Quote: 

"It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." 

~ Samuel Adams 

Obama 2012: Campaign Assembles Team of Influential Jewish Surrogates to Fight Criticism of Israel Policy

The Blaze | by Tiffany Gabbay | Posted on July 5, 2011 at 9:43am 

Is President Obama fearful that the tide of Jewish support might finally be turning for him in 2012? Obama, who received nearly 78 percent of the Jewish vote in 2008 has suffered backlash among Jewish supporters after airing some of his more egregious stances on Israel - namely his call for Israel to "return" to its "1967 borders."

Obama, who conservatives believe has never been a friend of Israel, is preparing his campaign's counterattack to criticisms on his Israel policy. Reportedly, Obama has enlisted a team of influential Jewish surrogates - who have, despite Obama's spotted track record with Israel, remained loyal to the administration - to help fight his conservative critics. In addition to rallying support among voters and donors, the Jewish supporters on Obama's team will reportedly publish Op-Ed pieces in various publications that "represent the White House's viewpoint."

If you see a story that you believe would be useful and important to our readers, simply respond to this email with a link and a brief description of why it is important.  (Even if it may be obvious)

The Gettysburg Address still gives us hope we can free ourselves

Jul 04, 2011 06:13 am | Coach Collins

By Kevin "Coach" Collins

In his Gettysburg Address, during the darkest days of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln found the precise words to describe America's dire situation. Here they are. Hear them, and savor them.

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

"Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

"But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate-we cannot consecrate-we cannot hallow-this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated ... Continue Reading:The Gettysburg Address still gives us hope we can free ourselves

 read more

LISTEN LIVE TO REPATRIOT RADIO

"BETTER THAN EVER"

WiFi 1460AM Shows

Tuesdays 5-6pm ET

"LaRossa & Gallagher" with N.J.State Senator Richard LaRossa and Art Gallagher

WNJC 1360AM Shows

(all times are eastern)

Tuesday 3-4pm "American Freedom Watch" - Karen Schoen with John Estabrooks and Mike Lawson

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT

 UN AGENDA 21

aka Local Agenda 21 & "sustainable development"

WILL SHOCK YOU!!!

Do you have a nagging feeling something is wrong, but you don't know exactly what?  Who controls the US?   Who writes our laws?       Is it our elected officials or a higher organization like the UN?  Do you know where our money comes from and how debt affects us? 

Join us Saturday, July 23^rd - 6pm                                              PJ Ryan's  231 Bridge St., Phoenixville - private downstairs meeting room

There will be a discussion about UN Agenda 21 Sustainable Development, Property Rights & our Money.  This meeting may help fill in some of the blanks that the media leaves out.  

Agenda 21 is a plan that calls for international control & regulation of virtually every aspect of human activity that might impact the environment, which is essentially EVERYTHING YOU DO - eat, drink, cook, drive, play, work, and LIVE.

Maurice Strong, UN Secretary General  - 1992  Rio de Janeiro United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) said "...Current lifestyles and consumption patterns of the affluent middle class involving high meat consumption and large amounts of frozen and convenience foods, use of fossil fuels, appliances, home and workplace air-conditioning, and suburban housing are NOT sustainable.  So, what does he mean by NOT Sustainable? http://sovereignty.net/p/sd/strong.html

Translation:  YOU will NO longer be allowed to have them.

J. Gary Lawrence, 1998 UK, UNEP Conference said ..."Participating in a UN advocated planning process would very likely bring out many... who would actively work to defeat any elected official... undertaking Local Agenda 21/Sustainable Development.  So, we call our process something else such as "comprehensive planning," 'growth management' or 'smart growth.'" http://www.unedforum.org/publications/millennium/mill%20paper2.pdf

Translation:  They will lie to you & deceive you so YOU won't know what they are really doing. This meeting is free & open to the public.                                Please come, listen and bring a friend. 

          For more information please contact us via www.theunsolicitedopinion.com

July 10^th Picnic!

