912 Patriots of Lower Bucks - Your Daily Updates ALL in ONE Place!

May 8, 2012

Quote:

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."

-Benjamin Franklin

Rumors of War III

Please take some time to watch this video/documentary produced by Mercury One/Glen Beck. It is scary, and unfortunately Glen has been right on most everything he has reported on.

SultanKnish

Winning the War

The last President to have taken part in actual combat left office nearly twenty years ago. It's a little-remarked milestone buried amid a great deal of posturing by leaders who want to talk the talk without having walked the walk. Since then, we have gone from a draft dodger to a man who never had to bother dodging, a commentary on a generational shift from a period when military service was not alien to the Yale and Harvard campuses. Meanwhile, the country remains in a conflict without end.

Obama will complete his pullouts on a campaign schedule, but that will not end the war. You cannot end a war that you did not begin. The sustained conflict we are in did not begin when we entered Afghanistan or Iraq, it will not end just because we leave.

The Afghanistan victory lap is as much about disguising the 'cut and run' phase; as it is about reminding the folks in Virginia and Iowa that the man on television parachuted in, cut the throats of all of Osama's guards, shot him in the face and then made a topical quip. Waving around Bin Laden's head is a good way to distract them from the fact that the United States has lost the war in Afghanistan, that Obama's own strategy there failed badly and cost numerous American and British lives, and that we are turning the country over to the Taliban.

Afghanistan and Iraq were part of a strategy for containing and draining the fever swamps of terrorism. That strategy failed for a variety of reasons, not the least of them being that we failed to learn the lessons of Vietnam. The Obama Administration alone managed to roll out a "hearts and minds" strategy and a brief push to intimidate the other side into coming to the negotiating table for a face-saving withdrawal. It's almost a pity that Obama wasn't old enough to have to dodged the draft. At least that way he might have actually known something about the Vietnam War.

Fox News

US secretly releasing Taliban fighters, report says

Published May 07, 2012

NewsCore

FILE: Taliban insurgents pose in front of a burning German military vehicle in northern Kunduz Province. (Reuters)

KABUL - The US has been secretly releasing captured Taliban fighters from a detention center in Afghanistan in a bid to strengthen its hand in peace talks with the insurgent group, the Washington Post reported Monday.

The "strategic release" program of high-level detainees is designed to give the US a bargaining chip in some areas of Afghanistan where international forces struggle to exercise control, the report said.

Under the risky program, the hardened fighters must promise to give up violence and are threatened with further punishment, but there is nothing to stop them resuming attacks against Afghan and American troops.

US DEBT CLOCK

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"If I wanted America to fail"

By allowing our attention to be focused exclusively on the danger and prevention of terrorism, we ignore the many other ways we are being attacked. Specifically, we are missing what our Islamist enemies call their 'civilization jihad' - a form of warfare that employs manipulative financial techniques, lawfare, infiltration of our civil institutions and government and insidious information dominance. Together, these have the effect of exploiting our liberties and governing structures against us, so that our leaders wind up imposing the very anti-American values that our enemies promote.

Welcome to The Muslim Brotherhood in America: The Enemy Within - a 10-part, web-based video briefing that is designed to explain why and how this is happening.

It addresses a threat most Americans are unaware even exists within our country, let alone the degree of peril it represents.
The threat is the totalitarian, supremacist Islamic doctrine its adherents call "shariah" and the organized, disciplined and increasingly successful efforts by such adherents-- most especially the Muslim Brotherhood-- to bring it here.

We are making this course available in the hope of encouraging, informing and broadening support for national efforts to defeat the insinuation into this country of shariah's anti-constitutional and seditious program.

Muslim Brotherhood in America: The Overview

Valley Forge Patriots

VALLEY FORGE PATRIOTS MONTHLY MEETING

FRIDAY, MAY 11, 6:00 PM AT THE

PHOENIXVILLE COUNTRY CLUB

DID YOU KNOW THAT TEACHERS HAVE TO JOIN THE UNION WHETHER THEY WANT TO OR NOT, AND UNION DUES IS TAKEN OUT OF THEIR PAY CHECK BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT?

AND THEN DID YOU KNOW THAT YOUR SCHOOL BOARD HAS TO WRITE A CHECK TO THE TEACHER'S UNIONS TO PAY TEACHER'S DUES?

YOU CAN PROBABLY FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS DUES MONEY IS USED FOR IN HARRISBURG!

GUESS WHO IS PAYING FOR ALL OF THIS? Right, you the taxpayer!

Do you know what can happen when all of this is changed?

Come out and learn more from

Simon Campbell, an excellent and entertaining speaker (yes, even on this subject).

Simon currently serves as Vice President of the Pennsbury Board of School Directors so he knows how it works from the inside. After a 21-day teacher's strike in his district he started a grassroots group, StopTeacherStrikes to advocate for PA to become the 38^th state to make teacher's strikes illegal. Simon also served on the board of Pennsylvanians for Right to Work.

He regularly speaks on the need to end compulsory unionism and other aspects of public sector union political power.

Q&A session and more to follow.

An extremely important movie is coming this summer - Dinesh D'Souza - Obama & 2016

Dinesh D'Souza is author of many New York Times best sellers. The movie is from Gerald R. Molen, producer of Academy Award Winning Schindler's List.

It explains in plain language who Barack Obama really is, what he stands for, and the dangers of him being reelected for another four years.

Watch this short informative video preview of this movie which came out only yesterday and share it with others. It has already been seen by over 1,200,000 people. Within a very short time it will have been seen by millions! After you see the preview, listen to what Dinesh has to say about Obama. Please take the time to hear this and pass it on.

Dinesh D'Souza - Obama & 2016

Click here to RSVP

EVENT IS FREE - SEATING IS LIMITED - REGISTRATION IS REQUESTED

Freedom Works

Because of the generosity of patriots like you, we've reached our fundraising goal to retake the Senate and FIRE Harry Reid!

And as a special way of saying thanks, we're extending an exclusive opportunity for you to pre-register for FreePAC, a national grassroots gathering of Americans interested in restoring freedom from the bottom up: in their neighborhood, in their state, and in their country. The event takes place from 6-9pm on July 26th in American Airlines Arena in Dallas, TX.

Click here to accept this exclusive opportunity to pre-register now!

The theme of FreePAC is "Restoring Freedom" and it will be held in conjunction with Glenn Beck's "Restoring Love" event on July 28th. FreePAC will not only feature Glenn, FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey, and me, but speeches from many of the biggest names in the freedom movement! FreePAC also provides attendees with exclusive grassroots materials, a unique grassroots training experience, and the latest in online mobilization strategy. Can you make it?

In about two weeks, these tickets will go on sale to the general public, so I wanted to make sure I invited you first.

I hope you can make it. More information can be found on FreePAC by clicking here.

In Liberty,

Matt Kibbe
President & CEO, FreedomWorks

Constitution 101:
The Meaning and History of the Constitution

Available to you, your family, your friends,
and all Americans.

Weeks One & Two Now Available - Sign Up TODAY!

Dr. Larry P. Arnn

Over the years, many friends of Hillsdale, those who never attended college here, have said to me: "Dr. Arnn, I wish I could take Hillsdale's Constitution course!"

In response to these requests, this past year, for the first time ever, Hillsdale College offered the "Introduction to the Constitution" lecture series at no charge. Frankly, I wasn't sure what sort of a response a course like this would have.

That's why I was excited to see that YOU and almost 200,000 other people from all over the United States registered for "Introduction to the Constitution."

Thank you very much for registering and participating. I hope you learned a lot from the series.

I was thrilled, not only by the response, but at what it indicates: Americans are willing and eager learn about the Constitution and to defend the principles of liberty that made America so prosperous!

And this re-awakening of national interest in the Constitution comes not a minute too soon.

Now, for the first time ever, Hillsdale College is offering a no-cost 10-week online Constitution course based on the class Hillsdale College students must complete for graduation:

"Constitution 101: The Meaning and History of the Constitution"

This course on the U.S. Constitution is available online at no charge to anyone who wants to understand and defend the timeless principles of liberty upon which our nation was founded!

I am proud to be teaching part of our NEW "Constitution 101" course and hope YOU will be one of my students again!

Hillsdale College "Constitution 101" begins on February 20, 2012, and concludes the week of April 30. It will cover such topics as the Declaration of Independence and its connection to the Constitution, how the Constitution is structured to protect individual liberty and ensure good government, the crisis of constitutional government faced by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, and modern challenges to the Constitution during the "Progressive" era.

It is my honor to teach the first class, "The American Mind," and the final class, "The Recovery of the Constitution." All of the classes will be taught by Hillsdale College professors - the top teachers in their field and the same ones who instruct our students here on Hillsdale's campus.

Classes listed in Blue have been posted on YouTube and can be viewed by clicking on the link for each class below.

Constitution 101 Schedule
Introduction: The American Mind Larry P. Arnn Monday, February 20 The Declaration of Independence Thomas G. West Monday, February 27 The Problem of Majority Tyranny David Bobb Monday, March 5 Separation of Powers: Preventing Tyranny Kevin Portteus Monday, March 12	Separation of Powers: Ensuring Good Government Will Morrisey Monday, March 19 Religion, Morality, and Property David Bobb Monday, March 26 Crisis of Constitutional Government Will Morrisey Monday, April 2	Abraham Lincoln and the Constitution Kevin Portteus Monday, April 9 The Progressive Rejection of the Founding Ronald J. Pestritto Monday, April 16 The Recovery of the Constitution Larry P. Arnn Monday, April 23

[Go here to enroll in "Constitution 101" now]

You can only sign up until May 15th!

Hillsdale College

The U.S. Constitution

A Reader

Featuring 113 primary source documents, The U.S. Constitution: A Reader was developed for teaching the core course on the U.S. Constitution at Hillsdale College.

Divided into eleven sections with introductions by members of Hillsdale's Politics Department faculty, readings cover the principles of the American founding, the framing and structure of the Constitution, the secession crisis and the Civil War, the Progressive rejection of the Constitution, and the building of the administrative state based on Progressive principles.

Purchase your copy today!

Editorial Note: Just received a couple of copies of the reader. Not just a short course pamphlet this; with the heft of 'Atlas Shrugged', it is well worth getting whether or not you choose to take the course.

About Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College is a private, coeducational, residential, liberal arts college with approximately 1,400 students. Founded in 1844, the College remains, in the words of its Articles of Association, "grateful to God for the inestimable blessings resulting from the presence of civil and religious liberty and intelligent piety" in our nation, and dedicated to "the diffusion of sound learning" that is "essential to the perpetuity of these blessings."

Hillsdale College is distinguished by its rigorous core curriculum, by its principled rejection of federal and state taxpayer funding, and by the pledge of its Board of Trustees to resists any attempts by the government to regulate its internal affairs.

Hillsdale College promotes the principles of liberty nationwide through its national speech digest, Imprimis, which has a monthly circulation of over 2 million, and through several outreach programs. In 2008, Hillsdale launched its Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship in Washington, D.C. The College will also launch the Hillsdale Graduate School of Statesmanship in fall 2012.

