An Alarming Development in Berkley, CA

Just released today is an extremely alarming bit of information from the governmental watchdog group, Judicial Watch. They recently obtained documents via FOIA requests from the manipulators behind the recent attacks at political rallies in the Berkley area. This information is not just alarming, but downright frightening in regards to the stability of the United States. Please read...

U.S. Mayor Assures Mexican Consul His “Sanctuary City” Will Provide Safe Spaces for Illegal Aliens

OCTOBER 11, 2017

Shortly after Donald Trump got elected president, a California mayor arranged a meeting with the Consul General of Mexico to assure the diplomat that his “sanctuary city” will continue providing safe spaces for illegal immigrants, according to records obtained by Judicial Watch. The documents show that Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin’s top aide, Stefan Elgstrand, sent an electronic mail to the Mexican Consul General in San Francisco, Gemi Jose Gonzalez Lopez, stating the following: “The recent events around Trump’s executive order reminded me to reach out to you. We are a sanctuary city and will continue to be. I imagine you are very busy dealing with the concerns and fears of many residents in the Bay Area, and we want to assist in providing safe spaces for them.”

Judicial Watch obtained the files as part of a California Public Records Act request for information surrounding riots by the radical leftist Antifa movement against President Trump and conservative personalities scheduled to speak at the University of California Berkeley. Media reported that fires were set, fences and windows broken, firebombs launched and commercial-grade fireworks thrown at police. A renowned, San Francisco-based pop culture magazine wrote that the uprising raised some big questions about the future of the free speech movement. Judicial Watch requested the files to shed light into how city, police and university officials handled the lawlessness, which received global news coverage. The request asked for records of communications between officials in the Berkeley mayor’s office and the Berkeley Police Department as well as records of communications between the mayor’s office and officials at UC Berkeley, one of the nation’s top public research universities.

The documents show a coordinated effort between Democratic city officials nationwide to “build the movement to resist Trump.” The operation is being financed by leftwing billionaire philanthropist George Soros through one of his groups called Center of Popular Democracy. Earlier this year Judicial Watch uncovered a scandal in which the U.S. government quietly gave millions of taxpayer dollars to destabilize the democratically elected, center-right government in Macedonia by colluding with Soros’ Open Society Foundation. The U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia, Jess L. Baily, worked behind the scenes with Open Society Foundation to funnel large sums of American dollars for the cause, constituting an interference of the U.S. Ambassador in domestic political affairs in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The cash flowed through the State Department and the famously corrupt U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID) and Judicial Watch sued both agencies for records related to funding and political activities of the Open Society Foundation in Macedonia.

The Soros-backed, northern California movement includes a taxpayer-salaried physics professor at UC Berkeley who advises Mayor Arreguin on how to handle conservative protestors at a spring rally. The professor, James McFadden, tells the mayor in an electronic mail obtained by Judicial Watch to “create a corral” and ask the Trump supporters to “get in the corral.” He describes Trump supporters as “delusional and paranoid about the world around them” and says they’re “willing to use violence to impose that order on us, especially when they have the blessing of a narcissistic authoritarian president.” A professor at another California public university tells the Berkeley mayor that the arrest of Antifa leader/middle school teacher Yvette Felarca for assaulting a political opponent (captured on video) at a Sacramento rally, in which seven people were stabbed, was a “McCarthyist political persecution” and he condemned Felarca’s arrest and teaching suspension “in the strongest possible terms.”

Ironically, Berkeley’s official government website brags about being a bastion of the free speech movement. “In Alameda County alone, Berkeley is ranked fourth in population behind Oakland, Fremont, and Hayward,” the website states. “And yet, we are famous around the globe as a center for academic achievement, scientific exploration, free speech and the arts.” Indeed, Berkeley is renowned as the birthplace of the free speech movement in in the 1960s. An opinion piece in a California newspaper points out that the city’s free speech movement has gone full circle, however. “Nowadays, Berkeley is rapidly becoming famed as one of the least tolerant cities in the country — where any challenge to left-wing orthodoxy is met with terrorist threats and mob violence.”

The REAL Financial Burden on US Taxpayers by Illegal Immigration

From Judicial Watch, a legal watchdog organization that exposes and battles corruption by the US Government and its various agencies comes a shocking financial report on the REAL cost to US Taxpayers by the illegal immigration problem in the United States. Get ready to be astounded by the incredible monies the government spends to support those who enter the country illegally and then  expect the all-too-easily-obtained free financial assistance the uninformed (or purposely turn a blind eye to) advocates for these illegals want us to believe is only fair and humanitarian.
Please, read on...

Illegal Immigration Costs U.S. Taxpayers a Stunning $134.9 Billion a Year

Lest you think the debate over immigration policy is an academic exercise, we have recently gotten more details on what it costs you in dollars. Our Corruption Chronicles blog breaks it down.

Illegal immigration costs American taxpayers a mind-boggling $134.9 billion annually, according to a detailed analysis of federal, state and local programs that include education, medical, law enforcement and welfare.

Conducted by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a Washington D.C. nonprofit dedicated to studying immigration issues, the in-depth probe reveals that state and local taxpayers get stuck with an overwhelming chunk—$116 billion—of the burden. State and local expenditures for services provided to illegal aliens total $88.9 billion and federal expenditures $45.8 billion, the analysis found. For those who claim illegal immigrants contribute by paying taxes, government figures show that only $19 billion was recouped by Uncle Sam.

“A continually growing population of illegal aliens, along with the federal government’s ineffective efforts to secure our borders, present significant national security and public safety threats to the United States,” the FAIR report states. “They also have a severely negative impact on the nation’s taxpayers at the local, state, and national levels. Illegal immigration costs Americans billions of dollars each year. Illegal aliens are net consumers of taxpayer-funded services and the limited taxes paid by some segments of the illegal alien population are, in no way, significant enough to offset the growing financial burdens imposed on U.S. taxpayers by massive numbers of uninvited guests.” This defies a myth, long promoted by influential open border groups, that illegal aliens pay their fair share of taxes.

More than 12.5 million illegal immigrants and their estimated 4.2 million citizen children benefit from the U.S. government’s generosity. The biggest expenditure ($17.14 billion) on the federal level is for medical services, which include uncompensated hospital costs, Medicaid births, Medicaid fraud and Medicaid benefits for U.S.-born children (anchor babies) of illegal immigrants. The second-largest federal expenditure is law enforcement and justice ($13.15 billion), which includes incarceration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and an alien assistance program.

The feds spend $8 billion on general government programs and $5.85 billion on welfare, which consists of free school meals, food stamps, a supplemental nutrition program known as Women Infants and Children (WIC) and temporary assistance for needy families. FAIR points out the profound impact that illegal immigration has on programs intended to provide services exclusively to low-income Americans.

For state and local governments education is by far the largest expense, an eye-popping $44.4 billion that goes mostly to K-12 public schools nationwide, though over a billion of it is spent on college tuition assistance. General public services, described as expenses associated with garbage collection, fire departments and other locally funded services total $18.5 billion for illegal aliens, the analysis found. Medical expenses came in third ($12.1 billion) for state and local governments and law enforcement ($10.8 billion) in fourth.

