THE FOUNDATION
"It is of great importance to set a resolution, not to be shaken, never to tell an untruth. There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so contemptible; and he who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and a third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good disposition." --Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, 1785TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS
GAO Uncovers More HHS Begging
Outgoing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius pushed corporate CEOs to give big donations to Enroll America, an "outside" group started by former White House staffer Anne Filipic. That much was known already, but the Government Accountability Office (GAO) brings more insight into the Most Transparent Administration Ever™, and that is Sebelius wasn't alone. Jeanne Lambrew, although not named in the GAO report, is the Deputy Assistant to the President for Health Policy who the report says likewise solicited "significant financial contributions" for Enroll America. The administration was obviously trying to circumvent Congress's decision to limit the money available to HHS for enrollment propaganda, and Congress should dig further to uncover any other lawless activity by this administration. It's a full-time job, we know.Comment | Share
ObamaCare Will 'Hit the Fan'
Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) actually voted against ObamaCare in 2010, and now he's warning that the law's delayed provisions mean the health care system's troubles are "going to hit the fan." In fact, he says, "There are parts of ObamaCare, or the Affordable Care Act, that were postponed because they are unpalatable." For example, he points to the tax on so-called "Cadillac" plans that goes into effect in a few years, noting that it will be "the first time in this country's history that we have actually taxed health care." All of it spells disaster for Democrats this fall, he predicts: "We will lose seats in the House. I am fairly certain of that based on the poll numbers that are coming out from the more experienced pollsters down there, and I think we may lose the Senate." Here's hoping he's right.Comment | Share
States Consider Federal Land
Legislators from several Western states met Friday in Salt Lake City to discuss gaining state control of federal lands. They say that timing the meeting just after the standoff at Cliven Bundy's ranch was a coincidence, but that such a problem was waiting to happen. "What's happened in Nevada is really just a symptom of a much larger problem," said Republican Utah House Speaker Becky Lockhart. The federal government owns 84% of Nevada, and similar outsized portions of most other Western states. The debate isn't new, either. In fact, it's ebbed and flowed for decades. The Constitution grants the federal government authority over land "purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be," provided it has a purpose, such as "the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings." This hasn't been interpreted very strictly over the last century, and if the states are serious now, don't expect the feds to leave quietly.Comment | Share
Court on Drone Strikes
When you kill American citizens in a drone strike, you should at least disclose the legal basis for doing so. That's essentially what the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday, slapping the Obama administration for its use of drone strikes to kill terrorists, even if they are U.S. citizens. Though the administration argues that the targeting should remain secret, the Court ruled, "After senior Government officials have assured the public that targeted killings are 'lawful' and that OLC advice 'establishes the legal boundaries within which we can operate,' waiver of secrecy and privilege as to the legal analysis in the Memorandum has occurred." The fundamental problem is that we have a commander in chief who can't be trusted to uphold Rule of Law or maintain national security.Comment | Share
Tensions Increase in Ukraine
Well that was fast. Just last week, diplomats from Ukraine, Russia, the EU and the U.S. reached a deal on resolving tensions in the former Soviet Republic. But after gunfire erupted early Easter morning leaving three dead, the deal is tenuous at best. Russia blames Ukraine, saying the latter can't maintain order. But clearly it's Russia that has instigated the whole affair as part of Vladimir Putin's broader power grab. Ukraine even offered photos of Russian special forces operating in eastern Ukraine. Sunday's events left even some Democrats calling on the Obama administration to ratchet up sanctions. But the problem is deeper than that. As one anonymous Democrat strategist put it, Obama "can't handle Putin. He can't handle Republicans. He just is not a natural leader." We'll second that.Comment | Share
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Don't Miss Patriot Humor
Here's yesterday's edition, Invading Nevada.If you'd like to receive Patriot Humor by email, update your subscription here.
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RIGHT ANALYSIS
Earth Day, Ethanol and Keystone
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The impact of environmentalists on the American economy has also taken on a larger role. For proof, you need look no further than the multi-billion-dollar ethanol industry. The so-called biofuels industry, which came into being as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels, has been mandated and heavily subsidized by taxpayers ostensibly in hopes that it would soon become a self-sustaining economic sector. Not only have biofuels never really cranked up the engine, but a recent study now claims that corn-based ethanol actually creates 7% more greenhouse gases than conventional gasoline. There's a finger in your eye.
