Border Under Siege—The Truth Behind WHY thumbnail

Border Under Siege—The Truth Behind WHY

By ACT For America!

Two days ago, GOP senators delivered a fiery rebuke to the Biden administration’s handling of border security amidst high stakes spending negotiations. In a charged press conference, Senators Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Marsha Blackburn, John Kennedy, Thom Tillis, Katie Britt, and John Cornyn didn’t just express their displeasure; they painted a vivid picture of their frustrations.

Cruz deemed the border situation an “unmitigated disaster”, accusing Democrats of attempting a cover-up. They spotlighted the plight of stranded migrant children, the escalating menace of drug smuggling and human trafficking, and the strain on cities like New York who’s facing down bankruptcy.

While the Senate’s current Continuing Resolution (CR) neglects additional border security funding, the House is fervently pushing for the “Secure the Border Act” which finally puts stronger restrictions on our loose asylum seeker laws. This showdown promises to be a political spectacle, with the fate of border security hanging in the balance.

Biden’s response to the border crisis focuses on streamlining the flow of traffic at the open border, with measures such as CBP One, increased tent facilities, and expanded work permits.

The Biden administrations and DHS has recently reclassified Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), providing work permits and a shield from deportation to 472,000 that entered prior to July 31st. The cost of this one TPS grant cost Americans 56,640,000,000!

Uncoincidentally, the southern border is experiencing a surge of predominantly Venezuelan single adults with 4,000 entering this week alone, knowing that Biden has authorized the entry of 30,000 Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans every month under a ‘humanitarian parole program’ and would likely extend the TPS Status to parole’s entering after the current cut-off. America is choking on special programs that are allowing the Biden Administration to circumvent our laws and these special grants should be challenged in the courts!

Is the Biden administration’s aggressive push for ‘Temporary Protected Status’ indicative of a calculated strategy to promote socialist ideologies among illegal migrants from Mexico, Central America, and Venezuela, potentially altering the political and cultural landscape of the United States?

Venezuelans, having endured the disastrous consequences of their socialist economic policies in their homeland, are now flooding the United States, enticed by the promise of taxpayer-funded welfare programs. Rather than staying and fighting to rebuild their economy and demand political reform in Venezuela, some argue that this migration pattern raises concerns about an anti-capitalist, dependency mentality. This situation fuels a debate about the balance between humanitarian assistance and fostering self-reliance and change in their home country. 

Beyond the immediate fiscal strain on American taxpayersa deeper concern lies in the potential cultural and political impact of welcoming tens of millions of individuals with socialist and communist ideologies. These immigrants predictably and overwhelmingly will vote for the Democratic Party, further altering the nation’s political landscape, if granted citizenship. Many illegal aliens are living in battleground cities and states where elections are already determined by a razor’s edge. The sudden injection of such a substantial voting bloc will result in a seismic shift in political dynamics, affecting the local, state, and federal elections. This raises questions about the balance between compassion for refugees and the potential transformation of American culture and politics.

The outcomes of Biden’s immigration policies reveal a deeper intention within the Democratic Party. Their policies are intentionally encouraging a global surge in illegal immigration while coaching migrants on claiming amnesty and fear-based asylum to secure temporary entry into the United States.

The Left’s ‘Get Out the Vote’ strategy includes defending lax voter registration, lax voter roll maintenance, and eliminating Voter ID at the polls while identifying individuals with non-citizen driver’s licenses, registering them for vote-by-mail, and closely tracking these ballots for collection and delivery to voter drop boxes.

As Democrat policies create fractures among Democrat voters and contribute to the deterioration of cities, the economy, and law and order, the urgency to expedite the influx of migrants from socialist countries is viewed by some as critical for the Democratic Party’s survival and its prospects in future elections.

Clearly, the Democrat party has abandoned the American people and the American dream. They have decided to Move On (.org) and create a new America for the sole purpose of securing voters to secure their power, as their base begins to reject their destructive, self-enriching, and self-serving interests on the backs of taxpayers.


ACT NOW! STOP THE BORDER INVASION


©2023. ACT for America. All rights reserved.

VIDEO: Illegal Migrants Fist Bump Border Patrol Agent After He Cuts Through Border Wire thumbnail

VIDEO: Illegal Migrants Fist Bump Border Patrol Agent After He Cuts Through Border Wire

By The Daily Caller

EAGLE PASS, Texas — Illegal migrants fist bumped and thanked Border Patrol agents for cutting through barbed wire that had been erected by Texas authorities to secure the border, the Daily Caller News Foundation observed Thursday in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently instructed Texas authorities to place more wire along the Rio Grande River to address the influx of illegal crossings. Border Patrol agents cut through the wire to take into custody a group of migrants that had crossed the Rio Grande and arrived at the U.S. side of the river.

The migrants who crossed illegally Thursday thanked Border Patrol and the U.S. after they were let in.

WATCH:

The area has been overwhelmed by the surge in migrants crossing illegally, leading the mayor of Eagle Pass to declare a state of emergency.

”I want to be crystal clear – what’s happening is not the fault of the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol. They have been thrust into an untenable no-win chaotic situation. Place blame for the lawlessness at our borders where it belongs – the Biden Administration,” former acting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Mark Morgan told the DCNF regarding the exchange.

WATCH:

“If you want to stop the invasion of people, drugs, criminals, and national security threats pouring across our borders, President Biden could do so tomorrow with a stroke of a pen! We must not fall into their trap to allow the scapegoating of the Border Patrol,” Morgan added.

“It is a federal responsibility to enforce U.S. immigration laws. U.S. Border Patrol continues to enforce U.S. immigration laws. Migrants who cross the Rio Grande from Mexico to Texas are on U.S. soil and subject to U.S. immigration laws,” CBP told the DCNF. “Those who cross unlawfully are subject to the lawful pathways rule, which places common-sense conditions on asylum eligibility, with certain exceptions. Migrants who do not establish a legal basis to remain in the United States will be removed.”

The number of illegal migrants in Border Patrol custody nationwide surpassed 22,000 on Tuesday evening, according to internal Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data obtained exclusively by the DCNF. As of Tuesday, the Del Río Border Patrol sector, which encompasses Eagle Pass, was 280% over capacity.

Border Patrol has recorded more than 1.8 million illegal crossings at the southern border between October 2022 and August, according to federal data. In fiscal year 2022, the number of illegal crossings hit a record 2.2 million. In August, Border Patrol saw more than 181,000 illegal crossings in the region.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include comment from CBP.

AUTHOR

JENNIE TAER

Investigative journalist.

RELATED ARTICLE: EXCLUSIVE: Migrants Are Ditching Biden DHS’ Legal Entry Phone App, Crossing Border Illegally Instead

RELATED TWEET:

Went to the Eagle Pass border crossing to see what’s really going on pic.twitter.com/ADYY2XvAKT

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 29, 2023

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.


All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Biden’s Brother James told the FBI that the Bidens tried to help a Chinese firm tied to China’s president buy U.S. Energy Assets thumbnail

Biden’s Brother James told the FBI that the Bidens tried to help a Chinese firm tied to China’s president buy U.S. Energy Assets

By The Geller Report

President’s brother told agents Hunter Biden believed CEFC company was tied to China’s president

By: John Solomon, JTN, September 28, 2023:

President Joe Biden’s brother told the FBI the first family – including Hunter Biden – tried unsuccessfully to help a Chinese company buy U.S. energy assets and did so believing the firm’s leader was tied directly to Communist Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to explosive new documents made public Wednesday by the House Ways and Means Committee on the eve of the first congressional impeachment inquiry hearing.

James Biden told the FBI in an interview last year about efforts by him and Hunter Biden to help the CEFC energy firm in China buy a liquid natural gas facility on Monkey Island off the coast of Louisiana, and that he personally met once with the company’s chairman, Ye Jianming, according to the FBI interview report released by the committee.

“James B noted (Hunter) portrayed CEFC to him as Chairman Ye was a protégé of President Xi,” FBI agents wrote in the report.

You can read the full interview report here.

File: T19 Exhibit 401-Memo-FINAL Memo of Interview w James B SPORTSMAN-09.29.2022_KPM Unredacted_Redacted.pdf

Upon the revelations, Georgia Republican Rep. Austin Scott deemed such activities treasonous, expressing that sentiment on the “John Solomon Reports” podcast on Wednesday.

“It just means it’s even worse than even I thought it was that they would go that far. If you look at some of those ports in Louisiana, and I don’t have a map in front of me, but like Port Fourchon, that area of Louisiana, just a tremendous portion of the energy that we use inside the United States come comes through those hubs,” he said.

“And the idea that you would help the Chinese acquire assets in that area to give, you know, an adversary… the ability to control the energy supply inside the United States… I don’t understand how much more of a traitor you could be than to do such a thing,” Scott added.

The bombshell revelation further contradicts President Biden’s claim dating to the 2020 election that his family made no money from China. It was released as part of a cache of documents turned over to the committee by FBI whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler.

