WALBERG NAMED ‘LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR’ BY MOTORCYCLE RIDERS FOUNDATION

Washington, D.C. - November 28, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI, 7th) has been awarded the 2017 Motorcycle Legislator of the Year Award by the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, one of the nation’s leading motorcycle rights organizations. Since the group’s formation in 1984, the Legislator of the Year award recognizes lawmakers for their commitment to advancing policies that support motorcycle riders across the country.

“As a Harley owner who has been riding since my 20th birthday, receiving this award is particularly meaningful,” said Congressman Walberg, co-chair of the House Motorcycle Caucus. “Millions of Americans from all walks of life rely on motorcycles as a means of transportation or recreation, and I’m proud to advocate for their freedom to responsibly enjoy the open road or off-road trails.”

“Tim has always been a great friend to the motorcycle community,” said Vince Consiglio, Executive Director of ABATE of Michigan and member of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. “We know we can count on him to make sure our voice is heard in the halls of Congress.”

In the 115th Congress, Walberg has championed a number of legislative issues of importance to motorcycling, including introducing a bipartisan resolution to address the issue of motorcycle profiling and promote collaboration between the motorcycle and law enforcement communities.

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ELECTION SECURITY TASK FORCE REQUESTS FUNDING FOR STATE ELECTION SECURITY, REPLACING OUTDATED VOTING MACHINES

Washington, D.C. - November 27, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The Congressional Task Force on Election Security, chaired by Committee on Homeland Security Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS, 2nd) and Committee on House Administration Ranking Member Robert Brady (D-PA, 1st) sent a letter to the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee to request funding to help states secure their voting infrastructure.

Russia’s unprecedented assault on the country’s elections in 2016, targeting 21 states’ voting systems, exposed the urgent need to protect these systems – which includes voting machines and voter registration databases. Currently, there is nearly $400 million remaining from the 2002 Help America Vote Act that could be used for this purpose. The Brennan Center for Justice has reported that replacing outdated, paperless voting machines would cost up to $400 million. Although the election was over a year ago, federal election security action has been nonexistent. Just last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions admitted to Congress that he had “not followed through” to ensure that the 2018 elections are secure.

Congressman Thompson and Congressman Brady released the following statement along with their letter:

“When a sovereign nation attempts to meddle in our elections, it is an attack on our country. We created the Task Force on Election Security to better understand what can be done to protect our elections going forward. Finding that voting machines and voter databases can be easily hacked, there is a clear and urgent need for federal funding to help states secure their elections. We cannot leave states on their own to defend against the sophisticated tactics of state actors like Russia. The money that states desperately need to take crucial security steps is available and can be appropriated right now. We urge our colleagues in Congress to recognize with us that ensuring the security of our election systems is a bipartisan issue. With the next federal election less than a year away, Congress must act now.”

You can read the Letter to Appropriations by clicking HERE

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Protecting African Elephants

Washington, D.C. - November 27, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) led a letter to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke calling on the Department to officially halt any reversal of the ban on importing sport-hunted African elephant and lion trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia. U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and 20 other Democratic Senators joined Menendez in demanding answers to 9 specific questions about the decision.

Last week, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) issued a decision to lift the ban on elephant trophy imports from Zimbabwe and Zambia, stating it would “enhance the survival of the African elephant.” This decision followed a similar one pertaining to sport-hunted lion trophies last month. The original decision to ban the importation came after inadequate domestic conservation programs failed to rely on scientific data and proven conservation practices.

“[W]e find it unconscionable that the USFWS has reversed its finding that the conservation programs in these countries fail to meet its standards without sufficient analysis and evidence to ensure that this plan has led to real changes on the ground,” the senators wrote.

After outrage spread on social media over the apparent decision, President Trump tweeted that the decision was on hold, and then tweeted two days later that he “will be very hard pressed to change [his] mind.”

“Additionally, the President has tweeted that the decision is currently on hold, but USFWS had already published its decision in the Federal Register, and no subsequent updates have been made,” the senators wrote. “While we appreciate that additional reviews may be underway, the fact remains that tweets alone do not constitute substantive federal policy without commensurate agency action and do not negate the need to file appropriate public notice.”

