Americans Still Have A Lot to Be Thankful for as Thanksgiving Approaches

AS WE PREPARE FOR THANKSGIVING. There are many things to be thankful for. • • • FIRST ON MY LIST IS JIM MATTIS. President Trump had real insight when he asked General Jim Mattis to be his Secretary of Defense. General Mattis, a Marine, is by all accounts one of the finest military minds in American history. And, he is now protecting America at her southern borders. He and his troops are now working to stop the caravan because, as Secretary Mattis says, it is the job of the military to protect the United States against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. The caravan is cover for criminals, gang members and terrorists who are using women and children seeking asylum as a shield to gain sympathy. That’s why President Trump calls it an invasion. And, that is why Jim Mattis and his troops are there -- to defend the country against the invasion. Secretary James Mattis went to the border to inspect the troops who are running a full-scale military operation to prevent the caravan from entering the US. There are now a total of 8,000 military at the border. On his way to the border, Secretary Mattis spoke to reporters about why stopping the caravan is important. He pointed out that former President Clinton once sent the military to the border; both Presidents Bush and Obama did the same with the National Guard. And, Secretary Mattis added : “I think many of you are aware that President Wilson 100 years ago -- a little over 100 years ago deployed the US Army to the Southwest border. The threat then was Pancho Villa's troops, a revolutionary raiding across the border into the United States, New Mexico, in 1916." Pancho Villa’s troops ended up killing 18 Americans in New Mexico. But tens of thousands of illegal migrants have the capability of killing many more than 18 Americans. Secretary Mattis gave a simple but completely on-point history lesson to the media, and then to his troops on the border, making it very clear why it is important to stop them. And we can be thankful that Secretary Mattis is doing his level best to do just that. • • • SENATOR INHOFE IS ON MY THANK-YOU LIST, TOO. Republican Senator James Inhofe has told the media that a border Wall can be built for $25 billion. To get the money for the Wall, Senator Inhofe says : "I’m with President Trump. That’s why I’ve announced the first legislation that identifies how to fund the border wall. The WALL Act would fully fund the $25 billion border wall by closing existing loopholes that allow illegal immigrants to receive federal benefits. For too long, illegal immigrants have claimed refundable tax credits through Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) rather than a work-eligible Social Security number. By requiring work-authorized Social Security numbers for refundable tax credits, we’ll save billions of dollars in tax credits that are only supposed to benefit American citizens or immigrants with legal status. My bill would also ensure eligibility for federal welfare programs, like food stamps, by using E-Verify, a web-based system that allows enrolled employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the U.S. While we’ve had laws on the books to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving these benefits for years, the system is vulnerable to document fraud. By using E-Verify, we can ensure the integrity of our social safety net for the families who are lawfully entitled to it. We can also deter illegal immigration by imposing (and enforcing) a fine on illegal border crossings. I want to be clear -- closing these loopholes would prevent federal benefits for illegal immigrants. Closing these loopholes would not impact the services or tax credits for citizens or legal immigrants." Senator Inhofe, of Oklahoma, understands that we also need to reform our immigration laws, especially the asylum process, to create safeguards against fraud and abuse. He has a solution for that; too : "I’ve been to the border six times in the last five years and each time I hear the frustration from Customs and Border Patrol agents. They are inundated daily with rehearsed and scripted asylum claims. The data backs this up. Five years ago, only 1 out of 100 migrants claimed asylum. Today, it’s 1 in 10. That dramatic increase means we don’t have the ability to detain families after they cross the border illegally and/or claim asylum. They are released with nothing more than an assigned court appearance, a process often known as 'catch and release.' If migrants really wanted asylum, they’d show up for their court dates and go through the proper legal channels. But their goal isn’t really asylum; it’s to circumvent our immigration laws. The proof? Approximately 75% of illegal immigrants have deportation orders for failure to appear in court. My bill, the Asylum Abuse Reduction Act, would stop the abuse by requiring migrants to make an appointment with our embassies or consulates in Mexico for the screening and determination of their asylum claims. This would enable us to prevent many of the false claims of asylum that overwhelm our legal system. For those immigrants who don’t show up to court once in the United States, a criminal bench warrant would be issued for failure to appear. President Trump has made meaningful border security a priority and it is time for Congress to do the same by enacting my bills. It is what American families deserve -- and even more, it is what the hardworking men and women who are abiding by our immigration process deserve." Right now, thousands of Central American migrants are marching towards the United States, intending to cross our southern border. They know that the majority of the 1,954-mile border is vulnerable and, even if caught, they can take advantage of our laws to stay in the US illegally. We must secure our borders and stop migrants from abusing our immigration laws. President Trump knows this. That’s why he has made border security -- and a border wall -- a priority. We should be grateful to Senator Inhofe for looking out for America and her citizens while trying to make sure that legitimate asylum seekers are treated properly. • • • WE CAN BE THANKFUL THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS WORKING TO STOP IRAN'S TERRORIST ACTS. Earlier in November, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a stern warning from the Trump administration to companies around the world that evading the sanctions against Iran will cost you dearly : “I promise you that doing business in Iran in defiance of our sanctions will ultimately be a much more painful business decision than pulling out of Iran.” The US has imposed penalties on 700 entities and companies tied to Iran’s energy and financial markets, prompting Iran to threaten war over the sanctions. The Trump administration’s campaign to put Iran in check has cost the country $2.5 billion in oil revenue since May, with Pompeo vowing “swift, severe penalties” to anyone caught violating the sanctions. Eight governments so far have been granted waivers to deal with Iran’s government to purchase oil -- China, India, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey. The waivers are temporary to