As the Democratic Party’s candidates are preparing for the 2020 presidential primary I decided to compare what then candidate John F. Kennedy said and believed in comparison to what the current field of candidates say and believe.
At the bottom of the poster was printed “The American’s Creed” written by William Tyler Page. William Tyler Page was an American public servant. He worked on the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. for 61 years, first as a page boy and later as a clerk of the United States House of Representatives.
Here are the words printed exactly as they appear on then candidate Kennedy’s campaign poster:
I BELIEVE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed, a democracy in a republic, a sovereign NATION OF MANY SOVEREIGN STATES; a perfect union one and inseparable established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice and humanity for which AMERICAN PATRIOTS SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES AND FORTUNES. I therefore believe it is my DUTY TO MY COUNTRY to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.
Let’s compare and contrast statements by the two leading Democratic Party candidates to the words of candidate John F. Kennedy.
Current front runner Joe Biden:
“…if we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation, who we are, and I cannot stand by and watch that happen.”
John F. Kennedy, “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer but the right answer.”
Bernie Sanders:
“Our campaign is about more than beating Donald Trump. It’s about transforming our country and creating a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial, and environmental justice.”
John F. Kennedy, “I therefore believe it is my DUTY TO MY COUNTRY to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.”
Here is what President Trump said during his inaugural speech:
Today’s ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another — but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People.
For too long, a small group in our nation’s Capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished — but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered — but the jobs left, and the factories closed.
The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nation’s capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our land.
That all changes — starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your moment: it belongs to you.
What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government is controlled by the people. January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.
You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before. At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction: that a nation exists to serve its citizens.
President Trump sounds very much like JFK. More so than the candidates currently running on the Democratic ticket.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Dr. Rich Swierhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngDr. Rich Swier2019-05-26 09:17:522019-05-29 05:40:06JFK put ‘The American’s Creed’ on his campaign posters — So Why Do Democrats Hate America?
Hundreds of protesters showed up in New York City’s Times Square “to call for the removal of freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.” They comprised of both Jews and Jewish supporters against antisemitism.
“New York native and activist Joe Diamond” who organized the rally stated: “In my lifetime I cannot think of any other politician who presents a bigger threat to the alliance between the US and Israel and to America’s Jews”.
Many have not called out the uniqueness about Islamic antisemitism, branding the likes of Ilhan Omar (and Rashida Tlaib) as merely “antisemitic”. What makes this kind of antisemitism distinct is the organized pervasiveness of it and the fact that the roots of Islamic antisemitism lies within Islamic doctrine, from the Quran to modern teachings by Islamic scholars.
“The former Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, who was the most respected cleric in the world among Sunni Muslims, called Jews ‘the enemies of Allah, descendants of apes and pigs.’”
According to Saudi sheikh, Ba’d bin Abdallah al-Ajameh al-Ghamidi: “The current behavior of the brothers of apes and pigs, their treachery, violation of agreements, and defiling of holy places … is connected with the deeds of their forefathers during the early period of Islam–which proves the great similarity between all the Jews living today and the Jews who lived at the dawn of Islam.”
And the Palestinian jihad is sealed within PA, PLO, Hamas and Fatah Charters which aim to obliterate Israel from the river (Jordan) to the sea (Mediterranean). Children in the Palestinian territories are sent to summer Jihad camp and are indoctrinated to hate Jews through school curricula; and pay-for-slayblood money continues to fund Palestinian jihad terrorists.
The New York City protest was organized by the group “Ilan Must Go.” Members planned on a billboard launching “with donations from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Zionist Organization of America and others”, but the city denied them a permit, calling the ad “disparaging“. But that did not stop “Ilhan Must Go“. The group launched a “video display on a truck.”
“Speakers at the event included former Democratic New York State assemblyman Dov Hikind and award-winning advocate of Christian Zionism Laurie Cardoza-Moore.” Moore said something noteworthy, that she “expects to be called Islamophobic” but she is just “against terrorism”. A Washington Examiner article published the telling title about Ilhan Omar: She’s not naive: Ilhan Omar is on the road, raising money for extreme Islamist groups.
Omar has been continuously invoking the dreaded words “islamophobia”, and “racist” when she gets called out, as a means to veil her own Islamic antisemitism.
“HUNDREDS OF JEWS GATHER IN TIMES SQUARE TO PROTEST ILHAN OMAR”, by Haley Cohen, Jerusalem Post, May 22, 2019:
EW YORK – Protesters gathered in New York City’s Times Square late Monday to call for the removal of freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Following the highly-publicized allegations of the Minnesotan congresswoman’s antisemitism and her statement downplaying the 9/11 terrorist attacks, New York native and activist Joe Diamond organized a rally and billboard launch calling for her removal. She is one of the first two Muslim women to be elected to the US legislature.
“In my lifetime, I cannot think of any other politician who presents a bigger threat to the alliance between the US and Israel and to America’s Jews,” Diamond told The Jerusalem Post ahead of Monday’s protest. “This woman is an ardent antisemite, and she doesn’t even try to hide it.”
Omar’s critics had planned to launch a billboard with redacted quotes from the politician, alongside graphic 9/11 imagery. The group, named “Ilan Must Go,” was prepared to spend thousands of dollars on the billboard, with donations from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Zionist Organization of America and others. Instead, the detractors put the video display on a truck, as they were unable to receive a stationary billboard permit from local authorities, which cited the ad as “disparaging.”
A screen on the truck flickered with controversial statements Omar has made since being elected in 2018, including her much-publicized and allegedly antisemitic tweet “It’s all about the Benjamins baby.”
Diamond, who originally estimated that the event would bring in 10,000 protesters, said he was pleased with the turnout in the hundreds. Speakers at the event included former Democratic New York State assemblyman Dov Hikind and award-winning advocate of Christian Zionism Laurie Cardoza-Moore.
“We have to utilize every mechanism of media to wake up Americans about the vile hatred of this woman. Christians should also be alarmed. Ilhan Omar is a huge threat to our national security,” Cardoza-Moore said. The activist told the Post that she expects to be called Islamophobic following her statements. “I’m just against terrorism,” she claimed.
Omar’s defenders were among those in the crowd, including a handful of hassidic men who oppose the existence of Israel and a group of Jewish millennials who said that attempts to remove her were an expression of racism and Islamophobia, linked to white supremacy.
“At a Times Square protest against Ilhan Omar, several hundred people with Trump banners and Israeli and American flags are saying the most hateful lies. One man has the flag of The Jewish Defense League, a terrorist group responsible for multiple murders,” author and artist Molly Crabapple tweeted….
EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Jihad Watchhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngJihad Watch2019-05-25 18:07:182019-05-25 18:07:18NYC: Hundreds of Jews protest against Ilhan Omar at Times Square
“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” – Douglas MacArthur
“Americans never quit.” – Douglas MacArthur
“I am concerned for the security of our great Nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within.” – Douglas MacArthur
There are only two holidays a year that bring me to tears. The first is Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) and the second is Independence Day, July 4th. In 2011, I wrote an article entitled Real Americans. I told of the loss and heartbreak I felt when I saw the flags waving and heard the firecrackers. The loss of what we once had and what we have become was overwhelming. I regained hope with the election of President Donald J. Trump, but I still fear for my nation.
Commemoration to Soldiers
Decoration Day started with a commemoration to the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. In the South, southern ladies’ groups commemorated the fallen soldiers on different days than the holiday of the north. However, by the 20th century, all American soldiers who had fallen in war were remembered on the last Monday in May, originally May 30th.
Decoration Day meant placing flowers on the graves of the fallen, but soon became a memorial for all family members who had passed. Those who know the real meaning of the holiday visit the cemeteries not only to decorate the graves of fallen American soldiers, those who served our country, but also to remember our deceased ancestors.
Decoration Day was officially changed to Memorial Day by Federal law in 1967. On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30th date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971.
This has no doubt changed the tenor of the Remembrance Day into one of a spring-into-summer three-day weekend holiday, which has caused the solemn honor of the original commemoration to be lost. Japanese Nisei, Daniel Inouye, Hawaii’s former Senator, and a WWII veteran had tried every year to return the holiday to May 30th.
Today, this holiday of commemoration has become one of barbecues, picnics, baseball and swimming. It no longer is a day of solemn remembrance of our nation’s loss. When I think of all those who have served, I remember those in my own dear family.
Memorials
The Memorial Day flag is to be raised briskly to the top of the pole at dawn and then lowered to half-mast until noon. This is done in remembrance. At noon, the flag is again raised to the top of the pole for the remainder of the day.
My maternal grandfather served in the Army as a cook in WWI. His two sons, my mother’s older and younger brothers, my uncles, both served in WWII in Europe and in Germany respectively. I remember my Uncle Bob telling me about how he hitchhiked across Czechoslovakia to see his cousin, Norm, who was also in the Army. Uncle Bob was a medic and he would never talk about his service in WWII.
My paternal grandfather graduated from the Presidio (officer’s training) in 1917 with the Army Cavalry. I still have the humorously written program for his graduation dinner. His degrees were in international law and French. He married my grandmother that same year and went off to war. His older brother, James, was also a soldier in WWI. In a nine-page typewritten letter my great-grandfather, who was a Baptist preacher and physician, wrote to the church he founded in Bozeman, Montana, he mentioned how his wife worried and prayed for her two sons in France. Here is a photo of my grandfather on his beloved horse, O’Hara.
My paternal grandfather remained in the military for many years. I obtained his military records through my former congressman. He was retired prior to WWII, but after Pearl Harbor and at the age of 50, he re-enlisted. He was in charge of a German prisoner-of-war camp for a year or so. The photos of this camp and the inmates look as though it was a great holiday for the Germans. These original photos were at my friend, Harry Mazal’s Holocaust Library in San Antonio, Texas, but after Harry’s death, the University of Colorado Jewish Studies bought the library. At the close of WWII, my grandfather, Colonel George Byron Morse, was in charge of the MPs at Nuremburg. His Army Cavalry uniform and his boots are also in Colorado along with documents and photos. Here is a photo of my dear friend Harry in his beloved library. My library is filled with books that Harry sent me that no one else could get.
The Nisei
After the war, my paternal grandparents were very concerned about the second-generation Japanese Americans who fought on our side during WWII, the Nisei. My grandmother, Stella Dolan Morse, was the inspiration for a veteran’s hall for them and the Nisei Veterans’ Memorial Hall was born. My grandfather brought it to fruition and his picture still hangs prominently in their veteran organization.
