Morning Briefing
For May 15, 2013
1. Will no one rid me of this turbulent group?
In June of 1170, the Archbishop of York and the Bishops of London and Salisbury crowned Henry II of England. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Beckett, should have had the privilege, but he and King Henry had been warring over the powers of clergy in England.
Beckett proceeded to excommunicate the bishops and other opponents of the Catholic Church in England.
According to tradition, Henry II, away in Normandy, upon hearing the news asked, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” According to some, including Edward Grim who wrote during the time of Henry II, what Henry actually said was, “What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born cleric?” But the former is what has taken hold in common history.
Regardless of which of the two statements Henry II made, neither of them asked anyone to go kill the Archbishop of Canterbury. Nonetheless, on December 29, 1170, four knights confronted Thomas Beckett inside Canterbury Cathedral as Beckett headed to vespers. They cut off the top of his head and began stabbing him, leaving him to die, and smearing Beckett’s brain matter on the floor of Canterbury Cathedral.
Four years later, Henry II performed public penance in front of Becket’s tomb. None of Becket’s assassins were ever punished by the king.
Like Henry II, Barack Obama never specifically asked that tea party groups and conservative be targeted. But by both his language and the “always campaigning” attitude of his White House, he certain sent clear signals to Democrats with the power and ability to fight conservatives to engage as they could. Given his rhetoric against his political opponents, it is no wonder sympathetic Democrats in the Internal Revenue Service harassed and stymied conservative groups and, though little mentioned, pro-Israel Jewish groups and evangelical groups. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
| >> Today's Sponsor |
2. Reporter Claims IRS Harassment After Tough Obama Interview
St. Louis Reporter Larry Conners revealed via Facebook yesterday that he has been “hammered” by the IRS since his much-discussed interview with President Obama. Conners, a veteran reporter, asked tough, but fair question during the interview which was slammed by progressives in media. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
3. Billy Graham Evangelistic Assn. Targeted by IRS
The man known as America’s pastor was among those targeted by the Internal Revenue Service after the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association ran newspaper advertisements promoting traditional marriage and biblical values.
“I am bringing this to your attention because I believe that someone in the Administration was targeting and attempting to intimidate us,” wrote Franklin Graham in a letter to President Obama. “This is morally wrong and unethical – indeed some would call it ‘un-American.’”
Graham is president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association as well as the international charity Samaritan’s Purse. Both organizations received word of audits on the same day – not long after they ran full –page ads supporting North Carolina’s Marriage amendment.
The ads encouraged voters to “cast our ballots for candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles and support the nation of Israel.” . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
4. Corruption in the sacred temple of socialism
As we watch a string of scandals detonate across the Obama Administration, we should all be able to agree that the abuse of government power to punish political opposition is hideously wrong. Sometimes we struggle to define the precise boundaries of “corruption,” as a growing government extends its power into the private sector, and the daily conduct of its business becomes inherently corrupt. Special interests swarm around the Leviathan State like remora fish around a shark. Everyone is either getting punished or subsidized by the government. Political connections become the most valuable economic resource. (If only President Obama’s cronies in the “green energy” racket had been given half the scrutiny this Administration directed at Tea Party groups, imagine how much money taxpayers would have saved!)
The ruling class reaches the apex of its power when it no longer has to tax and spend money to promote its agenda, or even deploy coercive regulations that could be traced back to particular administrators; instead, the ruling class need only express its desires, and those eager to curry favor will scramble to obey. For an example, watch the unfolding scandal around Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ efforts to squeeze money out of the industries she regulates. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
| >> Today's Sponsor |
No comments:
Post a Comment