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LIBERTY NEWS ALERT - GEORGE ZIMMERMAN NOT GUILTY
Friends in Liberty,
In a shocking late evening decision, the six person jury in the George Zimmerman murder trial found the Sanford man innocent on all charges. Zimmerman was immediately told he was free to go.
Our daily readers know we've believed the DOJ has been involved all along. In fact, we believe the DOJ was fueling the case before the actual Zimmerman arrest.
For now we know George Zimmerman did, in fact, act in self defense and is innocent of murder. The story now moves into a new stage and LibertyNEWS.com will be here covering it all as it unfolds.
For Liberty,
Eric Odom Managing Director, News Division Grassfire
Justice Department weighing civil rights case after Zimmerman cleared of all charges
FoxNews.com | Published July 14, 2013
The Justice Department said Sunday that it will review the George Zimmerman case for possible civil rights violations, after a jury acquitted the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
As Zimmerman's attorney cautioned that his client's safety is at risk, the Justice Department responded to appeals from NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous and several lawmakers to keep investigating the defendant.
Forget Monopoly there's a new game in town! Now you can learn the Constitution in new board game
If your family loves playing Monopoly, here's a new board game that can help adults and children learn about something more important than money - the Constitution.
It's all made in America, designed for two to four players or team play. It's great for teens and adults. The directions are simple. It's fun and engaging. It includes 223 game cards with information about the Constitution, including:
3 branches of government
Powers granted and denied
Checks and balances
Laws from the Articles
The Bill of Rights and other Amendments
Historical facts and dates
Play in less than an hour
Learn the Constitution as you play ... the more you play, the more you learn
Includes a complimentary copy of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence
Fun and educational for the classroom environment
Fantastic for home schooling
Great for entertainment for adults and teens who want to learn the Constitution
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF GODS AND GENERALS AND GETTYSBURG COMES THE LIBERTY MOVIE OF THE YEAR
RON MAXWELL'S COPPERHEAD
For anyone who reveres and believes in the preservation of the Constitution of the United States, Copperhead is a must see this summer!
Copperhead is unlike any Civil War movie to date. It is a film of the war at home - of a family ripped apart by war, of a community driven to an appalling act of vengeance against a man who insists on exercising his right to free speech during wartime. A story of the violent passions and burning feuds that set ablaze the homefront during the Civil War, Copperhead the movie is also a timeless and deeply moving examination of the price of dissent, the place of the individual amidst the hysteria of wartime, and the terrible price of war - a cost measured not in dollars but in fractured families, broken loves, and men dead before their time.
Based on the extraordinary novel by Harold Frederic, who witnessed these conflicts firsthand as a small child, Copperhead tells the story of Abner Beech, a stubborn and righteous farmer of Upstate New York, who defies his neighbors and his government in the bloody and contentious autumn of 1862.
Upcoming Dates- hope to see you at one of our events!
July 20- GRAA Unite the Fight Picnic August 24- Point Pleasant Sportsmans Show September- stay tuned for details on an exciting event we have planned!
Unite the Fight Pennsylvania 2013 2nd Amendment Picnic and Networking Event
Hosted by : Gun Rights Across America PA and Concerned Gun Owners of PA When: Saturday July 20 2013 11 AM- 6 PM Where : Gifford Pinchot State Park, Lewisberry PA
It is time for sportsmen, shooters, 2nd Amendment (2a) supporters and freedom loving Pennsylvanians to unite in protecting gun rights in Pennsylvania, and PEACEFULLY draw a line in the sand. The other side is relentless in their organizing against us. If we are more organized and collaborate, we will be stronger in our battle to defend and preserve our RKBA in Pennsylvania and across America.
We have little time to waste in pulling together our resources to preserve and expand our RKBA in Pennsylvania. Recently we have had our AG Kane revoke the reciprocity with FL permits, seen the stalling of HB357 Federal Nullification bill, and various attacks by Bloomberg financed anti-gun groups pushing for gun control legislation. There is an alarming prospect of having a liberal anti-gun Governor for the next term. We need to join forces now!
This will be a fun event for the family. Gifford Pinchot State Park is located centrally and is just south of Harrisburg with easy access from the PA Turnpike. Two pavilions are reserved and there will be horseshoes and baseball (bring your own equipment). We will have hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks for those who sign up. Feel free to bring along your own sides (e.g. chips, pretzels).
To sign up and for more information use the link below to sign up on our Eventbrite page- free of charge! http://utfpa.eventbrite.com/
Spread the word and pass this along. Lets make this a watershed event and send a strong, no-compromise message in support of the 2nd Amendment in Pennsylvania. If questions, please contact Eric Stone at etp2adfndr@hotmail.com
We are also looking for sponsors to help offset the costs, if you head up an organization, own a business or know someone who does please contact Eric.
"Shall Not Be Questioned" - PA CONSTITUTION " Shall Not Be Infringed"- US CONSTITUTION
CGOPA Press Release June 25, 2013
Concerned Gun Owners of Bucks Co (CGOBC) was a grassroots group quickly formed in the wake of renewed calls for infringement on our guaranteed Civil Liberty to bear arms in defense of our persons under the PA and Federal Constitutions. There was such intense response and passion from all walks of
life and we found the growing pains rapid.
In the face of very well funded and organized opposition from out of state anti-liberty groups we ultimately decided together that the best course of action was going around that wall instead of over it, and to that end we decided to morph into 2 specialized groups with the same end goal of preserving our inherent rights. One would focus solely on legislative action tactics and outreach aimed at a target audience (PA4SP) and the other on public awareness events and energizing the core (CGOPA), and they would both work together as one towards the ultimate goal of stopping statist infringement on our rights.
While CGOBC was always neutral on open carry at events, PA4SP feels that it is not the best tool for their approach. CGOPA on the other hand will utilize it at public events to demonstrate to the public that firearms are merely inanimate tools and are more often used to deter crime merely by their presence.
Our rallies are held to gather the support of local gun owners to strengthen our cause. Pennsylvanian's right to open carry is recognized by our state government and our state constitution. It is not our prerogative to dictate law, or tell Pennsylvanians they cannot exercise their rights. We are a firearms rights organization; we support not some of those rights, but all of them.
I want to remind all of you that our PA Unite The Fight Event at Gifford Pinchot State Park(click on the events tab above) is just 14 days away. We are looking for a little help to pull this off from our members. We are looking for any groups or individuals who can assist with the necessary provisions (for a couple hundred people) for the event. For instance Concerned Gun Owners of Pennsylvania will be providing Hot Dogs and Hamburgers for that day.
We will still need some help with the list below.
Ice and coolers
Charcoal and lighter fluid
A couple of larger portable grills to supplement the ones provided
Soda
Water
Paper Goods (plates, napkins, utensils, tablecloths)
Condiments (mustard, ketchup, relish)
Chips and Pretzels
Cookies, and or Brownies
If you can help with any of the above, or have an idea for something else we haven't thought of, please email me directly at etp2adfndr@hotmail.com
The Rise of the Police-State
Tuesday, July 30th, from 7PM-9PM Jeffersonville Golf Club 2400 W Main St, Norristown, PA 19403 (Right out side of King of Prussia, Philly, Phoenixville, Lansdale, and Conshohocken)
Hello Members and Friends,
I hope that you can join us for our monthly meeting. Its free and open to the public! Our monthly meetings have officially been moved to the Jeffersonville Golf Club because its a bigger and better location. We are rapidly growing thanks to our dedicated members and friends. Our next meeting is on Tuesday, July 30th and after that our regular meetings will now fall on the 3rd Tuesdays of each month at 7PM. We hope you can make it!
Meeting Topic: The Rise of the Police-State
America is rapidly devolving into the oppressive police-state that our Founding Fathers warned us about. In recent years, politicians have passed laws that destroy and erode our constitutional rights like the N.D.A.A. and The Patriot Act. Recently, Homeland Security, federal government agencies, and local police departments have widely adopted military tactics, military equipment (armored personnel carriers, flash-bang grenades) - and, sometimes, the mindset of military conquerors rather than domestic peacekeepers, and they say its all in the name of "safety" to promote a "global society".
The military industrial complex is transforming our once free country into a giant prison camp. A broke and indoctrinated society constructed in the name of fighting terrorism, was actually built to enslave the American people by making them give up their liberties in the name of security, (Benjamin Franklin warned us about that). Body scanners, sound cannons, citizen spies, staged terror, and cameras on every street corner -- it's only the beginning of the U.N. & globalist's hellish plan.
THE AGENDA:
- Steve Piotrowski and Jackie Piotrowski will give an eye-opening presentation on the police-state, and the erosion of liberties that our government has taken away from us in the name of "safety". We will also speak about what you can do, and current PA. legislation that we can support to help us all fight Big Government and protect citizens of their Constitutional and god-given rights.
- Darren Wolfe, CFL guest speaker of the year, and (author of The International Libertarian) will also give a Philosophy presentation on the police-state and why the founding fathers warned us against this, and what we can do.
- We are also hoping to get Senator Folmer to come speak. He introduced a bill that will end the N.D.A.A. in PA and make it a crime for any government official to enforce it. Hopefully we can get him to attend and talk about it, or even others that helped draft the bill.
- We will also have a round table of open discussion... Your voice matters!
Dear RedStater,
We are excited to announce that Governor Nikki Haley will be attending this year's RedState Gathering!
We'll be in New Orleans August 2nd and 3rd with an all-star line-up to celebrate our Fifth Annual event. Nikki Haley hosted us two years ago in South Carolina where she hosted a great welcome reception and gave a fantastic speech that really got the crowd fired up on Saturday morning. We are thrilled to welcome her back to the RedState Gathering in New Orleans.
Confirmed speakers include:
Ted Cruz
Ken Cuccinelli
Nikki Haley
Bobby Jindal
Jim Bridenstine
Speaker invitations have also been extended to:
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Gov. Rick Perry (TX)
-
Sen. Marco Rubio (FL)
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Liz Cheney
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Rep. Mick Mulvaney (SC)
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Sen. Tim Scott (SC)
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Rep. Steve Scalise (LA)
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And more!
We'll have plenty more speaker announcements coming shortly, but we're guaranteed to have a good mix of elected officials, potential 2014 cycle candidates, and other RedState friends. Remember, the Gathering is unique in conservative events in that speakers pay their own way and are required to take questions from folks in the audience.
What better excuse for a trip to New Orleans? And, don't forget, your registration even includes most of your food, as well as access to deeply discounted hotel rooms.
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.
Due to Dr. Carson's international reputation and recent prominence in the media, including his recent speech at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast, we fully anticipate that this event will sell out quickly once advertised to the public. Tickets go on sale to the public April 15. If you are interested in attending, tickets can be purchased online. I will send the link out to those who wish to go on April 15
th
. While online reservations are preferred because they facilitate efficient event planning, you may also complete a paper order form, which I can forward to you as well.
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,
Christine Gordon
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
·Quarter page ad in Dinner Program
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 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
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.
UNESCOPLEDGESSUPPORT 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."
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!
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!!!
Reality Check- just in case you ever had a doubt......MIke Huckabee is a typical GOP Establishment person.
Mike Huckabee is now championing Common Core Education on Fox News for the GOP! How disgusting is that?!?!? "Mike Huckabee Urges Conservatives to Back Common Core Standards"
This is another reason why Constitutional Conservatives MUST leave the GOP and beware of what you hear on Fox News. Fox News continues to move to the left - to the liberal progressive side of issues. That is the very very sad but true fact. Mr. GOP Huckabee....."It's disturbing to me there have been criticisms of these standards directed by other conservatives including the RNC," Huckabee wrote. "The truth of the matter is, these criticisms are short-sighted." see attached article from Sunshine News. Send a message to Mr. GOP Huckabee at http://www.mikehuckabee.com/masterfeedback and send a loud message to the every more liberal progressive Fox News! Americans that believe in our Constitution must not be silent about this!
Do NOT let Fox News get away with promoting the very liberal progressive Common Core Education that promotes the ideology that American Children are Common/Community Property!
Do NOT let Fox News get away with promoting the loss of state's rights and the federal government taking over Education. WE NEED TO ABOLISH THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - NOT EMPOWER IT!
If you support SOCIALISM AND COMMUNISM FOR THE U.S.A. then COMMON CORE EDUCATION IS FOR YOU. If you believe in the U.S.A. CONSTITUTION....then YOU WILL LOUDLY AND OPENLY REJECT AND OPPOSE COMMON CORE EDUCATION AND ANYONE THAT PROMOTES IT!!
Common Core Education is the indoctrination of American Children. This is NOT acceptable if you still believe in FREEDOM!!
The proponents of Common Core say that the standards ARE state led because they were developed by The National Governors' Association.
Well, perhaps this is true in a way that is very disturbing! Listen to this speech at the 1989 NGA conference on education (at 12:48).
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
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!
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:
The critically-acclaimed film, The Third Jihad - Radical Islam's Vision for America educates about the nature of radical Islamic ideology. Law enforcement agencies across the country have used the film in their counter-terror training.
Understanding the threats of terror is the first step in preventing deadly attacks.
Please consider supporting our efforts
AGENDA 21 RESOURCE PAGEs
Agenda 21 and the impact on personal property rights and land rights content, This page is updated often, last update was May 3rd, 2013 about conservation easements by Rick Buchanan The most recent updates are first, but the foundational video series are below. under the
Taking Liberty Video Documentary. We have had several hundred thousand visitors to this page due to its indepth resources on Agenda21 and property rights. You can also search our database of over 15,000 content news and commentary articles for more information. Use the search box in the upper right corner above the newsletter subscription button. Recently the UN website removed some long standing links to the 351 page document on Agenda21 (link below) Just a note: Don't be fooled by the term "non-binding", as that can be easily edited by the removal of 3 letters.
