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Ironclad: Egypt Involved in Benghazi Attacks

From a trusted friend:

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

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

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

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

^th

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

Blessings,

Sponsorships are available as well and are as follows:

Gold Sponsor                    $3,000

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

Silver Sponsor                  $1,500

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

Bronze Sponsor                $500

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

WHAT IS COMMON CORE?

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

UNESCO PLEDGES SUPPORT OF COMMON CORE

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

 

THE UN'S AGENDA 21- COMMON CORE IMPLEMENTER!

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

COMMON CORE SCIENCE STANDARDS TEACH GLOBAL WARMING!

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

Please spread the word to all AMERICAN PATRIOTS!

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

Common Core Education is the INDOCTRINATION of our CHILDREN. 

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

The Development of Common Core, Explained by Michael Chapman

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

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

 She says about education:

#1) Total transformation of our society

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

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

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

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

Making America Work: Productive People, Productive Policies

March 25, 1986

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Angela Bean
Fayetteville, GA
StopCommonCore.com 

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

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

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

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

I hope these tools are a blessing to you!

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

IT IS TIME THAT EVERYONE GET EDUCATED ON THIS ISSUE.

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

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

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AGENDA 21 RESOURCE PAGEs

APC Newswire

Produced by American Policy Center
Email: admin@americanpolicy.org  Website: americanpolicy.org
Tom DeWeese, President
Kathleen Marquardt, Editor

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.
 
Here is why this case is important for everyone 

Read more:

We must stop the call for a  Constitutional Convention! 

Article V of the Constitution:

1. Gives NO guidelines for how to conduct a Con Con. 
2. NO rules on how delegates will be eligible or selected
3. States have NO Guarantees they will even be represented
4. Con Con could result in a COMPLETE CHANGE of our way of government
5. There simply are NO controls over the delegates once selected.             

Read more:

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.

Read more:

MONDAY BRIEF

The Zimmerman Verdict

The Foundation

"Let justice be done though the heavens should fall." --John Adams

Zimmerman Acquitted

In his column "Race Hustlers" last Thursday, Mark Alexander wrote, "Once the race hustlers and DoJ had plowed the Florida fields, Obama, the consummate racial agitator, nationalized the Zimmerman/Martin case by sowing this seed a month after the incident: 'This is a tragedy, uh ... uh and when I think about this boy, uh, I think about my own kids, uh ... I think that all of us need to do some soul searching to figure out how something like this happened. ... If I had a son he would look like Trayvon, and, uh, you know, I think [his parents] are right to expect that all of us as Americans, uh, are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves.'"

On the Zimmerman verdict, Alexander notes, "Now that Zimmerman has been rightfully exonerated, perhaps Obama can nationalize the race-based murder of a white man in Georgia by a group of black gangbangers. I suggest he start by declaring, 'If I had a son, he would look like those thugs...' who murdered Josh Chellew last week."

Government

"Benjamin Jealous of the NAACP is already lobbying Attorney General Eric Holder to indict Mr. Zimmerman on federal civil-rights charges. ... Millions of Americans would see such federal charges as an example of double jeopardy, and a politicized prosecution to boot. ... There is no doubt that many law-abiding black men are eyed suspiciously in some quarters because they are black. The motivation may sometimes be racial. But such a discussion also cannot exclude that the main victims of crimes committed by young black men are other blacks. ... Mr. Zimmerman made many mistakes that February evening, not least failing to heed police advice not to pursue Martin. Despite his acquittal, he will pay for those mistakes for years as he defends against a possible civil suit and must wear a bullet-proof vest to protect himself from threats of violent revenge that he has to take seriously. If there is any satisfaction in his acquittal, it is that the jurors followed the law's requirements that every defendant deserves a fair trial, even one who becomes a symbol of our polarized racial politics." --The Wall Street Journal

For the Record

"[Attorney General Eric] Holder's minions, it is worth remembering, consulted with the NAACP before the Justice Department dropped the New Black Panthers voter intimidation case that the government had already won. ... There would have been no Florida prosecution of Zimmerman absent the extortionate pressure brought to bear by Attorney General Eric Holder. We knew that even before learning last week that Justice's 'Community Relations Division' (Alinsky-style rabble-rousing under the guise of 'peacemaker') colluded at taxpayer expense with the NAACP and other agitators to demand that charges be brought against Zimmerman -- managing, in the process, to get Sanford police chief Bill Lee cashiered for daring to do his job faithfully, tune out the politics, and decline to arrest Zimmerman because the evidence didn't support it. Recall that contemporaneous with the spring 2012 demonstrations against Zimmerman that the Justice Department abetted -- and with President Obama's nod-and-wink incitement that, if he had a son, the son would 'look like Trayvon' -- Holder sped down to Florida. There, he sang the praises of race huckster extraordinaire Al Sharpton, joining Rev. No Justice, No Peace in calling for Zimmerman's scalp. Holder's M-O was to threaten a federal civil rights prosecution if Florida failed to act." --former DoJ prosecutor Andrew C. McCarthy

Common Core Letter Blitz 

RedState Morning Briefing

For July 16, 2013

1.  An Ecumenical Hope Post Zimmerman Trial

The death of Trayvon Martin and the Zimmerman trial show there are deep wounds and grievances in this country and too many people who profit from fanning the flames. Too many in the white community see violence in the black community and think, "That's their problem. Blacks killing blacks, we'll let them figure it out." But it is not their problem. It is all of our problem. No one wants to be a victim of crime. Besides, much of the crime is not related to race, but related truly to income and only superficially related to skin color. This is a problem that will continue to fester unless there is more dialogue. White and black America more and more speak in different language and, more and more, upper income white America speaks in a language completely different from the poor and middle class regardless of race.

