US And France Attempt To Keep Israel From Obliterating Hezbollah

Using restraint and calling for it is what entices terrorist groups to attack

US, France scramble to stop Hezbollah attack sparking larger Lebanon war

The United States and France scrambled on Sunday to prevent the sparking of a third Lebanon war after the Hezbollah attack that killed 12 Druze children in the Golan Heights village of Majdal Shams on Saturday. Israel stood poised to respond militarily.

“We have been in continuous discussions with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts since the horrific attack yesterday,” US National Security Council spokesperson Adriane Watson stated.

The United States “is working on a diplomatic solution along the Blue Line that will end all attacks once and for all and allow citizens on both sides of the border to return safely to their homes.” (the Blue Line is essentially the border between Israel and Lebanon and the Golan Heights, made up of blue barrels, and which Hezbollah keeps violating)

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with both Prime Ministers, Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Najib Makati of Lebanon.

Where’s Biden? Oh, right, weekend. I have yet to find an article which shows him engaged on this issue.

Diplomats have urged Israel to constrain its response to avert an all-out war between the two countries. Macron told Netanyahu that France was “fully committed to doing everything possible to avoid a new escalation in the region by sending messages to all parties to the conflict,” the Elyse said.

“He also reiterated the need to reach a diplomatic solution to the issue of the Blue Line, based on [United Nations Security Council] Resolution 1701 and his determination to contribute to it.”

Any war won’t be between Israel and Lebanon: it will be Israel annihilating Hezbollah, which Lebanon has wanted gone for a long time, as they create lots of problems, including damage to Lebanon’s economy. Anyway, if France was being attacked by a group designated a terrorist organization (France has that designation for Hezbollah) constantly, and the group was intentionally attacking civilians, what would Macron be saying? Would he be calling for restraint, or saying that France would destroy them? Calling for restraint against an Islamist terrorist group simply emboldens them, as they see weakness. It would be better if France and the US were out there saying to Hezbollah “stop now, or you will be destroyed. We’ll give Israel full reign, and perhaps we’ll join in.” Politicians have forgotten the lessons of 9/11 and other big terrorist attacks.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Tokyo on Sunday that “It’s so important that we help diffuse that conflict” along the northern border, “not only prevented it from spreading but to diffuse it.”

It’s simple: threaten Hezbollah. Threaten Iran. In case Blinkin missed it, Hezbollah is a US State Department designated terrorist group. Why is the Biden admin placating them? Kowtowing to them?

Read: US And France Attempt To Keep Israel From Obliterating Hezbollah »

Green Wackos Thwarted At Paris Olympics

Looks like the authorities in France and Paris were in no mood to put up with the shenanigans by the climate cultists (via Watts Up With That?)

Climate protest in Paris foiled on first day of Olympics

French police on July 27 blocked climate activists from holding a demonstration in central Paris on the first official day of the Olympic Games.

Protesters from Extinction Rebellion (XR), once notorious for shutting down bridges over the Thames River in London, had planned to occupy the Pont des Arts bridge over the Seine, which had hosted the Games’ opening ceremony only hours earlier.

On July 27 morning, police officers “arrested 45 people belonging to a radical ecology group who were about to carry out a demonstration,” Paris prosecutors told AFP. (snip)

The stint on the bridge, which organisers previously said would be “more visible than disruptive”, was called off after police arrested XR activists before the protest even began, the group said in a statement.

“The French government has deployed great resources to block our special Olympic action,” Extinction Rebellion France said in a statement on X. “Our democracy burns, and we are watching the flame of Paris 2024.”

They were stopped from certainly causing a whole bunch of trouble for all the athletes and attendees for the Olympics. Do they ever stop and think on whether their protests bring people to their side? Might they be driving away people who are concerned with climate doom?

Activists are calling for more participative democracy and the creation of a citizen assembly to design a new climate-focused Constitution for France, which finds itself in a political impasse following elections earlier in July.

It’s not much of a “democracy” belief if they want to blow it all up because they aren’t getting their way, is it? Last time I checked people went and voted in the elections.

