#1844 (1/31) "Making America Safe Again"

"Making America Safe Again" - January 30, 2017; http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WA17A58&f=WU17A21

     At the start of the weekend, President Trump was busy doing what President Trump does -- making things happen. In an executive order on Friday, Trump limited travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Making good on a promise to increase national security and prevent future terrorist attacks within our borders, the president suspended the issuance of visas for these nationals for the next 90 days because of the prominence of jihadi violence within their borders. Along with a variety of other measures, the order also brought scrutiny on the process for immigrants and visitors from any nation by creating a temporary hold on any refugee travel to the U.S.

Trump's order also prioritizes the admission of persecuted religious minorities in the previous countries after the temporary ban is up, whether those refugees be Yazidi, Christian, or Muslim.

Trump has also ordered the Pentagon and the U.S. State Department to prepare a plan to create safe zones in Syria and the surrounding area within 90 days.

Predictably, the media and liberal politicians went crazy. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) took to Twitter, vowing to fight the order "tooth and nail." Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) issued a public statement that claimed "the Statue of Liberty...has tears in her eyes."

As National Review pointed out, it was all sound and fury: "Trump's 50,000 stands roughly in between a typical year of refugee admissions in George W. Bush's two terms and a typical year in Obama's two terms." Not only was Trump's order not a religious test for immigrant admission, but Trump significantly scaled back his original promises and is well within his legal right to do it.

International religious persecution is a problem Congressman Chris Smith (R-N.J.) has seen and worked on for years. Smith has introduced the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act (H.R. 390) which requires the State Department to support entities servicing genocide survivors and also allows Christians and other genocide survivors to access the U.S. refugee review process without needing a UN referral. Congressman Smith said, "just last month I saw in Iraq the lack of humanitarian aid for Christian genocide survivors. These genocide survivors told me the United States and global community had abandoned them."

While there is a pause in some areas of our immigration system right now, President Trump has promised security and a properly functioning refugee and immigration system -- this result strikes a balance between security and compassion. Trump isn't betraying American principles or values. While the refugee program should not be the focus of scrutiny (it is much more difficult for terrorists to come in through this program), other avenues of immigration are weak points which terrorists may exploit -- and rightly should be scrutinized. There are reports of lawful permanent residents and U.S. military translators being held up too; clarity should be brought to why this is happening. While the order isn't perfect, it does represent a fresh start for American security and our international friendships.

As a law enforcement officer, I worked on security and the preservation of justice. As a pastor, I work to bring God's truths of love, justice, and mercy to those in my care. Neither can be neglected at the expense of the other. The best laws are those that preserve both.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mined]
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"Trump’s Executive Order on Refugees — Separating Fact from Hysteria" -  by David French; January 28, 2017; http://www.nationalreview.com/article/444370/donald-trump-refugee-executive-order-no-muslim-ban-separating-fact-hysteria
"Is Trump’s Refugee/Immigration Executive Order a ‘Muslim Ban’? Unprecedented? Legal? Useful? Here Are Your Answers." - by Ben Shapiro, January 29, 2017; http://www.dailywire.com/news/12895/8-things-you-need-know-about-trumps-executive-ben-shapiro
     "The executive order isn’t the end of the world the left makes it out to be. It also isn’t the panacea so many of its allies make it out to be. Trump should pursue extreme vetting, but he should do so with solid, legal policy that doesn’t give the left the opportunity to wound it critically, rather than precipitously throwing out flawed policy."

#1843 (1/30) "Trump Refugee Order Balances Security and Compassion"

"TRUMP REFUGEE ORDER BALANCES SECURITY

 AND COMPASSION" - James Carafano / January 28, 2017 / http://dailysignal.com/2017/01/28/trump-refugee-order-balances-security-and-compassion/ [AS I SEE IT: What the protesters of the policy enacted fail to note is that 1) those from scores of Muslim dominated nations are NOT being vetted because those countries don't pose a threat of having terrorists in their midst, 2) Europe (and probably every other nation that has the same security concerns) has similar vetting processes, and 3) this policy merely adds another layer of scrutiny and for only an initial period of 90 days. And, as this write points out, the source of the current outrage are largely the usual suspects on the political left and the mainstream media who've already been unceasing in opposing everything President Trump has proposed. We can only pray the majority of Americans will not be swept up by those getting all the attention in the media and vet these protests themselves. - Stan]

People lay flowers and candles in front of the memorial set near the Bataclan concert venue in Paris, France, in 2015. One hundred and thirty people were killed and hundreds injured in the Paris terror attacks. (Photo: Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA /Newscom)

Read any commentary on the just signed executive order on visa and refugee vetting from several countries in the Middle East and odds are the assessment will tell you more about the writer’s politics than be an analysis of the order.

I confess: I have a perspective as well. Mine comes from working on the presidential team on both foreign policy and homeland security from after the Republican convention up to the inauguration. I can’t share the detailed workings of the team. But what I can share, having worked on the issues, is what I believe guided the work. And it all started with making America safe.

Not campaign promises, anger at any religion, or prejudice of any kind impacted our thinking on the transition team. What we were worried about were future threats.

As the space for the Islamic State, or ISIS, gets squeezed in the Middle East, the remains of the tens of thousands of foreign fighters will have to flow somewhere. Every nation, not just the U.S., believes they are most likely to flow to the countries cited in the order. That fact, and only that fact, is why those countries are included on the list. Indeed, when it comes to visa vetting, that’s why the European Union has restrictions that are comparable to the United States.

The reason why we all worry is because, from those countries, foreign fighters could well try to flow to the West, principally by using visas or posing as refugees. When they get to the West, they could carry out terrorist acts. We know that because they already have—specifically in Western Europe.

They haven’t come to the U.S.—yet. Right now, our primary threat is Islamist-related terror plots that are organized by terrorists who are already here.What this administration is doing is making sure we are ready for the next wave of terrorism as well—the outflow of terrorists from the countries of conflict where the foreign fighters are likely to go first.

There are already cries that the precautions are unfair—creating hardships. Fair enough, but terrorists attacks (like those at the Bataclan in France by the followers of ISIS) create unbearable hardships as well—and the government has the responsibility to find the right balance between security and compassion for its citizens as well as consider how U.S. actions impact others around the world.

