Daily Digest
January 22, 2015
THE FOUNDATION"The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations." --George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKSShameful Incompetence: House Scraps Abortion BillThe GOP sure knows how to create a debacle. The House scrapped plans to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would have banned abortions after 20 weeks. The U.S. will thus continue to stand with China and North Korea as one of only seven nations in the world to allow the practice. Today is Sanctity of Life Day, and Republican leadership had planned on passing the bill to mark the occasion. Opposition came from some women in the GOP ranks, however, who worried Democrats would exploit the bill to further the "war on women" narrative. But that's an odd worry given the 2-1 public support (over 70% among women) for the law in question. Reps. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN) withdrew their sponsorship from the bill, despite having voted for the same bill in 2013. Now the Leftmedia can run headlines declaring a right-wing bill was defeated by women and moderates. Granted, the bill faced a certain veto by an abortion-loving president, but if the GOP's historic majority can't manage to pass something with overwhelming public support -- after having passed the same legislation in 2013, no less -- what can they do? More...Comment | Share No Civil Rights Charges Against Darren WilsonNo matter what Attorney General Eric Holder said previously about police profiling, it doesn't make Officer Darren Wilson guilty. The Department of Justice recommends not charging Wilson with violating the civil rights of Michael Brown when Wilson killed him in Ferguson, Missouri. (Interesting timing -- the day after Barack Obama mentioned the case in his State of the Union.) Holder still needs to sign off on the end of the investigation, but if anyone could find a racial issue where there is none, Holder would. But it's not over, either. "It gives the Justice Department an ostensible justification to subject the entire police department to an investigation over its 'patterns and practices,'" warns Andrew McCarthy at National Review. "Using a Clinton-era statute that lowers its burden of proof, and the staggering DOJ budget and resources that make it prohibitively expensive for states and municipalities to contest federal investigations and lawsuits, the Justice Department extorts the police departments into signing agreements to conduct policing in an Obama-compliant manner." This is unsurprising. Wilson fell back on his training when responding to an unprovoked attack and the altercation lasted a few seconds. Eric Holder could find plenty to critique as the Ferguson PD responded to weeks of protests and looting. More...Comment | Share Obama's Economic Success Story Was a Democrat StafferFew Americans cared to watch Barack Obama give his delusional State of the Union address. Early numbers indicate only eight million tuned into CNN, MSNBC and Fox to watch Obama -- the lowest numbers in 15 years. And who can blame them? Obama continued to steal the credit for the nation's modest economic prosperity, but he's too far entrenched in the Democrat political system. When the White House cast about for an economic success story where an every-day American worked hard and prospered, it could only find Rebekah Erler. Obama described Erler as a newlywed and new mom who waited tables when the recession hit. As she returned to school, the economy improved, Obama continued. But, The Washington Free Beacon reports, "Unmentioned in the White House bio of Erler is that she is a former Democratic campaign operative, working as a field organizer for Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.). This also wasn't the first time the White House used the former Democratic campaign staffer as a political prop." For Obama, the only way to economic prosperity is touting to big government. More...Comment | Share Netanyahu to Address CongressTo his credit, House Speaker John Boehner wasted little time in responding to Barack Obama's absurd assertion in the State of the Union that "we've halted the progress of [Iran's] nuclear program." To make the point that Obama's living in an alternate reality, Boehner invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress on Feb. 11, specifically on "the grave threats radical Islam and Iran pose to our security and way of life." Boehner said, "There's a serious threat that exists in the world and the president last night kind of papered over it." But here's the kicker: Boehner didn't talk to the White House first. "The Congress can make this decision on its own," he explained. "I don't believe I'm poking anyone in the eye." Actually, it was almost certainly a poke, given how many times Obama has made decisions on his own. Indeed, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest complained, "The protocol would suggest that the leader of one country would contact the leader of another country when he's traveling there. This particular event seems to be a departure from that protocol." The White House is worried about "protocol," but could care less about the Constitution. Or a nuclear Iran. Boehner also added feistily, "[Obama] expects us to stand idly by and do nothing while he cuts a bad deal with Iran. Two words: 'Hell no!' We're going to do no such thing."Comment | Share WH Talking Points 'Straight Out of Tehran'The Obama administration has done such a miserable job dealing with Iran that even some Democrats are starting to question the president's policy. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "The more I hear from the administration and its quotes, the more it sounds like talking points that come straight out of Tehran. It feeds to the Iranian narrative of victimization when they are the ones with original sin." Par for the course, the president threatened this week to veto any new sanctions Congress might place on Iran, insisting that sanctions would scare Iran away from the negotiating table. As if to reassure Iran the administration isn't serious, the White House reminded the world that eliminating Iran's nuclear program isn't on the table.Comment | Share For more, visit Right Hooks. Don't Miss Alexander's ColumnRead 2015 SOTU: 'Mission Accomplished -- I'm Just Awesome!', a rebuttal to Obama's drivel.If you'd like to receive Alexander's Column by email, update your subscription here.