From my vantage point, the best dialogue to transcend the divide is that of the saving Gospel that heals all wounds. Much of the societal decay we have now stems from decades of government trying and failing to feed the body with liberals trying and failing to feed the soul. There is, however, only one lasting food the soul can truly digest and only God can provide it. We will continue to have these problems unless evangelical, Bible believing churches, start building lasting relationships across racial lines in their own communities. There won't be uniform doctrine, but there is one Jesus who churches can share - the Jesus who is, not the Jesus some create.

Want to see evangelical, Bible believers together at a rally regardless of race? Go to a pro-life rally. More and more white pastors have convinced their black brethren that abortion is a blight on the black community. They are right. The number of abortions in the black community is astronomical.

Sadly, when black preachers rally against violence in their own community, too often the rallies consist of just the black preachers and a few white preachers sprinkled about. All too typically, these white preachers are the social justice liberals who are more interested in the social gospel and not the actual Gospel.

This has been an ecumenical failure among Bible believing, evangelical churches. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →

2.  Associated Press Stands with Late Term Abortion, Then Gets Coy

On late Friday night, Central Daylight Time, the state of Texas, through its elected representatives, sent to Governor Rick Perry for signature a law placing Texas's abortion policy to the left of Sweden's and France's. This was done after a rent-a-mob (in fairness, partially populated by Austinites still surprised they live in Texas) managed to postpone this event by screaming and jeering at the elected representatives once, and then coming back the next time with feces, urine, and bricks, in the event that someone in Texas thought Austinites and rent-a-mob lefties should be allowed to participate in civil discourse.

It was, needless to say, an emotionally charged moment. Pro-lifers thrilled to successfully passing a law requiring that abortion facilities be at least as clean as veterinary facilities, requiring abortionists to have the same admitting privileges most doctors get routinely, and eliminating the murder of viable in-utero children except in the always-exploited cases of life, health, or life-endangering (to the child) deformity. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →

3.  Reid's place in Senate history: a nuclear black chapter?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid can dish it out, but he can't take it.

Harry Reid was Senate Democratic Whip when George W. Bush became president. Under him, the Senate Democrats mounted an unprecedented filibuster campaign against Bush's judicial nominees. According to The Heritage Foundation's Todd Gaziano, the average number of days a Court of Appeals nominee waited for final Senate action grew from 39 during the Reagan Presidency, 95 during the George H. W. Bush Presidency, and 115 during the Clinton Presidency to 400 during the first 22 months of the second Bush presidency.

Heritage Hotsheet

Experts on the Day's Hottest News

Items for July 16, 2013 

Union Leaders Denounce the "Hollow Promises" of Obamacare

Latest Heritage Research:

ISSUE BRIEF  The Importance of Providing U.S. Food Aid during Egypt's Ongoing Political Crisis

ISSUE BRIEF
Protecting U.S. Territory Against Long-Range Missiles: Second Approach Needed

07/16/2013  

Even Unions Are Turning on Obamacare  

• Harry Reid is putting Obama nominees up for a vote in the Senate today-and if they don't pass, he will pursue changing the Senate rules.
• After living in communist Cuba, a family waited 10 years to become legal American citizens. A story of a woman's love for America and her disappointment with the amnesty bill.
• Will "North Colorado" be the 51st state?
• Wine bar. Hair salon. 130 feet below ground. Maybe you can live in this post-apocalyptic "four star" timeshare.
•  Will Americans starve if food stamps aren't delivered via the farm bill?  

   

   

July 16, 2013   

Today's Articles:

Honoring Trayvon Martin
Daren Jonescu
If you want to 'honor Trayvon Martin,' stop actively corrupting the character and sentiment of each new generation of Trayvons. More

Barack Obama could have saved Trayvon Martin
Walt Ughes
What meesages did the president send to black youth? What messages didn't he send? More

Honor Trayvon by Ending the Black Genocide
Jeannie DeAngelis
Barack Obama and his supporters are oddly selective about the tragedies afflicting black children that merit their response. More

The 'Greendex': Another useless eco-indicator?
Sierra Rayne
The latest global warming blather purports to scientifically quantify guilt. The rest of it is about as absurd. More

No More Mr. Nice Guy
Christopher Chantrill
Republicans really need to get their Democratic friends into a position where they have a raised 'incentive to negotiate'. More

Does Obama justify Snowden?
Tom Trinko
Given that liberals have no problem with illegal wiretaps or misuse of government data, it's no stretch to be concerned about what they might do if they had the NSA data. More

Apocalyptic Threats Cannot be Hoped Away: Iranian Nukes Must be Stopped
Noah Beck
In a commerce-critical region where "might makes right" and only the strong survive, Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons could have catastrophic consequences More

American Thinker Blog

Radio Host Mark Levin suggests the States call an Article Five Amendment Convention
July 16, 2013
How it could happen More

More lies from the main stream media about the Zimmerman case
July 15, 2013
Today's Chicago Tribune editorial on the Zimmerman verdict repeats some of the lies and misrepresentations that have helped create so much of the anger over this case More

