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December 2019

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Chinese Woman Gets 10 Months in Prison for ‘Birth Tourism’ Scheme Catherine Smith

By on December 18th, 2019

https://amgreatness.com/2019/12/18/chinese-woman-gets-10-months-in-prison-for-birth-tourism-scheme/

The New York Post reports, “A judge on Monday sentenced a Chinese woman to 10 months in prison for her role in a business that helped wealthy pregnant Chinese women lie on visa forms and to immigration authorities and travel to Southern California, to give birth to children who would automatically receive US citizenship.”

US District Judge James Selna issued the sentence to Dongyuan Li, who was expected to be released on Monday due to time served, New York Post writes.

Federal prosecutors opposed the sentence and said they believed Li should be sentenced to years in prison to deter others from helping women lie on visa applications and hide pregnancies in these so-called birth tourism schemes.

“I just think it sends the wrong message,” Charles Pell, the federal prosecutor, told the judge.

Li pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy and visa fraud for running a birth tourism company in Southern California known as “You Win USA.”

Federal authorities said the company helped more than 500 Chinese women travel to the United States to deliver American babies, and that Li used a cluster of apartments in Irvine, California, to receive them.

Authorities said the company coached the women to lie on their visa applications and hide their pregnancies when  moving through customs in U.S. airports.

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ENVIRONMENT AND JUNK SCIENCE, MOVIES AND TELEVISION Comments turned off

Hulu Documentary to Feature Global Warming Alarmist Greta Thunberg Catherine Smith

By on December 18th, 2019

https://amgreatness.com/2019/12/18/hulu-documentary-to-feature-global-warming-alarmist-greta-thunberg/

Hulu will premiere a documentary chronicling the rise of 16-year-old climate alarmist Greta Thunberg in 2020. The film with the working title, Greta, will follow Thunberg from her August 2018 school strike in Stockholm to her chastising world leaders. Nathan Grossman is directing, and Cecilia Nessen and Fredrik Heinig produce via B-Reel Films. It’s set to premiere sometime in 2020, according to a report by Deadline,

Deadline added that sources say Hulu had joined the project “awhile back and had been involved behind the scenes while deals were being made.” The team behind the documentary has been following the activist from when she was allegedly just a student skipping school in Stockholm, Sweden. Thunberg began her climate activism in August of 2018 by staging a school strike every Friday.

“Her question for adults: if you don’t care about my future on earth, why should I care about my future in school?” reports Deadline.

Breitbart writes, “not too long after that, Thunberg’s public profile exploded as her so-called activism went from skipping school to scolding world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, at which she proclaimed, ‘I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean, yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you?’”

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POLITICS Comments turned off

Soros, Steyer, and Bloomberg The biggest lie in American politics today is that Republicans are the party of the wealthy elite, and the Democrats are fighting for the little guy. Edward Ring

By on December 18th, 2019

https://amgreatness.com/2019/12/17/we-three-kings-of-america-are-soros-steyer-and-bloomberg/

This Christmas season, decorate your trees and hang your stockings, and know that three kings come again, bearing gifts. But this time, 2,020 years later, these three kings bear gifts not for the baby Jesus, but for the Democratic Party.

The biggest lie in American politics today is that Republicans are the party of the wealthy elite, and the Democrats are fighting for the little guy.

While corporate political spending is split roughly down the middle between Democrats and Republicans, in all other categories the Democrats are way in front. Labor unions, which collect and spend at least $14 billion per year in the United States, are almost exclusively committed to Democratic candidates. And while Republicans still have some mega-donor individuals, most of them only contribute to candidates who espouse the same agenda as the Democrats—open borders, “free” trade, and endless wars.

The Democratic mega-donors, however, not only outspend their Republican counterparts, they know how to get results. Which brings us to the first of our Three Kings of the 2020 political season.

Tom Steyer

Even with an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion, as a presidential candidate, Tom Steyer has no chance. But behind his hopeless campaign is a deeper strategy. The California hedge fund manager is bringing visibility and building support for political organizations he’s founded, already powerful forces in national politics.

Steyer may not be the wealthiest mega-donor on the scene, but he’s willing to spend what he’s got. As cited in Ballotpedia, Steyer “spent more money on the 2014 and 2016 elections—$73 million and approximately $100 million, respectively—than any other individual donor.” According to Forbes, Steyer spent an incredible $123 million to influence the 2018 midterm elections.

