Daily Digest
February 20, 2015
THE FOUNDATION"Besides, to lay and collect internal taxes in this extensive country must require a great number of congressional ordinances, immediately operation upon the body of the people; these must continually interfere with the state laws and thereby produce disorder and general dissatisfaction till the one system of laws or the other, operating upon the same subjects, shall be abolished." --Federal Farmer, Antifederalist Letter, 1787TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKSDon't 'Embrace the Terrorist Narrative' By Blaming IslamA day after Barack Obama insisted at his White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism, "We must never accept the premise" ISIL and al-Qaida put forward about their Islamic motivation, he blamed his critics for inflaming ISIL by drawing the connection. "All of us have a responsibility to refute the notion that groups like ISIL somehow represent Islam, because that is a falsehood that embraces the terrorist narrative," he explained. "That narrative becomes the foundation upon which terrorists build their ideology and by which they try to justify their violence. And that hurts all of us, including Islam, and especially Muslims, who are the ones most likely to be killed." He's right that Muslims in the Middle East are the ones perhaps suffering most under ISIL, but it doesn't help them to deny the role of radical Islam as ISIL's motivation. Obama can insists all he wants that this is a "very distorted impression" of Islam, albeit with "legitimate grievances," but if even 5% of the world's one billion Muslims hold to a radical and violent interpretation of the Koran, that's millions of what he might call "violent extremists." For him to blame conservatives for reinforcing this "narrative" only further exposes his cynical and craven political purposes.Comment | Share Obama Administration Announces Invasion of MosulAny student of history knows that, if a defensive force learns it will be attacked, it will dig trenches deeper. By the time the first skirmishers engage, artillery will be zeroed in on the main roads and sniper nests will litter the area. On Thursday, an anonymous U.S. Central Command official told a group of Washington reporters that before Ramadan (which starts June 17) a force of 25,000 fighters made up of the Iraqi Army and the Kurdish Peshmerga will attack ISIL at the city of Mosul. While it might work out well to have these jihadis gather in one spot, this is a bad move. Not only does this endanger the lives of the soldiers actually fighting ISIL, the Obama administration announced this plan for selfish political reasons. Barack Obama needs to justify his proposed Authorization for Use of Military Force to defeat ISIL and save the world all without a single boot on the ground. This announcement also reframes Obama as a tough actor on the world stage when it comes to national security. Yet his performance over the last few months show that he's anything but. However, let's waltz on to Mosul, where 25,000 fighters will march into the muzzles of the waiting ISIL fighters. Announcing D-Day two months ahead of time. Brilliant. More...Comment | Share Giuliani: Obama Doesn't Love AmericaFormer Mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani believes Barack Obama hates America. "I very rarely hear [Barack Obama] say the things that I used to hear Ronald Reagan say, the things I used to hear Bill Clinton say about how much he loves America," he explained. "I do hear [Obama] criticize America much more often than other American presidents. ... [I]t sounds like he's more of a critic than he is a supporter. You can be a patriotic American and be a critic, but then you're not expressing that kind of love that we're used to from a president." Obama's rhetoric is not the only indication. Actions speak louder than words, and his malfeasant approach to national security combined with his fervor to roll back the nation's immigration laws and to hamstring the economy with environmental regulation shows he has no respect for this nation. And, Giuliani later pointed out, "We haven't even mentioned some of the other communists and leftists who educated [Obama] as a young man. But all we need is Reverend [Jeremiah] Wright -- 17 years in that church and that man condemned America over and over and over again. And [Obama] remained a member of that church?" That does speak volumes. You don't seek to "fundamentally transform" something you love. More...Comment | Share Florida Court Upholds Bearing Arms Outside HomeThe Florida Court of Appeal held Wednesday in Norman v. State that the Second Amendment protects the right to carry a firearm outside the home. "After Heller I, McDonald, and [other recent rulings]," the court ruled, "it is clear that a total ban on the public carrying of ready-to-use handguns outside the home cannot survive a constitutional challenge under any level of scrutiny." The ruling quoted Peruta v. County of San Diego, in which the Ninth Circuit Court (yes, that Ninth Circuit) said a right is essentially "destroyed [if the] exercise of [that] right is limited to a few people, in a few places, at a few times." The Florida court did uphold the right of states to determine the manner of carry (open or concealed): "The Legislature is permitted to regulate the manner in which arms are borne for the purpose of maintaining public peace and safety, so long as any such regulation leaves available a viable carry mode." The court also didn't handle the question of limits to where a gun can be carried -- only that the overall right extends outside the home. We're glad to see another court rule in favor of the Second Amendment -- it's an encouraging trend. More...Comment | Share Biden's Somali FriendsDuring remarks at the White House Summit on Countering All Forms of Violent Extremism Including That of Quakers and Fundamentalist Bingo Groups, Joe Biden said some of his best friends are Muslims. Well, sort of. "Somalis have made my city of Wilmington, Delaware, [their home] on a smaller scale," he explained. "There is a large, very identifiable Somali community. I might add if you ever come to the train station with me you'll notice I have great relationships with them because there's an awful lot driving cabs and are friends of mine. For real. I'm not being solicitous. I'm being serious." The Washington Post makes short work of Biden's buddy claim, noting, "More than 75,000 Somali refugees have settled in the United States since 2004, according to the Office of Refugee Settlement. But the detailed annual reports show that since 2000, exactly zero have arrived to live in Delaware." There's also no truth to the rumor that Biden was aboard Brian Williams' helicopter when it was shot down.Comment | Share For more, visit Right Hooks.
