The Iran deal and the end of the world - By John Ligato -
President Donald J. Trump's decision to remove the United States from President Barack Obama's disastrous deal with the mullahs in Iran has created a flawed hysteria by the mainstream media and members of the European Union. The media's reaction is predictable. Any action by Mr. Trump results in an opposite reaction. The Europeans' love affair with the regime in Iran should not come as a surprise - they make millions of dollars trading with Tehran. But it's a tenuous relationship similar to a scorpion who bites an acquaintance who then acts surprised that the scorpion would turn treacherous.
The Iran deal, which was never ratified by the Senate as a treaty, makes it a diplomatic farce. The Obama administration, in a 2015 letter to then-Congressman Mike Pompeo, made it clear that the deal was a political commitment made by Mr. Obama. It was never a "signed document." The Iranian parliament never intended to vote on the agreement since Iranians were too busy screaming, "death to America." It wasn't worth the paper is was written on.
Despite its flimsy legal status, the agreement was a dramatic shift in policy for the Middle East. The Iranian government's aggressive interventionist foreign policy sent shock waves through more moderate Arab countries that were dumbfounded the American government would embolden Iran and its plan to expand its Islamic revolution throughout the Middle East.
The fear of Iran has overtaken the hatred of Israel as a driving force for Middle East diplomacy. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other nations have quietly forged a working relationship with the Israeli government as a way to limiting Iran's power and influence in the region. In fact, Mr. Trump's policy reversal was applauded not only in Jerusalem but in many Arab capitals.
Yet our European allies, particularly the Germans, continue to hold hands with the Iranians and now other Arab countries are responding. Saudi Prince Muhammad bin Salman recently took steps to freeze new business with Germany, despite the Kingdom's nearly $8 billion worth of exports sent to Berlin. The Germans have decided that protecting its industry is more important than protecting peace in the region.
The European Union exported more than $13 billion in goods to Iran in 2017, a 66 percent increase from the days before Mr. Obama's promise to help the Iranian economy. German companies, particularly Siemens Corp., for instance, had a booming business in Iran. In 2016, the Germans shipped more than 3 billion euros worth of goods and services to the Iranian regime. British exports were also increasing before Mr. Trump pulled the plug.
Siemens, which was preparing to ship three gas turbines to Iran, now has forced a re-evaluation of its industrial policy with the mullahs. Yet, the politicians of the European Union continue to bang the drum not only for Siemens but for other of their industrial giants like Airbus.
As we can see, the impact of the Trump administration decision to re-isolate the Iranian regime is having its desired impact. Despite lobbying and political pressure from the Europeans, businesses recognize that the American market is more lucrative to their bottom line than the Iranian regime. And unlike in the past, when the Arab nations spoke in one voice, we now have allies in nations like Saudi Arabia that agree Iran is a danger to peace.
The hypocrisy of the coup-makers -
The owner of the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Va refused to serve White House Press Secretary Sara Huckabee and her seven family members Friday night. The owner said she asked Huckabee and her party to leave because the restaurant upheld certain standards of "honesty, compassion and cooperation." The owner said that she was upset because of President Trump's policies on immigration and banning transgender people from the military. Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was chased out of a Mexican restaurant by a mob of "Democratic Socialists" and protesters at her home yelled, "No peace, no sleep." Protests are erupting across the country.
This is all part of a bigger movement. Remember after the election, the ex-"president" moved many of his top aides to his Organizing For Action (OFA) group. OFA claims it has over 32,000 volunteers and 250 offices nationwide. On February 13, 2017, The Daily Jot wrote: "Think about how this works-Trump issues an immigration executive order; OFA signals for protests and statements from Islamic and pro-immigrant leftist groups; ACLU lawyers file lawsuits in jurisdictions where activist judges obstruct the laws; volunteers are called to protest ...the leftist media springs to action...violence follows-all emanating from the ex-"president's" signal that he is heartened by the protests." This is just about how things are playing out right now because Trump is enforcing laws that have been on the books for over a decade.
Over the weekend, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (translate: socialists and communists in Congress), told a group, "Let's stay the course... if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere." Legal citizens not welcome in their own country? Imagine if Waters was denied service at a restaurant, department store or gas station? Racism and bigotry would take center stage. Waters ranted, "we're going to win this battle because while you try and quote the Bible, Jeff Sessions and others, you really don't know the Bible. God is on OUR side."
Waters appears very uninformed about how God wants us to treat one another, including immigrants. The Bible says in Exodus 22:21, "Thou shalt neither vex a stranger or oppress him." It also says in Exodus 12:49, "One law shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the foreigner who sojourns among you." These commands are repeated throughout the Bible. We are to treat immigrants with the same love and respect with which we want others to treat us AND they must obey the law. These people are breaking the law by entering illegally. But that's what the coup-makers want. They want to treat law abiding citizens with contempt, and to enlist the lawless to help them overthrow the country. Yet in this hypocrisy, they claim God's favor.
The regressive left - Bill Wilson -
The progressive left wing of America stakes their claim on tolerance. If one does not meet their moving standards of tolerance to illegal immigrants, homosexuals, bisexuals, transsexuals, transgenders, women wearing vagina hats, cop-haters, women who want the right to kill their babies in the womb, radical Muslims, banning guns, not respecting the flag, and more, you are immediately labeled a bigot, racist, misogynist, homophobe, Islamophobe, Nazi, extremist, and more. The day has come in this country where you cannot respectfully disagree with the left's brand of moralism, and not be tagged as some really bad person-one, as Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) says, is not welcome anywhere.
