The world is on the brink and Washington is living in fear.
The US is now sponsoring a double proxy war against the Iranians and the Russians. China's eying Taiwan and North Korean weapons were just discovered in Gaza. The State Department has just issued a world wide travel… pic.twitter.com/XJGokFlpBa
“The world is on the brink and Washington is living in fear.
The US is now sponsoring a double proxy war against the Iranians and the Russians. China’s eying Taiwan and North Korean weapons were just discovered in Gaza. The State Department has just issued a world wide travel warning — to all countries. Our embassies are being mobbed, our military bases are under attack in Iraq, we just had to shoot down 2 Iranian-made missiles and we keep catching Middle Easterners sneaking across the “secure” southern border. All while Putin is in China- coordinating.
But don’t worry- we have Joe Biden, the proxy wartime president who’s focusing on isms and phobias.”
—-
Biden doesn’t want to stop illegals from invading. He wants to make it easier and more efficient for them….
And it gets better. Biden wants more taxpayer dollars for illegals as Americans are suffering to even buy groceries gas or healthcare. https://t.co/XzDAoHClgB
All over America, we are now watching a recurrent tired script play out daily:
A mediocre American academic—apparently desperate to win any sort of attention by outdoing the escalating campus hatred of Israel—spreads utter lies about that country, ostentatiously performs his…
“All over America, we are now watching a recurrent tired script play out daily:
A mediocre American academic—apparently desperate to win any sort of attention by outdoing the escalating campus hatred of Israel—spreads utter lies about that country, ostentatiously performs his pro-Hamas credentials, and exhilarates in the news of the death work on October 7, whether on social media or with a bullhorn at a rally.
And then his gruesomeness is met with popular outrage.
And then on cue—apparently terrified for his career—he drops the cowardly braggadocio, backpedals, and offers a temporary, weepy, groveling and completely insincere and disingenuous apology of the “I don’t know what got into me” sort.
And then his university president will soon blather on that the university is devoted to free expression, BUT is concerned about any call for violence or hate speech, BUT cannot comment on a “personnel matter,” BUT reminds all of us not to fan the “cycle of violence” at “this sensitive time”.
The stereotypical presidential memo’s subtext is always that in a few days no one will remember the unhinged professor’s call for violence or delight in anti-Semitic murder. And so the offending left-wing ranter will be forgotten, can safely return to prior obscurity, and thereby remains free to spout his venom with impunity to his small, captive, exorbitant tuition-paying classroom audiences.
Finally, in all such faculty hate-speech incidents, just substitute any noun like “gays”, “trans”, “Latinos”, “blacks” or any other intersectional group for the damned and slandered “Israel” or “Jews”—and you can be assured that the offending professor in a nanosecond would have been put on permanent “leave,” or more likely summarily fired on the spot by a “bold” and “decisively acting” campus president, who would follow with the usual blah-blah memo how he and his university “have no tolerance” for hatred, etc., etc.
The university crowd’s epidemic of gushing over Hamas butchery finally tore the scab off the long-festering sore of anti- Semitic hatred and utter ignorance of history, and exposed for the world the moral bankruptcy and mediocrity that now define the American college campus.
The only corrective is public pushback by previously naive donors, taxation of now tax-exempt endowment income, and the exit of the government from the student loan racket—and thus a recalibration of moral hazard, so the university at last guarantees its own loans to its own students.
Cornell professor apologizes for saying ‘exhilarated’ by Hamas attack https://mol.im/a/12651349 via @MailOnline”
“The U.S. military has been quietly reacting to a spate of drone and rocket attacks against its troops in the Middle East this week, mindful that the region has become a tinderbox and the chances for the situation slipping into a wider war are growing every day.”
—
“He was answering questions about two missiles and several drones that were fired from Yemen and intercepted by an anti-missile system on a U.S. Navy ship in the Red Sea on Thursday. Officials say believe the drones and missiles were launched by what the New York Times called “pro-Iranian Houthis” and may have been headed to Israel. “We cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were targeting, but they were launched from Yemen heading north along the Red Sea, potentially towards targets in Israel,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, told reporters.
Meanwhile, U.S. bases in Iraq and reportedly Syria, too, have been targeted by drones that reports have suggested but have yet to be confirmed were fired by Iranian-backed militias. Though the estimated 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq have been targeted on and off before for years, there has been an “uptick” in the last week acknowledged Ryder, and at least two of the attacks resulted in minor injuries. Here is the breakdown:
— On Wednesday, the Pentagon reported that the military had “engaged” two drones headed to the Al-Asad air base where American troops are stationed in the western part of Iraq. Both were intercepted but resulted in “minor injuries.” On the same day, a third drone was “engaged” at a base in Irbil, Northern Iraq, and destroyed, and no injuries were reported.
“In this moment of heightened alert, we are vigilantly monitoring the situation in Iraq and the region,” according to a statement from U.S. Central Command “U.S. forces will defend U.S. and Coalition forces against any threat.”
— Also on Wednesday, U.S. officials reported two drones attacked the U.S. occupied base at Al-Tanf in Syria, which has taken repeated fire over the last three years. One was destroyed and the other “impacted” causing minor injuries. Another attack was reported in Northeastern Syria the same day. The Pentagon has not yet confirmed reports of a third attack in Syria that same day but said a U.S. contractor had died of a heart attack sheltering in place after a false alarm at the Al-Asad base in Iraq.
— On Thursday, sources and officials said that rockets and drones had been fired again at U.S. troops stationed at the Al-Asad base in Iraq with “multiple blasts” reportedly heard from inside the installation. Reports indicated that U.S. troops had come under attack at a base near Baghdad’s international airport as well. There were few details on these fresh attacks as of Friday morning.”
