Showing posts with label Iran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iran. Show all posts

Saturday, November 19, 2022

Hitch 24: I Ran so far______

 A large anti-government protest erupted in  Izeh, Iran on Friday Nov 18 at the funeral for 9-year-old Kian who was killed in a shooting that his mother blamed on security forces. These demonstrations have staying power despite the brutal clampdown by the Theocracy. Maybe the Mullahs should text Putin for military help? More to come, previous blog linked below.

Nov 20, 2022
Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, is trying to distance his group from Iran, but the Gulf states who have given millions to Lebanon in financial support; and received little in return are not buying it.
Dec 12, 2022
The European Parliament suspended the powers and duties of one of its vice presidents, Greek socialist, Eva Kaili, in light of a Belgian investigation of a Gulf state's purchasing influence on decisions in the European Parliament.  Furthermore, it may delay a proposal to extend visa-free travel to the EU for Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Ecuador.
Jan 5, 2023
Iran is whining about France again! This time it's alleging cartoons in a contest ran by the Charlie Hebdo magazine are insulting. One of the entries depicts a turbaned cleric reaching for a hangman’s noose as he drowns in blood.
Feb 7, 2023
Perhaps Iran's cops were too busy killing unarmed protestors around the country to stop an attacker who broke through the Azerbaijan's embassy guard post in Tehran, killing the head of Azeri security with a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Feb 25, 2023
From Michigan to eastern Europe to Iran: Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi, 58, a Lebanese and Belgian citizen who is considered a key financier of the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, was arrested Friday in Bucharest, Romania.

It's alleged that Bazzi convinced some folks to liquidate their interests in real estate assets in Michigan and covertly transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds from the USA to accounts in Lebanon.
May 19,2023
Iran warns Afghanistan's Taliban rulers not to violate what it claims is it water rights on the Helmand River. This tiff could be noteworthy.
May 30, 2023
Iran may want to be buddies with Egypt, but let's look back.
Anwar Sadat cut ties to Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Sadat welcomed Reza Pahlavi,  to Egypt just before his death and hosted his state funeral in 1980. Also, the shah's remains are entombed at Cairo's Al-Rifai Mosque.
Aug 22, 2023
Folks in southern Syria protesting against Assad chant: we only kneel to God.  Is Putin taking Assad's calls?
Aug 28, 2023
Iran claims Iraq has agreed to disarm and relocate Kurdistan "militants" in the autonomous northern Kurdish region. Easier said than done!
Nov 11, 2023
Palestine/Israel war, and Syria remains the world's proxy playground. Assad 😵
Dec 13, 2023
Arab energy leaders-oil here to stay so will COP28 fossil fuel reduction be effective?
They also stressed developing countries should be allowed to exploit their fossil fuel reserves.
Dec 18, 2023
We consider any armed action originating from Lebanese territory as an attack on national sovereignty,” Gebran Bassil, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, a predominantly Christian party, said, rejecting the creation of what he called a “Hamas-land”.
Dec 18, 2023
 “Fatahland” returning? Hamas recruits in Lebanon.
  (PLO) under Arafat operated as a state within a state in southern Lebanon from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. The PLO used southern Lebanon to launch attacks against Israel and became an active in Lebanon’s civil war in 1975.
Jan 4, 2023
84 people killed and 284 injured after explosions occurred near the grave of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani yesterday, the anniversary of his killing, 

Source of the explosions: two bags carrying bombs that were likely set off by remote control.  No one has claimed responsibility, so far.
Jan 16, 2023
Iran extends Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi prison sentence. Memo to all the pro Hamas/Palestine protesters.
Feb 3, 2024
Syria's 1-0 win against India and sealed its first ever spot in the knockout rounds of the Asian Cup(Soccer). Maybe the players want more time away from the endless strife at home.
April 23, 2024
Same day Iran struck Israel:  Clerical rulers in Iran cranked up arrests of women accused of flouting its strict Islamic dress code.
May 1, 2024
MSC Orion, a Portuguese flagged ship, sustained minor damage from a Houthis' drone hit far into the reaches of the Arabian Sea. Iran!
May 26, 2024
 Lebanese MPs threaten to reject the EU bloc’s 1B euro package which it views as a “bribe” to keep Syrian refugees in limbo in Lebanon. So it expects Europe to keep them or send them back home to Syria?
May 27, 2024
Cheers  to the British  government for saying the ICJ(UN) ruling over Israel's actions in Rafah will strengthen Hamas.
July 13, 2024
 Hague district court rejects a claim  to order the Netherlands to block all exports of F-35 fighter jet parts which could end up in Israel. It says the NGO claim is too broad.



