Morning Briefing
For August 28, 2014
The Democrats' Problem
Members of the Democratic Party are soiling themselves over Barack Obama's plans for unilateral, executive ordered immigration reform. They should be. Barack Obama has shown time and time again he does not care about them.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Democrats were openly complaining in the New York Times that Barack Obama never helped them, listened to them, or hung out with them. He does not care about them. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Prayers for @PastorMark Driscoll
"I wouldn't worship a god who couldn't win a bar fight." I've used that line and variations of it over the years. Mark Driscoll was the inspiration for it. It is a good and accurate line. In a day and age when many secularized voices within the church preach an emasculated, effeminate Jesus who offends no one and is a creation of the worshipers, Driscoll has not been afraid to point out that Jesus could throw a punch. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Roger Waters is okay with Hamas, apparently
Of my musical influences, Pink Floyd is always at or near the top. I've discussed it before, but seriously, I do think of Roger Waters as one of the best lyricists of his time (during and after his time with Pink Floyd). And, while he is great at writing lyrics on social alienation leading to severe mental issues (and possibly totalitarian tendencies???), he is not so great at penning op-eds on the Israel/Gaza conflict (TRIGGER WARNING: Salon Dot Com). . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
"I View John Hickenlooper As A Coward"
As detailed fully by Kelly Maher earlier this week, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper is in a political dust up of his own making over the death penalty. Hickenlooper, who is seeking reelection this year and has a formidable opponent in former Congressman Bob Beauprez, recently said that if he isn't reelected because due to Nathan Dunlap and the death penalty being used as a political football, he would grant Dunlap full clemency between the election and the new year. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
The Drums of War Beat For ISIS but is Obama Ready?
As more and more have come out to raise the alarm on ISIS, news has come that the Obama Administration wants new ISIS war plans, which may include operations in Syria, as soon as possible. According to the Daily Beast, "President Obama wants to decide by the end of the week whether or not his war in Iraq against the Islamic State will expand to the group's haven in eastern Syria."
This new sense of urgency around ISIS from the media and the Obama Administration is encouraging to see. The Islamic State isn't going to go away and the atrocities it will commit under the banner of a twisted political and religious philosophy will only increase in frequency and horror if ISIS is allowed to continue its course without the intervention of U.S. Forces. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
USPTO's slurring of the 2nd Infantry Division must not stand
In 1972 the Washington Redskins registered their modern graphical logo, USPTO Registration Number 986668. In their Blackhorse v. Pro Football, Inc. decision, USPTO's Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decided it was disparaging at the time it was filed.
That's interesting because the Second Infantry Division of the US Army has been using a red-skinned man in a feathered headdress for even longer, at least World War II, with a nickname of the "Indianhead Division" going back at least as far back as Korea.
USPTO's implication of the Army engaging in a slur is wrong, and should not stand. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Mitch McConnell Doesn't Help Republicans Look Anti-Cronyism
One of the things that writers at this site generally believe has most damaged Republicans politically in recent years, and which most shows their lack of commitment to conservatism, is allowing cronyism to take over.
Cronyism not only offends conservatives, because it leads to already powerful forces in society getting a hand up or a hand out from government - inherently entailing market interference and/or corporate welfare that wastes taxpayers' hard-earned money. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Morning Briefing
For August 27, 2014
Be Blameless
Those of us who are in politics and of faith need to work harder at being blameless.
Look, we're all sinners. The biggest difference between most of you guys and me is that my sins have more than once wound up in newspapers and on television. But we all fall short.
I think too many of us are using that as an excuse though. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
How Many Will Die?
Our border is not secured, our allies no longer wish to bring us in to help in their plans, and our enemies are salivating at the thought of taking territory with no one to stop them.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama makes a speech, then hits the links.
The death toll from a world at war and terrorists on the march over the next decade will be far higher than it would have been had Barack Obama never held the Presidency. It is not just that we now have citizens and companies fleeing the nation for greener pastures, more and more Americans see the nation in decline.
