912 Patriots of Lower Bucks - Your Daily Updates ALL in ONE Place!
March 21, 2013
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~ Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833
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White House Map 'Erases' Jerusalem, Biblical Territories
The White House has released what it says is a map of Israel. The only problem is that Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights are missing.
An Obama administration video highlighting the president's plans for his Mideast trip depicts Jerusalem, the Golan and the West Bank - also known as Judea and Samaria - as non-Israeli territory.
The Washington Free Beacon, which first reported the discrepancies, noted the video shows the Golan Heights as part of Syria; Jerusalem is depicted as part of the West Bank; and northern Israel is shown as part of Lebanon. WND reported in August 2012 when the White House refused to name the capital of Israel - not once, but twice - as the two most senior White House correspondents cornered Obama's press secretary, doggedly questioning him on whether the Obama administration considered Jerusalem or Tel Aviv to be the capital of the Jewish state.
Exclusive: Pamela Geller predicts 'Islamophile' Obama will humiliate Israel during visit
No, not the Mufti al-Husseini of Jerusalem, but Obama. Close enough.
Why is Obama going to Israel? The Muslim Brotherhood advocate in the White House has refused to speak to the Knesset. He caved to Muslim threats and supremacist demands and is not going to the Temple Mount with an Israeli escort. And an Obama administrationofficialhas said that Obama will not bring any new Middle East peace plan with him, because he doesn't think the Israelis are interested in peace. Not the "Palestinians" with their calls for blood and genocide, but the Israelis.
So what is he doing there? He is going on the offensive against Israel, and he is doing it from Israel. Expect the notorious leftist Israel press to applaud Obama's land confiscation policy.
And Obama is not going over there empty-handed. He brings a cash infusion of 500 million smackers for the jihadists, aka the Palestinian Authority. No money for White House tours or military tuition - but half a billion for the terror statelet and billions and F16s to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
Yet the more he prostrates himself before the Palestinian jihadists, the more contempt they have for him. I wonder how much this will cost the American taxpayers, not to mention Israeli blood and land ... and 3G technology. No joke: Muslims in Bethlehem were burning pictures of Obama and protesting, among other things, the absence of 3G communications technology.
And the Times of Israel reported that Israeli Knesset member Nachman Shai "called on students to skip U.S. President Barack Obama's planned speech to the Israeli public, scheduled for Thursday night, citing the White House's exclusion of Ariel University from a program to allow students to attend the Jerusalem address."
Ariel University is in the traditional Jewish homeland of Judea and Samaria. Many of those who attend it are "settlers." In fact, there is no such thing as a "settler." A "settler" is a Jew living in the Jewish homeland, Judea and Samaria. As Brand Marlon wrote in the Jewish Press: "For Jewish people, the ancient tribal territories of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and west Menasheh - aka Judea and Samaria, or the West Bank - form the very heartland of the Jewish homeland."
Shai said: "It is shocking to think that you can disqualify students just because they learn in the West Bank. I do not understand how President Obama wants to conduct a dialogue with the Israeli public when he is consciously excluding part of it." Indeed.
Israel needs this anti-Semite there like a hole in the head. Obama is banning settlers? File this under Obama attempting to render parts of Jerusalem judenrein.
We have a Liberty Threat in our area!!! Horsham Air Guard Station aka Willow Grove Naval Station Could become a DRONE Command Center. If that happens we ALL need to all pull our weight together and say NO! Lets make Rand Paul proud! Lets keep an eye on this because the last thing that our great community needs is to be connected with the blood of innocent children that will be murdered by Obama's unmanned drones. Not to mention do you trust the Obama administration not to use these drones in the US.
Horsham Air Guard Station could get drone command center
By Rich Pietras Staff Writer | Posted: Friday, March 30, 2012 11:45 am
There will be no planes flying in and out of the closed Willow Grove Naval Air Station, but flying missions may be a large part of the future of the remaining Horsham Air Guard Station if Congress approves the addition of a "remote operations unit" that controls unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.
The remotely piloted aircraft, or RPAs, are commonly referred to as "drones" and are used for reconnaissance, surveillance and deploying weapons.
The aircraft, dubbed MQ-1/9 Reapers, would not be stored at the base but operators would control them from a command center at the installation, according to the Horsham Air Guard Station's new commander, Col. Howard "Chip" Eissler of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard's 111th Fighter Wing.
The recommendation still requires the approval of Congress but it was a large part of the message Howard delivered when he opened the base up to media Thursday.
The recommendation came from the Air Force in February. The proposal, Eissler said, would require a "substantial" renovation project to set up the command center.
Eissler said they could be engaged in combat operations in Afghanistan, but did not provide more specifics.
"This is very exciting. It is nice to see that the Air Force looked at our strategic location and thought we could be a large asset," Eissler said.
The 111th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard is the "host" military entity at the base, similar to how the Navy was the host at the closed Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base.
In addition to the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, the base also includes personnel from the Pennsylvania Army Guard and Reserve.
Eissler, who recently took over command of the installation, began his tour with the 111th Fighter Wing in 1992.
For him, and the other military and personnel who work on the approximately 200 acres, it is just another example of how the remaining installation off County Line Road and Route 611 is still very active.
On March 26th, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Perry case, which will determine if Proposition 8 - the citizens initiative approved by the people of California in 2008 to protect marriage - is constitutional or not. More importantly, the question of same-sex "marriage" and the right of Americans to protect marriage will be decided.
It is imperative that political leaders, the media, and the culture see that we care about protecting marriage enough to stand up and march for it.
The March is being organized by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) alongside a broad coalition of pro-family organization, state partners, African-American, Latino, Catholic and Protestant leaders. Speakers include Gary Bauer (American Values), Bishop Harry Jackson, Dr. Robert George (Manhattan Declaration), Penny Nance (Concerned Women for America) and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.
Here's the schedule of events for the March on Tuesday, March 26th:
8:30am - Gather at the National Mall location between 10th Street and 12th Street NW & between Madison Drive NW and Jefferson Drive SW
9:30am - March to Supreme Court and then return to the National Mall location.
11:00am - 1:00pm - Rally begins at National Mall location.
Saturday, March 23, 2013 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (EDT)
Seating is very limited, but as of now there are about 80 spots left. When inviting people, keep in mind that we want the most active and involved people to attend. This is a training event, so we want to train the best, brightest, and most dedicated to become Citizen Watchdogs!
In Liberty,
Matthew M. Hissey
(267) 838 2380
Grassroots Director Americans For Prosperity Pennsylvania
Updated PA Leadership Conference Agenda Released
The conference which will be held April 19-20, 2013 at the Radisson Penn Harris Convention Center in Camp Hill (Harrisburg), PA.
Registration includes admission to all conference functions EXCEPT the pre-dinner reception. Registration DOES include the Friday evening dinner with speaker Steve Hayes of Fox News/The Weekly Standard (do not register separately for the dinner); the Saturday breakfast with John Gizzi and Saturday lunch with pollster/commentator Scott Rasmussen. It also includes all panels, workshops and speakers. The only function NOT included in the registration fee is the pre-dinner reception with Steve Hayes, which is priced separately.
The 'Early Bird' registration period for the
2013 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference
has been extended until midnight Saturday, March 23rd!
Be sure to enter the promo code to save $5.00 off a single registration
It will be a vital addition to your ministry when you attend this very important luncheon. ABSOLUTELY FREE! Olive Tree Ministries and our event hosts invite you to join us for a Middle East Briefing with Pastor Victor Styrsky on April 4th and 5th. Victor a speaker your will love! His straight forward and passionate heart drew enthusiastic response last Fall when his powerful message about Israel reached audiences throughout Delaware and Pennsylvania region. Victor has just returned from Israel where he hosted over 50 pastors on life - changing tours and briefings. As the First State, Delaware need to be on God's radar in support fo Israel, the apple of His eye! Won't you become part of our initiative here in this area to bring together Pastors, Rabbis and congregational Leaders for Israel? NOW is the time! We will look forward to having you join us. Staff of Olive Tree Ministries.
Click above to register for either or both events Bring spouses and guests. You will be linking directly to the CUFI registration pages. Your guests are welcome but each individual person must register as indicated on the registration pages.
$25 OFF Bus if you register before April 22 $25 OFF Participation if you register before April 22
June 19 - 21 we will convene at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC for our fourth annual National Conference & Legislative Briefing.
And here's some really great news: This year's registration fee is only $229! Register by April 15th and you'll receive our "Early Bird" rate of just $189!
We also offer again this year special benefits for Patriot Eagle and Patriot sponsors.
We have some exciting new wrinkles planned for this year's event, and our list of confirmed speakers already includes:
Steven Emerson - Journalist, author, and the Executive Editor of the Investigative Project on Terrorism. A. M. Rosenthal, late-managing editor of The New York Times, described Emerson as "one of the nation's best national security correspondents."
John Guandolo - Former FBI agent and one of America's leading authorities on the Muslim Brotherhood and its inner workings in America. Guandolo spoke at our conference in 2011 and received rave reviews from conference attendees!
Ezra Levant - Canadian lawyer, author, newspaper columnist with Sun Media, and former publisher of the Western Standard. Hauled before a Canadian "human rights commission" because he published the Danish cartoons that satirized Muhammad, Levant's personal account of a politically correct government inquisition is something you won't want to miss!
The National Conference & Legislative Briefing will begin on Wed. evening, June 19th, and conclude on Friday, June 21st at noon, with additional optional training sessions Friday afternoon.
It will again feature our very popular Capitol Hill Awards Luncheon and our signature gala banquet-and of course, our Legislative Briefing, where Members of Congress will brief you on various issues and answer your questions.
So make your plans now to join us in our nation's capital for what promises to be our best National Conference & Legislative Briefing ever!
More details to come!
Coming March 25th & 27th: Two Skills Clinics for Pennsylvania Conservatives
Holding Congress accountable is tough work, and it can seem even more daunting when you're tackling the task alone. Whether you are new to the fight or a seasoned activist, the Sentinel Skills Clinic will help you better engage Congress and have your voice heard. Join fellow Pennsylvania conservatives as we share the tools to take meaningful action at this crucial time in our country's history.
Lancaster Skills Clinic
Homewood Suites by Hilton Lancaster 200 Granite Run Drive Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 17601
We are so blessed that over the last four years thousands of churches in over 60 countries have stood in solidarity with Israel through CUFI Sunday. From the largest cities to the smallest towns, from mega churches in the American heartland to underground churches in China, Christians have come together to express their love and support for Israel.
We pray that your church will participate in the fifth annual CUFI Sunday on May 5, 2013. CUFI will provide you with all the materials you need to implement a successful CUFI Sunday, including videos, literature and Pastor John Hagee's personal sermon notes for your use.
