Happy Thanksgiving 2018

Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless!

The ARRA News Service is not expected to publish articles on Thursday.  There is minimum expectations also for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is time for some R and R and catching up with family and friends!

Below is a Thanksgiving Quiz developed by Kirby Anderson in 2001. Regardless of the passage of time, facts and truth remain timeless. Good items to share with your family. ~ Dr. Bill Smith, Editor

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A Thanksgiving Quiz by Kerby Anderson, Contributing Author: This nation was founded by Christians, and Thanksgiving is a time when we can reflect upon this rich, Christian heritage. But many of us are often ignorant of our country’s origins, so we have put together a Thanksgiving quiz to test your knowledge about this nation’s biblical foundations. We hope that you will not only take this test and pass it on to others, but we also hope that you will be encouraged to study more about the Christian foundations of this country.

1. What group began the tradition of Thanksgiving?
A day of thanksgiving was set aside by the Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony. This colony was the first permanent settlement in New England. The Pilgrims were originally known as the Forefathers or Founders. The term Pilgrim was first used in the writings of colonist William Bradford and is now used to designate them.

2. Why did they celebrate Thanksgiving?
Life was hard in the New World. Out of 103 Pilgrims, 51 of these died in the first terrible winter. After the first harvest was completed, Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer. By 1623, a day of fasting and prayer during a period of drought was changed to one of thanksgiving because the rain came during their prayers. The custom prevailed in New England and eventually became a national holiday.

3. When did Thanksgiving become a national holiday?
The state of New York adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom in 1817. By the time of the Civil War, many other states had done the same. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a day of thanksgiving. Since then, each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation for the fourth Thursday of November.

4. Why did the Pilgrims leave Europe?
Among the early Pilgrims was a group of Separatists who were members of a religious movement that broke from the Church of England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In 1606 William Brewster led a group of Separatists to Leiden (in the Netherlands) to escape religious persecution in England. After living in Leiden for more than ten years, some members of the group voted to emigrate to America. The voyage was financed by a group of London investors who were promised produce from America in exchange for their assistance.

5. How did the Pilgrims emigrate to the New World?
On September 16, 1620, a group numbering 102 men, women, and children left Plymouth, England, for America on the Mayflower. Having been blown off course from their intended landing in Virginia by a terrible storm, the Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod on November 11. On December 21, they landed on the site of Plymouth Colony. While still on the ship, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact.

6. What is the Mayflower Compact?
On November 11, 1620, Governor William Bradford and the leaders on the Mayflower signed the Mayflower Compact before setting foot on land. They wanted to acknowledge God’s sovereignty in their lives and their need to obey Him. The Mayflower Compact was America’s first great constitutional document and is often called “The American Covenant.”

7. What is the significance of the Mayflower Compact?
After suffering years of persecution in England and spending difficult years of exile in the Netherlands, the Pilgrims wanted to establish their colony on the biblical principles they suffered for in Europe. Before they set foot on land, they drew up this covenant with God. They feared launching their colony until there was a recognition of God’s sovereignty and their collective need to obey Him.

8. What does the Mayflower Compact say?
“In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign Lord, King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland king, defender of the faith, etc., Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do by these present solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends foresaid, and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have here under subscribed our names at Cape Cod the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our sovereign Lord, King James, of England, France, and Ireland.”

9. Why didn’t the pilgrims sail to the original destination in Virginia?
The Pilgrims were blown off course and landed at Cape Cod in what now appears to be God’s providence. Because their patent did not include this territory, they consulted with the Captain of the Mayflower and resolved to sail southward. But the weather and geography did not allow them to do so. They encountered “dangerous shoals and roaring breakers” and were quickly forced to return to Cape Cod. From there they began scouting expeditions and finally discovered what is now Plymouth. Had they arrived just a few years earlier, they would have been attacked and destroyed by one of the fiercest tribes in the region. However, three years earlier (in 1617), the Patuxet tribe had been wiped out by a plague. The Pilgrims thus landed in one of the few places where they could survive.

10. What role did the lone surviving Indian play in the lives of the Pilgrims?There was one survivor of the Patuxet tribe: Squanto. He was kidnapped in 1605 by Captain Weymouth and taken to England where he learned English and was eventually able to return to New England. When he found his tribe had been wiped out by the plague, he lived with a neighboring tribe. When Squanto learned that the Pilgrims were at Plymouth, he came to them and showed them how to plant corn and fertilize with fish. He later converted to Christianity. William Bradford said that Squanto “was a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectation.”

11. What was William Bradford’s proclamation for Thanksgiving?
Three years after their arrival, and two years after the first Thanksgiving, Governor Bradford made an official proclamation of a day of Thanksgiving:

Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience; now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all Pilgrims, with your wives and little ones, do gather at the meeting house, on the hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November the 29th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three, and the third year since Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to the pastor and render thanksgiving to Almighty God for all His blessings.

12. Were the colonists dedicated to Christian principles in their lives on days other than Thanksgiving?
The Pilgrims were, and so were the other colonists. Consider this sermon by John Winthrop given while aboard the Arabella in 1630. This is what he said about the Puritans who formed the Massachusetts Bay Colony: “For the persons, we are a Company professing ourselves fellow members of Christ. . . . For the work we have in hand, it is by a mutual consent through a special overruling providence, and a more than an ordinary approbation of the Churches of Christ to seek out a place of Cohabitation and Consortship under a due form of Government both civil and ecclesiastical.” They established a Christian Commonwealth in which every area of their lives both civil and ecclesiastical fell under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

13. How did the Puritans organize their economic activities
After the first year, the colony foundered because of the collective economic system forced upon them by the merchants in London. All the settlers worked only for the joint partnership and were fed out of the common stores. The land and the houses built on it were the joint property of the merchants and colonists for seven years and then divided equally.

When Deacon Carver died, William Bradford became governor. Seeing the failure of communal farming, he instituted what today would be called free enterprise innovations. Bradford assigned plots of land to each family to work, and the colony began to flourish. Each colonist was challenged to better themselves and their land by working to their fullest capacity. Many Christian historians and economists today point to this fundamental economic change as one of the key reasons for the success of the Pilgrims at Plymouth.

14. What has been the significance of the Pilgrims and their legacy of Thanksgiving?
On the bicentennial celebration of the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, Daniel Webster on December 22, 1820, declared the following: “Let us not forget the religious character of our origin. Our fathers were brought hither by their high veneration for the Christian religion. They journeyed by its light, and labored in its hope. They sought to incorporate its principles with the elements of their society, and to diffuse its influence through all their institutions, civil, political, or literary.”

The legacy of the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving is the legacy of godly men and women who sought to bring Christian principles to this nation. These spread throughout the nation for centuries.

