Category: Ukraine

DeSantis Was Right on Ukraine

Ammoland Inc.Posted on by

By Patrick Buchanan

SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/04/desantis-was-right-on-ukraine/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

Russia Ammo Flag iStock-1359004634
 iStock-1359004634

“While the U.S. has many vital national interests … becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them.”

So Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis volunteered in response to a questionnaire that Fox News reporters posed to declared and potential Republican presidential candidates.

DeSantis defined what he saw as a truly imperiled U.S. “vital interest.”

“We cannot prioritize intervention in an escalating foreign war over the defense of our own homeland, especially as tens of thousands of Americans are dying every year from narcotics smuggled across our open border and our weapons arsenals critical for our own security are rapidly being depleted.”

Republican colleagues and potential rivals for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination came down on DeSantis with both feet, with Sen. Lindsey Graham reintroducing the “domino theory” of Vietnam days:

Vladimir Putin is “not going to stop. He’ll go to Moldova, into the country of Georgia, and he’s looking at the Baltic States or NATO. So the likelihood of a big war between America and Russia comes from letting him get away with destroying the Ukraine, because he’ll keep going.”

But, on reflection, is not DeSantis right?

Russia and Ukraine have each lost more than 100,000 dead and wounded in this war. Whatever its strategic objective in starting the war, Russia is now battling to hold onto territorial gains in Crimea, the Donbas, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, about a fifth of all Ukrainian national territory prior to 2014.

Both nations have testified, by the magnitude of their sacrifices, to their belief that what is at stake in the war is vital to them.

But what have we Americans sacrificed?

We have sent billions of dollars but squabbled over whether to send advanced artillery pieces, Abrams tanks and F-16s to the Ukrainians.

This hesitancy testifies to our true “vital interest” in this war. It is to stay out, and avoid being sucked in, as we have in previous wars, lest we get into a clash with Russia that could become World War III or a nuclear war.

By what we have done in Ukraine, and what we have refused to do, the U.S. and NATO testify to the stakes they truly see involved. And those interests are transparently not vital to the United States. How could they be?

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt first extended formal recognition to the USSR as Stalin was carrying out the genocidal Holodomor in which millions of Ukrainians perished from forced starvation.

If the genocide of the Ukrainian people did not constitute a U.S. vital interest, then when did whose flag, Russian or Ukrainian, flies over the Donbas or Crimea become a vital interest? It never was so considered during a 40-year Cold War.

What are we to make of Graham’s contention that Ukraine is the first bite of the apple for Putin, that Moldova, Georgia, and the Baltic republics, all three of which — Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — have NATO war guarantees, are next on Putin’s menu?

But Putin has already invaded and defeated Georgia in the war over South Ossetia in 2008 — and then withdrew. For the Baltic republics, a Russian attack on any of them would risk retaliation and war with NATO.

Why should we think that Putin’s Russia, horribly bloodied in Ukraine, would be looking for a clash with a 30-nation NATO alliance led by the United States so Moscow could occupy an Estonia of 1 million people that Russia willingly gave up over three decades ago?

But Graham’s scenario of a Moscow on the march after a victory in southeastern Ukraine does raise questions about whether our present foreign policy, including NATO war guarantees, is truly protecting U.S. vital interests.

As stated, the transparent U.S. vital interest in the Ukraine war is to stay out of it and avoid the risk of a military clash with Russia that could lead to a wider war, a world war and a nuclear war.

The bottom line for both the USSR and U.S. in the Cold War was to avoid a hot war. And, for over four decades, Deo gratias, we succeeded.

Yet, since the Cold War ended, the U.S. has made NATO allies out of six Warsaw Pact nations and three Baltic nations that are former republics of the USSR. And Graham is talking about the U.S. confronting Moscow on behalf of three more — Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.

Why?

When did these ex-Warsaw Pact countries and Soviet republics become nation-states whose independence and defense are U.S. “vital interests” worth guaranteeing at the risk of war with a nation with 6,000 nuclear weapons?

Recently, Turkey and Hungary gave their blessing to the admission of Finland to NATO. Finnish membership would obligate the U.S. to treat it as an attack upon our own country, a Russian incursion into Finland, which shares an 830-mile border with Russia.

