Friends, there is a gift that God has given me: I can smell something fishy a mile away. Like Benghazi. Almost on day one, I told my husband: "The facts don't make sense. Something is wrong here." Last night, after I saw a talking head interview (or, I should say, NOT interview) the father of the boy who saw his teacher get shot and ran for his life with a couple of friends, I told my husband, "Something is not right here. She didn't ask a single relevant question. So far, this boy is the only eye-witness of the gunman coming forward. She didn't ask if the boy saw one or more shooters. She didn't ask any details of what the gunman did first, second, third. She didn't ask for a description of the gunman. These reporters are complete prostitutes. They could care less about the feelings of the people they interview. So why didn't she ask any of these questions?" In fact, I could tell she was biting back questions. I looked at my husband and said, "Cal, this thing is starting to stink. By now, there should be many eye-witness accounts of the actual gunman. There should be breathless survivors talking about how this guy walked by their room, etc. About how they narrowly escaped. But so far, it looks like every single eye-witness is dead. That is IMPOSSIBLE!"
I watched the situation LIVE. There were original reports of a second man who was found in the woods that they had put in custody. This man was NEVER spoken of again. Why? The details of the shooting changed enormously from one minute to the next. Inside sources at the police departments were reporting one thing while the official accounts said completely different information. The news reports were full of such ambiguous NON statements that I was furiously looking throughout the internet to find solid evidence or eye-witness accounts to clarify. None was to be found. One example: They originally said that the shooter was buzzed in via the front office's new video security system. Then, the news report said, "The shooter was NOT voluntarily buzzed into the school." What the heck does THAT mean? Does that mean he forced his way through the system? Does that mean they have video evidence of his face? Does that mean that there was someone on the inside putting a gun to someone's head to buzz the shooter in? Huh?
Also, it seems highly unlikely, based on descriptions of Adam, that he could have purchased all that black ops gear! The guy is described as being so shy that he would hug the school walls when someone approached him! Also, first the news definitely says the mother was a teacher and the classroom of dead kids was her class. Then, reports are that she had nothing to do with the school. So, why the shooting there? Also, the number and kind of weapons used changed. Also, where they discovered the weapons. Sometimes they reported that all the weapons were in the school. Then they said the rifle was in the car. But they also said that the shooter used the rifle to kill every single person with multiple shots.
No, something stinks here. The lack of eye witnesses of the shooter confirming the single shooter account is BLARINGLY absent.
In Cairo on Wednesday, a Coptic Christian blogger named Alber Saber was convicted of blasphemy and "contempt of religion." There's a tragic irony: As any of the country's Christians can tell you, contempt of religion is not merely permitted but encouraged in the new, post-Mubarak Egypt. What is criminal, what has become increasingly perilous, is any criticism of Islam.
Nor is truth a defense. Another Egyptian court recently upheld the blasphemy conviction of Makarem Diab, also a Coptic Christian. Diab had gotten into a discussion with a Muslim acquaintance, Abd al-Hameed, who, in the course of mocking Diab's faith, insisted that Jesus was a serial fornicator. Diab countered Hameed's baseless taunt with an assertion most Islamic scholars regard as accurate: namely, that Mohammed had more than four wives. Yet, because the context of Diab's assertion evinced an intention to cast Islam's prophet in an unfavorable light, Diab was prosecuted for "insulting the prophet" and "provoking students." He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment.
This is now everyday life in Egypt. It is also certain to be the future of Egypt. The overwhelmingly Islamist population, having first elected Islamic supremacists led by the Muslim Brotherhood to top leadership positions, is now poised to adopt a constitution that is founded on sharia, Islam's totalitarian legal framework, and that expressly enshrines these blasphemy standards. But the problem is not just sharia in Egypt. Sharia is here.
The 2nd Amendment - A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
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
Memorial Lecture
Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013
7:30pm
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.
Lubavitch of Bucks County * 25 N State Street * Newtown, PA 18940 * 215-497-9925
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.
An Interview with Larry P. Arnn President, Hillsdale College
LARRY P. ARNN, the twelfth president of Hillsdale College, received his B.A. from Arkansas State University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in government from the Claremont Graduate School. From 1977 to 1980, he also studied at the London School of Economics and at Worcester College, Oxford University, where he served as director of research for Martin Gilbert, the official biographer of Winston Churchill. From 1985 until his appointment as president of Hillsdale College in 2000, he was president of the Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy. He is the author of Liberty and Learning: The Evolution of American Education and The Founders' Key: The Divine and Natural Connection Between the Declaration and the Constitution and What We Risk By Losing It.
The following is adapted from an interview by Hugh Hewitt for the Hugh Hewitt Radio Show, conducted on the day after the election, November 7, 2012.
Hugh Hewitt: My guest is Larry Arnn, the president of Hillsdale College. Several weeks ago, when I was at Hillsdale, Dr. Arnn warned me that yesterday's election might well go badly for the cause of constitutional conservatism. And I wanted to review the results of the election with him today on the radio show. Larry, welcome.
Larry P. Arnn: Thank you, Hugh, good to be with you. And it did indeed turn out to be a terrible election from the standpoint of constitutionalism. Its results will bring about hardships and set back the time frame for reviving the kind of government our Founders bequeathed to us. I do agree with that. But I very much disagree with the idea that this election marks a decisive event in our politics, or a point of no return.
HH: That's what I want to discuss, because there are a lot of people who are close to saying "game over," who are tempted now to retreat from politics-to go do missionary work, for instance-and give up on the republic. But you have made your life's work the studying of leaders who have refused to do that.
LPA: That's right. And the reason you can't do that, by the way-the reason you can't retreat into private life and give up on politics-is that the cost of doing it is overwhelming. If you don't live under good laws, life becomes truncated and less happy, injustice becomes customary, civilization is compromised. And one cannot acquiesce in that. One has to be involved. And since politics is natural to us-man is essentially political, as Aristotle says-and since we do live in the greatest modern country-founded that way at least-we owe it a lot. And many of the people who have seen the republic through to where we are today have gone through things that are worse than this. So first of all, it's a duty not to give up. But second, there are good reasons to know that the game isn't over.
After being "the face of capitalism" for more than 200 years, the iconic New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) will sell for approximately $8 billion to "upstart" rival IntercontinentalExchange Inc. (ICE).
ICE and NYSE Euronext, the group that runs the NYSE, announced the deal Thursday. All that's left is for market regulators to approve the purchase.
"The buyer ... made clear Thursday that little would change for the trading floor in Manhattan's financial district if regulators approve the deal," the Associated Press notes.
"We believe the combined company will be better positioned to compete and serve customers across a broad range of asset classes by uniting our global brands, expertise and infrastructure," said IntercontinentalExchange Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Sprecher.
"Investors can opt for all cash, or 0.2581 IntercontinentalExchange common shares for each NYSE Euronext share or a mix of $11.27 in cash plus 0.1703 ICE shares," the Wall Street Journal explains.
"The deal is subject to a maximum cash consideration of $2.7 billion, as ICE said it will pay out about 67% in shares and 33% in cash as part of the deal," the report adds.
I'm talking to YOU...Citizens of the Socialist Banana Republik of the Former United States.
Some of you, far too many, have been hitting the snooze button for far, FAR too long.
Yesterday...THE WARNING SIREN WAS SOUNDED!!!
Are you awake...YET???
Yesterday, in what was surely the strangest press conference I have ever seen held by a president...One masquerading as one made some EAR SHATTERING announcements.
Ear shattering only if you aren't DEAF to the sound of a nation's destruction.
Normally, appointing Joe Biden to do ANYTHING would be a laughing matter but, this simply isn't funny.
Biden has been put in charge of Obama's commission to end gun violence.
The reason this isn't at all laughable is because Biden couldn't lead anyone's way out of a wet paper sack and Obama damned well knows it.
Biden, therefore, is nothing but a figurehead and future pavement under a Canadian made bus should anything go wrong.
The entire commission, whoever should be appointed to it is a sham.
To be succinct...This panel or commission or board...Whatever it ends up being labeled...Is nothing different from the group of scum who drew up the Sharia law "constitution" for Morsi in Egypt.
It's a kangaroo committee.
Make no mistake...The Emperor means to disarm Amerika and lay waste to the 2nd Amendment.
Allow me to connect a few dots and decode a couple of things from yesterday's presser.
Just wanted to let you folks know that I'm going to do my annual wind down where I get to let my kids be my alarm clock for a week.The Morning Briefing will go on hiatus until January 2, 2013.
Please have a wonderful and merry Christmas.Thank you so much for your friendship.
