This Week in the World Affairs Brief:
REPUBLICAN'S FEEBLE ATTEMPT TO REIGN IN EXECUTIVE POWER
Nothing is more symptomatic of the compromised leadership of the Republican Party in Congress than their feeble efforts to file suit against Obama rather than impeach him. Even presumed conservative House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan said Republicans should stop short of attempting to impeach him. He erroneously relies upon the ancient and formulaic "high crimes and misdemeanor" as the bar for impeachment that was used to denigrate the process during the Clinton impeachment. Obama's real impeachable offense is the unconstitutional use of executive authority to bypass Congress and change law. In particular his recent edicts that refuse to enforce the law and grant illegals several different forms of amnesty. House Speaker Boehner, the mastermind behind the flawed suit, isn't even suing the president for refusing to secure the borders, but for not enforcing Obmacare mandates on all businesses uniformly. Whose side is he on? You can request a one-time free sample of the briefs by sending an email to editor@worldaffairsbrief.com.
Also:
- Republican House Border Bill a Sellout for Amnesty
- NSA Spying Bill will not Stop Spying
- Gaza: Will Israel Finally get rid of Hamas?
Daily News
What Few Know About TOR Might Shock You
posted by askousen - Friday, August 1 2014
...It is fairly common knowledge that Tor was developed by the Navy to help US diplomats and spies to communicate anonymously from foreign locations. The developers were aware that the private sector would likely also use this technology but it was initially developed for the US government. But what was less well-known until recently was that Tor was still receiving funding from the world's largest terrorist organization - the US government - of $1.8 million per year. This means that Tor developers are on the US government payroll, and have been. — The Daily Bell
Colorado issuing driver's licenses to immigrants
posted by askousen - Friday, August 1 2014
Colorado will begin issuing driver's licenses and identification cards to immigrants Friday regardless of their legal status, underscoring a sea change in a state that less than a decade ago passed strict immigration enforcement laws.
Now, thousands of immigrants are waiting to get cards they hope will add a degree of legitimacy to their residency in Colorado. About 9,500 people are signed up for appointments through the next 90 days to get the documents, with more getting scheduled every day. Both people in the country illegally and those who have temporary legal status will qualify. — SeattlePi
2 Americans detained in North Korea seek US help
posted by askousen - Friday, August 1 2014
Two American tourists charged with "anti-state" crimes in North Korea said Friday they expect to be tried soon and pleaded for help from the U.S. government to secure their release from what they say could be long prison terms. — Miami Herald
U.S. calls Hamas attack 'barbaric' violation of Gaza ceasefire: CNN
posted by askousen - Friday, August 1 2014
The White House on Friday condemned a reported Hamas attack on Israeli soldiers in Gaza as a violation of the newly reached humanitarian ceasefire and called for the release of an abducted Israeli soldier.
Israel declared a ceasefire over on Friday hours after it began, saying Hamas militants attacked Israeli soldiers looking for tunnels in Gaza and abducted one of them. — Reuters
D.C. police won't enforce handgun ban; stay of ruling overturning law will be sought
posted by askousen - Friday, August 1 2014
...In an order approved by Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, police were told that District residents are permitted to carry pistols if the weapons are registered. Those who had not registered their handguns could be charged on that ground, the instruction said.
The number of registered pistols is thought to be low. — Washington Post
Court overturns DC handgun law
posted by askousen - Friday, August 1 2014
A federal judge has overturned a Washington, D.C., law preventing people from carrying handguns in public.
Judge Frederick Scullin concluded that current prohibitions are an unconstitutional violation of the Second Amendment right to bear arms, in a win for gun rights advocates.
Based on previous court rulings striking down gun laws in D.C., Chicago and elsewhere, "there is no longer any basis on which this Court can conclude that the District of Columbia's total ban on the public carrying of ready-to-use handguns outside the home is constitutional under any level of scrutiny," Scullin wrote in his 19-page decision, which was unsealed on Saturday. — The Hill
Understanding Argentina's Coming Default
posted by askousen - Thursday, July 31 2014
...This is a complex case that has produced different, if not opposite, interpretations by analysts and policy makers. Some of these interpretations, however, are not well-founded. An understanding of the Argentine situation requires historical context.
