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Ruth King

P.C.-CULTURE Comments turned off

The Museum At James Madison’s Home Slants The Truth About His Interactions With Slavery By Brenda M. Hafera

By on June 6th, 2019

https://thefederalist.com/2019/06/06/museum-james-madisons-home-slants-truth-interactions-slavery/

It seems the Montpelier Foundation has adopted a version of the ‘blame America first’ mantra: Blame the Founders first, instead.

Along with a group of other young professionals, I journeyed to James Madison’s Montpelier last year for a weekend summit “to connect with the source of American democracy.” I was disappointed. It seems the Montpelier Foundation has adopted a version of the “blame America first” mantra: Blame the Founders first, instead.

In June 2017, “The Mere Distinction of Colour” exhibit, composed of three separate exhibits on slavery, opened at Montpelier. An 11-minute video on “slavery’s lasting legacies in modern society” occupies its own room in the cellars.

Professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries, chair of the Teaching Hard History Advisory Board, an initiative of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), is featured. There are some notable similarities between the video and the preface of SPLC’s report (authored by Jeffries).

The SPLC is now infamous as an ideologically biased organization. They brand conservative nonprofits such as the Alliance Defending Freedom, an institution that has won Supreme Court cases, “hate groups.”  Even Twitter is not comfortable relying on the advice of the SPLC, having removed them from their “Trust and Safety Council” recently. Yet their arguments are welcome at Montpelier.

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POLITICS Comments turned off

Why Are Democrats Obstructing Justice? By Julie Kelly

By on June 6th, 2019

https://amgreatness.com/2019/06/05/why-are-democrats-obstructing-justice/

It was a shocking acknowledgment from a fierce (and profane) Russian collusion propagandist.

“The Democrats have a clock ticking,” warned CNN analyst Phil Mudd on Tuesday. “If they can’t get things underway before the Department of Justice says, ‘here’s our report on how the [Trump campaign] investigation was initiated, they’re in trouble because the Department of Justice is gonna say, ‘when this thing got started, about the Trump campaign, it was pretty ugly.’ And then we’re off to the races.”

As if that revelation wasn’t enough to panic CNN host Don Lemon, Mudd continued. “I’m going to bet a paycheck when [dossier author Christopher] Steele gets in front of investigators and they say, how can you confirm to us that the information you acquired in that dossier is true, that he is not going to be able to answer.”

Here, Mudd admits two things: One, the attempt by House Democrats to harass Bill Barr over the Mueller report and threaten the attorney general with contempt charges are diversions from the real scandal—the corrupt origin of the Trump campaign probe largely based on a garbage political document. (Calls for impeachment also are a smokescreen intended to distract the attention of the American people.)

And two, the results of the investigation into how James Comey’s FBI launched and handled his agency’s counterintelligence probe into alleged Russian election “collusion” will not be pretty. In fact, it will be ugly.

This is why Democrats and the news media (I know, I repeat myself) want to delay the investigation and discredit Barr. Since his confirmation in February, Barr has publicly expressed his alarm at how the Obama administration weaponized powerful surveillance tools, along with other methods, to target political foes.

Barr last month appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham to take on this task after numerous delays and empty promises from Barr’s predecessor; this is welcome news as Trump’s base is eager for action.

Barr compared former FBI Director James Comey and his top officers to the Praetorian Guard in an interview last week.

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HISTORY Comments turned off

My Father’s D-Day Memories By Karin McQuillan

By on June 6th, 2019

https://amgreatness.com/2019/06/05/my-fathers-d-day-memories/

D-Day is more than a remembrance of America’s great victory in the Battle of Normandy. It is a celebration of the Greatest Generation and the lessons they have to teach us.

Like Jews repeating the story of the Passover every year for 3,000 years, we must recall the story of this generation’s great deeds, or we will lose some idea of who we are, why we are here, and what we are capable of achieving. Indeed, if we don’t remember what our fathers knew, we will lose our country.

