COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

KOBANE – Aircraft of the US-led coalition on Tuesday launched a number of airstrikes on headquarters of the Islamic State (ISIS) radical group in Syria’s northeastern Raqqa province. This comes as the Kurdish-Led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) started a campaign to liberate Raqqa province from ISIS militants.

Russia ready to coordinate efforts with US-led coalition on liberating Raqqa — FM



TASHKENT, May 24. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Russia is ready to coordinate efforts with US-led coalition and Kurdish forces in Syria to liberate Raqqa.
“I cannot say whether reports that such actions have already started are true, but we are ready for coordination - that I can confirm," Lavrov said on Tuesday commenting on the statement of a representative of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party that soon an active phase an offensive at Raqqa will start with participation of Kurds, the United States and Russia.

"Raqqa is one of the aims of the anti-terrorist coalition, just like Iraq’s Mosul. We are confident that these cities could have been liberated more effectively and faster if our military officials (of Russia and US) would have started coordinating their actions much earlier,” the foreign minister noted.

"There is a chance now that such coordination will take place. We think that Russian Aerospace Defense Forces and US-led coalition’s aviation should work synchronously, in coordination, and help those on the ground to really resist terrorist units. First of all, among them [forces on the ground] are, of course, armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic, and, of course, different groups of Kurdish forces, including the armed part of the Democratic Union Party," Lavrov said.

Russia, US agree to coordinate their anti-terrorism efforts

According to the minister, Russia and the United States have agreed to switch over from information exchange to coordination of their anti-terrorism efforts, practical aspects of these issues are now being discussed by the two countries’ military.

"We have agreed with our American partners, not overnight but through clearing up their doubts and reflections and even overcoming their resistance, to finally switch over from information exchange to coordination of anti-terrorism efforts. Practical aspects of these issues are now being looked at by our defense ministries. As you know, full-time communications channels have been established between the Russia airbase at Khmeimim and U.S. representatives in the Jordanian capital city. There is a direct Moscow-Washington link. Naturally, we have the Geneva-based round-the-clock Russian-U.S. center for Syria truce monitoring," Lavrov told journalists.GROZNY, May 24. /TASS/. Russia’s operation in Syria is a “pin-point military plan" and it will never grow into a "new Afghanistan," Deputy Russian Security Council Secretary Yevgeny Lukyanov told reporters on Tuesday.
"Someone predicted that this will be a new Afghanistan or something else. That will never happen," Lukyanov stressed. “This is a pin-point limited military plan," he said, describing Russia’s campaign in Syria.

"The main goal of our military operation was to launch a political dialogue," he said. “There needs to be an agreement, an agreement only through compromise."

"We are not Syrians, we will not fight for Syria there," Lukyanov said. "They should solve all issues themselves. We are helping but you see in what a limited format."

33,000 gunmen already killed in Syria

According to the official, some 33,000 gunmen have already been destroyed in Syria in the operation against terrorists, and 5,000 of them have been killed by the coalition forces.

“According to our estimates, in the beginning of our operation Jabhat al-Nusra and Daesh had around 80,000 gunmen," Yevgeny Lukyanov said. "28,000 have been already destroyed, and the coalition destroyed another 5,000 over two years."

He said a turning point in the fight against terrorism in Syria has already come. “I believe that not only we think so," Lukyanov added.

“Judging from the reaction of the so-called actors on this theater of war and sometimes aggressive manifestations of the terrorist irreconcilable opposition, they strive to disrupt the process that is already a sign of a turning point."

Another sign is the withdrawal of a major part of Russia’s forces from Syria. "More than 100 settlements have acknowledged the ceasefire as a legal fact and observe it," he said. “Naturally, in these conditions the forces opposing this process will do everything to torpedo it."

Russia launched the operation against terrorists in Syria on September 30, 2015 at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Ceasefire took effect in Syria on February 27, 2016. Russia withdrew the main part of its forces from Syria in mid-March but its air task force continued delivering strikes against terrorists.

46 comments:

  1. The word is that there are 30,000 or 40,000 Kurds and Free Syrian Forces marching on Raqqa as we speak. I doubt that our guys, after two years of hard work are all that crazy about having the bear come in, drop a few dumb bombs, and claim credit . . . . . , but there's probably nothing to do but grin and bear (not a pun) it.

