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, March 31, 2015

All sides have strategic, security and moral reasons to bring Iran in from the cold. The ostracism of this talented, historically pro-western nation has lasted too long

At last a nuclear deal with Iran is in sight. The chance must not be spurned

It’s hard to see why a nuclear deal with Iran will not be agreed this week. Each of the state representatives taking part in the final round of negotiations in Lausanne has powerful reasons for wanting a successful outcome, while the reputations of key individuals would be enhanced by an agreement. Such pragmatic considerations aside, a deal is positively desirable for strategic, security, and moral reasons.
Given a string of past failures stretching back to 2002, when Iran’s covert nuclear programme was first publicly revealed, a continuing impasse after tomorrow night’s deadline may look a safer bet. Diplomats are warning that significant differences remain, particularly over the lifting of UN sanctions and Tehran’s wish to continue nuclear research and development.



But the negotiators – from the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and Iran – have been aware of these sticking points for months. It is reasonable to assume they already have compromise formulas up their sleeves, and may yet put them on the table. What is happening now, it appears, is last-minute manoeuvring for advantage. And the bar has been lowered. The aim now is for a “preliminary” deal, not the “comprehensive solution” that was originally sought.
Iran wants a deal because sanctions – despite official denials – are hurting its economy and damaging crucial oil and gas export industries. Iranian businessmen and workers interviewed in Tehran last year were unanimous in their hope that relations will be normalised. Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, knows a deal would revive his so far lacklustre presidency and confound his conservative critics.
Even Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appears temporarily to have set aside his life-long, visceral distrust of the Americans and British. He recently discouraged criticism of Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s chief negotiator. If Tehran does balk at the last moment, it will most likely be because Khamenei does not feel the timing and pace of sanctions relief are acceptable. He will certainly be consulted before Zarif signs anything.
John Kerry, a serial under-achiever as US secretary of state, has a lot riding on these talks. A deal would be a rare personal success in a sea of diplomatic failures reaching from Syria and Palestine to Crimea. Likewise, Barack Obama could certainly use a foreign policy breakthrough. His recent Nowruz address, aimed at Iranians, made clear he is not simply looking to resolve the nuclear standoff.
Obama, rightly, sees a chance for an historic rapprochement with Iran after 35 years of estrangement, which could radically change the strategic balance in the Middle East. Already established cooperation in fighting Islamic State terror in Iraq could mark the start of a productive new partnership, as was the case with the shah before the 1979 revolution.



Britain and France view matters in much the same way. But by making a last-gasp fuss about disclosing Iran’s past nuclear projects, President François Hollande tried to assuage the fears of Arab allies (and Israel) by showing that France did its utmost to secure a safe deal. Britain is in the process of restoring diplomatic relations. Lucrative markets and business opportunities beckon in a rehabilitated Iran, where Britain, oddly enough, is still respected, and reviled, as a global power.
Russia, which has provided valuable diplomatic cover to Tehran over the years, also has important commercial links in terms of nuclear power and arms sales. China simply wants cheap, unrestricted Iranian energy and raw materials. But Moscow and Beijing agree with the western powers that preventing a future nuclear arms race between Iran and the Arab regimes is highly desirable.
All that said, bringing Iran in from the cold is a moral imperative too. The US-led ostracism of this proud, talented and historically pro-western nation has lasted far too long. It has been immensely damaging for Iranians, Europeans and the region. It has encouraged political and religious hardliners on all sides, at a time when productive, moderating, cooperative relationships with Muslim countries are badly needed.
A deal could be done this week. It certainly should be.

185 comments:

  1. The settlement of the Czechoslovakian problem, which has now been achieved is, in my view, only the prelude to a larger settlement in which all Europe may find peace. This morning I had another talk with the German Chancellor, Herr Hitler, and here is the paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine. Some of you, perhaps, have already heard what it contains but I would just like to read it to you: ' ... We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again.

    Later that day he stood outside 10 Downing Street and again read from the document and concluded:

    My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Go home and get a nice quiet sleep.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Iran militia chief: Destroying Israel is ‘nonnegotiable’
      Basij commander Mohammad Reza Naqdi also threatens Saudis, saying their fate will be like that of Saddam Hussein

      Naqdi’s comments were made public as Iran and six world powers prepared Tuesday to issue a general statement agreeing to continue nuclear negotiations in a new phase aimed at reaching a comprehensive accord by the end of June.

      In 2014, Naqdi said Iran was stepping up efforts to arm West Bank Palestinians for battle against Israel, adding the move would lead to Israel’s annihilation, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.

      “Arming the West Bank has started and weapons will be supplied to the people of this region,” Naqdi said.

      “The Zionists should know that the next war won’t be confined to the present borders and the Mujahedeen will push them back,” he added. Naqdi claimed that much of Hamas’s arsenal, training and technical knowhow in the summer conflict with Israel was supplied by Iran.



      Delete
    2. 1938 Winston Churchill criticizing Chamberlain's appeasement with Hitler, commented: "You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, and you will have war

      Those Iranian Firsters here at the blog chose dishonor.

      Mark my words.

      Delete
    3. Mohammad Reza Naqdi sounds JUST like Jack, Deuce and Rufus….

      Hmmm..

      Delete
  2. House Speaker John Boehner, who took a delegation of House Republicans to Jordan over the weekend, visited Iraq on Monday with the lawmakers.

    ...

    The delegation includes House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-N.J., who is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

    http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/dispatches-the-death-squads/

    The torture and slaughter of Iraqi civilians is reaching unprecedented heights with estimates of up to 655,000 dead. Night after night death squads rampage through Iraq's main cities. In Baghdad, up to a hundred bodies a day are dumped on the streets. Often they've been tortured with electric drills. Yet those doing the killing have little to do with al Qaeda or Sunni insurgents. The majority of the killings are carried out by Shia death squads who want to turn Iraq into a Shia state aligned to Iran.
    This shocking film investigates the links between the death squads and high-ranking Shia politicians. It reveals how the Shia militia that these politicians control have systematically infiltrated and taken over police units and even entire government ministeries. It investigates how these units are closely linked to the death squads, indeed they often are the death squads. And the killers act with impunity - there's little investigation into their activities.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Daesh vs. Shia Death Squads. Awesome. Sounds like a great movie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Shia and their proxies have currently slaughtered about 1/2 million civilians in the last 4 years. the Daesh? About 25,000

      Now America is currently helping the Shia Death Squads. Hmmm

      Delete
    2. Is that like the Yids versus the Shits?

      Delete
    3. .

      I find it interesting that the first articles coming out when the Houthi uprising started in Yemen described the Houthi insurgents as an abused majority demanding concessions from the government and that they where receiving some support from Iran..

      They quickly became surrogates of Iran. And today I see them described as agents of Iran.

      Typical and reflective of the overall sectarian struggle going on in the ME.

      Another reason we shouldn't be involved.

      .

      Delete
    4. No that like the Jews verses the bastard offspring of their father..

      You know the arabs?

      Bastard offspring, by a knocked up maid…

      Delete
    5. .

      Another reason we should not be in the ME.

      The conversations there have devolved to discussions of religious myths, talk of the end times, the 12th Imam, and ancient aliens.

      Looney tunes I tells ya, looney tunes.

      .

      Delete
    6. Quirk, when you are sitting in your home and the grand kids come a calling?

      make sure you tell them that Jesus is crap, that christmas is for losers…

      hypocrite.

      Delete
    7. No that like the Jews verses the bastard offspring of their father..

      You know the arabs?

      Bastard offspring, by a knocked up maid…


      Quirk, when you are sitting in your home and the grand kids come a calling?

      make sure you tell them that Jesus is crap, that christmas is for losers…

      hypocrite.


      LOL

      Delete
  5. Regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran traded accusations Tuesday over the escalating conflict in Yemen, which the UN rights chief warned was on the brink of "total collapse".

    ...

    Huge blasts were heard overnight in Sanaa when coalition forces hit a missile depot belonging to the renegade Republican Guard, which is loyal to Saleh.

    ...

    The Red Cross said Tuesday a local aid worker had been shot dead in southern Yemen while evacuating wounded.

    ReplyDelete
  6. All sides have strategic, security and moral reasons to bring Iran in from the cold. The ostracism of this talented, historically pro-western nation has lasted too long



    Maybe you should bring this point up on their "Death to America" Day, coming on the 1st day of Ramadan?

    ReplyDelete
  7. In the western coastal city of Hodeida, medical officials said one person was killed and others wounded when the Houthis dispersed a demonstration denouncing their takeover and demanding the release of detainees.

    Fighting meanwhile intensified in the southern city of al-Dhale, where the Houthis and Saleh loyalists have been trying to open up a corridor to Aden. They have met fierce resistance there, and the city is currently split between supporters and opponents of the rebels.

    Since the air campaign began, the Houthis have arrested some 140 foreign nationals on suspicion that they are providing the Saudis with intelligence on the locations of army barracks, radars and air defense positions, according to the rebel-controlled Interior Ministry.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The United States is willing to continue working passed the Tuesday midnight deadline to reach a preliminary nuclear deal with Iran and other powers if it appears that progress is being made, a senior State Department official said.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The Blog seems in good hands today with Sam and WiO in charge for now.

    So, I'm outta here.

    By necessity.

    Got them thin's ta do.......

    Iran is taking us to the cleaners.

    Cheers !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some sources (WSJ) seem to be reporting that some other sources are reporting that Iraqi forces have retaken Tikrit.

      Last I knew every thing was on hold there.

      Confusing.

      Delete
    2. The situation is referred to< Robert "Draft dodger" Peterson, as the ...
      "Fog of War"

      {;-)

      Delete
  10. .