8 million illegal aliens since Biden took office, unvetted, locations unknown. Children trafficked and the government has acknowledged it’s lost track of 85,000, and probably tens of thousands more. This is a national security threat and a humanitarian disaster that will haunt… https://t.co/sScLhT2vuC
“8 million illegal aliens since Biden took office, unvetted, locations unknown. Children trafficked and the government has acknowledged it’s lost track of 85,000, and probably tens of thousands more. This is a national security threat and a humanitarian disaster that will haunt American for generations. Republicans should prioritize efforts to close the border using whatever limited tools they possess because Biden and his party clearly enjoy the calamity they are inflicting on this country.”
“The liberal group until recently helmed by California senator Laphonza Butler pledged to return millions of dollars from disgraced cryptocurrency kingpin Sam Bankman-Fried. Instead, the organization has funneled nearly $1.6 million to the pro-abortion movement.
Women Vote, the campaign arm of Emily’s List, received $2.25 million from former FTX executive Nishad Singh, who has admitted to making fraudulent political donations on behalf of Bankman-Fried. The group, which Butler led until this month, said earlier this year it is cooperating with federal authorities to return the money. But it has not made any refunds of FTX donations or payments to the Justice Department, a Washington Free Beacon review found.
It’s not that Women Vote lacks the funds to pay Bankman-Fried’s victims. It doled out $1.575 million to Emily’s List this year to back female candidates who support abortion rights. Women Vote, which Emily’s List launched in 1995, has received nearly $2.3 million in contributions this year, and has $423,995 in the bank, according to Federal Election Commission disclosures released this week. The group also gave $50,000 to America Votes Action Fund, which seeks to mobilize liberal voters.
Women Vote’s failure to surrender the FTX cash could raise questions for Butler, who is undecided on whether to run for a full-term next year. It is unclear whether Butler was aware of Singh’s contributions, or the discussions about how to handle his contributions. Butler served as president of Emily’s List from 2021 until California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D.) appointed her to the Senate earlier this month. Her office did not respond to a request for comment.
Federal prosecutors allege that Bankman-Fried used money stolen from FTX to make political contributions to raise his personal profile and that of his cryptocurrency firm. Bankman-Fried, who went on trial in New York on Oct. 3, gave $40 million in his own name to Democratic groups, including $5 million to a political action committee that supported President Joe Biden in 2020. The donations seemingly helped Bankman-Fried secure meetings with Biden White House officials last year. He attended a House Democratic retreat in Philadelphia last year after a series of donations to the caucus’s campaign arm.
While Bankman-Fried made donations to mainstream Democrats in his own name, he tapped other FTX executives to make “straw donor” contributions to Republicans and progressive groups, seemingly in order to maximize his political influence. Singh was picked to make contributions to left-wing political groups. In one instance, a political adviser to Bankman-Fried told Singh that he would have to donate “to a lot of woke shit for transactional purposes,” according to court filings in the Bankman-Fried case.
One of those groups was the LGBTQ Victory Fund. Singh contributed $1.1 million to the organization on July 7, 2022, to support House candidate Becca Balint (D., Vt.). Singh said last year he was “really excited” about Balint’s campaign and gave to LGBTQ Victory Fund to “empower” the group to support her campaign.
Emily’s List, too, endorsed Balint shortly after Singh’s donations to Women Vote. Singh gave $1.5 million to Women Vote on July 19, 2022, and $750,000 on Aug. 16, 2022. Emily’s List endorsed Balint on Sept. 1, 2022. Balint, who won her election, has said she cooperated with federal authorities in the FTX probe.”
“Sam Bankman-Fried and cryptocurrency company FTX have been all over the news the past year Bankman-Fried has been accused of running a sophisticated Ponzi scheme that artificially increased the value of his company FTX and his net worth to billions.
That was until the entire fraudulent scheme collapsed and now the company has filed for bankrupcy and the left-wing activist is worth nothing. And he’s facing criminal charges.
But Bankman-Fried funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars to Democrats, liberal organziations and pro-abortion groups before everything came crashing down. That’s the part most people know. But what they may not realize is that Bankman-Fried and his FTX buddies funded the pro-abortion campaigns that left multiple states with abortion on demand.”
Libs watched the Handmaid’s Tale thinking it was about Ann Coulter, when actually it was about literal jihadists. There is a certain type of woman, especially in jihad squads, that think they’re the world’s most special girl and the revolution will eat them last
Interesting Trey Gowdy podcast from yesterday, among the questions he got was what’s going on with the speaker stalemate.
He likes Jim Jordan, by the way, said he was always one of his first picks for committees when he had a chance to do so. Has been to his house, said he’s a good and dependable conservative lawmaker.
Has nothing to do with him, really, Gowdy said, but the mess instead has everything to do with the strong-armed bully tactics used by some who were pushing Jordan (think Matt Gaetz of Florida) and got it in their heads to oust McCarthy for no defensible cause (GOP conference supported him to the tune of some 90%, Gowdy said) but due to a personal beef, locking arms with Democrats to do so.
I’m sure most of you are aware of this, but there were outside forces (including someone from Hannity’s show) putting in personal calls with major pressure to support Jordan and that just really didn’t over too well.
Matt Gaetz Tore the House GOP Apart. He Isn’t Sorry.
‘Chaos doesn’t scare me,’ says Floridian reviled by colleagues for ousting Speaker Kevin McCarthy
~ WASHINGTON—With the Capitol in chaos and the speaker’s position going on its third week of vacancy, Rep. Matt Gaetz surveyed the consequences of his actions and declared he had no regrets.
“I have extreme confidence,” the Florida Republican said in an interview from his Capitol Hill office, “that we will have an upgrade at the position.”
