912 Patriots of Lower Bucks - Your Daily Updates ALL in ONE Place!
October 24, 2012
Quote:
"It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth - and listen to the song of that syren, till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those, who having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it might cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it."
~ Patrick Henry, speech in the Virginia Convention, 1775
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State Department emails from day of Libya attack show Al Qaeda-tied group on radar
FoxNews.com | By Chad Pergram | Published October 23, 2012
A series of internal State Department emails obtained by Fox News shows some some of the initial assessments of last month's deadly consulate attack in Libya, including one email within hours of the attack that noted that the group Ansar al Sharia had claimed responsibility.
Ansar al Sharia has been declared by the State Department to be a an Al Qaeda-affiliated group. A member of the group suspected of participating in the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi has been arrested and is being held in Tunisia.
The emails obtained by Fox News were sent by the State Department to a variety of national security platforms, whose addresses have been redacted, including the White House Situation Room, the Pentagon, the FBI and the Director of National Intelligence.
Fox News was told that an estimated 300 to 400 national security figures received these emails in real time almost as the raid was playing out and concluding. People who received these emails work directly under the nation's top national security, military and diplomatic officials, Fox News was told.
TEHRAN (FNA)- Senior Iranian parliamentary sources revealed on Saturday that the Swiss envoy to Tehran has quoted US President Barack Obama as acknowledging Iran's nuclear rights.
Swiss Ambassador to Tehran Livia Leu Agosti attended a meeting with senior Iranian foreign ministry officials a few days ago to submit a letter from the US president to Tehran leaders.
Vice-Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Hossein Ebrahimi told FNA that during the meeting, Agosti had told the Iranian officials that President Barack Obama recognizes Iran's right of access and use of the nuclear technology.
"There are a couple of points with regard to this (US) message (to Iran)," Ebrahimi said and added, "Firstly, during the session to submit the message, the Swiss ambassador to Tehran quoted the US president as saying that 'we (the US) recognize your nuclear rights'."
As regards the second issue, the lawmaker said that the Swiss diplomat had also quoted Obama as saying that "I didn't want to impose sanctions on your central bank but I had no options but to approve it since a Congress majority had approved the decision."
Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog
Obama's greatest Foreign Policy error was the same one that had been made by Bush and by numerous past administrations. The error was that the problem was not Islam, but Islamic violence. It was Obama however who took that error to its logical conclusion by pursuing a foreign policy meant to part Islamists from their violent tendencies by allowing them to win without the need for terrorism.
Violence, the thinking in diplomatic circles went, was inherently alarming and destabilizing. When Islamists don't take over, they move to the West, preach radical theology, gather up followers and begin blowing things up. But let them take over their own home countries and they'll no longer have any reason to draw up maps of London and New York, not when they're beheading adulterers and burning churches back home.
The Arab Spring was to the Middle East what the betrayal of Czechoslovakia to the Nazis and the betrayal of the rest of Eastern Europe to the Communists was to 20th Century European history. It was the moment when all the diplomatic folly that had come before it came together in one great historical instant of national and international betrayal.
The diplomatic wunderkinds had never taken Islamist theology seriously, just as their predecessors had not considered the possibility that the Bolsheviks might be serious about their world revolution. And they had also failed to recognize that Islamic terrorism was not only a means to power, but also an end in and of itself, a way of harnessing the endless violence and instability in desert societies and turning them into power and profit.
Every Wednesday in October, Americans for Prosperity - Pennsylvania will be hosting a Chick-fil-A Freedom Phone Bank at our Media Headquarters, located at 426-428 E Baltimore Pike (across the street old media motel and Starbucks) between 5:00PM and 9:00 PM.
Doors will open at 4:00PM and a Chick-fil-A dinner will be served at 7:00PM. I know that making phone calls is not everyone's favorite activity, but it is Critical that we make them because they are statistically one of the most Effective tools we have to Educate unconcerned citizens about issues of Economic Freedom and the Failing Agendaof President Obama.
Please RSVP by following this link http://bit.ly/SLfMbc or by calling me directly at (267) 838 2380.
In Liberty,
Matthew M. Hissey
Field Director, Southeast Pennsylvania
Americans For Prosperity
mhissey@afphq.org
(267) 828 2380
(610) 209 7565
********************************************
Join Our Poll Watching Team
Where:
Training Sessions to be held in Center City at
524 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA, PA 19147
When:
Tuesday November 6, 2012 from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM EST
We greatly appreciate your participation in our Election Day Poll
Watching Project.
It is a vital effort to ensure voter integrity in an election that might be the most important in our lifetime.
As we are conducting this project in cooperation with the Republican State Committee, you should be aware that they are conducting the training sessions and are looking forward to working with you.
The Republican State Committee will process your Poll Watching Certificate application.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me.
While I am always cautious about using the word "Patriot" (the word implies the highest level of citizenship), I believe that anyone who participates in this project truly deserves the title.
God bless you and our nation.
On behalf of the Independence Hall Tea Party PAC,
Don Adams
215.620.3055
@ProjectVeritas_ EXCLUSIVE: DNC Staffer Assists Double Voting In Support of Obama
The Presidential Debate season has come to a close with Monday ushering in the third and final meeting between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney. The final debate was held at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. The topic was set to be foreign policy but quite lengthy discussion of the economy and domestic . . . → Read More: Video: Watch the Final Presidential Debate from Boca Raton
Tuesday night ushered in the second Presidential Debate featuring President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney, this time from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. This debate was structured as a "town hall" event with questions primarily coming from a pre-screened audience of undecided voters. The moderator was Candy Crowley, CNN's Chief Political Correspondent.
Thursday night brought us the one and only Vice Presidential debate of the 2012 cycle between Vice President Joe Biden and Congressman Paul Ryan. The debate took place at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. The moderator was Martha Raddatz, ABC's Chief Foreign Correspondent.
Wednesday night saw the first of three Presidential debates, and one Vice Presidential Debate, in the month of October. The first debate between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney took place at the University of Denver in Colorado. The topics focused on domestic policy with Jim Lehrer, host of NewsHour on PBS, moderating.
Many of you know that the Independence Hall Tea Party PAC was the first and only
Tea Party PAC in the nation to endorse Governor Mitt Romney. We did so in January
on the eve of the Iowa Caucus.
We were also the first and only Tea Party to endorse Tom Smith in the Pennsylvania Primary.
When our 27-member PAC Board of Delegates voted to endorse both of these fine candidates, we knew we would endure much criticism--and we did.
It appears, however, that our vision for victory in the November election is within
reach. Much of it thanks to you for remaining loyal to us throughout some of the
trying imes of the last few years.
The PAC's 'Save Our Republic' Money Drop campaign is now underway. We are
raising funds to help our endorsed candidates including Governor Mitt Romney and
Senate candidates: Tom Smith (R-PA), Joe Kyrillos (R-NJ), Kevin Wade (R-DE).
Equally important, we need funds, as soon as possible, to defray costs for the 2500
Catholic for Romney/Ryan/Smith yard signs (see above), our Election Day Poll
Watching Project, and GOTV radio campaign.
We thank those of you who have already contributed and we hope more of you will
do the same.
or mail check to:
Independence Hall Tea Party PAC
PO Box 301, Blackwood, NJ 08012
Unfortunately, PAC donations are not tax deductible.
In the next several days, we will continue emailing you updates and reports detailing
how much we have raised and what we are accomplishing with your donations.
May God bless you and our nation.
On behalf of the PAC Board of Delegates,
Don Adams
There are only 13 days until the election
What are you going to do to make a difference?
We are planning a few events for you to get involved and get out the vote:
2016: Obama's America - Come make calls on Thursday and then watch the movie. Details below.
"Atlas Shrugged Part 2" Recruiters Needed: We printed up 4X6 cards inviting people to come to our headquarters to make calls and get involved in the Get Out The Vote (GOTV) effort. Click here for more information below.
Door Knocking: We can create walk lists for your neighborhood targeting persuadable voters. We'll also provide the campaign literature. You go out and change the minds, change the polls - MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. Click here if you want maps for your neighborhood.
Parking Lot Literature Drop: Join the force of people placing campaign literature on car windshields in train station parking lots and other locations. Click here to send an email if you want to help with this effort.
Sign Blitzing: We have 1500 new signs anti-Casey signs (3 versions, 500 each, samples in the photo above). We will also be getting 10,000 Tom Smith signs next week. Between now and then, please come in and grab some of the new ones and plant them around the area. Next weekend we are hoping to have the "Liberty Van" back in action with a crew to pump up conservatives, annoy the liberals to their core and blitz the county with signs. To get involved, click here to send us an email and we'll keep you posted on all the plans. (Address, map links and contact information down below)
We had some 4X6 cards printed to encourage people to join our GOTV effort:
We have the cards here at the office in bags of about 100. Come to our offices or send us an email to make arrangements to get the cards.
Here is what we want people to do:
Pick a theater/day/showtime for yourself to go an watch the movie.
Make arrangements to get cards from us
When the movie is over, hand out the cards to others who just watched the movie.
It is as simple as that. This can be a big help in getting some new people to help out with the GOTV effort.
Come Make Calls and then watch "2016: Obama's America"
Here is what we want people to do:
Come by the office at 6PM.
Make phone calls for Tom Smith
At 8PM, we'll put on 2016: Obama's America.
These evenings are always great fun and a way to make a real difference in the outcome of the election.
Yours in Liberty, The Kitchen Table Patriots
Worried about high property taxes? Wondering how the state will pay for skyrocketing government pension obligations? No matter who is elected in November, Bucks County families and business owners are still on the hook for the state's pension bomb that's about to explode, threatening our schools, cities, and homes. This is the debate for Bucks!
Featuring: PA's preeminent pension experts from the right and left: the Commonwealth Foundation's Rick Dreyfuss vs. Keystone Research Center's Dr. Stephen Herzenberg.
Moderated by: Amy Gianficaro, Assistant Managing Editor, The Intelligencer
Next Saturday, October 27th, is the day when groups from our region gather together at King of Prussia Mall for an afternoon joint sidewalk rally in support of Senate candidate Tom Smith, and our next president Mitt Romney.
We invite all fellow Tea Parties, 912 Patriots and other area groups from city and suburbs to participate, along with West Chester Sheepdogs and Warriors' Watch, plus any of your friends and family who wish to join us.
Signs: There are many worthy issues and causes; Audit the Fed, School Choice, Repeal O'Care and the like, but these will be around and still hot well after the election on November 6th. So let's put them on hold until later. And I urge you to avoid signs that show whatsisname's name. It serves no useful purpose and only rouses feelings of defensiveness in his supporters, especially this close to the election.
Putting first things first for this rally means we raise awareness of our candidates, most especially Tom Smith, to replace Casey. Without a senate majority, Romney will be hamstrung in getting any of his programs through.
Rally details appear below; please respond and tell me or Chris Kantrowitz if you and your group can make it.
Location: The sidewalk at Route 202 & Mall Boulevard at King of Prussia Malls, by the Wells Fargo Bank. This is the turn where Mall Boulevard leads you between the two malls.
In the three hours we're there, we're seen by 10- to 14,000 passing motorists and passengers. This is reputed to be the largest mall in the U.S. And soon to grow larger by about one-third!
Parking: Park in the large lot adjacent to the Wells Fargo property. Do not park in their lot.
Schedule: Saturday, 1:00 to 4:00 P.M.; or to 5:00 if we're pumped by audience reactions. or whatever you can handle. Bring a folding chair if you like. And water.
SMITH-CASEY TO FACE OFF IN DEBATE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Megan Piwowar, Communications Director
412-265-4632
PITTSBURGH - The Smith for Senate campaign today announced a debate with Senator Bob Casey, to take place on Friday, October 26, at WPVI's studio in Philadelphia. The debate will be broadcast on Sunday, October 28, and available for rebroadcast after 2:00 pm on October 28, 2012 (and within 72 hours of the original airdate & time) by any television/cable outlet, or radio station that wishes to do so.
"Tom welcomes the opportunity to contrast his detailed plan to create jobs, balance the budget, and reduce the debt with Senator Casey's record as a failed career politician who has voted to increase the debt, raise taxes, and weaken Medicare," said Smith Campaign Manager Jim Conroy. "As public polling in the race has made clear, Pennsylvanian's are raising serious concerns about Senator Casey's lack of leadership and lock step support for failed big government policies."
The debate will be moderated by Jim Gardner, Action News anchor at WPVI-TV. Gardner will be joined by two panelists: Monica Malpass, Action News Anchor and Vernon Odom, Action News Reporter.
The debate will be sponsored by WPVI-TV, 6abc, and The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund.
"Lionsgate Home Entertainment said it will release the movie Oct. 16 on DVD and Oct. 12 on pay-per-view."
We're just a few short weeks away from Election Day 2012. Energy Citizen Champions have been working hard to spread the word about why Americans should Vote4Energy this fall. With only a few weeks to go, we can't stop now - it's time to make sure our friends and neighbors actually go and cast their votes.
In this, our last "Ask the Election Expert" teletown hall, Josh will be joined by API's chief economist John Felmy to give some tips on how you can help get out the energy vote this fall.
