Hard Hitting Conservative Commentary by Gary M. Polland
Volume XXIII Number 6 – May 15, 2024
Thoughts This Fortnight
- The Harris County Appraisal District Board election drew around 4% turnout—very disappointing! Is it asking too much to expect conservatives to take the time to vote? If conservatives vote in higher numbers, we can win many more races. Two of our endorsed candidates did make the runoff in the HCAD Director races; Place 2, Kyle Scott and Place 3, Ericka McCutcheon. The runoff vote is June 15 with early voting from June 3-11. Please vote!
- It is not surprising that, per NYPD, of the rioting antisemitic Jew haters at Columbia and CCNY, a large number were not students. Of the 112 arrested at Columbia, 32 were non-students, and at CCNY – of the 170 arrested, an incredible 102 were non-students. The violent protests are organized by those who wish harm on the U.S. and Israel.
- Cartoon of the week – Michael Ramirez is the preeminent editorial cartoonist in the USA. This week’s cartoon tells it all:

- More bad numbers for the Biden economy. The federal budget deficit last year was around $2 trillion, incredibly the economy only grew by $1.5 trillion. The truth is we didn’t even get an economic increase equal to the deficit increase. That is bad for our economy. The record Biden inflation is something we all deal with daily. And Biden is doubling down in a massive increase in stifling regulations via executive orders which only adds to inflation.
- The issues of importance for 2024, runaway inflation with stagflation a possibility (higher unemployment, an economic slowdown and higher and harmful inflation). The open border a total disaster area with scores of terrorists entering the country. Title 9 (originally designed to protect real women), now being used to thwart the gains in athletics women have achieved while helping the transexual (biological males) community. The continuing failures on U.S. foreign policy. The radical-left-Marxist disorder on college campuses funded by President Biden’s allies. Quite simply, a Biden re-election would be a disaster to America and our allies in an increasingly dangerous world.
In Case You Missed It: Links to What’s Your Point
In case you missed TCR Publisher Gary Polland on Fox 26’s What’s Your Point on May 5, here are links to the show and the action that took place after the show on WYP Overtime:
What’s Your Point? May 5, 2024
What’s Your Point? Overtime May 5, 2024

Save the Date!

