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from AP Associated Press - Media/News Company
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will not willingly travel to the United States to face charges filed under seal against him, one of his lawyers said, foreshadowing a possible fight over extradition for a central figure in the U.S. special counsel’s Russia-Trump investigation. Assange, who has taken cover in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he has been granted asylum, has speculated publicly for years that the Justice Department had brought secret criminal charges against him for revealing highly sensitive government information on his website.”
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from Competitive Enterprise Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS
Bike-sharing has become all the rage in cities across America. With the twin goals of increasing “active transportation” and solving mass transit’s chronic first- and last-mile access problems, these cities have also lavished bike-share providers with generous public subsidies with extremely mixed results. New developments in this space may resolve many, if not all, of the existing complaints surrounding bike-share programs, but only if city officials get out of the way.
Republican appointees to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) have become the target of an ongoing campaign by Democrats to silence their voices and ability to administer the law. Since Republicans took a majority at the NLRB, Democrats have been trying to manipulate ethics rules to pressure Republican members into recusing themselves from important cases before the board.
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from Faith & Freedom blog.faithandfreedom.us
Two Muslim Women Newly Elected to Congress: Their Agenda
The Washington Post reports, "Americans for the first time sent a Muslim woman to Congress---actually two: Palestinian American Rashida Tlaib, of Michigan, and Somali American Ilhan Omar, of Minnesota." The Post also reports that "Omar and Tlaib are among 100 or more Muslims who ran for office in 2018, an unprecedented surge in political engagement..." What is their agenda in this newly found political engagement?
from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization
Social justice is one of those squishy terms that is not easy to define. One thing we know for certain: social justice is not the same thing as justice, an age-old idea that was the focus of such thinkers as Aristotle, Plato, Augustine of Hippo, Aquinas, and Hume. (After all, if social justice meant the same thing as justice, the word “social” would be superfluous.)
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from The Heritage Foundation
RIGHT BIAS, MIXED, think tank in Washington, D.C
Places of Worship Are Increasingly a Target. Here Are Some Security Tips.
It is unfortunate, but a trained, on-site response team is needed to appropriately address this security issue today. Once you have identified the ways to escape danger—whether it’s a fire, an unruly person, or a deadly shooter—you can begin to do simple rehearsals. We would tell you to press your attack, but understand that this makes you target No. 1 for the attacker. You will likely get hurt.
A New Way of Tracking Trump’s Judicial Nominees
The judges a president appoints may be his most important legacy. Evaluating and participating in the judicial appointment process requires good information. The conflict over judicial appointments today is really a conflict over judicial power—whether to maintain, or abandon, the judicial role as defined by the Founders.
The Path Forward on Health Reform for Conservatives
Americans care, immensely, about health care. We can expect repeated efforts to push various forms of a government-run health system over the next two years. The Health Care Choice Proposal would make coverage far more affordable—lowering premiums by up to 32 percent, according to the Center for Health and Economy.
Trump Taps Regulatory Czar to Succeed Kavanaugh on DC Circuit
President Donald Trump will nominate Neomi Rao, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Speaking at the White House’s Diwali celebration Tuesday, the president said he was slated to make the announcement on Wednesday, but was so delighted by the event he spontaneously decided to reveal Rao’s pending nomination. Diwali is a Hindu religious festival and Rao is Indian-American.
Postelection, Rebuilding the U.S. Military Just Became That Much Harder
With Democrats regaining control of the House of Representatives, the path to rebuilding America’s military just became more challenging. The Trump administration released a new national defense strategy in January, the first real defense strategy the country has had for 10 years. Hopefully, in the coming months, the administration and both houses of Congress can work together to address this issue.
Trump Is Cracking Down on Wasted Time and Money at the VA
430 medical professionals...instead of performing their duties as nurses or doctors, spend some or all of their time working for their federal employees unions. "When we hire medical professionals to take care of veterans, that’s what they should do at all times. No excuses. No exceptions.” Among those orders was a prohibition against federal employees spending more than 25 percent of their time performing official union activities.