Donna Holt from Campaign for Liberty has also written extensively on this issue and her research provided valuable information both to James Simpson and Right Side News, and most importantly, the citizens of Virginia to get them involved at the local level.
Sustainable Development is code for a policy designed to transform human society, essentially eliminating individual life decisions and replacing them with top - down, one-size-fits-all government control. In steady fashion, the agenda for this new policy, designed at the international level, is put into place piece by piece with a new government council here, and new regulation there, each designed to appear as a "local" development program. Like the proverbial frog in the slowly boiling pot, many Americans fail to notice the rise in government heat.
The main course of action to impose the new agenda is through the pretense of environmental protection; "Sorry about your rights, but if we don't save the planet, then we will all perish!" And so with the devastation of a thousand pin pricks, America and its form or government is being changed through the creation of non-elected boards, councils and regional governments, designed to enforce the new regulations and "assure that we protect the environment."
The pin pricks come disguised as such issues as controls on community development; controls on use of private property; controls on use of open space; creation of development areas, many times under the excuse of historic preservation; communities designed on the blue print of pack and stack housing; making it harder to drive as roads are narrowed, even forcing cars to share the road with bicycles; the enforcement of expensive mass transit boondoggle projects; and the never ending spending spree on inefficient, unworkable alternative energy, such as wind and solar power.
In fact, control of energy and water are the two most effective tools in the enforcement of the Sustainable Development agenda. Without energy and water, human society stops. Using strict controls on how, or even if, energy and water can be used provides government with the power to dictate every aspect of society.
Mandatory Biometric Enrollment Lawsuit - UPDATE (fingerprinting, facial recognition, iris scan, DNA, etc.) By Mark Lerner: Co-Founder Constitutional Alliance
If you value liberty and understand how dangerous government mandated biometric ID is to our freedom, you need to read and understand every word of what I am writing about today. Something very important is happening so stay with me.
Over the years, the Constitutional Alliance has consistently fought against mandatory biometric ID and for the right of all citizens to be free of it. Government mandated biometric ID is the lynchpin of the modern surveillance society. The amount of control this system gives government over individuals is an anathema to a free society and we oppose it being imposed on anyone - period. You cannot reconcile a free society with a surveillance society.
The founders of this country called religious freedom "the first freedom" because it is a precondition for other important rights.. Try to imagine the value of freedom of speech, or freedom of association without religious freedom and you will quickly see why religious freedom, also referred to as 'freedom of conscience' is so important.
Here is the Big News
This past week, 19 June 2013, a Motion for Summary Judgment was filed in Kaye Beach's lawsuit in the state of Oklahoma (You can read it here). This is a pre-trial motion that presents the undisputed facts of her case and makes the strongest assertion based on those facts, that her rights are being violated. The Motion for Summary Judgment asks the Judge, based on these undisputed facts, to rule in her favor. Kaye fully expects a favorable ruling on this Motion but in the event that this doesn't happen, her lawsuit will continue on. You need only to read the first 30 pages of the Motion to understand the arguments Kaye and her attorneys have made. If you choose to read further you can read about the answers the Department of Public Safety (the department that oversees the issuance of driver's licenses) gave to Kaye's "Discovery Motion".
Kaye Beach's lawsuit, is the only substantial challenge to government mandated biometric ID, to my knowledge, that exists anywhere in our country.
Here is a brief recap of the issue and basis for Kaye's legal challenge;
Kaye is opposed to mandatory biometric identification which is required of her if she wishes to have a state issued driver's license or ID card. As we know, the ability to drive a vehicle and also banking, many financial transactions, as well as a host of other necessary daily activities are dependent upon having a government issued photo ID most commonly presented in the form of state driver's license or ID card. Try to go without one and you will soon find (like Kaye has!) that not having a valid ID is no small matter.
In September, 2011 Kaye filed a lawsuit against the state of Oklahoma for the unwarranted collection of her biometrics and for violating her religious freedom, both of which are protected under Oklahoma law. Kaye is a born again Christian.
We must stop the call for a Constitutional Convention!
Article V of the Constitution:
Gives NO guidelines for how to conduct a Con Con.
NO rules on how delegates will be eligible or selected
States have NO Guarantees they will even be represented
Con Con could result in a COMPLETE CHANGE of our way of government
There simply are NO controls over the delegates once selected.
We must stop the call for a Constitutional Convention!
I have enclosed a vitally important petition.
I desperately hope you will immediately sign. I am not exaggerating when I say the future of our nation is at stake.
I am becoming more alarmed by the day.
Because the drive to force a Constitutional Convention (Con Con) is growing stronger.
I am getting phone calls and notes from APC supporters telling me that they are receiving appeals asking them to support a Con Con.
I am seeing more and more articles in Conservative publications supporting the call for a Constitutional Convention.
The Internet is full of such messages. Many in the Tea Party are beginning to support the idea of a Con Con.
Those pushing the idea are powerful and well funded. Every single state government and all state legislators in the nation have received very expensive, professionally-produced packages detailing how a Con Con could be called and controlled for a Conservative agenda.
This is an outright lie. A Con Con can not be controlled and there can be no guarantee that delegates will do anything they are instructed to do.
By calling a Con Con our precious Constitution will be placed on an operating table and cut to ribbons. Nothing is more dangerous to our Republic.
But the movement for a Constitutional Convention is gaining strength. Conservatives are being targeted because of our love of the Constitution and our frustration over how it is being ignored by those leading our government.
The effort is misguided, dangerous and just plan wrong.
We must stop this movement now.
Urgent: I have enclosed a petition to your state's Governor asking him/her not to sign on to the Con Con movement.
You and I must deliver thousands of these petitions to every single Governor as fast as we can. They must know that Americans across the nation do not support this certain destruction of our Constitution.
Please sign your petition and we will email it immediately to your state governor.
This new Con Con effort is very serious. The organizers are misguided in thinking they can control a Con Con once it has been called.
But that's what they are telling state legislators and Governors. And many who truly want to fix our problems are starting to believe it.
ImmigrationCounters.com provides the key numbers and events related to illegal immigration in the United States. Using the latest government and private sources, research and analysis trending data is factored at their individual rates of increase. For information about the research behind the individual counters clickhere Data Sources. ImmigrationCounters.com supports legal immigration and respect for all humanity yet highlights the significant impact of illegal immigration in America.
ImmigrationCounters.com informs the public of the realities of illegal immigration while challenging the myths and misinformation surrounding it. After decades of passively watching this problem grow, most Americans are now more aware of the severity of this issue. Our government has demonstrated a complete lack of urgency to control illegal immigration both on the borders and within the interior. Because of this large failure that which traditionally had been the American way of welcoming immigration is now dividing the country because of one word, illegal. Opposing illegal immigration and wanting the laws enforced is not un-American. It is time to set the record straight on what is un-American, illegal is un-American.
The issue of illegal immigration doesn't need more laws, studies or debates, it needs leadership and enforcement. America doesn't need immigration reform, it needs leadership reform. Because our government has failed to enforce the existing immigration laws, why should anyone be confident they will do so with expanded immigration reform? Because of these failures, legislators have been addressing the problems at their local levels with bills to manage it incrementally, piece-by-piece, rather than trying to fix the national problem at once--an impossible task. What most Americans expect is to have our borders secure, enforcement of the existing laws within the interior, meaningful punishment of employers who hire illegally and removal of incentives such as birthright citizenships and public school enrollments without status verifications. We must also address the fact that we're soft on criminals caught in crimes and aren't deported. No other country would allow this to continue. 40% of them entered the country legally and overstayed their visas. Yet there's still no reliable method to verify if Visa overstays have left the country. Another incentive that must be addressed is the birthright citizenship program that has resulted in millions of children and parents receiving instant rights and benefits. Some have called them "GPS babies" and this certainly cannot be what the authors of the 14th Amendment intended to occur. Public housing and other benefits are provided for the illegal parents through their 'anchor children' while citizens are turned away because of limited resources. This antiquated program must end. Government agencies and officials at all levels must address the costs associated with this kind of abuse. Past mistakes have been made in attempts to fix illegal immigration and our communities can no longer afford these kinds of mistakes.
April 25, 2012: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP)
Janet Napolitano is resigning as head of the Homeland Security Department and seeking a post as president of the University of California, the long-time Obama confidant announced Friday.
Officials told Fox News that Napolitano does not plan to leave her post until September. But she announced the move on Friday after it began to break in the media, revealing that she has been nominated to lead the California university system.
Clearing the Air on True the Vote's Lawsuit Against the IRS
Since late May, the Houston True the Vote team has fielded a number of questions about the IRS case and the targeting of TTV. There is now a Frequently Asked Questions resource available to volunteers and supporters of our cause. Worried about your tax deduction? Want to know what we are legally required to disclose to the IRS? The answers are here. Please take the time to share with your friends and fellow volunteers.
The True the Vote Summer Training Tour Begins in Iowa
In two weeks, National Program Director Matt Armstrong will be hosting meetings and live training sessions in the Hawkeye State! It's never too early to stand up for election integrity in your community. If you're new or wanting a refresher course, Matt will get you ready for the next election. True the Vote is always looking for citizens looking to take leadership roles in their county. If you feel called to take the lead in Iowa, we want to hear from you. Keep an eye on your inbox next week for dates and details!
Are You Ready to Research Your Voter Rolls?
After every federal election it is imperative that citizens apply pressure to local election officials to clean up voter rolls. Right now, voters in over 25 states can access fresh records and begin researching. There are a number of specific projects you can take part of with True the Vote in your state - just get trained and get started! This work demands diligence and an open mind. If you're ready to join the effort, volunteer here today.
True the Vote in 2013 - The Power of Citizen Engagement
RedState Morning Briefing
For July 15, 2013
1.Activists Need To Tell Dirty Harry, "Don't Nuke The Senate For Union Bosses!"
According to reports, Harry Reid and his fellow Senate Democrats are looking more and more like they are going to push the nuclear option on behalf of unions bosses in order to confirm Barack Obama's National Labor Relations Board nominees-including his two constitutionally-challenged "recess" appointments. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
2.Mr. President, Can We Please Move On?
I have said and will say again - the death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy. A jury of six in Florida has determined it was not criminal, but George Zimmerman will forever be the man who killed a 17 year old.
No one can be happy about what happened other than, for Zimmerman and his family, that a jury believed him.
Now the NAACP and others are calling for Attorney General Eric Holder to file charges against George Zimmerman. Never mind that federal investigators already decided there was no racial motivation. This is not double jeopardy. The state and federal governments remain separate entities with separate jurisdictions. A trial in one does not preclude another.
3.Coat Hangers, Hysteria, and Hyperbole in the Cult of Death
A few weeks ago, State Senator Wendy Davis of Texas tried to filibuster legislation that would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks in Texas and require facilities wanting to perform the medical producer to adhere to standards for outpatient medical facilities.
Her filibuster failed and liberal activists disrupted the final minutes of the Texas legislature's special session.
Governor Rick Perry called back the Texas House and Senate to re-pass the legislation.
This time abortion rights advocates came back. Carrying coat hangers, tampons, jars of feces and urine, and protest signs, they chanted "Hail Satan", "F**k the Church," and all sorts of other vulgarities. They shouted down smaller pro-life groups, made death threats on the lives of Texas legislators, and did their best to disrupt the democratic process.
To be clear - the law only covered late term abortions and required facilities performing abortions to meet basic ambulatory care standards.
The hysteria and hyperbole has been outrageous. Claiming this would lead to back alley abortions, activists carted around coat hangers. Claiming it was an attack on women's rights, they carried signs demanding legislators stay out of their uteruses. In the sickest irony, they brought children to carry signs to defend a procedure that would end the lives of those very children.
Pro-life activists responded with prayers, hymns, and children who were born after 20 weeks of pregnancy as living testament that those children could survive.
After all their hysteria and hyperbole, I posted a tweet with a link to a coat hanger wholesaler mocking their ridiculous claims. You will not be surprised to learn that the very Cult of Death that believes it can disrupt democracy with jars of feces and thrown tampons interpreted that tweet as suggesting I advocated they do get coat hanger abortions. The rage that has ensued in my twitter feed has been impressive in its constancy and irrationality.. . . please click here for the rest of the post →
4.Rick Scott, Angela Corey and the Death of Justice
The prosecution of George Zimmerman should fill every American with fear and trepidation regardless of their political persuasion. What the prosecution and subsequent trial demonstrated is that a spineless governor and a prosecutor who has set their eyes on higher political office can and will financially ruin you and put your liberty in jeopardy for grins. We have passed into that twilight of the Republic where we are no longer citizens but rather subjects of a bureaucratic juggernaut at the service of mob rule that will cheerfully kill you and impoverish your family if it furthers the careers of those in the bureaucracy.
5.A Changing of the Guard in Texas: Greg Abbott for Governor
Yesterday in San Antonio the biggest handoff in the Lone Star State since 2001 is taking place. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is announcing his 2014 run for Governor.
After his 2000 presidential victory, Texas Governor George W. Bush passed the reins to Rick Perry, a man who has taken the Texas Governor's office from one of the weaker positions in the country to one of the strongest. As Rick Perry rides off into the sunset next year, the man who may be the most pivotal Attorney General in recent Texas history, Greg Abbott is stepping into the saddle in the race for Governor of the Lone Star State.. . . please click here for the rest of the post →
When Harry Reid gets frustrated, he threatens to change the Senate's rules to get his way.
The Senate Majority Leader, a Democrat from Nevada, has once again threatened to change the way the Senate works-this time, to push through President Obama's nominees for several controversial appointments.
Reid wants to change the rules so that it would take only 51 votes, a simple majority, to break a filibuster. Now, it takes 60 votes to end debate.
The filibuster is a valued tool of minority Senators to keep the majority from simply enacting everything it wants. It's one of the major differences between the House and Senate, making the Senate the more deliberative chamber.
