Tag Archives: President Trump

When Politics Becomes More Important Than Patriotism

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On Wednesday, Townhall posted an article with a headline that asked a very interesting question:

Why Haven’t Any Living Former Presidents Publicly Supported Trump for Enforcing Their Unanimous Red Line?

All of our living former Presidents (and a number of legislators) have stated at one time or another that Iran should never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. Some of our former Presidents said this despite giving Iran large sums of money that were probably spent on developing a nuclear weapon.

The article reports:

This is a fair question from Matt Continetti, who recites some of the relevant quotations before posing it. I’ll add to the list. President Bill Clinton described a nuclearlzed Iran as intolerable and signed the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, “which authorize[d] him to take punitive action against individuals or organizations known to be providing material aid to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs in Iran.”  President George W. Bush intoned in 2008 that “permitting the world’s leading sponsor of terror to possess the world’s deadliest weapon would be an unforgivable betrayal of future generations.”  He added, “for the sake of peace, the world must not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”  The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg cooed about President Barack Obama’s “crystal clear promise to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.” Obama himself said in 2012 that “when the United States says it is unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, we mean what we say.” For added emphasis, he said, “I don’t bluff.”  President Joe Biden declared that the Iranian regime would “never get a nuclear weapon on my watch” in 2021.

Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) has become more important in some peoples’ minds than the safety of America. It is interesting that after President Trump was the only President to act on the promise that Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon, there was no acknowledgement of the accomplishment by those who failed to do it.

Things We Need To Know

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On Sunday, The Epoch Times posted an article detailing what we need to know about President Trump’s bombing of the Iranian nuclear facilities.

The article lists five things:

Iran’s Key Nuclear Sites ‘Obliterated’

Trump said during an address to the nation that U.S. strikes had “completely and totally obliterated” three key Iranian nuclear facilities, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan (also spelled Esfahan).

…Trump Threatens ‘Far Greater’ Attacks If No Peace

Trump threatened Iran with “far greater” attacks if the regime refused to make peace.

…US Worked With Israel

Trump confirmed the United States worked with Israel, taking a moment in his address to the nation to thank Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

…Iran Atomic Agency Vows to Continue Program

The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization said it will continue with its development of its “national industry,” an apparent reference to its nuclear development.

…Some Lawmakers Want Congressional Authorization

While some lawmakers have been supportive of Trump’s authorizing the strikes, others want congressional authorization before any additional actions are undertaken.

The lawmakers who insist that President Trump needs congressional authorization need to look at some of America’s recent history.

Double standard, anyone?

No one wants another endless Middle Eastern war, but I suspect President Trump does not have the patience for an endless war. I expect the Iranian situation–nuclear reactor sites, Strait of Hormuz, etc., to be resolved quickly.

The World Has Changed

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On Saturday, I attended my high school reunion in New Jersey. When I got back to the hotel afterward, I opened my ipad and realized that the world had changed. Iran would never again be able to bully the world with the threat of a nuclear attack. America finally dealt with the incorrigible child in the Middle East who since 1979 has funded almost all of the terrorism around the world, especially against American troops.

President Trump drew a line in the sand–he gave them 60 days to negotiate seriously. The Iranians continued to stall for time. Just like the exasperated parent of a two-year old throwing a tantrum, President Trump dealt with the situation. I can’t help but believe that some aspects of this attack were discussed with the leaders of other Middle Eastern countries when President Trump visited those countries recently. The incorrigible child of the Middle East has now learned that bullying and funding terrorism has drastic consequences.

There are several aspects of this operation that are noteworthy. Congress and the media were not informed ahead of time–so there were no leaks from those sources. In contrast to his first term in office, President Trump has people around him that support his agenda and worldview. There was no leaking from either the President’s cabinet or the Department of Defense. The sleight of hand involved in sending some of our military aircraft to Guam was brilliant. The playbook used to protect the operational security of this attack was similar to the playbook used by President Reagan in preventing a communist takeover of Grenada–the press was told afterward so that there would be no leaks.

We can expect howls of protest from some members of Congress–particularly from those in the Democrat party, although there will be some Republicans who object to keeping America and the Middle East safer. However, we need to remember that the Democrats were silent in the past when similar actions were taken by Democrat Presidents. I suspect that the destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities will be popular among the American people. This will probably be one of many 80/20 issues that the Democrats find themselves on the wrong side of. Some recent Democrat actions that backfired and were also 80/20 were the unannounced raid on Mar-a-Lago, and the Trump mugshot after his arrest in Atlanta.

The Democrats need new strategists!

What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate

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On Friday, The Gateway Pundit reported that a senior Iranian official has stated that Iran is open to talks about limiting its program of uranium enrichment. Unfortunately, I believe the time for limiting enrichment has passed. I suspect the only reason the official is asking for negotiations is to stop the pounding of Iran by Israel.

The article reports:

A senior Iranian official has signaled that Tehran is “prepared to discuss limits” on uranium enrichment, though it firmly rejects any demand for total cessation—a “zero enrichment” policy is not on the table.

This shift follows weeks of intensifying conflict. Israel has launched airstrikes at Iran’s nuclear and military facilities.

It can be recalled that President Donald Trump has proposed zero uranium enrichment to Iran through United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, according to Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.

…A senior Iranian official has told Reuters that Tehran is prepared to discuss limits on its uranium enrichment programme, but made clear that demands for “zero enrichment” are off the table.

The article concludes:

French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the urgency of renewed negotiations, saying, “It is absolutely essential to prioritize a return to substantive negotiations, which include nuclear issues to move toward zero enrichment, ballistics to limit Iranian activities and capabilities, and the financing of all the terrorist groups destabilizing the region.”

The news outlet added that German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul echoed the call, reinforcing Berlin’s demand for zero enrichment as a baseline for any renewed agreement. British officials, while more reserved, have also recently expressed support for eliminating Iran’s enrichment activities.

Iran is not going to agree to zero enrichment unless it finds a way to continue enrichment while hiding it from the world. The only way this conflict ends is with Iran running out of weapons to fire at Isreal or regime change in Iran.

Stating The Obvious

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War is a horrible thing, but sometimes it is necessary. The Bible notes that there is, “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” I am not sure that this is the time for peace in the Middle East, and evidently I am not the only person feeling that way.

