Tag: Donald J. Trump

Trump Replaces Priebus With Kelly. Dems and Vichy Republicans Clutch Their Pearls. “Unconventional”? Darn Skippy. (A KJ Analysis)

On By kingsjesterIn PoliticsLeave a comment

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Well, the Beltway is once again abuzz with fevered criticism and conjecture about an Administrative move by President Donald J. Trump.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that

President Donald Trump replaced Chief of Staff Reince Priebus on Friday with Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general.

The shift at the top of the White House hierarchy is aimed at bringing order to an administration that has been beset by infighting, as Mr. Trump seeks to notch the sort of sweeping legislative victories that he promised during the campaign but that have eluded him to this point, advisers to the president said.

“John Kelly will do a fantastic job. Gen. Kelly has been a star, done an incredible job thus far, respected by everybody,” Mr. Trump told reporters Friday.

The president told Mr. Priebus two weeks ago he was planning to bring in a new staff chief, a senior administration official said. Mr. Kelly was offered the job earlier this week and immediately accepted, the senior official said.

Mr. Trump discussed bringing in Mr. Kelly with a small group of people, the senior official said. Part of the draw, the official said, was that he believes Mr. Kelly can provide effective leadership and has the respect of the West Wing, which is staffed with aides whose ideology falls across the political spectrum.

After Mr. Trump’s announcement, which came as Air Force One landed in Washington after a flight from New York, the president posted a tweet thanking Mr. Priebus “for his service and dedication to his country. We accomplished a lot together and I am proud of him!”

Mr. Trump stayed on the plane while Mr. Priebus and other top aides disembarked. Mr. Priebus’s car left the motorcade before Mr. Trump got off the plane.

Rep. Peter King (R., N.Y.), who was on the plane, said he spoke to Mr. Priebus during the flight from Long Island and was unaware the chief of staff had been replaced. “Good poker face. Showed nothing,” Mr. King said. “We didn’t even know it.”

Mr. King said that as he was preparing to disembark, the president told him and other lawmakers on the flight he would announce Mr. Kelly as chief of staff.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that Messrs. Trump and Priebus began discussing the chief of staff’s departure about two weeks ago. Asked when the president offered Mr. Kelly the job, she said, “They’ve been talking about it for a while.”

Mr. Priebus told The Wall Street Journal he submitted his letter of resignation on Thursday. In an interview later with CNN, he said Mr. Trump “obviously wanted to make a change, and I offered my resignation, and he agreed. And we moved on.”

He said he and the president discussed naming Mr. Kelly as his successor and said Mr. Trump “knows intuitively when things need to change.”

Mr. Priebus’s status seemed shakier after Mr. Trump installed Anthony Scaramucci as communications director.

Messrs. Scaramucci and Priebus openly feuded, creating a level of tension in the West Wing that advisers said wasn’t sustainable. Mr. Scaramucci this week gave a profanity-laced interview to the New Yorker magazine in which he disparaged Mr. Priebus and other top staffers. One adviser who has spoken with the president said Mr. Trump was dismissive of Mr. Priebus for not returning fire.

Asked on CNN about Mr. Scaramucci’s criticism, Mr. Priebus said: “I’m not going to get into the mud on those sorts of things.”

As homeland security secretary, Mr. Kelly was charged with overseeing implementation of Mr. Trump’s travel ban, which has faced a series of holdups in the courts. The most recent version seeks to impose a 90-day ban on U.S. entry for people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and to suspend temporarily the U.S. program for admitting refugees. Mr. Trump said the order would help prevent terrorism.

Before joining the cabinet, Mr. Kelly served as chief of the U.S. Southern Command, the division that oversees U.S. military activities south of Mexico, including Central America, South America and the Caribbean. In that role he focused on homeland-security issues because the post involved monitoring drug trafficking and other smuggling activity south of the U.S.

Mr. Kelly, 67 years old, also served as legislative assistant to the Marine Corps commandant, gaining experience in dealing with Congress.

He has a personal history that reflects the tragedies of war. His son, Marine 2nd Lt. Robert Kelly, was killed by a land mine in Afghanistan in 2010. On learning of the death, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford Jr. , now chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, put on his dress blues and waited outside Mr. Kelly’s home at the Washington Navy Yard in the wee hours to inform his friend.

Among other duties, Mr. Kelly oversaw operations at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and commanded U.S. troops in Iraq. He joined the Marines in 1970 and retired last year. On Friday, he said, “I am honored to be asked to serve as the chief of staff to the president of the United States.”

The appointment capped one of the most turbulent weeks in Mr. Trump’s young presidency, exposing the difficulty he has had in adapting his executive style to the policy-making arena, veterans of past administrations said. In the space of a week, he saw his press secretary, Sean Spicer, resign, his health-care bill implode, and the exit of his chief of staff.

Though Mr. Trump sees himself as a disruptive force in Washington, some presidential advisers say they believe the internal friction and a fraying of the Republican governing coalition threaten his agenda.

In a check on Mr. Trump’s power, the Senate this week approved a bill that forces his hand in stiffening sanctions on Russia. If he allows the legislation to become law, it could curtail executive power, but a veto would invite suggestions he is being soft on Russia.

Peter Wehner, who worked in the past three Republican administrations, said of the White House: “There’s no strategic thinking. There’s no competent execution. It’s just a free-for-all.”

A pattern that emerges in White House staff shuffles over the last six months is that Mr. Trump is parting ways with people who represent the Republican establishment. He is bringing in people who aren’t as closely tied to the Republican mainstream, a reality that could complicate his relationship with donors and state party officials.

For success in the push to lower tax rates and simplify the tax code, both the White House and congressional Republicans seem to agree Mr. Trump needs a different approach than the hands-off posture he had on health care.

White House aides are hoping to get the president on the road for public rallies and smaller stops aimed at showcasing the tax plan. One idea is to have him sit down at a kitchen table with a family in the Midwest or visit farms and small businesses.

Also under consideration is a kickoff event at the Ronald Reagan Library in California, an official said. It would aim to draw a symbolic connection to another celebrity-turned-Republican president, Mr. Reagan, who ushered in the last major tax overhaul three decades ago.

“You can’t just talk about winning, you have to take steps toward winning,” said Jason Miller, a former Trump campaign strategist who continues to advise the president, in an interview before Mr. Kelly’s new job was announced. “The White House has to remember the fact that the business community and the middle class are looking for positive steps on tax reform.”

Marc Short, the White House legislative affairs director, said in an interview: “We have cultivated a lot of organizations—business coalitions, conservative advocacy groups—in shaping our plan for tax reform that will provide a stronger echo chamber and outside support than we had on the health-care battle.”

Let’s analyze this as we would sitting in a booth at a Waffle House somewhere in America’s Heartland, shall we, boys and girls?

It has been rumored for a long time now that Priebus was a source of some of the leaks from the Trump White House by the Main Stream Media.

Reince Priebus is, all stated loyalty to the President aside, still an Establishment (Vichy) Republican.

The thing is…Establishment Republicans did NOT elect Donald J. Trump as our 45th President.

A Populist Movement did.

Dictionary.com defines “populism” as

1. the political philosophy of the People’s party.
2. (lowercase) any of various, often antiestablishment or anti-intellectual political movements or philosophies that offer unorthodox solutions or policies and appeal to the common person rather than according with traditional party or partisan ideologies.
3. (lowercase) grass-roots democracy; working-class activism; egalitarianism.
4. (lowercase) representation or extolling of the common person, the working class, the underdog, etc.: populism in the arts.

That word first reappeared in the American Lexicon, when Sarah Palin almost dragged John McCain’s RINO Rear across the Finish Line, in the Presidential Election of 2008.

The Grassroots Movement, which began way back then led us to a seminal moment in American Politics.

The American People spoke loud and clear on November 8, 2016.

We rejected the Professional Politicians and elected Citizen Statesman Donald J. Trump President of the United States of America.

The Establishment, or Vichy Republicans, for all their declarations of loyalty, still resent being cast aside for a Billionaire Businessman and Entrepreneur.

Hey, “Beltway Boys”…

The problem you face, as the Republican Establishment, is that the majority of Americans are still Conservatives who want decisive leadership from those whom they send to Congress.

You guys have spines of Jell-O.

The public wants new ideas. We are tired of dancing to the Washington Two-Step.

That is the reason for the election of Donald J. Trump. He said the things that Americans had been wanting to hear for decades.

Contrast the energy and the “Populist Movement” behind Trump to the candidate whom the Democrats offered: a decrepit old white woman from the Northeast Corridor, who is as crooked as a dog’s hind leg and whose “rallies” could not even fill up a high school gymnasium.

You “Vichy Republicans”, as I have referred to you as being for the last several years, are looking a Gift Horse in the mouth.

You are positioned, if you immediately start acting as if you have Americans’ interests at heart and not your own, to sweep the Midterm Elections.

