|
nChrist
|
 |
« on: March 26, 2015, 06:31:48 PM » |
|
________________________________________
The Patriot Post Digest 3-26-2015
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________
Daily Digest
Mar. 26, 2015
THE FOUNDATION
“Wisely, therefore, do they consider union and a good national government as necessary to put and keep them in such a situation as, instead of inviting war, will tend to repress and discourage it. That situation consists in the best possible state of defense, and necessarily depends on the government, the arms, and the resources of the country.” –John Jay, Federalist No. 4, 1787
TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS
Yep, Bergdahl Deserted1
Bowe Bergdahl, the Army Pfc. taken “captive”2 by the Taliban but freed in exchange for five Taliban Gitmo detainees, will be charged with desertion. Bergdahl deserted his post in 2009 under cover of darkness, carrying with him a knife, a compass, a camera, a diary and some water. Shortly thereafter, he was “captured” by the Taliban, though the Pentagon never classified him as a POW. At least six Americans lost their lives searching for him. Barack Obama insisted then, “Regardless of the circumstances … we still get an American soldier back if he’s held in captivity. Period.” He rightly took it on the chin for the foolish exchange and his stubbornness, and the news of the charges, which come after a months-long investigation, is no surprise. On the other hand, one might be surprised the whole thing wasn’t swept under the rug precisely because it’s such an embarrassment for the commander in chief. The administration defended the swap earnestly at the time, with National Security Advisor Susan Rice insisting Bergdahl served “with honor and distinction.” It’s even more obvious now that he didn’t. But the important thing for Obama was never bringing one of our boys home; it was emptying Guantanamo Bay. If he has to, as he put it, “whittle away” one prisoner swap at a time, so be it. Oh, and the released Taliban commanders are eager to rejoin the battlefield when their year in Qatar is up. But not to worry; State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki says, “Was it worth it? Absolutely.”
Meanwhile, everyone knows Bergdahl’s name. But how many know the names of the six men who died looking for him? Their names are Pfc. Matthew Michael Martinek, Staff Sgt. Kurt Robert Curtiss, Staff Sgt. Clayton Bowen, Pfc. Morris Walker, Staff Sgt. Michael Chance Murphrey and Second Lt. Darryn Andrews.
Saudi Arabia Bombed Yemen and It Can Get Worse3
Yemen’s president is in hiding. Classified files4 from the U.S. Drone program have been seized and handed to Iran. Yemen lies in shambles as al-Qaida, ISIL and rebel groups aligned with Iran wage war. In response, Saudi Arabia pounded its southern neighbor, Yemen, through the night with 100 jets in an effort to loosen the hold the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have on the country. It’s a move that could spark a proxy war split along sectarian lines. Ten countries supported Saudi Arabia in its campaign, with some like Egypt pledging naval and troop support. The United States also provided intelligence to the Royal Saudi Air Force. But Javid Zarif5, Iran’s foreign minister, paused in negotiating with the U.S. over the nuclear deal to state, “The Saudi-led air strikes should stop immediately and it is against Yemen’s sovereignty. We will make all efforts to control crisis in Yemen.” Of all the failed states in the Middle East, Yemen may prove to be the worst, as several nations are pledging military action. And where’s Obama? He’s a butterfly flittering through a hurricane. He still thinks6 Yemen is a model for U.S. foreign policy success. More…7
U.S. Airpower to Support Iranian Forces in ISIL Fight8
In Middle East diplomacy, the United States is working seemingly with two different Irans. Sure, there’s the Iran that is backing Houthi rebels in Yemen, that chants “death to America.” But then there’s the Iran that sent troops to fight ISIL in Iraq, and with which the United States is working. Recently, the U.S. military has directed its air power9 to the Iraqi city of Tikrit, where the Iraqi Army and the Iranian military have stalled in their offensive against ISIL positions. It requires some sort of coordination with Iran, even if only means Iraqi soldiers telling U.S. intelligence where Iranian soldiers are positioned. National Review’s Jim Geraghty wrote this morning, “So we’re offering logistical help to our allies to help them fight Iranian proxies… while we’re helping Iranian forces in Iraq against ISIS… while we’re attempting to reach agreement with the Iranians on their nuclear ambitions.” That pretty much sums up Barack Obama’s foreign policy bungle. The New York Times suggests this arrangement is yet another effort to gain influence with the Iraqi military over Iran’s jockeying. There’s only one Iran with one vision for how its relationship with the United States will develop. The Obama administration better figure out what Iran wants before it gets burned. More…10