The Heritage Foundation

New Common Sense

Special Message

Heritage's Timeless Reference Book Now Online

As a trusted reader of New Common Sense, the weekly e-mail from The Heritage Foundation, we wanted you to be the first to know about our new website ConstitutionOnline.com.

From the preamble to the 27

^th

Amendment -- The Heritage Guide to the Constitution Online is a completely searchable reference tool with leading expert analysis of the Constitution. The site features clause by clause analysis of our timeless reference book, links to essays, as well as a teaching companion.

ConstitutionOnline.com provides clear, concise analysis for users who are trying to further their understanding of the Constitution.

No document is more central to securing "the Blessing of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity" than the United States Constitution, and no website is more thorough than ConstitutionOnline.com.

Republican Jewish Coaliton

RJC Philadelphia Chapter

Breakfast with David Freed -

GOP Candidate for Attorney General

Friday, May 18

About our Speaker:

David Freed has over 15 years of experience as a prosecutor and has handled thousands of cases during his legal career, trying in excess of 100 jury trials in both the civil and criminal arenas. He has prosecuted capital murder cases, run grand jury investigations, taken down child predators and cracked down on elder abuse and fraud. David has also been instrumental in holding sex offenders accountable by closing loopholes in Megan's Law and protecting the rights of crime victims.

He is an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association (PDAA). David currently serves as the Secretary/Treasurer and previously served as the Chairman of the Education and Training Committee, planning all CLE accredited training programs for Pennsylvania's prosecutors.

David resides in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania with his wife Amy their children Tommy, Elizabeth and Natalie.

Watch the RJC's Latest Web-Ad

Click Video Link for 'Deeds' Here

Meet the RJC!

Click Video Link Here

RJC Philadelphia Chapter

presents a meet and greet breakfast with David Freed

GOP Candidate for Attorney General

Friday, May 18

Registration and breakfast at 7:30am

Program will begin promptly at 8:00am

Hosted by RJC Leader Bill Wanger
Fox Rothschild LLP
Building #10, Suite 200
300 Sentry Parkway East*
(a/k/a 300 Walton Drive)
*use this address for GPS Devices

Cost:
No Charge for Current RJC Leaders
$10 for Current RJC Members
$25 for eTeam, Non-current, and Friends

RSVP is Required.
Please email Scott Feigelstein at
pasnj@rjchq.org or call 610-667-1263

________________________

Philadelphia Individual Membership begins at $100 per year

Philadelphia Couples Membership begins at $150 per year

National Leadership opportunities begin at $1000

From July 16 through July 18, 2012, Christians United for Israel will be holding its 7th Annual Washington Summit. We're going back to stand with Israel in our nation's capital. This year - more than ever - we need you to join us!

In the coming months, critical decisions are going to be made about Iran, Israel and the world. Finally, Washington is beginning to focus on the issue of a nuclear Iran. Many of our leaders want to confront this looming threat. But others want to keep kicking the can down the road. The debate is far from over.

We know that when thousands of CUFI activists arrive in DC and on Capitol Hill, we can change the conversation.
We can remind our leaders that a nuclear Iran is not only a threat to Israel, but to the US as well. And we can demonstrate to our elected officials that their constituents care enough about this issue to show up at their DC offices.
We know that we can create a sense of immediacy that's otherwise lacking.
We know that the more of us who show up and speak out -- the louder our voice and the greater our impact.

We stand at a critical juncture in history. Don't be silent! Don't miss your chance to make a difference! Don't pass up your opportunity to defend America and bless Israel!

Our leaders need to remember that we are watching them and we need to remember that God is watching us.

The time to speak out for Israel is now!
Please register today for CUFI's 2012 DC Summit.

Act for America

FREE Training Conference

Saturday, August 18, 2012
Washington Dulles Airport Marriott
45020 Aviation Drive * Dulles, Virginia * (703) 471-9500

Brigitte Gabriel and our National Staff want to personally invest our time with you and have worked hard to provide a FREE training for our members in the region around D.C.!

Please join us for the Northern Virginia Citizens in Action Training Conference.

If you are concerned about the growing threat of radical Islam and Sharia Law to our great land and you haven't seen a plan of action to meet this evil head on, here's your opportunity to join with us for real, measurable results.

Results that make a difference, not just a statement.

Our host team is working hard to deliver a day you won't forget. Plan on being there! Meet me and our growing team of professionals at the Dulles Airport Marriott on Saturday, August 18, 2012. Registration will start at 7:30 AM with the event starting at 8:30 AM and running through 5:00 PM.

Here are a few comments we have received from previous training seminars around the nation:

"...After 8 hours in that chair ............. I was ready for another 8 hours - it seemed to end too soon..."

"I was literally stunned. Wow! Brigitte Gabriel has assembled an incredible team to support her message of action and hope!"

"...As much as the issue depresses me, and I could cry every time I think about what is happening to the West, I left yesterday's conference energized and inspired. The day reminded me that I am *not* alone, after all, in trying to resist the dangerous absurdity of radical Islam that is being forced on us. I'm in desperate need of such reminders, as I'm sure most of us are. Whenever I'm close to despair, I remind myself of Brigitte's message. Thank you so much for this incredible training day!"

"...What an amazing seminar!"

"...I have never spent a better $45, 104 miles and 12 hours!" (Previous pricing for a similar event. We're wanting to involve as many as possible from this region, so for this event only, it's free!)

You can find out more and register online by clicking here.

Call the number above to reserve your room at the Marriott if you need to spend the night.

Your early registration really helps us plan accurately for materials and supplies needed! Thank you for doing it today!

I look forward to meeting you and looking into your eyes and thanking you for taking this stand with me. We will protect this nation!

Sincerely,

Brigitte Gabriel

LISTEN LIVE TO REPATRIOT RADIO

"BETTER THAN EVER"

(all times are eastern)

Tuesday 3-4pm "American Freedom Watch" - Karen Schoen with contributors John Estabrooks and Dr. Ronald Myers

The Heritage Foundation The Case Against Obamacare: Health Care Policy Series for the 112th Congress

A Health Care Policy Series for the 112th Congress

Building on decades of Heritage research, The Case Against Obamacare: A Health Care Policy Series for the 112^th Congress examines 15 key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Each report:

Cites specific sections of the 2,700-page health care law
Provides detailed analysis of specific Obamacare provisions
Identifies key principles for a better way to reform health care

The unmistakable conclusion of this series is that Obamacare must be fully repealed. Congress cannot build sound market-based health care reform on the flawed foundation of this health care law. Until it can be repealed, Congress must employ its full powers authorized by the Constitution to:

Victory Center" on Facebook

-Gabriel Malor

Last week I had the opportunity to get a sneak-peek at the RNC's new Facebook application. Designed, in the words of one RNC staffer to "take our message where the people are," the Social Victory Center app will, among other things, hook users up with campaign news targeted based on their location and preferences (which Facebook already knows, of course), let users join volunteer efforts, distribute voter registration forms, and provide an online phone bank, all without leaving the Facebook website. It will also, if users wish, put those activities on the user's Facebook wall, letting their friends see what they're up to and, hopefully, encouraging them to join in.

It's an attempt to leverage Facebook's popularity in a new way and, at the moment, the Democrats have nothing like it. The Social Victory Center was unveiled to the public yesterday, so if you're on Facebook, check it out. As the general election ramps up, check back for volunteer activities as they're added. Also, like I did in 2008, I'll be pushing online phone banking in the final weeks of the election, only this time the RNC will have done the heavy-lifting that the McCain team wasn't too keen on.

LINK: http://ace.mu.nu/

Reagan Warned Us About Obama

Heritage Hotsheet

Experts on the Day's Hottest News

Items for May 8, 2012

After European elections, a test of wills looms over austerity measures

THE WASHINGTON POST

Amid Protests, Putin Returns to the Presidency in Russia

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Restore the Law's FOCUS

NATIONAL REVIEW

Tea party candidate hopes to end Indiana Sen. Lugar's career

AP

UNESCO: Not Exactly Indispensable
NATIONAL REVIEW

US: CIA Thwarts New Al-Qaida Underwear Bomb Plot
AP

Latest Heritage Research:
ISSUE BRIEF ON MAY 7, 2012
Why Budget "Reconciliation" Matters

ISSUE BRIEF ON MAY 7, 2012
The FOCUS Act and Federal Law Enforcement

ISSUE BRIEF ON MAY 7, 2012
The Lacey Act: From Conservation to Criminalization

AMERICA AT RISK MEMO ON MAY 7, 2012
A New Decade of National Security: How Ready Is America?

Praise the enlightened attitudes of those nice, caring Palestinians in Hamas-who recently banned women from riding motorcycles.

Clearly their motivation is to protect the fairer sex from the myriad dangers associated with this most risky form of transport. No wonder liberal Americans prefer Gaza's gentle, sensitive feminist government to that of Israel, whose government callously treats its women folk as if they were no different from men. Why, Israeli women are even allowed to disport themselves in revealing swimwear on the beach, exposing themselves to the lascivious stares of men who might at any stage come up to them and say "Hi!" and invite them for a drink, with goodness knows what terrible potential consequences. Much better to live in Gaza, where the religious police protect girls from such horrors by giving them a sound beating if they are found improperly dressed!

Frontpage

France Lurches Left

By Jacob Laksin
Socialist victor over Sarkozy promises a spending and tax onslaught.
Read more »

Excruciating Beginning to Trial of 9/11 Plotters

By Rick Moran
Arraignment of terrorists turns into a sideshow.
Read more »

The Masked Face of Marxism

By John Perazzo
A look at the shadowy "Black Bloc" radicals who protest capitalism by rampaging violently - in a city near you.
Read more »

The Genocide that Obama Refuses to Prevent

By Daniel Greenfield
How the president made a mockery of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Read more »

Elizabeth Warren and the Frauds of Diversity

By Bruce Thornton
The leftist darling's phony heritage is only the tip of the iceberg of academic corruption.
Read more »

The Fate of a Chinese Dissident - on The Glazov Gang

By Frontpagemag.com
Fireworks break out between Tommi Trudeau, Rob Nelson and Nonie Darwish on Frontpage's weekly television show.
Read more »

Smear Attack Against Israel Defenders at UC San Diego

By Arnold Ahlert
Fabricated accusations of harassment leveled against student and professor for their opposition to Israel divestment.
Read more »

Merchants of Despair

By Jamie Glazov
Radical environmentalists, criminal pseudo-scientists, and the fatal cult of antihumanism.
Read more »

The Horrors Chen Guangcheng Leaves Behind

By Frank Crimi
The Chinese dissident may be on his way to freedom, but the human rights situation in China remains bleak.
Read more »

The Orwellian Atrocities Prevention Board, Part II

By David Meir-Levi
Why Obama really created the genocide monitoring committee.
Read more »

Did Muhammad Exist? - on the Jamie Glazov Show on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 8-9 pm Pacific

By Frontpagemag.com
Robert Spencer takes your calls about his new book for the full hour.
Read more »

WND EXCLUSIVE

Iran turning U.S. mosques into command centers

Quds Forces, new terror units tasked with destabilizing present governments

By Reza Kahlili

The Revolutionary Guards and its Quds Forces, which run Iran's terror networks worldwide, have created two special units to undermine the regimes in the Persian Gulf and push America out of the region.

