[Don't miss this week's Sunday Special for a spiritual perspective on what we are seeing happening in our country. ALSO on Sunday, be sure to check out, as always, this week's broadcast of "Truth That Transforms"(Orlando - 5 pm, ch. 55.1)]
Morning Bell: What is the American Idea? Posted By Mike Brownfield On October 27, 2011 In Ongoing Priorities
What is the American idea? That all depends on whom you ask. According to President Barack Obama, it’s the notion that the federal government is the answer to America’s problems, and that through its intervention–by sheer force of spending–it can create a brighter future for all Americans.
There’s a different view, though, that has again found its voice in the past year. It’s the idea that America is at its best when its people are allowed to be free and produce, not thanks to the government or even in spite of it, but on their own merit and initiative. Yesterday, those two competing visions were on display–the former delivered in Denver by President Obama, and the latter in Washington at The Heritage Foundation by House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI).
In Colorado, President Obama announced his latest plan to stimulate the economy–a student loan giveaway paid for by the taxpayers. The President declared that, “When I wake up every single morning, what I’m thinking about is how do we create an America in which you have opportunity, in which anybody can make it if they try, no matter what they look like, no matter where they come from, no matter what race, what creed, what faith.” And, a few breaths later, he said [1] that there’s only one way, only one force, that can achieve that outcome–the federal government: "So the truth is the only way we can attack our economic challenges on the scale that’s necessary — the only way we can put hundreds of thousands of people, millions of people, back to work is if Congress is willing to cooperate with the executive branch and we are able to do some bold action — like passing the jobs bill. That’s what we need."
In an auditorium in Washington, Ryan offered a different vision [2] of the American Idea, and it’s one that celebrates freedom and prosperity, individual achievement and opportunity:
"The American Idea belongs to all of us — inherited from our nation’s Founders, preserved by the countless sacrifices of our veterans, and advanced by visionary leaders, past and present. What makes America exceptional — what gives life to the American Idea — is our dedication to the self-evident truth that we are all created equal, giving us equal rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And that means opportunity."
Ryan said that it is in times like these, when America is struggling with unemployment and businesses are closing, that the American Idea is in jeopardy, that “America’s commitment to equality of opportunity is called into question.” Unfortunately, he explained, President Obama is responding to these challenges by giving in to the temptation of exploiting fear and envy by embracing petty and trivial rhetoric, avoiding making tough decisions on spending and the debt, and by attempting to score cheap political points instead of building consensus: "Instead of appealing to the hope and optimism that were hallmarks of his first campaign, he has launched his second campaign by preying on the emotions of fear, envy, and resentment. This has the potential to be just as damaging as his misguided policies. Sowing social unrest and class resentment makes America weaker, not stronger. Pitting one group against another only distracts us from the true sources of inequity in this country — corporate welfare that enriches the powerful, and empty promises that betray the powerless."
Ryan points to the President’s policy decisions as evidence of damaging class warfare: higher taxes on the “rich” to pay for more failed stimulus spending; the EPA’s punishment of disfavored yet commercially competitive sources of energy, while doling out cash to politically favored alternatives; the National Labor Relations Board threatening hundreds of jobs by suing a company for politically motivated reasons; and granting Obamacare waivers to politically connected firms and unions, all while the rest of America wonders whether they will lose their health care coverage.
All of this, Ryan says, points America toward a future where equality of outcome is favored over equality of opportunity, and where “a class of bureaucrats and connected crony capitalists trying to rise above the rest of us, call the shots, rig the rules, and preserve their place atop society.”
In the House, Ryan has helped lead Congress to pursue a series of policies that promote an American Idea far different than the President’s. It involves spending within our means, reforming the tax code, and enacting meaningful entitlement reforms. Meanwhile, he points out, it has been more than 900 days since the President’s party has passed a budget in the Senate. Yet still we hear the steady drumbeat from the White House calling for more taxes and spending–none of which has mustered support within either chamber in Congress.
While the President crosses the country, America is at a crossroads. Should it head toward bigger government in the fruitless pursuit of equal outcomes or restrain government so that equal opportunity can flourish? For the sake of the American Idea that the Founders envisioned, let’s hope our leaders make the right choice.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Watch the full video and read the full text of Ryan’s speech at Foundry.org [2].
___________________________________________________________
Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org
URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/27/morning-bell-what-is-the-american-idea/
URLs in this post:
[1] he said: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/26/remarks-president-college-affordability
[2] offered a different vision: http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/26/video-rep-paul-ryan-on-saving-the-american-idea/
opyright © 2011 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
# 143 (10/30) Sunday Special - Our Days of Lawlessnesss
[As always, please watch today's broadcasst of "Truth That Transforms" (formerly "The Coral Ridge Hour") - in Orlando, 5 pm, ch. 55.1]
The Hal Lindsey Report - 10/21/2011
http://www.hallindsey.com/the-hal-lindsey-report-10212011/
A recurring theme used in the Bible to describe the state of man in the last days is "lawlessness." Now, I know that "lawlessness" as referred to on many occasions in the Bible means much more than small-time hoods knocking over liquor stores or mafia dons running numbers and prostitution rings.
I believe the "lawlessness" that is prophesied to characterize the last-days will be a general state of disregard and disdain for the righteous and holy, the good, the right, the lawful, even the civil. It goes without saying that we'll see a rise in crime as the end approaches and Satan expands his influence in this world. But the Bible indicates we'll see other expressions of "lawlessness," too.
We Americans have been blessed to live our lives in this Republic that is founded on laws, not the whims of men. This "society of laws" is guaranteed by our Constitution, perhaps one of history's grandest, most unique documents.
But we are witnessing a continuous erosion of the rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. As our leaders display less regard for the authority of the founding document, our society suffers. This administration has shown that it values its own ideology above the US Constitution. Charged with upholding the nation's laws, it has willfully refused to enforce or defend those laws on more than one occasion. Attorney General Eric Holder refused to defend the "Defense of Marriage Act," refused to prosecute the New Black Panthers for blatant voter intimidation, and turned a blind eye to "Operation Fast and Furious."
The administration refuses to enforce existing immigration law and sued those states who did. It illegally engaged in military adventures without the concurrence of Congress. It charged in to bail out corporations, took ownership stakes, and saw to it that its union cronies were rewarded before secured creditors. It even forcibly passed an omnibus healthcare program that broke all convention to force all citizens to purchase a product -- legislation that will almost certainly be declared unconstitutional next year.
It has consistently circumvented the other branches of the federal government by taking actions administratively that have been forbidden by the courts or the Congress. And those are just some of the things we know about!
So, if the very ones charged by the Constitution with upholding the law are themselves engaged in lawlessness, what does that portend for the rest of our society? And for our future?
The latest example of the administration's refusal to uphold the law involves the State Department. US law requires that the place of birth for any US citizen born in Jerusalem be listed in his or her passport as "Jerusalem, Israel." The State Department, which issues American passports, ignores that law and, instead, lists the place of birth as simply "Jerusalem." No mention of Israel.
Could the motive be any more obvious? The Muslims and Palestinians do not want Jerusalem to be identified as part of Israel. And since the administration is obsessed with pleasing the Muslims and Palestinians, but couldn't care less about what the Jews and Israelis want, they refuse to obey the law. Not only does this demonstrate a disdain for our entire system of law, but it illustrates the administration's anti-Israel bias. The Supreme Court has now agreed to hear a case involving this issue. As a result, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton now has to defend her refusal to uphold a law that she voted FOR when she was a senator from New York.
The Bible predicts that between man's "sin nature" and Satan's desire to "kill and destroy" God's creation, lawlessness will one day engulf the world. In fact, it predicts that the world will be completely controlled by a person it describes precisely as the "lawless one" -- the Antichrist. The only thing that prevents that from happening today is the presence in the world of the "restrainer of lawlessness" -- the Holy Spirit.
But someday soon, God the Father will decide that the world has finally chosen "lawlessness" and He will remove the Restrainer. And since the Restrainer indwells all true believers, that means He can only be removed if WE are removed from this earth. That's what we refer to as "the Rapture." Don't miss that escape. Trust me, you do not want to be on this earth when lawlessness reigns.
I'll bet you thought Karl Marx was an obscure German philosopher who wrote a couple of books in the 19th century that are now gathering dust on library shelves around the world. Wrong! The works of Karl Marx, most notably "Das Kapital" and "The Communist Manifesto," are alive and well. In fact, they're apparently the guiding documents of much of what we see happening in America today.
If anyone tries to tell you that Marxism, Socialism, and, believe it or not, Communism are hazy ghosts from the ancient past, don't believe them. Marxism is the guiding philosophy of the current administration, socialism is its determined goal, and communism may well be the result of its efforts if it gets its way and another four years.
If you don't believe me, just read the signs and placards of the "Occupy Wall Street" movements that the administration has lustily embraced. Further, just look at the destructive spending and smothering regulatory programs that the administration pursues with "ram it down your throat" tactics. These are not just the miscalculations of a naive and incompetent leadership. These are considered, purposeful actions designed to crash and destroy capitalism and our way of life so that another can be instituted in its place.
Far be it from me to say to America, "Wake up and smell the coffee," but, America, wake up and smell the coffee! And Believers, wake up and seek God's mercy on our great nation! ... God Bless, Hal Lindsey
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
The Hal Lindsey Report - 10/21/2011
http://www.hallindsey.com/the-hal-lindsey-report-10212011/
A recurring theme used in the Bible to describe the state of man in the last days is "lawlessness." Now, I know that "lawlessness" as referred to on many occasions in the Bible means much more than small-time hoods knocking over liquor stores or mafia dons running numbers and prostitution rings.
I believe the "lawlessness" that is prophesied to characterize the last-days will be a general state of disregard and disdain for the righteous and holy, the good, the right, the lawful, even the civil. It goes without saying that we'll see a rise in crime as the end approaches and Satan expands his influence in this world. But the Bible indicates we'll see other expressions of "lawlessness," too.
We Americans have been blessed to live our lives in this Republic that is founded on laws, not the whims of men. This "society of laws" is guaranteed by our Constitution, perhaps one of history's grandest, most unique documents.
But we are witnessing a continuous erosion of the rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution. As our leaders display less regard for the authority of the founding document, our society suffers. This administration has shown that it values its own ideology above the US Constitution. Charged with upholding the nation's laws, it has willfully refused to enforce or defend those laws on more than one occasion. Attorney General Eric Holder refused to defend the "Defense of Marriage Act," refused to prosecute the New Black Panthers for blatant voter intimidation, and turned a blind eye to "Operation Fast and Furious."
The administration refuses to enforce existing immigration law and sued those states who did. It illegally engaged in military adventures without the concurrence of Congress. It charged in to bail out corporations, took ownership stakes, and saw to it that its union cronies were rewarded before secured creditors. It even forcibly passed an omnibus healthcare program that broke all convention to force all citizens to purchase a product -- legislation that will almost certainly be declared unconstitutional next year.
It has consistently circumvented the other branches of the federal government by taking actions administratively that have been forbidden by the courts or the Congress. And those are just some of the things we know about!
So, if the very ones charged by the Constitution with upholding the law are themselves engaged in lawlessness, what does that portend for the rest of our society? And for our future?
The latest example of the administration's refusal to uphold the law involves the State Department. US law requires that the place of birth for any US citizen born in Jerusalem be listed in his or her passport as "Jerusalem, Israel." The State Department, which issues American passports, ignores that law and, instead, lists the place of birth as simply "Jerusalem." No mention of Israel.
Could the motive be any more obvious? The Muslims and Palestinians do not want Jerusalem to be identified as part of Israel. And since the administration is obsessed with pleasing the Muslims and Palestinians, but couldn't care less about what the Jews and Israelis want, they refuse to obey the law. Not only does this demonstrate a disdain for our entire system of law, but it illustrates the administration's anti-Israel bias. The Supreme Court has now agreed to hear a case involving this issue. As a result, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton now has to defend her refusal to uphold a law that she voted FOR when she was a senator from New York.
The Bible predicts that between man's "sin nature" and Satan's desire to "kill and destroy" God's creation, lawlessness will one day engulf the world. In fact, it predicts that the world will be completely controlled by a person it describes precisely as the "lawless one" -- the Antichrist. The only thing that prevents that from happening today is the presence in the world of the "restrainer of lawlessness" -- the Holy Spirit.
But someday soon, God the Father will decide that the world has finally chosen "lawlessness" and He will remove the Restrainer. And since the Restrainer indwells all true believers, that means He can only be removed if WE are removed from this earth. That's what we refer to as "the Rapture." Don't miss that escape. Trust me, you do not want to be on this earth when lawlessness reigns.
I'll bet you thought Karl Marx was an obscure German philosopher who wrote a couple of books in the 19th century that are now gathering dust on library shelves around the world. Wrong! The works of Karl Marx, most notably "Das Kapital" and "The Communist Manifesto," are alive and well. In fact, they're apparently the guiding documents of much of what we see happening in America today.
If anyone tries to tell you that Marxism, Socialism, and, believe it or not, Communism are hazy ghosts from the ancient past, don't believe them. Marxism is the guiding philosophy of the current administration, socialism is its determined goal, and communism may well be the result of its efforts if it gets its way and another four years.
If you don't believe me, just read the signs and placards of the "Occupy Wall Street" movements that the administration has lustily embraced. Further, just look at the destructive spending and smothering regulatory programs that the administration pursues with "ram it down your throat" tactics. These are not just the miscalculations of a naive and incompetent leadership. These are considered, purposeful actions designed to crash and destroy capitalism and our way of life so that another can be instituted in its place.
Far be it from me to say to America, "Wake up and smell the coffee," but, America, wake up and smell the coffee! And Believers, wake up and seek God's mercy on our great nation! ... God Bless, Hal Lindsey
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
#141 (10/26) - The FULL Story Behind Our Iraq Pullout
Obama’s Iraq Failure
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/24/morning-bell-obamas-iraq-failure/print/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell - Posted By Mike Brownfield On October 24, 2011/In American Leadership,Protect America
To hear President Barack Obama describe the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, you’d think it was a long-anticipated political victory, the fruition of a promise he made when campaigning for the White House. But his announcement last week that American troops in Iraq will return by the end of the year is a result of a serious Obama Administration failure that will undermine U.S. security interests in the Middle East.
Speaking on Friday from the West Wing, President Obama wasted no time in reminding the American people that, “As a candidate for President, I pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end,” and that as commander in chief, he was making good on that promise in time for the holidays. What the President didn’t mention, though, was the story behind the headline–that the Administration tried and failed to negotiate with the Iraqi government to extend the U.S. troop presence there in order to ensure the country’s security and stability. The sticking point for the negotiations was immunity for U.S. troops in Iraq.
Heritage’s James Phillips explains [1]: "Up until Friday, the Obama Administration had insisted that negotiations were on track for extending the presence of a small residual force that U.S. and Iraqi military leaders agreed were necessary to support Iraqi operations in key areas such as counterterrorism, air support, intelligence gathering, logistics, and training. But Friday, in a hard-hitting article posted on The Cable [2] blog, Josh Rogin reported that the Administration had bungled the negotiations."
Those negotiations stalled, Phillips writes [1], because Iraqi political leaders didn’t want to risk the political consequences of extending immunity for U.S. troops. And given the Obama Administration’s eagerness to withdraw from Iraq and unwillingness to confront Iran they didn’t want to put their political necks on the line. Now, as a result, U.S. security interests will suffer–bilateral U.S.–Iraqi cooperation in fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq and radical pro-Iranian Shia militias will be limited, and the ability to contain Iran will be weakened. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) criticized [3] the Administration on Sunday, calling the withdrawal decisions “a serious mistake,” and faulted the White House for its failure to negotiate with the Iraqi government:
"There was never really serious negotiations between the administration and the Iraqis. I believe we could have negotiated an agreement. And I’m very, very concerned about increased Iranian influence in Iraq."
In the wake of its decision, the Obama Administration is already anticipating the consequences of the power vacuum it has created. In a series of interviews on Sunday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Iran [4] that even though troops will be withdrawn, the U.S. will still maintain a presence in the region. “Iran would be badly miscalculating if they did not look at the entire region and all of our presence in many countries in the region, both in bases, in training, with NATO allies, like Turkey.”
