"My Hiding Place" by Major John André

From our Archives

"An accomplished man and gallant officer."--Gen. Washington to Colonel John Laurens, October 1780

Major John André; British Officer, convicted spy...and Christian Gentleman.

If you've been watching "TURN: Washington's Spies", you'll have heard of him. His case was also discussed in the debate over military tribunals

Although Maj. André was caught behind our lines in civilian clothes carrying Benedict Arnold's plans to betray West Point, his personal character was such that it caused Lt. Col. Alexander Hamilton to plead--unsuccessfully--with Gen. Washington for his life. "Never perhaps did any man suffer death with more justice, or deserve it less," said Hamilton.

[Sec. Hamilton would later reverse roles with Pres. Washington over leniency in the Whiskey Rebellion pardons. Hamilton could not complain too much, however--it was his advocacy that created the presidential (vs. congressional) pardon.]

Even Washington called André "an accomplished man and gallant officer" and "more unfortunate than criminal".

In his "Military Journal during the American Revolutionary War",  Army Surgeon James Thacher, M.D. recounted André's final moments, having been previously convicted by military tribunal several days earlier:

"October 2d.-- Major André is no more among the living. I have just witnessed his exit. It was a tragical scene of the deepest interest. During his confinement and trial, he exhibited those proud and elevated sensibilities which designate greatness and dignity of mind. Not a murmur or a sigh ever escaped him, and the civilities and attentions bestowed on him were politely acknowledged. Having left a mother and two sisters in England, he was heard to mention them in terms of the tenderest affection, and in his letter to Sir Henry Clinton, he recommended them to his particular attention. The principal guard officer, who was constantly in the room with the prisoner, relates that when the hour of execution was announced to him in the morning, he received it without emotion, and while all present were affected with silent gloom, he retained a firm countenance, with calmness and composure of mind. Observing his servant enter the room in tears, he exclaimed, "Leave me till you can show yourself more manly!"

His breakfast being sent to him from the table of General Washington, which had been done every day of his confinement, he partook of it as usual, and having shaved and dressed himself, he placed his hat upon the table, and cheerfully said to the guard officers, "I am ready at any moment, gentlemen, to wait on you." The fatal hour having arrived, a large detachment of troops was paraded, and an immense concourse of people assembled; almost all our general and field officers, excepting his excellency and staff, were present on horseback; melancholy and gloom pervaded all ranks, and the scene was affectingly awful. I was so near during the solemn march to the fatal spot, as to observe every movement, and participate in every emotion which the melancholy scene was calculated to produce.

Major André walked from the stone house, in which he had been confined, between two of our subaltern officers, arm in arm; the eyes of the immense multitude were fixed on him, who, rising superior to the fears of death, appeared as if conscious of the dignified deportment which he displayed. He betrayed no want of fortitude, but retained a complacent smile on his countenance, and politely bowed to several gentlemen whom he knew, which was respectfully returned. It was his earnest desire to be shot, as being the mode of death most conformable to the feelings of a military man, and he had indulged the hope that his request would be granted. At the moment, therefore, when suddenly he came in view of the gallows, he involuntarily started backward, and made a pause. "Why this emotion, sir?" said an officer by his side. Instantly recovering his composure, he said, "I am reconciled to my death, but I detest the mode."

While waiting and standing near the gallows, I observed some degree of trepidation; placing his foot on a stone, and rolling it over and choking in his throat, as if attempting to swallow. So soon, however, as he perceived that things were in readiness, he stepped quickly into the wagon, and at this moment he appeared to shrink, but instantly elevating his head with firmness he said, "It will be but a momentary pang," and taking from his pocket two white handkerchiefs, the provost-marshal, with one, loosely pinioned his arms, and with the other, the victim, after taking off his hat and stock, bandaged his own eyes with perfect firmness, which melted the hearts and moistened the cheeks, not only of his servant, but of the throng of spectators. The rope being appended to the gallows, he slipped the noose over his head and adjusted it to his neck, without the assistance of the awkward executioner. Colonel Scammel now informed him that he had an opportunity to speak, if he desired it; he raised the handkerchief from his eyes, and said, "I pray you to bear me witness that I meet my fate like a brave man." The wagon being now removed from under him, he was suspended, and instantly expired; it proved indeed "but a momentary pang." He was dressed in his royal regimentals and boots, and his remains, in the same dress, were placed in an ordinary coffin, and interred at the foot of the gallows; and the spot was consecrated by the tears of thousands ..."

Those tears were shed by hardened American soldiers for an enemy intelligence officer--amazing.

Self-Portrait

* Maj. André for a time lived in Ben Franklin's house.
* Gen. Washington could not believe Arnold guilty of treason despite the letters in André's boot. Washington sent Arnold a note, and Arnold fled. Who knows? Had Washington caught his true quarry, Benedict Arnold, perhaps the Major's life might have been spared.
* After his conviction, Maj. André wrote this poem, found in his pocket after his death. It explains why he was able to meet his fate with such dignity:

Hail, sovereign love, which first began
The scheme to rescue fallen man!
Hail, matchless, free, eternal grace,
That gave my soul a Hiding Place!
Against the God who built the sky,
I fought with hands uplifted high,
Despised the mention of His grace,
Too proud to seek a Hiding Place.
Enwrapt in thick Egyptian night,
And fond of darkness more than light,
Madly I ran the sinful race,
'Secure' without a Hiding Place.
But thus the eternal counsel ran:
"Almighty love, arrest that man!"
I felt the arrows of distress,
And found I had no hiding place.
Indignant Justice stood in view.
To Sinai's fiery mount I flew;
But Justice cried, with frowning face:
"This mountain is no hiding place."
Ere long a heavenly voice I heard,
And Mercy's angel soon appeared;
He led me with a beaming face,
To Jesus, as a Hiding Place.
On Him almighty vengeance fell,
Which must have sunk a world to hell.
He bore it for a sinful race,
And thus became their Hiding Place.
Should sevenfold storms of thunder roll,
And shake this globe from pole to pole,
No thunderbolt shall daunt my face,
For Jesus is my Hiding Place.
A few more setting suns at most,
Shall land me on fair Canaan's coast,
Where I shall sing the song of grace,
And see my glorious Hiding Place.

