The Ponder happens to agree with Lynch. Do we really want mercenaries who will work for who pays them the most to do our dirty work? American wars should be fought by Americans who are willing to sacrifice everything for their country, regardless of the pay scale. Freedom is priceless. The pay is a bonus. This is why I salute our brothers and sisters in arms. They don't do it for the pay, although they deserve the highest pay for what they do. They don't do it to glorify themselves or to become the best, because they are ALREADY the best! Real heroes don't do it for the pay. They do it because it is the right thing to do.
Steve Bannon who got fired from the Trump Administration 2 days ago decided that instead of going to war for Trump, he would start off attacking Trump.
While President Trump laid out very clearly his plan for our troops in Afghanistan, Steve Bannon claimed that President Trump flip-flopped in his speech.
It sounds to me like Steve Bannon is in revenge mode.
76 Democrats in the House of Representatives have signed on to a resolution to censor president Trump for his Charlottesville remarks, saying that he said there were fine people and both hate groups--when that is not at all what Trump meant to convey. What Trump was saying was that there were fine people at the rally who were not part of either group.
Once again I must state that I believe it's time that members of Congress stop watching CNN and getting their news from them.
Did you watch the Afghanistan speech Donald Trump made on August 21, 2017? If you did not, it is posted below for you to listen to:
Some Democrats could not wait to sink their teeth in him. It wasn't two hours after the speech that House Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH, 9th) posted her statement of what she thought of Trump's speech.
"There can be no blank check for war anywhere. Committing more American troops without a clear path forward will not lead to the resolution of this sixteen-year war.
"Winning battles in ungovernable space does not equal victory. The war in Afghanistan and the instability across that vast, undemocratic region, that includes Pakistan with Iran next door, demands clarity of objective. I did not hear that tonight in the President's address.
"The Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense on which I serve must fulfill its Constitutional obligations in matters of war."
Okay, go back and watch the speech, then either write Congresswoman Kaptur, or call her, and tell her to get the peanut butter out of her ears. Everything was pretty clear to me, and Trump made perfect sense.
House Representative Daniel Kildee (D-MA, 5th) also complained that Trump refused to tell everyone exactly what he was going to do, so the enemies of the United States who were watching would know and be able to defeat us. Unlike previous presidents, Mr. Trump is smart enough not to tell the enemy what move he is fixing to make, and the left-leaning Democrats hate him for it. Mr. Kildee said,
“A President’s most solemn duty is to make a decision as to whether to send young Americans into harm’s way. President Trump owes service members—and the American people—clear stated goals, and a strategy to achieve them, before deploying additional service members to Afghanistan. Unfortunately, the President failed to offer a strategy with a clear objective, timeline and defined end goal. Instead, he vowed to share even less information about the number of young Americans he intends to send to Afghanistan and what exactly he aims to achieve after 16 years of war.
“Simply, the President needs to develop and articulate an actual strategy before committing more lives and resources to Afghanistan. Regardless, Afghanistan is now his war and his responsibility.
“In addition, the President's decision to share even less information on this war reaffirms that it is long past time for Congress to exercise its required responsibility under the constitution and debate and pass an updated authorization for the use of military force in Afghanistan and the other conflicts around the world where Americans are engaged in combat.”
Did you read the part that said Kildee wanted to take the Presidential power to control the troops away from him just because he didn't like what the President we elected might do?
Then, House Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA, 2nd) showed his ignorance of the way things worked by stating:
“The War in Afghanistan has been the United States’ longest running war, lasting for 16 years. It has been over a decade since the first Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) was authorized by Congress in 2001. It is Congress' responsibility to debate and authorize of use of military force. As I have called for before, it is time for Congress to have this debate again. It appears the President and his advisors have given a lot of thought to his plan, but that thought should also be debated and shared in Congress. When it comes to putting our troops in harms way and all the ramifications of that entails, it is Congress who must authorize the power. This debate must include both the extent of the use of force and what the exit strategy is.
"I would like to commend President Trump on his recognition of the sacrifices our brave men and women have made, but that is precisely why we need to make sure that we have a clear strategy. The President has laid out a plan, but did not mention an exit strategy and that needs to be debated. President Trump also pointed out that we need to address Pakistan, their involvement and our response in this conflict. I agree, but believe this needs to be a part of the congressional debate. It is time for my colleagues to unify our efforts in order to clear the safest path to return for our brave men and women home, as they deserve a thorough, debated plan with a clear strategy."
House Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA 13th) -- yep, you guessed it, she's Democrat, too -- took to whining on her web site:
“I am deeply troubled by President Trump’s failure to outline a comprehensive strategy to bring an end to our nation’s longest war. After sixteen years at war, one thing is clear: there is no military solution in Afghanistan. Any lasting peace in Afghanistan must be secured through diplomacy. Further military engagement will only put our brave servicemen and women in harm’s way while doing little to enhance our national security.
“This war has already cost our nation too much, in blood and in treasure. We have lost 2,386 brave American service members, and more than 20,000 American soldiers have been wounded. It is past time to end the war and bring all of our troops home.
