Michel Gurfinkiel on the Reverse Colonization of France by Marilyn Stern

https://www.meforum.org/61415/gurfinkiel-on-the-reverse-colonization-of-france

Michel Gurfinkiel, the founder and president of the Jean-Jacques Rousseau Institute and a Ginsburg-Milstein Fellow at Middle East Forum, spoke to participants in a July 6 Middle East Forum webinar (video) about demographic changes in France in relation to her former colonies in Muslim North Africa.

At the time of the French conquest of Algeria in the 1830s, the French population numbered approximately 30 million, the Algerian population around 3 million, and the rest of North Africa between 3 and 4 million. Despite superior French technological and military power, pacifying Algeria required nearly two decades of protracted conflict.

In keeping with its post-revolutionary “universalist vision,” France sought to “turn Algeria [into] an integral part of the French state,” explained Gurfinkiel. In the 1860s, with colonial rule firmly established, Algerian Muslims were offered full-fledged French citizenship provided they accept the French civil code and in effect, renounce Islamic law (sharia). Most refused, seeing this as akin to apostasy.

Nevertheless, the French continued to see Algeria as much a part of the French nation as “Brittany, Burgundy or Provence,” said Gurfinkiel, and allowed immigration by Muslims from Algeria and other French colonies – many of them French-speaking – even after they became independent in the twentieth century. A similar stand was taken regarding the sub-Saharan African colonies.

During this time, the demographic balance between France and its former colonies shifted markedly. Today, there are 67 million citizens in the French Republic (including some French territories overseas), 43 million in Algeria, 35 million in Morocco, and 12 million in Tunisia, along with 233 million in the former colonies of West Africa, Central Africa and the Indian Ocean. Two thirds of the former colonies’ citizens are Muslims.

Playing with fire Democratic leaders who fail to condemn the West Coast rioters may get burned Charles Lipson

https://spectator.us/playing-fire-portland-riots-west-coast/

Some conflicts begin with clear aims but morph into endless battles, the original motives forgotten. The timeless metaphor for self-sustaining battles is Jarndyce and Jarndyce, the inheritance case at the heart of Charles Dickens’s Bleak House. ‘Jarndyce and Jarndyce drones on,’ he wrote. ‘This scarecrow of a suit has, over the course of time, become so complicated, that no man alive knows what it means… Innumerable children have been born into the cause; innumerable young people have married into it; innumerable old people have died out of it.’

Now we have Portland v. Public Order. What Jarndyce was for the law, Portland is for the lawless. For over two months, young demonstrators have gathered each night in Oregon’s largest city. It began as a protest against police mistreatment of African Americans after George Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody and has morphed into a festival of violent nihilism, tinged with Marxism.

Across America, demonstrators have demanded police reforms and, quite often, dramatic cuts to law enforcement budgets — and the Democratic politicians who govern nearly all major cities have been woolly in their response. The demonstrations themselves were generally peaceful during daylight hours and often violent at night. Some protesters made political points, painting slogans on walls, pulling statues off pedestals. Others simply engaged in mindless destruction, such as defacing statues of abolitionists, or greedy opportunism. There’s nothing political about smashing store windows and grabbing an armful of shoes, computers, or TVs. Or about torching the corner grocery store.

Back to Low Growth The impact of Joe Biden’s tax plan would be less income across the spectrum and a sluggish economy. Noah Williams

https://www.city-journal.org/joe-biden-tax-hike-plan

As the U.S. struggles to emerge from the Covid-19-induced recession, Joe Biden is running for president on a pledge to return the country to economic policies responsible for the slowest economic recovery since World War II. Biden’s plans include “reversing some of Trump’s tax cuts for corporations and imposing common-sense tax reforms that finally make sure the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share.” This means a big increase in effective tax rates on capital and on individuals with incomes above $400,000, as well as partially reversing the corporate tax cut that was a centerpiece of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

But Biden’s tax increases go far beyond simply undoing some of the TCJA, the net result of which was a $1.5 trillion tax cut. Biden would hike taxes by roughly $4 trillion, divided about equally between individuals and firms. This move would likely produce a reversal of outcomes: while the TCJA has added to GDP growth by 0.5 percentage points to 1 percentage point since 2018, the Biden tax plan would probably reduce growth by at least that much.

