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Wednesday Noon ~ TheFrontPageCover

Posted by Rudy Tirre on January 23, 2019 at 5:27pm
TheFrontPageCover
~ Featuring ~  
Cough Up, America
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by Cal Thomas  
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The US Strikes Back Against 
Russia’s European Gas Empire
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{dailysignal.com} ~ With the Kremlin tightening its grip on the European energy market, the U.S. has hardened its opposition to a controversial Russian gas pipeline... which is currently under construction through the Baltic Sea to Germany. For months, U.S. officials have said Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline is part of a broader Kremlin gambit to bypass Ukrainian transit pipelines, which have delivered the lion’s share of Russian natural gas exports to Europe for decades. Yet, despite U.S. protests, construction hasn’t stopped, and the 750-mile-long pipeline is about one-third complete as of this article’s publication. The U.S., for its part, escalated its resistance to the project this month, when U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell sent letters to construction contractors working on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, warning of “a significant risk of sanctions” unless they abandoned the project. “The problem with Nord Stream 2 is that it is not an economic project. It was developed for only one reason: to create an alternative route for transporting Russian gas on the way to Europe that does not pass through Ukraine,” Grenell said in an interview published in the German Rheinische Post newspaper on Jan. 15...  https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/01/19/the-us-strikes-back-against-russias-european-gas-empire/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTkRjME1XUmpabVl5TVRKayIsInQiOiJad2FZRGhaVFdaTTZzMjFrOFJqeXFtUHl3cVJuWmN6UWRXQmJOWVdJNlM0TG41WTlWdW1iZnp6cEppSllyM3p2NU95aHNicW1NOGVnVkpPeVpIaERtVkk5V3NtVWJJNFwvS1BHN2RqMXJ4RHY3MFl6Q0Y5K3hOUWtYbkRrOEp1bEYifQ%3D%3D
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German Defense Chief: Unleash NATO 
on Opponents of “World Order”
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{thenewamerican.com} ~ In a rambling column celebrating the controversial North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said... that the alliance's military force was needed for use against opponents of the “rules-based international order.” The bizarre screed comes as more and more people across the Western world and beyond turn against the globalist “world order” that von der Leyen says must be preserved, even by military force if need be. Among the most prominent critics has been the president of the United States of America, Donald Trump, who globalists claim is seeking to blow it all up. The opinion piece, "The World Still Needs NATO" published in the far-left New York Times, offers a great deal of insight into the role globalists hope NATO will play in the emerging “world order” they are seeking to foist on humanity. For instance, NATO is not just a military alliance, but “a political alliance as well,” von der Leyen admitted. But amid historic skepticism about the alliance expressed openly by President Trump and the millions of American voters who elected him, the pro-NATO propaganda smacks of desperation. In short, it seems NATO's future is uncertain at best. And globalists, apparently recognizing the threat to their dangerous agenda, have launched a full-blown public relations campaign to shore up support for the scheme. A “stronger NATO will serve the security interests of all members,” claimed whoever wrote the piece for von der Leyen, probably PR professionals. “Most of all, it will send a clear signal to those opposing the rules-based international order: We trans-Atlantic allies are ready and willing to defend our soil, our people and our freedom.” Did you catch that? A strong NATO is needed to protect against those who oppose the “rules-based international order.” Indeed, she argued that NATO was not just about bases and troops, but about defending the “world order,” a term often used by globalists to refer to the institutions of global governance foisted on humanity — primarily using deception — since the end of World War II...
12 Iranians killed in Israeli strike 
on Syria; total rises to 21   
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by ANNA AHRONHEIM
{jpost.com} ~ New satellite images of an Iranian weapons storehouse at the Damascus International Airport showed the complete destruction to the site following Israeli airstrikes on Sunday... which killed twelve soldiers belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed. The satellite images released by the Israeli satellite company ImageSat International show Iranian weapons depots at the Damascus International Airport before and after the strikes.  The images showed that while the IDF hit and completely destroyed the targets in the vicinity of the airport, the nearby civilian passenger terminal remained intact. They also showed the damaged sustained by the Syrian army’s anti-aircraft systems following the attack.  Israel’s military made a rare admission of responsibility as it was carrying out the strikes, writing on Twitter at 1:42 a.m. that “We have started striking Iranian Quds targets in Syrian territory. We warn the Syrian Armed Forces against attempting to harm Israeli forces or territory.” IDF fighter jets struck Iranian and Syrian military targets, air defense batteries and Quds Forces positions throughout Syria in the pre-dawn hours of Monday, targeting military targets belonging to Iran’s Quds Force in Syria, including weapons storage sites, a site at Damascus International Airport, an Iranian intelligence site and an Iranian training camp...  https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Report-12-Iranians-killed-in-Israeli-strikes-on-Syria-total-rises-to-21-578242?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=21-2-2018
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ISIS Suicide Bomber Targets US Forces 
in Syria Again; No Casualties Reported
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{cnsnews.com} ~ Just five days after four American personnel were among 16 people killed in an ISIS suicide bombing in northern Syria... the terrorist group claimed responsibility for another bombing targeting U.S. troops in the same part of the country, although this time no casualties were confirmed. The U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition confirmed that a U.S. and “Syrian partner force” convoy had been targeted by an apparent vehicle bomb (VBIED), adding that there were “no U.S. casualties.” “We will continue to review the situation and provide updates as appropriate,” it said in a message early Monday afternoon Syria time.  According to the SITE Intelligence Group, ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombing via its “news agency,” Amaq. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an explosive-laded vehicle, driven by a suicide bomber according to its sources, was detonated on the road linking Raqqa to Hasakah as a convoy of U.S. and allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was passing. The monitoring groups said five SDF fighters were reported to have been killed, and two U.S. soldiers injured...
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As These Muslim Judges Are Elected In The US, 
Are Shariah-Compliant Rulings Straight Ahead?
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{thewashingtonstandard.com} ~ At the end of November 2018, I reported on the number of Muslims that won political office during the elections... However, have you heard of the Muslim judges that were elected to be on the bench in several key states. California, Michigan, Texas and New York all elected Muslim judges. At least six positions for judge were filled by Muslims. Keep in mind, that their ideology, theology and law are diametrically opposed to American and Biblical law.The following is the list of these six judges: Adel A. Harb is the nonpartisan judge of the 3rd Circuit Court in Michigan. Harb was appointed on October 22, 2015, by Republican Governor Rick Snyder to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Daniel Ryan. He ran unopposed for election in 2016 to serve out the remainder of Ryan’s term. George Abdallah Jr. is the nonpartisan judge of the Superior Court of San Joaquin County California Office 12 in California. Abdallah earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California and his J.D. from Humphreys College of Law. Halim Dhanidina is a nonpartisan Division 3 judge of the California 2nd District Court of Appeal. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) appointed Dhanidina to replace Justice Richard Aldrich on July 24, 2018, and he was confirmed by the Commission on Judicial  Appointments on August 23, 2018. Dhanidina was previously a judge on the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California from 2012 to 2018. He was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in May 2012 to a newly created position...
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Cough Up, America
ooZr_vzH7ynE49H_NmbbV1MS4VToh0A_FIOJxtPdRHZPBKLVETrl74QzOy59wpUA_XfdyoQ9vInsiesnHYS8GiXEkVoQXUwmvAjo7ufP1DbA5a4CpD_3BtAt1Elx00w5l6_nryn9WxsV1q5aNKnn=s0-d-e1-ft#%3Ca%20rel%3Dnofollow%20href=?profile=RESIZE_710x

