Quote: 

The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government."

Patrick Henry

These guys are given access to classified info?  

The media is obsessed with a story about Mitt Romney supposedly attacking a fellow student in high school. Now the media, is trying to claim that the victim was gay and it's a sign that Romney hates homosexuals and they all better file behind Obama or else. But neither Mitt Romney nor the victim's family (he's now deceased) can verify if it's even true. Meanwhile, they are ignoring stories about the ties that Bill Clinton, John Kerry, and Barack Obama all have to Communists and Socialists in their past. These guys ALL have or had access to vital classified information. What's that all about? Glenn explains and gives his reaction on radio.

See video here: 

It begins: Catholic university drops all health-insurance coverage in response to HHS mandate

Actually, it's not just the mandate, but also the costs that will drive Franciscan University to bail out of the health-insurance business. Before now, the Catholic institution required all students to carry health insurance; those who did not have them were required to buy insurance through the school. That's not entirely dissimilar to the ObamaCare mandate, although of course attendance at the school is entirely voluntary.

Franciscan University put the HHS contraception mandate as its first justification, however:

"The Obama Administration has mandated that all health insurance plans must cover "women's health services" including contraception, sterilization, and abortion-causing medications as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)," the university says in a new post on its website. "Up to this time, Franciscan University has specifically excluded these services and products from its student health insurance policy, and we will not participate in a plan that requires us to violate the consistent teachings of the Catholic Church on the sacredness of human life."

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

Who's up for our Rally this Saturday!

RSVP ASAP!

5-19-12

12 to 2pm

Our same location: Broadcasting & Papermill Rds.

The American citizens are really waking up now and have had enough!

I think it's time we head back to our corner and show them we are still relevant and we will not be silenced!

Mike Souders

www.unitepa912.com

Rumors of War III

Part Two: The Fiction and Non-Fiction of Obama

• May 13, 2012

Read more:  

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

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 and share it with others.  It has already been seen by over 1,250,000 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

All Sheepdog readers are invited to the following:

Friday May 18th

Welcome Home local hero from Afghanistan. Sheepdogs have been asked to form a Flag Line outside his house. He will arrive via motorcycle escort with the Warriors Watch Riders and "A Hero's Welcome".

Who: SSgt Rick Kocher, US Air Force.

Where: 519 Nutt Road
               Phoenixville, PA 19460

Time: meet at 5:30pm, Hero Rick will arrive at 6pm.Note: His wife is pregnant with their first child.

Friday May 18

Fundraiser for Navy Corpsman Jay Raffetto at the home of Tom Fillippo in Malvern, PA

6pm -11pm

http://chestercountyherofund.com/raffetto-event/

Saturday May 19

Walk for the Wounded - Great way to meet fellow patriots, vets, and military family members. Leisurely event, like a fair.

Rose Tree Park in Media

11am - 4pm. Fun event, see Classic Cars, Patriotic Bikers, Phillie Phanatic and Sports Personality Michael Barkham.

http://walkforthewounded.org/

Sunday May 20

Ride for the Heroes - a Travis Manion Foundation Event

Great event, fun way to meet fellow patriots. Leisurely event, like a fair.

http://www.ridefortheheroes.org/

Several family-friendly ways to show support for our greatest patriots. I'll see you this weekend!

Very Respectfully,

Rich Davis

610-580-4797 call me if you have questions

On June 2^nd FreedomWorks will be hosting an all-day grassroots training at the Spring Mill Manor in Ivyland PA.  FreedomWorks has teamed up with local tea party groups in preparation for the 2012 elections.  This event will cover everything from building your grassroots army, to strategies to help beat the left on Election Day.  Learn from some of the best campaigners in the game today the tried and true methods of get out the vote.

With so much at stake including defeating Obama and Casey agenda this event will give you the tools and techniques needed to beat them both in November.  Keynoting this exciting day is none other than former House Majority Leader and FreedomWorks chairmen Dick Armey.  Other special guests include Education reform expert from Reason Foundation Lisa Snell who will provide us with an in depth look at education reform and school choice issues facing PA.  This action packed event is crucial for anyone interested in helping to Take America Back!

If you are interested in attending this important event please RSVP by clicking the following link http://connect.freedomworks.org/node/250623. 

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday June 2^nd at 10:00PM at the Spring Mill Manor for this exciting event. 

Event Details:
When: Saturday, June 2, 2012
Where: Spring Hill Manor (171 Jacksonville Rd, Ivyland, PA 18974)
Time: 10:00-2:00PM 

Agenda:
                10-10:10 - Welcome
                10:10-11:20 - Get Out the Vote Training
                11:20-12:20 - New Media Training
                12:20-1:00 - Break
                1:00-1:30 - Understanding School Choice with Lisa Snell from Reason Foundation
                1:30-2:00 - Keynote speech from Dick Armey

I hope to see you there.

For Freedom,

David Spielman

Campaigns Coordinator, FreedomWorks

 Click here to RSVP  

EVENT IS FREE - SEATING IS LIMITED - REGISTRATION IS REQUESTED

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,

The U.S. Constitution

A Reader 

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.

RJC Philadelphia Chapter

Breakfast with David Freed -  

GOP Candidate for Attorney General  

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.

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

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:

    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)

Thursday 3-4pm "America's Black Shield" - Ted Hayes and Terrance Lang

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

For Tea Parties, this can be used as basic ammunition for letters to the editor, columns for your local news outlet, handouts at public events, emailing the pdf to our elected reps as well as to members, friends and neighbors.

This appears to be an excellent resource; let's make use of it.

Lou Flanagan

The General Wayne Tea Party

 Dear Fellow Patriot,
  First the Justice Department, and now the Department of Homeland Security-the Obama Administration is determined to prevent the 2012 elections from being free and fair!

Officials in Florida have identified about 180,000 potential non-citizens on the voter rolls and they're doing everything in their power to investigate each individual before Election Day. But the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is stonewalling their attempts. Department policy and the law require DHS to grant states access to the Systematic Alienation Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, but they've refused to acknowledge Florida's request.

Florida is a key swing state and home to a large Hispanic population-one of the minority groups opponents of voter identification laws insist are victimized by this type of law. Do you think it's a coincidence that the Obama Administration is doing everything it can to keep the names in question on the rolls?

Absolutely not! That's why True the Vote is mission critical. We must recruit and train one million poll watchers to man every polling place in America before November 6, 2012. Please follow this link to make a generous contribution of $25, $50, $100, $250 or more and support our efforts today.

Still not convinced that election fraud is a serious problem?