One area where the order tries to get that balance right is to ensure future refugee processing prioritizes addressing the plight of religious minorities. That is particularly crucial in the Middle East where the remnants of the region’s Christian communities are under severe threat.

Worldwide persecutions against Christian minorities have been rising for four straight years. It’s particularly problematic in the Middle East. The administration is making an extra effort to address that crisis.

While critics will continue to demonize the administration’s policies because they don’t fit their politics, Americans who crave a foreign policy that prioritizes American interests, puts a compassionate face on statecraft that reflects our values, and acts responsibly will find much to respect in the order.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

James Jay Carafano, a leading expert in national security and foreign policy challenges, is The Heritage Foundation’s vice president for foreign and defense policy studies, E. W. Richardson fellow, and director of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies. Read his research.

#1842 (1/29) SUNDAY SPECIAL: "Faith in the People? - REPUBLICS, DEMOCRACIES, AND GOD"

This past Sunday, Jan. 22nd, marked 44 Years since the Supreme Court Roe V. Wde decision legalized abortion in America; PRAY that more and more women will CHOOSE LIFE for their unborn child.

BE Prepared TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ABORTION (...because ALL Babies Matter!): Go to: LIFE Training Institute - http://prolifetraining.com/resources/five-minute-11/  

Be Prepared TO ENGAGE WITH THE PC CULTURE: Go to:"Tactics" -
http://townhall.com/columnists/mikeadams/2016/04/29/tactics-n2154983;"Asking Questions"- 
http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/29295
IN THE NEWS:
"Chilis Cancels Planned Parenthood Fundraiser After Pro-Life People Complain" - 
Steven Ertelt, Jan.26, 2017; http://www.lifenews.com/2017/01/26/chilis-cancels-planned-parenthood-fundraiser-after-pro-life-people-complain/ [I was glad to just send the Chili's corporate office an email  (found at the bottom of this article) thanking them for cancelling the fundraiser. Thank God some companies are willing to do the right thing! - Stan]
CHONDA PIERECE"Chonda Pierce at Inauguration "- 
http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2017/january/comedian-chonda-pierces-inauguration-ball-performance?cpid=EU_CBNNEWS : [In all the coverage of the recent inauguration, you probably didn't hear about this performance by Christian comedian Chonda Pierce at the Family Research Council Inaugural Ball. BTW, her performance is followed by a great Christian musical performance. Enjoy! -Stan] 

MARY TYLER MOORE:]"Why Mary Tyler Moore Refused to Join the Feminist Movement" - Genevieve Wood / @genevievewood / January 25, 2017; http://dailysignal.com/2017/01/25/why-mary-tyler-moore-refused-to-join-the-feminist-movement [I was one who enjoyed watching Mary Tyler Moore on television, not so when she was the 'independent woman" of her own show, but when she played the wife of Rob Petry on "The Dick Van Dyke" show. THE MEDIA will probably re: her as a 'feminist icon." but here is an article that refutes that characterization. - Stan

"Faith in the People? - REPUBLICS, DEMOCRACIES, AND GOD" - By: John Stonestreet| Breakpoint.org: January 25, 2017; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/30401

Will we make it as a nation? That depends on where we put our trust. And lately, it’s been pointed in the wrong direction.

Like many of you, I watched the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States. And like many of you, there was much I appreciated in the ceremonies and also things that concerned me.

But what really caught my attention were the remarks of New Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. After painting a very grim picture of the state of the nation, Schumer said this: “Despite these challenges, I stand here today confident in this great country for one reason: you, the American people.” Senator Schumer’s words echoed Barack Obama’s words at his final press conference as President, "At my core,” he said, “I think we're going to be OK . . . . I believe in the American people."

Now when Schumer made his remarks, I joked to the Colson Center board members watching with me, that “William Jennings Bryan just woke up from his grave and said, ‘Amen!’ and Winston Churchill just woke up from his grave screaming, ‘No!’”

Okay, it’s an obscure reference. Bryan was the classic populist politician of the early 20th century that led the prosecution at the famous Scopes trial. Bryan, known as the “Great Commoner,” was certain that the majority and popular opinion could be trusted at all times—whether in matters of politics, religion, or the teaching of science in the public schools. His overconfident faith in the American public, and in his own abilities as an orator, are at least partly responsible for the Scopes Trial being the embarrassing episode that it was.

Churchill, on the other hand, knew better. He knew the majority could be wrong, and that mob rule was a very real and constant threat. So did our founding fathers, which is why they gave us a republic, not a pure democracy—and placed limits on both the majority and on the government itself. It’s why, for example, we have the electoral college.

Chuck Colson tackled that issue back in 2000, shortly after the election of George Bush. You’ll remember how supporters of Al Gore called for the elimination of the electoral college, just as Clinton supporters are now. Chuck offered a much-needed civics lesson. “This country was never intended to be direct democracy,” he said, “nor was it intended that the president be elected by direct vote. And there was a very good reason for this, one greatly influenced by… biblical values.”

In a republican form of government, the people elect representatives to govern. Power between central authority and local authorities—as well as between branches of government—is to be balanced. In an ideal republic, elected officials rise above polls and public passions and act in the best interest of the nation.

Republics are also based on a constitution—a rule book, if you will—that protects the rights of individuals not only against a monarch, but from mob rule. It’s why, for example, the right to free speech can’t be voted away by a simple majority. To do that—heaven forbid—Congress and the states would have to amend the Constitution.

“In this,” Chuck said, “the Founders were deeply influenced by the political understanding developed during the Protestant Reformation. Scottish cleric Samuel Rutherford wrote Lex Rex, or, the Law is King, which enshrined the rule of law over the monarch and over the people.

All of this necessarily safeguards against the depravity of man. Because all men and women, from princesses to paupers, individuals and groups are, as John Calvin taught, predisposed to sin. So he not only argued against the "divine rule of kings," but also against direct democracy. Like the American founders two hundred-some years later, he “advocated a republican form of government with representatives chosen to lead for us—limited government, with powers balanced.” This, Calvin believed, “would best meet biblical objectives.”

