Every family has its sad news and this week our 5 year old perky Stella was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. While she was in this excellent children's hospital in Pittsburgh another 5 year old with the same condition, Faith, was admitted and the two bonded.
Stella will adapt as will her parents and we will too. Daniel said when you see the other children and parents in the hospital and what they are going through we remain blessed and are thankful.
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I am in no way excusing aberrant behaviour by men but we seem to be going through a period when occurrences that happened decades ago are surfacing at a voracious pace.Is the impetus politics or are we turning more moral?
So many accusations have been hurled at Harvey Weinstein, it is hard to believe he had time to make any movies.
We also have members of The Black Caucus who want to Impeach Trump, other black women accusing CNN of discrimination, now certain members of the NAACP want our national anthem outlawed because it allegedly has discriminatory language in the 3rd verse, which I never even knew existed. ( It's author, Francis S. Key, attended St John's College and began the school's Alumni Association.) (See 1 below.)
America is going through a period where all the buried bile is being regurgitated. NFL football millionaires are kneeling to bring attention to their various causes, radicals are screaming when speakers, offering different views, appear on campuses, actors on Broadway spew hatred at members of their audience if they happen to be The Vice President, a TV personality holds a severed head of our President and I could cite more than a hundred such despicable instances of excessive expressions of hate, discontent and angst etc.
Lies become an every day method of attacking those with whom the mass media oppose. The 'loyal opposition' offers nothing constructive and seems willing to reject anything and everything Trump is trying to do because they cannot accept his election. After all, how can an illegitimate become president when his opponent was someone so qualified as Hillary Clinton. But then that was before 'Donna' spilled the beans.
Is America coming apart at the seams just as the world is being challenged by a variety of threats?
Certainly, there are those who have positioned themselves to benefit from chaos and are actively engaged in financing fascistic activity. All of this is happening at a time when N Korea has threatened to wipe our cities off the map, Iran pursues its own nuclear program and missile delivery systems, largely financed by pallets of cash the former administration shipped quietly in the night.
Saudi Arabia is seeking to enter the 21st century and is being threatened by Iranian surrogates in Africa and Turkey's Erdogan has chosen to spit on Ataturk's grave by transplanting democracy with Islamism. Europe is being flooded by Muslims fleeing Syria which is being supported by Putin after Obama allowed Russia's entry in The Middle East due to his flawed and feckless policies.
Identity politics has become an effective tactic to cause political and racial discord. Playing the race card is another way to still voices. If you maintain/express a view that differs from the voices of race cacophony you are a racist and if you want to protect your nation's borders you are a member of some 'phobic' class. If you believe radical Islamist's are a threat to world order you are Islamophobic. If you disagree with Obama, you are a racist, bigot, Klan member or worse. If you support Israel's right to exist you favor a nation that, according to Jimmy Carter, is Apartheid. By now I would hope you have gotten my point/drift.
Oh, I forgot, if you favor people protecting their families by owning a weapon you are a gun nut. The real gun nuts are the ones going around killing innocent people, worshipers, gays ,Congressional ball players, night club attendees, school children, police, etc. But calling attention to these heinous acts does not fit the PC message/accusation that The NRA is evil as are it's "deplorable" members who read bibles, evidence patriotism, salute our flag and voted predominantly for Trump.
And we must not forget to include the bringing down our historical statues.(See 2 and 2a below.)
A sickness, as powerful as the one that destroys 300 year old oaks trees, is attacking our nation and yes, Putin's Russia has played a part in causing our disunity but the infection goes deeper and is far more pernicious.
Our many public and private institutions have failed us, money has corrupted the political system, compensation disparity has become excessive and provides radicals a legitimate basis for complaining. Almost everything we hold dear and rely upon seems to be falling below expectations and those who resort to class warfare have rich opportunities to exploit causing more discord.
I believe technology, instant messaging , access to pornography, lowering standards, turning curriculum's into mush also play a demonstrative part in altering our nation's character in a negative way.