Zimmerman's Civil Rights
July 15, 2013
Blacks celebrated the OJ verdict, a verdict that exonerated a man who likely killed two people. But there were no celebrations by "white Hispanics" once the verdict was read in the Zimmerman trial. More

An inconvenient fact about the DOJ's civil rights case against Zimmerman
July 15, 2013
The FBI determined he's not a racist. More

Obama's Reasons for the Martin/Zimmerman Hype
July 15, 2013
Had the shooting been the other way around, this would not even be a story. More

Zimmerman lawyer says he'll move to sue NBC for libel
July 15, 2013
NBC's "everyone else was doing it" defense. More

Angela Corey vs. Alan Dershowitz
July 15, 2013
Calls for a special prosecutor to investigate Corey's dishonest affidavit. More

How many Democrats voted for ObamaCare hoping that the Supreme Court would kill it?
July 15, 2013
Train wreck, indeed. More

Flash! Obamacare to cover sharknado injuries
July 15, 2013
Reassuring words from Secretary Sebelius. More

The Zimmerman Trial? It's That Simple
July 15, 2013
It all depends on your view of Zimmerman as a racist. More

Now Obama and Holder are stuck
July 15, 2013
Obama and Holder are caught on the horns of a dilemma, and may have to pay for their racialist politics More

Blacks March to Oppose Amnesty
July 15, 2013
Are Democrats now starting to lose the Black vote? More

LibertyNEWS TV - "Is Obama Facing a Tough Political Squeeze Because of Zimmerman Verdict?"

UNNECESSARY Shooting Trayvon to Death, A.G. Eric Holder Addresses Zimmerman Not Guilty Verdict

Judge Jeanine Pirro - The Politics Of Justice - Opening Statement! - July 14, 2013

CBS Bob Schieffer Has Strong Words for Obama Administration: When the US Led by Example

A word to left-wing students

Trayvon's Attorney in Hoodie Listening to Pres. Obama after Verdic: a Tragedy for America

SHOCK: If Zimmerman Was Black, Police 'Would Have Beat Him To Death' - Dem Rep. Charlie Rangel

July 15, 2013
  Sharia courts in Britain:
A hidden camera report 

This stunning, disturbing, eye-opening hidden camera investigative report is a MUST SEE!

Go inside a sharia court in Britain and ask yourself: Do we want this in the United States???

Hamas-connected CAIR claims that American Laws for American Courts (ALAC) legislation is "anti-Muslim."

When you watch this must see video below, you'll see how dishonest that CAIR claim is. That's because the Muslim women abused by the sharia court system in Britain would be protected under ALAC.

The Secrets Of Britain's Sharia Councils: Hidden Camera Report

The Economic Blunders Behind the Arab Revolutions

by David P. Goldman
The Wall Street Journal
July 12, 2013

http://www.meforum.org/3554/arab-revolutions-economics

Be the first of your friends to like this.

Sometimes economies can't be fixed after decades of statist misdirection, and the people simply get up and go. Since the debt crisis of the 1980s, 10 million poor Mexicans-victims of a post-revolutionary policy that kept rural Mexicans trapped on government-owned collective farms-have migrated to the United States. Today, Egyptians and Syrians face economic problems much worse than Mexico's, but there is nowhere for them to go. Half a century of socialist mismanagement has left the two Arab states unable to meet the basic needs of their people, with economies so damaged that they may be past the point of recovery in our lifetimes.

This is the crucial background to understanding the state failure in Egypt and civil war in Syria. It may not be within America's power to reverse their free falls; the best scenario for the U.S. is to manage the chaos as best it can.

Of Egypt's 90 million people, 70% live on the land. Yet the country produces barely half of Egyptians' total caloric consumption. The poorer half of the population survives on subsidized food imports that stretch a budget deficit close to a sixth of the country's GDP, about double the ratio in Greece. With the global rise in food prices, Egypt's trade deficit careened out of control to $25 billion in 2010, up from $10 billion in 2006, well before the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.

In Syria, the government's incompetent water management-exacerbated by drought beginning in 2006-ruined millions of farmers before the May 2011 rebellion. The collapse of Syrian agriculture didn't create the country's ethnic and religious fault lines, but it did leave millions landless, many of them available and ready to fight.

Egyptians are ill-prepared for the modern world economy. Forty-five percent are illiterate. Nearly all married Egyptian women suffer genital mutilation. One-third of marriages are between cousins, a hallmark of tribal society. Only half of the 51 million Egyptians between the ages of 15 and 64 are counted in the government's measure of the labor force. If Egypt counted its people the way the U.S. does, its unemployment rate would be well over 40% instead of the official 13% rate. Nearly one-third of college-age Egyptians register for university but only half graduate, and few who do are qualified for employment in the 21st century.

That is the tragic outcome of 60 years of economic policies designed for political control rather than productivity. We have seen similar breakdowns, for example in Latin America during the 1980s, but with a critical difference. The Latin debtor countries all exported food. Egypt is a banana republic without the bananas.

Read more:

To the editor,

      In describing the economic collapse of Egypt and Syria, David Goldman might have also noted that none of Egypt or Syria's failures are the result of Israel's dispute with the Arabs.   To the contrary, that popular myth has been used as an excuse by inept leaders with ruined economies as justification for more repression.  Israel is situated between Syria and Egypt, populated by descendants of refugees from throughout the Middle East and Europe, and with no more natural resources than surrounding states.  But Israel's Jewish and Arab citizens have thrived in a nation marked by tolerance, economic freedom, individual rights and a vibrant democratic process.