Why should a Russian-Finnish border war, which has occurred before in history, automatically become a casus belli for the United States, 5,000 miles away?

Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.

Patrick J. Buchanan

Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of “Nixon’s White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever.”

Pat Buchanan
Patrick J. Buchanan

House Passes Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan Aid

House Passes Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan Aid

U.S. House Votes On Foreign Aid Package For Ukraine, Israel, And Taiwan WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 20: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) reads from his notes while speaking with members of the media following passage of a series of foreign aide bills at the U.S. Capitol on April 20, 2024 in Washington, DC. The House is passed a $95 billion foreign aid package today for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
U.S. House Votes On Foreign Aid Packages For Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 20: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) reads from his notes while speaking with members of the media following passage of a series of foreign aide bills at the U.S. Capitol on April 20, 2024 in Washington, DC. The House passed a $95 billion foreign aid package today for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

OAN’s Abril Elfi
12:27 PM – Saturday, April 20, 2024

The House passed a series of bills to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan along with the potential ban of TikTok.

Following a morning of deliberations on the House floor Saturday, the four bills will be combined into one and forwarded to the Senate for their approval.

After which, the package will be forwarded to President Joe Biden for his signature.

Biden praised the bill, stating he would sign the legislation if passed by the Senate.

“I want to thank Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, and the bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in the House who voted to put our national security first,” Biden said in a statement following the votes. “I urge the Senate to quickly send this package to my desk so that I can sign it into law.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) signaled Saturday that the Senate is expected to vote on the package on Tuesday.

“I am grateful to the United States House of Representatives, both parties and personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X after the vote.

Additionally, on Saturday, Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Israel Katz expressed gratitude to Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) for their assistance in approving the aid.

More than $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, more than $26 billion for Israel, and more than $8 billion for Taiwan and Indo-Pacific security are all included in the bills.

A fourth bill calls for a national ban on China’s ByteDance if the company does not sell the social media site TikTok within nine months (the president may grant a ninety-day extension).

The $95 billion version of the aid package to finance Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine was approved by the Senate in February.

In response to Johnson’s aid plan, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) filed a motion to remove Speaker Johnson from office in March, but he hasn’t yet forced a vote on the proposal.

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Dems Floating Desperate Deal on Ukraine and Border Security

Rick Moran | 8:23 AM on January 21, 2024
AP Photo/Eric Gay
Democrats are desperate to get funding for the war in Ukraine. But Republicans in the House have set their minds on getting a deal to address the border crisis before Biden gets his $61 billion for Ukraine. Senate Republicans have hammered out a deal with Democrats on border security that would have been seen as a smashing GOP victory a few short months ago.

Massive changes to asylum rules, severely limiting "immigration parole" and other changes long-desired by Republicans in Washington have been agreed to.

But House Republicans are insisting on Senate Democrats are passing H.R. 2 with no amendments. H.R. 2 is an immigration bill so toxic that even many Senate Republicans won't touch it.

But Senate Democrats are offering a deal to House Speaker Mike Johnson that's "unusual" to say the least. Johnson is between a rock and a hard place on the border and Ukraine's war funding. He has the leader of his party, Donald Trump, ordering him not to pass a border bill. Trump knows that Biden would take credit for it and remove one of the biggest impediments to his re-election.

But even if Johnson were to find a way to pass the border security bill, he would run up against the "cut-and-run" caucus on Ukraine's assistance. Radical Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is threatening to call for a vote to "vacate the chair" and have another round of votes on who should lead the House as speaker if Johnson tries to pass the Ukraine funding bill.

So Democrats have hit upon some sort of a solution. Several Democrats have said they will vote to protect Johnson's gavel if he brings the Ukraine funding/border bill to the floor.

Politico:

Several Democrats — including House Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith (D-Wash.), House Homeland Security Committee ranking member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and border Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) — said yesterday that if Johnson puts the Senate deal on the floor, some in their party would likely step in to make sure he holds on as speaker.

“Our job is not to save Johnson, but I think it would be a mighty pity if he did the right thing … for us not to support him,” Thompson said. “Up to this point, he’s been a fairly honest broker.”