But don't take our word for it-Reid and President Obama already made the case for keeping the filibuster and the 60-vote rule intact. They argued quite well for it when they were in the Senate minority.
what [the American people] don't expect, is for one party, be it Republican or Democrat, to change the rules in the middle of the game so that they can make all the decisions while the other party is told to sit down and keep quiet...everyone in this chamber knows that if the majority chooses to end the filibuster-if they choose to change the rules and put an end to democratic debate-then the fighting and the bitterness and the gridlock will only get worse.
Now Obama has signaled that he would support Reid's changes. Reid argues that he just wants to pass Obama's nominees for Cabinet positions and other agencies, and that the change would not apply to judges who enjoy lifelong appointments. Of course, once the filibuster is changed, it would be difficult to walk back the change.
All 100 Senators are invited to a closed meeting tonight to discuss the Obama nominees and Reid's threats. We can hope that enough Senators recognize the value of the filibuster-whether they are in the minority or the majority-and preserve the ability to debate.
Right of Self Defense 1, Obama 0 Jonathon Moseley If owning a gun is useful for self-defense, then banning guns becomes more difficult. So self-defense had to be eliminated so that owning a gun would have no purpose. More
Trayvon's Tragedy: Exploited in Death M. Catharine Evans A circle of exploiters have been promoting Trayvon Martin's death since February 2012. A "not guilty" verdict certainly won't stop them. More
Holder's Hold on Office Scott Varland In the history of the Republic, there have been 82 Attorneys General. Eric Holder has lasted longer than all but five of them More
Blackness Trumps Fairness Selwyn Duke Attorney General Holder feels some kind of mystic racial bond with black street criminals. Explains a lot, doesn't it? More
Obama's Reset Collapses Kim Zigfeld Edward Snowden's antics have ripped the curtain off the Obama administration's failed Russian policy. More
Salute to the Treepers July 14, 2013 It is a scandal that all the major journalistic institutions of our country studiously ignored the facts about Trayvon Martin and that it fell to a group of bloggers to uncover the truth. More
Who replaces Big Sis at DHS? July 14, 2013 The short list has a lot of white males which is why Obama will probably make a diversity play instead. More
Violence after Zimmerman verdict: why Oakland? July 14, 2013 While law enforcement authorities in Florida braced for violence following George Zimmerman's vindication, it was 2500 miles away in Oakland, California that store fronts were smashed, walls vandalized with graffiti, and small fires ignited in the streets More
Fight For Faith - Religion In The Ranks - White House Opposing Free Speech In The Military!
Islamic Animals Issues Fatwa & 15 year old Christian is Raped Repeatedly and killed
Tiffany Gabbay, Dwight Schultz and Jennifer Serrano shed light on why Egyptians threw Morsi out -- and why Obama is upset about it. Read More » | Comments
Daily Email - July 12, 2013 Top StoryThe Radio Host Behind Drugs and Guns Case By Cliff Kincaid | July 11, 2013 Articles about a search of the Virginia home of "gun rights activist" Adam Kokesh fail to note that he is a former program host for Russia Today (RT) television, a controversial channel funded by Moscow. Kokesh, who is sometimes even mistakenly labeled as a "conservative," admitted he was a paid Russian agent in an interview [...] From the AIM Blogs Al Jazeera Journalists Resign En Masse to Protest "Biased Coverage" By Don Irvine | July 11, 2013 AIA ColumnsESPNw vs Sports By Spencer Irvine | July 11, 2013 Two new documentaries celebrate Title IX and get it wrong.
Spring Break Never Ends By Manzanita McMahon | July 11, 2013 The college students who supported him might not be able to afford many trips but President Obama is under no such constraints. Guest ColumnEgypt About To Face Reality By Herbert London | July 12, 2013 The skies over Cairo were filled with celebratory fireworks as Egypt's military officers removed president Mohammed Morsi, suspended the Islamic Constitution and installed an interim government presided over by a senior jurist. But these fireworks could be succeeded by a series of new fireworks that are distant from celebration. At the moment, secularists are rejoicing. [...] AIM Newswire Egypt: Quick Elections in 6 Months
Clinton has used the rights of women and girls as the cornerstone of her career ... How jarring, then, for allegations to emerge of top State Dept. officials under Clinton concealing abuses of women and children by U.S. diplomatic staff.
Judicial Watch has used the Freedom of Information Act to uncover documents that show Holder's Justice Department used a "community relations" unit to support and stage-manage public protests in Florida against Zimmerman after his controversial shooting of Trayvon Martin.
Given the case they have presented, these prosecutors are in no position to claim that evidence should be excluded because it might cause the jurors' imaginations to run wild.
The "experts" are once again desperately searching for an explanation of what happened to that celebrated "Arab Spring" which was promising so much hope and change to the region only two years ago.
The State Department, under Hillary Clinton, may have actually covered up eight different investigations-if not more, including the one involving the Belgian ambassador.
Army officials say the Brotherhood plotted the violence by throwing bricks and stones, firing guns at soldiers and tossing Molotov cocktails and other weapons.
"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
On Thursday the New York Times published a front-page, 1,400-word story on the political ambitions of a 26-year-old man who grew up in Ohio, graduated from Brown, married rich, and moved to New York City. And then moved to Garrison, New York, in the Hudson River Valley. And then moved to Shokan, New York, once it became clear that he couldn't win the congressional seat in Garrison. And then, should he lose next year to incumbent Republican Chris Gibson, a local Army vet who won office in 2010, will almost certainly move again. Moving around is what district-shoppers do.
In a positive sign for U.S. efforts to stabilize the country, grassroots, popular uprisings against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan are growing, while reported plans this week for a complete U.S. troop pullout from the country prompted opposition to the plan from Afghan officials.
Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) defended embattled aide Jack Hunter, whose past as a prominent pro-Confederate radio pundit was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon on Tuesday, even as the controversy threatened to unravel his recent outreach to the pro-Israel community.
Despite being a big, blustery blockbuster, Pacific Rim may work best in its smaller moments, a testament to director Guillermo del Toro's ability to build worlds.
DC Scares Off Walmart; Poor, Minorities Hardest Hit By Sonny Bunch A brief followup on Tuesday's post: D.C.'s city council voted to pass an increase to the minimum wage that will, literally, only apply to one employer.* That employer, understandably, is annoyed and has announced that it plans to cancel the openings of three stores in the city.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D., N.H.) did her part to reduce America's unemployment by allowing her daughter, who operates her small business out of anti-business California, to register her "intimate apparel boutique" to the senator's address in business-friendly New Hampshire.
OBAMA WILL GO AHEAD WITH DELIVERY OF F-16 FIGHTER JETS TO EGYPT
How is this a good idea? The country is melting down. How can we be sure that these F16s won't fall into the hands of murdering jihadists? I think that is most likely, considering the fact that the new Constituional roadmap in Egypt calls for more bloody sharia.
Asked about the F-16s, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: "It's our view that we should not ... hastily change our aid programs." I would submit to Mr. Carney that sending F16s to a country in the violent throes of an impending Islamic civil war while slaughtering their religious minorities is "hasty" and ill-advised.
Disclosure came as D.C. treads careful line, neither welcoming former President Mohamed Mursi's removal nor denouncing it as a 'coup.'
The United States still plans to go through with the delivery of four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt in the coming weeks, U.S. defense officials told Reuters on Wednesday, even after the Egyptian military's ouster of President Mohamed Mursi.
TERROR TV: 'WE AIRED LIES': AL JAZEERA STAFF QUIT AFTER BEING FORCED TO BE PRO-MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD ON AIR
More proof of why terror TV should be kept off the US airwaves.
At least 22 staffers at the Al Jazeera network in Egypt quit in protest of the network's coverage of events in Egypt. Al Jazeera is a Qatari-owned company. It's based in Doha, Qatar. The journalists claim that the network's management made them take a pro-Muslim Brotherhood stance on air during the military coup last week in Cairo.
Jihad murder mastermind Anwar al-Awlaki has praised Al Jazeera, and several years ago one of its most prominent reporters was arrested on terror charges. Al Jazeera also has for years been the recipient of numerous al-Qaida videos featuring Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and American traitor Adam Gadahn. Yet they never seem to be able to trace where these videos are coming from. They have repeatedly been set up at the point of attack right before a bomb went off, so that they could take the picture of the slaughtered, dismembered bodies.
Al Jazeera has provided material support for jihad terrorism. A number in their employ are members of al-Qaida. Al Jazeera's correspondent in Afghanistan, who interviewed Osama bin Laden, was sent to prison for being an agent of al-Qaida. Al Jazeera's first managing director was exposed as an agent of the Saddam Hussein regime, and the channel promoted the bloody jihad against American forces in Iraq.
Cliff Kincaid over at Accuracy in Media has been reporting for over six years, the anti-American channel works hand-in-glove with the Muslim Brotherhood and its associated terrorist groups, including al Qaeda and Hamas. Nothing has changed. In fact, Al Jazeera has become more open about its work as a foreign policy instrument of Qatar, including the promotion of al Qaeda-linked terrorist groups in Syria.
We are at war. And there are many theaters in any given war, but the war in the information battle-space is key to conquest and colonization. Hitler and Goebbels understood this. The Nazi government had an entire ministry of propaganda - a war division. The Muslim Brotherhood understands this, too. It has its own ministry of propaganda: Al Jazeera. Muhammad said, "War is deceit." The U.S. once understood the power of ideas. We had a war department that had Hollywood greats like Frank Capra and John Ford making films for freedom. Where are our cheerleaders now?
There is a real danger that Al Jazeera's pro-jihad broadcasting and its influence over jihadists in this country and elsewhere will inspire terrorist acts against Americans. Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey has said that Al Jazeera's purchase of Al Gore's Current TV should be the subject of a congressional inquiry because of the channel's foreign sponsorship
July 12, 2013 Should you be concerned? Please watch the short interview below. After you do, if you agree that we must be concerned about border security, that our congressional representatives must get serious about securing the border and fixing the broken visa process, then please, add your name to our Open Letter to Congress.
There is mounting evidence that the U.S. House will make border security and fixing the visa process its first priority. Let's let them know we agree; please add your name to our Open Letter today
Explosive New Expose on Terror and Border Security
The McCarthy-VDH Reader A digest of the latest commentaries from Andrew C. McCarthy and Victor Davis Hanson.
On BlasphemyWhy not enhance American national security by speaking honestly about sharia.
Prime Minister Netanyahu's announcement this week that his trusted aide Ron Dermer will replace Michael Oren as the Jewish State's ambassador to Washington is the latest statement of Israeli independence from American designs in the region.
In 2008 when President Obama was first elected, following a campaign in which he was sharply criticized by some members of the Jewish community for his believed hostility to Israeli positions, two major Jewish organizations made olive branch appointments.
AIPAC, the goliath pro-Israel lobby appointed Chicago entrepreneur Lee "Rosy" Rosenberg as president. According to the Washington Post Rosenberg was one of Obama's "staunchest Jewish allies during his 2008 presidential campaign."
"He advised the president on foreign policy in the Middle East and Israel and delivered speeches to Jewish groups around the country," the Post added.
Similarly, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations appointed Chicago lawyer Alan Solow, another veteran Obama supporter and campaign bundler, as its Chairman.
But the Israeli public has shown no such deference to the U.S. administration. When Prime Minister Netanyahu was re-elected shortly after Obama's own re-election victory (as opposed to a leader whose policies were more overtly aligned with the White House) it was a strong statement of independence.
"They define a republic to be a government of laws, and not of men." --John Adams
Another week, another behind-the-scenes bureaucratic change to ObamaCare. Barack Obama continues to use power he doesn't have to alter the deal, making changes to his signature health care law to suit his political ends. To quote Lando Calrissian in "The Empire Strikes Back" after Darth Vader changed the terms of an agreement, "This deal is getting worse all the time."
Shortly after last week's announced one-yeardelay of the employer mandate, the White House embellished the typical Friday afternoon news dump with an extra special one on the day after Independence Day. The new announcement: The Obama Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will no longer attempt to verify eligibility for individual insurance subsidies, opting instead to go with the honor system -- at least until 2015. Talk about opening the doors to fraud, and, therefore, even more skyrocketing costs. Wasn't this called the "AffordableCare Act"?
Individuals are supposed to be eligible for insurance subsidies only if their employer doesn't provide government-approved coverage. Now that employers don't have to report that information, individuals merely have to let HHS know that they need a subsidy and, voila! handouts. True, if liars are caught, they should be fined $25,000. But it will be very hard and rare to catch offenders,if the government even tries to do so.
It turns out that Obama and his NeoCom cronies have known for months that this was coming. Back in March, the people designing the online insurance marketplaces at HHS warned that not only were they not going to be delivering world-class service, they were just hoping it wasn't going to be "a Third-World experience."
Not to worry, though. Obama tells us that if we just stop being so cynical, his plan will work perfectly: "[I]n this democracy, we the people recognize that this government belongs to us, and it's up to each of us and every one of us to make it work better. We can't just stand on the sidelines. We can't take comfort in just being cynical. We all have a stake in government's success, because the government is us, and we're doing things right."
To continue the Star Wars reference, he finds our lack of faith disturbing.
But Obama has done nothing to earn our faith. To the contrary, he's running a cynical and crisis-exploiting government. We suspect he's planning to exploit this ObamaCare train wreck to, first of all, ensure that millions of Americans are so dependent on it as to make repeal impossible, and, second, to move us down the tracks to single-payer government health care.
Far from incompetence on the part of the administration, this is a remarkable ploy to foist ever-more dependence and tyranny on our great nation. Candidate Obama once told us his goal was "fundamentally transforming the United States of America." He's succeeding.
This Week's 'Alpha Jackass' Award
"[Congress has passed] a lot of legislation that has poorly designed some of our agencies and forces some of our folks to engage in bureaucratic hoop-jumping, instead of just going ahead and focusing on mission and delivering good service to our citizens." --Barack Obama
It takes some unbelievable chutzpah for him to make such a statement.
