JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Colleague: Thaddeus McCotter, American Greatness
 
Hour One
Monday 1 March 2021 / Hour 1, Block A:  Tom Joscelyn, @thomasjoscelyn, Long War Journal and @FDD; and Bill Roggio, @billroggio, Long War Journal and @FDD;  podcast: Generation Jihad,  @LongWarJournal; in re:  Militiamen targeted in Syria and cross-border in Iraq.  Iranians have been running a border militia; do damage in Iraq then scoot back to Syria.  Hezbollah Brigades: part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a legitimate entity in the Iraqi military establishment. What the US does not have in Iraq is real skin in the game, which Iran does.  US has been  looking for ways to get out of Iraq.  News reports that senior al Qaeda members living comfortably in Iran. Mike Pompeo revealed that Mahgrebi has been living there and no one disputed that. Mahgrebi oversees global operations.  A 2007 demonstration outside the Bush White House, with Jane Fonda and Susan Sarandon, against the war.
Monday 1 March 2021 / Hour 1, Block B: 
Tom Joscelyn, @thomasjoscelyn, Long War Journal and @FDD; and Bill Roggio, @billroggio, Long War Journal and @FDD;  podcast: Generation Jihad,  @LongWarJournal; in re: In the New York Times, ambassadorargues that it’s time to leave Afghanistan because the “Taliban has been decimated” [sic;seems to mean obliterated]. This is factually totally inaccurate. The talks are not peace talks; there’s no progress, and Taliban don't want to make progress.  A coalition of “Afghan civil society.”  All this is mired in confusion and nonsense.  The “peace process” is conjured up in Washington. You can either leave and spare American troops; or you can say after May first and know that the insurgents will go after them. Doha deal:  some argue that it needs to be renegotiated—but it was rendered moot within 48 hours. No reality here. ISIS would be happy to claim any attacks.  Why does Washington try to convince the American people that there’s a peace process?  Recall that this guy wanted to be in the Trump administration but wasn’t invited.  Knows little or nothing about the actual workings. The original reason for the US to be in Afghanistan was to [get rid of] al Qaeda.  That certainly didn't occur. https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2021/02/05/biden-must-reckon-with-the-failed-doha-deal/
Monday 1 March 2021 / Hour 1, Block C: 
Michael Yon: @Michael_Yon, war correspondent; and Gordon Chang, @GordonGChang, Daily Beast, in re: For decades, Jimmy Lai has resisted Beijing; he founded the main pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong—is an inspiration, which is what Beijing fears the most. He stayed in Hong Kong and fought with words. Chinese Communist Party is sweeping away all semblance of a rule of law and anything related to democracy or liberty. CCP claims that Jimmy Lai was connected to the flight of the young people months ago. Original charges were flimsy. Communists don’t care abut individuals, but do care about the system. The only way he’ll ever see the light of day is if the US and other nations press Beijing really hard to release him. “Make it painful for CCP to put innocent people in prison.”  Would boycott the Olympics n China do any good? They said they’d respond harshly—Beijing is upset because it goes to the core of China’s legitimacy will work hard to prevent any talk of boycott.  Britain is quite concerned; other countries are beginning to think how to pressure China.
Jimmy Lai is in a similar place to where Nelson Mandela was, although Nelson was more central to the movement (“by a smidgeon”).  Is the White House paying attention? Don't know, but CCP scooped up dozens of pro-democracy citizens several days ago and is holding them. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-hong-kong-tycoon-jimmy-092433041.html
Monday 1 March 2021 / Hour 1, Block D:  Cleo Paskal, @CleoPaskal, non-resident senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies,  and Gordon Chang, @GordonGChang, Daily Beast, in re:  Was China the actor who led a cyber attack on India that blew out its electrical grid?  Probably.  Is Delhi speaking of this openly?  About 70% of India’s critical electrical infrastructure comes from China! Corruption in the procurement chain. Indian military has been running Chinese drones. The US grid is currently at risk.  Internal war in India between those who want to protect India and those who’ve been compromised, bribed and corrupted.
The CCP is so comprehensive, it [covers al bases in and around the Indian Ocean.  One little guy n Iowa could cause a big chunk of US electricity to [cease].  Modhi has good instincts, but people around him are undermining India’s safety.  
 
