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PATRIOT PERSPECTIVE
Religion and Politics Don't Mix?

Publisher's Note: Alexander's Essay is now published each Thursday. The latest essay can be found at PatriotPost.US.

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

Spendaholic

This Just In: Obama Administration Predicts Higher Deficits

President Barack Obama is not exactly ahead of the curve by predicting that budget deficits will be higher than his administration originally estimated. He is merely admitting what many realized long ago. In crafting its first budget, the administration's view of the economy was confident to the point of ignorance, and this week, it revised its projection for this year's deficit to $1.84 trillion, $90 billion higher than was projected in February and bigger by itself than all but the last of Bill Clinton's budgets. Next year is supposed to be only moderately better, with $1.26 trillion in red ink. But again, those are government figures.

Falling tax receipts and higher spending are to blame, but the enlightened statesmen at the helm seem to have no problem with perpetuating that situation by proceeding with proposed tax hikes on individuals in higher income brackets and on corporate profits. The drunken sailor motif is still the order of the day for the spendthrift Congress, as demonstrated in its continued support for the long-failing Head Start program. Obama proposed last week to save $66 million by scrapping Early Start, but that savings is wiped out 150 times over by the $10 billion pledged to other education programs such as Head Start. Sure, the program is well intended, but it's had no appreciable impact on learning in grades four and up among the poor, and, more important, we're still looking for the Article in the Constitution authorizing it.

Of course, the unchecked growth of government will continue as long as Obama does not feel the heat of accountability. His administration and the media (but we repeat ourselves) have repeatedly blamed our current economic debacle on George W. Bush. This makes for easy political scapegoating, but the facts do not support such a conclusion. Bush's 2009 budget, at which the liberals now shake their fists, cleared the Senate with only two Republican votes. The current president, vice president and secretary of state, however, all voted for that budget. And let us not forget the inconvenient truth about the $7-plus trillion deficit Congress plans to rack up over the next 10 years thanks to Obama's plans to remake health care, "save" Social Security, eviscerate corporate America and punish those who make more than $250,000 per year.

News From the Swamp: ubgone51 Changes

The Obama administration released more details this week of its planned overhaul of the tax structure for American companies doing business overseas. In order to scrounge money for his expensive domestic programs from whatever source possible, Obama proposes a variety of ways to raise $210 billion. Income shifting by U.S. companies to foreign subsidiaries would be restricted. U.S. companies that draw at least 80 percent of their income from foreign business will no longer be able to treat interest and dividends as exempt from withholding tax. Also, some U.S. firms that pay levies in foreign jurisdictions would no longer be eligible for foreign tax credits. Taken together, these proposals will amount to a 6 percent increase in the corporate tax rate for U.S. companies, which already pay about 10 percent higher taxes than companies in the rest of the developed world. Ultimately, this will make American firms less competitive in the international marketplace at precisely the time they will need every advantage they can gain in order to help turn around our economy.

New & Notable Legislation

On the Hill this week are several gun bills that merit attention. Reps. Steve King (R-IA) and Zack Space (D-OH) introduced H.R. 2296, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act. This legislation, which corresponds with the Senate version S. 941, seeks to streamline BATFE's operations to make it easier for gun owners and dealers to comply with regulations while ensuring that criminals are punished for violations. Similar legislation cleared the House in the 109th Congress and was cosponsored by a majority of the House in the 110th Congress.

Before readers applaud the return of common sense in Congress regarding the Second Amendment, however, let's consider the Gun Show Loophole Closing Act. Introduced by Reps. Michael Castle (R-DE) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) in the House and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) in the Senate, the bill would place draconian restrictions on gun dealers and would not close any so-called loopholes, unless by loopholes they mean gun shows and private sales in general. The bill is based on the false premise that these shows are a major source of guns used in crimes, despite several government studies showing otherwise.

Rep. Pete King (R-NY) introduced the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2009, H.R. 2159, which gives the attorney general the power to deny a person the right to buy a gun if the AG "determines that the transferee is known (or appropriately suspected) to be or have been engaged in conduct constituting, in preparation for, in aid of, or related to terrorism, or providing material support thereof, and the Attorney General has a reasonable belief that the prospective transferee may use a firearm in connection with terrorism." This remarkably vague language is doubly disturbing since Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano deemed as potential terrorists virtually anyone who doesn't vote Democrat.