My beloved father, who passed away two years ago at 98-years-old, was a typical member of the greatest generation. Phil Schultz was eternally optimistic, fearless, hard-working, a responsible family man and provider, and patriotic to his core. He achieved the American Dream, not through selfishness or callousness but rather through family loyalty, taking care of those closest to him, and believing in himself. It was the same ability to pull together and have confidence in victory that gave our country the stamina to win World War II, and later let my Dad realize his personal dream of being a professional cameraman.

If only the Millennials and Generation Z could share in his life experiences and wisdom for just a moment, their world would be transformed.

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FOREIGN POLICY, WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

The Transatlantic Relationship on the 75th Anniversary of D-Day by Con Coughlin

By on June 6th, 2019

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14346/nato-relationship

US officials were shocked when Angela Merkel said she had no intention of meeting the target [of minimum defence spending of 2 percent of GDP] by 2024, but that Germany might be able to reach it by 2030. Given the closeness of Germany’s relationship with Russia, particularly over the construction of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline which will supply Berlin’s energy needs for decades to come, this attitude suggests Germany is more interested in its relations with Russia than sustaining the NATO alliance.

For a president who is already critical of the Europeans’ failure to pay for defending their continent, this cavalier attitude can hardly be deemed constructive.

What the free world needs is a strong NATO to defend democracy against autocratic regimes like China and Russia, not one that is distracted by unnecessary internal squabbles, lest the transatlantic alliance one day cease to exist.

US President Donald Trump’s attendance at this week’s commemorations to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in northern France comes at a time when the future of the transatlantic relationship between the US and Europe is under unprecedented strain.

The Normandy landings, which began on June 6 and resulted in Allied forces achieving the remarkable feat of delivering 156,000 troops on to the shores of northern France, unquestionably represents the high water mark of the transatlantic relationship.

Not only did it ultimately result in the defeat of Nazi Germany and end the reign of terror it had instituted over much of Europe. It also led to the formation of the close alliance between the Western democracies of the free world in the existential battle with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

And yet, despite the significant victories the alliance achieved against these two significant foes, serious concerns are now being raised as to whether the alliance has the resilience to meet future challenges, from the emergence of China to the destabilizing policies of rogue states like Russia and Iran.

It is not just the personal dislike many Europeans claim to have for Mr Trump himself that threatens the future well-being of the relationship, although the childish antics of anti-Trump protesters in Britain this week, where the president is on a three-day state visit, hardly help the cause of transatlantic cooperation.

While the British government literally rolled out the red carpet for the 45th US President, with Mr Trump receiving a warm welcome from the Queen at Buckingham Palace, the magnificent pomp and ceremony of the royal occasion will have been somewhat undermined by the appearance of the “Trump baby” balloon in the skies over London.

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WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Turkey’s “Second Invasion” of Cyprus: Illegal Drilling in Eastern Mediterranean by Uzay Bulut

By on June 6th, 2019

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14256/cyprus-turkey-illegal-drilling

“Although Turkey has been violating Cyprus’s sovereignty since 1974, the current highly volatile internal political and economic situation in Turkey has made the Turkish government get even more aggressive in the eastern Mediterranean…. For Mr. Erdogan’s plans to succeed, Cyprus needs to be eliminated.” — Harris Samaras, an expert on the Cypriot EEZ and chairman of the international investment banking firm Pytheas.

“Mr. Erdogan is aware that it will be impossible for Turkey to achieve its goals of regional hegemony if US interests in particular, but also French ones, develop a firm foothold in Cyprus. This is his biggest fear.” — Harris Samaras.

“The East Med Pipeline, then — which has been started with the blessing of the US — is of the utmost importance. At the last trilateral meeting of Israel, Cyprus and Greece, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was present and supported the project. If it goes ahead, it will be a major slap in the face for Turkey’s energy plans.” — Harris Samaras.

