After four days of Pinball it’s time to catch up on a few things:
The Iranian attack on Israel took place while I was at Pintastic. There was an excellent graphic showing where the various missiles and drones came from. I think it quite significant that none came from Lebanon.
Why? Lebanon is in range of an Israeli invasion and can do so without having to cross any other border.
Do you think Iran would have dared to attack if an Israeli army could reach them directly?
The supporters of Iran were busy shutting down airports and bridges around the country, however in Florida thing went a bit differently:
Ron DeSantis had something to say about this as well:
"You had videos where these pro-Hamas protesters were shutting down bridges and streets all across this country. And what happened when they tried to do that in Miami? They got their butts dragged off the street like they should've!" –@GovRonDeSantishttps://t.co/OgsMO8ql39pic.twitter.com/WOvo3ux2gG
I don’t like heat and I don’t like bugs but I must say Florida is looking better and better as a place to live
The President of Columbia University and their board testified today on antisemitism on campus.
When asked under oath if a professor who praised the attack of Oct 7th was on a particular committee she claimed: “he is no longer a chair of that Committee.”
🧵On October 8, Professor Joseph Massad described the Oct. 7 brutal terror attack as "awesome" and a “stunning victory.”
He also happens to be the chair of an important academic approval Committee.
— House Committee on Education & Workforce (@EdWorkforceCmte) April 17, 2024
Yet a few minutes later:
Antisemitic professor Joseph Massad still appears on @Columbia’s website as chair of the academic review committee even after university President Shafik claimed he was removed.
Her lack of action to combat antisemitism is exactly what has fostered Jewish hate on campus. pic.twitter.com/AM6Kd6xFHt
Mafiosi dream to be as feared by their prey as these college presidents are of these supporters of terror.
There are a lot of fears that the left has with this upcoming election, the bad economy, the border crisis, the protestors blocking bridges, but if I had to pick one thing that scares them the most, it would be this:
The Bodega and Small Business Group (BSBG), which represents thousands of bodegas in New York City, has issued a statement backing President Donald J. Trump, slamming local District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and hitting out at local politicians who have ignored the widespread criminality occurring in the city.
“The Bodega and Small Business Group (BSBG)… is honored to host President Donald J. Trump at the Blue Moon bodega in Manhattan where Jose Alba was arrested for simply defending himself and his business against a convicted felon, the statement began.
If the left thought for one moment that the Spanish speaking community was starting to lean Trump the border would be sealed tighter than a drum.
Right now a case is being argued at the Supreme Court that will have a huge impact on many of the J6 defendants.
The question of selective prosecution came up and Justice Gorsuch make short work of US Solicitor Elizabeth Prelogar
Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch nukes Joe Biden's DOJ over January 6th sentences:
Gorsuch lists multiple cases of folks who "obstructed a Congressional proceeding" without receiving a 20 year sentence.
Commander Buck Murdock: Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes.
Airplane 2 The Sequel 1982
As a general rule war (Hogan’s Heroes, McHale’s Navy and F-Troop not withstanding) war is not something to laugh at and the war between Israel and Hamas is no laughing matter. It started with a literal orgy of rape, murder and kidnapping and has seen large chunks of the west throw out the standards of right and wrong to first deny and then defend these acts while embracing violent antisemitism, some from ignorance, some from fear of Islamists (that’s real Islamophobia) and some because it pays rather well.
Even in Gaza itself the use of Hospitals as terror bases and the stealing of food aid to sell for fun and profit brings no sense of shame and while one might recognize that the Gazans celebration of the murder of Jews and their complicity with Hamas is the primary driver of their new lives in tents, it’s not something to laugh at.
But in the end there are some things, even in the midst of war that are so mind mind-bendingly ridiculous that all you can do is point and laugh and this is it:
Iranian Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said that the Zionist regime made the mistake of attacking the Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria during his comments Wednesday during Eid al-Fitr prayers.
Khamenei told supporters, “The evil regime made a mistake and it should be punished and will be punished.”
emphasis mine
Seriously? Am I actually reading that the Iran’s Supreme Ayatollah is shocked SHOCKED that anyone might violate the sanctity of an embassy and their their diplomatic mission?
I know these days American President or at least those who try to fake it while being drugged up more than John Gil don’t talk about American hostages held by Iranian proxies but can any American 55 years old or older not look at these Iranian statements…
Israel threatens to strike Iran directly if Iran launches attack from its territory – Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vows retaliation against Israel for the killing of two Iranian generals in Syria, emphasizing the importance of punishing the "evil regime."
…vowing revenge on Israel, the state which their proxies have been attacking on their behalf, for daring to violate the sanctity of a diplomatic mission and not just burst out laughing at the 180 these bastards have suddenly taken when they make their bones on violating the American embassy after Carter & company pushed to let them back into Iran and held our people and paraded them about as trophies right up until the day Ronald Reagan was sworn in and they decided they didn’t want to risk glow a lovely shade of green?