Let Me Say How Proud I Am of Our President Today

He Single-Handedly-and I Mean Single-Handedly--Raised Growth To Three Percent

Or in layman's terms, three times better than the Obama "Growth" Rate. In fairness, Obama regarded his 0% growth as a victory, since his goal was to put the whole world on Food Stamps.

And then the President made the case for the immorality of the Tax Code and the moral case for Tax Reform.

It's been so long since someone fought for us like that, Mr. President, we'd almost forgotten what it's like.

Excerpts: "For many decades, Route 66 captured the American spirit. The communities along this historic route were a vivid symbol of America’s booming industry. Truck drivers hauled made-in-America goods along this vital artery of commerce. Families passed through bustling towns on their way to explore the great American West. And high-quality manufacturing jobs lifted up communities, gave Americans a paycheck that could support a family. But, in recent years, millions of Americans have watched that prosperity slip away in the rearview mirror. And it wasn't pleasant to watch, especially for me. I would sit back -- I was in business -- and I could see what was happening. It wasn't good. This enormous complexity is very unfair. It disadvantages ordinary Americans who don’t have an army of accountants while benefitting deep-pocketed special interests. And most importantly, this is wrong. (Applause.) Thank you.
 
First and foremost, our tax system should benefit loyal, hardworking Americans and their families. (Applause.) That is why tax reform must dramatically simplify the tax code, eliminate special interest loopholes -- and I'm speaking against myself when I do this, I have to tell you.
And I might be speaking against Mr. Cook, and we're both okay with it, is that right? It's crazy. We're speaking -- maybe we shouldn't be doing this, you know? (Laughter.) But we're doing the right thing. (Applause.) True. And allow the vast majority of our citizens to file their taxes on a single, simple page without having to hire an accountant.
Second, we need a competitive tax code that creates more jobs and higher wages for Americans. It’s time to give American workers the pay raise that they've been looking for for many, many years. (Applause.)
 
In 1986, Ronald Reagan led the world by cutting our corporate tax rate to 34 percent. That was below the average rate for developed countries at the time. Everybody thought that was a monumental thing that happened. But then, under this pro-America system, our economy boomed. It just went beautifully -- right through the roof. The middle class thrived and median family income increased. What could possibly be more bipartisan than allowing families to keep more of what they earn and creating an environment for real job and wage growth in the country that we love so much? (Applause.)"........



"I'm Your Huckleberry."

Semper Paratus, People

"Hamilton took his stand on one of the stoops, and proceeded with great animation and eloquence to harangue the mob on the excessive impropriety of their conduct, and the disgrace it would bring on the cause of liberty; of which they avowed themselves to be the Champions."--Robert Troup, Hamilton's college roommate at King's College [now Princeton]

"It's not tyranny we desire; it's a just, limited, federal government."--Alexander Hamilton

From the Coast Guard Compass Blog: "The Long Blue Line: Alexander Hamilton – first member of the long blue line

"A few armed vessels, judiciously stationed at the entrances of our ports, might at a small expense be made useful sentinels of the laws."

—Federalist Paper #12 (27 November 1787)

"In the above quote, author Alexander Hamilton described a fleet of Federal vessels that he believed the newly created United States required to enforce tariff laws and interdict smuggling.

Considered the father of the United States Coast Guard, Hamilton played an integral role in the formation and development of the government of the United States. When the new government got under way in 1789, Hamilton was appointed the first Secretary of the Treasury. He began at once to place the nation’s disorganized finances on a sound footing. In a series of reports, he presented a program not only to stabilize national finances but also to shape the future of the country as a developing industrial nation. He proposed establishment of a national bank, funding of the national debt, assumption of state war debts, and the encouragement of manufacturing. In addition, he was the driving force behind Congress’ creation of a revenue marine service, the precursor to the modern-day Coast Guard.

Born in Charlestown on the West Indian island of Nevis on January 11, 1757, Hamilton immigrated to New York in 1772. Although not yet 20 years of age, by 1774 he authored many widely read political publications. Not long after the start of the American Revolution, Hamilton received the captaincy of an artillery unit and fought in the principal campaigns of 1776. In 1777, he advanced to the rank of lieutenant colonel, joined the staff of General Washington as secretary and aide-de-camp, and soon became Washington’s close confidant. Hamilton ended the war as a lieutenant colonel commanding an infantry regiment, which he led with great success during the siege at Yorktown.

Already in 1787, Hamilton had articulated the need for the revenue marine in the Federalist Papers. As the fledgling nation sought to combat smugglers seeking to avoid payment of import tariffs, Hamilton advised Congress to build a fleet of ten cutters to help direct ships to specific ports of entry along the East Coast of the United States.

Hamilton’s small fleet proved the basis for establishment of a revenue marine, later known as the Revenue Cutter Service. Congress adopted Hamilton’s plan on August 4, 1790, which the Coast Guard celebrates as its birth date. Since the Continental Navy and marines disbanded following the conclusion of the American Revolution, this revenue marine was the nation’s only sea service in the early years of the new republic.

Hamilton assigned revenue cutters to the East Coast’s ten major seaports, allowing for import tariff collection, critically important to the economic viability of the nation. In addition to their law enforcement role, the fleet of cutters rendered aid and assistance as needed “for the protection of lives and property at sea,” a humanitarian life-saving role that defines the Coast Guard to this day.
Hamilton resigned from the cabinet in January 1795 and never returned to public office. His two last major political acts came in 1800 and 1804 and both targeted aspiring political leader Aaron Burr. 

When Burr and Thomas Jefferson tied in the 1800 presidential election, Hamilton used his influence in the House of Representatives to secure Jefferson’s presidency. In 1804, Hamilton also maneuvered to defeat Burr’s chances of becoming governor of New York. In response to Hamilton’s political moves against him, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel on the pretext that the latter had expressed a “despicable opinion” of him. The duel took place in New Jersey, on July 11, 1804. Burr mortally wounded Hamilton, who died the next day. Hamilton was laid to rest at Trinity Church in New York City.

Alexander Hamilton was the original member of the long blue line and he established a service that has stood the test of time for over 225 years. Today, Hamilton’s name graces the hull of the newest National Security Cutter, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton, the sixth Coast Guard cutter to bear his name.".......

