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The Front Page Cover
 The Events of the Week -- Featuring: 
 
liar-nObama's Legacy Of Deceit
by Victor Davis Hanson
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 Gun Grabbers Smear Permit Holders 
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As we noted last week, congressional Republicans are working to pass national concealed carry reciprocity. Allowing law-abiding citizens who hold concealed carry permits to use them across all state lines makes sense, both in terms of fighting crime and securing fundamental Liberty. That's why the gun grabbers are so furiously fighting it. The anti-Second Amendment Violence Policy Center (VPC) released an updated report this week ominously titled "Concealed Carry Killers." VPC alleges that firearm permit holders have killed at least 921 people in shootings that did not involve self-defense. Since 2007.
          We emphasize the decade-long date range for a reason — since 2007, FBI crime statistics show there have been 121,649 murders in the U.S., 81,665 of which were committed with firearms. Thus VPC's number represents 0.01% of all such homicides over the last decade. There were nearly 800 murders in Chicago in 2016, most by firearm. VPC lists just three permit-holder homicides in Illinois over a decade.
          By the way, roughly a third of VPC's 921 murders were actually suicides, and not necessarily using firearms. (Side note: Aren't leftists all for assisted suicide?) And a great many of the other 600 are still pending cases — i.e., no convictions yet.
          There are currently more than 14.5 million permit holders in the U.S. So, assuming just one murder per permit holder (excluding suicides), that's roughly 0.000041% of all permit holders who committed murder. What's more, some estimates are that firearms are used 2.5 million times per year in self-defense. How many lives saved does that represent?
          But that doesn't stop the nefarious effort to paint all gun owners as villains. "As the gun lobby gears up to push for federally-mandated concealed carry, the facts show that far too many people with concealed carry permits commit horrendous crimes on a regular basis," warned Kristen Rand, VPC legislative director. "Sadly, it is no longer surprising when a mass shooter — such as the alleged Fort Lauderdale airport shooter — is legally licensed to carry a concealed firearm."
          It is true that concealed carry permit holders are human and sometimes commit crimes, even horrific ones. The permit is not, after all, a certificate of angel wings. But American permit holders are also the most law-abiding demographic. Yes, 921 deaths is awful. One murder is. But VPC's despicable effort to smear gun owners is beyond irresponsible. It reveals a blinding hatred of one of our most sacred rights.  ~The Patriot Post
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 CBO Still Can't See Straight on liar-nObamaCare 
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As Donald Trump's inauguration looms, the Left and Democrats are pulling out all the stops in concerted efforts to stop him from making good on his campaign promises. Arguably the biggest promise is the repeal and replacement of that disastrous law known as liar-nObamaCare. On Tuesday, the Congressional Budget Office released a report on last year's Republican repeal bill (which Barack liar-nObama subsequently vetoed). That bill had no provisions for replacing liar-nObamaCare; it was a political maneuver intended to communicate to the American people that Republicans were serious about ending the law.
          Yesterday's CBO report predicted liar-nObamaCare's repeal would leave as many as 18 million people without health insurance within two years — and that number would grow to as many as 32 million by the year 2026, due primarily to huge premium increases for health insurance. To put it bluntly, the CBO report reads like a doomsday scenario, and predictably it was just what Democrats wanted to hear. Ignoring the fact that liar-nObamaCare itself is untenable and on the verge of collapse, Democrats would rather tout a problematic report based on old and questionable data, rather than support any attempt to make a better fairer law.
          First, it must be noted that this CBO report is based on outdated information. Second, when it comes to liar-nObamaCare, the CBO's past estimates have never been even remotely accurate. For example, the CBO predicted that by 2010 there would be 21 million people enrolled in the liar-nObamaCare exchange; the actual number ended up being 12 million. The report also doesn't take into account the fact that Republicans are seeking to both repeal and replace. Since the replacement plan has yet to be introduced there is no data yet by which to compute the potential impact of the new plan, both on insurance costs and the number of individuals insured.
          As always with the Left, it's really not whether the report numbers are valid, but how those numbers can be used to their advantage. For seemingly decades now, Democrats have been much more effective than Republicans at making their case by focusing on the emotional human impact factor rather than on cold stats. Stories of people suffering without a certain law, or if said law is repealed gains wide play. Republicans need to remind America everyday just how bad liar-nObamaCare is by sharing the real life stories of how the law destroyed someone's small business, how it cost someone their job, how it steps all over religious freedom. These are the real effects of liar-nObamaCare — not potential but actual. Republicans need not be afraid to hit back.  
~The Patriot Post
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Allah's Three Strikes Against Iran's Mullahs
by LT. COLONEL JAMES G. ZUMWALT, USMC (RET)