Documents previously released by federal prosecutors as part of Hunter Biden’s now-rejected plea deal show Hunter. Biden was paid millions from China, including from the CEFC deal. But James Biden’s FBI interview filled in crucial details about what the first family knew about CEFC, its leader and what it assisted with in return for payments from China.

Keep reading.

EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

UK’s Home Secretary: Multiculturalism has ‘failed’ and threatens social cohesion thumbnail

UK’s Home Secretary: Multiculturalism has ‘failed’ and threatens social cohesion

By Jihad Watch

Suella Braverman has never wavered in telling the truth, even under severe criticism. See HERE and HERE. However, her party and country are run by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who — like his predecessor Boris Johnson — has demonstrated no will to tackle the flood of illegal migrants that have invaded Britain, and continue to do so daily via the English Channel. Nonetheless, Braverman still advances a strong anti-globalist message, which seems to be out of sync with her party’s actions. For some reason, however, Braverman is still tolerated within her party, perhaps to calm the party’s conservative base. It remains a deep mystery why the Sunak government refuses to act in the best interests of Britain, and in accordance with conservative values.

Braverman’s speech was undoubtedly praiseworthy, particularly when she notes that “multiculturalism makes no demands of the incomer to integrate. It has failed because it allowed people to come to our society and live parallel lives in it. They could be in the society but not of the society.”

Most important, however, is the question of what her party intends to do about this, if anything. In Italy, right wing/conservative Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni bemoans suicidal immigration policies and hails the importance of protecting Italy’s culture, yet she has done nothing to stop the migrant influx.

Braverman: Multiculturalism has ‘failed’ and threatens security

Sophie Wingate, Independent, September 26, 2023:

Suella Braverman has declared that multiculturalism has “failed” in Europe and threatens social cohesion in the nation state.

The Home Secretary, giving a speech on migration in the United States, said a “misguided dogma of multiculturalism” has allowed people to come to the UK with the aim of “undermining the stability and threatening the security of society”.

Setting out the “civic argument” against illegal migration, Ms Braverman said: “Uncontrolled immigration, inadequate integration and a misguided dogma of multiculturalism have proven a toxic combination for Europe over the last few decades.

“Multiculturalism makes no demands of the incomer to integrate. It has failed because it allowed people to come to our society and live parallel lives in it. They could be in the society but not of the society.

“And, in extreme cases, they could pursue lives aimed at undermining the stability and threatening the security of society.”

She said “the consequence of that failure” are evident “on the streets of cities all over Europe,” pointing to clashes in Leicester as an example….

Read more.

AUTHOR

CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS

RELATED ARTICLES:

France: Muslim sends message to school, he’ll ‘come and exterminate all the kuffars with Kalashnikov’

Austria: Muslim migrants physically attack and injure people in random attack in front of train station

UK: In 2023, ‘Muhammad’ is once again top baby name for boys

Turkey denounces Qur’an desecration: ‘Against these provocative acts, rulers must now take the necessary measures!’

France: Trial begins of Muslim who murdered two cops at their home, in front of their three-year-old son

Sweden: Two explosions rip through Stockholm, Turkish Muslim gang implicated

EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Traditional Political Polling is Dead: LunarCrush Launches Groundbreaking U.S. Election Category thumbnail

Traditional Political Polling is Dead: LunarCrush Launches Groundbreaking U.S. Election Category

By Dr. Rich Swier

, CA /PRNewswire—Challenging the status quo of antiquated political polling methods, LunarCrush declares the dawn of a new era with its innovative U.S. Election category. As doubts rise over the efficacy and accuracy of classic polling practices, LunarCrush offers a transformative lens to view political dynamics and a clear picture of which candidates are the most talked about.

Click here to view the LunarCrush U.S. Election site.

Traditional Political Polling is Dead, LunarCrush Revolutionizes Election Insights. Taps Into Real-time Social Metrics to gain a Pulse of U.S. Politics.

U.S. Election category on LunarCrush

LunarCrush: a more comprehensive and accurate pulse on the U.S. election than traditional polling

The brand-new U.S. Election category on LunarCrush allows users to:

  • Assess the Dominance of Political Figures: Understand which political figures are spearheading the conversation.
  • Stay Updated with Trending Posts: Monitor the most trending posts associated with each candidate, offering a real-time gauge of public sentiment.
  • Acquire a Clearer Picture: Obtain a clearer perspective on the intricacies of the U.S. political landscape through social metrics such as Social contributors, Social dominance, Number of Posts, and Interactions on those posts.

“Our mission at LunarCrush has consistently been to equip our users with comprehensive insights derived from social data. We are resolute in our commitment to offer clarity on the subjects that matter most,” says Joe Vezzani, CEO of LunarCrush. “In an age where over 100k social posts across all major social networks generate millions of interactions every hour, we firmly believe our U.S. Election category offers a more comprehensive and accurate pulse on the U.S. election than traditional polling could ever aspire to. Compared to polls sampling a mere 1,000 individuals, our insights provide a far more holistic view of the political landscape.”

Recent trends support the company’s innovative approach. A staggering one-third of tweets from U.S. adults now revolve around politics. Moreover, 48% of young Americans aged 18-29 relied on social media for their election news in 2020. It’s evident that the world is more interconnected today, and recognizing these social dynamics is pivotal.

“Transparency in elections is democracy’s backbone. LunarCrush’s innovative approach is lighting the path, offering an unprecedented, clear insight into U.S. Election dynamics. A game-changer for informed political engagement.” – Aly Madhavji, Managing Partner, Blockchain Founders Fund

For those looking to genuinely understand the pulse of the U.S. Election and who are skeptical of conventional polls sampling just 1,000 individuals, LunarCrush’s U.S. Election category is the definitive destination.

About LunarCrush:

LunarCrush is dedicated to forging mindful media pathways and amplifying transparency in global social media dialogues. Whether it’s tradable, betable, or electable, our platform, initially pioneered in the cryptocurrency and financial sectors, now gathers critical insights to empower users with informed decision-making. We stand as a beacon in the bustling realm of social media, presenting a tailored alternative to discern information beyond the confines of conventional algorithms. Visit LunarCrush on social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

©2023. PRNewswire. All rights reserved.

A Nation of Snitches: DHS Is Grooming Americans to Report on Each Other thumbnail

A Nation of Snitches: DHS Is Grooming Americans to Report on Each Other

By John W. Whitehead

“There were relatively few secret police, and most were just processing the information coming in. I had found a shocking fact. It wasn’t the secret police who were doing this wide-scale surveillance and hiding on every street corner. It was the ordinary German people who were informing on their neighbors.”—Professor Robert Gellately, author of Backing Hitler

Are you among the 41% of Americans who regularly attend church or some other religious service?

Do you believe the economy is about to collapse and the government will soon declare martial law?

Do you display an unusual number of political and/or ideological bumper stickers on your car?

Are you among the 44% of Americans who live in a household with a gun? If so, are you concerned that the government may be plotting to confiscate your firearms?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may be an anti-government extremist (a.k.a. domestic terrorist) in the eyes of the government and flagged for heightened surveillance and preemptive intervention.

Let that sink in a moment.

If you believe in and exercise your rights under the Constitution (namely, your right to speak freely, worship freely, associate with like-minded individuals who share your political views, criticize the government, own a weapon, demand a warrant before being questioned or searched, or any other activity viewed as potentially anti-government, racist, bigoted, anarchic or sovereign), you have just been promoted to the top of the government’s terrorism watch list.

I assure you I’m not making this stuff up.

So what is the government doing about these so-called American “extremists”?

The government is grooming the American people to spy on each other as part of its Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, or CP3 program.

According to journalist Leo Hohmann, the government is handing out $20 million in grants to police, mental health networks, universities, churches and school districts to enlist their help in identifying Americans who might be political dissidents or potential “extremists.”

As Hohmann explains, “Whether it’s COVID and vaccines, the war in Ukraine, immigration, the Second Amendment, LGBTQ ideology and child-gender confusion, the integrity of our elections, or the issue of protecting life in the womb, you are no longer allowed to hold dissenting opinions and voice them publicly in America. If you do, your own government will take note and consider you a potential ‘violent extremist’ and terrorist.”

Cue the dawning of the Snitch State.

This new era of snitch surveillance is the lovechild of the government’s post-9/11 “See Something, Say Something” programs combined with the self-righteousness of a politically correct, hyper-vigilant, technologically-wired age.

For more than two decades, the Department of Homeland Security has plastered its “See Something, Say Something” campaign on the walls of metro stations, on billboards, on coffee cup sleeves, at the Super Bowl, and even on television monitors in the Statue of Liberty. Colleges, universities, and even football teams and sporting arenas have lined up for grants to participate in the program.

The government has even designated September 25 as National “If You See Something, Say Something” Awareness Day.

If you see something suspicious, say the DHS, say something about it to the police, call it into a government hotline, or report it using a convenient app on your smartphone.

This DHS slogan is nothing more than the government’s way of indoctrinating “we the people” into the mindset that we’re an extension of the government and, as such, have a patriotic duty to be suspicious of, spy on, and turn in our fellow citizens.