    There is no doubt that a key goal of the Iranian regime is to 'destroy' the current Zionist regime in Israel, current and former leaders of Iran have said so. However, the Iranian leadership's idea of what 'destroy' means seems to have evolved over the decades since the revolution.

    Iran's current thinking is reflected in Khamenei's 9 Point Plan for Israel and the Palestinian issue as reported in the Times of Israel here,

    http://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-supreme-leader-touts-9-point-plan-to-destroy-israel/

    Khamenei's plan is all bubblegum and lollipops as he calls for a one state solution in Israel/Palestine to determine how the country will be governed, a solution that will never happen. However, he goes further in stating that any Europeans that have immigrated to Israel (specifically the settlers) would not be allowed to vote. Also, he insists on the right of return for all Palestinians who want to return and vote.

    Crazy stuff. A plan dead on arrival. However, he also addresses the issue of the words 'destroy Israel' and what they actually mean (a similar explanation is given for the 'destroy America' phrase elsewhere).

    1. They do not mean a conventional or even nuclear war between Iran and Israel.
    2. They do not mean throwing the Jews into the sea.
    3. They do mean the elimination of the current state of Israel through the referendum he has suggested.

    However, until that referendum comes about Iran indicates that while they won't be initiating war with Israel directly they will be supporting the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank with weapons and other support in order to allow them to resist the Israeli regime and its policies. In other words, they will fight Israel through Palestinian surrogates.

    I personally feel this is a sub-optimal, typically Middle-Eastern approach to the problem and in the end will prolong the struggle by providing the Israelis with an excuse for their obdurance in the talks.

    Likewise, IMO, the current reactions by the Obama administration in response to Bibi finally coming clean on Israel's position on any solution with the Palestinians, while welcome, will in the end amount to no more than farts in the wind and will quickly dissipate shortly after he leaves office.

    One more reason the US shouldn't be involved in the ME.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are many reasons why the US should not be involved in the Middle East ... true enough

      But there are many more compelling reasons why the US is involved, and will remain so. ... that is reality

      Which then begs the question, - what course of action should the US take?
      It being a given that some action will be taken.


      Delete
  11. .

    Khamenei's plan is all bubblegum and lollipops as he calls for a one state solution in Israel/Palestine to determine how the country will be governed, a solution that will never happen. However, he goes further in stating that any Europeans that have immigrated to Israel (specifically the settlers) would not be allowed to vote. Also, he insists on the right of return for all Palestinians who want to return and vote.

    Poorly worded on my part. There may in fact be a 'one state' resolution in Israel some day but it won't resemble anything Khamenei envisions.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies


    1. Look at this -

      1. They do not mean a conventional or even nuclear war between Iran and Israel.
      2. They do not mean throwing the Jews into the sea.

      I hope you don't believe that line of shit. If you do you're not the Worldly Quirk who has the reputation of quickly getting to the bottom of things.

      Delete
  12. Michael Knights, a military analyst and fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy specializing in Iraq, said Islamic State probably did not mean to hold the city. Its aim was to make a propaganda stand and delay Iraqi forces for as long as possible, he said.

    Events, he said, provide “further evidence that Daesh cannot hold terrain against determined attacks by the armed forces of Iraq and is simply too small an organization to be able to defend the lands of its self-styled state,” he said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

    Still, “keeping things in perspective, this was hardly a resounding victory,” Knights said by e-mail. Iraq security forces “have been sitting outside Tikrit for months and the operation to retake the city has taken 29 days so far. Coordination between the uniformed military, the Hashd al-Sha’abi and the international coalition has been problematic, to say the least.”


    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-31/iraq-s-abadi-says-security-forces-reached-center-of-tikrit-city

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Obviously, Legionnaire.

      It starts with the fellow's name, a brief bio and "... he said ..."

      Delete
    2. He is also someone who seems to agree with me, myself & I

      Delete
    3. .

      It starts with the fellow's name, a brief bio and "... he said ..."

      Mine was not a comment on what the gentleman was saying, rat, but rather on his writing style.

      He is also someone who seems to agree with me, myself & I

      Now that sentence is truly interesting. I mean in a clinical sense. The fact that you put up an article not because you agree with what the author is saying but rather because the author seems to agree with you is telling. The 'me, myself, and I' is a little tougher to decipher without additional analysis.

      My analysis (I have a standing room booked at the Holiday Inn by the way) is that the sentence reflects a certain level of insecurity and defensiveness, the need to seek out articles and authors that support your positions and then to post them as some sort of appeal to authority. It reflects a complex and contradictory weaving of a basic inferiority complex and, surprisingly, delusions of grandeur.

      The 'me, myself, and I' comment could reflect another manifestation of the multiple personality disorder that has been commented upon here before, a syndrome reflected in the various screen names you assume. Or it could be that you are just attempting to find a way around the criticism you receive when you fall back one using the magisterial plural in your posts here.

      At any rate, all in all, an interesting case.

      :o)

      .


      Delete
  13. Despite the Lobby’s best efforts, the cheerleaders in the in-pocket US media and the almost total capitulation of the Israeli first so-called US Congress, the American people say NO!:

    POST/ABC FINDS SUPPORT FOR IRAN NUKE DEAL - Scott Clement and Peyton M. Craighill: "By a nearly 2 to 1 margin, Americans support the notion of striking a deal with Iran that restricts the nation’s nuclear program in exchange for loosening sanctions, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds. But the survey — released hours before Tuesday’s negotiating deadline — also finds few Americans are hopeful that such an agreement will be effective. Nearly six in 10 say they are not confident that a deal will prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, unchanged from 15 months ago, when the United States, France, Britain, Germany, China and Russia reached an interim agreement with Iran aimed at sealing a long-term deal. Overall, the poll finds 59 percent support an agreement in which the United States and its negotiating partners lift major economic sanctions in exchange for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. Thirty-one percent oppose a deal....Republicans are about evenly divided on an Iran deal, with 47 percent in support and 43 percent opposed. The split contrasts with Republican lawmakers’ widespread backing of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech deriding the potential deal in early March before a joint meeting of lawmakers."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :-) Talk about overplaying a hand!

      Delete
    2. Talk about bullshit.

      Try a poll that is not confusing.

      Do you approve Iran getting a nuclear weapon?

      Delete
    3. POST/ABC FINDS SUPPORT FOR IRAN NUKE DEAL

      What is in the details?

      A poll based on fairy dust?

      Delete
    4. "O"rdure is confused, again.
      Woe is him, he will rend his clothe, shortly.

      {;-)

      Delete
    5. What is "Occupation"Tue Mar 31, 03:44:00 PM EDT
      Talk about bullshit.

      Try a poll that is not confusing.

      Do you approve Iran getting a nuclear weapon?


      Not like the push polls paid for by AIPAC and the Lobby. Come-onnnnn

      Delete
    6. The point is that there is now a real debate about real issues and consequences. May the better rational argument win.

      Delete
    7. The whole thing is an absolute farce.

      If the American People think this 'deal' is going to prevent Iran from nuking they are dumber than lentils.

      Delete
    8. The "deal" has not been released to the public.

      We don't KNOW what is in the deal.

      But we DO know that Iran is not going to take apart it's program and destroy it.

      Delete
  14. Taking/Retaking a city evidently doesn't mean exactly the same in Iraqi as it does in English.

    KIRKUK (Iraq: Iraqi forces have retaken the Salaheddin provincial government headquarters in Tikrit from the Islamic State jihadist group, a significant advance in the battle to recapture the city, officials said on Tuesday.

    The spokesman for the Badr militia said members of the Popular Mobilisation units — pro-government paramilitary forces dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias — took part in the fighting, after some froze offensive operations last week in response to US-led air strikes.

    "Iraqi forces cleared the government complex in Tikrit," an army major general said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

    "The government buildings have been under our control since last night."

    It is the most significant advance in Tikrit since pro- government forces launched an operation to retake the city on March 2, their largest since IS led an offensive that overran much of the country's Sunni Arab heartland last June.

    Salaheddin Governor Raad al-Juburi confirmed that the government headquarters had been retaken, saying that Iraqi flags now flew over various recaptured buildings in the city.

    Badr spokesman Karim al-Nuri also said that the government headquarters was recaptured, and that Popular Mobilisation members fought alongside federal police in the operation.

    Key Shiite militia forces said . . . . .


    Significant Advance

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If the government controls the government buildings, the government controls the city.

      Seems to be a perspective foreign to US, but then, Iraq is not US, no US ground troops are involved, US air support has been withdrawn, its job done. The Iraqi government controls the government buildings of Tikrit, it controls Tikrit. By the Iraqi Standard

      Delete
    2. That is the key, isn't it Rat?

      The Iraqis had a pest problem in Tikrit, and we flew over and dropped a few bombs (bombs we would likely have dropped on practice runs at White Sands, anyway.)

      They say the problem is under control, now; and we can turn our attention elsewhere.

      Very good, we say; let us know if we can be of further help.

      My kinda business. :)

      Delete
    3. Baghdad Bob, the names change ...

      Guss we could just say it's the "Fog of War" or ...

      Delete
    4. The Iraqi government claims to control Tikrit, it holds the center, the government buildings...

      The rest is just "mopping up", but rest assured, the battle of Tikrit is an Iraqi Battle, lock stock and barrel.
      A 'little' face saving thrown to the Coalition, the last movement of the 'Middle Game".

      Delete
  15. I got a kick out of this. “God doesn’t speak to politicians, but cash does.” - Charles Barkely

    ReplyDelete
  16. The there is John McCain - you have to read this:

    As Iran talks appear to be coming to a close with a successful agreement that would both lead to the lifting of international sanctions and restrictions that would prevent the country from obtaining nuclear weapons, most in the international community are relieved.

