

In an attempt to work around the White House, Democratic lawmakers in Albany are trying to do what their federal counterparts have so far failed to accomplish: to obtain President Trump’s tax returns.

Albany lawmakers are seeking state tax returns, not the federal ones at the heart of the current standoff in Washington. But a tax return from New York — the president’s home state, and the headquarters of his business empire — could likely contain much of the same financial information as a federal return.

Under a bill that is scheduled to be introduced this week, the commissioner of the New York Department of Taxation and Finance would be permitted to release any state tax return requested by leaders of three congressional committees for any “specific and legitimate legislative purpose.”

The bill is the most recent proposal from New York lawmakers trying to cast light on the president’s personal finances and business dealings, but it could also open the Democratic majorities in the Legislature to charges of politicizing state law to embarrass the president ahead of his expected re-election campaign.

It wouldn’t open them to charges, this is exactly what they’ve been doing. What they should remember is that this extremely vague law, which will be challenged in court when it is used for a fishing expedition and leaks happen, can be used against Democrats. What if a Republican demands the taxes of Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, and others?

State Senator Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat who is sponsoring the legislation, defended the bill, saying it is designed to be “a safety valve for any attempt by the White House to block the Congress from doing this at the federal level.”

“We’re creating a parallel track,” Senator Hoylman added.

So, this is 100% political, and will simply end up costing the state a lot of money when they are sued. Wait till a Republican demands to see the tax returns of NY Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Under the bill to be introduced on Monday, the chairperson of three committees — the Senate Finance Committee; the House Ways and Means Committee; and the Joint Committee on Taxation — could request tax returns from the New York tax department.

Ah, so only this one person can request, who just happens to be a Democrat right now. Again, this will be seen by the courts as using the tax system to penalize one specific person for politics, and courts do not like laws like this. And, really, will just give Trump more ammunition to slam Democrats as unhinged and power-mad, among others.

Read: Unhinged NY State Democrats Try Workaround To Get Trump’s Taxes »

Posted in Democrats, Politics, Unhinged Tools | 61 Comments | Trackback URL

If The NY Times Hates The New DHS Chief, He Must Be Good

By William Teach April 8, 2019 – 7:22 am

I know many who want tough border security were upset with KIrstjen Nielsen as Director of Homeland Security, but, it was a damned difficult job, especially as it bears on border security. There are laws as made by Congress, which continuously fails to strengthen border security nor give her the tools necessary to do the job. Further, Democrats are actively working to undermine border security. So, her replacement isn’t going to have a whole lot more luck. But, the NY Times Editorial Board hates him, so, maybe he will do better

Kirstjen Nielsen Enforced Cruelty at the Border. Her Replacement Could Be Worse.

Time finally ran out for Kirstjen Nielsen, President Trump’s beleaguered secretary of homeland security.

The terms of Ms. Nielsen’s departure were unclear. She met with the president on Sunday evening to discuss continuing problems at the southern border. At the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Trump said on Twitter that Ms. Nielsen “will be leaving her position” and thanked her for her service, implying he had asked her to step down. Ms. Nielsen issued a formal letter of resignation, saying it was the “right time for me to step aside.” Considering the long-simmering tensions between the president and Ms. Nielsen, the most surprising thing about her departure may be that it didn’t happen months ago.

The NYTEB then berates her for multiple paragraphs, forgetting that Obama was the one putting kids in cages, Nielsen had them in detention centers, as the law called for. Otherwise, the parents and kids would just be released into the interior on a pinkie promise to return for a hearing, which most do not. The Open Borders advocates have been doing everything possible to make her job and that of Customs and Border Patrol impossible by continuously helping form caravans to overrun the border, all claiming asylum, which most do not qualify for, but, it gets them into the U.S.

For now, Ms. Nielsen’s acting replacement will be Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. This leaves Homeland Security without a top official at either of its critical immigration agencies. It comes as the swell of migrant families across the border pushes the system toward collapse.

Within this leadership vacuum, it seems likely that more influence will be exerted by Mr. Miller, who inspires and reinforces Mr. Trump’s harshest ideas on immigrants and immigration.

Well, they really do not say much about McAleenan, despite the headline. If the system is heading towards collapse, then perhaps the NY Times should be taking the Open Borders advocates to task, rather than those who are trying to protect our borders. And the Democrats in Congress, who block all policy changes that could make a difference. But, they won’t

If Ms. Nielsen wants to perform one last act of public service, she could come clean about the costs of the policies she enforced over the past year and half, not only to the desperate migrants seeking a better life in the United States, but also to the thousands of employees of her department charged with carrying out an inhumane and ineffective set of policies.

