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~ Featuring ~

Murder in Mexico

 Gary Bauer

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scumbag-Schiff Goes Full Stalin

By Daniel John Sobieski

{ americanthinker.com } ~ As Rep. scumbag-Adam Schiff’s “sentence first, trial later” show trial of President Donald J. Trump reaches a so-called public hearing phase... we find the weaver of fables dictating what witnesses the GOP will be permitted to call based on a set of three qualifying question they must answer in advance. These questions ask, essentially, if the witnesses believe President Trump is guilty of pressuring Ukraine to dig up dirt on the loose lips liar-Bidens in exchange for military aid. The GOP, it seems, will not be allowed to call witnesses who have testimony or evidence to the contrary, that there was no pressure and no quid pro quo. Nor will the GOP be allowed to present witnesses or evidence that confirms that the “dirt” is accurate, that the crime of threatening to withhold aid for a personal and political favor, a crime loose lips liar-Biden has already confessed to, was committed by loose lips liar-Biden, not Trump, on behalf of loose lips liar-Biden’s son Hunter. Nor will the GOP be allowed to make the case that any Trump inquiry of the Ukrainians was mandated by a treaty signed by President scumbag/liar-Bill Clinton. This is, dare I use the term Democrats used during the impeachment of Bill Clinton for a real crime, a phrase used by loose lips liar-Joe Biden himself,  a political lynching. As reported by the New York Post: House Intelligence Committee Chairman scumbag-Adam Schiff on Thursday released a tightened set of guidelines over what potential witnesses can be called in the impeachment hearings, saying Republicans must justify their relevance according to a three-point criteria… The narrowed-scope of the questions, first obtained by Politico, are: Did the president request that a foreign leader and government initiate investigations to benefit the president’s personal political interests in the United States, including an investigation related to the president’s political rival and potential opponent in the 2020 US presidential election? Did the president -- directly or through agents -- seek to use the power of the Office of the President and other instruments of the federal government in other ways to apply pressure on the head of state and government of Ukraine to advance the president’s personal political interests, including by leveraging an Oval Office meeting desired by the president of Ukraine or by withholding US military assistance to Ukraine? Did the president and his administration seek to obstruct, suppress or cover up information to conceal from the Congress and the American people evidence about the president’s actions and conduct? Republicans must justify the relevance of their witnesses in an impeachment hearing triggered by a so-called whistleblower with no firsthand knowledge of the phone call. The whistleblower’s relevance was never justified. This is a whistleblower coached by scumbag-Adam Schiff and who colluded with scumbag-Schiff, a deep-state CIA agent whom we are told might wet his pants out of fear if his identity was publicly acknowledged. The statute says a whistleblower’s job, if they are a genuine whistleblower, must be protected but there’s no requirement for anonymity. Ironically, in a major goof-up, scumbag-Schiff forget to redact the name of the whistleblower -- Eric Ciaramella -- as noted by Gateway Pundit -- in a posted PDF of the transcript of Amb. Bill Taylor’s testimony. Duh...  https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/11/schiff_goes_full_stalin.html 

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Mark Meadows tells scumbag-Eric 

Swalwell to ‘shut up’ during testimony

by Victor Rantala

{ bizpacreview.com } ~ Rep. scumbag-Eric Swalwell took one to the chops, so to speak, courtesy of Congressman Mark Meadows in the bogus closed-door impeachment probe when the Freedom Caucus member told scumbag-Swalwell to “shut up.”... The epic moment came Friday during National Security Council official Alexander Vindman’s testimony. Meadows was interrupted by scumbag-Swalwell while trying to make a point of order as Republican counsel asked Vindman about the identity of the supposedly anonymous whistleblower in connection with President Trump’s July 25 phone call with the leader of Ukraine. “Excuse me. Excuse me. Let me just state this for the record,” said House Intelligence Committee Chairman scumbag-Adam Schiff. “The whistle blower has a statutory right to anonymity. There are concerns about — ” Meadows asked to make a point of order. “Mr. Meadows, when I’m finished …” scumbag-Schiff cut in.“Hey Mr. Meadows, he’s the chairman. He finishes,” scumbag-Swalwell said to Meadows, in reference to House Intelligence Chairman and fellow representative from California, scumbag-Adam Schiff, who is playing the part of hanging judge in the House Democrats’ impeachment coup. scumbag-Swalwell’s whining brings to mind an image of a particularly prissy teacher’s pet here.  “Mr. Meadows, you may make your —” replied scumbag-Schiff at that point. “He’s the chairman. He finishes,” scumbag-Swalwell again told Meadows. “Shut up,” the Republican from North Carolina fired back...

