THE RHEA COUNTY REPUBLICAN
ADVANCING THE CONSERVATIVE CAUSE
Vol. 5 – No. 8 October 2021
The original content of this publication is copyrighted. Requests for reprinting may be obtained by contacting the Editor and Publisher at: pyrope84045@mypacks.net
| Table of Contents
Editorial ——————————————————————— 1 Repealing the 16th Amendment ————————————–5 Identifying & Electing Conservatives to the School Board 6 Governor Lee Welcomes More Refugees to Tennessee—–6 The Amended First Amendment———————————— 8 Who Says Crime Doesn’t Pay? ————————————–8 A View from Czechoslovakia —————————————- 9 The Many Faces of Dr. Fauci ————————————— 10 Some Notes on Anarchy———————————————- 11 Comments from Representatives——————————— 12 Comments from Correspondents——————————— 17 Legislative Report —————————————————– 19 Rhea County Republican Party News ————————— 21 Lagniappe—————————————————————– 23 |
EDITORIAL
Kris Bancroft, Editor, and Publisher
The infamous Reconciliation Bill, advertised to cost the American Taxpayers $3.5 Trillion (though some credible sources are now claiming it will cost us twice that), has captured headlines for weeks.
Every Conservative who follows the news has dreaded to see what the Democrats (and more than a few complicit Republicans) have conjured up. Wall Street is nervous, corporate Board Members are nervous, those who own small businesses are nervous, those who are employed by large corporations and small businesses are nervous, those who have investments in the market are nervous, and those who are blissfully detached from reality should be nervous.
Democrats unveil blueprint for $3.5T budget reconciliation bill – Roll Call
We are told this bill was conjured up by twelve committees in the Senate and thirteen in the House of Representatives. Committees generally have at least seven members each so, if we multiply 25 times seven, we see that 175 Members of the House and Senate have their fingerprints on this concoction. They all came to the conference rooms with their very own list of “demands.” Keep in mind that some of these demands were merely bargaining chips – items to be traded away to the “other side” in return for what they were really after. When these committees were adjourned, each person on each of the committees walked away with the satisfaction that one – or more – of their unique earmarks had been firmly ensconced into the bill! But, there’s more.
You can also bet every last one of these committee members had at least two “advisors” from K Street (and other special interests), helping them craft the language in the bill.
How do we know this is the way it all went down? It’s simple: We’ve already seen this circus; we already know all the barkers, tightrope walkers, sleight of hand artists, lion tamers, and clowns. There is no shortage of clowns (there never is), but it’s the sleight of hand artists we should all be worried about and there’s no shortage of those, either!
Passage of this “budget” requires only a simple majority vote in both Houses.
In the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi has the easier road to passing this bill; she can afford to have three of her Democrats jump ship on her and vote with the Republicans. Even still, knowing Nancy, that’s not very likely to happen.
While Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) informs us of his confidence that no Republican Senator will vote to approve the Democrat’s budget, a tie would be gleefully broken by Kamala Harris (if anyone can find her!)
There are two slight chances for the Republicans in the Senate: Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV). Both have been making noises that they are not happy with the bill. While it may be no more than a fantasy on the part of Conservatives to think their reticence is an indication that they have some “conservative genes” buried deep within their DNA, it’s equally as likely that they’re parlaying their power to get some language (a.k.a. “pork”) of their own choosing into the final product of the budget. That said, to his credit, Senator Manchin has suggested that the budget process should be paused for a while.
Ultimately, we should not be surprised when we receive the news (accompanied, most likely, by a fanfare of trumpets and an angelic choir), that the price tag of this monstrosity of a budget actually a bit less than the feared $3.5 Trillion. (This gambit is also one of the tired old acts of the perpetual circus, a specialty cooked up by the Sleight of Hand Specialists.)
All those heretofore mentioned Committee Members are already rehearsing the lines they will deliver when they are interviewed by the media. As we may recall, it goes like this:
Republicans: “We fought a long, hard battle into the late hours of the evening, bargaining with our friends across the aisle, trying to keep some of those give-away programs out of this bill. Although we did not achieve the perfect bill, Americans can rest easier tonight knowing it’s not as bad as it might have been. You can be sure that if we win the majority in the mid-terms, we’ll do better in the years to come.”
Democrats: “We fought a long, hard battle into the late hours of the evening, bargaining with those heartless and cruel nitwit Republicans, trying to keep all those programs that benefit only the rich from being included into this bill. Although we did not achieve the perfect bill, Americans can rest easier tonight knowing it’s not as bad as it might have been. You can be sure, if we keep the majority in the mid-terms, we’ll do better in the years to come.”
Generally speaking, the worst Republican is better than the best Democrat, but there is one fault both parties seem to share; they both spend too much money.
Decades of reckless spending – by both parties – have increased our national debt to $23 Trillion. It’s hard to comprehend this amount but maybe this will help: If we laid twenty-three trillion dollars end-to-end, they would stretch out more than 2,178,030 miles!
Some of the Keynesians try to tell us there’s nothing to worry about because we owe this debt to ourselves. This is simply not true. The fact is, we owe a lot of money to a lot of people and some of these people want to see us default on our loans so they can come in and scarf up our nation’s assets. The following links reveal some information about our nation’s indebtedness.
https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS22331.pdf and
https://www.thebalance.com/who-owns-the-u-s-national-debt-3306124
At this point, those countries to whom we owe money to are happy to allow us to pay the accumulated interest on our debt to them. This is called “servicing the debt,” and the amount of debt service is keyed to the interest rates which are set by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). This figure is currently around 1.32%.
So, each year, the treasury has to transfer revenues to our debt holders – currently about $300 Billion per year. To calculate the amount of money needed to service the debt, the answer can be derived by multiplying the national debt by the current interest rate, i.e. $23T by 0.0132.
https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/who-determines-interest-rates/
This is why so many government bureaucrats are screaming at Jay Powell, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank, to not raise interest rates. But, since artificially suppressing interest rates causes “stagflation,” it will become necessary to raise interest rates at some point. (It is important to note that cost of living rate increases are also being artificially suppressed, and this is a key factor in adjusting interest rates.)
At some point, our government will be forced to admit that the cost of living is rising to the tune of 5.5% per annum, and this will force an increase in Social Security payments, Medicare and Medicaid allowances, and government employee salaries.
The increases in cost of living allowances (COLA), will force the Fed to increase interest rates. This is when the . . . well, you know the old saying about the fan.
Some (those Keynesians again), will tell you there’s still nothing to worry about because all we have to do is print more money and pay off our debt. Anyone who knows the stories of the Weimar Republic, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, etc. knows how that will work out!
Those of us in the Real World know what the problem is and what must be done about it. It’s called “Kitchen Table Economics.” So, how does it work?
One of the things we know is our Federal government is simply too big and too inefficient, and the only way to ameliorate the problems caused by a bloated government is to audit and downsize it. This cuts the budget and is the roadmap to eliminating deficit spending. To accomplish this, every governmental entity – every Department, Bureau, Agency, and Office – must undergo an audit to determine:
- Does the government entity perform a function that is inherently governmental? This means: Is the entity’s function condoned by the Constitution and is its function a task that can only be accomplished by a government entity?