Sec. Hamilton certainly didn't share this cartoonist's cartoonish contempt for the people. That's why he said

"After all, Sir, we must submit to this idea, that the true principle of a republic is, that the people should choose whom they please to govern them."

That's why he argued the case for the Constitution in the newspapers. That's why he outlawed Obama's One-Man Treaty. And that's why he said this:

"The fabric of American empire ought to rest on the solid basis of THE CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE. The streams of national power ought to flow from that pure, original fountain of all legitimate authority."


Funny; they all bought $300 seats to watch "Hamilton"--and learned nothing.

Sigma Alex Hamilton 

(from our archives Oct. 2003)

ATTENTION, ALL HAPPENIN' YOUNG COLLEGE STUDENTS:

Does your school have a troubling admissions policy?
Got revolutionaries on campus?
Do your campus political opponents steal your newspapers?
Do you have to keep your politically incorrect views hidden from the Administration?
Any angry mobs disrupting your studies?

Well, take comfort, kids; it all happened before, back in the 70's.

The 1770's, that is.

When Alexander Hamilton, a poor but brilliant prodigy from the West Indies, was given a scholarship, he applied to Princeton. He was turned down because he asked for advanced placement. Hamilton then applied at King's College in New York. He became a radical revolutionary (except he was PRO-American, unlike today's wannabe-wankers). His room was pilfered for pamphlets & books, probably by Loyalist students. He had to keep his writings a secret from the college Administration which was strongly pro-English. When an angry Sons of Liberty mob came for the college president, Hamilton stalled them long enough for the man to escape...'tho a patriot, he despised mob justice.

Many know of his role as the first Secretary of Treasury, where he put the United States on a path to prosperity. And his role in lobbying for the Constitution, penning most of the Federalist Papers. Not to mention his role in founding the Coast Guard & Navy. But fewer know about his role as an military officer. Although he became one of Washington's most valued officers, he was not given the post as some kind of plum assignment (indeed, working for Washington was no Spring Break).

While he was still a teen-ager, he formed his own artillery company, and distinguished himself in battle. His bravery, command ability & shrewd analytical skills attracted Washington's attention. He served the General well, whether wheeling cannons through the snow to fire on the Hessians or covering Washington's back in the Conway Affair.

Hamilton started the practice of promoting able enlisted men to become officers, instead of selecting only from the 'gentleman class'. He was also anti-slavery (as a number of the Founders were, or came to be). And also like some of the other Founders, including John Jay & Paul Revere, he was of some French ancestry. Despite my better judgement, I will try to say something nice about the French here: they tend to improve dramatically when they become Americans.

By the way, if you think you are a swingin' ladies' man on campus, we'd note that Martha Washington named her tom-cat "Hamilton".

There is good reason that Hamilton and Franklin are the only non-Presidents honored on our currency.

If you have not been taught any of this, you have been cheated by your institute of higher learning. I'd strongly recommend that you read "Alexander Hamilton: A Life" by Willard Sterne Randall.

Or you could, although not recommended, do what Hamilton did after being rejected by Princeton for advanced placement;

"Four years later he would return to Princeton--with cannon." .............

God Bless Texas

God Bless Us All

A word about Lakewood Church;

Whatever is worked out should have been hashed-out years ago, unless you're telling me that local Democrat officials who run Houston learned absolutely nothing from Katrina and the Superdome debacle. That wouldn't surprise me at all. This is a smear campaign, which is SOP for liberals today. Just because Democrat politicians lavished money on themselves, squandered public funds and failed to prepare properly doesn't mean they get to confiscate private property.

Pastor Osteen has conducted his affairs with integrity. Have Houston's Democrat officials? Whatever monies he receives are given freely, unlike the tax dollars frivolously wasted by politicians. God wants for us to have money, not for money to have us.

The church has a long history of helping and sheltering thousands during floods and is doing so again. They are doing this because they want to, not because some braying internet mob of anti-Christian bigots told them to. Those haters think that other peoples' property, money and houses of worship are all Property of the State, even when the sun is shining and the sky is blue.

FoxNews: "Pastor Joel Osteen, known for his televised weekly sermons, said Tuesday the claims that he didn't want to help Harvey victims were "totally false."

Osteen opened his Lakewood Church in Houston to Harvey flooding evacuees on Tuesday, but the timing of his decision caused a social media backlash.

That’s because Osteen didn’t immediately provide the venue as a shelter for those suffering after Texas was slammed by the storm. But the decision to open the church on Tuesday, Osteen told Fox 26, resulted from pre-planned discussions.

                                           
"You know, we work with the city all the time," Osteen said about the lead-up to the storm. “At that time the city was asking us to use city shelters, Harris county shelters and then when they got filled up that’s when we said, 'Hey, you need more room, Lakewood would love to help out.'"

On Monday, the 16,800-seat church posted on Facebook that its doors would remain shut "due to severe flooding." A series of social media posts, however, seemed to indicate that the church avoided flooding.
"You know, I didn’t pay much attention to it," Osteen said of the social media outcry. "I had staff tell me that there was this firestorm happening. But, we don’t run our lives about what happens on Twitter. I mean, many of those people, some of them possibly, don’t care for us, they’re in another state, they’re not in our shoes where, you know, you can’t necessarily open your building when it’s very close to flooding itself," Osteen said.
"And so, you know, I just don’t really…we’re set on our mission to help people, to love God and love others," he continued. "And so, I just feel like when you do what you’re called to do you’re always going to have critics but we just keep moving forward and helping people. We’ve been doing it for 60 years with my parents here and, so, that’s what Lakewood is all about."
Shelter in the state became dire by Tuesday afternoon with more than 17,000 people seeking refuge from floodwaters, the American Red Cross said. The George R. Brown Convention Center, which had been helping those in need, rapidly exceeded its capacity of 5,000 by Monday night as buses full of evacuees arrived.
"We were blessed to not have flooding here but we’re also very precautious about... before we put a bunch of people in here, let’s make sure that everything is safe," Osteen said.
The pastor also denied charges that he wasn’t looking to help, citing previous instances when the church provided hurricane relief. "Totally false," he said. "This is what we’re all about – helping other people.".......

