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November 2018

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A European Digital Retreat Leaders abandon France’s tax grab on U.S. tech firms and Ireland.

By on November 7th, 2018

https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-european-digital-retreat-1541635377

As impressive as Emmanuel Macron’s reform successes have been, this week brings word of a failure by the French President that’s worth cheering. There are growing signs that the Europe-wide digital tax cherished by Paris is falling by the wayside.

Finance ministers from Ireland, Sweden and Denmark this week rebuffed the European Commission’s digital tax proposal, released earlier this year, and Berlin now appears to have reservations as well. All signs are that at least some of these governments will exercise their veto over the plan at the next finance ministers’ summit in December, or kick the plan into the long grass by delaying further action until 2021 or later.

Mr. Macron and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire have aggressively advocated such a tax, which the Commission would set as a 3% charge on revenues (not profits), to be paid to the EU state where the revenue is earned rather than where a European subsidiary is headquartered. This is an attack on U.S. tech giants such as Facebook, Amazon and Google parent Alphabet, since few European companies would hit the thresholds of €750 million in annual global revenue and €50 million in EU revenue above which the tax kicks in.

The plan also is a policy assault on low-tax EU states such as Ireland, which has attracted the European headquarters of many global tech companies by imposing a 12.5% tax rate on corporate profits. Tax-happy EU members such as France and Germany have complained about this competition for decades, and Messrs. Macron and Le Maire may have thought that public irritation at American tech companies over privacy would provide political cover for another attack on Dublin.

But Dublin is stubbornly defending its fiscal sovereignty. Sweden is worried about the implications for its own tech economy, including music-streaming service Spotify. Other leaders are concerned about potential retaliation from President Trump. Berlin now says it would prefer to wait for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s plan for digital taxation—which may be a very long wait—despite Chancellor Angela Merkel signaling her support for the French plan earlier this year.

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The Nancy Pelosi Method She’ll try to lure Trump into bad deals. Hope for two years of gridlock.

By on November 7th, 2018

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-nancy-pelosi-method-1541635347

Equity markets rallied Wednesday on the expectation, or maybe the hope, that divided power in Washington will mean two years of policy gridlock. That is probably the best possible outcome of a Democratic House, though on Wednesday President Trump opened the door to anti-growth policies.

With a handful of House races undecided, Democrats appear to have won a 12 or so seat majority. While that’s narrow, Democrats under Speaker Nancy Pelosi have shown they march in unison. She doesn’t have a Freedom Caucus.

Democrats will start by unleashing multiple investigations into all things Trump to tarnish the President and his family as corrupt and impeach him if they come up with enough material. Expect two years of leaks about Mr. Trump’s tax returns, business dealings, and his Administration’s contacts with business. The GOP’s Senate gains after the political assault on Brett Kavanaugh would counsel restraint on impeachment. But the left and Democratic presidential candidates may insist on it.

As for policy, Mr. Trump will need Mrs. Pelosi to pass Nafta 2.0, raise the debt ceiling and negotiate a budget. She will try to extract policy concessions, such as a tax increase to pay for public works. At his Wednesday media circus, er, press conference, Mr. Trump opened the door to trading an “adjustment” on tax rates for Democratic support for a middle-class tax cut. Don’t be surprised if Mrs. Pelosi jumps on the offer, which would tar Mr. Trump as a tax raiser and hurt the economy.

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Navy SEAL Dan Crenshaw — Mocked on SNL as ‘Porno Hitman’ — Wins House Seat By Tyler O’Neil

By on November 7th, 2018

https://pjmedia.com/trending/navy-seal-dan-crenshaw-mocked-on-snl-as-porno-hitman-wins-house-seat/

Dan Crenshaw, the former Navy SEAL who lost his eye on his third tour to Afghanistan and whom Saturday Night Live actor Pete Davidson disgustingly mocked as a “porno hitman,” had the last laugh on Tuesday night.

According to Politico, Crenshaw won a smashing victory over Democrat Todd Littleton, 53 percent to 44 percent, in Texas’s 2nd Congressional District.

