Monday, December 24, 2018

NATIONAL LAMPOON'S "CHRISTMAS VACATION 2018--Starring POTUS & The Senators-- #WALL-Y WORLD IS #SHUTDOWN..!!




Christmas shutdown: Why Washington let the government close

In many Republican leaders' eyes, Friday was the GOP's last chance to take the lead on budget negotiations before the start of the new session under a Democratic House. And by midweek, a deal seemed imminent.

Sides in fight over funding border wall move closer to each other, but no resolution in sight

WASHINGTON - Both sides in the long-running fight over funding President Donald Trump's U.S.-Mexico border wall appear to have moved toward each other, but a shutdown of one-fourth of the federal government entered Christmas without a clear resolution in sight. In fact, a top White House official warned the shutdown could stretch into January.

'All alone' Trump prods Dems to deal on border wall, as partial shutdown drags on

With no compromise in sight to end the partial government shutdown, President Trump on Monday urged Democratic leaders to "make a deal" on border security -- while those lawmakers countered that mixed messages from the White House are "making it impossible to know where they stand."

Government shutdown, day 3: White House awaits Democratic reply to 'counteroffer' to $5B for border wall

CLOSE WASHINGTON - As the partial government shutdown continues, the White House and congressional Republicans awaited a Democratic response to their "counteroffer" in negotiations over President Donald Trump's demand for $5 billion for a southern border wall.

Trump accuses Democrats of border wall hypocrisy

Amid a government shutdown centered on President Donald Trump's demands for border wall funding, the president again slammed Democrats on Monday for refusing to give him the funding levels he wants. "Virtually every Democrat we are dealing with today strongly supported a Border Wall or Fence," Trump tweeted.








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RED FLAG
Checkpoint Charlie: NATO, Article 5 and the Berlin Wall
There was no North American Treaty Organization, NATO, immediately following the close of World War Two. By the close of the decade, due to pressure from the Soviet Union, particularly in Germany, the alliance was formed with 12 initial members. The concept of “collective security” had been around for over 30 years, at least on the Continent, with respect to the World War One League of Nations; neither the United States nor the Soviet Union were members. (09 March 2025)
Red Flag: The U.S.-Japan Security Pact of 1960
The recent statement by the White House concerning a “bilateral” treaty between the United States and Japan from 1960 raised the issue of the former’s lack of a security-military commitment, with the latter doing the heavy lifting. It comes as no surprise in light of other treaties such as NATO in Europe with the U.S. again carrying The Weight.
Part and parcel to how it all unfolded had to do with certain ambiguous positions by the two nations coupled with the American public not totally informed of the agreement. The situation was quite different in Japan. (09 March 2025)

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BORDERLANDS
Ukraine: The Art of the (Peace) Deal
Nations are big on treaties, enforcing them is another matter. This paper traces some of the more recent, failed and otherwise, then takes a close look at one of the most controversial in history, The Versailles Treaty at the end of World War One. (09 March 2025)

Ukraine and The Rubio Doctrine The purpose of this report is to test the secretary’s three core principles against the Ukraine conflict to see if they are viable and would have been if he became president in the 2015 election. (09 March 2025)

Ukraine Betrayed: American Robber Barons to Steal Rare Minerals
Ukraine possesses significant reserves of rare earth minerals and other critical raw materials that are essential for modern technology and industry. According to reports, Ukraine has deposits of 22 out of 34 minerals identified as critical by the European Union. (09 March 2025)

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MOONDUNES
Space Station Freedom 1993: The “Fiscal Black Hole"
Space Station Freedom was a NASA-led initiative proposed in the 1980s aimed at creating a permanently crewed space station in low Earth orbit. The project was initially announced by President Ronald Reagan in his 1984 State of the Union Address, highlighting its potential as a platform for scientific research and international collaboration in space exploration. (09 March 2025)