Month: June 2019

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Defense Budget Addresses Major Challenges

For a number of years following the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States faced comparatively weak opponents.  Washington’s armed forces were far more advanced than any opponent.

That began to change when China, its technology developed through both its own efforts and the intellectual property theft and outright espionage it successfully engaged in, and the vast financial resources it brought to bear, resulted in a vast, first-rate military. Recently, China has fielded its first aircraft carrier, demonstrated its ability to shoot down satellites, continued to field short, medium, and long-range missiles,  successfully tested hypersonic glide vehicles,  and modernized and expanded its nuclear capabilities.

Vladimir Putin dramatically upgraded and modernized Russia’s conventional armed forces, as well as fielding the planet’s most potent nuclear arsenal.  In the second decade of the 21st century, Moscow engaged in a $723 billion modernization program that included procuring 1,700 warplanes, including cutting edge fighters and new air defense batteries. The Voice of Russia reported that Moscow revamped its air force with many new craft. In 2016, Spacewar reported that “A total of eight Borey-class submarines are planned to join the Russian Navy by 2020 to be the backbone of Russia’s marine nuclear forces. The first three have been launched, and another three are currently under construction. By 2020, the Russian Navy also plans to operate a total of eight Borei-class nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines, which will become the mainstay of the naval component of the country’s strategic nuclear deterrent.” Russia is upgrading other subs with Kalibr cruise missiles…Moscow’s innovative undersea fleet is getting a further upgrade through the development of ‘fifth generation submarines,’ unmanned  nuclear vessels with advanced stealth, noise-reduction, automated reconnaissance and warning systems.”

In the far east, The Associated Press noted,  the Kremlin’s military will deploy state-of-the art Bal and Bastion anti-ship missile systems and new drones will be deployed. The Arctic region is also receiving substantial attention.

The Beijing and Moscow developments are all the more troubling since the two military giants are virtually united in their opposition to the United States. Russia, the planet’s geographically largest nation, and China, with the world’s largest population, have combined their strengths in an alliance clearly aimed at the United States. The two enormous states have engaged in extensive joint military exercises across the globe, have engaged in sales of military equipment, and have covered for each other’s military misdeeds in diplomatic forums.

In their study of this extraordinary alliance, Douglas Schoen and Melik Kaylan in their book “The Russian-China Axis” described the cooperation between the two giant states: “Militarily, the two nations are cooperating and collaborating like never before…Put simply, this coalition has the potential to permanently and fundamentally alter international relations.  It was envisioned as,  and it has functioned as, a counterweight to liberal democracy generally and the United States specifically…The Russia-China alliance—we call it a new Axis—already possesses extraordinary power, as it is clear not just with new economic and trade agreements and military cooperation but also in the areas of nuclear proliferation and cyber warfare.  Individually and together, Russia and China seek to undermine the social, economic, and political framework of democratic societies and our alliances in a way that has yet to be fully understood. Their efforts to do so are emboldened immeasurably by a United States that is losing the confidence and trust of its allies and partners around the world. “

Counter-intuitively, while this was occurring, the United States actually reduced military spending during the Obama Administration. The resulting danger is undeniable, and the Pentagon is forced into a catch-up position.

Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Norquist   worries that “erosion of our competitive edge against China and Russia continues to be DOD’s central problem. To preserve peace, we must prepare for the high-end fight against near-peer competitors. While counterterrorism will continue as a core challenge, future conflicts with other nations will likely be radically different than wars fought since the collapse of the Soviet Union.”

In response, the Pentagon’s proposed 2020 $718 billion budget, according to Norquist, provides funding for several key areas, according to Norquist, including:

  • It significantly increases the investments in space and cyberspace as warfighting domains.
  • It makes investments in the air, land and sea domains to modernize the force and includes the largest shipbuilding request in 20 years.
  • It puts emphasis on innovation, such as artificial intelligence, hypersonics and unmanned vehicles.
  • It invests in developing and experimenting with and prototyping to build out and prepare for future conflicts. The research and development program has a significant funding increase.
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Photo: Chinese Defense Ministry

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Illegal Alien Impact on 2020 Election

The 2020 presidential elections are rapidly approaching, and the threat of compromising the integrity of the system due to illegal alien voting is again a grave concern. Discussion of illegal immigration issues, however, is rapidly met with false charges of racism.

Indeed, despite a stunning influx of up to 100,000 people crossing the southern border illegally each month, we are told that there is no crisis.

The  Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIRUS)  outlines the extraordinary fiscal burden imposed on U.S. taxpayers by illegal immigrants. “At the federal, state, and local levels, taxpayers shell out approximately $134.9 billion to cover the costs incurred by the presence of more than 12.5 million illegal aliens, and about 4.2 million citizen children of illegal aliens. That amounts to a tax burden of approximately $8,075 per illegal alien family member and a total of $115,894,597,664. The total cost of illegal immigration to U.S. taxpayers is both staggering and crippling. In 2013, FAIR estimated the total cost to be approximately $113 billion. So, in under four years, the cost has risen nearly $3 billion. This is a disturbing and unsustainable trend.”