    Fallujah, meanwhile, is seeing quite a battle. The headcutters are having a rough couple of months.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Iran’s Soleimani leads US-backed attack on Fallujah

    For months, US President Barack Obama and the Pentagon opposed the participation by pro-Iranian militias in the war against ISIS in Iraq.
    The main objection were to the Popular Mobilization Army commanded by Iranian Gen. Abu Mahdi al Muhandis who has been named as a “specially designated global terrorist” by Washington.
    The US was also against the Badr Organization (formerly the Badr Brigade) commanded by Hadi Al-Amiri from Iran’s Al Qods Brigades. These militias slaughtered the Sunni residents of cities that they recaptured from ISIS during the last year. As a result, many Sunni Iraqis preferred to be ruled by ISIS, and did not trust the coalition of US, Baghdad and Tehran.
    But on May 22, with the start of the Iraqi attack on Fallujah, the capital of Anbar province in western Iraq, it became clear that the participation of pro-Iranian forces is no longer taboo for the US.
    Even though Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that 35,000 Iraqi troops launched an attack to liberate Fallujah from ISIS, DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources report that most of these forces are not participating in the assault.
    It is spearheaded by the Popular Mobilization Army and the Badr Organization, and they are under the direct command of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iranian forces in Iraq and Syria, who is operating from a field command center.
    The US air force is helping Soleimani’s attempt to capture Fallujah.
    In a new exclusive photo showing the Iranian war room on the front, Soleimani is seen smoking a thick cigar with al-Muhandis on his left, leaning on a US map of the area of the battle.
    Our military sources report that by assisting the offensive, which the Obama administration opposed for a long time, the Americans have actually given up on attacking Mosul, the ISIS capital in Iraq, any time soon.
    Instead of liberating Mosul, Washington now prefers to place it under siege and gradually cause the collapse of ISIS rule.
    The American decision to support Soleimani’s operation shows the central role played by Iran for the past few weeks in the wars carried out by the US and Russia in the Middle East


    So America is helping Iran's revolutionary guards....

    ReplyDelete
  3. Iraq kicks off historic Fallujah operation against Islamic State

    Iraqi security forces have launched Operation Break Terrorism in collaboration with the Shiite-dominated Popular Mobilization Units and local Sunni tribal mobilization forces to drive the Islamic State (IS) from the key town of Fallujah, the last major IS stronghold in western Anbar province.


    Summary⎙ Print Iraqi security forces launched a military operation in Fallujah, the Islamic State's last major stronghold in Anbar province; if the operation succeeds, it will deal a serious blow to the extremist organization.


    Author Mohammed A. Salih

    Posted May 23, 2016




    Fallujah, long a bastion of anti-government insurgent groups, was one of the first areas in Iraq to fall to IS and its allies in January 2014, months before the group overran Mosul and other Sunni-dominated parts of the country.

    Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered the launch of the operation in the early hours of May 23, saying, "There is no option for Daesh [IS] except to flee," referring to the group by its common Arabic acronym.

    The operation was launched from the southeast, southwest, northwest and northern flanks of Fallujah, according to Karim al-Nuri, a spokesman for the mobilization units who spoke to Al-Monitor via phone from the Karmah area to the southeast of Fallujah, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of Baghdad.

    "Their [IS] resistance has not been as heavy as we have been expecting," said Nuri. "They have been relying on vehicle-borne suicide attacks, planted bombs and snipers so far."

    IS supporters' accounts on Twitter circulated what appeared to be an official announcement from IS' Fallujah Wilaya, which claimed that 16 Iraqi forces were killed in a suicide car bomb attack east of Fallujah.

    Nuri said that over 10,000 mobilization unit forces have been taking "an active part in the battle," adding that his forces are cooperating with Iraqi security forces as well as tribal Sunni fighters. The Shiite paramilitaries have surrounded Fallujah since last summer.

    The US-led coalition also carried out seven airstrikes in the Fallujah area between May 14 and May 20 in preparation for the assault.

    US forces are currently involved in Operation Break Terrorism by advising Iraqi forces. But Col. Steve Warren, the US military spokesman in Baghdad, has told Fox News that the US-led coalition is not going to "drop bombs in support of the Shiite militias" who are based on the outskirts of Fallujah. The United States has been worried about the involvement of Shiite paramilitaries in offensives in Sunni areas because those forces are largely supported by Iran.

    According to Warren, between 500 and 1,000 IS fighters are believed to have remained inside Fallujah....


    Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/05/iraq-fallujah-liberation-operation-isis.html#ixzz49dOUSwIu

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, an Iraqi military spokesman, denied that civilians were killed. He said the shelling targeted IS headquarters and that civilians were warned to stay away.

    ...

    Military and police officials said they were awaiting orders from Baghdad to begin a ground advance into Fallujah. “We are getting very close to this area,” Gen. Harbiya said.

    He said U.S. forces were providing assistance from Baghdad, helping the military identify militant positions. Italian advisers are also providing remote support to the federal police, police officials said.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Prominent Hashid Shaabi leader Hadi Al-Amiri says the group supports the Iraqi army in the battle.

    ...

    The United States military is estimating IS forces in the city number between 500 and 700.

    Other sources say IS numbers in Fallujah could be in the low thousands.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Low thousands sounds a lot more realistic than 500 - 1,000.

      It's tough believing any US government or military sources these days.

      Delete
  6. "Q" Nits, USA - Arizona, Kansas, New York


    Bronx: Muslim with large knife collection and beheading videos charged with aiding the Islamic State
    By Robert Spencer on May 24, 2016 02:29 pm

    Bronx: Muslim with large knife collection and beheading videos charged with aiding the Islamic State
    “Back in the Bronx, Alimehmeti started stockpiling weapons, the feds said, including two steel spike knives, and Air Force survival knife, a ‘credit card sized folding knife’ and a ’24-inch survival pocket chain saw.'” Pious man. “Bronx man arrested on terrorism-related charges, attempting to provide material support to ISIS,” by Victoria Bekiempis, Rocco Parascandola, and […]
    Read in browser »


    After high-speed chase, Somali Muslim tries to run over border agents in southern Arizona
    By Robert Spencer on May 24, 2016 02:16 pm

    After high-speed chase, Somali Muslim tries to run over border agents in southern Arizona
    Why is a Somali citizen trying to cross into the U.S. from Mexico in the first place? “In April, investigators say Ahmed Elni Abdalla drove up to a checkpoint near Amado. When agents approached Abdalla’s car, he drove through the stop sign and tried to get away at a ‘high rate of speed.'” Once finally […]
    Read in browser »


    Kansas: Convert to Islam pleads guilty to helping foiled Islamic State bomb plot at U.S. military base
    By Robert Spencer on May 24, 2016 02:04 pm

    Kansas: Convert to Islam pleads guilty to helping foiled Islamic State bomb plot at U.S. military base
    “Blair and Booker shared extremist views in support of Islamic State and against the U.S. military.” Where did Blair and Booker learn about Islam? Are their teachers still at large? Or are authorities contenting themselves with saying “they were radicalized on the Internet” and have no intention of checking on how prevalent the views of […]
    Read in browser »

    http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=12857896c3097382b25b80a09&id=f7672df352&e=ed5f5d431b

    ReplyDelete
  7. Video: Anti-Trump protesters riot in New Mexico


    posted at 6:21 am on May 25, 2016 by Larry O'Connor

    http://hotair.com/archives/2016/05/25/anti-trump-protesters-riot-in-new-mexico/

    Bernie Folk, wavers of Mexican flags, rock and bottle throwers.....

    VIDEOS

    "If totalitarianism comes to the USA it will come from the left not the right"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also at DRUDGE -

      UPDATE: RIOT AT TRUMP NM RALLY...
      MEXICAN FLAG-WAVING MOB...
      LIGHT FIRES, THROW ROCKS...
      COPS INJURED...
      VIDEO....DRUDGE

      Delete
    2. Polling has shown that maybe 20,25,30% of the Bernie supporters might end up voting Trump. These most probably aren't the rioters. Bernie people actually are a somewhat diverse group....

      Delete
    3. All crazy as hell in one way or other, like Bernie himself, but somewhat diverse.

      They all seem to want to go to Venezuela, and not come back. Lots of confusion....

      Things are so bad in Venezuela now that the 'government' is warning of a USA 'invasion', trying to divert the attention of the people from the fact that they are beginning to starve to death.

      In this land of mega petroleum reserves inflation is reaching 2,000% and there is no bread in the empty grocery stores....

