If you see a story that you believe would be useful and important to our readers, simply respond to this email with a link and a brief description of why it is important. (Even if it may be obvious)
If you wish to unsubscribe (and we hope you don't) please click the "safe unsubscribe" link.
Ex-Border Patrol Agents: Politicians Helping Cartels In US
I reported last Thursday that Mexican cartels have been hiring United States soldiers as hit men. However, Border Patrol agents are now warning that Mexican drug cartels are actively operating inside the United States and spending millions of dollars each year to expand their networks here.
Even more telling than that was the fact that these agents pointed the finger at politicians
and said they were protecting their illegal activities.
In an open letter to the American people in late July, several retired Border Patrol agents wrote on behalf of the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers and issued their warning to the citizens of the U.S.
According to the Costa Rica Star, the United States Air Force transported nearly twenty-four tons of government-seized cocaine from Costa Rica to Miami, Florida, on July 27.
Commentary and official press releases from Costa Rica's Organization of Judicial Investigations explain that the Central American nation had been encountering serious problems with the destruction of cocaine bound for the United States that local authorities had confiscated. With so much cocaine to destroy-and with their lone incinerator broken-, the government of Costa Rica had to resort to using a cement factory to dispose of the contraband. However, their relationship with the factory came to an end when employees and other individuals involved in the risky operation began stealing and stockpiling the drugs on the sly.
According to the Costa Rica Star, Costa Rica's Organization of Judicial Investigations petitioned the United States' Drug Enforcement Agency for help, and on July 27 , an American Air Force C-17 left Costa Rica with nearly twenty four tons of the schedule II central nervous stimulant. However, few Costa Rican government officials knew about the operation, which has suggested ulterior motives and goals for the transport.
The Republican Party is seemingly on the verge of embracing so-called comprehensive immigration reform. Using a tactic best described as "calculated incrementalism," House Republicans plan to pass a series of individual bills addressing various aspects of immigration reform, which will then be combined in conference with the Senate bill. Former House Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) cut right to the heart of the subterfuge, saying that the Republicans' promise "to act tough on border security while looking to secure amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants has become infuriatingly all-too-familiar."
Indications that House Republicans plan to acquiesce to amnesty were revealed by House Majority leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) last Sunday. Cantor was repeatedly asked if the House would put 11 million illegal aliens on the so-called "pathway to citizenship." Cantor responded that, while his chamber would not be taking up the Senate version of the bill, they would be taking the position that the system is "broken" and "we want to fix it." He also expressed support for the House version of the DREAM Act, because children should not he held "liable for illegal acts of their parents."
No data collected, so nothing to give feds if they ask
BOB UNRUH
Trust Google? The National Security Agency, which routinely collects its data, does.
After all, it's one of the companies from which Washington apparently routinely pulls data about what Americans are reading, doing, seeing, researching, hunting and contemplating.
So an entrepreneur says he has started an alternative service, which offers encryption services to keep your details, well, your details. Out of Google's files. And away from the NSA.
The website is called Zeekly.com and founder Jeffrey Sisk explains it doesn't retain search history, and also runs on 2048-bit SSL encryption to keep private what Internet users don't want public.
On his blog, he explains that there are a number of steps a consumer can take to make the options for the government to access personal information a lot harder.
California Gov. Brown signs transgender-student bill
FoxNews.com | August 13, 2013
California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a controversial bill into law Monday afternoon allowing the state's transgender public school students to choose which bathrooms they use and whether they participate in boy or girl sports.
The law would cover the state's 6.2 million elementary and high school kids in public schools. . .
""Now, every transgender student in California will be able to get up in the morning knowing that when they go to school as their authentic self" . . .
"Opponents of the bill say allowing students of one gender to use facilities intended for the other could invade the other students' privacy."
On October 1st, millions of Americans will be required to enroll in Obamacare and could lose access to their doctors and be forced to pay higher premiums and higher taxes. But there's still time to stop it. Republicans in Congress can stop Obamacare if they refuse to fund it.
"This is the last opportunity we're going to have to stop Obamacare before the January 1 deadline so we have to refuse to fund it now."- U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT)
Ted Cruz
"We can de-fund Obamacare if Republican leaders who tell their constituents they're conservative stand up and act like they're conservative."- U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Senate Republican Whip List
Urge the Republicans who have not pledged to oppose Obamacare funding in 2014 (question marks) to sign Senator Mike Lee's letter vowing to oppose it. Go here for more information:
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
Do you believe in indefinite detention of civilians?
The NDAA of 2012 allows the Federal Government to detain U.S. citizens without due process rights, guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, right here in Pennsylvania.
Citizens suspected of a "crime" without a warrant, a judge, jury or trial.
Think of Guantanomo Bay right here. They can lock you up and forget about you.
The Liberty Preservation Act SB999 will make it illegal for Pennsylvania to assist the Federal Government in detaining citizens under the NDAA.
We need co-sponsors!
So far we have Folmer (prime sponsor), Eichelberger and Alloway.
Please contact YOUR state senator and ask him or her to uphold their Constitutional oath of office and support SB999! Please ask for a response IN WRITING and let us know what they say.
If you have already contacted your state senator and have not gotten a response, please follow up with another contact and politely ask for a response IN WRITING.
Attached are some sample messages you can use. Please pass the message along!
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.
" EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO THEIR OWN OPINION, BUT NOT THEIR OWN FACTS"
"NO ACCOUNTABILITY MEANS NO RESPONSIBILITY"
" FOR EVEN WHEN WE WERE WITH YOU, WE COMMANDED YOU THIS: IF ANYONE WILL NOT WORK,NEITHER SHALL HE EAT"
CITIZENS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT
Tuesday, August 13, 6:30-8:30pm
Latvian Baptist Church of Bucks County, 1142 Apple Rd, Applebachsville, Haycock Twp (Quakertown mailing address 18951)
AGENDA:
MARIANN DAVIES on ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: The problem and the right solutions; update on Senate amnesty bill; what YOU can do; Q&A
nationally known commentator, activist, and advisor (to state legislative committees in PA, NY, and NJ) on illegal immigration issues
charter member of You Don't Speak for Me, a national coalition of American Hispanics advocating for comprehensive immigration enforcement (first-generation American, daughter of legal immigrants and naturalized citizens from Ecuador)
state advisor for the Federation for American Immigration Reform
co-founder of Tea Party Immigration Coalition
co-founder Kitchen Table Patriots
LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
Kathy Bessler - Defunding Obamacare and the Continuing Resolution [ACTION ITEM: Petition to Defund Obamacare]
Donna Joy Jones - PA Budget
Jean Bolger - NDAA & SB999
Sandy Slater - DOMA & Prolife legislation
Carol Allen - Common Core [ACTION ITEM: POSTCARDS available; Join phone team in Operation LEAP to pressure legislators, see www.foundedontruth.com]
OPEN FORUM - - - YOUR chance to be heard!! Are you a LEGAL IMMIGRANT? Tell us your story!
Next in the video series "CONSTITUTIONAL LITERACY" with Michael Farris if time allows
CONSERVATIVE & PATRIOT BOOK SALE! Common Core & PA School Property Tax Elimination DVD Sale!
Donations appreciated to cover cost of room rental
COMMON CORE:
WHAT'S IN STORE FOR OUR CHILDREN?
We'd like to extend a special invitation for you to attend an open meeting covering Common Core
hosted by the Coaltion for Advancing Freedom:
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
The Red Clay Room, 423 Dalmatian Street, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, 19348, USA
Doors open at 6:00pm. Program begins promptly at 6:45pm.
We encourage you to invite your friends and neighbors, teachers and PTO members, for this important program featuring two engaging subject-matter experts, Whitney Neal and Dr. Peg Luksik, followed by a Question & Answer Session.
Part 1- A Rigorous Assessment
Speaker: Dr. Peg Luksik Former candidate for PA Governor and US Senate
* * * * *
The first part of the evening will be a presentation by nationally-known education expert Dr. Peg Luksik, who will speak about the Common Core education standards and how they will affect you and your family. She'll cover what it is, how it came to be, why you may never have even heard of it, and why it is not a good idea for the children of Pennsylvania.
Part 2 - Making Education 'Common'
Speaker: Whitney Neal Director of Grassroots - FreedomWorks
* * * * *
In the second part of the program, grassroots activist and former 8th Grade U.S. History teacher Whitney Neal, will cover how the Common Core's 'homogenized' approach treats every child exactly the same, regardless of their individual needs, strengths, or career goals, and how this untested program can only result in a consistent standard of mediocrity.
Part 3 - Question & Answers
What We Can Do: As Parents, Teachers, School Board Members and Administrators
* * * * *
The third part of the evening will be a Question & Answer Session focused on what we can do. Especially because, to date, we parents, teachers, PTOs and PTAs, school boards, administrators, and concerned citizens have had no say in the matter.
The Federal Government effectively 'bribed' the State apparatus to adopt the Common Core using federal stimulus money, and they did so 'behind the scenes' without any significant public debate. There hasn't been any means testing to ensure that the standards are successful in the classroom. Finally, only 1 out of 60 content experts who reviewed the Common Core were teachers, and no proof was provided that their feedback was received, or their changes reflected in the final standards.
Twitter handle for use before, during, and after the August 13 program: @CAF4PA
Please RSVP HERE ASAP so that we have a good attendance estimate.
Feel free to invite those that you know need to hear more about Common Core.
And please note that Moms are the constituency aligning most against it.
Working to secure the blessings of Liberty.
Our Next Meeting subject has been changed to an immigration Townhall and we Have Mike Cutler coming!!!!!!
Exciting News!!! With the overwhelming push in congress to pass an immigration Bill, We thought we should change the topic to the pitfalls of the immigration Bill.
Mike Cutler is a former INS agent who has been on various National programs discussing the pitfalls of our immigration system. His opinions is based on 30 years experience.
Where: The Standard Club 127 E state Street Doylestown Pa 18901 When: August 28th Time: 7pm
Why is immigration such a large issue? Immigration impacts the most important challenges confronting our nation today. It impacts national security, criminal justice, the economy, the environment, healthcare, to name a few.
We will also be announcing some exciting things we have planned for the Fall!
Mike Folmer: Common Core Hearings
Keystone Exams, Common Core to be topics of Education Committee Hearings
"I recently announced plans for two Education Committee public hearings.
"The first hearing, on the topic of PA Keystone Exams, will take place Monday, August 26, atValley Forge Middle School, 105 West Walker Road, in Wayne, PA. A complete hearing agenda will be posted on Education Committee's website closer to the date.
"On Thursday, August 29, at 9:30 a.m., in Hearing Room One of the Capitol's North Office Building, the Committee will hold a public hearing on Common Core as it relates to the Pennsylvania Core Standards. (The State Board of Education recently released proposed revisions to the Chapter 4 regulations that, among other things, will change the name from Pennsylvania Common Core Standards to Pennsylvania Core Standards.)
"This is the second hearing the Committee has held on Common Core. This hearing will focus on getting answers to Common Core questions from the state Department of Education and the Pennsylvania State Board of Education.
"Given the interest in Common Core, I invite all interested parties to submit questions on the issue through the Education Committee's website. I, along with other Committee members, will then ask the questions to Department officials at the hearing. The deadline to submit questions is Wednesday, August 21.
"Both hearings will be available to watch live on my website."
Please RSVP by Wednesday, August 28, 2013
For additional information, please contact Special Events
It is my privilege to invite you to a special event featuring Guy Rodgers, Executive Director of ACT! for America. This event is free and open to the public and will be held at the following location:
Elmer Grange Hall 535 Daretown Road Elmer, NJ 08318 Tuesday, September 3rd at 7 pm
Guy has been my right hand since I founded ACT! for America in 2007. He is a compelling, dynamic public speaker who combines a deep knowledge of the threat of radical Islam with nearly three decades of strategic and communications experience in the political world.
The result is extraordinary-and something you don't want to miss.
