The Front Page Cover
The Events of the Week -- Featuring:
It’s Time to Call out the Left’s Hypocrisy
by Michael Brown
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GOP Punts on Earmarks
The issue of lifting the ban on earmarks brought forth by several House Republicans was gaining momentum until Speaker Paul Ryan stepped in. He put the brakes on a vote because reinstituting earmarks would have been perceived by the public as yet another instance of government cronyism. As one source in the room put it, Ryan "said we just had a 'drain the swamp' election and cannot turn right around and bring back earmarks behind closed doors." Ryan postponed the vote until early 2017 and pledged to study the issue further. It's alarming to conservatives that so many Republicans favor lifting, at least in part, the ban on earmarks — a ban that many have credited for giving Republicans the House majority in 2010.
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), who supports lifting the ban, argued that Barack liar-nObama's "administration took the money for water projects and decided who would be the winner and who would be the loser, not based upon the feedback of the Corps of Engineers or members of Congress." He believes that Republicans in Congress "overplayed their hand" by enacting the earmark ban in 2011, "so we're trying to balance that out." Proponents of reinstatement argue it's a separation of powers issue related to the power of the purse.
While frustration over how liar-nObama directed spending is well founded, the solution is not through re-enabling greater cronyism and corruption. As former Sen. Tom Coburn stated, "Washington, DC, is broken and no one is interested in fixing it. The arrogance of power is just as dangerous in the hands of Republicans as it is in [the hands of] Democrats." Finally, the mere fact that outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry dinky-Reid called himself the "king of earmarks" and boasted about them to his constituents should give every Republican pause in contemplating lifting the ban. ~The Patriot Post
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Vets Storm American Governance
Veterans once filled the overwhelming majority of congressional seats. In fact, according to the American Enterprise Institute's Gary Schmitt and Rebecca Burgess, "In 1971, veterans made up 72 percent of the House of Representatives and 78 percent of the Senate. In 1991, the Congress that approved the use of force against Iraq in Operation Desert Storm had only slightly more veterans than non-veterans." Fast forward to now, however, and the statistics are reversed: "In today's Congress, veterans hold 20 percent of Senate seats, while 18 percent of House members are veterans."
Schmitt and Burgess contend that today's proportional number of veterans to general population doesn't provide an adequate reason for the drop. "The decline of veterans in public office has been sharper than the decline of veterans within the general population," they write. "Why? Perhaps the most significant reason is the current cost of running for Congress. The price tag for a Senate campaign stands near $10.5 million, the House near $1.6 million."
Which makes the relatively recent electoral wins by veterans Joni Ernst, Tom Cotton and even Democrat Tammy Duckworth all the more remarkable, if not inspiring. Last week, another veteran was added to American governance — Republican and decorated ex-Navy SEAL Eric Greitens, who will succeed Jay Nixon as governor of Missouri. Do these gains portend even broader wins for veterans down the road? There's at least reason for optimism.
"Any reversal of the declining trend in veterans in the halls of Congress," write Schmitt and Burgess, "will probably begin with the one tried-and-true way to gain legislative experience, build name recognition, and increase access to a fundraising network — election to a state legislature. State legislative office is a traditional steppingstone to federal office, with 50 percent of the 114th Congress, for example, composed of former state legislators. From this perspective, the good news is that no fewer than 1,039 out of 7,383 state legislators have military experience — 14 percent."