The crisis is more than just dollars and cents. A General Accounting Office study of 55,322 incarcerated illegal aliens  found that they were arrested at least a total of 459,614 times, averaging about 8 arrests per illegal alien. Nearly all had more than 1 arrest. Crimes included murder, assault, rape, fraud, burglary, counterfeiting, and drug offenses.  

There is not much of a mystery why Democrats are so eager to cover up the harsh realities of illegal immigration. Numerous analyses, including one by the Center for Immigration Studies, find that new immigrants consistently and solidly support Democrat candidates.  “A comparison of voting patterns in presidential elections across counties over the last three decades shows that large-scale immigration has caused a steady drop in presidential Republican vote shares throughout the country. Once politically marginal counties are now safely Democratic due to the propensity of immigrants, especially Latinos, to identify and vote Democratic. The partisan impact of immigration is relatively uniform throughout the country, even though local Republican parties have taken different positions on illegal immigration….[this] Improve(s) Democratic electoral prospects.”

Noting the reality that those entering the United States unlawfully are, far too frequently, illegally voting raises the ire of those who understand and benefit from the dynamic of how this affects It improves sperm buy cialis usa motility and sperm count to impregnate your lady faster. order cheap viagra For someone who is having erectile dysfunction, the medicinal benefits outweigh the risk factors. Quite the opposite, actually, as the ingredients in the best natural ways to boost vitality and energy levels in men is through viagra india online intake of proven herbal remedies like Musli Strong capsules. So prevent your body parameters cialis price online learningworksca.org that can lead the cardiovascular threaten to our life. elections.

 A 2004 study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform  noted:

“There is evidence that noncitizens are being registered and casting votes, but due to the laxity in checking the eligibility of registrants and voters the full extent of the problem is not known. One of the most extensively documented cases of illegal voting was in California in 1996. Loretta Sanchez, a Democrat, defeated Republican incumbent Robert Dornan by 984 votes. Dornan called for an investigation of alleged illegal voting by noncitizens. According to Congressional Quarterly…’Task force Chairman [U.S. Representative] Vernon J. Ehlers, R-Mich., said investigators had found concrete evidence of 748 illegal votes by noncitizens…’“A lack of attention to the phenomenon of noncitizen voting and a failure to impose penalties against those who cast votes fraudulently has rendered laws against such activity meaningless. It is a federal crime to vote illegally.”

The enthusiasm evident in Democrat-controlled states to allow illegals to obtain drivers’ licenses is a key part of this drive to change the balance of political power. The Obama Administration took action which had the effect of increasing the likelihood of  illegals being able to register to vote. The Democratic Party has consistently opposed reasonable and necessary measures to prevent voter fraud.

In a 2015 letter to the Obama Administration, Ohio’s Secretary of State, Jon Husted noted: “…recent executive actions could jeopardize their integrity by making it much easier for people who are not U.S. citizens to illegally register and cast ballots. “The source of the problem is that the recent executive actions enable millions of non-U.S. citizens to obtain valid Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses. Under federal law, any person with a valid Social Security number or driver’s license can register to vote, so long as they attest to their eligibility to do so. As a result, the recent executive actions dramatically expand the opportunities for illegal voter registrations in Ohio and other states by non-citizen voters who have valid forms of identification and who willingly or negligently affirm their eligibility to vote. This problem is especially serious in the context of third-party voter registration drives, which are prevalent in Ohio and other states. Such drives occur outside of the presence of election officials who could explain that citizenship—not mere lawful presence—is a fundamental requirement for registering to vote and who can caution non-citizens against erroneous attestations. “In short, by enabling millions of non-citizens to access valid forms of the types of identification required to register to vote, the recent executive actions have increased the risk that non-citizens may illegally register to vote and vote in our elections…”

Illustration: Pixabay

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Foreign Policy Update

MEXICO

At a press conference on June 10, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo discussed the evolving illegal immigration situation we face along the Mexican border. He stated that President Trump is doing exactly what he said he would do and is the first president in history to act effectively on his promise.

The US has agreed to Mexico placing 6,000 Mexican National Guard troops along the southern border of the United States to help stem the tide of illegal immigration. According to Pompeo, this is the “biggest effort to date” by Mexico.

Those crossing the U.S. southern border to seek asylum, he added, “will be rapidly returned to Mexico where they may await their adjudication of their asylum claims.” Past numbers of asylum seekers averaged a few hundred per day. In recent months this number has exploded with some crossing points experiencing several thousand individuals attempting to enter the United States daily. The numbers are so large that ICE reports only 30% of their resources can be devoted to criminal activity as 70% are assigned to handle illegal immigration now.

