Cliff Kincaid
Republicans must investigate where the media fear to tread
By Cliff Kincaid
On Saturday and Sunday, The Washington Post's liberal reporters warned that Republican victories in November on the national and state levels have given the GOP the opportunity this year to become "aggressive" and pass their own legislation and initiatives. "GOP will flex muscles in the states" ran on Saturday, with an article, "Eager GOP sets its goals," about their national effort running on Sunday. But there is something else the Republicans could do to really strike fear into the hearts of liberals – restore internal security panels that once examined "un-American" activities.
The liberal media are terrified that Republicans will actually do something with their power. On foreign policy, the Post feared that Republicans could put in jeopardy President Obama's "outreach to Cuba and Iran." The term "outreach" implies that Obama is pursuing a wise and correct approach to our enemies in the communist and Muslim worlds. This is how a major liberal paper attempts to intimidate Republicans into letting Obama and the far-left have their way. Let's hope the Republicans are smart enough to see through this propaganda disguised as "news."
The liberals are worried indeed, because, as the Post notes, there are 246 Republicans in the House, the party's largest majority since just after World War II, and the GOP now controls 31 governorships and 68 of 98 partisan legislative chambers.
On the national level, there is no formal process underway to re-establish a House or Senate internal security panel, but the need is clearly there. The proceedings of old House and Senate panels on un-American Activities or internal security have proven to be absolutely essential in understanding the rise of Barack Obama and the modern "progressive" movement. Hearings into communist activities in America were cited by such books such as Jerome Corsi's The Obama Nation and David Freddoso's The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate. That's because Obama's Marxist mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, and his lawyer, Harriet Bouslog, had figured so prominently in the investigations of Soviet-sponsored networks on American soil. Bouslog defended Davis against charges that not only was he a member of the Communist Party, but a suspected Soviet espionage agent.
The Republicans have controlled the House and conducted some worthwhile investigations. The Post refers to these as probes into "alleged" wrongdoing at the IRS, the Department of Justice, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Such hearings were necessary because of the media's failure to aggressively investigate the Obama administration. Congress has failed, however, to investigate such topics as Muslim Brotherhood penetration of the executive branch. That's why panels looking at internal security are so desperately needed.
The failure of the House to investigate the Muslim Brotherhood lies at the feet of House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), who denounced his fellow Republicans when they sought a probe of Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin's controversial foreign Muslim connections. Boehner was also slow to embrace a special committee to investigate Benghazi.
Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy notes that the Muslim Brotherhood's influence is so pervasive within the U.S. government and civil institutions "that a serious, sustained and rigorous investigation of the phenomenon" is in order. He adds, "To that end, we need to establish a new and improved counterpart to the Cold War-era's HUAC [House committee on Un-American Activities] and charge it with examining and rooting out anti-American – and anti-constitutional – activities that constitute an even more insidious peril than those pursued by communist Fifth Columnists fifty years ago."
The House Homeland Security Committee, under the chairmanship of Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) has proven to be a major disappointment. He even refused to investigate the expansion of the Muslim Brotherhood channel, Al Jazeera, into the U.S. through the purchase of Al Gore's Current TV.
The Senate once had a Subcommittee on Security and Terrorism that held hearings in 1982 on such topics as "The role of Cuba in international terrorism and subversion." Such a subcommittee is badly needed today, as the Obama administration wants to drop Cuba from the official list of state sponsors of terrorism. Cuban dictator Raul Castro said of Obama's announcement: "His decision to review the unjustifiable inclusion of Cuba on the list of state sponsors of international terrorism is encouraging." It is time for Congress to once again document how Cuba sponsored such groups as the Weather Underground and the Puerto Rican FALN, and their bombing campaigns on American soil. The role of the Weather Underground in facilitating the prison escape of cop-killer Joanne Chesimard and her arrival in Cuba, where she remains, should be a prime topic of inquiry. She is living in Cuba with such fugitives as William Morales, the notorious FALN bomb-maker who also escaped from prison and fled.
In the same speech, Castro referred to the release from U.S. prison of the "Cuban Five" spies, saying, "I must reiterate our profound, sincere gratitude to all the solidarity movements and committees which struggled to obtain their freedom, and innumerable governments, parliaments, organizations, institutions and figures who made a valuable contribution."
These "solidarity movements and committees" have been active on American soil for many years. I covered one of their conferences last year at a Baptist church just a few blocks from the White House. It was orchestrated by the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C. and the Workers World Party, a Marxist-Leninist group. It is time for hearings into these activities and their role in the change in Obama's Cuba policy. If Cuba is given a full-fledged embassy in Washington, D.C., we can anticipate more spying and subversion on American soil. Is that in America's national interest?
The Post notes that, in the Senate, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), plans a "rigorous hearing process" on Obama's recognition of the communist regime in Cuba. But the hearings will prove to be inadequate unless the pro-Castro network in the U.S. is identified and examined – and we find out what the FBI knows about these "solidarity movements and committees."
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) can do some good work as the new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. But a subcommittee on internal security could be revived and do a lot of specialized work into the activities of the pro-Castro lobby.
In addition to re-establishing a congressional panel on internal security, Republican-controlled states can work in the same area. Some of the best hearings into internal subversion were conducted years ago by the state legislature in California through the California Un-American Activities Committee. The Golden state is no longer in the Republican camp, but a number of states now under Republican control could decide to form legislative committees or panels and open hearings in this area.
The creation of these committees would lead to cries of "McCarthyism." Papers like the Post would say that Republicans are being too "aggressive" and "partisan." But the conservative base is clearly demanding action to stem the tide of Obama's "fundamental transformation" of America. They know they can't count on the major media to investigate the Obama administration. Another opportunity like this may never happen again.
