Quote: 

"The safety of a republic depends essentially on the energy of a common national sentiment; on a uniformity of principles and habits; on the exemption of the citizens from foreign bias and prejudice; and on that love of country which will almost invariably be found to be closely connected with birth, education, and family. The opinion advanced in the Notes on Virginia is undoubtedly correct, that foreigners will generally be apt to bring with them attachments to the persons they have left behind; to the country of their nativity; and to its particular customs and manners. They will also entertain opinions on government congenial with those under which they have lived; or if they should be led hither from a preference to ours, how extremely unlikely is it that they will bring with them that temperate love of liberty, so essential to real republicanism?"

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

BUSH-ERA NSA WHISTLEBLOWER MAKES MOST EXPLOSIVE ALLEGATIONS YET ABOUT TRUE EXTENT OF GOV'T SURVEILLANCE

Russ Tice (Wikipedia)

Russ Tice, a former intelligence analyst and Bush-era NSA whistleblower, claimed Wednesday that the intelligence community has ordered surveillance on a wide range of groups and individuals, including high-ranking military officials, lawmakers and diplomats.

He also made another stunning allegation. He says the NSA had ordered wiretaps on phones connected to then-Senate candidate Barack Obama back in 2004.

"They went after-and I know this because I had my hands literally on the paperwork for these sort of things-they went after high-ranking military officers; they went after members of Congress, both Senate and the House, especially on the intelligence committees and on the armed services committees and some of the-and judicial," Tice told Peter B. Collins on Boiling Frog Post News.

He went on: "But they went after other ones, too. They went after lawyers and law firms. All kinds of-heaps of lawyers and law firms. They went after judges. One of the judges is now sitting on the Supreme Court that I had his wiretap information in my hand. Two are former FISA court judges. They went after State Department officials. They went after people in the executive service that were part of the White House-their own people."

Then Tice dropped the bombshell about Obama.

Obama: 'If Catholics Have Their Schools and Buildings and Protestants Have Theirs ... That Encourages Division'

By Terence P. Jeffrey

| June 19, 2013  

President Barack Obama speaks to a town hall meeting of youth in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on June 17, 2013. (AP Photo)

(CNSNews.com) - Likening religious schools to segregation--a racist system that forced blacks to attend different schools and use different facilities than whites in the American South--President Barack Obama told a town hall meeting for youth in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Monday that there should not be Catholic and Protestant schools because such schools cause division.

"Because issues like segregated schools and housing, lack of jobs and opportunity--symbols of history that are a source of pride for some and pain for others--these are not tangential to peace; they're essential to it," said Obama. "If towns remain divided--if Catholics have their schools and buildings, and Protestants have theirs--if we can't see ourselves in one another, if fear or resentment are allowed to harden, that encourages division. It discourages cooperation.

Using ObamaCare To Create A Permanent Democratic Majority

By BETSY MCCAUGHEY | Posted 06/18/2013 05:33 PM ET

Alexander: Smelling something fishy in California's concealment of information on contracts. AP View Enlarged Image 

If you have to keep it a secret, you probably shouldn't be doing it.

But the California legislature and the new Covered California health insurance exchange are conspiring to keep secret how they will dole out more than half a billion dollars in taxpayer dollars to contractors. The lion's share of the money is going for what the exchange budget terms "outreach."

In truth, the money is going to build Democratic Party enrollment.

The Obama administration granted a whopping $910 million to California to set up its insurance exchange. That money is not for bandages, surgery, nurses and doctors to care for the sick. Nor is it for insurance plans, though $910 million could buy generous coverage for at least 113,000 people!

Shockingly, the $910 million is slated for bureaucracy, including rich compensation packages for exchange employees ($360,000 a year for the executive director) and contracts for computer equipment, public relations and "outreach."

Outreach is the largest expenditure and where the real monkey business occurs.

By J.D. Mullane | June 20, 2013

Long before the IRS targeted tea party and pro-life groups for harassment, the agency's bureaucrats went after Bob Graham of Northampton.

A witty, cigar-smoking financial adviser, Graham attracted major media attention with his novel argument, and gained thousands of followers around the country. That's when the surveillance began.

IRS agents infiltrated his private meetings. A neighbor reported seeing unfamiliar men entering Graham's house on Lark Drive when the family was not home. Two agents showed up seeking jobs with Graham's company.

"I will never forget," said Graham, now 82, "how one of these IRS agents told me to stop protesting. She said to me, you have a home? I said yeah. She said you got a car? I said yeah, I got a couple of them. She said I got news for you: I'm gonna take your home. I'm gonna take your cars. I'm gonna take your dog, your cat and your canary. I said why? She said, I just don't like you."

This is it!!
We have a small window in which to act!  The State budget is due on June 30th so the timing is right.  Call!   Let the representatives in our State government know we are aware.  We know what they did back in 2001 and we want them to undo it!  We know their pension plans are responsible for PA's $47 billion unfunded liability which is equivalent to $3700 for each Pennsylvanian.  We know this pension crisis will cause more cuts to educational programs and more teacher layoffs. 
Demand they take taxpayers off the hook for their lavish pension packages.  Go here to find your representatives - http://tinyurl.com/m4yyd2l

Inform yourself with the attached pamphlet . PA state workers pension program violates Fiscal Responsibility and Constitutionally Limited Government. Our public servant representatives need to fix the problem of untenable state worker pensions. It's not that we resent paying it, it's just that we can't afford it.
 
Action Items 
1. Call your representative and Senator and tell them you want to see pension reform that brings our state budget into balance. Talk to two friends or family members and convince them to make the phone calls and get two others to do the same, and so on, and so on. 

 from Bill Hodson for your reference.

2. Print the attached pamphlet using duplex (2-sided); check box for "flip on short edge". Give it to as many neighbors as you can the next 2 weeks. If you need some mailed, send me your address.

Keep an eye on your email inbox because we will be planning more activities focused on our goals of pension reform as well as privatization of our liquor stores

Thanks for your efforts
Pam, Jim and Tim
 

How To Use The 2nd Vote App

There is an awesome application for computer and cell phone called  2ND VOTE (2ndvote.org)  Want to know what companies support conservative issue and what companies support liberal agendas.  It rates the companies and tells you how they finance different issues.  Please take a few minutes to watch a short video on this application.  Politicians understand only two things 1.  Getting power 2.  Keeping power.  Business too understands just 2 things 1.  Getting your money 2. Getting more of your money.  Start using the free market system while we still have it.  There is ALWAYS an alternative.

PLEASE SHARE WITH EVERYONE you know.  Post on FaceBook and Twitter.  This software was developed by a concerned conservative from Tennessee.

JUST GET THE WORD OUT!

Beyond Disrespect

         Looming Federal health insurance mandates under Obamacare will force many Christian employers here in Pennsylvania to violate their conscience.  If they refuse, the fine will be $100 per day per employee.  Our Independence Law Center is helping one such employer from Lancaster County fight back in court.  It's in the appeals court now, and we're praying for a win.   But if not, this employer will either be forced to violate his deeply-held Christian convictions, or face massive fines every day.  Does this sound like America to you?
 