What: "Get Out the Vote4Energy" Telephone Town Hall
When: Friday October 26, 2012; 1:00 p.m. ET
Who: Josh Snyder and John Felmy American Petroleum Institute
Why You Should Join Us
Whether or not our nation will have an energy policy that promotes security, job creation, and economic growth depends on whom we elect to office in November. That's why it's so important you attend this final Vote4Energy telephone town hall on October 26th.
RSVP today for the Vote4Energy telephone town hall and we'll call you a few moments before the event starts. You can't afford to miss it.
Sincerely,
Sarita
Would you please invite your pastor to this PA Pastors' Network Effort?
Just forward this email
Join with the PA Pastors' Network in 'Stand in the Gap' Pulpit Sunday
to Preach, Pray and Fast for America November 4-6, 2012
The PA Pastors' Network is engaging in a focused effort to preach, pray and fast for America and the Presidential election. For 48 hours from 6 p.m. on Sunday, November 4, 2012 through 6 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 the PA Pastors' Network and affiliated churches will cover our nation in prayer, urging all to turn from their sin and to ask God to heal and forgive our nation. There are thousands of Christian churches in PA and we pray that at least 500 pastors will join us in this challenge. Once you register at www.papastors.net, you will receive a beautiful, leather Patriot's Bible, a Certificate of Faithfulness and be listed in PPN communications. Join us to Preach, Pray and Fast!
PPN is asking you and other pastors to do these 3 things:
Preach on the importance of prayer and repentance on Sunday, November 4, 2012 as the solution to the spiritual and economic troubles facing America. Connect God's promises of blessing to the obedience of His people.
Lead your congregation to "stand in the gap on behalf of the land" (Ezekiel 22:30) by entering into 48 hours of prayer and fasting from Sunday evening to Tuesday evening.
Seek a 90 percent voter turn-out among your congregation.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
(James 5:16, KJV)
PA Pastors' Network 603 Fairway Drive West Chester, PA 19382
Florida Family Association's webmaster American Family Online has produced the following remarkable product to protect children and adults from explicit material on cell phones and tablets.
According to our research at AFO, the largest growing group of smart phone users is the 12-17 year old age group. Unfortunately, also according to research, the largest viewership of pornography from the Internet on smart phones is 12 to 17 year old children. The impact is catastrophic. Desensitization, failed relationships, abuse of women are the results, nothing good.
Although there are other so called parental control functions and filtered browser apps available, none give the protection and full functionality of MobileWebGuard. We are most proud of the intelligent content scanning and the lock down so that it cannot be easily removed or deactivated. A filter that can easily be removed or bypassed is a placebo and will do more harm than good if a parent thinks the phone is filtered and it is not.
This app works on most Android and Apple (iOS) devices including smart phones and tablets! These are the fastest growing segments in consumer technology and thus the most exposed to the dark side of the Internet. For peace of mind online, a parent must insure their child has a protected mobile device.
Related Scripture Verses
1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.
Romans 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
2 Corinthians 12:21 I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexualsin and debauchery in which they have indulged.
Philippians 4:8- Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. 1 Peter 4:7-10The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms.
Features
Compatible with most iOS (Apple) and Android devices and includes ...
Email:ffa@floridafamily.orgFlorida Family Association, Inc.P.O. Box 46547, Tampa, FL 33646-0105Telephone 813-264-5888
Yes, it's true: You can support ACT! for America-at no cost to you!An important message from Guy Rodgers, Executive Director
The next time you make an online purchase of almost anything, you could be helping ACT! for America-at no cost to you.
Sound too good to be true? It isn't.
All you have to do is sign up for "iGive"-a program that's been around since 1997.
The concept is as powerful as it is simple.
Every time an iGive member makes an online purchase at over 1,000 brand-name stores, a percentage of that purchase is donated to that person's charity of choice.
And with the holidays just around the corner, you could be helping ACT! for America with every gift you buy!
The concept isn't new. In the mid-1990s many supporters of non-profit organizations signed up with long distance telephone programs where a percentage of their bill was donated to their charity of choice.
But our investigation of iGive has convinced us that this program has an ease of use and sophistication that we find remarkable.
Imagine booking a hotel room on Orbitz-and having 1.6% of that purchase price donated to ACT! for America.
Or buying an Xbox at Best Buy-and having 1.2% of the purchase price donated to ACT! for America.
The same goes for buying merchandise at Amazon, Bath and Body Works, Advance Auto Parts, Game Stop, Kmart, Home Depot, Holiday Inn, Old Navy, NASCAR Superstore, Overstock.com, Mattel, J.C. Penney, Office Max, QVC, Radio Shack, Shoe Carnival, Pottery Barn-and on and on the list goes.
In other words, every time you make a purchase of merchandise you would buy anyway, you would be financially supporting ACT! for America!
All you have to do is log on below and follow the directions to create your account and download the iGive "button." (Note: downloading the "button" is key).
When I was first informed of iGive, I was skeptical. I've seen these ideas come and go. Often, they're too good to be true. Or there are all kinds of glitches and problems.
So I spent hours researching.
I looked at online customer reviews (which were very good). I read all of iGive's fine print, such as Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. I signed up and even emailed two tech support questions to see how good their tech support was.
And the more I dug, the more I liked what I saw. For instance, both of my tech support questions were responded to within 60 minutes. How often does THAT happen?
As you know from our Patriot Partner program, we're all about encouraging a lot of people to each do a little-to do something. When everyone does a little, together we accomplish a lot.
So consider what could happen.
If just 1% of ACT! for America members each purchased just $400 in merchandise in 2013, from all the available outlets, and the average percentage donated to ACT! was 1.5%, the total amount donated back to ACT! for America would be...
...$15,000. That's a lot of money, wouldn't you agree?
And if you were one of those ACT! for America members, it wouldn't cost you one thin dime to help ACT! for America receive $15,000.
If this idea really caught on, and eventually 5% of our members made purchases with iGive, that $15,000 could explode to $50,000, $75,000 or more!
What's more, that 1.5% figure might be low. Many of the merchants offer percentage donations that are much higher. One printer inkjet company I looked at offered 13%!
Every merchant website you visit tells you right at the top what percentage of your purchase price will be donated to ACT! for America.
Just think what we could accomplish with an extra $15,000, $50,000 or $75,000 in our fight against radical Islam!
One of the things I most wanted to know was their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Check it out for yourself. I confirmed the terms with a company representative. And I like what I learned. As security-conscious as I am, I have no hesitation using the service-and I'm already doing so.
I know there are many people out there who would love to support ACT! for America, or give more than they're giving, but in these tough economic times they simply can't.
Well, here's a way that everyone who believes in our mission can easily support what we're doing-at no cost to them.
It doesn't get any better than that.
There are already chapter leaders who have signed up for the program, and the feedback I have been getting from them has been all positive. They love the idea and many of them are already using it.
So please, join me and these ACT! for America chapter leaders who are already signed up and using the iGive service.
Yours for a safe and free America
Guy Rodgers
Save the Date: Thursday, November 1
Join us for an important Town Hall Meeting
The Jewish & Pro-Israel Community at a Crossroads -
Critical Issues & Choices Facing the U.S. & Israel in 2012
featuring
Senator Norm Coleman
Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer
RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks
The RJC is proud to present this informative and thought-provoking Town Hall discussion of key issues and choices in the 2012 election, & what's at stake for the Jewish & Pro-Israel community.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Registration begins at 6:30 pm
Program begins promptly at 7:00 pm
Congregation Keneseth Israel
8339 Old York Rd.
Elkins Park, PA 19027
Please share this invitation with your undecided & Democrat relatives, friends, & coworkers (especially those with "buyer's remorse" for their 2008 vote), & bring them with you to this important program!
Republican Jewish Coalition Pennsylvania/South New Jersey
111 Presidential Blvd., #245
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
While the Progressive movement seeks to divide Americans-by income, race, or creed-we believe in an ideal that transcends any differences and unites all people: Freedom.
When FreedomWorks Foundation helped fund the powerful documentary Runaway Slave, the story of a former NAACP Chapter President turned Tea Party leader, that was the story we wanted to share.
Runaway Slave stars FreedomWorks Fellow Rev. C.L. Bryant, who discovers in the film that by buying into the entitlement mindset of Progressives, the black community has traded one form of tyranny for another.
Thanks to the outpouring of support for Runaway Slave, I'm pleased to share with you that this exciting film is now available through Video On Demand. Click here and watch Runaway Slave now!
Our friend C.L. is not only an electrifying speaker-one that has impressed FreePAC audiences around the country-but also a fantastic storyteller. If you are unfamiliar with Runaway Slave or his story, I encourage you to watch the trailer below:
"It's time conservatives take on Liberal Hollywood. You must see Runaway Slave, it's great!" - Glenn Beck
As we fight to reclaim our country we must restore the cultural heritage of America by supporting films, books, and songs that express our ideals. This is how we reach more people with our message and it's the reason Runaway Slave is such a critical project. Please click here now and get Runaway Slave through Video On Demand.
"The Hope and The Change" is set to air dozens of times, reaching 130 million cumulative households, over the next few months - an historic first for any political documentary.
This smartly produced documentary will be shown on HDNet Movies, AXS TV, RFD-TV, FamilyNet, and Rural TV. The film is also licensed to Lesea Broadcasting for World Harvest Television and their broadcast stations: WHMB (Indianapolis, IN), WHNO (New Orleans, LA), KWHB (Tulsa, OK), KWHE (Honolulu, HI), KWHS (Colorado Springs, CO) and WHME (South Bend, IN).
Please check local listings for channels: up-to-date information about showings will be added to www.TheHopeAndTheChange.com/TV as soon as it becomes available.
It is important to note that these distribution opportunities would have been against the law a mere three years ago. This is why I went to the United States Supreme Court in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission - to fight for the right to produce a political documentary.
"The Hope and The Change" exposes the hard truth that many Democrats and independents are suffering at the hands of President Obama's failed policies, and we will aggressively market this film so Americans can finally have an unfiltered conversation they deserve.
P.S. "The Hope and The Change" has the power to change many minds this fall. That is why it is so important for millions of Americans to see it. Please help us get this film out to as many people as possible by forwarding this email and spreading the world about the TV showings! --------------------------------------------------------------------
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
With those immortal words, our Founding Fathers declared our independence from Great Britain. In doing so, the 56 courageous men who signed the Declaration of Independence pledged to each other "our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."
Are we today a country that recognizes that level of commitment and sacrifice to the American ideal of liberty?
In Our Sacred Honor, former presidential candidate and Senator Rick Santorum asks this very question. The film presents a journey into our past that explores the meaning of our founding documents, the intentions of the drafters and signers, the origin of our rights, the differences between the French and American revolutions, and the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
Through reenactments, interviews with historians, experts, and on-location shooting, viewers are taken back to the time of our founding to better understand the principles of government set forth in America's founding documents and how they enabled us to create the greatest nation in the history of the world.
During the presidential campaign, Senator Santorum often quoted the two founding documents that bind our nation together - The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Our Sacred Honor goes into great detail about what those sacred documents truly mean and so it is appropriate that we begin the full promotion of this film on Constitution Day.
Senator Santorum will be appearing on Fox News' Fox and Friends on Monday, September 17th, at about 7:15am ET. Please turn in to hear him speak about this important movie!
This smartly produced documentary walks through the pivotal moments that led to our nation's independence and explains how, out of many, we formed a more perfect union. It was a pleasure making Our Sacred Honor with Senator Santorum, and I know patriots everywhere will enjoy it.
Today we are excited to announce that "Occupy Unmasked" will be made available on Video on Demand (VOD), on the heels of its successful limited theatrical release. "Occupy Unmasked" must be seen to be believed and now you and millions of others will have that opportunity right in your own homes.
The VOD providers carrying "Occupy Unmasked" include iTunes; Amazon; Charter; Comcast; Google Play; DirecTV; Playstation3; Suddenlink; Time Warner; Verizon FIOS; VUDU; Xbox Zune; AT&T UVerse; Cablevision; Cox; and Dish Network.
"Occupy Unmasked," takes viewers into the Occupy Wall Street camps across the country in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Portland, Denver and Oakland for an up-close look at what's happened there and who's at the heart of the movement. Exclusive footage and first-hand eyewitness accounts tell the story of the criminal activity and raw brutality in the camps - much of which has not been reported by the mainstream media.
Featuring the late conservative icon Andrew Breitbart, as well as former leftist radicals turned patriotic citizen journalists Brandon Darby, David Horowitz, Pam Keys, Anita MonCrief, Mandy Nagy, and Lee Stranahan, among others, this film delves beneath the surface of the Occupy movement to show its anarchist roots.
The Annual Jay Michael Swartz Memorial Lecture: An Evening with Michael Medved
For Men and Women Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013 7:30pm *Pre-lecture dinner 6:15pm At the Glazier Jewish Center | 25 N. State St.
