The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 12, 2014 Page: 4 of 12
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Page 4
The Winkler County News
Thursday, June 5,2014
Editorial
Portrait of foreign-
policy disaster
By Dan Burton
President Obama’s foreign policy is a disaster. He talks, but whatever
he says carries no weight. Why? Let’s look at the record.
Mr. Obama and his team have squandered the hard-won security gains
in Iraq, which is teetering on the brink of anarchy again. Disaster.
The president famously called the War in Afghanistan “the right war,”
the war he was going to win. In truth, he never wanted to win; all he ever
really wanted was to get out. Now, Afghanistan’s stability has come into
serious question as international troops draw down. The U.S. spent 13
years in Afghanistan, and when we leave, the Taliban will be back and with
al Qaeda. The president also famously once said al Qaeda was on the ropes.
But al Qaeda’s flag is flying over more cities and villages in the Middle
East, Central Asia and Africa today than it did before Sept. 11, 2001. In
fact, on May 20, CNN reported that the U.S. intelligence community is
seriously concerned about a recent series of al Qaeda-based threats to attack
American and other Western targets in Europe, as well as threats to launch
attacks inside the United States. That doesn’t sound like an organization on
the ropes. Disaster.
Egypt, which used to be an ally of the United States and a stabilizing
force in the Middle East, is on the brink of either civil war or a military
dictatorship and is dealing more and more with Russia. Disaster.
Mr. Obama ignored the Constitution and Congress to go to war in
Libya “to stop the killing.” He so badly wanted to believe in the fantasy and
that he’d won and stabilized Libya that he ignored a deteriorating security
situation in Benghazi and cost four Americans their lives. Libya is no
success — it is, in fact, so unstable that the Pentagon is reportedly moving
military assets into place for a possible evacuation of Americans. Disaster.
The Syrian conflict, which began as a secular revolt, has taken on
a radical Islamist dimension. Some reports have even suggested that
radicalized Americans are training with the jihadists in Syria. Disaster.
The ill-advised interim nuclear accord between Iran and Western
powers expires in July. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said during a
recent visit to China that he is in “no hurry” to reach a final deal over
the country’s nuclear program. In a separate interview with China’s
CCTV network, he demanded that the Obama administration pay Tehran
reparations for “hostile policies” that have cost the Iranian people “much
loss and damage.” Apparently, the $7 billion in frozen assets released by the
Obama administration isn’t enough. Iran is still a state sponsor of terrorism,
actively working to undermine countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and
Azerbaijan. It is actively working through surrogates such as Hamas and
Hezbollah to destroy our closest ally in the region, Israel. The Iranians have
also stepped up their efforts to confront the U.S. 5th Fleet and potentially
close the vital Strait of Honnuz. Disaster.
In Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is openly laughing at us.
Disaster.
In North Korea, the Kim Jong-un regime has stepped up its provocative
attacks on the South and is threatening to test a third nuclear device.
Disaster.
In Nigeria, about 275 schoolgirls were kidnapped by the radical Islamic
terrorist group Boko Haram (thought to be connected to other terrorist
groups, such as al Qaeda). The Obama State Department repeatedly resisted
and blocked efforts to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist group, throwing
away a major opportunity to track and target this deadly organization before
it grew into a regional threat. Now, hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls have
been taken to be either sold into slavery or killed. Disaster.
Finally, Mr. Obama released five of the worst terrorists in the world
(who should have been tried in a military court years ago) in exchange for
a deserter who, according to military leaders who served with him, cost
six soldiers their lives and endangered hundreds of others. The president
violated the law to do it. Major, major disaster.
It seems no matter where the Obama administration turns its head,
disaster follows. Our enemies are mocking us and our allies no longer
trust us to keep our word. Confronting foreign-policy challenges requires
leadership and statesmanship. Mr. Obama hasn’t demonstrated either.
Former Rep. Dan Burton, Indiana Republican, was a senior member of
the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chairman of its Europe, Eurasia
and emerging threats subcommittee.
(Reprinted from The Washington Times)
2014 POLITICAL CALENDAR
The rate for listing in The Winkler County News Political Column is $75
for all offices except those for City Council and School Board, which are
$50.
This fee includes a front page story and photograph and listing in The
News Political Calendar from the time paid until the election.
Charges for announcements must be paid in advance, and the same
policy applies to all political advertising carried in columns of this
newspaper.
Names for each office will be listed in the political column in the order
they are received at the newspaper office.
The Winkler County News has been authorized to announce the
following candidates for public office:
WINKLER COUNTY TREASURER
Eulonda Everest - Republican (Re-Election)
WINKLER COUNTY CLERK
Shethelia Reed - Republican (Re-Election)
WINKLER COUNTY TUDGE
Charles Wolf - Republican
WINKLER COUNTY
1USTICE OF THE PEACE
PRECINCTS 2 & 4
Glenda Mixon, Republican (Re-Election)
WINKLER COUNTY COMMISSIONER
PRECINCT 4
Billy Ray Thompson - Dem. (Re-Election)
WINKLER COUNTY COMMISSIONER
PRECINCT 2
Robby Wolf - Rep. (Re-Election)
CITY OF KERMIT MAYOR
Jerry Phillips
Brett Autrey
KERMIT CITY COUNCIL
District 5
Jim Rhymes
Norma Carrillo
STATE REPRESENTATIVE. DISTRICT 81
Brooks Landgraf - Republican
WINK CITY COUNCIL
Place 5
John Henderson
Cendy Antley
Capital
By Ed
Highlights
Sterling
EPA air pollution play sparks reactions
AUSTIN — The Obama
administration on June 2 publicized
what it termed “the first-ever plan to
reduce carbon pollution from power
plants.”