The 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, composed of approximately 14,000 Japanese American soldiers, became the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in American history. Among their many awards, they earned eight Presidential Citations, over 9,000 Purple Hearts, and 21 Medals of Honor.
The 100th/442nd fought many battles. One of the most historic was the Rescue of the Lost Battalion in October 1944, when the unit led a heroic drive through German lines in the Vosges Mountains to rescue 211 surviving soldiers of the 36th Texas Division. For this the governor of Texas named the Nisei soldiers “Honorary Texans.”
In 1945, the courageous actions of the 100th/442nd were critical in breaking the German Gothic Line. They fought the Germans through intense combat and liberated towns such as Bruyeres, Biffontaine, and Belvedere. They also helped free Holocaust victims from Dachau concentration camp.
Approximately 6,000 Japanese Americans served in the Pacific Theater in the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) of the US Army. These soldiers utilized their knowledge of the Japanese language and culture to defeat the Japanese military in the Pacific. General Douglas MacArthur’s intelligence chief, Major General Charles A. Willoughby, estimated that these contributions shortened the war by at least two years and saved countless lives in the process. For this, the MIS was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation.
When my retired, aging, California grandparents needed assistance, the Japanese were there to help them in every way. At their funeral masses, the priests were both Japanese. The eulogies from these brave Nisei are simply beautiful and showed what great love these Japanese American war heroes had for my paternal grandparents.
The Presidio Today
The Presidio today is nothing like what my grandfather would envision. Congress voted in 1989 to end the Presidio’s status as an active military installation and on October 1, 1994, it was transferred to the National Park Service, ending 219 years of military use and beginning its next phase of mixed commercial and public use. Sadly, that use is now part and parcel of the UN Agenda 21 program of destroying national sovereignty and our liberties. In 1996, the United States Congress created the Presidio Trust to oversee and manage the interior 80% of the park’s lands, with the National Park Service managing the coastal 20%.
In 1993, the Gorbachev Foundation USA was invited to sink roots at the Presidio as part of the post’s conversion from the headquarters of the 6th U.S. Army to a national park.
From the website, Mikhail Gorbachev, Creatively Marketing Global Communism, comes this statement regarding Gorbachev’s State of the World Forum, “Former Soviet Communist Party boss Mikhail Gorbachev, founder of the State of the World Forum six years ago, used a $5,000 per person gathering of the world’s political and business elite to plea for the United Nations to adopt a Soviet-style “central authority” to manage the world’s business and environmental concerns.”
And this,
“The collapse of the Soviet Union as presented in the western media was a fraud. The Soviet Union didn’t collapse and communism didn’t die. They just reorganized, and we see it today in our American Congress. This is Gorby’s goal for the United States…and that’s what the UN program of regionalization is about. The movement is to dissolve the United States as a nation and then to break it up into areas of regional governance under an unelected continental government similar to the European Union.”
If my grandparents on both sides, who fought in WWI and WWII for American freedoms knew of Gorbachev’s group in the Presidio, they would roll over in their graves. They would never have believed it would happen, nor would they ever have believed we’d be fighting undeclared wars and passing unconstitutional laws. Think about Obamacare, The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the Patriot Act, to name just a few of the hundreds of thousands of illegal and unconstitutional laws, acts, and executive orders. My mother would never have believed it, much less my grandparents. In fact, my grandparents never even heard of a “Trillion-dollar debt,” which is now as high as $22 trillion.
Undeclared Wars
To say it more succinctly, here is a letter my dear friend Ruth wrote in comment of the article, The Price of Freedom, “This Memorial Day, I mourn the lives of the tens of thousands of our troops, who are maimed and disfigured. I mourn the lives of the troops still stuck in the hell holes of Afghanistan and Iraq and those engaged all around the world in illegal interventions and wars of aggression, greed and empire building. I grieve for the returning veterans, whose minds are so broken, upon contemplating the horrors they have witnessed and the true nature of these wars, they are committing suicide in shocking numbers. Those who gave all, may be the lucky ones.
Unfortunately, these brave young men and women are not fighting for our freedom; they know it, and you know it. They are fighting to stay alive. They are mere pawns of the Military Industrial Complex. We need to follow what President Trump said, and bring all of them home now.”
This is what President Trump said he wanted to do, and it is why when he said the troops in Syria were to come home, General Mattis signed the order, but then resigned from the Trump administration. We have an enemy on our soil, and we are not fighting that enemy.
We need those soldiers not just on our southern border, but we need them educated by men like General Michael T. Flynn who knows how we can win the global war against radical Islam and its allies. Former FBI Agent, John Guandolo of Understanding the Threat is an amazing resource who can help us save our country from infiltration and destruction.
Conclusion
I grieve for my nation, for her soul, and for her people who are too busy watching Dancing with the Stars and American Idol to see what has happened to our beloved country and who daily fail to fight to keep the freedoms our founders gave us.
I grieve because we’ve thrown God out of every facet of American society. I grieve because we think nothing of murdering 60 million babies in their mothers’ wombs. I grieve because I see the losses. I grieve because I know too much, and I grieve because so few are fighting to save her…our once great America and her God-given freedoms. I grieve, I mourn, and I weep and I’m still fighting to save her. Unless more Americans stand up for truth, righteousness, liberty and freedom, I’m afraid all is lost. Dear God in heaven, I grieve, and I keep working and praying.
This Decoration Day, remember all those who gave everything, remember those who came home hurt both physically and mentally, remember all our veterans, and help them, not just with prayers, but with funds that care for these men and women who have served our country willingly. There are countless wonderful organizations that help our soldiers…give to them, and in so doing, you give to those who need it the most.
RELATED VIDEO: Memorial Day Tribute – Conservative Commando Radio.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Kelleigh Nelsonhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngKelleigh Nelson2019-05-24 18:17:112019-05-27 06:10:36Decoration Day, A Day of Remembrance
Abortion and sex trafficking aren’t often brought together in the same sentence, but they have a lot more in common than meets the eye and doubles the devastation in many women’s lives.Earlier this week, our friends at Americans United for Life and Global Centurion hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill on the connection of abortion to sex trafficking and various ways the women are impacted from their mental health to their physical health.
What people may not realize is that sex trafficking victims are often coerced into abortions by the trafficker so that he or she can continue to make a profit off of them. Believe it or not, it’s not always a male who is the trafficker, and it’s not unusual for women to be in charge of a harem of victims. At other times, trafficking victims are impregnated by their pimp so that they can remain under their control.
As discussed in our “The Link Between Pornography, Sex Trafficking, and Abortion,” it’s nearly impossible to know the total number of abortions committed on sex-trafficked women” but a in a survey of 66 women who were sex trafficking survivors, about 71 percent reported that they became pregnant at least once while being trafficked, and about 21 percent said they had five or more pregnancies while being trafficked and that from these 66 women they had a total of 114 abortions among them while being trafficked.
Abortion facilities like Planned Parenthood aren’t complaining because it’s more business for them. In a 2014 Beazley Institute Report, over 1,000 female victims of sex trafficking from across the United States gave information regarding their experience at health care facilities. Over a quarter (29.6 percent) of the survivors had visited a Planned Parenthood facility while they were being trafficked. One victim of sex trafficking said that they went to Planned Parenthood because “they didn’t ask any questions.”
Instead of reporting the traffickers, Planned Parenthood enabled them to abuse these women over and over again. More stories like these can be read in our Planned Parenthood Is Not Pro-Woman publication. Of course, it’s one thing to see the statistics — and another to hear the stories that put faces to the numbers. Our Director of Life, Culture, and Women’s Advocacy, Patrina Mosley, was there and explains that it was very emotional for listeners to hear the evils these women experience. But on the other hand, you could also tell it was freeing for the survivors to give their testimonies, because they know more people will be moved to fight for justice.
Patrina also shared on the panel that, in essence, the way forward is understanding the signs of sex trafficking in our everyday surroundings. The more people pay attention, the more likely it is that someone will be rescued. And secondly, there’s no way around the part values and sexual morality play in this crisis. Paying for sex and killing a child in the womb both devalue human dignity. Alongside punitive justice to deter bad behavior, we cannot abolish the modern slavery and holocaust of our time until we return to understand that sexual relations were designed to occur in the sanctity and safety of marriage.
Tony Perkins’ Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers.
EDITORS NOTE: This FRC column is republished with permission.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Family Research Councilhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngFamily Research Council2019-05-24 05:24:262019-05-24 06:24:58Abortion and Trafficking: Two Birds of a Feather
Chick-fil-A is vilified by the American left — and particularly the LGBTQ+ community — like few other American companies.
The reason is clear: They are honest, biblical Christians in their beliefs and statements, including on marriage being between one man and one woman — because that is what the Bible explicitly says and what all of Christianity and the rest of the world believed through all of history until, literally just a few years ago.
But that adherence to biblical norms in today’s America means they must be crushed by the activist LGBTQ+ left that seeks to destroy anyone who will not think like them, i.e. bakers, florists and pizza shops around the nation.
This has resulted in a growing number of bans — and a fascinating turn of events.
The first wave of bans was in 2012, when Democratic city officials in San Francisco, Boston and New York threatened or enacted bans or attempted to block Chick-fil-A from opening restaurants in their cities because Chick-fil-A donated to Christian organizations such as the Family Research Council.
The LGBTQ+ activists organized boycotts and were immediately swamped by giant counter-protests with Chick-fil-A’s customers standing in line around corners to show their support. Rarely has a tactic backfired so magnificently.
The newest round of bans came after the leftist ThinkProgress organization charged that the Chick-fil-A foundation supported “groups with a record of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.” Those miscreant hate-filling groups? The Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which both operate on clear biblical understandings that are 2,000 years old. Chick-fil-A gave $1.6 million to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and $150,000 to the Salvation Army in 2017.
That generosity resulted in the San Antonio City Council banning Chick-fil-A at their airport because “everyone should feel welcome when they walk through our airport,” according to Councilman Robert Trevino. Two weeks later, a New York Democratic assemblyman Sean Ryan, announced that the Buffalo airport was prohibiting Chick-fil-A from operating there, because “the views of Chick-fil-A do not represent our state or the Western New York community.”
Actually, they probably do.
