Letter to LeBron James on his Birthday

pc: wikipedia

Happy Birthday (12.30.2018), 

Lebron James!

My bday gift to you is a wish that you not only be wealthy, but smart. Read the article below.

To:  Mr. Lebron James

The Los Angeles Lakers
2275 E. Mariposa Ave.
El Segundo, CA 90245

Dear Mr. James,

No one in my circles discusses French Modernist artists. That comforts me. Such a conversation would expose me as an illiterate on French Modernism, just as I am an illiterate on how to cook.

When I know nothing of subjects, my mouth stays closed. That's at least one difference in us. You are an economics illiterate. You prove it often. The dishonest "reporters" who cover you want to be your buddy. They won't embarrass you by being honest journalists and treating your words as economics illiteracy.

When you call Trump "a bum," none of them will tell you that statistics rank him as one of our best presidents for black Americans. His tax cuts and freeing us from absurd regulations have resulted in -- after only 18 months -- the lowest unemployment numbers ever for Hispanic and black Americans, and one of the lowest numbers for women.

DURING THOSE 18 MONTHS, TRUMP'S POLICIES CREATED ABOUT FOUR TIMES THE NUMBER OF MANUFACTURING JOBS CREATED DURING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION'S LAST 18 MONTHS. Remember when Obama mistakenly told us "Our lost manufacturing jobs are not coming back." Maybe manufacturing job growth depends on a president who knows what he's doing.

As a professional journalist, I cringe at some of Trump's buffoonery, like repeating sentences and wearing us out with "great," "fantastic" and other empty adjectives. He is often coarse. He was not my candidate. But there's no question his policies have helped many more minority Americans than Obama. It's not even close. Today, he's working to free many black and Hispanic prisoners who, in his opinion, have been in prison too long for relatively minor offenses. Are you aware of that effort?

You need to look up Gross Domestic Product, adjusted for inflation, and learn what it means to everyday Americans. Learn what one GDP point means to employment, and see how Trump has kept the number climbing.

Your buddy Obama? In addition to being our worst foreign affairs president and worst military commander-in-chief, his economic numbers all deserved an "F." He is our ONLY eight-year president who failed to give us at least one 3% or higher year of adjusted GDP growth. EVERY other president achieved at least one year of 4.28% or higher growth. Aided by Vietnam spending, Johnson had an 8.48 year. The best peacetime year -- 7.83 -- belonged to Reagan. And Obama couldn't even score a 3!!! Look it up.

You say you would speak to Obama but not Trump? How tragically uninformed you are. Obama had BY FAR the worst debt accumulation record of all our presidents. His economic blunders added about $9 trillion to our debt. NO OTHER PRESIDENT EVEN CAME CLOSE. That indebtedness will fall to you and your children.

via shutterstock

Poor families suffered most. Obama's awful job numbers forced a record number of people to take food stamps. Black household income under Obama fell steeply as black unemployment rose. Look that up, too.

But the worst part of what Trump inherited is that Obama, like Bush and Clinton before him, thought bribes and sweet talk were the best ways to deal with North Korea. As the North Koreans neared being able to wipe out Los Angeles with a nuclear-tipped missile, Trump became the first president to stand up boldly to the rogue nation. Notice North Korea, because of Trump, has stopped launching missiles over Japan? Notice North Korea has released political prisoners? Notice North Korea has begun to return remains of U.S. Service members? Absent sturdy spines, Clinton, Bush and Obama could not approach those major achievements.

Obama naively bribed the planet’s worst terrorist nation, Iran, with what was supposed to become a $150 billion handout. Did Obama not know many of those U.S. Tax dollars would help fund Hamas and Hezbollah terrorism? Of course he did. He just didn't care.

Remember the $800 billion of your and everyone else's tax dollars in his early stimulus for "shovel-ready jobs." Most of those tax dollars went to political cronies. He handed $500 million to Solyndra, a solar company run by boosters. The company soon went bankrupt. Our half-billion in tax money vanished with it.