“We need a new model for society, which has to be fair and democratically accepted. We want to put citizens back at the heart of the political project that we want to see,” said Mr Sandro, an XR activist who did not want to give his full name.

And what kind of model is it? Why do they so rarely say what they want? They aren’t getting their way, so they want everything changed.

Read: Green Wackos Thwarted At Paris Olympics »

Elizabeth Warren Says Supreme Court Is On The Ballot

If you listen Democrats will tell you exactly what they want to do

Elizabeth Warren: ‘Supreme Court is on the ballot’

Sen. Elizabeth Warren said President Joe Biden will remind Americans that “the Supreme Court is on the ballot” in November with a Supreme Court reform proposal Biden will be releasing Monday.

“I think what Joe Biden will do over the next six months is he’s going to keep drawing that to the attention of the American people and reminding them when they vote in November, the Supreme Court is on the ballot,” Warren (D-Mass.) said Sunday in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“And that is a good reason to vote for Kamala Harris, to vote for Democrats in both the Senate and the House.”

Biden is expected to unveil a proposal for Supreme Court reforms, such as term limits for justices and an enforceable code of ethics. Biden is also expected to push for limiting immunity for presidents through a constitutional amendment, after the Supreme Court recently ruled that former President Donald Trump has some immunity from prosecution.

The only way there can be term limits is with a constitutional amendment. Said code of ethics may be illegal, as it is highly questionable as to whether Congress has this power over the Supreme Court. Sure, they can impeach, but, code of ethics? As written by people who have their own serious ethics issues, starting with insider trading? Laughable. Joe should remember that if the limiting immunity thing passes they could then come after him

“We have a Supreme Court that has basically jumped the guardrails and is out there giving power to the president saying that the president can commit any act that the president wants, saying that Congress cannot authorize agencies to act,” Warren said. “So we’ve got a Supreme Court that is actively undermining our democracy.”

Which is a compete misunderstanding of the ruling. The POTUS has the same immunity that members of Congress do. But, Fauxahantos is upset that the Court keeps limiting the power of the Executive Branch, demanding that Congress do their job. Further, what’s not being said in this piece is that Democrats want to pack the court. I’ve written here, I’ve said it in other comments, said it on Twitter, said it in real life, just like some other, this election is huge, because they really do want to pack the Court so they can obliterate the Constitution.

Trump and his team best be on their A+ game and make sure people get out to vote for him.

Read: Elizabeth Warren Says Supreme Court Is On The Ballot »

If All You See…

…is a horrible bridge made from carbon polluting concrete, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler, with a post on the Sunday morning funnies section.

It’s shorts week.

Read: If All You See… »

Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Happy Sunday! Another wonderful day in the Once and Future Nation Of America. The Sun is shining, the birds are singing, and we aren’t sure who is actually running the government. This pinup is by Bill Randall, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. The Right Scoop covers Trump saying he will do more outside events
  2. The Other McCain discusses returning America to a dark place
  3. The Lid notes Dems courting the anti-Semitic vote
  4. The Gateway Pundit features Vance responding to Kamala’s “loyalty” slur
  5. Outside The Beltway notes Kamala’s spamming for support
  6. neo-neocon covers the beginning of the Kamala cult
  7. Moonbattery highlights Kamala failing as broadband czar as well
  8. Legal Insurrection shows Kamala wanting you to eat less
  9. Jihad Watch covers women killed in Iran
  10. Irons In The Fire notes another civil rights victory
  11. IOTW Report shows Kamala as part of Biden’s horrendous Afghanistan withdrawal
  12. Geller Report discusses France saying Iran behind attacks on trains
  13. Gates Of Vienna wonders about the Islamization of Europe being a conspiracy theory
  14. Climate Depot wonders how every country can be warming faster than every country
  15. And last, but, not least, Jo Nova covers what’s needed for EVs to succeed

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

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

Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list. And do you have a favorite blog you can recommend be added to the feedreader?

Two great sites for getting news links are Liberty Daily and Whatafinger.

Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »

Hezbollah Attacks Children In Israel, Kills 12

I wonder if Cackles will support Israel now that she’s the Democrat nominee?