Fee: $36 *Pre-lecture dinner with Michael Medved (includes lecture): $100
AMERICAN JEWS AND CHRISTIAN EVANGELICALS: IRRECONCILABLE ENEMIES OR INEVITABLE ALLIES?
Michael Medved is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host and bestselling author. His daily show is heard by over 3.75 million people across the country. Born in Philadelphia, Michael won admission to Yale at age 16 as a National Merit Scholar. He majored in American History and graduated with honors, before attending Yale Law School, where his classmates included Bill and Hillary Clinton. Michael wrote his first bestseller at age 26 - "What Really Happened to the Class of '65?" - a skeptical reconsideration of the "counterculture" of the 1960's that became a weekly TV series on NBC.
Many American Jews distrust and even fear the rise of the evangelical Christianity. They see this religious movement as a threat to the survival of Judaism in the United States and to the continuance of a society that values pluralism and religious liberty. On the other hand increasing numbers of American Jews view evangelicals as natural allies, not just when it comes to support of Israel, but on a range of social issues here in the U.S. In this provocative presentation, Michael Medved will explain where Jews and Christians already agree, and where they can never agree, in their participation in the ongoing battles shaping American society.
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.
This email was sent by: American Conservative Union 1331 H. St., NW Washington, DC, 20005,
Join Us on Fridays and Take a Stand for Israel:
The Great Betrayal: Obama's Wars and the War in Iraq
Jul 18th, 2012
Daniel Greenfield's new Freedom Center pamphlet,The Great Betrayal: Obama's Wars and the War in Iraq, is an effort to understand the politics of the "war on terror" which has now reached a final punctuation point with the U.S. decision to speed its withdrawal from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan (where success was once deemed so crucial to national security), and to practice an incoherent form of regime change in Libya while ignoring more serious threats in Syria and Iran.
The war on terror began, Greenfield shows, as an admirable bipartisan commitment soon after the tragedy of 9/11-an effort to transcend party lines not only to punish those who attacked our country but also to interrupt planning for further attacks and try to stop the international spread of the Islamic jihad behind the attacks. But the Democratic Party, with the honorable exception of a few individuals like Richard Gephardt and Joe Lieberman, turned its back on a war soon after authorizing it, and did so at a time when American troops were facing hostile enemy fire.
Although Senate Democrats on the intelligence oversight committee had been granted access to every piece of data available to the White House, they now accused President Bush of tricking them to secure their approval. In fact, their own about-face was entirely dictated by political considerations when a Sixties antiwar activist, Howard Dean, surged ahead in the Democratic primary polls and it appeared for a moment that Americans were on the side of retreat and capitulation.
Although regime change in Iraq had been official U.S. policy since Bill Clinton signed the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, Democratic senators such as John Kerry who only months earlier had supported the war effort now launched demoralizing attacks on the American commander-in-chief and his troops in the field, stigmatizing it as "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time." If the truth was the first casualty of their war against the Bush administration, the second casualty was the principle of bi-partisanship that had guided foreign policy debates throughout the Cold War, the principle that "politics stops at the water's edge." Now partisan politics trumped security.
The unrestrained attacks on the Iraq War as illegal and unjustified went largely unanswered by Republicans who failed to call the Democratic saboteurs of the nation's war effort to account or to decry the risk their cynical attacks posed to American servicemen and women on the battlefield. As Greenfield demonstrates, the Democrats' partisanship had consequences not only in Iraq but elsewhere in the region: the paralysis that resulted from their "anti-war" campaign led straight to the destruction of Lebanon and the installation of a terrorist army, Hezbollah, there as a regime within a regime. And it emboldened an overtly Islamofascist regime in Iran not only to supply the IEDs responsible for most of our troop fatalities in Iraq but also to proceed with a nuclear program aimed directly at Israel and the West.
The Great Betrayal shows that Barack Obama's abandonment of Iraq is a betrayal of all the Americans and Iraqis who gave their lives to establish freedom in that country. And the result of his policies in Afghanistan has been as disastrous. While the President presented his rationale for pursuing war there as the pursuit of al-Qaeda, after abandoning his "surge" (which resulted in two thirds of all America's Afghan casualties there and the resurgence of the Taliban allies of al-Qaeda), he blithely prepared for withdrawal as if national objectives had been met.
Order your copy of The Great Betrayal today by clicking here.
Individuals sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood's sinister agenda have infiltrated the Obama Administration.
Brainwashed by the Muslim Students Association and then propelled in to the position of Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the David Horowitz Freedom Center tracks the path of Huma Abedin and other Muslim sympathizers who have navigated their way into positions of great influence in the Obama Administration. Everything is revealed in the explosive new Freedom Center pamphlet, "The Muslim Brotherhood in the Obama Administration," written by Frank Gaffney, national security expert who served as Assistant Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan.
The David Horowitz Freedom Center is committed to educating the public on the Muslim Brotherhood's sinister Agenda. That is why we are giving away this pamphlet for FREE.
"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.
Wednesday 3-4pm "Patriots Watch" - Billy Baer and Dan Haggerty
Fire Obama Yard Signs Available!
Two options are available to get your Fire Obama yard signs.
STOP THE WAR ON COAL - FIRE OBAMA
A private individual, Gary DuBois, is mounting a personal mission to cover the state with these signs. He is selling these at cost for $6.00 per sign. He has already printed and distributed more than 10,000 and they are going as fast as he gets money in to make them.
Gary is located in Waynesburg, Greene County in southwest PA, which has been hard hit by the coal mine closures and has made defeating Obama his priority.
He is willing to distribute widely, but best to team up with your neighbors and order large volumes if you are in central and eastern PA. Contact Gary at garydubois@targetdrilling.com
AMERICAN MAJORITY ACTION has opened three Liberty offices across Pennsylvania in order to Get Out the Vote by making phone calls and knocking on doors in support of Congressional candidates, Tom Smith and Romney/Ryan. They have already distributed more than 10,000 signs and ask that anyone desiring a sign commit to make at least 100 phone calls or door visits in their communities.
Western Pennsylvania AMA Liberty Headquarters
1910 Cochran Road Suite 100 Pittsburgh, PA 15220 Phone: (412) 521-4351
DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz described the Medicare reforms proposed by GOP Vice-Presidential nominee and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) as "literally a death trap for seniors." White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that Ryan's reforms would "change Medicare as we know it."
But it was Obamacare that already changed Medicare as we know it, transforming it literally into a death trap for seniors. Obamacare cut Medicare by $716 billion over the next 10 years alone, mostly by slashing Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals. And that is just a down-payment on what is to come.
I made up the following and have been distributing this to seniors. This is based on the above article.
Seniors better wake up to the dangers of Obmacare.
Carlo
From Forbes.com 9/27/2012 by Peter Ferrara
Why Senior Citizens Should Prefer Ryan's Medicare Plan to Obama's
"...Obamacare funnels $716 billon out of Medicare to pay for a new entitlement we didn't ask for..."
"...Medicare's Chief Actuary Rick Foster reports that by the end of this decade, Medicare will be paying less to doctors and hospitals for health care for seniors than Medicaid pays for health care for the poor..."
"...Under Obamacare, soon enough seniors will be lined up behind welfare mothers in trying to find doctors who will see them, and hospitals that will admit them..."
Because of the cuts "...In a few short years, hospitals that serve seniors in particular will begin closing, and retirees will have increasing difficulty obtaining access to care..."
"...And this does not even count any further cuts that may be adopted by Obamacare's Medicare death panel, the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). That Board will be composed of 15 unelected, appointed, Washington bureaucrats with the power to adopt still more Medicare cuts that would become effective even without the approval of Congress..."
There is only one way to stop Obamacare and preserve Medicare for seniors :
VOTE OBAMA OUT and ROMNEY IN
September 2012
Matthew J. Franck The Witherspoon Institute
Individual, Community, and State: How to Think About Religious Freedom
MATTHEW J. FRANCK is the director of the William E. and Carol G. Simon Center on Religion and the Constitution at the Witherspoon Institute and professor emeritus of political science at Radford University. He received his B.A. from Virginia Wesleyan College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University. A regular contributor to the Washington Post, First Things, and National Review, he is the author of Against the Imperial Judiciary: The Supreme Court vs. the Sovereignty of the People and Strict Scrutiny: Sense and Nonsense on the Supreme Court (forthcoming).
The following is adapted from a lecture delivered at Hillsdale College on September 11, 2012, during a conference on "The Supreme Court: History and Current Controversies."
THERE IS A GROWING awareness among Americans that religious freedom in our country has come under sustained pressures. In the public square where freedom of religion meets public policy, it becomes clearer all the time that there is a high price to be paid for being true to one's conscience. This is no tale of Chicken Little-although a chain of chicken sandwich restaurants based in Atlanta is part of the story. Let me give you a few examples.
In our universities, those citadels of toleration, we find that toleration can be sharply limited. At the Hastings College of Law in San Francisco, the student chapter of the Christian Legal Society was denied any status on the campus because it would not abandon its requirement that members commit themselves to traditional Christian norms regarding sexual morality. The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling in 2010, held that the student group's rights were not violated by a "take all comers" policy. Following this lead, Vanderbilt University has rewritten its student organizations policy and effectively chased every traditionally Christian student group off campus, denying them regular access to campus facilities. And at the University of Illinois, an adjunct professor of religion, hired to teach a course on Catholicism, was let go because a student complained about his patient explanation of the Catholic Church's natural law teachings on human sexuality. (He was later restored to his teaching duties, but at the expense of the Newman Center, not on the state payroll.)
Norman Podhoretz Former Editor-in-Chief, Commentary
Is America Exceptional?
NORMAN PODHORETZ served as editor-in-chief of Commentary magazine from 1960-1995. He was a Pulitzer Scholar at Columbia University, earning his bachelor of arts degree in 1950. He also holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Cambridge University, England, where he was a Fulbright Scholar and a Kellett Fellow. In addition, he has a bachelor's degree in Hebrew Literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He has written for most major American periodicals and is the author of twelve books, including My Love Affair With America and Why Are Jews Liberals?
The following is adapted from a speech delivered on September 20, 2012, in Washington, D.C., at Hillsdale College's third annual Constitution Day Dinner.
ONCE UPON A TIME, hardly anyone dissented from the idea that, for better or worse, the United States of America was different from all other nations. This is not surprising, since the attributes that made it different were vividly evident from the day of its birth. Let me say a few words about three of them in particular.
First of all, unlike all other nations past or present, this one accepted as a self-evident truth that all men are created equal. What this meant was that its Founders aimed to create a society in which, for the first time in the history of the world, the individual's fate would be determined not by who his father was, but by his own freely chosen pursuit of his own ambitions. In other words, America was to be something new under the sun: a society in which hereditary status and class distinctions would be erased, leaving individuals free to act and to be judged on their merits alone. There remained, of course, the two atavistic contradictions of slavery and the position of women; but so intolerable did these contradictions ultimately prove that they had to be resolved-even if, as in the case of the former, it took the bloodiest war the nation has ever fought.
Secondly, in all other countries membership or citizenship was a matter of birth, of blood, of lineage, of rootedness in the soil. Thus, foreigners who were admitted for one reason or another could never become full-fledged members of the society. But America was the incarnation of an idea, and therefore no such factors came into play. To become a full-fledged American, it was only necessary to pledge allegiance to the new Republic and to the principles for which it stood.
Thirdly, in all other nations, the rights, if any, enjoyed by their citizens were conferred by human agencies: kings and princes and occasionally parliaments. As such, these rights amounted to privileges that could be revoked at will by the same human agencies. In America, by contrast, the citizen's rights were declared from the beginning to have come from God and to be "inalienable"-that is, immune to legitimate revocation.
This story came about only because I complained to the Inquirer's political editor Dan Biddle about their one-sided coverage of the local Congressional races. And, to my surprise, he said I made many valid points and would do something about it. And he did. This article is more than fair to us. The tipping scale was a long article written about Democratic challenger Kathy Boockvar blasting incumbent Mike Fitzpatrick's terms and conditions for their THREE debates. While I agree with some of Boockvar's complaints, Boockvar got THREE more debates than all THREE of the Republican challengers in Philadelphia COMBINED. Yep, Bob Brady, Chaka Fattah and Allyson Schwarz are unwilling to debate any of us in any forum. Brady even refused to sit in the same room with me at the Philadelphia Inquirer's editorial board endorsement meeting, so the board canceled the meeting. Guess what? Unless this is a banana republic, voters are entitled to see the candidates in debates. I thank the Inquirer for letting its readership know that all Philadelphia-based, incumbent Democratic Congressmen have ignored calls for that important part of the campaign process.
Area Democratic incumbents don't feel the pressure to meet opponents.
October 22, 2012
If you love a good debate, better get your fill Monday night when President Obama and Mitt Romney exchange pleasantries for the third and final time.
Because if you live in Philadelphia, you'll have to wait till 2014, at least, to see your member of Congress trade verbal elbows with a challenger. All but assured of victory, Democratic incumbents Bob Brady, Chaka Fattah and Allyson Schwartz have scheduled no debates with their opponents.
"This is really a typical sort of strategy you would see in an incumbent that's in a fairly safe district, and is trying to keep any oxygen from his opponent," said Lara Brown, a Villanova political scientist.