Most recently, the kiddos in the student government at Trinity University, a private liberal arts college in Texas affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, voted to ban Chick-fil-A from their campus. The school does not have a Chick-fil-A on their campus, but serves its food on a rotating basis in the cafeteria. The unanimous vote to ban the chain was because of Chick-fil-A’s donations to groups that failed to support LGBTQ+ rights.
During all of this, Chick-fil-A executives have been nothing but class, creating a pretty stark contrast with those who are trying to shut them down and destroy the company if possible.
In an interview with Business Insider, Rodney Bullard, vice president of corporate social responsibility at Chick-fil-A and executive director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation, said the foundation focuses on lower-income and underserved youth.
“The calling for us is to ensure that we are relevant and impactful in the community, and that we’re helping children and that we’re helping them to be everything that they can be,” Bullard said. “For us, that’s a much higher calling than any political or cultural war that’s being waged.”
He also said that Chick-fil-A would be willing to work with LGBTQ+ groups in reaching children through these programs they have with 300 partners.
Chick-fil-A does not discriminate against LGBTQ+ people in hiring or serving. So this is about what Chick-fil-A leaders think and say. Further, they are willing to work with LGBTQ+ groups without requiring them to change their views. That, of course, is not reciprocated.
But a funny thing has happened in all of these attacks on Chick-fil-A. The chain is growing at a torrid pace.
Restaurant Business researched Technomic’s Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report and reported that Chick-fil-A’s domestic sales leapfrogged Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Burger King last year and will almost assuredly pass Subway this year to make it the third-largest restaurant chain by sales, behind only McDonald’s and Starbucks.
Kalinowski Equity Research agrees with that assessment: “We have long pointed out that Chick-fil-A is the restaurant competition with which McDonald’s U.S. should most concern itself—and by extension, investors should, too.”
Chick-fil-A sales increased 14.2 percent in 2018 and may increase 15 percent this year, much faster than any major, mature chain.
This success will not go unnoticed. And it is not likely to change behavior towards the chain by LGBTQ+ activists.
There is a deep well of hate for traditional Christian beliefs on the left and specifically in the LGBTQ+ activist corner. So expect ThinkProgress to continue to push out information on Chick-fil-A’s connections with Christian organizations and try to damage the company.
But at this point, apparently the American people are disinclined to pay attention beyond countering with buying more chicken sandwiches.
EDITORS NOTE: This Revolutionary Act column is republished with permission.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Rod Thomsonhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngRod Thomson2019-05-23 15:50:262019-05-23 18:16:27LGBTQ War On Chick-fil-A Is Failing Spectacularly
There must be “consequences” for those claiming Russian collusion if Mueller report shows none. – Tucker Carlson
Democrats continue to show day in and day out, they’re nothing but sore losers. At some point, they have to realize that they have been beat by President Trump in the 2016 election. They’re getting beat … on issues that actually matter, and I think they’re a sad excuse for a political party right now. At some point, they have to decide if they want to govern. – Sarah Sanders
This is not a game! This is the president of the United States. This nation deserves full-time leadership and no further effort to subvert, to overthrow the presidency of Donald J. Trump. – Lou Dobbs
When during their exhaustive 22-month investigation did Mueller and his team of Hillary supporting Democratic prosecutors realize they had no case? Probably no later than at the end of 2017, but I’d guess from the beginning. By the time Mueller was appointed on May 17, 2017, the FBI had been trying unsuccessfully for nearly a year to corroborate the bogus Steele dossier’s allegations.
Democrats and their complicit media are far worse than sore losers. They have done everything in their power to destroy President Trump from the day he declared his candidacy. They hate him, they hate his supporters and they hate anyone who righteously campaigned for him.
Rod Rosenstein approved the application to extend surveillance of former Trump campaign associate Carter Page. The NYTs claimed the FBI and DOJ’s application was based partially on research by investigator Christopher Steele, who compiled the spurious dossier.
When Rosenstein testified in a House hearing about FBI and DOJ abuses, he was asked by former judge Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) about the FISA warrant he signed and Rosenstein looked to FBI Director Wray for the answer – a move that disturbed Gohmert. Rosenstein said he signed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) documents to spy on Carter Page and told Congressman Gohmert that he didn’t need to read every document he signed, that he merely needed to understand what’s in it.
That started this entire nightmare-from-hell for not only the President, but his administration, supporters and the entire country. The people who ran the DOJ were vicious dogs, and yes, our bloated government uses “national security” to cover up their crimes.
There is far too much on Rod Rosenstein that doesn’t make sense. He is far too chummy with Mueller, Comey and Wray to really want true justice. And few believe he didn’t want to wear a wire and record our President.
The Sordid Mueller Investigation
The Mueller investigation is finally over and $35 million American tax dollars have been spent on researching and investigating the cooked up lies of Hillary Clinton and the DNC “paid for” Steele dossier which led to this fictitious probe. And all those tax dollars were paid to attorneys who hate Donald Trump. Andrew Weissmann was the man given authority to hire the rest of the investigators for Robert Mueller, and Weissmann should have been disbarred long ago after the Enron case where he bent or broke rules to get false guilty pleas.
The resulting investigation prosecuted Americans for everything except the “collusion” it was supposed to uncover, many of whom will suffer lasting affects.
Weissmann was Mueller’s legal Pit Bull and the two of them worked hand in glove using the same rotten modus operandi they’ve effectively employed for over thirty years. Those in their crosshairs even plead guilty to charges that weren’t crimes. They also plead guilty to save family members, and they pleaded guilty when they’d previously been investigated by the government and found innocent. They pleaded guilty when those on the left did far worse and were never charged…i.e., Podesta’s and Biden’s. Financial destruction was imminent for all targeted by Mueller.
Sidney Powell wrote the tell-all book, Licensed to Lie, and it exposed the corruption of justice especially in the Enron case. Powell served in the Department of Justice for ten years in Texas and Virginia and has devoted her private practice to federal appeals for the past twenty years. “All of the cases Weissmann pushed to trial were reversed in whole or in part due to some form of his overreaching and abuses,” Sidney Powell told The Washington Times. “The most polite thing the Houston bar said about Weissmann was that he was a madman.” In early 2018, Sara Carter reported that Weissmann and Mueller were connected to two of the largest scandals in FBI history, and they got away with it.
Bill Barr’s Investigators
What are the odds that the Durham investigation will bring the corrupt players to justice? Certainly, there is hope with the new Attorney General William Barr. However, knowing government machinations, I am not holding my breath. Yet…justice is so longed for, and John Durham looks to be the man who could give it to us!
John Durham, the prosecutor appointed by AG Barr to investigate how Trump-Russia allegations emerged and spread within federal law enforcement, has already been looking into whether the FBI’s former top lawyer, James Baker, illegally leaked to reporters.
The U.S. attorney from Connecticut appears to have begun that work more than seven months ago, to judge from an underreported transcript of an October congressional interview with Baker. Could it be that Acting U.S. AG, Matthew Whitaker, who succeeded Jeff Sessions and held the post from early November 2018 to February 14, 2019, tapped John Durham?
Mr. Durham has a long history of serving as a special prosecutor investigating potential wrongdoing among law enforcement and national security officials. He was appointed to the federal bench in 2017 by President Trump. Attorney Durham has even investigated the use or misuse of FBI informants.
In fact, one of his best-known investigations was of the FBI’s handling of the mass murderer and Boston mobster Whitey Bulger. It was Robert Mueller, Mr. Integrity, who kept four innocent people in prison for decades in order to keep Whitey Bulger from being exposed as an FBI informant. Four people who were innocent were kept in jail for years in order to protect the status of murdering Whitey Bulger as an FBI informant.
In 1999, AG Janet Reno appointed Durham to investigate if FBI informants Bulger and his buddy, Stephen Flemmi had corrupted their FBI handlers. In December 2000, Durham revealed secret FBI documents that convinced a judge to vacate the 1968 murder convictions of the four other FBI informants because they’d been framed by Robert Mueller’s FBI. Two of those four men died in prison. Mueller kept four innocent people in jail for years to protect the informant status of Whitey Bulger, a mass-murdering Boston mobster who ended up dying in California, and it ended up costing American taxpayers $100 million plus in civil judgments. For the full story, purchase John Milkovich’s book, Robert Mueller: Errand Boy for the New World Order.
Former federal prosecutor, Nora Dannehy agreed to join Durham two months ago. Dannehy prosecuted complex political corruption, including cases resulting in the convictions of former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland and former state Treasurer Paul Silvester. In 2008, she was assigned to Washington to investigate whether prosecutors in the President George W. Bush justice department had been fired for political reasons.
William Barr has enlisted the help of the CIA to investigate whether the FBI’s surveillance of the Trump campaign was motivated by partisan bias.
CIA director Gina Haspel, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, and FBI director Chris Wray are all participating in the investigation, which Barr first announced publicly during a congressional hearing last month.
Is this a danger sign or an indication that someone highly knowledgeable is on the case? Christopher Wray is part of the Deep State; he’s covered for many of the corrupt in the FBI and made derogatory remarks regarding our President. He should never be involved. As for Gina Haspell, we don’t know where she stands.
John Huber
For eighteen months we’ve not heard a peep out of John Huber, he’s MIA and as a U.S. attorney who oversees federal prosecutions in the District of Utah, we should have heard something. Even Jim Jordan has commented that Huber is like “Where’s Waldo?” Where’s Huber?
There has been nary a public peep from U.S. Attorney John Huber, the man Jeff Sessions assigned to get to the bottom of things. Likely witnesses say Mr. Huber has never contacted them, and members of Congress say they are still in the dark despite regular pleas to see progress.
Victoria Toensing, a former Justice Department prosecutor and now a private lawyer, with her husband, Joe diGenova, said of the Huber investigation, “It is a head fake, a farce. It was an attempt by Sessions to get Republicans off his back. I’m embarrassed for them because they fell for it, and I hope something happens now.” Link
Allegedly Huber is working collaboratively in the internal investigation with Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, but we have no idea when that report will be made public.
Conclusion
Barr told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, “I am going to be reviewing both the genesis and the conduct of intelligence activities directed at the Trump campaign during 2016. I think spying on a political campaign is a big deal, I think spying did occur, yes.” The mainstream media hates that he used the word “spying,” but Barr has openly said it’s a perfect word to use.
And now, Barack Obama’s corrupt officials, including former Attorney General Eric Holder are all lashing out at AG Bill Barr because he has launched a massive investigation into the origins of Spygate.
They’re even harping at each other because of their fear of what John Durham’s investigation might lead to… perhaps grand jury indictments for many of them.
