Monday, March 11, 2019
FTC will soon decide if Americans get to keep their freedoms, or cede them to China
President Donald Trump has forcefully confronted the People’s Republic of China over its militaristic aggression, its collaboration with our enemies, and its corrupt trade practices and theft of intellectual property (IP) – something none of his predecessors since President Ronald Reagan was willing to do.
But the president’s stand against IP theft and his efforts to allow for more U.S. exports are being sabotaged not by the Communist Party of China, but by members of this own administration. And so far, their schemes have been successful.
The American people need to be aware of this; the president and his team need to stop it.
This betrayal comes in the midst of a global contest for 5G, the latest and most sophisticated form of broadband. The contestants are the free nations of the world on one side, and communist China on the other. The outcome will impact the liberty and privacy of every person on earth.
President Trump has assembled a team of highly capable advisors who share his vision. They are working relentlessly to bring it to fruition – Mike Pompeo at the Department of State, John Bolton heading the National Security Council, Robert Lighthizer leading the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Their respective agencies, however, do not determine U.S. policy relating to who will eventually win the tech battle for control of every aspect of our lives. The federal agency that has amassed that power is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and it has, improbably, aligned with China in the battle for 5G dominance.
Truth be told, it’s not Trump’s team pursuing this policy, but rather a zombie version of President Barack Obama’s administration animated by its hostility towards intellectual property rights and the idea of American exceptionalism.
In the waning days of his term, Obama’s handpicked chairman of the FTC filed suit against Qualcomm, America’s leading company in 5G technology, because the FTC thought that Qualcomm was charging Huawei, Apple and other tech companies that do their manufacturing in China too much for computer chips.
Of course, those tech companies would rather pay less than the $10 per device that Qualcomm charges for its cellular technology and pocket the difference (as if the profit margin on a $1,000 Apple mobile device isn’t high enough). And since the wizards of Apple and their ilk were tied to the previous president’s hip, the Obama administration was more than happy to accommodate their bidding. But sweetening deals for the former president’s favored tech companies comes at the expense of America’s national security.
After President Trump assumed office and appointed three Republicans out of the FTC’s five commissioners, it appeared that this attack on freedom might be reversed. But the president’s newly-appointed chairman of the FTC, Joe Simons, has only furthered the Obama administration’s plans to gift 5G dominance to China.
Shortly after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Simons recused himself from the Qualcomm case, leaving the balance of power among FTC commissioners tied at two Republicans to two Democrats. Since it takes a majority vote to change direction at the FTC, the previous administration’s scheme marches on.
As for the litigation itself, it was filed in San Francisco...
Trump is an Army of One
Barack Obama had legions of apologists and defenders. Every Congressional Democrat and scores of leftovers from the Clinton administration were ready, willing, and able to defend all things Obama, as well as viciously pounce on any of his detractors. The Obamacare and Benghazi scandals were vociferously shielded from any criticism.
Bill Clinton enjoyed the same support from Team Democrat, particularly when navigating his scandal-filled two terms in office and impeachment. His supporters attacked independent counsel Kenneth Starr incessantly, impugning his character and calling him a pervert.
In addition, all Democrat presidents have the unwaveringly loyal support of the media, print and digital. News coverage of past Democrat presidents has mostly been favorable, overlooking negative stories and supplying an abundance of humanizing puff pieces. Democrat presidential candidates are routinely endorsed by most major newspapers in America.
Then along came Donald Trump, previously a member of each political party at different times in his life when such party affiliation served his interests. The truth was he was never a Democrat or a Republican, at least as they are defined today. Instead he is a problem solver, beholden to no one and not part of the political establishment. His loyalty is only to America and those who voted for him, not to the donor classes and globalist elites.
Seeking the presidency, he understood the folly of running as a third-party candidate, at least officially, although in reality he was very much a third-party candidate, joining the GOP as the lessor of two evils. He was not part of either party’s ruling cabal, having never held elective office or political appointment. He did not campaign or arrive at the White House with an entourage of advisors and staff, from previous stints as a governor or senator. Trump was an army of one.
His past confidants from the Trump Tower days were his family and assorted lawyers and other fixer types, used as necessary when swimming through the shark-infested waters of New York City real estate development. President Trump entered the White House thin on trusted political aides and advisors. Few are still in his administration while most are long gone, some quietly and at least outwardly supportive of Trump, while others departed noisily, making trouble for Trump in exchange for book deals or appearances on CNN. Very few were solidly part of Trump’s army.
Now in the second half of his first term in office, he remains the king of a nonexistent political party, at least in Washington, DC. His actual party is “Yuuge” with a political base that elected and likely will reelect him in 2020. Trump hovers around 50 percent in the polls with 90 plus-percent support among...
The Left Is Doubling Down on Schemes to Pack the Supreme Court
Anything the left can’t control, it aims to destroy.
From campaigns to abolish the Senate to the growing movement to upend the Electoral College after Hillary Clinton’s defeat in the 2016 presidential election, progressives have few qualms about getting rid of long-standing constitutional institutions.
Now they’re doubling down on their efforts to wage war on the Supreme Court.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday that Democrats should consider court-packing during an appearance at Yale, noting that he would try to add two seats if he were president.
Eric Holder said in an appearance at Yale today that Democrats should look at possibly packing the Supreme Court, per a spox.
192 people are talking about this
The left has relied on the Supreme Court to solidify its policy gains over the past half-century in particular. Now it faces the prospect of an originalist-leaning institution overturning some progressive precedents.
Left-wing groups are openly advocating that the next Democrat president pack the Supreme Court to expand the number of justices behind the now traditional nine.
Politico reported that one initiative, appropriately named “Pack the Courts,” is trying to get 2020 presidential candidates to sign onto a pledge to do just that.
“At Demand Justice, we strongly believe that reforming the court—especially by expanding it—is the cornerstone for rebuilding American democracy,” said Brian Fallon, director of Demand Justice and a former Hillary Clinton press secretary, according to Politico. “The Kavanaugh court is a partisan operation, and democracy simply cannot function when stolen courts operate as political shills. We are thrilled to work in coalition with the team at Pack the Courts to undo the politicization of...
The 90 Miles Mystery Box: Episode #557
You have come across a mystery box. But what is inside?
It could be literally anything from the serene to the horrific,
from the beautiful to the repugnant,
from the mysterious to the familiar.
If you decide to open it, you could be disappointed,
you could be inspired, you could be appalled.
This is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended.
You have been warned.
Sunday, March 10, 2019
In 2020, It's Either Trump Of The Socialists...
It's Either Descent Into Venezuela Or Prosperity, Safety And Progress.
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