- Does the government entity accomplish its Mission Statement?
- Do audits of the government entity, conducted by an independent and non-government auditing firm, indicate that all monies budgeted to the entity are appropriately and efficiently used to accomplish the entity’s Mission Statement?
- Do the numbers of personnel employed by the government entity, their levels of training and education, and their compensation rates comport with standard practices for similarly tasked private sector entities?
A “No” answer to any of these questions reveals where cuts must be made.
By way of example, through the years we have heard the phrase “waste, fraud, and abuse” used in discussions in connection with the Federal government. One of the most egregious and repetitive examples – although, most certainly, not the only example – is how monies allocated to the Pentagon have seemed to disappear into some black hole.
The latest story is the $800 Million that no one can account for. While there has been, on rare occasions, a government employee prosecuted for relatively minor crimes (e.g. the misuse of a government credit card), when have we read about someone in the Pentagon being sent to the hoosegow for violating Title 18, U.S. Code – Sections 643, 644, 648, 649, 650, 651, 652, and 653, relative to these huge amounts of funds?
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pentagon-cant-account-nearly-1-billion-n403291 and
There are two things we can bet on:
- Nothing will change until those whom we elect to represent us become inspired to correct the mistakes of the past, to start behaving in a fiscally responsible manner, and to create a means to pay off our national debt.
- The only way to “inspire” our representatives is to convince them beyond doubt that their reelection is solely dependent upon whether they accomplish the task above.
So, have you contacted your elected reps yet to let them know your thoughts?
REPEALING THE 16TH AMENDMENT
What would happen if we repealed the 16th Amendment and replaced it with a National Sales Tax?
What if the rate on that National Sales Tax was set at 17.5% and would require a 3/5ths majority in both houses of Congress, plus a signature by the President to increase it? What if, in those cases where Congress and the President approved an increase, the increases had to be re-approved every twelve months or else the rate would automatically return to 17.5%?
What if 5% of the revenues from the National Sales Tax was allocated to paying off the National Debt and the Federal government was prohibited from borrowing any money from foreign governments or confiscating and selling American-owned assets (e.g. mineral rights, real estate, agricultural products), to foreign governments?
For one thing, it would instantly reduce the Federal budget by ~$11.9 Billion. Then, all the costs associated with their office space and transportation would also be eliminated. But the best part is, the Federal government would have one less agency to be weaponized against its “enemies.” Did you know the IRS has a SWAT team?
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=U.S._Internal_Revenue_Service_(IRS)/Salary and
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11607 and
IDENTIFYING & ELECTING CONSERVATIVES TO THE SCHOOL BOARD
The Tennessee Alliance recently reminded us that we will be electing people to serve on our county school boards next year.
It should be very apparent that the extreme Marxists/Socialists, or outright Communists have infiltrated our school systems and that they are indoctrinating our children to accept every anti-American and divisive theory they can get away with.
We must act together if we are going to change the direction our public schools are currently trending. There are two things we can do:
Parents must become directly involved with their children’s education by examining what materials their children are being taught and by becoming active in various iterations of parent/teacher organizations
Everyone can become involved in this process by examining and questioning all candidates seeking election to their local school boards.
More information is available at: https://www.info@thetennesseealliance.com
GOVERNOR LEE WELCOMES MORE REFUGEES
Ronald Reagan once taught us about an “Eleventh Commandment,” which is to never speak ill of another Republican.
While I still believe it is fundamentally true (at least for the moment), that the worst Republican is better than the best Democrat, I am disappointed that I must confide in you I find myself routinely violating that “Eleventh Commandment” these days. One of my latest violations has to do with the way Governor Bill Lee has “managed” several episodes of foreigners transported into our State.
Last year, we were told Governor Lee had allowed/invited refugees from the Middle East. Back then, the number was up to around 18,000.
Next, we watched the reports on TV informing us of the trafficking of illegal aliens (mainly through Chattanooga and Knoxville), in cooperation with the Baptiste Group which utilized dormitory space on the campus of Tennessee Temple University. Now we are hearing of multiple incidents of child rape occurring at the Baptiste Group facility.
https://apnews.com/c0240c335a7056c0939ab59a6abdb11d
Chris Butler, an investigative journalist for The Tennessee Star recently published a disturbing article in which they tried to question Governor Lee about his decision to invite more refugees into Tennessee. Multiple attempts to speak with the Governor and his staff were ignored.
Next, they made attempts to interview Bridge Refugee Services Director Drocella Mugorewera, an organization that facilitates the relocation of refugees, who stated [the Afghan refugees] were sent by the Federal government. When the Tennessee Star reporter asked Mugorewera how many Afghanis were being sent to Tennessee, they reported the phone connection was “severed.”
Governor Lee did not publicly state late last month whether he wants Tennessee to take in Afghan refugees. Two of the state’s other top Republicans, however, made their opinions known.
Tennessee Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) said he doubted whether taking in Afghan refugees is wise.
“I do not have confidence in the Biden administration’s vetting process concerning the refugee issue, much less his ability to work with law enforcement and immigration officials,” Sexton said.
“His administration has been a failure on both immigration and foreign policy. Therefore, I do not think it is a good idea for Tennessee to accept Afghan refugees.”
Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R-Oak Ridge), meanwhile, said it’s important that the government “halt illegal immigration, protect our borders and limit those entering our nation.”
Sadly, it seems that Governor Bill Lee is more interested in serving fulfilling the needs of special interest groups than serving the Tennesseans who elected him. Perhaps it’s time we contacted our Governor to let him know he needs to reexamine his priorities!
RANDOM THOUGHTS
“The most sinister of all taxes is the inflation tax and it is the most regressive. It hits the poor and the middle class. When you destroy a currency by creating money out of thin air to pay the bills, the value of the dollar goes down, and people get hit with a higher cost of living. It is the middle class that’s being wiped out. It is most evil of all taxes.” ~ Ron Paul
THE AMENDED FIRST AMENDMENT
As uncomfortable as it often is, debate is one of the primary means by which knowledge is expanded. This fundamental truth has reigned supreme throughout the history of humanity.
Sadly though, there have always been those who have sought to suppress challenges to one point of view in favor of their personally-held opinions and beliefs. The story of Socrates, who was forced to drink poison because he dared to ask too many inconvenient questions of the Senate, comes to mind.
Just as it was in the days of Socrates, the eternal fact lives on today: The sum of human knowledge is owed to the fact that someone, somewhere, asked a question. In fact, this is the only way learning is achieved.
How can we hope the accumulation of human knowledge can be expanded if, in the name of “correctness,” debate is eliminated?
RANDOM THOUGHTS
“The whole gospel of Karl Marx can be summed up in one sentence: ‘Hate the man who is better off than you are.’
“Never, under any circumstances, admit that his success may be due to his own efforts, to the productive contribution he has made to the entire community. Always attribute his success to the exploitation, to the cheating, the more or less open robbery of others. Never, under any circumstances, admit that your own failure may be owing to your own weakness, or that the failure of anyone else may be due to his own defects – his laziness, incompetence, improvidence, or stupidity.” – Henry Hazlit
WHO SAYS CRIME DOESN’T PAY?