What did they want her to do? You can either stop them and send them packing, detain them till the case can be adjudicated, or release them into the interior. The last is what is happening increasingly. What McAleenan should do is release them all in cities like San Francisco, NYC, Albany, Portland, and Seattle, among others. Let these Open Borders sanctuary cities then deal with the illegals.

Read: If The NY Times Hates The New DHS Chief, He Must Be Good »

Posted in Current Affairs, Democrats, Illegal Immigration | 8 Comments | Trackback URL

Surprise: NY Times Advocates For Nuclear Power

By William Teach April 7, 2019 – 5:28 pm

This is not a joke. There are no wild cards. There’s no “yeah, but”. This is by

Joshua S. Goldstein, professor emeritus of international relations at American University, and Staffan A. Qvist, a Swedish energy engineer, are the authors of “A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow.” Steven Pinker is a professor of psychology at Harvard University and is the author of “Enlightenment Now.”

This is not something one would expect the NY Times to allow on the opinion pages

Nuclear Power Can Save the World

As young people rightly demand real solutions to climate change, the question is not what to do — eliminate fossil fuels by 2050 — but how. Beyond decarbonizing today’s electric grid, we must use clean electricity to replace fossil fuels in transportation, industry and heating. We must provide for the fast-growing energy needs of poorer countries and extend the grid to a billion people who now lack electricity. And still more electricity will be needed to remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by midcentury.

Where will this gargantuan amount of carbon-free energy come from? The popular answer is renewables alone, but this is a fantasy. Wind and solar power are becoming cheaper, but they are not available around the clock, rain or shine, and batteries that could power entire cities for days or weeks show no sign of materializing any time soon. Today, renewables work only with fossil-fuel backup.

Germany, which went all-in for renewables, has seen little reduction in carbon emissions, and, according to our calculations, at Germany’s rate of adding clean energy relative to gross domestic product, it would take the world more than a century to decarbonize, even if the country wasn’t also retiring nuclear plants early. A few lucky countries with abundant hydroelectricity, like Norway and New Zealand, have decarbonized their electric grids, but their success cannot be scaled up elsewhere: The world’s best hydro sites are already dammed.

OK, so they’re pushing this because of ‘climate change’, but, regardless, there’s nothing wrong with pushing more clean power. I’ve noted numerous times I am not a fan of coal. Solar and wind would be best off for small building use, rather than these giant “farms” which despoil wild spaces. Hydro is great, but it is only available in certain areas, and hardcore enviroweenies not only block new construction, but want to tear down existing power generations sites. But, if the Cult of Climastrology really wants to Do Something, here

But we actually have proven models for rapid decarbonization with economic and energy growth: France and Sweden. They decarbonized their grids decades ago and now emit less than a tenth of the world average of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour. They remain among the world’s most pleasant places to live and enjoy much cheaper electricity than Germany to boot.

They did this with nuclear power. And they did it fast, taking advantage of nuclear power’s intense concentration of energy per pound of fuel. France replaced almost all of its fossil-fueled electricity with nuclear power nationwide in just 15 years; Sweden, in about 20 years. In fact, most of the fastest additions of clean electricity historically are countries rolling out nuclear power.

If Warmists really want to lower “carbon pollution”, nuclear is the way to go. Wouldn’t it be better to recharge their Tesla’s and such with nuclear rather than coal/oil? Regardless of some Warmists wanting nuclear to reduce CO2 output, Skeptics can agree on using way more nuclear. Let’s make this happen.

Would it really save the world from a slight increase in temperature? Not really. But, it would make Warmists feel better and provide a lot of affordable power.

Read: Surprise: NY Times Advocates For Nuclear Power »

Posted in Energy, Global Warming | 46 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach April 7, 2019 – 1:00 pm

…is a rising sea sooooon!!!! to swamp all the land unless we tax Other People, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Say Anything, with a post on an article saying there she be consequences for refusing to vaccinate.

It’s Asian week!