https://www.bizpacreview.com/2019/11/09/mark-meadows-tells-eric-swalwell-to-shut-up-during-testimony-850434?utm_campaign=bizpac&utm_content=Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_source=Get+Response&utm_term=EMAIL  

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Transcript Shows Vindman, scumbag-Schiff Repeatedly Obstructed Questions 

About Classified Leaks

By Chrissy Clark

{ thefederalist.com } ~ The transcript of the deposition between Lt. Alexander Vindman and the Select Committee on Intelligence, Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Committee on Foreign Affairs shows... how desperate Rep. scumbag-Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and his staff are to prevent witnesses from answering certain questions. In reference to the call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, asked Vindman if he discussed the phone call with anyone after it took place.“Who else did you talk to following the July 25 call?” Jordan asked. Rep. scumbag-Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., scumbag-Schiff, and Vindman’s criminal defense attorney immediately jumped in to ensure Vindman didn’t answer the question. As Sean Davis points out, Vindman’s attorney was clearly trying to stop him from answering two key questions: Did Vindman deliberately work to undermine President Trump’s foreign policy? Did Vindman have any conversations about Trump’s classified phone call outside the chain of command? scumbag-Swalwell, scumbag-Schiff, and Vindman’s attorney disrupted the witnesses’ testimony time and time again. What in the world does Vindman have to hide? Republicans and the American people still do not have answers to these important questions. If Vindman were working to undermine Trump’s foreign policy, it only adds to the growing pile of evidence that this impeachment inquiry is a hoax designed by people who are unhappy with the results of the 2016 election.

https://thefederalist.com/2019/11/08/transcript-shows-vindman-schiff-repeatedly-obstructed-questions-about-classified-leaks/?utm_source=The+Federalist+List&utm_campaign=579536fc14-RSS_The_Federalist_Daily_Updates_w_Transom&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cfcb868ceb-579536fc14-83771801  

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The Two Things Every Senior Pentagon 

Leader Is Worried About  

by MACKENZIE EAGLEN

{ defenseone.com } ~ Talk to any senior Pentagon official these days and they’ll raise two big issues. Not Iran, not the border wall, not impeachment — not even the chaotic Syria withdrawal... and the still-unclear oil-guarding mission are of such universal concern. The first is the fact that defense spending has peaked. This has been advertised for years, and the moment has arrived. But leaders’ concern is exacerbated by the potential for a government-wide spending freeze, possibly even through next year’s presidential election. The Pentagon is so worried about a long-term continuing resolution that when Defense Secretary Mark Esper went to Capitol Hill on Oct. 30 to brief lawmakers behind closed doors on the Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi raid, several DoD senior officials told me, he spent much of his time pleading for a 2020 appropriations bill. Many members of Congress already understand how continuing resolutions undermine military readiness and waste vast amounts of money. Yet they lack insights, based on real-world evidence and Pentagon data, about the many benefits that funding the defense budget on time, as happened last year, provides to taxpayers and the military. If the Pentagon really wants to get its appropriations bill past the border wall impasse and impeachment overhang, lawmakers need to see compelling new information from the Defense Department that shows how doing their job well helps everyone and saves money. The second topic that every Pentagon leader brings up is China. Most Americans, they believe, do not fully grasp the threat, seeing the East Asian giant mostly as an economic competitor, not a full-fledged adversary. But defense leaders believe strongly that China has the greatest potential to change our American way of life. The threat is not just military, they say, but ideological, governmental, cultural, institutional, legal, financial, and more. These leaders wonder, repeatedly and out loud, how Congress and the Pentagon can better make the case on China to the American people dwelling far beyond the swamp. Most Americans aren’t interested in the nuance of this satellite photograph or that spreadsheet showing recent and dramatic Chinese gains against the U.S. military...  https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2019/11/two-things-every-senior-pentagon-leader-worried-about/161094/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWkdVNU5qWXlZekJsWWpKaSIsInQiOiJ0K0tzM25KZ2pEU3loSHZLODlDVEcrQjYyaVlLRWhzMm12dHpHK3c2RkxJNWJSRWRvQ0xGZXRlQUxXWnJKTmtMSHhneHlIc2w3SFAzUVVYdVJXU3N5UGpKVW1nakdEK3BmQUFPaDJSZHMxclwvUHlhYlFNNEx5SXo0ZVpxU1RSNnIifQ%3D%3D  

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Data Show Social Security Expansion 

