Thursday, October 10, 2019
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary Bauer
Rotten Apple
The corporate cave in to communist China continues. Apple bowed to demands of the Chinese government by removing an app sold on iPhones in Hong Kong. The app enabled Hong Kong's residents to know where the police are.
Those who are pro-law enforcement, as I am, may be inclined to think that Apple was right to remove the app. But Apple isn't taking a stand for cops. It's looking out for its bottom line in mainland China.
The Waze traffic app used in the U.S. tells users where the police are. Many people use it to slow down and avoid speeding tickets. Some groups in the U.S. have argued that the app enables drunk drivers to avoid police check points. Apple turned a deaf ear to those pleas.
What about Apple's general attitude toward law enforcement? After the San Bernardino terrorist shooting, Apple bitterly resisted calls to cooperate with law enforcement when the FBI desperately wanted to gain access to the jihadists' cell phones.
It appears that the only police and law enforcement agencies that Apple is interested in cooperating with are the ones oppressing the citizens of Hong Kong, who merely want the same freedom that Americans enjoy. By the way, that's the freedom American corporations told us would take root in China if only we would trade with them.
If you missed my opinion piece yesterday at The Washington Examiner on corporate America's sellout to communist China, I urge you to check it out here.
Threatening Our Rights
As I have repeatedly argued, we were told that opening up trade with China would change China. I have responded that trade with China was much more likely to change us.
Let me put an even finer point on it: We were told that trade with China would bring more civil liberties there. But trade with China is now restricting our civil liberties here in America. Yes, you read that right.
The Global Times, a Chinese state media outlet, recently blasted Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, whose pro-democracy tweet triggered Beijing's communist regime. Just consider these excerpts from the Chinese propaganda outlet:
"Commercial and cultural organizations which engage in transnational operations should manage their attitudes and statements over sensitive issues. . . Some Americans try to link Morey's tweet with so-called "freedom of speech." That is ridiculous. . .
"The problem is that Morey's freedom is at the expense of Rockets' huge commercial interests, which the team is unwilling to give up. It's a paradox with which Americans are grappling. . .
"The biggest lesson which can be drawn from the matter is that entities that value commercial interests must make their members speak cautiously."
In other words, Beijing's communists are putting our companies on notice: Tell your employees to shut up. ESPN and others have already obliged.
Just how much liberty are we willing to surrender in order to pay a few dollars less for a TV or cellphone made in a Chinese sweatshop?
Minnesota Nice?
While we're on the topic of free speech in America, we're just a few hours away from the president's rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota. God willing, it will be just like other Trump rallies with tens of thousands of patriots hearing a stirring message about America.
Unfortunately, tonight has the potential to be a disaster, and not because of anything Donald Trump will do or say.
The far-left mayor of Minneapolis and the city's entire left-wing political establishment have spent weeks rhetorically inflaming their radical base. It's the kind of rhetoric that the left routinely denounces as hate speech. Even the state's biggest newspaper ran an editorial saying the mayor and city leaders "botched their response" to the Trump rally.
As we previously noted, many Minneapolis police officers are furious because the mayor is trying to suppress their presence at the rally.
Believing local politicians are behind them, dozens of radical groups have called for mass demonstrations against tonight's rally. This could easily turn into a riot.
Of course, Antifa is in the mix. Their online call to arms read, "[Trump] wants to keep America great, but . . . AMERICA IS CANCELED. Join us to celebrate with an anti-capitalist bloc. . . and come prepared to disrupt the nightmare that is Trump." Some reports suggest that "thousands" of demonstrators could descend on the Target Center.
Once again we see how the left, which routinely accuses Trump of violating the Constitution, is attacking normal political practice in America.
They want Trump banned from social media.
They want his ads blocked.
They want his spokesman banned from news shows.
They want critical voices silenced.
They want Trump's rallies canceled.
The left routinely used violence hoping to cause riots at Trump rallies in 2016, and they are still at it.
These are the kinds of despicable tactics you use if you don't care whether the country is destroyed in the process because you hate the other side so much.
Thousands of conservatives will stand in line for hours in order to attend the president's rally. The city of Minneapolis has absolutely nothing to fear from their presence. The same cannot be said for Antifa and the other left-wing demonstrators. I pray there is adequate police protection on hand.
Demanding Accountability
I am pleased to report that congressional conservatives are stepping up their attacks on Pelosi's impeachment charade.
In yesterday's report, I noted that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham is launching his own investigation of corruption in Ukraine.
He's also urging his Senate colleagues to sign a letter informing Speaker Pelosi that the president's call with the Ukrainian leader is not an impeachable offense. And he is vowing to force the CIA whistleblower to testify publicly so the president is not subjected to anonymous smears.
Earlier this week, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff gave a brief statement to reporters -- without taking any questions. After Schiff left, several members of the House Freedom Caucus stepped up to the microphones and spoke with reporters for more than 20 minutes debunking the Ukraine/impeachment hoax.
One hundred House Republicans have signed onto a resolution censuring Rep. Schiff.
On a related note, I am also pleased to report that nine members of the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote to Attorney General Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray this week demanding accountability for the left-wing activists who smeared Brett Kavanaugh with false charges during last year's confirmation hearing.
Did you hear about any of this on the evening news? I suspect not because the left-wing media have no interest in telling you what conservatives in Congress are doing.
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