Please click hereto participate in CUFI Sunday. As you'll see, you don't have to be a pastor to ensure that your church stands with Israel on CUFI Sunday.
The date we've chosen for CUFI Sunday -- May 5th -- is close to Israeli Independence Day. As the Jewish State celebrates her 65th birthday, there is no better present we can send than the news of thousands of churches standing in solidarity with her!
We look forward to uniting in action and prayer on behalf of Israel with you and your congregation on May 5, 2013.
May God Bless You and Those that You Love,
Pastor John Hagee National Chairman
David Brog Executive Director
2013 RedState Gathering -- Early Bird Special
Dear RedStater,
We announced earlier this week that we'll be headed to New Orleans the first weekend in August for this year's RedState Gathering. As a member of our RedState family, we'd like to extend exclusive Early Bird registration and pricing to you (just use the promo code EARLYBIRD on the registration page).
The 2013 RedState Gathering will be held August 2-3 at the Westin Canal Place in New Orleans, LA. We'll have two full days of speakers and activities and you can expect a good mix of elected officials and potential candidates for the 2014 cycle (we'll keep you informed as additions are made).
The Gathering has always been a unique event, in that all speakers, even the most in-demand and influential, pay their own way and make their own travel arrangements. This helps keep our costs low, a savings we are happy to pass along to our conference attendees. Additionally, we strive to get you up close to the speakers, ask them to take your questions, and we take care of nearly all your meals during the conference. Bottom line: fewer frills, more thrills and access.
We are thrilled to once again be joined by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who will be hosting a reception for all attendees and appear at the Gathering podium as a keynote speaker. A huge hit in 2012, we're looking forward to Gov. Jindal playing an even larger role this year as he welcomes us to his home state.
Now, more than ever, true conservative activists must come together to exchange ideas and strategize for the future. That's what this year's Gathering is all about. We hope you'll join us.
P.S. Don't delay! You'll receive 20% off if you register today - just use the promo code EARLYBIRD. Click here.
Glenn: Help us get in millions of home
Why should you support the "Get TheBlaze" movement to get TheBlaze in millions of homes across the country? For starters, how about a network that will cancel out the damage Al-Jazeera will be doing in America as it replaces Current in your lineup? Check out Glenn's "why" in this exclusive letter HERE.
Ready to take action? Click here to contact your TV provider and urge them to add TheBlaze.
ATTENTION: Are you a Verizon FiOS Subscriber? They've created a new form for you to fill out to request TheBlaze! You can complete the form HERE. And don't forget to make your request public by posting on their Facebook page. Thank you for supporting us!
Hi All - I just spoke w/ Lisa Lnancollas@aol.com (717 437 1327) who lives in Lewistown, Pa and is majorly involved in fighting the smart meters............and it's more than just electric, it's water, furnaces/ac's and wells too
We need to share this information. I asked her if she'd speak to groups in our area and she said yes, but would like to include Mike Reese who's written several bills that we want to get out of committee and approved:
2.signs in our yards saying NO SMART METERS......put them around like election signs
3.Let our State Reps know how you feel ie Warren Kampf....tell him you're in favor of the bills against smart meters
4.Do neighbor alerts........call your neighbors if you see trucks coming into the area
5.Write letters to the editors....remember if they get several letters, they're more likely to put at least one in.....educate the public
6.Prepare handouts
7.Send certified letter to electric company and get return receipt of name of person who signed for it
Be aware:
Water Smart Meters.........(IF YOU LET THEM IN, you're giving permission.) YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LET THEM IN
Well Smart Meters......are coming and will limit the amount of water you use.
If you get someone knocking on your door asking if you want to save money on your heat/ac, do not say yes or they'll put a clip on your unit that will limit your usage of air conditioning. The fan will work, but your usage will be CONTROLLED.
IF you get a new wall mount (thermostat & it may be required w/ a new ac unit because of the wiring) for your AC DO NOT GET ONE WITH A GPS in it........there is a cheaper model that has no GPS........ask questions BEFORE you start or consider any changes!!!!!!!!
Important Announcement from SFL
You're probably wondering why you've been getting more emails from me and Sustainable Freedom Lab after having had next to none for quite some time.
Well, the truth is that I've been very busy. As always, I spend enormous amounts of my time researching, writing, and speaking to the public about the threats of Agenda 21 and Regionalism.
I've also been working on important projects behind the scenes.
Now I'm finally ready to reveal the first of these "secret" projects: The DVD version of "Stopping Agenda 21 in Your Community".
Like the title suggests, this DVD program offers step-by-step training on how you can fight back against those who would bring Agenda 21 into your community. The test audience who saw this program during the limited streaming we held last Fall felt it was critical viewing for anyone concerned about the erosion of our property rights.
If you've been wanting an interesting, clearly written, how-to-manual for identifying and fighting UN Agenda 21, here it is. Agenda 21--All the information you need to understand what is happening in your town, why it's happening, who is behind it, and what you can do to stop it. BEHIND THE GREEN MASK: U.N. Agenda 21 is 172 pages of truth. Part history, part current events, part hand-to-hand combat, and part blueprint for keeping your freedom, this is one book that you'll put to work immediately. Boots on the ground and all hands on deck is the order of the day. Awareness is the first step in the Resistance.
Awareness about Agenda 21 is finally spreading throughout the country, due in no small part to your efforts. But knowing it is there isn't enough. Now we need to educate ourselves on how to combat it. That's where you come in.
American Policy Center has recently released a booklet that explains everything you need to know to start fighting back against sustainable programs both locally and nationally. The booklet is called Special Report: Agenda 21 and How to Stop It and is available in the APC store for only $5.95.
I wrote this 35 page booklet in order to give activists a succinct resource they can refer to if they suspect Agenda 21 or Sustainable Development is being implemented in their area. It includes my own research coupled with incredibly helpful graphics created by Carroll County, Maryland Commissioner Richard Rothschild.
In the booklet you will find answers to several roadblocks that grassroots anti-Agenda 21 activists often face, including a definition of property rights and "Resolution to Protect Citizens' Property Rights," which many concerned citizens are already using to tie the hands of power hungry politicians.
This booklet is a great resource for anyone interested in preserving their property rights. It includes all the information to put up a first line of defense and step by step instructions for how to proceed from there. If you face Agenda 21 or Sustainable development in your area or are simply concerned with the national fight this booklet is a must read.
P.S. - The American Policy Center store has recently updated our inventory to include everything you need to fight back against Agenda 21. The revamped catalogue includes the "Stop Agenda 21 Action Kit", which provides users with everything they need to know about Agenda 21 in their own living room, as well as ways to share it with other concerned activists and critical knowledge on how to fight back. The store also offers DVDs of past successful conferences and symposiums, books and articles that deal with the issues of sustainability and Agenda 21 and individually packaged manuals and workbooks to aid you in your activism. You don't need to look any farther than the American Policy Center Store for everything you need to combat Agenda 21 and Sustainable Development in your area.
It's time to opt out of the creepy federal data-mining racket.
By Michelle Malkin
Last week, I reported on the federal government's massive new student-tracking database, which was created as part of the nationalized Common Core standards scheme.
The bad news: GOP "leadership" continues to ignore or, worse, enable this Nanny State racket. (Hello, Jeb Bush.)
The good news: A grassroots revolt outside the Beltway bubble is swelling. Families are taking their children's academic and privacy matters out of the snoopercrats' grip and into their own hands. You can now download a Common Core opt-out form to submit to your school district, courtesy of the group Truth in American Education.
Parents caught off guard by the stealthy tracking racket are now mobilizing across the country. According to the
New York Daily News
, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, echoing parents across New York City, blasted the tracking database in a letter to government officials: "I don't want my kids' privacy bought and sold like this." This Wednesday, prompted by parental objections, Oklahoma state representatives unanimously passed House Bill 1989 - the Student Data Accessibility, Transparency and Accountability Act - to prohibit the release of confidential student data without the written consent of the student's parent or guardian.As I noted in last week's column, the national Common Core student database was funded with Obama stimulus money. Grants also came from the liberal Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (which largely underwrote and promoted the top-down Common Core curricular scheme). A division of the conservative Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. built the database infrastructure. A nonprofit startup, "inBloom, Inc.," evolved out of this strange-bedfellows partnership to operate the invasive database, which is compiling everything from health-care histories, income information, and religious affiliations to voting status, blood types, and homework completion.
And it gets worse. Research fellow Joy Pullmann at the Heartland Institute points to a February Department of Education report on its data-mining plans that contemplates the use of creepy student-monitoring techniques such as "functional magnetic resonance imaging" and "using cameras to judge facial expressions, an electronic seat that judges posture, a pressure-sensitive computer mouse and a biometric wrap on kids' wrists."
The DOE report exposes the big lie that Common Core is about raising academic standards. The report instead reveals Common Core's progressive designs to measure and track children's "competencies" in "recognizing bias in sources," "flexibility," "cultural awareness and competence," "appreciation for diversity," "empathy," "perspective taking, trust, [and] service orientation."
That's right. School districts and state governments are pimping out highly personal data on children's feelings, beliefs, "biases," and "flexibility" instead of doing their own jobs of imparting knowledge - and minding their own business. And yes, Republicans such as former Florida governor Jeb Bush continue to falsely defend the centralized Common Core regime as locally driven and non-coercive, while ignoring the database system's circumvention of federal student-privacy laws.
Why? Edu-tech nosybodies are using the Common Core assessment boondoggle as a Trojan horse to collect and crunch massive amounts of personal student data for their own social-justice or moneymaking ends. Reminder: Nine states have entered into contracts with inBloom: Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, and North Carolina. Countless other vendors are salivating at the business possibilities in exploiting public-school students.
Marxism in Education - The Infiltration of Our School Systems by the Common Core Standards
Details
Written by Terresa Monroe-Hamilton
Right Side News has been reporting on progressive education reformers and the Common Core Standards being implemented in our public schools across the nation. Here is an excellent article with videos detailing how the Obama Administration is requiring the public schools in your county through grants (bribes) to adopt Common Core Standards.
Bottom line: the Obama Administration is using your tax money to indoctrinate your children to a Marxist mindset. You can make a difference, as explained below the videos by downloading an OPT-OUT form and submitting that to your local school district.
Terresa Monroe-Hamilton, Noisy Room Blog
I caught Glenn Beck on The Blaze and his excellent showcasing of Obama's Common Core Standards that are now in 45 states, including my state of Idaho. Common Core is Marxism for children. It is state run propaganda and is meant to dumb down and control our little ones. It is evil and it has been a long time coming. Obama pushed it through slyly and quickly after coming into office, but I can tell you, this has been brewing since at least the 1990s.