FAIR researchers determined that a large percentage of illegal aliens work in the underground economy and frequently avoid paying income tax, leaving law-abiding, taxpaying Americans to foot the exorbitant tab for public services. The report also breaks down expenditures by state, with the top four spenders providing illegal alien benefits being California ($23 billion), Texas ($10.9 billion), New York ($7.5 billion) and Florida ($6.3 billion).

Over the years, Judicial Watch has reported on a variety of studies and assessments involving the huge cost of supporting illegal immigrants, but this appears to be the most thorough and alarming study in recent memory. The breakdown, by category of state and federal services, offers an incredibly detailed account of a major crisis perpetuated by a famously porous southern border.

As FAIR writes in its report, it’s not just about money, though the cost of supporting illegal immigrants should outrage every legal U.S. resident and American citizen. “A continually growing population of illegal aliens, along with the federal government’s ineffective efforts to secure our borders, present significant national security and public safety threats to the United States,” FAIR writes. Judicial Watch has also extensively covered the dire national security crisis along the Mexican border, including an investigative series documenting how Islamic terrorists have joined forces with Mexican drug cartels to infiltrate—and attack—the United States.

Are you outraged yet? These figures, representing YOUR TAXES, are completely ludicrous! Those who support illegal immigration either deny the true costs, or completely ignore and turn a blind eye to them. They would have us all believe that whatever is spent on illegal residents is well-worth any cost, no matter the burden. Meanwhile, programs meant for AMERICANS  are being drained for the benefit of people who are not only here without permission of the US Government, but who actually expect these services and costs to be provided while they suckle off the teat of Uncle Sam to the astounding costs listed above. I urge you to write your State and Congressional Reps and Senator to demand change so that YOUR tax dollars are spent on Americans only. It's well past time to turn off the spigot of free services and monies to those who have come to expect everything at the expense of US taxpayers.

Politically Incorrect to Express Patriotism?

A story in the AP newswire today tells of a single customer who has complained to Dairy Queen, Inc. about what he/she believes to be a 'politically incorrect' sign on display in a Wisconsin restaurant. Here's the text...

"A Wisconsin Dairy Queen owner is defending a sign describing his restaurant as "politically incorrect" for its unabashed support for "God and country.

The sign at the franchise in Kewaskum notifies patrons that staff may say "Merry Christmas," ''Happy Easter" and "God Bless America," among other things.

Owner Kevin Scheunemann tells WDJT-TV he "felt the sign was appropriate to hang in terms of being transparent about the views of the owner and staff supporting God and country."
One customer who apparently doesn't agree took a picture of the sign and complained about it on Dairy Queen's page on Facebook.
The chain tells the station the sign "expresses the views of this independent owner only" and doesn't speak for the company or any other franchise owners."

Are you freaking serious?! This complaining customer is so horrifically offended by an expression of patriotism, Christmas and other things that they must try to make an example of the franchise owner as being insensitive to people's feelings?!
Well, let's just make the whole world come to a screeching halt because one person is supposedly aghast by someone else saying, "God Bless America!"

HOW COMPLETELY LUDICROUS!

I would love to know just how many times a day this outraged individual says something akin to "Oh My God!" in their daily speech. Talk about coming from a hypocritical position to effect YOUR feelings on everyone else around you, or on those who enjoy hearing 'Merry Christmas, etc.'

This person really needs to stop thinking that the world revolves around themselves!

Plain and simply, I say to them, "Get a life and stop telling everyone else what to say, think or express."

Then, grow a spine and realize that your personal views aren't the will and whim of the Universe.

(Absolutely disgusting!)

College Campuses No Longer Free Speech Zones?

From Alliance Defending Freedom, a watchdog legal group whose aim it is to ensure our freedoms as guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, comes disturbing information from college campuses across the country. Below are a few excerpts of highly questionable actions happening to the young students there to learn, instead of being indoctrinated by liberal thinking and attitudes that ultimately deprive them of freedoms they take for granted. Please read these examples...

(Caution, if you are a free-thinking American dedicated to the principles this country was founded upon, these blurbs will both infuriate and exasperate you at the same time.)

*A few years ago, Stephen Trachtenberg, who was then the president of George Washington University, declared at graduation: “If anyone has a mortarboard, you can move your tassels from right to left, right to left, which is what I hope happened to your politics in the last four years.”

*Bill Savage, a professor at Northwestern University, explained why liberals will dominate in the long-run despite the fact that conservatives have a lot of children.

“The children of red states will seek a higher education,” he explained, “and that education will very often happen in blue states or blue islands in red states. For the foreseeable future, loyal dittoheads will continue to drop off their children at the dorms. After a teary-eyed hug, Mom and Dad will drive their SUV off toward the nearest gas station, leaving their beloved progeny behind … And then they are all mine.”

*When a study revealed that Duke University employed far more politically liberal professors than conservatives, the Chairman of the Philosophy Department defended this disparity saying since “stupid people are generally conservative, then there are lots of conservatives we will never hire.”

This next one is especially mind boggling!

*Campus security arrested Michelle Gregoire and two associates at Kellogg Community College in Michigan for handing out copies of the U.S. Constitution. The school claims these individuals violated its solicitation policy, which requires students to obtain permission from the school before they engage in any expressive activity anywhere on campus.
Ironically, this repressive policy apparently forbids efforts to circulate the very document that protects free speech in our country!

*California State University — San Marcos funds pro-abortion and other favored views with almost $300,000 in mandatory fees charged to all of its students. When the campus president of Students for Life attempted to bring a pro-life speaker to campus and simply asked for $500 in funding, the request was denied.

*A Fresno State University professor instructed students in his class to join him in defacing and erasing Fresno State Students for Life’s sidewalk chalk messages on campus. The professor even had the audacity to claim that “College campuses are not free speech areas.”

These examples are but a few that ADF actively opposes in court in order to protect our college students from the dangers of the current liberal socialistic agenda. They report that the ADF is successful in winning over 90% of their cases against the repressive policies on many college campuses. If this attitude of our institutions of higher learning concern you as much as they do me, I hope that, as parents of college students, or just as concerned citizens, you call or write your elected Representatives and Senators at ALL levels of local, State and National Governments and demand that colleges be returned to places of free thinking, free speech and open ideas of all philosophies wherein our children can learn and express themselves without fear of retribution, intimidation or unfair policies towards unfavored viewpoints.
You may also contribute to the Alliance Defending Freedom so that their freely given legal work continues to defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights for ALL students on ALL college and school campuses in these United States.

Absolutely Mindboggling: Gitmo Terrorist Prisoners' Medical Treatment

Here's a truly mindboggling news item from Judicial Watch, the non-profit Governmental watchdog legal group. To say this one is astounding comes far short of the truth...

"As the nation prepares to commemorate the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military, a Pentagon insider reveals that Al Qaeda terrorist jailed at Guantanamo get better medical treatment than our own veterans.