Just a few weeks ago, True the Vote held its second annual national summit-and it was an overwhelming, sold-out success. Unfortunately, the leftwing media has desperately tried to diminish the momentum from this event by making very public, inaccurate statements about our organization.

The leftwing media is targeting True the Vote, because we're making a difference.

If we don't take the initiative to prevent election fraud, no one else will. So join True the Vote in ensuring the integrity of the 2012 elections. Will you stand with True the Vote by making a generous contribution today? Every dollar counts and every volunteer will bring us one step closer to eradicating voter fraud.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,


Catherine Engelbrecht
President and Founder, True the Vote

P.S. True the Vote is well on the way to accomplishing its mission of recruiting and training one million poll watchers by November 6, 2012. Will you bring us one step closer by making a generous contribution of $25, $50, $100, $250 or more to support our efforts? The integrity of our elections is something all Americans should be concerned with, so please join us today!
   

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/

RedState Morning Briefing

For May 17, 2012

1. Cleaning Up the GOP Moves to Texas

Late last evening came word that House Republicans intend to keep parts of Obamacare. Even if the United States Supreme Court throws the whole law out, House Republicans intend to resurrect portions of Obamacare. House Republicans publicly say the story is wrong. I've talked to several House Republicans who tell me the story is actually on the money and the Republicans now denying it are really playing at semantics.

These House Republicans tell me these denials about the accuracy of the story are equivalent to the House GOP semantically arguing it was living up to its Pledge to Nowhere requirement for $100 billion in cuts that actually amounted to something like $34 billion. Conservatives in the House of Representatives tell me explicitly to go with Politico on this and be very wary of the House GOP Leadership when it comes to repeal.

It is a sad time for the Republican Party. The base must treat its leaders as if they are Soviets - trust but verify their statements. And lately, it is harder and harder to verify their statements. The work of the Tea Party must continue or within a decade I honestly do not believe the GOP will be one political party.

In both Indiana and Nebraska, the Tea Party has continued to make gains. People have flat out rejected the establishment favorites for U.S. Senate - Dick Lugar and Jon Bruning, respectively - in favor of candidates who offer a challenge to the status quo.

Will Texans prove what they're made of and do the same?

I love Texas. But let's face it - the Texas congressional delegation is mediocre at best and leaves much to be desired.

Now, Texas has the chance to get it right - by sending Ted Cruz to the U.S. Senate. But will they? Maybe. But we have a lot to do and the Republican Primary in Texas is only 2 weeks from today.

2. Will the South Carolina Democrats Tolerate This Racism?

Phil Bailey sat next to South Carolina State Senator Jake Knotts when Knotts called Governor Nikki Haley, then a candidate for Governor, a "raghead."

Phil Bailey did nothing.

Phil Bailey is the Executive Director of the South Carolina Senate Democratic Caucus. It seems he is now intent on one upping Jake Knotts.

Bailey, who had no problem with Knotts' "raghead" comment when even the First Vice Chairman of the State GOP, Patrick Haddon, was calling for Knotts's resignation, seems determined to one up Knotts with racism.

Bailey has been on twitter referring to Nikki Haley, a Methodist of Indian descent, as the "Sikh Jesus." Governor Haley's parents are sikh, but she and her husband attend a Methodist Church.

Not content to do it just once, Phil Bailey did it a second time, complete with a picture of a dog.

3. How to Astroturf an Online Cause: the Story of "I Stand with Bill Powers"

Texas is ground zero in the national higher education reform movement. While the Washington crowd tends to fixate on President Obama's piddling slap fight with Congressional Republicans over government-secured student loan rates, the real action on fixing higher ed is happening in Austin, Texas. The battle between Rick Perry and the higher ed reformers on one hand versus UT-Austin President Bill Powers and the Ivory Tower status quo on the other hand has been marked by years of grueling and often dull trench warfare that was punctuated last week by a flurry of bombs, beginning with a tuition freeze, followed by rumors of the UT President's termination, and culminating in a textbook social media public relations campaign that deserves serious examination. And the consequences of this fight? Well, what happens in Texas won't stay in Texas.

This is the story of "I Stand with Bill Powers," a remarkably well-executed example of online astro-turfing.

4. The Club For Growth's Depressing Study: Failure and Lies of the Tea Party Congresscritters

There have been many studies out on the "tea party congress" and just how tea party it actually is. One study last year noted that 70% of candidates who went to Congress under the tea party banner were voting just like the Republican Leaders they ran against.

Heritage Hotsheet

Experts on the Day's Hottest News

Items for May 17, 2012

Democrat-led Senate votes down 4 GOP budgets for '13   

The Washington Times

Big Gathering for NATO Puts Chicago on High Alert   

The New York Times

Federal workers raking in millions in bonuses, new database shows   

Fox News

The 'austerity' blame game 

The Washington Times Opinion

Obama, Republicans clash over US debt limit increase   

Reuters

Latest Heritage Research:

BACKGROUNDER
The 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago: NATO in Need of American Leadership

Say your personal liberal heroes are Ralph Nader and Michael Moore:  

Without their help, the 2000 presidential election would have been won by Al Gore.  

What Happened to Israel's Reputation?

How in 40 years the Jewish state went from inspiring underdog to supposed oppressor.

By MICHAEL OREN

This year Israel is celebrating . . . a series of accomplishments that have surely exceeded the expectations of its most visionary founders. It is one of the most powerful small nations in history. . . . [It] has tamed an arid wilderness [and] welcomed 1.25 million immigrants. . . . The Israelis themselves did the fighting, the struggling, the sacrificing in order to perform the greatest feat of all-forging a new society . . . in which pride and confidence have replaced the despair engendered by age-long suffering and persecution.

So Life magazine described Israel on the occasion of its 25th birthday in May 1973. In a 92-page special issue, "The Spirit of Israel," the magazine extolled the Jewish state as enlightened, robustly democratic and hip, a land of "astonishing achievement" that dared "to dream the dream and make that dream come alive."

Life told the story of Israel's birth from the Bible through the Holocaust and the battle for independence. "The Arabs' bloodthirsty threats," the editors wrote, "lend a deadly seriousness to the vow: Never Again." Four pages documented "Arab terrorist attacks" and the three paragraphs on the West Bank commended Israeli administrators for respecting "Arab community leaders" and hiring "tens of thousands of Arabs." The word "Palestinian" scarcely appeared.

There was a panoramic portrayal of Jerusalem, described as "the focus of Jewish prayers for 2,000 years" and the nucleus of new Jewish neighborhoods. Life emphasized that in its pre-1967 borders, Israel was "a tiny, parched, scarcely defensible toe-hold." The edition's opening photo shows a father embracing his Israeli-born daughter on an early "settlement," a testament to Israel's birthright to the land.

