Please note that you can leave a comment on any of our posts at our Facebook page.  Subscribers can also comment at length at our Angel's Corner Forum.

DECEMBER 13-14,  2022

OCCASIONALLY THERE IS GOOD NEWS:  It isn't often that we can report something good happening at the vastly corrupt UN.  Today is different.  Iran took a beating, well deserved, and we cheer.  From ABC News:

UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Economic and Social Council voted Wednesday to immediately oust Iran from the U.N.’s premiere global body fighting for gender equality because of its systematic violation of the rights of women and girls, a decision the United States hailed as “historic” and Iran claimed was based on “fabricated allegations.”

The U.S.-sponsored resolution was sparked by Iran’s ongoing brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters who took to the streets in September after the death of a 22-year-old woman taken into custody by the morality police. At least 488 people have been killed since the demonstrations began, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that’s been monitoring the protests, while another 18,200 people have been detained by authorities.

The vote in the 54-member council known as ECOSOC to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women for the remainder of its 2022-2026 term was 29-8 with 16 abstentions.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield called the vote “historic,” the first-ever ouster of a commission member and “the right thing to do.”

“I think we sent a strong message to the Iranian government and we sent a strong message to Iranian women,” she told reporters after the vote.

Before the vote, Thomas-Greenfield cited the death of Mahsa Amini who was accused of wearing her headscarf improperly by the morality police; the solitary confinement of two women reporters who told her story; and the young women and girls who have been killed or disappeared for speaking out along with thousands of protesters reportedly detained and tortured.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the vote shows a growing consensus among the United States and its allies and partners around the world that Iran must be held accountable for “atrocities” such as the recent “horrifying executions” of protesters in Tehran.

Established in 1946, the Commission on the Status of Women plays a leading role in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives around the world and shaping global standards to empower women and achieve gender equality.

Its 45 members, from all regions of the world, are elected for four-year terms by the Economic and Social Council. Iran was elected from the Asian region with 43 votes.

Before Wednesday’s vote, Iran’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani accused the United States of using its “longstanding hostility toward the Iranian people” under “the guise of human rights” to remove Iran from the commission. He then cited efforts by the U.S. and its allies to topple “multiple legitimate governments,” implying that it is also trying to topple Iran’s.

Iravani said the U.S. resolution would impede the advancement of Iranian women who he said are “strong, dynamic, self-sufficient and intelligent” participants in the country’s economic, social and political life.

COMMENT:  I'm very surprised that the United States sponsored this courageous resolution.  Up to now we have disgraced ourselves by constant appeasement of the Iranian government.  Maybe there's a new recognition that this policy, initiated by appeaser-in-chief Barack Hussein Obama Jr,  has failed miserably. I'm not convinced that the Biden team is entirely on board with this view.  We'll wait and see.

The women of Iran have led the revolution of recent months.  They are heroines.  By contrast, so-called "women's" organizations in the United States have been silent about the courage shown by their Iranian sisters.  Are they really women's organizations today, or merely front operators for the political left.  That is a news story.  I wish someone would tell it.

December 14, 2022       Permalink

DONALD'S FATE:  We always caution that polls are snapshots in time.  However, when a number of polls and surveys start coming together, it may well signal an important change or trend.

For former President Trump, the trends have not been good.  It does appear that his own party is turning against him, and his most enthusiastic supporters are exhibiting an unusual silence.  From USA Today:

Republican support for Donald Trump's presidential bid in 2024 has cratered, an exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds, as the former president is beleaguered by midterm losses and courtroom setbacks.

By 2-1, GOP and GOP-leaning voters now say they want Trump's policies but a different standard-bearer to carry them. While 31% want the former president to run, 61% prefer some other Republican nominee who would continue the policies Trump has pursued.

They have a name in mind: Two-thirds of Republicans and those inclined to vote Republican want Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president. By double digits, 56% to 33%, they prefer DeSantis over Trump. 

"Republicans and conservative independents increasingly want Trumpism without Trump," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center.

The findings are a red flag for Trump, whose core support has held remarkably solid through firestorms over his personal behavior, his provocative rhetoric, and his most controversial actions in the White House. But he has become increasingly embattled over his role in fueling the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, his alleged mishandling of sensitive documents when he left the White House, and investigations into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

COMMENT:  The phrase "Trumpism without Trump" is the key here.  Republicans generally like Trump's policies, and surveys show that a majority of Americans like them too.  Statistically, the country was much stronger under Trump.

But Trump is also widely seen as obnoxious, egotistical, mean-spirited and crude.  Other than that, he's a nice guy.  But he seems to have passed the tolerance point with the American people.  They see him as an obstacle to GOP victory in 2024, not an asset.  They want Trumpism without Trump, and they like what they see in Ron DeSantis. 

Can Trump bounce back?  I doubt it.  Remember, he's a known quantity.  He's already been president.  What will he do, announce a "new Trump," just as we had the "new Nixon" in the 1960s?  Will he kiss babies, shed an occasional tear, talk about his mother?  Will he ask Mitch McConnell for a date?