         We need folks like you to get involved - and that's why I'm inviting you to a critically important "Conscience Forum" sponsored by Congressman Joe Pitts in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia - the very city where our First Amendment rights were established in law.
 
         Here are the details:

Friday, June 21, 2013
10:00 am to 11:30 am.
 
Location - Archdiocese Pastoral Center Auditorium
                     222 North 17^th Street
                     Philadelphia, Pa.  19103
 
Program  --  (to begin promptly at 10:00.)
 
10:00 - 10:45:
 

Introductions/Greeting
Opening Remarks by Cong. Pitts
 
Speakers:
Congresswoman Diane Black  (TN)
Congressman Chris Smith (NJ)
Michael Geer and Randy Wenger from the Pa. Family Institute
Penny Nance - CEO, Concerned Women for America
A representative from the Philadelphia Archdiocese
and a business owner directly impacted by the unjust federal mandate.
 
10:45 - 11:30  Panel Discussion and Questions from the audience moderated by Congressman Joe Pitts
 
11:30  - Conclusion of Forum
               Press Availability
 
 
Reservations are not required; there is no charge to attend.  I hope to see you there.  

Announcing the 2013 National Conference

& Legislative Briefing!

June 19 - 21 we will convene at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC for our fourth annual National Conference & Legislative Briefing.

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:

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.

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!

From a trusted friend:

As some of you may know, I am associated with Coventry Christian Schools as a parent of a graduate (2010) and as member of the Board of Trustees.   Last October we spent a wonderful evening honoring Mark Niehls at our revitalized Founder's Dinner and celebrated our shared heritage in the remarkable community that is Coventry Christian Schools. Our vision for future Founder's Dinners is to inspire and inform not only our alumni and current CCS families but to inspire and inform the Tri-County Area and even our region by hosting speakers and artists who can uniquely assist us in celebrating the heritage, core values, and mission of CCS while also lifting our vision for an even greater future built upon the foundation of our past. The caliber of our speakers and guest artists should provide us with wonderful opportunities to share our CCS story with new partners in Christian education. Proceeds from the dinner will be applied to our annual Coventry Kids Fund for CCS scholarships.

This year we are proud to announce that our distinguished guest and speaker is Dr. Benjamin Carson, and our dinner's theme is "Faith of Our Fathers: The Role of Faith in American Schools." Please join us as we welcome Dr. Carson to the Tri-County Area and celebrate the great things God is doing at CCS!  

Dr. Carson is a highly regarded neurosurgeon and motivational speaker who has addressed various audiences across the country. He is one of the most honored and recognized physicians in the world and holds more than 60 honorary doctorate degrees along with hundreds of awards and citations. He is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. He is the author of five books and is the founder of the Carson Scholars Fund. The 2009 award-winning movie entitled Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Carson, premiered on TNT and is based on his memoir. Dr. Carson is an authentic disciple of Christ, has been married to his wife Candy for more than 37 years, and is the father of three sons.

The 2013 Founder's Dinner, which will once again be a part of our Homecoming festivities, will be held at the historic Sunnybrook Ballroom in Pottstown on Sunday, October 13th, 2013. Doors will open at 4:30pm, followed by dinner at 5:15. Dress will be business/professional.    Tickets will be priced at $100 until May 15th, then will be $125, so reserve your tickets for the reduced price.

^th

All of us at Coventry Christian Schools, look forward to sharing this very special evening with you and acquainting you with the school and its mission!

Blessings,

Sponsorships are available as well and are as follows:

Gold Sponsor                    $3,000

•        Two tickets at Speaker's Table
•        Two tickets at Headmaster's Table
•        Listed as sponsor on school website through 12 months post event
•        Listed as sponsor on pre-event print marketing
•        Mentioned by name at event
•        Full Page ad in Dinner Program

Silver Sponsor                  $1,500

•        Two tickets at Speaker's Table
•        Listed as sponsor on school website through 12 months post event
•        Half page ad in Dinner Program

Bronze Sponsor                $500

•        Two tickets at Headmaster's Chairman's or Founder's Table
•        Listed as sponsor on school website through 12 months post event

WHAT IS COMMON CORE?

Common Core, or the Common Core State Standards Initative (CCSSI), as it is known at the State and Federal level, is a set of national education standards that will fulfill the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, through a waiver system. (The NCLB Act was put into place by Congress in 2001 and signed into law by President George W. Bush). Many states were failing to meet the NCLB Act requirements and, therefore, wanted something to replace NCLB.Common Core is part of the UN's plan for complete federal control over our education systems and the "Dumbing-down" of America.

 

Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) are not state standards in the first place, and are nothing more then further federalization of our state education systems.

 

COMMON CORE IS A TROJAN HORSE AND TIED TO THE UNITED NATIONS (UN)

If you cannot see that Common Core is tied to the United Nations you have not done your homework! The major funder of the Common Core Movement is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which has pledged $60 million dollars to this effort. Bill and Melinda Gates are tied to UN through-and-through and have spent money in America and overseas for UN programs in Africa and all over the world for decades.

From the Conservative Teachers of American organization, they wrote an article entitled: "Common Core Standards and the Federalization of Education." In this article we read: "Many are concerned that the Common Core Standards, once successfully implemented, will provide unfettered access of our educational system by the United Nations. Some textbooks and curricula for our public schools have already been written by the [United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization] UNESCO and the International Baccalaureate program, that is currently in many school districts, across the United States. Grabbing additional access is a natural next step. Once they write the curricula, they must have authority to develop all testing tools."

 

The UN involvement in the American educational system has already been facilitated by treaties signed by American presidents from both parties. Those documents include but are not limited to: Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Treaty on the Rights of the Child, Civic Education: Classroom Connections, and Agenda 21.

 

The  US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development (since 2003), is the nexus of the UNA-USA and Global Leadership Coalition at the Department of Education, which altogether leverages the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014.  UNESCO, the lead agency of the Decade, defines Education for Sustainable Development as "education for everyone everywhere" for the "lifelong learning" of "present and future generations".  

 

The UNA-USA sponsors Model UN across America and tailors its Global Classrooms curricula to whichever setting the kids happen to be participating.  Children are unknowingly trained to respond with prescribed consensus to the situations, simulations and stimulation's of the particular activity (Delphi Technique).  Global Kids is the CFR arm of Connect All Schools Consortium, a new Department of Education network, led by Independent Sector and The White House via United Planet Partners.  Global Kids is preparing children for Agenda 21.  

 

The White House, NSA and CIA now have website divisions aimed at kids.  The Public Education Network is a national association funded by Independent Sector donors: plus Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Department of Education

 

"Funders" of the Rockefeller Foundation-backed International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), "Members" of the the Sustainability Consortium, backed by the EPA and BSR (Rockefeller Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, State Department) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-backed International City/County Management Association (ICMA): Center for Sustainable Communities (an ICLEI "Partner") are "partnered" with local schools and governments.  

