Month: September 2018

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Foreign Policy Update

SECRETARY OF STATE ANNOUNCED ANOTHER KOREA SUMMIT TO BE HELD

In an interview with CBS News Secretary of State Pompeo announced There will be another summit soon to discuss North Korean issues, including denuclearization. He confirmed that North Korea has agreed to allow in inspectors and that the world needs to hold North Korean President Kim to his statement. Secretary Pompeo said the US is working out the details and that a summit probably would not occur in October.

IRAN

When asked if there would be a meeting between President Trump and Iranian President Rouhani, Secretary Pompeo said  “…there’s not going to be a meeting. President Trump has said when the Iranians are prepared to talk about fundamentally changing their behavior, then he is of course prepared to talk to them.”

He added that statements by Rouhani saying President Trump has tendencies resembling a Nazi disposition and that the United States’ America first strategy is a symptom of weakness of intellect “indicate that they’re not in that place, and it is outrageous for him to say such a thing. For a Holocaust-denying country that is threatening Israel to compare the United States or its leader to Nazis is among the most outrageous things I have heard – and I will tell you, in diplomacy you hear a lot of them – the most outrageous things I have ever heard.”

Europe, China, and Russia have agreed recently to create a back channel to Tehran to circumvent US sanctions on the country. Secretary Pompeo pointed out that: “To continue to create mechanisms to fund the world’s largest state sponsor of terror is disastrous policy and I hope they will reconsider it. But most importantly, European businesses are voting with their checkbooks. They are leaving Iran in droves. These sanctions will be effective, they are effective, and come November 4th, they’ll be even more effective.”

Social unrest in Iran has moved beyond Tehran into small towns in the countryside. The chaos created by the Islamic, Republic, the government of Iran, is collapsing its economy. The rial, Iran’s currency is falling with 150,000 rial to 1 US dollar. US sanctions are pressuring Iran. The leadership’s poor treatment of the Iranian people, combined with the billions it spends on funding terrorist activity across the globe, is creating a tenuous situation which may foster change in the country. Secretary Pompeo recently said the “American people are going to stand with the Iranian people.” The ayatollah has in the past stated that Iran requires hostility with the United States. It makes diplomatic negotiations with this perspective difficult, according to Brian Hook, Senior Policy Advisor to the Secretary of State and Special Representative for Iran. He added that Iran historically comes to the table only after heavy pressure from other countries. While it is too early to expect or predict regime change, US sanctions do appear to be impacting the country and its leadership.

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TERRORISM AND IRAN

The State Department released the first report produced by the Iran Action Group. It’s titled Outlaw Regime: A Chronicle of Iran’s Destructive Activities. The report examines Iran’s involvement in terrorism, Iran’s missile program, their illicit financial activities, Iran’s threats to maritime security, Iran’s threats to cyber security, human rights abuses in Iran, and the systematic destruction of Iran’s environment by this regime.  The report notes that the Iranian people lack clean water due to the environmental degradation incurred through official corruption, failed government management and bad environmental policies. Protesters typically are jailed or killed for their environmental views.

 

CHINA

Dr. Christopher Ashley Ford, Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation, spoke recently to the FBI-Department of Commerce Conference on Counter-Intelligence and Export Control about China’s long-term political and military goals. He said: “China has for a great many years been diligently engaged in a long-term strategy to regain the global power and influence Chinese leaders believe were lost in the 19th century to Western imperialist powers. The stated objective of the Chinese Communist Party’s strategy is not merely to acquire power and influence for itself on the world stage, but in fact to displace U.S. power and influence as China reclaims the central geopolitical status and role of which the Party has convinced itself that China was robbed in the 19th Century by Western imperialism.”

Ford confirmed that China has a goal of achieving great power status and total dominance in East Asia by 2049. China’s President Xi Jinping publicly calls the coming two decades a “period of strategic opportunity.” Xi views world conditions as ripe for achieving high level technical advances across its economy and, in particular, in its development of an offensive military posture capable of conquering territory in East Asia. China acquires much of its state-of-the-art military technology through its theft of intellectual property from the west, along with tech transfer, joint research and development projects with foreign firms and collaboration with foreign universities.

DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media, which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government.  Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.

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Japan Rises to its Defense, Part 2

The New York Analysis of Policy and Government continues its examination of the military threats facing Japan. 

RUSSIA

James D.J. Brown, writing for the National Interest reports that “Between June 19 and 21, 2018, Russia conducted missile-firing drills on Iturup, one of the four disputed Southern Kuril islands that are claimed by Japan as its Northern Territories…In the last fiscal year, Japan scrambled jets 390 times to intercept approaching Russian aircraft. This figure was up by eighty-nine from fiscal 2016 and was only exceeded by the 500 scrambles provoked by China. Russia’s military presence on the Kuril chain, which Japan controlled until 1945, has also increased. In November 2016, just ahead of President Putin’s visit to Japan, Russia announced the deployment of new anti-ship missiles to Iturup and Kunashir. At the start of 2018, Moscow ruled that combat jets could be deployed to Iturup. Construction is also beginning on a naval facility on Matua in the Northern Kurils, at the site of an old Japanese base.

