Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Crayon Names

Personally, I cannot find anything amusing about crayon colours with the titles "Auschwitz Ash" or "Miscarriage Maroon". I bet the crayon company is not game enough to have any colours that mock Islam or Mohammad. I also bet that there is a colour that mocks Christianity, or there will be. Disgusting what some people will do for a quid!

https://unitedwithisrael.org/auschwitz-ash-crayons-happy-hitler-coloring-book-mock-the-holocaust-for-profit/?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=%E2%80%98Auschwitz%E2%80%99+Crayons+Sold+Online+Mock+Holocaust%3B+2000-Year-Old+Coins+Found+in+Biblical+Town%21+Happy+New+Year%3A+Israelis+Pick+Decade%27s+Top+Event&utm_campaign=20191231_m156159301_%E2%80%98Auschwitz%E2%80%99+Crayons+Sold+Online+Mock+Holocaust%3B+2000-Year-Old+Coins+Found+in+Biblical+Town%21+Happy+New+Year%3A+Israelis+Pick+Decade%27s+Top+Event&utm_term=_E2_80_98Auschwitz+Ash_E2_80_99+Crayons_2C+_E2_80_98Happy+Hitler_E2_80_99+Coloring+Book+Mock+Holocau

Report: Militia Leader on Scene of US Embassy Raid Was Obama WH Guest in 2011


Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP via Getty ImagesSmoke billows from a burning guard building at the entrance of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad as thousands of Iraqi protesters breach the outer wall of the embassy grounds on Tuesday.

As the world awaits developments in Tuesday’s attack on the United States embassy in Baghdad, it’s taken less than a day for the country’s latest crisis to reach back to Barack Obama.

While hundreds of Iranian-back militia members swarmed the sprawling embassy grounds, according to The Washington Post, several faces stood out as being particularly influential in the troubled country.

But one of the leaders, according to Breitbart, was more than just a familiar face in Baghdad power circles – he’d also reportedly been a guest of the Obama White House in 2011.

The man is Hadi al-Amiri, a former Iraqi transportation minister who now heads the Badr Organization, one of the most powerful of Iraq’s numerous armed militia groups, according to The Post.

And virtually nothing about his past indicates he’s anything but an enemy of the United States.

Allied with Iran — the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism — the Badr Organization was a key player battling American forces in the 2003 fighting that followed the United States invasion of Iraq. It also has members who’ve gone to Syria to fight alongside the dictator Bashar Assad, The Post reported.

According to Breitbart, the Badr Organization falls under the same umbrella group as the Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah, the terrorist group that was hit by an American airstrike on Sunday after organizing an attack on a U.S. base on Friday. Monday’s embassy assault was sparked by Sunday’s airstrike.

Yet this was a man who reportedly visited the White House in 2011, accompanying then-Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

It may be telling that, according to news reports at the time, the Obama White House did not disclose Amiri’s presence with Maliki – but the Iraqi list of the delegation included his name, Breitbart reported.

It wasn’t clear what role he was playing at the embassy grounds in Baghdad on Tuesday.

It also wasn’t clear what he role he might have played in the White House talks back in 2011, but his presence then – as an Iraqi official with well-known ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in the heart of American power – made some media outlets curious about what he was doing there at all.

On Dec. 15, 2011, the website RealClearPolitics published a transcript of a White House briefing exchange between Fox News correspondent Ed Henry and then-White House spokesman Jay Carney.

Carney was so clumsy in his attempt to play dumb when asked about Amiri’s presence that the transcript was headlined: “Carney Dodges Question About Iranian Terrorist Visiting the White House.”

No honest person who recalls the Obama administration can claim the White House of 2009 – 2017 ever dealt with Iran as though it was a country at war with the United States.

From Obama’s first days in office, when he ignored the so-called “Green Revolution” against Iran’s Islamofascist leadership, to his last days, when he engineered the Iran nuclear deal that President Donald Trump has had the good sense to withdraw from, the Obama White House was an image of craven appeasement when it came to challenges from the Islamic Republic.