Would a mainstream magazine depict the Jewish state like this today, during the week of its 64th birthday?

Unlikely. Rather, readers would learn about Israel's overwhelming military might, brutal conduct in warfare and eroding democratic values-plus the Palestinians' plight and Israeli intransigence. The photographs would show not cool students and cutting-edge artists but soldiers at checkpoints and religious radicals.

Why has Israel's image deteriorated? After all, Israel today is more democratic and-despite all the threats it faces-even more committed to peace.

Read more: 

Using Earth's Blessings to Better Mankind and Planet   May 15, 2012 02:41 pm

Rational thought underlies conservative Christian views on climate change and the environment  

Although he has rarely been willing to discuss or debate energy or environmental issues with those who do not share his views, environmentalist David Suzuki frequently challenges them on other grounds.  In his recent article, "Religious Right is wrong about climate change," Suzuki claims that some US and Canadian scientists hold religious views that are anti-science.

BENADOR: On Obama's Watch, CAIR Advances Sharia in America   May 15, 2012 06:00 am

by Eliana Benador
  CAIR satisfied with DoD, concerned with "our" Military Training
  Without much ado, CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the pro-sharia Muslim advocacy organization recently demanded that the Department of Defense (DoD) "to dismiss the instructor who taught fellow officers that only a "total war" on Islam would protect America, that they should use "Hiroshima" tactics, target civilian populations, and abandon the Geneva Conventions."

The Wheels are Coming Off the Wind Energy Gravy Train   May 15, 2012 01:16 am

And subsidy-dependent wind energy supporters are running scared  

The wind energy industry has been having a hard time. The taxpayer funding that has kept it alive for the last twenty years is coming to an end, and those promoting the industry are panicking.  Perhaps this current wave started when one of Big Wind's most noted supporters, T. Boone Pickens, said in an MSNBC interview, "I'm in the wind business.... I lost my ass in the business."

U. S. Legislative Immigration Update May 14, 2012   May 15, 2012 12:41 am
Right Side News Reports from the·Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) in this legislative weekly including:

• House to Consider "Clean" VAWA Legislation
• House Passes Important Immigration Measures
• House Homeland Security Spending Bill Rejects President's Proposed Budget
• CBP Releases New Strategic Plan
• Alabama Legislature Still Deciding Whether to Gut HB 56
• DOJ Sets Sights on Maricopa County
• FAIR's Annual Hold Their Feet to the Fire Engages Americans on True Immigration Reform

"Mainstream" Islamist Group Attacks Law Enforcement and Whitewashes Jihadists   May 15, 2012 12:26 am

The Investigative Project on Terrorism
Few organizations in the United States have been as consistent in attacking law enforcement as the Muslim Public Affairs Council and its president, Salam al-Marayati.  

Marayati, who attended last year's White House Iftar Dinner during Ramadan, has suggested that Muslim Americans are at war with both al-Qaeda and the FBI. "We in the Muslim American community have been battling the corrupt and bankrupt ideas of cults such as Al Qaeda," he wrote in October in the Los Angeles Times." Now it seems we also have to battle pseudo-experts in the FBI and the Department of Justice."

DOJ Guns for Sheriff Joe   May 14, 2012 06:21 pm

The U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit against Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio sets a new low for the politicization of DOJ.  

Neither President Nixon's Justice Department during the Watergate era nor the Bill Clinton-Janet Reno abuses of DOJ's power (e.g., summary firing of all U.S. attorneys, the invasion at Waco, Bill Lann Lee's Civil Rights Division activism) quite compares with the lengths to which Attorney General Eric Holder, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Tom Perez, and President Obama have gone to pursue a political vendetta.

Mexican Jihad   May 14, 2012 06:08 pm

As the United States considers the Islamic jihadi threats confronting it from all sides, it might do well to focus on its southern neighbor, Mexico, which has been targeted by Islamists and jihadists, who, through a number of tactics-from engaging in da'wa, converting Mexicans to Islam, to smuggling and the drug cartel, to simple extortion, kidnappings and enslavement-have been subverting Mexico in order to empower Islam and sabotage the U.S.

The Chinese Government To Buy Up U.S. Oil And Gas Deposits Worth Billions Of Dollars   May 14, 2012 05:53 pm

Why Is The Obama Administration Allowing The Chinese Government To Buy Up U.S. Oil And Gas Deposits Worth Billions Of Dollars?

If we are trying to become independent of foreign oil, then why is the Obama administration allowing the Chinese government to buy up U.S. oil and gas deposits worth billions of dollars?  This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.  The United States desperately needs to maintain control over its own domestic energy resources so that we can end our addiction to foreign oil.

BENADOR: American Mother: Say NO to Obama!   May 13, 2012 11:24 am

by Eliana Benador

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, With Liberty and Justice for all."
  It's Mother's Day in America and in a large part of the world, it's the day to celebrate and honor Mother.
  The day my Mother was buried, as I saw her coffin slowly being brought down into the earth, the feeling of pain was indescribable and I felt as if  though my inner guts were being torn from my living body... I stayed for hours sitting on the grass they had put over her now buried coffin, saying goodbye to Mother and also the important initial chapter in my life we shared together.

Reclaiming State Department Clarity on Jihad and Sharia   May 13, 2012 10:51 am

Islam's defining doctrine of jihad war ^[2] against non-Muslims, and resultant 14 centuries of sanguinary imperialism ^[2], and accompanying acts of terrorism ^[2], through the present ^[3], notwithstanding, ad nauseum contemporary State Department pronouncements re-affirm what Muslim propagandists insist-that the creed is an enlightened pacifism.

Millions Of Illegal Immigrants Are Using A Massive Scam To Get Bigger Tax Refunds Than You Are   May 13, 2012 10:30 am

Did you know that illegal immigrants all over the United States are using a massive scam to receive tax refunds from the federal government that are often in excess of $10,000?  It is estimated that 2 million illegal immigrants are filing fraudulent tax returns each year and that they are pulling in more than 4 billion dollars in tax refunds every year that they are not entitled to.

From the Desk of Brigitte Gabriel

  Radical Muslim organizations are working with our government to rewrite counterterrorism training materials.

Help us stop this madness!
 

Madness is on the march. Shockingly, our country's leaders are in effect allowing the Muslim Brotherhood to help determine our counterterrorism policies!

Our nation-and your family-will be at greater risk as a result.

We must expose this madness. We must fight this madness!

To make all of this happen I need your help, and that's why I'm writing you this extremely important email today.