The Secretary attributes movement on the issue to President Trump’s announcement that he will impose a 5% tariff on Mexican goods if the government doesn’t take action. An entire team of Mexican negotiators arrived to begin resolving the dispute. He said: “It’s what prompted this series of conversations that took on a level of seriousness and a timed commitment that we were committed to getting done before the weekend.  And, so it’s a fundamentally different commitment about doing this across the entire border at scale.”  Washington plans to review the situation daily to ensure Mexico is making progress and keeping its commitment.

HONG KONG

The State Department is urging all sides to use restraint and to refrain from violence following protests in Hong Kong. The Spokesperson added that Washington believes “these peaceful protests are incredibly important” and that it’s important for the Hong Kong Government to “respect these freedom of expressions, respect the right of people to peacefully assemble.”

Proposed legislation in Hong Kong would allow authorities to subjugate Hong Kong residents to the Chinese government as it relates to some of their fundamental rights and potentially move those charged with a crime to mainland China for prosecution. Under the One Country-Two party System Hong Kong operates under a framework of a Chinese autonomous region.

IRAN

After the two recent attacks on oil tankers near the Gulf of Hormuz, the United States is not backing off pressuring the Iranian regime to stop terrorizing innocent people.

“Our position on the JCPOA,” according to the State Department Spokesperson, “has not changed.” Washington does not want Iran to get a nuclear weapon. “Whether it’s the JCPOA or our maximum pressure campaign towards Iran – holistically. It’s not – it’s certainly about a nuclear weapon, and I know that our European counterparts would like the Iranians to stay in the JCPOA. We certainly do not want them to have a nuclear weapon,” according to the Spokesperson.

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NORTH KOREA

The United States is seeking a fundamental transformation of US-North Korea relations. With that the Trump Administration hopes to build lasting peace on the Korean peninsula.

The State Department Spokesperson pointed out that “We’re looking for a complete denuclearization. The President… maintains a warm relationship with Chairman Kim, and here at the State Department, we are ready and willing to continue engagement on working-level negotiations with the North Koreans.” In addition to a verifiable denuclearization the Administration says its looks forward to building a “bright economic future for the North Korean people.”

Washington is working to ensure that North Korean commitments, made a year ago, come to fruition. During this period the State Department confirmed economic sanctions will remain in effect.

CHINA

The United States is growing increasingly concerned that China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” is not simply about commercial projects that happen to be in strategically significant areas of the world, but that each one is a national security initiative designed by Beijing to appear as a commercial operation. Washington has reminded countries in China’s sightline that Beijing is attempting to “use state-owned enterprises to gain political influence and power.” Pompeo said that we “welcome that investment if it’s purely commercial and it’s designed for a noble end, but we have to be ever mindful of the national security risks presented….”

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 Inc., 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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A Republic of Ignorance

The most contentious debates in American politics are not between Republicans and Democrats, or liberals and conservatives. Increasingly, they are amongst those who have a practical command of facts and those blinded by ideology.

The unprecedented rise to prominence of significant elected officials, overwhelmingly on the left, who have rejected, or are unaware, of facts and factual arguments is extraordinary.

The popular new faces in national politics, including individuals such as New York City’s Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Presidential wannabe Beto O’Rourke, have clearly, almost proudly, headlined their ignorance, and paid no penalty for it.

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has argued that “Unemployment is low because everyone has two jobs.” In a recent interview, O’Rourke failed to provide any substantive responses to almost every question put to him. Both, however, are considered rising stars on the left. A fawning press has declined to criticize them.

Facilitating this trend towards low-density knowledge is the choice of forums by “progressive” elected officials and candidates. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Announced her 2020 Presidential Run on theStephen Colbert program. A Pew Research study  found that a significant portion of Americans get their news from non-news sources, particularly comedy and entertainment television programs. A Harvard Crimson analysis found that “Political satire outlets have risen in popularity considerably in recent years…This meteoric rise has led scholars and laymen alike to question the impact humorous news outlets have on politics… political satire chooses reports based on comedic value, which—instead of deviating from essential information… some have argued that political satire encourages cynicism, trivializes politics, and promotes a narrow point of view (stemming from the predominantly liberal leanings of most political satirists and comedians).”

Factual recognition of the number of the key challenges facing the United States should be beyond the realm of debate, even if the solutions to those issues are contentious. Unfortunately, the rejection of reality and the promotion of style over substance has become a hallmark of the left. Consider:

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The Russians and the Chinese have massively increased the strength of their armed forces, even while, during the Obama Administration, the U.S. cut back its military.  The increased aggressiveness of both of those nations is blatant. The threat is real and undeniable. Nevertheless, it is a mantra on the left that the Pentagon’s budget should be cut.