Lord, Bless Your Lakewood Church...Amen!

Agit-Prop America: Fundamentally Transformed

There's A Riot Goin' On, Up In Georgetown Number 9

Stella Morabito: "America's Post-Charlottesville Nervous Breakdown Was Deliberately Induced"

"Whoever has the power to dictate public perceptions of reality is in a position to dictate public opinion and behavior. Abusing language and images to stir up emotions is an ancient trick of power-mongers. And once journalism turns into unchecked propaganda, we become trapped in its dangerous illusions.

Only the teensiest fraction of Americans have any real interest in violent extremism, whether it be the violence represented by the specter of the Klu Klux Klan or the violence promoted by groups like Antifa who pretend they are fighting for social justice. But the media is promoting imagery of the former as a foil for the latter.

Why Are We Being Assaulted With Fringe Concerns?

Most Americans today are still just trying to live freely, to pursue happiness peacefully. Meanwhile, power elites in politics and the media are providing a daily platform for fringe elements who identify as white supremacists. Why would anyone in his right mind do such a thing? Again, we can only deduce that such imagery serves as a useful foil to lend moral high ground to “counter-protesters.” The media elites provoking them need white supremacy bogeymen in order to achieve their ultimate agenda, which, ironically, is to achieve total supremacy.

Against this staged backdrop, repeated over and over again, Americans are being emotionally manipulated to take up cause with those whose ultimate purpose is the repeal of the First Amendment and erasure of national memory. As Helen Raleigh recently wrote in The Federalist, this has all the hallmarks of an attempted Maoist-style cultural revolution.".......

Charlottesville itself was deliberately induced.

*An organizer who supposedly flipped from being a die-hard Obama supporter to a Klansman overnight.

*A venue conveniently close to DC, with a Clintonoid governor and a rabid mayor, both ready with pre-written statements and an action plan designed to maximize conflict.

*Even the name "Unite the Right" was designed to lump conservatives in with the Klan.

Ask yourself this; Obama and his trained cockroaches sent the entire government to wiretap the Trumps; CIA, NSA, DOJ, FISA, State, FBI, etc.:

Do you think they're above some staged agit-prop event to Get Trump?

Ho-Hum: Another Day, Another Hack Democrat Judge Dishes Out Two-Tiered #FakeJustice

The Rule of Law or the Whim of Law?

Today, Hack Clinton Judge Rakoff ruled libel laws don't protect Republicans from his pals at the Times. Yesterday, Hack Clinton Judge Bolton conspired to deny Joe Arpaio a jury trial because she knew he would win.

Kurt Schlichter: Conservatism Is Not A Suicide Pact

"[T]oday the Rule of Law is a unicorn and it has been for a long time. I like the Rule of Law, and I’ve been warning for years about what happens when it goes away. Yet we are where we are, whether we like it or not. We’re in a land where the law is only intermittently and selectively applicable. Allowing allies to suffer in an effort to pretend that all is well is not going to bring the Rule of Law back. Nostalgia for the Rule of Law no excuse for tolerating an injustice to an ally. Hell, undoing injustices is what the pardon power is for.
What will bring the Rule of Law back? How do we get to the Conserva-Eden we are expected to act like we already reside it? Perhaps another statement of principle? Maybe another post on some unread conservajournal? I know – how about more complaining about how frustrated conservatives are uncouth and should just sit there and take whatever fascist garbage the left dishes out?
I always thought it was conservative to punish wrongdoers. The other side abandoned the Rule of Law, so I would think that they might – maybe – learn a lesson by experiencing the consequences of their bad choice. But apparently punishing wrongdoers is now off the table because some other principle, of which I was unaware during nearly four decades inside conservatism, requires we never ever retaliate. 
...So, my finger-wagging True Con friends, what’s your plan? How do we go from liberals abandoning the Rule of Law, and such ancillary and associated components of a society based on liberty like free speech and free enterprise, to a liberty-based society operating under the Rule of Law? “Elect more True Cons!” isn’t a plan; it’s an aspiration, and not much of one. I don’t need another cliché, or another citation to general principles, or some variant of my new favorite, all-purpose get-out-of-having-an-actual-plan-free card, the old “We’re better than this” line. 
My plan is to cause the left so much pain by applying their new rules to them that they give up trying to grind their Birkenstocks into our faces forever. ...But I refuse to sit back and allow libs to be victorious because I won’t dirty my hands fighting fire with fire. If that makes me not conservative enough for some, I can live with that. I can’t live with leftist tyranny.".......

We see big city police departments allowing hooded Antifa thugs to riot and assault with impunity.
We see the Clintons, who seem to have their own personal US Code.
We see the Minnesota governor claiming the right to defund and close the legislature, like Maduro in Venezuela.
We see illegal aliens getting off lightly or even having charges dismissed because it might get them deported while Americans are charged.
We see the FBI refusing to release Clinton emails, saying nobody is interested. The Director's wife received $1.6 million from Clinton cut-outs.
We see Obama target the Tea Party with the IRS and target the Trumps with the entire government.
We see public education, funded by all sides, acting as a One-Party State.
We see states like California and Illinois claiming the right to grant American citizenship as they see fit.

Now we even see internet companies like Google, YouTube and PayPal targeting and censoring conservatives. Would you put up with a Republican phone company that censored you, Democrats? No, you wouldn't--and we're not either.

This can't and won't go on.

We're not going to have two systems. That's called "Jim Crow".

We're either going to have one law for everybody...

...or none at all.

Mullexit: While Rex Tillerson Was Busy Virtue-Signalling the Wives at His Country Club, John Bolton Was Writing an Iran Deal Exit Plan

 

"The reasons Ronald Reagan named Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1984 remain fully applicable today."

 

And then some.

 

That didn't change simply because the Iranian Regime was brilliantly successful in planting their agents Valerie Jarrett and Barack Hussein Obama in the Oval Office for the last eight years. It only made it exponentially worse.