On June 16th, John Hinderaker posted the following at Power Line Blog:

With respect to Israel and Iran, talk of peace is in the air. We are beset with calls from various quarters to “de-escalate” the situation there, lest wider war break out. President Trump, who partnered with Israel in deceiving Iran prior to Israel’s preemptive strike, is now talking about making another deal with Iran.

I hope he doesn’t mean it. The last thing Israel, or anyone else, should be thinking about is another agreement with the mullahs. Israel now controls the skies, has largely degraded Iran’s missile capability, and can do pretty much anything it wants, militarily. It was delightful to see that Israel wiped out the regime’s state broadcaster.

So this is a golden opportunity, almost certainly the best one Israel ever has had, or ever will have, to bring about regime change in Iran. The mullahocracy needs to go. Neither Israel nor the rest of the world will ever be safe, as long as Islamic extremists control Iran. Israel has already demolished Iran’s proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah, and, to a lesser extent, the Houthis. But if Iran’s regime is allowed to stay in place, it will readily rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, just as it will eventually rebuild its nuclear capability.

I agree with the idea of removing the Iranian theocracy, but I am concerned about what will replace it. First of all, America, covertly or openly, should not be involved in any regime change in Iran. Our track record there is not good–we installed the Shah, and that did not turn out well. I am not sure that we ever fomented a color revolution anywhere that actually turned out well. The Iranians need to be free to choose their own future without outside interference.

Winning

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On Wednesday, The New York Post reported that America had reached a trade agreement with China.

The article reports:

President Trump announced early Wednesday that the US had reached a trade agreement with China following two days of negotiations in London.

“Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me,” Trump revealed in an all-caps post on Truth Social. “Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China.”

“Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. The relationship is excellent! Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The article concludes:

The commerce secretary said the new arrangement would see China ease barriers on rare earth minerals “in a balanced way,” without elaborating on specifics.

Lutnick (Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick) claimed that the framework brokered in London put “meat on the bones” on the Geneva consensus and would allow China to ease barriers on rare earth minerals “in a balanced way,” without elaborating on specifics.

China’s Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang had similarly confirmed late Tuesday that an agreement in London had been reached, subject to Trump’s and Xi’s approval.

I really would like to see a limit on the number of Chinese students allowed in our universities, but overall I think this will turn out to be a good deal.

The Impact Of The Tariffs

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On Wednesday, The American Thinker posted an article about the tariffs President Trump has put in place since he took office.

The article reports:

Far from igniting the inflationary firestorm predicted by his critics, Trump’s sweeping tariffs — including a 10% universal import duty and targeted hikes on 90 nations — have coincided with the lowest inflation rate since early 2021.

In a striking reversal of the narrative pushed by many economists, The Economist—a publication not known for its support of Trump’s policies — published a June 5 article acknowledging the muted inflationary effect of the tariff wave. The magazine pointed to hard data: in April, year-over-year inflation cooled to just 2.3%, far below the 0.8-point spike predicted by a University of Chicago survey of 48 economists.

Instead of tariff-fueled price hikes, the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that prices for heavily impacted goods like clothing and new cars actually declined.

Car prices dropped by 0.5% from March to April, despite 25% tariffs on auto imports going into effect on April 3. Clothing prices remained flat through March — even as progressive economists sounded alarms. Far from passing on costs, many retailers and foreign producers appeared to absorb them, underscoring the competitive nature of global commerce in a post-pandemic landscape.

Even groceries — arguably the most politically sensitive prices of all — held steady through May, despite new duties on Canadian produce and other perishables. Consumers, in short, weren’t being punished at the checkout line.

Of course, none of this was supposed to happen.

The article concludes:

As the trade deficit narrows and the factory floors hum a little louder, it’s increasingly clear: this was no reckless gamble. It was strategy. And it’s working.

While some still mutter darkly about future price spikes, the facts on the ground are sobering — and for Trump’s critics, humbling. Inflation remains tame, shelves are stocked, and voters aren’t paying more to put dinner on the table. The tariffs are not only holding; they’re delivering.

This is what happens when a businessman instead of a politician becomes President. Can you imagine how much celebrating there would be in newsrooms if a Democrat had accomplished even half of what President Trump has accomplished? I am hoping that as Americans begin to realize the economic gifts they have received in the past six months, they will at least vote to keep control of Congress in the hands of the Republicans. That is the only way this success will continue.

View From The lair

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Side Show

President Donald J Trump is one of the best –if not THE best – showmen since PT Barnum. He understands timing. He understands optics. He is a master at distraction. He knows when to take things over the top, especially when everyone else thinks that it is inappropriate, and then understates when everyone else expects him to blow up. He is a patriot who deeply loves our country and understands the threat it is in and has been in.

He’s brilliant.

Elon Musk is one of the most intelligent humans of the 21st century. Certainly, one of the most innovative and creative. He understands risk taking and how to transform a risk into a certainty. He is a patriot who understands that the Marxists have been succeeding in completing the destruction of not just our country but the concept and application of liberty, freedom, and capitalism.

He’s brilliant.

So, is the Trump/Musk feud at all real? Or has it been a distraction? I have been cogitating about this for several days, not expecting the turn around to happen quite this quickly. I strongly suspected that it would, but not this soon. One theory is that PDJT sent ICE into Kommifornia specifically to cause an eruption from the west coast Marxists. Mainly to distract the usual Pravda and Izvestia reporters from not doing their usual non-reporting about lying about the “Big Beautiful Bill” meandering itself through congress. It’s the perfect distraction. The useful idiots in the lamestream media can report on the “mostly peaceful demonstrations” while showing footage of burning cars and trucks; bricks and Molotov cocktails being thrown at LAPD cops and National Guardsmen, while ICE, Homeland Security, and US Marshals round up the usual and not so usual suspects. Like congress critters and other public circus clowns who really should know better. I say “should” because anyone with a smidgen (for those of you in Baltimore, it means a small amount) of intelligence would remember that Resident Brandon ain’t in the White House and the new sheriff don’t take that BullSchiff anymore. They really are slow learners. Perhaps they can blame the Department of Education.

