On Monday, February 19, 2018, The SIRC Board is delighted to inform you that former Amb. John Bolton will be the guest speaker.
With events occurring of a serious nature throughout the world, and most particularly those involving N Korea, there could not be a more appropriate person to discuss what is happening and for you to have the opportunity of meeting him and asking questions.
It has been my pleasure to bring people like Kim Strassel, John Fund, Allen West, John Podhoretz, Bernie Marcus and Elliott Abrams to The Landings and now John Bolton. I can think of no better time to turn the baton over to another person. So, I hope those interested in what is happening in this tired, sick world will avail themselves of the opportunity to hear from a man whose views I personally support and was my pick for Secretary of State but then, I did not run and thus am not your president.
You will soon be hearing more about the event and I encourage you to sign up early.
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My truly dear friend and fellow memo reader, Allen West, discusses Charlottesville. (See 1 below.)
When I told Allen I was posting his op ed in tonight's memo this was his reply: "Howdy Sir, great knowing that we are together in this fight…two fellas, one black the other Jewish, both from Georgia, both conservatives, both love America! Me 2"
This also from a friend and fellow memo reader whose family are part of America's history, most particularly during the FDR period. (See 1a below.)
And:
From dear friends and fellow memo readers regarding my prior comments:
"What a great discourse on political correctness!! I couldn't agree more! I almost puked when I read our club bulletin yesterday. B--"
"Dear Dick, Couldn't have said it better myself - the notion that history is instructive and should not be eradicated. Well said, my friend. With best regards, S------"
And then more commentary. This from another friend and fellow memo reader:: "Iraq? We never ever should have gone in....we would be in much better shape with Saddam in power...same thing with Momar...dictators? Yes...but better than what's happening now..same with Egypt..
On the statues..I can see both sides..it's a tough one for sure..
But on the demonstration....those homophobic, racist, anti-semitic MF's...did you hear the chants? That's not America....and the President absolutely blew it on Saturday..there were not all sides on that deal...It took him 48 hours to get it straight...and notice Saturday was off the cuff..from the heart and Monday was scripted...
Anyway he is becoming the Jesse Ventura of National Politics..One and Done....Don't know it will be in a Primary or if a Dem will beat him but someone will. J-----"
This forwarded to me by a dear friend and fellow memo reader regarding my recent Prager U posting on Iraq.
This forwarded to me by a dear friend and fellow memo reader regarding my recent Prager U posting on Iraq.
"This is a truly significant observation because it is a manifestation of the impact of media bias. The media turned the Iraq War into an anathema after it became politically expedient, tried to kill the Surge in the cradle, took credit for it when it succeeded, and then threw it all away under Obama. Did you read at all about this? Do you really think Isis would have taken half of Iraq if we had left 10,000 U.S. troops there? Think of the millions of refugees, $trillions of further destruction, and strategic reversals that have followed filling the vacuum Obama's exit ("against the advice of his generals" according to this report). We still have troops in Germany and Korea three generations later, and they have prospered.
Another mystery I cannot understand is why the later unearthing of buried chemical weapons in Iraq were not shown to be confirmation of WMD.
It will be interesting to see if any of the books starting to come out on the Obama Presidency, including his own memoir, makes note of any of this. Regards, R------"
Another take on N Korea. (See 2 below.)
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Dick
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1) Ok folks, here’s what REALLY happened in Charlottesville – and what everyone is missing
This past weekend I was honored to be in a most picturesque place with some great and hospitable folks in Prescott (Yavapai County) Arizona. I was there to address the Republican Women of Prescott, the nation’s largest Republican women’s club, on their 75th anniversary. The scenery there was just breathtaking and there was just a sense of solemnness that we all need experience from time to time. How great a contrast it was from what was happening across the country in Charlottesville, Virginia.Let me begin by saying, I deplore any form of supremacist view — white, black, Hispanic, Islamic. I will be the first to openly state and embrace, a sense of American exceptionalism and supremacy that is rooted in our founding principles and values. Any and all else that is contradictory is to be condemned. What I have witnessed post the events of Saturday 12 August is the typical Rahm Emanuel mentality and political posturing: “never let a good crisis go to waste.”