 

From the Partnership for 21st Century Skills aligning the Common Core State Standards with "professional development" content for teachers and principals and Lego Robotics curricula for students (Carnegie Mellon/Lego Education); to software curricula through websites like: cyberschoolbus.un.org, icivics.org, atomiclearning.com, renlearn.org, brainpop.com and ttl4.sunburst.com; to the weekly deliveries of Time for Kids magazine and textbook curricula into classrooms; kids are programmed with UN-defined values.  State Governors administer Federal funds to "Community-Oriented Policing" systems like Crime Stoppers (The UN, FBI and other law enforcement and corporate partners administer Crime Stoppers International), the local student-equivalent of the Department of Homeland Security's' "See Something, Say Something" campaign; whereby children see hand-drawn posters of child characters on school walls displaying "Eyes Looking", "Ears Listening", "Mouth Reporting" with a hotline to call.  Presidents Bush and Obama have personally followed the George H. W. Bush/Clinton trail of the Agenda 21/ Sustainable America megabanks-maze in "bipartisan" fashion. 

 

UNESCO PLEDGES SUPPORT OF COMMON CORE

From UNESCO's document "The Vision of Education Reform in the United States" it states: "My department has been pleased to partner with the US Agency for International Development to help ensure that our best domestic practices are shared world-wide. The United States provides over a billion dollars annually to partner countries working on educational reform. Our goal for the coming year will be to work closely with global partners, including UNESCO, to promote qualitative improvements and system strengthening....Ultimately, education is the great equalizer. It is the one force that can consistently overcome differences in background, culture, and privilege."

 

THE UN'S AGENDA 21- COMMON CORE IMPLEMENTER!

In the United Nations Agenda 21 (Guide for the 21st Century), Chapters #25 and #36 specifically talk about education of our children:

 

Principle #25- "Children and Youth in Sustainable Development." In the "Activites 25.9.d" it states: "Ensure access for all youth to all types of education, wherever appropriate, providing alternative learning structures, ensure that education reflects the economic and social needs of youth and incorporates the concepts of environmental training, implementing innovative methods aimed at increasing practical skills, such as environmental scouting."

 

Principle #36- "Promoting Education, Public Awareness and Training." In the Activities Section of this document in "36.5.g" we read: "Within two years the United Nations system should undertake a comprehensive review of its educational programmes, encompassing training and public awareness, to reassess priorites and reallocae resources. The UNESCO/UNEP International Environmental Education Programme should, in cooperation with the appropriate bodies of the United Nations system, Governments, non-governmental organizations and others, establish a porgramme within two years to integrate the decisions of the Conference into the existing United Nations framework adapted to the need of the educators at different levels and circumstances. Regional organizations and national authorities should be encouraged to elaborate similar parallel programmes and opportunies by conducting an analysis of how to mobilize different sectors of the population in order to assess and address their environmental and development education needs."

 

In the Activities Section of this document in "36.5 h" we read: "There is a need to strengthen, within five years, information exchange by enhancing technologies and capacities necessary to promote environment and development education and public awareness. Countries should cooperate with each other and with the various social sectors and population groups to prepare educational tools that include regional environment and development issues and initiatives, using learning materials and resources suited to their own requirements." Sounds just like PARCC and SLDS. ASU's Institute for Global Sustainability and their "Sustainable Cities Network" is doing a fine job "brain-washing" our students in our high schools on sustainability, global warming (aka climate change), etc. Go here to meet the ASU sustainability schools!

 

 

COMMON CORE SCIENCE STANDARDS TEACH GLOBAL WARMING!

The new Common Core Science Standards that are up for review teach Global Warming (aka Climate Change)! Here is Research and Commentary on the Common Core Science Standards" from The Heartland Institute.

Please spread the word to all AMERICAN PATRIOTS!

Reality Check.....COMMON CORE EDUCATION = COMMUNISM IN AMERICA!

Common Core Education is the INDOCTRINATION of our CHILDREN. 

DO NOT LISTEN TO THE GOP ESTABLISHMENT RHETORIC FROM MIKE HUCKABEE!!! 

The Development of Common Core, Explained by Michael Chapman

The video says this is a clip from the 1989 National Governors'Assoc conference on Education:

Sr. Director of Mid-Continental Regional Education Laboratory, Dr. Shirley McCune

 She says about education:

#1) Total transformation of our society

#2) Teaching of facts and information (knowledge) is no longer the primary purpose of education

#3) Close connection between economic (sustainable) development and human capitol (human resource labor for a planned economy)

A group that allowed this kind of rhetoric to be said at their meeting? I don't think I want them developingeducational standards!  Please read to the bottom for transcripts from the 1987 NGA meetings chaired by Bill Clinton.  These transcripts are eye-opening.  They are clearly more concerned with workers for the manufacturing.  They seem to have concerns that we have students who can't read well enough (non-English speaking especially) to function in the manufacturing plants, and then on the other end of the spectrum... too many with higher ed degrees who don't WANT to work in the manufacturing.  So... what to do about all this?  Hummm.... standards!  Make sure they read well enough to function as the industrial workers, but not so well that they don't want to!!!   This is the John D. Rockefeller goal of the early 20th century when he started pushing for compulsory government schooling and funding the building of government schools. 

NOW.... review the transcripts below of the conferences chaired by Bill Clinton: 
National Governor's Association website  (find all annual meetings here with transcriptsm- )
1986-87 NGA Chair Gov. Bill Clinton's Initiative

Making America Work: Productive People, Productive Policies

March 25, 1986

1987 Winter Meeting with Bill Clinton as chair, you will find on page 12 that the governors unanimously adopted a policy to adopt an INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY.    http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/1987NGAWinterMeeting.pdf

1987 Annual meeting.   See page 34of this document to see how those governors seem to be concerned that we aren't training our students for the "workforce." They are concerned that the professors of higher ed are telling students to strive for more than the job of working in the manufacturing plants.  On page 40 they start talking about standards needed in education.  " See page 42 with this statement by Governor Sinner (great name!) to Lee Iacoccoa: "But you also made a point about the terrific cost to industry of the disparity between states in these regulations and I wondered, with all the fuss and the furor that we make over states' rights...."  http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/1987NGAAnnualMeeting.pdf 

June 11, 2013: Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) leads the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee in a markup of the Strengthening America's Schools Act of 2013, an education initiative to replace No Child Left Behind.  http://www.c-spanvideo.org/event/220036

At the June 10 Common Core forum in Fayette County, Superintendent Barge stated over and over again that if Georgia wants to change these standards at any time, we have the ability to do so.   The testimony below contradicts this belief by Superintendent Barge and confirms that states who adopted the Common Core standards DO NOT have the ability to change the standards in any way on their own.

2:23:00 - Rep. Tim Scott discusses his amendment to Harkin's bill.  Instead of states being forced to adopt blanket standards like Common Core as a prerequisite for funding, let's put decision-making back in the hands of parents and teachers in our communities."

2:31:00 - It is admitted that states who want to change the CC standards,the Secretary of Education would have to approve it.  States DO NOT have the ultimate decision making abilities!

2:39:00 - Alexander reads page 89 of the bill stating that any changes to standards MUST go through the Secretary of Education for approval.

As are most of the amendments offered by Republicans to this education bill, the Scott Amendment is defeated 12-10.

DATA COLLECTING: Senator Burr at the 1:00:00 mark reveals information about ADDITIONAL data points that this legislation will add to the data mining.  He says that his count is now 500 data points.  