The plan, a set of proposed
actions to be administered by
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, states that, “cutting carbon
emissions will help prevent up to
6,500 premature deaths and 150,000
asthma attacks among children.”
In a news release of his own,
Gov. Rick Perry reacted, saying,
“President Obama’s decision to
impose drastic new restrictions on
America’s energy industry is the
most direct assault yet on the energy
providers that employ thousands of
Americans and fuel both our homes
and our nation’s economic growth.”
The Obama administration
further stated the plan would “reduce
electricity bills by approximately
8 percent by increasing energy
efficiency and reducing demand
in the electricity system, while
creating tens of thousands of jobs
across the country.”
But Perry said the air Texans
breathe today “is cleaner than it
was in 2000, even as our population
has grown by nearly 5.2 million
people” and “statewide, from 2000
to 2012, nitrogen oxide levels
from industrial sources were
reduced by 62.5 percent and from
2000 to 2012 ozone levels were
reduced by 23 percent, a 12 percent
greater reduction than the national
average.”
However, the Obama
administration pointed out that
governors would have “flexibility to
meet the proposed standards using
the energy sources that work best
for each state” and, “there’s no one-
size-fits-all approach here.”
Along with its plan to reduce
carbon pollution from power plants,
the White House posted a fact sheet
for Texas and one for each of the
other states. The Texas fact sheet
includes details under such headings
as: A Cleaner More Efficient Power
Sector in Texas, Improving the
Health of Texas Residents, and
Cutting Carbon Pollution in Texas.
State Sen. Rodney Ellis,
D-Houston, praised the Obama
administration’s proposed EPA
rules, saying, “There is an urgent
need to act, and the President has
answered the country’s call. My
preference is that Congress would
act, but we all know that’s not going
to happen.”
“Climate change is already
here: the country’s 12 hottest years
on record have come in the last
15 years and Texas is in the midst
of one of the worst droughts in
recorded history,” Ellis continued.
“If we want to leave our children
and grandchildren a safe and
healthy environment, we’ve got to
limit carbon emissions — just like
we’ve done with arsenic, mercury,
and other pollutants,” Ellis added.
Republicans hold convention
An estimated 7,000 people
reportedly attended the 2014 state
convention of the Republican Party
of Texas, June 5-7, in Fort Worth.
GOP candidates who won March
primaries or primary runoffs on May
27 were confirmed as nominees.
Delegates participated in a
straw poll for the presidency in
2016: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz drew 43
percent of the vote to Gov. Perry’s
11.7 percent. Among various topics
drawing media attention were
debates over immigration policy,
optional “gay conversion therapy”
counseling for homosexuals and
Second Amendment rights.
States settle with drug maker
Attorney General Greg Abbott
on June 4 announced Texas and 43
other state attorneys general secured
a $105 million agreement with drug
maker GlaxoSmithKline LLC.
The agreement resolves a
multi state investigation against the
company for unlawfully promoting
its asthma drug Advair and its
antidepressant drugs Paxil and
Wellbutrin.
Under the settlement
agreement, GlaxoSmithKline must
pay the State of Texas a total of
TU
MEMBER
2014
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$6.2 million, Abbott said, pointing
out that the drug maker violated
state consumer protection law
by misrepresenting the uses and
qualities of the three named drugs.
State and federal law
generally prohibits pharmaceutical
manufacturers from marketing their
drugs for “off-label” uses that have
not been approved by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration, Abbott
said.
Comptroller honors law-
maker
State Comptroller Susan
Combs on June 5 awarded state
Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana,
with a “True Texas Hero Award” for
his leadership in authoring two bills
passed by the Texas Legislature.
The Legislature passed Cook’s
House Bill 11 in 2007 and HB 11
in 2011, identically numbered bills
requiring electronic reporting for
all wholesale alcohol and tobacco
sales. Those bills “made it easier
for the comptroller to identify
and investigate retailers who
either under-collected sales tax or
collected sales taxes but failed to
remit the proceeds to the state,”
Combs said, adding that the bills
“have helped the state gain more
than $523 million in tax revenue.”
DPS joins inspection effort
Texas Department of Public
Safety last week announced that
state troopers, inspectors and
investigators would participate
in intensified commercial vehicle
inspections from June 3 to June
5 as part of Roadcheck 2014, a
nationwide enforcement effort to
increase motor carrier, vehicle,
driver and cargo safety and security.
