Pope Francis has done more to divide Catholics than any pope in 150 years. He has clouded the Church’s teaching on marriage and sexuality. Francis has thrown out the clear, recent teaching of two of his immediate predecessors — which echoed Church practice and preaching for 2000 years. He has politicized the papacy, using its bully pulpit to further crudely crafted left-wing talking points on everything from the economy to immigration to climate science. He has marginalized and punished his critics, to the point that a new book calls him the “Dictator Pope.” Now he’s defending his handpicked lieutenant, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga. That Honduran leftist (and anti-Semite) is accused of massive corruption that benefited him personally, to the tune of $40,000 per month. Other favorites of Pope Francis include the disgraced Belgian Cardinal Wilfrid Daneels — who was caught on tape trying to silence a sex abuse victim — and LGBT advocate Fr. James Martin, SJ.
In the best case scenario, Pope Francis will see the error of his ways, and spend the rest of his pontificate undoing the damage he’s wrought. Failing that, he should imitate the example of Pope Benedict XVI and admit that he can no longer lead the Church. He should resign, and open a political institute based in Buenos Aires. Something tells me George Soros would fund it.
Former secretary of state (and Vietnam veteran) John Kerry and former national security adviser Susan Rice seem to be shuddering. So does Ben Rhodes. Iran is having another freedom revolution, following the 2009 one the Obama administration flubbed, and they don’t want President Trump to get his big bumbling hands on it. He might just…mess it up.
Kerry emphasized that it is an “Iranian moment,” meaning America’s White House should say nothing.
With humility about how little we know about what’s happening inside Iran, this much is clear: it’s an Iranian moment and not anyone else’s. But the rights of people to protest peacefully and voice their aspirations are universal and governments everywhere should respect that.
Obama’s “narrative” master, Ben Rhodes, who crafted the Iran deal, got in on the act, too:
The Iranian people are rightfully demanding dignity, less corruption, more opportunity, and greater control over their lives. In looking at US twitter, it seems lost on too many that this is about what Iranians want for Iran, and not about us.
So the specter of failed leftists who threw in their troth with the mullahs, forking over billions for them in exchange for the easily violated Iran deal, pretty well throws that Obama legacy of appeasement and negotiation for its own sake onto the trash heap of history. Iranians in the streets just don’t like it.
It’s actually worse than that: the billions that went to the mullahs, from Obama and friends, on pallets from secret flights, actually served to enrich the mullahs, not the people of Iran, as Rhodes and the rest of Team Obama assured would be the case. As Iranian mismanagement similar to Venezuela’s takes hold in the country, with oil prices down and sanctions biting, together with shortages and high prices, ordinary Iranians see the mullahs living high on the hog and doing well based on those Obama dollars, and they want the whole disaster to stop. That’s what’s fueling protests, like gas on a flame.
And why did it happen now? Because President Trump crushed ISIS, bombed Syria for chemical weapon attacks, pressed the Saudis to reform, and moved the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, showing U.S. muscle and strength. A strong America is emboldening Iran’s democrats because they see, suddenly, that democracies can be strong.
Trump’s words of encouragement for them, contrary to the gibberings of the jealous and bitter Obamatons, are only encouraging the Iranians to press the mullahs further and take their fate into their own hands. What revolution out there wouldn’t welcome words of encouragement from the world’s biggest superpower?
What we are seeing here is change for the better in the Middle East because Trump made America strong. That has got to cheese off these backseat drivers from the Obama administration, who made America weak. Their plaintive cries to Trump to stay out of this are nothing more than a desperate bid to preserve their own status quo and Obama legacy.
Sorry, pals – it’s the trash heap for you.
Former secretary of state (and Vietnam veteran) John Kerry and former national security adviser Susan Rice seem to be shuddering. So does Ben Rhodes. Iran is having another freedom revolution, following the 2009 one the Obama administration flubbed, and they don’t want President Trump to get his big bumbling hands on it. He might just…mess it up.
Kerry emphasized that it is an “Iranian moment,” meaning America’s White House should say nothing.
With humility about how little we know about what’s happening inside Iran, this much is clear: it’s an Iranian moment and not anyone else’s. But the rights of people to protest peacefully and voice their aspirations are universal and governments everywhere should respect that.
