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Washington Drowns in Red Ink

The Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) organization has issued its 2020 Congressional Pig Book that itemizes the most blatant examples of pork. 

It notes that “For the third year in a row, members of Congress have set a record for the cost of earmarks during the supposed earmark moratorium.  This year’s Congressional Pig Book exposes 274 earmarks, a decrease of 2.8 percent from the 282 in FY 2019.  While the number of earmarks declined slightly, their cost went in the opposite direction.  Legislators added $15.9 billion in earmarks in FY 2020, an increase of 3.9 percent from the $15.3 billion in FY 2019.  The cost of the FY 2020 earmarks is only 3.6 percent less than the $16.5 billion in FY 2010, the last year prior to the moratorium.  Since FY 1991, CAGW has identified 111,417 earmarks costing $375.7 billion.”

The fight against earmarks, notes CAGW, gained traction due to the tireless work of members of Congress such as then-Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.); high-profile boondoggles like the Bridge to Nowhere; and a decade of scandals that resulted in jail terms.

As Sen. McCain explained regarding those making the case for a return to earmarks, “The problem with all their arguments is:  the more powerful you are, the more likely it is you get the earmark in.  Therefore, it is a corrupt system.”

Earmarks are not just excess generosity bestowed on the general public.  They are, in essence, a means with which powerful members of Congress buy votes to guarantee their re-election. As CAGW notes, “Earmarks provide the most benefit to those with spots on prime congressional committees.  In the 111th Congress, when the names of members of Congress who obtained earmarks were included in the appropriations bills, the 81 House and Senate appropriators, making up 15 percent of Congress, were responsible for 51 percent of the earmarks and 61 percent of the money.”

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In the past, the organization explains, Members of Congress were required to add their names to earmarks, at least giving the public some insight to who was abusing the process, this is no longer the case. Earmarks are now found throughout the appropriations bills, increasing the amount of effort necessary for identification, and making it more difficult to eliminate them through floor amendments.  Under the old system, earmarks were largely contained in the “Congressionally Directed Spending” section at the end of the legislation.

Getting Washington’s vast deficit under control will require both getting earmarks under control as well as spending in general. The National debt, according to Debt Clock.org as of this writing stood at over $27 trillion. CAGW notes that “A January 2020 Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report forecast an average annual deficit of $1.3 trillion between fiscal years (FY) 2021 and 2030, rising to $1.7 trillion by the end of the decade, adding $12.4 trillion to the national debt and bringing it to $36.2 trillion.  That estimate was made prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent healthcare crisis and economic shutdown.  One estimate suggests that the pandemic will add $8 trillion to CBO’s FY 2030 projection, for a total of $44.2 trillion.”

Prior attempts to restrain spending have been unsuccessful, in large part because they failed to discriminate against worthwhile spending and nonessential outlays. Business Insider reported in 2017 that the debt at the end of 2008 — just before Obama took office — stood at roughly $10,699,805,000,000.  The debt as Obama left office stood at $19,573,445,000,000. Despite that near-doubling of the debt, it is difficult to find any gains in key areas during his administration.

Illustration: Pixabay

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Congress Reports on China’s Future Military Capabilities

In 2017, China’s President Xi Jinping announced that his nation was “at a critical stage in the path toward being a world power.” The national security threat posed by the ruling Communist Party (CCP) has only increased in recent years. Today, it is developing and militarizing illegal manmade islands in the South China Sea, expanding its reach across the Middle East and Africa, bullying its neighbors, and seeking to construct military bases around the world to project power and challenge the U.S. and other nations.

According to a Congressional Task Force report, The Chinese military’s (known as the “People’s Liberation Army,” or PLA) “…ground, air, naval, and missile forces have become increasingly able to project power during peacetime and in the event of regional conflicts. The PLA will almost certainly use this growing ability to attempt to shape international perceptions of the PRC as a regional power and global stakeholder. To that end, the PRC is developing capabilities such as a new long-range bomber, land-based aircraft, aircraft carriers, and long-range missiles. It is also rapidly advancing its nuclear triad, space and counterspace capabilities, and cyberspace activities.”

China’s nuclear capability is a significantly growing problem. Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley reports that “Over the next decade, China will likely at least double the size of its nuclear stockpile in the course of implementing the most rapid expansion and diversification of its nuclear arsenal in China’s history.” The PRC has also emphasized the utility of low-yield nuclear weapons, in order to increase the deterrence value of China’s nuclear force without defining specific nuclear yield values.”