“Texans are hard working, love their country and believe in the American ideal; the greatest set of ideas for a free people that the world has ever known. As a team that was the message we spread for the last year.
Thank you for your dedication and trust. See you in Washington!”

During a segment of “Weekend Update” this past Saturday, Davidson mocked Crenshaw for his black eyepatch. “You may be surprised to hear he’s a congressional candidate from Texas and not a hitman in a porno movie,” the actor quipped. “I’m sorry. I know he lost his eye in war or whatever.”

The remark drew widespread and bipartisan criticism, as Davidson had mocked a true American hero. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who herself lost her logs in Iraq, demanded an apology from the SNL actor.

“No one should ever mock a Veteran for the wounds they received while defending our great nation, regardless of political party or what you think of their politics. Pete Davidson owes Dan Crenshaw an apology,” Duckworth declared.

On Monday, Crenshaw demanded a different kind of apology. He asked SNL to donate $1 million to veterans groups. “There’s a lot of veterans that really need help, and frankly, this kind of thing is offensive to them,” he told CNN’s Dan Camerota. “They feel laughed at.” CONTINUE AT SITE

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MY SAY: NOT YOUR MOTHER’S BALLET

By on November 7th, 2018

Last night I went to the Joyce Theater anticipating avant garde ballet starring two of my favorite dancers from the American Ballet Theater. We were warned that the so called ballet had nudity and drug use. I thought, oh well, I cannot be an old fuddy duddy and I greatly admire many modern choreographers.

In fact, although some, too little, of the dancing was admirable, the bare breasted nudity of both female dancers was gratuitous, and the half naked male dancer obviously masturbating was vulgar and tawdry and his full frontal nudity in a protracted scene of his trans dressing was appalling.

The superannuated hippies in the audience gave it a standing ovation. I ducked out and look forward to both performers in the forthcoming season of real ballet instead of pretentious kitsch.

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MY SAY: WE LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY

By on November 7th, 2018

Maybe it was not a “wave” but a loss is a loss. It was still a good night for Republicans in the states-Senate and Governors. It was also a blow to Obama whose active campaigning made zero difference- a referendum on his dismal administration.

Now, call me a cockeyed optimist, but remember that all the scoundrels (and so many are real scoundrels ) elected to the House have 23 months to hold on to their seats before they are challenged. The ousting of all the incumbents who voted against Justice Kavanaugh is instructive. Bad behavior reaps opprobrium.

Stay tuned and stay positive and stay focused….rsk

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Palestinian Threats to Arab Normalization with Israel by Khaled Abu Toameh

By on November 7th, 2018

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13236/palestinian-normalization-israel

“There’s no place for the [Israeli] enemy on the map.” — Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas leader, October 29, 2018.

A number of senior Fatah officials, including Munir al-Jaghoob and Mohammed Shtayyeh, have condemned Oman for hosting Netanyahu. They have also condemned the UAE for allowing Israelis to participate in the judo competition.

So, Fatah and Hamas cannot agree to pay their workers, they cannot agree on supplying electricity to the Gaza Strip, and they cannot agree on providing medical supplies to hospitals there. They do agree, however, on inflicting more harm and damage on their people. If they go on like this, the day will come when the Palestinians will discover that their friends and brothers have become their biggest enemies.

For more than 10 years now, Hamas and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s ruling Fatah faction have been at war with each other. Attempts by their Arab brothers, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to solve the power struggle between the two rival Palestinian groups have thus far failed and are unlikely to succeed in the foreseeable future. The gap between Hamas and Fatah remains as wide as ever: the two parties despise each other. Fatah wants to return to the Gaza Strip; Hamas says it out loud: no. Fatah wants Hamas to disarm and cede control over the Gaza Strip; Hamas says no.

On one particular issue, however, the two sides lay aside their differences and see eye to eye. When it comes to Israel, one would be hard-pressed to distinguish between Fatah and Hamas.

Both parties use the same harsh language when referring to Israel and the policies and decisions of the Israeli government. The daily statements condemning Israel that are issued separately by Hamas and Fatah sound almost identical. Both refer to Israel as the “state of occupation.” They also continue to incite Palestinians and the rest of the world against Israel by accusing it of committing “war crimes” against the Palestinians and “violating international law.”

