THE FOUNDATION
"There is a rank due to the United States, among nations, which will be withheld, if not absolutely lost, by the reputation of weakness. If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war." --George Washington, Fifth Annual Message, 1793TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS
Lerner Advised Caution
Before pleading the Fifth, former IRS official Lois Lerner famously professed her innocence. Her actions, however, reek of partisan wrongdoing. In one email that managed to survive the miraculously convenient crashes of multiple IRS hard drives, she warns her cohorts that "we need to be cautious about what we say in emails" because Congress might ask for them. She also asked an IT official if instant messages were logged. That official responded, "[Instant] messages are not set to automatically save as the standard; however the functionality exists within the software. My general recommendation is to treat the conversation as if it could/is being saved somewhere, as it is possible for either party of the conversation to retain the information and have it turn up as part of an electronic search." Lerner replied, "Perfect." Her inquiry and response casts doubt on her claims that her emails were "accidentally lost," because at the same time she was engaged in political targeting she was determining what information might come back to incriminate her. Now a federal judge has ordered the IRS to explain "under oath" what happened to those emails. That should be entertaining. More...Comment | Share
Hamas Co-opts Leftmedia
Israel is battling Hamas as the terrorist group batters the Jewish state with rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. Ever adept at generating sympathetic headlines from Western Leftmedia, Hamas has a plan. "Hamas' Interior Ministry has ordered residents of the Gaza Strip to remain in their houses if they are about to be bombed by the Israelis, a move that effectively turns citizens into human shields and is intentionally meant to boost the casualty rate," reports The Washington Free Beacon. It worked like a charm. For example, The Washington Post headlined a story, "Israel Hits Gaza Homes," with the subtitle, "Children And Women Killed." Hamas' strategy is clearly to maximize casualties, thereby putting pressure on Israel to cease fire. They'd rather their own civilians be killed than put down their rocket launchers. More...Comment | Share
Schumer: Take Your Pick
Sen. Chuck Schumer says Americans have the right to religious protections -- as long as they don't operate for-profit corporations. "The Court took [the Religious Freedom Restoration Act] and applied it -- misapplied it -- to for-profit companies who exist for the purpose of benefitting from the open market, working in the marketplace under our laws," he claimed. "Now think of the difference. You're born with a religion or you adopt a religion. You have to obey the precepts of that religion and the government gives you a wide penumbra." By contrast, he says, "You don't have to form a corporation. We wouldn't tell the owners of Hobby Lobby to convert to a different religion or disobey their religion -- but we don't say that they have to open up a company and go sell toys or hobby kits." Why do individuals' convictions suddenly become irrelevant just because they own a for-profit company? Nobody is forcing Hobby Lobby employees to work there. Regardless of what RAFTA says, the Constitution comes first.Comment | Share
Layoffs at the Front Lines
"In a stunning display of callousness, the Defense Department has announced that thousands of soldiers -- many serving as commanding officers in Afghanistan -- will be notified in the coming weeks that their service to the country is no longer needed," reports the New York Post. "Last week, more than 1,100 Army captains -- the men and women who know best how to fight this enemy because they have experienced multiple deployments -- were told they'll be retired from the Army." It was no secret cuts were coming, as the Obama DoD aims to reduce the Army to 440,000 soldiers from 520,000. But to send pink slips to soldiers serving on the front lines is astounding. More...Comment | Share
Oil Boom Continues
U.S. oil production has enjoyed a 60% increase over the last six years, mainly due to fracking, which allows the extraction of shale oil from the massive Bakken Formation in North Dakota and the Eagle Ford Formation in south Texas. The domestic oil boom is so great, in fact, that the U.S. has surpassed both Russia and Saudi Arabia in production. Dan Steffens, president of the Energy Prospectus Group of Houston, says the domestic oil boom is saving drivers a ton at the pump. "With what's going on the Middle East, I think [gas] would five or six bucks [a gallon]," Steffens said. "If it wasn't for the shale revolution, you'd be in big trouble." Indeed, it's much needed good news. More...Comment | Share
For more, visit Right Hooks.
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RIGHT ANALYSIS
Reaching Millennials With the Message of Liberty
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| Education is key. |
A lot of ink has been spilled about how the so-called millennial generation rejects the ideals that many of us have held for so long. We've been lead to believe this latest generation of young people is spoiled, misinformed and generally wanting a way of life that can only be had through massive government and social intervention. Well, take heart. This crop of young people is reachable with the message of Liberty.
