THE FOUNDATION
"Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence ... the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake; since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of Republican Government." --George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS
Unaccompanied Children Taking Summer Break
The Obama administration might credit its rhetoric clarifying U.S. immigration law for why the number of unaccompanied children crossing the border has declined. But the reason for fewer children might have a simpler explanation: the weather. U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants' Tiffany Nelms said, "Historically there have been periods when we don't see a lot of kids ... because right now it is very hot in the desert. And so typically, June, July and August are slow months. I think the slowdown really is related to the weather." As a result, officials expect a second wave of children starting around September. If this is true, the timing could not be worse for the Obama administration politically. If he issues a drastic executive order on immigration in the next few weeks, the immigration numbers in the next few months could discredit his move and damage the Left in November. This summer lull, however, is a good time to secure the border. More...Comment | Share
ObamaCare's 'Good News' Is Pathetic
ObamaCare mandates that insurance companies refund any premium money not meeting the 80/20 "medical loss ratio" -- 80% of your premium must go directly toward health care expenses. Thanks to this mandate, HHS trumpets that "consumers have saved a total of $9 billion on premiums" and that insurance companies "will return to families an average refund of $80 each this year." Sounds great, right? Well, it's better than nothing, but that $80 a year is chump change. The Daily Signal's Edmund Haislmaier notes, "The $332 million in refunds are out of the $270 billion insurers collected last year in premiums for individual and group major medical coverage subject to the MLR. That means about a penny in refunds for every $10 of premiums." Oh yeah, and ObamaCare itself is expected to exceed $1 trillion over 10 years. But you can go out to dinner with that $80 -- just watch your sugar intake. More...Comment | Share
Golfer in Chief Makes Statement on Iraq, Ferguson
The situations in Iraq and Ferguson, Missouri, are top headlines, and as such, Barack Obama strutted out to the nearest microphone to make a statement about both. "[W]e continue to make progress in carrying out our targeted military operations in Iraq," he informed us. The primary objective there, of course, is to do a bit but not too much, keeping his hands politically clean. As for the rioting in Ferguson, he actually echoed our own sentiments: "There is never an excuse for violence against police, or for those who would use this tragedy as a cover for vandalism or looting. There's also no excuse for police to use excessive force against peaceful protests, or to throw protestors in jail for lawfully exercising their First Amendment rights." What's interesting is that the White House transcript shows his remarks concluded at 12:58 p.m. By 1:08 p.m., ABC's Jonathan Karl was tweeting that Obama had arrived at the golf course. "That didn't take long," said Karl. It never does.Comment | Share
Obama Donors Avoid Corporate Taxes Too
Barack Obama has a knack for criticizing corporations that engage in "inversions." Economists Stephen Moore and Arthur Laffer explain that an inversion is "when an American company merges with a smaller company in a lower-tax jurisdiction" and is therefore "no longer legally U.S.-based and thus is not required to pay U.S. taxes on profits earned abroad." Obama calls these decisions "unpatriotic," but the reason companies choose this method is because the U.S. corporate tax rate is, at nearly 40%, the highest in the world. If anything needs reforming, it's our nation's corporate tax policy. And if Obama were truly bothered by ethical concerns, he'd stop raking in cash from donors who practice this very technique. Bloomberg News reports, "Obama won't return campaign donations to [20] executives, advisers and directors who have profited from offshore mergers." White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz weakly responded, "[W]hat the president is focused on is stopping the problem." The buck stops over there. More...Comment | Share
5,000 Guns Melted in LA to Make Roads, Bridges
LA has a solution for all the guns wreaking havoc in its fair city. CBS Los Angeles reports, "Nearly 5,000 handguns, rifles and other weapons were destroyed Wednesday as part of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s 21st annual Gun Melt event, authorities said." The weapons were "confiscated in Los Angeles County and collected through the 'Gift for Guns' program" and were subsequently melted "into steel rebar to be used in construction of freeways and bridges." Of course, the problem isn't guns, it's the gang-bangers and other thugs who bear them. But at least LA is innovative. To get guns off the street, they're putting them in the street.Comment | Share
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RIGHT ANALYSIS
The World Is Burning, Kerry Says, but the Problem Is the Weather
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"Climate change is here now. It's happening, happening all over the world," Kerry warned in a speech at the East-West Center in Hawaii after his return from a recent Asia trip, his sixth in 18 months as secretary. Climate change is "the biggest challenge of all that we face right now."
