Florida: Muslim convert pledges ‘allegiance to Allah’ planned Islamic State style execution

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“He showed the coworker execution videos from ISIS and talked about his new ‘allegiance’ to the Muslim deity, police said.” Apparently the coworker did not think it “racist” or “Islamophobic” to turn him in to the cops, and that’s all to the good.

Enrique Dominguez

Muslim convert Enrique Dominguez (right) in Florida court.

“Florida man pledged ‘allegiance to Allah,’ said he would dress as The Joker and shoot his boss,” by Jason Silverstein, New York Daily News, January 24, 2016 (thanks to Darcy):

A Florida man who pledged “allegiance to Allah” blatantly bragged about his plans to dress up as The Joker and gun down his boss, according to a police report.

Enrique Dominguez, 20, was arrested Friday after openly discussing his plans and stockpiling an apparent arsenal in his Miami-area home, according to the Miami Herald.

Dominguez last week allegedly revealed his sinister plot to a coworker at J&B Importers, a bicycle distributor.

He showed the coworker execution videos from ISIS and talked about his new “allegiance” to the Muslim deity, police said.

He then said he had just purchased a shotgun, and vowed to bring carnage to his workplace.

“I will dress up as the Joker from the ‘Batman’ movie and bring the gun to work during my break,” he said, according to the report.

After his arrest, police found a clown mask, duct tape, plastic wrap, gloves and two large knives inside a canvas at Dominguez’s home, police said. It’s unclear if officers found any firearms.

Dominguez told police he had bought a shotgun and planned to start his rampage after his “day of allegiance,” giving no further details.

Police said Dominguez, who has a Joker tattoo on his shoulder, posted pictures on social media showing him dressed as a clown and brandishing a collection of knives, which he called his “lil arsenal.”

Dominguez has been charged with aggravated assault. He is now being held on $5,000 bond and must stay under house arrest until facing a trial….

jsilverstein@nydailynews.com

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EDITORS NOTE: The featured image is courtesy of NBC News Channel 7 in Miami.

Better than You Think: The Middle Class, 1971-2014 by Chelsea German

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We’ve all heard it said that the “rich are getting richer” while the middle class suffers. Political figures on both the right and left frequently speak about the need to “bring back” or “restore” the “disappearing” middle class. Pew Research Center just put out a report that calls those ideas into question, according to a recent Washington Post opinion piece.

The report shows that from 1971 to 2014, middle-income households (meaning three-person households making from $41,869 to $125,608 annually in inflation-adjusted dollars) decreased from 61 to 50 percent of U.S. households. Why the 11 percentage point difference?

Seven of those 11 percentage points can be explained by households moving into a higher income bracket. High-income households grew from 14 percent to 21 percent of all households during the same period.

The Pew report also stated that all income groups have typically made double-digit pre-tax income gains since the 1970s:

Middle-income household income increased by 13% in the 1970s, 11% in the 1980s, and 12% in the 1990s. Lower-income households had gains of 13% in the 1970s, 8% in the 1980s and 15% in the 1990s. Upper-income households registered a 10% gain in the 1970s [and] 18% in both the 1980s and 1990s.

Then the Great Recession struck in the late 2000s. But even the Great Recession only removed 6 percentage points from the gains made by the middle class. In 2000, an average middle-income household earned 40 percent more than in 1970. In 2014, an average middle-income household earned 34 percent more than in 1970.

The Washington Post piece opines that “We’ve mistaken what is plausibly a one-time setback — the response to the Great Recession — for long-term stagnation. People have understandably but wrongly taken their recent experience and projected it onto the past.”

We cannot predict the future, but it certainly seems as though the middle class has fared better than many people believe.

Cross-posted from HumanProgress.org.

Chelsea GermanChelsea German

Chelsea German works at the Cato Institute as a Researcher and Managing Editor of HumanProgress.org.

The Trump Love Affair Explained in Terms Even Beltway Pundits Can Understand

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Donald Trump’s rise this election season has been historic, amounting to something heretofore unseen in the annals of American politics. Given this, it’s perhaps not surprising that many are still befuddled by the phenomenon. Pundit Charles Krauthammer is bewildered, saying that “for some reason” Trump “is immune to the laws of contradiction.” (In reality, Democrats get away with contradiction continually; the only difference is that the media actually report on Trump’s.) Also in the news recently is that some find his appeal among evangelicals “inexplicable.” Of course, it’s all quite explainable.

In an earlier piece — which I strongly urge you to read — I expanded on certain factors evident in the Trump phenomenon. Trump is:

  • tapping into anger against the Establishment and over immigration and is a plain-spoken breath of fresh air.
  • sounding a nationalistic note in an age where treason is the Establishment norm.
  • not campaigning as conservative but a populist, which, almost by definition, tends to make one popular in an era of mass discontent.
  • a crusader against hated political correctness, which has stifled tongues and killed careers nationwide. And in being the first prominent person to defeat the thought police (at least for now) — and by not cowering and apologizing to them — he has become a hero.

And as I wrote, “[W]hen you have a hero, leading the troops in the heat of battle against a despised oppressor, you don’t worry about his marriages, past ideological indiscretions or salty language. You charge right behind him.” This is largely why Trump’s contradictions don’t matter. Yet more can be said.

I often mention the fault of “mirroring,” which most everyone exhibits and is when you project your own ideals, values, priorities and mindset onto others. It’s particularly amusing when pundits and politicians comment on the electorate and speak as if everyone is a politics wonk who analyzes issues logically within the context of a broad knowledge base (pundits themselves often lack erudition and reason; of course, they’re blissfully unaware of it when thus guilty and nonetheless consider those qualities ideals). But man is not Mr. Spock, and logic and reason play less of a role in people’s decision-making than most of us care to think.