At the beginning of the 1990s, Argentina implemented the Convertibility Law as a measure to restrain the central bank and put an end to the hyperinflation that took place in the late 1980s. This law set the exchange rate at one peso per US dollar and stated that the central bank could only issue pesos in fixed relation to the amount of US dollars that entered the country — Ludwig Von Mises Institute
Thank You Obamacare - California Health Insurance Costs Spike Up To 88% In 2014
posted by askousen - Thursday, July 31 2014
If you like your disposable income... forget it. Health-care insurance premiums for individuals in California rose between 22% and 88% in 2014 from last year, even after the federal health-care overhaul. This has led, as Bloomberg reports, to Proposition 45 - a bill that would grant regulatory say on proposed premium increases. "Unless Proposition 45 is passed we are going to continue to see dramatic year-over-year increases," warned Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. — ZeroHedge
Bad News: UN Disabilities Treaty Has Returned-Stronger than Ever
posted by askousen - Wednesday, July 30 2014
...This United Nations treaty says "in all actions concerning children with disabilities, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration." Not "parental rights," as our U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. But "best interests of the child," a legal term only used during divorce and abuse and neglect cases. Government officials could use this section to override parental decisions for their child with a disability. Other provisions of this treaty threaten U.S. sovereignty, promote abortion rights, and require a national registry of all children with disabilities (the term "disability" isn't even defined). — HSLDA - Home School Legal Defense Association
Loopholes Blunt Impact of U.S., EU Sanctions Over Ukraine
posted by askousen - Wednesday, July 30 2014
The economic sanctions that the U.S. and European Union imposed Tuesday against Russian banks were designed to severely punish a key part of Russia's economy. But their immediate impact is likely to be relatively muted.
The U.S. sanctions don't include Russia's biggest bank, and the EU carved out a loophole for big parts of the banks. — WSJ
Jeff Sessions: House Border Bill Is a 'Surrender To a Lawless President'
posted by askousen - Wednesday, July 30 2014
Senator Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.) denounced the House Republican border bill as a "surrender to a lawless president" because the legislation does not include any language to prevent President Obama from expanding his unilateral legalization of illegal immigrants. — National Review
Personal Privacy Is Only One of the Costs of NSA Surveillance
posted by askousen - Wednesday, July 30 2014
There is no doubt the integrity of our communications and the privacy of our online activities have been the biggest casualty of the NSA's unfettered surveillance of our digital lives. But the ongoing revelations of government eavesdropping has had a profound impact on the economy, the security of the internet and the credibility of the U.S. government's leadership when it comes to online governance. — Wired.com
Just TWO climate committee MPs contradict IPCC: The two with SCIENCE degrees
posted by askousen - Tuesday, July 29 2014
..."About one third of all the CO2 emitted by mankind since the industrial revolution has been put into the atmosphere since 1997; yet there has been no statistically significant increase in the mean global temperature since then," the two MPs state.
"By definition, a period with record emissions but no warming cannot provide evidence that emissions are the dominant cause of warming!"
The other nine MPs disagreed, however, and outvoted the two sceptics to firmly endorse the IPCC view. But it's perhaps worth noting the two rebels' description of themselves as "scientists by training" - which they both are - and the fact that they have far more relevant scientific education than most of the alarmist MPs who outvoted them. — UK Register
Chinese Missile Forces Pose Threat to U.S. in Future Conflict
posted by askousen - Tuesday, July 29 2014
China's advanced cruise and ballistic missiles pose a significant threat in future conflict with the United States, the chief of naval operations (CNO) warned last week.
Adm. Jonathan Greenert, the CNO, also said during a security conference Friday that China is building a second aircraft carrier that could be deployed in the not too distant future. — Washington Free Beacon
VA Officials Will Get Millions of Dollars in Bonuses Under House-Senate Agreement
posted by askousen - Tuesday, July 29 2014
A House-Senate agreement on how to reform the broken Department of Veterans Affairs will let the VA hand out up to $360 million in bonuses to its employees each year, even though the House voted just weeks ago to strip all VA bonuses through 2016. — The Blaze
DEMOCRATS WANT VOTES; REPUBLICANS WANT CHEAP LABOR
posted by askousen - Tuesday, July 29 2014
The invasion of illegal aliens across our southern border is no extemporaneous event. It is a cold, calculated, and cunning attempt to fundamentally change America. The Obama Administration has sent a loud and clear signal to our neighbors to the south that illegals are welcome, that they won’t be sent home, and that they will be provided either real or de facto amnesty--especially if those illegals are minors. The result is a torrent of illegals pouring over the border into the United States. These illegals are being housed, fed, given medical care, and are being transported to destinations throughout the U.S. Few are being deported. Several military installations have been essentially turned into daycare centers and nurseries, and according to several published reports, up to 70% of U.S. Border Patrol personnel are now being assigned to administrative duties in an attempt to process the hundreds of thousands of illegals that have amassed at the border. — Chuck Baldwin/News With Views
Hamas and North Korea in secret arms deal
posted by askousen - Monday, July 28 2014
Hamas militants are attempting to negotiate a new arms deal with North Korea for missiles and communications equipment that will allow them to maintain their offensive against Israel, according to Western security sources.
Security officials say the deal between Hamas and North Korea is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and is being handled by a Lebanese-based trading company with close ties to the militant Palestinian organisation based in east Beirut. — Telegraph
10,000 Bodies: Inside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's Crackdown
posted by askousen - Monday, July 28 2014
[editor's note: new attempt brewing for US war on Assad?]...Syria has dismissed Caesar's photographs as fabrications. In January, before U.S. investigators judged the photos authentic, Syria's Ministry of Justice said many of the dead shown in the photos were civilians and soldiers killed by "terrorist groups." It branded Caesar a fugitive lacking credibility, and said the photo trove was part of a campaign instigated by enemies of the nation. Syrian officials at the U.N. didn't respond to requests for further comment. — WSJ
Obama Seeks to Dramatically Broaden US War on Terror
posted by askousen - Monday, July 28 2014
...The news that President Obama was looking at getting Congress to remove the 9/11 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), as well as the 2002 AUMF that led to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, was initially seen as a possible climbdown from the position of eternal American warfare.