The authors note that, because of military evolution and other circumstances, "veterans in American legislatures will not reach again the high levels of the 1970s." In any case, a growing number of Patriots are taking up an important new endeavor — taking the fight from the battlefields to legislatures locally and on Capitol Hill. ~The Patriot Post
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North Korean Threat Pushing U.S., Korea and Japan
Closer in Ballistic Missile Defense Cooperation
by Sam LaGrone
{usni.org} ~ Operating under the assumption that North Korea can — or is close to — fielding a ballistic missile tipped with a nuclear warhead, the U.S. is working more and more closely with Japan and South Korea in the realm of ballistic missile defense (BMD)... Speaking on Tuesday, U.S. Pacific Command commander Adm. Harry Harris said the ballistic missile and nuclear threat from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is far from dissipating. “I believe they have clearly stated their intent … We know they are working on their missile technology – their intercontinental ballistic missiles – they are seeking to miniaturize the nuclear warheads, mate them to the missile and threaten the United States,” Harris said during a Tuesday event at Defense One. “I believe it when Kim Jong Un expresses his intent… I assume for the worst case and prepare accordingly and that’s what you all want me to do.”... https://news.usni.org/2016/11/17/north-korean-threat-pushing-u-s-korea-japan-closer-ballistic-missile-defense?utm_source=USNI+News&utm_campaign=2952a1ddce-USNI_NEWS_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0dd4a1450b-2952a1ddce-231491269&mc_cid=2952a1ddce&mc_eid=3999f18767
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The Morality of Corruption
by TOM MCCAFFREY
by TOM MCCAFFREY
{familysecuritymatters.org} ~ "We are going to have to rebuild within this wild-wild-west-of-information flow some sort of curating function that people agree to," said President liar-nObama recently in Pittsburgh... "There has to be, I think, some sort of way in which we can sort through information that passes some basic truthiness tests and those that we have to discard, because they just don't have any basis in anything that's actually happening in the world," he continued. "The answer is obviously not censorship, but it's creating places where people can say 'this is reliable' and I'm still able to argue safely about facts and what we should do about it." This is vintage liar-nObama in its dishonesty. If we call it "curating," suggests Mr. liar-nObama, then it is not censorship. But it is dishonest in a way that has characterized Mr. liar-nObama's utterances since the first days of his presidency. It is dishonesty that no honest, halfway intelligent person would be fooled by. It is so transparent as to be almost childish. But it is not intended to persuade the honest, intelligent person. Mr. liar-nObama is the first president who was able to dispense with appealing to the honest, intelligent American... http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/the-morality-of-corruption?f=must_reads
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State Department Is Stalling Again
On liar-Clinton Documents
by JUDICIAL WATCH
by JUDICIAL WATCH
{familysecuritymatters.org} ~ I suspect liberal media interest in the liar-Clinton email scandal will fade, but the public interest will remain high in securing accountability under the rule of law... Indeed, the day before the election, Judicial Watch lawyers were in federal court again pushing for liar- Clinton email discourse in a key Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit seeking emails sent or received by former Secretary of State liar-Hillary Clinton in her official capacity during her tenure as secretary of state. The State Department has been producing liar-Clinton email recovered by the FBI under a September 23, 2016, court order issued by U.S. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg. The State Department confirmed in September that the FBI turned over to the State Department at least 15,000 new liar-Clinton emails as a result of Judicial Watch's litigation seeking all of liar-Clinton's work-related emails. At the hearing, we found out that the FBI also turned over 31,000 other liar-Clinton documents to the State Department. State suggested the court should wait as long as five years to see them. Obviously, the State Department is slow-walking the release of liar-Hillary Clinton's deleted and hidden emails. Ironically, this liar-Clinton/liar-nObama State Department stonewalling has guaranteed that the liar-Clinton email scandal won't be resolved for years... http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/state-department-is-stalling-again-on-clinton-documents?f=must_reads
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Secret Service Can’t Find Tons
Of Its Guns, Phones, Badges And Cars
by Kathryn Watson
{dailycaller.com} ~ Thousands of sensitive assets belonging to U.S. Secret Service agents, including firearms, computer laptops, work badges, telephones and even motor vehicles, have been lost during the past 15 years... according to documents obtained by nonprofit government watchdog Judicial Watch. “This is supposedly an elite law enforcement agency — how did all this equipment get stolen?” or lost. “This is alarming. Every American should be alarmed about this,” Judicial Watch’s Irene Garcia told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Secret Service agents reported 11,780 lost or stolen assets between fiscal years 2001 and 2016, according to the data Judicial Watch received, although the agency didn’t distinguish between lost and stolen items... http://dailycaller.com/2016/11/17/secret-service-cant-find-tons-of-its-guns-phones-badges-and-cars/
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liar-nObama Should Pardon ‘Dreamer’
Immigrants, Democrats Say
by Laura Litvan
{bloomberg.com} ~ A group of House Democrats called on President Barack liar-nObama to pardon about 750,000 young undocumented immigrants who are temporarily shielded from deportation under a 2012 executive order... a move that reflects growing concern about a shift in immigration policy expected after President-elect Donald Trump takes power in January. “By no fault of their own, these Americans are prisoners in their own country, living their daily lives, not knowing if they will be deported to another country,” Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard, a California Democrat, said at a news conference. She and a group of other lawmakers active on immigration policy sent a letter to liar-nObama with their request Thursday...No their not Americans. http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-11-17/obama-should-pardon-dreamer-immigrants-house-democrats-say?AID=7236
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It’s Time to Call out the Left’s Hypocrisy
by Michael Brown
{townhall.com} ~ Please allow me a moment to vent.