    Yet Republicans have teamed up with their counterparts in the Israeli political system to do everything they can to obstruct a deal – with tactics such as drafting new sanctions legislation and warning the Iranian leadership that the nuclear agreement will not outlast President Obama.

    But this past week Senator John McCain (R-AZ) ratcheted up this sabotage to a new level. During a floor speech he gave on March 24th, the senator suggested that Israel “go rogue” and that if they don’t they may not survive the next 22 months of the Obama presidency:

    McCAIN: The Israelis will need to chart their own path of resistance. On the Iranian nuclear deal, they may have to go rogue. Let's hope their warnings have not been mere bluffs. Israel survived its first 19 years without meaningful U.S. patronage. For now, all it has to do is get through the next 22, admittedly long, months.

    McCain is head of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a former Republican presidential candidate. His call for a foreign state to openly obstruct U.S. policy and in the process initiate a catastrophic regional war is perhaps unprecedented for someone of his senior position.

    Zaid Jilani is an AlterNet contributing writer. Follow @zaidjilani on Twitter.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Republicans have devolved into something submerged below loathsome.

      Delete
    2. Do not hate to say ...

      ... I told you so, with regards to John McCain.

      Delete
    3. Maybe, it's the dread of mortality. The sure knowledge that the demographics are rapidly running away from them. Maybe, . . . .

      Whatever,

      but they are surely going totally bebop, batshit insane.

      Delete
    4. ... I told you so, with regards to John McCain.

      Yes, you did. Mea culpa.

      Delete
    5. .

      Of course, other than Bob, who here hasn't said it about McCain?

      .

      Delete
    6. We're going back to '08, Legionnaire, back when most of the patrons and contributors were "Gung-Ho!" for putting John McCain in the White House and Mrs Palin, a heart beat away ...

      That infamous 'desert rat', he tried to warn the others that Mr McCain had a nefarious past if the source of his wife's wealth was examined in AZ. Amongst other things ...

      Few of the others saw the flaws in Mr McCain, harping continually, instead, about the unacceptability of Mr Obama.

      That period gave raise to some of "Draft Dodger" Peterson's most vile, racially bigoted contributions.

      Delete
    7. Yep, there has been a sea change here regarding McCain, Republicans, the Iraq war, and Israel. I remember ole desert rat warning about Israelis driving the Palestinians into the sea if they failed to behave.

      Delete
  17. (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Monday told Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that he would lift a hold on U.S. military aid to Cairo, but also said the United States would stop allowing Egypt to buy equipment on credit starting in fiscal year 2018.

    Obama has been reviewing military aid to Egypt since 2013 when the Egyptian army ousted former president Mohamed Mursi. The decision will allow for the delivery of 12 F-16 aircraft, 20 Harpoon missiles, and up to 125 M1A1 Abrams tank kits that had been frozen, the White House said.

    Obama said he would continue to ask the U.S. Congress for $1.3 billion in military aid for Egypt per year, but has decided to "modernize" the aid by discontinuing the use of cash flow financing for military equipment starting in fiscal 2018
    ...

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/31/us-usa-egypt-military-idUSKBN0MR2GR20150331

    ReplyDelete
  18. California, the 8th largest economy on earth, is, at this moment, getting 35.2% of its electricity from Renewable Resources

    This does Not include large hydro.

    Yikes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BTW, when you switch from 'fossil fuel' generated electricity to Solar, and Wind you save an enormous amount of water.

      Delete
  19. "would prevent the country from obtaining nuclear weapons"

    If Iran HAS the uranium, has the ICBMs, has the war head technology, how does this deal "prevent the country from obtaining nuclear weapons"?

    Fact is it doesn't.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Deuce and Rufus seem to think this 'deal' is going to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

    bwaha

    They are dumber than lentils.

    The deal will lift the sanctions.

    With Goofy at the helm, we are being played for absolute fools.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But not the American People -

      March 31, 2015
      Poll shows 2-1 support for Iran deal
      By Rick Moran

      Q: Thinking now about the situation with Iran - would you support or oppose an agreement in which the United States and other countries would lift major economic sanctions against Iran, in exchange for Iran restricting its nuclear program in a way that makes it harder for it to produce nuclear weapons?

      What a ridiculous question. Only a bloodlusting, warmongering neocon would say he opposes a deal when the question is framed like that. By 59%-31%, Americans would support such a deal, according to this Washington Post/ABC News poll.

      And looking around the internet this morning, that's the headline. Except the real news is that 60% of Americans don't trust Iran any farther than they can toss an ayatollah..............

      http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/03/poll_shows_21_support_for_iran_deal.html

      Delete
    2. .

      Only a bloodlusting, warmongering neocon would say he opposes a deal when the question is framed like that.

      And they do.

      .

      Delete
    3. That is a very twisted thing to say.

      Stop it.

      Delete
  21. Likewise, IMO, the current reactions by the Obama administration in response to Bibi finally coming clean on Israel's position

    Israel position was a 2 state solution based on the oslo accords.

    When the PA merged with Hamas? It was the death nail in the coffin of the process.

    The PA refused to accept SEVERAL offers for statehood, through a number of israel prime ministers and american presidents.

    Bibi stated what is NOW the truth.

    Any lands given to the arabs that call themselves "palestinians" would turn into a place like gaza, an Iranian proxy army.

    Or like areas of Syria controlled by ISIS.

    either way not a good plan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      Pure nonsense. In the last two decades, there were two Israeli prime ministers honestly working towards a settlement with the Palestinians, one was assassinated by a right-wing nutjob and the other was voted out of office. Go figure.

      .

      Delete
    2. Pure non sense. Arafat turned down a perfectly good deal.

      This two state shit will never work anyway.

      President Sisi has offered the homicidal 'Palestinians' land west of Gaza.

      If they had any brains at all, which they do not, they would pursue that offer.

      They are the same hateful insane homicidal Palestinians they have always been whose media has always been one long scream of hate.

      Let them take up Sisi on his offer.

      Zero sympathy for the sexist, racist, genocidal, apartheid 'Palestinians' here.

      They have brought it all on themselves.

      They have proven they don't deserve a state.

      Delete
  22. A Palestinian State would be horrible for the Palestinians themselves.

    Islam is a black hole. An Islamic State is worse than that.

    Without a State they might, over time, a long time to be sure, sort of evanesce out of their black hole, as matter is said to dissipate very slowly out of a black hole.

    And they wouldn't clobbered in another war, as well.

    Because a Palestinian State will be nothing but a platform used to continue to assault Israel.

    I am extremely disappointed in those here who support the creation of a sexist, murderously apartheid, genocidal and totally corrupt 'Palestinian' State.

    You are supporting the degradation of women, apartheid of the real kind, and genocide.

    You are hypocrites of the very worst kind.

    And totally thoughtless.

    You have been "memmed", "grubbered", you dumb shits.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      A Palestinian State would be horrible for the Palestinians themselves.

      Right, and things really weren't all that bad for the slaves in the south.

      .

      Delete
    2. There would be Zero Chance for any improvement in the condition of the women.

      You are coming out for the oppression of women now ?

      It would be a total apartheid state.....only dead Jews and dead Christians allowed. Agnostics and atheists would be lucky to make dhimmihood.

      It would be dedicated to genocide.

      It would be receiving Iran mega arms.

      It would sooner or later lead to a big fight.

      May I add you to my Free Gaza Travel Offer, Quirk ?

      I have offered to pay the airline fare to ship Deuce, rat, and Rufus to Gaza for a couple months on the condition they wear skull caps and put on the Star of David and do not deny they are Jews.

      My bank account can just barely handle one more passenger, and you is it.

      Interested ?

      Slavery ? The South ?

      What kind of fucked argument is that ?

      You must have some technical term for it, some displacemento argumento absurdo or some shit.

      Delete
    3. The Palestinians are already enslaved, but not to Israel.

      They are enslaved to Islam, and to their idiot selves.

      A State would only deepen their enslavement.

      Delete
    4. And by the way, Gaza is supposed to be disarmed.

      How is that working out ?

      Delete
    5. The Gaza Strip is home to over 1.8 million Palestinians who have since 2007 lived under illegal Israeli siege and recurrent massacres, the most recent of which was last summer when Netanyahu showed the World the true face of Israeli occupation. Over 2100 people were killed in the Israel controlled ghetto. More than two-thirds of the deaths were civilians.

      I have offered to pay the airline fare to ship Deuce, rat, and Rufus to Gaza for a couple months on the condition they wear skull caps and put on the Star of David and do not deny they are Jews.

      Reichsführer-SS Idaho Bob would have them disarmed and brought to the Umschlagplatz for further processing and transshipment to where exactly?

      Delete
  23. The Lobby is in Melt Down Mode

    President Obama Must Not Complete a Disastrous Deal With Iran

    Forget Churchill—Obama Isn't Measuring up to Neville Chamberlain

    By The Editors | 03/31/15 3:32pm


    Read more at http://observer.com/2015/03/president-obama-must-not-complete-a-disastrous-deal-with-iran/#ixzz3W0dIumjS
    Follow us: @newyorkobserver on Twitter | newyorkobserver on Facebook

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I forgot to mention, The Observer is owned by: Charles Kushner (born May 16, 1954) an American real estate developer, political fundraiser and philanthropist. In 2005, he was convicted in federal court for making illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering.

      Delete
    2. Kushner was sentenced to two years in prison. How much of a charmer is Kushner, the perfumed louse that is claiming Obama is not up to Neville Chamberlain? Read on:

      January 13, 2005 NEWARK - In an emotional handwritten letter in August, Charles Kushner, a major developer, political donor and philanthropist in New Jersey, apologized to his sister for hiring a prostitute to seduce her husband, who was cooperating in a federal investigation against him, and then sending her a videotape of the encounter.