Yes, if Johnson tried that, he'd be boiled in oil by his own caucus. And his relationship with Donald Trump — the man likely to be the next president — would be ruined. 

What would the Democrats demand as ransom for their support? It really is a cockamamie idea. But the fact that some Democrats are seriously considering it is significant.

And what about the notion that the crisis at the border can wait until after Trump is sworn in? At the rate that people are arriving at the border, that would be almost 4 million more migrants in the United States by January 20, 2025. It would be shockingly irresponsible for Republicans to play politics with the issue when there's a reasonable solution at hand.

“I am looking for solutions now, not a year from now,” Texas border Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican, told Politico.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) was even more blunt, arguing that delaying progress for political purposes is, essentially, treasonous. 

“My question to those Republicans … is: How many hundreds of thousands of illegals would you allow in the country just because it might help your chances of the election?” he said. “I ran for Congress literally on getting the border secure. So if I have a chance to do that, and I don’t do that, I’m a traitor.”

But the leader has spoken.

“I do not think we should do a Border Deal at all, unless we get EVERYTHING needed to shut down the INVASION of Millions & Millions of people, many from parts unknown, into our once great, but soon to be great again, Country!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“Also, I have no doubt that our wonderful Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, will only make a deal that is PERFECT ON THE BORDER,” Trump wrote. “Remember, without Strong Borders and Honest Elections, we don’t have a Country!!!”

The border is still as porous as ever. Ukraine still needs help or Russia will win. And Trump may or may not win the election in November. 

40,000 Weapons Sent to Ukraine Have Gone Missing: Pentagon IG

RICK MORAN | 10:10 AM ON JANUARY 12, 2024
SEE: https://pjmedia.com/rick-moran/2024/01/12/40000-weapons-sent-to-ukraine-have-gone-missing-pentagon-ig-n4925416; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
According to a report by the Pentagon inspector general, more than 40,000 weapons worth more than $1 billion were shipped to Ukraine but never made it to the battlefield.

Many of the weapons were sent to a U.S. military logistics hub in Poland, while others were shipped directly to Ukraine. The equipment includes shoulder-fired missiles, kamikaze drones, and night-vision goggles.

Alexandra "Sasha" Baker, the acting undersecretary of defense for policy, said last November, when a draft of the report was leaked, that required accounting procedures “are not practical in a dynamic and hostile wartime environment."

The IG report found that "American defense officials and diplomats in Washington and Europe had failed to quickly or fully account for many of the nearly 40,000 weapons that by law should have been closely monitored because of their battlefield impact, sensitive technology, and relatively small size," according to the New York Times.

I guess they were too busy, or something.

“These are identified as the items — that because of their sensitivity, their vulnerability to diversion or misuse or the consequences of that — it’s particularly important to have this additional tracking and accountability in place,” said Robert Storch, the Pentagon’s inspector general. Storch is the primary watchdog for American aid sent to Ukraine’s war effort.

The report was sent to Congress on Wednesday and a copy of it was provided to The New York Times. The Pentagon’s inspector general released a redacted version of it on Thursday. It did not investigate whether any weapons had been diverted for illicit use, which “was beyond the scope of our evaluation to determine,” it noted.

So, whose job is it to determine if terrorists got their hands on a couple of dozen shoulder-fired missiles? The flying public wants to know.

Perhaps before we send another $60 billion to Ukraine, we might want to put into place more effective means to track the weapons — just as Congress has demanded.

The findings released on Thursday will almost certainly fuel skepticism in Congress over providing more military aid to Ukraine; already, House Republicans are blocking a national security spending plan that would provide an additional $61 billion for the war effort as frontline troops begin to run out of weapons. Combined with Ukraine’s long history of corruption and arms smuggling, the demand for closer accounting is certain to rise.

That we're two years into the war and the Biden administration is just now getting serious about tracking American military assistance is ridiculous. It's a timely question considering weapons that were already "delinquent."

As much as 60 percent of the arms and equipment that were provided as of June were “delinquent,” either because they were delayed in being inventoried in a database designed to track them, or because they were never added after they left American or allied military stockpiles.