The Boston Marathon bombing was a painful reminder that the threat of jihad is always lurking just beneath the surface. Unfortunately, we can't just wish it away or turn a blind eye to it. Whether that threat is the violent kind of jihad we saw in Boston or on 9/11, or the "stealth" kinds of jihads that is the primary weapon of the Muslim Brotherhood, we must be informed and have the tools with which to fight it effectively.
Here are just some of the aspects of this threat Guy will discuss:
The worldwide effort to muzzle free speech-and how our own government is assisting this effort.
Homegrown jihad.
Terrorists infiltrating our borders.
The Muslim Brotherhood and creeping sharia law in America.
Pro-Islamic bias and indoctrination in our public school textbooks.
But perhaps even more importantly, you will learn how ACT! for America is successfully rolling back the tide of radical Islam...how we are winning legislative victories...how we don't have to live in fear or resign ourselves to the inevitability of the threats arrayed against us...and how we will prevail.
I encourage you to forward this email to everyone you know. I know you will leave this event not only educated, but inspired.
So please come and invite your friends to this ACT! for America event in Elmer, NJ, on Tuesday, September 3rd. You'll be glad you did.
Yours for a Safe and Free America,
Brigitte Gabriel
Townhall Meeting- Defensive Use of Firearms, Your Rights & Responsibilities
Tuesday, October 1st 7:00pm
Warminster VFW
Join us for this highly anticipated townhall meeting with 2A attorney Joshua Price from Firearms Consulting Group, an NRA instructor, and hopefully a representative of law enforcement as we discuss what you need to know if you ever have to use a firearm in a defensive manner. Not to be missed! More details to come. We will be announcing a gun raffle in the coming weeks that will be drawn this evening!
In the wake of the Supreme Court's marriage decisions, the movement to uphold America's core principles heads to the states, where challenges to state laws and local communities' religious liberties will surely open up in coming months.
How can citizens strategize and get the tools to effectively make the case for life, marriage, and religious liberty? Are conservative groups working together? Get the answers at Values Voter Summit 2013 >>
On October 11-13, Values Voter Summit 2013 will bring together thousands of Americans to tackle issues impacting our freedoms, families, national security, and values. This year's theme, Standing for Faith, Family and Opportunity for All, celebrates how following America's founding principles provides all Americans more freedom and better lives.
Leading voices in public policy and culture will address the summit, notably Senator Ted Cruz, former Governor Mike Huckabee, Rep. Steve King, columnistStar Parker, Senator Rand Paul, Live Action president Lila Rose, former Senator Rick Santorum, Todd Starnes of Fox News, and many more. See the latest confirmed speakers and register now >>
Heritage president Jim DeMint will deliver a keynote address to the leaders gathered, expected to be broadcast live on C-SPAN. His talk will touch on the importance of marriage and upward mobility, themes further developed in breakout sessions featuring Heritage experts.
In "Responding to the Tough Questions on Marriage, Religious Liberty, and More," Heritage's Jennifer Marshall, along with Adèle Keim of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, will tackle tough questions conservatives often hear, such as "Isn't it pro-family to expand who can get married?" and "Do conservatives care about the poor?"
Heritage will also host "How America Provides Opportunity for All: Stories and Solutions" to explore the truth of upward mobility in America. Matthew Spalding, author of We Still Hold These Truths, and Bishop Shirley Holloway, founder ofHouse of Help/City of Hope, will reveal how government redistribution runs counter to our Founders' wisdom and what the real solutions are to breaking the cycle of poverty. Get more details on breakout sessions >>
Students are also a vital part of this year's event. They will have exclusive opportunities to interact with speakers, including a Friday night mixer. In a casual interactive setting, Ryan Anderson of Heritage-famed for his CNN face-off with Piers Morgan-and the Family Research Council's Peter Sprigg will help young adults develop intellectually honest answers to what friends are asking on sexuality, relationships, and why marriage matters.
Between sessions, all attendees can receive complimentary materials and speak directly with dozens of conservative groups, including Christians United for Israel, Liberty Counsel, Students for Life, Leadership Institute, and Let Freedom Ring. Plus there's much more, from networking to new initiatives by the leaders you trust.
About The Heritage Foundation Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute -- a think tank -- whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.
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.
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
Dear FrontPage Reader, Each year, we invite the nation's leading conservative lawmakers, thinkers, and writers to join us in Palm Beach, Florida, for the David Horowitz Restoration Weekend. Held at The Breakers-one of the most beautiful resorts on the east coast-this retreat offers an unparalleled opportunity to relax and renew our dedication to our conservative values and preserving liberty.
This year's Restoration Weekend, which will be held November 14-17, promises to be the greatest yet. Dr. Ben Carson, Monica Crowley, Richard Grenell, David Horowitz, and Steve Moore are already confirmed to speak and we expect to add many more great conservatives to this list as we get closer.
I won't lie-attending the weekend is not cheap. And I know this has deterred many people throughout the years. That's why the Freedom Center will be covering all the costs for a lucky supporter and their guest to attend-roundtrip airfare, three nights at The Breakers, and admission to all of the retreat's programs, meals, and activities.
This special offer won't last long. We'll be selecting the winners on August 31-so make sure to enter today.
Thanks,
Michael Finch COO, David Horowitz Freedom Center
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.
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.
Unable to Stop Unstoppable Upon the premiere of the trailer for Kirk Cameron's new movie event UNSTOPPABLE, both Facebook and YouTube had issues. In fact, both social media sites made editorial decisions that limited access to the movie's website and trailer. Fortunately, people like you spoke up loudly and made your voices heard. In time, national media picked up on the story and the sites relented.
Why all the concern? Good question. In UNSTOPPABLE, Kirk goes back to the beginning-literally-as he investigates the origins of good and evil and how they impact our lives ... and our eternities.
Get Tickets for This One-Night Only Event UNSTOPPABLE is Kirk Cameron's follow-up movie event to the record-breaking Monumental. Like its predecessor, UNSTOPPABLE is playing in theaters for only one night: Tuesday, September 24. In addition to the film, Kirk will be hosting a live event from Liberty University that you will see beforehand featuring musicians Mandisa and Warren Barfield.
UNSTOPPABLE can only be seen in theaters that host Fathom Events. It will be at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times, and 7 p.m. Central and Mountain times on September 24. Now is the time to ensure you have seats for you, your family, and your friends.
What Kirk Cameron Wants You to Know Here's a little-known fact about Kirk Cameron: He is a "recovering atheist." Don't just take our word-take a look at this video Kirk created in the aftermath of the controversy surrounding the UNSTOPPABLE trailer and website. And if you like what you see, please share this video in your social media world!
Looking for the best place to listen to Glenn Beck's radio show?
Look no further than TheBlaze Radio Network! You can listen to Glenn on TheBlaze Radio Network every weekday, from 9am to 12p ET, all for FREE! But TheBlaze Radio Network is more than just Glenn, you can listen all day for exclusive shows like Doc Thompson, Pat & Stu, Jay Severin, Buck Sexton and More.. All handpicked by Glenn!
Listening to TheBlaze Radio Network is free and easy-to-use. You can listen online, without a subscription HERE, or on your mobile device with TheBlaze & iHeartRadio. For more information, the complete schedule & all the ways to listen, visit TheBlaze Radio Network HERE
And you can listen to all of this for Free!
Gun Owners of America
Continues Putting Heat on a Chief Enemy of Freedom
Bloomberg using taxpayer money to advance his anti-gun cause
"[The] residents of New York City have been involuntarily paying to further Mayor Bloomberg's personal, radical political agenda." -- GOA's Tim Macy and Larry Pratt, in a letter to the New York Attorney General
It's been a bad few months for Mayor "Big Gulp" in New York City.
You probably know all about Mayor Michael Bloomberg's antics in the Big Apple:
* His ban on large, sugary drinks -- a ban that was recently struck down in court.
* His stop-and-frisk policies which eviscerate the Fourth Amendment.
* His relentless pursuit of restrictions on our Second Amendment rights -- not just in New York City, but all across the country and at the federal level.
The poor showings at these bus stops are the most recent embarrassments for the Mayor. Consider just some of the "egg on your face" moments from the past few months:
1) The year began with Bloomberg's entourage reacting badly to a question from a reporter. The journalist wanted to know how the Mayor could support gun control when he was surrounded by bodyguards with guns. Bloomberg ignored the question and ducked into a car, but his goon squad followed the reporter -- threatening, pushing and shoving him on the sidewalk.
2) Then, despite spending millions of his own dollars to push gun control this spring, Daddy Bloombucks was dealt a huge setback when the Senate defeated his anti-gun agenda in April.
3) Not only was Bloomberg's money unable to buy a victory in the Senate, he is now coming under fire from leading Democrats. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy recently chided Bloomberg, saying he has "actually turned off some people that we might have gotten for supporters."
4) In June, Bloomberg spent hundreds of thousands of his own dollars -- and, apparently, even spent some of New York City taxpayers' dollars -- in an unsuccessful bid to impose a ban on most private sales of firearms in Nevada.
5) And in recent months, Mayor Bloomberg's anti-gun group -- officially known as Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), although it would be better named Mayors Against Guns -- has lost about 50 mayors from its membership rolls.
Some have withdrawn because they realized that MAIG is not about going after "illegal" guns, but rather, pursuing an anti-gun agenda to restrict legally-owned firearms.
Other mayors were dropped because they've been convicted of crimes. In one particularly egregious case, a Pennsylvania mayor used guns and alcohol in an unsuccessful attempt to both seduce and intimidate a male minor into having sex with him earlier this year.
This is the battle we are facing. It would be bad enough if our chief enemy was simply using his own money. But recent revelations indicate that Daddy Bloombucks may also be dipping into the public trough to support his anti-gun agenda.
GOA demands investigation into Bloomberg malfeasance.
Gun Owners of America recently sent New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman a registered letter, demanding that he investigate Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as he "may be commingling government resources with those of the nonprofit organizations he controls."
The letter -- authored by GOA Executive Director Larry Pratt and Vice-Chairman Tim Macy -- explains that Bloomberg "may have used government funds to pursue his personal political [anti-gun] agenda."
For this reason, say Pratt and Macy, the Attorney General should "investigate this matter to determine if any laws have been violated, and if any action on your part is warranted ... due to the strong possibility that the residents of New York City have been involuntarily paying to further Mayor Bloomberg's personal, radical political agenda."
There's a lot happening in the fight to defeat gun control at the federal level, and GOA is alerting the nation -- through printed media, radio talk shows and more -- to expose the enemies of freedom for their illegitimate tactics.
Multiple Arrests Reported In California Town Following "Impeach Obama" Rally
Huge crowds gathered at overpasses across the country today to call for President Obama's impeachment.
Residents of Eureka, California are reporting of multiple arrests this evening during the wildly successful "Overpasses for Obama's Impeachment" campaign (a campaign in which literally 10s of people have participated by waving signs on highway overpasses promoting the impeachment of President Obama).
Early reports indicate that protesters were verbally and physically abused prior to being arrested. All 6 protesters taking part in the rally are currently in police custody. County and city officials in the area have not yet released a statement on the event or the names of those arrested. Communications have been difficult and local media outlets are scrambling for more details.
Passing motorists stated that the arrests took part at the 101/255 exchange just North of downtown at around 7:45pm PST. Local resident Artie Campbell was driving home with his family when 8 police cars drove past him and stopped on the 255 bridge. Artie had this to say of the incident, "I haven't seen anything like it in my life. The protesters seem to have been minding their business and those police officers did not appear to be local guys." When asked to describe the victims, Mr. Campbell replied "two of them were older ladies and one of them appeared to be a teenage boy. The other three were heavier set middle-aged white men." According to Campbell, the officers were taking turns ridiculing the victims and at one point even pepper-sprayed two of the older men before placing them in flex-tie restraints and escorting them to nearby squad cars. Artie referred to the scene as "modern-day fascism" and suggested the officers may have been federal agencts sent directly from the Obama Administration in an attempt to silence opposition.
Sledgehammer Action Alert From the American Policy Center
URGENT! URGENT! Please help a family in crisis. Their private property is being destroyed for a bike path.