      Delete
    4. Why Bernies Bros Might Go For Trump

      http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/why-bernies-bros-might-go-for-trump-213915

      Delete
    5. Protesters assault Trump supporter in wheelchair....DRUDGE

      Delete
  8. Heh heh heh

    Fauxcohantes, who ripped The Donald about his comments about people making money on the housing bubble burst, has been found to have been flipping houses in Oklahoma.....one bought for $30,000 and six months later flipped for $115,000.....that's some wampum....

    She's no more American Indian I am....she just said she was to get a free college ride....

    Bwabwahahaha....

    ReplyDelete
  9. We're friends with Vietnam again, this time all of it, not just half --

    Vietnam, the U.S., and the Centrality of Geopolitics: George Friedman, Geo. Futures

    Vietnam, Once a Bitter Enemy, Now a U.S. Bulwark in Asia: Kelly McParland, Nat'l Post

    ReplyDelete
  10. We were enemies with Viet Nam because our ignorant politicians had no clue about the history between China and Viet Nam.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My favorite take on the Viet Nam mess is Charles McCarry's The Last Supper

      Delete
    2. 'The Quiet American' by Graham Greene was good -

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quiet_American

      Delete
  11. Strikes in Syria

    Attack and ground attack aircraft conducted two strikes in Syria:

    -- Near Ayn Isa, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

    -- Near Mara, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL mortar system.

    Strikes in Iraq

    Bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 18 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

    -- Near Baghdadi, a strike destroyed an ISIL mortar position.

    -- Near Beiji, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar system.

    -- Near Fallujah, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL front end loader.

    -- Near Habbaniyah, three strikes destroyed an ISIL fighting position, four ISIL weapons caches and an ISIL tunnel and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

    -- Near Kisik, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL heavy machine gun.

    -- Near Mosul, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units; destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL vehicle, three ISIL assembly areas, three ISIL bed-down locations, and an ISIL tunnel; and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

    -- Near Qayyarah, a strike destroyed two ISIL mortar systems.

    -- Near Sultan Abdallah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL assembly areas.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Every time I turn on the computer there's more Hillary stuff -

    State Dept. IG: Clinton violated rules with private server, did not cooperate with investigation (Update)


    posted at 12:41 pm on May 25, 2016 by John Sexton

    What a difference an Inspector General’s report makes. Prior to today the silence and secrecy around the FBI investigation of Clinton’s private server meant there was relatively little detailed information in the public domain. And that meant that Clinton and her team could say almost anything about the matter without fear of contradiction.

    For instance, she could claim, as she did last March, “I fully complied with every rule that I was governed by.” She could claim (again from last March) that she set up the server because “I thought it would be easier to carry just one device for my work and for my personal emails instead of two.” She could claim, as she did two weeks ago, “I’m more than ready to talk to anybody, anytime.” And she could claim, as she did early on, that her private server was perfectly secure because it was guarded by the Secret Service. Well, Hillary can’t say any of those things after today. From the Associated Press:


    Despite guidelines to the contrary and never seeking approval, Clinton used mobile devices to conduct official business on her personal email account and private server. She never sought approval from senior information officers, who would have refused the request because of security risks, the audit said.

    “By Secretary Clinton’s tenure, the department’s guidance was considerably more detailed and more sophisticated,” it concluded. “Secretary Clinton’s cybersecurity practices accordingly must be evaluated in light of these more comprehensive directives.”

    That’s the set up. Clinton is being held to the standards that were in place when she was in office. The report concludes she violated those standards. From Politico, which also has an early copy of the report:....

    http://hotair.com/archives/2016/05/25/state-dept-ig-says-clinton-violated-rules-with-private-server/

    I think it's time for the Russians to release the thousands of Hillary's State Department e-mails they say they've got.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hillary Clinton's E-Mail Problems Just Got Much Worse

      https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/05/25/hillary-clintons-email-problems-just-got-much-worse/

      Delete
  13. .

    Kittens, Cotton Candy, and Nutella: The New ISIS Charm Offensive


    Skip the beheadings. Bring out the kittens.

    But Mr Carlin revealed that Hollywood film directors and advertising gurus are the latest weapon in the fight in countering Isil’s slick propaganda machine and warped messages.

    Experts from the film world, Madison Avenue advertising firms and Silicon Valley have been asked to create the best way of combating such messages and provide and alternative view.

    That could mean public information films or online campaigns and adverts.

    Mr Carlin, who is the most senior national security prosecutor in America, said there was a contrast between Isil’s gruesome beheading videos and their recruitment videos.