Tirelessly, our CEO works to bring up-to-date news to our readers. We’ve lost both advertising and twitter because of censorship by the enemies of freedom. It’s up to those who love freedom and the truth to help us survive. Tell your friends to sign up for daily emails, and please consider monthly donations to keep us alive. The writers at NWVs are not paid, we do this to save our beloved country for our children, grandchildren and descendants. Please help.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Kelleigh Nelsonhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngKelleigh Nelson2019-05-22 20:04:462019-05-25 07:13:42New Investigators Examine the Origins of the Mueller Investigation
When we talk about “pro-life” in our national discussion about abortion, “life” is understood to be about the unborn child in the mother’s womb.
But it would serve us well to expand our understanding about what “pro-life” means.
We should understand that respecting the sanctity of life is key to the values and behaviors in general that sustain and nourish all our lives today and create the necessary conditions for our future.
A just-released report from the National Center for Health Statistics, a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports that the total number of births in the United States in 2018 was down 2% from 2017 and is the lowest number of births in the country in 32 years.
It also reports that the general fertility rate—the number of births per 1,000 women aged 15-44—was also down 2% and is at a record low.
The total fertility rate needs to be 2,100 births per 1,000 women to keep our overall population at steady state—not shrinking. It now stands at 1,728 per 1,000 women.
If the alternative to “pro-life” is so-called “pro-choice,” the mindset of legal abortion on demand, the latter is capturing, and destroying, American society. We are choosing to extinguish ourselves.
It turns out that “reproductive freedom,” the banner under which “pro-choice” operates, translates into the freedom to not reproduce.
University of Southern California demographer Dowell Myers calls the declining birthrates we are witnessing a “barometer of despair.”
Birthrates decline, according to Myers, when people are not optimistic about the future.
How about the general collapse of the marriage institution?
In 1960, 72% of Americans 18 and above were married. By 2016, this was down to 50%.
At a conference at the Vatican in 2014, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, called marriage “the single most humanizing institution in history.”
He said that life begins “when male and female meet and embrace.”
“Morality,” he continued, “is the love between husband and wife, parent and child, extended outward to the world.”
A society in which sanctity of life is respected is a society that appreciates that we are all part of something larger than ourselves. When we lose this awe, this appreciation for the sacred, we disconnect from one another and disappear into our separate selves.
Love, marriage, children, and our future begin to recede.
It’s a spiritual tragedy with profound and destructive practical implications for society.
The Census Bureau projects that in 2035, for the first time, the number of Americans over the age of 65 will exceed the number of Americans under 18.
As society ages, the number of retirees per each working American increases—what is called the dependency ratio.
We are already seeing the implications with huge deficits in our Social Security and Medicare programs, where payroll taxes finance retirement and health care costs of the elderly.
A healthy pushback is starting to occur at the nation’s grassroots.
States are getting aggressive to stop the destructive abortion culture. Most recently, Alabama and Georgia have enacted laws making abortion that is legal under federal law illegal in the state.
This puts state law on a collision course with federal law.
Whether this will wind up at the Supreme Court with a revisiting of the Roe v. Wade decision remains to be seen.
We should be praying it will happen.
The current abortion culture that has been defining America since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 is part and symptomatic of an America whose future is in danger.
We must fight for restoration of a pro-life culture in our country that respects the sanctity of life and will restore the American family, children, and our future.
With the recent conservative victories related to tax cuts, the Supreme Court, and other major issues, it is easy to become complacent.
However, the liberal Left is not backing down. They are rallying supporters to advance their agenda, moving this nation further from the vision of our founding fathers.
If we are to continue to bring this nation back to our founding principles of limited government and fiscal conservatism, we need to come together as a group of likeminded conservatives.
This is the mission of The Heritage Foundation. We want to continue to develop and present conservative solutions to the nation’s toughest problems. And we cannot do this alone.
We are looking for a select few conservatives to become a Heritage Foundation member. With your membership, you’ll qualify for all associated benefits and you’ll help keep our nation great for future generations.
EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Signal column is republished with permission.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00The Daily Signalhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Daily Signal2019-05-22 17:41:222019-05-22 19:11:30Alabama and Georgia Abortion Laws on Right Track
A mob of eight to 10 males wielding hammers descended upon bystanders at the East Bank Light Rail station on Friday night injuring several, according to recorded police dispatch audio.
The incident was apparently reported to 911 just before 10 p.m. on Friday according to the audio and other social media police scanner reports. A 9:48 p.m. Facebook post on 2nd Precinct Minneapolis Crime Watch page said that University of Minnesota (U of M) police were requesting assistance from Minneapolis police (MPD) and Metro Transit police for “a group of 8-10 males chasing people with hammers” and that some people were injured. A Facebook post a minute later on Minneapolis Scanner page said that the three police departments were responding to “multiple [911] calls” about “10-12 Somali teen males armed with hammers chasing people,” also with “several injuries reported.” Both Facebook pages regularly post summaries of police scanner audio.
EDITORS NOTE: This Vlad Tepes Blog column is republished with permission.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Vlad Tepes Bloghttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngVlad Tepes Blog2019-05-21 07:30:252019-05-26 05:53:09Group of Somali Males with Hammers Attack People in Minneapolis
As I listened to President Trump deliver his Rose Garden comments on the dramatic shift from the current and antiquated family based to a new and modern merit based immigration plan I understood that the President’s plan rewards success. The Trump Administrations plan would:
End chain migration.
End the visa lottery.
Make immigrants learn English and take a Civics examination before being issued a visa.
Reward success (those immigrants with college degrees, those who have a job or are wanting to start a company in America).
Still provide entry to those who are actually seeking asylum.
Build the wall, but with a door open to those who wish to legally become American citizens.
President Trump is clearly thinking outside of the box Congress has placed America and American workers in. The Trump plan is pro-immigrant, pro-American and pro-growth.
Watch President Trump’s remarks on modernizing our immigration system for a stronger America:
RELATED VIDEO: 1995 Barbara Jordan Press Conference on Legal Immigration Recommendations. The Immigration Act of 1990 mandated the creation of a bipartisan commission to examine the impacts of immigration on the United States and to make recommendations for future policy. The Commission, chaired by the late Barbara Jordan, issued its final report in 1997, but Barbara Jordan held a press conference in 1995 releasing the Commission’s recommendations on legal immigration. The Jordan Commission called for an end to Chain Migration, the end of the Visa Lottery, and an annual immigration flow of 550,000 new immigrants per year with a focus on highly-skilled workers, the nuclear family members of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, and the U.S.’s fair share of refugees and asylees (50,000/year).
TRANSCRIPT
Rose Garden
2:35 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you. Please. Thank you. Thank you very much.
We’re here on this very beautiful spring day in the Rose Garden to unveil our plan to create a fair, modern, and lawful system of immigration for the United States. And it’s about time. (Applause.)
If adopted, our plan will transform America’s immigration system into the pride of our nation and the envy of the modern world. Our proposal builds upon our nation’s rich history of immigration, while strengthening the bonds of citizenship that bind us together as a national family.
Throughout our history, we have proudly welcomed newcomers to our shores. Out of many people, from many places, we have forged one people and one nation under God, and we’re very proud of it. (Applause.) We share the same home, we share the same destiny, and we pledge allegiance to the same, great American flag. (Applause.)
Our policies have turbo-charged our economy. Now, we must implement an immigration system that will allow our citizens to prosper for generations to come.
Today, we are presenting a clear contrast: Democrats are proposing open borders, lower wages, and, frankly, lawless chaos. We are proposing an immigration plan that puts the jobs, wages, and safety of American workers first. (Applause.)
Our proposal is pro-American, pro-immigrant, and pro-worker. It’s just common sense. It will help all of our people, including millions of devoted immigrants, to achieve the American Dream.
We are grateful to be joined this afternoon by a tremendous number of people from the House, the Senate, and my Cabinet. And I love you all, but I won’t introduce you all because I’ll be here all day long. (Laughter.) But you’re all here.
Our plan achieves two critical goals. First, it stops illegal immigration and fully secures the border. And, second, it establishes a new legal immigration system that protects American wages, promotes American values, and attracts the best and brightest from all around the world.
The proposal begins with the most complete and effective border security package ever assembled by our country — or any other country, for that matter. (Applause.) It’s so important.
This plan was not developed, I’m sorry to say, by politicians. We have a lot of politicians. But you respect the people and you know the people that have developed this plan. It was designed with significant input from our great law enforcement professionals to detail what they need to make our border — which is 100 percent operationally secure. One hundred percent.
Everyone agrees that the physical infrastructure on the border and the ports of entry is gravely underfunded and woefully inadequate. We scan only a small fraction of the vehicles, goods, and all of the other things coming across, including people. And, sadly, the drugs pour across our border. We’re going to stop it.
Investment in technology will ensure we can scan 100 percent of everything coming through, curbing the flow of drugs and contraband, while speeding up legal trade and commerce. It’s the most heavily traded — monetarily — border anywhere in the world, and it’s not even close.
To make certain that we are constantly making the upgrades we need, our proposal creates a permanent and self-sustaining border security trust fund. This will be financed by the fees and revenues generated at the border crossings itself.
Importantly, we’re already building the wall, and we should have close to 400 miles built by the end of next year, and probably even more than that. It’s going up very rapidly. (Applause.)
And I want to thank the Army Corps of Engineers. They’re doing a fantastic job on the wall. And that’s a wall that is desperately needed.
As we close the gaps in our physical framework, we must also close the gaps in our legal framework. Critical to ending the border crisis is removing all incentives for smuggling women and children. Current law — (applause). That’s right. That’s right. Women and children. People have no idea how bad it is unless you’re there, and unless you are a member of law enforcement. They see it every day, and they can’t believe what they see.
Current law and federal court rulings encourage criminal organizations to smuggle children across the border. The tragic result is that 65 percent of all border-crossers this year were either minors or adults traveling with minors. Our plan will change the law to stop the flood of child smuggling and to humanely reunite unaccompanied children with their families back home — and rapidly. As soon as possible. (Applause.)
We must also restore the integrity of our broken asylum system. Our nation has a proud history of affording protection to those fleeing government persecutions. Unfortunately, legitimate asylum seekers are being displaced by those lodging frivolous claims — these are frivolous claims — to gain admission into our country.