The BIG Lie
"In fact, the point is, is that the [employer] mandate was not delayed." --Nancy Pelosi
The most dramatic moment yet of the George Zimmerman trial yet occurred during the defense's closing argument Friday morning, when attorney Mark O'Mara paused for four minutes to illustrate a long gap in the prosecution's timeline of events.
The television cameras zoomed in on the digital clock, and panned slowly across the stony faces of the spectators as O'Mara walked back to his table, conferred with counsel, checked his papers, then--after what seemed an eternity--returned to continue his argument to the jury.
In case you weren't watching live, those four minutes of silence were longer than the original "Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel, which might seem like a fairly complicated tune but only clocks in at 3:05.
World View: Egypt's Opposing Factions Plan Rival Demonstrations on Friday in Cairo More
Friday, July 12, 2013
To: Friends & Supporters
From: Gary L. Bauer
Will Harry Nuke The Senate?
Just when you think the atmosphere in Washington can't get any worse, Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid is threatening to procedurally blow up the Senate.
Reid has scheduled votes next week on a number of Barack Obama's most controversial nominees. Senate Republicans have been using prolonged debate, or the filibuster, to block these nominations. But now Sen. Reid is threatening to change the Senate's rules unless the GOP backs down.
Normally, it takes a super-majority of 67 votes to change the Senate's rules. But there is a precedent that permits a rules change with just a bare majority of 51 votes. This move is so extreme, it's known as the "nuclear option."
So why are Republicans risking it? Most of these nominees are far left ideologues. But Reid is also demanding that the Senate vote to confirm four individuals Barack Obama initially installed using recess appointments that were later declared illegal by two federal courts. Here's how Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell explained it:
"Senate Democrats are getting ready to do permanent damage to this body to confirm three unconstitutionally appointed nominees by a simple majority vote. If this isn't the definition of a power grab, I don't know what is: the president appoints three people unconstitutionally. The second highest court in the land confirms that they were unlawfully appointed. And Senate Democrats want to break the rules of the Senate to confirm them. ... So this isn't really a fight over nominees at all. It's a fight over these illegal, unconstitutional nominees."
If Republicans don't concede to Reid's and Obama's demands, Reid has informed the White House that he is prepared to invoke the "nuclear option" to change the Senate rules so that filibusters on executive nominations could be stopped with 51 votes, instead of 60.
Reid's move would justify future majority leaders invoking the "nuclear option" on judicial nominations and then legislation, eventually leading to the end of all filibusters. That would effectively turn the Senate into a smaller version of the House, where the majority rules with an iron fist.
By the way, when Democrats stonewalled George W. Bush's judicial nominees, the Republican Senate majority briefly considered this same option. Guess who ran to the Senate floor to oppose it? Barack Obama and Harry Reid.
For the moment, it's not entirely clear whether Reid has the votes to prevail. With 54 Democrats in his caucus, at least two Democrats are believed to be against the move and two more are reportedly undecided. Other Democrats have expressed reservations, knowing that there will be a future Republican majority in the Senate, perhaps even after next year's elections. It could come down to Vice President Joe Biden casting the deciding vote.
If Reid follows through on his threat, Republicans have vowed to shut down the Senate. Stay tuned!
Keeping Faith With Our Troops
This week a broad coalition of organizations, including my public policy organization American Values, came together to sound the alarm against growing religious bigotry in the military. Our action was prompted after a series of disturbing events that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.
For example, last year the Obama Administration attempted to censor Catholic priests in the military. In April news broke that an Army Reserve unit in Pennsylvania had received a briefing that labeled "Evangelical Christianity" and "Catholicism" examples of "religious extremism." In May a painting featuring a Bible verse at an Idaho Air Force base was taken down after it was deemed "repugnant" by the left-wing Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
Much of the attack on faith is coming from Mikey Weinstein and his so-called Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Weinstein's efforts have nothing to do with religious freedom. Instead, Weinstein is waging a battle to purge faith from military.
The day after the Boston Marathon bombings, Weinstein published a column about "bloody monsters," "monsters of human degradation, marginalization, humiliation and tyranny." He warned about "their rapacious reign of theocratic terror."
Weinstein wasn't writing about Islamic jihadists. He was referring to "fundamentalist Christian monsters" inside the U.S. military. He even told the Washington Post recently that he wants officers court-martialed for sharing their faith.
That is why a number of groups dedicated to religious liberty have stepped forward to defend the religious freedom our soldiers. A website has been created at militaryfreedom.org.
If you are serving in the military and may be concerned about a possible violation of your religious rights, please visit this site. If you have friends or family members serving in uniform, share this with them. There are helpful resources available, including a link to an allied organization providing legal assistance.
Social Issues And Conservatives
I recently spoke with Jeremy Dys, president of the Family Policy Council of West Virginia, about the state of our culture, politics and public policy. It was a wide-ranging discussion on issues such as the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, the family, economic policy and the precarious position of values voters.
Is there any hope for the Democrat Party? Should values voters stick with the GOP? My answers might surprise you. Click here to listen online.
The controversy surrounding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' infamous Fast and Furious program has faded over the past few months, but it's unlikely to be relegated to the background for very long.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told PJ Media that rather than delay the employer mandate in the healthcare law, President Obama should "delay the whole thing permanently."
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) took turns at the podium at a Thursday morning breakfast on out-of-control spending that took on strong shades of 2016.
Once again, leftist politicians, listening to middle and upper-class leftist activists, have taken a step to assuage their guilty consciences by opposing an industry and firm that helps create jobs and thus increases economic well-being for all.
Ben Kruidbos was the information technology director for the Florida State Attorney's Office. Last month, he testified that he was worried prosecutors didn't turn over information about deleted images and text messages recovered from Trayvon Martin's cell phone, including photos of a hand holding a gun and a plant that looked like marijuana. On Friday, Mr. Kruidbos was terminated. Learn the specific reason for his releaseHERE.
Skittles. Iced tea. Internet meme. It's called "Trayvoning."Users pose as a dead body with Skittles and tea, the items Martin had when he was fatally shot by George Zimmerman. As the website The Inquisitr put it: "Trayvoning Is Like Tebowing, But Horrible." See what we're talking aboutHERE.
I learned relying solely on a firearm can be a huge mistake. Then I discovered the original Reality-Based Self-Protection system... the one thing you CAN bet your life on. It's normally $47.00...Today, only $27!>>Click here>>"
An 8-year-old boy who was playing near a large sand dune at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore along Lake Michigan partially fell into a hole and then got trapped under 11 feet of sand before rescuers managed to pull him out. Watch the video showing the heavy equipment needed to dig out the little guyHERE.
President Barack Obama's spiritual adviser, Joel Hunter, may be losing his footing in conservative evangelical circles where he was once supported. Most recently, it was reported that the preacher has paid the price for his move away from conservative politics: His house of worship, Northland Church in Longwood, Fla., has lost an estimated 10 percent of its congregants. Get the rest of the storyHERE.
Gasoline is expected to jump 10 to 20 cents per gallon in the next several days, as rising oil prices and peak driving season create a perfect storm for higher prices. The national average at the pump Wednesday was $3.50 per gallon for unleaded gasoline, up two cents from Tuesday's level, according to AAA's Fuel Gauge report. Watch the report from CNBCHERE.
Gunmen ambushed a United Nations peacekeeping team Saturday in Sudan's western region of Darfur, killing seven and wounding another 17 in the deadliest ever single attack on the international force in the country. Read the rest of the report from this very troubled regionHERE.
Get the "Man in the Moon" DVD and the digital sountrack in a special combo package for one special price.The soundtrack releases July 15, 2013. You will receive an email on the release date with download instructions. Complete track list will be available soon. The DVD is available for pre-order and will ship on or around September 13, 2013. See the rest of the details HERE.
Air show spectators in England got a shock when a fighter jet coming in for landing flew so low that it barely missed a perimeter fence - and the people on the ground. Video posted online shows a Typhoon jet kicking up debris as it passes overhead at last week's Royal Air Force Waddington Air Show. On the ground, spectators shriek and laugh in surprise. Watch the videoHERE.
When a choir sings, members not only synchronize their voices and breath, but new research shows their hearts beat at a similar pace, as well. Research by Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg found the pulse of choir members increases and decreases in unison when they sing. Watch a video about the fascinating studyHERE.
On Thursday, Congressman Tom Marino of Pennsylvania revealed that he is exploring the potential optionsthat would allow Congress to file civil or criminal charges against members of the Obama administration and even President Barack Obama himself. Get the full story and listen to the interviewHERE.
The Texas Senate passed sweeping new abortion restrictions late Friday, sending them to Republican Gov. Rick Perry to sign into law after weeks of protests and rallies that drew thousands of people to the Capitol and made the state the focus of the national abortion debate. See the photos and video of the protesters gathered inside the Texas CapitolHERE.
When your doctor recommends chemotherapy--leave him stunned with just ONE WORD. It's a new cancer therapy--and the results are powerful... Tumor shrinkage in 86% of lung cancer patients..."incurable" brain tumors put on hold...and 374 clinical trials already underway. Discover the ONE WORD.
For most Americans, the cost of undergoing surgery can cost anywhere between $1 and $1,000+ dollars. The prices vary as all sorts of factors affect the final price. That is, the price of surgery is a total mystery unless you go to the Surgery Center of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. They post their prices online. Patients like what they see and they are demanding price-matching � much to the chagrin of some hospitals. Learn more about the free market at work in the medical worldHERE.
The Washington Post reports that food stamp participation has increased at an annual rate of roughly 13 percent since 2008. The number of Americans enrolled in the "Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program" or SNAP has increased to almost 50 million, with several states reporting that their numbers doubled in just five years. See a map showing state-by-state participation in the taxpayer-funded multibillion-dollar program HERE.
Police were shocked when they responded to a bank robbery around 3:00 a.m. Friday night to find the suspect in the security cameras was in fact a 12-year-old boy. Reports indicate the child rode his bike to the bank in the middle of the night, and Southfield police spokesman Lt. Nick Loussia told The Associated Press he broke a window to get inside. Watch the local TV reportHERE.
A mother in England says her 10-year-old son wasn�t allowed to drink water in class because his teacher didn�t think it would be fair to students fasting for Ramadan. It also happened to be one of the hottest days of the year. See the whole storyHERE.
TheBlaze TV aired an hour-long �behind the scenes� special from Glenn Beck�s Independence Day �Man in the Moon� spectacular. The special captured all the excitement, anxiety and ceaseless effort that went into making the show. Check out the photos and an exclusive video HERE.
Relive The Magic From 'Man In The Moon' -- TheBlaze Radio Network will air the event again this morning from 9am - noon (ET). The program will feature highlight clips from the pre-show with Doc Thompson, Jay Severin, Buck Sexton and Skip Lacombe, as well as the main event. -- 9am-Noon ET on TheBlaze Radio.
An intern at the NTSB is being blamed for the embarrassing list of names broadcast by a San Francisco area TV station. Watch the news report that triggered a series of apologies from station KVTUHERE.
Your phone falls from your pocket into the toilet.
Someone thought it would be funny to toss your beach bag (or you) into the pool, and your phone is in a pocket.
These are any phone-owner�s worst nightmare � and really the phone-ruining possibilities are endless. If you�re wondering what phones might be best suited for your liquid-loving lifestyle, we�ve pulled together a few and listed themHERE.
Subbing for Neil Cavuto on "Your World" Thursday, host Eric Bolling went toe-to-toe with Marion Barry, former Washington, D.C. mayor and now a city councilman. Bolling went so far to declare that the controversial veteran Democrat deserves to get tossed out of office. Watch the clipHERE.
According to a new poll curated by the left-leaning Huffington Post, Americans show an overwhelming support for a national law that bans abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Drill down into the details of the Huffington Post / You Gov pollHERE.
Get the Man in the Moon DVD and digital Soundtrack together for a special price.The soundtrack releases July 15, 2013. You will receive an email on the release date with download instructions. Track list will be available soon.
Man In The Moon DVD will ship on or around September 13, 2013. Get all the details HERE.
On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid threatened to move forward with the so-called "nuclear option" to alter Senate rules so that only a simple majority would be needed to consider and confirm President Barack Obama's executive branch nominees. Reid's threat sparked a very strong reaction from Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Watch McConnell's responseHERE.
The 21-year-old Tennessee man who became a viral sensation after recording a stop at a DUI checkpoint over the 4th of July holiday is now admitting that he did plan the confrontation. The information comes as the Tennessee Highway Patrol has released a nearly 30-minute dashcam video from one of its officers showing the incident. Get the latest details on this story and watch the police dashcam videoHERE.
A southern Minnesota college student's spoof video of an apparently tumorous rabbit, dubbed "Frankenstein," has attracted hundreds of thousands of Internet viewers. See the photos and viral video of "The World's Scariest Rabbit"HERE.
Fracking, a controversial method of extracting energy from beneath the surface of the earth is still a relatively new term in popular lexicon. There is an ongoing struggle between those in favor and those opposed as to the method as the ramifications are still unclear. On Thursday's episode of the Glenn Beck Program, Reason.com science editor Ronald Bailey tackled a few of shocking claims about fracking, including the one about setting your drinking water on fire. Watch the segmentHERE.
"King of Queens" actress Leah Remini is reportedly exiting the Church of Scientology after three decades because of "interrogations" and "thought modification" and other alleged forms of abuse. The New York Post reports that it all stems from policies that don't allow parishioners to question leader David Miscavige's authority and allegedly forces followers to "disconnect" from family members branded as "suppressive persons" if they choose to leave the church. Watch the video report on this storyHERE.
What's a more bizarre movie concept than "Snakes on a Plane? -- Think about sharks in a tornado -- Take an ocean full of sharks...scoop them up in a tornado and let them rain down on a cast of Hollywood has-beens. See seven crazy scenes from this instant cult classicHERE.