Of course in the late 70’s the Iranian hostage crisis dominated the news. Today there is a media blackout on such things as they might nudge the numbers in the Joe Biden “re-election” quest beyond the margin of fraud, so shhh!
The Jewish state’s objective in their strike in Syria might have been to take out top Iranians involved in the planning of the Oct 7th attacks among others but it had the side effect of completely depantsing the Iranian Ayatollahs.
If that’s not worth a gut busting laugh I’d like to know what is!
I didn’t give much attention to the African Peace Mission to Russia/Ukraine because it had no hope of success but there is one aspect I’d like to note. One of the delegates is President Ramaphosa of South Africa whose country you would call a basket case, if you wanted to insult basket cases that is.
Given the issues of violence, crime, electricity, infrastructure, and an inability of basic services in his country that he either can’t or won’t address it makes perfect sense for him to fly half way around the world to earn brownie points. It’s sort of like Gavin Newsome going after Florida. Much easier than solving problems at home.
Lately South Africa has been in a news a lot, for leading the charge against Israel and claiming it is committing Geocide in Gaza. They’ve gone to the international criminal court and continue to lead the international charge against the Jewish state.
But that still leaves the question why is South Africa, a state that isn’t Muslim or Arab making such a fuss about Gaza when they have no state in it at all.
Well two things come to mind quickly, the first and most important is Iranian money:
The same week that the ANC got its finances in a better state, South Africa brought the genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice, according to South Africa’s Daily Maverick news outlet.
“The South African government is the same thing as Hamas. It’s an Iranian proxy, and its role in the war is to fight the ideological and ideas war to stigmatize Jews around the world,” Cronje during an interview on Chai FM Radio.
Iran has been cultivating SA for a while, apparently they’ve been putting those pallets of cash to use.
But the 2nd reason can be found it a story linked by Don Surber today about South Africa that isn’t getting a whole lot of play internationally:
Residents rich and poor have never seen a shortage of this severity. While hot weather has shrunk reservoirs, crumbling infrastructure after decades of neglect is also largely to blame. The public’s frustration is a danger sign for the ruling African National Congress, whose comfortable hold on power since the end of apartheid in the 1990s faces its most serious challenge in an election this year.
A country already famous for its hourslong electricity shortages is now adopting a term called “watershedding” — the practice of going without water, from the term loadshedding, or the practice of going without power.
In 1990 the year that Nelson Mandela was released South Africa’s unemployment rate was at 18.78% doubling the 1980 rate of 9.24%. By the first year of free elections (1994) it was up to 22.89%. There was a sudden drop in the rate in 1995 to 16.71% but by 1997 the rate was back over 20% (20.95%) and since h left office in 1999 through 2010 the rate has averaged 25.76% from a high of 30.41% in (2002) and a low of 22.23% (2007).
The current rate in the 3rd quarter of 2013 according to government stats is 24.7%
That piece was from ten years after I wrote that article the rate is over 32%
Last year linked a piece about the electricidal situation
Besides no airlines, no postal service and no trains, there is a dwindling electricity supply. They have rolling blackouts, euphemistically called “load shedding” which can last as much as 10 hours per day in Cape Town. Johannesburg is worse. People survive by always keeping their thermos flasks filled with hot water, using small gas camping stoves and using rechargeable lanterns for light and a healthy supply of batteries and candles at all times. Food rots in refrigerators so one needs to purchase small amounts of groceries just for a day. Few people can afford to have a generator, let alone the exorbitant cost of diesel fuel. Without electricity there is no viable economy. Retail stores, restaurants, businesses and factories cannot operate. The employees are idle and cannot do their job. As a result they are unable to earn a livelihood. The lack of electricity is a complex topic. In a nutshell, a history of huge financial losses, mismanagement, sabotage and corruption is evident.
Well at least there is equality…of misery:
There have always been people begging on the streets; mostly blacks. Now however, they are joined by ever-increasing white beggars. I did see an entire family including small blond haired children with crude cardboard signs saying “Please help – God bless you” .
According to some reports, over 50% of South Africans live in poverty on less than $2.00 a day. Some have no access to sanitation, water or electricity.
The bottom line is really simple. To solve the problems of Electricity, infrastructure, food and water in South Africa involve having the will to take on the problem of ANC which has been using South Africa as their personal plaything since Mandela left power and perhaps before.
It’s actually the same dynamic that you see today in US cities like New York, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, DC where you have Democrat/Marxist rule for decades. The actual problems of the cities involve ending the gravy train for the connected and that’s just not to be done, much easier to pass a resolution against Israel in Gaza. Keeps the activists happy and the money to the connected flowing.