The House has had no speaker since Gaetz made a motion to vacate the position, then joined on Oct. 3 with seven other Republicans and 208 Democrats to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) from the role. Rep. Jim Jordan, the archconservative Ohio Republican whom Gaetz calls a mentor, this week failed on three ballots to secure the majority of the body’s votes, losing support on each roll call and then bowing out of the race Friday afternoon. No one else seems to have a clear path to 217 GOP votes for the position.
Many of his colleagues blame Gaetz for the paralysis and acrimony that have ensued. When Gaetz rose to speak in a closed-door party meeting on Thursday, McCarthy told him to “sit your ass down,” and another Republican, Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois, cursed and lunged at Gaetz.
Asked about the encounter afterward, McCarthy told reporters, “Listen, the whole country, I think, would scream at Matt Gaetz right now.”
Any majority party is bound to have divisions. But the upheavals that have racked the House GOP since January are less a reflection of any coherent faction than one man’s singular will. It was Gaetz who took it upon himself to block McCarthy from the speakership in January, joining with 19 others to deny him a majority until he agreed to crippling concessions. One of those was the ability for a single member to bring the motion to vacate, which Gaetz then deployed to remove McCarthy this month.
Gaetz doesn’t have a posse: He isn’t a member of the rabble-rousing Freedom Caucus, and his anti-McCarthy crusades haven’t been joined by his fellow far-right provocateur, Marjorie Taylor Greene. Only half the members who joined him in forcing out McCarthy this month were members of the group he assembled to block McCarthy nine months ago. Instead, Gaetz, a canny student of procedure with a knack for tapping the conservative zeitgeist, has taken it upon himself to assemble a shifting band of dissidents. And up to now, he’s been dramatically successful.
To many Republicans, the hair-gelled Gaetz is personally responsible for not only sparking the current chaos but setting a destructive precedent that continues to hobble the body, as small minorities assemble to block any speaker from being elected. Colleagues have called him a “charlatan,” a “vile person” and a “Republican running with scissors.” Former Speaker Paul Ryan said on CNBC, “What Matt Gaetz did is a disgrace.” Rep. John Rutherford, one of 20 Republican holdouts who consistently didn’t support Jordan for speaker, explained his opposition: “I’m a no on allowing Matt Gaetz and the other seven to win by putting their individual in as speaker.” …
… “He was the privileged son of one of the most powerful politicians in Florida, and he walked into a congressional seat without much effort, so there were very low expectations for him” in Washington, said David Jolly, a former Republican congressman from Florida. “The harder road was to develop the legislative and political acumen sufficient to take down a speaker of the House, and he did that in just six years—credit where credit is due.” Gaetz, Jolly said, has successfully positioned himself as a hero to Donald Trump’s movement and the front-runner for the 2026 GOP gubernatorial nomination should he choose to seek it. “He’s a perfect reflection of Trumpism and what the Republican base wants today.” …
… In Congress, Gaetz styled himself a pro-Trump populist. He also faced lurid accusations and was investigated by the Justice Department for allegations of sex trafficking, which he denied. The investigation was closed without charges this year, but the House Ethics Committee continues to probe Gaetz. An enthusiastic exponent of Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, Gaetz continues to champion those imprisoned for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot as “political prisoners.”
During his years in the minority, Gaetz studied the tactics of the left-wing Squad—the name coined by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the informal group of younger, progressive House Democrats—viewing them as role models in asymmetric power. …
… Whether McCarthy is replaced by a similar figure or a more conservative one, Gaetz wins either way, said Liam Donovan, a Republican lobbyist. If a conservative wins it would make Gaetz a hero to the right; otherwise it would further his argument that the D.C. “cartel” is conspiring to frustrate conservatives’ aims.
“It just sets up the grievance-based grift that powered him to this point,” Donovan said. “Matt Gaetz can’t do anything but win in this situation.” ~
_______________________________
The USA needs this awakening moment. We The People need to support the non-RINO Republicans. Enough of closed-door negotiations with lobbyists and corrupt politicians. We need a return to Constitutional adherence!
There are centrist and far-right members. The party is divided in a serious way right now. It goes nowhere until it figures this marriage out. If it’s a divorce, so be it, but that only weakens the conservative end of the spectrum.
The large majority of voters generally fall somewhere in the vast center, leaning left or right.
I’d say many on the far right have no real clue how our government works and thus the outside (talk about ‘lobbyists’) strong-armed and bullying tactics.
In our form of government one side never gets *everything* they want. That’s a different form of government where that can or does happen.
It’s not how our republic functions (or even was designed to function, by intent). We are a pluralistic society, we represent a vast difference of beliefs and political persuasions.
We advocate for our positions but recognize we won’t always hold sway; sometimes (usually) it’s a process to work toward persuading our fellow citizens. It’s not fast or easy. But again it wasn’t intended to be a situation where one side can force or brow-beat the other side into conforming.
That gets messy, but it’s worked for 200 years, at least so far.
We live (still) in a fallen world. Nations won’t ever reflect perfection until Christ renews creation. Until then, we labor in the best way we can, recognizing it won’t ever be perfect on this side of that event.
I love how you and the establishment stooges continue to pretend McCarthy wasn’t removed because he lied and renigged on the deal he made to get the speakership. You act like Gaetz wasn’t simply holding him to his word.
Also, the mechanism Gaetz used was agreed to in writing by McCarthy.
But you all keep leaving out that McCarthy did not keep his word on numerous issues, and that he didn’t agree to these terms in advance.
I guess you’re ok with his word being meaningless?
Tell me exactly what you think Matt Gaetz did wrong. Let's stop the posturing and BS.
