Month: May 2016

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China’s Growing Naval Threat

One of the most important strategic developments in the 21st century has been the enormous growth of the Chinese Navy.  Beijing already has more submarines than the U.S., and by 2020, its navy will exceed America’s in size. The global implications are extraordinary and deeply troubling.

The Congressional Research Service has released its analysis of the challenge. The New York Analysis of Policy and Government provides this summary:

China is building a modern and regionally powerful navy with a limited but growing capability for conducting operations beyond China’s near-seas region. Observers of Chinese and U.S. military forces view China’s improving naval capabilities as posing a potential challenge in the Western Pacific to the U.S. Navy’s ability to achieve and maintain control of blue-water ocean areas in wartime—the first such challenge the U.S. Navy has faced since the end of the Cold War. More broadly, these observers view China’s naval capabilities as a key element of an emerging broader Chinese military challenge to the long-standing status of the United States as the leading military power in the Western Pacific. The question of how the United States should respond to China’s military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, is a key issue in U.S. defense planning.

China’s naval modernization effort encompasses a broad array of platform and weapon acquisition programs, including anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), submarines, surface ships, aircraft, and supporting C4ISR (command and control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) systems. China’s naval modernization effort also includes improvements in maintenance and logistics, doctrine, personnel quality, education and training, and exercises.

Observers believe China’s naval modernization effort is oriented toward developing capabilities for doing the following: addressing the situation with Taiwan militarily, if need be; asserting or defending China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and East China Sea; enforcing China’s view that it has the right to regulate foreign military activities in its 200-mile maritime exclusive economic zone (EEZ); defending China’s commercial sea lines of communication (SLOCs); displacing U.S. influence in the Western Pacific; and asserting China’s status as a leading regional power and major world power.

Potential oversight issues for Congress include the following:

 whether the U.S. Navy in coming years will be large enough and capable enough to adequately counter improved Chinese maritime A2/AD forces while also adequately performing other missions around the world;

 whether the Navy’s plans for developing and procuring long-range carrier-based aircraft and long-range ship-and aircraft-launched weapons are appropriate;

 whether the Navy can effectively counter Chinese ASBMs and submarines; and

 whether the Navy, in response to China’s maritime A2/AD capabilities, should shift over time to a more distributed fleet architecture.

World events have led some observers, starting in late 2013, to conclude that the international security environment has undergone a shift from the familiar post-Cold War era of the last 20 to 25 years, also sometimes known as the unipolar moment (with the United States as the unipolar power), to a new and different situation that features, among other things, renewed great power competition with China and Russia and challenges by these two countries and others to elements of the U.S.-led international order that has operated since World War II.5 China’s improving naval capabilities can be viewed as one reflection of that shift.

 

Declining U.S. Technological and Qualitative Edge

DOD officials have expressed concern that the technological and qualitative edge that U.S. military forces have had relative to the military forces of other countries is being narrowed by improving military capabilities in other countries. China’s improving naval capabilities contribute to that concern.

Challenge to U.S. Sea Control and U.S. Position in Western Pacific

Observers of Chinese and U.S. military forces view China’s improving naval capabilities as posing a potential challenge in the Western Pacific to the U.S. Navy’s ability to achieve and maintain control of blue-water ocean areas in wartime—the first such challenge the U.S. Navy has faced since the end of the Cold War.8 More broadly, these observers view China’s naval capabilities as a key element of an emerging broader Chinese military challenge to the long-standing status of the United States as the leading military power in the Western Pacific.

Implications of Military Balance in Absence of a Conflict

Some observers consider a U.S.-Chinese military conflict in the Pacific over Taiwan or some other issue to be very unlikely because of significant U.S.-Chinese economic linkages and the tremendous damage that such a conflict could cause on both sides. In the absence of such a conflict, the U.S.-Chinese military balance in the Pacific could nevertheless influence day-to-day choices made by other Pacific countries on whether to align their policies more closely with China or the United States. In this sense, decisions that Congress and the executive branch make regarding U.S. Navy programs for countering improved Chinese maritime military forces could influence the political evolution of the Pacific and consequently the ability of the United States to pursue various policy goals.

A Broad-Based Modernization Effort

Although press reports on China’s naval modernization effort sometimes focus on a single element, such as China’s aircraft carrier program or its anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), China’s naval modernization effort is a broad-based effort with many elements. China’s naval modernization effort includes a wide array of platform and weapon acquisition programs, including programs for ASBMs, anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), land-attack cruise missiles (LACMs), surface-to-air missiles, mines, manned aircraft, unmanned aircraft, submarines, aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates, corvettes, patrol craft, amphibious ships, mine countermeasures (MCM) ships, underway replenishment ships, hospital ships, and supporting C4ISR18 systems. Some of these acquisition programs are discussed in further detail below. China’s naval modernization effort also includes improvements in maintenance and logistics, doctrine, personnel quality, education and training, and exercises.

