Liberty Guard Author

Townhall.com

by Bob Barr

The dual mass shootings last weekend exposed two uncomfortable truths. First, there is a cancerous undercurrent of extremism in our society; and second, this phenomenon is not relegated to one side of the political spectrum or the other. In El Paso, the shooter killed in the name of white supremacy. In Dayton, the killer previously praised the violence of Antifa.

Law enforcement agencies and legislative bodies at the federal, state, and local levels now must address whether new authorities are needed, more funding made available, or simply better enforcement of existing powers required; in order to cope with the rising tide of murders that affect families and communities from Chicago to Texas and from California to Baltimore.

But there is a vital role political leaders can and must play, in addressing the extremist and violence-oriented thinking that clearly is grabbing the minds and hands of far too many American men.

Trump’s initial address to the nation Monday in the immediate aftermath of the El Paso and Dayton rampages, was appropriate — as a first step.  The brevity of the statement was fitting; his visits to the cities-in-mourning respectful and proper.  

What follows in the coming days and weeks, however, is far more consequential and important, and can emanate only from the Oval Office – a forceful and unequivocal denunciation of extremism in all its horrible visages, and especially white nationalism.

It should not have to be said, but it does — there is absolutely no place for white nationalism or racism of any kind within the conservative movement or the Republican Party at any level.

For too long the GOP has turned a blind eye to the troubling resurgence of this odious movement; perhaps hoping that by not drawing attention to it, it would quietly go away. We see now that is not the case.

Even though race-motivated mass violence is still a statistical rarity in spite of the headlines it grabs, the cohorts of individuals responsible for the radicalization of the killers like those in Charleston, Gilroy, and now El Paso, continue to spread. Worse still, while these individuals may loath the current GOP and even Trump, through their warped lenses they may see the Republican Party as the vehicle by which to hitch a ride to a more prominent role in society.  

The Democrat Party has to contend with its own violence-oriented hangers on, such as Antifa; but the prominence of right-wing extremists and white nationalists in the context of recent mass shootings, is a curse that needs to be addressed specifically and urgently.

Trump must no longer ignore those who use his brand as a cloak for their ignorance and hatred; they must be told in cold, hard, unmistakable terms that they no longer enjoy safe harbor. He must build on his recent statement, and rebuke white nationalism for what it is — an ignorant, collectivist mindset that is wholly antithetical to our Founders’ precepts of freedom and governance.

White nationalism will not make America great, and its followers should not expect to find an ally in this President or in any elected leader.

The President’s call for leaders from both major political parties to tone down the hysterics that surround virtually every political issue, is indisputably correct and timely.  And while the Right by no means bears the burden or blame for a political climate that incites violence, it can – and should – step forward and provide leadership out of the toxic bog in which both Parties find themselves mired.

Trump’s fiery demeanor is a large part of what brought him into the Oval Office; and his supporters neither expect nor should we want him to change his personality.  In any event, nothing Trump will say will find support in the eyes of any of the Democrat presidential wannabees, or in the view of most of their colleagues in the Congress or their enablers in the mainstream media. But those are not the audiences that matters.

What matters is that Americans everywhere hear a president whose words and actions (and Tweets) truly transcend the environment which birthed horrendous actions such as took place in El Paso and Dayton (and yes, also in Chicago) last weekend.  No one but the president can deliver that message.  No one but the president should deliver that message.  This is the speech we need. This is President Trump’s moment.

Townhall.com

by Bob Barr

The world in which most liberals live is one of magic and fairytales — where socialist systems have starved millions of people and destroyed every economy forced into its model, but which certainly will work the next time. It is a world in which using fascist tactics to silence opponents actually makes you an anti-fascist; and where presidential candidates can promise everything for everyone, and still have enough money left over to cut taxes. In this fantasy land, anything is possible if you just feel it to be true.

Perhaps nowhere is the Left’s disconnect from reality more acute than in its assault on the Second Amendment. Despite decades of gun control proposals debunked time and again, the same schemes and arguments regularly are recycled and repackaged. Democrats remain convinced that Americans are just waiting for permission to hand over their firearms and their God-given right to self-defense. After all, Democrats say, other countries are doing it, so why not us?

Take for instance New Zealand, which recently achieved rock star status in the eyes of Democrats in our country, when its prime minister reacted to a tragic mass shooting with a crushing blow to the country’s firearms rights. The prime minister immediately banned “military-style assault rifles,” to be jump started with a “buy-back” program. 

As expected, Democrats here gushed with envy at what would be possible in our country. “Christchurch happened, and within days New Zealand acted to get weapons of war out of the consumer market. This is what leadership looks like,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cluelessly tweeted, echoing sentiments from Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Chris Murphy, and others.    

The “leadership” which so moved Ocasio-Cortez, however, appears to have hit a roadblock – the country’s citizens are not responding as expected. 

While New Zealand’s left-wing leaders appear to have felt that a firearm ban was the correct and only possible response to the Christchurch shooting, the reality is that its citizens did not feel the same. In spite of the rush to enact a ban, subsequent pushback from citizens and noncompliance with the law have stalled what was expected by New Zealand officials to be an easy process of collecting now-illegal firearms. Months after the ban, reports suggest only 700 firearms have been voluntarily surrendered to police.  Optimism about the effectiveness of the buy-back program is waning, with the next move up to the government. 