And he’s right. Will we be okay as a nation? That’s my prayer. But it’s not because I trust the people.  After all, it’s right on the money: It’s in God we trust.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

RESOURCES - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

"The Electoral College" - Chuck Colson | BreakPoint.org | November 13, 2000; 
http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-search/entry/13/11494

PRAYER MATTERS:

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory." - Stan 

URGENT: 12/13- American Center For Law and Justice: On trial for their faith, two Christian Pastors in Sudan face death. Christian Pastors Hassan Abduraheem and Kuwa Shamal have been brutally imprisoned for nearly a year – 359 days – in deplorable conditions. Their trial has been delayed time and time again.Their churches miss them. Their families need them. They face possible death sentences because they are Christians. At the ACLJ, we've launched a massive international legal advocacy campaign for their freedom. We're preparing critical legal letters to Sudan, raising their case with world leaders, and preparing action at the U.N. They could be sentenced to hang for their faith if the world is silent. Christian Pastors Hassan and Kuwa need your voice now. 
     Time is of the essence, as the trial continues. Our silence could be their death.
Other Christians facing death in Sudan are now free because you spoke out. Demand Sudan free Pastors Hassan and Kuwa now. Sign Our NEW Petition: Save Christian Pastors from Death...https://aclj.org/persecuted-church/save-christian-pastors-from-possible-death?
URGENT: 12/16 - American Center For Law and Justice: A Christian pastor in Turkey was just imprisoned. He is in danger. American Pastor Andrew Brunson - a U.S. citizen from North Carolina - has been falsely charged with "membership in an armed terrorist organization." The charging documents state no "evidence has[] been gathered" against him. He has been a Christian pastor in Turkey for the past 23 years. Pastor Andrew had been in a detention center since October 7, 2016, but he was just transferred to prison. During his 63-day detainment, he was denied access to his Turkish attorney. Turkey - our NATO ally - has begun increased crackdowns on Christians. If convicted, Pastor Andrew could face years in prison based on extremely serious - and false - charges.
      We must act quickly before it is too late. Pastor Andrew's Turkish attorney is filing an urgent appeal of his arrest today. Pastor Andrew urgently needs your voice now. 
Demand his freedom. https://aclj.org/persecuted-church/free-american-pastor-andrew-brunson?

PERSONAL UPDATE: Please see the JOURNAL section on the right side of this blog page for the latest. I REALLY appreciate all your prayers!

PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14) Short of that, we should not be saying "God Bless America"but instead "God be merciful towards America!" Rev. Franklin Graham: "I do know that the president defends Islam and chastises Christians, rebukes our allies and befriends our enemies, and fully supports gay marriages and abortion but denies the religious freedoms of those who don't agree. Our nation is ridiculed abroad and morally crumbling within. We are in trouble. We have turned our back on God."

PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS:  1) Pray for esp. PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP and his advisors that they would select Godly leaders who will be accountable to do an excellent job (or be fired!) ; that he would seek God's wisdom and be enabled to lead our country effectively in the years ahead; and 2) Pray our leaders at every level of government will Spirit-filled, leading us with Godly wisdom and integrity; that they will  only pass legislation and enact policies that will benefit Americans today as well as future generations and NOT do any lasting harm.

SUPREME COURT: PRAY that the justices sitting on the Supreme Court will only hand down decisions that are in the best interests of our country now and for future generations.

BE Prepared TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ABORTION (...because ALL Babies Matter!): Go to: LIFE Training Institute - http://prolifetraining.com/resources/five-minute-11/  
Be Prepared TO ENGAGE WITH THE PC CULTURE: Go to:"Tactics" -
http://townhall.com/columnists/mikeadams/2016/04/29/tactics-n2154983;"Asking Questions"- 
http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/29295

World-Wide Prayer Requests:

 This is a photo of 3 of Asia's daughters holding a picture of their imprisoned mother.

A Christian Mother's Mandatory Death Penalty Could Be Overturned. PRAY and Sign the Petition Now! - https://aclj.org/persecuted-church/save-christian-mom-asia-bibi-from-execution? -Almost 6 years ago, when Asia Bibi defended her faith at her workplace, the workers accused her of insulting the Islamic prophet Mohmmed. She was soon arrested on blasphemy charges and sentenced to death by hanging by a local judge. She has been languishing on death row for 6 years - separated from her husband and five kids because of her Christian faith. Since then, lawyers and human rights activists have been working around the clock to appeal the case and give her  a second chance at life. Pakistan's Supreme Court was supposed to hear a final appeal but has postponed the hearing without explanation. When it is finally held, the hearing could  result in Asia being finally released. OR it could decide to have her hanged. If executed, she would be the first woman executed under Pakistan's brutal blasphemy law. The American Center for Law and Justice has been aggressively advocating for her. 

     Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is asking Christians around the world to PRAY for the folloiwing: 

That Asia would be acquitted.

For her strength and restoration during and after the hearing.

For wisdom and protection for Saiful Malook, her lawyer; and for the judges hearing her case.

For the wider Christian community who may face a backlash whatever the outcome of the appeal.

For an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Pakistan, to maintain calm in the country.

For justice for others accused of blasphemy, and that the government would urgently amend the blasphemy laws.

Don't let them execute Christian mom Asia Bibi!; SIGN the petition and PRAY for this court decision! [I've been praying in addition that , should she be released and the situation be too tense for her and her family to remain in Pakistan, they would be able to find asylum in another country, possibly even the U.S. - Stan]

Learn about Christian Persecution; Check out the World Watch List:
http://live.opendoorsusa.org/wwl/?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=content-banner&utm_campaign=may-2016
PRAY for the ON-GOING crisis now happening in IRAQ/SYRIA.  Pray that coalition forces will be able to destroy the leadership and infrastructure of ISIS.
"Why It's Becoming More Difficult to Be a Christian in INDIA" - 03-03-2016;
http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2016/March/Why-Its-Becoming-More-Difficult-to-Be-a-Christian-in-India

#1841 (1/28) PRO-LIFE SAT: "A Dad’s Thoughts on Abortion as a Human Rights Issue"