by Cal Thomas

{townhall.com} ~ When you receive your paycheck and look at the withholding for federal, state and sometimes city taxes, along with Social Security and Medicare, you probably don't think you're underpaying governments and want them to take more.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio believes that if you have played by what used to be called "the rules" and are making a decent living, taking care of yourself and your family and not relying on government, your taxes should be increased.

In his State of the City address last week, de Blasio said, "...brothers and sisters, there's plenty of money in the world. There's plenty of money in this city. It's just in the wrong hands." He continued: "You haven't been paid what you deserve for all the hard work. You haven't been given the time you deserve. You're not living the life you deserve. And here is the cold, hard truth: It's no accident. It's an agenda." He blamed presidential administrations from Reagan to Trump.

The mayor ignores the tax cuts and in some cases spending reductions that have fueled an economic boom, producing more wealth for individuals and more revenue for governments.

The mayor is not alone in promoting unvarnished liberalism, which the many on the left have tried to mask behind the "progressive" euphemism. Rep. commie-Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) suggests we institute a 70 percent tax rate on the wealthy. Julian Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio and HUD secretary, who just announced he is running for president, has resurrected the "fair share" lingo of past Democrats. In an interview with ABC News, Castro seemed nostalgic for a time when the top marginal tax rate was 90 percent.

Sen. Elizabeth dinky-Warren (D-MA), who has formed a presidential exploratory committee, hasn't said what top tax rate she favors, but she told CNBC last July that "Ninety percent sounds pretty shockingly high." Why, because it would stifle incentive? What about Eighty percent? Why not confiscate all private-sector money and let the government decide how much each of us should be allowed to have? Wouldn't pure socialism be a dream come true for the far left?

It's not that higher taxes and more government spending hasn't been tried. Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, a series of U.S. programs charged with totally eliminating poverty and racial injustice in the country, is but one example. Johnson failed to achieve his goal of wiping out poverty because his social programs began in Washington, not in individual hearts and minds.

The Wall Street Journal recently carried a column about Sweden's experience with socialism. It was written by Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde, a professor of economics at the University of Pennsylvania, and Lee E. Ohanian, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and professor of economics at UCLA.

The authors noted, "Until the mid-20th century, Sweden pursued highly competitive market-based policies. By 1970 Sweden achieved the world's fourth-highest per capita income. Then increasingly radical Social Democratic governments raised taxes, spending and regulation much more than any other Western European country. Economic performance sputtered. By the early 1990s, Sweden's per capita income ranking had dropped to 14th. Economic growth from 1970 to the early 1990s was roughly 1 percentage point lower than in Europe and 2 points lower than in the U.S."

In 1991, they write, a market-oriented government assumed power and instituted major reforms. As a result, the country is now "richer than all of the major EU countries and is within 15 percent of U.S. per capita GDP. While Sweden still has a larger government than the U.S., its tax code is flatter. The progressivity of the U.S. tax code distorts incentives." Precisely!

Sweden's experience with socialism has a lesson for Americans and especially millennials, a majority of whom favor socialism over capitalism, according to a 2016 Harvard University survey. Maybe they should take a closer look at their pay stubs and ask themselves whether they would be OK with handing over more of their net pay to federal, state and local governments that irresponsibly and unnecessarily spend their money on programs that don't work.

This year marks Cal Thomas' 35th year as a syndicated columnist. Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.
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