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Your natural gas bills to jump ‘shockingly high’ across region, SoCalGas warns

January 8, 2023 By Kristy Hutchings 5 Comments

The cold snap, the drought and Russia’s war in Ukraine are fueling huge winter rate hikes

Southern California residents, get ready for a severe case of sticker shock as your natural gas bills across the region soar more than double this winter, according to the region’s two chief utility companies.

Southern California Gas Company — a subsidiary of Sempra Energy that serves more than 21.8 million customers in Central and Southern California — along with Long Beach Utilities, the city’s independent gas provider, recently warned customers to prepare for unavoidable increases in their gas bills this month.

“There’s no easy way to put this: January bills are likely to be shockingly high,” SoCalGas said in a Thursday, Dec. 29 announcement. “As a result, our customers can expect to see higher gas bills in the coming weeks.”

Long Beach Utilities put out a similar statement on Wednesday, Jan. 4.

Then on Jan. 6 SoCalGas announced a $1 million contribution to the Gas Assistance Fund, its program to help lower income customers pay their natural gas bills. Gillian Wright, senior vice president and chief customer officer at the utility, said, “We know that these higher prices have a real impact on our customers.”

SoCalGas rates are expected to more than double over the cost of last winter. If a customer’s natural gas bill totaled $130 last winter, for example, that household can expect a $315 bill this winter, according to the gas company. And the average Long Beach single-family residential customer should prepare for an increase of $200 or more on their bill, that city’s utility said.

“Facing the highest natural gas prices in Long Beach’s history, Long Beach Utilities took swift action to mitigate the impact on customers as much as possible,” the department said. “These actions will save customers $10 million and bring the average bill in at about 4 percent less than those of SoCalGas.”

Though gas bills tend to increase slightly during the winter as more gas is used to combat cold weather, both companies attributed the rate increases to corresponding hikes in the market cost of natural gas — which, for a slew of interconnected reasons including the California drought, unexpected severe cold snaps across the country, and Russia’s war in Ukraine has jumped about 128% since November.

“Our customers are understandably shocked by these high market prices suddenly experienced throughout Southern California,” Long Beach Utilities General Manager Chris Garner said in its announcement. “While there are legitimate market forces that have resulted in the cost increase, that does not ease the financial impact to our residents, who rely on natural gas to heat their homes, cook their food and warm their showers.”

Since late November, lower-than-usual temperatures have stretched from Western Canada to California, fueling an increased demand for natural gas. Natural gas consumption in both residential and consumer sectors throughout California and the Pacific Northwest was up 23% in the first three weeks of December, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

To make matters worse, natural gas supply has not kept pace with the increased demand and U.S. natural gas exports to Europe are up significantly, putting an even greater strain on availability.

“Europe relies heavily on Russian gas for its energy needs — especially during the wintertime with heating,” said Brian Peck, the University of Southern California’s Transnational Law and Business Center director in a Thursday, Jan. 5 interview. “And so as part of the U.S.-led effort to provide Western support for Ukraine, they have asked Europe to wean itself off of reliance on Russian gas.”

Earlier this year, President Joe Biden signed a deal with the European Union to increase American exports of liquified natural gas to Europe by 15 billion cubic meters. The deal came after both the U.S. and Britain issued bans on Russian oil — and pressured the EU to join the effort to undercut a major source of Russian revenue.

But for the EU, which gets more than 40% of its liquified natural gas from Russia — an outright ban on the fuel wasn’t possible without major economic consequences for its residents. Biden’s deal to expand gas shipments to the EU, Peck said, aimed to help wean the collection of countries off of Russian natural gas over the next five years.

“The U.S. has pledged to support exports of liquefied natural gas to help Europe wean itself off and become less reliant on Russian oil, which would then decrease gas revenues to Russia’s regime,” Peck said. “(It also) help(s) insulate Europe from Russia’s restrictions on gas until Europe can wean itself off the supply.”

International relations aren’t the only factor stressing the supply of natural gas in Southern California. Along with the new year, the state celebrated a much more grim milestone: Its fourth year of severe drought.

Though the recent storms have brought much-needed water to the state’s reservoirs, the situation remains bleak — with the Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors recently declaring a regional drought emergency, and asking its 26 member water agencies to consider implementing mandatory water conservation measures, in early December.

Though a majority of California’s electricity is still generated using natural gas, according to the state’s Energy Commission, about 10.2% of all California electricity is created with hydropower. The state’s shrinking water supply, though, has forced an even heavier reliance on natural gas for electricity production in recent years.

“We’ve seen a lot of reservoirs and dams that produce hydroelectricity struggling because of the drought,” said Long Beach Utilities spokesperson Lauren Gold Howland on Thursday. “There’s been more natural gas used to create electricity because of that.”

And because 90% of California’s natural gas supply is imported — largely from West Texas, the Rocky Mountains, and the Four Corners area — the state relies heavily on the health of a vast interstate of transport pipelines to receive its share of the supply.

Long Beach is slightly insulated from that issue with a few local natural gas suppliers, Gold Howland said, but those sources only account for a mere fraction of what’s needed to serve the whole city.

