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REPEAL McCarren-Ferguson Internet Resources

[compiled by Robert B. Sklaroff, M.D. - 215-333-4900 rsklaroff@gmail.com]

Noting the fact that Bipartisan Hearings have been scheduled regarding the effort to repeal the A.C.A.,
this handout focuses upon why an AMENDMENT should be proposed that would enhance the chances for
passage thereof by REPEALING the antitrust exemption enjoyed since 1945 by health insurers; this would
IMMEDIATELY enhance inter-/intra-state competition throughout America yielding lower premiums,
noting that a prior effort to repeal the McCarren-Ferguson Act was passed by a bipartisan vote of 416-7
[H.R. 372, the "Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act of 2017"].

Reprinted is #3 of my ObamaCare-themed op-eds focused upon repealing McCarren-Ferguson [page 6];

it includes hyperlinks to the two prior essays regarding how to repeal/replace ObamaDontCare by citing
all major arguments/issues raised during the past year regarding the legislative evolution of this initiative.

Also excerpted are all easily-accessed articles related to this proposal; all are supportive except for the
one by [biased] insurers that paradoxically/oxymoronically suggests a repeal would decrease competition.

The goal is succinctness/comprehensiveness; that reformatting hasnt affected content can be confirmed
simply by skimming excerpts from out-takes/rationale that enhance the ability to appreciate context.

Acknowledged are [1]informed-background c/o Bill Pascoe [Tea Party Patriots], [2]critical analysis c/o
Thomas Lifson [American Thinker], and [3]physician-mentorship c/o George Ross Fisher, III, M.D.
[grfisheriii@gmail.com] & Raymond J. Lodise, M.D. [doclodise@verizon.net] {eschewing the A.M.A. federation}.

{This memos embedded hyperlinks can be unmasked via its receipt as an attached-document via e-mail.}

https://www.newsmax.com/MichaelDorstewitz/atlasmd-cms-hsa-mccarran-
ferguson/2017/09/19/id/814535/

{[(Rand Paul has telegraphed how to win his vote by expanding Medical/Health Savings Accounts
[proposed by Dr. Fisher to Ronald Reagan in 1983], a process that can emerge following transfer of this
level of empowerment to the states after HHS has established interstate standardization thereof; both
Ted Cruz and Mike Lee want amendments that will decrease premiums, which M-F repeal would do.)]}

Everyone Wins When Consumers Can Truly Shop for Healthcare

By Michael Dorstewitz
Sep 19, 2017 5:19 PM

Other insurance savings

Allowing individuals to shop for policies across state lines would reduce premiums by increasing
competition. This would require repealing the McCarran-Ferguson Act, a 1945 law placing regulation of
insurance companies under the purview of the individual states.

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Giving individuals the same tax advantages when purchasing health insurance that businesses have when
providing it to their employees would also make it more affordable.

Allowing people to band together as an association to purchase group insurance policies would spread
the risk to the companies and lower premiums.

Lowering healthcare costs

Weve all heard of plaintiffs being awarded outrageous sums after filing frivolous lawsuits. A few states
notably Texas and California have enacted tort reform to combat this trend, lowering caregivers
malpractice insurance costs that can then be passed on to their patients.

In addition, expand the use of Health Savings Accounts, which are tax-advantaged medical savings plans.
Congress should eliminate all caps on amounts that can be deposited into the plans, allow people to
contribute tax-free to the HSAs of relatives and allow the plans to be bequeathed to other HSAs upon
death.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a huge proponent of HSAs, would eliminate any requirement that they be tied to a
high-deductible insurance plan. The Kentucky senator recently asked, "What if 30 percent of the public
had health savings accounts?" He added, "What do you do when you use your own money? You call up
doctors and ask the price. . . . If you create a real marketplace, you drive prices down."