Jennie Granato, a resident and tax-paying citizen of Montgomery County, Ohio, has found herself without a front yard and very little to show for it.
Because the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC), as part of a $5M bike path extension, has begun to seize up private property for their "essential" project, including almost the entirety of Miss Granato's front lawn.
The bike path will come within seven feet of her front door!!
The bike path is being forced by the MVRPC, a non-elected regional planning commission that is driven by federal Sustainable Development grant money - with no input from local residents or property owners. The local country commissioners and the township trustees are helping to enforce this program.
Jennie and her family own a historic farm outside Dayton, Ohio. They have tried to negotiate and reason with this unelected planning commission. But the MCRPC has done nothing but ignore her pleas. And they have offered her only a pittance of compensation for this taking of her land.
The fact is that Jenny and her family still own this property - YET the township has already come in and removed trees and dug up the ground!
It's her property!!!
Again - the bike path is going through her property only 7 feet from her front door!
The Granato's house is a 150 year old farmhouse that a study said "lacked historic integrity". Apparently that makes it okay to seize the privately owned property in front of it and pave over the entire front lawn.
And now a great tragedy has occurred as Jennie has tried to fight this outrage. Just days ago, as the government bulldozers arrived and started their destruction of the front yard, Jennie's 85 year old mother became so upset over the injustice of government ramming a bike path into her front door of her private home, she suffered a heart attack and died.
Is this how our government now treats law abiding American citizens?
In case you missed it, because for some reason the national press has ignored what should be a salacious story, Tennessee Senator Lamar! Alexander's political campaign coordinated the "timing and even funding for" an exhibit about Lamar! Alexander.
Alexander is gearing up for a re-election campaign in 2014 where he expects to get a primary challenge. He used your tax dollars to secure an earmark for a state museum to do an exhibit about himself. Then the museum coordinated with Alexander's re-election campaign to turn the exhibit into a traveling exhibit over this campaign season.
Lamar Alexander is one of those Republicans who has decided he knows best. And he's willing to use your tax dollars to profit his own re-election to ensure he can keep telling us what is best.. . . please click here for the rest of the post →
2.Why We Are Here
[W]hat do we expect ... activists to do?One key area of focus, and one of the main reasons I think we are here, is to change the minds 0f the undecided.Our base is our base - we shouldn't have to convince them that conservatism is right.The vast majority of the time, the base isn't who we need to convince about conservatism...our focus should be on those who are on the outside looking in.Back in May, Gallup did a survey on the political composition of America and found that about 41% of Americans consider themselves conservative, 37% consider themselves moderate, and 19% liberal.That 19% is not our target audience.The 41% that are conservative ARE our target audience.BUT - it's that 37% that is malleable and who we should be targeting for changed attitudes.But be not mistaken:this does not mean that we must somehow change our beliefs or principles to bring them into the fold.But it may mean that we need to do and say things differently.. . . please click here for the rest of the post →
3.Missouri Bans Satire
Sunday I wrote about Tuffy the Clown, who clearly should be droned, wore an Obama mask at the rodeo. Because it wasn't a Bush mask he was banned for life and all future clowns must now go through Clown Sensitivity Training. You think I'm making this up.. . . please click here for the rest of the post →
4.Live from Macon, GA: My Take on the Georgia Senate Race
Here in Middle Georgia, fresh from making buttermilk peach ice cream from a fresh crop of Georgia peaches to go with my wife's homemade pound cake, comes word that Republicans are worried about Georgia. With this article circulating from The Hill about the state of the GOP primary in Georgia, more folks have emailed asking for my thoughts. I've put them off to let the race take shape, but the race remains an amoeba of blah.
Allow me to give you some initial info for out of state reporters. The Georgia Democratic Party is largely bankrupt, is in the midst of a scandal over its last Chairman and Executive Director leaving and now only wanting a white man for the job (seriously), and has seen much of its activity ceded to liberal groups further from the mainstream than the Georgia Democratic Party wants. This has set the party to slightly above simmer and slightly below boil on the way to a civil war. To call the party dysfunctional would imply it actually was functioning. Right now it is not. About the only thing it has going for it is a semi-united front for Michelle Nunn.
President Obama said some rather strange things during his appearance on The Tonight Show last week, but one gaffe in particular has flown low under the radar.While he was attempting to downplay the resurgence of al-Qaeda, the President said, "The odds of people dying in a terrorist attack obviously are still a lot lower than in a car accident, unfortunately.". . . please click here for the rest of the post →
In a recent email to supporters, President Obama lamented the frustrating inadequacy of his office. "There's only so much I can do on my own" without Congress, he confessed.
As a matter of constitutional interpretation, he's right. But in practice, the President has shown a distinct contempt for the legal limits on his power.
Obama's imperial presidency has manifested itself in many ways. Often he willfully neglects his constitutional duty to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." As we've seen with education, immigration, and health care, suspending the law amounts to rewriting the law.
Other times, the President is more direct. The legislative power may be vested in Congress, but that didn't stop him from rewriting welfare legislation on his own, hollowing out the successful federal work requirements.
Unfortunately, it appears that this is only the beginning of Obama's imperialism.
Benghazi and the Banality of Evil Daren Jonescu The inhumanity of our nation's highest officials becomes clearer and more horrifying by the day. How much longer before ordinary Americans do something about it? More
Obama Promotes Racism Eileen F. Toplansky Obama plays a clever game in manipulating the justice system and the bureaucracy for racial ends. It is up to the American public to connect the dots and see the larger picture. More
The American Dream: Not This Way Christopher Chantrill Conservatives only flourish when the failure and corruption of the liberal ruling class is knee high even to a low-information voter. More
Electoral Discrepancies Richard Winchester The United States is a conservative country -- but Americans often don't vote that way. Why not? More
'Islamophobia' in the Bay Area? Stephen Schwartz Professors at a small, unaccredited area college claim rampant Islamophobia in the Bay area. Watch the media grab it with both hands. More
The Perfect Mayor G. Murphy Donovan Carlos Danger is the inevitable issue of progressive political evolution. More
How Best to Desecrate the Presidential Medal of Freedom Allan J. Favish Our current president reinforces his utter disdain for maintaining America's national security by awarding a previous president whose lead he has blithely followed. More
American Thinker Blog
The new version of 'Me and you and a dog named BO' August 13, 2013 Moving BO, the Obama's dog, around at taxpayers' expense is a bit too much when we are blaming the "sequester" for reductions in government services. More
FDR's Traitor? August 12, 2013 Eminent Cold War historian Herbert Romerstein argued Harry Hopkins was Agent 19, and a 'conscious agent' of the Soviet Union More
A former U.S. attorney representing Benghazi whistleblowers is claiming that 400 surface-to-air missiles were stolen during the deadly attack in Libya and are now "in the hands of some very ugly people." He also said the Obama administration is "deeply concerned" that the weapons may be used to shoot down airliners.
In an interview with WMAL radio, Joe DiGenova explained that the stolen missiles also represent one of the reasons the U.S. State Department shut down 19 embassies across the Middle East last week.
This file photo taken on September 11, 2012 shows a vehicle and the surrounding area engulfed in flames after it was set on fire inside the US mission compound in Benghazi. Credit: AFP/Getty Images
This file photo taken on September 11, 2012 shows an armed man waving his rifle as buildings and cars are engulfed in flames after being set on fire inside the US consulate compound in Benghazi. Credit: AFP/Getty Images
He said the development has the Obama administration "deeply concerned" and on alert.
Even more potentially shocking, DiGenova claimed the missiles are now in the hands of al-Qaeda operatives, according to his sources. His sources include "former intelligence officials who stay in constant contact with people in the Special Ops and intelligence community."
"And it's pretty clear that the biggest concern right now are 400 missiles which have been diverted in Libya and have gotten in the hands of some very ugly people," he added.
Former Soviet dissident Igor Melcuk sheds light on Russia's haunting voyage back into the world of authoritarianism and repression. Read More » | Comments
The Arkansas Senate race is a dead heat between Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor and Republican challenger Rep. Tom Cotton, according to a Washington Free Beacon poll of Arkansas voters conducted this week.
A group of Israeli families whose relatives were killed by Palestinian terrorists protested in front of the Israeli Supreme Court on Sunday in an attempt to block the release of some two dozen terrorists who have "blood on their hands."
According to President Obama and the Democratic Party, the middle class is in trouble. Income is stagnating and opportunity for the average American is declining. Inequality is skyrocketing as the top one percent accumulates the nation's wealth, dragging down the economy.
Conservative groups lambasted Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) after the lawmaker sent a letter to hundreds of alleged donors to the American Legislative Exchange Committee (ALEC) asking if they still supported ALEC and so-called "stand your ground" laws.
Iranian President Hassan Rowhani has appointed as his defense minister an Iranian general who was implicated in the 1983 bombing that killed 241 American servicemen in Lebanon, according to an Israeli intelligence official.
Jonah Goldberg has a good, longish piece on the moral universe of Breaking Bad in the latest National Review. You should read it, assuming you can afford paying a measly quarter to do so.
For years, the Culinary Union has been waging a war against the Ultimate Fighting Championship because the league's owners are the proprietors of a non-union casino chain.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R., Tex.) said on Meet the Press Sunday that he did not believe President Obama's assertion that he would have done a review of NSA surveillance programs anyway before Edward Snowden's leaks, adding Obama had been "backtracking" ever since Snowden released the information.
The Horrific Muslim Infiltration Of Britain - Luton 2012
Daily Email - August 12, 2013 Top StoryBig Money Buys Access for Al Jazeera By Cliff Kincaid | August 9, 2013 Evidence is emerging that powerful Republican K Street lobbyist Tom Korologos is the main factor behind the failure of the House of Representatives to do its duty and investigate the activities of Al Jazeera on U.S. soil. Korologos has been described as a Republican "heavy hitter" who can work his will on Capitol Hill.
CONTRIBUTOR: King of Shambhala. If TEPCO and now the Japanese government, don't cool off the Fukushima reactors, they'll blow up like atom bombs and we'll all die instantly. Fukushima is hundreds of times stronger than Chernobyl and tens of thousands of times stronger than Hiroshima, so all trace of life on Earth would be...
CURATOR: Zen Gardner. Tectonic activity continues to pick up, including the massive volcanic eruption in Indonesia. The sun cycle continues to evolve, causing strange variations in weather and other related earth changes....
CONTRIBUTOR: Wake up America. By Susan Duclos Russian Dmitry Argarkov received a credit card offer and not agreeing with the terms of the offer, scanned the document, altered the terms, mailed it back to Tinkoff Credit Systems, who obviously didn't read the terms, before signing it and sending Mr. Argarkov his new credit card....
CONTRIBUTOR: The Liberator. American Thinker By Kim Zigfeld The worst has finally happened. It took much longer than expected -- nearly two thousand days -- but Barack Obama's foreign policy has finally collapsed, leaving Americans to gape slack-jawed at the smoking ruins. Obama has undermined American influence and honor in ways that will...
CONTRIBUTOR: Intellihub. Camp Coordinators decided to change their activity plan after some children took the "hunger games" too seriously Photo: thehungergamesmovie.com By JG Vibes Intellihub.comAugust 12, 2013 This may sound like a joke but it actually isn't. Ill admit that recently there have been a lot of very convincing satire pieces floating...
CONTRIBUTOR: Northeast Intelligence Network. Written by Yoda Annual Muslim Bizzare Ritual in Vienna, Austria. This barbaric frenzied Muslim madness occurs every year in Vienna, Austria, home of Mozart and Strauss. This barbaric atrocity sets a mental stage for their beheadings, stoning's to death and amputations that will come later. Observe the mothers of the infants,...
CURATOR: John Rolls. By Greg Hunter's USAWatchdog.com Trader/analyst Rick Ackerman is feeling a little less nervous about the negative effects of Obama Care. Ackerman contends, "I think, at this point, we're blessed with a package that is such a bloated abomination that it's going to collapse...
