tp://www.israelvideonetwork.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Campus Wars against Israel are also more subtle attacks on Free Speech. (See 1 below.)===
Bret Stephens reveals why cost matters are out of control and you can lay much of the blame at the feet of big government and its overstaffed bureaucracy. They are not spending their money and authoritarian nit-picking has become their specialty.
Ever need to go to some government office to get something done and , all too often, you are subject to an haughty and officious attitude? (See 2 below.)
====
There are real feminists and then verbal ones. (See 3 below.)
===
Twenty years from now when an entire generation of Liberals reach a ripe old age perhaps they will look back on how pathetic they acted in response to Trump's election.
One of my Liberal friends recently commented about how I had acted in the same way when it came to Obama. I reminded him I never protested Obama's election and made a fool out of myself. I only commented, during the campaign, Obama reminded me of Wilson's " The Music Man" and then commented about his misguided and failed policies once he became president. I accepted the fact that he had been elected president I just doubted he would be a president worthy of the faith others had placed in him and lo and behold I believe my suspicions have proven totally correct.
Tobin suggests Oberman get some professional help. Hell, even the professionals have become whackos! (See 4 below.)
+++
In his remaining days in office I suspect Obama will do things he knows Trump will reverse but it will anger all those who are opposed to Trump and keep de-legitimizing Trump going for a while longer, starting with coal, restricting drilling and moving our embassy to Jerusalem etc. (See 5 and 5a below.)
===
Dick
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1) Why the Oldest Hatred Flourishes on US Campuses
By: Lori Lowenthal Marcus
Jewish Americans who have been paying attention know there is a serious anti-Israel problem on U.S. campuses, and they have some idea of where it is happening. What most still don't know is how or why it happened.
In Richard L. Cravatts' new book,"Dispatches from the Campus War Against Israel & Jews," (2016) he lays it all out.
"Dispatches" starts with the evolution of the "cognitive war against Israel." Dr. Cravatts traces the modern trajectory of the oldest hatred. In its latest incarnation, the "new anti-Semitism" has morphed into a more widely acceptable, but just as hate-filled and irrational, version which hides behind the fig leaf of "criticism of Israeli policies."
In Dispatches, Richard Cravetts explains where anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism is happening on US college campuses and why
Jewish Americans who have been paying attention know there is a serious anti-Israel problem on U.S. campuses, and they have some idea of where it is happening. What most still don't know is how or why it happened.
In Richard L. Cravatts' new book,"Dispatches from the Campus War Against Israel & Jews," (2016) he lays it all out.
"Dispatches" starts with the evolution of the "cognitive war against Israel." Dr. Cravatts traces the modern trajectory of the oldest hatred. In its latest incarnation, the "new anti-Semitism" has morphed into a more widely acceptable, but just as hate-filled and irrational, version which hides behind the fig leaf of "criticism of Israeli policies."
In Dispatches, Richard Cravetts explains where anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism is happening on US college campuses and why
Cravatts names the leading players behind this movement to recast and legitimize anti-Semitism, such as the University of Michigan's Juan Cole, and Columbia University's Joseph Massad and Edward Said. "Dispatches" also reveals how various cultural currents, such as multiculturalism, moral relativism and the grotesquely misnamed social justice warrior movement buttress this new lethal narrative.
American campuses are the petri dishes in which the latest version of the oldest hatred festers. Tuition and tax dollars feed the disease, while the fecklessness of campus administrations and even most Jewish organizations ensures its continued growth.
Today's version of the Big Lie - that Israel is responsible for nearly every "pathology and failure" not only in the Middle East but for many even where Israelis have no footprint - is meticulously catalogued by Cravatts through his series of articles which make up "Dispatches."
Luckily, moral detectives were able to recognize and categorize this new version of the old disease which lurks behind the moral narcissists' claim of mere Israeli criticism. The villains are not the only ones whom Cravatts names.
Contemporary maccabees such as Martin Kramer, Ruth Wisse, Phyllis Chesler, and Canada's Irwin Cotler, whose heroic efforts to name and shame those spreading the disease in the hopes of controlling the contagion are saluted. But the numbers and the ferocity of those seeking to extirpate the Jewish State are, sadly, far greater in number.