San Francisco is rolling out a pilot program that will pay high-risk individuals to not shoot anyone as gun crimes tick up in the city.
“These small investments can transform the lives of individuals, but they can also transform communities,” Sheryl Davis, executive director of the Human Rights Commission, told Newsweek.
The Dream Keeper Fellowship will pay 10 individuals who are at high risk of being on either end of a shooting $300 each month to not be involved in such crimes.
The fellowship is being rolled out by the Human Rights Commission and Office of Economic and Workforce Development and is funded through the Dream Keeper Initiative, which is San Francisco’s program that works to redirect funding into the Black community. It will launch in October.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
At 40, Franz Kafka (1883-1924), who never married and had no children, was walking through a park one day in Berlin when he met a girl who was crying because she had lost her favourite doll. She and Kafka searched for the doll unsuccessfully.
Kafka told her to meet him there the next day and they would come back to look for her.
The next day, when they had not yet found the doll, Kafka gave the girl a letter “written” by the doll saying “please don’t cry. I took a trip to see the world. I will write to you about my adventures.”
Thus began a story which continued until the end of Kafka’s life.
During their meetings, Kafka read the letters of the doll carefully written with adventures and conversations that the girl found adorable.
Finally, Kafka brought back the doll (he bought one) that had returned to Berlin.
“It doesn’t look like my doll at all,” said the girl.
Kafka handed her another letter in which the doll wrote: “my travels have changed me.” The little girl hugged the new doll and brought the doll with her to her happy home.
A year later Kafka died.
Many years later, the now-adult girl found a letter inside the doll. In the tiny letter signed by Kafka it was written:
“Everything you love will probably be lost, but in the end, love will return in another way.”
Embrace change. It’s inevitable for growth. Together we can shift pain into wonder and love, but it is up to us to consciously and intentionally create that connection.
[Thanks to Dr. Rosemary Biggio, PhD. Teacher, author, true Conservative, and all around wonderful human being. – Editor]
A VIEW FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA
The following quote was extracted from a Prague newspaper; in it is a crucial lesson that Americans must heed:
“The danger to America is not Joe Biden, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of a Biden presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgement to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Biden, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Biden, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools, such as those who made him their president.”
THE MANY FACES OF DR. FAUCI
Sharon Johnson, Williamstown, NJ
In some quarters Dr. Anthony Fauci is a brilliant researcher, a good guy, a decorated humanitarian, an excellent administrator. In other quarters, he is considered a murderer, a power-hungry bureaucrat, a man who likes the limelight, a profiteer. In order to understand who Dr. Fauci is, we need to look back on his past and compare it to his present.
In January 2020, the world was under attack by an unknown virus spreading death country to country finally reaching the shores of the United States. Going back to 1981. a different disease was spreading around the world. It had no name, but it had a face, the face of homosexual men infected with something that was killing them. Doctors Anthony Fauci, Robert Gallo, Robert Redfield, and Deborah Brix built their reputations through the work they did researching and working to identify the cause, find a vaccine, and reduce deaths. Money was in short supply: Congress was not anxious to spend money on what came to be called “The Gay Disease”. The director of NIAID, Richard Krause, saw no need to spend more money on research but doctors A. Fauci and others working on the front lines with these patients disagreed. The media in general was not interested in covering the story. Eventually, the disease was given a name, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS. Research found that this disease could be transmitted by sex, by injections and blood transfusions. Still there was not a lot of public concern UNTIL May 6, 1983, when three articles appeared in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA). One article in that JAMA issue was written by Dr. James Olesky insinuating that AIDS in children living in high-risk households are susceptible to AIDS and that sexual contact, drug abuse, or exposure to blood products is not necessary for disease transmission. Dr. Ayre Rubenstein also wrote an article in the same issue suggesting that the children Dr. Olesky cited acquired AIDS through the mother’s womb. Then a third doctor, Anthony Fauci wrote an article commenting “The finding of AIDS in infants and children who are household contacts of patients with AIDS or persons with risks for AIDS has enormous implications with regard to ultimate transmissibility of this syndrome. If routine close contact can spread the disease, AIDS takes on an entirely new dimension.” At the very end of his article, he adds, “We must be cautious in accepting these infant cases as being truly AIDS.” His reckless and speculative comments were picked up the Associated Press, the NY Times and USA Today. Ignoring Fauci’s call to be cautious printed the following headlines: FAMILY CONTACT STUDIED IN TRANSMITTING AIDS, DOES AIDS SPREAD BY ROUTINE CONTACT, all three newspapers cited Dr. Fauci as their main authority. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan cited Dr. Fauci as the centerpiece of a rebuttal to HHS Secretary Margaret Hackler, who told him, “There is no evidence that the general population is threatened.”
Following the release of Dr. Fauci’s speculative comments, there was a lot of public concern, people were afraid to be in the same room with any homosexual, they would not serve them in restaurants, they could not rent apartments, they were ostracized in society the police were afraid to perform CPR on them. None of this was necessary because none of it was true, all because of loose speculation. Dr. Fauci either did not bother to read Dr. Rubenstein’s article or he just ignored it. A month later Dr. Fauci told the Baltimore Sun, “It is absolutely preposterous to suggest that AIDS can be contracted through normal social contact like being in the same room with someone or sitting on a bus with them. The poor gays have received a very raw deal on this.” NEVER ACKNOWLEDGING HIS OWN ROLE IN PROMOTING THAT IDEA IN THE FIRST PLACE. This became a familiar pattern of behavior, hold a press conference, answer questions about a disease with speculative words like, “maybe”, “looks like” “might” “possibly”, words the press ignores and prints the rest of what is said as following the Science. Then the public believes what it reads, or hears. By the end of 1983, 1,476 people will have died from AIDS with no approved treatments from the government.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny lies in keeping them ignorant. – Maximilian Robespierre 1758-1794.
SOME NOTES ON ANARCHY
Kris Bancroft, Editor, Publisher
The obvious answer as to why there is a “crime surge” in our country is the calculated advancement of anarchy, which is an integral part of the plan devised by those who want to destroy our Constitutional Republic.
As you may know, the progress toward a de facto state of anarchy began more than a century ago – back in the days when the People began to fail in prosecuting the politically well-connected for their increasingly egregious crimes.
Eventually, this caused a disrespect for our laws, the unethical segment of our society, and a sense of resignation by the law-abiding citizens because they could not convince their elected representatives to apply the rule of law to all members of our society.
Now, we live in a state of full-blown anarchy that will only get worse. Eventually, however, in the shadows of the refusals by those who are sworn to uphold and enforce our laws, there will emerge a segment of society who will take matters into their own hands – detection, arrest, and prosecution of criminals known as “vigilante justice.”
This is precisely what the enemies of our republic want! They will then have justification for the establishment of a federal police force who will usurp the powers granted to the States – the destruction of the 10th Amendment!
