The end of American exceptionalism is bad news for Europe

T. Belman. And I thought that Trump’s victory heralded the return to American exceptionalism which is defined as  “In its classic forms, American exceptionalism refers to the special character of the United States as a uniquely free nation based on democratic ideals and personal liberty.” The Left denigrates Trump’s victory calling Trump a “populist demogogue”.  Trump will reverse American Europeanization and that’s a good thing., but not for Europe according to this article.

By Dimitar Bechev, POLITICO, Nov 29/16

Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election has left a trail of political debris in its wake. At the top of the long list of casualties is the cherished myth of American exceptionalism. At first glance, perhaps this could be a good thing. We Europeans have always wanted the opportunity to make America behave more like us. But now the joke’s on us.
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Hillel is a tragedy and a disgrace. But it’s the tragedy and disgrace of the American Jewish establishment which has nearly run out of time to make a final choice between Judaism, the Jewish people and the left.

By Daniel Greenfield

While Jewish students are terrorized on campus, Hillel CEO Eric Fingerhut took on another mission.

“The Hillel family will watch out for our Muslim brothers and sisters on campus,” the failed Democratic pol declared. And he added, “As we hope they will watch out for us.”

There is as much hope of campus hate groups like the Muslim Students’ Association, which has a long history of terrorizing Jews on campus, doing that as there was for Fingerhut in his 2004 Ohio Senate bid which he lost with one of the worst showings by a Democratic Senate candidate in the state. But after taking Ohio Democrats down with him, Fingerhut moved on to tanking Hillel.

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By: Abed AlMaala

Three days before fires broke out in Israel, we, in the Jordanian Opposition Coalition (JOC), received intelligence information that Jordan’s king’s intelligence desk, in cooperation with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority, were plotting “An unprecedented mother of all Intifadas”.

The information was confirmed by the JOC’s Office of the National Director of Intelligence.   While we usually and regularly pass such critical information to several friendly governments, our Secretary General, Mudar Zahran, felt the need to make the issue public quickly, so he posted the same information above on his social media accounts where he has tens of thousands of followers.  Shortly after, the fires began, and the information about who could be behind it and what happened began pouring on our intelligence unit.
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KEVEN RODEN

THE TIME I SPENT A WEEK WITH REX TILLERSON

This is a post from Emily Roden, about her brief few days with Rex Tillerson, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State…

Nine years ago, I showed up to the Denton County Courthouse for jury duty and got myself picked for the job. A young girl had accused her mom’s boyfriend of sexual assault and the case was being brought to trial. If you’ve ever served on a jury trial before, you understand the almost immediate, yet very temporary bond that ties 12 strangers together who are randomly chosen from each of their private lives in order to fulfill a very solemn public purpose.
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President-elect’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway says Trump has every intention of living up to his promise to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel’s capital • “It’s something that our friends in Israel would appreciate,” she says.

By Yoni Hersch and Shlomo Cesana, ISRAEL HAYOM

Moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem “is a very big priority for President-elect Donald Trump,” his campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, told conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt in an interview Monday.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to the statement. However, a government official said that Israel is generally prepared to discuss any potential matter with the new American administration.
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Prime minister heads to Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan for two days ‘to strengthen diplomatic, security, and economic ties’

BY RAPHAEL AHREN AND STUART WINER, TOI

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara depart for Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan on December 13, 2016 (Haim Zach / GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took off Tuesday morning for Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, pointing to his trip to the two Muslim countries as an indication that rather than being politically isolated, Israel is courted by countries around the world.

During his two-day visit, aimed at fostering security, economic, and diplomatic ties, Netanyahu will become the first sitting Israeli prime minister to visit the region in almost 25 years of diplomatic relations between Jerusalem and the former Soviet republics of Central Asia. Visits by Israeli leaders to non-Arab Muslim-majority countries are rare.
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With their policies rejected by voters, the purpose of the Left isn’t to govern. It is to render their societies ungovernable.