The commission of serious crimes by illegal aliens and the high costs from social services provided to them is real. The Democrats have made opposition to measures preventing unlawful border crossings a central tenet of their beliefs. Many endorse granting voting rights in local elections and issuing drivers licenses to illegals.

The nation labors under $21 trillion in debt, with more added each second.  Yet, overtly unaffordable concepts such as “Medicare for all” and free college tuition are essential parts of the leftist platform.

Despite significant and clear-cut evidence that increasing the minimum wage results in job loss, the concept is overwhelmingly endorsed by Democrats.

Socialist economics have ruined every nation in which they have been attempted, Venezuela being merely the latest example. However, the institution of socialist policies is now the hottest trend in left-wing politics. There has been little mention of its century-long history of failure in just about every type of environment.

Several decades ago, then-Vice President Dan Quayle misspelled “potato” and became a national laughingstock, despite his significant intellect.

With disturbing frequency, campaigns are being decided not on considerations of which candidate offers the more viable solutions, but on which contender is more “cool.”  These contests are beginning to resemble high school elections for prom king and queen more than traditional elections. A leftist-oriented media, eager to avoid serious consideration of the failure of leftist ideology, is all to eager to encourage this.

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The New Totalitarians

The familiar American political landscape of Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives has been dramatically altered. Concepts once considered completely foreign and unacceptable are now openly and vigorously competing in the marketplace of ideas.

This newly empowered radical movement consists of socialists, environmental extremists, and dissenters from the Judeo-Christian ethic that has essentially formed the underpinnings of western thought. Although disparate in many of their beliefs, they share a common enmity for American culture, the U.S. Constitution, and free enterprise. This unites them, at least until the existing order is overturned. They also have in common a particular disdain for the First Amendment, and the rejection of the supremacy of facts over ideology.

A hallmark of the radical left is a constant trend to censor and outcast any comment they disagree with. Their influence is not to be taken lightly, and their success rate is alarming.

This was rather dramatically illustrated recently by separate incidents affecting conservative commentator Jeanine Pirro and Chelsea Clinton, the liberal daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Pirro questioned whether Rep. Ilhan Omar, (D-Minn.), who has made aggressively anti-Semitic comments and has also accused the U.S. of planning a coup in Venezuela, placed her personal beliefs above the Constitution, allegedly symbolized by her clothing.  Her FOX program was subsequently suspended.

Clinton’s comments were so innocuous as to seem not even worthy of attention. While attending a vigil for the Muslims killed at a New Zealand Mosque, the former First Daughter was sharply criticized and absurdly accused of being the cause of the massacre simply because she disagreed with an anti-Semitic tweet by the same Rep. Omar.

The fact that a commentator was suspended for merely raising a question is noteworthy, another example in a growing list of successful censorship activities engineered by a vigorous radical left. The fact that many students agreed with the criticism of Clinton is indicative of the success that the left’s anti-fact drive has enjoyed.  

The radicals also differ from traditional politics in their condonation and actual employment of force and the threat of violence, particularly in their assault on the First Amendment. Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson’s home was assaulted by an ANTIFA mob, a group which is, essentially, the equivalent of the Nazi (National Socialist) Party’s “Brownshirts” who terrorized Jews and other dissenters of Hitler’s rise to absolute power. A Breitbart study described over 600 acts of violence against Trump supporters.  Reports of individuals being assaulted for merely wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap are a regular occurrence.

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Universities are a key power center of the radical left. The descent of American colleges was first significantly noted in 1987, when author Allan Bloom published his landmark book, “The closing of the American Mind.” He reported that the curriculum rejected rationality and reality.  The situation has since grown worse.

Throughout the nation, professors, students, and guest speakers alike who challenge the leftist orthodoxy are harassed and marginalized.  Insane policies that defy the very foundation of the First Amendment have been enacted to prevent the free exchange of ideas. Political correctness—which in practice can include the rejection of anything that challenges left wing biases—has replaced open discourse.

Clear examples of an increasingly totalitarian bent can be seen in the treatment of teachers and guest lecturers who refuse to kowtow to the Leftist academic establishment.

The radical’s anti-fact emphasis has attained sacred-cow status.  Environmental extremists insist that there is no dissent from the man-man climate change mantra. Completely ignored are the 31,072 American scientists, including 9,029 with PH.D’s, who signed a petition opposing the views of those who claim human factors have altered the climate.  Yet anyone even acknowledging contrary views is labelled a “denier” with the same hostile vigor reserved for alleged heretics during the Inquisition, despite clear example of intentionally altered data.  

The push to employ the same socialist policies that have consistently failed in nations as diverse as the Soviet Union, East Germany, North Korea and Venezuela is in and of itself a clear example of the Radical’s rejection of facts.

The unprecedented mainstreaming of violence, suppression of free speech, and the rejection of facts is a dangerous new reality in American politics can no longer be ignored.