In Pennsylvania, Sen. Robert Casey gets unexpected Republican challenge
The question now, for Obama and Casey, is whether the suburbs have soured on the incumbents. In 2008, Obama won the four large suburban Philadelphia counties - Montgomery, Delaware, Chester and Bucks - by 200,000 votes, including an 80,000-vote margin in Montgomery. Combined with his 480,000-vote edge in Philadelphia, that made Obama unbeatable in the state. Casey, in his 2006 rout of an unpopular incumbent, Rick Santorum (R), also won the southeastern corner by more than 2 to 1.
Republicans, however, believe they have a path to victory in GOP Sen. Pat Toomey's win in 2010. Toomey captured just 16 percent of the vote in Philadelphia, but he won Bucks and Chester counties while running competitively in Montgomery. He won big in the part of Pennsylvania that locals call "the T": the rural area in the middle of the state and into the far northeastern and northwestern corners.
Candidate comparison for Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race
Dear activists,
The grid below shows a comparison of the candidates on a variety of immigration issues. The election is Nov. 6.
Our ratings rely on candidate responses to our immigration-reduction survey, past votes if they have previously held office, and statements they have made on campaign websites and in news reports.
Ratings based on the survey are indicated by the "Yes" and "No" icons. Other ratings are shown with colored circles.
If you want to give money to a candidate, work for a candidate or just learn more about that candidate, click on that candidate's name in the grid below. That will take you to a page where you will find a link to the candidate's website just under the map of his/her state.
NumbersUSA is strictly non-partisan, with no preference for one party, one candidate or another, but our comparison grids ind icate which candidates would do the best job in reducing overall immigration numbers.
Candidates with a Grade Letter above their photo are either incumbents or previously served in Congress.
You can read full descriptions of each category on the grid by going to our website at: https://www.numbersusa.com/content/elections/races/congressional. Click on the map to get to the race you are following. When you mouse over the categories on the left of the grid, a full description will pop up.
"History 101: Western Heritage-From the Book of Genesis to John Locke" is a free, ten-week, not-for-credit online course offered by Hillsdale College. This online course covers such topics as Hebrew civilization, classical Greece and Rome, the advent and spread of Christianity, the Renaissance and Reformation, the scientific enlightenment, and the English Revolution of 1688, whose principles would later inspire America's founders. Lectures are delivered and Q&A sessions conducted by members of Hillsdale's history department faculty, and readings are drawn from Western Heritage: A Reader used in the Western Heritage core course taught on Hillsdale's campus.
Currently participating in Constitution 101 or Constitution 201? All History 101 lectures, once released, will be archived and available to view on demand.
Dear Linda, In 2012 our Constitution is under assault like never before.
Even as I write, self-described Progressives are working to subvert the Constitution to replace it with an ever more expansive and intrusive bureaucratic despotism.
My name is Larry Arnn and I'm the President of Hillsdale College. You might have heard Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and other conservative radio hosts talk about Hillsdale College.
The ongoing radical Progressive agenda poses a serious threat to the survival of free government in our great nation. At Hillsdale, we believe that a massive, nationwide education project to promote America's founding principles is the only way to defeat this Progressive agenda.
As one of our most loyal supporters, you've been an important part of Hillsdale's effort to educate Americans on the importance of preserving our Constitution.
That's why I want you to be one of the first to know about our brand new online course:
The first class begins on Tuesday, September 4 and the final one will occur during the week of the national elections in November. I hope you'll sign up immediately.
In this no-cost, ten-week course, you'll learn from members of Hillsdale's politics department faculty - some of the nation's top scholars on the Constitution - about the history of Progressivism and how the movement has slowly chiseled away at our freedoms over the past century.
With Hillsdale's outstanding reputation as a leading academic institution, this course offers you a unique educational experience that you won't be able to get anywhere else.
Earlier this year Hillsdale offered its first online course on the Constitution. And in doing so it made a major impact with more than 275,000 Americans registering for "Constitution 101: The Meaning and History of the Constitution." We expect our newest course - The Progressive Rejection of the Founding and the Rise of Bureaucratic Despotism - to attract even more attention. And I hope you will be one of the registrants!
Here are the ten lecture topics for the course...
The Progressive Rejection of the Founding and the Rise of Bureaucratic Despotism
The Founders' Constitution and the Challenge of Progressivism Larry P. Arnn, Tuesday, September 4
Woodrow Wilson and the Rejection of the Founders' Principles, Part 1 Ronald J. Pestritto, Monday, September 10
Woodrow Wilson and the Rejection of the Founders' Principles, Part 2 Ronald J. Pestritto, Monday, September 17
Overview: Founders vs. Progressives Thomas G. West, Monday, September 24
FDR's New Bill of Rights Will Morrisey, Monday, October 1
Total Regulation: LBJ's Great Society Kevin Portteus, Monday, October 8
The Transformation of America's Political Institutions Kevin Portteus, Monday, October 15
Post-1960s Progressivism John Grant, Monday, October 22
Case Study: Religious Liberty in the Administrative State Thomas G. West, Monday, October 29
Restoring Constitutional Government Larry P. Arnn, Monday, November 5
Why is Hillsdale teaching a course on the Progressive movement?
Americans who believe in constitutional liberty and limited government need to understand what they're up against, so Hillsdale designed this course to teach Americans the history of Progressivism and how it continues to work to ignore and dismantle the U.S. Constitution.
From its intellectual origins in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, to the massive government expansions under FDR's New Deal and LBJ's Great Society, to the third great expansion of big-government programs during the past three years, Progressives are making our country unrecognizable in comparison to the constitutional republic created by America's Founding Fathers.
To understand fully this attack on limited government constitutionalism, and thus to know what is needed to stem the tide, take Hillsdale's new online Constitution course, which starts on September 4 and concludes the week of the national elections in November.
AND, like all Hillsdale online courses, it will be archived online so that you can refer back to the lectures or access them at your leisure.
I have the privilege of delivering the first lecture, "The Founders' Constitution and the Challenge of Progressivism," and the final lecture, "Restoring Constitutional Government." All of the classes will be taught by Hillsdale College professors - the top teachers in their field and the same ones who instruct our students here on Hillsdale's campus.
I am proud, thanks to your past support and the support of many patriotic Americans, that Hillsdale College is teaching hundreds of thousands of Americans about the Constitution and its principles of liberty. This course is crucial for all Americans who want to understand the dangers confronting the Constitution and its principles today. I hope YOU will join us for this important course!
As President of Hillsdale College, I have devoted my life to education, and in particular to teaching about the American founding, its underlying principles, and subsequent constitutional history.
The last chapter in that history, covering the past century, tells a story about how the progressive movement has undermined the Constitution and replaced it with a bureaucratic despotism - if we are to recover the Constitution, that story must be understood.
That is why we are offering this new course, free, to all Americans.
The more than 275,000 who signed up for our first constitution course last spring prove that Americans are willing and eager to study and defend the Constitution and the principles that made our country the most free and most prosperous in human history!
I hope you will sign up for our new course and help continue this re-awakening of national interest in the Constitution.
This new online course, available at no charge to the public, is not without cost to Hillsdale. The College has already invested much to make this critical course a reality.
To make this course available nationwide will cost nearly $1,000,000. While a monumental expenditure for Hillsdale College, we consider it a duty to reach and teach as many students, citizens, and elected officials as possible during this year and beyond.
ACTION STEP #3: Please forward this email to friends and family and encourage them to enroll in this brand new course on The Progressive Rejection of the Founding and the Rise of Bureaucratic Despotism.
OUR CHALLENGE
With your help, Hillsdale College is dedicated to returning the Constitution to its rightful place at the center of American political life.
If our republic does not re-embrace the Constitution, we will not be able to reclaim the liberty that has been lost, and may yet lose the liberty we still have.
Hillsdale College has accepted this challenge, and our commitment to making this course available to citizens nationwide is proof. But we need you, as one of our best supporters, to help to make this possible. . .
As you may already know, in order to protect the integrity of its mission and prevent intrusive government regulation, Hillsdale College accepts no taxpayer funding whatsoever, even indirectly in the form of federal or state student grants or loans.
Your generosity at this critical time will not just help underwrite the cost of making this course available nationwide. It will also support all the other ways that Hillsdale College educates Americans to be defenders of liberty and self-government.
MY GIFT FOR YOU
In appreciation of your donation of $100 or more, I will send you a copy of the book used by our students in their one-semester course on the Constitution - The U.S. Constitution: A Reader.
This exhaustive, 790-page volume was compiled by our Politics Department faculty at Hillsdale. It's the perfect companion to all of Hillsdale's online courses on the Constitution. For a donation of $50, I'll send you a complimentary copy of my recently-published hardbound book. Its title is:
THE FOUNDERS' KEY: THE DIVINE AND NATURAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE DECLARATION AND THE CONSTITUTION AND WHAT WE RISK BY LOSING IT
In this book I explain the unique connection between America's two most important documents, how that connection has been severed today, and why we must repair it for the sake of freedom.
With your gift of $25, I'll send you a custom-engraved blue and silver Hillsdale pen as a token of our appreciation for your support.
Your gift, of whatever amount you can provide, will help make it possible for us to offer this important course on the Constitution to all Americans. And for that I am grateful.
For liberty to prevail, Americans must understand and defend the U.S. Constitution.
And they must do so quickly and urgently.
Please help Hillsdale College educate all Americans - including our elected officials - on how to revive the Constitution and preserve individual liberty and limited government in 2012 and beyond.
Thank you for supporting Hillsdale College.
Yours for liberty,
Dr. Larry P. Arnn President, Hillsdale College Pursuing Truth and Defending Liberty since 1844
P.S. PLEASE REMEMBER to do these three important things:
Enroll NOW in our new online course offered free of charge: "The Progressive Rejection of the Founding and the Rise of Bureaucratic Despotism."
Make the most generous tax-deductible contribution to Hillsdale College you can afford. And remember, in appreciation for your gift of $100 or more, you will receive a copy of Hillsdale's indispensible 790-page book, The U.S. Constitution: A Reader. This book is the perfect companion text for Hillsdale's online courses.
Forward this email to any of your friends or family who you would think would enjoy this new online course on Progressivism and the Constitution.
Thank you so much for standing with Hillsdale and the Constitution . . . and for doing everything in your power to defend liberty in America in 2012.
The Constitution Reader is a free, interactive, searchable, and customizable website centered around The U.S. Constitution: A Reader. It contains the same material taught in the College's core course on the Constitution.
In addition to containing a fully digitized and searchable version of the Reader, The Constitution Reader also contains:
An illustrated Timeline of American constitutional history.
Thekey Debates between the Founders, the Progressives, and others.
The debates are over. It's worth taking a look at what they didn't cover, which is sometimes as telling as what was said. In 2000 - as I noted in my first widely-read blog post a decade ago, and as Romney noted last night - the subject of terrorism was not even raised, although it would come to dominate Bush's tenure in office. Some things got less play than you might expect; perhaps the single biggest surprise of last night was that nobody mentioned Benjamin Netanyahu by name, but there was plenty of discussion of Israel (if surprisingly little on the "peace process"). Others got downplayed for obvious reasons; there was discussion of Obamacare at the first debate in particular, but little direct controversy on the individual mandate, perhaps unsurprisingly given Romney's record. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
2. Texas Attorney General warns OSCE on Election Observations
Left-wing groups have gone to international organizations in the run up to this election, seeking to apply global governance to the United States. The results of this is that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE, not the UN as is often reported) has announced it will send election observers, with the implication that Voter ID laws are a problem.
Now, the reason they're only investigating Republican-run areas is that Republicans would never run to the OSCE or anyone else to interfere with American elections. But that said, we must not let the OSCE observers think they are above the law. The OSCE is a voluntary organization and it has no binding authority over anyone, which is why Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has warned the OSCE that Texas laws will apply, including bars on unlawful entry of polling places. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
3.Colorado Accountable Government Alliance Ups Funding And Election Involvement
The Colorado Accountable Government Alliance (CAGA) has accounted for a surge of liberal financial, organizational, and strategic support as the November elections approach, a Media Trackers investigation of campaign finance data reveals. Since October 11, the Tim Gill-backed Democratic political committee has channeled money into twenty-one different state level legislative races throughout Colorado.