This brings us to what Trump now has. It’s something all successful politicians have to a degree and that every iconic one has in spades: an emotional bond with his supporters.

Trump has been criticized for speaking in vague generalities and not providing specifics on the campaign trail. This misses the point. If advertising a product on TV, do you willingly provide mundane details about its ingredients or describe the intricacies of its manufacturing process? That’s more the stuff of documentaries, and, insofar as the vendor goes, would only be found on an Internet product-information page (tantamount to a politician’s policy-position page) provided for those interested. No, you say “Look 15 years younger!” or “Lose 20 to 30 pounds in 6 weeks!” Or think of the circa 2000 Mazda commercial with the young boy whispering “Zoom, zoom!” It was advertising an expensive, hi-tech machine but was invoking the unbridled joy of childhood, thus endeavoring to pique people’s passions. And that’s the secret: capture your audience on an emotional level and they’re yours.

Or think about affairs of the heart. If you’re truly bonded and in love with your wife, it’s not because you first looked at her and, rendering a logical analysis, thought “Well, she’s vibrant and seems to have good genes, so we’d likely have healthy kids; and she’s a darn good cook, and I relish a fine pot roast.” Rather, a true romantic bond is somewhat inscrutable, an emotional phenomenon, not an intellectual one. And it’s powerful enough to cause a woman to follow a man into a life of faith or a life of crime (Bonnie and Clyde); it explains the enduring good marriages — and the bad ones.

Likewise, playing on emotion is not the sole province of morally bad or good politicians — only of successful ones. Hitler did it and Churchill did it; Huey Long did it and Reagan did it. When a candidate stands on a podium expounding upon policy nerd-like or has little to say beyond touting his “accomplishments” (John Kasich comes to mind), they’re proving they don’t get it. Create an emotional bond with the people, and they’re yours. And they will remain yours in the face of others’ intellectual appeals for their affections, for, to paraphrase Jonathan Swift, “You cannot reason a man out of a position he has not reasoned himself into.” Note that while this relates the futility of trying to shake a person from passionately embraced error, people can also have an emotional attachment to correct beliefs, for the right or wrong reasons and with or without an intellectual understanding (e.g., Plato spoke of inculcating children, who are too young to grasp abstract moral principles, with an “erotic [emotional] attachment” to virtue).

And this is what Trump does so masterfully. When he repeats his slogan “Make America Great Again,” says we’re going to “win” under his administration or speaks of building a border wall and getting “Mexico to pay for it,” it’s silly to wonder why it resonates despite the lack of detail. He’s marketing, not doing R&D; he’s not trying to appeal mainly to the intellect, but the emotions. And you do this with the slogan, not by reciting the list of ingredients. Again, this isn’t a commentary on the validity of his recipe, only on the principles of effective campaigning.

Having said this, if a candidate is the real McCoy, he’ll also have a quality product with a list of ingredients (again, a policy-position webpage) for the discriminating shopper. But if he’s smart he’ll understand that most people are impulse buyers with relatively short memories and recognize the importance of branding himself. Coca-Cola has “Coke is it!” Nike “Just do it!” and Barack Obama had “Yes, we can!” (no, he couldn’t — but it worked). Now, can you think of a GOP candidate other than Trump identifiable by way of a catchy and popular slogan? And it’s no coincidence that “Make America Great Again” was also Reagan’s slogan in 1980.

Of course, stating the obvious, to connect with people emotionally you must capitalize on something appealing to them emotionally. Trump’s bold nationalism does this. What do the others offer? Jeb Bush is associated with saying that illegal migration is “an act of love” and John “Can’t do” Kasich with “Think about the [illegals’] families, c’mon, folks!” which might appeal to illegal migrants if they could speak English. And none of the others will even support suspending Muslim immigration — despite deep and widespread fear of Muslim terrorism — which certainly will appeal to Da’esh (ISIS).

It’s as if Trump is courting Lady America with wine, roses and his alpha-male persona, while the Establishment candidates are lead-tongued nerds promising a tent with NSA surveillance, a bowl of soup and squatters on a burnt-out lawn.

Contact Selwyn Duke, follow him on Twitter or log on to SelwynDuke.com

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National Black Republican Association Endorses Donald J. Trump

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frances riceWe, the grassroots activists of the National Black Republican Association, are pleased to announce our endorsement of Donald J. Trump for President of the United States of America.

As citizens who happen to be black, we support Mr. Trump because he shares our values. We, like Mr. Trump, are fiscally conservative, steadfastly pro-life and believers in a small government that fosters freedom for individuals and businesses, so they can grow and become prosperous.

We are deeply concerned about illegal immigration, a major cause of high black unemployment, especially among black youth.

Black Americans across America are beginning to wake up and see clearly the reality of what is happening in black neighborhoods. Democrats have run black communities for the past 60 years and the socialist policies of the Democrats have turned those communities into economic and social wastelands, witness Detroit, Baltimore and South Chicago.

We believe that Mr. Trump has demonstrated that he can push back against the mainstream media, end political correctness and free black communities from the destructive grip of socialist Democrats.

We urge our fellow black Americans to seize control over their own destiny and leverage their vote the way other groups do. It is way past time black Americans stop having their vote taken for granted by Democrats, hold politicians accountable for the content of their policies and not vote merely based on the label of their party.