This is what is commonly referred to as community policing.

Yet while community policing and federal programs such as “See Something, Say Something” are sold to the public as patriotic attempts to be on guard against those who would harm us, they are little more than totalitarian tactics dressed up and repackaged for a more modern audience as well-intentioned appeals to law and order and security.

The police state could not ask for a better citizenry than one that carries out its own policing.

After all, the police can’t be everywhere. So how do you police a nation when your population outnumbers your army of soldiers? How do you carry out surveillance on a nation when there aren’t enough cameras, let alone viewers, to monitor every square inch of the country 24/7? How do you not only track but analyze the transactions, interactions and movements of every person within the United States?

The answer is simpler than it seems: You persuade the citizenry to be your eyes and ears. You hype them up on color-coded “Terror alerts,” keep them in the dark about the distinctions between actual threats and staged “training” drills so that all crises seem real, desensitize them to the sight of militarized police walking their streets, acclimatize them to being surveilled “for their own good,” and then indoctrinate them into thinking that they are the only ones who can save the nation from another 9/11.

Consequently, we now live in a society in which a person can be accused of any number of crimes without knowing what exactly he has done. He might be apprehended in the middle of the night by a roving band of SWAT police. He might find himself on a no-fly list, unable to travel for reasons undisclosed. He might have his phones or internet tapped based upon a secret order handed down by a secret court, with no recourse to discover why he was targeted.

This Kafkaesque nightmare has become America’s reality.

This is how you turn a people into extensions of the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent police state, and in the process turn a citizenry against each other.

It’s a brilliant ploy, with the added bonus that while the citizenry remains focused on and distrustful of each other and shadowy forces from outside the country, they’re incapable of focusing on more definable threats that fall closer to home—namely, the government and its cabal of Constitution-destroying agencies and corporate partners.

Community policing did not come about as a feel-good, empowering response to individuals trying to “take back” their communities from crime syndicates and drug lords.

Rather, “Community-Oriented Policing” or COPS (short for Community Partnerships, Organizational Transformation, and Problem Solving) is a Department of Justice program designed to foster partnerships between police agencies and members of the community.

To this end, the Justice Department identifies five distinct “partners” in the community policing scheme: law enforcement and other government agencies, community members and groups, nonprofits, churches and service providers, private businesses, and the media.

Together, these groups are supposed to “identify” community concerns, “engage” the community in achieving specific goals, serve as “powerful” partners with the government, and add their “considerable resources” to the government’s already massive arsenal of technology and intelligence. The mainstream media’s role, long recognized as being a mouthpiece for the government, is formally recognized as “publicizing” services from government or community agencies or new laws or codes that will be enforced, as well as shaping public perceptions of the police, crime problems, and fear of crime.

Inevitably, this begs the question: if there’s nothing wrong with community engagement, if the police can’t be everywhere at once if surveillance cameras do little to actually prevent crime, and if we need to “take back our communities” from the crime syndicates and drug lords, then what’s wrong with community policing and “See Something, Say Something”?

What’s wrong is that these programs are not, in fact, making America any safer while turning us into a legalistic, intolerant, squealing, bystander nation.

We are now the unwitting victims of an interconnected, tightly woven, technologically evolving web of real-time, warrantless, wall-to-wall, widening mass surveillance dragnet comprised of fusion centers, red flag laws, behavioral threat assessments, terror watch lists, facial recognition, snitch tip lines, biometric scanners, pre-crime programs, DNA databases, data mining, precognitive technology, and contact tracing apps, to name just a few.

This is how the government keeps us under control and in its crosshairs.

By the time you combine the DHS’ “See Something, Say Something” with CP3 and community policing, which has gone global in the guise of the Strong Cities Network program, you’ve got a formula for enabling the government to not only flag distinct “anti-government” segments of the population but locking down the entire nation.

Under the guise of fighting violent extremism “in all of its forms and manifestations” in cities and communities across the world, the Strong Cities Network program works with the UN and the federal government to train local police agencies across America in how to identify, fight and prevent extremism, as well as address intolerance within their communities, using all of the resources at their disposal.

What this program is really all about, however, is community policing on a global scale with the objective being to prevent violent extremism by targeting its source: racism, bigotry, hatred, intolerance, etc. In other words, police will identify, monitor and deter individuals who could be construed as potential extremist “threats,” violent or otherwise, before they can become actual threats.

The government’s war on extremists has been sold to Americans in much the same way that the USA Patriot Act was sold to Americans: as a means of combatting terrorists who seek to destroy America.

However, as we now know, the USA Patriot Act was used as a front to advance the surveillance state, allowing the government to establish a far-reaching domestic spying program that has turned every American citizen into a criminal suspect.

Similarly, the concern with the government’s ongoing anti-extremism program is that it will, in many cases, be utilized to render otherwise lawful, nonviolent activities as potentially extremist.

Keep in mind that the government agencies involved in ferreting out American “extremists” will carry out their objectives—to identify and deter potential extremists—in concert with fusion centers, data collection agencies, behavioral scientists, corporations, social media, and community organizers and by relying on cutting-edge technology for surveillance, facial recognition, predictive policing, biometrics, and behavioral epigenetics (in which life experiences alter one’s genetic makeup).

This is pre-crime on an ideological scale and it’s been a long time coming.

For example, in 2009, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released two reports, one on “Rightwing Extremism,” which broadly defines rightwing extremists as individuals and groups “that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely,” and one on “Leftwing Extremism,” which labeled environmental and animal rights activist groups as extremists.

These reports, which use the words terrorist and extremist interchangeably, indicate that for the government, anyone seen as opposing the government—whether they’re Left, Right, or somewhere in between—can be labeled an extremist.

Fast forward a few years, and you have the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which each successive presidential administration has continually re-upped, that allows the military to take you out of your home, lock you up with no access to friends, family or the courts if you’re seen as an extremist.

Now connect the dots, from the 2009 Extremism reports to the NDAA and the far-reaching data crime fusion centers that collect and share surveillance data between local, state, and federal police agencies.

Add in tens of thousands of armed, surveillance drones that will soon blanket American skies, and facial recognition technology that identifies and tracks you wherever you go and whatever you do. And then to complete the circle, toss in the real-time crime centers which are attempting to “predict” crimes and identify criminals before they happen based on widespread surveillance, complex mathematical algorithms and prognostication programs.

If you can’t read the writing on the wall, you need to pay better attention.

As I point out in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, unless we can put the brakes on this dramatic expansion and globalization of the government’s powers, we’re not going to recognize this country five, ten—even twenty—years from now.

As long as “we the people” continue to allow the government to trample our rights in the so-called name of national security, things will get worse, not better.

It’s already worse.

*****

This article was published by The Rutherford Institute and is reproduced with permission.

TAKE ACTION

As we move through 2023 and into the next election cycle, The Prickly Pear will resume Take Action recommendations and information.

The Multiyear Decline in US Economic Freedom thumbnail

The Multiyear Decline in US Economic Freedom

By Richard M. Salsman

AS economic freedom in the world has plunged in recent years, due mainly to the interventions and fiscal-monetary profligacy associated with COVID shutdowns, mandates, and subsidies. The global measure is given in Figure One. This is a significant reversal of freedom’s increase between 2010 and 2019. But the downtrend is much worse and more prolonged in the US.

Figure Two makes clear that economic freedom in the US also has declined significantly, but it’s done so since the financial crisis and “Great Recession” of 2007-09, not only amid COVID lockdowns. The overall score for the US was 82 in 2007 (out of a maximum of 100) but is only 71 today. In this time the US has moved from the category of “Free” (80-100) to “Mostly Free” (70-80) to the precipice of becoming merely “Moderately Free” (60-70). In 2007 only three countries were economically freer than the US, but by 2015 eleven nations were. Today, 24 are freer (including Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Norway, South Korea, and Sweden).

In 2007 the three countries economically freer than the US were Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. Hong Kong was ranked #1 every year from 1995 to 2019 (and #2 in 2020), but was then summarily omitted from the rankings by the Heritage Foundation under the mistaken claim that its economic policies were suddenly “controlled from Beijing.” Heritage did this in response to Hong Kong’s government precluding violent insurrectionists (who posed as “champions of democracy”) from taking over the local legislature. For the Heritage perspective, see Edwin J. Feulner’s, “Hong Kong Is No Longer What It Was,” wherein he admits that the editors of the Index recognize that Hong Kong “offers its citizens more economic freedom than is available to the average citizen of China.” For Hong Kong’s view, see “Hong Kong Minister Blasts City’s Disappearance from ‘World’s Freest Economies’ Rankings.”

Figures Three, Four, and Five depict the trend of scores since 1995 for the US, the World average, and China, along three measures: overall economic freedom (Figure Three), business freedom (Figure Four), and trade freedom (Figure Five).

Overall (Figure Three), US economic freedom has declined since 2007 while the world average has held steady (at around 60). On business freedom (Figure Four), China has become much freer and the US less so since 2006. According to Heritage, the “Business Freedom” metric measures “an individual’s ability to establish and run an enterprise without undue interference from the state” and without “burdensome and redundant regulations.”