Capacity along that crucial interstate pipeline has suffered in recent months, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), as wholesale suppliers in West Texas, one of California’s main importers, have dealt with a series of maintenance issues.

A fire last June at Freeport LNG — one of Texas’ major liquified natural gas exports terminals — shut down that hub’s operations. Officials there have set, and then pushed back, a full reopening several times. The company most recently estimated a March 2023 operational restart.

And several other pipelines were shut down to undergo maintenance for normal wear and tear, according to Gold Howland.

“That makes a big difference on how much gas can be coming into the state,” she said.

Natural gas storage capacity in California’s underground reservoirs — three of which are in the Los Angeles area — has also been greatly reduced in recent years.

That’s partially due to the consequences of the massive natural gas leak at the Aliso Canyon storage facility in 2015, the biggest natural gas leak in U.S. history.

The Aliso Canyon facility shut down completely following the 2015 incident that released about 100,000 tons of methane and other chemicals into the air, and resulted in hundreds of lawsuits that cascaded into a $1.8 billion accord in 2021. SoCalGas and Sempra Energy agreed to settle claims filed by more than 35,000 victims.

Two years later, the California Public Utilities Commission and Department of Conservation reopened the facility at greatly reduced capacity.

“The issue there is still kind of a residual impact from the leaks that they had a few years back,” Gold Howland said. “It took a toll on the storage fields — and they’re trying to recover, basically.”

But the problem isn’t limited to Aliso Canyon or Southern California.

Natural gas levels in storage facilities across the Pacific Region — which includes California, Washington state, and Oregon — were 25% lower in December than a year earlier, according to the EIA, and 30% below the five-year average. “In Northern California, Pacific Gas and Electric’s injections, to rebuild natural gas inventories, have not kept pace with previous summers,” the EIA added.

SoCalGas and Long Beach Utilities, meanwhile, assured consumers that the bill increases won’t spike their own profits — and offered a series of tips to help consumers prepare for the inflated January bills.

Both companies advised natural gas users to lower their thermostats three to five degrees — which can result in up to a 10% reduction in heating costs. Washing clothes in cold water, limiting hot showers, turning down the temperature on your water heater, and limiting use of non-essential natural gas appliances may also help slightly.

“Resources are available to help customers manage higher bills, including payment plan options and reduced rates for seniors, those with disabilities and other income-qualified customers,” Long Beach Utilities said. Information about those programs is available on that department’s website.

Click here to read the full article in the Press-Enterprise

Filed Under: Trending News Tagged With: natural gas, Russia, SoCalGas

California secession leader abandons movement and moves to Russia

April 28, 2017 By Drew Gregory Lynch 14 Comments

One of the groups pushing for a California secession is abandoning their effort and the man who was leading the charge has moved to Russia.

Louis Marinelli, president of the Yes California Independence Campaign, announced the news in an official farewell statement last week.

“While Washington refused to act and the Americans continued to spew their hatred towards immigrants, Sacramento actively worked to protect our immigrants,” he said. “It was this contrast which motivated me to start this campaign for independence.”

The movement was always seen as a long-shot effort, but it highlighted the way in which many Californians have tried to distance themselves from Washington in the age of Trump.

The measure would have needed to get 585,407 valid signatures by July to qualify for the ballot in 2018.

“I have found in Russia a new happiness, a life without the albatross of frustration and resentment towards ones’ homeland, and a future detached from the partisan divisions and animosity that has thus far engulfed my entire adult life,” Marinelli added.

Furthermore, multiple donors pulled out of the effort due to fears of being tied to Putin, complicating a path forward for the movement.

“People got scared,” Ruiz Evans, vice president of Yes California told the Sacramento Bee. “They got spooked by what they saw on the news and pulled out.”

There were also constitutional hurdles, as a secession would have needed an amendment to the Constitution, meaning there would need to be approval by two-thirds of Congress and three-quarters of the state legislatures.

But still, Ruiz says he’s not giving up and plans to file a new “Calexit” proposal by May 1 in association with a new group called the California Freedom Coalition.

This piece was originally published by CalWatchdog.com

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Louis Marinelli, Russia, Yes California

The #NeverTrump Crowd Owes President Donald Trump An Apology

April 20, 2017 By Todd Royal 2 Comments

Before launching into this piece I know wonderful conservatives who are part of the #NeverTrump ideologues. I also have close, personal friends – even mentors – who are still part of this movement; but now for the good of the country, California and professional reputations I implore all of you to let prudence be your guide. Stop your continued misguided, ridiculous and frankly embarrassing behavior and admit he is a great, conservative president who actually stands up and fights for what is best for the United States and California.

Let’s review what President Trump accomplished in one week. He got Judge (now Associate Justice) Neil Gorsuch onto the Supreme Court, and according to Senator Tom Cotton (a former member of the 101^st Airborne, served in Iraq and Afghanistan), “Restored America’s credibility in the world,” after striking Syria over their chemical weapons attack. Senator Cotton further remarks:

“It’s also telling that the strikes in Syria occurred while President Trump dined with President Xi Jingping of China since the president has repeatedly expressed his concerned about North Korea and expects China to restrain Pyongyang.”

