THE FOUNDATION
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them." --George Mason, Speech During Virginia's Convention to Ratify the Constitution, 1788TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS
VA IG Report Isn't Good
The Veterans Affairs Inspector General (IG) released a report Wednesday confirming 1,700 veterans were not on the official waiting list for appointments at the Phoenix VA. Instead, they were on the secret, off-the-books waiting list, where they waited an average of 115 days. Until veterans are placed on the official list, their "wait time" isn't counted, which enabled Phoenix officials to claim the average wait was only 24 days. The report adds, "Most importantly, these veterans were and continue to be at risk of being forgotten or lost in Phoenix [Health Care System's] convoluted scheduling process." The IG is looking at 42 VA facilities in all, none of which received advance notice of the investigation because of "the risk of destruction of evidence, manipulation of data, and coaching staff on how to respond to our interview questions." Perhaps that's one reason why 18 previous reports about scheduling problems have been ignored. Even Democrats are now calling for the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, but this is systemic rot and it indicates serious trouble ahead for ObamaCare. More...Comment | Share
New EPA Rules Unconstitutional?
For the sake of argument, let's assume the new regulations the EPA will roll out June 2 are constitutional under the Commerce Clause. (The courts have certainly allowed the government to build a virtual highway through that "loophole," so it's not a stretch to think they'd approve EPA regulations.) The Obama administration will probably use the regulations to subvert Congress and institute so-called cap and trade. The Daily Caller reports, "The plan is being sold as a 'flexible' one. By allowing states a menu of policy options to meet federal mandates, the standards will ostensibly meet the unique needs of each individual state. But the stark reality behind the proposal is that it will be a boon for states that have already imposed cap-and-trade systems -- which are overwhelmingly Democratic states." And that is unconstitutional. Article 1 Section 9 says, "No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another." Once again, Obama shows his contempt of our Constitution in the service of a political agenda. More...Comment | Share
Study Warns Against Climate Regs
The EPA is preparing to unveil more debilitating regulations -- standards that have the Chamber of Commerce raising red flags. According to Bloomberg, "In an analysis released [Wednesday] ... the Chamber said that an ambitious pollution-control effort could force more than a third of the coal-fired power capacity to close by 2030, resulting in economic losses of $50 billion a year and the elimination of 224,000 jobs." That estimate is undoubtedly conservative. The EPA's plan even has some Democrats concerned. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) asserted, "There [are] a lot of people on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum that are going to die." Such a claim may sound like hyperbole, but really, how far from reality is it? "You have another polar vortex next year; how many people will lose their lives?" Manchin wondered. There may well be a higher price to pay than electricity rates that will necessarily skyrocket -- as promised by then-candidate Barack Obama. More...Comment | Share
Democrats Revamp Gun Control
Democrats are wasting no time exploiting Friday's murderous rampage in Santa Barbara, California. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer indicated that gun control measures would be slipped into a spending bill. The Hill reports, "Democrats are weighing a proposal to expand mandatory background checks prior to gun sales as part of the Republicans' 2015 funding bill for the Commerce and Justice departments," and "Hoyer said the Democrats will likely also push a separate amendment to preserve a federal rule requiring border-state gun dealers to report bulk purchases of certain semiautomatic rifles, a mandate Republicans are trying to undo in the spending package." Hoyer claimed, "In this instance [background checks] may not have made a difference, but it's clear that in many instances it would have made a difference." In fact, background checks would not have stopped the rampages in Sandy Hook, Aurora, or any number of other mass shootings, but Democrats won't miss an opportunity to shoot holes in the Second Amendment. More...Comment | Share
A Cold First Quarter
Some blame the weather. The economy's tepid growth stalled and shrank 1% in the months from January to April. Ever since "The Great Recession" supposedly ended in 2009, the economy has oozed forward and many said the winter storms slowed growth to a little as 1%. However, economists crunched the numbers and said the nation slid backwards. The Wall Street Journal reports, "Many economists had hoped 2014 would be a breakout year for growth, encouraged by an economy that grew at a 3.4% pace in the second half of 2013. Those hopes have been deferred -- if not yet dashed -- by the recent weak stretch." After years of buyouts, stimulus spending, tax increases and ObamaCare, we now have an economy so fragile a few good winter storms can stall us. More...Comment | Share
For more, visit Right Hooks.
Don't Miss Alexander's Column
Read The Speech Every Graduate Should Hear, on Admiral William H. McRaven's commencement address at The University of Texas.If you'd like to receive Alexander's Column by email, update your subscription here.
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RIGHT ANALYSIS
Obama Wages War Against Straw Men
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Here are some lowlights of what Lt. Col. Ralph Peters called an "exercise in self-adoration":
"We have removed our troops from Iraq. We are winding down our war in Afghanistan. Al-Qaida's leadership on the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been decimated, and Osama bin Laden is no more. And through it all, we've refocused our investments in what has always been a key source of American strength: a growing economy that can provide opportunity for everybody who's willing to work hard and take responsibility here at home.Where to begin? Maybe this: Ending wars isn't the same as winning them, as we said yesterday.