All you have to do to be successful is something that you seem to have forgotten how to do, since you were swept into Congressional Power in the 2010 and 2012 Mid-Term Elections.

You need to pay attention and actually listen to the voters who gave you your cushy jobs, instead of trying to tell us what we should believe and attempting to backstab the President whom your party nominated as its Presidential Candidate.

You need to divorce yourself from the Washington Status Quo and start acting as if you a grateful to the American People for your phony baloney jobs.

Here’s some advice from ol’ KJ, if I may be so bold: you members of the Republican Establishment need to climb down off of your bar stools at the Congressional Country Club, and travel outside the Echo Chamber of the Beltway, where actual, average Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck, trying to provide for their families, while attempting to make a better life for their children and grandchildren.

Perhaps then, you will get a clue.

Yes, Trump’s handling of his duties and his Administrative Staff is “unconventional”.

But, you need to remember,

THAT IS WHY AMERICANS ELECTED HIM.

HE WAS NOT ONE OF YOU.

As Ronald Reagan, himself, said, at CPAC in 1975,

It is time to raise a banner of BOLD COLORS! Not PALE PASTELS!

And, it is time to get down to the business of MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Until He Comes,

KJ

 

Trump Ends Obama’s “Social Experiment” by Kicking “Lola” Out of Our Armed Forces.

On By kingsjesterIn Politics1 Comment

 

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“After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you.” – President Donald J. Trump, 7/26/17

The New York Times reports that

President Trump abruptly announced a ban on transgender people serving in the military on Wednesday, blindsiding his defense secretary and Republican congressional leaders with a snap decision that reversed a year-old policy reviled by social conservatives. Mr. Trump made the surprise declaration on Twitter, saying that American forces could not afford the “tremendous medical costs and disruption” of transgender service members. He said he had consulted generals and military experts, but Jim Mattis, the defense secretary, was given only a day’s notice about the decision.

Mr. Trump elected to announce the ban in order to resolve a quietly brewing fight on Capitol Hill over whether taxpayer money should pay for gender transition and hormone therapy for transgender service members, which had threatened to kill a $790 billion defense and security spending package scheduled for a vote this week.

But rather than addressing that narrow issue, Mr. Trump opted to upend the entire policy on transgender service members, a move that few on Capitol Hill or at the Pentagon expected.

Mr. Trump announced the decision with such haste that the White House could not answer basic inquiries about how it would be carried out, including what would happen to openly transgender people now serving on active duty; of eight defense officials interviewed, none could say.

“That’s something that the Department of Defense and the White House will have to work together as implementation takes place and is done so lawfully,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, said.

Still, the announcement thrilled elements of Mr. Trump’s base, who have been dismayed to see the president break so bitterly in recent days with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a hard-line conservative.

Civil rights and transgender advocacy groups denounced the policy, with some vowing to challenge it in court. Pentagon officials expressed dismay that the president’s tweets, blasted out before they could consider how to make the change, could open them to lawsuits.

The ban would reverse the gradual transformation of the military under President Barack Obama, whose administration announced last year that transgender people could serve openly in the military. Mr. Obama’s defense secretary, Ashton B. Carter, also opened all combat roles to women and appointed the first openly gay Army secretary.

And it represented a stark turnabout from Mr. Trump’s rhetoric during his campaign, when he billed himself as an ally of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

The president, Ms. Sanders said, had concluded that allowing transgender people to serve openly “erodes military readiness and unit cohesion, and made the decision based on that.”

Mr. Mattis, who was on vacation, was silent on the new policy. People close to the defense secretary said he was appalled that Mr. Trump chose to unveil his decision in tweets, in part because of the message they sent to transgender active-duty service members, including those deployed overseas, that they were suddenly no longer welcome.

The policy would affect only a small portion of the approximately 1.3 million active-duty members of the military. Some 2,000 to 11,000 active-duty troops are transgender, according to a 2016 RAND Corporation study commissioned by the Pentagon, though estimates of the number of transgender service members have varied widely, and are sometimes as high as 15,000.

The study found that allowing transgender people to serve openly in the military would “have minimal impact on readiness and health care costs” for the Pentagon. It estimated that health care costs would rise $2.4 million to $8.4 million a year, representing an infinitesimal 0.04 to 0.13 percent increase in spending. Citing research into other countries that allow transgender people to serve, the study projected “little or no impact on unit cohesion, operational effectiveness or readiness” in the United States.

The announcement came amid the debate on Capitol Hill over the Obama-era practice of requiring the Pentagon to pay for medical treatment related to gender transition. Representative Vicky Hartzler, Republican of Missouri, has proposed an amendment to the spending bill that would bar the Pentagon from spending money on transition surgery or related hormone therapy, and other Republicans have pressed for similar provisions.

Mr. Mattis had worked behind the scenes to keep such language out of legislation, quietly lobbying Republican lawmakers not to attach the prohibitions, according to congressional and defense officials.

But Mr. Trump was concerned that the transgender medical care issue could imperil the security spending measure, which also contains $1.6 billion for the border wall that he has championed, and wanted to resolve the dispute cleanly and straightforwardly, according to a person familiar with his thinking, who insisted on anonymity to describe it. That prompted his ban.

The president’s decision shocked even Republican congressional leaders, who were aware Mr. Trump was looking into whether taxpayer money should be spent on medical procedures for transgender service members, but had not expected him to go so far as to bar transgender people from serving altogether.

Mr. Trump and Republican lawmakers had come under pressure from Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, a leading Christian conservative group, and an ally of Mr. Trump. Mr. Perkins opposed the bill over spending on transgender medical costs and lobbied lawmakers to do the same.

“Grant repentance to President Trump and Secretary Mattis for even considering to keep this wicked policy in place,” the Family Research Council said in one of its daily prayers last week. “Grant them understanding, courage and willpower to stand up to the forces of darkness that gave birth to it and wholly to repeal it.”

Opponents of allowing openly transgender service members had raised a number of concerns, including what they said was the questionable psychological fitness of those troops and the cost the military would bear for their medical treatment, potentially including gender reassignment procedures. They said the military was being used for social experimentation at the expense of national security.

“This was Ash Carter on his way out the door pulling the pin on a cultural grenade,” Mr. Perkins said on Wednesday. “Our military leaders are saying this doesn’t help make us a better fighting force; it’s a distraction; it’s taking up limited resources.”

Mr. Carter objected to the decision, for its effect on the military and on those considering joining.

“To choose service members on other grounds than military qualifications is social policy and has no place in our military,” he said in a statement. “There are already transgender individuals who are serving capably and honorably. This action would also send the wrong signal to a younger generation thinking about military service.”

While some conservative lawmakers, including Ms. Hartzler, praised Mr. Trump, the president drew bipartisan condemnation on Capitol Hill and outrage from civil rights and transgender advocacy groups.

The majority of Americans do not care what they think.

We want our tax money to be used to assist our military in the job of defending our country and winning wars, not on chopping off someone’s manhood and turning Bruce into “Caitlyn” and vice-versa.

And we do not want our daughters having to share a barracks with a man who wants to be a woman…or claims that he does….or vice-versa.

As a Brother-in-Christ of mine commented on Facebook yesterday,

This is the United States Armed Forces. This isn’t a Country Club.

While Barack Hussein Obama was our Armed Forces Commander in-Chief (Thank God, he isn’t any more), the responsibility for everything that happened to the men and women serving in our armed forces, in which some part of our federal government is involved, both during and after their service, fell on his shoulders and his alone.

Through his treatment of our Heroes as “ancillary” servants to be used for social experimentation and budget cutting, when he wanted to use their money to further his socialization of America, Obama placed our Armed Forces in an untenable situation.

Distinguished American Veteran, Former United States Representative Lt. Col. Allen B. West once wrote the following, concerning Obama’s treatment of our Armed Forces:

Barack Hussein Obama cannot be seen as a Commander-in-Chief and I will never refer to him that way. His fundamental transformation of America means weakening our nation and leaving our Republic less secure. I can just imagine how appreciative and elated his Muslim Brotherhood friends are at this point, to include Turkey’s President Erdogan, as well as the mad mullahs in Iran. 

Spot on.

I remember my ex-brother-in-law, Dave. My late step-sister met him at the USO in Memphis during the Vietnam War. David was a Polish Catholic from outside of Detroit, a Navy guy who received his training in the computers of the day, while in service to our country. When he got out, they got married and moved to Dearborn (now Dearbornistan), Michigan, where he got a job with Burroughs. I remember Dave, because he was always good to me, even though I was just a runt kid, 15 years younger than him. I remember him cleaning his service rifle, sitting on the living room floor of our house, and, making sure it was empty, allowing me to to hold it. At the time, I thought that was the coolest thing I had ever done.