On trade (Figure Five), China became substantially freer during the decade of 1995-2005 and has maintained that level since then, while US economic freedom, after being steady through 2005, has eroded since then (especially since 2019, due to Trump’s trade wars).

Figure Six depicts relative scores (ratios) for the US versus the world average and China, again using the overall measure, the business freedom metric, and the trade freedom metric. The US-World Ratio for the overall index has declined 13 percent, from 1.37X in 2007 to 1.19X in 2023. The US-China Ratio for trade freedom fell 16 percent in the year before Trump became president (1.21X in 2015) to today (1.02X, as Biden hasn’t rescinded or reduced the Trump tariffs). The US-China Ratio for business freedom plummeted 37 percent, from 1.95X in 2007 to 1.23X in 2023 – due to China’s absolute measure increasing by 46 percent while the US absolute measure declined by 8 percent.

Why does this matter? Most people, including many professional economists and data analysts (who should know better) seem to cling to the impression that US economic freedom is high and stable, while China has become less free economically. The facts say otherwise, and the facts should shape our perceptions and theories. Human liberty also should matter; much of our lives are spent engaged in market activity, pursuing our livelihoods, not in political activity. Finally, as a rule (which is empirically supported) less economic freedom results in less prosperity.

Neither major US political party today seems much bothered by the loss of economic freedom. They don’t talk about it. It’s not that a model of the proper policy mix isn’t available, for it was adopted in 1980s and 1990s as “Reaganomics” in the forms of supply-side economics and neo-liberalism. Each has been out of fashion for most of this century – and it sure shows, especially in the freedom indexes. So-called “Bidenomics” now pledges the precise opposite set of policies, both supply-crushing and illiberal, and likely to move the economy from slow growth to no growth to “de-growth.” Without a reversal in the trend of declining economic freedom in the US, we’ll likely be suffering more from less liberty, less supply growth, and less prosperity.

*****

This article was published by AIER, The American Institute for Economic Research, and is reproduced with permission.

Image credit: Wikimedia commons

TAKE ACTION

As we move through 2023 and into the next election cycle, The Prickly Pear will resume Take Action recommendations and information.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Nickelodeon that We Are Not Buying What They are Selling thumbnail

TAKE ACTION: Tell Nickelodeon that We Are Not Buying What They are Selling

By One Million Moms

Alerting all parents!

TAKE ACTION

In a recent episode called “The Crew Builds an Observatory,” Nickelodeon’s popular children’s cartoon Paw Patrol gave a nod to inclusivity, by introducing the franchise’s first non-binary character, River, who loves amateur photography and skateboarding. This episode also featured the bulldog Rubble and his building team as a promotion of the Paw Patrol spin-off show, Rubble & Crew.

Unsurprisingly, non-binary author and activist Lindz Amer created River. Amer also runs the YouTube channel Queer Kid Stuff and admitted in an Instagram post that creating and writing about the cartoon character was a bucket list achievement.

Amer announced, “They brought me on to consult on the first non-binary character – meet River!! – for the PP universe and write their episode, talk about a bucket list item.”

“I wanted to write a non-binary character who was aspirational and incredibly cool, someone for the pups (and kids at home) to look up to. They found an awesome non-binary actor, Cihang Ma, to voice River, and I’m so happy how it turned out,” added Amer.

Though River’s gender is not mentioned openly in the episode, Amer’s social media information makes it difficult for Nickelodeon to deny their intentions. Plus, the character gives subtle hints, including the transgender pride flag’s pink, white, and light blue color scheme displayed on socks and shoes.

Obviously, River is a blatant attempt by Nickelodeon to normalize children identifying as non-binary.

The Nickelodeon that parents knew as children is long gone.

Nickelodeon has now decided to be politically correct instead of providing family-friendly programming. But Nickelodeon should stick to entertaining, not pushing an agenda.

Please share this with your friends and family to ensure they are aware and not blindsided by it. As moms, we all want to know when Nickelodeon is attempting to desensitize our children by normalizing the LGBTQ lifestyle.

TAKE ACTION: Sign our pledge today! I encourage you to join us in telling Nickelodeon that we are not buying what they are selling.

©2023. One Million Moms. All rights reserved.

Watch TPUSA’s Newest Reality Series ‘Reloaded’ with Paige Roux thumbnail

Watch TPUSA’s Newest Reality Series ‘Reloaded’ with Paige Roux

By Turning Point USA

Turning Point USA is excited to announce a new reality show series, Reloaded. Starring TPUSA Contributor and accomplished firearms instructor, Paige Roux!

“Reloaded” brings you an intimate first look at Roux and her family’s life in their well-established business Shooters World. She’s a fulltime firearms instructor with an unapologetic mission to inspire Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

This behind-the-scenes journey follows Paige as she explores what it takes to become an elite competitive shooter as she collaborates with the most accomplished and respected marksmen, reviews advanced firearm craft from the best in the industry, and pushes her own boundaries until she ultimately competes in the prestigious TACTICAL GAMES.

Paige Roux will bring her passion for firearms—and competition—to the forefront in this action-packed new series!

Reloaded is powered by Turning Point USA, and is designed to empower the 2A community by opening doors for interested viewers who want to understand the importance of firearm education and constitutional freedoms.

You can watch the trailer HERE. Full episodes of “Reloaded” are now streaming on SalemNow.com and Real America’s Voice.

©2023. Turning Point USA. All rights reserved.

America’s Cities In Crisis: Daily Caller’s ‘Lawless’ To Expose Fallout Of ‘Defund The Police’ thumbnail

America’s Cities In Crisis: Daily Caller’s ‘Lawless’ To Expose Fallout Of ‘Defund The Police’

By The Daily Caller

In 2022, the Daily Caller’s debut documentary, “Damaged,” exposed the gut-wrenching truth about children victimized by the transgender movement. But the trans social contagion is just one of many crises in American life today. Now, the Daily Caller is undertaking a new venture to expose the failed policies and corrupt ideology of our ruling elites. Our new feature film, “Lawless,” debuts Oct. 26 and will expose the real cost of the “Defund the Police” movement.

There is an epidemic of violence in cities across America. Millions of Americans feel unsafe commuting to work, enjoying public spaces or even just leaving their homes. The most beautiful cities in America have been consumed by brazen crime, mental illness, violence and drug use.

Tent cities, once a hallmark of the third world, are now all too common from New York to San Francisco. Once-thriving commercial districts have collapsed, leaving local communities impoverished and isolated. Subways and buses have transformed into mobile homeless shelters, filled with the stench of human decay. People living in America’s major cities put their lives on the line every time they go outside.

This decline is not fate. It is not inevitable. It is, in fact, a choice — a choice made by progressive leadership across the country since 2020. With the help of our dedicated Patriots subscribers, the Caller will help show America that we do not have to live this way any longer.

“Lawless” will expose the true human cost of turning against law enforcement. We are traveling across the country to discover the terror that has been unleashed upon American cities as a result of the “Defund the Police” movement. We will uncover how the movement became as powerful as it did and give a voice to the forgotten men and women who bear the brunt of the violence in their daily lives. We will reveal the true stories that the corporate media has worked tirelessly to conceal since the “mostly peaceful” riots began in 2020.

More importantly, we will investigate the impending crisis that is yet to unfold. The “Defund” movement is still fairly recent and its effects are just beginning to be seen. But its proponents have entrenched themselves in the system and settled in for the long-haul. They are determined to abolish the police altogether. We will uncover just how much worse things could get as a result of this depraved movement while we strive to empower citizens with the facts and foresight they need to resist the madness.

In 2020, the most radical elements in American society found the opportunity they had long been seeking when Devin Chauvin was recorded with his knee on George Floyd’s neck. The incident was said to represent the worst of America, a truth that had long been obscured — that America’s institutions, including the police, are shot through with racism.

Amidst the chaos of the 2020 election and COVID-19 pandemic, the “Defund the Police” movement was born as millions of well-meaning Americans were bullied into submission by anti-police ideologues. Chant the slogans, wave the flags, take to the street — from corporations, to celebrities to the government and media, every power center in America issued the same commands. Americans accepted — or at least were too afraid to speak out against — the idea that a mysterious, ever-present racism plagued our society and that the system itself must be “reimagined.”

Facing unprecedented hostility and abuse from local officials, police officers around the country are quitting their at a “rate never before seen,” according to the Fraternal Order of Police. While liberal elites can hide in their gated communities guarded by private security, the most vulnerable communities suffer.

If we stay on the current course, younger generations will no longer remember what it was like to live in safe and vibrant communities. Already, too many have adapted to this “new normal,” accepting that chaos is just the price of life in a big city. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can reject this new normal and strive for better. The Daily Caller aims to help America do just that.

The Daily Caller’s documentary productions are made possible by our faithful Patriots members, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without them. For the best political analysis in the business, please consider subscribing.

AUTHOR

GAGE KLIPPER

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICLE: Number Of Illegal Migrants In Border Patrol Custody Surges To New High

RELATED VIDEO: Agenda 2030 Mass Migration Plan Exposed.