Over the past two decades, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has transformed itself from a large but antiquated force into a capable, modern military. In most areas, its technology and skill levels lag behind those of the United States, but it has narrowed the gap. Moreover, it enjoys the advantage of proximity in most plausible scenarios and has developed capabilities that capitalize on that advantage….

 Four broad trends emerge:

Since 1996, the PLA has made tremendous strides… the net change in capabilities is moving in favor of China. Some aspects of Chinese military modernization, such as improvements to PLA ballistic missiles, fighter aircraft, and attack submarines, have come extraordinarily quickly by any reasonable historical standard.

  • The trends vary by mission area, and relative Chinese gains have not been uniform across all areas. In some areas, U.S. improvements have given the United States new options, or at least mitigated the speed at which Chinese military modernization has shifted the relative balance.

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  • Distances, even relatively short distances, have a major impact on the two sides’ ability to achieve critical objectives. Chinese power projection capabilities are improving, but present limitations mean that the PLA’s ability to influence events and win battles diminishes rapidly beyond the unrefueled range of jet fighters and diesel submarines. This is likely to change in the years beyond those considered in this report, though operating at greater distances from China will always work, on balance, against China.
  • Over the next five to 15 years, if U.S. and PLA forces remain on roughly current trajectories, Asia will witness a progressively receding frontier of U.S. dominance. The United States would probably still prevail in a protracted war centered in virtually any area, and Beijing should not infer from the above generalization that it stands to gain from conflict. U.S. and Chinese forces would likely face losses on a scale that neither has suffered in recent decades. But PLA forces will become more capable of establishing temporary local air and naval superiority at the outset of a conflict. In certain regional contingencies, this temporal or local superiority might enable the PLA to achieve limited objectives without “defeating” U.S. forces. Perhaps even more worrisome from a military-political perspective, the ability to contest dominance might lead Chinese leaders to believe that they could deter U.S. intervention in a conflict between it and one or more of its neighbors. This, in turn, would undermine U.S. deterrence and could, in a crisis, tip the balance of debate in Beijing as to the advisability of using force….

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Biased Media Will Impact 2016 Campaign

Broadcast television, having provided far more publicity to Donald Trump than to his Republican primary opponents, is now prepared to shift its focus to aiding the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, largely through ignoring her extraordinary failures as Secretary of State and career-long ethical violations.

Voters have mixed views of television coverage. Rasmussen reports that “Television still reigns supreme when it comes to where voters turn for their political news, but the media get mixed reviews for their coverage of the 2016 presidential campaign so far. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 37% of Likely U.S. Voters rate the media coverage of the 2016 presidential campaign as good or excellent. Nearly as many (33%) say the media are doing a poor job covering the election.”

While the Trump campaign (or, in the unlikely event, another Republican candidate becomes the nominee) can expect the usual negative treatment afforded to Republican presidential contenders, Broadcast television’s aid to Clinton will largely consist of what will not be reported or discussed. There are an impressive number of examples:

The failed Obama/Clinton “Reset” with Russia: It would be difficult to find another instance of a foreign policy initiative that failed so completely or with such devastating results. Since the development of this policy, Russia has taken the lead in nuclear arms, vastly strengthened its conventional military, invaded Ukraine, propped up the regime of Syria’s dictator, reopened naval relations with Cuba, resumed nuclear patrols near U.S. coastlines, infringed on NATO air and sea space, militarized the Arctic, delivered high tech weaponry to Iran and China, and invaded the Ukraine.

Middle East: The Obama/Clinton premature pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq created the vacuum that ISIS rushed in to fill. For years, The President and Secretary Clinton insisted that ISIS was a “JV” team that was of no consequence.  The President and Secretary of State openly supported the “Arab Spring” movements which effectively strengthened the position of Islamic extremist forces. Of particular note was support for the overthrow of Libya’s Gaddafi, which turned that nation into an open field for Islamic extremists.

Benghazi: There have been few if any cases in which a Secretary of State has been found to have engaged in more blatant lies than in the entire Benghazi scandal. It I now clear that Ms. Clinton lied about the cause of the attack which resulted in the death of Ambassador Stevens. She also lied about the availability of  U.S. forces to respond to the attack.  She ignored pleas, in the months before the assault, to strengthen security at the site.

Relations with allies:  Throughout Ms. Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State, relations with key U.S. allies have reached exceptional low points.  Anglo-American relations are at a depth not seen for a century. Israel has been alienated due to support for radical elements in the region. The Philippines were abandoned when Chinese naval vessels entered its Exclusive Economic Zone. An ABM agreement with Poland was abandoned. American armored forces were inexplicably withdrawn from Europe.