A little background... When my children were in school in the 1990s, my husband and I requested to see the school curriculum for their school in Las Vegas, Nevada. We were refused and basically told we were too dumb to understand what the teachers were instructing our son and daughter in. The last straw came when they wanted to put my daughter in the second grade on Ritalin instead of disciplining her. I was pulled in front of four teachers and accused of not raising my daughter correctly, as well as basically being an abusive and stupid parent.
I promptly told these teachers that they could pound sand and pulled our children (our son was in third grade at the time) out of school that very same day. I left the Fortune 500 and home schooled both of them till high school and in retrospect, should have kept them out even then. My children could not do the simplest of math or read when we pulled them out. I tested them and started them all over again with the ABEKA home schooling system, which at the time, cost a great deal of money.
Forty-five states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity have adopted the Common Core State Standards.
Has Communist Ideology Overtaken America? Education is crucial. Today I want to share two very interesting lists with you, and rather than adding an extensive amount of my commentary, I want to give you the chance to examine the facts for yourself. It is my opinion that many communist goals have already been accomplished. I also believe that advancement has been made in other areas. But, you owe it to yourself to do your own research. I believe not only in the freedom of speech, but also in the responsibility of free thought. So please don't take my word for it. Examine the facts for yourself.
Again, I want to share two lists with you. The first is a list that was entered into 1963 Congressional Record. The second is the 10 planks of The Communist Manifesto.
If you can't see this happening in America, and a ton of progress being made, then I offer two potential explanations:
You are one of the "useful idiots" of communist teaching.
I am one of the "village idiots" that your Mama probably warned you about.
Some of these points will be open for debate and some will not. In some cases it is blatantly obvious that they have achieved their goals. It is even rumored that our own President has deep communist ties. You might want to check that out as well but I will withhold my opinion at this point. Let's just lay it out and you can interpret it.
This list was originally printed in "The Naked Communist" by Cleon Skousen. It was entered into Congressional Record in 1963 as the 45 goals of "The Communist Takeover of America."
If I Were the Devil - (BEST VERSION) by PAUL HARVEY audio restored
America needs a history lesson
Sign up now for Hillsdale's newest online courses - available FREE to every American!
Did you know that over 500,000 other students have already registered for one of our free online courses?
As Ronald Reagan once said during a speech delivered on our campus in 1978, "Hillsdale deserves the appreciation of all who labor for freedom...Your creative outreach on national issues enables little Hillsdale to cast a long shadow."
As a school of only 1,400 students, we reach over 350 TIMES that number with our online courses on the Constitution and America's founding principles.
Now is your chance to join with your fellow citizens!
Register now for this free "American Heritage" online course so you can better understand - and defend - the principles of liberty. This is the type of education America's Founders thought necessary to preserve our republic. Lectures in this not-for-credit online course are delivered by members of Hillsdale's history department faculty, and readings are drawn from the American Heritage Reader used in the American Heritage core course taught on Hillsdale's campus.
Course Schedule
Approximately 40 minutes in length, lectures will be released each Monday according to the schedule below. Once available, each week's materials can be viewed at your convenience.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is managing to compile some mind-boggling fundraising numbers for the gubernatorial reelection this year. Ordinarily this wouldn't be too newsworthy but given his potential to be a candidate for the GOP nomination in 2016, it is wort noting.
Voter ID Measure Clears House Committee Over Objections - One of the sponsors, Anchorage Republican Rep. Bob Lynn, said House Bill 3 won't stop a single person from voting and that some of the critics have misconstrued what he aims to do.
Voter ID Measure Advances in Arkansas State House - Arkansas lawmakers, following the lead of other legislators across the country, approved a measure on Wednesday to require voters to show photo identification before they can cast a ballot.
NEBRASKA
Alternative to Voter ID Proposed - Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale suggests the legislature study the issue of voter identification rather than move on the current voter photo ID bill. Gale has suggested the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee consider authorizing an interim study of voter identification as well as the companion issues of voter registration and voter fraud.
Lawless Left Targets PA Voter ID Laws - Readers of Pennsylvania newspapers have been told (by now repeatedly) that the state attorney general, Kathleen Kane, cannot bring herself to enforce the state voter identification law that the legislature passed last year. This PA law is nothing out of the ordinary.
TENNESSEE
Senate: College IDs Acceptable form of Voter ID - The legislation sponsored by Republican Sen. Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro was approved 21-8. The companion bill is scheduled to be heard next week in the House Local Government Committee.
In November of last year I documented how much of the Romney Campaign's third party operations were run out of 66 Canal Center Plaza.
Suite 555 of Canal Center Plaza houses Black Rock Group, Crossroads Media, WWP Strategies, TargetPoint Consulting, and Americans for Job Security.
A number of these groups either directly helped the Romney campaign or worked with the outside groups who helped the Romney campaign. The New York Times produced an awesome graphic of the incestuous ties in Suite 555.. . . please click here for the rest of the post →
2.Mitch McConnell Votes to Fund Obamacare
Hey, remember that awesome CPAC speech by Mitch McConnell?
The one where Mitch McConnell said - and I quote - "Obamacare should be repealed root and branch. And we're not backing down from this fight."
And the same speech where Mitch McConnell also said, "This law is a disaster, and anybody who thinks we've moved beyond it is dead wrong."
Well, as I told you, Mitch McConnell excels at saying one thing and doing another. Yesterday, Mitch McConnell voted to fund Obamacare.
Hey Utah, he joined Orrin Hatch in doing so. Remember, just last year on the campaign trail Orrin Hatch told you all how he was going to absolutely fight to rid us of Obamacare at all costs. And he got a large portion of the conservative movement to cheer him on as a result.
Yeah, that Orrin Hatch voted to fund Obamacare too.
And now for the punchline - the majority of the Republicans in the Senate voted against funding Obamacare. McConnell and Hatch were in the minority of Republicans who chose to side with the Democrats and fund Obamacare.. . . please click here for the rest of the post →
3.Using Dead Bodies For Political Points
Obama starts the year by demagoguing Newtown and gun crime to an insane length. You have 'they deserve a vote.' You have all the talk about the need to get serious about guns. All of that.
Then next, you have all the quiet talk about how the President doesn't really need an assault weapons ban in the gun bill. You have mouthpiece of the Democratic National Committee Greg Sargent saying 20 times a day that the assault weapons ban is not the President's priority; it's the background check. That's his priority. That's what he cares about.
Then yesterday, Harry Reid basically comes out and says the Assault Weapons Ban is dead, and that - by the way - Dianne Feinstein might be embarrassed if she offers it as an amendment, because it will get fewer than 40 votes. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
If you are wondering why suddenly you are hearing so much in the media about gay marriage, it's because the Supreme Court is hearing arguments on the issue on March 26th.
Thanks to John Roberts' and Anthony Kennedy's behavior these last few years, the left is convinced that those two are highly persuadable in the court of public opinion. Consequently, they'll show all the polls that show popular support. They'll produce fabulous mythological research showing how normal and wonderful and non-corrupting to society long term it is, and they'll attack anyone and any research that suggests otherwise.
You have to admire their savagery and skill in the public relations arena.
Karl Rove and Republican Decline Steve McCann His fingerprints are all over the Party Establishment mess, as well as their estrangement from the rest of the country More
Fighting the Immigration Wars Elise Cooper Workable plans exist for controlling the border and solving the immigration crisis. But will the Obama administration allow any of them to proceed? More
A New Path to a Balanced Budget? Jim Guirard It's time for a true "Grand Bargain" to balance the budget. It will not be difficult, provided the GOP can stand strong on some crucial points. More
President Obama's car came to a halt in Israel yesterday, reportedly because it had been filled with the wrong kind of gas.
"This is a metaphor for his Middle East policy-he's been running on the wrong kind of fuel," said Heritage expert James Phillips.
The Obama Doctrine-the President's approach to foreign policy-has been one of talks, sanctions, and seeking international agreements. But his tactics have led to some sorry outcomes. As Heritage's Luke Coffey put it, "After almost four years of his presidency, not only is America's standing in the world weaker; the world is also more dangerous than before."
"A cyberattack caused computer networks at major South Korean banks and top TV broadcasters to crash simultaneously Wednesday," reports the Associated Press.
Want to know where people are allowed to carry guns? A new app for mobile phones will map gun-free zones.
The FDA announced that it will back off using graphic pictures on cigarette warning labels.
After Colorado's governor signed three new gun laws today, a firearm accessories manufacturer in the state said it would be moving elsewhere.
What do you think about the Supreme Court taking up same-sex marriage? Call in to Istook Live! today between 9 a.m. and noon ET to share your thoughts. Listen online and call (800)-961-7808.
Given the gravity and immediacy of the issue, the bishops are asking Congress to act now by incorporating language repealing the regulation into "must-pass" legislation.
As the realities and costs of the Affordable Healthcare Act-Obamacare-kick in, when he leaves office, he will be remembered for inflicting pain and suffering on Americans.
If we don't have a 'debt crisis' today since we have added $7 trillion in national debt in 4 years under Obama, after adding $6 trillion in 8 years under Bush , when will we have a debt crisis...?
One of the greatest challenges they bring to our attention is maintaining a balance between living within a hair's breadth of death daily and at the same time the ability to embrace life.
Unless Obama has completely changed from his life-long, pro-Islam beliefs, (which we know he has not) then Israel is in for diplomatic and national security trouble.
Each memo dealt with assorted developments in Libya, including the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi. One memo marked "Confidential" was sent to Clinton on September 12.
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"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
In yet another testament to the corrupt if inventive workings of the liberal mind, Attorney General Eric Holder recently decided to defraud the United States Supreme Court in the hope of preventing sections of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) being ruled unconstitutional.
Section 5 of the VRA requires 9 Southern states and a number of jurisdictions in 7 others-all charged with a history of voting rights abuses-to obtain "preclearance" from the DOJ or the District Court of DC before making any changes to state election policies or procedures. Passed into law in 1965, Section 5 was enacted as an "emergency provision" designed to "promote full access to the voting process" and expire in 5 years. (1)
But now, nearly 5 decades later, Section 5 has become the darling of Civil Rights groups, the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ and liberal bureaucrats throughout the federal government as it has been ... Continue Reading:Eric Holder instructs Justice Department to defraud Supreme Court
Survivors of the Benghazi attack were told to "shut up" by the Democratic leadership with the clear purpose of protecting the inept elected and appointed democrats of this administration. This regime cannot be embarrassed. Never. It's the Chicago way.