You say it cannot happen here? You are wrong! It has happened many times in the history of the human race and it is already happening here right before our eyes. Look at what has happened thus far in the “progressive” destruction of our Constitutional Republic: First, the Progressives attacked our 2nd Amendment rights, then they went after our rights under the 1st, 4th, and 5th Amendments. The 10th Amendment is next. And do you want to know why this is happening? The answer is simple: Too few Citizens are standing up and becoming engaged in the political process to preserve our rights. I would dare say that only a small percentage of Citizens have ever written to their elected representatives, attended a town hall meeting, or have taken time to understand the political philosophy of those for whom they have voted . . . when they actually took the time to vote!
RANDOM THOUGHTS
What’s right for you may not be right for me. What’s right for me may not be right for you. But, what’s not right for either of us is being stripped of the freedom to choose what’s right for ourselves.
COMMENTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES
Elected representatives from all States and all levels of government are encouraged to share their thoughts, opinions, ideas, and announcements by emailing them to pyrope84045@mypacks.net . Your constituents want to hear from you! – Editor
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Dear Kris,
Thank you for contacting me regarding the transportation of unaccompanied migrant children into Tennessee by federal agencies. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me.
Unaccompanied alien children (UAC) without lawful immigration status are placed under the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Earlier this year, local news in Tennessee reported that UACs were being transported into certain cities in the state for apparent resettlement with little transparency. In response to this development, I joined Senator Hagerty (R-TN) and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) to send several letters seeking transparency on migrant resettlement from HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.
In May 2020, Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and I introduced S. 1865, the Migrant Resettlement Transparency Act. This bill would require HHS and the Department of Homeland Security to seek prior consultation with state and local officials regarding migrant resettlement. Included in this consultation would be a mandated report detailing the number of proposed migrants for resettlement and certain demographic information.
I appreciate your thoughtful comments. S. 1865 was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which I am a member. Please be assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as I work with my colleagues to ensure transparency and accountability within our refugee and immigration system.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me.
Sincerely,
Marsha Blackburn
United States Senator
[The Senator’s letter was in response to a news story that informed us illegal alien children were being housed on the Tennessee Temple University campus, in Chattanooga, TN, and in the care of a Non-Governmental Organization known as the Baptiste Group. While there have long been rumors as to the inappropriate treatment of children placed in the care of this organization, on 6 September, news broke that two of their employees, Randi Duarte and Guadalupe Renderos Morales, have been arrested for sexual battery against a minor. https://www.wdef.com/second-suspect-charged-sexual-battery-baptiste-facility/ and Preliminary Hearing dates changed for two members of Baptiste Gr – WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather & Sports – Editor]
Randy Weber (R-TX, 14th District) offers the following comment:
. . . On August 31, 2021, details of President Biden’s last telephone conversation with Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, were revealed to the public; those details indicated that, on July 23, 2021, the two leaders spoke for about 14 minutes. During the course of this conversation, President Biden—having already highlighted the calamitous situation in Afghanistan, vis-à-vis government forces and the Taliban—importuned the Afghan leader to misrepresent the situation on the ground, in an effort to mislead the American public about the state of the conflict. While I had been loath to invoke impeachment in the absence of a clear demonstration of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” the standard established in the U.S. Constitution, I considered this act to have overstepped that line. The Democrat majority, in the previous congress, impeached then-President Trump on far less substantive grounds; ironically, the standard they set—impeaching a president for remarks made during a telephone call with a foreign leader, in collusion to deceive the American public—is far more applicable to the circumstances of President Biden’s July telephone call. Unless they are total hypocrites, I fully expect Democrats—following their own precedent—to support my resolution to impeach President Biden.
Scott DesJarlais (R-TN, 4th District) co-signed a letter to Secretary Mayorkas
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas seems to be struggling as he tries to cover for his boss in explaining why the claims he has made simply do not add up.
On 2 September 2021, Dr. Scott DesJarlais (R –TN 04), joined thirty other Republican Members of the House Freedom Caucus in co-signing Rep. Andy Biggs’ letter to Secretary Mayorkas. A transcript of the letter was provided by Mr. Clark Roberts, Staff Member from Representative DesJarlais’ Washington, DC office. – Editor
Dear Secretary Mayorkas,
The hurried evacuation of more than 100,000 Afghan nationals over the past several weeks raises serious concerns about the adequacy of the vetting that has been done on those evacuees.
On August 29, 2021, President Biden directed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to serve as the lead agency to coordinate the federal government’s efforts to resettle Afghans in the United States. This announcement follows a memorandum from you to U.S. Customs and Border Protection on August 23, 2021, indicating that you found that it is an appropriate exercise of your discretionary authority to parole certain Afghan nationals into the United States.
We have all watched the chaotic scenes play out in Afghanistan over the past several weeks as the United States government worked to evacuate U.S. citizens and our allies from Afghanistan as part of President Biden’s poorly planned withdrawal of U.S. military forces from the country. Watching the videos and hearing first-hand accounts from those on the ground raise serious questions about the evacuation operation and the vetting of evacuees.
There have been multiple media reports of individuals with criminal records or potential ties to terrorist organizations being evacuated from Afghanistan. For example, the Washington Times has reported that an individual who was “convicted of rape and deported from the U.S. was allowed to board an Afghan evacuation flight and reach America[.]” And according to multiple media accounts, a U.S. government official warned that as many as 100 Afghan evacuees flown out of Afghanistan are on government watch lists. These reports are extremely troubling.
We request that you provide us with answers to the following questions by Friday, September 10, 2021. We also request that you provide copies of all guidance that has been distributed to DHS employees regarding the vetting of evacuees and the process for considering and granting parole requests by Afghan nationals.
1. How many Afghan nationals has DHS paroled into the United States since January 20, 2021?
2. How many Afghan nationals with pending Special Immigrant Visa applications has DHS paroled into the United States?
3. How many Special Immigrant Visa applications has DHS approved since January 20, 2021?
4. Did DHS, the State Department, or the Department of Defense collect biometrics for each individual granted parole before they came to the United States?
5. What vetting procedures did the government employ prior to individuals boarding planes in Afghanistan?
6. What vetting occurred between the time the plane left Afghanistan and when the individuals arrived in the United States?
7. What vetting occurred before individuals were granted parole?
8. How many individuals were denied parole because of information uncovered during the vetting process?
9. What steps is DHS taking to monitor paroled individuals once they are in the United States?
10. What steps will DHS take if an individual is found to have a criminal record or have ties to a terrorist organization after the alien has entered the United States?
11. Your August 23, 2021, memorandum indicated that individuals may have conditions placed on their parole. How many aliens have had conditions placed on their parole and what are those conditions?
12. Your memorandum indicated that individuals may only be granted parole “on a case-by-case basis.” How has DHS been able to properly review each request on a case-by-case basis in so little time?
We look forward to receiving your responses.
Sincerely,
Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN)
Democrats’ reckless $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend spree will be an unprecedented disaster for hardworking families.