Those are broad policy strokes.  But Ms. Clinton’s long history of ethical violations have also been downplayed by broadcast TV during the primary season, and that promises to continue in the general election. From her dismissal from the Watergate investigative committee for ethical violations, her career before and after entering elective and appointive office has been a history of problems.  Sean Hannity  compiled a list of sections of federal law that are involved:

18USC§201   Bribery

18USC§208   Acts Effecting A Personal Financial Interest (Includes Recommendations)

18USC§371   Conspiracy

18USC§1001  False Statements

18USC§1341  Frauds And Swindles (Mail Fraud)
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18USC§1343  Fraud By Wire

18USC§1349  Attempt And Conspiracy (To Commit Fraud)

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18USC§1621  Perjury (Including Documents Signed Under Penalties Of Perjury)

18USC§1905 Disclosure Of Confidential Information

18USC§1924  Unauthorized Removal And Retention Of Classified Documents Or Material

18USC§2071  Concealment (Removal Or Mutilation) Of Government Records

18USC§7201  Attempt To Evade Or Defeat A Tax (Use Of Clinton Foundation Funds For Personal Or Political Purposes)

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There is a still brewing scandal involving the approval by Secretary Clinton involving the transfer of half of U.S. uranium output to the Russian government in 2010. In addition to the national security implications, there are indications that the Secretary of State personally profited from the deal, as outlined by Breitbart: “the head of the Russian government’s uranium company, Ian Telfer, made a secret $2.35 million foreign donation to the Clinton Foundation, as was confirmed by the New York Times.Bill Clinton also received a $500,000 speaking fee for a speech in Moscow paid for by a Kremlin-connected bank, reports the New Yorker.”

Riley Waggaman, writing in the Huffington Post,  states: “The Media Has Anointed Hillary Clinton as the Chosen One. It Doesn’t Matter That Americans Don’t Like Her. ‘long before a single voter registration was deleted – or entire precinct caucus results were ‘lost’ – Hillary Clinton was declared the inevitable, presumptive Democratic nominee for president.”

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North Korea’s Ruling Party Prioritizes Nuclear Weapons

For the first time in 40 years, North Korea’s Worker’s Party, wholly subservient to Kim Jong-Un, has met. Rather than address the desperately impoverished state of the nation’s population, it concentrated on support for Kim’s policy of expanding the military’s nuclear weapons program. While the party proclaimed that it would not use atomic weapons unless “threatened,” the regime has employed that very term repeatedly over incidents that it has essentially initiated and in some cases fabricated.

Enormous strides have been made in North Korea’s nuclear weapons capabilities, including recent step forwards in launching submarine based nuclear missiles. Equally as worrisome, Pyongyang has engaged in proliferation of its advanced nuclear and missile technology, notably with Iran, which now, according to state organs, possesses the capability of reaching Israel and key U.S. bases with its missiles.

The U.S. Department of Defense has conveyed to Congress a report on North Korea’s military.  Of particular interest is North Korea’s heavy investment in weapons of mass destruction.  Here are the highlights:

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) remains one of the most critical security challenges for the United States and the broader international community. In particular, North Korea’s willingness to undertake provocative and destabilizing behavior, including attacks on the Republic of Korea (ROK), its continued development of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles, and its proliferation of weapons in contravention of United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) pose a serious threat to the United States, the region, and the world.

Since assuming control in December 2011, Kim Jong Un has solidified his grip on power by embracing the coercive tools used by his father and grandfather. His regime has used force and the threat of force combined with inducements to quell domestic dissent and strengthen internal security; co-opt the North Korean military and elites; develop strategic military capabilities to deter external attack; and challenge the ROK and the U.S.-ROK Alliance. In April 2013, Kim announced the “byungjin” policy, which emphasizes the parallel development of the country’s economy and nuclear weapons program, to reinforce his regime’s domestic, diplomatic, economic, and security interests.

North Korea fields a large, conventional, forward-deployed military that retains the capability to inflict serious damage on the ROK, despite significant resource shortfalls and aging hardware. The U.S.-ROK Alliance has deterred large-scale conventional attacks by maintaining a robust combined defense posture and strong military readiness. On a smaller scale, however, the DPRK has demonstrated a willingness to use military provocation to achieve national goals. In August 2015, two North Korean landmines exploded in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which seriously wounded two ROK soldiers, raised tensions on the Korean Peninsula for several weeks, and was resolved through high-level inter-Korean talks.

North Korea’s continued pursuit of nuclear technology and capabilities and development of intermediate- and long-range ballistic missile programs underscore the growing threat it poses to regional stability and U.S. national security. North Korea’s pursuit of a submarine-launched ballistic missile capability also highlights the regime’s commitment to diversifying its missile force, strengthening the missile force’s survivability, and finding new ways to coerce its neighbors. Furthermore, North Korea continues to proliferate ballistic missile technology prohibited under UNSCRs 1718, 1874, 2087, and 2094, exacerbating the security challenge for the United States and the international community.
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Weapons of Mass Destruction

Nuclear Weapons. North Korea continues to pursue a nuclear weapons program, having conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009, and 2013. In April 2013, less than two months after its third nuclear test, North Korea promulgated a domestic “Law on Consolidating Position as a Nuclear Weapons State” to provide a legal basis for its nuclear program and another signal that it does not intend to give up its pursuit of nuclear development. The law states “the nuclear weapons of the DPRK can only be used by a final order of the Supreme Commander of the Korean’s People’s Army (Kim Jong Un) to repel invasion or attack from a hostile nuclear weapons state and make retaliatory strikes.” North Korea continues to invest in its nuclear infrastructure and could conduct additional nuclear tests at any time. In 2010, North Korea revealed a uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon that it claims is for producing fuel for a light water reactor under construction. In April 2013, North Korea announced its intent to restart and refurbish the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon, including the nuclear reactor that had been shut down since 2007 and the uranium enrichment facility.