I assure you that it will be controlled venting, without vitriol, hyperbole, or vindictiveness.
But venting it will be. Shall we call it holy venting?
Perhaps it will also reflect some of the holy frustration in your own heart.
But first, some caveats.
I do understand why many Americans are deeply upset with Donald Trump’s election, and up until election day, I said that I respected those who could not vote for him, urging them instead not to vote for liar-Hillary.
I have also spoken with Mexican Americans and African Americans who have shared their concerns with me, and seeing the world through their eyes, I understand their fears. Of course, I’ve read many comments from Muslim Americans that express their concerns too.
What, exactly, will the president’s immigration policy look like, and what, exactly, does he mean by being a “law and order” candidate? And why is it that so many far-right groups both here and abroad are excited about his victory?
I have also heard from enough concerned women, some very close to me, to recognize just how offensive his comments and attitudes have been and to see why they can’t fathom how a God-fearing Christian could vote for him.
And I understand why his high-level appointment of Steve Bannon is so controversial, despite the apparently exaggerated nature of many of the concerns. Is this the way to unify the nation?
But having said all that as a representative sampling of major caveats, I am sick and tired of leftwing hypocrisy, and it needs to be called out.
Let’s focus first on the demonstrations.
I agree that people have a legal right to demonstrate but not break the law, and it’s understandable that people are frustrated. But a lot of what’s happening is simply the immature reaction of those who don’t know how to lose or to accept responsibility for why they lost.
Get over it.
Ironically but not unexpectedly, we’re learning that many of those protesting didn’t even vote, so they’re blocking traffic and setting things on fire because of their own lack of participation.
Rather than shouting profanities in the streets, they should be looking in the mirror.
Pollster Frank Luntz tweeted, “I saw a Trump protester with a sign on the subway… He said he was 19… I asked him if he voted, and he said no.” And a report from Portland, Oregon indicated that, “More than half of the anti-Trump protesters arrested in Portland didn’t vote, according to state election records.” What do you know!
And right on cue, race-baiters and responsibility-evaders have raised their heads, claiming that, “The Electoral College Is an Instrument of White Supremacy and Sexism.”
A group of civil rights leaders has also stated that, “While racial voter suppression was widespread, voter suppression was generational as well. Millennials, as a multiracial demographic, also were targeted by strict ID laws and poll closings affecting millions of youth, college and high school students, as well as young professionals.”
Seriously?
You mean to tell me that is why millennials, along with blacks and Hispanics, did not turn out in the expected numbers? It had nothing to do with lack of enthusiasm for liar-Hillary Clinton?
As for “strict ID laws,” give me a break. It’s outrageous that voter ID is not universally required, and there are more than enough examples of voter fraud coming to the surface every day.
And it is nothing less than absurd to claim that early poll closings particularly affected “millions of youth, college and high school students, as well as young professionals,” as if they of all people can’t make it to the polls on time while older professionals and non-students can.
This is nothing less than the victim mentality that is destroying the left.
As for the leftwing mantra that “love trumps hate,” David Jaroslav aptly remarked, “Love trumping hate involves a lot more assault & arson than I expected.” Indeed! (Jarsolav’s remarks were tweeted by Ben Shapiro.)
So, go ahead and protest, but please don’t call it love. And quit playing the blame game.
