Electoral System Broken. Be Critical Nonsense. Grenell Tells It Like It Is. Why Israel Exists. Another Reason To Despise Obama. Missing Melania. More

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The biased mass media folks and an assortment of Democrats tell me during this period of hardship, when Putin is challenging our oppressed president, I should not be critical of Biden.

I never heard such calls for unison when Trump was president.

Perhaps it was because he never got us into such a mess bordering on a 3rd WW. Why? Because we was too busy colluding with Russia, Zalensky, tweeting mean messages and finally bringing the prospect of unity in The Middle east.

And:

https://www.theblaze.com/news/us-offers-to-evacuate-ukrainian-president-zelenskyy-he-responds-i-need-ammunition-not-a-ride?utm_source=theblaze-dailyPM&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Newsletter__PM%202022-02-26&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Daily%20PM

All I can say is this guy has a "set", we should be so lucky!

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And:

https://townhall.com/columnists/humbertofontova/2022/02/26/when-putins-proxies-murdered-americansand-obama-cowered-and-lied-to-their-grieving-families-n2603805

Finally:

https://melaniephillips.substack.com/p/how-america-has-empowered-evil-in?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozMzkzNzQ1NSwicG9zdF9pZCI6NDkzMzUwMDIsIl8iOiIvQnA3WCIsImlhdCI6MTY0NTkzMjg1OCwiZXhwIjoxNjQ1OTM2NDU4LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNzc2NTUiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.zuLTK7SMt0yyvrzct9_rFAvRHa8jZvBo5jjtdO4OLPs&utm_source=url

How America has empowered evil in Russia and Iran

The paradox of peace is that its maintenance depends on the credible threat of war

By Melanie Phillips 

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Ric Grenell Blasts ‘Obama’s Third-Term Crew’ In Call for More ‘Muscular Diplomacy’

OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.

Former Director of National Intelligence and U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell railed against “Obama’s third-term crew” he says is managing foreign policy for President Joe Biden as he called for a return to more “muscular diplomacy” to deal with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other potential global hotspots.

“Diplomacy isn’t a weak option, but we all know that diplomacy without the credible threat of force invites contempt. However, diplomacy that sees military force as the first option rather than a last resort will result in war,” Grenell said in his opening remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday.

“Diplomacy done right, however, is the opposite of war,” he said. “This week, we witnessed a total collapse of diplomacy.”

 

His remarks came on the third day of Russia’s invasion, which he blamed on the failure of American diplomats to find a way to deter him.

“D.C. newsrooms won’t say it, but American diplomats failed,” Grenell continued. “President Biden told us that he was going to bring diplomacy back. Instead, it’s on its back. We desperately need new, creative, visionary diplomacy — muscular diplomacy — to secure meaningful peace when a conflict arises.”

The former diplomat and intelligence chief then pivoted to former President Donald Trump’s “America First” approach to foreign policy before bringing up Biden’s disastrous and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“Last summer, we watched helplessly as our credibility, our deterrence, and our national honor crumbled in the retreat from Afghanistan,” Grenell stated. “Presidents Trump and Biden both were dealing with the same country, the same enemy, and had the same diplomatic and military tools at hand.

“Both shared the ultimate goal of withdrawal. But the difference is, President Trump had an unapologetic, pro-American diplomacy with a credible military option behind him,” Grenell added.

The Taliban “respected and feared” Trump, said Grenell, but Biden instead “constantly radiated provocative weakness.”

“This Obama third-term crew left hundreds of US citizens behind,” Grenell noted further, adding that the Biden administration “bragged that they brought 90 percent home.”

“Bringing 90 percent home means that you left 10 percent behind,” he said. “It was irresponsible, it was immoral, and it was un-American.”

Grenell also said that “Americans don’t leave Americans behind. Our allies and others feel the weakness coming from the White House.”

Still, he noted, the media and the left disparaged, and continue to put down, Trump’s America First approach.

“Is American diplomacy working?” Grenell asked rhetorically. “Europe has seen its borders rewritten this week under Joe Biden — and in 2014 when Barack Obama was president. And yet the left continues to mock the successful America First diplomatic strategy.”

“They pretend that Donald Trump’s unpredictability was harmful,” Grenell continued. “Well, I saw firsthand that having a president putting American people first and calling out the Germans for their hypocrisy and not telling our enemies what our strategy is — that made America and Europe safer.”

“I’ve worked at the State Department for 11 years and I believe U.S. diplomats should be on the ground, resolving problems, even while the military moves into place. It’s vital now that we give our diplomats new tools and training in aggressive, preventative and creative diplomacy,” he said.

“We need diplomats who are willing to push back, without regard for the inevitable media attention or consequences, and we should protect them when they do it. Foreign service officers must not be afraid to challenge the status quo.”

