BQI: Making America Great Again

The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the otherChristianity is the companion of liberty in all its conflicts — the cradle of its infancy, and the divine source of its claims.  Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859)

Black Quill and Ink    "For years Trump and non-Trump conservatives have witnessed a precipitous downturn in America. Things that were virtually unheard of and certainly seen as out of the mainstream if not completely unacceptable just 10 years ago are now literally main stream in America. Today Democrats, with power and influence from the White House, have managed to push an extreme agenda onto American life; including things like the legalization of gay marriage to now concerted efforts to institutionalize all bathrooms as transgender or gender neutral. Unfettered abortion, including partial birth abortion and infanticide, are being accepted by many Americans including some so called Christians. Many Americans, including Christians, who may not agree with these new lifestyles will generally remain silent for fear of physical and/or verbal retaliation, mocking and intimidation; all efforts to silence people into inaction. Christians who do stand on their faith are targeted, fined; threaten with physical harm and often times run out of business, all for exercising their Constitutional right of freedom of religion and standing up for their Judeo/Christian values. 

We have members of violent black radical groups like Black Lives Matter being given legitimacy by accepting invitations to and visiting the White House to meet with the president. You have Christians around the world being targeted by Islamic terrorist; who are hung and crucified and yet our president does nothing to help but instead dictates that Muslims in war torn nations be allowed to immigrate to America and given preferential treatment. 

"So with the nation virtually imploding you have a new political star in Donald Trump offering to fix these issues and in doing so “make America great again”. So what or how does Trump plan to make America great again?" . . .
. . . 
So what did de Tocqueville see as good in America[?] In his writings he stated:

I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her harbors…; in her fertile fields and boundless forests; in her rich mines and vast world commerce; in her public school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution.

Chip & Joanna Gaines’ Pastor Responds to Buzzfeed’s Public Shaming

Todd Starnes via Modern Reformation

"It’s not exactly clear why Buzzfeed chose to publicly shame Fixer Upper hosts Chip and Joanna Gaines. Nor do we know why the online publication attacked the Christian couple’s church.

"Maybe author Kate Aurthur got a speeding ticket while driving through Waco, Texas? Or maybe she dislikes shiplap? Or perhaps Buzzfeed simply employs virulent, anti-Christian bigots?

"We may never know. Regardless, their ugly attack on the Gaines family and Antioch Community Church in Waco cannot be undone.

“ 'The real shame is not on the Gaines family, but on this media inquisition of Christianity,” National Religious Broadcasters president Jerry A. Johnsontold me.

Earlier this week, Buzzfeed raised  questions about the Gaines family church and its position on same sex marriage.

“ 'And their pastor, Jimmy Seibert, who described the Gaineses as ‘dear friends’ in a recent video, takes a hard line against same-sex marriage and promotes converting LGBT people into being straight,” Buzzfeed breathlessly reported.

“ 'So are the Gaineses against same-sex marriage?” the writer demanded to know. “And would they ever feature a same-sex couple on the show, as have HGTV’s House Hunters and Property Brothers?”

"Why is that the business of Buzzfeed? Do they expect Chip and Joanna to inquire about the sexual proclivities of potential clients?" . . .

Remember the leftists at the 2008 Obama inauguration?

What we might expect from today's snowflakes at the Trump inauguration. Those that leave their safe spaces, anyway.
Say, aren't these the children of those who spit on our servicemen just back from Vietnam? Oh, wait! are Ben and Jerry in the crowd? I just love their ice cream; it's just to die for! Oops, that could have been a micro-aggression. I'm so sorry!

EXCLUSIVE: Only Five New Clinton Foundation Donors In Third Quarter

Daily Caller

“ 'A lot of questions have been raised, and I think donors are understandably cautious about getting involved with this deeply troubled charity,” Charles Ortel, a Wall Street analyst and philanthropy expert, told TheDCNF." . . .

"Cleta Mitchell, a Washington, D.C., attorney who specializes in nonprofit foundations, told TheDCNF, “Since the Clinton Foundation was all built on influence peddling with, by and for the Clintons, in order to enrich them, the question is: who will the Clintons now be able to influence? What will the influence seekers now get for their money?' ” . . .