As disgraceful as this may seem, it’s not at all far-fetched considering the Obama administration has gone out of its way to accommodate the prisoners—the world’s most dangerous terrorists—at the U.S. Naval base in southeastern Cuba. We’re talking about 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM) and his partners in crime, Ramzi Binalshibh and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali. USS Cole bomber Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri is also locked up there.

Since 2008 Judicial Watch has regularly traveled to Gitmo to monitor the Military Commission proceedings of these Islamic jihadists. On many occasions, members of the U.S. Military have expressed to JW representatives that captives in the high-security compound have better living conditions than American soldiers stationed there. This includes food service, sports facilities and even high-speed internet, according to information obtained directly by JW during trips to Gitmo.
Now, in the midst of the scandal involving the Veterans Affairs healthcare system, a Pentagon insider confirms what many have suspected; while our veterans are receiving deplorable healthcare services, the VA is providing jailed terrorists with topnotch medical treatment. J.D. Gordon, a retired Navy Commander who served as a Pentagon spokesman in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, offers enraging figures via a news site. During his tenure Gordon visited Gitmo dozens of times and he got to go behind the scenes.

There are approximately 150 terrorists at Gitmo yet the VA has 100 doctors, nurses and healthcare personnel assigned to them, Gordon says. “Doctors and medical personnel are at their beck and call,” he confirms, adding that they are readily available for things as minor as a cold, fever, toothache or chest and back pain. The jihadists who murdered thousands of Americans never have to wait, Gordon says, because the Gitmo patient to healthcare provider ratio is 1.5 to 1. “No problem, come right on in,” Gordon writes in his piece.

If you risked your life serving your country, however, the ratio is 35 to 1, according to Gordon who discloses that there are 9 million veterans receiving VA healthcare and 267,930 providers. This is egregious, to say the least. The VA healthcare system has been notoriously flawed for many years—under both Democrat and Republican administrations—but the sad fact that even terrorists are getting better services from the agency really accentuates the severity of the problem.
The system is so inept that military veterans are needlessly dying because of long waits and delayed care at VA hospitals, news reports and federal audits have confirmed. The worst part is that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the nation’s second-largest presidential cabinet agency, is well aware of the crisis but has done nothing to correct it. In fact, VA managers have actively covered up the wrongdoing with fraudulent record keeping, including a secret list to conceal exorbitant waiting periods to receive medical attention. Now the VA Inspector General and Congress are investigating this atrocity. In the meantime it seems that veterans must relocate to a Gitmo jail cell to get adequate medical care from the from the U.S. government."

Flying the US Flag Upside Down in Protest?

A very recent movement by leftist democrats who overtly oppose the Donald Trump Presidency have made a call to fly the US flag upside down as a form of protest to his supposed abuses and impeachable offences in his first seven months in office. This is just a ludicrous protest simply for the fact that flying the flag upside down in a signal to neighbors and passersby that you or your household are in great distress.
The following is my response...

"Let's see...Under King Obama, the Constitution was endangered more than at any point in our history. He also used the NSA, IRS and possibly the FIB to subvert and inhibit Third Party opposition in the past two elections...which is totally illegal. He used Executive Privilege to bypass Congress while attempting to make laws...which is illegal. Obama supported the Black Lives Matter movement which is actively militant and a danger to the general public...which is illegal. He tried to force the State of Arizona to accept his open borders policy...which is illegal according the Arizona State Constitution, and which is prohibited by the Federal Constitution under the US States self-determination clause.
The then monarchical wannabe tried repeatedly to eliminate citizens owning guns...which is illegal under the Second Amendment. He tried to force churches to accept Gay Marriage under threat of removing tax exempt status...which is illegal under the First Amendment. He failed to see that an American Ambassador under attack in Benghazi was given the military support that was desperately needed...which is, at the very least, morally reprehensible and shameful before the American public. He gave illegal immigrants actual rights in this country that they don't deserve, and gave them more benefits (education, housing, healthcare, public assistance) than our own citizens receive...which is morally bankrupt, if not outright illegal. I could go on and on about the failures and scandals of President Barack Obama. However, his actions in office were more than enough for impeachment, but no party enacted the proceedings despite King Barry's glaring abuses of the Constitution and the public trust.

President Trump has not even been in office for seven months, and the Democrats are calling for impeachment for nothing. Sure, he has a big mouth and a huge ego; but there is not one verifiable thing he has done that even comes close to impeachment. They just need to get past the election and start governing again. The seeming witch hunt is beyond ridiculous. Let the man do his job. If he truly deserves impeachment, then I will join in the calls to do so. Until then, I sure wish the left would stop their whining about President Trump.

And so readers know, I am an Independent voter, and did NOT voter for Trump, or Hillary. Both were sad choices. But I am giving our President the benefit of the doubt until he proves that he doesn't deserve my support."

President Lincoln and the Comfort of Providence

A bit of REAL history here, that completely dismisses the revisionist historians seeking to remove God from the history of this Nation, and from the public square in general.

Please read... 

The one word that truly represents the Fourth of July is 'Freedom'

With the countless threats to religious liberty, the sanctity of life, and marriage and family that abound in our land, it is important to maintain perspective in the fight God has called us to in this battle before us. Our nation has faced many perils before, and each time God has delivered us by His hand. Consider that in 1863, on this very day, the bloody Battle of Gettysburg ended with over 50,000 horrible casualties. President Lincoln, who was increasingly drawn to utter dependence on His Maker, was asked by one of his generals if he was fearful of the outcome at Gettysburg. He responded:

No, I was not; some of my Cabinet and many others in Washington were, but I had no fears…. In the pinch of your campaign up there, when everybody seemed panic-stricken, and nobody could tell what was going to happen, oppressed by the gravity of our affairs, I went to my room one day, and I locked the door, and got down on my knees before Almighty God, and prayed to Him mightily for victory at Gettysburg. I told Him that this was His war, and our cause His cause, but we couldn’t stand another Fredericksburg or Chancellorsville. And I then and there made a solemn vow to Almighty God, that if He would stand by our boys at Gettysburg, I would stand by Him. And He did stand by you boys, and I will stand by Him. And after that (I don't know how it was, and I can’t explain it), soon a sweet comfort crept into my soul that God Almighty had taken the whole business into his own hands and that things would go all right at Gettysburg. And that is why I had no fears about you.

Twelve days after the Battle of Gettysburg, on July 15, 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Prayer. God delivered our nation then. And He will deliver our nation and those who put their trust in Him now.

The "Rights" of Illegal MS-13 Gang Members in the U.S. Were Violated?

Here's a story that just leaves me baffled.

From Judicial Watch is a story that makes me wonder just what the Democratic Judges in this country are more concerned with...US citizens, or the supposed "rights" of illegal aliens (even the violent ones) currently wreaking havoc on our streets. Please read...