The House Armed Services Committee released a Republican Task Force Report on various threats from China. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, notes thatChina presents a unique challenge to America’s interests and security. Confronting China will take a whole of government approach. We cannot rely on the military or on our diplomats alone; Congress also has an important role. That is why the China Task Force report is so important. It lays out a practical action plan that Congress must follow if our country is to deal with China successfully, maintain our competitive edge, and keep America safe.”

The Report states that China is rapidly developing a military force capable of winning regional conflicts and is expanding its military footprint globally. The document emphasizes that while the U.S. for years assumed that it has an overall military advantage, that gap is closing.

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It emphasizes that Congress and the Pentagon should implement an initiative for the Indo-Pacific aimed at deterring China, similar to the European Deterrence Initiative to deter Russia. While the immediate threat may be in the Indo-Pacific, there is a growing indication that Beijing’s extraordinary increase in capability may position it to be a threat across the globe.  A key recommendation is that America must make necessary defense investments and modernize force structure, posture, operational concepts, and acquisitions in order to deter that threat.

A “deterrence initiative” would require the Defense Department to submit to Congress a future-years defense plan with appropriate funding for the foreseeable future, aimed at increasing U.S. presence in the Indo-Pacific, defending regional U.S. bases such as that on Guam, improving military capabilities, and enhancing relations with local allies.

A major difference between the European-based deterrence of the Soviet Union, now Russia, and the situation in Asia is the lack of a firm alliance. NATO’s basic doctrine has been that an attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on the entire alliance. Nevertheless, a powerful group of Indo-Pacific nations, if appropriately led by the U.S. similar to the NATO example, has the capability of responding to the threat.

Photo: A file photo shows China’s domestic-built J-20 stealth fighter. [Photo/Xinhua]

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An Agenda for the Next Four Years

Despite the vitriol of the 2020 presidential campaign, the key issues facing the nation remained the same. The question is, how, or even will, those topics be addressed.

The combination of internet censorship and the ability of leading Democrat lawbreakers to escape punishment for wrongdoing must be addressed.  During the Obama Administration, Loretta Lynch used the Department of Justice to legally harass those that merely disagreed with the then-president on climate change.  The Internal Revenue Service was employed to attack the Tea Party.  The Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were directed to lie to the FISA Court to assault first the Trump Campaign and then the Trump Administration.

The lack of punishment for the overt violations of the law by individuals such as Hillary Clinton must not be tolerated. The time has come to reaffirm that there truly is one standard of justice for both the average citizen and the powerful.

Beyond addressing censorship and government misdeeds, other challenges must be faced. The attempts to encourage voting and registration fraud need to be punished. Some of this can be done on the federal level, some will require state action. But the giving of drivers licenses to illegals, and not adopting safeguards to prevent those documents from being used to register to vote, must be remedied. Further, there is no logical reason not to adopt voter security measures such as the requirement of picture identification before being allowed to cast a ballot.

Many have wondered why so many citizens began to express views, both during the campaign and before, that were clearly anti-American. The views were based on descriptions of history that were overtly biased and factually incorrect. The answer is obvious.  The United States educational system has become dominated by radical individuals and groups that have an agenda of replacing traditional American values and freedoms with socialism, a philosophy which has brought tyranny, poverty, and despair wherever it has been applied.  The time has come to reverse that paradigm.

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In international affairs, the next four years will be even more challenging.  The massive arms buildup of China, the nuclear prowess of Russia, and the rising atomic threats from both Iran and North Korea will present unprecedented danger.  Despite the doubling of the national debt under Obama, and the ravages to the national treasury caused by Covid, the temptation to shortchange the U.S. defense budget must not be succumbed to.

The time has come when the long-neglected shielding of the American electrical grid from an EMP attack, which could be launched even by a terrorist group, must be done.

In addition to building up America’s military, strengthening ties with allies who contribute a fair share to defense needs will be crucial.  The nation’s NATO partners, particularly Germany, must continue to be pressured to shore up their armed forces. In the Pacific, a NATO-like alliance should be developed with India, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, Australia, and others to deter Beijing’s escalating threats.