RIGHT ANALYSISTolerating Radical Islam but Not Christian Bakers
Obama seems to hold a millennium-long grudge against all Christians for the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition, but he isolates the blame for terrorist acts to a small percentage of misguided radicals (who are in no way Muslim). That minority is on the march, however, slaughtering other Muslims who don't conform with their strict interpretation of Islam along with Jews and Christians, like the 21 Coptic Christians recently beheaded in Libya -- the ones Team Obama dismissively referred to as "Egyptian citizens." Obama, though, hasn't weighed in on the cultural clash occurring right here at home. In 2013, the owners of an Oregon bakery called Sweet Cakes by Melissa refused to bake a cake for a same-sex marriage ceremony because doing so conflicted with their religious beliefs. Rather than respect the owners' religious liberty and choose another bakers in the area, the lesbian couple filed a formal complaint with the state. That led to a recent ruling that the bakers denied the couple "full and equal access to a place of public accommodations." It's the latest in a growing number of instances where those who believe marriage is solely between a man and a woman are being hounded by radicals demanding full recognition of same-sex "marriage." In Washington, a florist cited her religion in refusing to create arrangements for a same-sex ceremony -- though she had previously served the couple. As Family Research Council President Tony Perkins explained, "[H]ere's the catch. [Barronelle] Stutzman didn't deny the men flowers, as the media wrongly suggests, but arrangements -- which would have required Barronelle to use her personal artistry to express what she believes is a sinful message." Speaking after the state ruled against Stutzman, Alliance Defending Freedom attorney Kristen Waggoner put her finger on the fundamental message of the Rainbow Mafia: "Celebrate us or else." She warned, "The ruling basically said that if you dare to not celebrate same-sex marriage because it violates your religious convictions, that the government has a right to bring about your personal and professional ruin." The florist herself said, after she pays all the fines and legal fees, "There won't be anything left. They want my home, they want my business, they want my personal finances as an example for other people to be quiet." Muslims call this tax on non-believers the jizya. American leftists call it tolerance. So, while Obama tries to excuse those whose religious dogma includes the wholesale slaughter of anyone who doesn't buy the Islamist cake, American citizens who hold sincere religious beliefs -- whose actions might be inconvenient to the "victims" but certainly aren't fatal or even dangerous -- find their livelihoods destroyed by the state in the name of fighting discrimination. That's what happens when those in government think they grant rights instead of God. It's worth noting that, in areas controlled by ISIL, homosexuality is punishable by death. Somehow, that makes one's inability to purchase a customized cake or flower arrangement from a particular business seem a bit less inconvenient. Comment | Share ObamaCare: Tax Filing Will Be Rude Awakening for Millions
The numbers are still sketchy, but estimates are that between four and six million people could face fines this year for not purchasing health insurance during 2014. H&R Block believes that some 3.4 million people who received subsidies will end up owing the IRS money this year. The Obama administration is trying to take the public's mind off this unwelcome news by trumpeting the surge in ObamaCare signups. Officials from the 14 state-run insurance exchanges say the surge is due to fear of facing a 2% penalty for not having insurance. But according to the Urban Institute, "More than 4 in 10 uninsured adults who may be subject to the penalty have heard little or nothing about it." So, never mind then. Supposedly, only 11.4 million people have signed up for health care coverage across the country. But that's a far cry from covering the 30-some-odd million uninsured Barack Obama kept telling us were suffering. And it isn't clear just how many of those 11.4 million people previously had insurance but lost it thanks to ObamaCare. Conveniently, enrollment closed on Feb. 15 -- a full two months before Income Redistribution Day. But enough of their constituents will suffer that Democrat lawmakers have asked the Obama administration to ease up on penalties and expand open enrollment until April 15 so people can avoid the penalty for 2015. Obama's HHS is considering it. It's a bit comical that Democrats like Sander Levin and Jim McDermott are now shedding crocodile tears for constituents who are going to get nailed with