Quote: 

      "Run for your life from any man who tells you that money is evil. That sentence is the leper's bell of an approaching looter." 

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)

News from The Hill:

Pentagon warns lawmakers: Sequester cuts would lead to 'unready, hollow' military force
By Jeremy Herb

Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Wednesday warned that sequestration would be a "major step" to "an unready, hollow" military force.

Testifying at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on sequestration, Carter began laying out some of the impacts of the $55-billion cut facing the Pentagon in 2013 if sequestration is not reversed.

Carter said the across-the-board cuts would require the Pentagon to "substantially modify and scale back the new defense strategy," which was crafted last year as the Defense Department prepared for $487 billion in budget reductions already planned for the next decade.

Carter and acting Office of Management Budget Director Jeffrey Zients told the committee Wednesday that sequestration should never go into effect, pushing Congress to fix the cuts before they hit on Jan. 2.  

Read the story here.

Activate: How to turn the 2012 election from a close call to a mandate

• I want to make sure I'm registered to vote and adopt a schlub friend. CLICK HERE
• I commit to registering FOUR schlub friends CLICK HERE
• I commit to be a part of the global Tea Party movement the week of Restoring Love: FreePac &Constitutional Conference
• I want to join a team - 9/12 Project, FreedomWorks, or a local Tea Party

Last night, Glenn focused on the importance of commitment. He was the first to admit, a lot of last night's show was something you had heard before - but it's important to start at the beginning and to make sure you know what you believe before you get put into action. And tonight, Glenn revealed ways for you to really get moving! 

Tonight, the focus of the show was "Activate" - and it was all about the election and how you can make sure that one way or another - 2012 is a year for a mandate for or against the progressives. And if you think it doesn't matter just take a look at what is happening right now in Wisconsin. Progressives and unions are doing everything they can to make sure that Walker loses. It's a microcosm to what is happening around the country, and Glenn thought it was so important that he recapped it on tonight's show (in under three minutes!):

August 1, 2012, 10 AM

Dear Friends,

We have 98 days left to stop the American Nation from becoming the Obama Nation.

If we give this president four more years, he will finish the job of remolding America into a hard-core keynesian state resembling some of the most economically dependent

nations in Europe--in particular--Greece and Spain.

We do not have to travel down this road.  We can change the course.  You can help steer America in the right direction. 

If you want an America where free enterprise is respected and ObamaCare is repealed,

and not the other way, stay in the area this summer & fall .  Volunteer at Republican Victory Centers. 

Attend local events promoting our region's Republican Congressional candidates--including our tri-state Republican US Senate candidates--Tom Smith (PA), Joe Kyrillas (NJ), and Kevin Wade (DE).

This Saturday has been designated Super Saturday by Team Romney. 

Republican Victory Centers are calling on you to volunteer anytime from 9 AM-9 PM.

You don't have to live in PA.   Since PA is a swing state, we hope our Delaware and

New Jersey friends will consider crossing state lines.  Let them know the Independence Hall Tea Party sent you.

Also, Eagle Forum is hosting an area fundraiser with an incredicle line-up--all to benefit our regional Congressional candidates (please check details below).

Here are the GOP Regional Victory Offices:

Berks County Victory Center, 529 Reading Ave., Suite D, West Reading, PA 19611

Contact: Nick Steiner, 724-712-5726, nsteiner@pagop.org

Bucks County Victory Center, 115 North Broad Street, Doylestown, PA 18901

Contact: Blake Gober, 484-250-3183, bgober@pagop.org

Chester County Victory Center, 15 S. Church Street, West Chester, PA 19382

Contact: Rhett O'Hara, 215-779-1190, rohara@pagop.org

Chester County Victory Center 2, 21 Plank Ave., Suite 300, Paoli, PA 19301

Contact: Salome Gasabile, 267-221-6802, sgasabile@pagop.org

Delaware County Victory Center, 1001 Baltimore Pike, Suite 208, Springfield, PA 19604

Contact: Aaron Summers, 484-222-1388, asummers@pagop.org

Lancaster County Victory Center, 902 Columbia Ave, Lancaster, PA 17603
Contact: Alicia Hubiak, 717-614-5613, ahubiak@pagop.org

Lehigh County Victory Center, 2285 Schoenersville Rd, Bethlehem, PA 18107
Contact: Charles Creitz, 717-686-2516, ccrietz@pagop.org

Luzerne County Victory Center, 34 S. Main Street Ste #4, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
Contact: Mary Pellant, 484-951-7063, mpellant@pagop.org

Montgomery County Victory Center, 200 West Ridge Pike, Unit #121, Conshohocken, PA 19428
Contact: Perry Bentley, 717-686-2219, pbentley@pagop.org

Montgomery County Victory Center 2, 2 Village Road, Suite 1A, Horsham, PA 19044
Contact: Brian McCann, 717-344-3050, bmccann@pagop.org

Philadelphia County Victory Center, 529 S. 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Contact: Roman Sosalski, 267-386-5216, rsosalski@pagop.org

*******************************************************  

2012 Pennsylvania Candidates Dinner

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Aronimink Golf Club

3600 St. Davids Road

Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073

VIP Reception 6 pm

Dinner 7 pm

Cocktail Attire

Guests of Honor

But Patriots across this Great Nation literally STOOD-UP in lines and said -  

NO YOU WILL NOT!!  

Last Thursday, July 26, over 16,000 grassroots patriots came together in Dallas, Texas - like Patriots of the past who rallied against the British Crown - for an historic reawakening of the conservative movement. The event was FreePAC; the grassroots answer to establishment political action conferences and the launching pad of the Hostile Takeover.

FreePAC was held as a convention-style gathering to ignite a grassroots uprising to Take America Back in 2012 and beyond. Featuring a veritable "who's who" of conservative superstars - including Glenn Beck, Senators Rand Paul, Mike Lee, and Jim DeMint, Dana Loesch, Deneen Borelli, CL Bryant and others - FreePAC galvanized individuals who truly believe in limited government and laid the groundwork for the Hostile Takeover of America's entrenched political interests in Washington.

Check out highlights from the all-star cast of speakers.

For those patriots who could not attend FreePAC and those who wish to share their experience with their friends and families, FreedomWorks is making available a limited run of commemorative DVDs. You don't want to miss what Senator Rand Paul had to say about the role of government!  

Celebrate the inaugural FreePAC by donating $20 today and we will send you a commemorative DVD. For $25, you can receive the official FreePAC T-shirt. Make a $40 donation, and we will send you both the DVD and the T-shirt. Click here to get your FreePAC gear right now!  