Trump is often obnoxious, but people with courage can have that hangup. Obama always talked big, then feebly stood by when Putin infringed on Ukraine and annexed Crimea. But Obama's most cowardly move came when he warned Assad not to cross "the red line" in Syria. When Obama's warning was ignored, which Assad knew would happen, Obama did nothing. Does that make him a "bum?"

It makes me sad that you, as someone with a national voice would be so ignorant of economics, and also presidential decisions. I encourage you to do more reading and thinking as you watch the nation's GDP numbers rise and minority employment rise.

* Read about "Right To Try," which frees terminally ill people to sign a lawsuit waiver and take an experimental drug that might not be approved for many years. Democrats fought this sensible plan for years because it would cost them donations.

* Read about a Navy Obama left to Trump that struggled with about half its carrier aircraft unsafe to fly.

* Read about Trump's giving the VA the right to fire any employee who neglects or abuses a patient.

* Read about Trump's courage in challenging, actually demanding that, NATO partners to pay their fair share rather than keep mooching off the U.S.

You might also read the wisdom of two of the world’s brightest people, black intellectuals  Dr. Thomas Sowell and Dr. Walter Williams. They have written many books. Sowell and Williams’ integrity, remarkable insights and clarity of expression cause their common sense to soar off the page to readers.

Or, you could ignore vital Trump decisions and remain an illiterate on both presidential achievement and economics. If you disdain knowledge and keep calling Trump or any other U.S. president a bum, people will begin to wonder who's the real bum.

Sincerely,

Hal Lundgren 
(unverified, but not denied)

Year 2018

LeBron Raymone James Sr

wikipedia picture

Thomas Sowell

List: POTUS Trump's Recent Accomplishments Including a First Win from Russian Summit

President Donald J. Trump Has Restored American Leadership 

On The World Stage

MOMENTUM FOR POSITIVE CHANGE WITH NORTH KOREA: President Donald J. Trump has taken a bold first step to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

-President Trump held a historic summit with Chairman Kim Jong Un.
-The summit marked a bold first step to achieving the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
-During the summit, North Korea reaffirmed its commitment to complete denuclearization, agreed to help the United States recover POW/MIA remains, and committed to destroying a missile engine testing site.

1. -The summit built on the progress President Trump had already achieved, including: The return of three Americans detained in North Korea;
2. The March pledge by North Korea to refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests; and
3. The apparent closure of North Korea’s nuclear test site.

WITHDRAWING FROM THE UNACCEPTABLE IRAN DEAL: President Trump has ended United States participation in the disastrous Iran deal.

-President Trump terminated United States participation in the Iran deal, as it failed to protect America’s national security interests.

1. The one-sided “deal” gave Iran a windfall of cash, enabling its malign behavior.
2. The President directed his Administration to immediately begin the process of re-imposing sanctions on Iran.

-The Trump Administration has issued serious sanctions targeting Iranian entities and activities, including:

1. Financial and procurement networks supporting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.
2. Iranian entities engaging in human rights abuses and censorship on behalf of the Iranian regime.
3. Iranian individuals providing ballistic missiles and technical expertise to Yemen’s Houthis.

DESTROYING ISIS: The Trump Administration has worked with allies to destroy ISIS and liberate territory previously occupied by the self-declared caliphate. 

-President Trump has empowered United States commanders with broad authority to defeat ISIS.
-ISIS has lost nearly all of its territory, more than half of which has been liberated under the Trump Administration.
-In December 2017, the Iraqi government announced all Iraqi territory had been liberated from ISIS control.
-ISIS’ self-proclaimed capital city Raqqah was recaptured in October 2017.

RESPONDING TO SYRIA’S USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS: President Trump has forcefully responded to the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons.

-The President authorized military strikes, responding to the Syrian regime’s savage chemical weapons attacks.

1. In April 2018, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France launched strikes against targets associated with the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons capabilities.
2. In April 2017, President Trump directed United States military forces to strike a Syrian airfield used in the regime’s chemical weapons attack earlier that month.

-President Trump has joined with allies to call on Syria to fully declare and dismantle its chemical weapons arsenal and to deter chemical weapons use worldwide.