In 2015, Senator Menendez introduced the CECIL Animal Trophies Act to disincentivize trophy killings of species proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

This prompted Representatives Grace Meng (D-NY), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Jim Langevin (D-RI), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and Lee Zeldin (R-NY) who led a bipartisan group of lawmakers urging Donald Trump to retain the U.S. ban on the importation of African elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia.

In a letter to Trump, the lawmakers wrote: “It is imperative that we continue to lead conservation efforts that strengthen local communities and prohibit poaching. African elephants are treasured by people the world over. They are worth far more alive than dead, drawing millions of wildlife-watching tourists who contribute billions to local economies across the continent. As Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, we are in firm agreement that it is of the utmost importance to continue protections for threatened and endangered species both at home and abroad.”

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North Korea Designated State Sponsor of Terrorism Last Week

Washington, D.C. - November 27, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- North Korea has been designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism. Trump's announcement last week garnered support from Congress.

House Representative Lee Zeldin (R-NY, 1st) commented, “An increasingly rogue nation, North Korea has demonstrated a blatant disregard for international law and human life through its active pursuit of nuclear capabilities, support of assassinations on foreign soil, and other nefarious activities. We cannot afford to disregard the real and escalating threat North Korea poses to the United States and our allies around the world. The President’s redesignation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terror is critical to ensuring the U.S. has the resources it needs to apply effective diplomatic and economic pressure on Pyongyang that protects America's security at home and abroad.”

In 1988, North Korea was added to the state sponsors of terrorism list following the 1987 bombing of South Korean Air Flight 858, but was removed in 2008 amid nuclear negotiations by President George W. Bush. Since its removal, North Korea has launched cyber attacks against civilian targets, supported assassinations on foreign soil, sold arms to terrorist organizations, and consistently tested intercontinental ballistic missiles. This year, American student Otto Warmbier was brutally tortured at the hands of Kim Jong Un’s regime which resulted in Warmbier’s eventual death.

Ted Yoho (R-FL, 3rd) called the move "overdue", and stated, “North Korea’s consistent record of facilitating terror is beyond dispute, from the callous murder of American college student Otto Warmbier to the use of a banned chemical weapon to assassinate Kim’s half-brother to sales of arms to terrorist groups around the world.

“Duly labeling North Korea a State Sponsor of Terror will reiterate to the globe that Kim’s nefarious activities have no place in the civilized world, further discouraging intercourse with this dangerous regime. Thae Yong-ho, the highest-ranking North Korea defector in decades, told me during his testimony before the Foreign Affairs Committee that this redesignation will help keep up the pressure on Kim. I thank the administration for taking this important step.”

Jackie Walorski (R-IN, 2nd) voiced strong support for the designation, saying, "Congress will continue working with the administration to counter Kim Jong-un’s dangerous and destabilizing actions and to protect the safety and security of the American people.”

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL, 27th), Chairman Emeritus of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, made the following statement after the announcement that North Korea will be redesignated as a state sponsor of terrorism:

“Ever since 2008, I have been adamant that North Korea should be redesignated as a state sponsor of terrorism. In addition to a host of illegal and belligerent acts against civilian targets worldwide, the Kim regime has directly supported terrorist groups as part of a destructive nexus with Iran and Syria. Redesignating North Korea provides the administration with important tools to increase pressure on the Kim regime and I commend the decision to put it back on the list where it belongs."

Ros-Lehtinen is the author of the North Korea Sanctions and Diplomatic Nonrecognition Act, introduced in previous Congresses beginning in 2009. Among other provisions, the bill detailed North Korean acts that can be defined as international terrorism and expressed the sense of Congress that North Korea should be redesignated as a state sponsor of terrorism.

"There is no question that North Korea has engaged in acts of terrorism endangering the United States and the security of our allies. I fully support President Trump declaring North Korea a state sponsor of terror and increasing sanctions against Pyongyang. North Korea must be held accountable for their actions, including the way they treat their own people,” stated House Representative Todd Rokita (R-IN, 4th).