It took 15 votes and a lot of negotiating to get the Speaker's gavel in McCarthy's hand in January. He made promises and concessions and was told he'd be held to them. First, what he did…
“Tell me exactly what you think Matt Gaetz did wrong. Let’s stop the posturing and BS.
It took 15 votes and a lot of negotiating to get the Speaker’s gavel in McCarthy’s hand in January. He made promises and concessions and was told he’d be held to them. First, what he did well:
He masterfully dealt with the media. They’d ask loaded questions and he’d go right at them with truth and facts. Several times, he held them to account and did so very well. In fact, I think some became gun shy. He was especially strong in defending the House investigating alleged corruption by the Bidens.
He’s also done a good job raising money. Some say he’s been great — but, I’d argue the Rs should have a much larger majority in the House. So, I’ll say a good job. And…
He talks one helluva good game. He was gonna do a ton.
Defund the 87,000 IRS agents
Close the border
Put a low cap on the debt ceiling
Pass a sensible, cost-cutting budget
Those who support him say he’s done all of that. And he hasn’t. Getting it to the floor and passing it doesn’t get it done. And, he knows that. When you have the majority and you get legislation done in the House that has to do with money — YOU HAVE THE LEVERAGE. It’s an empty victory when you say you defunded the 87,000 IRS agents who are NOT defunded, or the border isn’t closed or the debt has NO ceiling etc.
As Speaker, you have the leverage to say — “You want more money to Ukraine? The 87k have to go. You want more money for Ukraine or to send to Palestine? The border must be closed now. You want more money for your pet “green” agenda? The debt ceiling is 1.5T and not a penny more. You want more money for trees in ‘underserved neighborhoods?’ Then you accept this percentage less in spending over the next FY.” Period.
Where exactly did McCarthy use that leverage to force Schumer’s or Biden’s hand? Show me where he did that. He literally holds our tax dollars in his hands and gets to decide how they’re used.
Everyone in this country knew there was a one vote to debate on vacating the seat. He certainly knew it, fact is, it could have happened before it did. When Kevin McCarthy said he was going to offer 1.5T in a debt ceiling increase most conservatives thought — that’s way too much. But, get it done and make sure spending cuts are in the next budget. He went and met with Biden’s team and literally gave them NO debt limit until March of 2025. Yes, AFTER the next presidential election. He could have been vacated right then. But, they were patient.
Then, he adjourns the House before sending any budget to the Senate giving the other body the opportunity to push a CR and act like they were fighting to keep the government open and if it closed, it would be on the House. What a ridiculous mistake. Think about it. All the Speaker had to do was put a budget together that took spending to pre-CVD and cut it by a percentage more and put it in Schumer’s lap. Then adjourn. This way, the pressure is on the Senate to agree, alter and re-present or turn it down. Then, any government shutdown would be on them. This was such a bad move that in reality handed Schumer and the Ds in the Senate the upper hand.
What Matt Gaetz did had nothing to do with him self-aggrandizing nor improving his standing somehow in the House. It actually served to hurt him with the uniparty but he did it anyway because it was the right thing to do. Kudos to the other reps who joined him in vacating McCarthy. Word I get from the Capitol is there were many more than 8 on board, but couldn’t do it for political reasons and they knew the Ds were not going to support McCarthy.
So, time to move forward. Jim Jordan should have easily won the gavel. NOT ONE R rep made a good case against him. Now, Byron Donalds has thrown his hat in the ring. He’s a money guy by trade and a great conservative. What could the issue be now? Take the vote, give him the gavel, and get to work.
Remember that about 100 of the Congressional Republicans who call me vile just voted for Jim Jordan in public and then knifed him in an anonymous vote in a secret meeting in the Capitol Basement.
No, I’m referring to the deal McCarthy made to get the votes to become Speaker in the first place. See 6:34.
This is the deal he made. All Gaetz did was hold him to his word. When McCarthy refused to honor his agreement, the mechanism he agreed was triggered by Gaetz as a result. And they warned McCarthy numerous times before using it as well. McCarthy ignored their pleas.
This is on McCarthy for not honoring his promises.
Christian Crooner Wears Dress to Signal Solidarity With Trans Friends At Dove Awards (Christian Music Awards)
Sad to see @derekwebb openly walk away from the faith and embrace Trans ideology which is deeply rooted in paganism and is antithetical to Christianity in every way.
~ … Top blame for this embarrassment still rests with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and his unmerry band of exhibitionists, who gutted Mr. McCarthy’s speakership and left their party in a slow bleed. They had no follow-up plan to the McCarthy ouster beyond also blocking his obvious replacement, Majority Leader Steve Scalise. One notable joke is that the Gaetz crew claimed the putsch necessary to stop House “chaos” and return to regular order. Two weeks into this spectacle and standstill, how’s that going? …
… The bigger point is that the name on the ballot no longer matters: McCarthy, Scalise, Jordan, Jesus. Members drew a lesson from the McCarthy fight in January and the later Gaetz revolt: We are, any one of us, kings and queens now. While the vast majority of the GOP conference remains focused on what’s best for party and country, a small but significant number of mercenary members intend to glory in their power. Good luck getting through to Washington’s new and ever-shifting royalty. ~
Wandering Views 
The real Aj
These are the supposed adults back in charge?
“The world is on the brink and Washington is living in fear.
The US is now sponsoring a double proxy war against the Iranians and the Russians. China’s eying Taiwan and North Korean weapons were just discovered in Gaza. The State Department has just issued a world wide travel warning — to all countries. Our embassies are being mobbed, our military bases are under attack in Iraq, we just had to shoot down 2 Iranian-made missiles and we keep catching Middle Easterners sneaking across the “secure” southern border. All while Putin is in China- coordinating.
