e-News 1/22/16

• Secretary of State Kerry Restates the Obvious
• “Meet the Friends of Iran’s Military Pardoned by Obama”
• Listening tour Continues
• Salute:  CCM President Ed Yaw
• Storm Preparation Resources

Secretary of State Kerry Restates the Obvious

As you will recall, one of the arguments I made against approval and implementation of President Obama’s Iran nuclear deal was that the massive funding freed up in the sanctions relief offered to Iran would fall into the hands of terrorists who have killed Americans and threatened our allies.  

Back in August, I wrote in the New Jersey Jewish News, “The regime’s Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force is active across the globe.  Eight years ago, the Quds Force was killing American soldiers in Iraq, possibly as many as one-thousand!  Hundreds more were maimed and scarred for life by the armor-piercing ‘explosively formed penetrators’ produced inside Iran.  Now, the Obama Administration has negotiated a deal that will, in effect, provide Quds Force Commander Qassem Suleimani, already labeled “the most dangerous man on the planet,” more resources with which to attack American soldiers now and in the future. This deal may give him and hundreds of his associates the ability to move freely as travel restrictions are lifted under its provisions.”  You can read my complete Op-Ed here.

Incredibly, this week, one of the foremost advocates for the flawed nuclear weapons agreement, Secretary of State John Kerry admitted that he agrees with this position.  Secretary of State John Kerry said:

“I think some of it [the sanctions relief] will end up in the hands of the IRGC [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps] or other entities, some of which are labeled terrorists,” Kerry said.

Of course. These groups are “labeled” terrorists for a reason. These organizations include;

• Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organizations that explicitly seeks the destruction of Israel.  Hamas fires rockets at random toward Israeli civilians.
• Hezbollah, which had conducted multiple terrorist attacks, including the 1983 attack against the U.S. Embassy and Marine Barracks in Lebanon, hides behind civilians while building an arsenal against Israel, and also seeks the destruction of the Jewish state.
• The Houthis, a “proxy” force for Iran, have thrown Yemen into chaos an enabled al Qaeda to re-emerge as a dominant source of terrorism in this area!

So in return for a deal that allows Iran to get nuclear weapons in 10 to 15 years, President Obama is allowing Iran access to money to fund the exact type of terrorism that continues to drive instability in the Middle East and threaten America and our allies around the globe.

In effect, President Obama and Secretary Kerry are opening up the bank for some of the worst terrorists in the world.  Of course, the nuclear weapons agreement has no effect of conventional arms.

The Middle East is being reshaped in a way that threatens American interests and the security of our allies. Sanctions relief that funds terrorism only further empowers the Iran-Damascus-Moscow coalition. This new “axis” cares very little about regional stability or basic human rights and works relentlessly to consolidate its own power and diminish America’s traditional leadership in this vital area.

Without a doubt, this is a recipe for crisis, bloodshed and new threats to our homeland.

Read “Meet the Friends of Iran’s Military Pardoned by Obama” by David Locke Hall in the Thursday Wall Street Journal here.

Listening Tour Continues

My ongoing “Listening Tour” continued this week as I met with members of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce at their annual luncheon.  Our local businessmen and women expressed their growing concern about the slowing economy, unnecessary government regulations and instability in financial markets.  But, they also expressed deep concern about our national security: the threat of ISIL and al Qaeda, violence in Iraq and Syria, the growing threat from Russia and China.

Salute: To County College of Morris President Dr. Edward Yawwhose 30 years at the helm of CCM earned him the William Huber Award for Outstanding Community Leadership!  Congratulations Ed!

Storm Preparation Resources

As I write this, northern New Jersey is preparing for another major winter storm.  While we are no strangers to this kind of weather, it never hurts to review precautions to ensure your safety.  You can find a great deal of good information from the Federal Emergency Management Agencyhere.

The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management Agency offers resources here.

For Morris County residents

The Morris County OEM page can be accessed here.

Morris County’s 24/7 phone number is: 973-285-2900

For Essex County residents

The Essex County OEM website can be accessed here.

Essex County’s 24/7 phone number is: 973-621-4111

For Passaic County residents

The Passaic County OEM website can be accessed here.

Passaic County’s 24/7 phone number is: 973-389-5951

For Sussex County residents

Sussex County’s OEM website can be accessed here.

Sussex County’s 24/7 phone number is: 973-579-0888