The occupant of the Oval Office will hopefully have the ability to successfully rebuild the covid-ravaged economy and address unemployment. That skill will be required more than ever in the next four years.  Hopefully, the extreme partisans of the Left, who placed their political goals over the good of the nation, will not repeat the nonstop and frequently violent attacks that have characterized the past four years and allow the American people to unite in a common effort. The prospects for that are, admittedly, not encouraging if Biden wins.   Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has already stated that she intends to use contribution disclosure forms to pinpoint and take retribution upon Trump donors.

Picture: Pixabay

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China’s Dangerous Caribbean Presence

China’s COVID-19 has brought extraordinary danger to the United States, and 2021 may see a different brand of peril.

American Military News reports that “China has been expanding its ties with a number of countries in the Caribbean, increasing its influence right at America’s doorstep.”

Similarly, the New York Times notes that Beijing has increased its burden-laden “loans” to Caribbean nations as part of its aggressive “Belt and Road” campaign. The Times found that the Chinese government invested over $6 billion over 15 years to fund infrastructure projects throughout the Caribbean. Jamaica is a focal point, receiving about $5.1 billion. Since 2005, China has provided over $100 billion in credit to the region. Last year, China announced it would give nearly $35 billion in loans to the region in coming years. And, this year, China promised its investment in the region would hit $250 billion over the next 10 years.

The Congressional Research Service has found that “As the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has increased its engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean over nearly 20 years, U.S. policymakers have raised questions regarding potential implications for U.S. interests in the region. China’s engagement with the region has grown significantly since 2001, particularly in terms of diplomatic and economic ties. This growth reflects China’s global ‘soft power’ efforts and ‘influence operations’ worldwide. A succession of Chinese leaders and other officials have visited the region to court governments. In turn, regional leaders and officials have been frequent visitors to China. The PRC has signed a variety of bilateral partnership agreements with several countries in the region, including ‘strategic partnerships’ with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.”

In 2015, China hosted the first-ever China- Community of Latin American and Caribbean States [CELAC]  summit in Beijing for Latin American and Caribbean nations. A U.S. Congressional report noted that the conference specifically excluded the U.S. and Canada. Since 2005, China has provided over $100 billion in credit to the region. Last year, China announced it would give nearly $35 billion in loans to the region in coming years. China promised its investment in the region would hit $250 billion over the next 10 years.

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There is a lot more than mere economics going on. Having access to a region right on the U.S. doorstep is a vastly strategic advantage for China. In addition to direct military purposes, buying the loyalty of comparatively small nations is a goal for Beijing as it seeks to gain friends at the United Nations in its campaign to isolate Taiwan.

 A Geopolitical Intelligence Services Report  reveals that there are Chinese-built container and cruise ship ports on both the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the country.

At a U.S. Congressional Foreign Affairs hearing, it was revealed that Chinese security ties to the region continue to deepen, with the Chinese arms sales to Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Argentina. Reportedly, China has even expanded its arms sales beyond traditional nation-states through providing military-caliber weapons to non-state actors such as the FARC terrorist organization in Colombia and drug trafficking organizations in Mexico. This activity has only served to increase the number of weapons in the hands of paramilitary forces and transnational criminal networks.  “It should be of grave concern to all Americans that the Chinese maintain a military presence in Cuba, specifically Lourdes, Bejucal, and Santiago de Cuba, all of which were former Soviet-era monitoring facilities,” it was emphasized.

In 2019 an official Chinese news outlet stated that The Chinese military stands ready to deepen relations with the militaries of the Caribbean countries and Pacific island countries… to strengthen exchanges and cooperation. Guyana was specifically mentioned as seeking to strengthen ties with Beijing’s military.

Photo: Pixabay

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Foreign Policy Update

Cuban Military Personnel Sanctioned

Last week, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added three Cuban military-owned companies to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List).  All property and interests in property of these entities that are in the United States or in the possession or control of persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction continue to be blocked and must be reported to OFAC.

The companies are Grupo de Administración Empresarial SA (GAESA), FINCIMEX, and Kave Coffee S.A.  GAESA is the Cuban military’s largest company, which controls large portions of Cuba’s economy for the military’s benefit.  Cuban military-controlled FINCIMEX funnels remittances through channels that disproportionately benefit the Cuban military.  Kave Coffee S.A., a coffee company domiciled in Havana and incorporated in Panama, is part of an international network of Cuban-owned companies maintained by the Cuban military and used to evade the U.S. embargo.