Due to complications with the web site and the rsvp count, we need EVERYONE to call us: rsvp even if you have already responded to Punchbowl  

***** DONNA     610-932-2242

***** ALISON     610-869-6504

***** CYNTHIA   610-692-5242

     Chester Co. Liberty Alliance     (CCLA)

hosted by

* Chesco Patriots
* Coalition For
Advancing Freedom (CAF)
* Valley Forge Patriots (VFP)
* West Chester Tea Party

• Sunday, July 10th, 2011 · 2:00 p.m.
• Albert C. Miller Memorial Park
• 220 Miller Way
• Exton, PA 19341

The main dish will be provided. Please call us and tell us what side dish you'd like to bring to share or you may choose to bring picnic supplies (ice, paper products, plastic cutlery, cups, etc.). Bring your lawn chairs and blankets to sit on!  We will have music and games for the entire family.

Getting There From Here

A practical guide for restoring America

Valley Forge Patriots Tea Party Economics Classes

Monday, July 11^th & Tuesday, July 12th

6:00 PM

Franklin Commons

400 Franklin Ave Phoenixville, PA - Class will be in Franklin Hall which is the private larger classroom next to café area.  This room is more easily accessible from both free parking lots on campus.

Loren is back for part two of his economic series.  Please fee free to come one or both evenings to this presentation.   The Valley Forge Patriots will be asking for a $5 donation for room fees.  Loren Spivack will be donating his time and selling some books.    Info on class contact:                                                   

LORENSPIVACK@GMAIL.COM         718-614-4411          OBAMAPARODY.COM

 

HERITAGE FOUNDATION SPEAKER AT JULY MEETING!

If you know the good work of the Heritage Foundation for our cause, you know it is really exciting to have Mr. Knepper as our guest speaker.

    The July 8^th meeting of the Valley Forge Patriots will be held at a new location, the Phoenixville Country Club (PCC). The PCC is located on Country Club Road approximately 2 miles south of Route 23. The room we will be using can comfortably seat over 100 people, so don't hesitate to bring friends. As at previous venues, table food service of appetizers, salads, sandwiches and beer, wine and soda will be available throughout the meeting. Food and drinks are offered at PCC member prices --- cash and credit cards accepted. There is plenty of free parking.  Dress code,   please no hats.  This meeting will be free but we would appreciate donations.

     Along with the usual agenda items, our featured speaker will be Leo Knepper of the Heritage Foundation. Leo is the PA State Director for Heritage Action and he will be speaking on "How to be an effective lobbyist/activist" His talk will cover, Heritage Action, Effective Communication and Preparing for Legislator contact. This is a very timely subject with elections coming up.  Mr. Knepper has been active in grassroots political activity for over 10 years.

         Please join us for our July 8^th meeting (6:00 to 8:00 PM) at a new venue with an interesting speaker.

 RedState Morning Briefing

For July 5, 2011

1. Separating the Men from the Boys

It is my distinct pleasure to welcome Heritage Action for America as a sponsor of the Morning Briefing. As I have written repeatedly on RedState, there are five organizations in America that have my unwavering support and should have yours too. Put another way, there are many, many outstanding organizations in America that I truly respect and like. But there are only five I love like my own children. Heritage Action is on that list.

Why do I like them? Because Republicans in Congress fear them. Look, I know a lot of Republicans get tired of me knocking Republicans, but I strongly believe if we don't hold our own side accountable, the result will be devastation at the hands of voters.

Heritage Action for America holds Republicans accountable. When Republicans call themselves "conservative," Heritage Action sets the bench mark on what that actually means. The result is that a lot of Republicans who call themselves "conservative" are really just pro-life statists ruining the country at only a slower clip than the Democrats. Heritage Action separates the men from the boys.

The Heritage Foundation provides the intellectual leadership for conservatives in Washington. It's sister organization, Heritage Action for America, provides the muscle to move Washington right.

Now you may think you support Heritage Action for America because you support the Heritage Foundation. You would be wrong. They are separate entities. It's all a muddled mess thanks to American campaign finance rules, but in a nutshell, Heritage and Heritage Action have separate membership lists. So you need go support Heritage Action in addition to the Heritage Foundation.

You won't regret it.

2. #WI IAFF: This Independence Day, it's union first, American second...

On September 11, 2001, 2,977 people were killed by terrorists. The terrorists were indiscriminate in their slaughter of lives-while the attacks were an attack on America, the terrorists did not care whether those they killed were exclusively American or not, nor did they care whether or not the victims were carrying a union card.

In New York, there were first responders killed on September 11th, 343 of them from the FDNY, many of them who happened to be members of a union, the IAFF.