This is how the Japanese government summarizes the threat from Russia:

President Putin, who has called for Russia to become a strong and influential nation, was re-elected in March 2018. With regards to Russia’s future, he emphasized to further bolster its defense capability, while stating his commitment to pursue constructive relations with other countries without the intention of starting an arms race. With regards to Europe, Russia is negative about the expansion of NATO, and has deployed three divisions near the border with Ukraine etc, and conducted the large-scale training exercise Zapad-2017 in September last year. As for Syria, Russia announced naval and air bases in Syria will continue to operate on a permanent basis. Attention will continue to be paid to Russia’s moves to expand its influence in the Middle East. In the Far East, Russia has been developing its newest class of frigate (Steregushchiy class) and fighter jets (Su-35 and Su-34). In 2018, Russia also plans on holding a large-scale military exercise called Vostok-2018. Russia announced deployment of surface-to-ship missiles in the Northern Territories (Etorofu and Kunashiri islands), and it is also intensifying activities in Etorofu island, including designation of a civilian airport to both civilian and military use and deployment of fighters. Russia tends to increase its military activities, including in areas near Japan, and it is necessary to closely observe this trend.

NORTH KOREA

This is how the Japanese government summarizes the threat from North Korea:
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“Since 2016, North Korea has willfully conducted three nuclear tests and launched as many as 40 ballistic missiles. These military trends in North Korea pose an unprecedentedly serious and imminent threat to Japan’s security, and significantly damage the peace and security of the region and the international community.

“In the joint declaration at the first-ever U.S.-North Korea Summit Meeting in June 2018, North Korea gave a commitment to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and confirmed that it plans to continue the negotiations between the two sides. It is highly significant that Chairman Kim Jong-un reiterated his intension for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and made a clear promise to do so in a written document. It is important to closely monitor specific actions by North Korea to eliminate nuclear and missile capabilities. Taking into consideration the fact that North Korea appears to possess and deploy several hundred Nodong missiles capable of reaching almost every part of Japan as well as advancements in the development and operational capabilities of nuclear weapons and missiles through repeated nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches to date, there is no change in our basic recognition concerning the threat of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missiles. 1 2 3 4 North Korea willfully conducted its sixth nuclear test in September 2017. The yield of the weapon is estimated at around 160kt, making it the largest yielding test to date. It is difficult to deny the possibility that it was a hydrogen bomb test.

Considering the technological maturity estimated to have been achieved through these six nuclear tests, it is possible that North Korea has already achieved the miniaturization of nuclear weapons and has developed nuclear warheads so that nuclear weapons can be loaded into ballistic missiles. As for whether North Korea has demonstrated warhead reentry technologies, while detailed analysis is necessary, North Korea can be accumulating related technologies through its repeated missile launches. North Korea is suspected to have several facilities capable of producing chemical agents and already a substantial stockpile of such agents. North Korea is also thought to have some infrastructure for the production of biological weapons. The possibility cannot be denied that North Korea is able to load biological and/or chemical weapons on ballistic missiles. … In terms of ballistic missiles, North Korea appears to be aiming to (1) advance long-range ballistic missiles’ technological reliability, (2) enhance the accuracy and operational capabilities necessary for saturation attacks, (3) improve its ability to conduct surprise attacks, and (4) diversify the forms of launches. If North Korea advances further in development of ballistic missiles and other activities and overconfidently and wrongly believes that it has obtained strategic deterrence against the United States, there is possibility of increased and more serious military provocations in the region and could lead to circumstances that raise strong concerns for Japan.”

The Report Concludes Monday

Photo: Japanese Forces engage in disaster relief (JSDF photo)

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Japan Rises to its Defense

Japan is increasingly threatened by an expansionist China and an aggressive Russia, even as North Korea suspends its missile testing program.

According to a Japanese Government document,    here’s how Tokyo sees its security environment:

“In the area surrounding Japan, there is a concentration of nations with large-scale military capabilities, and a regional cooperation framework on security has not yet to be fully institutionalized, leading to the existence of uncertainty and unclarity, including the persistence of territorial disputes and unification issues. Meanwhile, there has been a tendency towards an increase in and prolongation of so-called “gray-zone” situations; that is, neither pure peacetime nor contingencies over territory, sovereignty, and economic interests. There has also been a noticeable trend among neighboring countries to modernize and reinforce their military capabilities and to intensify their military activities.

The security challenges and destabilizing factors in the Asia-Pacific region are characterized below:

  • North Korea’s military development such as nuclear weapon and ballistic missile development represents an unprecedentedly serious and imminent threat.
  • The unilateral escalation of China’s military activities poses a strong security concern for the region including Japan and international community.
  • Russia has tendency to intensify its military activities, including in areas surrounding Japan, and this trend needs to paid due attention. Territorial disputes over the Northern Territories and Takeshima, both of which are inherent parts of the territory of Japan, remain unresolved.”

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CHINA

In a published interview, Tokyo’s Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera warned of “imminent threats” to his nation from both Moscow and Beijing, as well as North Korea’s missile and nuclear program. Russia will soon conduct it largest training exercise since the end of the Cold War era and is introducing powerful weapons to territory Japan claims as its own.  China has become a military superpower, and has engaged in a threatening manner towards Japan as well as violating international law in the Pacific by invading the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone, and unlawfully laying claim to strategically significant seaways.

