Well, friends, it's happened: Iranian tankers loaded with crude oil have sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz, bound for ports hither and yon where they will disgorge their cargoes and load up with (digital) pallets of cash in return. In other words, Iran's oil sector is back in business! This mean our main point of leverage over Iran has been forfeited, at least for now. With no bombs falling, and no impediment to their oil exports, the Iranians will probably feel emboldened, maybe even victorious. Of course, they'll be celebrating their alleged triumph next to the smoking ruins of their air force, navy, missile forces, radar installations, nuclear research facilties, and erstwhile command bunkers...so there's that.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpq37yxexd9o
In other news, something interesting has been happening in the generic ballot polls for this November: support for Republicans has been ticking up. In other words, the midterms were already looking more competitive before the Iran deal, and before gas prices started to fall. It's difficult to imagine that the new and improved, more peaceable world DJT has gifted us, or will gift us, as of this coming Friday, will do anything but improve GOP prospects. This is encouraging!
https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/state-of-the-union/generic-congressional-vote
Dr, Waddy from Jack: A commentator on Fox today , reacting to the news of DC's election of a far left Mayor, maintained that DSA candidates or office holders now total approx 250 nationwide.
ReplyDeleteThat is very alarming but the commentator said it could have consequences favorable to common sense America, which I think is the obvious natural opposite of DSA incipient Marxist totalitarianism. I think he has a good point.
I've maintained for a long time that the "American" radical left ALWAYS overreaches when it perceives even a hint of its eventual complete triumph it believes to be inevitable. They thought so in '68, '72 , '92 and 2016 and in each case offered America candidates of markedly radical intent.
On the world scene , Marxists really blew it with overreach. They managed to take over two of the largest nations on earth and what did they do? Utterly unachievable "Five Year Plans", artificial famines forced on populations held to be "counterrevolutionary" simply for practicing proven productive agriculture , a "Great Leap Forward" which starved some 20 million surplus population, overnight forced depopulation of a capitol city and unrelenting regimentation and imposition of policies utterly contrary to human nature.
Anyway, this DSA surge into national power could well be regarded as overreach by a Dem party appalled to its very marrow by the all unlooked for advent of Donald Trump. Should it thereby achieve some consequential executive power we can count on it to misuse it . Should it take either one or both of the Congressional houses we know it would manifest routine Presidential impeachment efforts , far left dominated Congressional tribunals , and the prospect of a reflexively far left compliantly reactive Hakeem Jeffries or worse, two steps away from the Presidency. DSA Governors and Mayors would force counterintuitive radical impositions on their powerless "subjects".
All of this may have the effect, rather, of fully alerting America to the fundamental threat to all we cherish ever more frankly advanced by a resurgent DSA/Dem far left. And the result could well be a once again aroused America which reestablishes a majority common sense Administration and Congress in '28. Blue dominated cities and even states may linger longer in wretched far left dysfunction while an America redeemed by the experience of "American" radical overreach quarantines them pending some future deliverance.
RAY TO DR.WADDY
ReplyDeleteAnd worst of, the Iranian people remain under the grip of the same insane regime, which is probably worse than ever now. I envision lots of executions, torture and prison more than ever before, accusing people of collaboration and so on and so on.
RAY TO DR. WADDY
ReplyDeleteFirst words should read "And worst of all",....
Dr. Waddy from Jack : The very prospect of DSA power after the midterms might also be enhancing GOP prospects now.Very probably there is an increasing realization among people of common sense and good will that we have an extraordinarily productive and canny President. His gutsy perseverence in the face of characteristic reflexive far left vicious castigation is bringing his determination to deprive fanatic Iran of nuclear weaponry ever closer to fruition. The possibilities presented by this may be of profoundly historic importance. Instead of their incessant carping, radical far left gnats may do well to consider the possibility that they are shamed beyond measure by their disdain for an incipiently great President.