University of South Florida divests from companies doing business with Israel

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USF Hillel in a January 22nd, 2016 press release states:

USF Hillel is saddened by the Student Senate decision to pass a resolution calling for the University Foundation to divest from companies that do business in Israel.

It must be known however, that this resolution does not reflect in any way the values of the University Administration, the vast majority of USF Faculty and Staff, nor the vast majority of USF students. This resolution does not reflect the values of USF of mutual respect, inclusivity and pluralism.

There is a wonderfully robust relationship between USF and Israel through many academic and research institutions across the country. We are proud that USF students can study abroad at any university in Israel and get full USF credit. We are proud that the USF Medical School’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning & Simulation (C.A.M.L.S.) uses cutting-edge Israeli technology. We are proud that academic partnerships exist between many USF faculty members and faculty of Israeli colleges and universities. There is so much to be proud of when it comes to USF and Israel!

This non-binding resolution was brought forward by a block of students in the Student Senate who used USF Students’ goodwill and lack of information, to demonize the only Democratic Society in the Middle East. What USF student would not sign a petition in the name of Dr. Martin Luther King, calling on the University to have a policy of ethical investing? What USF student would not want to stop funding companies involved in human rights violations?

In reality the divestment resolution is part of the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movements (BDS) which seeks to isolate Jews and anyone who supports Israel on campus through misinformation and intimidation. This is a “Goliath” organization which is well-financed and highly sophisticated. We at Hillel are fully supporting Israel and, as always, advancing our mission of providing safe, positive and meaningful Jewish experiences for our students. What we need from our parents, alumni and local community is funding to support the training of as many Student Israel Advocates at USF as possible at $1,500 each for a year. Even a $36 check from every member of our community would allow us to build a strong cadre of knowledgeable, capable student Israel Advocates who would be willing and able to deal with anti-Israel activity on many fronts. We could also use funding to bring in pro-Israel speakers and programming.

USF Hillel stands by our statement that this resolution, while passed under the guise of concern for human rights, is nothing more than a very clever and cynical manipulation of the truth. Yet once you get beyond the “Whereas and Wherefores” of the resolution, the resolution states that the only human rights violator on the entire planet worthy of mention and divestment is Israel. The resolution does not see fit to mention the human rights violations of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, The Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Lebanon, Afghanistan, China, Russia or a score of other countries…Only Israel. That is a double standard; and THAT…Is anti-Semitism. The Goal of the international BDS movement is to demonize, delegitimize and ultimately destroy the State of Israel, the only Jewish State in the world; and THAT…is Anti-Semitism. Let us be clear: USF is not anti-Semitic. However, the global BDS movement which sponsored and supported this resolution is.

This is historical fact: The Land of Israel has been the homeland of the Jewish People for more than 3,000 years. We also recognize however, that Palestinians have been on the land for hundreds of years and also consider it their home.

USF Hillel is Pro-Israel, Pro-Palestine and Pro-Peace. We hope for a solution to the conflict which will see the establishment of Two States for Two Peoples: An Independent Arab State of Palestine alongside the Jewish State of Israel. The Road to Peace is not paved with Boycotts, Divestments, Sanctions, Demonization or Terrorism. The road to peace will be carved out of mutual recognition and acceptance.

USF Hillel is proud to be part of the University of South Florida. We are proud of our Jewish students. We are proud of the great achievements that President Genshaft has made leading our university. We are proud of the growth of vibrant Jewish life on campus, and we WILL continue to be a positive force for the entire USF Community. And…we hope to see many, many more Jewish students enroll at and receive their diploma from USF. Go Bulls!

U.S. Anti-Semitism in 2015: 302 Incidents at 109 Colleges in 28 States

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Credit Tammi Rossman Benjamin of University of California – Santa Cruz with establishing the AMCHA Initiative – an on-line data base reporting anti-Semitic incidents occurring with rising frequency  on US college campuses. The Initiative was created to protect  Jewish students  and  staff on campuses. The 2015 AMCHA report cite more than 302 incidents at 109 campuses in more than 28 states. Several more incidents were recorded on campuses in January 2016.  It is a chronicle of Jew hatred fostered by the alliance of the extremist Students for Justice in Palestine, Boycott, investment and Sanctions (BDS)  and neo-Nazi groups plaguing college campuses. Yesterday, we posted on the Florida State Senate unanimously passing legislation against companies boycotting Israeli companies. We understand a major  motivation for the anti-BDS  legislation being promoting across the country during current legislative sessions  was to address the virulent BDS anti-Israel protests on college campuses in the Sunshine and other major states.

map of anti semitic incident us college campuses

Map of 2015 Anti Semitic Incidents on US College Campuses. Source: AMCHA Initiative

Crossing-The-Line-1-620x328

Students chant “Allahu akbar” and “We are Hamas!” (Image source: Crossing the Line 2)

This Washington  Free Beacon report by Adam Kredo presents some troubling examples of campus Jew hatred that looks eerily like what happened in the 1930’s in Nazi Germany, “Anti-Semitic Incidents on U.S. College Campuses Spike:”

The array of incidents were recorded at many universities and often included Nazi imagery, slurs calling Jews “evil,” and calls for Jews be murdered, according to a report published by the AMCHA Initiative, an organization that seeks to protect Jewish students.

The organization created an online database that logs in real time reports of new anti-Semitic incidents at colleges across the nation. Several anti-Semitic incidents have been recorded in the first month of 2016.

Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, AMCHA co-founder and director, warned that anti-Semitism on campus is growing as a result of highly aggressive anti-Israel student movements such as the group Students for Justice in Palestine, which has used Nazi imagery in its campaign to demonize Israel.