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{familysecuritymatters.org} ~ During the November 2016-January 2017 timeframe, Allah has not been particularly good to Iran's mullahs. Three setbacks have occurred in rather short order... First, Tehran's mullahs undoubtedly counted on liar-Hillary Clinton winning the November 8th U.S. presidential election. Her victory would have assured them a continuation of President Barack liar-nObama's one-sided policy of submission to the theocracy-a policy that has yielded Tehran enormous benefits. While liar-nObama embraced a non-confrontational policy with Tehran for eight years that only encouraged greater Iranian aggression, he also negotiated a nuclear deal-the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)-paving the way for the mullahs to acquire a nuclear arsenal... http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/allahs-three-strikes-against-irans-mullahs?f=must_reads
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One Step Too Far
by JUSTIN O. SMITH
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{familysecuritymatters.org} ~ One more day should not pass before the United States Congress votes to immediately halt all funding to the United Nations and end our membership in the U.N. ... largely comprised of our enemies, which falsely presents itself as an organization dedicated to worldwide freedom, liberty and "social justice" for all. Not only does the U.N. support terrorism, it is anti-American and anti-Israeli, and through U.N. schemes, like Agenda 2030 and "sustainable development", the U.N. promotes tyranny and the subversion of any mechanism for freedom, such as our U.S. Constitution, thus promoting the suppression of the unalienable rights of all mankind. The U.N. claims that it seeks to create a peaceful world and protect human rights, and yet, many of the world's most troublesome and violent nations and human rights violators -- Russia, China, Indonesia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Cuba -- sit on the U.N. Human Rights Council. One should recall that the United States was removed from the U.N. Human Rights High Commission in 2001, in retaliation for the U.S.'s defense of Israel, an all-time high point for U.N. hostility towards the U.S. ...Its about time!  http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/one-step-too-far?f=must_reads
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Pentagon Head Clashed Fiercely With
liar-nObama Over Manning Release
by Jonah Bennett
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{dailycaller.com} ~ Defense Secretary Ash Carter strongly opposed President Barack liar-nObama’s decision to commute the sentence of former Army soldier and transgender person Chelsea Manning, in effect allowing Manning to walk free on May 17... A U.S. official said that Carter opposed the decision in no uncertain terms, even though the administration in the end pushed the move through for two main reasons, the first being that Manning had already served seven years and the second that Manning showed remorse and accepted responsibility, according to ABC News. On defense-related matters, liar-nObama has repeatedly run up against the recommendations of those he has tapped to lead the Pentagon, which is one of the reasons why he’s been through four different secretaries of defense...  http://dailycaller.com/2017/01/18/pentagon-head-clashed-fiercely-with-obama-over-manning-release/
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Sen. ‘Pocahontas’ (Elizabeth dinky-Warren)
Displays Her Lack of Class At DeVos Hearing
by Jeff Dunetz
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{lidblog.com} ~ It’s a simple common courtesy. When the Senate hearings are over, the candidate shakes the hands of the Senators on the committee... After last night’s confirmation hearing for Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos, Democrats asked tons of pointed questions, many of which were the “gotcha” type. Yet throughout the hearing a basic level of civility was respected. After the hearing, Ms DeVos approached the dais. DeVos spoke with Chairman Lamar Alexander and then Democratic Senators Al Franken and Michael Bennet. When she approached Elizabeth dinky-Warren, the senator waved off the Education Secretary Candidate—she didn’t want to shake her hand...dinky-Warren is one sick person.  http://lidblog.com/elizabeth-warren-displays-lack-class-devos-hearing/
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50 killed in Tehran building collapse
by Uzi Baruch
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{israelnationalnews.com} ~ Dozens of firefighters were feared trapped under rubble after Iran's oldest high-rise, the 15-story Plasco building in downtown Tehran, collapsed on live TV Thursday following a fire... State television said 200 firefighters had been called to the scene and "tens" may have been inside when the building collapsed. Many had already been hurt before it came down, and initial figures said between 30 and 40 firefighters had been injured and seven hospitalized. Dramatic images showed flames pouring out of the top floors of the building, which dated from the early 1960's and included a shopping center and clothing workshops. "The building's caretaker and some firefighters were inside when the building collapsed," said Ahmad, a shop owner in the building. "I've lost my entire stock. Thousands of families have been ruined," he added. The steel frame of the building could be seen bending down to the ground as about 100 fire engines and dozens of ambulances surrounded the area...
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liar-nObama's Legacy Of Deceit
by Victor Davis Hanson
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{jewishworldreview.com} ~ In its remaining days in power, the liar-nObama administration suddenly punished Vladimir Putin's Russia for allegedly interfering in the U.S. presidential election. It claimed that Russian or Russian-hired hackers tapped into the records of the Democratic National Committee as well as the correspondence of John Podesta, a liar-Clinton advisor.