No fan of President Trump, Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, echoed the same sentiments as Sen. Cotton, that Trump understands the rough and tumble world of international diplomacy. He one-upped President Xi by making him wait an hour for his arrival at their recent summit the same way Ronald Reagan first greeted Gorbachev on a cold winter day wearing only a suit while Gorbachev was bundled in a heavy top coat and scarf. Trump understands what Obama didn’t, and the Chinese have begun changing their behavior after the summit, when it was reported by Reuters that China is turning back North Korean coal (North Korea’s main export) from their docks.

“But wait,” the #NeverTrump crowd will say, “Donald Trump is an ally of Putin and aligned himself with his crude behavior against American interests by wanting normalized relations with Russia.”

Sen. Cotton takes issue with that line of reasoning from the #NeverTrump crowd when he further stated in an op-ed for the New York Times (not the biggest President Trump fans by the way):

“Russia’s geopolitical standing has taken a severe blow. Mr. Putin was powerless to protect his client in Damascus. Moscow now faces a Hobson’s choice of empty words of condemnation or escalation on behalf of a global pariah, which risks further American action. After years of Russian aggression being met by empty American words, now Mr. Putin finds his credibility at stake.”

Or, as my former graduate school professor Victor Davis Hanson recently opined about “redline threats” in a brilliant article titled, “Ancient Laws, Modern Wars,” when smaller nations (Russia, China, North Korea, Iran) believe deterrence is nothing more than hollow words – which the former administration gave the U.S. and the world – then wars such as World War I are the outcome. Words need forcible actions and this president and his secretary of state are proving that on a daily basis.

Even a former high-ranking Obama administration official despaired over the moral depravity and ineptitude of her former colleagues and boss who knew chemical weapons were still in Syria, lied about it anyway, and did nothing to stop this latest chemical attack – except having the Treasury Department:

“Quietly introduce last minute treasury sanctions against Syrian officials involved in chemical warfare. Assad in particular.”

In other words, President Obama’s administration, led by former Secretary of State John Kerry (Kerry said, “100 percent of chemical weapons are out of Syria”), knew Putin and Russia had done nothing about Assad’s chemical weapons, continued the myth, or are such gross incompetents they had no idea that Putin’s government didn’t keep their promises to remove Assad’s chemical weapons.

That would mean the 16 U.S. government intelligence agencies, “that work separately and together to conduct intelligence activities considered necessary for the conduct of foreign relations and the nationals security of the United States,” never spoke with, wrote a memo of, or even had an underling relay that information (chemical weapons still exist in Syria) to President Obama, his national security team (led by Susan Rice), or former Secretary Kerry.

But the Republican purists and #NeverTrump crowd will still argue and debate President Trump’s merit as a leader, policymaker and how he isn’t presidential enough for their liking. As Dennis Prager articulates in a recent column: “Purists Kill Whatever They Believe In,” whether health care reform (Obamacare is still law costing hundreds of billions in taxes, wages and premiums), no hope of tax reform (also costing hundreds of billions), or not having the ability, reasonable level of competency and skill to actually govern, which purist Republican are demonstrating right now in California and the U.S. Congress.

Why wouldn’t he go to Twitter to bash his own party and the press? Given the above example does any reasonable person believe he will receive fair coverage by the press and his own party at this time?

Ironically, his tweets of Sweden being overrun by terrorist-immigrants and President Obama spying on him have more truth than falsehoods to them. Read Eli Lake’s piece in Bloomberg on Obama officials spying on Trump transition team members where NSA Susan Rice was behind breaking the law and high-ranking national security officials (Deputy Defense Secretary Evelyn Farkas) admitted to spying on the incoming administration along with high-ranking officials from the National Security Council, Department of Justice, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the CIA.

But Trump is a buffoon and un-presidential, correct? Now the Swedish Prime Minster has said, “His country will never go back to the days of mass immigration,” after the failed asylum seeker (who launched the recent Swedish terrorist attack) was let in Sweden without being vetted. The #NeverTrump crowd and Republican purists owe President Trump their deepest gratitude for their safety, because he doesn’t seem so wrong after all – now does he? And whom do you trust – the eloquent, former law school professor or the rough and tumble real estate developer?

Yet Republican policymakers are still blaming President Obama while not working with Trump for their inability to pass any of the above changes. This was confirmed by Congressman Frank Lucas (R-Ok.) to Politico when he said, “Clearly President Obama gave us a common focus. Now that he’s gone, we have to govern.”

Congressman Lucas and his ilk should be voted out of office. Either govern or at least support the president, because members like Congressman Lucas and California State Republican Senator Anthony Cannella are killing the Republican Party while making the case for the continuation of leftism perpetuated by the Democratic Party.