As the Senate continues its debate around a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal, we know what is just around the corner: It’s a completely partisan 50-50 vote with Vice President Kamala Harris as tiebreaker, and we can expect everything Democrats took out of the bipartisan deal that they couldn’t get agreement on. It will fundamentally reorient our nation toward socialism. What’s worse — it’s going to be done without a mandate from Americans; rather, it’ll be rammed through on a wholly partisan basis by one of the narrowest congressional majorities in U.S. history.
It must be stopped.
In the short term, the Democrats’ reckless $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend blowout will dramatically increase the size and scope of the federal government. And it will likely add further fuel to already rampant inflation as our economy continues its record recovery from the pandemic that began under the Trump administration.
Over the longer term, the Democrats’ plan will institute policies that further dependency on the federal government, slow job creation and productivity, harm small businesses and workers, and freeze the investment that is critical to maintaining and creating jobs and to increasing real wages. The Democrats’ plan will burden our children and grandchildren with even more debt, with some groups estimating the actual cost to be north of $5 trillion.
When the Democrats throw around trillions of dollars like Monopoly money, the inflation it fuels acts as an insidious tax on hardworking, middle-class Americans’ paychecks and savings. We saw a 12% annualized inflation jump in consumer prices from May to June and the highest year-over-year jumps in decades across numerous critical inflation metrics.
Tennesseans and Americans across the country are feeling the pain of paying far more of their incomes on everyday items and housing expenses and receiving far less. Americans’ average weekly earnings adjusted for inflation have fallen 2.5% since January. Seniors are among those most affected by such inflation as the price of goods and cost of living continues to soar — rapidly eroding the value of their cash savings.
Having spent my life in business, I know that there is a name for a CEO, who orders undisciplined budgeting and massive amounts of spending: former CEO.
Our economy has recovered at record speed since the lockdowns of 2020 thanks to Operation Warp Speed’s vaccine success and the solid foundation laid by the pro-growth, pro-worker economic policies of the Trump administration. The Biden team was handed successful vaccines and an economy far along the path to recovery with record 34% gross domestic product growth in the third quarter of 2020.
By January, our unemployment rate had already fallen back to 6.3% from a pandemic high of 14.8%. The pandemic-driven recession lasted just two months last year, the shortest in U.S. history. By the second quarter of this year, our GDP level surpassed where it was before the pandemic. The Federal Reserve is forecasting 7% economic growth for 2021.
Yet instead of continuing those proven pro-growth policies, the Democrats are hell-bent on “transforming” our economy and trying to reorient the U.S. toward failed socialist policies. They are attempting to shield their agenda by messaging that current economic conditions justify spending another 20% of GDP. The same charade was used for their $1.9 trillion — or roughly 10% of GDP — partisan spending spree in March, and people all across America are experiencing its inflationary effects.
This was done without a single Republican vote — and we are looking for a replay, albeit on a much larger scale, in a matter of days. Damn the torpedoes; Democrats are pressing forward with a partisan spending spree as inflation is skyrocketing. In December, the Federal Reserve was predicting 1.8% inflation for 2021. By June, it was predicting 3.4%. Americans can see where this is headed. We saw it in the Carter administration, and it wasn’t pretty.
Making matters worse, Democrats are imposing policies that actually cut against economic productivity — giving away unemployment incentives, raising taxes on job creators, actualizing the Green New Deal, undercutting American workers’ wages with open borders, throwing away our energy independence, raising death taxes, freezing American investment, and killing capital formation.
Sadly, this isn’t a pig-in-a-python moment, and the harmful effects of this spending spree will be long-lasting. America is nearly $30 trillion in debt. We need to stop endangering our children’s and grandchildren’s future and rein in this partisan, socialist spending before it is too late.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Isn’t it odd that most of the bureaucrats in government who tell business owners how they must run their business have never signed the front of a paycheck? That is to say they have no idea as to what it takes to survive in the private sector, yet they insist on telling the private sector how it must operate.
COMMENTS FROM CORRESPONDENTS
You are invited to become a Correspondent and share thoughts, opinions, ideas, and announcements with subscribers to this newsletter. Please state your city, state, or country in your submissions and email them to: pyrope84045@mypacks.net . Your fellow Conservatives want to hear from you! – Editor
Harriett Lublin, Atlanta, GA explains the “Beau Biden Problem”
President Biden often memorializes his son Beau and his military service. He did so again when he went to meet with the families of the 13 soldiers who died at the Kabul airport. His purpose was to show his empathy.
It’s inappropriate. Beau Biden deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of a JAG unit (as an attorney). He saw no combat. His death was from natural causes diagnosed after his return from combat.
Those killed at the airport died because President Biden chose to put them in a very dangerous position. It’s his right as President. But, as seems to be the norm with him, he attempts to both invoke responsibility and then to escape it.
Beau did not die in defense of the country… Joe’s role at this ceremony was to accept responsibility for his own actions and to try to make the families feel their children died is service to a good cause.
Memorializing Beau was not on menu and frankly it’s gotten past being old. It’s embarrassing.
BTW… Beau received a Bronze Star for his service in Iraq. This is supposed to be a medal for valor. No one seems able to explain his valor… I guess it was for the stress in being Vice President (at the time) Biden’s son. Stinks.
Joni Schmidt Hargrove, Davidson County, TN speaks on vaccine mandates:
I believe the State Senators must address the Federal overreach we are experiencing. Joe Biden and whatever his vision or agenda is for America should not be Tennessee’s when it violates our rights. Another thing is where did medical privacy go? Tennessee needs to stand up to this Federal tyranny now.
Diane Bederman, Chaplain and good friend from Toronto, Canada shared some thoughts on medically assisted suicide:
My friend of 50 years died on Tuesday, August 17 at 8:15 AM. It wasn’t a surprise. We were told that she had requested that her life end. Medically assisted suicide. Death with dignity.
I am not against MAID, medically assisted suicide or abortion, but I fear the slippery slope that we saw with abortion will come to assisted suicide. Almost 7,600 Canadians received medical assistance to end their lives last year, continuing a trend of steady annual increases in cases since the procedure was legalized in 2016.
If we lived in a world where we honored the sanctity and dignity of all life, perhaps I would not be so fearful. But we don’t live there. Too many have attacked the Judeo/Christian ethic that underpins our way of life. We live in a world that separates essential people from the non-essential in order to permit the destruction of some lives over others. That not only allowed but commanded, that some people do not have the right to earn a living, to be with loved ones who are dying (talk about death with dignity), to celebrate life. We allowed others to dictate whose businesses will survive and whose could not. We set such restrictions that we allowed opioid overdose to reach all-time highs because too many people lost hope and faith in living. No dignity in those deaths.
[Diane Bederman is a noted author and advocate. Some of her more notable works include: The Serpent and the Red Thread, Anatomy of FakeNews in the Era of Donald Trump, and Back to the Ethic: Reclaiming Western Values You can learn more by visiting her website: www.dianebederman.com – Editor]
Lee Brasher from Clearfield, UT shared this vignette:
The Coyote Principle
CALIFORNIA
- The Governor of California is jogging with his dog along a nature trail. A coyote jumps out and attacks the Governor’s dog, then bites the Governor.