CAGA dollars currently flood local campaigns, with the organization spending over $100,000 against several individual candidates within the last two weeks according to campaign filings with the Secretary of State. This is often more than the candidates' own campaigns have raised over the entirety of the election cycle. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
Lies We Can Believe In J.T. Hatter How can anyone be undecided three weeks before the presidential election? Look at what we've got before us. More
'Mom, go upstairs. We're all liberals.' Annie Lake Ouch. Monday night was the first time I heard my daughter apply that label to herself. She and six friends/coworkers were about to watch the final Obama-Romney debate on the large-screen TV in our suburban basement. More
Thank You for Re-Electing Obama Eileen F. Toplansky Whatever walk of life you hail from, you'll have plenty of reason to thank anyone you know who votes for Obama. More
The October Surprise Has Arrived James Simpson Obama will willingly make concessions -- or promises of the same -- to enemies who have sworn to destroy us, for the short-term benefit of an election. More
Environmental Protection: The Enemy of Green Anthony J.Ciani Most people would be surprised to discover that the laws, regulations, and mandates designed to protect our environment may actually be harming it instead. More
American Thinker Blog
Razar's Rules for Czars October 24, 2012 If you work for the People, then the People own everything you do or write or say. If you want privacy, work for McDonalds. More
A Conservative Perspective on the Birthers October 24, 2012 Like many extreme liberals Obama's views come not from being raised overseas but from his radical relatives and the liberal extremists he associated with. More
Horse Laughs for Obama October 23, 2012 President Obama embarrassed himself last night on horses, bayonets and submarines. More
The Real Reality Check October 23, 2012 The great defender of women's rights is proud of his contribution to the "liberation" of lands where women are now being wrapped up in niqab and delivered into the hands of morality squads. More
Obama Gave Himself Away Last Night October 23, 2012 Lit with the bright flash of summer lightening, three words showed America why B.H. Obama is so spectacularly unsuited to hold the office of the Presidency. More
Supporting Obama's Libya Deception October 23, 2012 We have a President of the United States who is lying to us, during wartime, about an attack on us by the enemy with whom we are at war. More
Chris Christie's epic takedown of President Obama in Virginia
Cronyism: Biden's brother gets rich building homes in Iraq
Monday, October 22, 2012 16:03
Breaking on Fox Business News - Vice President Joe Biden's brother James hit pay dirt when he got a $100 million contract to build homes in Iraq.
"How was it that HillStone, a newcomer in the business of home building, landed a massive and potentially lucrative contract to build 100,000 homes in war-torn Iraq? Richter didn't mince words. It really helps, he said, to have "the brother of the vice president as a partner," according to a person who was present.
The "brother" Richter was referring to during the meeting is James Biden, the younger brother of Vice President Joe Biden.
In the last 18 days, ACT! for America members have donated $419.42 to ACT! for America-at no cost to them!
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October 23, 2012"Teacher forces student to do 'Islamic hand sign'"
What is happening in our public schools?
A few years ago, elementary students in an Indiana school were told they had to sing a song praising Allah during the winter program. Of course, no Christian or Jewish songs were allowed.
Two years ago, a Massachusetts middle school field trip to a mosque ended with the boys being asked to join Muslim prayers. Many did, while the teachers stood by silently.
And now we read (WND article below), a teacher in Virginia forced a student to do an Islamic hand sign-and injured the student in the process.
BRAVE NEW SCHOOLSTEACHER FORCES STUDENT TO DO 'ISLAMIC HAND SIGN'Now facing assault after girl left 'dripping with blood'
A Chesapeake, Va., teacher is facing a charge of assault for allegedly forcing a student to do an "Islamic hand sign," leaving the young girl "dripping with blood," according to a report in The Blaze.
While police have confirmed the incident, school district officials have said the case is a "personnel issue" and they are not allowed to divulge many details. And while the teacher identified by the Blaze as the suspect, Tara Harris, is scheduled to appear in court in a few days, her side of the story remains unclear.
The report said the elementary school teacher, who openly campaigns for Barack Obama in the classroom, was trying to teach students an "Islamic hand sign" when she yanked the arm of the student, the 10-year-old daughter of Stephanie Bennett, and the student was injured.
"When [the student] didn't get [the hand sign] right, [Harris] went over and yanked her hand out of her desk and my daughter's hand got hung up on the metal wire on her file folder and the skin got caught on it," said the mother.
"The other children saw my daughter's hand dripping with blood after the teacher had gotten so mad that she went to twist my daughter's hand into an Islamic sign."
The mother told the Blaze she called police as soon as she learned what had happened. She said the school confirmed the teacher was placed on administrative leave. She said later the school told her the teacher was terminated from the system.
Officer Leo Kosinski in Chesapeake told the Blaze Harris was charged with a misdemeanor and released on a summons.
"It's still a criminal charge. It happened at the school and it involved a student," he said.
The incident, on Oct. 2, happened this way, she said: "The teacher was going over Islamic hand signs with the children - she stayed on this issue for two days straight during their reading and math class."
Her daughter, who suffers a "processing disorder," was unable to meet the teacher's demands, and the teacher became frustrated and tried to twist the girl's fingers into the correct position.
The report said the daughter confirmed the teacher "prays to Allah in Arabic" several times a day and has explained how Islam is superior to other religions.
Another parent, Nita Reddit, told the Blaze the story was confirmed by her son.
The Blaze said the school board met Oct. 8, and the minutes reflect a closed session regarding "personnel."
The notion of "bringing the terrorists to justice" has been a central plank of the Obama administration's national security policy since taking office. But there's mixed evidence on the administration's commitment to apprehending the Benghazi suspects.
Our policy in Iran should be regime change, period. That is, we are never going to be satisfied with any result in Iran except the eradication of the regime, and we are going to use every single lever of American power, hard and soft, to achieve that result -- in a manner that promotes the stability of a post-regime Iran and respects political reality in the United States.
With one last televised showdown before Election Day, Mitt Romney seemed eager to turn the conversation back toward his comfort zone -- and voters' priority issue -- of the economy. President Obama complied, leaving Schieffer to suggest multiple times -- in what seemed more like a Sunday morning episode of Face the Nation than a potentially make-or-break national debate -- that they turn back to foreign policy.
Court documents and other records have identified many of these visitors as belonging to groups serving as fronts for the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and other Islamic militant organizations.
Already facing intense scrutiny for its shifting narrative about the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Libya, the Pentagon now says it will not reclassify the Ft Hood shootings as a terrorist attack.
Jordan has thwarted a terrorist plot by a group linked to Al Qaeda; the plans were for a combined terrorist attack to bomb shopping centers in Amman as well as assassination attempts on Western diplomats.
If the foreign policy of this administration can be described in one word, it would be "drift." Should one parse the president's campaign statements about foreign policy, only obscurity emerges.
For weeks, Obama and his minions attempted to hoodwink the country into believing that the murders of our ambassador and three other Americans were triggered when Muslim protests over a "movie" virtually no one had seen spontaneously erupted into rioting.
A partial list of Michigan used car money laundering operations owned by Hezbollah families in the U.S. These businesses are conduits for jihad money - zakat - for Hezbollah.
The war in Afghanistan was lost because it became a kindergarten with guns, a social welfare agency with heavy artillery that couldn't be used in the proximity of civilians.
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." ~ Ronald Reagan
The mullahs are at war with us. Maybe we should return the favor.
·By BRET STEPHENS
On Wednesday an Iranian-American named Manssor Arbabsiar pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring with Iranian military officials to blow up a restaurant in Washington, D.C. On Saturday, the New York Times reported that the Obama administration and Iran had secretly agreed "in principle" to hold direct talks after the election, a disclosure to which the White House responded with a lawyerly denial.
And so it goes with U.S. policy toward Iran. They are at war with us. We seek bilateral negotiations and confidence-building measures with them.
That is a point that-as I write this column ahead of the final presidential debate-I hope to hear Mitt Romney hammer home when the subject of Iran inevitably comes up. Barack Obama told "60 Minutes" last month that "if Gov. Romney is suggesting we should start another war, he should say so." Sorry, Mr. President: When it comes to Iran, the mullahs started that war a long time ago. Wishing facts away doesn't change them.
When it comes to spreading the message of Islam, America's imprisoned are proving to be Jihad's most fertile ground. For decades Muslim outreach has gained a firm grip on the most disenfranchised of our Nation. Islamic practitioners are selling redemption through conversion to desperate and impressionable Black, Hispanic and women inmates in American prisons at alarming rates.
U.S prison populations present an easy target of opportunity for Islamic radicalization of America. Prison life is not easy and the old adage "safety in numbers" is motivating many of the incarcerated to turn to the protections and rehabilitative message preached by Wahhabi-trained Imams. Some studies suggest that as much as 20% of the U.S. prison population is turning to Islam.
Inmates are an ideal candidate for Islamic conversion. Al-Qaeda training manuals discovered in Europe encourage the recruitment of prisoners and recommend playing on the inmate's anger and frustration with the non-Islamic society. Imams are counseling prisoners to accept the teachings of Islam and the rehabilitative cleansing it can provide. With Islamic conversion the prisoner is freed of his transgressions and finds a new self.
Not a bad idea unless you consider that many of the Imams preaching Islam in American prisons are funded by groups with distant yet confirmable ties to terrorist organizations. The disciplines being taught to American prison populations by Muslim believers are less concerned with western rehabilitation and values and more focused on the radicalization of future free Americans. Muslim prison ministries are turning their converts away from American principles and substituting a culture of disdain for the American values and laws. Once released from prison many of these American Muslim converts return to society with a new found religion that preaches Jihad against western society.
Everything Obama & Romney have said in debates about immigration -- and what it seems to mean
Immigration came up in only the third of the four debates. But it came in such rapid-fire and heated fashion that it was easy to miss the details and nuances.
I have now posted the full transcript of the immigration comments from all four debates along with my analysis of virtually each phrase the candidates uttered.
There are 1.3 million of you -- Democrats, Republicans and Independents -- who care deeply about immigration policies and are signed up for our analysis. I want you to have full knowledge of Romney's and Obama's immigration positions as you talk issues with friends and colleagues.
Since nearly everybody already has chosen a candidate based on a lot of criteria, the point here is not to provide a reason for casting a vote but to prepare as many Americans as possible for what we will be facing with the election of either candidate, both of whom would present us with many challenges.
When forced to talk about immigration, this is what they decided to tell 60+ million voters
Unfortunately, you didn't learn much from the news media about the immigration part of the debate because most reporters know too little about the issue to have understood what they were hearing. NumbersUSA's website is one of the few places where you can find the context of the candidates' statements, as well as the contradictions and inarticulation.
My bottom-line analysis is this: "I have to conclude that if Obama is re-elected we will have to mobilize as never before to stop his dreams of overwhelming the American worker with both legal and illegal foreign labor competition, and that if Romney is elected we will have to mobilize at the same le vel to try to keep him focused on his 'self-deportation' agenda and afraid to carry out the wishes of his advisors from the Bush Administration who want the part of Obama's agenda of overwhelming the labor supply with legal foreign workers."
But I leave it to you to read the transcript yourself and see what you think.
Negotiations -- or War With Iran? By Patrick J. Buchanan Before we go to war with Iran, let us find out, in face-to-face talks if need be, if we really have to go to war.
What You Can't Say By Walter E. Williams Slavery is widely misunderstood, and as such has been a tool for hustlers and demagogues. Slavery has been part of the human condition throughout recorded history and everywhere on the globe. Though racism has been used to justify slavery, the origins of slavery had little to do with racism. Unfortunately, the facts about slavery are not the lessons taught in our schools and colleges.
The Voice of John (Theatrical Release) In 1977, a young nurse was working in an OB unit of a major West Virginia hospital. She stumbled upon a LIVE baby, placed in a "dirty utility room," left to die. What she did not realize is that Roe vs. Wade had just been passed by the U.S. Supreme Court and this atrocity was indeed legal. The staff in the facility reprimanded her when she tried to explain that a baby was placed on a cold metal table and was left to die! Against their instruction for her to "do nothing," she held that baby in her arms and listened to his soft whimpering cries for survival. She held the child, baptized him and said,"I name you John, and I will tell the world what I saw here today. I will be your voice!" 35 years later, Maryann Lawhon will hold true to her promise as River Song Productions presents.."The Voice of John."This documentary will be a forensic view into the Pro-Life movement from 1973 to date. RSP will show America the real truth regarding abortion and euthanasia from the perspective of those who know it best; the doctors, nurses, clergy and politicians who are responsible for this ruling as well as those who oppose it.
Yesterday I continued my sandwich board campaign at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in my hometown. I have been there, mostly with another retired cop and fellow Marine, on Mondays and Fridays, for the past 6 weeks, wearing a sandwich board with various messages. Over the weeks I have been surprised to draw thumbs up smiles and "thank you" from Black females. Black females have often stopped and patiently read every word on our boards. They read statistics on unemployment, the January 2009 price of gas compared to today's and the "Are you better off now" question among many other messages.
Until now I have seen White liberals grimace and Blacks and Hispanics (men and women) as well as White women sometime shake their heads and drop their eyes.
But I have had a Black lady come up to me, read my messages and say, "I prayed for guidance and you are my answer."