The Guards are using Imam Ali mosques around the globe, including some in the U.S., as terror command centers.

Gates of Vienna

Saturday, April 14, 2012

The Cordoba House and the Myth of Andalusian "Ecumenism"

In response to yesterday's video about the "Andalusian Spring", Andy Bostom sends the following article adapted from his forthcoming book Sharia Versus Freedom - The Legacy of Islamic Totalitarianism.

The Cordoba House and the Myth of Andalusian "Ecumenism"
by Andrew G. Bostom

Feisal Abdul Rauf

Imam Feisal Rauf, "founder and visionary" of the Cordoba Initiative, ^[1] apparently sees the construction of a triumphal mosque within the 9/11 World Trade Center attack's zone of destruction ^[2] as a fulfillment of his vision for Islam in America. As Rauf stated in his 2004 What's Right with Islam, a work limited to treacly Islamic propaganda: ^[3]

For many centuries, Islam inspired a civilization that was particularly tolerant and pluralistic. ... Great philosophers such as Maimonides were free to create their historic works within the pluralistic culture of Islam.

Rauf envisions this invented past as a model for the future "Sharia-compliant" America he desires. ^[4]

PJ Media

Anita Moncrief Takes on Eric Holder on Race, ACORN and Voter Fraud

May 3, 2012 - 10:59 am - by J. Christian Adams

(Legal Editor Note: Not long ago, the Left had a monopoly on rallies and protests. Republicans and conservatives, more enamored with scholars instead of brawlers, shunned displays of political muscle in the streets. That's all changed. A few months ago, Attorney General Eric Holder went to the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, to announce an aggressive attack on state election integrity measures like Voter ID. This election-year strategy is designed to stoke the leftist base but risks alienating everyone else. To greet Holder that day were hundreds of citizens at a rally sponsored by True the Vote.

I will never forget the disoriented look on Holder's face as he emerged from the black SUV to the large crowd of people who came out to confront him. "Signs? Bullhorns? Multitudes? And they aren't here to support me?" - that was the look.

ACORN whistleblower Anita Moncrief delivered a powerful speech that day, and PJ Media has finally been able to obtain it and publish it.)

Thank you. It's an honor to be here today and I'm glad to see that there's so many of you with your video cameras, because after the mainstream media gets hold of this, it will be "an all-white crowd showed up to protest Eric Holder." So I'm glad we'll have a little bit of somebody to combat that.

I speak from the heart and I speak plain, so if I offend some of you I'm sorry. But it's an honor to be here today, especially to be at the LBJ Library, the father of the Great Society, the father of the social programs and the welfare state, and then the dissolution of the black family and our communities.

When LBJ signed in the Voting Rights Act in 1965, he said: "We'll have those niggers voting Democrat for the next 40 years." And that needs to be said. People need to understand that. That's the legacy that Holder brings here with him tonight by holding his speech here. It's not just about coming here to talk about voting rights. It's to talk about how they've taken race and turned it in to something that is unrecognizable.

The Foundation

"Of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people, commencing demagogues and ending tyrants." --Alexander Hamilton

Government

"Barack Obama has a new composite girlfriend, and her name is Julia. Her story is told in an interactive feature titled 'The Life of Julia' on the Obama campaign website. ... As a toddler, she's in a head-start program. Skip ahead to 17, and she's enrolled at a Race to the Top high school. Her 20s are very active: She gets surgery and free birth control through ObamaCare regulations, files a lawsuit under the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and pays off her student loans at a low interest rate. We get updates at age 31, 37 and 42 -- and then the narrative skips ahead 23 years when she enrolls in Medicare. Two years later, she's on Social Security, at which point she can die at any time. ... [N]othing happens to Julia between 42 and 65. That period includes the typical peak earning years -- the time at which, assuming Julia is gainfully employed, she will be paying the biggest price for 'Obama's' generosity. ... The most shocking bit of the Obama story is that Julia apparently never marries. She simply 'decides' to have a baby, and Obama uses other people's money to help her take care of it. ... In 1999 Lionel Tiger coined the word 'bureaugamy' to refer to the relationship between officially impoverished mothers of illegitimate children and the government. 'The Life of Julia' is an insidious attack on the institution of the family, an endorsement of bureaugamy even for middle-class women." --Wall Street Journal columnist James Taranto

"Alas, Team Obama has omitted a few milestones from the life of Julia." --National Review's Kevin D. Williamson, who has them covered here.

What do you think the "life of Julia" should really look like?

For the Record

"I don't know what's creepier. The idea that Julia owes her entire life to government beneficence -- or that Barack Obama is an integral part Julia's life from the time she's a small child until at least age 42. ... And then there are the inconvenient facts. Like the fact that Head Start has demonstrated no useful improvement in a child's educational future. The fact that our public schools have become an international embarrassment. The fact that Obamacare may be declared un-Constitutional, or the fact that this administration has a miserable record of job creation -- or the fact that funds underwriting Julia's retirement and medical expenses won't be there because the trajectory of the Obama administration's current spending habits leads inexorably to national bankruptcy. ... On to Composite Girlfriend. CG was a character from the president's 1995 memoir, Dreams from My Father. Progressives are very angry that some folks finally noticed -- as opposed to noticing in 2008 -- that the president, in a book ostensibly about his life, decided to combine several women into one Composite Girlfriend, to 'move the narrative along,' as it were. ... Mr. Obama is certainly entitled to write any kind of book he chooses. What he is not entitled to do is run roughshod over some pretty clear-cut definitions separating non-fiction, aka facts, from fiction. There is another clear-cut definition for such an effort. It's called 'lying,' and lying is something this president does with an almost pathological ease." --columnist Arnold Ahlert

Political Futures

"In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy got beaten in his re-election try by Socialist François Hollande. According to the International Herald Tribune ... Hollande is 'seen as a challenge to the German-dominated policy of economic austerity in the Euro Zone, which is suffering from recession and record unemployment.' In Germany, President Angela Merkel's party was spanked in a regional election in the northern part of the nation. ... To add to the anti-incumbent fury in Europe over the weekend, there were parliamentary elections in Greece on Sunday which, again according to the IHT, plunged Greece 'into political uncertainty after voters bolstered the far left and neo-Nazi right in a wave of protest that saw the crushing defeat of the dominant political parties they blame for Greece's economic collapse.' ... The continuing sense of unease around the world is beginning to show itself at the ballot box. If the major parties -- on both sides of the Atlantic -- don't begin to show they can come together on programs [to] alleviate those economic fears we may see wholesale changes in local, state, and federal offices here as well." --columnist Rich Galen

Opinion in Brief

"Most presidents have talked about cutting spending, but few succeed because Congress holds the power of the purse and is reluctant to give it up. ... To borrow a song from the musical, 'Annie Get Your Gun,' commercial ventures should look at government and say about many of its functions, 'Anything you can do, I can do better' and then they should be allowed to do it. The model for this could be the government of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. During her time in office, she privatized many industries and utilities previously owned by the government because she believed, correctly, that the private economy could do a better and less expensive job of running them. Her philosophy, mostly absent from the film 'The Iron Lady,' was: 'We should not expect the state to appear in the guise of an extravagant good fairy at every christening, a loquacious companion at every stage of life's journey, and the unknown mourner at every funeral.' Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney could follow her example by challenging the country to look deep inside its Puritan DNA and rediscover the principle of what might be called the three L's: limited government, liberty, and living within our means." --columnist Cal Thomas

Essential Liberty

"America is different because it is uniquely dedicated to the universal principles of human liberty: that all are fundamentally equal and equally endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our government exists to secure these God-given rights, deriving its just powers from the consent of the governed. Our Constitution limits the power of government under the rule of law, creating a vigorous framework for expanding economic opportunity, protecting national independence, and securing liberty and justice for all. ... American policy must not be driven either by the naïve notion that we can rid the world of tyranny and remake other nations in our image or by foolish claims that we can somehow withdraw from the world and isolate ourselves from threats to our sovereignty and independence. The better course -- consistent with constitutional government, under which elected leaders have an obligation to act in the best interests of the people they represent and on whose behalf they exercise power -- is to focus on America's vital national interests in light of its principles, maintaining the United States' freedom of action while prudently advancing liberty in the world." --Heritage Foundation's Matthew Spalding

The Gipper

"An opportunity society awaits us. We need only believe in ourselves and give men and women of faith, courage, and vision the freedom to build it. Let others run down America and seek to punish success. Let them call you greedy for not wanting government to take more and more of your earnings. Let them defend their tombstone society of wage and price guidelines, mandatory quotas, tax increases, planned shortages, and shared sacrifices. We want no part of that mess, thank you very much." --Ronald Reagan

Faith & Family

"The news coverage of Chuck Colson's recent death betrayed our secular culture's continuing discomfort with God's power to transform hearts and lives. Colson, 'born again' to a life of profound Christianity on the heels of his Watergate disgrace, founded Prison Fellowship Ministries, a life-changing ministry to prisoners and their families. He spent his life messaging the need for personal and cultural transformation in the face of sin, urging Christians to embrace and live by an authentic Christian worldview. But our secular culture -- which denies the reality of sin and the need for redemption -- tripped all over itself trying to explain Colson's life without affirming the truth that changed him. ... Calling Colson's ministry a second career -- or framing it as the next chapter in his political journey -- makes about as much sense as talking about the apostolic journeys of the apostle Paul as if they were the second career or new political trajectory of Saul of Tarsus. Spreading the Gospel in prisons wasn't Colson's second career. It was his primary calling. It's not the afterword of the story. It IS the story." --columnist Rebecca Hagelin

Re: The Left

"Nearly 1,000 protesters were arrested in New York between Sept. 18 and Oct. 15. Police collected information on each arrestee's name, age, sex, criminal charge, home address and -- in most cases -- race. The median value of the homes of the arrestees was $305,000 -- a far higher number than the $185,400 median value of owner-occupied homes of the rest of us. Ninety-five of the arrestees lived in homes valued at more than $500,000. Those who rented paid a median rent of $1,850 per month. Of the 984 protesters arrested, at least 797 are white. One Occupy Wall Street protester arrested -- presumably, if you listen to the mainstream media, penniless and from a blue-collar family -- lived in an $850,000 home in the nation's capital. Recall that while on the campaign trail, Obama promised, 'We will stand up in this election to bring about the change that won't just win an election but will transform America.' ... During the forthcoming elections, we can be assured that these people will do all they can, including violent protests, to help Obama have an additional four years to continue his transformation of our nation." --economist Walter E. Williams

Reader Comments

"Our president is leading us in three directions. 'Forward' to additional failed policies of borrow and spend that we've had the last three years, 'downward' into the abyss of total governmental control of all of our lives and 'backward' into the dreamland of more 'hope and change' that has failed to bring us real prosperity. His idealistic belief is that government is the answer to all our problems, and, by doubling down on debt, taxes and control, he falsely believes he can make things better. If ignorant voters believe it this time, we will deserve the country he will usher in." --M. Lee

"'Forward' actually reminds me of the anthem of the Italian facist movement (Avante, Populo). I've also noticed that the president often strikes poses reminicent of Benito Mussolini." --Paul

"What should the government's energy policy look like? First and foremost get rid of federal subsidies. Second, stop targeting certain, specific sectors of the energy market (oil companies and their drilling operations most immediately come to mind). Third, open up the entire energy sector, 'green' or otherwise, to the free market and let competition, not the government, determine the success or failure of any particular type of energy production." --Scott

"As an eyewitness to the Battle of Athens, and daughter of one of the veterans involved, I must say that Mark Alexander's recounting of this story was so good I thought I could hear 'Glory, Glory Hallelujah' playing in the background!" --Tennessee Patriot

"I find it near repugnant in your very well done story of the Battle of Athens that you would list with 'awe' people like Nathan Bedford Forrest, a founder of the KKK. Not only is he despicable on that account, but he was an insurrectionist against the United States Constitution during the Civil War. Sam Davis, another insurrectionist who was rightly hanged for committing espionage against the United States, also gets mention from you. I will barely give you Andrew Jackson, who as a soldier in the War of 1812 against the Brits may have distinguished himself but later treated Native Americans brutally, both in person and in policy. In his presidency he exhibited an executive power to be one of the first 'Progressives' against the Constitution. Choosing a couple of these men to honor from the great state of Tennessee showed a complete lack of judgement in this case." --Union Man

Editor's Reply: Some comments just beg an editor's reply, and this would be one. You can read mine here.