Stephen Nagy, an associate professor of international relations at Tokyo’s International Christian University, noted in an interview with DW that “Beijing is…demonstrating a very assertive policy in the South China Sea and the East China Sea and using a salami-slicing approach to reduce Japan’s claims to the Senkaku Islands,” Nagy was referring to uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that are controlled by Japan but claimed by China. The DW analysis notes that “The Chinese navy continues to carry out frequent incursions into Japanese territorial waters around the islands, challenging Japan’s claims to control the waters.”

Berkshire Miller, writing in the Japanese publication Nikkei Asian Review  warns that “Japan must respond to China’s growing naval power… The crisis over North Korea’s nuclear program has dominated security debate in Northeast Asia over the past year. But Japan must not be distracted from a much more important long-term challenge: China’s enhancement of its military capabilities in the region and its growing assertiveness, driven by President Xi Jinping’s more hawkish and nationalist foreign policy… China is also challenging Japan’s control of critical water and airspace around the Ryukyu Islands, known in Japanese as the Nansei Shoto, as demonstrated by its repeated military exercises in the Miyako Strait in the island chain. In December 2016, Beijing alarmed Tokyo when it conducted a so-called “innocent passage” by sending the aircraft carrier Liaoning and escorts for the first time through the strait. Tokyo and Beijing also continue to be at loggerheads over sharing natural resources in the East China Sea. China has unilaterally accelerated the exploitation of natural resources in the area despite the lack of boundary lines governing the exclusive economic zone or continental shelf in the waters.

Alexander Neill, writing for the BBC, notes that “Japan’s navy and coast guard in recent years have also been under increasing pressure to respond to China’s campaign of incursions into Japan’s territorial waters and frequent transits of vessels and aircraft through the numerous straits of the Japanese archipelago. A focal point for such rivalry are the disputed Senkaku islands, known as Diaoyu in Chinese…the Japanese maritime agencies [have been] alarmed to detect armaments on Chinese coast guard vessels…While in 2012, Japanese and Chinese coast guard vessel numbers were roughly similar at 51 and 40 respectively, the Japanese government estimates that by 2019, the numbers will have swung hugely in favour of China at 135 vessels versus Japan’s 65. And there have been an increasing number of other concerning incidents for Japan in recent years. In June 2016 the Japanese destroyer Setogiri spotted a PLA Navy Jiangkai class frigate entering the contiguous zone around the Senkakus at the same time as a group of Russian navy vessels transited the same waters. That same month, Chinese naval intelligence-gathering ships entered Japan’s territorial sea near Kuchinerabujima and Yakushima islands for the first time and in the southern waters of the Senkaku islands. One particularly unnerving episode for Japan began in early August 2016 when a China coast guard vessel escorted 300 Chinese fishing vessels into waters around the Senkakus, and over four days a total of 15 coast guard ships repeatedly intruded into the waters, half of them armed. The Japanese defence ministry suspects that many of the Chinese fishing vessels belonged to the maritime militia. Meanwhile, the number of Japanese scrambles against Chinese aircraft around the East China Sea and towards the Senkakus has jumped dramatically, surpassing even the annual peak number of 994 during the Cold War. Japanese fighter patrols have also encountered challenging behaviour by Chinese PLA Air Force pilots.”

This is how the Japanese government summarizes the threat from China:

“China, over maritime issues where its interests conflict with others’, continues to act in a way which can be considered assertive, such as attempts at changing the status quo by coercion. China has pressed ahead with rapid and large-scale land reclamation on seven features in the Spratly Islands, installing military facilities such as artillery batteries, and transforming these features into military installations. Furthermore, China is promoting militarization of the Paracel Islands too, as bomber takeoff and landing exercises are pointed out to be implemented, for example. China’s military activities in South China Sea are expanding, and the expansion itself is to change the status quo by coercion and to promote the changed status as an accomplished fact. The United States is conducting Freedom of Navigation Operations in the waters such as South China Sea to cope with over-claiming of maritime interests, including one by China. However, China is exhibiting interest in initiatives to avoid and prevent unexpected contingency in the sea and airspace. For example, in May 2018, Japan and China officially agreed to implement “Maritime and Aerial Communication Mechanism between the Defense Authorities of Japan-China.” Nevertheless, China’s rapid modernization of the PLA, enhancement of operational capabilities, and unilateral escalation of activities in areas close to Japan, without sufficient transparency, are generating strong security concerns in the region and international community, including Japan. It is probable that the PLA plays a backing role in Belt and Road Initiative through its activities such as sea lane protection. In addition, development of infrastructure under the initiative can lead to further expansion of the PLA’s activities in the area such as the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.”

The Report Continues Tomorrow

Photo: Japanese forces in training. (JSDF Photo)

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Iran Threat Highlights U.N. Opening

The threat from Iran is highlighting America’s interest in the opening of the 2018-2019 UN session.