But don’t worry- we have Joe Biden, the proxy wartime president who’s focusing on isms and phobias.”
—-
Biden doesn’t want to stop illegals from invading. He wants to make it easier and more efficient for them….
LikeLiked by 2 people
“All over America, we are now watching a recurrent tired script play out daily:
A mediocre American academic—apparently desperate to win any sort of attention by outdoing the escalating campus hatred of Israel—spreads utter lies about that country, ostentatiously performs his pro-Hamas credentials, and exhilarates in the news of the death work on October 7, whether on social media or with a bullhorn at a rally.
And then his gruesomeness is met with popular outrage.
And then on cue—apparently terrified for his career—he drops the cowardly braggadocio, backpedals, and offers a temporary, weepy, groveling and completely insincere and disingenuous apology of the “I don’t know what got into me” sort.
And then his university president will soon blather on that the university is devoted to free expression, BUT is concerned about any call for violence or hate speech, BUT cannot comment on a “personnel matter,” BUT reminds all of us not to fan the “cycle of violence” at “this sensitive time”.
The stereotypical presidential memo’s subtext is always that in a few days no one will remember the unhinged professor’s call for violence or delight in anti-Semitic murder. And so the offending left-wing ranter will be forgotten, can safely return to prior obscurity, and thereby remains free to spout his venom with impunity to his small, captive, exorbitant tuition-paying classroom audiences.
Finally, in all such faculty hate-speech incidents, just substitute any noun like “gays”, “trans”, “Latinos”, “blacks” or any other intersectional group for the damned and slandered “Israel” or “Jews”—and you can be assured that the offending professor in a nanosecond would have been put on permanent “leave,” or more likely summarily fired on the spot by a “bold” and “decisively acting” campus president, who would follow with the usual blah-blah memo how he and his university “have no tolerance” for hatred, etc., etc.
The university crowd’s epidemic of gushing over Hamas butchery finally tore the scab off the long-festering sore of anti- Semitic hatred and utter ignorance of history, and exposed for the world the moral bankruptcy and mediocrity that now define the American college campus.
The only corrective is public pushback by previously naive donors, taxation of now tax-exempt endowment income, and the exit of the government from the student loan racket—and thus a recalibration of moral hazard, so the university at last guarantees its own loans to its own students.
Cornell professor apologizes for saying ‘exhilarated’ by Hamas attack https://mol.im/a/12651349 via @MailOnline”
LikeLiked by 2 people
A foreign policy genius we were told…..
And 22 R’s would be all too happy to continue funding the Biden agenda.
“US troops in Iraq, Syria fending off spate of armed attacks
US troops in Iraq, Syria fending off spate of armed attacks”
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/us-troops-attacked-syria-iraq/
“The U.S. military has been quietly reacting to a spate of drone and rocket attacks against its troops in the Middle East this week, mindful that the region has become a tinderbox and the chances for the situation slipping into a wider war are growing every day.”
—
“He was answering questions about two missiles and several drones that were fired from Yemen and intercepted by an anti-missile system on a U.S. Navy ship in the Red Sea on Thursday. Officials say believe the drones and missiles were launched by what the New York Times called “pro-Iranian Houthis” and may have been headed to Israel. “We cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were targeting, but they were launched from Yemen heading north along the Red Sea, potentially towards targets in Israel,” Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, told reporters.
Meanwhile, U.S. bases in Iraq and reportedly Syria, too, have been targeted by drones that reports have suggested but have yet to be confirmed were fired by Iranian-backed militias. Though the estimated 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq have been targeted on and off before for years, there has been an “uptick” in the last week acknowledged Ryder, and at least two of the attacks resulted in minor injuries. Here is the breakdown:
— On Wednesday, the Pentagon reported that the military had “engaged” two drones headed to the Al-Asad air base where American troops are stationed in the western part of Iraq. Both were intercepted but resulted in “minor injuries.” On the same day, a third drone was “engaged” at a base in Irbil, Northern Iraq, and destroyed, and no injuries were reported.
“In this moment of heightened alert, we are vigilantly monitoring the situation in Iraq and the region,” according to a statement from U.S. Central Command “U.S. forces will defend U.S. and Coalition forces against any threat.”
— Also on Wednesday, U.S. officials reported two drones attacked the U.S. occupied base at Al-Tanf in Syria, which has taken repeated fire over the last three years. One was destroyed and the other “impacted” causing minor injuries. Another attack was reported in Northeastern Syria the same day. The Pentagon has not yet confirmed reports of a third attack in Syria that same day but said a U.S. contractor had died of a heart attack sheltering in place after a false alarm at the Al-Asad base in Iraq.
— On Thursday, sources and officials said that rockets and drones had been fired again at U.S. troops stationed at the Al-Asad base in Iraq with “multiple blasts” reportedly heard from inside the installation. Reports indicated that U.S. troops had come under attack at a base near Baghdad’s international airport as well. There were few details on these fresh attacks as of Friday morning.”
—
All funded by Iran.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The real Aj
“8 million illegal aliens since Biden took office, unvetted, locations unknown. Children trafficked and the government has acknowledged it’s lost track of 85,000, and probably tens of thousands more. This is a national security threat and a humanitarian disaster that will haunt American for generations. Republicans should prioritize efforts to close the border using whatever limited tools they possess because Biden and his party clearly enjoy the calamity they are inflicting on this country.”
LikeLiked by 3 people
“California Senator’s Group Pledged to Return FTX Cash. It Funneled Millions to Pro-Abortion Group Instead”
https://freebeacon.com/democrats/california-senators-group-pledged-to-return-ftx-cash-it-funneled-millions-to-pro-abortion-group-instead/
“The liberal group until recently helmed by California senator Laphonza Butler pledged to return millions of dollars from disgraced cryptocurrency kingpin Sam Bankman-Fried. Instead, the organization has funneled nearly $1.6 million to the pro-abortion movement.