The director of the DPRK Atomic Energy Institute confirmed in September 2015 that all of the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon, including the uranium enrichment plant and reactor, were “adjusted and altered” following the April 2013 announcement and restarted for the purpose of building its nuclear force. The director also claimed that scientists and technicians were enhancing the levels of various nuclear weapons in quality and quantity.

These activities violate North Korea’s obligations under UNSCRs 1718, 1874, 2087, and 2094, contravene its commitments under the September 19, 2005 Six-Party Talks Joint Statement, and increase the risk of proliferation.

Biological Weapons. DoD assesses that North Korea may consider the use of biological weapons as an option, contrary to its obligations under the Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention (BWC). North Korea continues to develop its biological research and development capabilities, but has yet to declare any relevant developments and has failed to provide a BWC Confidence-Building Measure declaration since 1990.

Chemical Weapons. North Korea probably has had a longstanding chemical weapons (CW) program with the capability to produce nerve, blister, blood, and choking agents and likely possesses a CW stockpile. North Korea probably could employ CW agents by modifying a variety of conventional munitions, including artillery and ballistic missiles. In addition, North Korean forces are prepared to operate in a contaminated environment; they train regularly in chemical defense operations. North Korea is not a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention.

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Union Leadership Clashes with its Membership Over Political Endorsements

Donald Trump’s candidacy may expose a major divide between union members and their leadership.

According to unionfacts.com, “Every day, millions of union members have money taken from their paychecks to support some union presidents’ political agenda… the National Institute for Labor Relations Research estimated that total union political expenditures reached $925 million in the 2004 cycle. Over time, this has added up: According to The Center for Responsive Politics, eight of the top ten all-time political contributors are labor unions. Labor leaders have made the use of employee money for political causes a popular practice — but it’s far less popular among the public and the members themselves…. A 1999 Zogby poll found a majority of union members—nearly 55 percent—thought people should be given a choice of investing their Social Security taxes in some form of personal retirement accounts. But union officials spent millions of dollars to oppose private accounts in the Social Security system.

“The landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Communications Workers of America v. Beck (1988) lets union members get a refund for the part of their dues that are used for political activity…Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010) altered the ways that unions can spend money in federal elections.”  Since the contributions by union leaders consistently went to left-wing candidates, it’s easy to understand why progressives continue to strenuously object to that decision, which removed their inappropriate special treatment.

It’s not just private sector unions involved in this practice.  Watchdog.com provides an example: “American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees funneled more than $65 million to politicians, lobbyists and activist groups last year… Unions aren’t permitted to use agency fees on politics, but the ability to collect forced fees lets unions spend more member dues on politics. AFSCME did not respond to questions from Watchdog about how the union’s spending decisions are made and communicated to members. Because AFSCME takes its revenue from government workers, the union’s funding of Democrat politicians and political activist groups amounts to indirect support from taxpayers.”

There is a divergence between the monolithic support of union leadership for left wing candidates and causes, and the actual political beliefs of the members they are supposed to serve.

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In essence, these battles tend to be about the steadfast loyalty of union hierarchy to the left wing of the Democrat Party, even over the true interests of the dues-paying members.

Now that Donald Trump has become the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party, these long-standing splits are about to erupt.

Breitbart reports that “The far-left progressive leader of the huge SEIU union admits that many or most of her blue-collar members are sympathetic to Donald Trump’s pro-American populist message… Sixty-four percent of our public members identify as conservative, and are much more interested in the Republican debate than the Democratic debate at the moment,” [said Mary Kay Henry, the international president of the Service Employees International Union]… To stomp on Trump’s support, union’s leaders are personally pressuring the members, she said…“We’re doing one-on-ones with every one of our members right now,” said Henry. “We’re going into hyperdrive, especially in the pockets of our membership that have a lot of Muslim leaders to stand against what is being said” by Trump, she said.”

The New York Times reports that Thomas Hanify, the president of the Indiana state firefighters union…said that Mr. Trump has so far dominated the “firehouse chatter” in his state. While he allowed that his members tilt Republican, he estimated that most followed the lead of the union’s international leadership and supported Mr. Obama in 2008 and 2012…The potential pairing of Mr. Trump and union members could be helped along by a sense that Mr. Trump, unlike more conventional Republicans, has historically enjoyed a cordial relationship with labor on many of his real estate projects.”