While focusing on the negatives, I do not mean to ignore the positive things that are happening. For instance, we are making tremendous strides in discovering how our immune system can be turned into an effective arsenal against disease. The same is true for the blessings stem cell research will unleash. But for every positive there is a price to pay and a problem that we must confront. For instance, the longer we live and the progress we are making in driver-less cars, robotics and artificial intelligence we also are laying the foundation for more stress, potential discord and higher levels of unemployed.
I wish I had answers for the concerns I have raised. I do not. But this I do believe. We will only solve these problems if we operate within the dictum's of our constitution and not embrace socialism as a substitute for capitalism. This alone, makes me highly suspicious of a more radicalized and far left Democrat Party, led by the likes of Bernie and Pocahontas. Youth is often wasted on the young and far too often they are wet behind their ears when it comes to sound judgement. They are of the moment and are willing victims of emotionally calling for the appeal of the new, the siren song of change.
My greatest concern is that my generation drank much and left our bar tab to be paid by others. This is immoral and our many achievements and self-sacrifices cannot wash away the stain we are leaving.
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From all outward appearances Trump's Asian visit seems to have gone well to date. He cemented and re-confirmed our relationship with Japan. He tried his best to do the same with S Korea but their government seems to be less willing to take a tough stance regarding N Korea.
Obviously, the leader of China wanted to soften Trump up and gave him a beautiful and impressive welcome. China does nothing unless it is part of a well scripted plan and I am sure their re-elected ruler wanted to snow Trump in the hope that Trump's ego would be stroked and this would buy China some benefits regarding trade sanctions and deflect, to some degree, Trump's pressure on China to curb N Korea.
I thought Trump handled himself well in all the public and televised events and I got a chuckle out of his comment about how China had outsmarted us trade wise as one would expect that any self-interested nation should.
I have no doubt, while Trump wants to make America Great Again, China is going to continue towards its goal of being number one militarily and economically. The key is whether we can live in the same dorm room peacefully.
China has several advantages. First, they are a huge nation, population wise, but that can cut two ways. Second, they have continuity in their governance unless the leader screws up badly whereas, we change our leadership all the time and the office of president is weaker than their ruler's dominance. Finally, our debt load is a restraining factor on our rebuilding the military.
China also has some issues that could be a problem. First of all, the nation is a democracy of sort ruled by Communists. That circumstance could result in an implosion if the government becomes too restrictive. Once they have been to Paris how do you get them back to tilling rice by hand?.
Second,China has a huge debt relative to its own GDP and that could blow up in their face. Finally, China could extend their appetite to dictate in their region and cause a backlash whereby Japan goes nuclear etc.
America and China is a chessboard worth watching because it has world wide implications.
Trump's indefatigable energy is amazing and all Americans should support his jockeying type diplomatic salesmanship efforts. Time will tell whether he is able to get what he wants - a de-nuclear Korea and eventually the same in Iran. Personally I believe the Geni is out of the bottle and a confrontation remains a likelihood. I fear any sign of weakness would send Obama like appeasement signals that could be devastating.
While all of this is happening The Middle East reminds me of a volcano right before the top blows .
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That great deliberative body called The Senate remains paralyzed by the peacocks. (See 3 below.)
One of the worst remains McCain.
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5 articles on why our Embassy should be moved to Jerusalem - now. (See 4 below.)
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Dick
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1)Remove ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ as national anthem, California NAACP urges
The California chapter of the NAACP has called “The Star-Spangled Banner” a “racist” and “anti-black” song, and says it will call on Congress to remove it as the national anthem, The Sacramento Bee reported.
At issue is a portion of the third verse of “The Star-Spangled Banner” — which is rarely sung beyond its first verse at major sporting events — that reads: “No refuge could save the hireling and slave from the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave.”
Congress enshrined “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem in 1931.
“It’s racist; it doesn’t represent our community, it’s anti-black,” Alice Huffman, the organization’s president, told KOVR-TV in Sacramento. “This song is wrong; it shouldn’t have been there, we didn’t have it ’til 1931, so it won’t kill us if it goes away.”