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 9 Comments | Trackback URL

Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach April 7, 2019 – 9:24 am

Patriotic Pinup Earl Moran

Happy Sunday! Another gorgeous day in America. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and just one week from Game Of Thrones. This pinup is by Earl Moran, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. The Sun isn’t a blog, but, I got a good laugh out of a story about a rhino poacher stomped by elephants then eaten by lions
  2. Weasel Zippers covers eye surgery rationing in Britain
  3. The Right Scoop discusses AOC being really hurt after being called out for her fake black accent
  4. The Lid notes that almost half of California sheriff’s ignore sanctuary laws
  5. The First Street Journal notes that the Libertarian Party is run by idiots
  6. The Daley Gator is defending Joe Biden
  7. The Crawdad Hole highlights Biden touching a lot of lives
  8. White House Dossier notes that Dem Richard Neal, who wants Trump’s taxes, won’t release his own
  9. Powerline discusses the Left’s most serious attack on federalism
  10. Pacific Pundit covers making Venezuela great again
  11. Moonbattery notes a teacher’s union wanting legal teacher-student sex
  12. Legal Insurrection covers a student filing a bias complaint against his roommate for watching a Ben Shapiro video
  13. Creeping Sharia discusses food jihad in Sweden
  14. Cold Fury notes another reason to abandon Gillette (prepare your eyes)
  15. And last, but not least, Chicks On The Right notes a coffee company trolling Joe Biden in the best way ever

As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page (nope, that’s gone, the newest Apache killed access, and the program hasn’t been upgraded since 2014). While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your “Pinups for Vets” calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts and things that interest me

Don’t forget to check out all the other great material all the linked blogs have!

Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list.

Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »

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Excitable Adam Schiff: Mueller Couldn’t Prove Collusion, But There’s Lots Of Evidence Or Something

By William Teach April 7, 2019 – 7:39 am

The Russia Russia Russia collusion meme has mostly disappeared from most mainstream news outlets at this point. Nothing in the NY Times or Washington Post, the LA Times in Hollywood #Resistland is bereft of mentions, ABC, CBS, and NBC News all ignore it. Because it’s dead, Jim, just move on. But, this tiny little thing has set the CollusionConspiratists off at some 2nd tier outlets

Trump: Mueller report a ‘total waste of time’ – but it proves no collusion

Donald Trump said on Saturday he has not read Robert Mueller’s report about contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russia, which his Democratic opponents say should be released in full.

“I have not read the Mueller report yet, even though I have every right to do so,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Only know the conclusions, and on the big one, No Collusion.”

See, it’s that part that has set them in Barking Moonbat Level 4: they’re all asking “how does he know if he hasn’t read it? There must be a conspiracy going on with AG Barr! YEaaaaaaar! Seriously, how would you know that you haven’t committed what you’re being accused of unless you actually read a report on it, right?

Meanwhile, Newsweek continues its stellar writing, the same type that got the rag sold for $1, with a piece by Moonbat Frank Snepp entitled BARR’S MUELLER REPORT SUMMARY IS LIKE WITNESSING A MURDER AND BEING TOLD IT NEVER HAPPENED. Of course, Frank isn’t actually able to offer any evidence that collusion happened, just like Excitable Adam Schiff, who just won’t give up, as we see from the MSNBC transcript

Schiff: I Fully Accept That Mueller Couldn’t Prove Collusion, But “There Is Plenty Of Evidence”

WILLIE GEIST, MSNBC: Do you accept the fundamental conclusion in that four-page letter, that there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians?

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): I accept [Robert] Mueller’s conclusion, and I assume Barr wouldn’t misrepresent this, that he could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt the crime of conspiracy. As I said all along, there is plenty of evidence of collusion and corrupt co-mingling of work between the Trump campaign and the Russians. I fully accept that as a prosecutor, that he couldn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that crime.

As you know, because I’ve made this distinction on your show, I always said there was ample evidence of collusion in the public record. Whether Bob Mueller could prove the crime of conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt would be up to him and I’d accept his conclusion, and I do.

GEIST: You said on this show and others that there is direct evidence of collusion. Were you wrong about that, now that you’ve seen the summary of the special counsel’s report?

SCHIFF: No. Because I think what you see in the public record is direct evidence. When the Russians, through an intermediary, offer dirt on the Clinton campaign as part of what’s described as the Russian government effort to help the Trump campaign, and Donald Trump’s son who played a pivotal role in the campaign who says, if it is what you say it is, I would love it, and sets up a meeting to receive it, that is very direct evidence of collusion.

So, then it would be criminal collusion for the Hillary campaign to be working with a British citizen, Christopher Steele, to obtain the “dossier“, right? Or, would that just be typical political dirty tricks in an age of global connectivity thanks to modern technology? Where foreign citizens and governments attempt to sway elections in other countries? Like has been done for a long, long time?

But, if Schiff has any real evidence, let’s see it: put it on the table. Let us judge it. He can’t, because there isn’t. He, and some other Leftards, just cannot move on from this.

Read: Excitable Adam Schiff: Mueller Couldn’t Prove Collusion, But There’s Lots Of Evidence Or Something »

Posted in Barking Moonbats, Democrats | 84 Comments | Trackback URL
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