Therefore, I seek to assess what really happened in Charlottesville, Virginia.This all began because someone decided, as other elected officials have across the country, to cave in to partisan political pressures and seek to erase American history. History is not there for us to love or hate, but for us to learn from and seek to not repeat its mistakes.If there are those who truly believe we protect ourselves by trying to revise history due to false emotions, then we miss out on who we are as a nation, and our evolution. The statues of long since deceased leaders of the Confederate Army do not stand to remind anyone of oppression. And if a statue can oppress you, then I submit that you have greater issues.I certainly did not appreciate former President Barack Obama taking a photo op in Cuba before the image of Che Guevara, nor do I enjoy seeing anyone wearing said image on t-shirts here in America…but I do not go into some whimsical state of “oppression.”
And so it is that we do possess in this Constitutional Republic a freedom of speech and freedom of expression. It would appear that said group who didn’t wish to see the statue of Virginian, General Robert E. Lee, who was a commissioned U.S. Army officer, graduate of West Point, and served the nation in the Mexican War, taken down did apply for a permit to hold a rally. We can dislike these individuals, but they took proper measures to secure permission to express their First Amendment right.Contrary to their position, the word went out for a counter-protest to occur which included groups from a different side of the political spectrum, who have also been very guilty of hateful rhetoric and violence. What should have happened is that these two groups should have been kept miles apart. I do not understanding why any local law enforcement agency would allow these two groups close proximity…first lesson learned. And we must also ascertain, did the counter-protest group seek permit or did they just “show up” in order to provoke, and elicit a response they could use “politically?” Yes, motivations are important to understand in this case, if we’re serious about getting to the bottom of what happened in Charlottesville and not just the typical media-driven frenzy.
I find it rather odd that so many are seeking to lay blame on President Trump for what happened in Charlottesville. And there are some voices out there who want to blame all white people, and all Republicans. How odd that when it was the New Black Panther Party outside a voting precinct in Philadelphia in black fatigues and with clubs, nothing was said. As a matter of fact, they weren’t even prosecuted for voter intimidation. And when it was the riots in Ferguson and Baltimore fueled by media false narratives and a presidential administration’s rhetoric, there was no blame laid on Barack Obama. It appears to me that there is a blatant hypocrisy when an individual commits a horrible crime, such as in Charleston, South Carolina, and a collective group of people are to be held accountable.
But, when there’s an Islamic terror attack people say, “we cannot rush to judgment” or “this is not indicative of all Muslims”…to wit I agree, but why not call the enemy for what it is” militant Islamic terrorism or jihadism? Why must some be browbeaten into condemning the actions of a few, yet we have others who have fully admitted their support to groups calling for a “resistance?” And where were the voices to condemn the violence in Washington DC on Inauguration Day, or even at UC-Berkeley…or the violence committed against those who support the current president or hold beliefs aligned with Constitutional conservatism?
If we want to condemn groups such as the neo-Nazis and others, then we must also condemn groups such as BLM and Antifa. And we need to stop the cherrypicking, as they all should be investigated. Let’s end this absurdity of trying to connect the Republican Party with the Ku Klux Klan, since it was a creation of the Democrat Party. And I seem to recall Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, infamously known as a grand wizard of the Klan, lauded over at his memorial by Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton. It was Senator Byrd who was vehemently against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but it was Republican Senator Everett Dirksen who supported its passage.
James Alex Fields will be punished to the full extent of the law, and I truly believe he should never see the light of day again. But if we blindly do not realize there has been an atmosphere of hatred fomented in this nation, we are ignorant. Who even remembers the fella who attempted to gun down several Republican Members of Congress at a baseball practice, severely wounding Rep. Steve Scalise? The mainstream liberal progressive media pushed that aside rather quickly, and let us not forget MSNBC commentator, Joy Reid, who on herSunday show actually sought to justify Rep. Scalise’s shooting because of his voting record. Now, where was the condemnation there, and why is it that Ms. Reid still has a position and a show on that network?
Fareed Zakaria praised the Central Park play depicting the “Caesar-like” stabbing to death of President Trump — last time I checked he was still on CNN. And how many Democrat elected officials were pressured into making statements of condemnation of one Kathy Griffith who notoriously held up the bloodied severed head resembling President Trump?
There’s plenty of guilt to be passed around here, but the progressive socialist left will sadly exploit this for all they can. They will horribly believe this will provide them some sort of electoral advantage. They fail to realize they’re just as complicit in what happened in Charlottesville. Let me ask that age-old rhetorical question: “if a tree falls in the woods, and no one is there, does it make a sound?”