It remains unclear whether Congress would take up the petition, but the idea was already causing a stir this week among conservatives who say this takes the national anthem protest too far.
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2 and 2a)
http://www.gopusa.com/durbin-b
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3)
Republicans pull back on Iran deal legislation in setback for Trump
4)
3)
Republicans pull back on Iran deal legislation in setback for Trump
By MICHAEL WILNER
|
Democrats and Republicans both seem intent on satisfying Trump's appetite for action, cognizant that their failure to pass anything by the new year will likely incur his wrath and blame. WASHINGTON – A top Senate Republican is shelving draft legislation that would have triggered nuclear-related sanctions back on Iran over its ballistic missile activity, acknowledging it cannot garner the 50 votes required for passage and would ostracize foreign allies, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tennessee), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, continues to work with members of his own party, Democrats, European envoys and the Trump administration hoping to construct legislation that will send a message of toughness to Tehran while keeping the nuclear accord intact. But the amendment he initially previewed one month ago with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), alongside President Donald Trump’s national address on Iran policy, will not advance as planned.
It is a setback for the Trump administration, which in its rollout of a comprehensive policy approach to Iran characterized Corker and Cotton’s bill as a “legislative remedy” to its concerns with the Iran nuclear deal. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson requested a vote on it within 90 days.
Thirty days into that time frame, Trump administration officials have not yet engaged with any of the moderate Democrats they would need to pass relevant legislation. They have not yet brought on board their European allies, who were represented in Washington this week lobbying lawmakers against taking any dramatic action. And foreign policy leadership in the House of Representatives is entirely in the dark on what’s to come. One top Republican aide characterized the talks as three-way negotiations among Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats and European diplomats, with the president and his aides taking a back seat.
Corker and Cotton’s legislation would have amended the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act – itself co-authored by Corker back in 2015 – to effectively extend provisions of the Iran nuclear deal indefinitely in the eyes of US law. The amendment would have instituted triggers for US sanctions on Iran that had been lifted by the deal, targeting not only Iran’s obligations under the accord but also matters not addressed in the deal itself.
Republicans believe that Iran’s ballistic missile work is inherently tied to its nuclear program, as these delivery vehicles are uniquely designed to carry nuclear payloads. But the six world powers that negotiated the deal with Iran – the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia and China – left ballistic missiles out of the agreement after Iran argued the technology was in fact a conventional weapons system.
Immediately upon its public release, the Corker-Cotton amendment was roundly condemned by European governments and Democrats as an effort to unilaterally renegotiate the closed, two-year-old agreement.
“Corker has now admitted that he has shelved it, because it was a non-starter,” said one top Senate aide intimately involved with the negotiations. “ICBMs [intercontinental ballistic missiles] won’t be a part of it, relevant to any JCPOA legislation.” The top aide was referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the formal name for the 2015 nuclear accord.
Corker’s office did not deny claims that he has moved on from the amendment: “Sen. Corker continues to talk with Sen. [Ben] Cardin [D-Maryland], Sen. Cotton, and the administration about the appropriate path forward,” said the chairman’s communications director.
But Cotton's communications director said that claims they had moved on from legislation that included automatic triggers are "categorically inaccurate."
"Senator Cotton and Senator Corker are very much still working together on a bill that reflects the same framework laid out last month," she said.
Republican and Democratic aides both say that a bipartisan consensus has formed against taking any legislative action that would materially breach the agreement, or that would institute a structure sure to trigger a breach of the agreement. Democrats are specifically opposed to any linkage of Iran’s ICBMs with the nuclear deal, or the adoption of any automatic triggers that would impose new sanctions without executive order or congressional debate.
On the Hill this week, the European Union’s top foreign policy envoy, Federica Mogherini, said she witnessed this consensus in her meetings.
“We are exchanging views with the legislators on the need to make sure, before a bill is presented, that its contents do not represent a violation of the agreement,” she said. “I got clear indications that the intention is to keep the United States in compliance with the agreement.”
Lawmakers are working against two time lines, both of which may prove arbitrary.
