Progress

Posted on 26 January 2019 by eehines

Even in the midst of the US government’s partial shutdown imbroglio and Great Britain’s Brexit fiasco, the two found time and energy to conduct joint operations training in the South China Sea.

Even though this only involved two ships—the Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell and Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll—it’s a critical beginning (not really a resumption; the last such joint exercise was eight years ago).

We need to expand on this, though. We need, also, to run joint flotilla- and fleet-level exercises in the South China Sea, and then we need to involve Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, and Japan in this sort of joint exercise. In their aggregate, they need to occur a couple of times per year—and they need to include island assault exercises.

This is a preview of Progress. Read the full post (294 words, estimated 1:11 mins reading time)

DACA and Walls

Posted on 25 January 2019 by eehines

When President Donald Trump made his latest offer and attempt at negotiation last Saturday, it already had been rejected by the Progressive-Democrats—yes, even before Trump spoke. In a Monday editorial, the Wall Street Journal was generous when it suggested the Dreamers (and TPS folks, I add) are pawns in the eyes of Progressive-Democrats. Reality isn’t that good. Dreamers and TPS folks aren’t even human to Progressive-Democrats—they’re just votes and potential votes, just marked ballots.

This is shown by Pelosi’s stated utter refusal even to discuss DACA recipients anymore.

Here, though, the WSJ‘s editors are wrong:

This is a preview of DACA and Walls. Read the full post (236 words, estimated 57 secs reading time)

Hysteria

Posted on 23 January 2019 by eehines

Some Congressmen are working on bills that, in their aggregate, would bar sales of critical computer components to the People’s Republic of China’s communications companies Huawei, ZTE, and other PRC companies caught violating our export laws or sanctions on those companies or companies with which these do business.

The PRC is upset.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said it was all “hysteria,” and

I believe the action of these few representatives are an expression of extreme arrogance and an extreme lack of self-confidence[.]

The PRC’s insults and hysterical response, whether individual or taken together, are sufficient evidence that we’re on the right track.

This is a preview of Hysteria. Read the full post (180 words, estimated 43 secs reading time)

Russian Acquisitiveness

Posted on 19 January 2019 by eehines

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is insisting that Japan accept the outcome of WWII as a necessary pre-condition to a peace agreement between Japan and Russia and “improved relations,” including trade, between the two.

That outcome includes Russian occupation of Japan’s Northern Territories, islands in the Kurile chain immediately north of the main body of Japan. Russia, which joined the war against Japan only in the waning months after Japan’s war effort was in full collapse, seized those islands and now claims them as “rightful spoils.”

This is a preview of Russian Acquisitiveness. Read the full post (172 words, estimated 41 secs reading time)

Pelosi Abandoned DACA Recipients

Posted on 15 January 2019 by eehines

‘Way last December, now-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D, CA) revealed the depth of Progressive-Democrats’ opposition to anything Trump or Republican.

[Then-]House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi…rejected the idea of partially funding President Donald Trump’s border wall in exchange for amnesty for “Dreamers….”

Recall that in President Donald Trump’s 2018 State of the Union address, he laid out his four pillars of immigration policy:

legal status for 1.8 million illegal aliens brought to the US as minors, including those who had not registered under DACA
a secure border
ending the visa lottery
ending chain migration

This is a preview of Pelosi Abandoned DACA Recipients. Read the full post (192 words, estimated 46 secs reading time)

Negotiate on the Wall?

Posted on 14 January 2019 by eehines

That’s what some Progressive-Democrats in the House claim they want to do. After the partial government shutdown is ended. Congressmen Eric Swalwell (D, CA) and John Garamendi (D, CA) have made such commitments.

However.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D, CA) has told President Donald Trump she will not negotiate on a border wall, demanding no funding whatsoever, even after the partial shutdown is ended.

Some questions arise.

Was Pelosi lying when she said that to Trump?

Was Pelosi lying to her caucus when they elected her Speaker on the basis of her promise to a significant fraction of her Party that she always and forever would oppose border wall funding?

This is a preview of Negotiate on the Wall?. Read the full post (175 words, estimated 42 secs reading time)

A Tidbit

Posted on 13 January 2019 by eehines

In addition to the Progressive-Democrats’ disdain for national borders and their desire to abolish ICE, there’s this from Jennifer Wexton (D, VA), with 60,000 civilian veterans and thousands more active duty vets in her district. The Congresswoman

removed the POW/MIA flag in front of her office….

Apparently, only some of the Party’s constituents are to be represented.

Permanent link to this post (91 words, estimated 22 secs reading time)

Emergency Powers

Posted on 12 January 2019 by eehines

President Donald Trump is giving very serious consideration to declaring a national emergency so he can reallocate certain funding toward building the border wall that’s so necessary in various places and that the Progressive-Democrats are so dead set against funding, even though they’ve voted, within the last decade, an order of magnitude more money for a wall than Trump is requesting.

Trump clearly has the legal authority to declare such an emergency and to carry out the funds reallocation.

Trump, though, has another way to force the Progressive-Democrats’ hand. Here’s what Article II, Section 3 says, in pertinent part:

This is a preview of Emergency Powers. Read the full post (210 words, estimated 50 secs reading time)

Democrat Obstructionism

Posted on 10 January 2019 by eehines

Extending their perpetuation of the existing partial government shutdown, now the Progressive-Democrats won’t even allow the Senate to function.

Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked the chamber from considering bipartisan foreign-policy legislation in a bid to pressure Republicans to reopen the government….

This is of a piece with their “rebuttal” of President Donald Trump’s Oval Office speech calling for negotiations on a border wall and border security generally, wherein the Progressive-Democrats reiterated their refusal to negotiate at all, and they denied the facts presented regarding our border situation while cynically declining to present their own facts.

This is a preview of Democrat Obstructionism. Read the full post (203 words, estimated 49 secs reading time)

A “Caravan” Participant’s Comment

Posted on 9 January 2019 by eehines

A Fox News piece centered on the refusal of some “caravan” participants’ refusal to leave a closed Tijuana warehouse and go to a better shelter facility—but a few miles farther away from our border—closed with this comment from 40-yr-old Honduran Norma Perez, who traveled with her 5-yr-old child. She wants President Donald Trump to

personally go to Honduras so he can see with his own eyes that we simply can’t go back, that there are no jobs, no companies, nothing.

This is a preview of A “Caravan” Participant’s Comment. Read the full post (224 words, estimated 54 secs reading time)

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