“In 2001, I opposed authorization for this war because it allowed any President a blank check to wage endless war without Congressional oversight. The Constitution is clear: Congress must provide advise and consent in matters of war and peace. At a minimum, Congress should debate and vote on a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force before we commit to another surge that will keep our troops in Afghanistan for years to come and cost billions more in spending.”
True to form, she also made a call for Congress to act to take the war powers away from the President. It's like giving Donald Trump a car and telling him he can't drive it. Democrats are shameful!
U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), and U.S. Representative Trent Kelly (R-MS), introduced the Paperwork Reduction for Farmers Act to create a more efficient process for farmers applying for new H-2A workers or reapplying for the same employees.
Previously, farmers have reported massive financial losses due to H-2A application delays, and excessive paperwork has resulted in backlogs lasting 30 days or longer at both the Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The co-chairs of the United for Climate and Environmental Justice Task Force, Representatives A. Donald McEachin (VA-04), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44) issued this joint statement opposing President Trump’s Infrastructure Executive Order:
"President Trump's recent executive order suppresses public comment on potentially harmful major projects, and his totally inadequate review process will put our environment even more at risk for the sake of corporate profits. As sea levels rise, and as floods and extreme storms become more common, it will become ever more necessary that we acknowledge and plan for those realities. Removing existing protections and stripping away long-term planning requirements will mean more waste, more accidents, and shorter useful lives for the projects we build. These changes are a deep disservice to the American public, and the president should be ashamed.
"Instead of making bipartisan plans to rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure, Donald Trump has once again put big corporations ahead of our health and safety. What we need instead are fair, inclusive decision-making processes that give all Americans a voice; a prudent, farsighted approach to how we spend scarce public dollars on infrastructure; and a more sustainable economy built on well-paying green jobs.”
If you want the truth about Trump's Executive Order on Infrastructure, click HERE.
Democrat house representative from California Zoe Lofgren (D-CA, 19th) introduced a resolution that urges the Vice President and Cabinet to have the President examined by medical and psychiatric professionals to assist them in determining whether the President is unfit and unable to fulfill his Constitutional duties. This comes after a rally of Cries From the Democrats in the house and in the Senate saying that he is mentally unstable, clinically insane, and needs to be impeached. Personally, I think that if you run on the Democrat ticket and adhere to the Democrat mantra, then that is reason enough to get examined by a psychiatrist. I'm sure the Democrats would like to pick their own psychiatrist when they have him examined, too.
Lofgren stated:
“Many Americans, including many Republicans, have observed the President's increasingly disturbing pattern of actions and public statements that suggest he may be mentally unfit to execute the duties required of him,” said Lofgren. “The President has not released a serious medical evaluation. Just as would be the case if the President were physically unable to execute the office of the President, this resolution urges those entrusted with the responsibility enshrined in the 25th Amendment to employ the services of medical and psychiatric professionals to help in their determination whether the President is mentally capable of carrying out his Constitutional responsibilities.”
She claims that Section 4 of the 25th Amendment of the United States Constitution outlines this, when it does no such thing. Simply put, the 25th Amendment states:
“Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.”
Following a letter sent by U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03), along with House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, and Judiciary Subcommittee Chairmen Tom Marino and Darrel Issa, sent to multiple federal agencies, the Department of Justice announced it will end Operation Choke Point.
“After years of fighting against the Obama Administration’s Operation Choke Point initiative, I applaud President Trump’s Department of Justice for ending this ill-advised program,” Luetkemeyer said. “I want to thank Chairmen Hensarling and Goodlatte and Reps. Marino and Issa for their support. While I am pleased the Department of Justice has stood up and made the right decision, it is my hope the federal banking regulators follow suit without delay. I will continue my efforts in the House of Representatives to ensure my bill, the Financial Institution Customer Protection Act, will be signed into law so that future administration’s will not have the opportunity to negatively impact individuals and legal businesses through this unprecedented initiative.”
Operation Choke Point was an Obama Administration initiative led by the Department of Justice and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that destroyed legitimate businesses to which the Administration was ideologically opposed by intimidating financial institutions into denying banking services to those businesses.
H.R. 2706, the Financial Institution Customer Protection Act would dictate that agencies such as the FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, among others, could not request or order a financial institution to terminate a banking relationship unless the regulator has material reason. Any account termination requests or orders would be required to be made in writing and rely on information other than reputational risk. In addition, the legislation strikes the word “affecting” in the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA), replacing it with “by” or “against.” This is to ensure that the Department of Justice’s once broad interpretation of the law is limited and the original intent of the statute is restored.
This sounds a lot like something that would come out of George Orwell's 1984.
I told a friend about this tonight and he shook his head in disbelief, thinking I had just told him of another conspiracy theory. I assured him that Operation Chokepoint was, indeed real He asked me, "What kind of businesses would it bother?" I said, "Well, try Hobby Lobby..." He thought for a moment and said, "Chic Filet?"
It intrigued him so much, he had to do some research on it via his phone. He was surprised and dismayed when he found that I was telling him the unpopular truth.
I don't know. You figure it out. I'm just proud of Trump for stopping it.