God bless,
Erick
1.Here
Two thousand years ago Christ was born in Bethlehem. We focus on angels, shepherds, wise men, and the virgin birth. We focus on the miracle. We ignore the rest of the story. King Herod sent soldiers to Bethlehem where they slaughtered every boy under the age of two. The world greeted the birth of the Savior with the slaughter of innocents.
John Boehner proceeded with Plan B and gave neither assurances nor reassurances that he would fight for meaningful spending cuts or entitlement reforms. He asked Republicans to give up the last plank in their party they had not surrendered in the name of big government without getting anything meaningful from the Democrats.
In short, John Boehner has spent two weeks negotiating with himself, ending what amounted to an elaborate bird of paradise mating dance with rejection by his own conference.. . . please click here for the rest of the post →
3.It's all About Trust
If you listen to many in the Republican intelligentsia, you will hear this accusation that conservative rebels destroyed the Republican Party.The reality is that nothing changed after the defeat of Boehner's plan B other than Republicans not buying into the premise of raising revenue for the federal leviathan.
Before last night's vote, we faced two possible outcomes; either we go over the cliff (which is not even such a cliff because rates could always be extended retroactively) or Boehner was going to cave on 90% of what Obama wanted.The same thing applies now.Boehner was never going to stand by his plan.And if it was worth voting for Boehner's plan, which according to their logic represented a tax cut for 99.81%, then it was worth voting for Obama's plan, which, by the same logic is a tax cut for 99% of taxpayers.
Breaking News.... The World Didn't End... Posted by Darla Dawald | December 21, 2012 at 7:35am
In case you haven't noticed or simply didn't realize yet because you are still half asleep, the world didn't end as predicted by the Mayans or those worried with the ending of their calendar. In fact, the world is still here and now we are anticipating going over the fiscal cliff. Either way we are in for another 4 years of communist, Marxist ruling from the dictator in chief sitting in the White House.
Actually, as far as I am concerned, we went over the fiscal cliff a long time ago. This is all a charade used for political posturing and we are the guinea pigs as usual. We have Boehner the Weak attempting to negotiate with a strong anti-colonialist raised and bred with black liberation theology running through his veins. Avoid the fiscal cliff? How about avoid the complete devastation to the world monetary system? How about avoiding the enormous tax bill now hanging on every child like a ball and chain? How about ending the ridiculous excessive spending in DC?
I could go on and on but you already know the drill.
So the world is still here and we still have a lot of work to do. Remember elections are won locally and lost the same. We have to be the change we want to see. One of my favorite quotes when I started out in business too many years ago is...
If it is to be, it's up to me!
That sentiment is so true in that it starts with us individually, but then it must spread to others. It may not take a village to raise a child but it certainly takes a good portion of that village working together to overthrow corruption!
So, the world didn't end.... not yet. We still have time to make an impact in our lives, other peoples lives, politics, spiritually, and in every way we are willing to work toward.
I am glad the world didn't end today because I've lost 25 lbs and just bought some new clothes yesterday! LOL! Plus today is the 11th year anniversary cancer free ( I had breast cancer in 2001) YAY!!! Another major milestone for me. I thank the Lord on high for that!
I pray that God will richly bless you and yours this Christmas season and you will take time to reflect on His grace, mercy and provisions for you.
Merry Christmas,
Darla Dawald, National Director
December 21, 2012
Am I a Threat? A Marine Officer After nearly two decades of service to our great nation, service in which I have been repeatedly placed in positions of significant public trust, exposed myself to injury (or death), and withstood numerous intrusive background investigations, why am I a threat? More
Extra! Extra! American Newspapers Don't Care about Reading Bruce Deitrick Price You'd think an industry that depends on reading would clamor for literacy among its customer base. But the American newspaperman has bigger fish to fry...at last as long as he can afford to fry anything. More
The Piltdown Warning Bruce Walker Sometimes "settled science" has a way of turning out to be a complete fraud. And no, this is not about global warming -- at least not primarily. More
Democrats Never Stray Far From Their Roots Kimberly Bloom Jackson Unfortunately, violent tactics have a long, historic connection to both Democrats and unions. Though if you grew up going to a unionized public school, there's a good chance that you've never heard of this. More
Muhammad at the Movies: The Sequel Andrew E. Harrod Varying official European responses to the release of The Innocent Prophet once again demonstrate the increasingly notable differences in sensitivity accorded to Islam and other faiths such as Christianity. More
Whittling Away our Freedoms Jeannie DeAngelis As Obama manipulates tragedy to advance Second Amendment restrictions in the U.S., guns walked across the border with his approval are still taking lives. More
Culture War -- with Guns December 21, 2012 It's come to this: Advocating beheadings, beatings and the mass murder of peaceful Americans to pay for the sins of a soulless madman. More
Blameless New World December 21, 2012 Why do you think there's always somebody to blame? More
As long as we are banning stuff... December 20, 2012 If the 2nd Amendment is responsible for Newtown, Conn. then let's have a look at what really kills Americans. More
Michelle Malkin on the Hypocrisy of Gun Control - Sean Hannity - 12-19-12
Biden and his Beretta
Boehner: Hope Pres. 'Gets Serious' on Fiscal Cliff
Robert Bork - Critic of Judges, Defender of Democracy
U.S. pastor arrested, held in Iranian jail
He is in a prison cell. He's been beaten and tortured. His family in Iran is under house arrest.
December 20, 2012
Dear ##FirstName[AFA Supporter]##,
A 32-year-old Iranian Christian pastor who is a U.S. citizen has been imprisoned without notice of any formal charges while visiting his family in Iran.
Saeed Abedini and his wife converted to Christianity from Islam and immigrated to the United States, according to OneNewsNow. He has made frequent trips to his homeland to visit with family who are also Christian converts. According to Jordan Sekulow of the American Center for Law & Justice, Abedini had been imprisoned before.
Sekulow said, "He has had a dust-up before there and agreed to stop his house church movement, which had hundreds of churches around Iran, but Saeed Abedini has been in prison now in Iran since September." Abedini's wife and two children remain in the U.S.
"He is in a prison cell. He's been beaten and tortured. His family in Iran is under house arrest," he describes. "He was placed in a cell with individuals who are saying they are al-Qaeda, and they're in jail in Iran for being extremists there and they're beating him because they found out he was a convert [and] a pastor."
In Washington, an annual charity concert known as "Christmas in Washington" was held. For 30 years the event has been attended by the first family. The main performer was South Korean rap star Park Jae-sang, known as "Psy."
Today a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. handed Belmont Abbey College and Wheaton College - and all religious colleges - a major victory in their challenges to Obamacare.
Perhaps the most selfish of all those who chose to exploit this unimaginable horror, were the opportunistic special interest ghouls, including many in elected office and our President, Barack Obama.
I maintain that there is no such thing as a "conservative Democrat" in today's political climate. If voters are looking for a conservative who will fight for gun owner rights, the other political party is the obvious choice.
Following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, American Humane Association issued these tips for parents and other caregivers to help children cope with the fear and uncertainty caused by this tragedy.
"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 most violent country in Europe: Britain is also worse than South Africa and U.S.
By James Slack | 2 July 2009
Britain's violent crime record is worse than any other country in the European union, it has been revealed.
Official crime figures show the UK also has a worse rate for all types of violence than the U.S. and even South Africa - widely considered one of the world's most dangerous countries.
The figures comes on the day new Home Secretary Alan Johnson makes his first major speech on crime, promising to be tough on loutish behavior.
The Tories said Labour had presided over a decade of spiralling violence.
In the decade following the party's election in 1997, the number of recorded violent attacks soared by 77 per cent to 1.158million - or more than two every minute.
The figures, compiled from reports released by the European Commission and United Nations, also show:
The UK has the second highest overall crime rate in the EU.
It has a higher homicide rate than most of our western European neighbours, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
The UK has the fifth highest robbery rate in the EU.
It has the fourth highest burglary rate and the highest absolute number of burglaries in the EU, with double the number of offences than recorded in Germany and France.
But it is the naming of Britain as the most violent country in the EU that is most shocking. The analysis is based on the number of crimes per 100,000 residents.
In the UK, there are 2,034 offences per 100,000 people, way ahead of second-placed Austria with a rate of 1,677.
Secretary of Hillary Clinton's suspicious, self-diagnosed "concussion" presents some interesting possibilities. She claims she fainted, fell and struck her head hard enough to have sustained the "concussion" which she is now relying upon to avoid having to lie about her part in the Benghazi cover up during a Congressional hearing. To her adoring media this story presents not a moment of skepticism but another chance to marvel at how skillfully the Clintons lie.