    “The recruitment videos, for instance, there is one that shows a young, charismatic terrorist filmed in soft lens literally handing out cotton candy to children.

    “And that’s its image of what life will be like in the caliphate...


    Isil using kittens to lure jihadists online
    Isil has seized on the internet cat craze


    “Another one, because they know if there is one thing about the internet it is that kittens sell, shows a terrorist with a kitten in one hand and an AK47 in another hand. That is the vision of how they try to get someone on the hook.”

    Mr Carlin was in the UK to meet his British national security counterparts and discuss ways of combating the spread of the Isil message.

    He echoed concerns that the terror group has switched its focus from the battlefield in Syria and Iraq to radicalising vulnerable young people in their bedrooms over the internet and urging them to carry out attacks in their home countries.

    “We have an obligation to stop our citizens from going to commit those atrocities. And we need to figure out a way to stop these people getting radicalised, (the notion of ) no passport no travel required, this call to kill where you live,” he said...



    .

    ReplyDelete
  14. .

    Wolf Blitzer can be annoying but he did a good job acting the bulldog today in interviewing Clinton's press secretary, Brian Fellon, over the DOS IG report.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  15. My point of view expressed better than I could do -

    The Myth That the President Can Save the Economy

    Presidential candidates like to make promises about their ability to conjure economic growth. Don’t believe them.

    http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/05/myth-president-can-save-the-economy/484118/

    ReplyDelete
  16. .

    Police React to Trump Protesters

    Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, spoke at the Anaheim Convention Center on Wednesday on a tour of the Southwest that was rough from the get-go.

    A rally Tuesday in Albuquerque, N.M., turned violent as anti-Trump protesters turned on police. Late night reports, relying on the Twitter feeds of reporters and spectators on the ground, showed tear gas and broken glass. The local police department said protesters threw rocks and bottles at mounted officers.

    Wednesday's visit to Orange County was Trump's second in a month. In April, demonstrations in Costa Mesa also turned violent. A police officer was hit with a rock, five police cars were damaged, and at least 17 people were arrested. An anti-Trump protester was captured on camera using pepper spray in a crowd, striking children.

    His visit to Anaheim comes as Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders tour Southern California this week, less than two weeks ahead of California's June 7 presidential primary. Both spoke in Riverside Tuesday. After a brief stop for relaxation last week in the desert, Sanders returned Wednesday for a rally in Cathedral City.


    Aneheim Police React to Trump Protesters with Show of Force


    I watched this protest for about 15 minutes on TV and I have to say the police got it right. You had a bunch of people in masks leading the protest and throwing rocks, some the size of grapefruits according to the reporter.

    The police formed a deep cordon across the entire street. Every now and then the center of the line would open up and a bunch of mounted officers would come through. They would drive the crowd back about fifty yards and then pause. If there was anyone throwing stones a group of police were sent after them and made the arrest. Then it was wash, rinse, repeat.

    Seventeen were arrested.

    the whole thing moved slowly and methodically until the street was cleared. I was pretty impressed.

    No one shot. No one beat up. At least as far as I could see.

    .

    ReplyDelete
  17. The leadership of UAW just endorsed HRC for President. What a surprise. Scumbags for a scumbag.

    ReplyDelete
  18. It just occurred to me that HRC and Kim Jong-un must shop for clothes at the same store.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I noticed the Police horses wore eye guards.

    Good idea.

    But I think it ought to be taken further.

    The horses should be armored up, like a jousting horse like this:

    https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/39/af/21/39af218e7c2c81dd8e594b8ea833e647.jpg

    Or a picador horse, like this:

    https://thesolutionnz.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/bullfight-3.jpg

    Or a medieval war horse, like this:

    http://orig09.deviantart.net/1154/f/2009/156/0/b/war_horse_by_benwootten.jpg

    These horses would slow 'the kids' down.

    ReplyDelete
  20. BernieLand aka Venezuela, swimming in oil, is now selling off its gold reserves to pay debt.

    ReplyDelete
  21. "Q"Nit Alert: Graffiti Jihad USA

    'The phenomenon of not recognizing the seriousness of jihadist graffiti has been occurring in the U.S. for several years. In February 2015 and February 2014 I wrote articles describing how young Islamists and their sympathizers have been using every genre of graffiti to spread the global jihadist message. The prevalence of Islamic State and other jihadist graffiti has increased significantly in the past year and is often immediately relegated to kids joking around or designated as no credible threat....'