The Save Harris County PAC has announced they will hold a fundraiser on June 6, 2024, from 11:30-1:30 at Taste of Texas to support their efforts in the 2024 election. Save Harris County will shine a light on all that is wrong with criminal justice in Harris County and will work to elect candidates committed to reforming the system. SHC PAC featured candidates are Dan Simons for District Attorney and Mike Knox for Harris County Sheriff. For more information email [email protected] or call 832-713-6272.
UN Admits Hamas Lied on Casualty Numbers
The following is reprinted from the Jewish Policy Center.
Shoshana Bryen
May 14, 2024
Israeli tanks near the border with Gaza.
Numbers are funny things.
After shouting about Israel and “genocide” — and touting Hamas’ casualty numbers with no verification and obvious flaws — the UN changed its mind this weekend. The old numbers (up to May 6, 2024) looked like this:
- 34,735 dead, including over 9,500 women and over 14,500 children. [You could, if you wished, extrapolate the number of men/terrorists, but the UN wasn’t going to help you.]
The new numbers (May 8, 2024) are:
- 24,686 people, including 10,006 men, 4,959 women, and 7,797 children
The UN blames “the fog of war.” Baloney.
There is always fog, but the UN acceptance of Hamas casualty figures led directly to South Africa’s complaint to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of genocide. The ICJ declined to say there was genocide, but Israel was still smeared again across the international media.
The UN and others ignored the work of John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point, and a follower of the nuances and statistics of Israel’s war in Gaza. He has given a master class over the past six month on evaluating military to civilian casualties in urban warfare, and the unprecedented steps that Israel took to minimize those casualties.
His numbers boil down to this:
The current (March 31) Hamas-supplied estimate of over 31,000 does not acknowledge a single combatant death (nor any deaths due to the misfiring of its own rockets or other friendly fire). The IDF estimates it has killed about 13,000 Hamas operatives, which would mean some 18,000 civilians had died, a ratio of roughly 1 combatant to 1.5 civilians. Given Hamas’ likely inflation of the death count, the real figure could be closer to 1 to 1. Either way, the number would be historically low for modern urban warfare.
According to other sources, Spencer notes, civilians usually account for 80-90 percent of casualties, or a 1:9 ratio, in modern war (though this does mix all types of wars). In the 2016-2017 Battle of Mosul, the AP reported some 10,000 civilians were killed compared to roughly 4,000 ISIS terrorists.
How did it happen that theoretically neutral/reliable sources including the AP, Reuters, NPR, the UN itself swallowed those blatantly false Hamas numbers whole and ignored an actual expert in the field?
Oxfam reported that the death rate in Gaza was higher than any other major conflict in the 20th century.
On October 7, Hamas and its friends entered Israel and killed 1,163 people — a verified number. The victims included a baby who died 14 hours after birth, and a 94-year-old woman. The world was horrified by the numbers and the manner of their death, which included rape, torture, and the burning of people alive.
The world was similarly horrified to discover that 240 people, including Americans, had been dragged into Gaza — most living but some already dead.
Israel’s initial military response was met with a degree of understanding around the world.
Hamas had a dilemma — but also a war strategy to turn the tables.
Having built its military infrastructure under streets, houses, schools, mosques, and UNRWA facilities, Hamas was assured that Israeli action to clear those spaces of terrorist operatives would kill the human shields sitting above. (Especially after Hamas warned Gazans not to flee and fired on Palestinian civilians using the “safe passage” route.)
In fact, Hamas planned it that way. The more civilians that died, the more Israel would be seen as an out-of-control monster, killing the defenseless in retribution. Committing “genocide.”
And Hamas’ strategy worked.
The first big test was at the Al-Ahli Hospital, where an explosion killed people outside the building. The Gaza Health Ministry (run by Hamas) claimed 500 dead from an Israeli air strike on a protected site. Media around the world went with it. Later evidence showed it was caused by an errant Palestinian rocket aiming for Israel, and that the casualty figure was closer to 50 than 500.
At that point, the “narrative” changed: “I don’t think the question will ever get fully resolved using open source intelligence,” an assistant professor of political science opined. If actual evidence won’t let you blame Israel and politics won’t let you blame Hamas, best to call it foggy and move on.
That’s how it worked. And the numbers caused the flood.
In January, it was the ICJ.
In February, President Biden said Israel’s response was “over the top,” and began to institute sanctions on individual Israelis and Israeli companies that he intimated were only the beginning.
And, indeed, in May, as Israel geared up for the Rafah battle, the administration announced the withholding of weapons already approved for delivery by Congress. There was also the blackmail/bribe strategy of offering Israel intelligence information if it would limit its incursion. The UN vote elevating Palestinian status was likely a way member states could slap at Israel without repercussions.
Israel is likely to do what it has to do to defend its people. The UN through UNRWA has already shown itself to be an accessory to Hamas and a participant in Hamas war crimes — both in Israel and against its own people. Later, when the “fog of war” dissipates, and the outcomes are closer to the John Spencer model than the Hamas model, the UN should find itself in the dock.
The number change is an attempt to deflect its guilt.
Biden’s Withholding Weapons a Clear Act of Duplicity
By Bruce Bialosky, Contributing Columnist
President Joe Biden knew when he was pressuring Congress to pass his foreign aid bills that he was going to withhold these weapons if Israel went into Rafah to finish off Hamas. This was not something that his foreign policy team devised overnight. They had to be discussing this for weeks if not months.
Mr. Biden was always much more interested in the package for Ukraine than helping Israel or Taiwan. He has his motivations, and you can assert your own thoughts here. He knew he would not get the Ukraine money without the Israel money, so he was willing to say and do anything. He has some perverse need to control Israel’s actions even if he strains the line of his Constitutional responsibilities.
Congressman Brad Sherman clearly understands the actions by Biden are wrong. He stated, “[Biden] came to this Congress, and he said pass legislation… you can’t come to members and get them to vote for your bill, your package, and then throw away part of the package.” He added that, legally, the funds appropriated by Congress must be used.
I am bewildered by the Biden team’s actions here. You have heard all the arguments. They don’t seem to understand any leader of Israel at this time, not just their hated Netanyahu, would make the move into Rafah. The Israeli public understands that if Hamas is not wiped out, they will return to the same violent actions they had leading up to October 7th and then the day itself.
No friend of Israel would take these actions.
U.S. Needs to Find Its Moral Compass
By Brian Ettinger, Contributing Columnist
The U.S. survived a civil war, two world wars, detainment of Japanese-Americans, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the 9/11 terrorist attack and now antisemitism will destroy the moral fiber of our society.
Today the Jews, tomorrow the Catholics, minorities, blacks, Hispanics, and gay communities. At this time, we have no statesmen or real leadership. The morons taking over our cities, colleges and universities need to be arrested and if not a U.S. Citizens then immediately be deported.
I can tell you real leadership knows how to handle these protesters which are organized and funded by outside sources including foreign terrorist groups and /or foreign governments like China, Russia or Iran. These protesters spread violence and have no respect for law enforcement.
Here is a plan to implement: 1) Law enforcement brings out water cannons and hoses to take them down and break up all the tents; 2) Then arrest them, identify them under a facial recognition system and put them into a database so they will have a record and not just be charged with trespassing but damage to private property and terrorist actions. It needs to be looked at for domestic terrorist activities, destruction of property, assault with intent to cause injury to another person including law enforcement officers. These protestors, if students at a college or universities, need to be expelled and kicked out for good; 3) The colleges and universities that tolerate this antisemitism lose all federal funds including federally funded student loans; 4) Law enforcement needs the ability to enforce the law and if need to use force such as rubber bullets or physical tactics they should be allowed to do it. If these protestors injure a law enforcement officer, then charge them with injury to an officer, which is a felony.
It is time to enforce our laws and be a moral society. We are at a crossroads and cannot stay silent anymore. Our intel knows who is funding these protesters and if terrorist organizations or foreign governments are China, Russia, or Iran then the U.S. Government needs to take action from economic, military and other intelligence actions. Real leadership is needed now. These students at our finest universities are just stupid and should not be hired by any company.
The new facial recognition systems can identify all these individuals and free speech and the right to protest are not an absolute right. You need to support our law enforcement, not call them pigs and support a law-and-order agenda. It is sad we have no real leadership. The right to protest is not extended to private property. Hold these professional protestors and the morons who follow them responsible and arrest them and not let them out on personal bail. Let them stay in jail and be treated as a terrorist as they did with the January 6th protestors.
Stand up now and contact your elected leader and voice your opinions.