On an ISIS leader, killed; the case of Paul Pelosi; the fate of an Iranian athlete; Elaine Chao vs. Donald Trump; the largest gas station in California; and more
Sometimes you don’t win overnight. Sometimes you have to keep at it and at it. Indefinitely. Why do I bring up this commonplace? “Senior ISIS Leader in Somalia Killed in U.S. Special Operations Raid.” That is the headline over this news report.
The report begins,
U.S. Special Operations commandos killed a senior Islamic State leader in an early-morning helicopter raid in a remote area of northern Somalia on Thursday . . .
A few more details:
The Pentagon identified the leader as Bilal al-Sudani. American officials said he was operating in Somalia but that his influence as one of the terrorist group’s top financial operatives extended across Africa, into Europe and even to the ISIS branch in Afghanistan that carried out the August 2021 bombing at Kabul’s international airport that killed 13 American service members.
The detail at the end of the following paragraph almost made me smile, inwardly:
Biden administration officials said no civilians were injured or killed in the raid. They also said none of the American troops involved were hurt, although one was bitten by a dog they had brought with them.
The “War on Terror” — does anyone use that phrase anymore? — is rather like the Cold War. A “long twilight struggle.” You just have to keep at it, day after day, episode after episode, until finally . . . things are better than they were before (although never permanently so, in this shifting and dangerous and nasty world).
• A headline from the Associated Press, datelined Memphis, Tenn.: “Body camera video shows Tyre Nichols being held down, struck by officers and screaming for his mother.” (Article here.) A long time ago, I read that, in war, the wounded and dying sometimes cry out for their mothers. This assault on Tyre Nichols: shocking, sickening.
• More news:
A San Francisco court on Friday released police body camera footage showing the frenzied seconds when an intruder wielding a hammer attacked Paul Pelosi, 82, the husband of the former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in the foyer of the couple’s home in Pacific Heights in the early hours of Oct. 28, 2022.
And so on and so forth. To read the report I have quoted from, go here.
When Paul Pelosi was attacked, there was a lot of snickering and conspiracy-theorizing: “a gay tryst, gone bad.”
On Twitter last week, Robby Soave wrote,
The footage and audio make unambiguously clear what was already obvious. Anyone who theorized that this was something other than a crazed intruder attacking an old man gets a massive L.
“L” stands for “loser,” I think. Mr. Soave is a senior editor of Reason magazine. In my experience, evidence makes no difference at all — not to the truly committed. In fact, the more the evidence, the more apparent the “cover-up.”
Seldom can you talk someone out of a conspiracy theory. Because you are in on the conspiracy, see? Or a dupe of it.
Robby Soave further tweeted,
Conservatives: Liberals don’t take crime seriously.
Also conservatives: Lol it’s HILARIOUS that an old man got attacked with a hammer (insert gay jokes)
Is that a fair cop? It is, isn’t it?
From a report in The Hill, dated November 1, 2022:
Donald Trump Jr., the son of former President Trump, posted several photos and comments on Twitter, including a retweet of a photo on Sunday of underwear and a hammer with the caption “Got my Paul Pelosi Halloween costume ready” . . .
Cory Mills, a Republican congressman from Florida, tweeted, “Finally one less gavel in Pelosi’s house for Paul to fight with in his underwear.” (Never mind the grammar.)
Charlie Kirk, the young Republican leader, said the following, in reference to the attacker: “By the way, if some amazing patriot out there in San Francisco or the Bay Area wants to really be a midterm hero, someone should go and bail this guy out.” (Video here.)
“Some amazing patriot.” Yeah, sure.
Being “tough on crime” is like “backing the blue” — a lot is conditional. Who are the criminals and who are the victims? Tribalism is the rule.
• A report from RFE/RL is headed, “Iranian Wrestler Seeks Asylum In Germany After Enduring ‘Constant Threats’ For Backing Protests.” The athlete in question is Mohammad Namjoo-Motlagh. What would happen to him, in his home country? As he puts it, “I would either lose my life or they would blind me, or in the best-case scenario, I would be sent to prison.”
Stark. Realistic. Damning, of that dictatorship.
• This, I regard as good news: “Biden orders 2 year extension for Hong Kong residents overstaying their US visa after fleeing Chinese rule.” (Article here.) No country can grant asylum to all who need it. There are many, many millions in need. But providing a haven for the oppressed — this is part of the American project, the American purpose, as some of us see it.
• For months now, Donald Trump has been taunting Elaine Chao as “Coco Chow,” and implying nasty things about her marriage, and so on. Chao has now decided to respond. To read about this, go here.
Since 2016, people have tip-toed around Trump. They have been scared to anger him. (I’m talking about Republicans, both in politics and in the media.) But the thing about a bully: You have to stand up to him.
Man up, buttercup. Elaine Chao has showed the way.
For years, Republicans have whispered to me, “I don’t like Trump, you know.” But in public, they’re quiet as church mice. We had an expression: “Man or mouse?” Lotta mice, among us.
• Feel like a heartwarming story? So do I. It comes from CBS News, and a headline conveys the gist: “A stranger gave a boy with autism a $15,000 piano after hearing him play.” Check it out here. Good stuff (“good” in more ways than one).
• How about some language? Okay. I read this at the bottom of an e-mail: “To unsubscribe from these type of e-mails, please click here.” Happy to unsubscribe (trust me), but: You should write, “To unsubscribe from this type of e-mail,” or, if you’re sending more than one type, “To unsubscribe from these types of e-mail.”
Whoa, Bess. Should that be “these types of e-mail” or “these types of e-mails”? That is a whole ’nother discussion, and we might take it up at a later date.
For now: “these type of [whatever you got]” should be avoided.
• What do you think of this headline? “No. 1 Purdue basketball holds off late Michigan charge to improve to 20-1.” Do you improve to 20-1? Well, I suppose you do. But when I think of improving, I think of — you know, improving to 11-10.
• “Harold Brown, Tuskegee Airman Who Faced a Lynch Mob, Dies at 98.” The subheading of that obit is, “One of the last surviving Black pilots from that celebrated group, he was surrounded by an angry mob after parachuting from his P-51 over Austria during World War II.”
An amazing life, Harold Brown led. I would like to highlight just a slice of the obit (which is by Sam Roberts, that master):
An aviation buff since the sixth grade (his classmates nicknamed him Lindbergh), Harold refused to continue practicing the piano as his mother hoped he would. Instead he saved $35 in earnings as a soda jerk to take seven flying lessons.
• On a California trip, I passed a sign for Citrus College. Isn’t that a beautiful name? Doesn’t it sound pleasant, to go to school at Citrus College? From Wikipedia, I learned that Citrus was founded in 1915 and is “the oldest community college in Los Angeles County.”
• “Dale Evans Parkway.” Now, there’s a tribute.
• Lots of billboards advertising personal-injury lawyers. I mean, a lot. Must be an explanation . . .
• A billboard promoting birth control says, “Plan A: Use a Condom.” (Isn’t that Plan B, after . . .? Oh, never mind.)
• Proposition: Rural dogs are the nuttiest creatures on earth. Discuss.
• EddieWorld is the largest gas station in California. (That’s not a proposition but a fact.) EddieWorld has been dubbed “The Disneyland of Gas Stations.” It stands about midway between L.A. and Las Vegas. Inside are many eateries, including Jedidiah’s Jerky, which has more types of jerky than you can shake a stick at.
Behold:
Later, my friends. Thanks for joining me.
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