Search This Blog

De Omnibus Dubitandum - Lux Veritas

Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexico. Show all posts

Sunday, March 23, 2025

Observations From the Back Row With News and Views For March 23, 2025.

By Rich Kozlovich 
 
The problem for so many is a lack of focus.  Now that I've been retired for a few years I find that to be more and more true.  As we start out our lives reality forces us to to focus on our careers.  Then as we marry we focus on our marriage.  Then the children come along and we focus on the needs of the nuclear family.  If you're a business owner, we focus on building the business with a focus on retirement.  Then....  all of a sudden.....  you hit that age when the children are gone and on their own, you're retired and you don't have to get up to go to work, you don't have a schedule to lend focus to your day, and the biggest decisions you make are when to go to bed, when to get up, whether to take a nap or not, and this is the big one.   Will I have breakfast at home or out?
 
At that point you're forced to ask, what should I be doing in my life now?  If you're used to doing things, then that requires some personal reflection.  If that's not to your taste, you can just sit and watch TV until you die.  That's the conundrum for Democrats now.  Reflection!
 
One Democrat talking head is just stunned Trump supporters are not turning on him like the Democrats turned on little Chuckie Schumer.  In fact, they just can't grasp how or why Trump supporters love what he's doing.  Why?   The answer is simple.  It's a failure to reflect on reality, which causes an inability to focus on reality.  Instead of worrying about why Trump supporters aren't turning on Trump, their focus should be on asking why their approval ratings are in the toilet, and why America isn't buying the horsepucky from the left and why their media lackeys no longer matter. 
 
But they won't, and in point of fact, they can't.   At least if they wish to remain leftists and Democrats, because everything they promote is being rejected, so if they change by recognizing and accepting reality, then they can't be leftists, or Democrats any longer.    It's like asking a Muslim to reject jihad, which is central to Islam.  If they do that, then they're not Muslims.   Democrats and Muslims get those distinctions.  Conservatives need to get them also. 
 
Let's not delude ourselves, the nation is in the midst of a third revolution. Radical leftists are physically attacking people and destroying property, and the Democrat party thinks that all just fine and dandy.  They're deeply entrenched in policies that are destroying America culturally and economically.  The federal judiciary - for decades - has been attempting to destroy the Constitutional separation of powers and impose a kritocracy (rule by judges) on the nation, and now they're in open rebellion, and finally, America gets that.  
 
What I'm finding to be a bit shocking is the race in Wisconsin for a seat on their Supreme Court on April 1.  It has been considered a shoo in for a far left radical, who has made it clear she would like to control redistricting in order to make sure more Democrats are elected to Congress.  But now, all of a sudden, it seems the conservative candidate actually has a chance, and he's been endorsed by Trump.  If that happens it will be a shock to the left, but I wouldn't bet the house on it. 
Greenpeace in North Dakota and lost to the tune of  "more than $660 million dollars", and Elon Musk is suing Democrat Jamaal Bowman for calling him a ‘Nazi’ on CNN.  There's nothing like a good civil penalty to get peoples head on straight.   
 
Is George Soros behind all this?  Well, it's being reported his money is behind:
 
"Indivisible, a nationwide activist network that has taken over $7.6 million from Soros’ Open Society Foundation since 2017, is helping to lead efforts to push Schumer out of his seat".  
 
If that's true, and I'm sure it is, then how many other groups has he funded, and how many are being funded surreptitiously though the Tides Foundation.   
 
The Tides Center was launched in 1996 as an offshoot of the Tides Foundation. It has incubated numerous social justice, environmental, gun-control, and abortion-rights groups. George Soros's Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation have all pushed funding through the network.
 
One thing we do know is his money is being used to destroy America, and that's been known for many years.  So, if that's true, and it is, when does someone start a massive RICO investigation about regarding the Dark Money funding all this destructive behavior?  These vile characters are described by Daniel Greenfield as "the absentee owners of the Democrat Party."  Here's more on the funding behind so much destructive activity. 
 
Below are links to articles that have appeared over the last two days dealing with: ActBlue, Autopen, Culture, Democrats, DOGE, Economics, Immigration, Judiciary, Lawfare, Mexico, Middle East, and Religion.
 
Take some time and make your picks.  Enjoy!

 ActBlue
 
Federal Judges Are on the Payroll of China, CCP, Mexican Drug Cartels - I've argued for years that the open border was an intentional plan to destroy America by welcoming in millions of foreign invaders. The goal was to create a welfare state and get them all to vote Democrat, so eventually no Republican could ever be elected again.  I've also argued for years that the Democrat politicians who supported this plan were on the payroll of China, the Chinese Communist Party and the Mexican drug cartels..........And now, word is out the FBI and Congress are about to indict top players at ActBlue........Now we come to Democrat-appointed federal judges. These are the "enforcers" for this dirty Democrat/deep state conspiracy to destroy America with open borders..............

Autopen
 
The Autopen, The Presidency And The Constitution: What To Know - The “autopen” is in vogue. On March 17, President Donald Trump announced in a late-night social media post that he would ignore several pardons issued by his predecessor, President Joe Biden, because they were allegedly signed by autopen............
 
Autopen on autopilot - That a president of the United States was unfit for four years is the biggest scandal in American history. Where is the accountability and reckoning?..........
 
How much did Joe know? - The autopen story and all of the talk about Biden’s cognitive decline raises a question.  How much did President Biden know?  Did he understand just how far to the left he was being pushed?  I am not trying to make excuses for Mr. Biden, but this leftist tilt was not what I thought would happen.  Maybe I’m alone, but I actually did think that President Biden would be more centrist and stay away from extremes.....
 