"A DAD'S THOUGHTS ON ABORTIOIN AS A HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE" - Rep. Doug Collins / January 26, 2017 / http://dailysignal.com/2017/01/26/a-dads-thoughts-on-abortion-as-a-human-rights-issue/ [AS I SEE IT: I love the eloquence of this father's defense of the fight to protect the unborn from abortion. I too take "issue" with this just being another "political" "issue" or as simply a "women's" issue. Abortion concerns LIFE, the most fundamental of human 'issues" and if Christians esp. are silent on this, then how do we effectively say we represent the Author of Life? - Stan]

Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., has co-sponsored the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act, which would make permanent the Hyde Amendment in order to block federal funding for abortions. (Photo: iStock Photos)

Last Saturday, individuals across our country and in cities like London, Nairobi, Paris, Mexico City, and Sydney coordinated to highlight a spectrum of issues under the banner of human rights. At the Women’s March, advocates for women, immigrants, and education rights coalesced around the idea that advancing their position means making their voices heard by their leaders and fellow citizens.

Though I may not agree with all of the agendas represented at these demonstrations, I agree with the principle that political silence can foster injustice.

This week, which marks the annual March for Life as well as the 44th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, testifies to the fact that the most defenseless, abused members of American society also have the weakest voices.

At the same time, it is not lost on me that I am attempting to speak, as a husband and a father, on a topic that has come to be classified under the umbrella of women’s issues. Yet abortion affects both women and men, the born and the unborn, and our response to it reverberates throughout every dimension of society. If anything qualifies as a fundamental human right, it is the right to life. Each discussion about the right to vote, speak freely, be compensated fairly, or receive equal protection under the law is predicated on a person’s unquestionable right to exist. Our Constitution implies that the former are corollaries of the latter: No person has access to liberty or the pursuit of happiness unless we first understand that he or she has the right to life.

My daughter, Jordan, illustrates this reality for me every morning that she rolls her wheelchair into breakfast. We learned during pregnancy that Jordan has spina bifida, and one of my wife’s colleagues suggested at the time that we consider terminating the pregnancy—as though either disability or age nullified our daughter’s humanity.The notion that, for up to nine months, my wife had the right to blot out Jordan’s voice seems counterproductive to the advancement of women’s rights and alien to the dignity undergirding every life.

Jordan is now 24. She has never walked, but she has always lived with abandon, and to do so has been her right since conception. It’s my privilege to channel the joy I’ve known as Jordan’s father into supporting legislation that protects the lives of the unborn and the well-being of their mothers—because abortion hurts women, too.

As we approach Friday’s March for Life, my colleagues and I have been working to protect even the youngest lives while affirming that each one has immeasurable worth. I co-sponsored the bipartisan No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act, which makes permanent the Hyde Amendment in order to block federal funding for abortion across the board. Republicans and Democrats in the House passed this bill the day after President Donald Trump reinstituted the Mexico City policy, which complements our bill by reserving federal aid only for nongovernmental organizations that do not promote abortion abroad.

Sixty-one percent of Americans oppose using taxpayer dollars to end the lives of their unborn compatriots, and the No Taxpayer Funding Act also requires transparency from the Obamacare plans—over 1,000 of them—that funnel premiums to abortion providers with impunity.

Abortion snuffs out the lives of unborn men and women alike and often leaves post-abortive women with physical and psychological injuries. This means that its violence targets women disproportionately.

In terms of empowerment, funding abortion with taxpayer dollars is state-sponsored disenfranchisement of the unborn underclass. A litany of injustices confronts us daily—racism, sexism, and classism—and we lose the opportunity and the moral justification for addressing these scourges if we forfeit the battle to protect society’s voiceless innocents. For this reason, every person at every march held in Washington and across the country this week has cause to consider how standing up for the unborn is a catalyst for their cause and a cornerstone of human rights advocacy.

As we walk through these complex discussions of individual freedoms and interpersonal responsibility, may our actions be just and our compassion incorrigible.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

Rep. Doug Collins is the U.S. representative for Georgia's 9th congressional district. He serves on the House Judiciary Committee, the House Rules Committee, and is vice chair of the House Republican Conference.

#1840 (1/27) MARCH FOR LIFE DAY: "Marching for Life, and For Our Future"

"MARCHING FOR LIFE, AND FOR OUR FUTURE" - Star Parker | Jan 25, 2017; http://townhall.com/columnists/starparker/2017/01/25/marching-for-life-and-for-our-future-n2276539 [AS I SEE IT: TODAY is the annual March for Life. This article points out the clear media bias in extensively covering the "Women's" march last Saturday but for many years now has ignored the same numbers who've gone to Washington to march for the unborn. The same can be said of how the media has conveniently ignored the crude excesses of the "Women's" march, as shared in the article referred to at the end of this one. It's hard to see the bias and not understand why so many have become turned off by the mainstream media. [I'm not holding my breath as to how much coverage the mainstream media gives THIS March on Washington. Such unbelievable bias!] It's also why I will continue to present the news here that the mainstream media repeatedly ignores. [P.S. - My dream vacation is to one day be able to participate in the March for Life in Washngton, D.C. , to visit with other pro-lifers and see the many exhibits and of course also finally visit the many historic sites of our capital.] - Stan]

Bringing children into the world and raising them takes three things that don't work well with the 'me' culture: work, sacrifice and love.

I wonder why when hundreds of thousands of women show up in Washington to demonstrate for what one Wall Street Journal columnist called "everything under the progressive sun," the press goes bonkers with coverage. Yet, when similar numbers of pro-lifers reportedly show up for the March for Life, as they have been doing every January since the Roe v. Wade decision in January 1973, and as they will do again this week, they barely get a nod from the media.

Of course, anti-abortion activists are far less flamboyant. They don't bring in rock stars like Madonna to address the crowds in expletives. They don't carry signs with graphic pictures of women's sexual organs. They are not vulgar.

Despite deep differences between the pro-life movement and President Obama, there was no denigration or character assassination of our former president, even though he ignored the March for Life, while becoming the first sitting president to address the annual meeting of Planned Parenthood. Here's the difference. Pro-life means respect for the sanctity of life, and respect for life means respect for everyone. Although we use the language of rights, it is really about responsibilities.