What will she say to protect Hezbollah? Or, is that Hxzbollah, because the Islamist supporters do not like to write the names?

Hezbollah rocket of Iranian production kills 12 children in Majdal Shams, dozens wounded

Following a direct hit in the area of Majdal Shams, a large Druze town, on Saturday evening, twelve were killed, among them children and teenagers between the ages of 10 and 20. At least 19 were wounded to varying degrees, including six seriously injured, three moderately, and 10 lightly injured, including those suffering from anxiety attacks.

They were transported to hospitals by Magen David Adom teams and IDF helicopters, MDA said in a statement. Following the direct hit in Majdal Shams, about 100 doses and blood components were provided to hospitals, MDA stated. MDA has asked the public to donate blood during the week.

The rocket hit a soccer field near a playground.

IDF Spokesperson R-adm. Daniel Hagari said early Sunday that the rocket which was fired at Majdal Shams was a Falaq 1 rocket of Iranian production whose warhead carries over 50 kilos of explosives. Hagari stated such a rocket is only in the hands of Hezbollah, adding the terror group had “carried out the launch from the Chebaa area in Lebanon.”

Hagari also named the Hezbollah commander who guided the fire as “Ali Muhammad Yihye.”

And the Biden admin is concerned that Israel might strike back (Yihye best be writing a will)

(NY Post) The Biden administration is extremely worried Hezbollah’s rocket attack on Golan Heights Saturday that killed at least 12 and wounded dozens of others could “trigger” a full-scale war between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group, according to a report.

US officials are fretting that without a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas terrorists over the ongoing fighting in Gaza, a war between the Jewish state and Iran-backed Hezbollah is becoming more likely — which will fuel the regional crisis and drag the United States even further into the ongoing conflict, Axios reported.

“What happened today could be the trigger we have been worried about and tried to avoid for 10 months,” one American official told the outlet.

Well, they’re not worried officially, as there has been no actual statement. Perhaps if the Biden regime had been more forceful in defending our allies in Israel against radical, terrorist Islam Hezbollah wouldn’t have gotten frisky. It’s not like it and Hamas aren’t on the US State Department list of terrorist organizations or something. But, then, it seems that the Biden admin has been working hard to get big wars going.

Read: Hezbollah Attacks Children In Israel, Kills 12 »

Trump Explains He’s Not Against EVs, He’s Against Mandates

The media has been trying to create a rift between Elon Musk and The Donald, making it seem as if Trump is badmouthing Musk, Tesla, and EVs. Nope

Trump sets record straight on Elon Musk, electric vehicles

Despite having a “good relationship” with Tesla’s Elon Musk, former President Trump said he’s completely “against” an electric vehicle mandate.

During an interview on “FOX & Friends” on Thursday, Trump responded to claims that Musk would donate $45 million a month to a super PAC in support of his candidacy and discussed his relationship with the tech mogul despite his negative feelings towards an EV mandate.

“Somebody told me he was going to give me $45 million a month. I said, that sounds like a lot. And even for Elon, that’s a lot,” Trump said. (snip)

The former president, however, touted his “good relationship” with the Tesla founder despite the report.

“He [Elon Musk] did say, I strongly endorse you, despite the fact that I’m against the electric car mandate,” Trump explained before calling the “effort” ridiculous.

“I disagree with the electric cars for everybody,” Trump said, arguing that he’s “very much against” it.

“You want a gasoline propelled car or want maybe a hybrid. You want to have a choice. And that includes electric,” he said.

And that’s the thing: if you want an EV, get one. That’s your choice. If you want a straight gas, regular hybrid, or plugin hybrid, get one. Though, I personally think plugin hybrids are idiotic. When my lease is up at the end of March I will be leasing either a Civic Hybrid or an Accord Sport Hybrid. However, I am seriously considering a lease on an EV, which is $298 a month for 36 months for 30,000 miles (that’s all I need) with nothing down. Manufacturers are offering insane lease deals to employees and dealership employees. For those who understand leasing, this is a $53K vehicle. I pay $225 for a $30K Civic, and I put almost $6k down (I had massive positive equity in 2022, and pocketed almost $6k. I wanted the lower payment).