15. How were Christian principles brought to the founding of this republic?
Most historians will acknowledge that America was born in the midst of a revival. This occurred from approximately 1740-1770 and was known as the First Great Awakening. Two prominent preachers during that time were Jonathan Edwards (best known for his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”) and George Whitfield. They preached up and down the East Coast and saw revival break out. Churches were planted, schools were built, and lives were changed.

16. How influential were Christian ideas in the Constitution?
While the Constitution does not specifically mention God or the Bible, the influence of Christianity can plainly be seen. Professor M.E. Bradford shows in his book A Worthy Company, that fifty of the fifty-five men who signed the Constitution were church members who endorsed the Christian faith.

17. Weren’t many of the founders non-Christians?
Yes, some were. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin are good examples of men involved in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence who were influenced by ideas from the Enlightenment. Yet revisionists have attempted to make these men more secular than they really were. Jefferson, for example, wrote to Benjamin Rush that “I am a Christian . . . sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others.” Franklin called for prayer at the Constitutional Convention saying, “God governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his notice?” While they were hardly examples of biblical Christianity, they nevertheless believed in God and believed in absolute standards which should be a part of the civil order.

18. How important was Christianity in colonial education in America?
Young colonists’ education usually came from the Bible, the Hornbook, and the New England Primer. The Hornbook consisted of a single piece of parchment attached to a paddle of wood. Usually the alphabet, the Lord’s Prayer, and religious doctrines were written on it. The New England Primer taught a number of lessons and included such things as the names of the Old and New Testament books, the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and John Cotton’s “Spiritual Milk for American Babies.” Even when teaching the alphabet, biblical themes were used: “A is for Adam’s fall, we sinned all. B is for Heaven to find, the Bible mind. C is for Christ crucified, for sinners died.”

19. How important was Christianity in colonial higher education?
Most of the major universities were established by Christian denominations. Harvard was a Puritan school. William and Mary was an Anglican school. Yale was Congregational, Princeton was Presbyterian, and Brown was Baptist. The first motto for Harvard was Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae (Truth for Christ and the Church). Students gathered for prayer and readings from the Scriptures every day. Yale was established by Increase Mather and Cotton Mather because Harvard was moving away from its original Calvinist philosophy and eventually drifted to Unitarianism. The founders of Yale said that “every student shall consider the main end of his study to wit to know God in Jesus Christ and answerable to lead a Godly, sober life.”

20. If Christianity was so important in colonial America, why does the Constitution establish a wall of separation between church and state?
Contrary to what many Americans may think, the phrase “separation of church and state” does not appear anywhere in the Constitution. In fact, there is no mention of the words church, state, or separation in the First Amendment or anywhere within the Constitution. The First Amendment does guarantee freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion.

The phrase is found in a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote to Baptist pastors in Danbry, Connecticut in 1802 in which he gave his opinion of the establishment clause of the First Amendment and then felt that this was “building a wall of separation between church and state.” At best this was a commentary on the First Amendment, from an individual who was in France when the Constitution and Bill of Rights were drafted.
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Kerby Anderson is a radio talk show host heard on numerous stations via the Point of View Network endorsed by Dr. Bill Smith, Editor, ARRA News Service

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Women's March Founder Calls on Sarsour and Others to Step Down, Citing Anti-Semitism

Carmen Perez, Bob Bland, Tamika D. Mallory & Linda Sarsour

by Debra Heine: Two years after it was formed, one of the founders of the left-wing "Women's March" has finally had enough of her problematic liberal counterparts.

Teresa Shook, a retired lawyer who came up with the idea for a pro-woman march on Facebook the day after the 2016 election, is calling on co-founders Linda Sarsour, Tamika Mallory, Carmen Perez, and Bob Bland to step down from the organization because of their anti-Semitism and anti-gay rhetoric.

“As Founder of the Women’s March, my original vision and intent was to show the capacity of human beings to stand in solidarity and love against the hateful rhetoric that had become a part of the political landscape in the U.S. and around the world," Shook wrote in a statement on her personal Facebook page Monday. "I wanted us to prove that the majority of us are decent people who want a world that is fair, just and inclusive of Women and All people. We proved that on January 21, 2017 (and in the U.S. this past midterm with a diverse electorate)."

Shook wrote that the four organizers had "steered the Movement away from its true course" and that she had waited in vain for them to "right the ship."

"In opposition to our Unity Principles, they have allowed anti-Semitism, anti-LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform by their refusal to separate themselves from groups that espouse these racist, hateful beliefs," she continued.
Shook wrote that the four organizers had "steered the Movement away from its true course" and that she had waited in vain for them to "right the ship."

"In opposition to our Unity Principles, they have allowed anti-Semitism, anti-LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform by their refusal to separate themselves from groups that espouse these racist, hateful beliefs," she continued.

I call for the current Co-Chairs to step down and to let others lead who can restore faith in the Movement and its original intent. I stand in Solidarity with all the Sister March Organizations, to bring the Movement back to its authentic purpose. As Women’s March founder, I am stepping up to bring focus back to the Unity Principles on which our movement began, and with the support of all of those who marched and have continued to march, I pledge to support grassroots, decentralized leadership promoting a safe, worldwide community devoid of hate speech, bigotry and racism.It's nice that Shook finally called on the co-chairs to step down, but what took her so long?

There were warning signs -- bright, flashing warning lights that were, in fact, hard to miss.

Sarsour's pro-Sharia law, anti-Israel stances were well known in January 2017. Conservatives also pointed to her egregious 2011 tweet in which she threatened to assault and remove the genitals of Brigitte Gabriel and Ayaan Hirsi Ali because they "don't deserve to be women." How "pro-woman" is that?

In July 2017, the Women’s March proudly celebrated the birthday of the “revolutionary” Assata Shakur, who was convicted for murdering state trooper Werner Foerster in 1979.

Appalled, CNN reporter Jake Tapper tweeted in response that “Shakur is a cop-killer fugitive in Cuba" and condemned the "ugly sentiments" in the tweet. "Any progressives out there condemning this?” he asked.

Sarsour tweeted back that Tapper “joins the ranks of the alt-right to target me online. Welcome to the party.”

Because to disagree with Sarsour is to "join the ranks of the alt-right," according to Sarsour.

During an "anti-Semitism" event at the New School in New York City in November 2017, Sarsour proudly claimed to be "a very staunch supporter of the BDS movement" (boycott, divestment, and sanctions) and blamed the "Jewish media” for the controversial reputation she and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan have.

During an Islamic Society of North America conference in September 2018, Sarsour declared that American Muslims “are complicit in the occupation of Palestinians, in the murder of Palestinian protesters” if they’re not actively promoting the Palestinian cause.