FreePAC Live DVD         T-Shirt                 DVD + T-Shirt

 

                          

$ 20 Donation          $ 25 Donation               $ 40 Donation

Over 15,000 additional patriots attended FreePAC on our Livestream channel, bringing the total number of attendees to over 30,000 people. Numbers this large demonstrate the power of the grassroots and their dedication to restoring freedom.

Click here to make a donation, receive your FreePAC gear, and join the Hostile Takeover.

In Liberty,

Half price off 2013 Summit Registration until august 15th

Our seventh annual Washington Summit was our best to date.  Never before have we been so warmly received by our nation's leaders in Washington.  And never before have we had such an immediate impact.  In fact, legislation we support to enhance U.S.-Israel security cooperation was passed even before our Summit was over!

Let's face it -- there's nothing like having thousands of pro-Israel Christians from every state in the Union in town to focus Congress on the need to stand with Israel!  

As our delegates discovered, the very fact that they cared enough about Israel to travel all the way to Washington gave them immediate credibility, influence and favor with their members of Congress.  Increasingly, Members of Congress and their staff are getting to know our members by name and are staying in touch with them after they return home.  

Our DC summit is not a one-time event.  It's an annual opportunity for you to become an influential spokesman for Israel in your community.  We give you the training.  We schedule your appointments.  All you need to do is show up and stand up for Israel.

Whether or not you were able to join us this year, we pray that you'll plan on joining us next year. Our 2013 Washington Summit will be held on July 22- 24.  While the trip is not inexpensive, making your decision to join us now will give you almost a full year to save up for this powerful experience.  

We pray that we will see you in Washington, D.C. July 22- 24, 2013.

May God Bless You and Those That You Love,

Robertson, along with co-host David Toy, Jim Seigfreid, Allen and Peggy as we confront the issues of the day with Constitutional solutions to the problems we were warned about by the Founders of this, the greatest nation to ever shine a light on the world. Our guests include some of the best and the brightest commentators and Patriots around. 

www.blogtalkradio.com/teapartyorg   

Monday, July 23, 11:30 PM

Dear Members and Friends,

Just in: Contempt of Congress AG Eric Holder has ordered the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate

Pennsylvania's newly enactedVoter ID law--adding an additional hurdle for the law to overcome if it's to be implemented on election day, Tuesday, November 6.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/163500696.html 

The timing of the investigation is quite suspect since a Commonwealth Court hearing challenging the law is set to begin in Harrisburg this Wednesday, July 25.

The hearing, expected to last 5-7 days, is open to the public. (We encourage you to attend if possible--details below.)

And what usual suspects do we find standing behind the lawsuit? Why the

American Civil Liberties Union and their allies, of course.

The Voter ID law, which enhances voter integrity by making voter fraud more difficult to conduct, was signed by Gov. Tom Corbett earlier this year. Its passage has obviously frightened the Obama administration and its cohorts.

In other matters: Association member Barb Campbell has forwarded a general request by Gov. Mike Huckabee to make Wednesday, August 1, 'Chick Fil-A Appreciation Day.'

In line with our Black Friday BuyCott (2011) and Whole Foods BuyCott (2009), we'll call this our 'Chick Fil-A BuyCott, 2012.'

In Gov. Huckabee's own words:

"....The goal is simple: Let's affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick Fil-A on Wednesday, August 1....

"This effort is not being launched by the Chick Fil-A company....

Simply affirm [your] appreciation for a company run by Christian principles by showing up on Wednesday, August 1 or by participating online--tweeting your support or sending a message on Facebook."

Commonwealth Court Hearing on Voter ID

When:  Wednesday, July 25, 10 AM.  

            (Hearing to last several more days--beginning at 9 AM.)

Where: Courtroom 3002, Pennsylvania Judicial Center, 601

             Commonwealth Ave., Harrisburg, PA.

Who:    Hearing before Judge Robert Simpson and open to the public.

We'll try to arrange car pools for those who are interested in

attending. Please let us know if you are driving and would like

company or are in need of a ride by calling 215.663.1983.

Many thanks!

Chick Fil-A BuyCott

When: Wednesday, August 1, during restaurant hours.

Where: Your neighborhood Chick Fil-A.

Hope to see you!

On behalf of the Association Board,

Teri Adams

handsoff (http://handsoffrally.eventbrite.com/)You already know that President Obama is attempting to force a multi-trillion dollar takeover of health care and push a massive new tax. But you can fight back. The Supreme Court decision was frustrating, but not a decisive setback. You may have already heard how AFP is organizing dozens of rallies and events in more than 20 states to defend health care freedom.

One of our most important rallies is coming up soon, and we need your help as we rally for repeal! (http://handsoffrally.eventbrite.com/)

Join Americans for Prosperity on Capital Hill in Washington D.C. on August 3 at 12:00PM as we rally to repeal ObamaCare in our nation's capital. Hear from Congressman Paul Ryan, Jim Martin from 60Plus, Penny Nance from Concerned Women for America, and more, and learn what you can do summit (http://site.defendingthedream.org/?page_id=508)to reclaim our economic freedom and liberty. Click here to register now! (http://handsoffrally.eventbrite.com/)

After the rally, our sister organization, Americans for Prosperity Foundation, will host its 6th annual Defending the American Dream Summit at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Click here to learn more about the event and the bus coming from Pennsylvania to Washington D.C. (http://site.defendingthedream.org/?page_id=508) The all-inclusive bus package includes travel, one/two night hotel stay at the Washington Hilton, and admission to the Defending the American Dream Summit, including the Ronald Reagan tribute dinner and the Hands Off My Health Care Rally, organized by Americans for Prosperity.

Please join us at Americans for Prosperity's Hands Off My Health Care rally (http://handsoffrally.eventbrite.com/) to repeal Obamacare on August 3 in our nation's capital and also join AFP Foundation for its Summit as we Defend the American Dream. To register or to learn more about the Summit and the all-inclusive bus package, visit www.defendingthedream.com (http://site.defendingthedream.org/?page_id=508).

Sincerely,

Jennifer Stefano

State Director

Americans for Prosperity - Pennsylvania

Americans for Prosperity(R) (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual's right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than 2 million members, including members in all 50 states, and 34 state chapters and affiliates. More than 90,000 Americans in all 50 states have made a financial investment in AFP or AFP Foundation. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org (http://americansforprosperity.org).

The PAOLI VICTORY CENTER is the location of our August 10th VF Patriots Mtg.

This is a phone bank location with 15 phones in Ste. 300 of the DEPOT SHOPPES 21 Plank Avenue, Paoli, PA , behind the Burger King on Lancaster Ave.