And speaking of creating "a real marketplace," encourage physicians to post a fee schedule for standard
services, promoting competition among caregivers.

http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/07/07/rand-paul-has-reportedly-convinced-trump-to-repeal-
obamacare-now-replace-later/

Rand Paul has reportedly convinced Trump to repeal Obamacare now, replace later

{[(this comment also focuses upon the essence of my goal)]}

dina_91 on Jul 9, 2017 1:15 pm said:

The problem is its not enough to repeal Obamacare. The problems plaguing our health system go back
DECADES before Obamacare was a thing. What we really need to do is to fix the primary reasons why
healthcare is so dang expensive:

Repeal the 1945 McCarran-Ferguson Act, which gave health insurance companies exemptions from anti-
trust laws. This has given a few prime players in the health insurance industry the ability to collude to fix
prices and hold on to their monopolies. WE HAVE NOT HAD A FREE MARKET IN HEALTH INSURANCE SINCE
1945.

http://www.examiner.net/x1914248650/Health-insurance-companies-exempt-from-anti-trust-laws

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https://www.alipac.us/f9/paul-ryan%92s-repeal-replace-allows-restraint-trade-price-fixing-continue-
344558/

{[(blog)]}

3-6-2017, 7:55 PM
By johnwk

Paul Ryans repeal and replace allows restraint of trade and price fixing to continue

I found no repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson Act in Paul Ryans REPEAL AND REPLACE PLAN.
https://archives-energycommerce.house.gov/sites/republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/files
/documents/AmericanHealthCareAct.pdf

Without a repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson Act, the State Legislatures and Insurance Companies will still
be able to thwart competition across state lines and legally engage in price fixing, restraint of interstate
trade and commerce, and monopolizing in the insurance industry within each States borders, which are
indictable offenses under United States v. South-Eastern Underwriters Association, 322 U.S. 533 (1944).

We all knew that Paul Ryan is the Washington Establishment's darling, and now we find his plan gives the
Insurance industry a green light to thwart Congress power to regulate commerce among the states which
was delegated to specifically insure free trade among the States.

Millions of citizens have lost their health-care under Obamacare, and many more millions cannot use
Obamacare because of Obamacares outrageous premiums and deductible. Repeal and replace
Obamacare with nothing, and repeal McCarran-Ferguson.

https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/health-care/item/26627-rand-paul-trump-may-take-
executive-action-to-improve-health-insurance

{[(this was a reply-comment, following colloquy related to the Tea Party Movement)]}

Rand Paul: Trump May Take Executive Action to Improve Health Insurance
[By Michael Tennant]

4 August 2017

By Rachel Verdon

Tea Party founder, Michele Bachmann, solved the Repeal & Replace Obamacare problem in one sentence:
Open up Interstate Commerce that we citizens can shop across all state lines for a suitable policy.

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Opening up Interstate Commerce need not impede state regulation of the health insurance industry;
regulation can be applied to any industry incorporated in that state just like the portable auto industry.
The real problem is that the 1945 obsolete McCarran-Ferguson Act is regulating the insurance industry
and us consumers by quarantining us by health, wealth and zip code.

http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/316182-mccarren-ferguson-healthcare-antitrust-exemption-must-go

{[(recapitulates my key-arguments)]}

McCarren-Ferguson healthcare antitrust exemption must go

By REP. TOM GARRETT (R-VA.) 1/25/17 5:31 PM EST

ObamaCare repeal is underway, yet the problems that prompted the bill that we had to pass so that we
could find out what was in it remain. One cannot reasonably debate the effectiveness of ObamaCare. To
date, it is an unmitigated disaster. Bill Clinton called it the craziest thing in the world, lamenting that
hard-working Americans are the victims of this broken system. Minnesota Democrat Gov. Mark Dayton
said, the Affordable Care Act is no longer affordable. Premiums and deductibles have skyrocketed,
hundreds of percent in some cases. Within months, localities such as Pinal County, Ariz., will have zero
providers from which individuals can choose.

The problem is that ObamaCare is worse than the problem it was meant to solve. Individuals added to
rolls through expanded Medicaid or federal subsidies drive up rates for those working-class folks to whom
the burden is shifted. New substandard care replaces old substandard care for the poor the only
difference is that those individuals now have ObamaCare. In reality, indigent care already existed, but
the burden went to the overarching state and federal schemes, not to individuals who might have liked
their plans and wanted to keep them.

Failure to repeal means more damage to the job market and to the working class who shoulder the
ObamaCare burden. But what then?

