The Yanks Over There – 100 Years Ago

Victor Davis Hanson  "One hundred years ago, on April 6, 1917, the United States entered World War I. The ongoing conflict ended just 19 months later with an Allied victory.

. . . 

"Unfortunately, World War I ended with an armistice — at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 — and not with an unconditional surrender of the defeated. Although Germany and Austria-Hungary clearly lost the war, their countries were not occupied and monitored, as would be true after World War II.

"The 1919 Treaty of Versailles that was supposed to bring peace is often blamed for being too harsh on the losers. But it was more complicated than that. The settlement of Versailles combined the very worst of both worlds: blaming the defeated side, but without any means of ensuring that the humiliated losers would not rearm and try their luck again." . . .

"Defeat and occupation force an enemy to cease its aggression. Armistices without a definite result only lead to postponements — and eventually more war. (As with North Korea. TD)
"World War I’s terrible irony is that today its horrible carnage seems even more senseless than the far greater death toll of World War II, which ended quite differently and did not lead to another world war — at least so far."

. . .

Get ready to start paying sales tax on those Amazon purchases

Hot Air

"We’ve spent more time than I’d care to remember talking about the long dormant Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) here over the past few years. Nothing much ever came of it in terms of new legislation (yet) but one of the key players in that space is obviously Amazon. They’ve fought tooth and nail against the government stepping in and forcing the issue, much to the distress of many brick and mortar outlets.

"But now there’s been a major sea change. It may be because Anthony Kennedy recently said he’d vote to allow states to require such collections. Perhaps it was a number of red states imposing online taxes as trial balloons. Or maybe it’s just because Neil Gorsuch is on his way to serve as a tie-breaker on the Supreme Court and he’s widely considered a states’ rights advocate. Whatever the cause, Amazon has done an about face and announced they’ll be collecting and remitting sales tax in all 45 states that charge it. (Axios)" . . .

Jewish Voice for Peace Featured Speakers List a “Who’s Who” of Israel haters

"Is the group sponsoring this collection of speakers really a Jewish voice for peace?"

jewishvoiceforpeace

Legal Insurrection “ 'Jewish Voice for Peace” bills itself as a Jewish pro-peace organization.

"But JVP is not a Jewish organization. At most it claims to support “Jewish traditions of social justice” as set forth on its 2016 listing of Core Values.

"JVP also is not a pro-peace organization. As our extensive coverage over the years has demonstrated, JVP in reality is dedicated to delegitimizing Israel by providing an “as a Jew” cover for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and others who seek the destruction of Israel." . . .

. . . 

"In addition to these speakers, JVP will be featuring a parade of anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian speakers.

"Notably, no representation of the more standard ‘pro-peace’ line of Israeli (or for that matter) Palestinian speakers will be present. Rather, the speakers, almost to a one, has a record of blaming Israel for racism and aggression (or ‘colonialism’), and, among those who have spoken out on the matter: all support a blame Israel approach that manifests itself in boycotts and hostility to everything Israel.

"This piece will survey some of the Featured Speakers and their history of anti-Israel activism.

As you go through the list, ask yourselves, is the group sponsoring this collection of speakers really a Jewish voice for peace?" . . .

More on these JVP speakers here.

Evelyn Farkas; The US is incompetent to keep it's secrets while Obama is highly skilled at revealing all we know

Who Is Evelyn Farkas and Why Did She Spill The Beans on Obama’s Secret Surveillance Operation?…

Fox News has run two stories:

• FIRST – Former Obama official discloses rush to get intelligence on Trump. (link)
• SECOND – Who is Obama administration official who spilled beans?  (link)

"Stick with the timelines.  If you get stuck, go back to the timeline.  Always go to the timelines. It’s the timelines that trip up the deceivers and the timelines that deliver the truth."

 Gowdy: ‘I Wish… The Other Side Would Be A Little More Outraged’ Over Unmasking Of Private Citizens 3
"Trey Gowdy told CBS “Face the Nation” host John Dickerson Sunday that he’s disappointed that Democrats aren’t “more outraged” over the unmasking of private citizens in relation to the investigation on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election."