Salome Gasabile is the Victory Field Director here and she'd welcome you ANY time.

Already 10 people have volunteered to work the phones that night, but MORE are

needed to cover EVERY phone from 6:00 - 9:00 P.M. and relieve each other for dinner breaks, etc.

Peg Layden

Phone Bank Chairman

610 644-6161 

STOP the Smartmeter NOW  

Dear Patriots,

Just to make you aware, Smartmeters are here.  After thorough investigation and talking with PECO, they are currently installing Smartmeters in PA.  Several people have contacted PECO and told them that we did not want the Smartmeter.  Their response is they run the risk of having their electricity turned off. 

Just a background on Smartmeters:  In 2008, Act 129 was passed and signed into law by Governor Rendell to make Smartmeters mandatory in PA.  How will this affect you?  You will be required to install a smart meter in your home which will be monitored by your electric company on a minute to minute basis.  The video below explains how the smartmeter was started and where they plan to go with this which will be monitored constantly (new utilities will have smart meter chips in them.

Do you want PECO or the Government monitoring your electricity usage?  If this is such a great thing, why is it being forced upon us and if not taken, you take the risk of having your power turned off.  Once on the grid, the government through PECO will be able to monitor each and control all of your electric utilities.  Do you want the department of energy monitoring your usage of electric via PECO and possibly turning off your electric and certain peak hours (as explained in this video).

http://www.wfmz.com/news/news-regional-berks/Met-Ed-customers-seeing-red-over-green-program/-/121418/15203070/-/prtufy/-/index.html

What you can do:  Representative Reese from Westmoreland County has introduced two bills which are in the Consumer Affairs Committee.   ONE BILL WOULD ALLOW FOR OPTING OUT OF GETTING A SMART METER THE OTHER BILL WOULD REQUIRE CONSUMER CONSENT BEFORE INFORMATION FROM THE METER COULD BE SHARED WITH A GOVERNMENT AGENCY.  Please contact the people listed in the link and let them know that we want these bills brought to the floor for the vote.  This is our local electric company being used for the UN Agenda 21 (Sustainable Development).   We need everyone's involvement so pass on to everyone you know.  Let's make an effort to get this out of committee.

http://www.repreese.com/NewsItem.aspx?NewsID=13371

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/cteeInfo/cteeInfo.cfm?cde=10&body=H

 Explanation of Smartmeters is in this link.  It is a little long, but you need to see how the global market is taking over our liberties.

http://www.freedomadvocates.org/video/watch/129_technocracy_sustainable_development_and_the_smart_grid/

By the way, PECO took 200 million in stimulus money in PA to implement the smartmeters.  They are using taxpayers money to enslave us.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/10

Please contact state representatives immediately.  Let's protect our properties rights.

http://stopsmartmeters.org/how-you-can-stop-smart-meters/

I have contacted PECO and told them not to install a smartmeter on my house.  I would suggest doing the same with your electric company.  They need a loud outcry from the american people.  I will also be putting this sticker on my meter.  I will be editing the wording down below, but here it is.

http://turn.org/downloads/TURN-Do-Not-Install-the-Smart-Meter.pdf?utm_source=turnweb&utm_medium=download-sign&utm_content=DIA%2Bpage&utm_campaign=smart-meter

Blessings,

Mark, Betty, Jeff, Joe & Michele

VFP Steering Committee

Dear Fellow Conservative,
 
Registration for CPAC 2013 is now open!  The American Conservative Union's legendary annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is scheduled for March 14-16, 2013 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.    

Register Now for CPAC 2013
Don't miss your chance to help take our country back to the right.  To register now and reserve your space, visit conservative.org.

Join the Celebration
In honor of CPAC's 40th Anniversary, we look forward to joining conservatives from across the nation for CPAC 2013, celebrating the accomplishments of the movement while also energizing the next generation of conservatives.

New Location
CPAC 2013 boasts a new location at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.  Complimentary CPAC shuttle busses to and from the Gaylord Center will be available at convenient locations across the National Capitol Region.  Details will be released in the coming weeks; please visit conservative.org for updates.

CPAC Past & Present
The ACU has hosted CPAC in the Nation's Capital since 1973, and it now stands as the largest annual gathering of conservatives in the country. Additionally, the ACU this year hosted two regional CPACs designed to energize and mobilize Midwest and Mountain West conservatives, giving them the tools needed to defeat the liberal agenda in 2012 while also highlighting rising conservative stars and issues in the region.  Stay tuned for details on 2013 regional CPAC locations!

Interested in Sponsoring CPAC 2013?
National and local partners are critical to achieving a successful event. CPAC 2013 provides an excellent platform to promote your message and network with the leaders and activists who are on the frontlines of the conservative movement. We invite you to review the special opportunities available to join the action at CPAC 2013 by visiting conservative.org.

See you at the National Harbor!
 
 
The American Conservative Union
 
Questions regarding CPAC 2013 may be sent to cpac@conservative.org.

Join Us on Fridays and Take a Stand for Israel:    

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 2,100,000 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

"Losing our Sons": Documentary looks at domestic Islamic radicalization and jihadization

Charles Jacobs at Americans for Peace and Tolerance announced today the release of a trailer for their upcoming documentary, "Losing Our Sons", featuring Melvin Bledsoe - father of domestic terrorist Carlos Bledsoe aka Abdulhakim Mohamed who gunned down US Army recruiter Pvt. William Long at an Army-Navy recruiting center in Little Rock, Arkansas in June 2009. Melvin Bledsoe testified at the House Homeland Security Committee hearing earlier this month.

The upcoming documentary discusses how Bledsoe was radicalized by the Muslim Student Association in Tennessee and sent to terrorist training in Yemen with the written recommendation of the imam of a Nashville mosque. It also discusses how the agents of radicalization in the Nashville Muslim community have been aided by collaborators in the establishment media, politics and the so-called "interfaith" community.

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.

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

Pennsylvania Judge Mark Martin ruled that it was ok for a Muslim immigrant to physically attack and choke an American citizen because the Muslim was unaware that Sharia law did not apply in Pennsylvania.

Florida Family Association responded by sending out email alerts in February and March titled Judge elevates Sharia law over US Constitution in Pennsylvania, rules Muslim immigrant ok to physically attack and choke American citizen who mocked Muhammed. 
 
Our email alerts encouraged supporters to send emails that called on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Judicial Conduct Board, Pennsylvania Governor, Pennsylvania Senate President and Pennsylvania Speaker of the House to remove Judge Martin.  Florida Family Association supporters sent over 6,300 emails to each official.
 
