Conservative warrior sheds light on the cultural factors that led to Trump’s victory at Restoration Weekend.

FPM
Editor’s note: Below are the video and transcript of remarks given by Mark Steyn at the David Horowitz Freedom Center’s 2017 Restoration Weekend. The event was held Nov. 16th-19th at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida.

Mark Steyn: Thank you. Thank you very much.  I’m stunned to hear that Mark has put my image on his kid’s Onesie.  If there’s anybody from Florida Child Services’ SWAT team in the house, you should take him down now, and it’s very flattering.  It’s very flattering.  To be described as a fearless warrior.  I blush after we’ve listened to what Clinton had to tell us earlier, because it’s one thing to be introduced as a fearless warrior when you’re a medal of honor recipient, but to be introduced as a fearless warrior when you’ve made a cat album, I think that speaks to the devaluation of “hero” in our society that Clinton was actually speaking about a little earlier.  I will come back and say a word about Afghanistan later because on one turn, I think it’s particularly important after what Clinton was saying.
Read more…

Abbas has “praised the international consensus supporting the Palestinian issue and its just issue and rejecting the American declaration” regarding Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

By Ben Lynfield, JPOST

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met on Wednesday with Saudi King Salman in Riyadh, seeking support for his efforts to galvanize Arab, Islamic and international rejection of US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital into sustained backing for the Palestinian cause.

But Israeli analysts say the Saudis, given their close alliance with the United States, are likely to press Abbas to halt his campaign against Trump’s move and instead to show openness to discussing American ideas for peacemaking that are expected to be presented soon.
Read more…

Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan said funds could be used for education and health care

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to take from the rich and give to the state.

The kingdom plans to inject billions of dollars it recovers from a sweeping corruption probe into its state budget, its finance minister said, as it rolls out an expensive plan to reshape its oil-dependent economy.
Read more…

By Seth Lipsky, NY SUN,

The League of Nations was the 14th of President Woodrow Wilson’s famous — or infamous — 14 points (or peace principles). He unveiled the idea in a speech to Congress 100 years ago next month.

Wilson, a Democrat, tried to hornswoggle the Senate into joining the League. Luckily for those who cherish American freedom, Republicans gained control of the Senate, which rejected the scheme.

The hero of that showdown was Senator William Borah of Idaho. (And the Chicago Tribune, which got a hold of the treaty while it was still a secret and, in a sensational scoop, published it.)

Borah gave a famous speech in the Senate, warning that if we accepted the treaty we’d have “forfeited and surrendered, once and for all, the great policy of ‘no entangling alliances’?” — reference to a principle George Washington expounded in his prophetic farewell address. The Senate rejected the League of Nations unambiguously.
Read more…

But will it reverse decades of entrenched indoctrination?

By Raymond Ibrahim, FPM

President Trump’s new national security strategy is set to return words relevant to understanding Islamic terrorism—such as “jihad”—that had been expunged from the Intelligence and Defense communities’ lexicon, most notably under the Obama administration.   According to the new strategy document, “The primary transnational threats Americans face are from jihadist terrorists and transnational criminal organizations”; the document also vows to “pursue threats to their source, so that jihadist terrorists are stopped before they ever reach our borders.”
Read more…

However, officials say Israel is likely to seek clarification from far-right Freedom Party leaders on several matters, including renouncing party’s and Austria’s Nazi past, removing members who identify as Nazis, improving Holocaust studies in schools

By Eldad Beck and Israel Hayom Staff

Israeli government officials on Tuesday clarified that Israel does not intend to boycott Austria’s right-wing government, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement Monday that he would boycott ministers from that country’s far-right Freedom Party. The party came in third in the Austrian parliamentary election held on Oct. 15, securing 51 seats in the National Council.

In a statement issued Monday by the Foreign Ministry, Netanyahu, who also holds the foreign affairs portfolio, said Israel will maintain direct contact with Austria’s new chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, leader of the Austrian People’s Party, who took office on Monday.
Read more…

DEBKA

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is on his way Tuesday to Riyadh where he faces a stern demand to break away from the Turkish-Qatari-Jordanian line-up fighting US political steps in the region.

DEBKAfile reports that Saudi Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman will not give way on this demand and, if Abbas holds out, the showdown could end in the Saudis cutting off assistance to the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian leader detoured to Qatar before travelling to Riyadh. The Saudis are meanwhile holding the Palestinian-Jordanian billionaire Sabih al-Masri in house arrest – not just against the surrender of his financial assets but as an implied hostage for Palestinian compliance with the crown prince’s political demands. As a key figure in the economies of Jordan and the Palestinians, each day of his confinement causes them grave difficulties.

SPUTNIK NEWS

Beirut’s approval of a bid by a consortium of Russian, French and Italian energy companies will help the Lebanese economy overcome the present difficulties, Muhammed Qabbani, the head of the Lebanese parliamentary committee on energy, has told Sputnik, adding that Russia’s involvement is especially important for the project.

The Lebanese government decision to engage Russia’s Novatek, France’s Total and Italia’s Eni energy companies in the exploration of coastal oil and gas fields will contribute to the country’s economic development, Muhammed Qabbani, the head of the Lebanese parliamentary committee on energy, told Sputnik Arabic.
Read more…

Conservative warrior sheds light on the cultural factors that led to Trump’s victory at Restoration Weekend.