  Make a commitment of just $11 a month and I'll mail you an autographed copy of my new video entitled "The Purge" as my thank you.

Becoming a Patriot Partner is a simple and secure process. Just click here, choose the Patriot Partner option, and select the $11 gift level.

By doing so, you not only will be helping us expose "The Purge," you'll also be helping us take this important message to others AND launch the Thin Blue Line Project.

If you're already a Patriot Partner (thank you!), you can receive this new video by logging on here and increasing your monthly gift by just $7 or more. Choose the "Patriot Partner" option, and scroll down to where it says "update an existing recurring gift."

If you prefer to make a single contribution, you can do so HERE. Choose the "Contributing Member" option and select the $37 gift level.

You can also mail a contribution by printing out a reply form here.


This email launches our very important Spring Pledge drive. So we can continue to fight and win victories for you and your family we need 400 new $11 monthly contributing Patriot Partners and 800 Contributing Members making single gifts of $37.

I NEED YOUR HELP TO REACH OUR GOAL! Can I count on you today?

If the Obama administration is successful in completely purging all references to radical Islam from all counterterrorism training materials, those on the front lines fighting terrorism will be left to fight it "with one hand tied behind their back."

Read more: 

The New York Times isn't liberal and the Washington Post isn't biased

May 16, 2012 06:00 am | Coach Collins

by Doug Book,  staff writer

Recent weeks have seen ombudsmen at both the New York Times and the Washington Post defend their respective newspapers from charges of journalistic bias and a deep-seated, enduring slant to the political left. Defined as "trusted [intermediaries] between...an organization and some...external constituency," it is the job of  New York Times ombudsman Arthur Brisbane and the Post's Patrick Pexton to represent "the broad scope of constituent interests" by seeking to present readers with facts and straightforward, impartial reporting.  (1)

Of course anyone with a sense of humor-or any sense at all-will get a real kick out of claims of straightforward and impartial reporting emanating from the Times or the Post. But that is exactly what these embattled colleagues have attempted in defending recent articles responsible for more than the usual show of outrage from the reading public.

On May 10th the Post printed a story of Mitt Romney's 1965 involvement in ... Continue Reading:The New York Times isn't liberal and the Washington Post isn't biased

comments | read more

American Minute May 15

May 15, 2012 06:13 pm | Coach Collins

   By Bill Federer, staff writer

Army Day, Navy Day and Air Force Day were combined in 1949 to be Armed Forces Day, celebrated the 3rd Saturday of May.
Army Day formerly was the date the US entered World War I, Navy Day was President Theodore Roosevelt's birthday and Air Force Day was the day the War Department established a division of aeronautics.
President Richard Nixon remarked at Armed Forces Day Ceremonies, Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia, May 19, 1973:
"Men and women who wear the uniform of our country are supposed to salute the Commander in Chief...But on this day, I, as your Commander in Chief, salute you, each and every American who serves in our Army, our Navy, our Air Force, our Marine Corps, and our Coast Guard.
Your courage, your steadfastness are the backbone of America's influence for peace around the world...We owe you...who serve in our Armed Forces, a debt of ... Continue Reading:American Minute May 15

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Obama is letting China buy our energy fields; is your state on this list?

May 15, 2012 01:13 pm | Coach Collins

By Kevin "Coach" Collins

Everybody knows Barack Obama wants America to be energy independent; just ask him and he'll tell you so. What he won't tell you is why he is standing by and watching while China is buying American oil and gas in alarming amounts. In an era that demands America use energy as wisely as possible Obama is stopping us from searching for energy sources on our own soil which is bad enough, but now Obama is allowing  the Chinese to buy up as much of our oil and gas as they want.  

Using two front corporations, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation and the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council the Chinese Communists have entered into a  $ 570 million deal that gives it a  third interest in an oil and gas field in Colorado and Wyoming.  What's worse is language in the agreement has given the Chinese government the right ... Continue Reading:Obama is letting China buy our energy fields; is your state on this list?

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The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear a Mortarboard

The commencement address has become part of the campaign trail. How better to showcase your candidate as a man with a vision for tomorrow than to feature him passing along some of his wisdom to the people of tomorrow, those bright-eyed and bushy-tailed graduates going off with an average twenty grand in debt into a marketplace with few job prospects.

 

Not everyone can get Obama to deliver their commencement address. It helps if your college is female and affiliated with the Ivy League, where downtrodden Barnard students can be counseled to "fight for your seat at the head of the table" by an unqualified man who began and ended his career by pushing out better qualified female candidates from Alice Palmer to Hillary Clinton. Barnard women are free to fight for a seat at the head of the table, so long as it's not his seat or a seat that he wants.

These days the man whose administration pays women less than men, which has been repeatedly accused of sexist treatment of its female staff and whose chief speechwriter was photographed groping a cardboard cutout of Hillary Clinton, has taken to the campaign trail to warn about a "War on Women". And where better to sell the war on women than on campuses which are becoming more female than male.

There's something blatantly patriarchal about a powerful man arriving on a female campus promising to protect its graduates from that other man, but liberalism has long been immune from its own contradictions. Only Obama can protect women from Romney, when he isn't protecting them from being President or saddling them with massive amounts of debt.

The 57 percent tilt of female to male enrollment on campus has also meant a disproportionate share of student loan debt being amassed by women. The students profiled in the recent New York Times article on student debt are almost all female and if anyone has been fighting a war on women, it would be the entire system of academic loan sharks who trade mostly useless degrees for five and six figure debt.

The sheepskin was once a doorway to a privileged world of achievement, but diplomas aren't made of real sheepskin anymore, and the college degree has become as ubiquitous as tacky commencement speeches. Just about anyone who pays a limited amount of attention in school and is willing to take on a pile of debt can get a college degree from somewhere. It won't be worth much, but it will cost a lot.
 

Chronicle · May 16, 2012

The Foundation

"[I]n this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." --Benjamin Franklin

Editorial Exegesis

The answer isn't higher taxes

"Congressional Democrats plan massive tax increases and crippling defense cuts after November. Why not now? Because the voters would realize the Obama presidency has set the stage for fiscal catastrophe. 'The way to deal with sequestration is put revenues on the table.' That is third-ranking Senate Democrat Charles Schumer of New York's coded way of telling congressional Republicans that if you want to prevent the budgetary devastation of the U.S. military, you'll have to break your promises to voters and agree to major tax hikes. After the presidential and congressional elections this November, a lame-duck Congress will address an impending fiscal calamity. Without action, the Bush tax cuts once again are set to expire at the end of the year.... Heritage Foundation senior fellow and former Treasury Department tax economist J.D. Foster recently warned that on New Year's Day, 'some $494 billion in tax hikes will crash down on America's taxpayers and economy' -- not just the expiration of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts that gave us a boom and cut unemployment to under 5%, but 'a jump in the payroll tax rate,' 'the return of the death tax,' 'a bigger, badder' Alternative Minimum Tax, and the tax hikes for ObamaCare. ... This is a gift-wrapped campaign present for Mitt Romney and all those running for Congress this year who believe in prosperity and fiscal responsibility. ... Obama and congressional Democrats refuse to do anything to defuse the economy's ticking fiscal time bomb before the November election. Romney and congressional Republicans should be asking every day between now and the election: Why, aside from politics, are we waiting?" --Investor's Business Daily

What will happen with the looming tax increase?