The Last Word

"In judging any government initiative, you can't look just at the credit side of the ledger. Government is unable to give without first taking away. Inevitably, more is taken away because the government substitutes force for free exchange. Instead of a process driven by consumers weighing their preferences, we get one imposed by politicians' grand social designs, what F.A. Hayek called 'the fatal conceit.' The green schemes make energy cost more. Of course, some who push 'green jobs' want the price of energy to rise. Then we will live in smaller homes, drive less and burn fewer fossil fuels. But if the environmental lobby wants Americans to be poorer, it ought to come clean about that. ... A million petty regulations mandate surtaxes on gas, separation of garbage into multiple bins, special light bulbs, taxes on plastic bags and so on. Yet these things are of so little ecological consequence that the Earth will never notice. For this, we must surrender our freedom?" --columnist John Stossel

Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team

PJ Media

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Jonah Goldberg Discusses 'The Tyranny of Cliches,' Part I By Ed Driscoll Whereas Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism" was the equivalent of Emanuel Goldstein's "The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism," the alternative history book within George Orwell's "1984," "The Tyranny of Clichés" is sort of like the Cliffs Notes to the Newspeak Dictionary. Cloward-Piven Strategy Working Perfectly - in Europe By Zombie France and Greece double down on an unsustainable entitlement economy. Will the revolution spread to America?

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The Daily Caller

Obama campaign office staff lacks racial diversity, may violate civil rights law

By Neil Munro - The Daily Caller 05/06/2012

Civil rights lawyers told The Daily Caller that President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign managers may have violated employment law by hiring an overwhelmingly white office staff for his campaign headquarters in Chicago.

That skewed workforce is starkly visible in an April photo released by Obama's Chicago office, which shows roughly 100 of the office's staff.

Only two of the people in the photo, far in the back, are clearly African-American, far below their 13 percent of the national population, and their 33-percent representation in Chicago.

"Were I the general counsel of an employer in Chicago with the workforce in the picture ... I would be concerned," said Charles Shanor, a law professor at Emory University and the former general counsel at the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.

Obama to Jane Sturm: Hey, take a pill

Jane asks the President if her 100 year old mother (now 105) would have gotten a pacemaker under his plan. Well now that's a tough one ... that costs a lot and maybe we will have to say, just take a pill. Priceless.

Heritage Foundation Morning Bell

A Better Life for Julia

Her name is "Julia," and if you haven't seen her, she's a colorful cartoon character invented by the Obama campaign to help spread the message of how women will "benefit" under the president's policies. What it shows instead, though, is the president's vision of America -- that individuals need the federal government at each stage of their life, and that he deserves credit for making our lives even better.

In Julia's story, as depicted in a cartoon slideshow, a faceless young American woman grows from birth to old age with the government at her side every step of the way. In the good times and the bad times, government is there to lift Julia up -- and without government, Julia could not succeed in life.

This disturbing depiction of the president's governing philosophy begins when Julia turns 3, at which time she is enrolled in the federally funded Head Start pre-school program. "Because of steps President Obama has taken to improve programs like this one, Julia joins thousands of students across the country who will start kindergarten ready to learn and succeed," the cartoon explains. Never mind that Head Start is a proven failure. Despite Washington spending more than $167 billion on the program, a recent government study shows it has had no lasting benefits.

But this is only the beginning. According to the cartoon, thanks to President Obama's policies, Julia is prepared for college, can afford to pay for college, has free health care, can repay for her student loans, enjoys free birth control, can have a child and give him a good education, can start a new business and hire employees, and can comfortably retire to a life of volunteering at a community garden. From birth to death, President Obama wants the federal government to carry Julia on its shoulders, and he wants to take credit for all the blessings of a life well-lived. That's the liberal vision of America.

What's missing from this picture? The harm that big government policies inflict on people like Julia. From the moment of birth, thanks to Washington's thirst for more spending, Julia is burdened by tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Despite the federal government subsidizing college tuition (including increasing Pell grants by 475 percent since 1980), costs of attending college have increased 439 percent since 1982. Under the president's health care plan, millions of families will be dropped from their employer-based health care plans and dumped into government-run exchanges. What about the promise of jobs under the president's economy? America has had 39 straight months of unemployment over 8 percent. And when it comes to retirement, Julia is in big trouble. According to the government's estimates, Social Security will be bankrupt by 2033 unless Congress enacts serious reforms.

There's another vision -- a conservative vision. The Heritage Foundation created its own version of the "Julia" cartoon and showed how individuals would benefit under conservative reforms like those in Heritage's Saving the American Dream plan. Instead of growing government and increasing its involvement in our lives, conservative policies restrain government and give individuals more freedom to make their own choices and succeed on their own merits.

With reforms to education and expanded school choice, Julia's parents will be able to give her the education she deserves. Innovations in higher education will control costs and make it more affordable for Julia to attend college without sinking into debt. Julia and her family will be able to purchase a health insurance plan that fits their needs, she will have more freedom to pursue the kind of job she wants, a reformed tax system will make it easier for Julia to invest and grow a business, and her retirement is more secure thanks to personal savings and a stronger Social Security program.

The conservative vision for Julia's future is one that empowers her as an individual -- not one that pegs her successes to the expansion of the federal government.

Be sure to view Heritage's "A Better Life for Julia" on The Foundry.

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QUICK HITS

French socialist Francois Hollande was elected president of France in the country's run-off election on Sunday, defeating center-right incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy. Hollande has promised to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy while lowering the retirement age and hiring more teachers.

President Obama kicked off his re-election campaign on Saturday with rallies in Virginia and Ohio, remarking that the "real question ... is not just about how we're doing today. It's about how we'll be doing tomorrow."

The future isn't so bright for recent college grads. Only 49 percent of college graduates from the classes of 2009 to 2011 found a full-time job within a year of finishing school, compared with 73 percent for grads from the three year prior.

A 70-year-old American hostage is in the hands of Al-Qaeda, and a newly released video shows him begging President Obama to give in to the terrorists' demands in order to save his life.

There's yet another Obamacare provision that's not working out as planned. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is terminating a program that offers a $100 incentive to insurance brokers and agents for recommending eligible people to Obamacare's Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan.

Heritage Action for America Action Alert

Call Now: End Corporate Welfare

This week, the House of Representatives will vote to reauthorize and expand the taxpayer-backed Export-Import (ExIm) Bank, which has been called the "Fannie Mae for exporters" and "little more than a fund for corporate welfare."

>>Call your Representative and tell them NOT to reauthorize the ExIm Bank

The ExIm Bank provides taxpayer-backed loans to U.S. exporters under the auspices of increasing exports, but according to The Wall Street Journal, ExIm's contribution to increasing exports is "negligible." Companies like SOLYNDRA have benefited from the bank's subsidies.

>>Call your Representative and tell them to end the corporate welfare

As is the case with any subsidy, taxpayer-backed loans result in market distortion and crony capitalism. Exporters jockey for low-cost loans, and those that receive the loans have an advantage over their domestic competition. Extending and expanding the ExIm bank is unacceptable..

Help end wasteful subsidies. Take a stand and call your Representative today:

· Ask your Representative whether they support eliminating the Export-Import Bank
· If they oppose the ExIm Bank, be sure to thank them.
· If they support extending and expanding the Bank, ask them to reconsider because Congress shouldn't be risking taxpayer dollars on corporate welfare
· Tell us how they respond, so together, we can hold them accountable

Use our website to place the call and send us a call report.

We thank you in advance for calling your Representative and telling him or her to oppose the ExIm Bank.

Sincerely,

Russ Vought
Political Director
Heritage Action for America

Powerline

Who's "old school"?

Posted: 07 May 2012 10:15 AM PDT

(Paul Mirengoff)

Washington, D.C. has been off of the baseball map since 1969, the year Ted Williams took over as manager of the Washington Senators and led the club to its first winning season in 17 years. Washington literally fell off the map three years later, when the Senators left for Texas. Although baseball returned in 2005 with the Washington Nationals, that team has been nothing to write home, or even to blog, about.

But it is now. A string of solid player acquisitions and the addition of Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, perhaps the two splashiest young prospects of this century, have converted the Nationals into a pretty good baseball team and a pretty good story (or "story line," as journalists would say).

This status was confirmed over the weekend, when the first-place Nationals took two of three games from the mighty Philadelphia Phillies, and ESPN showed up to bring America the final game on its Sunday night broadcast.

The Nats were routed in that contest, but ESPN and its viewers got their money's worth in the first inning. With two out and no one on base, Phillie pitcher Cole Hamels hit Harper in the backside with his first pitch. Hamels clearly intended to do so, and later admitted it. Hamels explained that he was "just trying to continue the old baseball." And this is a fair point. The "old school pitchers union" would not have allowed the ballyhooed Harper, who developed a reputation as a bit of a show-off in the minor leagues, to get off to as good a start as he has had in the majors without one of its members throwing at him. With the Nats having beaten the Phillies on Friday and Saturday, the first inning on Sunday was a good time to plunk the kid.

But Harper appears to be old school too. After being plunked, he raced from first to third on a single by Jason Werth. Then, as Hamels became pre-occupied with keeping Werth from getting a big lead, Harper took a massive lead and stole home on a toss by Hamels to first base. That's just how the young Jackie Robinson would have made the pitcher pay for hitting him.

Later Harper stretched a bloop single that barely made the outfield into a double. The Nats were trailing 3-1 in the eighth inning at the time, so Harper's base-running could be considered a bit reckless. But Harper had the play in front of him and he made it work. Again, shades of Jackie Robinson.