That Hillary did not seek or receive medical attention for such a serious injury as a concussion; (especially for an obese 65 year old woman) means little to her legion of media bootlickers. Nevertheless she will at some point have to either continue her ruse as a mentally incapacitated old woman - perhaps showing up at a hearing in a bath robe like Mafia boss Vincent "The Chin" Gigante, or testify as the rotund, 65 year ... Continue Reading:Will Hillary play Vincent "The Chin" Gigante or Woodrow Wilson on her way to the White House?
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has ruled the U.S. Senate with an iron fist since Democrats took the Senate majority after the 2006 election. He obstructed almost all of then-President George W. Bush's nominees by refusing to schedule confirmation votes even for non-controversial nominees to important positions. He has consistently used his power as Majority Leader to entirely shut Republicans out of the legislating process, and he now has the audacity to claim that Republicans are obstructing the legislative process. He is now seeking to take away the filibuster, which is currently the Minority party's only check on Majoritarian rule.
We need you to tell the truth about what Harry Reid is doing, and to call your Senators and tell them to oppose Reid's unprecedented power grab!
What Harry Reid Is Actually Doing
Few people have time to watch Senate proceedings on C-SPAN every day, and the mainstream media will not cover stories that jeopardize Reid's liberal agenda. So, not only has Harry Reid has been getting away with tyranny, but he's getting away with claiming that it's the Republican Minority that is being unreasonable. Here's how he does it:
The Senate Majority Leader's power comes from his ability to be recognized on the Senate floor before anyone else. So, when he brings a bill to the Senate floor, he uses procedural tricks to shut out minority amendments and debates by:
"Filling the Tree"
Senate rules limit the number of amendments that can be added to bills. So Reid uses his power of recognition to fill the amendment slots, usually with inconsequential amendments like changing commas, changing section numbers or names, etc., thus, keeping the Minority party from offering amendments.
Selectively Adding Republican Amendments
While "filling the amendment tree," Reid will often throw in a few Republican amendments that are non-controversial and do not interfere with his agenda. That enables him to say he included the Minority in the process, while keeping them from offering any amendments they actually want.
Same-Day Cloture Motions
After bringing a bill to the floor and "filling the tree," Reid will frequently file a Cloture motion, which is a motion to end debate. Senate Rules allow a Senator to speak as long as he or she desires and on any subject he or she desires unless 3/5 of the Senate votes to "invoke Cloture" to end the debate. "Filibuster" or prolonging debate to stall or block the passage of legislation can be a powerful tool for the Minority party. Reid consistently invokes Cloture almost simultaneously with bringing the bill to the floor, setting up the fiction that Republicans are filibustering, when in reality, they haven't even had the chance to start debating. Liberals then criticize Republicans for voting against Cloture motions, claiming they are obstructing Senate business, when in truth, they are simply voting to protect their right to properly consider matters before voting on them.
Harry Reid created the fiction that Republicans are abusing the filibuster so he can justify getting rid of it, and calling it "reform." We must not let him get away with it.
Reid Must Break Senate Rules to Change Them
There is one more twist. In order for Reid to amend Senate Rules to limit the filibuster, he will have to break Senate Rules. Unlike the House of Representatives, which changes every two years, the Senate is a continuing body, the members have staggered terms, so rules stay consistent from one session to the next. Reid wants to discard the notion that the Senate is a continuing body and change Senate rules to require only a simple majority to end a filibuster.
We are all frustrated with the radical nominees and legislation Obama, Reid and Pelosi have been able pass, but without the filibuster, we could not have stopped legislation like "Card Check" and "Cap and Trade," and could not have stopped some of President Obama's most radical nominees.
Take Action!
Please share this information with as many people as you can. It is up to us to set the record straight about what Reid is really doing. We need everyone to call their Senators and demand that they stop Harry Reid's power grab disguised as "reform." Tell your Senators to oppose all changes to Senate rules.
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Note: Although this is a partisan issue, even some liberal Senators are concerned about exercising this option, particularly senior Senators who have served while their party was in the Minority. If the rule is changed liberals will have to live under it just like conservatives when the power shifts.
The number of young black men who cast a vote for the Republican presidential candidate in 2012 tripled that of 2008. The reality of the Obama presidency presents an unprecedented opportunity to engage the black community and explore the roots of its political loyalty.
Nobody in the Middle East seems to trust or respect President Obama: not the Israelis, not the Palestinians, not the Syrians, not the autocrats, not the activists, and not the Islamists. Many Egyptians fear the United States isn't doing enough to stop the Muslim Brotherhood from trampling democracy. And many Libyans are frustrated that Obama mostly ignored their country following the death of Muammar Gaddafi, until four American diplomats were slaughtered in Benghazi.
Guns really don't kill people -- people kill people. With guns, knives, clubs, poison, explosives, pillows and their bare hands, among other things. And yet what George Orwell first dubbed the "pansy left" continues to insist that not only are guns the cause of crime, but that they have no use in the prevention of crime, unless wielded by the police.
Musicorps is a program that gives (often very severely) wounded combat veterans the opportunity to play music. It's the creation of a wunderkind in Washington, D.C., named Arthur Bloom, a Juliard prodigy who has performed with some very famous musicians and written some very successful compositions, including movie scores. He took his profits and put them into Musicorps, which maybe, just maybe, is beginning to attract the attention it deserves.
Despite the attempts by the Left to use the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut to forward their anti-gun agenda, Americans feel that there are other avenues they would rather explore to protect to innocent children, according to a new Gallup Poll. In order of preference, the poll shows that 53% of Americans would favor an increased police presence at schools, 50% wanted to increase government spending on mental health screening and treatment, 47% thought that gun violence on TV, in movies and in video games should be decreased, and 42% thought the sale of assault and semi-automatic guns should be banned.
Piers Bullies, Silences Gun Advocate; Calls Him Liar More
Video: Here's One Girl Who Understands REAL Gun Control
Dec 20, 2012 01:29 pm
When one Oklahoma girl found herself in a tough spot, she took matters into her own hands. Related posts: Girl Scouts Refers Girls To Media Matters To Clear Up 'Media Misinformation' In 2010, the Girl Scouts of the USA published a... The Awful Truth About The Girl Scouts Indiana freshman Representative Bob Morris is learning [...]
Dec 20, 2012 01:24 pm Americans who are opposed to Barack Obama should be facilitating his policies, not resisting them. It is not as illogical a course of action as it might first appear. Many Americans now realize that Obama is the nation's first openly illegal President and unindicted felon. He has reigned over a lawless administration; and in November [...]
Video: Gun Owners Of America's Larry Pratt: Obama Is A "Communist Dictator"
Dec 20, 2012 01:16 pm
Executive Director of Gun Owners of America Larry Pratt on the government push to ban firearms and the Democrat effort in the coming year to pass anti-gun legislation... Related posts: Piers Morgan Blows Up On Larry Pratt Over Gun Rights Piers Morgan being a pompous goofball as usual...... Continue to... Obama Vs. House On Guns: [...]
Media Celebrates Armed Killers, Ignores Armed Heroes
Dec 20, 2012 01:09 pm Mass killers are celebrated endlessly by a salivating national media unless their murderous exploits are thwarted by Americans with a privately-owned pistol and a concealed carry license. Nothing stirs "journalistic" juices like the mass extinction of helpless victims by a gun-wielding assassin. Excited by an inevitable spike in public interest generated by tales of massive [...]
Arizona GOP Chairman Tom Morrissey explains why he questioned Obama's birth certificate... Related posts: Former Netanyahu Adviser: Obama Birth Certificate Forged Peter Boyles interviews Dr. Jerome Corsi on his new article. An... Trump Forces Hannity To Address Obama's Forged Birth Certificate Donald Trump appeared on Sean Hannity's radio show yesterday to...
Who Will Hillary Play On Her Way To The White House?
Dec 20, 2012 12:50 pm Secretary of Hillary Clinton's suspicious, self-diagnosed "concussion" presents some interesting possibilities. She claims she fainted, fell, and struck her head hard enough to have sustained the "concussion" that she is now relying upon to avoid having to lie about her part in the Benghazi cover-up during a Congressional hearing. To her adoring media, this story [...]
I discuss what the far-left freaks have been up to since the tragedy in Connecticut. Related posts: Piers Morgan Blows Up On Larry Pratt Over Gun Rights Piers Morgan being a pompous goofball as usual...... Continue to... Christine O'Donnell Walks Off Piers Morgan Interview In a bizarre incident, former Delaware GOP Senate candidate Christine...