Upright

"Call [Obama] what you want, but don't tell me he isn't an extreme leftist by American standards. He might be a moderate in Europe, but not here. If not for strong conservative voices opposing his radical agenda, he would have gone much further: larger and more stimuli, much greater deficits and debt, even higher percentages of people on the welfare rolls and not paying income taxes, an even more lawless Justice Department, a single-payer health care system, the consummation of the war on conventional energy and further wasteful green energy experiments, a more progressive income tax code, a possible value-added tax, more liberal activist judges, greater unilateral disarmament, further relaxation of border control, more government control over business -- and more. Thank God for conservative talkers and other voices on the right who aren't deterred from doing what is right for fear of being called extremists themselves." --columnist David Limbaugh

"Last week the Washington Post ran a story attempting to portray presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney as a homophobic bully. Despite every effort to contain it, the story imploded, as factual inaccuracies came to light. Furthermore, the victim's own sisters (he died of liver cancer in 2004) claimed to have no knowledge of incident, with one of them telling ABC News, 'If he were still alive today, he would be furious.' Yet as is often the case with highly publicized news stories, other mainstream media outlets attempted to keep the thematic aspect of the piece alive, irrespective of the facts. ... Why is it necessary to portray Mitt Romney as a bully? So Barack Obama, the real bully in this presidential election contest, doesn't look as bad by comparison." --columnist Arnold Ahlert

"There are only 11 primaries left and all but one -- Utah, which was a lock for [Mitt] Romney from the start -- will be held within the next 22 days. Why didn't [Ron] Paul hang in there and play out the string? I assume it's because two of those 11 are Kentucky and Texas, the latter Paul's home state and the former [his son] Rand's. [Rick] Santorum decided to quit before Pennsylvania to spare himself the bad press of a loss on his home field; Paul is taking a more middle-ground approach, trying to minimize the blow to Rand by declaring that he won't contest those races but refusing to formally suspend so that his supporters still have reason to go to the polls and get him some delegates." --blogger Allahpundit

"I would like to make a rule that nobody ever again be tried for a hate crime. A crime is a crime, and whether the victim is a black, a Hispanic or a homosexual, should not make the punishment any more severe than if the victim is a WASP. One can safely assume that every crime is hateful to the victim. People who favor concentrating on 'hate' rather than 'crime' are the same noodle-heads who are unaware that 'social justice' is an oxymoron. Justice doesn't call for adjectives. Once they're added on, it ceases to be justice, which is why Lady Justice is always pictured blindfolded and why Martin Luther King pleaded for a colorblind society." --columnist Burt Prelutsky

Insight

"What orators lack in depth they make up for in length." --Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755)

"In order to become the master, the politician poses as the servant." --former French president Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970)

The Demo-gogues

Memory lapse: "It was a house of cards and it collapsed in the most destructive, worst crisis we've seen since since the Great Depression. And sometimes people forget the magnitude of it, you know, and you saw some of that in the video that was shown. Sometimes I forget." --Barack Obama

The BIG Lie: "We believe the free market is one of the greatest forces for progress in human history; that businesses are the engine of growth; that risk-takers and innovators should be rewarded." --Barack Obama, who believes nothing of the sort

Hope: "The question is not whether things will get better, they always do. The question is not whether we've got the solutions to our challenges, we have had them within our grasp for quite some time." --Barack Obama

Redefining marriage strengthens it? "The announcement I made last week about my views on marriage equality... The basic idea -- I want everybody treated fairly in this country. We have never gone wrong when we expanded rights and responsibilities to everybody. That doesn't weaken families; that strengthens families. It's the right thing to do." --Barack Obama

Forward! "What made [the Constitution] special was that it made it possible for those who were left out to fight their way back in a constant forward movement. We look forward, not back." --Barack Obama

Tight poll numbers: "When your name is Barack Obama it's always tight" --Barack Obama

Fauxcahontas: "You know, I'm proud of my Native American heritage. I'm proud of my family. It's now the case that people have gone over my college records, my law school records, every job I've ever had to see that I got my work. I got my jobs because I do my work. I work hard. I've been a good teacher." --Massachusetts Democrat senatorial candidate Elizabeth Warren, who doesn't seem to be able to prove her supposed Cherokee heritage

Dezinformatsia

We'll have a gay old time: "The racial struggle of America is more intrinsic to our entire national drama than other struggles for equality. And also, President Obama very markedly did not order any change in policy this past week with his comments. But I think they're similar in a president deciding that there is a change underway in public opinion and he's going to side in favor of a group that at that moment he views as being unfavored and even mistreated." --U.S. News & World Report editor and former Carter speechwriter James Fallows

Deflection: "When I think about what some people, and I hear what some folks are saying about this issue, I wonder if in 10 or 20 years when those sound bites are played back to them if they're going to cringe and want to go and hide somewhere. ... I don't understand why people don't get that and why people keep ... injecting religion into an issue that has to do with rights." --CNN's Don Lemon advocating for marriage redefinition

"If Clinton Was 'Black,' Is Obama 'Gay'?" --CNN website headline

Comparing Ann Romney to Hitler: "[T]hey also have out this new Super PAC ad out about basically: Is Ann Romney under attack for being a mother? To me, it's still kind of amazing that they're still milking this thing. You know? It can't only be me that kind of initially saw Ann Romney as maybe a sympathetic or neutral figure but who is increasingly seeing her as someone who is kind of insufferable because of the way she's milking this thing. ... In a lot ways, the column [written by Ann Romney] was totally anodyne, right? She's, you know, yes, motherhood is beautiful. I found that phrase, 'the crown of motherhood' really kind of creepy. Not just because of it's somewhat -- you know, it's kind of really authoritarian societies that give out like a Cross of Motherhood. They give out awards for big families. You know, Stalin did it, Hitler did it." --Newsweek and Daily Beast columnist Michelle Goldberg