Elon was all bent out of shape because of the excessive pork in the “BBB”. Well – it’s a product of congress. Anything less would be not just a miracle but a second coming. Of course it’s full of pork. The only saving grace is if it also has the “poison pill” – granting the president the discretion of NOT spending what he deems is unnecessary and sending the excess cash back to the treasury.

The second thing that got Elon’s knickers in a twist was the removal of the electric vehicle tax deduction. HEY ELON! You can’t have it both ways! The Green New Scam relied on such bogus tax deductions to support the fallacy that “green energy sources” were anything other than a scam and a fraud. He’s WAY too smart not to realize that, and to try to hold on to the hope that it would make it through congress unscathed is really lame. I can not accept that he didn’t have at least some inkling that the EV credit was DOA.

So, again, distractions. Oh, and the distraction that PDJT was in the Epstein files? And they weren’t released to the NYT in 2019, much less 2024? RIIIIGHT! Not a freaking chance.

PDJT and Elon are now friends again. Because Elon is dismayed by the demonstrations in LA. They are dismaying, no question. But again, the master of optics is using them to demonstrate how feckless the Marxists in Kommifornia are.

And how he knows how to take care of them. Always the chess master.

Bubble UP!

The Snark

Getting To The Root Of The Problem

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On Sunday, PJ Media posted an article about the way the Trump administration is handling the riots in Los Angeles versus the way the Biden administration handled the ‘summer of love’ in 2020. To refresh your memory, Kamala Harris suggested that Americans send bail money to the rioters who were arrested. I suspect that President Trump will leave them in jail for a while.

Please follow the link to read the entire article. It is a good reminder of where we were and where we are.

The article reminds us:

Minneapolis, Portland, and Seattle all fell victim not just to angry mobs but to their own governors and mayors, too cowardly to stop them.

That year, Democrats cowered behind phrases like “mostly peaceful” as flames reached the heavens and lives were lost in the rubble. 

President Joe Biden, then hiding in his campaign basement, barely managed a weak whisper. 

He didn’t offer calm. 

He offered evasion.

Before she was selected for vice president, then-senator Kamala Harris offered to pay bail.

Now, in 2025, we sit on the edge of another long, hot summer. And already, the streets of Los Angeles have begun to rumble. 

The article concludes with the following observations:

Not Another Summer of Ash

The warning signs are here, with L.A. being the match point. 

But the message has already been sent: if you riot, you will be stopped. 

If you punch a cop, you will be arrested.

If you loot, you will be caught. 

If you burn, you will answer for it.

And that may be enough.

Because what the left misunderstood in 2020, and still doesn’t get in 2025, is that most Americans don’t want a revolution. 

They want predictability. 

They want their kids safe. 

They want their streets clean. 

They want to walk into a Walgreens without stepping over a junkie or dodging a flash mob.

Trump didn’t create this yearning. He simply heard it.

And now, he’s answering it.

Biden’s DOJ tried to block state border defenses. President Trump stepped in and restored order.

President Trump didn’t start the fire, but he will put it out!

Let’s Get Pivotal!

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There have been many pivotal years in American history, but a few of them have greatly impacted the way the country is run. One of the years that has shaped where we are today with deficits, representatives who do not represent, etc., is 1913. That was the year the Federal Reserve was created, the income tax was instituted and the direct election of Senators was signed into law.

First I want to focus on the Federal Reserve. Despite what Americans were told, the purpose of the Federal Reserve was to make sure that the wealth of America remained concentrated in the major banks of New York City. If you look at the list of people who made the secret trip to Jekyll Island to create the blueprint for the Federal Reserve, that becomes obvious. More information about the gimmicks that were used to sell America on the idea of The Federal Reserve can be found in the book The Creature from Jekyll Island by G. Edward Griffin. The Federal Reserve has done nothing to help the average American, and it can be argued that its existence has hurt the average American financially.

The federal income tax was touted as something that would supposedly only impact the ‘super rich’ top 1 percent of Americans. We see how that went. It is interesting that in 2022, 40.1 percent of households paid no individual income tax. Keep in mind that these are voting eligible Americans who don’t care if politicians raise taxes. Up until 1913, America’s bills were paid by tariff income. Of course we did not have a welfare state at that point. It is also interesting that although the budget deficit went down in 2013, it began to increase again in 2016–government spending somehow always manages to catch up with increased revenue.

The direct election of Senators has done the most damage to our Republic. Prior to 1913, Senators were appointed by their states and could be ousted if they did not represent the interests of their states. The House of Representatives was supposed to be the branch of legislature that was more responsive to the will of the people and would react more quickly. The Senate was supposed to be a more deliberative body that represented the individual states. The direct election of Senators changed that dynamic.

1913 was a pivotal year for America, but not in a good way. We are again at a place where the decisions our leaders make could be pivotal. Do we make the tax cuts permanent or do we have a massive tax increase next year? Do the courts have power over the Executive Branch or can the President hire and fire people, command the military, and demand that the laws be enforced? The answer to those questions will determine whether 2025 and 2026 become pivotal years for America. President Trump is attempting to bring America closer to the ideals of our Founding Fathers. If he succeeds, that will be a good thing. It will also be pivotal.

This Will Be An Interesting Debate

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On Friday, The Daily Signal posted an article about the debate that will happen in Congress at some point to decide whether any part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) savings should be returned to the taxpayer. I emphatically say, “YES!” The taxpayers were not responsible for the fraud and reckless spending–Congress was supposed to be exercising oversight. Let’s give taxpayers a portion of the savings and cut some Congressional perks to make up some of the difference.

The article reports:

Some House Republicans say they would rather use Department of Government Efficiency savings to pay off the national debt than to hand out the funds to taxpayers.

President Donald Trump floated giving $5,000 stimulus checks to taxpaying households in February, saying: “We’re thinking about giving 20% back to the American citizens, and 20% down to pay back debt.”

Investment CEO James Fishback first proposed the idea of a one-time payment of $5,000 for eligible taxpayers. The checks were to be funded with 20% of the $2 trillion in federal budget cuts Elon Musk said could be achieved, meaning around $400 billion split between 79 million taxpaying households.

What about the other 60 percent?

The article continues:

Fishback “continue[s] to advise the effort from the outside and will fight to ensure that a chunk of identified savings are sent back to hard-working American,” he told The Daily Signal in an email.

