Nearly two weeks after 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle was murdered on San Francisco’s Pier 14 by an illegal alien and convicted felon who was released from prison earlier this year, President Barack Obama has failed to contact the victim’s family or mention her in public. Yet Obama took the time to write (and release) 46 personal letters this month to felons imprisoned for non-violent drug offenses whose sentences he has commuted . . .
Critics have noted that Obama was quick to reach out to the family of Michael Brown, who was killed while charging a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri last year, enhancing Brown’s heroic status to drive a political narrative. He has done the same in other, similar cases.
Brother of Kate Steinle says his family has “not heard a word” from the @WhiteHouse. #KellyFile
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-15 03:52:082016-04-11 10:58:53Obama Writes Personal Letter to Nearly 50 Felons, But Continues to Ignore Family of Murder Victim Kathryn Steinle [+video]
[Yesterday], the leader of Iran’s evil regime, Hassan Rouhani, declared, “today major world powers recognized Iran’s nuclear program. Our dreams have come true.”
And indeed, this nuclear deal that Obama essentially cut with Iran months ago, recognizes much more than just their nuclear program.
Today, you will hear many references to Neville Chamberlain, but the truth is that Chamberlain merely appeased the enemy of his country; he didn’t create an alliance with Germany.
Moreover, he was negotiating from a position of weakness, whereas America had Iran on the ropes from years of sanctions. Obama is handing them their nuclear program and regional hegemony on a silver platter as a reward for killing and maiming thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq over the past decade. John Kerry even apologized for the years that sanctions were in place.
Here are the important details and outcomes of this alliance Obama has forged with Iran:
1) Keep the Centrifuges: Iran can keep more than 5,000 centrifuges with one-third of them continuing to spin in perpetuity. For context, Pakistan created a bomb with just 3,000 centrifuges. In return for them keeping most of their infrastructure, they are entitled to receive $140 billion in sanctions relief.
2) Phony Inspections: Iran will have the discretion to block international inspectors from military installations and will be given 14 days’ notice for any request to visit any site. But there are several layers of bureaucracy that will elongate any period of inspection beyond the 14 days, and that is assuming the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) will pursue an inspections regime in any meaningful way. Iran’s objections to inspections at military sites can be overturned by an international commission, something that will never occur. Also, the inspectors can only come from countries with diplomatic relations with Iran. Hence, no American inspectors.
3) Lifting of Weapons Embargo: One of the latest additions to the alliance deal was a lifting of the embargo on the sale of weapons to Iran. The embargo will officially be lifted in 5 years, but as we’ve seen from the past few years of negotiations, the embargo has already been de facto lifted because nobody will enforce any violations.
4) If you like you’re delivery system…: The embargo on Iran’s ICBM program will be lifted after 8 years (again, lack of enforcement will likely occur earlier). Coupled with the nuclear materials they will be allowed to keep and the operation of advanced centrifuges, they could have a delivery system in place by the time they break out with a nuclear weapon.
5) Keep Your Infrastructure: The heavy water reactor in Arak and the underground nuclear facility in Fordo will be kept open, in direct contravention to Obama’s own red lines.
6) Arms Trades Already Underway: As if on cue, the Russians are already agreeing to sell Iran s-300 anti-missile rocket systems in exchange for 500,000 barrels of oil. This makes it clear they will never agree to reinstate sanctions on Iran if they cheat on the agreement.
7) Covert Program Untouched: The P5+1 nations already dropped demands that Iran disclose its past research. The publicly-discovered nuclear sites are irrelevant because Iran has already hid the ball.
8) Sanctions Already Laughed Off: Iran knows they don’t have to agree to any significant concession because the sanctions have already been ignored across the board by the West. Iran is already boasting about record oil exports.
9) All Sanctions Fall Together: Needless to say, Iran is continuing to build their ballistic missile program and expand their terrorism and regional hegemony. None of this was even a part of the negotiations from day one. For months, the Obama administration swore that the sanctions targeting Iran’s terror, human rights abuses, and its ballistic missile program would remain in place. But last month, the AP reported that all of the sanctions will collapse once the nuclear sanctions are removed.
10) Paying Iran to Make a Bomb: If you thought this “deal” was a joke, you are not missing anything. The AP has reported that Obama has agreed to help Iran with technical assistance to develop their nuclear program…all for domestic purposes of course. It appears that this will be part of the final deal.
11) Killing U.S. Soldiers Pays Off: Sanctions were lifted on critical parts of Iran’s military, including restrictions on the Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. This man is responsible for the deaths of numerous U.S. soldiers in Iran.