Using the reasoning that the enemy of the good is the perfect, here are a few questions for the #NeverTrump crowd: Who else was going to beat Secretary Clinton? I voted for Cruz and supported Rubio wholeheartedly until he dropped out of the race, but if it weren’t for Trump in Florida, Rubio loses, to the detriment of Florida and the country. Were Drs. Thomas Sowell and Victor Davis Hanson wrong for supporting Trump? Are they stupid, unwise, without domestic or international knowledge or simply non-prudent bumpkins? Not hardly.

Final question for The National Review and The Weekly Standard folks and California policymakers who didn’t support Trump, and still lost: After your high-priced and overpaid columns, speeches, lectures, luncheons, dinners, conferences, radio and television appearance along with week long cruises around the world, where you are all speak and no action, what would you have done if Hillary Clinton had won and the Democrats were in control?

Because for 99.9 percent of the world under assault from the U.S. and California Democratic Party over social issues (abortion, gay marriage – support it or else – transgender rights – also support it or else, and global warming – unfortunately, support it or else) not to mention the disaster that is taking place around the world echoed by Victor Davis Hanson and for California, written extensively by Joel Kotkin over its forthcoming financial and societal meltdown there are few options over our intrusive, leviathan government. What are your answers? As opposed to we hate Trump’s tweets and he isn’t Reagan?

Trump is confronting Russia, China, North Korea and Iran the way Reagan confronted Russia. Secretary Tillerson is exactly what is needed to deal with those four bastard countries. The day of niceties red-reset buttons with Russia are over.

Here’s what today’s Democrats are giving us: Higher taxes, horrible racist, crime-infested cities, poor infrastructure, failing universities and public education, higher taxes, global warming policies costing trillions and most Republicans go right along with it like lambs to the slaughter. Is it any wonder the country elected Trump? Paradoxically, these same Republicans and the #NeverTrump crowd still haven’t repealed Obamacare, cut taxes or begun rebuilding the military – it’s been Trump – and it’s why you owe him an apology. Begin working with him, and start preparing for the foreign policy disaster that is coming our way when California implodes and China/North Korea, Russia or Iran attacks us.

Todd Royal is a geopolitical risk and energy consultant based in Los Angeles.

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: China, Donald Trump, NeverTrump, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Todd Royal

There’s No Other Choice for California – America Has to Lead The World

March 24, 2017 By Todd Royal 1 Comment

Syria has become the disaster for a generation and Iran wants to lord over the Middle East along with anywhere else it can get its grips into a region or government by whatever means necessary. In Eastern Europe a resurgent Russia continues seizing Ukraine and Putin still believes the downfall of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century. Make no mistake; Russia seized Ukraine and South Ossetia illegally by force – against the post-World War II order where disputes are more than likely settled at the United Nations or through recognized diplomatic channels. In this regard California policymakers, elected officials and high-ranking commission members need to stop the anti-Trump campaign.

China still flexes its muscles in the South China Sea and only the U.S. steps up to lead through the chaos. The Pacific Ocean and East Asia are in California’s economic and security backyard. South America is also seeing disaster unfold with ungovernable regions in Central America, and Mexico’s disastrous narco-drug wars are directly affecting southern California. Venezuela is also on the brink of collapse. If Venezuela falls, South America could be looking at what Libya has become in North Africa – a breeding ground for this hemisphere’s version of ISIS – and ISIS is still on the march. It’s also not unheard of to think the ruthlessly sophisticated Mexican drug lords could use Venezuela’s oil the way Axis powers used fuel from conquered countries to further their ambitions. The ramifications of Venezuela falling are truly damning for California, and now Russia wants to claim Venezuelan oil assets (CITGO) in California over unpaid loans to Russian oil company, Rosneft.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Prime Minister of Denmark and Secretary General of NATO, argues effectively in his new book, “The Will to Lead” that only one country can lead the world out of the abyss – the United States of America – and I’d add only one state has the engineering ability and technological know-how to lead a renaissance in defense weaponry so America can lead – California. Mr. Rasmussen states, “There is only one nation (U.S.) in the world capable of putting out these fires.”

Californians will argue this isn’t fair. Why can’t other nations take the lead against tyranny? But after the Obama administration’s “leading from behind” policy and the isolationist tendencies of the U.S. before WWII these two historical facts illustrate why America and California can’t leave the world stage. According to Mr. Rasmussen, “Only America has the diplomatic reach, financial resources, and military firepower to lead the world against the Autocrats, rogues states, and terrorists.” When America doesn’t lead and confront evil, World War I & II, 9/11 and the failed Libyan invasion transpire. Does any credible source, organization or government believe anyone, but America, could’ve stopped the Soviet Union during the Cold War? It was California factories, manufacturing and technology, which led this victory for the world. The facts are overwhelming in favor of America and California leading the world, otherwise the human rights California believes in, as epitomized by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, won’t be realized.