Laziness? Incompetence? Stupidity? Perhaps a combination of all three? One billion dollars worth of U.S. weapons, not to mention the technology that created them, has literally gone missing and the bureaucratic game of CYA is preventing the IG from finding out if the weapons were diverted or just lost.

Biden and the Pentagon have been stonewalling Congress about possible corruption by the second-most corrupt government in Europe since the beginning of the war. They could and should do a much better job of tracking these weapons to keep them out of the hands of bad actors who could turn those weapons on the United States.

Biden Willing to Make ‘Significant Compromises’ on Border Policy for Ukraine Funding

RICK MORAN | 1:43 PM ON DECEMBER 08, 2023

Republished below in full, unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

AP Photo/Gregory Bull
Back in October when Republicans began to talk about tying funding for border security with funding for Ukraine, the White House dismissed the idea.

Today, in order to get his funding bill for Ukraine passed in Congress, Joe Biden is going to have to bite down hard and accept the prospect of limits on the U.S. accepting asylum claims.

“I’ve made it clear that we need Congress to make changes to fix what is a broken immigration system, because we know, we all know it’s broken, and I’m willing to do significantly more,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. “But in terms of changes of policy and to provide resources we need at the border, I’m willing to change policy as well.”

That's a long way from refusing to even talk about border security in the same breath as Ukraine aid.

“Republicans think they can get everything they want without any bipartisan compromise. That’s not the answer. And now they’re willing to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process,” Biden said. 

“I am willing to make significant compromises on the border,” he added. “We need to fix the broken border system. It is broken. And thus far I’ve gotten no response.”

That's not true. He knows exactly what Republicans want. He'd just rather not make the deal.

Swallow hard, Joe. 

Reuters:

The White House would be open to heightening the standard for initial asylum screenings, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters, requesting anonymity to discuss the talks.

The Biden administration also would entertain some form of a "safe third country" provision that would deny asylum to migrants who pass through another country en route to the U.S., the source said.

Another possible point of agreement could be expanding a fast-track deportation process known as "expedited removal." The authority would be employed nationwide instead of its current application at the border, the source said.

A bipartisan group of senators trying to reach a deal are also discussing a numerical limitation on asylum claims, the source said. The Biden administration position on such a cap remains unclear.

White House spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez said Biden has made it clear "the border is broken" and that Congress should take action to fix it.

Make no mistake. These are significant concessions by Biden to asylum rules. The "safe third country" policy was initiated by Trump as was "expedited removal." 

Numerical limitations on asylum applicants would be a fine goal, but Biden would never be able to get Democrats to go for it. Open borders advocates and immigration proponents are already screaming bloody murder about the possible concessions. 

But Biden is getting killed in the polls because of his border policies. 

NBC News:

So far, no one seems satisfied. Democrats have seen their advantage over Republicans on border and immigration issues vanish. NBC News polling shows the GOP now holds an 18-point lead when it comes to handling immigration. During Donald Trump’s presidency, the Democratic edge hovered between 4 and 6 points.

New polls suggest that Trump is eating into Biden’s lead among Latino voters. A survey conducted for UnidosUS and Mi Familia Vota showed Biden leading by 18 points among Latino voters. That margin shows considerable slippage since the 2020 election, when Biden won the Latino vote by 33 points, according to exit polls.

Rep. Dean Phillips, the Minnesota Democrat challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination, said that during his trips to the border, he found "an unmitigated, embarrassing, inexcusable disaster.”

I don't think Biden's flip-flop on the border will help him with most voters who see the border crisis as one of the major issues of the campaign. It's far too little and far too late. And the radical left open-border crowd won't let him go too far in reforming border or immigration policies.

Biden's downfall could easily be attributed not just to his border and immigration policies, but also to his entire morally smug attitude towards the border, a smugness that looks ludicrous now.