But fiscal conservatives in the House of Representatives would rather see DOGE savings entirely go toward paying off the debt, some tell The Daily Signal.

The article concludes:

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, also said paying off the debt is the highest priority.

“Let’s focus on tackling our $36 trillion debt, while also helping hardworking Americans prosper by making the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent and spending less of their tax dollars,” Lee told The Daily Signal.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, agreed that the “big beautiful bill” is the best way to deliver on promises to voters.

“DOGE savings coupled with tax cuts will ensure Iowans and Americans can keep more of their hard earned money in their pockets while also restoring fiscal sanity and addressing deficit spending,” Hinson told The Daily Signal.

Why should the taxpayers have to pay for the government’s corruption and inefficiency?

Prescription Prices Are A Problem For All Americans

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On Monday, The Daily Wire posted an article about President Trump’s plan to lower prescription drug prices.

The article reports:

Americans have waited long enough, and now real relief from sky-high prescription drug prices is finally here. Recently, President Donald J. Trump signed a landmark Executive Order to end the decades-long injustice that has forced American families — especially Hispanic households — to pay more for lifesaving medications than almost anyone else in the world.

Hispanics, who are more likely to be uninsured or underinsured compared to other groups, are disproportionately burdened by high out-of-pocket prescription costs. In fact, according to the CDC, nearly one in four Hispanic adults report not taking prescribed medications due to cost, compared to just 13% of non-Hispanic White adults. This Executive Order directly addresses that disparity by demanding lower drug prices and making medications more affordable and accessible for millions of working families across the country.

The article notes:

For many Americans across the U.S., especially those economically impacted by high healthcare costs, this Executive Order is a game changer. Families working long hours, often balancing multiple jobs, should not have to choose between buying insulin for their children or groceries for the week. President Trump’s directive ensures that low-income patients, seniors, and working-class Americans will now have direct access to the same steep discounts that pharmaceutical companies give to patients overseas through government-negotiated prices.

That means bypassing the costly middlemen and securing medicines at “most-favored-nation” prices that reflect the best deal given to any other country in the world. If drug manufacturers refuse, the Order empowers the Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to act decisively: impose these pricing standards through regulation and take additional aggressive steps to drive costs down. This is what America First leadership looks like.

The article concludes:

In an era where politicians too often offer empty promises and soaring rhetoric, President Trump delivers. His commitment to reforming healthcare pricing is not just about economics—it’s about justice. And make no mistake: justice is exactly what millions of Americans, especially those in underserved communities, have been demanding for years.

President Trump said it best: “Our citizens pay massively higher prices than other nations pay for the same exact pill, from the same factory.” That ends now.

This is more than an Executive Order. It’s a promise fulfilled, a burden lifted, and another bold move in President Trump’s mission to restore prosperity, fairness, and dignity to the American people.

Even with medical insurance and medicare supplement policies, some commonly prescribed drugs are very expensive.

This Isn’t Going To Help Me Sleep At Night

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On Monday, Breitbart reported that Iran now has enough enriched uranium to make three nuclear weapons. I think we are rapidly reaching the time when the negotiations need to stop and action needs to be taken. There are many Muslims who believe that they can hasten the return of their Messianic figure, the Mahdi, by creating chaos. You really do not what someone who is thinking in those terms to have a nuclear weapon.

The article reports:

A report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) whose contents were revealed by multiple international media outlets this weekend expressed “serious concern” with the rapid rate of Iran’s uranium enrichment, which it reportedly claimed was enough to make one nuclear bomb a month in the past three months.

I suspect that part of the reason behind the rapid rate of uranium enrichment in Iran is the election of President Trump. The Iranians knew that as long as President Biden was in office, there were not going to be any serious restrictions on their nuclear program and that America would not support Israel in ending that program with a physical or cyber attack. President Trump does not think the way the Biden administration thought.

The article concludes:

Iranian officials dismissed reports of the IAEA’s disappointment with the country, insisting it would under no circumstances abandon enrichment. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei insisted that the IAEA report was “politically motivated” and dismissed all data on Iran’s enrichment as fabricated by Israel.

“He also noted that any nuclear agreement must include the continuation of Iran’s uranium enrichment activities and an end to cruel sanctions against the nation,” the Iranian state outlet PressTV said, paraphrasing Baghaei.

The head of Iran’s nuclear energy agency, Mohammad Eslami, similarly proclaimed on Sunday that Iran would never stop its illicit enrichment, despite legitimate concerns that it has no reason to be enriching the material at such a high level if it is seeking only to develop a nuclear energy program.

“No one can claim Iran has no right to enrichment, because this matter falls within its own specific frameworks and requirements,” Eslami reportedly stated, arguing that calling for Iran to stop enrichment weapons-grade uranium was akin to banning the country from building power plants.

Iran does not need nuclear power. They have enough oil to power their country for centuries. When dealing with Iran, we need to consider the practice of taqiyya, which is generally described as lying for the sake of Islam. It’s hard to negotiate with people who do not feel obligated to tell you the truth.

The Trump Presidency And Your Wallet

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On Friday, Breitbart posted an article about the impact of the Trump economy on personal income.

The article reports:

Americans’ personal income in the first four months of 2025 is “almost triple the expectations,” making for a “great” start of the year, CNBC’s Rick Santelli exclaimed on the air, urging viewers to “give credit” to the Trump administration.

The longtime CNBC editor revealed the “powerful” numbers on Friday morning, sharing that personal income increased 0.8 percent in April. 

“This is a great four-month start to any year,” he said.

“When you look at income, for the first four months of the year, they’re powerful numbers — up 0.6 in January, up 0.7 in February, up 0.5 last month, up 0.8 this month. This is a great four-month start to any year.”

Santelli also lauded the fact that 0.8 percent is the “strongest” income month-over-month jump since May 2021, when it was 1.9 percent.

He went on to lament how the Trump administration is “criticized for just about anything under the sun,” despite the president’s “transparency” and positive accomplishments.

The article concludes:

“This administration is criticized for just about anything under the sun. I’ve never ever in my lifetime had glimpses into the politics of an administration in the form of transparency like this one. Why don’t we… give credit where credit is due?”

Part of the reason for the increase in consumer spending power is the lowering of the rate of inflation.