While 2016 didn’t go the way Steyer had hoped, 2018 was a different story. Control of the House of Representatives flipped to the Democrats, and Steyer’s political action committee, NextGen, provided significant capital and political influence. For example, his NextGen Rising voter registration operation signed up more than 250,000 voters.

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POLITICS Comments turned off

Failed GOP Strategists and Notable Spouse Launch PAC to Defeat Trump in 2020 Good news for the president: Andrew Stiles

By on December 18th, 2019

https://freebeacon.com/politics/lincoln-project-trump/

President Donald Trump’s reelection efforts in 2020 and beyond received a significant boost Tuesday with the announcement of the Lincoln Project, a new anti-Trump super PAC started by a group of failed Republican strategists and George Conway, a spouse of middling renown.

The brain trust powering the Lincoln Project includes Steve Schmidt, who worked on the late senator John McCain’s (R., Ariz.) failed presidential campaign in 2008; John Weaver, former chief strategist for failed presidential candidate John Kasich; Rick Wilson, a “digital assassin” who regularly posts on the popular social networking website Twitter; and Kellyanne Conway’s husband. The project was originally named “Rough Riders for America,” federal election records show.

The peculiar quartet announced its new endeavor in a New York Times op-ed of prohibitive length. The super PAC will pursue a “common effort” with national Democrats driven by a “shared fidelity to the Constitution,” says the op-ed. The goal is to save the soul of America by “defeating President Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box.”

David Rutz breaks down the most important news about the enemies of freedom, here and around the world, in this comprehensive morning newsletter.

 

The Lincoln Project will endeavor to “ensure a victory in the Electoral College” for the Democratic nominee and seek to install “congressional majorities that don’t enable or abet Mr. Trump’s violations of the Constitution, even if that means Democratic control of the Senate and an expanded Democratic majority in the House.”

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EDUCATION Comments turned off

American Academia: Pandering to Radicals, Curbing Free Speech by Najat AlSaied

By on December 18th, 2019

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15286/academia-radical

It apparently did not occur to any of the academics that the FBI’s surveillance is also geared towards protecting the Muslim community from terrorists in its midst.

Notably, the suggestion that Muslims are not a homogeneous group, but rather individuals who do not all share the same political or religious ideology, elicited a harsh response on the part of the panelists, who silenced the discussion.

One of the [NCA] executives, Trevor Parry-Giles, joined the attack, berating Tsukerman for her “racist” writing and “suspicious” political views. This was after Tsukerman had presented a research paper explaining that Islamists, in cooperation with their Western allies, especially the media, are distorting the image of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a progressive modernist.

Tsukerman and another professor in attendance were then expelled from the conference.

A recent gathering in Baltimore, Maryland sheds light on the way in which left-wing ideology has come to dominate American academia. Ironically, this particular event – a conference titled “Communication for Survival” — was an example of stifling free speech, rather than conveying ideas other than those accepted as “politically correct” by the professors and graduate students in attendance.

Perhaps this was to be expected, given the topics under discussion at the 105th annual convention of the National Communication Association (NCA). These topics included:

“Race Relations in Charm City: Communicating Social Justice.”
“Communication and Surviving in the Anthropocene: Keywords,” which focused on “what the discipline of Communication may offer to consider how we entered this era of consequential anthropogenic climate change, the barriers we face to transform our culture, and which voices might help us bring about a more just and sustainable future.”
“Communication, Disability Justice, and Surviving Ableism,” which examined the “centrality of communication practices to the pursuit of disability justice through anti-abelist scholarship and activism.”
“Communicating Survival in Violent Times: A Dialogue on the Intersections of Violence in Gendered, Sexual, Racial/Ethnic, and Class Contexts.”
“Communication and Surviving Environmental Racism.”
“Communication and #_______ing While Black or Brown,” which addressed “experiences of hashtag activism but focuses specifically on the role of communication and that of our discipline as a means of constructing narratives around #____ing while black or brown.”

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ISRAEL, WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Hamas, Thirty-Two Years Later by Khaled Abu Toameh

By on December 18th, 2019

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15306/hamas-thirty-two-years-later

Now that Hamas has again – clearly – reminded the world that it has not changed and continues to seek the destruction of Israel, the question is: Why are some world leaders, governments and organizations continuing to embrace the leaders of the movement?