“If you’re on the side of the oppressor, or you’re defending the oppressor, or you’re actually trying to humanize the oppressor, then that’s a problem,” Sarsour said.

Tamika Mallory is a regular attendee at the Nation of Islam's annual "Saviour's Day" event and has repeatedly and lavishly praised Farrakhan on social media. In his most recent Saviour's Day speech, Farrakhan said that "Jews control the media, Hollywood, the FBI, most of Europe, and Mexico." He also said the "white people running Mexico are Mexican Jews."

Mallory defended Farrakhan, saying that she has "been going to this event regularly for over 30 years."

"White folks are going down. And Satan is going down. And Farrakhan, by God's grace, has pulled the cover off of that Satanic Jew and I'm here to say your time is up, your world is through," he said at the Feb. 2018 speech.

Actress and liberal activist Alyssa Milano last month called out Mallory and the Women’s March for not disavowing Farrakhan in strong terms.

“Any time that there is any bigotry or anti-Semitism in that respect, it needs to be called out and addressed,” Milano told The Advocate, noting that she won’t speak at the next Women’s March if asked. “I’m disappointed in the leadership of the Women’s March that they haven’t done it adequately.”

Just last week Sarsour was condemned for comments she made in support of Minnesota Congresswoman-elect Ilhan Omar.

Sarsour said that criticism of Omar's support for BDS is led by “folks who masquerade as progressives but always choose their allegiance to Israel over their commitment to democracy and free speech.”

The American Jewish Committee, one of the oldest Jewish advocacy groups in America, accused Sarsour of anti-Semitism.
“Accusing Jews of dual loyalty is one of the oldest and most pernicious antisemitic tropes. No surprise to see it coming from @LSarsour. How long will progressive leaders continue to look the other way in the face of this hate?” the organization tweeted on Friday.The Women's March responded to Shook's post with a statement of their own on the Women's March Facebook page, thanking Shook for her “contribution to our movement,” but scolding her for "weighing in irresponsibly.”We are imperfect. We don’t know everything and we have caused harm. At times we have responded with hurt. But we are committed to learning. We will continue to work through the good and the bad, the impact and the harm — of building an intersectional movement that our daughters, and our daughters’ daughters can be proud of.

We are grateful for people who HAVE been with us for the past two years, wrestling with the challenges and opportunities of what we are trying to build. Our ongoing work speaks for itself. That’s our focus, not armchair critiques from those who want to take credit for our labor.The statement was signed by Bob Bland, Carmen Perez-Jordan, Linda Sarsour, Tamika D. Mallory, and the Women's March team.
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Debra Heine is a Catholic, mom of six and long time political pundit. She has written for PJ Media and several blogs including her own, Nice Deb!

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Tags: Debra Heine, PJ Media, Women's March Founder, Calls on Sarsour and Others, to Step Down, Citing Anti-Semitism To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!

Pentagon Fails First Audit, Neocons Demand More Spending!

Dr. Ron Paul

by Dr. Ron Paul: The Pentagon has finally completed its first ever audit and the results are as many of us expected. After spending nearly a billion dollars to find out what has happened to trillions in unaccounted-for spending, the long look through the books has concluded that only ten percent of all Pentagon agencies pass muster. I am surprised any of them did.

Even the Pentagon is not surprised by the failure of the audit. "We failed the audit. But we never expected to pass it,” said Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan. Can we imagine any large US company subject to the prying eyes of the IRS being so unfazed by the discovery that its books have been so mis-handled?

As with all government programs, but especially when it comes to military spending, the failure of a program never leads to calls for funding reductions. The Pentagon’s failure to properly account for the trillions of taxpayer dollars shoveled in year after year only means, they say, that we need to send more money! Already they are claiming that with more resources – meaning money – they can fix some of the problems identified by the audit.

If you subsidize something you get much more of it, and in this case we are subsidizing Pentagon incompetence. Expect much more of it.

Outgoing chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mac Thornberry, warned against concluding that this mis-handling trillions of dollars should make us hesitant to continue sending trillions more to the Pentagon. The failed audit “should not be used as an excuse for arbitrary cuts that reverse the progress we have begun on rebuilding our strength and readiness,” he said.

The neocons concur. Writing in the Free Beacon, editor Matthew Continetti (who happens to be Bill Kristol’s son-in-law) warns that now is “the wrong time to cut defense.”

But I agree with the young neoconservative Continetti. I would never support cutting a penny of defense. However the Pentagon’s lost trillions have nothing to do with defense. That is money propping up the high lifestyles of those connected to the military-industrial complex.

Continetti and the neocons love to throw out bogeymen like China and Russia as excuses for more military spending, but in fact they are hardly objective observers. Look at how much the military contractors spend funding the neocon publications and neocon think tanks telling us that we need more military spending! All this money is stolen from the productive economy and diverted to enrich neocon cheerleaders at our expense.

Of course the real problem with the Pentagon and military spending in general is not waste, fraud, and abuse. It is not ten thousand dollar toilet seats or coffee mugs. The problem with military spending is the philosophy that drives it. If the US strategy is to maintain a global military empire, there will never be enough spending. Because there is never enough to control every corner of the globe. But if we are to return to a well-defended republic, military spending could easily be reduced by 75 percent while keeping us completely safe. The choice is ours!
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Dr. Ron Paul, Chairman of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, is a former U.S.Congressman (R-TX) for 21 years. He twice sought the Republican Party nomination for President. As a MD, he was an Air Force flight surgeon and has delivered over 4000 babies. Paul writes on political and economic theory, American foreign, domestic, and monetary policies, the military-industrial complex, the War on Drugs, the Federal Reserve, and compliance with the U.S. Constitution.

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Maxine Waters Unfit to Chair House Financial Services Committee

by Corruption Chronicles: Considering her record and documented history of poor ethical and moral fitness, it’s outrageous that Maxine Waters is up for chair of the ultra-powerful House Financial Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over the country’s banking system, economy, housing, and insurance.

With Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives, come January the 14-term California congresswoman is expected to head the committee, which also has jurisdiction over monetary policy, international finance, and efforts to combat terrorist financing.

Throughout her storied political career, Waters has been embroiled in numerous controversies, including abusing her power to enrich family members, getting a communist dictator to harbor a cop-murdering Black Panther fugitive still wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and accusing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of selling crack cocaine in black neighborhoods.

A few months ago, the 80-year-old Democrat from Los Angeles encouraged violence against Trump administration cabinet members. “If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them and you tell them they are not welcome anymore, anywhere,” Waters said at a summer rally in Los Angeles. Judicial Watch filed a House ethics complaint against Waters for encouraging violence against Trump Cabinet members.