Asylum abuse also strains our public school systems, our hospitals, and local shelters, using funds that we should, and that have to, go to elderly veterans, at-risk youth, Americans in poverty, and those in genuine need of protection. We’re using the funds that should be going to them. And that shouldn’t happen. And it’s not going to happen in a very short period of time. Have to get this approved.
My plan expedites relief for legitimate asylum seekers by screening out the meritless claims. If you have a proper claim, you will quickly be admitted; if you don’t, you will promptly be returned home.
Crucially — (applause) — our plan closes loopholes in federal law to make clear that gang members and criminals are inadmissible. These are some of the worst people anywhere in the world — MS-13 and others. Inadmissible. Not coming in. We’re taking them out all the time by the thousands, a year, but they come in. They are no longer admissible. And for criminals already here, we will ensure their swift deportation. (Applause.)
We will keep our communities safe. Americans can have complete and total confidence that under this plan, the borders will finally be fully and totally secured. (Applause.)
And I know a number of our Republican friends and others — Lindsey, I see you sitting right there, and Steve, you’re working on a plan — an immediate plan. A smaller plan, but a very immediate plan to stop it as of this afternoon. So, as fast as you can get something done. This is the big, beautiful, bold plan, but we need something very quickly. And if you can get it done, that would be fantastic. Okay? Thank you. (Applause.) Appreciate you working on it.
A topic of less discussion in national media, but of vital importance to our country, is our legal immigration system itself. Our plan includes a sweeping modernization of our dysfunctional legal immigration process. It is totally dysfunctional. The system will finally be fair, transparent, and promote equality and opportunity for all.
Every year, we admit 1.1 million immigrants as permanent legal residents. These green card holders get lifetime authorization to live and work here and a five-year path to American citizenship. This is the most prized citizenship anywhere in the world, by far.
Currently, 66 percent of legal immigrants come here on the basis of random chance. They’re admitted solely because they have a relative in the United States. And it doesn’t really matter who that relative is. Another 21 percent of immigrants are issued either by random lottery, or because they are fortunate enough to be selected for humanitarian relief.
Random selection is contrary to American values and blocks out many qualified potential immigrants from around the world who have much to contribute. While countless — and you wouldn’t believe how many countries, like Canada, create a clear path for top talent. America does not.
Under the senseless rules of the current system, we’re not able to give preference to a doctor, a researcher, a student who graduated number one in his class from the finest colleges in the world — anybody. We’re not able to take care of it. We’re not able to make those incredible breakthroughs. If somebody graduates top of their class from the best college, sorry, go back to your country. We want to keep them here.
Companies are moving offices to other countries because our immigration rules prevent them from retaining highly skilled and even, if I might, totally brilliant people. We discriminate against genius. We discriminate against brilliance. We won’t anymore, once we get this passed. And we hope to get it passed as soon as possible. (Applause.)
Some of the most skilled students at our world-class universities are going back home because they have no relatives to sponsor them here in the United States. And that’s the only way. We want these exceptional students and workers to stay, and flourish, and thrive in America. (Applause.) Thank you.
As a result of our broken rules, the annual green card flow is mostly low-wage and low-skilled. Newcomers compete for jobs against the most vulnerable Americans and put pressure on our social safety net and generous welfare programs.
Only 12 percent of legal immigrants are selected based on skill or based on merit. In countries like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand — and others — that number is closer to 60 and even 70 and 75 percent, in some cases.
The biggest change we make is to increase the proportion of highly skilled immigration from 12 percent to 57 percent, and we’d like to even see if we can go higher. (Applause.) This will bring us in line with other countries and make us globally competitive.
At the same time, we prioritize the immediate family of new Americans — spouses and children. The loved ones you choose to build a life with, we prioritize. And we have to do that. They go right to the front of the line. Right to the front of the line, where they should be. (Applause.)
America’s last major overhaul of our legal admissions policy was 54 years ago. Think of that. So a major update — and that’s what this is: merit system and a heart system — is long overdue.
The millions of legal immigrants who have come to America over the past half century are now cherished members of our national family. Going forward — (applause) — it is their interest, and in their interest, and their children’s interest, to adopt a green card system that promotes a rising standard of living for all of our citizens.
Three in four new jobs at the end of last year went to Americans previously out of the workforce. Our economy is better probably than it ever has been in the history of our country. (Applause.) And because of that great economy, we’re able to do things that nobody ever thought possible before, and that’s what we’re going to do for immigration, finally.
Wages are rising but our current immigration system works at cross-purposes, placing downward pressure on wages for the working class, which is what we don’t want to do.
Last year, we also passed historic criminal justice reform. (Applause.) And we had tremendous backing — bipartisan — from Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals. I guess we could also use the word “progressives.” A new word that’s come about.
Americans with criminal records are getting a second chance at life in higher numbers than ever before. Unfortunately, the current immigration rules allow foreign workers to substitute for Americans seeking entry-level jobs. So, foreign workers are coming in and they’re taking the jobs that would normally go to American workers.
America’s immigration system should bring in people who will expand opportunity for striving, low-income Americans, not to compete with those low-income Americans. (Applause.)
Our proposal fulfills our sacred duty to those living here today, while ensuring America remains a welcoming country to immigrants joining us tomorrow. And we want immigrants coming in. We cherish the open door that we want to create for our country, but a big proportion of those immigrants must come in through merit and skill. (Applause.)
The White House plan makes no change to the number of green cards allocated each year. But instead of admitting people through random chance, we will establish simple, universal criteria for admission to the United States. No matter where in the world you’re born, no matter who your relatives are, if you want to become an American citizen, it will be clear exactly what standard we ask you to achieve. It will be made crystal clear. (Applause.)
This will increase the diversity of immigration flows into our country. We will replace the existing green card categories with a new visa, the Build America visa — which is what we all want to hear. (Applause.)
Like Canada and so many other modern countries, we create an easy-to-navigate points-based selection system. You will get more points for being a younger worker, meaning you will contribute more to our social safety net. You will get more points for having a valuable skill, an offer of employment, an advanced education, or a plan to create jobs.
We lose people that want to start companies, and, in many cases, they’re forced to leave our country; go back, usually, to the country where they came from; and they’ll start up companies, and some of those companies are among the biggest and most successful companies today in the world. They could’ve started them right here in the United States, where they wanted to do it in the first place. Now they’ll have a chance. (Applause.)
Priority will also be given to higher-wage workers, ensuring we never undercut American labor. To protect benefits for American citizens, immigrants must be financially self-sufficient.
Finally, to promote integration, assimilation, and national unity, future immigrants will be required to learn English and to pass a civics exam prior to admission. (Applause.)
Through these steps, we will deliver an immigration system that respects, and even strengthens, our culture, our traditions, and our values.
Four months ago, I had the honor of participating in a swearing-in ceremony for new Americans, right here in the Oval Office. It was a beautiful reminder that American citizenship is the most precious gift our nation has to offer. When we swear in new citizens, we do more than give them a permit; we give them a history, a heritage, a home, and a future of limitless possibilities and potential.
Our nation used to pride ourselves on this capacity: our unique ability to instill the spirit of America into any human heart, into any human being. Many of the Democrats have claimed to be for these concepts at different times in their careers and, in many cases, in very recent history. And I hope that they will end up joining me and all of the people gathered together today in putting politics aside, putting security and wages first, and pursuing these historic reforms. It’s time. (Applause.)
And if for some reason — possibly political — we can’t get the Democrats to approve this merit-based, high-security plan, then we will get it approved immediately after the election, when we take back the House, keep the Senate, and, of course, hold the presidency. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.
But wouldn’t it be nice to do it sooner than that? (Laughter.) But it’s not a very long time, is it? Sixteen months.
One of the reasons we will win is because of our strong, fair, and pro-America immigration policy. It’s time to restore our national unity and reaffirm our national purpose. It is time to rebuild our country for all Americans.
Together, we will create an immigration system to make America safer, and stronger, and greater than ever before.
Thank you. God bless you all. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank you.
END
2:59 P.M. EDT
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Dr. Rich Swierhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngDr. Rich Swier2019-05-17 06:38:292019-05-18 06:50:14VIDEO: President Trump’s Merit Based Immigration The Right Plan for America
The Left is coming for you, giving a modern day context to the quote misattributed to Marxist Leon Trotsky, “You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.”
Ah, yes, war is always interested in you — the war the Left has unleashed on Western civilization through the civilization’s institutions.
And what exactly is the Left using the war to get of yours? Very simple: your soul. Only with the understanding of war — war for your soul, meaning spiritual warfare played out in the daily decisions of a society — does any of the current madness make sense.
Men pretending to themselves that they are women, competing in female sports and shattering records; corporations saying they will no longer accept the understanding of a so-called “binary world” where there are just two sexes; social media giants blowing up the accounts of virtually any person willing to challenge the lunacy of the Left — this is all being done to force a new world down everyone’s throats. And don’t think this isn’t coming, indeed, hasn’t already started to come to a neighborhood near you.
Take, for example, the recent defeat of the Religious Freedom Law in Texas. That law would have protected business owners with publicly stated religious opinions from adverse government action.
The proposed law, House Bill 3172, got the nickname the “Chick-fil-A Bill” because when the fast food company wanted to open some more stores in San Antonio city airports, the city council refused to grant the necessary permits because of the business owners strongly held and stated opinions about homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
The bill was killed not on its merits, but by parliamentary lobbying tactics by the state’s homosexual lobby group. There was a justified uproar about the case once it became wider known and Texas lawmakers said it was the perfect example of why the law was necessary so that governments could not penalize businesses because of their political or moral or religious views.
But that understanding of fairness only seems to apply to the Left — at least as far as the Left is concerned. Could you imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth that would on the Left occur if the shoe was on the other foot?
And for the record, although you probably could already guess, the Texas Catholic Conference, the state’s bishops, had nothing to say on the matter. Yep, the Catholic conference, in what seems like it should have been a “no-brainer” was completely dumb-struck on the issue of religious freedom.
The Left is relentless and shameless. And they will not stop until they have either converted you or eradicated you — and if not you, then your children.
These are not just political policy-type considerations or prudential societal decisions, these are, at their very core, spiritual matters which determine a person’s eternal destiny.
This is why all of this, no matter the arena, no matter the matter, must be fully vetted and placed under a microscope — a spiritual microscope.
In the end, it’s all about spirituality, spiritual truth, meaning whether a soul is saved or damned. Yep, day by day, they are coming for you, and to date, your spiritual fathers have offered little by way of defense, and in frequent cases, they have sold you out, owing to their own perversions or willful neglect.
