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Ruth King

HOMELAND SECURITY, IMMIGRATION Comments turned off

Congress Orders “Shields Down” By Blocking Emergency Declaration Willfully ignoring threats to national security. Michael Cutler

By on March 1st, 2019

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/273000/congress-orders-shields-down-blocking-emergency-michael-cutler

It has been said that “Timing is everything.”

On February 26, 2019 the House of Representatives voted to block President Trump’s declaration of an emergency on the southern border. Nancy Pelosi and others claimed that the declaration was a violation of the Separation of Powers provisions of the Constitution.

It would appear that failures to secure our nation’s borders against the entry of massive numbers of illegal aliens is a clear violation of our Constitution.

Article IV, Section 4 states:

“The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.”

Invasion is defined, part as:

An incursion by a large number of people or things into a place or sphere of activity: an unwelcome intrusion into another’s domain.

Furthermore, there would have been no need for any additional action by the administration if Congress had simply voted to fund the construction of a barrier to protect our nation from the illegal and un-inspected entry of people and contraband including narcotics and weapons, into the United States.

Congress failed to act responsibly and in accordance with the oaths of office that each member took to support and defend the Constitution of the United States by preventing invasion and domestic violence.

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POLITICS Comments turned off

Virginia Democrats Elect Their First Islamist Anti-Semite How the Dems are mainstreaming the worst kinds of Jew-Hate. March 1, 2019 Daniel Greenfield

By on March 1st, 2019

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/272969/virginia-democrats-elect-their-first-islamist-anti-daniel-greenfield

While Virginia Democrats were debating whether to oust Governor Northam for wearing blackface, Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax over alleged rape and Attorney General Mark Herring for also wearing blackface, a much more blatant example of contemporary bigotry by a Virginia Democrat had come to light.

It received virtually no coverage by the media.

Ibraheem Samirah, running in a special election for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates, had his social media history exposed. Aside from the usual rants about Israel, Samirah had posted that the Jews had stolen his grandfather’s land and “washed off as the Promised Land for Jews only (using the Torah and Zionist ideology, a 3000 yo religious book and a 100 yo Jew-only philosophy.)”

Samirah’s hatred for Israel wasn’t news. The Jordanian Muslim BDS activist had co-founded a chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (a misnamed pro-terrorist hate group that is neither peaceful nor Jewish), had served as a spokesman for Students for Justice in Palestine, a hate group whose chapters had been involved in numerous anti-Semitic incidents ranging from hate speech to acts of violence, and had spoken at an American Muslims for Palestine conference: an organization accused of supporting Hamas.

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WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Nigeria’s Democracy Survives Saturday’s election was far from perfect, but it’s still good news. See note please

By on March 1st, 2019

https://www.wsj.com/articles/nigerias-democracy-survives-11551400619

The question never asked: Are African nations that were British colonies better off since decolonization? How many years of tribal wars, corruption and chaos did it take for Nigeria to achieve this fragile state?…..rsk

There’s enough going wrong in Africa that it’s easy to miss the positive developments. Nigeria’s presidential election on Saturday is one of them, even if it was imperfect.

Voters decisively re-elected President Muhammadu Buhari with 56% of the vote, according to the country’s electoral commission. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar took home 41%. Mr. Abubakar, perhaps taking advantage of pre-election confusion, says he doesn’t accept the result. But this doesn’t square with the reality on the ground.

In 2015 Mr. Buhari became the first democratically elected Nigerian leader to take office in a peaceful transfer of power. But the former military dictator—he briefly ruled the country in the 1980s—seemed to be returning to his old ways. He suspended the Nigerian supreme court’s chief justice in January, and for years critics have complained that his anticorruption drive focuses on political opponents. After the election was delayed a week, it seemed Mr. Buhari might be seriously backsliding on Nigeria’s democratic progress.

Independent observers reported some irregularities and violence around the election, but both sides earned criticism. Critically, the shenanigans weren’t widespread enough to tip the result. The country has a long way to go from being a perfect democracy, but it still held an election in which the majority’s candidate won.

Success in Nigeria matters beyond its borders. With some 200 million people, it is easily Africa’s biggest democracy. Dashed hopes for democratic progress in Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo were disappointing but all too typical. Serious regression in Nigeria would have been a disaster for democrats across the continent.

Neither choice in Saturday’s contest was inspiring, and Mr. Buhari’s statist economic policies hold back the oil-rich nation. The country could have benefited from the more market-oriented approach offered by Mr. Abubakar, who promised to privatize the state oil company, despite his baggage after decades in politics. But the Nigerian people made their decision, and it’s welcome news that they could control their own political destiny.