In a rare display of courage a mortified Senator Lindsey Graham said Senate Republicans are generally being denied access to the survivors of the Benghazi terror attack of September 11, 2012. In an interview with Fox News (1) the South Carolina Senator said he was able to meet with some of the survivors. He told Brit Hume "the bottom line is they feel that they can't come forth, they've been told to be quiet." The only thing missing was the "or else." The Senator admits that this White House is trying to cover up the truth about Benghazi.
President Barack Obama has arrived in Israel at the start of a four-day trip to the region that will include stops in the West Bank and in Jordan. It is the first visit by a U.S. president since George W. Bush visited in 2008, during the Annapolis peace negotiations, and the first of Obama's presidency.
Obama began his trip abroad by knocking his opposition at home: "It's good to get away from Congress," he said to Netanyahu--a joke with additional poignance, given Obama's history of frosty interactions with the Israeli leader.
Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog
Cyprus is Europe's original failure. It was the first part of modern Europe to be invaded and colonized by Muslims, while its native Christian population was ethnically cleansed. Cyprus is to Islam what Czechoslovakia was to Nazism; the canary in the coal mine warning of worse things to come.
Now Cyprus has wound up in the middle of the European Union's meltdown as everyone scrambles to salvage what they can from an unsustainable system at the expense of everyone else. It's easy to look at what almost happened as another case of powerful elites abusing ordinary pensioners, but it's a good deal more complicated than that.
What we are actually seeing are the beginnings of bailout cannibalism as the Eurocrats manipulate entire nations into fighting each other while scrambling to gain some political advantage out of the mess. The real purpose of the deposit grab was to wreck Cyprus' banking sector and continue the centralization of international finance. At the same time it was meant to give German voters, who have been funding much of the mess, the feeling that other people were getting screwed as well.
Cyprus' government tried to salvage its banking sector by passing on the pain to ordinary depositors in one of those brutally unfair short-term/long-term decisions that technocrats like so long as they have the early warning to opt out of them. While the banks were closed to ordinary people, there's little doubt that plenty of insiders took the time to get their money out and it will be interesting to find out who they were.
"To judge from the history of mankind, we shall be compelled to conclude that the fiery and destructive passions of war reign in the human breast with much more powerful sway than the mild and beneficent sentiments of peace; and that to model our political systems upon speculations of lasting tranquillity would be to calculate on the weaker springs of human character." --Alexander Hamilton
Editorial Exegesis
Missile interceptor at Fort Greely, Alaska
"The administration beefs up our Alaskan-based interceptors it once downgraded in response to North Korea's threat, while ending the final phase of the Europe-based defense against Iran it once supported. ... We are reminded that if President Obama hadn't scuttled President Bush's plans, these added interceptors would already be in their silos. ... The failure to dissuade Pyongyang from advancing its nuclear and missile program through sanctions, concessions and diplomatic pressure, one of many Obama administration foreign policy flops, has led us to the point where North Korea is a serious threat and the White House once again has to change its position. An administration official said the North Korean missile threat was much less sophisticated when Sen. Obama was running for the White House and those who criticize the change of plans are engaging in 'Monday morning quarterbacking.'
Well, we have been consistent in supporting missile defense -- the administration has not -- and we would suggest the administration has taken its eye off the ball regarding North Korea. ... The good news about the additional GBIs, including an environmental study (we're not making this up) for a third ground-based Interceptor site on the East Coast, comes with the bad news that to pay for it the Obama administration wants to scrap the fourth and final phase of a planned missile defense in Europe that was scheduled to be completed by 2018. ... That system was to be the replacement for Bush's earlier plan to place GBIs in Poland and a missile defense radar system in the Czech Republic. Typical of the way Obama has treated loyal allies such as Britain and Israel, the Poles were notified with a midnight phone call on Sept. 17, 2009 -- the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion -- that we were pulling the plug on that system due to Russian objections. That system as well also could have been already in place. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel assures us this new plan, including the part requiring environmental review, will protect us from North Korea and Iran. That is, unless Obama changes his mind again." --Investor's Business Daily
Bolton: Make Sure Chemical Weapons Don't Leave Syria
Tuesday, 19 Mar 2013
By Bill Hoffmann
With reports that rebel forces launched a chemical weapons attack in Syria on Tuesday, the U.S must make sure such deadly munitions never cross the borders into the hands of terrorists, says John Bolton, former Ambassador to the United Nations.
"We've got to up our intelligence and we've got to be prepared to work with Turkey and Israel and Jordan, who would be very concerned about this thing,'' Bolton told Newsmax TV's "The Steve Malzberg Show.''
Why do critics complain about the trade deficit? The reason is that they only look at dollars spent on things like shoes, and not dollars spent on things like factories. Based on transactions in T-shirts, the U.S. has a deficit. Based on investment income, the U.S. has a surplus. Add up all the individual deficits and surpluses, and they balance out..
Congressman Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget outline calls for federal employees to contribute more to their pensions, but the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is none too happy about it. In noting that total federal employee compensation is currently excessive, Ryan is on solid empirical ground. But instead of trying to counter with evidence of its own, the AFGE has resorted to brazen falsehoods and obfuscation.
At the height of the recession, one in 10 Americans who wanted to work could not find employment. Since then, the unemployment rate has gradually fallen. Typically, when the unemployment rate goes down, it's because more people find jobs. In this recession, however, employment rates have been flat.
Obama Agencies Prepping for Chaos -- Disturbing Footage
"Nec audiendi sunt qui solent dicere vox populi, vox dei; cum tumultus vulgi semper insaniæ proxima sit." We would not listen to those who were wont to say the voice of the people is the voice of God, for the voice of the mob is near akin to madness. ~ Alcuin
Planned Parenthood Thugs Attack Elderly Witness Documenting Another Abortion Botch
Caught On Video: Grandmother Attacked By Planned Parenthood Worker Posted On America's Conservative News
Caught on video ... a 63-yr old grandmother of 12 was violently attacked as she documented the 4th abortion injury at Planned Parenthood in Wilmington, DE on March 13, 2013 ...
Is That Counting The Whole Identity Fraud And Illegal Immigration Thing?
Conyers: Many Imprisoned Illegals Let Go by ICE 'Had One or Two Misdemeanors Only' By Penny Starr CNSNews.com
Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) defended the recent release by the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of 2, 228 incarcerated illegal aliens by saying that only 467 of those had been convicted of a misdemeanor "or two."
While Some Suffer ... You Won't Believe Where Billions Of Dollars Flow
Strapped Feds Have Money For Gopher-Tortoise Survey By Steve Peacock WorldNetDaily
Gold pellets valued at $17,580 are being purchased by the National Institute of Standards and Technology of the U.S. Department of Commerce, though the purpose of the acquisition remains a mystery.
Like Patin's Duck: Web-Footed And Just Doesn't Care
Reid: Sequestration to Blame for Marine Deaths in Nevada By Ben Shapiro Breitbart.com
President Obama has blamed sequestration for everything from cutting White House tours to the possibility of first responders being laid off. But on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) did Obama one better: he blamed sequestration for the accidental deaths of seven US Marines on Tuesday in Nevada.
Why? Obama lacks character, and he is not a leader! Related posts: Barack Obama: 'Turn In Your Guns, America!' It always happens the same way. There is some horrific... New Romney Ad: America Doesn't Trust Barack Obama Just like he did against Hillary Clinton, President Obama now...
If You Work For Obama, You Are Under Orders To Shut Up
Mar 20, 2013 01:27 pm Survivors of the Benghazi attack were told to "shut up" by the Democratic leadership with the clear purpose of protecting the inept elected and appointed Democrats of this administration. This regime cannot be embarrassed. Never. It's the Chicago way. In a rare display of courage, a mortified Senator Lindsey Graham said Senate Republicans are generally [...]
Video: If Satan Had A Son, Would He Look Like Obama?
Mar 20, 2013 01:19 pm
Playing off the recent revelation that the History Channel mini-series "The Bible's" version of the devil unintentionally looks like President Obama, Rush Limbaugh took to his radio show to declare that if Satan had a son, he would surely look a lot like the president. Related posts: Fmr. Obama Supporter: Something Sinister About Him A [...]
Mar 20, 2013 01:15 pm In yet another testament to the corrupt if inventive workings of the liberal mind, Attorney General Eric Holder recently decided to defraud the United States Supreme Court in the hope of preventing sections of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) being ruled unconstitutional. Section 5 of the VRA requires 9 Southern states and a number of [...]
Video: BREAKING: Forward Movement In The Obama Identity Fraud Case
Mar 20, 2013 01:09 pm
Carl Gallups gives an update after coming back from CPAC... Related posts: Lead Obama Identity Fraud Investigator Meets With Officials At CPAC Radio host Carl Gallups gives an important update on his... Justice Sanders: Obama Identity Document Fraud Case Not Frivolous Here is a radio interview with Justice Richard Sanders, a...
Video: O'Reilly Flirts With Obama's Hidden College Records
Mar 20, 2013 12:54 pm
Here is Bill O'Reilly's most recent talking points memo: Related posts: Trump On Greta: Obama Passport Records, College Records, Born In Kenya Bio Donald Trump has some smart advice for Mitt Romney.... Continue... New Report On Obama's Eligibility/Hidden Records Infowars has produced a comprehensive update on all things Obama....
'Not One Dime': Obamacare Projected To Add $6.2 Trillion To U.S. Deficit
Mar 20, 2013 12:43 pm Congress is likely to follow precedent and bypass the new health care law's draconian payment cuts to doctors and hospitals, causing the law's cost to balloon by trillions of dollars. It turns out President Obama was right when he said his health care law wouldn't add one dime to the federal deficit.1 Figures from the [...]
Katie Worthman was born in Austria and lived there for seven years under Hitler's brutal regime. After World War II, she also lived for three years under Soviet communist occupation. Needless to say, Mrs. Worthman is someone who has an acute awareness of how the media distorts things and tyranny comes to power. Related posts: [...]
Has your government ordered your death yet? Here is a rundown of how they are preparing to attack American citizens. Related posts: Obama Admin Is Preparing To Take Out Conservative Americans Military veterans consistently poll as identifying themselves as conservative, which... Benghazi-Gate: Obama's Lax Security Led To Four Dead Americans On June 6, the Libyan [...]
Video: Distract, Divert To Deceive: The Focus Should Be On Benghazi!
Mar 20, 2013 12:01 pm
If North Korea decides to knock out our electrical grid, there is probably little if anything we can do to stop it. This is the Administration's attempt to take the focus off of Benghazi. Related posts: Romney Wins CBS Focus Group In Ohio Dean Reynolds held a focus group in Ohio on CBS... Benghazi-Gate: Lawmakers [...]
Video: Flashback: Hayek On The Firing Line With William F. Buckley Jr.