Finally, the Senate approved 67-29 an amendment to H.R. 627, the credit card "reform" bill, to restore the Bush administration's policy allowing citizens with concealed carry permits to carry loaded firearms in national parks. In March, a federal judge blocked the policy. To our great dismay, however, our home state of Tennessee's GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander split from all other Republicans to vote against the amendment. "I have consistently been a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, but this legislation goes too far -- further than President Reagan, further than President Bush, and further than Tennessee law," said Alexander, who is, we should add, NO relation to The Patriot's Mark Alexander. We believe that the 10th Amendment gives precedence to the states on this issue, and Tennessee, by the way, allows concealed carry in state parks. Maybe Alexander would have known this if he had returned home for treatment for Potomac Fever on occasion. Beyond that, of course, the Second Amendment is our carry permit.

One Less Endangered Animal

Despite the best efforts of those in the Al Gore Radical Environmental Club to portray polar bears as helplessly drowning after ice floes melted away, the Department of the Interior this week refused to overturn rules put in place by the Bush administration stipulating that the species could not be ruled as endangered simply due to habitat degradation from climate change unless that link could be directly proven by agency scientists.

The department's decision drew the usual complaints and legal threats from the environmental kooks, but the administration was careful not to rule out further action. Noted Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, "The Endangered Species Act is not the appropriate tool for us to deal with what is a global issue." Instead, Salazar advocated for Congress to adopt stricter limits on greenhouse gases, such as cap-and-trade schemes.

While Obama sees those as "market-based" actions, the creation of an artificial carbon market where none now exists may turn out to endanger another species already under assault from so-called "global warming" -- American consumers.

Indeed, from the Keen Sense of the Obvious files, the White House Office of Management and Budget sent a memo to the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year warning, "Making the decision to regulate CO2 under the [Clean Air Act] for the first time is likely to have serious economic consequences for regulated entities throughout the U.S. economy, including small businesses and small communities." Thanks for clearing that up.

Taking the Fall From 'Scare Force One'

When an administration commits a high-profile faux pas, someone has to take one for the team and fall on his sword. In the case of last month's Air Force One Statue of Liberty flyover, that someone is White House Military Office director Louis Caldera, who was thrown under the Hope 'n' Change Express late last Friday afternoon. In the news item timed for burial, Caldera blamed being away from his office and on pain medication for a back condition as reasons he was inattentive to notifying superiors about the flyover. However, Caldera's resignation letter didn't further elaborate on the reasons for the flight, leading to further speculation that it was a reward to political supporters and Obama cronies. In any case, Caldera's resignation will probably be a satisfactory end to the silly affair insofar as Obama and the uninquisitive mainstream media are concerned.

From the Left: Real Humor Eludes Liberals

Each spring, White House correspondents get together for dinner and invite the president to be the butt of their jokes for the evening. Generally it's good-natured humor at the expense of the commander in chief, and as far as Obama was concerned, this year's rendition was no exception.

However, featured guest comedienne Wanda Sykes instead laid into Obama's predecessor and a number of conservative icons during her performance. After all, as "Late Show" writer Bill Scheft said of comedians not joking about Obama, "It's not because he's black and it's not because we're afraid. It's just that he's, just so far, just a little too d*** competent and we ain't used to that." Oh, well, if that's the case...

Sykes's jokes included wishing Fox News's Sean Hannity could be waterboarded by MSNBC loudmouth Keith Olbermann and chiding Sarah Palin for her views on abstinence (now that's a knee-slapper). But she saved her real venom for radio talker Rush Limbaugh, saying she hoped his kidneys would fail because he had wished Obama would fail in enacting his policies. She went further, saying, "I think maybe Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker [on 9/11], but he was just so strung out on Oxycontin he missed his flight." The president seemed quite amused by it all, though White House press secretary Robert Gibbs admitted that Sykes's 9/11 reference may have gone a tad too far.

Conservatives are often cast as being humorless, but in this case we think Sykes's humor is bred of meanness, as is that of most lefties. In a society where decency is in ever shorter supply and tact is at a premium, it's unfortunate that Sykes took her moment in the spotlight to exhibit the fact she had neither.