Women Vote, the campaign arm of Emily’s List, received $2.25 million from former FTX executive Nishad Singh, who has admitted to making fraudulent political donations on behalf of Bankman-Fried. The group, which Butler led until this month, said earlier this year it is cooperating with federal authorities to return the money. But it has not made any refunds of FTX donations or payments to the Justice Department, a Washington Free Beacon review found.
It’s not that Women Vote lacks the funds to pay Bankman-Fried’s victims. It doled out $1.575 million to Emily’s List this year to back female candidates who support abortion rights. Women Vote, which Emily’s List launched in 1995, has received nearly $2.3 million in contributions this year, and has $423,995 in the bank, according to Federal Election Commission disclosures released this week. The group also gave $50,000 to America Votes Action Fund, which seeks to mobilize liberal voters.
Women Vote’s failure to surrender the FTX cash could raise questions for Butler, who is undecided on whether to run for a full-term next year. It is unclear whether Butler was aware of Singh’s contributions, or the discussions about how to handle his contributions. Butler served as president of Emily’s List from 2021 until California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D.) appointed her to the Senate earlier this month. Her office did not respond to a request for comment.
Federal prosecutors allege that Bankman-Fried used money stolen from FTX to make political contributions to raise his personal profile and that of his cryptocurrency firm. Bankman-Fried, who went on trial in New York on Oct. 3, gave $40 million in his own name to Democratic groups, including $5 million to a political action committee that supported President Joe Biden in 2020. The donations seemingly helped Bankman-Fried secure meetings with Biden White House officials last year. He attended a House Democratic retreat in Philadelphia last year after a series of donations to the caucus’s campaign arm.
While Bankman-Fried made donations to mainstream Democrats in his own name, he tapped other FTX executives to make “straw donor” contributions to Republicans and progressive groups, seemingly in order to maximize his political influence. Singh was picked to make contributions to left-wing political groups. In one instance, a political adviser to Bankman-Fried told Singh that he would have to donate “to a lot of woke shit for transactional purposes,” according to court filings in the Bankman-Fried case.
One of those groups was the LGBTQ Victory Fund. Singh contributed $1.1 million to the organization on July 7, 2022, to support House candidate Becca Balint (D., Vt.). Singh said last year he was “really excited” about Balint’s campaign and gave to LGBTQ Victory Fund to “empower” the group to support her campaign.
Emily’s List, too, endorsed Balint shortly after Singh’s donations to Women Vote. Singh gave $1.5 million to Women Vote on July 19, 2022, and $750,000 on Aug. 16, 2022. Emily’s List endorsed Balint on Sept. 1, 2022. Balint, who won her election, has said she cooperated with federal authorities in the FTX probe.”
—-
More:
https://www.lifenews.com/2023/10/19/senator-laphonza-butler-funneled-millions-in-fraudulent-ftx-cash-to-pro-abortion-group/
“Sam Bankman-Fried and cryptocurrency company FTX have been all over the news the past year Bankman-Fried has been accused of running a sophisticated Ponzi scheme that artificially increased the value of his company FTX and his net worth to billions.
That was until the entire fraudulent scheme collapsed and now the company has filed for bankrupcy and the left-wing activist is worth nothing. And he’s facing criminal charges.
But Bankman-Fried funnelled hundreds of millions of dollars to Democrats, liberal organziations and pro-abortion groups before everything came crashing down. That’s the part most people know. But what they may not realize is that Bankman-Fried and his FTX buddies funded the pro-abortion campaigns that left multiple states with abortion on demand.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Weird, right?
LikeLiked by 3 people
We live in a broken world filled with broken evil people. God save us.
mumsee
LikeLiked by 3 people
God is making it crystal clear, He is our only hope.
LikeLiked by 2 people
And we all still carry so much sin in our own hearts.
Quarreling grows into behavior that’s much worse.
I think it was CS Lewis who once said war is “sin writ large.”
The world is broken. Praying for the day when it will no longer be so (and that day is coming).
-dj
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting Trey Gowdy podcast from yesterday, among the questions he got was what’s going on with the speaker stalemate.
He likes Jim Jordan, by the way, said he was always one of his first picks for committees when he had a chance to do so. Has been to his house, said he’s a good and dependable conservative lawmaker.
Has nothing to do with him, really, Gowdy said, but the mess instead has everything to do with the strong-armed bully tactics used by some who were pushing Jordan (think Matt Gaetz of Florida) and got it in their heads to oust McCarthy for no defensible cause (GOP conference supported him to the tune of some 90%, Gowdy said) but due to a personal beef, locking arms with Democrats to do so.
I’m sure most of you are aware of this, but there were outside forces (including someone from Hannity’s show) putting in personal calls with major pressure to support Jordan and that just really didn’t over too well.
“I don’t like bullies,” Gowdy said. Amen to that.
-dj
LikeLike
WSJ
______________________
Matt Gaetz Tore the House GOP Apart. He Isn’t Sorry.
‘Chaos doesn’t scare me,’ says Floridian reviled by colleagues for ousting Speaker Kevin McCarthy
~ WASHINGTON—With the Capitol in chaos and the speaker’s position going on its third week of vacancy, Rep. Matt Gaetz surveyed the consequences of his actions and declared he had no regrets.
“I have extreme confidence,” the Florida Republican said in an interview from his Capitol Hill office, “that we will have an upgrade at the position.”