To most Americans, it is the bravery and heroism of those first responders, including the 343 from the FDNY, that is remembered with honor-along with the tragedy of all those who perished-regardless of their union membership.

Yet, in Racine, Wisconsin, the International Association of Fire Fighters, Local 321 has made this Independence Day more about union loyalties than America when they voted to refuse support of a float built to honor the public safety workers killed on September 11th in Racine's Independence Day Parade.

3. Teamsters' Vegas Convention Calls for CEO Prosecutions & Union Pension Bailout

Despite the bribery scandals, the dancers, and the jokes about the millions of their members' dues that Teamster bosses spent in Las Vegas last week at the union's 28th international convention, delegates did accomplish one thing of note: The delegates passed a resolution that, among other things, calls for a "financial rescue package for struggling union pensions" (also known as the $165 billion union pension bailout).

4. It's Not Easy Going Green

It sounded like such a good idea.

Back in 2009, NRG Energy Inc. hatched a plan to "go green" using switchgrass and sorghum as boiler fuel supplement. It was hoped that it might replace up to 10% of the coal which fires its Big Cajun II power plant in New Roads, LA.

All the elements were in place: land near the plant (up to 30,000 acres of fertile Mississippi River floodplain - you can't afford to transport biomass very far), plus the help of California-based Ceres Inc., a recently-IPO'd specialist in switchgrasses.

The project was to start up this year.

Heritage Hotsheet

Experts on the Day's Hottest News

Items for July 5, 2011

Debt-Ceiling, Deficit Talks Push Sides Further Apart
ABC News


Employers skeptical of Obama vow of less red tape
The Washington Times


Know Your Enemy: Meet the Haqqani Network
The Washington Examiner

 Dem leaders announce support for extended payroll-tax holiday
The Hill Newspaper

  

Latest Heritage Research:

WebMemo
Hugo Chávez's Cancer, Authoritarianism, and the U.S.

07/05/2011 

Beware Obama's Backdoor Amnesty Dream

Fireworks broke the darkness of the sky over Washington last night in a choreographed dance of light that paid tribute to our nation's independence. It was a breathtaking display marking America's birth of freedom--a sight to behold, a sight to remember.

Recent Entries 

London Celebrates Ronald Reagan's Legacy on Independence Day

Morning Bell: Celebrating America's Enduring Principles

Happy Birthday Calvin Coolidge

Five Great Virtues that Make Americans Amazing

VIDEO: Public Opinion on Debt Ceiling and Government Spending

QUICK HITS

Democrats have proposed $400 billion in tax hikes over the next decade as part of deficit negotiations with Republicans.

A dual car bomb and roadside bomb north of Baghdad killed at least 35 and wounded 47 others on Tuesday. Meanwhile, four NATO service members were killed in separate attacks in eastern Afghanistan.

In an effort to match the U.S. military's success with unmanned drone aircraft, more than 50 countries-including China-have purchased surveillance drones and started development programs for armed versions.

Dozens of super PACs-with the ability to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions and other wealthy donors-have been created over the past year in the run-up to the 2012 election.

When it comes to the National Education Association, it's all about union power, not children. And that message was clear as it kicked off its annual convention.

 Tell a liberal how much you admire the lofty neutrality and commitment to truth at all costs of their house journal the New York Times.

NO. 2.
The Times has not endorsed a Republican presidential candidate since Dwight Eisenhower. 

Start a rumor: 

Following the Fort Hood tragedy, the U.S. military decided to extend its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy to Islamist extremists so that never again will they be harassed or embarrassed as poor Major Nidal Malik Hasan was with awkward, unfair, provocative questions like, "Sir, are you sure it's right that a U.S. army officer should be posting on a Jihadist website?" and "Sir, why are you a pointing that gun at me and shouting Allahu Akbar?"  

 Susan's Paul Ryan Medicare Pamphlet - please print this and give it to your contacts

Remember Israel's great blow against terrorism - Entebbe, 4 July 1976

The greatest single blow against terrorism ever

The bold Israeli rescue of hostages at Entebbe

A cause to rejoice for all freedom-loving people

See video here:

Why Do We Still Celebrate the 4th of July?

What do we celebrate when we celebrate the Fourth of July?