Dec 20, 2012 12:35 pm This year, the politically correct gestures of seasonal salutation (Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings, etc.), which for too long have served as substitutes for the real thing, have become vacuous, stale, and boring. This year, somehow, they seem especially inadequate to express the sentiment we so desperately need to hear at this moment in time. In [...]
Video: Busted: Mark Levin Exposes Dianne Feinstein On Gun Control
Dec 20, 2012 12:27 pm
They are ALL hypocrites. When they give up their armed guards, they can talk all they want. Got that, Ms. Feinstein?! Related posts: An Open Letter To Gun-Grabbing Senator Dianne Feinstein Senator Feinstein, I have been to your website and read... Sen. Feinstein Contradicts Obama On Intelligence Leaks On Monday, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein formally [...]
Video: Busted: Mark Levin Exposes Dianne Feinstein On Gun Control
Dec 20, 2012 12:27 pm
They are ALL hypocrites. When they give up their armed guards, they can talk all they want. Got that, Ms. Feinstein?! Related posts: An Open Letter To Gun-Grabbing Senator Dianne Feinstein Senator Feinstein, I have been to your website and read... Sen. Feinstein Contradicts Obama On Intelligence Leaks On Monday, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein formally [...]
Dec 20, 2012 12:24 pm It's been a week since my last column was published. In that respect, I have been a bit lazy. Since my last column, an unspeakable, heartbreaking event occurred. This is going to be my first column commenting on the event, and my second will be published later this week. My iPhone alerted me of what [...]
Video: Mindblowing Accounts Of Milwaukee Voting Fraud In 2012 Election
Dec 20, 2012 12:21 pm
When the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board met for its December meeting, it heard countless testimony from election day observers about irregularities they had seen. These two accounts stand out as particularly troubling. Related posts: Massive Voting Irregularities At Wisconsin Nursing Homes In 2012 Election Election observers told story after story of elections law violations... Interview: [...]
Dec 20, 2012 12:15 pm It's not tougher gun control, stupid. No matter how much tougher we make our gun laws, we'll never prevent future tragedies like last week's murder of those innocents in Newtown, Conn. We won't stop future Newtowns if we outlaw every military-style assault weapon in America. We won't stop future Auroras if we outlaw semi-automatic pistols [...]
A lawsuit alleges trooper Kelley Helleson performed searches on both women, touching the private parts of both women without changing gloves. Related posts: Lawsuit Accuses DHS Of Humiliating Men, Favoring Women An employee's lawsuit accuses Napolitano's Department of Homeland Security of... There's More To Women Than Reproductive Organs We are more than baby-makers. The beating [...]
Dec 20, 2012 12:04 pm Very few of the decisions made by California's leaders make any sense to me, though some are particularly reprehensible. Such is the case with a new elementary school set to honor Tiburcio Vasquez. Not exactly a household name, Vasquez was executed in 1875 for the murder of two individuals and is called "probably the most [...]
The Democrats seem so focused on ensuring everyone (and I mean everyone) can vote that they nullify the vote of legal, qualified Americans to have their voices heard. What are the Democrats doing to protect your voting rights? Nothing. Related posts: Holder's Hysterical Claim That Voting Rights Are At Risk Due To Voter ID Laws [...]
Dec 20, 2012 11:57 am Slavery in the United States was abolished with Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect in 1863; but I'm not sure it has completely gone away. Slavery flourished in North America throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries where it was an important part of the country's economic system. Under the legendary Sugar-Rum-Slave triad, sugar [...]
Video: How ObamaCare Limits Health Care For Children
Dec 20, 2012 11:54 am
Justin Binik-Thomas talks to Glenn Reynolds about the lack of children's health coverage under Obamacare. Binik-Thomas is the author of a new article on PJ Media, where he explains how important surgery for his daughter will be unavailable under Obamacare. Related posts: Paul Ryan's Health Care Plan, Part 1: Escaping ObamaCare First in a two-part [...]
Video: Mindblowing Accounts Of Milwaukee Voting Fraud In 2012 Election
Dec 20, 2012 11:51 am
When the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board met for its December meeting, it heard countless testimony from election day observers about irregularities they had seen. These two accounts stand out as particularly troubling. Related posts: Massive Voting Irregularities At Wisconsin Nursing Homes In 2012 Election Election observers told story after story of elections law violations... Interview: [...]
Dec 20, 2012 11:45 am Matthew 2:7-18 - Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." After [...]
Video: Fiscal Cliff Tax Hikes On Small Businesses Will Result In More Unemployment
Dec 20, 2012 11:34 am
Small business committee testimony reminds Washington that tax increases will cost jobs and investment. Related posts: Let Obama Drive Off The Fiscal Cliff America has been wringing her hands as a result of... What's At Stake With The Fiscal Cliff? I was astounded recently to hear someone say they believe...
Video: Here's One Girl Who Understands REAL Gun Control
Dec 20, 2012 11:29 am
When one Oklahoma girl found herself in a tough spot, she took matters into her own hands. Related posts: Girl Scouts Refers Girls To Media Matters To Clear Up 'Media Misinformation' In 2010, the Girl Scouts of the USA published a... The Awful Truth About The Girl Scouts Indiana freshman Representative Bob Morris is learning [...]
I discuss what the far-left freaks have been up to since the tragedy in Connecticut. Related posts: Piers Morgan Blows Up On Larry Pratt Over Gun Rights Piers Morgan being a pompous goofball as usual...... Continue to... Christine O'Donnell Walks Off Piers Morgan Interview In a bizarre incident, former Delaware GOP Senate candidate Christine...
Senators: 'Zero Dark Thirty' Film A 'dangerous' Mix Of Fact, Fiction
Dec 20, 2012 11:24 am Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) says the film "Zero Dark Thirty" is a combination of "fact, fiction and Hollywood" that dangerously links the use of torture with the killing of Osama bin Laden. Feinstein and Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.) are sending a letter to Sony Pictures, the film studio [...]
Socialists Pushing Accelerated Death And Euthanasia
Dec 20, 2012 11:16 am Remember four years ago when newly elected President Barack Obama told us to look at the European countries who had socialized medicine as examples of what America should have? He mentioned England and Canada and then referred to other countries as models for us to follow. Virtually every one of those model countries are facing [...]
'Citizen Drone Warfare': Hobbyist Explores A Frightening Scenario
Dec 20, 2012 10:57 am Less than a month ago, rumors that celebrity news and gossip website TMZ was interested in obtaining a paparazzi drone prompted privacy concerns and public debate about the appropriate personal and commercial uses of unmanned aerial vehicles. Now, a new online video poses a more troubling question: What if civilian drones are equipped to shoot [...]
Dec 20, 2012 10:51 am Under the cover of the Newtown school shooting, an "independent" five member investigative panel quietly released an unclassified, 39-page report Tuesday night, detailing their findings of the attack that led to the murder of four Americans in Benghazi on September 11, 2012. The report cites five main reasons for the loss of life, all primarily [...]
Confirmed: Taxpayers Lose Billions On Obama Auto Bailout
Dec 20, 2012 10:25 am Washington - The Obama administration said Wednesday it will sell 200 million shares - or 40 percent of its remaining stake in General Motors Co. - back to the automaker and announced plans to completely exit the Detroit automaker by March 2014. The Detroit automaker said it will purchase 200 million shares of GM stock [...]
Illegal Labor Pool And Its Impact On Unemployment Rates
Dec 20, 2012 10:09 am An immigration reform think tank has published a new study that shows the labor pool of illegal immigrants continues to have a negative impact on U.S. unemployment. The Center for Immigration Studies says its study has revealed that 79 percent of illegal aliens have no more than a high school education and are in direct [...]
"The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program." -Ronald Reagan
The Gun-Grabbers Are Burning The Midnight Oil
Obama's Gun Ban List Leaked
(Red Flag News) Slipping below the radar (or under the short-term memory cap), the Democrats have already leaked a gun-ban list, even under the Bush administration when they knew full well it had no chance of passage (HR 1022, 110th Congress). It serves as a framework for the new list the Brady's plan to introduce shortly.
Obama Regime Kisses Up To The Radical Elements Of Islam
State Department's Continued Outreach to Radicals By Abha Shankar RightSideNews.com
The Obama administration's efforts to conquer hearts and minds in the Muslim world.... The administration has been swift to embrace newly-elected Islamist regimes in the Middle-East despite their violent and pro-jihadi rhetoric.
Boehner Budget Strategy: Make A Weak Compromise And Point A Finger
Boehner: Obama To Blame If Largest Tax Increase Happens NewsMax.com
House Speaker John Boehner said President Barack Obama will be responsible for "the largest tax increase in American history" if Democrats don't accept a tax measure the House plans to pass tonight.