Photo: Nazi Brownshirts (Holocaust Museum photo)
The Sturmabteilung, or SA, was a paramilitary organization associated with the Nazi Party. The SA was integral to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, violently enforcing party norms

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Mueller Report: End or Beginning Part 2

Conclusion of an analysis by the distinguished retired judge John H. Wilson

D. Can President Trump be prosecuted for Obstruction of Justice?

While it is highly debatable whether these actions constitute the crime of Obstruction of Justice, what is not debatable is that the President, while in office, cannot be prosecuted.  The Office of Legal Counsel issued an opinion, cited in the Mueller Report, which states that “the indictment or criminal prosecution of a sitting President would impermissibly undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions.”  While the Special Counsel accepted this restriction, the Report notes that “a criminal investigation during the President’s term is permissible,” and “a President does not have immunity after he leaves office.” 

In his now infamous letter, Attorney General William Barr made it clear that “Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and I have concluded that the evidence developed during the Special Counsel’s investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense.”  This decision was based upon a lack of criminal intent on the part of President Trump – “the report identifies no actions that, in our judgment, constitute obstructive conduct, had a nexus to a pending or contemplated proceeding, and were done with corrupt intent.”  It was also made “without regard to, and is not based on, the constitutional considerations that surround the indictment and criminal prosecution of a sitting president.”

  Recently, a petition signed by, at last count, just over 800 former federal prosecutors, states that “each of us believes that the conduct of President Trump described in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report would, in the case of any other person not covered by the Office of Legal Counsel policy against indicting a sitting President, result in multiple felony charges for obstruction of justice.”  Interestingly enough, this group of experienced lawyers do not state anywhere in their position paper which specific statutes they believe the President violated – there is only a general statement that Mr. Trump’s actions constitute “obstruction of justice.”  

Setting aside the obviously political nature of this petition (this author has been unable to locate a similar petition regarding the decision of AG Loretta Lynch to not prosecute Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton), the only real recourse left for those who disagree with AG Barr and Deputy AG Rosenstein’s assessment is the one currently being championed by Congressional intellectuals like Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes (D-NY) – impeachment.

E. Can President Trump be impeached based upon the findings of the Mueller Report?

 Under Article II, Sec 4 of the US Constitution, “the President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”  It is important to understand that a “misdemeanor” is not only a violation of a minor criminal statute –  “John Randolph Tucker explained that it was ‘a synonym for misbehavior’; and Webster’s original dictionary defined it as ‘ill behavior, evil conduct, fault, or mismanagement.’” 

Currently, an Article of Impeachment is pending before Congress – House Resolution 705, sponsored by Rep. Al Green (D-Tx).  However, the sole ground for impeachment stated in this bill accuses the President of a “high misdemeanor” – “his bigoted statements (have) done more than simply insult individuals and groups of Americans, he has harmed the American society by attempting to convert his bigoted statements into United States policy.”  This allegation relates specifically to the so-called “Muslim ban” on immigration from certain countries associated with terrorism activities; barring transgendered persons from serving in the military; comments made during the Charlottesville riots; and disparaging comments about third-world countries.

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 Obviously, this bill, pending since January of 2018, is going nowhere.  But clearly, Articles which allege that the President used his authority to attempt to convince members of his Administration to halt an ongoing investigation are far more serious, and could potentially form the basis for a “misdemeanor,” ie, “ill conduct…mismanagement.”

Given that President Clinton was impeached for making false statements, under oath, regarding his affair with a White House intern, the possibility of an impeachment of President Trump based upon the findings stated in the Mueller Report is substantial.

          F. Could President Trump be removed from office?

   Despite the very clear and unequivocal evidence that President Clinton had lied, the Congress still acquitted him.  As explained by University of North Carolina professor Michael Gerhardt, “impeachments require a significant amount of political will…an impeachment will take up a lot of a Congress’s time and energy, and congress members who support impeachment have a lot to lose and potentially little to gain by undertaking an impeachment.”  

Is there the political will to remove President Trump from office?  Several of the Democratic candidates for President, including Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) think so.  But in the House of Representatives, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not ready to take this step.  Instead, she is calling for aggressive investigations of the President, no doubt hoping for some better evidence.

This would explain the broad subpoenas issued by the House Judiciary Committee, and the holding of AG William Barr in contempt for not appearing before the Committee and letting himself be cross-examined by staff members rather than sitting Representatives.    But as reported in Politico,  “Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team worry that such moves, while pleasing to a party base that loathes the president, would backfire and boost Trump politically.”

Alexander Graham Bell is credited with stating, “When one door closes, another door opens.”  The door may be closed on the Mueller Report – but the door stands wide open on the possibility of impeachment.

Photo: Official Congressional photo

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Mueller Report: End or Beginning?