“There is a clear correlation between anti-Israel activism—particularly BDS campaigns—and the anti-Semitic targeting of Jewish students,” Rossman-Benjamin told the Washington Free Beacon. “For instance, acts of anti-Jewish harassment, discrimination, and defamation are higher in schools where BDS activity is high. The connection between BDS and campus anti-Semitism is undeniable.”

Some of the incidents recorded at universities were violent in nature, according to the report.

At the University of Oregon, for instance, a man yelling anti-Semitic slurs threatened to shoot a Jewish student.

At Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York, an Orthodox Jewish student “was punched in the face and told ‘Leave the school, you Jew,’” according to the report.

Students also used social media networks such as Twitter to threaten Jewish students.

One female student-athlete at Delaware Valley College came under scrutiny for tweeting, “Can I kill all the [expletive deleted] Jews in Lakewood pleeeasse?!?!!”

Nazi-style demonstrations also were held on campuses in 2015.

Thirty members of a group called the Traditionalist Youth Network at Indiana University “marched on campus holding anti-Semitic signs and wearing Nazi memorabilia,” according to the report.

In a similar incident at the University of California at Santa Cruz, members of the Students for Justice in Palestine group—which has been shut down on some campuses for its virulent anti-Semitism—established mock checkpoints around campus and forced Jewish students to “show ID cards.”

At least 15 college campuses—including George Washington University, the University of Maryland, and Tufts University—had incidences of anti-Semitic graffiti, including swastikas and anti-Semitic slurs.

“Jews—the root of all evil” was written on a wall in the Brooklyn College campus library, the report found.

Other incidents across the country include mezuzahs being vandalized, swastikas being scrawled on school buildings, and convicted terrorists being invited to speak on campus.

At Towson University, one vandal repeatedly went across campus writing, “Hitler was right” and “with Jews you lose.”

Similarly, a the University of California at Berkeley, “Zionists should be sent to the gas chamber” was found “etched on school property,” according to the report.

Leila Beckwith, an AMCHA co-founder and professor emeritus at the University of California at Los Angeles, warned that college officials often dismiss discrimination against Jews.

“Anti-Semitism, what many of us thought only a decade or so ago was a sad part of our history, continues to rear its ugly head on campuses from coast to coast,” Beckwith said in a statement. “What those of us that monitor cases on a regular basis know is today’s anti-Semitism not only includes swastikas and historical anti-Jewish slang.”

RELATED ARTICLE: How Europe’s Radical Refugee Shakeup Could Push Britain Out of the EU

RELATED VIDEO: Crossing the Line 2: The New Face of Anti-Semitism on Campus:

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared in the New English Review. The featured image of a college student holding an Israeli flag with swastika is courtesy of Crossing the Line 2.

Idaho: Citizens defeat pro-Muslim Migrant resolution

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Increasingly city and county governments are making themselves heard on the issue of UN/US State Department refugee resettlement for their communities.  We told you here recently about Craven Co. North Carolina considering a resolution opposing more refugees. And, then here in Montana, the Missoula County Commission opened the door for the resettlement of third-worlders from the Middle East and Africa.

In Idaho, a heated public meeting of the Sandpoint City Council in Bonner County in the far northern reaches of the state resulted in the withdrawal of a resolution to support refugee resettlement to the community.

The federal government and their paid resettlement contractors (listed here) will be quick to say that local governments have no right to say whether refugees are seeded there or not.  However, they do frequently say they will not place refugees where the refugees would be “unwelcome”

If Congress was doing its job there would be a major movement to rewrite the Refugee Act of 1980 (or scrap it all together) in order to give local communities a say in what happens to their counties, cities and towns.  I predict there will be increasing tension in towns across America on the controversial issue.

And, it’s not just about the prospect that Islamic terrorists might be in the refugee stream, there are very serious economic costs involved as refugees (as a special immigrant class) are able to access most forms of welfare available only to American citizens. They also add to the shortage of low income housing often pushing poor and disabled Americans to the back of the line.

From Boise Weekly:

Sandpoint mayor

Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad

Sandpoint City Council members voted Wednesday night to withdraw a resolution supporting refugee resettlement, bringing an end to a heated, month-long controversy.

Cheers erupted from the audience when newly elected Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad asked the council to withdraw the resolution from consideration. A measure meant to counter statements from Bonner County commissioners and Sheriff Darryl Wheeler opposing the resettlement of refugees, the resolution was intended to restate Sandpoint’s commitments to human rights, according to Rognstad.

“This resolution has only served to divide us and this community,” said Rognstad, as he requested the withdrawal. “That saddens me.”

Once again, anti-refugee activists turned out in force to oppose the resolution and, once again, the council meeting procedure was punctured by applause and shouts. When Rognstad called for order, the crowd responded with catcalls.

There is much more, continue reading here.

We have an extensive archive on Idaho, learn more by clicking here.  Both Boise and Twin Falls are already large resettlement sites.

Be sure to learn more about Jan Reeves who is responsible for refugees going to Idaho.  He was a 2013 Obama Champion of Change, see here.

‘Humanitarianism’ is a cover for big business drivers of more immigration.

For citizens of Idaho and everywhere being confronted with this issue, please be sure to investigate and find out what large industries are driving the resettlement where you live.  Big business including BIG MEAT, Chobani Yogurt, and other manufacturing companies are looking for cheap immigrant labor and the federal resettlement contractors act as ‘head hunters’ for them.

The big business pays low wages and the remainder of the refugee family’s support comes from the taxpayer via welfare, education and medical care.

Also, find out which elected officials are receiving campaign donations from those companies.  Expose them!