Did you know that there is federal antitrust protection for Major League Baseball? With a finite talent pool
and scarcity of resources and only a handful of markets with the size and scale necessary to support such
an endeavor, it makes sense. It artificially limits competition to address the realities of markets and
scarcity. Simple and understandable.

What if I told you that there was a federal antitrust exception for health insurance? Are health insurance
needs remarkable and rare? Arent death and illness things that each of us will inevitably face? These fall
into the realm of inevitability. So why restrict markets and have government-sanctioned oligopolies in
health insurance?

If you couldnt come up with a reason, you are in good company. That is why I am joining ranks with Rep.
Austin Scott (R-Ga.) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) in calling for a repeal of the obscure and ridiculous
McCarran-Ferguson Antitrust Act of 1945. This act was a response to a Supreme Court decision
addressing price gouging and monopolies and allowed states the ability to regulate the industry, which
prevents real competition across state lines.

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It is the reason that even if you could shop for healthcare across state lines, it may not matter, as many
plans and HMOs wouldnt provide service outside of the areas they were purchased. {Emphasis added.}

While health insurance isnt a good or service like sneakers or your evening dining out options, it is indeed
a commodity. Instead of a want, health insurance is a need, but the truth of free markets still applies.
It is science. Supply and demand. Availability driving cost. Scarcity versus abundance. And this antitrust
exception perpetuates scarcity, which any economist knows, drives up price. OK, then, the repeal of
McCarran-Ferguson seems like common sense.

So why hasnt it been done? I can think of one sad but logical reason. Money and special interests. The
donations and lobbying efforts of entities like Humana and Cigna, Kaiser and Wellpoint are massive. The
benefits to them of artificially restricted markets are easy to understand. President Obama co-opted Big
Insurance by promising increasingly larger portions of the pie. As a result, Big Insurance got behind
ObamaCare and sent their money to Democrats. Meanwhile our premiums and deductibles have
skyrocketed, their bottom lines have remained stable and their market share has risen. This is a result of
competition being forced out of a market rather than into it. It is the reason that today entire regions of
our country face the reality of no choice in providers.

It is time that we turn our backs on lobbyists and on this Big Insurance money and do what is right.

Imagine insurance choices as candy held inside an artificially created federal piata. Now imagine that
aspiring insurance providers are children who want to get into the market, the candy, of providing
healthcare options. Break open that piata, watch the would-be providers scramble, watch rates drop,
scarcity drop, and options will increase. Watch monopolies and oligopolies crumble.

Admittedly, this is not a solution to the entire healthcare problem. It is a huge step in the right direction.
If you had not been aware of this ridiculous antitrust exception called McCarren-Ferguson, now you are.
A revolution starts with a but single clarion call, and word spreads one person at time.

Repealing is easy; the real challenges lie in how we address underlying problems. McCarren-Ferguson
repeal is a great start. Join me in demanding this commonsense reform today.

Tom Garrett represents Virginias 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House.

https://www.redstate.com/diary/qstarweb/2017/02/26/gop-congress-stop-competitive-health-
insurance-act/

{[(this counter-argument makes absolutely no sense, but it's provided to be fair/balanced)]}

Posted at 12:29 pm on February 26, 2017 by Dean Chambers

***

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http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2017/06/how_to_repeal_obamacare_using_the_scientific_m
ethod.html

June 26, 2017

How to Repeal Obamacare Using the Scientific Method

By Robert B. Sklaroff, M.D.

To avoid imminent collapse of the health care delivery infrastructure, employ the medical model and
strategize accordingly:

History: The GOP wants to remove the individual/employer mandate, to ensure equal tax treatment of
premiums, to invoke federalism when determining state-level Medicaid and benefit packages, and to cap
federal medicaid expenditures. The GOP cannot compromise with Democrats, as advised by those who
wish to preserve Obamacare's core principles, for such "fixes" would entail appropriation of more federal
monies and establishment of a single-payer system.

Examination: Due to interim damage to free markets experiencing an insurer death spiral as private
insurers withdraw from the exchanges, it is impossible merely to "repeal" Obamacare. Regardless of
whether President Trump does or doesn't cut off supplemental funding, it is vital to "replace" it with a
system that will allow sufficient time for the private sector to become reactivated.