In Freeing Illegal Alien Gang Member Obama Judge Says U.S. Violated Rights of Due Process, Family Unity JUNE 21, 2017 An Obama-appointed federal judge in Virginia ordered an illegal immigrant member of a violent street gang released from prison because immigration authorities supposedly violated his rights when he entered the U.S. illegally through Mexico. The Honduran teen crossed the Rio Grande during the influx of illegal alien minors a few years ago and turned himself into the U.S Border Patrol, according to a lengthy mainstream newspaper article, after acknowledging his gang history. The feds held him without a hearing in Virginia because he’s also a known drug dealer, but this month he was freed by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth K. Dillon. The judge ruled that, by holding the illegal alien gangbanger without a hearing, the government violated his rights to due process and family unity. Here’s an excerpt from the newspaper article, which refers to the release as remarkable: “For immigration advocates, U.S. District Judge Elizabeth K. Dillon’s June 1 order was a major legal victory over the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the federal agency charged with caring for children apprehended at the border without their parents. The decision could lead to the release of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of long-detained unaccompanied minors, they said. The teen’s release was remarkable for another reason: Before coming to the United States, he had sold drugs and witnessed murders as a member of MS-13. The violent street gang is on the rise in the United States, fueled, in part, by the surge in unaccompanied minors. MS-13 has been linked to dozens of recent killings, from the Washington area to Long Island, Boston and Houston. President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have voiced alarm about MS-13 and the way it has taken advantage of the U.S. immigration system.” Some 150,000 Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC)—mostly from Central America—entered the U.S. through the Mexican border under the Obama administration and this disturbing case out of Virginia is one of many illustrating the threat they represent to the American public. Judicial Watch has covered and investigated the UAC influx for years and has obtained public records from the various government agencies responsible for relocating the illegal alien minors throughout the country. From the moment the UACs began arriving in 2014, sources in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Judicial Watch that the nation’s most violent street gangs—including the MS-13—were actively recruiting new members at U.S. shelters housing the illegal immigrant minors and that they used Red Cross phones to communicate. Both the MS-13 and the 18th Street gangs embarked on a recruiting frenzy at the various facilities housing the newly arrived illegal aliens, according to Judicial Watch’s law enforcement sources. The UACs also brought in dangerous diseases— including swine flu, dengue fever, Ebola virus and tuberculosis—and occupied the nation’s military bases as shelters. The MS-13 is a feared street gang of mostly Central American illegal immigrants that’s spread throughout the U.S. and is renowned for drug distribution, murder, rape, robbery, home invasions, kidnappings, vandalism and other violent crimes. The Justice Department’s National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC) says criminal street gangs like the MS-13 are responsible for the majority of violent crimes in the U.S. and are the primary distributors of most illicit drugs. A year after the Obama administration began allowing droves of UACs to remain in the U.S., the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed that the MS-13 emerged as a top tier gang in the Lone Star State thanks to the influx of illegal alien gang members that crossed into the state the previous year. In an alarming 19-page report, the agency writes that the number of MS-13 members encountered by U.S. Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley sector increased each year, accelerating in 2014 and coinciding with increased illegal immigration from Central America during the same period. This clearly refers to the UAC crisis that saw thousands of illegal immigrants—many with criminal histories—storm into the U.S. in a matter of months. Authorities in Texas predict the problem will only get worse. “Gang members from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador could be destined for locations in Texas with large Central American communities, including the Houston and Dallas areas,” the Texas Department of Safety writes in its report. Even if that doesn’t materialize, the state already has a serious gang crisis. “Reports of increased MS-13 gang activity have already surfaced in the Houston area,” the Department of Safety confirms. “MS-13 gang members are known for highly violent crimes, including brutal murders and dismemberments. Several recent crimes in Texas illustrate the criminal threat associated with MS-13.” Here are some gruesome examples included in the agency’s report: “On September 15, 2014, the mutilated body of a 14-year-old middle school student was discovered in the woods near Houston after he was murdered with a machete.  Initial information from the investigation indicates the victim was a U.S. citizen and an MS-13 member who was murdered after trying to leave the gang. In October 2014, a 14-year-old and three adult males were arrested and charged with murder in this case. The adult males are from El Salvador, and at least two are documented MS-13 gang members.  In mid-August 2014, a 29-year-old 18th Street gang member was stabbed to death in Houston by a 16-year-old El Salvadoran member of MS-13. The victim suffered multiple stab wounds outside of a bar and was discovered a few days later in a bayou. According to investigators, the juvenile suspect revealed he illegally crossed into the U.S. in March 2014.” Another huge concern is the relationship between street gangs and Mexican drug cartels, the report says, because it’s a very profitable partnership. “These groups pose the greatest gang threat to Texas due to their relationships with Mexican cartels, high levels of transnational criminal activity, level of violence, and overall statewide presence.” The lucrative gang/cartel business endeavors are also expanding into human smuggling and gambling, the Texas Department of Safety reveals in its report. The recently freed MS-13 member will live with relatives in Kentucky, the news story says, further revealing that it’s not the only case of a UAC with gang ties being released by the feds. The mainstream media won’t identify the gangbanger because he’s 17-years-old and they want to protect his “safety.” The article quotes Attorney General Jeff Sessions confirming this: “If they come as undocumented minors, the federal government transports them wherever in the interior they say they’d like to go. The bad guys know how this system works, and they have exploited it.” Just last week the same newspaper, Washington D.C.’s largest, published a piece titled “MS-13 gains recruits and power in U.S. as teens surge across border” that analyzes dozens of court cases and includes startling anecdotes of UACs with gang ties. “In the Washington region alone, at least 42 young people who crossed into the United States by themselves have been involved in MS-13 violence over the past three years,” the article states. “That includes 19 charged in connection with slayings or attempted slayings and four who were killed.” After years of relative quiet, the MS-13 has made a comeback, the news probe discovered, and it’s been fueled by the recent influx of illegal alien teens. “The rise in violence has hit especially hard on Long Island and in Boston, Houston and the D.C. area, with authorities linking dozens of killings to the gang,” the article says.

Happy Birthday to the US Army and the US Flag

Happy Birthday to the US Army AND The US Flag

Today is the birthday of the Army, created by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775. The next day, George Washington was elected Commander-in-Chief and soon issued orders that set the tone for the military, including one declaring:

"The blessings and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger. The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor so to live and act as becomes a Christian Soldier defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country."

Over the 242 years since its inception, the US Army--and indeed the entire American military--have repeatedly lived up to the high ideals set forth by its first Commander-in-Chief.

Speaking of the Army after the Civil War in 1871, Frederick Douglass reminded the nation:

"We must never forget that the loyal soldiers who rest beneath this sod flung themselves between the nation and the nation destroyers. If today we have a country not boiling in an agony of blood (like France)--if now we have a united country, no longer cursed by the hell-black system of human bondage--if the American name is no longer a by-word and a hissing to a mocking earth--if the Star-Spangled Banner floats only over free American citizens in every quarter of the land, and our country has before it a long and glorious career of justice, liberty, and civilization--we are indebted to the unselfish devotion of the noble army who rest in these honored graves all around us."

During WWI, General John Pershing reminded Americans:

"Three thousand miles from home, an American army is fighting for you. Everything you hold worthwhile is at stake. Only the hardest blows can win against the enemy we are fighting. Invoking the spirit of our forefathers, the army asks your unflinching support, to the end that the high ideals for which America stands may endure upon the earth."