“I commend President Trump’s decision to designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. Under the reign of Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s provocative actions have only increased, and today’s designation to further isolate this rogue regime sends a strong message to our allies and adversaries that we take this threat seriously and will use every tool at our disposal to hold this tyrannical despot accountable,” said Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) chimed in with, "Nuclear-armed North Korea has a long history of cooperating with Iran’s terror-sponsoring regime on ballistic missiles, continues to commit egregious human rights violations against its own people, and is responsible for the recent death of American citizen Otto Warmbier. The United States and other countries, including China, must do everything in our power to end the Kim regime's growing nuclear and missile threats, and bring about a denuclearized Korean peninsula.”

Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) supported the decision, stating, “This designation will serve as an important tool to exert peaceful pressure on the North Korean regime. I will continue to press the State Department to explore all available options to hold this regime accountable for its actions and prevent their continued dangerous behavior.”

Under the recently-enacted Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, the State Department was required to inform Congress on whether North Korea meets the criteria as a state sponsor of terrorism. Portman led a bipartisan letter to the State Department on October 2 outlining the many destabilizing and terror-related acts taken by this rogue regime.

All of these reactions came from Republicans. As usual, when Trump does something right, the Democrats remain silent. God forbid they ever praise him for anything.

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Several Bills Signed Into Law Last Week

Washington, D.C. - November 27, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- On Tuesday, November 21, 2017, the President signed into law:

H.R. 194, the "Federal Agency Mail Management Act of 2017,"

which requires the General Services Administration to provide guidance and assistance to Federal agencies to ensure effective processing of the mail;

H.R. 1545, the "VA Prescription Data Accountability Act of 2017," which require the Department of Veterans Affairs to disclose information about covered individuals to State controlled substance monitoring programs to help to prevent misuse and diversion of prescription medications;

H.R. 1679, the "FEMA Accountability, Modernization and Transparency Act of 2017," which requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure that the ongoing modernization of grant systems for the administration of disaster assistance include specified features to improve applicant accessibility and transparency;

H.R. 3243, the "FITARA Enhancement Act of 2017," which extends and makes permanent several provisions of the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA); and

H.R. 3949, the "Veterans Apprenticeship and Labor Opportunity

Reform (VALOR) Act of 2017," which provides for the designation of State approving agencies for multi-state apprenticeship programs for purposes of the educational assistance programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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Leahy Slams Border Wall Funding As “Bumper Sticker Budgeting”

Washington, D.C. - November 27, 2017 (The Ponder News) --Slamming the proposal as “bumper sticker budgeting,” Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday focused on a provision in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill that would provide $1.6 billion from American taxpayers for President Trump’s border wall with Mexico.

Leahy said: “This is bumper sticker budgeting to save face for one of President Trump’s failed campaign promises. Instead of wasting billions of taxpayer dollars to fund this costly and ineffective proxy for real action on immigration reform, we should be directing our resources toward finding cures for cancer, building schools for our children, feeding the hungry, rebuilding our infrastructure and real security. We should be investing in what brings us together, not building walls that drive us apart.”

Placed in strategic locations identified by the Department of Homeland Security as being in need of additional security to prevent illegal border crossings or other illicit activities, the United States already has 654 miles of pedestrian fencing or vehicle barriers along its southern border. The additional 74 miles of President Trump’s border wall proposed in the appropriations bill is estimated to impact 900 landowners and cost as much as $22 million per mile. With legal disputes still ongoing from border wall construction a decade ago in Texas, the legal costs of new construction are expected to be astronomical and drawn out over years.

With illegal border crossings on the decline and apprehensions along the southern border reaching historic lows, Leahy argued that American tax dollars should be spent elsewhere and invested in the American people. If the bill had gone through markup in the full Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy would have offered an amendment that would have blocked funding for the wall unless it was paid for by Mexico, as President Trump promised.

Leahy said: “President Trump ran on a clear campaign promise – he was going to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, and Mexico would pay for it. He could not have been clearer. I have also been clear about how I feel about this misguided campaign promise. Building a wall along our southern border is a waste of taxpayer dollars and an insult to our neighbor to the South. From every perspective, this costly wall is an unwelcome turkey.”

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Conyers Sexual Harassment Charge Under Investigation

Washington, D.C. - November 27, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, John Conyers, has stepped down from his post in light of sexual harassment allegations on Monday. Conyers' lawyer maintained that the Pelosi "icon" was not going to resign, however. This has sparked comments and feigned outrage among Democrats in Congress about the charges.

