How Trump Is Going After Hezbollah in America’s Backyard

We may detest some of President Trump's brashness and bombast, but this is a president who has been effective and proactive. Democrats have turned America into the world's doormat, an object of ridicule. TD

Politico

The pro-Iranian militant group is up to no good in Latin America—and U.S. officials are pushing back.

. . . "But Hezbollah’s more recent moves in Latin America are very much a matter of interest for investigators, too. In October, a joint FBI-NYPD investigation led to the arrest of two individuals who were allegedly acting on behalf of Hezbollah’s terrorist wing, the Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO). At the direction of their Hezbollah handlers, one person allegedly “conducted missions in Panama to locate the U.S. and Israeli Embassies and to assess the vulnerabilities of the Panama Canal and ships in the Canal,” according to a Justice Department press release. The other allegedly “conducted surveillance of potential targets in America, including military and law enforcement facilities in New York City.” In the wake of these arrests, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center warned: “It’s our assessment that Hezbollah is determined to give itself a potential homeland option as a critical component of its terrorism playbook, and that is something that those of us in the counterterrorism community take very, very seriously.” These cases, one official added, are “likely the tip of the iceberg.

"The administration’s counter-Hezbollah campaign is an interagency effort that includes leveraging diplomatic, intelligence, financial and law enforcement tools to expose and disrupt the logistics, fundraising and operational activities of Iran, the Qods Force and the long list of Iranian proxies from Lebanese Hezbollah to other Shia militias in Iraq and elsewhere. But in the words of Ambassador Nathan Sale, the State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, “Countering Hezbollah is a top priority for the Trump administration.” Since it took office, the Trump administration has taken a series of actions against Hezbollah in particular—including indictments, extraditions, public statements and issues rewards for information on wanted Hezbollah terrorist leaders—and officials are signaling that more actions are expected, especially in Latin America. Congress has passed a series of bills aimed at Hezbollah as well." . . .

US Military set free from shackles of the feckless Obama - the hero of TV talk shows - now conquering ISIS

Just over a year later, ISIS has been routed from Iraq and Syria with an ease and speed that's surprised even the men and women who carried out the mission. Experts say it's a prime example of a campaign promise kept. President Trump scrapped his predecessor’s rules of engagement, which critics say hamstrung the military, and let battlefield decisions be made by the generals in the theater, and not bureaucrats in Washington.

Mattis, a US Marine Corps general, said there would be no White House

 micromanaging on his watch  

Once freed from Obama and the Democrats, the generals were amazed at how easy this was all done. Liberals feared many civilians would be killed if restraints were lifted from our forces; I have to believe civilians are now living that would have died under the American left. TD

Fox News  During the Obama administration in 2016, "Hundreds of ISIS fighters had just been chased out of a northern Syrian city and were fleeing through the desert in long convoys, presenting an easy target to U.S. A-10 "warthogs." 

"But the orders to bomb the black-clad jihadists never came, and the terrorists melted into their caliphate -- living to fight another day. The events came in August 2016, even as then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was vowing on the campaign trail to let generals in his administration crush the organization that, under President Obama, had grown from the “jayvee team” to the world’s most feared terrorist organization. 

U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Robert Sofge said the military
 now has a clear mandate

. . . "President Trump gave a free hand to Mattis, who in May stressed military commanders were no longer being slowed by Washington “decision cycles,” or by the White House micromanaging that existed President Obama. As a result of the new approach, the fall of ISIS in Iraq came even more swiftly than hardened U.S. military leaders expected.

“It moved more quickly than at least I had anticipated,” Croft said. “We and the Iraqi Security Forces were able to hunt down and target ISIS leadership, target their command and control.”
. . . 

“We were able to focus on what our job was without distraction and I think that goes a long way in what we are trying to accomplish here,” he said.Sofge said criticism that loosening rules of engagement put civilians at risk is “absolutely not true.”