TEACHER EVALUATIONS: Senator Alexander at 2:00:00 mark discusses his amendment to end federally mandated school and teacher evaluations.  He says states had a "gun to their head" to adopt the teacher evaluations because they were desperate for NCLB waivers.   He makes the charge that the Harkin bill creates a "NATIONAL SCHOOL BOARD."  The Gates Foundation involvement is mentioned frequently.  

Harkin says over and over "this is voluntary."  If states don't want to implement the programs in the bill we just don't accept the money!"    More strong evidence that our states need to "just say no" to all federal education dollars.   As is pointed out in this debate: Any private business that entered into a partnership where the partner who contributed 10% funding got 80-90% of the control (as is the case with education funding under NCLB and Common Core) the partnership is DOOMED TO FAIL!

Angela Bean
Fayetteville, GA
StopCommonCore.com 

We all know how tough it is to maintain your morals in today's media world. Here are two gifts from the AFA to you, each meant to help you navigate your way through media today:

1. Free Article: How to Watch TV Without Compromising Your Values  2. Free Guide: 300 Family Friendly Movies

The article discusses how far TV has fallen in recent years and outlines some practical steps you can take to protect your family.

And the free movie guide is a great way to find movies for family night that the whole family can enjoy.

I hope these tools are a blessing to you!

At the Boston Marathon we all witnessed what happens when people become radicalized by an extreme Islamic ideology.

IT IS TIME THAT EVERYONE GET EDUCATED ON THIS ISSUE.

Watching The Third Jihad is the ultimate way to share this knowledge with other Americans.

Share the film, the third jihad with 5 friends,
and we will send you a FREE DVD of our award-winning film Obsession - Radical Islam's War Against the West - a must-see for every American.

---

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AGENDA 21 RESOURCE PAGEs

Following is a list of all members representing Pennsylvania in the United States House of Representatives.  Their name, party affiliation, office number, phone number and Congressional assignments are listed. You can print this list for immediate reference.  If you wish to have the email address of your representative, type in "United States House of Representatives," click on 'Members" and then search for your Congressman's name.  Go to his web page, where you will find his email contact page, regional office phone numbers and addresses and, hopefully, other information regarding what he is doing to preserve the Constitution.   

Please note the committee assignments of each representative.  They are very important.

Please pass this information to all those on your list!   

Thank you.

Pennsylvania

New Retail Liquor Privatization Plan Would Fund Property Tax Freeze for Seniors

After several recent public hearings and numerous meetings to solicit input from stakeholders in the sale of alcoholic beverages, I unveiled legislation today that would improve convenience for consumers by privatizing the retail sale of liquor and wine in Pennsylvania.

In addition to improving convenience for consumers, my plan would ensure any increase in Pennsylvania Liquor Control profits over the previous year would be deposited into a new Senior Citizen Property Tax Relief Fund to be managed by the Pennsylvania Treasury. Money in the Fund could only be used to reduce any property tax increase incurred by senior citizens. The measure would help ensure more of our older residents can age in place instead of being taxed out of their homes.

As part of my plan, current retailers that sell alcohol and beer would be offered a chance to purchase an additional permit to sell wines and/or spirits. Specialty permits would also be available for retailers who only wish to sell a specific category of spirits, such as whiskeys or vodkas.

Rather than charging an exorbitant up-front fee for permits, my legislation would make permits available for an annual fee of $8,000. The proposal would help small, family-owned businesses and preserve the value of licenses that have already been purchased. Packaging reform measures would also benefit current retail beer distributors by allowing the sale of beer, wine and liquor in smaller quantities, such as six-packs.

Many aspects of the plan would make liquor and wine purchases more convenient for consumers. The proposal would expand the number of liquor and wine retailers and create one-stop shops for alcohol purchases at many establishments that currently sell alcohol. The plan also incorporates a proposal introduced by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) that would allow direct wine shipments to consumers. The Johnstown Flood Tax would also be eliminated as part of the plan.

The proposal differs from the privatization plan approved by the House last month in regard to the state's current wholesale distribution system. Instead of immediately divesting the state from the wholesale system, my plan would require the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to complete a study within two years regarding the future viability of the state wholesale system.

This approach would allow the wholesale system to increase in value before any decision is reached regarding the future of the system. My plan offers a way to privatize the retail sale of wine and liquor in the very near future while we continue to find ways to maximize our long-term financial return.

RedState Morning Briefing

For June 21, 2013

Imagine if Democrats elected senators from blue states in the northeast who worked behind closed doors with Ted Cruz to craft national right to work legislation or a compromise plan to privatize Social Security?  That's about as likely as Lady Gaga joining the Family Research Council.

Yet, we continue to elect Republicans like John Hoeven who work behind the scenes to carry water for the progressives.  They gravitate to one-sided compromises that sell out our Republic like flies on ethanol.

By now, you're probably asking, John who?  . . . please click here for the rest of the post →

GOP leadership suffered a stunning defeat as 62 Republicans voted against the 5-year farm bill (H.R. 1947), which locks in the record baseline of food stamp spending and creates multiple new agriculture subsidy programs.  A handful of them voted against it because it cut too much spending, and others like Bill Shuster voted no because they are facing potential primary challenges (Shuster voted for the 2008 bill).  But this is a strong showing, as it is a dynamic none of us would have ever predicted several years ago. . . . please click here for the rest of the post → 

In the course of explaining why the White House is still spending huge amounts of time and money to convince Americans that ObamaCare doesn't stink, even though we hate it more with every passing month, Time drops this little nugget of information . . . please click here for the rest of the post → 

There is a rumor the folks at Georgia Right to Life reject Genesis 5 - 10 because Noah couldn't save all the animals, only pairs.

Fox 5 Atlanta led their newscast last night with Georgia Right to Life joining pro-abortion groups to oppose pro-life legislation in Congress. I have been telling you that Georgia Right to Life's position has descended to the insane position of letting all children die unless all can be saved.

Heritage Hotsheet

Experts on the Day's Hottest News

Items for June 21, 2013 

House defeats farm bill amid bipartisan opposition

Americans, Especially the Young, Oppose Internet Sales Tax
Gallup Politics

 Will Obamacare Hurt Jobs? It's Already Happening, Poll Finds
CNBC

 Pushback Builds Against EPA Ethanol Mandates
Human Events

Latest Heritage Research:

June 21, 2013   

Today's Articles:

Jeannie DeAngelis
But is he a jelly doughnut? More

It's no wonder socialists are so enamored of democracy. Here's why. More

Does power really corrupt liberals more absolutely than anyone else? More

Obama stumbles over freedom of religion in Northern Ireland. More

In three easy lessons, from the master himself. More

Are the scandals damaging Obama? Not as much as many would like to see. More

Is this academic looking at the same dissidents the rest of us see? More

American Thinker Blog

The Perfect Progressive Candidate
June 21, 2013
"Tired of voting for rats? Vote for a cat." More

Beaten and imprisoned by thought police
June 21, 2013
It seems that communist-style thought-policing has arrived in France. It's not long before it's here, too -- if not already. More

Why Rush Immigration?
June 21, 2013
Who set a deadline for amnesty? More

Barack Obama 'Savages' Catholic Education
June 20, 2013
A warning shot. More

Tentative deal reached in Senate on enhanced border security
June 20, 2013
Too good to be true? More