I also remember John. John was a friend of my sister’s, who stayed with us, because of problems at home. As I have related before, my folks were the ones whom all my sister’s friends would talk to when they had trouble at home. John was great guy, as well, who wound up enlisting and serving in that “crazy Asian War”, as Kenny Rogers and Mel Tillis once referred to it in song.

I have related before about my own Daddy and my Uncles, and their service in World War II. I have also had friends that served over the years, and one who is still serving in the Air National Guard.

All of these men were/are Patriots. They enlisted out of duty to God and Country.

Our Brightest and Best, who wear the uniform today, are no less dedicated. They deserve to be treated with respect, not as pawns in a game of political expediency, whose rules as followed by the Previous Presidential Administration. included social experimentation, political correctness, and blatant disrespect by the then-Commander-in-Chief himself.

The greatest American President in my lifetime, Ronald Reagan, once said,

Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.

Reagan was a realist. He realized that, as President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt once advised, the best way to keep America safe, is to “Speak softly and carry a big stick”.

We suffered for 8 long years under a president who spoke like a wuss and carried a feather pillow, a Mexican Flag, and a prayer rug.

And, you wonder why our Best and Brightest always erupt appreciation for their Present Commander-in-Chief, Donald J. Trump?

They are simply happy that they once again have a Commander-in-Chief who appreciates them. And, one who actually has their back for a change.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Will Trump Ask Ted Cruz to Be His Next Attorney General?

On By kingsjesterIn PoliticsLeave a comment

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Is President Trump about to make a change in the position of Attorney General in his Administration?

Per the Washington Post on MSN.com…

President Trump has labeled his own attorney general as “beleaguered.”

“So why aren’t the Committees and investigators, and of course our beleaguered A.G., looking into Crooked Hillarys crimes & Russia relations?” the president tweeted from his personal Twitter account on Monday morning.

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Over the past week, Trump has been attacking Attorney General Jeff Sessions over of his decision months ago to recuse himself from the investigations into possible connections between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Sessions, a former senator from Alabama, supported Trump from the early days of his candidacy and became a trusted adviser. Ten days after the election, Trump nominated Sessions for attorney general and said in a statement that “Jeff is greatly admired by legal scholars and virtually everyone who knows him.”

In March, Sessions announced that he would recuse himself from investigations related to the 2016 presidential campaign, including those into Russian interference in the electoral process. That announcement came the day after The Washington Post reported that Sessions twice met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the campaign and did not disclose those meetings to the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing in January.

The Russia investigations have swept up Trump’s eldest son and his son-in-law, greatly angering the president, who says the charges are unfounded and part of a “witch hunt.” Trump has been privately criticizing Sessions for weeks, and he said in an interview with the New York Times last week that he would not have appointed Sessions if he had known the attorney general would recuse himself, as he considers the decision “very unfair to the president.”

The president vented to the world in a series of tweets on Monday morning, lashing out not only at Sessions but also at Democrats and the media, whom he has blamed for hyping and continuing the investigations.

 

Yesterday, what might seem like a strange suggestion for a possible replacement for Jeff Sessions was being floated around: Ted Cruz.

Now, he would not be my first suggestion. That would be Rudy Giuliani. However, Giuliani let it be known that he would only except the Secretary of State Position in the Trump Administration, if asked.

On April 13, 2016, the following post appeared on legalinsurrection.com…

Noted liberal Harvard Law School professor (retired) Alan Dershowitz was on the Kelly File last night, and repeated what he has said before via News Max):

“He came into my class, literally his first day in law school with his right had up – not his left hand, his right hand,” Dershowitz said Tuesday on Fox News Channel’s “The Kelly File.”

Cruz challenged his professor on everything, which made his job easier, Dershowitz said.

“I was against the death penalty, he’s in favor. I was in favor of the exclusionary rule, he’s against it,” he said. “And he made such brilliant arguments that I never had to play the devil’s advocate.”

Cruz “was one of the best students I ever had,” Dershowitz said.

Many of his liberal friends criticize him for praising the firebrand conservative, Dershowitz said, but he argues, “I have to tell the truth about my students, even if I disagree with their views – even if I’m not gonna vote for him. I’m not going to change history and pretend that this brilliant student was anything else.”

High praise from a man who knows more about the law than 99% of the practicing attorneys in our nation’s courts today.

Back in September of 2013, right before the disaster known as Obamacare was about to cost Americans their Doctors and Savings Accounts, Cruz held a filibuster on the Senate Floor against it.

His spirited defense of Americans’ right to decide their own health care, reminded me of the indefatigable Jefferson Smith, in Capra’s classic “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”. Smith (the late, great Jimmy Stewart) says the following as he’s delivering his filibuster:

Just get up off the ground, that’s all I ask. Get up there with that lady that’s up on top of this Capitol dome, that lady that stands for liberty. Take a look at this country through her eyes if you really want to see something. And you won’t just see scenery; you’ll see the whole parade of what Man’s carved out for himself, after centuries of fighting. Fighting for something better than just jungle law, fighting so’s he can stand on his own two feet, free and decent, like he was created, no matter what his race, color, or creed. That’s what you’d see. There’s no place out there for graft, or greed, or lies, or compromise with human liberties.

When you get down to it, what Senator Ted Cruz was speaking about was LIBERTY.

Our American Freedom has been endowed by OUR CREATOR. Obamacare was simply a step toward a totalitarian regime taking it away.

If Cruz can bring that same passion to the job of Attorney General and the task of going after the Queen of Mean, Hillary Clinton, and the corrupt crime spree which occurred while she held the position of Secretary of State in the Obama Administration, it should be something that will be talked about for decades to come.

I realize that political ambition and the heat of the battle tarnished him a bit during the Republican Primaries, but I believe that, if called upon, Ted Cruz would make a solid and formidable Attorney General.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Scaramucci, the “Shadow Government”, and Draining the Swamp

On By kingsjesterIn Politics2 Comments

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“I have in my pocket a radio studio, a television studio and a movie studio. The entire world has changed; we need to rethink the way we’re delivering our information.

…In some ways we want to deescalate things and have there be a level of diplomacy. In other ways, we want it to be very hard-hitting and war-like.” – Anthony Scaramucci, Trump White House Director of Communications

Foxnews.com reports that

Anthony Scaramucci, the new White House communications director, said Sunday that stopping damaging West Wing leaks is a top priority and that he will take “drastic action” to achieve that goal.

“We have to get the leaks stopped,” Scaramucci, named Friday to the post, told “Fox News Sunday.” “What’s going on right now is a high level of unprofessionalism, and it’s not helping the president. … I will take drastic action to stop the leaks.”

Trump’s roughly 7-month-old presidency has been mired in the controversy about Russia meddling in the 2016 White House race and whether Trump associates were involved.

The controversy has been fueled in part by information leaked inside and outside of the White House.

Scaramucci on Sunday said he would “pare down the staff” to stop White House leaks, but made clear that such efforts will be limited to the communication office and that he wants to start anew.

“As far as I’m concerned, there will be a new start for everybody on the team,” said Scaramucci, whose appointment as communications director forced the resignation of Sean Spicer, who had held that post.

Scaramucci, a former Wall Street executive, acknowledged that he could never change Washington culture and stop the leaks coming from federal agencies within an administration.

He also said the mainstream media still has a “level of objectivity,” but allowed that so-called “fake news” exists to the extent “some individuals … do stretch stories.”

Scaramucci dismissed talk about Trump preparing to pardon people in an effort to stop the Russia investigations or perhaps protect himself, saying, “He has no one to pardon. He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

He also defended the recent deleting of tweets that appeared critical of Trump or that presented liberal views, saying his new role is non-political so he didn’t want them to be a distraction.

How many “Deep State” holdovers from the Obama Administration are, even now, working to sabotage the plans of President Donald J. Trump?

What has been conveniently forgotten, thanks to the Liberal Mass Freak-Out over the Trump-Russia Collusion Fairy Tale, is the fact that Barack Hussein Obama, the Former Petulant President Pantywaist himself, has set up his Command Headquarters for his “Shadow Government” just a few blocks away from the White House and has even moved his “right-hand Iranian” Valerie Jarrett, into the house with him and “Mooch”.

Scary? OH, HECK YEAH.

It resembles a Tom Clancy Novel.

You have a Former Nazi Sympathizer, now a Billionaire “Philanthropist”, funding Far Left Causes. Add to that a disgruntled Former President, desperately trying to ensure that his mission to turn the Greatest Country on the Face of the Earth into a Third World Socialist Paradise is not derailed by the unexpected loss of his hand-picked predecessor to a “Citizen Statesman”.

Faced with the reality of a splintered Democratic Party, which has alienated its base by moving to the Extreme Far Left of the Political Spectrum, this Former President , while still in office, decided to spy on the one candidate who might actually have a chance to beat his own party’s lousy candidate in a fair Presidential Election, through the means of obtaining an order to wire tap his offices.