The effort to cast Israel - and therefore its Jewish citizens and supporters - as the ultimate evil in the world includes fevered references to Israelis as the new Nazis. It is a form of ex post facto exculpation, and also lets off the hook the youthful initiates who might otherwise feel uneasy spewing hatred. The linkage between Zionism and Nazism is frequently displayed in the signs held aloft at many campus demonstrations, as "Dispatches" reveals.
But the professoriat and their acolytes also delve into more recent history to stigmatize Jews and the Jewish State. Apartheid South Africa is a favored comparison to Israel, which reveals how little concern for facts plays a role in this academic game. Israel is one of the most diverse nations on Earth, one that has absorbed people of every imaginable color and religion. A quick peek at the Israeli legislature or the Israel Defense Forces puts the lie to the claim of Israeli apartheid, but as Cravatts repeatedly points out in his book, "facts are irrelevant" because Jew-hatred blinds the hater.
The second part of "Dispatches" explains the current malevolent phenomena of the BDS (Boycotts against, Divestment from and Sanctions against Israel) Movement. This section focuses on recent efforts by academic associations to attack Israel using the BDS form of warfare. Why American academic associations such as the Modern Language Association, the American Studies Association and others believe themselves justified in attacking Israel (and only Israel) is examined in-depth. What's revealed in that examination is shameful. That academics fail to recognize the moral failure of attacking Israel says volumes about the state of the American academy. It is not only a moral failure but an intellectual failure for a profession of those whose sole job is education.
The final section of "Dispatches" consists of nearly two dozen campus case studies. The role of the virulently anti-Israel organization "Students for Justice in Palestine" gets a lot of play, and deservedly so. Cravatts catalogues a plethora of outrages set on university campuses throughout the country.
Although Israel and Jews are the primary targets of the latest version of anti-Semitism, Cravatts does a masterful job of revealing one of its collateral victims: free speech. The chapters dealing with the abandonment by the left of a bulwark of freedom, that of speech, demand attention. Further, the co-existence of "safe spaces," "trigger warnings" and hate speech codes, with calls for Israel's extermination and the justification of murdering Jews because of the mythical "occupation" should boggle the mind. And yet it hasn't. Not yet.
The author of "Dispatches" told the JewishPress.com he wrote the book with the hope that "by understanding the toxic tactics of pro-Palestinians, readers can begin to see the danger of teaching a whole generation of students a false and damaging narrative about the Jewish state.
"If we understand the tactical strategy and know its weaknesses, we can begin to combat the lies and degrade the odious campaign to vilify Israel."
Cravatts lectures around the country on higher education, anti-Semitism and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. He has published hundreds of articles on these topics and is the immediate past-president of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East. Currently Cravatts sits on the board of the AMCHA Initiative, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under the Law, and the Journal for the Study of Antisemitism. Read his book.
About the Author: Lori Lowenthal Marcus is a contributor to the JewishPress.com. A graduate of Harvard Law School, she previously practiced First Amendment law and taught in Philadelphia-area graduate and law schools. You can reach her by email: Lori@JewishPressOnline.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
2)
Yehuda and her driver were immediately shot in the volley of gunfire.
Despite suffering from a gunshot wound, Captain Ben-Yehuda managed to
get on the radio and call for backup, administer first aid to her driver and
return several magazines worth of gunfire back at her attackers.
Backup, in the form of several vehicles full of IDF soldiers, arrived on scene, the wounded Captain commanded the responding soldiers and positioned her
men to effectively fight back the terrorists.
At this point it was obvious the IDF was going to be able to push back the
armed group, and medical personnel wanted to evacuate Captain Ben-
Yehuda to treat her gunshot wounds. However, she was unwilling to leave
the battlefield until all of the fighting was done.
4)
2)
Doomed to Stagnate?
Eight years ago it took 40 days to get a construction permit. Now it’s 81.
The World Bank, which does many things poorly, does one thing exceptionally well: It
publishes an annual survey that scores and ranks countries according to the ease of doing
business. Want to better understand the mess Greece is in? In 2006 it took an average of
151 days to enforce a contract in the Hellenic Republic. Today it takes 1,580. Want to
measure Israel’s progress? A decade ago, starting a business in the startup nation took
about 34 days. Now it takes 12.