The Legacy of Jeff Sessions
One of Sessions’ main accomplishments, Meese noted, was the department’s “renewed emphasis on fighting violent crime, illegal immigration, and the drug epidemic.” Sessions restored integrity in the operations of the department and changed the misguided course set by the prior administration. Under Sessions’ leadership, the department finally went to work to protect the First Amendment rights of college students from restrictive speech codes.
A Neglected Partner in Asia: The U.S. Should Strengthen Economic Cooperation with Taiwan
Taiwan has long been a beacon for economic growth and economic freedom in the Asia–Pacific. However, with China’s steady rise as an economic powerhouse, Beijing’s ability to influence not just the Taiwanese, but other countries’ relationships with Taiwan, has become increasingly worrisome. Taiwan is often left out as other countries sign new trade agreements. In addition, companies in Taiwan now risk being caught in the middle of an escalating trade dispute between Washington and Beijing. The U.S. can no longer stand by as these dynamics play out. Nor can it allow Taiwan and American businesses operating there to suffer unnecessary economic penalties aimed at China. Given the uncertainty of the supply chains created by ongoing trade disputes, it is necessary for businesses and consumers in both countries to know that the U.S. has reliable trade and investment partners in Asia. The White House should establish a new high-level economic dialogue with Taipei that will push past trade conflicts and other political obstacles to a more meaningful economic partnership that will benefit both countries. Taiwan—America’s 12th-largest trading partner—has become increasingly dependent on China. Reinvesting in the economic relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan will defray some of China’s non-market-based influence. The White House should establish high-level dialogue with Taipei that will push past trade conflicts and political obstacles to a more meaningful partnership.
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from Hoover Institution
Nonprofit Organization in Stanford, California
Fighting to Leave: The Devolution of the American War Aims in Afghanistan
In early winter of 2001, an invading force of fewer than 10,000 American soldiers, Marines, Special Forces, and CIA operatives stampeded the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces across Afghanistan.
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Places of Worship Are Increasingly a Target. Here Are Some Security Tips.
It is unfortunate, but a trained, on-site response team is needed to appropriately address this security issue today. Once you have identified the ways to escape danger—whether it’s a fire, an unruly person, or a deadly shooter—you can begin to do simple rehearsals. We would tell you to press your attack, but understand that this makes you target No. 1 for the attacker. You will likely get hurt.
A New Way of Tracking Trump’s Judicial Nominees
The judges a president appoints may be his most important legacy. Evaluating and participating in the judicial appointment process requires good information. The conflict over judicial appointments today is really a conflict over judicial power—whether to maintain, or abandon, the judicial role as defined by the Founders.
The Path Forward on Health Reform for Conservatives
Americans care, immensely, about health care. We can expect repeated efforts to push various forms of a government-run health system over the next two years. The Health Care Choice Proposal would make coverage far more affordable—lowering premiums by up to 32 percent, according to the Center for Health and Economy.
Trump Taps Regulatory Czar to Succeed Kavanaugh on DC Circuit
President Donald Trump will nominate Neomi Rao, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Speaking at the White House’s Diwali celebration Tuesday, the president said he was slated to make the announcement on Wednesday, but was so delighted by the event he spontaneously decided to reveal Rao’s pending nomination. Diwali is a Hindu religious festival and Rao is Indian-American.
Postelection, Rebuilding the U.S. Military Just Became That Much Harder
With Democrats regaining control of the House of Representatives, the path to rebuilding America’s military just became more challenging. The Trump administration released a new national defense strategy in January, the first real defense strategy the country has had for 10 years. Hopefully, in the coming months, the administration and both houses of Congress can work together to address this issue.
Trump Is Cracking Down on Wasted Time and Money at the VA
430 medical professionals...instead of performing their duties as nurses or doctors, spend some or all of their time working for their federal employees unions. "When we hire medical professionals to take care of veterans, that’s what they should do at all times. No excuses. No exceptions.” Among those orders was a prohibition against federal employees spending more than 25 percent of their time performing official union activities.
The Legacy of Jeff Sessions
One of Sessions’ main accomplishments, Meese noted, was the department’s “renewed emphasis on fighting violent crime, illegal immigration, and the drug epidemic.” Sessions restored integrity in the operations of the department and changed the misguided course set by the prior administration. Under Sessions’ leadership, the department finally went to work to protect the First Amendment rights of college students from restrictive speech codes.