After the game, Mike Rizzo, Washington's general manager, blasted Hamels:

I've never seen a more classless, gutless chicken [bleep] act in my 30 years in baseball. Cole Hamels says he's old school? He's the polar opposite of old school. He's fake tough. He thinks he's going to intimidate us after hitting our 19-year-old rookie who's eight games into the big leagues? He doesn't know who he's dealing with.

This is great stuff. I think it's fair to say that all three of these guys - Hamels, Harper, and Rizzo - are old school.

UPDATE: Major League Baseball has suspended Hamels for five games. Because Hamels is a starting pitcher, the suspension means he will, as a practical matter, miss one game.

Intentionally hitting a batter in the backside is not a huge deal. In fact, Hamels was hit by a pitch last night, probably in retaliation for hitting Harper. But once Hamels admitted that he intended to hit Harper, Baseball had no choice but to suspend him.

Obama's surge - not good enough for government work

Posted: 07 May 2012 08:19 AM PDT

(Paul Mirengoff)

Congressional Democrats and their Republican counterparts don't agree about much these days, but there is bipartisan consensus when it comes to the results of President Obama's Afghan policy. After visiting Afghanistan on a fact-finding mission last week, Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Republican Rep. Mike Rogers - leaders of the Senate and House intelligence committees, respectively - both concluded that the Taliban has grown stronger since Obama sent 33,000 troops into Afghanistan in 2010.

Obama too visited Afghanistan recently, though not on a fact-finding mission. During the visit, he declared that "in the pre-dawn darkness of Afghanistan, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon." Unfortunately, that new day will be brighter for the Taliban than for its enemies.

But is the Obama administration among the Taliban's serious enemies? According to the Washington Post, the U.S. "for several years" has been releasing high level detainees from a military prison in Afghanistan as part of negotiations with insurgent groups including, apparently, the Taliban. In exchange, the released prisoners, often "notorious fighters," promise to give up violence. In addition, the U.S. hopes to placate local insurgent leaders, who often hand-pick the fighters that will be released.

Unfortunately, insurgent leaders apparently have been unmoved by Obama's generosity. They are demanding the release of five detainees from Guantanamo Bay. As for the promises by released fighters to renounce violence, our experience with the Gitmo releases shows how meaningless these statements are. It is the Obama administration, not the "notorious fighters" who will be abandoning the struggle in Afghanistan.

No wonder Obama's surge has produced bipartisan consenus as to its futility. Not only did we notify the other side in advance of the limits of our resolve, we have provided ongoing reassurance of it by releasing the most committed captured enemy fighters - those important enough to make lists provided by the putative enemy.

The surge has given the U.S. and Afghanistan the worst of both worlds - three or four years of extra fighting by U.S. troops, followed by the triumph of the insurgents. However, the surge has given Obama personally two pretty good worlds. It made him look like a leader willing to use force to make good on his promise to focus on Afghanistan as the major theater in the fight against terrorism. Meanwhile, its underlying lack of seriousness put Obama in position to gain politically by ending an unpopular war.

Maybe that's what they mean by "smart power."

Papers? We Don't Need No Stinking [Federalist] Papers!

Posted: 07 May 2012 07:15 AM PDT

(Steven Hayward)

One of my most contentious contentions is that if you want to learn about the Constitution, taking constitutional law at a law school is the last place you should do it. But undergraduate political science and history curricula are hardly better. Among other things, as Peter Berkowitz observes today in the Wall Street Journal, American higher education neglects what I call the "Owners Manual" of the Constitution-the Federalist Papers:

Most astonishing and most revealing is the neglect of The Federalist by graduate schools and law schools. The political science departments at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford and Berkeley-which set the tone for higher education throughout the nation and train many of the next generation's professors-do not require candidates for the Ph.D. to study The Federalist. And these universities' law schools (Princeton has no law school), which produce many of the nation's leading members of the bar and bench, do not require their students to read, let alone master, The Federalist's major ideas and main lines of thought. . . the progressive ideology that dominates our universities teaches that The Federalist, like all books written before the day before yesterday, is antiquated and irrelevant.

Kudos therefore to my occasional pod-world sparring partner from the Left, Joel Mathis (one half of the Infinite Monkeys Ben & Joel podcast), who decided a while ago that he ought to read the Federalist and see what us right-wingers were on about:

I've never read "The Federalist Papers."

This is a little bit embarrassing to admit. I've spent a considerable portion of the last few years thinking and writing about government and politics, with arguments about the nature of the American Constitution often residing somewhere near the center of my debates. Yet I've never delved into the document that - outside the Constitution itself - does more to illuminate the thinking of the Founders who created the government that we still live with today.

I might be wrong, but I've noted that smart conservative commentators tend to invoke "The Federalist Papers" far more often than smart liberal commentators. . . I feel like I'm missing a critical piece of political literacy.

I'm hoping to prod Joe into commenting more fully on what he's learned from leisurely reading of the Federalist. He offered that anything might be possible:

And who knows? Maybe I'll get some "Julie & Julia" style book-and-movie deal out of this gig, with the interweaving stories of me reading the book and Alexander Hamilton dying a bloody, painful death.

More likely I'll come out on the other side of this an Antonin Scalia-style originalist conservative. Anything could happen.

So step up Joel; right-wing operators are standing by.

Dubious donations: Theory and practice

Posted: 07 May 2012 04:23 AM PDT

(Scott Johnson)

We're trying to make this easy for any serious journalist who wants to dig into this story. Yesterday we posted the story of Bill G., a victim of the kind of credit card fraud that the Obama campaign facilitated in 2008, and is inviting again this year, by rejecting basic verification devices. Today reader Ashley Tate writes from Alpharetta, Georgia to explain:

In December 2009 our Mastercard was illegally charged for a $5 donation to barackobama.com. We complained and the issuer (Capital One) cancelled our cards and issued new ones. They also informed us that a similar charge had been attempted and rejected as fraudulent about 6 months earlier. But they never even bothered inform us of the earlier, rejected charge!

We also know personally at least one other couple who were similarly defrauded. In neither case were the "stolen" credit card numbers used for any other fraudulent purpose. This seems to leave two possible explanations: Either someone has stolen a large number of credit cards solely for the purpose of generating campaign donations for Obama OR the credit card validation on barackobama.com is so incredibly lax (and his payment processor so incredibly forgiving) that someone has been able to generate a large list of potentially valid credit card numbers and slowly, sequentially run them through the barackobama.com site over a long period of time.

I am a software architect who has integrated several web sites with credit card payment systems so I'm familiar with the technology involved here. I am nearly certain that some payment processors will accept credit card numbers for billing with just a single validation step: the card number must pass the Luhn checksum algorithm, which verifies that the number could be a valid credit number. I am 100 percent certain that billing with just two validation steps (Luhn and expiration date) is possible, meaning that it might also be possible to attempt processing the generated list of card numbers against a list of likely expiration dates (say, each month of the year two years in the future). For a fairly intelligent person with understanding of the Luhn validation scheme and some basic programming skills, it would be a trivial task to generate a speculative list of card numbers and submit them automatically using a computer script to barackobama.com.

Finally, it's important to understand that neither of these scenarios could happen over a such a long period of time without complicity on the part of the Obama campaign, the payment processor(s) used by the barackobama.com campaign site, and the card-issuing banks that deal with the end consumers.

There seems to be a story here somewhere for an enterprising reporter willing to pursue it.

A word from Fern Oppenheim

Posted: 07 May 2012 04:21 AM PDT

(Scott Johnson)

When I went on the bloggers' tour of Israel as a guest of America's Voices in Israel in 2007, Fern Oppenheim was our incredibly gracious host. She writes to ask a favor:

I generally don't write to you for personal reasons, but am writing now to ask for a favor on behalf of an extraordinary 18 year old from my community, Cory Greenbaum, who was paralyzed in a car accident at the age of 13.

This is National Mobility Month and there is a contest going on in which he can win his own accessible van. He is planning to take driving lessons this summer (and is actually headed to Stanford in the fall). Winning this vehicle would mean the world to Cory and depends on the number of votes he gets. In order to vote, you need to click on this link, enter a few fields, use Promo Code 777 (that gets him 5 votes for each vote person submitting with a promo code).

Here is the letter about him that his mom posted on the site:

Webster's dictionary defines a HERO as : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities or one who shows great courage.

My hero, my son, Cory, is such a person. Four and a half years ago at age 13 Cory was injured in an car accident overseas resulting in quadriplegia, C4/C5. Cory has faced tremendous challenges over his high school years and has done it all with grace and a smile. He works hard at therapy, putting hours a day into work and routines that no child or young adult should have to face. He has taken a challenging course load at school and has successfully completed his high school studies without the ability to write- often having to complete complicated equations in his head! Though he requires help in so many aspects of his life, he does everything with a positive attitude and has been an inspiration to so many people around him.

Cory is determined to move forward with a full and meaningful life. For the past two summers Cory has had an internship with Pepsi where he worked with the best and brightest on the Mountain Dew Marketing Team. Two summers ago he joined forces with Dooley, his service dog, who has become a wonderful addition to the family. And most recently, Cory was admitted to Stanford University which he will attend in the fall and enjoy a wonderful new beginning in Palo Alto.

Most importantly, Cory will be learning to drive this summer and will require an accessible van with hand controls. Winning this vehicle would mean the world to him and would be a dream come true.... please vote for Cory!!!

Fern adds that Cory "represents everything that is right about the next generation."

For Green Energy, Bankruptcy Is the Best-Case Scenario

Posted: 06 May 2012 03:35 PM PDT

(John Hinderaker)

In virtually every context, efficiency is assumed to be a good thing. Inefficiency wastes resources and makes us all poorer. There is one exception, however, to this blindingly obvious rule: energy. When it comes to energy, the Obama administration and other liberals deem inefficient "green" technologies superior to fossil fuels that produce vastly more energy at less cost. The result is a perverse set of government policies that drive up energy costs for everyone, thereby impoverishing all Americans.

At Watts Up With That? David Middleton reminds us that not too long ago, many mainstream news sources thought "green" technologies like solar energy were the wave of the future. Middleton quotes from a Telegraph article dated October 21, 2010, on the Cimarron Solar Facility in New Mexico, designed to be the largest in the U.S.:

Its 500,000 photovoltaic panels will generate 30 megawatts of electricity, enough, in the popular measurement, to power 9,000 homes. It is costing about $250 million to build, significantly less than a gas, coal or nuclear power station, which can easily exceed $1 billion. And it represents a sea-change in America's energy business.

America has been notoriously devoted to hydrocarbon fuels. Big Oil, Big Coal and big Texan hats in the White House were seen by the rest of the world to be keeping it so, whatever the global interest. Oil barons funnelled money to scientists ready to pour doubt on the science of climate change, and conservative Republicans led the charge to pour scorn on those such as the former Democrat vice-president Al Gore who were urging Americans to rethink where their energy was coming from.