They’re doing a pretty wild lease for regular customers, $359, you would end up putting about $4000 to $4500 down, though.

We blew out all the ones we have, and other employees put their names on a few in shipping. I am seriously considering one, but, there is a sticky wicket: charging. Four different maps tell me different things on where I can fast charge. I’m not going places to do a level 2 charge and sit there for a long time. All the maps agree on one public charger on the NW side of Raleigh, would take me 20-25 minutes to drive there. Others say stuff is closer, but, they seem to be Tesla superchargers, which are not compatible. This gives me great, great pause.

But, then, there’s the pricing to charge: most of the level 3s are around 43 cents per kilowatt, so, to do a full charge is about $34. It costs me roughly that to fill up my Civic, and, I can go about 60 miles further. So, where is the monetary savings? Granted, I would choose the package where I get $750 of free charging. Not sure if I want to put a level 2 charger at home, would cost up to $2000 (though I could choose a package with a $500 credit and $250 free charging). I do not want a level one, where you plug it into a 3 prong outlet. First, some little punk could unplug it overnight for a lark, second, it can take days to charge at level one. I don’t have a garage.

However, this is where people save money having an EV over another car: charging at home. Not charging out and about. And most people do not have a garage. How many live in apartments? Where does the savings come in?

If you want to travel, a Tesla is probably your best bet. I would have to look for a CSS type plug. An 8 hour trip could quickly become over 9, provided you do not have to wait for the charger to be free. This is giving me serious pause. I know I will pay quite a bit more for a lease in March for a hybrid, with rates higher and cost of vehicles up, but, just not sure I want to give the EV a try. I just want to get in and drive, not play around. And this vehicle is nice. It’s just below the top trim. It drives fantastic. Took one on a 40 minute drive the other week. Enjoyable. It is about 8 inches wider than my Civic, and 5 wider than the Accord I had previously. Doesn’t seem like much, but, 5 to 8 inches in a vehicle is huge. I’ll wait and see what my coworkers think before doing anything.

If I get one, it should be my choice. Not government applying force.

Read: Trump Explains He’s Not Against EVs, He’s Against Mandates »

If All You See…

…is a wonderful low carbon bike offsetting horrible fossil fueled boats, you might just be a Warmist

T he blog of the day is The View from Lady Lake, with a post on the puppet master.

Read: If All You See… »

Media Looking To Help Turn Biden’s Horrible Economic Record Into Helper For Kamala

The slobbering by the Credentialed Media is just out of the starting blocks……but, wait, the AP does a terrible job protecting Cackles after the first few paragraphs

Harris will carry Biden’s economic record into the election. She hopes to turn it into an asset

A key question is looming for Vice President Kamala Harris as she edges closer to gaining the Democratic presidential nomination: Can she turn the Biden-Harris economic record into a political advantage in a way that President Joe Biden failed to do?

In some ways, her task would seem straightforward: The administration oversaw a vigorous rebound from the pandemic recession, one that shrank the U.S. unemployment rate to a half-century low of 3.4% in early 2023 — far below the painful 6.4% rate when Biden and Harris took office in 2021. The rate stayed below 4% for more than two years, the longest such stretch since the 1960s.

Most of those jobs were re-hires from all those laid off due to Wuhan Flu

Boosted by the administration’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package, robust economic growth sent demand for workers soaring, forcing employers to jack up wages. Paychecks rose particularly fast for lower-paid workers, thereby narrowing income inequality.

Soon, though, clogged supply chains caused parts shortages, as demand for furniture, cars, and other goods, juiced by the administration’s stimulus, soared. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine escalated gas and food prices. In June 2022, inflation reached a four-decade high.

Wow, that’s some serious gaslighting. Much of the supply chain was damaged due to the COVID shutdowns, thanks to Democrats here in the US. And, of course other nations run by Leftists. But, the juiced part? The Biden admin was warned about giving people free money. Then we get the BS about the Russian invasion on food and energy.