And in WWII, General George Marshall spoke about the mission of the United States:

"We are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle, our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand and of overwhelming force on the other."

By the way, today is also Flag Day, commemorating June 14, 1777, when the Continental Congress passed a resolution "that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."

Today, let's celebrate the flag as well as the Army and American military who so ably defend our God-given freedoms and God-blessed nation!

Pastors Lead the Charge

March 17 is annually celebrated in Boston as "Evacuation Day," commemorating the departure of the British from the city after an extended eleven month occupation at the start of the American War for Independence. That occupation lasted from April 19, 1775, through March 17, 1776, encompassing the Siege of Boston and including early notable events of the War, such as the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, and George Washington taking command of the American army.
The occupation started when British leader Thomas Gage led troops into Boston, and then dispatched hundreds to seize or destroy ammunition stored in Concord. Riders such as Paul Revere set out to warn local inhabitants, and also to alert John Hancock and Samuel Adams (who were under threat of death by the British) of the approach of the British army.
Hancock and Adams were staying in the home of Lexington Pastor Jonas Clark. Pastor Clark and 77 militia from his church gathered to meet the approaching British--a skirmish easily won by the 800 British troops. (In the WallBuilders library is a sermon preached by Jonas Clark on the one-year anniversary of the Battle of Lexington.)
After Lexington, the British pressed on to Concord, where they were met by Rev. William Emerson and some 400 Americans. After the British suffered casualties in that skirmish, they retreated to Boston, and all along the way, British forces were fired upon by American militias from the surrounding countryside, including those led by pastors such as Philips Payson and Benjamin Balch. (Many additional preachers also fought in other engagements throughout the War.)
Evacuation Day is a reminder of the courage and backbone shown by the spiritual leaders of earlier generations--a spiritual leadership still badly needed today!

Michelle Obama: First Lady Outspends All Others

It was recently announced (rather quietly, too) that now former First Lady Michelle Obama outspent every other First Lady in the history of the Office of the First Lady. Considering the pledge by President Obama to be transparent, and to reduce wasteful spending, we get the following list from the Obama's time in the White House...

(Get ready to be appalled!)

HOW MUCH DID MICHELE OBAMA COST US.....

(We Must Remember Michelle: A CHAMPION OF THE POOR)

As of 11/15/2015, the Obama family had spent over $1,300,000,000.00.
(ONE BILLION, THREE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS) on personal family trips. They were personal, not political or government-related.

"Who is the "Queen Bee" of them all?"
Copyright Canada Free Press

Total personal staff members for first ladies:
Mamie Eisenhower: One - paid for personally, out of President's salary.

Total number of personal staff members paid by taxpayers:
Jackie Kennedy : One Lady Bird Johnson: One
Pat Nixon: One
Betty Ford: One Rosalynn Carter: One Barbara Bush: One Hillary Clinton: Seven
Laura Bush: One
Michelle Obama: Twenty-Two Yep...your eyes don't deceive you. You want to read WASTE?...Scroll on down.

Michelle Obama's personal staff: Take a closer look.
#1...$192,000.00 - Sher, Susan (Chief of Staff)
#2...$160,000.00 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (Director of Policy and Projects)
#3...$133,000.00 - Rogers, Desiree G. (White House Social Secretary)
#4...$122,000.00 - Johnston, Camille Y. (Director of Communications)
#5...$120,000.00 - Winter, Melissa (Deputy Chief of Staff)
#6...$110,000.00 - Medina, David S. (Deputy Chief of Staff)
#7...$104,000.00 - Lilyveid, Catherine M. (Director and Press Secretary)
#8...$95,000.00 - Starkey, Frances M. (Director of Scheduling and Advance)
#9...$90,000.00 - Sanders, Trooper (Deputy Director of Policy and Projects)
#10...$85,000.00 - Burnough, Erinn (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
#11...$84,000.00 - Reinstein, Joseph B. ((Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
#12...$82,000.00 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (Deputy Director of Scheduling and Events Coordinator)
#13...$80,000.00 - Fitz, Alan O. (Deputy Director of Advance and Trip Director)
#14...$77,500.00 - Lewis, Dana M. (Special Assistant and Personal Aide)
#15...$72,500.00 - Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate Director and Deputy Press Secretary)
#16...$70,000.00 - Jarvis, Kristen E. (Special Assistant for Scheduling and Traveling Aide)
#17...$65,000.00 - Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (Associate Director of Correspondence)
#18...$63,000.00 - Tubman, Samantha A. (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)
#19...$60,000.00 - Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff)
#20...$56,000.00 - Armbruster, Sally M. (Staff Assistant to the Social Secretary)
#21...$55,000.00 - Bookey, Natalie (Staff Assistant)
#22...$55,000.00 - Jackson, Deilia A. (Deputy Associate Director of Correspondence)
That's a total of ....$2,075,200.00 in annual salaries - all for someone we did not vote for, and, apparently, have no control over.
Five of the staff are Muslim, and 13 are African-American.

There has NEVER been anyone in the White House at any time, who has created such an army of staffers whose sole duties are the facilitation of the First Lady's social life.
This does not include: "Makeup Artist" ...Ingrid Grimes-Miles, 49
"First Hairstylist" ...Johnny Wright, 31
Both of whom travelled aboard Air Force One on ALL trips, Europe included.

Once again...As of 11/15/2015, the Obama family has spent over $1,300,000,000.00.
(ONE BILLION, THREE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS) on personal family trips. They were personal, not political or government-related.

How things have changed!

If you're one of the tens of millions of Americans facing certain destitution, earning less than subsistence wages, stocking the shelves at WalMart or serving up McDonald's cheeseburgers, prepare to scream, and then come to realize that the benefit package for these servants of "Ms. Michelle" are the same as members of the national security and defense departments, and the bill for these assorted lackeys is paid by YOU.
Copyright Canada Free Press

Yes...The Canadian Free Press had to publish this, perhaps because America no longer has a free press, and the USA media is too scared that they might be considered racist.