Among her most corrupt acts as a federal legislator is steering millions of federal bailout dollars to her husband’s failing bank, OneUnited. Waters allocated $12 million to the Massachusetts bank in which she and her board member husband held shares. OneUnited subsequently got shut down by the government and American taxpayers got stiffed for the millions.

Judicial Watch investigated the scandal and obtained documents from the U.S. Treasury related to the controversial bailout. The famously remiss House Ethics Committee, which is charged with investigating and punishing corrupt lawmakers like Waters, found that she committed no wrongdoing. The panel bought Waters’ absurd story that she allocated the money as part of her longtime work to promote opportunity for minority-owned businesses and lending in underserved communities even though her husband’s bank was located thousands of miles away from the south Los Angeles neighborhoods she represents in Congress.

The reality is that without intervention by Waters OneUnited was an extremely unlikely candidate for a government bailout through the disastrous Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The Treasury Department warned that it would only provide bailout funds to healthy banks to jump-start lending and OneUnited clearly didn’t meet that criteria.

Documents uncovered by Judicial Watch detail the deplorable financial condition of OneUnited at the time of the government cash infusion. The records also show that, prior to the bailout, the bank received a “less than satisfactory rating.” Incredibly, after that scandal Waters was chosen by her colleagues to hold a ranking position on the House Financial Services Committee she will soon chair. The only consequence for blowing $12 million on her husband’s failing bank was a slap on the hand to Waters’ chief of staff (her grandson) for violating House standards of conduct to help OneUnited.

Waters, who represents some of Los Angeles’ poorest inner-city neighborhoods, has also helped family members make more than $1 million through business ventures with companies and causes that she has helped, according to her hometown newspaper. While she and her relatives get richer (she lives in a $4.5 million Los Angeles mansion), her constituents get poorer.

The congresswoman was also embroiled in a fundraising scandal for skirting federal election rules with a shady gimmick that allows unlimited donations from certain contributors. Instead of raising most of her campaign funds from individuals or political action committees, Waters sells her endorsement to other politicians and political causes for as much as $45,000 a pop.

It wouldn’t be right to part without also noting some of Waters’ international accolades. She has made worldwide headlines for her frequent trips to communist Cuba to visit her convicted cop-assassin friend, Joanne Chesimard, who appears on the FBI’s most wanted list and is also known by her Black Panther name of Assata Shakur.

Chesimard was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted by a jury of the 1979 murder of a New Jersey State Trooper. With the help of fellow cult members, she escaped from jail and fled to Cuba. Outraged U.S. lawmakers insisted she be extradited but Waters always stood by her side, likening the cop-assassin to civil rights leader Martin Luther King.

In fact, Waters wrote Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro a letter to assure him that she was not part of the group of U.S. legislators who voted for a resolution to extradite the cop murderer. Waters told Castro that she opposed extradition because Chesimard was “politically persecuted” in the U.S. and simply seeking political asylum in Havana, where she still lives.

In the 1980s Waters accused the CIA of selling crack cocaine to blacks in her south-central Los Angeles district to raise millions of dollars to support clandestine operations in Latin America, including a guerrilla army. During the infamous 1992 Los Angeles riots the congresswoman repeatedly excused the violent behavior that ironically destroyed the areas she represents in the House. She dismissed the severe beating of a white truck driver by saying the anger in her district was righteous. She also excused looters who stole from stores by saying they were simply mothers capitalizing on an opportunity to take some milk, bread, and shoes.

Should this ethically and morally challenged individual, who has repeatedly displayed behavior unbecoming of a federal lawmaker, be at the helm of an influential congressional committee that oversees the financial sector?
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Judicial Watch authors Corruption Chronicles.

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Missouri City Fires Entire Police Force

by Tom Knighton: A lot of small towns don’t have precisely large police departments. My father was a chief of police for a department that, after a while, was pretty much just him, so I’ve seen it sort of up close and personal. Frankly, I suspect anyone with ties to a small town has.

Sometimes, a city will allow their department to dwindle to almost nothing as the cash-strapped community opts not to fill vacancies. What you don’t often see is the city deciding to fire their entire department, especially in a hinky manner as one Missouri town did.

The last police officer in the tiny Cass County town of Garden City was fired Monday as he arrived at the office.

“I was met by the mayor, a sheriff’s deputy and an alderman and handed termination papers,” said 50-year-old Tom Albers, an 18 year veteran of the department.

The letter simply said “The City of Garden City Board of Alderman held an Emergency Executive Closed Session Meeting on November 15, 2018. Your employment with the City is hereby suspended without pay indefinitely.”

November 15th was Thursday, the day after the city laid off the other seven members of the department. Albers said he was told at the time that he was being kept on as a one-man department. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Garden City Mayor Daniel Cantrell said it was Albers job “to continue to police our City.” However, it is now clear the city decided to fire Albers last week and tell him about it Monday.Perhaps the worst part is that the city is claiming that the officers won’t be entitled to unemployment benefits.Albers said his former officers were all told they would be eligible for unemployment benefits. He said he is unsure if being “suspended indefinitely without pay” will allow him to collect unemployment.Law enforcement in the city will now be handled by the Sheriff’s Department, at the cost of $45 per hour per deputy to cover the community. It makes you wonder how much it cost to have their department on a per hour basis.

Albers argues that the new arrangement will increase response times, which it may well do.

As for the unemployment question, my take is, never trust the employer when they say you aren’t entitled to unemployment. They rarely have your best interests at heart when they tell you that. Instead, they need to take it to a third party and let them evaluate whether or not they’re entitled or not.

I’m not going to lie, something about this whole mess stinks to high heavens.

It’s not just that they fired the entire department, but that they did it so abruptly with no severance package, no drawdown, and are trying to deny anyone any compensation following that termination. Couple that with telling the police chief that he still has a job, only to change tune later and something doesn’t sound quite right.

There’s probably a lot more to this story than what we’re hearing, but I’m kind of glad I’m not in Garden City, Missouri right about now.
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Tom Knighton is a Navy veteran, a former newspaperman, a novelist, and a blogger at Bearing Arms. He lives with his family in Southwest Georgia.

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Organization Run By US Muslim Brotherhood Operative Is Dissolved

. . . "March for Justice" nears its end - but when will Nidal Sakr face his own justice?

by Joe Kaufman: On July 26th, Nidal Sakr tweeted a Hamas communique, which included a photo of an armed Hamas soldier dressed in fatigues. That’s a normal event for Sakr, someone who has been associated with the founders of al-Qaeda and has issued death threats against President Trump and was sentenced to death, himself, in Egypt for murder. However, since his Hamas posting, Sakr has been relatively quiet – so quiet that it seems he is allowing the organization he has operated for nearly two decades, the March for Justice, to dissolve.

