The Senate Intelligence Committee Latest’s Report: Russia Interfered in the American Presidential Election to Help Donald Trump

           The latest report of the Republican-majority United States Senate Intelligence Committee has been published: https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Report_Volume4.pdf.  

           The Committee came to a unanimous conclusion that the numerous American intelligence agencies’ findings were reached through sound sourcing and the agencies’ analyses were reasonable and conclusions accurate that the Russian Federation, at the initiative of tyrant Vladimir Putin, had interfered in the U.S. presidential election in 2016 on behalf of Donald Trump’s candidacy.  The consensus of the Intelligence Community was reached without any political bias, the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee found.

Foreign Digest: Syria and China

Syria

            Germany began putting on trial last week Syrian regime officers for crimes against humanity, including torture.  Their accusers will be the first to face any of the Baathist regime’s agents in court.  The tyrant of Syria, Bashar Assad, a state sponsor of terrorism, orders atrocities, including the use of chemical weapons, against the Syrian people who have rebelled against his rule.  Both non-Islamists and Islamist Arabs, in addition to Kurds, have risen up against the Baathist regime.  Assad is backed by Iran, the Russian Federation and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi’ite terrorists sponsored by Iran.  The United States and its Western and Arab allies, aided some non-Islamist Arab and Kurdish rebels, but focused primarily on fighting Islamist terrorists, such as al-Qaeda and its offshoot, the “Islamic State.”  Turkey, where there is Kurdish separatism, backs its own Arab rebels.

Meanwhile, Israel has increasingly been striking Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria in recent weeks.

China

            Communist China is using propaganda and disinformation tactics like those used successfully by the Russian Federation, led by tyrant Vladimir Putin.  Instead of only promoting positive images of Communist China, Peking is promoting contradictory conspiracy theories in the West, particularly about the novel coronavirus, in order to undermine confidence in the truth.  Iran has also increased its propaganda efforts   Russia succeeded in electing its preferred candidate, Donald Trump, President of the United States after a “sweeping and systematic,” according to the American Special Counsel and confirmed by the Senate Intelligence Committee, effective active measures campaign led by the former Soviet intelligence officer Putin, among other examples of interference in Western politics.

           A dissident Hong Kong book store owner defected to the Republic of China because his sale of books critical of Communist China jeopardized his liberty, as Peking has been violating its promise to respect the city-state’s autonomy and freedom after reversion from British rule in 1997.

The Pennsylvania Primary Election Has Been Postponed until June 2

           The 2020 Pennsylvania Primary, originally scheduled for April 21, has been postponed until Tuesday, June 2 by a bill approved by the Republican-led General Assembly and signed into law by the Democratic Governor because of the coronavirus pandemic.

            This year, all of the election reforms passed last year that I had posted about in my post Conservative Analysis of the Pennsylvania Election Reform of 2019 from November,  https://williamcinfici.blogspot.com/2019/11/conservative-analysis-of-pennsylvania.html, are now in effect, including a provision allowing no-excuse voting by mail.  Although there are numerous concerns about voting by mail, including the reliability of mail delivery, absent adequate safety precautions, a safer option than in-person voting is necessary to protect poll workers and voters from contagion, and the law permits the drop-off of the ballot at the polling place on Election Day, starting at 7:00 AM.  The deadline for drop-off has been extended to 8:00 PM, when the polls close.

            On the ballot are the major parties’ nominations for President, Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the party’s Conventions, statewide row offices, as well as seats in the United States House of Representatives, State Senate and House.  Democratic and Republic State Committee members will also be elected.

           Ballot questions will be voted on in some municipalities, including five proposed amendments to the City of Reading’s Home Rule Charter, as proposed by the Charter Review Commission I chaired.  Those who are not a member of either major party may not vote for nominations for offices or party office elections, but may vote on the referendums.

Foreign Digest: Hungary, Syria and China

Hungary

            The Hungarian Parliament, led by far-right nationalists, the week before last gave the authoritarian Prime Minister the power for an indefinite period to rule by decree and to suspend the legislature and even parliamentary elections, using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to seize more powers.  The first powers exercised were used for non-pandemic matters. 

Hungary has become increasingly autocratic and corrupt.  Several fellow European Union members have warned about the excessive measures eroding representative government and liberty.  The European People’s party, of which the ruling Hungarian party is a suspended member, should consider expelling it, if the measure is not lifted within a reasonable time.

Syria

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, of which 193 States are members, including Syria, reports Syria’s Bashar Assad regime used chlorine and sarin gas on civilian targets in 2017 during the Syrian Civil War.  The Baathist regime had lied that its chemical weapons had been re-purposed to conventional weapons, but had provided no proof of the conversion. 

The war has lasted nine years and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions.  Non-Islamist Arabs and Kurds and Islamists have rebelled against the tyrant Assad.  Iran, the Russian Federation and the Lebanese Shi’ite terrorist organization back Assad.  The United States and some Western and Arab allies were fighting the Islamist terrorists in Syria while supporting some non-Islamist Arabs and Kurds, with Turkey, ever-wary of the Kurds because of domestic concerns about separatism, backing its own faction.  The U.S. did punish Assad in 2017 with limited air strikes for using chemical weapons.  Israel has also struck weapons of mass destruction targets in Syria before and during the war.  Russia, led by tyrant Vladimir Putin, has consistently defended Assad at the United Nations from allegations of using chemical weapons.  Russian forces had targeted hospitals and aid convoys with bombing for their Syrian ally.

China

            There were several arrests last week of leaders of peaceful protests in Hong Kong over the years that had taken place over the last several years.

           Communist China had promised when the city-state reverted to Chinese rule from British rule in 1997 that it would respect Hong Kong’s autonomy and liberty, but Peking has increasingly encroached on the territory’s freedom.  Mass protests were sparked last year when the Peking-dominated territorial government proposed an extradition law that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be deported to the mainland for suspicion of crimes committed in the territory, which could have been a tool against dissidents.  The outcry forced the measure to be withdrawn, but other concerns remain, including the treatment of protestors, which have been validated by the latest roundup.

Happy Easter! Hope during the Pandemic and Solidarity amid Distancing

           Happy Easter!  Christ is risen and gives hope to the world during this time of sickness and death.  Despite the pandemic and the necessary social distancing and restrictions on public gatherings, there is solidarity among Christians, united through the Savior, Jesus.  As our ancestors endured even worse plagues and other difficulties, we, too, shall overcome, placing our trust in the Lord.  May God bless you.  Stay safe and healthy.

Eleven-Year Blog Visit Report

           Thank you for visiting my blog.  StatCounter has tracked well over 7,300 visits to my blog since April 2009, strictly counting, which means not counting my own visits or those for which it is unknown what page the visitor viewed, or page views less than one hour apart, and not counting total pageviews.  It tracks visits with much greater specificity than Blogger, the blog host, although the latter tracks far more visits and pageviews.  The trend in the last few years of the majority of visits being of the blog homepage, instead of individual posts, continues.  As always, repeat visitors are most appreciated. 

           In this time of rising authoritarianism around the world and now a pandemic, writing to promote truth, good language, liberty and representative government is more critical than ever.  Please continue to visit this blog regularly.  Again, thank you for your visits and support.