Participating in Nigeria’s democracy isn’t always easy. Voters often travel great distances and wait patiently in the sun for a chance to pull the lever. Even with turnout down, millions of Nigerians deserve credit for not losing faith in the process. Now the burden is on Mr. Buhari to live up to their expectations.

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Poland, Judaism and Historical Memory It’s a complicated story, and politicians too often attempt to simplify it. By Elisabeth Zerofsky

By on March 1st, 2019

https://www.wsj.com/articles/poland-judaism-and-historical-memory-11551397831

Call it the pangs of intimacy. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cultivates relationships with Central European heads of state, he has had some uncomfortable moments. A recent spat shows how quarrels over Judaism’s history in the region can complicate cooperation.

During a foreign-policy conference in Warsaw two weeks ago, an Israeli reporter asked Mr. Netanyahu to comment on the controversial “Polish death camps” bill. Signed into law in February 2018, the legislation made it a crime to claim “contrary to the facts” that the Polish nation was “responsible or co-responsible” for crimes committed by the Third Reich during its occupation of Poland. After critics objected in Israel and around the world, Warsaw downgraded the crime to a civil offense.

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POLITICS Comments turned off

The Democrats Embrace Not Making Sense By Jonathan F. Keiler

By on March 1st, 2019

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/03/the_democrats_embrace_not_making_sense.html

“Stop Making Sense” is a classic 1984 concert film featuring the alt-rock group Talking Heads. The title has a certain punkish frisson, but is also a joke. Not so the modern Democratic party which might as well adopt “Stop Making Sense” as its platform.

Nothing about the competing positions of Democratic candidates makes much sense, and that’s not just from a Republican or conservative perspective. That’s from a position of logic, consistency, and anything resembling sound judgment.

Internally, the positions being advocated by the leading Democratic candidates and the party activists that support them are an incoherent contradictory mishmash of ideas that might sound like the stuff you’d hear at a college campus pot party, with a lot of pot.

It appears the Democrats do not care whether the emerging positions of its candidates and activists make are incoherent, contradictory, thoroughly impractical, and/or unconstitutional as a matter of law.

Three contradictory and irreconcilable planks dominate Democrat politics today and nobody is trying to rationalize them — socialism, identity politics, and

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

Gaslighting Gaza: Initial Analysis of UN Commission of Inquiry on Gaza Riots

By on March 1st, 2019

https://www.ngo-monitor.org/reports/gaslighting-gaza-initial-analysis-of-un-commission-of-inquiry-on-gaza-riots/

On February 28, 2019, the UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the riots along the Israel-Gaza border, which began in March 2018, alleged that “Israeli soldiers committed violations of international human rights and humanitarian law… and may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.” The COI created a “confidential file” of “which is recommended be given to the International Criminal Court (ICC)” and to be used by governments to “consider imposing individual sanctions, such as a travel ban or an assets freeze.”

Methodological Failures

In contrast to professional fact-finding standards, the COI clearly established pre-determined legal and factual conclusion and merely gathered “evidence” to fit its desired outcome.
In preparing its report, the COI relied heavily on Palestinian sources, including Hamas and terror-linked non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Notably, the COI uncritically adopts the NGOs’ application of a domestic law enforcement paradigm – erasing the context of the armed conflict with Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups – to analyze cross-border violence.

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

Palestinians: Marching Backwards as Israel Prepares for Elections by Khaled Abu Toameh

By on March 1st, 2019

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13812/palestinians-israel-elections

Instead of marching Palestinians towards democracy, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas have chosen the model of totalitarianism as a way of governing their people. The pro-Abbas demonstrations organized by Fatah in the West Bank are reminiscent of dictatorships in the Arab world that send their loyalists to the streets to voice support for the ruler. The Hamas-sponsored anti-Abbas demonstrations in the Gaza Strip will not solve any of the crises facing the Palestinians there. These protests are Hamas’s way of distracting attention from its failure to improve the living conditions of the people living under its repressive regime.

The only way for the Palestinians to move forward is by protesting against their failed leaders in the PA and Hamas. Many Palestinians, however, are afraid to speak out against their rulers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Why would any Palestinian speak out against Abbas when the PA arrests and harasses those who even dare to post critical remarks on Facebook? Why would any Palestinian in the Gaza Strip criticize Hamas when he or she knows that this would endanger their lives?