In contrast, the droves of marching, screaming women getting so much attention, are defined by one thing: me. So they can be vulgar, disgusting, outrageous and crass, because you and I don't matter. It's all about them and getting their hurt feelings out.

When it comes to abortion, there is no good news as long as the life of one child is pointlessly and cruelly extinguished. But the abortion numbers are down. And this is good. According to a new report from the Guttmacher Institute, abortions in the U.S. in 2014 totaled 926,200. The lowest since 1974. The author of the study speculated that the drop might be explained by more sophisticated and widespread use of birth control measures and possibly by tighter abortion laws in many states. Abortion is down, but births are not up. So perhaps some of this also can be associated with broader acceptance of sexual practices that in previous times were viewed as deviant.

The screaming ladies on the mall in Washington may be happy about the "me" culture and want more of it, but for anyone looking to a future for America, it does not bode well.

The basis for a society is human beings, and the "me" culture produces fewer new people. Bringing children into the world and raising them takes three things that don't work well with the "me" culture: work, sacrifice and love.

According to the latest report, which appeared several weeks ago from the Centers for Disease Control, the nation's Total Fertility Rate, which is the average number of children produced by an adult American woman during her lifetime, is now 1.84. It is estimated that a Total Fertility rate of 2.08 is necessary to maintain a population where it is. So America is shrinking. America's Total Fertility Rate in 1970, three years before Roe v. Wade legalized abortion, was 2.50.

This means also that America is aging. There will be fewer in the work force to pay taxes and keep our economy growing to support the retirement and health care requirements of an elderly population. There will be more Americans growing old alone, growing old without children and family to care for them, physically and emotionally.

Marching on Washington, screaming profanities to excite reporters looking for a story, may get a rise today. But our country is slowly disappearing.

The Bible, something the "me" crowd enjoys denigrating, says that a man and woman should get married, that they should procreate and that they should "choose life." The pro-life crowd is less flamboyant because it is steeped in a culture of respect, reverence for life and the wisdom of the ages. It may get less press. But without it, we have no future.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

"The March for Life and the Anti-Trump Women’s March: A Study in Contrasts" - Michael Brown : Jan 27, 2017; http://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbrown/2017/01/27/draft-n2277642

"Disgrace: Anti-Trump Protesters Curse, Spit on Gold Star Families" - Guy Benson Guy Benson |Posted: Jan 25, 2017; http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2017/01/25/disgrace-antitrump-protesters-curse-spit-on-gold-star-families-n2276340 

"Media Reveres Women’s March, Ignores March for Life" - by Katie Nations | Updated 23 Jan 201; http://www.lifezette.com/faithzette/media-reveres-womens-march-ignores-march-life/
"I Would've Marched..."- by Elisha Krauss, Jan. 23,  2017;
http://www.dailywire.com/news/12668/i-wouldve-marched-elisha-krauss
"Networks Cover Pro-Abortion Women’s March 129 Times More Than March for Life" -
Katie Yoder, Jan. 25, 2017; http://www.lifenews.com/2017/01/25/networks-cover-pro-abortion-womens-march-129-times-more-than-march-for-life/

#1839 (1/26) "Pro-Woman, not Pro-Abortion - STAND FOR LIFE, LIKE SUSAN B.

"Pro-Woman, not Pro-Abortion - STAND FOR LIFE, LIKE SUSAN B.; By: John Stonestreet|Brekpoint.org: January 26, 2017;http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/30405

Women who don’t support abortion aren’t real women, according to many modern feminists. Here's why they should read more history.

In a recent Saturday Night Live sketch, a group of millennial women visit the historic home of suffragette Susan B. Anthony in Rochester, New York. Devout feminists one and all, they decide before leaving to invoke the ghost of Anthony by saying her name three times. Lo and behold, she appears, played by Kate McKinnon—bun, lace collar, and all.

Hilariously, the modern feminists find Anthony quite boring. She drones on about women’s rights and dignity, while they check their smart phones and argue about dinner. Until finally she says something that wakes them all up: “Abortion is murder!”

Doubtless many modern feminists were taken aback by this Saturday Night slip-up, given the show’s liberal leanings. But as Serrin Foster of Feminists for Life told National Review, all of the “feminist foremothers…without known exception, spoke out against abortion.”

That’s right. The suffragettes—Susan B. Anthony in particular—were fiercely pro-life, calling abortion a “crime against humanity,” “feticide,” and “child murder.” In fact, one of the primary organizations backing pro-life candidates today—the Susan B. Anthony list—does so in her name.

Given how close the unborn were to the hearts of the earliest women’s rights crusaders, it’s troubling to see how unwelcome pro-life women are on the modern feminist stage. We saw this discrimination vividly last week during the nationwide Women’s March.

Muffled but not quite absent were the voices of pro-life women. Several prominent pro-life organizations that applied as partners of the women’s march were either dis-invited or ignored, though several showed up anyway. Even the New York Times, in a surprising and praiseworthy piece, documented the virtual blackout of pro-life messages at the demonstration.

After booting a Texas anti-abortion group, Women’s March co-chairwoman, Linda Sarsour, told the Times, “If you want to come to the march you are coming with the understanding that you respect a woman’s right to choose.” In other words, pro-lifers not welcome!

“This is what we conservative women live with all the time,” said Charmaine Yoest, senior fellow at American Values: “This idea that somehow we aren’t really women and we just reflect internalized misogyny.” The Women’s March was, Yoest concluded, a “wholly owned subsidiary of the abortion movement.” And were it not for the unexpected coverage by the Grey Lady, these organizers may have succeeded in drowning out the pro-life message.

But as Bob Dylan sang, the times, they’re a changin’. Just this month, the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute reported that abortions in the United States have fallen to their lowest rate since Roe v. Wade. A lot has contributed to this decline, from pro-life legislation and ultrasound availability, to widespread contraception use and the acceptance of unwed motherhood. So the news isn’t all good. But when you consider the growing movement of young people who see the rights of the unborn as a social justice issue, the tired assumption that feminism equals abortion support really begins to falter.