How about the left’s selective outrage with respecting the election process and the rule of law?
The outcry against Donald Trump was shrill when he said that he could not guarantee in advance that he would accept the outcome of the elections for fear that things would be rigged.
Yet now, in the aftermath of those elections, government officials as high as Chicago’s mayor, Rahm Emmanuel, and the Los Angeles police chief, Charlie Beck, have stated that they will defy the order of the president to deport illegals from their city should such an order be made – and Trump has most recently stated that he is referring to illegals who have committed crimes here.
Yet Emmanuel emphasized that, “Chicago will always be a sanctuary city,” while Beck said, “We are not going to engage in law enforcement activities solely based on somebody’s immigration status. We are not going to work in conjunction with Homeland Security on deportation efforts. That is not our job, nor will I make it our job.”
There might be nuances to what these men are saying, but again, it’s the issue of hypocrisy.
Just imagine how the leftwing media would be responding had liar-Hillary been elected and a Republican mayor or police chief declared that they would not heed her directives. If they were men, they would have certainly been branded sexist, and the media outrage would be extreme.
And since I mentioned Steve Bannon earlier, let’s compare the leftwing media’s almost hysterical reaction to his appointment as Trump’s chief strategist – as if Trump had appointed a neo-Nazi to that position – to that same media’s lack of strong reaction to the possible appointing of Muslim congressman Keith Ellison to the DNC chair.
Fox reported that, “Democratic leaders are scrambling to unite behind a candidate for the party's chairmanship – and have landed for now on a Louis Farrakhan-linked congressman who once called for Dick Cheney’s impeachment and compared George W. Bush to Hitler.”
Apparently, these charges are of little or no concern, but the charge that Bannon is a racist or anti-Semite – a charge vigorously disputed by a Catholic priest, an Orthodox rabbi, and a Harvard professor, among others – is worthy of outrage.
Why the glaring double standard?
And how many in-depth investigative reports did you hear about liar-Hillary Clinton’s right-hand woman, Huma Abedin, and her alleged connections to radical Islam?
Just imagine if Bannon had the same baggage as did Ellison or Huma. The leftwing media would have even more of a field day. (Again, I’m neither defending Bannon or accusing Ellison or Huma; I’m addressing the left’s inconsistency and hypocrisy.)
And on and on it goes, with example after example of extreme leftwing hypocrisy.
But I’d best stop here rather than belabor the point.
And the truth be told, that felt good.
Perhaps you feel better as well?
I assure you that it will be controlled venting, without vitriol, hyperbole, or vindictiveness.
But venting it will be. Shall we call it holy venting?
Perhaps it will also reflect some of the holy frustration in your own heart.
But first, some caveats.
I do understand why many Americans are deeply upset with Donald Trump’s election, and up until election day, I said that I respected those who could not vote for him, urging them instead not to vote for liar-Hillary.
I have also spoken with Mexican Americans and African Americans who have shared their concerns with me, and seeing the world through their eyes, I understand their fears. Of course, I’ve read many comments from Muslim Americans that express their concerns too.
What, exactly, will the president’s immigration policy look like, and what, exactly, does he mean by being a “law and order” candidate? And why is it that so many far-right groups both here and abroad are excited about his victory?
I have also heard from enough concerned women, some very close to me, to recognize just how offensive his comments and attitudes have been and to see why they can’t fathom how a God-fearing Christian could vote for him.
And I understand why his high-level appointment of Steve Bannon is so controversial, despite the apparently exaggerated nature of many of the concerns. Is this the way to unify the nation?
But having said all that as a representative sampling of major caveats, I am sick and tired of leftwing hypocrisy, and it needs to be called out.
Let’s focus first on the demonstrations.
I agree that people have a legal right to demonstrate but not break the law, and it’s understandable that people are frustrated. But a lot of what’s happening is simply the immature reaction of those who don’t know how to lose or to accept responsibility for why they lost.
Get over it.
Ironically but not unexpectedly, we’re learning that many of those protesting didn’t even vote, so they’re blocking traffic and setting things on fire because of their own lack of participation.