My Take - While it seems clear to me Biden was clueless about a lot of these signatures, but I  really don't see this going where conservatives wish for it to go.  All Joe has to say is I ordered them to use autopen, and I have no doubt he will do that.  He has to, because if he doesn't he's admitting he really wasn't aware of what was going on, and he really wasn't President,  and that's not who Joe Biden is, and that will pretty much end it.  RK
 
Culture
 
Righteous Attacks Bringing the Left to Heel - Democrat leaders like Senator Chuck Schumer message thinly veiled threats of violence to their (increasingly small) numbers of followers. They are responding in counterproductive ways like torching and defacing Tesla cars and trucks, vehicles most likely owned by Democrats who believe in the climate change fairy tale and want to reduce CO2 emissions. The logical response of Democrat owners is to blame and leave the party that provokes this nonsensical criminal behavior. .......
 
Democrats
 
Not Radical Enough: The Left Devours Its Own as Pro-Palestinian Mob Ambushes Democrat at Town Hall - A growing wave of unhinged, pro-Palestinian activism is turning violent and cannibalistic, as radical leftists now target even their own Democrat allies for failing to embrace enough Jew-hatred, with town halls erupting into chaos, assaults, and outright domestic terrorism.  This is what happens to progressives when they aren’t radical or anti-Semitic enough for the fringe Left. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) is certainly not conservative. He hates Republicans, and he despises Elon Musk, but he evidently doesn’t hate Israel enough to appease the pro-Palestinian faction of his base at a town hall last week........
 
My Take - When you sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind, and when your base is the far left, this should have been expected.  The Democrat party has been inciting violence and civil disorder for years, even funding it through the Deep State, and yet, now they're shocked.  Imagine that.  The Democrat party is in a state of collapse. Schadenfreude!
 
A Democratic congressman gets a taste of the Left’s unhinged hate - On Wednesday, he got a taste of the unhinged Jew-hatred on the Left, and it was just one of a number of disturbances that happened at congressional events during the week. At least one of them turned violent.
 
President Trump and unitary power - No, not President Trump’s unitary power.  I’m referring to the left’s belief in its unitary power.  “Our democracy” is not about democracy in the same vein that “our truth” is not about truth.  The left’s interest is about not democracy, but power.  If voting works to their advantage, they support the vote.  When the people denounce their legislative and executive candidates, they fall back on their “activists” in the Judicial Branch.......
 
When silence is permission - In the last two weeks, we have seen numerous acts of violence and vandalism across the country. First came the coordinated attacks on Teslas, Tesla dealerships, and charging stations. The second is the rash of swatting, targeting conservative voices......What we saw from the Democrats was pathetic yet entirely expected. Rather than condemn acts of violence, they actually encouraged them. .....
 
Democrats’ ambivalence about healthy authority in America - One of my favorite New Yorker cartoons shows a psychiatrist hitting his patient on the couch over the head with his shoe, exclaiming, “It may have been right even if your mother said so!”  Democrats, in addition to a massive loss of a sense of humor and common sense, have recently lost sight of the importance of a healthy presence of authority to maintain the fabric of any society...........Mere blind destructive resistance at any cost and to anything Trump tries without offering constructive alternatives is political suicide and homicide — and is getting beyond the symbolic..........
 
America's Toughest Governor, Maine's Janet Mills, Just Folded Like A Cheap Lawn Chair- You remember the story, right? All of the nation's governors were at the White House for a meeting with Donald Trump on February 22nd, and Maine's Janet Mills stole the show, as it were.  Trump, a couple weeks earlier, had signed an executive order to ban biological males from competing in women's sports, and threatened to pull education funding to districts, states, and colleges/universities that did not comply. Enter Governor Mills.............

Politico: The Midterm Elections Ain't Looking Good for Democrats - As if the Democrats’ ignominious defeat in 2024 wasn’t bad enough, they could be headed for even worse in the upcoming midterm elections. A Politico report detailed the level of dissatisfaction Democratic voters are feeling toward their party at the moment. After the election and Senate Democrats capitulating to Republicans during the spending bill battle, it is not too surprising that the proverbial thrill is gone.............

Why domestic terrorism from the left?  Throughout America, we are seeing concentrated, escalating acts of domestic terrorism, from “swatting” of conservative media personalities to the firebombing of Tesla dealerships and street thuggery by activist miscreants (and crazy people) accosting Tesla owners across the country.  I would also add the astroturfing of Republican town halls, and what we’re seeing in the form of judicial activism as forms of terrorism.  But why are we seeing this? We are seeing this because the left have nothing else.  Truly.  What is their current platform?............

Far-Left Radicals Threaten and Shut Down AMAC Event in Oregon - A radical far-left group threatened and shut down a conservative event in King City, Oregon organized by AMAC, with OR State Rep. Ed Diehl, and speakers from United Sovereign Americans, Heritage Action and Turning Point USA. An Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) event was supposed to take place today, Saturday, March 22, 2025.......... These peaceful, God, and America-loving groups were supposed to share in an open setting thoughts and ideas to support sensible legislation, fiscal responsibility, and accountability at all levels of government.............This was too much for the radical left in Oregon. They had to shut this down. To hell with free speech, do what the Nazis did and prevent those not supporting your ideas from ever gathering together and scare them into submission, then label them Nazis...........

GOP Rep. Lawler: Schumer Admitted Dems Sending Protesters to Republican Districts - Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY) said Thursday on CNN’s “Newsnight” that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had said multiple times that the Democratic Party is sending protesters to Republican town halls to be disruptive.  Lawler said, “Let me just make a point as a member that is in a swing district, okay. I have and continue to do in person events, including today, where i was protested by climate activists. okay. they showed up, barged into a private luncheon with the Rockland Business association and screamed and yelled for five minutes and then finally left.”..........

