Sunday, January 6th open thread: ‘New Birth in New England’
“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24 KJV)
Here is this week’s open thread. Please feel free to post links to interesting articles and to discuss whatever issues arise during the course of the day. Nothing is off-topic here.
You can subscribe to America’s Watchtower to receive email updates and you can also follow America’s Watchtower on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the links on the right.
Here is Phosphorescent performing “New Birth in New England” on Jimmy Kimmel Live. This is a Massachusetts band and this song has been getting quite a bit of play on one local radio station. I like the song, it is catchy, although I do not understand why the band did that little part in the middle.
According to this story the House will introduce its first gun control legislation on Tuesday. This piece of legislation would require universal background checks, including most private sales. Here is more:
House Democrats will introduce their proposal to require universal backgrounds checks for gun sales on Tuesday, the eighth anniversary of former Rep. Gabby Gifford’s shooting, according Democratic lawmakers and aides.
Thompson said the bill would be bipartisan, but declined to reveal the GOP sponsors of the measure at this time.An aide to Rep. Peter King later said the New York Republican will be an original co-sponsor of the legislation, as he has in the past.
The Democratic proposal would require federal background checks on all gun sales, including private transactions. There will be some small exemptions to those checks, such as transfers between family members, or temporary use of a gun for hunting. Gun-control groups estimate that roughly one-fifth or more of gun sales don’t include background checks.
It is estimated that there could be as many as 14 Republicans who vote in favor of the measure. This bill will easily pass the House but will most likely stall in the Republican-led Senate.
But this is representative of we can expect over the next two years on almost all issues; the Democrats in the House will pass legislation to make them feel good, but the legislation will stall in the Senate and then the finger pointing will begin while they all position themselves for the 2020 election. And nothing will get done as usual, it is all a big game of chess and we are the pawns.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Earlier today Donald Trump was asked about the possibility of declaring a national emergency as a means to find the funding to build the border wall and he admitted this is something he has thought about and just might do if he cannot secure the funding through the Congress. Here is more:
President Trump said Friday that he might declare a national emergency so that he could bypass Congress and order the construction of his long-promised wall on the southern border.
“Absolutely, we can call a national emergency. I haven’t done it. I may do it. I may do it. We can call a national emergency and build it very quickly,” he said during a press briefing in the Rose Garden after a two-hour meeting with top Democrats about the government shutdown and border security.
“It’s another way of doing it. If we can do it through a negotiated process, we’re giving that a shot.”
Asked if that stance was a threat to Democrats, Trump replied: “I never threaten anybody but I am allowed to do it.”
This is equivalent to Barack Obama grabbing his pen and his phone to push through his agenda which he could not get through the Congress, only on steroids. But he did not stop there, he also mentioned he could use eminent domain to steal people’s land in order to build the wall.
This is totally unacceptable to me! Can you imagine what conservatives would be saying if this were Barack Obama or any other Democrats who threatened to create a national emergency to push an agenda? Never let a good crisis go to waste…
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
House Democrats to introduce articles of impeachment against Donald Trump on day one
Well that did not take long. According to this story House Democrats are planning on introducing articles of impeachment against Donald Trump on their first day in control. Here is more:
Rep. Brad Sherman, a California Democrat, plans to re-introduce articles of impeachment against Trump on the first day of the new Congress, he said Thursday. Sherman was one of three Democrats who introduced resolutions to impeach Trump in 2017, along with Reps. Al Green of Texas and Steve Cohen of Tennessee, part of an effort from a small wing of House Democrats seeking to remove the President from office.
For her part the new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, did not rule out the possibility of impeaching the President however she did say it was too early at this point in time and that the House should wait until the Mueller report came out before proceeding.
“We have to wait and see what happens with the Mueller report. We shouldn’t be impeaching for a political reason, and we shouldn’t avoid impeachment for a political reason. So we’ll just have to see how it comes,” she said.
I take that as an admission that they have to wait for something they do not have at this point and that is an impeachable offense. To introduce articles of impeachment now is nothing but playing politics but I think it is safe to say she is banking on, and hoping for, something, anything, to turn up in the Mueller report so they can move forward on impeachment.
If these articles of impeachment are introduced today and Nancy Pelosi refuses to move on them it will be interesting to see how the Democratic base will react, we have seen they are not very mature and not very patient so it could get very interesting, very quickly.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Elizabeth Warren prepares 2020 Presidential run
I told myself I was not going to start writing about the 2020 election until, oh I don’t know, at least 2020 but at least I can say I officially made it to 2019. What caused me to break my promise to myself? The worst kept secret in American politics and a warning to my readers.