According to his bio, “In July 2000, Nidal became the Chairmen [sic] for the March for Justice…” The group was incorporated as a Florida Not For Profit Corporation. It became known for its extreme anti-Israel protests. At one such event, held at the University of Miami in October 2002, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was labeled “the world’s longest standing terrorist” and Israel an “illegitimate state.”

Sakr’s anti-Israel ideology had been building up for years.

Long before his involvement in the March for Justice, around 1970, Sakr had been recruited into a terrorist cell operating out of Jordan that was conducting paramilitary operations against Israel. Sakr stated on video that he had been recruited into the cell by Abdullah Azzam, the future mentor of Osama bin Laden and co-founder of al-Qaeda. He further stated that he was a personal acquaintance of bin Laden and the bin Laden family.

Sakr has since written that Israel “MUST BE OBLITERATED” and that he will “never rest till ‘Israel’ is off the map.”

Sakr also used his March for Justice organization to shill for the Muslim Brotherhood, while he was residing in Egypt and acting as an organizer for Brotherhood rallies and an advisor to Brotherhood leadership during the Arab Spring.

This past September, according to the Florida Division of Corporations, the corporation for Sakr’s group, the March for Justice, was dissolved for its failure to file an annual report. And while Sakr’s sister March for Justice corporation in California shows “ACTIVE,” it appears that his paperwork, which was due in June, has been delinquent as well.

Why?

Maybe he just didn’t feel the need to maintain the organization any longer. Or maybe it has to do with the legal controversies surrounding Sakr’s life.

In March 2014, Sakr left his home in Egypt for the United States, where he had been born. Upon arrival he was placed in handcuffs and detained. There was a good reason for him leaving Egypt. Days after his detention at the US border, Sakr was sentenced to death in Egypt for the murder of an Egyptian police officer.

Sakr was allowed to remain in the US. While here, he has repeatedly leveled threats at President Trump.

In July 2017, Sakr referred to Trump as an “enemy of God.” In September 2017, he wrote, “FACTS ARE FACTS. Patriotic Americans Will Keep After SOB Donald Trump Until We Nail His ass. YOU WATCH!!” And in October 2017, Sakr outright called for the President’s death. He tweeted, “EXECUTE SOB TRAITOR Donald Trump.” That same day, he wrote, “Donald Trump, You Are TOAST… I GUARANTEE IT.”

To make a threat against the President of the United States is a federal crime. Sakr could serve up to five years in prison for doing so. Of course, this is no comparison to the death sentence he would receive in Egypt. But even with the extradition treaty that was signed between the US and her Egyptian ally, getting sent off as an American-born citizen to realize his Egyptian fate is not an easy task. That is, unless there is proof that Sakr renounced or lost his US citizenship.

According to the United States government, “You might lose your U.S. citizenship in specific cases, including if you… commit an act of treason against the United States.” In this author’s opinion, Sakr has done that on numerous occasions by issuing threats against the US.

Sakr has referred to the US as “evil America” and the “largest Global Terrorist.” Last December, he tweeted, “Down with America!!!” In November 2017, he tweeted (in Arabic), “Jihad will topple all American dogs.” And in August 2017, he wrote, “LET ME BE CLEAR. Like it or Not, America MUST/WILL PAY 4 War Crimes/Crimes Against Humanity/Support of Dictators/Terror Creation.”

Up until recently, Sakr has been very active on social media. Following his Hamas communique post in July, Sakr waited till October 22nd and October 23rd to make his next posts. He tweeted on both days, “BREAKING!!! LIVE from Johannesburg…” He said he was discussing the subjects of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and anti-Muslim activities, on the South African radio channel CII or Channel Islam International.

Question: Was/Is Sakr traveling to/residing in South Africa or was he just interviewed on a radio station that happens to be located there? He has been interviewed by CII many times in the past. If he is living outside the US, maybe it is the reason why he has appeared to have let his March for Justice organization dissolve.

Regardless of where he has been or is currently located, Sakr’s violent actions, threats and terror incitement – which spans five decades – needs to be stopped immediately. Sakr must be held to account for his activities and be brought to justice. This could happen in the US via jail sentence, so he can no longer pose a threat to national security, or via extradition to Egypt, where he faces execution. Doing so would send a long overdue signal that those who promote terror and sedition can no longer do so with impunity. Either way, justice will have been served.

Beila Rabinowitz, Director of Militant Islam Monitor, contributed to this report.
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Joe Kaufman was the 2016 Republican nominee for United States House of Representatives in Florida’s 23rd Congressional District. He is an expert in the fields of counter-terrorism, foreign affairs and energy independence for America. He has been featured on all major cable networks, including Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, PBS and C-SPAN. Joe has been instrumental in getting terrorist charities shut down and terror-related individuals put behind bars. This article was shared by FrontPage Mag, a publication of the David Horowitz Freedom Center. David Horowitz is a Contributing Author of the ARRA News Service

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Be Thankful

Gary Bauer

by Gary Bauer, Contributing Author:  I love Thanksgiving!

The day traces its origins back to the Pilgrims -- those hardy pioneers who arrived on the shores of North America and, against all odds, carved a nation out of the wilderness. They came to the New World not seeking fortune, but freedom. Specifically, they sought freedom to worship God as they wished.

As the name makes clear, it's not about turkeys or football, parades or pumpkin pies. Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to God for the blessings we enjoy. Thanking God for His blessings was a routine experience in our early years.

The first official National Proclamation of Thanksgiving was issued by the Continental Congress on November 1, 1777, in celebration for the victory against the British at the Battle of Saratoga.

In October of 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued a formal proclamation calling on the country to observe the last Thursday of November  "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."

And as America confronted a world at war in 1941, Congress voted to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday observed on the fourth Thursday of November.

Continuing that tradition, presidents since have issued Thanksgiving Day proclamations and special messages. Below are excerpts of President Ronald Reagan's Thanksgiving address to the nation, delivered 30 years ago this week in 1988.

"We Americans have so much for which to be thankful. Think of the great expanse of our nation, the rolling hills of our immense farmland. . . the plows and the sweat of America's farmers call forth from our good Earth more food than we can possibly eat. . . Millions of children across all the continents are happier, healthier, and stronger because of America's farmers.

"Now, think of our manufacturing centers. . . Almost every American industry is zipping along at near-full capacity. A few years ago, journalists were calling the Midwest the Rust Belt. Now the Boom Belt would be more like it. . .

"But prosperity is not an end in itself. It helps us pay attention to the more important things: raising our children as we want them to be raised, helping others in need, and bringing nations together in peace. . .

"Yes, peace is another thing for which we can say a prayer of gratitude over the dinner table on Thursday, peace and abundance in this land that God has kissed. We will give thanks for these and one thing more: our freedom.