      "What I did as an act of revenge was wrong in every way," Mr. Kushner said at the start of a five-page letter to his sister, Esther Schulder. "I only ask that you forgive me for resorting to such despicable behavior, which is disgraceful. I was wrong and I committed a terrible sin. How did I let hatred invade my heart and guide my actions?”


      Delete
    3. I know this is hard for The Lobby to understand but Obama, unlike the Republicans, has not forgotten that he is The US President. How could he be a Chamberlain to Israel? Iran is no threat to the US and certainly a lesser of a liability than The Colony Club.

      Delete
    4. ...but maybe, just maybe hatred has invaded Kushner’s heart again. Perhaps Reichsführer-SS Idaho Bob has a theory.

      Delete
    5. A sweetheart like that? Surely not.

      Delete
    6. Iran is no threat to the US

      And how would you know?

      Delete
    7. Iran is building ICBM's not to attack Israel. It doesn't need them to attack Israel.

      But why would Iran spend the billions on their ICBM program if not to threaten the "great satan"

      Deuce have you no memory? Iran and the US Embassy takeover?

      You seem quite fixated on the USS LIBERTY but you don't remember the US Embassy takeover for 444 days by Iran?

      Wow...

      In your twisted mind, Israel is bad, Iran is no threat to the USA.


      Delete
    8. My memory is not quite as selective as yours. It was British and American corporations that controlled the bulk of Iran’s petroleum reserves and had no desire to change.

      In 1951 Iran elected a European-educated nationalist named Muhammad Mossadegh. Mossadegh announced he would nationalize Iran’s oil industry.

      The C.I.A. and the British MI5 devised a plan to overthrow Mossadegh and replace him with a leader who would play ball.

      The CIA bribed the Shah with $1 million and installed him as the choice of the US, not the Iranians. It would be like the Mossad replacing Obama with Mitt Romney.

      The Iranians killed no Americans taking over the US Embassy. The Israelis killed 37 American serviceman in their sneak attack on the USS Liberty.



      Delete
    9. An interesting footnote:

      Mr. Kushner pleaded guilty to United States Attorney Christopher J. Christie.

      Delete
  24. I know an ally when I see one. Israel is no ally. You can take your time and elucidate the events or things the Israelis did for the US without payment or tribute. I will probably counter with the actual costs. The Saudis, not the people, but the leadership, are trash. We never should have let them get away with nationalizing Aramco. If we wanted to be generous, we should have distributed the shares of Aramco to every Saudi citizen.

    The US has been played and the American public have paid a huge price for being the parasitic host to DC, the defense whores and two artifice creations of Saudi Arabia and greater Israel.

    Iran will cost us nothing. Just step out of the way, let them work out their own issues and quit fucking them, threatening them, killing their scientists and doing our worst to wreck their economy.

    They will evolve and be no threat to any country that gives them the same respect. If Israel decides to attack Iran, let them and let them pay the costs that Iran will put on them.

    ReplyDelete
  25. .

    I have offered to pay the airline fare to ship Deuce, rat, and Rufus to Gaza for a couple months on the condition they wear skull caps and put on the Star of David and do not deny they are Jews.

    My bank account can just barely handle one more passenger, and you is it.

    Interested ?


    Why the hell would I want to vacation in a friggin open air prison where travel and all essentials are controlled by an outside power?

    Are you nutz?

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      .

      Slavery ? The South ?

      What kind of fucked argument is that ?


      The same kind as this,

      A Palestinian State would be horrible for the Palestinians themselves.

      Right, its much better that their land be occupied by a foreign power, that their water allocation be about 1/10 that of the occupying power, that they have foreign soldiers patrolling and controlling most of the land, that they see their land slowly disappearing behind settlements and separation walls, that their resources are stolen, that their land is split up so that there is no contiguity, that when the occupying power decides the Palis are getting a little too uppity they simply cut off their share of the tax allocation to teach them a lesson, that...well...why go on. We can all see how great they've got it.

      To see the thinking behind Obumble's thinking all we have to do is go to the source, the fountainhead from which he draws his thinking.

      I plugged into Google search 'republicans say slavery wasn't so bad'. I got the following page and 85,000 links.

      http://search.comcast.net/?con=betatwo&cat=web&q=republican+says+lsavery+wasn%27t+so+bad

      From the first link on the page,

      Jim Brown, who’s running in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District, compared modern-day “entitlements” to slavery. But even more disturbing, perhaps, he denied that slavery was, first and foremost, a brutally violent institution:

      "Back in the day of slavery, slaves were kept in slavery by denying them education and opportunity while providing them with their basic needs .. Not by beating them and starving them. (Although there were isolated cases if course) Basically slave owners took pretty good care of their slaves and livestock and this kept business rolling along."


      http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2014/03/arizona_republican_compares_government_spending_to_slavery.html

      .

      Delete
    2. .

      I love the way Brown makes no differentiation between the slave owner's slaves and their livestock. And who can complain too much as long as business kept rolling along.

      .

      Delete
    3. Gaza isn't occupied by anybody except a bunch of asshole fanatics, you nit wit.

      And actually the West Bank fanatics are more or less self governing - they have their own policing for instance, and are free to cleanse Bethlehem, for instance, of Christians.

      What the fuck are talking about ?

      There is a free air ticket to Gaza waiting for you, along with a free skull cap a Star of David.

      If you accept, as I hope you do, I will be taking out a big life insurance policy on yourself, and not for the air trip. Just a short term lifer, two months............

      Delete
    4. It's an odd way to get rich quick, but you'd do it yourself, if you could find the turkey, so................

      I'm thinking the $5 million range......

      Delete
    5. And talk about denying education ?

      Its what most of the most of the Moslems world does as a matter of course to women, who are considered to be 50% of a human being.

      A woman's testimony is worthless in court.

      Can't even bring rape charges unless they can find 4 male witnesses to testify, a practical impossibility.

      Bringing rape charges by a Moslem woman more likely than not will result in the woman getting stoned to death.

      You are a fraud and idiot.

      You should be ashamed of yourself.

      Delete
    6. .

      Gaza isn't occupied by anybody except a bunch of asshole fanatics, you nit wit.

      And actually the West Bank fanatics are more or less self governing - they have their own policing for instance, and are free to cleanse Bethlehem, for instance, of Christians.


      Bob, you continue to display your ignorance here unashamedly.

      Gaza is an open air prison run by the Israelis. It's surrounded by fences and walls and its sea access is blockaded. Everything coming is rationed and everything going out is monitored. Hell, they even have guard towers and a 'no-man's land' set up. If you control everything and everybody that goes into a place, you control the place.

      The only reason Sharon pulled out of Gaza was because it was cheaper for Israel to just wall the Gazans in and try to forget about them.

      .

      Delete
    7. .

      And actually the West Bank fanatics are more or less self governing - they have their own policing for instance, and are free to cleanse Bethlehem, for instance, of Christians.

      What the fuck are talking about ?


      More or less self-governing? More 'less' than 'more' I would say.

      Under Oslo,

      The West Bank was divided into the following three administrative divisions, with civil administrative control of some areas transferred to the newly created Palestinian Authority (PA) while Israel maintained civil control over the majority of the territory. Under the terms of the Oslo process, full Palestinian governance was to have been achieved by 1999. But 15 years later, any Israeli transference of sovereignty remains elusive, especially with the presence in the West Bank of more than 300,000 Israeli settlers, more than twice the amount there during the signing of the Oslo Accords.

      Area A

      Comprising 18 percent of the West Bank, Area A is under PA civil control and security authority. Although it is comprised entirely of Palestinian cities – including Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem and some towns and villages that do not border Israeli settlements – they are separated by areas controlled by Israel, including checkpoints, settlements and military outposts.

      An exception is found in Hebron, the largest Palestinian city in the West Bank. While it lie in Area A, less than 1,000 Israeli settlers are living among hundreds of thousands of Palestinian residents, a state of affairs which prompted Israel to divide the city into two zones in the 1990s: H1, 80 percent of the entire city which is administered by the PA; and H2, 20 percent of the city which is controlled by Israel.

      Palestinians from Area A cannot travel to other areas within the West Bank — even other parts of Area A — without crossing Israeli checkpoints. Despite Palestinian civil and security governance, Israel still maintains a de facto veto of final authority, sometimes raiding homes and businesses or detaining and arresting Palestinians.


      (continued below...)

      .

      Delete
    8. .

      (continued...)

      Area B

      Comprising about 22 percent of the West Bank, Area B is under Palestinian civil administration while Israel retains exclusive security control with limited cooperation from the Palestinian police. Area B includes more than 400 villages and farmland. Despite PA civil control, such areas are often threatened by the expansion of Israeli settlements into Palestinian land.

      Area C

      Under full Israeli civil administration and security control, Area C is the largest division in the West Bank, comprising 60 percent of the territory. The PA only has responsibility for providing education and medical services to the 150,000 Palestinians living there. With the exception of Hebron, all Israeli settlements are in Area C, where Israel has full authority over building permissions and zoning laws. Area C contains most of the West Bank's natural resources and open areas. More than 70 percent of the Palestinian villages in Area C are not connected to the water network while Israeli settlements are, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Israel's Civil Administration has planned for Palestinian development in less than 1 percent of Area C, and 99 percent of the area is off limits or heavily restricted for Palestinian construction.


      http://america.aljazeera.com/multimedia/2014/7/west-bank-security.html

      Why do you bother throwing out the B.S. when you know you will be challenged on it?

      .


      Delete
  26. Reichsführer-SS Idaho Bob

    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Thanks, Deuce.