-Since February 2017, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has rolled out sanctions targeting 284 individuals and entities responsible for supporting the Syrian regime’s use of military force and chemical weapons against civilians.

pc: rush limbaugh

RECOGNIZING JERUSALEM AS ISRAEL’S CAPITAL: President Trump followed through on his promise to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and open the United States Embassy there.

-President Trump acted on his pledge to recognize the reality that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital and open the United States Embassy there.

1. In December 2017, President Trump announced the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
2. In May 2018, the United States officially opened its Embassy in Jerusalem.

ETA:

Important --->  @ Helsinki: Putin Granted Israel's Request 

President Trump: The Big Picture

A First Win at Helsinki Summit

In Case You Haven't Figured Out What Dems Have Chosen

POTUS Accomplishments Up to Year 2017

*******

Dan Coats, Syria, and ISIS

WC: The Magic Flute

A couple of Wheaton College alumni have been in the news recently:  Evangelist, Billy Graham ;
 and Dan Coates (class of '65), Director of National Intelligence under President Trump.

As much political experience as Mr Coates has (US Senator, US Representative, Ambassador to Germany), Christians must include him in their daily prayers to God.  Why? Mr Coates and his department produce the daily briefing that the President gets every morning. Thus, Mr Coates' accuracy, wisdom, intelligence, honesty, and memory must never, ever be compromised.  Mr Trump will base much of his decisions regarding national security and US interests abroad based on that daily report (definitely pray for President Trump also).

Regarding SYRIA:

U.S. makes decision on troops in Syria: intelligence chief

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. intelligence chief said on Wednesday that a decision had been made on the future of American troops in war-torn Syria and the White House would make it public soon.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said the decision was reached at an “all hands on deck” National Security Council meeting on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he wanted to “get out” of Syria but offered no timetable. 

At the same time, Trump’s advisers warned of the hard work left to defeat Islamic State and stabilize areas recaptured from the hardline militant group.

Trump said at a news conference the United States would “not rest until ISIS is gone,” using an acronym for the militant group. But he also suggested that victory was imminent.

“It’s time,” Trump told reporters, when asked if he was inclined to withdraw American forces.

The Pentagon and State Department have said a longer term U.S. effort would be needed to ensure that Islamic State’s defeat is a lasting one.

Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by David Gregorio

official portrait, Dan Coates (Director of National Intelligence)

Dan Coates, Director of National Intelligence

US & Syria

Director of National Intelligence

Wheaton College Alumni Profiles

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List of TPS Countries Past and Present

Below is the list of all countries that have ever been bestowed the T P S (Temporary Protected Status) designation by the US Department of Justice.  The operative word is "temporary".  Countries have been removed from the list in the past with hardly a peep of hysteria, so cool-it Liberals!

U.S. Temporary Protected Status countries, past and current: 

Terminated from Designation List:
Angola (2003)
Bosnia-Hercegovina (2000)
Burundi (2007)
Guinea-Bissau (2000)
Kuwait (1992)
Lebanon (1993)
Liberia (2017)
Montserrat (2004)
Nicaragua (2017)
Kosovo (2000)
Rwanda (1997)
Sudan (2017)

by the numbers

"Designation by the Attorney General of a country's nationals for TPS allows all of those country's nationals who are currently in the United States on the day of the designation to apply for the status. Anyone entering after that date will not be eligible. When the status comes up for expiration, the Attorney General may choose to redesignate, allowing that country's nationals who have entered since the original designation to apply, or to extend, which merely allows the previous recipients to maintain their status until the new expiration date." -- wikipedia

TPS List

End of Special Protection

Temporary Protected Status

12.01.18.18

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Another Arab Spring?

Here is a warning of the possibility of a second wave of Anti- Government protests in the Arab World.  President Trump's travel ban will surely add "fire" to the feelings of entrapment and hopelessness among young Muslims. 

pc: wikipedia

A new report released this week by the United Nations warns of the possibility of a second “Arab Spring” that may well have implications for Israeli safety and security. 

