Yesterday, the United States exchanged five Iranian prisoners (I’m guessing that they were terrorists) for five American citizens who were falsely detained and imprisoned in Iran. OK, despite abhorring the idea that five probable terrorists have been let loose to plot their next attack on the U.S., at least we got an equal exchange, right?
Wrong!
In addition to returning the five alleged terrorists, the United States agreed to free up $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets. Of course, the Biden administration – under the weak-kneed foreign policy leadership of Antony Blinken – assures us that those funds can only be used for humanitarian purposes.
Either Mr. Blinken just fell off the proverbial turnip truck or he assumes that the rest of us have. Trying to sell us on the legitimacy of this international shell game is an insult to the intelligence of the American people, just another assault on what Hillary Clinton infamously referred to as “the deplorables.”
I can’t believe that the liberal elite are so naïve as to believe Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s “fingers crossed behind my back” promise not to use the monies for terrorist attacks or to advance Iran’s nuclear weapon program. Then again, it has been amateur hour at the White House ever since a bunch of political operatives (but real-world neophytes) installed Sleepy Joe Biden in the Oval Office.
And so, for their benefit, let me explain how this deal really works…
Iran diligently ensures that the $6 billion in unfrozen assets are only used for the aforementioned humanitarian purposes. However, doing so frees up an equal amount of money that normally would have been spent on food and medicine. Geez, what possible use could the radical Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, have for an extra $6 billion?
When I ran The Saints Prison Ministry in New Jersey, we applied for a grant from the NJ Office of Faith Based Initiatives to launch an aftercare program. We were awarded two two-year grants of $60,000 each with the provision that those monies could not be used for evangelistic purposes. And so, we kept meticulous records and abided by the rules, only using the funds to house, feed, and clothe ex-offenders. We also provided them with transportation, job training, job placement, and addiction counseling… all of which resulted in a 5% recidivism (rearrest) rate compared to the national average of 70%. That made everyone happy and saved Garden State residents millions each year by transforming these men from tax burdens to taxpayers.
However, designating those two grants to assist ex-offenders allowed us to use our general funds exclusively to share the Gospel with inmates, which was our primary mission. See how that works? We kept within both the letter and the spirit of the law, so it was a win-win for everyone: our ministry, inmates, ex-offenders, and taxpaying citizens alike.
In the same manner, Planned Parenthood takes millions in public subsidies (i.e. taxpayers’ money) with the provision that they won’t be used to perform abortions. In 2022, those federal grants totaled in excess of $670 million. Planned Parenthood used those funds to cover administrative and overhead costs such as salaries, building maintenance, and educational programs, thereby freeing up money from their general budget to perform 374,155 abortions.
Three different scenarios with three different results. Extra monies allowed The Saints Prison Ministry to save more souls, Planned Parenthood to kill more babies, and the militant Iranian government to launch more terrorist attacks on Americans here and abroad.
So, in other words, don’t believe a word that comes out of Antony Blinken’s, John Kirby’s, Jake Sullivan’s, or Karine Jean-Pierre’s mouths. They are simply trying to sell the American people some more snake oil… and we aren’t buying.
