Daily Digest for Monday

January 20, 2014

THE FOUNDATION

"The foundation on which all [constitutions] are built is the natural equality of man, the denial of every preeminence but that annexed to legal office, and particularly the denial of a preeminence by birth." --Thomas Jefferson, letter to George Washington, 1784

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.' ... I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. ... And if America is to be a great nation this must become true." --Martin Luther King Jr.

Regardless of one's opinion about King's proper place in history (given the historical account of his sometimes-lacking personal integrity and character), his letter from a Birmingham jail is well worth reading.

TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS

Iran Hostage Anniversary

Barack Obama's fumbling foreign policy has emboldened the enemies of Liberty around the world, especially in Iran, where Obama has, in effect, made our foreign policy hostage to Iran's nuclear ambitions. As Obama prepares for his State of the Union rhetoric, it's worth noting an incident on this date that clearly contrasts weakness and strength. On Jan. 20, 1981, as Ronald Reagan was completing his 20‑minute inaugural address, Iran released into U.S. custody 52 American hostages who had spent the last 444 days of Jimmy Carter's "presidency" in captivity.

A False Choice With Iran

The Obama administration released some details of the latest deal with Iran, and we yet again warn that the agreement is far too generous to the Iranians. President Hasan Rouhani boasted that "world powers surrendered to [Iran's] will." Meanwhile, a new sanctions bill is working its way through the Senate despite administration warnings that it would push the nation toward war with Iran. The Wall Street Journal concludes, however, "So Americans are supposed to believe that the only choice is between war and whatever Mr. Obama negotiates. But the far more likely path to war is a bad deal that induces Israel to strike and drives the Saudis and Turks to get their own bomb. Mr. Obama's opposition to the Senate sanctions bill shows how much it is needed."

Cuomo's Unwelcome Mat

Democrat New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had some strong words of unwelcome for conservatives in his state: "[T]hese extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay ... they have no place in the state of New York, because that's not who New Yorkers are." Cuomo self-identifies as "Catholic" but promotes abortion and same-sex "marriage." As for "pro-assault weapon," he took an oath to "support and defend" the Constitution, but he needs a refresher on what's in it.

Weinstein's Anti-Gun Movie

Anti-gun movie producer Harvey Weinstein is planning a "big movie" that he says will make the National Rifle Association "wish they weren't alive." Only if members waste two hours of their lives going to see the movie, that is. Pathetic as Weinstein's smack talk is, Sen. Ted Cruz had just the right response: "The Hollywood liberal elites, they have their view of things." The trouble is, Cruz added, "left-wing propaganda films" generally flop at the box office. And in the final analysis, "We have a right to protect ourselves, it's protected in the Constitution. And even if liberal Hollywood types want to take it away, it isn't going anywhere."

One ObamaCare Fire Put Out

In December, we warned that volunteer fire departments may close if not granted a waiver to ObamaCare's requirement that health insurance be provided for people who work more than 30 hours. Well, the Treasury Department has granted an exemption for volunteer firefighters, emergency workers and paramedics. So, for now at least, that small fire has been extinguished. Now if only we could put out the rest of the ObamaCare blaze.

For more, visit Right Hooks.

RIGHT ANALYSIS

Token NSA Reforms Coming

There, he fixed it.

With the controversy over the NSA's mass surveillance programs still simmering, Barack Obama did what he always does: He gave a speech. In Friday's remarks, the president tried to straddle the fence, saying, "I believe it is important that the capability that this program is designed to meet is preserved. Having said that, I believe critics are right to point out that without proper safeguards, this type of program could be used to yield more information about our private lives, and open the door to more intrusive, bulk-collection programs. I am therefore ordering a transition that will end the Section 215 bulk metadata program as it currently exists, and establish a mechanism that preserves the capabilities we need without the government holding this bulk meta-data."

Obama didn't specify who would keep that metadata or where it would be kept, leaving those minor details for Attorney General Eric Holder and the intelligence community to determine by March 28. But the data collection and analysis will continue -- the data just won't be kept at the NSA's giant storage facility. Will all the data then be transferred to a federal contractor like the one that built Healthcare.gov? If so, that clearly doesn't improve the situation. Moreover, the proposed reforms only cover collected telephone metadata, not emails, texts, financial information or any other data collected by the federal government.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a prominent critic of the NSA's programs, quickly fired back, "I think what I heard was if you like your privacy, you can keep it." Paul's comment strikes at the most fundamental issue here, and that is one of trust. Obama has not earned our trust in any way, shape or form, making the NSA's collection of data on every single American more than disturbing. As Investor's Business Daily adds, "The real problem is that our government can't admit that Islamofascist extremists are the threat -- and should be the exclusive focus of concern." That would be politically incorrect.