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Obama’s Iran Deception: Does it Apply to his Entire Foreign Policy?

The Obama Administration is nearing the conclusion of its final term, and the rationale behind its foreign policy choices remains a mystery.

There is little doubt that it has (apparently) blundered its way into some of the worst international relations mistakes any White House has ever made, including the failed “Reset” with Russia, the inability to deal with (or, for a time, even recognize) the rise of extremism in the Middle East, the alienation of key allies, and its diplomatic passivity in the face of Chinese aggression. Throughout all of its global missteps, there has been one constant: its refusal to explain its goals or even its core beliefs.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in its actions towards Iran.

The latest example is another startling departure from common sense. Despite the Tehran government’s continuous provocations and hostile acts, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is encouraging European enterprises to do business with Iran. It remains unclear why a U.S. official would engage in any activities for the benefit of another government, particularly one with a record of hostility towards America.

In remarks to the press before attending an anti-corruption summit in London reported by the Wall Street Journal, Kerry bizarrely stated that European business executives shouldn’t use the excuse of poor U.S.-Iranian relations as a reason not to do business with Iran. There has been no explanation why an American Secretary of State should have any involvement in business relations between private concerns and a foreign government, let alone one with a pronounced animosity towards the U.S.

The comments come at roughly the same time that remarks by White House deputy national security adviser for strategic communications Ben Rhodes have created a firestorm of controversy. Rhodes indicates that the Administration essentially misled the American people about the Iran nuclear agreement.

A New York Times description  of how the Iran deal was “sold” to the American public by Rhodes notes: “The way in which most Americans have heard the story of the Iran deal presented — that the Obama administration began seriously engaging with Iranian officials in 2013 in order to take advantage of a new political reality in Iran, which came about because of elections that brought moderates to power in that country — was largely manufactured for the purpose for selling the deal. Even where the particulars of that story are true, the implications that readers and viewers are encouraged to take away from those particulars are often misleading or false.”
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The White House lied—there is no gentler way of stating this—about a “moderate” faction in the Tehran regime. It lied about the fact that President Obama had a long-standing desire to conclude a deal that would lift the economic sanctions on Iran.

Even news outlets normally favorable towards the White House have criticized the Administration’s Iran deception. The NY Daily News, a very pro-Administration outlet, editorialized: “Iranian propaganda went as the mullahs hoped for relief from economic sanctions via a nuclear deal with the U.S. and Western powers. Why would anyone believe such obvious nonsense? One reason — in fact the key reason — is that Obama joined Iran in knowingly peddling the same false propaganda to America”

The White House has also glossed over the fact that the inspection regime was going to be inadequate, and that Iran would be free to develop nuclear weapons in about a decade. Since the deal was completed, Iran’s supposedly forbidden testing of extended range missiles has proceeded unchallenged.

According to The Hill, House oversight chairman Jason Chaffetz is threatening to subpoena Rhodes.

Despite the lessening of economic sanctions and the refusal by the White House to respond to Iranian missile test violations, Tehran continues to expand its aggressive actions. According to Israel National News  Iran is threatening U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf.

The Iran deception is just a part of the Obama Administration’s foreign policy puzzle. Is this White House extremely unlucky, or just wholly unskilled in international matters? Is the President blinded by the hard-left ideology that has nurtured his career? Most worrisomely, particularly in light of the Iran deception, it is now appropriate to ask whether these results, In Russia, Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere are actually the results Mr. Obama hoped for, a product of a worldview so alien from that favored and expected by the vast majority of Americans that the President dare not reveal his true goals.

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American Revolution Finally Receives Attention

The New York Analysis of Policy & Government has frequently expressed concern regarding the lack of education in the proud history of the United States. In particular, the extraordinary sacrifices and the profound ideals that led to America’s creation have not been adequately taught to the youth of the nation. It was, then, greatly satisfying to learn that an institution dedicated to the American Revolution was in the process of being formed. We asked the staff of the Museum of the American Revolution to describe their institution. They prepared this exclusive article in response.

 Nearly a century in the making, the Museum of the American Revolution will open to the public in spring 2017 in the heart of historic Philadelphia – the headquarters of the American Revolution.

The Museum experience takes visitors on a chronological journey from the roots of conflict in the 1760s to the rise of armed resistance, and from the bold Declaration of Independence of 1776 through the long years of warfare that achieved victory. The exhibits also examine the challenges of creating a new nation and the Revolution’s enduring legacy for people around the globe.

Through the Museum’s distinguished collection of original historic artifacts, visitors will have the opportunity to will explore and engage with the remarkable story of the American Revolution. One of the premier collections of its kind, it includes several thousand objects that span the scope of the Revolutionary War, from General Washington’s Headquarters Tent and a number of his personal belongings, to an impressive assortment of period weaponry, soldiers’ and civilians’ personal accoutrements, fine art, and printed works and manuscripts.