     The ultimate irony is that the existential story of the Jews begins with mutually beneficial collaboration between Joseph and Pharaoh over 3500 years ago, at another time of scarcity. Unfortunately, too many of today's Egyptians, along with other Arabs, would rather suffer than cooperate with Israel.  That is also a problem they need to overcome.

John R. Cohn

1015 Chestnut Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107 

In Depth - Immigrant Gains and Native Losses In the Job Market, 2000 to 2013   Published 2013-07-15
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Non-Sexualized Boy Scouts Alternative Launched   Published 2013-07-15
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Egypt Punishes the Palestinians   Published 2013-07-15
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Daily Email - July 15, 2013
    Top Story  CNN Commentator Embarrassed By Zimmerman Verdict
By Cliff Kincaid  |  July 14, 2013
After the not-guilty verdict was handed down, George Zimmerman attorney Mark O'Mara strongly criticized the media's role in getting his client charged in the case. He compared the media to "mad scientists" who had turned Zimmerman into a "monster." He said the media "took a story that was fed to you and you ran with [...]
    From the AIM Blogs
Pew: Only 28% of Americans Think Journalists Contribute "A Lot" to Society
By Don Irvine  |  July 12, 2013

Washington Post Express Shamelessly Attacks Walmart for DC City Council's Actions
By Manzanita McMahon  |  July 12, 2013
  Guest Column  Obama's Rule by Decree
By Andrew McCarthy  |  July 15, 2013
Barack Obama has never been clear on the distinction between sovereign and servant, between the American people and those, including himself, elected to do the people's business. We saw that yet again this week with the president's unilateral rewrite of the Bataan Death March known as the Affordable Care Act - Obamacare. For this president, [...]
    AIM Newswire
BlackBerry CEO says they're Open to Any Options

Too Little, Too Late: NATO building Cyber Security Center

Top Pakistani aide killed in Suicide Bombing 

To avoid being the 21st century Whig Party, GOP must forget minorities and focus on White votes

Jul 15, 2013 06:13 am | Coach Collins

By Derrick Hollenbeck, staff writer

We've heard ad nauseam the advice from our good friend Chuck Schumer about how the Republicans can win the White House back if they would only grant amnesty to millions of new Democrat voters and erase our southern border. This is of course a lie designed to destroy the Republican Party akin to deliberately directing a lost motorist to take a washed out bridge during a roaring Nor'easter. Because what Democrats say and do is so often Satanic and purposefully dishonest here's some advice from a rank and file conservative who actually wants the Republican Party to survive and grow.

The road to future political dominance is blindingly obvious to anyone who can count, but our Republican "leaders" are playing make believe with the clear truth. As damaged as our economy is we are still head and shoulders above the world.

The wagon of America's economy is pulled by ... Continue Reading:To avoid being the 21st century Whig Party, GOP must forget minorities and focus on White votes

comments | read more

Muslims kill dogs everywhere. When they get strong enough they will kill dogs here

Jul 14, 2013 01:00 pm | Coach Collins

Watch how a plain speaking American explains why Muslims kill dogs and the lengths they will go to carry out deadly attacks on dogs where they feel they safely can. The tipping point seems to be 6%. When the Islamic population hits that number they start their attacks on "man's best Friend." What do we do about this?

http://www.westernjournalism.com/dead-dog-jihad/

comments | read more

13 Americans Dead... The Suspect? President Obama

Washington, D.C. is a town run largely by lawyers. Naturally, this leads to a ton of convoluted and unnecessary legislation. And this overabundance of legality often leads to twisted logic in our nation's capital - and confusion for us. Take... Continue to Post 

Reid Goes Nuclear For Union Bosses

In 2005, Senate Republicans floated the idea of altering Senate rules to eliminate the filibuster for judicial nominees. The proposal, dubbed the nuclear option, involved breaking Senate rules to change Senate rules. (The rules require a two-thirds vote for rules... Continue to Post 

Video: Protests Erupt Nationwide

 

The Hypocrisy Of Selective Outrage: Zimmerman Vs. Martin

There are no winners in this case. A young man is dead. Trayvon Martin's family will never see him again, and George Zimmerman's life - though he avoided a prison sentence - will never be the same. Having all the... Continue to Post 

Will Zimmerman Face Federal Civil-Rights Charges?

The not-guilty verdict in George Zimmerman's trial for second-degree murder and manslaughter is not the end of the legal story. There are still a few court cases to pursue, including a few that may emanate from Zimmerman's camp, such as... Continue to Post 

Zimmerman Railroad Was On Track For A Conviction

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,... Continue to Post 

Odds Increase For GOP Senate Takeover

For the first time this year, Republican strategists believe they're within striking distance of taking back control of the Senate, thanks to untimely Democratic Senate retirements and red-state Democratic recruits deciding not to run for Congress. The latest blow to... Continue to Post 

Erase The Boarders And Erase The Republican Party

We've heard ad nauseam the advice from our good friend Chuck Schumer about how the Republicans can win the White House back if they would only grant amnesty to millions of   new Democrat voters and erase our southern border. This... Continue to Post 

Sharpton Plans National Protests

The Rev. Al Sharpton is calling for a "Justice for Trayvon National Day of Action" on Saturday and say demonstrations are planned in more than 100 cities nationwide. Saying there would not have been a trial in Florida without pressure... Continue to Post 