Shouldn’t Be Presidential Priority

by Andrew Biggs

{ forbes.com  } ~ Presidential candidates Elizabeth dinky/liar-Warren and commie-Bernie Sanders have proposed expensive across-the-board increases in Social Security benefits, premised on the idea... as dinky/liar-Warren says, that “It’s too hard to save enough for a decent retirement — and it’s only getting harder.” Congressional Democrats are ready to back the candidates’ promises, with near-unanimous House Democrat support for legislation to expand Social Security. But data from the Congressional Budget Office tell a very different story: over the last four decades, retirees’ incomes have risen at over twice the rate of salaries for working-age Americans, thanks to higher retirement savings and increased work in retirement. The presidential candidates should reconsider whether boosting Social Security for middle and high-income retirees should be a top priority. Retirement security is a hugely important issue, both to Americans trying to boost their savings and for policymakers thinking about Social Security and retirement savings programs. But in many ways, we’re flying blind because we lack solid data. Most facts and figures about retirement incomes are based on household surveys, where the government asks retirees how much income they receive from Social Security, pensions, earnings and so on. From these survey responses come figures regarding the poverty rate among retirees, the share of income retirees receive from Social Security, or how much retirees draw from private retirement plans like IRAs and 401(k)s. The simple problem is that many people answer those surveys incorrectly. For instance, Sen. dinky/liar-Warren’s campaign cites data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey (CPS) finding that “About half of married seniors and 70% of unmarried seniors rely on Social Security for at least half of their income.” But Census Bureau research finds that these figures are exaggerated, because the CPS data dramatically understate retirees’ true incomes. In fact, IRS data show the median retiree household’s income is fully 30% above what is reported in the Current Population Survey. And the true poverty rate among retirees is about two percentage points lower than the 8% rate that’s commonly reported. Unfortunately, these IRS data aren’t available to most researchers...  https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewbiggs/2019/11/04/data-show-social-security-expansion-shouldnt-be-presidential-priority/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWkdVNU5qWXlZekJsWWpKaSIsInQiOiJ0K0tzM25KZ2pEU3loSHZLODlDVEcrQjYyaVlLRWhzMm12dHpHK3c2RkxJNWJSRWRvQ0xGZXRlQUxXWnJKTmtMSHhneHlIc2w3SFAzUVVYdVJXU3N5UGpKVW1nakdEK3BmQUFPaDJSZHMxclwvUHlhYlFNNEx5SXo0ZVpxU1RSNnIifQ%3D%3D#6f35c2e07e76  

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Turkey: Erdogan's Campaign against the West

by Giulio Meotti

{ gatestoneinstitute.org } ~ Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "has earned the title of Caliph" according to Turkish journalist Abdurrahman Dilipak... Erdogan is the head of NATO's second-largest army; he has spies throughout Europe through a network of mosques, associations and cultural centers; he has brought his country to the top of the world rankings for the number of imprisoned journalists and has shut the mouth of German comedians with the threat of legal action. By keeping migrants in Turkish refugee camps, he controls immigration to Europe. The worse Erdogan behaves, the greater his weight in Europe. In a 2015 meeting, Erdogan reportedly was "openly mocking" European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and other "senior European leaders", as Juncker asked Erdogan to consider how he was treated "like a prince" at a Brussels summit. According  to Stratfor's George Friedman: "Turkey now is the 17th largest economy in the world, it is larger than Saudi Arabia, it has an army and military capability that is probably the best in Europe, besides the UK and they could beat the Germans in an afternoon and the French in an hour if they showed up." Turkey's 2018 military budget increased to $19 billion, 24% higher than 2017, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Erdogan has placed  Turkey's military -- once a bastion of Turkish nationalism and secularism -- under his political authority. While Europe is pacifist and refuses to invest in its own security or, like Germany, support NATO's budget, Turkey is belligerent. Ever since his Justice and Development Party (AKP) became Turkey's dominant political force in 2002, for Erdogan, elevating the public role of Islam has been more than a slogan. At public gatherings, the Turkish president has made the "rabia", a hand gesture of four fingers raised and the thumb hidden, to protest the overthrow of Egypt's Islamist then President Mohamed Morsi by Egypt's military. Erdogan evidently sees himself as a global Islamic leader with national elections to win. Through four million Turkish Muslims in Germany and vast communities in the Netherlands, France, Austria and beyond, Erdogan does indeed have enormous influence in Europe...   https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15054/erdogan-campaign-against-west 

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Murder in Mexico

 Gary Bauer

 

There are conflicting reports, but it appears that at least nine members of an American family were murdered by Mexican drug-cartel thugs. They are members of a Mormon community in Mexico who were ambushed as they were traveling to pick up a relative. 

Some reports suggest that their convoy of SUVs may have been mistaken for a rival gang. Regardless, three women and six children were brutally murdered in an attack that took place about 100 miles from the Arizona border.

This is a horrible, evil act. Nonetheless, out of this brutality there may be a teachable moment. 