Not only does the Rasmussen Daily Tracking poll show Romney up 2 points today; not only does the Rasmussen Swing State poll show Romney up 49-46 today (included are 11 states which Obama won 53-46 in 2008); not only is Romney up by 50-37 among swing state independents; NOW Susquehanna Polling and Research (SPR) shows Mitt Romney up 49-45 in the normally deep blue state of Pennsylvania. (1)
SPR is an automated poll of 1,376 likely voters, taken between October 11-13. Although its results do not include the 2nd presidential debate, Gallup incorporates over 50% of the post-debate days in its 7 day rolling average poll and Rasmussen includes only days since the debate. Yet neither of these polls show any sort of debate performance bounce for Barack Obama even though the national media proclaimed the president a clear winner over Romney. In fact, both polls show Romney in the lead, ... Continue Reading:Surprising Pennsylvania poll shows Romney up big
RJC on Romney's Strong Showing in Third Presidential Debate
Washington, D.C. (October 23, 2012) -- Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks commented on the third and final presidential debate of 2012:
"Gov. Mitt Romney made a very strong showing in the final debate, demonstrating his knowledge of foreign policy issues and his understanding of the nature of our allies and foes on the global stage. Romney understands how to protect American interests abroad. He will stand with Israel - not behind her, but beside her - with no "daylight" in between. He will shape American foreign policy to help nations like Syria and Pakistan resist Islamist extremism and move out of turmoil toward greater freedom and opportunity.
"Romney made it clear that in order for the U.S. to fulfill its role in the world, we must first be strong - economically, militarily, and diplomatically. The President's policies over the last four years have weakened us. Romney's plans to grow the economy and get people back to work will strengthen America at home and in the eyes of the world.
"Over the three presidential debates, Romney offered a competent, knowledgeable, and thoughtful take on the challenges that face us at home and abroad, and a clear policy agenda for turning us away from the failures of the last four years and making America strong, safe, and prosperous again."
Republican Mitt Romney scored a narrow victory over President Barack Obama in Monday night's Third Presidential Debate, which focused on foreign policy. Romney won despite being more cautious than expected--avoiding confrontation on the Libya issue, for example, and emphasizing areas of agreement with Obama where possible. He had a better command of the facts, defended his positions well, and looked more presidential.
Obama was very aggressive throughout the debate--perhaps still trying to compensate for his lackluster first debate--using every single question to attack his opponent's record and policies. That approach may have backfired, as it allowed Romney to strike a calmer, more stable posture. Romney's apparent strategy was to give up scoring points on particular issues in favor of appealing to war-weary, politics-weary moderate voters.
Romney maintains momentum in the final debate of 2012.
Who "won" the debate is a question instantly asked in the aftermath of these televised rituals, but with just two weeks left to go, the real question is, who will win the election? And after Monday night's meeting in Boca Raton, Florida, the answer to both questions appears to be the same: "Not Obama."
This has been Mitt Romney's challenge from the outset, to make himself acceptable to the millions of Americans who want to vote for "Not Obama," and his performance in the final debate of the 2012 campaign did nothing to disqualify him. As a result, the Republican challenger remains on a trajectory toward victory on Nov. 6.
COUNTDOWN TO VICTORY: 14 DAYS TO THE 2012 ELECTIONS -- 68 DAYS TO TAXMAGEDDON
The Morning After
The most difficult debate for a candidate running against an incumbent president is the debate on foreign policy. It is easy for the Commander-in-Chief to look more in command of the facts and to frighten voters with fears that the challenger will get America into a war.
That was exactly the strategy Obama employed last night. He repeatedly used the phrase "wrong and reckless" when referring to Governor Romney's policies. He played on America's war weariness. He was condescending. He suggested Romney was unpredictable. It did not work in my view.
I confess that I found the Romney team's strategy going into the debate frustrating. They had clearly decided it would be unwise to try to engage again on Benghazi and give Obama a chance to show fake outrage. Governor Romney was the least aggressive he has been in any of the debates.
Nonetheless, Romney accomplished his two main goals. He did not make any major mistakes and he was believable to undecided voters as a potential commander-in-chief. He avoided bellicose rhetoric. And, even with a more laidback style, he was able to make the case that Obama's weak economy is also weakening our national security.
Governor Romney reminded viewers of Obama's disgusting apology tour when he said this:
"Mr. President, the reason I call it an apology tour is because you went to the Middle East and you flew to Egypt and to Saudi Arabia and to Turkey and Iraq. And by way, you skipped Israel, our closest friend in the region, but you went to the other nations. ...they noticed that you skipped Israel. And then in those nations and on Arabic TV you said that America had been dismissive and derisive. You said that on occasion America had dictated to other nations. Mr. President, America has not dictated to other nations. We have freed other nations from dictators."
He brought up Obama's whispered reassurances to the Russians that he will be more accommodating, "flexible," AFTER the election. All these themes can be emphasized in the last two weeks of the campaign.
Polling shows a slight edge for Obama -- 48% to 40% in a CNN poll. But most voters also said the debate will not impact their vote.
Now it gets down to the "ground game," fought out block-by-block in every community in America to get out the vote!
By the way, today's Rasmussen poll (conducted before the debate) has Governor Romney leading President Obama 50% to 46%. That is the largest lead either candidate has enjoyed in months and confirms that Romney has, as Rush Limbaugh says, "Mitt-mentum."
If America's enemies have endorsed Barack Obama, why should American voters?
This tough new ad is getting noticed. Yesterday the Washington Examiner ran a story on it. Our friends at The Weekly Standard are highlighting it on their blog today. Thank you, my friends, for making our work possible!
Dow Down
As I write, I've been keeping an eye on the Dow. It's down more than 200 points right now. The decline is due to major U.S. companies like DuPont and 3M reporting disappointing earnings and hinting at layoffs and downsizing.
Obama's policies are taking us in the wrong direction -- into another recession, and after four years of "Obamanomics" we have yet to fully recover from the last one!
Grahams Go All In
The stakes for men and women of faith in this election are tremendous. Barack Obama is the most pro-abortion, pro-gay rights, anti-Israel, anti-religious liberty president ever. He has already made two appointments to the Supreme Court, and the next four years could well bring two or more vacancies.
Billy and Franklin Graham understand the importance of this election, and both men are taking unprecedented steps to mobilize values voters.
Last week, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association began running full page ads in national newspapers urging Americans to vote for biblical values. This week those ads are running in major regional newspapers in key states.
Not surprisingly, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is taking a lot of flak from the left. To many liberals, government is their god and they have no tolerance for biblical values.
Please take a moment to encourage Billy and Franklin Graham. Click here to send a message of support for their work, and let them know how much you appreciate their bold stand for faith, family and freedom!
THE WRAP-UP - With Obama and Romney seated at a semi-circular table, the debate produced little of the finger-pointing and even less of the interrupting that marked their extremely contentious debate last week. Get our summaryHERE.
AP Fact Checking - As they have done with each of the previous debates, the Associated Press extracted the validity behind the big statements made last night. See what they foundHERE.
'Bayonets And Horses' What was that about? President Obama's zinger about the state of our military and the weapons they use went viral almost instantaneously. TheBlaze found five problems with the statement. Take a lookHERE
What Was The Deal With Obama's Stares? Ready for some scary stares (just in time for Halloween)? Take a look at these screen grabs of the President snagged from last night's foreign policy debateHERE.
Chris Matthews: Debate Pandering To Israel MSNBC's post-debate analysis included the anticipated crazy comments from the network's elder statesmen. Watch him drop a "jack*ss" and also claim the candidates were "pandering to Israel" HERE.
The debates now history, President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney commence an open a two-week sprint to Election Day powered by adrenaline, a boatload of campaign cash and a determination to reach Nov. 6 with regrets. Scan their plans HERE.
The real story behind Ambassador Chris Steven�s death was the focus of Glenn Beck�s Monday evening broadcast while he interviewed former CIA officer Clare Lopez. Her interview, which includes th statement, "Our administration was working with the bad guys," can be seen HERE.
American Atheists (AA), a non-profit devoted to advancing a secular cause, has, once again, launched an anti-Mormon campaign. The billboard reads, �No Blacks Allowed. No Gays Allowed. Shame on Mormonism.� See it HERE..
Wisconsin State Senator Neal Kedzie says his son was physically assaulted while trying to stop an unknown suspect from stealing his Romney/Ryan front yard sign in Whitewater, Wis. The local TV news report is HERE.
The Glenn Beck Program - Glenn was not happy with Romney's debate performance last night... but there may be a silver lining. Watch a new episode of the Glenn Beck Program at 5pm ET or on-demand on TheBlaze TV.
Real News from TheBlaze - Last night's debate, economic patriotism, and the UN's monitoring of our elections are on the agenda tonight. Tune in to Real News at 6pm ET or on-demand on TheBlaze TV.
Wilkow! -- The lead topic of tonight's show - How is this election different from 2008? Tune in tonight for Wilkow! at 6pm ET -- only on TheBlaze TV.
TheBlaze Radio Network! Jay Severin, one of America�s top 25 radio hosts is now available exclusively from 2-5pm ET each weekday on TheBlaze Radio. The network�s lineup also includes a simulcast of The Glenn Beck Radio Program and audio simulcasts of TheBlaze TV shows.Check out the network�s full lineup and listen for FREE.
In its efforts to understand how a body would fare in the ocean, forensic scientists at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia put a pig carcass caged in the water and let sea lice have at it. It only took four days for the sea lice to reach bone. Watch the time lapse HERE. (Content Warning! Not for the squeamish.)
Pentagon Will Not Classify Fort Hood Shootings As Terrorism--Or Anything Else By Pete Winn CNSNews.com The Pentagon on Monday refused to classify the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood as terrorism and said it will not further classify the incident in any way -- other than as murder, according to a spokesman.
Yes, it's controversial, but it could also set you on the path to conquer the weight and belly fat issues that will be caused by the foods you will eat over the holidays. Listen to what Isabel Del Los Rios says and pay particular attention to the 4 foods she says you should never eat. Watch this video now.
America Haters Love Obama
Chavez, Castro And Putin Stump For Obama Washington Times The latest [dictator] to publicly announce his support for the commander-in-chief's reelection bid was Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, who this week assured he'd vote for Obama if he were from the United States. The America-bashing strongman made the announcement on state-owned television, saying "Obama is a good guy" and that if Obama was from Caracas, he'd surely return the favor by voting for Chavez.
There is a growing and erroneous belief these days that the Anti-Christ will be a Muslim. How does one go about providing a valid counter argument to this growing belief while examining the pivotal role that Islam will play as a driving force in the end times? A newly released 5-Volume Special Report, The Final Crusade, examines the history of Islam and authoritatively answers this nagging question. Read more and prepare to be shocked.
Doing Al-Qaeda And Taliban's Propaganda Work For Them
Defense Contractors In The Hot Seat-Again! By Kerry Patton CanadaFreePress.com The moment a whistleblower delivered a cell phone video of a few defense contractors drunk and stoned in Afghanistan, the controversy about such patriots re-sparked an old flame. Remember, it wasn't long ago that Blackwater became an overnight household name. Today, Jorge Scientific, a large defense contractor out of Virginia has emerged as the new American villain operating overseas. The old saying, "a few bad apples can ruin the bunch" holds true.
Is Obama Is Manufacturing A Crisis? Are You Prepared?
Are you prepared to rely on the largess of the Obama Regime for your basic needs? It's time to face reality and arm yourself with the vital information you need to survive any crisis. Don't put it off any longer. Watch this short video.
Why BHO Didn't Provide Security Needed In Benghazi
The Consequences Of Obama's Love Of Islam By Nonie Darwish WorldNetDaily I have never entertained the idea that Obama was a Muslim and always believed he was a socialist. But Obama's behavior over the last four years regarding Islam have convinced me that Obama has a Socialist/Islamic-centered worldview--a combination that is not uncommon in many parts of the Muslim world.
Oct 23, 2012 02:39 pm Did you vote for Barack Obama in 2008? A lot of people did - obviously. What a time. There's still room for improvement, but what a testimony to just how far we as a nation have come in terms of racial harmony, tolerance, and diversity. Only decades earlier, a man like Barack Obama - a [...]
Call Me Crazy, But I Thought Romney Won This Final One
Oct 23, 2012 02:14 pm The Third 2012 Presidential Debate I am not a Romney fan (I am not an Obama fan either), but I thought Romney actually won this third presidential debate. Yes, he agreed with a lot of what Obama has done with foreign affairs. However, in areas where he should not have agreed, he didn't. He spoke up for [...]
Matthews Claims Romney Supporters Fueled By Racial Hatred Of Obama
Oct 23, 2012 02:01 pm Presidential Debate III was more like "Rocky" Round 16, an afterthought where neither boxer really lands a clean punch on the other and where the crowd has dozed off or gone to bed. Only in the land of MSNBC were sparks flying. Famously tingly MSNBC host Chris Matthews decided the whole race came down to, [...]
Oct 23, 2012 01:52 pm Vice President Joe Biden stepped into a confessional and knelt. "Hey, Father, how you doing?" he said to the priest. "Well, Joseph, not so well of late. There is great concern among the religious community about actions the Obama administration has taken as part of ObamaCare." "What are you talking about, Father?" "Joseph, earlier this [...]
Oct 23, 2012 01:34 pm Editor's Note: Dr. Andrew G. Hodges is a psychiatrist and forensic profiler who decoded O.J. Simpson's "suicide note," deciphered the JonBenet Ramsey ransom note and worked on the Natalee Holloway murder case. He's author of "The Obama Confession: Secret Fear, Secret Fury," and uses a unique psycholinguistic technique he calls "ThoughtPrint Decoding" to "read between [...]