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz,, an Iranian media outlet close to the country’s Revolutionary Guards published a video Tuesday threatening the capitals of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)  with missile attacks, further raising regional tensions after a weekend militant attack on a military parade in Iran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blames Saudi Arabi and Abu Dhabi for a recent attack in Ahvaz which resulted in 25 deaths and 60 people wounded.  No evidence has been presented for the charge.

The Revolutionary Guards controls Iran’s missile program, which is capable of striking American forces in the region, as well as the territory of Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the UAE.

Iran’s influence in the Middle East grew substantially during the Obama presidency. Aided by weapons from Russia and funding from China, it has gained extensive influence in the region.  In a meeting in New York before the U.N. session , President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and President Hassan Rouhani of Iran met and emphasized that “there are no obstacles on the way of developing and deepening of cooperation between the two countries and that they will make every effort to develop this cooperation in the interests of both nations.” Turkey, as a member of NATO and a putative but increasingly distant U.S. ally, is disappointing other western nations in its warming relations with Tehran.

In his address to the U.N., President Trump voiced concern over Iran’s actions:

“Iran’s leaders sew chaos, death and disruption. They do not respect their neighbors, borders, or the sovereign rights of nations. Instead, they plunder the nation’s resources to enrich themselves and to spread mayhem across the Middle East and far beyond. The Iranian people are rightly outraged that their leaders have embezzled billions of dollars from the treasury, seized valuable portions and looted the religious endowments to line their own pockets and to send their proxies to wage war. Iran’s neighbors have paid a heavy toll for the agenda of aggression and expansion.
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“That is why so many countries in the Middle East strongly supported at my decision to withdraw the United States from the horrible 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimpose nuclear sanctions. The Iran deal was a windfall for Iran’s leaders. In the year since the deal has been reached, the military budget grew nearly 40%.

“The dictatorship used the funds to build nuclear capable missiles, increase internal repression, finance terrorism and fund habit and slaughter in Syria and Yemen. The United States has launched a campaign of economic pressure to deny the regime the funds it needs to advance its bloody last month. We began re-imposing hard-hitting nuclear sanctions that have been lifted under the Iran deal. Additional sanctions will resume November 5, and more will follow. We are working with countries that import Iranian crude oil to cut their purchases substantially.

“We cannot allow the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism to possess the planet’s most dangerous weapons. We cannot allow a regime that chants “Death to America” and threatens Israel with annihilation. They cannot possess the means to deliver a nuclear warhead to any city on Earth, we just cannot do it. We ask all nations to isolate Iran’s regime as long as its aggression continues and we ask all nations to support Iran’s people as they struggle to reclaim their religious and righteous destiny.”

Iranian threats and actions have had the unintended effect of bringing Israel closer to its traditional rivals Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states closer together.  Washington’s relations with Saudi Arabia have improved dramatically as well, as regional nations look to the U.S. for protection from Iran.

Photo: Turkish-Iranian meeting before U.N. opening (Iranian Government photo)

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Kerry violates Logan Act

A furor has arisen about former Secretary of State John Kerry’s meetings with Iranian government officials and others regarding the Trump Administration’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. Kerry’s tenure as Secretary of State ended in January of 2017. The issue has been simmering for some time. The Boston Globe reported last May that Kerry met twice with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad to discuss the nuclear deal.

Inadvertently,  Iranian officials, describing those meetings, laid out the clear legal groundwork for an indictment under the Logan Act, which criminalizes negotiation by unauthorized persons with foreign governments having a dispute with the United States. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi, quoted in Iran’s FARS news Agency “We don’t see the U.S. just as Mr. Trump; the United States is not just the current ruling administration and there are many figures who have different views on international and regional issues…”

Qassemi failed to understand that, indeed, the United States Government does have just one entity at a time that is legally permitted to conduct foreign affairs. Current Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, in an interview, stated: “what Secretary Kerry has done is unseemly and unprecedented. This is a former secretary of state engaged with the world’s largest state sponsor of terror, and according to him…You don’t have to take my word for it. … He was talking to them. He was telling them to wait out this administration. You can’t find precedent for this in U.S. history, and the secretary ought not – Secretary Kerry ought not to engage in that kind of behavior. It’s inconsistent with what foreign policy of the United States is, as directed by this President, and it is beyond inappropriate for him to be engaged in this. I remember, I saw him. I saw him in Munich at the Security Conference…”

President Trump concurred in Secretary Pompeo’s concerns: “John Kerry had illegal meetings with the very hostile Iranian Regime, which can only serve to undercut our great work to the detriment of the American people. He told them to wait out the Trump Administration! Was he registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act? BAD!”

Raising further questions about Mr. Kerry’s actions is the revelation last April that Israeli undercover agents obtained 55,000 pages of documents and 183 CDs indicating that Iran lied about the extent of its nuclear program both before and after the Obama Administration’s deal with it, in which pallet loads of cash were transferred to the regime and sanctions were lifted in return for promises, without adequate verifications according to critics, to delay its legal ability to develop nuclear weapons.
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Unofficial dealings with Tehran are distasteful on a variety of levels, including the fact that it both supports terrorism abroad and gives support to a regime that oppresses its own population. The theocratic government routinely engages in horrific acts against many, and not just dissidents.  According to Human Rights Watch,“Under Iranian law, many nonviolent crimes, such as “insulting the Prophet,” apostasy, same-sex relations, adultery, and drug-related offenses, are punishable by death.