What about the United States? When President Obama took office in 2009, the U.S.
ranked third in the overall index, just behind Singapore and New Zealand. It has since
fallen to eighth place. Eight years ago, 40 days were needed to get a construction permit.
Now it’s 81. When President Bush left office, it took 300 days to enforce a contract.
Today: 420. As for registering property, the cost has nearly quintupled since 2009, to
2.4% of property value from 0.5%.
Not all the numbers have moved in the wrong direction under Mr. Obama. It takes
somewhat less time to pay taxes today, for instance. But the broader trend is clear, and it
goes to the heart of the most important debate in—and about—America today. Are we
doomed to the long-term economic stagnation that afflicts Japan and Europe, regardless
of who’s president? Or can we grow again as we did in the 1980s and ’90s?
By contrast, the case for growth is micro. There’s nothing “secular” about our low rate of
growth, goes the argument: It’s just the result of the never-ending accretion of ever more
costly and time-consuming regulations, all of which could, in theory, be overturned at a
stroke. These regulations go largely unnoticed by coastal elites because we’re mostly in
the business of producing and manipulating words—as politicians, lawyers, bureaucrats, academics, consultants, pundits and so on. But regulations (and those who profit from
them) are the bane of anyone who produces or delivers things: jet engines, burgers, pool
supplies, you name it.The case for stagnation is macro. The labor force is no longer
growing the way it used to. Innovation isn’t giving us the same productivity gains as it
did in the past. There’s too much saving, not enough investment. Look at all the broad
indicators, say the pessimists, and they all point south.
Words-makers have the benefit of the First Amendment, that great guard against speech
regulation, to keep the government at arm’s-length from their work. Things-makers do
not. It’s one of the reasons our worlds seem politically so far apart.
In recent months I’ve tried to get a better sense of the things-making world by asking
executives in different industries to share their sense of what it’s like to do business in
America today. They talk about Sarbanes-Oxley—its punishing auditing requirements.
Or Dodd-Frank—the Compliance Blob it has created within banks. Or the Affordable
Care Act—the employer mandate, the increased age of dependent “children,” the obscure
little taxes for things like the “Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute.”
Then there’s the rest of the iceberg.
Did you know that a company that is a contractor or subcontractor with the government
must, according to recent Labor Department regulations, establish a goal of having 7%
of its workforce be disabled? Did you know that, to achieve this goal, “Contractors
mustconduct an annual utilization analysis and assessment of problem areas, and
establish specific action-oriented programs to address any identified problems.” (My
emphases.)
Did you know that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently banned
blanket policies on post-accident drug testing because they may be discriminatory? Did
you know that OSHA’s decision to adopt the U.N.’s 2003 Globally Harmonized System
of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals required a relabeling and reclassification
effort that cost affected companies an estimated $2.1 billion in compliance?
Did you know that a driver who makes a delivery within Seattle’s city limits must earn a
minimum of $15 an hour, irrespective of whether his company has a branch in the city?
Did you know that San Francisco’s Fair Chance Ordinance forbids employers from
asking about convictions or arrests on a job application?
The list goes on endlessly. When those of us in the words-making world use the term “overregulation,” we are mostly putting a name to a concept we rarely experience
consciously. On the things-making side of life, regulations are experienced every day as
a mix of tedium and torment—a drag on profits, time and what used to be the joy of
making money in America.
The Mercatus Center at George Mason University recently estimated that regulations
have knocked 0.8% off of annual GDP growth since 1980, for a cumulative total of $4
trillion in lost domestic product. Economists trying to explain the puzzle of faltering
growth might begin with that estimate. So, too, might those of us in the words-making
world, puzzled by the anger out there, seeking to better understand what just happened
in American politics.
in American politics.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
3)
Heroic Female IDF Fighter Fights Off 23 Terrorists After Being Wounded in Ambush
Take that, Beyonce. Here's a real feminist.
Captain Or Ben-Yehuda of the Israeli Defense Forces just put Generation
Snowflake to shame.
While many American youth -- male as well as female -- cower in college
safe spaces to protect themselves from microaggressions, this young
female IDF Captain has just been decorated with the country's highest
honor, the Medal of Valor, for her leadership and bravery in the face of an
ambush by nearly two dozen terrorists near the Egyptian border.
According to The Tribunist, Captain Ben-Yehuda was in charge of the
Caracal Battalion which was stationed near the Israeli / Egyptian border.