What Catholics need to come to terms with is that many of the bishops are actually supportive of the Democratic Party’s worldview.
And since that worldview is diametrically opposed to Christ, well, now you see the disaster which has befallen the Church.
We need to all see and understand and tell our loved ones that the Left wants your children, and you, out of the picture. And given the current rate of success of the Left since this plan was rolled out, it would appear around just another five years or so until they have almost completely won.
Will everyday Catholics step up and save civilization?
EDITORS NOTE: This Church Militant video is republished with permission.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Church Militanthttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngChurch Militant2019-05-16 14:06:592019-05-16 14:07:41VIDEO: The Vortex — They’re Coming for You
John Durham, known for prosecuting FBI agents connected to infamous mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, is now a fourth attorney general’s pick to lead a special investigation into suspected government misconduct.
The Justice Department confirmed to media outlets that Attorney General William Barr named Durham, now U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, to look into why and how department and FBI officials began investigating associates of President Donald Trump before the 2016 election.
Durham’s resume includes investigating the mafia and crooked politicians.
Attorneys general from the Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama administrations all previously appointed Durham to lead special investigations.
The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more >>
Barr reportedly selected him to head the probe weeks ago, as the FBI came under intensified scrutiny for spying on one Trump campaign adviser and sending a confidential informant to talk to another.
In the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report clearing the Trump campaign of conspiracy with Russia to influence the election, many Republican lawmakers called for an investigation into how the probe of Trump and his team commenced.
Two known incidents loom large: The FBI obtained a warrant under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to put Trump campaign aide Carter Page under surveillance. The FBI also sent a confidential informant to talk to George Papadopoulos, another Trump campaign aide, in a bar. The woman told Papadopoulos that her name was Azra Turk, and he later described her as “flirtatious.”
Here are six things to know about the prosecutor picked by Barr.
1. Career Prosecutor
Durham, 68, began his career as a Connecticut state prosecutor working from 1978 to 1982 in the New Haven State’s Attorney’s Office.
A registered Republican, he next served in nonpolitical positions through 35 years in the U.S. District of Connecticut, based in New Haven.
From 1982 to 1989, Durham supervised the New Haven field office of the Boston Strike Force in the Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Racketeering Section. For the next five years, he was chief of the criminal division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Haven.
From 1994 through 2008, he served as deputy U.S. attorney, and then, through 2017, as counsel to the U.S. attorney.
Trump’s first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, appointed Durham as acting U.S. attorney for Connecticut in October 2017, and Trump nominated him for the post the next month. He took office in February 2018.
2. Busting Mafia-FBI Connection
In 1999, then-Attorney General Janet Reno appointed Durham to investigate corruption in federal law enforcement in Boston.
He examined whether two Boston mob figures, Bulger and Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi, had corrupted the FBI agents whom they served as informants.
Durham’s investigation led to a 10-year prison sentence for retired FBI agent John Connolly Jr., found guilty of helping the two gangsters avoid prosecution.
As part of this investigation, Durham produced documents showing four men had been framed by FBI agents and convicted of murder in the 1960s. Two died in prison, but two others won a $100 million civil judgment against the Justice Department.
3. Special Probes of CIA and Terror Detainees
In 2008, then-Attorney General Michael Mukasey appointed Durham as a special prosecutor to conduct what turned into a three-year probe of the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes. He didn’t recommend any prosecutions.
In an overlapping probe, then-Attorney General Eric Holder named him as a special prosecutor to investigate alleged mistreatment of terror suspects by CIA interrogators and government contractors.
The second probe came after the Justice Department released a report noting possible past abuse by CIA interrogators. Durham concluded by closing most of the cases, but called for continued inquiries into the deaths of two prisoners.
4. Devoted Catholic, Red Sox Fan
Despite handling high-profile cases, Durham typically keeps a low profile.
Earlier this year, according to The Day newspaper in New London, Connecticut Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Leonard C. Boyle noted the only reason that Durham would make a public speech to a crowd at the University of St. Joseph, a Roman Catholic school in West Hartford, Connecticut.
“Other than an overwhelming commitment to the cause of justice, the two great devotions of John’s life are his Catholic faith and his family,” Boyle said of Durham.
Durham and his wife Susan have four sons and eight grandchildren. He reportedly is a big Boston Red Sox fan.
The New Republic, a liberal magazine, wrote of Durham in 2011 that he “earned a nonpartisan, camera-shy, ‘white knight’ reputation.”
5. Public Corruption
Durham led some of the biggest public corruption cases in Connecticut.
Among them was the case of Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland, a Republican who resigned in 2004 after federal prosecutors found he illegally took gifts from state contractors. Rowland pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year in prison for offenses committed as governor.
Durham also led an investigation of Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, a Democrat, who was convicted on racketeering and bribery charges in 2003. Ganim spent six years in prison.
6. Lauded by Democrats
Democrats recently excoriated Barr for even using the word “spy” to talk about actions by the Obama administration’s FBI and Justice Department against the Trump campaign before the presidential election in November 2016.
However, Democrats could have a difficult time in attacking Durham.
Confirmed as U.S. attorney in February 2018 by a voice vote in the Senate, he had gained praise from Democrats when Trump nominated him.
Among these admirers were two of Trump’s biggest critics, Connecticut’s two Democratic senators—Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy. The two men had recommended Durham to serve as U.S. attorney.
“John Durham has earned immense respect as a no-nonsense, fierce and fair prosecutor, and we are pleased that the White House has agreed with our recommendation that he serve as United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut,” a joint statement by Blumenthal and Murphy said. “As an Assistant United States Attorney, John Durham has proven himself time and time again in some of the most challenging and sensitive cases.”
It looks like Barr has found just such another case for Durham.
With the recent conservative victories related to tax cuts, the Supreme Court, and other major issues, it is easy to become complacent.
However, the liberal Left is not backing down. They are rallying supporters to advance their agenda, moving this nation further from the vision of our founding fathers.
If we are to continue to bring this nation back to our founding principles of limited government and fiscal conservatism, we need to come together as a group of likeminded conservatives.
This is the mission of The Heritage Foundation. We want to continue to develop and present conservative solutions to the nation’s toughest problems. And we cannot do this alone.
We are looking for a select few conservatives to become a Heritage Foundation member. With your membership, you’ll qualify for all associated benefits and you’ll help keep our nation great for future generations.
EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Signal column is republished with permission.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00The Daily Signalhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Daily Signal2019-05-15 06:53:382019-05-15 06:53:386 Things to Know About the Prosecutor Investigating Spying on Trump Campaign
Francisco Molina, a social worker for more than 12 years in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, grew dissatisfied with his government employee union and tried to resign from it last summer rather than continue to pay dues. State law wouldn’t let him leave the union, and taking a stand cost him his job.
Although he used to be a shop steward for Service Employees International Union Local 668 and lobbied on the union’s behalf in both Harrisburg and Washington, Molina says, he had decided to break with the SEIU in response to actions he viewed as hostile to free speech rights.
Molina, who was a social services aide in the Lehigh County Office of Children and Youth Services, says he also discovered that fellow union leaders did not provide rank-and-file members with accurate information.
“When I joined the union, I didn’t agree with their principles or values,” Molina, 52, told The Daily Signal in an interview. “But I wanted to make a difference with myself and my co-workers, and I felt that if I got involved, I could make some changes from within as a shop steward.”
“But my personal values never matched the union’s,” Molina said. “The further I got up the chain of command, I realized it was all an illusion and that what they were presenting to the rank and file was not true.”
When SEIU Local 668 asked Molina and co-workers to sign a new membership card in January 2018, he balked after carefully reviewing the language on the card.
Molina, who has three daughters with his wife of 32 years, says he refused to sign because he would be obligated to pay dues regardless of his membership status.
“Even if I wanted to go work for someone else, the union would have the ability to take money straight from my personal account if I had signed,” he told The Daily Signal.
SEIU Local 668 declined to comment for this report.
‘A Pre-Emptive Campaign’
It’s not just that leaders of public sector unions in Pennsylvania are reluctant to allow Molina and other members to resign, but that a state law locks in government employees to pay union dues against their will.
Now a federal court could rule that unconstitutional, or state legislators could amend the law to secure free speech rights.
A section of state law specifies that public employees may resign union membership only during a 15-day window before their contracts expire.
Public sector unions such as the Service Employees International Union stipulate that Molina and other members must submit a resignation letter by certified mail within that 15-day window.
But this “maintenance of membership” provision of Pennsylvania’s Public Employees Relations Act 195 doesn’t require unions to inform workers of the resignation window. And the state’s public payroll systems automatically deduct union dues from paychecks until employees, including Molina, find a way to unwind themselves from membership.
Even then, government workers who choose not to belong to unions have been required to pay “fair share” fees to keep their jobs.
What this means for Pennsylvania civil servants such as Molina—who differ with union leaders on a range of policy questions—is that they must spend part of their work day paying for political activism by the union that they don’t support.
“They had this emergency mandatory meeting in January [2018], where they said the old [membership] cards were invalid and we had to sign new ones,” Molina said of Local 668. “What they were doing was a pre-emptive campaign to avoid the legal ramifications of an unfavorable ruling in the Janus case.”
In that case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2018 that “agency shop” laws requiring nonunion government workers to pay union fees violate the First Amendment rights of those who object to the political agenda of the union.
Alito made the point that individuals are not just free to speak, but also free to “refrain from speaking” and to “eschew association for expressive purposes.”
The labor laws at issue in the Janus case violate the “constitutional command” protecting citizens against government coercion, Alito argued: “Compelling individuals to mouth support for views they find objectionable violates that cardinal constitutional command, and in most contexts, any such effort would be universally condemned.”
Lawmakers Respond
Rep. Greg Rothman, a Republican state lawmaker from Pennsylvania’s Cumberland County, introduced a bill to amend the law to allow government employees to resign from a union anytime they like, without a window to do so or any other restrictions.
“The public sector unions in Pennsylvania are extremely political, and collectively they are probably the biggest spender on political campaigns in the state,” Rothman said in a phone interview, adding:
They take political positions, which may not in a lot of cases represent the political views of their workers. Part of the First Amendment isn’t just about what I can say, but what someone says on my behalf, and you shouldn’t have your money going towards opinions that aren’t your own. You should also have a right to resign from an organization that doesn’t reflect your views, and you should not be required to be part of an organization in order to have a job.