In fact, the effects of Biden’s proposed tax increases may be even larger—and affect a much broader share of the population—than previous evaluations suggest, owing to their “tax incidence” consequences. Tax incidence refers to who bears the burden of a tax, which may be different from whom the tax is imposed on. For example, taxes levied on producers can be passed on to consumers through higher prices.

Kim Jong-un Still Isn’t Dead, But His Sister Is Climbing the Ladder of Power By Rick Moran

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2020/08/25/kim-jong-un-still-isnt-dead-but-his-sister-is-climbing-the-ladder-of-power-n837995

Every few months some enterprising journalist creates a story claiming that North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un is dead. He heard the news from a friend who has a friend high up in South Korean intelligence circles who’s in the know. It’s all very journalistic, you see.

In truth, rumors of Kim’s death are nothing new and after he dies, there will be rumors that he’s alive for years afterward. The news abhors a vacuum and North Korea is a black hole for information.

But the news out of North Korea is that Kim’s ravenously ambitious sister, Kim Yo-jong, has apparently been elevated to a top party post that ensures the loyalty of the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD) of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party (WPK). In a Communist country, the longer the job title, the more important it is. Ms. Kim appears to be either taking some of the burden of leadership off of her brother or is grasping for power on her own.

CNN:

Kim Yo Jong has for years been a trusted aide and confidante to her brother. She previously served as one of North Korea’s top propagandists and is now an alternate to the Politburo — the senior body of North Korea’s ruling party.

While North Korea and the ruling Workers’ Party often do not publicly proclaim leadership changes, experts and analysts had speculated previously that Kim may have been put in charge of the Organization and Guidance Department earlier this year, based on her increasing portfolio of responsibilities. Jeong, the South Korean defense minister, said Kim now appears to also have an important role in shaping policy toward South Korea and the United States.

Rumors of the supreme leader’s demise surface every few months because Kim disappears for long periods of time with no explanation. It could be that Kim likes his 12-year-old scotch and painted ladies and goes on binges at times. Or he could be trying to avoid the coronavirus. Or it may be he’s afraid of assassins.

But his sister is something of a mystery woman as well. She, too, has been absent from the spotlight when she was expected to make an appearance.

#GuilfoyleChallenge: People Are Reenacting Kimberly Guilfoyle’s Bombastic Speech and It’s Hilarious By Megan Fox

https://pjmedia.com/election/megan-fox/2020/08/25/guilfoylechallenge-people-are-reenacting-kimberly-guilfoyles-bombastic-speech-and-its-hilarious-n840534

Kimberly Guilfoyle set the internet aflame after her extremely loud speech at the Republican National Convention. She screeched and flailed her arms over what would have been good content, but which was mostly lost under a jarring presentation. Let’s give her credit for launching some great laughs, though. All press is good press, so if you’ve made the world laugh, you’ve at least put the spotlight on the RNC, which has definitely been more exciting than the Democrat snooze-telethon to raise awareness about Trump Derangement Syndrome that we watched last week.

Twitter users have started using #GuilfoyleChallenge and posting videos of themselves imitating Guilfoyle’s big moment… at the top of their voices. I’m not going to lie: it’s hilarious.

Local business owners find livelihoods smashed following second night of Kenosha unrest By: Ryan Jenkins

https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/local-business-owners-find-livelihoods-smashed-following-second-night-of-kenosha-unrest

KENOSHA — More community devastation in Kenosha following another night of civil unrest which led to businesses and institutions in the city to being destroyed in the aftermath of the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Along 60th street, near the Department of Corrections building at 13th Avenue, several businesses were destroyed.

The Department of Corrections building was set ablaze and crews worked to demolish the building on Tuesday morning. Hot spots and flames still shot out of a neighboring business, B&L Furniture, which was targeted by vandals overnight as well.