President Trump's First Congressional Address

Like him or not, President Donald Trump is showing everyone something that hasn't been seen since Ronald Reagan was President...a love of The United States and of its citizens.
His speech last night was an impassioned plea for Congress to work together, omitting partisan feuding, for the benefit of those they serve.
In all my years of watching the political landscape, I have never heard a more straightforward address by a President since Ronald Reagan's initial speech before Congress. His candor was spot on, his humility was evident, and his pleas for bettering the lives of all Americans were sincere.
In my humble opinion, he cares more for the people he leads than any president since JFK. Nearly every remark he made in this initial address to Congress was focused on bettering America. Foreign policy was a very distance second. Why? Because, as he stated, we have propped up other countries for long enough, and it is now time to look to the well-being of our citizens over those from other countries.
How can anyone argue with that point?
I know the Democratic side of the gallery last night were mute on most things President Trump talked about. They were even completely tactless--and downright insulting--when the President praised the widow of a fallen Navy SEAL, thanking her for the sacrifice she must endure. While Republicans in the Chamber, and the general public gave a minutes long standing ovation to this kind woman, Democrats remained in their seats unmoved. That kind of staunch opposition to even the thought of anything Trump--including honoring the wife of a fallen soldier--is absolutely nauseating, leaning towards downright shameful. These men and women are elected officials, meant to serve the people who placed them in the seat of power. Instead, they dwell on Party fighting, deeply ensconcing themselves on issues that do not benefit the American people. Last night's display by the Democratic caucus was completely inappropriate. and they should feel ashamed at their actions. Unfortunately, they won't.
Anyhow, I have placed a copy of the entire Presidential speech below. If you didn't watch his speech, please take the time to read through the text. Then, ask yourself if President Trump really doesn't want what's best for the American people. I know that, before his speech, I had many questions about Trump's leadership and his vision for this country. Afterwards, those doubts are [mostly] gone. Like him or not, if you aren't impressed by his vision for the future of the United States, I don't know what else could possibly move you.

Please read on...