ease their transition away from purchasing oil from Iran and destabilizing the energy market. Iran President Hassan Rouhani ridiculed the waivers, saying : “That the US is forced to exempt eight nations from sanctions on oil sales when it had previously said it wants to cut Iran’s oil sales to zero, isn’t that a sign of Iran’s victory and the US backing off?” BUT, Rouhani is wrong. The goal for President Trump and the US is to force Iran to give up its nuclear aspirations and its support of terror in the Middle East by cutting off its revenues stream. Trump abandoned the previously arranged Iran nuclear deal enacted in 2015. The only recourse for Iran, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says, is for it to stop its support of terrorism and abandon its nuclear ambitions “immediately.” We can be thankful that after 8 years of coddling the terrorist regime in Iran by the Obama administration, President Trump and his administration are doing what is necessary to stop Iranian terrorist aggression and illegal nuclear weapons development. • • • WE CAN BE THANKFUL THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP SUPPORTS EUROPEAN COUNTRIES THAT WANT REAL DEMOCRACY German Chancellor Angela Merkel has tried to stop the spread of populist governments in Europe while losing ground in her own country to AfD, the German populist party. French President Macron told President Trump directly on Armistice Day that nationalism, that is, populism, is the worst thing ever, and his words were applauded by Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, as well as Merkel. But, the leader of EU countries trying to save their national cultures and democracies -- Poland -- celebrated its National Independence Day in Warsaw and across Poland on November 11, to commemorate Poland’s restoration of sovereignty in 1918. The New York Times and most other Western media outlets naturally saw fascism, or, at the least, the government enabling fascists. But, the Poles who celebrated their country's freedom are not “fascist” any more than their American counterparts who attend 4th of July celebrations across the USA. The Polish March of Independence was created over a decade ago by grass roots nationalists because no one else cared to organize genuine commemorative activities. November 11th celebrations were banned by the Communists after 1944. The anti-Communist opposition was able to challenge the Soviet regime only over three decades after the ban. It organized the first open commemoration in 1978. A few hundred intrepid souls attended. BUT, former Prime Minister Donald Tusk -- now the European Council's president -- is on the record as describing Polish national consciousness as “an abnormality,” a pathological affliction that needed to be contained if not eliminated altogether. AND, President Trump supports Poland. President Trump spoke in Warsaw in 2017, giving an address on Western Civilization that drew wild cheers from his Polish audience. This year, in September he said the US-Polish alliance has "never been stronger," and said he is “very seriously” considering Warsaw's request for a permanent US military base in Poland. We should be grateful to President Trump for standing with truly democratic European countries and against the socialist elitism that is at the heart of the European Union. • • • GIVE THANKS THAT VP MIKE PENCE IS CALLING OUT CHINESE BEHAVIOR. President Trump is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Argentina later this month in a crucial test of where the two sides stand in the ongoing trade war. But Vice President Mike Pence gave a dire warning to China in a recent interview with the Washington Post, where he warned of an all-out cold war with the US and its partners if China does not change its behavior. The US will not back down, Pence said in the interview. The Washington Post said : "Pence told me in an interview that Trump is leaving the door open for a deal with Xi in Argentina, but only if Beijing is willing to make massive changes that the United States is demanding in its economic, military and political activities. The vice president said this is China’s best (if not last) chance to avoid a cold-war scenario with the United States. 'I think much of that will depend on Argentina,' Pence said. 'The President’s attitude is, we want to make sure they know where we stand, what we are prepared to do, so they can come to Argentina with concrete proposals that address not just the trade deficit that we face....We’re convinced China knows where we stand.' ” Pence says China must reduce its trade surplus with the US, stop its rampant intellectual property theft and forced technology transfer, stop restricting access to Chinese markets, and show respect for international rules and norms instead of limiting freedom of navigation in international waters. VP Pence also noted that the Chinese Communist Party must stop its interference in the politics of western countries. If it does not, Pence said, the US is prepared to escalate economic, diplomatic and political pressure on China. He also said the US economy is strong enough to weather such an escalation while China’s economy has been sputtering : “We really believe we are in a strong position either way. We are at $250 billion [in tariffs] now; we can more than double that. I don’t think it’s a matter of promises. We’re looking for results. We’re looking for a change of posture.” We should be grateful to Vice President Mike Pence, and to President Trump for his China policies, including those aimed at ending China's aggressive and sometimes dangerous South China Sea tactics. VP Pence said : “We will not stand down. We will continue to exercise freedom of navigation.” When the Washington Post asked what would happen if Beijing doesn’t agree to act in Asia in a way that can avoid a cold war with the United States, Pence had a clear answer : “Then so be it. We are here to stay.” • • • DEAR READERS, there really is a lot to be thankful for as Thanksgiving 2018 arrives. One federal judge also deserves our gratitude for upholding the Rule of Law. US District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan issued a ruling last week in response to a lawsuit from Judicial Watch, the conservative research and investigative group, that requires Hillary Clinton to answer under oath JW questions about her emails while Secretary of State. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said Hillary Clinton must answer more email questions -- including key questions about the setting up of her email system. The decision is the result of a Freedom of Information lawsuit initiated by Judicial Watch that sought to clarify why Clinton’s executive assistant, Huma Abedin, was authorized to be both an employee of the State Department and a “special government employee” for outside jobs, according to news release issued by Judicial Watch. Judge Sullivan gave Clinton 30 days to respond to questions about how she set up her private email server while Secretary of State and whether the State Department ever issued any orders or instructions regarding the use of that server. • "Yes, Virginia," there is a Thanksgiving Day, and it is full of things to be grateful for as Americans.