Hitch 23



Thursday, August 27, 2020

Hitch 23

  I  tracked #ergodan when he started squashing the press in Turkey and using  Syria as his path to crush the Kurds in this blog  Hitch 22  Also, I discussed discussed the late Christopher Hitchens comments on the Middle East.
Yesterday Ergodan offered a  declaration of war to Greece, “if anyone wants to stand before us and face the consequences, they are welcome to", during an anniversary celebration marking the 1071 battle of Manzikert, during which Turkish Seljuks beat Byzantine forces.  The Seljuks created a huge Turco-Persian (Iran ) tradition.
Greece and Turkey are vying for territorial waters for energy exploration in an area between Cyprus and Crete .
aug 28
Greece signed  exclusive economic zone (EEZ) maritime deals with Italy on June 9 and with Egypt on Aug. 7. Yesterday, Ergodan hosted Hamas terrorists in Istanbul. It's going to take a miracle to prevent bloodshed.
aug 30
It's getting tenser. Greece, who just completed air force exercises with France, Italy and Cyprus, began joint air force training exercises with the UAE in the eastern Mediterranean on Friday. EU threatened Turkey with sanctions over Mediterranean drilling.
Sept 11 
More warehouse fires in Lebanon. Also, USA put sanctions on two former Lebanese government ministers, Yusuf Finyanus and Ali Khalil, who are accused of ensuring contracts went to firms owned by Hezbollah, which the US considers a terrorist group, and moving money to associated institutions.
Oct 3
  USS Hershel "Woody" Williams, an expeditionary sea base ship, will be homeported at Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete, 600 miles from the Turkish coast. And it could become an alternative to the use by the USAF of the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. 
Oct 27
#Putin ain't playing nice with Turkey in Syria and elsewhere . Russian airstrikes killed 78 al-Sham,a Sunni Islamist rebel military unit, recruits at a Turkish-supported training camp near Idlib,Syria. He is angry that Turkey sentone thousand Al-sham trainees to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region between Russian- supported Armenia and Turkish-backed Azerbaijan.
Nov 12
 Money is part of the issue, but a lack of trust and confidence in the political leadership  is a major factor in exodus of Doctors from Lebanon.  And a hefty part of that leadership is affiliated with #hezbollah .
Dec 7
Mixed bag of  chilling news from Egypt: Three EIPR, a human rights group, members were released from detention, but Patrick Zaky, an #EIPR researcher, is still being held on suspicion of spreading fake news, misusing social media, and inciting protest without permission. Think about those shaky charges a few times.
Dec 10
Somalians are obtaining student or healthcare visas for Turkey, and with assistance from criminal gangs, attempting to cross into Greece and then possibly to Europe.
dec 31, 2020
In the mountainous village of Pera Melana in Greece’s southern Peloponnese peninsula, you’ll hear the buzz of conversations among descendants of ancient Sparta in a 3,000-year-old language called Tsakonika, which is based on the Doric language spoken by the ancient Spartans.
Jan 14, 2021
While Congress fights over bashing Trump, Secretary of State  #Pompeo accused Iran of expanding its ties with al Qaeda by allowing senior operatives from the terrorist group to establish a new headquarters in its territory. And added this comment about finding moderates to work with inside the Iranian government. “The reality is that you have a better chance of finding a unicorn,” 
feb 5, 2021
#LokmanSlim, a prominent critic of  Hezbollah, was shot four times in the head and once in the back in Lebanon.  His sister's comment on her brother's death: "Killing is the only language they are fluent in,"
feb 25,2021
While I have few doubts, that Assad's folks have done horrible things during the Syrian civil war, a German court's successful prosecution  on torture charges of Eyad A, who arrived in Germany from Syria in 2018 and was granted asylum, raises serious issues about Germany’s universal jurisdiction laws, which allow its courts to prosecute crimes against humanity committed anywhere in the world. I  foresee a tit for tat game growing around the world.
Also wondering why they granted him asylum in 2018.
March 5, 2021
I wonder if this will get traction: #GilaGamliel , Israel’s environmental protection minister, accuses the Iranian government of environmental terrorism. Iran sent a ship that turned off its radar and spilled crude oil into the Mediterranean last month. while smuggling it from Iran to Syria . 
mARCH 8, 2021
Proxy war between Iran and SA is going to get huge. Iran's proxy, Yemen's Houthi forces, fired drones and missiles at the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry yesterday including the Saudi Aramco facility at Ras Tanura. 
March 18, 2021
 Turkish prosecutors are trying to get the HDP, a legal political party, outlawed via the courts by alleging the party was "acting as an arm of the PKK" and "attempting to disrupt the unity and territorial integrity of the state.". If this is successful,  tensions will escalate in Turkey, Syria, and possibly Iraq.
April 18, 2021
Iran named  43-year-old #RezaKarimi as a suspect in the attack on its Natanz nuclear facility that damaged centrifuges there,stating he had fled the country before the sabotage occurred.
There was no explanation on how he would have acquired access to one of the most secure facilities in Iran which has requested an Interpol “red notice” seeking his arrest. 
I wonder if Interpol will ask Iran  to turn over the international criminals it's hiding.
May 15, 2021
In non-Israeli news:  #Karpowership , a Turkish energy company, shut down about one quarter of Lebanon's electricity supply because it is owed more than $100m (£71m) by Lebanon and has not been paid in 18 months.
May 23. 2021
Turkish mafia boss #SedatPeker ,who is living in exile, issued this statement :“Do not doubt, I will teach some tyrants that there is no more dangerous weapon than a man who dares to die." He published five videos on YouTube  claiming AKP lawmakers were involved in malfeasance, murders, rapes, drug trafficking etc.
Ergodan's response was  to fire a journalist for Turkey's state news agency Anadolu for asking a question about these videos.
A growing sentiment in the country is that Ergodan and his AKP cohorts have been dividing up national resources while acting under the guise of a nationalist struggle against Kurdish militants.
jULY 1, 2021
Iraq’s PM Mustafa al-Kadhemi condemned the overnight US air attack on Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq and Syria. I'm a bit surprised at Biden's moves, and Iraq should stop moaning and rein in Iran's influence.
July 27, 2021
Protests in Iran that began in the province Khuzestan over insufficient water and electricity have spread to Tehran, where a group of people in the city are chanting against the country's clerical rulers, telling them to "get lost".  They picked a good time since president-elect Ebrahim #Raisa , The Butcher, takes office next month.
Aug 11, 2021
A senior Iranian security official urged Iraq to expel Iranian rebels from Iraqi Kurdistan, or expect Tehran to take "preventative measures" . Kurds have been one of our strongest allies in the region. Is Biden's crew paying attention?
Sept 22, 2021
#StenyHoyer tells Israel that the removal of Iron Dome funding is a 'technical postponement'.    Omar is spreading her wings - watch out Israel!
Dec 10, 2021
 United Arab Emirates ordered work halted on a Chinese facility in the country after USA officials argued that Beijing intended to use the site for military purposes. Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the U.A.E.’s leadership, didn’t believe the facility was intended for military or security uses but wouldn't explain the desired uses for the facility.  I just roll my eyes.
Jan 6, 2022
Posting this in case Sleepy Joe's aides don't put it on his teleprompter: Iran-aligned paramilitary groups continue to fire rockets at bases hosting U.S.-led military coalition forces in Iraq and Syria.
Feb 22, 2022
While Iran cries about those "evil" USA sanctions against them, Iran-aligned Houthi rebels continue drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. Don't believe the Ayatollahs' hype!
March 9, 2022
Congratulations Biden: Saudi Arabia and UAE leaders refuse to answer telephone calls from Biden due to his administration's lack of support in the war in Yemen and the revived negotiations concerning the Iran nuclear deal. Meanwhile the Keystone oil pipeline in the USA is dormant.
May 16, 2022
The Lebanese Forces (LF) party, a Saudi-aligned Christian group which is opposed to the Iran-backed Shi'ite Muslim movement Hezbollah, may be on course to emerge as the biggest bloc in Lebanon's parliament after Sunday's election. This could get ugly quickly.
May 28, 2022
 Iran will likely squash this but  protesters have been burning pictures of Iran's top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and chanting "We don't want the rule of the clerics" and calling for the return of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the former Shah of Iran.
July 17, 2022
Asim Ghafoor, an American citizen and civil rights attorney, who previously served as a lawyer for slain journalist Khashoggi, was detained in the UAE on July 14 because of in-absentia conviction for money laundering by Emirati courts. How did he ignore or not know that the plane was stopping in UAE on its way to Turkey?
 Meanwhile, Biden disputed the Saudi FM's statement that he did not hear Biden blame Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of Khashoggi.
August 6, 2022
On August 4, 2020 a fire in a hangar at the Beirut port triggered a blast that killed 200 people. On Thursday a nationwide day of mourning in Lebanon, Beirut’s port burned. I wonder if a casino anywhere had odds on this.
Sept 15, 2022
A woman held staff hostage at a bank in Beirut, demanding they let her withdraw frozen savings to pay for her sister's medical bills.
She was given $13,000 (£11,240) and there are no reports of her arrest.
Sept 22, 2022
 Protesters in Tehran and other Iranian cities torched police stations and vehicles today as unrest triggered by the death of Mahsa Aminia, a 22-year old woman detained by the morality police for wearing "unsuitable attire", intensified. 
Do the Mullahs squash another small rebellion again and laugh it off.
Does Biden take women's rights seriously and slow down negotiations to give Iran an economic break?
Oct 6, 2022
Iranian students remove their headscarves during a protest in Tehran
Also, younger school children have joined the protests. Will Iran's military shoot at the little ones?
Oct 20, 2022
A mild chuckle from another rough day for Lebanon, whose Parliament failed to elect a President again. 55 blank votes, 42 for anti-Hezbollah lawmaker Michel Mouawad, scattered votes for political slogans, and one vote for a "benevolent dictator".










