REPUBLICAN DERELICTION OF DUTY IN THE IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL

REPUBLICAN DERELICTION OF DUTY IN THE IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

It is disconcerting to conservatives that the Republican Party talks a good game but never seems to deliver. Their track record is becoming impossible to ignore. America in 2010 and 2014 gave Republicans a mandate to stifle President Obama’s transformation of our country into a socialist state. The obscene $20 trillion debt, deceptive and malfunctioning Obamacare, the opening up of the borders to hoards of illegals, our pathetically conflicted, weak, destructive “leading from behind” foreign policy that punishes our allies while rewarding our enemies and deconstructing our constitutional safeguards was supposed to be reversed.

The Republicans were given voter approval to reverse them but the Republican establishment refused to use their political capital. They put their tails between their legs and folded. The excuses they employed ranged from blaming others to not wanting to appear oppositional or racist. This was nauseating. They never risked taking a stand that might jeopardize their political positions. They displayed contempt of the voters even after the people had spoken loud and clear.

Possibly the most incomprehensible and bewildering behavior of the Republican establishment was its response to President Obama’s Iran Nuclear Agreement. Both the Democrats and Republicans acknowledged that Iran’s obtaining nuclear capabilities would radically change the Middle Eastern nations’ power position and ignite a nuclear arms race. Past adversaries such as Israel and Saudi Arabia united to pressure the US to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Powerful Democrats and Republicans joined together to prevent this nuclear deal from happening.

This deal between the US and Iran had so many dangerous implications that it should have risen to the level of an official and highly stipulated treaty to increase the safeguards to prevent their reneging on its provisions. Instead, the Republican complicity allowed the executive branch to bypass congressional approval of a treaty that would have required a 2/3 vote for approval. It would have doomed the treaty.

The excuse for relinquishing of the senate’s power was that other presidents, including G.W. Bush, had made more agreements with other nations. However, none of them was remotely at the level of world importance. The Corker Bill was a scam to give political cover to the Republicans to not exercise their responsibility as accountable representatives of the people. The Corker Bill accepted the claim that this was an agreement not a treaty. Saying it is a agreement undermines the constitutional power of the senate by putting the onus on Senate to find 67 votes to block this agreement along with 2/3 of the House of Representatives. The Corker Bill turned on its head the intent of the founding fathers by making it virtually impossible to ratify an ill-advised treaty. It reversed the constitutional process of needing to obtain 2/3 of the senate to pass a treaty to requiring 2/3 of both the house and the senate to overturn a presidential veto of the Iran Nuclear Agreement. The Corker Bill made it almost impossible to stop the Iran Nuclear Agreement.

It was almost a year after the Iran Nuclear Deal became official that the startling information came out that there was a bone given to the Republicans. The one hundred fifty billion dollar release of frozen Iranian assets was partially going to be used to buy 100 commercial airliners from Boeing. The Boeing Company is a huge contributor to the Republican Party. The pieces of this puzzling behavior of the Republican establishment fell into place as soon as one was able to follow the money.

The Iranian Nuclear Deal is a game changer. It will not make us safer but rather more vulnerable to Iran’s hostile tactics by emboldening Iran to engage in dangerous actions such as intimidating our aircraft carriers with rocket fire, boarding our ships, detaining and humiliating our troops while equipping their terrorist allies with advanced weaponry including ballistic missiles. It lifts the Khamenei regime into one of, if not the most significant threat to the United States. Iran leadership continues to proclaim “Death to America” and calls the US “The Great Satan.”

The Republican establishment could easily have killed this one-sided agreement of these two powers by doing what they said they were going to do. They needed to stick to their guns by insisting this required a ratified treaty. Instead their party interest overruled the interest of the American people. The Republican leadership has continued to behave disgracefully as one part of our three branch Constitutional Republic. 

Congressional power is specifically outlined in the constitution giving congress the responsibility to ratify international treaties and not be a bystander in United States foreign interests. Enhancing the coffers of a major contributor to the Republicans may insure the party’s financial future but it abdicates its sacred duty to protect the safety of its citizens.