U.S. Prosecutors Charge 4 Russian Soldiers For Abducting, Torturing American In Ukraine

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Department of Justice on December 6, 2023 in Washington, DC. The Department of Justice announced today that four Russian military personnel have been indicted for war crimes committed against a U.S. national living in Ukraine, the first of such charges ever to be brought under the U.S. war crimes statute. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

OAN’s Brooke Mallory
1:25 PM – Wednesday, December 6, 2023

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/u-s-prosecutors-charge-4-russian-soldiers-for-abducting-torturing-american-in-ukraine/;

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

The Justice Department said on Wednesday that U.S. federal prosecutors have charged four Russian soldiers with war crimes after it was discovered that the men allegedly kidnapped and tortured an American citizen in Ukraine, immediately after Russia’s incursion.

Three war crimes were brought against the soldiers—two commanding officers and two lower-ranking soldiers—for allegedly abusing the U.S. resident in Ukraine. The two low-ranking members were identified simply by their first names, Valerii and Nazar, while the commanding leaders were named as Suren Seiranovich Mkrtchyan and Dmitry Budnik.

According to the Justice Department, each defendant faces charges of wrongful detention, torture, and inhumane treatment, in addition to one count of conspiracy to commit war crimes.

Attorney General Merrick Garland made a statement at the Justice Department on Tuesday, stating that the charges—which were made possible by federal legislation from 1996 that made violations of the Geneva Conventions illegal—were presented in an indictment in the Eastern District of Virginia.

The men are not in American custody.

“These charges, against four Russia-affiliated military personnel, are the Justice Department’s first criminal charges under the U.S. war crimes statute. "They are also an important step toward accountability for the Russian regime’s illegal war in Ukraine,” Garland said. “Our work is far from done.”

The unidentified victim was allegedly taken by Mkrtchyan and his men in April 2022 from the village of Mylove in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson Oblast. The Justice Department claims they assaulted him and placed him in an unlawful detention facility for ten days.

Some of the Russian men, according to officials, either led or took part in the interrogation sessions, during which they tortured the victim, removing his clothing, taking pictures, and abusing him.

The accused “threw [the victim] face down to the ground while he was naked, tied his hands behind his back, pointed a gun at his head, and beat him with their feet, their fists, and the stocks of their guns,” wrote prosecutors in the 9-page indictment.

Prosecutors highlighted one particularly violent session, when Budnik “threatened the victim with death and asked him for his last words.”

The victim was subsequently taken outside by Nazar and others.

“There, they forced him to the ground and put a gun to the back of his head. The victim believed he was about to be killed. They moved the gun just before pulling the trigger, and the bullet went just past his head,” Garland asserted. “After the mock execution, the victim was beaten and interrogated again.”

According to the charging documents, the unidentified victim had neither fought nor taken part in the war and had been residing in Ukraine since 2021.

The Justice Department has established a War Crimes Accountability Team to look into possible war crimes in Ukraine that could be prosecuted in the United States as part of its assistance in the investigation of Russian service members. Additionally, U.S. investigators are helping Ukrainian officials collect and record proof of Russian atrocities.

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Biden Funding Request Includes $75B For Ukraine And Israel~’DEAD ON ARRIVAL’: Brian Mast on Biden’s request for $105B in aid from Congress

GettyImages-1131072454-800x534.jpg

'DEAD ON ARRIVAL': Brian Mast on Biden's request for $105B in aid from Congress

OAN’s James Meyers
10:30 AM – Friday, October 20, 2023

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/biden-funding-request-includes-75b-for-ukraine-and-israel/;

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

President Joe Biden asked Congress for supplemental funding that totals $105 billion, which includes $60 billion to Ukraine and $14 billion to Israel. 

The Biden administration made the request on Friday morning, a day after the president gave his second prime-time Oval Office address explaining why the aid was in the best interest of the United States. 

“Over the coming weeks, the administration looks forward to continued engagement with members of both parties to reach a comprehensive, bipartisan agreement to fund the Government and invest in critical national priorities,” director of OMB Shalanda Young said in the letter to Congress. “As part of that process, the Congress has an opportunity and obligation to advance our national security by addressing critical needs that should earn Bipartisan support.”

The funding for Israel will be used to strengthen its air and missile defense systems such as the Iron Dome and Iron Beam, an energy laser weapon used in air defense.

Additionally, the money would also be used to help make “cutting-edge” detection technology at the Southern Border and “investigative capabilities to prevent cartels from trafficking fentanyl into the United States.”