Newspulper Headlines:

Out on a Limb: "2012 Election a '50-50 Proposition' for Obama, Top Pollster Says" --Chicago Tribune

And Other Fabulous Accessories: "Obama Buckles on Gay Marriage" --The Washington Times

Because He Wants to Use Them for MREs: "Why Is Obama Considering Degrading Our Military Dogs' Training?" --AmericanThinker.com

Obama Ate Them!: "Lawmakers Question Lack of Watchdogs at Federal Agencies" --FoxNews.com

Elizabeth Warren Isn't, That's for Sure: "Are the Indians for Real?" --CBSSports.com

We Blame George W. Bush: "It Will Be Hot in Texas This Summer" --The American Spectator website

Bottom Story of the Day: "38 Percent of All 911 Calls in NYC Are Accidents, Most Are 'Butt Calls'" --Huffington Post

(Thanks to The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto)

Village Idiots

Tax everybody more: ""We are all going to have to contribute to this, and if middle class people's wages were going up again, and we had some growth to the economy, I don't think they would object to going back to tax rates [from] when I was president." --the first black president, Bill Clinton

Go forth and pester: "We have come so far, but we have so much more to do for our children. Are you in? I mean, are you ready to roll up your sleeves and work, and talk, and get people signed up, and call on the phone, and talk to the people who don't want to talk to you and convince the neighbor that doesn't understand?" --Michelle Obama

"His views on LGBT rights are crystal clear, and this administration has taken actions that are unparalleled to support those rights." --White House Press Secretary Jay Carney

Get a life: "Congratulations, Mitt Romney! You're the presumed GOP nominee and all you had to do was threaten to let our employers take away our contraception coverage threaten to let our insurance companies charge us more, just because we're women and threaten to get rid of Planned Parenthood, a life-saving source of healthcare for million of women So this November, we're gonna remember how you threw women under the bus, just to get the nomination." --MoveOn.org advertisement

Short Cuts

"President Obama stayed overnight in Beverly Hills Thursday where he was cheered by people for his gay marriage stand. He caught a break. Beverly Hills is a town where the only people who are opposed to gay marriage are gay people who are already married." --comedian Argus Hamilton

"I think I speak for most heterosexual males when I say I'm not homophobic but chick-o-centric. Let's keep it positive, okay? It's not that we dislike gays ... it's just that we really like girls." --columnist Doug Giles

"President Obama officially announced he is in favor of gay marriage. Of course, this is a monumental event. This is the first time Joe Biden said something Obama didn't have to apologize for. ... In fact, he changed his campaign slogan from 'forward' to fabulous." --comedian Jay Leno

"A new Obama ad calls Romney a 'vampire' for what his firm did to jobs. But vampires are very popular these days; maybe that's how Romney closed up the gender gap. If Romney is a vampire towards jobs, what's Obama? A zombie plague?" --humorist Frank J. Fleming

"HotAir.com's Ed Morrissey notes (via Rory Cooper of the Heritage Foundation) that Obama has inserted his name into the official White House website biography of every president from Coolidge to George W. Bush. Example: 'In a June 28, 1985 speech Reagan called for a fairer tax code, one where a multi-millionaire did not have a lower tax rate than his secretary. Today, President Obama is calling for the same with the Buffett Rule.' Obama is under the mistaken impression that America's symbol is the bald ego." --The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto

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

 Wednesday, May 16, 2012

To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer


COUNTDOWN TO VICTORY: 174 DAYS TO THE 2012 ELECTIONS


Has Obama Lost North Carolina?

Earlier this week I made headlines for predicting that Barack Obama's embrace of the radical notion of men "marrying" other men would likely put six or seven states in play. Today we have proof.

North Carolina was one of Obama's surprise wins in 2008. He carried it by just 14,000 votes out of more than 4 million cast. Democrats are determined to fight for it again. So much so they decided to hold their national convention in Charlotte. But Obama likely blew his chances there.

One of the first state polls to measure the impact of Obama's endorsement of same-sex "marriage" was released this morning, and it's not good news for Mr. Obama. Last month, Romney narrowly lead Obama 46%-to-44% in North Carolina. But a new Rasmussen poll finds Mitt Romney surging to a 51%-to-43% lead among likely voters. North Carolinians voted for normal marriage last week and now they plan on voting against Obama.

Meanwhile, the Democrats' convention plans aren't exactly going well either. You can read about that here.


Obama's Arrogance

I suspect Rasmussen's poll partially captures the shock of many North Carolina voters to Obama's arrogance. It's hard to believe that a man who is supposedly courting the voters of the state would so publicly rebuke them the day after they voted overwhelmingly to preserve normal marriage and common sense. But Obama's arrogance seems boundless.

Little in Washington surprises me anymore. But reports that the Obama White House has edited the biographies of previous presidents, including Ronald Reagan, to include references to Obama and his policies has got be the height of arrogance!

It's not only arrogant, it's creepy -- bringing to mind the way tyrants of the past have airbrushed pictures and rewritten history books. Is there no one at the White House with enough common sense to question this cult-like worship of the "dear leader"? I guess not. After all, Obama was the "one" they had been waiting for. He said so himself.


Speaking Of Creepy...

The liberal elite recently gathered for a secret meeting at the exclusive Biltmore Hotel in Miami, Florida. These progressive one-percenters were summoned by uber-liberal billionaire George Soros to decide how much of their money they would spend to reelect Barack Obama and his socialist allies in Congress.

Others at the meeting included Van Jones, former SEIU president Andy Stern, liberal loudmouth Alan Grayson, who is trying to stage a political comeback this year, as well as leaders of Media Matters and the Center for American Progress. You can read more here.

My friends, this is why we must continue to invest in the conservative cause!
   

 May 17, 2012 

Insults Help Democrats Defeat Rich, Religious Nut, Racist, Redneck Republicans
Karin McQuillan
Republicans may bridle at these insults, or we may laugh. But we are chumps when we don't take insults seriously. Slander provides the Democrats with a huge electoral advantage. More

Racism and the PC Inquisition
John T. Bennett
Any standard of conduct, any law, any test is called racist if minorities on average can't meet the standard, follow the law, or obtain identical scores compared to non-minorities. The result can only be described as a PC Inquisition. More

The Rules Are Changing for Talking about Race
Jay Schalin
Attorney General Eric Holder should have been more careful about what to ask for. More

The Summer of Disruption
Boyd Richard Boyd
As the summer of 2012 heats up, OWS will be more about disruption of the working class than trying to get the working class to join. The strategy could be as simple as turning a knob. More

The Choice Ahead in November
Mike Johnson
Phony charisma or solid credentials; the choice is ours. More

The Dishonest Democrat Narrative: Jennifer Granholm
James G. Long
Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm's misleading comments about the government bailout of General Motors must be addressed. More

Senator Tom Coburn versus Everyone Else in Washington
Dustin Siggins
...But he still thinks they all "want to do the right thing." More

White House under fire for adding Obama policy plugs to past presidents' bios

Published May 16, 2012

| FoxNews.com

The Obama White House is drawing ridicule for appending the official online biographies of nearly every president over the last century in order to link President Obama's accomplishments to the former commanders in chief.