CONTRIBUTOR: Wake up America. By Susan Duclos It started because the parents of Messiah DeShawn Martin could not agree on a last name for their child, so they went to court, where something unexpected happened. Judge Ann Ballew, in what many are calling judicial overreach, determined the only true messiah is Jesus Christ, therefore...
CONTRIBUTOR: Live Free or Die. This pictorial essay from Tomato Bubble speaks for itself. With Barack Obama getting ready to meet Vladimir Putin in a few days, what more wonderful pictorial comparisons can we expect to see in the coming days? Here is Macho Man Putin vs Sissy Obama. Two video report comparisons of these...
CONTRIBUTOR: Mark Brander. . A St. Paul, Minn., man is in a coma today, fighting for his life after a black mob beat him, stripped his clothes off and left him for dead. Even if he recovers, he will have permanent brain damage. Ray Widstrand thought he...
They transgress the "law of the land" as a matter of policy; to advance an agenda that is often times anathema to the American system of government and the rule of law.
The U.S. administration downplays this Egyptian connection to Benghazi, whereas several Arabic-language sources reveal a much larger connection. It is significant to point out that the first attack against the U.S. embassies on September 11, 2012, happened in Cairo. Egypt was the spark and Egyptians were the agents of both attacks.
The competition for the most loathsome news organization in the U.S is fierce. Based on their offenses against the basic tenets of journalism seen during just the past two weeks, Politico, the Huffington Post, and the Associated Press have emerged as leaders of the left agenda-promoting, Barack Obama keister-covering brigade.
Step by step, the "unacceptable" becomes the de facto accepted. North Korea was never supposed to get far enough to conduct plutonium-based nuclear tests, but it did. North Korea was not supposed to have a uranium-based nuclear weapons program, but the signs are that it does.
To understand the continuing chaos on the international stage, there's a malevolent actor one needs to understand: the United Nations. And PJ Media has long been the online home of the gifted journalist who does the best job of exposing it.
The Obama administration needs a First Amendment refresher course. it's troubling to see that the Obama administration has now put the U.S. government in the business of denouncing "enemies of Islam."
Our "Open Letter" to Congress on immigration reform insists that Congress clean up our broken visa system. Like our porous southern border, the visa system is an open door being exploited by potential terrorists.
Please let the congressional leadership, especially in the House of Representatives, know that you and many other Americans expect "reform" to protect America's national security first. This includes fixing the visa system. Please add your name to our "Open Letter."
The recent CQ Homeland Security article below documents just how badly broken the visa system is.
CQ HOMELAND SECURITY DHS Total for Visa Overstays Climbs to 1 Million By Rob Margetta, CQ Staff
Two years ago, the Department of Homeland Security undertook an initiative to cut down on its backlog of reports of illegal immigrants who had overstayed their visas, discovering that almost half of them had left the country. But those reports have continued to accrue, and the department's case load has swelled up to 1 million, according to a new report. The findings - along with the fact that the department has no plans to find or deport those 1 million people - could figure into the current immigration debate.
DHS's original backlog was 1.6 million cases, although immigration experts note that number doesn't account for the total number of overstays - some have been in the country for decades, and the commonly accepted estimate is that 40 percent of the roughly 11.5 million illegal immigrants came in on visas.
Through reviews, the department managed to cut that backlog by about 863,000 records, finding that the people in those cases had left, either before their visas expired or after. The review also helped the department reclassify some cases. By looking at the records that remained after the purge, DHS found 1,901 people it identified as targets for enforcement because they could pose potential security risks.
According to the Government Accountability Office, DHS has continued to review incoming records, a step that should help prevent another backlog. But even with that review process in place, the number of total cases where the U.S. has a report of someone coming in on a visa, but no corresponding report of them leaving, hit 1 million in June.
At a time when immigration enforcement is a topic of contentious debate on Capitol Hill, the GAO report contained a few potentially controversial points. For one, the overstay records have a direct link to the department's use of prosecutorial discretion in deciding to focus its resources on security threats and criminals, rather than those whose only violated immigration law. The practice has angered Republicans.
"DHS's automated reviews have not produced evidence that the subjects of these 1 million unmatched arrival records meet its enforcement priorities," the report said. "Thus, DHS has not manually reviewed them and does not plan to take enforcement action against these individuals."
While 44 percent of DHS unmatched arrival records traveled to the country on tourist visas, about 43 percent were tourists coming in under the Visa Waiver Program, which allows people from 37 approved countries to make trips to the U.S. of less than 90 days without a visa.
The GAO noted that while DHS has a statutory requirement to produce overstay estimates for Congress, it has never done so, saying it is not confident enough about the data. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano promised to report rates by December, but the department hasn't done the work to make its data reliable enough that it could be used for policy-making purposes, the GAO said.
The report also touched on a long-standing dispute between lawmakers and DHS. It recommended that if the department is to produce more reliable overstay data, it should implement a biometric exit capability to collect the fingerprints and other information of foreigners as they leave the country. Lawmakers have for years demanded that DHS institute such a system, to no avail, and Republicans have made a biometric exit requirement part of their demands for immigration legislation.
Napolitano has said she has focused on first building a "biographical" system that would use data such as travel records to prove that someone has left the country, calling it more cost-efficient. The report says that DHS has a high-level plan for biometric exit, but hasn't outlined concrete steps to make it happen.
Michigan Republican Candice S. Miller, chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, issued a statement this week calling the GAO report "a strong reminder that to completely secure the nation we need to look beyond the traditional borders."
"Solving the challenge of tracking down and removing those who overstay their visa is critical to our national security," she said.
Looking for a respectable way to avoid confronting the fruition of Iran's nuclear program, Obama and his media adjunct have saluted the accession of Hassan Rouhani to Iran's presidency. Rouhani supposedly matters and is supposedly a force for moderation, or something. I'm not sure what, but something.
The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs notes that Rouhani has appointed Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehghan as the new defense minister. He probably matters about as much as Rouhani. The appointment will take effect as soon as it is approved by the Majlis.
At the beginning of September 1983, Hizbullah, with the help of the Revolutionary Guard headed by Dehghan, took over the Sheikh Abdullah barracks, which was seized in the course of a procession led by three Hizbullah sheikhs: Abbas Mussawi, Subhi Tufayli, and Muhammad Yazbek. It had been the main base of the Lebanese army in the Beqaa Valley and now became the Imam Ali barracks, the main headquarters of the Revolutionary Guard.
It was from this headquarters that Iran controlled Hizbullah's military force and planned, along with Hizbullah, the terror attacks on the Beirut-based Multinational Force and against IDF forces in Lebanon. The attacks were carried out by the Islamic Jihad organization, headed by Imad Mughniyeh, which was actually a special operational arm that acted under the joint direction of Tehran and Hizbullah until it was dismantled in 1992.
Instructions for the attack on the Multinational Forces were issued from Tehran to the Iranian ambassador to Damascus, who passed them on to the Revolutionary Guards forces in Lebanon and their Lebanese Shiite allies. According to the U.S. Marine commander, the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) intercepted the Iranian orders to strike on September 26, 1983. It is difficult to imagine that such a high-level directive to the Revolutionary Guards in Lebanon would be transmitted without the knowledge of their commander, Hossein Dehghan.
On October 25, 1983, a Shiite suicide bomber detonated a water tanker at the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 Marines; simultaneously, another Shiite suicide bomber blew up the French paratroopers' barracks in Beirut, killing 58 soldiers. It was Mughniyeh who dispatched both bombers. The order to carry out the attacks was transmitted, and the funding and operational training provided, with the help of the Revolutionary Guard in Lebanon under the command of Hossein Dehghan.
Israel got Mughniyeh. It would be nice if Obama could spare a drone for Dehghan, or at least get a clue.
The great but frustrated hope of liberals is that people will vote their supposed class interest, that is, that people of modest incomes will vote for higher taxes (on others) and bigger government. It is a matter of frustration for liberals when the working class doesn't vote for Democrats: see Thomas Frank's famous What's the Matter With Kansas? (Actually, don't see it; it's stupid; one can just as easily ask, What's the Matter With the Upper West Side?, where rich liberals vote for candidates who want to raise their income taxes. Voting against economic self-interest on the Upper West Side is taken as a sign of enlightenment rather than the interest-denying stupidity that is attributed to the GOP-voting working classes of the red states.)
This is the fear of too many conservatives, too, as was seen in Mitt Romney's disastrous comment about how he could not compete for the votes of the "47 percent" who pay no federal income tax. The thesis that dependency or reliance on government will inexorably drive the votes of all such voters turns out to be just as popular on the right as it is on the left. I wonder if the time hasn't come to challenge this conclusion, for it assumes that everyone who is currently dependent on government aid likes it or wants to remain dependent.
I was recalling over the weekend for an audience of mostly liberals the moment that George McGovern realized he was going to lose his Senate seat in the 1980 election: he was in a supermarket checkout line in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where two women in line ahead of him told him that although they were lifelong Democrats, they weren't going to vote for him this time because he was "too liberal." They then proceeded to purchase their groceries with food stamps.
This anecdote reminds of why Bill Clinton in 1992 emphasized "ending welfare as we know it," and, if you look back closely, you can see he was attempting to revive, in a subtle and indirect way, the older idea of the "deserving poor." He had to be subtle in this because anything more direct would have riled up the left. But it was the flip side of his very effective slogan of helping people who "worked hard and played by the rules."
Survey research shows that resistance to expansions of the welfare state often comes from low-income voters. Despite the long effort of the left to legitimize (and then expand) redistribution, there remains a residue of the sentiments of dignity and honor even among many people who are dependent on government. To be sure, the agenda of egalitarian redistribution has made significant inroads since the 1980s and 1990s, thus preparing the way for Obama's Great Leap Forward, but conservatives should not be so hasty in writing off the entire population of people who do not pay federal income tax or who are beneficiaries of government programs. It's not just bad politics; it also sells short some bedrock traits of the American character.
These thoughts are prompted in part by some recent reflections by economist Dwight Lee, a friend I haven't seen in a long time. I've always thought Dwight was a bit too much of a gear-drive economist (i.e., starting from the premise of "economic man" that all behavior and decisions are decided by rational calculation of self-interest-a view that is under serious attack these days by the newfangled "behaviorial economics"), but his new piece departs from a straight-up application of the gear-drive view by acknowledging that "beliefs" (he doesn't quite call them "moral" beliefs, however) are more important than narrow calculations of self-interest:
The importance of one's beliefs explains why historically much of the political resistance to welfare payments came from the poor. Until well into the 20th century it was widely considered insulting to one's dignity to rely on charity and most people had to be in desperate need to accept it. This created a serious problem for people who wanted to use government to transfer wealth to the poor. Even those who could have realized immediate financial benefit from such an expansion commonly voted against it because they believed public welfare would ultimately harm recipients by undermining their sense of responsibility and self-esteem. The personal satisfaction they realized from acting on their beliefs, and voting against transfers, was far greater than any financial benefits they could expect to receive by voting for them.
Lee's full argument traverses some of the usual economic territory on voting behavior that I find too narrow, but I agree with his conclusion:
The widespread concern that an increasing numbers of people who pay no federal income tax are being attracted to the polls to vote themselves benefits is unjustified. . . There is no doubt that far too many people have become dependent on government transfers, but that does not explain why they go to the polls, or how they vote. People's desire to vote for what they believe is in the public interest is what explains why they vote and how they vote. Paradoxically, and fortunately, that motivation is our best hope for reversing the growth in transfers.
I shot four videos with Cleta Mitchell last week to provide a brief tour of the IRS scandals. Videos in this series are posted here (part 1), here (part 2), here (part 3) and here (part 4). All four videos are posted on this Power Line YouTube page as well.
I reiterate that Cleta is the prominent Washington attorney who represents several clients victimized by the criminal misconduct of the IRS over the past four years. Please listen closely to what she has to say. She knows what she is talking about.