Is it the independence from being ruled by an out of touch government thousands of miles away, taxed at their pleasure, and told to be grateful for it?

Is it home rule under our own elected officials who can't be trumped by the decision of some political appointees whom we never voted for?

A victory won by militias that don't exist anymore, on behalf of freedoms that are constantly under assault from the nation's own capital?

Is it at the very least-- national freedom, to be part of an independent nation that does not have to follow the laws of other countries or be part of a larger union of nations?

We don't have those things anymore. We're barely holding on to the rest by the skin of our teeth. Every generation the fireworks get bigger and we lose more freedoms. Bread and Circuses? We get welfare and fireworks. Social workers and outdoor BBQ's. Government subsidized jobs and a day at the beach.

So what specifically are we celebrating? How about these words; "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights".

Read more: 

Andrew C. McCarthy | June 25, 2011 4:00 A.M.

Our Sharia-Compliant Afghan War Our policy in Afghanistan is part tragedy, part farce. In a better time, when the burdens of war were shared by an engaged nation and not shouldered exclusively by military families making up less than 1 percent of the population, the high farce that is the Afghanistan mission would have been obvious before President Obama uttered one word on Wednesday night. All you'd need to know is the story that came to light the day before.   Turns out that the U.S. government has embraced a core tenet of sharia - that archaic corpus of Islamic law that Mitt Romney recently assured us would never gain traction in America. Patrick Poole reported at Pajamas Media on Tuesday that the secretary of the army has just granted "conscientious objector" status to Pfc. Nasser Abdo, a Muslim American soldier who refused to deploy to Afghanistan. Heeding the admonitions of CAIR and other Muslim Brotherhood operatives, the Pentagon accepts the claim that sharia forbids Muslims from assisting infidels in a war against Muslim forces in an Islamic land.

Read more:

Bachmann Lived on Kibbutz, Staunchly Pro-Israel

Friday, 01 Jul 2011 09:50 AM

By Jim Meyers

For Rep. Michele Bachmann, staunch support for Israel is a personal matter: Teenage Bachmann spent a summer working on a kibbutz in Israel.

 The 55-year-old Minnesota Republican, founder of the House Tea Party Caucus and a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, went to Israel in 1974, immediately after graduating from high school. Her mission was sponsored by Young Life, a Christian ministry.

"I always had this love and appreciation for Israel because I was a Christian," Bachmann, who was raised as a Lutheran, said in an interview with Matthew Continetti, opinion editor of The Weekly Standard. "It's the foundation of our faith. All of the Bible is about Israel."

The Israel she found in 1974 was "pretty grubby," she recalled - brutal heat, soldiers with guns at the airport, customs officers at card tables on the tarmac, chickens everywhere.

The youth housing where Bachmann - then Michele Amble - lived on the kibbutz was called the ghetto. Lizards climbed the walls. She rose at 4 a.m. and rode to work on a flatbed truck pulled by an old diesel tractor. Her job: pulling weeds from cotton fields.

Soldiers escorted the workers everywhere, searching for mines. "You're hoping at 4 o'clock in the morning that they see everything," she told Continetti.

The experience has never left Bachmann's mind. "If you consider what it was like in 1948," she said, "and literally watch flowers bloom in a desert over time - I don't know if any nation has paralleled the rise of Israel since 1948."

Today, Bachmann is a member of Christians United for Israel and one of Israel's strongest supporters in Congress. She has visited the Jewish state several times since taking office.

One Jewish Minnesota Republican has told Continetti of speeches at local Republican Jewish Coalition events where Bachmann has brought cheering audiences to their feet.

Read more on Newsmax.com: Bachmann Lived on Kibbutz, Staunchly Pro-Israel 

Obama's Ineligibility: A Vast Conspiracy against America
By Lawrence Sellin
 

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Barack Obama is an illegal President, who has likely committed felonies in office and there is an active conspiracy to prevent the American people from learning the truth.

There is evidence that Obama's birth documents and Selective Service registrations are forgeries and that he is using a stolen Social Security number.

Yet there are no investigations to ascertain the facts. There is only willful ignorance.

Many of our political leaders and government officials are either actively or passively complicit in this crime against our Constitution and our country.

Attorney Leo Donofrio has documented evidence that Justia.com, the main resource on the web for all things related to United States Supreme Court holdings, has been censoring various references to Minor v. Happersett (1875), the Supreme Court case which proves that Obama is an illegal President.