When three suspicious vehicles approached the battalion’s position,
Captain Ben-Yehuda went with a driver to check them out.
As they approached the first vehicle, nearly two dozen armed
men opened fire on their position in an ambush attack. Both
Captain Ben-
Yehuda and her driver were immediately shot in the volley of gunfire.
Despite suffering from a gunshot wound, Captain Ben-Yehuda managed to
get on the radio and call for backup, administer first aid to her driver and
return several magazines worth of gunfire back at her attackers.
Backup, in the form of several vehicles full of IDF soldiers, arrived on scene, the wounded Captain commanded the responding soldiers and positioned her
men to effectively fight back the terrorists.
At this point it was obvious the IDF was going to be able to push back the
armed group, and medical personnel wanted to evacuate Captain Ben-
Yehuda to treat her gunshot wounds. However, she was unwilling to leave
the battlefield until all of the fighting was done.
After she recovered from her injuries, Captain Ben-Yehuda’s own mother
showed up to present the award to her daughter in a special awards
ceremony Her mother, Emma Dina Ben-Yehuda, is no slouch
either. A decorated IDF officer herself, she served in the Yom
grieving families of IDF soldiers killed in the line of duty.Kippur War and was also honored later for her work with
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Take that, Beyonce and Amy Schumer. This is what a feminist looks like:
4)
Why Democrats Can’t Move
A small number of centrist Democrats like Ohio’s Rep. Tim Ryan,
who led a spectacularly unsuccessful challenge to House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, think the party should try to
cooperate with Trump on issues where they might agree. But
that’s something a party increasingly dominated by its Bernie
Sanders/Elizabeth Warren leftist faction has no
who led a spectacularly unsuccessful challenge to House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, think the party should try to
cooperate with Trump on issues where they might agree. But
that’s something a party increasingly dominated by its Bernie
Sanders/Elizabeth Warren leftist faction has no
interest in doing. Ellison, who is continuing his effort to be
elected the head of the Democratic National Committee, believes
the party should refuse to support the infrastructure proposal in
spite of the fact that it is remarkably similar to President Obama’s
own first term stimulus legislation. While his hopes to be the
DNC Chair are still up in the air, he probably speaks for most of
his party when he says they don’t trust Trump and will resist him
on every front.
elected the head of the Democratic National Committee, believes
the party should refuse to support the infrastructure proposal in
spite of the fact that it is remarkably similar to President Obama’s
own first term stimulus legislation. While his hopes to be the
DNC Chair are still up in the air, he probably speaks for most of
his party when he says they don’t trust Trump and will resist him
on every front.
The point here is not so much their understandable hard feelings
about the election results. Rather, it is that they are still stuck in
the denial stage of grief and can’t shake it off. Though they’ll pay
lip service to the notion of serving the best interests of the
country, there’s little doubt that they are far more interested in
continuing the project to delegitimize Trump. That’s why so many
of them continue to harp on the farcical notion that Vladimir
Putin elected Trump or to hope some other Hail
about the election results. Rather, it is that they are still stuck in
the denial stage of grief and can’t shake it off. Though they’ll pay
lip service to the notion of serving the best interests of the
country, there’s little doubt that they are far more interested in
continuing the project to delegitimize Trump. That’s why so many
of them continue to harp on the farcical notion that Vladimir
Putin elected Trump or to hope some other Hail
Mary play like parlaying disputes over the president-elect’s
admittedly tangled and far-flung financial interests into an
impeachment putsch even before he takes office will do the trick.
admittedly tangled and far-flung financial interests into an
impeachment putsch even before he takes office will do the trick.
What this means is that rather than a fraction of the party’s
extremists starting the new administration enmeshed in a new
derangement syndrome, it appears the critical mass of the party
that won 48 percent of the vote is unable to move past a
disappointing election.
extremists starting the new administration enmeshed in a new
derangement syndrome, it appears the critical mass of the party
that won 48 percent of the vote is unable to move past a
disappointing election.
That’s a critical mistake not so much because it is unproductive—
which it is—but because it allows Trump look like a relative
moderate. After a year of warning the country that Trump was a
threat to democracy who would never respect the process, it
turns out that it was the Democrats who have been the sore
losers and unwilling to pull together for the good of the country.