You've heard of Girls Gone Wild... well here's Piers Morgan Gone Wild. Larry Pratt with Gun Owners of America puts pompous, radical gun-grabber Piers Morgan in his place and Morgan comes unglued. Watch the video below.
In the wake of the Sandy Hook elementary school murders, many are calling for a ban on assault weapons. Sale of "assault weapons," as defined in federal law, was prohibited from 1994 to 2004, and politicians and editorialists across the U.S. are calling for a reinstatement of the ban. To take just one of countless examples, the Minneapolis Star Tribune editorialized on Monday, "Ban assault weapons."
In fewer than 10 horrible minutes last Friday morning, a gunman took the lives of 26 people, including 20 small children - before taking his own life.
That he could do that much damage that quickly speaks volumes about a major American problem with guns. No one, other than police and the military, should have access to that kind of firepower. Not hunters. Not collectors. Not recreational target shooters. No one.
The Star Tribune editorialists apparently assume that one needs an "assault weapon" to fire enough rounds to kill 26 people in ten minutes. We don't know how many rounds Lanza fired, but let's assume it was five per victim, or a total of 130. That works out to 13 per minute, or one every 4.6 seconds. Pretty much any gun can shoot that many rounds in ten minutes; certainly any ordinary handgun can. What if you need to change magazines? I've never used a Bushmaster rifle, but you can replace an empty magazine with a full one on a typical semiautomatic pistol in less than five seconds.
So there is nothing about Lanza's rate of fire that suggests the need to regulate or ban any particular style of firearm. But all of that is by way of preface. The many observers who are calling for a renewed ban on assault weapons apparently believe that the rifle that Lanza used was an assault weapon. Is that assumption correct? There are three possible answers; take the quiz:
* Yes * No * Maybe
The correct answer is "Maybe," or, more specifically, "Maybe, but probably not." The specific model of the Bushmaster rifle has not been publicly disclosed, and without knowing that we cannot tell whether it is an assault weapon as defined in the defunct federal law. (The phrase "assault weapon" has no meaning apart from the federal law; it was invented by politicians for political reasons.) We can guess that it probably isn't, since Connecticut already bans the sale of "assault weapons," and there is no indication that Nancy Lanza bought or owned her guns illegally.
As Bob Owens explained at PJ Media, the federal law defined "assault weapons" by reference to a list of arbitrary and mostly cosmetic features of firearms. Thus, this rifle is an "assault weapon:"
But this rifle is not an assault weapon:
Some Bushmaster rifles are assault weapons under the defunct federal definition, others are not.
What is remarkable about this is that the gun control advocates who have, among other things, called for all of the National Rifle Association's 4.3 million members to be murdered, seem to be completely indifferent to whether their proposals would actually do any good. If someone (like the Star Tribune's editorial board) is going to argue that the characteristics of the rifle that Adam Lanza used demand that we ban assault weapons, shouldn't they at least make sure that Lanza's rifle was, in fact, an assault weapon? And if they don't care enough to ascertain this basic fact, what does that tell us about the seriousness of their proposals? Are we dealing here with a sincere effort to reduce violent crime, or with mere political posturing?
In its editorial opposing Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense, the Washington Post wrote:
Mr. Obama has available other possible nominees who are considerably closer to the mainstream and to the president's first-term policies. Former undersecretary of defense Michèle Flournoy, for example, is a seasoned policymaker who understands how to manage the Pentagon bureaucracy and where responsible cuts can be made. She would bring welcome diversity as the nation's first female defense secretary.
By playing the diversity card, the Post was, I think, firing a shot across the White House's bow. And, sure enough, suddenly there are reports that Flournoy may have replaced Hagel as the frontrunner for the Secretary of Defense position.
If Hagel were the nominee, it would mean that, for the first time since the Clinton administration, white men hold the top jobs at State and Defense. Not that there's anything wrong with that. The nation survived this particular manifestation of white patriarchy for more than two centuries, so an occasional recurrence is hardly the end of the world. But these days, in some liberal circles, the very notion that neither blacks and nor females won't occupy at least one of two top policy making jobs sends shudders all around.
I don't know much about Flournoy, but she would almost surely be a better selection than Hagel. Ashton Carter, a white male, might well be better than both of them. But if takes the left's obsession with diversity to derail Hagel, that's fine with me.
Minnesota is both a solidly blue state and a land of political correctness, so it is surprising to learn that guns aren't necessarily prohibited in the state's schools. The Minneapolis Star Tribune headlines: "Little-known Minnesota exemption allows guns in schools."
For years, Greg Lund carried a loaded gun as a high school principal in northwestern Minnesota. Students, parents and most of the staff at Norman County East High School didn't know he was armed, but Lund said he couldn't leave his students' safety to chance.
"There's little you can do to prevent them from getting in the building," said Lund, a gun safety educator. "It was a small, rural school, and it would be 20 minutes or more before we would have police in the building."
Lund carried the gun with the permission of his superintendent - and under the provisions of a little-known exemption to the state's general ban on guns in school. The rule says that any adults who have a state permit to carry a gun can bring the firearm to school once they obtain written permission from a principal or other school authority.
Given what happened at Sandy Hook elementary, one might think that Minnesotans would applaud the foresight manifested by that exemption, and consider whether it should be more broadly implemented. But no:
Brenda Cassellius, the state education commissioner, "feels very strongly that we should be keeping guns out of schools," said spokeswoman Charlene Briner. Gov. Mark Dayton agreed, and he will look at tightening the state ban on guns in schools when the Legislature convenes in January, said his spokeswoman, Katharine Tinucci.
I think everyone would agree that our first choice is "keeping guns out of schools." The problem is that people come and go from schools all the time. It simply isn't possible to ensure that all of them are unarmed, and none of them are crazy. That being the case, it seems rather pathetic to take comfort in the fact that guns are "banned" from schools. Murderers don't obey signs. But practicality-actually improving safety, as opposed to feeling self-righteous-is not much in evidence:
"I cannot even imagine a situation where we would consider giving people permission to carry guns in school," Richfield Schools Superintendent Robert Slotterback said. "You're not going to have a gun drawn. If they walk up to you, point a gun and fire, it doesn't matter if you have a gun in your pocket or not."
So self-defense is impossible, apparently. This really is the mentality that we are dealing with in trying to improve school safety. Unfortunately, now that Minnesota's governor and legislators are aware of the provision that creates at least the possibility of protecting students from armed predators, it likely will be repealed.
We have discussed the Benghazi scandal in terms of three aspects: the failure to provide adequate security before the attack; the response during the attack; and, in the aftermath, the White House's failure to provide truthful information about the attack.
The report of the Accountability Review Board confirms and details the first aspect of the scandal. According to the ARB, the failure to provide adequate security was gross and systemic. A few lower-level heads have rolled. Congress still needs to question top State Department officials including Hillary Clinton, but we now know most of the facts about this matter.
As to the second aspect of Benghazigate, the response during the attack, the ARB report finds that, given the available military assets, it is unlikely that any action could have avoided the outcome. This leaves open the question of whether the military should have moved assets closer to Benghazi before the attack. But I tend to agree with Retired Adm. Mike Mullin that "it is not reasonable nor feasible to tether U.S. forces at the ready to respond to protect every high-risk post in the world."
The White House's false claims in the aftermath of Benghazi - the third aspect of this scandal - cost Susan Rice the Secretary of State job. Beyond that, many questions remain, inasmuch as the likes of James Clapper and David Petraeus couldn't explain the emergence of the false talking points Rice used. No one else has provided a convincing explanation either. This part of the scandal is very much alive and needs to be pursued notwithstanding Rice's demise.
With every passing day, a fourth aspect of Benghazigate moves to the fore - the fact that the perpetrators apparently are alive, well, and free. During the campaign, Obama promised to bring them to justice. It hasn't happened.
The ARB did not attempt to identify who carried out the attacks; it properly left that work yr the FBI. But the Washington Post tells us that there is little sign of movement in the FBI probe. It quotes House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers who reports "a near total lack of progress in bringing these terrorists to justice."
President Obama can't undo the Benghazi attacks. And he would not want to undo his administration's falsehoods following the attack, since they aided his reelection campaign.
However, Obama can work to keep his promise to bring justice to the terrorists who, on September 11, brutalized and murdered our ambassador and killed three other Americans. Perhaps he is, but it doesn't look that way.
First there was Captain Planet. Then there was EcoKat from Kansas State University. Remember her? Well now there's the Green Ninja from San Jose State University. You'll be pleased to know that this project was supported by . . . taxpayers. Naturally.
