Just One Thing: Let's hope US strikes aren't done
Over the weekend, US and British forces, with support from a handful of other nations, engaged in a round of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, including attacks by American B-1 bombers which flew from Texas in a clear demonstration of US capability. The attacks come two days after the US hit targets in Iraq and Syria. To the extent that Iran has influence over its proxies, and that is a major extent, Iranian leadership does not care how many Houthis or militia members die. I believe Iran will not be deterred unless the US strikes Iranian targets. I’m not arguing to strike in Iran but I would take out a couple of Iranian boats or ships. Iran says they will respond to bullying. War is dangerous and unpredictable but Iran only understands strength and we need to show more of that.
We also must STOP telegraphing our intentions. The fact that the Biden administration said for days that they'd respond and, to some degree, how they'd respond, makes US "leadership" look weak and pathetic. My point is not a chest-pounding "we have to look strong" but rather that an appearance of weakness invites attack. Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan understood this. Joe Biden clearly doesn't.
B-1 bombers used in US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria: All you need to know (msn.com)
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One More Thing: Text of bipartisan Senate immigration and Israel/Ukraine aid bill is released
Senators unveil long-awaited border deal - POLITICO
Senators unveil bipartisan bill to impose tougher asylum and border laws (msn.com)
Actual text: Emergency National Security Supplemental Bill Text (senate.gov)
I have a lot more to learn about this bill before I can tell you what I think of it. At this point I know a couple of things: The "5,000 illegals allowed daily" thing that someone leaked was not accurate and was designed to torpedo the bill. There will be Republicans who line up against it; I will be interested to see whether it seems like they're sincere in their reasoning or just pandering to Trump/MAGA. At this point it's less than 50/50 to pass the House.
I'll add this: If the border provisions are mostly good, I'll support it because the stuff for Ukraine is so important and too many Republicans have had their brains turned off when it comes to this issue. As a guy whose first vote for president was for Ronald Reagan, it's weird and disconcerting to see Republicans as the party that's unwilling to stop Russia. The current Republican opposition to helping stop Putin, bogusly posed by cowards as their claim to being fiscally responsible, is just isolationism and cowardice, neither of which tends to work out well in the long run.
We have a few days to learn more of the details as people scour the bill. Be sure that MAGA will look for points to criticize. And I'm sure there are things to criticize. But that doesn't mean it's not worth doing. And if those people are going to say that Trump could do better then maybe they should do this anyway and then let Trump improve on it. I do not believe Trump will achieve much of anything on any issue if he wins re-election; he'll be the lamest of lame ducks from the first day of a second term if he gets one.
As noted, this will have a very difficult time in the House. Here's Speaker Mike Johnson and then my reply:
And here's Fox News' Bill Melugin, the guy who has done more coverage of our border crisis than anybody else...by a long long way...with some initial thoughts on the bill:
Today's Guests
Michael Dougherty is the Boulder County District Attorney. I saw him agree with the president of the CU student body that it's "insane" to allow concealed-carry firearms on the University of Colorado campus. I disagree and look forward to an interesting conversation with Michael about it.
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Priscilla Rahn is a Denver Public Schools middle school teacher (and a candidate for Douglas County Commissioner.) Last week I talked with a gentleman from DPS and while he painted a picture of the impact of migrant kids on the school district that was far less dire than some had been saying (including an implication from a Denver Post headline), I suspect that the reality "on the ground" aka in the classroom is less rosy. Priscilla joins us to give a teacher's perspective.
https://www.priscillafordougco.com/
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Other Stuff
When even San Francisco's major newspaper starts calling out the idiocy and harm of "wokeness" in education: This Bay Area school district spent $250,000 on Woke Kindergarten
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Will Trump ever face trial in the federal Jan 6 case?
Why Jack Smith's Trial Date for Donald Trump Case Has Been Delayed (msn.com)
Some more of my thoughts:
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For years, when getting a dental X-ray, I told them not to bother with the silly lead apron: Lead aprons no longer necessary for dental X-rays - UPI.com
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This seems like a good idea: World Nutella Day 2024: Dessert ideas to end the day on a sweet note (msn.com)
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How many people have EVER been more popular than Taylor Swift? Taylor Swift Data. - by John Ellis - Political News Items (substack.com)
Speaking of...🎤 1 for the road: Taylor's surprise (Axios.com)
"'Midnights' won Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year, making her the first artist to take home the top album award four times."
And, for the celeb gossip folks, her boy friend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, was not at the Grammys...he was in Las Vegas practicing for the upcoming Super Bowl: How Travis Kelce supported Taylor Swift's record-making Grammys 2024 night (nypost.com)
Immediately after accepting a Grammy with feigned surprise, Ms Swift teased her new album:
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A bit of whitewashing of the disastrous Biden presidency but still a bit interesting: When Joe Biden lost his purpose (msn.com)
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I haven't talked about this yet...and I should have because it's a big deal: Biden’s Worst Energy Decision - WSJ
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Even the Ninth Circuit knows that state or local bans on the use of natural gas in homes are illegal. Beyond the legality, I think most people don't understand just how much risk the "electrify everything" movement adds to our nation's entire electrical grid. And then most people don't understand just how much harm (including death) a grid failure can cause.
Here's a great note from Robert Bryce on the Ninth Circuit ruling, and it also touches on the risk issues:(5) “Electrify Everything” Slammed Again By Ninth Circuit (substack.com)
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The most extreme caution is warranted: AI Tends To Make More Violent Choices In War Games: Research (techreport.com)
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Massive price cuts for new EVs and some technological improvements have crushed the prices of used EVs: Used electric car prices fall after two years, data shows | Drive
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The only reason Biden has a chance is that the GOP seems determined to nominate an incredibly weak candidate: Poll: 20-point deficit on handling economy highlights Biden’s struggles against Trump (nbcnews.com)
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Wait, what? NATIONAL FART DAY - February 5, 2024 - National Today
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Today's Videos
Do "assault weapons" bans actually stop mass shootings?
I have no idea what to make of this but Dragon liked it so here you go: