Allen West and Taking Back Elections. Kim Strassel and Hunter's Legal Issues. IDF Summary. My Essay

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

What We Can Do To Take Back Free and Fair Elections

 

Greetings: If there is one dominant theme I hear in my travels in and around Dallas County, Texas, and indeed across America, it is this. Hey, Colonel, what are we going to do about election integrity? Colonel, how do we keep them, the progressive socialist left, from cheating? The answer is not that hard and is quite achievable. If you go back and assess the 2020 presidential electoral map by County, you will see an abundance of Red counties, that is the key. What so many of us fail to realize is that election processes and procedures are decided at the County level of governance. This is why County Commissioner seats are important. The County commissioners are the ones who appoint a County elections supervisor.

 

We can reclaim free and fair elections. It just takes work at the local level. If you will be in the Atlanta, GA, area on April 18, I urge you to join me to discuss how we can win this battle. We are making our way across the country, so please stay tuned for upcoming events in other areas.

 

Steadfast and loyal,

Allen West

Executive Director, American Constitutional Rights Union

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hunter Biden’s Legal Collapse

A federal judge refuses to toss his tax charges. Donald Trump likely won’t be the only one in court in the next couple of months. 

By Kimberley Strassel

Here are two dates to add to those media timelines of upcoming courtroom drama: June 3 and 20. It won’t be Donald Trump in the dock on those days. It’ll be the other man whose legal woes are destined to feature in this election: Hunter Biden.

Those woes are serious, to read a federal judge’s ruling this week slapping down all eight of Hunter’s motions to dismiss the criminal tax charges against him. The ruling received minimal coverage, even though it began a countdown to two potential Hunter trials (the other for firearm offenses) as his father fights for re-election. Those trials will provide a counterpoint to Mr. Trump’s legal journey.

Joe Biden’s supporters will insist Hunter’s problems aren’t the president’s and are small potatoes next to allegations of conspiracy and obstruction against Mr. Trump. Yet voters like to equal out partisan scenarios, and Republicans have successfully nestled Hunter’s tax misbehavior in an unseemly tale of Joe’s influence peddling. Many Americans will simply view the coming judicial dramas as the Trump Trials on one hand, and the Biden Trials on the other.

If there is a notable difference, it’s that the Hunter cases contain no political upside, as the judge’s ruling clarified this week. Mr. Trump would surely prefer not to be under indictment, but he’s squeezing those lemons for all the lemonade he can make. Every courtroom appearance is a campaign event, every legal opinion a fundraising opportunity; every rally and social-media post contains dire warnings about witch hunts. Polls show a direct correlation between the intensity of the legal campaign against him and the support of his base. The left’s lawfare helped win him the nomination.

Where does Hunter stand, more than a year into his new, no-holds-barred legal approach? Until early 2023, the president’s son was pursuing a sober, below-the-radar legal defense. That changed with the hiring of the high-flying Abbe Lowell, who implemented a hyperpolitical strategy. The team fired off letters to law enforcement demanding investigations into Hunter’s critics, accused special counsel David Weiss of bringing a politically motivated prosecution, and embroiled Hunter in public standoffs with House committees investigating Biden family affairs. The clear goal was to present Hunter as victim of an unfair prosecution that was part of a GOP-inspired plot against the Bidens.

The media lapped it up, but there is no evidence that Hunter’s brassy PR campaign is changing any minds. Polls show little public sympathy for him, no doubt because the felony charges relate a story of a privileged political child who traded off his family name and blew loads of money on sports cars and adult entertainment. The evidence makes it difficult to suggest the prosecution is politically motivated. And a majority of Americans continue to believe Joe Biden was involved in Hunter’s affairs. Unlike Mr. Trump, Team Biden isn’t realizing any political benefit from the drama. If anything, the in-your-face strategy has backfired, serving mainly to elevate the Hunter story in a way that helps Republicans.

All the more so because it’s been a legal disaster. Hunter was on the verge of a wrist slap last summer, until his team questioned immunity provisions in a proposed plea deal and the agreement collapsed. He was subsequently charged with firearm offenses in Delaware and tax offenses in California.

Rather than plead guilty and negotiate, the Lowell legal team carried their flamboyant charges into a California courtroom, filing motions for dismissal on grounds of “selective and vindictive prosecution,” “appropriations clause” violations, “due process” and an argument that Mr. Weiss was unlawfully appointed.

Federal Judge Mark Scarsi this week used an 82-page opinion to remind the Hunter team that sound bites aren’t legal arguments. He efficiently dismantled and dismissed every motion. Yes, Mr. Weiss was duly appointed, and his office is lawfully funded. No, there is no evidence of animus against Hunter; the defense’s “motion is remarkable in that it fails to include a single declaration, exhibit, or request for judicial notice” that demonstrates vindictiveness, beyond media speculation. And there is certainly no reason to throw out the case on grounds that Republicans bragged about provoking the charges, since “politicians take credit for many things over which they have no power and have made no impact.” (Truer words were never written.)