The project has received a $390,000 grant from NASA to support professional development for teachers, and $20,000 from PG&E to pilot an energy reduction contest for Santa Clara County middle schoolers.
The gun control debate raged on Wednesday night as CNN host Piers Morgan battled TheBlaze�s Will Cain and other pro-gun advocates over whether a semi-automatic assault weapons ban would curb violent crime in the United States. Watch the contentious conversationHERE.
On Tuesday, Ken Langone, Home Depot co-founder, told CNBC that Congress should raise taxes on the wealthy to get the issue off the table but it won�t be enough to fix the country�s fiscal problems. Watch the video and find out why Langone thinks Beohner's "Plan B' is a great ideaHERE.
An NRA source tells Fox News that, based an internal memo prepared by the group�s membership division, the number of individual contributions to the NRA and the average amount given have spiked significantly in the time since the shooting. Get the full storyHERE.
During Wednesday's White House Press Briefing, things got a bit testy between President Obama and Jake Tapper. Apparently the President was not pleased when the intrepid reporter dared to ask Mr. Obama about his lack of action on gun laws during his first term. Watch the terse reply from the Commander in ChiefHERE.
Moments after his team lost a basketball game, Pat Kelsey, the first-year coach of the Winthrop Eagles spoke of a bigger loss. Coach Kelsey gave an impassioned plea for government and private leaders to take immediate action to prevent further massacres such as the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, Watch the videoHERE.
Earlier this week, Terry Jones, the pastor famous for threatening to burn the Koran, released a new anti-Muhammed movie. "The Innocent Prophet" stretches 71 minutes in length and was released on YouTube. Much like Jones� past projects, it is likely to infuriate Islamist groups across the globe. But because it also takes particular aim at the Prophet Muhammad, even the most moderate of Muslims may take offense. Get the full story and watch the video (while it is still available online) HERE.
Take a look at NASA�s latest prototype for its new spacesuit. Does it look familiar? We would say more about it, but that would giveaway the surprise. Get ready to say "Oh yeah!" after you click HERE.
Glenn Beck: David Barton guest hosts a special hour that will look into Christmas traditions and when we first started celebrating Christmas. Tune in at 5pm ET or on-demand on TheBlaze TV.
In an effort to prove that celebrating the Christmas season in its true form is a societal right, Christians from Metro Calvary Chapel in Santa Monica and others from around the Orange County area put on an unexpected holiday show at the Santa Monica Place Mall on Dec. 16th. See the impromptu Nativity sceneHERE.
Coal took another serious hit Wednesday - in the heart of coal country.
American Electric Power, or A.E.P., the nation's biggest consumer of coal, announced that it would shut its coal-burning boilers at the Big Sandy electric power plant near Louisa, Ky., a 1,100-megawatt facility that since the early 1960s has been burning coal that was mined locally.
Big Sandy this year became a symbol of the plight of the coal industry nationwide. Strict new environmental regulations are forcing large utilities to spend billions of dollars to retrofit old coal-burning plants or shut them down, replacing them in most cases with equipment that uses cleaner-burning natural gas.
As reported today by the Citizen's Alliance of Pennsylvania , the PA GOP is planning to appoint two union lackeys to important leadership positions as committee chairs.
Pennsylvania GOP leadership has apparently learned NOTHING from recent successes in other states in rolling back the influence of unions. The PA House Republican Caucus has proposed two particularly distasteful members as Chairpersons of important committees. The importance of chairpersons cannot be overstated, as they largely set the agenda for legislative hearings. These chairpersons can keep important reforms from ever reaching the floor for a vote.
The two proposed union-coddling chairman are Rep. Mario Scavello (R-Montour) and Rep. Gene DiGirolamo (R-Bucks). In 2012, Rep. Scavello was endorsed by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) and the AFL-CIO and has a long record of supporting union objectives. Rep. DiGirolamo will be reprising his role as the Chairman of the Human Services Committee. He has the distinction of being the only Republican endorsed by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
It should be noted that both oppose liquor store privatization, school choice, and ending prevailing wage.
Action Item:
Ask the current GOP leadership what they are thinking with these two appointments and tell them you strongly oppose these proposed appointments:
If you'd like to offer them a suggestion for the Chair of Labor Committee, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler) would be a good choice. He has been a tireless advocate for labor reforms like ending forced unionization. Naming him as Chairman would show that House Leadership was serious about moving reforms forward in Pennsylvania.
Regarding Human Services, anyone would be better than Rep. DiGirolamo.
They bungled Benghazi ... did they just bungle coverup, too?
Don't look for this in the establishment press.
It's not that they don't have the information ... it's right in front of them in the official "independent" report ... unintentional bombshells that point to very undiplomatic activities ...
No wonder Hillary Clinton is too ill to testify before the Senate ...
6 of 10 universities can't figure out 1st Amendment
Q. What's the difference between the old Soviet Union and many of today's U.S. colleges and universities?
A. In the old days, people risked everything to flee Soviet tyranny to have the freedoms guaranteed by America's First Amendment. Today, parents spend everything to put their children through institutions that deny those same freedoms.
In the biblical story of the prodigal son, a headstrong and foolish young man leaves his father's home for "a far country" where he soon squanders his entire inheritance on "harlots" and other unspecified "riotous living."
But that's not the end of the story.
There's a lesson for Americans who now find themselves broken in the far country their homeland is becoming under Obama ...
Maybe it was a slip of the tongue ... empty words to placate people of faith concerned over the government's true intentions ... maybe it was meant to be true now, but not necessarily true later ...
Whatever, judges are saying they're going to hold the Obama administration to their statement, and that means a huge victory for religious organizations and business owners who object to Obamacare's mandate to pay for abortifacients ...
Prominent conservative leaders, including former attorney general Edwin Meese III, Ken Blackwell of the Conservative Action Project, Brent Bozell of ForAmerica, Colin Hanna of Let Freedom Ring, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, ...(more)
CNN's Piers Morgan has been on a rabid anti-gun rant since July's Aurora, Colorado, shootings that has gotten even more venomous after Friday's massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut ...(more)
Unspoken Danger Lurks at Bottom of the Fiscal Cliff. With all the talk of falling off the cliff in recent days, little has been said about the issue lurking dangerously at the bottom ...(more)
Thursday, December 20, 2012
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer
Heading Toward The Cliff
Negotiations between the White House and Capitol Hill aimed at avoiding the fiscal cliff have reportedly broken down. Frustrated by Obama's unwillingness to deal with the real problem (spending), Speaker John Boehner announced yesterday that the House of Representatives will vote this evening on two bills.
One cuts spending by $200 billion while minimizing the national security impact of planned sequestration cuts. The second bill extends the Bush tax cuts for everyone making less than $1 million a year.
Boehner's approach has divided conservatives, some of whom fear his concession on tax hikes, even on millionaires, is giving up too much. On the other hand, taxes on everyone will go up automatically on January 1st if nothing is done. Boehner is putting forward a plan initially proposed by liberals like Nancy Pelosi and Charles Schumer and daring them to oppose it now.
And, of course, they are. Senate Democrats have declared Boehner's "Plan B" dead on arrival. Barack Obama has vowed to veto it should it pass. If he does, Boehner hopes the public will understand that it is Obama's fault when everyone's taxes go up on January 1st.
Meanwhile, the IRS is warning that millions of taxpayers may not be able to file their returns until late March. Worse, they may owe thousands of dollars in additional taxes if the alternative minimum tax is not adjusted.
With just 11 days left, the prospects for a deal to avoid going over the fiscal cliff seem as remote as ever.
Public Not Keen On More Gun Control
Yesterday we told about an ABC News/Washington Post poll that found little public demand for gun control even in the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut, shootings. The results were surprising given all the rhetoric in Washington about how the Newtown tragedy fundamentally changed the political landscape.
The left had better tread carefully. The ABC/Post wasn't a fluke. Gallup has released a survey with similar results. When asked what steps would be most effective in preventing mass shootings at schools, the most popular prevention idea was increasing the police presence on school campuses.
Next was increased spending on mental health treatment, followed by cracking down on gun violence in the popular culture (TV, movies and video games). Gun control legislation came in fourth on the list!
Reid Ready To Go Nuclear
For all of the rhetoric about the need for compromise in Washington, Harry Reid is getting ready to make sure that there is less of it in the Senate. Frustrated by Senate rules that protect minority party rights, Reid is determined to severely limit the right to debate an issue without time limits (filibuster) so he can ram through Obama's left-wing agenda.