Ezra Klein: CA Learned Nothing from High-Speed Rail Failure, Dems Ignore Failed Governance -  California hasn’t learned anything from its failure on high-speed rail and Democrats are treating their problems with effective governance as “not a real problem.” .... “are driving people out, working-class families out of the states that they govern because the cost of living is too high and the cost of living is too high, in part for regulatory reasons, in part for taxes...... not enough homes, not enough energy, not a government capable of delivering. And they’ve been treating that as not a real problem......

Deep State/FBI/The Purge

 

The FBI flees the FBI - I’ve been writing about the amazingly corrupt and illegal practices of the FBI for years, including recently in The FBI hides evidence of being the FBI, a cautionary tale about FBI agents destroying incriminating evidence of their misdeeds:.......... 

The Department of Education: A perspective from 1979 - Recently, I found something in a box of memorabilia — an Aug. 3, 1979 Michigan Daily, the student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Why do we save old newspapers or magazines?  Why did I save this one?  Maybe it’s because, in 1979, I was back on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, working on a new minor, after graduating in 1973 with a major in English and a minor in psychology in the School of Education..............
 
DOGE

 

Marlow on Alan Jackson Now: DOGE Is Actually Accomplishing What Dems Said They Wanted To Do -  On Friday’s “Alan Jackson Now,” “Alex Marlow Show” host and Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow stated that DOGE is just doing things some on the left acknowledge they should have done and others have given lip service to doing.  Marlow said that some on the left acknowledge “they blew it, they should have done a DOGE when Biden was in and when Obama was in” but that this view hasn’t broken into the mainstream.....

The Sky Will Not Fall and America Won’t Grind to a Halt Because Some Federal Employees Are Losing Their Jobs Due to DOGE - Fear is a strong motivator—especially when it’s given a political megaphone. And Democrat officials, public employee unions, and their minions in the media have no qualms about trying to terrify the public with ridiculous claims in an attempt to counter President Donald Trump’s swamp-cleansing initiatives through the work of the Department of Government Efficiency. Just look at the recent hysteria from Capitol Hill. Last month, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., likened the dismissal of federal employees to “a bank robber trying to fire the cops and turn off the alarm just before he strolls into the lobby.”............

Economics

Understanding Tariffs -Eventually, President Trump’s tariffs may help the (re)establishment of a domestic industry production and the creation of jobs unless it involves the type of jobs typically done robotically..
 
19 Reasons Why the Federal Reserve Is at the Heart of Our Economic Problems - Most Americans have absolutely no idea how we got into the mess that we are in today.  The reason why the U.S. government is 36 trillion dollars in debt and our society as a whole is 102 trillion dollars in debt is because the system is performing exactly as it was designed.  We have a system that was literally designed to create colossal amounts of debt.  But if you ask most Americans about this, they cannot tell you what the Federal Reserve is or why it is at the heart of our economic problems...............The truth is that the Federal Reserve is a privately-owned banking cartel that has been given a perpetual monopoly over our monetary system by the U.S. Congress.  This privately-owned central bank has been destroying the value of the U.S. dollar for decades, it has run our economy into the ground, and it has driven the U.S. government to the brink of bankruptcy.  The Federal Reserve operates in great secrecy  and it acts as if it is not accountable to the American people.  Yet the decisions that the Federal Reserve makes have a dramatic impact on the lives of every single American citizen.............

Immigration

/>

Mahmoud Khalil: The Lawfare Circus Delayed, but the Show Must Go OnCharlton Allen Memo to law enforcement: Do your job, and let the activist lawyers rage on MSNBC while you enforce the law............

Gang Violence in Sweden Is a Crisis Decades in the Making, Experts Say - Magnus Lindgren, a former police chief general secretary of the Safer Sweden Foundation, said there were 15,000 ’very dangerous criminals’ in Sweden.  On March 12, sanctions were imposed on Rawa Majid, a Swedish gangster known as The Kurdish Fox, by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).  Majid, 38, who was born in Iran, is the leader of the so-called Foxtrot Network, one of the most powerful organized crime gangs in Sweden...........Why have criminals like The Kurdish Fox thrived in Sweden, and why has violent crime, including bombings and shootings, gone up so much in recent years?............“Criminal policy has long been characterized by ideals of humanism, which originate from the 1970s, with the view that it is society’s fault if crime is committed, not the individual’s,” it stated.  “As a consequence, treatment has come before punishment and non-custodial sanctions before imprisonment.”..........

Trump Administration Revoking Legal Status of over 500K Biden-Era Migrants - The Trump administration is revoking the legal status of more than 500,000 migrants who entered the United States through a Biden administration parole program. CBS News reported that 532,000 migrants from countries such as Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, who entered the country through a program called CHNV, will have their “work permits and deportation protections” terminated in April. Per CBS News:.....

Martha’s Vineyard invasion forgotten - Recently, U.S. District judge James Boasberg banged his gavel and directed the Trump administration to stop deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members without a hearing. Boasberg wanted those planes turned around in mid-flight and returned to the United States. This reaction of this federal judge surprised me, because the invasion of Martha’s Vineyard in 2022 was resolved quickly, quietly, and then relegated to the dustbin of history. Entitled, affluent, residents of Martha’s Vineyard narrowly avoided a disaster of epic proportions in 2022. Apparently, 50 (that’s f-i-f-t-y) illegal aliens were FedExed by Governor Ron DeSantis to the enclave of the rich and famous. These immigrants wanted a better life in America, learned that Martha’s Vineyard was a sanctuary city, and believed their proud signage:..............

Why have permanent foreigners? - Among the left’s outrage about the arrest for possible deportation of Mahmoud Khalil — the Columbia University rabble-rouser who distributed propaganda on behalf of a foreign terrorist organization, Hamas — is that the former student is a legal permanent resident.  “He has a green card!” they exclaim whenever legal permanent residents are deported.  Take for example the “Milwaukee mom,” here since practically birth who was sent back to Laos...after being released from prison for interstate trafficking of marijuana.......... And once one crosses that border, neither a visa nor a green card immunizes him from account for things like spreading propaganda for foreign terrorist organizations like Hamas.  Or supporting foreign terrorist organizations like Hezb’allah by “just happening” to have attended a terrorist’s funeral while back in the old country. .........