The reality, though, is that the United States has weakened its presence at a time when the region can least afford it. And withdrawing U.S. troops is a stronger statement than any words that can be broadcast on Sunday morning talk shows. Heritage’s James Carafano explains that the White House’s decision is the mark of an Administration in retreat–and why this retreat is incredibly dangerous:
"With Syria in turmoil, Iran on the march, a more isolated Israel, and Turkey’s ever-more ambivalent policies, now is the worst time to see a diminished U.S. influence in ensuring continued progress in Iraq. A total troop pullout will leave Iraqi security forces much more vulnerable to terrorism, sectarian conflict, and Iranian meddling, and it will leave them much less capable of battling al-Qaeda in Iraq and pro-Iranian Shia militias."
\
No American wants to see U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East and placed in harm’s way longer than they have to be. But unfortunately, their premature withdrawal from Iraq could jeopardize the progress that so many American men and women fought and died for. While the President now has a new talking point for the campaign trail, it comes at the expense of national security interests. And it is the Obama Administration’s policies and bungled negotiations that are to blame.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]-------------------------------------------------------------
Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org
URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/24/morning-bell-obamas-iraq-failure/
URLs in this post:
[1] explains: http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/23/politics-trumps-security-in-obamas-bungled-troop-negotiations-with-iraq/
[2] The Cable: http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/10/21/how_the_obama_administration_bungled_the_iraq_withdrawal_negotiations?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foreignpolicy%2Fthecable+%28The+Cable%29
[3] criticized: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/23/MNTN1LLB0Q.DTL#ixzz1bhhGHQmX
[4] warned Iran: http://blog.heritage.org http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/23/MNTN1LLB0Q.DTL#ixzz1bhiCEGO0
Copyright © 2011 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/24/morning-bell-obamas-iraq-failure/print/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell - Posted By Mike Brownfield On October 24, 2011/In American Leadership,Protect America
To hear President Barack Obama describe the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, you’d think it was a long-anticipated political victory, the fruition of a promise he made when campaigning for the White House. But his announcement last week that American troops in Iraq will return by the end of the year is a result of a serious Obama Administration failure that will undermine U.S. security interests in the Middle East.
Speaking on Friday from the West Wing, President Obama wasted no time in reminding the American people that, “As a candidate for President, I pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end,” and that as commander in chief, he was making good on that promise in time for the holidays. What the President didn’t mention, though, was the story behind the headline–that the Administration tried and failed to negotiate with the Iraqi government to extend the U.S. troop presence there in order to ensure the country’s security and stability. The sticking point for the negotiations was immunity for U.S. troops in Iraq.
Heritage’s James Phillips explains [1]: "Up until Friday, the Obama Administration had insisted that negotiations were on track for extending the presence of a small residual force that U.S. and Iraqi military leaders agreed were necessary to support Iraqi operations in key areas such as counterterrorism, air support, intelligence gathering, logistics, and training. But Friday, in a hard-hitting article posted on The Cable [2] blog, Josh Rogin reported that the Administration had bungled the negotiations."
Those negotiations stalled, Phillips writes [1], because Iraqi political leaders didn’t want to risk the political consequences of extending immunity for U.S. troops. And given the Obama Administration’s eagerness to withdraw from Iraq and unwillingness to confront Iran they didn’t want to put their political necks on the line. Now, as a result, U.S. security interests will suffer–bilateral U.S.–Iraqi cooperation in fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq and radical pro-Iranian Shia militias will be limited, and the ability to contain Iran will be weakened. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) criticized [3] the Administration on Sunday, calling the withdrawal decisions “a serious mistake,” and faulted the White House for its failure to negotiate with the Iraqi government:
"There was never really serious negotiations between the administration and the Iraqis. I believe we could have negotiated an agreement. And I’m very, very concerned about increased Iranian influence in Iraq."
In the wake of its decision, the Obama Administration is already anticipating the consequences of the power vacuum it has created. In a series of interviews on Sunday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Iran [4] that even though troops will be withdrawn, the U.S. will still maintain a presence in the region. “Iran would be badly miscalculating if they did not look at the entire region and all of our presence in many countries in the region, both in bases, in training, with NATO allies, like Turkey.”
The reality, though, is that the United States has weakened its presence at a time when the region can least afford it. And withdrawing U.S. troops is a stronger statement than any words that can be broadcast on Sunday morning talk shows. Heritage’s James Carafano explains that the White House’s decision is the mark of an Administration in retreat–and why this retreat is incredibly dangerous:
"With Syria in turmoil, Iran on the march, a more isolated Israel, and Turkey’s ever-more ambivalent policies, now is the worst time to see a diminished U.S. influence in ensuring continued progress in Iraq. A total troop pullout will leave Iraqi security forces much more vulnerable to terrorism, sectarian conflict, and Iranian meddling, and it will leave them much less capable of battling al-Qaeda in Iraq and pro-Iranian Shia militias."
\
No American wants to see U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East and placed in harm’s way longer than they have to be. But unfortunately, their premature withdrawal from Iraq could jeopardize the progress that so many American men and women fought and died for. While the President now has a new talking point for the campaign trail, it comes at the expense of national security interests. And it is the Obama Administration’s policies and bungled negotiations that are to blame.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]-------------------------------------------------------------
Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org
URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/24/morning-bell-obamas-iraq-failure/
URLs in this post:
[1] explains: http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/23/politics-trumps-security-in-obamas-bungled-troop-negotiations-with-iraq/
[2] The Cable: http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/10/21/how_the_obama_administration_bungled_the_iraq_withdrawal_negotiations?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foreignpolicy%2Fthecable+%28The+Cable%29
[3] criticized: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/23/MNTN1LLB0Q.DTL#ixzz1bhhGHQmX
[4] warned Iran: http://blog.heritage.org http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/23/MNTN1LLB0Q.DTL#ixzz1bhiCEGO0
Copyright © 2011 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.
Friday, October 21, 2011
# 140 (10/24) - What's Next for Libya?/An Israeli Soldier/Hostage Comes Home
Libya After Gaddafi - Eric Stakelbeck on Terror CBN News
http://blogs.cbn.com/stakelbeckonterror/Default.aspx October 20, 2011
Libya's longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi was killed today by rebel forces in the city of Sirte. Gaddafi was a brutal tyrant, oppressor, and terrorist with American blood on his hands. Needless to say, he will not be mourned. Yet I'm seriously concerned about Libya, post-Gaddafi, for a few reasons.It's been well documented that Al Qaeda terrorists and other assorted jihadis--guys who were killing U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan just a few short years ago--are heavily represented in the ranks of the Libyan rebels, including in the top leadership. It's no wonder, then, that the leader of Al Qaeda's restive North African branch, which is based in the countries bordering Libya, has publicly endorsed the rebels and reportedly taken advantage of the chaos there to acquire some of Gaddafi's weapons. As I blogged last week, some of those same weapons have been magically appearing recently along the Gaza border. And what becomes of Gaddafi's biological and chemical weapons stockpiles now is anyone's guess.
What is clear is that in Libya, like in Egypt and everywhere else in the Muslim world where there is a power vacuum, radical Islamists and jihadists are the most organized, driven and--key point here--most ruthless faction, willing to do anything and kill anybody in order to seize power. Islamists have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, in LIbya and elsewhere in the Middle East, and will go straight for the jugular, especially if civil war breaks out. The so-called Arab Spring, which the Obama administration has supported at every turn, has given them that opportunity.
It's no surprise, then, that the Muslim Brotherhood, the group which has most benefited from the regional uprisings, is now enjoying a resurgence in Libya after decades of being shackled by Gaddafi. For all of his evil and anti-American mayhem, Gaddafi did serve one benefit to the U.S., in spite of himself: In order to maintain his iron grip on power, he suppressed his country's Islamic terrorists, who he saw as a serious threat to his rule. (Incidentally, I interviewed one of those former Al Qaeda-linked Libyan terrorists last year.) Now, with the isolated old despot gone, the jihadi genie looks like it's officially out of the bottle.
I'm most concerned, however, about the potential role of Iran in a "new, democratic Libya." Best-selling author and Middle East analyst Joel Rosenberg lays out Iran's various power moves inside Libya in his latest blog. An excerpt, including must read links:
Now there are new concerns: Will Libyan people — so badly oppressed for so many years — truly be set free, or enslaved by leaders as bad or worse than Gaddafi? Where is Libya headed next? Will the rebels ally themselves with the West, or with the radical jihadists of Iran, Sudan and al Qaeda? The mullahs in Tehran have been seizing the initiative and moving strategically in recent months to exploit the chaos in Libya and build an alliance with the rebels.
They are eager to build an anti-American, anti-Israeli coalition throughout the Middle East and North Africa to lay the groundwork for an Islamic caliphate. What’s more, the mullahs in Tehran believe the fall of leaders in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt are prophetic signs that the Twelfth Imam’s arrival is soon, as explained in the Iranian documentary film, “The Coming Is Upon Us,” released earlier this year. [LIBYAN DICTATOR GADDAFI IS DEAD: Iran seeking to exploit the chaos. The Church should move quickly to reach Libyans with the gospel. Posted: October 20, 2011 by Joel C. Rosenberg - http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/libyan-dictator-gaddafi-captured/]
]Below, I’ve posted some articles from the past several months showing how systematically Tehran has been involved in making sure Libya falls Iran’s way, not America’s or NATO’s. These are stories worth tracking more closely.
- Iran Reaches Out to Libya’s Rebels
- Iran 'Discreetly Aided Libyan Rebels'
- Iran invites Libya rebel chief to Tehran
- Iran hopes Gaddafi domino will fall the right way — “Seen from Iran, Libya is either the latest dictatorship to fall to an ‘Islamic awakening’ that will unite the Muslim Middle East, or a new foothold for the treacherous West to assert its economic and political domination over the region.”
- Iran stole missiles during Gaddafi revolt in Libya
- September: Iran votes to give Libya’s UN seat to NTC rebels
I hope and pray for the best in a post-Gaddafi Libya. But I fear his toppling paves the way for even more dangerous forces that are virulently hostile to the West and Israel and committed to making Libya part of a reformed Islamic Caliphate that we may very well be witnessing the genesis of right now in the Middle East.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Also, you might want to check out:
The End of Qadhafi Posted By Mike Brownfield On October 20, 2011 http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/20/morning-bell-the-end-of-qadhafi/print/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell
__________________________________________________________
The Release of Israeli Soldier Gilad Shalit
The Hal Lindsey Report - 10/21/2011 - http://www.hallindsey.com/the-hal-lindsey-report-10212011/
... the world's most famous hostage, Israeli IDF sergeant Gilad Shalit, is home at last. He was released by Hamas on Tuesday [after being kidnapped and held as a hostage for over 5 years]. To win his freedom, Israel agreed to release 1,027Palestinian prisoners, including about 400 with "blood on their hands." That means they were directly linked to the deaths of Israeli Jews in terrorism attacks.
The debate now begins over whether Israel paid too high a price for this lone soldier's freedom.Whatever the conclusion, it illustrates one thing perfectly: Judeo and Christian societies value Life. Muslim societies value Death. For the Israelis, one young Jewish life is worth 1,000 terrorists and murderers. For the Palestinians, the return of 1,000 terrorists and murderers as "heroes" is worthy of celebration.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
http://blogs.cbn.com/stakelbeckonterror/Default.aspx October 20, 2011
Libya's longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi was killed today by rebel forces in the city of Sirte. Gaddafi was a brutal tyrant, oppressor, and terrorist with American blood on his hands. Needless to say, he will not be mourned. Yet I'm seriously concerned about Libya, post-Gaddafi, for a few reasons.It's been well documented that Al Qaeda terrorists and other assorted jihadis--guys who were killing U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan just a few short years ago--are heavily represented in the ranks of the Libyan rebels, including in the top leadership. It's no wonder, then, that the leader of Al Qaeda's restive North African branch, which is based in the countries bordering Libya, has publicly endorsed the rebels and reportedly taken advantage of the chaos there to acquire some of Gaddafi's weapons. As I blogged last week, some of those same weapons have been magically appearing recently along the Gaza border. And what becomes of Gaddafi's biological and chemical weapons stockpiles now is anyone's guess.
What is clear is that in Libya, like in Egypt and everywhere else in the Muslim world where there is a power vacuum, radical Islamists and jihadists are the most organized, driven and--key point here--most ruthless faction, willing to do anything and kill anybody in order to seize power. Islamists have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, in LIbya and elsewhere in the Middle East, and will go straight for the jugular, especially if civil war breaks out. The so-called Arab Spring, which the Obama administration has supported at every turn, has given them that opportunity.
It's no surprise, then, that the Muslim Brotherhood, the group which has most benefited from the regional uprisings, is now enjoying a resurgence in Libya after decades of being shackled by Gaddafi. For all of his evil and anti-American mayhem, Gaddafi did serve one benefit to the U.S., in spite of himself: In order to maintain his iron grip on power, he suppressed his country's Islamic terrorists, who he saw as a serious threat to his rule. (Incidentally, I interviewed one of those former Al Qaeda-linked Libyan terrorists last year.) Now, with the isolated old despot gone, the jihadi genie looks like it's officially out of the bottle.
I'm most concerned, however, about the potential role of Iran in a "new, democratic Libya." Best-selling author and Middle East analyst Joel Rosenberg lays out Iran's various power moves inside Libya in his latest blog. An excerpt, including must read links:
Now there are new concerns: Will Libyan people — so badly oppressed for so many years — truly be set free, or enslaved by leaders as bad or worse than Gaddafi? Where is Libya headed next? Will the rebels ally themselves with the West, or with the radical jihadists of Iran, Sudan and al Qaeda? The mullahs in Tehran have been seizing the initiative and moving strategically in recent months to exploit the chaos in Libya and build an alliance with the rebels.
They are eager to build an anti-American, anti-Israeli coalition throughout the Middle East and North Africa to lay the groundwork for an Islamic caliphate. What’s more, the mullahs in Tehran believe the fall of leaders in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt are prophetic signs that the Twelfth Imam’s arrival is soon, as explained in the Iranian documentary film, “The Coming Is Upon Us,” released earlier this year. [LIBYAN DICTATOR GADDAFI IS DEAD: Iran seeking to exploit the chaos. The Church should move quickly to reach Libyans with the gospel. Posted: October 20, 2011 by Joel C. Rosenberg - http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/libyan-dictator-gaddafi-captured/]
]Below, I’ve posted some articles from the past several months showing how systematically Tehran has been involved in making sure Libya falls Iran’s way, not America’s or NATO’s. These are stories worth tracking more closely.
- Iran Reaches Out to Libya’s Rebels
- Iran 'Discreetly Aided Libyan Rebels'
- Iran invites Libya rebel chief to Tehran
- Iran hopes Gaddafi domino will fall the right way — “Seen from Iran, Libya is either the latest dictatorship to fall to an ‘Islamic awakening’ that will unite the Muslim Middle East, or a new foothold for the treacherous West to assert its economic and political domination over the region.”
- Iran stole missiles during Gaddafi revolt in Libya
- September: Iran votes to give Libya’s UN seat to NTC rebels
I hope and pray for the best in a post-Gaddafi Libya. But I fear his toppling paves the way for even more dangerous forces that are virulently hostile to the West and Israel and committed to making Libya part of a reformed Islamic Caliphate that we may very well be witnessing the genesis of right now in the Middle East.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Also, you might want to check out:
The End of Qadhafi Posted By Mike Brownfield On October 20, 2011 http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/20/morning-bell-the-end-of-qadhafi/print/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell
__________________________________________________________
The Release of Israeli Soldier Gilad Shalit
The Hal Lindsey Report - 10/21/2011 - http://www.hallindsey.com/the-hal-lindsey-report-10212011/
... the world's most famous hostage, Israeli IDF sergeant Gilad Shalit, is home at last. He was released by Hamas on Tuesday [after being kidnapped and held as a hostage for over 5 years]. To win his freedom, Israel agreed to release 1,027Palestinian prisoners, including about 400 with "blood on their hands." That means they were directly linked to the deaths of Israeli Jews in terrorism attacks.
The debate now begins over whether Israel paid too high a price for this lone soldier's freedom.Whatever the conclusion, it illustrates one thing perfectly: Judeo and Christian societies value Life. Muslim societies value Death. For the Israelis, one young Jewish life is worth 1,000 terrorists and murderers. For the Palestinians, the return of 1,000 terrorists and murderers as "heroes" is worthy of celebration.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
#139 - Sunday Special (10/23) - "No One Is Guaranteed Tomorrow"
[As always on Sundays, I encourage you to watch the day's broadcast of "Truth That Transforms" (formerly "The Coral Ridge Hour"). [In Orlando, at 5 p.m. on channel 55.1]
"Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow." - Ps. 144:4
"Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed." - Job. 14:4
Any day you check on the news, you read about someone dying - through a natural disaster, having been murdered, or because they are somehow famous. But last Sunday, when I heard about the death of the race car driver (I've never heard of) as a result of a racing crash, I remember being almost numbed and was not sure why. Has that ever happened to you?