Since taking office in 2017, Trump has faced numerous challenges of his own from Tehran, including the downing of a U.S. drone and provocations such as an attack on a large Saudi oil field.

Now, it appears Trump is facing his gravest challenge from Iran to his administration yet, in the form of an embassy attack that strongly echoes the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover in Tehran that started what has become a four-decades-long state of hostility between the United States and Iran.

And it appears that one of the “influential” men in the crowd of that embassy attack – to use The Washington Post’s description – turns out to have been a visitor to the Obama White House who had links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the terrorist country’s premier military arm.

Less than a day into what could be an extended embassy crisis in Iraq, at least one curious – and quite possibly sinister — tie to the Obama administration has already shown up.

Given Iran’s history of meddling in the affairs of Iraq – and given the Obama administration’s disgraceful eight years of abasement before the Iranians (including planeloads of cash delivered like ransom, as reported by The Wall Street Journal), it’s not likely to be the last.

No honest person who recalls the Obama administration can claim the White House of 2009 – 2017 ever dealt with Iran as though it was a country at war with the United States.

From Obama’s first days in office, when he ignored the so-called “Green Revolution” against Iran’s Islamofascist leadership, to his last days, when he engineered the Iran nuclear deal that President Donald Trump has had the good sense to withdraw from, the Obama White House was an image of craven appeasement when it came to challenges from the Islamic Republic.

Since taking office in 2017, Trump has faced numerous challenges of his own from Tehran, including the downing of a U.S. drone and provocations such as an attack on a large Saudi oil field.

Now, it appears Trump is facing his gravest challenge from Iran to his administration yet, in the form of an embassy attack that strongly echoes the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover in Tehran that started what has become a four-decades-long state of hostility between the United States and Iran.

And it appears that one of the “influential” men in the crowd of that embassy attack – to use The Washington Post’s description – turns out to have been a visitor to the Obama White House who had links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the terrorist country’s premier military arm.

Less than a day into what could be an extended embassy crisis in Iraq, at least one curious – and quite possibly sinister — tie to the Obama administration has already shown up.

Given Iran’s history of meddling in the affairs of Iraq – and given the Obama administration’s disgraceful eight years of abasement before the Iranians (including planeloads of cash delivered like ransom, as reported by The Wall Street Journal), it’s not likely to be the last.

Refugee Camp ISIS Child Tells UK Reporter ‘We Will Slaughter You’



Children of Islamic State fighters and their brides in Syrian holding camps may represent a grave threat to the West, with one telling a British reporter: “We will slaughter you.”

“In Arabic, he first quoted a verse from the Koran: ‘God says, “Turn to Allah with sincere repentance in the hope that your Lord will remove you from your ills”,'” recalled Sky News correspondent Mark Stone of an encounter with a jihadist “cub” in the Al Hol camp in Syria, which holds some 70,000 Islamic State women and children, 10,000 of whom are foreigners.

“He was asking us to repent our sins,” Stone continued.

“And then, calmly, he said: ‘We’re going to kill you by slaughtering you. We will slaughter you.'”

Want Breaking News from Breitbart Direct to Your Inbox? Takes Just 2 Seconds...SIGN UP

Many Western countries are currently seeking to repatriate children born in the shattered caliphate to women who hold (or held) citizenship Western countries.
"We're going to kill you by slaughtering you. We will slaughter you."@Stone_SkyNews reports from Syrian Al Hol camp which is home to 70,000 IS women and children. 10,000 of them are foreigners.

Read the full report here: https://trib.al/McmGtxp 
234 people are talking about this

“The black-clad women of the Islamic State”, Stone reported, are the “only guides” for these children, and “claim to represent the purest form of Islam.”

Some who spoke to Stone defended the caliphate’s atrocities, such as beheading prisoners and burning people alive, on grounds that “It’s says it in the Koran” [sic].