Judiciary

Hegseth CRUSHES Crazed Biden Judge in Response to Her Order Forcing Pentagon to Allow Transgender Troops - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth absolutely crushed a federal judge in response to her order forcing the Pentagon to allow transgender troops. In January President Trump signed the “Restoring America’s Fighting Force” executive order and the “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness” executive orders, which direct every element of the U.S. military to “operate free from any preference based on race or sex” and root out gender insanity and made up pronoun usage, respectively. Earlier this week, Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee from Uruguay, issued a temporary nationwide injunction blocking Trump’s transgender military ban................. 

My Take - Another foreign born federal judge?  Right along with term limits, and a failure to define jurisdictional authority of the federal judiciary, that's another Constitutional error Founding Fathers that needs to be fixed. RK

Obama-Appointed Judge’s Anti-DOGE Ruling Is So “Weirdly Written” That It Could Lead to the Shutdown of Social Security - A federal judge on Thursday barred DOGE from accessing social security systems.  US District Judge Ellen Hollander, an Obama appointee, said DOGE’s workers are on a “fishing expedition.” “The DOGE Team is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspicion. It has launched a search for the proverbial needle in the haystack, without any concrete knowledge that the needle is actually in the haystack,” Judge Hollander wrote. Far-left organizations like AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers and other plaintiffs sued the Social Security Administration, Elon Musk, DOGE and other Trump advisors...............

DOJ Wants Judge Removed From Case Challenging Trump’s Executive Order - The Department of Justice filed a motion on March 21 requesting District of Columbia District Judge Beryl Howell disqualify herself from Perkins Coie LLP’s case challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order against it due to her publicly declared disdain for the president and her connection with essential aspects of the case...

The center of infection - Not much is remarked yet on the federal judges trying to legislate from the bench in denying Donald Trump’s executive orders and immigration policies is how a number of them all live within walking (or at least biking) distance of each other. James Boasberg, who tried to order the Trump administration to bring back planes of violent illegal alien gang members being flown to El Salvador’s prisons, lives in “Chevy Chase, D.C.,” the posh D.C. neighborhood bordering the town of Chevy Chase, Maryland, where Boasberg’s Yale Law classmate Justice Brett Kavanaugh resides.............

Welcome to the Krytocracy - We may think we live in a democracy, which comes from the Greek words “demos” (people) and “kratos” (rule). But with one federal district judge after another attempting to stop President Donald Trump from carrying out his policies, it’s starting to look more like a “krytocracy,” or rule by judges. Look at the litigation tracker from the organization Lawfare and you’d think it was from Trump’s first 100 months, not first 100 days. Here’s a small sample of what his administration is being challenged on: deporting criminal or terrorist-supporting aliens; freezing federal funding to avoid fraud and waste; giving federal employees a voluntary early severance package; DOGE (too many times to go into); making senior civil servants more accountable to the president; and dismantling federal agencies that no longer serve the national interest.........

Lawfare

Alarming Situation: Elon Musk Says He’s Suing Democrat Jamaal Bowman for Calling Him a ‘Nazi’ on CNN - Elon Musk has had enough. He announced on X Friday that he was suing Jamaal Bowman for calling him a ‘Nazi’ and a ‘thief’ on CNN. Bowman is the former Democrat congressman who infamously pulled a fire alarm to delay a vote......Democrats have turned up their violent rhetoric and lying about Musk. It’s created a political atmosphere so toxic that domestic terrorists are now targeting Tesla dealerships, vehicles, and charging stations by vandalizing and torching them. Commenters make the connection.......

 Mexico
 
Bone Dry Border Dispute Leaves Farmers High And Dry - The Trump administration has lambasted Mexico for its failure to adhere to a water treaty established in 1944, according to Republican Senator Ted Cruz from Texas. Cruz has been insisting that Mexico fulfill its water supply obligations, but it was the Trump administration that finally took action to protect the rights of farmers near the Rio Grande. Frankly, it’s about time. Mexico has consistently reneged on its water responsibilities for decades. The 1944 Water Treaty, officially known as the Treaty Regarding the Use of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers and the Rio Grande, was signed between the United States and Mexico on February 3, 1944. The treaty aimed to allocate the waters of these rivers between the two countries, ensuring that both nations had reliable access to essential water resources needed for agriculture, industry, and urban development........
 
Middle East
 
Iranian Regime’s Nuclear Crisis and Diplomatic Tensions: Negotiation or Confrontation? -The Iranian regime’s nuclear program has once again become the focal point of international tensions. According to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has produced 275 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%. This level of enrichment brings Iran dangerously close to the 90% threshold necessary for developing a nuclear weapon.............
 
Iraq’s Debt to America: It’s Time to Collect - It’s time for President Trump to stop playing nice. Iraq, a country we’ve invested trillions in over the past two decades, owes us. The reconstruction, the security operations, and the countless lives lost—all funded by American taxpayers. Yet, while we’ve spent this immense sum on their recovery, Iraq continues to sit on one of the world’s largest oil reserves. It’s time to call in the debt. 
 
