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GEORGE PARRY:
“…On April 18, 1943, during the Solomon Islands campaign in the Pacific, the U.S. Army Air Force shot down the bomber known to be transporting Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander of the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The aircraft went down in flames, and all on board died.
Planned and executed under the strictest secrecy, Operation Vengeance was launched with the specific purpose of killing Yamamoto. Although the planners were concerned that this targeted assassination might invite retaliation in kind by the Japanese, the American press, public, and political establishment overwhelmingly approved the intentional killing of Yamamoto. He had been the architect of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor and was deemed to be the Imperial Navy’s ablest officer. His death was not only well-earned retribution, it also materially advanced the war effort. So, targeted assassination or not, the killing of Yamamoto was considered to be a good thing.
Similarly, the 2011 execution of Osama Bin Laden by special forces received universal praise from the American public, the media, and both major political parties. And, consistent with the goal of that operation, the Obama administration also conducted extensive drone warfare that targeted and killed scores of lower-ranking terrorists while in many instances collaterally wounding or killing hundreds of non-combatants. Nevertheless, despite this “collateral damage,” neither the Democrats nor the mainstream media raised any serious criticism or opposition to Obama’s lethal drone program.
Which brings us to the recent drone strike on Major General Qassem Soleimani of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Force (“IRGC”) and his top ally in Iraq, militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Soleimani commanded the IRGC’s Quds Force which is primarily responsible for military and clandestine operations outside Iran. As reported extensively elsewhere, he was responsible for deployment of Iranian designed and manufactured IEDs that caused the deaths and wounding of thousands of American military personnel during the Iraq War.
Despite Soleimani’s bloody record, the drone strike that killed him, carried out at the direction of President Trump, has been bitterly denounced by Democrat office holders and their wholly-owned mainstream media subsidiary. To hear them tell it, by authorizing the killing of Soleimani without first consulting Congress, Trump has acted illegally and heedlessly and unnecessarily risked all-out war with Iran.
While Democrat and media criticism of Trump is hardly news, the context and vehemence of this latest condemnation raise interesting questions regarding the Democrats’ true motives which, as will be discussed below, appear to be nefarious and corrupt…”
Brandon J. Weichert:
“…Although Iran replaced Soleimani immediately, his loss will be felt for years. Soleimani’s leadership had proven indispensable to the mullahs over the last 12 years, as Iran strove to make the Middle East its own exclusive sphere of interest. While Soleimani may have been replaced, his vision and talents—his savvy—cannot be replicated so easily. When the United States assassinated Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamato in 1943, the man who had conceived and executed the Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese war effort at sea was irreparably damaged. His insights and leadership had kept Japan a potent enemy of the United States. Yamamoto’s death, however, robbed Japan of such leadership at a critical time.
Trump’s killing of Soleimani deprives Iran in a similar fashion…”
https://twitter.com/holdmyale/status/1144607020835844097
Related:
https://twitter.com/holdmyale/status/1210900709409001477
Lisa Martin:
“…Following Governor Ralph Northam’s 2019 promise to advance gun control laws in Virginia, newly elected state representatives have introduced a slew of bills aimed at restricting gun sales and ownership, including one in particular that has ignited a firestorm of opposition from citizens across the state. SB 16, introduced by Senator Richard Saslaw in November, would ban the purchase, sale, or possession of commonly owned semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns, under penalty of a Class 6 felony conviction punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment.
Governor Northam said that gun safety bills will “save lives and improve public safety in our communities,” speaking at a Cabinet meeting after Democrats gained a majority in both the Senate and House of Delegates in the November elections. “It’s going to be a new day,” he said. Other proposed legislation includes expanded background checks on firearms sales, restrictions on handgun purchases within a 30-day period, and “red flag” laws allowing police and the courts to temporarily disarm a person exhibiting dangerous behavior…
…Senator Saslaw’s filing touched off a vehement reaction from gun rights advocates, who believe the proposed restrictions to be unconstitutional at both the state and federal levels. The Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), a non-profit group that advocates for pro-gun legislation at the state level, immediately organized a process for individual counties, towns, and cities to assert “Second Amendment sanctuary” status by asking their local councils or boards to pass a resolution.
The resolution’s language expresses “opposition to any law that would unconstitutionally restrict the rights of citizens to keep and bear arms,” thus providing figurative “sanctuary” from the new law’s enforcement. It is a statement of opposition—a symbolic message of disapproval and resistance from local elected bodies—but does not carry legal authority.
Nonetheless, over the last two months Virginia’s “2A sanctuary” movement has exploded. Citizens have bombarded their local city and county board meetings with calls for officials to adopt the resolution language, filling venues to overflow and speaking passionately about gun ownership. Louisa County’s December meeting attracted 600 people, 1,500 attended in Virginia Beach, and Rockingham County saw more than 2,000 citizens fill a high school gym to bursting…”
Related:
A Second Amendment sanctuary movement is sweeping through Kentucky. Here’s why
Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds
Victor Davis Hanson:
“…Iran deeply erred in thinking that Trump’s restraint was permanent, that his impeachment meant he had lost political viability, that he would go dormant in an election year, that the stature of his left-wing opponents would surge in such tensions, and that his base would abandon him if he dared to use military force…”
— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) January 1, 2020
I would include the MSM in the headline. Listening to the Democrat response today, it’s hard to tell if this headline is satire.
⚡️When this guy with Trump Derangement Syndrome went to steal a #TrumpPence campaign sign there was one problem, it was electrified…. pic.twitter.com/4YsnHqGTS6
— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) January 2, 2020
And it is pretty funny
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 21, 2019
I have seen nothing from any Democrat that can match this.
I don’t want to sound flippant. The Media/Democrat/Permanent Bureaucracy is over-the-top in grief and despair.