The charge that Richard Nixon attempted to misuse the IRS for political purposes made its way into the second of the three articles of impeachment against him. Nixon "endeavoured" to misuse the IRS, in the fancy British spelling of the word used in article 2. As I have repeatedly tried to point out (here, here, here and, most recently, here), Nixon's efforts to misuse the IRS were futile. They went nowhere. Nixon and his henchmen desired the IRS to "screw" their political opponents, but their efforts were a pathetic failure.
Nixon henchman Jack Caulfield astutely complained that the IRS was a "monstrous bureaucracy...dominated and controlled by Democrats." As we have come to see, Caulfield was on to something. By contrast with Nixon's failures to misuse the IRS, the IRS has very effectively "screwed" Obama's political opponents, and we have yet to learn what the president knew and when he knew it.
In the many times I've testified in the Senate, I've only been abused and mistreated once-by Dick Durbin. A bully and a thug, for sure. The House is sort of a circus, so you never know what might happen, but the Dems in the Senate have generally treated me with some degree of respect (after all, I'm testifying as a volunteer, so I don't have to be there and I'm not being paid to be there, and most members of Congress recognize that), but not Durbin.
We will revisit the distasteful Dick a few more times this week.
The Left's current focus on "stand your ground" laws is intended to obscure the fact that what liberals really want to do is abolish the concept of self-defense; or, at any rate, self-defense with a firearm. That objective was made crystal clear in this exchange between Chris Matthews and Mark Glaze, the executive director of Michael Bloomberg's anti-gun organization, the deceptively-named Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Matthews asked Glaze whether a man wielding an ax handle should be considered to be "armed" for purposes of self-defense with a firearm:
Matthews: Would you consider the guy with the ax handle armed or not?
Glaze: Well, not with a gun.
Matthews: No, would you call him - well, I call him armed.
Glaze: Well, I have a word for him, I have a word for him. I grew up in Colorado where my dad was a gun dealer, and a guy who shoots somebody who has anything other than a gun when they could have done something else like talk or fight with their fists -
Matthews: Well, how do you talk to a guy with an ax handle? How do you talk to a guy with an ax handle?
Glaze: Well, you fight him. You run away. You deescalate the situation. I mean, that`s the way it was.
The NRA comments:
Glaze's response betrays Michael Bloomberg and MAIG's radical vision of a society devoid of nearly all lawful self-defense. The right to use a gun in self-defense in circumstances like the one Matthews and Glaze discuss is not at all controversial, as it would likely be legal in all 50 states (dependent on the exact individual circumstances), and is an extension of one of our most long-respected natural rights. ...
Glaze's feigned tough-guy attitude neglects the part of population that isn't capable of fist-fighting or running from an ax-wielding attacker. The elderly, disabled, women facing larger male attackers, and others less capable of physically defending themselves might not be able to afford to test their physical prowess against a violent, armed criminal.
Women are the fastest-growing gun-owning demographic, precisely because, for most women, a firearm may be necessary for effective self-defense. Why does the Democratic Party want to enable rapists and murderers who prey on women who, if the Democrats have their way, will have no better option than to hope they can run faster than a would-be rapist or murderer?
Gun rights advocates have a better idea. See, for example, the NRA's ongoing NRA Women video series, co-sponsored by Smith & Wesson. This video by Natalie Foster comes from the NRA News series:
The Democrats' effort to disarm law-abiding females is, in my view, an important aspect of their war on women.
'Islam Is Coming': Jihadist Leader Warns U.S. That Foreign Fighting in Syria Could Be In America Next
Honor Killing, the authorized act of murdering a family member, because their god calls for it.
Sharia Law, the value that authorizes murderers, rapists, molesters and pedophiles.
A 'religion' that tells you to lie, cheat and steal to honor your god.
A 'religion' that belittles their own wives and children, to the title of females to 'property'.
A religion that doesn't allow women to drive, let alone have a license.
A religion that, out of the goodness of their hearts, allows some women to have a voice to vote.
A religion that teaches a redefining of the simple words 'peace' and 'democracy', to the value of that 'peace' after no other but Muslim stand...and the word 'democracy' no value of truth in a belief that religion, government, education, military, media and entertainment stand under Sharia Law. The law a pedophile came up with.
The word Islam, can be defined as 'Submit'...but if we know what that 'submission' stands for, we have only ourselves to blame as we allow this false religion come into this nation...and for many years we have done exactly that, so, Islam isn't coming...it is here.
Posted by Daniel Greenfield @ the Sultan Knish blog
In our modern age, things no longer exist to perform their function. Washing machines aren't designed to clean clothes, but to save water and energy. Food isn't there to be eaten, but not eaten. And armies aren't there to win wars, but to be moral. And the truly moral army never fights a war. When it must fight a war, then it fights it as proportionately as possible, slowing down when it's winning so that the enemy has a chance to catch up and inflict a completely proportional number of casualties on them.
Forget charging up a hill. Armies charge up the slippery slope of the moral high ground and they don't try to capture it from the enemy, because that would be the surest way to lose the moral high ground, instead they claim the moral high ground by refusing to try and capture it, to establish their moral claim to the moral high ground, which they can't have because they refuse to fight for it.
Israel has been engaged in a long drawn out struggle for the moral high ground. The moral high ground is to the modern Israel what the land of Israel was to their pioneer ancestors who drained swamps, built roads and shot bandits; some of whom were later discovered to be the oppressed peoples of the region, fresh from Syria or Jordan, and protesting the settlements built on that stretch of swamp that had been set aside in their revisionist history as belonging to their great-grandparents, complete with oversized house keys to some of the choicer logs in the swamp.
Sadly the only way to win the moral high ground is by losing. Just look at the massive Arab armies who repeatedly invaded Israel, did their best to overwhelm it with the best Soviet iron that the frozen factories of the Ural could turn out, and lost the bid to drive the Jews into the sea, but won the moral high ground. Then their terrorist catspaws spent decades winning the moral high ground by hijacking airplanes full of civilians, murdering Olympic athletes and pushing old men in wheelchairs from the decks of cruise ships.
All these killing sprees accomplished absolutely nothing useful, aside from the killing of Jews, which to a certain sort of mind is a useful thing in and of itself, but that failure won the terrorist catspaws the moral high ground. Their failure to win a war by hijacking buses full of women and taking the children of a school hostage conclusively established their moral superiority and nobility of spirit.
The world was deeply moved when Arafat waddled up to the UN podium, with his gun, wearing a mismatched cotton rag on his head that would decades hence become the modish apparel of every third hipster standing in line with a can of 20 dollar fair trade Lima beans at Whole Foods, because his commitment to killing people in a failed cause that even he didn't believe in exchange for money from his backers in the Muslim world showed his deep commitment to the moral high ground.
Reid Admits: Obamacare Will Eliminate Private Insurance
Francis Bacon said: "Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise." Politicians deceive, that's a fact. They posses a cunning that allows them to swindle us time and time again. We, in our ever trusting nature, continue to allow this to happen. We vote for whoever promises quantity, not quality. This happened in 2008 and again in 2012. In 2012, we had a Presidential candidate who had the perfect background to pull our nation out of the financial quicksand. We picked the other guy. Ultimately, it's our fault for not using our brains to discern good from bad. Speaking of bad, with the implementation of Obamacare coming in just seven weeks, we are heading into deep waters. Obama made promise upon promise that Obamacare would not lead to socialized medicine, that private insurance would still be an option. Well, of course, for a short time. Over a longer stretch, private insurance will be wiped out, and everyone will be wards of the federal health system. But he left that little tidbit out. Now, Harry Reid is telling the truth about Obamacare. According to The Las Vegas Sun:
MSNBC: "Ted Cruz Bastardizing The Constitution" According to MSNBC, he's a "craven politician" and he's "bastardizing the Constitution" because "our Constitution says this is how we all work together and he's not for any of that." We couldn't make it up if we tried... watch for yourself...
[Video] A Must See Santorum Speech The mainstream media will likely blackout anything Rick Santorum says but this speech on why we are being beaten by 'pop culture' is a must see...
Huffington Post Attacks Former Navy Chaplain The Huffington Post, the left wings leading online rag, has slammed Former Navy Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt of the 'Pray In Jesus Name' website for saying that, "Lust is not love, and whatever they're doing behind closed doors is not love in the homosexual community. It is lawlessness."
[Video] Trump Stands Firm On Obama Birth Certificate Stance The media continually tries to discredit him by bringing up the issue but Trump stands firm yet again... establishment Republicans should take a page out of book on this issue.
Communism Now Big in Japan; Still Little in VirtueJapan's economic malaise is perhaps providing communism with its most fertile modern ground, as young workers there are increasingly embracing the Japanese Communist Party.
President Obama held a rare White House press conference Friday afternoon in which he actually took a few questions from reporters. Asked to explain his unlawful delay in implementing parts of Obamacare, the president lashed out at Republicans with his usual demagoguery. Here's what Obama said:
"The one unifying principle in the Republican Party at the moment is making sure that 30 million people don't have health care... The idea that you would shut down the government unless you prevent 30 million people from getting health care is a bad idea."
Obama repeated this statement in a variety of ways during his remarks, almost as if he had rehearsed it and was just waiting for the opportunity to unleash this zinger.
Of course opposition to Obamacare is not driven by a desire to deny people health care. It is about stopping the fundamental transformation of America to European-style socialism. It is about stopping Big Government's ever-expanding control of our lives and the economy.
Not surprisingly, the leftist reporters let Obama get away with making this absurd charge. If a conservative president had said something similarly derisive about the motives of congressional liberals, the media would have erupted in righteous anger.
But journalists are liberals and they agree with Obama's worldview. So it was simply accepted at face value, picked up and replayed extensively over the weekend.
Sinking Obama
Over the weekend, Obama's approval rating hit another low -- just 41% of Americans approved of his job performance, according to Gallup's daily tracking poll. That is a new low for a president who just nine months ago got 52% of the vote.
Note to congressional Republicans: You have little to fear from a politically wounded president.
Reid: Obamacare A Step Toward Single-Payer
Make no mistake about it: Opposition to Obamacare is about stopping Big Government's ever-expanding control of our lives. But you don't have to take my word for it. Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid told a Nevada PBS station that Obamacare was just "a step in the right direction."
What direction might that be? According to one news report, Reid was pressed as to whether he meant doing away with insurance-based coverage entirely. Reid responded, "Yes, yes. Absolutely, yes."
Reid added that during attempts to draft Obamacare in 2009, "We had a real good run at the public option ... don't think we didn't have a tremendous number of people who wanted a single-payer system." But Harry Reid and his liberal allies just couldn't round up enough votes for a full-blown socialist health care scheme then. So we got Obamacare as a stepping stone.
Barack Obama has spoken openly about his support for a single-payer system, adding, "But I don't think we're going to be able to eliminate employer coverage immediately. There's going to be potentially some transition process."
That's all Obamacare is -- just a transition process. Or in Harry Reid's view, a "step in the right direction" toward to a socialist Big Government scheme. Those of us who do not see the European socialist welfare state as an attractive economic model are right to oppose it.
Republicans Go Home & Hear Call To Fight Harder
Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) is a staunch conservative Republican. In 2008, Harris challenged and defeated a moderate GOP incumbent in the primary, but narrowly lost the general election. Two years later, Harris ran again and defeated the incumbent Democrat by double-digits. But at a recent town hall event, Rep. Harris got an earful from his constituents -- his conservative constituents.
One man told Rep. Harris, "I want Boehner up there defying [Obama] and saying, 'We're going to impeachment with you if you do not start obeying the laws!' ... Listen, we're dying out here because you guys are being nice guys! This is not a Boy Scout meeting!"
A woman standing nearby chimed in, "It's not! And you're acting like Boy Scouts! You've got to fight!" Watch it here.
Kudos to these folks for showing up and speaking out. It is tremendously important for members of Congress to hear from the people who elected them and not just the professional consultants inside the D.C. Beltway.
I hope Speaker Boehner and Leader McConnell are paying attention to the angst at the grassroots. There are millions of Americans who care deeply about our cherished values. They feel Obama is transforming the country and think some in the GOP are more interested in a round of golf at the country club followed by gin and tonics.