The $500,000 study, which came out Sunday in the Natural Climate Change journal, concludes that corn-based fuels won't meet the renewable fuel standard mandated by law in 2007. The EPA's analysis claims otherwise, and the agency immediately attacked the study as flawed because, according to spokeswoman Liz Purchia, it "does not provide useful information relevant to the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from corn stover ethanol."
The EPA has reduced the proposed amount of biofuels mandated for public use five times. The 2014 production target is now 17 million gallons; when the law was written the agency predicted 1.75 billion gallons. The inability of the fuel to reach commercial viability has not stopped politicians from continuing to push the issue if for no other reason than fat government checks to keep the boondoggle going.
In other energy news, money also appears to be motivating the latest decision to stall the Keystone XL pipeline. Late Friday afternoon before the Easter holiday, the State Department announced that it was indefinitely postponing a decision on whether to build the pipeline, citing a pending court case over land use issues. The pipeline is popular with the public, will create thousand of jobs, and make America less dependent on foreign oil, but all that pales in comparison to political considerations for the Obama administration. Even Terry O'Sullivan, general president of the Laborers International Union of America (LIUNA), called Obama's delay "gutless" and a "low blow to the working men and women of our country."
The State Department has found that the pipeline poses no significant environmental risk. But never mind that -- it's all about the campaign cash. Billionaire investor and rabid environmentalist Tom Steyer has offered to throw $100 million into key congressional races for Democrats this year -- if Barack Obama stops the Keystone project from taking place. The Canadian oil that would be pumped through the Keystone pipeline will be extracted no matter what quid pro quo exists between the president and his leftist sponsors.
It's interesting that there is no mention of Steyer when the news media reports on how money is corrupting politics. He spent $11 million on Democrat Terry McAuliffe's run for Virginia governor in 2013, and now he has essentially paid to shelve the Keystone pipeline proposal in order to deindustrialize America. He is just further proof, like Al Gore before him, that the only green that these activists care about is cash.
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A Black Conservative Takes on the 'Poverty Pentagon'
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Read the rest of the story here.
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TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS
- Mona Charen: Memo to: Republican Candidates, Answer War on Women
- David Limbaugh: Declaring the ObamaCare Debate Over Won't Save Democrats
- Cal Thomas: Faith in ObamaCare, or Government, Is Misplaced
- Ed Feulner: Resisting the Rising Tide of Regulations
- Dennis Prager: From Greatness to Whiteness
OPINION IN BRIEF
American political economist Henry George (1839-1897): "He who sees the truth, let him proclaim it, without asking who is for it or who is against it."Columnist Mona Charen: "Lately, [Democrats] added contraception to the mix to weave their haunting tale of a Republican 'war on women.' ... Republican candidates who are accused of being against birth control because they oppose Obamacare should enjoy explaining that declining to subsidize something is not equivalent to opposing it. I decline to subsidize gun purchases by all American males. Does that make me anti-man? Anti-gun? I decline to subsidize gym memberships for all teenagers. Does that make me pro-obesity? I decline to subsidize farmers -- oh wait, we already do that, but I wish I could refuse. And the same goes for our subsidies of green energy companies, the NFL, big banks, transportation and thousands of other things. Women voters are not an army of Sandra Flukes, flocking to the polls for their free diaphragms and limitless abortions, but they do flinch from extremists. It's up to Republican candidates to illustrate who the real extremists are."
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Columnist Burt Prelutsky: "A reader of mine we'll call Ray sent me six contradictions that sum up the thinking of Progressives, or at least what passes for thinking in those bizarre quarters. It begins: 'One, America is capitalist and greedy, and yet half the population is subsidized. Two, half the population is subsidized, yet they regard themselves as victims. Three, they think they are victims, yet their representatives run the government. Four, their representatives run the government, yet the poor keep getting poorer. Five, the poor keep getting poorer, yet they have things that people in other countries only dream about. Six, they have things that people in other countries only dream about, yet they want America to be more like those other countries.'"
Fred Thompson: "In a taunting gesture, a Russian fighter jet made 12 passes, and flew within 1,000 yards of an American warship in the Black Sea. In response, Obama instructed the ship to launch paper airplanes made from strongly-worded letters."
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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