“Concrete steps should be taken to stop Turkish violations against Cyprus’s EEZ. Sanctions should be imposed at the level of the European Council to the persons and companies responsible for the drilling. All pre-accession funds to Turkey should be blocked, and Turkish access to loans by the European Investment Bank should be eliminated. Additional options, if Turkey escalates the situation further, are imposing sanctions on Turkey’s banking sector and freezing the accession process altogether. The US also needs to lift the irrational arms embargo it imposed on the Republic of Cyprus in 1987, and help it to rearm and modernize its ability to defend itself, while keeping the UN peace keeping mission (UNFICYP) intact.” — Theodoros Tsakiris, assistant professor of energy policy and geopolitics at the University of Nicosia.

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

Report: Iran planning to arm Palestinians in Judea and Samaria by Neta Bar

By on June 6th, 2019

https://www.israelhayom.com/2019/06/06/report-iran-planning-to-arm-palestinians-in-judea-and-samaria/

Former Revolutionary Guards commander Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi “blesses” process of supplying the Palestinians with upgraded weapons, says Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei predicts “Zionist regime will disappear.”

Iran is working to arm the various terrorist organizations active in Judea and Samaria with the aim of sparking fresh hostilities against Israel, recent remarks by senior officials in Tehran reveal.

A report published by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs on Wednesday exposed a series of comments from officials showing that the Iranian regime has not abandoned its hopes of instigating a bloody uprising in Judea and Samaria.

Former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi, who now serves as security adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, spoke on Quds Day – marked last Friday – and said that support for the Palestinians was a fundamental principle of the Islamic Revolution, and would continue until the “Zionist regime” was eliminated.

Safavi praised the upgraded weapons the Palestinians have been using and stressed that the “blessed” process of procuring advanced weaponry was still underway. Safavi said that in contrast to the past, when Palestinians had waged war against Israel using rocks and sticks; they were now supplied with an arsenal of rockets that would allow them to respond to “any Israeli attack.”

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

In Search for Innovation, EU Corporations Turn Their Eyes to Tel Aviv by Lilach Baumer

By on June 6th, 2019

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https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/06/05/in-search-for-innovation-eu-c
Silicon Valley may hold the global crown when it comes to attracting European corporations looking to tap innovative new technologies, but Tel Aviv is closing the gap, and fast.

Forty-one large European corporations currently operate an innovation outpost in Israel, almost half of which have set up shop in the past three years, according to a new report published Monday by Mind the Bridge, a Silicon Valley-based innovation advisory firm. In comparison, the number of large European corporations that operate an innovation hub in Silicon Valley currently stands at 60.

The report’s authors divided international presence in Israel into four categories: the corporate innovation antenna — a small scouting team that looks for technologies on a case-by-case basis; the corporate innovation lab — an incubator-like entity that recruits out-of-house research and development; the research and development center — an established outpost numbering at least 50 local employees, which draws on both local startups and local human talent; and a corporate venture capital (CVC) outpost — a local venture fund presence set up by an international corporation.

In terms of presence in Israel, the four top countries are Germany, with 13 corporations, among them Bosch, Daimler AG, Volkswagen, Bayer, and Merck; France, with 10, including the Renault Group and insurance company AXA; the UK, with seven, including ARM and Barclays; and Switzerland, with four — Novartis, Lonza, Nestle, and Syngenta.

Overall, of the industry sectors represented among these corporations, the most popular are automotive and engineering and electronics, with life sciences a close third. Some corporations operate multiple outposts, such as Merck, which has one R&D center spread over four facilities, a lab, and two corporate venture capital (CVC) offices, according to the report.

In comparison to Silicon Valley, the authors conclude, Israeli outposts tend to be fewer in number but larger in scope — with R&D centers dominating thanks to Israel offering faster results and requiring smaller teams “due to the greatly concentrated and networked market, and the distinctive execution pace of local teams.” In Silicon Valley, only 19 percent of the outposts are R&D centers, compared to 60 percent in Israel, while CVCs amount to 30 percent, compared to 12 percent in Israel.

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POLITICS, WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Mexican Meddling in Our Elections Trump’s tariffs are necessary, but too nice for Mexico’s colonial regime. Lloyd Billingsley

By on June 6th, 2019

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/273922/mexican-meddling-our-elections-lloyd-billingsley

“Social problems are not solved with duties or coercive measures,” and “the Statue of Liberty is not an empty symbol.”