“All of this is important, John, every bit of it,” Gowdy added. “The felonious dissemination of classified information is the only thing we know for sure is a crime, and it would be nice if we showed the same level of interest in that.”

Updates:
Former Obama official discloses rush to get intelligence on Trump team

Nobody saw this March 2 interview all this month because, well, who watches MSNBC?

PJ Media adds more to the Farkas story  . . . "According to Powerline's Scott Johnson, Farkas "all but outed herself as a key source" for a New York Times story earlier this month that detailed the Obama administration’s efforts to undermine the incoming Trump administration." . . .

A Health Care Plan so Simple, Even a Republican Can Understand!

Ann Coulter  "It's always impossible to repeal laws that require Ann to pay for greedy people, because the greedy run out on the streets wailing that the Republicans are murdering them. 

"Obamacare is uniquely awful because the free stuff isn't paid for through income taxes: It's paid for through MY health insurance premiums. This is unfortunate because I wanted to buy health insurance.

"Perhaps you're not aware -- SINCE YOU EXEMPTED YOURSELVES FROM OBAMACARE, CONGRESS -- but buying or selling health insurance is illegal in America.

"Right now, there's no free market because insurance is insanely regulated not only by Obamacare, but also by the most corrupt organizations in America: state insurance commissions. (I'm talking to you, New York!)

"Federal and state laws make it illegal to sell health insurance that doesn't cover a laughable array of supposedly vital services based on bureaucrats' medical opinions of which providers have the best lobbyists.

"As a result, it's illegal to sell health insurance that covers any of the medical problems I'd like to insure against. Why can't the GOP keep Obamacare for the greedy -- but make it legal for Ann to buy health insurance?

"This is how it works today: 

"ME: I'm perfectly healthy, but I'd like to buy health insurance for heart disease, broken bones, cancer, and everything else that a normal person would ever need, but no more.

"INSURANCE COMPANY: That will be $700 a month, the deductible is $35,000, no decent hospital will take it, and you have to pay for doctor's visits yourself. But your plan covers shrinks, infertility treatments, sex change operations, autism spectrum disorder treatment, drug rehab and 67 other things you will never need.

"INSURANCE COMPANY UNDER ANN'S PLAN: That will be $50 a month, the deductible is $1,000, you can see any doctor you'd like, and you have full coverage for any important medical problems you could conceivably have in a million years.

. . . "Mine is a two-step plan (and you don't have to do the second step, so it's really a one-step plan). " . . .

Maxine Waters silent on threats to murder president, violence against Trump supporters

"As we’ve reported multiple times, Trump supporters have been violently attacked by radical leftists and the president has been targeted with death threats."

Joe Newby

"As we and others reported Tuesday, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., continued her non-stop attacks on President Trump by going after those who support him, suggesting that she and others of her ilk are somehow more patriotic than those who support the chief executive.  We reached out to her Washington, D.C. office to find out if she condemns the many calls and threats to murder the president and the violence meted out against his supporters.  As of our midnight deadline, we received no answers to our questions.

"Here are the three questions we asked:

1. As you may know, there have been numerous reports of threats and actual violence directed at the president’s supporters (including children).  Does the Congresswoman condemn those actions?
2. There have been numerous threats directed at the president himself, some of which include threats and calls to assassinate him.  Does the Congresswoman condemn those as well?
3. Is the Congresswoman at all concerned that her rhetoric might encourage more of the type of attacks and threats we’ve seen since November, and will she publicly call for an end to those attacks/threats?. . . 

They are all Maxine Waters now...  . . . "Apparently there are 28 Democrats in the Senate for whom the right path is too damn hard.  Could these men and women be any more childish?  They are allMaxine Waters now.  Rep. Waters has vowed to boycott any event, meeting, or ceremony with Trump in attendance.  Congresswoman Waters is the jealous middle school mean girl who likes to gang up on the student body president.  Of  course, everyone with a brain sees her for what she is, a woman so handicapped by vituperation and self-aggrandizement that she has become a joke.  She may be a heroine to ignorant millennials for her anti-Trumpism but that just proves their constitutional and political illiteracy. " . . .

