Monday Digest
October 28, 2013
THE FOUNDATION"National defense is one of the cardinal duties of a statesman." --John AdamsNATIONAL SECURITY'60 Minutes' on Benghazi
Logan reported, "Sufian bin Qumu, a former Guantanamo Bay detainee and long-time al-Qaeda operative, was one of the lead planners." Bin Qumu was sent to Gitmo in 2002, but was transferred by the Bush administration in 2007 to Libya, where he was eventually released.
Logan also interviewed a former
British soldier and security officer at the installation with the
assumed name Morgan Jones. He told of the advance flags and warning
signs he saw from the moment he arrived five months before the attack.
First, there were the al-Qaida flags flying openly. Then there was the
absence of any security forces when he arrived at the U.S. compound. He
said, "They were all inside drinking tea, laughing and joking." Morgan
says he spent the next five months warning about lax security to no
avail. It's shocking that the warning signs were so clear, and yet
nothing was done.
Greg Hicks, Ambassador Stevens'
deputy based in Tripoli, spoke with Logan about the horror of learning
during the attack that no help was on the way. "For a moment, I just
felt lost," Hicks recounted. "I just couldn't believe the answer. And
then I made the call to the Annex chief, and I told him, 'Listen, you've
gotta tell those guys there may not be any help coming.' ... For the
people that go out onto the edge, to represent our country, we believe
that if we get in trouble, they're coming to get us. That our back is
covered. To hear that it's not, it's a terrible, terrible experience."
It's tragic that four Americans needlessly lost their lives, only to
have their story lied about for political gain. Worse, then-Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton, who was ultimately responsible for all embassy
security, will run for president in 2016 based on her resumé.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICSFood Fight in the Farm BillPerhaps the most controversial element of the package will be funding for food stamps -- the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) -- which, thanks to a loosening of eligibility provisions, has ballooned into a massive program in which one in seven Americans now take part. The House split food stamps from the rest of the farm bill, but, naturally, Democrats oppose this effort because serving their carefully crafted constituent groups is far easier in a massive bill. The Senate proposed trimming a mere $4 billion over 10 years from SNAP, while the House wants to cut $40 billion over that same decade. Total farm bill spending runs about $97 billion a year and roughly 80% is on food stamps.
According to The New York Times,
"Food banks and other advocates are hoping to stop huge cuts to the
food stamp program that they say will cause millions of people to go
hungry." And Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) warned, "The farm bill should not
be making people hungry."
However, as we noted recently,
food stamps don't always combat hunger, and, worse, SNAP is rife with
fraud and abuse. Democrats would call that a feature, not a bug. Along
that vein, the South Dakota Argus Leader newspaper is currently pursuing
a Freedom of Information request to learn just how much the government
is reimbursing retailers that take part in the food stamp program. The
government claims that is privileged information. After all, just what
business is it of ours how our tax dollars are spent?
Fraud and abuse aside, suffice
it to say that spending $93 billion this year instead of $97 billion is
hardly a case of Republicans starving the poor.
ECONOMY, REGS & TAXESIncome Redistribution: General Welfare
Republican members of the
Senate Budget Committee report that since Obama took office, taxpayers
have spent $3.7 trillion on welfare -- more than transportation,
education and NASA combined. Moreover, that amount does not include
Social Security or Medicare, both of which recipients paid into. Rather,
it only covers the "means-tested" programs, which are free,
income-based benefits. There are 80 such programs, many of them
overlapping and therefore hard to oversee. For example, a household on
food stamps may also receive benefits from one of the 14 other food
assistance programs. In fact, the IRS has revealed that in the past 10
years, the government gave away $133 billion in bogus payments, at least
that's as much as they admit.
Welfare reform advocates have
applauded the UK's overhaul. Facing their own problems with "the dole,"
the Brits consolidated their programs into one, then capped the amount.
This reform resulted in more benefits for recipients while saving
taxpayers money (a concept similar to a flat tax). But the chances of
similar changes happening under the Obama regime are slim to none. Based
on the projections of the Congressional Budget Office, welfare spending
will increase by 80% over the next 10 years. Perhaps by then we'll have
leadership that turns our fiscal policy around before we turn into
Europe West.
CULTURE, SCIENCE & FAITHInspiration: An Adoption StoryDavion Only is a 15 year-old orphan from Florida whose recent plea for recognition garnered sympathy from thousands around the world now intent on adopting the young man. Only was delivered in a prison cell and has no familiarity with his biological family. He wanted to learn more about them over the summer. Unfortunately, while seeking information in a public library, he discovered his mother's obituary.
But rather than give up hope,
the dismayed teenager told his adoption agency of his desire to find a
family -- any family -- that would obligate themselves to his care.
Addressing the congregation of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in St.
Petersburg, Florida, Only declared, "I'll take anyone, old or young,
dad or mom, black, white, purple. I don't care. And I would be really
appreciative. The best I could be." That moment of appeal has so far
delivered nearly 10,000 requests from individuals around the world
interested in calling him their own.