The collection began more than a century ago when a history-minded minister in Valley Forge raised funds from around the nation to purchase the original tent that George Washington used as his command center during the Revolution. It was the beginning of a rich and diverse collection that continues to grow. These treasures are now in storage, waiting for a permanent home within the Museum.

In addition to original artifacts, the Museum will use immersive galleries, dynamic theaters and large-scale tableaux to bring to life the events, people, and ideals of the founding of the United States and inspire a deep appreciation of the importance of the struggle that created American democracy.

Immersive experiences include a gallery featuring a full-scale replica of Boston’s Liberty Tree, where the first stirrings of revolt were discussed and debated; the recreation of an Oneida Indian council house, where the tribe’s leaders made their decision to join the American cause; the Battlefield Theater, where visitors will experience the sensation of being on the Continental Army’s front line of battle, facing a British assault; a recreation of Independence Hall in disarray during a British occupation in Philadelphia; and a large model of an 18th-century privateer ship that visitors can board.
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A dedicated theater will house General Washington’s Headquarters Tent – one of the most iconic surviving artifacts of the Revolution – which served as both his office and his sleeping quarters throughout much of the war. It was within the folds of this tent that decisions were made that changed the course of history. The tent will be presented as part of a multimedia presentation exploring Washington’s leadership.

Whether stepping into an Oneida Indian council house, or examining the 1773 volume “Poems on Various Subjects” by Phyllis Wheatley, America’s first published black female poet, museum visitors will appreciate the diversity of people and opinion that contributed to America’s founding.

The culminating museum experience will be the Legacy Theater, where visitors are invited to reflect on their new understanding of the struggle to create the first modern democracy, and the ongoing responsibility to perpetuate the ideals of America’s original “greatest generation.”

The Museum, now nearing completion, rises three stories above the street, encompassing 118,000 total square feet of permanent and temporary exhibit galleries, theaters, education spaces, collection storage, a café, a retail store, offices, and a welcoming lobby. The internationally recognized firm of Robert A.M. Stern Architects created a landmark design for the state-of-the-art facility in a style that reflect and honors the rich history of the neighborhood.

Located just steps away from Independence Hall, Carpenters’ Hall, Franklin Court, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the Revolution, the Museum will serve as a portal to the region’s many Revolutionary sites, sparking interest, providing context, and encouraging exploration. It will enrich the existing heritage community and make Philadelphia the most engaging and authentic destination for those interested in discovering America’s founding.

The Museum is a private, non-partisan, and non-profit organization. Group tickets are now available and can be purchased by calling 267-858-3308. Individual tickets will be available in January 2017. For more information about the Museum, or to join the mailing list, visit www.AmRevMuseum.org or call toll-free 877-740-1776.

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Quick Analysis

Administration Fails in Bid to Ignore Constitutional Separation of Powers

Will the Courts finally begin enforcing the Constitution against a President who has sought to ignore it?

The ruling by United States District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer in the case United States House of Representatives v. Sylvia Mathews Burwell  stated that the Obama Administration unconstitutionally sought to spend money to subsidize health insurers under the Affordable Care Act. The amount in question—estimated to be upwards of  $175 billion throughout the next ten years, is enormous, but the ruling (The effects of which have been delayed pending an appeal)  has consequences beyond the immediate legal issue at hand.

From the time that the Democrat Party first lost control of the House of Representatives during Obama’s tenure, the President has run roughshod over the mandatary separation of powers in America’s fundamental law. He was not shy about his contempt for the Constitution, declaring that he “could not wait for Congress to act” and that he had “a pen and a phone” and knew how to use them.

While Congress was not as aggressive as it could, or indeed should, have been concerning past abuses of power by the current Administration, the act of spending money without the approval of Congress was a step too far.  Indeed, if the White House gained this authority, combined with the President’s overreaching Executive Orders and the use of the federal bureaucracy to enact regulations that should realistically have been legislative items, the entire reason for the existence of the legislative branch would have been dismantled.  The United States government would resemble one man rule—essentially, an elected dictatorship.

The Constitution is clear on the issue, plainly stating in Article 1, Section 9 that “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law,” and only the legislative branch has the authority to initiate such a law.  Congress explicitly did not do so in this case, yet Obama has spent and is prepared to spend further funds anyway.

 
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The Administration, perhaps realizing that it had usurped Congressional authority, sought to prevent the case from proceeding forward by contending that the legislative branch lacked standing to sue. However, in a ruling handed down on September 9, 2015, the Court declared that Congress did indeed have the right to enforce its Constitutional privileges in a legal action.