Mar 20, 2013 11:49 am
Is there a case for private property? This is a fascinating discussion if you want to look more into philosophy as opposed to just politics. Related posts: Reps. Lummis And Franks Call On NPR CEO Vivian Schiller To Resign Over Juan Williams Firing Wyoming Republican Cynthia Lummis is calling for the resignation of... The Rehabilitation [...]
Mar 20, 2013 11:45 am The fight against indefinite military detention continues. Yesterday, the Las Vegas City Council and the Clark County Commission drafted anti-NDAA legislation to protect the Constitutional rights of their constituents. City Councilman Bob Beers and County Commissioner Chris Giunchliani put forth the draft. Afterward, Daphne Lee, the Clark County Chapter Head of PANDA, and Christopher Corbett, [...]
Mar 20, 2013 11:43 am Editor's note: Below is the text of a speech given by Mr. Fisher at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on March 16th, 2013: Thank you, Chad [Barth]. I gather you all held a big dinner last night in honor of Ronald Reagan. My father-in-law, the late Congressman Jim Collins, was a good friend of [...]
Video: Issa: State Department Lying About Benghazi
Mar 20, 2013 11:41 am
Where are the other Congressmen? Related posts: Issa Grills State Department Officials For Failure To Protect US Diplomats In Benghazi From yesterday's hearings...... Continue to Post... Sununu: Obama Administration Guilty Of Lying, Incompetence AND A Cover-up In 'Benghazi-gate' Romney surrogate John Sununu blasts Obama and his administration's fumbling...
Mar 20, 2013 11:38 am WASHINGTON- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has decided that a proposed assault weapons ban won't be part of a gun control bill the Senate plans to debate next month, the sponsor of the ban said Tuesday, a decision that means the ban stands little chance of survival. Instead, Sen. Dianne Feinstein said she will be [...]
Video: Congressman Corners DHS On Why They Are Releasing Felons
Mar 20, 2013 11:29 am
Congressman Trey Gowdy presses DHS: Where could DHS have cut $1200 a day, the same cost of keeping 10 level 1 aggravated felons detained? Conferences? Travel? Promotional material? Related posts: Congressman Wants Petraeus To Testify One Way Or The Other Rep. Trey Gowdy told Greta Van Susteren last night that... Congressman Dares Obama Rep. Trey [...]
Mar 20, 2013 11:26 am The second-term honeymoon for President Obama is beginning to look like it is over. Obama, who was riding high after his reelection win in November, has seen his poll numbers take a precipitous fall in recent weeks. A CNN poll released Tuesday showed Obama's favorability rating underwater, with 47 percent approving and 50 percent disapproving [...]
Video: Congressman: DHS Won't Talk About $1.6 Billion Bullet Purchase
Mar 20, 2013 11:15 am
At CPAC, Luke Rudkowski of WeAreChange.org interviewed Congressman Timothy Huelscamp on his decision to vote against the NDAA, which was due to the unconstitutionality of the indefinite detention provision. They also discussed Obama's Disposition Matrix and the large ammunition purchases made by the DHS. Related posts: Rand Paul Warns About U.S. Citizens 'Indefinite Detention' Rand [...]
Mar 20, 2013 11:11 am Another day, another one of my Benghazi Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests has been denied - this time from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). As previously reported, the CIA also denied my Benghazi FOIA request. Recall it was on September 11, 2012 when Ambassador Christopher Stevens, information management officer Sean Smith, former Navy [...]
Mar 20, 2013 11:02 am WASHINGTON- The Justice Department on Tuesday dropped its support for a controversial provision in a federal law that allows police to review some private emails without a warrant, but it asked Congress to expand its surveillance powers in other ways. The testimony by a top Obama administration lawyer before a House subcommittee was met with [...]
Mar 20, 2013 10:53 am WASHINGTON - Tea party favorite Sen. Rand Paul said Tuesday that the nation's illegal immigrants should be able to become citizens eventually, but amid a furor from conservative activists on the explosive issue he quickly sought to make clear that, while they would not be sent home, they couldn't get in line in front of [...]
Mar 20, 2013 10:47 am LONDON- Britain's fertility regulator says it has found broad public support for in vitro fertilization techniques that allow babies to be created with DNA from three people for couples at risk of passing on potentially fatal genetic diseases. It also found there was no evidence to suggest the techniques were unsafe, but said further research [...]
Mar 20, 2013 10:38 am BAGHDAD - An al-Qaida affiliated group in Iraq has claimed responsibility for bloody attacks that killed dozens of people across the country a day earlier. In a statement posted Wednesday on a militant website, the Islamic State of Iraq, al-Qaida's Iraqi branch, said the Tuesday attacks were in revenge for the executions and "massacres" of [...]
Mar 20, 2013 10:30 am Why is US President Barack Obama coming to Israel today? In 2008, then president George W. Bush came to celebrate Israel's 60th Independence Day, and to reject Israeli requests for assistance in destroying Iran's nuclear installations. In 1996, then-president Bill Clinton came to Israel to help then-prime minister Shimon Peres's electoral campaign against Likud leader [...]
For the past four years, Democrats have routinely demonized conservatives. Ads were produced depicting a Paul Ryan character pushing granny off a cliff. In 2011, while criticizing Republican proposals to restrain out-of-control spending, President Obama said that Republicans would let "children with autism" and "kids with disabilities" "fend for themselves."
Of course the Tea Party was mercilessly maligned as racist, supporters of traditional marriage have been denounced as bigots and Bob Schieffer recently compared the NRA to Al Qaeda and Nazis. After all that demagoguery -- and I don't use that word lightly -- one might conclude that it couldn't get any worse. Wrong!
Seven marines were killed Monday when a mortar blew up during a training exercise. Their bodies had not yet been buried before the vulture Harry Reid swooped in to exploit the tragedy. Reid took to the Senate floor yesterday and suggested that Republican budget cuts were responsible for their deaths.
Reid has done things like this before. You may recall that during last year's presidential campaign he shamelessly smeared Mitt Romney on the Senate floor with accusations of tax evasion. In 2007, Reid declared that the war in Iraq was "lost." He called George W. Bush a "loser" and a "liar."
Thankfully Marine Corps officials set the record straight, telling reporters that this training exercise had been scheduled for a long time and was totally unrelated to the sequester. One Marine official said he that considered Reid's remarks "pure political posturing on the backs of these dead Marines." I agree.
An independent and unbiased media would have exploded in outrage. The leader of the Senate just told the American people that a 2.5% budget cut somehow caused a mortar shell to explode. Does the senator from Nevada not know that accidents do happen? Is there anything that Harry Reid will not sink his fangs into to score political points?
Senate Republicans should use every procedural means at their disposal to shut down the Senate until Reid comes back to the floor to apologize to the families of these Marines and to the American people.
China Robbing Us Blind
Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew is in Beijing asking China to stop its increasingly aggressive cyberattacks. But maybe he should come home. Once again, another Chinese spying operation has been uncovered here in America.
Friday, a defense contractor was arrested in Hawaii. He was charged with passing secret information to a Chinese agent regarding America's war preparations and nuclear weapons. But that's not all.
Sunday Bo Jiang, a contractor at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, was arrested at Dulles International Airport. He was carrying several laptops, hard drives and memory cards.
Yesterday Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) exposed the fact that the Obama Administration has allowed hundreds of Chinese nationals to work at the Langley Research Center -- a key facility that conducts classified research for America's space defense technologies. But this was not a cultural exchange program.
The Chinese do not allow American nationals to work in their space program because the Chinese space program is owned lock, stock and barrel by the People's Liberation Army. That very likely means that the people China is sending here, who we are allowing into the Langley facility, are controlled by the Chinese military.
We've been down this road before. Remember the Loral Space scandal during the Clinton Administration? This is just another example of the left's naivety when it comes to identifying our enemies and protecting America's national security.
Dems Waiver On Anti-Gun Crusade
Senate Democrats are doing a tactical retreat from their planned assault on the Second Amendment. Hoping to exploit the Sandy Hook tragedy to limit the rights of law abiding Americans, they began drafting a wish list of greater government restrictions on your right to own a gun.
The harshest version of their proposals, a ban on so-called "assault weapons," was written by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). According to congressional insiders, Feinstein's ban couldn't muster even 40 votes in a Senate that has 53 Democrats and two left-leaning independents. So it has been dropped from a larger gun control bill the Senate will soon consider.
What irony! Just when some in the GOP establishment are trying to retreat from conservative positions, Democrats can't corral their own members to support liberal anti-Second Amendment legislation. This victory is a testament to the tremendous grassroots network of the NRA, but it also shows GOP nervousness and defeatism is wrong headed. In fact, numerous Democrat senators in states like Arkansas, Louisiana and North Carolina would likely lose their Senate seats if they voted for Feinstein's bill.
Another Liberal Mugged By Reality?
During one of Bill Maher's recent shows, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow blasted the Ryan budget for including a tax reform proposal with just two personal income tax rates, 10% and 25%. After she finished her class warfare tirade, Maher shot back:
"You know what? Rich people … actually do pay the freight in this country. I just saw these statistics -- I mean, something like 70 percent. And here in California, I just want to say liberals -- you could actually lose me. It's outrageous what we're paying -- over 50 percent. I'm willing to pay my share, but yeah, it's ridiculous."
Mark your calendars, folks -- this may be the first time I have ever agreed with Bill Maher!
He's right -- in 2010 the top 10% of income earners paid 70% of all the incomes taxes collected by the government. Yet Obama, Maddow and so many on the left continue to insist that the "rich" are not "paying their fair share," and they continue to demand more and more.
Irving Kristol once remarked that a conservative is a liberal who was mugged by reality. I'm not holding my breath waiting for Bill Maher's political conversion. But he seems to have buyer's remorse after investing $1,000,000 to get Obama reelected.
During his many years as a bishop and a cardinal in Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio built a reputation as a humble, unassuming man with a deep passion for helping the poor. He spoke out against laissez-faire capitalism, but also against the sort of radical leftism practiced by President Cristina Kirchner and her late husband, Néstor, who preceded her in Argentina's highest office.
No one in Hollywood is baffled by "The Bible's" success. So why isn't there more good work for the faithful? The problem is not Hollywood cluelessness, nor is it Hollywood evil. Conservatives tend to over-emphasize both.
Hollande's reputation, one of empathy for the victims of anti-Semitism, has just suffered a blow. He granted an honor generally reserved for the military to the vitriolic Stephane Hessel.
On Tuesday, radio talker Rush Limbaugh said Dr. Ben Carson has the entire Democratic Party �scared to death� for several reasons. �He is able to articulate and explain conservatism in a way that is persuasive, without raising his voice at all,� Limbaugh said. It sounds like your dad talking to you, not your dad, your best buddy talking to you.� Listen to what Rush saidHERE.