For the entire year of 2012, only three bands had albums that sold over one million last year. Black Keys and Mumford & Sons were the first two. The third? Skillet. While the first two groups have had massive secular success, it's fascinating and noteworthy to consider that Skillet is a Christian group. It's not the first time that a faith-based band has seen a hit or two, but Skillet's impact is much more long-standing. Learn about the group and their life-changing messageHERE.
Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog
TRIAL AND ERROR
Think of the Zimmerman trial from the perspective of a bunch of lowly state officials. D.C. made it clear that they wanted Zimmerman's head on a plate and that is what the prosecution in the case has done its best to deliver.
They have done it clumsily and unprofessionally because the case would never have been pursued by professionals. And while the people pursuing it now may be the same ones who would have done it then, they're doing it for political motives. They're not there to do their jobs, but to look good to Barack Obama, Nancy Grace and the legion of angry influential people who want a conviction.
They may get their conviction, even if they do it in ways that will make an appeal all too easy.
But that's not their problem. The headlines will read, "George Zimmerman Found Guilty". If the verdict is eventually tossed into the trash, that will just "prove" that the American justice system is racist and needs more cleansing and purging. Either way the racism-for-profit lobby wins.
There's no sportsmanship here. In the last few days, the judge and the prosecution have displayed all the professionalism of a kangaroo court staffed by actual kangaroos. They haven't been following the law, instead they've been playing to a particular audience, and they expect to be rewarded for their theatrics.
The circus will shortly come to an end and whatever happens to Zimmerman, the people who made this movie, who wrote its script, shot it and wrapped it, will have gotten their way. That's not just the depressing reality of Obama's America. It's the depressing reality of a country smothered by a liberal elite that made everything since 2008 possible.
In the latest move by pro-homosexual sycophants in positions of leadership in today's military, orders are being issued to prevent openly religious soldiers from serving their country. Since lifting the ban on homosexuals openly serving in the military, troops are... Continue to Post
"Social justice cannot be attained by violence. Violence kills what it intends to create."-Pope John Paul II What is 'social justice,' and what does it mean to demand it? Wrapped up in the idea of social justice is the notion... Continue to Post
Does this technique explain the Obama Fraud case frustration? Read on...we think your eyes will be opened. GASLIGHTING - From Wikipedia Gaslighting is a form of mental abuse in which false information is presented with the intent of making a victim doubt his... Continue to Post
Forget saving sex for marriage; one women's rag encourages its readers not to wait for a second date. One might not be surprised to see outrageous advice within the pages of Cosmopolitan, but a recent article shows just how casually our... Continue to Post
Many people may find scripture irrelevant, especially those portions dealing with prophecy. One reason for this attitude may be the fact that those of us who study the endtime prophecies disagree concerning the way the scenario is to play out. ... Continue to Post
Blame Obama If Racial Unrest Follows Zimmerman Jury Decision
Jul 13, 2013 12:54 pm
It should go without saying that love and pride of country should be the first qualifications for anyone seeking the presidency of America. President Barack Hussein Obama came into the power of the White House as an activist-pushed by activists. Foreboding for... Continue to Post
On Muslim Brotherhood-Is Obama 'Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?'
Jul 13, 2013 12:54 pm
The pro-democracy crowd celebrating President Mohamed Morsi's ouster in Cairo's Tahrir Square unfurled a banner-a warning about Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) backing him. It read, "Wake up, America." Hopefully, President Obama heeds it. The road traveled to join... Continue to Post
As practically everyone knows by now, multimillionaire TV chef Paula Deen was yanked from the pinnacle of free-market success after admitting to a lawyer taking a deposition in a racial and sexual harassment lawsuit (already Orwellian) that she had used... Continue to Post
Same sex marriage is one those issues that ignites the fury of the entire political spectrum. Many conservatives are keenly aware these days that demographic trends will soon render opposition to gay marriage obsolete. This appears to be not a... Continue to Post
Seeking a second term as New Jersey governor with a possible eye to a White House run in 2016, Chris Christie is heavily touting his business record, as he did at the ribbon cutting of real estate firmRealogy's new corporate headquarters in Madison, N.J.,... Continue to Post
Right now our nation is almost falling apart and it seems that no one has any backbone to stand up not just against Barack Obama, but all those that he places into office! From what has happened in recent times,... Continue to Post
Let's get real. Repealing Obamacare is an exercise in futility. It is like spinning your wheels and achieving nothing. We now have a compelling case to present to the electorate CadillacCare, the alternative to Obamacare. We should create a situation where the people are given... Continue to Post
Recognizing Stan Musial Is More Than Just A Christian Act
Jul 12, 2013 12:41 pm
I am a devout Major League Baseball fan. I love the game. My son has played Little League since he was four years old, and I used to live very close to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. I... Continue to Post
In a backlash to the Boy Scouts of America's (BSA) decision to embrace the presence of openly Gay scouts in its ranks, a new group, which has not yet named itself, has announced it will begin to operate as an... Continue to Post
Employees of a Washington, D.C.-based accounting firm that federal prosecutors called an "assembly line for illegal campaign contributions" donated more than $500,000 to federal candidates and committees over the past 10 years, including nearly $50,000 to Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential... Continue to Post
Wake up, conservatives - and Christians. We're getting our rear ends handed to us, and we'll continue to if we don't do a better job of fighting back. I'm not just talking about electoral politics. Liberal and secular activist groups... Continue to Post
To celebrate Reason's 45th anniversary as a monthly magazine, yesterday we named our 45 Enemies of Freedom, a motley crew of politicians, despots, intellectuals, crackpots, and crony capitalists who have done their utmost to make the world worse since 1968. We... Continue to Post
WASHINGTON - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who led the burgeoning Department of Homeland Security through a host of policy changes in the post 9/11 era, is resigning to head the University of California system. Napolitano, just the third person... Continue to Post
Ramping up their fight to overturn a ban dating back to 1985 and the emergence of the AIDS crisis, gay-rights organizers are preparing an unprecedented "national gay blood drive" Friday to urge the federal government to change its donation policy... Continue to Post
Teen Girl Holds Sign: 'Jesus Isn't a D-, Keep Him Out of My Vagina' This young girl's pink sign reads: "Jesus Isn't a D-, Keep Him Out of May Vagina." See it here.
Rubio Drops To Fifth In Polls The liberal Public Policy Polling is showing that Florida Senator Marco Rubio is dropping in the presidential polls after the recent Gang-of-Eight debacle. Read the rest of the story to find out who has overtaken him.
So Why Aren't Zimmerman Supporters Threatening Riots?
More Trayvon Supporters Threaten Riots If Zimmerman Acquitted Greater numbers of tweets are starting to appear that promise riots and "flash mob violence" if Zimmerman is acquitted.
Twitter To Hand Over Names Of 'Racist' Posters To Authorities Be very careful what you say on Twitter. According to the Daily Mail, Twitter has already agreed to release the details of people who make "racist" posts to the authorities.
The gun grabbers don't only want to disarm law-abiding citizens -- they want to silence them, too.
Citizens of this Colorado town, seeking to recall a politician who betrayed their Second Amendment rights, are being targeted by hardball tactics meant to frighten them into backing down.
Michael Savage: 'Fishy' study stinks to high heaven
Talk about sticking it where the sun don't shine ...
Talk-radio host Michael Savage, who has a Ph.D. in epidemiology and nutrition from Cal Berkeley, is calling out the researchers behind a highly publicized health study.
But it's hard to tell who gets the worst of it ... the practitioners of junk science or the media that uncritically reports their findings.
Ex-Obama Justice Dep't attorney takes Holder to woodshed
As tragic as the shooting death of Trayvon Martin was and as likely as it was to stir racial tensions, there was already a plan in place to deal with such a situation ... a group charged for the past half century with the task of keeping peace.
But an insider says they "pour[ed] gasoline on the fire" instead.
Americans angry and bewildered by Chief Justice John Roberts oddly reasoned vote upholding Obamacare ... take heart -- he may soon be getting an opportunity to reconsider.
Today's decision by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has created issues that can only be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court ... and the opponents are practically salivating to litigate them ...
After around ten hours of deliberation, the George Zimmerman jury has asked a question: "May we please have clarification on instructions regarding manslaughter?" In general, courts don't answer questions of this sort; they simply refer the jury back to the instruction that has already been given.
Should anything be inferred from the jury's question? Probably not: I've learned over the years that most of the time, you can't conclude anything in particular from jury questions. But you can always speculate: after electing a foreperson and reviewing the evidence, the jury likely would have begun by discussing whether they can find Zimmerman guilty of second degree murder. If the answer to that question were "Yes," there would be no need to move on to manslaughter. This is the first part of the verdict form:
So very possibly, if the jury is now looking seriously at manslaughter, they may have decided to acquit on second-degree murder. But that is just speculation.
Manslaughter is a lesser included offense, but there is not much reason, in this case, why a jury should find Zimmerman guilty of manslaughter but not second degree murder. The difference is one of state of mind, but Zimmerman has always claimed self-defense, which is equally a defense to second degree murder and manslaughter.
Most likely the jury is simply being methodical. Its first request was for a listing of all the exhibits that were in evidence. Despite having been sequestered, the jurors no doubt have some sense of how much attention is being paid to the case (i.e., a ridiculous amount). My guess is that they are simply taking their time and discussing everything thoroughly. If they review the evidence carefully, take the court's instructions seriously, and render an honest verdict, it just about has to be not guilty. The only caveat is that the glare of publicity that surrounds a case of this sort is capable of distorting reality.
UPDATE: It seems obvious that the court couldn't respond to the jury's question as framed, even if it were willing in principle. So the prosecution is arguing that the court should go back to the jury and ask it to be more specific in its request for clarification. In my experience, it would be extremely unorthodox-to say the least-for a judge to get into this sort of a colloquy with a jury. Things might be different in a Florida state court, but I doubt it.
Yesterday another email from the Democratic Party landed in my inbox. The subject was Obamacare. Or rather, the subject, as always, was fundraising. But Obamacare was the pretext; the first of them, anyway.
From: Democrats 2014 <dccc@dccc.org Date: July 12, 2013, 6:14:19 PM CDT To: "Hinderaker, John H." Subject: John, meet Julie
John -
Meet Julie, mother of two. Julie is worried about Obamacare. This is her worried face:
That image is from an inoffensive 30-second television ad sponsored by Americans For Prosperity that is running in several states. Here is the ad:
Julie is apparently a real mother, and her concerns about the "train wreck" of Obamacare-so described by Max Baucus, the law's principal author-are obviously legitimate. So what substantive arguments do the Democrats marshal in response to the ad? Ha Ha! Just kidding, of course:
In reality, Julie is the star of the Koch Brothers' $1 MILLION ad campaign attacking Obamacare.
I would estimate that 80% of the emails I get from the Democratic Party include attacks on the Koch brothers. Isn't this another Obama administration scandal? In our history, has there ever been an administration that attacks private citizens in this manner for exercising their constitutional right of free speech? No. It is one more example of the gangster-style rule that Obama has inflicted on the United States.
Note that, if you are a loyal Democrat reading this email, you still have no idea what the AFP ad actually said.
According to the New York Times, the ad uses a classic tactic:
Hey, I'm persuaded! In this case, "the New York Times" means David Firestone, a hyper-partisan, far left Democrat who attacked the AFP ad in a blog entry on the paper's web site. Firestone thinks it's a "lie" that Obamacare might mean you can't continue to see the physician of your choice. Apparently he hasn't heard about the millions of Americans who have been or will be kicked out of employer-sponsored plans as a result of Obamacare. He also says it's a "lie" that Obamacare will cause health insurance costs to rise, a claim that is supported by common sense as well as empiricalexperience. Without mentioning any of that, the Democrats move on to a new topic:
Julie should be worried...about what Republicans in Congress are doing right now.
Julie, mother of two, will have to pay more for college if Republicans don't budge on student loan rates.
This is one of the Democrats' more ludicrous claims. In fact, the Republican House enacted legislation to prevent an automatic increase in student loan rates, but the Democratic Senate has refused to act, apparently for the sole reason that the Democrats want to preserve the opportunity to falsely smear Republicans. Unbelievable. (Actually, student loan rates probably should rise, but that is another question.)
And this week, Republicans stripped food stamps for the poor from the farm bill. That hasn't happened since 1973.
If you understand the significance of that giant disco bill, you have more insight into the Democratic "mind" than I do. But why is it a big deal that food stamps must be included as part of the farm bill, instead of being appropriated separately? Most people probably don't realize that 80% of the "farm bill" is actually food stamps; perhaps the Democrats want to keep that fact quiet.
Well, I hope the House Republicans won't pass a "comprehensive immigration bill" that resembles the Senate bill in any way; so do most Americans. So we know you're worried, Julie. But no matter what the Koch brothers say, Obamacare's not the problem. It's these guys. Hearts, Democrats 2014 P.S. Like this? Then you should like us on Facebook! Click here "Hearts?" Seriously? Not long ago-like, say, until the last six years-this kind of lowbrow appeal would have been unthinkable. But the Democrats have demonstrated that low-information voters can be swayed, and motivated to vote, by a constant barrage of deliberately stupid propaganda. The Republican Party doesn't do anything remotely like this. Question for discussion: is it time for Republicans to start emulating the Democrats' low-class appeals?
In the 1963 all-star game, American League manager Ralph Houk did not use a player from the Cleveland Indians (the host club), the Washington Senators, or the Kansas City Athletics. He did play all five New York Yankees on the AL squad.
National League manager Alvin Dark used at least one player from all 10 National League teams. But he did so at the expense of some huge stars. For example, Ray Culp and Hal Woodeshick pitched; Juan Marichal and Sandy Koufax did not.