These revisions, which began prior to the 2008 election, must have been directed by persons with sophisticated legal knowledge and were likely perpetrated by Obama supporters to mislead the American people.

Read more:

American Constitution faces 'progressive' threat

Look what Obama's buddies plan for founding document

© 2011 WND | By Aaron Klein | Posted: July 03, 2011 

Attorney General Eric Holder

Still more White House officials, including Attorney General Eric Holder, have ties to an effort funded by billionaire George Soros to push for a new, "progressive" U.S. Constitution.

 
WND previously reported how President Obama's regulatory czar, Cass Sunstein, maintained extensive ties to Soros' funding, particularly with regard to a movement that openly seeks to create a "progressive" consensus on what the U.S. Constitution should provide by the year 2020.
 
Now, it has emerged that Lisa Brown, Obama's staff secretary, served as executive director of the Soros-funded American Constitution Society, ACS, a progressive legal organization that was behind the Constitution scheme.

   Read More . . .

It's called "the Beast" - President Obama's official limousine, that is.

It's a well-crafted, well-protected fortress on wheels that lets people know that this car belongs to the commander in chief of the United States of America.

But in a strange occurrence, the presidential seal on the Cadillac may not have recognized the passenger, or perhaps his eligibility to be riding in the vehicle, as it flew off the limo on an interstate highway in Pennsylvania.

   Read More . . .

Biden Spews Communist Rhetoric at Union Rally

Written on July 4, 2011 

"(Republicans) really believe that a strong U.S. economy rests upon an ever increasing accumulation of wealth and power in the hands of a few enlightened guys they think are smarter than you are," Biden said. "You are the only thing that stands between the barbarians at the gate and the

You've got to be kidding me, Biden. Are you sure you're not talking about the Democrat party here? The Democrats and the Liberals are the ones who advocate raiding the private sector to fill their D.C. coffers with wealth and power only to redistribute it in such a way that enslaves a voting bloc and advances their own "enlightened" agenda.

   Read More . . .

Andrew C. McCarthy

July 2, 2011 Pawlenty's Foreign Policy Is he on the John McCain wing of the Republican party? Tim Pawlenty winced audibly when The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg made the obvious explicit. In the race for the GOP presidential nomination, the columnist posited, "I guess you represent the John McCain-Lindsey Graham foreign-policy wing."   The former Minnesota governor was troubled enough to go out of his way to deflect the characterization he couldn't deny. "I prefer that it not be that," was the initial parry. Later, he tried to lay his self-made burden on the media: "I wish you could think of another way to describe this wing of the party, other than McCain and Lindsey Graham."

Read more:

07/04/2011 

Celebrating America's Enduring Principles

America was born on July 4, 1776, with the passage of the Declaration of Independence. Today, as we celebrate our great country 235 years later, we reflect upon its meaning.

The Declaration announced to the world that the American colonies were free and independent states. But this alone does not make the document or America revolutionary. What is revolutionary about the Declaration is not that a particular group of Americans declared their independence under particular circumstances but that they did so by appealing to a universal standard of justice: equality. What is revolutionary about America is that it is built upon a foundation of universal principles, not petty interests.

Recent Entries 

Happy Birthday Calvin Coolidge

Five Great Virtues that Make Americans Amazing

VIDEO: Public Opinion on Debt Ceiling and Government Spending

Podcast: Happy Independence Day!

Atheists Take Offense at 9/11 Memorial for Fallen Firefighters

'Arab Spring' Turns to Long, Hot Summer in Syria and Lebanon

QUICK HITS

Pakistan's military continues to use militant groups as proxies against its neighbors and American forces in Afghanistan, according to a prominent former militant commander.

Turkey froze Libya's holdings in a Turkish bank on Monday, a day after it recognized Libya's rebel leaders as the country's legitimate representatives.

It's "crazy talk" for Democrats to claim that the 14th Amendment would empower President Obama to continue to pay the country's debt even if the limit is not raised, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said on Sunday.

Negotiators from Detroit's automakers and the United Auto Workers are set to begin national labor contract talks this month in order to meet their September 14 contract deadline.