Forget ideology and regime type and purely on a military and intelligence reach – only America – has the means and necessary resources to defeat worldwide alliances, failed MENA nations, and worldwide powers like Iran, China, ISIS, al-Qaida and Russia. Unless these terrorist entities and nation-states are defeated, deterred, isolated or balanced by the U.S., then freedom will give way to despotic, autocratic rule. If you are skeptical about American power or exceptionalism, then research the governing possibilities that exist in Africa, the Middle East, East Asia and South America to defeat today’s problems. Moreover, the world has a refugee problem because of brutal, stifling regimes in the MENA region and Central America. Not because these people want to leave their homelands for no reason at all. There literally aren’t opportunities for most of them and if you are a child or women you have almost zero human rights. When confronted with these facts do the California legislature, local policymakers and Governor Brown still want this vitriolic, anti-Trump rhetoric to continue? As Tom Brokaw said, “Rage isn’t a policy.”

Mr. Rasmussen further extrapolates what happens when America doesn’t lead. Moral greatness of other European nations wither, rising powers with hegemonic ambitions take the forefront, and refugees proliferate the EU. In March 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine that was the first European land-grab since the end of WWII, and was during the popular heyday of America shrinking back from her global responsibilities. Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry decried the invasion in these terms: “Unbelievable act of aggression. And you just don’t, in the 21^st century, behave in 19^th century fashion by invading another country on a trumped-up pretext.” Those forceful words (but only words) didn’t coax the Russians into different behavior, or return Crimea. If anything the Russians have only grown more emboldened to misbehave.

This type of thinking by the former secretary of state is dangerously naïve, though admirable, speaking those words publicly. Yet admiration and feel-good statements didn’t help the Ukrainians. Now Syrians, Iranians, Chinese, Venezuelans and many African people’s can also relate to feel-good sentiments that never help them leave poverty or other hopeless circumstances. And in today’s global world, California and the technological prowess of Silicon Valley and Silicon Beach in Los Angeles have to step to the forefront and confront these challenges while working with the Trump administration whether they like it or not.

Wars such as WWI and WWII – where approximately 77 million people died – could’ve been avoided with forceful American leadership. Only America led by California’s manufacturing and aerospace industries defeated Germany twice, routed Imperial Japan, crushed the Soviet Union during the Cold War and with California leading America can defeat the above-mentioned tyrannies devastating billions worldwide.

The post WWII order will cease to exist unless America leads, and California stops its fascist-like hatred of the president. Here’s why: Europe is too weak and divided and no Asian power is strong enough or has the diplomatic clout to balance and deter China. Additionally, the Libya mess is a direct result of America not taking the leading role, and the Europeans retreating after overthrowing the Libyan government.

Only America has the understanding of leading while not taking land, crushing people’s dreams, and being a power than just wants to be left alone. America conquers, and then gives back its conquests. This reason means America is the only country in the world with the moral authority and military might to confront today’s evils: sex trafficking, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation by powerful regimes. Again I ask, who else will lead like America – and does it for the sake of peace and prosperity – no one. And California could then be at the forefront of environmental issues that are important to California citizens. This is an opportunity to confront evil and make the world environmentally cleaner at the same time.

Most world powers today don’t agree with or even seem to understand the supposedly archaic ideas that come from balance of power, deterrence and preemption. In the exact opposite way of thinking currently happening from California’s elected officials they need to work with President Trump while acting with conviction to hold the President’s and Congress’ feet to the fire when it comes to enforcing redlines against murderous governments and terrorists that want to attack California.

Our freedom loving culture will rue the day if we don’t confront bad actors in our Pacific coast neighborhoods. If California wants stability, and vast worldwide economic expansion that has lifted billions out of poverty since WWII, then California has to use their economic might, and engaged citizenry to resist the urge of raging at the president for the sake of rage. The fires blazing in our hemisphere and globally won’t be put out if America continues turning inward and not forcefully taking hold of their world policeman responsibilities. And California would be prudent to support those actions.

Unfortunately for California where reason can prevail (unlike in most of the world) policymakers can’t just sit down with Premier Xi or Ayatollah Khomeini and quote the likes of Voltaire, Montesquieu and Locke while espousing the virtues of European enlightenment, and believe they will take a quantum leap forward in diplomatic affairs. The world is more medieval than we care to admit, but if we don’t return to American realist political enlightenment backed up by American military hardware that Californians built and supported for decades then we will return to that state of man decried by the Dark Ages.

Todd Royal is a geopolitical risk and energy consultant based in Los Angeles.

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: NATO, Russia, South China Sea, Ukraine, Venezuela

Democrats Finally See The Bear

January 18, 2017 By Bill Saracino 7 Comments

President Reagan’s 1984 re-election campaign ran a 30 second TV commercial titled “The Bear.” The video was simply a bear walking slowly through a forest. The narration was equally simple: “There is a bear in the woods. For some people, the bear is easy to see. Others don’t see it at all. Some people say the bear is tame. Others say it’s vicious and dangerous. Since no one can really be sure who’s right, isn’t it smart to be as strong as the bear? If there is a bear.” At the end of the narrative a man appeared on screen and the bear retreated.