So Middleton does the math:

It is indeed true that most natural gas- and coal-fired power plants cost a lot more than $250 million to build. However, it's also true that most natural gas- and coal-fired power plants have nameplate generating capacities a bit larger than 30 MW.

TVA to build natural gas power plant
By DUNCAN MANSFIELD, Associated Press
Posted June 4, 2009

KNOXVILLE - The Tennessee Valley Authority on Thursday decided to build an $820 million natural gas power plant in northeastern Tennessee to comply with a North Carolina lawsuit over air quality.

The 880-megawatt combined-cycle gas plant would be as large as the 1950s-era, coal-fired John Sevier plant in Rogersville that a federal judge has targeted for new pollution controls on North Carolina's behalf.

* $820 million divided by 880 MW works out to $931,818 per MW.
* $250 million divided by 30 MW works out to $8,333,333 per MW.

Assuming that the gas-fired plant managed an 85% capacity factor and a 30-yr plant lifetime, the initial capital expenditure would work out to $0.004/kWh...A bit less than half-a-cent per kilowatt-hour. Assuming a 25% capacity factor and a 30-yr plant lifetime for the Cimarron Solar Facility, the initial capital expenditure works out to $0.127/kWh...Almost 13 cents per kilowatt-hour! The average residential electricity rate in the US is currently around 12 cents per kWh. That's the retail price. As a consumer of electricity, I know which plan I would pick. I'm currently paying about 9 cents per kWh. I sure as heck wouldn't seek out a provider who would have to raise my current rate by about 50% just to cover their plant construction costs.

No one would seek out such a provider of inefficient energy, but the problem is that we aren't given the choice. How do inefficient "green" energy producers stay in business? By government fiat, at our expense:

In concert with his efforts to drive up the cost of coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, President Obama has aggressively pursued an agenda of financing expensive power plants with taxpayer dollars. Many of these taxpayer-guaranteed loans have gone to financially strapped companies, lacking the means to repay those loans. In most cases local utilities were coerced or enticed into signing long-term purchase agreements to buy electricity at nearly double the cost of coal- and natural gas-generated electricity. The sole justification for this "green" centralized industrial policy is the Lysenko-like junk science of catastrophic anthropogenic global warming.

The last point is the key one: government regulators have forced utilities to buy expensive "green" energy in order to keep inefficient producers like Cimarron in business. Those costs are simply passed on to the utilities' ratepayers, most of whom have no idea that they are paying extra to subsidize Obama administration cronyism. This chart sums up what Middleton calls the "mind numbingly horrible" economics of green energy:

Most people seem to assume that a story like Solyndra is only a scandal because the company went broke and the taxpayers footed the bill. True, such bankruptcies cost the taxpayers billions. But in my view, the alternative is even worse: if government at various levels keeps "green" energy companies in business my mandating that utilities buy their output, no matter how inefficient it may be, consumers may sustain far greater losses without even realizing why their electricity bills are so high. This is the "skyrocketing" cost of electricity that Barack Obama promised us in 2008. At least when companies like Solyndra go belly up, taxpayers know their money is being wasted and they can try to do something about it.

Middleton concludes:

The capex for solar power plants averages between $6- and $7-million per MW of installed capacity. Coal-fired plants generally run less than $2-million per MW and natural gas plants currently run less than $1-million per MW. The average retail residential electricity rate in the U.S. is currently less than 12¢ per kWh. The levelized generation cost for the plants being financed by the Obama administration is more than 20¢ per kWh. His "green" centralized industrial policy will drive the wholesale cost of electricity to nearly double the current retail rate.

One need not literally seize the assets of businesses and install gov't bureaucrats into management position to effectively nationalize those businesses. All it takes is to make them dependent on gov't and/or direct their activities through regulatory constraints.

Courtroom Insanity at Guantanamo Bay

Posted: 06 May 2012 02:34 PM PDT

(John Hinderaker)

After years of delay, the government is prosecuting the ringleaders of the September 11 attacks in a military tribunal. The defendants were arraigned yesterday in Guantanamo Bay, where the proceedings will take place. The Associated Press describes the status of the prosecution:

The U.S. has finally started the prosecution of five Guantanamo Bay prisoners charged in the Sept. 11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, but the trial won't be starting anytime soon, and both sides said Sunday that the case could continue for years.

Defense lawyer James Connell said a tentative trial date of May 2013 is a "placeholder" until a true date can be set for the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the attacks, and his co-defendants.

"It's going to take time," said the chief prosecutor, Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, who said he expects to battle a barrage of defense motions before the case goes to trial. "I am getting ready for hundreds of motions because we want them to shoot everything they can shoot at us," he said in the wake of Saturday's arraignment, which dragged on for 13 hours due to stalling tactics by the defendants.

Yesterday's arraignment was a farce. Business Insider live-blogged the proceedings; Lawfare also provides a detailed summary. Yesterday was devoted in part to the defense lawyers' efforts to disqualify U.S. Army Col. James L. Pohl, the presiding judge, by showing that his qualifications are insufficient:

Bormann resumes. Do you agree that impartiality is an important quality? Judge Pohl points out that the rules say as much. What about judicial temperament? Or a knowledge of the applicable law, and practical expertise? Shouldn't a qualified judge have all of these things? Or here's another example: has Judge Pohl ever practiced law in a civilian court?

He hasn't. Has he presided over a case in an Article III court? Nope. Judge Pohl hasn't done that, either. Her clip increasing, Bormann asks if Judge Pohl has ever requested what Borman calls a "supervisory opinion," from an Article III court. Judge Pohl is not sure about the question's relevance, or even how he should answer. But, he says, while working as an appellate lawyer, he sometimes would collaborate with the Solicitor General's office, on cases involving the Supreme Court. These would typically be oppositions to petitions for certiorari.

Bin 'Attash's attorney next asks how long Judge Pohl practiced, before taking the military bench. It was twenty years-though, when questioned by Bormann, Judge Pohl says he probably did not ever handle a case implicating more than 10,000 pages of discovery. Bormann asks a folllow-up, to which Judge Pohl says that he's just as unsure about whether he ever worked on a case involving 20,000 pages. Ten thousand or 20,000, what difference that would make now, asks the court? Complex litigation is an expertise that certain counsel and courts have, Bormann explains. Still finding no relevance in the questioning, Judge Pohl deems it inappropriate and asks Bormann to move on.

Digging in, the lawyer reloads her discovery question. As a judge, and prior to this case and to al-Nashiri's, have you, Judge Pohl, ever handled cases involving more than 20,000 pages of discovery? It is still an inappropriate question, he says, one altogether unconnected to challenge issues. Ask your next question.

As a lawyer, did you ever participate in a case with more than one defendant? Her strategy has become transparent to the court. You want to know whether I have experience enough to handle this case? Is that your approach? I'm telling you again: there's no way that's grounds for challenge. I will not answer, Judge Pohl declares.

With due respect, your honor, she responds, these questions go to your relevant knowledge and expertise in these areas. It is true that you have a right to refuse to answer, but I will continue to ask questions pertaining to these areas. You mentioned earlier your role in the Abu Ghraib case. More than one defendant was accused of detainee abuse, right? Yes, but there was not a joint trial, if that is your question, replies Judge Pohl. Joint trials are rare, right? Indeed they are.

She moves to capital cases: did the court have any experience with them during his law practice? Judge Pohl had some such experience, albeit under a different system, in the 1980s.

"Bormann" in the above colloquy is Cheryl Bormann, a long-time government lawyer. Although apparently not a Muslim, she donned a hijab for the proceeding and demanded that other women in the courtroom do so as well:

A female defense attorney, who is not Muslim, wore the traditional Islamic hijab to the military court staging the trial of five Guantanamo Bay prisoners accused of the September 11 attacks yesterday.

Cheryl Bormann, 52, who represents Walid bin Attash, said that her client had demanded she wear the clothing and insisted that other women at the hearing also wear 'appropriate' clothes out of respect for his religion.

She asked that other women follow her example so that the defendants do not have to avert their eyes 'for fear of committing a sin under their faith', according to Fox News.

This is the position consistently taken by radical Muslims, that wherever they go they are surrounded by a sharia zone to which everyone else must bow. The arraignment dragged on for hours, in part because the defendants refused to cooperate.

Self-proclaimed 'mastermind' Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, wearing a turban and white tunic, refused to answer the judge's questions. Mohammed had been asked if he was satisfied with his U.S. military and civilian lawyers.

'I believe he's deeply concerned about the fairness of the proceeding,' said his civilian lawyer, David Nevin.

I am deeply concerned about the insanity of the proceedings, but it looks as though we will have to endure them for years to come:

The arraignment is 'only the beginning of a trial that will take years to complete, followed by years of appellate review,' attorney James Connell, who represents defendant Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, told reporters gathered at the base to observe the hearing.

Traditionally, military tribunals have had the virtues of speed and efficiency. In an effort to impress observers around the world, however, the Obama administration has devised new rules for this proceeding. Based on what we have seen so far, this forum represents little or no improvement over a civilian trial. And the idea that anyone will be impressed by the elaborate "due process" that we accord to terrorists, along with countless opportunities to insult us and their victims and to preach their jihadist ideology, is fanciful. What most international observers will conclude, is that we are crazy.

Sarkozy defeated; Socialist elected

Posted: 06 May 2012 12:28 PM PDT

(Paul Mirengoff)

As expected, Socialist Francois Hollande has defeated incumbent president Nicloas Sarkozy. With half the vote counted, Holland leads 51-49. French polling agencies project that Hollande will end up capturing between 52 and 53 percent of the final vote.

With so many factors working against him - above all, the economy - Sarkozy ended up running fairly well. But France nonetheless will be saddled with a Socialist president and, by most accounts, a rather undistinguished one.

Hollande wants to renegotiate the European treaty on budget cuts that Germany's Angela Merkel and Sarkozy championed, so that he can spend money France does not have on a higher minimum wage, the hiring of more civil servants, and so forth.

Expect the markets to be considerably less well-disposed to this program than are the French voters.

Prog Rock, Continued

Posted: 06 May 2012 06:56 AM PDT

(Steven Hayward)

There is some risk that I'm going to start ruining Scott's music beat here on Power Line with my continued excursions into Progressive Rock. I admit that Progressive Rock is the single malt scotch of popular music-definitely an acquired taste that's not for everybody-and like certain single malts (my favorite is Laphroaig, a peaty Islay malt that tastes like it was run through dirty socks-and yes I have mine neat, thank you), much of it is inconsumable, and can only be taken in small amounts anyway.

But this note from Jack Butler, a freshman at Hillsdale College, is worth passing along:

I am only 18 years old, but, thanks in large part to my father's influence, I am a huge fan of Pink Floyd, King Crimson, ELP, Genesis, Rush, Yes, et al, though I'd only heard of Gentle Giant in passing before your mention of them.

The main purpose of this email, though, is to demonstrate a link between progressive rock and F.A. Hayek, of all people. There are some lines in the King Crimson song "Epitaph" off of their first album "In the Court of the Crimson King" that I've resorted to as shorthand for the general folly of people in positions of power, who, try as they might, can't overcome the inherently decentralized nature of knowledge:

"The fate of all mankind I see

Is in the hands of fools."