"Yes, in America, freedom seems like the air around us: It's there; it's sweet, though we rarely give it a thought. Yet as the air fills our lungs, freedom fills our souls. It gives breath to our laughter and joy. It gives voice to our songs. It gives us strength as we race for our dreams.

"Think of those around the world who cannot bow their heads in prayer without risking their lives. . . And then think of how blessed we are to be Americans. Yes, as we gather together this Thanksgiving to ask the Lord's blessings . . . let us thank Him for our peace, prosperity, and freedom."

Tomorrow, when Carol and I celebrate Thanksgiving with our family, we will give thanks for America, for our men and women in uniform and for you – each and every one of our cherished friends and supporters who make our work possible.

We wish you all of God's blessings at this special time of year.
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Gary Bauer is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families

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Orange County’s Booming Foreign-Born Population Coincides with Democrat Electoral Sweep

by John Binder: Orange County, California — once considered a conservative holdout in the blue state — has been electorally swept by Democrats in the midterm elections, coinciding with the region’s booming foreign-born populations.

Until the midterm elections, four of Orange County’s six congressional districts were held by Republicans, including Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Rep. Mimi Walters (R-CA).

In the midterms, though, Democrats swept Orange County with wins in all six congressional districts, turning the region blue. At the same time of Democrat dominance in the county, the foreign-born population is booming to record levels with the majority of foreign residents arriving from Latin America and Asia.

California’s 46th District, already a Democrat-held congressional seat, has a foreign-born population that is now reaching 40 percent with four-out-of-ten residents being born outside the United States.

The other Democrat-held congressional seat in Orange County, California’s 47th District, has a foreign-born population of nearly 30 percent.

Three of Orange County’s four Republican districts that have flipped to Democrat have foreign-born populations that make up 25 percent or more of the region. For example, California’s 39th District — where Democrat Gil Cisneros won over Republican Young Kim — has a 34.1 percent foreign-born population.

In the 45th District, where Rep. Mimi Walters (R-CA) has conceded to Democrat Katie Porter, the foreign-born population makes up nearly 30 percent of the district.

Similarly, in the state’s 48th District, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) — the former speechwriter to President Ronald Reagan — lost to Democrat Harley Rouda after serving in the seat since 2013. That district’s foreign-born population is now near 25 percent.

Even in the 49th District, where the foreign-born population remains below 20 percent, Democrat Mike Levin beat out Republican Diane Harkey. The district has anywhere between an 18 to 19 percent foreign-born population with about 55 percent of foreign-born residents arriving from Latin America and nearly 30 percent coming from Asia.

As Breitbart News reported, districts with some of the largest foreign-born populations — like New York’s 14th, Minnesota’s 5th, and Massachusetts’ 7th District — elected some of the most far-left, open borders candidates to Congress.

As Breitbart News reported, Democrats have increasingly gained strongholds in congressional districts due to booming foreign-born populations.

Report: Booming Foreign-Born Population Handing Over Electoral Dominance to Democrats https://t.co/SvPccY5aKK

— John Binder 👽 (@JxhnBinder) June 24, 2018

The process known as “chain migration,” for example — whereby newly naturalized citizens can bring an unlimited number of foreign relatives to the U.S. with them — has imported more than nine million foreign nationals since 2005.

As Breitbart News reported, if chain migration is not ended — as President Donald Trump has demanded — the U.S. electorate will forever be changed, with between seven to eight million new foreign-born individuals being eligible to vote because of chain migration, and overall, an additional 15 million new foreign-born voters.

Every year the U.S. admits more than 1.5 million foreign nationals, with the vast majority deriving from family-based chain migration. In 2016, the legal and illegal immigrant population reached a record high of 44 million. By 2023, the Center for Immigration Studies estimates that the legal and illegal immigrant population of the U.S. will make up nearly 15 percent of the entire U.S. population.
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John Binder (@JxhnBinder) is a reporter for Breitbart News.

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Grateful for Not Starving

John Stossel

by John Stossel: When we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, I will give thanks for property rights.

Property rights allow each individual or family to do what we want with our small piece of the world without having to answer to the whole community.

On Thanksgiving, we'll probably be told to think of America as one big family -- and for some people, government is the head of that family. That idea warms the hearts of America's new "democratic socialists."

But thinking like that nearly destroyed this nation before it began.

The Pilgrims at Plymouth didn't share a feast with Indians after arriving in 1620 because America was so filled with bounty.

Instead, the Pilgrims nearly starved to death. They'd tried to farm collectively -- the entire community owning all the land and sharing everything, like socialists. Gov. William Bradford wrote, "By the spring, our food stores were used up and people grew weak and thin. Some swelled with hunger."

Then, writes Bradford, "After much debate (I) assigned each family a parcel of land... (T)his had very good success, because it made every hand industrious."

Crop production increased because workers reaped direct benefits of their own effort. They stopped hoping someone else would do the hard work.

It's not that the Pilgrims were lazy or weak. They'd risked their lives to cross an ocean to try to build a community from scratch. But in tiny, often imperceptible ways, we each do a less efficient job, and pay less attention to the task at hand, if we think the whole community is responsible for that task.

The Pilgrims were the same people after their switch from collective to individual farming -- from socialism to capitalism, as it were -- but after the switch, they thrived. That led to the first Thanksgiving in 1623.

The bounty for which we give thanks this week was made possible by that early course correction to private property.

I worry that, 400 years later, we've turned into ingrates. Instead of celebrating individual producers, Americans give thanks to a gigantic government for handouts.

It's not just the poor who get a helping hand. Middle- and even upper-class Americans have been taught to expect government to guarantee health insurance programs, dispense our retirement income, run our schools and provide security.

We do things as a single, unanimous unit that could be done better by private individuals and the voluntary groups we form. Why?

I think the idea of everyone pulling together under the warm umbrella of wise political leaders, as if all 330 million Americans sat around the same dinner table, makes people feel cozy and safe.

But it's a dangerous illusion.

It's hard enough to get a real family to agree on things for the holidays. Children fight. Tastes differ. Not everyone wants to hear the same music.

On a small scale like that, we know each other well enough to forgive slights such as an uncle knocking over the gravy boat or the kids playing loud music.

But trying to do that with 330 million strangers is a formula for disaster.

The result of pretending we're one big household that can manage everything collectively is more than $20 trillion of debt and a million complicated laws. Then we fight about who should be in charge of it all.

Collective farming nearly starved the Pilgrims. It also starved tens of millions in the Soviet Union and in Communist China. And it's not just a farming problem.

Doing anything collectively, especially if you do it involuntarily, is a bad, inefficient idea.

Government can force everyone into the same centrally-dictated plan, but in doing so it stifles individual initiative and drive. Economists call it the "tragedy of the commons," and it happens whether the individual's goal is to make food, build houses or invent a better running shoe.