During the next 30 years, the approach of all-star managers evolved as they tried to play at least one representative of each team, yet also play most of the fan favorites. Their solution was simply to use all of their players, even as the roster size expanded.
In the 1993 all-star game, played on July 13, in Baltimore, the managers seemed to get it right. NL skipper Bobby Cox used 25 players. Only three players (all pitchers) did not appear. 13 of the Senior Circuit's 14 teams had at least one player participate (Houston's representative, the late Daryl Kile, didn't pitch).
Cito Gaston, managing the AL, did even better. He played 26, with only two players left behind. One of them was Pat Hentgen from Gaston's own team; the other was Mike Mussina of the hometown Orioles. And Gaston played at least one representative from all 14 AL teams.
Cito Gaston
Yet, this wasn't good enough for the Baltimore crowd. Late in the game, Musina began warming up in the bullpen, even though Gaston hadn't asked him to. When it became clear that Gaston wasn't going to use him in the ninth inning - he opted for Duane Ward of his Blue Jays instead - the Baltimore crowd began booing the manager and chanting "Cito sucks."
I was at the game and the razzing of Gaston nearly spoiled the occasion for me. The contest was a lop-sided NL win, but had been a fun affair highlighted by Randy Johnson embarrassing John Kruk.
The Oriole fans had no divine right to see Mussina pitch. Indeed, the righty had been shellacked in his previous three starts and, with his 4.10 ERA, had only a tenuous claim to being an all-star. Ward, a relief pitcher, took a 2.17 ERA into the break.
After the game, Gaston said he didn't use Mussina because he was holding him back in case of extra innings. As a starter with rest coming into the game, Mussina would be he best candidate for extended duty, Gaston reasoned. But this explanation was met with skepticism because the NL had a six run lead in the ninth inning.
In the years following the 1993 game, all-star managers tried even harder to make sure everyone on their squad played. In doing so, they seemed to mirror the societal trend in favor of "trophies for everyone."
But there were consequences. Nine years later, the all-star game, played in the Commissioner's hometown of Milwaukee, was suspended after 11 innings with the score tied 7-7 because the two teams, collectively, had used all 19 of the available pitchers.
Of course, both clubs had a pitcher in the game at that point. But NL hurler Vicente Padilla, who had worked two innings, said he couldn't pitch any more.
The Milwaukee crowd booed the suspension robustly, and with far greater cause than the Baltimore crowd had jeered in 1993. The all-star game had experienced its reductio ad absurdum moment.
Afterwards, the all-star squads were expanded by two players per team and managers were informed that if they run out of players, they will be held responsible. Somewhere, Cito Gaston must have smiled.
Finally, hoping to pump more meaning into the once prestigious exhibition game, MLB decided that the winning League would be rewarded with home-field advantage in the World Series.
Have these changes significantly improved the all-star game? I don't know. I no longer watch it.
So I missed the world premier of Sharknado Thursday night, which is a shame, since this piece of brilliant filmmaking is obviously a thinly-veilied satire of climate change alarmism: think "jump the shark" meets zombies Al Gore. It was only a matter of time before the the old Saturday Night Live "land shark" sketch made it to the infamous "warmlist" of potential threats from climate change. I know I'm looking forward to Sharknado II. And while we're on the subject of zombies:
Oh what the heck: since we're reprising Clinton's greatest hits, I might as well:
An important new product you can use (read more about it here):
Syrian rebels from the Free Syria Army (FSA) faction say that the assassination of one of their top commanders by "Islamic State," an al-Qaida-linked militant group, amounts to a declaration of war. The FSA, which is the Western-backed rebel faction, vowed to "wipe the floor" with the Islamist faction.
For its part, Islamic State released one of the men captured along with the FSA commander so he could relay the message that it deems the FSA heretics and the Supreme Command a target.
Thus, it appears that the rebel factions will be fighting a two-front war - the war against Assad/Hezbollah, which hasn't been going well, and the war among themselves.
Events seem to be trending against the FSA. According to Reuters, some frustrated FSA fighters say they have joined Islamist groups. And Congress is holding up plans to arm the FSA because of fears that doing so will not be decisive and the arms might end up in the hands of Islamist militants.
These fears are not unfounded. Reuters reports that moderate and hardline fighters sometimes buy and sell weapons from each other.
If the Obama administration was going to arm the FSA faction, it should have done so much earlier, before the Islamist faction, aided by the influx of foreign fighters, became "the strong horse."
Janet Napolitano will step down from her job as Secretary of the Department Homeland Security to become president of the University of California system. According to Katrina Trinko, Napolitano will probably be paid about $600,000 in her new job. Her predecessor made %591,000.
That's good money. But at Dartmouth, Jim Wright makes more than that in wages and benefits for not being president.
Scott beat me to the story (yes, we often scoop each other here on Power Line) about how the conventional wisdom about salt has been turned on its head. Memo to Mayor Bloomberg: Can we have our salt shakers back now, please? Will overturning the conventional wisdom on soda be far behind?
One thing we do know: Like Nurse Bloomberg's dietary dictates, Michelle Obama's school lunch fatwa is a dismal failure. Some schools are dropping her menu recommendations because the schools are losing money, and the kids are going hungry. Because they won't buy bland food they don't like. That's quite an achievement:
"[Food service manager Nicky] Boehm and her staff worked hard to implement the new regulations, but there were just too many problems and too many foods that students did not like and would not purchase," said Assistant Superintendent Chris Abdoo about the National School Lunch Program in a statement reported by EAGNews.org. "Students complained of being hungry with these lunches and the district lost money."
The district lost about $100,000 trying out the federal menu, which offered such meals as "part" of a chicken patty on a minicroissant, EAGNews.org reported.
Prediction: It's only a matter of time before we learn that the Obama Administration has reclassified ketchup as a vegetable. And it gives great confidence about how well Obamacare is going to work out.
Both Paul and I have Woody Allen's comedy Bananas (1971, written with Mickey Rose) tattooed deep inside our brains somewhere. Paul's reference to "A travesty of a mockery of a sham" comes from the film. In the film's trial scene Woody Allen/Fielding Mellish condemns the proceedings brought against him in the United States as a result of his activities in the fictional Latin American banana republic of San Marcos: "I object, your honor. This trial is a travesty. It's a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham." Mellish then moves for a mistrial on the ground that the jury lacks "a single homosexual." You can watch the scene here.
I was thinking about Bananas yesterday in connection with Dr. Milton Wolf's comment on the Obama administration's declaration of a one-year delay in the implementation of Obamacare's employer mandate:
The unambiguous start date for Obamacare's employer mandate, according to Section 1513, is the "months beginning after Dec. 31, 2013." With the delay, however, President Obama has declared that he is not bound by mere law. All he is missing are mirrored sunglasses and a big military hat.
In Bananas Woody Allen depicted the type to which Dr. Wolf alludes in the character of the revolutionary leader Esposito as he takes office. The power goes to his head (video below, with Greek subtitles). If declarations along the lines of those issued by Esposito aren't buried in the blizzard of Obamacare pronouncements and regulations issued to date, it's only a matter of time.
We are late getting to the news of a recent report commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control reviewing the purported health benefits of reducing salt intake. The report concludes that salt is no longer considered a substantial health hazard. The long-standing association of salt and hypertension in public health teaching doesn't withstand scrutiny. I happened to catch Rush Limbaugh discussing news of the report yesterday (transcript here).
In his capacity as a general service operation, Glenn Reynolds has occasionally cited science writer Gary Taubes and linked to his book Why We Get Fat. Taubes recommends a low-carb/no-carb diet both for reasons of weight control and overall health.
Taubes's first book on diet and dietary issues was Good Calories, Bad Calories. He returned to the subject in Why We Get Fat to condense his survey of the research and focus on obesity.
Taubes first made a splash with his 2002 New York Times Magazine cover story "What If It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?" The cover story displays his heterodoxy and bravado, challenging the medical establishment and government authorities with gusto. You can find more along the same lines in his 2007 New York Times Magazine article "Do We Really Know What Makes Us Healthy?"
Taubes is a formidable science writer. His approach is serious and methodical, taking account of the changing nature of the conventional wisdom and the studies that have supported it. He is also an excellent writer with a flair for interesting anecdotes that illustrate his thesis.
Taubes disputes the connection between dietary fat and high cholesterol. He challenges the thesis that dietary fat is detrimental to our health. He rejects a balanced diet. He advocates a high-fat diet. He opposes dieting. He doesn't object to exercise, but he asserts that it makes you hungry. It's almost funny. He is the dietary equivalent of politically incorrect.
In Good Calories, Bad Calories, originally published in 2007, Taubes briefly disposed of the alleged connection between salt and hypertension. Taubes found the connection to be a "common assumption" based on "an erroneous deduction." Reviewing the studies, Taubes quoted the eminent cardiologist Jeremiah Stamler describing the evidence in support of the salt-hypertension connection as "inconsistent and contradictory." Taubes himself concluded that the link was "a suspect public-health pronouncement" that served to inhibit rigorous scientific research.
Taubes is a sober writer. I don't think he is ever intentionally humorous in the two diet books. As we have previously, for the humorous take we go to Woody Allen. He anticipates something like the Taubes doctrine in his great comedy Sleeper (clip below).
Morning Jolt
. . . with Jim Geraghty
July 12, 2013
You Stay Classy, San Diego Mayor!
One of my all-timefavorite Republican candidates is Nick Popaditch, a Purple Heart and Silver Star-winning Marine who lost an eye in the first battle for Fallujah, who ran for Congress in Southern California in 2010 and 2012. In his 2010 race, he lost to longtime incumbent Bob Filner, who later went on to run for mayor of San Diego and win.
The guys you like don't always turn out to be heroes - COUGHbobmcdonnellCOUGH - and the guys you don't like don't always turn out to be creeps. But sometimes they do, and it's somewhat satisfying.
Earlier Thursday, three high-profile San Diegans described sexual harassment allegations involving "numerous" female employees of Mayor Bob Filner who were subjected to "unfortunate and reprehensible circumstances" but refused to reveal victim identities or details of the alleged behavior.
Filner released a statement on Thursday afternoon apologizing to city residents.
"As someone who has spent a lifetime fighting for equality for all people, I am embarrassed to admit that I have failed to fully respect the women who work for me and with me, and that at times I have intimidated them.
"I am also humbled to admit that I need help. I have begun to work with professionals to make changes in my behavior and approach. In addition, my staff and I will participate in sexual harassment training provided by the city.
"Please know that I fully understand that only I am the one who can make these changes. If my behavior doesn't change I cannot succeed in leading our city.
"In the next few days, I will be reaching out to those who now work to those who now work in the Mayor's Office or have previously worked for me - both men and women - to personally apologize for my behavior."
Filner then said that residents have every right to be disappointed in him.
"I only ask that you give me an opportunity to prove I am capable of change, so that the vision I have for our city's future can be realized," he said.
"Failed to fully respect the women who work for me." Is that what they're calling it now?
Does "give me an opportunity to prove I am capable of change" work for harassment in other workplaces?
How about Nick Popaditch for mayor?
Once More into the Breach of Conservatives' Struggle to Influence the Culture
Rod Dreher, crunchy con and former contributor to National Review, now writing over at The American Conservative, examines and expands upon the common lament that conservatives need to become better storytellers:
Argument has its place, but story is what truly moves the hearts and minds of men. The power of myth-which is to say, of storytelling-is the power to form and enlighten the moral imagination, which is how we learn right from wrong, the proper ordering of our souls, and what it means to be human. Russell Kirk, the author of The Conservative Mind whose own longtime residence in his Michigan hometown earned him the epithet "Sage of Mecosta," considered tending the moral imagination to be "conservatism at its highest."
Through the stories we tell, we come to understand who we are and what we are to do. This is true for both individuals and communities . . .
Stories work so powerfully on the moral imagination because they are true to human experience in ways that polemical arguments are not. And because the moral imagination often determines which intellectual arguments-political, economic, theological, and so forth-will be admitted into consideration, storytelling is a vital precursor to social change.
But there's one note in his lengthy cover piece that grated on me:
[Sam] MacDonald came from a working-class western Pennsylvania family, graduated from Yale, and worked in Washington journalism at Reason before returning home to raise his kids. His experience has taught him how hapless the right is at understanding the power of storytelling.
"The smart people on the Right are working in the conservative infrastructure," he says. "You want a conservative view on healthcare? It comes from Heritage, or maybe the Wall Street Journal op-ed page. Except most people don't care. It's too confusing."
It would make a much greater difference, MacDonald believes, if conservatives were bringing their insights to bear writing for the network medical drama "Grey's Anatomy." But that is hard to imagine, he says.
Well, no kidding. My views about, say, the need for tort reform would catch on a lot quicker if Patrick Dempsey were to express them, shaking his fist in righteous indignation, about how the hospital's fear of a lawsuit is interfering with him performing a high-risk but needed surgery on the critically ill adorable little girl of the week.* I'll cast Ray Wise as the ambulance-chasing lawyer and the audience will instantly know he's the bad guy.
"Hi, I'm Ray Wise, perhaps best known for playing Leland Palmer and The Devil. When I appear as a guest star on your favorite show, you can rest assured that I was indeed the one who committed the murder the protagonists are trying to solve."
But a writing gig on Grey's Anatomy or any other highly-rated network drama is hard to get. This is where the discussion amongst conservatives usually turns to, "and liberals in Hollywood will never hire a conservative writer, or allow a conservative message to get through!"
And that's true, at least in some cases. A few years back, Ben Shapiro did a great job getting interviews with producers and executives who more or less openly admit that they see their work as a chance to promote their viewpoints, and that sometimes they put in story elements to emphasize a message of "'f*** you' to the right wing."