ReplyDeleteRay and Dr. Waddy from Jack: It is tragic that our efforts so far have not delivered the Iranian people from this barbaric regime. A commentator on Fox did suggest that the regime might yet implode in the near future as the regime overreaches in relief at its survival up to now and at some return to an uneasy peace.
ReplyDeleteBut America must deal with whatever Iranian " leadership" obtains in our adherence to our prime purpose of denying them nuclear weapons. Should the irrational and potentially suicidal regime backslide in that we can be certain our resolute President will take all necessary and appropriate action.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: In 20 years working in state prisons I noted in many criminals a demonstrated belief that they are unquestionably just in all of the convenient rationales and excuses they advance for their criminal behavior. Much of this is inspired by convenient doctrine which holds that they are 'victims" rather than victimizers.
ReplyDeleteI see much of the same outlook in the radical Islamist doctrine which guides the Iranian regime. It assures them that they are absolutely , unchallengeablely and uniquely correct in using that faith to justify hate filled aggression of their choice against any people (s) who do not defer to their will. Suppression or defeat do not in any way mitigate this intolerant assurance to them of their righteousness . Fortunately we have a President , VP and Administration who are fully aware of this and who unapologetically oppose it. This is at the core of our present "dealings" with that regime and was of course notably lacking in the pusillanimous excuse and enablement afforded them by our last two Presidents. "Cooperativeness" by the mullahs is rightfully assumed by our present leaders to be by definition disingenuous and useful only when tempered by unrelenting verification.
In this , the criminal Iranian regime closely resembles our criminal population; both cannot be trusted, both must be directly and firmly controlled until they despair of their antisocial and aggressive presumptions. Failing this , they must be permanently restrained and prevented from victimizing the just.
Dr. Waddy from Jack:: A significant political development has taken place in the UK: the Labour Mayor of Manchester , Andy Burnham ,has defeated a Reform candidate in a "Special Election" for Parliament. He is predicted to be an immediate prospect to replace PM Starmer. He was a Blair supporter and apparently he advances a "soft left" agenda. Eg. he tepidly maintains that those who are upset about the UK's immigration policy "must be listened to".
ReplyDeleteDoes Labour anticipate Starmer getting trounced by Farage and in order to avoid such a "catastrophe " proposes a temporary retreat to moderation? My very sketchy impression of Manchester is that it is a largely blue collar midlands city; perhaps analogous to say, Indianapolis?Perhaps Labour used it as a test of the viability of a gesture of grudging deference to the centre? Maybe Labour loathes and fears Farage as much as the "American" far left does President Trump. DJT denied their darling in 2016 and rained on their "inevitable"parade and such heresy excites their most extreme antipathy. Maybe the prospect of a Reform government is of equal emotional distress to Labour? Maybe Labour has good reason to dread its advent?
Jack, I'd like to think that Dem misrule in deep blue cities would be a cautionary tale for most Americans, but it's a VERY long-running narrative at this stage, and it doesn't seem to have caused the Dems many headaches in national politics up to now. I guess the question has to be: how bad do things have to get in LA, or Chicago, or NYC, before middle-of-the-road voters do more than just roll their eyes???
ReplyDeleteRay/Jack: I agree that it is most unfortunate that the Iranian people will receive no relief from Islamist tyranny, under the current deal. Quite the opposite, in fact: we've undertaken to respect Iran's sovereignty and thus "help" is decidedly NOT "on the way". We have no choice but to deal with the leadership that's in place, arguably, but then again what's the point of dealing with them, when any accommodation we arrive at is immediately undermined by hardline factions within Iran? We'll find out in the next few weeks and months if the regime is remotely serious about giving up its nuclear pretensions, but I rather doubt it. Reading the tea leaves, if I was Iran, I'd assume that Trump has shot his bolt, in terms of military intervention and blockades, for the time being...but on the other hand they must know he's unpredictable, and the Israelis could certainly still drop bombs on their heads any old time.