A further question that ought to be asked in light of the recent venomous anti-Israel statements by Hamas leaders in the past few days: Why is the United Nations trying to convince Hamas to participate in Palestinian presidential and parliamentary elections?

All that is needed is for Erdogan and the rest of the world to listen to the statements of Hamas leaders in the past few days to understand that the movement is more determined than ever to achieve its goals of driving Jews “out of all of Palestine” and replacing Israel with an Islamic state…. What is it that they do not understand about “DEATH TO ISRAEL”? … It makes one wonder what their real motive is.

The Palestinian Hamas movement this week celebrated its 32nd anniversary by reminding everyone of its main goal: the destruction of Israel. This message is proof that Hamas has not – and will not – change its charter, originally published in 1988. It is also a powerful message to those who may have deluded themselves into believing that Hamas has transformed into a non-violent Palestinian faction.

This charter, also known as the Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement, states that Hamas’s “struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious” and calls for replacing Israel with an Islamic state. “There is no solution for the Palestinian issue except through Jihad (holy war),” the charter says. “Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors. Renouncing any part of Palestine means renouncing part of the religion [of Islam].”

Thirty-two years later, the leaders of Hamas have again shown that they remain more committed than ever to their covenant, particularly regarding the desire to replace Israel with an Islamic state.

In this regard, Hamas deserves credit for being straightforward about its true intention. In statements marking the anniversary of the founding of Hamas, the movement’s leaders again demonstrated that they do not mince their words.

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NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Schumer Presses For Senate Testimony From Live Witnesses Wants a do-over of Schiff’s clown show. Joseph Klein

By on December 18th, 2019

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2019/12/schumer-presses-senate-testimony-bolton-mulvaney-joseph-klein/

Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer has proposed that the Senate hear from four current or former high-level Trump administration officials he considers to be vital witnesses in the trial that will follow the House of Representatives’ impeachment of President Trump. These witnesses include Mick Mulvaney, the Acting White House Chief of Staff, and John R. Bolton, the former National Security Adviser. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wisely rejected the Schumer proposal. He argued that it was incumbent upon the House, in their role as prosecutors, to bring the strongest case they can to the Senate for trial.

“It is not the Senate’s job to leap into the breach and search desperately for ways to get to ‘guilty,’” Senator McConnell said. “That would hardly be impartial justice. If House Democrats’ case is this deficient, this thin, the answer is not for the judge and jury to cure it here in the Senate.The answer is that the House should not impeach on this basis in the first place.” Senator McConnell emphasized that it is the House’s “duty to investigate. It’s their duty to meet the very high bar for undoing a national election. As Speaker Pelosi herself once said, it is the House’s obligation to, quote, ‘build an ironclad case to act.’” What the House Democrats have produced falls far short of that standard.

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ISRAEL, MEDIA Comments turned off

Countering Bill Whitaker’s ’60-Minutes’ Rawabi Story How about the Israelis living across the hill? Joseph Puder

By on December 18th, 2019

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2019/12/countering-bill-whitakers-60-minutes-rawabi-story-joseph-puder/

Bill Whitaker’s (December 8, 2019) CBS-TV 60-Minutes segment called: “Rawabi: Man’s Vision For a Palestinian Future” is a biased journalistic piece and ignorant of historical facts and Middle East realities. While extolling the featured “hero” of the story – Palestinian builder Bashar Masri, Whitaker failed to mention a critical fact in his story – Palestinian terrorism.  Nor has he bothered to get the other side of the story – Israelis living across from Rawabi in a nearby hillside community of Samaria.

Whitaker mentions that the “Arab-Palestinians have been yearning for a state since 1948.”  The fact is that the Arab Palestinians could have had their state in 1947, and even earlier, in 1937 (Peel Commission recommendation). In November, 1947, the United Nations voted for the Partition of Palestine. The UN vote called for the creation of both a Jewish (Israeli) State as well as an Arab-Palestinian state. The Jews of Israel accepted a shrunken Jewish State. The Arab Palestinians rejected the partition plan (and the previous Peel Commission plan for statehood) and chose to wage a war of extermination against the Jewish state. The Arab Palestinians, along with 5 Arab states, including Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, sent forces to destroy the nascent Jewish state with the aim of “throwing the Jews into the sea.”