That was Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador after President Trump, no longer willing to wait on a hostile, do-nothing Congress, announced a 5 percent tariff on all Mexican goods. The tariffs would escalate in proportion to the way Mexico helps solve the border crisis, with a 25 percent rate targeted for October 1.

AMLO, as the Mexican president is known, blasted Trump for “turning the United States, overnight, from a country of brotherly love for immigrants from around the world, to a bolted space, where there’s stigmatizing, mistreatment, abuse, persecution, and a denial of the right to justice to those who seek — with sacrifice and hard work — to live free from misery.”

This reflected the belief of “socialist messiah” AMLO that all Mexicans have a “right” to live in the United States, which has the obligation to solve Mexico’s problems forever. AMLO quickly dispatched to Washington his foreign relations boss Marcelo Ebrard, a former Mexico City mayor who has been busy proclaiming Mexico “a great neighbor” of the USA.

Before that, as Ebrard told Francisco Goldman of the New Yorker, he became “committed to direct political action” to get Hillary Clinton elected in 2016. Ebrard had previously worked with Voto Latino and other groups in California, Arizona, Florida and elsewhere. The prospect of Trump, whom Ebrard compared to Adolph Hitler, prompted the Mexican’s work for the campaign of Hillary Clinton who is on record that “one-half of undocumented workers pay federal income taxes.”

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

Israeli Navy Deploys Drone Boat To Hunt Submarines During War Exercise by Tyler Durden

By on June 6th, 2019

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-06-05/israeli-navy-deploys-drone-boat-hunt-submarines-during-war-exercise

Seagull, Elbit Systems’ groundbreaking autonomous vessel recently participated in an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercise conducted by the Hellenic and Israeli Navy.

The multi-mission drone ship deployed dipping sonar sensors initially designed to be carried by helicopters.

“The Seagulls’ performance in the exercise demonstrated that operating a dipping sonar onboard such a vessel significantly increases the operational working time while substantially enhancing detection capabilities and the effectiveness of Anti-Submarine Warfare,” said Elbit.

Three months before the exercise, the Israeli Navy completed a Sea Acceptance Test (SAT) for the dipping sonar (otherwise known as the Helicopter Long-Range Active Sonar (HELRAS)) that was successfully converted from operations on a helicopter to an autonomous boat.The HELRAS was developed in the 1970s by FIAR and British Aerospace to detect submarines. The sensor was used throughout the Cold War for detection of Russian submarines.

The Seagull team includes three operators, with two remotely managing the mission and the third monitoring the autonomous navigation.

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ENVIRONMENT AND JUNK SCIENCE Comments turned off

Recycling: America’s False Religion J. Frank Bullitt

By on June 6th, 2019

https://issuesinsights.com/2019/06/05/recycling-americas-false-religion/

Before climate change became a belief system in which humans are expected to perform penance for their sins against Gaia, recycling was the religion of many in the modern world. Those who didn’t reduce, reuse, and recycle were, and still are, considered heretics.

Nearly a quarter century ago, John Tierney wrote in the New York Times Magazine that “Recycling Is Garbage.” In an article that produced the greatest volume of hate mail in the magazine’s history, Tierney said that rather than recycling, “the simplest and cheapest option is usually to bury garbage in an environmentally safe landfill.” With the exception of a few items — aluminum cans, cardboard, office paper — the cost of the recycling equipment plus the process itself exceeded the value of the products created by recycling.

Though recycling rarely makes economic sense and often burns up more fresh resources than would have been used in making new items, Americans recycled. And recycled. And recycle still.

Are we better off for it? It can easily be argued we are worse off. Our recycling obsessions have instigated a war on plastic that’s inconvenienced consumers and cost them billions. Recycling has also helped create an environmental mess. Roughly 90 percent of all plastic found in the oceans, says the Hemholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany, is carried there by “the top 10 rivers with the highest loads” of plastic debris. Eight of those rivers are in Asia, two are in Africa. None are in the U.S.

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