The revenue generated from the Cuban military’s economic activities is used to entrench the Cuban military’s control, prop up the Cuban Communist Party’s power, oppress the Cuban people, and fund Cuba’s interference in Venezuela.  Today’s action demonstrates the United States’ long-standing commitment to ending economic practices that disproportionately benefit the Cuban government or its military, intelligence, and security agencies or personnel, at the expense of the Cuban people.  It also demonstrates the United States’ commitment to disrupting Cuba’s malign support for the illegitimate Maduro regime in Venezuela.

The United States will continue to support the Cuban people in their desire for a democratic government and respect for human rights, including freedom of religion, expression, and association.  Until these rights and freedoms are respected, we will continue to hold the regime accountable.

Nicaraguan Police Chief Sanctioned

Last week, the United States imposed sanctions on Marvin Ramiro Aguilar Garcia, Walmaro Antonio Gutierrez Mercado, and Fidel de Jesus Dominguez Alvarez, pursuant to Executive Order 13851, “Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Nicaragua.”  These three individuals enable and benefit from the Ortega administration’s corruption and abuse of the Nicaraguan people.

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In this designation, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is promoting accountability for Nicaraguan government officials who further the Ortega regime’s attacks on Nicaragua’s democracy.

Marvin Ramiro Aguilar Garcia is the Vice President of the Supreme Court of Justice, National Political Secretary of the Sandinista Leadership Council, and a member of the Council for the Administration and Judicial Career of the Nicaraguan Supreme Court of Justice, which ensures regime supporters are selected for key posts.  As the National Political Secretary, Aguilar directly advises President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo and reportedly coordinates the targeting of pro-democracy opposition members.

Walmaro Antonio Gutierrez Mercado is a Deputy of the National Assembly and president of the Production, Economic and Budget Commission, and has publicly advocated for the controversial Foreign Agents Law, which specifies that certain individuals and entities in Nicaragua that receive foreign funds must register and make detailed monthly reports to the Interior Ministry.  We anticipate that this law, which contemplates fines and other legal sanctions for noncompliance, will be invoked to restrict the civil and political rights of certain individuals or organizations that the government arbitrarily deems to be a threat.

Fidel de Jesus Dominguez Alvarez, Chief of the Nicaraguan National Police in Leon, has allegedly directed assaults on many Nicaraguan citizens and journalists.  Specifically, Dominguez reportedly directed the beating of a journalist by Nicaraguan National Police officials.  Dominguez was also reportedly involved in the abuse and beatings of a former opposition deputy and other Ortega opponents.

The United States government will continue to take the steps necessary to support the Nicaraguan people and pressure the Ortega regime to cease its repressive activities, respect human rights, and allow the conditions for free and fair elections that would restore democracy to Nicaragua.

Illustration: Pixabay

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THE CHINA MODEL: RETURN OF THE MIDDLE KINGDOM

The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission  has issued its annual report to Congress. The New York Analysis of Policy and Government will periodically present summaries of their work.

China sees itself as engaged in a systemic struggle with the United  States and other democratic countries over the future of the world order.  Beijing seeks to use its growing power to transform the international  order, ultimately legitimizing its repressive governance system; expanding  its economic, security, and political interests; and restoring China to  what it views as its rightful place at the center of the world. It desires  for other countries to accept if not praise its authoritarian, single-party  governance model as a superior alternative to liberal democracy and  seeks to export elements of its model, popularizing internationally the  norm that power, not rules-based accountability, is a legitimate basis  for political authority. The CCP hopes to remold global governance,  ultimately enabling China to act unconstrained by the current rules-based  order. These objectives predate General Secretary Xi’s rule and will likely  persist beyond it, posing a long-term challenge to U.S. interests, the  integrity of international institutions, and liberal democracy worldwide.  