Religion 
 
About Those 100 'Faith Leaders' Who Support Reckless Government Spending - We’re seeing a society become unhinged…again. Trump has quite a way with the radical Left. They absolutely hate him and DOGE, and they hourly lose it. Now they’re burning Teslas (so much for climate care), raging in hotel lobbies and on college campuses to defend Hamas supporters, and cursing up a storm at rallies.   It's not just paid activists and politicians jumping into the resistance ring; it’s leftist “faith leaders” too. Recently, nearly 100 “progressive” religious folks signed a letter demanding an unbiblical “Return to Jesus.” The Lenten letter demanded that hundreds of millions of wasted taxpayer dollars continue to flow to (leftist) NGOs. ..........100 “faith leaders” are the religious collaborators who are manipulating the public as they demand that we all bow to the State. .............Nearly every one of the signers is radically pro-abortion: Jim Wallis (Sojourners), Shane Claiborne (Red Letter Christians), Bishop Claude Alexander (Evangelicals for Harris), Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson (Children’s Defense Fund), Dr. Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker (AME Church) and so many more...........

Getting Back to Serving Humanity - When the Brahmins of Boston and Concord declared Christianity unfit for human consumption, well over a century ago in New England, they remade mankind into creatures of innate goodness and light, believing that — as Ben Franklin had put it — people could live anywhere there is freedom...........The progress of myopic globalists to “make the world better” is revealed in today’s pathologic mess the world is in.....The core of faithful Christians is not small, it is true, but they have yet to face down liberals, progressives, and pastors who seek enlightenment in their crania instead of in the One who gave them their brains and faculties. Such astounding waste of human energy and show of arrogance has led too many to forget that Judeo-Christianity made possible a civilization with no equal in benefit to humanity...............
 
 

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Here's Why the Tariff Threat Was Necessary

Joe Fried CPA Feb 04, 2025 @ Joe Fried CPA Election Central

Note: I published this article in the American Thinker yesterday, just before significant developments were announced. The Mexican President has agreed to station 10,000 troops on the border between Mexico and the USA. As a result, the tariff decision has been postponed for 1 month. Similarly, the tariffs between USA and Canada have been postponed for a month, in light of certain security concessions by Canada. 

The leaders of Canada and Mexico are indignant because Trump slammed 25 percent tariffs onto their exports. In this dispute, most of the world will side with Canada and Mexico, and Trump will be viewed as mean, erratic and even racist. It is likely that Democrats will also blast Trump, but that will be a mistake – for Democrats.

For years, the nation has talked about massive numbers of fentanyl deaths, yet there has been little or no relief. Trump is taking the only action that is likely to alleviate the problem in a significant way.

On this issue, the resistance offered by Canada and Mexico has been disgraceful. President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico put the blame entirely on the United States, and promised her own 25 percent retaliatory tariffs.

Sheinbaum arrogantly declared that Americans can solve the fentanyl problem by combating “the sale of narcotics on the streets of their main cities, which they don’t do.” In an ideal world, that might be a solution. However, our “main cities” are run by Democrat mayors and district attorneys, and they don’t care much about crime unless it can be pinned onto someone in MAGA world. To solve the illegal migrant and drug problem, we need more cooperation from Mexico, as Sheinbaum should know.

The response of Canada’s Prime Minister is just as inadequate. Justin Trudeau indicated that Canada will issue its own 25 percent tariffs, targeted towards certain U.S. products. He then tried to sweet-talk Americans by claiming that the border and drug problems are not very significant (“...already safe and secure”), and that Canada has implemented a major plan to remedy the minor problem. Let’s examine Trudeau’s big plan.

Trudeau claimed that Canada has “launched a $1.3 billion border plan that is already showing results....” However, the Trudeau plan should be evaluated in light of these facts:

  • $1.3 billion in Canada dollars is only $900 million in U.S. dollars.
  • The plan was outlined for the first time just six weeks ago (December 17, 2024), so it is very unlikely that it “is already showing results.”
  • The components of the plan are quite vague. There will be $667M for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and $355M of the Canada Border Services Agency. Are those funds for hiring more people — or for giving bigger pensions? And why is $77M allocated to Health Canada?
  • The funds are for a period spanning SIX YEARS. On a yearly basis that is very small change.

As noted, Trudeau suggested that the northern border is already safe and secure, but what are the facts?

In an article posted by CBC News on September 12, 2024, there are many quotations from Canadian officials, and they describe a problem that is spiraling out of control. Kelly Sundberg, of Mount Royal University stated:

“I hate to admit it, but I think that Donald Trump is right on this, that there is a need to focus north.”

Sundberg added:

“The Americans are well aware that Canada’s capacity to screen people is really limited, if at all even existent. I mean, we do screen, kind of, but we don’t do a proficient or effective job. The Americans are well aware of this, so they can’t trust our system.”

Despite the weaknesses in their ability to detect illegal crossings, our Canadian neighbors discovered 19,498 migrant crossings to the USA between October 2023 and July 2024 — twice as many as in the previous year. But that is probably the tip of an iceberg.

Having lived in a northern border state, I guarantee you that anyone wanting to cross without detection would have no problem. Indeed, it is often difficult to even know exactly where the border is, since there are endless miles without fencing.

The northern border was described this way in an article in Newsday:

“No fence. No barricade.... The U.S.-Canada border is the longest in the world at 5,525 miles — more than twice as long as the border with Mexico — and it's pretty porous.”

For that reason, the serious criminals —drug runners, cartel operatives, sex traffickers, terrorists — are starting to cross into the USA from the north. Those criminals don’t want to be detected, so they are not in the official statistics.

Sgt. Charles Poirier of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) described the growing problem this way:

“There isn’t a day or night where there isn’t a crossing... For the past few months, what we’re seeing is a lot of people landing at international airports, at either Montreal or Toronto. And then within a few hours of their arrival, we catch them at the border, either attempting to cross or they’ve already successfully crossed.”