"The principles of our republic must be protected vigilantly at home and defended fearlessly abroad," Heritage President Edwin J. Feulner says in a special Independence Day podcast.

Check out the blog post 'Happy Independence Day!'

Blog post added by Lloyd Marcus:

Patriots, some folks are extremely uncomfortable embracing an "us against them" mindset. However, the cold reality is there are those who l...

Blog post link: Happy Independence Day!

Check out the discussion 'A Celebration of Independence! Happy Birthday America!'

Enjoy! Happy Birthday America!

Discussion posted by Asst Natl Dir Mellie B:

                                            An Email from GA State Sen Bill Heath What is Independence Day?   As we...

Discussion link: A Celebration of Independence! Happy Birthday America!

July 4, 2011

America's Fourth, the spirit of 1776

MARIE JON, RA ANALYST - "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." -- Thomas Jefferson... (more)

July 3, 2011

Reflections on Independence Day

SAMUEL DONIGER - On July 4, 1776, members of the Second Continental Congress gathered in the modest enclosures of Independence Hall to declare the birth of what would become the greatest nation the world had ever known... (more)

July 3, 2011

DeMint: Tea Party revolutionizing GOP, America

NEWSMAX - The best way for Republicans to win back the majority in the Senate is "to do what we say we're going to do," argues tea party favorite Sen. Jim DeMint in an exclusive Newsmax.TV interview. The South Carolina conservative maintains that he'd "rather have 30 Republicans who believe in the principles of freedom than 60 who believe in nothing at all... (more)

July 3, 2011

Cornyn: GOP may accept 'mini' debt-ceiling deal

BLOOMBERG - Republicans would accept a "mini" deal with the Obama administration on raising the debt limit, Senator John Cornyn of Texas, a Republican leader, said. Cornyn said today on "Fox News Sunday" that while Republicans would prefer a long-term deal, they would accept a shorter-term agreement if that's all they could get done... (more)

July 3, 2011

2011 Declaration of Independence from big government

FRANK MINITER - The Declaration of Independence, signed July 4, 1776, was a moral and profound list of grievances and/or charges detailing why colonial Americans found it necessary to separate themselves from the English Parliament and King George III... (more)

July 2, 2011

Recent court decisions reveal a double-standard on freedom

PATRICK GARRY, RA ANALYST - In two decisions announced this week, the Supreme Court's liberal wing shows a curious and seemingly inconsistent stance toward First Amendment freedoms. In Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, the wing, with the exception of Justice Breyer, found that a California law requiring minor children to have their parent's consent before purchasing graphically violent video games violated the First Amendment rights of video game manufacturing and distributing corporations... (more)

July 2, 2011

RI governor signs bill on gay civil unions

REUTERS - Rhode Island's governor on Saturday signed into law a controversial bill legalizing same sex civil unions, but said it does not go far enough toward legalizing gay marriage. Governor Lincoln Chafee, an independent who supports gay marriage, nontheless signed the measure with the promise that it would move Rhode Island closer to the ultimate goal of legalizing gay marriage... (more)

July 1, 2011

49 House members demand probe of Kagan, Obamacare

NEWSMAX - Almost 50 House members want the House Judiciary Committee to investigate Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan's involvement in formulating President Barack Obama's healthcare law while she was his solicitor general... (more)

July 1, 2011

Government shuts down after no budget deal in Minnesota

WASHINGTON TIMES - It's lights out for Minnesota. A Democratic governor who sought to raise taxes on the wealthiest residents bumped heads with a Republican-controlled legislature, and their protracted budget impasse shut down state government just after midnight on Friday... (more)

July 1, 2011

Gallup: Obama's approval hits all-time low among poor

CNSNEWS.COM - President Barack Obama's approval has hit an all-time low among the poorest Americans, according to the Gallup poll. Meanwhile, when compared to the other income brackets reported by Gallup, Obama's approval is highest among the richest Americans... (more)

June 30, 2011

Eric Holder: unfit for his office, Congress needs to review the record

WES VERNON, RA ANALYST - The "I" word is something one is well-advised to use sparingly lest it be abused and over-used. Impeachment is a constitutional option that has -- during our nation's history -- been approached with super-caution. After all, officials at the very top echelons of our government either were elected or were nominated by an elected official (the president) or were appointed by the duly elected head of state... (more)

June 30, 2011

California taxes the Internet

LOS ANGELES TIMES - Reporting from Sacramento-- Shopping at Amazon.com Inc. and other major Internet stores is poised to get more expensive. Beginning Friday, a new state law will require large out-of-state retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases that their California customers make on the Internet -- a prospect eased only slightly by a 1-percentage-point drop in the tax that also takes effect at the same time... (more)

	NewCommon Sense Applying First Principles to the Issues of Today

What Makes the Fourth of July Exceptional?