The Chinese government is shaping and subverting the international  governance system to align with Beijing’s own principles, which are  directly opposed to universal values and individual rights. Beijing  uses economic leverage to secure other countries’ support for these  alternative values in the UN and other organizations while exploiting  leadership roles in UN agencies (see Figure 2) to promote Chinese  foreign policy objectives, such as marginalizing Taiwan. Meanwhile,  through a parallel order of alternative China-centric organizations,  including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China is creating an  integrated economic and geopolitical order under China’s leadership.  Beijing seeks to use its central role in this new parallel order to exploit  globalization, using the networks and resources of other countries while  limiting access to its own market. It also uses its leverage to export  to developing countries elements of its economic model that threaten  private enterprise and rule of law in favor of a dominant state sector and  corrupt business environment. 

As part of its ambitions to shape global governance and become  the preeminent power, the CCP seeks to dominate development of  emerging technologies and ensure the norms and values for how these  technologies are deployed further its geopolitical goals. To do so, it aims  to establish China’s leadership in international standardization bodies  and export Chinese technical standards, the design features and product  specifications that allow different products to work together. Because  the Chinese government treats technical standards as a tool of industrial  policy and market access, China’s ambitions threaten to disrupt  organic industry-led innovation that has allowed the U.S. technological  ecosystem to thrive. Furthermore, China’s influence over information  and telecommunications technology, including connected technologies  used in surveillance and the building blocks of the internet, provide  like-minded authoritarian regimes with the tools to repress their own  populations, control information flows, and support China’s surveillance  and data collection programs. 

If Beijing succeeds in normalizing its views of governance, the result could  undermine individual rights around the world. Underestimating Beijing’s  intent to revise the international order based on its current capabilities  risks delaying a response until it is already too late to preserve the liberal  international order that has allowed the unprecedented flourishing of  human life and freedoms for the last three quarters of a century. 

Key Findings 

▶ The CCP seeks to revise the international order to be more amenable  to its own interests and authoritarian governance system. It desires  for other countries not only to acquiesce to its prerogatives but also to  acknowledge what it perceives as China’s rightful place at the top of a  new hierarchical world order. 

▶ The CCP’s ambitions for global preeminence have been consistent  throughout its existence: every CCP leader since Mao Zedong has  proclaimed the Party would ultimately prove the superiority of its  Marxist-Leninist system over the rest of the world. Under General  Secretary Xi, the Chinese government has become more aggressive  in pursuing its interests and promoting its model internationally.  

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▶ The CCP aims to establish an international system in which Beijing can  freely influence the behavior and access the markets of other countries  while constraining the ability of others to influence its behavior or  access markets it controls. The “community of common human  destiny,” the CCP’s proposed alternative global governance system, is  explicitly based on historical Chinese traditions and presumes Beijing  and the illiberal norms and institutions it favors should be the primary  forces guiding globalization.

▶ The CCP has attempted to use the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)  pandemic to promote itself as a responsible and benevolent global  leader and to prove that its model of governance is superior to liberal  democracy. Thus far, it appears Beijing has not changed many minds,  if any. Countries already skeptical of the CCP’s intentions argue it failed  to contain the virus where it originated and withheld information until it  was too late to avoid a global pandemic. Countries already predisposed  to view Beijing favorably have praised its pandemic response. 

▶ The Chinese government’s Belt and Road Initiative is both a blueprint  and a testbed for establishing a Sinocentric world order. The initiative  has no membership protocols or formal rules but is based on informal  agreements and a network of bilateral deals with China as the hub  and other countries as the spokes. This framework lets Beijing act  arbitrarily and dictate terms as the stronger party. 

▶ The CCP seeks to coopt established international governance  institutions by increasing its leadership and functionary positions  within these institutions and rewriting the norms by which they  operate to align with China’s model of international relations.  Within these institutions, the Party builds coalitions that support  China in the UN and portray its political priorities as supported by  international consensus. 

▶ In some cases, Beijing bypasses the existing system by creating  alternative international institutions it can influence from the start.  Where possible, it excludes the United States and European powers  from these institutions, and in some cases the United States  chooses not to participate. 

▶ The Chinese government views technical standards as a policy  tool to advance its economic and geopolitical interests. It has  systematically tried to expand its influence in international  standards-setting organizations by installing Chinese nationals in key  leadership and functionary positions and pushing standards backed  by its industrial policies.

Illustration: Pixabay

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The Normalization of Immorality

Throughout the past several years, Progressives have made the use of violence, lies, and other immoral (and indeed, illegal) acts a regular part of the political landscape.

