Bloomberg:
A federal appeals court unanimously refused to reinstate President Donald Trump’s ban on travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, issuing a sharp rebuke in a ruling likely destined for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Trump was defiant, tweeting 26 minutes later, “SEE YOU IN COURT. THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!” He told White House reporters the decision was “political.”
SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2017
The 29-page ruling from a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals concluded roundly that the government failed to make its case that a temporary freeze on the ban should be lifted, and called into question presidential power to limit immigration in the way Trump did.They actually used that argument? "Sorry judge, but you have no authority to review this." The sure way to get a judge to tell you "no" is to tell him he has no authority.
The judges rebuffed the contention that the states of Washington and Minnesota had no right to sue in the matter -- and rejected the argument that courts have no authority to review an executive branch decision on immigration policy.
However, don't get too excited about this judgement, regardless of your political views:
The appeals court cautioned that its analysis was preliminary, emphasizing that its task was only to decide whether a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle in the states’ suit should be lifted or kept in place, “in light of the relative hardship and public interest.”Speaking of Trump...
The Wrap:
An Emerson College poll found that 49 percent of U.S. voters believe that the Trump administration is “truthful,” while only 39 percent feel that way about the news media. Worse, for the so-called “opposition party,” 53 percent of those surveyed described the media as “untruthful.”Considering the mainstream media has turned the Trump presidency into a witch hunt, instead of doing their jobs objectively and speaking truth to power like they should, while Trump has actually been living up to his campaign promises (regardless of whether you like them or not).
Continuing:
The poll, released on Tuesday, also showed that Americans are divided on Trump’s performance so far — 48 percent of registered voters approve of the job that Trump is doing, compared to 47 percent who disapprove.Translation: America is still caught up in the silly "R versus D" dynamic, and ignoring the "Western Civilization versus Islam" war happening, with full support of both R's and D's.
It a statistic that should not come as a surprise, the poll notes that 89 percent of Republicans approve of Trump, while 81 percent of Democrats disapprove. According to the poll, Trump’s “failure to pass the 50 percent threshold” for approval is because of his standing among independents, a group in which 52 percent disapprove.
Speaking of the war on Islam...
Yahoo News:
Weighing in on one of the most contentious issues in American politics — the danger posed to host countries by the 4.8 million people who have fled from Syria’s civil war — Syrian President Bashar Assad told Yahoo News that some of the refugees are “definitely” terrorists.Assad has obviously ulterior motives in saying this. He is the leader of a country where the people whom Americans would consider "terrorists" are the rebel forces. If he can convince us he is on our side, he wins. Let's not forget he is a brutal dictator.
In an exclusive interview with Yahoo News at a presidential office in Damascus, Assad said President Trump’s freeze on admitting refugees from his country — part of an executive order that has drawn widespread protests and is being challenged in federal court — “is an American issue” on which he would not take sides. But asked if some of those who fled are “aligned with terrorists,” Assad quickly replied, “Definitely.”
“You can find it on the Net,” Assad went on: “Those terrorists in Syria, holding the machine gun or killing people, they [appear as] peaceful refugees in Europe or in the West.” He said he couldn’t estimate how many there might be, but he added that “you don’t need a significant number to commit atrocities.” He noted that the 9/11 attacks were pulled off by fewer than 20 terrorists “out of maybe millions of immigrants in the United States. So it’s not about the number, it’s about the quality, it’s about the intentions.”
On the other hand, the rebels are no more our allies than Assad is. So he is correct, and there will likely be terrorists (or, if you prefer, "radical Islamists") among the refugees leaving Syria for other countries, including the U.S.
In other news from the Islamic war front...
One America News Network:
Russian air strikes on Thursday accidentally killed three Turkish soldiers during an operation against Islamic State in Syria, the Turkish military said, highlighting the risk of unintended clashes between the numerous outside powers in a complex war.Do you see what this is? This is World War III. We have America, Russia, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran, all involved in a war. Feel free to add the Islamic State and Iraq if you like.
“During an operation by a Russia Federation warplane against Islamic State targets in the region of the Euphrates Shield operation in Syria, a bomb accidentally hit a building used by Turkish Army units,” the Turkish military said in a statement. Eleven others were wounded.
The Kremlin also said Russian President Vladimir Putin had called Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and expressed his condolences, blaming the incident on poor coordination between Moscow and Ankara.
Besides Russia and Turkey, the foreign powers embroiled in Syria’s increasingly convoluted six-year-old war include members of a U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State as well as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias.
Admittedly, this war isn't an "all-out" war, like the first two World Wars, but it does have far too many players. All it takes is escalation to turn this into something much uglier than it already is.
On a side note, can you imagine if we had tried to fight World War II without coordinating with the Russians? That would have been a mess.
Finally, speaking of the Islamic State...
Voice of America:
As Islamic State fighters make a last stand against Turkish-backed troops in a key strategic city in northern Syria, IS appears to have few options as to where it can retreat.Are you getting the picture? This is a war. Even if IS loses al-Bab, that doesn't mean it is over. In fact, I will bet anyone that the war on Islam will continue even if Syria is eventually stabilized under Assad. As long as Western Civilization is meddling in the Islamic world, there will be war, because there will continue to be terrorism, because we will continue to kill innocent Muslims, thereby allowing the radical Islamists plenty of recruiting fodder.
As of Thursday morning, anti-IS forces were in control of the northern part of the town of al-Bab amid fierce clashes with the remaining IS fighters. Local reports said fighting also was taking place in the center of the town.
There are nearly 1,000 IS fighters left in al-Bab and 800 others on the outskirts, according to Abu Eyad, a rebel fighter who is involved in the Turkish-backed operation. "These fighters are mostly foreigners and they are likely to fight in al-Bab until they die," Eyad said.
IS has suffered blows from ground troops on several sides around al-Bab, including on the southern front where Syrian troops have closed in and are only three kilometers away from the town.
And the elites get their never ending war. As George Orwell once said in 1984:
War was a sure safeguard of sanity, and so far as the ruling classes were concerned it was probably the most important of all safeguards. While wars could be won or lost, no ruling class could be completely irresponsible. But when war becomes literally continuous, it also ceases to be dangerous. When war is continuous there is no such thing as military necessity. Technical progress can cease and the most palpable facts can be denied or disregarded.
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