Instead, White House officials are now saying that the old 9/11 AUMF is "outdated" and less useful in their current warmongering, primarily because it is so difficult to spin factions that didn’t exist 13 years ago as something to do with 9/11.
The "repeal" is really a cover for what they are now calling the 'evolving" of the global war on terrorism, and the introduction of a new, broader authority for the president to attack whatever flavor-of-the-week enemy he can get the terrorist label to stick to. — Antiwar.com
Libya Civil War Escalates, Foreigners Flee Country
posted by askousen - Monday, July 28 2014
Libya's growing civil war continued to escalate throughout the weekend, with at least 36 people killed in fighting in Benghazi and dozens of others, all Egyptian nationals, were killed in a rocket strike in Tripoli.Tripoli has seen fighting over control of their airport for over a week, and nations throughout the world are urging their citizens to leave Libya as soon as possible. Getting out isn't always easy, however. — Antiwar.com
House Republicans: Libya mess reflects failed U.S. policy
posted by askousen - Monday, July 28 2014
House Republicans blamed the rushed evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Libya on poor leadership by the Obama administration and said Saturday's withdrawal will complicate any plans to restore order there. — USA Today
U.S. evacuates Libya embassy after 'free-wheeling militia violence'
posted by askousen - Monday, July 28 2014
The United States evacuated its embassy in Libya on Saturday, driving diplomats across the border into Tunisia under heavy military escort after escalating clashes broke out between rival militias in Tripoli. — Reuters
North Korea Fires Short-Range Missile into Sea
posted by askousen - Saturday, July 26 2014
South Korea's Defense Ministry says North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile into waters off its east coast.
The launch is the latest in a slew of missile and rocket tests the North has been conducting in recent weeks. — Time
Barack Obama has already checked out of his job
posted by askousen - Saturday, July 26 2014
The degree to which Barack Obama is now phoning it in - sleepwalking perfunctorily through his second term, amid golf rounds and dinner parties - is astonishing — Telegraph
Vans May be New Form of Transportation for Illegals, as Feds Attempt to Avoid Scrutiny
posted by askousen - Saturday, July 26 2014
It appears that many illegal immigrants in California are being transported by federal agents via van caravans instead of large Department of Homeland Security (DHS) buses. Dropping off illegal immigrants from vans, rather than buses, may serve to draw less attention and scrutiny from local residents, many of whom remain resistant to the dumping of foreigners in their communities. — Breitbart
Obama Eyes Major Immigration Move
posted by askousen - Saturday, July 26 2014
The President may be preparing to provide temporary legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants
When President Obama issues executive orders on immigration in coming weeks, pro-reform activists are expecting something dramatic: temporary relief from deportation and work authorization for perhaps several million undocumented immigrants. — Time
GOP Senator: Obama To 'Effectively End Immigration Enforcement'
posted by askousen - Saturday, July 26 2014
The Obama administration is preparing to effectively "nullify" the immigration laws of the United States through an executive action, says one Republican senator. As Time reported Thursday, President Obama appears prepared to provide millions of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. work authorization via executive orders:
When President Obama issues executive orders on immigration in coming weeks, pro-reform activists are expecting something dramatic: temporary relief from deportation and work authorization for perhaps several million undocumented immigrants. If the activists are right, the sweeping move would upend a contentious policy fight and carry broad political consequences. — Weekly Standard
DARPA Wants New Technology to Predict "Societal Unrest"
posted by askousen - Saturday, July 26 2014
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting companies to provide new technology that would allow the U.S. Department of Defense to predict future "societal unrest" by keeping track of "all human activities that can be measured." — Infowars.com
Gun-toting psychiatrist shoots suspect who killed Pennsylvania hospital employee: police
posted by askousen - Friday, July 25 2014
...The hospital has a policy barring anyone except on-duty law enforcement officers from carrying weapons anywhere on its campus, a spokeswoman for the Mercy Health System said.... But Yeadon Police Chief Donald Molineux said that "without a doubt, I believe the doctor saved lives."
"Without that firearm, this guy (the patient) could have went out in the hallway and just walked down the offices until he ran out of ammunition," the chief said. — NY Daily News
Obama takes on 'corporate deserters,' steps up drive to close tax loophole
posted by askousen - Friday, July 25 2014
Striking a populist stand ahead of the midterm elections, Obama is demanding "economic patriotism" from American corporations that seek overseas mergers to avoid U.S. taxes. Obama and congressional Democrats are pushing to severely limit such deals, a move resisted by Republicans who argue the entire corporate tax code needs an overhaul. — Sun Times