Upon reflection, I've come to realize that Dan Wheldon's sudden death reminded me of the unpredictability of the length of our lives. Besides the verses I have noted above, I'm sure you could find dozens more throughout Scripture that say the same thing. In fact, you don't even have to go to God's Word to be reminded of that truth.
Several years ago, I was watching a crime drama. At the end of the episode, the lead dective (a Catholic) got up from his seat to leave a restaurant. As he did so, his companion casually said (as we probably would ourselves in such a
situation), "See you on Monday!" The detective suddenly turned around and looking at her soberly said, "No one is guaranteed tomorrow" and then he walked out. I was so
shocked, If I had been sitting in a chair I might have fallen to the floor. If I was watching with others, I would have surely yelled, "Did you hear that?!! Wow!" Rarely have I heard a more profound and eternally truthful statement on network television.
I remember having the same reaction as I had last Sunday when I heard that my 28-year old, atheltically fit co-worker had suddenly collapsed and died on the sidewalk while taking an after-dinner walk with his wife due to a blood vessel suddenly exploding in his brain due to a hemmorage. Several years ago, 2 middle school girls died in a car crash as one of their Moms was driving them home. Within the last year, a high school girl contracted an amoeba while swimming in a pond near her home and died several days later; and a girl in her first week of college suddenly became sick from an undetected conditioin while attending a party and died hours
later.
All these incidents (and others I'm sure you can recall)remind us of how none of us knows how much time we have before death claims us. To assume we do is the absolute height of arrogance and presumption. I remember many years ago when I was sitting on the curb of a parking lot of a community college sharing the gospel with a student. When I asked him if - based on what I had shared with him - he wanted to pray to receive Christ as his Savior and Lord, the student said (in effect), "No, I don't want to do it now. I think I'll wait till I'm older and close to dying." I
remember being so stunned by what he said that I responded by saying, "What are you saying?" Pointing to the cars driving out of the parking lot, I continued, "You don't even know you won't be killed in some accident today just trying to drive
out of this parking lot. How can you possibly know that you will live to a certain age?!!"
In lieu of the length of our lives being in God's hands, I would encourage you on two points:
1) When you share the gospel with someone, don't allow them to get away with saying that they want to do it "later." Challenge their presumptiveness, that no one can know how long they have to live, and that therefore, as Scripture says, ".. now is the day iof salvation." (2 Cor. 6:2b)
2) Have you or someone you know ever said, "I'll do somethig to serve God - like be a missionary - later in life." Well, once again, that is being truly esumptutious. To paraphrase 2 Cor. 6:2b "now is the day of service." As I told my church family the last Sunday I was there before heading overseas to serve as a missionary: "I'm going because that is where God wants me to go and serve now. YOU may not be called to go to serve somewhere overseas, but you are still a missioniary for Christ wherever you are. The nonbelievers around you are YOUR mission field. My calling is no greater than yours."
Sunday "Funny" (from MikeysFunnies.com):
"Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossip, Mary was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sarah was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old and Lazarus was dead. Now..... what's YOUR reason for thinking God won't use you?"
"Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow." - Ps. 144:4
"Man's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed." - Job. 14:4
Any day you check on the news, you read about someone dying - through a natural disaster, having been murdered, or because they are somehow famous. But last Sunday, when I heard about the death of the race car driver (I've never heard of) as a result of a racing crash, I remember being almost numbed and was not sure why. Has that ever happened to you?
Upon reflection, I've come to realize that Dan Wheldon's sudden death reminded me of the unpredictability of the length of our lives. Besides the verses I have noted above, I'm sure you could find dozens more throughout Scripture that say the same thing. In fact, you don't even have to go to God's Word to be reminded of that truth.
Several years ago, I was watching a crime drama. At the end of the episode, the lead dective (a Catholic) got up from his seat to leave a restaurant. As he did so, his companion casually said (as we probably would ourselves in such a
situation), "See you on Monday!" The detective suddenly turned around and looking at her soberly said, "No one is guaranteed tomorrow" and then he walked out. I was so
shocked, If I had been sitting in a chair I might have fallen to the floor. If I was watching with others, I would have surely yelled, "Did you hear that?!! Wow!" Rarely have I heard a more profound and eternally truthful statement on network television.
I remember having the same reaction as I had last Sunday when I heard that my 28-year old, atheltically fit co-worker had suddenly collapsed and died on the sidewalk while taking an after-dinner walk with his wife due to a blood vessel suddenly exploding in his brain due to a hemmorage. Several years ago, 2 middle school girls died in a car crash as one of their Moms was driving them home. Within the last year, a high school girl contracted an amoeba while swimming in a pond near her home and died several days later; and a girl in her first week of college suddenly became sick from an undetected conditioin while attending a party and died hours
later.
All these incidents (and others I'm sure you can recall)remind us of how none of us knows how much time we have before death claims us. To assume we do is the absolute height of arrogance and presumption. I remember many years ago when I was sitting on the curb of a parking lot of a community college sharing the gospel with a student. When I asked him if - based on what I had shared with him - he wanted to pray to receive Christ as his Savior and Lord, the student said (in effect), "No, I don't want to do it now. I think I'll wait till I'm older and close to dying." I
remember being so stunned by what he said that I responded by saying, "What are you saying?" Pointing to the cars driving out of the parking lot, I continued, "You don't even know you won't be killed in some accident today just trying to drive
out of this parking lot. How can you possibly know that you will live to a certain age?!!"
In lieu of the length of our lives being in God's hands, I would encourage you on two points:
1) When you share the gospel with someone, don't allow them to get away with saying that they want to do it "later." Challenge their presumptiveness, that no one can know how long they have to live, and that therefore, as Scripture says, ".. now is the day iof salvation." (2 Cor. 6:2b)
2) Have you or someone you know ever said, "I'll do somethig to serve God - like be a missionary - later in life." Well, once again, that is being truly esumptutious. To paraphrase 2 Cor. 6:2b "now is the day of service." As I told my church family the last Sunday I was there before heading overseas to serve as a missionary: "I'm going because that is where God wants me to go and serve now. YOU may not be called to go to serve somewhere overseas, but you are still a missioniary for Christ wherever you are. The nonbelievers around you are YOUR mission field. My calling is no greater than yours."
Sunday "Funny" (from MikeysFunnies.com):
"Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossip, Mary was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sarah was impatient, Elijah was moody, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old and Lazarus was dead. Now..... what's YOUR reason for thinking God won't use you?"
Sunday, October 16, 2011
#137 (10/19) - Re: Those "Occupiers" - WHERE ARE THE PARENTS?!!!
[For weeks now, the "Occupy Wall St." commotion has led off most TV news reports. I had to laugh when one of the spokespersons said they were *tax payers*; it looks as though many at least are college students who should instead be protesting at their respective universities protesting their exhorbitant/excessive tuition costs. Then, those who go on to say they are Marxists and socialists who want this country changed accorrdingly scare me. As Eric Erickson of Human Events has said,*Most of those on Wall Street want retribution and punishment of the rich. They've cast out greed, but are filled up with envy and jealousy.*]
Costs of the Occupiers - by Michelle Malkin 10/14/2011 http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=46857
The trash generated by the "Occupy Wall Street" protests keeps piling up. So do the bills. Liberal media outlets claim the anarchic, anti-capitalist movement is more popular than the tea party. But wait until Americans across the country get a full picture of the costs of the aimless occupiers.
In New York City, government officials estimate the month-long siege of Zuccotti Park has now imposed $3.2 million in overtime police costs on the public. On Thursday, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office pressured left-wing activists to vacate the park for cleaning, Occupy Wall Street urged sympathizers to flood the city's customer services lines: "Call 311 and tell Bloomberg not to evict us!"
In Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter told the press that demonstrators outside city hall have incurred $164,000 in overtime public employee costs and $237,000 in regular time. "At the current rate, if Occupy Philly continues to the end of the month, the city would spend another nearly $690,000 on police overtime alone," the local NBC affiliate reported. "Besides the extra police presence being dedicated to the Occupy Philly protests, other city departments have also incurred costs."
In Seattle, police have so far billed $30,000 in overtime, and the parks department racked up nearly $4,000 in additional costs related to the protests there. Occupiers have blocked traffic, assaulted an officer and pitched illegal tents. Merchants in the area have been hurt as the riff-raff deter customers. One business owner in Westlake Park, where hundreds of protesters remain camped out, told Seattle TV station KIRO: "There's definitely fewer people you can identify as people out, just walking through the area."
Seattle's pushover mayor, Democrat Mike McGinn, now faces even greater demands from the insatiable mob -- which wants a "guaranteed parking space near City Hall Plaza that allows for around-the-clock parking," "24-hour access to the first floor of City Hall for restroom access, and a written statement from the mayor approving the protesters' long-term occupancy of City Hall Plaza."
In Boston, City Council President Stephen Murphy anticipates a $2 million hit to taxpayers if the protests refuse to disband by the end of October. The local Fox affiliate notes the tab represents 8 percent of the yearly budget for police overtime. "While we're all sympathetic with our protesters down there," Murphy said, "Wall Street isn't picking up the tab on this thing. It's the Boston taxpayers."
When fiscally conservative tea party activists held protests over the past two years, they filed for all the required permits and paid for their own power. Occupy Boston, by contrast, neither sought nor obtained any proper permits at any level, according to the Boston Globe. Instead, city and park officials have been cowed into providing them gratis electricity and camp space lest there be "conflict."
Many of these occupiers are primarily occupied as paid rent-a-mobsters for unions, left-wing think tanks and the radical Working Families Party. While one collective hand soaks the taxpayers, the other hand is busy soliciting free stuff. Occupy Los Angeles activists took to Skype on their laptops to solicit donations of iPhones and iPads.
Occupy Wall Street members on Twitter organized an ongoing "#needsoftheoccupiers" drive for everything from batteries and tarps to "gently used" coats and sweaters, wool socks, sleeping bags and energy bars. Occupy Austin organizers publicized their wish list, including a free barbecue grill, portable toilets, extension cords, a Bobcat forestry cutter for clearing brush and network cameras for a livestream.
THESE ARE NOT PRINCIPLED ADVOCATES OF FISICAL RESPONSIBILITY. THESE ARE PROFESSIONAL FREELOADERS.
Unlike tea party activists who focused like a laser beam on politicians in both parties responsible for redistributing wealth to Big Business cronies by force, the Occupy Wall Street movement is everywhere and nowhere. The entitled Kamp Alinsky Kids are poaching WiFi and trespassing on private property under the guise of "social justice" but in plain service of themselves.
Their T-shirts and speeches glorify Marxist radicals Che Guevara, Emiliano Zapata and Chairman Mao. They lionize convicted death row cop killer Troy Davis and WikiLeaks collaborator Bradley Manning. They condemn "Nazi Bankers," Jews, Fox News, the American Legislative Exchange Council, Wisconsin GOP Gov. Scott Walker, the Koch family and the New York Police Department ("Pigs!"). They promote the illegal alien DREAM Act and 9/11 Trutherism.
They spout bumper-sticker profanities and inanities: "F**k banks." "Unf**k the world." "Fuuuuu*k." "Free education." "Smash nationalism." "People not profits."
They flash peace signs while celebrity supporter Roseanne Barr calls for beheading financial industry workers and fellow marchers call explicitly for "violent revolution" or for Obama to "Send SEAL Team 6" to Wall Street.
Then they huff and puff (preferably in a creepy uniform chant they call the "human microphone") that we just haven't taken the time to understand what they're all about -- as they hawk $20 "Eat the Rich" polo shirts and license their protest photos to Getty Images.
Viva la revolucion! Up with people! Stop the greed! (Cha-ching. Cha-ching.)
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mrs. Malkin is author of Unhinged (Regnery) and "Culture of Corruption: Obama and his Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks & Cronies" (Regnery 2009).
________________________________________________________
The Occupiers: Comments by Eric Erickson of Human Events(HumanEventsDaily.email.humanevents.com October 14, 2011
There seems to be little ground to share with the rag tag group of communists, hippies, and hipsters occupying Zuccotti Park in New York City. But, I am told by people who've been out surveying the crowds in other parts of the country—occupying Chicago to Atlanta—that there are some poor souls shivering and smelly that conservatives should not turn their backs on.
In fact, a number of conservative thinkers are concerned that maybe, just maybe, we might be engaged in reaction instead of apologetics and are losing people to the left that we need not lose.
I think most of the ground we could share with the occupy movement is superficial ground. Most of those on Wall Street want retribution and punishment of the rich. They've cast out greed, but are filled up with envy and jealousy.
Elsewhere, there may be some common ground. Some of the protestors are just tired that they can't find a job and no one seems to want to help them. The issue, then, is not punishing the rich, but helping these people. And many conservatives agree that the deck has been stacked in favor of big corporations too. We're all opposed to TARP and bailouts and special tax loopholes that only benefit one company.
We're all opposed to companies that have found it more useful to spend money on lobbyists to get a competitive advantage through law than to innovate and compete with upstart entrepreneurs. The solution then, it seems, is not more regulation and not to punish the successful. The solution is to actually level the playing field.
Simplify the tax code. Deregulate. Make it easy for entrepreneurs to get started. Reduce the nanny-state, not expand it. The time is right for a conservative, populist anti-Wall Street movement. Most Americans do think the deck is stacked against them. But unlike the hipsters, hippies, and communists, most Americans do not want to punish the successful. They just want a level playing field.
[bold and italics emphais mine]
Costs of the Occupiers - by Michelle Malkin 10/14/2011 http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=46857
The trash generated by the "Occupy Wall Street" protests keeps piling up. So do the bills. Liberal media outlets claim the anarchic, anti-capitalist movement is more popular than the tea party. But wait until Americans across the country get a full picture of the costs of the aimless occupiers.
In New York City, government officials estimate the month-long siege of Zuccotti Park has now imposed $3.2 million in overtime police costs on the public. On Thursday, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office pressured left-wing activists to vacate the park for cleaning, Occupy Wall Street urged sympathizers to flood the city's customer services lines: "Call 311 and tell Bloomberg not to evict us!"
In Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter told the press that demonstrators outside city hall have incurred $164,000 in overtime public employee costs and $237,000 in regular time. "At the current rate, if Occupy Philly continues to the end of the month, the city would spend another nearly $690,000 on police overtime alone," the local NBC affiliate reported. "Besides the extra police presence being dedicated to the Occupy Philly protests, other city departments have also incurred costs."
In Seattle, police have so far billed $30,000 in overtime, and the parks department racked up nearly $4,000 in additional costs related to the protests there. Occupiers have blocked traffic, assaulted an officer and pitched illegal tents. Merchants in the area have been hurt as the riff-raff deter customers. One business owner in Westlake Park, where hundreds of protesters remain camped out, told Seattle TV station KIRO: "There's definitely fewer people you can identify as people out, just walking through the area."
Seattle's pushover mayor, Democrat Mike McGinn, now faces even greater demands from the insatiable mob -- which wants a "guaranteed parking space near City Hall Plaza that allows for around-the-clock parking," "24-hour access to the first floor of City Hall for restroom access, and a written statement from the mayor approving the protesters' long-term occupancy of City Hall Plaza."
In Boston, City Council President Stephen Murphy anticipates a $2 million hit to taxpayers if the protests refuse to disband by the end of October. The local Fox affiliate notes the tab represents 8 percent of the yearly budget for police overtime. "While we're all sympathetic with our protesters down there," Murphy said, "Wall Street isn't picking up the tab on this thing. It's the Boston taxpayers."
When fiscally conservative tea party activists held protests over the past two years, they filed for all the required permits and paid for their own power. Occupy Boston, by contrast, neither sought nor obtained any proper permits at any level, according to the Boston Globe. Instead, city and park officials have been cowed into providing them gratis electricity and camp space lest there be "conflict."
Many of these occupiers are primarily occupied as paid rent-a-mobsters for unions, left-wing think tanks and the radical Working Families Party. While one collective hand soaks the taxpayers, the other hand is busy soliciting free stuff. Occupy Los Angeles activists took to Skype on their laptops to solicit donations of iPhones and iPads.
Occupy Wall Street members on Twitter organized an ongoing "#needsoftheoccupiers" drive for everything from batteries and tarps to "gently used" coats and sweaters, wool socks, sleeping bags and energy bars. Occupy Austin organizers publicized their wish list, including a free barbecue grill, portable toilets, extension cords, a Bobcat forestry cutter for clearing brush and network cameras for a livestream.