In January, the Spectator reported that “Shortly after the latest protests began, the country’s security forces, including the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, were seen photographing the events. In Iran, a regime camera is as deadly as a sniper’s sights. Only more delayed. As in 2009, the photographs will be used by the police to arrest demonstrators and also family members unconnected with the protests. This will be followed by the torture and rape of men and women in prison by the theocratic regime’s frontmen. As after the Green Revolution, there will in due course be show trials, forced recantations and executions. This is how a police state with four decades of experience goes about its business.”

Those protests were about a variety of causes, including repression at home, and the use of Iran’s new-found riches from the Obama Administration’s nuclear deal with Tehran not t benefit the Iranian people but to indulge in even greater levels of support for terrorism and regional wars.

Photo: Former Secretary of State John Kerry (U.S. State Department photo)

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Kavanugh Accuser Seeks to Deprive Him of Basic Rights

This article was prepared by the distinguished retired jurist, John H. Wilson

It is a basic rule of American jurisprudence, laid out in the 6th Amendment to the US Constitution; “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right…to be confronted with the witnesses against him.”  Further, under the Fifth Amendment, “No person shall…be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.”

Yet, if you read the list of demands made by the attorney for Professor Ford, you would think she had never heard of the Constitutional protections afforded the accused: “Only members of the committee — no lawyers — can question her; Kavanaugh cannot be in the room at the time; and Kavanaugh should be questioned first, before he has the opportunity to hear Ford’s testimony.”

While I acknowledge that a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee is not a criminal trial, the accusation made by Professor Ford against Judge Kavanaugh is clearly criminal in nature.  She asserts that sometime early in the 1980s, while both she and the Judge were high school students, Brett Kavanaugh allegedly sexually assaulted her.    Specifically, she alleges that the Judge, while a teenager, “pinned her to a bed… groped her, and tried to take her clothes off, placing his hand over her mouth when she attempted to scream.”

In Maryland, the state where this assault is alleged to have taken place, Sexual Offense in the Third Degree under 3-307 of the Criminal Code is punishable by not more than 10 years in jail, and would require the offender to register as a sexual offender (if tried and convicted as an adult).  Sexual Offense in the Third Degree is the applicable offense, since it requires an offender to have “engaged in sexual contact (intentionally touching the victim’s or defendant’s genital, anal or other private parts for sexual gratification…)in any of the following situations: The victim is mentally or physically incapacitated (drunk or unconscious for example)…”

Rape would require that the parties “engaged in sexual intercourse.”  The allegations here do not provide sufficient evidence of either the sexual act occurring, or of an Attempted Rape, since there is no evidence that the accused did anything more than “grope” and  try to remove the clothes of the accuser.

Maryland’s Criminal Code may not bar a prosecution from 35 years ago, since there is no statute of limitations for felony sexual assault.   However, the practicality of prosecuting a case where the victim cannot tell you when and where the crime occurred, and without any physical evidence, is daunting at best.

Moreover, it is more viagra from usa difficult to retain information when you are depressed.”? Hypothyroidism – The inadequate functioning of the veno-occlusive mechanism. If the ad is not given for a particular online directory are flooded by futile newsletters from the cialis generic pills networking group. Mertz sums up his feelings: “It is not unusual to be enjoying dinner out and notice couples or groups levitra no prescription with a cool, bluish glow on their faces. Make viagra sale buy your sex adventurous an exciting: Not having enough excitement during the time of sex can also result in men suffering from the condition, since the body needs to be kept in good shape in order for all the parts to function properly. It should be noted that the Judge was a juvenile at the time the offense is alleged to have occurred.  More likely than not, the Maryland juvenile code would be applied to such an offense, however, for the sake of convenience, I have reviewed the adult criminal code.

It should also be noted that the calls for a federal investigation of these allegations have been properly rejected by the FBI, since there is no allegation that any federal crime has occurred.    But given that a felony prosecution under Maryland law is not time barred under Maryland’s criminal statute of limitations, it would be proper to afford the accused the same rights as any other person accused of a crime.

In a criminal trial, the accuser always testifies first.  This is done mostly because the state has the burden of proving the charges against the accused, but also to satisfy the “confrontation clause” of the 6th Amendment – the accused has the right to confront the witnesses brought against him or her.  Further, under the 5th Amendment, Judge Kavanaugh has the right to remain silent – he has no obligation to answer these charges whatsoever.  Obviously, for the Judge to fail to address these charges at the Senate Judiciary Committee would be political death to his nomination, but if he is not legally required to answer the charge, why should he testify before his accuser makes her accusation?

The attorney for Professor Ford has asserted her concern that being a highly trained legal mind, Judge Kavanaugh could take notes on the Professor’s testimony, and answer her allegations for-armed with the knowledge of her testimony.  But ANY criminal defendant has the same right to do that same thing – why should Judge Kavanaugh be deprived of a right that the poorest, least educated member of society holds under the US Constitution?

