Trump pauses the bombs but continues the blockade

The New Neo Posted on by

The responses to this message of Trump’s are brutal – lots of accusations of cowardice and the usual TACO stuff:

It may be that the economic approach will bear some fruit. Interesting observation here:

You might think that Iran would be happy after President Donald Trump announced that he would be continuing the ceasefire until their proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded.

But they actually seem very mad about the ceasefire being extended.

Why? Because the blockade continues. Just because they aren’t having bombs dropped on them doesn’t mean they aren’t still getting choked out by the blockade.

From Scott Bessent:

“In a matter of days, Kharg Island storage will be full and the fragile Iranian oil wells will be shut in. Constraining Iran’s maritime trade directly targets the regime’s primary revenue lifelines.

“The @USTreasury will continue to apply maximum pressure through Economic Fury to systematically degrade Tehran’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds. Any person or vessel facilitating these flows—through covert trade and finance—risks exposure to U.S. sanctions. We continue to freeze the funds stolen by the corrupt leadership on behalf of the people of Iran.”

I don’t pretend to be able to predict what will happen.

[NOTE: Tomorrow or the next day I hope to write some longer reflections on the dilemmas presented by this war.]

Virginia Democrats vote for the mother of all gerrymanders

The New Neo Posted on by

They tried it because they’re about grabbing power by hook or by crook, and they succeeded:

Virginia voters went to the polls Tuesday to vote on a referendum that would empower the Democrat-controlled state legislature to redraw the commonwealth’s congressional map.

The vote was in favor, and this means that according to the plan the number of Democrat to Republican districts in the state will change from 6-5 to 10-1. The 6:5 ratio pretty much reflected the actual proportions of Democrats to Republicans in the state, whereas 10:1 is ridiculously skewed. But only the courts could stop this now. The legal challenge:

The case centers on whether lawmakers violated the Virginia Constitution by keeping the special session open for nearly two years to pass the redistricting measure, a move critics say was an abuse of legislative authority. …

Democrats have argued to the Supreme Court that the General Assembly has broad constitutional authority to manage its own legislative sessions and procedures, including extending a special session, and that nothing in the Virginia Constitution explicitly prohibits how this particular session was handled.

The Honest Elections Project’s brief argues otherwise.

“If you look at what the law requires, it’s very clear that Governor Spanberger and her allies are steamrolling the process to try to launch a power grab,” Snead said.

The Democrats in Virginia are saying “the Republicans made us do it!” – arguing this is only a response to GOP efforts at redisticting.

More:

The [Virginia] Supreme Court decided in March to allow the referendum vote to move forward while it considers Republicans’ arguments challenging how the map amendment was passed by way of a special session.

“It is the process, not the outcome, of this effort that we may ultimately have to address,” the state’s highest court found. “Issuing an injunction to keep Virginians from the polls is not the proper way to make this decision.”

But an ounce of prevention would have been worth a lot of cure. Perhaps the Court hoped the populace would vote against it, and then the Court wouldn’t even have to rule. Now, of course, do they vote to undo the will of the people? I doubt it; here’s why:

Political and legal experts in Virginia agree the state Supreme Court is not overtly ideological, with many describing it as “small-c conservative,” leaning heavily on tradition and precedent rather than handing down ideologically right-wing rulings. And many observers say the court is wary of wading too heavily into political fights. But this time, it’s unavoidable.

“It’s kind of a state Supreme Court tradition to stay away from political matters whenever they can. They like to leave the legislating to the legislature. …

Virginia is one of only two states where the legislature elects Supreme Court justices. Because the state has had divided control for much of the past quarter century, the balance of the court’s justices were appointed by bipartisan compromise. The court’s current seven members include one justice who was elected when Democrats had sole control of the General Assembly, three when Republicans controlled both chambers and three when control of the legislature was split.

Some further background:

While state legislatures can redraw congressional maps in some states, Virginia voters in 2020 approved a constitutional amendment that created a bipartisan commission to draw their state’s map. Tuesday’s referendum set aside the current maps drawn up by the commission, replacing them with maps that were drawn by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. The previous system will be put back in place after the 2030 census.

It’s so transparently unfair, basically disenfranchising nearly half the state. But it might be allowed to proceed. Would the case then end up in the US Supreme Court?

Iran pause

The New Neo Posted on by

I had in mind a longish post on Iran, but various obligations have intervened for a few hours in the real as opposed to virtual world. So this is a post for you to discuss Iran and related subjects.

I still do plan to write a post this evening, on this and perhaps one other topic. So please stay tuned.