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Now Toronto wants a pause in Syrian refugee flow to city!

EDITORS NOTE: The featured image is of the audience cheering as Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad withdraws resolution. Boise Weekly Photo: Ben Olsen

No, the Rest of the World Doesn’t Use ‘Single Payer’ by Eli Lehrer

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There’s plenty of reason for free marketers to be skeptical of proposals, like the ones emanating from Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and hinted at by Republican Donald Trump, that would create a single-payer healthcare coverage system in the United States.

But, if only because these proposals have resonance with the public, they’re certainly worth debating. A rational debate depends on getting the facts straight and there’s one fact that both left and right often get wrong: “single payer” healthcare of the sort Bernie Sanders proposes isn’t universal in the developed world and the US system isn’t particularly free-market by the standards of peer nations.

Although definitions vary slightly, a single payer healthcare system is one where a single entity — a government-run insurance plan — pays all bills for a variety of medical care, and private payment for these same services is more-or-less banned.

Among the G-7 countries, only one nation, Canada, actually maintains such a system. One other, Italy, has a pretty similar system but allows much more private payment, and, because of the low standards of public hospitals, nearly everyone who can afford private insurance carries it.

Japan maintains a government-run healthcare plan, but it has so many gaps that most families find a need to carry private insurance to cover things like cancer-treatment related costs the public system excludes.

Germany, like the United States, has an employer-state hybrid system with heavy regulation of insurance companies.

France has a “dominant payer” system, where one quasi-governmental entity (CNAMTS) pays many bills, but about 90 percent of the population maintains private coverage as well, and most people pay something out of pocket each year.

The United Kingdom, finally, directly administers almost all medical personnel and facilities through a single governmental entity in each of the home countries. This is a “single provider” system.

Except in the United Kingdom, furthermore, there are significant numbers of people in all of these countries who report problems paying for needed medical care. This percentage is higher in the United States and Germany, intermediate in France, and lower in Canada. The UK only achieves its apparently enviable results because of long waiting lists for many procedures and health care rationing systems that are pretty close to the fictional “death panels” some conservatives claimed were part of Obamacare.

The American system as it exists isn’t unusually free market either. The German, French, and Japanese systems — where consumers much more frequently shop around for insurance plans they like rather than having the government or an employer chose — offer more consumer choices than most Americans enjoy. Even though taxpayers pick up a very large portion of the bills, the French practice of publically providing the prices of medical procedures makes that system feel a lot more like a free market than anything most Americans see day-to-day.

There are lots of valid criticisms of the United States’ healthcare system. The difficulty the poor or uninsured sometimes have in getting needed medical care is one of them. Some problems of the US health care system stem from lifestyle and cultural factors that organization and payment mechanisms can’t impact. But the lack of a single-payer system in the United States isn’t unusual in the slightest nor is the system we have particularly free-market.

Any debate should start by acknowledging both of those facts.

Eli LehrerEli Lehrer

Eli Lehrer is president and co-founder of the R Street Institute, a free-market think tank.

VIDEO: Pastor Jack Martin Running for Congress in Florida’s 11th District

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Florida’s 11th Congressional District includes Sumter, Citrus and Hernando counties and most of Marion county. The current representative of the 11th Congressional District is Richard B. Nugent (R). Nugent is retiring at the end of his current term.

Pastor John “Jack” Martin has decided for God and country to run for Nugent’s seat. Here is a video of Jack Martin speaking at a Second Amendment rally:

Guns Across America Florida Rally Pastor Jack Martin from Jack Martin on Vimeo.

Pastor Marin’s history is that of a 33 year pastor. He is a member of the Black Robe Regiment and Preacher from The Pulpit. He has been standing up, speaking out and attending various events throughout the State of Florida to Washington D.C. He has always felt that a position as a statesman, U.S. Congressional Rep. to represent The People was his next calling in life.

Martin on his website lists six major crises Americans face:

  1. The National Debt – Over 18 Trillion Dollars
  2. Our Borders – Unprotected and being flooded daily with those entering illegally from many nations.
  3. Our Military both Veterans and Active Duty treated poorly.
  4. Obamacare – Needing to be repealed and replaced.
  5. Israeli / American Relationships – Need to be restored.
  6. Our Judeo Christian Ethics – under heavy attack.

Jack Martin speaking on the Black Robe Regiment at a Deland, Florida Rally in December 2015:

Pastor Martin has been endorsed by William Finlay, Wild Bill for America, also a Black Robe Regiment member among others.

Supporter Deb Howard states, “Pastor Jack is well known for his candor of Gods word and the application in conjunction with today’s times that we face. His deliveries are captivating. I am attaching one in particular that I believe delivers Jacks beliefs as he does walk the walk. There is no denying that people are pleasantly surprised as the preacher from the small country church is ready willing and able to face the evil in D.C. unafraid to be heard and willing to fight the mass corruption within our Halls!”

“Pastor Jack is also acquainted with Geoff Ross, Senior Chief, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Michael McCallister, Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.), Ann Murrin, PoliticoChicks, Rodney Conover (writer and radio host), Joe The Plumber and numerous others who are supporting, covering the campaign trail and publishing information about him, ” said Howard.

Howard notes, “Our attempt to make Pastor John Martin a household name not only in District FL-11 but nationwide as he is challenging pastors to step out and off of the pulpit and guide congregations to comprehend the true nature of their work. As Black Robe Regiment Pastors joined in leading with George Washington to fight for our independence in the Revolutionary War, so stands John Martin.”

EDITORS NOTE: Readers wanting more information may visit the Jack Martin for Congress website.

