Saturday Miscellany

First, having warmed up by calling Republicans liars, the mainstream media and even Democrat politicians are showing the world how best to lie. Or, should we say, gaslight. 

The advent of Kamala Harris has produced ecstatic release among the left-leaning intelligentsia. Given the requirements of DEI-- and if you think that there is another reason why cackling Kamala has ascended the political hierarchy, you should revise your thinking-- we are now being called upon to bow down, even to genuflect before the greatness of Kamala. 

We now know that a woman who was given responsibility for the situation on the nation’s border was not given responsibility for the situation on the nation’s borders. Since she failed miserably at the task, we must think that it was not her task. Major media organizations have expunged all reference to Kamala the border czar.

As they have removed all references to Kamala, the most liberal senator. 

It is pathetically insulting, but it suggests that the media does not respect the intelligence of the average citizen. 

Then again, if you think that a male who thinks he is a female is really a female, perhaps they have reason not to respect yours.

Second, the prime minister of Israel gave a speech to the United States Congress on Wednesday. And a very good speech it was-- as all present agreed.

As it happened, the president of the Senate, vice president Kamala Harris boycotted the speech. She had to meet up with some sorority sisters, and we know that that is more important than a speech by an ally.

Anyway, Elon Musk was in attendance, because apparently he did not have any sorority events to attend.

Meantime, one Nancy Pelosi, often adulated as the smartest political mind the world has ever seen, managed to make a profoundly stupid remark. To this effect:

Benjamin Netanyahu’s presentation in the House Chamber today was by far the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary invited and honored with the privilege of addressing the Congress of the United States. Many of us who love Israel spent time today listening to Israeli citizens whose families have suffered in the wake of the October 7th Hamas terror attack and kidnappings.  These families are asking for a ceasefire deal that will bring the hostages home – and we hope the Prime Minister would spend his time achieving that goal.

Let’s see, the speech was so bad, in Nancy’s eyes, that Kamala was right to boycott it. In fact, Kamala is so smart that she knew how bad it was going to be without showing up. The same is true of Nancy. Apparently Nancy covered her own dereliction by meeting with the families of Israeli victims.

One notes that the Pelosi solution involves blaming the Israeli prime minister. When you have allies like that, you do not need enemies.

Third, apparently, Kamala had second or third thoughts about boycotting the prime minister of Israel. It’s alright to be anti-Semitic. You should, however, to hide it from public view.

So, she scheduled a meeting with Natanyahu, followed by a rather ceremonial speech about her own policies. She was surrounded by flags, in a situation that made her look like she was in charge. You might understand that for some members of the press, what really matters is looking like you are in charge.

One conspicuous omission-- the Israeli prime minister did not attend. He boycotted Kamala’s effort to pretend that she was in charge.

Fourth, as I have often pointed out, the difference between the Trump administration and the Biden administration is the difference between the Abraham Accords and October 7. 

One notes that Trump’s ambassador to Israel, one David Friedman, one of the authors of the Abraham Accords, wrote a commentary on the Kamala speech, for Twitter:

Well here you have it. @KamalaHarris offers her take on the war in Gaza. NO CONDEMNATION OF HAMAS! Just some platitudes about complexities, nuances, human suffering , peace and security. And a plea for a “two-state solution.” 

Madame Vice President, there was a Palestinian state in Gaza - not a single Jew or Jewish soldier was there when this war began. In 2005 Israel evacuated all its soldiers and citizens from Gaza, handing full control of the territory to the Palestinians in the hope of peace. And the Palestinians in Gaza then elected Hamas. 

Hamas received billions of dollars in international aid — aid that the Trump administration cut off but you and Joe Biden restored! It used those funds to build terror tunnels and shoot rockets at Israeli civilians. And on October 7, 2023, it committed the most barbaric and despicable acts of violence against Jews since the Holocaust. 

I noted not a word from you in your speech regretting that your administration funded Hamas terror (directly, and through sanctions relief on Iran). Your push for a Palestinian state at this time is tone-deaf and a betrayal of the Jewish lives lost and still missing from this heinous assault. It also conflicts with the recent vote of the Israeli Knesset which overwhelmingly rejected a Palestinian state. You are no friend of Israel and you have exhibited a shocking lack of command of the relevant facts. 

Your insensitivity to Jewish suffering and failure to attribute good and evil where they belong, means you will never help to bring peace to this troubled region. All those in the region who seek peace - Israelis, Arabs, Jews. Muslims and Christians - now know after hearing this speech that you are NOT the one to achieve it.

Fifth, it might have been inadvertent; it might have been motivated by malice, but Christopher Wray, Director of the FBI let slip during his recent testimony that he was not sure whether former president Trump had been injured by a bullet, or by shrapnel.

Naturally, the maniacs who believe that Trump is Hitler pounced on this notion, and asserted that Trump had set it up himself in order to win sympathy.

It was a grotesque error by the director. 

So, for the truth, we turn to the New York Times, of all places. The paper of record researched the matter and concluded that Wray was wrong:

An absence of medical records or official accounts from the assassination attempt on Donald Trump has stirred confusion, but a New York Times video and trajectory analysis indicates a bullet, not debris, wounded the former president.

As you know, Congressman and physician Dr. Ronny Jackson did examine the records and the president. His conclusions were in accord with those of the Times.

And the FBI walked back the director’s assertion. As of now, we await Wray’s public apology.

Sixth, as for the highly consequential matter of America’s reputation on the world stage, reputation that has just taken a major hit with the candidacy of Kamala Harris.

British politician Dan Hannan described her thusly in the Washington Examiner:

She is slow, vacuous, and superficial. She talks in cliché because she thinks in cliché. She cackles, not because she has some sardonic take on life that eludes the rest of us but because she cannot think what to say. Almost every political office she has occupied has been handed to her on grounds of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Seventh, Richard Truesdell and Keith Lehmann have a few thoughts on DEI, for the site, American Greatness:

Diversity, when implemented by force, is the purposeful dilution of staffing that makes a company or government consider immutable qualities that have nothing to do with capability. At woke companies and government agencies, this so-called diversity has nothing to do with the job at hand. Diversity is heralded as a “strength.” Well, our military has failed miserably for over thirty years using this attribute, losing Afghanistan, losing in Ukraine, and for the last three years, losing on our southern border. We are witnessing a clear and rapid deterioration of our infrastructure, from our airline transportation to our local policing, all due to racial and gender quotas.

Perhaps more important is the simple fact that a diversity hire will not command enough respect to function in their new role:

A DEI hire will always be stained with the notion that they “Didn’t Earn It” among fellow workers, regardless of their true capabilities. This was hammered home last year when recently appointed Harvard President Claudine Gay was called to testify on anti-Semitism on college and university campuses.

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