The ad was devastatingly effective because the American people easily recognized the message. The Russian bear was roaming the world looking for countries and societies to swallow and force into a global communist “workers paradise.” President Reagan had been a lifelong opponent of communism, while American liberals were boosters of the Kremlin Commissars and vociferous opponents of Reagan, and any American politician who stood strong against communist imperialism.

Since at least 1968 the mainstream of the Democrat Party has been knee-jerk in its opposition to American anti-communism and equally knee-jerk in its support of Russian expansionism and mischief making around the globe. Jeanne Kirkpatrick, then America’s ambassador to the U.N., coined the phrase “Blame America First” to describe the Democrats at the 1984 GOP Convention. She was 100 percent correct and by 1984 the American electorate instinctively understood that. This understanding greatly contributed to Reagan’s 49 state sweep in the election.

Which brings us to the current Democrat hysteria about Russian “hacking” of our recent election – a pure fiction – and their artificial horror that President Trump has been civil to Russian President Putin. Here are two predictions you can take to the bank about all this: 1) The Democrat disdain for Russian authoritarianism is 100 percent phony, as 21^st century American liberalism is indistinguishable from Russian totalitarianism; and 2) At the first sign that the Commie Cossaks in Moscow are at odds with President Trump on any policy, the Democrats will pivot on a dime and revert to their slogan of “no enemies on the Left” which has guided their foreign policy positions for 50 years. Trump will be the bully and Putin the aggrieved good guy.

For those looking for a bit of déjà vu, feast on some of the epithets (for UCLA grads that means mean words) thrown at President Reagan.

“He has always been drawn to radical activities. He has a propensity toward right wing radical activities … a flawed person with a defective mind … Reagan has a bully syndrome, combined with a very inadequate personality … it’s a dangerous, dangerous, dangerous combination.” – Former CIA Director John Stockwell.

I listed this first so those with short attention spans can add some perspective to the current cow pies being thrown at President Trump by our “intelligence” agencies.

“He is the most dangerous person ever to come this close to the presidency … he is a menace to the human race.” – The Nation” magazine.

This rag is still publishing, and as you might guess said almost exactly the same thing about Donald Trump.

“He is shallow, superficial and frightening” – Time magazine.

Hmm, now where have I heard that recently?

“He’s a criminal who used the Constitution as toilet paper.” – Actor John Cusack, proving that the current generation of Hollywood “stars” is not the first to be brain dead.

Though there’s tons more I think you get the idea. But there’s one more historical tidbit that should not be overlooked in a conversation about Russia, America and elections. That is the fact that the waddling sot from Massachusetts – Senator Ted Kennedy – Democrat hero and role model to testosterone overloaded Democrats everywhere, directly – yes directly – asked the Kremlin Commissars to help defeat Reagan for re-election.

In 1984 communist aggression was still in full flower around the globe, from Afghanistan to Africa to Central America. Because of KGB files released after the collapse of the Soviet Union (thank you Ronald Reagan), we now know that the last “Camelot” torch bearer took time out from his pastimes of mainlining Scotch and drowning his secretarial staff to make secret overtures to the KGB to thwart Reagan’s re-election.

According to the February 2, 1992 “London Times,” “In a letter addressed to then-Soviet General Secretary Yuri Andropov, dated May 14, 1983, KGB head Viktor Chebrikov explained that Kennedy was eager to ‘counter the militaristic policies’ of Reagan.” Former Sen. John Tunney, D-Calif., who was Kennedy’s law school roommate at the University of Virginia, traveled to Moscow on May 9 and 10, 1983, just days before Chebrikov’s letter, presumably to make the plea in person.

This is not to imply that “Teddy” was a communist – he was not. He was a drunk and a whore-monger whose meager IQ points were easily overpowered by ambition and Johnny Walker Red. But is most certainly is to state unequivocally that the current Democrat shock at Russia taking an active interest in our elections is 100 percent phony. The Kennedy / KGB story has been in circulation without credible refutation for a decade or more.

I have no qualms about how President Trump will deal with Vladimir Putin. Trump and Putin will deal with each other as George Patton and the Russian General did in that memorable scene from “Patton,” when they finally agreed to toast the end of the war “one SOB to another.”

And while it is refreshing to hear that the Democrats finally acknowledge the existence of a dangerous bear in the world, and nice that they actually say something bad about Russia – we’ve been waiting only 50 years for them to do so – that tune will change the nanosecond that President Trump is at odds with Putin.

The Democrats will revert to their default foreign policy stance – regardless of the adversary or circumstance, the United States is wrong. There is no bear. Happily President Trump will be leading an America with a newly invigorated self respect and armed forces ready to oppose the bear, ISIS and any other threat to America’s freedoms. Amazing grace.

Bill Saracino is a member of the Editorial Board of CA Political Review.

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Bill Saracino, Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan, Russia, Vladimir Putin

The Unintended Geopolitical Consequences of Abortion

January 5, 2017 By Todd Royal 8 Comments

Using moderate counts of worldwide abortions there have been over 1.2 billion babies aborted since 1980. This works out to approximately one death by abortion for each second of the year. Seemingly there’s no comparison to the efficiency of ending human life than abortion. Murderous regimes, plagues and even the HIV-AIDS virus, which has ravaged mankind, all pale in comparison to abortion. Nothing equals abortion for having the geopolitical and social ramifications for nations and regimes. The extreme impact is now being seen globally.