Even pop culture and late night TV are straying from the pro-abortion script. And as Kathryn Jean Lopez wrote in National Review, this may be our chance to reintroduce an older, better women’s movement—one that didn’t pit the rights of mothers against the lives of their unborn children.

And speaking of life, I hope you’ll join me, Eric Metaxas, and tens of thousands of others at March for Life activities this weekend in Washington, D.C. If you can’t make the trip, we still need to make our voices heard. Even more, we need to join in prayer! Our 21 Days of Prayer for Life guide is available for free as an app or a digital download.  Find it at BreakPoint.org/21days.

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RESOURCES
"Dissing Susan B. Anthony" - Kathryn Jean Lopez | National Review | January 23, 2017; http://www.nationalreview.com/article/444112/susan-b-anthony-saturday-night-live-abortion-pro-life-feminists-life-serrin-foster

"Views on Abortion Strain Calls for Unity at Women’s March on Washington" - Sheryl Gay Stolberg | New York Times | January 18, 2017; https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/us/womens-march-abortion.html?_r=2

"Secular, Feminist, and Pro Life: The Message Goes Mainstream" - John Stonestreet | BreakPoint.org | October 25, 2016; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/30027

"21 Days of Prayer for Life," pdf - http://www.breakpoint.org/21days


"The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture" - Scott Klusendorf | Crossway Books Publisher | March 2009; http://www.colsoncenterstore.org/product.asp?sku=1433503204

#1838 (1/25) "Political Correctness Is Killing Colleges - EMOTIONS OR EDUCATION?"

"Political Correctness Is Killing Colleges - EMOTIONS OR EDUCATION?" - By: Eric Metaxas| Breakpoint.org: January 23, 2017; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/30377

We’ve heard a lot about the flurry of “snowflakes” on college campuses. But it’s more like a blizzard.

Fragile freshmen took to the streets following the presidential election. But at many schools, the politically-correct are upset about more than who’s moving into the White House. They’re demanding professors rewrite history itself to suit their feelings.

Take the University of Pennsylvania, where NBC reports that students removed a portrait of William Shakespeare and replaced it with a photo of Audre Lorde, a “self-described black lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.” They did so to affirm “their commitment to a more inclusive mission for the English department.” Evidently this mission doesn’t include the single most important figure in the formation of the modern English language.

But it’s not just colleges. Public schools in Accomack County, Virginia, removed a pair of titles from its libraries and classrooms after one mother complained that they contained racial slurs. The offending books? Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” and Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The irony here, of course, is that these books were written to confront and expose racism, not promote it!

But the prize for most jaw-dropping politically-correct purge has to go to students at London University. Apparently, enrollees in the School of Oriental and African Studies are demanding that figures such as Plato, Immanuel Kant, and Rene Descartes be removed from their philosophy curriculum, since they’re white and represent—stay with me now—“the structural and epistemological legacy of colonialism.”

Their demand comes on the heels of a nationwide proposal which, if approved, would place student satisfaction in Britain “at the heart of the new ranking system.” In other words, the snowflakes would have more power than ever over schools that dare to challenge or offend them.

On hearing of these politically-correct efforts to rewrite history, Sir Anthony Seldon, the vice-chancellor of Buckingham University, said there’s a “real danger political correctness is getting out of control.” That may be the understatement of the decade.

Look, there are so many problems with this trend, I hardly know where to begin. But the first thing that comes to mind is a message for every student tempted to engage in snowflakery: Your emotions do not trump reality.

That sentence probably requires more than one trigger warning, but it’s true. The facts of history don’t change because they hurt your feelings. And here are some irrefutable facts of history: Plato is essential to an education in philosophy, Harper Lee was not a racist, and if you want an English degree without studying and learning to appreciate Shakespeare, it will not be worth the paper on which it’s printed.

That’s not racist, sexist, homophobic, or colonial. It’s reality.

It’s great to study figures outside the traditional Western canon. But we don’t study philosophers, explorers, or inventors because they agreed with our politics. We study them because they shaped our world, and to understand that world, we need to understand them. That’s what education is all about.

The idea that learning should never offend us, or that college should be a “safe space” free of uncomfortable ideas is destroying modern education. And the institutions and governments that cave to these demands are just as guilty as the students making them. As Christians, we can lead the way by being the first to engage opposing ideas, rather than silencing them.

Failing that, a snow shovel may be in order.

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FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION - As Eric has suggested, Christians should be the first to step up to the challenge of engaging in dialog and the discussion of competing ideas. That's part of true educational development. For more on this subject, check out the links below.

"Penn Students Replace Shakespeare Portrait With African American Writer Audre Lorde " - 
Associated Press | December 13, 2016;http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/UPenn-Shakespeare-Portrait-Replaced-406346565.html
"University of London students demand ‘white philosophers’ like Plato, Kant be removed from syllabus " - www.rt.uk.com | January 9, 2017; https://www.rt.com/uk/373042-white-philosophers-students-demand/
"Universities warned over 'snowflake' student demands " - Camilla Turner | Telegraph.co.uk | January 8, 2017; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/08/universities-warned-snowflake-student-demands/
"Post-Truth, the Word of the Year: Feelings Have Replaced Facts " - John Stonestreet | BreakPoint.org | November 22, 2016; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-search/entry/13/30143

#1837 (1/24) "Rhetoric and reality"

"RHETORIC AND REALITY" - Cal Thomas: Jan 24, 2017;http://townhall.com/columnists/calthomas/2017/01/24/rhetoric-and-reality-n2275609

President Donald Trump's inaugural address may not have risen to the rhetorical level of John F. Kennedy ("The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans" and "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country"), or Ronald Reagan's critique of government ("Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem"), or even Barack Obama's in 2009 ("On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord"), but the speech set out large goals, many details of which are yet to be revealed.

That's okay, though, because in the words of President Obama in his first inaugural address: "What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply." The ground has not only shifted again, it may have opened up to receive the failed policies that have caused the problems Trump addressed in his speech.

The new president reflected the views of his supporters when he said, "We are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to you, the people." He added, "For too long, a small group in our nation's capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost." That should have made members of the establishment and politicians in attendance nervous. Perhaps they were thinking, "We survived Reagan's attempts to shrink government, we can survive Trump, too."