The first is a formal 60-day review period legally prompted by Trump’s decision not to “certify” Iran’s performance in the nuclear deal last month. The law requests Congress now consider “qualifying legislation” that would reimpose sanctions on Iran. But no action is required, and no party – neither Hill Republicans nor the Trump administration – wants to take this path.
The second timeline is a 90-day period proposed by Tillerson, motivated by the president’s desire to avoid publicly “certifying” Iran’s compliance to the nuclear deal every 90 days – another legal requirement. But the Senate parliamentarian – the official adviser to the chamber on the interpretation of its standing rules and procedures – has been asked by Republican lawmakers whether, after decertifying once in October, Trump will have to take action yet again in two months’ time.
“It’s not clear under the law if one non-certification clears him for future certifications, or if he’ll have to issue a certification decision again,” one aide said.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on this report.
Despite the “lack of paper,” or progress, Democrats and Republicans both seem intent on satisfying Trump’s appetite for action, cognizant that their failure to pass anything by the new year will likely incur his wrath and blame.
In the words of one Democratic aide, the president’s threat to pull out of the deal wholesale absent legislative action “does have some weight, in that Congress does not want to be the president’s scapegoat here.
“There’s a bipartisan sense that they want to approach INARA together,” the aide said, referring to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act. “But it’s the administration’s job to bring Europe along.
Three congressmen said that the entire negotiation comes down to Corker and his Democratic counterpart on the Foreign Relations Committee, Cardin, who last month affirmed that a bipartisan consensus had formed against any action that would torpedo the nuclear deal and harm the transatlantic alliance.
Legislative fixes to INARA will have to proceed through that committee, where Corker sets hearings and votes.
But Cotton and his allies are still insisting on tough action that shows Iran the US will not accept the nuclear deal as it is. And this faction of the Republican Caucus is warning against a legislative approach that ultimately legitimizes the nuclear accord – the very opposite effect Trump was hoping for when he threw the fate of the deal to Congress last month.
“It’s like when [then-secretary of state] John Kerry said no deal is better than a bad deal,” said one Republican consultant closely working with Cotton’s team. “In this case, no legislation is better than bad legislation.”
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tennessee), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, continues to work with members of his own party, Democrats, European envoys and the Trump administration hoping to construct legislation that will send a message of toughness to Tehran while keeping the nuclear accord intact. But the amendment he initially previewed one month ago with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), alongside President Donald Trump’s national address on Iran policy, will not advance as planned.
It is a setback for the Trump administration, which in its rollout of a comprehensive policy approach to Iran characterized Corker and Cotton’s bill as a “legislative remedy” to its concerns with the Iran nuclear deal. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson requested a vote on it within 90 days.
Thirty days into that time frame, Trump administration officials have not yet engaged with any of the moderate Democrats they would need to pass relevant legislation. They have not yet brought on board their European allies, who were represented in Washington this week lobbying lawmakers against taking any dramatic action. And foreign policy leadership in the House of Representatives is entirely in the dark on what’s to come. One top Republican aide characterized the talks as three-way negotiations among Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats and European diplomats, with the president and his aides taking a back seat.
Corker and Cotton’s legislation would have amended the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act – itself co-authored by Corker back in 2015 – to effectively extend provisions of the Iran nuclear deal indefinitely in the eyes of US law. The amendment would have instituted triggers for US sanctions on Iran that had been lifted by the deal, targeting not only Iran’s obligations under the accord but also matters not addressed in the deal itself.
Republicans believe that Iran’s ballistic missile work is inherently tied to its nuclear program, as these delivery vehicles are uniquely designed to carry nuclear payloads. But the six world powers that negotiated the deal with Iran – the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia and China – left ballistic missiles out of the agreement after Iran argued the technology was in fact a conventional weapons system.
Immediately upon its public release, the Corker-Cotton amendment was roundly condemned by European governments and Democrats as an effort to unilaterally renegotiate the closed, two-year-old agreement.