A Neglected Partner in Asia: The U.S. Should Strengthen Economic Cooperation with Taiwan
Taiwan has long been a beacon for economic growth and economic freedom in the Asia–Pacific. However, with China’s steady rise as an economic powerhouse, Beijing’s ability to influence not just the Taiwanese, but other countries’ relationships with Taiwan, has become increasingly worrisome. Taiwan is often left out as other countries sign new trade agreements. In addition, companies in Taiwan now risk being caught in the middle of an escalating trade dispute between Washington and Beijing. The U.S. can no longer stand by as these dynamics play out. Nor can it allow Taiwan and American businesses operating there to suffer unnecessary economic penalties aimed at China. Given the uncertainty of the supply chains created by ongoing trade disputes, it is necessary for businesses and consumers in both countries to know that the U.S. has reliable trade and investment partners in Asia. The White House should establish a new high-level economic dialogue with Taipei that will push past trade conflicts and other political obstacles to a more meaningful economic partnership that will benefit both countries. Taiwan—America’s 12th-largest trading partner—has become increasingly dependent on China. Reinvesting in the economic relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan will defray some of China’s non-market-based influence. The White House should establish high-level dialogue with Taipei that will push past trade conflicts and political obstacles to a more meaningful partnership.
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from Hoover Institution
Nonprofit Organization in Stanford, California
Fighting to Leave: The Devolution of the American War Aims in Afghanistan
In early winter of 2001, an invading force of fewer than 10,000 American soldiers, Marines, Special Forces, and CIA operatives stampeded the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces across Afghanistan.
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from HumanProgress.org Education Website
Growth Is the Ultimate Weapon in Ending Child Labor
Child labor was once ubiquitous. Take, for example, ancient Rome. As Mary Beard noted in her 2015 book SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, “Child labour was the norm. It is not a problem, or even a category, that most Romans would have understood. The invention of ‘childhood’ and the regulation of what work ‘children’ could do only came fifteen hundred years later and is still a peculiarly Western preoccupation.” Today, fewer than 10 percent of children worldwide have to work for a living. By and large, those that do, live in poor countries. Economic growth, which was key to eliminating child labor in the developed world, can achieve the same outcome in the developing one. The total number of child laborers fell from 246 million in 2000 to 152 million in 2016.
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from Laudable Practice Blog
DOCTRINE AND COMMONWEALTH ON DOVER BEACH
In 1991, adherents of the United Church of Canada - a union of Presbyterian, Methodist, and Congregational churches, created in 1925 - represented 11.5% of the Canadian population. By 2011 that figure was 6.1%. Such a decline is a part of the wider North Atlantic Protestant crisis, as churches which once had a Christendom commitment to shaping culture retreated from this vocation, embracing a 'progressive' sectarian identity. Theological justification is offered for this retreat and decline. We are told that this is what the Church is meant to be, a prophetic minority. Entirely overlooked is Oliver O'Donovan's reminder that the purpose of a prophetic minority is to bring about the "obedience of rulers".
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from Miami Herald
The Thousand Oaks "shooter, "in a post left on a social-media platform in the middle of his killing spree, has already given us the reason he did it. 'Fact is, I had no reason to do it,” he wrote, “and I just thought, f--- it, life is boring, so why not?' So the reason is, there was no reason. The reason is, why not?'
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from Psephizo Blog
Is this the best long-term church growth strategy?
There are three questions which come up in relation to the growth of religious movements, particularly the Christian faith. How would you answer each of these? a. Why is Islam growing in the UK and in the world at the moment? b. What was the primary reason for the growth of the early church? c. Why in the West do conservative churches generally resist the decline that affects more liberal ones? Now these are big questions, and the answers are bound to be complex. But generally in answer to (a) most people will reach for an explanation around the rise of fundamentalism and a global rejection of Western liberal values. In answer to (b) many will think about the cultural and religious distinctiveness of the early Christian movement, and its appeal in relation to the cruelty and fatalism of much pagan religion. And in answer to (c) many will reach for ideas of commitment and discipleship which resist the corrosion of modern individualist and consumerist culture. But there is a good case to be made that all three have the same explanation: childbirth.
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
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