RIGHT ANALYSISCelebrate the Sanctity of Life
Fortunately, there are numerous new state laws restricting abortion and saving lives. Federal law, however, won't change any time soon after the U.S. House abandoned a vote on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would have banned abortions after 20 weeks. The U.S. is one of only seven nations in the world that allows the practice. The GOP couldn't muster the votes even with its enormous majority, or with wide public support. (The same bill passed in 2013, for goodness sake.) Instead, the House will attempt to permanently ban federal abortion funding. Though this issue will never be resolved until the yearly number of abortions is zero, there are encouraging prospects to note as we consider the sanctity of human life. And every life saved is a victory. Both Gallup and the Guttmacher Institute show a decline in the number of abortions and the support for those abortions. But far more encouraging is the shift in the spirit of the pro-life movement. There are still peaceful marches and strong, quiet vigils of prayer outside of abortion clinics, but there are also Internet outreach efforts, maternity homes, medical pregnancy resource centers and other ministries that are empowering young women to see their true range of options. Obama said last year about this time, "Every woman should be able to make her own choices about her body and her health." But we know that the president and Planned Parenthood share a narrowness of vision about these options. One young woman who left an abortion clinic scared but determined to keep her baby remembers, "As I walked out the door, I heard the receptionist yelling, 'You can't have your money back, you know, and you're going to ruin your life with this mistake.'" In an abortion clinic, the only real "choice" presented is to end the life of the unborn child -- a "mistake." Yet more and more ministries and public figures are pointing out the absurdity of a movement centered on choice that leaves a woman no choice at all. Online for Life is using the power of the Internet to reach out to those who search for pregnancy options. Former Planned Parenthood nurse Abby Johnson's ministry And Then There Were None is giving a voice and a choice to those who desire to no longer work for the nation's largest abortion mill. Project Rachel and Abortion Changes You, among many other such ministries, are coming alongside the hurting women who have already experienced the pain of abortion. Save the Storks takes compassion to those who are in need with a mobile resource center housed in a luxury bus. Students for Life has a wide presence on college campuses. These are just a few of the innovative ministries that are leading the way to a stronger, more understanding and more effective pro-life movement. The same cannot be said for the other side, which exploits women to serve a twisted agenda. Roe v. Wade was the infamous case in which Norma McCorvey was used as a plaintiff by leftist attorneys to overturn laws restricting abortion in Texas. A decision upholding Texas law was ultimately overturned on appeal by the Supreme Court, which found a heretofore unprecedented "right to privacy" in the so-called "due process clause" of the Fourteenth Amendment. The despotic branch divined from their "living constitution" that this right entitled a mother to end the life of her baby before his or her birth. Simultaneous with Roe v. Wade, in Doe v. Bolton, using the plaintiff Sandra Cano, the Supremes determined that any complaint -- including headaches -- could be used as grounds for requesting an abortion. Since the decisions in those cases, both McCorvey and Cano have recanted their testimony. Norma McCorvey said plainly, "I think abortion's wrong. I think what I did with Roe v. Wade was wrong," and she has stood by those words in the years since. Sandra Cano, in her 2005 testimony before the U.S. Senate, said: "Using my name and life, Doe v. Bolton falsely created the health exception that led to abortion on demand and partial birth abortion. How it got there is still pretty much a mystery to me. I only sought legal assistance to get a divorce from my husband and to get my children from foster care. ... At no time did I ever have an abortion. I did not seek an abortion nor do I believe in abortion. Yet my name and life is now forever linked with the slaughter of 40-50 million babies. ... How can cunning, wicked lawyers use an uneducated, defenseless pregnant woman to twist the American court system in such a fraudulent way? Doe has been a nightmare. ... My name, life, and identity have been stolen and put on this case without my knowledge and against my wishes. How dare they use my name and my life this way! One of the justices of the Supreme Court said during oral argument in my case 'What does it matter if she is real or not?' Well I am real and it does matter." Like McCorvey and Cano, millions of women and countless unborn babies are being denied choice by the "pro-choice" movement. Americans are obviously tiring of a movement based on such an audacious lie. Scientifically and morally it has always been evident that life starts well before those first beautiful cries. And today's pro-life movement is succeeding more and more where it counts most: changing hearts. Comment | Share What's Spanish for 'Amnesty Stays'?