After all that political chicanery failed and the Citizen Statesman became the President, the Former Petulant President Pantywaist encouraged “rebellion”, as if the reality of a nation being torn asunder was some sort of “Star Wars” Movie, through the use of his “benefactor’s”(the Former Nazi Sympathizer) money in the funding of manufactured protests and a Media-Driven, Community -Organizing Assault, which includes the Former President’s own “Organizing For America” Website, which has taken the cheesy name of “The Resistance”.

Not unlike the Bolsheviks of the Russian Revolution, this “Resistance”, with their willing accomplices in the Main Stream Media and within OUR Federal Government, launched a massive assault, through the dissemination of propaganda, manufactured protests, and Fake News, in order to somehow diminish the sitting President, in the hopes of regaining their lost power and continuing their mission, inspired by Karl Marx and Saul Alinsky.

Unfortunately for them, they underestimated the power of the New Media and the resiliency of the average American, here in the Heartland, who stopped believing their lies some time ago.

The more the Democrats press the stupid “Russia Issue” and prove themselves to be nothing but Trump-hating Zombies with no workable plan which is beneficial to average Americans, the more they weaken the momentum of their “Resistance” and strengthen the resolve of both the sitting President and the average Americans who voted him into office, against all odds.

The only way for a happy ending to this real life spy novel is for the 45th President of the United States to fulfill another one of his campaign Promises and “Drain the Swamp”, i.e., the Justice Department and all of the “alphabet agencies” of disloyal embedded operatives left behind by previous Administrations.

President Trump needs to get this accomplished as soon as possible.

The appointment of Anthony Scaramucci is definitely a step in the right direction.

As Julius Caesar found out the hard way, in government, there is always someone looking to stab you in the back.

It is time to take the knifes out of their hands and to stop the incessant leaking which is obstructing not only the Administration of President Donald J. Trump but also the rebuilding of the Greatest Country on the Face of the Earth.

Leakers are traitors not only to President Trump but to all other Americans, as well.

Get rid of them.

DRAIN THE SWAMP. NOW.

 

Until He Comes,

KJ

 

Only 6% of Americans Care About “Russia, Russia, Russia”! What That Means. (A KJ Sunday Morning Analysis)

On By kingsjesterIn PoliticsLeave a comment

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Recently, Bloomberg News published a poll in which they asked Americans what they were concerned about.

Per Hannity.com,

The survey, conducted last week and released on Tuesday, shows that just 6% of American voters think allegations of Russian collusion in the 2016 general election is a major issue facing the nation.

Individuals were asked “Which of the following do you see as the most important issue facing the nation right now?” Healthcare reform was at the top of the list with 35% of Americans seeing at is the largest problem in the US, followed by unemployment at 13%; terrorism at 11%; and immigration at 10%.

Near the bottom was the “Relationship with Russia” with just 6%.

6% !!!

Let that sink in, boys and girls.

Only 6% of those surveyed cared at all about a story which has dominated every single news outlet for what seems like an eternity.

What does this mean?

It means that average Americans have more important issues in their lives that they have to deal with on a daily basis.

Little things like their families, their jobs and their health and well-being.

It also means something else.

Americans do not give a hoot ‘n holler what the Democrat Elite, their Propaganda Arm, the Main Stream Media, and all of the Liberal Internet Trolls, paid and unpaid, are screaming at the top of their lungs about, concerning the Trump/Russia Collision Fairy Tale.

On that glorious day of November 8th, 2016, when average Americans stood up on our hind legs, when to the voting booths and began the process of taking our country back by electing Donald J. Trump our 45th POTUS, a very clear message was sent load and clear:

“We’re mad as Hell and we’re not going to take it any more.” We do not care what you think or say. We’re taking our country back.

However, the Democratic Elite, the Propaganda Arm, the Main Stream Media, and Liberal Internet Trolls, paid and unpaid, stuck their fingers in their ears, jumping up and down as they held their breath until they turned blue, ignoring the mandate given by American Voters, in favor of one of their own: to obstruct the process of taking America back by slandering the President at every opportunity by concocting Fake News Stories, such as the Trump/Russian Collusion Fairy Tale, presenting them, and having their Fellow Travelers swear to their veracity.

The result has been an obstruction of a President’s Agenda and a rebellion against the Constitutional Process by which we choose our American President, in favor of lies, innuendo, and mob rule, which as the survey by Bloomberg has shown, is only supported by 6% of the people in this country.

Remember the old saying,

One monkey don’t stop no show ?

Well, 6 Americans out of 100 “concerned” about a sitting President’s possible collusion with Russia is not the consensus that the Democrat Elite, the MSM, and those trolling live from Mom’s Basement on Social Media are attempting to convince us that their “concern” is.

As I have written before, during Obama’s two terms as President, America suffered under a “Tyranny of the Minority”.

Obama owed his political success to the benevolence and largess of America and her people.

In his tenure as President, he proved that he was president of some of the people, not all of the people.

And, those of us, whom his failed political ideology did not appeal to, had enough of his failed leadership and decided not to go “quietly into that good night” by voting for Donald J. Trump,  instead of Obama’s chosen successor, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

So now, it is apparent that the Democrat Elite, the MSM, and Liberal Internet Trolls are a part of a movement whose purpose is to make average Americans submit to their political ideology of “forced Socialism through Fascism” by sabotaging the Presidency of Donald J. Trump and driving Donald J. Trump from office “by any means necessary”.

Well, they can wish in one hand and spit in the other and all that they are going to get is a wet palm.

President Trump is not going any where and neither are those of us living between the East and Left Coasts, here in America’s heartland, who elected him.

The Democrats are still assuming after reading their own press clippings, that all Americans want the Progressive/Marxist Political Ideology and style of governance which Barack Hussein Obama practiced during his time as President.

Well, we all know what assuming does, don’t we, boys and girls?

The American People overthrew the “Tyranny of the Minority”, which we had suffered under for the last 8 years on November 8th.

The Oxford Dictionaries define the word “mandate” as

the authority to carry out a policy or course of action, regarded as given by the electorate to a candidate or party that is victorious in an election.

Guess what, Democratic Elite, Main Stream Media, Facebook and Internet Trolls, Hollywood Celebrities, and the rest of you still attempting to push the Trump/Russia Collusion Fairy Tale while throwing a  Nonstop National Temper Tantrum?

Trump won! Therefore, he does have a mandate.

So, please shut up and go away, unless you wish to help us and the 45th President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.

Until He Comes,

KJ

American Industry Beginning to Make a Comeback…Food Stamp Usage Down…Well, Duh.

On By kingsjesterIn PoliticsLeave a comment

In December (2016), according to the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, a record 95,102,000 Americans were not in the labor force, 47,000 more than in November; and the labor force participation rate was 62.7 percent, a tenth of a point higher than in November.The participation rate dropped to a 38-year low of 62.4 percent on Obama’s watch, in September 2015. It was only 3-tenths of a point higher than that last month.

People over age 16 who are no longer working or even looking for work, for whatever reason (retirement, school, personal preference, or gave up), are counted as not participating in the labor force.

When President Obama took office in January 2009, 80,529,000 Americans were not in the labor force, the highest number on record. That number rose steadily during his two terms, reaching a record 95,055,000 in November 2016, then setting another record (95,102,000) in December.

Breitbart.com reports that

Participation in the food stamp program took a dive to the lowest level it has been in seven years, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

USDA statistics on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation showed that 42,609,852 people in the U.S. took part in the food stamp program in fiscal year (FY) 2017, the lowest level it has been since 2010 when 40,302,000 people enrolled in the program.

Food stamp usage has been on a steady decline after 2013, when enrollment in the government program swelled to 47.6 million, the highest amount it has ever been since the program’s inception.

The increase in the number of people receiving food stamps during that period can be attributed to the Obama administration’s effort to allow those with higher incomes to receive benefits. Enrollment in benefits increased by 70 percent from the year former President Barack Obama took office in 2008 to 2013.

Starting in 2014, the number of people on food stamps started to decline slowly. The decline in enrollment began as a combination of the Obama administration’s slight cuts to the food stamp program in the 2014 Farm Bill and state efforts to curb prolonged food stamp dependency.

Obama signed an $8.7 billion food stamp cut into law as a way to placate House Republicans in early 2014 after they pushed for deeper cuts to the program throughout 2013.

Individual states such as Maine also began the process of implementing or reinstating work requirements to participate in the food stamp program that many states delayed putting in place because of the recession.

The cuts to the program, along with state efforts to curb food stamp enrollment, caused a domino effect. In 2014, 46.6 million Americans received food stamps, 45.8 million received benefits in 2015, and 44.2 million enrolled in the program as of 2016.

Although Maine led the way in implementing work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents who wish to receive food stamps, a lot of other states did not catch on until 2016-2017.

Georgia made headlines when thousands dropped off the state’s food stamp rolls after the state gradually rolled out food stamp work requirements starting in 2016. Other states such as Alabama soon followed, and more states are starting to find ways to decrease food stamp enrollment and increase employment.