If, as is likely, the bulk of the Democratic Party continues
which it is—but because it allows Trump look like a relative
moderate. After a year of warning the country that Trump was a
threat to democracy who would never respect the process, it
turns out that it was the Democrats who have been the sore
losers and unwilling to pull together for the good of the country.
If, as is likely, the bulk of the Democratic Party continues
to act as if Trump is not a legitimate president who won a free
and fair election, then they will be the ones who are marginalized.
Barack Obama profited politically from being able to depict the
GOP as obstructionists.
and fair election, then they will be the ones who are marginalized.
Barack Obama profited politically from being able to depict the
GOP as obstructionists.
The same will be true for Trump. Just as devastating will be the
internal battles this dynamic will generate as the Democratic
base will be frustrated with their Congressional leadership that
will never be able to be tough enough on Trump to satisfy them
much as was the case for Republicans and Obama.
internal battles this dynamic will generate as the Democratic
base will be frustrated with their Congressional leadership that
will never be able to be tough enough on Trump to satisfy them
much as was the case for Republicans and Obama.
As angry as he may be with the carping from the left and slights
from people like Bill Clinton about the Russians and the FBI’s
role in his victory, Trump should be thrilled to see Democrats
refusing to acknowledge that he is their president. The longer it
takes for Democrats to get over the 2016 election and to begin
to offer a forward-looking alternative that addresses the reasons
why they lost, the better it will be for his new administration.
from people like Bill Clinton about the Russians and the FBI’s
role in his victory, Trump should be thrilled to see Democrats
refusing to acknowledge that he is their president. The longer it
takes for Democrats to get over the 2016 election and to begin
to offer a forward-looking alternative that addresses the reasons
why they lost, the better it will be for his new administration.
http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/olbermans-meltdown-never-address-trump-president
Since Donald J. Trump became President-elect, former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has let his
mind unravel for all the world to see, and now that the Electoral College has made Trump's
election official, Olbermann now calls for vehement resistance, which involves never calling
Trump President.
Since Donald J. Trump became President-elect, former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann has let his
mind unravel for all the world to see, and now that the Electoral College has made Trump's
election official, Olbermann now calls for vehement resistance, which involves never calling
Trump President.
As part of his GQ web series "The Resistance," Olbermann gave yet another divisive, hostile
message that borders on Bolshevik barbarity.
message that borders on Bolshevik barbarity.
Throughout the nine-minute meltdown (this doesn't even qualify as rant, which usually requires
some measure of sanity) Olbermann advises his comrades to resist Trump not only in politics, but
on every level of life, which includes insulting every Trump supporter they come across as "stupid"
and never referring to Trump as "President."
some measure of sanity) Olbermann advises his comrades to resist Trump not only in politics, but
on every level of life, which includes insulting every Trump supporter they come across as "stupid"
and never referring to Trump as "President."
"Resistance means find a Trump supporter everyday and remind them he lost the popular vote,"
Olbermann lamented. "Resistance means repetition, humiliate him, humiliate him everyday, and
those who support him. We are in this nightmare because at some point we stopped punishing
stupidity in this country. We will not fix this core problem by appeasing the cretins...When you see
something stupid, call someone stupid."
Olbermann lamented. "Resistance means repetition, humiliate him, humiliate him everyday, and
those who support him. We are in this nightmare because at some point we stopped punishing
stupidity in this country. We will not fix this core problem by appeasing the cretins...When you see
something stupid, call someone stupid."
After calling Trump a treasonous "puppet-elect" of Vladimir Putin, he then declared that the words
"President" and "Trump" must never be uttered side by side.
"President" and "Trump" must never be uttered side by side.
"[T]here is also a passive-aggressive, subtler way to make this point clear," Olbermann said. "It is
like most of the points that finally defeated the Republicans of the Bush era. Those points
succeeded not by suddenly knocking down walls, but instead by eroding them as would a river.
"Not using one word can be just as forceful as perpetually using another. Never address Trump as
‘president.’ He is Trump, just Trump. Never president. The title of ‘president,’ that we must
protect for a happier and more honest time. Resistance means refusal. Resist."
like most of the points that finally defeated the Republicans of the Bush era. Those points
succeeded not by suddenly knocking down walls, but instead by eroding them as would a river.