Amb. Bolton:

 

Abrogating the Iran Deal: The Way Forward

 

I. Background:

 

The Trump Administration is required to certify to Congress every 90 days that Iran is complying with the July 2015 nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — JCPOA), and that this agreement is in the national-security interest of the United States.1 While a comprehensive Iranian policy review is currently underway, America’s Iran policy should not be frozen. The JCPOA is a threat to U.S. national-security interests, growing more serious by the day. If the President decides to abrogate the JCPOA, a comprehensive plan must be developed and executed to build domestic and international support for the new policy. Under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, the President must certify every 90 days that:

 

(i) Iran is transparently, verifiably, and fully implementing the agreement, including all related technical or additional agreements; (ii) Iran has not committed a material breach with respect to the agreement or, if Iran has committed a material breach, Iran has cured the material breach; (iii) Iran has not taken any action, including covert activities, that could significantly advance its nuclear weapons program; and (iv) Suspension of sanctions related to Iran pursuant to the agreement is – (I) appropriate and proportionate to the specific and verifiable measures taken by Iran with respect to terminating its illicit nuclear program; and (II) vital to the national-security interests of the United States.

 

U.S. leadership here is critical, especially through a diplomatic and public education effort to explain a decision not to certify and to abrogate the JCPOA. Like any global campaign, it must be persuasive, thorough, and accurate. Opponents, particularly those who participated in drafting and implementing the JCPOA, will argue strongly against such a decision, contending that it is reckless, ill-advised, and will have negative economic and security consequences. Accordingly, we must explain the grave threat to the U.S. and our allies, particularly Israel. The JCPOA’s vague and ambiguous wording; its manifest imbalance in Iran’s direction; Iran’s significant violations; and its continued, indeed, increasingly, unacceptable conduct at the strategic level internationally demonstrate convincingly that the JCPOA is not in the national-security interests of the United States. We can bolster the case for abrogation by providing new, declassified information on Iran’s unacceptable behavior around the world.

 

But as with prior Presidential decisions, such as withdrawing from the 1972 ABM Treaty, a new “reality” will be created. We will need to assure the international community that the U.S. decision will in fact enhance international peace and security, unlike the JCPOA, the provisions of which shield Iran’s ongoing efforts to develop deliverable nuclear weapons. The Administration should announce that it is abrogating the JCPOA due to significant Iranian violations, Iran’s unacceptable international conduct more broadly, and because the JCPOA threatens American national-security interests. The Administration’s explanation in a “white paper” should stress the many dangerous concessions made to reach this deal, such as allowing Iran to continue to enrich uranium; allowing Iran to operate a heavy-water reactor; and allowing Iran to operate and develop advanced centrifuges while the JCPOA is in effect. Utterly inadequate verification and enforcement mechanisms and Iran’s refusal to allow inspections of military sites also provide important reasons for the Administration’s decision. Even the previous Administration knew the JCPOA was so disadvantageous to the United States that it feared to submit the agreement for Senate ratification. Moreover, key American allies in the Middle East directly affected by this agreement, especially Israel and the Gulf states, did not have their legitimate interests adequately taken into account.

 

The explanation must also demonstrate the linkage between Iran and North Korea. We must also highlight Iran’s unacceptable behavior, such as its role as the world’s central banker for international terrorism, including its directions and control over Hezbollah and its actions in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. The reasons Ronald Reagan named Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1984 remain fully applicable today.

II. Campaign Plan Components

 

There are four basic elements to the development and implementation of the campaign plan to decertify and abrogate the Iran nuclear deal:

1. Early, quiet consultations with key players such as the U.K., France, Germany, Israel, and Saudi Arabia, to tell them we are going to abrogate the deal based on outright violations and other unacceptable Iranian behavior, and seek their input.

2. Prepare the documented strategic case for withdrawal through a detailed white paper (including declassified intelligence as appropriate) explaining why the deal is harmful to U.S. national interests, how Iran has violated it, and why Iran’s behavior more broadly has only worsened since the deal was agreed.

3. A greatly expanded diplomatic campaign should immediately follow the announcement, especially in Europe and the Middle East, and we should ensure continued emphasis on the Iran threat as a top diplomatic and strategic priority.

4. Develop and execute Congressional and public diplomacy efforts to build domestic and foreign support.

III. Execution Concepts and Tactics

 

1. Early, quiet consultations with key players It is critical that a worldwide effort be initiated to inform our allies, partners, and others about Iran’s unacceptable behavior. While this effort could well leak to the press, it is nonetheless critical that we inform and consult with our allies and partners at the earliest possible moment, and, where appropriate, build into our effort their concerns and suggestions. This quiet effort will articulate the nature and details of the violations and the type of relationship the U.S. foresees in the future, thereby laying the foundation for imposing new sanctions barring the transfer of nuclear and missile technology or dual use technology to Iran. With Israel and selected others, we will discuss military options. With others in the Gulf region, we can also discuss means to address their concerns from Iran’s menacing behavior. The advance consultations could begin with private calls by the President, followed by more extensive discussions in capitals by senior Administration envoys. Promptly elaborating a comprehensive tactical diplomatic plan should be a high priority.

2. Prepare the documented strategic case The White House, coordinating all other relevant Federal agencies, must forcefully articulate the strong case regarding U.S. national-security interests. The effort should produce a “white paper” that will be the starting point for the diplomatic and domestic discussion of the Administration decision to abrogate the JCPOA, and why Iran must be denied access to nuclear technology indefinitely. The white paper should be an unclassified, written statement of the Administration’s case, prepared faultlessly, with scrupulous attention to accuracy and candor. It should not be limited to the inadequacies of the JCPOA as written, or Iran’s violations, but cover the entire range of Iran’s continuing unacceptable international behavior. Although the white paper will not be issued until the announcement of the decision to abrogate the JCPOA, initiating work on drafting the document is the highest priority, and its completion will dictate the timing of the abrogation announcement. A thorough review and declassification strategy, including both U.S. and foreign intelligence in our possession should be initiated to ensure that the public has as much information as possible about Iranian behavior that is currently classified, consistent with protecting intelligence sources and methods. We should be prepared to “name names” and expose the underbelly of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard business activities and how they are central to the efforts that undermine American and allied national interests. In particular, we should consider declassifying information related to activities such as the Iran-North Korea partnership, and how they undermine fundamental interests of our allies and partners.