     "Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and Citizens of America:
     Tonight, as we mark the conclusion of our celebration of Black History Month, we are reminded of our Nation's path toward civil rights and the work that still remains.  Recent threats targeting Jewish Community Centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week's shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a Nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms.
     Each American generation passes the torch of truth, liberty and justice -- in an unbroken chain all the way down to the present.
     That torch is now in our hands.  And we will use it to light up the world.  I am heretonight to deliver a message of unity and strength, and it is a message deeply delivered from my heart.
     A new chapter of American Greatness is now beginning.
     A new national pride is sweeping across our Nation.
     And a new surge of optimism is placing impossible dreams firmly within our grasp.
     What we are witnessing today is the Renewal of the American Spirit.
     Our allies will find that America is once again ready to lead.
     All the nations of the world -- friend or foe -- will find that America is strong, America is proud, and America is free.
     In 9 years, the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding -- 250 years since the day we declared our Independence.
     It will be one of the great milestones in the history of the world.
     But what will America look like as we reach our 250th year? What kind of country will we leave for our children?
     I will not allow the mistakes of recent decades past to define the course of our future.
     For too long, we've watched our middle class shrink as we've exported our jobs and wealth to foreign countries.
     We've financed and built one global project after another, but ignored the fates of our children in the inner cities of Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit -- and so many other places throughout our land.
     We've defended the borders of other nations, while leaving our own borders wide open, for anyone to cross -- and for drugs to pour in at a now unprecedented rate.
     And we've spent trillions of dollars overseas, while our infrastructure at home has so badly crumbled.
     Then, in 2016, the earth shifted beneath our feet.  The rebellion started as a quiet protest, spoken by families of all colors and creeds -- families who just wanted a fair shot for their children, and a fair hearing for their concerns.
     But then the quiet voices became a loud chorus -- as thousands of citizens now spoke out together, from cities small and large, all across our country.
     Finally, the chorus became an earthquake - and the people turned out by the tens of millions, and they were all united by one very simple, but crucial demand, that America must put its own citizens first ... because only then, can we truly MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.
     Dying industries will come roaring back to life.  Heroic veterans will get the care they so desperately need.
     Our military will be given the resources its brave warriors so richly deserve.
     Crumbling infrastructure will be replaced with new roads, bridges, tunnels, airports and railways gleaming across our beautiful land.
     Our terrible drug epidemic will slow down and ultimately, stop.
     And our neglected inner cities will see a rebirth of hope, safety, and opportunity.
     Above all else, we will keep our promises to the American people.
     It's been a little over a month since my inauguration, and I want to take this moment to update the Nation on the progress I've made in keeping those promises.
     Since my election, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, Sprint, Softbank, Lockheed, Intel, Walmart, and many others, have announced that they will invest billions of dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs.
     The stock market has gained almost three trillion dollars in value since the election on November 8th, a record.  We've saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by bringing down the price of the fantastic new F-35 jet fighter, and will be saving billions more dollars on contracts all across our Government.  We have placed a hiring freeze on non-military and non-essential Federal workers.
     We have begun to drain the swamp of government corruption by imposing a 5 year ban on lobbying by executive branch officials -- and a lifetime ban on becoming lobbyists for a foreign government.
     We have undertaken a historic effort to massively reduce job crushing regulations, creating a deregulation task force inside of every Government agency; imposing a new rule which mandates that for every 1 new regulation, 2 old regulations must be eliminated; and stopping a regulation that threatens the future and livelihoods of our great coal miners.
     We have cleared the way for the construction of the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines -- thereby creating tens of thousands of jobs -- and I've issued a new directive that new American pipelines be made with American steel.
     We have withdrawn the United States from the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership.
     With the help of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, we have formed a Council with our neighbors in Canada to help ensure that women entrepreneurs have access to the networks, markets and capital they need to start a business and live out their financial dreams.
     To protect our citizens, I have directed the Department of Justice to form a Task Force on Reducing Violent Crime.
     I have further ordered the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, along with the Department of State and the Director of National Intelligence, to coordinate an aggressive strategy to dismantle the criminal cartels that have spread across our Nation.
     We will stop the drugs from pouring into our country and poisoning our youth -- and we will expand treatment for those who have become so badly addicted.
     At the same time, my Administration has answered the pleas of the American people for immigration enforcement and border security.  By finally enforcing our immigration laws, we will raise wages, help the unemployed, save billions of dollars, and make our communities safer for everyone.  We want all Americans to succeed -- but that can't happen in an environment of lawless chaos.  We must restore integrity and the rule of law to our borders.
     For that reason, we will soon begin the construction of a great wall along our southern border. It will be started ahead of schedule and, when finished, it will be a very effective weapon against drugs and crime.
     As we speak, we are removing gang members, drug dealers and criminals that threaten our communities and prey on our citizens.  Bad ones are going out as I speak tonight and as I have promised.
     To any in Congress who do not believe we should enforce our laws, I would ask you this question:  what would you say to the American family that loses their jobs, their income, or a loved one, because America refused to uphold its laws and defend its borders?
     Our obligation is to serve, protect, and defend the citizens of the United States.  We are also taking strong measures to protect our Nation from Radical Islamic Terrorism.
     According to data provided by the Department of Justice, the vast majority of individuals convicted for terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country.  We have seen the attacks at home -- from Boston to San Bernardino to the Pentagon and yes, even the World Trade Center.
     We have seen the attacks in France, in Belgium, in Germany and all over the world.
     It is not compassionate, but reckless, to allow uncontrolled entry from places where proper vetting cannot occur.  Those given the high honor of admission to the United States should support this country and love its people and its values.
     We cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside America -- we cannot allow our Nation to become a sanctuary for extremists.
     That is why my Administration has been working on improved vetting procedures, and we will shortly take new steps to keep our Nation safe -- and to keep out those who would do us harm.
     As promised, I directed the Department of Defense to develop a plan to demolish and destroy ISIS -- a network of lawless savages that have slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, women, and children of all faiths and beliefs.  We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet.
     I have also imposed new sanctions on entities and individuals who support Iran's ballistic missile program, and reaffirmed our unbreakable alliance with the State of Israel.
     Finally, I have kept my promise to appoint a Justice to the United States Supreme Court -- from my list of 20 judges -- who will defend our Constitution.  I am honored to have Maureen Scalia with us in the gallery tonight.  Her late, great husband, Antonin Scalia, will forever be a symbol of American justice.  To fill his seat, we have chosen Judge Neil Gorsuch, a man of incredible skill, and deep devotion to the law.  He was confirmed unanimously to the Court of Appeals, and I am asking the Senate to swiftly approve his nomination.
     Tonight, as I outline the next steps we must take as a country, we must honestly acknowledge the circumstances we inherited.
     Ninety-four million Americans are out of the labor force.
     Over 43 million people are now living in poverty, and over 43 million Americans are on food stamps.
     More than 1 in 5 people in their prime working years are not working.
     We have the worst financial recovery in 65 years.
     In the last 8 years, the past Administration has put on more new debt than nearly all other Presidents combined.
     We've lost more than one-fourth of our manufacturing jobs since NAFTA was approved, and we've lost 60,000 factories since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.
     Our trade deficit in goods with the world last year was nearly $800 billion dollars.
     And overseas, we have inherited a series of tragic foreign policy disasters.
     Solving these, and so many other pressing problems, will require us to work past the differences of party.  It will require us to tap into the American spirit that has overcome every challenge throughout our long and storied history.
     But to accomplish our goals at home and abroad, we must restart the engine of the American economy -- making it easier for companies to do business in the United States, and much harder for companies to leave.
     Right now, American companies are taxed at one of the highest rates anywhere in the world.
     My economic team is developing historic tax reform that will reduce the tax rate on our companies so they can compete and thrive anywhere and with anyone.  At the same time, we will provide massive tax relief for the middle class.
     We must create a level playing field for American companies and workers.
     Currently, when we ship products out of America, many other countries make us pay very high tariffs and taxes -- but when foreign companies ship their products into America, we charge them almost nothing.
     I just met with officials and workers from a great American company, Harley-Davidson.  In fact, they proudly displayed five of their magnificent motorcycles, made in the USA, on the front lawn of the White House.
     At our meeting, I asked them, how are you doing, how is business?  They said that it's good.  I asked them further how they are doing with other countries, mainly international sales.  They told me -- without even complaining because they have been mistreated for so long that they have become used to it -- that it is very hard to do business with other countries because they tax our goods at such a high rate.  They said that in one case another country taxed their motorcycles at 100 percent.
     They weren't even asking for change.  But I am.
     I believe strongly in free trade but it also has to be FAIR TRADE.
     The first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, warned that the "abandonment of the protective policy by the American Government [will] produce want and ruin among our people."
     Lincoln was right -- and it is time we heeded his words. I am not going to let America and its great companies and workers, be taken advantage of anymore.
     I am going to bring back millions of jobs.  Protecting our workers also means reforming our system of legal immigration.  The current, outdated system depresses wages for our poorest workers, and puts great pressure on taxpayers.
     Nations around the world, like Canada, Australia and many others -- have a merit-based immigration system.  It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially.  Yet, in America, we do not enforce this rule, straining the very public resources that our poorest citizens rely upon.  According to the National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration system costs America's taxpayers many billions of dollars a year.
     Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, will have many benefits:  it will save countless dollars, raise workers' wages, and help struggling families -- including immigrant families -- enter the middle class.
I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nation's security, and to restore respect for our laws.
If we are guided by the well-being of American citizens then I believe Republicans and Democrats can work together to achieve an outcome that has eluded our country for decades.
     Another Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, initiated the last truly great national infrastructure program -- the building of the interstate highway system.  The time has come for a new program of national rebuilding.