- The Governor starts to intervene, but reflects upon the movie “Bambi” and then realizes he should stop because the coyote is only doing what is natural.
- He calls animal control. Animal Control captures the coyote and bills the state $200 testing it for diseases and $500 for relocating it.
- He calls a veterinarian. The vet collects the dead dog and bills the State $200 testing it for diseases.
- The Governor goes to hospital and spends $3,500 getting checked for diseases from the coyote and on getting his bite wound bandaged.
- The running trail gets shut down for 6 months while Fish & Game conducts a $100,000 survey to make sure the area is now free of dangerous animals.
- The Governor spends $50,000 in state funds implementing a “coyote awareness program” for residents of the area.
- The State Legislature spends $2 million to study how to better treat rabies and how to permanently eradicate the disease throughout the world.
- The Governor’s security agent is fired for not stopping the attack. The state spends $150,000 to hire and train a new agent with additional special training for the nature of coyotes.
- PETA protests the coyote’s relocation and files a $5 million suit against the state.
TEXAS
- The Governor of Texas is jogging with his dog along a nature trail. A coyote jumps out and attacks his dog.
- The Governor shoots the coyote with his state-issued pistol and keeps jogging. The Governor has spent $.50 on a .45 ACP hollow point cartridge.
- The buzzards eat the dead coyote.
And that, my friends, is why California is broke and Texas is not.
Donna Locke, Columbia, TN reveals why the Chamber of Commerce is not the friend of the American Worker!
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has started a massive lobbying campaign to increase legal immigration, specifically foreign visa workers. The business lobby and its investor backers like loose labor markets that depress wage growth. They don’t want E-Verify, and the back amnesty for illegal aliens.
Our State legislature will reconvene in January and may have a special session before then. The Republicans will do their usual posing and posturing about illegal immigration but will probably kill mandatory E-Verify bills, as they did this year and in past years. Requiring employers to use E-Verify, along with eliminating avoidance tricks used in contracting and subcontracting can, with tough penalties, help prevent hiring of illegal aliens, and the attraction of illegal aliens to Tennessee. We need more than that, however, and we must focus on the place where we are.
LEGISLATIVE REPORT
The Legislative Report provides information on some of the more remarkable bills that have been introduced in Congress. Its purpose is to provide the reader with information about pending legislation that may prompt the reader to contact their representatives to express their views.
In the emailed version of the Legislative Report, you will see markers + and + on certain bills. The red icon is placed to encourage the reader to contact their representatives and ask them to vote against the legislation. On bills marked with the green icon, the reader is encouraged to contact their elected representatives and ask them to support the legislation. The reader is always encouraged to keep informed about all legislation from other sources so they may be aware of bills that effect our lives. Decide today that you will make your voice heard. If you remain silent, your representatives will never know your thoughts! – Editor
WASHINGTON D.C.
+ S 297 Reinforcing American-Made Products Act (Mike Lee, R-UT, 4 pages).
The purpose of this bill is to make exclusive the authority of the Federal Government to regulate the labeling of products made in the United States and introduced in interstate or foreign commerce, and for other purposes.
+ S 2747 Freedom to Vote Act (Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, 594 pages).
The stated purpose of this bill is to expand Americans’ access to the ballot box and reduce the influence of “big money” in politics, and for “other” purposes. It is noteworthy that Ms. Klobuchar did not qualify what kind of “Americans” she intends to expand access to the ballot box – Central Americans, South Americans, U.S. Citizens, or illegal aliens.
Is Ms. Klobuchar’s intent to ensure the privilege to vote is extended only living, breathing, non-incarcerated U.S. Citizens? If so, why did it take her 594 pages to say so?
If a rational person analyzes only the high points in the text of the bill it becomes glaringly obvious that Ms. Klobuchar intends to permanently erase the sanctity of what it means to have honest, open, and fair elections. Here are some of the principal points that should have every patriotic citizen screaming at their elected representatives, telling them to shred Ms. Klobuchar’s bill:
Subtitle A –
- Part 1 – Automatic voter registration. Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock understands that some people who may be “qualified” to vote choose not to do so. These individuals are easily identified and those who may choose to do so can defraud the election system by casting ballots in their name.
- Part 3 – Registration via the internet. This text is practically an engraved invitation to people in other countries who may wish to “influence” the outcomes of our election.
- Part 4 – Same day voter registration would allow a gaggle of voters from one District or State to swarm into a location where their chosen candidate was making a weak showing and overturn that State’s or District’s election results.
Subtitle B –
- Sections 1101 – 1108 deals with voters who have disabilities. In essence, in accordance with the requirements stated in Ms. Klobuchar’s bill, an unmonitored proxy would be allowed to vote for an individual – to mark their ballot for them! There is no requirement that the “voter” must show proof that they are cognizant of whom the candidates or issues are; an individual in a coma would be able to “vote” if Ms. Klobuchar’s bill should become law!
In the interest of conserving space, the reader is encouraged to examine the full text of this bill and then contact their Senators to express their views. The full text of this bill can be found at: Text of S. 2747: Freedom to Vote Act (Placed on Calendar in the Senate version) – GovTrack.us
+ HR 5305 Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (Rosa DeLauro, D-CT, 92 pages).
The purpose of this bill is to make continuing appropriations for the fiscal year ending on 30 September 2022, and for providing emergency assistance to non-essential government entities so they may avoid being furloughed. This bill passed the House of Representatives on a party line vote and has been forwarded to the Senate for consideration.
+ S 2765 A Bill to Provide That Members of Congress May Not Receive Pay After October 1 of Any Fiscal Year in Which Congress Has Not Approved a Continuing Resolution on the Budget and Passed the Regular Appropriations Bills (Mike Braun, R-IN, 6 pages).
The title of this cleverly crafted bill explains its purpose. Essentially, it would negate the possibility of a “pause” currently being proposed by Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) if a vote is not taken on the Democrats’ 10,000 page spending bill by stopping Congress’ compensation.
HR 4350 National Defense Authorization Act (Adam Smith, D-WA, 1362 pages).
This bill authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 2022, for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.
The NDAA funding process has been one of the most contentiously debated activities undertaken by Congress since the late 1940s and this year is no different. While one faction of Congress seeks to erode funding amounts to our military, another faction seeks to imbue it with unlimited funding for vague and often questionable purposes. If there was one government funding process that was most in need of harsh scrutiny, it would be the NDAA.
RHEA COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY NEWS
Rhea County Republican Party Executive Committee
Bitsy Gryder – Chairman Kris Bancroft – Vice Chairman
Judy Bancroft – Secretary Ted Engel – Treasurer
Marvin Keener Sr. – Vice Treasurer
The Rhea County Republican Party Monthly Meeting
The next meeting of the Rhea County Republican Party will be a regular meeting, held on 14 OCTOBER 2021, at 7:00 PM, at the Sheriff’s Training Center, 711 Eagle Lane, Evensville, TN.
Mr. Quentin Kaus, Vice President of the McMinn County Young Republicans, will be our guest speaker. The topic will be: How to start a Young Republican’s organization in Rhea County.