Say goodbye to the coal industry
June 20, 2013
Obama's EPA set to lay down emission rules for existing power plants. More

Brazilians in the streets and it has nothing to do with 'futbol' victory!
June 20, 2013
Soccer-crazy Brazilians are screaming that there are limits to their love for the game. More

Thank you, IRS!
June 20, 2013
This nation's conservative movement owes a debt of gratitude to the IRS and folks like Lois Lerner and Douglas Shulman whose hubris and contempt have prompted a surprise coalescing of conservatives. More

Obama's Agenda: Big Government Solutions in Search of Crises
June 20, 2013
My God it's tiresome living in the sorriest country in the history of the planet! More

Mr. Rubio goes to Washington
June 20, 2013
Mr. Rubio, this is how Washington works. You need to wake up. More

Conservative Gratitude
June 20, 2013
Articulating conservatism in a fresh, thoughtful way More

In Media World, only Israel Blocks Peace Process
June 20, 2013
How not to promote a peace deal. More

James O'Keefe Confronts Attorney General "Richard Head" Over Indicting Journalists

Kris Kobach vs. Francisco Hernandez: Debate Home Protest Violation w/ Sean Hannity - 6-18-13

Freedom Minute: Abolish the IRS

Rush Limbaugh Interviews Ted Cruz - Full Interview on Amnesty Bill - June 19, 2013

LibertyNEWS TV - "Take This, IRS! Big Day of Dissent in DC"

"Jihad" graffiti on interstate sound barrier 

Check out what happened after someone spray painted the word "Jihad" in 20 foot high letters on a Florida interstate sound barrier!

http://www.cbs12.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_8129.shtml 

Avoid the Need for Spying Using One Not-So-Weird Trick

Dear Fellow Conservative,

Well, of course the government is spying on Americans! Look at the havoc caused by American citizens engaging in terrorism.

There's "American citizen" David Coleman Headley, who conspired with Pakistani military officers to commit the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, that left more than 160 people dead.

Headley's ancestors served under Gen. George Washington - no, I'm sorry, Headley was born "Daood Sayed Gilani" in Washington, D.C., to a Pakistani father. Like your typical American boy, he enjoyed TV's "Happy Days" and murdering innocent people in terrorist attacks.

Click Here to Read Full Article »

Sincerely,

Ann Coulter

Congress Passes Bill To Prevent Funding of U.N. Gun Ban

The Editors' Top Picks
    FBI's Mueller Admits Use of Drones in Domestic Surveillance  In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, FBI Director Robert Mueller admitted the FBI has been using drones in domestic surveillance.    Ex-terrorist Bill Ayers: Obama Should Be Tried for War Crimes  Former Weather Underground terrorist and Obama pal Bill Ayers said President Obama should be tried for war crimes for his drone-strike program.    Military Services Announce Plans to Phase Women Into Combat  The nation's military branches announced that they are firming up plans for phasing women into combat - including into Army Ranger and Navy SEAL units.    Our Empty Future in Afghanistan  The murder of an American Marine in Afghanistan by the "slave" of a local police official highlights both the futility of the mission there and the callous disregard for our troops.    New Quantum Computer System to Improve "Machine Learning"  The collaboration between Google, NASA, and a small cutting-edge computer company marks a breakthrough in technology that could threaten U.S. citizens' privacy even further.    Major Pro-life Bill Passes U.S. House, Faces Pro-abortion Majority in Senate  In a landmark vote the House of Representatives has passed a major pro-life bill that would ban abortions nationwide after the 20th week of pregnancy. 

THURSDAY COLUMN

Living Rich and Famous, Obama Style

If Not for Double Standards... The $100 MILLION Family Vacation

"We have heard of the impious doctrine in the Old World, that the people were made for kings, not kings for the people. Is the same doctrine to be revived in the New, in another shape...? --James Madison (1788)

Obama One

For all the class warfare rhetoric spewed byBarack Hussein Obama and his NeoCom cadres, he and his co-conspirator, Michelle LaVaughn, live like royalty.

Their let-'em-eat-cake lifestyle is even more contemptible, however, when one considers that it comes at the expense of those whom they purport to represent.

For all the references to "fat cats," it turns out the fattest cats of all now occupy the White House, and much like their record accumulation of national debt, their unmitigated arrogance and bloated hypocrisy exceeds all that of previous executive administrations combined.

Perhaps there are no better cases in point than the Obamas' exotic resort vacations and golf junkets whilst the rest of the nation exercises austerity measures necessitated by the regime'sfailed economic policies.

This week, Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha hitched a ride on Air Force One to the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland. Then MO requisitioned Air Force Two so that she and her entourage could spend two days touring Dublin and the surrounding area. Once there, MO, her 11- and 14-year-old kids, and 30 members of her retinue set up shop in the lavish 5-star Shelbourne Hotel, where she booked the $3,300-per-night Princess Grace Suite.

By day, they hobnobbed with glitterati, lunching over Dalkey Lobster and Crab Salad or Road Rack of Wicklow Spring Lamb with such notables as U2 singer Bono. By night they were treated to royal boxes at theater performances such as "Riverdance," where Michelle told an adoring crowd, "It is good to be home."

Conde Nast, leftist travel magazine of the rich and famous, devoted a special section under "Bigwig Vacations," to Michelle's travel plans, noting, "It looks like she has taken a leaf or two from our 'Iconic Irish Itinerary.'" The Huffington Post Style pages opined under the heading, "Michelle Obama's Ireland Trip Wardrobe Is Making Us Jealous," then gushed about her "awesome printed Lela Rose vest, an on-trend Burberry trench coat and a covetable utility jacket."

Isn't that special.

Michelle's two-day $5.2 million side trip, however, was a mere slum tour compared to the Obamas' next taxpayer funded junket -- a "heritage tour" of three nations in southern Africa the week of June 26 to July 3, with an estimated cost between $80 and $100 million.

Read more:

Patton: Guess who is Behind 'Conservative' Radio and TV Ads

Read more:

Thursday, June 20, 2013

To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer


Amnesty Insanity

There is news today of an agreement that will improve the border security aspects of the Senate's quasi-amnesty bill. The deal supposedly involves doubling the Border Patrol by adding 20,000 new agents, hundreds of miles of border fencing and surveillance drones to track illegal immigrants attempting to cross the border.

We will provide more details as we have them, but I'm skeptical. Security has been promised repeatedly for thirty years. It hasn't been done.

For months the Gang of Eight has been promising that its bill would secure the border. Yet those Senators have voted down every significant border security amendment, including one for additional fencing. Not surprisingly, the Congressional Budget Office determined that the Gang of Eight bill would not significantly improve border security.

But suddenly today there is a breakthrough on security. We're just supposed to trust that they got it right this time. By the way, in 2006 Congress passed the Secure Fence Act calling for 700 miles of additional fencing along the border. Only 35 miles of it got built.

When Democrats got their first look at the bill several weeks ago, liberals and their pro-amnesty allies were trying to conceal their glee. Politico reported that the bill was "far more generous to their constituencies than Democrats and Hispanic activists expected. ... their side made off with more policy victories than it could've predicted."