As the Islamic State’s last territorial strongholds were being evacuated, it was reported that some evacuated jihadi brides made openly statements, such as “My son will grow up to be a jihadist” and “I hope the Islamic caliphate will return and spread across all corners of the globe,” among other ominous declarations.

The position of left-liberals on these women is fairly indulgent. All contend that they cannot be stripped off their citizenship, despite having defected to a hostile power overseas, unless they are dual nationals with citizenship or eligibility for citizenship elsewhere — and some argue they should not be stripped of their citizenship at all.

Despite the clear risks represented by their children, there appears to be a broad consensus — among the media-political class if not the public — that their children definitely should be repatriated, as in the infamous case British-born jihadi bride Shamima Begum.


Left-liberals took a curious stance with respect to Begum, arguing that although both her parents were Bangladeshi migrants, she should not have her British citizenship stripped an be expected to go to Bangladesh, as she was born in Britain and therefore “our problem”.

But with respect to her child, they took the opposite view that he should be considered Britain’s responsibility because his mother was British-born — despite being born in Syria.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/12/15/cubs-of-the-caliphate-isis-boy-tells-reporter-we-will-slaughter-you/

Stacey Abrams Fails to Reinstate 100K Voter Registrations to Voter Rolls



Failed Democrat gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams failed to convince a federal judge that nearly 100,000 inactive voter registrations should be reinstated to Georgia’s voter rolls.

In a ruling this week, U.S. District Court Judge Steve Jones denied an attempt by Abrams’ Fair Fight Action organization to reinstate close to 100,000 inactive voter registrations to Georgia’s voter rolls after they were approved for removal, along with another 209,000 voter registrations this month.

Abrams founded Fair Fight Action which claims that voter suppression of minorities led to her being defeated by Gov. Brian Kemp (R) earlier this year.

Weeks ago, a federal judge approved Georgia officials removal of about 309,000 voter registrations from the state’s voter rolls. Roughly 120,000 of those voter registrants have not voted since at least 2012, and the other 189,000 are either voters who have moved out of Georgia or who have undeliverable mail.

Before a voter registrant was taken off the state’s voter rolls, election officials notified them by mail and gave them 30 days to reply. Doing so would have kept their voter registration on the rolls. Only about 4,000 out of 313,000 voters set to be taken off the rolls replied to keep themselves registered to vote.

Abrams’ lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division. The case number is 1:18-cv-05391-SCJ.


David Bossie: Trump perseveres in 2019 — stands tall despite relentless attacks from Democrats and media


2019 in review: Investigating President Trump
From the Mueller report to the impeachment probe, 'Journal Editorial Report' recaps what we learned about President Trump and the Democrats investigating him.

A lot can happen in a year and 2019 was no exception.

Nancy Pelosi became speaker of the House for the second time; there was a government shutdown; special counsel Robert Mueller’s two-year investigation came to an end; the Democrat presidential primary campaigns began; the American economy enjoyed historic prolonged vibrancy; anti-Trump Republicans like John Kasich and Jeb Bush started and ended their search for a primary challenger to run against the president, and President Trump was fraudulently impeached by unhinged partisans in the House of Representatives.

But through it all, President Donald Trump — the ultimate political outsider — continues to plow forward, never relenting in his focus of putting America First.

In the face of unprecedented attacks from the left — including a mainstream media that in 2019 was fully exposed as a vicious partner of Democrat political operatives — Trump perseveres. Facing an onslaught of fake news that would have brought other leaders to their knees, Trump stands tall heading into the fourth year of his presidency.

The year began with a government shutdown caused by congressional Democrats refusing to acknowledge the crisis at our Southern border. Undeterred, Trump demonstrated true presidential leadership by ordering billions in appropriated military funds to be used to construct the much-needed border wall.

Always letting the polls dictate their actions, Democrats conceded their disastrous policy position in June, prompting headlines such as “Democrats make U-turn on calling border a ‘manufactured crisis.’” Even in the face of unprecedented liberal obstruction, more than 500 miles of a border wall is under construction thanks to the president.