Assessment: If Republicans cannot salvage this gigantic economic sector, they could lose control of the
House in 2018. If they can, the rest of the Trumpian legislative agenda will flow far more easily and The
Donald will be better able to focus upon foreign affairs. Fortunately, the House emerged from having
faced the morbidity/mortality of potential failure in the wake of withdrawal of the AHCA from the House
floor.

Plan: To win support from the four conservative senators (Cruz, Johnson, Lee, Paul) who are reticent to
endorse Trumpcare, it is necessary to ensure that the cost curve of health insurance will bend
downward. Restoring competition to the max is mandatory.

Diagnostically, a false dilemma has been fanned by the media to wit, that it is impossible for the
delicately balanced American Health Care Act to extricate America from the Affordable Care
Act. Although the focus has been trained upon the need for recipients of Medicaid expansion to switch
to private plans by invoking tax credits, the necessity for the middle class to find a program that meets
fundamental needs affects the bulk of the population.

Therapeutically, all that needs to be done is for the Senate to join the House in repealing the limited
McCarran-Ferguson antitrust exemption for health insurers. They can co-adopt H.R. 372,
the "Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act of 2017," which was passed by a bipartisan vote of 416-7.

***

To appreciate how this one intervention will help holdouts "get there," appreciate the academic
approach that will dictate a positive outcome.

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Materials: Republicans heeded Walt Kelly's warning enunciated in the comic strip Pogo during the
Vietnam War era that "we have met the enemy, and he is us" by recognizing that they cannot re-pass the
Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 (H.R. 3762), despite its being a scaled
down version of any repeal bill. This was a dry run that contained language that could trigger a precedent-
setting adverse ruling by the Senate parliamentarian that would impede subsequent passage via
reconciliation.

Methods: After these core operational questions entered mainstream debate and key players revealed
their priorities, disinterested, evidence-based analysis prompted enactment of an amended bill that can
transition a decimated marketplace arguably Obama's goal into a rejuvenated competitive
environment. Republicans have acted in good faith while bridging the gap between its poles (Freedom
Caucus and Tuesday Group) for example, while compiling what constitutes "essential" insurance
benefits.

Interim Analysis: After the initial draft was withdrawn, Trump played the whirling dervish, being taken
"seriously, but not literally." He acted out his "Art of the Deal" capacity to (a) walk away and (b)
direct bombast against the obstructionists of the moment.

Research Subjects: Trump launched a renewed negotiation initiative while golfing with Senator Paul on
a Sunday and meeting with moderates on a Monday. Meanwhile, Vice President Pence was meeting with
the Freedom Caucus that Monday night, listening to the rationale for eliminating all three Obamacare
mandates benefits, insurability, community rating as reiterated by Rep. Jim Jordan (listen at 8:45 a.m.
EDT) so that free-markets would be restored expeditiously and responsibly.

Side Effects: The Freedom Caucus wanted to avoid a premium hike that would adversely impact a large
number of their constituents, despite reassurances that this would be only temporary as the energized
economy grows (diminishing the number of Medicaid recipients) and the health insurance industry
recovers (increasing the number of competing insurers).

Final Analysis: The contretemps over "Obamacare Lite" could be obviated by invoking Maine's successful
experience when covering pre-existing conditions by creating risk pools. Throughout, recognized was the
lack of any need to hold extensive multi-committee hearings and/or to abide by updated CBO projections.
Results: These concerns prompted passage of the Upton Amendment, which accommodated "centrist"
legislators, most of whom are not vulnerable during the 2018 election cycle, who want to ensure
that premiums don't skyrocket. The key innovation was to empower states to issue opt-out waivers,
particularly regarding Medicaid expansion, without engaging in a blame game.

***

To place this experience into historical context, the outcome of this process merits discussion.

