Archives for November 2017

GOP Fixes Adoption Credit, Moore’s Awful Defenders, Bergdahl to Get Back Pay?

November 10, 2017 by GregC

David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America cheer House Republicans for listening to the backlash and reinstating the adoption tax credit into their tax reform bill. They also discuss the allegations of sexual misconduct reported by the Washington Post about GOP Alabama U.S. Senate nominee Roy Moore, and while debate over the veracity of the accusations continues, they are appalled at the number of Republican officials in Alabama who don’t see a problem even if the stories are true. And they groan as Bowe Bergdahl may end up getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in back pay from his time in captivity after deserting his unit and misbehaving before the enemy.

GOP Tax Bill: Several Good Parts But Needs to be Improved

November 9, 2017 by GregC

The House tax reform bill is now out of committee and headed for a vote on the House floor, and a leading advocate for small businesses says there is a lot to like in this legislation for businesses and individuals but she says there is definitely room for improvement.

Karen Kerrigan is president of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council and an influential voice on tax and regulatory policy impacting small businesses. Just last week, she sat to the left of President Trump at a White House meeting on tax reform.

Kerrigan says a number of key provisions are very good, especially dropping the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent.

“It’s a really solid bill in terms of lowering rates, making those lower rates permanent, advancing simplicity for small businesses. That was very important, both on the business side and on the individual side,” said Kerrigan.

“We think those lower rates are going to be very helpful to allow them to reinvest more of their capital, more of their profits into their business at the end of the year,” she added.

And tax rates are not the only component that excites Kerrigan.

“If you do have these immediate cuts on the business side and also the expensing piece – you can’t forget about that – full expensing or expanded Section 179 expensing. That’s really going to trigger a lot more investment and a lot more confidence. Then you’re going to see higher growth in the economy as well,” said Kerrigan.

While corporations would see their tax rate plummet more than 40 percent, businesses other than corporations may face a murkier future. While dropping small business taxes to 25 percent, the GOP bill also keeps the top individual rate – through which many small businesses files with the IRS – unchanged at 39.6 percent for those making over a million dollars per year.

So will those businesses, known as pass-throughs, get relief?

“It really depends,” said Kerrigan, who says those making less than a million per year ought to benefit greatly from lower business taxes and lower individual rates. But that relief will not be happening for everyone.

“As it stands, there is a complicated formula, the 70/30 formula, that basically says from a pass-through perspective that 70 percent will get taxed from a wage perspective, which is the individual rate which may be higher for some small business owners. Thirty percent would get that lower rate,” said Kerrigan.

“What we’re trying to do is improve that pass-through rate. So maybe there’s better parity, perhaps 50/50, perhaps 40/60.

“The key right now is allowing more small businesses, particularly those that are in the upper income bracket, to get that 25 percent rate. We think those are resolvable and hopefully we’re going to get to a point where many small businesses are going to benefit from the lower rate,” said Kerrigan.

A major tactical consideration for lawmakers is how to craft the bill so senators can pass it with a simple majority. Senate rules only allow that to happen if the tax bill does not create additional deficits.

The Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, says the House GOP plan would add $1.7 trillion of deficits over the next decade.

Kerrigan pushes back on the CBO in two ways. First, she points out the CBO’s refusal to factor in economic growth in projecting deficits, a policy known as static scoring versus the dynamic scoring that Kerrigan and others believe is more accurate.

“They leave out the reality in terms of dynamic scoring and the impact that incentives and reduction and putting more money back into the private economy has on growth and people’s behavior and business behavior and that drives growth,” said Kerrigan.

Second, Kerrigan says the CBO has a lousy track record with its projections.

“You’ve got to remember the CBO has been notoriously wrong on a whole range of things over the past 5-10 years. If you look at their predictions on Obamacare, how many people would be insured under Obamacare, really wrong on that. The cost of coverage on Obamacare? They’ve been dramatically wrong on that as well,” said Kerrigan.

As the debate heads to the full House floor and begins separately in the Senate, Kerrigan is confident that Republicans are largely headed in the right direction, but she still wants to see it get better.

“We are working on a bunch of issues so that small businesses will be able to keep the value of that lower rate and get that 25 percent rate. It’s a process and we’re at the table and we’re trying to improve this bill as much as possible so that it will have the best effects for small business and for the economy as well,” said Kerrigan.

GOP’s Tax Reform Blunders, TSA Fails Test Again, USA Today’s Chainsaw Bayonet

November 9, 2017 by GregC

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America blast congressional Republicans over their embrace of scrapping the adoption tax credit and for considering an end to the property tax deduction. They also slam the TSA for failing miserably yet again in the latest test designed to see if our blue-shirted friends can actually stop guns, knives and bombs from getting through checkpoints. And they get a kick out of USA Today suggesting you could add a chainsaw bayonet to an AR-15 rifle.

Huge Dem Wins Due to GOP Inaction in D.C.

November 8, 2017 by GregC

Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says Democrats there turned out in droves to register their animosity towards President Trump and he says Republicans didn’t see the same passion from their voters because of failure after failure from the GOP in Washington.

On Tuesday, Democrat Ralph Northam coasted to an easy nine-point win over Republican Ed Gillespie. Democrats also won the races for lieutenant governor and attorney general and are on the brink of a stunning capture of the majority in the House of Delegates, where Republicans had enjoyed a 66-34 margin.

Pundits around the nation are offering endless analyses for the results, but Cuccinelli – the man who led the GOP ticket as the party’s nominee for governor four years ago – says the dominant performance from Democrats really boils down to one party’s base being fired up and the other one discouraged.

“On the Democrat side, it is correct to say that Trump motivated their most left-wing voters,” said Cuccinelli, who says exit polls show voters who backed Bernie Sanders in 2016 were far more energized than those who sided with Hillary Clinton.

“If you look at Hillary Clinton’s top 50 precincts in 2016, the voter turnout there only went up about one percent from the last election. If you look at Bernie Sanders’ top 50 precincts, the voter turnout exploded almost 20 percent,” said Cuccinelli.

He says that kind of enthusiasm was only evident on one side of the aisle on Tuesday.

“You’re never going to keep the left from being upset about Donald Trump and the Republicans. They’re going to come, right? So, the way to deal with it is to turn yours out. And unless you can deliver victories for them when you have both houses (of Congress) and the presidency, they will wonder what’s the point. That’s what happened yesterday,” said Cuccinelli.

Despite no members of Congress being on the ballot in Virginia on Tuesday, Cuccinelli firmly believes unfulfilled promises in Washington depressed the GOP turnout.

“Republicans are demoralized and dispirited at the complete failure of Republicans to keep their promises in Washington. As far as ordinary Republican voters can remember, they haven’t delivered on anything,” said Cuccinelli.

He says the most glaring example is the inability to repeal Obamacare, but he’s unimpressed with the rest of the track record as well.

“You’re hearing what amounts to a muddling debate over the tax bill. Yes, Neil Gorsuch is on the Supreme Court, and I hate to say this, but that was a long time ago,” said Cuccinelli.

Cuccinelli does not believe Tuesday’s results guarantee another political tsunami in the 2018 midterm elections, but he says it will happen if Republicans don’t put some legislative wins on the board.

“Are we going to be in a position, like we were in Virginia, of unilateral disarmament. And by that I mean where we have nothing to motivate our side

“They have something to motivate their side and it isn’t going away. Unfortunately for America, what this is going to lead Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to do is simply be more obstructionist because lack of accomplishment is the Republicans’ Achilles heel,” said Cuccinelli.

He says the solution for that is simple.

“Pass Obamacare repeal, not a watered-down version but the real deal. Pass a real tax cut bill, not some mealy-mouthed thing there’s no reason to get excited about. They can fix this and one result of this will be to put a lot more pressure on congressional Republicans to perform,” said Cuccinelli.

Many of the House of Delegates seats won by Democratic challengers came in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington. And Democrats did not win those races with moderates but with very liberal candidates.

“In Northern Virginia, there was a transgender, (and also) a self-declared socialist. These are wild-eyed radical lefties. Antifa is very happy with the outcome with some of these people,” said Cuccinelli.

Cuccinelli doesn’t think Virginia voters embraced liberal politics in voting our their delegates. He says the liberal candidates just rode the wave.

“People in those districts weren’t electing a socialist because somehow the city of Manassas in Prince William County suddenly turned socialist. Those were simply the down ballot candidates at a time that the anger wave on the left carried them over the finish line,” said Cuccinelli.

He says Republican incumbents were done in by an unenthusiastic base that once again points to a lack of accomplishments in Washington this year.

“Good candidates down ballot were not in a position to resist the environmental wave that they were in: the negative one from the Democrats and then the lack of a wave of momentum coming from Republican accomplishment.

“Imagine how this would be different if five weeks ago Obamacare had been repealed instead of having some watered-down, mealy-mouthed go down anyway. Would Ed Gillespie have made up a nine and a half point difference? No, but down ballot would your delegate have lost like that? Probably not. Would mine? Probably not,” said Cuccinelli.

However, Cuccinelli says Republicans do face a bigger and bigger problem that has nothing to do with this year’s political dynamics – the influx of big-government liberals into Northern Virginia.

“The astonishing growth of the federal government over the past two decades has led to a massive importation of pro-government voters into Northern Virginia. Somebody’s got to run that growing leviathan, right?

“They haven’t moved to Maryland for the past 35 years. They moved to Virginia because the taxes are lower and quality of life is higher. But they vote like where they come from: New York, California, Illinois, Massachusetts,” said Cuccinelli.

Cuccinelli blames both parties for the explosive growth in the federal government and says that tells the story of Democrats winning elections in Virginia far more than demographic shifts.

“What it really is is the growth of the swamp. Northern Virginia is home of the swamp. It’s where government lives is in Virginia. That has been killing us for a long time,” said Cuccinelli.

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GOP Thrashed in Virginia, Dems Romp in NJ & NYC, Flake’s Redundant Gun Bill

November 8, 2017 by GregC

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America break down how the Democrats easily swept the statewide races in Virginia and even reversed a huge GOP majority in the state assembly. They also discuss easy wins by Democrats in New Jersey and New York City, where the Republicans hardly appear to be a factor anymore. And they roll their eyes as Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake proposes a law to ban gun sales to people convicted of domestic violence – because that exact law already exists.

Saudis, Iran on Path to ‘Very, Very Bloody’ War

November 7, 2017 by GregC

While the world tries to interpret Saudi Arabia’s moves to clamp down on corruption and and watches the kingdom accuse Iran of an “act of war,” a former Reagan administration Pentagon official says Saudi Arabia is gearing up for the very real possibility of a “very, very bloody” war with Iran.

Within the past several days, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is next in line to the Saudi throne, has ordered the arrests of many government officials, including 11 princes, on allegations of corruption. More recently, the crown prince accused Iran of an “act of war” after Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched an Iranian missile towards the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

The Houthis admit firing the missile and Saudi investigators say the fragments prove the missile is from Iran. Furthermore, the Saudi-friendly prime minister of Lebanon abruptly resigned and many other elements of the Lebanese government are loyal to the Shia regime in Iran.

So are the events of the past week just the latest developments in an unstable region or something far more significant?

Frank Gaffney is president of the Center for Security Policy and served as an assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration. He says these recent events are very significant.

“Something is moving for sure. I think this is a lot bigger than chess pieces. I think this is nothing less than tectonic shifts taking place throughout the region,” said Gaffney.

Gaffney says Iran’s goal of creating a “Shi’ite Crescent” is greatly disturbing to the Saudis. The crescent is a continuous stretch of Iranian-dominated areas that stretches from the southern end of the Red Sea through Yemen to Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.

He says Crown Prince Salman is bracing for a major fight to prevent Iran control of the entire region.

“I think what is teeing up, as I see it, is probably a very, very bloody war in that part of the world and it may not be confined to that part of the world,” said Gaffney.

He says the Iran threat is growing in multiple respects.

“The Iranians are establishing hegemonic control of large parts of this very strategically significant region. They aspire to do more and I think they are willing to do everything from Shi’ite militia in Iraq and Syria through their own Quds force and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps,” said Gaffney.

He also also suspects Iran is prepared to use ballistic missiles with non-conventional warheads (chemical, biological or nuclear) in order to assert an iron grip on the region, and he would not be surprised to see the fighting spread to other parts of the Middle East.

“It could go beyond that. Turkey is a factor in all of this. The central Asian republics beyond (are also at risk). This could get extraordinarily messy and then it goes without saying that Israel may be drawn into it,” said Gaffney.

So is this “tectonic shift” a result of the natural tides of history in the region, dating back to the Shia-Sunni divide over a thousand years ago or have specific policies accelerated the specter of an ugly sectarian war in the region?

Gaffney says the forces of history are obviously a major factor but he says policy moves made in the Obama and George W, Bush administration are also coming back to haunt the neighborhood. Gaffney blasts Obama for the 2015 nuclear deal and slams the Bush administration for eliminating the Iraq army in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“The principle impediment to Iranian ambitions (the Iraqi army) was removed. The damage done during the Bush years in that respect has been greatly compounded by the policy of Barack Obama in greatly enhancing the power of the Iranian regime,” said Gaffney.

But why the crown prince focused on rooting out corruption when so many national security concerns are on the front burner?

“It seems pretty clearly aimed not so much at dealing with the corrupt officials, because if that were in fact the object, I think every single one of them would be rounded up. It’s about power. It’s about consolidating his hold on it before his father (King Salman) passes from the scene,” said Gaffney.

“He’s clearing the decks for action against the principal, and increasingly existential threat to the kingdom, which is the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he added.

Gaffney insists that labeling Iran an “existential threat” against Saudi Arabia is not an exaggeration.

“If they don’t do something about this, presumably with the help of the United States, they will be encircled and the resources on which they still rely on very heavily – namely the sale of petroleum – can be cut off at will through the Persian Gulf or the Red Sea by the Iranians or their proxies,” said Gaffney.

Even with massive military resources courtesy of the U.S., Gaffney does not believe the Saudis can match the Iranians without help. He says Egypt and Jordan would be heavily recruited to join the fray, along with possible U.S. air power.

Her says the Saudis don’t have the personnel to do the job.

“They’ve got an enormous amount of very advanced equipment. They just don’t have many people who have either the skills or the will to wield it in defense of the kingdom or their interests more broadly,” said Gaffney.

As for the Trump administration’s position as events unfold in the Middle East, Gaffney says the U.S. ought to be publicly on the side of the Saudis. However, he says the most important tactical policy is to stop Iran’s nuclear program.

“Our interests at the moment lie with trying to deprive the Iranians of their nuclear and other ambitions. And that’s going to be vastly harder today than it was before Barack Obama started greatly enabling those ambitions,” said Gaffney.

Huge Air Force Error, Media Yawn as Rand Paul Assaulted, McMullin’s Tired Act

November 7, 2017 by GregC

It’s all crazy martinis today. Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are furious as the Air Force discovers it never forwarded the court martial information on the Texas church shooter that would have prevented him from legally purchasing guns and Jim also details how the federal government often seems disinterested in prosecuting gun crimes. They also discuss the bizarre assault on Sen. Rand Paul by his neighbor in Kentucky and how the media just don’t care when GOP lawmakers are targeted for violence. And they unload on 2016 independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin, who has spent the past year focused on criticizing President Trump at every turn while advancing nothing of value to conservatism – his latest move being to urge people not to vote for the GOP candidate for governor in Virginia.

‘They Really Don’t Understand Prayer’

November 6, 2017 by GregC

A church family in Texas is devastated and other congregations need to lift them up in prayer and take the necessary steps to protect their own worshipers, according to a Virginia pastor who says church leaders have a responsibility to “protect their flocks”.

Steve Holley is pastor of ministries at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. He is also speaking out in response to the many activists who bristle at messages of prayer for the victims of mass shootings, such as those impacted by Sunday’s horrific assault on First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, where at least 26 people were killed at another 20 were injured.

Those activists, most of whom want to see new gun control legislation, suggest that people stop praying and “do something” to prevent future atrocities.

For example, House Speaker Paul Ryan urged all Americans to pray for the people of Sutherland Springs in a tweet sent Sunday afternoon.

“Reports out of Texas are devastating. The people of Sutherland Springs need our prayers right now,” stated Ryan.

Reactions from prominent critics were fierce. Former cable news host Keith Olbermann urged Ryan to “shove your prayers” in a vulgar way and then urged him to “do something with your life besides platitude and power grabs.”

Actor Wil Wheaton also raised eyebrows in response to Ryan by tweeting, “The murdered victims were in a church. If prayers did anything, they’d still be alive…,” tweeted Wheaton,who later apologized to people of faith for insulting them but not for his views on prayer.

Pastor Holley says there is clearly a great misunderstanding of prayer.

“I don’t think it’s platitudes at all. It’re really beseeching God to help out nation in its time of need. That is what’s taking place. It seems like every two weeks these events erupt and they’re horrific,” said Holley.

He also strongly disagrees with the idea that the prayers didn’t do anything.

“Prayer accomplishes much. The scriptures say that. The scriptures encourage people to pray. The psalms are a songbook of prayer in many ways. So I think they’re really having a limited view of what prayer can do,” said Holley.