The Kabuki Dance the Republican establishment is trying to hide behind is a thin veil that is no longer disguising the moral vacuum and spiritual decay of the Republican Party. It is  advancing the destruction of our nation.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

REPUBLICANS ARE THE GUARDIANS OF PROGRESSIVE ADVANCES

REPUBLICANS ARE THE GUARDIANS OF PROGRESSIVE ADVANCES

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Donald Trump raised a firestorm when he questioned federal judge Gonzalo Curiel’s ability to be fair in his decisions about the Trump University’s civil fraud case. The leftist media held onto the story for months before releasing it and attacking Trump unmercifully. Most surprisingly was the vicious manner the establishment republicans solidly lined up to crucify him as a bigot who had to repent to regain any of their support. Somehow his comment that Judge Curiel could be biased against him because of his tough anti illegal immigrant stance certifies Trump as a racist. Curiel’s past actions, statements, and affiliations were not to be questioned.

The founder of the San Diego Lawyers Association, Marco Obledo, noted that Hispanics would take over California and send whites back to Europe, a tenet of the National Council of La Raza. Judge Curiel belongs to the San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association that has historical ties to the National Council of La Raza. This organization (The Race) has a radical agenda to unite the southwest USA with the mother country of Mexico. It should be noted that Hispanics are people of differing racial backgrounds and ethnic groups whose sole connection is they are all Spanish-speaking people not a race.

Many judges might be pompous but they are still human. Judge Curiel admitted that he assisted an illegal alien to obtain a US university scholarship. This act of abetting a law breaking individual was improper or even an illegal one. This judge in the Trump University case appointed the Robbin Geller, Rudman and Dowd law firm to represent the plaintiffs and the firm is paying the bills to continue the case against Trump University.  This firm has had a continual close relationship with Trump’s rival, Hillary Clinton, and paid $675,000 for Hillary’s speaking engagements. The appointment of the Geller firm raises concern about the judge’s impartiality in the case.

Trump’s concerns might not be sufficient for Judge Curiel to recuse himself but they are not in any way racist. Every citizen has a right to an unbiased trial. Judges are required to step down from a case if their background or previously stated beliefs are in conflict with being an impartial representative of the court or even the appearance of it. Former Attorney General of the USA, Alberto Gonzales, wrote that a private citizen has a constitutional right to question the fairness of any judge who presides over his case.

The reaction of Trump’s statement concerning the judge was most revealing about the Republican elites rather than the Democrats or Trump. Their allegiance is to the Republican Party not to the people and the Constitution. Almost every major Republican from Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney, John Kasich, Lindsay Graham and a host of others expressed their strong feelings that he acted as a bigoted racist. They say that Trump should apologize for his apprehension that Judge Curiel could be prejudiced against him even though he has a constitutional right to do so.

The question to ask is, why did Republican elites fall in line against their own presidential candidate rather than protect his right to be skeptical about the legal process? This judge is a highly politicized one appointed by a highly political president in a crucial election year. Instead, the instinctual reaction of the Republican elites was to protect their party and their own politically correct reputation.

The Republican Party is part of the ruling class. They did not resist the PC censorship of political questioning and speech for the past 7.5 years of the Obama administration. These representatives of the people did not follow through on their expressed intentions to fight nationalizing healthcare, public school take over, weakening of our military and a halt to out-of-control spending using bureaucratic regulations to limit free economic competition. The Republicans backed off their responsibility of being an oppositional party and went against the people’s wishes to preserve, not risk, their power positions. RINOS, Republicans in Name Only, are solidly lined up against Trump since they are politically progressive hacks and apologists.

Donald Trump is dangerous to both the Republican and Democrat ruling class. He says many things that would change the direction of our country. He certainly alienates many special interest groups that are the backbone of the progressive movement. He is a non-politician who attacks the necessary issues in a non- politically correct manner that could place us back on track again to be the leader of the free world.

His direct talk to the American people has already upset the applecart, which has frightened many establishment politicians. It appears too many Republicans are more concerned about ensuring their special perks and privileges than stopping the progressive socialist takeover of America.

Instead of joining the Democrat assault on Trump to solidify the advances of the progressive movement, patriots of all political persuasions should join together to restore citizens’ rights to speak their minds. Only though open debate of ideas can we regain our correct bearings. All American citizens, politicians, military and community leaders should stand up to freely express their minds to defeat a socialistic progressive takeover. They can rationally show the negative outcomes of the utopian promises of hope and change. Remaining in the vise of political correctness will result in the loss of our Constitutional protections.