Hour Two
Monday 1 March 2021 / Hour 2, Block A:   David Drucker: @DavidMDrucker, Washington Examiner; and John Fund, @johnfund, NRO, in re:
Monday 1 March 2021 / Hour 2, Block B:  Lorenzo Fiori: Direttore Generale Ansaldo Fondazione ; in re: Draghi has a lot of experience and clearly has competence in many matters.  Delivery from Big Pharma in the next week or two.  Variants causing emerging clusters across Italy. Red zone: southern Tyrol. Liguria is improving, gone from orange to yellow—and Sardinia is white, almost covid-free.
Monday 1 March 2021 / Hour 2, Block C:   Andrew C McCarthy, @AndrewCMcCarthy, Ball of Collusion; and Thaddeus McCotter, @ThadMcCotter, @theamgreatness, American Greatness, in re:  Merrick Garland once was a strong law-and-order man, slightly left of center. In recent hearings . . .  Thaddeus’s column translated the words “white supremacist” and “racist.”  “A bunch of hack academics got tenure by using old screeds. To them: a counter-revolutionary is now a racist. Maoists said if you have an unconscious bias, you have bourgeois thoughts and need to be re-educated. Will use these to destroy the Constitution.  During Cultural Revolution, a dissident said, “Not only do you not have a right to free speech—you don't have a right to silence.”  Cf.Antifa! “Silence is violence.” Egad. Obama: When the left is governing, never get out in front of wherela genteare. Everywhere in America is counterrevolutionary—which is true because we’re all consumers.  In microcosm, the DoJ will be like the Biden administration. 
Monday 1 March 2021  / Hour 2, Block D:   Andrew C McCarthy, @AndrewCMcCarthy, Ball of Collusion; and Thaddeus McCotter, @ThadMcCotter, @theamgreatness, American Greatness, in re: Mssrs Cuomo and Durham.  In how much robe is Governor Cuomo? A lot.  On top of he nursing-home disaster, now women are coming forth to say that Cuomo abused them verbally and sometimes grabbed at them. One allegation was so wholly credible that Cuomo felt compelled to issue a sort of apology [basically, blaming others for “misinterpreting” his “joking”]. Cuomo ran in to a brick wall named Letitia James. The left no longer needs Cuomo, has abandoned him; and the long knives are out.  Durham:  Garland did not guarantee that Durham would be allowed to finish, much less be allowed to issue a report.
 
Hour Three
Monday 1 March 2021  / Hour 3, Block A:   Malcolm Hoenlein, @conf_of_pres, Conference of Presidents; and Thaddeus McCotter: @ThadMcCotter, @theamgreatness, American Greatness, in re:  Air attack in Syria, lunched by Biden against an Iranian cutout in Erbil? Air strike was on the Syria-Iraq crossing. This is much more of an alternative message: relates to the attack on Erbil earlier by Iran-backed militias. Well targetted. “A message that you can't act with impunity” said President Biden (to Iran). A transfer point for weapons going in to Lebanon. Israel accused Iran of attacking one of its cargo ships in the Gulf of Oman.  Iran attacks Israeli ship on Thursday night; Iran attacks US in Erbil; US bombs Syrian-Iraqi border. Israeli ship was substantially blown up, but it got back to port for repairs.  Iranians still refuse to talk, demanding concessions in advance, which the US declines. Tensions growing.   Now challenging Turkey. Zarif making rounds in Armenia, Moscow, Georgia. The 44-day conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan; in Ganja, huge craters. Armenia launched at least one Iskander short-range missile; it was shot down using the Barack missile from Israel. The rocket clearly was intended to kill a lot of civilian population.
Fritz Berggren, a mid-level civil service officer in the State Department; posts with his name and picture. Congress demanding that State investigate his hundreds of vicious, racist and anti-Jewish posts.  
Palestinian Authority blocks Israel from entering its territory to inoculate, but tens of thousands of Palestinians go into Israel to get vaccinated. 
https://news.yahoo.com/iran-rejects-nuclear-talks-u-180821044.html
Monday 1 March 2021  / Hour 3, Block B:   Malcolm Hoenlein, @conf_of_pres, Conference of Presidents, in re: Upper Austria: another chamber of death, this one relates to Holland.  A castle in Hartheim: 30,000 disabled and mentally-disabled people were killed there. Thousands and thousands of killing camps; no one could claim he didn’t know.  Found a hidden bunker in Warsaw with twenty pairs of phylacteries/tfillen. Taken to Israel for public display.  There must have been many hidden bunkers. 
Monday 1 March 2021  / Hour 3, Block C:   Harry Siegel@harrysiegel,  New York Daily News and Daily Beast, in re:  Crisis in Albany—Allegations of widely-known executive office bullying.  @HarrySiegel @NYDailyNews.
Monday 1 March 2021  / Hour 3, Block D:   Elin Suleymanov,  @ElinSuleymanov, @azembassyus, ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Washington; and Brenda Shaffer: @ProfBShaffer  @FDD; Georgetown; in re:  President Ilham Aliyev held a press conference in Azeri, English, Russian and Turkish; no limit on the questions. He was conversational and amiable with media. An Iranian journo asked about Shi’a terrorists in Azerbaijan; President Aliyev responded mildly and politely till she was embarrassed.  Signed a cultural agreement with Turkey.  . . .  A team of Israeli surgeons has arrived in Baku to help soldiers who were badly damaged in the recent war.  Azerbaijanis have sent warm thanks to Israel.
 
Hour Four
Monday 1 March 2021  / Hour 4, Block A:  9/12: Anonymous Soldiers: The Struggle for Israel, 1917-1947,by Bruce Hoffman  Kindle Edition
Monday 1 March 2021  / Hour 4, Block B:   10/12: Anonymous Soldiers: The Struggle for Israel, 1917-1947,by Bruce Hoffman Kindle Edition
Monday 1 March 2021  / Hour 4, Block C: 11/12: Anonymous Soldiers: The Struggle for Israel, 1917-1947,by Bruce Hoffman  Kindle Edition
Monday 1 March 2021  / Hour 4, Block D:  12/12: Anonymous Soldiers: The Struggle for Israel, 1917-1947,by Bruce Hoffman  Kindle Edition