For Food Stamps, A Real Work Requirement

The failure of the House farm bill in June was a victory against logrolling. An alliance of rural supporters of farm subsidies and urban supporters of food welfare had for years discouraged reform of either set of programs. When that... Continue to Post 

Video: Alan Dershowitz : Prosecutor Should Be Disbarred

 

Video: Benghazi Black Fridays

 

Video: Zimmerman's Brother Goes After Trayvon Martin

 

Video: Crowds Chant "No Justice, No Peace"

 

Video: It May Be Time To Ditch Your Church

 

Jury Finds George Zimmerman Not Guilty

A Florida jury found George Zimmerman not guilty on Saturday night. Zimmerman, 29, said he was acting in self-defense when he shot the unarmed Trayvon Martin, 17, in the chest during an altercation in a gated community of Sanford, Fla.,... Continue to Post 

Video: Overpasses For Obama's Impeachment Goes Nationwide

A Missed Opportunity This Past July 4th

July 4 refers to the day the Declaration of Independence from the British monarchical yoke was issued by some 56 noted individuals who risked their lives, fortunes, and their sacred honor for it. Several thousand American colonists fought and perished... Continue to Post 

Video: Petition To Prosecute Eric Holder Nears 1 Million

America, Requiem En Pace

For those educated in government indoctrination centers (aka public skools), that is Latin for "Rest in Peace". In case you have been living in a cave on the dark side of the moon, or are a moderate or Establishment Republican,... Continue to Post 

Morning Jolt  . . . with Jim Geraghty

July 15, 2013

So, no big news this weekend, huh? 

The Zimmerman Trial: Just One More All-or-Nothing Moment for Our Nation's Media

In the past few months, we've witnessed news events where the media quickly turned the story into a binary choice between two options:

Do we want to support the Syrian rebels or the Assad regime? Is Snowden a hero or a traitor? Do we stand with Morsi or with the Egyptian military?

Of course, in all of those examples, both antagonists are deeply flawed, perhaps too flawed to be worthy of official U.S. support, or even public-opinion support. The Syrian rebels have all kinds of Islamist, priest-throat-cutting goons in their ranks, and they're taking on a brutal dictator who's used sarin a few times; Morsi took Egypt in an autocratic, Islamist direction  . . . and then the military forces that replaced him started shooting protesters.

Can you find the good guy in this picture? Hint: he's next to Waldo.

Snowden may have done the public a service by exposing an invasive surveillance system that violated privacy rights and perhaps the Fourth Amendment, but he also broke his oath, the law, and is now playing footsie with some of the world's most repressive regimes.

I mentioned this no-white-hats phenomenon to someone and got a "Fifty Shades of Grey" joke in reply, but even that implies some light greys and folks who aren't so bad; think of some of these situations, particularly Syria, as "Varying Shades of Charcoal."

And now we have the George Zimmerman case. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that so many of our fellow citizens are choosing sides on Team Trayvon or Team Zimmerman, and insisting that the only form of "justice" would be the verdict that they prefer.

Why must we pick a side? Why is there this compulsion to declare one side is the "good guy" here? Keep in mind, everything Mark Steyn is saying here is right, that a criminal-justice system, terrified of public opinion, threw a slew of implausible charges against the defendant, while a slew of loud voices in the media and in government tried to shoehorn murky events into a simplistic narrative that inflames racial tensions. 

Everyone remembers the president's comment, "If I had a son, he would look like Trayvon." But another bit of faux-insightful blather the president said that day is even more irksome, his declaration, "All of us have to do some soul-searching to figure out how does something like this happen."

Er, no, not really. We figure out how something like this happens with a police investigation and trial. It doesn't require "all of us" to investigate, and we certainly won't find useful court-admissible evidence within our souls.

Chances are, you've never even met anyone involved in this case. Chances are, there's absolutely nothing you could have done that would have changed events that night. So no, you don't really have to look into your soul. It's not your fault.

Obama's post-verdict statement offered more of the same:

I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son.  And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we're doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities.  We should ask ourselves if we're doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis.  We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this.  As citizens, that's a job for all of us.  That's the way to honor Trayvon Martin.

But even if we look at everything that was said and presented in this trial, and like the jury, we conclude Zimmerman did not commit second-degree murder, and in fact acted in self-defense . . . that doesn't mean we have to lionize him. Being anti-racial-demagoguery doesn't necessarily mean we have to be pro-Zimmerman. Part of Zimmerman's defense was to insist he was not capable of defending himself in a physical altercation. Not merely not that good at fighting, his former trainer said he could barely throw a punch:

Jurors were presented an unflattering assessment of Zimmerman's physical abilities this week: Soft. Unathletic.

Days after testimony by a state witness that Zimmerman had been training in mixed-martial-arts, the defense called on Zimmerman's trainer to counter the notion that he was a capable fighter.

"He's just soft, physically soft," said Adam Pollock, of Kokopelli's Gym and Training Center in Longwood.

The trainer said Zimmerman started out at a 0.5 in grappling, advancing only to a 1 or 1.5 out of 10.

The trainer added Zimmerman "didn't know how to effectively punch."

That's a rather strange condition for a neighborhood-watch guy, right? If you know that you're likely to lose a physical confrontation, wouldn't you do everything possible to avoid one -- i.e, not follow someone you think is up to no good? If you know that your only recourse if someone tries to harm you is to pull out a gun, wouldn't you try to avoid that confrontation?