At the federal level, lawmakers are working on legislation to take food stamp work requirements nationwide and reinstate time limits on how long recipients can receive benefits.

Who are these people who found themselves no longer a part of America’s Work Force at the end of the reign of King Barack The First?

They are average Americans like you and me, who, in their very real despair, had given up trying to find a job, choosing instead to work under the radar as handymen or flea market vendors. some not even working at all, sitting at home and letting Uncle Sugar take care of them.

When you ask Liberals about this unacceptable situation, they will respond to you with charts and graphs designed to buttress their opinion that Obama actually moved America’s Stagnant Economy forward.

And, if that argument doesn’t work, their pre-programmed response is

But…but…Booosh!!!

Quite frankly, the reason that Obama Presidency did not move our economy forward, like President Ronald Reagan did, is because Obama was more concerned about growing the Central Government, than he was about growing American Production by freeing the job creators from punitive tax rates, in order to encourage the growth that will revitalize our economy.

That is why I once spent 6 hours on a Saturday, on the phone with Punjab from Calcutta about my Comcast Cable Box, which was on the fritz.

But, I digress…

Make no mistake, granting amnesty to millions of unskilled, underage illegal aliens would have done and still will do nothing for the health of our economy.

This action would simply provide future voters for the Democrat Party, which is now firmly in the control of the Far Left. If Obama had granted amnesty before he left office, he would have placed a further strain on our economy, as all of these “little rascals”, would rely on their new Uncle Sugar for their “daily bread”.

A popular Liberal Defense that was going around during Obama’s Presidency was the claim that Reagan actually had a bigger Federal Government than Obama.

The funny part is: It’s true.

It was larger because President Reagan, through his sound Economic Policy, actually increased tax revenues.

American Production rose, therefore,  TAX REVENUES INCREASED.

Yes, “Trickle-Down Economics, “trickled up”, allowing for a well-funded, strong American Military and Administration.

You see, boys and girls, that’s the secret of American Exceptionalism, a concept that Obama always gave lip service to, but, clearly, never  believed in.

For America to proper, we must remain free. For America to remain free, we must be prosperous.

American Capitalism is the engine which drives a strong, vibrant economy.  American Capitalism is the result of the courageous Entrepreneurial Spirit of American Citizens. The same “Can Do” attitude which led to Western Expansion and triumphs against those before-mentioned enemies, foreign and domestic.

The current state of the Shining City Upon a Hill can be summarized thusly:

America was formed by men seeking FREEDOM. She grew and prospered because of an indomitable will and spirit forged through the Refiner’s Fire, guided by the common-sense words, inscribed in our Constitution, and administered through a Constitutional Republic. Our nation’s largesse and strength comes through the actions and character of her citizens, not through the usurpation of power by professional politicians, who has long since lost touch with their constituency.

Obama’s attempt to “radically change” our nation into a Third World Barrio was met with resistance, not because of professional politicians, but, because of the defiance of the American People, who love their country.

It was this Defiant Spirit which caused Americans to elect American Entrepreneur and Businessman Donald J. Trump as our 45th President.

And, President-elect Trump recognizes whom he owes his Presidency to.

Which explains the following information, found on CNSNews.com…

Overall, the U.S. economy grew at an annual pace of only 1.4 percent in the first quarter. But the value added by mining grew by a booming annual rate of 21.6 percent, while construction grew 5.6 percent and manufacturing grew 4.7%.

The BEA says that the value added by an industry—which equals the market value of the goods, services and structures it produces minus the values of the goods and services it consumes in production—is “a measure of an industry’s contribution to GDP.”

“Mining increased by 21.6 percent, after increasing 5.2 percent [in the fourth quarter of last year],” said BEA. “The first quarter growth primarily reflected increases in oil and gas extraction, as well as support activities for mining. This was the largest increase since the fourth quarter of 2014.”

On November 8th, average Americans, like those who work in the industries mentioned in the above article, proved that America’s Heritage of God and Country is still alive and well in the hearts and minds of the overwhelming majority of the citizens in this country, even those who have dropped out of the workforce.

A President’s role, if he wants to be viewed positively as a world leader, is to work to restore America to a position of strength, both in foreign and domestic policy.

President Trump understands the mandate that he has been given and is already serving Americans by making deals which are adding JOBS (that “three-letter word” which even Joe Biden says is so important for our country) to bring those who have been separated from America’s Workforce, back into it, helping grow and strengthen our nation’s economy, which, will in turn create more jobs…which will help to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN .

He understands that it all starts with the Engine That Drives Our Country…Capitalism.

And, President-elect Trump already has his hand on the throttle.

Oh…and one more thing…

The Russians did not stop Hillary from continuing Obama’s “Legacy”.

FED UP AVERAGE AMERICANS DID!!!

Until He Comes,

KJ

 

Mueller Expands Investigation Into Trump Family Finances. Trump Says That Would Be a “Breach”.

On By kingsjesterIn Politics1 Comment

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“This seems more like an effort to prosecute Donald Trump.”
“What the hell are we investigating?” “Why are we going through with this charade?” –  U.S. Representative Sean Duffy (R-Wis.)

Foxnews.com reports that

The morning after President Trump publicly warned Special Counsel Robert Mueller to stick to Russia and avoid probing his family finances outside that scope, a new report quoting a single, anonymous source has struck the White House like a bomb.

The report, by Bloomberg News, says Mueller’s investigation has indeed expanded to examine a range of business transactions by the president and his associates.

The transactions in question largely involve Russian interests, and it’s unclear from the report whether the investigation might eye non-Russian dealings – which Trump warned in an interview with The New York Times would be crossing a red line.

Asked whether an examination of his family finances unrelated to Russia would be a breach, Trump said, “I would say yes.”

But the Bloomberg report portrays an investigation that continues to expand and evolve, as the president openly voices frustration with its scope. 

According to the report, investigators are looking at Trump’s involvement with Russian associates on a development in the U.S.; the Russian purchase of apartments in his buildings; Trump’s sale of a Florida mansion to a Russian oligarch and even the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. Bloomberg’s source reportedly said this aspect of the probe is rooted in an investigation launched by former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, among dozens of federal prosecutors canned by the Trump administration earlier this year.

In the Times interview, Trump complained about multiple aspects of the Russia controversy and case, including that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had recused himself from the investigation.

He turned his attention to Mueller as he griped that the special counsel was hiring lawyers who donated to his general election rival Hillary Clinton. 

The president also called him out for having interviewed for the job to replace ex-FBI Director James Comey just before his appointment and warned he could start discussing the special counsel’s “conflicts” on the job.

Trump said after Mueller was named, he said to himself, “’What the hell is this all about?’ Talk about conflicts. But he was interviewing for the job. There were many other conflicts that I haven’t said, but I will at some point.”

The Times interview eventually delved into what Trump might do if Mueller went too far beyond the Russia lane in looking at his and his family’s financial transactions.

“I think that’s a violation,” Trump responded. “Look, this is about Russia.”

Trump would not say whether he’d consider seeking Mueller’s ouster in that scenario but defended his transactions.  

“So I think if he wants to go, my finances are extremely good, my company is an unbelievably successful company,” he told the Times, according to the transcript. “I don’t do business with Russia.” 

White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked at Thursday’s press briefing whether Trump has plans to fire him, but said, “although he has the authority to do so, he doesn’t intend to do so.”

Back on June 13th, I wrote a post titled: “Special Counsel Mueller Hires Dem Donors. Is This an Investigative Staff or a “Firing Squad”?” concerning the hiring of Democrats to be a part of the investigative team looking into whether President Trump “colluded” with Russia.

In that post I set up and asked the following pertinent question…

…The thing is Muller was appointed FBI Director by George W. Bush whom he served under for 10 years.

When Barack Hussein Obama became President, Mueller served under him for 2 more years.

His past, plus his present staff activity has lead me and others to throw up a red flag about this guy, fearing that he may be another Establishment Political Weasel like James Comey, who followed Mueller as Director of the FBI.

Why would a Special Counsel hire so many financial supporters of the Democratic Party to assist in investigating a matter which the Democratic Party has erroneously linked to a President?

Is Professional Bureaucrat Mueller putting together an Investigative Staff or a Firing Squad?

Well, boys and girls, I think that we now know the answer to my question.

The moment that it was announced that a “Special Counsel” had been named and it was announced who it was, the little hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up.

Make no mistake. Mueller is a part of the Washington Establishment.

While it is true that he served under both a Democratic and Republican President, he is still quite partisan. His loyalties are to the Washingtonian Status Quo.

That is why he is expanding his investigation into the business dealings of a then-private citizen.

What boggles the mind is the fact that Donald J. Trump and Donald Trump, Jr. have committed no crime.

Even the Liberal Professor Emeritus from Harvard, Renown Legal Scholar Alan Dershowitz has written in op eds that no crime has been committed.