Obama’s “narrative” master, Ben Rhodes, who crafted the Iran deal, got in on the act, too:
The Iranian people are rightfully demanding dignity, less corruption, more opportunity, and greater control over their lives. In looking at US twitter, it seems lost on too many that this is about what Iranians want for Iran, and not about us.
So the specter of failed leftists who threw in their troth with the mullahs, forking over billions for them in exchange for the easily violated Iran deal, pretty well throws that Obama legacy of appeasement and negotiation for its own sake onto the trash heap of history. Iranians in the streets just don’t like it.
It’s actually worse than that: the billions that went to the mullahs, from Obama and friends, on pallets from secret flights, actually served to enrich the mullahs, not the people of Iran, as Rhodes and the rest of Team Obama assured would be the case. As Iranian mismanagement similar to Venezuela’s takes hold in the country, with oil prices down and sanctions biting, together with shortages and high prices, ordinary Iranians see the mullahs living high on the hog and doing well based on those Obama dollars, and they want the whole disaster to stop. That’s what’s fueling protests, like gas on a flame.
And why did it happen now? Because President Trump crushed ISIS, bombed Syria for chemical weapon attacks, pressed the Saudis to reform, and moved the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, showing U.S. muscle and strength. A strong America is emboldening Iran’s democrats because they see, suddenly, that democracies can be strong.
Trump’s words of encouragement for them, contrary to the gibberings of the jealous and bitter Obamatons, are only encouraging the Iranians to press the mullahs further and take their fate into their own hands. What revolution out there wouldn’t welcome words of encouragement from the world’s biggest superpower?
What we are seeing here is change for the better in the Middle East because Trump made America strong. That has got to cheese off these backseat drivers from the Obama administration, who made America weak. Their plaintive cries to Trump to stay out of this are nothing more than a desperate bid to preserve their own status quo and Obama legacy.
Sorry, pals – it’s the trash heap for you.
via American Thinker Blog
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PHOTOS=> Sanctuary State Signs Pop Up on California Highways for the New Year: “Felons, Illegals and MS13 Welcome!”
January 1, 2018 by Jim Hoft
Anonymous Street artists moved out to highways once again to ring in the new year by posting messages to the “Welcome to California” highway signs.
The signs were put up north of Lake Havasu, Arizona, Primm, Nevada and on Highway 95 in California and read
“OFFICIAL SANCTUARY STATE, Felons, Illegals and MS13 Welcome! Democrats Need The Votes!”
The highway signs are apparently commemorating California’s new Sanctuary State status.
NOTE: It is unclear who originated this action.
Here are a few more pictures of the highway signs:
One passerby took this…
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via The Gateway Pundit
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The United States of America is supposed to be a land of liberty, where individuals are free to live as they want as long as they don’t harm others around them.
Sadly, it looks like that ideal is slowly being twisted into state-enforced conformity: Either you do what others demand, or pay the price.
For Aaron and Melissa Klein, that price was steep — $135,000 to be exact. That’s the penalty they were ordered to pay after they declined at their bakery in Oregon to make a custom cake for a lesbian wedding.
“Laurel Bowman-Cryer and her wife Rachel sued after the Kleins refused to bake a cake for them,” reported Fox News. “Rachel Campos-Duffy reported that the women claimed the incident caused weight gain and was akin to being ‘mentally raped.’”
Yes, the lesbian couple’s hysterical claims of victimhood now include “cake rape” and getting fat. Back in the real world, the court’s order has had a dramatic impact on the Christian small-business owners.
“It’s definitely been hard on our family. It’s taken a toll on our family,” Melissa Klein said during an interview with Fox.
The husband and wife said they intend to fight the court’s ruling, which has essentially shut down their custom cake business and pushed the family into financial difficulty.
Michael Berry, an attorney from First Liberty Institute who is representing the Klein’s, had sharp words for the court’s decision.
“If you look at the court’s opinion […] one of the the things the court said was, they didn’t think that custom designing and making a custom wedding cake is a form of art,” he said.
“As the ACLU themselves said, freedom of expression for ourselves means we have to allow freedom of expression for others,” Berry continued.