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Judicial Conduct Board reprimanded Judge Mark Martin according to a report posted at World Net Daily.  Joseph A. Massa Jr. the chief counsel for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Judicial Conduct Board responded to a complaint filed by John P. McTernan, a pro-life activist and founder of Defend and Proclaim the Faith Ministry.  The board's letter said, "The board recently concluded its investigation regarding the complaint you filed against Magisterial District Judge Mark Martin, Cumberland County. The board voted to issue a letter of caution to Judge Martin as a private rebuke of his behavior and, thereafter, to close the case.  Judge Martin was mailed this letter, and the case is now closed."

It appears that Florida Family Association supporters' emails to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Judicial Conduct Board helped influence the board's reprimand.  A reprimand is certainly better than no disciplinary action at all.

Hopefully, the thousands of emails sent by Florida Family Association supporters to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Judicial Conduct Board, Pennsylvania Governor, Pennsylvania Senate President and Pennsylvania Speaker of the House communicated the message that Judge Martin's elevation of Sharia law resulting in the obfuscation the United States Constitution was intolerable.  

Judge Martin's flawed ruling underscores the legal calamity that public officials are inflicting on the rights afforded citizens under the United States Constitution by recognizing Sharia law.  This judge violated his oath of office to uphold and defend the United States Constitution by injecting provisions of foreign law into the public policy decisions of his court.

If a judge does not respect and honor his oath of office to defend and protect the United States Constitution he or she should be removed from office.

Florida Family Association will continue to:

• Support legislation that prohibits courts from recognizing foreign laws including Islamic Sharia law.
• Confront public officials who violate their oath of office by embracing provisions of Sharia law that are inconsistent with American laws.
• Expose corporations that embrace or facilitate groups like CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations) who support Sharia in America.

Your participation in our email campaigns and support is important to our success.

To support Florida Family Association's efforts with a tax deductible, confidential gift please click here or mail your gift to Florida Family Association (FFA), PO Box 46547, Tampa, FL 33646-0105.  

Thank you.

Obamacare's Anti-Religious Freedom Mandate Starts TODAY

Yesterday, on the eve of its religious-liberty-crushing mandate taking effect, President Obama's Health and Human Services Department (HHS) made an outrageous claim:

The Obama administration will continue to work with all employers to give them the flexibility and resources they need to implement the health care law in a way that protects women's health while making common-sense accommodations for values like religious liberty.

Religious liberty is a fundamental right guaranteed under the First Amendment of the Constitution, not a mere "value" whose worth is subject to devaluation by any given Administration's policy. Regrettably, devaluation of this first principle is exactly what we've seen from the Obama Administration, which after a year of such lip service to religious liberty has held firmly to its original mandate despite widespread, intense, and ecumenical outcry against it.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's latest promise rings hollow and adds insult to the grievous injury that HHS is already doing to Americans who believe that religious liberty is not something that stops when one leaves a house of worship.

The anti-conscience HHS mandate is now in effect.

What happens starting today?

Today signals the beginning of a season of impossible decisions for employers who, for reasons of conscience, have not been paying for abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, or sterilization for their employees. Employers are now required to offer these services for "free"-meaning the employers pick up the cost of including these services in their health insurance plans. At the renewal of their health plan years, the HHS mandate will force employers into an untenable choice: violate their deeply held beliefs or forfeit the provision of health insurance altogether and risk steep fines.

Who are these victims of Obamacare's trampling on faith? Family business owners who are producing jobs and growing the economy, Catholic social organizations that provide invaluable services to their communities, and evangelical colleges and universities educating the next generation, to name just a few. The Obama Administration says that business owners' rights to religious freedom shouldn't cross into their everyday lives, claiming that "for-profit, secular employers generally do not engage in any exercise of religion protected by the First Amendment."

If employers don't comply, what happens to them?

If employers don't change their plans, they will be hit with fines-up to $100 per employee per day. But if they stop providing health coverage, Obamacare's double whammy means that employers with more than 50 employees could instead be hit with fines for that.

For many, the level of these fines would mean going out of business. Applying the $100 per employee per day fine to Hercules Industries, for example-the family-owned business with 265 employees that is challenging the mandate in Colorado-would mean a fine of $800,000 per month-almost $10 million per year.

If Hercules were to drop its health coverage, forcing its employees into government-run exchanges under Obamacare, it would face a fine on faith of approximately $2,000 per employee per year, for a total of $530,000 per year.

What about the Administration's "safe harbor" promised to delay the mandate's effects?

The Administration gave a very narrow exemption from the mandate to religious houses of worship serving their own members. Among the many employers who do not meet the Administration's narrow religious exemption, some may be able to get a one-year reprieve from the HHS mandate under the Administration's "temporary safe-harbor" provision. Non-profit religious employers are eligible for the safe harbor only if they meet the Administration's four-part test.

Even then, the temporary safe harbor only delays the inevitable, merely giving religious employers an extra 12 months to silence their consciences and get in line with the government's mandate. Many religious employers and all for-profit employers do not qualify for the safe harbor and are subject to the HHS mandate starting today.

Is anyone still challenging this?

This fight is far from over. Almost 60 organizations have joined more than 20 lawsuits against the HHS mandate, including both for-profit and non-profit employers.

The first legal decision came just last Friday when a judge in Colorado issued a preliminary injunction against the mandate. The mandate will not be enforced against family-owned Hercules Industries while it has a fair hearing on the issue in court.

Is this the last of Obamacare's mandates?

This is only the beginning of the problems that Americans will continue to see as Obamacare's mandatory "essential benefits" package takes shape. Obamacare gave enormous power to the HHS to craft the rules of the 2,700-page health care law, and we still don't know very many details of how it will be implemented. Conveniently, many of Obamacare's new rules and new taxes don't hit Americans until well after the presidential election, in 2014.

The anti-conscience mandate is a warning sign for us all of how one-size-fits-all health care requirements will trample on religious liberty as well as individual liberty. Centralization of health care is simply incompatible with freedom-religious freedom or any type of individual freedom. The only way to restore our liberties is to repeal Obamacare. 

RESOURCES: 

Fact Sheet: Obamacare Anti-Conscience Mandate: An Assault on the Constitution 

Judge Issues Preliminary Injunction on Behalf of Business Owner in HHS Mandate Fight 

Obamacare's Fine on Faith: Trampling on Religious Liberty 

Obamacare's Many Victims

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 August 2, 2012

1. The Defense Sequester And Tax Hikes Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) had a battle of words with OMB Director Jeffrey Zients in the House Armed Services Committee yesterday regarding looming automatic defense cuts. This debate is a preview of what we shall see on the national stage this fall's presidential and Congressional races.  