In the same song, there's a couplet that can serve as a justification for setting up a rationalistic framework to allow social evolution, like the Founders did:

"Knowledge is a deadly friend

If no one sets the rules."

So, in short, you are certainly right about progressive rock...even if another song on the same album ("21st Century Schizoid Man") was purportedly written with Spiro Agnew in mind.

Thanks, Jack. It's been a long time since I listened to "In the Court of the Crimson King," but who can forget the epic cover, which is highly ranked on most lists of the greatest album covers ever.

Dubious donations: A case study

Posted: 06 May 2012 06:40 AM PDT

(Scott Johnson)

We have been following the Obama campaign's invitation of fraudulent and illegal giving through the disabling of basic credit card/debit card verification devices. We have done so in the hope that it might arouse the interest of the mainstream media sufficiently to cause them to ask a few question of the powers-that-be in the Obama campaign.

It's a rerun of a story that originated in 2008. Love may be lovelier the second time around, but not fraud. The best that can be said is that it's more audacious than hope. When Obama can count on his allies in the mainstream media to avert their eyes, however, it's not even that audacious.

I first wrote about the Obama campaign fundraising operation in the October 2008 New York Post column "Dubious donations." The Post subhead observed: "Bam's Web site invites fraud."

The Washington Post reported on the matter two days later in the story "Obama accepting untraceable donations," by Matthew Mosk. Mosk quoted Obama campaign officials on their practices. According to them, everything was copacetic.

It having worked so well the first time around, and it having excited so little interest among the mainstream media, Obama is doing it again. So we have reported in the series of posts beginning with "Dubious donations (2012 edition)." There is a story here, but you'd never know it if you get your news from the mainstream media.

In his Washington Examiner column last week, also posted here at NRO, Michael Barone picked up the scent. Still, the story remains something of a secret known only to political obsessives consuming news on the Internet.

Now reader Bill G. writes:

I was reading your "Dubious Donations" series and wanted to share a personal experience with credit card fraud and Obama for America. A few weeks ago, I received an email attached to my credit card account that my email address had changed. Since I had not made any changes to my account, I immediately went to the site and tried to log in but couldn't.

I phoned the customer service department (HSBC) and they gave me a temporary password so I could access my account after I proved my identity. After logging in, I discovered that someone had hacked into my online account and changed the email address to one that was not mine. I asked HSBC to investigate this since I had not made these changes, then I corrected my account information and changed my password.

Fast forward a few weeks to today and I was reviewing my statement from the last period. There were two pages of charges and buried in the middle of the second page was a $10 charge to Obama for America.

I have not voted for or donated to a Democrat candidate in my lifetime. Obviously, I contacted my credit card company to dispute this charge (I have the proof of the charge if you are interested). I can only wonder how many people this has happened to who do not review their credit card statements closely enough to notice this. There were no other fraudulent charges, only that one. It's disheartening to think that Obama surrogates have stooped to hacking credit card accounts and outright fraud to help him get reelected.

We followed up with Mr. G to ask for a copy of his statement. He provided a redacted copy and responded: "One additional note. The credit card in question has never left my possession. This fraud could only have occurred specifically because of the CVV non-requirement you have been writing about."

We think there is a scandal here hiding in plain sight for any reporter, columnist, or editor willing to take a look. Mr. G. has agreed to let us provide his email contact information for any professional journalist interested in pursuing the story. We want to make it easy for you. Write us at powerlinefeedback@gmail.com with "Bill G." in the subject line.

CNS News

Today's Headlines: Monday, May 07, 2012

Clinton: Obama Has Sent Message of Respect For All Religions--'in Particular of Islam'

War on Women Is 'Very Real'- In China, Lawmaker Says

Only CNSNews.com brings you the news the liberal media ignores! Please help us with a tax deductible gift today.

Activists Want Obama to Echo Biden's 'Comfort' With Same-Sex Marriage

AG Holder Invokes Trayvon Martin Case in Speech to Detroit NAACP

Biden Rebuts Osama bin Laden's Assessment That He's 'Utterly Unprepared' to be President

Obama Touts Upcoming Jobs Proposals Amid Disappointing Economic Numbers

'Real' Unemployment Rate Remains at 14.5 Percent

France's New Socialist President Gets Swift Invitation to the White House

More Than 15 Percent Still Paying Back Student Loans at Age 50, Economics Professor Says

Al-Qaeda Terrorist Suspected in USS Cole Bombing Killed in Airstrike in Yemen

Japan on Track to Overtake China as Top Foreign Owner of U.S. Debt

Pig Farmer: Regs Pushed by Animal 'Rights' Activists May Help Industrial Operations at Small Farmers' Expense

Campaign Ad: Obama Saved the Country, But -- 'We're Not There Yet'

NBC Today Ran 2 Differently Edited 911 Zimmerman Calls -- 3rd NBC Employee Fired, But No On-Air Correction or Apology

COMMENTARY:

Jetez les Vauriens
By Rich Galen
The continuing sense of unease around the world is beginning to show itself at the ballot box. If the major parties -- on both sides of the Atlantic -- don't begin to show they can come together on programs alleviate those economic fears we may see wholesale changes in local, state, and federal offices here as well.

Behind 'Fakegate'
By Ed Feulner
There's nothing more American than asking questions -- even ones that radical environmentalists insist are settled. Bravo to Heartland for standing up to the climate bullies who want to pretend otherwise.

NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP:

U.S. officials secretly using prisoners as bargaining chips with Taliban
Troop cuts coming, but no significant cuts for Pentagon's civilian workforce
In D.C., low-cost apartments disappearing at rapid rate
Brokaw: White House Correspondents' dinner hurting the press
Chen Guangcheng's family and friends face tempest of retribution
French voters reject austerity tack, oust Sarkozy for Socialist leader
Greek voters say no to austerity
Battleground Poll: Obama, Romney in dead heat
Arne Duncan: Same-sex marriage should be legal
Romney ad: Millions 'suffering in silence' from Obama's economy
AFL-CIO's super-PAC to begin running ads targeting Mitt Romney
White House scrambles as Biden backs same-sex marriage
Biden jokes that he and Hillary Clinton 'may run as a team' in 2016
Just married: American hikers jailed for 'spying' in Iran

CNSNewsTV: Check out our latest videos!

Renew America

May 7, 2012

Book Review: 1948: Harry Truman's Improbable Victory and the Year That Transformed America, by David Pietrusza

WES VERNON, RA ANALYST - It has been 64 years since President Harry S. Truman pulled the upset victory of the 20th Century, and historians still can't get enough of it. Now comes a new volume brimming with fresh and detailed information... (more)

May 7, 2012

Obama's China fumble

GARY BAUER - Last Wednesday, President Obama was "spiking the football" in Afghanistan over his role in last year's dispatching of Osama bin Laden. By week's end his administration was performing the diplomatic equivalent of a fumbled snap in the case of blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng... (more)

May 7, 2012

A problem with the truth?

JOSEPH FARAH - Two stories this week illustrate how the Maoist concept of "political correctness" has become so pervasive and insidious in American society that truth and accurate reporting have become the victims. As WND reported Tuesday, dozens of black teenagers attacked two white reporters for the local Norfolk, Va., newspaper, the Virginia-Pilot. Dave Forster and Marjon Rostami were stopped at a traffic light two weeks ago as a crowd of at least 100 black youths congregated nearby... (more)

May 7, 2012

The Dohrn connection

ROBERT VERBRUGGEN - Bernardine Dohrn has a history with the Justice Department. More specifically, in the early 1970s, she was one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives because of her actions with the Weather Underground, a violent radical organization... (more)

May 7, 2012

Boehner protects Eric Holder from contempt of Congress citation...again

WESTERN JOURNALISM - Three months ago, conservatives were jubilant over reports that Congressman Darrell Issa would offer a Contempt of Congress complaint against Eric Holder. After all, the Attorney General had openly refused to honor House Oversight Committee subpoenas for an estimated 80,000 documents vital to the Committee's investigation of the role played by members of the Obama Regime in Operation Fast and Furious... (more)

May 7, 2012

GOP leaders start to rally around Romney (sort of)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - Republican party leaders are starting to rally around Mitt Romney, but it's not exactly a stampede of support for the expected GOP presidential nominee. With Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich out of the race, Romney is his party's pick to take on President Barack Obama this fall, barring a catastrophe... (more)

May 7, 2012

The evils of 'Little Brother'

WASHINGTON TIMES - It's not always true that the form of government closest to the people is best. In some cases, it can be the worst. Unchecked by sufficient legal restraints, private homeowners associations (HOAs) have a reputation for going too far when it comes to upholding unnecessary and intrusive community rules... (more)

May 6, 2012

Dan Savage and Carrie Prejean

MAGGIE GALLAGHER - A few years ago, beauty queen Carrie Prejean innocently answered a question about gay marriage with a polite "no." She was viciously personally attacked by Miss USA pageant judge Perez Hilton, who posted a video of himself cursing at her. Prejean was eventually stripped of her crown, and as for Perez Hilton? "I'd love to have him back," pageant owner Donald Trump once said. "I mean, I'd love to have him back" -- although he didn't actually do it... (more)

May 5, 2012

Resisting threat of fanatical Islam

GEERT WILDERS - As I write these lines, there are police bodyguards at the door. No visitor can enter my office without passing through several security checks and metal detectors. I have been marked for death. I am forced to live in a heavily protected safe house. Every morning, I am driven to my office in the Dutch Parliament building in an armored car with sirens and flashing blue lights... (more)

May 5, 2012

Compulsory blindness

ANDREW C. MCCARTHY - A few years back, I wrote a book called "Willful Blindness: A Memoir of the Jihad." It was about being on the "front lines," so to speak, of the battle against Muslim terrorism. I put "front lines" in quotes because, though the terrorists saw themselves as fighting a doctrinally ordained war of armed combat, we were treating them as mere criminals -- such that our idea of a battlefield was the federal courthouse, and our idea of a commander was, well . . . me... (more)

May 5, 2012

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be 'Julia'

MICHELLE MALKIN - Quick, hide under the covers. The nation's storyteller, Barack Obama, unveiled a frightening new fable on the Internet intended to scare women away from supporting fiscal conservatives in November. But as is increasingly common with Obama's social media propaganda initiatives, "The Life of Julia" immediately flopped... (more)

May 5, 2012

Now persecuted pastor's lawyer facing jail

WORLDNETDAILY - Word that the lawyer who has been representing a Christian pastor condemned to death in Iran for leaving Islam is now facing jail is a stunning setback to hopes that the Islamic republic would begin recognizing human rights, according to an advocacy organization in the United States... (more)

May 5, 2012

Activist Chen offered fellowship in US as Clinton presses China on human rights

BLOOMBERG NEWS - Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng has been offered a fellowship at a university in the U.S. and can be accompanied by his wife and two children, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement today... (more)