“Politicians from both political parties are trapped into a cycle of sending in weak negotiators who are quickly shoved aside to make room for US troops,” he said. “The State Department is viewed and used as if they simply schedule meetings, deliver stale and recycled speeches, and then go enjoy a good meal. We’ve asked our courageous military members to win hearts and minds, when they should be brought in only after diplomatic negotiations have been completely exhausted.”

“Right now, we have political appointees at the State Department who are inept,” he said. “There’s no other way to say it. We have witnessed an appalling waste of diplomatic capital these past four weeks, as the Biden team hyped a bloody war, shifting US troops around Europe, stoking paranoia in the West, destroying the Ukrainian economy, and utterly failing to deter Vladimir Putin.”

“Think about this. Joe Biden promised unprecedented sanctions after a bloody Russian invasion. If you want to avoid war, you need to impose crippling sanctions before the war starts,” he noted.

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An excellent review of the Ukrainian situation.

>  https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/ukraines-deadly-gamble

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With the establishment of Israel and it's existence, Jews have somewhere to go.

 Because Obama crafted an agreement (he purposely would not call it a treaty so he could avoid The Senate and Republicans weakly caved and did not take any action,) that allowed Iran to go nuclear, and Iran said they want to destroy Israel, one can conclude Obama could be more responsible for "the final solution " than that tyrant with the mustache.

This is another reason why I despise Obama and distrust America's first black Muslim president.

And:

BLM Loses More Footing After an Assassination Attempt
 

San Francisco Fesses Up on Their Failures

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The meaning of Israel in 2022 

By David Harris

With all the uncertainty facing the many thousands of Jews in Ukraine, they can be sure of one thing: Israel's door will be open to them in their time of need

With all the uncertainty facing the many thousands of Jews in Ukraine, they can be sure of one thing: Israel's door will be open to them in their time of need

As the crisis targeting Ukraine unfolds, with nail-biting tension from day to day, some countries are quietly planning for the prospect of millions of refugees should Moscow launch a full-blown invasion.

While not all surrounding nations would necessarily welcome large numbers seeking safety, and as the refugees themselves would face the daunting prospects of dislocation, anxiety, and uncertainty, for one potential group — Ukrainian Jews — there are much clearer, and more reassuring, possibilities, should they feel compelled to leave.

The reason is simple: Israel exists. It is ready to help any Ukrainian Jews who feel at risk, and it is preparing for their reception and resettlement.

Those Jews would not be compelled to live in temporary, threadbare camps, as could occur elsewhere, nor would they have to wait on endless lines in the hope of being permitted to enter a new country permanently at some later point.

And that, in today’s world, is an essential meaning of Israel. While for some Jews, most notably in the United States, Israel has become little more than a distant land or political hobby, for other Jews, including in Ukraine, Israel represents nothing less than a lifeline, a sanctuary, and a haven.

Alas, it wasn’t always so. When Adolf Hitler gave Jews the chance to leave in the 1930s, there was no Israel. Instead, Jews had to rely on the goodwill of other nations. The result? Perilously few chances to relocate, so Jews, including my parents, were trapped.

When 32 countries assembled in 1938 for the Evian Conference, it was clear that, despite the gathering’s lofty aim of assisting endangered German and Austrian Jews, few were prepared to lift a finger, invoking all kinds of bogus rationales to mask widespread hostility towards Jews. The tragic 1939 saga of the SS St. Louis, carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees, powerfully illustrated the impenetrably high walls Jews faced at the time.

But once Israel was reborn in 1948, Jews no longer had to beg, plead, and cajole to find new homes — whether they were Holocaust survivors stuck in Displaced Persons camps in Germany and Austria, or fleeing violent mobs and chronic persecution in Arab lands, or fearful of the spread of communism and resurgent antisemitism in East Europe.

No, it wasn’t always easy. Israel had few resources at the time and had to focus on ensuring its survival in an unwelcoming region. And there were social tensions among various communities who had lived very different lives prior to their arrival in the Jewish state. But, with time and effort, progress was made. The country’s population grew, its economy developed, social integration occurred, and democratic institutions took root.

Years later, I was a witness to the meaning of Israel for Ethiopian and Soviet Jews. I saw up close the lengths to which Jerusalem went to rescue these beleaguered Jews and offer a new beginning in a land where, as Jews, they would neither be defenseless nor subjected to the whim of ruthless leaders.

This was brought home to me most vividly in January 1991, as Iraqi Scud missiles were being fired at Israel and millions of Israelis were rushing with gas masks again and again to sealed shelters, fearful those missiles carried chemical warheads. I was there. I stood on the tarmac as planes arrived from the USSR with Jews looking to escape Soviet uncertainty.

Israel never closed its doors, even in that fraught time. It never told the would-be arrivals to return another day when all was quiet and no more Scud missiles were raining down. Instead, Israel welcomed them, issued them gas masks and gave them instructions on how to use them, and sent them to absorption centers. There, they would find a place to live, food on the table, language lessons, school for their children, and vocational training — oh, and shelters to rush to when the sirens sounded, signaling more incoming projectiles from Iraq.