Despite all its high-tech gadgetry, communications onboard, and defensive armored plating, the White House limo, known as �The Beast,� failed to start this morning shortly before President Barack Obama landed in Tel Aviv. See the photos and learn why the presidential limo would not startHERE.
On Wednesday morning, President Barack Obama touched down in Israel and was greeted by a welcoming delegation from the host country. He was also greeted by a scathing op-ed from one of the country�s popular columnists. Read the very detailed thoughts of a Harvard-educated, former Israeli soldierHERE.
What Glenn Wants You to Know about the Home Security Industry�
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A pair of pro-Israel activists were assaulted both physically and verbally at an pro-Palestinian rally in Oakland, CA last week. The rally reportedly took place on March 13 at the Frank Ogawa Plaza on the fourth anniversary of the wounding of Tristan Anderson, an Oakland resident who was injured in the West Bank while protesting against the Israeli military. Two pro-Israel activists staged their own counter-protest by drawing messages on the concrete in chalk. See what they wrote and the violent reaction from the anti-Israel protestersHERE
Earlier this month, TheBlaze brought you Sheriff Ken Campbell of Boone County, IN, and his viral fact-check about gun safety and capping high-capacity magazine sizes. Campbell is back with a second installment. This time, he addresses claims that �weapons of war have no place on our streets� � a common claim coming from gun control proponents in favor of banning certain semi-automatic rifles like the popular AR-15. Watch the videoHERE.
On Tuesday, TheBlaze broke the story about a father who posted a photograph on Facebookshowing his son holding a gun and the visit that followed from police and social services in New Jersey. This morning, �Fox & Friends� had the father and son � Shawn and Josh Moore* � on its show to re-tell the story. Watch the interviewHERE.
It�s a sad day for fans of famous furry faces. One of the most iconic beards in recent memory lives no longer. If you're curious and want to see the face and venture a guess, look HERE.
On Tuesday, during an appearance on Russia Today, British politician Nigel Farage made his first comments on the proposed levy on all depositors in Cyprus. Farage issued a dire warning to Europeans who still have money in banks within bailed out countries: � Get your money out while you can.� Watch the videoHERE.
Kalamazoo Police Officer David Miller recently questioned what seemed to be a suspicious person sitting in his car alone in a parking lot behind a hotel after 2 a.m. The car's owner told the officer he had just hit a deer and stowed it in the trunk of his car (intending to process the deer for meat). See what happened when the officer opened the trunk to see the 'dead' animalHERE.
These days, it�s not entirely uncommon to hear that Jesus� image has been found in the most unlikeliest of places. On pieces of toast, windows, and in other bizarre locations, the Christian figure�s likeness has purportedly appeared. Last week, though, a new location was added to the ever-growing list of apparitions. Brian Krantz, a resident of Saugus, Mass., claims he found Christ�s face on a drop-cloth. Take a look at the image and see if you agree with Mr. KrantzHERE.
I had barely left the stage at CPAC when Republicans did the exact thing I told them not to do.
Contrary to giddy liberals writing the obituary of the Republican Party, the nation has not swung left. Republicans just keep losing easy races through unforced errors. I advised them to stop doing that.
If you ever suspected political bias in the national news media, you're absolutely correct, says this person who is arguably the most powerful name in American news today (and no, it's NOT Rush Limbaugh.)
Look who has the guts to admit that "most of the media bullsh-- you" ...
One of the most despised and biased news anchors in America is said to be having big trouble these days, even seeking sympathy among liberal colleagues in the broadcast business.
Having one's face on TV is apparently not an eternal guarantee of success.
The Perpetual Generational Death of the Republican Party
Let's play a game. First, read the following passage:
"At lunch the other day I was startled to hear a specialist in Republican Party affairs give it as his judgment that not inconceivably the Republican Party would die in about three years. 'Here's what would do it,' he explained to his two guests. 'First, a tremendous defeat in the congressional elections in the fall. Next, in the coming presidential cycle, a catastrophic defeat at every level -- presidential, congressional, and local.' After that, he said, in the ruins of the following year, the commanding position of the organizing party would be lost, and ambitious conservatives would look for another label. It would be not unlike the end of the Whig Party in the mid-1850s."
Okay, now guess the writer and the date.
[Insert Jeopardy theme.]
The answer: William F. Buckley, January 26, 1974. (I cheated a little and took out the specific references to the 1974 and 1976 elections.)
Republicans are always on the verge of extinction, but never seem to get there. Having said that . . . you never know, the doomsayers could be right this time.
Over at Ace of Spades, Drew M. wonders if the coalition of issues, groups, and philosophies that bound together the Republican party for our lifetimes is kaput:
After yesterday's release of the RNC's 2012 "autopsy" I think it's time to consider that the current GOP/center-right coalition no longer exists. On immigration and same-sex marriage the committee was essentially saying, the base of the GOP needs to move on to survive . . .
One note: For what it is worth, Priebus tells Jen Rubin that he isn't taking a position on immigration reform, and that he doesn't believe it is the role of the party chairman to "pick and choose what provision of what law is going to be included or excluded."
Anyway, back to Drew:
Smaller government isn't even a unifying theme anymore. Look at the Huckabee/Santorum social-con wing of the party. They aren't for smaller government. Maybe those two will support less spending in some places but they clearly see a larger role for government in some areas of people's lives.
Rand Paul called for eliminating the Department of Education in his CPAC speech, while Marco Rubio talked about reforming how federal dollars are spent.
Paul and Rubio are also great stand-ins for the foreign policy debate the GOP is having.
And we can go on and on.
Obviously a big national party is never going to agree on everything, but what's the issue that gets 75-80% support? Tax cuts? Entitlement reform? Maybe but those aren't electoral winners. Gun rights is but that's an issue that crosses party lines. Opposition to ObamaCare? The House just passed a Continuing Resolution funding it.
Allow me to offer a fairly simple philosophy for resolving these issues. First, recognize that Republican candidates for higher office are going to be different, depending upon the nature of the state and district they represent. To use another one of WFB's favorite phrases, mutatis mutandis, "with the necessary changes having been made." Candidates in heavily-Republican districts are most likely to be full-spectrum conservatives; in the "blue" states and districts, you may get more Libertarian types. In Appalachia and blue-collar districts, you're going to get more populist candidates who don't spend as much time lamenting the horrors of the corporate tax rate.
This is okay. In fact, this is a good thing.
Let's try to keep complaining about other state's primary choices to a minimum, and trust that Iowa Republicans know the best candidate to run for Senate in their state, and the same applies to Republican primary voters in West Virginia, Louisiana, Iowa, North Carolina, and so on. The people who live in those states know who would be best to represent their interests. Yes, out-of-state super PACs will spend oodles of money trying to influence the choices.
Remember, Obama's coalition is just as much of a coalition. There's really no reason for Colin Powell and Markos Moulitsas to like the same guy, nor William Buffett and Elizabeth Warren, nor Jim Matheson and Nancy Pelosi. Political parties are always going to be exercises in coalition-building and faction-pacifying.
Oh, By the Way, Missile Defense Is Cool Again. Pass It On.
President Obama scrapped his predecessor's proposed antiballistic missile shield in Eastern Europe on Thursday and ordered instead the development of a reconfigured system designed to shoot down short- and medium-range Iranian missiles.
In one of the biggest national security reversals of his young presidency, Mr. Obama canceled former President George W. Bush's plans to station a radar facility in the Czech Republic and 10 ground-based interceptors in Poland. Instead, he plans to deploy smaller SM-3 interceptors by 2011, first aboard ships and later in Europe, possibly even in Poland or the Czech Republic.
Well, as Emily Litella said, nevermind. Michael Auslin lets us know that the Obama administration has learned to love missile defense.
The Obama administration has been mugged by reality (again) -- last week it announced that it would reverse its 2011 decision to close Missile Field 1 in Alaska, and would instead complete the project with 44 ballistic-missile interceptors, as originally planned by the Bush administration. Newly minted defense secretary Chuck Hagel explained that growing threats from North Korea and Iran mandate the reopening of the missile-defense site and the deployment of the full amount of interceptors.
That should be good news, and in one sense, it is. But let's look at the downsides. First, it reveals the administration's original missile-defense plans as the hasty mistakes they were. After all, in 2011, no one doubted North Korea was getting closer to a reliable long-range-missile capability it recently demonstrated, and it had already conducted two nuclear tests. As for Iran's threat, the charade of negotiations has been going on for years, punctuated only by revelations about how many more nuclear centrifuges the country is spinning. Worse, intelligence agencies have long known of the North Korean-Iranian tie, whereby Pyongyang is trying to sell missile technology to Tehran. To put it charitably, the Obama administration's risk assessment was seriously wanting. Further, the threats forcing last week's about-face certainly lay to rest any remaining pretensions that Barack Obama could somehow solve proliferation problems that were too tough for George Bush.
Harry Reid Kills Dianne Feinstein's Assault-Weapons Ban
Hey, remember when Newtown changed everything? Pardon me for going to the Emily Litella metaphor twice in one newsletter, but once again . . . nevermind.
Citing the minimal support for legislation that would ban assault weapons, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said today that he would leave the proposal out of the gun violence bill he'll bring to the Senate floor. Instead, the assault weapons ban will be offered as an amendment to the bill, along with several other less popular ideas. . . .
Feinstein's legislation passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, but Reid explained today that it wouldn't clear the filibuster hurdle.
"Right now her amendment, using the most optimistic numbers, has less than 40 votes. That's not 60," he said. It's more likely, Reid added, that he would bring to the floor one of the background check proposals currently in the works.
Last week, my liberal friends on Facebook kept sharing a chart of the vote on the assault-weapons ban in committee, declaring that the Republicans who voted against it ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Well, my liberal friends, if you're not screaming bloody murder about Harry Reid today, then you're revealing a lot about what really drives you -- that deep down, you believe that only Republicans ought to be ashamed for disagreeing with you; the Democrats who oppose your priorities always have good reasons for doing so.
Because it wasn't just Harry Reid who stopped the assault-weapons ban from getting the vote that Obama demanded in his State of the Union Address. It was every vulnerable red-state Democrat up for reelection in 2014: Paul Begich in Alaska, Mark Pryor in Arkansas, Max Baucus in Montana, Mark Udall in Colorado, Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire, Kay Hagan in North Carolina, and Mary Landrieu in Louisiana.