This Week's 'Braying Jenny' Award

"Rush Limbaugh, one of your big critics, boy, Rush Limbaugh said he hopes this administration fails. So, you're saying 'I hope America fails' -- it's like, I don't care about people losing their homes, or their jobs, our soldiers in Iraq. He just wants the country to fail. To me, that's treason. He's not saying anything differently than what Osama bin Laden is saying." --Wanda Sykes

NATIONAL SECURITY

Warfront With Jihadistan: McTrading Places

Signaling a major change to strategy in Afghanistan, this week Defense Secretary Robert Gates ousted Gen. David McKiernan, the top U.S. commander overseeing Afghan operations. McKiernan will be replaced by Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the man in charge of the 2003 capture of Saddam Hussein, as well as the 2006 elimination of top al-Qa'ida deputy Abu Musab al Zarqawi. McChrystal has extensive experience in counterinsurgency and special operations, having commanded Joint Special Operations Command, the ultra-secretive component of USSOCOM believed to be responsible for a number of highly classified counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations worldwide.

Gates commended Gen. McKiernan's decades of distinguished service, and The Wall Street Journal notes the general "has been uniformly praised ... as forthright and capable." But when questioned by reporters about kicking McKiernan to the curb, Secretary Gates deadpanned, "Nothing went wrong."

Ah ... come again?

We think firing a top commander 11 months into a 24-month tour implies something "went wrong." In all likelihood that "something" is the stagnating campaign against insurgents in Afghanistan. Although the number of U.S. troops assigned to Afghanistan will more than double to 68,000 by year's end, senior DoD officials -- including Gates -- see a need to move from a conventional war-fighting mindset to a fresh frame of reference based on counterinsurgency principles so successfully used in Iraq.

However, while McChrystal brings a fresh perspective to the table -- as well as a formidable toolkit of experience, skills and leadership -- Afghanistan is not Iraq. The bulk of the fighting is rural, not in cities; Afghanistan itself is a tribal quilt, divided both by ethnicity and language, with no truly unifying political leadership; and the enemy is considerably less accessible, hiding in remote areas of both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

From a strategic standpoint, however, as important as debates over whether conventional or irregular warfare strategies are the most appropriate to use in Afghanistan, perhaps the best question to ask right now -- especially in light of the tectonic changes both in our presidential administration and our military leadership -- is what does "winning" look like in Afghanistan? What are our objectives now, how will we know when we've met them, and at what point can we legitimately declare victory and go home?

Obama to Continue Bush Policy on Commissions

Did Obama hire someone from the Bush administration to program his teleprompter? It would appear so, as The One flip-flops back to yet another Bush policy in the Long War. In addition to waffling on closing Gitmo and backtracking on releasing pictures of terrorist prisoners being "tortured," the Obama regime now has decided that military trials for captured terrorists are just fine, a 180-degree turn from previous statements.

In June 2008, Obama contended, "By any measure, our system of trying detainees has been an enormous failure." Also that month, Obama crony Eric Holder, now U.S. Attorney General, claimed that the military trials violated "both international law and the United States Constitution." Amazing what a dose of reality will do to such strongly held "convictions."

Of course, the Obama regime and the Leftmedia spin on this reversal is that the "new and improved" Obama military trials will be nothing like those of the evil President Bush. The Obama rules include banning the use of evidence obtained from harsh interrogations, tightly controlling the admissibility of hearsay testimony, and giving terror suspects greater freedom in choosing attorneys, whereas under the evil Bush rules all suspects apparently would have been dumped into wood chippers after a prolonged period of physical torture.

Oh wait -- the Bush rules were in fact almost identical to Obama's, with elaborate legal protections for all suspects, including the presumption of innocence, putting the burden of proof on the prosecution, and the right to legal counsel paid for by the American taxpayer, or a private attorney if the suspect so chooses. In fact, the only difference is that the Obamessiah is now calling the shots, so he gets his usual pass from the fawning Leftmedia. The hypocrisy is nothing if not stunning.

Pelosi Caught in Another Lie

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is in hot water over her claim that she was not briefed in 2002 on waterboarding being practiced. She amended her story slightly in a press conference Thursday, saying, "The only mention of waterboarding at that briefing was that it was not being employed," adding, "those briefing me in September 2002 gave me inaccurate and incomplete information." She admitted to knowing about waterboarding in practice in 2003.

Whether or not Pelosi knew of the practice in 2002, the evidence is clear that she was present for the briefing on the technique, and she said nothing until it was more politically convenient. Claiming that she was lied to four years after the interrogation tactics became public doesn't pass the sniff test. The uproar even led House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), no close friend of Pelosi's, to declare earlier this week, "What was said and when it was said, who said it, I think that is probably what ought to be on the record as well." After what we can only assume was a waterboarding session with the speaker that night, Hoyer "clarified" that he didn't mean Pelosi, but Republicans. As blogger Ed Morrissey notes, "[Pelosi] had better hope that more detailed briefing notes never get made public. Pelosi just dared the CIA to leak again, and I don't think they're likely to get intimidated by her at this point."