On, the night of the 2016 Presidential Election, Hillary and her henchman, Podesta came up with this cockamamie Russian Collusion Fairy Tale, which the Libs have been harping on, repeating lies as being facts, as if they graduated from the Dan Rather School of Broadcast Journalism.

As I have written before, the frenzy which they have built themselves into as a group resembles the mentality of an old West Lynch Mob.

They want a hanging, and by gum, there WILL be a “hanging”, even though, as Professor Dershowitz has written, there is no proof whatsoever that the President did anything wrong.

Being the minority Political Ideology in America has never stopped Modern American Liberals from trying to enforce their will upon the American people.

On November 8th, the Electoral College, put in place by our Founding Fathers, stopped them.

And, the Russia-Trump Collusion Fairy Tale is their attempt to circumvent our Constitution.

And now, it is apparent that Mueller is a part of “The Resistance”.

It appears to this average American that Mueller, being well-connected in the Washington Establishment, is cut from the same cloth as Former FBI Director James Comey.

Mueller is turning out to be a political weasel, a professional bureaucrat who views himself to be more important than he actually is, just like Comey.

President Trump needs to go ahead and fire Mueller.

…before he and the rest of “The Resistance” usurp the will of the American People.

Until He Comes,

KJ

 

Iran Upset Over Trump’s New Sanctions. Too Bad.

On By kingsjesterIn PoliticsLeave a comment

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The JCPOA can perhaps delay Iran’s nuclear weapons program for a few years. Conversely, it has virtually guaranteed that Iran will have the freedom to build an arsenal of nuclear weapons at the end of the commitment. – Mike Pompeo, Director, Central Intelligence Agency

CNSNews.com reports that

Iran pledged Tuesday to retaliate after the Trump administration coupled its certification of the regime’s conduct with regard to the nuclear deal with new sanctions targeting the ballistic missile program and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Calling the new measures “contemptible and worthless,” the foreign ministry said Iran would respond by imposing sanctions against American individuals and entities that have taken hostile steps against Iran and “other Muslim nations in the region.”

The State and Treasury Departments announced the U.S. has designated 18 individuals and entities, including some based in China and Turkey, for supporting the missile program, Iranian military procurement, or the IRGC – the powerful military organization that has been behind terrorism directed at the U.S., Israel and Jews since the early 1980s, and is deeply involved in propping up the Assad regime in Syria.

Among those targeted Tuesday were an Iran-based transnational criminal organization and three people associated with it.

The organization, the Ajily Software Procurement Group “uses hackers to steal engineering software programs from the United States and other western countries,” said the Treasury Department.

“Some of this software was sold to Iranian military and government entities, which are unable to acquire it overtly because of U.S. export controls and sanctions.  The hackers use computer servers located in multiple Western countries to carry out their thefts.”

The administration linked Tuesday’s measures with a certification to Congress that Iran is meeting its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement.

As a result, the administration informed Congress it will continue to waive nuclear-related sanctions to comply with U.S. JCPOA obligations.

It was the Trump administration’s second such certification, required by law every 90 days.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert made it clear the certification did not mean the administration – which is conducting a review of the JCPOA and associated sanctions relief – believes Iran is embracing the “spirit” of the agreement.

She noted in a statement that according to the JCPOA text, the countries involved anticipate that full implementation “will positively contribute to regional and international peace and security.”

“However, Iran’s other malign activities are serving to undercut whatever ‘positive contributions’ to regional and international peace and security were intended to emerge from the JCPOA,” she said.

The new sanctions are being imposed under two executive orders – one (E.O. 13382 of 2005) dealing with proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and WMD means of delivery and those who support proliferation, and the other (E.O. 13581 of 2011) targeting transnational criminal organizations.

“These sanctions target procurement of advanced military hardware, such as fast attack boats and unmanned aerial vehicles, and send a strong signal that the United States cannot and will not tolerate Iran’s provocative and destabilizing behavior,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. “We will continue to target the IRGC and pressure Iran to cease its ballistic missile program and malign activities in the region.”

The measures stopped short of designating the IRGC under E.O. 13224, a post-9/11 order designed to disrupt funding to terrorists. There have been growing calls for the Trump administration to take that step – or the even more far-reaching one of designating the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO).

In 2007 President Bush used E.O. 13224 to designate the IRGC’s Qods Force for providing support to terrorists, citing Hezbollah, three Palestinian terror groups, and the Taliban. But Iran experts have told Congress that the Qods Force is an inseparable part of the IRGC, which should be designated in its entirety.

Iran engagement proponents, on the other hand, argue that blacklisting the IRGC would risk a violent backlash.

On Monday, Iran armed forces chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Hossein Baqeri issued a direct threat along those lines, warning Washington that naming the IRGC a terrorist group “would be a big risk to the US and its bases and forces stationed in the region.”

In response to threats to target the missile program, Baqeri declared that Iran’s missiles would not be “subject to bargaining and negotiation at any level.”

Both the missile program and IRGC are targeted in new bipartisan legislation that passed the Senate last month.

The legislation, which has been sent to the House of Representatives, mandates sanctions against the IRGC as a whole, under E.O. 13224.

‘An environment of uncertainty’

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC), which advocates engagement with Tehran, on Tuesday criticized the administration’s approach.

“While the Trump administration certified Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA with one hand today, it continues to undermine the nuclear accord with the other by undermining the sanctions relief process,” said NIAC president Trita Parsi.

He accused the administration of having “deliberately created an environment of uncertainty by consistently questioning the validity of the JCPOA, hinting that the U.S. might quit the agreement, and by suggesting that it might pursue regime change in Iran.”’

Iran complained to the U.N. last month that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was advocating “regime change.”

In fact, in an appearance before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Tillerson said it was administration policy to “work toward support of those elements inside of Iran that would lead to a peaceful transition of that government.”

“Those elements are there certainly, as we know,” he added, without elaborating.

One group that does call for regime change in Tehran, the exiled National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), welcomed the new sanctions, and reiterated its calls for the IRGC to be designated “as a terrorist entity” and to be expelled from the region, particularly from Iraq and Syria.

“A firm approach is the only correct policy vis-à-vis a regime, which is the world’s most active state sponsor of terrorism and extremism,” it said.

And, they are exactly right.

Are you old enough to remember the Iranian Hostage Crisis? If not, here is a summary, courtesy of u-s-history.com:

On November 4, 1979, an angry mob of some 300 to 500 “students” who called themselves “Imam’s Disciples,” laid siege to the American Embassy in Teheran, Iran, to capture and hold hostage 66 U.S. citizens and diplomats. Although women and African-Americans were released a short time later, 51 hostages remained imprisoned for 444 days with another individual released because of illness midway through the ordeal.

…Upon the death of the shah in July [1980] (which neutralized one demand) and the Iraqi invasion of Iran in September (necessitating weapons acquisition), Iran became more amenable to reopening negotiations for the hostages’ release.

In the late stages of the presidential race with Ronald Reagan, Carter, given those new parameters, might have been able to bargain with the Iranians, which might have clinched the election for him. The 11th-hour heroics were dubbed an “October Surprise”* by the Reagan camp — something they did not want to see happen.

Allegations surfaced that William Casey, director of the Reagan campaign, and some CIA operatives, secretly met with Iranian officials in Europe to arrange for the hostages’ release, but not until after the election. If true, some observers aver, dealing with a hostile foreign government to achieve a domestic administration’s defeat would have been grounds for charges of treason.

Reagan won the election, partly because of the failure of the Carter administration to bring the hostages home. Within minutes of Reagan’s inauguration, the hostages were released.

In stark, terrifying contrast, the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Hussein Obama, purposely and surreptitiously handed a Rogue State of Radical Muslim Barbarians the means of the destruction of both the United States of America and  our staunch ally, Israel, with his toothless “Nuclear Agreement”

Why did the President of these United States, Barack Hussein Obama, trust Iran, an enemy of freedom, to stand by its “Agreement” to refrain from nuking the United States of America and Israel?

He gave Iran everything they wanted: their money, nuclear capability, and acquiescence by the Government of the United States of America, literally, encouraging the world’s population of Islamic Terrorists to kidnap our own Naval Personnel, with the promise of a huge payday, while he remained president.

By the way, in case you didn’t know, there was a reason, besides his duties as Secretary of State, that John F. Kerry did the bulk of “negotiating” with the Mad Mullahs of the Rogue State of Iran during the second half of Obama’s Presidency…

They were “family”.

As noted on the website of Lt. Col. Allen B. West…

…in 2009, the daughter of Secretary of State John Kerry, Dr. Vanessa Bradford Kerry, John Kerry’s younger daughter by his first wife, married an Iranian-American physician named Dr. Brian (Behrooz) Vala Nahed.