Over the weekend the Senator from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren, made it official by announcing she was starting an exploratory committee in preparation for a 2020 Presidential run. Here is part of her statement:
“I never thought I would run for anything, ever, in my life, but America’s middle class is getting hollowed out, and opportunity for too many of our young people is shrinking. So, I’m in this fight all the way. … I’m going to build a grassroots campaign. It’s already got people from all across this country who are going to be part of it, and together, we’re going to make change. And if people out there see it and want to be part of it, I hope they go to elizabethwarren.com and join us. Because this is how we’re going to build the movement that will change America.”
First, it is an untruth for her to say she never thought she would run for anything. The whole motivation for her leaving Oklahoma and carpetbagging her way to Massachusetts was to set up a Presidential run in the future. Politicians are motivated by ambition and the desire for power and Elizabeth Warren is no different.
Now for the warning: Elizabeth Warren’s announcement was met with joy from the right. Conservative and right wing voters are laughing at the prospect of an Elizabeth Warren campaign and even Donald Trump said he is looking forward to it but, at the risk of using a warn out cliche, this is a case of be careful what you wish for.
The message of change is a strong one, this will be at least the fourth campaign in a row which is focused on changing Washington and the message has worked all three times. Sure, nothing ever really changes but the voters never catch on while they are enticed by the shiny object and blinded with something that is eternally promised.
And then there is the fact many of us do not want to admit but it seems to be the truth. The youth in this country have gone far more to the left than any of us likes to believe. We like to think the sky-screamers are few and far between, that the videos we see are just anomalies, but they are becoming much too regular an occurrence to just write off at this point. The promise of socialism and the destruction of capitalism seems to appeal to a growing number of the American people who have not yet learned from the lessons of history.
Sure, you might be laughing now, and it could be fun to watch her campaign for a couple of years but we might not be laughing at the end. Remember, Hillary Clinton supporters were hoping for, and laughing at the prospects of, the possibility to run against Donald Trump and how did that turn out? And you do not even have to go back that far, does the name Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ring a bell?
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Donald Trump to consider border security funding in exchange for DACA
According to this story Donald Trump is considering compromise legislation co-sponsored by Lindsey Graham which would provide $5 billion in border security funding in return for DACA.
Here is more:
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina urged the White House and Democrats to consider supporting what he called a “breakthrough” compromise on immigration that would allow President Trump to secure his $5 billion demand for border security funds and also codify protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders.
“I don’t see Democrats giving us more money, unless they get something,” Graham told reporters outside the White House Sunday afternoon after a two-hour lunch with the president.
Graham said he proposed the idea to Mr. Trump, who he said called it “interesting.” He said the deal would entail the White House supporting the Bridge Act, a bill Graham co-sponsored to grant DACA recipients three-year work permits, as well as legislation to extend the legal status of TPS holders. In exchange, Democrats would need to support a spending measure that includes $5 billion in funding for border security.
“I think that’s in the realm of possibility. The president didn’t commit, but I think he’s very open minded. I know there’s some Democrats out there who would be willing to provide money for a wall, border security if we could deal with the DACA population and TPS people,” Graham said.
If this sounds familiar it probably should because it was nearly a year ago to the day that Donald Trump floated this idea only to be rejected by the Democrats for partisan political reasons. Why should we expect anything to be different now?
Notice that technically this is funding for “border security” and not necessarily a physical border wall? As I said last year when this same basic proposal was first introduced, this might be the best we can hope for. But will this be enough to mollify Trump supporters who are adamant that nothing but a physical wall will do–not to mention what they will perceive as a cave on DACA?
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Sunday, December 30th open thread: ‘All My Friends’
“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24 KJV)
Here is this week’s open thread. Please feel free to post links to interesting articles and to discuss whatever issues arise during the course of the day. Nothing is off-topic here.
You can subscribe to America’s Watchtower to receive email updates and you can also follow America’s Watchtower on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the links on the right.
Here is The Revivalists performing “All My Friends” live on The Late Show a couple of months ago:
Obama-Bush security expert admits ISIS is defeated
In addition to James Mattis stepping down in the wake of Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States would be pulling our troops out of Syria because ISIS was defeated, Democrats and their supporters suddenly became warmongering hawks who felt it was wrong to stop an endless war after years of calling for just that.
Democrats called this a surrender to Russia and Facebook was filled with memes calling Donald Trump a traitor and his supporters stupid for believing ISIS was defeated. Maybe, just maybe, in their hatred of all things Donald Trump the left was actually routing for ISIS and because of this their view was clouded and they could not see clearly.