Mr. Trump said his "new vision" would place "America first" and that decisions will be made based on whether they benefit the U.S. more than other countries.

Perhaps his most grandiose pledge was to eradicate radical Islamic terrorism from the face of the Earth. That's easier said than done, given that radical Islam is a philosophy tied to an apocalyptic religion with no headquarters and no single leader. He could start by following through on his promise of "extreme vetting" for people wanting to enter the country from nations that promote and export the terrorist ideology.

Another grandiose promise reiterated one he made during the campaign: to fix the inner cities, which have been run for decades by Democrats. He said that crime, drugs and gangs have stolen many lives. "This American carnage," he called it. Similar promises have been made over several administrations, but the problem seems to have only gotten worse. How does government put fathers back in homes or create families where none existed? School choice, which Trump favors, will help some, but gangs and drugs are a deeper and more complicated problem.

Trump is unlike any president we have had, perhaps a bigger populist than Andrew Jackson or Theodore Roosevelt. While many of his goals lack specifics, at least he has goals and appears to care less about the journey than the destination. This could keep the depleted Democrat opposition in Congress off balance. If he continually focuses on the problem, rather than the process, the process might be simply a matter of negotiation, which Trump has long claimed is his strong suit.

Every president starts his administration with a blank slate. Trump needs to keep problems front and center, moving quickly toward solutions. If the left denies these problems even exist, they lose.

Trump seems to believe, as Ronald Reagan did, that the people, properly inspired, motivated and confident, are the ones who make America great and not himself, or any other politician. As that old '60s chant goes, "The people united can never be defeated." 

Trump's best chance at uniting will come when problems begin to get resolved. If the Left wants to oppose success, let them.

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#1826 (1/23) "Obama’s Legacy Is a Weaker and More Divided America"

AT"OBAMA'S LEGACY IS A WEAKER AND MORE DIVIDED AMERICA" - Hans von Spakovsky / Grant Strobl / January 19, 2017 / http://dailysignal.com/2017/01/19/obamas-legacy-is-a-weaker-and-more-divided-america

President Barack Obama was swept into office in 2008 on hopes that he would unite the country. (Photo: Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Newscom)

In his farewell speech-cum-lecture earlier this month, President Barack Obama proclaimed that he made America better by “almost every measure.” The statement goes far beyond optimism, and lands squarely in the realm of delusion.

Eight years of Obama’s leadership has left America demonstrably weaker and more divided. Rather than the promised “healing”—racial and other—the Obama era frayed the ties that bind us. It began when his Justice Department dropped an open-and-shut voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party. It was essentially a declaration that his administration would use the Voting Rights Act to protect only certain races. There followed a steady stream of false claims that America was an inherently racist society with a biased judicial and law enforcement system. Obama rekindled a racial divide that had been steadily disappearing in American society.

In fostering group identity politics for political advantage, the Obama administration only divided the American people. And the people know it.  A recent Rasmussen poll found that 60 percent of Americans felt “race relations have gotten worse since Obama’s election”—a far cry from the president’s claim of “better” race relations under his administration.

The president also boasted of controlling health care costs while bringing Americans better insurance coverage. Neither claim is true. This year, insurance premiums skyrocketed by an average of 25 percent in states with exchanges. Deductibles are through the roof. And people shopping for more affordable insurance are finding far fewer options. Most states this year have even fewer insurance providers participating in health care exchanges than last year.

As for “better coverage,” the vast majority of previously uninsured people now covered are enrolled in Medicaid—a troubled and increasingly stressed program that actually delivers poorer health outcomes than those of people with no insurance at all. It’s no wonder that more Americans want to repeal the consistently unpopular law than keep it, according to a recent Kaiser Health tracking poll.

 . Since Obama began “normalization,” arrests of Cuban political dissidents have escalated, with over 9,000 political arrests made in 2016. It is no secret that the tyrannical Castro regime has a dismal human rights record. The influx of American capital blessed by normalization will only bolster the regime. It was a huge mistake to give Havana diplomatic recognition with no conditions and no requirements to stop the oppression. In Cuban-American communities, the widespread celebrations of Fidel Castro’s death stood in stark contrast to the bitter disappointment in Obama’s failure to stand for freedom and liberty in Cuba.

Returning to domestic policy, the president ignored his real record: eight years of economic stagnation. Instead, he offered happy talk: “The good news is that today the economy is growing again.” Really? Our economy continues to underperform, with low increases in gross domestic product, a low labor participation rate, increased cost of living in cities, and lower-than-expected wage growth. Rather than implement policies that encourage business creation and investment, the president fostered an environment of class warfare and instituted policies, including Obamacare and overregulation in many other areas, which increased the barriers to entry for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

This no-regrets president remained unapologetic of his “pen and phone” approach to governance. First expressed in 2014, it reflects his belief that the limits of the Constitution on the power of the presidency do not apply to him. Obama has engaged in more unilateral policy-making through executive fiat than almost any previous president—bending, changing, rewriting, and ignoring the law at will. From refusing to enforce federal immigration law or welfare work requirements, to ignoring statutory deadlines, to making illegal recess appointments, Obama abused his office and his power. That is not something to be proud of.

In his typical lawyerly fashion, the president skirted around the truth of cities riddled with racial tension and soaring crime rates, small businesses ruined by rising health care costs and crushing regulations, a metastasizing national debt, and a foreign policy that seems to favor authoritarian regimes over our allies.

Perhaps all the spin worked on the reporters attending Obama’s last speech. But the broad swathes of the American people who have suffered the consequences of his misgovernance for eight long years stopped buying it months, if not years, ago.

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Hans von Spakovsky is an authority on a wide range of issues—including civil rights, civil justice, the First Amendment, immigration, the rule of law and government reform—as a senior legal fellow in The Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies and manager of the think tank’s Election Law Reform Initiative. Read his research. Grant Strobl is a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. Americans voted in November for seismic change, but our outgoing president is still as clueless as ever about the nation he governed.