The problem is Barack Obama sees a nation not in decline, but one remade in his image. And he likes it. How many will die because of his failures? Too many. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
When Your Base Becomes Your Enemy
When you treat your base as the enemy, don't be surprised when the base treats you as the enemy. Put another way, the NRSC is now reaping what it sowed in the primaries. I expect the Republican candidates to win. But I expect it to be far harder than originally thought. And as much as I expect the NRSC and its outside allies to push back against the idea that its own base voters are reluctant to support them, the evidence should be inescapable to the media. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Mark Pryor (D-AR) Accuses Tom Cotton of Being Pro-Ebola
Well that didn't take long. After opening his campaign with the most I-Love-Jesus-y ad of this or any other recent decade, Mark Pryor has decided to go negative on Tom Cotton, who has been leading him in most recent polls. And under the theory that if you're not going to go big, you should go home, Pryor has chosen to accuse Tom Cotton of being. pro-Ebola and pro-the death of kids . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Congress Demands Answers over IRS's "Collusive" Attempt to Target Churches for Angry Atheists
Members of Congress are demanding answers from the IRS about their apparent collusion with an angry atheist group to target the Church.
The issue arose when the angry atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation sued the IRS, demanding that it investigate churches and pastors and monitor their sermons. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Al Qaeda's peace offering
It was a relief when al Qaeda affiliated Syrian rebels belonging to Jabhat Al-Nusrah released American freelance writer Peter Theo Curtis. Curtis has been held captive for nearly two years. Jabhat Al-Nusrah has been designated by the US State Department as an affiliate of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), the group founded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
The New York Times hints that Curtis may have been released after payment of a ransom. Undoubtedly, the offer of a ransom has been made in the past so the question is why was he released now. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
More Voices Warn of ISIS Threat
This weekend we saw a distressed retired Lt. General McInerney issue a dire warning of a possible 9/11 style ISIS attack on, or around, September 11 2014. In addition to McInerney we also saw warnings from Rep. Mike Rogers - Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, former Deputy CIA Director Michael Morel, and Rep. Michael McCaul - Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, on not only the possibility of ISIS attempt another 9/11 style attack in the United States, but also the more general threat of ISIS on the rise. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Today's Feminism Isn't About Empowering Females
Women's rights, or empowerment, seems to be a huge topic at the moment. There are leftist women who claim #Feminism and there are conservative women who claim #RealFeminism and everywhere in between. I have had many a Twitter debate with those from the left who proclaim that they are the true feminists. Their definition of the feminist struggle is something like this: Women are being held back from achieving their goals, be it taking care of their health, improving their self-esteem, expressing their sexual desires, aborting their unwanted babies, earning what they consider a reasonable salary or whatever they want to do. Who or what is holding them back from achieving these goals? Men. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Pessimism is the New Black
I don't often say this, but this Op-ed in the New York Times by Frank Bruni is really good, and you should read the whole thing. Bruni lays out a fairly significant amount of evidence that the characteristic optimism of Americans is not just suffering a temporary setback, but rather may have sustained a mortal wound . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Thom Tillis Versus Kay Hagan on Crony Capitalism
Even if Republicans take control of the Senate in 2014, it's difficult to imagine much of substance that they'll be able to accomplish with Obama still holding the veto pen. That said, stopping bad ideas can be as important or more important than implementing good ones. And one thing Republicans can do is kill one of the worst symbols of crony capitalism in the Federal government, the Export-Import Bank (which requires reauthorization every two years). You can tell that the bank is essentially an excuse for corporate welfare and crony capitalism because of the way the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is shilling for it. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Morning Briefing
For August 26, 2014
Playing the Game Badly
Know when to not play golf and hire someone to sweat the small stuff. Sending someone to the funeral of an American citizen whose murder required you to address the nation from vacation should be a no brainer in a well run administration. That the President of the United States and his core team are six years into this and still do stuff like this gives me ample hope the GOP will do quite well this November.
It's always the sustained drip of small stuff that sabotages a relationship. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
European anti-Semitism: it is the new black
Anti-Catholicism may be the last remaining acceptable prejudice, but in Europe anti-Semitism is making a comeback. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
The Problem with Leftist Professors in the New York Times: ISIS IS Evil
Leftist university professor Michael Boyle of La Salle University took to the pages of the New York Times to condemn all of us who refer to ISIS as "evil" or a "cancer."
And unsurprisingly, the New York Times happily printed the drivel, under the headline: "The Problem With 'Evil.'"
The professor claims that such terminology is a "disturbing return of the moralistic language once used to describe Al Qaeda," and using such language is a "moral hazard."
Instead he refers to ISIS as "a successful insurgent group that wants a seat at that table."