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

DOT Invests $100 Mil to Help Disadvantaged Communities by Fixing Broken EV Chargers thumbnail

DOT Invests $100 Mil to Help Disadvantaged Communities by Fixing Broken EV Chargers

By Judicial Watch

Besides subsidizing the electric vehicle (EV) industry with a staggering $15.5 billion, the Biden administration is investing an additional $100 million in federal funding to prioritize the repair and replacement of EV charging stations throughout the U.S. The venture will “ensure disadvantaged communities benefit from upgraded charging infrastructure,” according to the Department of Transportation (DOT), which is doling out the money. The costly EV charger project is part of the administration’s Justice40 Initiative which requires 40% of all federal government investments to flow to “disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened with pollution.” The president signed an executive order within days of taking office to allocate unprecedented public funds to poor minority communities in the name of environmental justice.

The multi-million-dollar EV charger restoration project will operate under a Justice40 initiative known as National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program that provides states with money to strategically deploy charging stations and establish an interconnected network to facilitate data collection, access and reliability. “The Biden-Harris Administration has set a goal of building a convenient, affordable, reliable, equitable, and Made-in-America electric vehicle (EV) charging network along the Nation’s highways and within our communities,” according to the grant announcement issued this month by the DOT. Because it is a Justice40 program the feds will use a White House Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool to track how assisted chargers aid needy communities. “Recipients of awards under this program can also use the tool to ensure disadvantaged communities benefit from upgraded charging infrastructure,” the grant document states, adding that “the tool can be used to help prioritize and sequence projects to maximize benefits to disadvantaged communities.”

The White House launched the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool in response to the president’s January 2021 order to tackle the “climate crisis at home and abroad.” The directive includes an extensive section dedicated to securing environmental justice for disadvantaged, historically marginalized and overburdened communities, by among other things, creating a White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council consisting of top government leaders. The heads of key federal agencies—including the attorney general, secretaries of defense, labor, transportation and energy—were essentially ordered to address environmental justice in minority and low-income populations. “Agencies shall make achieving environmental justice part of their missions by developing programs, policies, and activities to address the disproportionately high and adverse human health, environmental, climate-related and other cumulative impacts on disadvantaged communities, as well as the accompanying economic challenges of such impacts,” according to Biden’s order.

It is not clear what the EV ownership rate is in marginalized or overburdened communities or the demand for chargers because the government has failed to provide that information. However, the administration does reveal that as of this month, 6,261 public charging ports out of 151,506 nationwide were identified as being temporarily unavailable. California has the largest number (1,707) of broken chargers followed by New York (541), Texas (379), Florida (356) and Massachusetts (265). The objective of the administration’s $100 million investment is to enhance and maintain the reliability of the charging network by focusing on the repair or replacement of existing chargers that are currently non-operational, a goal it asserts “will be aligned with the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative.” The connection is not fully explained.

Just weeks before the charger allotment the administration announced that, as part of the president’s Investing in America agenda, the Department of Energy is disbursing $15.5 billion to “support a strong and just transition to electric vehicles.” The money will focus on “retooling existing factories for the transition to electric vehicles,” according to the agency. Jennifer Granholm, Biden’s energy secretary, claims the funding shows that the president “understands that building the cars of the future also necessitates helping the communities challenged by the transition away from the internal combustion engine.”

RELATED ARTICLES:

‘Wipe Us Out’: Striking UAW Workers Rip Biden’s Push To Force Americans Into EVs

‘A Hit Job On Michigan And On Detroit’: Trump Calls Biden EV Push A ‘Government Assassination’ Of Auto Jobs

E-Buses Bought From Now-Bankrupt Manufacturer By Blue Enclave Are Now All Out Of Commission

Energy Firms Unload On Biden’s ‘Attack’ On Fossil Fuels In Anonymous Survey

‘Workers Of America Are Getting Screwed’: Here’s What To Expect From Trump’s Visit To Detroit On Debate Night

EDITORS NOTE: This Judicial Watch column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

WATCH: Veterans Become Homeless After Democrats Give Nursing Home Rooms To Criminal Illegal Aliens thumbnail

WATCH: Veterans Become Homeless After Democrats Give Nursing Home Rooms To Criminal Illegal Aliens

By The Geller Report

Meet Frank Tammaro of New York.

Frank is a decorated Korean War veteran. Frank signed up to serve his country in 1950. He fought honorably. How have Biden Democrats repaid Frank for his service?

Frank was left HOMELESS to make way for millions of criminal illegal aliens that Biden Democrats welcomed into the country. Frank’s nursing home was converted to a “Migrant Shelter” because of New York’s “Sanctuary City” status.

In Frank’s own words, he was “given 2 weeks” to leave his long term nursing home and was made “homeless” by Democrat open border policies.

Frank has been kicked to the street by Biden Democrats for a new population imported into America to give the Democrat Party more power.

A vote for Biden Democrats is a vote to make 95 Year-Old American Heroes Homeless

Remember this evil.

🚨 95-Year-Old Veteran Becomes HOMELESS After Nursing Home Room Given To Criminal Illegal Aliens By Biden Democrats

Meet Frank Tammaro of New York.

Frank is a decorated Korean War veteran. Frank signed up to serve his country in 1950. He fought honorably. How have Biden… pic.twitter.com/OtwQ7eg7gG

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 27, 2023

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

RELATED ARTICLES:

THEY JUST DON’T STOP: Deranged Democrat Judge Revokes President Trump’s NY Business Licenses

IMPEACHMENT BOMBSHELL: Hunter Biden Received Huge Payoffs From China at Joe Biden’s HOME Address

Three aides of Robert Malley, Biden’s special envoy for Iran, part of an Iranian government network

KEEP VOTING DEMOCRAT: Mass Looting in Philadelphia, Huge Mobs Loot, Destroy Apple, Lululemon, Foot Locker in “Coordinated Attacks,” “It’s Just Started and We Ain’t Finished!”

RELATED TWEET:

TRUMP CALLS OUT JOE BIDEN’S WEAK CROWDS: “I mean he came here yesterday. What did he have? Nine people right? We have nine THOUSAND people outside.” pic.twitter.com/EcytKLxYxR

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 28, 2023

EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Mass Looting in Philadelphia, Huge Mobs Loot, Destroy Apple, Lululemon, Foot Locker in ‘Coordinated Attacks’ thumbnail

Mass Looting in Philadelphia, Huge Mobs Loot, Destroy Apple, Lululemon, Foot Locker in ‘Coordinated Attacks’

By The Geller Report

The poison fruit of Democrat rule. Defund the police! Decriminalize crime. Limousine, Lear jet liberals should be forced to live in the hellscape they designed.

On an ironic side note, the companies looted (i.e. Apple Store, Lululemon et al) were huge supporters and funders of BLM riots.

Subsequent incidents of looting were reported in quick succession.

Philadelphia swarmed by alleged juvenile looters targeting the Apple Store, Lululemon, Footlocker and others

Philadelphia police responded to reports of widespread looting on Tuesday night

By: Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Landon Mion Fox News, | Fox News September 27, 2023 6:08am EDT

Philly police make several arrests after juvenile looters targeting Apple store, Lululemon

NEW: Mass looting breaks out in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as criminals were seen stealing IPhone 15s from the Apple Store.

Luckily, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez explained in 2020 why people loot: To feed their families!

I’m sure those IPhone 15s will taste great.

“They go out and… pic.twitter.com/y5RKMo2zwG

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 27, 2023

Philadelphia police responded to popular retailers like the Apple Store, Lululemon and Footlocker after they were allegedly being ravaged by swarms of looters taking over the City of Brotherly Love Tuesday evening.

At about 8 p.m. Tuesday, police responded to reports of large crowds of juveniles allegedly looting stores in the Center City business corridor of the 9th District.

“In a proactive measure, officers from the 9th District stopped a group of males dressed in black attire and wearing masks at the intersection of 17th and Chestnut Streets,” a police spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Police

Philadelphia police responded to Center City for widespread reports of looting. (FOX 29 Philadelphia)
T-Mobile Store

A T-Mobile store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was destroyed in a smash-and-grab robbery on Tuesday night. (FOX 29 Philadelphia)

As of midnight on Wednesday, police confirmed between 15 and 20 people were arrested during the looting and at least two firearms were recovered.

As officers were speaking with these individuals, they began to receive reports of looting at the Foot Locker on Chestnut Street.

Responding officers arrived at the Foot Locker and discovered the store had been ransacked in a “coordinated attack,” according to the statement. A number of juveniles then fled the scene and at least one adult was arrested.

Keep reading.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

RELATED TWEETS:

I don’t care about looting in Democrat-run Philadelphia. Democrat voters in these large cities vote for crime-infested, filthy hellholes and that’s exactly what they get. Enjoy.

Again – don’t give AF.

— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) September 27, 2023

More video from their parking lot meeting pic.twitter.com/kcN13fcGbd

— Dixie (@OSiiNT) September 27, 2023

EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

‘A Hit Job On Michigan And On Detroit’: Trump Calls Biden EV Push A ‘Government Assassination’ Of Auto Jobs thumbnail

‘A Hit Job On Michigan And On Detroit’: Trump Calls Biden EV Push A ‘Government Assassination’ Of Auto Jobs

By The Daily Caller

Former President Donald Trump ripped President Joe Biden’s push for electric vehicles, calling it a “hit job” on Detroit and the auto industry.

Trump spoke in Clinton Township, Michigan, to a crowd of union workers instead of attending a debate at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, that aired on Fox Business Network Wednesday. Trump currently leads a 42.2% lead over Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida among Republican primary voters in the Real Clear Politics average of polls from Sept. 14 though September 26, drawing 56.6% of the vote, compared to 14.4% for the Florida governor.

WATCH:

“Biden’s mandate isn’t a government regulation. It’s a government assassination of your jobs and of your industry. The auto industry is being assassinated, and it makes no difference what you get,” Trump told those attending the speech. “I don’t care what you get in the next two weeks or three weeks or five weeks, they’re gonna be closing up and they’re going to be building those cars in China and other places. It’s a hit job on Michigan and on Detroit.”

The UAW walked off the job at three auto manufacturing plants in Ohio, Michigan and Missouri at midnight Sept. 15, after failing to reach an agreement with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler). The union sought a four-day work week and a 36% salary increase over five years, according to Bloomberg.

“But on the electric vehicles, this year to comply with the mandate, a sixty thousand loss. They’re gonna lose sixty thousand dollars for every car produced. That sounds like a great deal, but honestly, for UAW and for auto workers and for everybody and for the country, it’s not sustainable,” Trump said.

Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which spends $370 billion to combat climate change, into law in August 2022. The legislation is loaded with green energy provisions, including a $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles.

Despite Biden’s push for electric vehicles, the Biden administration blocked efforts to start mining for copper and nickel near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in January, the Wall Street Journal reported. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency made a determination Jan. 31 that would block the mining of 1.4 billion tons of copper, gold, molybdenum, silver and rhenium in Alaska in order to protect salmon.

AUTHOR

HAROLD HUTCHISON

Reporter.

RELATED ARTICLES:

‘Workers Of America Are Getting Screwed’: Here’s What To Expect From Trump’s Visit To Detroit On Debate Night

‘You Can’t Blame Them’: Former Trump Official Tells Viewers To ‘Think Twice’ Before Bashing UAW Over Strike

‘Wipe Us Out’: Striking UAW Workers Rip Biden’s Push To Force Americans Into EVs

E-Buses Bought From Now-Bankrupt Manufacturer By Blue Enclave Are Now All Out Of Commission

RELATED TWEET:

Don’t ever forget how Joe Biden actually feels about working class Americans.

What kind of elected leader talks to voters that way? pic.twitter.com/mDPzZ7l9G1

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 27, 2023

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.


All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

And Lead Us Not Into Temptation thumbnail

And Lead Us Not Into Temptation

By Jerry Newcombe

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” — John Adams


In scanning the headlines, it’s amazing how many of them chronicle the fall of those who have given themselves over into one temptation after another.

We are all sinners. We all need the salvation Christ has provided for sinners through His atoning death. But when He enters a life and forgives the sinner who believes, Jesus puts His Holy Spirit in that person and gives them the power not realized before to resist temptation.

Throughout the centuries, the bells of Christendom have pealed a tune that actually reminds the knowledgeable hearer of our need for God’s help to overcome temptation that very hour.

This tune I refer to is called “the Westminster chimes,” as in Westminster Abbey. This tune is heard in churches and college campuses across America—and if you own a grandfather clock, or any kind of chiming clock, you too are very familiar with this 16-note melody that plays at the beginning of every hour.

The words to the hourly tune go like this: “Lord, in this hour, be thou our guide, that by thy power / no foot shall slide.” A foot sliding was an old-fashioned way of referring to falling into sin.

We can learn about dealing with temptation through the Biblical account of Cain and Abel, especially in the dialogue between God and Cain. By way of review, Cain and Abel were the first born sons of Adam and Eve after our first parents were expelled from paradise because of their sin.

Cain was a farmer. Abel was a shepherd. They both made offerings of their harvest to God, but the Lord accepted Abel’s and not Cain’s. This made Cain sullen and angry at his brother. He kills Abel, and when God confronts him about it, he replies—as if he could hide from God—“Am I my brother’s keeper?”

But before Cain does his evil act, God reaches out to him to offer him a way of escape from himself:  “So the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it” (Genesis 4:6-7).

In John Steinbeck’s book, East of Eden, there are four elderly Chinese men who study the first sixteen verses of Genesis 4 over a period of two years. Initially, they think that God’s command to Cain was that he shalt or that he must master sin. But they learn from the original Hebrew that it could be better translated as “thou mayest” (implying choice).

Steinbeck goes on to say that it is this choice that makes a man a man (rather than a beast). He is pointing out that God has given man the possibility of triumphing over sin. We are not puppets who are predetermined to do evil.

The founders of America gave us limited government, which requires people to act in self-controlled manners, not giving in constantly to temptation.

After the founding fathers wrote the Constitution in Philadelphia, a woman asked Ben Franklin what kind of government they had given to us. He famously replied, “A republic, madam, if you can keep it.” One of the ways we keep it is through greater self-control.

Dr. Os Guinness was a guest in our Providence Forum series of films on America’s Judeo-Christian heritage. It’s called “The Foundation of American Liberty.”

In the episode on the Declaration of Independence, “Endowed by Their Creator,” Guinness, the eminent Christian writer and thinker, tells our audience: “The key question for the founders [was]: how do you sustain faith? Faith of any sort requires freedom. Now, rather like the recycling triangle, it goes round and round ad infinitum. Freedom requires virtue, virtue requires faith, faith requires freedom, which requires virtue, and so on.”

Guinness added, “Now, the trouble is, the word virtue today has become sort of goody-goody. But for the framers, virtue, obviously, [comes] from the classic understanding, that all ethics has to be rooted in courage…[V]irtue included honesty, loyalty, patriotism, and above all, character, who you are when no one sees.”

The late Dr. Walter Williams told our viewers, “Our Constitution and our government was made for a moral people, people who love liberty. And the reason why is that initially we had very, very few laws, because people’s behavior was governed by customs and tradition and religious values. Today, we’re moving away from that…we’re seeing more and more laws being written to control human behavior, as opposed to personal values.”

Self-rule under God is the essence of the American experiment. To succeed it requires that citizens must, of course, with God’s help, rule ourselves first.

©2023. By Jerry Newcombe, D.Min. All rights reserved.

RELATED VIDEO: Anti-Israel activist & Within Our Lifetime leader Nerdeen Kiswani is responsible for a network of activists who have wreaked violence on Jews in New York & spread over the city a toxic, antisemitic atmosphere. This video exposes Kiswani’s notorious network.

An America with God on the Outskirts thumbnail

An America with God on the Outskirts

By Family Research Council

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” — John Adams


Our nation is in crisis. It isn’t a gun crisis. Or fentanyl crisis. It’s not a border crisis — or even a government funding crisis.

It is a moral and spiritual crisis.

A sickening video that went viral last weekend fully displays it. The video was of two 17-year-old males, who were apparently identifying as heartless, demon-possessed thugs, recording their joyride in a stolen car. The video shows the two cheering as they ram and force one car off the road.

Then they spotted 64-year-old Andreas Probst, a retired police officer, taking his morning bike ride. The driver asked his passenger if he was ready to capture their feat on camera.

Swerving into the bike lane behind Probst, they blew the horn and then plowed into the back of him, throwing him onto the windshield, over the car, and onto the pavement as they accelerated. The punk in the passenger seat turned to catch on camera Probst bounce onto the road, who died of his injuries that day.

The driver was arrested shortly after and taken to the juvenile detention center. The Clark County District Attorney’s Office has announced it will try the teenagers as adults.

Don’t expect the White House or others, who see violent crime as little more than justification to grab more power over law-abiding citizens, to pay any attention to a drive-over killing. However, this crime is so shocking some are asking how we arrived at such a place where cold-blooded murder is callously carried out like a virtual video game.

But should we really be surprised? As a nation, we’ve pushed God to the outskirts of society. Instead of teaching our children that they are created in the image of God and therefore have value, we are telling them they come from animals, and then we are shocked when they act like animals.

This is a moral and spiritual crisis. But don’t expect political leaders, especially on the Left, to acknowledge that fact because they refuse to look beyond the symptoms.

Take the Mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, who is calling for city-owned grocery stores to be placed in neighborhoods that have become what he calls “food deserts” after Walmart and Whole Foods shuttered their stores because of unsustainable losses.

Retailers nationwide are going under and shutting their doors because of a $100 billion-dollar shoplifting epidemic. It’s gotten so bad here in Washington, D.C. that almost everything is behind locked plexiglass.

Commentators and conservatives point to lax policies like California’s Prop 47, which reduced theft from a potential felony to a misdemeanor. These lenient policies only compound the lawlessness fostered by depleted and demoralized police departments in the wake of the Left’s Defund the Police movement.