On one hand, by a large margin, millennials prefer a government that provides more services for people, and they like the idea of government services for the poor. But that adoration steadily declines as taxes rise to pay for them. Sure, 74% believe government has a responsibility to guarantee citizens a place to eat and sleep, but 57% also believe a smaller government with fewer taxes would help the economy and be more beneficial for specific welfare programs. Amazingly, 73% favor private accounts for Social Security (George W. Bush, anyone?). A majority of millennials also believe that reducing regulations would be better for the economy in general. A vast majority would like to see the government provide health care (ObamaCare) and a living wage, but more millennials than in previous surveys also believe that the government is wasteful and corrupt.
What does it all mean? Millennials are not as clueless as they have been portrayed in recent years. Sure, they're idealistic, as all youth are. But it's also worthy of note that this generation is well aware of the malfunction of our government. They want our government to do great things, but they also recognize that it's not quite capable of making these good things happen.
It's also worth noting that 64% of millennials in this survey believe in the free market. A narrow margin supports capitalism over socialism, but a large portion of those who support socialism don't necessarily know what socialism really means. Fair enough -- neither do a lot of our elected officials.
Millennials in general are not a generation to be dismissed. Republicans looking to expand their base would do a service to themselves to appeal to this group. Their idealism is rooted in some basic American ideals of hard work, smaller government and self-reliance. Millennials are more informed -- though also more misinformed -- than any generation in American history. They are active and they are engaged. So the best thing that can be done is inform them with the truth.
As John Adams once said, "Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom." Likewise, James Wilson said, "Law and liberty cannot rationally become the objects of our love, unless they first become the objects of our knowledge." Educating the next generation is the primary goal of The Patriot Post's Essential Liberty Project, and we also have a new arrival at the Patriot Post Shop teaching kids how to treat the flag. This critical education is Step One for every American citizen who values the legacy of Liberty bequeathed to them by the enormous sacrifices made by generations of Patriots. Let's work to win millennials.
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Compassion and Rule of Law
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Read the rest here.
For more, visit Right Analysis.
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TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS
- Jonah Goldberg: Obama Puts Politics First, Border Security Second
- Charles Krauthammer: The Immigration No-Brainer
- Michael Barone: Obama Skitters, Scampers and Scuttles Away From Failure
- Mona Charen: How to Fight Sexual Assault
- Burt Prelutsky: Education, Politics & Racism
OPINION IN BRIEF
Justice William O. Douglas (1898-1980): "Ideas are indeed the most dangerous weapons in the world. Our ideas of freedom are the most powerful political weapons man has ever forged."Columnist Jonah Goldberg: "All you need to do is look at the headlines out of Central America to see why tens of thousands of children are ending up at our border. 'In Columbia (sic), Rising Violence Breeds New Doubts' (N.Y. Times); 'Guatemala Seen Slipping Into a Haven For Drugs' (LA Times); 'Democracy Jeopardized as New Wave of Violence Sweeps Guatemala' (AP); 'The Volcano That is Guatemala' (St. Louis Post-Dispatch); 'A New Dark Age for Latin America?' (Miami Herald); 'Murder Soars in El Salvador' (Washington Post); 'Social Breakdown Turns Deadly in Guatemala' (Washington Post); 'Roadside Rampage: Salvadoran Murders in Guatemala Raise Stake of Central American Drug-Addled Violence' (States News Service); 'Drug Cartels Take Toll on Guatemala’s Politics' (Atlanta Journal-Constitution). No wonder we have so many refugees at our door. Except there's one hitch: All of these headlines are very old. The first is from 1987, the last from 2007. And yet, over those two decades, we never saw anything like what we are seeing today. ... [T]he new variable isn't what's happening down there, it's what's happened up here."
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Columnist Charles Krauthammer: "Stopping this wave is not complicated. A serious president would go to Congress tomorrow proposing a change in the law, simply mandating that Central American kids get the same treatment as Mexican kids, i.e., be subject to immediate repatriation. ... One thing is certain. When the first convoys begin rolling from town to town across Central America, the influx will stop. When he began taking heat for his laxness and indecisiveness, Obama said he would seek statutory authority for eliminating the Central American loophole. Yet when he presented his $3.7 billion emergency package on Tuesday, it included no such proposal. Without that, tens of thousands of kids will stay. Tens of thousands more will come."
Comedian Argus Hamilton: "Obama flew to Texas Wednesday amid calls that he visit the border. Enough is enough. Federal agents there are flooded with kids who fled to the U.S. border to escape the gunfire and bloodshed back home and the last thing they need is another refugee from Chicago."
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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