12) Continue to Illegally Torture American Prisoners: While Soleimani is being freed to travel abroad, the U.S. hostages in Iran will remain in prison.
Where Things Stand
Thanks to the unconstitutional Corker-Cardin bill, the Senate has ceded its power to ratify a treaty, which would have required two-thirds of the Senate to affirmatively approve of the deal in order for the sanctions to be lifted. Now, the sanctions will automatically be lifted unless Congress musters two-thirds in opposition to the deal in both bodies of Congress – 67 votes in the Senate and 290 in the House. Given the radical nature of the modern-day Democrat Party, there is no way Republicans will come close to mustering the votes. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has already expressed support for Obama’s Iranian alliance.
Rather than play defense, it’s time for conservatives to go on offense and force leadership to jettison their liberal agenda and use every must-pass bill to block the Iran deal. Next week, Congress plans to approve the annual defense bill. This is a perfect vehicle for blocking a deal with Iran. They must also use the upcoming budget bill as well to block any sanctions relief. A steady and relentless stream of legislative pressure on Democrats is the only way they will feel the heat on the issue.
Congress can’t afford to wait until September to block the lifting of sanctions. This deal was not written with the “Corker-Cardin review process” in mind. The UN Security Council can approve the lifting of sanctions within a few weeks while members of Congress are having fun in the sun. Shouldn’t Republicans assert the prerogative to keeping members in session until this deal is blocked?
Some things are worth fighting for, and if Republicans can’t muster the courage to wield the power of the purse over the worst international capitulation of our generation, there is no purpose to their existence. (“Iran Deal Endangers the US”, originally posted HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-15 03:52:022016-04-11 10:58:5312 Reasons Iran’s “Dreams Have Come True” and Why the Deal Endangers the US
For a union built on democracy, activist teachers are wondering how the American Federation of Teachers could have possibly endorsed Hillary Clinton for president without them knowing about it.
Candi Peterson, Washington (D.C.) Teachers’ Union, penned an article at Common Dreams in which several die-hard union activists appeared to be utterly befuddled by the national union’s sudden announcement.
Chicago activist Katie Osgood says, “I know many AFT members too and have not heard one person polled either.” The union claimed it polled members on their opinions.
According to the calculation of “Mr. Stevens,” only .04 percent of members were surveyed.
New York City teacher Arthur Goldstein tells the news site, “…AFT Link says they used telephone town halls and a web-based survey, I didn’t even know existed.” (Read more from “‘No Freaking Way!’ Teachers Revolt Over Union’s Endorsement of Hillary Clinton” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00kathleenhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngkathleen2015-07-15 03:51:422016-04-11 10:58:54‘No Freaking Way!’ Teachers Revolt Over Union’s Endorsement of Hillary Clinton
The federal government raked in a record of approximately $2,446,920,000,000 in tax revenues through the first nine months of fiscal 2015 (Oct. 1, 2014 through the end of June), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement released today . . .
It is also up about $178,156,270,000 in constant 2015 dollars from the $2,268,763,730,000 in revenue (in inflation-adjusted 2015 dollars) that the Treasury raked in during the first nine months of fiscal 2014.
Despite the record tax revenues of $2,446,920,000,000 in the first nine months of this fiscal year, the government spent $2,760,301,000,000 during those nine months, and, thus, ran up a deficit of $313,381,000,000 during the period.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, total seasonally adjusted employment in the United States in June (including both full and part-time workers) was 148,739,000. That means that the federal tax haul so far this fiscal year has equaled $16,451 for every person in the United States with a job.
In 2012, President Barack Obama struck a deal with Republicans in Congress to enact legislation that increased taxes. That included increasing the top income tax rate from 35 percent to 39.6 percent, increasing the top tax rate on dividends and capital gains from 15 percent to 20 percent, and phasing out personal exemptions and deductions starting at an annual income level of $250,000. (Read more from “$2,446,920,000,000: Federal Taxes Set Record Through June; $16,451 per U.S. Worker—Feds Still Run $313B Deficit” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-15 03:51:232016-04-11 10:58:54$2,446,920,000,000: Federal Taxes Set Record Through June; $16,451 per U.S. Worker—Feds Still Run $313B Deficit
At a hearing Monday in Manhattan in which he ruled filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza must continue community service for four more years, U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman said he considers D’Souza’s violation of federal campaign-finance laws to be evidence of a psychological problem and ordered further counseling.