On Friday, The Daily Caller reported:

President Donald Trump achieved an economic victory after a prominent inflation reading dropped to its lowest reading in four years.

The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index, one of The Federal Reserve’s primary inflation measurement models, showed a decrease in inflation in April 2025 to a level not seen since March 2021, according to a Commerce Department report.

The index, which measures goods and services spending, showed an increase of $47.8 billion, or 0.2%, with major gains in housing and health care the report stated.

In April, the PCE and Core PCE, which measures without noting volatile food and energy prices, both rose by only 0.1% from the previous month, according to the report. The consumer price index also indicated a drop in inflation to a four-year low as well, with a seasonal adjusted 0.2% in April, as reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation earlier this month.

This is the economic relief Americans needed. If Congress would just pass the spending cuts recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Americans would enjoy more financial freedom.

The Problem With People Who Refuse To Leave The Stage

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On Friday, former President Biden gave a speech in Delaware to celebrate Memorial Day. That’s very appropriate–former Presidents are often asked to speak at various celebrations around the country. The speech was typical of his speeches–more about himself than anything else.

Friday night, The Daily Caller posted an article about President Biden and his various speeches since leaving office. The article was less than kind.

The article reports:

Former Democrat strategist Dan Turrentine said Friday on “The Ingraham Angle” that it appears no one in his party will tell former President Joe Biden to stop publicly speaking about the 2024 election, adding that the former president is holding the party back.

After delivering a Memorial Day event speech in Delaware, Biden said he was “very proud” of his “record” prior to dropping out of the race, appearing to suggest President Donald Trump had been “last” in favorability. While discussing Biden’s comments, Fox News host Laura Ingraham told Turrentine that the former president had been “pushed out” of the 2024 race.

“One of the ironies is that as Donald Trump’s poll numbers went down earlier this year, our poll numbers didn’t go up,” Turrentine said. “One of the reasons that they didn’t go up is that we are struggling to move forward, and Biden keeps pulling us backwards.”

Just for the record, President Trump’s approval record has not dropped below 44 percent since he took office. He began his term at about 50 percent. Considering the press coverage he gets, anything above 40 percent is amazing. When he left office, former President Biden’s approval rating was about 40 percent, amazing when you consider the press coverage he got. The current Democrat party rating is at about 35 percent favorable. That might have something to do with their stand on many issues that Americans oppose–open borders, medicaid for people who are here illegally, transgender surgery for minors without parents’ knowledge or permission, and shrinking the government bureaucracy, etc.

Currently the most popular people in the Democrat party are Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pete Buttigieg. Right now, that is the future of the Democrat party.

The Fentanyl Tariffs

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On Thursday, The Daily Wire posted an article about President Trump’s attempt to use tariffs as a bargaining chip in the war against fentanyl.

The article reports:

We’ve been trending in this direction for some time now, but after yesterday’s ruling by a three-judge panel on the United States Court of International Trade in Manhattan — which struck down all of the Trump administration’s tariffs — it’s now official: We don’t need any more rulings from federal judges about what the president of the United States isn’t allowed to do. Those are completely pointless. Instead, what we need, in our alleged first-world democracy, is a ruling from some federal court explaining, in as much detail as possible, what exactly the president of the United States does have the authority to do while in office. That would be the most efficient way forward, at this point.

In just the past five months, federal courts have held that the Trump administration has no authority to do the following:

  • Change federal government websites
  • Fire any Executive Branch employees
  • Ban mentally disturbed individuals from joining the armed forces 
  • Eliminate slush funds for corrupt NGOs
  • Stop funneling billions of dollars of taxpayer money to anti-white universities like Harvard
  • Eliminate wasteful “administrative spending” that’s tacked onto every single scientific grant
  • Deport illegal alien gang members — even the wife-beaters and terrorists
  • Cut federal funding to child castration services for children

When I read this list, I wonder exactly what the courts are willing to allow the President to do!

On May 30th, The India Times reported:

The tariffs in question were put in place to encourage the countries behind the fentanyl crisis in America to crack down on the manufacture and transport of the drug. Admittedly, the drug comes into America because there is a market for it here, but it would be nice if we could all work together to solve the problem.
The courts have wandered far out of their lane. It’s time the Supreme Court stepped in and stopped this nonsense. However, I am beginning to wonder how many of the Supreme Court Justices are interested in following the Constitution rather than their political or personal leanings.

Forcing Congress To Do Its Job

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On Tuesday, updated Wednesday, Just the News posted an article about the REINS (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny) Act. This Act would begin to move a large part of responsibility for making laws away from the Executive Branch (bureaucratic regulations) and into the Legislative Branch (Congress actually passing laws).

The article reports:

When the House of Representatives last week passed Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” there was a poison pill for the regulatory state buried within: the long-lingering REINS (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny) Act that proponents have been trying to send to the Oval Office for signature for 16 years. The implications of such a bureaucratic dressing-down would reverberate throughout all of U.S. industry and consumerism.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin told Just The News, No Noise TV show that his hope is that it gets over the finish line and once it does, a cascade of other burden-easing improvements can take place. “As you look forward with the legislative agenda, there will be other opportunities to get permanent reform done, NEPA (National Environamental Policy Act) reform to make it easier to invest in America at less cost, taking less time and having more certainty,” he said. 

It was originally introduced in 2009 by then-Rep. Geoff Davis, R-Ky., with the goal of increasing congressional oversight of federal agency rule-making. The current version of the bill stipulates that agency rules with an annual economic impact of $100 million or more, significant cost or price increases for consumers or industries, or substantial adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or US competitiveness, would require explicit approval from both the House and Senate via a joint resolution and then be signed by the president before taking effect.

The article notes:

A wide range of industries would likely see a tectonic shift, including energy, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, financial services, manufacturing and construction, transportation, agriculture and food safety. 

Phil Kerpen, who serves as president of American Commitment, referred to it as “unfinished business from the Tea Party era” and told Just The News that this could be the most significant aspect of the bill because it “would be a massive, positive change, and stop this pendulum from swinging wildly back and forth with the party in the White House. We’d have a lot more policy stability.”

In addition to concrete steps towards regulatory overhaul and passing Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” if Republicans remain committed to the issues upon which they were elected, they could quite possibly remain in the majority, thus granting Trump two more years to govern without obstructionist Democratic Party constraints. 