 

In its decision the Court noted that “Article I of the United States Constitution established the Congress, which comprises a House of Representatives and a Senate. U.S. Const. art. I, § 1. Only these two bodies, acting together, can pass laws—including the laws necessary to spend public money. In this respect, Article I is very clear: ‘No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law . . . .’ U.S. Const. art. I, § 9, cl. 7. Through this lawsuit, the House of Representatives complains that Sylvia Burwell, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Jacob Lew, the Secretary of the Treasury, and their respective departments (collectively the Secretaries) have spent billions of unappropriated dollars to support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The House further alleges that Secretary Lew and Treasury have, under the guise of implementing regulations, effectively amended the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate by delaying its effect and narrowing its scope… The House sues, as an institutional plaintiff, to preserve its power of the purse and to maintain constitutional equilibrium between the Executive and the Legislature. If its non-appropriation claims have merit, which the Secretaries deny, the House has been injured in a concrete and particular way that is traceable to the Secretaries and remediable in court. The Court concludes that the House has standing to pursue those constitutional claims.”

It is truly chilling to realize how far from the Constitution this Administration has strayed, and how little opposition it has encountered as it violated one clause after another.  It has repeatedly enacted vast and broad changes to the U.S. economy that could only legally be enacted by legislation, yet were accomplished through executive orders and bureaucratic regulation.  It has entered into substantial treaties with foreign governments, but has prevented the Senate from voting on them as constitutionally mandated by simply labelling them as “agreements.” It has endangered a key portion of free speech rights by simply surrendering control of the internet to an international body comprised of many members that believe in censorship.

In two key legacy areas of the Obama Administration, the nuclear deal with Iran and the Affordable Care Act, members of the White House have actually bragged that they lied to Congress and the American people in order to achieve goals. A quiescent and biased media has failed to cover dissent over these outrages, and federal agencies under the control of the President have actively sought to unlawfully suppress dissent, the IRS being a prime example.

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Guests Discuss Iraq, and Rediscovering American Revolution

Col. Anthony Deane, author of Ramadi Declassified, and Mike Quinn, President and CEO of Night Fire capsules and Musli Strong capsules are the tadalafil generic cheapest top noted signs and symptoms of hypertension? Headache on the back of your head that is very discomforting. Gentle massaging with Mast Mood oil caters a lot of additional support to Mast Mood capsules. 8 to 12 drops of this oil helps to improve erections. greyandgrey.com side effects of viagra ED can have devastating results discount cialis canada on relationships and further to intimacy. Erectile Dysfunction is a serious viagra pfizer 100mg http://greyandgrey.com/brochure/grey-grey-wc-brochure/ issue in men that drags them to the dark pit of isolation. the new Museum of the American Revolution will appear on this week’s Vernuccio/Novak Report.

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Quick Analysis

Wrong Decisions from White House Harm Middle Class and U.S. Economy

The U.S. Economy is severely mismanaged, and the impact is being felt most sharply by the middle class.  From high taxes which drive employers to move overseas, to the diversion of funds from crucial needs to nonessential programs, Washington has steered America in the wrong direction.

The U.S. Treasury reports that the federal debt as of May 10 had reached $19,204,514,007,221.38. CNS notes that this catastrophic figure exists despite the fact that FY2016 Taxes set a record through April– $12,679 Per Worker!  Revenue isn’t the problem. Government spending on the wrong priorities is.

Not to be overlooked in the factors affecting the economy is the White House’s environmental policies, emplaced without the consent of Congress. For example, Hot Air  reports that there is “visceral disgust” for Obama’s environmental policies in the Appalachian counties… West Virginia…energy costs are expected to go up 40 percent under Obama’s Clean Power Plan (CPP), which sets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels. It’s a regulatory nightmare, a job killer, and a policy that Hillary Clinton plans to continue if she’s elected.”

The Stratfor intelligence organization reported in 2013: “The threat to the United States is the persistent decline in the middle class’ standard of living, a problem that is reshaping the social order that has been in place since World War II and that, if it continues, poses a threat to American power… In the 1950s and 1960s, the median income allowed you to live with a single earner — normally the husband, with the wife typically working as homemaker — and roughly three children. It permitted the purchase of modest tract housing, one late model car and an older one. It allowed a driving vacation somewhere and, with care, some savings as well…  Government programs frequently fail to fulfill even minimal intentions while squandering scarce resources…”

A just released report from the Pew Research Center  reveals that “The American middle class is losing ground in metropolitan areas across the country, affecting communities from Boston to Seattle and from Dallas to Milwaukee. From 2000 to 2014 the share of adults living in middle-income households fell in 203 of the 229 U.S. metropolitan areas examined in a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data. The decrease in the middle-class share was often substantial, measuring 6 percentage points or more in 53 metropolitan areas, compared with a 4-point drop nationally.
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“The shrinking of the middle class at the national level, to the point where it may no longer be the economic majority in the U.S., was documented in an earlier analysis by the Pew Research Center. The changes at the metropolitan level, the subject of this in-depth look at the American middle class, demonstrate that the national trend is the result of widespread declines in localities all around the country.”

The reason for the recent decline of the U.S. middle class and the general weakness in the U.S. economy is not the result of a cyclical downturn in business, or the bursting of a bubble.  It is not a reflection of the 2007—2009 recession.  It is the specific result of federal tax and spending practices which ignore the needs of the private sector, and redirects federal dollars away from essential needs such as economic growth, defense and infrastructure and towards entitlements (but NOT Social Security of Medicare.)