By Caroline B Glick, JPOST

The push among the American Left to discredit the results of last month’s presidential election entered a new phase last Friday with the White House’s announcement that outgoing US President Barack Obama has ordered US intelligence agencies to review evidence of Russian hacking in last month’s elections on behalf of President-elect Donald Trump.

The investigation itself is unlikely to lead to any conclusive results. The FBI, which is responsible for carrying out this sort of investigation, saw no evidence that Russian hacking was aimed specifically at assisting Trump’s campaign against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
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T. Belman. I agree, the CIA can’t be trusted.  Didn’t it falsify a few intelligence reports on Iran? I invite my readers to add to the list of misleading reports. The MSM and the Democratic Party have been saying for some time now that the Russians are doing the hacking and that Putin wants Trump to win. Lt. Col Howard wrote that in fact Putin strongly favoured  Hillary to win. Why not. Look what he has accomplished during the Obama/Clinton administration. Why take a chance on Trump when he could have enjoyed 8 more years of “Obama”?

Secondly, these officials are hypocrites to complain about foreign influence in US elections, when the US through the CIA is constantly trying to influence foreign elections. Also, don’t forget how much Obama tried to prevent Netanyahu from getting elected in the last elections in Israel. As far a Russian hacking and spying, all nations do it on friends and foes alike.

Russia is a shadow of its former self i.e., USSR. It has less than half the population of the US and its economy is no bigger than Italy’s. The only gains it has made since the fall of the USSR, have been made in the last 8 years due to Hillary’s reset and Obama’s passivity. Many in the establishment think of Russia in Cold War terms and believe the US must be for ever vigilant.  I reject this thinking and believe that what is needed now is a partnership with Russia just as Trump does. And I totally reject the criticism of Tillerson based on his friendship with Putin. Tillerson didn’t sell EXXON out in his deals with Putin and he won’t sell the US out.

By JENNIFER STEINHAUER, NYT

WASHINGTON — The top two Republicans in Congress said on Monday that they supported investigations into possible Russian cyberattacks to influence the American election, setting up a potential confrontation with President-elect Donald J. Trump in his first days in office.

“Any foreign breach of our cybersecurity measures is disturbing, and I strongly condemn any such efforts,” said Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, adding, “The Russians are not our friends.”

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By Lawrence Solomon, NATIONAL POST

Donald Trump has been widely accused of courting anti-Semites and of being a threat to Israel, especially by American Jews. These accusers, and these Jews, have it wrong. Trump — at a personal, professional and policy level — will go down in history as the most pro-Jewish, pro-Israel president ever.
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By Dr Reuven Berko. JPOST

On Sunday, a massive explosion rocked the Cairo neighborhood of Abbasyia. The 12-kilogram (26-pound) bomb, which was detonated remotely, had been placed near the women’s entrance to the city’s main Coptic Christian Church, St. Mark’s Cathedral, meaning that most of the victims were women and children, who were attending church as they did every Sunday.

The bombing, which was part of a series of terrorist attacks by the Muslim Brotherhood against Copts in Egypt, killed at least 25 people and wounded about 50. Attacks on Copts have recently escalated because the Muslim Brotherhood claims they supported President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in taking power and ousting President Mohammed Morsi (of the Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party) in a military putsch.
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By Daniel Greenfield

The Islamic Society of North America was named by the Justice Department as an unindicted co-conspirator in funding Hamas. It was linked to two Hamas funding fronts, the Holy Land Foundation and KindHearts. ISNA’s checks were made payable to the “Palestinian Mujahadeen” or “Holy Warriors” which was a name used by Hamas.

ISNA’s co-founder Sami Al-Arian was the local head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Mousa Abu Marzook, a top Hamas official listed by the Treasury Department as a Specially Designated Terrorist, received tens of thousands of dollars from ISNA.