From the 'Non Compos Mentis' File

"So my statement is clear, and let me read it again. Let me read it again. I'm sorry. I have to find the page. I was informed that the Department of Justice opinions had concluded that the use of enhanced interrogations was legal. The only mention of waterboarding was that the briefing -- in the briefing was that it was not being employed. When -- when -- when my staff person -- I'm sorry, the page is out of order -- five months later, my staff person told me that there had been a briefing -- informing that there had been a briefing and that a letter had been sent. I was not briefed on what was in that briefing; I was just informed that the briefing had taken place. So -- so let's get this straight." --Nancy Pelosi

Armed Forces Day 2009

Armed Forces Day is Saturday, 16 May. We remain the proud and the free because these Patriots -- American soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen and coast guardsmen -- have stood bravely in harm's way and remain on post today. For this, we, the American people, offer our heartfelt thanks and prayers for you and your families.

The Patriot is proud to be one of the nation's leading advocates for our armed forces and their mission -- not only by providing countless Americans with the right perspective on that mission and the demanding tasks our military personnel have carried out with unfailing courage and professionalism, but also through efforts such as Operation Shield of Strength and the Patriot Shop, which carries an extensive collection of products bearing official military insignia.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Income Redistribution: Ford at a Disadvantage

Ford is the only one of the Big Three automakers to choose the high road of rejecting government bailout funds, but that road might prove a rocky one. Whereas Chrysler escaped repaying its secured lenders in full -- thanks to White House Auto Czar Steven Rattner's ultimatum that banks accept just $2 billion as repayment for $6.9 billion in debt or else -- Ford, lacking Washington's benevolence bestowed on those who eat from the hand that holds them in its grasp, remains responsible for approximately $26 billion in secured debt.

This means that while Ford has spent the last three years following the basic economic principle of supply and demand and redesigning its product line to meet the latter, the company may now be at a competitive disadvantage against government-rescued Chrysler and GM. (For more on the Obama administration's trampling of the rule of law, see George Mason University law professor Todd Zywicki's excellent essay, "Chrysler and the Rule of Law.")

Meanwhile, in an apparent case of delayed enlightenment syndrome, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) recently rejected President Obama's authority to use Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) money to bail out the automakers. "TARP's intent," McCain said, "is not to help out the auto industry." Disruption of free-market capitalism and autocratic industry takeover are not within presidential authority? You don't say!

This Week's 'Alpha Jackass' Award

"You don't need banks and bondholders to make cars." --an unnamed administration official

Obamacare Advances

As congressional Democrats prepare to sweep the $1.2 trillion Obamacare plan into effect, The Wall Street Journal reports, "a coalition of private health-system providers ... agreed in principle to try to shave 1.5 percentage points off the growth rate of U.S. health-care costs over the next decade, about $2 trillion." It's worth emphasizing that the coalition will "try to shave" the growth rate, not actual dollars.

The Journal's analysis is right on target: "The private groups are calculating that they can better influence this year's bill if they're 'partners' instead of villains. They've no doubt seen what happened to Wall Street and Chrysler bondholders. All the same, they must surely know they have made a Faustian bargain that in time will result in price controls and restrictions on care."

It might be worth considering the federal government's current unconstitutional excursions into health care: Medicare and Medicaid. According to the annual report on Social Security and Medicare by their trustees, Medicare last year began paying more in benefits than it collects (even after shortchanging doctors by 20 to 30 percent) and will be bankrupt in 2017 -- two years earlier than was projected prior to Obama's election. Medicaid covers one-third of all long-term health expenses to the tune of $227 billion a year and rising by 17 percent this year. Despite the bleak outlook, Democrats, in all their ineffable irrationality, propose to add 50 to 100 million more Americans to the insolvent government system even as expansion brings bankruptcy correspondingly closer.

White House bureaucrats remain convinced they are more qualified than the private sector to wring $2 trillion in unidentified savings from the health care system over the next decade. Obama even claimed that he would hold each company to its promise to save money, despite his lack of any enforcement mechanism. He also faces re-election in 2012 and certainly has no chance of being in office 10 years from now. Once again, Obama's Academy of Lagado continues to believe it can extract sunbeams from cucumbers through contrived proclamations and arbitrary new taxation proposals (such as the tax on health benefits provided by employers or the tax on soda) in the hopes of buying a little more time for an unconstitutional entitlement program.