On April 9, Israelis will again celebrate democracy by voting in a free and democratic election. The Palestinians, meanwhile, will mark another year of dictatorship and failed leadership, and will continue to dream about heading to any ballot box at all.

Israelis are scheduled to head to the ballot boxes on April 9 to vote for a new parliament (Knesset). This will be the fifth general election in Israel since 2006.

The Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, on the other hand, have, since 2006, failed to hold a single election for their parliament, known as the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

What Bibi’s Indictment Means By Avi Bell

By on March 1st, 2019

https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/281282/what-bibis-indictment-means

Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s announcement to the media, 40 days before general elections, that he intends to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of bribery and breach of trust in three different cases was political drama of the highest order. There’s no gainsaying the importance to Israel’s politics and the election. But more importantly, Mandelblit’s announcement heralds a crisis for Israel’s democracy and the public image of its legal system.

Mandelblit’s announcement inserts law enforcement officials into the political arena in an unprecedented way, and on a very shaky legal foundation. If the legal theories that the attorney general is introducing against Netanyahu become general law, a considerable part of the democratic life of Israel will have to pass through police interrogation rooms. If they remain restricted to Netanyahu, the partisanship will permanently damage public trust in the Israeli legal system.

To be sure, Mandelblit’s announcement is only an interim step in the legal drama. Any actual indictment will have to wait for hearings in the attorney general’s office in which Netanyahu’s lawyers will be afforded the opportunity to attempt to dissuade Mandelblit from his chosen course. The hearings will take place after the election, and only in a year or so will Mandelblit be in a position to request that the Knesset lift Netanyahu’s immunity or formally file an indictment. And the political fallout will not end with the opinion polls now being conducted. It is likely that Mandelblit’s announcement will influence not only the number of votes received by the parties on April 9, but the coalition negotiations to follow.

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ISRAEL Comments turned off

Israel’s attorney general decided to bring charges in all three investigations against Netanyahu. By David Isaac

By on February 28th, 2019

Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced on Thursday that he will file charges in all three criminal investigations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The decision was expected throughout the day, and tension was high in political circles ahead of the long-awaited announcement.The charges came despite a last-minute Likud effort to convince Israel’s High Court of Justice on Thursday to stop the attorney general from making the announcement, arguing that it would cause “unprecedented interference” in the political system.

However, High Court justice Noam Sohlberg rejected the petition.Netanyahu faces charges in Cases 1000, 2000 and 4000.In Case 4000, (aka the Bezeq-Walla! Affair) Mandelblit charged Netanyahu with bribery. In Case 1000, (the Illegal Gifts Affair) Mandelblit brought lesser charges of fraud and breach of trust. In Case 2000, (the Yediot Ahronot-Israel Hayom Affair) Mandelblit will charge with breach of trust only.Case 4000Case 4000 is reportedly the strongest case against Netanyahu in the opinion of the State Attorney’s Office. In that case, Netanyahu is accused of driving through a merger for businessman Shaul Elovitch in return for favorable coverage on website Walla!Netanyahu maintains that the merger involving Bezeq, Israel’s largest telecommunications firm and Yes, a satellite TV provider, both owned by Elovitch, was carried out by the book.

Netanyahu also argues that coverage at Walla! was not positive toward him, undermining the case.

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POLITICS Comments turned off

Ilhan Omar Fears Her ‘Jewish Colleagues’ Are Using Anti-Semitism Charge to Shutdown Debate By Jack Crowe

By on February 28th, 2019

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/ilhan-omar-fears-her-jewish-colleagues-are-using-anti-semitism-charge-to-shutdown-debate/

Representative Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) pushed back Wednesday against the rash of anti-Semitism accusations that have been leveled against her since she was elected, suggesting her “Jewish colleagues” and others may use accusations of bigotry to chill debate over U.S. policy toward Israel.

“What I’m fearful of — because Rashida and I are Muslim — that a lot of our Jewish colleagues, a lot of our constituents, a lot of our allies, go to thinking that everything we say about Israel to be anti-Semitic because we are Muslim,” said Omar, who was joined at the “Progressive Townhall” event in Washington, D.C. by fellow freshman representative Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.).

“To me, it’s something that becomes designed to end the debate because you get in this space of – yes, I know what intolerance looks like and I’m sensitive when someone says, ‘The words you used Ilhan are resemblance of intolerance,’” [sic] Omar continued. “And I am cautious of that and I feel pained by that. But it’s almost as if, every single time we say something regardless of what it is we say . . . we get to be labeled something. And that ends the discussion. Because we end up defending that and nobody ever gets to have the broader debate of what is happening with Palestine.”

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