Trump’s courage to speak his mind frightens the entire establishment. Shaking it up is a legal, safe and effective way of producing change. Let us all think before we shut down the one person who can shatter the chains of groupthink that is smothering the rights and freedoms of all Americans.

WHISTLEBLOWERS: GOATS OR HEROES

WHISTLEBLOWERS: GOATS OR HEROES

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

There are plenty of people who release false personal information on someone to destroy that person, politician or businessman’s career. The intent of the pronouncement is to hurt others not to protect unaware and innocent people. The accusations they make are mostly based on innuendo, which is stated to promote them over an adversary or seek revenge over a perceived wrong. The same nasty intentions can motivate a whistleblower. Whistleblowers are not always honorable guys; they can be scoundrels too. Some of these people’s acts are not behaviors to be celebrated but ones to be condemned by fair-minded people.

Whistleblowing can be an heroic act. It puts an individual in jeopardy of being attacked as an opportunist, a rat or worse, a traitor to his organization’s mission. When an employee of a company puts his own livelihood on the line to protest evil acts, it is courageous and should be applauded. The exposing of falsifying positive test results when the product is causing serious physical damage to others is another moral act of substance. Standing up against wrongdoing the person (the whistleblower) should be protected from retaliation by business or government officials. The problem is determining whether the person is a disgruntled individual lying for his own ends or a person committed to justice. This should be determined before an unknown official designates the person as a whistleblower.

In the case of Rear Admiral Brian Losey, the verdict concerning his behavior depends on whose word one believes. Retired four-star general, Bill McRaven, US Special Operations Commander from 2011-2014 stated, “Brian Losey is without question one of the finest officers I have ever known for 30 years. I have seen him in every possible leadership position.” The General noted Washington politics, not malfeasance was the driving force for his not being promoted. The community of SEAL Team Six acknowledged he was highly respected as a fair, by-the-book commander. The decision not to promote Admiral Losey was outside the normal chain of command.

These political difficulties began when Losey was assigned to lead the Special Operations component in Africa. His commanding style conflicted with the existing, relaxed anything-goes culture. The clash produced two civilian and one military personnel filing whistleblower statements. After an exhaustive examination, the Navy Review Board voted 3-0 to promote him and grant him a second star. However, some members in the Senate, led by John McCain, protested the promotion.  The Navy shortly overturned the Navy Review Board’s recommendation. Brian Losey was forced to retire. Was it a just verdict or a means of eliminating a strong military leader who would not bow to political pressure?

The Edward Snowden whistleblower revelations in 2013 became the most explosive story of the year or perhaps a decade. Political elites lined up to opine about either the harm or the virtue of his actions. Mr. Snowden released documents showing the NSA, National Security Agency, had detailed information on every American citizen. According to the proponents of the NSA the information would only be reviewed in extraordinary cases that challenged our Homeland Security.

This invasion into our privacy caused a strong reaction. Many people were horrified that the government had fingertip access to any and all information on every individual American. They expressed that personal data on Americans could be used by power-seeking individuals to intimidate the masses into the acceptance of a totalitarian regime.

It is true that our adversaries could use the information released by Snowden against our national security interests. It exposed many of our security techniques, information and identified specific personnel. Snowden’s released information made many individual’s lives more vulnerable and showed Americans the power of the national government to spy on its own people, very few of which had any inkling of it.  This incredible surveillance program of all Americans was an eye opener of the power of our central government.

Before Mr. Snowden’s indisputable evidence that the NSA had the ability to spy and blackmail anyone, this notion would have been laughed at as a conspiratorial wacko theory. Currently we are more aware of the sophisticated intelligence, power and dangerous potential of our government officials. This should send a chill down the spine of every law-abiding citizen. The people of the USA have a right to open a debate especially since our government has been prone to lie to us on numerous occasions. We have to determine whether we should go down this path or not.

Rear Admiral, Brian Losey, a person whose reputation was called into question by whistleblowers, and the most recognized whistleblower, Edward Snowden, who revealed sensitive governmental spying on every American are on the opposite ends of the spectrum of the whistleblowers law.  Each of the accused and the accuser have to be judged on the evidence of their actions and should have the right to due process of the law.