At his State of the Union address, President Trump declared that “America will never be a socialist country.” That certainly hasn’t stopped the Democrats from lurching further to the left. From the economy-crippling Green New Deal to the lie of “Medicare-for-all,” to job-killing tax increases, 2019 has revealed the left’s true vision for America — and it’s an ugly one.

Throughout the past year, Democrats proved that they lied to the American people to get into power in 2018. Despite the promises, there was never any intention of working with Trump in a bipartisan manner on important policies for the American people. The real Democrat agenda started and ended with impeaching the duly elected president of the United States by any means necessary.

In February, Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff was on television lying about evidence of Trump campaign collusion with Russia that he said was “in plain sight.” Two months later, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report was made public and it concluded the exact opposite — not only was there no collusion whatsoever, there was no obstruction of justice either.

The sham inquiry that transpired over this year will do lasting damage to our republic because impeachment is now seen as just another political campaign weapon.

Over the summer, with no positive agenda to offer the American people, the Democrats pushed the reckless narrative that the economy was headed toward a recession. Unfortunately for them, the Trump economy is as resilient as the man himself. The year began in earnest with a very low unemployment rate of 4 percent, only to plunge to the historic level of 3.5 percent by the end of 2019.


Since Trump’s election three years ago, 7.2 million jobs have been created — with nearly 2 million new jobs in 2019 alone. Additionally, wages have increased by 3.1 percent over the past year. On top of all that, the president has made it an ongoing priority to slash overly burdensome government regulations that stifle economic growth.

In September, with Mueller’s findings in the rearview mirror and Chairman Jerry Nadler’s hearings on the report a complete failure — thanks in large part to former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski — the American people were ready for impeachment-crazed Democrats in Congress to turn the corner and work with the president on issues important to them. But Speaker Pelosi would have none of it. Instead, she and her caucus of left-wing socialists made the ill-fated decision to turn a routine phone call between Trump and the president of Ukraine into another partisan impeachment witch hunt.

The sham inquiry that transpired over the next three months will do lasting damage to our republic because impeachment is now seen as just another political campaign weapon. Pelosi’s continued refusal to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate confirms what’s been known all along — this entire effort by the left is an orchestrated stunt designed to hurt Trump’s re-election chances.


Let it not be forgotten that in the midst of the Democrat impeachment circus and accompanying media frenzy, Trump never took his eye off the ball for the American people. In October, the president ordered the elimination of the world’s most wanted terrorist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, putting an exclamation point on his promise to destroy ISIS.

Heading into 2020, Trump’s amazing legacy is taking shape. When it’s all said and done, his most lasting accomplishment may very well be his all-important effort to fill the federal bench with strict constitutionalists. During the Trump presidency, 187 judicial appointees have been confirmed by the U.S. Senate, including an astonishing 102 in 2019 alone.

In a year that began with a small band of anti-Trump establishment “has-beens” desperately looking for someone — anyone — to challenge the president for the 2020 nomination, 2019 comes to an end with a unified and optimistic Republican Party squarely behind the incumbent.

While most of the optimism on the center-right is driven by Trump’s historic record of accomplishment, it’s also a product of the pathetic field of highly mediocre Democrats vying for their party’s nomination for president. As the far left field bumbles their way to the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3, reality is starting to set in for 2020. Democrats understand that they can’t defeat a historical figure with mediocrity.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-bossie-trump-perseveres-in-2019-stands-tall-despite-relentless-attacks-from-democrats-and-media

Four Things You Can Do Right Now to Harden Your Place of Worship Against a Shooter


Law enforcement run with a person on a stretcher at the scene where multiple people were shot, Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood. (Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in 2018 after the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre. In light of recent attacks on places of worship, we thought it might be a good time to revisit this excellent advice. 