There can be no doubt that the use of the phrase “immorality” causes the blood pressure of the American left to accelerate to dangerous levels. They will say, no doubt, “Who are you, or anybody, to judge morality,” even as they readily condemn any opposition to their positions as wrong-headed. Merely disagreeing with Leftists on any issue, such as climate change, taxes, or anything else, renders opponents racist, sexist, homophobic, and any other harsh adjectives one can think of.

Consider the sea-changes we have endured lately. 

It has been accepted as commonplace to use rioting as a legitimate form of political protest. It’s dangerous enough that this is done at all, but when some mayors, such as Portland, Oregon’s Ted Wheeler or New York’s Bill de Blasio openly encourage this disorder and do nothing to stop the carnage and looting once it begins, the problem becomes magnified.

It’s apparently part of the new norm for the barons of social media to censor views they dislike.

University heads, even at government-funded institutions, feel free to harass, discriminate against, and persecute students who do not subscribe to leftist positions. Faculty leaders of high schools and grammar schools consider discussions of avant-garde sexual practices an ok part of the curriculum, but react to any mention of Christmas, Hannukah, or other Judeo-Christian items with horror.

It’s now a standard practice to use false dossiers to discredit a campaign and a presidency. The mainstream media, and many Congressional representatives, sees no problem with dragging the nation through three years of divisive and absurd hearings based on knowingly false statements about an incumbent.

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Some of the leading lights of the Left have unblushingly made threats against those who disagree with them.  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has initiated a process of using donor disclosure rolls to find out who contributed to President Trump, so that, in her words, they can be “held accountable” for daring to support a non-progressive Presidential candidate.

During the Obama Administration, the agencies of government, including the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service, were utilized not to serve the nation but to attack political opponents of the then-president.

It has become commonplace for leftist district attorneys and states attorneys general to misuse their position for partisan purposes. Consider New York State Attorney General Leticia James, who employed the resources of her office to continuously attack Donald Trump. Review the comments of Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who essentially proclaimed Biden the winner of the presidential contest in his state, before election day even began. While engaging in politics, some of their jurisdictions have endangered their communities by letting dangerous defendants out without even the protection of bail to show up in court.

Despite their oath to the Constitution, some judges feel absolutely free to rule not on that sacred document or existing laws and statutes, but on their own political inclination.

When Progressive leaders sufficiently recover from their shock at having their tactics labelled immoral, they are likely to angrily state why an antiquated concept like morality is required at all. Shouldn’t the public be free to decide, they proclaim, what morality and legality are without the guidance of words originally inscribed on now yellowed and fading pieces of parchment, or in old-fashioned prose found in religious texts?

The world has seen what happens when that perspective reigns. It’s called mob rule, and the results are deadly. Mob rule allows despots to commit unconscionable acts. It leads to the cold environs of the Soviet Gulag, the mass murders of concentration camps, and the utter destruction of civil society that occurred in Mao’s China.

Picture: Pixabay

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Illegal Aliens, Crime, and National Security

A Judicial Watch analysis of federal statistics notes that “Seventy percent of illegal Aliens in federal jails were convicted of  non-immigration crimes…The U.S. government spent at least $162 million last year to incarcerate tens of thousands of criminal illegal immigrants for committing crimes that include rape, murder, kidnapping and terrorism. The offenders were imprisoned by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), which confirm that 94% of aliens jailed in 2019 were unlawfully present in the U.S. Under the Obama administration this type of pertinent information relating to illegal immigration was essentially ignored…”

Much of this is directly attributable to Sanctuary jurisdictions which essentially provide a safe haven for criminal aliens.

In addition to crimes such as murder, rape, and drug dealing, illegal aliens have posed threat to national security.  The Federation for American Immigration Reform (Fair)    outlines the challenge:

  • The September 11, 2001 terrorist attackers were foreigners who entered the country legally on a temporary visa, mostly tourist visas with entry permits for six months.
  • Since 2007, the U.S. apprehended 45,000 Special Interest Aliens (SIAs), i.e. individuals with suspicious travel patterns.
  • Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign tourists, temporary visitors, and returning U.S. citizens were not required to undergo medical screening upon entering the country.
  • Diaspora diplomacy, or the utilization of immigrant communities by foreign governments, is a means by which enemy nations can attempt to achieve their policy goals.
  • Transnational bad actors attempt to use immigrant communities in the U.S. as bases of operations and recruitment pools
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The Obama Administration’s refusal to enforce immigration law changed substantially under the Trump Administration. An Executive Order issued in 2017, almost immediately after the new president’s inauguration, stated:

“Sanctuary jurisdictions across the United States willfully violate Federal law in an attempt to shield aliens from removal from the United States. These jurisdictions have caused immeasurable harm to the American people and to the very fabric of our Republic.