THESE ARE NOT PRINCIPLED ADVOCATES OF FISICAL RESPONSIBILITY. THESE ARE PROFESSIONAL FREELOADERS.
Unlike tea party activists who focused like a laser beam on politicians in both parties responsible for redistributing wealth to Big Business cronies by force, the Occupy Wall Street movement is everywhere and nowhere. The entitled Kamp Alinsky Kids are poaching WiFi and trespassing on private property under the guise of "social justice" but in plain service of themselves.
Their T-shirts and speeches glorify Marxist radicals Che Guevara, Emiliano Zapata and Chairman Mao. They lionize convicted death row cop killer Troy Davis and WikiLeaks collaborator Bradley Manning. They condemn "Nazi Bankers," Jews, Fox News, the American Legislative Exchange Council, Wisconsin GOP Gov. Scott Walker, the Koch family and the New York Police Department ("Pigs!"). They promote the illegal alien DREAM Act and 9/11 Trutherism.
They spout bumper-sticker profanities and inanities: "F**k banks." "Unf**k the world." "Fuuuuu*k." "Free education." "Smash nationalism." "People not profits."
They flash peace signs while celebrity supporter Roseanne Barr calls for beheading financial industry workers and fellow marchers call explicitly for "violent revolution" or for Obama to "Send SEAL Team 6" to Wall Street.
Then they huff and puff (preferably in a creepy uniform chant they call the "human microphone") that we just haven't taken the time to understand what they're all about -- as they hawk $20 "Eat the Rich" polo shirts and license their protest photos to Getty Images.
Viva la revolucion! Up with people! Stop the greed! (Cha-ching. Cha-ching.)
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mrs. Malkin is author of Unhinged (Regnery) and "Culture of Corruption: Obama and his Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks & Cronies" (Regnery 2009).
________________________________________________________
The Occupiers: Comments by Eric Erickson of Human Events(HumanEventsDaily.email.humanevents.com October 14, 2011
There seems to be little ground to share with the rag tag group of communists, hippies, and hipsters occupying Zuccotti Park in New York City. But, I am told by people who've been out surveying the crowds in other parts of the country—occupying Chicago to Atlanta—that there are some poor souls shivering and smelly that conservatives should not turn their backs on.
In fact, a number of conservative thinkers are concerned that maybe, just maybe, we might be engaged in reaction instead of apologetics and are losing people to the left that we need not lose.
I think most of the ground we could share with the occupy movement is superficial ground. Most of those on Wall Street want retribution and punishment of the rich. They've cast out greed, but are filled up with envy and jealousy.
Elsewhere, there may be some common ground. Some of the protestors are just tired that they can't find a job and no one seems to want to help them. The issue, then, is not punishing the rich, but helping these people. And many conservatives agree that the deck has been stacked in favor of big corporations too. We're all opposed to TARP and bailouts and special tax loopholes that only benefit one company.
We're all opposed to companies that have found it more useful to spend money on lobbyists to get a competitive advantage through law than to innovate and compete with upstart entrepreneurs. The solution then, it seems, is not more regulation and not to punish the successful. The solution is to actually level the playing field.
Simplify the tax code. Deregulate. Make it easy for entrepreneurs to get started. Reduce the nanny-state, not expand it. The time is right for a conservative, populist anti-Wall Street movement. Most Americans do think the deck is stacked against them. But unlike the hipsters, hippies, and communists, most Americans do not want to punish the successful. They just want a level playing field.
[bold and italics emphais mine]
#144 (11/1) - Muslim Brotherhood Gaining Foothold in U.S. Gov't?
[Note: I'm in the midst of reading a book by the author of this article entitled,"The Terrorist Next Door." It is based on his many years of research of radical Islamic elements abroad and in the U.S. It is truly eye-opening and scary stuff. The article below is taken from his at CBN.com that he keeps updated with news updates such the following. Its a great reminder of how America is very much threatened here at home, more than our government officials would like to tell us.]
By Erick Stakelbeck > http://blogs.cbn.com/stakelbeckonterror/Default.aspx
CBN News Terrorism Analyst / Wednesday, October 12, 2011
WASHINGTON -- They were the first modern terrorists and the forerunner of al Qaeda. But these days, the Muslim Brotherhood is becoming mainstream not only in Egypt, but in Washington, D.C.
While the final chapter of the so-called Arab Spring has yet to be written, it appears that radical Islamic forces could emerge as the big winners. None more so than the Muslim Brotherhood. In Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Syria and Jordan, the Brotherhood has used unrest to increase its influence.
The group is also making inroads closer to home, according to one expert."Their goal is primarily deception, manipulation and intelligence gathering," former FBI Special Agent John Guandolo said. Guandolo said Brotherhood operatives have infiltrated the halls of power in Washington, D.C. "What we're seeing not just inside the White House, but inside the government entities, the national security entities,the State Department -- is a strong push by the Muslim Brotherhood to get their people not just into operational positions, but policy positions -- deeper, long term, bureaucratic positions," he told CBN News.
Chief among their operatives is the Islamic Society of North America or ISNA, according to Guandolo.In 2007, ISNA was named as an un-indicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism financing trial in American history. Likewise, the FBI has uncovered internal Muslim Brotherhood documents naming ISNA as "one of our organizations and the organizations of our friends." Nevertheless, when President Obama wanted a Muslim to pray at his inauguration, his administration turned to ISNA's then-president Ingrid Mattson. And at a recent White House Iftar dinner, current ISNA head Mohammed Majid sat just a few feet from the president."Moahmmed Majid was sitting at the front table right in front of Barack Obama. But when the official list of White House attendees was published, his name was curiously missing," said terrorism expert Patrick Poole, a columnist with Pajamasmedia.com.
Another American-Muslim group linked to both the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas is the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR.The FBI refuses to meet with CAIR over its ties to terrorism. But top White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett recently praised the group for taking part in an MTV "anti-bullying" campaign. "The U.S. government knows that these are Muslim Brotherhood operatives because federal government prosecutors have gone into federal court and said that they're Muslim Brotherhood operatives," Poole explained.
One such operative is Kifah Mustpaha. In 2010, he was given a tour of both FBI headquarters and the National Counterterrorism Center, despite longstanding ties to the terror group Hamas. Hamas identifies itself as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. "We know that the Muslim Brotherhood, from their own documents, has said that they want to infiltrate all levels of government and civil society here in America to destroy from within," Poole said.
The Obama administration seems to see the Brotherhood as an ideal partner for its Muslim outreach policies. Earlier this year, National Intelligence Director James Clapper drew criticism when he called the group "largely secular." "The term 'Muslim Brotherhood' is an umbrella term for a variety of movements, in the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence," he said.
Obama administration officials say they are now engaged in dialogue with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. That policy apparently extends to the Brotherhood in America as well.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
By Erick Stakelbeck > http://blogs.cbn.com/stakelbeckonterror/Default.aspx
CBN News Terrorism Analyst / Wednesday, October 12, 2011
WASHINGTON -- They were the first modern terrorists and the forerunner of al Qaeda. But these days, the Muslim Brotherhood is becoming mainstream not only in Egypt, but in Washington, D.C.
While the final chapter of the so-called Arab Spring has yet to be written, it appears that radical Islamic forces could emerge as the big winners. None more so than the Muslim Brotherhood. In Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Syria and Jordan, the Brotherhood has used unrest to increase its influence.
The group is also making inroads closer to home, according to one expert."Their goal is primarily deception, manipulation and intelligence gathering," former FBI Special Agent John Guandolo said. Guandolo said Brotherhood operatives have infiltrated the halls of power in Washington, D.C. "What we're seeing not just inside the White House, but inside the government entities, the national security entities,the State Department -- is a strong push by the Muslim Brotherhood to get their people not just into operational positions, but policy positions -- deeper, long term, bureaucratic positions," he told CBN News.
Chief among their operatives is the Islamic Society of North America or ISNA, according to Guandolo.In 2007, ISNA was named as an un-indicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism financing trial in American history. Likewise, the FBI has uncovered internal Muslim Brotherhood documents naming ISNA as "one of our organizations and the organizations of our friends." Nevertheless, when President Obama wanted a Muslim to pray at his inauguration, his administration turned to ISNA's then-president Ingrid Mattson. And at a recent White House Iftar dinner, current ISNA head Mohammed Majid sat just a few feet from the president."Moahmmed Majid was sitting at the front table right in front of Barack Obama. But when the official list of White House attendees was published, his name was curiously missing," said terrorism expert Patrick Poole, a columnist with Pajamasmedia.com.
Another American-Muslim group linked to both the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas is the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR.The FBI refuses to meet with CAIR over its ties to terrorism. But top White House Advisor Valerie Jarrett recently praised the group for taking part in an MTV "anti-bullying" campaign. "The U.S. government knows that these are Muslim Brotherhood operatives because federal government prosecutors have gone into federal court and said that they're Muslim Brotherhood operatives," Poole explained.
One such operative is Kifah Mustpaha. In 2010, he was given a tour of both FBI headquarters and the National Counterterrorism Center, despite longstanding ties to the terror group Hamas. Hamas identifies itself as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. "We know that the Muslim Brotherhood, from their own documents, has said that they want to infiltrate all levels of government and civil society here in America to destroy from within," Poole said.
The Obama administration seems to see the Brotherhood as an ideal partner for its Muslim outreach policies. Earlier this year, National Intelligence Director James Clapper drew criticism when he called the group "largely secular." "The term 'Muslim Brotherhood' is an umbrella term for a variety of movements, in the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence," he said.
Obama administration officials say they are now engaged in dialogue with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. That policy apparently extends to the Brotherhood in America as well.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Friday, October 14, 2011
# 136 (10/17) - 'Arab Spring' News You've Probably NOT Heard About
[The following 2 stories - about Christians in Egypt and about Israel - probably didn't make the national newscast you viewed last night. Of course, in their precious few minutes of broadcast time they probably DID tell you about how the such and such celebrity just got married - again, divorced - again, went into rehab - again, etc. Well, now for some REAL news ...] [
Madness: Obama Administration Calls on 'All Sides' to Show Restraint in Egypt - CBN News, October 13, 2011 http://blogs.cbn.com/stakelbeckonterror/Default.aspx
[The following is an update on the prayer request alert posted 10/9]
CBN News viewers know all about the church burning and riots--driven by Muslims who attacked peaceful Coptic Christian protestors--that resulted in the deaths of some two dozen Egyptian Christians in Cairo last weekend.
Well, according to the Obama administration, those besieged Christians must show "restraint" as they are being massacred and maimed by Islamists and the Egyptian military: two factions, ironically enough, that the Obamis empowered when they threw Hosni Mubarak under the bus and pledged support for the so-called Arab Spring earlier this year.
Really, you can't make this stuff up. Here's more, from Keith Koffler's White House Dossier:*President Obama has responded to the Egyptian military’s massacre of Coptic Christian protestors in Cairo Sunday with a pointedly even-handed statement that calls equally on Christians and the military to show restraint.* “The President is deeply concerned about the violence in Egypt that has led to a tragic loss of life among demonstrators and security forces,” Obama said in a statement released this week. ”Now is a time for restraint on all sides so that Egyptians can move forward together to forge a strong and united Egypt.”
Incredibly, Obama is not only equating the deaths of peaceful protestors and their killers, but he is suggesting that Egypt’s increasingly persecuted Christian minority should show as much “restraint” as their tormentors and refrain from vigorously objecting to the growing abuse.
More than two dozen people, most of them Copts, were killed as security forces attacked demonstrators protesting the burning of a church. The Egyptian military has denied the killings, but news reports, eyewitness accounts, and videos posted to the Internet contradict the claims, with footage showing armed personnel carriers ramming through crowds of protestors and a soldier firing at them. The dead, according to forensic reports, were either crushed by being run over or were shot. Three soldiers are also said to have died, but this appears to have occurred as protestors were fighting for their lives. There can be no mistaking that this was a slaughter of civilians.
The church burning was only the latest in an escalating series of attacks by Islamists against Christians and their churches.
Koffler notes that the Obama statement also calls for the rights of Coptic Christians to be respected. Hooray. This is similar to June 2009, when, at the outset, the Obama administration also essentially called on all sides to show restraint in Iran as the regime's thugs were mowing down unarmed protestors in the streets of Tehran.
With continuous feckless responses like this by the U.S. government to Islamist aggression, is it any wonder that the Iranian regime was bold enough to plot a terror attack on American soil? /em>
__________________________________________________________Great News: Missing Libyan Missiles Turn Up on Gaza Border -
Oct. 14, 2011 http://blogs.cbn.com/stakelbeckonterror/Default.aspx
Just another example of the positive vibes given off by the peaceful, tranquil, post-revolutionary (or maybe not so much) Libya that the Obama administration has created. I'm sure Israel is thrilled.
From ABC News: Some of the thousands of surface-to-air missiles that have gone missing since the collapse of the Gadhafi regime in Libya have now turned up just miles from the Israeli border. U.S. officials say there were 20,000 Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles in Libya before the uprising, and thousands have disappeared in the looting of Moammar Gadhafi's arm caches. According to the Washington Post, many of those Russian-made anti-aircraft weapons are being sold in Egyptian black markets, and so many are available the price has dropped from $10,000 to $4,000.
Egyptian officials told the paper they have intercepted looted Libyan weapons, including anti-aircraft guns, missiles and artillery, on the road from Libya into Egypt, in black markets on the Sinai Peninsua, and in the smuggling tunnels between the Sinai and Gaza.The heat-seeking surface-to-air missiles, most of them shoulder-fired, have a range of two miles and would pose a threat to Israeli helicopter and planes on either side of the Israel-Gaza border. Now whatever would they be doing there? Could it be that some enterprising jihadi entity, Iran perhaps, took advantage of the chaos in Libya to acquire weapons for its proxy, Hamas, in Gaza? Heckuva job, Barry.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Madness: Obama Administration Calls on 'All Sides' to Show Restraint in Egypt - CBN News, October 13, 2011 http://blogs.cbn.com/stakelbeckonterror/Default.aspx
[The following is an update on the prayer request alert posted 10/9]
CBN News viewers know all about the church burning and riots--driven by Muslims who attacked peaceful Coptic Christian protestors--that resulted in the deaths of some two dozen Egyptian Christians in Cairo last weekend.
Well, according to the Obama administration, those besieged Christians must show "restraint" as they are being massacred and maimed by Islamists and the Egyptian military: two factions, ironically enough, that the Obamis empowered when they threw Hosni Mubarak under the bus and pledged support for the so-called Arab Spring earlier this year.
Really, you can't make this stuff up. Here's more, from Keith Koffler's White House Dossier:*President Obama has responded to the Egyptian military’s massacre of Coptic Christian protestors in Cairo Sunday with a pointedly even-handed statement that calls equally on Christians and the military to show restraint.* “The President is deeply concerned about the violence in Egypt that has led to a tragic loss of life among demonstrators and security forces,” Obama said in a statement released this week. ”Now is a time for restraint on all sides so that Egyptians can move forward together to forge a strong and united Egypt.”
Incredibly, Obama is not only equating the deaths of peaceful protestors and their killers, but he is suggesting that Egypt’s increasingly persecuted Christian minority should show as much “restraint” as their tormentors and refrain from vigorously objecting to the growing abuse.
More than two dozen people, most of them Copts, were killed as security forces attacked demonstrators protesting the burning of a church. The Egyptian military has denied the killings, but news reports, eyewitness accounts, and videos posted to the Internet contradict the claims, with footage showing armed personnel carriers ramming through crowds of protestors and a soldier firing at them. The dead, according to forensic reports, were either crushed by being run over or were shot. Three soldiers are also said to have died, but this appears to have occurred as protestors were fighting for their lives. There can be no mistaking that this was a slaughter of civilians.
The church burning was only the latest in an escalating series of attacks by Islamists against Christians and their churches.
Koffler notes that the Obama statement also calls for the rights of Coptic Christians to be respected. Hooray. This is similar to June 2009, when, at the outset, the Obama administration also essentially called on all sides to show restraint in Iran as the regime's thugs were mowing down unarmed protestors in the streets of Tehran.
With continuous feckless responses like this by the U.S. government to Islamist aggression, is it any wonder that the Iranian regime was bold enough to plot a terror attack on American soil? /em>
__________________________________________________________Great News: Missing Libyan Missiles Turn Up on Gaza Border -
Oct. 14, 2011 http://blogs.cbn.com/stakelbeckonterror/Default.aspx
Just another example of the positive vibes given off by the peaceful, tranquil, post-revolutionary (or maybe not so much) Libya that the Obama administration has created. I'm sure Israel is thrilled.