Minutes from the Previous Meeting
SPECIAL NOTE: Mr. Quentin Kaus, Vice President of the Young Republicans Club of McMinn County, will be our featured speaker on the 14th. Please be sure to invite some young folks who may be interested in forming a Young Republicans Club in Rhea County.
Another ExCom meeting will be convened at 6:30 PM, prior to the regular meeting on the 14th.
The meeting was held via Zoom and began at 7:42 pm with Chair Elizabeth Gryder presiding.
September 9th General Meeting: By previous vote of the Executive Committee, the meeting was cancelled due to increasing COVID case numbers in Rhea County.
Treasurer’s Report: Ted Engel provided the Treasurer’s Report.
Reagan Day Dinner: Elizabeth Gryder shared steps used in planning our past Reagan Day Dinners. Plans were discussed for our next Reagan Day Dinner, to be held next March or April, before the May 3rd Primary. Various possible venues were discussed. Vice-Chair Kris Bancroft volunteered to be the event coordinator and will bring information he will be gathering to our next general meeting in October. Elizabeth Gryder will bring a contact-information list for Kris to that meeting, including the phone number for our previous caterer.
Speaker from McMinn County: Kris Bancroft will ask Quentin Kaus if he can speak at our October meeting about how to organize a Young Republicans organization in Rhea County. Mr. Kaus was originally scheduled to speak at our September meeting, which was canceled. It was noted tonight that someone under the age of 40 must be the person organizing such a Young Republicans group, according to State GOP guidelines.
Recruitment: Kris Bancroft has been concerned about the need to find ways to increase membership in the Rhea County Republican Party. Elizabeth Gryder noted that the establishment of a Young Republicans group would assist in meeting that goal.
Presence in the Community: Ways to increase our visibility and presence in the community were discussed:
- attendance by an Executive Committee member at the monthly Dayton Chamber of Commerce luncheons and attendance at Spring City Chamber of Commerce events
- continue to place an ad in the Rhea County Fair publication each year
- continue to place ads in the Rhea Herald News, prior to elections, supporting all Republicans running for office and reminding readers to vote
- donate snack/treat trays to local first-responder organizations
- continue to donate to the Rhea County Sheriff’s Department’s Toys for Tots program
- request newspaper coverage for actions when appropriate
Fundraising: Kris Bancroft suggested that we might wish to market politically-conservative bumper stickers, yard signs, T-shirts and other items to generate funds. He will check with a local vendor and bring information to the next general meeting, including items available, cost and what slogans or other print is on the items.
Rhea County Republican Party Bylaws: Judy Bancroft will contact the State GOP office to find out what the procedure and expected time-line is for our learning if our recently-updated Bylaws were approved.
E-mail Communications: Judy Bancroft suggested that she, as Secretary, compile an up-to-date list of e-mail addresses for regular attenders of our meetings. This can be used, in conjunction with our website and Facebook, for various types of communication, including meeting reminders or cancellations. We may also wish to occasionally convey other types of information, such an especially-important topic to be discussed at the next meeting. E-mails would be sent to “Undisclosed Recipients,” to ensure privacy. Judy will coordinate this effort with Marvin Keener.
Next Regular Meeting: Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, October 14th, at 7:00 pm at the Sheriff’s Training Center. The Executive Committee will meet at 6:30 prior to the general meeting. Kris Bancroft will plan to provide refreshments.
The ExCom extended our thanks to Lorilei Dreibelbis for her assistance in conducting our first Zoom meeting!
The meeting adjourned at 8:22 pm.
LAGNIAPPE
History is being erased and this month’s Lagniappe is a continuation of last month’s editorial on the Biden legacy. It is said “the winners write the history books” but, in reality, it is the public education system that determines what will be learned and remembered. There’s a better than fair chance that what was published in last month’s Editorial, along with what you’re about to read now, will be erased and rewritten. The links provided herein will also be expunged from our “memories” quite soon.
On 18 August, Mr. Biden stood before a TV camera and declared that all Americans who wished to leave Afghanistan would be able to do so. With a straight face he declared: “We will get you home.” And so, the saga continues.
https://www.newsweek.com/biden-vows-bring-home-all-americans-who-want-leave-afghanistan-1621585
As he qualified his promise, the question that came to the lips of every rational human being on earth was: Who in their right mind would want to stay in a country run by the Taliban?
When the Biden regime responded to that question the explanation was that some of those U.S. Citizens have families who are not citizens or are U.S. Citizens that hold dual citizenship. The next question became: Since when does the United States leave any Citizen behind or not allow them to take their family with them when leaving a country – especially when their departure takes place under hostile conditions?
Then, people began questioning Mr. Biden about the fate of those individuals who held Green Cards, SIV documents, and the thousands of Afghanis who had risked their lives to assist U.S. troops, U.S. diplomatic corps, and our NATO allies. What plans did Mr. Biden have to ensure their rescue and departure?
Sadly, the answer was that Mr. Biden had no “plan;” his intention was to forsake them.
What we currently know is more than 100 U.S. Citizens, their families, and thousands of individuals who befriended Americans and our allies are being held hostage by a bunch of thugs whose minds are stuck in the 6th Century.
Predictably, some in the media have made extraordinary attempts to paint Mr. Biden’s failures in another light but others are finding it impossible to defend his serial failures and cover his less-than-honest presentation of the debacle he alone created.
Over the past weeks we have learned that the Taliban has begun executing some of the Afghanis who had provided assistance to the United States and to NATO. So, how did they know who these people were and how could they prove it? It was easy for the Taliban to prove who those Afghanis were: Mr. Biden had provided that bunch of thugs with the biometric data of those individuals, ostensibly to enable the Taliban to know whom they should allow to depart their country. One would think no one could be so naïve as to trust the Taliban with such information but, alas, Mr. Biden and his regime continue to prove us wrong.
Having heard this news – including that the U.S. military had given up Bagram Air Base, $85 billion worth of helicopters, vehicles, arms, and military gear (along with our multi-billion dollar embassy) – we were reminded of a tragic event that had taken place nearly eleven years to the day in 2012 – Benghazi.
Mr. Biden had upped the 0bama-Clinton debacle raising the withdrawal and capitulation of Afghanistan to the Taliban to the level of Benghazi on steroids! But, us “ordinary” Americans weren’t the only ones who notice.
At the end of August, we learned 87 retired generals and admirals had written a letter demanding that Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) General Mark Milley resign from their roles immediately over the “events surrounding the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan” that unfolded under their leadership in the Biden administration.
“What should have happened upon learning of the Commander in Chief’s (President Biden’s) plan to quickly withdraw our forces and close the important power projection base Bagram, without adequate plans and forces in place to conduct the entire operation in an orderly fashion?” they wrote. “As principal military advisors to the CINC/President, the SECDEF and CJCS should have recommended against this dangerous withdrawal in the strongest possible terms.”
“If they did not do everything within their authority to stop the hasty withdrawal, they should resign. Conversely, if they did do everything within their ability to persuade the CINC/President to not hastily exit the country without ensuring the safety of our citizens and Afghans loyal to America, then they should have resigned in protest as a matter of conscience and public statement,” they continued. “The consequences of this disaster are enormous and will reverberate for decades beginning with the safety of Americans and Afghans who are unable to move safely to evacuation points; therefore, being de facto hostages of the Taliban at this time.”