2. About The Budget Agreement

Yesterday, it was announced that John Boehner and Harry Reid had reached an early agreement on the FY 2013 budget in order to avoid a government shutdown on October 1. Pursuant to the agreement, both chambers will vote on a 6-month continuing resolution after returning from the August recess in September. The CR will provide spending for discretionary programs set at the $1.047 trillion level agreed upon in last year's debt ceiling agreement instead of the $1.028 trillion figure prescribed in the House-passed budget. It will also continue funding for Obamacare.

3. Arrogance

Voters in Georgia do not trust the political establishment in Georgia right now. What compounds this is that I get the sense much of the political establishment in Georgia holds the citizens in contempt. They just won't do as they are told.

The T-SPLOST fell victim to this conundrum. The Georgia Legislature, in the past four years, has decided that instead of voting to cut spending or raise taxes, they'd send tax increases for votes with the people. The first was on trauma care funding. It failed. Now its was infrastructure spending.

The legislature came up with something called a Transportation Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax, or T-SPLOST. Voters in twelve regions of the state - artificial constructs created by bureaucrats - were told by the legislature to either raise their taxes by 16% or see their transportation funding cut. It didn't go like the legislature and local politicians expected it to. The voters overwhelmingly rejected the T-SPLOST in most of the state.

Heritage Hotsheet

Experts on the Day's Hottest News

Items for August 2, 2012

House approves GOP plan to maintain tax rates for all after defeating Dem plan
Fox News
 

Private Sector Added 163,000 Jobs in July
US News and World Report

 The Syrian tipping point
NY Post
 

Contraception mandate takes effect, fight to reverse it continues
Deseret News   

Latest Heritage Research:

MAKERS OF AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT SERIES  Wilson: Godfather of Liberalism 

August 2, 2012   

The Man Is a Sneak
Richard Butrick
When it comes to Barack Obama, there is just no other word for it. More

Obama's Body Count
Michael Widlanski
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton feel that Osama bin Laden's death and the drone attacks show that they have mastered national security and foreign policy. They are wrong. More

No Thanks, We'll Do It Our Way
Jim Yardley
The Founders created a mechanism that has prevented a second American Revolution for nearly 240 years. Time to revive it. More

The Narcissistic Style in Liberal Politics
Timothy C. Daughtry
What are we to make of the liberal tendency to blame the conservative movement for violent acts that have nothing to do with conservatives? Does the left's obsession with blaming conservatives suggest that a kind of paranoid style has infected American liberalism? More

Six Years of 'Bush Country,' Six Years of 'OPRAH Land'
Jim Guirard
It is absolutely crucial to explain to American voters what Barack Obama really inherited in January of 2009. More

Does NYT/CBS Poll Mean Shenanigans for the Sunshine State?
William Tate
In what could be a portent of things to come, the media is already playing games with numbers in Florida. More

The Olympics and Feminist-Style Reporting
Selwyn Duke
Part of the effort to portray women as the same as men and, when possible and beneficial, as superior. More

American Thinker Blog

What al Qaeda decline?
August 2, 2012
Hillary Clinton's State Department wrote a purely political, election year, report to spin the war on terrorism beyond recognition, and Reuters eagerly spread the meme. More

Government Motors Troubles Means Troubles For US Taxpayers
August 2, 2012
That hope and change stuff not working out so well More

Win an Olympic Medal, Pay the IRS
August 2, 2012
What better way for the U.S. government to "thank" our Olympic athletes than to compel them to pay taxes on their Olympic medals and prize money? More

Poverty: The Shtick That Keeps on Giving
August 2, 2012
Poverty, the status, is nothing at all like poverty, the career. More

Caroline Glick: The grim truth about Obama and Israel
August 2, 2012
The truth about Obama and Israel cannot be repeated too often, especially in the runup to the most crucial election in many years. More

Chicago virtue versus Chicago values
August 2, 2012
It seems a great many residents of the Chicago area exhibited the admirable virtue of patriotism Tuesday by using their wallets to support the right of free speech. More

Maybe for Obama 'Stuck in the Mud' is exactly what he wants
August 2, 2012
NBC News ignoring the elephant in the room More

Quote the wisdom of Al "Boy Scout" Gore:  

"We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur."  

Please pass this to everyone!

$3,065 TAX INCREASE PER TAX RETURN

FOR PENNSYLVANIA TAXPAYERS

by January 1, 2013 

Click the picture below!

 
 UNITEPA | Freedom & Liberty | Lancaster | PA | 17602  

Universal Muslim Economic Failure

If Romney accomplished nothing else during his Israeli visit, he did manage to offend every single Palestinian Arab terrorist group, all of whom, the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the PFLP and the DFLP, issued press releases denouncing him. Their American media outlets, on a desperate gaffe hunt, seized on his statement that the GDP Per Capita differences between Israel and the territory under the control of the Palestinian Authority are the result of different values.

 

The official media narrative is that these differences are the results of eons of oppression, checkpoints and blockades. Fair enough. But then why does the IMF put Israel's GDP Per Capita well ahead of the oil rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia has no Israeli checkpoints, no Israeli soldiers or planes flying overhead. It has wealth literally pouring out of the ground with a fifth of the world's petroleum reserves. And yet the IMF puts it 13 places behind Israel and the World Bank puts it 8 places behind Israel. The only Muslim countries with a better GDP Per Capita rating than Israel are small monarchies drowning in oil.

The non-oil Muslim countries who are closest to Israel are Malaysia and Lebanon, 32 and 33 places behind Israel. Both countries also have sizable non-Muslim populations. Muslims make up only 50 percent of Lebanon and only 60 percent of Malaysia.

38 places below Israel is Turkey, which until recently was a secular country and actually has a statistically significant atheist population. And that's it. Below that we fall off a cliff into places like Belarus, South Africa and Grenada; all of whom still have better GDP Per Capita rates. No Muslim country without oil has a better GDP Per Capita than a Muslim country that has sizable Christian or Buddhist minorities.

What Romney didn't mention, but should have, is that the Palestinian Authority dealt yet another blow to its economy when it drove out the Christian population. Christians in the territories have traditionally made the best businessmen and the capital of the Palestinian Authority was actually started by Jordanian Christian refugees escaping Muslim persecution. And their decline follows a pattern of Christian communities across the Middle East declining and disappearing under Muslim rule.

July 31, 2012

ZOA Praises GOP Candidate Romney's Speech in J'lem Reaffirming Close Ties, Preventing Iran Going Nuclear "Top National Security Priority," Will Stand by Israel if Diplomacy Fails & Israel Acts

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has praised Republican presidential candidate Governor Mitt Romney's speech in Jerusalem over the weekend.