Big Names Headline The People’s Summit In Chicago – It’s A Who’s Who Of Communists

Noisy Room  "The commies have truly come out of the closet. The whole gang will be getting together in Chicago on June 9th thru the 11th. Bernie Sanders, Michael Moore, Danny Glover and Van Jones will be headlining the People’s Summit. Chicago is where the headquarters of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) is located. They are still labeling themselves as progressives, but anyone with two functioning brain cells knows these are devout communists… comrades in arms. Thousands will join them to plot taking back America from President Trump and the Republicans. It will be one giant war room.  

"This should be common knowledge now and come as no surprise to anyone. Van Jones has a long, violent history of being a Marxist. Don’t believe his protestations that he has reformed, he hasn’t. Bernie Sanders calls himself a socialist… in reality, he’s a communist and the current healthcare plan he is presenting to Trump should prove that. He is pushing single payer healthcare. Michael Moore is a Marxist film producer and the editor of The Nation. And Danny Glover never met a communist or dictator he didn’t love." . . .

Calling themselves the politically correct term “progressives” instead of the anti-American, anti-freedom communists that they are, the above communist leaders will join thousands of other totalitarians who are hellbent to fundamentally transform America into North Korea or Venezuela.

 

In the Nunes Affair, Don’t Lose Sight of the Unanswered Questions

Andrew C. McCarthy

Aspects of the FBI’s handling of the Flynn case deserve further scrutiny.

 "Let us stipulate that it would be difficult for House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes (R., Calif.) and the Trump White House to have handled a critical intelligence matter any worse. 

"Still, the questions Nunes has raised are more important than the fact that he shot himself in the foot while pursuing the answers. 

"The chairman says he was invited by an unidentified intelligence official to review classified documents on the White House grounds — at the Old Executive Office Building, it appears, where the National Security Council has secure facilities for that purpose. These documents purportedly show that communications from Trump transition officials, and perhaps Trump himself, were intercepted during intelligence-agency monitoring of foreign powers; and Nunes says the monitoring in question appears unrelated to Russia’s meddling in the U.S. election. 

"Nunes reports that the documents he was shown suggest that the Obama administration may have been using its foreign-intelligence powers to shadow the incoming Trump team. Though the communications in question were lawfully intercepted, Nunes suggests that the identities of Trump officials should have been “masked” (i.e., concealed) under standard minimization rules that guide the dissemination of classified foreign intelligence throughout the “community” of U.S. intelligence agencies. Instead, the identities of the Trump officials were revealed and widely transmitted to people with no apparent need to know about the officials’ communications — some of which, in Nunes’s description, had “little or no apparent foreign-intelligence value.' ” . . .

Yet some conservatives feel Nunes should step down

Gorsuched!

Borked:  1987, "to discredit a candidate for some position by savaging his or hercareer and beliefs," from name of U.S. jurist Robert H. Bork whose Supreme Court nomination in 1987 was rejected after an intense counter-campaign."  Also: Kennedy, Bork and the Politics of Judicial Destruction ...  Demagoguery made manifest.

Earick Ward  "After a handful of days of congressional testimony, Neil Gorsuch exposed the Democrats as being...well, ignorant of the law.

"If it had been a heavyweight fight, the referee would have been negligent in not calling the fight after the first or second round.

"But, lo and behold, the fight went the full ten rounds, with Gorsuch specifically, and Republicans generally, standing tall, as unanimous winners on all cards.

"One Democrat after another exposed his ignorance of the Constitution and its application to the rule of law.  Neil Gorsuch was nearly flawless, answering idiotic question after idiotic question.  He exposed not only Democrats on the dais, but Progressivism generally.

"Chuckie Schumer has announced that he will filibuster Neil Gorsuch's nomination."  . . .

"If we're not careful, and if we allow the Progressive Party a foothold, we'll be Gorsuched, as we were Borked years ago.  Grow a spine.  Trust that you are working on behalf of the majority of the American people, and move forward."

Sen. Schumer Harassed Well-Connected Woman at NY Restaurant Because She Voted for Trump

Report: Sen. Schumer Harassed Well-Connected Woman at NY Restaurant Because She Voted for Trump  . . . "According to witnesses, Schumer continued the harassment after the woman and her husband left the restaurant, following them outside and yelling more insults.  
"The senator was dining with friends at Sette Mezzo when he confronted Joseph A. Califano Jr. — the former U.S. secretary of health, education and welfare under President Jimmy Carter — and his wife, Hilary, who were trying to enjoy a quiet dinner." . . .