Further, counsel for Professor Ford states that her client does not want Judge Kavanuagh to be present when she gives her testimony.  There are instances, typically involving child witnesses, where the court will allow a witness to testify from behind a screen, or by close circuit television.  However, those cases involve extremely vulnerable witnesses who may not be able to give their testimony otherwise.  A person of Professor Ford’s life experience and professional abilities would not fit the criterion for a witness in need for such an extraordinary measure.

In the final analysis, the irony of the request made by Professor Ford’s attorney is extreme.  Lawyers take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, and the state to which they are admitted to practice law.  To ask for the suspension of the Constitutional rights of a person being accused of what amounts to a crime is a reckless disregard for the rights of the accused, and an extremely bad precedent for the future.

Photo: Judge Kavanaugh (White House picture)

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Foreign Policy Update

2018 International Cyber Security Strategy

The White House released its 2018 National Cyber Strategy this week in support of a more open, secure, interoperable and reliable cyberspace. The US adheres to a multi-stakeholder model of governance, including its foreign partners, allies and members of civil society, and the private sector. This position stands in opposition to a state-centric model used in nations such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran and one which fails to enhance a vibrant digital economy.

“This includes engagement through the Freedom Online Coalition, a group of 30 governments committed to advancing Internet freedom via multilateral diplomacy and multi-stakeholder collaboration with civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders. The Department’s efforts also focus on raising concerns bilaterally about actions that governments may take to restrict access to the Internet or suppress free speech online, and urging U.S.-based Internet companies to respect human rights and implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as they design and carry out their commercial activities, according to the State Department announcement. For the past decade, the Department has provided over $165 million in foreign assistance to support Internet freedom programs.

 

Section 231 Sanctions

On September 2o an unnamed senior US State Department official addressed new developments in implementing the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanction Act (CAATA). Last year it was passed by Congress in response to attempts by the Russian defense and intelligence sectors to harm the United States. The senior official said: “The array of sanctions the United States has imposed against Russia and those who material support – materially support its malign activities are undertaken in direct response to Russia’s aggressive actions against our country, our allies, and our partners.”

This week the Secretary of State added 33 additional Russian entities, including Rosoboronexport, which is Russia’s main arms export entity, to the list of those prohibited from making major transactions in the US. In consultation with the Treasury Secretary, the US also imposed sanctions on the Equipment Development Department (EDD), a Chinese entity along with its Director Li Shangfu. The State Department official said: “We took these actions because China took delivery of 10 Sukhoi fighter aircraft, specifically Su-25s, in December of 2017 – of course, after the CAATSA statute came into force. And it also took delivery of a batch of S-400 – sometimes known as SA-21 – surface-to-air missile systems or related equipment in January of this year.”
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Iran Nuclear Deal

Secretary of State Pompeo this week declined to officially define former Secretary of State Kerry’s behind-the-scenes attempt to conduct diplomacy with Iran’s foreign minister without consent from the US Government as “illegal meetings,” saying that he will the “legal determination” to others. In what is viewed by Pompeo as an attempt to undermine the Trump Administration’s policy on Iran, Pompeo reported he saw with his own eyes that Kerry was meeting with Iranian and his “troika counterparts.”

In a strongly worded statement, Pompeo said: “…what Secretary Kerry has done is unseemly and unprecedented. This is a former secretary of state engaged with the world’s largest state sponsor of terror, and according to him – right? You don’t have to take my word for it. He – these are his answers. He was talking to them. He was telling them to wait out this administration.

You can’t find precedent for this in U.S. history, and the secretary ought not – Secretary Kerry ought not to engage in that kind of behavior. It’s inconsistent with what foreign policy of the United States is, as directed by this President, and it is beyond inappropriate for him to be engaged in this.”

DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media, which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government.  Each Saturday, she presents key updates on U.S. foreign policy from the State Department.

Illustration: Pixabay

 

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Has the Pope Rejected Catholic Theology?

Pope Francis has apparently abandoned the basic principles of the religion he leads, and has endangered the cause of religious freedom not only for the Catholic Church but for all other religions as well.

Radio Free Asia (RFA)  , The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and other sources report that an agreement has been reached between the Vatican and China regarding Beijing’s appointment of bishops.

According to WSJ’s Francis X. Rocca (reporting from Rome) and Eva Dou (reporting from Beijing) “China and the Vatican are set to sign a landmark agreement later this month ending a long struggle between Beijing’s Communist rulers and the pope over who chooses the leaders of Catholicism in the world’s most populous country, according to two people familiar with the matter. The controversial deal would include the first official recognition by Beijing that the pope is the head of the Catholic Church in China. In return, Pope Francis would formally recognize seven excommunicated Chinese bishops who were appointed by the Communist government without Vatican approval.”

Even a superficial analysis indicates that in return for enhancing his personal authority, Pope Francis has surrendered a key tenant of his church, that Roman Catholic prelates be appointed solely through the church.

Surrendering to Beijing’s demands to have the right to appoint bishops has in the past been severely criticized by some Church leaders, particularly in Asia. The Catholic Herald reports that “ Cardinal Joseph Zen, the most senior Chinese Catholic, has said a possible deal between China and the Vatican would ‘betray Jesus Christ’.