I believe the GOP must step up its efforts, commit to real reform and to the values of faith, family and freedom. If it does that, I believe it stands a reasonably good chance of prevailing in next year's critical mid-term elections.
How Obama Is Wasting Your Tax Dollars
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is warning that additional sequestration budget cuts may lead to a massive reduction of troop levels and the mothballing of aircraft carriers. I do not want to see our troops bear the brunt of budget cuts, but there are plenty of places the Pentagon could look to save money.
Here's a suggestion: Cancel next year's "Diversity Day" celebrations.
When most of us think about diversity, drag queens probably don't come to mind. But last week the Los Angeles Air Force Base featured a performance by Jewels and the Brunchettes. When asked to explain why a drag queen performance was part of the "Diversity Day" event, a military spokesman responded:
"Drag acts to this day represent the struggle for freedom and equality of the LGBT community, while at the same time providing a deep-rooted historical form of entertainment for the LGBT culture. Drag queen acts are historically one of the main forms of entertainment in the LGBT culture, having its roots in the earliest of days of the gay rights movement."
One airman said, "We can't even have Bibles on our desks. ... The display was totally inappropriate and offensive."
From my office window I can see a soaring sculpture across from the Pentagon honoring the brave men and women of the U.S. Air Force who have courageously defeated tyrannies around the world and defended our constitutional republic. No enemy has ever been able to lay them low and emasculate their courage. It has taken the extremist Obama Administration and its pro-homosexuality agenda to do that.
San Diego mayor Bob Filner, the son of a Communist Party member, spent two decades in Congress compiling a voting record that was the very embodiment of hard leftism. Now his political career is in peril, amid a growing scandal.
Holder to revamp sentencing guidelines for non-violent drug offenses By Jordy Yager
Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday announced that the Justice Department will no longer press mandatory minimum sentences against many low-level non-violent drug crime offenders.
Holder also said he has ordered federal prosecutors to revamp statutes and provide more flexibility for judges in nonviolent drug offenses, including in sentences for people without ties to gangs or drug cartels.
"Certain low-level, nonviolent drug offenders who have no ties to large-scale organizations, gangs, or cartels will no longer be charged with offenses that impose draconian mandatory minimum sentences," Holder told an audience at the American Bar Association's annual meeting in San Francisco.
"They now will be charged with offenses for which the accompanying sentences are better suited to their individual conduct, rather than excessive prison terms more appropriate for violent criminals or drug kingpins."
"Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." --Thomas Paine
Publisher's Note: As your Patriot team returns from our annual "recess" family stay-cations, Barack Obama and family are headed off on their lavish vacation to Martha's Vineyard, where they will spare no taxpayer expense. Their dog Bo even flew there on his own plane. However, we're sure he will take a break from his celebrity golf outings to talk about the plight of the middle class.
If you missed our notices last week, today, by popular request from our Patriot ranks, we are launching our new email layout, which combines the best of the Brief, Chronicle and Digest in a faster-reading format. From here forward, our Monday, Wednesday and Friday editions will include a few selections from our most current analysis of news, policy and opinion, followed by a Brief Opinion section from syndicated columnists, and then a selection of witty and outrageous Chronicle Quotes. The new "all-in-one" layout provides you with the same great content you have come to expect from The Patriot Post over the last 17 years, but in a more concise and timely format.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Hope 'n' Change: The Planned Failure of ObamaCare
In a rare press conference Friday, Barack Obama again defended his crumbling and unpopular health care law, boasting of a handful of goodies in it that people will supposedly enjoy. Those include insurance for "children" up to age 26 under their parents' plan, rebates for unspent premium money, subsidies for those who can't afford insurance (subsidies no longer to be verified against income) and don't forget "free preventive care, mammograms [and] contraception." Ah yes -- "free." Predictably, Obama blamed the GOP for the law's failures, because, "The one unifying principle in the Republican Party at the moment is making sure that 30 million people don't have health care."
The list of problems with the law's implementation only gets longer, too. As we'vepreviously noted, Obama unilaterally delayed the mandate that employers provide health insurance to employees. "I didn't simply choose to delay this on my own," he insisted Friday. "This was in consultation with businesses all across the country." Oh, he gained constitutional authority for delaying enforcement of part of a law after "consultation with businesses." We didn't realize that's how presidential authority was secured, but we imagine if a Republican is elected in 2016, he'll quickly gain support from businesses for scrapping the whole law.
Next, individuals are supposed to be able to buy health insurance over state exchanges on the Internet, similar to Expedia or other travel sites. But development is behind schedule meaning that critical security testing won't begin in a "beta" phase with a few users -- it will happen on opening day for everyone.
Likewise, training for the "navigators" who will help people sign up for these exchanges is not going well. Just three weeks ago, the administration said that 30 hours of training would be sufficient for these people to understand the monstrously complex law, but now they say 20 hours will suffice. We wonder if their training will be anything like what IRS agents received before the 2012 election -- how to delay and frustrate political opponents. Indeed, they'll have access to citizens' sensitive health records, and the order has already gone out to charitable hospitals that treat uninsured people.
Despite all this, James Clyburn (D-SC) boasted, "The fact of the matter is, [Democrats] will be running on ObamaCare in 2014. In fact, we set it up to run on it in 2014."
They may run on it as-is for now, but their real goal is a single-payer government system. Hence the planned shortcomings of the current plan. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) gave away the game, saying, "Yes, yes. Absolutely, yes," we will eventually scrap an insurance-based health system. "What we've done with ObamaCare is have a step in the right direction, but we're far from having something that's going to work forever," he said. "Don't think we didn't have a tremendous number of people who wanted a single-payer system."
On Sunday, Missouri State Fair officials and politicians condemned the performance of a rodeo clown who donned a mask resembling President Obama during a bull riding competition. Many voices on the political Left are speaking out as well. Some have demanded that "heads roll." See the video showing the mask in debateHERE.
San Diego beach bum Jason Greenslate has a front-row seat watching your tax dollars at work�mainly because that�s about all that�s breaking a sweat in his world. On Friday, Greenslate appeared on �The Great Food Stamp Binge� special on Fox and described his schedule to John Roberts this way: �Wake up, go down to the beach, hang out with my friends, hit on some chicks, start drinking.� Watch the video, but prepare to get angry,HERE.
On Saturday night, CNN's Don Lemon hit back at his critics, including hip hop mogul Russell Simmons, who was so offended by the CNN anchor�s assessment that he wrote a scathing open letter to him about race in America. Lemon�s �No Talking Points� segment centered around promoting self-empowerment among blacks. Watch the videoHERE.
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.Special Monday, ONLY, $27!>>Click here>>�
The first day of school took an awkward twist in a Louisiana middle school last week, as a parent�s complaint prompted an investigation into whether the school�s only social studies teacher used racial slurs against students. One parent reportedly filed a complaint against the teacher Lois Polite at Lowery Middle School in Donaldsonville, La. You can watch the local news reportsHERE.
Honesty is always the best policy, the saying goes. And sometimes that honesty yields some incredible quotes. Like the one from a man in Chicago who admitted to police where he was hiding a gun when they discovered his parked car. Curious? Prepare to say "ewwwwww!" after you clickHERE.
Actor Kirk Cameron�s first documentary �Monumental� explored America�s founding principles. But in his latest endeavor, �Unstoppable,� he�ll tackle more profoundly theological and human phenomenons � mainly pain and suffering. At the center of the film is one of the most frequently asked life questions: �Why does God let bad things happen to good people?� See the movie's trailerHERE.
A sinkhole caused a section of a central Florida resort villa to partially collapse early Monday, while another section of the villa was left sinking, authorities said. Some guests staying at the villa reported hearing popping sounds and even saw the building leaning before it fell into the hole. Check out the pictures and videoHERE.
Alison William's 19-year-old son, Ian, has a malignant brain tumor and all he �ever wanted to do� was be a soldier, but his diagnosis has made that dream impossible. However, when Alison saw that Marcus Luttrell�s Patriot Tourwas coming to Minneapolis, something inside her said �don�t let this go.� On Sunday, Alison spoke to TheBlaze about an incredible experience she and her son had with Marcus Luttrell. Get the whole storyHERE.
Wilkow! -- What are the "magic words" you can say at the U.S. border that will help you get right into the country? Andrew tells you, tonight. --7pm ET -- only on TheBlaze TV.
The video attached here shows the perspective of the motorcyclist as he cruises down the road. The rider slows, seeing a woman in a motorized wheelchair who appears to be stuck. Unlike cars that didn't see her or ignored her plight, the biker stops. Watch the feel-good clipHERE.
Roger Sperry won the Nobel Prize in 1981 for his work on what is now commonly known as right brain-left brain thinking. Sperry theorized that some very specific activities were controlled by one side of the human brain or the other � for example, the right side controlled creative tasks, while the left side was where logic, language and reasoning lived. Which side of your brain controls your life? Take the very simple testHERE.
Liberals love their fantasies about slavery in America. It makes them feel superior to insist America was founded by "Old White Men" (OWM) who loved slavery. They refuse to acknowledge that those same OWMs often freed their own slaves although not until their death. They love their own fairy tale that, "freeing slaves had nothing to do with the Civil War." Allowing that would force them to credit Lincoln and the (hated) Republicans with freeing the slaves - a gross violation of the false liberal narrative of American history.
They are so desperate to keep the truth of who were the slave holders and who set the slaves free from their intellectually captive Black voters that in some states American history books start with 1870 because starting in 1775 could throw open the Liberal plantation gates forever.
Mark Dice is back with another great video showing us how Obama's America has created a greedy government dependent nation. Notice the oinker at 3:30 saying "Absolutely!" to killing old people so she can take their health care coverage.
Filed legal challenges to the EPA's findings on greenhouse gases being a threat to human health and thus an emission they have the authority to regulate.
Supports right to life from conception until death, supported and pushed several pro-life bills while in the state legislature.
Endorsed by the NRA.
We can examine his record further, but that gives you the gist.
So if you're one of those folks who believes that Mitt Romney was a RINO squish, and that Republicans always lose when they nominate RINO squishes, then you really, really, really need Ken Cuccinelli to win this year.
If Ken Cuccinelli - Mr. Conservative Record - loses against a flawed competitor like Terry McAuliffe, in a purple state like Virginia . . . and simultaneously, Governor Hug-Obama-After-a-Hurricane-and-Move-Left wins in a landslide up in New Jersey . . . the message to the rest of the Republican party will be pretty clear. What you fervently believe - conservatives win, moderate squishes lose - will be refuted in the eyes of many Republicans.
Proud conservatives like to believe that their like-minded grassroots voters are, collectively, like a sleeping giant; they merely need to be awakened by the right candidate to transform into an unparalleled, unstoppable electoral force. Perhaps Cuccinelli and the African-American Christian minister running as the Republicans' candidate for lieutenant governor, E. W. Jackson , will indeed be swept into office by that sleeping giant. Right now, most of Virginia's big-time politics watchers think Jackson is a joke and an albatross to Cuccinelli.
If the conservative grassroots are indeed a sleeping giant, so far they're hitting the "snooze" button on this race. At least through mid-summer, Cuccinelli's fundraising is pretty "meh," and he's going up against an opponent who will have roughly dollars.
Cuccinelli, 44, had $2.7 million in cash as of the end of June, compared with $6 million for McAuliffe, 56, the former national Democratic Party chairman and fundraiser. While McAuliffe had been expected to out-raise Cuccinelli, the Republican is lagging behind where McDonnell was at this point in his 2009 race, when he had $4.9 million in cash on hand.
What, national conservatives, the stakes aren't high enough? You don't feel sufficiently invested in the success of Cuccinelli in November?
Okay, then think of the Terry McAuliffe 2013 campaign as a dress rehearsal for the Hillary Clinton 2016 effort.