The REINS Act would definitely bring us closer to the government our Founding Fathers envisioned.

A Story That Needs To Be Shouted

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On Wednesday, President Trump met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office. During the meeting, President Trump played videos of the genocide that is currently occurring in South Africa–a genocide that is being overlooked and denied by much of the world. The genocide is against the white farmers there. The white farmers own a large percentage of the farmland because when the Boers settled South Africa, they started farms. The current generation of farmers was not involved in that. The Boers mistreated the South African natives and the situation was not unlike America before the Civil Rights Movement. Unfortunately, when things began to change, the change did not stop in the peaceful area of the spectrum, it continued to the other side. For a number of years, white farmers have been being killed and their land seized.

On Wednesday, The Conservative Treehouse reported:

President Trump showed Cyril Ramaphosa a video of political activists within South Africa calling for the murder of white farmers, and then later video showing thousands of white crosses erected to call attention to the issue. Every element of media’s cultural Marxist army has been denying the atrocities while using political correctness as both a cover and justification for the slaughter. President Trump put a spotlight on years of international lying, Ramaphosa, did not know what to say.

…To give you an example of the DC media gaslighting, consider this phrase extracted from Politico as they attempt to deny what President Trump was outlining:

…”Additionally, the president’s claims of land seizures are exaggerated. While Ramaphosa signed a law earlier this year laying out circumstances in which the state can seize land for public purposes, most landowners are compensated.”… (link)

Land seizures are “exaggerated” because “landowners are compensated.” Can media even hear themselves, or read the typeset they use?

The farmers do not want to sell their land.  The farmers do not want to be “compensated.”   The compensation is irrelevant in the review of seizure.  The forced taking of the land, with or without compensation, is the seizure.

The murder of the white farmers is the issue, not “how many” of them are murdered.

The United Nations spoke out against apartheid in South Africa and many celebrities refused to perform in the nation. Where are they now?

President Trump’s Counter-Revolution

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Author:  R. Alan Harrop, Ph.D.

When discussing forms of government that America might take, Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to James Madison in January 1787, stated: “I hold it that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing.” He was referring to his belief that no form of government is perfect since they are all controlled by fallible human beings who can, and should be expected to, deviate from the sound principles essential to liberty and freedom. When this happens, the people should rebel against these errors and force their political leaders to return to the essential principles and practices needed to ensure the survival of a free representative government by the people, not the ruling elite and bureaucrats.

I clearly remember President Trump, in his last state of the union speech before Congress in his first term in office, stating that America will never become a socialist country. That was the speech at which the Democrat Speaker of the House tore up her copy of President Trump’s speech right in front of not only Congress, but millions of Americans watching on television in as brazen and disrespectful act towards the office of president that I have ever seen. President Trump could clearly see that the country was being moved in the wrong direction.

President Trump, in the short time he has been serving his second term, has launched a wide series of reforms and actions that can best be described as a “counter revolution” to correct and reverse the Leftist/Marxist actions taken by the Biden administration. By doing so, President Trump is fulfilling his pledge to the citizens of this country to preserve and strengthen our constitutional representative Republic. Abraham Lincoln once said that if America is ever to be overthrown and its freedoms destroyed, it will not come from the hands of foreign enemies, but rather from having destroyed ourselves from within. A recent poll conducted by “You Gov.” reported that 96% of Republicans but only 58% of Democrats said that they are proud to be Americans. For many of these people, patriotism and love of country are clearly on the wane.

President Trump’s make American great again campaign is clearly a message to return to the principles and actions that made America the freest and most prosperous country on earth. He is reversing the Leftist/Marist actions such as open borders, destroying the traditional family (replacing it with dependence on the government, and bureaucrats controlling our lives). Policies such as Diversity/Equity and Inclusion (DEI) mandated by the Biden administration are nothing more than denying the responsibility of each person for their own success and achievement and providing rewards that they did not earn. This is clearly out of the Leftist/Marxist playbook that states, “From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs.” Human beings operate best when they are rewarded for their effort and achievement. This is the reason that no Leftist/Marxist country has ever been successful and eventually descend into authoritarian dictatorships. Compare North Korea and South Korea or Cuba and Japan.

President Trump has issued more executive orders in his short term in office that return freedom to the people than any other president. The range of these directives is so extensive they can only be seen as an effort to reverse not only economic but cultural issues. His actions against leftist universities are long overdue, since they are a source of indoctrination of our youth that must be reversed.  Similarly, his action to remove federal funding of National Public Radio, which is controlled by the Left, as well as prohibiting boys from competing against girls in sports, shows the wide range of issues that he is reversing. This can best be seen for what it is:  a counter- revolution to return this country to its founding principles. We must encourage our state and federal legislators to enact laws that will ensure that this effort cannot be easily changed by future presidents and governors. The future of this country is at stake!

The Big Beautiful Bill Advances Slowly

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On May 19th, NewsMax posted an article about the passage through the House Budget Committee last night on its way to the House Rules Committee. All of the members of Congress need to remember that if this bill is not passed, almost all Americans will see a major income tax increase next year.

The article reports:

House Speaker Mike Johnson took a “historical” active role in seeing that legislation passed the chamber’s Budget Committee, Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., told Newsmax on Monday.

Johnson, Bergman, and other members of the committee worked late Sunday night to advance the chamber’s massive tax cut and border security package.

“I think as a as a historical note, I believe that the attendance of the speaker of the House at pre-meeting, last-minute, backroom negotiations was a first for a current speaker of the House to be attending a budget committee markup,” Bergman said on “Wake Up America.” “So that’s one historical data point.”

Bergman credited Johnson and committee Chair Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, with agreeing to “some compromises.”

“This is all about moving a logical, if not perfect … remember, we’re trying to create a more perfect union here, not a perfect union with our with our form of government … but to move that big bill forward, to get it into rules, make the necessary changes and … to get it voted on the House floor sooner rather than later to meet those timelines that we’ve agreed to get President [Donald] Trump’s agenda, especially one of the first fiscal base parts of that agenda in play here by around the 4th of July,” Bergman said.

The article concludes:

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said he voted “present” for the bill to advance “out of respect for the Republican Conference and the President,” conceding that it needs improvements. In a statement on X, he also objected to the bill’s provisions around green energy tax credits and Medicaid.