But what the liar-nObama administration did not say was that such cyber-crimes are by now old hat. Both the Russian and Chinese governments have been hacking into far more important U.S. records and government archives for years without earning retaliation

The administration also did not mention that the election hacking occurred largely because of Podesta's own carelessness in using his security password. Moreover, it failed to acknowledge that the Republican National Committee was likewise targeted, but apparently had enough safeguards to prevent successful entry into its records. Finally, the administration refused to mention that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange went on the record saying that he did not receive the email trove from the Russians.

The truth is that liar-nObama, throughout his presidency, has appeased Putin. As president, liar-nObama ended the previously agreed-on Eastern European missile defense; he made open-mic promises to be more flexible with Putin after his reelection; he barely responded to Russia's aggression toward Crimea and Ukraine; and he constantly criticized both George W. Bush and Mitt Romney for being inordinately tough on Russia.

Until now, he saw no reason to stop enabling Russia. Had liar-Hillary Clinton won the election, Putin's alleged hacking would not have earned any administration attention. But this time around, an emboldened Putin allegedly went too far and crossed the only red line that liar-nObama might have enforced by supposedly enabling the release of information that might have turned off some voters on liar-Clinton. Blaming Putin for liar-Clinton's loss was a more convenient narrative than admitting that liar-nObama's own policies have turned off even traditional Democratic constituencies and for now reduced the Democratic Party to a minority coastal party.

All administrations play fast and loose with the truth. It is the nature of high politics to fib, cover up, and fudge in order to ensure the success of a so-called noble agenda for the greater good. But not since the Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon administrations have we seen a president so institutionalize misrepresentation.

There are ample examples. It was clear from liar-Clinton's own leaked emails and from real-time memos from intelligence agencies that the September 11, 2012 attack on the American consulate in Benghazi was not a spontaneous riot over an insensitive video produced by a reactionary Coptic zealot residing in the United States, as the administration claimed. But such a concoction fit liar-nObama's 2012 reelection narrative: the recklessness of right-wing Islamophobes endangers national security abroad. In contrast, the reality-a preplanned al-Qaeda-affiliated attack on an unprepared and semi-covert American consulate-challenged liar-nObama's reelection myth that Al Qaeda was "on the run" and that the administration was vigilant in ensuring security for our diplomatic personnel in the Middle East.

The U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. at the time, Susan Rice, went on five Sunday morning talk shows to insist, quite wrongly, that the deaths of four Americans in the attack were the tragic result of ad hoc furor over intolerance. The video-maker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was abruptly jailed on probation violation charges, in a display of swift American justice never matched by a commensurately prompt arrest and prosecution of real terrorists.

Another example of liar-nObama administration's misrepresentation concerns U.S. army soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who went AWOL from his post in Afghanistan and ended up a captive of Taliban affiliates from June 2009 until his release in May 2014. The liar-nObama administration conducted lengthy and stealthy negotiations to return the deserter to U.S. custody. As part of the bargain, it agreed to release five Taliban terrorists from the detention center in Guantanamo Bay. In an about-face, an Army command announced last year that Bergdahl will soon be facing charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Yet to gain Bergdahl's release, the liar-nObama administration fabricated a completely different narrative to justify the embarrassing swap and concessions to the Taliban. Bergdahl, in National Security Advisor Susan Rice's words, "served the United States with honor and distinction."