Anti-BDS Bill Unanimously Passes Florida Senate

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The Florida  State Senate in Tallahassee yesterday unanimously passed on Third Reading an anti-BDS bill SB 38 on “scrutinized companies” directed at companies boycotting Israeli companies.  See the Florida Senate Legislation Tracker for the tally of those State Senators who cast the unanimous vote. The ‘scrutinized companies” Florida legislation would:

Require the State Board of Administration to identify all companies that are boycotting Israel or are engaged in a boycott of Israel in which the public fund owns direct or indirect holdings by a specified date; requiring the public fund to create and maintain the Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel List that names all such companies; prohibiting a state agency or local governmental entity from contracting for goods and services that exceed a specified amount if the company has been placed on the Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel List.

The legislation is modeled on one that passed in South Carolina, last session in Columbia, spearheaded by State Rep. Alan Clemmons. It has the support of the Israel Allies Foundation in Washington, which is seeking to see it adopted in other jurisdictions across the US. A companion bill, in the Florida House HR 527 passed its first stop, the House Government Operations Subcommittee on Wednesday, January 20, 2015.  The Florida anti-BDS legislation has the support of the Florida Christian Families Coalition.

Listeners to the weekly Lisa Benson Show that airs Sunday on KKNT 960 The Patriot out of Phoenix heard South Carolina Rep. Clemmons discuss the model legislation during an interview on December 6, 2015. LISTEN to the podcast here.

The AP had this report on the progress of the Florida anti-BDS legislation, “Boycott of companies that boycott Israel sought in Florida:”

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida wouldn’t be able to invest in companies that boycott Israel under a bill unanimously passed by the state Senate.

The Senate passed a bill Thursday that would force the State Board of Administration to identify companies that boycott Israel and then notify them they are on a “scrutinized companies” list. The board is responsible for managing the state’s retirement fund.

If the companies continue to boycott Israel, the board would not be allowed to invest in those companies.

It would also place limits on state agencies from contracting with companies on the list.

A similar House bill has two more committee stops before it’s ready for a floor vote.

RELATED ARTICLE: Israel and Florida: A Strong and Growing Economic Partnership

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared in the New English Review.

Duck Dynasty’s Willie Robertson Endorses Donald Trump for President

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Duck Dynasty Willie Robertson Publicly Endorses Donald TrumpLAS VEGAS, Nevada /PRNewswire/ — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump garnered another major endorsement of his campaign when Duck Dynasty star and outdoor lifestyle advocate  Willie Robertson – during an appearance at the Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel’s Outdoor Sportsman Awards in Las Vegas at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) and Conference – appeared and announced his support for the GOP frontrunner.

Robertson, who along with Trump was a guest at the 16th Annual Outdoor Sportsman Awards show, is part of a constituency in the United States that numbers 134 million strong in advocating and participating in outdoor lifestyle activities. Robertson’s endorsement comes on the heels of Sarah Palin, who recently hosted Sportsman Channel’s Amazing America with Sarah Palin. Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel are the world’s leading messengers in providing outdoor lifestyle content.

“He’s not afraid to tell it like it is,” said Robertson. “He’s a friend of the Second Amendment…the man I’m standing behind to be the next President of the United States – Donald Trump.”

Robertson and his family started their television careers on Outdoor Channel with their Buck Commander show. Since then, the family has found wild television success on A&E with Duck Dynasty, which recently began airing Seasons 1-6 in syndication on Outdoor Channel (Mondays at 7 p.m. ET). Willie Robertson continues to commandeer Buck Commander on Outdoor Channel, as well.

Considered the Emmy Awards® of outdoor lifestyle programming, the Outdoor Sportsman Awards serve as the hallmark event to recognize outstanding programming created by Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channeltalent and production teams during the previous year. The ceremony feature 17 awards including Fan Favorite Host(s) awards for Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel.

About Outdoor Sportsman Group

Outdoor Sportsman Group is comprised of the world’s foremost media and entertainment brands for outdoor adventure enthusiasts. It includes three leading multichannel networks: Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel and World Fishing Network. The Group also consists of a number of established integrated media assets: 15 outdoor magazines, such as Guns & Ammo, Petersen’s Bowhunting and Florida Sportsman, and 17 top websites, including BassFan.com. Additionally, Outdoor Sportsman Group includes television production operations, Winnercomm, as well as aerial camera businesses, SkyCam and CableCam.

About Outdoor Channel

Outdoor Channel has been taking viewers across America and around the world on unparalleled adventures since 1993. Dedicated to the outdoor lifestyle and conservation, the independent cable network is a division of Outdoor Sportsman Group and provides a complete spectrum of riveting hunting, fishing, shooting and adventure entertainment. Outdoor Channel is the largest outdoor TV footprint in the country and is available in more than 50 countries internationally. Outdoor Channel can be viewed in HD and is accessible by broadband and mobile platforms. For program times and other information, visit www.outdoorchannel.com. Follow us onTwitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and download our iPhone and iPad app. #WhatGetsYouOutdoors

About Sportsman Channel

Launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel/Sportsman HD is a television and digital media company fully devoted to honoring a lifestyle that is celebrated by millions of Americans. A division of Outdoor Sportsman Group, Sportsman Channel delivers entertaining and informative programming that showcases outdoor adventure, hunting and fishing, and illustrates it through unique and authentic storytelling. Sportsman Channel embraces the attitude of “Red, Wild & Blue America” – where the American Spirit and Great Outdoors are celebrated in equal measure. Stay connected to Sportsman Channel online at thesportsmanchannel.com, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About World Fishing Network
World Fishing Network is North America’s only television network, online and mobile platform dedicated exclusively to fishing and outdoor enthusiasts with programming that covers instruction, tips, tournaments, travel, food, boating, outdoor lifestyle and more. Available to cable, satellite and telco subscribers throughoutthe United States, Canada and the Caribbean, our lineup includes a selection of the best international series and the most diverse species coverage of any TV channel hosted by some of the top anglers from North America and across the globe. For more information, please visit WorldFishingNetwork.com and follow us atFacebook and Twitter.