"Not using one word can be just as forceful as perpetually using another. Never address Trump as
‘president.’ He is Trump, just Trump. Never president. The title of ‘president,’ that we must
protect for a happier and more honest time. Resistance means refusal. Resist."
Get some professional help, Keith.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
5)
Coal in Trump’s Stocking
A last-minute Obama regulation sets Donald up for a big win.
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
No one should be surprised. In 2008 candidate Barack Obama told the San
Francisco Chronicle that while people would still be free to build a coal-
powered electricity plant under his energy policies, it would “bankrupt
them” because of the costs his regulations would imposeThis is what
Hillary Clinton meant in March when she said
Francisco Chronicle that while people would still be free to build a coal-
powered electricity plant under his energy policies, it would “bankrupt
them” because of the costs his regulations would imposeThis is what
Hillary Clinton meant in March when she said
“we’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of work.”
It’s also what Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy
meant last month when she said that a Trump Administration would fail in
its promise to revive the coal industry because her agency had helped
destroy the market for coal.
It’s also what Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy
meant last month when she said that a Trump Administration would fail in
its promise to revive the coal industry because her agency had helped
destroy the market for coal.
Under the Stream Protection Rule, federal regulators will have expanded
power to draw up new standards that make it harder to get a coal-mining
permit. OSM’s federal water standards would suddenly take precedence
over the state standards that have long governed the industry under the
Clean Water Act. The Fish and Wildlife
power to draw up new standards that make it harder to get a coal-mining
permit. OSM’s federal water standards would suddenly take precedence
over the state standards that have long governed the industry under the
Clean Water Act. The Fish and Wildlife
Service would also gain the power to veto coal permits.
The aim is to take permitting power from states and impose a one-size-fits
all standard. When this process started, 10 states signed onto Interior’s
rule-making process as state cooperating agencies. But eight of the 10 later
withdrew because Interior wasn’t interested in what they had to say.
all standard. When this process started, 10 states signed onto Interior’s
rule-making process as state cooperating agencies. But eight of the 10 later
withdrew because Interior wasn’t interested in what they had to say.
All of this is legally dubious, given that the new rule conflicts with the
1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act—which specifically
prohibits initiatives that duplicate other federal environmental rules.
1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act—which specifically
prohibits initiatives that duplicate other federal environmental rules.
Interior’s projections about the economic impact are laughable. OSM
reckons the rule would cost a mere 124 coal-mining jobs a year. But
instead of visiting operating mines, the wizards at OSM built their
estimates on computer models. They even
reckons the rule would cost a mere 124 coal-mining jobs a year. But
instead of visiting operating mines, the wizards at OSM built their
estimates on computer models. They even
reported a net gain in jobs as miners are replaced by workers implementing
the rule. Less mining but more workers: genius.
the rule. Less mining but more workers: genius.
By contrast, a study commissioned by the National Mining Association
says that at least a third of all coal-related jobs are at risk from this rule,
and it would effectively leave almost two-thirds of total coal reserves in
the ground. Which is the rule’s real purpose.
says that at least a third of all coal-related jobs are at risk from this rule,
and it would effectively leave almost two-thirds of total coal reserves in
the ground. Which is the rule’s real purpose.
The good news is that the change of power in Washington makes this
regulation not long for this world. The opposition includes Mr. Trump’s
pick to run the Interior
regulation not long for this world. The opposition includes Mr. Trump’s
pick to run the Interior
Department, Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell
McConnell
and House Speaker Paul Ryan, as well as most affected states.
Mr. McConnell has already announced that early next year Congress will
use the Congressional Review Act to bury the new rule. Under the CRA,
Congress has 60 legislative days to act after a rule goes into force, and a
vote to kill it can’t be filibustered. The only obstacle will be the long line
of other last-minute regulations that Republicans are setting up to repeal.
So many rules, so little time.
use the Congressional Review Act to bury the new rule. Under the CRA,
Congress has 60 legislative days to act after a rule goes into force, and a
vote to kill it can’t be filibustered. The only obstacle will be the long line
of other last-minute regulations that Republicans are setting up to repeal.
So many rules, so little time.
As for Mr. Trump, he should thank President Obama for this and other
going away presents. Every new President wants to start his term with
some easy political victories that fulfill campaign promises, and Mr.