“Aaron and Melissa Klein just want the same basic treatment that everybody else in this country wants and deserves.”
The Fox News reporter asked an obvious question: Could this ruling affect other people, including liberal workers and business owners who might be forced to provide a service that goes against their beliefs?
That’s when the attorney for the custom bakers perfectly summarized the concerns of so many Americans.
“Punishing people for their religious beliefs is wrong, it’s un-American,” he stated.
“And if you take this court’s opinion and you look at what it truly means for religious liberty, but for freedom of speech and the First Amendment in this country, it absolutely can be extended that far,” Berry continued.
He conclusion summed it up perfectly:
“What about what’s happened to Aaron and Melissa Klein and their family? The fact that this $135,000 penalty has forced them to close their business … That’s harmful, not only to Aaron and Melissa Klein, but really to all Americans. Because that means the government can now force us, under threat of massive penalties, to say things that go against our religious beliefs. And that’s just wrong.”
It’s an extremely good point: What prevents this ruling from being applied to many other areas? Where is the line?
Take a videographer or a web designer, for instance. What happens if an alt-right group tries to hire a liberal to make a promo video for a rally or build a website that the business owner finds completely distasteful? Should those entrepreneurs be forced to do the work, under threat of lawsuit?
Or, how about a Muslim-owned magazine publisher? If somebody pays for an advertisement with a full-page drawing of Muhammad, is the magazine now required to print it?
For all the lip service that the left gives to providing “choices,” progressives instead seem intent on tearing down anybody who dares make a choice that is different from theirs.
There’s no end in sight… and that should trouble Americans who value individual freedom, no matter where they fall on the political spectrum.
Please like and share on Facebook and Twitter if you think people should be free to choose whom they do business with.
What do you think of what this attorney said?Scroll down to comment below!
via Conservative Tribune
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President Donald Trump lashed out at Pakistan on Twitter just a few minutes past 7:00 a.m. Eastern time on New Year’s Day, expressing frustration at Islamabad’s inadequate efforts against terrorism and implying that U.S. foreign aid will be terminated as a result.
The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!
It is not yet clear whether the “no more” exclamation means the complete or partial termination, or temporary suspension, of American aid to Pakistan.
If the complete termination of U.S. foreign aid does indeed become official policy, it would be a far more dramatic step than withholding all or part of America’s $255 million in military assistance to Pakistan, a measure reportedly under consideration by the administration over the past few days after Pakistan refused to allow U.S. interrogators access to a captured terrorist from the hostage-taking Haqqani network.
In August, President Trump said the “next pillar” of his strategy for battling terrorism would involve a “change in our approach to Pakistan.”
Trump accused Pakistan of giving “safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror.”
“We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond,” the president said. ”These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide – that no place is beyond the reach of American arms.
The Trump administration withheld $50 million in military aid to Pakistan over the summer because it felt Islamabad was not doing enough to bring down the Taliban and the Haqqani Network. There was some criticism at the time that despite his strong complaints about Pakistan refusing to help fight the Taliban or even actively colluding with it, Trump was dealing more harshly with Egypt over human rights violations by its government.
The Pakistani military rescued a Canadian-American family held hostage for years by the Haqqanis in October. Concerns have been raised that even this rescue might have been the result of a deal between the Pakistanis and the militant network, which has long been suspected of enjoying special favors and protection from elements of the Pakistani security apparatus. The prisoner Pakistan refused to allow the United States to interview was tied to the kidnapping of this Canadian-American family.
On Thursday, Pakistani military spokesman Major-General Asif Ghafoor warned the United States against taking “unilateral” military action on its soil and denied his country was not doing enough to fight the Taliban and its allies, promising that the results of Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations would be “seen in subsequent years and months.”
After making this declaration, Ghafoor implied Pakistan could actually do more, once its concerns about Afghan refugees are addressed. “If there are any facilitators and abetters inside Pakistan that can only be addressed if the 2.7 million Afghan refugees are sent back to Afghanistan,” he said.
via Breitbart News
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As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. The same applies to trolling, the use of multiple aliases, or just generally being a jerk. Enforcement of this policy is at the sole discretion of the site administrators and repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without warning