MY VOTER GUIDE IS OUT! And you can find it here.
ISRAEL ROLLS INTO LEBANON TO TAKE OUT HEZBOLLAH We talked about Israel making a very clear choice to execute their war the way they see fit and today they are moving into Lebanon according to Israel, while Hezbollah is all like Nuh-uh. Israel is warning people in southern Lebanon to head north of the Awali River, which is about 36 miles into Lebanon. This is beyond the Litani River which was the northern border of the area the United Nations was supposed to be monitoring after Israel's 2006 war with Lebanon, which they clearly have not. Israel is being accused of lying about the incursion, as they were accused of lying about going into Gaza to bait Hamas into war (I think October 7th showed they didn't need to be baited into war) so we'll have to wait and see what happens. Israel has already been doing missions into Lebanon with small groups of soldiers to check out the tunnel system and gather intelligence for the incursion. This while Netanyahu is making less than veiled threats against Iranian leadership in a video message to the Iranian people that regime change will come faster than they might think and that Israel and Persians will live in peace when that happens. I hope he's right but I'll believe it when I see it. Cliff May from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies joins me at 12:30 to discuss it.
THIS AS ISRAEL HAS ALREADY INFILTRATED IRANIAN LEADERSHIP I love this story so much. SO, SO MUCH. The former President of Iran says that Israel had spies at the highest level of government, including at the top of the food chain in the unit whose job it was to watch Israel and Mossad. Read this:
"Israel organized complex operations inside Iran. They could easily obtain information. In Iran they are still silent about this. The man who was in charge of the unit in Iran against Israel was an Israeli agent," he said.
And he, according to Ahmadinejad, was not the only one. Besides the head of the Iranian intelligence unit, another 20 members of that unit turned out to be Mossad agents. Ahmadinejad claimed that they were the ones who managed to steal the Iranian nuclear documents in 2018, and were also responsible for the elimination of Iranian nuclear scientists.
This made me laugh and laugh.
THE WALZ-VANCE DEBATE IS TONIGHT And I will be live tweeting during it so follow me @mandyconnell to see my pithy wit. Here are the rules of the debate. Who do you think wins? I think it depends on what the moderators ask to be honest. We'll see if Walz's close ties to Communist China make the cut. Will they ask him why he lied about being in Tianaman Square in China?
NORTH CAROLINA IS GETTING HELP BUT IT'S HARD I always hold my fire when a major disaster occurs and people start yelling about the President not doing this or that because I've lived through some of those storms and I get what a logistical nightmare disaster recovery is. I'm holding my fire now about the Biden Administration's response because what's happening in North Carolina is made much, much worse by the terrain and washed out roads, and I truly believe that everyone in that state is working with the federal government and the National Guard to help the people as fast as they can. Watch this video from a Charlotte meteorologist to hear exactly how much stuff is going on and the challenges they are having simply getting to the people in some of these areas is proving to be. Read more here about the federal response and let's all agree to not politicize these operations going forward, shall we?
ELON MUSK IS GETTING CAROLINA CONNECTED With Starlink, which would have already been in many of these areas but the Biden Admin dumped them from the contract that would have connected thousands of people to the internet very easily because they hate Musk. Private citizens have been delivering Starlink receivers to the stricken areas and people are finally able to connect with loved ones far away. Even the government is getting them now, but at a far slower rate than the private citizens are. Read more here.
CAN WE TALK ABOUT YOUNG MEN FOR A MINUTE? I had this story on yesterday's blog and it has me concerned. It's about young men failing to launch, living with their parents and just drifting along instead of moving forward with purpose. I thought I'd talk to the menfolk in my audience about what got them going in to adulthood. For me it was the fact I had to take care of myself, as neither of my parents offered to let me live there for free. I'm just curious.
EVEN DEMOCRATS ARE AGAINST THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE BAN This is interesting but it does make sense, as most Democrats do eat meat. Some strong opposition and a Campaign Finance Complaint has been filed by Democrats in Denver over the proposed slaughterhouse ban that would put bunch of people out of work in Denver and make lamb very expensive. Even the Central Committee of the Colorado Democrat Party is against it. This would will hopefully go down in flames. Flames used to cook tasty meat. Mmmm, meat.