If we were to go back and ponder this incident and just let a small group of disaffected individuals hold a rally to protest the possible taking down of a statue of General Robert E. Lee, and no one had showed up…Instead a call went out and trouble, violence ensued. Or maybe, if we had courageous elected officials who would just say, those statues aren’t offending anyone; they’re part of American history, and they stay. Imagine that, would there even be a story, any rally, and violence?
What happened in Charlottesville must not be allowed to happen again. And that means we need to hold ANY group responsible that promotes violence. “What do we want, dead cops; when do we want them, now”…”Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon”…no more. Our streets aren’t the place for hoods and masks, such as Antifa wears, and their violence and destruction of property. Let’s call them all out, and not have this selective enforcement mentality rooted in partisan political hackery. If we don’t stop the blatant hypocrisy, which is truly the problem, then we’re sitting on a powder keg — which I believe some wish for.
I have an idea. If y’all want to fight, sign up in the U.S. military — if you meet the standards. There are plenty of folks who do indeed hate the United States. Channel your angst against them…not each other.
1a) Behind The Violence
You’ve seen the signs and the protests of the Workers World Party. Everything they do, of course, is to stop white supremacy and that means stop just about everything in the United States and elsewhere that is rational, productive, legal and educational. White supremacists have no place in America, nor do Marxist-Leninists. Being a curious sort, I took a look at their website, and below have lifted a few excerpts from it.
“Workers World Party, http://www.workers.org, is a revolutionary Marxist-Leninist party dedicated to organizing and fighting for a socialist revolution in the United States and around the world. With branches around the U.S., WWP develops militant organizers in every struggle, from anti-racist and immigrant rights to labor, anti-war and anti-imperialist struggles.
We are active in the Black Lives Matter movement including advocating for disarming the police and other repressive state apparatus.
We oppose U.S. intervention everywhere – in the Middle East, Latin America, Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Indigenous lands within the United States. (Yet, they are internationalists)
We unconditionally support the Palestinian people in the struggle against the Zionist state of Israel.
We call for the shutdown of the Pentagon and the use of the war budget to improve the lives of the working class and especially the oppressed peoples.
We fight for the right of self-determination including the right to separation for all oppressed nations at home and abroad.
YAWF (Youth Against War and Fascism) held the first demonstration in the U.S. against the Vietnam War in August 1962 which Ho Chi Minh personally thanked us for, and we were constantly in the streets, making it clear that Ho Chi Minh was right and Uncle Sam was wrong.”
Being Marxist-Leninist says it all. They thrive on violence.
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2)When America acquiesced and accepted our military/diplomatic defeat in N Vietnam the idea of losing seemed to become a component of our foreign policy. There are those who fervently believe feeding bullies actually sates their appetite when, in fact, history shows it expands their hunger and avarice.
2)When America acquiesced and accepted our military/diplomatic defeat in N Vietnam the idea of losing seemed to become a component of our foreign policy. There are those who fervently believe feeding bullies actually sates their appetite when, in fact, history shows it expands their hunger and avarice.
"Fat Boy" is not stupid. Yes, he may over reach and miscalculate but he also realizes Americans are anxious for a peaceful resolution and thus are more willing to negotiate. He also understands democracies must answer to their citizens whereas, dictators do not have the same pressures and conflicts. Consequently, democracies are more pliable. Whatever quid pro quo has been negotiated, N Korea has a history of not keeping their side of the bargain and, like with Clinton, Carter and Obama, Trump could claim a hollow victory which subsequent presidents will be forced to deal with just as has Trump.
I find it interesting how China has positioned itself as the peaceful arbiter calling for calm between N Korea and America.
By doing so, China's leadership places itself in a position whereby they come across as rational while boxing America in when, in fact China has allowed and contributed to the growth of this cancerous monster called N Korea.
If America stands down, China can claim they were the peace makers, they can also conclude America is a paper tiger and finally they can further shield N Korea allowing them to continue their nuclear progress.
Should N Korea come to the bargaining table they are more likely to gain a subtle advantage because they know America is anxious for a resolution.
I suspect nothing will come of this brouhaha, both sides will back down and , in the end, America will lose again because we are terrorized at the prospect of obliterating N Korea. We are paralyzed by out humaneness.
I fear the same vis a vis Iran as a consequence of The Iran Deal.
Of even greater concern. one day we may awake to another Pearl Harbour and we will wonder why it happened.
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