FPM

Editor’s note: Below are the video and transcript of remarks given by Mark Steyn at the David Horowitz Freedom Center’s 2017 Restoration Weekend. The event was held Nov. 16th-19th at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida.

Mark Steyn: Thank you. Thank you very much. I’m stunned to hear that Mark has put my image on his kid’s Onesie. If there’s anybody from Florida Child Services’ SWAT team in the house, you should take him down now, and it’s very flattering. It’s very flattering. To be described as a fearless warrior. I blush after we’ve listened to what Clinton had to tell us earlier, because it’s one thing to be introduced as a fearless warrior when you’re a medal of honor recipient, but to be introduced as a fearless warrior when you’ve made a cat album, I think that speaks to the devaluation of “hero” in our society that Clinton was actually speaking about a little earlier. I will come back and say a word about Afghanistan later because on one turn, I think it’s particularly important after what Clinton was saying.
Read more…

By Emil Avdaliani, BESA

“Reports emerged recently suggesting that Iran-backed forces are closer to controlling the Syria-Iraq border. This would mean Tehran will now be able to link up with its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah. If this scenario is correct, after 12 years of conflict in Iraq and another conflict in Syria, Iran is steadily transforming into a more powerful geopolitical player whose influence will be projected hundreds and maybe thousands of kilometers beyond its borders.”

BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 690, December 19, 2017

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Reports emerged recently suggesting that Iran-backed forces are closer to controlling the Syria-Iraq border. This would mean Tehran will now be able to link up with its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah. If this scenario is correct, after 12 years of conflict in Iraq and another conflict in Syria, Iran is steadily transforming into a more powerful geopolitical player whose influence will be projected hundreds and maybe thousands of kilometers beyond its borders.
Read more…

By Eyal Zisser, ISRAEL HAYOM

U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration of recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has sparked, as expected, outrage among Palestinians and their allies. Less expected, or perhaps not, was Europe’s indignation. It seems Trump’s diplomatic storm has been far stronger on the European continent than in Arab countries. During their meeting this past weekend, European leaders even considered rejecting the U.S. president’s declaration and expressing a divergent position, the implication being the negation of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

The European position toward Israel will always be influenced by the past, by those same entrenched views of Israel as the state of the Jewish people. In the 1930s, the slogan “Jews get out, go to Palestine” was prevalent across Europe. Today, “Jews get out of Palestine” is just as ubiquitous.
Read more…

By Aaron KLein, BREITBART

The publication of the National Security Strategy (NSS) is a milestone for any presidency. A statutorily mandated document, the NSS explains to the American people, U.S. allies and partners, and federal agencies how the President intends to put his national security vision into practice on behalf of fellow citizens.

First and foremost, President Donald J. Trump’s NSS is a reflection of his belief that putting America first is the duty of our government and the foundation for effective U.S. leadership in the world. It builds on the 11 months of Presidential action thus far to renew confidence in America both at home and abroad.
Read more…

Well worth the 17 minutes it takes to listen to this. Very intellectual.

T. Belman. We are getting like the Muslims. It seeems we have morality police running around the neigborhood to impose a certain conduct. I don’t like what is happening. I didn’t know that groping was a crime or that anyone accused of it has to be ostracized from society or Congress. All society should do is prosecute any alleged crime such as rape. The shame involved for the perpetrator is a serious penalty itself. Just outing someone as a groper is enough to shame them. Demanding that they resign from life or Congress is asking way too much. If the people feel that he is unworthy of their voite next time around he will be put out of office by the will of the people.

I think that the only reason that there is such moral outrage now particularly by Democrats is that they are setting the stage to force Trump to resign based on allegations of sexual harrassment. Even if all accusations levied against him are true, I still wouldn’t call for his removal. I did not vote for him because of his treatment of women. I voted for him because of his platform. How he treated women, taken at its worst, would not have changed my mind. Some men are boors and invade a women’s space. Does that disqualify them from office? I think not though I believe such actions are a blemish on his character which may or may not motivate enough people to vote for him. That’s OK.

By BETSY MCCAUGHEY, PHD, FAMILY SECURITY MATTERS.

New York’s Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is spearheading a McCarthyite purge of sexual harassers from Congress, throwing the nation’s capital into turmoil. What counts as sexual harassment? Good question. Men accused of boorish gestures or vulgar remarks face the same disgrace as outright rapists. And never mind if the accusations lack proof and the accusers remain anonymous.
Read more…

MEMRI

Saudi researcher Abdelhameed Hakeem, General Manager of the Jeddah-based Middle East Center for Strategic and Legal Studies, said that the Arabs must acknowledge that Jerusalem is “as holy to the Jews as Mecca and Medina are to the Muslims.” Speaking on Al-Hurra TV, Hakeem said that Israel is “the product of the Jews’ historic right in the region.” With regard to U.S. President Trump’s recent Jerusalem declaration, Hakeem said that it may conceal an opportunity for peace, if Israel has Jerusalem as a capital and the Palestinians receive the management of the Islamic holy places. He suggested that Saudi Arabia could help the Palestinians in this task, and called upon the Arabs not to miss this opportunity like they had done repeatedly in the past. Hakeem also called upon the Arabs to change the culture of hatred towards the Jews that dominates their curricula and Islamic pulpits. The interview aired on December 15.
Read more…

By Fahem  Tastekin, AL MONITOR

Since the outbreak of war in Syria, Turkey’s predicaments have forced it to turn a number of its red lines to yellow lines. Now, Turkey seems to be taking a step back on the Kurdish issue.