The result: Barring surprises, Hunter begins his California trial on June 20. Judge Scarsi’s ruling could also serve as a template for Judge Maryellen Noreika, who will soon rule on a similar set of dismissal motions in her Delaware courtroom. Assuming she too throws them out, Hunter’s trial there begins June 3.

Mr. Trump’s trials could turn into a liability if he lands a felony conviction, which some of his supporters tell pollsters would be disqualifying. Meantime, Hunter’s indictments are cruising toward potentially messy ends come June—and with them a new GOP cudgel. Just one more reason Joe should have rethought that re-election bid.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Six Months Later: IDF summarizes half a year of war

IDF statistics show thousands of terrorists killed, targets destroyed, and operational hours logged on every front.

The IDF has published statistics summarizing 6 months of operations since the October 7th massacre and the resultant Swords of Iron war.

A total of 300,000 reservists have been enlisted since the beginning of the war.

604 IDF soldiers have been killed in action since the beginning of the war, of which 260 fell during the ground offensive into Gaza.

Israel has sustained more than 10,000 rocket attacks, with 9,100 originating in Gaza, 3,100 in Lebanon, and 35 in Syria. Approximately 3,250 launchers and rockets have been seized or destroyed.

As part of the IDF's efforts to evacuate the civilian population of areas that were to come under attack, it disseminated 100,000 evacuation phone calls, 9.3 million evacuation leaflets, 15.5 million text messages, and 17 million voice recordings.

The IDF claims that the effort to evacuate Gaza's civilian population for its safety is a central part of the precautionary measures that the IDF takes to reduce harm to uninvolved civilians by encouraging them to temporarily evacuate from areas of intense combat, to less dangerous areas such as shelters and pre-defined places, to which humanitarian aid is routed.

Following the start of the war, the Medical Corps has set up an emergency hotline dedicated to mental health support, manned by professionals. Approximately 3,800 inquiries have been made to the support hotline since the beginning of the war.

There have been approximately 950 medical evacuations by helicopters, carrying 1,300 injured personnel. There have been approximately 2,360 evacuations by other vehicles.

Approximately 52,000 individuals have taken part in training during the war. Approximately 600 company and battalion-scale exercises have been conducted, including 140 different headquarters.

In Gaza, 3,600 targets have been marked as potential threats. Approximately 32,000 targets have been struck from the air. Approximately 4,250 pieces of terrorist infrastructure have been destroyed.

On the northern front, 3,300 ground targets have been struck since the beginning of the war. 1,400 of them were struck from the air.

IDF soldiers have logged 165,000 naval operational hours and 185,000 aerial operational hours.

In Gaza, 12,000 terrorists have been killed. Among them were 5 terrorist brigade commanders, 20 terrorist battalion commanders, and 100 terrorist company commanders eliminated.

On the northern front, 330 terrorists were killed, including 30 commanders.

Approximately 4,600 interrogations have been conducted by the IDF’s classified HUMINT department, Unit 504, since the beginning of the war. Individuals who were found not to be involved in terrorist activity are released as soon as possible into Gazan territory, to a location where they are not in danger. Individuals who reason is found to continue their detention in accordance with Israeli law were brought to a judicial review before a judge.

Approximately 3,000 packages of humanitarian aid have been airdropped to Gaza, through approximately 50 flights.

6 active field hospitals have been constructed.

19,776 trucks of aid were inspected at the Nitzana and Kerem Shalom Crossings, containing approximately 369,990 tons of aid:

12,197 trucks carrying 257,530 tons of food.

2,885 trucks carrying 41,470 tons of shelter equipment.

1,717 trucks carrying 19,950 tons of medical supplies

1,420 trucks carrying 28,320 tons of water.

1,557 trucks carrying 22,720 tons of assorted supplies.

461 tankers containing cooking gas and 225 tankers containing fuel.

In Judea and Samaria, Israeli forces have conducted 6,000 initiated operational activities. They have killed 420 enemies and apprehended 3,700 wanted individuals, of which approximately 1,600 are Hamas operatives.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++

Fascinating:

++++

There Comes A Time

There comes a time when you are convinced you have been right about a person all along. My discomfort with Biden began to increase  when he presided over Nominee  Judge Thomas' elevation to the Supreme Court, confirmation hearings.  

Prior to this, it became evident most every decision Biden supported was entirely wrong, suggesting he lacked  sound  judgement.

I had a sneaking suspicion he was a political Chameleon after listening to several of his speeches and observing  his support of a variety of others. The expression, you are known by the company you keep is telling and  his friends ran the gamut but all had one thing in common. They were racists to their core.

Yes, it was fashionable then but even bigotry has it's limits and I submit supporting KKK hangings might be one..