Terrorists Are People, Too

David French at NR  "Not all of them want to die, and they hope we’ll tire out before they do.
"There will come a time when our nation can fairly evaluate George W. Bush’s strategy and record in fighting terrorism. Perhaps that time can start now. A new book by James Mitchell, a man who questioned 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed contains an extraordinary revelation.

"It turns out that those who believe that al-Qaeda attacked the U.S. in order to draw us into an Afghan quagmire are wrong. Terrorists attacked America expecting that we’d respond as we traditionally had, by treating terrorism primarily as a law-enforcement problem, with the military response limited to cruise-missile attacks like Bill Clinton’s ineffective 1998 strikes in response to the embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. Instead, Bush chose a different course."

On Drafting women into the military

The chair of the committee is John McCain, and he had no comment yesterday, as a spokesman said President Obama supports requiring women to register for the draft.

Althouse  . . . "Registering for the draft is a symbolic ritual... until the draft becomes real. Is the symbolism of equality worth it? The government, if it ever reinstates the draft, can opt only to call up the males on the list. So why not go for equality in the symbolism? Perhaps the better question is: Why put young people through this symbolic ritual? Or: Why discriminate against men, subjecting only them to the ritual?

"As for an actual draft, compelling men and women into service, I have never been able to picture Americans accepting forcing their daughters into combat. But if you allow women in combat and you force women into service, would we tolerate a system in which, when it comes to combat, women have a choice and men do not? "

But I have learned from watching Hollywood action movies that women can physically dominate men twice their size. They are in charge of most tactical operations, ordering units about with authority and putting sexist males in their place with devastating remarks and exhibitions of superiority - all while maintaining their hairstyle and plucked eyebrows. 

Recount for low-information candidates

Legal Insurrection here.

On the recount, Dr. Stein is not a serious person  . . . "Either way, the Stein recounts are a colossal waste of money and energy when there is not a shred of credible evidence of fraud or error and when the final vote in these three states likely will not change very much.

"Stein’s quixotic moralizing damages the credibility of the very institution she claims to protect -- the sanctity of the ballot box. It could even put Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes at risk if the recount isn’t completed by the time the Electoral College meets in December to officially confirm Trump’s election. Stein wants a hand count of ballots, and sued on Monday to try to force a reluctant state government to do that.

"Hillary Clinton’s campaign should have stayed far away from this nonsense. Instead, her campaign is participating in the recount."

Michigan Attorney General Attempting To Stop Recount  "This is just coming out via Politico, and it’s an interesting turn of events in the (ridiculous) election recount saga started by Jill Stein and endorsed by many Democrats and liberals." . . .

After a mere 25 years, the triumph of the West is over

"Had we not earned a restful retirement?  At the time, I argued that we had earned it indeed, but a cruel history would not allow us to enjoy it. Repose presupposes a fantasy world in which stability is self-sustaining without the United States. It is not. We would incur not respite but chaos.

 

Charles Krauthammer  "Twenty-five years ago — December 1991 — communism died, the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union disappeared. It was the largest breakup of an empire in modern history and not a shot was fired. It was an event of biblical proportions that my generation thought it would never live to see. As Wordsworth famously rhapsodized (about the French Revolution), “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive/But to be young was very heaven!”

That dawn marked the ultimate triumph of the liberal democratic idea. It promised an era of Western dominance led by a preeminent America, the world’s last remaining superpower.

And so it was for a decade as the community of democracies expanded, first into Eastern Europe and former Soviet colonies. The U.S. was so dominant that when, on Dec. 31, 1999, it gave up one of the most prized geostrategic assets on the globe — the Panama Canal — no one even noticed.

"That era is over. The autocracies are back and rising; democracy is on the defensive; the U.S. is in retreat. Look no further than Aleppo. A Western-backed resistance to a local tyrant — he backed by a resurgent Russia, an expanding Iran and an array of proxy Shiite militias — is on the brink of annihilation. Russia drops bombs; America issues statements.

Popular TV show features hijabi FBI agents, zero Muslim terrorists

"Just as Quantico creates a fantasy world where absolutely no terrorism is created by Muslims, it glamorizes the sharia lifestyle for young girls, creating an imaginary, fairytale kind of sharia that exists nowhere but on a Hollywood set.  Instead of being ashamed of it, the show's creator is actually proud.  It's disgusting propaganda."

