UN peacekeeping soldiers from Rwanda patrol on December 09, 2014 in Bangui. The UN peacekeeping mission currently counts 8,600 people on the ground, and plans to increase this number to 12,000. AFP PHOTO / Pacome PABANDJI (Photo credit should read PACOME PABANDJI/AFP/Getty Images)

by Alexandra Tompson, Forbes.com   Apr 20, 2017

They call it the Switzerland of Africa, with its high mountains, green valleys and beautiful lakes. Rwanda is a dream destination. It turned into a nightmare 23 years ago. April 7, 1994 marked the beginning of the unprecedented slaughter. Between April and June, 800,000 were killed in less than 100 days. The systematic massacre of Tutsis and moderate Hutus spread throughout the country with astounding speed and brutality. Ordinary citizens took up machetes, spears and knives against their neighbors. Blood and tears were all over the country. Hundreds of mass graves.

The international community closed its eyes. Unlike other atrocities of the 20th century, the Rwandan genocide unfolded before the public eye. Journalists, radio broadcasters and TV news reporters covered the events live from the ground. The world’s largest peacekeeping force did not intervene. UN troops stood by and did nothing. They were ordered to withdraw when most needed.  READ it HERE

 Above: Hillsdale President Larry Arnn filming the new Intro to Constitution Class

“Hillsdale College is the authority on teaching the Constitution.”  Mark Levin

On May 15th, Hillsdale College will launch “Introduction to the Constitution.” This FREE online course is filmed in an entirely new format that represents the style of teaching students on campus. Watch the sneak preview HERE and pre-register for this new course.

by Chelsea Schilling, WND.com

Just hours after President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey – and the left went ballistic – talk-radio superstar Rush Limbaugh warned Republicans: “The last thing you should do is find anything in common with the Democrats on this.”

Resist the urge to join the left in piling on Trump, Limbaugh advised, because Democrats “are ripe for being smoked for generations.” In fact, the Comey hysteria is just a symptom of a life-threatening ailment infecting the party, he explained.

And Republicans have a chance to deal the final blow.

“This is the time to move in politically and wipe them out,” Limbaugh said during his Wednesday show. “[T]he Republican Party has a golden opportunity here to continue to nail into the coffin of the Democrat Party.”

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He revealed the real reason Democrats are clinging to their allegations of Trump-Russia collusion:

    The last thing you should do is feel sorry, simpatico. Do not fall for the temptation to join the Democrats in their rants against Trump on [Comey’s firing]. Here’s the deal, folks. There is no collusion. The Russians did not hack, did not tamper, did not impact the outcome of our election. It’s been established for over nine months, if not longer.  READ the REST HERE

Laura Ingraham Radio Show May 9, 2017

Start at 52.10 minutes.   GREAT Interview! Laura Ingraham interviews  Pat Buchanan on nationalism, the growth of populism from Reagan to Trump. She describes him as the first "Trumpist."  He talks about conservatives versus populists and how Reagan conservatives were rooted in traditionalism.  He talks about the root sources of the conservative movement.

Listen Here.

Emmanuel Macron (left)

by Tyler Durden  Zero Hedge  May 8, 2017

The confetti were still littering Paris from Macron's celebration event on Sunday night when the 39-year-old Frenchman became the youngest president in French history, and already he met with one of the biggest challenges facing his new administration: a population, mostly among the local labor unions, that is unwilling to accept any if not all of the proposed economic reforms, and made this abundantly clear on Monday by clashing in violent protests across Paris with the local riot police.

That's not the only reason why Emmanuel Macron may find the hangover of his bitter fight with Marine Le Pen unpleasant. As The Local writes, while Macron's supporters were jumping for joy at the Louvre and commentators all over the world were hailing Emmanuel Macron's victory as a triumph for liberal and centrist values, a majority of French people won't have seen it as a cause for celebration. And although Macron should be relieved, there are a few major reasons why he should stay off the Champagne this week.

Below, according to the French publication, are eight reasons why Macron has little reason for celebration as he prepares to replace Francois Hollande as the next French president.