That’s South Africa who cares if the people starve or die of thirst if the ANC can keep getting Iranian money for going after Israel. That’s what counts to those who rule exploit South Africa
Closing thought: These topics are generally considered VERBOTEN in the MSM because in their mind to speak the truth about South Africa post apartheid is to suggest white minority rule was better. I’ll leave Glenn Reynolds to answer that:
It’s not black rule. Botswana next door is well-run. It’s rule by leftists, which always makes everything suck. And they always use race as an excuse for their failures. You can see that in the deep-Blue parts of the United States.
Murray blasted South Africa, saying, “I always think that for voters in any country, first order of priorities: getting the water clean; getting the roads running; getting the infrastructure working; getting healthcare; getting education. I do think that quite often, in my observation — I’ve covered a lot of countries around the world — quite often in my observation, those first-order priorities, if the government fails at that, it does distraction kinds of things. … I don’t think it’s something of primary importance to the people of South Africa; I don’t think it’s first order priorities for the voters, and I’m suspicious when governments pull international tricks.”
The most interesting thing about Nikki Haley’s appearance on Saturday Night Live is this statement from sources concerning NBC via the Hollywood reporter:
NBC declined to comment, but sources told The Hollywood Reporter that NBC will comply with any equal time obligations for other presidential candidates across both parties.
If I’m Trump I jump all over this.
Bill Belichick took out of full page ad in the Sunday Boston Globe to thank Patriots fans for their support an excerpt:
“Nowhere in America are pro sports fans as passionate as in New England and for 24 years, I was blessed to feel your passion and power,” Belichick’s letter read. “The Patriots are the only NFL team representing SIX states but in reality, Patriots Nation knows no borders.
“You were undaunted by weather, attended scorching hot training camp practices and braved Foxborough’s coldest, wettest, snowiest, and windiest days.… Your thoughtful letters offered support, critique and creative play suggestions. You watched on TV, the internet and from your stadium seats.
It was a nice gesture that’s made easier by his lack of a coaching job.
It’s worth noting his son is still employed as a defensive coach on the Patriots but I suspect Kraft was just waiting for Bill to get hired but as he was not it will be interesting to see how much longer he lasts.
The telegraphing of the Biden administration of counterstrikes against Iran giving the enemy time to evacuate and remove any important material is a function of a person who needs to seem to do something when actually he is not.
It reminds me of the old movie the American President. Michael Douglas’ characters insists on hitting back at the command center at night to decrease causalities and cries over the janitor who will be killed instead of hitting at the time when the actual people who were in charge of the attack where there.
Basically that janitor dies so he can feel better about himself. The Biden admin is all about false appearances.
Speaking of appearances new figures from the Border are demonstrating that Texas’ approach to you know actually enforcing the law has results:
NEW: The large majority of illegal crossings at the southern border are now happening in AZ & CA, as a shift away from TX continues.
Per CBP sources, over the last week of January, Border Patrol apprehended 32,809 illegal immigrants.
Notably, the numbers in TX’s Del Rio sector, which includes Eagle Pass, have fallen off a cliff. In December, the sector saw days of 3,000-4,000 illegal crossings per day. Over the last week, it has averaged around just 200.
I know that California has no intention of enforcing the law the real question is what direction will New Mexico & Arizona go?
Finally while we still have one opening in our 1972 Dynasty League (Chicago Cubs if interested comment here) I have submitted my keeper list for our 1972 season. They are:
LHSP Ken Holtzman
LHSP Al Downing
RHSP Mike Torrez
RHRP Jerry Bell
CF Ken Berry
RF Pete Rose
LF Gene Giles
1b Ron Fairly
2B/3B Ron Hunt
There were some really tough calls. Darryl Porter will be a monster in 1973 and Jim Slanton has a huge future ahead of him but they are only part time this year, Likewise Dave Conception is a killer defensive outfielder that I carried for two years but I’m heavy in the OF so he’s the odd man out, Bob Miller is a solid reliever and Bill Parsons eats up innings as a starter but I can’t justify them over any of the keepers. Finally Mike Jorgenson was picked up in a trade because he has a long and solid future ahead of him and while he is a better first baseman than Fairly this year and will soon be one of the best defensive 1B available by 1973, Fairly is going to have a monster year next season and except against lefties is still solid.
Maybe these guys will be available later in the draft but what I need to pick up is:
3 RHSP at least one of Ace qualify
A solid power hitter (3B or C)
A starting shortstop
A Closer
2 Catchers
Middle Relief
Fortunately thanks to trades with the Mets (Daytraders), Orioles, and Royals I have 3 1st round picks and two picks in the 3rd, 5th and 6th rounds so filling those spots should be a tad easier.
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