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/262952/crashed-egyptair-plane-tagged-jihadist-graffiti-dawn-perlmutter

    ReplyDelete
  22. 33,000 gunmen already killed in Syria
    According to the official, some 33,000 gunmen have already been destroyed in Syria in the operation against terrorists, and 5,000 of them have been killed by the coalition forces.


    over 400,000 civilians have been killed in syria most by Assad, iran and hezbollah.. 12 million homeless.

    And yet? Quirk, Rufus, Deuce and Rat call Gaza a slaughter and praise what America is helping do in Syria.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Quirk praises what America is helping do in Syria?

      WiO, you are an nutz.

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      No, once again you are lying through your teeth. Since when have I argued they should even be there much less praised what they are doing?

      Every country in the ME is a shit hole. We have no interests there. Haven't had any in a decade and likely more like two. Every time we enter a country for humanitarian reasons or R2P or to spread American democracy or values we end up screwing it up and taking more lives than we save.

      I've repeated that mantra since I've been here. You are either felony stupid or just lying.

      .

      Delete
  23. I don't take Quirk's mid east views with any seriousness now, since I did some research and found that Israel has not annexed Gaza, as he affirmed, nor do they have any troops there.

    What I did learn was that the Gazans have been importing missiles there anyway they can for years and periodically fire them off towards Israel.

    I also learned that The Hamas Charter calls for the total elimination of Israel.

    ReplyDelete
  24. At the 2012 Democratic convention, delegates booed officials who reinstated in the party platform a recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a view at odds with the United States’ official position that the city’s status must be negotiated between Israelis and Palestinians.

    “My concern is that the Democratic platform is not the venue in which to litigate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” said Robert Wexler, a former congressman from Florida and Clinton supporter who served on the platform drafting committee that year.

    The episode, which was televised, was an embarrassing and revealing moment that showed the growing rift in the party over Israel. Since then, some Jewish Democratic leaders have warned that a growing willingness to criticize Israel from within the party could pose a danger to its security in perilous times, and could chase Jewish voters away.

    ReplyDelete
  25. .

    From Pew Research...

    For First Time in Modern Era, Living With Parents Edges Out Other Living Arrangements for 18- to 34-Year-Olds

    Share living with spouse or partner continues to fall

    By Richard Fry

    Living with a parent is the most common young adult living arrangement for the first time on record

    Broad demographic shifts in marital status, educational attainment and employment have transformed the way young adults in the U.S. are living, and a new Pew Research Center analysis of census data highlights the implications of these changes for the most basic element of their lives – where they call home. In 2014, for the first time in more than 130 years, adults ages 18 to 34 were slightly more likely to be living in their parents’ home than they were to be living with a spouse or partner in their own household...


    .


    Share living with spouse or partner continues to fall

    By Richard Fry

    Living with a parent is the most common young adult living arrangement for the first time on record

    Broad demographic shifts in marital status, educational attainment and employment have transformed the way young adults in the U.S. are living, and a new Pew Research Center analysis of census data highlights the implications of these changes for the most basic element of their lives – where they call home. In 2014, for the first time in more than 130 years, adults ages 18 to 34 were slightly more likely to be living in their parents’ home than they were to be living with a spouse or partner in their own household. 1

    ReplyDelete
  26. Mount the Police on ten or twelve of those and 'the kids' are gonna flee.

    He's too stocky though to win any Equus caballus beauty contest.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Yaalon was forced out after siding with his commanders in a series of disagreements with political hard-liners.

    ...

    Avraham Diskin, a political scientist at Hebrew University, said Lieberman is more pragmatic than commonly thought but also is unpredictable and problematic for Netanyahu.

    "There is a matter of style. There is a matter of image in the world, which is, I think, not very positive to say the least," he said.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Bibi did it for two reasons.

      First, he needs some party to join his coalition. Yaalon was already a member of Likud. Lieberman is not. Bibi only has a one vote margin in the Knesset right now, and ...

      Second, he is trying to regain control of the military and the intelligence services. Yaalon has been publicly challenging government policies and saying they are dangerous for Israel. Bibi tried to shut him up by shifting him to a different ministry but he wouldn't bite. With the changes, the move to the right in Israel continues.

      With this move, Bibi is replacing a general with a corporal.

      .

      Delete