3. Greatly expanded diplomatic campaign post-announcement The Administration, through the NSC process, should develop a tactical plan that uses all available diplomatic tools to build support for our decision, including what actions we recommend other countries to take. But America must provide the leadership. It will take substantial time and effort and will require a “full court press” by U.S. embassies worldwide and officials in Washington to drive the process forward. We should ensure that U.S. officials fully understand the decision, and its finality, to help ensure the most positive impact with their interlocutors. Our embassies worldwide should demarche their host governments with talking points (tailored as may be necessary) and data to explain and justify abrogating JCPOA. We will need parallel efforts at the United Nations and other appropriate multilateral organizations. Our embassies should not limit themselves to delivering the demarche, however, but should undertake extensive public diplomacy as well. After explaining and justifying the decision to abrogate the deal, the next objective should be to recreate a new counter-proliferation coalition to replace the one squandered by the previous Administration, including our European allies, Israel, and the Gulf states. In that regard, we should solicit suggestions for imposing new sanctions on Iran and other measures in response to its nuclear and ballistic-missile programs, sponsorship of terrorism, and generally belligerent behavior, including its meddling in Iraq and Syria. Russia and China obviously warrant careful attention in the post-announcement campaign. They could be informed just prior to the public announcement as a courtesy, but should not be part of the pre-announcement diplomatic effort described above. We should welcome their full engagement to eliminate these threats, but we will move ahead with or without them. Iran is not likely to seek further negotiations once the JCPOA is abrogated, but the Administration may wish to consider rhetorically leaving that possibility open in order to demonstrate Iran’s actual underlying intention to develop deliverable nuclear weapons, an intention that has never flagged. In preparation for the diplomatic campaign, the NSC interagency process should review U.S. foreign-assistance programs as they might assist our efforts. The DNI should prepare a comprehensive, worldwide list of companies and activities that aid Iran’s terrorist activities.

4. Develop and execute Congressional and public diplomacy efforts The Administration should have a Capitol Hill plan to inform members of Congress already concerned about Iran, and develop momentum for imposing broad sanctions against Iran, far more comprehensive than the pinprick sanctions favored under prior Administrations. Strong congressional support will be critical. We should be prepared to link Iranian behavior around the world, including its relationship with North Korea, and its terrorist activities. And we should demonstrate the linkage between Iranian behavior and missile proliferation as part of the overall effort that justifies a national-security determination that U.S. interests would not be furthered with the JCPOA. Unilateral U.S. sanctions should be imposed outside the framework of Security Council Resolution 2231 so that Iran’s defenders cannot water them down; multilateral sanctions from others who support us can follow quickly. The Administration should also encourage discussions in Congress and in public debate for further steps that might be taken to go beyond the abrogation decision. These further steps, advanced for discussion purposes and to stimulate debate, should collectively demonstrate our resolve to limit Iran’s malicious activities and global adventurism. Some would relate directly to Iran; others would protect our allies and partners more broadly from the nuclear proliferation and terrorist threats, such as providing F-35s to Israel or THAAD resources to Japan.

 

Other actions could include: End all landing and docking rights for all Iranian aircraft and ships at key allied ports; End all visas for Iranians, including so called “scholarly,” student, sports, or other exchanges; Demand payment with a set deadline on outstanding U.S. federal-court judgments against Iran for terrorism, including 9/11; Announce U.S. support for the democratic Iranian opposition; Expedite delivery of bunker-buster bombs; Announce U.S. support for Kurdish national aspirations, including Kurds in Iran, Iraq, and Syria; Provide assistance to Balochis, Khuzestan Arabs, Kurds, and others — also to internal resistance among labor unions, students, and women’s groups; Actively organize opposition to Iranian political objectives in the U.N.

 

IV. Conclusion

 

This effort should be the Administration’s highest diplomatic priority, commanding all necessary time, attention, and resources. We can no longer wait to eliminate the threat posed by Iran. The Administration’s justification of its decision will demonstrate to the world that we understand the threat to our civilization; we must act and encourage others to meet their responsibilities as well.

 

 [1 Although this paper will refer to “the JCPOA,” the abrogation decision should also encompass the July 14, 2015, statement by the Security Council’s five permanent members and Germany, attached as Annex B to Security Council Resolution 2231. The JCPOA is attached as Annex A to Resolution 2231.]

The Pardons of Joe Arpaio

"Calling All Cars: Evil is Good and Good is Evil; Be On the Look-Out!"

Noted Communist traitor Barack Hussein Obama all but dissolved the border in Maricopa County. He had the Border Patrol acting as bellhops for illegal aliens flooding into the county.

Unlike Obama, Sherriff Arpaio took his oath of office seriously. Like local cops who once went after German saboteurs, he enforced the laws. In Obama's Upside-Down America however, subverting laws is just but enforcing laws is a crime. So a political persecution was arranged, using the legal system for a corrupt partisan political purpose. A Contempt of Court charge was manufactured by a court of contempt. He was denied a jury trial and railroaded.

So President Trump issued a pardon for a man who served his community honorably and saved countless lives by enforcing the laws.

“The speaker does not agree with the decision,” said Ryan spokesman Doug Andres. “Law-enforcement officials have a special responsibility to respect the rights of everyone in the United States. We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon.”

Paul Ryan, who fancies himself a Reagan heir, was Obama's doormat for eight years--but suddenly he's finally found his voice.

Reagan supported lawful and orderly immigration; because he loved America so much, he understood why others would, too. Obama Democrats want mass illegal immigration because they hate America. They want Open Borders to dissolve America into a UN General Assembly-nation.

Nor did Reagan support mass illegal immigration for the benefit of the Chamber of Commerce and as an opportunity for virtue-signaling like Ryan does.

Whatever the philosophies, while Obama was spearheading a Crime Wave, Arpaio had to serve and protect the county's citizens since nobody else was permitted to do so. Some say he went too far at times; maybe--maybe not. But that must be balanced against his efforts to discourage criminality and to prevent deadly crimes thrust on citizens by criminals and cartels--and the Constitutional Crime Wave of politicians and their toadies.

Obama, Ryan and all their Uni-Party pals are right about one thing; we shouldn't pardon Joe Arpaio.

We should ask him to pardon us. .........................

Thanks, Officer

America Fir$t: Queen$ Rule$

"OMG...He's Going to Govern As Trump!"