In a past interview with The Guardian, Cardinal Zen stated “Maybe the Pope is a little naive, he doesn’t have the background to know the Communists in China… he may not know the Communist persecutors who have killed hundreds of thousands. Chinese Catholics are free to go to mass and attend government-sanctioned churches, but barred from proselytizing. The state-controlled China Catholic Patriotic Association controls the church and appoints bishops, currently without any input from the Vatican. An “underground” Catholic church exists, with some estimates saying it is larger than the official one, and its members and clergy have faced persecution by authorities. Protestant Christians also face similar challenges…”

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That disturbing act is not an isolated one. The Pontiff has also broken with his predecessors in his apparent endorsement of “liberation theology,” which basically replaces the spiritual mission of Catholicism with a political one, and one allied with Marxism. The Catholic Herald reported in June that the Pope had praised the founder of liberation theology, Father Gustavo Gutierrez. Liberation theology became prominent in South America several decades ago. Pope Benedict XVI believed that the movement was overly political and emphasized Communism, a creed which has been overtly hostile to religion.

Commentator Wayne Allyn Root  has written that “This pope neither seems to understand, nor care that his views on issues…often put him in bed with atheists and socialists, who don’t believe in God, mock religion and think the Bible is a work of fiction. He crusades for social justice, yet chose to embrace the Castro brothers – evil murderers who have imprisoned, tortured and murdered generations of Cubans for expressing their opinions and questioning the authority of a tyrant…He chose not to visit or even be seen with Cubans imprisoned because of their political views.”

It is not inappropriate to inquire about Pope Francis’ core principles.  Christianity’s founder, Jesus Christ himself, intensely avoided involvement in the turbulent politics of his era despite extraordinary temptation to do so.  His birth nation and its people were deeply oppressed by their Roman overlords, and as Christ gained fame, some urged him to involve himself in that struggle.  But he chose a deeper course, and stayed true to his spiritual mission, an example Pope Francis has discarded.

Catholicism’s forays into earthly politics, power, and financial concerns led at times to its straying from its spiritual mission, and the splintering of Christianity itself. One cannot help but wonder why Pope Francis believes it is appropriate to ignore both the Christ he claims to represent, and the history of how straying from spiritual concerns has damaged the Christian faith over the centuries.

Photo: The Vatican (Pixabay)

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The Link Between Allegations against Trump and those against Judge Kavanaugh

There is an unmistakable link between the charges of Russian collusion against the Trump campaign, and the allegations of sexual misconduct that were levied against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

In both matters, there is a distinct lack of evidence, credible or otherwise, against the defendants. Under normal circumstances, the claims of Kavanaugh accuser, Christine Blasey Ford would be overturned for lack of credibility.  Ford alleged that 35 years ago, at a location she can’t precisely recall, during a party she can’t remember much about, Kavanaugh, while drunk, molested her.  The only witness she cites disputes her statement.  Ford doesn’t come to the table with clean hands, as lawyers say.  She is a leftwing activist who has stated that conservatives shouldn’t be on the bench. And, by the way, her parents lost a case in which Kavanaugh’s mother served as judge. Nevertheless, she was able to throw the proverbial monkey wrench into the nominating process, after intense questioning failed to find anything objectionable about the nominee.

In the Russian collusion case, after almost two years of intense investigation and the nonstop intimidation and legal harassment of anyone who has had dealings with the Trump campaign, no evidence has been unearthed.  The investigation has been undertaken by federal agencies that have behaved less like law enforcement and more like the old KGB, an intelligence apparatus that sought to protect political interests rather than pursue justice.

It is no coincidence that William Brennan, the former CIA chief so instrumental in the charges of collusion, voted for a Communist Party candidate for president, or that Peter Strozk, the former Chief of the Counterespionage Section was a political partisan who whitewashed the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a personal email server.  Their concepts of justice and fair play have little to do traditional American values.

This alienation from traditional American legal values reached its high point during the Obama Administration, when legal outrages such as the use of the IRS to intimidate conservative groups, and the threat to use the Department of Justice to criminally prosecute anyone that dared to publicly disagree with Obama’s views on climate change occurred.

Super P Force has picked cialis 10 mg up huge fame among men everywhere throughout the world primarily in light of the sun is discovered to be full of light.” Matthew 6:22 King James Bible This process must be accompanied by the willingness of the lower personality to raise his/her consciousness in line with the higher self and over time a fusion of light body and physical body will take place as one surrenders outdated beliefs. Fortunately, you won’t need to go through with this type of levitra online sexual problems. The dosage should be taken with the cheap levitra on line full glass of water.5. free tadalafil sample bought this Side effects include decreased libido and ejaculatory or erectile dysfunction. While the Progressives lost their 2016 effort to retain power, their battle continues.  Across the nation, left wing power brokers continue to seek to abuse the law to silence those that disagree with them.  Billionaire Progressive donors provide generous contributions to what would normally be considered non-sexy races for local district attorneys or state attorney generals, pursuing a tactic to use harassing law suits to intimidate non-progressives.