“Corker has now admitted that he has shelved it, because it was a non-starter,” said one top Senate aide intimately involved with the negotiations. “ICBMs [intercontinental ballistic missiles] won’t be a part of it, relevant to any JCPOA legislation.” The top aide was referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the formal name for the 2015 nuclear accord.
Corker’s office did not deny claims that he has moved on from the amendment: “Sen. Corker continues to talk with Sen. [Ben] Cardin [D-Maryland], Sen. Cotton, and the administration about the appropriate path forward,” said the chairman’s communications director.
But Cotton's communications director said that claims they had moved on from legislation that included automatic triggers are "categorically inaccurate."
"Senator Cotton and Senator Corker are very much still working together on a bill that reflects the same framework laid out last month," she said.
Republican and Democratic aides both say that a bipartisan consensus has formed against taking any legislative action that would materially breach the agreement, or that would institute a structure sure to trigger a breach of the agreement. Democrats are specifically opposed to any linkage of Iran’s ICBMs with the nuclear deal, or the adoption of any automatic triggers that would impose new sanctions without executive order or congressional debate.
On the Hill this week, the European Union’s top foreign policy envoy, Federica Mogherini, said she witnessed this consensus in her meetings.
“We are exchanging views with the legislators on the need to make sure, before a bill is presented, that its contents do not represent a violation of the agreement,” she said. “I got clear indications that the intention is to keep the United States in compliance with the agreement.”
Lawmakers are working against two time lines, both of which may prove arbitrary.
The first is a formal 60-day review period legally prompted by Trump’s decision not to “certify” Iran’s performance in the nuclear deal last month. The law requests Congress now consider “qualifying legislation” that would reimpose sanctions on Iran. But no action is required, and no party – neither Hill Republicans nor the Trump administration – wants to take this path.
The second timeline is a 90-day period proposed by Tillerson, motivated by the president’s desire to avoid publicly “certifying” Iran’s compliance to the nuclear deal every 90 days – another legal requirement. But the Senate parliamentarian – the official adviser to the chamber on the interpretation of its standing rules and procedures – has been asked by Republican lawmakers whether, after decertifying once in October, Trump will have to take action yet again in two months’ time.
“It’s not clear under the law if one non-certification clears him for future certifications, or if he’ll have to issue a certification decision again,” one aide said.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on this report.
Despite the “lack of paper,” or progress, Democrats and Republicans both seem intent on satisfying Trump’s appetite for action, cognizant that their failure to pass anything by the new year will likely incur his wrath and blame.
In the words of one Democratic aide, the president’s threat to pull out of the deal wholesale absent legislative action “does have some weight, in that Congress does not want to be the president’s scapegoat here.
“There’s a bipartisan sense that they want to approach INARA together,” the aide said, referring to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act. “But it’s the administration’s job to bring Europe along.
Three congressmen said that the entire negotiation comes down to Corker and his Democratic counterpart on the Foreign Relations Committee, Cardin, who last month affirmed that a bipartisan consensus had formed against any action that would torpedo the nuclear deal and harm the transatlantic alliance.
Legislative fixes to INARA will have to proceed through that committee, where Corker sets hearings and votes.
But Cotton and his allies are still insisting on tough action that shows Iran the US will not accept the nuclear deal as it is. And this faction of the Republican Caucus is warning against a legislative approach that ultimately legitimizes the nuclear accord – the very opposite effect Trump was hoping for when he threw the fate of the deal to Congress last month.
“It’s like when [then-secretary of state] John Kerry said no deal is better than a bad deal,” said one Republican consultant closely working with Cotton’s team. “In this case, no legislation is better than bad legislation.”
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4)
- America's embassy in Israel should be moved to Jerusalem NOW, boltonpac.com, Amb. John Bolton
- Testimony of John R. Bolton On Moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel, oversight.house.gov, John R. Bolton
- Testimony of Dore Gold On Moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel , oversight.house.gov, Amb. Dore Gold
- Testimony of Morton Klein On Moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel , oversight.house.gov, Morton Klein
- Testimony of Eugene Kontorovich On Moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel , oversight.house.gov, Prof. Eugene Kontorovich
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