French School In Lebanon Forced To Apologize For Putting Israel On Map…

Related to the story below:  Trump Terminates Palestinian Revisionism
. . . "So why would any clear thinking person believe giving more land away would bring peace? Especially, when Abbas refuses to accept the existence of the Jewish state of Israel no matter what the borders are?" . . .

Weasel Zippers

. . . 

LEBANON: A private French school in Beirut has sparked controversy after it emerged one of its textbooks referred to the land south of Lebanon as Israel, and not Palestine. Under Lebanese law, Israel’s very existence is forbidden from being acknowledged.

The transgression first surfaced on social media, when the father of a nine-year-old girl posted a picture of a map showing Israel in one of the school’s textbooks, along with the caption, “this is what my fourth grade daughter learned in class today.”

The school was forced into an apology, issuing a statement saying it has absolute respect for the sovereignty and history of Lebanon, while emphasizing its commitment to the official curriculum. Lebanon and Israel remain technically at war, and Lebanese law does not allow recognizing Israel in any form, even on maps.

Marwan Hamadeh, the Lebanese Minister of Education, has promised to look into the matter, the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported. MP, Wael Abu, has asked Hamadeh to look into the running of the school and to take appropriate measures if it’s found to be undermining Lebanese and Palestinian political or cultural identities.

Regional tensions with Israel have been particularly inflamed over the last few days, as US President Donald Trump signed a declaration moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, officially acknowledging the ancient city as the Israeli capital. International observers have warned that Trump’s decision could lead to more unrest in the Middle East.

Regarding our guardians of free speech...

Accused leftist abusers of women: the list grows (again)  "More women are speaking out against boorishness and much worse that they claim to have experienced from prominent politically active men, encouraged by the courage of others, and by the contrition expected of their accused tormentors. A decision appears to have been made at the top levels of the Democratic Party that the sacrifice of the careers of their own pawns on the political chessboard is worthwhile in the quest to unseat a sitting POTUS." . . .

American Thinker

Colleges Struggle to Make Christmas Politically Correct

Legal Insurrection

“ensure that office celebrations are not indirectly celebrating religious holidays”

 "Having successfully ruined the holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving, academia is now moving on to Christmas.

"Campus Reform reports:

Universities strive for ‘Christmas’-free campuses

As another Christmas quickly approaches, colleges across the country are issuing their annual guidelines on how to make the season as inclusive as possible.

At the University of California, Irvine, for instance, individual departments are encouraged to “focus on celebrating a special occasion, instead of a specific holiday,” suggesting that they have a “year-end celebration” or celebrate “seasonal themes such as fall, winter, or spring.”

The California university also requests that academic departments “ensure that office celebrations are not indirectly celebrating religious holidays,” suggesting that they display “diverse symbols representing a variety of faith traditions along with secular ones.”

The State University of New York, Brockport has issued similar guidance on “culturally sensitive holiday decorations,” even advising employees to “consider a grab bag instead of a ‘Secret Santa’ gift exchange.”

“Keep decorations general and nonspecific to any religion. Create a winter theme with lights and color rather than religious icons, or include decorations from all the cultural traditions represented in your department,” the guidelines add, saying the “holiday season should be considered an opportunity to demonstrate cultural sensitivity and inclusivity.”

Similarly, Ohio University put out a guide on “holiday expenditures,” noting that decorations cannot be purchased with university funds, but that any decorations “displayed in public areas” should “be secular in nature.”  Emphases in the original. TD 

Is Saying 'Merry Christmas' Politically Correct? Who Cares?  

Ireland Calling

The Frankenphiles have left the building

Rich Terrell

Franken’s Phony Finale: He casts his resignation as an act of gallantry, not an act of atonement.  . . . "The speech followed the usual pattern of lying pols: I didn’t do it, I’m only quitting because I am a distraction and can’t advance my party’s agenda “effectively anymore, and the other side is worse. Franklin bitterly remarked upon the “irony” of his resignation, presenting himself as an innocent man on the pyre while guilty men like Trump and Roy Moore walk free." . . .

