THE FOUNDATION
"Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle, is a species of vice." --Thomas Paine, Letter Addressed to the Addressers on the Late Proclamation, 1792TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS
Reid: 'We're a Nation of Laws'
Harry Reid continued his crusade against the people supporting Cliven Bundy in his ranch dispute. Last week, Reid called them "nothing more than domestic terrorists," even though all they were doing was waving flags and signs. But he repeated the same hot-headed criticism Monday, saying that "if there were ever an example of people who were domestic violent terrorist wannabes, these were the guys." He added that Bundy would never "just walk away from this," and he insisted, "We're a nation of laws, not of men and women." If that sounds familiar, it's because we say it all the time. But it is Reid and his socialist cadres who are undermining Rule of Law. Furthermore, this episode and his anti-Koch tirades reveal that Reid is suffering from Chronic Beltway Dementia (CBD) and should consult his doctor.Comment | Share
Record Tax Revenue
"Inflation-adjusted federal tax revenues hit an all-time record of $1,428,710,000,000 from the beginning of the fiscal year on Oct. 1 through April 15," reports CNS News. The Obama tax increases are certainly picking people's pockets clean, because the economic recovery isn't substantial enough to yield those revenues. In fact, the tax increases are suppressing recovery. We note that the previous record was $37 billion less, set in 2008 when the Bush tax rates were still in effect, even for the "rich." Also, our national debt continues to grow despite record revenue. To state what should be obvious, those facts indicate a spending problem.Comment | Share
Needed: Military Morals
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel addressed the epidemic of sexual assault in the military, saying that it goes beyond a matter of law to morals. "[O]ur country, fortunately, is a nation of laws," Hagel said. "We start with the Constitution. It's imperfect. We have many laws. If we just follow the logic of laws, we shouldn't have any crimes, because we have laws. Well, we know that that doesn't work. We are imperfect creatures." The way to counter the problem, he said, goes further, and will succeed only "if we can get individuals where we need to get them to start with as their own personal behavior and personal conduct -- their responsibility to conduct themselves not just legally but morally right." How politically incorrect. After all, this is the same military that has become the social engineering toy of Barack Obama and the Left. Morals? Who needs 'em when political gain is to be had.Comment | Share
BSA Revokes Troop Charter
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) revoked the charter of a Seattle troop because its leader, Geoffrey McGrath acknowledged that he is homosexual. The troop operates out of Rainier Beach United Methodist Church, and its minister, Monica Corsaro, refused to remove McGrath after his "coming out" last month. The BSA permits homosexuals to be scouts but not leaders, so the BSA was left with no choice but to revoke the troop's charter. This is only the latest salvo in leftists' war to remake the Scouts in their immoral image. It's only a matter of time before a legal battle erupts over it.Comment | Share
Clinton Didn't Like the Internet
In newly released -- and heavily redacted -- documents from the Clinton administration, White House personnel expressed fear and distaste for the Internet, which was new at the time. The Communication Stream of Conspiracy Commerce memo had this gem: "The internet has become one of the major and most dynamic modes of communication. The internet can link people, groups and organizations together instantly. Moreover, it allows an extraordinary amount of unregulated data and information to be located in one area and available to all. The right wing has seized upon the internet as a means of communicating its ideas to people." Indeed, The Patriot Post was an early entrant into the fray, and took on the Clinton administration and other leftists. And the Internet has been one of the greatest tools of Liberty yet. No wonder the Clintons were afraid.Comment | Share
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RIGHT ANALYSIS
Supreme Court Affirms Michigan's Action
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The case and the varying written opinions were complicated. As The Wall Street Journal sums up, "[T]he majority arrived at this destination via three opinions that offered different legal explanations and won't provide much clarity on race and the law going forward." In fact, previous Court muddling prompted the passage of Michigan's ban, and the current ruling did little to clarify things.