About Outdoor Sportsman Group – Integrated Media

As a premier destination for the most avid outdoors enthusiasts, Outdoor Sportsman Group’s Integrated Media division is widely recognized for its strong special-interest multichannel brands, including Petersen’s Hunting, Guns & Ammo, In-Fisherman, North American Whitetail, Game & Fish and 10 other leading magazines that reach more than 26 million readers. Its network of 17 websites, including BassFan.com, attract more than 38 million annual unique visitors, and hundreds of TV episodes of original branded hunting, sport shooting and fishing programming that airs on Outdoor Sportsman Group’s broadcast entities. Visit http://outdoorsg.com for more information.

 

Islamic State Cuts Terrorist Salaries by Half by Daniel Bier

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Documents leaked to CNN from inside the Islamic State show that the terrorist insurgency/quasi-state is undergoing massive budget cuts, cutting salaries for its fighters and staff by 50 percent across the board.

ISIS soldiers earn between $400 and $1,200 a month, plus a $50 stipend for their wives and $25 for each child, according to the Congressional Research Service.

But running a state at war is expensive. And recent victories for the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS mean that the Islamic State can’t afford to pay its soldiers quite as much as it used to.

“On account of the exceptional circumstances the Islamic State is facing, it has been decided to reduce the salaries that are paid to all mujahideen by half, and it is not allowed for anyone to be exempted from this decision, whatever his position,” the ISIS’ government wrote in a memorandum.

Much of the financial pressure on ISIS may come from US and Russian airstrikes targeting cash stockpiles, oil resources, and other assets. ISIS also has to pay for a semi-functioning state, maintaining infrastructure, running schools, subsidizing bread, fighting a war, and, of course, murdering vast numbers of people for imaginary crimes.

But the Islamic State might have a revenue problem as much as a spending problem. ISIS gets most of its money by taxing people in conquered territory, but, as Dan Mitchell has pointed out, the terrorists have recently been discovering the Laffer Curve.

Quoting Adam Chodorow at Slate,

ISIS’s taxes are now so onerous that large numbers of people, who were apparently willing to tolerate ISIS’s religious authoritarianism, are fleeing Syria and Iraq to escape them. …

ISIS is … constrained by a lack of administrative resources and the simple reality once sketched on the back of a cocktail napkin by the economist Arthur Laffer: that tax rates can only get so high before they actually drive down government revenues.

Given current conditions, ISIS may be near or at the limits of its ability to tax, even if it can recruit jihadi tax accountants to its cause. Thus … it’s not clear how much room the group has to grow internal revenues. More important, its efforts to do so may do more to damage its prospects than outside forces can accomplish.

No matter how much violence they use, there is no escaping the basic economic reality of incentives: In addition to creating refugees of war and violence, ISIS is now also creating tax exiles.

As people flee Syria and Iraq, businesses close, and the economy dies — and ISIS’s ability to tax and sustain its war effort is slowly being bled out. This is probably one reason that the Islamic State views refugees as traitors, as they have not only abandoned the one true caliphate, but they’ve taken their incomes with them.

Even if they really believe in the cause, if ISIS fighters are at all motivated by money, cutting their pay in half will have a huge impact on recruitment and desertion. Incentives matter, even in a theocracy.

Daniel Bier

Daniel Bier

Daniel Bier is the editor of Anything Peaceful. He writes on issues relating to science, civil liberties, and economic freedom.

U.S. Senate Democrats kill the Syrian Refugee SAFE Act — use Trump as excuse

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Senate Democrats showed their abject fear of Donald Trump by bringing him into the debate as they did.

As we told you a couple of days ago, the federal refugee resettlement contractors were whipping their forces to tell their Senators to oppose a bill that had passed the House in November with broad bipartisan support.  The contractors were so afraid of losing their Muslim ‘clients’ (a large portion of those for which they are paid by the head to bring to your towns).

 

Yesterday, the Senate failed to get cloture and move the bill with enough votes to assure Obama would not veto it.  From insiders we learned that the bill, if it ever passed and was signed by Obama, would have been a fig leaf and not done much to keep us safe from terrorists getting into your neighborhoods from places like Syria and Iraq.

The vote, however, was informative.  All Democrats except Bernie Sanders who missed the vote, and two brave souls, voted to kill the bill. Republicans including the three US Senators running for President voted to move the bill.

The two Dems who bucked the party (and the grassroots working for contractors) were West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp.

Here is the roll call vote.

This is what Reuters says about the vote:

U.S. Senate Democrats on Wednesday narrowly blocked legislation that would slow the entry of refugees from Syria and Iraq to the United States in a contentious vote cloaked in presidential election-year politics.

Manchin and Heitkamp

Democratic Senators Manchin and Heitkamp.

The vote was 55-43, with “yes” votes falling short of the 60 needed to advance the Republican-backed measure in the 100-member Senate. No Republicans voted against the bill, and only two Democrats backed it.