ObamaCare, Year Five: ‘It’s Working’?11
Five years after ObamaCare became the “law of the land,” as Democrats like to remind us, Barack Obama says it’s running smoothly. “This law is saving money for families and for businesses. This law is also saving lives. It’s working, despite countless attempts to repeal, undermine, defund and defame this law,” Obama boasted12 Wednesday. “It’s not the ‘job-killer’ that critics have warned about for five years.” That is unless you’re one of the millions of people who are being given less work because of the health care law. According to a report13 in the Washington Examiner, “A new survey by the Society of Human Resource Management released Tuesday found about 14 percent of businesses have reduced part-time hours and another 6 percent plan to do so.” That figure will only rise as employers will be forced to offer insurance to a greater percentage of workers over the coming years. But no matter, a haughty Obama sneered: “We have been promised a lot of things in the past five years that didn’t turn out to be the case – death panels, doom, a serious alternative from Republicans in Congress.” Just because the law hasn’t yet imploded says absolutely nothing about its long-term sustainability. Indeed, it’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion. And Republicans have offered alternatives; the problem is that Democrats treat free-market solutions as a joke. Obama also added, “It’s not the fiscal disaster critics warned about for five years.” Actually, the Congressional Budget Office lowered projected cost estimates because overall enrollment was less than projected. Just a minor caveat.
Bob Costas Resumes Assault on Second Amendment, Framers14
Bob Costas, the longtime sportscaster turned outspoken gun control advocate, visited with HBO’s Bill Maher where he inevitably resumed his assault on the Second Amendment and took a shot at America’s Founders. Recalling last year’s domestic violence dispute involving pro football player Greg Hardy, Costas exclaimed, “He threw [his girlfriend] on a couch with loaded shotguns and assault weapons on the couch,” as if the mere presence of firearms made Hardy do it. “Now, is this what the Founding Fathers had in mind?” he continued. “That Greg Hardy should be armed to the teeth? That private citizens should be able to purchase cop-killer, armor-piercing bullets15? That you should be able to have an AK-47? I mean, carry it to its logical conclusion: If you’re fearful of a tyrannical government taking away your rights as a citizen, then you oughta have a bazooka. You oughta have a tank. You oughta be able to have nuclear weapons if you can get them before ISIS can get their hands on them.” Now, to his credit, Costas did lash out against political correctness, even among fellow liberals – right after his politically correct attack on the Second Amendment. We’re all entitled to our own opinions, of course. But when it comes to voicing those views on public platforms, leftists have the benefit of avoiding censorship.
For more, visit Right Hooks16.
Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column
Read The First Medals of Honor17, on generations of MoH-recipient Patriots whose service to our nation has been distinguished through extraordinary heroism and sacrifice.
If you’d like to receive Alexander’s Column by email, update your subscription here18.
RIGHT ANALYSIS
U.S., Israel and Iran: Three’s a Crowd19
As if meddling in Israel’s elections with an aim to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t enough for Barack Obama, in the wake of Netanyahu’s win – and Obama’s loss – the White House has accused Israel of spying on U.S.-Iran nuclear talks. The Wall Street Journal reported20 this week that current and former U.S. officials claim the spying was part of a larger effort by Netanyahu to gather information on the negotiations in order to build a case against the deal21. |