With the regime change following the 2016 elections, the center of gravity for using public office to benefit party or ideological interests shifted to some state attorneys general.  Martin Morse Wooster, writing for the Capital Research Center  notes that “Aiming to reshape society, state attorneys general wield ever-expanding powers over private corporations, foundations and nonprofits. Their activities–too often motivated by ideology and politics–frequently undermine the very institutions they are supposed to protect.” The author was discussing partisan assaults on private organizations, but the concept now applies to the highly partisan and overt attempt to de facto overturn the impact of the 2016 election.

Outside of the halls of government, in the media and in the entertainment industry, the discredited concept of a casting couch, in which young actresses were forced to yield to sexual assaults in order to pursue their careers, has been replaced by an ideological version: submit your personal beliefs to the left-wing ideological demands of the establishment or abandon your career.

The Progressive left, and the political party that it dominates, used their influence over a media-dominated court of public opinion to convict both Trump and Kavanaugh. The allegations in both cases lacked any substance. But the accused were declared guilty, not of the crimes they are accused of, but a new, non-statutory offense: the crime of not being a Progressive.   Those breaking this edict are threatened with the sentence of the death of their public careers.

Illustration: Pixabay

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U.S. Economy Gains Spread Wide

The U.S. economic revival is broad, apparently durable, and significant, particularly in that its success covers almost all segments of society.

The aftermath of the Great Recession of 2007 and the stagnation of the Obama era presented key challenges. However, reducing both taxes and the excess regulations allowed the inherent strength of the American economy to reassert itself. The current upswing is particularly notable for several reasons.

First, it has an extensive reach throughout all segments of the population. Blacks, Hispanics, young people, and the middle class, several segments that had been particularly hard pressed, are gaining. Second, blue collar workers, who have been harshly affected by the poor economic decisions of prior administrations, are benefiting. Third, Main Street is gaining, as well as Wall Street.

Despite political claims to the contrary, wages are growing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statisics (BLS) average hourly earnings for all employees in August increased by 10 cents to $27.16. For 2018 so far, average hourly earnings gained by 2.9 percent, or 77 cents. Job growth has been notable. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 201,000 in August, in line with the average monthly gain of 196,000 over the prior 12 months.

The details are important.  At 6.3%, the unemployment rate for blacks is the second-lowest in history. Steve Cortes, writing in Real Clear Politics, noted in April: “Among Latinos, the jobless rate has only registered below 5 percent for seven months total, in the history of this country. Six of those months have occurred with Donald Trump in the White House…The jobs data was terrific news for Americans of all ethnicities. For the first time since the year 2000, the overall unemployment rate dipped below 4 percent. Just as significant, almost 1 million Americans who had previously given up on finding a job have rejoined the workforce since Trump was elected.”

The Wall Street Journal  reports that youth unemployment, formerly a similarly bleak statistic, also has seen remarkable improvement. Andrew Duehran notes that “…the unemployment rate among young Americans fell to its lowest level in more than 50 years this summer…Of Americans between 16 and 24 years old actively looking for work this summer, 9.2% were unemployed in July, the Labor Department said Thursday, a drop from the 9.6% youth unemployment rate in July 2017. It was the lowest midsummer joblessness rate for youth since July 1966.”
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The other end of the age spectrum is gaining, as well.  Claudia Dreifus, in The New York Times writes that “In a tight labor market, retirees fill gaps their previous employers can’t…At a moment when the unemployment rate is low, hovering around 3.9 percent, some employers are turning to their pool of retirees to fill holes in their staff. ‘In a tight labor market, firms find recent retirees increasingly attractive,’ said Kathleen Christensen, who funds research on aging and the American labor market at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ‘Their skills are up-to-date, they possess critical institutional knowledge, and they can mentor younger workers. Hiring back recent retirees appears more common than at any other time since the Great Recession,’ she added.”

Blue collar workers, long overlooked, are prospering. The BLS notes that there are 243,000 open blue collar jobs.  Mining employment increased by 6,000 in August,  Since a recent trough in October 2016, the industry has added 104,000 jobs. Employment in construction continued to trend up in August (+23,000) and has increased by 297,000 over the year. Manufacturing employment was up by 254,000, with more than three-fourths of the gain in the durable goods component.

The Miami Herald reported this month that “Miami is a city with an ever changing skyline. And those who make it happen — the plumbers, electricians, brick masons and carpenters — earn far above the local median: $55,000-75,000 a year with full benefits and a pension. But as the economy barrels toward full employment, local contractors are struggling to find enough skilled workers to fuel the construction boom. ‘We’re seeing it across the board. There are shortages in every trade,’ said Peter Dyga, president of the South Florida-based Florida East Coast Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, a non-profit trade organization comprised of several construction firms and contractors.”

While paychecks are improving as well becoming more available, additional dollars are being freed up to consume goods.  According to Americans for Tax Reform  “Thanks to the tax cuts passed by the Republican House and Senate and signed by President Donald Trump, at least 120 utilities across the country are lowering rates for customers, according to a report from Americans for Tax Reform. This means lower electric bills, lower gas bills, and lower water bills for Americans. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cut the corporate rate from 35% to 21%. Utility companies are passing on the tax savings in the form of lower rates for customers.”

Photo: Pixabay