…Brian (Behrooz) Nahed is son of Nooshin and Reza Vala Nahid of Los Angeles. Brian’s Persian birth name is “Behrooz Vala Nahid” but it is now shortened and Americanized in the media to “Brian Nahed.” At the time his engagement to Bradford Kerry, there was rarely any mention of Nahed’s Persian/Iranian ancestry, and even the official wedding announcement in the October 2009 issue of New York Times carefully avoids any reference to Dr. Nahed (Nahid)’s birthplace (which is uncommon in wedding announcements) and starts his biography from his college years.

…Zarif is the current minister of foreign affairs in the Rouhani administration and has held various significant diplomatic and cabinet posts since the 1990s. He was Kerry’s chief counterpart in the nuclear deal negotiations.

Secretary Kerry and Zarif first met over a decade ago at a dinner party hosted by George Soros at his Manhattan penthouse. What a surprise. I have to say, connecting the dots gets more and more frightening.

But it gets even worse. Guess who was the best man at the 2009 wedding between Kerry’s daughter Vanessa and Behrouz Vala Nahed? Javad Zarif’s son.

Does this bother anyone at all?

Apparently Kerry only revealed his daughter’s marriage to an Iranian-American once he had taken over as Secretary of State. But the subject never came up in his Senate confirmation hearing, either because Kerry never disclosed it, or because his former colleagues were “too polite” to bring it up.

Happily, as I have written before, there’s a new sheriff in town.

Foreign Leaders, who enjoyed the advantage that they had under the weak and vacillating Foreign Policy of Barack Hussein Obama, do not want the United States to regain our position as the Leader of the Free World.

And, they certainly do not want a President who will honor our friendship with our ally, Israel.

That is why they feared a Trump Presidency.

It was far more lucrative for them, when the United States “negotiated from a position of weakness”, when we had a vacillating dhimmi in the White House.

Now, they have to negotiate with an American President who has mastered “The Art of the Deal”.

…one who will place America and her best interests, first.

The problem Trump faces with Iran is that they are a state sponsor of Radical Islamic Terrorism. They are bullies who will lie to your face, as they did to our naïve Former President, when he made his “Gentlemen’s Agreement” with them concerning the development of nuclear weapons.

They are testing President Trump’s and our nation’s resolve. Plain and simple.

Just like President Reagan sent a guided missile straight into Libyan Madman Moamar Kadhafi’s bedroom, perhaps it is time for President Trump to “fire a shot across the bow” and get the attention of the Radical Islamic Mullahs who govern the Rogue Country of Iran.

After all, bullies with think twice if you stand up to them and give them something to think about.

Ask the bully in 7th grade whom I hit square between the eyes with my 2s (Tom) drumsticks.

He never bothered me again.

Please allow me to tell another personal Story in closing.

As the Iranian Revolution was occurring, a wonderful family, friends of the Shah, escaped the barbarians who were laying waste to what was once a vibrant nation.

He was an engineer. She was an English Professor at the University of Tehran. They had two young children, a boy and a girl.

He decided to leave his family here and to travel back to Iran to check on his family and try to get them out.

He was never heard from again.

These are they type of people that we are dealing with, Mr. President.

Do not expect any sort of civilized negotiations with them.

Treat them as barbarians who murder their own people with no remorse.

For that is indeed, who they are.

Until He Comes,

KJ

 

The Trump/Russia Collusion Fake News Fairy Tale: Why Liberals Redefine the Meaning of Words

On By kingsjesterIn PoliticsLeave a comment

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The trouble with our Liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so. – Ronald Reagan

FoxNews.com reports that on Martha McCallum’s program…

Professor Jonathan Turley said the president’s critics are so eager to “bag a Trump” that their hunt extends the definition of a crime “well beyond its legal moorings.”

Martha MacCallum reported the latest source of Trump criticism is a previously undisclosed meeting between the president and Vladimir Putin at a German dinner.

However, the White House responded by saying Trump got up from his seat to approach his wife who was assigned a seat next to Putin and his translator.

Trump apparently spoke with the trio for some time.

Turley, of George Washington University in Foggy Bottom, D.C., said Trump critics “reflect a level of hyperventilation we have in Washington now.”

He said that collusion on its own is not a crime, but that any conspiracy involved might be.

Turley said that people will not like a world where “treason” is more broadly defined in that way.

He said that Trump has been accused of committing crimes, despite his alleged actions falling well short of what separates a crime from a political faux pais.

“People are so eager to bag a Trump that they are willing to take these crimes and take them well beyond their legal moorings,” he said.

On July 11th, Alan M. Dershowitz, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus and author of Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law and Electile Dysfunction, wrote the following op ed for foxnews.com…

Special Counsel Robert Mueller will surely be looking into the meeting between Donald Trump, Jr., and a Russian lawyer named Natalia Veselnitskaya.  Part of the meeting was also attended by Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, and Paul Manafort, who at the time was running Trump’s campaign.  It now seems clear from the emails that the Trump people went to the meeting expecting to be given dirt on Hillary Clinton from the Russian government.  The question remains, if this is all true, is it criminal?

The first issue that must be addressed by Mueller is whether any existing criminal statutes would be violated by collusion between a campaign and a foreign government, if such collusion were to be proved? Unless there is a clear violation of an existing criminal statute, there would be no crime.

Obviously if anyone conspired in advance with another to commit a crime – such as hacking the DNC – that would be criminal. But merely seeking to obtain the work product of a prior hack would be no more criminal than a newspaper publishing the work product of thefts such as the Pentagon Papers and the material stolen by Snowden and Manning.   Moreover, the emails sent to Trump Jr. say that the dirt peddled by Veselnitskaya came from “official documents.”  No mention is made of hacking or other illegal activities. So it is unlikely that attendance at the meeting violated any criminal statute.

Perhaps mere collusion by a campaign with a foreign government should be made a crime, so as to prevent future contamination of our elections. But it is not currently a crime.

Whether or not such collusion, if it occurred, is a crime, it is clear that the American people have the right to know whether any sort of collusion –legal or illegal – took place.  And, if so, what was its nature.

The Mueller investigation is limited to possible criminal activity.  Probing the moral, political or other non-criminal implications of collusion with, or interference by, Russia is beyond the jurisdiction of the special counsel.  It is the role of Congress, not the Criminal Division of the Justice Department, to make changes in existing laws.  Perhaps mere collusion by a campaign with a foreign government should be made a crime, so as to prevent future contamination of our elections.  But it is not currently a crime. 

Nor will it be easy to draft a criminal statute prohibiting a campaign from using material provided by a foreign power, without trenching on the constitutional rights of candidates.  But this is all up to Congress and the courts, not the special counsel, with his limited jurisdiction.

That is why the entire issue of alleged collusion with, and interference by, the Russians should be investigated openly by an independent nonpartisan commission, rather than by a prosecutor behind the closed doors of a grand jury. 

The end result of a secret grand jury investigation will be an up or down determination whether to indict or not to indict.  If there are no indictments, that will end the matter. The special counsel may issue a report summarizing the results of his investigation, but many experts believe that such reports are improper, since the subjects of the investigation do not have the right to present exculpatory evidence to the grand jury, which typically hears only one side of the case. Beyond any report, there will also be selective leaks, such as the many that have already occurred.  Leaks, too, tend to be one-sided and agenda driven.

A public non-partisan commission investigation, or even one conducted by partisans in Congress, would be open for the most part.  They would hear all sides of the story, and the public would be able to judge for itself whether there was improper collusion.  A commission or Congressional committee could also recommend changes in the law for the future.

The American people need to know precisely what the Russians tried to do and did – and what, if anything, the Trump campaign knew and did.  These issues go beyond a cops-and-robber whodunit. They involve the very essence of our democracy.

It is quite refreshing to read the writings of a level-headed Liberal for a change.

All average Americans, like you and me, see on Liberal-produced television newscasts or read in Liberal-written newspapers or magazines, are attacks on President Trump, which feature all of the common sense and objective level-headedness of Bobcat Goldthwait.

As I have noted numerous times in the last seven months, Modern American Liberals are throwing an unending National Temper Tantrum over the loss of Hillary Clinton to American Businessman and Entrepreneur Donald J. Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election.

The other factor, besides this ongoing temper tantrum, which has led to the Liberals proclaiming criminal activity on behalf of President Trump and his son when there is none, is the fact that Liberals lead their lives in a state of perpetual confusion.

Liberals believe that

Rachel Dozeal is black….

Elizabeth Warren is an American Indian.

Al Sharpton is a Reverend.

Al Gore is a scientist.

George Stephanopoulos is a journalist.

Bernie Sanders is presidential.

Barack Hussein Obama is honest.

And, somehow, someway, if they could get rid of Trump, Hillary Clinton would be given the Presidency.

Heck. Hillary’s husband, Bubba, doesn’t even know what the definition of “is”, is.

The good news is that while the Democrat Party, their Propaganda Arm, the MSM, and their Social Media Operatives continue to sound like Jan Brady, screaming

Russia! Russia! Russia!