From ABC News: Some of the thousands of surface-to-air missiles that have gone missing since the collapse of the Gadhafi regime in Libya have now turned up just miles from the Israeli border. U.S. officials say there were 20,000 Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles in Libya before the uprising, and thousands have disappeared in the looting of Moammar Gadhafi's arm caches. According to the Washington Post, many of those Russian-made anti-aircraft weapons are being sold in Egyptian black markets, and so many are available the price has dropped from $10,000 to $4,000.
Egyptian officials told the paper they have intercepted looted Libyan weapons, including anti-aircraft guns, missiles and artillery, on the road from Libya into Egypt, in black markets on the Sinai Peninsua, and in the smuggling tunnels between the Sinai and Gaza.The heat-seeking surface-to-air missiles, most of them shoulder-fired, have a range of two miles and would pose a threat to Israeli helicopter and planes on either side of the Israel-Gaza border. Now whatever would they be doing there? Could it be that some enterprising jihadi entity, Iran perhaps, took advantage of the chaos in Libya to acquire weapons for its proxy, Hamas, in Gaza? Heckuva job, Barry.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
# 135- Sunday Special - When the Bible Is NOT the BEST Authority
[As always, I encourage you to watch today's broadcast of "Truth That Transforms" (formerly "The Coral Ridge Hour" TODAY - in Orlando, 5 pm, ch. 55.1)]
Sunday Funny (c/o MIkeysFunnies.com) ~ Honk if you love Jesus! Text while driving if you want to meet Him.
Making the Case/Don't Say "The Bible Says So" - Chuck Colson, Breakpoint.com / April 27, 2011
I want to say from the outset that I believe in biblical inerrancy, the sufficiency of scripture, and the doctrine the Reformers called Sola Scriptura. I need to tell you that up front, because you might otherwise get very upset at what I'm about to say.
While we have to be immersed in scripture and understand it fully, we also have to know when and how to use it in public discourse. Let me explain. G. K. Chesterton, the famous British writer, was once invited to a meeting of the leading intellectuals in England. They were asked if they were shipwrecked on an island, what would be the one book they would want to have with them. Everyone expected Chesterton, a prominent Christian, to say "the Bible." When it came his turn to speak, however, Chesterton said that if he were shipwrecked on a desert island, he'd like to have "Thomas's Guide to Practical Shipbuilding."
The point is that oftentimes we need to understand things that are not covered in the Bible. And we need to understand things that help us apply biblical teaching to all of life. This is why I teach biblical worldview.
A man once told Oswald Chambers that he read only the Bible. Here's what Chambers replied: "My strong advice to you is to soak, soak, soak in philosophy and psychology, until you know more of these subjects than ever you need consciously to think. It is ignorance of these subjects on the part of ministers and workers that has brought our evangelical theology to such a sorry plight...The man who reads only the Bible does not, as a rule, know it or human life." And when it comes to making a biblical case on any hot topic -- taxes, the deficit, homosexuality, whatever -- we need to understand the issue and how to make that case in a way that is accessible to believers and non-believers alike.
Brit Hume, Robby George and I have just released a DVD teaching series on ethics called Doing the Right Thing. It's one of the most important projects I've undertaken in my ministry. You can get it at ColsonCenter.org. Every principle we teach on ethics is biblically based. But rarely did we cite the Bible as authority. This is because this ethics course, we believe, will be taught in secular colleges and business schools -- as well as in churches and small groups. So, it's got to be accessible to everybody.
The sad fact is that today, starting a conversation with "the Bible says" will often cause the listener to stop listening. So what you do is make arguments based on what the Reformers called common grace, or what historically has been called natural law. This is what Paul did when he gave his famous sermon at Mars Hill, his first foray into the Greek culture. He quoted Greek poets; he referred to Greek artifacts. He thoroughly engaged their culture. And then he used their beliefs to lead directly into the gospel.
This is why we must study biblical worldview, to compare how the Bible works out in life versus how other systems of thought do. I assure you: You will see that the biblical way is the only way to make sense of the world, to live rationally in the world, and eventually, your friends will see this as well
[bold and italics emphasis MINE]
Sunday Funny (c/o MIkeysFunnies.com) ~ Honk if you love Jesus! Text while driving if you want to meet Him.
Making the Case/Don't Say "The Bible Says So" - Chuck Colson, Breakpoint.com / April 27, 2011
I want to say from the outset that I believe in biblical inerrancy, the sufficiency of scripture, and the doctrine the Reformers called Sola Scriptura. I need to tell you that up front, because you might otherwise get very upset at what I'm about to say.
While we have to be immersed in scripture and understand it fully, we also have to know when and how to use it in public discourse. Let me explain. G. K. Chesterton, the famous British writer, was once invited to a meeting of the leading intellectuals in England. They were asked if they were shipwrecked on an island, what would be the one book they would want to have with them. Everyone expected Chesterton, a prominent Christian, to say "the Bible." When it came his turn to speak, however, Chesterton said that if he were shipwrecked on a desert island, he'd like to have "Thomas's Guide to Practical Shipbuilding."
The point is that oftentimes we need to understand things that are not covered in the Bible. And we need to understand things that help us apply biblical teaching to all of life. This is why I teach biblical worldview.
A man once told Oswald Chambers that he read only the Bible. Here's what Chambers replied: "My strong advice to you is to soak, soak, soak in philosophy and psychology, until you know more of these subjects than ever you need consciously to think. It is ignorance of these subjects on the part of ministers and workers that has brought our evangelical theology to such a sorry plight...The man who reads only the Bible does not, as a rule, know it or human life." And when it comes to making a biblical case on any hot topic -- taxes, the deficit, homosexuality, whatever -- we need to understand the issue and how to make that case in a way that is accessible to believers and non-believers alike.
Brit Hume, Robby George and I have just released a DVD teaching series on ethics called Doing the Right Thing. It's one of the most important projects I've undertaken in my ministry. You can get it at ColsonCenter.org. Every principle we teach on ethics is biblically based. But rarely did we cite the Bible as authority. This is because this ethics course, we believe, will be taught in secular colleges and business schools -- as well as in churches and small groups. So, it's got to be accessible to everybody.
The sad fact is that today, starting a conversation with "the Bible says" will often cause the listener to stop listening. So what you do is make arguments based on what the Reformers called common grace, or what historically has been called natural law. This is what Paul did when he gave his famous sermon at Mars Hill, his first foray into the Greek culture. He quoted Greek poets; he referred to Greek artifacts. He thoroughly engaged their culture. And then he used their beliefs to lead directly into the gospel.
This is why we must study biblical worldview, to compare how the Bible works out in life versus how other systems of thought do. I assure you: You will see that the biblical way is the only way to make sense of the world, to live rationally in the world, and eventually, your friends will see this as well
[bold and italics emphasis MINE]
#138 (10/21) - Behind The Pink Ribbon - The Untold Story of Money Raised By "The Race for the Cure"
Don't forget: (1) This week's broadcast of "Truth That Trasnforms" (Sunday, 5 pm, ch. 55.1 in Orlando; (2) The editorial cartoons at Worldmag.com; and (3) The upcoming Sunday Special.
[If you've watched sports events this month, such as the NFL games, you will note many wearing pink to show support for breast cancer reserach. But did you know that there are ties between the largest breast cancer nonprofit and Planned Parenthood! Before you run that race or give those precious donation dollars, be sure to read the following expose.]
Susan G. Komen's Relationship with Planned Parenthood - http://www.redstate.com/breeanneh/2011/10/13/behind-the-pink-ribbon/ Thursday, October 13th - posted by Breeanne Howe
Every year thousands of women train and prepare to Race for the Cure organized by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest breast cancer nonprofit. During October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, almost every product on the shelves, from batteries to blenders, turns pink and contributes a portion of their sales to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. One needs not see the name to know who is behind the pink ribbon. Most people, however, do not know what is beyond the ribbon and the name for which it stands.
$731,303. That is the amount donated to Planned Parenthood by Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 2009 alone. The relationship between Planned Parenthood and Susan G. Komen has been documented and objected to for so long that Komen actually has an explanation letter on their website.
“Komen provides funding for local community health programs through our network of more than 120 affiliates across the United States. Each Affiliate is responsible for assessing the breast health service needs—including education, screening, treatment and support—for the residents within its region as well as identifying and providing funding to organizations that can meet those needs. Annually, Komen Affiliates fund programs that provide breast health education and breast screenings for hundreds of thousands of low-income, uninsured, or medically under-served women via nearly 2,000 local organizations, including 19 Planned Parenthood programs."
"The decision to fund any breast health and screening program is based on a thorough assessment of a community’s breast health needs and resources. In some areas of the U.S., our affiliates have determined a Planned Parenthood clinic to be the best or only local place where women can receive breast health care."
"In all cases, Komen funding is used exclusively to provide breast cancer programs, including clinical breast exams conducted by trained medical personnel. When symptoms indicate a need for further screening, patients are provided with a referral to obtain a mammogram. Depending on local resources, that mammogram may be paid for using a Komen grant. It’s important to note that Komen will only make grants to non-profit organizations. As many mammography providers are for-profit entities, we are only to fund mammography services through grants made to local non-profit service providers."
"Twice each year, Komen affiliates conduct a thorough review of their community health grant programs to ensure that funds are being used only for breast health services. Under no circumstances are Komen funds used to fund abortions or other non-breast services, and any service provider shown to violate those rules would be immediately terminated from the Komen grant program."
"During the past five years, Komen Affiliate grants to Planned Parenthood have funded 139,000 clinical breast exams and nearly 5,000 mammograms, enabling the detection of 177 breast cancers. Our mission is to help save lives by increasing screening rates among all populations of women across the U.S. and around the world. As long as there is a need for health care for vulnerable populations, Komen will fund the facilities that can best meet those needs.”
While some have doubted the accuracy of Komen’s statement regarding the lack of facilities available in rural areas for breast cancer services, Texas, unfortunately, serves as a prime example. The rural counties surrounding Dallas are littered with Planned Parenthoods, many of which only have Planned Parenthood to serve their needs. Planned Parenthood of El Paso even managed to receive federal stimulus funds, despite the President requesting Planned Parenthood be removed from the stimulus bill. Instead of contributing money to build clinics in the many underserved areas of rural Texas, which would be more in line with their supposed life-affirming goals, Susan G. Komen curiously chooses to give money to the Planned Parenthood facilities instead. As Komen surely understands, money is fungible, and their contributions to Planned Parenthood allows money that would have been used for breast cancer services to, instead, be used for their more popular and nefarious practices.
One needn’t look further than Live Action’s recent phone calls to 30 different Planned Parenthoods who all admitted they don’t offer mammograms to wonder where Susan G. Komen’s money is going. In fact, as far back as 2003, according to Planned Parenthood’s 2003-2004 Annual Report, abortions increased by 14,000 in 2002-2003, while breast exams decreased by more than 141,000. Yet,in 2003 Planned Parenthood of Dallas, of which Nancy Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, has served on the advisory board, built a new $5 million dollar facility. In Houston, Planned Parenthood recently opened the largest abortion facility in the world, second only to China, which is 78,000 square feet and has an entire floor dedicated to late-term abortions of up to 25 week old babies. Thankfully, the state of Texas has fought back against those seemingly bent on making Texas the abortion capital. Four Texas Planned Parenthood centers had plans to close after the state took away taxpayer funding.
As if supporting Planned Parenthood wasn’t bad enough because they are the antithesis of life, abortion has long been thought to increase the risk of breast cancer. The first cancer study that included a possible link between abortion and breast cancer was in 1957. While many studies since then have sighted abortion as a key risk factor for developing breast cancer, Susan G. Komen firmly denies even the possibility of a link between the two. In 2002, the Bush administration created a furor when it altered the National Cancer Institute’s official statement concerning abortion and breast cancer on their website to read:
The possible relationship between abortion and breast cancer has been examined in over thirty published studies since 1957. Some studies have reported statistically significant evidence of an increased risk of breast cancer in women who have had abortions, while others have merely suggested an increased risk. Other studies have found no increase in risk among women who have had an interrupted pregnancy.
A New York Times editorial called the statement an “egregious distortion,” and 28 members of Congress complained to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. In response, the National Cancer Institute held a 3 day workshop and concluded not only that there was no link between abortion and breast cancer, but that the issue was resolved. However, in January 2010 the chief organizer of the workshop, Dr. Louise Brinton, reversed her opinion to say abortion does raise a woman’s risk of breast cancer. An April 2009 study found that abortion increases breast cancer risk by 40%, and oral contraceptives can multiply the risk by 4.2 times. Still the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure have ignored the findings.
The stated goal of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is to find a cure for cancer. In October of 2005, researchers at the University of Minnesota successfully used human embryonic stem cells to kill cancer cells; a study that surely didn’t go unnoticed by Susan G. Komen. Could it be that Susan G. Komen continues to financially support Planned Parenthood because they may hold the key to a possible cure for cancer? When they aren’t harvesting baby body parts for money, Planned Parenthood has offered women the option of donating tissue from their aborted babies to medical research. In their words, “Most agree that such decisions reflect generosity, courage, and the hope that some humanitarian good may come out of an unintended pregnancy.” Humanitarian good from unnecessarily killing an unborn baby? The truth is that adult stem cells have been treating all kinds of cancers, among many other diseases and conditions, for years. So why use embryonic stem cells instead of adult stem cells? According to the National Institute of Health, Human embryonic stem cells are thought to have much greater developmental potential than adult stem cells. In other words, they want to explore the possibilities because it could lead to something; ethics be damned. Yet, the NIH website also states that adult stem cells have recently been found to be more flexible than previously thought. It would appear that continuing to explore all the uses of adult stem cells might be a little more difficult and embryonic stem cells could be an easier route.
Whatever their reasons for financially supporting Planned Parenthood, Susan G. Komen is thankfully not the only option for those dedicated to life for women with cancer and babies. The National Breast Cancer Foundation also provides funding for free mammograms and cancer research and has no affiliation with Planned Parenthood. The Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy recently made national news for using HIV to completely eradicate cancer. The Breast Cancer Society focuses on providing help for women currently battling breast cancer. Susan G. Komen for the Cure would like to do everything in their power to end breast cancer forever, an idea with which no one would disagree. However, a strong message should be sent that our greatest ideals don’t have to be realized through compromise.
Life is precious, be it the beautiful, familiar faces of the women we love, or the new faces of the babies we’ve yet to meet.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
[If you've watched sports events this month, such as the NFL games, you will note many wearing pink to show support for breast cancer reserach. But did you know that there are ties between the largest breast cancer nonprofit and Planned Parenthood! Before you run that race or give those precious donation dollars, be sure to read the following expose.]
Susan G. Komen's Relationship with Planned Parenthood - http://www.redstate.com/breeanneh/2011/10/13/behind-the-pink-ribbon/ Thursday, October 13th - posted by Breeanne Howe
Every year thousands of women train and prepare to Race for the Cure organized by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest breast cancer nonprofit. During October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, almost every product on the shelves, from batteries to blenders, turns pink and contributes a portion of their sales to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. One needs not see the name to know who is behind the pink ribbon. Most people, however, do not know what is beyond the ribbon and the name for which it stands.
$731,303. That is the amount donated to Planned Parenthood by Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 2009 alone. The relationship between Planned Parenthood and Susan G. Komen has been documented and objected to for so long that Komen actually has an explanation letter on their website.
“Komen provides funding for local community health programs through our network of more than 120 affiliates across the United States. Each Affiliate is responsible for assessing the breast health service needs—including education, screening, treatment and support—for the residents within its region as well as identifying and providing funding to organizations that can meet those needs. Annually, Komen Affiliates fund programs that provide breast health education and breast screenings for hundreds of thousands of low-income, uninsured, or medically under-served women via nearly 2,000 local organizations, including 19 Planned Parenthood programs."
"The decision to fund any breast health and screening program is based on a thorough assessment of a community’s breast health needs and resources. In some areas of the U.S., our affiliates have determined a Planned Parenthood clinic to be the best or only local place where women can receive breast health care."
"In all cases, Komen funding is used exclusively to provide breast cancer programs, including clinical breast exams conducted by trained medical personnel. When symptoms indicate a need for further screening, patients are provided with a referral to obtain a mammogram. Depending on local resources, that mammogram may be paid for using a Komen grant. It’s important to note that Komen will only make grants to non-profit organizations. As many mammography providers are for-profit entities, we are only to fund mammography services through grants made to local non-profit service providers."