What makes this power grab even more outrageous is that Reid is planning to break the Senate's rules in order to change the rules. Normally changing the Senate's rules would require a two-thirds super-majority vote. Next year, Democrats will have only 55 votes. So Reid is planning to change the rules with a bare majority of 51 votes by using the so-called "nuclear option."
The good news is that the move is so controversial, it's not at all clear that Reid has 51 votes for it. The New York Times recently reported that several Democrats were opposed to the idea or leaned against it. Click here to learn more.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer
Benghazi Report Critical Of Clinton State Department
In the aftermath of the September 11th attack on our consulate in Benghazi, Libya, the State Department launched an internal investigation to determine what went wrong. The findings were made public yesterday and I suspect Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got an advanced copy of the report. Perhaps that is why she fainted and suffered a concussion this weekend.
According to the Accountability Review Board, our ambassador and three other Americans died as the result of "systemic failures" and "leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels" within the State Department. Fox News writes that the report also found "a pervasive realization among personnel who served in Benghazi that the Special Mission was not a high priority for Washington when it came to security-related requests."
Furthermore, the report also rejected claims by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and others in the Obama Administration, including the president himself, that the attack was the result of a protest against an anti-Islamic film.
The Associated Press reports that three top State Department officials resigned this morning as a result of Review Board's findings.
Hillary Clinton is also resigning next month, amid widespread speculation that she will run for president in four years. This report will not look good on her resume.
Obama Announces Commission On Gun Control
During a White House press conference today, President Obama announced that he is forming a commission, led by Vice President Joe Biden, to draft policy proposals on gun control. Obama said that the Biden-led commission will develop "concrete proposals" by January, which he "intend[s] to push without delay."
I hope that the commission will be mindful of public opinion. An ABC/Washington Post poll released this week found that 52% of the public thinks the shooting "reflects broader problems in American society." I would submit that the breakdown of the family and reliable standards of right and wrong should be at the top of any list of "broader problems in society," but I doubt Biden's commission will see it that way.
When asked what was the best way to reduce gun violence, only 32% said "passing stricter gun-control laws," while 49% said "stricter enforcement of existing laws." And 71% said they opposed a nationwide ban on handguns.
More importantly, I hope Obama and Biden are respectful of the Constitution. This administration has repeatedly circumvented the constitutional process and stretched the limits of its authority. Some on the left are urging Obama to use executive orders to limit our Second Amendment rights if he is unable to get any legislation through the divided Congress.
President Obama needs to respect the limits of his authority. If the left has a problem with the Second Amendment, then launch an effort to repeal it. But ruling by emergency degree is unacceptable. We will be watching the Biden commission very carefully.
Mandate Update
Here's some tentative good news in the fight against Obamacare's assault on religious liberty. Yesterday the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a lawsuit against Obamacare's contraception mandate filed by Wheaton College and Belmont Abbey College.
A lower court had dismissed the case on the grounds that the government was reportedly revising the mandate. That wasn't good enough for the Court of Appeals. The appellate court did not overturn the mandate, but it did demand evidence from the Department of Health and Human Services that serious revisions to accommodate religious institutions were in fact being made.
This decision is similar to an opinion two weeks ago by a federal judge in New York, who also rejected the government's argument that cases should be dismissed because the bureaucrats were tweaking the regulations. In his opinion, Judge Brian Cogan wrote, "There is no, 'Trust us, changes are coming' clause in the Constitution. To the contrary, the Bill of Rights itself, and the First Amendment in particular, reflect a degree of skepticism towards governmental self-restraint and self-correction."
Mourning Robert Bork
It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Judge Robert Bork this morning. Bork was an intellectual giant and one of America's finest constitutional scholars. It was a great loss for America that he was denied the opportunity to serve on the Supreme Court.
But while praising Bork, let me remind you why he never got that opportunity. He was smeared so badly that his vicious confirmation battle gave rise to a new term -- "to Bork someone," meaning to assassinate their character.
The man who led that lynching was Ted Kennedy, who went to the Senate floor and lied. Here's what he said:
"Robert Bork's America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids, and schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists could be censored at the whim of government, and the doors of the federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of Americans."
At the time even many on the left thought Kennedy was over-the-top in his vitriol. But Kennedy set the template for how the left deals with its political opponents. Do you see the "war on women" theme? The "conservatives are racists" theme? And "religious conservatives are extremists and anti-science" theme? It was outrageous then, but it has become commonplace now. Sadly, some Republicans are still taken by surprise when it happens today.
Robert Bork was a good man. I will miss his leadership and wisdom. Please join Carol and me in prayer for his wife, Mary Ellen, and the Bork family.
New Obamacare Taxes Result in Job Losses
The more time passes, the more we get to see in real life the consequences of Obamacare. We warned back when it passed that the 18 tax increases it contained would do serious damage to the economy. Only now that the damage is about to take hold do some in Congress take note.
The specific tax that has caught the attention of 18 Senators, most of whom voted for Obamacare, is the medical device tax. This tax begins on January 1-along with four other Obamacare taxes-and levies a 2.3 percent excise tax on the sales of manufacturers and importers of medical devices.
Depending on how these businesses pass the tax on, it could result in higher prices for their customers (e.g. patients), lower returns to their shareholders, or fewer jobs for their workers. As we explained earlier, evidence is mounting that it is their workers that will bear the brunt of the tax.
For instance, Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, announced it will lay off about 1,000 workers-about 5 percent of its workforce-because of the tax. Many of those job losses will occur in the company's research and development department. This will stifle the company's ability to innovate to create new products or improve existing products.
The fallout from the medical device tax may surprise these Senators, but it shouldn't. After all, for the most part they support raising taxes on carbon, cigarettes, and gas, for instance, to dissuade their use. Raising taxes on medical devices was bound to have some adverse consequence which they should have known if they truly believe taxes can be used to alter behavior.
THE TOTAL COST OF EXCHANGE SUBSIDIES IN 2019 ALONE
The cost of subsidies and related spending keeps rising. Learn More >>
About The Heritage Foundation
Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute - a think tank - whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.
December 20, 2012
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from The Heritage Foundation! Culture Watch returns on Thursday, January 3.
Domino's Founder Delivers Lawsuit Challenging Obamacare Mandate by Dominique Ludvigson, Research Fellow
Tom Monaghan, founder and former owner of Domino's Pizza, is the latest business owner to file a lawsuit challenging Obamacare's Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate requiring employers to cover abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization as "preventive services" in their health care plans.
The Catholic, pro-life advocate and philanthropist filed suit in a Michigan federal district court late Friday on behalf of himself and his property management company, Domino's Farms Corporation.
Monaghan argues that his religious beliefs require him to provide health insurance for his employees and their families, and to do so in a manner consistent with Catholic teaching regarding the sanctity of human life.
Tom Monaghan, Former Domino's Owner
For-profit employers like Monaghan with religious or moral objections to providing drugs and services that violate their consciences have no way out of Obamacare's conscience-crushing HHS mandate. They face fines of $100 per day per employee if they stay true to their consciences and operate health care plans that do not comply with the mandate. Alternatively, they face fines of up to $2,000 per employee per year for dropping health insurance coverage to avoid having to comply with the mandate. For Monaghan, neither is a viable option.
Monaghan's plight is a dramatic illustration of the coercive "incentives" built into Obamacare, which has concentrated broad powers in the hands of the federal government. This gross government overreach even extends to commandeering religious employers into directly paying for drugs and services that violate their faith despite conscientious objections.
An extremely narrow exemption effectively only protects houses of worship. Business owners' ability to run their businesses consistent with their religious and moral convictions is not protected.
Accepting the Administration's logic would limit the application of religious freedom to individuals acting within their houses of worship on weekends. It would further erode the free exercise of religion, restricting religious believers' ability to live out their faiths in their day-to-day lives.
The case is yet another reminder of the necessity of repealing Obamacare and the assault on religious freedom and limited government it represents.
Monaghan joins over 110 plaintiffs in over 40 lawsuits around the country challenging the mandate. His lawsuit was filed just one week after Conestoga Wood Specialties, a Mennonite-owned cabinet manufacturer based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with 950 employees and plants around the country, challenged the HHS mandate based on its owners' belief that it would be "sinful and immoral for the company to participate in, pay for, facilitate, or otherwise support" abortion-inducing drugs.
For-profit religious employers are not the only victims of Obamacare's bureaucratic overreach. On the same day Monaghan's lawsuit was filed, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty argued in a federal appeals court on behalf of two non-profit religious colleges that the government's temporary enforcement suspension against some religious employers, which the Administration misleadingly labels a "safe harbor," is insufficient to protect religious employers like Belmont Abbey Collegeand Wheaton College from the abortion-drug mandate.