Sadly, America has experienced yet another maniac shooting up innocent people at a house of worship. On Saturday, a man armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle (which is NOT an "assault rifle" since it cannot fire automatically as only a true assault rifle can) and three semi-automatic pistols murdered 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue and wounded several others (including four police officers). This kind of attack on houses of worship is no longer unheard of.
Last year, the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, was attacked, with 26 killed and 20 wounded. In 2015 Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., was attacked and nine were murdered in cold blood. Christians and Jews are not the only ones targeted. Last year, a gunman invaded a mosque in Quebec City, Canada, and murdered six people. In 2012, a killer entered the Sikh temple in Wisconsin and gunned down six innocent people.

When people gather to worship, unless there are some well-thought-out security measures in place, the worshipers are going to be sitting ducks for any nut case out there who wants to come in with guns blazing. What are some specific things you and your people can do right now to harden your house of worship from an active shooter?

1. Form a security team

If you don't already have this in place, you need to get on the phone right now and start calling people to form a security team. The people on this team must be reasonable and level-headed. You do not need some hot-tempered yahoo who wants to make a name for himself. Find people who have experience in law enforcement and seek out their advice on what areas in the church need to be physically watched, and how the building can be patrolled to keep violent people out while at the same time letting peaceful people in.

Put it down in writing that the church allows people who are licensed to carry concealed firearms on the premises, but stipulate that these people must be known and approved by the church leadership. Even though this is a dangerous, fallen world and you want protection, you still do not want to unnecessarily scare people into thinking that you must now worship in an armed camp.

Here is a great little video with some good advice about making your house of worship tougher for an active shooter to attack:
It is critical for everyone on the security team to understand that church members are the first responders. If someone gets through security and starts attacking, you cannot wait for the police to show up.
I love the police, and they are the professionals, but they cannot be everywhere at once. Seconds count. Worshipers are the first ones on the scene, so I highly recommend that you have a force of people (paid or volunteers, whatever you can do) who are well trained and licensed to carry a pistol. They should also be trained in defensive hand-to-hand tactics (not every situation calls for bullets).

Although I am a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment and I am an NRA pistol instructor and an Ohio CCW instructor, I do NOT want everyone in church armed. Many people carry who do not practice, are not good shots, and would not know what to do in a violent encounter. Personally, I prefer a small team of well-trained people who quietly carry and are known by the leadership team.
This team should undergo regularly scheduled training throughout the year. I would bring in local law enforcement and attorneys to coach them on the "use of force continuum" and where and when lethal force is justified.

NBC4 ran an excellent news report showing local police and the Fraternal Order of Police educating churches and pastors on security against an active shooter:

2. Harden the building

You want to be a hard target. You want to make it difficult for a terrorist to enter the building and start shooting or stabbing or blowing people up with a bomb vest (God forbid!).

Does your church have a fence around the parking lot? That might discourage some. I notice in front of my Sam's Club there are large cement pillars directly in front of all the doors. Shoppers can go in and out, but it would certainly prevent someone with a truck from ramming their way into the store. Can you have something like that built in front of your place of worship? If not, how about parking large pickup trucks directly in front of all entrances?

Your house of worship may not be able to replace all windows with bullet-proof glass (it probably is not feasible for most), but if you can — do it. Lock all doors once activities have started. Maybe give some time (like 10-15 minutes) for latecomers, but then lock the doors and keep them locked until the activities are done. I know that sounds harsh, but being invaded by a terrorist with guns or bombs is pretty harsh too.

3. Monitor the perimeter

Have cameras set up around the building to monitor any suspicious activity at all times. Bad people tend to stay away or refrain from casing out the building for an attack if they know they are being filmed. Have part of your security team roving around the building while activities are taking place inside (this includes not just regular worship services, but also when Bible studies or children's or students' activities are taking place throughout the week). Make sure they have the ability to communicate with each other and with the police in case there is any suspicious activity.

John Correia from Active Self Protection (one of my favorite YouTube channels) discusses his seminars on how to help pastors and the leadership teams better protect their people:

4. Train your leadership in active shooter response

By that, I mean train your pastoral staff, lay leaders, and teachers in a tried and true program that works, such as ALICE training. ALICE is an acrostic naming the five responses to an active shooter: Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate.