"Twice each year, Komen affiliates conduct a thorough review of their community health grant programs to ensure that funds are being used only for breast health services. Under no circumstances are Komen funds used to fund abortions or other non-breast services, and any service provider shown to violate those rules would be immediately terminated from the Komen grant program."
"During the past five years, Komen Affiliate grants to Planned Parenthood have funded 139,000 clinical breast exams and nearly 5,000 mammograms, enabling the detection of 177 breast cancers. Our mission is to help save lives by increasing screening rates among all populations of women across the U.S. and around the world. As long as there is a need for health care for vulnerable populations, Komen will fund the facilities that can best meet those needs.”
While some have doubted the accuracy of Komen’s statement regarding the lack of facilities available in rural areas for breast cancer services, Texas, unfortunately, serves as a prime example. The rural counties surrounding Dallas are littered with Planned Parenthoods, many of which only have Planned Parenthood to serve their needs. Planned Parenthood of El Paso even managed to receive federal stimulus funds, despite the President requesting Planned Parenthood be removed from the stimulus bill. Instead of contributing money to build clinics in the many underserved areas of rural Texas, which would be more in line with their supposed life-affirming goals, Susan G. Komen curiously chooses to give money to the Planned Parenthood facilities instead. As Komen surely understands, money is fungible, and their contributions to Planned Parenthood allows money that would have been used for breast cancer services to, instead, be used for their more popular and nefarious practices.
One needn’t look further than Live Action’s recent phone calls to 30 different Planned Parenthoods who all admitted they don’t offer mammograms to wonder where Susan G. Komen’s money is going. In fact, as far back as 2003, according to Planned Parenthood’s 2003-2004 Annual Report, abortions increased by 14,000 in 2002-2003, while breast exams decreased by more than 141,000. Yet,in 2003 Planned Parenthood of Dallas, of which Nancy Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, has served on the advisory board, built a new $5 million dollar facility. In Houston, Planned Parenthood recently opened the largest abortion facility in the world, second only to China, which is 78,000 square feet and has an entire floor dedicated to late-term abortions of up to 25 week old babies. Thankfully, the state of Texas has fought back against those seemingly bent on making Texas the abortion capital. Four Texas Planned Parenthood centers had plans to close after the state took away taxpayer funding.
As if supporting Planned Parenthood wasn’t bad enough because they are the antithesis of life, abortion has long been thought to increase the risk of breast cancer. The first cancer study that included a possible link between abortion and breast cancer was in 1957. While many studies since then have sighted abortion as a key risk factor for developing breast cancer, Susan G. Komen firmly denies even the possibility of a link between the two. In 2002, the Bush administration created a furor when it altered the National Cancer Institute’s official statement concerning abortion and breast cancer on their website to read:
The possible relationship between abortion and breast cancer has been examined in over thirty published studies since 1957. Some studies have reported statistically significant evidence of an increased risk of breast cancer in women who have had abortions, while others have merely suggested an increased risk. Other studies have found no increase in risk among women who have had an interrupted pregnancy.
A New York Times editorial called the statement an “egregious distortion,” and 28 members of Congress complained to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. In response, the National Cancer Institute held a 3 day workshop and concluded not only that there was no link between abortion and breast cancer, but that the issue was resolved. However, in January 2010 the chief organizer of the workshop, Dr. Louise Brinton, reversed her opinion to say abortion does raise a woman’s risk of breast cancer. An April 2009 study found that abortion increases breast cancer risk by 40%, and oral contraceptives can multiply the risk by 4.2 times. Still the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure have ignored the findings.
The stated goal of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is to find a cure for cancer. In October of 2005, researchers at the University of Minnesota successfully used human embryonic stem cells to kill cancer cells; a study that surely didn’t go unnoticed by Susan G. Komen. Could it be that Susan G. Komen continues to financially support Planned Parenthood because they may hold the key to a possible cure for cancer? When they aren’t harvesting baby body parts for money, Planned Parenthood has offered women the option of donating tissue from their aborted babies to medical research. In their words, “Most agree that such decisions reflect generosity, courage, and the hope that some humanitarian good may come out of an unintended pregnancy.” Humanitarian good from unnecessarily killing an unborn baby? The truth is that adult stem cells have been treating all kinds of cancers, among many other diseases and conditions, for years. So why use embryonic stem cells instead of adult stem cells? According to the National Institute of Health, Human embryonic stem cells are thought to have much greater developmental potential than adult stem cells. In other words, they want to explore the possibilities because it could lead to something; ethics be damned. Yet, the NIH website also states that adult stem cells have recently been found to be more flexible than previously thought. It would appear that continuing to explore all the uses of adult stem cells might be a little more difficult and embryonic stem cells could be an easier route.
Whatever their reasons for financially supporting Planned Parenthood, Susan G. Komen is thankfully not the only option for those dedicated to life for women with cancer and babies. The National Breast Cancer Foundation also provides funding for free mammograms and cancer research and has no affiliation with Planned Parenthood. The Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy recently made national news for using HIV to completely eradicate cancer. The Breast Cancer Society focuses on providing help for women currently battling breast cancer. Susan G. Komen for the Cure would like to do everything in their power to end breast cancer forever, an idea with which no one would disagree. However, a strong message should be sent that our greatest ideals don’t have to be realized through compromise.
Life is precious, be it the beautiful, familiar faces of the women we love, or the new faces of the babies we’ve yet to meet.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
#134 - ''Obama’s [Continued] Failure to Confront the Iranian Threat''
Don't forget: (1) This week's broadcast of "Truth That Trasnforms" (Sunday, 5 pm, ch. 55.1 in Orlando; (2) The editorial cartoons at Worldmag.com; and (3) The upcoming Sunday Special.
Posted By Mike Brownfield On 10/12/2011- THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Yesterday, America learned that Iran conspired to launch a terrorist attack in Washington, D.C., with a planned assassination of the Saudi ambassador and bomb attacks on the Saudi and Israeli embassies. U.S. authorities disrupted the plot and have brought charges against the men who planned to carry out the attack, but the audacity of Iran’s actions highlights a disturbing truth: The Obama Administration has done far too little to deter state-sponsored terrorism, and it has utterly failed to confront the Iranian threat.
Not one month ago, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stood before the United Nations General Assembly in New York City and delivered a speech [1] rife with hatred of the United States, September 11 conspiracy theories, anti-Semitism, and Holocaust denials. His diatribe at the U.N. has become an annual ritual, but as we learned yesterday, this year’s performance occurred all while Ahmadinejad’s government was seeking to attack the United States–a fact that President Barack Obama was made aware [2] of in June of this year.
It is being reported [3] that following the charges against Iran, the Obama Administration is seeking to use the development as leverage to “unite the world” against Iran, with Vice President Biden saying, “That’s the surest way to be able to get results.” Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remarked that the plot “crosses a line that Iran needs to be held to account for.” Iran, however, crossed the line long ago, be it the country’s rogue pursuit of nuclear weapons, its calls for the eradication of Israel, its support of terrorism, its meddling in Iraq, or its interference with the movement toward democracy in the Middle East. Even without yesterday’s charges, the Obama Administration has had plenty of reason to take the lead on confronting the Iranian threat, but it has utterly failed to do so.
On June 28, 2011, the White House released its “new” National Strategy for Counterterrorism. The 19-page document makes exactly one reference to Iran. The subject of state-sponsored terrorism is virtually ignored. In August, The Heritage Foundation Counterterrorism Task Force criticized the Administration [4] for failing to address the threat:
"The President’s strategy pays insufficient attention to state-sponsored terrorism, which will increasingly be a major force to be reckoned with. Iran is one of the most prominent and aggressive state sponsors of terror and its proteges–both Hamas and Hezbollah–represent potentially grave threats. In addition, transnational criminal cartels in Mexico are increasingly taking on the character of terrorist networks."
Now we see that those criticisms are well-founded, and the threat of Iran launching a terrorist attack on the U.S. homeland very nearly became a deadly reality. The Heritage task force wrote that it’s a threat that can’t be ignored: "The iron triangle of state-sponsored terrorism–Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah–is potentially as significant a threat to U.S. interests as a reconstituted al-Qaeda. Iran remains the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. Breaking the triangle apart can only be accomplished by bringing freedom to the people under the tyranny of the leadership in Tehran–change that has to come from within the country."
The Obama Administration, to date, has pursued the Obama Doctrine–a foreign policy that calls for the United States to engage with its enemies instead of confronting the threat of state-sponsored terrorism head on. It’s an attitude and a posture that has been pervasive in President Obama’s rhetoric–abjuring American exceptionalism, passing on the opportunity to speak loudly to promote the spread of democracy in the Middle East, failing to condemn Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s ruthless regime, offering weak support to Israel and failing to condemn those who threaten the country’s very existence, and presenting a face of international accommodation and ambivalence. Obama’s strategy invites aggression and leaves the American people less secure as a result.
The Administration must finally change direction. Heritage’s James Carafano writes that it should take strong measures to respond to Iran’s actions, including conducting a proportional military response against suitable, feasible, and acceptable targets (in many ways the situation is similar to military operations conducted against al Qaeda in Pakistan). It should impose and enforce the strongest sanctions, target public diplomacy to expose the regime’s human rights abuses, reduce Iran’s meddling in Iraq, and rescind and rewrite its counterterrorism strategy.
The time for flowery speeches and benevolent engagement with America’s avowed enemies is over. President Obama must wake up to the fact that Iran and countries like it pose a very real threat to America, its friends, and its allies, and it must take proactive action to protect itself from those who seek to do it harm. [bold and italics emphasis MINE]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/12/morning-bell-obamas-failure-to-confront-the-iranian-threat/
URLs in this post:
[1] delivered a speech: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/22/mahmoud-ahmadinejad-united-nations-speech
[2] was made aware: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/11/us-usa-security-iran-whitehouse-idUSTRE79A5RU20111011
[3] being reported: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/12/national/main20119095.shtml
[4] criticized the Administration: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/08/a-counterterrorism-strategy-for-the-next-wave
opyright © 2011 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.
Posted By Mike Brownfield On 10/12/2011- THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Yesterday, America learned that Iran conspired to launch a terrorist attack in Washington, D.C., with a planned assassination of the Saudi ambassador and bomb attacks on the Saudi and Israeli embassies. U.S. authorities disrupted the plot and have brought charges against the men who planned to carry out the attack, but the audacity of Iran’s actions highlights a disturbing truth: The Obama Administration has done far too little to deter state-sponsored terrorism, and it has utterly failed to confront the Iranian threat.
Not one month ago, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stood before the United Nations General Assembly in New York City and delivered a speech [1] rife with hatred of the United States, September 11 conspiracy theories, anti-Semitism, and Holocaust denials. His diatribe at the U.N. has become an annual ritual, but as we learned yesterday, this year’s performance occurred all while Ahmadinejad’s government was seeking to attack the United States–a fact that President Barack Obama was made aware [2] of in June of this year.
It is being reported [3] that following the charges against Iran, the Obama Administration is seeking to use the development as leverage to “unite the world” against Iran, with Vice President Biden saying, “That’s the surest way to be able to get results.” Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remarked that the plot “crosses a line that Iran needs to be held to account for.” Iran, however, crossed the line long ago, be it the country’s rogue pursuit of nuclear weapons, its calls for the eradication of Israel, its support of terrorism, its meddling in Iraq, or its interference with the movement toward democracy in the Middle East. Even without yesterday’s charges, the Obama Administration has had plenty of reason to take the lead on confronting the Iranian threat, but it has utterly failed to do so.
On June 28, 2011, the White House released its “new” National Strategy for Counterterrorism. The 19-page document makes exactly one reference to Iran. The subject of state-sponsored terrorism is virtually ignored. In August, The Heritage Foundation Counterterrorism Task Force criticized the Administration [4] for failing to address the threat:
"The President’s strategy pays insufficient attention to state-sponsored terrorism, which will increasingly be a major force to be reckoned with. Iran is one of the most prominent and aggressive state sponsors of terror and its proteges–both Hamas and Hezbollah–represent potentially grave threats. In addition, transnational criminal cartels in Mexico are increasingly taking on the character of terrorist networks."
Now we see that those criticisms are well-founded, and the threat of Iran launching a terrorist attack on the U.S. homeland very nearly became a deadly reality. The Heritage task force wrote that it’s a threat that can’t be ignored: "The iron triangle of state-sponsored terrorism–Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah–is potentially as significant a threat to U.S. interests as a reconstituted al-Qaeda. Iran remains the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. Breaking the triangle apart can only be accomplished by bringing freedom to the people under the tyranny of the leadership in Tehran–change that has to come from within the country."
The Obama Administration, to date, has pursued the Obama Doctrine–a foreign policy that calls for the United States to engage with its enemies instead of confronting the threat of state-sponsored terrorism head on. It’s an attitude and a posture that has been pervasive in President Obama’s rhetoric–abjuring American exceptionalism, passing on the opportunity to speak loudly to promote the spread of democracy in the Middle East, failing to condemn Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s ruthless regime, offering weak support to Israel and failing to condemn those who threaten the country’s very existence, and presenting a face of international accommodation and ambivalence. Obama’s strategy invites aggression and leaves the American people less secure as a result.
The Administration must finally change direction. Heritage’s James Carafano writes that it should take strong measures to respond to Iran’s actions, including conducting a proportional military response against suitable, feasible, and acceptable targets (in many ways the situation is similar to military operations conducted against al Qaeda in Pakistan). It should impose and enforce the strongest sanctions, target public diplomacy to expose the regime’s human rights abuses, reduce Iran’s meddling in Iraq, and rescind and rewrite its counterterrorism strategy.
The time for flowery speeches and benevolent engagement with America’s avowed enemies is over. President Obama must wake up to the fact that Iran and countries like it pose a very real threat to America, its friends, and its allies, and it must take proactive action to protect itself from those who seek to do it harm. [bold and italics emphasis MINE]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News Blog from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/12/morning-bell-obamas-failure-to-confront-the-iranian-threat/
URLs in this post:
[1] delivered a speech: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/22/mahmoud-ahmadinejad-united-nations-speech
[2] was made aware: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/11/us-usa-security-iran-whitehouse-idUSTRE79A5RU20111011
[3] being reported: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/12/national/main20119095.shtml
[4] criticized the Administration: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/08/a-counterterrorism-strategy-for-the-next-wave
opyright © 2011 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
# 133 - Special Prayer/Action Alerts - Pastor in Iran (Latest Update); Coptic Christians in Egypt
[See also today's commentary by Chuck Colson at> http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/18007]
Iran Pastor's Case Referred to Supreme Leader > http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2011/October/Iran-Pastors-Case-Referred-to-Supreme-Leader/ October 10, 2011
The attorney representing Youcef Nadarkhani, the Iranian pastor facing a death sentence for refusing to recant his faith, says his client's case is being referred to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Khamenei is the final authority in Iran. According to Agency France Presse, the move suggests the verdict could be delayed....
Meanwhile, a new bipartisan effort is underway in Congress to secure the pastor's freedom.In a letter signed by at least 39 Congressmen, lawmakers called Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to "use all the powers at your disposal" for "swift engagement with the international community to advocate for his release."
The American Center for Law and Justice [ACLJ] is calling on people to join Congress in urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to put pressure on Iran to release Pastor Youcef: ■Sign the petition to Secretary Clinton > http://aclj.org/iran/pressure-iran-save-christian-pastor
Contact your congressmen to sign on to the Pitts/Shuler letter > http://congress.aclj.org/5290/call-on-secretary-state-clinton-to-save-christian-pastor-in-iran/
*The American Center for Law and Justice has also sent a letter to the United Nations calling for pressure on Iran to immediately and unconditionally release Pastor Youcef. Read the letter. http://c0391070.cdn2.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/pdf/letter-un-ohchr-regarding-youcef-nadarkhani-death-sentence-apostasy-iran.pdf
*CBN News has started an effort on Twitter to spread the word about Pastor Youcef's case.
■Follow the story at @CBNNews, then retweet the post, "Who is Youcef Nadarkhani? A pastor, husband & father who may be killed in Iran for his faith. RT for religious freedom, http//bit.ly/cbnnews."Christian Solidarity Worldwide is calling for urgent action:
■Voice your concerns now to the Iranian Embassy here. You can also call the Iranian liaison office in the U.S. State Department. The number is 202-647-6575
____________________________________________________
Deadly Attack on Coptic Church Sparks Cairo RiotsBy John Waage, CBN News Sr. EditorMonday, October 10, 2011RSS
The so-called "Arab Spring" took a deadly turn in Cairo over the weekend, as an attack on a Coptic Christian church sparked riots, killing 24 people and wounding at least 200 others.The rioting was worst violence since civilian protests brought about the ouster of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in March.