In all likelihood, it is far more difficult to detect illegal crossings at the northern border than at the southern border. However, there is an additional problem: Once they catch a migrant crossing into the USA, the Canadians don’t know what to do about it. The problem was outlined by Chief Supt. Mathieu Bertrand, head of Serious and Organized Crime and Border Integrity (RCMP):

“If we intercept individuals prior to them crossing the border, they’re in fact not committing any offence. We have no authority to ask questions or begin an investigation at that time. It’s very hard to identify elements of the offence to charge those individuals and bring them to court.”

All of the problems outlined above explain why President Trump is playing hardball, with justification. Perhaps the price of avocados will increase, and maybe even the price of automobiles. But can’t we put up with those high prices in order to save thousands of young lives?

In any event, it won’t take too long because any pain we feel will be minor compared to that of Canada and, especially, Mexico. Their sales to the USA are vital to their economies. Our sales to them are important to us, but not vital.

TDS still rages among Democrats, so they will probably side with Canada and Mexico. Sooner or later, however, President Trump will win this trade war. When that happens, many fentanyl deaths will be avoided, and Democrats will wish they had supported the President in this vitally important endeavor.


Friday, November 29, 2024

Trump Gets Migration Agreement from Mexico – What Everyone Misses

Fourth Estate obfuscation buries the win.  

By | Nov 28, 2024 @ Liberty Nation News, Tags: Articles, Opinion, Politics

Trump Gets Migration Agreement from Mexico – What Everyone Missesl

On Wednesday, November 27, President-elect Donald Trump and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo talked about closing the US-Mexico border. Behind the conversation, it seems an accord is waiting in the wings. While both sides declared the discussion productive, an undercurrent is being purposely obscured by US media.

The Mexico Connection

“Just had a wonderful conversation with the new President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo,” Trump wrote on social media. “She has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border. We also talked about what can be done to stop the massive drug inflow into the United States, and also, U.S. consumption of these drugs. It was a very productive conversation!”

He later declared boldly, “Mexico will stop people from going to our Southern Border, effective immediately. THIS WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD STOPPING THE ILLEGAL INVASION OF THE USA. Thank you!!!”

Despite President Sheinbaum’s combative tone last week when responding to Trump’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on America’s southern neighbor, she lauded the talks and her own efforts to stop the flow of people:

“Thanks to this, migrants and caravans are assisted before they reach the border… We reiterate that Mexico’s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples.”

And yet, enthusiasm is notably lacking in the media coverage.

Unleash the Pooh-Poohing!

DC’s most notable newspaper was quick to pooh-pooh the news, insisting that:

“While migrants routinely form caravans in southernmost Mexico to move through dangerous areas where they could be kidnapped, the caravans typically only travel a few days before they’re disbanded by Mexican authorities. Not a single big migrant caravan has made it to the U.S. border in at least six years.”

But this ignores the reality of the situation in a way that demonstrates either an obtuse ignorance or a purposeful diminishing of what it actually means.

Of course, big caravans do not make it to the US border! Why would they? Why would migrants travel hundreds of miles to make an illegal crossing and then line up at a single spot where they could be waiting days to get through or be corralled when they finally do? Caravans travel together until they are within range and then spread out to improve their chances of a successful crossing. That the DC news purveyor would suggest otherwise is almost certainly designed to delude their dwindling readership into thinking an agreement with Mexico is either futile or window-dressing.

However, the coalescing battle against Trump’s plans is perhaps even more spurious.

Since Donald Trump announced his across-the-board tariff proposal, both social and legacy media have been flooded with two arguments. The first is that “avocados will be more expensive,” and the second is that “American consumers will carry the burden.” These twin rebuttals are as self-serving as they are disconnected.

The Avocado Assault

Let’s talk avocados. A bevy of posts and articles declare that the cost of food – and for some reason, avocados are the go-to example – will rise by a quarter. “Hope you like paying more for your guac” is an oft-repeated dig at those who voted for Trump. How out of touch can a group of disaffected “resistance” fighters be to think the American public would rather have open borders with its high cost and increased criminality just to get their tasty green dip?

The shade of Marie Antoinette would doubtless approve.

Then there is the argument stating the American taxpayer will be the most negatively impacted by a 25% tariff. Certainly, the US gets a big chunk of exports from Mexico, but the balance is unequal. More than 78% of Mexican exports go to America; should the US decide that a price increase imposed by the seller is too high, consumers might just cut back. That’s an outsized detriment to businesses south of the border.

President Sheinbaum has to live in the political world, and she has a choice: stop the flow of migration or suffer the wrath of every business that relies on exports. Whether Americans stop buying, buy less, or find other suppliers from third-party nations who can now compete thanks to a price hike, it all points to an economic catastrophe. Or she could close her southern border, and trade can continue as normal.

Remember, at today’s prices, avocados in Mexico are around $1.30 per pound. In Columbia, that’s about 90 cents.

The Self-Preservation Society

The barrage of criticism – some valid, much not – against Trump’s proposed tariffs mainly focuses on prices. What is entirely missed is that tariffs are and always have been a political tool. When President Sheinbaum said she would impose her own reciprocal trade costs, the US media did not leap to crucify her over the damage it would do to her economy. Instead, the Fourth Estate closed its collective eyes and sought to demonize President-elect Trump and play a dishonest language game where bad things only happen on one side of the border.

It seems that the incoming president, in reality, does not want tariffs. Instead, he is using the threat (and, make no mistake, it is a threat he fully intends to carry out) to deal with the humanitarian crisis that faces the United States.

President Sheinbaum may just be going through the motions with talks of “cooperation” and “increased security,” but when those tariffs kick in, we may witness a Damascene conversion that makes her a true believer in national sovereignty and border security.

~

Liberty Nation does not endorse candidates, campaigns, or legislation, and this presentation is no endorsement.