Called the Arab Development Report, the paper focuses on the future of young Arabs aged 19 to 26, who are battling poverty, joblessness, “marginalization” — and desperately seeking a voice for their concerns. 

It warns that the failure of Arab nations to help young men and women succeed academically, vocationally, and economically could lead to another wave of deadly protests across the region, similar to the popular uprising six years ago that became known as the Arab Spring. 

Few jobs, lack of upward mobility and widespread disillusionment 

Joblessness is a major problem all across the Middle East—much higher than the world average. Youth unemployment, at 30 percent throughout the region, is more than twice the world’s 14-percent average. What’s more, almost half of young Arab women looking for jobs can’t find work. 

The paper noted that young Arabs 15 to 29 now make up nearly a third of the region’s population. Another third are under 15. If they don’t attain what the report characterizes as “full social and economic inclusion,” they’ll be increasingly inclined to turn to violence. And that violence could be directed at Israel. 

The eight-chapter report calls on Arab states to invest in their youth and equip them to share in economic growth. 

Soft-peddling the root causes of Arab rage 

In an opinion piece carried by the Jerusalem Post, Benjamin Weinthal, a Fellow at the Foundation for Defensive Democracies, criticizes the report for “tiptoeing” around the root causes of trouble in the region—genocide, the oppression of women, political corruption, and the rise of radical Islam—by not naming the oppressive leaders who cause these evils, such as Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. 

He said corrupt Arab leaders should be called out, but instead are given a pass through the report’s frequent use of evasive “boilerplate United Nations diplomatic” language. 

Weinthal quotes a former veteran Israeli diplomat as saying, “There is almost no free market, no hi-tech (though many study it), and most important, corruption rages. These are the ingredients which will continue fueling the situation for the foreseeable future.” 

The diplomat warned of a “total implosion.” 

The real troublemakers 

Even as the report blames social disparity, corruption, and lack of opportunity as the drivers of young Arab angst, it cites Israel 29 times and claims: “The cause of the Palestinians remains the largest and most serious” threat to the region. 

Incredibly, the study makes just one mention of radical Islamic organizations, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, that continue to cause violence, instability, and incalculable damage all across the Middle East. There are no dire warnings of the grave threat the Brotherhood, ISIS, and other Jihad-driven movements present to not only Israel, but other nations in the region and worldwide. 

You and I know this is delusion. 

Arab Spring, Part 2? 

On December 17, many peace-seeking Arabs will observe the 6th anniversary of the self-immolation—suicide in the name of a deeply held belief—of Mohamed Bouazizi. He was the Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire in protest of government corruption. Bouazizi is widely recognized as the catalyst for the wider Arab Spring. 

But if this report is any indication, influential organizations like the UN still do not understand the real problem. By ignoring the need for worldwide repudiation and action to neutralize Jihad-driven governments that are the direct cause of Arab disillusionment, we only prolong the violence and magnify the eventual, terrible consequences. 

You can be sure that Bouazizi will not be the last young Arab to take extreme action in protest of the incompetence, oppression, and corruption that characterize the Arab world under radical Muslim control. We will see more violent revolution. Unfortunately, the entire region—and likely Israel—will suffer as a result. 

How should we respond? 

As always, I ask for your prayers. Chaos and upheaval are opportunities for God to bring peace. I believe these developments are clear indications God is at work in the Middle East. That’s our prompt to pray earnestly for His protection on the Jewish people during these Last Days. 

Yes, pray for peace. But pray also for redemption—not only for the Jewish people we love so much, but also for young Arabs who find only disillusionment and hopelessness in the Islamic faith. It’s true: our primarily mission is salvation for the Jewish people. But the entire Kingdom of God will be blessed by the millions of Muslims I am convinced will come to faith in Yeshua (Jesus) during this era of growing darkness. 

It’s a blessed irony: Muslims finding true salvation in the Jewish Messiah! 

source:   © Jewish Voice Ministries International.

P.O. Box 81439 - Phoenix, AZ 85069-1439 

Ph# 1-800-299-9374 

December 2016