The Biden administration also said some of the aid will go to Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and surrounding areas.

“At the same time, we are also requesting support to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance for civilians impacted by the war in Gaza, who have nothing to do with Hamas and are suffering greatly as well,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on a press call Friday morning. “This budget request will also help the administration enhance embassy security in Israel and for neighboring embassies as we stay vigilant against threats to our personnel who serve our country every day overseas.”

However, the request will not be voted on by Congress anytime soon because of the vacancy of a Speaker of the House.

Jim Jordan failed for a third time on Friday to be elected after only receiving 194 votes, which falls short of the required 217 votes for the majority.

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Are American Weapons From Afghanistan and Ukraine Being Used Against Israel?

BY ROBERT SPENCER 2:39 PM ON OCTOBER 08, 2023
Are American Weapons From Afghanistan and Ukraine Being Used Against Israel?
AP Photo/Bilal Hussein
Are Hamas jihadis using American weaponry in their bloody jihad against Israel? The possibility cannot be discounted.

On Saturday, as the Hamas offensive began, videos began circulating of Palestinian Arabs celebrating the massacres of Israeli Jews. In one of them, a jihadi carries a girl who looks to be about seven or eight years old upon his shoulders; disconcertingly, she is carrying a pistol and a rifle. Glenn Beck noticed a striking detail about her rifle, and tweeted on Sunday, “When did Hamas begin to carry AMERICAN AR’s? Didn’t they have AKs from Russia? Where did these weapons come from? Afghanistan? didn’t we leave a ton behind? Or were they shipped to Ukraine? maybe I am mistaken. #americancorruption #Ukraine️ #Israel #hamasattack”

Maybe he is, but he is far from the only person to suggest that arms that the Biden regime sent to Ukraine have ended up in the hands of the Palestinian jihadis. In fact, Hamas itself posted a video on its Telegram channel thanking Ukraine for sending it arms. Twitter/X readers added a community note to one tweet of this video, saying, “There is no evidence to suggest Ukraine has been selling weapons to Hamas. Hamas get [sic] most of their weaponry from Iran & Syria.”

That may be so, but U.S. arms that Biden’s handlers sent to Ukraine could have made their way to Hamas without the Ukrainian government selling them. Back in late June, according to the Times of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “ruled out supplying Ukraine with the Iron Dome missile defense system, reiterating Israel’s concern that the vital technology could fall into the hands of Iran.” Netanyahu said, “I think it’s important to understand that we’re concerned also with the possibility that systems that we would give to Ukraine would fall into Iranian hands and could be reverse-engineered and we would find ourselves facing Israeli systems used against Israel.”

Also in June, Newsweek reported that “a high-ranking Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commander” said that Israel was “concerned over the risks of weapons provided by the United States and other Western nations to Ukraine ending up in the hands of Israel’s foes in the Middle East, including Iran.” On Saturday, Abu Obaidah, a commander of Hamas’ Izzuddin Al-Qassam Brigades, said, “We thank the Islamic Republic of Iran who provided us with weapons, money, and other equipment! He gave us missiles to destroy Zionist fortresses, and helped us with standard anti-tank missiles!”

American arms sent to Afghanistan could also have fallen into the wrong hands and ended up in Gaza. The June Newsweek report also stated that the same Israeli commander “said some of the U.S. small arms seized in Afghanistan have already been observed in the hands of Palestinian groups operating in the Gaza Strip.”

Even worse, wherever the arms have come from, the Biden regime is largely responsible for bankrolling this bloody jihad against Israel. Not only did Old Joe and his henchmen just send six billion dollars to the Islamic Republic of Iran, amid empty and ridiculous promises that it would only be used for “humanitarian” purposes, but the day before the war began, the Biden regime quietly approved an additional seventy-five million dollars for the Palestinians. Middle East Monitor reported Friday that “in a quiet move bypassing Republican obstructionism, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has approved the release of $75 million in crucial food assistance for Palestinians just hours before the funds were set to be redistributed elsewhere.”