I am a certified instructor in ALICE training and have educated several people in how to respond to someone coming in with guns blazing. For a detailed discussion of what to do according to ALICE training guidelines, please check out my PJ Media article from last year. Please, get your leadership together, contact someone who is qualified to teach this, and host a seminar right away.
I never thought America would come to this point, but we are here now. If you haven't started taking this threat seriously by now, please do so immediately.
https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/four-things-you-can-do-right-now-to-harden-your-church-against-a-shooter/

Activist Group Rips Air Force Base For Selling ‘Jesus Candy’




The Peterson Air Force base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is being attacked by an activist group offended that “Jesus candy” is sold at the base, saying they have “fought many battles throughout our long years of civil rights activism at PAFB against this wretched, fundamentalist Christian, religious extremist bigotry and prejudice.”

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), which has blasted the Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs before, said it received an email stating, “The base exchange at Peterson Air Force Base is currently selling ‘Jesus’ candy.’ The exchange at the Air Force Academy was also selling ‘Jesus’ candy at Halloween, although I didn’t get any pictures of that.”

The founder and president of MRFF, Mikey Weinstein, informed Crooks and Liars,“Peterson’s selling of for-profit, clearly marked ‘Jesus candy’ at its base exchange (BX) is merely the fundamentalist Christian straw breaking the MRFF clients’ backs. Any pathetically-proffered pretense by the U.S. Air Force at Peterson that Christmas is a mere secular holiday is totally belied and betrayed by this in your face sale of this ‘proselytizing’ candy with the fundamentalist Christian version of its ‘God’s name’ emblazoned on all over the packaging.”

Weinstein added, “Peterson Air Force Base, located deep in the intolerant, fundamentalist Christian enclave of Colorado Springs, Colorado, has consistently been one of the most horrendous military installation abusers of the Constitutional mandate to NOT establish Christianity (or any other faith or even ’non-faith’) as the de facto armed forces State Religion … MRFF has fought many battles throughout our long years of civil rights activism at PAFB against this wretched, fundamentalist Christian, religious extremist bigotry and prejudice.”

He continued, “The ‘elephant in the living’ room fact is that Peterson is well over two years late in releasing its own official ‘religious climate’ survey to MRFF pursuant to well established Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) time limit mandates. So what the hell is Peterson terrified to publicly release to MRFF? MRFF’s litigators have this very same Peterson FOIA case now for further disposition to compel Peterson to release this hidden ‘religious climate’ survey.”

First Liberty Institute lawyer and director of military affairs Mike Berry told Fox News, “This is just the latest publicity stunt by a bunch of activists. A real constitutional expert – or any first-year law student – knows that selling candy canes at Christmas is perfectly legal. Of course, the MRFF has its own version of the Constitution. Sadly, the MRFF has duped its so-called ‘thousands’ of alleged clients into believing its dubious legal fairy tales.”

First Liberty has dealt with MRFF before; First Liberty wrote as recently as December 20 that MRFF had “complained about an inflatable Santa Claus on an Army base,” a “Soldier Santa” on display in the commissary at Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, VA. First Liberty continued, “The MRFF has once again invented a problem where none exists, claiming the figure is unconstitutional because it’s holding a small sign with the phrase ‘God Bless America.’ Not only that, they really blew up the Christmas spirit by arguing the inflatable display is supposedly creating ‘mandatory situations where they’ve [soldiers] been forced to engage in blessing for Jesus Christ.’”

Lindsey Graham Blasts Iran Over Attack: Trump Going ‘To Hit You Where It Hurts The Most’


Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) issued a blistering statement threatening Iran on Tuesday in response to hundreds of supporters of an Iranian-backed attacking the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.

The attack came in response to U.S. forces killing dozens of members of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization, that had been attacking U.S. forces in the region.