Rotten to the Common Core

Once upon a time, parents, local school boards, and states determined classroom curriculum. Those days are quickly disappearing. Misnamed "state standards," the federal Common Core curriculum guidance is an attempt to further nationalize education. Forty-five states plus DC have embraced Common Core, although as George Will notes, they have done so in exchange for stimulus funds or waivers from federal regulations -- federal arm-twisting at its best. Even worse, some states adopted Common Core almost immediately after the June 2, 2010 release of the standards, leaving little to no time to evaluate their efficacy. Another case of "passing" something to find out what's in it.

Of course, the problem with Common Core is that such an effort ignores the fact that under the Tenth Amendment, education is a power "not delegated" to the federal government and, therefore, belongs solely to the states or the people. But the federal government has been ignoring the Tenth Amendment for a long time.

Aside from constitutional questions, federal involvement has largely degraded public education. As Will highlights, "Fifty years of increasing Washington inputs into K-12 education has coincided with disappointing cognitive outputs from schools." Indeed, despite massive increases in federal education spending, student achievement has not kept pace. In the end, Common Core simply represents another example of the Left's attempt to centralize everything. Thankfully, some states are starting to realize the danger of bowing to Uncle Sam and are reconsidering Common Core's implementation. Armed with the Constitution, these states are taking on one of its greatest foes: the U.S. government.

For more, visit Right Analysis.

TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS

Star Parker: Why Pro-Aborts Oppose Free Speech
George Will: Caregivers and the First Amendment
Larry Kudlow: Business Wants Growth, Growth, Growth
Burt Prelutsky: The Devil's in the Details
Argus Hamilton: From The Comedy Store

For more, visit Right Opinion.

OPINION IN BRIEF

Columnist Peggy Noonan: "There's an increasing sense in our political life that in both parties politicians call themselves public servants but act like bosses who think the voters work for them. Physicians who routinely help the needy and the uninsured do not call themselves servants. They get to be called the 1%. Politicians who jerk around doctors, nurses and health systems call themselves servants, when of course they look more like little kings and queens instructing the grudging peasants in how to arrange their affairs. What's most striking is that in a crisis, you don't expect business as usual. You expect something better from leaders, you expect them to try to meet the moment. ... Someday history will write of our era, and to history the biggest scandal will be the thing we all accepted in our leaders, chronic and endemic selfishness. History will be hard on us for that."

Columnist John C. Goodman: "If inequality is a bad thing, there must be victims. Yet if penniless immigrants come to our shore, knowing that their arrival makes the distribution of income more unequal than it was and knowing that they will be at the bottom of the income ladder initially, then it's hard to argue they are being victimized. ... [T]hink about how your life is richer and more fulfilling and enjoyable because of the 2%. If you could take a magic wand and remove the 2% who are the best football players, how enjoyable would Sunday's TV football games be? Would you watch at all if the players on the field were all of 'average' ability? ... Not everyone with a high IQ is a high flyer. In fact the vast majority are not. But all the great scientific discoveries and all the great innovations came from people out there on the right tail. Without them, life for you and me today would be little different than it was in medieval times."

Ronald Reagan: "We hear much of special interest groups. Our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and our factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we are sick -- professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truck drivers. They are, in short, 'We the people,' this breed called Americans."

Columnist Burt Prelutsky: "Some people have suggested that before undergoing surgery, one should always get a second opinion. That's never made sense to me. What if the first guy says you should have an operation and the second guy says you shouldn't? Do you then go to a third guy to break the tie? Or does it make more sense to just flip a coin? Actually, under ObamaCare, you'll be lucky if you can find three doctors. Heck, under Obama, you'll be lucky if you have three coins."

Comedian Conan O'Brien: "In a new interview that just came out, First Lady Michelle Obama said she might consider getting plastic surgery. The First Lady said if Barack's popularity keeps dropping, I do not want to be recognized."

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.

Monday, January 20, 2014

THE PATRIOT POST 01/20/2014