Oct 23, 2012 12:54 pm Yesterday, I continued my sandwich board campaign at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in my hometown. I have been there, mostly with another retired cop and fellow Marine, on Mondays and Fridays for the past 6 weeks, wearing a sandwich board with various messages. Over the weeks, I have been surprised to draw thumbs up [...]
Obama Supporters Continue Threats To Riot, Assassinate Romney
Oct 23, 2012 12:21 pm Despite the issue garnering a significant amount of media interest as well as the attention of the Secret Service, Obama supporters continued their threats to riot and assassinate Mitt Romney if Obama loses in the aftermath of last night's presidential debate. As we reported last week, Twitter has been flooded recently with violent comments from [...]
Oct 23, 2012 12:17 pm Let's be clear. If Romney wins in November, we are not out of the woods. We've only stopped the bear from attacking us. There's still a lot of work to do. Republicans are also socialists. They tend to be a slower moving train. They hope to win the liberal dependent classes to vote for them [...]
Here Are A Few Races We Can't Let Slip Through Our Fingers
Oct 23, 2012 12:06 pm Mitt Romney is doing well, but now we have to help give him a solid conservative Congress. This comes from Real Clear Politics and/or Rasmussen. Karen Harrington can beat Debbie Wasserman Schultz and help us get rid of her. The last Poll showed 16 points of undecided and DWS under 45%. Obama won the district [...]
ABC And CNN Declare 'False' What Krauthammer Touted As Romney's 'High Point'
Oct 23, 2012 12:05 pm "The high point of that debate for Romney is when he devastatingly leveled the charge of Obama going around the world on 'an apology tour,'" Charles Krauthammer asserted on the Fox News Channel following Monday night's third presidential debate. But what Krauthammer saw as so powerful for Mitt Romney, ABC and CNN tried to discredit [...]
Oct 23, 2012 11:54 am WASHINGTON (OfficialWire) - Embattled GOP Senate hopeful Todd Akin says Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill fetches Washington headaches and brings them back to Missouri like a "dog." The website PoliticMo.com captured audio from a Saturday night fundraiser of Akin telling supporters that McCaskill goes to Washington, and, like a game of "fetch," brings home red tape, [...]
Romney Won The Presidential Debate By Looking Presidential
Oct 23, 2012 11:52 am Romney won the third presidential debate - and how he did it was encapsulated in a single exchange. The candidates were discussing military spending and Romney had just accused Obama of making harmful cutbacks. The President wheeled out what must have seemed like a great, pre-planned zinger: "I think Governor Romney maybe hasn't spent enough [...]
Oct 23, 2012 11:38 am Several fans of Louisiana State University football recently discovered that the college used their photograph in an email celebrating the team's winning season. The four men were painted in school colors and, as a sign of their Christian faith, also displayed a small cross on their chests. LSU staff deliberately removed those crosses, though, which [...]
You already know this election season is among the most brutal ever, but you won't believe how far one uber-liberal Democrat is going to deceive the public.
"National defense is one of the cardinal duties of a statesman." --John Adams
Final Debate Memo to Mitt From Mark Alexander
Obama can't be trusted
Last week, I met with one of the brightest Republican Senators in Congress, a longtime friend. I asked him if he thought Obama's October surprise could be a "rice paper" agreement of some sort with Iran over their nuclear production program -- something to help Obama look like a strong "foreign policy president" ahead of his final debate on that subject with Mitt Romney.
We have asserted in The Patriot Post for weeks that Obama would pull this prospect out of his political hat. I even closing my 11 October essay, "Obama's October Surprise," with this note: "There are still four weeks for a diversionary 'October Surprise' to bolster Obama's stature as a 'foreign policy president.' Expect a 'rice-paper' (easily dissolvable) agreement from Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, puppet of Ali Khamenei, promising new negotiations on their uranium enrichment plans. Additionally, expect BO to drop a few 500 pounders on some peasant villages in Libya and claim direct hits against those who attacked our embassy -- since the diversionary 500 pounder they dropped on that anti-Islamic web video did not suffice."
We repeated this assertion in editions on 15 and 19 October.
My Senate friend replied, "It's not going to happen. Besides, we are running out of time for October surprises," proving yet again that even the smartest Republicans tend to underestimate the duplicity of Obama and his socialist cadres.
In our latest post-debate quiz, match wits on the important issues with both President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney - as Heritage analysts fact-check both candidates on taxes, regulation, entitlement reform and more.
Top 10 Examples of Wasteful Federal Spending in 2012 Exotic dancers, robotic squirrels, and a reality TV show in India-your tax dollars at work! Two new reports-including Federal Spending by the Numbers 2012-shed light on these and other examples of Washington's irresponsible spending.
Time to Address the Retirement Savings Crisis Only if we make reform a priority can we avert crisis. Read the Full Report
Heritage vs. the Left on Entitlement Reform David John goes on AARP's TV show to show the way forward for reform. Watch the Video Now
Chart: Defense Budget Cuts Gamble with Natl. Security The candidates sparred last night about defense cuts; see the budget figures visualized. Read and Comment Now
Last night Americans enjoyed a rare opportunity. The presidential campaign actually focused on an area that's truly the responsibility of the commander in chief: foreign policy. But as the men who would be president sparred over individual issues ranging from China's trade policy to the war in Afghanistan, they were missing a larger, more important point.
The true consistency of American foreign policy is found not necessarily in its policies, which prudently adapt to changing circumstances, but in its guiding principles, which are unchanging and permanent.
The country would be better served if the candidates would sign on to certain governing principles, and then rely on these principles to guide their actions. As Professor Charles R. Kesler put it after the second debate, "The questioners kept asking for more details, but don't they see it's not the details but the principles of the myriad new laws and programs on offer that they seek? They could never hope to grasp all the details, and shouldn't want to."
So what principles guide America's foreign policy?
America's Role in the World.America does have a special role in the world-one that is morally and philosophically grounded in the principles of human liberty, and in its sense of justice. This does not mean that the United States has a duty to topple all tyrannical regimes and establish republican governments the world over. That said, the United States may determine that in certain cases it is necessary to fight the monsters of despotism in order to protect its interests, defend freedom, and preserve peace.
Liberty is America's cause. At the heart of America's exceptionalism is the universal principle that all are free by nature because each person possesses inherent rights. In a world that mostly does not hold these truths, the United States should encourage the recognition of individual rights and the institutions of constitutional government to protect those rights. As George Washington explained in 1789, "It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself, and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his immediate posterity; but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world, and stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn."
National Independence matters. Independence means that it is always in our interest to prevent the United States from becoming subservient to the interests of another nation. The most important goal of American foreign policy is to defend the independence of the United States, so that America can govern itself according to its principles and pursue its national interests.
Conviction matters. The way to prevail in the ideological challenges against us-from radical Islamic terrorism to resurgent transnationalism and other anti-American forces-is to actively defend and promote America's principles and the spread of economic and political freedom around the world. Public diplomacy plays an especially important role in this principle.
Advance freedom on all fronts. Especially economic freedom. Free trade policies create economic dynamism, which engenders continual innovation and leads to better products, new markets, greater investment--and more jobs. Countries that have the lowest trade barriers also have the strongest economies, the lowest poverty rates, and the highest average levels of per-capita income.
These principles ought to-but haven't-guided our actions.
In recent years, we've been reminded that, without American leadership, the world is a more dangerous place-for Americans and for freedom. Transnational terrorism, rampant anti-Americanism, unaccountable international institutions, nuclear proliferation, and regional conflict all represent threats to our security, our liberties, and our prosperity. The ability of rogue nations and hostile non-state actors to use weapons of mass destruction against the United States creates a new and compelling reason for America to defending itself actively. A weak America, at home or abroad, endangers not only the peaceful and productive future of this country, but also that of its friends and allies.
The lesson of these last four years is that the United States must have the will and the means to stay involved in the world. Not only to protect the nation and its citizens from freedom's adversaries, but also to defend its principles, policies, and vital interests wherever they may be threatened. By providing for the common defense, protecting the freedom of American commerce, and seeking peaceful relations with other nations, America can continue its international leadership and advance the ideas of political, economic, and religious freedom.
The friends of freedom everywhere have always looked to America and drawn great inspiration from its ideas, example, and actions. This must remain true in the next administration-and far beyond.
Visit ConstitutionOnline.com. Your first stop for clause by clause analysis of the Constitution.
The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is, in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little political connection as possible.
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Last night's debate between President Obama and Governor Romney was supposed to focus on foreign policy. It turned into a wide-ranging conversation on everything from the Middle East to American teachers.
Heritage Foundation experts were live blogging analysis throughout the night. Below are some highlights from their reactions. Join us at 10 a.m. ET today for a Google+ hangout with several of our foreign policy experts-you can watch online and submit questions via Twitter using the hashtag #HeritageFan.
A Heavy Focus on the Middle East
Both men agreed that the Middle East was changing quickly, but said little about the new face of terrorism. Governor Romney charged that events in Libya, Syria, and Egypt demonstrated that the Obama Administration's policies were unraveling and leaving the region without adequate American leadership. President Obama defended his policies but spent more time attacking Romney's policies, which he criticized as "all over the map."
Obama repeatedly plugged the killing of Osama bin Laden and ending the war in Iraq. But he said little about how al-Qaeda has regrouped and grown stronger since those events. The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, particularly special operations forces, greatly reduced the pressure on al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and has allowed it to make a comeback. In July, AQI felt strong enough to publicly threaten an attack on the U.S. homeland.
The al-Qaeda franchise in Yemen also has launched several failed attacks on the homeland. Al-Qaeda also has seized large swaths of northern Mali using some of the weapons that it and its allies seized from Libya after the fall of Muammar Qadhafi. And the September 11 Benghazi terrorist attack, which was perpetrated by al-Qaeda sympathizers, underscored the continuing appeal of al-Qaeda's extremist ideology.
Although Osama bin Laden is dead, al-Qaeda clearly is very much alive.
- James Phillips, Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs
Cutting the Defense Budget
During the debate, President Obama asserted that his budget proposal maintains defense at about current levels. This is simply untrue. Here are the numbers from his Office of Management and Budget from this year's budget request. In fiscal year 2010, defense spending was $721.3 billion in budget authority. Under the President's proposal, defense spending will fall to $566.3 billion in fiscal year 2014.
This is a 21 percent reduction in just four years. Further, this does not account for the negative effects of inflation on the defense budget. Finally, the President's budget proposal does not calculate the impact of automatic defense spending reductions in the Budget Control Act of 2011. These automatic spending cuts to defense will amount to more than $500 billion over nine years. While the House of Representatives has adopted a measure to defer these automatic cuts to defense by applying the necessary spending reductions to areas outside defense, President Obama's White House threatened a veto in response to this measure.
President Obama wants the American people to believe that Governor Romney is proposing to increase the defense budget by $2 trillion. He calculates this by assuming that his defense spending reductions already apply, and therefore serve as the basis for comparisons. In reality, Governor Romney is proposing not to let President Obama's defense budget reduction proposal to take place.
America's military is the single most valuable contributor to increasing the likelihood of a peaceful and prosperous world. Large-scale reductions in the defense budget, therefore, put the prospects of a peaceful and prosperous world further out of reach.
- Baker Spring, F.M. Kirby Research Fellow in National Security Policy
The Navy and Number of Ships Needed
President Obama said:
You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military's changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.
While the types of ships of today are different from those prior to World War I, there are certain laws of physics that have not changed. And one of those is that, no matter how much cyber capability or space capability may exist, a ship can still be only in one place at any one time. Thus, whether it is battleships or aircraft carriers, whether it is nuclear-powered submarines or biplanes, each system can only be in one place at any given time. And a shortfall of naval vessels, such as now exists, means that there will be times and places where there will be fewer ships than U.S. Navy analysts and officers deem appropriate and necessary.
The idea that better cyber capabilities can substitute for physical capabilities constitutes a fundamental misunderstanding of how military forces operate. Of course, it hasn't been helped by the dismissive attitude assumed by President Obama's first Secretary of Defense about how the U.S. had excessive numbers of aircraft carriers, as though the proper state of American security is to have parity with potential foes, rather than clear superiority.
- Dean Cheng, Research Fellow, Asian Studies Center
Defense Readiness Is Key to America's Role in the World
The weakness of America's economy is hurting America. The added self-inflicted wound of the cuts directed by the sequestration provision of the Budget Control Act will damage the readiness of the nation even further. When America's allies see the leader of the free world as receding and leading from behind, they worry and pull back from operations that support U.S. interests.
When both candidates agree that America has a responsibility to lead, the conditions to ensure that leadership must be set and protected. To do that, sequestration must be turned off and the assault on readiness ended. The so-called $2 trillion that Obama says is "not asked for by the generals" is exactly what nearly every expert says America needs to have solid defense (4 percent of GDP). America's leadership in foreign affairs must be reinvigorated, and we must provide all the tools needed by diplomats and intelligence professionals.