IF GOVERNMENT DEPENDENCE WAS THE GOAL Mission Accomplished, as more and more Americans are relying on the government for at least a quarter of their own personal income. This is up sharply from just 20 years ago and is happening for a variety of reasons. An older population living on Social Security, people in areas that have been economically devastated and other reasons mean that this number has exploded. This has me VERY concerned about a debt crisis because what happens to these people if the government can no longer help them?
ONE PUBLIC SCHOOL MADE THE TOP FIFTEEN IN COLORADO The rest of the top schools in Colorado were either private or charter schools. This is bad but are you surprised? I'm not. I am surprised that more charter schools were not on this list though.
ABOUT THE PORT WORKERS STRIKE You know, the one that can shut down the American economy should it go on for a while. Here is the Biden-Harris Commerce Secretary on the issue:
DEMOCRATS DON'T HAVE FRIENDS WHO DON'T AGREE WITH THEM When they are highly educated. This thread has some interesting data in it about friendships with people who don't share your political views. Note how the Republican line doesn't change AT ALL when education goes up, but the Democrat line jumps up in the friends "all have the same views" category as education levels go up. They are in a bubble of their own creation.
IF YOU'RE FLYING OUT OF DIA THIS WEEK You may have to deal with train maintenance at the airport so plan accordingly.
MIKE ROSEN DID A VOTER GUIDE And we agree on everything but Ranked Choice Voting. Find his here.
NINETEEN MISTAKES TOURISTS MAKE IN JAPAN As I am gearing up for the big Mandy Connell Trip to South Korea and Japan I'm going to share interesting things with you in case you ever want to go. Find the trip here!
THE WEED BOOM TIMES ARE OVER IN COLORADO I knew this would happen once all the other states legalized weed. It's not just that, but it's definitely dampened the market here, as sales are down and sales tax revenues are down 12.8%. It still brings in a crapload of sales tax money, but I think we've definitely seen our peak. I also think that as people's budgets are getting tighter people are less likely to spend as much on weed. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think I am.
TINA PETERS LEARNS HER FATE THURSDAY And she is facing up to twenty years in prison. I'll have the latest as this should be done by the time the show starts on Thursday. You can read about what she's facing here.
DISH AND DIRECTTV TO MERGE But do you even see a future for these outfits? I don't. When Starlink takes over rural areas what will the point be to having satellite television service? Unless you're just old like me and don't feel like learning how to use apps. The two companies are merging in a deal that sees a debt exchange instead of a cash exchange.
OUR RESTAURANTS GET SOME LOVE FROM MICHELIN And if you want to know why, check the list and make a plan to visit them all! Find them all here.
WHIPITS ARE BACK AND STILL STUPID Nitrous oxide is a cheap, brain destroying high that has been around for a long time, but now TikTokers think they are the first to use it to get a buzz. There is even a whole storyline in Tulsa King about selling them at concerts. Just tell your kids they are dumb, they kill brain cells really fast and it's not worth it.
BET 365 GOT HUGE TAX BREAKS TO SET UP SHOP HERE To the tune of $14 million in tax breaks to bring 1,000 jobs to Denver. I would prefer that our business environment be the big draw instead of specialized tax breaks but okay. Read more here.
WHEN A PHOTO OP GOES BAD I'm sure Vice President Harris's team thought this photo op would make her look Presidential as she worked with FEMA, but by shoving the media out the door without answering a single question, she's done just the opposite. Does this look Presidential?
CRAFTY MOM WEARS OUT KID Using a nerf gun and some simple ingenuity. Watch below or click here.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HAVE A BABY? The numbers are ridiculously high. Find them all here.
CHECK OUT THIS FIGMENT OF SOMEONE'S IMAGINATION IN HOUSTON But I'm sure it couldn't happen Aurora.
PORN IN THE EQUIVALENT OF MCDONALDS I had never really thought about this but actress Shailene Woodley sure has. She makes the comparison here and I think it's a good one.
THE MANY ACCENTS OF KAMALA HARRIS Watch below or click here.