Excerpts from Gov. Romney's speech in Jerusalem:

• "To step foot into Israel is to step foot into a nation that began with an ancient promise made in this land. The Jewish people persisted through one of the most monstrous crimes in human history, and now this nation has come to take its place among the most impressive democracies on earth. Israel's achievements are a wonder of the modern world ... It is a deeply moving experience to be in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel."

• "...you can't get much closer to the ideals and convictions of my own country than you do in Israel. We're part of the great fellowship of democracies. We speak the same language of freedom and justice, and the right of every person to live in peace. We serve the same cause and provoke the same hatreds in the same enemies of civilization."

• "It is my firm conviction that the security of Israel is in the vital national security interest of the United States. And ours is an alliance based not only on shared interests but also on enduring shared values."

• "Israel faces enemies who deny past crimes against the Jewish people and seek to commit new ones. When Iran's leaders deny the Holocaust or speak of wiping this nation off the map, only the naïve - or worse - will dismiss it as an excess of rhetoric. Make no mistake: the ayatollahs in Tehran are testing our moral defenses. They want to know who will object, and who will look the other way. My message to the people of Israel and the leaders of Iran is one and the same: I will not look away; and neither will my country ... We will not stand by. We will not watch them play out again. It would be foolish not to take Iran's leaders at their word. They are, after all, the product of a radical theocracy."

• "Over the years Iran has amassed a bloody and brutal record. It has seized embassies, targeted diplomats, and killed its own people. It supports the ruthless Assad regime in Syria. They have provided weapons that have killed American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. It has plotted to assassinate diplomats on American soil. It is Iran that is the leading state sponsor of terrorism and the most destabilizing nation in the world. We have a solemn duty and a moral imperative to deny Iran's leaders the means to follow through on their malevolent intentions ...  the regime in Iran is five years closer to developing nuclear weapons capability. Preventing that outcome must be our highest national security priority."

• "I want to pause on this last point. It is sometimes said that those who are the most committed to stopping the Iranian regime from securing nuclear weapons are reckless and provocative and inviting war. The opposite is true. We are the true peacemakers. History teaches with force and clarity that when the world's most despotic regimes secure the world's most destructive weapons, peace often gives way to oppression, to violence, or to devastating war ... We must lead the effort to prevent Iran from building and possessing nuclear weapons capability ... it is our fervent hope that diplomatic and economic measures will do so. In the final analysis, of course, no option should be excluded. We recognize Israel's right to defend itself, and that it is right for America to stand with you."

• "I believe that the enduring alliance between the State of Israel and the United States of America is more than a strategic alliance: it is a force for good in the world. America's support of Israel should make every American proud. We should not allow the inevitable complexities of modern geopolitics to obscure fundamental touchstones. No country or organization or individual should ever doubt this basic truth: A free and strong America will always stand with a free and strong Israel. And standing by Israel does not mean with military and intelligence cooperation alone. We cannot stand silent as those who seek to undermine Israel, voice their criticisms. And we certainly should not join in that criticism. Diplomatic distance in public between our nations emboldens Israel's adversaries."

• "May God bless America, and may He bless and protect the Nation of Israel."

ZOA National Chairman of the Board Dr. Michael Goldblatt said, "We applaud Governor Romney for his remarks delivered during his visit to Jerusalem. He speaks, not only of the U.S. Israel relationship as grounded in mutual interests, but in mutual and deep values that go to the heart of the identity of both countries. 

"We praise Governor Romney for referring correctly to Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The fact that Jerusalem is the capital is not altered by the fact that portions of the eastern half of the city have been previously the subject of negotiations.

"Israel has never asked the U.S. or any other country to defend it, but we nonetheless appreciate Governor Romney stating what is true: that the security of Israel is a vital national security interest of the U.S. His reference to the 'reality of hate' shows he understands the nature and depth of the problem posed by Iran. It is not a mere problem of Iran not conforming to its legal obligations on nuclear non-proliferation, but of its truly horrific designs to destroy Israel and the U.S.

"We also praise Governor Romney for stating that, while we hope for the prevention by peaceful, diplomatic and economic means of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapons capability, all options, including the use of military force, must be on the table for preventing this occurrence. He is also right to emphasize that this principled and firm approach is the one most likely to prevent a terrible war. Timely action could have prevented or at least have rendered unnecessary a grueling, six-year long World War II with tens of millions of deaths.

"Governor Romney is also correct to see a strong U.S./Israeli alliance as a force for good in the world, one which has been not only mutually beneficial but has been of inestimable value in the fight against Islamist terrorism globally."

Romney to announce VP via smartphone app 

Posted: 31 Jul 2012  

News out today that the Romney campaign intends to announce the vice presidential pick through a smartphone app. If you'll recall, the Obama 2008 campaign attempted to make the announcement via text message to supporters but the ordeal didn't pan out all that well since the Secret Service detail at Biden's house sort of blew the . . . → Read More: Romney to announce VP via smartphone app

Obama's Regime is the Most Faith-Intolerant in the History of Our Republic

Signal Your Support for Traditional Family Values

Chick-fil-A is the most recent high-profile company to come under attack for its Christian business practices, and it's just the proverbial tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Left's assault on Judeo-Christian values.

Thus we ask that you join tens of thousands of American Patriots signing a letter in support of the executives, franchise owners and more than 61,000 employees of Chick-fil-A for standing firm in their Christian business practices, as well as their stated support for traditional American family values.

By extension, your signature indicates your support for any business that operates according to such values and your opposition to any and all Leftist bigotry against the same.

To sign this letter online, link to http://patriotpost.us/archives/petitions/20

Please forward this invitation to Patriot family members, friends and associates.

Pro Deo et Constitutione -- Libertas aut Mors

Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis

Mark Alexander

Publisher, The Patriot Post

Heads he loses; tails we win: Barack Obama's walk down the Gay marriage plank

Aug 01, 2012 06:13 am | Coach Collins

By Kevin "Coach" Collins

  As November gets closer, with few options open to him, Barack Obama has elected to gamble that he can walk on a very narrow plank to victory. In May when Obama "evolved" back to being for Gay "marriage" he was taking a calculated risk. He knew, or should have known, that he would face a strong backlash from his African American base. When the backlash came, was a lot stronger than anyone would have expected.

In 2008 Blacks flocked to the polls to vote for Obama at a 95% rate. That surge was enough put him over the top and win election.