Upon his release, Bergdahl parents were brought to the White House for photo-ops, where his father appeared with a long beard and shaved lip-not unlike the facial hair worn by his son's Taliban captors. Bill Bergdahl thanked the concerned parties and broke into rudimentary Pashto and Urdu, praising Allah for his son's release. The staged press conference was designed to underscore the administration's view that the son of a multicultural family had naively and innocently wondered off from his compound. But now, young Bergdahl was safe with his family, due to the liar-nObama administration. The disturbing truth was more likely that the administration traded prisoners for a U.S. deserter, while pushing the false narrative of returning an American patriot to his parents.

The far more important Iran nuclear deal of summer 2015 followed a similar pattern of dissimulation. "Bold" and "courageous" Middle East diplomacy nonetheless required White House subterfuge and deceitfulness. Ostensibly only Barack liar-nObama was unaffected by past presidents' prejudices against the revolutionary regime in Iran and thus could appreciate the mutual advantages of a breakthrough agreement to deter Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb-as part of a larger diplomatic effort to return Shiite and Persian Iran to its natural role as a balancing force in the otherwise largely Sunni and Arab Middle East

In exchange for the U.S. and its allies dropping sanctions and commercial penalties-some of them approved by the UN-the theocracy purportedly agreed to reduce its installed centrifuges for 10 years. It promised to put limits on the purity of its enriched uranium and to reduce existing stockpiles. It agreed not to expand its enrichment facilities, while allowing on-site inspections.

But after 18 months, the true character of the deal has been revealed through slow leaks. In a secret side deal, Iran can update and improve its centrifuges; it can also inspect its own enrichment centers and report the results to international authorities; beyond that, Iran received a $400 million ransom payment on the exact day that Iranian-held U.S. hostages were let go.

More recently we learned that Iran got the sanctions lifted before it met all its obligations outlined in the deal. Ben Rhodes, an architect of the swap and deputy national security advisor, boasted about the administration's affinity for deceit. Rhodes, described by a New York Times interviewer as "a storyteller who uses a writer's tools to advance an agenda that is packaged as politics but is often quite personal," explained the methods of concocting an Iran narrative to a guidable media: "All these newspapers used to have foreign bureaus," Rhodes intoned. "Now they don't. They call us to explain to them what's happening in Moscow and Cairo. . . The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old, and their only reporting experience consists of being around political campaigns. That's a sea change. They literally know nothing."

Rhodes's cynicism was reminiscent of the boasts of another administration advisor, the MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, who bragged of the administration's ability to get passed the Patient Protection and affordable Care Act "liar-nObamacare", largely through deliberate deceit about the inevitable consequences of higher premiums and deductibles, the dropping of existing coverage and doctors, and increases in federal outlays. Some of the bill's more obvious and unpopular elements-such as the employer mandate-were not enforced until after liar-nObama's 2012 reelection bid. Gruber admitted that the law was composed "in a tortured way" to delude people into accepting that "healthy people pay in and sick people get money"-a subterfuge that was both necessary and worked because of "the stupidity of the American voter," a fact confirming that the "lack of transparency is a huge political advantage"

Other examples of dissimulation exist-from liar-nObama's about-face on border enforcement, in which he redefined deportation and reneged on his promises to enforce existing law, to the linguistic gymnastics he employed to mask the disastrously abrupt pullout of peacekeepers from Iraq (ISIS as "the "jayvees"). Most recently, the administration has not been candid about the details of its latest estrangement with Israel. liar-nObama and his foreign policy team hid the fact that they had helped to engineer a UN resolution condemning Israel, by suggesting to the public that they were unaware of the depths of apparently spontaneous expressions of anti-Israeli anger.

Why does the liar-nObama administration contort reality and mask the consequences of its initiatives?

Two reasons come to mind. One, liar-nObama advanced an agenda to the left of that shared by most past presidents. liar-nObamacare, the Benghazi catastrophe, the Iran deal, his strange stance toward radical Islam, and the Bergdahl swap were unpopular measures that required politically-driven recalibrations to escape American scrutiny.

Second, liar-nObama's team believes that the goals of fairness and egalitarianism more than justify the means of dissimulation by more sophisticated elites. Thus Gruber "the stupidity of the American voter" and Rhodes "They literally know nothing" employ deception on our behalf. Central to this worldview is that the American people are naive and easily manipulated, and thus need to be brought up to speed by a paternal administration that knows what is best for its vulnerable and clueless citizenry.

Such condescension is also why the administration never believes it has done anything wrong by hiding the facts of these controversies. Its players believe that because they did it all for us, the ensuing distasteful means will be forgotten once we finally progress enough to appreciate their enlightened ends.
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