The reality is not every whistleblower is a hero or everyone a self-promoting selfish person out for revenge or notoriety. A self-proclaimed whistleblower has to be investigated for motives as any accuser of someone to determine their testimony’s validity. The decision of the whistleblower’s impact, whether it was a virtuous or evil act, can only be made on a case-by-case basis by a jury of his peers not by an edict from an unknown bureaucratic government official.

IS BERNIE DISHONEST, BRAINWASHED OR JUST IGNORANT?

IS BERNIE DISHONEST, BRAINWASHED OR JUST IGNORANT?

Bernie Sanders is folksy appearing in his rumpled suits and spastic finger pointing. His speeches are direct with simply expressed ideas. Bernie clearly attacks the

“1%ers” of each party. The Wall Street lobbyists, big money friends are his primary targets. He often infers that our nation is too capitalistic and we should adopt socialistic policies. His older brother, Larry, who he greatly admires, placed him on his socialist path. He has stated he is a “democratic socialist,” the same term Lenin used before Russia was revealed as a communist state.

Bernie is a sophisticated politician who has served 25 years in the House and Senate. He has been a proponent of the second amendment, which is contrary to his socialistic ideals. The reality is he is a senator from Vermont with a strong belief in gun rights. Any gun control rhetoric would have doomed his election. In this instance he is a typical politician saying what his voters want in order to be elected.

Sander’s speeches are full of references to a political revolution. He harangues against both political parties and their leaders. He views the Republicans as well as Democrats as part of the status quo and pawns of Wall Street’s corporate world. Bernie pretends that he is one of the 99%ers with one pair of underwear. The reality is he lists his net worth at half a million dollars. His other assets have been put in his wife’s name, Jane O’Meara Sanders, who was the president of Burlington College. He adamantly states that the rich do not pay their fair share although he deducted $8,946 on his 2014 tax returns for business meals. He has been an IRS enrolled agent and had his own tax preparation business preserving every cent of his income.

Mr. Sanders thinks the government should provide economic security and social equality for all. In a recent speech at the University of Puerto Rico he blames the debt crisis of PR on Wall Street but cowardly did not touch on the outrageous out-of-control spending and corruption. He shouts about explosive income equality, insisting that government should have greater control of every aspect of our lives and have more give away programs. He believes this will correct all socio-economic ills. He wants to break up the banks, not by increasing competition but through increased regulation to increase government control. Obamacare is too timid for Bernie who wants to make it a total single payer system. The millennials love his pronouncement that he will provide free university tuition for everyone.

Furthermore he advocates for the typical progressive A-Z agenda: diversity, multiculturalism, pro choice, women- LGBTQ rights, planned parenthood, Black Lives Matter, and Global Warming reversing it through taxing the people of advanced nations. Not surprisingly his fanatical supporters do not question how he will finance these programs.  Even his Democrat opponent in the primary, Hillary Clinton, is not asking this question.  Instead she is attempting to one-up his impossible promises. His entire presidential campaign could be considered to be based on Obama’s “Hope and Change” slogan except on steroids.

The progressive media is also mute on the economic front. They concur with his radical socialistic-communist agenda. Most of them have been indoctrinated in our leftist university system. They have been taught that socialism-communism is the pinnacle of the intellectual’s central governance of citizens. Bernie is saying leftist ideals more straightforward than the intelligencia mass media ever though possible in their lifetime. He is their darling.

Bernie is a product of this progressive system. He attended the very liberal leftist University of Chicago. He was constantly exposed to leftist propaganda. He studied the horrors of the Soviet Union’s murdering of millions of its own people. He lived through the destruction of Cuba’s economy and freedom in the 1960s by Fidel and the murderous Che. He was exposed to Mao’s violent Cultural Revolution, Ho Chi Min in Vietnam, and Pol Pot in Cambodia- with the elimination of 1.5 million people of the opposition and currently the socialistic failure of Chavez’s Venezuela.

The question that should be asked after seeing these communist policies implode is how can he support them or deny that radical socialism does not work? He could disregard the evidence, which means he is not being honest. He can argue that the reason that all communist societies do not work is that they just did not have the right person to make proper decisions. This political view would have to lead people to believe either he is brainwashed, not too bright or is ignorant.

Another more realistic possibility is he is a slick politician playing the role as a fumbling, kind, weird uncle who is trying to win the 2016 presidential election.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.