    There's my opening at last.

    Now I can call you what I really think of you.

    I feel LIBERATED

    hehhahaha

    :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have already accomplished that goal. I deleted most of them. Read your own words:

      They are the same hateful insane homicidal Palestinians they have always been whose media has always been one long scream of hate.

      Let them take up Sisi on his offer.

      Zero sympathy for the sexist, racist, genocidal, apartheid 'Palestinians' here.

      They have brought it all on themselves.

      They have proven they don’t deserve a state.

      Delete
    2. True words.

      Are you back into the censorship business then, Ayatollah D ?

      Cause I hardly ever go back and read what has gone before.

      And you, faking it all this time, about being 'for the women' for 'women's rights' - as a practical matter your policy would keep them in the 7th Century......forever.

      Congrats.

      Big vain phoney.

      Delete
    3. Now now, keeping people in war does not advance anyone’s rights.

      Delete
  27. Culturally, the noble 'Palestinians' are actually worse than the Nazis.

    Both were, are out to exterminate the Jews and everyone else, finally, but themselves.

    The Nazis exhibited this difference however - they retained something of a respect for their own women. No one else's women of course, but they did retain something resembling a northern European respect for their own women.

    You idiots that advocate a State for the savages of 'Palestine' can therefore be considered worse than the Nazis, as you are exhibiting extreme prejudice against the women of that longed for 'State'.

    You are all memmed and grubbered plumb to death.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There has been no extermination of the Jews by Palestinians. They were exterminated by Christians, mostly Lutherans and Catholics.

      Delete
    2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xisp2gys6o

      The People That Have Earned Our Respect And Deserve A State

      Delete
    3. .

      The caliber of Obumble's observations,

      The Nazis exhibited this difference however - they retained something of a respect for their own women. No one else's women of course, but they did retain something resembling a northern European respect for their own women.

      The Lebensborn

      The purpose of this society (Registered Society Lebensborn - Lebensborn Eingetragener Verein) was to offer to young girls who were deemed “racially pure” the possibility to give birth to a child in secret. The child was then given to the SS organization which took charge in the child’s education and adoption. Both mother and father needed to pass a “racial purity” test. Blond hair and blue eyes were preferred, and family lineage had to be traced back at least three generations. Of all the women who applied, only 40 percent passed the racial purity test and were granted admission to the Lebensborn program. The majority of mothers were unmarried, 57.6 percent until 1939, and about 70 percent by 1940.

      In the beginning, the Lebensborn were taken to SS nurseries. But in order to create a “super-race,” the SS transformed these nurseries into “meeting places” for “racially pure” German women who wanted to meet and have children with SS officers. The children born in the Lebensborn nurseries were then taken by the SS. Lebensborn provided support for expectant mothers, we or unwed, by providing a home and the means to have their children in safety and comfort.

      The first Lebensborn home was opened in 1936 in Steinhoering, a tiny village not far from Munich. Furnishings for the homes were supplied from the best of the loot from the homes of Jews who had been sent to Dachau. Ultimately, there were 10 Lebensborn homes established in Germany, nine in Norway, two in Austria, and one each in Belgium, Holland, France, Luxembourg and Denmark. Himmler himself took a special interest in the homes, choosing not only the mothers, but also attending to the decor and even paying special attention to children born on his birthday, October 7th.

      By 1939, the program had not produced the results Himmler had hoped. He issued a direct order to all SS and police to father as many children as possible to compensate for war casualties. The order created controversy. Many Germans felt the acceptance of unwed mothers encouraged immorality. Eventually Himmler backpedaled, but he never condemned illegitimacy outright. Himmler himself had two illegitimate children...


      https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Lebensborn.html

      .

      Delete
    4. .

      And who said chivalry was dead?

      .

      Delete
  28. If my memory serves me correctly, there has been one person on this blog who demonstrated disrespect towards a woman.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your memory serves you correctly but we parted on good terms wishing one another well.

      She's a good person. Wonderful really.

      I acted the turd.

      What else you got in your sack ?

      Get it out now.

      Go cruising back through the archives, rat like.

      I could do the same, but it's not my thing.

      Too much current insanity to talk about.

      Delete
  29. You just love that little delete button, don't you Deuce.

    Makes you so immune from criticism.

    An immunization against WiO's perfectly appropriate comments concerning you. And mine too.

    But the rooter ?

    Nah.

    You big vain phoney.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Do you know the story of the last Christian bookseller in Gaza, Deuce ?

    No ?

    Look it up.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thank you.

    PLO/Palestinians were kicked out of Jordan.

    Why ?

    Question of the Day -

    Which other countries kicked out the Palestinians ?

    I've had my say. It's a bad idea, a Palestinian state.

    Big day tomorrow.

    Cheers !

    ReplyDelete
  32. Iran militia top dog: “Erasing Israel off the map” is “non-negotiable”

    March 31, 2015 1:02 pm By Robert Spencer 23 Comments

    Mohammed Reza NaqdiThis is nothing new: Iranian leaders have said it many times before. Still, no one in the West seems to believe that they mean what they say.

    “Iran militia chief: Destroying Israel is ‘nonnegotiable,” by Lazar Berman, Times of Israel, March 31, 2015 (thanks to Jerk Chicken):

    The commander of the Basij militia of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said that “erasing Israel off the map” is “nonnegotiable,” according to an Israel Radio report Tuesday.

    Militia chief Mohammad Reza Naqdi also threatened Saudi Arabia, saying that the offensive it is leading in Yemen “will have a fate like the fate of Saddam Hussein.”

    Naqdi’s comments were made public as Iran and six world powers prepared Tuesday to issue a general statement agreeing to continue nuclear negotiations in a new phase aimed at reaching a comprehensive accord by the end of June.

    In 2014, Naqdi said Iran was stepping up efforts to arm West Bank Palestinians for battle against Israel, adding the move would lead to Israel’s annihilation, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.

    “Arming the West Bank has started and weapons will be supplied to the people of this region,” Naqdi said.

    “The Zionists should know that the next war won’t be confined to the present borders and the Mujahedeen will push them back,” he added. Naqdi claimed that much of Hamas’s arsenal, training and technical knowhow in the summer conflict with Israel was supplied by Iran.

    The Basij is a religious volunteer force established in 1979 by the country’s revolutionary leaders, and has served as a moral police and to suppress dissent….

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/03/iran-militia-top-dog-erasing-israel-off-the-map-is-non-negotiable

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Iranians will have plenty of willing recipients of arms in 'Palestine' -

      74% of the Population of Obama’s Future State Support Terrorism
      March 31, 2015 by Daniel Greenfield 7 Comments
      Print This Post Print This Post

      ObamaArafat

      Obama is planning to ram a Palestinian terror state through the UN.

      Now Obama is contemplating going forward with a resolution that was drafted last year by Secretary of State John Kerry and his Mideast negotiations team at the State Department. The language was drawn up in response to efforts by the Palestinians and France to win support for Security Council resolutions following the collapse of Kerry’s attempt to get Israeli and Palestinian assent to a “framework agreement.” France announced on Friday that it would renew its initiative, giving Obama a fresh prompt.

      As in the case with restoring relations with Cuba, Obama can also disregard the domestic political considerations that restrained him before he began his “fourth quarter” in office.

      Here’s what Obama’s terror state would look like.

      Almost three-quarters of Palestinian Arabs support Hamas in its “armed struggle” against Israel, a recent poll reveals Monday.

      According to the poll, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Political Research, 74% of Palestinians in the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Gaza support Hamas’s fight against Israel.

      56% of Palestinians support the PA adopting Hamas’s strategies in its “struggle” and 68% support the resumption of rocket fire on Israel in the event the Jewish state refuses to lift its transport, import, and export restrictions on Gaza.

      Obama wants to create another ISIS in the West Bank and Gaza.

      Filed Under: The Point
      About Daniel Greenfield

      Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam. He is completing a book on the international challenges America faces in the 21st century.

      Delete
    2. A Palestinian State - a gift to genociders everywhere.

      wunnerful wunnerful

      Delete
  33. Deuce ☂Tue Mar 31, 10:48:00 PM EDT
    There has been no extermination of the Jews by Palestinians.

    How does that saying go?

    Not for a lack of trying.....

    For you to say

    "Deuce ☂Tue Mar 31, 10:48:00 PM EDT
    There has been no extermination of the Jews by Palestinians.

    Ignores the tens of thousands of Palestinian terrorist attacks, that have come, as part of the organized plan, by the Palestinians at every level of organization.

    I also notice your usage of of the word "extermination".

    The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Yasser Arafat's Uncle, was in fact a honored guest in Nazis Germany of Adolf Hitler. His position was clear as a goal, the extermination of the Jewish people.

    To claim the Palestinians have never exterminated the Jews is factually correct, but once again misleading and specious.

    Arabs/Palestinians have attacked Jews to exterminate them for decades before Israel even existed, let alone "occupied the west bank"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Major Arab Terrorist Attacks against Israelis Prior to the 1967 Six-Day War

      Jan 1, 1952 - Seven armed terrorists attacked and killed a nineteen year-old girl in her home, in the neighborhood of Beit Yisrael, in Jerusalem.

      Apr 14, 1953 - Terrorists tried for the first time to infiltrate Israel by sea, but were unsuccessful. One of the boats was intercepted and the other boat escaped.

      June 7, 1953 - A youngster was killed and three others were wounded, in shooting attacks on residential areas in southern Jerusalem.

      June 9, 1953 - Terrorists attacked a farming community near Lod, and killed one of the residents. The terrorists threw hand grenades and sprayed gunfire in all directions. On the same night, another group of terrorists attacked a house in the town of Hadera. This occurred a day after Israel and Jordan signed an agreement, with UN mediation, in which Jordan undertook to prevent terrorists from crossing into Israel from Jordanian territory.