But the obstacle isn't purely ideological. Some of the obstacle is that there aren't that many high-quality shows with mass audiences, those shows only have a certain number of full-time writing gigs, and the supply of potential writers is way, way, way higher than the demand. Yes, there are probably a bunch of talented conservatives trying to make it in Hollywood and finding the doors closed. But there are probably some talented liberals trying to make it in Hollywood and finding the doors closed.
Trying to be a screenwriter in Hollywood requires being willing to endure a lot of rejection, with no guarantee of success, and probably trying to write, on spec, some sort of brilliant, attention-catching, so-good-the-producers-can't-possibly-pass work while simultaneously holding down a day job to pay the bills. It means living in Los Angeles - with a cost of living 36 percent higher than the national average - and spending a lot of time trying to make connections in an intensely competitive field. And of course, the process of bringing a concept for a show or film to the airwaves or silver screen is legendarily complicated, arbitrary, consensus-driven, and difficult.
[Hollywood's] influence is agonizingly hard to predict or dismiss as unthinkingly liberal. Studies of "All in the Family" found that viewers in America, and around the globe, took different lessons from the show based on their politics and cultural norms. Despite Norman Lear's liberal best efforts, many found Archie Bunker more persuasive than his "meathead" sociologist son-in-law. HBO's epic series "The Wire" was a near-Marxist indictment of urban liberalism and the drug war, making it quite popular among many conservatives and libertarians. The popular BBC series "Downton Abbey" is shockingly conservative in many respects. The aristocrats are decent, compassionate people, and the staff is, if anything, more happily class-conscious than the blue bloods. And, yet, as far as I can tell, liberals love it.
Obviously, the market is a big factor. No doubt many Hollywood liberals would like to push the ideological envelope more, but audiences get a vote. And that vote isn't cast purely on ideological grounds.
There's a difference between art and propaganda. Outside the art house crowd, liberal agitprop doesn't sell. Art must work with the expectations and beliefs of the audience. Even though pregnancies are commonplace on TV, you'll probably never see a hilarious episode of a sitcom in which a character has an abortion - because abortion isn't funny.
The conservative desire to create a right-wing movie industry is an attempt to mimic a caricature of Hollywood. Any such effort would be a waste of money that would make the Romney campaign seem like a great investment.
It's worth noting that some liberal efforts to influence public opinion through art fall flat on their collective faces, perhaps the most notable recent example being a slew of mostly heavy-handed anti-Iraq-War films:
A spate of Iraq-themed movies and TV shows haven't just failed at the box office. They've usually failed spectacularly, despite big stars, big budgets and serious intentions.
The underwhelming reception from the public raises a question: Are audiences turned off by the war, or are they simply voting against the way filmmakers have depicted it? . . .
The Iraq war-themed "In the Valley of Elah," starring Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon, received mixed critical notices and did little business upon its release last September (total domestic gross: $6.8 million). "Redacted," a Brian De Palma-directed film about a renegade Army unit, was barely seen when it came out in limited release in November (it grossed just $65,388).
An even more paltry reception greeted "Grace Is Gone" (2007), in which star John Cusack deals with the aftermath of his wife's death in Iraq; "Home of the Brave" (2006), about a group of soldiers (including Samuel L. Jackson and Jessica Biel) adjusting to life after the war; and "The Situation" (2006), about a love triangle set amid the conflict.
To make a good movie requires talent, yes, but also capital - you need to get the equipment to make the film, hire actors, build sets or get filming permits in locations, costumes, music, etc. - and that's just the basics, never mind special effects, stunts, sound effects and editing, renting the crane for a crane shot or helicopter, etc.
Notice that we don't lack conservatives who can thrive in radio and more recently podcasting, web videos, etc. I think a big factor is that those products are cheap to produce.
*Why, no, I don't watch Grey's Anatomy out of the corner of my eye while Mrs. CampaignSpot watches it on the DVR, and by no means do I mock that every episode ends with some patient croaking in melodramatic fashion during a montage set to Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" ("If I lay here.. If I just lay here . . . Would you lie with me and just forget the world?") leading to perpetual basket case Dr. Grey offering a voice over with some sort of pseudo-philosophical Chinese-cookie-worthy life lesson that the doctors learned while botching their latest life and death surgical procedure ("You spend your entire life searching for a place to call home, and only when all seems lost do you turn around and realize, you've been there all along" ) and I absolutely totally don't mimic EKG flatline noises every time "Chasing Cars" comes on the radio.
ADDENDA: If you missed last night's SharkNado on SyFy channel, I'm sorry. (Don't blame me, that's how the network spells its name, perhaps hinting that its programming executives aren't that interested in science fiction.) Of course, if you watched it and wasn't watching the mocking live commentary on Twitter simultaneously, I'm even more sorry. It was like a giant, national Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode, mocking the so-bad-its-good, lowest-of-low-budget, unrealistic computer-generated-imagery, clichéd dialogue, and everything else. It was, from the weirdest of sources, a giant, unifying national moment.
Years from now, we'll all ask each other, "where were you when the Sharknado hit?"
NRO Digest - July 12, 2013
Today on National Review Online . . .
RICH LOWRY: The media tried to make the Zimmerman trial into something it's not: a racial metaphor. A Morality Tale That Failed.
This week, CNN was once again referring to George Zimmerman as a "WHITE Hispanic," meaning apparently that the defendant in the Trayvon Martin shooting case was NOT one of the garden variety Hispanics known to be deserving of welfare, food stamps, social security and of course a pathway to citizenship. White Hispanics it seems are the devious, racial profiling sort who enjoy shooting blacks while claiming self-defense. Naturally, CNN wanted to make certain its shrinking, viewing audience understood the difference. (1)
Upon concluding a thorough investigation of the February 26th, 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin, the Sanford police found there was not enough evidence to charge George Zimmerman with a crime. According to then Sanford police chief Bill Lee, "...from an investigative standpoint, it was purely a matter of self-defense." (2) How did a man who legally defended his life from a drug impaired, known thug come to face a possible lifetime in prison?
Listen as a member of the "trusted" media reads childish made up names as if she was reporting a cure for cancer. Is it any wonder we can't trust these people?
In the latest move by pro-homosexual sycophants in positions of leadership in today's military, orders are being issued to prevent openly religious soldiers from serving their country. Since lifting the ban on homosexuals openly serving in the military, troops are being coerced to either embrace the gay lifestyle or get out. Gay pride events such as those featured last month (in spite of massive budget cuts) were a blatant, in your face move orchestrated by the White House. Homosexuals don't ask for acceptance, they demand it. And not only must Americans accept their behavior, we are now being forced to approve of it.
Technical Sgt. Layne Wilson, a 27 year veteran of the Utah Air National Guard was reprimanded for his opposition to a homosexual wedding in the West Point chapel. In fact, he was told to retire because his personal views were incompatible with military policy. How have things changed since Mr. ... Continue Reading:Christians need not apply
In a backlash to the Boy Scouts of America's (BSA) decision to embrace the presence of openly Gay scouts in its ranks, a new group which has not yet named itself, has announced it will begin to operate as an alternative to the BSA starting next January 1st.
Using lofty phrases like "character development" the new group declared it will be generally modeled on Christian principles of chastity outside of marriages between one man and one woman. New Group (NG) will meet in Nashville in September to address what it says are the concerns of "tens of thousands" of individual scouts, scout leaders and sponsoring organizations troubled by the BSA's sharp lurch to the left on this crucial issue.
Walter Bibikow / DanitaDelimont.com Danita Delimont Photography/Newscom
Your tax dollars are being used to advertise Obamacare. For example, to attract hip, young people to sign up for its insurance exchanges, Oregon will use your taxes to brand coffee cups with Obamacare advertisements. And in Kentucky, officials are planning a beer-and-bourbon tour to try to attract young people to enroll in Obamacare.
As former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is stripped of power, President Obama's track record in Egypt has proven to be a failure. President Obama made a series of poor decisions that left us with few friends.
At one point, Obama backed former President Hosni Mubarak. Then he abandoned him. Next, under the democratic banner of "letting the Egyptian people decide," he stood on the sidelines as the Muslim Brotherhood took power and began to run the country into the ground. Again unsure of what to do, he took what he thought was the line of least resistance - supporting the Brotherhood and its leader, President Mohamed Morsi.
This was OK-until the Egyptians realized Morsi and the Brotherhood were tearing Egypt apart and suffocating their economic freedom. But President Obama lost any persuasive power he may have had with the army by continuing to side with Morsi and the Brotherhood.
Obama's "lack of realism coupled with reductions in U.S. military forces and the other instruments of national power leave the U.S. looking weak and ineffective," Heritage's James Carafano argues.
Even though Morsi was elected into office, his actions while president were inexcusable and it is shocking that President Obama put his support behind him. Morsi violated human rights and ignored dissenting voices by placing restrictions on core freedoms.
After yesterday's disappointing vote in which the House passed the farm bill 216-208, The Heritage Foundation's T. Elliot Gaiser offers seven key reasons why food stamp programs must be reformed:
Food stamp spending has surged.
Food stamp rolls have been climbing for decades, regardless of the economic situation.
Government has vastly expanded food stamp eligibility.
States are spending taxpayer money to "recruit" food stamp participants who might not otherwise choose to use them.
Despite what the left claims, food stamps don't stimulate the economy.
Even in good economic times, many food stamp recipients don't work.
The government needs to reform welfare spending. Welfare programs, including food stamps, must be transformed to promote work and self-sufficiency, instead of encouraging and justifying unemployment.
Temporary employment always fluctuates during a recession, Heritage Foundation expert James Sherk explained this week on Fox Business. Employers will often fire temporary workers during a downturn, inflating job losses. Then, during a recovery, new hires are also often temporary, contributing to a higher official employment rate, Sherk said. Watch the video here.
In Other News
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced her resignation today. She is expected to head the University of California system.
The Gang of Eight Have No ClothesByron York, Chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner, raised an interesting question on July 9. He asked what would happen to the millions of illegal aliens who would not gain legal status if the Senate S.744 bill became law. Full Story
Zuckerburg Talks Patriotism, Practices OpportunismDespite happy talk about doing what's best for America, Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg and the cadre of other Silicon Valley titans helping with his new lobbying organization FWD.us are looking out for their own self-interest. Full Story
The Kids Are Definitely Not AlrightFew problems are being addressed in any meaningful way, owing to partisan bickering and deep-pocketed special interests that finance the campaigns of members of Congress. Full Story
GOP House Members Opposed to Senate Amnesty BillOpening the special, closed-door conference meeting, Speaker John Boehner told Republicans to look him in the eye as he said it one more time: We are not going to take up the Senate bill, and before we take up a vote on any bill or conference report on immigration, we will follow the Hastert Rule. Full Story
Open Borders Lobby Decries Faux Border Security PlanAlthough the Senate recently passed S. 744, several open borders groups are now opposing the bill based on border security provisions they say are too extreme. Full Story
Newsletter
Week of July
12
This Issue: House GOP blocks Senate amnesty blueprint, but leadership's intentions are unclear
BREAKING NEWS: Earlier today, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that she is stepping down to become the President of the University of California system. In June of 2012, Sec. Napolitano ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to violate federal immigration laws by granting deferred action to illegal aliens who might qualify for the DREAM Act. More than 250,000 illegal aliens have been offered a two-year amnesty through the directive. A federal district judge is expected any day to issue a first ruling on the suit against Napolitano's order as brought by immigration ICE agents and financed by NumbersUSA's members.Read more here.
Earlier this week, the House Republican Conference held its highly-anticipated, closed-door immigration meeting where Members were to decide how to proceed on the issue after the Senate passed its mass amnesty bill two weeks ago. GOP Leadership along with two committee chairmen issued a statement after the meeting saying that the House would not consider the Senate bill, S.744, and would continue with its piecemeal approach to immigration reform.
The fate of S.744 took another blow this week when Ways & Means Chairman Dave Camp tweeted that the House would not consider the Senate bill because it raises revenue, which is a power reserved exclusively for the House under the Constitution. Texas Rep. Steve Stockman was the first one to take issue with the constitutionality of the Senate bill and has been encouraging House Leadership to "blue-slip" the bill. Coincidently, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has yet to send the bill to the House, and some speculate that it's because he, too, is concerned with the bill's constitutionality and doesn't want it killed by the House for that reason.
The House's piecemeal approach is already in action. To date, the House Judiciary Committee has already passed four bills - a mandatory E-Verify bill, an interior enforcement bill, an Ag guest work er bill, and a high-skilled visa bill. The Homeland Security Committee has already passed a border security bill. It's unclear whether or not the full House will vote on any of these bills before the August recess.
Roy says: "The bills range from great to not-bad to terrible. The vast majority of the harmful elements in the Senate bill are not found in these bills."
While the statement issued by the GOP Leadership and the votes taken in the House have thus far been hopeful, there's still some uncertainty with how House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor want to proceed. During the GOP Conference meeting, Speaker Boehner told Republicans that they have to pa ss something. Whether that means an amnesty bill or other immigration-related legislation is unknown. Furthermore, details began to leak out yesterday that Majority Leader Cantor has begun drafting a DREAM-like amnesty bill.
GOP Leadership has also been vague about how they would handle a possible conference with the Senate. The House could pass immigration legislation and task a group of Members to conference with Senate conferees to merge the House-passed legislation with S.744, and we fear that a conference bill would look a lot more like S.744 than the bills currently being considered in the House.
While there may be a lot of uncertainty, we do know a few things for sure. First, the House will not consider S.744 or move on an amnesty bill before their August recess. Second, House Members will be back in their districts in August to gauge the feelings of their constituents. That means the August recess will be critical in killing an amnesty this year. We'll be sending along activism opportunities over the coming weeks.
In the meantime, check your Action Board for new faxes that you can send to your House Reps.
chris Chmielenski
Fri, July 12th
Action
There are several new faxes posted on your Action Board. The messages are tailored to your House Rep.'s political party. We've also posted specialized faxes for certain Members of Congress that are being targeted by pro-amnesty groups.