 



Saturday, June 29, 2013

The what if frack?


 Plenty of  earth shattering topics but  strip mining the easy stories or digging deeper leaves me in a malaise.

If I worked for the IRS, I'd take the fifth and stop typing.

If I were Loretta Lynn, I'd  rhyme  frack with black in an updated version of Coal miner's Daughter

If I had ever watch more than 30 seconds of Battle Star Galactica, I would've known that frack was a substitute for fuck. Back in 1978, mother fletcher was the cleaned up version of mother fucker.

If Robert Kraft had given me a Super Bowl ring I would've sold it immediately after Putin in my pocket.

I can't shave any more ice off my  brain this morning. Add some ifs at the blog.

7/16/13
 In response to the heat on the DOJ to go after George Zimmerman.  Where is the line between prosecution and persecution? Have we reached a point where there are two races: blacks & everyone else?






7/23/13 

G Zimm helps in a  road rescue. I wonder  how the Obama ADM will twist that ?


9/28/13

If I were Putin, I'd loosen the leash on Obama- he's proven he can follow your lead on Iran & Syria.


10/17/13

Syria is  not a place to be. What if the chemical weapons inspectors  leave?


10/28/13
Obama health debacle, spying on Merkel. If Syria is forgotten , does Iran rise?


10/29/13

What if Obama had tried to tell the truth about  the ACA? Would he be the Prez? 


10/31/13

Obama  as Pinocchio for Halloween.  No mincing or parsing words. He stated clearly you could keep your insurance and doctor


11/8/13
What if Obama does more than apologize to those getting insurance cancellations?


11/11/13
What if Debbie Wasserman Schultz(D) had a clue? She thinks the Dems can run on Obamacare in 2014.


11/15/13
What if we had a President who didn't rule by executive orders?


11/25/13
What if Iran we try something new with Iran? They have us on the run.


11/26/13
What if the AP  had published stories on the talks with Iran? AP=Associated press-I guess they don't get the Press-part

12/19/13
Hey Pope Francis bashing trickle down theories while not sharing  Vatican gold is complete bullshit.


1/8/14
What if Obama trusted the military?  Biden, a bozo?   link
His book also criticizes top Obama aides, including Vice President Joe Biden, who he says was "poisoning the well" against the U.S. military leadership.

 2/15/14
It's self-explanatory:

Youth Obamacare Enrollment Groups Surprised To Learn Obamacare Website Won’t Work On National Youth Enrollment Day


2/27/14

What if Harry reid called  all  with BO Care horror stories -liars? He did and is now backtracking a little.

3/5/14
What if Obama  thoiught the mid-terms were more imortant than Russia invading the Ukraine/

3/12/14
what if BO care led to another Dem defeat? It did in Florida last night . Sink had outspent Jolly by more than 3 to 1 on television advertising, but Jolly won. in Wasserman- Schultz, the DNC Chairperson's home state


4/4/14
What if the left practiced tolerance?  Eich resigns as the CEO of Mozilla cuz he gave $$ for the passage of prop 8. Being against gay marriage doesn't mean you hate gays.


4/5/14
In 2008 Obama wasn't for gay marriage. Should he resign?


4/7/14
props to andrew sullivan:
"If we are about intimidating the free speech of others, we are no better than the anti-gay bullies who came before us."

4/8/14
What if the two-year old Petraeus probe is being used a leverage. Holder  grew up in the Clinton ADM so he knows how to play the game


4/12/14
What if Harry Reid were helping  his son Rory   andusing BLM and federal troops to grab Bundy cattle In Nevada. Also what if he wanted tp protect a tortoise?

4/18/14
FT Hood -workplace violence, Bundy supporters  are domestic terroroists. What if only Harry Reid can say the word terrorists?