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"The Obama Legacy: Our 21st Century Woodrow Wilson" - By John Zogby, Jan 10, 2017; http://www.newsmax.com/JohnZogby/president-obama-woodrow-wilson-legacy/2017/01/10/id/767754/

#1835 (1/22) SUNDAY SPECIAL/ROE V. WADE ANNIVERSARY: "Abortions Hit Record Low, Abortion Activists Admit Pro-Life Laws Saving More Babies"

TODAY Marks 44 Years Since the Supreme Court Legalized Abortion In America; PRAY that more and more women will CHOOSE LIFE for their unborn child.

"ABORTIONS HIT RECORD LOW, ABORTION ACTIVISTS ADMIT PRO-LIFE LAWS SAVING MORE BABIES" - Micaiah Bilger, Jan. 17, 2017| http://www.lifenews.com/2017/01/17/abortions-hit-record-low-abortion-activists-admit-pro-life-laws-saving-more-babies-than-ever/ [AS I SEE IT: TODAY marks 44 years since the infamous/tragic Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in America. This article presents the great news that the efforts of pro-lifers over the years has finally brought the number of  abortions below the 1 million mark. It's sad that it's taken so long to have come only thus far but the promise of a new pro-life President (see second article below where TODAY he will sign a significant pro-life executive order!) gives renewed hope that great progress in saving more  lives will be made in the years ahead. - Stan]

For the first time in more than four decades, abortions dropped below 1 million in the United States, according to a new report from the Alan Guttmacher Institute.

The pro-abortion research group, considered to have the most comprehensive abortion numbers for the U.S., reported an estimated 926,200 abortions in 2014 and 958,700 in 2013. The abortion rate (the number of abortions per 1,000 women of childbearing age) also dropped to 14.6 per 1,000 in 2014, down 14 percent from 2011, according to the report.

The numbers are the lowest since 1975, two years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade and opened the doors to abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy.

Notably, the pro-abortion researchers partially attributed the decline to pro-life efforts. In the past, Guttmacher and other abortion advocacy groups have avoided giving pro-lifers credit for the declines. As is typical, Guttmacher researchers argued that one cause for the decline is improved access to birth control, which they said decreases the number of unplanned pregnancies and abortions. However, they also admitted in less than flattering terms that pro-lifers are succeeding in their efforts to save unborn babies and moms from abortion. “… the wave of abortion restrictions passed at the state level over the last five years could also have contributed to the decline by making it more difficult for women to access needed services in highly restrictive states,” the report states. ...

Pro-lifers have been working hard to make abortion unthinkable by providing hope, assistance and information to moms and their babies.Some of the state laws passed in recent years have helped to ensure that women are fully informed about their unborn baby’s development as well as their options, including material assistance for parents, before having an abortion. Other states cracked down on abortion facilities that were operating in unsafe conditions and putting women’s lives in jeopardy.

Grassroots efforts also have been instrumental in helping to save lives. These included more sidewalk counseling and outreach to moms and babies through organizations like 40 Days for Life, and pregnancy centers’ growing outreach to moms and babies in need.

The Guttmacher researchers found that abortions dropped the most in the West and South regions of the United States. Interestingly, abortion numbers decreased even in areas where new abortion facilities opened – an indication that pro-life education and outreach efforts are working. In the Northeast, the number of abortion clinics increased 14 percent between 2011 and 2014, but the abortion rate still declined by 11 percent, according to the report.

This was not true everywhere, however. The Midwest saw a 22-percent decline in the number of abortion clinics but only a 9-percent decline in the number of abortions in the same period, according to the report. The percentage of drug-induced abortions with the chemical RU-486 increased to represent almost half (45 percent) of all abortions up to nine weeks gestation, according to the report.

Americans United for Life Acting President Clarke Forsythe celebrated the abortion decline, but noted that the numbers are only estimates. “In the U.S., no national reporting requirements exist for documenting the number of abortions or any of the negative consequences of the procedure,” Forsythe said. “And these estimates … don’t seem to take into account the reports that about 50 percent of abortions are repeat abortions, meaning that the number of women who have abortions each year is closer to 500,000 or below.“Still, we certainly hope that the Guttmacher Institute’s estimates are correct, and the number of abortions has decreased as women have chosen life rather than relying on abortion,” Forsythe continued.

The Centers for Disease Control also issues an abortion report every year, but its data is incomplete because states are not required to report their abortion numbers. For the past several years, California has not reported its abortion numbers to the CDC, leaving a large hole in the report. New Hampshire and Maryland also have not reported their numbers to the CDC in a number of years.
Data from the National Center for Health Statistics released in 2016 indicated similar abortion trends. The data found that both teen birth and teen abortion rates are declining to historic lows across the U.S.

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"President Donald Trump Will Sign Executive Order Sunday to Defund International Planned Parenthood"  - Steven Ertelt, Jan.20, 2017; http://www.lifenews.com/2017/01/20/president-donald-trump-will-sign-executive-order-sunday-to-defund-intentional-planned-parenthood/
     Most pro-life Americans are anxiously awaiting Congress to pass a bill to defund the Planned Parenthood abortion business. While that defunding legislation concerns the domestic-based Planned Parenthood abortion corporation, president Trump has the ability to put in place an executive order that would revoke funding for its International affiliate.
     When pro-abortion former President Barack Obama took office, Obama overturned a policy that prevented funding of groups that promote or perform abortions overseas. The Mexico City Policy covered over $400 million in federal funds, part of which flowed to the abortion businesses International Planned Parenthood and Marie Stopes International for their foreign efforts.
     As LifeNews.com reported, the pro-life policy had been in place during the entirety of the Bush administration and Obama rescinded it on his first week in office. Named for a 1984 population conference where President Reagan initially announced it, the Mexico City Policy made it so family planning funds could only go to groups that would agree to not do abortions or lobby foreign nations to overturn their pro-life laws.
     While the main bill to defund Planned Parenthood must be approved by Congress, Trump can restore the Mexico City Policy by executive order and reportedly intends to do so on Sunday — according to a report in a pro-abortion publication.
     As one of his first acts in the Oval Office, the Republican president-elect plans to restore the “Mexico City policy” as soon as Sunday, a congressional staffer told Foreign Policy. The timing of the executive order on Sunday would coincide with the anniversary of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States.