Why don't our Republican friends understand that the level of trust for anything favored by Obama, Schumer and Pelosi is less than zero? After healthcare reform, why would we trust this crowd with comprehensive anything?

And who is going to decide that the border is secured? If it is left to some Obama agency I guarantee it won't happen. Don't forget that this administration is laying off hospital workers at Walter Reed and air traffic controllers rather than EPA bureaucrats. How long until the new Border Patrol agents are laid off? Obama's got that big African vacation to pay for.

As Rush Limbaugh said today, no one is talking about how to stop illegal immigration, but how to get to 70 votes in the Senate. This latest "deal" is only meant provide cover for senators to vote for amnesty. Like the definition of insanity -- doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results -- we've been down this road before. Let's try something different.

Drop the comprehensive part and focus on border security first. The border needs to be secured before any kind of legalization is even contemplated. Make members of Congress go on the record every year by voting to certify whether or not the border is secured.

Once illegal immigration has been reasonably reduced and the border is under control, then we can start talking about what to do with the illegal immigrants "in the shadows."


Obama Bashes Catholic Education

During this week's trip to the G-8 summit in Northern Ireland, Barack Obama attempted to address the problem of sectarian violence, but seemed to suggest that religious education should be banned. Here's what he said:

"If towns remain divided -- if Catholics have their schools and buildings and Protestants have theirs, if we can't see ourselves in one another and fear or resentment are allowed to harden -- that too encourages division and discourages cooperation."

That statement is absolutely stunning! Whatever point the president was trying to make about sectarian violence in Northern Ireland was completely lost by his absurd example. As Fr. John Zuhlsdorf put it:

"Off the top of my head, I can't think of a foreign visit to an Islamic nation where he told people on his arrival that they shouldn't have madrasas.  Can you? Did he when visiting, say, Israel, say 'You Jews shouldn't have synagogue schools and you Muslims shouldn't have mosque schools.'  I can't remember.  Did he?"

Sadly, Obama's dismissive remark of religious education is illustrative of his administration's hostility to Judeo-Christian values. For example:

• The Obama Administration tried to kill the voucher program for low-income students in the District of Columbia. The most of the beneficiaries were minority students.
• While Obama is demanding amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants, he has decided that there is no room in America for one religious homeschooling family that legally applied for asylum. The Obama Administration wants to send the Romeike family back to Germany, even though their children will likely be taken away from them because they refuse to bend to Germany's Nazi-era state education laws.
• Under Obama, there has been growing hostility toward Christianity in the military.
• The administration is using Obamacare to browbeat Catholic institutions and other religious organizations and businesses to accept practices that violate their religious beliefs.

From bowing to radical Islamic groups on the FBI's surveillance of mosques and bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia and sending private letters to the ayatollah, the only faith Obama seems to have any genuine tolerance for, in domestic and foreign policy, is Islam.


Obama's Assault On The First Amendment

Gary Pruitt, president of the Associated Press, blasted the Obama Administration yesterday during a speech to the National Press Club. He accused Obama's Justice Department of acting as "judge, jury and executioner" in the massive seizure of the AP's phone records. Worse, he said that sources are no longer talking to his reporters out of fear of government prosecution. Here are some of his remarks:

"What I learned from our journalists should alarm everyone in this room and should alarm everyone in this country... This chilling effect is not just at AP, it's happening at other news organizations as well.

"Journalists from other news organizations have personally told me it has intimidated sources from speaking to them. Now, the government may love this. I suspect they do. But beware the government that loves secrecy too much."

I am not in the habit of defending the liberal media. It refused to vet Obama and now it is having buyer's remorse. But Pruitt's point is especially valid coming at a time when the administration is facing so many investigations for corruption and abuse.

Now more than ever, we need whistleblowers to come forward. We need people inside the government to report wrongdoing and we need journalists willing to expose it.  

Morning Jolt  . . . with Jim Geraghty

June 20, 2013

MR. PRESIDENT, WHAT ABOUT YOUR GAFFES?

We all make mistakes, Mr. President.

MUSIC fan Barack Obama kept getting George Osborne's name wrong after mixing him up with one of his favourite soul stars - Jeffrey Osborne.

The President explained his confusion to the Chancellor as he apologised for calling him "Jeffrey" three times at the G8 summit of the world's wealthiest nations.

A witness dubbed the series of slips "a visibly crushing blow" to the Chancellor.

Of course, we know how President George W. Bush's calling a foreign leader by the wrong name would be covered. And while I don't think President Obama intended to blame Catholic schools for Irish sectarianism, I think he offered some very stale, generic, we-all-must-come-together rhetoric that glosses over why Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland have such animosity:

Sticking his nose in Northern Ireland's internal affairs at the Group of Eight summit in Belfast, the president pretty much told the Irish to dismantle their Catholic and Protestant schools, on the grounds they're hotbeds of hatred.

"If towns remain divided - if Catholics have their schools and buildings and Protestants have theirs, if we can't see ourselves in one another, and fear or resentment are allowed to harden - that too encourages division and discourages cooperation," Obama told an Irish audience of 2,000, many of whom were children in religious school uniforms.

It was an odd statement coming from an American president whose nation's founding was premised on the idea that diverse religions could flourish together as long as there is freedom. America has been a beacon of this idea's success for more than 200 years.

Mr. President, Northern Ireland is not like the neighborhoods of Chicago.

Well, at least the president still has the diplomatic skills of his lovely and charming family, who always make a lovely impression upon their hosts.

What's that?

Oh, come on.

Trinity College may have reminded them of Hogwarts, but the Obama children looked like they would have preferred to be at a Harry Potter theme park than poring over dusty documents showing their distant Irish heritage.

The glazed over expressions on the faces of Malia (14) and Sasha (12) during their brief visit to Ireland with First Lady Michelle Obama didn't go unnoticed by the US media.

ABC's Good Morning America featured a segment with the reporter noting that "Even the president's daughters can get a bit bored with history" as they were shown the Book of Kells.

Meanwhile, stateside, the New York Times notices that five years into his presidency, Obama has more or less ignored the states that supported him the least:

Mr. Obama has not given North Dakota his time. It is one of six states he has not visited as president, along with South Dakota, Arkansas, Idaho, South Carolina and Utah. He has gone just once to Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Tennessee and Wyoming.

Mr. Obama's near-complete absence from more than 25 percent of the states, from which he is politically estranged, is no surprise, reflecting routine cost-benefit calculations of the modern presidency. But in a country splintered by partisanship and race, it may have consequences.

America's 21st-century politics, as underscored by the immigration debate embroiling Congress, increasingly pits the preferences of a dwindling, Republican-leaning white majority against those of expanding, Democratic-leaning Hispanic and black minorities. Even some sympathetic observers fault Mr. Obama as not doing all he could to pull disparate elements of society closer. "Every president should make an attempt to bridge the divide," said Donna Brazile, an African-American Democratic strategist. "It's a tall order. I wouldn't give him high marks."

Al Cross, who directs the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky, said, "You're president of the whole country." By all but ignoring the state, he added, Mr. Obama has allowed negative sentiment toward his presidency to deepen.