As an example, take the low birth rates in countries such as Germany, Japan and Russia. These countries are below the replacement level, and their diminished birth levels, not counting abortion into the mix, are 1.5 babies or lower. These developed nations, and the United States, have older citizens retiring at rapid rates in places like Southern California and other affluent areas worldwide. California isn’t having babies anymore, and that is a direct affect of polices popularizing abortion. No American state is more pro-abortion than California, and the results are disastrous for the United States, and its geopolitical standing in the world.

Popular entitlement programs, such as the U.S. Social Security system, are in danger of insolvency, as populations shrink via lower birth rates and abortions. The issue becomes having less people working and paying taxes into these programs, and abortion is a major factor towards these issues.

European nations have to let in immigrants – they don’t have a choice – Europe is literally withering away. Immigration in Germany and Japan is needed to boost productivity, maintain the current size of the population, and provide youthful infusion into their societies. If wealthy nations want to compete in global economics, they have to let in all sorts of immigrants, refugees and anyone who will work, no matter the circumstances. Germany in 2015 let in one million immigrants, while Spain, Portugal, Italy, and the U.K., also need more, not less immigration. Europe’s largest economy, Germany is projected to shrink by over 6 million workers by 2030. Europe is looking at a direct threat to economic growth, pension stability, single-payer healthcare and basic social services.

Add abortion into the mix with low replacement rates, and the makings of a geopolitical disaster looms on the horizon. Nowhere has abortion affected world economies and geopolitical rumblings more than China’s one-child policy, which it has finally renounced. Though the disastrous, emotional trauma still lingers, a policy that supposedly made sense at one time, has now proven an albatross around the Chinese and world economy’s neck.

Deng Xiaping’s move to limit population growth allowed China to focus more on industrialization, or so the theory went, but according to the United Nations, China has one of the slowest population growths in the world while aging exponentially. China doesn’t have enough youth, and young adults to overcome the amount of aging and infirmed in China, which is causing their economic expansion to rapidly halt. And that means trouble for the developed and developing world economies that rely on China being a fully integrated economic partner. Not an interloper of old age stagnation.

China has averaged over 13 million forced abortions a year since the one-child policy began in 1978 and now has over 30 million more male bachelors than women. The geopolitical question to answer is what does China do with disgruntled men who will have a hard time finding wives, starting families and living under a slower economy? If China even has a portion of the Middle East’s problems associated with male disgruntlement, then the world could be looking at disasters it hasn’t grappled with since World War II. China will have 60 million fewer people under the age of 15, because of their one-child policy. That’s the size of Italy – just one portion of abortions in China – has lessened the population more than a major European country.

Russia is another problem for the world. Their high ranking of abortions versus live births could have something to do with their foreign and domestic policy now being a global geopolitical headache. In 2008, Russia had equal number of births to abortions, and their demographic replacement rate is also dropping to insufficient levels according to the Russian Health Ministry. It can be argued that Russia is invading neighbors, because they are a dying country that needs the people and resources; by whatever means necessary.

Bolshevik rule implemented a public abortion culture the devalued human life, and it is now costing Russia dearly. Birth control can cost more than abortion procedures in Russia, and the ripple of Bolshevik population control policies have come to fruition. A 2013 U.N. report revealed Russia had 37.4 abortions per 1000 women aged 15-44. This was the highest figure of any country in the report.

A failed U.S. policy of resetting with Russia against the backdrop of NATO leaders recently meeting about a galvanized Cold War adversary should cause the world to take action against abortion. As Russia continues to arm itself with updated nuclear weapons and weaponry this should also give pause to anyone who cares about world stability and peace. But when your population is dying from an atheistic, birth-control policy, then Russia has to do something; invade neighboring sovereign nations, put Russian warships and fighter jets in close proximity to NATO military hardware, or attack a U.S. diplomatic official at the door of the American embassy in Moscow. Nothing is out of the question when you are aborting your future citizens at alarming, irreplaceable rates.

World leaders question why Putin is building up his nuclear triad, and armed forces, instead of working with the world community for greater economic gain and integration. Neocons would see weakness on the part of the U.S. as the issue, whereas western, social democrats find the root cause residing from the fact that Putin lives in a non-civilized existence.

While both reasons are correct, could it not be argued that abortion ravaging a population has caused the Russian leader to look elsewhere for the next generation of Russians? If abortion continues its destructive path among Russian women, then we could only be witnessing the beginning of Russia’s geopolitical adventures across the globe.

The most serious problem that overtakes Europe, Russia and China is the United States where the U.S. has aborted over 59 million babies since Roe v. Wade. The world’s largest economy and traditional defender of freedom now has a declining fertility rate, even with a stronger economy. Traditional U.S. people-groups who have usually had larger replacement rate (defined as 2.1 children per woman for population stability), Hispanic women are no longer true. No group’s fertility has fallen faster in a particular demographic group in the past 25 years. The U.S. should be producing babies at a faster rate than during the recession, but according to the University of New Hampshire, 3.4 million fewer births have taken place since 2008. Fifteen percent fewer children have been born since 2007 in the U.S., and that is a catastrophe.