He said, "If you can, reach out
and get me and love me until I die. I'm praying and still hoping. I
know God hasn't given up and I'm not either. I just want people to know
that it's hard to be a foster kid. People sometimes don't know how hard
it is and how much we try to do good." Indeed, many don't know the
difficulties experienced by these embattled orphans, but their cry for
adoration rings clear. And perhaps the most telling aspect of this young
boy is his desire to live his future with the help of a family instead
of succumbing to other malicious characterizations that often surround
children in need of role models -- characterizations often encouraged by
agencies such as Planned Parenthood.
The building block of society is the family, and while Davion made
his intentions clear, there are many more silent -- and unborn --
children who undoubtedly feel this same calling. Amid all the
callousness of these trying times, let's never forget these heartwarming
stories of love and grace. BRIEF OPINIONFor the Record
Columnist Jonah Goldberg:
"MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski tried to call the HealthCare.gov helpline and
got an operator. That's right: an operator! The call went through!
MSNBC, the unofficial AV department of the Democratic Party, had a
scoop. The network tweeted out the big news along with a link to the
video: 'Mika called the Obamacare hotline and got through with no
problems -- right on air. WATCH.' It's a sure sign that the bar has been
lowered to curb height when spinners are touting the exciting news that
phone calls actually go through. Someone picked up the phone! Quick,
hang that 'Mission Accomplished' banner. Never mind that you simply
cannot buy insurance from the exchanges over the phone. But the fact you
can get someone on the line to tell you that is, I suppose, progress of
a kind. ... [T]here's an old saying: 'The plural of anecdote is data.'
Now we've entered the era of, 'The singular of anecdote is data, too.'"
Faith and Family
Columnist Mona Charen: "If what
'matters' is that adults treat one another with respect, etc., what is
the principled case against polyamory once same-sex marriage has become
legally enshrined? What is the principled basis for objection? ...
Personal happiness and fulfillment are frequent benefits of marriage,
but they are not its purpose. Marriage is the institution that provides
social stability because it attempts to ensure, insofar as possible,
that the mother and father who create a new life commit to caring for
that child until adulthood. No other adult arrangement has ever been
shown to benefit children as much. To enshrine gay marriage is to say
that two mothers, or two fathers are just as good for children as a
mother and a father. And if sexual complementarity is dispensable, by
what logic are the other aspects of traditional marriage -- exclusivity
and permanence -- to be maintained? It's indisputable that traditional
marriage was in crisis before the gay marriage movement began. The
behavior of heterosexuals accomplished that. But ... the gay marriage
movement had done a different kind of damage by undermining our
understanding of what marriage is."
The Gipper
"We should always remember that
our strength still lies in our faith in the good sense of the American
people. And that the climate in Washington is still opposed to those
enduring values, those 'permanent things' that we've always believed in.
... Washington is a place of fads and one-week stories. It's also a
company town, and the company's name is government, big government. ...
In the discussion of federal spending, the time has come to put to rest
the sob sister attempts to portray our desire to get government spending
under control as a hard-hearted attack on the poor people of America."
For more, visit The Right Opinion. CHRONICLE QUOTESInsightAnglo-Irish satirist and author Jonathan Swift (1667-1745): "[W]hoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together."Demo-gogues
DNC Chief Debbie Wasserman Schultz: "Democrats will run on the Affordable Care Act [in 2014] and win."
The BIG Lie
HHS Secretary Kathleen
Sebelius: "The majority of people calling for me to resign I would say
are people who I don't work for and who do not want this program to work
in the first place."
From the 'Non Compos Mentis' File
Barack Obama: "Now, some of
these ideas I've laid out before. ... Some of them do require Congress
to do something. And one way we can start is by Congress passing a
budget that reflects our need to invest in our young people. I know the
budgets aren't the most interesting topic for a Friday afternoon, even
in a school where young people like math. And, by the way, I just sat in
on a lesson called Real World Math, which got me thinking whether it's
too late to send Congress here, for a remedial course."
Village Idiots
Actor Morgan Freeman: "The
lengths that people will go to to show their prejudices! You see some of
these signs that say, 'TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK!' What the f--k is that?
Whose country are you talking about? They are being pushed to the side,
which is a good thing for them to realize: you don't have the power you
think you have in this country. ... I think the Republicans have pretty
much destroyed themselves by allowing themselves to be controlled by a
small contingent of people with a lot of money."
Dezinformatsia
CBS' Bob Schieffer: "November
22nd marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John Kennedy, a
day that many believe changed America forever. ... The nation was
plunged into shock. Nothing like this had ever happened."
Do the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln (1865), James Garfield (1881) or William McKinley (1901) ring a bell?
Short Cuts
"Obama said that if for some
reason you aren't able to obtain insurance through the website, you'll
be just fine. Or maybe he said 'fined.'" --humorist Frank J. Fleming
Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team
Join us in daily prayer for our
Patriots in uniform -- Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast
Guardsmen -- standing in harm's way in defense of Liberty, and for their
families.
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