In fact, by most measures, America has rarely been stronger relative to the rest of the world. Those who argue otherwise -- who suggest that America is in decline, or has seen its global leadership slip away -- are either misreading history or engaged in partisan politics."
Furthermore, former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Pete Hoekstra explained, "The U.S. might have diminished al-Qaeda's capabilities in the border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan, but it has not diminished the threat from radical Islamist terrorists as a whole. They have instead reestablished themselves in such safe havens as the Maghreb, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula. The threat from radical Islam is in fact much more dangerous to American and Western interests than when the administration assumed office six years ago."
Even The Washington Post's editorial board excoriated Obama's embarrassingly bad foreign policy, writing that the retreat from Afghanistan "would be understandable had Mr. Obama's previous choices proved out. But what's remarkable is that the results have been consistent -- consistently bad. ... An administration that faulted its predecessor for being ideological seems to have substituted ideology for reality-based foreign-policy."
And the idea that America "has rarely been stronger" is laughable -- particularly to the despot thugs in Moscow, Tehran, Damascus, Pyongyang and Beijing. Our allies would be laughing too if Obama's failed leadership weren't so serious.
As for the "growing economy," well, see the first quarter GDP retraction.
"The military that you have joined is and always will be the backbone of [American] leadership. But U.S. military action cannot be the only -- or even primary -- component of our leadership in every instance. Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail."This is not only a pathetic straw man -- no one advocates military action "in every instance" -- but to Obama, government is the hammer and every perceived problem in society is a nail.
"I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being. But what makes us exceptional is not our ability to flout international norms and the Rule of Law; it is our willingness to affirm them through our actions."In 2009, he belittled the very idea, saying, "I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism." And no president has done more to undermine American exceptionalism than Obama, primarily because he continues to flout Rule of Law.
"In Ukraine, Russia's recent actions recall the days when Soviet tanks rolled into Eastern Europe. But this isn't the Cold War. Our ability to shape world opinion helped isolate Russia right away. Because of American leadership, the world immediately condemned Russian actions. ... And this mobilization of world opinion and international institutions served as a counterweight to Russian propaganda and Russian troops on the border and armed militias in ski masks.Obama's "leadership" regarding Ukraine has been feckless. He didn't mention Russia annexing Crimea, or that Moscow is still succeeding in fomenting violence in eastern Ukraine. Vladimir Putin is more emboldened than ever.
... We don't know how the situation will play out and there will remain grave challenges ahead, but standing with our allies on behalf of international order working with international institutions, has given a chance for the Ukrainian people to choose their future without us firing a shot."
The bottom line is that Obama chose the wrong venue and audience for a petty political rebuttal. This was a West Point commencement, not a rally in Iowa. But the only war this commander in chief seems adept at waging is the one against his political enemies.
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Economic Growth, Texas Style
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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
- George Will: Ignoring the Path to Recovery
- Arnold Ahlert: Horror in Pakistan: Pregnant Woman Stoned by Family
- Ann Coulter: Don't Stigmatize Murderers!
- Michael Reagan: Mass Murder Knee-Jerks
- Joe Bastardi: A Period of Peril on the East Coast
OPINION IN BRIEF
Mark Twain (1835-1910): "Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned."Columnist Arnold Ahlert: "Those looking for the real war on women ... should focus their attention on Pakistan and Sudan. In the former nation, a 25-year-old pregnant woman has been stoned to death by members of her own family, with her father dubbing the atrocity an 'honor killing.' In the latter nation, a 27-year-old woman has been sentenced to death for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. She was also pregnant, and has given birth while awaiting her sentence to be carried out. ... That the left's so-called war against women extends only as far as the nearest member of the GOP and his or her position on abortion is myopic. So myopic that someone like Ayaan Hirsi Ali must be stripped of an honorary degree by Brandeis University, lest she use her acceptance speech to remind her audience where the most virulent aspects of the war against women originate. Islam is the tip of the spear, and no amount of politically calculated obfuscation by the American left will alter that reality."
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Columnist George Will: "It is said that the problem with the younger generation -- any younger generation -- is that it has not read the minutes of the last meeting. Barack Obama, forever young, has convenient memory loss: It serves his ideology. ... The Pew Research Center reports that Americans 25 to 32 -- 'millennials' -- constitute the first age cohort since World War II with higher unemployment or a greater portion living in poverty than their parents at this age. But today's millennials have the consolation of having the president they wanted."
Humorist Frank J. Fleming: "I hope no one is proposing you need a photo ID to buy a gun because we all know the racist implications of that. A great way to get rid of all guns would be to rename them. Now there are no more guns in the world. Lots of nugs, though. ... The tradition with mass shootings is to relieve anger by yelling at guns for a week or two afterward."
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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