A court has ruled Zimmerman's not guilty of intentional murder. He appears to be guilty of bad judgment. 

Indeed, we have good reason to complain that the media anointed Trayvon Martin the embodiment of youthful innocence, relentlessly depicting him with old photos that made him appear much younger than he was when the confrontation occurred. Some evidence points to Martin not being the saintly portrait of innocence depicted in the Hollister-shirt photo -- marijuana use, suspension from school -- but again, nobody deserves to die over an evening altercation.  But let's also stipulate no 17-year-old deserves to get shot dead, before their life has even really begun. We'll never know if Martin would have gone on to become a gang member or a success story, rising above a broken home and troubled youth. His death is a tragedy, and Zimmerman pulled the trigger and caused it.

Again, without proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman didn't act in self-defense, that doesn't add up to second-degree murder. (Some jurisdictions have different types of self-defense, and some have a category called "involuntary manslaughter" -- most often occurring when one person punches another and ends up killing them by causing a brain hemorrhage.) By pulling the trigger, Zimmerman knew he would be doing harm to Martin, but he was not necessarily intending to kill.

The Stakes Just Got a Little Higher in Every Competitive 2014 Senate Race

The weekend also brought a lucky break for Republican hopes of capturing a majority in the Senate in 2014:

Former Gov. Brian Schweitzer shocked the Montana and national political establishments Saturday with his announcement that he wouldn't run for an open U.S. Senate seat in 2014 as many had expected.

"I never got in this race," Schweitzer told the Gazette State Bureau in a telephone interview Saturday morning.

He acknowledged that he considered running for the Senate seat being vacated by longtime Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, but in the end he decided a legislative body isn't the place for him.

"I'm a doer," Schweitzer said.

He said he likes to plow half a field in the morning and see the progress by noon before he finishes the job in the afternoon.

"I'm used to being in charge of things, getting things done," Schweitzer said. "Unfortunately, the U.S. Senate is a place where things die."

Keep that comment in mind for when Schweitzer inevitably endorses the Democratic tomato can that wins the primary. "I tell you, my fellow Montanans, State Senator John Smith is exactly the right man to serve in the place where things die!" Maybe they should nominate a mortician.

Rick Moran: "Schweitzer would have been a clear favorite going into the race, given his proven vote-getting and fundraising skills. His assumed candidacy explained the reluctance of GOP Congressman Steve Daines to challenge for the seat - a better possibility now that Schweitzer has declined to run."

A Daines bid could create a domino effect: "Two other Republicans, former state Sen. Corey Stapleton, of Billings, and current state Rep. Champ Edmunds, of Missoula, already are in the U.S. Senate race. Edmunds has said he would drop to the House race if Daines goes for the Senate."

Here's how Politico sees the state of play at this point: "Republicans are favored to win two seats left vacant by Democratic retirements -- in West Virginia and South Dakota -- and the Schweitzer move will make it much easier for the GOP to win in Montana. That means the battle for the majority will likely be fought in a handful of red states with Democratic incumbents, including North Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana and Alaska."

Of course, a bunch of Senate losses in the past two cycles have pretty much beaten the excessive optimism out of us, hasn't it?

Democrats: Investigate the IRS Investigator!

The Democrats' new strategy on the IRS scandal: Investigate the investigator, it's all his fault anyway:

As Republicans press their investigation into the Internal Revenue Service, Democrats are trying to turn the focus to the Republican ties of the agency's chief investigator, Inspector General J. Russell George, whose May audit ignited the firestorm.

Late last week, House Democrats charged that some of Mr. George's work has been "highly misleading," and they demanded that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which has been taking the lead in investigating the IRS, call back the inspector general not just as an investigator, but as the target of lawmakers' inquiry.

"The committee has obtained new documents that raise serious questions about the inspector general's report, his testimony before Congress, and his subsequent assertions in letters to members of Congress," Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland Democrat, said Friday in a letter to committee Chairman Darrel E. Issa, California Republican, demanding that Republicans call Mr. George to reappear before the panel.

The moves put more scrutiny on Mr. George, whose official title is Treasury inspector general for tax administration. He served as an aide to Sen. Bob Dole, Kansas Republican, and President George H.W. Bush before President George W. Bush tapped him in 2002 to serve as inspector general of the Corporation for National and Community Service and to his current post in 2004.

Those Republican ties have Democrats questioning whether Mr. George is serving as an honest broker in his investigations.

"This is a Republican-appointed inspector general. This is someone who has donated and worked for prominent Republicans. Are we as Democrats and the public to believe that he is objective and simply followed the truth where it leads?" said Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, a Virginia Democrat on the oversight panel who questioned Mr. George during a May 22 hearing.

Did Connolly have any gripes with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood? Defense Secretaries Chuck Hagel or Robert Gates? Because they've worked for prominent Republicans, donated to Republicans, and so on.

Meanwhile in Syria . . .

I wonder how much the administration is counting on the Israeli Defense Forces to do any particularly dirty work in Syria:

Israel carried out an air attack in Syria this month that targeted advanced antiship cruise missiles sold to the Syria government by Russia, American officials said Saturday.

The officials, who declined to be identified because they were discussing intelligence reports, said the attack occurred July 5 near Latakia, Syria's principal port city. The target was a type of missile called the Yakhont, they said.