D’Souza’s defense counsel Benjamin Brafman provided evidence to the court that the psychiatrist D’Souza was ordered to see found no indication of depression or reason for medication. In addition, the psychologist D’Souza subsequently consulted provided a written statement concluding there was no need to continue the consultation, because D’Souza was psychologically normal and well adjusted.
But Judge Berman, who was appointed by Bill Clinton, disagreed, effectively overruling the judgment of the two licensed psychological counselors the U.S. probation department had approved as part of D’Souza’s criminal sentence.
“I only insisted on psychological counseling as part of Mr. D’Souza’s sentence because I wanted to be helpful,” the judge explained. “I am requiring Mr. D’Souza to see a new psychological counselor and to continue the weekly psychological consultation not as part of his punishment or to be retributive.
D’Souza has become known for his two popular films critical of President Obama. “2016: Obama’s America” was released during the 2012 presidential campaign and “America: Imagine the World Without Her” came out in July 2014, ahead of the midterm elections. (Read more from “Dem Judge Orders Psych Counseling for D’Souza” HERE)
Ever since Jaya Iyer’s daughter was a toddler, she had been fascinated by Saturn and its icy rings. When Swaha turned three, she had a space-themed birthday party. But when her mom went to find clothes with space images for Swaha, she couldn’t find any. They were all in the boys section.
So the 41-year-old mother of two, who has a doctorate in fashion merchandising, started her own business called Svaha (which is how her daughter’s name is pronounced) to sell clothes that upend gender stereotypes. One shirt features a grinning green stegosaurus, the plates on its back adorned with polka dots. A second comes in a blazing pink hue, with an astronaut planting an American flag on the moon. That one should satisfy her daughter. “She was very upset with me for not ever buying her anything with astronauts on it,” Iyer says. “Then she started telling me: ‘I want a ninja on my shirt.'”
Svaha is one of several startups that have emerged in recent years with the goal of changing the standards that govern what kids wear. These upstarts aren’t looking to replace current kid’s apparel entirely. Instead, their founders say they want to provide children with more options. Handsome in Pink says it’s all right for boys to wear pink and purple. BuddingSTEM offers science-themed garb for girls. Perhaps the buzziest label is Princess Awesome, which raised more than $200,000 in a successful Kickstarter campaign, showing demand for pirate-themed dresses and girl’s apparel covered in the symbol for pi. Most of the ventures remain in early stages as online-only entities using crowdfunded or bootstrapped cash to sell small numbers of shirts or dresses.
Several of the startups share a common origin: They were borne out of parental frustration with major retailers. Simply shopping in the opposite gender’s section isn’t the answer, these parents say. Cultural norms mean that as kids get older, designating certain items as male or female can confuse and frustrate them. A girl may not want to wear something designated for boys, and vice-versa.
“Most kids and parents are going to the big retailers and seeing all these messages of what its means to be a boy or a girl,” says Sharon Choksi, co-founder of clothing line Girls Will Be. Choksi’s daughter Maya, now 10, never liked sparkles or “feminine” colors, so the Choksis would shop for Maya in the boys’ section. As Maya got older, Choksi worried that “boy” and “girl” labels would unnecessarily upset her daughter. (Read more from “The End of Boys and Girls: These Companies Are Going to Change How Your Kids Dress” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00kathleenhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngkathleen2015-07-15 03:50:562016-04-11 10:58:54The End of Boys and Girls: These Companies Are Going to Change How Your Kids Dress [+video]
Fireworks were flying on “The Five” Monday – and things got personal.
A immigration debate among Geraldo Rivera, Jesse Watters and Eric Bolling got so heated that Geraldo at one point seemed to actually threaten physical violence.
“You’re lucky you’re my friend,” he told Bolling. “I’d knock you out right now!”
What set Geraldo off started with Watters, who said the recent rise of GOP contender Donald Trump was due to an untapped anger among Americans over crime by illegal aliens.
When Bolling supported Watters, Geraldo accused them both of blowing things out of proportion. (Read more from “Geraldo Nearly Comes to Blows With Co-Host Over Immigration: ‘I’d Knock You out Right Now!'” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-15 03:50:402016-04-11 10:58:54Geraldo Nearly Comes to Blows With Co-Host Over Immigration: ‘I’d Knock You out Right Now!’ [+video]
ISIS strongholds in Iraq and Syria are the focus of much scrutiny, but there are new concerns the terror network is looking to use other radical movements closer to Europe as a way to expand their reach.
Fox News National Security Analyst KT McFarland spoke to foreign policy experts retired Air Force Col. Cederic Leighton and the Heritage Foundation’s James Carafano about the terror network’s influence.