The argument that the present defense budgetary situation is based on strategy and exactly what the uniformed leaders have asked for is a little disingenuous. The cuts made in the last four years have been dollars-based, with the defense officials like Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta claiming further "cuts will be a disaster." This must be changed.
- Steven Bucci, PhD, Senior Research Fellow for Defense and Homeland Security
Jobs on the Home Front
Obama talked of turning our attention to home, including bringing our veterans home. But there are no jobs for them at home, with unemployment hovering stubbornly around 8 percent and job creation well below what is needed to grow the economy. Building up our roads and bridges won't create new jobs. America's workers need more than the same failed stimulus policies to grow the economy. Rather, the President needs to make sure Taxmageddon does not occur and get control of the budget.
- Alison Fraser, Director, Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies
Federal Pay for Education Employees Won't Create Jobs
President Obama accused Governor Romney of believing that class size "doesn't make a difference" and that hiring teachers won't create jobs.
Actually, class size, within reasonable bounds, does not impact student achievement. The National Center for Education Statistics, for example, has tracked the national student-teacher ratio over time. Today, nationally, the student-teacher ratio is just 15.2: 1. The student-teacher ratio has declined 29 percent since 1970 and by more than 40 percent since 1950. But despite these declines, academic achievement has seen little to no improvement, graduation rates have been stagnant, and achievement gaps persist.
Second, spending more taxpayer dollars on federal programs to hire education employees (President Obama proposes $25 billion to do just that) won't create jobs. It will simply represent another large transfer of wealth from taxpayers to public education employees, half of whom are not teachers.
While enrollment in America's public schools has not quite doubled since 1950, staff positions (both instructional and administrative) increased by 377 percent between 1950 and 2010 (a nearly five-fold increase). From 1970 to 2010, enrollment in the nation's public schools increased just 7.8 percent; over the same time period, education staff increased 84 percent.
Again, such increases have failed to move the needle on student achievement. The only beneficiaries of new federal programs and spending have been the education unions.
- Lindsey Burke, Will Skillman Fellow in Education
The U.S. Place in the World
The discussion of the U.S.'s place in the world in last night's debate was unsatisfactory. To the extent that it focused directly on that subject, both Obama and Romney sought to reduce it to a question of defense spending, which the President was eager to cut. That is the wrong approach; much better is to assess what the U.S. needs to carry out its responsibilities and budget accordingly. But both men largely fought shy of presenting any larger vision of the U.S.'s role in the world, and sought to focus their remarks on domestic policy. Governor Romney led off with the U.S. need to defend freedom, promote the principles on which it was founded, and to support its allies, but after that the discussion diverged into job creation, a half-hearted defense by the President of his renewable energy policies, and a lengthy wrangle about education policy.
It is perfectly fair to argue that the U.S. cannot be strong abroad unless it is strong at home. In fact, this is one of the subjects that we hoped this debate would focus on. But economic strength needs to be coupled to a broader understanding of the U.S.'s vital national interests in the world, to an understanding of the merits and limits of diplomacy, and-ultimately-to a vision, informed by the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, of the purpose and processes of U.S. foreign policy. After Governor Romney's opening, these vital subjects disappeared from the debate. That reflects, perhaps, the sentiment of both sides that the election will not be won on foreign policy.
- Ted R. Bromund, PhD, Senior Research Fellow in Anglo-American Relations
I thought one statement by Barack Obama was the highlight of last night's debate. Seeking to land a knockout blow against Mitt Romney's advocacy of preserving our military spending in the face of the planned sequester, Obama asserted in his patented style:
I think Governor Romney maybe hasn't spent enough time looking at how our military works.
You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military's changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.
Obama's tone was patronizing at best. Yet the substance of his comments seemed their least defensible element. Obama seemed to be saying that naval power was obsolete, or that it could no longer fairly be represented by the number of ships.
Obama didn't bother to make an argument, substituting a condescending attitude for relevant facts. Max Boot brings out the heavy artillery - facts! - in "On national defense, quantity matters too." (Bob Owens has more here.)
How about horses? I wasn't quick-witted enough to think of the role horses had played in our attack on the Taliban in Afghanistan after 9/11. Doug Stanton's Horse Soldiers tells the story.
What about bayonets? Donald Sensing points out that Obama was also wrong about bayonets. I had no idea they were basic to Marine weaponry, but Sensing's comment about this component of Obama's remarks perfectly captures my reaction to Obama's misguided riff: "Sarcasm and condescension only work if the speaker's presumption of lofty superior knowledge is borne out by his command of actual facts. You can't successfully accuse your opponent of being an ignoramus when you don't know what you're talking about yourself." TMZ reports that President Obama has "offended the bayonet community." Not bad for a night's work.
And this was no spontaneous outburst on Obama's part. Rather, it was clearly a planned, premeditated assault on Romney worked up by Team Obama. It wasn't the video! (video below). It wasn't even clever politically.
After the opening moments of last night's debate, Benghazi went virtually unmentioned. But that doesn't mean that the Obama administration's most disastrous security failure will soon be forgotten. The Young Cons, Riddle and Rufful, made this excellent, brief video that exposes the administration's dishonesty-assuming, as Obama says, that he knew by the next day that the murder of four Americans was a terrorist attack and not, in Mark Steyn's immortal words, a movie review gone bad. It also places the administration's dishonesty in the context of its claims about the supposed demise of al Qaeda:
If there's a common takeaway from the four debates of this presidential cycle, it's the indiscipline of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The problem manifested itself in different ways in different debates.
In the first debate, Obama apparently lacked the discipline to treat the event with the seriousness it required. He seemed comparatively unprepared, unwilling to treat Romney as a serious opponent until it was too late, and unable even to strike a serious pose for the camera.
Biden's performance in the vice presidential debate became an instant legend in the annals of indiscipline. Clueless Joe could not refrain from smirking, from interrupting, or from gratuitous nastiness. He thereby cost himself a victory.
With his presidency on the line in the third debate, Obama managed to remain mostly under control. Yet the president couldn't refrain from asking Candy Crowley to repeat her endorsement of his misleading claim that he called the Benghazi attack terrorism the day after it happened. Thus, we were treated to the spectacle of the President of the United States pleading with a television personality for additional intervention - a plea that resulted in Crowley retreating somewhat from her initial, supportive position.
And let's not forget that the Democrats in the audience lacked the discipline to refrain from cheering like children when Crowley initially vouched for Obama.
Last night, with his presidency seeming to slip away, Obama was less disciplined than during the third debate. Like an arrogant athlete, he attempted at times to intimidate Romney with a glare. It didn't work. He interrupted Romney several times. It didn't work.
Moreover, Obama lacked the discipline to resist taking small, cheap, unpresidential shots at Romney. The worst of these was his wisecrack about the military not needing lots of ships, just as it doesn't need many horses and bayonets. The opportunity to sound clever, and to talk down to Romney in such a snide way, struck Obama as too good to pass up.
Unfortunately for the president, Romney had already shown that the Navy wants more ships than Obama is providing. So Obama was really talking down to the Navy as much as to Romney.
With this one piece of indiscipline, Obama probably kissed Virginia's electoral votes goodbye. But Virginia already seemed to be slipping away. More importantly, so is Obama's image as a presidential figure.
Do the undisciplined performances of Obama and Biden point to larger reality? In other words, are Democrats inherently less disciplined in this sort of setting than Republicans?
So it seems, though certainly not invariably. Al Gore's lack of discipline was the big story of the 2000 debates. But John Kerry was very much under control in 2004 and Obama was cool as could be four years later.
Republicans, meanwhile, seem not to have suffered from a serious emotional self-discipline problem since Bob Dole's performance in the vice presidential debate all the way back in 1976. So, while Democrats running for high office aren't always undisciplined, they seem to behave as such more often than Republicans do.
This shouldn't be surprising. Much more than Republicans, Democrats as a class tend to believe their emotions carry poltical weight. Indeed, they believe that their empathy, compassion, or whatever constitute a big part of what differentiates them from conservative Republicans. Because they ascribe political importance to their feelings, it's understandable that they are less able to keep their feelings in check under the pressure of a high stakes debate.
We've commented on the performances of the moderators of the first three debates, so I'll say a few words about last night's moderator Bob Schieffer: Job well done.
Schieffer stuck to his assignment, which was to ask topical questions that provoke discussion; to move on to other topics after both candidates had a roughly equal opportunity to address the pending one; and to ensure that, overall, the candidates received equal time.
Reflecting on the four moderators, we see that the two old men, Schieffer and Jim Lehrer, performed well and that their female counterparts, Martha Raddatz and Candy Crowley, did not. Raddatz and Crowley turned in "more is less" performances. They participated more than Lehrer and Schieffer but exercised less control.
Crowley was particularly awful. At times, she became the third debater; she allowed the proceedings to spin nearly out of control; and she gave Obama significantly more speaking time than Romney.
In the end, the approaches of the moderators took me back to elementary school in the late 1950s. In those days, generally speaking, the female teachers cried out for order in the classroom and rarely got it, while the male teachers commanded order with little effort. In fairness to Raddatz, though, in Joe Biden she drew the archetypical problem child - a bully, class clown, and special needs student all rolled into one.
I hope this post hasn't offended our female readers. As a society, we've come too far to be burdened by the gender stereotypes that, in my view, these four debates promoted. That's why CNN, ABC News, and the rest should strive to select better female moderators in 2016.
Well, that didn't take long: the Romney campaign has already come out with a new ad on Obama's apology tour, over which there was a sharp exchange in last night's debate:
It is a good ad on a topic I am sure Obama would rather not hear about at this point in the campaign.
by Tim Brown
163 Million Americans Get Hit With This Tax In 2013 No Matter Who Wins The Presidency
While both candidates for President have spoken about the economy, nether of them has brought up something that is going to his 163 million workers in January 2013, and no it's not Obamatax. Further these 163 million workers can expect to feel the pinch of this tax no matter who wins the election.
A temporary reduction in Social Security payroll taxes is due to expire at the end of the year and hardly anyone in Washington is pushing to extend it. Neither Obama nor Romney has proposed an extension, and it probably wouldn't get through Congress anyway, with lawmakers in both parties down on the idea.
Despite Romney's laid back, passive tone for this debate there were still plenty of heated moments. For example, Romney hit Obama over his apology tour - a charge which Obama flatly denied. Who won the most tense exchanges? Glenn has more on radio today.
Romney dropped the ball on Libya - Why? Glenn has a theory: Anyone watching who had a clue on the Libya story was yelling at their TV last night as Romney repeatedly chose not to attack. Instead, he allowed Obama to ramble on about how marvelous a job he's doing around the globe (even though our embassies are on fire and we have a dead ambassador) -- so why'd he do it? Glenn has one possible (and very good) reason.
Last night on TheBlaze TV Glenn had a chilling interview with former CIA agent Clare Lopez about the events that took place in Benghazi the night of Sept 11, 2012. She pieces together a timeline that paints an ugly, cold picture of what really happened that night. Plenty of resources around -- none of them used. A devastating case -- see it HERE.
Glenn's e-book thriller series: Great news! The fifth episode in the WRATH & RIGHTEOUSNESS e-book series has been released! If you haven't started reading the series yet, things are really taking off. There are ten episodes in total (about 5-6 full books worth of content), and we're releasing them over the course of about one year. You'll find easy download links to all episodes HERE. Have a question or comment about the series? Visit our FAQ page.
What'd Coulter think of Romney's final debate?
After the first two debates Ann had been boasting about the performance of Romney, who she picked as her candidate long before he was officially nominated. How does she think Romney fared in the final debate on foreign policy? Was Romney too soft? Check out the conversation from radio today.
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Behind the scenes at the debate
Last night on TheBlaze TV Glenn got a behind the scenes look at what goes on at the venue during a Presidential debate. There's a flurry of activity and the spin room is one of the more insane things in existence today. Ami Horowitz went to the second debate and provides a closer look at what goes on behind the cameras - WATCH.
Prepare yourself for Election 2012: TheBlaze.com and The Blaze TV provides you with the Election Coverage that you need to see. Check out what TheBlaze has planned!
The Project is now available on DVD: If you're like most of TheBlaze TV community, you watched The Project when it premiered and immediately wanted to share the truth about the Muslim Brotherhood's infiltration of our government with your family and friends or wanted a copy for yourself. Now, due to popular demand, we have made this must-see documentary available on DVD. Pre-Order your copy now.
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Are female voters detrimental to the country? Stu & Pat make the (fake) case for repealing the 19th amendment - WATCH.
American Voices: Jim DeMint
"If every American who knows what has to be done to turn this country around gets one person to vote with them in November, they can help change the country and change the world." See what else Senator DeMint has to say about the upcoming election HERE.
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DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz described the Medicare reforms proposed by GOP Vice-Presidential nominee and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) as "literally a death trap for seniors." White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that Ryan's reforms would "change Medicare as we know it."
But it was Obamacare that already changed Medicare as we know it, transforming it literally into a death trap for seniors. Obamacare cut Medicare by $716 billion over the next 10 years alone, mostly by slashing Medicare payments to doctors and hospitals. And that is just a down-payment on what is to come.