Features
We've made several updates to our grade cards to reflect your Senators' votes on S.744. We've also added a few committee votes for House Members. Check your Member's grade cards for more.
Account
As we gear up for the battle in the House, now is a good time to make sure your account information is accurate. Visit your account profile and make sure your contact information and your Members of Congress are correct. If your House Rep. is incorrect, please email our help desk.
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to Resign
The head of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, has announced that she will be stepping down from her post. As Secretary of DHS, Napolitano is tasked with overseeing immigration enforcement in the interior of the nation and at the borders. During her four-year tenure, she drafted memos that grants deferred action to certain illegal aliens through the use of prosecutorial discretion. The memos are subject of a lawsuit filed by a group of ICE agents against her.
Ways and Means Chair: Senate Immigration Bill Unconstitutional, Can't be Considered in House
Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the Senate's comprehensive amnesty bill (S. 744) is unconstitutional because only bills originating in the House can raise revenues. The Senate has not officially transmitted S. 744 to the House yet but Camp's statement implies he will move to prevent the House from taking up the bill when that occurs.
All eyes are on the House Republicans and Speaker Boehner. President Obama has pledged to take a more active role in the House debate. With 20 million Americans unemployed and underemployed, Obama is teaming up with corporate special interests to lobby House Republicans to pass an amnesty and a large-scale expansion of temporary and permanent immigration for foreign workers.
GOP Leadership Sticks with Piecemeal Approach after Conference Meeting
In a statement issued after a two-hour House Republican conference meeting, GOP Leadership and the chairmen of key committees reaffirmed their position today that it will take a piecemeal approach in reforming the nation's immigration system. They also said the House will not vote on the Senate-passed amnesty bill.
Poll: Support Has Fallen For Senate Immigration Bill, 39% Support Plan That Only Cuts Illegal Immigration by 50%
A recent Rasmussen poll finds that support for the Senate immigration bill has dropped. Only 50% of likely voters now favor a plan to give legal status to illegal aliens, even if the border is secured to prevent future illegal immigration. This figure is down from 60% less than three weeks ago. The figure drops to 39% when voters were asked if they support a plan that only cuts the flow of illegal immigration by 50%.
Say "No" to conference and the Obama-Bush immigration ponzi scheme
Who could have predicted during the run-up to the 2008 election that then-candidate Obama would be appluading President Bush's economic theories during his second term?
This week, the White House and the George W. Bush Presidential Center released videos selling immigration amnesty and expansion as economic stimulus. Now, it is no secret that more immigration means a bigger economy. But the Bush/Obama policy tends to privatize profits and socialize the costs. Neil Munro has the story:
"The CBO report said the bill would lower average wages and education for a decade, but allow long-term increases in productivity. The bill would also shift more of nation's annual income from wage-earners to investors for at least 20 years, according to the CBO report."
The last decade saw record levels of immigration and all of the net employment gains went to immigrant workers, according to analysis by the Center of Immigration Studies.
Wages have been in decline as well. Fred Bauer writes that between 2009 and 2012:
"Jobs in the first quintile (making between $8.78 and $10.60 an hour) saw their wages decline 3 percent. Jobs in the second quintile ($10.61 to $14.21 an hour) saw the biggest collapse, losing 4.1 percent. Jobs in the third quintile of wages ($14.23 to $18.83 an hour) saw a 3.1 percent decline. Jobs in the upper 40 percent of hourly wages saw a smaller decline (a little under 2 percent). Many of the low-wage jobs with the greatest number of workers saw large decreases."
Progressive Leah Durant and conservative Laura Ingraham take the Bush/Obama immigration theory to task on Ingraham's show.
Bauer has a message for conservatives in particular (if you have a GOP Rep., make sure he or she hears this message):
"A small-government vision is strengthened by a dynamic economy where a rising economic tide lifts all boats, so continued -- and perhaps increasing -- downward pressure on wages poses significant troubles for the realization of this vision. Conservatives serious about reviving this small-government vision should also be serious about reviving broad-reaching economic opportunity. And a policy measure that hinders this revival of opportunity could also hamper the project of Republican renewal."
On the political front, Mickey Kaus warns not to be taken in by false debates. The amnesty-and-immigration-increase advocates would love nothing more than for the House to pass anything -- as long as it goes to conference with the Senate bill. It doesn't matter whether the Senate bill is constitutional or not. If S. 744 gets to conference with any kind of House immigration bill, American wage-earners could be stuck with the Bush-Obama immigration ponzi scheme for decades.
Just say "no" to conference. Comment. Tweet. Post. Print. Share. Spread the word.
Unconfirmed rumors have been flying on social media sites all day that abortion supporters were planning to disrupt the Texas legislature by throwing feces, urine and used tampons at pro-life legislators.
"Being openly 'gay' in any youth organization -- especially one committed to wholesome moral values -- is essentially an act of activism," Peter LaBarbera told LifeSiteNews.com.
Security officers at the state capitol in Austin confiscated tampons and maxi pads from everyone entering the chamber after pro-abortion demonstrators threatened to pelt legislators with feminine hygiene products.
"The people of this state and the people of this country have been waiting years to see commonsense provisions passed," Barbara Holt, president of North Carolina Right to Life said.
A curious thing is happening on the social media site Reddit, less renowned as a place for thoughtful social and positive movements than as a catch-all for the bizarre and often obscene.
Footage of the June 30 "Church on Church Street Service" shows Dr. Benjamin Levin sitting in prominent front-row seats right next to Trudeau, who was next to Wynne.
Irish parliament voted 127-31 in favor of legislation that allows abortion through all nine months of pregnancy where the life of the mother is at risk which notably includes if the mother threatens suicide
Wendy Davis set a pro-life example at the young age of nineteen, when she chose to keep her child despite circumstances that many would call "a crisis pregnancy."
The Illinois Supreme Court never got around to issuing the necessary rules, so the parental notice law lingered in limbo. And in those 18 years, Illinois statistical records show that 67,928 girls under the age of 18 have had abortions in the state.
Hookers and Sex Slaves ... and Laughs? By L. Brent Bozell III Associating humor with topics like rape, child molestation, prostitution and sex trafficking means our society is getting increasingly sicker, and the most infected part of the population are the children who watch a lot of degrading television and play a lot of degrading video games and listen to a lot of degrading music. In the end, our whole society is degraded.
Not Guilty -- Beyond Reasonable Doubt By Patrick J. Buchanan What we have witnessed in Sanford, Fla., is the prosecution of an innocent man for murder because the politically and socially powerful demanded it.
America's Sociopath Fetish By Michelle Malkin I would like to declare a war on women - namely, all those cringe-inducing ninnies who lust after every celebrity criminal defendant with big muscles, tattoos, puppy-dog eyes or Hollywood hair. All the equalization and parity in education and the workplace are for naught if women can't distinguish right from wrong and "hot" from evil.
The Anti-Snowdens By Rich Galen I got to spent a few hours this week with men and women of the 717th Military Intelligence Battalion, who, unlike Edward Snowden, are not looking for public notice -- neither glory, nor infamy -- but have volunteered to join the American military to help keep the rest of us safe.
Due to the glorious leadership of our Dear Leader, Barack Barackovich Obama, a full 53% of adult citizens have received a lessened workload as a result of the State's collectivization program.
Yes, comrades, this means that only 47% of citizens are now required to work a full-time job. It is a great victory for redistributive justice, when a majority of citizens can work part-time and enjoy the fruits of Socialist Labor.
We must remember that Socialist Redistribution programs do not require complete unemployment, but rather only an income below State standards. Citizens working part-time have their income supplemented to the same standards as full-time workers and peasants through redistributive programs that provide food, housing, and medical care.
WATCH LIVE: Closing arguments in the Zimmerman trial
The closing arguments are being made in the George Zimmerman trial, and so far the prosecution appears to be presenting a more passionate storyline. Zimmerman's attorneys appear ok with trying to sew a little bit of doubt. But is this strategy a mistake? WATCH the trial LIVE via TheBlaze and decide.
Prosecution in Zimmerman trial admits star witness "not a very sophisticated person"
Rachel Jeantel, the "star witness" for the prosecution in the George Zimmerman murder trial, made headlines last week for her interesting testimony. From deleted tweets to her inability to read cursive, Jeantel did not do the prosecution any favors. Yesterday, the state's prosecutor admitted just that - calling Jeantel "not a very sophisticated person." MORE
Stu: Will Zimmerman get real justice or mob justice?
On last night's Glenn Beck Program, Stu guest hosted and opened the show with a monologue about the legal weaknesses in the George Zimmerman murder trial. Would Zimmerman even be on trial if the President, the race hucksters, and politicians weren't screaming for someone's head? And will the rule of law be able to overcome political agenda? Stu breaks it down on TV last night. WATCH
DEVELOPING: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano reportedly resigning to lead University of California.Get all the updates via TheBlaze.
Don't miss tonight's Glenn Beck Program for a behind-the-scenes look at Man in the Moon!
Last Chance: Sign up for TheBlaze TV and get the Man in the Moon DVD!
Today is your last chance to purchase an annual subscription to TheBlaze TV for $99.95 and you'll receive the Man in the Moon DVD as soon as it becomes available later this year, absolutely free! Man in the Moon takes place this week in Salt Lake City and promises to be a can't miss event. Since the event will not be televised, this is your chance to get an up close look at the making of and execution of the event. Take advantage of this special limited time offer HERE.
POLL: What's your prediction for the Zimmerman verdict?
The murder trial of George Zimmerman is winding down. Today, the defense delivers its final arguments for Zimmerman's acquittal. Following the defense's closing statements, the prosecution gets a chance to rebut everything that was just said. Finally, the judge will instruct the jury and send them off to render a verdict. Where do you stand on the Zimmerman trial? Take part in TheBlaze's interactive poll. You can also suggest a question for the poll and add your thoughts to the comments section. Take the poll HERE.
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Download TheBlaze iOS app to watch live and on-demand video from TheBlaze TV and much more! Plus, with the new TheBlaze newsreader, access to breaking news from TheBlaze.com is easier than ever! Download TheBlaze iOS App HERE.
WATCH: Nancy Grace cuts mic of guest after he points out Trayvon Martin was "on drugs"
During an interview on her HLN show on Thursday, Nancy Grace got into an extremely heated debate with Frank Taaffe, a friend of George Zimmerman, over the series of events that led to the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The exchange got so fiery, Grace actually cut Taaffe's mic. Watch the explosive interview HERE.
You may be surprised to see the results of a new Huffington Post abortion poll
Considering the left leaning slant of the Huffington Post, one would assume the results of an abortion poll they conducted would be overwhelming pro-choice. But not so fast. The results of a new poll by the Huffington Post and YouGov shows Americans overwhelmingly support a national law banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. See a full breakdown of the results HERE.
WATCH: Mitch McConnell slams Harry Reid on Senate floor
After Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) threatened to move forward with the so-called 'nuclear option' to help push President Obama's appointees through the Senate, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) warned Reid that he will go down as the worst majority leader in U.S. history. Watch Sen. McConnell's stunning remarks HERE.
Be the first to read the third of installment of the bestselling Michael Vey series!
LIKE the Michael Vey Official Fan Page on Facebook and be the first to read exclusive excerpts from Michael Vey 3: The Battle of the Ampere! The more 'likes' the page receives, the faster the exclusive content will be released, so make sure to SHARE the page with your friends too!
Professor: SCOTUS decisions on marriage are "pretty ominous"
Stu guest hosted last night's Glenn Beck Program and spoke with Princeton University professor and author Robbie George about what the Supreme Court decisions on the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8 mean for traditional marriage. Furthermore, in the aftermath of the Kermit Gosnell trial, what are the implications of recent abortion debates in Texas and elsewhere? WATCH
Last night, the panel began with a discussion about the scope of President Obama's executive discretion over the last 5 years. Will Cain describes Obama's tenure as the rule of rulers - not the rule of law. WATCH
Want up to the minute news & analysis from TheBlaze? Connect with us on social media. FOLLOW TheBlaze on Twitter and LIKE TheBlaze on Facebook to get the latest news updates directly in your newsfeed.
Snowden accuses U.S. officials of 'threatening' behavior
Edward Snowden reportedly emerged from his secret hiding place in the Moscow airport to discuss asylum and other issues with a human rights organization. In the process, Snowden called out the U.S. for 'threatening behavior', arguing the states have 'conspired to force to the ground a sovereign president's plane to effect a search for a political refugee.' Get the full story HERE.
The sequel to The Overton Window has finally arrived!
Glenn's blockbuster novel from 2010 now continues with The Eye of Moloch - a thriller that's seemingly been ripped right from today's headlines. Follow Molly and her group of 'Founders Keepers' as they work to expose the secrets of a government that wants them dead. If you're looking for a summer beach read or just something to help you get even less sleep at night, The Eye of Moloch is a perfect choice. Buy a copy now and get an invite to an exclusive online event with Glenn. Get all the details HERE.
6pm ET - Real News: From the Texas abortion battle to Janet Napolitano's resignation, the panel tackles the news-of-the-day.
7pm ET - Wilkow!: How will Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano resignation affect immigration reform? Andrew explains.
Saturday on TheBlaze TV: Don't miss a new episode of the Wonderful World of Stu at 10pm ET, followed by a hilarious episode of The B.S. of A. at 10:30pm ET.
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The Justice Department said Sunday that it will review the George Zimmerman case for possible civil rights violations, after a jury acquitted the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
In two weeks, National Program Director 
After every federal election it is imperative that citizens apply pressure to local election officials to clean up voter rolls. Right now, voters in over 25 states can access fresh records and begin researching. There are a number of specific projects you can take part of with True the Vote in your state - just get trained and get started! This work demands diligence and an open mind. If you're ready to join the effort, 
Dear Comrades,
WATCH LIVE: Closing arguments in the Zimmerman trial