  Nevertheless, this year things are very different. Gay marriage has lost 32 public votes without a single victory and shows no signs of being backed by a majority of Americans in general and African Americans in particular. African American ministers are not just disappointed with Obama, they are furious with him ... Continue Reading:Heads he loses; tails we win: Barack Obama's walk down the Gay marriage plank

comments | read more

American Minute July 31

Jul 31, 2012 06:13 pm | Coach Collins

By Bill Federer, staff writer

  On his third voyage, Columbus sailed south along the west coast of Africa and was caught in the doldrums, a notorious condition of no winds and intense heat.
After drifting aimlessly for eight days and running low on water, Columbus vowed if the winds returned, he would name the first land he saw after the Holy Trinity.
The winds returned and on JULY 31, 1498, he sighted an island off the coast of Venezuela which coincidentally had three peaks.
He named it Trinidad.
Columbus obtained fresh water for his sailors and in the process was the first European to see South America.
Booker T. Washington referred to a similar story at the Atlanta Exposition, September 18, 1895:
"A ship lost at sea for many days suddenly sighted a friendly vessel. From the mast of the unfortunate vessel was seen a signal, 'Water, water; we die of thirst!'
... Continue Reading:American Minute July 31

comments | read more

Court rules Obama DOJ appointees rigged Black Panther decision

Jul 31, 2012 01:00 pm | Coach Collins

by Doug Book,  staff writer

Shortly after the election of Barack Hussein Obama, Acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King announced the Department of Justice would not prosecute 3 New Black Panthers for Election Day voter intimidation. The outrage of DOJ attorneys who had filed the original complaint later increased when the Department ordered them to not cooperate with an investigation launched by the Civil Rights Commission.

At the same time, the Obama Administration insisted that politics played no part in the Justice Department's decision to drop the charges. In fact, the Department claimed it was career officials, rather than political appointees, who made the final call.

But in 2010, Larry Klayman's Judicial Watch produced emails acquired pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request and lawsuit which clearly revealed that "...the two top political appointees at the DOJ were involved in the decision to dismiss the voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther ... Continue Reading:Court rules Obama DOJ appointees rigged Black Panther decision

comments | read more

Chick-fil-A, live from Peabody (and Minneapolis) 

Posted: 01 Aug 2012 11:50 AM PDT

(Scott Johnson)

Reader Chris E. reports from Peabody, Massachusetts:

Figured you would like to see this photo - having lived in the South, I know Chick-fil-A very well. I don't eat fast food often, but decided after reading your post to go the local store at the North Shore Mall in Peabody, MA. Needless to say, the line was at least 150 people deep - if you look at the attached photo, you will see the Chick-fil-A symbol on the left hand edge of the photo.

 

People of all races, business folks, families alike on line - all saying what the Mayor of Boston has said is just plain wrong - and they wanted to show their support.

AND THIS JUST IN, DATELINE MINNEAPOLIS: "My husband and I and our son who works at the University of Minnesota had lunch at the Coffman Union Chic-fil-A location today, and the line was 50-60 people long! Our son said he had never ever seen a line longer than 5 or 6 people, even during the school year! Parking was a problem, not to mention getting there through all the construction (apparently the University has plenty of our money available to spend), but we wanted to support Chic-fil-A's First Amendment rights."

Romney is right, culture matters, Part Three 

Posted: 01 Aug 2012 11:26 AM PDT

(Paul Mirengoff)

Whatever one believes about Israel and the Palestinians, the general proposition that culture strongly influences economic performance should not be controversial. Romney likes to cite The Wealth and Poverty of Nations by former Harvard professor David Landes, which makes that case. The work of economist Mancur Olson also supports Romney's view.

Reaching further back, Romney could have cited Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism and R. H.Tawney's Religion and the Rise of Capitalism (though heaven help him if he had).

Perhaps the best statement by a politician in support of Romney's general point came in (or around) 1850 during a Senate debate on the extension of slavery into U.S. territories in the West. John C. Calhoun had delivered a speech in which he complained about the unequal economic development between the North and the South, citing among other things his standard beef about certain tariffs.

Thomas Hart Benton responded with a brilliant address in which he explained that the existence of slavery, which Calhoun wanted to extend, was one of the reasons the South was lagging economically.

Southerners didn't like hearing this, any more than Palestinians appreciated Romney's remarks. But Benton was right, and the South did not truly begin to "rise again" economically until its culture, especially as it related to race, began dramatically to change about 120 years after Benton spoke.

A look at the Senate battlefield 

Posted: 01 Aug 2012 09:52 AM PDT

(Paul Mirengoff)

Ted Cruz's victory in last night's Texas run-off surely means that Cruz will serve in the Senate. The Democrats have essentially no hope of winning this race. But how are the more contested races going, and what are the prospects for the Republicans gaining control of the Senate?

Virginia, Massachusetts, and Montana continue to look like 50-50 propositions. In Virginia and Massachusetts, the polls consistently produce virtual dead heats (all polls referred to in this post can be found at Real Clear Politics). I don't think there are any recent polls from Montana. A June Rasmussen poll had Democrat Jon Tester trailing Republican Denny Rehberg, but within the margin of error. A month earlier, Rasmussen had Rehberg clearly ahead, but Tester seems to have closed the gap. He also has a big monetary advantage right now. So I think it's fair to rate this a "50-50," though one in which the Republican may have a slight advantage.

President Obama Visits Ohio 

Posted: 01 Aug 2012 08:41 AM PDT

(John Hinderaker)

President Obama is campaigning in Ohio today. He will fly into an Ohio Air National Guard base that is "threatened by President Barack Obama's proposed cuts to the military budget." When his motorcade drives down the highway, he will be greeted by electronic billboards like this one [UPDATE: The billboards will be awaiting Obama in Florida, not Ohio, when he campaigns there tomorrow]:

If Obama reads a newspaper he will learn about the closing of OhioAmerican Energy's coal mine and layoffs of the employees who work there. Why is the coal mine closing? The mine's owner explains:

Regulatory actions by President Barack Obama and his appointees and followers were cited as the entire reason. "Mr. Obama has already destroyed 83,000 megawatts of coal-fired electricity generation in America," said Mr. Michael T. W. Carey, Vice President of Government Affairs for Murray Energy. ...

CNN: Will the Last Viewer Please Turn Out the Lights? 

Posted: 01 Aug 2012 07:45 AM PDT

(Steven Hayward)

CNN's viewership continues to tank:

CNN was down double digits across the board in July. Compared to July 2011, the network is -20% in Total Viewers and -23% in A25-54 in Total Day. In primetime, CNN is down -23% in Total Viewers and -26% in the demographic.

So how do they respond? They're giving Anderson Cooper's daytime show a "makeover," including a name change. They're going to call it "Anderson Live" instead of "Anderson." No kidding? Wow, that should really turn things around! Maybe they should skip the drama and merge with Newsweek. (Heh.)