      June 10, 1953 - Terrorists infiltrating from Jordan destroyed a house in the farming village of Mishmar Ayalon.

      Delete
    2. June 11, 1953 - Terrorists attacked a young couple in their home in Kfar Hess, and shot them to death.

      Sept 2, 1953 - Terrorists infiltrated from Jordan, and reached the neighborhood of Katamon, in the heart of Jerusalem. They threw hand grenades in all directions. Miraculously, no one was hurt.

      Mar 17, 1954 - Terrorists ambushed a bus traveling from Eilat to Tel Aviv, and opened fire at short range when the bus reached the area of Maale Akrabim in the northern Negev. In the initial ambush, the terrorists killed the driver and wounded most of the passengers. The terrorists then boarded the bus, and shot each passenger, one by one. Eleven passengers were murdered. Survivors recounted how the murderers spat on the bodies and abused them. The terrorists could clearly be traced back to the Jordanian border, some 20 km from the site of the terrorist attack.

      Jan 2, 1955 - Terrorists killed two hikers in the Judean Desert.

      Mar 24, 1955 - Terrorists threw hand grenades and opened fire on a crowd at a wedding in the farming community of Patish, in the Negev. A young woman was killed, and eighteen people were wounded in the attack.

      Apr 7, 1956 - A resident of Ashkelon was killed in her home, when terrorists threw three hand grenades into her house.
      Two members of Kibbutz Givat Chaim were killed, when terrorists opened fire on their car, on the road from Plugot Junction to Mishmar Hanegev.
      There were further hand grenade and shooting attacks on homes and cars, in areas such as Nitzanim and Ketziot. One person was killed and three others wounded.

      Apr 11, 1956 - Terrorists opened fire on a synagogue full of children and teenagers, in the farming community of Shafrir. Three children and a youth worker were killed on the spot, and five were wounded, including three seriously.

      Apr 29, 1956 - Egyptians killed Roi Rotenberg, 21 years of age, from Nahal Oz.

      Sept 12, 1956 - Terrorists killed three Druze guards at Ein Ofarim, in the Arava region.

      Sept 23, 1956 - Terrorists opened fire from a Jordanian position, and killed four archaeologists, and wounded sixteen others, near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel.

      Sept 24, 1956 - Terrorists killed a girl in the fields of the farming community of Aminadav, near Jerusalem.

      Oct 4, 1956 - Five Israeli workers were killed in Sdom.

      Oct 9, 1956 - Two workers were killed in an orchard of the youth village, Neve Hadassah, in the Sharon region.

      Nov 8, 1956 - Terrorists opened fire on a train, attacked cars and blew up wells, in the North and Center of Israel. Six Israelis were wounded.

      Feb 18, 1957 - Two civilians were killed by terrorist landmines, next to Nir Yitzhak, on the southern border of the Gaza Strip.

      Mar 8, 1957 - A shepherd from Kibbutz Beit Govrin was killed by terrorists in a field near the Kibbutz.

      Apr 16, 1957 - Terrorists infiltrated from Jordan, and killed two guards at Kibbutz Mesilot.

      May 20, 1957 - A terrorist opened fire on a truck in the Arava region, killing a worker.

      May 29, 1957 - A tractor driver was killed and two others wounded, when the vehicle struck a landmine, next to Kibbutz Kisufim.

      June 23, 1957 - Israelis were wounded by landmines, close to the Gaza Strip.

      Aug 23, 1957 - Two guards of the Israeli Mekorot water company were killed near Kibbutz Beit Govrin.

      Dec 21, 1957 - A member of Kibbutz Gadot was killed in the Kibbutz fields.

      Feb 11, 1958 - Terrorists killed a resident of Moshav Yanov who was on his way to Kfar Yona, in the Sharon area.

      Apr 5, 1958 - Terrorists lying in ambush shot and killed two people near Tel Lachish.

      Apr 22, 1958 - Jordanian soldiers shot and killed two fishermen near Aqaba.

      Delete
    3. May 26, 1958 - Four Israeli police officers were killed in a Jordanian attack on Mt. Scopus, in Jerusalem.

      Nov 17, 1958 - Syrian terrorists killed the wife of the British air attache in Israel, who was staying at the guesthouse of the Italian Convent on the Mt. of the Beatitudes.

      Dec 3, 1958- A shepherd was killed at Kibbutz Gonen. In the artillery attack that followed, 31 civilians were wounded.

      Jan 23, 1959 - A shepherd from Kibbutz Lehavot Habashan was killed.

      Feb 1, 1959 - Three civilians were killed by a terrorist landmine near Moshav Zavdiel.

      Apr 15, 1959 - A guard was killed at Kibbutz Ramat Rahel.

      Apr 27, 1959 - Two hikers were shot at close range and killed near Massada.

      Sept 6, 1959 - Bedouin terrorists killed a paratroop reconnaissance officer near Nitzana.

      Sept 8, 1959 - Bedouins opened fire on an army bivouac in the Negev, killing an IDF officer, Captain Yair Peled.

      Oct 3, 1959 - A shepherd from Kibbutz Heftziba was killed near Kibbutz Yad Hana.

      Apr 26, 1960 - Terrorists killed a resident of Ashkelon south of the city.

      Apr 12, 1962 - Terrorists fired on an Egged bus on the way to Eilat; one passenger was wounded.

      Sept 30, 1962 - Two terrorists attacked an Egged bus on the way to Eilat. No one was wounded.

      Jan 1, 1965 - Palestinian terrorists attempted to bomb the National Water Carrier. This was the first attack carried out by the PLO's Fatah faction.

      May 31, 1965 - Jordanian Legionnaires fired on the neighborhood of Musrara in Jerusalem, killing two civilians and wounding four.

      Delete
    4. June 1, 1965 - Terrorists attack a house in Kibbutz Yiftach.

      July 5, 1965 - A Fatah cell planted explosives at Mitzpe Massua, near Beit Guvrin; and on the railroad tracks to Jerusalem near Kafr Battir.

      Aug 26, 1965 - A waterline was sabotaged at Kibbutz Manara, in the Upper Galilee.

      Sept 29, 1965 - A terrorist was killed as he attempted to attack Moshav Amatzia.

      Nov 7, 1965 - A Fatah cell that infiltrated from Jordan blew up a house in Moshav Givat Yeshayahu, south of Beit Shemesh. The house was destroyed, but the inhabitants were miraculously unhurt.

      Apr 25, 1966 - Explosions placed by terrorists wounded two civilians and damaged three houses in Moshav Beit Yosef, in the Beit Shean Valley.

      May 16, 1966 - Two Israelis were killed when their jeep hit a terrorist landmine, north of the Sea of Galilee and south of Almagor. Tracks led into Syria.

      July 13, 1966 - Two soldiers and a civilian were killed near Almagor, when their truck struck a terrorist landmine.

      July 14, 1966 - Terrorists attacked a house in Kfar Yuval, in the North.

      July 19, 1966 - Terrorists infiltrated into Moshav Margaliot on the northern border and planted nine explosive charges.

      Oct 27, 1966 - A civilian was wounded by an explosive charge on the railroad tracks to Jerusalem.



      ALL BEFORE the west bank was LIBERATED in 1967.


      No occupation of the west bank, jerusalem and gaza, and yet?


      Not a WORD of a Palestinian state....

      Not a peep...

      Not an asperation.

      Delete
    5. Occupation of disputed lands have caused NOTHING....

      The palestinians have sought to dominate and put the jews in their dhimmi slave like place.

      Delete
  34. Yesterday, 27% of California's electricity came from Renewables.

    (does Not include large hydro)

    Welcome to the 21st Century

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 47% of California's population is now officially illegals.

      So I guess the illegals are getting a good deal o the electricity they are stealing..

      Delete
    2. That's bullshit. You're a fucking racist moron.

      Delete
    3. You and Bob make a real fucking team.

      Delete
    4. Keep your racist bullshit off of my comments, asshole.

      Delete
    5. WiO when he gets frustrated, ol' Ruf always plays the 'race card'.

      He's done it to me time and again.

      Don't take it seriously.

      I remember when he even went after the Hindus (!) when he was ticked with me one time, just cause i adopted a Hindu niece.

      Made them all out to be cat eating savages. :)

      I thought about this a bit, and counter attacked that he was an alligator tail reptile eater himself.

      This slowed the old fart down a bit.

      My niece is actually a vegetarian.

      And remember Rufus is really quite simple, easily memmed and grubbered, and easily led about by the ring in his nose.

      I always try to cut the old guy some slack.

      Delete
    6. Rufus, WiO and I aren't a 'team'.

      I came to my outlook on Islam, the arabs of 'Palestine, and Israel and Judaism decades before I had ever bumped into WiO here.

      I don't even know his name.

      The basic issues are really quite simple.

      If we sound like a 'team' that is the reason. We happen to agree on this issue.

      I do pay close attention to what he says about the mid east as he knows more about it than anyone else here.

      Delete
    7. Almost 1/2 of CA's are illegals.

      How is that racist to point that out?

      The FACT that ILLEGALS steal services is not a racist comment. It's a fact.

      Delete
    8. Intelligent comment, Ash.

      Now let us all hear you fart.

      Delete
    9. 47% !

      I didn't know it was that high.

      Our country is falling apart at the seams.

      Your comment wasn't racist, WiO.

      Rufus just gets frustrated and plays the 'race' card.

      Like Deuce got frustrated yesterday and brought up my old misbehavior - one should be reminded of such things once in a while, nothing wrong with it - but Deuce was really frustrated and only brought it up because he knew he was losing the argument about the wisdom of a Palestinian State.