…their whining is falling on deaf ears.

Per Hannity.com…

A new poll released by left-leaning Bloomberg proves what most Americans have been saying for months; the nation is facing some big problems, and the Russia-Trump conspiracy theory isn’t one of them.

The survey, conducted last week and released on Tuesday, shows that just 6% of American voters think allegations of Russian collusion in the 2016 general election is a major issue facing the nation.

Individuals were asked “Which of the following do you see as the most important issue facing the nation right now?” Healthcare reform was at the top of the list with 35% of Americans seeing at is the largest problem in the US, followed by unemployment at 13%; terrorism at 11%; and immigration at 10%.

Near the bottom was the “Relationship with Russia” with just 6%.

The poll flies in the face of non-stop media coverage of the Russian-Trump witch hunt that has dominated headlines for over a year.

The survey also highlighted other positive development for the Trump administration, mostly regarding the President’s performance on jobs and the economy.

“The latest Bloomberg National Poll shows 58 percent of Americans believe they’re moving closer to realizing their own career and financial aspirations, tied for the highest recorded in the poll since the question was first asked in February 2013,” said the report.

Just like adults engaging in a conversation tune out a loud, bratty child who keeps trying to interrupt them to call attention to themselves, so are average Americans tuning out those intent on pushing the “Trump/Russia Collusion Fake News Fairy Tale”.

Average Americans are more concerned about adult matters, like feeding our families, keeping or finding jobs, the future of our children and grandchildren…

and MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.

Until He Comes,

KJ

 

 

Dear Vichy Republicans: Repeal Obamacare NOW! Sincerely, Your Bosses

On By kingsjesterIn Politics1 Comment

 

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I was literally raised by 3 doctors. No, I’m not some genetic experiment, like Arnold Schwarzenegger was in the movie “Twins” with Danny DeVito. I was born a severe asthmatic, caused by being born a month premature to a Mother 3 days before her 40th birthday. These three men worked in the same clinic in Mid-town Memphis, TN. They later went on to become the chairmen of the Medical and Surgery Departments at a local hospital.

Some of my most vivid childhood memories involve laying in one of their examination rooms, with oxygen strapped to my face, as my beloved Daddy waited nervously, by my side.

Asthma treatment back then, consisted of a swig of nasty-tasting yellow Triaminic Syrup, a shot of Epinephrine, an antibiotic shot (usually a Mycin drug), a prescription for Prednisone to alleviate the inflammation, and a prescription for an anti-biotic (again, usually a mycin drug). Thank goodness, back then, (1960s through early 1970s) Sears, where both of my parents worked, had a really good insurance plan.

That being said, I owe my life to those three devoted physicians and the Greatest Healthcare System in the World.

And, to the solid Health Insurance which my parents had through their jobs at Sears Roebuck and Company, jobs which they held until they were forced to retire in the early 1980s by the people who have run that once proud company straight into a rapidly-approaching oblivion.

Unfortunately, America’s Healthcare System, thanks to the Marxist Megalomaniac who formerly resided at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, is in the process of going that same way, unless Obamacare is repealed immediately.

Foxnews.com reported yesterday that

Republican Senators Mike Lee, of Utah, and Jerry Moran, of Kansas, announced late Monday they would not support the GOP’s most recent version of the Senate health care bill, effectively stalling the legislation.

In a statement released Monday night, Sen. Lee said he will vote no on the Better Care Reconciliation Act.

“After conferring with trusted experts regarding the latest version of the Consumer Freedom Amendment, I have decided I cannot support the current version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act,” Sen. Lee said. “In addition to not repealing all of the Obamacare taxes, it doesn’t go far enough in lowering premiums for middle class families; nor does it create enough free space from the most costly Obamacare regulations.”

Sen. Moran tweeted his official statement in which he voiced his opposition to the Senate’s latest bill, stating, “We should not put our stamp of approval on bad policy.”

The two senators join Senators Rand Paul, of Kentucky, and Susan Collins, of Maine, who both made clear last week they would not support the bill.

With a 52-48 majority, the two senators’ opposition to the bill means it is effectively dead in the Senate.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the Senate’s second failure at attempting to repeal and replace ObamaCare is “proof” that the bill is “unworkable.”

The legislation, which was strongly backed by President Donald Trump, is the second failure in the Senate for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had to cancel voting on an earlier version of the bill last month when it became clear it wouldn’t pass. McConnell had planned to “move to proceed” on the health care bill this week.

The Senate bill eliminated mandates and taxes under ObamaCare, and unraveled a Medicaid expansion. But for conservatives like Lee and Paul it didn’t go far enough in delivering on Republican Party promises to undo Obama’s law, while moderates like Collins viewed the bill as too extreme in yanking insurance coverage from millions.

After the announcement of this impasse in the Senate, President Trump tweeted,

Republicans should just REPEAL failing ObamaCare now & work on a new Healthcare Plan that will start from a clean slate. Dems will join in!

Wow. Common sense coming from the White House. How refreshing.

After the President’s Tweet, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued the following statement…

“Regretfully, it is now apparent that the effort to repeal and immediately replace the failure of Obamacare will not be successful. So, in the coming days, the Senate will vote to take up … a repeal of Obamacare with a two-year delay to provide for a stable transition period to a patient-centered health care system that gives Americans access to quality, affordable health care.”

There is still one major roadblock preventing the President’s suggestion from becoming a reality:

PROFESSIONAL POLITICIANS

Trump was elected President, to a great degree, because he is NOT a professional politician.

He was an American who wanted to make a difference.

That being the case, his penchant for not beating around the bush, i.e., being direct in his statements and actions, immediately put him at odds with the Vichy Republicans of the G.O.P.

The President is doing his best to fulfill all of the campaign promises he made to those of us who voted for him last November.

As is the case with getting rid of the disastrous failed bureaucratic boondoggle known as Obamacare. since Trump assumed office, there have been two impediments to him keeping his promises to the American People: the Democratic Party…and the Republican Party.

For every promise that we hear from Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and the rest of the G.O.P. that they are going to support and assist Trump in fulfilling his campaign promises, there are also deals being struck in the Congressional Coatroom, where “business as usual” has always been conducted on Capitol Hill.

The Establishment Republicans seem to be quite content, in their Moderately Left-leaning stupor, even after the mandate that We The People delivered to them on November 8th, 2016, to be totally oblivious and tone-deaf of their Base, average hard working middle-class Americans like you and me.

You know, the people who actually put them into office.

They keep on making bad choices.

Spineless Vichy Republicans have been a barrier to Republican victory for as long as I can remember. Like Quakers, Establishment Republicans seem to believe that passive resistance and reaching out to their sworn enemies as “friends”, is the way to defeat those who oppose you.

It has been especially bad during Obama’s reign, as the House and Senate Republican Leadership apparently cherished their friendship with the Democrats more than they did the wishes of the folks back home. Yes, they talked a good game, but so did Jon Lovitz in those “Liar Sketches” during the old days of Saturday Night Live, back when they were actually funny.

Yeah,  my wife Morgan Fairchild. Yeah, that’s it. That’s the ticket!

I am afraid that the noble sentiments that we hear and the “Hail Fellow well met” reaction to President Trump that we see from Ryan, McConnell, and the rest of the entrenched Republicans are a reenactment of William Shakepeare’s “Julius Caesar”.

Beware the Ides of March.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Political Aisle, you have San Fran Nan Pelosi and the rest of Democrats criticizing every single move that Trump makes…sometimes even before he makes one.

Backing them up is the Main Stream Media, like the Associated Press, who word their articles about Trump very carefully in their role as the Propaganda Arm of the Democratic Party.

However, they can not hide their bias. Their hatred of the 45th President shines through in both their prose and the individuals they use as sources for their articles.

To summarize, Trump is catching flack from both sides of the Political Aisle.

Clowns to the left of me…jokers to the right…here I am…

Everybody sing!

Just kidding.

If the Republican Establishment keeps mooning average Americans and showcasing their Spines of Jello, instead of supporting President Trump and the mandate which the American People gave them on November 8, 2016, average Americans are going to show them what they think of them by decimating the  entrenched House and Senate Vichy Republicans in the Mid-Term Vote.

In summation, the American people are tired of Political Correctness and anti-American political expediencies being forced down our throats by both political parties looking out for their own personal interests and trumpeted by their lackeys in the Main Stream Media.

Donald Trump, for all of his brashness and braggadocio, is a breath of free air and, quite frankly an anomaly. He’s not a professional politician. He is a businessman who became the President of the United States of America.

I believe that President Trump will continue to navigate his way through these shark-infested waters.

The success that he has achieved as President so far is not just a three-hour tour and he is not Skipper Jonas Grumby.

Although, Congressman Paul Ryan does resemble Gilligan.

But, I digress…

Until He Comes,

KJ