© Cliff Kincaid
January 6, 2015
On Saturday and Sunday, The Washington Post's liberal reporters warned that Republican victories in November on the national and state levels have given the GOP the opportunity this year to become "aggressive" and pass their own legislation and initiatives. "GOP will flex muscles in the states" ran on Saturday, with an article, "Eager GOP sets its goals," about their national effort running on Sunday. But there is something else the Republicans could do to really strike fear into the hearts of liberals – restore internal security panels that once examined "un-American" activities.
The liberal media are terrified that Republicans will actually do something with their power. On foreign policy, the Post feared that Republicans could put in jeopardy President Obama's "outreach to Cuba and Iran." The term "outreach" implies that Obama is pursuing a wise and correct approach to our enemies in the communist and Muslim worlds. This is how a major liberal paper attempts to intimidate Republicans into letting Obama and the far-left have their way. Let's hope the Republicans are smart enough to see through this propaganda disguised as "news."
The liberals are worried indeed, because, as the Post notes, there are 246 Republicans in the House, the party's largest majority since just after World War II, and the GOP now controls 31 governorships and 68 of 98 partisan legislative chambers.
On the national level, there is no formal process underway to re-establish a House or Senate internal security panel, but the need is clearly there. The proceedings of old House and Senate panels on un-American Activities or internal security have proven to be absolutely essential in understanding the rise of Barack Obama and the modern "progressive" movement. Hearings into communist activities in America were cited by such books such as Jerome Corsi's The Obama Nation and David Freddoso's The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media's Favorite Candidate. That's because Obama's Marxist mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, and his lawyer, Harriet Bouslog, had figured so prominently in the investigations of Soviet-sponsored networks on American soil. Bouslog defended Davis against charges that not only was he a member of the Communist Party, but a suspected Soviet espionage agent.
The Republicans have controlled the House and conducted some worthwhile investigations. The Post refers to these as probes into "alleged" wrongdoing at the IRS, the Department of Justice, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Such hearings were necessary because of the media's failure to aggressively investigate the Obama administration. Congress has failed, however, to investigate such topics as Muslim Brotherhood penetration of the executive branch. That's why panels looking at internal security are so desperately needed.
The failure of the House to investigate the Muslim Brotherhood lies at the feet of House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), who denounced his fellow Republicans when they sought a probe of Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin's controversial foreign Muslim connections. Boehner was also slow to embrace a special committee to investigate Benghazi.
Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy notes that the Muslim Brotherhood's influence is so pervasive within the U.S. government and civil institutions "that a serious, sustained and rigorous investigation of the phenomenon" is in order. He adds, "To that end, we need to establish a new and improved counterpart to the Cold War-era's HUAC [House committee on Un-American Activities] and charge it with examining and rooting out anti-American – and anti-constitutional – activities that constitute an even more insidious peril than those pursued by communist Fifth Columnists fifty years ago."
The House Homeland Security Committee, under the chairmanship of Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) has proven to be a major disappointment. He even refused to investigate the expansion of the Muslim Brotherhood channel, Al Jazeera, into the U.S. through the purchase of Al Gore's Current TV.
The Senate once had a Subcommittee on Security and Terrorism that held hearings in 1982 on such topics as "The role of Cuba in international terrorism and subversion." Such a subcommittee is badly needed today, as the Obama administration wants to drop Cuba from the official list of state sponsors of terrorism. Cuban dictator Raul Castro said of Obama's announcement: "His decision to review the unjustifiable inclusion of Cuba on the list of state sponsors of international terrorism is encouraging." It is time for Congress to once again document how Cuba sponsored such groups as the Weather Underground and the Puerto Rican FALN, and their bombing campaigns on American soil. The role of the Weather Underground in facilitating the prison escape of cop-killer Joanne Chesimard and her arrival in Cuba, where she remains, should be a prime topic of inquiry. She is living in Cuba with such fugitives as William Morales, the notorious FALN bomb-maker who also escaped from prison and fled.
In the same speech, Castro referred to the release from U.S. prison of the "Cuban Five" spies, saying, "I must reiterate our profound, sincere gratitude to all the solidarity movements and committees which struggled to obtain their freedom, and innumerable governments, parliaments, organizations, institutions and figures who made a valuable contribution."
These "solidarity movements and committees" have been active on American soil for many years. I covered one of their conferences last year at a Baptist church just a few blocks from the White House. It was orchestrated by the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C. and the Workers World Party, a Marxist-Leninist group. It is time for hearings into these activities and their role in the change in Obama's Cuba policy. If Cuba is given a full-fledged embassy in Washington, D.C., we can anticipate more spying and subversion on American soil. Is that in America's national interest?
The Post notes that, in the Senate, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), plans a "rigorous hearing process" on Obama's recognition of the communist regime in Cuba. But the hearings will prove to be inadequate unless the pro-Castro network in the U.S. is identified and examined – and we find out what the FBI knows about these "solidarity movements and committees."
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) can do some good work as the new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. But a subcommittee on internal security could be revived and do a lot of specialized work into the activities of the pro-Castro lobby.
In addition to re-establishing a congressional panel on internal security, Republican-controlled states can work in the same area. Some of the best hearings into internal subversion were conducted years ago by the state legislature in California through the California Un-American Activities Committee. The Golden state is no longer in the Republican camp, but a number of states now under Republican control could decide to form legislative committees or panels and open hearings in this area.
The creation of these committees would lead to cries of "McCarthyism." Papers like the Post would say that Republicans are being too "aggressive" and "partisan." But the conservative base is clearly demanding action to stem the tide of Obama's "fundamental transformation" of America. They know they can't count on the major media to investigate the Obama administration. Another opportunity like this may never happen again.
© Cliff Kincaid
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