“Prayer sustains the spirit of those who endure and persevere through it. Prayer helps to readjust our focus, to understand that God is sovereign and that His will is in effect so we need to trust in Him and to seek after Him,” said Holley.

Holley says prayer should not be seen as a time of expecting all our prayer requests to be instantly granted. He says it’s something far more powerful.

“It shows that they really don’t understand prayer, that prayer is actually talking to the Creator of the universe, who called all things into existence, who loves us, who cares for us, cares for our every need and sent His Son into this world to die for our sin, and then by the power of His resurrection to give us life for eternity,” said Holley.

Rather than immediately promoting a political agenda in the wake of horrific shootings like the one in Texas, Holley says more valuable steps could be taken much closer to home.

“What are some things we can do to help people even curtail this, maybe even teaching our children that there is a God and that He has plans and purposes for everyone’s life, and that there is a right and there is a wrong and that human life is valuable and that we cherish human life,” said Holley.

On Monday, authorities said the killer came to the church because that’s where his mother-in-law worshiped, although it turns out she wasn’t there. Holley says another takeaway here is to seek conflict resolution long before it could escalate into the carnage we saw on Sunday.

“I think it’s training children along the way. how do you handle conflict? How do you handle difficulty? How do you work through those things and not have it end up with many people killed because you couldn’t resolve the issues you were struggling with?” said Holley.

Holley is no stranger to ministering to families suffering from terrorist attacks. One member of his church was killed in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and another severely injured. Another church member was killed in the 2013 attack at the Navy Yard in Washington.

He says there’s no magic formula for consoling believers devastated by the sudden loss of loved ones.

“We immediately try to get to their homes and just put our arms around them and love them and stay with them through the shock and horror that they’re facing. You try to comfort them with God’s word because His word brings comfort,” said Holley.

He encourages those around the grieving families in Texas to reach out and to know the families will need that kind of ministry for a very long time.

“This is going to be a hard road for a long time for some of those families. There won’t be a day that somebody goes by that church from now on that they don’t think about what took place in there yesterday.

“So the larger community around that small town need to think, ‘What can we do to stand by these folks and to encourage these folks and to show them God’s love. That’s what I would encourage them to do,” said Holley.

He says the most important thing is to be available.

“Just be there as sort of an anchor, as a means of encouragement, and just express your love for them and that you’re with them,” said Holley.

Holley says Sunday’s massacre is another reminder that none of us know how long we have to live. He says that should raise eternal questions in everyone’s mind?

“The hard news is it is appointed once for man to die and after that there’s a judgment. So each of us, somewhere in God’s day timer, has an appointment where we will face Him. The real issue is did I seek forgiveness of my sins through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ and am I ready for that time?

“There nothing that can prevent our death. We will not live one day longer than God wants us to or one day shorter. He will have us at His appointed time. People need to understand that’s a significant thing. We don’t live forever. We need to make sure that our eternal security is taken care of and that we’ve placed our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ,” said Holley.

At the same time, Holley says church leaders have a responsibility to protect their family when they gather for worship. In the wake of the Sandy Hook school murders, Immanuel Bible Church got even more serious about security.

“At Immanuel Bible Church, we’ve done everything that we possibly can to try to provide an environment where people can worship Christ and also where they can be safe,” said Holley, noting that approach requires a security team made up of volunteers.

“It requires putting together a safety and security team that will be vigilant, that will be communicating with each other, that will be keeping an eye on things as people come to worship,” said Holley. “They have helped tremendously in the past with various situations that have arisen and many in the congregation never hear about or never know about.”

Holley also recommends churches work together with law enforcement to develop the best possible security strategy.

“I would encourage churches to run through various scenarios and maybe contact your local law enforcement agencies and see if they would come out and do an assessment of your church to see what things you may need to consider as you try to bring about security to your church,” said Holley.

Holley grew up in the same church he now pastors. He says attacks like the one in Texas never even crossed his mind until recent years, but he says good leaders will take the steps needed to keep their people safe.

“This is the world we are living in and so have to respond to it. We have to do it in love but we have to do it with very wise precautions and providing an environment for our congregation to enjoy a good worship experience,” said Holley.

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Heroes in Texas, Gun Control Push Ignores Facts, Leftists Mock Prayer

November 6, 2017 by GregC

David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud the courage and heroism of the Texas man who exchanged gunfire with the Texas church murderer and the driver who happened upon the scene and chased the killer at high speeds to make sure no one else was harmed. They also shake their heads at the instant gun control demands coming in the wake of yet another massacre, when the murderer should already have been ineligible to own firearms. And they react to the increasingly common refrain from the political left for people of faith to stop praying in response to such carnage and “do something” instead.