At The Conservative Treehouse, Sundance does some really top-notch economic reporting and analysis--the kind we would be getting if only we had a real Press Corps and not Pressy McPress Face. This is exactly what the the Interwebs are for.

"Trump, Mnuchin and Ross are fearlessly engaged on America First and focused like a laser on achieving that objective. ... In the battle of Queens -vs- Manhattan, Main Street -vs- Wall Street, Nationalism -vs- Globalism, or Trump -vs- Cohn…

…. just like Donald Trump did before, he’s winning."
 

...for you.

 

Glossier Dossiers: What Happened?

Trump Happened, lady

Byron York:

“The phrase ‘wealthy Republican donor’ doesn’t necessarily have to denote a Republican,” he wrote in an email exchange. “It could refer to a Democrat who has also made occasional donations to Republicans, especially if the source of the info is trying to mislead without technically lying.”
Yes, it could. And in so many investigations, misleading-without-technically-lying is the Washington way. So perhaps the dossier origin story fits in that category.
Meanwhile, staffers for the Senate Judiciary Committee are going over hours of testimony given Tuesday by the man who made the dossier happen, Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson. Investigators are waiting for a transcript, and committee chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley said at a town hall meeting in Iowa Wednesday that he’ll hold a committee vote on releasing the transcript publicly (and that he’ll vote in favor of release).
But the fact is, on the question many in the public want answered — who paid for the dossier? — Simpson and his lawyers have been refusing to answer for quite a while, and after the interview Tuesday, Simpson lawyer Josh Levy said that Simpson “kept the identities of Fusion GPS’s clients confidential.” .......

Come to think of it, Hillary Clinton is "a wealthy Republican donor".

She's probably still in shock, too;

"You mean he just gave a pardon away? For free?"

Live From Buckingham Palace: The Hazard of Dukes!

Ace: AGAIN: Two Police Officers Protecting Buckingham Palace Wounded by Man Wielding Knife; No Word Yet on Whether It Is Terror-Related

 

 

Just Jihad boys

Always meanin' to harm

Beat wives you never saw

Underneath Sharia Law

Since the day they was born

 

Hatin' the world
Flattenin' statues
Someday the MOAB might get 'em

Or a Tomahawk cruise

 

Makin' their bombs
The only way they know how
Is it the red wire or the blue wire?

Or is it ...KA-POW!

Stabbin' their way
or driving through crowds

Acid attacks and Allah that,

Frau Merkel allows

I'm a Jihad Boy
You know Mohammed loves me
But you don't understand  

they say "We'll never know his plan"
When I say why on TV

 

But they banned Dukes of Hazzard reruns for your safety...



The Original: "My name is Waylon..."

 

The Settled is Science!

On the difficulty of keeping a monkey and watching it evolve into a man:

"We talk very truly of the patience of science; but in this department it would be truer to talk of the impatience of science. Owing to the difficulty above described, the theorist is in far too much of a hurry. We have a series of hypotheses so hasty that they may well be called fancies, and cannot in any case be further corrected by facts. The most empirical anthropologist is here as limited as an antiquary. He can only cling to a fragment of the past and has no way of increasing it for the future He can only clutch his fragment of fact, almost as the primitive man clutched his fragment of flint. And indeed he does deal with it in much the same way and for much the same reason. It is his tool and his only tool. It is his weapon and his only weapon. He often wields it with a fanaticism far in excess of anything shown by men of science when they can collect more facts from experience and even add new facts by experiment. Sometimes the professor with his bone becomes almost as dangerous as a dog with his bone. And the dog at least does not deduce a theory from it, proving that mankind is going to the dogs--or that it came from them."--G.K. Chesterton, 'The Everlasting Man'

"You win the PowerBall, and suddenly everybody is your long-lost family!"

Evil: Edu-cratic Molesters Secretly Impose Their Own Personal Perversions on Other People's Children

Property of the State

 

The American Conservative: Gender Ideology’s Kindergarten Commissars

"If you, being a monstrous bigot, didn’t take your small child to drag queen story hour at your public library or bookstore, don’t despair. In some places, publicly funded schools are stepping in to compensate for your neglect on exposing your kids to gender diversity. For example:

Angry parents stampeded a California charter school board meeting Monday after a teacher read her kindergarten class picture books about transgenderism to affirm a gender dysphoric classmate. During the class, parents say, the gender dysphoric boy also switched clothes to look more like a girl in a “gender reveal.”
Parents were not notified beforehand of the discussion or the classmate’s psychological condition, and learned about it when their confused kindergarteners arrived home from school that day.
“The kindergartners came home very confused, about whether or not you can pick your gender, whether or not they really were a boy or a girl,” Karen England of the Capitol Resource Institute told CBS News.
“My daughter came home crying and shaking so afraid she could turn into a boy,” a parent said at the public meeting.

This is not a one-off situation. As Joy Pullman explains, it’s part of a strategy by transgender advocates.

She discusses how the litigious parents of a trans tot sued a public charter school into compliance with their desires. More:

Nova is a test case for what trans activists want to perpetuate nationwide — and not just in public schools, but also in private and home schools. An 8-year-old drag queen groomed by his parents says “If you want to be a drag queen and your parents don’t let you, you need new parents,” the underlying, totalitarian belief of the movement he represents.".......

 #War.

UPDATE: Breitbart: A Californian first grader was sent to the principal’s office this week after allegedly “misgendering” a transgender student.

 The incident reportedly took place at California’s Rocklin Academy, in the school playground, where the female student called her biologically male classmate “by his given name – apparently unaware that the boy now identified as a girl,” according to Fox News.
“This innocent little first grader sees a classmate, calls him by the name she knew him last year and the boy reports it to a teacher,” claimed Karen England, from the Capitol Resource Institute. “The little girl gets in trouble on the playground and then gets called out of class to the principal’s office.”
During her visit to the principal’s office, the child was reportedly “investigated” to determine “whether or not she had bullied the transgender child by calling him by his original name.”
“After about an hour it was determined the little girl made an honest mistake and she was not punished or reprimanded. But she was terribly traumatized by the incident,” Fox News claimed.
After the child returned home upset, her mother wrote a letter to the school.