The Obama team went into the pages of U.S. presidents dating back to Calvin Coolidge to add friendly looking "Did you know?" fact boxes to the end of their bios. Those additions were used to plug a host of Obama administration initiatives, ranging from the health care overhaul to the so-called "Buffett Rule" to his green-energy policies.

For instance, the following line was added to the official bio of the late President Ronald Reagan: "In a June 28, 1985, speech, Reagan called for a fairer tax code, one where a multimillionaire did not have a lower tax rate than his secretary. Today, President Obama is calling for the same with the Buffett Rule."

The White House is coming under heavy criticism from conservatives for the changes, and not just to Reagan's page.

President Me

Reflecting on his two terms in office, President George W. Bush said in 2010, "You realize you're not it. You're a part of something bigger than yourself."

This is a sentiment President Barack Obama did not inherit from his successor. Over the past month we have witnessed several displays of arrogant power emanating from our White House, emphasizing fealty to a person over the integrity of an American institution. Some are more serious than others.

First, this week it was discovered that White House staff had edited the biographies of many past presidents on whitehouse.gov to include a bullet point or two inserting President Obama into each historical narrative.

For example, while President Calvin Coolidge had been the first president to make a public radio address, President Obama is on LinkedIn; and while Social Security was introduced by President Roosevelt, under President Obama it still exists. But in a far more egregious example, they incorrectly added to President Ronald Reagan's biography:

"In a June 28, 1985 speech Reagan called for a fairer tax code, one where a multi-millionaire did not have a lower tax rate than his secretary. Today, President Obama is calling for the same with the Buffett Rule."

This is not only a complete fabrication of what President Reagan said (even The Washington Post's 'fact checker' gave this familiar line two Pinocchios) but it is also a glaring example of the President putting himself ahead of the sacred institution he is sworn to protect for the nation as well as his predecessors and successors.

Heritage Distinguished Fellow Ed Meese who served as President Reagan's Attorney General said: "They should not use the biographies of past presidents as campaign vehicles. What they have done is to spoil the integrity of the historical narrative. At the very least, the Reagan biography should be restored to the accurate version provided White House Historical Association. I'm sure those associated with other past presidents would feel the same."

This is not the first time the Obama White House has engaged in this behavior. In March 2009, they were caught editing President Bush's biography to soften his listed accomplishments. They quickly reversed course. In the Bush Administration, biographies were directly supplied by the White House Historical Association without addendums or qualifiers.

Former White House Internet Director David Almacy explained to The Heritage Foundation that under Bush, this editing practice would have been unthinkable, saying: "It was our intent to preserve the history of the White House as an institution as well as those who served as president from a non-partisan historical perspective." Almacy added: "It was ingrained in Bush Administration staffers from day one that our time in service to our nation was a privilege and that we must separate political promotion from the institution as a whole."

Affirming that culture, President Bush told a group of departing staffers in 2009: "Laura and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for serving with us. I've had two great chiefs of staff, Andy and Josh. Their task was to assemble, and I would say this objectively, the finest group of people to serve our country, all of whom are here not to serve me, not to serve Republicans, but to serve the United States of America."

This bipartisan approach evades the current White House. On April 20, President Obama's campaign team released a Nixonian enemies list of Republican donors on their "Truth Team" website. This wasn't about transparency, but intimidation. After each donor name, the Obama team highlighted why they felt the person was "less than reputable." Essentially the person had either succeeded in a business field that was counter to the President's worldview (i.e. oil production) or they made business decisions like outsourcing.

Prominent donors are often thrust into the spotlight in political campaigns, but this example was extraordinary and unprecedented. The writing was on the wall: If you give to an opposing cause, we will unleash a grassroots effort to destroy your personal reputation. This message delivered on behalf of the most powerful man in the nation has real implications. If the IRS were to audit one of these individuals, how could they not wonder if their political contribution was the root cause?

Following up on the story, the Wall Street Journal's Kimberly Strassel found that a week after this list was released, a political opposition researcher was found to be digging through divorce records of one of the men named. The target, Frank VanderSloot, told Strassel: "When I first learned that President Obama's campaign had singled me out on his 'enemies list,' I knew it was like taping a target on my back...[but] the public beatings and false accusations that followed are no deterrent. These tactics will not work in America."

Between the biographical trickery and their enemies list, President Obama's team has engaged in tactics that put their boss above his predecessors and dangerously above his opponents. This is indeed a culture that emanates from the top.

Just last week President Obama told ABC News' Robin Roberts in an interview: "When I think about -- those soldiers or airmen or marines or -- sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf..." My behalf.

Then there was also the consistent use of the pronoun "I" to describe the raid to kill Osama bin Laden. And the time, President Obama told 60 Minutes that he was our fourth greatest president ever, saying: "I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president -- with the possible exceptions of Johnson, F.D.R., and Lincoln -- just in terms of what we've gotten done in modern history."

Finally, President Obama insinuated yesterday that if you don't support his policies, it's not due to philosophical differences, but because of his name. Answering a question on The View about tight polls, he said: "When your name is Barack Obama, it's always going to be tight. Barack Hussein Obama."

Any person selected to the highest office in the land is bound to indulge a small degree of narcissism. But when it permeates the entire attitude and culture of the executive branch, it begins to become a problem. No president is larger than the presidency.

America at Risk: Our Aging Aviation Force

The youngest B-52 bomber rolled off the assembly line 50 years ago. Remarkably, it's still flying.

Like many of the aircraft still used by the U.S. military, the B-52 is telltale example of America's out-dated aviation force. At a time when our military is asked to do more with less, fiscal constraints have hampered its modernization and recapitalization strategy. Heritage is highlighting these challenges as part of Protect America Month and a three-part America at Risk video series.

The B-52 might be among the Air Force's most recognizable planes. Its maiden flight was in April 1952 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower occupied the White House and the Cold War posed the greatest threat to America's security. Today, the B-52 is still flying out of Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota.