Alan Dershowitz, Republican: the Senate vote on Israel

The New Neo Posted on by

I actually didn’t think Dershowitz would make an announcement that he’d become a Republican, although he’d already left the Democrats and become an Independent a couple of years ago. I thought he’d live out his remaining days as an Independent, but no:

Dershowitz announced his decision in a Wall Street Journal article, clarifying that while he maintains significant disagreements with Republicans on various domestic issues, his commitment to the State of Israel determined his final choice. According to Israel National News, the move marks the completion of a transition that began in 2024 when he initially registered as an independent.

The legal expert offered a sharp critique of his former party, describing it as the most anti-Israel party seen in the United States since he joined in the 1960s. He specifically pointed to a recent Senate vote where a majority of Democrats supported resolutions introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders to block arms sales to Israel. Dershowitz noted that only seven Democratic senators voted against the effort to freeze weapons shipments.

I’ve noticed a lot of negative response from the right, not just here (although some here) but on other blogs and other comment sections in news outlets. It takes various forms. The first is that he still is a Democrat and only did this because of Israel, and the second is, what took him so long? To both I say: change is hard and often incomplete. Big deal; I applaud him, because I know how hard it is.

Dershowitz has been a devoted Democratic his entire life until recently and a prominent and active one at that, and he’s 87 years old. He’s also been a principled Democrat, applying law evenly to both sides for the most part in his columns, which is highly unusual. He demonstrated bravery in speaking against the Trump impeachment in January of 2020, while still a Democrat. And yes, he’s an observant Jew to whom Israel does mean a great deal, and rightly so.

The third critique I’ve seen from the right goes like this: what difference does it make; his fellow Jews are still Democrats. I’ve dealt with that question (the politics of US Jews) many times before, for example here as well as here, here, and here. So no need to repeat myself.

As for the vote against arming Israel, with only seven Democrat senators failing to join, it’s another example – as though we needed more – of how morally bankrupt that party is. Morally bankrupt, but unfortunately not politically bankrupt. I shudder to contemplate the fact that they may do very well in the midterms.

Who were the seven? One you could almost certainly have predicted: John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. The others: Chuck Schumer, New York; Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut; Jacky Rosen, Nevada; Chris Coons, Delaware; Catherine Cortez Masto, Nevada; Kirsten Gillibrand, New York.

For a while now, Israel has realized it must free itself from any dependence on any country for its armaments. It’s too bad, because the US gets as much out of the deal as Israel does. But it needs to be done, because if the Democrats come to power they will stab Israel in the back when it needs help. This war is an existential one for Israel and it must depend on itself; that was already clear and now it’s even more so.

Those voter rolls

The New Neo Posted on by

It seems to me that this lawsuit by the DOJ has merit. Of course, it depends what judge hears it:

The Justice Department filed lawsuits Tuesday against six blue states: Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, accusing them of violating federal law by refusing to provide statewide voter registration rolls upon request.

The complaints, filed by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, argue the states failed to meet their legal obligations under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the Civil Rights Act of 1960, three federal statutes that require states to maintain accurate voter rolls and make those records available for inspection.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said state refusals to disclose the lists undermine the transparency and accountability those laws were designed to guarantee.

Can’t argue with that. Except that of course these states will. They also are probably counting on the legal proceedings taking long enough that even a decision in the DOJ’s favor would not be implemented in time for the midterms.

I also suspect that, if somehow the SAVE Act is passed before the midterms – unlikely, but theoretically possible – legal challenges might hold it up so that it could not go into effect for the midterms.

Iran roundup

The New Neo Posted on by

A roundup seems like the only way to deal with the recent Iran news after a day off. Of course, it’s sometimes hard to tell if a story is true or not, and which “experts” to follow. But hey, I have to try, right? So here goes:

(1) Who’s in charge in Iran? We don’t know, but here’s an article on what some “analysts” say:

IRGC Commander Maj. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi and members of his inner circle have allegedly taken charge of the Islamic republic, as evident by Iran’s attacks on ships trying to sail through the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s refusal to join peace talks with the US this week, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said.

The sudden shift to a hardline stance also shows that more moderate members of Iran’s leadership, including Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi, have been sidelined.

Haven’t most of us assumed right along that the IRGC has been in charge, although splintered, and that there are rival groups participating in the negotiations, plus that there probably are various other groups vying for control? It doesn’t take specialists to figure that out.

And I’m no expert, but I’ve never believed the IRGC will negotiate, and certainly not in good faith.

(2) Our ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, has this to say:

“I promise you, I assure you the United States doesn’t trust anything; any agreement that comes out will have to be verifiable and enforceable.” As U.S. ambassador to the UN, Waltz noted, “the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and its nuclear inspectors…will be a key part” of any final resolution with Iran.