The core issue the Court actually decided was the validity of a voter-supported state law, not the constitutionality of racial preferences. As Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion, "The question here concerns not the permissibility of race-conscious admissions policies under the Constitution but whether, and in what manner, voters in the states may choose to prohibit the consideration of racial preferences in governmental decisions, in particular with respect to school admissions." And in a win for the democratic process over judicial fiat, Kennedy refused to concede that the issue at hand was "too sensitive or complex to be within the grasp of the [Michigan] electorate." He further wrote that the Michigan law does not inflict any hurt or injury on racial minorities.
Nevertheless, Justice Sonia Sotomayor's scathing dissent attempted to frame the issue not as one of constitutional jurisdiction but as one of racial tensions. She wrote, "For members of historically marginalized groups, which rely on the federal courts to protect their constitutional rights, the decision can hardly bolster hope for a vision of democracy that preserves for all the right to participate meaningfully and equally in self-government." Furthermore, she claimed that Michigan voters had "changed the rules in the middle of the game" and added that "it is clear that race-neutral alternatives are not adequate to achieve diversity." She said her colleagues can't "wish away" racial inequality.
Unfortunately, Sotomayor's argument doesn't fit the question, as the case at hand had nothing to do with equal participation in self-government but everything to do with voters legally prohibiting preferential treatment based solely on color of skin. Sotomayor has clearly bought into the Left's racial grievance campaign, and doesn't seem to be able to see beyond her own race.
Furthermore, and ironically, if anything has changed the rules midstream, it's the shift from "equality of opportunity" as the goal to "diversity" and "equality of outcome." Indeed, where outcome is the measurement of whether laws are just, the rules will never be static. If Congress had race quotas for Members, for example, elections would be meaningless.
This is not the first time the Supreme Court has considered a case involving affirmative action in higher education -- and it likely won't be the last. Less than a year ago, SCOTUS avoided issuing a decisive ruling in the case of Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, instead punting the issue back to the lower courts. While yesterday's decision respected both the will of voters and the principle of equal opportunity for all, it's safe to say that this issue has not seen its last legal battleground.
In conclusion, we refer back to Chief Justice John Roberts' famous words in a 2007 case involving race preferences: "[T]he way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." What a novel idea.
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NYT Income Inequality Propaganda for Obama
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Read the rest of the story here.
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TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS
- Arnold Ahlert: Michigan and the Backlash Against Race Preferences
- Terence Jeffrey: In Richest U.S. Community, 31% Work for Government
- Thomas Sowell: The High Cost of Liberalism: Part II
- Walter E. Williams: Wage Discrimination
- John Stossel: Privacy, Please
OPINION IN BRIEF
French historian Alexis de Tocqueville: "The man who asks of freedom anything other than itself is born to be a slave."Economist Thomas Sowell: "When Ukraine became an independent nation, it gave up all the nuclear missiles that were on its territory from the days when it had been part of the Soviet Union. At that time, Ukraine had the third largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world. Do you think Putin would have attacked Ukraine if it still had those nuclear weapons? Or do you think it is just a coincidence that nations with nuclear weapons don't get invaded? Among those who urged Ukraine to reduce even its conventional, non-nuclear weapons as well, was a new United States Senator named Barack Obama. He was all for disarmament then, and apparently even now as President of the United States. He has refused Ukraine's request for weapons with which to defend itself. As with so many things that liberals do, the disarmament crusade is judged by its good intentions, not by its actual consequences."
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Columnist John Stossel: "[W]e don't place an infinite value on privacy. Sometimes we're willing to give up some of it -- to friends, doctors, companies with whom we want to do business. What we really value is the freedom to choose when we'll do that and when we'll tell people to butt out. We can never tell government to butt out."
Comedian Argus Hamilton: "IRS supervisor Lois Lerner's emails revealed that she coordinated audits on conservative groups with the Justice Department. Tea Party groups were audited just for opposing the president. That's what they get for being a bunch of nuts who don't trust the U.S. government."
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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