Rothman’s bill, HB 506, is one of several that seek to turn the Supreme Court’s Janus ruling into law by amending existing Pennsylvania statutes.
State Rep. Kate Klunk, a York County Republican, introduced a measure, HB 785, that would require public sector employers to notify workers of their rights.
“The notice requirement is very simple and the onus is all on the public sector employer—be it the school district, municipality, or state government—to inform nonunion members that they are not required to make a payment to the union unless they affirmatively consent to do so,” Klunk told The Daily Signal in a phone interview.
“The unions have no express duty in any of these notices, as it’s only the employer that’s required to send out these notices. This is not pro-union or anti-union. This is just about telling employees what their rights are.”
As an attorney, Klunk has expressed concern that Pennsylvania will continue to face costly litigation until state laws are changed to conform with the Supreme Court ruling that struck down mandatory union dues.
Pennsylvania at Epicenter
The Janus ruling provided Molina with the opening he had sought to make a clean break.
In letter dated July 16, 2018, Molina resigned from SEIU Local 668. Although he wanted to quit the union before the high court’s decision, he knew he would have been compelled to pay “fair share” fees as a nonmember.
In his letter, Molina informed the SEIU that he wanted the deductions of dues to stop immediately. But they didn’t.
“Even after the Janus ruling, they continued to take dues out of my paycheck,” Molina said of the union. “According to their definition, after I resigned, I would been a nonunion member. There were others who resigned, but I was the most outspoken. I encouraged other workers to read the new cards carefully.”
The SEIU rejected Molina’s resignation letter, arguing that he had to remain a member under the “maintenance of membership” provision that applies to his contract.
Molina continued to protest, and was dismissed from his Lehigh County government job last summer, a few weeks after resigning from the union. Before 2004, he had worked in the private sector but didn’t belong to a union.
In January, Molina filed a lawsuit against SEIU Local 668, challenging the union’s refusal to allow him to resign and alleging that the union violated his constitutional rights under the First and 14th amendments.
“Under my contract, it says if I don’t pay my dues, the union can ask for my termination,” Molina told The Daily Signal. “That’s what I believe ended up happening in the end. I was terminated. I cannot work as a civil servant again for the state of Pennsylvania until this case is resolved.”
The Fairness Center, a nonprofit, public interest law firm based in Harrisburg, represents Molina.
“What Francisco [Molina] did for himself here was wonderful because he refused to sign a card that would have locked him into paying union dues regardless of his membership,” said David Osborne, president and general counsel of the Fairness Center. “He read the language and decided it didn’t make sense for him. So, what this case is about is a statute in Pennsylvania called ‘maintenance of membership’ that gives unions the right to keep members from resigning for years at a time.”
The Legal Landscape
The Fairness Center filed a separate but related class action lawsuit against Local 668 on behalf of public employees, challenging the “maintenance of membership” law on constitutional grounds. Both cases fit into a larger national picture.
The Daily Signal sought a response from SEIU Local 668 on the specifics of this article. The union responded to the request, but declined to comment.
Two other organizations—Liberty Justice Center, a nonprofit, public interest law center based in Illinois, and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation—also entered the fray in Pennsylvania to challenge the legality of the continued deduction of union dues that have cost government workers thousands of dollars.
This was a significant development because the two legal advocacy groups partnered to represent Mark Janus, a child support specialist for Illinois state government, in the Supreme Court case that overturned mandatory union dues for government workers.
Liberty Justice Center has filed two lawsuits, one in Lebanon County on behalf of four mental health workers, and another in Philadelphia on behalf of a caseworker for the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.
Both of the center’s lawsuits cite the high court’s ruling in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees in arguing against the deduction of unions dues on First Amendment grounds. Both cases also challenge the unions’ current standing as the exclusive representative of the government workers who sued.
For its part, National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation took up the case of a school bus driver in the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District who is asking for a refund of union fees that were withdrawn from his paycheck after he resigned his union membership.
The foundation filed suit against Teamsters Local 312 and the school district on behalf of the bus driver, who resigned from the Teamsters after the Janus ruling. The foundation also set up a website called MyJanusRights.org.
‘A Real Pushback’
The lead plaintiff in the Janus suit has some advice for unions that he shared with The Daily Signal.
“The public sector unions have been spending money on litigation, fighting the Janus decision and fighting workers that are resigning,” Janus said in an email. “Wouldn’t that money be better spent on representing their membership in matters that would better provide for the unions’ original purpose?”
Janus added:
It is cumbersome to resign from public sector unions. Now there is a real pushback by the public sector unions to prevent workers from leaving, in spite of the Janus ruling. What they are doing is denying these workers their First Amendment rights.
Meanwhile, the Fairness Center continues to cut its own path with active Janus-related litigationagainst AFSCME Council 89 and AFSCME Council 13, both in Pennsylvania.
Another active case that could have reverberations across Pennsylvania concerns a liquor store clerk, John Kabler, who alleges that Local 1776 of the United Food and Commercial Workers gave him false information and misled him into joining the union. Kabler also claims union leaders resisted his efforts to resign, and in March the center filed suit against the union on his behalf.
The public interest firm also settled some Pennsylvania cases in which the union agreed to allow their client to resign without paying more union dues. But these settlements were reached before the constitutionality of the “maintenance of membership” statute faced judicial scrutiny.
Charles Mitchell, president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, a free market think tank based in Harrisburg, said he thinks he knows why.
“There’s a reason why unions like AFSCME and SEIU are relying upon maintenance of membership rules and the window periods in Pennsylvania,” Mitchell said in a phone interview. “It’s because it’s the next obvious piece of coercion available to them.”
“I think it’s very clear that these restrictions are not consistent with workers’ rights and with the First Amendment,” he said. “I also believe one of the many people in Pennsylvania challenging these restrictions will be successful. The Janus opinion is extremely important, and Mark Janus is a hero.”
While the Fairness Center continues to apply pressure in court, Mitchell sees another ace in the hole available to proponents of labor reform in the form of the new legislative proposals.
“There are many lawmakers who are now standing up and saying our laws are inconsistent with the Janus decision and we need to fix them and inform workers of their rights,” he said. “They are doing this despite all the money and influence available to public sector unions, and that’s a very positive development.”
Klunk, the Republican lawmaker from York County, would like to see her bill become law this year. Although Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, has received political support from organized labor, Klunk says she is hopeful the governor will allow the bill to move forward.
Even if Wolf doesn’t the sign the measure, it could become law without his signature if it passes both houses of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
“Right now, we are clogging up our courts with additional cases over an issue that has already has been settled at the federal level before the Supreme Court,” Klunk said. “This benefits no one, and my bill in its current form repeals an unconstitutional provision of our state law. Wolf is the governor of all the people, not just the unions, and he could sign the bill or choose not to sign it and let it become law.”
The Daily Signal contacted Wolf’s office by phone seeking comment for this story and emailed his press secretary, J.J. Abbott, asking whether the governor has a position on the legislative proposals to amend Act 195.
The Daily Signal also asked Abbott whether the governor had any concerns about the costs of litigation attached to a labor issue that already had been settled at the federal level. Abbott had not responded by publication time.
SEIU Local 668 has filed a motion seeking dismissal of Molina’s case. Osborne, head of the Fairness Center, said he expects the court to make a ruling on the union’s motion within the next month.
“The union has to bear a very heavy burden to demonstrate the case is mute and they will no longer violate the law,” Osborne said. “I don’t think there is any way the union can bear that burden.”
With the recent conservative victories related to tax cuts, the Supreme Court, and other major issues, it is easy to become complacent.
However, the liberal Left is not backing down. They are rallying supporters to advance their agenda, moving this nation further from the vision of our founding fathers.
If we are to continue to bring this nation back to our founding principles of limited government and fiscal conservatism, we need to come together as a group of likeminded conservatives.
This is the mission of The Heritage Foundation. We want to continue to develop and present conservative solutions to the nation’s toughest problems. And we cannot do this alone.
We are looking for a select few conservatives to become a Heritage Foundation member. With your membership, you’ll qualify for all associated benefits and you’ll help keep our nation great for future generations.
EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Signal column is republished with permission.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00The Daily Signalhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Daily Signal2019-05-14 06:15:592019-05-14 06:18:30He Tried to Quit His Union. The Law Didn’t Let Him, and He Lost His Government Job Instead.
It’s not just high-profile anti-leftist political commentators such as Alex Jones, Paul Joseph Watson and Laura Loomer who are being banned from Facebook and de-platformed elsewhere.
Facebook has forced a well-known Christian apologist off their platform for things he posted years earlier — such as death and rape threats he received and even a famous anti-Nazi picture — after repeatedly being reported by online by Muslim activist group targeting Christians.
Apologist Dr. David Wood finally gave up Facebook because every time a suspension finished he was suspended again almost immediately, within hours, for older and older posts and for longer and longer periods. He was effectively banned through the use of rolling suspensions.
You can watch his explanation here on YouTube, at least until they boot him.
Let’s be clear, compared to the garbage fire of content on Facebook and Twitter, Wood’s criticisms are as soft and cuddly as the media’s coverage of President Obama, cute kitty cuddly.
Here are a few of the posts he was suspended for:
✞ Posting a threat from someone who wanted to rape his mother in front of him;
✞ Posting another threat from someone who wanted to rape his wife in front of him with the vilest of language throughout. Wood posted “Feel the love, the religion of peace” and a screenshot of the post and he was suspended;
✞ Posting another threat from someone who wanted to “chop chop chop” his head off;
✞ Posting a historical photo showing Hitler with one of his ideological allies — including the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, a Muslim leader. This is a famous photo;
✞ Posting another old black and white historical photo of a lone man who famously stood in a crowd refusing to give the Nazi salute while everyone around him did. All he wrote was “Be this guy.”
For each of these offenses, his posts were hidden from view, he was informed that “This post goes against our community standards” and was suspended. Community standards.
The theme in all of the threats was that they came from self-identified Muslims on Twitter or Facebook because Wood is critical of Islam. Those accounts seem to remain in good standing.
The group that has organized to get Wood and several other Christians banned is called Cyber Jihad, and they bragged about it on YouTube. The Islamic group openly targets and reports Christians who say anything negative about Islam (Wood tends to remind listeners that Mohammed married a 9-year-old girl, and this is still practiced in parts of the Muslim world.)
The Cyber Jihad group has also gone after other Christians, such as Sam Shamoun and Al Fadi, for posting about Islam.