5/8/14

What if the left and right agreed? Brunnei move to more Sharia law and it's ownership of Beverly Hills  hotel  has folks across the political spectrum agreeing to a boycott

5/15/14

what if the BO ADM gave  documents requested by Congress . Instead private groups have to file FOIA  requests to get clean, not blacked out doc. Benghazi, IRS , scandals grow.

6/3/14
What if Obama was the President of your favorite sports teams  and made  a Bergdahl-like trade? He traded fora guy who didn't want to play.

6/6/14

Bound to happen: BO HUD  official, Brandon Friedman calls  some of Bergdahl's platoon psychopaths.
“Here's the thing about Bergdahl and the Jump-to-Conclusions mats: What if his platoon was long on psychopaths and short on leadership?”

This WH can't handle the truth.

6/18/14

Govt for and of the people. Right?  I'd lose an IRS audit if I blamed a lack paperwork on a  bad hard drive(Lois Lerner).

BO's crew is making Nixon's boys look like saints.

7/7/14
What if our Prez  visits Texas to fundraise for the DNC but not  view first hand the Tex-Mex border crisis

7/12/14
Two judges have ordered the IRS to explain Lerner's  missing hard drive. Still no answers from the IRS.

7/29/14
What  could unite Senators Cruz and Gillibrand? Condemning Hamas. That's a big If I never considered.

8/5/14

what if Barney frank said BO and crew lied about the ACA? He did.  Frank-ness

8/8/14
what if BO bombed Iraq. Can you ever believe him? And I'm well aware of the ISIS rampage.
BO's theme: IRAQ. I Ran, I Bomb

8/29/14
What if the Prez had no strategy for dealing with ISIS? Yes, he's surpassed Jimmy Carter in ineptitude on foreign policy

9/4/14

Dem candidates bad mouthing Obama at a feverish pace. Kay Hagan is  beyond desperate in the NC Senate race

9/8/14
What if a community activist cherished golf more than people?

9/11/14
BO says ISIL is not Islamic. Our Prez is an ostrich. In Ireland is the IRA not Catholic, the Red Hand, not Protestant?

9/29/14
What if it was  never BO's fault? The Oblaminator is incapable of accepting rresponsibility.

10/18/14
And the hits keep coming. BO appoints a political hack, Ron Klain, with  little to no medical background as Ebola Czar

10/21/14
What if  the GA Dems  "don't shoot' used posters referring to the Ferguson, MO shooting? Basically electing Republicans will increase cops shooting  young black men. Yep. the Nunn crew is playing racial division. So much for BO improving race relations!

10/30/14
What if health care workers thought they  were immune, the rest of us aren't.

11/4/14
What if a country wanted to tax internet data traffic? Hungary  sort of cancelled the tax after protests in the street and delivered this line . Orban may have grasp some of his problem. tax the web?
"We are not Communists. We don't go against the will of the people," 

11/11/14
What if an ACA architecht  admitted  gruber
“This bill was written in a tortured way to make sure CBO (Congressional Budget Office) did not score the mandate as taxes. If CBO scored the mandate as taxes, the bill dies. … So it’s written to do that,” Gruber said, suggesting “it would not have passed” if the law “made it explicit” that healthy people would “pay in” and the sick would get money.


11/20/14

So Sharpton wants protests regardless of the Ferguson jury verdict


2/8/15
What if the suicide of Special prosecutor Alberto Nisman was murder in Argentina? Plot thickens: Authorities have not been able to find Stiuso, the ex-director of the Secretary of Intelligence, let alone notify him that he has been called to testify about Nisman. link


2/11/15
Unidentified DNA found in Nisman's apartment. link

2/16/15
What if this was Fernadez defense in Argentina? link
The president suggested he may have been manipulated into killing himself by rogue security agents in an attempt to discredit her.


3/7/15
What if Sen Menendez wasn't bucking the BO ADM on Iran , Cuba, etc? . Would BO's DoJ be going after mhim? I'm not a defender of Menendez and  haven't voted for a Democrat in over 20 years. http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/06/politics/robert-menendez-criminal-corruption-charges-planned/


3/15/15
What if Valerie Jarrett is behind adding  more to Hillary Clinton's political woes? 


3/26/15
What if the Middle East problems boil down to Saudia Arabia or Iran? Quite a choice!
Shiite-majority Iran and Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia are locked in a strategic contest for influence across the Middle East

3/30/15
what if i agreed with bill Maher. maher
 “For folks who take such pride in their love of diversity, liberals increasingly seem to tolerate none in their own ranks. I don’t necessarily agree with Dolce and Gabbana, but what is the point of attacking people who are 95 percent on your side?” he questioned

4/1/15
No April Fools:  genetic313
What if Genetic tests lead to 165,000 break-ups---Saudi Arabia

4/6/15
Photographers, painters, etc reject commissions  for work they don't want to do. Perhaps cake  bakers  should try that method?

5/6/15
What if a male executive who was at the center of a  sexual harassment lawsuit  gets hired (by the same man who lost money in the lawsuit) to  run a WNBA franchise. isiahthomas

5/18/15
What if a Dem is politically incorrect. This would be blowing up if anyone for less Govt did it.
then she put her hand over mouth and made the noise that is the stereotypical imitation of a Native American war cry

5/30/15
What if parishioners  parishioners, working in shifts, occupied a Scituate, Mass., church round-the-clock since it was closed by the Archdiocese of Boston in 2004? link
Surprised its been allowed this long.

BTW. recall spending a weekend partying in a rented beach house in that area in 1987.

6/17/15
Extreme Buddhism in Mynamar (Burma) Ma Ba Tha opinion piece

6/29/15
What if EU cut off the grease to Greece. Meanwhile Puerto Rico, a USA territory, is about to default on it's debt. Fiscal restraint  - it's time to pay the piper.

7/12/15
Pope Francis should have  Nirvana'a "all apologies" playing in the background as he kisses lefty Latin American asses. While the Vatican makes shrewd investments and parish cutbacks, Pope F has the gall to say this:
Quoting a fourth century bishop, "he called the unfettered pursuit of money “the dung of the devil”,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/the-pope/11730371/Pope-calls-for-an-end-to-the-murders-of-Christians-in-the-Middle-East-and-beyond.html

7/17/15
what if BO's crew takes the Iran deal to the UN before Congress.