America was born on July 4, 1776, with the passage of the Declaration of Independence. As we celebrate our great country 235 years later, we reflect upon its meaning.

The Declaration announced to the world that the American colonies were free and independent states. But this alone does not make the document or America revolutionary. What is revolutionary about the Declaration is not that a particular group of Americans declared their independence under particular circumstances but that they did so by appealing to a universal standard of justice: equality. What is revolutionary about America is that it is built upon a foundation of universal principles, not petty interests.

This is the core of American exceptionalism. As Matthew Spalding explains:
 

America is an exceptional nation, but not because of what it has achieved or accomplished. America is exceptional because, unlike any other nation, it is dedicated to the principles of human liberty, grounded on the truths that all men are created equal and endowed with equal rights.

All countries celebrate something that is theirs: The French celebrate Bastille Day, Canada has Canada Day, and Spain honors Christopher Columbus. But only America celebrates a set of principles that apply to all men.

The Declaration of Independence serves as a philosophical statement of America's first principles. Just read the second paragraph. It affirms that all men are equal by nature and therefore have certain inalienable rights. Government is not in the business of granting rights, making everyone alike, or ensuring that everyone is happy. Operating by the consent of the governed, government has as its purpose to secure liberty and allow individuals to govern themselves and pursue their ambitions.

It is not uncommon to hear that these principles were fine for the 18^th century but are woefully inadequate to meet the challenges of today. Just recently, in Time magazine's cover story on the Constitution, managing editor Richard Stengel dismissed the Founders for being trapped in their own time and unable to speak to modern problems. Stengel's allegations are nothing new. Since the early 20^th century, academics, journalists, and even American presidents (Woodrow Wilson, for example) have held the view, characterized by Calvin Coolidge, that "we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the [Founders], and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern."

There is a finality to America's principles, though. As our 30^th president insightfully explained:

If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions.

If you have not already done so for the Fourth, read the Declaration of Independence. Allow its memorable phrases to inspire you to strive for liberty and to vindicate the principles of self-government. Brace yourself, though-the Declaration of Independence is revolutionary, because its principles are true.

Keep Reading Why America Celebrates the Fourth of July

June 4, 2011 

A day to remember . . . 

Hello America,

It's been a crazy couple of weeks, filled with endings and beginnings. I ended my show on cable news and I have launched a new digital network - GBTV. I have been traveling the country and the globe in support of Israel and planning my upcoming event there, Restoring Courage. My team and I have launched new websites, books and businesses. I haven't stopped, I haven't had the chance. Until today.

Today is an important day in our country's history - probably the most important. But what lessons can we take away from the 4th of July? Like so many national holidays, we barely have a moment to think about what the day really means. Sure, it's the day we declared our independence from Britain - but it's much more than that. It was the beginning of the great American experiment.

When those 56 men gathered to declare our Independence on July 4th, 1776 they weren't just saying no to British rule - they were saying no to all rulers. They were declaring the beginning of the great American experiment, which sought to answer the question "Can man rule himself?"

Even with all the hardships and troubles facing America, I still believe the answer is "YES"! And I say that as emphatically and enthusiastically as I possibly can. Man CAN rule himself - and we are going to prove it together!

If you're reading this then you probably know a lot about what I am working on - but ultimately my goal is to prove that we have not failed in the goals set forth by our Founders so many years ago on July 4th. Everything I've been working on has been done with the intention on giving you the tools, the history, and the information you need to be self-reliant. 

Last Thursday, GBTV subscribers got to see me announce the latest piece, a non-profit initiative that I am calling "Mercury One." It will focus on putting Americans like you into action - helping one another without government interference or tax dollar support. Together we will fix America - one town, one person, one entrepreneur at a time. 

This Fourth of July - remember the importance of what our Founders started all those years ago. Remember the great American experiment!

Laos Deo,