In Franken's fall, sudden Senate pickup chance for GOP   . . . "Franken's exit gives Republicans an opening to expand their reach in an already favorable Senate map — two dozen Democratic senators are up for re-election next year, including 10 in states that President Donald Trump carried in 2016. That difficult math raises the question of whether Dayton will appoint a temporary placeholder or try to give a Democrat a running start for the 2018 campaign." . . .

What about Judge Roy Moore?

Slate: Roy Moore’s Story Is Unraveling   . . . "But the harder line comes at a cost: It’s demonstrably false. Moore knows these women, and they have evidence to prove it. If Moore is fully investigated by the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, he’ll be exposed not just as a former predator, but as a current slanderer. 
. . . 
"Republican senators need Moore’s vote. If he wins, they’ll argue that voters exonerated him and that his offenses, even if true, are ancient history. His Christian supporters will add, as some already have, that God has forgiven him. “Many of the things that he allegedly did were decades ago,” says Orrin Hatch, the Senate’s longest-serving Republican. 

"But Moore’s lies about his accusers aren’t ancient. They’re happening right now. That makes him an unrepentant sinner. It also makes him fair game for the ethics committee, which doesn’t like to delve into senators’ pasts. Open an investigation. Subpoena the yearbook and the scrapbook. Summon the accusers and their witnesses. And judge Roy Moore."

Oh, by the way, Dylan Farrow asks: Why has the #MeToo revolution spared Woody Allen?  . . . "It isn't just power that allows men accused of sexual abuse to keep their careers and their secrets. It is also our collective choice to see simple situations as complicated and obvious conclusions as a matter of "who can say"? The system worked for Harvey Weinstein for decades. It works for Woody Allen still."

If Roy Moore Wins?  "Senate Republicans will have decisions to make. First, they must decide what to say. Members who believe the most serious allegations against Moore and don’t think the passage of nearly 40 years matters should feel free to say Moore is unfit for the Senate and thus should resign.

"Once they say so, they will have done as much as Democrats did to John Conyers and Al Franken. And much more than they did to Bill Clinton.

"But if they declare Moore unfit, they should be prepared to explain why they consider Donald Trump fit for the presidency. The allegations of sexual assault against Trump were much more recent than those against Moore. In addition, Moore denies the allegations. Trump admitted to sexual assault in the Billy Bush tapes." . . .

Real Clear Politics poses the same question  . . . "Second, a Moore victory would be further proof of how little credibility the national media has outside of the political class. Many who are troubled and offended by Moore are also troubled and offended by the apparently partisan behavior of the Post. Why didn't the left leaning paper report Moore's problems before the Republican primary? If they had done so, Moore wouldn't be the GOP nominee and the Democrats wouldn't have a chance." . . .

. . . "I Wrote The Part Of That Yearbook Inscription Under Roy Moore’s Signature, Says Accuser"

. . . "It’s not *that* weird for someone to memorialize an inscription made by another by noting the circumstances, especially if that person was a figure of some importance like the assistant district attorney. (People did it on the backs of old snapshots, right?) But how the hell does Gloria Allred let her client go out there last month at a press conference, produce the yearbook as a smoking gun proving that she and Moore knew each other, and not acknowledge immediately that she added to the inscription? Did Allred not notice the discrepancy in the handwriting or did Nelson not think to bring it up? It’s not a minor addition, either. The location and especially the date are crucial to showing that Moore and Nelson were acquainted when she said they were. Turns out she wrote that part, though, not him. Was it contemporaneous with his signature or did she add it years afterward?" . . .

Legal Insurrection: "But insists the rest of the writing is Moore’s, including the signature." . . . "Gloria Allred repeatedly declined to make the yearbook available for forensic analysis, as I covered in If Roy Moore wins, thank Gloria Allred and Al Franken:" . . .