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EDUCATION, WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

How Saudi “Donations” to American Universities Whitewash Its Religion by Raymond Ibrahim

By on November 7th, 2018

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13260/saudi-donations-american-universities

Saudi funding of an American academic “doesn’t mean that he’s bought and paid for.” Rather, “there is a kind of silencing effect. It’s more about what doesn’t get written about… there may be some self-censoring on certain topics you don’t raise unnecessarily, topics that are sensitive to the Saudis.” — from a Washington, DC “insider,” quoted in Vox.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the heartland of Islam, the birthplace of its history, the site of the two holy mosques and the focus of Islamic devotion and prayer. Saudi Arabia is committed to preserving the Islamic tradition in all areas of government and society….. The Holy Qur’an is the constitution of the Kingdom and Shari’ah (Islamic law) is the basis of the Saudi legal system.” — Website of the Saudi Arabian Embassy, Washington, DC.

A Saudi fatwa — in Arabic only — entitled, “Duty to Hate Jews, Polytheists, and Other Infidels,” was written by Sheikh Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz (d. 1999), former grand mufti and highest religious authority in the government. It comes from the fatwa wing of the government, meaning it has the full weight of the government behind it.

Why would the center of illiberalism, religious fanaticism, and misogyny ever sponsor the center of liberalism, secularism, and gender equality?

This is the question that crops up when one considers the largesse that human-rights-abusing Saudi Arabia bestows on the leading universities — those putative bastions of progressive, free thinking — in the United States.

According to a recent report in the Daily Caller:

“… elite U.S. universities took more than half a billion dollars from the country [Saudi Arabia] and its affiliates between 2011 and 2017. Saudi Arabian interests paid $614 million to U.S. universities over a six-year period, more than every country but Qatar and the United Kingdom.”

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The Front Runner – A Review By Marilyn Penn

By on November 7th, 2018

http://politicalmavens.com/

There’s more heat in a New York Times putdown of Melania Trump’s wardrobe than in Jason Reitman’s biopic of Gary Hart’s aborted run for a presidential nomination in 1988. Overstuffed with tons of newsroom and campaign chatter, Reitman neglects to give the primary players – Hart and his wife – sufficient opportunity to deal with the complicated and conflicted inner feelings of a man and his wife watching their shot at a brilliant future slip down the drain. And not because of a grand love affair, but rather a casual dalliance with a young and as played here, vapid Donna Rice. In real life, Donna had a fresh–faced prettiness but Reitman casts her as an overly made-up girl who looks more like a lap dancer than a model or pharmaceutical salesman, both of which Donna was.

Hugh Jackman plays Senator Hart as a man who is blinded by his insistence on his right to a private life, with little understanding of the growing power of the press and television to make or break a person’s reputation. One of the best moments in the film is the footage of Johnny Carson summarizing Hart’s tone-deafness as he watches the late nite show. Though he has lived through the revelations of the Kennedy clan and Watergate, he seems baffled by the indignity of the press in hounding him at his home and digging up dirt that was floating on the surface on a boat named Monkey Business. We never see him crumble as he realizes the enormity of his mis-judgment and the enduring price he will pay for that. Strangely, the famous picture of Donna Rice perched on his lap on the cruise to Bimini is never shown. Vera Farmiga does the best she can as Hart’s long-suffering wife Lee who gets a shot at emotional fireworks on the piano, hardly sufficient to satisfy our curiosity.

What I was left with was the observation that at least what the press and public were castigating was Hart’s behavior at the time he was running and his hypocrisy at stressing morality and ethics while he himself was an adulterer. What a far cry from our recent outrage at the alleged behavior of a 17 year old student, 36 years before his nomination for the Supreme Court and 19 years after a sterling academic, political, judicial, social and personal life. How far we have fallen as we now consider that progress.

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Our New Muslim Representatives Sharia, corruption, and Jew-hatred come to the House. Robert Spencer

By on November 7th, 2018

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/271872/our-new-muslim-representatives-robert-spencer

As expected, two Muslim women, Rashida Tlaib in Michigan and Ilhan Omar in Minnesota, have been overwhelmingly elected to Congress. The establishment media will celebrate these victories as triumphs of America’s “diversity”; unfortunately, in reality neither one is worth celebrating.