It looks like Donald Trump might have been right when he basically declared the war on ISIS over because now a security expert for both George Bush and Barack Obama has admitted that Donald Trump’s policies have defeated ISIS.
Here is more:
Douglas Ollivant, former Iraq director at the National Security Council under President’s George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said on Friday that the Islamic State (ISIS) is defeated and President Donald Trump has a “solid strategy” and is on the “right path” to confront the remaining terror threat.
He went on to say:
“Well, they’ve been defeated,” Ollivant said. “We use some different terms here in military speak. Defeated means you can’t do what you were trying to do before.”
“So ISIS is defeated in the sense that there is no – physical caliphate is the word that Brett McGurk uses,” Ollivant said. “I think we all know what that meant.”
“That has now shrunk down to pretty much nothingness. So in that sense, yes, they’re defeated,” Ollivant said, adding that ISIS is still a threat operating around the world, including Europe and the United States, independent of the caliphate.
“That center level, that core, the physical caliphate is gone,” Ollivant said. “And so I think to say that they are defeated in that sense is true.”
Well that certainly does not fit the narrative the left has been trying to use to attack the President on his decision to leave Syria, does it? Of course you know what this means, it is only a matter of time before the left turns on Ollivant and calls him a traitor as well. The left is so blinded by hatred of the President that they just cannot stand any good news.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Nancy Pelosi spends government shutdown in Hawaii
Whenever the government shuts down our dear leaders love to tell us how painful it is going to be while trying to lay the blame for our pain at the feet of the opposition party. The truth about this government shutdown is that it has been exceptionally pain free for most people, with the possible exception of the non-essential government workers and programs and this is a problem for our politicians who thrive on contrived crises.
ordo ab chao
There are still a few partisans out there who are trying to portray this shutdown as the worst thing to happen to our country since we had a country, but the truth is you would be hard-pressed to find somebody on the street who is feeling the effects of less government in a harmful manner.
Nobody seems to care this time around (personally I feel less government is always better) and apparently Nancy Pelosi has realized this so instead of sticking around and trying to fix the “problem” the soon to be Speaker of the House has decided to spend the shutdown in Hawaii.
Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi is spending the government shutdown at a luxury resort in Hawaii, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.
Pelosi, who has put blame squarely on President Donald Trump for the current government shutdown, was spotted Thursday vacationing in Hawaii at the Fairmont Orchid resort, where room accommodations range from $899-a-night for a standard room to $4,899-a-night for the presidential suite.
Talk about throwing away all pretense of caring, any look of impropriety, or even of understanding the plight of the people who are supposedly being hurt by the shutdown, Nancy Pelosi has shown us by her actions what many of us have known for a long time. The elected officials in our government really and truly care about one thing and one thing only and that is keeping their power so they can continue to live their posh lifestyle. They do not really care about the people they are hired to represent, they are only interested in using the people for their own gain.
Nancy Pelosi has been so successful at this game that she is able to afford a luxury hotel in Hawaii at an estimated $1,000 a night. She has made the political calculation that the shutdown is going to hurt Republicans and the President so why not enjoy a little free time with the added little bonus that her absence will ensure the shutdown lasts a little longer?
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
Donald Trump to appeal court ruling on asylum for people who enter the country illegally
December 21st was a bad day for the President and his immigration policies when the Supreme Court ruled against him twice. One of the cases involved asylum seekers who come into the country illegally and the Supreme Court refused to reinstate the policy after it was blocked by the lower court.
According to this story Donald Trump is planning on appealing this ruling once the partial government shutdown is over, here is more:
The Trump Administration on Wednesday signaled its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked the White House from restricting asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Federal District Judge Jon Tigar last week blocked President Donald Trump’s November proclamation and fast-track regulation to bar migrants from seeking asylum who do not cross the border at ports of entry.
Administration officials told the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday that it planned to appeal Tigar’s ruling. Because of the partial government shutdown, however, an extension to file an opening brief for the appeal has been requested until government funding is restored.
The appeal comes several days after the Supreme Court let stand Tigar’s ruling in a 5-4 decision, with Chief Justice John Roberts siding with the court’s four liberal justices.
Maybe I am missing something here or maybe there is faulty reporting in the article I linked to and quoted above–either way maybe somebody can help me out. If the Supreme Court has already let the ruling stand how does the President have any appeals left?
I have to assume there are appeals left but even so what is the point of appealing at this point? No matter how the appeal turns out this will make its way back to the Supreme Court eventually and with its last ruling on this case we have a clear indication of what the Supreme Court’s decision will be. It seems like nothing but a waste of time and money at this point.
malo periculosam libertatem quam quietum servitium
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