American Thinker  "Joshua Safran, the creator of the ABC TV show Quantico, is proud of the fact that his show, about FBI agents hunting down terrorists, has never featured a Muslim terrorist.

For me, it was important to not ever put a Muslim terrorist on our show. There hasn't been one.

"Important because political correctness requires him to deny the existence of radical Islamic terrorism, one of the prime missions of the FBI to combat.  Most of the storyline revolves around the FBI's attempt to find a person who plants bombs.  The suspect shifts over time but is never a Muslim, because Muslims don't do that.  They never have.

"However, do not worry: Muslims are not unrepresented on Quantico.  Two of the FBI agents are hijabis." . . .

HOW TRUMP COULD RUIN HIS PRESIDENCY

Ann Coulter  "Soon after Trump's announcement speech, I said he would win the nomination and likely the election. It wasn't that hard to predict. For anyone familiar with the Republican Party's repeated betrayals of the American people, it was a 2-foot putt. 

"I issue this warning with the same certitude -- in fact, for the exact same reason I knew anyone running on Trump's platform would have unbreakable support from millions of voters.

"What coalesced Trump's base, what made his support tempered steel, was the fact that voters had been lied to, over and over again -- on many things, but most smugly and repeatedly on immigration.

"How many times did we have to see the GOP choke? There's 30 seconds left in the game, Republicans are down by two, they move the ball up the court, have a man in position -- and, every time, the GOP would do anything to avoid taking the 3-point shot.

"That is the beating heart of the anger that voters felt toward the party. No one trusted Republicans to ever score when they had the ball.

"It's why Trump's supporters stuck with him through thick and thin -- his attack on war hero John McCain (he deserved it), his mocking a disabled reporter (a lie), his lazy first debate performance (totally true), and the "Access Hollywood" tape (oh well).

"After he gave that Mexican rapists speech, and never backed down, Trump's base would have brushed off six more "Access Hollywood" tapes. All because they think Trump will take the shot." . . . 

Here’s How Trump’s HHS Pick Wants to Replace Obamacare

Washington Examiner  (Video) "By tapping House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Price to serve as his Secretary of Health and Human Services, President-elect Trump has added to his team one of the most serious and knowledgeable Republicans on healthcare policy, and in the process pressed his finger on the scales of the internal GOP debate over how specifically to replace Obamacare.

"In contrast to many Republicans, who have talked in terms of repealing Obamacare without offering their own vision for the healthcare system, Price, an orthopedic surgeon, has for years been refining his own detailed plan. In fact, he was one of the few Republicans who introduced an alternative bill in 2009, during the actual debate over Obamacare. You can read that version of the "Empowering Patients First Act" in its entirety here." . . .

Via Galen Institute

The White House and the Trump Carrier deal strategy

Before our main article, remember this: Trump actually has had a bigger triumph than Carrier prior to taking office

. . . Trump appears to be more successful in getting a message across before he is president that Obama did in eight years as President.
We should all remember that Ronald Reagan, the greatest President in my lifetime, caused the Soviet Union to collapse and brought down the Berlin wall, not with starting a war, but with words and strength. It is a shame that Democrats learn so little from history.

Anyway, here is the main point: 
White House gets defensive about Trump’s Carrier win, steps in it BIG TIME…

"Over the last few weeks, we’ve watched liberals try and wrap their minds around how they blew the election, making up every excuse under the sun rather than accept the truth that their policies are out of touch with the majority of Americans in this country. 

"At the same time, we’re watching the Obama administration desperately try to prop up its failed legacy, even as President-elect Trump blows them out of the water even before he sets foot in office.

"The news of Trump’s saving more than 1,000 U.S. jobs from moving to Mexico has put the Obama administration on the defensive on multiple fronts. As if it wasn’t awkward enough that footage of Obama mocking Trump’s plan to save those jobs has resurfaced, Josh Earnest’s efforts to defend the president’s own jobs record only made matters worse." . . . Hat tip to M Fumie Craig

Thomas Lifson: The key to Trump’s Carrier deal: Next generation manufacturing  "In his speech at Carrier yesterday (video embedded below), Donald Trump revealed some information that should comfort those market purists worried about America insulating itself from global markets, and thereby falling behind overseas competitors. He revealed that the reported $16 million is likely to end up much higher figure because the company is committing to next generation manufacturing."