‘This Judge is a Disgrace’

November 3, 2017 by GregC

Retired U.S. Navy Captain Chuck Nash is blasting the military judge who ordered no jail time for admitted U.S. Army deserter Bowe Bergdahl as a “disgrace” and says the actions of both men strike a serious blow to good order and discipline in the U.S. military.

He also says this episode is just the latest wound absorbed by the military due to the advancement of political correctness and social engineering.

Bergdahl is the U.S. Army soldier who recently pleaded guilty to charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for walking away from his unit in Afghanistan in 2009. He was subsequently captured by the Taliban. Six U.S. service members were killed looking for Bergdahl and others were severely wounded.

In 2014, the Obama administration agreed to free five high-value detainees from Guantanamo Bay in exchange for Bergdahl, whom then-National Security Adviser Susan Rice said “served honorably.”

On Friday, the judge in Bergdahl’s court martial, Col. Jeffrey Nance, decided there would be no jail time for the crimes of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Instead, Bergdahl’s rank will be lowered from corporal to private, he must pay $10,000 in fines, and he is to be dishonorably discharged from the Army. Bergdahl plans to appeal the dishonorable discharge.

Bergdahl’s attorney repeatedly tried to have the case dismissed based upon statements from presidential candidate Donald Trump since 2014 suggesting Bergdahl is a traitor and that past traitors were shot as punishment. Judge Nance said that was not grounds for dismissing the case but said it would be a mitigating factor in sentencing.

Regardless of the rationale, Nance’s decision is hitting a very raw nerve in the military community.

“It’s insane,” said retired U.S. Navy Captain Chuck Nash, who is also a military analyst for the Fox News Channel. “This judge is a disgrace. He should have recused himself. By doing this, he just brings more discredit upon himself.”

Nash says the military will suffer as a result of Nance and Bergdahl.

“The rules are the rules and everybody in the military is held to the standards,” said Nash.

“The whole thing about the military and good order and discipline and all of that is just taken a serious hit today by this guy’s actions,” said Nash. “And I mean both of these guys: Bergdahl for doing what he did and this judge for doing what he did. Just disgusting.”

Nash further asserts that the military is built on the understanding that orders will be followed and rules enforced. He says the overwhelming majority of American service personnel fulfill their oaths despite countless tours and immense disruptions for their families and Nance’s decision shows a lack of respect for that.

“You have someone who admits he did two really heinous things – desertion and cowardice in front of the enemy – and this judge says Donald Trump, when he was a candidate, said something that actually affected [his] ability to sentence?” said Nash, who would not be surprised if Bergdahl wins his appeal on the dishonorable discharge sentence.

“He’ll probably find some Obama appointee who will back him on it,” said Nash.

The Bergdahl sentencing comes just months after President Obama commuted the sentence of Bradley Manning, who was convicted on 19 charges – including six counts of espionage, for illegally leaking nearly 500,000 military reports to Wikileaks. Manning was sentenced to 35 years in military prison but immediately announced he was identifying as a woman named Chelsea.

As a result, Manning became a popular figure in the LGBT community. President Obama commuted Manning’s sentence earlier this year, less than four years after the convictions.

Nash says Bergdahl is just the latest example of a cultural agenda infecting the military.

“If this were the only thing to have happened, that would be one thing,” said Nash. “But it’s not. It has been a constant erosion and politicization of the military. And it’s got to stop, because the military is that shield for this nation.”

He says the erosion has been underway for decades.

“It has been since the early ’90s. What you’re seeing is social engineering that is corrupting the military ethos. It’s corrupting good order and discipline. It is the political left in this country that has always been trying to weaken America and now they’ve gotten to the last vestige of true meritocracy,” said Nash.

Nash contends that the politically correct bedrock of dividing people based on gender, race, and other criteria is a direct contradiction with the message drilled into the armed forces.

“It doesn’t matter what service. They all have one thing in common, and that is the training programs. Those are to soften personal identity and build team identity, where it’s “us,” it’s “we,” it’s “team.” Once that is inculcated, then that person fits into that military organization,” said Nash.

“Now all of a sudden it’s, ‘Let’s go back and break that cohesion up. Let’s identify the differences.’ It’s not differences that really help in a team. It’s one team, one fight. That’s what helps,” said Nash.

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