Because that's how the McAuliffe team sees themselves: "She hasn't said anything about 2016, but Terry McAuliffe's 2013 gubernatorial campaign is serving as a testing ground for Clinton's clout, operatives and donors. . . . The success or failure of McAuliffe's campaign is a chance to measure Clinton's strength and organization in a critical state that now rivals Ohio as the pivotal swing state for winning a presidential election. In fact, McAuliffe and some of his top allies have suggested to big donors and consultants that supporting his campaign is a way to get in on the ground floor of Hillary 2016, several donors and operatives told POLITICO."
And now she's holding a fundraiser for him September 30. McAuliffe wants to attach himself to her just as the campaign is really heating up and the low-information voters tune in.
Donor maintenance.
If McAuliffe wins, the Hillary-is-inevitable overtures in the media will become even louder and more insufferable. And if Cuccinelli loses to Hillary's grating huckster buddy, a lot of movers and shakers in GOP circles will conclude there's no way a pro-life, pro-gun, tough-on-immigration, anti-Obamacare, down-the-line conservative will beat Hillary herself in a must-win state like Virginia.
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli found himself hawking The New York Times to hundreds of supporters in Chesterfield County on Saturday as the Republican gubernatorial nominee sought to exploit new revelations about political influence to help a company that his Democratic opponent co-founded.
"I would not normally urge anyone to buy The New York Times," Cuccinelli quipped to about 200 people at the Sheraton Richmond Park South during a nearly two hour "chat" on politics and public policy.
The front-page story on Saturday featured concerns raised by the president of GreenTech Automotive, a company that Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe helped found and lead, about the role the company's former chairman played in using his political connections to help the startup business.
"I learned a lot of things," Charles Wang, GreenTech's president, said in an interview with the Times. "Politicians or people with political backgrounds are dangerous to business."
Cuccinelli pounced on details in the story about McAuliffe's role in GreenTech, including a meeting he reportedly arranged with federal officials through the office of Vice President Joe Biden to talk about approval of special visas for Chinese investors in the clean-car company.
"It certainly appears McAuliffe has not been truthful about using his political connections to seek and receive special treatment at the highest levels of the Obama administration," Cuccinelli said in a written statement Saturday.
Maybe GreenTech Automotive turns into the game-changer the Cuccinelli campaign has needed - it's not like anybody's shocked by Terry McAuliffe's working secret deals to help out wealthy friends and high-level government officials. Conflict-of-interest isn't something he does; it's who he is.
Oh, Lois Lerner. What Are We Going to Do With You?
On the cruise, one of my questions began, "I don't want to be accused of demonizing anyone, but there's a key question around Lois Lerner: Is she the devil or merely a servant of the devil?"
E-mail correspondence unearthed by the House Ways and Means Committee reveals that Lois Lerner, the figure at the center of the scandal, may have committed a felony by divulging information about a conservative group to the Federal Election Commission, in an incident that dates back at least to 2008, before President Obama took office. Though some conservatives have eagerly sought evidence that Obama's White House instigated the IRS's targeting of tea-party groups, the latest evidence suggests that an anti-conservative bias may instead be an endemic feature of the federal bureaucracy. And now, an FEC official is raising the specter of systemic bias at that agency, too, calling the techniques its lawyers employ a "much more sophisticated way" of discriminating against conservative groups than those used by the IRS.
"When we spoke last July, you had told us that the American Future Fund had not received an exemption letter from the IRS," an FEC attorney wrote in a February 2009 e-mail to Lerner.
But Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code provides that both "return information" and "taxpayer return information" are strictly confidential. An IRS source tells National Review Online that, within the agency, disclosing the information that Lerner appears to have provided is considered "a violation of Section 6103."
Rooms have to be found for dozens of Secret Service agents, someone has to carry a selection of presidential basketballs, and of course the family dog needs his own state-of-the-art aircraft.
Arriving in the idyllic coastal retreat of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, Mr Obama left behind him in Washington DC high profile debates over the budget, government surveillance and his health care reforms. Instead, he will spend the next eight days playing golf, going to the beach, and buying books from the Bunch of Grapes bookstore.
In the air he swapped his suit and tie for khakis and a blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves, while Mrs Obama wore a yellow-and-white summer dress.
Bo, the president's Portuguese Water Dog, arrived separately on one of two MV-22 Ospreys, a hybrid aircraft which takes off like a helicopter but flies like a plane.
It was the first time the Ospreys have been taken on holiday by a US president.
If you're wondering, "Hey, how much does that cost us?". . . "By 2010, air readiness rates for the V-22 rose 28 percent, while maintenance costs, as measured by cost per flight hour, fell 19 percent to $9,520 per hour."
Probably still cheaper than flying Bo in an Osprey.
Barbara McMahon notes Ambassador Chris Stevens and the other Americans in Benghazi sure could have used an Osprey last September 11.
In our world of righty-blog readers, this will be a big deal; in lefty-blog-reader world, it will be the Missouri State Fair's rodeo clown wearing an Obama mask. Because as you know, this is the first time anyone has ever mocked a sitting president.
Oh, You Mean Those Payments Cory Booker Forgot to Disclose!
Cory Booker pocketed "confidential" annual payouts from his former law firm while serving as Newark mayor.
Booker, the front-runner in New Jersey's Senate race, received five checks from the Trenk DiPasquale law firm from 2007 until 2011. During that time, the firm raked in more than $2 million in fees from local agencies over which Booker has influence. . . .
Booker did not list Trenk DiPasquale as a source of income on the financial-disclosure report he filed as a Senate candidate in May. One part asks for a listing of compensation of more than $5,000 paid by one source for services provided from 2011 to 2013.
Griffis claimed Booker did not have to list his 2011 payment from the law firm because "it was not compensation for services rendered. It was a return of equity."
Booker quit the firm Oct. 31, 2006.
Since 2007, the firm has raked in at least $1,287,639 in legal fees from Newark's Housing Authority, $554,663 from a local wastewater agency, and $212,318 from the Newark Watershed, records show.
Why does everybody love this guy?
(sigh) "Forget it. It's New Jersey, Jake."
ADDENDUM: Our Charlie Cooke: "The 'I don't care what you say and here is a 2,000 word email to explain why' genre is a truly bizarre one."
A 26-year-old aspiring filmmaker who happens to be white thought he had nothing to fear from moving into a black neighborhood and then taking a leisurely stroll.
But a relentless, bloodthirsty mob of 50 blacks was a stark wake-up call.
Even if the victim survives, he'll have this severe problem ...
Bet you didn't know Joe Biden could sing? Or that Rand Paul can swallow a chocolate bar faster than you can flee a drone strike. Feast your eyes on this hilarious music-video spoof.
Documentaries, especially those quoting renowned scientists talking about their specialties, often are dull. So how is this "Evolution vs. God" project by Christian evangelist Ray Comfort raising so much ruckus?
'I still insist that the Holocaust is a great lie'
A member of this committee responsible for appointing editors to the state-owned newspapers claims the Holocaust was a rumor started by the U.S. during World War II to ruin Germany's reputation.
Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick is serving his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents
Pennsylvania's 8th district which includes all of Bucks County as well as a portion of Montgomery County. He serves
as the Vice Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
August 11, 2013, 6:30 PM
Dear Friends,
No sooner had our 27-member PAC Board of Delegates voted overwhelmingly to endorse
Dr. Alieta Eck for the Republican nomination for US Senate than the Lonegan campaign demonstrated why our PAC had made the right decision.
On Thursday, in response to the Democrat debate, a Lonegan campaign staffer tweeted an elaborate racially-tinged slur using the Lonegan campaign's official twitter address.
The Democrats, including Corey Booker, immediately pounced on Steve Lonegan--as if Mr. Lonegan had sent the tweet himself. (See press stories below).
Not for one minute did we think Mr. Lonegan had sent the racially-tinged tweet himself--he hadn't.
It was reported that Mr. Lonegan immediately ordered the tweet be removed--and it was.
Sadly, though, it was also reported that Mr. Lonegan has refused to toss the offending staffer from his campaign (and has refused to apologize).
Were we surprised--no. Were we sickened--yes. We are judged, like it or not, by the company we keep.
Is Steve Lonegan New Jersey's Version of Todd Aiken?
Mr. Lonegan should have, without a second thought, apologized and dismissed the staffer.
In our press release (below) announcing the endorsement of Dr. Eck over Mr. Lonegan, we
mentioned the 'temperament' of the candidates as one of the reasons for our decision.
Unfortunately, Mr. Lonegan has taken this tweet far too lightly--calling it a Tempest in a Teapot--and, in the process, is setting a negative tone for a campaign which he claims represents the cause of conservatism and the Tea Party in the Garden State.
If Mr. Lonegan does not quickly remove the guilty tweeter from his campaign staff, he is opening the conservative movement, the Tea Party (which he claims to represent), and himself, to ongoing Democrat charges of racism--beyond this Tuesday's primary.
We are calling on Mr. Lonegan to do the right thing--apologize and fire the offending tweeter before the Democrats begin calling on him to do so.
We are confident that if the Corey Booker campaign had done something comparable,
Mr. Lonegan would be shouting from the mountain top that Mr. Booker should apologize and remove the offending party or be labeled a racist.
Dr. Eck Addresses the Independence Hall Tea Party, July 4, 2013. Photo by Jerry Klein.
A Much Better Choice for the NJ Republican Nomination for US Senate
Finally, on a much more pleasant note, pleaseshare the good news about Dr. Eck's candidacy with your NJ Republican family members, friends, and/or neighbors.
Because of the timing and nature of this summer's special election primary, it is expected that voter turnout will be extremely low. That makes your vote even more critical!
If Dr. Eck can get her supporters to the polls this Tuesday, she could very well defeat the Republican political establishment and Mr. Lonegan.
There are two more big ways you can help in the remaining few days of the campaign:
You can volunteer to make calls from the comfort of your own home--and you do not have to be a Jersey resident to do so!
All you have to do on the calls is ask NJ Republican voters to remember to vote for Dr. Eck on Tuesday, August 13.
If you are willing to help:
Go to http://syntrix.co/ and sign up for a free account. (NOTE: DO NOT use the Facebook login).
Once you have set up an account, you can login and
1) Click on the "Campaigns" link from menu near the top of screen
2) Choose NJ from the drop down list and find Dr. Eck's picture on the right.
3) Click on her name and you will then be directed to her "Campaign Page."
4) From there, look to the left under "Quick Action Links" & click "Phone from Home." 5) Call the numbers, follow the phone script, & record the answers.
The other thing you can do is to contribute to Dr. Eck's campaign by clicking the donate button on her website.
(Initially, we were hoping to bundle money for her campaign. But due to time constraints, we think it is better for you to contribute directly to her campaign by clicking the link below.
PAC Board Votes Overwhelmingly to Endorse Alieta Eck for US Senate;
Says Eck is Best for New Jersey
Blackwood, NJ (August 7, 2013) -- The 27-member Board of Delegates of the influential Independence Hall Tea Party PAC announced, today, that it has voted overwhelmingly to endorse Dr. Alieta Eck for US Senate in the upcoming New Jersey special election Republican primary.
(The PAC is the sister organization of the Independence Hall Tea Party Association, the largest Tea Party in the tri-State region with thousands of members and supporters
living in the Garden State.)
"Our PAC Board is very familiar with both Steve Lonegan and Alieta Eck," said PAC President, Don Adams. "While we respect Mr. Lonegan, we greatly appreciate the intelligence and temperament of Dr. Eck.
"Alieta Eck is a proven leader and problem-solver who doesn't sit around waiting for government to fix things," said Burlington County resident and PAC Vice President, Bill Green.
"As the founder of a free health clinic in Somerset county, Dr. Eck has taken a leadership role in providing health care to thousands of New Jersey residents.
"She has been at the center of our national health care debate and has consistently and thoughtfully voiced her opposition to ObamaCare," said Mr. Green.
"We are also endorsing Dr. Eck because we believe she would be the stronger candidate against the Democrat in the October general election."
"It has not been lost upon us that if she were to win the Senate race, she would become
the first female US Senator in Garden State history.