8/6/15
 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated:
 Iran never wanted to build a nuclear bomb and will never want to build one.
link

8/11/15
This fits our times. Spain ceded Gibraltar to to Britain in perpetuity in 1713 but wants it back so they continue to  create  artificial reefs  and violate its waters. Here's the latest link

8/16/15
Thought this qualified for the blog : what if  a British man  tried to rob a bank in Warsaw using prewritten  Polish notes because he could not speak Polish,... teller told him to get back in line and called the copsstory
9/5/15
If the clerk in Ky goes to jail for not obeying federal laws on marriage, then should cops in San Francisco be held in legal contempt for not enforcing immigration laws. Maybe Kentucky should be pass Sanctuary laws on gay marriage?

9/17/15
what if Germany, " EU mr nice guy" can't figure out the migrant crisis? Refugee authority resigns , temporary border controls in Berlin. Also, the EU is fractured on the isssue. merkel
11/12/15
what if the EU set a "Middle East"  migrant  policy and most its members ignored it? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34794422

11/16/15
EU members need to ignore their "leaders" on Middle East migrant policy?
11/18/15
What if Obama keeps bis focus on China's take over in the South China sea?  It would be solid change. #southchinasea .
12/20/15
What if Trump shut up and ISIS recruitment numbers dropped? Get real! I'm not the biggest fan of Trump, but BO's kissing Muslim's ass sure hasnt slowed down the Jihad .
1/1/16
What if one NYE,  local news anywhere didn't feature a fire in a vacant warehouse?
1/4/16
No matter your politics this should scare most of us: hammond
The two were convicted of the arsons three years ago and served time — Dwight three months and Steven a year. But a judge ruled their terms were too short under federal law and ordered them back to prison for about four years each.
What if the SCOTUS  slowed down the executive branch?  It's about time unelected  bureacrats  were slowed down. link
The court ruled that the president's Clean Power Plan could not go forward until all legal challenges were heard.
2/25/16
What if your brother (Ramon)sent you a watch when you (Fidel) needed guns, you make him an Agriculture official .  Ramon Castro's died yesterday.
2/29/16
What if moderates made gains in the latest Iran election? Will it lessen the theocratic stranglehold?
3/12/16
What if some folks felt free= restricted? You take the good with the bad in a republic. I just shuddered  at the video of a young venom -filled punk in Chicago claiming they were for free speech not hate speech. Please take five seconds and look up the definition of free.
3/21/16
What if an American president arrived in Cuba and their leader, Raul Castro, wasn't there to greet him?
3/22/16
What if  Aung San Suu Kyi agrees to run Myanmar (Burma) foreign ministry?  She'll have to stand down as MP . Is she being  stashed or is this a important historical moment?
4/4/16
Kyi went from years of house arrest to turning down ministry positions in Burma. What if became how did.
Aung San Suu Kyi has reduced the number of ministries she will run in Myanmar's new government.
4/20/16
What if a comedian could be prosecuted for satire in a republic with a parliamentary democracy and a bicameral system of government.? Merkel just authorized the prosecution of Jan Böhmermann. Here's how a member of her political party views it: Böhmermann
"Criminal proceedings against satire for 'insulting a majesty' do not fit in with modern Germany."
5/10/16
What if a tough talking, action-oriented dude won the Presidency ? He just did in the Phillipines.
Duterte
5/21/16
Pope Francis is more than the  spiritual "CEO" of the Catholic Church. He's the head of a city-state and they can get quite serious. What if the Vatican got serious about crime, yep some folks leaked their documents. vatican
The two journalists question the right of a foreign court to try them for what they consider to be standard journalistic practice - obtaining information from those in power.
6/15/16
Taking a break from politics: what if the NHL chose to expand to the desert and the capital of legal gambling. Viva Las Vegas!
6/23/16
More of politicians focusing on what 's essential . what if a group of Italian senators  called for pizza makers to pass exams in order to guarantee the quality of their creations.
7/8/16
To the four letter sports network and then all sports talk shows. If you start a show saying I just want to mention the shootings, arrests  etc then we're moving on, stick to that statement.  I go to sports talk to get a break from  this stuff. I'm not oblivious or in denial. 
7/21/16
What if a jock spoke out  and It didn't irk me. Props to Enes Kantner of the OKC Thunder for speaking out again Turkish Pres Ergodan. He's  been criticizing the country's blocked access to social media and the limited broadcast media coverage.
8/17/16
What if a kite strings kill ? kites kill
Three people, including two children, have died after their throats were slit by glass-coated strings used for flying kites on India's Independence Day. Saanchi Goyal, 3, and Harry, 4, were looking out through the sunroof of their cars in different parts of Delhi when sharp strings slit their throats. 
9/15/16
What if a Dem Governor imposed a tampon tax on the women? So much for the Dems claims to being  being pro-woman health . California Governor #JerryBrown has vetoed a bill to end a sales tax on feminine hygiene products. This should be a "fun" internal Dem battle.
9/21/16
what if a party on the Left favored a tax cut? #Sweden 's Green party supports a cut on the VAT rate charged on minor repairs to things like bicycles, shoes and clothes.
10/8/16
what if you "insult" a Buddhist? #KlaasHaytema was jailed for three months with hard labour in #Myanmar for unplugging a loudspeaker on a late-night broadcast, which was relaying a #Buddhist sermon..
10/13/16
What if China and the West were in contact more than 1,500 years before European explorer Marco Polo arrived in China?  marcopolo
Archaeologists say inspiration for the Terracotta Warriors, found at the Tomb of the First Emperor near today's Xian, may have come from Ancient Greece
10/20/16
What if  a"lefty " candidate  for president said this.......in France? #hollande
"There are "too many" immigrants"
What if a member of the Cuban Commie regime offered this explanation for workers from India making ten times what native Cuban workers make on a construction project in Havana. cuba
 "In an interview published in the state-run newspaper, Juventud Rebelde, Jose Martinez, deputy director of Cuba's construction and real estate company Almest, linked the higher wages to the Indians' productivity.
"The Indian workers' level of efficiency in construction work is three or four times greater than the national average in Cuba," he said."
11/19/16
Oh Canada what if   MP #MichelleRempel  said the word fart in Parliament? Well Greenie #elizabethmay was offended. hempel
12/9/16
What if " HillaryClinton warns of 'fake news epidemic'. Then LOL.   She's been manipulating the media most of her life.
12/22/16
What if the word secret lost it's meaning? Reuters headline :
 "China's armed forces will carry out secret inspections over the new year holidays, both Western and lunar, to ensure orders against corruption are being followed, the defense ministry said on Thursday."
!2/28/16
What if  an ex-government minister #joselopez in Argentina was arrested in June 2016 after he was allegedly seen trying to hide millions of dollars in cash in a monastery. Six months later his boss ex-President of Argentina #Kirchner is facing corruption charges
Nuns working at the religious community near Buenos Aires saw Lopez throw plastic bags over a wall.
1/10/17
What if I like an ECHR  ruling : "Swiss Muslim girls must learn to swim with boys, court rules". The law ruled on law  was designed to "protect foreign pupils from any form of social exclusion" and Switzerland was free to design its education system according to its own needs and traditions.
1/19/17
The amount of animus toward #trump makes me wonder if  a lot of folks want a repeat of #williamhenryharrison, our 9th President who died  a month after Inauguaration in 1841.
1/27/17
A lingering what if: Has #sharpton paid his back taxes? His protector is out of office.
1/30/17
what if  ex #ncstate hoopster die  in their late 40s and early 50's. #hawkeyewhitney a few yearsa go.#shackleford over the weekend.
2/2/17
What if a PrimeMinster,  #SorinGrindeanu passed a decree that could free dozens of officials jailed for corruption and claimed prison overcrowding was the reason?
The Romanian capital, Bucharest, has seen one of its largest ever anti-government protests
2/26/17
About two years ago I asked: What if EU cut off the grease to Greece? 
Guess what bailouts continue and Greeks sink deeper in poverty .
3/2/17
What if young woman named #trujillo in an isolated part of Nicaragua died a week after being tied up and allegedly thrown on a fire in an exorcism ritual, and  #juanrocha, one of the people arrested,
denied burning her, claiming evil spirits had suspended her above the fire and then dropped her.
3/18/17
What if automibile drivers were able and/or willing to park within a few inches of the curb. 
4/6/17
What if I agree with someone from the Green Party? Green Party legal expert #RenateKünast criticized that the proposed legislation by German Justice Minister #Maas that  social networks would have 24 hours to delete or block obviously criminal content and seven days to deal with more ambiguous cases.ran the risk of limiting freedom of expression. Kunast comment below:

"My fear, and that of many others, is that in the end the version [Maas] is now presenting will limit freedom of opinion because it will simply become delete, delete, delete," she said.
4/14/17
 What if #Saturn 's ice-crusted moon #Enceladus may now be the single best place to go to look for life beyond Earth. And the late #davidbowie, once sang "is there life on Mars?
5/2/17
#mayday : What if a #Cuban with US flag disrupts #Havana parade in #RevolutionSquare?
He gets tackled and led away and hopefully isn't killed.
5/5/17
What if you let prisoners out of their cells pray? About 200 prisoners in #Indonesia broke out of  jail on #Sumatraisland on Friday, tearing down a gate near a mosque in the prison complex .
5/12/17
What if a court finally  restrained itself?  The #NewMexicoSupremeCourt on Thursday rejected a request to override Gov Martinez' budget vetoes. Dems have to come to the table and work things out.
5/23/17
#winstoned- what if  #UK cocaine snorters are getting nose cuts ? The texture of the new plastic fiver note with #winstonchurchill image  is a lot stiffer than the previous five-pound-notes which went out of circulation in early May.
6/24/17
What if you're alive at the age of 100? You get out of prison. #"Sonny"Franzese who's been in and out jail most of his life was released from federal prison.
6/26/17
What if you're bored? Have to be to vanadalize Norway's famous penis-shaped rock 
Fundraising has begun to re-erect #Trollpikken.
7/21/17
What if #abbas, president of Palestine, asked Trump and the USA for help dealing with Israel over thei installation of metal detectors near Lion's Gate shrine.  Sadly, I laugh.
8/10/17
What if  we send #dennisrodman to disarm  #northkorea . -half joking!
9/5/17
what if a pigeon was spotted flying into the grounds of the jail in the central city of Santa Rosa, Argentina. It was shot down and found  to be carrying a backpack containing sedative pills, marijuana and a USB drive
9/10/17
What if former UK PM Blair said: "UK doesn't need #Brexit to curb EU immigration? " Just be glad he's not your current PM!  EU is  determined to force refugee quotas and maintain EU free movement. #tonyBlair is pumping hot air!
9/17/17
What if champion greyhound #Clonbrien tests positive for cocaine, and its trainer #grahamholland says it must have been ingested accidentally. You roll your eyes.
10/1/17
What if #popeFrancis is the "PR Pope"? Will the Vatican send Monsignor #CarloCapella back to Canada where he faces child pornography charges or hide behind an internal investigation?
10/25/17
What if California wildfies burnt marijuana crops and #Amsterdam raised it's tourist tax? Price of getting high just went up?
11/1/17
What if Scammers with an Irish accent have been  working an area of Australia and #MarleneKairouz , a minister in Victoria's state legislature said, "If anybody knocks on your door that has an Irish accent, automatically ask them to leave." she's being labeled a racist.. Sometimes you got to call them as you see them and give the finger to homogenization.
11/23/17
What if someone accused "you" of sex crimes and "you" said Hell no?
 Many American resemble drunken lynch mobbers--- I accuse you of something horrible, now shut up and take your punishment. No time to evaluate the charges or go through the judicial process. A presumption of innocence has been  replaced by texters wanting their twisted version of nano-second "justice".
 I can only hope that this comes across as non-partisan. #franken #roymoore , etc..
11/27/17
What if #popefrancis  refers to Muslims as Rohingya  instead of  "Bengalis" on his trip to Burma.Will Buddhists riot?:  Catholics make up 1% of Burma's population. #Mynamar
Dec 8
Local twist on what if. What if you thought you saw a falling star and it was a plane crashing? Dec 8 1963 Pan Am Flight 214 crashes outside Elkton, Maryland with 81 killed. Plane crashed in area now known as Turnquist .
dec20
What if US tax reform breaks global rules? Then FU to the #eu
dec22
Remember when #harryreid had ulterior motives in the Bundy ranch raid a few years ago. What if this all too common theme was thereason for another mistrial:  federal prosecutors failed to turn over all evidence to defense attorneys, including records about the conduct of #FBI and BLM
1/10/18
 what if #catherinedeneuve, a French actress ,voiced concerns of a new "puritanism" that goes against French traditions of seduction? The #me2 crowd said she's using media exposure to make sexual violence appear "normal".
1/15/18
What if #dennisrodman  got arrested for a DOI?  He did so chances of de-nuking #northkorea have diminished. I'm half-kidding!
2/15/18
What if coutries want to exit the EU for a myriad of reasons? #GüntherOettinger. an EU budget commissioner, said the budget should be an increased percentage of EU gross national income.  Basically, things are bad so let's make them worse.
2/24/18
Proposals abound to raise the legal age for buying and carrying a gun  to an age higher than 18. What if you're  18 in the military  working with #guns, but on the street , screw you?
3/13/18
I couldn't resist a comment on the nickname "Rasputin of Brussels" given to #MartinSelmayr. His boss Juncker just appointed him to a top EU post. and the what if is , what's the fallout? even the Lefties are riled.