Among other things, the bill would halt the admission of refugees and require high-level U.S. officials to verify that each refugee from Iraq and Syria posed no security risk before being allowed into the United States.  [This is the part of the bill that was so weak because the Obama Administration (and a Hillary one too) would simply verify that screening was adequate.—ed]

Republicans said the tighter screening was essential to ensure the safety of Americans and prevent attacks within the country by Islamic State and other militant groups.

“This bipartisan bill would allow Washington to step back, take a breath and ensure it has the correct policies and security screenings in place,” Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in the Senate before the vote.

[….]

All three Senate Republican 2016 presidential hopefuls, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, backed the bill. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders missed the vote.

Dems tried and failed to bring Donald Trump into the debate.  Who in their right mind would have gone along with this trick!

Democrats also sought to play politics. They tried and failed to reach a deal with Republicans to set up a vote on an amendment establishing a religious test for would-be immigrants.

That vote was planned to see if Republicans would side against presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has advocated barring Muslims from entering the United States.

The Syria refugee bill passed the House by a large margin days after the Nov. 13 Islamic State attacks in Paris. The bill was supported by dozens of Democrats who defied Democratic President Barack Obama’s veto threat.

There is mention in the story that refugees are screened for 18-24 months which is a joke.  They are briefly screened, then they wait for their plane tickets and their assignments to your towns!

Conclusion!  Democrats, except those in West Virginia and North Dakota, are on the side of flooding America with refugees from terror-producing countries.  That is pretty clear.

And, it is also pretty clear that there is much work ahead (Congress is not going to save us!) during Election 2016 to educate the public through whatever means possible about the Refugee Admissions Program which is being effectively directed by the United Nations choosing America’s refugees.

RELATED ARTICLE: How Nearly 500,000 Visa Overstays Will Impact the Immigration Debate

Geert Wilders: ‘Welcome, Donald Trump’ to the land of thoughtcrimes

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Britain: the cradle of freedom, now the land of thoughtcrime.

“Exclusive–Geert Wilders: Delusional Britain Would Rather Ban Donald Trump Than Confront Unpleasant Facts,” by Geert Wilders, Breitbart, January 19, 2016:

Deja-vu. It is not an English word, but French. However, the word immediately springs to mind when hearing about yet another Western politician or Islam critic, whom some British politicians want to ban from entering their country. Welcome, Donald Trump, in the company of Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer and myself.

Both Pamela, Robert and myself have been banned from entering the United Kingdom. In my case, it happened on February 12, 2009. Two highly respected members of the British House of Lords, Lady Caroline Cox and Lord Malcolm Pearson, had invited me to show my 2008 documentary Fitna to members of the House in a conference room of the parliament building in Westminster. Fitna is a movie, juxtaposing Koranic versed calling for violence with footage of terrorist attacks and other violent deeds these verses inspired.

Fitna, as well as my view that Islam, rather than a religion, is primarily a totalitarian political ideology aiming for world domination, has resulted in several death threats against my person. I am on the death list of Al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Pakistani Taliban. Since 2004, I have been living under round-the-clock police protection, but I have a mission: Speak the truth about Islam.

However, a Pakistani-born Islamic member of the House of Lords, one Nazir Ahmed, demanded that the then British Labour government ban me from entering the UK. He threatened that he would personally mobilize 10,000 Muslims to prevent me from entering the Upper House. The government complied and had me banned. Though a member of the Dutch parliament, invited by British colleagues, I was locked up in a detention room upon arrival at Heathrow Airport. Three hours later, I was put on the next flight to Amsterdam.

The British authorities said that my “presence in the UK would pose a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to one of the fundamental interests of society.” My statements as expressed in Fitna and elsewhere were said to “threaten community harmony and therefore public security in the UK.” Lord Ahmed boasted of his victory in the Pakistani media. He termed the decision “a victory for the Muslim community.”

However, I challenged the ban before the British Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. On October 12, 2009, this tribunal overturned the ban. In March 2010, I returned to London and showed my movie to my colleagues in Westminster. There were no incidents and no disturbances of Britain’s “fundamental interests,” “community harmony,” or “public security.” The bans served but one goal: It was an attempt to shut me up for speaking the truth about Islam.

Yesterday, Pamela Geller wrote on this website that in June 2013, she and Robert Spencer, too, were banned from the UK because their presence was “not conductive to the public good” and a “threat to security of our society.” It sounded eerily familiar, as did the arguments of those who want Donald Trump to be banned from Britain for advocating a temporary moratorium on Muslim immigration into the US. Fortunately, they did not succeed.

When the great Ronald Reagan visited the British Parliament in 1982, he told the British parliamentarians that “if history teaches anything, it teaches self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is folly.” This is an advice that politicians everywhere should take at heart.

RELATED ARTICLES:

UK jihadis laugh as they watch Islamic State execution video in restaurant

Hugh Fitzgerald: Sticking to the Details

Teens Who Use Marijuana at Risk of Schizophrenia

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In a pre-clinical study, researchers from Western University in Ontario, Canada, studied the effects of long-term exposure to THC in both adolescent and adult rats.

They found changes in behavior as well as in brain cells in the adolescent rats that were identical to those found in schizophrenia. These changes lasted into early adulthood long after the initial THC exposure.

The young rats were “socially withdrawn and demonstrated increased anxiety, cognitive disorganization, and abnormal levels of dopamine, all of which are features of schizophrenia,” according to the article. The same effects were not seen in the adult rats.

“With the current rise in cannabis use and the increase in THC content, it is critically important to highlight the risk factors associated with exposure to marijuana, particularly during adolescence,” the researchers warn.

Read Medical News Today story here. Read study abstract in the journal Cerebral Cortex here.