He said Pres.Trump has more tools available for the military to employ in the Strait to continue the blockade, and any ceasefire extension is up to the president …

On Sunday, the host asked Waltz what the U.S. and the president are prepared to do, if Iran does not sign on to an agreement. In this longer clip, he did not mince words, saying “all options are on the table” …

(3) And this may end up being of vital importance:

Late last week, Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent announced another turning of the screws by the U.S. in addition to the blockade and devastating bombings — economic pressure via what the administration is calling “Operation Economic Fury.” Freezing assets, including bank accounts, of top Iranian regime and IRGC figures, with the help of Iran’s neighbors in the Gulf states.

(4) The US Navy has seized an Iranian ship:

Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them. The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom. Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel. The TOUSKA is under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

From CENTCOM:

Guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) intercepted M/V Touska as it transited the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots enroute to Bandar Abbas, Iran. American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade.

After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room. Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room. U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in U.S. custody.

(5) Commenter “CICERO” raises this issue:

Trump wants Iran (whoever, matters not) to surrender to the US all of Iran’s enriched uranium. Trouble is, Mr President, it is stored in underground sites which have bomb-blocked enrances per your command, so Iran cannot cough the uranium up on demand.

But if Iran can’t do it, they can allow us to do the honors. See these remarks:

[Dr. Matthew Bunn:] This is the Isfahan nuclear facility deep in Iran’s desert. Under this mountain, international inspectors say most of Iran’s HEU is stored in scuba tank sized containers. It’s believed those containers are in tunnels so far below ground, America’s bunker busting bombs may not be able to reach them.

Satellite images show in the weeks leading up to this current war, the Iranians blocked the tunnel entrances with dirt. Two weeks ago, images showed roadblocks. Nuclear analysts say it suggests Tehran is concerned about a U.S. or Israeli raid on the facility. …

… U.S. Special Forces have been training for deep underground facilities of one kind or another for a long, long, long time. …

Nuclear analysts have become increasingly concerned about another site in Iran, known as Pickaxe Mountain. Satellite images from February show an entrance to what’s believed to be a massive nuclear facility deep under solid rock. …

[Scott Roecker:] If there was a deal between the United States and Iran for the United States to take possession of that material it would be the National Nuclear Security Administration that would lead that effort. …

Roecker used lessons learned from Project Sapphire to remove nuclear material from countries around the world and ship it to the U.S. for safekeeping. So far the NNSA has removed more than 16,000 pounds of HEU.

There was agreement in place with the countries. And so that’s a really key fact here. You wanna have a willing partner who’s working with you hand in hand.

The article spends a lot of time talking about how difficult it would be to accomplish this without Iran’s cooperation – not necessarily impossible, but unprecedented. Of course, that’s why Trump wants a deal.

Let me just say that …

The New Neo Posted on by

… I am highly honored and will try to be worthy:

13-inch MacBook Neo Apple A18 Pro chip with 6 core CPU and 5 core GPU – 8GB Memory – 256GB SSD – Indigo

Customers commend the 13-inch MacBook Neo for its portability and overall performance, noting its seamless integration with iPhones. The impressive battery life is also a highlight for users. Additionally, customers appreciate the available color options, allowing them to coordinate with other devices.

The case of the missing scientists

The New Neo Posted on by

To be investigated:

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that the Trump administration is looking into whether there may be a link among nearly a dozen American scientists who have reportedly died or gone missing in the past almost three years.

Leavitt wrote in a post on social platform X that the White House is working with the FBI and other relevant agencies “to holistically review all of the cases together and identify any potential commonalities that may exist.”

“No stone will be unturned in this effort, and the White House will provide updates when we have them,” she added.

A string of at least 10 mysterious deaths and disappearances of U.S. experts in space, defense and nuclear topics has raised concern in the scientific community since the unconfirmed reports surfaced this month.

Might be a series of coincidences. Might not.

The Pope in Algeria

The New Neo Posted on by

One thing Trump’s brouhaha with the Pope has done is to cause me to pay more attention to Pope Leo – not just his statements with which Trump took issue, but his other activities.

For example, there’s his recent trip to Algeria. It’s pretty shocking, and has caused me to think that Leo is even more to the left than his predecessor Francis, and that’s saying something:

In 1955, Algeria had over 1 million Catholics and 140,000 Jews. Today [April 17], as Pope Leo visits Algeria, there are some 8,000 Catholics in Algeria and there are fewer than 200 Jews. 99% of the population of what was one of the old territories of Christianity are Sunni Muslims.