Background: Two prior essays detailed a pivotal method to achieve passage (overturn the Byrd Rule to
overcome the Senate filibuster) and the need to collaborate ASAP (honor the essence of the Freedom
Caucus message even if some ACA taxes must be retained and rehab for drug abusers must be
underwritten). Someone must have noted the first essay, for, following confirmation of Justice Neil
Gorsuch, prophylactic opposition abruptly emerged against overcoming the Byrd Rule by invoking
a second nuclear option, this to promote the fanciful goal of bipartisanship. {Emphasis added.}

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Literature Review: During the spring recess, Freedom Caucus members projected burgeoning openness,
while Tuesday Group members exuded shared moderation with Speaker Ryan. Republicans overcame the
cacophony emanating from liberal media echo chambers, countering unrelenting attacks targeting
Trump's "mental status" (c/o MSNBC's Joe Scarborough) and "troubled" administration (c/o CNN's Chris
Cuomo) by Democrats who invoke intersectionality to demonize Republicans, regardless of their vote on
the AHCA.

Future Studies: An overlooked example of secondary gain emanating from AHCA passage would be cutting
D.C. paternalism, manifest, for example, by eliminating the Prevention and Public Health Fund,
which, inter alia, undermines use of vaping as a tobacco risk reduction tool. And a professional reminder
of the dangers of a single-payer system emerged when it was discovered that the technical component of
out-of-hospital testing of a Medicare patient cannot be billed by the hospital if he is an in-patient or less
than 14 days post-discharge, thereby arbitrarily delaying acquisition of lung cancer tumor markers.

Optional Pursuit: Finally, an overlooked intervention would be to reprivatize the federal student
loan program, which the ACA centralized. This is an albatross for which Democrats are responsible, yet
they have consistently, subsequently decried it, even as they have plotted to expand it.

Conclusion: Permeating this recap is recognition that the GOP will be able to "sell" the AHCA if it
demonstrably lowers premiums, and concomitant repeal of the health insurers' antitrust protection will
immediately achieve this goal by maximizing insurer competition. This is how lemonade will be squeezed
out from the lemony portions of the AHCA.

Robert B. Sklaroff, M.D. is a political activist who gratefully acknowledges the clarity exhaustively
provided by Bill Pascoe of Tea Party Patriots.

{The capacity to vet the accuracy of these cites/opinions was provided via a multitude of hyperlinks
because, candidly, this author appreciates the fact that some may feel he lacks cred to proffer an idea
that few others have promoted; that none of the 234 comments (plus rejoinders) challenged any content
suggests that this self-imposed hurdle was successfully overcomeallowing the concept to dominate.}

***

{commentary}

This is what was sent to the leadership of TPP:

Documentation of prior assertions follows, c/o TPP's leadership; TPP/Santorum are on-board.
We need a senator to introduce this as an amendment during the upcoming "vote-a-rama."
I'll talk with anyone/anywhere @ any time about this issue, but the essay should suffice.

REMEMBER, this rectification-effort was initiated by George Ross Fisher, III, M.D., decades ago.
He is a retired AMA-Delegate/Endocrinologist who established the appropriate AMA Policy
He presented "Medical Savings Accounts" to Ronaldus Magnus in '83, per his writings.
This is the heart of his book, The Hospital That Ate Chicago; he is available to lobby.
He has elaborated in his book, Health Savings Accounts - Planning for Prosperity.
I have copies of both books, plus his explanatory essays, if details are desired.

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This is what was sent to D.C. contacts (consolidated from myriad e-mails):

GREETINGS!

I've tried not to bother y'all, but time-is-tight and the moment-is-ripe.

Please ask ANY senator to introduce an amendment to Graham-Cassidy that would REPEAL the McCarran-
Ferguson antitrust exemption enjoyed by health insurers; this would IMMEDIATELY slash costs because
insurers wouldn't be able to collude and competition would explode. It would also favorably affect the
CBO-scoring, perhaps serving as a political "asterisk" to these seat-of-the-pants projections.

Tea Party Patriots is on-board, and Santorum said [during a video conference last week c/o TPP] that he
likes the idea [BUT, he did not state he would nudge anyone to insert this as a specific amendment].
{The question was posed @ 5:05 and he had just received a call from his wife that he was "due" elsewhere
(following the hour-long event) and, thus, he had to end the live-presentation abruptly.}

This sweetener should be welcomed, recalling the lopsided vote to approve it in the House; it would be
OK for reconciliation because it would yield greater consumer/government negotiating power against
Insurers, yielding demonstrably lower costs (regardless of the regs adopted by each of the states).

