Source: Wall Street Journal (free link).

WSJ makes the obvious point that publication of classified military documents in wartime is unfortunate. In this case, “The leaks are especially damaging because they disclose secret U.S. judgments about the progress of the war.”

It will surprise many that the U.S. assessment is not favorable. WSJ says, “The most troubling leak is that Ukraine’s air defenses could be defeated by May, which would give Russia air superiority and a huge tactical advantage.”

Although WSJ doesn’t mention it, I’m told the leaked documents also provide casualty estimates as of March 1, 2023:

• Ukrainian KIA: 70,0000
• Russian KIA: 17,000

Some sources dispute those estimates for various reasons, whereas others claim the 4:1 ratio at least corresponds to U.S./NATO military opinion on the subject of casualties.

Personally, I’m less interested in the leak itself and its consequences for the war effort than in the possibility that it reveals our leaders have been lying to us about Ukrainian successes and Russian failures.

Source: American Thinker.

I think the writer expresses a vain hope, but it might be useful to keep it alive to be remembered when our children, or their children, remake the United States.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/04/08/texas-jury-found-army-sgt-daniel-perry-guilty-murder-gov-wants-pardon-him/11629077002/

Caving to pressure from Tucker Carlson, his Twitter followers, and – wait for it – Kyle Rittenhouse, Texas Governor Greg Abbott vows to pardon Daniel Perry who was convicted of murder of a white BLM protester by a Texas jury.

The facts established at trial by testimony and video is that Perry ran a red light at an intersection in downtown Austin and deliberately drove into a Black Lives Matter march before stopping. Garrett Foster, the victim – who was legally carrying an AK-47 – was in a group of people who approached his vehicle and without warning Perry shot his .357 five times killing him. The jury saw evidence that the victim did not point his gun at the killer and they did not buy Perry’s claim of self defense.

The jury also saw Perry’s social media posts where he declared that he might “kill a few people on my way to work. They are rioting outside my apartment complex.”

“Can you do that? he was asked.

His answer was “If they attack me or try to pull me out of my car then yes.”

His state of mind could not be more clear. He was out to provoke an incident that would allow him to kill. He was convicted by a jury. By a Texas jury. But MAGATS demand that he not be punished.

Following is the Season’s Greeting from the former President of the United States to the people of America. It is in all caps just they way he posted it on Truth Social.

“HAPPY EASTER TO ALL, INCLUDING THOSE THAT DREAM ENDLESSLY OF DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY BECAUSE THEY ARE INCAPABLE OF DREAMING ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE, THOSE THAT ARE SO INCOMPETENT THEY DON’T REALIZE THAT HAVING A BORDER AND POWERFUL WALL IS A GOOD THING, & HAVING VOTER I.D., ALL PAPER BALLOTS, & SAME DAY VOTING WILL QUICKLY END MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD, & TO ALL OF THOSE WEAK & PATHETIC RINOS, RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS, SOCIALISTS MARXISTS, & COMMUNISTS WHO ARE KILLING OUR NATION, REMEMBER, WE WILL BE BACK!”

How proud you supporters must be!

Source: The American Spectator.

A few random thoughts…

Continue reading “Bacha Bazi in America?” →

And not in a good way. If you care about the future of the Republican Party you should listen to this presentation by Chris Hayes. You may not like what you hear but you should pay attention. In a nutshell, the GOP has two huge problems. Donald Trump and abortion. Both are toxic as far as elections are concerned but they keep doubling down.

https://tinyurl.com/48mdauex

Source: Summit News.

Without reading too much into it, this story is interesting for its conformance to pattern. It reminds me of Ronald Reagan, who said he never left the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left him. It reminds me in ironic ways of the #WalkAway campaign and many of the confessions it generated.

It is unlikely the Democratic Party will soon collapse due to defection, but it is noteworthy that party defectors commonly describe their former fellows as unpleasant people.

Riley Gains assaulted by man in dress.

Gaines was at San Francisco State University for a panel discussion on protecting women’s sports from domination by transgender athletes. She was driven from the stage, assaulted by a man in a dress, and held hostage for three hours.

Apparently they fear no consequences for violent attacks, the whole bunch should go to prison, for kidnapping and assault.

Trans violence is getting out of hand, that’s what comes of humoring delusions. They feel entitled to do anything they want.

Source: Astral Codex Ten.

The writer continues his exploration of the topic of culture-bound mental illness.

I wonder if some sort of synthesis eventually might be feasible. It might be helpful to know, for example, whether perceptions of equality/inequality correlate to some sort of psychological range in which health and illness represent the opposite extremes.

But that’s an aside. For now, just establishing that mental states are caused to some degree by the society in which one lives, or by the society to which one becomes exposed, is the challenge.

https://tinyurl.com/yup2dh37

It is a truism that MAGA hates democracy and that MAGA is racist. Do you need any more evidence than this vote to expel two black legislators (while sparing the white woman who committed the same “offense”) because they joined a massive and peaceful children’s protest in the capitol building in favor of gun reform? As a reminder, Tennessee was the location of yet another mass killing in a school the week before.

As noted in the past, give extremists a little power and they do not know when to stop. This outrage and the extremist anti-abortion measures popping up all over the map are prime examples of how to alienate the voters who decide elections – the people in the middle.