THE FOUNDATION
"I am commonly opposed to those who modestly assume the rank of champions of liberty, and make a very patriotic noise about the people. It is the stale artifice which has duped the world a thousand times, and yet, though detected, it is still successful." --Fisher Ames, letter to George Richard Minot, 1789TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS
'Have You No Shame?'
The House has officially established the Benghazi Select Committee, and Democrats are really upset. Not about the attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans, or about the lies the administration told repeatedly, but that Republicans would dare seek to get to the bottom of it all. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said, while he likes committee chair Trey Gowdy (R-SC), he doesn't expect good things from the committee: "An evil tree can't bear good fruit." Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) wants to know from the majority, "Have you no shame?" We know Democrats don't have any -- Elizabeth Warren is fundraising using Benghazi -- and we expect them to obstruct the investigation wherever possible. More...Comment | Share
#BringBackOurGirls Rhetoric
Political commentator George Will blasted the White House's response to the kidnappings in Nigeria and had this to say about Michelle Obama's #BringBackOurGirls twitter promo. "Are these barbarians in the wilds of Nigeria supposed to check their Twitter accounts and say, 'Uh oh, Michelle Obama is very cross with us -- we better change our behavior'?" he asked. "It's an exercise in self-esteem. I do not know how adults stand there, facing a camera, and say, 'Bring back our girls.'" Of course, we don't understand how Democrats can stand in front of the camera to exploit every mass shooting, either. Will added, "Power is the ability to achieve intended effects, and this [social media campaign] is not intended to have any effect on the real world." Michelle delivered a speech on the situation over the weekend, but her remarks excluded any reference to Boko Haram or Islam. #ProfilesInCourageComment | Share
Blame the GOP
Barack Obama says that nothing is getting done because of Republicans. "Their willingness to say no to everything -- the fact that since 2007, they have filibustered about 500 pieces of legislation that would help the middle class just gives you a sense of how opposed they are to any progress -- has actually led to an increase in cynicism and discouragement among the people who were counting on us to fight for them," Obama said. He's exaggerating for effect, but the petulant attitude is what's troubling. That and the idea that the federal government is the solution to every "middle class" problem. As Obama added, "They need us. Not because they want a handout, but because they know that government can serve an important function in unleashing the power of our private sector." Funny, but it actually never does.Comment | Share
Obama Shines on Walmart
Barack Obama visited a California Walmart to announce a new push for solar energy. He unveiled some executive actions so minor even The New York Times admitted Obama's "initiatives will not amount to much in terms of energy policy or their impact on global warming." The Times continued by saying Obama's move is preparation for a new round of EPA regulations that will be unveiled in June. Obama praised Walmart for its green initiatives like installing solar panels, saying, "Those upgrades created dozens of construction jobs, and helped this store save money on its energy bills. And that why I'm here today, because more and more companies like Walmart realize that wasting less energy isn't just good for the environment, it's good for business." If Walmart did that on its own, why do we need the vacation-taking, porn-watching EPA to draft more red tape in its spare time? More…Comment | Share
The Next Bundy Ranch?
For a second time, ranchers are resisting the federal government's overreach of power. Earlier this year, the Forest Service fenced off a creek in Otero County, New Mexico, to protect the meadow jumping mouse. However, ranchers have a right to the water, and Otero's county commission is discussing whether to order its sheriff to open the gates against the Forest Service's wishes. Blair Dunn, a lawyer who represents the county, said, "It's not just the Forest Service. Since the beginning of the year on a lot of issues -- Endangered Species Act issues, federal land-management issues, easements and use of federally controlled property -- we've seen federal agencies become extremely defiant toward any sort of local input and extremely adverse to allowing people to continue to use things they've used in some instances for 100 years." At last check, mice can't vote. The federal government needs to back down. Peacefully. More…Comment | Share
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RIGHT ANALYSIS
'Criminal Farce' Referendum in Eastern Ukraine
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The balloting took place despite a "plea" from Russian President Vladimir Putin for a postponement in favor of further dialogue. Yet the Kremlin put out a statement on the referendum, saying, "We condemn the use of force, including of heavy weapons against civilians. ... [I]n Moscow, we respect the will of the people of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and are counting on practical implementation of the outcome of the referendum in a civilized manner, without any repeat of violence and through dialogue." Ukraine's government denounced the referendum as a "criminal farce," and the U.S. and other Western governments won't recognize the results.
Meanwhile, Putin celebrated Victory Day, the annual commemoration of the Nazi defeat in World War II, in Crimea, reviewing Russian battleships docked at the Black Sea port of Sevastopol. Ukrainian leaders blasted Putin's visit, calling it "a provocation that once again confirms how Russia is deliberately escalating tensions in Russian-Ukrainian relations."
Those tensions are mounting in Ukrainian border regions, as Putin's claim that Russian troops are withdrawing from the Ukrainian border can't be confirmed by NATO reports. Putin sent 40,000 soldiers there during the height of hostilities earlier this spring, before the annexation of Crimea weeks later.
Yet Russia is making other moves, both internally and around the region, all of them in the old Soviet style. The independent news sources of the Russian blogosphere became more restricted thanks to a "blogger law" treating sites with 3,000 or more visitors a day like newspapers and eliminating online anonymity. Meanwhile, Russia's deputy prime minister for defense paid a Victory Day visit to the Moldovan region of Transnistria, a narrow strip of land along Moldova's border with Ukraine. The region has harbored pro-Soviet sentiment for a number of years, and the Russian minister, Dmitry Rogozin, didn't help matters when he reportedly called Russia's role one of a "guarantor of security for the Republic of Transnistria."
In response to continuing tensions, the Obama administration hastened the removal of Russia from a trade program intended for developing nations called the Generalized System of Preferences. Russia was already slated for phase-out by 2016, but will now be dropped sooner. The change will eliminate a tariff break that benefited Russia to the tune of $544 million in 2012.
The move likely won't do much to get Russia's attention, though. Maybe Barack Obama will come up with a real zinger of a hashtag to finally teach Putin a lesson.
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Take From the 'Rich,' Give to 'Poor' College Kid
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Read the rest of the story here.
For more, visit Right Analysis.
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TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS
- Arnold Ahlert: Feverish Little Brains
- Jeff Jacoby: U.S. Legal Bubble Can't Pop Soon Enough
- George Will: Government by Intimidation
- Burt Prelutsky: The Feds Are Not Our Friends
- Peggy Noonan: Benghazi Isn't Iran-Contra
OPINION IN BRIEF
The Gipper: "History teaches that wars begin when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap."Columnist Arnold Ahlert: "Michelle Obama, who like so many of her fellow progressives, believes that posing somberly and holding up a sign with the Twitter hashtag, '#BringBackOurGirls' amounts to something other than flaccid self-indulgence. Not that her husband is much better. The most powerful man in the world wakes up every day and thinks about the 'young girls in Nigeria.' What does he do about the young girls in Nigeria? The Commander-in-Chief has dispatched a contingent of seven military and State Department officials who will join 50 security experts already stationed in the country. Thus, all of fifty seven Americans are spearheading the fight against hundreds of heavily-armed and ruthless killers. ... Ironically, the same progressives who might be getting an inkling of what the real war on women in this world is all about, were more than willing to censor someone who might have filled them in on all the details about which they remain willfully clueless. I am referring to Ayaan Ali Hirsi and the recision of her honorary degree at Brandeis University."
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Columnist Burt Prelutsky: "[D]uring his recent Asian tour, Obama dined with Japan's Prime Minister at a restaurant called the Sukiyabashi Jiro, where meals start at $300, and where one of the chef's recommended courses involves an endangered species of blue fin tuna. So, although the Japanese are notorious for turning a blind eye, as well as a profit, on the slaughter of whales and rhinos, Obama is constantly trying to convince well-heeled pinheads like Tom Steyer that he can barely get to sleep at night from worrying about the plight of spotted owls and three-inch long delta smelts. I can only imagine that when, upon his return, he's confronted by the loons from the Sierra Club bearing hot tar and feathers at one of his endless fund-raisers, he'll have no recourse but to insist that diplomacy required that he chew, but he certainly never swallowed."
Humorist Frank J. Fleming: "If you don't want people carrying guns in your restaurant, put up a 'No Americans Allowed' sign."
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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