With complete moral clarity, I can say he's wrong. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Colorado's Governor Hickenlooper Explores Depths of Indecision on Death Penalty
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper's governorship hit a new low in the depths of his indecision this weekend; this is quite a feat considering that the majority of his platform has been, thus far, literally, TBD. Complete Colorado reports Hickenlooper has now taken one of the worst offending indecisions of his tenure and made it even worse. Hickenlooper has moved from not making a decision, to holding even the public discussion of his inability to make a decision, hostage. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
A Society Without Standards
It's a real sickness that we have as a society that Mary Lambert is apparently a positive and uplifting figure while the guy who wrote this article (pervasive language warning but read it anyway) is reviled as a jerk, even though following his advice will inevitably make you a more successful and happy person in the long run. Because God help us if we reach the point as a country that even the people who sign paychecks don't care (or, worse, are not permitted by law to care) about even minimal efforts to conform to social norms or cohesion anymore. Because when the day comes that "I suck and I don't care" is valued equally with "I'm going to try to make myself a better person and thereby a better life for my family", then "I suck and I don't care" is going to be the path that almost everyone chooses.
Your guess as to how all that will inevitably turn out. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Morning Briefing
For August 25, 2014
Bashar al-Assad: Obama's new ally
Things seem to be on the verge of coming full circle in US relations with Syria. Early in the Obama administration, the ever sagacious Secretary of State Hillary Clinton referred to Syrian President Bahar al-Assad as a "reformer" before demanding his ouster. Now it seems that Obama has made the decision that the United States must cooperate with Syria in order to suppress ISIS/ISIL. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Racism, Voting and Ferguson
One of our church elders, a black man who is a teacher in a local Christian school located in one of the wealthiest suburbs in St. Louis, used to be a youth pastor in Ferguson. He addressed the church last Sunday and talked about his experiences in being unnecessarily rousted by police and how he has to explain to his young son every time a racially-focused event happens about why it is happening and to reassure him. I've heard stories from others as well. The problems they describe are real.while I'm hearing anecdotal reports from acquaintances, eventually enough anecdote becomes data and reflects a trend. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
We have never been at war with Eastasia
In the formulation used by Obama and Harf, it doesn't matter what ISIS/ISIL says, never mind that they have something approaching 20,000 active fighters in the field, have routed the Iraqi Army and announced a caliphate that extinguishes the national boundaries set by the Sykes-Picot Agreement. Never mind that they've announced the intention to bring their violence to America. They can't be at war with us because we won't let them. Harf, in particular, gives hardworking and diligent imbeciles everywhere a bad name. Just because they have declared war on all manner of other people doesn't mean they can't declare war on us, too. I mean the Japanese and Germans did that in 1939-41. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Lt. General Calls for DEFCON 1 Over ISIS 9/11 Threat
Just before the above clipped portion, FoxNews host Uma Pemmaraju and Lt. General McInerney discussed various bits about border security, the threat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, and the relation of the issues. Pemmaraju then asked the retired Lt. General what his sources were telling him. Then this happened . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Obama's mess in Iraq
As the Obama administration flounders about in trying to come to a decision on how to deal with ISIS/ISIL, the White House's minions have been unleashed to, you guess it, blame President Bush.
The general line of attack is that had Bush not invaded Iraq, or had done so differently, then the Child Emperor, the Lightworker, would not be flopping about like a carp on the beach. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Bilks Taxpayers out of Millions
Just over three years ago, subsequent to the Dodd-Frank financial "reform" bill passing, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau came into existence.
As Elizabeth Warren's intellectual baby, it should be no surprise to conservatives that the CFPB is an exercise in the biggest kind of government.
However, in the third year of the CFPB's existence, a bevy of stories have broken that underline that the bureau really might just be one of history's greatest illustrations of how big government fails to deliver on its promises, wastes money, benefits not the most needy but rather an entrenched class of bureaucrats, and actually does harm to people historically less advantaged in society. It is, in fact, a case study of what not to do where government is concerned. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Despite Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby Ruling Obama Administration Repackages Abortion-Pill Mandate
The Obama Administration is not one to let a mere Supreme Court decision get in the way of its radical pro-abortion agenda.