An analysis by the distinguished retired Judge John H. Wilson

There is a line in the Grateful Dead’s song, “Terrapin Station,” that applies to the release of the Report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller – “I can’t figure out, if it’s the end or beginning.”  Robert Mueller may have packed up his tent, but the Congressional circus has only just started.

                A. The Mueller Report on Russian Collusion.

It is well known that one of the major findings of the Report is that “the investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”     This flies in the face of statements made by the Democratic Congressional leadership before the release of the report – notably people like Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), who stated in December of 2017 “The Russians offered help, the campaign accepted help, the Russians gave help, and the president made full use of that help, and that is pretty damning,” and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who said in November of 2018, “The evidence is pretty clear that there was collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.” 

To date, this writer is unaware of a single Democrat who has admitted to being wrong, or making an incorrect statement, regarding whether or not President Trump colluded with any Russians who attempted to interfere in the 2016 election.  In fact, when former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani demanded that CNN commentator Chris Cuomo apologize for “torturing (Trump) for two years with (allegations) of collusion,” Cuomo stated “not a chance.” 

 Regardless of any Democrat’s refusal to admit they were wrong, the fact remains – the Special Counsel, after two years of intensive investigation, could not find any evidence that President Trump, or anyone on his campaign staff, is a traitor.

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                B. The Mueller Report – Obstruction of Justice.

Instead, as I predicted just before the release of the Report, in my appearance on the Financial Survival Network with Kerry Lutz in April,  Congressional Democrats now pin their hopes of ending the Trump Presidency on the second finding of the Mueller Report – “if we had confidence…that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state.  Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment.  Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” 

The Mueller Report makes this conclusion at page 8 of Volume II of the report – yet, one page earlier, the Report states as follows: “unlike cases in which a subject engages in obstruction of justice to cover up a crime, the evidence we obtained did not establish that the President was involved in any underlying crime related to Russian election interference.”

                C. Legal Standards for an Obstruction of Justice Charge.

Obstruction of Justice under 18 USC Chapter 73 can take many forms, from Resistance to an Extradition Agent (Section 1502) to obstruction of the examination of a financial institution (Section 1517.  The three sections the Special Counsel believed could apply to President Trump’s conduct are 1503 (Influencing an officer or juror), 1505 (obstruction of proceedings before departments, agencies and committees), and two subsections of 1512 (tampering with a witness, victim or informant).   In support of the application of these statutes to the President’s conduct, the Mueller Report details a series of unsuccessful attempts by President Trump to convince various members of his Administration to either remove the Special Counsel, or in the case of former US Attorney Robert Sessions, to “unrecuse” himself from supervision of the Special Counsel.  

The Report concludes tomorrow

Photo: Pixabay

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Morality and the Presidential Contest

This article was submitted by retired U.S. Army Chaplin Don Zapsic, Jr.

The upcoming 2020 presidential election season promises to be an epic, no-holds barred battle for the heart-and-soul of America. The two major parties invited to the big dance will likely play a major role in pushing the nation’s moral compass needle closer to, or further off-center. In light of the culture’s prevailing moral climate, “What role will morality play in the next round of presidential politics?” If the past is any indication, it will be more of a “check-in” regarding our national character than a driving force in the election of the next president. While pocketbook issues will continue to prevail at the polls, presidential elections say a great deal about who we are and where we are heading as one nation historically “under God.”

One of the dance partners in the upcoming election features Democratic Party darling Beto O’Rourke. A heavyweight contender when it comes to championing “a woman’s right to choose.” Even if that choice involves finishing off a newborn baby having the misfortune of surviving a botched abortion attempt. In Beto’s world, an unwanted, aborted newborn doesn’t stand a chance and mercy extends no further than the mother’s choice on the matter. The Republican side boasts a candidate who like Abraham Lincoln, is arguably one of the most maligned, despised presidents in U.S. history. President Donald J. Trump, a man whose executive decisions and legislative actions have been surprisingly moral in light of an often reputed unscrupulous and checkered past.

While individual contenders for the presidency display flashes of their own morality or lack thereof, the bigger picture lies in the party platforms that overshadow the candidates themselves. Coupled with the fact that there is no other American election that brings the entire country together for the express purpose of picking one leader; the candidates themselves to a greater or lesser degree fall within the range of party platforms. If a citizen could only pick one information source to measure society’s moral stature, the tenets of a party platform in a presidential race would be a good place to start.

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Things were not always this way. There was a time in the not-so-distant past that morality was a prime driver in the election of a president. A paradigm shift took place during the 1992 presidential race when Clinton campaign strategist James Carville coined the phrase, “The economy, stupid.” Bill Clinton rode the wings of that dubious political strategy all the way to the White House amidst a swirl of controversy much like the current president has done under a different set of circumstances. Then as in now, the crux of the matter became more about the purse strings than the heartstrings. The idea being, “Don’t be so narrow-minded, a person’s character has little to do with one’s ability to lead.” This narrative was a quantum leap conceived during the 1992 presidential campaign and has continued to prey upon the national conscience on numerous occasions ever since.