Confiscation efforts have been further hampered because in New Zealand – as in the United States – the government does not maintain a registry of firearms owners. In spite of what government leaders apparently expected, New Zealanders are not rushing to let the authorities know what may be locked in their gun safes (or now buried in their yard).  Gun owners in New Zealand obviously do not share the liberal delusion that guns are instruments useless for any purpose besides shooting people, and therefore to be handed over readily to please the authorities and avoid prosecution.

Like their mentors in New Zealand, Democrats in the United States appear oblivious to the reality of firearms ownership, and piously drone on and on about the evils of gun ownership and their ideas for gun control. They grow curiously quiet, however, when it comes to articulating what is to happen when people refuse to surrender their Second Amendment rights. Discounting Rep. Eric Swalwell’s bizarre threat that the federal government could use “nukes” to accomplish such a goal, the crucial question becomes, how would Democrats respond? 

If they ban AR-15s (the most popular sporting rifle in America), would Democrats send authorities to knock down doors, and drag people off to jail for noncompliance? Or, would they simply turn a blind eye; thereby confirming that such bans are not so much about public safety, as to satisfy a political agenda? Democrats should not be let off the hook simply because the consequences to their proposals are frightening for them (and us) to articulate.

It is doubtful the sycophants from the Mainstream Media tapped to preside over the Democratic presidential debates would dare to broach such a topic; but the American public deserves to hear what would be in store for them. If New Zealand is any indication, there is no fairytale ending, regardless of how hard Democrats otherwise try to pretend this elephant is not in the room.

Townhall.com

by Bob Barr

Last week, the President of Taiwan visited the United States and four other countries, including the small Caribbean nation of Haiti.  A visit by President Tsai Ing-wen to Haiti might be viewed with surprise by some observers.  However, to those familiar with economic and strategic factors important to both Taiwan and the United States, the fact that Taiwan’s chief executive included a stop in Port-au-Prince during her visit to Washington, DC is significant.

Haiti is one of only 18 countries that still recognize Taiwan diplomatically.  Shoring up that support at a time mainland China is moving significantly to increase its economic and military presence in our hemisphere, is important not only for Taiwan but for the U.S. as well.

Also important for America’s interests in the region is the fact that Haiti early this year joined with the United States in recognizing Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.  

When Jovenel Moise took his oath of office as Haiti’s 42^nd President in February 2017, he inherited a government that had forged extremely close ties with the leftist regime in Venezuela.  During his long tenure in office – from 1999 to 2013 – former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez used his personal charisma and his country’s vast supply of oil to win friends throughout the region.  

Moise’s predecessors benefitted greatly from Chavez’ largesse; receiving huge quantities of Venezuelan oil under an extremely beneficial deferred payment plan.  The “Petrocaribe” program was launched in 2004; but instead of boosting Haiti’s economy, it morphed into a cash cow for the cadre of corrupt politicians that have controlled the country’s levers of power for the past quarter century. 

The Petrocaribe program was structured by Chavez as a vehicle through which to gain political influence throughout the Caribbean.  It never became, and was never intended to be, an economically viable program.  Petrocaribe generated hundreds of millions of dollars that were supposed to be used to fund desperately needed infrastructure projects in Haiti.  Instead, most of the cash generated was diverted into personal bank accounts controlled by those in power prior to 2017, including Marcel Martelly, who became president in 2011.  

Before becoming Haiti’s president, Martelly was a well-known singer.  As president, he was a favorite of Hillary Clinton when she served as Secretary of State.  Martelly also is a friend of Bill Clinton, who somehow had managed to have himself named a United Nations “special envoy” to Haiti following the massive 2010 earthquake. Even as Martelly basked in the glow of the Clintons’ friendship, he continued his close friendship with Chavez; and was rewarded with the honor of serving as a pallbearer at the Venezuelan leader’s 2013 funeral. 

The long-standing and systemic inability of Haiti’s government to fund vital domestic programs worsened as a result of the devastating 2010 earthquake that rocked the country.  Despite the injection of $10.5 billion in aid from numerous private, government and international organizations (some channeled through the Clinton Foundation), hardly any of the money found its way to improving the living conditions for Haiti’s beleaguered citizens.

Haiti’s position as a transshipment point for illicit drugs coming from South America to the United States, has made matters worse — expanding opportunities for corruption.  This scenario is well-known to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; but the Obama administration did little to address the problem, even though many of the corrupt officials in Haiti maintain residences and bank accounts on the U.S. mainland.

The good news in what otherwise presents as a bleak picture for Haiti’s future, lies in the fact that the current president, Jovenel Moise, is not part of the corrupt underbelly of Haitian politics.  He is a man highly motivated to do the right thing for his country; and in so doing, continue friendships and alliances that benefit his country, the region, and the United States. But there is a catch.  

As a result of changes made to Haiti’s Constitution more than 20 years ago, the President is extremely limited in his ability to fight the money and corruption that has fueled Haiti’s poverty for decades.  His hold on power that is so vital to the country’s well-being is tenuous; and he needs all the help he can get from Haiti’s true friends, including the United States.

Jovenel Moise may very well be Haiti’s last and best hope for a legitimate government that actually serves the people.  The Trump administration must not let slip by the chance to help ensure that this historic opportunity for the Haitian people is realized.