This should have come as no surprise as both ISNA and Hamas are arms of the Muslim Brotherhood.
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T. Belman. the author doesn’t grant Palin her full due.  She crafted the blueprint for Trump’s success. For instance she campaigned for working class Americans, she lead the fight against corruption, she went after the labour voter, she wanted to go after Michigan until McCain stopped her, she lead the Tea Party movement, she argued for revamping the tax code, she used the phrase “drain the swamp”, she attracted evangelicals and feminists, she never failed to mention our vets. She was close to the founder of Brietbart and to Steve Bannon. And on and on. Trump just had to follow here blueprint and build on it.

If he doesn’t recognize her value in paving the way, he is an ingrate.  He should appoint her Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs.

By Ben Voth, AMERICAN THINKER

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2016 may turn out to be the year of the woman after all. The woman of the year is Sarah Palin who eight years ago was crucified by assorted media and elites in order to usher in the new transformation of America promised by Senator Obama. Obama upset the heir apparent Hillary Clinton in a bruising Democratic primary fight where establishment party politics succumbed to the youthful populism of Barack Obama. His old guard rival John McCain appeared an easy mark until the rogue upstart from Alaska electrified the Republican National Convention in the summer of 2008. Palin’s feminist populism recharged the Republican connection with populism, even in the political headwinds of an economy heading south with each passing week.
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By Lt Col Howard

It is surprising that in this current political debate more about the differences in energy policy and economic, military and social conditions are not raised. During the McCain campaign the US was facing the prospect of five dollars a gallon at the pump and that half of the nation would not be able to afford heat in the winter. At that time Russia enjoyed bountiful income from its petroleum exports and had a very strong political/economic lock on the Eastern European countries.

Communication with Ben Rhodes… Subject: Suggest that Adm steer clear since Putin strongly favors Hillary Clinton in the coming election. Date: October 24, 2016 [To: “ben Rhodes >” ]

See: “Too Little, Too Late From Obama On Infrastructure Security” by Paul Brewer and
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Watch: PM says Trump a friend of the Jewish people, expresses hope he will nix Iran deal – and pave the way for a Palestinian state.

By David Rosenberg, INN

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed optimism about the incoming Trump administration and its ability to work with Israel on pressing matters in the Middle East, telling 60 Minutes he expected a more productive relationship with the President-elect than with his predecessor.

During the sit-down interview with Lesley Stahl, Netanyahu praised Donald Trump, saying his support for the Jewish state “is clear”, and referencing Trump’s recent statements regarding his “warm feelings” towards Israel.
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By Oliver JJ Jane, BRIETBART

The daughter of Palestinian immigrants is to be the Berlin senate’s secretary of state for coordinating federal and state affairs, but attention has focused on her recent remarks in support of Sharia law.

Berlin state senate member, former deputy speaker for foreign affairs and Muslim rising star of German politics Sawsan Chebli is to get a new cabinet post. The appointment by the Red-Red-Green coalition government has caused concern after a recent interview in which she expressed her view that Sharia law was perfectly compatible with secular German society.
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By Dr. Mordechai Chaziza, BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 385

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Chinese “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI) is a planned regional network of sea and rail infrastructure intended to strengthen the position of the Middle East as a critical trade route between East and West. One element of the planned BRI is the Red-Med rail project, which would connect the Israeli ports of Eilat and Ashdod. The Red-Med project offers significant potential benefits to Israel as well as the possibility of improved regional opportunities and relationships.
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By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger,
“Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative”
Straight from the Jerusalem Boardroom #216, December 11, 2016

http://bit.ly/2hhR9HE

Russian presence in Syria usually limits Israel while restraining Assad, Hezbollah and Iran. Israel’s recent actions, however, could provide Hassan Nasrallah with the justification he needs for the next war

By Amir Oren, HAARETZ

On March 10 this year, the Israel Air Force intelligence chief traveled to meet a European counterpart. They discussed the situation in the Middle East, the fighting in Syria and Russia’s involvement there. They separated with a handshake and mutual compliments. Each went his own way and the following week was astonished to hear Russian President Vladimir Putin announce the withdrawal of his forces from Syria. There was no sign of it coming; no organization predicted this turn of events; and the West is still wondering whether Putin himself knew prior to his declaration that he would say what he did.
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