 
 
Read More From Mark Angelides Editor-in-Chief
 

Monday, October 7, 2024

News and Views

By Rich Kozlovich

I've not posted much about the two debates because the national consensus is clear.  Both Trump and Vance won, hands down,  even with the help of a corrupt, antagonistic, and lying media promoting a leftist agenda, both Kamala and Walz looked like dimwits.

Ford has lost billions on their ridiculous electric vehicles agenda, and so what do they do? Double down on stupid.  It's mind boggling. The same people who are working to destroy the world's energy production, are the same people telling us to convert to electric vehicles. How in the world did that stupid gene become so ubiquitous? Answer, it was always been there, but mostly dormant, all that was needed to fan that ember of stupidity into flame was a thoroughly corrupted system of education. And it's here, and maybe ... just maybe....  it's a good time to look at eliminating tenure in academia.

  • My 

But it gets better all the time.   It turns out if the world is going to embrace AI and quantum computing, and it is, then and in order to do that the energy needs are going to be ....MASSIVE....!  Far beyond what we're producing now, and so far beyond what all these idiotic "alternative" environmentally destructive energy schemes are capable of producing.  

These expensive alternative energy programs are at best unreliable, and so unreliable that traditional power plants have to be built and maintained and running on stand by in order to supply power when these stupid green sources fail to work, such as when the sun stops shining in the winter and the wind stops blowing in the summer. In order to have ‘alternative’ energy we have to pay for energy we aren’t using in order to pay for energy we don’t need. How stupid can we get?

Solution?  Traditional energy production ramped way up, and nuclear.  And guess who's all on board with that.  Mister (globalism is beautiful, all leftism is good and pure, reduce the world's population, eat bugs to save the world from global warming himself) Bill Gates.  Remarkable! 

FEMA is a DEI disaster, the left loves hurricane Helene, and while the people in these states are suffering terribly, the left loves it because conditions are so bad all these Republican strongholds may not:
 
"be able to cast their ballots".  Due to... "FEMA's arrogance and interference....... reportedly one director in North Carolina who was denying aid was beaten by locals frustrated by his conduct. In some other communities, local sheriffs threatened to arrest FEMA workers if they hindered rescue and aid work."  ...........FEMA blew out its budget to pay for illegals, now it's using its remaining resources to block aid from private citizens October 3, 2024 by Monica Showalter They're from the government and they're here to help themselves........  Axelrod gloats that North Carolina's Hurricane Helene victims in pro-Trump areas may be unable to vote.
 
Given their incompetence, and their corruption, and massive waste of America tax dollars I think we need to ask if it's time to abolish FEMA?
 
Biden wants to give millions to Lebanon, and billions to Ukraine, which is being stolen hand over fist, and then says he's out of money to give to Americans "who remain stranded, homeless, powerless, and without access to necessities like food and water.".........."Are American lives not as important to the Democrats as the lives of illegal aliens? Apparently not, in the eyes of the Democrats. Make no mistake about it, siege and starvation are tools of warfare. And the Democrats are, by calculation, waging war against the dying citizens of western North Carolina."......

But the real fault for this hurricane is global warming, right?  Well, since the world stopped warming over 25 years ago, it isn't global warming any longer, it's climate change, which encompasses everything and anything.  And we know it's true because the media says so. Or then again.....is it possible they're lying?  

However, I now think we all should give CNN a round of applause.   In spite of all their lies and corruption, (if lies and corruption defined being a predator, they'd be an apex predator)  they've apparently decided it would be financially better for them to have less viewers than they do now, which has been steadily shrinking.  So, they've now decided you will have to pay a monthly fee of $3.99 to watch them spout their lies.  What could possibly go wrong?  I wonder if anyone there remembers just how successful their pay for view CNN+ streaming service worked for them?  For those who don't know, it failed.

Let's try and get this right.  Anthropogenic Global Warming is one of the greatest scientific frauds ever perpetrated on humanity, and if the media embraces it, you know it's a lie. This link will take you to my global warming commentaries.

Helene was a monster storm destroying homes, power infrastructure, bridges, destroying whole towns, killing over 200 people with untold numbers still missing, through out Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.  The estimated cost? Over three hundred billion dollars.  But not to worry, America is going to provide $157 Million in humanitarian aid to people affected by  the crisis in Lebanon.   And who are these people in Lebanon?  

(Remember the people displaced there are Hezb'allah who started the war, not the Christians, Druze, and Sunni Moslems whose communities Israel did not target and who remain safely in place.)

As for those Americans devastated by Helene, Kamala  says:

“… the federal relief and assistance that we have been providing has included FEMA providing $750 for folks who need immediate needs being met, such as food, baby formula, and the like.  And you can apply now.”  

Wow, a whole $750 bucks from the Obama/Biden/Kamala/Walz/Mayorkas cabal, while Dolly Parton is personally donating a million dollars for hurricane Helene relief efforts.  Why's FEMA out of money?  Because they lavished their funds on illegal migrants.  The agency Mayorkas claimed two months ago was totally prepared for such and event.  

Who really is Kamala's base?  Let's try this: Those who are mentally disturbed, amoral, immoral, dependent on government in some way, along with those who are ignorant and stupid. What could possibly go wrong?  A lot!  If there was any doubt America's military leadership has been corrupted by Obama resulting in a military that's incapable of defending the nation, we now have over 200 retired Generals and Admirals endorsing Trump and address why they feel that's necessary. 

Talking more about doubling down on stupid, there's always, Liz Chaney, who the Democrats now love, along with her father, the man they vilified as a real life Darth Vader for decades, and now believe these two misfits are going to rally a massive number of Republicans against Trump.  "What a time to be alive."   