Really? Bigger than ISIL committing genocide in Iraq and on the verge of toppling its government? Bigger than the deadly Ebola outbreak in Africa? Bigger than Russia's attempts to rebuild its former Soviet empire in Eurasia? Bigger than Israel's struggle with Hamas? Kerry's priorities are bizarrely skewed.
The secretary of weather did speak briefly about America's so-called pivot toward Asia, attempting to reassure those in attendance that the continent remains a priority of American foreign policy despite the chaos in the Middle East. Then his record skipped right back to his favorite topic, noting that climate change was a key area where the U.S. and China can work together. "No two nations can have a greater impact of influence on this debate or this challenge than China and the United States," he said, noting his discussion of fuel efficiency standards and carbon reduction with Chinese officials.
The Chinese must have thought Kerry quite the summer daisy. They've been spending gobs of money to revitalize their military in recent years, while steadily putting military and political pressure on Taiwan and provoking territorial tussles with Japan. They also continue to manipulate their currency on the open market. But all John Kerry wants to talk about is deforestation. If that's what's foremost on the American secretary of state's mind, it's little wonder the U.S. is losing respect overseas.
This burst of hot air isn't Kerry's first. Going back to February, he referred to climate change as "another weapon of mass destruction, perhaps even the world's most fearsome weapon of mass destruction." And throughout his tenure, he has trumpeted the line so popular with climateers the world over: "The science is unequivocal." Except it's not.
Science is about debate, research and discovery. Once someone starts insisting there is no need for further research, or that the science is "settled," they are no longer acting in the name of science. They are acting in the name of politics and are as close-minded as they accuse their opponents of being. While honest scientists may disagree with one another and debate their findings, they don't call each other names and attempt to bully each other into submission.
Kerry's overheated view of the world contrasts sharply with recently retired Defense Intelligence Agency chief Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. A 33-year Army veteran, Flynn served as DIA director for a rocky two years before being asked to leave a year earlier than expected this April. During his tenure, Flynn observed a reactionary policy on the part of the White House in which senior advisers were more prone to act based on news headlines than by trying to drill down to the root issues behind developing crises around the world.
In an exit interview with BreakingDefense.com, Flynn discussed the real issues of concern for the U.S. "We are in a period of prolonged societal conflict that is pretty unprecedented," he said. "In 2004, there were 21 total Islamic terrorist groups spread out in 18 countries. Today, there are 41 Islamic terrorist groups spread out in 24 countries." This inconvenient truth runs completely counter to the Obama administration's claim that terrorism is on the wane, and it may speak volumes about why Flynn was asked to leave his post a year early.
Flynn spent several years interrogating terrorist suspects and studying intelligence on their attempts to gain weapons of mass destruction. He understands what a real threat to American national security is -- and it isn't the weather. "When asked if the terrorists were defeated, we had to say 'no,'" he said. In fact, "Anyone who answers 'yes' ... either doesn't know what they are talking about, they are misinformed, or they are flat out lying."
Or, like John Kerry, they have their heads in the clouds.
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To Protect and Serve the People, or the Government?
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Yet while the scenes of devastation to businesses are troubling, just as disturbing are the images of police officers in military garb using tactics and equipment more suited to Fallujah than Ferguson. While much of the racial strife of the 1960s (as well as the 1992 Los Angeles riots) took place with the backdrop of war, historically military involvement only occurred when National Guard troops were called in to restore order. But now the local police have armaments and firepower exactly like that which the National Guard possesses, a fact not lost on either local citizens or outside observers.
In terms of equipment and tactics, the merger of police and military began in earnest during the War on Drugs in the late 1980s, with Section 1208 in the 1990 National Defense Authorization Act formally allowing the transfer of “personal property of the Department of Defense, including small arms and ammunition, that the Secretary determines is ... suitable for use by such agencies in counter-drug activities; and ... excess to the needs of the Department of Defense.” With military efforts winding down in Afghanistan and done-but-not-done in Iraq, there is plenty of surplus equipment such as Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to give to local police departments -- to better present an intimidating image. So far, $4.3 billion in equipment has been transferred.
This tactic of intimidation provoked a strong reaction from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who wrote in a TIME op-ed, “Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies -- where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement.”