Senator Toomey has known me for most of this millennium [for I "date-back" to his first primary-campaign
as one of "The Bobs"], as you know; thus, the credibility of what is being proposed can be corroborated.
{Val DiGiorgio, PA-GOP Chair, has a Toomey-contact and can find a Santorum-contact intermediary.}

I also have invoked a WH-contact, HHSs Price's chief-liaison to the Congress, with whom TPP had advised
I chat as a potential-invite to the Flag Day event c/o [albeit aborted after the soft-ball Scalese-shooting];
although she rejected me because I was too knowledgeable, we had a good chat anyway.

This is what emerged following monitoring of the most-recent talking-head and expert analyses:

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/09/22/7-things-the-media-doesnt-want-you-to-know-
about-graham-cassidy/

Graham-Cassidy is a much, much, much better piece of legislation than the skinny-repeal.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2017/09/21/jimmy-kimmel-attacks-fox-news-host-rant-
graham-cassidy-obamacare-repeal-bill/

Jimmy Kimmel used his late-night platform to continue his assault on the GOP health care bill, firing back
at critics including U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy and Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade.

YET, although its not yet on-line, CNN provided a tabular presentation of Kimmels claims on 9/24/2017;
all four allegations were deemed unproven, not surprising when he predictably invokes emotion, not fact.
--30
```

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RECOGNIZE Kurdistan Internet Resources

[compiled by Robert B. Sklaroff, M.D. - 215-333-4900 rsklaroff@gmail.com]

Multiple articles have advocated this occur after the 9/25/2017 plebiscite, and Israels BB endorsed it;
during the past decade, our articles have explained why endorsement of this effort is in Americas interest.
Appreciated is ongoing input from Jerome Gordon [NER] and Thomas Lifson [American Thinker].

http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_direct_link.cfm?blog_id=66533

A Middle East Grand Bargain Must Create Kurdistan

by Sherkoh Abbas and Robert Sklaroff

President Trumps itinerary during his first overseas trip revealed both his goal and its attendant
strategyalthough it remains officially unstatedas he tries to fashion a durable end to the Syrian civil
war and the birth of a restructured region.

In the process of touching-base with the nerve-centers of each of the three major Middle East religions,
he attempted to eliminate the Islamic State without empowering Iran.

Conspiratorial Liberals yelp when he recruits Russia, and acolytes of the Obama Administration condemn
his having maneuvered around Tehran.

But he must defang the ayatollahs, lest they ally with North Korean missile-rattlers and threaten World
War III.

This is why he keeps an armada in the Gulf, while maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Sea of Japan
and encouraging Beijing to block Pyongyang from nuke-testing, for he must stretch the depleted military
in theaters a half-globe apart until it has been rebuilt.

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And thats why he has embedded Americans with Kurdish forces attacking Raqqa, for it is impossible to
be a player without having placed pieces onto the board. Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, the U.S. national
security adviser, was triggered to inform Turkey on May 1st that the Kurds were to receive heavy machine
guns, mortars, anti-tank weapons, and armored cars after the Turks had lethally-bombed Kurdish forces
in northeast Syria the prior Tuesday. That reflected autocrat Erdoan having again distracted world
attention from targeting the primary target, the Islamic State.

Accommodating this major reconfiguration of regional forces, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia
saw no need to arm the Syrian Kurds, but said Moscow would maintain working contacts with them.

Secretary of Defense James "Jim" Mattis had decided to arm the Kurds directly rather than via any regional
country, finally reversing Obamas following-from-behind intransigent passivity.

He is implementing key aphorisms derived from his storied career defending America.

Indeed, Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) recognized arming the Kurds constitutes an immense milestone.

In the process, Mattis has recognized The Road to Defeating the Islamic State Runs through Kurdistan, an
essayillustrated by a settlement-mapthat succinctly details the historic, military, economic, religious
and political implications of this overdue stance.

Visiting Trump in this charged atmosphere, Erdoan chose the wrong time to be bellicose against Israel