“Tens of thousands of removable aliens have been released into communities across the country, solely because their home countries refuse to accept their repatriation. Many of these aliens are criminals who have served time in our Federal, State, and local jails. The presence of such individuals in the United States, and the practices of foreign nations that refuse the repatriation of their nationals, are contrary to the national “interest.

“Although Federal immigration law provides a framework for Federal-State partnerships in enforcing our immigration laws to ensure the removal of aliens who have no right to be in the United States, the Federal Government has failed to discharge this basic sovereign responsibility. We cannot faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States if we exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. The purpose of this order is to direct executive departments and agencies (agencies) to employ all lawful means to enforce the immigration laws of the United States.

“It is the policy of the executive branch to:

(a) Ensure the faithful execution of the immigration laws of the United States, including the INA, against all removable aliens, consistent with Article II, Section 3 of the United States Constitution and section 3331 of title 5, United States Code;

(b) Make use of all available systems and resources to ensure the efficient and faithful execution of the immigration laws of the United States;

(c) Ensure that jurisdictions that fail to comply with applicable Federal law do not receive Federal funds, except as mandated by law;

(d) Ensure that aliens ordered removed from the United States are promptly removed; and

(e) Support victims, and the families of victims, of crimes committed by removable aliens.”

The latest Alien Incarceration Report from the Department of Justice and Homeland Security notes that A total of 51,186 known or suspected aliens were in BOP or USMS custody at the end of the first quarter of FY19. Of those, 32,926 (64.3 percent) were subjects of removal orders or had agreed to depart voluntarily; 11,609 (22.7 percent) were still under investigation by ICE to determine alienage; 4,441 (8.7 percent) were illegally present and under adjudication; and 1,171 (2.3 percent) were legally present and under adjudication. A total of 1,039 aliens (2 percent) in DOJ custody were granted relief or protection from removal (Pending Relief/Benefit).

Illustration: U.S. Border Patrol

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China’s Influence Peddling

The Hoover Institute has researched the extent of China’s influence peddling in the United States, and warns of profound dangers.  The New York Analysis of Policy and Government has outlined research by the Heritage Foundation noting that Black Lives Matter has received funding from Beijing. The problem, however,  is far more vast than just the ties of that one extremist organization.

China has moved in a massive way to influence American politicians, universities, and other centers of influence.  One well-known example: when a famous basketball player criticized Beijing for its violations of human rights, the entire NBA establishment, eager to expand its presence in the People’s Republic, forced him to recount.  Hollywood has changed movie scripts to please Chinese investors.  In colleges across the nation, Confucius Institutes run by Beijing influence what is taught in our schools.  Individual professors as well as university administrations have been on the take for this purpose. The prominent and powerful Joe Biden family has been vastly enriched by highly questionable financial dealings with China.  

In response to these and other factors, a working group was convened by the Hoover Institute. The Group found that China’s coercive and covert activities endanger America’s core values. According to the report, “The Chinese Communist party-state leverages a broad range of party, state, and non-state actors to advance its influence-seeking objectives, and in recent years it has significantly accelerated both its investment and the intensity of these efforts.”

The ruling Communist Party uses a broad range of national institutions to accomplish its influencing goals. These include, but are not limited to, the United Front Work Department, the State Council Information Office, the Communist Party’s Foreign Affairs Commission, the Central Propaganda Department, the International Liaison Department, the All-China Federation of Overseas Chinese, and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

In addition to general propaganda and influencing activities, a great deal of attention is paid in two key areas, the Hoover Report notes.

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The first is the Chinese-American community. “China has long sought to influence— even silence—voices critical of the PRC or supportive of Taiwan by dispatching personnel to the United States to pressure these individuals and while also pressuring their relatives in China…Such activities not only interfere with freedom of speech within the United States but they also risk generating suspicion of Chinese Americans even though those who accept Beijing’s directives are a very small minority.”