Police arrested dozens of people in Cairo's Tahrir Square when clashes between Coptic Christians, Muslims, and security forces escalated out of control. Christians had gathered to demonstrate after Muslims partially demolished a church last week. Some of the leaders of both the Christian and Muslim activists said the clashes were not as much related to religion as they were to the army's handling of the situation.
Rioters set cars on fire and burned army vehicles. The army's response was described as brutal by friends of several of the victims, who posted their conditions and video on the Internet. Attacks against Christian churches have increased since Mubarak's ouster. Christians represent just 10 percent of the country's 80 million people. The army has controlled the Egyptian government for the past 40 years.
Egyptian leaders held an emergency cabinet meeting to decide how to respond to charges of brutality among their forces. {Also}The latest violence has sparked new concerns about the upcoming parliament elections, scheduled for late November.
[Subjects in BOLD need prayer; ITALICIZED are points of action you can take]
Iran Pastor's Case Referred to Supreme Leader > http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2011/October/Iran-Pastors-Case-Referred-to-Supreme-Leader/ October 10, 2011
The attorney representing Youcef Nadarkhani, the Iranian pastor facing a death sentence for refusing to recant his faith, says his client's case is being referred to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Khamenei is the final authority in Iran. According to Agency France Presse, the move suggests the verdict could be delayed....
Meanwhile, a new bipartisan effort is underway in Congress to secure the pastor's freedom.In a letter signed by at least 39 Congressmen, lawmakers called Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to "use all the powers at your disposal" for "swift engagement with the international community to advocate for his release."
The American Center for Law and Justice [ACLJ] is calling on people to join Congress in urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to put pressure on Iran to release Pastor Youcef: ■Sign the petition to Secretary Clinton > http://aclj.org/iran/pressure-iran-save-christian-pastor
Contact your congressmen to sign on to the Pitts/Shuler letter > http://congress.aclj.org/5290/call-on-secretary-state-clinton-to-save-christian-pastor-in-iran/
*The American Center for Law and Justice has also sent a letter to the United Nations calling for pressure on Iran to immediately and unconditionally release Pastor Youcef. Read the letter. http://c0391070.cdn2.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/pdf/letter-un-ohchr-regarding-youcef-nadarkhani-death-sentence-apostasy-iran.pdf
*CBN News has started an effort on Twitter to spread the word about Pastor Youcef's case.
■Follow the story at @CBNNews, then retweet the post, "Who is Youcef Nadarkhani? A pastor, husband & father who may be killed in Iran for his faith. RT for religious freedom, http//bit.ly/cbnnews."Christian Solidarity Worldwide is calling for urgent action:
■Voice your concerns now to the Iranian Embassy here. You can also call the Iranian liaison office in the U.S. State Department. The number is 202-647-6575
____________________________________________________
Deadly Attack on Coptic Church Sparks Cairo RiotsBy John Waage, CBN News Sr. EditorMonday, October 10, 2011RSS
The so-called "Arab Spring" took a deadly turn in Cairo over the weekend, as an attack on a Coptic Christian church sparked riots, killing 24 people and wounding at least 200 others.The rioting was worst violence since civilian protests brought about the ouster of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in March.
Police arrested dozens of people in Cairo's Tahrir Square when clashes between Coptic Christians, Muslims, and security forces escalated out of control. Christians had gathered to demonstrate after Muslims partially demolished a church last week. Some of the leaders of both the Christian and Muslim activists said the clashes were not as much related to religion as they were to the army's handling of the situation.
Rioters set cars on fire and burned army vehicles. The army's response was described as brutal by friends of several of the victims, who posted their conditions and video on the Internet. Attacks against Christian churches have increased since Mubarak's ouster. Christians represent just 10 percent of the country's 80 million people. The army has controlled the Egyptian government for the past 40 years.
Egyptian leaders held an emergency cabinet meeting to decide how to respond to charges of brutality among their forces. {Also}The latest violence has sparked new concerns about the upcoming parliament elections, scheduled for late November.
[Subjects in BOLD need prayer; ITALICIZED are points of action you can take]
Friday, October 7, 2011
#132 - Steve Jobs and American Exceptionalism
[Don't forget: (1) This week's broadcast of "Truth That Trasnforms" (Sunday, 5 pm, ch. 55.1 in Orlando; (2) The editorial cartoons at Worldmag.com; and (3) The upcoming Sunday Special.]
Posted By Ed Feulner On October 6, 2011
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/06/morning-bell-remembering-steve-jobs/print/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell
Steve Jobs, who died yesterday at the too-young age of 56, was a living refutation of all that liberals constantly tell us about our country — that we’re falling behind others and live now in a “post-American world,” as one of Barack Obama’s favorite books puts it in its title. As anyone who’s ever handled an Apple product or had his life improved by the technological innovations our system has produced in just a decade (that means all of us) will tell you, Jobs and innovators like him epitomize that immeasurable quality the left somehow finds most abject — American exceptionalism.
The meme of the left is that drudgery and mediocrity is not just our future but probably also our just deserts–for being too imperialistic, consumerist, wasteful, patriarchal, or what have you.(For an inexhaustible list of all our ills and sins, please check with the mob gathered at the “Occupy Wall Street” protest.) One should compare this deadened vision with the wonders Jobs wrought.
Apple Computer, the company Jobs founded at the age of 21 along with his friend Steve Wozniak, was valued at the close of business yesterday at $350 billion and some change, more than $100 billion ahead of Microsoft. General Electric, another American giant, weighed in at less than half the price, $161 billion. Ford, GM and Volkswagen? Respectively, $40 billion, $35 billion and $42 billion. That should give some idea of where we are in the 21st century. That beauty contest, how much a company is worth, is a result of decisions made by millions of investors voting with people’s savings (that is, for most of us, the sweat of our brow and our hedge against an uncertain future). Investors voted for Jobs’ company because consumers loved its products, and consumers bought Apple products not because they were ordered to do so by central planners but because they saw them as magic.
From computing to music to journalism, Jobs changed the way the world did its business and leisure. Very little of what we do today has not been impacted somehow by Jobs and his company. He certainly changed my life from my first Apple III with floppy discs almost 30 years ago, costing about $6000 and possessing a small fraction of the capabilities of my streamlined new iPad 2, all at less than 10 percent of the cost of that early dinosaur. Macs, with their trademark coloring and sleek design, transformed the way people came to see computers, from gizmos only nerds understood or liked to things almost as organic as the partly bitten apples of the ever-present logos. Creative designing and thinking flowed naturally from a Mac, powering the creativity and productivity that have become the hallmark of the American economy, our present problems notwithstanding. In music, Jobs changed the industry by taking it digital. As for journalism and reading in general, we have now gone back to where we started: the biblical tablet. The elegant slab we take with us wherever we go can do the same for us and take us, no matter where we are, anywhere in the universe our imagination wants to visit.
All this was the result of the happy coincidence of genius in an individual and a system. Jobs was an individual with special DNA, no question. But this half-Arab boy who was given up for adoption at birth and went on to drop out of college was able to transform the lives of individuals across the world because he lived and worked in this country. The genius of the American system is comprised of the rule of law, respect for private property and the freedom of the individual to strive to be better than himself and his neighbor and reap the rewards that come from his innate abilities and effort. All of these and many other liberties are safeguarded in our Constitution. It is all part of what makes us an exceptional country.
This is not to say that we don’t have problems. We are indeed falling behind — not behind other countries but behind our promise and potential. Our government spends too much, tries to tell us how to run our private lives, and ties down in red tape the genius that brought you Apple. The great and sometimes cacophonous debate we are having in our country at the moment results from the fact that Americans have finally woken up to the threat our system confronts and are doing something about it.
This is not what you hear. Daily we are told by our government leaders, the media, and academia that we are as exceptional only in the way that every other country on the U.N. roll, from Albania to Zimbabwe, is exceptional. We are told that we have to manage our decline as a power and that the great debate over ideas that we’re having is evidence that “our politics is broken.” Typically, a columnist from a Manhattan paper has titled his most recent book That Used to Be Us, a line, we’re sad to say, that came straight from a speech by Barack Obama.
This is nonsense. Steve Jobs may have given to liberal causes and politicians throughout his life, but his life proved the existence of the American Dream. As anyone who’s Googled something in her iPad and then Tweeted about it will tell you, Steve Jobs and those like him symbolize American Exceptionalism every day. - Edwin J. Feulner > President, The Heritage Foundation [bold and italics emphasis mine]
Posted By Ed Feulner On October 6, 2011
http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/06/morning-bell-remembering-steve-jobs/print/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell
Steve Jobs, who died yesterday at the too-young age of 56, was a living refutation of all that liberals constantly tell us about our country — that we’re falling behind others and live now in a “post-American world,” as one of Barack Obama’s favorite books puts it in its title. As anyone who’s ever handled an Apple product or had his life improved by the technological innovations our system has produced in just a decade (that means all of us) will tell you, Jobs and innovators like him epitomize that immeasurable quality the left somehow finds most abject — American exceptionalism.
The meme of the left is that drudgery and mediocrity is not just our future but probably also our just deserts–for being too imperialistic, consumerist, wasteful, patriarchal, or what have you.(For an inexhaustible list of all our ills and sins, please check with the mob gathered at the “Occupy Wall Street” protest.) One should compare this deadened vision with the wonders Jobs wrought.
Apple Computer, the company Jobs founded at the age of 21 along with his friend Steve Wozniak, was valued at the close of business yesterday at $350 billion and some change, more than $100 billion ahead of Microsoft. General Electric, another American giant, weighed in at less than half the price, $161 billion. Ford, GM and Volkswagen? Respectively, $40 billion, $35 billion and $42 billion. That should give some idea of where we are in the 21st century. That beauty contest, how much a company is worth, is a result of decisions made by millions of investors voting with people’s savings (that is, for most of us, the sweat of our brow and our hedge against an uncertain future). Investors voted for Jobs’ company because consumers loved its products, and consumers bought Apple products not because they were ordered to do so by central planners but because they saw them as magic.
From computing to music to journalism, Jobs changed the way the world did its business and leisure. Very little of what we do today has not been impacted somehow by Jobs and his company. He certainly changed my life from my first Apple III with floppy discs almost 30 years ago, costing about $6000 and possessing a small fraction of the capabilities of my streamlined new iPad 2, all at less than 10 percent of the cost of that early dinosaur. Macs, with their trademark coloring and sleek design, transformed the way people came to see computers, from gizmos only nerds understood or liked to things almost as organic as the partly bitten apples of the ever-present logos. Creative designing and thinking flowed naturally from a Mac, powering the creativity and productivity that have become the hallmark of the American economy, our present problems notwithstanding. In music, Jobs changed the industry by taking it digital. As for journalism and reading in general, we have now gone back to where we started: the biblical tablet. The elegant slab we take with us wherever we go can do the same for us and take us, no matter where we are, anywhere in the universe our imagination wants to visit.
All this was the result of the happy coincidence of genius in an individual and a system. Jobs was an individual with special DNA, no question. But this half-Arab boy who was given up for adoption at birth and went on to drop out of college was able to transform the lives of individuals across the world because he lived and worked in this country. The genius of the American system is comprised of the rule of law, respect for private property and the freedom of the individual to strive to be better than himself and his neighbor and reap the rewards that come from his innate abilities and effort. All of these and many other liberties are safeguarded in our Constitution. It is all part of what makes us an exceptional country.
This is not to say that we don’t have problems. We are indeed falling behind — not behind other countries but behind our promise and potential. Our government spends too much, tries to tell us how to run our private lives, and ties down in red tape the genius that brought you Apple. The great and sometimes cacophonous debate we are having in our country at the moment results from the fact that Americans have finally woken up to the threat our system confronts and are doing something about it.
This is not what you hear. Daily we are told by our government leaders, the media, and academia that we are as exceptional only in the way that every other country on the U.N. roll, from Albania to Zimbabwe, is exceptional. We are told that we have to manage our decline as a power and that the great debate over ideas that we’re having is evidence that “our politics is broken.” Typically, a columnist from a Manhattan paper has titled his most recent book That Used to Be Us, a line, we’re sad to say, that came straight from a speech by Barack Obama.
This is nonsense. Steve Jobs may have given to liberal causes and politicians throughout his life, but his life proved the existence of the American Dream. As anyone who’s Googled something in her iPad and then Tweeted about it will tell you, Steve Jobs and those like him symbolize American Exceptionalism every day. - Edwin J. Feulner > President, The Heritage Foundation [bold and italics emphasis mine]
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
#131 - Before You Blame the Banks for Increased Fees ...
[Note: Like you, I'm upset to have to the possibility of new fees being imposed by the banks. But before you join the finger pointing at the banks, consider that the banks are only responding to the recent new regulations signed into law that restrict other ways banks can seek profits. When the government acts in such ways, they fail to inform us that a natural result of doing so will always be companies passing the costs to them on to consumers; it's just the natural course of things. And of course, this is another case where you don't hear the full story from the mainstream media. Below are a list of regulations for which we can be sure we'll end up paying.]
Top 10 Most Egregious Government Regulations - by Human Events http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=44874 07/16/2011
The government in the United States, both federal and local, has enacted laws and regulations that drag down the economy and restrict individual liberty. Some regulations are so broad that they govern entire segments of the economy, while others tell us what we can and cannot do in our own homes. As President Reagan? once said, “Government is not the solution to our problems. Government is the problem.” Here are the Top 10 Most Egregious Government Regulations:
1. ObamaCare overkill: If you think the 2,000-plus-page ObamaCare law is a travesty, wait until you see the regulations it spawned. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is beginning to release regulations based on the health care legislation passed last year. One section on Medicare took up six pages in the original law, yet HHS turned that into 429 pages of new regulations. At that rate, there will be more than a hundred thousand pages of regulations in place for doctors to consider before seeing a patient. [Any reason why we shouldn't expect fewer doctors as many get frustrated by it all.]
2. EPA’s carbon dioxide fixation: Talk about job-killing regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to regulate carbon dioxide emissions in order to combat “climate change” will raise the cost of energy. Forget about creating jobs. The EPA’s regulations will add a new burden on business, increase the cost of material for the construction industry, and hit consumer in the pocketbook, dampening the outlook for economic growth.
3. Lightbulb ban: Unless Congress overturns a 2007 law, the incandescent lightbulb will be phased out in 2012, and fluorescent bulbs will be the only choice for consumers. Instead of being able to buy a 39-cent bulb, Americans will be forced to pay $6 for the energy-efficient alternative, with its harsh bright light. Do we really need Washington nanny-state legislators to decide what is “best” for us, right down to how we light our own homes?
4. TSA abuse: Whoever is writing the regulations for the Transportation Security Administration needs to lighten up. TSA officials think they are making the skies safe by patting down infants and grandmothers in wheelchairs, while giving travelers the option of being subjected to harmful radiation or on the receiving end of sexual abuse. There are plenty of other ways to ensure safety, like profiling young to middle-age male travelers from the Middle East.
5. Union favors: As payback to his Big Labor support, President Obama? signed an executive order in February 2009 that tells federal agencies to require “Project Labor Agreements” on federal construction projects, meaning higher labor costs as contractors are forced to use union workers. Now the National Labor Relations Board is seeking to prevent Boeing from building a plant in South Carolina because it is a right-to-work state. By “protecting” workers, fewer jobs are created. Is that what we want?
6. Food crackdown: Federal regulators are tightening regulations on food manufacturers in order to combat childhood obesity. But as usual, the regulators are going overboard, cracking down on breakfast cereal, Girl Scout cookies, and all kinds of snack foods, including nuts, bagels and fruit juice. According to HUMAN EVENTS' Audrey Hudson, the food industry says the government is imposing “multibillions of dollars” of changes, with no evidence it will do anything to help kids stay healthy.
7. Outside smoking ban: The city of New York has made it illegal to smoke in all parks, on beaches, and in pedestrian plazas. This includes, you're hearing right, a smoke-free Times Square. That will be 1,700 parks and 14 miles of public beaches that city officials will have to monitor in case someone lights up. Don’t New York's Finest have anything better to do?
8. Trash violations: Beware of what you put in the trash, at least in New York City. The city’s Sanitation Department is enforcing a rule that says trash from households or businesses cannot be thrown in receptacles on the street meant for pedestrians. But do the workers really need to ticket elderly residents and fine them $100 for throwing their used newspapers into the trash cans?