Trump now has a lay-up on coal.
going away presents. Every new President wants to start his term with
some easy political victories that fulfill campaign promises, and Mr.
Trump now has a lay-up on coal.
5a)Trump’s Capital Idea
A U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem won’t hurt the chances
for peace.
As the Donald Trump era approaches, the political establishment could
help its
help its
credibility if it didn’t portray every change of policy as the end of days. A
case in point is the panic over the prospect that the President-elect might
follow through on his campaign pledge to move the U.S. Embassy from
Tel Aviv to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem.
case in point is the panic over the prospect that the President-elect might
follow through on his campaign pledge to move the U.S. Embassy from
Tel Aviv to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem.
Mr. Trump’s nomination last week of longtime adviser David Friedman as
America’s next envoy to the Jewish state has triggered a media and
diplomatic meltdown.
America’s next envoy to the Jewish state has triggered a media and
diplomatic meltdown.
Headlines describe Mr. Friedman, an Orthodox Jewish bankruptcy lawyer,
as “hostile to the two-state solution” and an “extremist.” Yet his main
offense seems to be that he is unapologetically pro-Israel—a novelty after
eight years of an Obama Administration that has mistreated traditional U.S.
allies in the Middle East and Europe.
as “hostile to the two-state solution” and an “extremist.” Yet his main
offense seems to be that he is unapologetically pro-Israel—a novelty after
eight years of an Obama Administration that has mistreated traditional U.S.
allies in the Middle East and Europe.
“I intend to work tirelessly to strengthen the unbreakable bond between
our two countries and advance the cause of peace within the region,” Mr.
Friedman said in a statement, “and look forward to doing this from the U.S.
Embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.”
our two countries and advance the cause of peace within the region,” Mr.
Friedman said in a statement, “and look forward to doing this from the U.S.
Embassy in Israel’s eternal capital, Jerusalem.”
Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both promised as candidates to move the
U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem only to renege once in office. In 1995 Congress
enacted a law requiring the State Department to relocate the embassy, but
successive Administrations have deferred the move. Mr. Trump seems
determined to honor his campaign promise, which would end this political
and diplomatic charade.
U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem only to renege once in office. In 1995 Congress
enacted a law requiring the State Department to relocate the embassy, but
successive Administrations have deferred the move. Mr. Trump seems
determined to honor his campaign promise, which would end this political
and diplomatic charade.
Opponents say moving the embassy would poison chances for an Israel-
Palestinian compromise over Jerusalem. But the relocation would merely
acknowledge the reality that Israel will never give up Jerusalem in any
negotiated settlement. It might even help by sending a useful message to
the Palestinians that their maximalist claims to
Palestinian compromise over Jerusalem. But the relocation would merely
acknowledge the reality that Israel will never give up Jerusalem in any
negotiated settlement. It might even help by sending a useful message to
the Palestinians that their maximalist claims to
Israeli territory are an obstacle to peace.Bill Clinton and George W. Bush
both promised as candidates to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem only
to renege once in office. In 1995 Congress enacted a law requiring the State
Department to relocate the embassy, but successive Administrations have
deferred the move. Mr. Trump seems determined to honor his campaign
promise, which would end this political and diplomatic charade.
both promised as candidates to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem only
to renege once in office. In 1995 Congress enacted a law requiring the State
Department to relocate the embassy, but successive Administrations have
deferred the move. Mr. Trump seems determined to honor his campaign
promise, which would end this political and diplomatic charade.
Neighboring Arab states might protest for public show, but they have been
getting closer to Israel for their own shared strategic reasons—i.e., the
common enemies of jihadists and Iran. The symbolism of the U.S.
Embassy location won’t stop that cooperation.
getting closer to Israel for their own shared strategic reasons—i.e., the
common enemies of jihadists and Iran. The symbolism of the U.S.
Embassy location won’t stop that cooperation.
If the location of an embassy is enough to block peace talks, then there
must not be much of an underlying basis for peace. Mr. Trump says he still
wants to revive talks, and if moving the U.S. Embassy reassures Israelis of
U.S. support, so much the better.
must not be much of an underlying basis for peace. Mr. Trump says he still
wants to revive talks, and if moving the U.S. Embassy reassures Israelis of
U.S. support, so much the better.
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