Rush Limbaugh describes the venue for the encounter:

. . . Yeah, I remember the last time I saw a Republican voter started yelling at somebody that voted for Obama. You remember that, don’t you? Yeah, it was some Republican who… Actually, it didn’t happen. That’s why I don’t remember it. There is no such story. Because Republicans do not act like insane people — in public. In public. (chuckles) They’re not right, folks. They are not right, these Democrats. They have a sickness. There is something that has overcome them.

Wait a minute; what's this version?  . . . "Another witness tells a different version of the story, where the Califanos actually approach Schumer’s table." . . .
Some anti-Trump witness may have just wanted to get these words into print, true or not, so they would begin a pro-Schumer narrative. This witness seems to be one of a kind and probably a New York Democrat. 

Global war....er, climate change; all powerful, all knowing, more omnipotent than the Creator

Is There Anything Climate Change Can’t Do?

"Just when you thought the climate change superhero could do it all, it outdid itself by causing Brexit and diabetes."

. . .  "Suppose I told you that during a similar time period, the number of people who drowned by falling into a pool correlated with the films Nicolas Cage appeared in? Or that per capita cheese consumption correlated with the number of people who died by becoming tangled in their bedsheets? Look at the graphs and see the correlation. Anyone believe these are cause and effect results rather than interesting but spurious associations?" . . .
. . . "Instead the media agenda is that climate change is caused by man and that urgent government intervention, in the form of new taxes and regulations, is the only way to stop it.

"Is the climate changing? Of course. It always has and always will. Is human activity contributing and how much? Unknown. Can corrective human efforts change anything? Doubtful, but also unknown." . . .

Trump’s Sweeping Executive Order on Climate Policy Has Been Sorely Needed

"As promised, President Donald Trump has issued an “energy independence” executive order to undo several of the Obama administration’s climate change regulations. 

"To the benefit of all Americans who desire affordable, dependable energy, the executive order will help energy companies establish some independence from overzealous regulators.

"Here’s what the order does:

Orders the Environmental Protection Agency to review and repeal, or revise, the Clean Power Plan.

"Lipstick on a pig? Yup -- for the both the Edsel and RyanCare."

"The Edsel executives were exiled. None were involved with the Ford Mustang. If the GOP has any designs on its own Mustang, Paul Ryan can’t be within a million miles of GOP leadership."

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Paul Ryan’s Edsel . . . "All of the flawed Edsel’s moving parts were destined for a dumpster. First, the car was overhyped for more than a year, with no actual previews for the automotive press; no clandestine drawings, specs, or features of any kind were revealed. Second, dealers had no advance introductions. Third, when finally launched, the Edsel looked ugly -- sensationally ugly… No, breathtakingly ugly. Fourth, workmanship was sloppy, mechanical failures recurred, and frequently. Finally, the Edsel was overengineered, too complicated for average dealer mechanics to service." . . .

Is Mo Brooks Our Lord Brougham?  . . . "But I like Mo Brooks's approach to the problem, which in some ways is similar to Lord Brougham's approach to the evil of the income tax, in some ways akin to Alexander the Great's solution to the problem of the Gordian Knot. On Friday, Brooks filed the "ObamaCare Repeal Act" in Congress. ObamaCare itself runs to thousands of pages. Brooks's remediation runs one sentence:

"Effective as of Dec. 31, 2017, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is repealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Act are restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted." Roger Kimball at PJ Media

From Dennis Prager:  Purists Kill Whatever They Believe In  . . . "The first purist conservative example were the Never Trumpers, who believed it was better for Hillary Clinton to be elected president and for the Left to have four more years of presidential power than for Donald Trump to win. There were valid reasons to wonder whether Donald Trump was a conservative, and valid reasons to oppose him in the primaries. There were no valid reasons to oppose him in the general election. I said all these things then and have thus far been validated beyond my wildest dreams. . . "