Ed Sterling
Texas Press Association
Director of Member Services
718 West Fifth Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512)477-6755
Liberal Bully
of the Week:
Obamacare
By Rusty Humphries
Normally, the Bully of the
Week Award is reserved for an
individual person or a distinct
group of people. I guess you
could say Obamacare is a group of
people, if you count the hundreds
of thousands of bureaucrats and
Internal Revenue Service agents
involved in enforcing it.
Obamacare “customers”
certainly do seem to feel bullied.
A new poll from Enroll America, a
group created specifically to support
the Affordable Care Act, asked
people who bought Obamacare
policies to choose from a list of 15
reasons they made their purchase.
The most common response was
“Because it’s the law,” with 36
percent. “Because I didn’t want to
pay the fine” came in third, with 34
percent.
An even higher percentage of
young people — who get the worst
deal out of Obamacare, paying sky-
high premiums for benefits they’ll
probably never use — said they
enrolled because they were afraid
of the individual mandate. Overall,
40 percent of respondents to the
poll said they might not have signed
up for Obamacare, if not for the
mandate.
On April Fools’ Day, President
Obama bounced into the White
House Rose Garden to celebrate
his success at using fines and legal
penalties to force millions of people
to buy a health care policy.
Knowing how much of a bully
Obamacare is makes it even stranger
that the enrollment numbers have
been so low. You would think even
more people would have bought in
to the system to escape the fines and
comply with the law. Maybe we
should conduct a poll of the people
who thought it was better to pay
the individual fine and escape from
Obamacare, to find out how many of
them there are and what they were
thinking. It would also be interesting
to know how many people changed
their minds and dropped out of
Obamacare after the enrollment
period was over. Did you know the
Obama administration refuses to
disclose that number? Also, we just
discovered this week that up to 2
million of the plans purchased under
Obamacare contained glitches from
its crazy website and might result
in incorrect payment demands, or
even canceled coverage. It’s always
been thought that a million or two
of those Obamacare enrollments
were invalid to begin with. We
don’t really know how many people
are actually signed up right now.
However, if 40 percent of
the claimed 7 million to 9 million
enrollees would rather not have
been part of Obamacare, that’s good
enough to earn it Bully of the Week.
Not even Godzilla can frighten that
many people at once.
The Obamacare monster is just
getting wanned up. It’s grown so
huge that the Congressional Budget
Office announced this week that it
would no longer attempt to estimate
(See LIBERAL, page 5)
The wrong way
to close Guantanamo
By Robert N. Tracci
President Obama signed an
executive order on Jan. 22, 2009,
directing the closure of Guantanamo
Bay by that year’s end. Facing
continued bipartisan opposition
to closing Guantanamo more than
five years later, the administration
unilaterally emptied it of some of
its most deadly detainees. Congress
has an obligation to establish a
select committee to find out why
and to ensure it does not happen
again.
For decades, the U.S.
government has publicly refused
to “negotiate with terrorists.” This
serves obvious purposes: Bartering
with terrorists provides incentive
to terrorist activity. Yet those who
condemned President Reagan for
ignoring this policy now celebrate
trading five notorious terrorist
leaders for a reported Army deserter.
The five Taliban commanders
swapped for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl
were among the most dangerous
held at Guantanamo Bay. The
Taliban-aligned Haqqani Network
has kidnapped journalists, launched
bloody attacks on civilian targets
including hotels, deployed suicide
bombers who have killed hundreds,
and attacked American military
and diplomatic posts, including the
U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Sept. 12,
2011.
Rather than debating the merits
of negotiating with terrorists, the
administration curiously refuses
to acknowledge it did so. Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel and
outgoing White House spokesman
Jay Carney described the swap
as a Qatari-mediated “prisoner of
war exchange.” National Security
Adviser Susan Rice asserted that
the “prisoner exchange” preserved
America’s “sacred obligation”
to leave no soldier behind on
the battlefield. One wishes this
commitment extended to Benghazi
or the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
Peddling the “prisoner of war
exchange” narrative might tame the
immediate political backlash, but
referring to Guantanamo detainees
as prisoners of war may alter the
legal landscape governing detention
of those responsible for Sept. 11 and
other attacks in a manner calculated
to compel Guantanamo’s closure.
The White House strategy to
bypass the law and shut Guantanamo
is audaciously simple. First, by
invoking “exigent circumstances,”
the president created a precedent
for future unilateral transfers
predicated upon the president’s
perceived Article II authority.
Second, using the exigency pretext
to clear Guantanamo of what Sen.
John McCain described as the “the
hardest of the hard core” detainees,
the president undercut another
justification for its continued
operation.
Since the issuance of a Nov.
13, 2001, presidential order,
members of al Qaeda, the Taliban
and other terrorist organizations are
eligible for United States military
detention as “enemy combatants.”
However, characterizing the trade
as a “prisoner of war exchange”
may legitimize Taliban claims its
members are entitled to protection
under the Geneva Convention.
Awarding Geneva status to
Taliban militants vitiates another
(See WRONG, page 5)
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Parks, Phil. The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 22, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 12, 2014, newspaper, June 12, 2014; Kermit, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth790737/m1/4/: accessed April 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Winkler County Library.