Why Is a New Documentary About TWA Flight 800 Getting Strangely Credulous Coverage?

In my 2006 book Voting to Kill -- now available at fine remainder bins everywhere -- I wrote a chapter about the history of terrorist attacks against Americans since the end of the Vietnam War, and I did some research into TWA Flight 800.

While the National Transportation Safety Board definitively attributed the crash of TWA flight 800 to an explosion of flammable fuel/air vapors in a fuel tank, most likely triggered by an electrical short circuit, many folks have speculated that the plane was shot down. George Stephanopolous and John Kerry, speaking off the cuff, referred to TWA flight 800 as a terror attack, sparking a thousand cover-up theories.

Now a new documentary is likely to fuel more speculation that the official explanation of the crash covered up something sinister:

A documentary on the 1996 explosion that brought down TWA Flight 800 offers "solid proof that there was an external detonation," its co-producer said Wednesday.

"Of course, everyone knows about the eyewitness statements, but we also have corroborating information from the radar data, and the radar data shows a(n) asymmetric explosion coming out of that plane -- something that didn't happen in the official theory," Tom Stalcup told CNN's "New Day."

All 230 people aboard TWA 800 died when the plane, headed for Paris, exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Scores of witnesses observed a streak of light and a fireball, giving early rise to suspicions that the terrorists had struck the plane with a rocket.

That's from CNN; this documentary garnered fairly credulous coverage from the Los Angeles Times, Slate, ABC News, Fox News, Yahoo, the Bergen Record, and a slew of others. An awful lot of coverage for a group most people would dismiss as cranks. Then again, some folks who weren't previously thought of as crank-y became true believers over Flight 800 shoot-down theories, including JFK's press secretary Pierre Salinger and novelist Nelson DeMille.

Here's the argument for the official explanation:

John Goglia, a member of the five-person NTSB during the investigation, said he "took offense" at the filmmakers' suggestion that board members ignored evidence. "I would never be part of any cover up -- period," he told CNN.

"This accident, this report, over 50,000 pages, if you take and just look at certain pieces of it, you can move the cause of this accident any way you want. You can take just the radar; you can say it was a missile. You have to take all of the pieces and look at them as a whole.

"The sequencing report that told how the airplane fell apart, none of it supports a missile -- none of it. When you look at the physical evidence inside the tank, it's clear that there was an explosion inside the tank. If the top of the tank goes up and the bottom of the tank goes down, and the forward side goes forward and the back of the tank goes back, that tells you that the blast was inside the tank -- not outside."

He added that no holes in the tank were found that would indicate something penetrated it.

I wouldn't suggest that the NTSB is infallible; you can almost always find experts who will disagree with the analysis and conclusion of other experts. We've seen groupthink take hold in many government operations. But the problem is that if you reject the short-circuit-sparking-fuel-vapors-in-the-fuel-tank theory, what theory do you prefer?

I looked at the terrorism angle for a long time in my book research, and ultimately concluded that if there had been a terrorist involved, A) the perpetrators would have bragged about it or B) at some point, some sort of corroborating intelligence would have been found pointing in this direction -- some reference to it in communications, some captured guy would have spilled about this in exchange for leniency, etc. If terrorists did manage to shoot down a U.S. airliner, it also would raise the question of why this terror group never perpetrated the same attack again.

The other big theory is that the U.S. Navy accidentally shot it down during a missile test, and I'm even more skeptical of that. I just don't believe that everyone up and down the chain of command involved in such a colossal, deadly mistake would keep their mouths shut for 17 years; I don't believe that the U.S. military is full of men and women who can shrug off the responsibility of accidentally killing several hundred American citizens, and I'm even more skeptical that the entire four-year, 50,000-page investigation of the accident could miss the evidence of a missile strike.

Ed Morrissey, over at that site I can't like to without causing all kinds of e-mail delivery problems, writes:

The NTSB, for its part, says that if presented with enough evidence it will reopen the probe, but that they stand by the results of their four-year investigation. But with whistleblowers suddenly popping up all over the place in more recent contexts, it seems like open season on government efforts these days. Expect to see a lot more about TWA 800 aired all over again, especially given the number and expertise of the whistleblowers.

Still, I think a healthy skepticism is the order of the day here.  A cover-up of the scale suggested by the whistleblowers would be, as the two ABC reporters note, one of the largest in American history, involving several agencies and scores of people.  

Now, if I were conspiratorial, I would wonder if the coverage of some whistleblowers who sound a bit like the Lone Gunmen from the X-Files television series was designed to make all whistleblowers sound a bit nutty and unreliable.

Speaking of government conspiracies . . .

Why Thriller Fans Should Openly Order Hidden Order

Thriller writer Brad Thor is awesome, but you probably knew that already. You can find his website here and follow him on Twitter here.

He was kind enough to send a review copy of his latest novel, Hidden Order. First, I have to re-endorse Thor's last novel, Black List, which now appears psychic in light of Edward Snowden's claims about the National Security Agency. Thor talks a bit about his research into far-reaching government surveillance systems here.

All of the traditional Brad Thor qualities are in Hidden Order: fantastic research, a really fast-paced plot that rarely slows down, likeable heroes, vivid settings. The plot structure is a bit like The Da Vinci Code -- a famous, powerful organization shrouded in mystery and secrets (the Federal Reserve, the Vatican) is suddenly targeted by shadowy foes with a grudge, who begin committing ritualistic crimes that echo key moments in history. (For emphasis, Hidden Order emulates The Da Vinci Code's structure, not its cuckoo-for-Cocoa Puffs theology.)

Thor's not shy about his conservative views, and in both Full Black and Hidden Order, he wisely takes one chapter to just lay out his views on a topic, mostly in the form of expository dialogue. Intellectuals and most book reviewers scoff at the thriller genre, dismissing these works as "airport novels." But they're actually a great way to take big, complicated topics and introduce them to a mass audience. Probably hundreds of thousands of people who would never read a nonfiction book about submarine warfare read The Hunt for Red October; people who would never read about genetic research read Jurassic Park. Readers will absorb a lot if you surround it with the basics of exciting storytelling.

I'm trying to keep this review mostly spoiler-free, but as I mentioned earlier, Hidden Order revolves around the Federal Reserve. Thor is not a fan, or at the very least makes clear that he thinks the institution has completely lost touch with the national interest, as opposed to the interest of a handful of powerful banks. As usual, Thor's research -- particularly about the Federal Reserve's founding -- will have you saying, "Wait, really? That really happened?"

There were two story notes that didn't sit as well with me as the usual Thor offerings. First, there's a creepy, serial-killer element, and Thor is as detailed and well-researched in this gruesome topic as in everything else. So certain chapters are not for the squeamish.

[MINOR SPOILER WARNING, I'M TRYING TO KEEP THIS GENERIC]

Secondly, there's an element of the "shadowy government conspiracy up to no good" to this story that becomes problematic. Thor largely portrays the men and women of the U.S. armed forces, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement as the heroes that they are.