March 17, 2018: What if give peace a chance means stomp those you don't like? A student at SouthwestHigh School in Minneappolis was assaulted off school property by a mob of students after he carried a pro-Trump flag during the National School Walkout on Wednesday. No arrests yet.

March 26, 2018
What if #labour in the UK has a "Jewish"  problem ? Has #JeremyCorbyn failed to tackle anti-Semitism? Will the Democrat party in the USA being receiving complaints soon?
april 12,2018
What if you couldn't form a government ? #babis , the #Czech PM,  is considering a coalition with the Commies - who want to leave the NATO defense alliance - and far-right SPD party - which wants to exit the #EU . Babis doesn't have the complete backing of his own #ANO party.
april 19, 2018
What if you've been warned or I should say  received an extortion threat? Britain’s #Labourparty  finance chief #JohnMcDonnell offered thefinancial services industry higher taxes in return for a seat at the policymaking table if Labour wins . 
april 25, 2018
I can only wonder what kind of backlash #corbyn is getting  inside his #Labour party when he says this in response to claims of anti-Semitism: “Their concerns are not ‘smears’ Jews belong in the Labour Party"
april 26, 2018
What if #trump and 450 #Amazon workers from Germany, Spain and Poland who demonstrated  against #bezos have something in common. Just saying.....
april 29, 2018
What if #fakeart is a bigger problem than #fakenews ? The Terrus museum in Elne, France   discovered 82 works originally attributed to the artist Terrus (1857-1922) were not painted by him.
may 11, 2018
What if a truck  with #chocolate flips and spills on a #Polish road? It bars traffic and is worse to clean up than snow?
may 16 2018
 What if #Tasmania 's AG Archer  called Sue Hickey a "treacherous"bitch" after a speakership coup?  Of course, she tried to down play it in the land down under  #australia.
june 15
What if someone accused you of "cynicism and irresponsibility" and later claimed he didn't mean to offend? I'd say yes, you did and F off.  The accuser was #Macron who hurled the words at Italy  when it refused to take in a ship carrying hundreds of migrants.
july 15, 2018
What if #cuba recognizes private property? It could mean more protections under law for private entrepreneurs and foreign investors but wait for the fine print.
july 28, 2018
what if #conorMcGregor is going to be evaluated for an anger management program ? Seriously ?  Busting bus windows didn't give you a hint. A Brooklyn , NY court gave him five days of community service and the threat of future punishment if he's a bad boy again.
aug 2, 2018
What if money talks? #Iran 's currency dropped 14 percent in one day as its #rial has hit a new record low, dropping past 100,000 rials to the US dollar. 
aug 11, 2018
What if ? #NaramalliSivaprasad, a former actor  and currently an Indian lawmaker, appeared in parliament dressed like #AdolfHitler to demand more funds for the development of his state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India.  It appears the stunt got a variety of reactions and not a lot of backlash.
Interesting  piece of Indian history:  Subhash Chandra Bose , an activist in India, met Hitler and sought his help in India's struggle for independence from the British.
sept 2, 2018
What if more chicks, particularly, in Europe , are leaning to the Right? In the #Poland 2015 election more women than men voted for the ruling right-wing Law and Justice ( #PiS ) 
party .
sept 14
What if I don't have a dollar in cash on me? SCOTUS knocked down  or weakened vagrancy statutes in 1983, but I recall being told to have a least a dollar on me or a cop could get me for loitering. Of course,  credit cards have replaced cash for many these days.
sept 23,2018
Hey Professor #Ford: What if the Senate  accepts your version of #Kavanaugh 's history from your safety zone and puts #HRC on SCOTUS? What a complete F'n farce. Too bad #Gowdy won't be questioning her !!!!!!!
Oct 1, 2018
Two Americans, James Morrison and Hilaree Nelson scaled #MountLhotse ’s (27,940-foot) summit then skied down from it yesterday
Oct 6, 2018
What if death row inmates decided to speed up the process? #JonathanFajardo, 30, was stabbed in the chest and neck with an inmate-made weapon in a recreational yard of the cell house that holds the bulk of condemned inmates at #SanQuentin State Prison. Luis Rodriguez, 34,  the suspect, obtained or was able to make the weapon. No one has been executed by the state in California since 2006.
Nov 1, 2018
What if the head of the Sicilian Anti-extortion Association, Salvatore C., got arrested by Italy's financial police for allegedly committing extortion,  embezzlement. and fraud, according to the DPA news agency? So far he's under house arrest. 
Nov 2, 2018
What if  your books were overdue at the  library? A German professor lost her appeal and must pay ($2,545) she racked up in late fees to her university's library. An administrative court in Dusseldorf rejected  Gina #Kästele 's arguments that the fines were disproportionately large and a hindrance to academic freedom. Academic freedom????????????
nov 24, 2018
Not sure what to make of this what if  in #IredellCounty : a deer rammed into a volunteer  handing out water to competitors at the "Turkey Trot" 5K race in Mooresville, NC. 
dec 28, 2018
 what if #roseannebarr addresses the Israeli Parliament in January 2019? Rabbi Shmuley Boteach said that “bringing an incredibly proud Jewish woman like Rosanne to Israel will be a great boost to its citizens”. I'm not sure she's a plus for any cause.