May 4, 2012

Rand Paul: Nuke the TSA

NEWSMAX - Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has a solution for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which has drawn the ire of numerous air travelers for invasive physical searches: eliminate it. The freshman senator is working on a bill which should be completed next week to do just that, a Paul spokeswoman told Politico... (more)

May 3, 2012

No free nation without Representation

ALAN KEYES - A significant number of America's voters still believe in government of, by, and for the people. They still believe in the moral premises the American people first articulated in order to justify and explain their decision to separate and withdraw themselves from the dominion of the British monarch. Standing, as it were, before God and all humanity, they made plain "the causes which impel them to the separation"... (more)

May 3, 2012

The false worldview of liberal progressives

The best of Fred Hutchison

FRED HUTCHISON, RA ANALYST - This essay begins with a recap and commentary on Thomas Sowell's brilliant critique of the old liberal obsession with "change" and with seeking socioeconomic "root-causes" for all social problems... (more)

May 3, 2012

Obama's midnight madness

WASHINGTON TIMES - Americans witnessed a bizarre made-for-TV event Tuesday night. President Obama travelled 14,000 miles to Afghanistan to engage in a midnight marathon of election-year photo-ops. Never has U.S. national security been so twisted to fit a personal political agenda... (more)

May 3, 2012

Obamacare's big secret

EMILY MILLER - Thanks to Obamacare, more people will find themselves without health insurance. It turns out President Obama's signature accomplishment was so badly drafted that businesses are likely to find it more cost-effective to pay a government penalty than provide insurance to their employees. As a result, up to 6 million Americans with jobs could either be forced to find more expensive individual plans or go uninsured and pay the individual-mandate fine... (more)

May 3, 2012

Muslim, Mormon growth spurts found

WASHINGTON TIMES - Mormonism and Islam are among the fastest growing religions in America, while just over half of all Americans are unaffiliated with any denomination, according to a major census of the country's religious congregations published Wednesday. The decennial census, released by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies in Chicago, found that the U.S. Muslim community had increased 160 percent from approximately 1 million in 2000 to 2.6 million in 2010... (more)

May 3, 2012

Tea-party reawakening with call for huge rally

WORLDNETDAILY - Private pilots who may want to fly near Chicago on the weekend of May 19-20 have been warned they could be shot down, and a Red Cross memo suggests there could be mass evacuations of the city in the event of riots by left-leaning activists protesting the NATO summit... (more)

FAIR

Obama Administration Weakens Secure Communities

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) quietly announced last week that it is changing its Secure Communities program to better meet the Administration's enforcement priorities.

Read the full article

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mexican ID Cards Now Serve as Valid ID in Oregon

Last Tuesday, the Governor of Oregon, John Kitzhaber, announced that state and local officers will begin accepting Matricula Consular ID cards issued by the Mexican government as proof of identity for illegal aliens during traffic and other stops.

Read the full article

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

New York Steps Closer to Private Tuition Fund for Illegal Aliens

The New York State Assembly approved legislation last Tuesday that would permit illegal alien college students to participate in the state's Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).

Read the full article

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Justice Dept. Seeks to Intimidate Alabama School Districts

In the letter, Civil Rights Division chief Thomas Perez drops a thinly veiled threat of litigation to persuade Alabama officials to back away from its immigration enforcement law, HB 56, and specifically the provision that requires schools to collect immigration data on its students.

Read the full article

FAIR Action Alert

House to Vote on Appropriations Bill this Week!

Support Rep. Black's Amendment to De-Fund Obama's Lawsuits Against State Immigration Laws!

Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) filed last night an amendment to the House Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill that would prevent the federal government from using taxpayer funds to sue states over their immigration enforcement laws.

Specifically, the proposed amendment is based on her previously introduced bill, H.R. 3842, which protects state immigration enforcement laws that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has either challenged in court or suggested it may challenge. Rep. Black's legislation is the House's companion to S. 1856 introduced by Sens. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), and David Vitter (R-LA) last fall.

The specific state laws protected under Rep. Black's amendment include: Oklahoma HB 1804; Missouri HB 390; Arizona SB 1070; Utah HB 497; Indiana SB 590 and HB 1402; Alabama HB 56; South Carolina S 20; and Georgia HB 87.

Call your Representatives today and tell them:

Federal resources should be used to enforce immigration laws - not sue states for passing legislation mirroring federal law; and
You want U.S. immigration laws enforced - not more of the Administration's backdoor amnesty policies that put illegal aliens before hardworking Americans and legal residents.

Contact your Representatives here.

AFA

Sears resumes selling the worst in human depravity

Sears' explicit DVD offerings include domination, bondage

May 7, 2012

Breaking its promise, Sears is again offering hard-core pornographic products on its website. Not just a few X-rated products, but scores of them!

Last year, Sears promised to stop selling X-rated products. In our subsequent monitoring of sears.com, AFA found that Sears has resumed selling sexually explicit products featuring human bondage and sado-masochism.

When AFA questioned Sears about "Ursula's Revenge - A novel of erotic lesbian domination," the spokesman commented about the quality of the book cover (nudity) and called it a "wonderful choice." He then offered to complete a sale of the product to AFA and have it shipped immediately.

I hope you will take my word for it, but if you must see the proof, AFA has set up a Sears product sample page. Warning: the material is extremely graphic and offensive, although it has been edited by us.

Technology allows Sears to remove and stop selling these products within minutes, if they want too. AFA has tried several times to reach out to Sears quietly and professionally. Basically, their single response was, "These porn products meet our terms and conditions" for online products.

Take Action

Unless Sears hears from you, they will continue to sell hardcore pornography. If you can only do one thing, please:

Make a personal phone call to Sears, so your concerns are clearly understood. Call Sears' corporate headquarters directly and ask to leave a message with Chairman Edward Lampert's office. The number is 847-286-2500.

Additional steps you can take to make your voice heard:
1. Send an email in your own words using Sears' website feedback form.
2. Make a call to the Sears Public Relations Department at 847-286-8371, option 1.
3. Call your local store manager and politely ask him to pass your concern along to his district manager. You can find your local store phone number here, or in your local yellow pages.

Call Sears corporate office at 847-286-2500

It is very important that you forward this alert to your friends and family members.

Sincerely,

Tim Wildmon, President
American Family Association

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Boy Suspended for Wearing Anti-Obama T-Shirt

May 07, 2012

On Today's Program Tonight on GBTV: Radical elements are rising around the globe - socialists in France, neo-Nazis in Greece, Muslim Brotherhood in Syria & Egypt, and domestic terrorists in Occupy. Glenn highlights the latest dangers and provides the solution - Tonight at 5pm, only on GBTV!

Real News: Tonight at 6pm ET, Real News will take a look at the possible policies that are likely to be put in place by France's new socialist president and the outcomes that are likely to follow.

Nazis & Communism - What's happening across the globe?
Did you pay attention to the international news from Europe this weekend? Just in case you missed it - Socialists have taken the presidency in France, Nazi's just got 20% of parliament in Greece, and all signs point to the impeding collapse of the Euro, if not the entire European Union. But it's just Europe! No need to worry. You'd have to be crazy to predict something like that having an impact on America...

WSJ reviews Glenn's latest bold project: Glenn Beck Dashes Out Book Series

Freak Jury: Should Pat & Stu HAVE to read In the Garden of Beasts?
Glenn spent much of last summer in tears because of one book - In The Garden of Beasts. Yes, the same book that caused the author of the book to become suicidal. Given those facts, who couldn't blame Stu and Pat for not wanting to read this book? Apparently Glenn's audience doesn't care (and neither does Glenn) - WATCH as Glenn calls a Freak Jury to decide whether or not they should be forced to read the horrifying book.

TOMORROW - One of the biggest stories that the mainstream media is missing: Around this time last year, the policy changes of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and the union backlash was all the mainstream media was talking about. Did you notice how the press amazingly stopped most of its mainstream coverage as WI approaches the recall election? Tomorrow at 6pm, on a Real News Special Report, one of the biggest stories the press isn't reporting will be exposed - get all the details.

Glenn saw The Avengers
Glenn was one of the hundreds of thousands who turned out to give The Avengers one of the biggest opening weekends of all time. What did he think? And did he think it had a message? Get Glenn's movie review HERE!

Obama ignores Occupy domestic terrorists
Last week it was reported that 5 protesters part of the Occupy movement were arrested after trying to blow up a bridge in Cleveland. The latest twist to the case is even more stunning and involved an attempt to cover the incident up - why is the President silent about this thwarted attack?

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Confused Obama uses 'change' slogan in new campaign
Barack Obama came out with a strange theme for the official kickoff of his re-election campaign. Apparently he's still using the "Hope & Change" slogan which became popular in 2008. He does realize that 'change' isn't the best slogan for the incumbent to use, right? Listen to his bizarre stump speech HERE.

Restoring Love Event Packages Are Available Now! There are great special event packages still available for the Restoring Love event this July in Dallas! Get all the details on these packages at Mercuryone.org. These packages are going fast, make sure you secure your spot today.

Muslim Brotherhood gets a new jingle
'They're largely secular and totally good. The Muslim Brotherhood!' Ok Ok - they're not and they're not. But it is a catchy jingle for the PR challenged group & they are increasing political power in the Middle East, including Syria. Reuters made a startling admission today which once again backs up everything Glenn predicted and was mocked over - see it HERE.

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US secretly releasing Taliban fighters, report says

(all times are eastern)

A Health Care Policy Series for the 112th Congress

Victory Center" on Facebook

-Gabriel Malor

More to read:

1) Anderson Cooper exposes MoveOn.org partisan agenda

2) Escort: Secret Service agents were 'stupid brutes'

3) Government gone wild: Parties, clowns and magicians, oh my!

4) 'My life is in your hands Mr. President': Heartfelt video plea from Al Qaeda hostage urging Barack Obama to give in to terrorist demands

5) Military tribunal for suspected 9/11 terrorists underway

6) Top General: Obama Knew About OBL's Hideout in Abbottabad Since Summer of 2010 - Refused to Act Until May

7) France Turns LEFT: French voters reject austerity tack, oust Sarkozy for Socialist leader

8) Frank Gaffney: We're ignoring the 'civilization jihad' being waged by the Muslim Brotherhood and we certainly are NOT safer than we were 10 years ago

9) 'Lost Colony': Researchers believe they have found a possible clue to what happened to the 16th century Roanoke settlers.

10) GSA under fire for possible kickback scheme

Read FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor J. Christian Adams' SHOCKING new book! Buy it here

Ryan deserves credit for casting his proposed reforms in moral as well as economic terms. It challenges today's conventional wisdom that morality and economy are separate, having little to do with each other.

WND EXCLUSIVE

Iran turning U.S. mosques into command centers

Quds Forces, new terror units tasked with destabilizing present governments

Saturday, April 14, 2012

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Obama campaign office staff lacks racial diversity, may violate civil rights law

Today's Headlines: Monday, May 07, 2012

House to Vote on Appropriations Bill this Week!

Support Rep. Black's Amendment to De-Fund Obama's Lawsuits Against State Immigration Laws!

Sears resumes selling the worst in human depravity

Sears' explicit DVD offerings include domination, bondage