After losing major abortion-pill mandate litigation at the Supreme Court and then failing in an attempt to ram a new abortion-pill mandate through Congress (where it couldn't even muster enough votes in the pro-abortion Senate), the Obama Administration is back with two more attempts at the HHS Mandate. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Vox's Definition Problem (And Others)
Vox.com has a problem. They're not very good at their job, for one, but that's not the focus of this particular post. Instead, let's look at Vox's mission and see if they've come anywhere close.
"Vox is a general interest news site for the 21st century. Our mission is simple: Explain the news." This mission is noble enough, I suppose, if you did not look at the names behind the project. There is a general lack of understanding among the readers (and the journalists!) about certain topics, and the ability to have this laid out for us is a refreshing idea. But, while we are promised this, it doesn't appear as though we're getting it, at least according to Dylan Byers. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
US Christian leaders must compel president to act on genocide in Iraq
Where are America's moral clarity and outrage?
Where is the shock and awe that will compel President Barack Obama to react to the Christian genocide in Iraq?
U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., understands how desperate this situation is. He spoke three times on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives last week calling the situation a genocide and demanding action. Two weeks ago, he asked: "Where is the West? Where is the Obama Administration? Where is the Congress? The silence is deafening."
I would add the question: Where is the church in America? . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Go See The Hundred-Foot Journey
The story is of an Indian family forced to flee India after political violence claims the life of the matriarch of their family and their family's restaurant. They live in the landing path of flights at Heathrow until they've had enough. The son, Hassan, declares the vegetables have no soul. So they leave to wander Europe while the family father listens to the voice of his dead wife.
Their van breaks down in a picturesque French village. The father decides to open an Indian restaurant. That brings them into clashes with the restauranteur across the street who has one and desperately wants a second Michelin star.
The movie is about cultural clashes and a love of food. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Morning Briefing
For August 29, 2014
What Leading From Behind Looks Like
I do not think Barack Obama is a closet sympathizer of muslim Jihadists bent on our destruction, but God help me I suddenly understand how some have arrived at that conclusion. To stand up and tell the world that we are going to do zero to help Ukraine and have no strategy to defeat ISIS is just insane.
That the White House staff had to go into complete and total damage control afterwards is telling. But even their damage control was insufficient. They told Wolf Blitzer we had a strategy, just not a strategy to go after them in Syria. But that's the problem. They keep their leadership in Syria knowing they'll be perfectly safe from us. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
Taxpayer Funded Police Intimidation
I am sure that we have all seen the ads where some highway safety department or another attempts to threaten the citizenry into compliance with some set of traffic laws or another. The Federal government spends about a billion dollars a year promoting these ads in the form of grants to state agencies, and then the states spend an additional sum themselves which, God only knows how much that figure is (I am not sending a FOIA request to all 50 states to find the answer and I can't find that anyone else has done the same). A fairly representative sample of of the finesse and grace of these ads can be found here, from my home state of Tennessee . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
You Will Be Made to Care
A lot of Christians have long thought they could sit on the sidelines. Only the icky evangelicals they don't much care for and the creepily committed Catholics would have to deal with these issues and the people who hate those deeply committed to their faith. They, on the other hand, could sit on the sidelines, roll their eyes, and tell everyone that they didn't think it was that big a deal. They were, after all, on birth control or watching whatever trendy HBO series is on or having a cocktail or perfectly willing to bake a cake for a gay wedding.
But it is not so simple. . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
The Atlantic's Factually Challenged Attack on the Supreme Court
Garrett Epps, writing yesterday in The Atlantic, unleashed a nakedly partisan and brazenly inaccurate attack on the Supreme Court that is transparently designed to sway the way the Justices decide the Halbig case. The headline of Epps' piece blaringly decries "The Extreme Partisanship of John Roberts' Supreme Court" . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
MT-Sen: Things aren't going well for Dem Nominee Amanda Curtis
The Montana Senate race has been perhaps the most interesting contest thus far in the 2014 Senate election cycle. Original nominee, and sitting interim Senator, John Walsh was busted for plagiarism on a 14 page (!) Master's thesis*. Sensing that this might be a liability on the campaign trail, he was replaced with single term Montana State Representative Amanda Curtis. She's already come under fire for some rather unfortunate statements from her days as a vlogger. As if that wasn't enough of a signal that she might not be ready for prime time, it appears that she has trouble with interviews as well. As our Salem compatriot at Townhall Guy Benson notes, she apparently has trouble getting through scripted interview responses . . . please click here for the rest of the post ?
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