The United States is now becoming Germany, and other low-birth rate European countries, as we are opening the floodgates to immigration that has never taken place in American history. Opening the U.S. to unstable areas such as Central America, drug-lord-ruled Mexico, the Middle East, East Asia and Africa for new immigrants, because of high abortion rates and low replacement rates will change the United States’ geography, politics, military preparedness and economic future.

Things are becoming so dire that according to ASPCA there are now 43 million households with dogs whereas in 2014 there are only 33 million American households with their own children.

Syndicated columnist Joel Kotkin puts it best about the future of American society when he writes:

“Without a strong familial structure the United States will be facing a rather grim future, as an expanding older population grows ever more dependent on a shrinking base of young working-age people. In the 1980s the Reagan boom benefited from demographics that had more workers than retirees – no such expansion may even be possible today.”

Now imagine if the U.S. had even half of the 59 million aborted? Would the same things about our economic future and demographics be contemplated – probably not – because more than likely – the numbers wouldn’t be so grim. Abortion will be the geopolitical game-changer in the coming decades, because of the United States. Yet greens and environmentalists such as Bill McKibbon believe in smaller families and more, not less abortion, as a way to save the planet.

This small, even childless future is their ideal-shibboleth, because these unwanted children only represent themselves as carbon emitters. Kotkin also calls men like, McKibbon, and Gov. Jerry Brown, “the green clergy, or clerisy,” in their attempts to limits families and do away with single family homes; which are best suited for raising children, in favor of high-density apartments for the masses. Believers in this doctrine (the U.S. Democratic Party’s platform – see page 19), Al Gore, and most left-leaning environmental organizations should be discredited and thrown out into the dustbin of history for their policies that favor killing helpless babies.

But nowhere has abortion killed an entire generation of people the way it has black Americans. This group of Americans is being slaughtered by abortion when you consider they make up only 12 percent of the U.S. population while accounting for almost a third of total abortions. One out of two black women choose an abortion over keeping the baby, and “a black baby is five times more likely to be killed in the womb than a white baby.” There have been over 16 million abortions since Roe v. Wade, which has caused a 36 percent reduction of the black population. In places such as New York City, and other large metropolitan areas, black babies are being aborted at a faster pace than being born.

Putting this into perspective there have been roughly 1,100 blacks killed by police officers in the last 10 years, yet abortions kill over 2,000 black babies every week. In 2015, police killed 300 black people, yet abortions wipe out that many black babies in one day. Certain African-American inspired political movements continue to stay silent about abortion, and even support the process vehemently, when enough black babies have been killed to fill over 200 football stadiums across America. But somehow law enforcement is evil, and the problem in black communities, yet the facts tell another story.

We have wiped out decades of Booker T. Washingtons, Michael Jordans and Robert L. Johnsons while black men and women overwhelmingly support the U.S. Democratic Party that advocates for the wholesale destruction of babies that America, and the world needs.

This abortion crisis, which has merged into a low-birthrate-immigrant-catastrophe will haunt and eventually overrun some of the world’s greatest cultures unless countries such as the United States, Russia, China and all of Europe begin to outlaw abortion and value children. Syria and North Africa immigrants alone will change Europe into something Saladin dreamed of, but never achieved without ever firing a shot. Abortion has changed everything for the worse.

It has become fashionable to ignore problems, and believe they will go away, but abortion is changing demographics and cultures in unimaginable ways. But it has to be remembered that the U.S., and Europe in particular, need low-skill, low-income, immigrants and migrants from the developing world to replace our weakened Christian foundations that has allowed abortion to flourish. Despite widespread opposition by electorates across the globe from unfettered immigration, it doesn’t matter what they say or vote, because the developed world needs the people, even if they come from the daily chaos of their developing nations.

Economic engines in Europe (Germany in particular), the U.S., Japan, Canada, Australia and even Singapore will grind to a halt without immigrants and migrants from countries that produce children and have lower abortion rates. If abortion continues under current projections then 99 percent of the world’s growth will take place in despondent countries, which leaves the future of the developing world bleak at best. This crisis of abortion is a clarion call to save black babies, save babies worldwide, and save storied countries who are literally dying as each day passes, because of abortion.

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Abortion, China, Russia

VIDEO interview: Gov. Scott Walker on Iran, Russia and Keystone XL

March 18, 2015 By Videos Leave a Comment

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker addresses criticisms of his limited foreign policy experience — discusses U.S. policy regarding Iran, Middle East and Russia in an exclusive interview with Orange County Register Opinion editor Brian Calle.

Filed Under: Top Stories, Videos Tagged With: Brian Calle, Election 2016, Foreign Policy, Iran, Keystone XL, Middle East, Oil, Russia, Scott Walker