Was Islam so popular that all the Christians and Jews decided to convert? They were persecuted, murdered, tortured and driven out by Islamic violence in our lifetimes.

Christians and Jews had lived in Algeria since Roman times. Now they’re gone.

And the perpetrators of the genocide are being praised by Pope Leo XIV.

One small quibble – I’m not sure I would call it a “genocide.” The reason is that it involved only the country of Algeria – although the effort was indeed part of a similar occurrence in other Arab and North African Muslim countries, and the impulse was and remains genocidal. So perhaps the word does apply after all, although I think in general the word is way overused.

More from the article:

Alongside paying tribute to the 19 Martyrs of Algeria, beatified in 2018, priests, monks and nuns, including 7 beheaded monks and 2 nuns murdered on the way to mass, by Islamic terrorists who later received amnesty for their crimes from the Algerian government, Pope Leo also paid tribute to the Jihadis at their memorial.

Pope Leo visited Algeria’s so-called Martyrs’ Monument, “Maqam Echahid,” located above the El Mujahid or Jihadi Museum, erected by former Islamic-Socialist terrorist dictator Houari Boumédiène who had headed the ALN, one of whose specialties was the “Smile of Kabylie” in which the tongue was pulled through a slit throat, and which was responsible for the Oran Massacre of Christians and Jews that ethnically cleansing a formerly non-Muslim city. …

Pope Leo XIV visited the Jihadi site and in his remarks claimed that “our presence here at this monument pays tribute to this history of Algeria and to the very spirit of a people who fought for the independence, dignity and sovereignty of this nation.”

Praising the Arab Muslim terrorists who had set out to eliminate Christianity from Algeria, the pontiff declared that “they lost their lives but in doing so, they gave them up for the love of their own people. May their example sustain the people of Algeria and all of us on our journey, for true freedom is not merely inherited, it is chosen anew every day.”

The “love of their own people” was based on a fervent hatred of all non-Muslims, acted out through horrible atrocities, including the deliberate murder of children.

Not collateral damage; deliberate.

Is this an example on the Pope’s part of extreme forgiveness, or of mere politics, or of fearful appeasement in hopes that more Catholics aren’t hurt by Muslims? Why was this trip even necessary, and what does the Pope think he’s accomplishing?

Rather than address what had actually happened, Pope Leo insisted on pretending that there was nothing religious about Christian clergy being massacred by Muslim terrorists, contending that “In the face of hatred and violence, they remained faithful to charity even to the point of sacrificing themselves alongside many other men and women, Christians and Muslims.” …

Visiting the Great Mosque of Algiers, erected by former terrorist dictator Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who had provided amnesty to all members of the Armed Islamic Group, the Jihadist group responsible for the murder of Christian clergy, including nuns and a bishop, Pope Leo praised the gargantuan monstrosity as a “place of prayer” from which “we can learn to respect one another, live in harmony and build a world of peace.”

Perhaps a case of extreme wishful thinking – or overwhelming belief in the power of prayer to do good and change minds?

In one of his recent statements about Pope Leo, Trump said something very interesting, something relevant that I think reflects on the difference between the “things that are Caesar’s and the things that are God’s.” It was this [emphasis mine]:

The president added that he’s “sure the pope is a great guy,” yet he suggested Pope Leo XIV was naive about geopolitics.

“The pope has to understand that this is the real world,” Trump said.

Also , from Melanie Phillips [emphasis mine]:

On several occasions, [the Pope has] expressed sorrow over the victims of repeated such massacres in Nigeria and called on the authorities to protect all citizens. But he’s never called out the Islamic world for the attempt by Islamists to exterminate Christianity itself.

While the pope attacks America for waging war against Islamists, he fails to attack Islamists for their persecution and murder of Christians. He said instead last year that people should be “a little less fearful” of Islam, and this week that “Islam is a religion of peace we can learn from.”

On his visit to Algeria, immediately after the row with Trump, he appeared to promote an alliance between Muslims and Christians by signing the “Golden Book” ceremonial guestbook in the great mosque in Algiers and declaring it “a space proper to God.”

He also praised Algeria’s “rich diversity” and spoke about the importance of reciprocal respect and respecting the dignity of every person.

He thus totally ignored Algeria’s repression of Christians. The 2026 Open Doors World Watch List says that 47 churches of the Protestant Church of Algeria have been closed by the authorities, and the list puts the country in 20th place for Christian persecution around the world.

The pope said before his Algeria trip that his aim was to build “bridges between the Christian world and the Muslim world.” But building bridges between sheep and wolves merely provides the wolves with an easier way to tear the sheep to pieces.

I can’t argue with that.