“Tonight, after a great deal of work and engagement over the weekend, the Budget Committee advanced a reconciliation bill that lays the foundation for much needed tax relief, border security, and important spending reductions and reforms,” he wrote. “Importantly the bill now will move Medicaid work requirements forward and reduces the availability of future subsidies under the green new scam.”

“But, the bill does not yet meet the moment – leaving almost half of the green new scam subsidies continuing. More, it fails to end the Medicaid money laundering scam and perverse funding structure that provides seven times more federal dollars for each dollar of state spending for the able-bodied relative to the vulnerable,” he added. “This all ultimately increases the likelihood of continuing deficits and non-Obamacare-expansion states like Texas expanding in the future. We can and must do better before we pass the final product.”

I met Representative Bergman when he was a Marine Corps General stationed in New Orleans. I am thrilled that he is a Congressman. He represents the integrity, ability, and intelligence that our Founding Fathers hoped would be found in our elected officials.

It’s Only A Problem When President Trump Does It!

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On Saturday, Breitbart posted an article about the airplane Qatar is giving to America to replace Air Force One. It seems that this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision by Qatar.

The article reports:

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) pointed out that talks regarding Qatar giving the United States a plane to temporarily replace Air Force One began under the Biden administration.

In an interview on CNN, Mullin pointed out that the U.S. needed a temporary replacement for Air Force One since President Donald Trump was “flying around on a 40-year-old plane.”

“Here’s what’s interesting to me, what the media isn’t telling you — what no one’s talking to you about, is the same 747 has been in negotiations for a year,” Mullin said. “The Biden administration is the one that started these conversations. It didn’t start underneath the Trump administration. Why? Because we need a back-up for Air Force One.”

“The President of the United States is flying around on a 40-year-old plane, and there is no back-up for it,” Mullin continued. “The back-up we had, the air frame started having structural issues. No one’s discussing that part.”

The article concludes:

Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar’s Media Attaché to the U.S., previously described reports that Qatar was gifting a plane to the U.S. during Trump’s visit to Qatar as “inaccurate” and said the “possible transfer” of a plane to the U.S. was “under consideration.”

“Reports that a jet is being gifted by Qatar to the United States government during the upcoming visit of President Trump are inaccurate,” Al-Ansari said in a statement. “The possible transfer of an aircraft for temporary use as Air Force One is currently under consideration between Qatar’s Ministry of Defense and the US Department of Defense, but the matter remains under review by the respective legal departments, and no decision has been made.”

As usual, the political left is creating much ado about nothing.

Overlooked By The Media–But Very Important

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Can you imagine being charged with breaking a law that you had no idea existed? Not knowing the law is not an excuse. Furthermore, there are some laws so obscure that most of us have broken them at one time or another. Many of these ‘laws’ are not actually laws–they are simply regulations put in place by unelected bureaucrats.

On Thursday, Issues & Insights posted an article about a crime committed in Grand Teton National Park last fall.

The article reports:

Not long after Michelino Sunseri, a professional mountain runner, finished a race across Grand Teton last fall, he found himself on the receiving end of a Justice Department criminal charge. His offense? Running on a closed trail, for which he could end up serving six months in jail.

We are not making this up.

Last Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order designed to prevent such gross abuses. It is one of the most important – and underappreciated – actions he’s taken.

The “crime” Sunseri committed wasn’t a federal law passed by Congress. It was a crime invented by the National Park Service – one of some 300,000 federal crimes (although nobody knows exactly how many there are) that unelected bureaucrats have conjured up when writing regulations.

The article notes:

In testimony before a House Judiciary subcommittee last week, GianCarlo Canaparo, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, listed some of the absurdist crimes on the books:

  • It is a crime to sell a tufted mattress unless you have burned nine cigarettes on the tufted part of it.
  • It is a crime to sell a package of bacon unless the packaging includes a transparent window that ‘shall be designed to reveal at least 70% of the length (longest dimension) of the representative slice, and this window shall be at least 11⁄2 inches wide.’
  • It is a crime to submit a design to the Federal Duck Stamp contest if your design does not primarily feature ‘eligible waterfowl.’
  • It is a crime to sell a toy marble across state lines unless it is marked with a warning that says ‘this toy is a marble.’

I can safely attest to the fact that I have never committed any of the above crimes.

The article concludes:

Trump points out another problem with this criminalization overload.

“Overregulation privileges large corporations, which can afford expensive legal teams to navigate complex regulatory schemes, while disadvantaging small businesses and individual Americans and stifling new market entrants.”

Incredibly, we could only find three news outlets that covered this executive order: Reuters, the Daily Signal, and Reason magazine.

Who cares about civil liberties when there’s a Trump tweet to freak out about?

We truly have a President who can identify with those of us who cannot afford a group of lawyers to defend our every move.

 

A Chance For Peace In The Middle East

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On Wednesday, Robert Spencer posted an article at PJ Media about President Trump’s meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The article reports:

On Wednesday morning, during his trip to Saudi Arabia, Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who from 2017 until January of this year, was known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani. Al-Sharaa was the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the “Syrian Liberation Group,” a Sunni jihad group that had been linked to al-Qaeda and was working to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

In January 2025, HTS finally attained its goal. Assad fled to Russia. Al-Julani took control in Damascus and announced that he was establishing a regime that would respect the rights of all Syrians. He insisted that he had broken with al-Qaeda years before, and to signify that he was a new man, he shed his nom de guerre and reverted to his birth name. He trimmed his beard, took off his fatigues, and donned a suit.

…In many ways, Trump’s meeting with al-Sharaa is as momentous, and could be more momentous, than his first-term overtures to Kim Jong Un. The two meetings come from the same wellsprings: Trump is attempting to break longstanding logjams and end the status quo that the foreign policy establishment, both inside the U.S. and elsewhere, had come to take for granted.

…So Trump wants to make peace with old foes based on mutual economic interests. He is giving al-Sharaa a chance to demonstrate that he really is no longer a jihadi and wants to build a stable and prosperous Syria. It could happen. The global jihad, although it is ignored everywhere, continues nevertheless. It never goes away. Individuals and states, however, can and do put it aside for considerable periods in order to pursue other interests.