Well Liz, enjoy the limelight.  The Republicans hate you, and the Democrats are laughing at you, and when the election is over, no matter how it turns out, no one will want you around them, because your legacy will be a Benedict Arnold legacy, right along with your dad.  I often wonder what her mother thinks, since she's been silent over all this.   Liz is now campaigning with Kamala, and I know the real reason for that.   It's a competition to see who can be crowned the most unlikable person in America.   I'm just surprised George Conway isn't on the stage with them.  George Conway claims Trump is another Hitler and a cancer on American life, and  Caroline Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani's daughter says Trump as a disease’.   Does anyone beside me think that falls under the category of being justifiably certifiable?

Then we have Democrats, masters at projection, accusing Trump of election interference, which is like Stalin accusing someone of being inhumane.   

"That is the ultimate danger of a Harris/Walz administration. Starting from deep in the well of corruption, how much lower will they go? The answer: as low as necessary to destroy the republic and replace it with “our democracy.” 

"As the venerable saying goes, you can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out."

Finally, we just gotta see the humor in this.  Mexico's new President, Claudia Sheinbaum who is defined in one word, leftist, and appears with the approval of the drug cartels, has been sworn in what's being called a ‘Satanic’ Inauguration Ceremony.   A nation awash in murder, child sex trafficking, illegal drugs, much of which goes on with the corrupt acceptance of government officials, is now wanting to sue America gun makers for ten billion dollars.  Yep, all that corruption is the fault of American gun makers.    

It's not only time for a border wall, it's time we totally shut down immigration, deport all the illegals, most of them to Mexico who allowed them to cross their country into America, and end the North American Trade agreement putting massive tariffs on anything coming from Mexico, or even cutting Mexico out of the picture entirely. 

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Mexico Has No Fix, and We Can't Fix Them!

By Rich Kozlovich

As my regular readers know I subscribe to a number of geopolitical sites, and some of them are tiresome with their canned comments in harmony with the leftist thinking, especially dealing with the Israel/Hamas/Hezbollah/Iran War.  It's always the Jews fault, it's always the Jews who have to stop fighting, and the unending meme the only sane solution to end the fighting is a two state solution.  All stupid, all tiresome, and entirely too long.  As if they think saying "stupid" in a lot of different ways it will make it sound like "smart".

However, my go to geopolitical site is Geopolitical Futures, who have some really excellent writers.  Good research, and usually good conclusions.  Not always, but in their case their conclusions aren't canned nonsense, they at least have a rational logic behind their conclusions. 

Recently one of my favorite writers for GPF, Allison Fedirka, who really offers some great insights on Latin and South America, posted an article on Mexico's Audacious Judicial Overhaul, and then outlined the history of Mexico's judicial changes, and how it may impact trade relations with the U.S. regarding the "renewal in 2026 of the USMCA trade pact".  

Editor's Note: This is a subscription article so you must subscribe to GPF, which I recommend, in order to open the article. RK

I was an exterminator for 40 years, and as I read this I thought of an old saying (paraphrased here) about failing to address destructive issues in society:

Putting a new coat of paint on a termite ridden house won’t fix the termites. It just hides the damage until the damage is so great the house can't be saved.

What I see going in Mexico is in my view a good reason to totally shut down the border, and end all economic relations with them. 

What's going in Mexico is a kind of insanity can only go on if it can be funded, and the corruption is massive.   Just as the true solution to major recessions/depressions in a capitalist society is to let it hit bottom.  That identifies the problems, and that allows them to be fixed.  The same is true for corrupt societies.  It will get ugly, but at some point what's necessary to fix the problems will emerge.  And no one can fix another’s societies problems because each society has its foundational social paradigms that mold the actions and thinking of that society. 

If a fix doesn’t emerge, then so be it, don't then foolishly believe we can fix if for them.

Also, we need to differentiate between what’s good for multinational American companies, and what’s good for America, and multinational companies have corrupted values.  On their best day they’re leaky vessels, and would sell the nation down the river for a good quarterly report.   

Other than to send tens of millions of illegal immigrants back over the border, and then sealing it up, we need to server relations with them until they get their society under control and stabilized.

Most importantly, their collapse is a result of massive corruption and criminal activity the government has not only tolerated, they’ve been a part of it.  Their collapse isn’t our fault, nor is it our responsibility, and now Mexico's President is blaming the Biden-Harris  administration for the Sinaloa Cartel turf war claiming, "if U.S. authorities had not worked to arrest one of the Sinaloa Cartel’s top leaders, the country would be at peace."  Imagine that! 

 This is the same corrupt nitwit that praised the Castro Regime "for it's dignity, all the while denouncing America.  How can you do credible business with such people? Why would you want to?

Here's more on that story, and as you read that you have to ask, how did these gangs become so big and so powerful in the first place? Answer?  One can only conclude Mexico's politicians, police, military are totally corrupt, and so too must be the judiciary. 

I suppose it's also America's fault a Renowned Mexican Journalist Forced to Retire After Leaks, Threats, Attacks.  Note, he and his family were targeted not just by criminals, he's also "been the target of government hostilities after Mexican prosecutors leaked his personal information to drug traffickers", hostility by the Mexican government over his exposure of all the criminal activity going on in Mexico. 

As a personal note, I don’t care what happens to these people.  If you’re moral person what’s happening in Mexico should disturb you.  If you’re a rational person, you should recognize, it’s their problem, let them fix it or not, and I have serious misgivings anything will be fixed as the new President Claudia Sheinbaum is defined in one word: Leftist!

Here's really the thrust of this commentary.  It's clear Mexico is now unfixable, and the same kind of corruption and crime is being tolerated, and even promoted by government officials in America.  Why would we believe the end result won't be the same here in America as it is in Mexico?

Here are some articles from my files:

  1. Another Violent Election in Mexico
  2. When 'A Little Corruption' in Mexico Goes Too Far 
  3. Cartels fight a round with Mexican army...and win
  4. AMLO confirms that fentanyl is coming from China
  5. China-Supplied Mexican Drug Cartels Kill Americans