      A Palestinian State = a terrorist, murderously apartheid, genocidal, sexist State.

      This is not good for anyone, not the Palestinians themselves or anyone else.

      It is not rational for anyone brought up in the West to support such a 'State'.

      Delete
  35. No one should be allowed to remain in the USA illegally.

    We need Operation Wetback: The Return.

    If Rufus loves the illegals so, let him settle them on the Cherokee Reservation.

    I can guarantee you he will not wish to settle 20-30 million illegals on the Cherokee Reservation.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I'm just tired of the stupid, racist asshole making up crazy shit, and posting it as fact.

    Estimating where exactly illegal immigrants reside in the United States is tricky, but the Pew Hispanic Center did just that in 2011 for each state. Although California has the highest number of illegal immigrants, Nevada has the largest proportion of illegal immigrants—7.2 percent of the state population and as much as 10 percent of its workforce.

    California and Texas follow at just under 7 percent of their populations, with New Jersey and Arizona rounding out the top five.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just how stupid would you have to be to believe that 47% of Californians are illegal?


      And, to think that our humble little list is blessed with Two of these fucking racist brainiacs.

      Delete
    2. http://www.laalmanac.com/immigration/im04a.htm

      Illegal Immigrants in California and Los Angeles County

      According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an estimated 2,830,000 illegal immigrants
      resided in California in 2011, compared to 1.5 million in 1990 and 2.5 million in 2000. This number represents
      about 24 percent of the entire estimated illegal immigrant population in the United States (11.5 million in 2011).
      This estimate puts the percentage of California's population that are illegal immigrants to be about 7.5 percent,
      with a majority (about 60 percent) being from Mexico. Across the entire United States, an estimated 6.8 million
      illegal immigrants were from Mexico, up from 4.7 million in 2000.

      No matter HOW you slice it?

      You are still a moron.

      Delete
    3. Illegal immigrants who receive President Barack Obama’s executive amnesty will put a “costly strain” on California’s budget, according to studies from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the non-partisan group that advises state lawmakers on fiscal and policy issues.

      Even the liberal San Francisco Chronicle editorial board had to concede that since current state law allows recipients of deferred action “to apply for certain government services in health and human services, that would mean a new and potentially costly strain on those programs as well.”


      Delete
  37. I don't know how many illegals there are in the USA these days.

    Too damn many is all I know.

    And they shouldn't be 'legalized' by a President with a phone and a pen through some unconstitutional Presidential declaration or other.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anyone that would believe that 47% of Californians are illegal is too damned stupid to have an opinion about what to do with them.

      Delete
    2. Which is almost the total number of all citizens in MISSISSIPPI

      2.994 million (2014)
      Mississippi, Population

      According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an estimated 2,830,000 illegal immigrants


      LOL


      no matter how you spin it?

      that's MILLIONS of ILLEGALS

      Delete
    3. No, you doofus asshole; it's less than 7%.

      Delete
    4. argue with: http://www.laalmanac.com/immigration/im04a.htm

      Illegal Immigrants in California and Los Angeles County

      According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), an estimated 2,830,000 illegal immigrants
      resided in California in 2011, compared to 1.5 million in 1990 and 2.5 million in 2000. This number represents
      about 24 percent of the entire estimated illegal immigrant population in the United States (11.5 million in 2011).
      This estimate puts the percentage of California's population that are illegal immigrants to be about 7.5 percent,

      Then if you add in the illegals we DONT KNOW about? The number only goes UP…

      You are a dumb motherfucker are you not?

      Delete
    5. 38,802,500 (population of California) X 0.47 = 18,237,175

      A "dumb motherfucker" is one who thinks there are more illegals in California than there is in the entire United States.

      You're ignorant enough when you blog about your home country. You really should leave the United States alone.

      Delete
    6. My HOME country is America.

      And you never served in my nation's army.

      fraud

      Delete
    7. hee hee, he goes from "about 7.5%" to 47% with the rest being supplied by the ones we "DONT KNOW about".

      I'm chuckling to think that when I was in California just a couple of months ago that almost half of the people I saw were illegal immigrants, WOW, who woulda thunk!? Maybe some were so Hispanic they were invisible?

      Delete
  38. Rufus was right about Global Warming - it is the weather

    New study from Germany could be 'death blow' for global warming hysteria April 1, 2015 The Max Planck Institute in Germany, among the world’s most prestigious scientific research institutions, is a lot more credible than Al Gore. More

    April 1, 2015
    New study from Germany could be 'death blow' for global warming hysteria
    By Thomas Lifson

    The Max Planck Institute in Germany is among the world’s most prestigious scientific research institutions, and a new study coming from its Institute for Meteorology cannot be dismissed by warmist profiteers like Al Gore. Michael Bastasch reports at the Daily Caller:

    A new study out of Germany casts further doubt on the so-called global warming “consensus” by suggesting the atmosphere may be less sensitive to increases in carbon dioxide emissions than most scientists think.

    A study by scientists at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Meteorology found that man-made aerosols had a much smaller cooling effect on the atmosphere during the 20th Century than was previously thought. Why is this big news? It means increases in carbon dioxide emissions likely cause less warming than most climate models suggest.

    What do aerosols have to do with anything? Well, aerosols are created from human activities like burning coal, driving cars or from fires. There are also natural aerosols like clouds and fog. Aerosols tend to reflect solar energy back into space, giving them a cooling effect that somewhat offsets warming from increased CO2 emissions.

    In other words, there is a self-canceling effect from the emissions when it comes to raising temperatures. There are many other holes in the global warming theory as well, including the natural factors such as sunspot activity that have produced dramatic climate changes throughout geological history. The unknowns overwhelm the known factors.

    But one thing we do know now is that the heart of warmist model, the purported sensitivity of temperature to CO2 levels, was incorrect. Thus:

    “Going forward we should expect less warming from future greenhouse gas emissions than climate models are projecting,” write climate scientists Pat Michaels and Chip Knappenberger with the libertarian Cato Institute, adding that this study could be a “death blow” to global warming hysteria.

    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/04/new_study_from_germany_could_be_death_blow_for_global_warming_hysteria.html

    Did I tell you that my cat eating vegetarian niece works at one of the world’s most prestigious scientific research institutions ?

    I didn't ?

    Well, she does.

    Working on two more papers that are going to be published soon, too. Already in the journal Nature...

    With truly talented dedicated young people like her sprouting up all around the world there is good reason for some real hope.

    :) Cheers !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Then I read the shit you post Bob (and WiO) and any hope is nullified.

      Delete
    2. Ah, Ash.

      Her means of transportation ?

      Her two legs and a used bike.

      Her living quarters ?

      A small one room flat with no kitchen.

      Her daily diet ?

      Lots of spaghetti.

      Cooked on her two burner little electric stove thingy.

      Her outlook on life ?

      Transcendental.

      She was as happy as a little kid on birthday the other day ! Just overflowing with enthusiasm.

      "It's not an ending if it's not a happy yet, Uncle Bob"

      !
      :)

      Delete
  39. Would you consider donating your potato brain to Max Planck upon your demise, Noble Ash ?

    I can arrange it.

    They are always looking for the freaky things in nature.....such oddities often give clues to the workings of things.

    Might be your most creative move ever.

    Quirk has already signed up.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I can't seem to find a reference to a UN Resolution concerning the disarming of Gaza, which doesn't mean there isn't one.

    There is Resolution 1701 concerning Hezbollah in Lebanon. I may have been thinking of that.

    >>>The international community, through the UN Security Council, has demanded multiple times that Hezbollah disarm. Instead, Hezbollah has continually ignored these demands. They ignored UN Resolution 1701, which called for a zone free of armed personnel besides the army of Lebanon. They ignored UN Resolution 1559 and the Lebanese Taif Agreement, which ended the Lebanese Civil War and called for the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias. Hezbollah clearly shows it has no intention of ever laying down its arms.<<<

    http://www.idfblog.com/blog/2015/01/29/un-resolution-1701-important/

    At any rate, there is a wonderful picture of "The Ash People of Gaza" here -

    http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/09/disarming-gaza-resistance-after-end-israel-occupation.html#

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "The Ash People of Gaza".... aka...... "Partners for Peace"

      Delete
  41. The Last Jew in Pakistan
    Cameron Gray
    April 1, 2015 at 7:59 am ( 1 hour ago )

    Screen Shot 2015-03-31 at 11.38.50 PM

    Meet Fishel Benkhald. My wife and I met him over Twitter late last year, and, because I am also a Jew, I was very interested in his story. We have become “friends” through social media.

    Fishel lives in Karachi, Pakistan, and is considered to be the last Jewish citizen in Pakistan, a country of 187 million people. He has made it his mission to be a voice for Pakistani minorities. Over Twitter direct message, he told me (all quotes unedited, to preserve his spelling and grammar):

    Yes I tweet&speak with people in support of Christians,Hindus,and muslim minority of Ahmadia&Shia muslims.

    I also go&attend vigils for them

    He has also taken it upon himself to help care for and maintain the Jewish section of a cemetery in Karachi.......

    https://ricochet.com/last-jew-pakistan/

    India in contrast has no problem with Jews or anyone else.

    Their outlook being there are many paths up the mountain of life, and it's the getting to the top that is important, not the path.

    The Moslems have killed something around 80 million to 100 millions Hindus over the centuries.

    Yet my Niece, who knows whereof she speaks concerning the Moslems, says:

    "The ones in the middle east are the worst"

    Got to run.

    Have great day.

    Cheers !

    ReplyDelete
  42. Reading these idiotic comments about Palestine and the Israelis makes one realize global disgust and distaste for Israel wasn’t given, it was earned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Global disgust?