Related: Why There Is Never Peace Between Israel and the Palestinians

Crucial food assistance! What could possibly be wrong with that? The whole world seems to have forgotten one of the most basic lessons of economics: money is fungible. That means, kids, that if I give you ten dollars but warn you not to spend it on pizza, you can take ten dollars that you were going to use to buy school supplies and spend that on pizza. If the Biden regime is giving millions to the Palestinians, it is giving millions to the jihad against Israel, even as Old Joe piously maintains that America is on Israel’s side.

Would there even be a war at all if not for all the money that the Biden regime has showered upon Iran and the Palestinians? The only thing we can say for sure about that is that back when Bad Orange Man was president and the United States wasn’t raining cash on those who screamed “Death to Israel” and “Death to America,” there was nothing like the bloodletting an appalled world witnessed in Israel Saturday. Has Hamas’ Khaled Meshaal called the White House yet and exclaimed “We did it, Joe!”?

Speaker McCarthy: Fund the Government and Secure the Border~Matt Gaetz: Democrats Battle Over His Amendment To Cut Funding To Ukraine

President Biden has dined with Hunter's business partners more times than he's been to our southern border.

Biden refuses to go to the border

Matt Gaetz: Democrats Battle Over His Amendment To Cut Funding To Ukraine

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) promotes an amendment to cut funding to Ukraine, which is opposed by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) and other Democrats.

Senate Leaders Reach Short Term Budget Agreement, $6.2 BILLION In Ukraine Aid Included

Senate Leaders Reach Short-Term Budget Agreement, $6.2B In Ukraine Aid Included

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (L) (R-KY) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (R) (D-NY) walk with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (C) at the U.S. Capitol Building on September 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

OAN’s Brooke Mallory
12:25 PM – Wednesday, September 27, 2023

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/senate-leaders-reach-short-term-budget-agreement-6-2b-in-ukraine-aid-included/;

Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

A “clean” Continuing Resolution (CR) that would finance the government through November 17th was issued on Tuesday by senators in the Democrat-controlled Senate in an effort to avoid a government shutdown by Saturday.

On Tuesday afternoon, the CR passed a crucial procedural test in the upper chamber by a vote of 77 to 19, closing the discussion of the proposal and paving the way for a final vote.

“All through the weekend – night and day – Senate Democrats and Republicans worked in good faith to reach an agreement on a continuing resolution that will keep the government funded and avert a shutdown,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, (D-N.Y.), said in a statement Tuesday.

$6.2 billion of the short-term CR will be allotted to Ukraine and President Joe Biden had initially proposed an extra $18 billion on top of the $6.2 billion. Additionally, natural disaster funding received an extra $6 billion.

Similar to the House version, the CR does not include any new funds for border security.

By the end of the fiscal year, on September 30th, the House and Senate must reach some sort of agreement on how to fund the government or face a partial shutdown.

It is uncertain how far the Senate’s CR will go without the unanimous support of the upper house.

Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has already stated that he will oppose any budget fix that includes assistance for Ukraine, potentially delaying the approval of the CR.

“I will oppose any effort to hold the federal government hostage for Ukraine funding, I will not consent to expedited passage of any spending measure that provides any more US aid to Ukraine,” Rand posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

However, the proposed CR from the Senate is far different from the one from the GOP-led House, where House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) suggested that aid to Ukraine should be a standalone package and that the House might not vote on the Senate-authored CR.

McCarthy made his remarks following a crucial vote on Tuesday night to move forward with four appropriations measures for the next year. The chamber will shortly vote on a short-term spending package.

“The Republicans will put on the floor a move to secure our border. I think that’s the appropriate way to be able to keep government funded, secure border while we continue to keep government open to work on the rest of the appropriations process,” McCarthy told reporters.

On Tuesday, Schumer said, “We are now right at the precipice” on the Senate floor. “This bipartisan CR is a temporary solution, a bridge towards cooperation and away from extremism,” he continued. “And it will allow us to keep working to fully fund the federal government and spare American families the pain of a shutdown.”

“We are eager to provide relief to communities recovering from natural disasters from Hawaii, to Florida, and bipartisan majorities recognize the ongoing need to counter Russia and China and continue to provide lethal aid to Ukraine,” Schumer concluded.

The House is slated to discuss four different spending measures. Whether McCarthy had obtained enough votes to advance them is still unclear. He can only afford to lose a few more GOP votes.