“It’s just all gone,” said Linda Carpenter as she cried into her son Scott’s arms. She and her family have owned their furniture shop for nearly 40 years before it was reduced to a pile of burning debris.

“My next job is to clean this up and then after that, I don’t have a job,” said Scott as he realized their livelihoods had been smashed.

On the same block, several car dealerships were destroyed and local businesses were busted into and vandalized.

Caged In: Democrats’ Border Security Hypocrisy By Kelli Ward

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/08/25/caged_in_democrats_border_security_hypocrisy.html

On the first night of the Democrat National Convention, Michelle Obama accused President Trump of placing children at the border in “cages.” As the former first lady knows, these “cages” – actually, holding areas made of chain link fences — were in fact built during her husband’s administration: the Obama-Biden administration. Many of the photos that were widely disseminated by the news media in efforts to excoriate the Trump administration were taken in 2014, two years prior to Trump’s election.

As a resident of a border state, I am more than willing to engage in this discussion with the other side of the aisle. Joe Biden and the Democrats are living in the past when it comes to our border. They dream of returning to an era of lax immigration policies that didn’t work then, and will assuredly not work now.

Border security is national security. We have seen the mass migrations that have occurred around the world in recent years and the trouble that inevitably follows. President Trump continues to deliver on building the border wall despite heavy opposition from Democratic Party leaders who previously supported building barriers on our southern border. Nearly 300 miles have already been built and a promising 400 miles will be completed by year’s end.

Since 2015, when Donald Trump promised to build his “big, beautiful wall” on the United States’ southern border, Democrats and the media have attacked the idea as xenophobic and unworkable. Here on the border, however, we can see that the progress on the wall, coupled with the president’s  threats to impose tariffs on Mexico, has finally produced action. For the first time in my memory, the Mexican military and law enforcement are properly patrolling their side of the border.

6 Quick Takeaways From The First Night Of The Republican National Convention By Mollie Hemingway

https://thefederalist.com/2020/08/25/6-quick-takeaways-from-the-first-night-of-the-republican-national-convention/
The Republican National Convention had a better first night than the Democratic National Convention had any night last week.

The Republican National Convention had a better first night than the Democratic National Convention had any night last week. Here are six quick takeaways.

1. DNC’s Problem Was Not That It Was Virtual

Last week’s Democratic National Convention was barely watchable. People assumed that was because the Chinese coronavirus forced the convention to be held virtually. But the Republican National Convention is also being held virtually, and it was full of energy and excitement that was completely lacking at the Democratic convention.

Democrats had celebrity hosts, celebrity appearances, and all the talent of the generally liberal media to work with, yet their convention was an absolute grind to get through. Last night, Republicans moved along at a clipped pace, featured genuinely compelling stories, and the speeches drew contrasts with political opponents.

While some Republican speeches were markedly better than others, the only speech that didn’t land was attorney and television personality Kimberly Guilfoyle’s, which was shouted. Her speech would have benefited dramatically from a live audience.

2. Real People Nearly Stole The Show

Most pundits spent time talking about speeches by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley or current South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. Particularly in Scott’s case, the professional politicians did give good speeches. But the most exciting parts of the evening were speeches from everyday Americans.

The best speech of the evening was given by Maximo Alvarez, a Florida businessman who described his family fleeing Communist systems on their way to the United States. “I have seen people like this before,” he said, describing leftist totalitarian movements. When he said, “I’m speaking to you today because my family is done leaving places. There is nowhere left to go,” it was more powerful than a thousand speeches from professional politicians.

Andrew Pollack, the father of Meadow Pollack, who was murdered in the Parkland High School shooting, beautifully memorialized his daughter and talked about the government failures that helped contribute to her death. He condemned the media for focusing on gun control when it was education policy that actually led to his daughter and her classmates being vulnerable.

The only famous person to speak was Herschel Walker, the football star. He talked about his decades-long friendship with President Donald Trump and praised his work on behalf of black Americans. He also told a story about Trump going with his family to Disneyland and riding the “It’s A Small World” ride with him. It was such an unexpected anecdote.