It should also be evident, Biden has been a disastrous president. 

Virtually everything  he has touched has turned sour, even the nation's mood. His radical policies, his extremism has allowed illegal immigration to replace our constitution. America is no longer the country of the free and the brave.  Our constitutional and God given  rights have been usurped so the Democrat Party can become forever in control and our nation  governed by a single party as illegals are allowed to vote through various processes which Biden has initiated with the stroke of a pen or  because Democrat party members support them.

I have yet to mention Biden's physical and mental decline and, I admit,  I have no valid proof he is manipulated by Obama and/or Obama holdovers. However, here again, whether Biden is or not, his administration has been extreme in matters that are totally anti-America from open borders to squatter property rights and everything in between. 

Biden has done more to transform America than Obama who laid the foundation of this effort. Obama knew what he was doing when he made it his policy to bring over and locate radical Islamists from The Middle East, knowing, if concentrated, they could be elected and alter the Democrat Party through their anti-Semitic, non-American advocacy. Obviously, America's transformation did not begin with Obama. Here again, I submit Woodrow Wilson started America on the road to Socialism, FDR accelerated the move using The Depression and then Biden using Covid.

Biden's astronomic spending, much of which was totally unnecessary, and wasteful and much of which was invested in now defunct start-ups, has brought American debt obligations to levels never seen in our history and which will prove crippling as inflation escalates interest obligations.  

Government debt, as a per cent of GDP, consumes more than the private sector produces and probably soon we will no longer be able to depend on foreign governments purchasing our debt. 

Yes, America's economy is still the envy of the world but we reached our zenith after WW 2 and have been in gradual decline ever since. Most distressing is, we allowed low foreign wages to 'siren song' away domestic manufacturing resulting in diminishing our middle class and now, Biden's inflationary policies has driven the stake further into the heart and spirit of our nation.

I certainly understand the distaste many have for the candidate choices in the upcoming 2024 election. 

 

However, obligation supersedes choice if we wish to sustain our republic. Ben Franklin warned we must be proactive in  playing the cards our Founding Fathers dealt.

When it comes to Israel, this is where Biden's lack of character really shines.  He is in the process of selling Israel down the river with all his inane and mean spirited, impossible demands on BIBI, which also play in Hamas' favor. Even the WSJ, in a recent Editorial entitled; "Since when did Jill Biden dictate America’s Israel policy?," recognized his betrayal. 

Yes, what I have written has been written better and more powerfully by others but unlike most liberal Jews I am a conservative Jew and remain unwilling to be silenced and intimidated.

God and Israel will prevail if right still trumps wrong. 

+++

And:

Since when did Jill Biden dictate America’s Israel policy?

By Post Editorial Board

Since when did the first lady dictate US policy on Israel, or anything?

Our president lies like a rug to please his audience, so it’s tricky to parse the news that he told guests at this week’s White House Ramadan dinner that the first lady has told him that Israel’s war on Hamas “has got to stop.”

We don’t doubt he announced that, though exact accounts vary slightly: “Stop it. Stop it now,” were the Joe-said-Jill-said words, recalled a different attendee. 

And the White House is backing that up, insisting (as it must) that the first couple see eye-to-eye while also stating: “Just like the president, the First Lady is heartbroken over the attacks on aid workers and the on-going loss of innocent lives in Gaza.”

First lady Jill Biden speaks to supporters at Studio House Atlanta, Friday, March 1, 2024.First lady Jill Biden speaks to supporters at Studio House Atlanta. AP

President Biden plainly dropped the anecdote to deepen the impression that he really means his much-advertised threats to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he’ll cut off aid to Israel if it doesn’t “do more” to protect and get relief to civilians in Gaza.

Of course, his “pro-Palestine” critics have every reason to think all this, including his decision against vetoing that “cease-fire now!” UN resolution the other week, is mostly a ploy.

Even though the president’s echoing of pro-Hamas propaganda plainly harms Israel’s cause, and helps explain the polls showing US public support for Israel to be dropping.

Since the prez cares most about his own standing, it’s entirely possible he privately has zero problems with Israel’s conduct (which in fact is exemplary) but thinks he can make himself look better by pretending otherwise.

On the other hand, it could mean that his wife really is pushing him to go wobbly.

After all, Jill is broadly seen as to Joe’s left: The “doctor” in “Dr. Jill Biden” is an education degree, after all — generally associated with lefty views, since right-of-center folks find it hard to suffer the claptrap that graduate “education” programs push in lieu of any substance.

Which raises the question of how much influence Jill, a spry 72, has over Joe, 81 and visibly faltering.

Especially if Jill is reinforcing the doubtless-craven urgings of the White House staff.

Maybe some future tell-all on the Biden White House will clear things up; for now the only bottom line we see here is that the president’s words add up to one more reason the nation is better off voting him out of office come November.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++