1. He didn't win over the majority of French people

In the second round, 56 percent of French people either abstained, cast a blank vote or voted for Le Pen. He may have won a majority of the vote, but that doesn't make for a majority of French people.  Even in first round vote, when French people "vote with their hearts" and choose the candidate they really want, Macron didn't do spectacularly.

On April 23rd some 8.6 million people voted for Macron, out of a possible 47 million, so in reality, you could argue that only a 6th of French voters would have Macron as their first choice. But even in the first round he benefited from tactical voting.

2. Many of those who voted for him aren't really behind him

Of those who did vote for him, many said were doing so simply because he wasn't Marine Le Pen. Some 33 percent of respondents in an Ipsos poll said they voted Macron because they were won over by the political renewal they saw in him. Sixteen percent put his policies top of the list, while 8 percent said his personality was the main reason they voted for him.

However the largest chunk, 43 percent, said they were mostly voting against Le Pen.   READ it HERE

Office of Rep. Glenn Grothman, Friday, May 05, 2017

Excellent links below on the American Health Care Act

Yesterday, I voted to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA) because our current health care system is unsustainable.
Already, one-third of America’s counties only have one insurance provider, and the exchanges will continue to head towards disaster if Congress doesn’t act. Quite simply, Americans deserve better.

It seems that there is a lot of misinformation out there about this bill. The AHCA maintains protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies are still not allowed to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions. Additionally, $8 billion in extra resources will be devoted to individuals with pre-existing conditions. For more information about protection for those with pre--existing conditions under the AHCA, please click here.

Members of Congress and their staff  are also not exempt from the AHCA. Click here to watch YouTube of Rep. McSally presenting her bill to strike exemptions for Congress.

With this week's vote, the House has ensured that individuals and families will no longer be forced into expensive, inadequate Obamacare plans they do not want and cannot afford.

For the facts about the AHCA, please click here.

Oversight and Government Reform

FAFSA, the form all college students must submit if they are interested in receiving financial aid, recently experienced a data breach. The Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service did not take action in a timely manner. The Department of Education refuses to recognize the data breach, and both agencies failed to report the breach to Congress within the required seven days.

In an Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing earlier this week, I demanded answers from representatives of the agencies. It's troubling to me that these agencies wasted $30 million by taking so long to act on this breach.

For additional information about this hearing, please click here.

by Diederik van Hoogstraten,  May 5, 2017   American Spectator

The renaissance of Richard Gere continues with his brilliant role as a neurotic Jewish New Yorker in Norman.

Richard Gere is like a good cheese. As he gets older, he keeps getting better. With every new role, his work becomes more interesting, just like the taste of a high-end Gruyere or Gouda allowed to age in peace.

Gere, now silver-haired and bespectacled, stars in Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer and The Dinner. We all enjoyed him in Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts and even in Shall We Dance with Jennifer Lopez. But the word “interesting” didn’t necessarily come to mind as he flirted his way through a slew of romantic comedies. So it is a revelation to see him shine, at age 67, in roles that stayed with me long after I watched those two independent films.

This run has been going on for five years. Gere was really good in Arbitrage (2012) and Time Out of Mind (2014). His latest performances are so compelling, I suggest forgetting his activism, politics, and religion. I mean, a man who manages to upset the Chinese, the Israelis, and the American left is probably doing something interesting. But for now, just watch him act.

Norman is a neurotic, unlikable “fixer” in New York. Picture an even more intense, much better looking version of Woody Allen. We learn little about his character’s back story. It’s not clear exactly what he does as he walks the streets of Manhattan, talking on the phone, making unwanted introductions, and bullying members of the financial and political elites into including him.

Like so many New Yorkers, Norman is lonely. Surrounded by crowds and voices, he appears stuck in isolation. But when he manages to lure a visiting Israeli government minister into a high-end store to buy the Israeli a pair of shoes worth more than $1,000, his luck improves as the plot expands. While it is not always clear where Norman’s everyday reality ends and his dreams of grandeur begin, he enjoys that moment in the spotlight.