The aforementioned shift in national priorities was further attested to by presidential biographer Peggy Noonan in the front flap of her book entitled, “When Character Was King.” She argued “that the secret of Reagan’s success was no secret at all. It was his character- his courage, his kindness, his persistence, his honesty, and his almost heroic patience in the face of setbacks.” The morality shift in presidential politics since the Reagan era is merely an embrace of the pragmatic over principle. And that mentality is nothing new.

“The Morals of a Prince by Niccolo Macchiavelli” was published in 1532 and stands as a written testimony to the political and immoral philosophy of, “The end justifies the means.” Under the biblical premise that “there is nothing new under the sun,” America would do well to keep in mind during the upcoming presidential campaign election season that what comes out on the campaign trail is nothing new, and nothing sophisticated. It is merely a repackaged, many times  warmed-over bill of goods if it promotes short-term gain at the expense of long-term prosperity. 

It would be a mistake to trivialize the importance of morality in the upcoming presidential election. Morally-deficient individuals seeking the highest office in the land will consistently act immoral when the stakes are high for doing so. There may very well be exceptions to this rule on certain occasions as no one is totally bad or good however, “the devil is found in the details.” Ideas matter, words matter, your vote matters if for no other reason that it is hard to complain about the very things that we choose to live with, and under.  

Illustration: Pixabay

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Foreign Policy Update

SUDAN

The United States on Wednesday condemned the recent attacks on protesters in Sudan. The State Department Spokesperson said the US calls on “Sudan’s Transitional Military Council and the Rapid Support Forces to desist from violence and we call for resumed contact with the Forces for Freedom and Change with the aim of a civilian-led transition that leads to timely elections and free expression of the will of the Sudanese people. We support the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council’s April 30 communique.”

Senior Department officials currently are engaging with officials in the region in an attempt to encourage restraint and find a peaceful solution to the challenges in Sudan. Washington also welcomed the recent statements from the AU, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia calling for restraint from violence and resumption of dialogue.  

GERMANY

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week to discuss key shared priorities, including supporting Ukraine and countering Russian aggression. The two discussed the Iranian regime’s escalating threats in the region against American interests and the need to counter Iran’s missile activities and regional aggression, according to the State Department Spokesperson. The leaders also discussed the countries’ shared interests around efforts to forge a political settlement that ends the conflict in Afghanistan, while preserving the gains of the last 18 years.  

CHINA

The Internet of the future, according to the Secretary of State, must have western values within it. While in Europe Secretary of State Pompeo spoke with the press. When asked about the threat from China’s Huawei he responded: “Western countries, liberal democracies share a common value set. The Chinese don’t share that value set, and so their infrastructure, their IT systems, and in a particular case a company called Huawei, are fundamentally different.”

Pompeo pointed out that the incentive, if you’re Huawei, is to work with the Chinese Government. He said they have “three members of the Communist Party sitting on their board of directors. This is deeply inconsistent with how we protect security of the people of Netherlands and the people of Europe and the people of the United States. And we have made very clear that there’s real risk.”

IRAN

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When asked if there was any divergence between Europe’s and the United States’ position on Iran, Secretary Pompeo last week responded: “I saw foreign minister – Foreign Secretary Hunt, right? He said… we share a common view on the threat from Iran. We’ve departed ways on the JCPOA. We had a different analytical analysis of the best way to prevent Iran from having a pathway to a nuclear weapon system. Yeah, that technical piece we disagree on. But the thrust, the goal, the risk, the threat, I think Europeans and Americans share a very common understanding about.”

While in Europe this past week Pompeo said that those items that are subject to sanctions, “we will do our best to enforce the American sanctions regime that is put in – has been put in place.”  But for those that aren’t, he added, for “humanitarian goods, things that are permitted to move, whether they move through INSTEX or through another mechanism – those are lawful and appropriate and are permitted to continue under the sanctions laws that we’ve put in place.”   

SYRIA

Responding to questions about Syria from reporters in Europe, Pompeo pointed out that US efforts in Syria are “aimed at a political resolution of the conflict in Syria” with UN Security Resolution 2254 as the guidepost. He added that the “effort to get the constitutional assembly put together is something that we collectively have been working on for some time, and we hope to make progress.  There is another element to our effort, which is to reduce risk of violence.  You’ve seen the work that we’ve done with the Turks in Manbij, west of the Euphrates River, and we are attempting to set up a system – something akin to that, call it a buffer zone, call it what you will – that will reduce risk of terrorists attacking from Syria into Turkey and reduce risks that Turkey will come south and disrupt Kurdish activity inside of Syria.”

Pompeo noted that the United States is committed forces there to work towards that political resolution and has asked its European partners to assist as Washington develops plans and sees what the force requirements will actually look like.   