Judge Roy Moore Known as Disciplined, Honorable During His Time at West Point, Vietnam  . . . " 'That evening, if I didn’t know it before, I knew then that with Roy Moore I was in the company of a man of great self-control, discipline, honor, and integrity. While there were other actions by Roy that reinforced my belief in him, that was the most telling,” he said.

"Staele told the story in light of allegations that Moore just a few years later behaved inappropriately towards women, which he said were “obvious, politically motivated allegations.”

“What I saw, felt and knew about him in Vietnam stands in stark contrast to those allegations,” he said. “I sincerely doubt that Roy’s character had changed fundamentally and dramatically in a few short years later.”

“Roy was a soldier for whom I was willing to put my life on the line in Vietnam if the occasion ever arose. Fortunately, it did not,” he said. “I was prepared to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him then, and I am proud to stand by Roy now.' ”

Obama Compares Trump To Hitler…

Weasel Zippers

"Every U.S. president gets compared to Hitler. This is the first time a former one has done it.

"Via Chicago Business:

American democracy is fragile, and unless care is taken it could follow the path of Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

Mixed in with many softer comments, that was the somewhat jaw-dropping bottom line of Barack Obama last night as, in a Q&A session before the Economic Club of Chicago, the Chicagoan who used to be president dropped a bit of red meat to a hometown crowd that likely is a lot closer to him than the man whose name never was mentioned: President Donald Trump.

Obama’s comments came after a series of playful questions from moderator and Ariel Investments President Mellody Hobson—in the great Batman vs. Superman debate, for instance, we learned Obama sides with Batman—before she eventually asked him what he’s learned as a world citizen of sorts.

One thing he’s learned is that “things don’t happen internationally if we don’t put our shoulder to the wheel,” Obama said, speaking of the U.S. “No other country has the experience and bandwidth and ideals. . . .If the U.S. doesn’t do it, it’s not going to happen.”

Keep reading

Newly Press

Just to make sure you never forget who this lady is.

IDIOT Maxine Waters Goes On A RACIST Rant And Voters Call For Her IMPEACHMENT

. . . "In her twenty-seven years in politics, the California Congresswoman has only shilled for the Democrats and for targeted racism against whites. That may not be politically correct to say, but the evidence of Maxine’s bias goes back a long way.

She gave the Huffington Post an interview on the 25 year anniversary of the L.A. riots recently, and instead of doing the moral thing, she doubled down on her support for the thugs who turned the city into a war zone. One of those thugs, Damian Williams, is a favorite of Waters. Williams is infamous for bludgeoning truck driver Reginald Denny with a brick. Along with three other thugs, he fractured Denny’s skull in 97 different places. Denny was on life support and sustained severe brain damage as a result.

“Never forget that Maxine Waters embraced Damian Williams, the infamous thug who hurled a chunk of concrete at truck driver Reginald Denny and performed a victory dance over this innocent man’s battered body,” reports Independent. She then danced with notorious gang members when Williams was released from prison.

She’s [Maxine’s] earned a lifetime of left-wing adoration for whitewashing the deadly riots as a “rebellion,” excusing the week-long shooting, looting, and arson orgy as “a spontaneous reaction to a lot of injustice and a lot of alienation and frustration,” and coddling Crips and Bloods gang members . . . [Source: New York Post]

. . .
"Newly nicknamed “Auntie Maxine” by the liberals, in her interview with Huffington Post she went on a rant, glorifying violence. Waters claimed the L.A. riots were “a milestone in the history of black people demanding justice. These were people who had been basically forgotten. And because of Rodney King’s beating and the current emotion that was stirring in that, it was like people were saying, ‘We’re here. You can’t do this to us. Look what you’re doing, look how you’ve been.’”

"She continued, “So it was a defining moment in this country and I think a defining moment in the way that black people resisted.” Just to give you an idea of how horrendous the beating of Reginald Denny was, the video below captured it, but be warned, it contains graphic violence."