The Russian-made weapon has been a particular worry for the Pentagon because it expanded Syria's ability to threaten Western ships that could be used to transport supplies to the Syrian opposition, enforce a shipping embargo or support a possible no-flight zone.

The missile also represented a threat to Israel's naval forces and raised concerns that it might be provided to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia that has joined the war on the side of the Syrian government.

The attack against the missiles came to light after Syrian rebels said that they were not responsible for large explosions at Latakia on July 5, and that a missile warehouse had been hit. American officials did not provide details on the extent of the damage or the number of missiles struck.

ADDENDUM: New York magazine admits that the city's politics are getting pretty ugly these days:

Dare we call them . . . two-faced?

NRO Digest - July 15, 2013

Today on National Review Online . . .

Monday, July 15, 2013

To: Friends & Supporters

From: Gary L. Bauer


The Zimmerman Verdict

There is no denying the tragic nature of the Trayvon Martin case. The confrontation between Martin and George Zimmerman happened over a year ago. Today one young man is dead and the other's chance for a normal life has been destroyed.

Both the Martin and Zimmerman families are Christians. No doubt both were praying for justice for their sons -- a prayer that obviously had to leave one family disappointed.

As tragic as this case is, even more disturbing is what the exploitation of the trial tells us about the state of race relations and America's culture. Martin's death was shamelessly exploited by race baiters like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. The media quickly took sides, and the distortions were unbelievable.

Initial reports tried to ignore the fact that George Zimmerman was Hispanic. Evidence supporting his description of events was often ignored by the media. NBC News had to fire a producer for editing a 911 tape to make Zimmerman appear racist. The Zimmerman family has sued the network for defamation.

A few weeks after the shooting, President Obama, instead of calming emotions, waded into the controversy, famously saying, "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon." In spite of the politicization of the case, local prosecutors determined there was not enough evidence to charge Zimmerman, and investigators ruled out racism as a motive.

The Sanford police chief was fired for his refusal to arrest Zimmerman. The state of Florida, the FBI and the Justice Department all stepped in and took over the investigation.

This weekend, nearly a year and a half later, the jury cleared Zimmerman, and thus upheld the initial judgment of local officials who refused to charge him. Liberal Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz believes the state's special prosecutor should be investigated for violating George Zimmerman's rights.

I can't help but wonder what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would think of America if he were alive today. Today he would see black men sitting in the Oval Office, on the Supreme Court and in the United States Senate. Today he could not find a single water fountain or restroom labeled "Whites Only." Housing and employment discrimination are illegal.

But I think King would be crushed to see what cultural relativism has done to minority Americans: fatherless homes, a "gangster" culture and rampant drug and alcohol abuse.

Here's what is truly sickening about this Martin/Zimmerman circus: Since Trayvon Martin died that February night in 2012, hundreds of young black men have been gunned down. Not one of those shootings was committed by a volunteer neighborhood watchman. The news of the carnage causes no marches or visits by Jackson and Sharpton. President Obama seldom mentions the victims.

Overwhelmingly, young black men are killed by young black men. Black women are raped by other black men. When people start filling the streets to protest those things, we will know that we are on the road to recovery.


From First To Fifth

According to a recent poll of Iowa voters, the top contenders for the 2016 GOP nomination are Rand Paul (18%), Chris Christie (16%), Paul Ryan (15%) and Jeb Bush (14%).

At this stage, polling the next presidential race is almost meaningless. A lot can happen between now and 2016 to radically alter the dynamics. The only thing we can reasonably infer from this poll is that Iowa voters don't care too much for the Senate's quasi-amnesty bill.

Five months ago, Marco Rubio topped the list of Republican presidential candidates. But after leading the charge for the Senate's so-called immigration reform bill, the voters of the nation's first presidential caucus state have evidently soured on Rubio. Now he's fifth, with 11% support.


The Latest "Catch & Release" Outrage

One of the issues that derailed a major immigration reform effort during the Bush Administration was public outrage over "catch and release" programs. Rather than prosecuting illegal immigrants who were caught entering the country, they were simply released onto the streets with an order to show up in court. Catch and release demonstrated how ineffective U.S. border security measures were.

Thanks to the Obama Administration, catch and release is back, but with a new twist. This time it's not illegal immigrants, but drug smugglers, who are being caught and released.

Last week CBS News reported that federal officials "generally won't prosecute traffickers moving less than 150 pounds of marijuana." According to one Border Patrol agent, as many as 60 drug smugglers a month are caught and let go. Often times, "federal agents are stuck giving smugglers a ride to the nearest bus stop."

Many local border communities don't have the resources to prosecute every drug smuggler who is intercepted. So the federal government stepped in and provided more than $30 million in support.

But evidently prosecuting drug smugglers is not a priority for the Obama Administration. CBS reported that funding for prosecutions has dropped to $5 million this year, and "There's no money in the White House budget request for next year." And that is why they are being released.  