Maxine Waters (D-CA, 43rd) went on the defensive in light of a recent speech at a women's luncheon, with, “When I delivered remarks at the Women’s March Convention Sojourner Truth Luncheon in Detroit, Michigan on October 28, 2017, I acknowledged the women of the United States Congress’ Michigan delegation, Senator Debbie Stabenow, Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, and gave particular recognition to Congressman John Conyers, Jr. whose district includes Detroit. I had no prior knowledge of the very serious and disturbing allegations of sexual assault and misconduct by Mr. Conyers that were first revealed on November 20, 2017, nearly one month after the event. My October 28 comments were solely based on Mr. Conyers’ long history of support for women’s issues and organizations such as the National Organization for Women."

Outraged that sexual harassment claims could be made in Congress, Carolyn Maloney (D-NY, 12th) exclaimed, “There can be no tolerance – whether in Congress or any workplace - for sexual misconduct. We have spent too many years allowing these incidents to be kept a secret and predatory behavior to go on without consequence. Enough is enough. Standards need to change, and we in Congress must start with ourselves. The current system for reporting such incidents in Congress is antithetical to justice. Forcing victims into mandatory mediation with their abuser revictimizes those who chose to come forward. No one should be mandated to wait 90 days to file their formal complaint. This long, dragged out process places an undue burden on victims while shielding abusers. I support a rewrite of these rules through currently proposed legislation like the Me Too Congress Act which will make the reporting process fairer and require staff and Member training to punish and prevent such behaviors.”

This prompted Zoe Lofgren (D-CA, 19th) to demand, “The reports about Congressman Conyers are as serious as they get. The Committee on Ethics should take up this matter immediately with a goal of promptly assessing the validity of the news account. This reported behavior cannot be tolerated in the House of Representatives or anywhere else.”

“The allegations against Ranking Member Conyers are extremely serious and deeply troubling. Obviously, these allegations must be investigated promptly by the Ethics Committee. There can be no tolerance for behavior that subjects women to the kind of conduct alleged. We also must support efforts to reform the way the House of Representatives handles these matters to make the process easier and more supportive of victims, as well as more transparent,” said Jerrold Nadler (D-NY, 10th).

Dina Titus (D-NV, 1st) later stated, “The Ethics Committees in both chambers must investigate credible allegations of sexual harassment. My office has a zero-tolerance policy without exception. Other offices should do the same. Starting with President Trump, no candidate or politician should serve if he or she is guilty of such unspeakable acts. As Minority Leader of the Nevada State Senate, I pushed through the first sexual harassment policy for legislators and lobbyists in 1999. As a member of Congress, I am continuing that effort by supporting much-needed reforms on Capitol Hill.”

This is going to be an interesting ride, ya'll. Hang on to your seats!

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Office Of The Governor Offers Reward In Murder Case Of Texas Border Patrol Agent

Austin, TX - November 27, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Governor Greg Abbott has authorized a reward up to $20,000 through the Texas Crime Stoppers program for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol agent and the serious injury of another. All tips are guaranteed to be anonymous.

Agent Rogelio Martinez died Sunday as a result of injuries sustained while on patrol in the Big Bend area. His partner, who was injured, remains in the hospital in serious condition.

“We owe a great deal of gratitude to the brave men and women of the United States Border Patrol who serve every day to protect our homeland,” said Governor Abbott. “Cecilia and I offer our deepest condolences to the families of the agents killed and seriously injured in this attack. As authorities continue their investigation, it is important that they receive any and all information to help apprehend and deliver swift justice to those responsible.”

To be eligible for the cash rewards, anyone with information on fugitives can provide anonymous tips in three different ways:

Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477)

Text the letters ‘DPS’ - followed by your tip - to 274637 (CRIMES) from your cell phone

Submit a web tip by visiting https://www.tipsubmit.com/WebTipsCSI.aspx?L=E&AgencyID=650.

Texas Crime Stoppers is a program within the Office of the Governor under the Criminal Justice Division (and administered by the Texas Department of Public Safety) that encourages, supports and fosters the development of local crime stoppers organizations as a way to prevent crime. This grant is provided under the Crime Stoppers Fallen Hero Reward program.