But nobody's going to really give Harry Reid a significant amount of grief about this -- not Feinstein, not Obama, not Mike Bloomberg and Mayors Against Illegal Guns, not Senator Chris Murphy, Connecticut Democrat who said:
MURPHY: I think we will get a vote and I think we'll get a vote because Newtown changed everything in this country. There were a lot of people wearing ribbons on the floor of the House of Representatives last night, and they were Republicans and Democrats. The NRA said yesterday they were going to wait for the "Newtown effect" or the "Connecticut effect" to dissipate before they went back to lobbying to weaken gun laws. Well, it's not going to dissipate. The fact is that this nation has been transformed. I think the president was right to say, listen, Republicans can't hide from this. They need to call a vote on the floor of the Senate and House and tell the American public what side they are on. If Republicans want to be the party of assault weapons, of high-capacity magazine clips, they are on the wrong side of the American public and the wrong side of history.
So, Senator Murphy . . . is your party's majority leader on the wrong side of the American public and the wrong side of history?
And if you feel that is the case, why is he still your party's majority leader?
ADDENDUM: Get ready for a Mark Sanford-Curtis Bostic Republican primary runoff in South Carolina's first congressional district. Tune in to Campaign Spot today for more coverage.
For the first time in four years, the U.S. Congress is engaged in a full-throated budget debate. Take a moment for at least a quiet "Hurrah!" The federal government has at last embarked on its most basic responsibility. This was the price exacted by House Republicans from Senate Democrats for raising the debt ceiling in February. So far, so good.
Congress has four distinct budget plans to compare and contrast, and eventually on which to base its decisions. Two are from Republicans and two are from Democrats, each competing to be the guiding vision of America's fiscal future.
President Obama is the only one still missing in action as he, in direct contravention of the law, is late in producing his own budget-not by days or weeks, as is his habit, but by months. The nation still awaits the release of the foremost governing document by the newly reelected commander in chief.
None of the congressional budgets offered to date is without blemish. But of the two budget committee plans, House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-WI) "Path to Prosperity" is by far the more sensible, more credible, more responsible, and least gimmicky.
The Ryan budget would repeal the spending elements of Obamacare (notably the $1.8 trillion in new spending from the Medicaid expansion and the subsidies), reform Medicare, and slow the growth in spending overall. As importantly, the Ryan budget would balance the budget in 10 years. The notable blemish on the Ryan budget is that, while it repeals the spending elements in Obamacare, it also retains the revenue from its tax hikes.
The leading alternative to the Ryan budget is the offering by Senate Budget Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA). The Murray budget differs from Ryan's in many respects, but the details are all reflected in these observations:
The Murray budget reaffirms that Democrats are the party of tax and spend, and it reflects the President's stated disregard for balancing the budget.
The Murray budget would raise taxes by another $1.55 trillion over the next 10 years, and yet would still never balance.
Budget debates fare best when policymakers have clear choices. In the absence of a budget from the President, the Murray budget will have to do as the alternative to the Ryan budget. And the Murray budget is based on some fundamental and disturbing budget gimmickry.
Murray claims, for example, $1.85 trillion in total deficit reduction over 10 years. She also claims to have eliminated the across-the-board spending cuts from the sequester that went into effect March 1. However, as discovered by the minority staff of the Senate Budget Committee, Murray doesn't replace the sequester savings and then offer $1.85 trillion in deficit reduction. The deficit reduction is the replacement for the sequester, meaning that even by her own numbers Murray only reduces the deficit by $700 billion, despite massive tax hikes.
And it gets worse. As Rea Hederman and John Ligon of Heritage's Center for Data Analysis point out, the Murray tax hikes would do real damage to the economy. Economic growth and the revenues it generates is the most powerful tool we have for deficit reduction. Yet Murray would raise taxes, slowing business investment in particular and reducing employment by 853,000 jobs.
By slowing the economy, the actual additional revenues the Murray budget would generate are not the average $155 billion she claims, but about $88 billion a year. Normally, less of a tax hike might be cause for relief, if not jubilation. But in this case the lesser tax hike comes along with fewer jobs and lower wages. When the spending gimmicks and reduced revenues are all taken into account, Hederman and Ligon project that the Murray budget would reduce the deficit by a total of $200 billion. That's not $200 billion a year-it's spread out over 10 years.
Therein lies the basic choice facing Congress and the country. The Murray budget raises taxes, allows spending to continue to soar, and would have the national debt continue on its sharp upward path toward crisis. The better choice is the Ryan budget-rejecting new tax hikes, tackling entitlements, slowing the growth in spending, and balancing the budget, and hopefully restoring a culture of fiscal discipline that would prevent the coming debt crisis before it ever really gets started.
This doesn't have the effect I think you're going for, because I don't understand what you mean by "the replacement for the sequester." Isn't "deficit reduction" code for tax hikes? Is she cutting any spending?
Forty-two year-old Robert Schiavelli, who suffers from a mental disability, was cited twice for "disturbing the peace" due to his loud laughter.
What was he laughing at? Allegedly, Schiavelli's neighbor regularly calls him derogatory names and as a way of dealing with the taunts, Schiavelli laughs them off.
Underlying most bad prosecutions are bad statutes. That is exactly the case here. Schiavelli was charged with acting "in such a manner as to annoy, disturb, interfere with, obstruct, or be offensive to others."
The U.S. Supreme Court has held that using "annoyance" as a factual basis for a criminal charge is unconstitutional. Coates v. Cincinnatiheld that the term "annoy" is unconstitutionally vague and is a violation of the First Amendment, stating:
Conduct that annoys some people does not annoy others. Thus, the ordinance is vague not in the sense that it requires a person to conform his conduct to an imprecise but comprehensible normative standard, but rather in the sense that no standard of conduct is specified at all.
As a result, "men of common intelligence must necessarily guess at [the] meaning" of annoyance.
It would be different if Schiavelli were being cited under a neutral noise ordinance, but here, the law he is charged with having violated makes no mention of the level of noise.
The local judge in the case has stated that he is "not so inclined" to dismiss it. Here, there is an unconstitutionally vague statute and harmless behavior. Common sense dictates that this is not something that should put someone in jail.
When asked about the citations, Schiavelli said, "I didn't know it was a crime to laugh out a window." A very sensible answer.
Do you still think you aren't at risk of becoming a criminal? If you can go to jail for laughing in your own home, is there anything you can't go to jail for?
Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two cases that challenge the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8. In both cases, the court will consider the constitutionality of government policies that reflect traditional marriage-that is, marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
The Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation
Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is the nation's most broadly supported public policy organization. Heritage created the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies in 2001 to educate government officials, the media and the public about the Constitution, legal principles and how they affect public policy.
After a brief hiatus attributable to Brian Ward's lavish vacation schedule, Brian and I recorded Episode 44 of the Hinderaker-Ward Experience last night. We discussed the issues of the day, including:
* The weather (cold) * The election of Pope Francis and papal naming conventions * The recently concluded CPAC convention in DC * Rand Paul and illegal immigration * Loon of the Week (a double shot of sequestration hysteria) * This Week in Gatekeeping (there's nothing I can do to reverse the acid treatment on your face, but it reminds me of a funny story)
We were also joined by Peter Berkowitz, a distinguished political scientist and author of the hot, controversial new book, Constitutional Conservatism: Liberty, Self-Government, and Political Moderation. Peter's book is not only a guide to how libertarians and social conservatives can come together to win elections, but also a terrific short history of conservatism. And I do mean short-120 pages. Follow the link to buy it at Amazon.
You can listen to the podcast by playing it right here, or you can go to Ricochet to download or subscribe to the podcast in various ways, or you can hit the subscribe button in the graphic above to subscribe on iTunes or elsewhere. Or you can use Stitcher. There are many ways to experience the Hinderaker-Ward Experience, but I think the best is by subscribing on iTunes. That way, you never have to worry about missing an episode.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now
I'd like to make a final point in my exchange with Rajiv Chandrasekaran about the success (or not) of the Iraq troop surge. My initial post is here. Rajiv's response and my reply are here.
Rajiv and I agree that important political goals of the surge have not been achieved. But it may be worthwhile to consider why they weren't.
The "surge" of 2007-2008 reduced violence by 90 percent and set Iraq on track to become a functional democracy. Alas, President Obama did not show much commitment to negotiate a Status of Forces Agreement that would have kept American forces there past 2011. The result is that U.S. influence in Iraq has plummeted while Iranian influence has soared. Left to his own devices, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is acting in increasingly sectarian fashion that is alienating the Sunnis and allowing al-Qaeda in Iraq-virtually defeated by 2009-to spring back to life. In short, we have managed to squander many of the gains that U.S. troops fought so hard to achieve during the long, bloody years of war.
If Boot is right, is it fair to say the troop surge wasn't a success because the hoped-for political gains ultimately were not achieved? Not in my opinion. It is more accurate, to say that the surge succeeded but many of its gains were squandered due to decisions made thereafter.
Max Boot provides an appraisal of the Iraq War, which the U.S. initiated ten years ago. His appraisal is sound; indeed, I agree with virtually every word.
One thing that's missing from Boot's account, and from all others I've seen, is a consideration of what would have happened had the U.S. not gone to war. Avoiding this discussion is understandable given the speculative nature of "counter-factual" analysis. But one can't fully evaluate our actions in Iraq without considering what would have occurred in their absence.
I see two main consequences of inaction: (1) the development of nuclear weapons by Saddam Hussein's regime and (2) the mother of all civil wars, come the Arab Spring.
The first consequence strikes me as virtually certain. Saddam would not have watched his arch-enemy, Iran, develop nukes without responding in kind. His bluff that he possessed non-nuclear WMD might have seemed sufficient in 2003 but for long thereafter.
If Saddam had faced down the U.S. in 2003, the path would have been clear for him to end his bluff and to compete with Iran in the arms race. Given his past forays into this area, Saddam would have been an able competitor.
A nuclear Iraq under Saddam would have been at least as much a cause for concern as a nuclear Iran. Keep in mind that Iraq twice invaded neighboring states. Moreover, Saddam was a high stakes gambler, and not a particularly rational one. He lost his regime, and his life, over WMD he didn't even possess.
The second consequence of not invading Iraq - a civil war come the Arab Spring - seems highly probable. Syria provides the best model. Like Assad, Saddam ruled, oppressively, on behalf of a minority group. The majorities hated him. Thus, Iraq was thus even more ripe than most Middle Eastern nations for an uprising.
Given Saddam's methods of oppression, Iraq would not have been the first country to rise up during the Arab Spring. But once Libya fell and Syria tottered, it's dificult to imagine Iraq's Shiite and Kurdish populations sitting out the Arab Spring, especially given Iran's ties to Iraqi Shiites.
The ensuing civil war likely would have rivaled Syria's in intensity. We got some sense of the viciousness of such a war during pre-surge Iraq. With the U.S. not in the picture, an Iraqi civil war would have been all the more deadly. And al Qaeda might well have played a major role in the conflict.