The Editors' Top Picks

  Zimmerman Not Guilty; Unrest and Calls for Federal Charges Begin  The verdict in the Zimmerman case was hardly a surprise to those closely following the case. But despite the evidence supporting the jury's decision, unrest and calls for federal charges have already begun.
  NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly to Replace Napolitano?  NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly's political connections seem to make him a top pick to replace Janet Napolitano as Homeland Security secretary.
  Egypt's Socialist Interim Leaders  The new interim leaders of Egypt appointed by the military have followed the pattern of being secular, internationalist, and socialist-leaning.
  State Attorney Employee Who Testified in Zimmerman Case Fired  Ben Kruidbos, former IT director in the Florida State Attorney's office, was fired for having testified that prosecutors withheld evidence from the Zimmerman defense team.
  Texas Legislature Passes Pro-Life Bill; Pro-Aborts Promise Challenge  As a pro-abortion mob continued to threaten the legislative process, the Texas State Senate passed a bill banning late-term abortions in the state - a bill Gov. Rick Perry has vowed to sign into law.
  DOJ Defunds La. Military Youth Program Over Religious Content  The DOJ has defunded a local Young Marines youth outreach after the sheriff who oversees the program refused to remove content that enforces faith in God. 

House Members Raise Constitutional Concerns Over Senate Amnesty Bill

Over the last week, several House Republicans have raised constitutional concerns regarding the Senate amnesty bill, S. 744, that would prohibit the lower chamber from taking up the legislation.

Click here to read the full article.

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House GOP Leaders Craft DREAM Act

Two House leaders critical to the immigration debate, Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), are crafting a Republican version of the DREAM Act called the "KIDS Act".

Click here to read the full article.

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House GOP Immigration Meeting Produces More Questions than Answers

House GOP Leadership left the closed-door immigration policy meeting last week reiterating that they will not take up the Senate's 1,200 page "comprehensive" immigration reform bill.

Click here to read the full article.

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Homeland Security Secretary Takes New Job Amidst Immigration Battle

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced Friday she is stepping down after more than four-years with the Obama Administration to become the next president of the University of California system.

Click here to read the full article.

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Poll Finds 60 Percent of Hispanics Back 'Enforcement First' Approach to Immigration Reform

According to a recent poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, a majority of Hispanic voters support amnesty only after the border is secure.

Click here to read the full article.

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New FAIR Report Shows Senate Bill Harms American Workers

A newly released FAIR report, "Out of the Shadows: Shining a Light on Immigration and the Plight of the American Worker," explains how current U.S. immigration policy harms American workers, and makes the case that current proposals on Capitol Hill to grant amnesty and increase guest workers will only further harm native-born workers.

Click here to read the full article.

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Massachusetts Committee Considers Anti-Detainer Bill

The Massachusetts Legislature held a hearing on Tuesday in the Joint Judiciary Committee to discuss House Bill 1613, a bill that prohibits state and local law enforcement from honoring ICE detainers in all but a very limited number of circumstances.

Click here to read the full article.

Today's Headlines:  Monday, July 15, 2013

Republicans Blame Obama Funding-Cuts for 3rd Failure of U.S. Missile Defense Test

Rep. Steve King: Why Pass Border Security Bill When Obama Will Ignore It?

Michelle Obama Gives a Nod to 'Walking School Buses' 
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Liberal Law Prof: Zimmerman Case 'Should Never Have Been Brought in the First Place'

Obama: 'Jury Has Spoken': Obama's Justice Department: It's Not Over Yet 
Murder? Homicide Rate Hits 30-Year Low Among 10-24 Yr Olds

Obama: U.S. Needs More Taxpayers; Calls for Fewer Babies But 'More Immigrants'

Sen. Reid 'Happy' That Washington Has the 'Mets' for a Baseball Team

Krauthammer: Napolitano's Record 'Was the Underwear Didn't Explode'

Poll: 85% of Americans Dissatisfied with Government's Handling of Nation's Finances

Planned Parenthood Ohio Protests Pro-Life Law With Ad Featuring Rape Victim

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Bishop: Catholic Mom Murdered by Gay Man 'Died a Martyr for Her Faith'

Asiana to Sue San Francisco TV Station Over Racially Offensive Pilots' Names

Obese Boy Scouts Excluded From This Year's National Jamboree

MSNBC Host on Zimmerman Verdict: 'I Live in a Country That Makes Me Wish My Boys Away'

Latin American Leftists Want U.N. to Punish Diversion of Bolivian Jet Thought to Be Carrying Snowden

COMMENTARY:

Was Justice Carried?
By Rich Galen
What I don't get is how a bunch of people who were not in the courtroom, who probably only watched snippets of the coverage on evening cable news programs, decided that they knew how this was all supposed to turn out, and an acquittal was not it.

NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP:

Obese Scouts kept out of national Jamboree
TSA's turns to electronic 'randomizers' to avoid racial profiling accusations
Pennsylvania voter-ID law goes on trial Monday
House Republicans will vote this week to delay, not defund, the individual mandate
Police declare unlawful assembly in Hollywood; make arrests
LGBT group finds acceptance at evangelical college
Decline of cursive writing means kids can't read historical documents
With Napolitano out at DHS, White House begins to vet replacements
Fairfax City abortion clinic, busiest in Virginia, closes
16-year-old boy one of 3 dead after shootings across Chicago Sunday
Rapper Lil Reese to cops during drug arrest: 'This ain't a big deal. I'm gangster'

Capitalism Impedes Breeding; Socialism to Boost Baby Quotas 

Today's news: National birthrate hits an all-time low due to weak economic recovery.

This means, comrades, that American workers and peasants are holding off on their production of new labor force members until the full implementation of Socialism in America, since the uncertainties of the present quasi-capitalistic market are inappropriate for the development of Young Socialists. In order to improve the USSA's breeding program, it is imperative that the People's Congress immediately pass the Immigration Reform Bill so that more fertile populations can help America replace its decreasing labor pool necessary to sustain the State's wealth redistribution plans...

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