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Court Strikes Abortion Buffer Zone Law

Newark, NJ - November 27, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- A New Jersey federal court struck down a City of Englewood eight-foot buffer zone that prohibits pro-life speech near abortion facilities. Applying the U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous 2014 opinion in McCullen v. Coakley, which held unconstitutional an identically worded Massachusetts buffer zone law, the New Jersey court ruled the ordinance violates the First Amendment.

The decision provides fresh optimism for Liberty Counsel's lawsuit against the City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to strike down the twenty-foot buffer zone ordinance passed by the City at the behest of Planned Parenthood. The Harrisburg ordinance violates the constitutional rights of Liberty Counsel's clients Becky Biter and Colleen Reilly, who are Christian sidewalk counselors being prevented from telling women about alternatives to abortion they will not hear once inside Planned Parenthood. Just as in Englewood, the Harrisburg City Council failed to consider any less restrictive alternatives to its speech ban, opting instead to become enthusiastic agents for the Planned Parenthood agenda.

Both New Jersey and Pennsylvania are in the same federal appellate jurisdiction, covered by the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, where Liberty Counsel has already secured an early victory in the Harrisburg case. The Harrisburg trial court is now bound by the favorable Third Circuit ruling as the case proceeds, and should be favorably influenced by the plainly sound reasoning of its sister court in New Jersey.

"The New Jersey decision is a great example of clear constitutional reasoning, uncorrupted by the 'abortion distortion' that has pervaded so many court decisions since Roe v. Wade," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "The decision should be an encouragement to pro-life sidewalk counselors around the country, and a warning to state and local governments who increasingly abdicate their duties to uphold the constitutional rights of their citizens in order to carry water for Planned Parenthood," said Staver.

Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.


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San Diego Abortion Facility Where Abortionist Engaged in Demonic Rant Has Closed

By Cheryl Sullenger

San Diego, CA - November 27, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- FPA Women’s Health, a chain of California abortion facilities, has shut down its troubled office on Miramar Road in San Diego, effective on Friday, November 17, 2017.

The San Diego location was the site of an incident involving abortionist Robert Santella and pro-life activist Zephaniah Mel. Santella threatened Mel with a pair of surgical scissors during a bizarre demonic rant, that included hissing and a confession that he loved killing children during abortions.

That behavior, along with complaints of malpractice and botched abortions, resulted in Santella’s firing from the abortion chain, which he had been affiliated with for over 30 years. Santella was forced to surrender his medical license after the California Medical Board charged him with negligence and unprofessional conduct.



Operation Rescue confirmed that Santella’s medical license has been surrendered and his private office on College Avenue in San Diego, where he also conducted abortions, is also closed.

The FPA office was also the scene of several medical emergencies that required ambulance transport, including one in September 2015, when a mother accompanying her daughter for an abortion was forced to call an ambulance for her bleeding daughter when the FPA Women’s Health staff refused. Her action likely saved her daughter’s life.

FPA Women’s Health has had a presence in San Diego County since the 1980s. The high-volume abortion business, which once boasted that its “doctors” spent only three minutes per patient completing abortions, has been forced to move a number of times.

While located in La Mesa, California, in the 1990s, the FPA abortion facility was the site of numerous large pro-life sit-ins, that resulted in the arrests of several peaceful protesters. In early 2002, the abortion business’ landlord finally evicted them from their office. FPA relocated Sixth Avenue across from Balboa Park, until being forced to move again when the building they occupied was slated for demolition. Their most recent address on Miramar Road was considered an odd location since it was situated in the middle of a furniture mall.

Two years ago, a pro-life alternatives facility, Turning Point Pregnancy Resource Center, moved in next door to the abortion facility, and impacted FPA’s business by offering women assistance and positive alternatives to abortion.

Now, Operation Rescue has confirmed that the San Diego FPA abortion business is relocating once again, this time to the more conservative East County community of El Cajon. That facility is located at 1625 E. Main Street, Suite 202, in El Cajon — right next to an Albertson’s grocery store, which is sure to create tension in the community.

“We are thankful that this abortion business has been once again forced to move, thanks to the prayers and action of pro-life activists, who have been so faithful on the sidewalks throughout the decades. When abortion businesses relocate, it usually results in a loss of business – which means babies’ lives are spared,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “We pray the El Cajon FPA office shuts down soon and has nowhere to relocate.”


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