Rush Exposes DOJ Scandal the Mainstream Media Is Burying – ‘Bigger than Watergate’

Western Journal  "Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh believes the mainstream media is covering up one the the biggest stories in decades — a “deep state” coup attempt against President Donald Trump.

"On his radio show Wednesday, Limbaugh claimed that special counselor Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election is “not a legitimate investigation.” Still, he said, most media outlets refuse to report what he called “the biggest story in generations,” even “bigger than Watergate.”

“ 'We’ve had a suggestion that we aired earlier from a former CIA analyst who says that, in his estimation, Trump should just pardon everybody and end this just because there’s no ‘there’ there. There’s no crime. There was no collusion. Everything that’s being done is a trap,” Limbaugh said.

“ 'This whole thing — it really is, folks,” he explained. “The Trump dossier was written to cause just this. They wrote a phony and false document that was designed to be used by co-conspirators at the CIA and the Obama administration as legitimate intelligence that was earth-shattering in its consequences and needs to be pursued.”

"The talk show host was referring to the infamous Trump-Russia dossier, an unverified document that made salacious claims about Trump.

"Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Convention paid for the research that led to the dossier, and the FBI reportedly used the dossier to justify investigating the connections between Trump and Russia." . . .

The Deep State Coup Against Trump Is a Bigger Story Than Watergate

Trump is bringing Mueller down

Trump was my last choice during the primary campaigns, but now he is our remedy to the leftist juggernaut overtaking America's culture and political system. TD

"Mueller should have wrapped this up by Thanksgiving. Instead, he is flogging that dead horse called the Russian dossier."

Don Surber  "Don't feud with Donald Trump. Too many have and wound up worse for wear. I gave 26 examples. No. 27 may be Robert Mueller, who has wasted the last seven months trying to frame President Trump.

"Mueller has nothing -- and is losing his reputation.

"Trump cannot fire Mueller. That would make him a martyr." . . .

. . . "Mueller's unwillingness to back down will cost him everything because he is up against an innocent man who happens to be president.

"Over the weekend, the results of Trump's investigation of Team Mueller surfaced. Mueller had to fire his top investigator because that investigator left a trail of anti-Trump emails, and was caught destroying evidence and altering statements in that Fake Investigation of Hillary's emails." . . .

John Conyers’s Son Was Arrested This Year, Accused of Stabbing His Girlfriend

NY Times

"John Conyers III, who was endorsed by his father on Tuesday to succeed him in the House, was arrested in February after his girlfriend suffered knife cuts during an argument. 

"Mr. Conyers, in an interview Wednesday, tried to head off a possibly disqualifying scandal just a day after his father resigned from Congress amid multiplying allegations of sexual harassment. As issues of sexual harassment and abuse roil Washington, any violent altercation against a woman could doom his effort to take the seat that his father held since 1965." . . .

His mother, Monica Conyers was not someone you want in a nation's leadership either:  

. . . "Conyers was given a pre-indictment letter and offered a plea deal in the case.[8] On June 26, 2009, Conyers was charged with conspiring to commit bribery and pleaded guilty.[10]"On June 26, 2009, Conyers pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe in the Synagro Sludge scandal.[11] Three days later, Conyers officially resigned from the Detroit City Council, effective July 6.[12] Her former chief of staff, Sam Riddle, faced prosecution as well; Riddle's trial has included wiretap recordings of conversations with and about Conyers, in which he describes her as "crazy."[13] Testimony given during Riddle's trial on February 4, 2010 indicated that Conyers often left a downtown Detroit restaurant without paying for the meal; the restaurant's owner estimated that Conyers owed him about $3,000.[14] On March 10, 2010, Conyers was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison.[15] During the sentencing hearing, Conyers requested to withdraw her guilty plea, which the judge denied.[16] She filed notice to appeal.[17]" . . .

Monica Memories  Why are Democrats not ashamed of so many of their fellow leftists?