When we think of how long people struggled to make this a country where anyone of any color, background, religion, or ethnicity could be served in a restaurant, or sit in the seat of their choice on public transportation, or drink from a public water fountain, is it not regressive to demand that people who are just trying to enforce the law, perhaps believe differently than the left about morals, human sexuality, or when life begins, be not allowed to eat in a public restaurant? The standard for forcing someone to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding if their religion prevents them from doing so changes when someone who disagrees with a political stance on homosexuality wants to eat at a restaurant.
Who are the real bullies in this scenario? The regressive left cries crocodile tears and gets mob-angry at stories of bullying, but they are the biggest, loudest bullies if one disagrees with them. They demand respect and acceptance, but they are quick to disrespect anyone who doesn't see eye to eye with them. They demand that no one judge them for their beliefs, yet they judge quickly those who believe differently. They promote diversity, yet in the same breath exclude those of a different value system. They demand equality, but deny others the same. They say people must accept and respect the religious beliefs of others, yet they label Christians as uneducated, gun toting, homophobic bigots.
1 Peter 2:7-8 speaks of the Messiah: "Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient...a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence..." Jesus said in John 15:19, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." So you see, those who love the Lord are standing on the Rock of Salvation, while those who love the world see their salvation as standing on their own worldly standard--a double standard. They are misguided from their very foundation, and they hate those who disagree with them. Rather than progressive, they are regressive, moreover, extreme hypocrites.
North Korea continues construction of nuclear research facility despite agreement to 'denuclearize': report
By Benjamin Brown
Published June 27, 2018
Despite North Korea�s promise to work toward �complete denuclearization� following the historic summit with Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump earlier this month, new satellite imagery indicates North Korea is making improvements to one of its nuclear scientific research centers at a �rapid pace.�
The images published in a report from 38 North, a website that specializes in analysis of the Rogue Nation, are from June 21 and reveal construction of new buildings and the completion of a plutonium production reactor as well as other support facilities at the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Facility.
New satellite imagery indicates North Korea is making improvements to one of its nuclear scientific research centers at a �rapid pace,� a report claims. (Airbus Defense and Space)
The center is North Korea�s main research facility, according to Sky News.
�Modifications to North Korea�s 5 MWe reactor�s secondary cooling loop, which began in March, appear externally complete,� according to the report. �A newly in-filled water channel (that includes a newly installed probable weir for controlling water flow) now leads to the pump house from the Kuryong River.�
�Modifications to North Korea�s 5 MWe reactor�s secondary cooling loop, which began in March, appear externally complete,� according to the report. (Airbus Defense and Space)
The operational status of the reactor was not clear.
Although the images appear to show �improvements to infrastructure,� the report said the �continued work at the Yongbyon facility should not be seen as having any relationship to North Korea�s pledge to denuclearize.�
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un pledged to work toward denuclearization following a meeting with President Trump earlier this month. (Airbus Defense and Space)
Trump and Kim signed an agreement in Singapore on June 12 stating that Pyongyang would work toward "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.�
Last week, the president underscored the point of �total denuclearization,� while noting that it �has already started taking place,� according to Reuters.
This image shows what recent improvements were reportedly made. (Airbus Defense and Space )
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN Monday there is no timeline for when North Korea will denuclearize the peninsula, but said the U.S. is �committed to moving forward in an expeditious moment to see if we can achieve what both leaders set out to do.�
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe met on Wednesday to discuss how to ensure North Korea abandons its nuclear program.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Kennedy resignation relevance - Bill Wilson -
The resignation of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is the opportunity of the century and the reason why Donald Trump's election as President was so important. Trump has the opportunity to shape the court for decades, perhaps even reverse some of the decisions that the previous activist courts have made. But this historic moment is not lost on the regressive left. They have only a couple of options now to prevent the court from becoming their nightmare-an actual defender of the Constitution. The rule of law is something the left has been chipping away at for years, especially through activist judges. The swing back to constructionism, however, may be more difficult than one thinks.
The Democrats have been calling for impeachment since before Trump took office. They are using trumped up charges that the president collaborated with or conspired with Russia to influence the outcome of the election. The Special Counsel appointed to investigate has spent two years releasing detrimental information about the president in a continuous flow. Hollywood has used its media platform to attack the president with everything they have. The media has labeled him a Nazi and a racist. Still, the president has moved forward with the agenda for which he was elected and his approval rating is higher than the previous occupant of the Oval Office at the same point in their terms.
The only hope the Democrats have now for obstructing Trump's appointment to the Supreme Court is taking control of the Senate in the fall elections. If they are able to do this, and the current Senate is unable to ramrod another Trump appointee to the Supreme Court, there may be a path to a compromise Justice, essentially another Kennedy who will be liberal when it counts and conservative as window dressing to kind of "keep things even." If Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell does anything in his lifetime to be recognized in history, this is his moment. He needs to get a conservative appointed to the Supreme Court to protect America's freedoms and to turn back the trend of progressive interpretation of the Constitution.
The charge for conservative Christians is to run to vote like your hair's on fire! Christians determined the outcome of the presidential election. They must do so for this midterm election as well. The Supreme Court may be on the line. Impeaching the president is definitely on the line. We talk about society and how it has fallen so far away from God. In this country, we have a choice in our leaders-not always a great choice-but we have a choice. The battle lines are drawn. The anarchists and communists (progressives) are bullying their way through with vain words and violent acts. Romans 12:29 says, "Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." The months ahead will be our chance to strategically overcome evil and perhaps change society for the better.
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