The retired military commanders criticized the Biden administration for enabling the death and torture of Afghans that, they said, “has already begun and will result in a human tragedy of major proportions.”
“The loss of billions of dollars in advanced military equipment and supplies falling into the hands of our enemies is catastrophic,” they continued. “The damage to the reputation of the United States is indescribable. We are now seen, and will be seen for many years, as an unreliable partner in any multinational agreement or operation. Trust in the United States is irreparably damaged.”
DOD Resignation Letter 083021.pdf (wsimg.com)
We have also learned that Mr. Biden is apparently guilty of asking Ashraf Ghani to lie about the status of the situation as it developed in his country – a true effort to create a quid pro quo agreement in return for a reward from our country: Early in July Mr. Biden had been informed that his withdrawal plan was not going well. According to an article published by Reuters, on 23 July, “Mr. Biden received a frantic phone call from Afghanistan’s President, Ashraf Ghani,” telling Mr. Biden that his plans for withdrawing U.S. military forces from his country were causing everything to collapse into a state of chaos. In the fourteen minute phone call (the transcript of which has been provided and verified to Reuters by an anonymous source), Mr. Biden urged President Ghani to create a mutual public perception of control and stability, even though Mr. Biden knew this was not the case: Commenting to former President Ghani, Mr. Biden stated “and there is a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture.”
Mr. Biden went on to say, “I’m not a military guy, so I’m not telling you what a plan should precisely look like, you’re going to get not only more help, but you’re going to get a perception that is going to change . . .”
President Ghani replied, “Your assurance of support [emphasis added] goes a very long way to enable us, to really mobilize us in earnest.”
The call reveals that both Mr. Biden and former President Ghani were incredibly ill-prepared to lead our countries in preparing for what was to come. What is more disturbing is that a rational person would conclude that Mr. Biden had decided to go against the advice of his own advisors! Within a matter of days after the call, the Taliban took control of all major cities in Afghanistan, including the Bagram air base and $85 billion worth of military equipment – some of which is highly sophisticated and its workings classified.
Mr. Biden has since held several press conferences in which he tried to blame President Trump for his own failure. In general, the meme has been that he was only completing what President Trump had set in motion, but there’s a huge difference.
President Trump had made it clear to the Afghanis and the Taliban that the terms of our withdrawal was purely conditional; that if the Afghan government or the Taliban failed to honor their parts of the agreement, the withdrawal would be suspended.
Meanwhile, as several Republicans sought to have the entire transcript of Mr. Biden’s phone call to former Afghan President Ghani declassified, Mr. Biden’s regime are continuing their negotiations with the Taliban – you know, that group of Islamic Terrorists (still recognized as such today by the UN) – so the taxpayers can pay the ransoms of more the than 100 U.S. Citizens, and gain their freedom.
On 13 September, Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified before the House Committee Foreign Affairs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gVXrL-wuZU
In his testimony to the House Members, Secretary Blinken made one interesting remark that has been ignored by every commentator in major media: Secretary Blinken responded to a question to tell the Committee who was making the decisions regarding the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Without hesitation, Mr. Blinken responded that Mr. Biden had made all the decisions. In essence, one might conclude that Secretary Blinken had thrown Mr. Biden under the proverbial bus.
On 14 September, Secretary Blinken was called to testify before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
https://www.axios.com/blinken-senate-testimony-afghanistan-f49c16e1-7093-49ab-8c47-af4e9dee8789.html
https://nypost.com/2021/09/14/antony-blinken-testifies-before-senate-foreign-relations-committee/
On 14 September, we learned that Mr. Biden had offered the Taliban $10 billion (in what amounts to ransom money for their release of U.S. Citizens), allegedly to help them “establish their government in Afghanistan.” There was mention in the agreement that the Taliban should use some of the $10 billion to ensure girls could attend school, too. One may be certain the Taliban leaders got a chuckle out of that.
Senator Rand Paul asked Antony Blinken why Mr. Biden didn’t simply deduct the $10 billion from the military equipment they had left behind for them. Mr. Blinken was at a loss for words.
What we know at this time, there have been innumerable irregularities in America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Because of what we were told were Mr. Biden’s specific instructions to the State Department and to the Pentagon, every U.S. Citizen will have to bear the shame of our government’s betrayal; we, as a nation, have lost the trust of thousands of Afghani citizens, we have betrayed the trust of those NATO countries who put the lives of their military on the line to work with the United States, and – thanks entirely to Mr. Biden – we have projected weakness in the face of our enemies.
Mr. Biden’s decisions have ruined the reputation of the United States as a country whose word can be depended upon. It will take a generation before the people or government of any country will respect us again, and earning that respect will be more difficult than we can now imagine.
Under normal circumstances – that is to say in a country whose judicial system was not prone to prosecuting conservatives on false charges and overlooking the crimes committed by others – one might expect that Mr. Biden could, in the future, be impeached, removed from office, and charged with any number of crimes.
Under normal circumstances, that is.
Unfortunately, if history repeats itself, the Republicans will not seek to impeach Mr. Biden – just as it was with the Benghazi fiasco, no one of any political significance will be punished for any number of crimes for which they could well and deservedly be charged!
In the weeks and months and years to come, we will learn even more of what Mr. Biden has done in soiling the reputation of the United States of America. Every American will have to come to grips with the fact that, thanks to Mr. Biden, our allies no longer trust us and our enemies no longer fear us!
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES TODAY!
Regardless of where you live you can find your elected representatives at any level of government by visiting the following link. Remember: While they might be fairly bright, none of them can read your mind, so it is your obligation as a citizen to express your thoughts (and to urge all your friends and family and like-minded folks to do the same!) https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Here’s a handy guide for Tennesseans in the 4th Congressional District:
| Joseph Robinette Biden (a.k.a. the “Big Guy”)
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington D.C. 20500 Phone: (202) 456-1414 Fax: (202) 456-2461 e-mail http://www.whitehouse.gov |
U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty
Russell Senate Office Building Suite SR-B11 Washington D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 244-4944 Fax: (202) 228-3398 e-mail: https://www.hagerty.senate.gov |
| U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn
357 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3344 Fax: (202) 228-0566 To contact visit website: |
U.S Representative Dr. Scott DesJarlais
2301 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-6831 Fax: (202) 226-5172 |
| Governor Bill Lee
Tennessee State Capitol Nashville, Tennessee 37243 Phone: (615) 741-2001 Fax: (615) 532-9711 e-mail: http://www.state.tn.us/governor |
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
https://www.speaker.gov/contact Link above provides all methods of contact. Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader |
| State Representative Ron Travis
301 Sixth Avenue North Suite G-3 Nashville, Tennessee 37243 Phone: (615) 741-1450
|
State Senator Ken Yager
301 Sixth Avenue North Suite G-19 Nashville, Tennessee 37243 Phone: (615) 741-1449 Fax: (615) 253-0237 |