unexpected tax bills. Democrats alone passed ObamaCare -- without a single Republican vote. They own this law like no other, and they made ObamaCare happen through a relentless campaign of lies. If the situation wasn't so serious it would be amusing to watch these politicians wake up to reality. The 2% penalty is not just a slap on the wrist for most. For example, a person making $50,000 a year without insurance faces a $1,000 fine. That is, this taxpayer will have to pay the IRS $1,000 above what he is already forking over in taxes just because he didn't buy what the government told him to buy. And let's not forget the people who for one reason or another were overcompensated with government subsidies to help pay for their insurance. The IRS will be looking to reclaim that money, even though the federal government knew from the beginning that its formula for doling out subsidies (essentially the honor system) was broken. The organization that arguably stands to benefit most from all of this foolishness is the IRS -- the same bureaucracy that helped re-elect Obama in 2012 by targeting his political opponents. While the IRS has been complaining about supposed budget cuts, the agency received a $2 billion budget increase this fiscal year, and it will enjoy an 11% staff increase next year. The additional 9,000 employees will be brought on board to enforce 46 new tax provisions that come directly from ObamaCare. When a law grows the IRS that much, you know there's trouble. A larger IRS with a broader mandate to intrude into people's lives should scare every American to the core. If Obama does nothing else to shore up his signature law before leaving office, he is sure to fund the IRS to the greatest extent possible. He will leave behind an organization that is even bigger than the bloated, out-of-control monstrosity that it is today. Comment | Share For more, visit Right Analysis.
TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS
 OPINION IN BRIEFAmerican historian Richard Hofstadter (1916-1970): "A university’s essential character is that of being a center of free inquiry and criticism -- a thing not to be sacrificed for anything else."Columnist Michael Barone: "The [Supreme] Court ruled 9-0 that Obama couldn’t make recess appointments when the Senate said it was not in recess. It ruled 9-0 that the government couldn’t decide whom a church could classify as clergy. It ruled 9-0 that the government couldn’t fine landowners $75,000 a day to appeal an administrative order blocking construction in an alleged wetland. The Constitution authorizes Congress to pass laws and requires the president to faithfully execute them. Obama seems to take that as not so much a requirement as a suggestion, one he sees fit to ignore when he wants to 'change the law.' The Constitution’s framers wrote the faithful execution clause because they remembered that King James II claimed and exercised the power to suspend laws passed by Parliament whenever he liked. James was forced to flee England in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, and in 1689 Parliament passed a Bill of Rights declaring 'that the pretended power of suspending the laws or the execution of laws by regal authority without consent of Parliament is illegal.' There is a continuum between lawful exercise of discretion and unlawful suspension of the law. Time and again, Obama has lurched toward the wrong end of it." Comment | Share Columnist David Limbaugh: "[Obama] says the Islamic State group and other jihadis are not truly Islamic but attempting to hijack the religion. If he is sincere about that, then why does he want to let the worst of that bunch out of Guantanamo Bay and shower them with civil rights? If he is determined to convince peaceful Muslims that we recognize they are not like the terrorists, why does he insult them by coddling the ones he claims are aberrant? If Obama believes that the violent ones are not representative of the religion, why does he insist on treating them like the peaceful ones or assume the peaceful ones would want the radicals treated delicately? After all, if peaceful Muslims don't identify with the radicals, how would treating those radicals as enemies and enemy combatants alienate the peaceful ones? And if he believes that the billion-plus Muslims he talks about are so peaceful, why does he act as if they are on a hair trigger to become terrorists, to the point that we can't even call out the radicals among them without fear of every Muslim's turning into one?" Comment | Share Comedian Conan O'Brien: "Obama has appointed a new head of the Secret Service. The new Secret Service director was so excited that he jumped over the White House fence for joy." 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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