      Projecting again Deuce….

      Delete
    2. Care to take names? I am amazed at the turn in comments all over the blogs. You can pick out The Lobby attempt to flood the zone but it is not working. The assault on Gaza, Netanyahu and the diss on Obama furthered the contempt and reevaluation and the Republicans are now getting tarred with the same charge of bigotry in numerous state.

      Delete
  43. India in contrast has no problem with Jews or anyone else.

    Fact: India as a country is divided on the lines of color, religion, caste and gender.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So simplistic and stupid not worthy of a reply.

      Casino Time

      Delete
  44. Everywhere you turn, Republicans are shrinking their base.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Gallup poll: Democrats losing sympathy for Israel
    By KENDALL BREITMAN 2/23/15 12:43 PM EST

    The number of Democrats who feel more sympathetic toward Israelis than Palestinians has dropped 10 points in one year, according to a new poll.

    In a Gallup poll released Monday, less than half of Democrats — 48 percent — say they sympathize more with Israelis than Palestinians when it comes to tensions in the Middle East. By contrast, 83 percent of Republicans sided with Israel. Fifty-nine percent of Independents answered similarly.


    Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/democrats-israel-palestine-gallup-poll-115419.html#ixzz3W5mEhzoe

    ReplyDelete
  46. A ten point drop in one year amongst Democrats as Republicans, through self-inflected stupidity, are shrinking their base is a political disaster for The Lobby.

    ReplyDelete
  47. There is your projection. People are waking up. You better hope that Netanyahu doesn’t start a war with Iran. That ten percent shrinkage will look like chump change.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Losing the Democrats while The Republicans are shrinking in droves.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Most US elections are won by small since digit margins. Over the past seven years the Evangelical Christian numbers, have dropped over 1% per year in the Southern States: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and North Carolina.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This has been masked at the ballot box by the fact that the Democrats were headed by a "negro."

      In 2016 the "race" game won't be nearly as much fun for the southern republicans.

      Delete
    2. .

      The old 'negro' meme again. Pure bullshit.

      The following link shows voting patterns for the past four presidential races by religious affiliation. [Note: Since non-religion affiliated is also included it should be a good surrogate for the entire electorate.]

      http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/01/07/heavily-democratic-jewish-voters-inch-toward-the-gop/

      You will note that the voting patterns do shift a little but most are pretty consistent. Two notable exceptions are that when almost all patterns did shift in a significant way, they did so in 2008 and they shifted to Obama. In 2012, though his margin did drop somewhat it was still better than what other candidates pulled even in the previous years. The one big drop came amongst Jewish voters in 2012 but even there the vote was overwhelmingly for Obama.

      The 'negro card' is a joker.

      I doubt even those who use really believe it. I mean no one can be that loopy.

      .

      Delete
    3. enter stage left - the misogyny card...

      Delete
  50. The Republicans are finished on the West Coast, the Northeast, probably Florida and if they lose three of those five Southern States, they are history.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Republicans have two major problems when it comes to winning presidential elections: demographics and the Electoral College. And as the 2016 election gets off the ground, both of these problems are getting worse.

    On the Electoral College front, Democrats quite simply have more electoral votes "in the bank" (i.e. safe blue states) and need to win fewer swing states than Republicans do. And demographically, the Democrats' gains among Hispanic voters in particular pose a real long-term problem for Republicans, given this population is growing extremely fast and the white population is, well, not.

    We say "long-term" because population can only grow so fast -- i.e. it's not necessarily an imminent problem for the GOP in 2016.

    Or maybe it is, according to a new study from the left-leaning Center for American Progress.

    The study, conducted by policy analyst Patrick Oakford, ran three simulations of the 2016 election:

    1) Racial and ethnic groups turn out to vote at 2012 levels and vote for Republicans and Democrats at 2012 levels

    2) Racial and ethnic groups turn out at 2012 levels, but vote at 2004 levels (when George W. Bush was reelected)

    3) Racial and ethnic groups turn out at 2012 levels, but whites vote at 2012 levels, while racial minorities vote at 2004 levels

    You'll have to bear with us a bit here, because this is a little dense. But the main takeaway is this: Republicans lose in all three of these simulations -- handily.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here's what No. 1 (a repeat of 2012 turnout and exit polls) looks like, courtesy of the great 270ToWin.com. The Democrats won the Electoral College 332-206 in 2012. Under this simulation -- with nothing changed from 2012 except the passage of time and demographic shifts -- they would add North Carolina to the "win" column.


      Under simulation No. 2, things get a little closer, because using the Bush-Kerry exit polls means Republicans take about four in 10 Hispanic voters -- versus the 27 percent Mitt Romney got in 2012.

      The Electoral College, though, still favors Democrats, 291-247. So the 2012 electorate, even if it voted at 2004 levels (under which a GOP president was reelected) in 2016, would elect a Democrat.


      And finally, simulation No. 3. This would seem to help Republicans, because they get the stronger white vote they had in 2012 but the stronger Hispanic vote they had in 2004. Yet Republicans actually do slightly worse here than under simulation No. 2.

      Delete
    2. They lose here 303-235, losing Colorado and Virginia while picking up Missouri.


      The reason for the Democrats' success here? Growing minority populations. In North Carolina, which flips to Democrats in 2016 even at 2012 turnout and voting levels, the Latino eligible voting population is projected to increase from 3.1 percent to 4.5 percent between 2012 and 2016, while the black population moves from 22 percent to 22.7 percent and the Asian-American population increases from 1.4 percent to 1.8 percent. The white population, meanwhile, drops by two points, from 71.3 percent to 69.2 percent.

      That means a state Romney won by two points in 2012 suddenly goes for Democrats by 0.3 points -- again, assuming the vote goes the same as 2012.

      Over that same four-year period, the Hispanic population is projected to increase by three points in Florida (from 17.1 percent to 20.2 percent), by nearly three points in Nevada (15.9 to 18.8), and by about two points each in Colorado and Virginia. Almost every state loses at least two points off its white population.

      Those are only a few-point shifts, but these states could be decided by only a few points.

      Delete
    3. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/01/06/the-gops-2016-problem-in-3-maps/

      Delete
    4. The GOP needs to have Boehner invite Netanyahu t deliver the AIPAC State of The Union to the Joint House in 2016.

      Delete
    5. And, all that, I think, is why the GOP appears to be slowly wandering off into la la land.

      Delete
    6. This might be the last Presidential election that Republicans have a reasonable chance of winning.

      Delete
    7. They better hope the Supreme Court doesn’t force them to make another decision on Health Care.

      Delete
    8. It is over for them. They are stuck with Likud Israel and The Christian Right. They have nothing else. They will not carry US Jews and they will get nothing from anyone that benefits from healthcare. Who else is there?

      Delete
    9. Every day they present the Democrats another gift.

      Delete
    10. The pubs do have a chance this go-round because

      1) It is Very Difficult for any party to win three consecutive terms, and

      2) Hillary just might turn out to be a terribly flawed candidate.


      But, demographics Is the single most powerful force in politics, and the demographics are rapidly running away from the Likuds Force Party.

      Delete
    11. Within two weeks of announcing his candidacy for president, Ted Cruz's support among Republican voters has jumped by double digits in a new poll.

      The Texas senator's support rose from 5 percent to 16 percent in a little over a month, according to a national survey of 443 national Republican primary voters released Wednesday by Public Policy Polling.

      That puts him in "top tier of GOP contenders," PPP concluded, coming in third place behind Scott Walker, who led with 20 percent, and Jeb Bush, who had 17 percent.

      Notably, Walker's support fell from 25 percent, while Bush's support stayed at 17 percent — a sign that Cruz may be siphoning support from the Wisconsin governor.

      Behind Cruz were Ben Carson and Rand Paul tied with 10 percent; Marco Rubio and Mike Huckabee tied with 6 percent; Chris Christie with 4 percent and Rick Perry with 3 percent.

      Cruz announced his candidacy at the evangelical Liberty University on March 23.

      Delete
    12. Name the state outside of Idaho that will go for Cruz.

      Delete
  52. LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his German and French counterparts extended marathon talks in Switzerland on Wednesday for a second day beyond a self-imposed deadline to reach a preliminary agreement with Iran on its nuclear programme.

    A diplomat close to the talks said late on Wednesday that a deal could be announced within hours but had not yet been reached, and the talks could still collapse.

    Kerry and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced they would stay at least until Thursday. In a potentially hopeful sign, French Foreign Secretary Laurent Fabius returned for more talks after flying back to Paris the previous day because progress had been too slow.

    Six world powers - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - aim to stop Iran from gaining the capacity to develop a nuclear bomb. Tehran wants to lift international sanctions that have crippled its economy, while preserving what it says it its right to peaceful nuclear technology.

    The sides were meant to reach a preliminary accord in the Swiss city of Lausanne which would provide an outline for a final deal to be reached by June 30. The preliminary deal was meant to be achieved by midnight on March 31, but the sides are under pressure not to go home empty handed.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Barack Obama got 39% of the white vote, and beat Romney by 4.

    Jeb Bush, while getting more Latino votes than Romney, will still have to hold Hillary to, at least, 37%.

    What are the odds?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Answer: It's possible; it has been done. Nixon did it in '72, and Reagan did it twice.

      But, this is now. I know which way I'd have to bet.

      Delete
  54. The Republican Party is a political clown bus that was taken over a cliff by George Bush. What does it stand for? It was Constitution, Constitution, Constitution till it wasn’t. It is more concerned with Israel than it is with California. It offers nothing to average Americans except more wars , less jobs, less healthcare and interference in their lives. History has passed it by and it deserves nothing more than being put down.

    ReplyDelete