The House has had no speaker since Gaetz made a motion to vacate the position, then joined on Oct. 3 with seven other Republicans and 208 Democrats to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) from the role. Rep. Jim Jordan, the archconservative Ohio Republican whom Gaetz calls a mentor, this week failed on three ballots to secure the majority of the body’s votes, losing support on each roll call and then bowing out of the race Friday afternoon. No one else seems to have a clear path to 217 GOP votes for the position.
Many of his colleagues blame Gaetz for the paralysis and acrimony that have ensued. When Gaetz rose to speak in a closed-door party meeting on Thursday, McCarthy told him to “sit your ass down,” and another Republican, Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois, cursed and lunged at Gaetz.
Asked about the encounter afterward, McCarthy told reporters, “Listen, the whole country, I think, would scream at Matt Gaetz right now.”
Any majority party is bound to have divisions. But the upheavals that have racked the House GOP since January are less a reflection of any coherent faction than one man’s singular will. It was Gaetz who took it upon himself to block McCarthy from the speakership in January, joining with 19 others to deny him a majority until he agreed to crippling concessions. One of those was the ability for a single member to bring the motion to vacate, which Gaetz then deployed to remove McCarthy this month.
Gaetz doesn’t have a posse: He isn’t a member of the rabble-rousing Freedom Caucus, and his anti-McCarthy crusades haven’t been joined by his fellow far-right provocateur, Marjorie Taylor Greene. Only half the members who joined him in forcing out McCarthy this month were members of the group he assembled to block McCarthy nine months ago. Instead, Gaetz, a canny student of procedure with a knack for tapping the conservative zeitgeist, has taken it upon himself to assemble a shifting band of dissidents. And up to now, he’s been dramatically successful.
To many Republicans, the hair-gelled Gaetz is personally responsible for not only sparking the current chaos but setting a destructive precedent that continues to hobble the body, as small minorities assemble to block any speaker from being elected. Colleagues have called him a “charlatan,” a “vile person” and a “Republican running with scissors.” Former Speaker Paul Ryan said on CNBC, “What Matt Gaetz did is a disgrace.” Rep. John Rutherford, one of 20 Republican holdouts who consistently didn’t support Jordan for speaker, explained his opposition: “I’m a no on allowing Matt Gaetz and the other seven to win by putting their individual in as speaker.” …
… “He was the privileged son of one of the most powerful politicians in Florida, and he walked into a congressional seat without much effort, so there were very low expectations for him” in Washington, said David Jolly, a former Republican congressman from Florida. “The harder road was to develop the legislative and political acumen sufficient to take down a speaker of the House, and he did that in just six years—credit where credit is due.” Gaetz, Jolly said, has successfully positioned himself as a hero to Donald Trump’s movement and the front-runner for the 2026 GOP gubernatorial nomination should he choose to seek it. “He’s a perfect reflection of Trumpism and what the Republican base wants today.” …
… In Congress, Gaetz styled himself a pro-Trump populist. He also faced lurid accusations and was investigated by the Justice Department for allegations of sex trafficking, which he denied. The investigation was closed without charges this year, but the House Ethics Committee continues to probe Gaetz. An enthusiastic exponent of Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, Gaetz continues to champion those imprisoned for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot as “political prisoners.”
During his years in the minority, Gaetz studied the tactics of the left-wing Squad—the name coined by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the informal group of younger, progressive House Democrats—viewing them as role models in asymmetric power. …
… Whether McCarthy is replaced by a similar figure or a more conservative one, Gaetz wins either way, said Liam Donovan, a Republican lobbyist. If a conservative wins it would make Gaetz a hero to the right; otherwise it would further his argument that the D.C. “cartel” is conspiring to frustrate conservatives’ aims.
“It just sets up the grievance-based grift that powered him to this point,” Donovan said. “Matt Gaetz can’t do anything but win in this situation.” ~
_______________________________
-dj
LikeLike
No defensible cause? McCarthy broke the very promises that he made in January in order to become Speaker – he deserved to lose his job.
In these difficult days, the status quo doesn’t cut it any more… serve the people, not special interests!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The USA needs this awakening moment. We The People need to support the non-RINO Republicans. Enough of closed-door negotiations with lobbyists and corrupt politicians. We need a return to Constitutional adherence!
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are centrist and far-right members. The party is divided in a serious way right now. It goes nowhere until it figures this marriage out. If it’s a divorce, so be it, but that only weakens the conservative end of the spectrum.
The large majority of voters generally fall somewhere in the vast center, leaning left or right.
I’d say many on the far right have no real clue how our government works and thus the outside (talk about ‘lobbyists’) strong-armed and bullying tactics.
In our form of government one side never gets *everything* they want. That’s a different form of government where that can or does happen.
It’s not how our republic functions (or even was designed to function, by intent). We are a pluralistic society, we represent a vast difference of beliefs and political persuasions.
We advocate for our positions but recognize we won’t always hold sway; sometimes (usually) it’s a process to work toward persuading our fellow citizens. It’s not fast or easy. But again it wasn’t intended to be a situation where one side can force or brow-beat the other side into conforming.
That gets messy, but it’s worked for 200 years, at least so far.
We live (still) in a fallen world. Nations won’t ever reflect perfection until Christ renews creation. Until then, we labor in the best way we can, recognizing it won’t ever be perfect on this side of that event.
-dj
LikeLiked by 2 people
Do you accept that the far right is serving “special interests” in these internal battles?
I don’t think they’re pure (nor do I think centrists are pure, because … well, you know the rest — citing Scripture).
-dj
LikeLiked by 2 people
Dj,
I love how you and the establishment stooges continue to pretend McCarthy wasn’t removed because he lied and renigged on the deal he made to get the speakership. You act like Gaetz wasn’t simply holding him to his word.