DeSantis is a brilliant politician.  He knows his moves, and Trump may well have met his match.

But, of course, we don't predict here.-4

December 13, 2022       Permalink

DECEMBER 11-12,  2022

WELCOME TO THIRD-WORLD TACTICS:  As inauguration day approaches for the new Congress, the Biden compound is getting ready to launch a smear campaign of unprecedented proportions.  From the New York Post: 

Just when you thought our politics could not get more poisonous, a recent meeting in California suggests the past is mere prelude. The Washington Post, which revealed the powwow, described it as Biden family “allies” planning an offensive to blunt any investigation into the Bidens’ alleged multimillion-dollar influence-peddling schemes.

Republicans will see it more like the gathering of the Legion of (Democratic) Doom. Some of the most controversial political operatives are involved in the all-hands-on-deck effort to protect the Bidens.

The California meeting’s host was none other than Hunter Biden’s friend, agent and lawyer, Kevin Morris. After Hunter was placed under investigation for, among other possible charges, tax evasion, Morris reportedly paid off as much as $2.8 million in back taxes for Hunter.

Morris, per the Washington Post, called for a “more aggressive” response to those seeking to investigate the alleged influence peddling. That plan includes hitting critics, such as Fox News, with possible defamation lawsuits. (For full disclosure, I appear as a legal analyst on Fox News.)

The paper also reported Morris “outlined extensive research on two potential witnesses against Hunter Biden — a spurned business partner named Tony Bobulinski and a computer repairman named John Paul Mac Isaac.” “Spurned” is hardly the sole or most relevant description of Bobulinski: The businessman was recruited by the Biden family to manage foreign deals and later directly contradicted President Biden’s claims that he knew nothing of those dealings. His testimony could present a serious threat in the coming House investigation in establishing not only the president’s knowledge but his possible receipt of proceeds from the deals.

What’s most interesting about the piece is why the Washington Post was given such access and such a detailed account. Generally, political operatives lay out scorched-earth campaigns in secret. But someone wanted this campaign to be public before the House can call any witnesses.

For key witnesses like Bobulinski, the message is about as subtle as a 2-by-4 to the head. The Washington Post is viewed as one of the most pro-Biden newspapers in the country and only recently admitted that the Hunter Biden laptop was authentic after pushing the false Russian-disinformation claim. Now the paper is detailing a plan that could create an open season on those who might try to substantiate the Biden family’s influence peddling.
Notably, the article stresses this effort is “operating separately from the White House.

COMMENT:  Read the rest.  We're in for an exciting January.   Stay inside during a snowstorm, turn on the heat, and watch the demolition derby. 

President Biden is in trouble, but, up to now, the Republicans have not had the power in Congress to investigate him.  That has now changed.  The GOP controls the House, and with that comes the full power to investigate, and to put witnesses under oath.  The damage to the Biden presidency could be fatal.  As you watch, please think of what you're seeing as Act 1 of the 2024 presidential election campaign. That's what it is.

December 12, 2022       Permalink 

AS THE NYPD GOES, SO GOES AMERICAN POLICING:  The New York Police Department is generally considered the best large-city department in the country.  It isn't perfect, and it's had its bad moments, but, overall, this majority-minority department sets a number of standards for other departments to shoot for.

So it's sad to see what's happening to the NYPD, but when we have cities run by leftists, apologists for criminals, and defund-the-police racketeers, who could expect anything else?  From Daily Mail: 

Thousands of New York City police officers have ditched the country's biggest police force and fled to other states for higher salaries.

Police department recruiters from other states, including Florida and Colorado have rushed to the Big Apple to persuade some of the city's 34,000 officers into relocating in exchange for higher pay and better work environments.

The retention rate among NYPD officers is rocky, especially since 1,225 officers have resigned through November before reaching five years at the police force, according to the New York Times. About 3,200 total have left this year, including retirees.

NYPD is experiencing its largest exodus since 2002 as salaries and increased hours appear not to be enough.

Some officers have flocked to the sunny state of Florida to receive a guaranteed sign-on bonus of $5,000 and funds to further their education at a state police academy.

Spero Georgedakis, a former Miami officer who now works to assist in cop relocation, recently posted a television ad for $20,000 per month to persuade NYPD cops to relocate to Florida, according to the news outlet.

The number of states advertising to New York officers is unclear, but generally, recruiters lead with higher pay and more benefits.

'We don't want to deplete New York City of their officers,' Georgedakis told the news outlet. 'But police are needed everywhere, and we want them to choose Florida.'

Amid the 'defund the police' and George Floyd protests, about 9,400 have left the NYPD since 2020, according to the news outlet. 

COMMENT:   More than anything else, a police officer wants respect, and appreciation for his work.  Try finding that in cities where the hard left prevails and the news organizations relish a good anti-police story.

December 11, 2022       Permalink