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 Inc., 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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The Whole Climate Story, Part 3

This series of articles was written for the New York Analysis of Policy and Government by noted author and researcher Alex Bugaeff. We conclude the comprehensive look at the climate change debate.

Human Error and Intention

Climate change has been made into a “Cause” by proponents who seize it to advance their interests. Vast sums of money have been offered and expended in its research and promotion. Former US Senator Al Gore has turned it into a lucrative career for himself and his followers. Enormous research grants have been dangled in front of university faculties in return for findings of global warming.

Dr. Judith Curry, PhD and Chair, Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Science Emeritus, Georgia Tech University, reports that grants became awarded only to those who would find evidence of warming – “Research and other professional activities are professionally rewarded only if they are channeled in certain directions approved by a politicized academic establishment…” she said.

Al Gore aside, the current push to use global warming as a political tool probably began with Philip (Phil) Jones, an English academic associated with the UK’s East Anglia University. Jones received his PhD in Hydrology (the study of the movement, distribution and quality of water on the Earth) in 1977 and began in 1979 as a Research Associate with the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia, advancing to Professor in 1998.

Phil Jones was a leader in the founding of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) by the United Nations in 1988. He and other researchers published a series of reports which purported to prove that the globe is warming at the “alarming” rate of 1.5 degrees or so by 2100. They did this by formulating mathematical models that used CO2 as the factor by which warming was predicted. They blamed the burning of fossil fuels for the higher CO2 amounts while ignoring natural sources of it. And then, they proclaimed that this warming would be catastrophic.

The IPCC ignited controversy when it refused to release either their data or their models for analysis by outside scientists. They finally shared their data, but refused to release the mathematical models by which they analyzed it.

Using the IPCC findings, Al Gore and other warming proponents promoted policies to reduce global warming through a tax scheme he called “Cap and Trade.” Under it, corporations would pay taxes on the carbon that their businesses emitted. Gore and his adherents continue to insist that the earth is warming, that mankind is to blame and that their tax programs are the solution.

Al Gore famously cited a survey that 97% of scientists agree on the warming “theory” and that the science of warming is “settled.” He overlooked that the cited survey consisted of about 120 respondents (compared with 31,000 scientists who oppose it), that the IPCC mathematics have been withheld from scrutiny and that the Scientific Method never accepts that findings are “settled” anyway (see below).

Eventually, the data collected by the IPCC researchers began to show the truth – CO2 is a poor predictor of global temperatures. But, now there was too much at stake – money, power and fame. To maintain the illusion of infallibility, Jones and the IPCC falsified their data and conspired with NASA and NOAA among others to keep it quiet, but it came out anyway and was dubbed “Climategate.”

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In an attempt to salvage what they could, IPCC issued reports and assessments that revised their methods, data and standards without admitting anything. . It remains to be seen whether these changes will result in submission of peer reviewed data and conformity to the Scientific Method. Phil Jones has “retired.”

Can Science Ever Be “Settled?”

The discoveries of science since the Greeks have come primarily by virtue of the Scientific Method. It’s simple, really. You surmise that some phenomenon of the natural world might be true and you make a statement proposing it – the Hypothesis. You Test your Hypothesis using accepted procedures. The Test results either support your Hypothesis or they do not. Then, you publish your Hypothesis, Tests and results so that other scientists can replicate your Tests (peer review). Their results may support your Hypothesis or not.

The more that Tests by others support your Hypothesis, the more confidence you can have that your Hypothesis is reliable. But, it can never be “proven.” Someday, a new or better test may be found that fails to support your Hypothesis. That’s the nature of scientific inquiry. It can never be “settled” and must never be. Otherwise, the Earth would still be “flat.”

CO2-caused climate change is not settled science. Just the complexity of climate and the inability to replicate findings in order to test them makes it impossible. Corruption further compromises any findings. Scientific procedures can be used to track climate and elements, but fine distinctions of a degree or so are speculative.    

Conclusion

Climate and temperatures will fluctuate naturally, as they have for all of earth’s existence. The factors affecting them are out of the hands of mankind, except for those greenhouse gases over which we have some control, and they play only a relatively small role. It may be just as likely that we are cooling as that we are warming.

Considering all these factors, their variability and the difficulty of measuring them, it is not possible nor is it advisable for scientists and mathematicians to claim that their mathematical models should be the basis for investing monumental sums of money in a scheme that may be exactly the wrong thing. The findings and dire warnings of global warming proponents must be regarded as unfounded or even, as some have said, a hoax.

Mankind should be a good steward of the planet and those of us who seek to do so should continue to pressure planet abusers, such as India and China, to improve. But, we should not bankrupt ourselves and our nation to assuage a false guilt perpetrated by politicians and corrupted scientists. We need to be smarter than that. 

Illustration: Pixabay