In a series of tweets, Graham wrote: “Very proud of President @realDonaldTrump acting decisively in the face of threats to our embassy in Baghdad. He has put the world on notice – there will be no Benghazis on his watch. To the Iranian government: Be careful what you wish for — a country that depends on the ability to refine oil for its existence needs to be cautious.”

Graham continued, “President Trump, unlike President Obama, will hold you accountable for threats against Americans and hit you where it hurts the most. Choose your battles wisely. To our Iraqi allies: This is your moment to convince the American people the U.S.-Iraq relationship is meaningful to you and worth protecting. Protect our American personnel. You will not regret it.”

Graham later added, “Just had a very good meeting with President @realDonaldTrump and his team regarding the situation in Iraq. President Trump is determined to protect American personnel and expects our Iraqi partners to step up to the plate. No more Benghazis.”

Graham concluded, “As to Iran: They continue to threaten American interests at their own peril. Very reassuring to see President Trump has beefed up our military capability to protect our personnel in Baghdad. Decisive action in the face of adversity is the best way to keep Americans safe anywhere in the world — particularly the Middle East.”

U.S. military forces arrived at the embassy several hours after the attack happened on Tuesday and reportedly secured the area.

Trump responded by writing on Twitter, “The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is, & has been for hours, SAFE! Many of our great Warfighters, together with the most lethal military equipment in the world, was immediately rushed to the site. Thank you to the President & Prime Minister of Iraq for their rapid response upon request. Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!”

The Department of Defense released the following statement on Sunday explaining the attack the U.S. forces carried out against the terrorist organization:

In response to repeated Kata’ib Hizbollah (KH) attacks on Iraqi bases that host Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) coalition forces, U.S. forces have conducted precision defensive strikes against five KH facilities in Iraq and Syria that will degrade KH’s ability to conduct future attacks against OIR coalition forces.

The five targets include three KH locations in Iraq and two in Syria. These locations included weapon storage facilities and command and control locations that KH uses to plan and execute attacks on OIR coalition forces.

Recent KH strikes included a 30-plus rocket attack on an Iraqi base near Kirkuk that resulted in the death of a U.S. citizen and injured four U.S. service members and two members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF).

KH has a strong linkage with Iran’s Quds Force and has repeatedly received lethal aid and other support from Iran that it has used to attack OIR coalition forces.

The OIR coalition is in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS and provide advice and assistance to the ISF. The U.S. and its coalition partners fully respect Iraqi sovereignty, and support a strong and independent Iraq. The U.S., however, will not be deterred from exercising its right of self-defense.

It is important to note that KH attacks have also injured multiple members of the ISF. Secretary Esper and Prime Minister Mahdi have shared with each other their commitment to see these KH attacks on ISF and OIR forces cease once and for all.

Iran and their KH proxy forces must cease their attacks on U.S. and coalition forces, and respect Iraq’s sovereignty, to prevent additional defensive actions by U.S. forces.