Of course about anything can be said about Christianity because Christians do not seek to shut down the free speech of Muslims, atheists or anyone else critical. In fact, horrific things can be posted about Jesus Christ, and there will rarely be any response by Facebook or the other social media giants.
But if you post something negative about the Prophet Mohammed, expect to get a visit from the Facebook thought police, or Twitter censors.
EDITORS NOTE: This Revolutionary Act column is republished with permission.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Rod Thomsonhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngRod Thomson2019-05-10 16:38:092019-05-10 16:50:03Cyber Jihadists Are Getting Christians Banned On Facebook
When the head of Twitter’s public policy department told the Senate he’d do more on conservative censorship, making it worse wasn’t what most leaders had in mind! Unfortunately, that’s exactly what seems to be happening — to pro-lifers, Trump supporters, and even popular parody accounts. Three weeks ago, Carlos Monje Jr. was apologetic for the mistakes Twitter had made. A month later, he has a lot more to be sorry for.
Their stories are different, but several victims of Twitter’s bias have one thing in common: no one explained why. Mike Morrisson, who’s been running a popular “AOC Press” account as a joke, said he was banished from the platform on Monday night. “I still don’t really know why,” he wrote in Human Events. “I have my suspicions, but no one’s really tried to explain it to me.” His parody of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) had over 80,000 followers. “It was pretty funny, even if I do say so myself.” Apparently, Twitter wasn’t laughing — which is more than a little hypocritical, since social media has made mocking the president a cottage industry.
But there are some dark implications of this conservative blackout, Morrisson warns. “This is a nation which reveres, at its core, the rights of individuals to express themselves politically, lawfully.” The fact is, he goes on, “as we move closer to the 2020 election, a number of high-profile, high follower, conservative accounts are being banned. In total, we have lost access to millions, maybe even tens of millions of impressions over the past few days. This is election interference.”
Pro-life activist Ryan Bomberger, whose Radiance Foundation has been offline 16 days (and counting), was at least told his posts were “hateful.” Why? Because he had the audacity to call out Muslim Congresswoman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for downplaying 9/11. “She describes an act of war as ‘some people did something’? #IlhanOmar is not a victim. The 2,980 Americans who were slaughtered by Muslim terrorists were the victims. American Muslims lost no more civil liberties than we ALL did after #September11 thanks to the #PatriotAct.”
After he was booted off the supposedly public platform, Ryan sounded the alarm on Townhall, “So now historical revisionism is part of Twitter’s mission statement?… Instead of seeing the terrorism as the ‘hateful conduct,’ they deemed a tweet denouncing terrorism as ‘hateful conduct.'” This is just the beginning, he prophesied. Only to be proven right when his friend (and FRC’s) E.W. Jackson was blocked the same day. Then, One America News host Jack Posobiec’s Twitter account “@MAGAphobia” suspiciously vanished. What was his crime? Tracking the harassment of Donald Trump supporters. “I started @Magaphobia as an acc[ount] to track violence against Trump supporters all in one place.” Almost a half-million people followed it.
Or did follow. “Today,” he announced, “Twitter banned it.” But if you’re hoping to hold Big Tech accountable for their prejudice, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told me yesterday on “Washington Watch,” good luck. These companies — like Twitter — have virtually guaranteed immunity under the current system.
“Here’s the thing, Tony. One of the reasons they got so big — and they got so rich — is they get a special deal from the government. They get treated differently than newspapers or television stations or radio stations… They have their own deal [from the government] where they don’t have to be liable [in] the same way all of those other media outlets are. In exchange for that, they’re supposed to be neutral forums to allow for the free exchange of ideas — but they’re not doing that.
And here’s my bottom line. If they’re not going to allow there to be a free exchange of ideas — if they’re going to act like the editorial page of the New York Times — than they ought to be treated like the editorial page of the New York Times and subject to the same laws that every other newspaper and publisher is.”
If that’s what Twitter, Google, and Facebook are going to do, he went on, then they should be just as liable as everyone else. “They shouldn’t get the special rules they’re getting.” What we’re coming to, Senator Hawley said, “is a time of reckoning, where the social media giants have to decide: are they going to be truly neutral platforms for people… or are they going to continue to discriminate against conservatives on the basis of political speech?”
“It’s a big thing to kick someone off the platform,” Twitter’s Vijaya Gadde has said. And he’s about to find out how big, if it continues.
Tony Perkins’ Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers.
Venezuela is in a state of turmoil. After 20 years of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela, or PSUV), its economy is collapsing. As Venezuelans have tried to vote the PSUV out of office, its leader, Nicholas Maduro, has responded by creating a rival body to the National Assembly made up exclusively of government supporters and rigging the country’s May 2018 presidential election. Left with no alternative, members of the opposition have taken to the streets where they have been met with merciless brutality by the socialist government’s forces.
The Three Stages of Socialism in Venezuela
Venezuela is only the latest country to go through the cycle all socialist countries go through. In his excellent new book, Socialism: The Failed Idea That Never Dies, Kristian Niemietz of the Institute of Economic Affairs describes the process:
1. The honeymoon period…during which the experiment has, or at least seems to have, some initial success in some areas…During the honeymoon period, very few dispute the experiment’s socialist character.
2. The excuses-and-whataboutery period. But the honeymoon period never lasts forever. The country’s luck either comes to an end, or its already existing failures become more widely known in the West…It ceases to be an example that socialists hold against their opponents, and becomes an example that their opponents hold against them.
During this period, Western intellectuals still support the experiment, but their tone becomes angry and defensive.
3. The not-real-socialism stage. Eventually, there always comes a point when the experiment has been widely discredited, and is seen as a failure by most of the general public. The experiment becomes a liability for the socialist cause, and an embarrassment for Western socialists.
This is the stage when intellectuals begin to dispute the experiment’s socialist credentials, and, crucially, they do so with retroactive effect…At some point, the claim that the country in question was never “really” socialist becomes the conventional wisdom.
When we look at the chaos in Venezuela, it is worth remembering that, not so long ago, it was proof of socialism’s success.
Stage 1: An Anti-Capitalist President
In 2002, Hugo Chavez became president of Venezuela. Historically high oil prices allowed him to unleash a wave of government spending. He intervened extensively in the economy. Things were going well, and people were seduced. Here was “real socialism” in opposition to capitalism. In 2007, Naomi Klein wrote:
The staunchest opponents of neoliberal economics in Latin America have been winning election after election. […] [C]itizens had renewed their faith in the power of democracy to improve their lives. […]
Latin America’s mass movements […] are learning how to build shock absorbers into their organizing models. […] [T]he progressive networks in Venezuela are […] highly decentralized, with power dispersed at the grassroots and community levels, through thousands of neighborhood councils and co-ops. […]
The new leaders in Latin America are also becoming better prepared for the kinds of shocks produced by volatile markets. […] Surrounded by turbulent financial waters, Latin America is creating a zone of relative economic calm and predictability, a feat presumed impossible in the globalization era.
Two years later, Noam Chomsky, once a groveling apologist for Pol Pot’s genocidal Cambodian communists, wrote:
[W]hat’s so exciting about at last visiting Venezuela is that I can see how a better world is being created […] The transformations that Venezuela is making toward the creation of another socio-economic model could have a global impact.
Stage 2: Government Crackdown
But the good times came to an end. Oil prices fell from their peak back to the level they were at when Chavez took office. Production collapsed. The economy crashed. People protested. Maduro, Chavez’s anointed successor, cracked down. We were now in Stage 2.
In 2014, as the protests of ordinary Venezuelans were met with government violence, George Ciccariello-Maher of Jacobin magazine asserted:
[T]hose seeking to restore the feudal privileges of the deposed Venezuelan ancien régime have attempted to harness largely middle-class student protests to depose the Maduro government […] Well-heeled domestic elites (whose English shows no trace of an accent) have taken to Twitter and the international media […] [T]he reactionary opposition takes to the streets, fueled by a racial and class hatred.
True, he admitted, the government was acting brutally, but, he continued:
If we are against unnecessary brutality, there is nevertheless a radically democratic form of brutality that we cannot disavow entirely. This is the same brutality that ‘dragged the Bourbons off the throne’ […] This was not brutality for brutality’s sake […] It is instead a strange paradox: egalitarian brutality, the radically democratic dictatorship of the wretched of the earth. Those smeared today […] are in fact the most direct and organic expression of the wretched of the Venezuelan earth.
The regime you’re defending is literally mowing down civilians in the street today, as you well know, and the summary execution of protesters has been documented by human rights groups, as you well know. Yet here you are, still grifting.
George Ciccariello-Maher
✔@ciccmaher
“mowing down civilians”… man, Oz, you’re the gift that keeps giving…
Stage 3: Shifting the Goalpost
We soon entered the third stage. In 2017, Ciccariello-Maher claimed Venezuela’s problems were a result of the country not being socialist enough.
There is no coherent understanding of revolution that doesn’t involve defeating our enemies as we build the new society. […] We cannot defeat such dangers without weapons […]
No one would claim that the Venezuelan masses are in power today, but the past twenty years have seen them come closer than ever before. Their enemies and ours are in the streets, burning and looting in the name of their own class superiority […]
The only path forward is to deepen and radicalize the Bolivarian process […] The only way out of the Venezuelan crisis today lies decisively to the Left: […] in the construction of a real socialist alternative.
As Niemietz notes, with Venezuela we are currently transitioning from Stage 2 to Stage 3. Venezuela is now retroactively becoming “not real socialism.” Noam Chomsky now writes:
I never described Chávez’s state capitalist government as ‘socialist’ or even hinted at such an absurdity. It was quite remote from socialism. Private capitalism remained […] Capitalists were free to undermine the economy in all sorts of ways, like massive export of capital.
Time and again, socialists have hailed some country or other, from Soviet Russia to Venezuela, as the harbinger of a bright new dawn, only to slither away when it collapses, denying that it was ever actually what they had told you it was; it was “never real socialism.” They have been very successful with this.
As a result, from failure to dismal failure, the theory of socialism sails on, untainted by the horrible practical results of its application and always finding a new country to wreck. Socialists should not be allowed to get away with this when it comes to Venezuela.
EDITORS NOTE: This FEE column is republished with permission.
http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.png00Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)http://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngFoundation for Economic Education (FEE)2019-05-08 14:04:592019-05-08 14:07:08The Three Phases of Socialism