Today, the U.S. is deeply concerned about what will happen to Syria's WMD as a result of its civil war. This concern might well pale in comparison to concern about the fate of Saddam's nukes in an Iraq plagued by civil war.
Yesterday, at an AEI event, I asked Sen. John McCain and Gen. Jack Keane for their views on whether, absent U.S. intervenion, Iraq would (1) have gone nuclear and (2) experienced a brutal civil war. Both quickly agreed with the first proposition.
McCain isn't sure what the Arab Spring might have meant in Iraq. But Keane is convinced that it would have produced a major uprising and, like me, believes that the Syrian civil war is probably the best comparison.
One can accept my view of the probable consequences of non-intervention and still believe that the Iraq War wasn't worth it. But any analysis of the pros and cons of the War should consider not just what happened after we intervened, but also what likely would have occurred had we stayed out.
UPDATE: For a worthwhile, but different, view on whether the Arab Spring would have sparked an armed uprising in Iraq, see this post by Bobby Ghosh at Time. Ghosh thinks Saddam's regime is most analogous to Iran's, which has avoided such an uprising due to its sheer ruthlessness.
But Iran isn't ruled on behalf of a religious minority. In this key respect, the better analogy is to Syria.
As to the Syrian model - a long, bloody rebellion that devolves into a sectarian war - Ghosh writes: "Iraq already had its version in 1991, and the regime won easily." In my view, however, we shouldn't assume that a sectarian war would have played out the same way 20 years later. Saddam might have won such a war in 2011, but I doubt he would have done so easily.
I watched President Obama's arrival in Israel at Ben-Gurion Airport this morning (this afternoon in Israel, I guess), live on CNN. Obama was welcomed by President Peres and Prime Minister Netanyahu, who rolled out the red carpet for him (screenshot below). Obama's remarks, so it seemed to me, were pitched to show that there is no daylight between the United States and Israel. They might have been persuasive if you haven't been paying attention for the past four-plus years.
What is Obama doing in Israel? Caroline Glick has posted her thoughts here. Lee Smith has posted his thoughts here. If past performance is any guide, we can safely predict that President Obama will not heed Barry Rubin's advice: "Don't back America's and Israel's enemies."
A poll shows New York Republican voters for the first time disapprove of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's performance following the Democrat's push for a gun-control bill.
New Jersey Congressman Leonard Lance (R) has demanded an explanation from Secretary Janet Napolitano as to why the Department of Homeland Security is buying huge amounts of bullets.
Asked about the federal agency's purchase of over 1.6 billion rounds ...(more)
President Barack Obama came into office four years ago skeptical of pushing the power of the White House to the limit, especially if it appeared to be circumventing Congress.
Now, as he launches his second term, Obama has grown more comfortable wielding power ...(more)
Sheriff Cruz Meets School Marm Feinstein
This column by ACRU Senior Legal Analyst Jan LaRue was published March 19, 2013 on the American Thinker website.
Here's what Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) learned from questioning Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) about the constitutionality of her "assault weapons" ban. She's out of estrogen and she used to have a gun.
Feinstein came armed with a scowl and a ruler when she confronted Cruz at the Constitution Corral. The outcome was so not OK for her. You can watch their exchange over S.150 during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last Thursday.
This column by ACRU Senior Fellow Robert Knight was published March 18, 2013 on The Washington Times website.
You can't keep a good theophobe down.
Despite losing in court, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says it will continue opposing Missouri's voter-approved constitutional amendment guaranteeing the freedom to pray in public places.
An ACLU spokesman also likened Missouri legislators to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, but more about that below.
Paul Ryan's House Republican Budget vs. Patty Murray's Senate Democrat Budget
This column by ACRU General Counsel and Senior Fellow for the Carleson Center for Public Policy (CCPP) Peter Ferrara was published March 17, 2013 on Forbes.com.
The competing budgets released last week by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) definitively define the growing differences between the two parties.
The bottom line on Ryan's Republican budget is that it restores federal taxes and spending back near the long term, stable level as a percent of GDP that prevailed for 60 years after World War II, from 1948 to 2008. Federal spending during that time hovered around 20% of GDP, and federal taxes hovered around 18% of GDP. Ryan's budget achieves balance by basically splitting the difference, with federal taxes and spending both settling in at 19.1% of GDP after 10 years.
This column by ACRU Policy Board Member and Professor of Economics Dr. Walter E. Williams was published March 13, 2013 on Townhall.com.
American education is in a sorry state of affairs, and there's enough blame for all participants to have their fair share. They include students who are hostile and alien to the education process, uninterested parents, teachers and administrators who either are incompetent or have been beaten down by the system, and politicians who've become handmaidens for teachers unions. There's another education issue that's neither flattering nor comfortable to confront and talk about. That's the low academic preparation of many teachers. That's an issue that must be confronted and dealt with if we're to improve the quality of education. Let's look at it.
This column by ACRU Senior Legal Analyst Ken Klukowski was published March 11, 2013 on
Breitbart.com. On Mar. 8, reporter Carl Cameron on Special Report on Fox News Channel was surveying potential GOP 2016 presidential candidates. Then he raised Ted Cruz--one of the most brilliant constitutional lawyers ever to serve in the Senate--the new 41-year old Hispanic senator from Texas.
Cameron added, "But Cruz was born in Canada and is constitutionally ineligible" to run for president. While many people assume that, it's probably not true.
Cameron was referring to the Constitution's Article II requirement that only a "natural born citizen" can run for the White House.
Federal Direct Student Loans Up Nearly Fivefold Under Obama By Terence P. Jeffrey As an increasing number of Americans borrow money directly from the U.S. Treasury to finance college, there will be an increasing interest among Washington politicians to forgive this debt and redistribute wealth--from people who never went to college, or who did and paid for it themselves, to people who attended college on the Obamacare plan.
Losing Patience With the New Pope By L. Brent Bozell III Liberals demand that the Catholic Church bow to their infallible instincts. The new pope can't just dress humbly, preach the gospel and serve the poor. He should grant indulgences to the feminists, the homosexuals and the contraceptive industry.
Penny Pritzker: A Chicago Fat Cat for Commerce Secretary? By Michelle Malkin Will President Obama really nominate billionaire Chicago gal pal Penny Pritzker to head his Commerce Department? The crony fix seems to be in. Taxpayers, beware. Pritzker is a deep-pocketed doyenne with a family history of dodging taxes - or siphoning them away from the public for her own family's gargantuan private gain. If you want to see how she'll oversee a $10 billion government agency, look at her own wealth redistribution record.
Resetting the Middle East By Rich Galen The odds are against President Obama being able to reset Middle East policy.
Ever since I signed up at the BarackObama.com website to request a free bumper sticker, I have been receiving regular friendly emails from various people I never met, who share with me their concerns and life stories. All these different people have one thing in common: they write to me in the same caring, soothing voice, using the same simple words and sentences.
CNN's Erin Burnett destroys her last shred of credibility with blatant smear of Glenn Beck
CNN host Erin Burnett further sullied CNN's declining journalism reputation by deceptively editing a clip of Glenn to twist something he said years ago completely in the opposite direction. It is one of the most deliberate, shameful, blatantly dishonest segments broadcasted by the MSM in some time - and that's saying something. Glenn responds to one the most epic of CNN fails in recent memory - WATCH.
Dr. Ben Carson is calling his TV provider to get TheBlaze, are you?
At this year's National Prayer Breakfast a powerful speech was delivered by Dr. Ben Carson that intimidated the left and resonated with mainstream America. Today, Dr. Carson has a new message, and the left isn't going to like this one either. This one is just for you. He wants the liberty-minded content of TheBlaze broadcasted on cable and satellite providers nationwide. Watch Dr. Ben Carson's message and join him in calling 1.800.996.2529 to request that TheBlaze be added to your cable lineup!
"I want tax reform to leave more money in the hands of those who earned it." Sen. Rand Paul has plans to balance the budget and reform immigration
Glenn spoke with Senator Rand Paul on radio today to discuss his plans to balance the budget and reform immigration. When Sen. Paul presented his immigration reform plan yesterday, the MSM went into 'divide-and-conquer' mode, misrepresenting his stance by claiming he was for "amnesty". Never mind the fact that the word "citizen" wasn't even mentioned in his speech, plenty of conservatives still took the bait. Paul clarified his proposal and elaborated his position today on radio. Do you agree with Sen. Paul's stance on immigration? Check out the interview HERE.
What can Americans learn from the outrageous situation in Cyprus this week? Last night on TheBlaze TV, Glenn explained how the attempt by the EU to literally take money out of Cypriots savings accounts is how radical progressives are testing the waters. Like a shark bumping prey to gauge reaction, the EU is preparing to clamp down. How will that affect you? Find out HERE.
RELATED: Obama gives Israel a gift tree, they dig it up right after he leaves. STORY
For the Record is Now Available on DVD!
Don't miss your chance to own the premiere episode of For The Record. Episode one of For the Record investigates how the NSA turned America into a surveillance state. This chilling, one-hour show reminds us all that with every call, every email...the government is watching. Order your copy today or you can watch on demand with a subscription to TheBlaze TV.
Want to hear Senator Rand Paul, Jeff Foxworthy and Glenn's response to Erin Burnett from today's radio show again? Listen to Glenn's entire program for FREE, whenever & wherever you want with iTunes, Stitcher & SoundCloud!
American Bible Challenge: Glenn chats with Jeff Foxworthy
Jeff Foxworthy is one of the most beloved comedians in American history. He wears many hats these days, one of them as TV game show host. But it's not just any show - The American Bible Challenge benefits more than just the contestants. WATCH Glenn's interview with Jeff Foxworthy to find out how.
NOW AVAILABLE: Get the eighth episode of Wrath & Righteousness!
Glenn's e-book thriller series Wrath & Righteousness examines the eternal battle between Light and Darkness while asking one of the fundamental questions of our existence: what is mankind's relationship to the spiritual world? The eighth episode in the 10-part series is available HERE. Download the previous 7 episodes HERE to catch up. Have a question or comment about the series? Visit our FAQ page.
Tonight's Primetime Lineup on TheBlaze TV
5pm ET -The Glenn Beck Program: What do we know about the new Pope? Is Francis I a fan of the controversial Liberation Theology?
6pm ET -Real News: The Korean peninsula heats up and the panel reports the latest from Israel and Syria.
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Glenn: Help us get in millions of home
American Policy Center has recently released a booklet that explains everything you need to know to start fighting back against sustainable programs both locally and nationally. The booklet is called Special Report: Agenda 21 and How to Stop It and is available in the APC store for only $5.95.
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CNN's Erin Burnett destroys her last shred of credibility with blatant smear of Glenn Beck 