In the 1950s, Washington spent significantly on infrastructure, building the interstate highway system. The nation prospered. In the 1980s, President Reagan spent vast sums on the military, and the economy grew stronger. Just as it did in the period before World War II, the dollars spent on defense provided jobs—middle class jobs. The shrinking of programs to build badly needed replacement weapons for the aging equipment in the armed forces depresses the economy, and the shrinking manpower of the military increases unemployment.

The huge increase in entitlements (such as the 41% increase in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) drains funds from essential needs and provides a drag on economic growth.  If, instead of spending more on entitlements, the Obama Administration had lowered taxes and cut back on regulations, business would have expanded, more jobs would have been created, and the resulting growth would have strengthened the economy.

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Quick Analysis

Facebook Accused of Biased News Coverage

On May 4, the New York Analysis of Policy and Government questioned whether popular social media sites tilted their news coverage in favor of left wing points of view. We worried that attempts to expand into the lucrative Chinese market, for example, by Facebook would enhance that problem.

On May 10, U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, asked Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to answer questions following reports that company employees actively suppressed news stories on topics of interest to politically conservative users of the social media platform.

A statement by the Committee noted:

“Facebook must answer these serious allegations and hold those responsible to account if there has been political bias in the dissemination of trending news,’ said Thune on sending the letter. ‘Any attempt by a neutral and inclusive social media platform to censor or manipulate political discussion is an abuse of trust and inconsistent with the values of an open Internet.’

“On May 9, a story in Gizmodo reported allegations by several former unnamed Facebook employees that the company routinely worked to suppress conservative viewpoints on the social network and artificially highlighted other news stories even when objective metrics did not indicate they were ‘trending.”

Thune’s letter asks Zuckerberg to provide answers to the following questions no later than May 24:

“1)    Please describe Facebook’s organizational structure for the Trending Topics feature, and the steps for determining included topics.  Who is ultimately responsible for approving its content?

2)    Have Facebook news curators in fact manipulated the content of the Trending Topics section, either by targeting news stories related to conservative views for exclusion or by injecting non-trending content?

3)    What steps is Facebook taking to investigate claims of politically motivated manipulation of news stories in the Trending Topics section?  If such claims are substantiated, what steps will Facebook take to hold the responsible individuals accountable?

4)    In a statement responding to the allegations, Facebook has claimed to have “rigorous guidelines in place for the review team” to prevent “the suppression of political perspectives” or the “prioritization of one viewpoint over another or one news outlet over another.”
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a.    When did Facebook first introduce these guidelines?

  1.  Please provide a copy of these guidelines, as well as any changes or amendments since January 2014.
  2.  Does Facebook provide training for its employees related to these guidelines?  If so, describe what the training consists of, as well as its frequency.
  3.  How does Facebook determine compliance with these guidelines?  Does it conduct audits?  If so, how often? What steps are taken when a violation occurs?

    5)    Does Facebook maintain a record of curators’ decisions to inject a story into the Trending Topics section or target a story for removal?  If such a record is not maintained, can such decisions be reconstructed or determined based on an analysis of the Trending Topics product?

    a.    If so, how many stories have curators excluded that represented conservative viewpoints or topics of interest to conservatives?  How many stories did curators inject that were not, in fact, trending?

  4.  Please provide a list of all news stories removed from or injected into the Trending Topics section since January 2014.

The Senate Commerce Committee exercises legislative and oversight jurisdiction over issues related to Internet communications, consumer protection, and media issues.”

In his letter to Zuckerberg, Senator Thune stated “Social networks such as Facebook are an increasingly important source of news for many Americans and people around the world.  The ability to connect with others to discuss and debate the issues of the day that such services offer has created a powerful platform for civic engagement.  Indeed, with over a billion daily active users on average, Facebook has enormous influence on users’ perceptions of current events, including political perspectives. If Facebook presents its Trending Topics section as the result of a neutral, objective algorithm, but it is in fact subjective and filtered to support or suppress particular political viewpoints, Facebook’s assertion that it maintains a ‘platform for people and perspectives from s the political spectrum’ misleads the public.”

That, of course, is the central issue.  Facebook, as an independent company not run by government, is free to present whatever viewpoint it so chooses, and should be able to do so without restriction.  However, if it solicits participation from the public based in part upon assertions that it provides nonbiased coverage of the news, then it has intentionally misled those who utilize the service.

The New York Analysis of Policy and Government is highly critical of attempts to rein in free speech in the political or any other arena. However, we find it deeply hypocritical that leftist/progressive activists continue to criticize expressions of centrist and conservative thought and seek to regulate it through campaign finance restrictions, in addition to the various attempts by the Obama Administration to oversee media activities. Meanwhile, actions such as that Facebook is accused of and which many other outlets in print and television media engage in which are clearly biased towards the left end of the spectrum go un-criticized.