The show will apparently include regular guest-hosts. So I'll repeat my previous suggestion: sign up Hugh Hewitt (a TV broadcast veteran from KCET in LA) or Mark Steyn (who could do anything) as guest hosts, and watch your ratings improve. The probability of this happening is asymptotically close to Zero, of course.

Today's Headlines:  Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Harkin: Free Birth Control Mandated Because Women 'Have Terrible Menstrual Cramps'

Under HHS Rules, Obamacare Caters to Sexually Active Women Who Take Risks

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

Pelosi's New Archbishop Warns: America Could Be Moving Toward 'Despotism'

Black Pastors Launch Campaign Opposing Gay Marriage, Warn Obama We 'Will Not Stand With You'

Black Pastors: Banning Chick-fil-A From Cities 'Same Thing' As Banning Blacks From Restaurants

Public School Moves Free Condom Jar to Back Room - Available to Kids 13 and Up

Texas Tea Party Candidate Trumps Republican Establishment in U.S. Senate Race

Chinese Communist Party Members Increasingly Attending Church, State Dep't. Says

What Is Obama's Stand on Polygamy? WH Spokesman Won't Answer 
Pakistan's Spymaster Visits Washington Amid U.S. Concerns About Counterterror Cooperation

Activists Say 'Gender Apartheid' Saudi Arabia Should Have Been Excluded From Olympics

COMMENTARY:

The Pope Strikes a Blow for San Francisco
By Terence P. Jeffrey
Traditional family life cannot survive in a culture seeking to force normalization and moral approbation of homosexual behavior. Last week, Pope Benedict XVI sent a new pioneer to San Francisco to stand in defense of authentic marriage.

Heckling Romney Abroad
By L. Brent Bozell III
Obama-loving journalists don't grade Romney on a curve. They flagrantly fail him before he can barely finish a sentence.

The Feds' War on ... Buckyballs!
By Michelle Malkin
Where are the defenders of American innovation and entrepreneurship when you need them? While the White House doles out billions of taxpayer dollars to failed crony ventures, the phenomenally successful toy maker that makes buckyballs is fighting for its life. It's another example of government paternalism wreaking havoc on the economy.

That's Why they Hold the Elections
By Rich Galen
The problem for Barack Obama is that he is likeable, but incompetent. The problem for Romney is he is competent, but not terribly likable.

NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP:

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer


COUNTDOWN TO VICTORY: 97 DAYS TO THE 2012 ELECTIONS


Polling Problems

A new Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS poll of likely voters in the critical swing states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania shows Barack Obama leading Mitt Romney by significant margins in each state. No one has won the presidency in more than half a century without winning at least two of these states. The media, of course, are trumpeting the results as proof of Obama's inevitable reelection. But hold on just a moment.

Two of the most important questions anyone analyzing an opinion poll must ask are 1) Does the poll target the correct population? And 2) Is the sample a true representation of that population? The poll purports to consist of likely voters, a population many liberal pollsters don't often survey. They routinely poll groups such as "all Americans" or "registered voters," which tend to skew Democratic and produce results that are less accurate.

But the poll seems to fail on the second question. The breakdown of who was polled skews heavily Democratic. In Florida, 36% of those polled self-identified as Democrats, while just 27% of respondents were Republicans, for a nine-point Democratic advantage. The Democratic oversampling was 8 points and 6 points respectively in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

By oversampling Democrats, the pollsters got a result that fuels the narrative that Obama is on track toward reelection. The most recent Rasmussen Reports daily presidential tracking poll of likely voters finds Romney ahead of Obama, 47% to 44%. Rasmussen has been one of the most accurate predictors of election results over the last decade.

Bottom line: more and more, polls are used not to measure public opinion but rather to mold public opinion. Voters need to be aware of the biases inherent in public opinion polls. And remember: Nothing is decided until Election Day.


Romney's Warsaw Speech

I worked for Ronald Reagan for eight years. His speeches in defense of liberty and Western civilization were priceless. Mitt Romney's speech in Warsaw, Poland, yesterday harkened back to the age of Reagan. I reproduce the first five paragraphs of Romney's speech below. Contrast them with the speeches of President Obama, who started his presidency by launching a world-wide apology tour.

"I began this trip in Britain and end it here in Poland: the two bookends of NATO, history's greatest military alliance that has kept the peace for over half a century. While at 10 Downing Street I thought back to the days of Winston Churchill, the man who first spoke of the Iron Curtain that had descended across Europe. What an honor to stand in Poland, among the men and women who helped lift that curtain.

"After that stay in England, I visited the State of Israel - a friend of your country and mine. It's been a trip to three places far apart on the map. But for an American, you can't get much closer to the ideals and convictions of my own country. Our nations belong to the great fellowship of democracies. We speak the same language of freedom and justice. We uphold the right of every person to live in peace.

"Yesterday, I saw the memorial at Westerplatte and the gate at the Gdansk Shipyard, where Polish citizens stood with courage and determination against daunting odds. And today, on the eve of the 68th anniversary of this city's uprising against the Nazis, I will pay tribute at the monument to that historic struggle. Over 200,000 Poles were killed in those weeks, and this city was nearly destroyed. But your enduring spirit survived.

"Free men and women everywhere, whether they have been here or not, already know this about Poland: In some desperate hours of the last century, your people were the witnesses to hope, led onward by strength of heart and faith in God. Not only by force of arms, but by the power of truth, in villages and parishes across this land, you shamed the oppressor and gave light to the darkness....

"And here, in 1979, a son of Poland, Pope John Paul the Second, spoke words that would bring down an empire and bring freedom to millions who lived in bondage. 'Be not afraid'-those words changed the world."


Cruz Cruises

Congratulations to Ted Cruz, who won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Texas. Cruz ran with heavy backing from the conservative grassroots and tea party supporters. He's pro-life, pro-family and pro-free enterprise. He'll be a great new conservative voice in the Senate  

July 31, 2012  

On a serious note, join us in supporting the executives, franchise owners and more than 61,000 employees of Chick-fil-A for their Christian business practices, as well as their stated support for biblical values, which is to say traditional American family values. Sign the letter today!

Best political comeback this week

Smug NBC News anchor (and Obama promoter) Brian Williams asked Mitt Romney if he was going to tap "an incredibly boring white guy" as his VP.

Without missing a beat, Romney replied, "You told me you were not available."

How to Take Obama Out of Context

Late-night comedian Conan O'Brien masterfully demonstrates how to misconstrue and misrepresent Obama with a string of hilarious video clips. Watch video »