Also, the mechanism Gaetz used was agreed to in writing by McCarthy.
But you all keep leaving out that McCarthy did not keep his word on numerous issues, and that he didn’t agree to these terms in advance.
I guess you’re ok with his word being meaningless?
Tell me why I’m wrong.
Aj
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Tell me exactly what you think Matt Gaetz did wrong. Let’s stop the posturing and BS.
It took 15 votes and a lot of negotiating to get the Speaker’s gavel in McCarthy’s hand in January. He made promises and concessions and was told he’d be held to them. First, what he did well:
He masterfully dealt with the media. They’d ask loaded questions and he’d go right at them with truth and facts. Several times, he held them to account and did so very well. In fact, I think some became gun shy. He was especially strong in defending the House investigating alleged corruption by the Bidens.
He’s also done a good job raising money. Some say he’s been great — but, I’d argue the Rs should have a much larger majority in the House. So, I’ll say a good job. And…
He talks one helluva good game. He was gonna do a ton.
Defund the 87,000 IRS agents
Close the border
Put a low cap on the debt ceiling
Pass a sensible, cost-cutting budget
Those who support him say he’s done all of that. And he hasn’t. Getting it to the floor and passing it doesn’t get it done. And, he knows that. When you have the majority and you get legislation done in the House that has to do with money — YOU HAVE THE LEVERAGE. It’s an empty victory when you say you defunded the 87,000 IRS agents who are NOT defunded, or the border isn’t closed or the debt has NO ceiling etc.
As Speaker, you have the leverage to say — “You want more money to Ukraine? The 87k have to go. You want more money for Ukraine or to send to Palestine? The border must be closed now. You want more money for your pet “green” agenda? The debt ceiling is 1.5T and not a penny more. You want more money for trees in ‘underserved neighborhoods?’ Then you accept this percentage less in spending over the next FY.” Period.
Where exactly did McCarthy use that leverage to force Schumer’s or Biden’s hand? Show me where he did that. He literally holds our tax dollars in his hands and gets to decide how they’re used.
Everyone in this country knew there was a one vote to debate on vacating the seat. He certainly knew it, fact is, it could have happened before it did. When Kevin McCarthy said he was going to offer 1.5T in a debt ceiling increase most conservatives thought — that’s way too much. But, get it done and make sure spending cuts are in the next budget. He went and met with Biden’s team and literally gave them NO debt limit until March of 2025. Yes, AFTER the next presidential election. He could have been vacated right then. But, they were patient.
Then, he adjourns the House before sending any budget to the Senate giving the other body the opportunity to push a CR and act like they were fighting to keep the government open and if it closed, it would be on the House. What a ridiculous mistake. Think about it. All the Speaker had to do was put a budget together that took spending to pre-CVD and cut it by a percentage more and put it in Schumer’s lap. Then adjourn. This way, the pressure is on the Senate to agree, alter and re-present or turn it down. Then, any government shutdown would be on them. This was such a bad move that in reality handed Schumer and the Ds in the Senate the upper hand.
What Matt Gaetz did had nothing to do with him self-aggrandizing nor improving his standing somehow in the House. It actually served to hurt him with the uniparty but he did it anyway because it was the right thing to do. Kudos to the other reps who joined him in vacating McCarthy. Word I get from the Capitol is there were many more than 8 on board, but couldn’t do it for political reasons and they knew the Ds were not going to support McCarthy.
So, time to move forward. Jim Jordan should have easily won the gavel. NOT ONE R rep made a good case against him. Now, Byron Donalds has thrown his hat in the ring. He’s a money guy by trade and a great conservative. What could the issue be now? Take the vote, give him the gavel, and get to work.
This make sense to you? Let me know.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Posers.
LikeLiked by 2 people
AJ, are you referring to the short-term spending bill that avoided a government shutdown? Many of us would say that was a wise course.
I continue to hope we can have discussions here that do not follow the hostile course of where social media has regretfully taken us.
-dj
LikeLike
dj: I’ve asked you this a couple times before, but you’ve never responded… in your view, what is the “far right,” or the “extreme right”?
Also, why wouldn’t you support Jim Jordan as Speaker?
LikeLike
No, I’m referring to the deal McCarthy made to get the votes to become Speaker in the first place. See 6:34.
This is the deal he made. All Gaetz did was hold him to his word. When McCarthy refused to honor his agreement, the mechanism he agreed was triggered by Gaetz as a result. And they warned McCarthy numerous times before using it as well. McCarthy ignored their pleas.
This is on McCarthy for not honoring his promises.
Aj
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think it’s cute that liberals think the barbarians want to be friends.
LikeLike
This is why we can’t have nice things….
Christian Crooner Wears Dress to Signal Solidarity With Trans Friends At Dove Awards (Christian Music Awards)
LikeLike
Kimberley Strassel:
~ … Top blame for this embarrassment still rests with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and his unmerry band of exhibitionists, who gutted Mr. McCarthy’s speakership and left their party in a slow bleed. They had no follow-up plan to the McCarthy ouster beyond also blocking his obvious replacement, Majority Leader Steve Scalise. One notable joke is that the Gaetz crew claimed the putsch necessary to stop House “chaos” and return to regular order. Two weeks into this spectacle and standstill, how’s that going? …
… The bigger point is that the name on the ballot no longer matters: McCarthy, Scalise, Jordan, Jesus. Members drew a lesson from the McCarthy fight in January and the later Gaetz revolt: We are, any one of us, kings and queens now. While the vast majority of the GOP conference remains focused on what’s best for party and country, a small but significant number of mercenary members intend to glory in their power. Good luck getting through to Washington’s new and ever-shifting royalty. ~
LikeLike
So you’re not gonna answer then?
Aj
LikeLike