The article concludes:

Nevertheless, Trump’s attempt to create peace based on common interests and move beyond the present logjam is as welcome as it is audacious. Once again, Trump appears to be way ahead of everyone else, as he was when he established the Abraham Accords even as John Kerry was confidently telling the world that such a thing was impossible.

The establishment will howl at Trump’s meeting; that’s only to be expected. The president, meanwhile, is moving ahead with astonishing vision, immense confidence, and considerable imagination. The peace and stability of the Middle East, and of the entire world, are riding upon his success.

President Trump is essentially saying to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, “Put up, or shut up.” I have no doubt that continuing on the path of murdering Syrians that oppose the regime or aligning with terrorist forces in the Middle East will have dire consequences for Syria. This is their chance to become a successful and prosperous country.

If you are unfamiliar with Robert Spencer, here is his background:

Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He is author of 30 books, including many bestsellers, such as The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades), The Truth About Muhammad, The History of Jihad, The Critical Qur’an, and Muhammad: A Critical Biography. His latest book is Antisemitism: History and Myth, and coming in Nov. 2025 is Holy Hell: Islam’s Abuse of Women and the Infidels Who Enable It. Spencer has led seminars on Islam and jihad for the FBI, the United States Central Command, United States Army Command and General Staff College, the U.S. Army’s Asymmetric Warfare Group, the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), the Justice Department’s Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council and the U.S. intelligence community. He is a senior fellow with the Center for Security Policy.

No, It’s Not Illegal

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On May 14th, The Daily Caller posted an article including Attorney Alan Dershowitz’s comments on whether or not President Trump should accept the gift of an airplane from Saudi Arabia.

The article reports:

Noted attorney Alan Dershowitz on Tuesday detailed two reasons President Donald Trump would probably be able to keep a 747 reportedly being gifted to the United States.

Qatar offered Trump the $400 million Boeing 747-8 for modification into a VC-25 configuration to serve as Air Force One, with the jet being donated to Trump’s presidential library after his term in office ends. Dershowitz, on “The Dershow,” noted that the Constitution’s “emoluments clause,” something cited by some critics, actually would not prohibit the gift to the United States government.

“Okay, here’s what the Constitution says: No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States,” Dershowitz said. “In other words, we don’t have sirs and knights, or anything like that. So we can’t grant titles of nobility and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, that means the president, shall without the consent of Congress, and this is the key, without the consent of Congress, accept any present, emoluments, office or title of any kind whatever from any king, prince or foreign state. Now, obviously, Qatar has the king. Oh, I guess he’s the emir, doesn’t say emir, he’s the emir, I know, I met him three times, the emir of Qatar, I know he’s an emir and I guess he comes under the category of king, prince or foreign state.”

This is how Attorney Dershowitz applies the law:

“Now this means no person shall receive the gift,” Dershowitz said. “We know that gifts are given to governments all the time… when you go to the Oval Office, where the White House, you see all over the place, gifts that have been given by foreign governments to the White House, great portraits of Winston Churchill and other things that are gifts the British government or other governments have been given to the United States. But when the incumbent president or any officer leaves, he doesn’t take the gifts with him, he leaves them. There have been a couple of occasions where the presidents of taken a few gifts, for example, letters they take letters now letters could be worth a fortune… I think presidents have taken some of those, but mostly they go to the Library of Congress or to the Smithsonian or to the presidential libraries.”

“Now presidential libraries are not the property of the president himself or of the former president,” Dershowitz continued. “They are the property of the Smithsonian Institute, the archives. They are the property of the United States of America, and so, if the emir of Qatar or the Qatari state gives the president of the United States a $400 million dollar airplane, that is not a violation of the emoluments clause, it’s perfectly constitutional.”

Dershowitz said that even if Trump were to keep the plane for his personal use, which would possibly make the plane a gift and thus conflict with the constitutional provision, critics of the gift still faced an additional hurdle beside the legal merits when it came to bringing the case in court.

Please follow the link to the article for further details. The bottom line is that this is much ado about nothing–typical for the Democrats.

I’m Skeptical, But I Would Love To See This Work

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On Tuesday, Hot Air reported:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is going to meet with the Syrian Foreign Minister on Thursday in Turkey.

President Trump will greet Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Riyadh tomorrow. 

My favorite quote from the article:

Trump will talk to anyone who sincerely wants to talk to him. It’s like his magic power.

Ahmed Al Sharaa has been serving as President of Syria since January of this year. He is from a Sunni Muslim family.

The article notes that he has not been an exemplary leader so far:

By the beginning of March, it was pretty clear a jihadi leader now using his given name – Ahmed Al Sharaa – in a $4000 suit was still a jihadi at heart. Al-Sharaa’s boys were having themselves the rampaging adventures of a lifetime, systematically exterminating Druze and Alawite communities all over northern Syria with impunity. Oh – and trying to find the five or six Jews left in the country.

We haven’t heard much out of the area since, except for reports that detail American and Israeli strikes on targets in the area. Most associated with the ongoing cat and mouse game the Houthis had been playing and the assorted Iranian militias supporting them, who operate freely all through the southern portion of Iraq, Yemen, and Syria, as President Trump noted during his speech in Saudi Arabia today.

I applaud President Trump providing an avenue for Al-Sharaa to reform, but I am skepticall. Any time you are dealing with an Islamist, you need to consider the Islamic concept of taqiyya. This is a concept in Islamic law that translates as “deceit or dissimulation,” particularly toward infidels. It is generally described as lying for the sake of Islam.

However, there may be some possible rewards for making nice to Syria.

To quote Shaun Maguire on X:

The article at Hot Air notes:

This also helps keep Turkey on the spot because, should Al-Sharaa start to see the fruits of cooperation with the US pay off and Syria begins to rise from the dead, he becomes a hero, and there’s nothing more these egotists love than being loved. He won’t let Erdogan interfere with that, whatever he owes him.

The other is the pressure from Saudi Arabia on Syria now. They facilitated this come to Trump moment. The crown prince would take it ill if the jihadi reappeared after making a public spectacle of the Saudis’ belief that he was worth cultivating and his country worth saving.

The Saudis do not take embarrassment lightly.

This is going to be interesting to watch. It would be wonderful to see the Middle East break out in peace.