Leighton says there are already indications ISIS is linking up with Russian extremists. “They are riding a wave of popularity – wherever they get traction, that’s where they are going to have a franchise operation … and they are doing a great job of it in the Caucasus at the moment.”
Russia has dealt with terror attacks linked to Russia’s Caucasus region, where extremism runs high. In 2002, militants linked to Chechnya took hostages in a Moscow theater, where 130 people were killed. Then, in 2004, armed Muslim rebels took over a school in southern Russia, killing 331 people.
“At the root of that is an Islamist minority, which has been fighting for independence from the Russian government for a long time and some of that has erupted in real war, real insurgency … the potential for [terrorists] reaching to disaffected groups, that’s only going to grow in Russia,” said Carafano, vice president at the Heritage Foundation. (Read more from “ISIS Movement in Russia Raises US Concern” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-07-15 03:50:332016-04-11 10:58:54ISIS Movement in Russia Raises US Concern [+video]
By Associated Press. Iran, the United States and other world powers struck a historic deal Tuesday to curb Iranian nuclear programs and ease fears of a nuclear-armed Iran threatening the volatile Middle East. In exchange, Iran will get billions of dollars in relief from crushing international sanctions . . .
In Tehran, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said “a new chapter” had begun in his nation’s relations with the world. He maintained that Iran had never sought to build a bomb, an assertion the U.S. and its partners have long disputed.
Beyond the hopeful proclamations from the U.S., Iran and other parties to the talks, there is deep skepticism of the deal among U.S. lawmakers and Iranian hardliners. Obama’s most pressing task will be holding off efforts by Congress to levy new sanctions on Iran or block his ability to suspend existing ones. (Read more from “Iran Nuclear Deal: Fine ‘New Chapter’ or ‘Historic Mistake’?” HERE)
By Ishaan Tharoor. After more than two weeks of wrangling and missed deadlines in Vienna, Iran and its international interlocutors have finally clinched a historic accord over Tehran’s nuclear program. The diplomacy with Iran, an endeavor that faced vociferous opposition throughout, was aimed at curbing the Islamic republic’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon. A tentative framework was inked in April between Iran and its negotiating partners, which include the United States, Russia, Britain, France, China and Germany.
The deal’s proponents argue that the talks have yielded the best guarantee possible that Iran won’t be able to move toward nuclear weapons, while also, for the time being, reducing the risk of yet another military escalation in the Middle East . . .
Here’s a guide to how it works.
The main benchmark by which analysts gauge Iran’s ability to produce an atomic bomb is the “breakout” time — the time needed for Iran to produce enough weapons-grade enriched uranium for one nuclear bomb. It is currently estimated at a couple of months; under the terms of the deal, that time frame has been extended to at least one year.
The implication here is key: One year gives world powers enough time to mobilize action to interrupt Iran’s pathway to a bomb. The extended breakout time also presents, in its own right, a strategic obstacle to Iran’s leadership, raising the stakes if it ever considered rushing toward building a nuclear arsenal. To be sure, Tehran has always insisted that it has no interest in obtaining a nuclear weapon, but its covert activities in the past raised the world’s suspicions and led to tough international trade, banking and financial sanctions. (Read more from “The Historic Nuclear Deal With Iran: How It Works” HERE)
Controversial Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore has warned that the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of same-sex marriage could lead to a new “war” in the United States. He made those fiery comments in an interview that was posted online on Monday.
In an interview posted on YouTube and conducted by “Voice of Resistance” host Randall Terry, Moore predicted that the Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage would face “a great backlash” from the American people. He drew comparisons between the actions of the high court and King George III during the American Revolution.
“I hope we don’t have a war,” Moore said. “I hope we don’t have conflicts, but we definitely need to recognize that same-sex marriage is something that has not existed on a government level.”
Moore added that “people have not seen what the consequences of this court’s ruling are yet.” He also claimed that state governors can disregard the Supreme Court’s decision in their states . . .
According to Jacob Kerr of the Huffington Post, Moore ordered county probate judges to ignore a federal district court’s ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in Alabama in January. He later recused himself in March from an Alabama Supreme Court order to stop all same-sex marriages in the state.
(Read more from “Justice Roy Moore: ‘I Hope We Don’t Have a War’ Over Supreme Court Decision Favoring Same-Sex Marriage” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00kathleenhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngkathleen2015-07-14 02:35:432016-04-11 10:58:55Justice Roy Moore: ‘I Hope We Don’t Have a War’ Over Supreme Court Decision Favoring Same-Sex Marriage [+videos]