The spike in prices was so severe that it offset most of the wage growth that workers had enjoyed. And it soured Americans on the economy. Consumer sentiment plunged in late 2021 and has barely recovered even as inflation has plummeted from 9.1% in 2022 to 3%.

The thing about the inflation is that those prices really do not come down. For instance, my favorite soup, Progresso, was about $1.58 before it started, at $2.50 now

In fairness, you can’t blame Biden-Harris for this all: start with China for screwing with coronaviruses. Then you get what Biden and the rest of the leaders did. And gas and energy really didn’t have anything to do with the shutdowns, but, with the Biden-Harris policies.

Speaking this week in Indianapolis, Harris highlighted her support for “affordable health care” and “affordable child care.” She also charged that Trump would eliminate the Biden administration’s price cap on insulin, which the White House often cites as an example of its efforts to reduce high drug costs.

Affordable health care? That’s single payer. Affordable child care? Government running it.

And to fight inflation, the Federal Reserve, led by Chair Jerome Powell, raised its key interest rate at the fastest pace in four decades. Borrowing costs soared as a result. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has more than doubled, from a low of about 2.7% during the pandemic to about 6.8% last week.

I see people’s brains melt when they see that they are paying $2K to $4k more for vehicles (gross profit is still the same) and rates are considerably higher.

Perhaps most painfully, housing affordability has worsened. Both prices and mortgage rates are much higher than they were three years ago. The monthly payment for a newly purchased median-priced home has jumped nearly one-third in that time, to more than $3,000, according to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. Would-be homebuyers need to earn at least $100,000 to afford the median-priced home in nearly half of all metro areas, the center has found.

Then there are groceries. A pound of ground beef has jumped $1.05 since Biden’s inauguration, to a national average of $5.36 a pound, according to government data. Though egg prices are far below the peak they reached during a bout of avian flu in late 2022, at $2.72 a dozen they’re still 85% more expensive than they were three years ago. A pound of chicken has surged 25% to $2.01 since January 2021.

What happened? The Associated Press has done a terrible job in trying to protect Harris. The article basically says the economy is hurting Americans.

Read: Media Looking To Help Turn Biden’s Horrible Economic Record Into Helper For Kamala »

Climate Nuts Protest Toyota At Paris Olympics

I wonder how many of them took fossil fueled trips to Paris? How many are wearing clothes and stuff made with petroleum?

Protest Posters Targeting Toyota Debut at Paris Olympics

The Paris Olympics are now underway, and the effects of the competition on the surrounding city are numerous, including security checkpoints and transit changes. Some of the effects are a little more subtle than others. Parisians and visitors alike might see some posters up that at first look like advertisements for Toyota, a sponsor of both the Olympics and the Paralympics.

Examining the posters more closely reveals something a bit different, though: these aren’t ads for Toyota; rather, they’re protests against the automaker. The Art Newspaper has more details on the protest campaign, which reportedly features posters added to around 100 transit stops in Paris and several other French cities.

In a post on their Instagram account, the group Brandalism — who also targeted Wimbledon with similar techniques — stated their objection to Toyota’s Olympic presence. “Toyota’s sponsorship of the #Olympics is a gold-medal example of sportswashing, or polluting companies using high profile sponsorship deals to hide their massive emissions,” they wrote. The campaign is a collaboration between Brandalism and Résistance à l’Agression Publicitaire.

Seriously, it’s expected that around 15 million will travel from around the world to Paris for the Olympics and Paralympic Games. That’s just visitors, that doesn’t include all the athletes and staff.

Another one of the posters reads, “Art Belongs in Paris. Giant Polluters Do Not.” The images on some of them echo the work of Vincent van Gogh; it’s not hard to imagine a pedestrian glancing at one and taking it for an advertisement for an art exhibition, right up until the text comes into focus.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. How many of the group ride on fossil fueled buses? Will these posters change anyone’s mind? Will anyone care?

Anyhow, a metal band I love, Gojira, who are French and really one of the top metal bands out there right now, opened up the games. This is amazing

Read: Climate Nuts Protest Toyota At Paris Olympics »

Pirate's Cove