In stating “The West Bank, where the Palestinians hoped to establish their state…,” Whitaker implied that someone denied the Palestinians their hopes to establishing their state. In fact, the Palestinians have said “NO” to every offer of peace extended to them by Israel. In July 2000, President Bill Clinton convened a summit at Camp David. Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak were invited to the secluded Camp David to resolve once and for all the 100-year-old conflict between Arabs and Jews. Encouraged by President Clinton, Barak offered far reaching concessions to the Palestinians, including 91% of the West Bank, all of the Gaza Strip, and Israeli territory in exchange for Jewish Settlements in Judea and Samaria. In addition, Barak agreed to the Palestinians establishing their capital in East Jerusalem. Significantly, Barak also agreed to extend a humanitarian gesture such as allowing 100,000 Palestinian refugees to settle in Israel. Arafat rejected the offer to establish a Palestinian state, he refused to commit to “ending the conflict”, and chose instead to launch the bloody Second Intifada, which cost the lives of over 1,000 Israeli civilians, victims of Palestinian terror.

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IMMIGRATION Comments turned off

America’s Immigration Dilemma What makes an immigrant culturally qualified to enter the United States? Jason D. Hill *****

By on December 18th, 2019

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2019/12/our-immigration-dilemma-jason-d-hill/

Most people who are presenting themselves at our Southern borders from Mexico, and South and Central America, and others who are seeking asylum mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Middle East, are from countries outside the historical process. Many of these countries are not just political rogue states, but also economic rogue states as well. They have failed to put into practice a set of sound economic policies that satisfy the basic needs of a majority of their citizens. Failed states are sinkholes in the world. They actively detract value from the region in much the same way that condemned buildings used by criminals spread mayhem and drag down home values throughout a neighborhood. Since regions are interconnected via a vast causal network of interlocking social, political and fiscal systems, they contaminate the entire liberal order.

It has, therefore, been part of America’s liberal, egalitarian and benevolent policy to admit such persons who stand little chance of making anything substantial of their lives in their own countries entrance into the United States.

This is and remains the greatness of America. People came here and they wanted to love America and become Americans. They came with no sense of entitlements, no sense of aggrievement—only with a burning desire to make something of their lives and, in doing so, to make superlative or small contributions to the moral meaning of America. As they stepped into the future America promised them, they, by their efforts and suffusion of the landscape with an original assemblage of who they were, simultaneously co-created a future template for others to inhabit.

But the immigrant demographics of this great country are changing. We are witnessing individuals who are bringing their illiberal values into the United States and wishing to implement them and re-make the country entirely into their own illiberal image. In the case of many Islamic transplants, they claim to be moderates in their religious faith. Yet they are complicit in the radical factions of a political ideology many take to be a religion of peace. By default, they do not condemn the growing fealty to the idea that Sharia law can and should run parallel to American jurisprudential law. They do not condemn the growing anti-Semitism and Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) campaigns sweeping college campuses which, incidentally, are not generated by even radical Muslims, but by mainstream moderates who view Israel as a genocidal and apartheid state, and America as an evil imperial nation.

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NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

The Democrats are imploding By Thomas Lifson

By on December 18th, 2019

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/12/the_democrats_are_imploding.html

It’s too soon to predict that the Democrats will go the way of the Whigs, but the oldest political party in the world is tripping over its own doctrines; making a public spectacle of its inability to coherently sponsor debates; riven by ideological fissures that seem to be widening; driving away two bedrock constituencies, the white working class and black voters; and hitching itself to a doomed impeachment effort that could cost it dearly next November.

It’s a great time to be alive if you are a Republican!

Consider the forthcoming presidential debates.

Next Thursday’s scheduled debate is being boycotted by all its candidates because the food service provider at the host institution, Loyola Marymount University — itself a second choice venue after UCLA was chosen and rejected because of a strike there — is experiencing a strike, and the candidates refuse to cross a picket line.  DNC chair Tom Perez, a former secretary of labor, is leaning hard on the parties to the strike to settle their differences (do you suspect there may be some quid pro quo promises?), so the squabble between the two constituencies of the Democrats, higher education and left wing labor unions, can end.

But solving that issue is child’s play compared to the “diversity” issue facing the debate scheduled for next February:

Nine Democratic presidential candidates have called on the Democratic National Committee to relax its debate standards next year, allowing some lower-polling rivals onto the stage.

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