This holiday, I'll be thankful that the Pilgrims were smart enough to stop doing things the hard way. Modern America should learn from that.
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John Stossel is author of "No They Can't! Why Government Fails -- But Individuals Succeed." Article shared by Rasmussen Reports

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Art of the Meal . . .

. . . Not only is President Trump good at the “Art of the Deal” he’s pretty good at the art of making a meal of the press, especially Acosta.

Editorial Cartoon by AF "Tony" Branco

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Settling the Science

by Paul Jacob, Contributing Author: A paper in the august science journal Nature,* on the oceans’ “thermal inertia” and the ominous temperature rise therein, has been corrected. But not before the BBC (and other media outlets) ballyhooed the results in the usual “climate change”/“global warming” narrative: “Climate change: Oceans ‘soaking up more heat than estimated’” (Nov. 1).

The paper’s initial new (and alarming) estimate, however, proved wrong.

Over at Real Climate, one of the co-authors clarified the changes that had to be made: “The revised uncertainties preclude drawing any strong conclusions with respect to climate sensitivity or carbon budgets . . . but they still lend support for the implications of the recent upwards revisions in” . . . well, I will let you make sense of it.

I am not a climate scientist, nor do I pretend to be one on the Internet.

What is important to note is that the “strong conclusions” reported on were found to be groundless.

Mistakes were made.

How were those mistakes identified?

They were caught at the ClimateEtc. — not an “august science journal” — published online at judithcurry.com.**

Nic Lewis, the astute blogger, identified a major source of the inaccuracy in the original paper as having arisen “primarily because of the inappropriate assumption of a zero error in 1991.”

We have just witnessed science in action — the public testing of published findings.

“The bad news,” Dr. Roy Spencer reminds us on his Global Warming blog, “is that the peer review process, presumably involving credentialed climate scientists” — note the dig — failed to catch the error “before publication.”

The crucial science happened afterwards, online.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

* “Quantification of ocean heat uptake from changes in atmospheric O2 and CO2 composition,” by L. Resplandy, R. F. Keeling, et al.

** I have had occasion to mention climate scientist Judith Curry in the past.
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Paul Jacob is author of Common Sense which provides daily commentary about the issues impacting America and about the citizens who are doing something about them. He is also President of the Liberty Initiative Fund (LIFe) as well as Citizens in Charge Foundation. Jacob is a contributing author on the News Service.

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How Trump & GOP Could Win Back the House & Keep the Senate in 2020

by Robert Romano: Just as midterm elections tend to favor the opposition party in races in the House — 89.7 percent of the time the incumbent party loses seats, with losses averaging about 36 seats — so do presidential elections tend to favor the White House incumbent party.

In presidential election years dating back to 1900, the White House incumbent party picks up seats in the House 57 percent of the time, with gains averaging 18.7 seats.

If Republicans were to pick up seats and win the average number of seats gained in 2020 — it looks like they’ll have about 200 seats in the next Congress — they’d be well within striking distance. President Donald Trump and the GOP could take back the House. It’s not impossible.

It would be the first time since 1948 that the White House incumbent party held 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and flipped control of the House. So, there’s that.

And 57 percent of the time is hardly a sure thing.

On the flip side of the equation, of the 13 times House seats were lost in a presidential cycle, 9 of those were years the White House incumbent party lost the election, in some cases catastrophically. In 1932, Republicans lost 101 seats in the House for example.

So, if the GOP loses House seats in 2020, there’s a 69 percent chance Trump would lose re-election.

Overall, in years the incumbent party lost the White House and seats in the House, losses in the House averaged 34.5 seats. Suffice to say, that would be a catastrophe for the GOP.

Interestingly, the White House incumbent party usually loses seats in the Senate during presidential election years, 57 percent of the time, with losses averaging 4.3 seats.

However, losing Senate seats is not as fatal and is far less predictive to presidential reelection hopes as losing House seats. In years that Senate seats were lost, the White House incumbent party went on to win the election 59 percent of the time.

The size of Senate losses appears to depend on whether the White House was lost or not.

In years Senate seats and the White House were lost, losses averaged 8 seats.

In years Senate seats were lost but not the White House, losses only averaged 1.7 seats.

Also of interest, in years Senate seats were gained by the White House incumbent party, 61.5 percent of the time that party kept the presidency.

Meaning, if Trump gets re-elected in 2020, the odds are that the GOP would keep the Senate — and could even possibly win back the House.

And given how well Republicans did in the Senate, picking up a net 2 seats, Trump could be very well positioned for 2020.

In midterm elections going back to 1906, White House incumbent parties have only picked up Senate seats 6 times: 1906, 1914, 1962, 1970, 2002 and 2018. After that, White House incumbent parties have proven to be unbeatable, sweeping to victories in 1908, 1916, 1964, 1972 and 2004. No president during that period has lost re-election after picking up seats in the midterms. You have to go back 1888, when incumbent President Grover Cleveland lost to Benjamin Harrison after picking up 2 seats in the Senate. Note: In 1906 and 1886, senators were still selected by state legislatures.

The lesson is that if you’re a Republican member of either the House or Senate, or rooting for them, you sure better hope Trump gets re-elected or at least keeps things close. Their fortunes more or less are joined at the hip.
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Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government.

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Trump Rips 9th Circuit, Next Stop for Asylum Case, as ‘Disgrace’

by Fred Lucas: The Trump administration will defend its policy on asylum after a federal judge temporarily halted it as thousands of migrants in a “caravan” wait to enter the United States at Tijuana, Mexico.

Speaking to reporters late Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump said he was upset the case has to be appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. One of the most liberal appeals courts in the country, its judges have ruled against other administration policies.

“It’s a disgrace what happens in the 9th Circuit,” Trump said. “We will win this case in the Supreme Court.”

Trump said he would file a “a major complaint” about the 9th Circuit, but didn’t specify to whom he would complain, or what type of complaint it would be.

“Every case gets filed in the 9th Circuit,” the president said. “We get beaten, and then we end up having to go to the Supreme Court. Like the travel ban that we won. The 9th Circuit, we are going to have to look at that.”

U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar of the Northern District of California in San Francisco issued the temporary restraining order against the administration’s asylum rules, which required those illegally crossing the southern border to register at a legal port of entry. Tigar is an appointee of President Barack Obama.

Tigar’s order is effective immediately, but lasts only until Dec. 19, when a new hearing for a longer injunction will occur.

Trump also vented his frustration about Tigar.

“This was an Obama judge, and I’ll tell you what, this is not going to happen anymore,” Trump vowed. “It means an automatic loss, no matter what you do. … People should not be allowed to immediately run to this very friendly circuit and file their case.”