President Trump has been warning for years about the dangers of our unsecured southern border. He was mocked by the media, by progressive politicians, by liberal judges, and by radical special-interest groups. 

But the president has persistently cited the nefarious activities of brutal gangs and drug cartels as reason enough for securing the border and knowing who is entering the country. 

We know the gangs and cartels are engaged in child trafficking, drug trafficking, and human smuggling. Yet every attempt by the president to get the situation under control has been blocked by the left. 

Progressives and Never-Trumpers routinely try to embarrass Trump by saying, “Look, he’s not getting the wall built.” That’s because they have been fighting tooth and nail to stop him!

Mexican politicians are afraid to speak out against the cartels because scores have been assassinated. Reporters are afraid to expose the cartels too. At least a dozen journalists have been murdered in Mexico so far this year. 

Just a few weeks ago, the Mexican military had an engagement against one of the cartels. The “Federales” lost.

Mexico’s murder rate set a record last year with more than 33,300 people killed. 

The likelihood of Mexico becoming a failed state, overrun by drug lords and unable or unwilling at some point to stop the flow of mass migration, presents a much greater danger to the United States than anything that is happening on the border of Turkey and Syria. 

In a series of tweets yesterday, President Trump denounced the murders of these American citizens and urged Mexico to step up its fight against the cartels, declaring, “This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth.”

Defending Religious Freedom

Six commissioners on the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom went to the White House on Monday to meet with top foreign-policy officials. It was a great opportunity for a serious discussion about the challenges facing religious freedom around the world.

I took the opportunity to thank the administration for everything it has done, such as:

• Destroying the ISIS caliphate.

• Taking out Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

• Elevating religious-liberty concerns in our foreign policy.

• Hosting two ministerial summits promoting religious freedom around the world.

• The president’s UN address on religious freedom.

• Confronting China for its gross abuses of religious liberty. 

We also had a serious conversation regarding conditions in Syria. Here’s the reality: Russia is there. Turkey is there. The Syrian army is there. The Iranians are there. Hezbollah is there. The Kurds are there. Our small presence, one to two thousand troops, isn’t going to be the decisive factor in the future of Syria.

Unfortunately, Syria is a failed state, and Christian minorities are caught in the crossfire. But contrary to the media narrative, the Trump administration is working hard to limit the suffering of religious minorities in Syria. The president is in regular contact with Kurdish leaders. USAID is attempting to channel resources to the right entities.

In recent days, I have met with representatives of the Syrian Christian community here in the United States. Our brothers and sisters in Christ need our prayers, as do the president and vice president, as they attempt to navigate this very challenging situation.

Mayhem in the Middle East

The chaos in the Middle East is not limited to Syria. And while it is easy to overlook amid the churning domestic scene here at home, there are big developments taking place in Iraq and Lebanon.

Massive protests against corruption have erupted in both countries, threatening Tehran’s grip on the region. The Iranian consulate in Karbala was attacked. The Iraqi flag was posted on the compound’s walls. In Baghdad, protestors have destroyed posters of Iranian leaders. In southern Iraq, a Shiite militia leader (backed by Iran) was pulled from an ambulance and killed in the street. 

In Lebanon, the prime minister has been forced to resign and there are growing protests against Hezbollah.

Instability in the Middle East is rarely a good thing. But in this case, I find it encouraging that the people of Iraq and Lebanon are rising up against their Iranian occupiers.

There are historical tensions between Arabs and Persians, and Iran’s influence in the Middle East is anything but benign. The ayatollah’s regime has earned its designation as the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Everywhere Tehran extends its tentacles, death and destruction follow. 

Fan Trade?

I was really ticked off last week when Swamp denizens made a spectacle of themselves when they booed the president at Game 5 of the World Series. Thankfully, the players managed to muster the decorum and respect that many fans lacked.

Monday, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted the Washington Nationals at the White House. While seven players did not attend, only one announced ahead of time that he wasn’t going. Overall, it was a wonderful event. 

Some players appeared to express their support for the president. Catcher Kurt Suzuki donned a MAGA hat. First baseman Ryan Zimmerman presented the president with a “Trump 45” Nationals jersey and thanked him for keeping the country safe and making it “the greatest country in the world." 

Leftists and some media claimed that pitcher Stephen Strasburg snubbed the president by refusing to shake his hand. Strasburg later tweeted that the report of the snub was "Fake News.” He did shake hands with the president but the video was edited to not show it.

Sadly, many Nationals fans are threatening to boycott the team now. Maybe the Washington Nationals should consider trading some of their fans rather than players in the offseason.   ~The Patriot Post

https://patriotpost.us/opinion/66596?mailing_id=4635&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pp.email.4635&utm_campaign=snapshot&utm_content=body