Burnham's victory is interesting since he made it so patently a vote of no confidence in Starmer. The BBC claims Starmer's goose is cooked. We'll see, but I would fully expect Labour to try new leadership if they felt it might be effective in holding Reform at bay and allowing them to revive their popularity. As Sleepy Joe could tell you, "loyalty" is a foreign concept to most politicos.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: I think the idea of effecting regime change in Iran was motivated by the idea that a 21st century oriented government might be amenable to our single absolutely rock solid objective - no nukes . As is so often true of the conduct of US arms , an "ancillary "benefit is the deliverance of peoples from otherwise inescapable oppression ; uhh just coincidence I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteA commentator today speculated that perhaps a significant number of Americans are willing to try "something new" in dealing with our country's seemingly "intractable " shortcomings. Yeah well , that's what luckless nations have done by adopting the Marxism which always seemed good but made things unimaginably worse. Of course ,most of these countries had it forced on them by the conquering Stalinist boot or had problems so catastrophic that it is understandable that they were willing to try anything.
The "American" far left has demonstrated its unrelenting determination to force America into a mold of perfect" justice " and "equity" unobtainable given human nature. They have no choice; the US does not approach the desperation which obtained in so many of the countries enslaved by marxists. Being perfectionists they would never be satisfied no matter how much "fundamental transformation" they might wreak. This guarantees the ever more insane totalitarian control history shows us to be guaranteed by Marxist rule.
They have had to develop a new way to subjugate the uniquely , stubbornly prosperous ,free and common sense US and they have been
working on it since the '60s. An unmistakeable sign of the "progress" they have made is in the burgeoning success of the
"Democratic" Socialists of America . They have taken over one of our two major parties and have been elected or are candidates for, an alarmingly increasing number of significant government posts, each bringing with them a cadre of unelected subordinates often of even more intense Marxist intent. Regularly declared by them is ever more frank resolve to put an end to an America they loath and to force on its huskunwanted and unneeded comprehensive change . Eg. "oh lets just take private property and give it to those who, by our lights , deserve it, for 'community' possession . Lets disarm America and and muzzle free expression of any thought or action heretic to our doctrine". Its commie talk! If it were Nazi talk would it have any chance of taking over our country? Of course not but we tolerate and some of us even embrace a system proven even more savage and inhuman than the Nazis.
The utterly disloyal "American" radical rump has already given us enough evidence of its totalitarian intent to convince those of common sense and good will . Must we wait until its too late to do our utmost to drive them back into the political gutter they emerged from? !
Dr. Waddy from Jack: An example of far leftist insanity which would be dismissable but for its current significance as a telling look into the fevered minds of US radicals: Our State Senator has had to write to our obsequious far left apologist NY Governor to try to persuade her to veto a bill which would forbid the use of the dread terms "mother " and "father" in official communication in our subjugated state. Mandated would be "gestating partner" and "nongestating partner" (or some such baloney). This is the fruit of radicals with too much time and leisure on their hands. But they run our state and give just a hint of what an America bullied by them would be like. NY may be lost; don't let it happen to you America!
ReplyDeleteDrf. Waddy from Jack: So PM Starmer has understandably resigned his portfolio. Who will receive the Monarch's invitation to "form a government"? Its a glorious tradition; it would be fascinating to actually witness it. Maybe the new PM will take some fairly summary action on the immigration problem which could , if allowed to fester, manifest enough disorder to sweep Reform into office.
ReplyDeleteWell, I sincerely hope that the lefties continue their efforts to rename fathers and mothers, since that sort of nonsense exposes them for the loons they most certainly are, and far more effectively (alas) than their substantive policies, which are much worse.
ReplyDeleteFYI, Starmer's government has already succeeded in vastly reducing net immigration figures, which reflects Labour's understanding that Third World immigration is a severe political liability to them. If Biden and Co. had been that perceptive, Sleepy Joe might still be our president...