But it’s not just civil government that has facilitated this moral and spiritual crisis that threatens the future of our country. I’ve often been asked this question while in conversation with political leaders. “Tony, why do pastors want us to vote on and speak about issues they won’t preach about from the pulpit?”

To be sure, many pastors are preaching on these issues; some were at Family Research Council’s recent Pray Vote Stand Summit: Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, Cornerstone Chapel’s Gary Hamrick, Bishop Vincent Mathews, and others. But far too many fail to see their God-given role to not just preach the truth but challenge people to live by the truth in every area of life. In the church, pastors must rediscover their prophetic voice to address this moral and spiritual crisis.

Yes, the lawless, anti-God policies of government have fostered this violent and deadly environment, and the church has, for the most part, only whispered its objections. But where are the parents?

I know the government has usurped the role of moms and dads in many ways, hiding critical information from them about their children’s mental and spiritual well-being at school. In some cases, they’ve refused to allow parents to get counseling for their children if it is not in lockstep with leftist ideology.

But a recent report from King’s College London suggests parents in the United States are not concerned with their children being civil or even obedient. Coming in nearly dead last in the two dozen surveyed countries, only 21% of American adults said obedience was a priority for children. What did rank near the top of priorities? Tolerance.

There was little tolerance for Mr. Probst.

To 21st century ears, it is archaic to quote a Founding Father. But considering that they did craft what has become the longest-surviving written charter of government in the world, maybe we can learn from them how to keep this experiment in liberty going.

John Adams, America’s second president, warned, “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

In other words, if we don’t go beyond the litany of crises facing our nation, which are just symptoms — whether it be the border, fentanyl, guns, or stolen cars used to run over innocent people — to see what is truly at the heart of this crisis, we will lose this country as we have known it, because we will miss the moral and spiritual crisis confronting us.

We must return to God and to His word.

AUTHOR

Tony Perkins

Tony Perkins is president of Family Research Council and executive editor of The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2023 Family Research Council.


The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

California Ban On Standard-Capacity Gun Magazines Overturned thumbnail

California Ban On Standard-Capacity Gun Magazines Overturned

By Kenneth Schrupp

Editors Note: For years, the progressive clarion call has been to “follow California.” From auto emissions, treatment of the homeless, criminal enforcement or lack thereof, to gun policy, our oversized state has provided a swagger and arrogance coupled with its immense economic power, to change the political debate. However, overreach has now become a huge problem as well as public demonstration of failed policy. Now it seems that the new mantra needs to be “avoid becoming like California.” The controversy over “high capacity” and “semi-automatic weapons of war” is relatively new, but the weapons are not. Pictured above is a Mauser C96 “broom handle” that even came with a controversial “pistol brace.” When was this gun made available? It first appeared in 1896, 127 years ago. Clearly, guns have not changed. It is our people that have changed.

Federal judge Roger Benitez overturned California’s ban on standard-sized ammunition magazines, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta filing an immediate notice of appeal. The injunction on the ban will be stayed for 10 days, which means that the ban’s overturn will likely not take effect as the decision is appealed.

“Unless we enshrine a Right to Safety in the Constitution, we are at the mercy of ideologues like Judge Benitez,” said California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a public statement responding to the decision. “This is exactly why I’ve called for a Constitutional amendment, and this is why I’ll keep fighting to defend our right to protect ourselves from gun violence.”

Standard-capacity magazines have been illegal to manufacture, import, keep, or offer for sale, give, or lend since 2000, and illegal to purchase or receive in any way since 2013. Proposition 64, passed by California voters in 2016, made it illegal to possess even legally acquired standard-capacity magazines with more than 10 rounds under the rationale such a measure would limit mass shootings. Anyone who did not turn in their standard-capacity magazines by July 1, 2017, could have faced up to a year in prison before an earlier injunction by Benitez. The most popular firearm sold in 2022, a Sig Sauer P320 pistol, comes with a 15-round magazine except where otherwise limited, such as in California. 

“There is no American history or tradition of regulating firearms based on the number of rounds they can shoot, or of regulating the amount of ammunition that can be kept and carried,” wrote Benitez in his latest ruling.

Benitez first struck down Proposition 63’s rule in June 2017 right before enforcement began, noting only six mass shootings between 2006 and 2013 used the banned magazines, and that “entitlement to enjoy Second Amendment rights and just compensation is not eliminated simply because they possess ‘unpopular’ magazines holding more than 10 rounds.” In 2018, a 2-1 panel of the Ninth Circuit Court affirmed Benitez’s ruling on the confiscations.

In 2019, Benitez ruled against the ban on the acquisition of standard-capacity magazines, citing varying outcomes of women’s self-defense cases where having additional bullets made the difference between life and death. This decision was upheld in a 2020 panel of the Ninth Circuit Court, then overturned by an en banc decision of the same court in 2021. The United States Supreme Court vacated the Ninth Circuit Court’s en banc decision in 2022 and remanded it back to Benitez for a new decision. Benitez’s latest ruling, if upheld in the appeals process, could allow for the resumption of the legal sale of standard-capacity magazines in California.

*****

This article was published The Center Square and is reproduced with permission.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons.

TAKE ACTION

As we move through 2023 and into the next election cycle, The Prickly Pear will resume Take Action recommendations and information.

Desperate Governors Beg For Offshore Wind Cost Relief thumbnail

Desperate Governors Beg For Offshore Wind Cost Relief

By David Wojick

Six Atlantic shore Governors are begging the Feds to bail them out of a huge looming offshore wind cost overrun. They sent Biden a joint letter asking for a list of relief measures ranging from tax breaks to revenue sharing.

The outcome is far from clear but my guess is the largess is unlikely to appear, especially given the ongoing federal budget battles. Maybe later. However most of the requests also likely require major regulatory changes, which could take years. They might even take legislation which could be never.

But the need is urgent as the offshore developers are demanding immediate power price increases of around 50% lest they leave for better opportunities elsewhere. They can do this because offshore wind is a global boom. Even mid-income developing countries like Indonesia are talking big offshore numbers.

Ironically, it is this boom that is driving some of the sticker-shocking price increases. There is even a shortage of highly specialized crane ships to erect these huge towers. The supply chain is a seller’s market, at least on paper. Rising interest rates are another big driver.

The letter is pretty vague, but there are basically three kinds of federal relief requested. These are tax credits, revenue sharing, and streamlined permitting. I am sure there is lots of lobbying going on by the developers, as well as the Governors. Unfortunately, it is all secret so the specific issues are well hidden, making the following brief analysis somewhat speculative.

The letter is here: https://cleanpower.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Governors-Offshore-Wind-Letter_ACP.pdf

There look to be two tax credit issues. The first, which the IRS might actually be able to do something about, involves the definition of the renewable energy project that gets the investment tax credits. At present, probably only the generating assembly counts. This likely includes the tower and monopile foundation as well as the turbine generator and enormous blades.

But it may not include the extensive undersea connector cabling, the massive offshore substations, the huge export cabling, and the costly onshore transmission upgrades. These system components make up a sizable fraction of the project cost.

The second issue is the bonus tax credits awarded under the so-called Inflation Reduction Act. This is a 10% credit bump that developers get if they meet certain domestic content specs. Offshore wind already gets a big break under IRA because their content requirement is just half that of all other renewable projects.

As far as I can tell, they want the presently measly requirement to be even less. This is likely because most of the components come from overseas. America has very little specialized offshore component production capability since we have never built any here. Building this kind of industrial capacity will take a long time.

However, since the specific domestic component requirements are in the law, the IRS may have very little leeway, and what they have should require rulemaking. How this works out will be very interesting to watch. It might take legislation, which is uncertain, to say the least.

On revenue sharing, the States want a piece of the billions of dollars developers are paying the Feds in offshore site lease payments. Single sites have paid over a billion. Some sites are at least partially within State waters, but most are not.

Here the question is why taxpayers in, say, Wyoming should, in effect, pay to lower electricity bills in New Jersey? The agency in charge of offshore leasing is the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) in the Interior Dept. They are gung ho for offshore wind, so might not mind sharing revenue if it keeps the project coming.

I have no idea what the legalities are here except they are likely to be complex. BOEM has been doing offshore oil and gas leasing in the Gulf for a long time, so there should be a big body of law to deal with.

Who gets how much is an interesting question, especially for projects set to sell juice to several States. Plus, the States expect to sell some to other States. Given that many of the power purchase contracts at issue are with utilities, not States, maybe they should get the money.

For that matter, if this revenue sharing happened, the Gulf states might want a piece of the oil and gas action. None of this is simple, for sure. (Aside: maybe the Feds should collect royalties on the harvested wind power, like the 18.75% they get on offshore oil production.)

As for speeding up permitting, that is already a hot topic in Congress, but there is no consensus on what it even means, much less how to do it. I think BOEM is already going as fast as it can, ignoring many issues in the process, such as whale deaths. And, of course, the Biden Executive Branch cannot speed up the Judiciary, where a lot of the project delay lies in litigation.