However, as a legal matter, the judge is correct, said David Inserra, a policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation who specializes in homeland security.

“While the Trump administration rightly recognizes that U.S. borders must be protected and that loopholes and poorly [crafted] laws are contributing to illegal immigration at the U.S. border, ultimately it is Congress that needs to fix this mess,” Inserra told The Daily Signal.

“Only congressional action to fix loopholes—such as the Flores settlement, the well-meaning Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, and weak asylum laws—can solve the chaos at our southern border and [it] should be the No. 1 priority in the lame-duck period,” he said.

The 1997 Flores settlement established a policy covering minors who crossed the border unaccompanied by adults. It determined that the federal government would release those minors from custody to parents, relatives, or other caretakers after no more than 20 days, or, alternatively, determine the “least restrictive” setting for the child.

The district judge’s ruling almost certainly will be overturned when it reaches the Supreme Court, said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Mehlman cited the Supreme Court ruling upholding the Trump administration’s policy of “extreme vetting” for travelers to the U.S. from terrorism-prone countries, most of them with Muslim majorities.

Some called the policy a “travel ban,” and critics called it a “Muslim ban.”

“The Supreme Court has already determined the president has authority to decide who enters the country in the travel ban case,” Mehlman told The Daily Signal. “This is just a way for the other side to run out the clock. You can always find an activist judge.”

The judge’s ruling is “absurd,” asserted a joint statement Tuesday from Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Katie Waldman and Justice Department spokesman Steven Stafford.

“Congress has given the president broad authority to limit or even stop the entry of aliens into this country,” they said, adding:

Further, asylum is a discretionary benefit given by the executive branch only when legal conditions are met and a favorable exercise of discretion is warranted. It is lawful and appropriate that this discretionary benefit not be given to those who violate a lawful and tailored presidential proclamation aimed at controlling immigration in the national interest.

We look forward to continuing to defend the executive branch’s legitimate and well-reasoned exercise of its authority to address the crisis at our southern border.The American Civil Liberties Union led the lawsuit on behalf of the migrants crossing Mexico from Central America, claiming Trump’s Nov. 9 order violated the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. That law states that a foreigner arriving in the United States may seek asylum regardless of whether he or she is authorized to be in the country.

“The rule barring asylum for immigrants who enter the country outside a port of entry irreconcilably conflicts with the INA and the expressed intent of Congress,” Tigar wrote, referring to that law. “Whatever the scope of the president’s authority, he may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden.”
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Fred Lucas (@FredLucasWH) is the White House correspondent for The Daily Signal. 

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Free to Be Thankful

by Tony Perkins: Most Americans are too busy bustling around grocery stores or packing their cars for the trip home to stop and think about the significance of this week. But for a handful of people, who, at one point, probably took the season for granted like so many of us, this year's Thanksgiving will be one to remember.

One of those people is Pastor Andrew Brunson. After months of wondering if he'd ever see his family again, the North Carolina native will be enjoying the holiday around a dining room table -- not stuck in a cold Turkish prison cell, alone. The day will probably be just as emotional for Kim Dong-chul, Tony Kim, and Kim Hak-song, freed from North Korean by President Trump in early May. Their days in captivity, which -- for Kim Dong-chul -- included torturous days at a hard labor camp were just as grueling. After three long years, the dream of coming home and being reunited with his family seemed too much to hope for. "We thank God, and all our families and friends who prayed for us and for our return."

In Iraq, where Christians were hunted down by ISIS armies and chased out of villages dating back to Old Testament days, every day is an opportunity for thanksgiving. Along the Nineveh plains, where the prophet Jonah once walked, the reminders of heartbreak are everywhere. Rubble, broken crosses, and shattered picture frames are all that are left of some ancient streets. But thanks to President Trump and tens of millions of dollars in U.S. aid, there are also signs of life: new shops, a school, and churches that look more like construction sites than disaster areas. Even though the rebuilding process will take years, the journey home, almost everyone will tell you, has been worth it.

Unfortunately, not all Christians are so lucky. The world rejoiced at the release of Pakistani Asia Bibi -- only to see the mother of five forced into hiding, while angry Muslims take out their fury on a community of terrified Christians. While she waits for asylum in the West, the country's believers are the nation's new target. "We live under fear, the whole country is under tension. People are afraid and anything can happen in this situation," a retired Christian soldier told reporters. Elsewhere, Islamists began attacking "random travelers in the Muslim country who identified themselves as Christians in the wake of Bibi's acquittal." In certain Islamabad areas, police were warning Christians: lock up your shops and find someplace safe.

Church services were cancelled, and schools were closed while protestors with signs saying, "Hang Bibi," demonstrated in the town streets. For the three million Christ followers in the region, there is very little certainty that what happened to Bibi won't happen to them. "The government protects us, but blasphemy is such a sensitive issue we feel weak and in fear," anonymous believers tell the Telegraph. As FRC's Travis Weber points out, they have plenty of reason for concern. "The abuse of blasphemy laws to settle personal scores is one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time. Often through a mere accusation, lives are put at risk and death threats flood in. Asia Bibi's case has helped us see the injustice of using these laws in this way -- an issue which remains a religious freedom challenge worldwide, and one that demands our attention."

The New York Times, in its criticism of blasphemy laws like Pakistan's, <explained that "Iran executed 20 people in 2015 for 'enmity against God,' and in Saudi Arabia, adhering to the wrong branch of Islam can mean death." European international human rights expert Nina Shea writes, "is trying to placate the Islamists by giving in on the blasphemy issue, but Bibi's experience is a case study on how legitimizing religious speech taboos only fans the flames." The EU, she explains, is so desperate to be politically correct that it's adopted "hate speech bans" on anything "deemed Islamaphobic by anyone." That's only empowered the radical Islamists in the Europe and U.K. In fact, they're such a force in the area that some leaders there are retracting their offers for Bibi's asylum, concerned that she might be murdered by their own Muslim extremists. What a tragic commentary on the state of P.C.'s blind acceptance in the West.

Right now, the United States may be the only country with enough commitment to true religious liberty to protect her. "Few Western nations -- which tend to be encumbered by political correctness and a misguided obsession with the separation of church and state -- are bold enough to take a stand for persecuted Christians, despite the fact Christians are the most widely persecuted religious group in the world," Rev. Joseph D'Souza warns. "Americans might not always be aware of it," he explains, "but when it comes to religious freedom, the U.S. holds a unique significance for Christians and other religious minorities across the world."

America, under President Trump, has made religious freedom more of a priority than any other nation on the planet. And for that, we -- along with our brothers and sisters around the world -- have much this week to be thankful for.
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Tony Perkins is President of the Family Research Council . This article was on Tony Perkin's Washington Update and written with the aid of FRC senior writers.

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