“I stressed over and over with the principal that I am all for protecting the rights of [the transgender child], but my children have rights as well,” wrote the mother in her letter. “It makes me sad that my daughter felt like she was punished for trying to be kind to the kid.”

In response, the mother was allegedly “told that whenever there is a pronoun mishap with this biological boy who now claims to be a girl — the school must investigate.”.......

False imprisonment and classic grooming techniques?

Investigate the school, not the students. Criminals are running it.

Those Aren't "National Monuments"; They're National Parks-by-Decree

Because Government-By-Decree Is So Much Easier Than Government by the "Consent of the Governed"

Besides, Robert E. Jefferson coined the phrase.

Jazz Shaw: "The biggest problem, as we’ve discussed here before, is that none of these areas are in line with either the letter or the spirit of the Antiquities Act. Rather than focusing on the proper definitions of monuments versus parks, a statement from the Interior Department said that one factor Zinke took into account was the fact that there was “very little, to no, local opposition” to some of them, such as California’s massive Sand to Snow Monument. (That one clocks in at 154K acres.)
Therein lies the problem. The question at hand should really have relatively little to do with local opposition or lack thereof. It’s a question of propriety under the law. Sand to Snow is hardly unique in its various properties, though certainly beautiful and a great tourist destination. It is not, however, “a thing.” It’s a massive tract of land. That means that if you want to set it aside from development or private use, Congress should designate it as a national park. The idea of National Monuments was clearly spelled out in the Antiquities Act and they are supposed to be unique “historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest.”
Every part of the legislation speaks to specific objects and features, not landscapes. And if that’s not enough for you, the act goes one step further, cautioning that such monuments be confined to, “the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected.”.......

Scofflaw Democrats have illegitimately used the Granny Clinton Antiquities Act as a way to avoid votes in Congress, much as they also use court rulings to avoid democracy. Say--maybe those heroic #NeverTrumpers could oppose this on principle! They're keep saying how they're all about the principles.

This is a National Monument.

This is a National Monument.

"This is a National Monument."

 But This...is a National Park:

There is one National Monument, however, that is in critical danger of extinction and needs protection more than ever:

Neither "Southern" nor "Poverty" nor "Law" nor "Centered": Discuss. UPDATED

Citizen Robert E. Horowitz Takes On the #BigLie Media

My attorney will be in touch:

From Greenwald & Hoffman, LLP, Attorneys at Law, August 21, 2017.
Re: Defamatory statements regarding David Horowitz.
Dear Mr. Zucker, Mr. Vigilante, Mr. Davis, Mr. Andone, and Mr. Mullery:

This firm represents David Horowitz and the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation (“Freedom Center”) regarding the defamatory claim that CNN has published about David Horowitz and the Freedom Center in the website article by Dakin Andone and map by Will Mullery describing alleged hate groups throughout the United States.  Without critical examination, Mr. Andone’s article refers to and blindly adopts as “widely accepted” the entire list of 917 alleged “hate groups” labeled as such by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (“SPLC”) website, which maliciously promotes the false accusation that the Freedom Center is a “hate group” and that David Horowitz is “anti-Muslim” and “anti-black”.   
There is not a shred of truth to these false accusations. 

Attached is a recent article entitled, “D.C. Shooter A Fan of the Southern Poverty Law Center.” Not only has the SPLC’s hate list been connected to at least two incidents of attempted mass murder, the article quotes Mark Potock, of the SPLC, who admitted in an interview: "Our criteria for a 'hate group,' first of all, have nothing to do with criminality, or violence, or any kind of guess we're making about 'this group could be dangerous.' It's strictly ideological."

“Atlanta-based civil rights lawyer Stephen B. Bright, president of the Southern Center for Human Rights and longtime lecturer at Yale Law School, declined to accept the [Morris Dees] award in 2007 because he saw Dees as a ‘con man and fraud.’” . . . “’I’ve long regarded Morris Dees and his Southern Poverty Law Center as collectively one of the greatest frauds in American life,’ wrote the late progressive journalist Alexander Cockburn in 2007.”

Very few people have done as much as David Horowitz to expose the ongoing oppression of Muslim women, Jews, gays, and other minorities in Middle Eastern countries, which should have been self-evident to CNN...

Further dissemination of such pernicious misinformation on CNN’s website will also demonstrate a malicious intent and would support the imposition of punitive damages against CNN and Mr. Andone and Mr. Mullery personally.
Sincerely yours,
GREENWALD & HOFFMAN, LLP
Paul A. Hoffman,
Individual Rights Foundation affiliate counsel

Your First Amendment-UPDATE: PJM:

 

"The suit claimed that "the Ministry suffered special damages in its exclusion from the AmazonSmile program as a result of SPLC's publication of the Hate Map and the SPLC Transmissions."

Specifically, DJKM brought the suit under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for religious discrimination, under the Lanham Act for trafficking in false or misleading descriptions of the services offered under the ministry's trademarked name, and for defamation under Alabama common law arising from "the publication and distribution of information that libels the Ministry's reputation and subjects the Ministry to disgrace, ridicule, odium, and contempt in the estimation of the public."

The lawsuit explained why the "hate" labeling was so malicious. DJKM's vision statement runs as follows: The corporation seeks to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the supremacy of His Lordship, and a biblically informed view of the world, using all available media, so that Jesus Christ would be known throughout all of the Earth and that everywhere He might be trusted, loved, and served."

Nowhere in the purpose or action of the Ministry is there HATE or any room for HATE," the lawsuit explained. Even so, it was denied participation in the AmazonSmile program on the grounds of SPLC's libel.

In early January of this year, a DJKM employee attempted to register the ministry with AmazonSmile, but was denied after multiple attempts. The program made clear, "We rely on the Southern Poverty Law Center to determine which charities are in ineligible categories," and explained that DJKM was listed as ineligible.".......

 "Shortly after Mussolini’s march on Rome establishing the first fascist regime in the world,
Lenin sent a telegram of congratulations. Why? He recognized Mussolini as a fellow revolutionary of the left."
--Robert E. D'Souza

Mark Steyn: When everybody's Hitler nobody's Hitler

Steyn tells how the SPLC smeared Seb Gorka as a Nazi because of a medal his father received. His father fought Stalin with His Majesty's Secret Service and was freed from a torture chamber by a tank.