     America has spent approximately six trillion dollars in the Middle East, all this while our infrastructure at home is crumbling.  With this six trillion dollars we could have rebuilt our country -- twice.  And maybe even three times if we had people who had the ability to negotiate.
     To launch our national rebuilding, I will be asking the Congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in the infrastructure of the United States -- financed through both public and private capital -- creating millions of new jobs.
     This effort will be guided by two core principles:  Buy American, and Hire American.
     Tonight, I am also calling on this Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare with reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs, and at the same time, provide better Healthcare.
     Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for America.  The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we will do.
     Obamacare premiums nationwide have increased by double and triple digits.  As an example, Arizona went up 116 percent last year alone.  Governor Matt Bevin of Kentucky just said Obamacare is failing in his State -- it is unsustainable and collapsing.
     One third of counties have only one insurer on the exchanges -- leaving many Americans with no choice at all.
     Remember when you were told that you could keep your doctor, and keep your plan?
     We now know that all of those promises have been broken.
     Obamacare is collapsing -- and we must act decisively to protect all Americans.  Action is not a choice -- it is a necessity.
     So I am calling on all Democrats and Republicans in the Congress to work with us to save Americans from this imploding Obamacare disaster.
     Here are the principles that should guide the Congress as we move to create a better healthcare system for all Americans:
     First, we should ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to coverage, and that we have a stable transition for Americans currently enrolled in the healthcare exchanges.
     Secondly, we should help Americans purchase their own coverage, through the use of tax credits and expanded Health Savings Accounts -- but it must be the plan they want, not the plan forced on them by the Government.
     Thirdly, we should give our great State Governors the resources and flexibility they need with Medicaid to make sure no one is left out.
     Fourthly, we should implement legal reforms that protect patients and doctors from unnecessary costs that drive up the price of insurance - and work to bring down the artificially high price of drugs and bring them down immediately.
     Finally, the time has come to give Americans the freedom to purchase health insurance across State lines -- creating a truly competitive national marketplace that will bring cost way down and provide far better care.
     Everything that is broken in our country can be fixed.  Every problem can be solved.  And every hurting family can find healing, and hope.
     Our citizens deserve this, and so much more -- so why not join forces to finally get it done?  On this and so many other things, Democrats and Republicans should get together and unite for the good of our country, and for the good of the American people.
     My administration wants to work with members in both parties to make childcare accessible and affordable, to help ensure new parents have paid family leave, to invest in women's health, and to promote clean air and clear water, and to rebuild our military and our infrastructure.
     True love for our people requires us to find common ground, to advance the common good, and to cooperate on behalf of every American child who deserves a brighter future.
     An incredible young woman is with us this evening who should serve as an inspiration to us all.
     Today is Rare Disease day, and joining us in the gallery is a Rare Disease Survivor, Megan Crowley.  Megan was diagnosed with Pompe Disease, a rare and serious illness, when she was 15 months old.  She was not expected to live past 5.
     On receiving this news, Megan's dad, John, fought with everything he had to save the life of his precious child.  He founded a company to look for a cure, and helped develop the drug that saved Megan's life.  Today she is 20 years old -- and a sophomore at Notre Dame.
     Megan's story is about the unbounded power of a father's love for a daughter.
     But our slow and burdensome approval process at the Food and Drug Administration keeps too many advances, like the one that saved Megan's life, from reaching those in need.
     If we slash the restraints, not just at the FDA but across our Government, then we will be blessed with far more miracles like Megan.
     In fact, our children will grow up in a Nation of miracles.
     But to achieve this future, we must enrich the mind -- and the souls -- of every American child.
     Education is the civil rights issue of our time.
     I am calling upon Members of both parties to pass an education bill that funds school choice for disadvantaged youth, including millions of African-American and Latino children.  These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them.
     Joining us tonight in the gallery is a remarkable woman, Denisha Merriweather.  As a young girl, Denisha struggled in school and failed third grade twice.  But then she was able to enroll in a private center for learning, with the help of a tax credit scholarship program.  Today, she is the first in her family to graduate, not just from high school, but from college.  Later this year she will get her masters degree in social work.
     We want all children to be able to break the cycle of poverty just like Denisha.
     But to break the cycle of poverty, we must also break the cycle of violence.
     The murder rate in 2015 experienced its largest single-year increase in nearly half a century.
     In Chicago, more than 4,000 people were shot last year alone -- and the murder rate so far this year has been even higher.
     This is not acceptable in our society.
     Every American child should be able to grow up in a safe community, to attend a great school, and to have access to a high-paying job.
     But to create this future, we must work with -- not against -- the men and women of law enforcement.
     We must build bridges of cooperation and trust -- not drive the wedge of disunity and division.
     Police and sheriffs are members of our community.  They are friends and neighbors, they are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters - and they leave behind loved ones every day who worry whether or not they'll come home safe and sound.
     We must support the incredible men and women of law enforcement.
     And we must support the victims of crime.
     I have ordered the Department of Homeland Security to create an office to serve American Victims.  The office is called VOICE -- Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement.  We are providing a voice to those who have been ignored by our media, and silenced by special interests.
     Joining us in the audience tonight are four very brave Americans whose government failed them.
     Their names are Jamiel Shaw, Susan Oliver, Jenna Oliver, and Jessica Davis.
     Jamiel's 17-year-old son was viciously murdered by an illegal immigrant gang member, who had just been released from prison.  Jamiel Shaw Jr. was an incredible young man, with unlimited potential who was getting ready to go to college where he would have excelled as a great quarterback.  But he never got the chance.  His father, who is in the audiencetonight, has become a good friend of mine.
     Also with us are Susan Oliver and Jessica Davis.  Their husbands -- Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver and Detective Michael Davis -- were slain in the line of duty in California.  They were pillars of their community.  These brave men were viciously gunned down by an illegal immigrant with a criminal record and two prior deportations.
     Sitting with Susan is her daughter, Jenna.  Jenna:  I want you to know that your father was a hero, and that tonight you have the love of an entire country supporting you and praying for you.
     To Jamiel, Jenna, Susan and Jessica:  I want you to know -- we will never stop fighting for justice.  Your loved ones will never be forgotten, we will always honor their memory.
     Finally, to keep America Safe we must provide the men and women of the United States military with the tools they need to prevent war and -- if they must -- to fight and to win.
     I am sending the Congress a budget that rebuilds the military, eliminates the Defense sequester, and calls for one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history.
     My budget will also increase funding for our veterans.
     Our veterans have delivered for this Nation -- and now we must deliver for them.
     The challenges we face as a Nation are great.  But our people are even greater.
     And none are greater or braver than those who fight for America in uniform.
     We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the widow of a U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief William "Ryan" Owens.  Ryan died as he lived:  a warrior, and a hero -- battling against terrorism and securing our Nation.
     I just spoke to General Mattis, who reconfirmed that, and I quote, "Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemies."  Ryan's legacy is etched into eternity.  For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.  Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom -- we will never forget him.
     To those allies who wonder what kind of friend America will be, look no further than the heroes who wear our uniform.
     Our foreign policy calls for a direct, robust and meaningful engagement with the world.  It is American leadership based on vital security interests that we share with our allies across the globe.
     We strongly support NATO, an alliance forged through the bonds of two World Wars that dethroned fascism, and a Cold War that defeated communism.
     But our partners must meet their financial obligations.
     And now, based on our very strong and frank discussions, they are beginning to do just that.
     We expect our partners, whether in NATO, in the Middle East, or the Pacific -- to take a direct and meaningful role in both strategic and military operations, and pay their fair share of the cost.
     We will respect historic institutions, but we will also respect the sovereign rights of nations.
     Free nations are the best vehicle for expressing the will of the people -- and America respects the right of all nations to chart their own path.  My job is not to represent the world.  My job is to represent the United States of America. But we know that America is better off, when there is less conflict -- not more.
     We must learn from the mistakes of the past -- we have seen the war and destruction that have raged across our world.
     The only long-term solution for these humanitarian disasters is to create the conditions where displaced persons can safely return home and begin the long process of rebuilding.
     America is willing to find new friends, and to forge new partnerships, where shared interests align.  We want harmony and stability, not war and conflict.
     We want peace, wherever peace can be found.  America is friends today with former enemies.  Some of our closest allies, decades ago, fought on the opposite side of these World Wars.  This history should give us all faith in the possibilities for a better world.
     Hopefully, the 250th year for America will see a world that is more peaceful, more just and more free.
     On our 100th anniversary, in 1876, citizens from across our Nation came to Philadelphia to celebrate America's centennial.  At that celebration, the country's builders and artists and inventors showed off their creations.
     Alexander Graham Bell displayed his telephone for the first time.
     Remington unveiled the first typewriter.  An early attempt was made at electric light.
     Thomas Edison showed an automatic telegraph and an electric pen.
     Imagine the wonders our country could know in America's 250th year.
     Think of the marvels we can achieve if we simply set free the dreams of our people.
     Cures to illnesses that have always plagued us are not too much to hope.
     American footprints on distant worlds are not too big a dream.
     Millions lifted from welfare to work is not too much to expect.
     And streets where mothers are safe from fear -- schools where children learn in peace -- and jobs where Americans prosper and grow -- are not too much to ask.
     When we have all of this, we will have made America greater than ever before. For all Americans.
     This is our vision. This is our mission.
     But we can only get there together.
     We are one people, with one destiny.
     We all bleed the same blood.
     We all salute the same flag.
     And we are all made by the same God.
     And when we fulfill this vision; when we celebrate our 250 years of glorious freedom, we will look back on tonight as when this new chapter of American Greatness began.
     The time for small thinking is over.  The time for trivial fights is behind us.
     We just need the courage to share the dreams that fill our hearts.
     The bravery to express the hopes that stir our souls.
     And the confidence to turn those hopes and dreams to action.
     From now on, America will be empowered by our aspirations, not burdened by our fears --
     inspired by the future, not bound by the failures of the past --
     and guided by our vision, not blinded by our doubts.
     I am asking all citizens to embrace this Renewal of the American Spirit.  I am asking all members of Congress to join me in dreaming big, and bold and daring things for our country.  And I am asking everyone watching tonight to seize this moment and --
     Believe in yourselves.
     Believe in your future.
     And believe, once more, in America.
     Thank you, God bless you, and God Bless these United States."