In decades of visiting Jewish communities around the world, I frequently witnessed this basic understanding of Israel’s meaning; this recognition that Israel was about way more than a particular policy or leader; this enduring, and often metaphysical, connection to a distant land that wasn’t just another country on the map; and this sense that a day could come when their own security would be jeopardized and Israel might become their new home.

In the US, however, those feelings seem less widespread, more challenged. Perhaps it’s the feeling that America is different, that Jews believe they have found their own version of the Promised Land, that Jews are more protected from the harsh winds of history, or that Israel must behave like a Nordic country to earn their support, even if it’s located in the tumultuous Middle East rather than Scandinavia.

It allows too many American Jews to feel alienated, indifferent, or even hostile, broadly speaking, to the miracle of sovereign redemption, or, more specifically, to the extraordinary, decades-long image of Jews fleeing their homes in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America and creating new lives in an ancient/modern homeland.

There are as many as 300,000 Jews living in Ukraine today. Whatever happens in the weeks and months ahead, they know they don’t have to face the prospect of homelessness. And that’s because, thankfully, Israel is a reality.

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Why we should miss Melania.  I know I do.

We have gone from class to declasse'

Election System Broken Purposely.

Why We Miss Melania…

When a new presidential administration takes over, it’s natural to focus on their abilities and decision-making skills first and foremost. After all, this person is supposed to be our duly elected leader and the one our nation will rely on for at least the next four years, if not nearly a decade.

However, as we all know, a new presidency does not involve just the president and their strengths and weaknesses. As history has presented us, at their side is the First Lady. And their gifts, as well as their flaws, do much to determine the success or failures of their spouse.

Take former First Lady Melania Trump, for example.

While her husband was every bit of the brash businessman the world came to know through the media, she was his exact compliment. When he was not so eloquent and rather blunt, she was poised and classy.

And it showed not just in her modelesque looks and high sense of fashion but in the way she spoke with others, in the actions she carried out during her tenure in the White House, and of course, the decorations she chose with care for each holiday.

In contrast, current First Lady Jill Biden seems rather dull and lackluster, from the initiatives she’s supposedly working on to the decorations she just had created for Valentine’s Day.

As usual, the White House makes a rather big deal of each and every holiday. And St. Valentine’s Day is no exception. Naturally, this gives the First Lady another opportunity to show off her skills and to her best foot forward in a rather public way.

Let’s just say that Jill’s best foot is far from even taking second to Melania’s.

On Monday, Mrs. Biden took a group of second graders from the local Aiton elementary school for a walk on the White House grounds. But it wasn’t the kind of walk you’re likely thinking of. You know where she is seen walking hand in hand with kids on her right and left, telling them stories, or encouraging them to do their best.

Instead, it was more of a march out to her newly created Valentine’s Day decorations for a bit of a PR event.

Neither were these decorations fun, playful or even remotely inspiring. Of course, the crudely made cutouts may have been meant to be such. But as more than one noted, the overall effect was anything but classy.

One cut out was in the shape of a large heart and had the words, “Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love,” written on it. Now, to be sure, the Bible verse from 1 Corinthians 13:13 is a good one and most certainly emphasizes the importance of love in our lives.

However, one could hardly even focus on those words and actually feel their power when faced with images of forcibly masked children standing in front of it. Surely, if Biden wanted to show herself a loving person, she would have thought to let these kids breathe the fresh outdoor air…

And the other two cutouts weren’t much better. One was of the Biden family cat, Willow, and the other of their dog, Commander. Neither were all that well done. But the dog, well, some said it was hardly recognizable, looking more like a kangaroo than the image of a German Shepard.

It was also noted that these were the only two pets depicted, even though the Biden’s do, in fact, have another dog. Major was proudly proclaimed as the first shelter dog to live in the White House. However, after biting multiple Secret Service agents, he has since been demoted.

As one anonymous critic said of the decorations and the First Lady’s poor taste, “Jill Biden has one ‘est’ she can cling to – she is the tackiest First Lady ever.”

This was also seen in her take on a “normal” Christmas in the White House too.

But even more than Biden’s tacky décor is the fact that she seems to be all about the press coverage and not actually doing much for the good of her nation or the children she is pictured with.

Melania, in contrast, didn’t take time on Valentine’s Day to just take pictures with kids. Instead, she went to children’s hospitals, where she passed out cookies, cards, and compliments. And unlike Biden’s failed free community college plans, Melania’s Be Best campaign flourished and positively changed people’s lives.

Needless to say, there is much to miss about having a woman such as Melania Trump in the White House. And Jill Biden throws that into stark relief.

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The composer,  Richard Sortomme, happens to live at The Landings.

How Classical Composer Richard Sortomme Writes Remarkably Beautiful Music.+++++++++++