Towards the end, one of the characters talks about the noble men and women willing to risk their lives to ensure that Americans are safe and free . . . except that in the revelations of the preceding chapters, we just learned that bunches and bunches of men and women of the U.S. armed forces, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement were involved in this shadowy conspiracy killing innocent people. I've written before about how "the enemy within" trope can take a story into some disturbing directions. This doesn't ruin the book, but it does suggest that the Central Intelligence Agency in Thor's fictional world is capable of truly sinister and wildly reckless actions, far beyond the CIA's history in real life. (Admittedly, the real-life history has its unnerving chapters, such as this declassified study on the use and probable effectiveness of narcotics and psychotropic drugs in interrogations.)

Finally, in Hidden Order, this shadowy government conspiracy is responsible for a real-life international phenomenon that is still going on, and I'm still trying to figure out the motivations of the antagonists, or how they thought that their actions would leave them in a better position than the status quo. Some will find this story element as attempting to ground the novel's action in the real world; others will find it echoing far-fetched, anti-American conspiracy theories from a part of the world that has always embraced them.

But these are quibbles. You'll want to take Hidden Order to the beach.

NRO Digest - June 20, 2013

Today on National Review Online . . .

Healthcare privacy law guarantees anything BUT privacy

Jun 20, 2013 06:13 am | Coach Collins

by Doug Book, editor

Few people realize that the HIPAA "privacy" form shoved under the nose of every individual visiting a hospital or doctor's office has NOTHING whatever to do with the preservation of patient privacy. Nor does it mean that patient consent will be required before a provider may share their records. On the contrary, signing the form simply informs patient's that their most private medical (and other) information may be legally accessed by some 2.2 million entities, many having nothing to do with either health or treatment.

... Continue Reading:Healthcare privacy law guarantees anything BUT privacy

comments | read more

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Angry Liberals in America

Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog 

MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell is staring at me with the uncontrolled intensity usually reserved for serial killers and time-share salesmen. "We know how to get the country back to work. The government needs to lead the way."

 

He folds a napkin in what looks like some expensive oyster bar, but is probably just a television studio backdrop. "The government has to get us back to work."

 

O'Donnell already has a job. His job is to yell angry things on MSNBC. Most of his listeners also have jobs or at least they have parents. 

 

MSNBC is not a news network for the unemployed. It is a news network for aging liberals still addicted to listening to angry liberals yell about George W Bush.

On the television, O'Donnell, doing his best imitation of a strangler, wrings his hands and leans into the camera. Lean Forward, the ad, sandwiched between a drug ad that features smiling families at a picnic while the announcer soothingly tells you all the ways it can kill you and that multiracial Cheerios ad that General Mills hopes to use convince a new generation of consumers that racial progress is more important than good taste, tells me.

 

The ads are more soothing than the angry MSNBC segments that they bookend. And soothing is code for upscale. Even Lawrence O'Donnell angrily leaning forward in his imaginary upscale oyster bar where there are no other people smells of that same soothing patina of a moneyed world where nothing can go wrong except minor servant problems.

 

Strip down MSNBC to its skivvies and you find an angry NPR. It's as if all the NPR people have given up speaking in their supercilious voices and after a few drinks at a cocktail party began holding forth on everything wrong with the canapés.

 

MSNBC is chock full of anger, but like Lawrence O'Donnell choking down his fury in an imaginary oyster bar over the inability of some people to understand that the government has to get us back to work in the fifth year of a liberal administration that promised to do just that, it's an anger that makes no sense.

 

Liberals like to mock conservatives as a bunch of angry white men, but there are more angry white men yelling at the camera in two hours of MSNBC than in two days of FOX News. 

Read more:

You Stopped the Food Stamp and Farm Bill

Congratulations!

Thanks to your hard work, this afternoon the U.S. House of Representatives voted 195 - 234, stopping the $940 billion food stamp and farm bill dead in its tracks.

Conservatives across the country called, wrote letters to the editor, and visited their Members of Congress in opposition to this mammoth spending bill. Our team worked hard to back you up with information and followup meetings with your Members of Congress.

This is a monumental win for taxpayers, consumers, the free market and yes, even farmers. The misnamed "farm bill" maintained the unholy alliance between food stamps and farm policy. Eighty percent of the spending in the bill went toward food stamps. Finally, after nearly 40 years of escalating costs to taxpayers and consumers, you stopped in the House.

As our nation nears $17 trillion in debt, Americans can rest easier tonight knowing that another reckless and irresponsible $1 trillion bill is not on its way to becoming law.

This victory is a result of your hard work. Thank you for everything you have done throughout this important battle.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Needham
Chief Executive Officer
Heritage Action for America

P.S. Defeating the farm bill was a big win. But big-government lawmakers are sure to bring it up again - and the fight over amnesty is right around the corner. Find out how you can help us keep the pressure on Congress to stick to conservative principles and ensure future victories.

Today's Headlines:  Thursday, June 20, 2013

Obama: 'If Catholics Have Their Schools and Buildings and Protestants Have Theirs ... That Encourages Division'

IRS, LGBT Group Silent on Illegal Disclosure of Donors to Nat'l Organization for Marriage

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

IRS Agents 'Accidentally' Discharged Guns 11 Times, Possible Injuries

Obama Suggests Further Cuts to U.S., Russian Nuclear Arsenals As China's Buildup Continues

Al-Qaida Gathers Strength in Northern Iraqi City

In Boston, It's Condoms for the Students

Bozell Gets Tea Party Crowd Chanting 'Fire Eric Holder'

See a roundup of wasteful spending stories, including the following,  on CNSNews.com's Wa$te Watch: 
$658K Federal Study Tests Hypotheses of Cicada Evolution

$167,650 of Taxpayer Green to Grow Participation in DC Farmer's Markets  
House GOP to Democrats: Quit Playing Political Games With Student Loans

Kerry 'Proud' of Obama for Refusing to Defend DOMA 
Now you can access all the latest breaking news from CNSNews.com on your smartphone. Check out our mobile website today! 
Glenn Beck: At Least Vegas Admits 'It's Full of Crooks and Hookers'

Melissa Etheridge on Sexual Orientation: 'This Is What God, My Creator, Gave Me'

After Secret Talks, Senators Eye Compromise on Border Security

Human Trafficking: U.S. Demotes China, Russia to Bottom Tier

COMMENTARY:

America Loses the War on Terror
By Ben Shapiro
Our war on terror is now over. It's over not because President Obama says it is, though he has implied as much over the past several weeks. It is over because we have surrendered.


NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP:

Outnumbered conservative profs may get anti-discrimination protection at U-Colo.
$7 billion in gear U.S. sent to war will not return
Anti-gun group names Tsarnaev as victim of gun violence
Obama readying emissions limits on power plants
Planned Parenthood promoting Obamacare with taxpayer funded grants
Parents plead with FCC to keep TV's decency rules
Politico: Obama loses rockstar status
The Hill: Democrats start transition from Obama to Hillary Clinton
Fed expects to begin stimulus pullback this year if recovery is steady
GOP effort to oust Eric Holder picks up steam
Paul Ryan: 'We need' immigration fix
Violence against women causes 'global health epidemic,' WHO reports
AP says its longtime sources have clammed up after DOJ seizure of phone records
Columbia U's social work program run by team of former prisoners
Exodus ministry to shut down after apology to gay community