The story moves to Israel and Washington, before returning to New York. Remarkably, all these places and their local characters come across as genuine and real. Joseph Cedar wrote and directed a perfectly paced, deeply felt screenplay. Rarely has a small, talky movie sucked me in with such force.  READ it HERE

Kelsey Harkness / @kelseyjharkness / May 01, 2017 / Daily Signal

In 1986, the San Diego Border Patrol sector accounted for approximately one-third of all apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border. Today, it accounts for only a small fraction.

How did the region go from one of the busiest sectors for illegal border crossings to one of the most secure? In our latest edition of “Underreported,” The Daily Signal visits the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego to find out.  Watch YouTube HERE

May 5, 2017  Matthew Vadum,  FrontPage.com

Congressional Republicans finally got their act together. Republicans claimed victory as their Obamacare-replacement bill that pundits pronounced dead a few weeks ago passed the House of Representatives.

Many conservatives say the bill is a step in the right direction, but they dispute the idea that is a true repeal of Obamacare, the GOP’s signature campaign promise for the last seven years. Although Obamacare is collapsing as premiums rise and insurers flee certain areas, it leaves much of the structure of Obamacare intact.

The legislation is a modified version of the measure that House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) dramatically pulled from the House floor on March 24. The House narrowly approved the legislation yesterday afternoon on a vote of 217 to 213. All of the 193 Democrats who showed up to vote, voted “no.” There were 20 Republicans voting "no."

Americans “suffered with Obamacare,” a triumphant President Trump said in the Rose Garden. “I went through two years of campaigning, and I’m telling you, no matter where I went, people were suffering so badly with the ravages of Obamacare.”

With the passage of the revamped proposed “American Health Care Act,” “your premiums, they’re going to start to come down,” he said. “Your deductibles … were so ridiculous that nobody got to use their current plan – this nonexistent plan that I heard so many wonderful things about over the last three or four days.”

He continued:

    After that, I mean, it’s – I don’t think you’re going to hear so much. Right now, the insurance companies are fleeing. It’s been a catastrophe. And this is a great plan. I actually think it will get even better. And this is, make no mistake, this is a repeal and replace of Obamacare. Make no mistake about it. Make no mistake.

Trump added, “very importantly, it’s a great plan. And ultimately, that’s what it’s all about.”

Now the legislation goes to the Senate where it faces an uncertain future.

Senate leaders don’t like that the measure has not been scored by the Congressional Budget Office, which means it isn’t clear how much it will cost. Nor are they happy that the bill was rushed – in their view – through the House.  READ it HERE

Debra J. Saunders, American Spectator April 30, 2017

Which is the real Trump?

There are two ways to look at President Donald Trump, observed Lee Edwards, distinguished fellow of conservative thought at the Heritage Foundation. One is that Trump is “a feckless idiot” who is “almost dysfunctional.” The other is that “this man actually knows what he’s doing.”

Which is the real Trump? At a Heritage symposium on Trump’s first 100 days in office, Edwards went with the second option. He said he believes Trump “very cleverly” does what many politicians do — get the opposition to underestimate them.

“This is more work than in my previous life,” Trump told Reuters on Thursday. “I thought it would be easier.”

Was this an attempt at getting Democrats to underestimate him? More likely these remarks are just another example of Trump being Trump — a supremely confident and perennially impulsive billionaire who just admitted that he underestimated how difficult it is to actually be the leader of the free world.

People often forget that presidents are human beings — with great strengths that carry with them corresponding weaknesses. Trump voters went with the brash billionaire, because he was a nonpolitician who promised to shake the Washington power elite to its core.

The flip side of that coin is that, as an outsider, Trump doesn’t have any experience navigating Congress. And as a true outsider, he hasn’t tried particularly hard to hire top staffers who know how. It is no surprise, then, that Trump’s first foray into the sausage making of legislation — his bid to repeal and replace Obamacare — fell flat, even though his party controls the House and Senate.

Trump’s behavior in his first six weeks in office handed his critics ammunition to fire back at him. As he took the oath of office, Trump did not use the occasion to reach across the aisle, as he did during his election night acceptance speech.

The next day, as anti-Trump marchers filled the streets of Washington and other cities, Trump sent out Press Secretary Sean Spicer to launch his first press conference haranguing the news media for its “shameful” reporting on the size of the new president’s inauguration crowd on the Capitol Mall. READ it HERE