Rather than shouting profanities in the streets, they should be looking in the mirror.
Pollster Frank Luntz tweeted, “I saw a Trump protester with a sign on the subway… He said he was 19… I asked him if he voted, and he said no.” And a report from Portland, Oregon indicated that, “More than half of the anti-Trump protesters arrested in Portland didn’t vote, according to state election records.” What do you know!
And right on cue, race-baiters and responsibility-evaders have raised their heads, claiming that, “The Electoral College Is an Instrument of White Supremacy and Sexism.”
A group of civil rights leaders has also stated that, “While racial voter suppression was widespread, voter suppression was generational as well. Millennials, as a multiracial demographic, also were targeted by strict ID laws and poll closings affecting millions of youth, college and high school students, as well as young professionals.”
Seriously?
You mean to tell me that is why millennials, along with blacks and Hispanics, did not turn out in the expected numbers? It had nothing to do with lack of enthusiasm for liar-Hillary Clinton?
As for “strict ID laws,” give me a break. It’s outrageous that voter ID is not universally required, and there are more than enough examples of voter fraud coming to the surface every day.
And it is nothing less than absurd to claim that early poll closings particularly affected “millions of youth, college and high school students, as well as young professionals,” as if they of all people can’t make it to the polls on time while older professionals and non-students can.
This is nothing less than the victim mentality that is destroying the left.
As for the leftwing mantra that “love trumps hate,” David Jaroslav aptly remarked, “Love trumping hate involves a lot more assault & arson than I expected.” Indeed! (Jarsolav’s remarks were tweeted by Ben Shapiro.)
So, go ahead and protest, but please don’t call it love. And quit playing the blame game.
How about the left’s selective outrage with respecting the election process and the rule of law?
The outcry against Donald Trump was shrill when he said that he could not guarantee in advance that he would accept the outcome of the elections for fear that things would be rigged.
Yet now, in the aftermath of those elections, government officials as high as Chicago’s mayor, Rahm Emmanuel, and the Los Angeles police chief, Charlie Beck, have stated that they will defy the order of the president to deport illegals from their city should such an order be made – and Trump has most recently stated that he is referring to illegals who have committed crimes here.
Yet Emmanuel emphasized that, “Chicago will always be a sanctuary city,” while Beck said, “We are not going to engage in law enforcement activities solely based on somebody’s immigration status. We are not going to work in conjunction with Homeland Security on deportation efforts. That is not our job, nor will I make it our job.”
There might be nuances to what these men are saying, but again, it’s the issue of hypocrisy.
Just imagine how the leftwing media would be responding had liar-Hillary been elected and a Republican mayor or police chief declared that they would not heed her directives. If they were men, they would have certainly been branded sexist, and the media outrage would be extreme.
And since I mentioned Steve Bannon earlier, let’s compare the leftwing media’s almost hysterical reaction to his appointment as Trump’s chief strategist – as if Trump had appointed a neo-Nazi to that position – to that same media’s lack of strong reaction to the possible appointing of Muslim congressman Keith Ellison to the DNC chair.
Fox reported that, “Democratic leaders are scrambling to unite behind a candidate for the party's chairmanship – and have landed for now on a Louis Farrakhan-linked congressman who once called for Dick Cheney’s impeachment and compared George W. Bush to Hitler.”
Apparently, these charges are of little or no concern, but the charge that Bannon is a racist or anti-Semite – a charge vigorously disputed by a Catholic priest, an Orthodox rabbi, and a Harvard professor, among others – is worthy of outrage.
Why the glaring double standard?
And how many in-depth investigative reports did you hear about liar-Hillary Clinton’s right-hand woman, Huma Abedin, and her alleged connections to radical Islam?
Just imagine if Bannon had the same baggage as did Ellison or Huma. The leftwing media would have even more of a field day. (Again, I’m neither defending Bannon or accusing Ellison or Huma; I’m addressing the left’s inconsistency and hypocrisy.)
And on and on it goes, with example after example of extreme leftwing hypocrisy.
But I’d best stop here rather than belabor the point.
And the truth be told, that felt good.
Perhaps you feel better as well?
Comments