So a situation that was already tense thanks to the imbalance between the racial composition of the city and its police department, as well as reportedly unfair enforcement, was made worse when police responded so militaristically. Yet while Obama appealed for calm and “an open and transparent process to see that justice is done,” he didn't mention the militarization of the police. However, Attorney General Eric Holder did, saying he is “deeply concerned that the deployment of military equipment and vehicles sends a conflicting message.”
On that front, Missouri Democrat Gov. Jay Nixon has moved to place the Missouri State Highway Patrol in charge of security around the Ferguson area to replace the St. Louis County personnel who have handled the crisis since its inception. Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, a black native of Ferguson, is now in charge. It seems to be a good-faith effort to de-escalate the situation given the willingness of local officers to use tear gas and even rubber bullets.
But some in the race-baiting crowd don't think this goes far enough. Witness the call by Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), a frequent exploiter of racial strife, for Barack Obama to "declare martial law" and "federalize the Missouri National Guard to protect people as they protest." Instead of local police bearing repurposed military equipment to maintain order, Lewis wants the National Guard to stand against police. Yeah, that'll fix it.
Strangely enough, one of the cooler heads here is that of Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) -- who once worried that Guam could "tip over and, uh, capsize" from the redeployment of 5,000 Marines from Okinawa. Johnson is working on a bill to limit the types of equipment being supplied to local jurisdictions as well as placing states in charge of tracking the items.
Yet even if that bill is passed, there's still the matter of the equipment already in the hands of local law enforcement and the tendency to appear “tough on crime” beyond the dictates of the situation. Such a posture is often explained by citing the rampant drug problem or the continuing homeland security threat, yet neither is the case in Ferguson.
We may never know exactly what happened between the Ferguson police officer and Michael Brown, as reports seem to vary depending on the witness. It's been a tragedy that has affected far more than the family of the deceased, though, as businesses have been looted and vandalized, affecting workers and customers alike.
Our fear is that America as a police state has been on display in Ferguson, and that doesn't ring of Liberty. Local police departments across the nation are being offered this sort of military equipment free for the asking -- all while they sometimes stand in opposition when average citizens exert their Second Amendment right to bear arms as a check against government encroachment.
Government at all levels would do well to remember that the solemn obligation of law enforcement is to serve and protect We the People, not the state.
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TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS
- Jonah Goldberg: America's Selective Libertarianism
- Michelle Malkin: Meet the Cops Who Gave Their Lives
- Michael Barone: Fidelity to Principle Can Make Needed Flexibility Impossible
- L. Brent Bozell & Tim Graham: Overdoing the Death of Robin Williams
- Tony Perkins: Atheists Try Interception on Intercession
OPINION IN BRIEF
Davy Crockett (1786-1836): "I want people to be able to get what they need to live: enough food, a place to live, and an education for their children. Government does not provide these as well as private charities and businesses."Columnist Jonah Goldberg: "I wish it were otherwise, but people tend to be libertarian only after it's demonstrated to them that the government can't deliver the results they want. ... To the extent that libertarian ideas are gaining new currency outside the GOP, it's because of government's failures. Particularly for young people -- especially more affluent young people -- the yawning chasm between the efficiency of the private sector and the haplessness of the public sector is poisonous to faith in government. The VA scandal, the clownish rollout of the Obamacare website and the near wholesale inability of Barack Obama to deliver on his economic promises have done more to breathe new life into libertarianism than a thousand lectures about Friedrich Hayek's 'Road to Serfdom' ever could."
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Columnist Michelle Malkin: "Are there bad cops? Yes. Does the police state go overboard sometimes? Yes. Do the demagogues decrying systemic racism and braying about 'assassinations' know what happened when teenager Mike Brown was tragically shot and killed last week? No. Here’s a reality check. While narcissistic liberal journalists and college kids are all posting 'Hands Up' selfies in hipster solidarity with Ferguson protesters, it’s law enforcement officers who risk their lives in 'war zones' every day across the country. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) reports that a total of 1,501 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty during the past 10 years, an average of one death every 58 hours or 150 per year. ... Just this week, NLEOMF released preliminary fatality statistics from August 2013 to August 2014. Total fatalities are up 14 percent, from 63 last year to 72 this year. ... Al Sharpton, concocter of hate-crimes hoaxes and inciter of violent riots against police, had no comment."
Comedian Conan O’Brien: "A 14-year-old Texas boy lived in a Walmart for four days before he was discovered. Employees got suspicious when they noticed something in a Walmart that was made in America."
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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