More popularly recognized in recent years has been the extraordinary effort by Beijing to steal technology. To some extent,this has actually been aided by some U.S. leaders.  Bill Clinton, while serving as president, approved the sale of Cray super computers to China. It has been speculated that the PRC’s attempt to funnel cash to his re-election campaign may have been a factor. In 2015, Barack Obama, as noted by the Washington Post, concluded a deal allowing China to buy more U.S.-designed reactors and pursue a facility or the technology to reprocess plutonium from spent fuel, and allowing that nation to purchase reactor coolant technology that could be used to make its submarines quieter and harder to detect.

The Hoover Report notes “China is engaged in a multifaceted effort to misappropriate technologies it deems critical to its economic and military success. Beyond economic espionage, theft, and the forced technology transfers that are required of many joint venture partnerships, China also captures much valuable new technology through its investments in US high-tech companies and through its exploitation of the openness of American university labs. This goes well beyond influence-seeking to a deeper and more disabling form of penetration. The economic and strategic losses for the United States are increasingly unsustainable, threatening not only to help China gain global dominance of a number of the leading technologies of the future, but also to undermine America’s commercial and military advantages.”

The Hoover panel stressed that “three broad principles” should serve as the basis for protecting the integrity of American institutions inside the United States while also protecting basic core American values, norms, and laws.” They include transparency and careful monitoring of China’s activities in the U.S., cooperation between universities and think tanks to enhance sharing and pooling of information concerning Chinese activities, and promoting more closely coordinated collective action to counter China’s inappropriate activities and pressures, and demanding that any access to U.S. institutions should result in equal access by Americans to their Chinese equivalents.

Illustration: Pixabay

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Space Command Matures

The United States Space Force, the first new branch of the American military since 1947, is rapidly moving from a startup to a substantive branch of the armed services. Since it was established by President Trump in 2019, it has begun to develop the personnel and physical facilities necessary for it to play a significant role.

Like the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, the Space Force is a military service, and its mission is to organize, train, equip and provide forces and capabilities to the U.S. Space Command and the other unified combatant commands around the world.

But in the same way the Marine Corps falls under the Department of the Navy rather than having its own department, the Space Force falls under the Department of the Air Force as it was originally Air Force Space Command.

Last month, the first seven people to enlist directly into the Space Force graduated from basic military training. As of late 2020, there are more than 2,000 uniformed personnel in the Space Force. As with the other services, there are civilian employees as well. About 6,000 civilian professionals are working within the Space Force.

At the same time, as a brand new service, there are individuals who are not in the Space Force, but for the time being, are assigned to it while it gets on its feet. Right now this includes about 8,000 additional military and civilian personnel.

The number of Space Force trainees will continue to increase over time as processes for recruiting and training are solidified, and the Space Force plans to recruit over 300 enlisted members through the end of the fiscal year.

Through January, all new Space Force members will become Space Systems Operations specialists and in February, new members will be placed in additional career fields such as operations intelligence and cyber systems operations.

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Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond spoke to the graduates before administering the Oath of Enlistment.

“I need you to be bold. You will help us build this service from the ground up. You will help us define our warfighting culture. You will build the Space Force as the first digital service. You will lay the foundation of a service that is innovative and can go fast in order to stay ahead of a significant and growing threat, and you, if deterrence fails, will fight and win the battle for space superiority which is so vital to our nation, our allies and our joint and coalition forces,” he said, adding that “the nation expects you to deliver dominant Spacepower.”

To accommodate the new service, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Patrick Air Force Base were formally re-designated as facilities central to the mission of the U.S. Space Force

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Patrick Air Force Base were formally re-designated Dec. 9, as facilities central to the mission of the U.S. Space Force during a ceremony rich in symbolism that further confirmed the nation’s commitment to operating in and defending space.

A Federal News Network article quoted Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist stating that “Future wars will be waged not just in the air, on the land or at sea, but also in space and cyberspace.”

C4isrnet reports that the “U.S. Space Force leadership is confident the new service’s budget will increase in the coming years as the Pentagon continues to prioritize spending on space systems, according to the head of the Space Force’s main acquisitions body. ‘If you thought space was going to be a priority in a kind of one-and-done way, that’s not clearly what’s been happening, right?’ Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center, said …So three years in a row budgets have gone to the Hill with foundational changes to the space budget.’”

Photo: U.S. Space Command