Republicans thought it appropriate to give one response to English-speaking listeners and another to Spanish-speaking listeners. Go figure. Newly elected Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa made not one mention of immigration in her response, alluding to it (and a plethora of other topics) only by saying, "We'll work to correct executive overreach." Meanwhile, in the Spanish version of the response, which House Republicans initially described as merely the Spanish translation of Ernst's response, Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida added, "We should also work through the appropriate channels to create permanent solutions for our immigration system, to secure our borders, modernize legal immigration and strengthen our economy." Nothing like consistency in messaging. Then again, why should Republican leadership invest much effort in messaging on immigration if they're not actually serious about doing anything about it? As we previously reported, the Senate received a House-passed bill to counter Obama's executive amnesty order. That bill funds the Department of Homeland Security, which received funding under the current short-term bill only until Feb. 27, while cutting off funding for amnesty. But Senate Republican leadership is sounding concession before the opening bell. The Senate needs 60 votes to send the bill to Obama's desk, where it will receive an automatic veto. Obama warned in the State of the Union address that any bill attempting to "refight" past immigration battles will have "earned" his veto. After all, he won two elections, right? Of course, a veto would place the president squarely in the way of DHS funding. But the GOP holds 54 seats in the Senate, six fewer than the votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Because of this, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky cautioned Republicans against expecting miracles. Or, as one border-state congressman so eloquently put it, "Pigs will fly out of my rear end" before Senate Republicans convince six Democrats to vote contra-party. Americans would be happy to forgo miracles in exchange for an ounce of courage. Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn of Texas also announced that allowing funding for DHS to expire is "off the table." In other words, the Senate is primed and ready to cave. The Senate GOP leadership's talking points -- which translate into English as defeat before engagement -- seem to have the same source as our unfortunate congressman's pigs. Not that this is actually surprising. As we noted last week, the fact that the Senate is delaying focusing on the bill until February, just in time for a showdown over the funding expiration, screams defeat. And this is particularly cynical, as the House purposefully passed the bill with ample time for the Senate to do more than duck and run for cover. It's not too late for Senate Republicans to spend the next month whipping votes. If Republicans know what's good for them (a questionable premise), they will use this opportunity to make good on their promise to the American people to stand up to the president's abuse of power. Failure at this first test, however, will not portend well for the next two years. And that's a clear message in any language. Comment | Share For more, visit Right Analysis.
TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS
 OPINION IN BRIEFPhilosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970): "The essence of the liberal outlook lies not in what opinions are held, but in how they are held: instead of being viewed dogmatically, they are held tentatively, with a consciousness that new evidence may at any moment lead to their abandonment."FRC president Tony Perkins: "Amazingly, on a day that saw an Islamist attack on Yemen, an American ally in the fight against al-Qaeda, the President [during the SOTU address] had the audacity to proclaim, 'The shadow of crisis has passed.' If the shadows have passed, it's only because true darkness has descended. An administration that ignores these threats and leaves Christians to suffer persecution at the hands of radical freedom-crushers here and abroad doesn't know the meaning of the word 'crisis.' If the President got anything right, it's this: we are turning the page. In fact, most Americans already did -- in November, when they sent Washington a message of real change. Not the kind of change offered in veiled agendas or clever turns of phrase. But the kind of change it took to make America, 'the greatest nation the world has ever known.'" Comment | Share Jeff Jacoby: "Down the street or across the country, a valid driver’s license is all you need to lawfully get behind the wheel of a car. If you’ve met your state’s conditions to be issued a license -- passed the test, submitted your fingerprints, paid the fee -- there’s not a state in the country that won’t honor it. A valid license to carry a firearm should be treated the same way. ... The case for reciprocity ought to be just as compelling when it comes to carry permits for guns. Indeed, more compelling: The Bill of Rights makes no reference to driving, but it does command that 'the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.' Constitutional liberties don’t evaporate at state borders. If your driver’s license is valid everywhere, the validity of your gun permit should go without saying. ... States have always had broad leeway to make their own public policy; the Constitution’s 'full faith and credit' principle doesn’t insist that all state laws be homogenized. But states cannot just disallow Second Amendment rights exercised in good faith by honest citizens from other states. The driver’s license in your wallet is accepted everywhere as prima facie evidence that you are competent to drive. The concealed-carry permit you keep right next to it should be given the same respect." Comment | Share Comedian Argus Hamilton: "The Secret Service is investigating a shooting outside Joe Biden's house in Delaware on Sunday after several shots were fired by a passing motorist in the direction of his home. Danger follows the vice president everywhere. Last week Joe Biden lost his train of thought and there were no survivors." Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis! 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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