"Our Federal PAC has an excellent track record in picking NJ primaries winners. In the 2010 and 2012 cycles, the PAC got it right in 7 of 8 competitive contests," said Mr. Adams.
"Make no mistake about it, we will be using all of our resources to help Dr. Eck win next Tuesday's primary."
# # #
Paid for by Independence Hall Tea Party PAC. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Visit: www.IndependenceHallTeaPartyPAC.com.
13 Ways the 113th Congress Can Improve Education in America By Lindsey Burke & Rachel Sheffield
"In order to achieve excellence in early education, policymakers must abandon the presumption that government preschool is preferable to family care... More government preschool is not the answer to helping America's children succeed, and any efforts to expand federal preschool initiatives should be opposed."
It is problematic to set the poor New York Common Core scores as a baseline. "The Common Core may be a higher or lower standard than what New York used to have, but again, for the tests, much of what matters is only that the Core is different. You may be a great all-around athlete, but if you've been training for baseball you're not going to look so good if you suddenly have to play football."
"Now that Georgia has withdrawn from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), I believe the next step in our efforts to exit the national Common Core framework must turn to the standards themselves."
-Georgia State Senator Willian Ligon (R-Brunswick)
Don't Miss
Competition with Charters Motivates Districts
"Where school districts once responded with indifference, symbolic gestures, or open hostility, we are starting to see a broadening of responses, perhaps fueled by acceptance that the charter sector will continue to thrive, or by knowledge that many charters are providing examples of ways to raise academic achievement."
Common Core is Neither Intentionally Benchmarked Nor State-Led
Common Core's website says that the tests are informed by other top performing countries. This means the standards are not internationally benchmarked. To be internationally benchmarked the writing team for the standards would have needed to "conduct extensive research and direct comparative analysis on the academic expectations of other leading countries". They did not.
About The Heritage Foundation Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute -- a think tank -- whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.
The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 | 202.546.4400
The Childless By Choice: Both Vanguard And Victims August 12, 2013 By Don Feder
If the "childless by choice" are so happy, why do they have to keep telling us how happy they are? And why do their media cheerleaders feel the need to constantly affirm them?
Thus, Time - The Overpriced News Brochure ($4.99 for 60 pages) - had an intense erotic experience with the cover story in its August 12th issue, "The Childfree Life: When having it all means not having children." Please note the choice of words - not childless but childfree, like cancer-free, as if children are a life-threatening disease, which is pretty much the way the contraceptive left views them.
The organ of elite opinion begins by telling us that today "one in five American women will end their child-bearing years maternity-free, compared to 1 in 10 in the 1970s." In this and other statistics cited, Time hears the joyous tread of progress.
The childfree are "a new vanguard (that) began to question the reproductive imperative." These women are "finding new paths of acceptance." "As their ranks rise - and as the community of adults without children diversifies .... so do positive attitudes about being able to lead a fulfilling, childless life. Along the way, these women are inventing a new female archetype, one for whom having it all doesn't mean having a baby."
Let us now bow our heads in reverent acknowledgement of their manifold achievements.
Besides, the childfree get a $234,000 bonus, what it costs to raise a child to 18, according to USDA. Childfree couples get to spend more time with their expensive sports car (no SUV for them) parked in the driveway - as well as sipping wine, cuddling on the couch, and taking vacations to exotic locations. "I'm not lacking anything," one of the childfree interviewed for the article insists, a bit defensively, perhaps.
The adulation is leavened with a lot of whining. The childfree are not only the vanguard, but also another victim group.
Time reveals they are being "scolded" at every turn, and offers as evidence a 2012 column by Ross Douthat, who writes in The New York Times that the "retreat from child rearing is, at some level, a symptom of late modern exhaustion," and the book, "What to Expect When No One's Expecting," by Weekly Standard writer Jonathan Last, which it says asserts that the "selfishness" (Time's word, not Last's) of this community is responsible for American economic decline.
Is the magazine seriously maintaining that The New York Times' token conservative columnist and a writer for a conservative periodical now set societal standards? Read more:
"Evolution vs. God" is a powerful tool in reaching lost souls for Christ.
New DVD turns skeptics into believers - add it to your witness tool bag today!
August 9, 2013
AFA is teaming up with evangelist Ray Comfort to distribute "Evolution vs. God" far and wide, especially to those who reject God, the Bible and creation. Specifically, teams of Christian student groups on some of the nation's most liberal colleges are in place and stand ready to personally hand this eye-opening DVD to other students.
Right now, I hope you will partner with me by investing in getting the "Evolution vs. God" DVD into as many young hands as possible.
Here's how:
First, watch the trailer. You'll get a great overview of just how this video can impact non-believers.
Once you've seen the trailer, I know you'll want a personal copy for yourself. We are offering "Evolution vs. God" to you for a suggested donation of only $5.00 to AFA.
Then...help us get this DVD into the hands of young people at America's most liberal colleges and universities! When you order your personal copy, you'll have the opportunity to make an additional donation to purchase DVDs that will reach unbelieving college students.
For every additional $5.00 donation you make to the ministry of AFA, a copy will be personally handed to a student on a college campus!
Plus...when you order your DVD, be sure to check the box for the free Evolution vs. God Companion Guide to accompany your copy!
And after exploring the many reasons why women might decide not to procreate (and it's usually looked at as a woman's decision, not so much a man's), TIME's Lauren Sandler decides that this is a pretty cool decision.
LifeSiteNews asked the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) by email if it would uphold Section 174 of the Code if it witnessed explicit nudity at a public event such as the Pride Parade.
"In a particular way, faced with the culture of waste, that relativizes the value of human life," the pope said, "parents are called to pass on to their children the understanding that this must always be defended, already in the mother's womb..."
Fr. Kevin Doran, a board member of Mater said, "The issue is broader than just abortion. What's happening is the Minister is saying hospitals are not entitled to have an ethos."
And when the moment of decision comes, a shocking percentage of families go along with the culture-and end a life they've been told isn't worth living.
Rick set out to do what many parents have done - he started a blog to show the world just how normal his son and his life are. But he did it with a pro-life message.
Americans can go to bed with a story to warm the cockles of their hearts tonight. First Dog Bo has been successfully transported to join the First Family on their well-deserved vacation on Martha's Vineyard.
Bo was transported from Washington to the island on board a specially modified Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey. For security reasons similar to those of Vice President Joe Biden, President Obama and First Dog Bo cannot travel on the same aircraft, thus making a separate flight necessary.
While some might consider using a $69.3 million aircraft to transport a dog a bit extravagant, it must be pointed out that this was paid for with taxpayer money, not from the First Family's accounts. Neither President nor Mrs. Obama are spendthrifts and are very careful with the family's budget.
WATCH: Craig Ferguson mocks Keith Olbermann and his teeny tiny doggy
Keith Olbermann made the rare decision to venture out of his NYC apartment to chat with CBS late night host Craig Ferguson. Things got a little uncomfortable when Ferguson asked him about his new dog. "Why didn't you get a regular dog?" Ferguson mocked as Olbermann described the little chick dog he recently purchased to keep him company. Keith was visibly uncomfortable during the exchange. Kinda sad... mostly for the dog. #unlucky WATCH
I feel your pain: Obama flies his dog to Martha's Vineyard
Once again the U.K. press is doing the job the American press just won't do: calling out President Obama for his incredible ability to spend copious amounts of money on lavish vacations. On this latest trip, however, the President stooped to a new low - flying First Dog Bo from the White House to Martha's Vineyard an Osprey MV-22 helicopter that arrived ahead of the Obama family. Unbelievable. READ
Glenn: Better days are right around the corner
There is so much going on in the world that could cause someone to question their faith, but this morning on radio Glenn shared some of his personal thoughts on what the future holds and why he believes "better days are right around the corner." Despite the gloom and doom that often seems inescapable, Glenn explained why he believes faith will always triumph. MORE
Real News welcomes two new panelists!
This week, Real News welcomes two new members to its panel, Tara Setmayer and Pete Hegseth. Tara arrives to TheBlaze fresh from Capitol Hill where she served as the communications director for Congresswoman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA). Pete served in Afghanistan as an infantry officer for the Army National Guard before becoming the CEO of Concerned Veterans for America. Tara and Pete join Buck Sexton and Will Cain to offer fresh perspectives on the news the mainstream media missed, weeknights at 6pm ET only on TheBlaze TV. Not a subscriber? Start your 14-day free trial HERE.
Watch all of TheBlaze TV programming live or on-demand right from your mobile device with TheBlaze iOS app. Download the app HERE.
Liberal confesses: I loved Eye of Moloch
Ok, so this liberal writer from the Guardian hasn't exactly converted to conservatism yet, but it's interesting to see someone admit to loving the Eye of Moloch despite being the polar opposite of Glenn. Of course, she couldn't help but mock Glenn in the process. Interestingly, she chastises Glenn for shedding light on the very programs her newspaper uncovered through NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. MORE
TheBlaze TV launches two new programs this week
TheBlaze has added two new shows to it's weekend line-up that gun enthusiasts should be pretty excited about. This Saturday, August 17, TheBlaze will begin airing Hot Shots at 4pm ET, followed by 3-Gun Nation at 4:30pm ET. Learn more about the new programs HERE. Not a subscriber? Start your 14-day free trial of TheBlaze TV NOW.
He is not God!
A Missouri rodeo clown is in deep trouble with liberals for daring to make fun of President Obama. All he did was wear an Obama mask during the Missouri State Fair rodeo, but the left is reacting as if it was a crime against humanity. On radio this morning, Glenn took a moment to remind the angry leftists that Obama is not God. Check out Glenn's reaction HERE.
1791 jeans are back in stock!
Looking for a pair of jeans that are guaranteed to last a lifetime? The 100% Made in America jeans from 1791 are back in stock and ready to ship immediately. Find your perfect pair today at 1791.com.
Wonderful World of Stu: Anthony Weiner's latest scandal WATCH
Agenda 21 is now available in paperback for under $10!
Babies taken from new mothers. Food and energy rationed. The elderly recycled. This is life in the Republic, a dystopian society where hope and freedom no longer exist. Now in paperback for the first time, follow Emmeline's mission to rage against the Authorities and take back all that Agenda 21 has stolen from her. You won't be able to put down this book down (4.3/5 stars on Amazon). It's the perfect page-turner to kick start your summer vacation. Get your paperback copy of Agenda 21 today!
Mom's plea to connect her cancer survivor son with Marcus Luttrell goes viral
Late last week, a mother took to Twitter with a plea to give her son, who dreamed of joining the military before being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, an opportunity to meet Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell. After writing to various celebrities and figures on Facebook and Twitter, Glenn saw her tweet and helped make her wish come true. Read the inspiring story HERE.
Don't miss a brand new episode of For The Record!
In March, For The Record exposed how the NSA has turned America into a Surveillance State. Now, new information reveals more truth about the government spying program. In May, For The Record took its cameras inside Egypt for an exclusive look at the Muslim Brotherhood's persecution of Christians, and now with Mohamed Morsi out, For The Record returns to Egypt as a new revolution is underway. For The Record Surveillance State: Exposed and Egyptian Revolution is coming soon. Not a subscriber? Start your 14-day free trial of TheBlaze TV HERE.
Tonight's primetime lineup on TheBlaze TV:
5pm ET - The Glenn Beck Program: What is really going on at our borders, and what happened in the Middle East this weekend? Glenn talks to the experts.
6pm ET - Real News: The panel discusses the Obama administration's plan to reduce prison overcrowding via the moral scourge of mandatory minimums for drug sentencing.
7pm ET - Wilkow!: Andrew looks at a new Department of Housing and Urban Development proposal that will cost taxpayers millions, while turning red states blue.
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
~ If you come across an issue or story that you think would be of interest to the group, forward it to this email address so we can include it in the daily newsletter. Please include any links to the associated story with your email so that we can source it for the newsletter. J
You have received this mailing because you subscribed to our mailing list or signed up at a meeting. If you have any problems with this mailing, please reply to this posting. Thank you for your support.