Family Meals Together: One Way to Secure Your Teens' Future
Compared to teens who have two or fewer family dinners per week, those who have five or more are at least half as likely to have used tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana. They are also less likely to say they would try these substances in the future or that they have friends who use them.
DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at The Heritage Foundation
Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is the nation's most broadly supported public policy organization. Heritage established the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society in 2004 to educate government officials, the media and the public about the role religion, family, and civil society play in sustaining freedom and the common good.
Heritage's James Carafano, right, testifies about the Democratic Republic of the Congo alongside activist and actor Ben Affleck, left.
Heritage Foundation vice president James Carafano testified yesterday before the House Armed Services Committee about the ongoing security challenges facing the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On his same panel was none other than Ben Affleck. Yes, that Ben Affleck.
The African nation has a long history of instability, which has implications reaching far beyond its borders. Unfortunately, the Democratic Republic of the Congo suffers from both a corrupt and ineffective government and a corrupt and ineffective United Nations peacekeeping force.
"Although the U.S. does not have a direct national security interest in the DRC, it does have an interest in promoting stability and good governance," Heritage experts Morgan Roach and Brett Schaefer explain. The Obama administration should take five steps, they write.
As the founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative, Affleck's activism in the DRC has helped bring awareness about the country's instability and its consequences. The actor used his star power during yesterday's hearing to argue that the administration should urge top-down reforms in the country.
While they disagreed on the exact solution, Carafano and Affleck both argued for important reforms in the DRC. Towards the end of the hearing, Affleck-who typically backs liberal causes-lightheartedly complained that he doesn't have a Heritage membership: "The Heritage Foundation never offered me membership. It's fitting that I'm on the far left of the panel."
To its great credit, the Obama administration has refused to sign on to a United Nations agreement that would have put more of the Internet under international governance and potentially curtailed the freedom that has allowed it to thrive.
The United Nations agreement, they argued, is deeply flawed. "At best, this is unnecessary, as the Internet is doing quite well under the current framework," they explained. "At worst, the expansion will allow the U.N.-parent organization of the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) -to stifle the Web."
Heritage Foundation investigative reporter Lachlan Markay wrote a story recently that got people upset. The IRS recently ruled that some of the common devices used in veterinary offices will be hit be hit by Obamacare's 2.3 percent device tax. In response, many of the manufacturers are expected to raise their prices, which will raise pet care costs for concerned owners.
A survey in January 2012 showed that more than half of 181 manufactures of medical devices said they would pass some or all of the tax on to their customers. Among manufacturers here in North America, that number was even higher-58 percent. According to the American Pet Products Association, Americans spent over $13.5 billion on veterinary care in 2012. This could rise under Obamacare.
The tax will not affect veterinary equipment that is used exclusively for treating animals. However, several medical devices are used in both doctors and veterinary offices, and these are subject to the tax.
An Obamacare Christmas surprise: The American public can expect a $571 billion increase in taxes, fees, penalties, and effects once Obamacare is fully implemented. To learn more about other Obamacare "surprises" be sure to read all the latest Heritage Foundation research on repealing Obamacare. And to get all the latest Heritage Foundation graphics, like us on Facebook.
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) plans to hold a vote on his "Plan B" tax increase bill despite the Obama administration's threat to veto his plan. The Obama administration wants a larger tax hike. Click here to see what Heritage's sister organization, Heritage Action for America, thinks about "Plan B."
While lawmakers from both parties squabble over tax rates, a fiscal crisis is looming on the horizon. Entitlement programs -- Social Security and Medicare to be precise -- have unfunded obligations of $48 trillion. By comparison, the fiscal cliff carries a price tag of roughly $650 billion. As lawmakers talk about another debt-limit increase, they need to think seriously about America's long-term obligations.
So what can our elected leaders do about it?
The first step is recognizing the problem exists, which for some Democrats is mighty difficult. A story in Politico reveals that liberals are having "heartburn" and doing "some painful soul-searching" over a relatively simple fix to Social Security's annual cost-of-living increases.
Heritage's David John, senior research fellow in retirement security and financial institutions, believes the time is ripe for a few Social Security fixes. Any fiscal cliff settlement, John writes in a new Heritage report, should address Social Security's grim financial future.
The Problem
Over the next 75 years, Social Security will owe an estimated $11.3 trillion more in benefits than it will receive in payroll taxes. It has been running deficits since 2010, according to the Social Security Administration.
To make up the difference, Social Security will need "massive annual injections of funding in addition to what the program receives from payroll taxes," John writes. Don't believe the liberal myth that Social Security is on solid financial footing. The numbers don't lie. It's very much part of the spending debate facing Washington.
The longer Congress delays action, the harder it will be to solve the problem.
The Solution
There is already bipartisan support for two of the three ideas recommended by John. All three are simple fixes that should be included in any fiscal cliff deal.
1) Fix the annual inflation adjustment. The current index used to determine Social Security's yearly cost-of-living adjustment does an inferior job of measuring inflation. A better solution is a "chained" index, which more accurately measures inflation. This change would immediately result in savings for Social Security. And it's easy to do -- the new index can be implemented quickly and without complication.
2) Increase the full retirement age. Americans are living longer thanks to advances in medicine. And yet Social Security has not kept pace. The important number here is the how much longer people who have reached age 65 will live. That number is trending upward, by nearly a year, according to recent government data. Congress should gradually increase the full benefits age to 68 and then index it to life expectancy in the future.
3) Focus benefits on those who most need them. It's time to return Social Security to one of its original purposes: protecting seniors who face economic hardship. In order to make Social Security a true insurance program, upper-income seniors would face reduced benefits or none at all. This would strengthen the program's finances and prevent future tax hikes on younger workers.
There's more to do beyond these three solutions, but they would provide a solid foundation for future reforms. Heritage's plan, Saving the American Dream, redesigns Social Security and other entitlement programs to guarantee assistance to those who need it -- and keep the American dream alive for future generations.
With Glenn on vacation for the holidays, we're counting down the top Glenn moments of 2012. What were this year's highlights? Stay tuned to the Glenn Beck newsletter to find out!
State Department Security Chief and 2 others resign after Benghazi Report: Get the full story and analysis from Real News's S.E. Cupp HERE.
Watch Glenn's Christmas Special ON DEMAND!
Glenn Beck's Family Christmas is now available on demand for TheBlaze TV Plus subscribers and DVD pre-order. Enjoy this Christmas classic with your friends and family for years to come. Get all the details HERE.
Give the gift of TheBlaze TV: Do you have a Glenn Beck fan in your life who would love to watch Glenn's show every day? Are you a subscriber to TheBlaze TV Plus who wants to share the information and inspiration with family and friends? TheBlaze TV Plus is the perfect gift this holiday season! Get all the details HERE.
Headlines from TheBlaze:
'Raise my taxes, go right ahead' - 'You get nothing' out of it
Home Depot C0-Founder gives his thoughts on the country's fiscal problems HERE.
Piers Morgan and Will Cain go head-to-head on gun control -WATCH.
"Where have you been?": Jake Tapper calls out President Obama in testy exchange following last week's horrific elementary school shooting in Newtown, CT. STORY.
Depardieu goes John Galt: French movie star, Gerard Depardieu, has decided to leave his homeland. Why? Well, partly due to the new 75% income tax on the wealthy from the country's new socialist President. STORY.
2012 was an eventful year. This New Year's Eve, your favorite personalities from TheBlaze reflect back on what they remember most and share some of their favorite stories of the year. Join us on New Year's Eve as we look back at 2012 and forward to 2013 - only on TheBlaze TV.
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Beck teams with Vince Vaughn, Peter Billingsley for new reality series
Glenn made a huge announcement a few weeks ago, sure to stir conversation and cause far left basement-dwelling bloggers to freak out: TheBlaze is teaming with Vince Vaughn & Peter Billingsley to create a fantastic new reality series called Pursuit of the Truth. The series will bring together twenty selected documentary filmmakers from across the country to prove to a panel of expert judges that their project is worthy of the grand prize - financing and worldwide distribution for their feature documentary film idea. Applications are currently being accepted from filmmakers, with a deadline of January 31st, 2013.
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Christians can tell you, contempt of religion is not merely permitted but encouraged in the new, post-Mubarak Egypt. What is criminal, what has become increasingly perilous, is any criticism of Islam.
Saeed Abedini and his wife converted to Christianity from Islam and immigrated to the United States, according to 
Libs freakout over Obama in PeePee