In short, this seemingly simple letter is pointed at some really hairy issues. The talks are going on in secret, and I have yet to see any detailed analysis of the potential policies and ramifications thereof. If the fate of Atlantic offshore wind really depends on taking these hairy steps, then we are in “Nobody knows land” for sure. This cannot be good from the investment point of view so more stocks may drop.

Stay tuned to CFACT to see how this wacky offshore drama plays out. It might be a while.

*****

This article was published by CFACT, The Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow, and is reproduced with permission.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

TAKE ACTION

As we move through 2023 and into the next election cycle, The Prickly Pear will resume Take Action recommendations and information.

POLL: 33% of Democrats say Americans have ‘too much freedom to speak freely’ thumbnail

POLL: 33% of Democrats say Americans have ‘too much freedom to speak freely’

By The Geller Report

Freedom of speech is worth fighting for, worth dying for. Our once-great nation was founded on it, and it’s the hill we must die on.

Freedom of speech is the foundation of a free society. Without it, a tyrant can wreak havoc unopposed, while his opponents are silenced.

Putting up with being offended is essential in a pluralistic society in which people differ on basic truths. If a group will not bear being offended without resorting to violence, that group will rule unopposed while everyone else lives in fear, while other groups curtail their activities to appease the violent group. This results in the violent group being able to tyrannize the others.

Americans have ‘too much freedom to speak freely,’ one-third of Democrats say: Poll

By: Candace Hathaway, Blaze, September 25, 2023

A recent poll from RealClear Opinion Research found that one-third of registered Democratic respondents feel Americans have “too much freedom to speak freely.”

The poll, released in September, surveyed 1,000 individuals. Of those interviewed, 377 identified as Democrats, 369 as Republicans, and 255 as independent or “other.”

Read more.

POLL: Is Censorship a Partisan Issue?

By Carl M. Cannon – RCP Staff September 22, 2023

The concept of free speech dates to the 5th century B.C. in ancient Greece and was codified in America’s founding documents on Dec. 15, 1791, with the ratification of the Bill of Rights. The 45-word First Amendment prohibited Congress from “abridging freedom of speech, or of the press,” and has been long understood to include any branch of government.

James Madison, the drafter of the first 10 constitutional amendments, originally drafted a more fiery version of the First Amendment, one that included its underlying rationale: “The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, to write, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable.”

“Inviolable” is a powerful word, notwithstanding the fact that the right to speak and write freely has always come with various limitations. They range from libel and slander laws to national security secrets, obscenity statutes, and the notorious analogy popularized by Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. of “falsely shouting ‘fire!’ in a theater and causing panic.”

Most citizens accept some of these caveats; others do not. But by overwhelming majorities, Americans generally still cherish their rights to free expression — at least in theory. A new poll on censorship by RealClear Opinion Research shows that 90% of voters in the United States express support for the Founders’ curbs on government power.

Topline findings: The full polling breakdown

“Overall, 9 in 10 voters in the U.S. think First Amendment protections for freedom of speech is a good thing, while only 9% think it is a bad thing,” said pollster Spencer Kimball, who directed the RCP survey. “This is agreed upon across the demographics, like party affiliation, age, and race.”

For those who oppose censorship and put a premium on the free flow of ideas, that’s the good news. But there is bad news, too. Inevitably in our nation’s current hyper-partisan political environment, when one bores down on this subject, deeply divergent perspectives emerge — partisan differences.

Painting with a broad brush, Democrats grant significantly more deference to government than do Republicans when it comes to regulating free speech. This wasn’t the only fault line revealed by the RCP survey.

Some of what is dividing these differences is generational, as Millennials and Gen-Z have come of age in a digital age environment in which reasonable expectations of privacy seem a relic of the past. “Those under 30 are most open to censorship by the government,” Kimball noted, adding that 42% of this cohort deem it “more important” to them that the government protect national security than guard the right to free expression. Among those over 65 years old, the corresponding percentage was 26%.

Also, a gender gap reveals itself, one that dovetails with the discrepancy in party registration between men and women — but which is more pronounced. Asked whether they support free speech even if it’s “deeply offensive,” 78% of men answered affirmatively, compared to 66% of women.

But the most glaring gap is between conservatives and liberals, i.e., between Republicans and Democrats. On the issue of free expression, at least, Republicans are not the authoritarian party. That distinction belongs to the Democrats, the party launched by Thomas Jefferson — the Founding Father who famously said that if he were forced to choose between “a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

This is a relatively new development. Traditionally, opposing censorship — whether imposed by government or corporations — was a bedrock principle of liberalism in this country. The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 to promote and defend free expression. And this ideal was at the heart of liberal thought, liberal lawmaking, and liberal jurisprudence during most of the 20th century.

Keep reading.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

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EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Is the ATACMS Tactical Missile Already in Ukraine? thumbnail

Is the ATACMS Tactical Missile Already in Ukraine?

By Center For Security Policy

If Ukraine gets the scarce supplies, Taiwan must wait even longer; meanwhile, Russian response remains to be seen.


Russian defense sources say that an ATACMS tactical ballistic missile was launched from Kulbakino Air Field in Ukraine. If the Russian report is correct then the Washington debate about sending tactical ATACMS missiles to Ukraine is fake, as they already are there.

The Russian report has not been confirmed. What is clear is that the Ukrainians used missiles to attack Sevastopol on September 21st, targeting Russia’s Black Sea headquarters.  The historic HQ building was hit.

Reports say that President Biden told Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky that he agreed to send a “small number” of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. Apparently Biden acted against Pentagon recommendations. Biden had been warned that ATACMS would be a war escalation. He was also told that there were not many ATACMS in inventory.

ATACMS has a range of around 300km.  It is ground launched.

Kulbakino is the home of the 299th Ukrainian Tactical Air Brigade. It is located in Mykolaiv Oblast. It supports a number of aircraft – most importantly the Su-24M fighter-bomber, which has been modified to fire the Stormshadow cruise missile.

ATACMS is typically launched from the M270 MLRS (multiple-launch rocket system).  It can also be launched from a HIMARS platform.

The M270 is a tracked, armored vehicle that supports launch tubes for missiles. It is based on the Bradley fighting vehicle chassis. It can fire one ATACMS missile and then the platform needs to be reloaded.

The M142 HIMARS is based on the Army’s MTV truck frame.  Like the M270 MLRS, it can fire one ATACMS missile.

HIMARS already is in Ukraine so delivery of the missiles will not require any significant field modifications.

The US has only small stocks of HIMARS currently available. The US Marines, who operate HIMARS, need ATACMS in order to blunt any Chinese attack either on the Senkaku islands or aimed at Taiwan. The Marines have carried out joint exercises with Japan, where Japan test fired the M270 in a demonstration. However, with ATACMS in short supply, the Marines operated the vehicle but only simulated firing the missile.

Taiwan has also requested HIMARS from the United States, equipped with the accurate ATACMS system to defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion. Taiwan has ordered 28 launchers and 864 missiles. These are supposed to be delivered between 2024 and 2027. However, if Ukraine gets the supplies instead, Taiwan will be forced to wait even longer.

Because of Biden’s decision the Germans will not be able to hide behind the US as an excuse not to provide the German-Swedish Taurus KEPD 350. Taurus, a joint product of MBDA Deutschland and Saab Bofors, is a long range cruise missile with a range of 500 km.  It is launched by aircraft. Most likely, if Taurus cruise missiles are delivered to Ukraine, they will be operated by Ukraine’s Su-24s, although these are also in short supply. The systems on the Su-25 in Ukraine probably are not modern enough to support the Taurus.

Taurus has a range of 500km after launch.  It carries a 481 kg MEPHISTO (multi-effect penetrator highly sophisticated and target optimized) warhead.

ATACMS has different types of warheads and it is not clear what will be sent to Ukraine. Originally the missiles had cluster munition warheads, but later that was changed to so-called unitary warheads.

The Russians understand that both Taurus and ATACMS are threats to Russian territory, exposing its cities, air bases, nuclear power plants and defense installations to heavy attack.

Most of what Ukraine has so far launched into Russian territory have been small drones.  While drones have done some damage, many of them have been shot down. Russia does have layered air defenses, although they do not appear to be well integrated, and there are considerable coverage gaps.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, interviewed by ABC News, was asked, “Are you OK if Ukraine uses those missiles [ATACMS] to strike deep into Russia?” He replied: “Their decision, not ours.” Blinken knows very well that Ukraine needs support from US overhead intelligence for long-range strikes, something the Russians also understand very well.

The Russians have made clear that delivering these missiles to Ukraine is a significant escalation by NATO and the United States. It remains to be seen exactly how and in what ways Russia will respond.

Originally published by Asia Times

AUTHOR

Stephen Bryen

Senior Fellow

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Which county is more welcoming to Christians, Ukraine or Russia? That’s a fair question. Why is no one allowed to ask it? pic.twitter.com/3yhFsuzvBT

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) September 26, 2023

EDITORS NOTE: This Center for Security Policy column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.