Joe Kent: After embassy siege in Iraq, here is the way forward in Mideast for US


Joe Kent: After embassy siege in Iraq, here is the way forward in Mideast for US


If you have not paid attention to Iraq beyond the fight against ISIS, having Iraqis lay siege to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad may seem surprising.
They are protesting the recent series of airstrikes the U.S. conducted against the Iranian proxy in Iraq, Katib Al-Hizballah. That group had conducted multiple rocket attacks on U.S. installations in Iraq in the last two months, with the most recent killing a U.S. contractor. Our retaliatory strikes were labeled a violation of Iraqi sovereignty by the Iraqi government and key members of the Iraqi government have vowed to strike the U.S. again.
These events come as a surprise because the U.S. national security establishment has told us that despite the controversial beginnings of the Iraq conflict, we were successful at building a real government that can be a strategic partner in the region. To quickly make a government we allowed Shia exiles and Iranian proxies into the Iraqi government and turned a blind eye to Iran’s control of the Iraqi state.
The Bush administration began this lie for obvious reasons. The premise of the invasion was debunked early on and we lost almost 5,000 Americans and spent about a trillion dollars to get Iraq somewhat stable and needed something to show for it. But the stability we sold as a victory from 2008-2013 was just a tactical pause in the Sunni vs. Shia civil war that solidified Iran’s control.
The Obama administration was eager to continue this lie because it allowed us to withdraw from Iraq with the fig leaf of success. Iran’s proxies wanted to make sure that we left on schedule and killed nearly 30 U.S. service members between May and August 2011 to ensure we left by the end of that year. The Obama administration had no desire to confront Iranian aggression; they valued cutting the so-called Iran deal above all other security priorities in the region.
Iraq’s Sunnis proved they were not defeated and would not live under Shia control when ISIS invaded Iraq in 2014. The Iraqi army promptly fled their posts, abandoned their U.S. weaponry  and handed large swaths of northern and western Iraq to ISIS. This was a major blow to the narrative that Iraq was a real country with a real army.
To replenish its defeated military, the Iraqi government allowed Shia militants to become part of the Iraqi security forces and put Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a U.S.-designated terrorist, in charge of the newly branded Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). When the U.S. returned to Iraq In 2015, not only did we have to re-equip the Iraqi army but we outfitted Iran’s proxies as well. Long-term considerations took second place to the priority of stopping ISIS immediately.
We cannot forget that we hold the upper hand – we don’t need Iraq but Iran does. Iran needs to retain control of Iraq to maintain links to its proxies in Syria, Lebanon and Bahrain and to maintain the ability to strike regional rival Saudi Arabia.
The PMF and their Iranian masters were more than happy to let us crush ISIS but they don’t want us in Iraq long-term unless they can provoke us into a confrontation. They use us to distract Iraqis and Iranians from their corruption and brutality – diverting the rage of their people from them.
So what options do we have? Do we stay and play tit-for-tat strikes until we find ourselves further entrenched in Middle Eastern wars, this time against the Iraqi forces we just equipped?
We cannot forget that we hold the upper hand – we don’t need Iraq but Iran does. Iran needs to retain control of Iraq to maintain links to its proxies in Syria, Lebanon and Bahrain and to maintain the ability to strike regional rival Saudi Arabia. Iran’s strategic strength lies in its proxies and to fund these proxies they need to be able to do business in Iraq. Our sanctions have suffocated most of their other income streams.
Therefore we should impose sanctions on Iraq, forcing the Iraqi government to make a hard choice, Iran or the world economy.
We should also move U.S. personnel to the Kurdish region of Iraq or send them home. They are a liability if within striking distance of Iran’s proxies. The Iranians can’t provoke a fight or kill Americans if we are not there to act as targets. We have 17 years of data on the Iranian militias we can use for strikes if needed.
Another factor on our side is the grassroots protest movement calling for the removal of the Iraqi government and demanding that Iran stop interfering with Iraq. We should support the protesters to destabilize the current government and to make the Iranians spend more resources that they don’t have in Iraq. We should do the same with protesters in Iran, making the Iranian government spend more at home instead of on their proxies.
We should not be tricked into thinking we have to stay in Iraq, partnered with a government that has done nothing but betray us. We can leave until they make a compelling reason for us to return. We do not need Iraq, they need us.
The argument to stay centers on being able to react to a resurgent ISIS. This is an emotional and losing argument. ISIS will return regardless of what we do. That’s because the Sunnis of Iraq and Syria are surrounded by militant Shias – ISIS or something like it is their only recourse. We can use that to regulate Shia expansion and occasionally bomb ISIS if it appears to be gaining momentum.
The national security establishment has led us to believe that we must be deeply involved in Iraq, constantly spending, fighting and dying for some nebulous influence and stability that has never been realistically defined. We possess the most powerful economy in the world and have the ability to project power when needed; we must understand our strengths and use them effectively.

Scotland’s hateful hate-crime law: Ordinary citizens are viewed with disdain

On hate patrol? by Kathleen Stock    March 29, 2024 If the Scottish establishment is to be believed, ordinary Scots are positively frothing ...