Tlaib is a vociferous foe of Israel. With the Democrats now regaining control of the House, Tlaib is likely to be an energetic proponent of the new majority’s vendetta against the Middle East’s only democracy. The House is likely to do all it can to roll back President Trump’s pro-Israel polices, with Tlaib as well as Omar as becoming the public faces of the effort.

According to the JTA, when Tlaib was asked if she would vote against military aid to Israel, Tlaib responded: “Absolutely, if it has something to do with inequality and not access to people having justice. For me, U.S. aid should be leverage. I will be using my position in Congress so that no country, not one, should be able to get aid from the U.S. when they still promote that kind of injustice.”

What kind of injustice? Tlaib, of course, had nothing to say about the genocidal incitement against Jews and Israel that regularly features on Palestinian television. She did say, however, that she favors a one-state, not two-state, “solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: “One state. It has to be one state. Separate but equal does not work. I’m only 42 years old but my teachers were of that generation that marched with Martin Luther King. This whole idea of a two-state solution, it doesn’t work.”

Indeed it doesn’t. A Palestinian state would be a new base for renewed jihad attacks against Israel. But a “one-state solution” would be even worse, unless that state is the current State of Israel, but that is not the one state Tlaib has in mind. She is calling for an Israeli/Palestinian state that would not be a Jewish State or a homeland for the Jewish people, but a federation in which Palestinians would soon overwhelm Jews demographically. Progressive denial of their rights would soon follow: as I show in my book The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS, there has never been a majority Muslim nation in which Jews enjoyed equality of rights with Muslims. Tlaib’s unitary state would be no different.

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The UK’s Muslim Rape Gangs and Maajid Nawaz’s Hypocrisy The twisted world of the media’s go-to Muslim darling – and ex-terrorist self-promoter. Joshua Winston

By on November 7th, 2018

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/271837/uks-muslim-rape-gangs-and-maajid-nawazs-hypocrisy-joshua-winston

The media’s go-to Muslim darling and ex-terrorist self-promoter, Maajid Nawaz, is currently having a Twitter spat with Lily Allen (that virtuous pop singer who has promised and failed to give a room to even one single asylum seeker in any of her several properties, in spite of breaking down in tears on TV at Calais and apologizing to the world on behalf of the UK).

Maajid is using the usual buzzwords that keep the cash flowing in his direction: “the regressive left,” “Muslim fundamentalists,” and then he ends their debate by stating that Lily is discrediting the work of the three million British Pakistanis who are trying to address and improve the situation of the over-representation of Pakistanis in grooming gangs in the UK. In reality, however, the entire Pakistani community knew, and still knows, about the rape of white British girls. They are a close-knit community. They would have seen gangs of girls hanging around kebab shops. At no point did anyone try on-street intervention. They would have heard their friends bragging about who and how many non-Muslim girls they had raped last night. They would have heard about the rape parties where non-Muslim girls were drugged and passed around the men to be raped. The wives, too, would have heard these conversations on the telephone, in the next room, or in the shops where their husbands work. The taxi drivers who shuttled the non-Muslims girls back and forth to houses and hotels to be raped were also aware of what was going on.

Contrary to Maajid’s claims, none of these three million Pakistani Muslims chose to speak up. A handful of Ahmadiyyas protested on the streets, and the UK media were in a frenzy to let us know that Muslims oppose violence and rape. The media, as usual, neglected to note that Ahmadiyyas are not considered by mainstream Sunni Muslims to be real Muslims. They are considered apostates, who have every chance of being beaten and killed, just the same as any other non-Muslim does. Literature in the Muslim Council of Britain and Kennington mosque declare this sect to be apostates, and essentially fair game.

I remember a radio conversation in which a Muslima was being interviewed and she said that the entire Pakistani communities knew and still know what is going on. She was so sickened and appalled by what her community was doing to non-Muslim girls that she took her infant child and fled, for her safety, and in order that she could speak about it, from the South to the North of England. What a brave soul. A single mother, on her own, running into poverty and uncertainty in order that she could do one single radio interview.

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