3. How to Do Cross-Partisan Outreach

One of the few continuous themes of the Democratic National Convention was that some Republicans support Joe Biden for president. But the people they had speak could not have been swampier.

Susan Molinari, who took her dad’s seat in Congress, is better known as Google’s former top lobbyist. She made millions lobbying for Russia, too. John Kasich, who lost to Trump in 2016, left Congress for a lucrative job at Lehman Brothers, lasting until it declared bankruptcy as a result of its participation in the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008.

Biden Didn’t Give An Acceptance Speech: He Gave A Farewell Address Mychal Massie

https://mychal-massie.com/biden-didnt-give-an-acceptance-speech-he-gave-a-farewell-address/

I don’t believe Joe Biden gave an acceptance speech at the Democrat convention. I believe he gave his farewell address.

It’s beyond rational for Democrats and their media lapdogs to pretend Biden’s fit to be president if he actually had all of his marbles. But he doesn’t and therefore he isn’t; and it’s darned well time this charade ends.

Biden is an Erebusic bifurcation staged as a prolusion for the person who will eventually replace him. For those who struggle with simple English, I’m saying Democrats for reasons known only to them never intended for Biden to be more than a puppet until they install the person they really want.

The Democrat party is a lot of things and everyone those things are bad, but I cannot believe they’re foolish enough to actually think Biden is fit for office, much less fit to be president. How dishonest does one have to be to pretend that a man who doesn’t know what room of the house he is in from hour to hour and who cannot distinguish his wife from his sister, and who creepily sniffs women’s hair in public.

Biden’s use of the phrase: “C’mon man” is identifiable with senile old men found most often residing in monitored care facilities, where their ability to come and go is restricted.

Clinesmith Guilty Plea: Using a ‘Digraph’ to Conceal a Massive Deception of the Court By Andrew C. McCarthy

https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/08/clinesmith-guilty-plea-using-a-digraph-to-conceal-a-massive-deception-of-the-court/?utm_source=recirc-desktop&utm_medium=homepage&utm_campaign=right-rail&utm_content=featured-writers&utm_term=first

He twisted the meaning of a CIA term to define Carter Page as an unwitting CIA source rather than what he was: a CIA informant willingly providing info for use against Russians.

Author’s Note: This is the second of a three-part series (see Part 1).

Kevin Clinesmith’s lies and document doctoring, which resulted in his guilty plea to a felony false-statement charge last week, were prompted by what turned out to be the worst-case scenario, for both him and the FBI.

To recap, we are focusing on June 2017, when the FBI was preparing to submit an application for a fourth 90-day warrant to surveil former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The “SSA,” a supervisory special agent at FBI headquarters whom we met in Part 1, was to be the affiant on that application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC). Not assigned to Crossfire Hurricane until December 2016, the SSA had not been involved in the investigation when the bureau opened it five months earlier. He was personally unaware that, months before the first Page FISA warrant was sought in October 2016, the CIA had informed the FBI about Page’s years of work as a CIA informant, authorized by the agency for “operational contact” with Russians. Though the SSA was not on the investigative team, he had been the headquarters official assigned to swear to the truth of the renewal warrant applications in January and April 2017. He thus knew that the bureau heavily relied on Page’s prior years of contact with Russians in portraying Page to the FISC as a clandestine agent of Moscow, at the center of a suspected Trump-Russia espionage conspiracy.

The SSA became alarmed when Page, while vehemently denying that he was a spy for Russia, publicly claimed that he’d been a U.S. government intelligence source against Russia. The SSA realized that if Page was telling the truth, it would “seriously impact the predication of our entire investigation.”

That was not the half of it. When the SSA asked Kevin Clinesmith, the bureau’s point man for contact with the CIA, to check on Page’s claims, Clinesmith faced the worst-case scenario, not only because Page was telling the truth, but because the FBI had every reason to know — before it began seeking surveillance warrants from the FISC eight months earlier — that Page had indeed been a CIA informant. Moreover, Clinesmith, a lawyer in the FBI branch that reviewed FISA applications, had been involved from the start.