It's not the military's only aging aircraft, however. Along with tankers and fighters, America's aviation force today is jeopardy of sacrificing dominance in the air environment that came with advancements in the 1960s and 1970s. Simply modernizing and updating those aircraft won't provide the same edge.

In this week's America at Risk video, retired three-star general David A. Deptula talks firsthand about America's "geriatric aviation force". He earned his wings and flew an F-15 for the first time in 1977. Thirty years later, his son Lt. David A. Deptula II boarded the very same aircraft. In our three-minute video, the elder Deptula explains how fiscal constraints have hampered the military's modernization and recapitalization strategy and what that means for the aging aviation force. Watch the video below:

More from Heritage:

• Video: Senator Kyl Speaks at The Heritage Foundation on Defending America's Leadership.
• America at Risk Memo: Protect America from What? 
• Congress Should Invest in Sea Power Over Bureaucracy 

Obama calls debt ceiling fight "not acceptable," whatever that means 

Posted: 16 May 2012 02:49 PM PDT

(Paul Mirengoff)

Boehner seeks action on debt reduction 

Posted: 16 May 2012 09:49 AM PDT

(Paul Mirengoff)

Speaker John Boehner is calling on Congress to deal with the issues of budget reductions and the Bush tax cuts before the election. And he is threatening to block an increase in the federal debt ceiling unless significant new cuts occur.

The case for tackling these issues now is straightforward. If they are put off until the lame duck session, there will be little time to avoid the train wreck scheduled for January, when the first round of harsh, across-the-board spending cuts are to kick in, absent agreed upon cuts.

An upset in Nebraska 

Posted: 16 May 2012 09:14 AM PDT

(Paul Mirengoff)

In Nebraska, State Senator Deb Fischer has upset Jon Bruning, the state's attorney general, to win the Republican nomination for the Senate seat held by Democrat Ben Nelson, who is retiring. Late returns had Fischer leading Bruning by 40-36. She will face former Senator Bob Kerrey.

Until recently, Bruning had been leading in the polls. Fischer had been running third, behind Don Stenberg, the state's treasurer, who was endorsed by Sen. Jim DeMint and the Club for Growth. However, Fishcer, who has never run for statewide office before, received a late endorsement from Sarah Palin. As election day approached, the former Alaska Governor and her husband placed robocalls on Fischer's behalf. Meanwhile, Bruning was the subject of critical ads paid for by Joe Ricketts and his PAC, the Ending Spending Action Fund.

This race, then, is another victory for a Tea Party-style candidate and another defeat for the Republican establishment candidate.

George Zimmerman's Defense 

Posted: 16 May 2012 08:30 AM PDT

(John Hinderaker)  

ABC News has obtained a copy of a doctor's report on a visit by George Zimmerman the day after the Trayvon Martin shooting. The report discloses that Zimmerman had a broken nose, two black eyes, two cuts on the back of his head, bruising on the upper lip and cheek and lower back pain. This revelation obviously bolsters Zimmerman's claim of self-defense and sheds light on why local authorities initially declined to charge him. The injuries described in the doctor's report appear to corroborate strongly the version of events that Zimmerman gave to police officers.

I wrote here that, "based, at least, on the information that is now public," Zimmerman should have been charged with manslaughter. I also noted that it couldn't be the case that there is literally no evidence other than Zimmerman's account:

The reality is that there is always evidence other than the testimony of the survivor. There is considerable physical evidence, and here, both of the protagonists were on the telephone until moments before their final confrontation. Some of that conversation was recorded. In addition, there may well be eyewitness testimony.

We now know about some, but not all, of that evidence, and the medical records may well explain the original prosecutor's acceptance of Zimmerman's plea of self-defense.

The Last Lion at Long Last 

Posted: 16 May 2012 07:08 AM PDT

(Steven Hayward)

Lots of good books out right now deserving comment and reflection, including Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind (spent the day with him last Friday), Jonah Goldberg's The Tyranny of Clichés: How Liberals Cheat in the War of Ideas, and Jim Manzi's Uncontrolled: The Surprising Payoff of Trial and Error for Business, Politics, and Society (Jim is another pal, and maybe one of the two or three most incandescently brilliant people I've ever met). In due course I'll try to post some comments on all three of these fine books.

But right now I want to be the first to bring to your attention a major publishing event next November, just in time for Christmas. On November 20, Little, Brown will finally publish The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965, the third volume of the Churchill biography begun by the incomparable narrative stylist William Manchester. (You can already pre-order from Amazon.) Old age and ill-health prevented Manchester from completing the third volume beyond the first few chapters, and it fell to Paul Reid, a journalist who was close friends with Bill Manchester (as Paul refers to him) to complete the long-awaited final volume.

Today's Headlines:  Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Human Rights Activist: 'A Woman Takes Her Life Every Three Seconds in China'

Romney: Same-Sex Couples 'Have the Right' to Adopt Children--But Not Marry
  Only CNSNews.com brings you the news the liberal media ignores! Please help us with a tax deductible gift today.

Administration Opposes Attempt to Bar Same-Sex Marriage on Military Property and Shield Military Chaplains

Veto Threat: Administration Issues 8 Pages of Objections to House Defense Bill

Palin-Backed Candidate Comes From Behind in Nebraska's U.S. Senate Primary

Bush: 'Arab Spring' Is 'Broadest Challenge to Authoritarian Rule Since Collapse of Soviet Communism'

Romney: Same-Sex Couples 'Have the Right' to Adopt Children--But Not Marry

Obama Cites 'Real Differences' with Romney on Same-Sex Marriage

COMMENTARY:

A Gold Nugget As Big As the White House
By Terence P. Jeffrey
The current national debt - staggering in itself - is about $15.6 trillion, or a little more than one fourth of the $60 trillion that one analyst said might be derived from federally owned shale-oil deposits.

The Washington Post Bullies Romney
By L. Brent Bozell III
The Washington Post's 5,400-word "expose" on how Mitt Romney may have pinned a boy down and cut his hair in 1965 is an attempt to create a negative image of Romney as "a rich kid with a mean streak" who apparently has never matured. But no one believes this newspaper's claims of objectivity and fairness -- and no one should.

Obamacare's Patient-Dumping, Privacy-Meddling Scheme
Michelle Malkin
The stench of Chicago cronyism over the White House just got fouler. Inhale this: A shadowy Obamacare agency with zero oversight just awarded the University of Chicago Medical Center a $5.9 million taxpayer-funded grant that will enable Michelle Obama's cronies to build a government-sponsored electronic medical record-sharing system.

Facebook
By Rich Galen
The investing community is agog at the prospect of the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Facebook on Friday.

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