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‘Republicans for Ukraine’ Led by Same Neocons who Advocate Disarming Americans

Ammoland Inc. Posted on by
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/09/republicans-for-ukraine-led-by-same-neocons-who-advocate-disarming-americans/;Republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, & research purposes.

Now ask yourself who’s paying for all this, and how “Republican” they really are. (Republicans for Ukraine/Facebook)

“We’re Republicans standing for Ukrainian freedom,” the Republicans for Ukraine website declares. “We are amplifying the voices of Republicans who believe that the United States should be a steadfast friend to democracies like Ukraine and a fearsome enemy to aggressive dictatorships like Russia.”

It’s a divisive issue. Seeing a larger nation, and one that has traditionally been a communist tyranny and enemy of the United States, invade a smaller neighbor and wreak mass death and destruction produces a visceral reaction of horror, especially with the near-universal support for widening American provisioning and involvement from the legacy media. On the other hand, George Washington’s “Farewell Address” admonition that “It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world” drives hesitation among Constitutionalists to exercise caution against provoking escalation.

It’s true that Ukraine arming its citizens was an inspiring move and a great way to point out the cognitive dissonance of Democrats cheering that on while imposing disarmament edicts on their own constituents at home. It’s also true that the cognitive dissonance extended to some on the right, quick to parrot the Russian line while ignoring one of the greatest examples of why a populace should own military weapons. And it was forehead-slapping disappointing to see the government reverse course and order the Ukrainian Territorial Defense to turn in weapons “for storage.”

It’s a mess, no doubt. Factor in credible evidence of Ukrainian corruption going all the way to the top (of which the Hunter and Joe Biden-Burisma scandal is just a small part), Russia being increasingly hemmed in by NATO (recalling the U.S. reaction in the Cuban Missile Crisis), charges of Naziism, demands territorial self-determination in sectors with dominant Russian populations, and ceaseless pleas for more American dollars and military equipment at the risk of widening the war, and it’s not unfair to wonder if there might be a better way to cool things down and reach peaceful agreements than the present course of engagement escalation.

Republicans for Ukraine make it clear which course they choose, and they even give Republican representatives grades based on how they voted on appropriations. Without doing a detailed analysis of the entire document, it’s nonetheless curious that Second Amendment stalwarts like Thomas Massie and Chip Roy are rated “Very Poor” while  Biden Bipartisan Gun Bill backer Dave Joyce and Giffords endorsee Brian Fitzpatrick are both rated “Excellent.”

That makes fair the question of those funding the Republicans for Ukraine website: “Who are these guys?”

You can’t tell from a Who.Is search—the domain is privately registered to a proxy. But a footer at the bottom of the website tells us all we need to know:

“Defending Democracy Together,” eh?

That’s the project headed by noted anti-gunners William Kristol, Mona Charen, Linda Chavez, and Christine Todd Whitman, among others.

Looking at “new” Democrat Bill Kristol alone:

Charen says “Limit Some Guns for Cosmetic Reasons,” among the other infringements she endorses.

Democrat/Republican/Independent (those are some political convictions!) Chavez wails, “Why Won’t Politicians Consider Sensible Gun Restrictions?”

And Whitman says, “I support 2nd Amendment, but it’s time to look at our gun laws,” with such “commonsense” demands like:

“From what we know now, the shooter had acquired his automatic weapon legally just days before the shooting. Who, besides law enforcement and the military, really needs a weapon designed for the battlefied [sic]?  Really. It is time we look [sic] a hard look at our gun laws. We can protect the Second Amendment, which I wholeheartedly support, and the right to bear arms in a sane and balanced way.”

It’s fair to ask, “With Republicans like these, who needs Democrats?”

It’s also fair to ask, “If this is the best they can do with ‘standing for freedom’ in this country, why should we trust their judgment on what America’s involvement should be in Ukraine?”

And it’s especially fair to wonder what the useful idiots who lent their names and faces to this Astroturf effort are really about (116 Facebook followers and they’ve got money for ads? Really? And not one of them looks like he’ll take part in any resulting fighting?).

About David Codrea:

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.

David Codrea