jan 2, 2019
what if #raulcastro  celebrated the 60th anniversary of Cuba's commie revolution by bashing #trump ? you yawn!
jan 10, 2019
 What if 12 seats  gained by #vox in #Andalusuia ,Spain's most populous region, ended 36 years of Socialist rule? The Spanish Socialists in true Hillary Clinton-like denial mode re-affirmed it commitment to European values (whatever that means).
jan 29, 2019
What if   taxi drivers protested  #Uber and #Cabify blocked the main boulevard in #Madrid ? Authorities used a crane to remove their taxis.
feb 13, 2019
What if you pose with a stack of cash on Instagram? #richthekid , a rapper, did that and he got robbed at a music studio in Santa Monica , Ca. If you want the obvios you'll get ____
march 19, 2019
What if you tried to take part in an anti-government protest? Police fired tear gas at demonstrators in #Nicaragua  and detained over 100 people who were  later released  with help from the Vatican. #danielortega
march 29, 2019
what if #Pelosi says nothing about San Francisco residents in her district starting an online crowd sourcing campaign to wage a legal challenge against a proposed center for the city's homeless  in the city’s most desirable location, the Embarcadero along the coast of San Francisco Bay?  Will she stand with the "not in my neighborhood crowd?"
april 8, 2019
What if  #ShamiChakrabarti, the Labor's legal policy chief, urged the Jewish Labour Movement" to . not to personalize  the antI-Semitism issue and make it about #JeremyCorbyn because he is one person and he won’t be leader forever?” I guess try not to laugh!
april 24, 2019
 what if #Rouhani said U.S. must lift pressure and apologize before Iran will negotiate. Try not to laugh
may 25, 2019
  What if #Yoga has become a corrupting influence? Authorities in #Gorgan ,Iran arrested 30 people at a private yoga class.  
may 29
What if #SCOTUS slowed down the lower courts?  On Friday it blocked lower court rulings ordering Republican legislators in Michigan and Ohio to redraw U.S. congressional maps ahead of the 2020 elections.
June 2, 2019
 What if  this occurred in the era of social media? President Grover Cleveland(49) married Frances Folsom (21) in the #BlueRoom of the White House on June 2, 1886
June 21, 2019
  What if a Democratic governor can't get a quorum for a climate change bill vote? #katebrown dispatched the Oregon state police on Thursday to bring back  the legislature Senate Republicans. 
aug 11, 2019
What if more politicians did this?  Italy’s Deputy PM Matteo #Salvini suggested Richard Gere fly 160 migrants stranded off the Italian coast back to his Hollywood villa on his “private jet” after the actor made a plea to EU leaders to find a port for the ship.
aug 12
What  if cattle are farting too much? #Goldsmiths University of London, is removing all beef products from sale.  And then charging a 10p levy on bottled water and single-use plastic cups to fight global warming.
sept 11
WTF:  Scotland's highest court of appeal ruled that British PM #BorisJohnson's decision to prorogue Parliament was unlawful but did not call for the suspension to be repealed. Is that a non -decision or what?
sept 13
I know Popes are often arrogant  but this latest from #popefrancis is a doozy : " he wasn't afraid of a schism within the Catholic Church and that his opponents use "rigid" ideology to cover their own moral failings."
oct 2
 What if the Congress in #Peru won't go home? Peru President #MartinVizcarra has dissolved the opposition-controlled Congress whose response was to to suspend him. In order for Vizcarra to dissolve Congress, the lawmakers have to reject two votes of confidence and they've rejected one.
feb 16, 2020
What would you if you were on the jury in #harveyweinstein case  and heard this from  #DonnaRotunno , Weinstein's attorney, prosecutors in this case acting like film-makers, creating a world where “women are not responsible” for how they interact with men. An email from one of the accusers read “Miss you, big guy.”
Feb 29, 2020
Borrowing from the late #FritzHollings, who represented South Carolina  in the US Senate from 1966-2004,  who once claimed there's too much "lawyering" going on .   Georgia State Senate is responding to that possibility by trying to limit lawsuits, and one of its goals is to make it more difficult to sue landowners for injuries caused by a third party.
March 9
Trans-Misogyny -WTF . Signs at various women's day marches
July 11, 2020
 What if  #ergodan told you this? "Hagia Sophia with its new status will keep on embracing everyone in a more sincere way.” I say it's more  theocratic Islamic bullsh^t.
Hagia Sophia is  the Roman Empire's first Christian cathedral and was switched to a mosque in 1453 by the Ottoman Empire. In 1935 Ataturk, the President of Turkey, secularized it by transforming it into a museum.
Jan 19, 2021
What if cancel culture or blacklisting reared its ugly head again? #thomasspence of Regnery Publishing on why he chose to publish Josh Hawley's book : "dissent from the latest version of progressive orthodoxy is equated with violence and treason, my colleagues and I know we could be next".
 Maybe Hawley's book flops, maybe it soars, but I'm all for slowing down the “No Book Deals for Traitors,” knee-jerk train, particularly because it doesn't have the adjective alleged in front of  the noun traitors.








Two Irelands - more coming

John Connolly, who was jailed for 14 years by a Belfast(NI) court in 2000 after being caught with a Real IRA mortar bomb on his way to blow ...