9. Illegal garden: Julie Bass decided to grow some vegetables in her front yard because the price of organic food was on the rise. Now, she has been hit with a misdemeanor charge and is facing three months in jail, because Oak Park, Mich., says her garden violated the city code, which requires that front yards consist of “suitable, live, plant material.” The city says vegetables aren’t “suitable” for a front yard and are going to court to prove their point. Now that’s a great use of taxpayer resources.
10. Multicultural doll mandate: The Colorado Department of Human Services is proposing new rules to require all day care centers in the state to have dolls available that represent the three different races. The guideline is part of a 98-page document that sets new rules for child care that include what kids can drink, how long they can watch TV, and mandates for field trips and sunscreen use. One wonders how the state, which has been working on the measure since 2006, will go about enforcing the law.
[HUMAN EVENTS is the news source President Reagan called his "favorite newspaper" and we still hold high the Reaganesque principles of free enterprise, limited government and, above all, a staunch, unwavering defense of American freedom.]
______________________________________________________
The Regulatory Tsunami - According to a new report by the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee, the number and scope of federal regulations, along with the costs of those regulations and the number of federal regulators, are all growing. This has occurred despite an executive order from President Obama that was touted as a measure to curb regulation that would "stifle job creation and make our economy less competitive," says the Washington Examiner.
The following data suggests a troubling reality of growing regulation:
The Obama administration has imposed 75 new major regulations costing more than $380 billion over 10 years. There are 219 more economically significant regulations in the works that will cost businesses $100 million or more each year -- for a minimum cost of $21 billion over 10 years. The number of pages in the Federal Register (where such regulations are recorded) regarding final rules rose by 20 percent between 2009 and 2010, and proposed rules have increased from 2,044 in 2009 to 2,439 in 2010. Personal anecdotes from business owners as they confront various regulations demonstrate that the consequences of overregulation are very real and damage the ability of American businesses to compete.
Source>http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/new-report-cites-regulatory-tsunami-under-obama September 16, 2011 [Byron York, "New Report Cites 'Regulatory Tsunami' Under Obama," Washington Examiner, Sept. 13, 2011.]
Top 10 Most Egregious Government Regulations - by Human Events http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=44874 07/16/2011
The government in the United States, both federal and local, has enacted laws and regulations that drag down the economy and restrict individual liberty. Some regulations are so broad that they govern entire segments of the economy, while others tell us what we can and cannot do in our own homes. As President Reagan? once said, “Government is not the solution to our problems. Government is the problem.” Here are the Top 10 Most Egregious Government Regulations:
1. ObamaCare overkill: If you think the 2,000-plus-page ObamaCare law is a travesty, wait until you see the regulations it spawned. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is beginning to release regulations based on the health care legislation passed last year. One section on Medicare took up six pages in the original law, yet HHS turned that into 429 pages of new regulations. At that rate, there will be more than a hundred thousand pages of regulations in place for doctors to consider before seeing a patient. [Any reason why we shouldn't expect fewer doctors as many get frustrated by it all.]
2. EPA’s carbon dioxide fixation: Talk about job-killing regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to regulate carbon dioxide emissions in order to combat “climate change” will raise the cost of energy. Forget about creating jobs. The EPA’s regulations will add a new burden on business, increase the cost of material for the construction industry, and hit consumer in the pocketbook, dampening the outlook for economic growth.
3. Lightbulb ban: Unless Congress overturns a 2007 law, the incandescent lightbulb will be phased out in 2012, and fluorescent bulbs will be the only choice for consumers. Instead of being able to buy a 39-cent bulb, Americans will be forced to pay $6 for the energy-efficient alternative, with its harsh bright light. Do we really need Washington nanny-state legislators to decide what is “best” for us, right down to how we light our own homes?
4. TSA abuse: Whoever is writing the regulations for the Transportation Security Administration needs to lighten up. TSA officials think they are making the skies safe by patting down infants and grandmothers in wheelchairs, while giving travelers the option of being subjected to harmful radiation or on the receiving end of sexual abuse. There are plenty of other ways to ensure safety, like profiling young to middle-age male travelers from the Middle East.
5. Union favors: As payback to his Big Labor support, President Obama? signed an executive order in February 2009 that tells federal agencies to require “Project Labor Agreements” on federal construction projects, meaning higher labor costs as contractors are forced to use union workers. Now the National Labor Relations Board is seeking to prevent Boeing from building a plant in South Carolina because it is a right-to-work state. By “protecting” workers, fewer jobs are created. Is that what we want?
6. Food crackdown: Federal regulators are tightening regulations on food manufacturers in order to combat childhood obesity. But as usual, the regulators are going overboard, cracking down on breakfast cereal, Girl Scout cookies, and all kinds of snack foods, including nuts, bagels and fruit juice. According to HUMAN EVENTS' Audrey Hudson, the food industry says the government is imposing “multibillions of dollars” of changes, with no evidence it will do anything to help kids stay healthy.
7. Outside smoking ban: The city of New York has made it illegal to smoke in all parks, on beaches, and in pedestrian plazas. This includes, you're hearing right, a smoke-free Times Square. That will be 1,700 parks and 14 miles of public beaches that city officials will have to monitor in case someone lights up. Don’t New York's Finest have anything better to do?
8. Trash violations: Beware of what you put in the trash, at least in New York City. The city’s Sanitation Department is enforcing a rule that says trash from households or businesses cannot be thrown in receptacles on the street meant for pedestrians. But do the workers really need to ticket elderly residents and fine them $100 for throwing their used newspapers into the trash cans?
9. Illegal garden: Julie Bass decided to grow some vegetables in her front yard because the price of organic food was on the rise. Now, she has been hit with a misdemeanor charge and is facing three months in jail, because Oak Park, Mich., says her garden violated the city code, which requires that front yards consist of “suitable, live, plant material.” The city says vegetables aren’t “suitable” for a front yard and are going to court to prove their point. Now that’s a great use of taxpayer resources.
10. Multicultural doll mandate: The Colorado Department of Human Services is proposing new rules to require all day care centers in the state to have dolls available that represent the three different races. The guideline is part of a 98-page document that sets new rules for child care that include what kids can drink, how long they can watch TV, and mandates for field trips and sunscreen use. One wonders how the state, which has been working on the measure since 2006, will go about enforcing the law.
[HUMAN EVENTS is the news source President Reagan called his "favorite newspaper" and we still hold high the Reaganesque principles of free enterprise, limited government and, above all, a staunch, unwavering defense of American freedom.]
______________________________________________________
The Regulatory Tsunami - According to a new report by the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee, the number and scope of federal regulations, along with the costs of those regulations and the number of federal regulators, are all growing. This has occurred despite an executive order from President Obama that was touted as a measure to curb regulation that would "stifle job creation and make our economy less competitive," says the Washington Examiner.
The following data suggests a troubling reality of growing regulation:
The Obama administration has imposed 75 new major regulations costing more than $380 billion over 10 years. There are 219 more economically significant regulations in the works that will cost businesses $100 million or more each year -- for a minimum cost of $21 billion over 10 years. The number of pages in the Federal Register (where such regulations are recorded) regarding final rules rose by 20 percent between 2009 and 2010, and proposed rules have increased from 2,044 in 2009 to 2,439 in 2010. Personal anecdotes from business owners as they confront various regulations demonstrate that the consequences of overregulation are very real and damage the ability of American businesses to compete.
Source>http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/new-report-cites-regulatory-tsunami-under-obama September 16, 2011 [Byron York, "New Report Cites 'Regulatory Tsunami' Under Obama," Washington Examiner, Sept. 13, 2011.]
Sunday, October 2, 2011
#130 (10/3) - Solar Energy School Propaganda 101
by Michelle Malkin 09/30/2011 http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=46537
[This article shares some of what the public schools are teaching our children in an attempt to affect public policy today and for future generations. For a fuller discussion of this subject, check out the newly released book, "Don't Let Your Kids Drink the Kool-Aid."]
The Obama administration's crony green subsidy scandal is erupting like a solar flare in Washington. But do you know what your kids are learning in their environmental education classes about this red-hot taxpayer eco-scam? Chances are: not much. Instead, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Democratic apparatchiks at the National Education Association are disseminating solar power propaganda masquerading as math and science curricula.
Titled "Solar Power and Me: The Inherent Advantages," the lesson plan for middle-school and high-school students directs them to "take note of how solar energy is incorporated into the infrastructure of various cities nationwide and write a short essay about how they would encourage solar energy use in their own town." A worksheet labeled "All About Solar!" makes the blanket assertion that solar technologies are "a sound economical choice as they can reduce or eliminate exposure to rising electricity rates, or even eliminate one's need to pay an electrical bill! In addition, solar panels can be a smart long-term investment, with many solar vendors offering 20-30 year warranties on their products." The only warranties worth anything from bankrupt, half-billion-dollar solar company Solyndra Inc. are the warranties on the Disney whistling robots and saunas that adorned its Taj Mahal headquarters. But I digress.
Another worksheet cheerleads the "financial savings" of "solar power and me" and coaches students to "imagine you live in amazing and sunny Anaheim, CA, where the combination of local and federal rebates covers 74 percent of your total cost of a solar panel system!" The exercise then entices the student to take out a 20-year loan on a new solar panel system to produce even greater illusory savings. Yet another question-and-answer key reads: "How would switching to solar energy affect energy use at your home and school?" Answer: "In general, switching to solar energy would lower your home's electrical costs and reduce your emissions, thus saving money and improving the environment."
But as Brian McGraw of the free-market Competitive Enterprise Institute points out: "There might be a small niche market, but solar energy is still largely incapable of producing reliable electricity at rates that are even in the ballpark of cost competitiveness compared to coal or natural gas." Energy Secretary Steven Chu, the force behind billions of dollars' worth of rushed green energy loans overseen by deep-pocketed Obama bundlers, himself acknowledged that solar tech will need to improve five-fold before it even begins to have a cost-competitive shot. After examining decades' worth of failed subsidized solar efforts at home and around the world, the Institute for Energy Research concludes: "Although stand-alone solar power has a certain free-market niche and does not need government favor, using solar power for grid electricity has been and will be an economic loser for ratepayers and a burden to taxpayers."
The DOE/NEA curriculum encourages students to pressure politicians to pour more money into supposedly underfunded green energy schemes. But the House Budget Committee reported last week: "The president's stimulus law alone included tens of billions in new government subsidies for politically favored renewable-energy interests: $6 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy investments; $17 billion for the Department of Energy's energy efficiency and renewable energy programs; $2 billion for energy-efficient battery manufacturing; and billions more on other 'clean-energy' programs for a total of $80 billion. Two years later, the president's promise of millions of jobs stands in stark contrast with reality."
A more useful homework assignment would be to have these future taxpayers calculate how much their moms and dads are spending to prop up Obama's green jobs industry and its elite Democratic campaign finance donors/investors. The White House projected 65,000 new jobs from nearly $40 billion in green job stimulus spending. Instead, fewer than 3,600 jobs were created. Get out your calculators, kids: That's $4.85 million per job. Investor's Business Daily crunches the numbers further on the taxpayers' return on its DOE green loan guarantee "investments" and finds that the program will cost a whopping $23 million per job.
A separate NEA solar energy lesson plan marketed with Dow Corning teaches 5th- through 8th-graders "how solar panels work." A more apt, real-world lesson would teach them how they don't work. The myth that this alternative energy source "pays for itself" is busted with just a cursory glance at the Denver Museum of Science and Nature. President Obama staged a photo-op on the facility's solar panel roof in 2009 when he signed the green jobs goodie-stuffed stimulus law. The museum refused to disclose electric bills before and after installation of the solar array. But after digging into the lavishly taxpayer-funded project, the Colorado-based Independence Institute discovered that the panels -- which only last 25 years -- wouldn't "pay for themselves" until the year 2118, more than a century from now.
It's elementary. The government shouldn't be in the business of picking any eco-winners or losers. "Too Green To Fail" redistributes wealth from viable private projects to pipe dreams, forces higher taxes and energy costs on everyone, and rewards partisan funders at public expense. Teach your children well. They're inheriting the bill.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mrs. Malkin is author of Unhinged (Regnery) and "Culture of Corruption: Obama and his Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks & Cronies" (Regnery 2009).
[This article shares some of what the public schools are teaching our children in an attempt to affect public policy today and for future generations. For a fuller discussion of this subject, check out the newly released book, "Don't Let Your Kids Drink the Kool-Aid."]
The Obama administration's crony green subsidy scandal is erupting like a solar flare in Washington. But do you know what your kids are learning in their environmental education classes about this red-hot taxpayer eco-scam? Chances are: not much. Instead, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Democratic apparatchiks at the National Education Association are disseminating solar power propaganda masquerading as math and science curricula.
Titled "Solar Power and Me: The Inherent Advantages," the lesson plan for middle-school and high-school students directs them to "take note of how solar energy is incorporated into the infrastructure of various cities nationwide and write a short essay about how they would encourage solar energy use in their own town." A worksheet labeled "All About Solar!" makes the blanket assertion that solar technologies are "a sound economical choice as they can reduce or eliminate exposure to rising electricity rates, or even eliminate one's need to pay an electrical bill! In addition, solar panels can be a smart long-term investment, with many solar vendors offering 20-30 year warranties on their products." The only warranties worth anything from bankrupt, half-billion-dollar solar company Solyndra Inc. are the warranties on the Disney whistling robots and saunas that adorned its Taj Mahal headquarters. But I digress.
Another worksheet cheerleads the "financial savings" of "solar power and me" and coaches students to "imagine you live in amazing and sunny Anaheim, CA, where the combination of local and federal rebates covers 74 percent of your total cost of a solar panel system!" The exercise then entices the student to take out a 20-year loan on a new solar panel system to produce even greater illusory savings. Yet another question-and-answer key reads: "How would switching to solar energy affect energy use at your home and school?" Answer: "In general, switching to solar energy would lower your home's electrical costs and reduce your emissions, thus saving money and improving the environment."
But as Brian McGraw of the free-market Competitive Enterprise Institute points out: "There might be a small niche market, but solar energy is still largely incapable of producing reliable electricity at rates that are even in the ballpark of cost competitiveness compared to coal or natural gas." Energy Secretary Steven Chu, the force behind billions of dollars' worth of rushed green energy loans overseen by deep-pocketed Obama bundlers, himself acknowledged that solar tech will need to improve five-fold before it even begins to have a cost-competitive shot. After examining decades' worth of failed subsidized solar efforts at home and around the world, the Institute for Energy Research concludes: "Although stand-alone solar power has a certain free-market niche and does not need government favor, using solar power for grid electricity has been and will be an economic loser for ratepayers and a burden to taxpayers."
The DOE/NEA curriculum encourages students to pressure politicians to pour more money into supposedly underfunded green energy schemes. But the House Budget Committee reported last week: "The president's stimulus law alone included tens of billions in new government subsidies for politically favored renewable-energy interests: $6 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy investments; $17 billion for the Department of Energy's energy efficiency and renewable energy programs; $2 billion for energy-efficient battery manufacturing; and billions more on other 'clean-energy' programs for a total of $80 billion. Two years later, the president's promise of millions of jobs stands in stark contrast with reality."
A more useful homework assignment would be to have these future taxpayers calculate how much their moms and dads are spending to prop up Obama's green jobs industry and its elite Democratic campaign finance donors/investors. The White House projected 65,000 new jobs from nearly $40 billion in green job stimulus spending. Instead, fewer than 3,600 jobs were created. Get out your calculators, kids: That's $4.85 million per job. Investor's Business Daily crunches the numbers further on the taxpayers' return on its DOE green loan guarantee "investments" and finds that the program will cost a whopping $23 million per job.
A separate NEA solar energy lesson plan marketed with Dow Corning teaches 5th- through 8th-graders "how solar panels work." A more apt, real-world lesson would teach them how they don't work. The myth that this alternative energy source "pays for itself" is busted with just a cursory glance at the Denver Museum of Science and Nature. President Obama staged a photo-op on the facility's solar panel roof in 2009 when he signed the green jobs goodie-stuffed stimulus law. The museum refused to disclose electric bills before and after installation of the solar array. But after digging into the lavishly taxpayer-funded project, the Colorado-based Independence Institute discovered that the panels -- which only last 25 years -- wouldn't "pay for themselves" until the year 2118, more than a century from now.
It's elementary. The government shouldn't be in the business of picking any eco-winners or losers. "Too Green To Fail" redistributes wealth from viable private projects to pipe dreams, forces higher taxes and energy costs on everyone, and rewards partisan funders at public expense. Teach your children well. They're inheriting the bill.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mrs. Malkin is author of Unhinged (Regnery) and "Culture of Corruption: Obama and his Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks & Cronies" (Regnery 2009).
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