and America. His post-referendum dictatorial effort to promote Jihad was again manifest through two
decrees; one that expelled more than 4,000 civil servants and another that banned television dating
programs.

That these actions were not being well-received. That was reflected in the fact that the latter two
hyperlinks [al-Monitor and Aljazeera] are from Arab websites, suggesting welcome-recognition of a tilt
toward inter-alia the Sunni Gulf states, plus Qatar, the locale of a major American military presence over
NATO-aligned Ankara, which is increasingly aligning with Iran against the potential for Kurds to achieve
independence.

That would serve as the culmination of battle-plans we have proposed for almost a decade. In 2008, we
identified Kurds as an invisible people and advocated confronting the major source of global terrorism,
The Road to Iran Runs through Kurdistan - and Starts in Syria. In 2015, we showed why the United States
cannot evade this trouble-spot, [The Pathway to Defeating ISIS Runs Though Kurdistan And Starts in
America. In 2013, we concluded The Kurds can lead a reconstituted Syria, at peace with all of her
neighbors. In 2014, we suggested NATO Must Help the Kurds Now.

That is why Kurds are seeking recognition of their enormous military sacrifice and their unique political
feat, noting their carefully-constructed federal system in Rojava; the area of Northern Syria comprised of
four self-governing cantons.

Resolving vague territorial claims would yield a regional Diaspora in Turkey, Iran, and Russia, although
Stalin purged much of the USSR-population a half-century ago.

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Recognizing that Russia has unilaterally created safe-zones, and buzzed American jets near Alaska and
Crimea, it will remain vital to coordinate militaries functioning in close-quarters, to ensure spheres of
influence do not inadvertently trigger conflict.

If America retracts support for anti-Islamist Kurds, Erdoan will be free to promote his brand of Muslim
Brotherhood ideology; the dangerous ramifications of which have been explored [Islamophobia: Thought
Crime of the Totalitarian Future].

NATO can reassure Turkey that creation of an independent Kurdistan south of its border, joining with the
federated section of northern Iraq, will remove inordinate fears that secession-agitation will persist on its
eastern reaches.

Turkey needs to accept this type of endpoint, for its military killed six members of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) in air strikes in northern Iraq.

What really irks Erdogan is that U.S. arming Syrian Kurds shattered Turkeys Ottoman Empire ambitions.
Both America and Turkey will face a de-facto proxy-war unless Erdogan heeds the more conciliatory tone
struck by his Prime Minister.

The schism between the United States and Turkey was illustrated during their press event. These leaders
deemed different entities as terroristic. Trump cited PKK; whereas Erdoan cited YPG/PYD.

This perhaps explains the anguish expressed by Turkish security guards, when they beat protesters
primarily Kurds and Armenian outside t their D.C. embassy.

We suggest the following blueprint should be followed to prompt Moscow to help oust Iran from Syria. It
would allow the Kurdish-plurality in northwestern Syria to extend its governance to the Mediterranean
Sea, blocking Turkey from expansionist temptations.

The multi-front war against Islamists is recognized by Western leaders such as US Senator Ted Cruz (R,
Texas) and globally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuto have supplanted the Cold War
paradigm of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Perhaps the ultimate method to illustrate the wisdom of this approach is to discount an oppositional
paradigm, such as the false claim that American involvement in Syria would merely be a manifestation of
Western Imperialism in Rojava.

Instead, America should implement Point 12 of Woodrow Wilsons 14-Point Plan that advocated
establishing Kurdistan more than a century ago.

At long last, America Must Recognize Kurdistan by serving as midwife for a new country [assuming this is
the electoral outcome of the originally scheduled September 25 plebiscite sponsored by the Kurdish
Regional Government in Iraq. That would assist in finally defeating the Islamic State. This would offer
immediate and long-term geo-political dividends.

Sherkoh Abbas is President of the Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria; Robert Sklaroff is a physician-
activist and supporter of Kurdish self-determination. This article constitutes the policy of the Kurdistan
National Assembly of Syria, conveyed to America and to the world, representing the Kurds of Syria.

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