In the meantime, Republicans continue to craft their free-market proposal for release by Memorial Day, which will be of use for little more than contrast in the next election cycle. Let's hope health care is still available by then.

Around the Nation: California Budget Trouble

Already incensed over the enormous "temporary" tax increases passed by the California legislature during February's budget stalemate, Golden State voters are now being asked to vote next Tuesday to extend those increases. Five of the six ballot initiatives -- authored by the legislators and supported by the "Governator" -- are doing poorly in the polls (the only one supported by the voters limits legislative salaries if they continue their shoddy job at handling the budget), but the situation is much more complicated than a yea or nay.

According to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office, even if the voters agree to the tax extensions, the state will still be $8 billion in the red in the next fiscal year. If voters do not approve the extensions, the state could find itself $21 billion in debt. California is teetering on the precipice of financial disaster and, according to Rep. Brad Sherman (D), "may have to go into bankruptcy." Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is preparing a "doomsday" budget full of massive cuts if the propositions fail.

Like the voters, Schwarzenegger is caught in a catch-22. California can't cut much from social programs without losing federal stimulus funding. The Obama administration threatened the governor with the loss of billions of dollars in funding if he goes through with his proposed wage cuts of home health workers. Obama, always sympathetic to the plight of the "workers," was swayed by the Services Employees International Union, one of several unions powerful enough to frustrate any efforts to reform the state government.

What is truly frightening, however, is the fact that this union was permitted to sit in on the conference call between state and local officials as they discussed the matter. "The involvement of a stakeholder in this kind of state-federal deliberative process is unusual at best," said California Secretary of Health and Human Services Kim Belshe. Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund summed it up: "The powerful public sector unions that run California would rather lobby for a federal bailout than tolerate any repeal of the tax hikes that are driving people and businesses from the state."

Georgia's GOP Governor Vetoes Tax Cut

Georgia Republicans recently passed a capital gains tax cut and several tax credits for small businesses, but they were thwarted by their own governor. Sonny Perdue, the first Republican governor of Georgia since Reconstruction, vetoed the tax cut Monday, saying, "Georgia is a balanced budget state. It's very difficult to do the stimulus-type bills in a state that is starved for revenues." However, it seems that Perdue's problem has to do less with the budget than supply-side economics in general. In fact, he says he doesn't buy into "supply-side theory within a state government," period. Indeed, Perdue signed a big tax increase in his first term. The veto leaves Georgia not only with demoralized Republicans, but also a blown opportunity to attract businesses that would readily flee states with higher tax rates in hard economic times.

CULTURE & POLICY

Regulatory Commissars: Zeal Knows No Bounds

Cheerios is a food product. Or is it a drug because it reduces cholesterol? Enter the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates, well, food and drugs. CBS reports, "The Food and Drug Administration scolded the makers of Cheerios about the way they promote the cereal's health benefits. The FDA sent a letter of warning to General Mills accusing them of making unauthorized health claims. Current boxes of Cheerios are touting what the company calls exciting news -- the cereal's ability to help lower cholesterol 10 percent in one month."

The FDA informed General Mills that its advertising violates the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act by claiming that Cheerios can lower cholesterol within a certain amount of time, as well as help fight cancer and contribute to heart health. Doing so apparently makes Cheerios a "drug." No drug in this country can be legally marketed without an approved new drug application.

So, what will be the FDA's play? Have Cheerios stop its ad campaign? That doesn't affect the nature of the cereal, which will continue to be eaten to lower cholesterol. Have Cheerios pulled from the market while it undergoes testing to qualify as a drug? Prescription Cheerios?

Village Academic Curriculum: Abuse Swept Under Rug

The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday about repeated instances of sexual abuse in the Los Angeles Unified School District. A teacher's aide had been accused of molesting students three times before finally being arrested, tried and convicted. The first two times, the aide was quietly moved to another school, where he apparently went right back to his old ways. Similar situations involved two elementary school teachers and a middle school principal, as well.

The situation at LA Unified is strikingly similar to that in the Catholic Church, where priests credibly accused of abuse were simply moved instead of punished. Yet, according to Newsbusters, LA Unified's story has garnered no media attention outside of the LA Times. On the other hand, "Remember how the Boston Globe handled the Catholic Church abuse scandal in 2002," notes Newsbusters' Dave Pierre. "It wasn't just one article. The Globe ran a mind-blowing 989 articles related to the scandal in the 2002 calendar year alone!" We guess if such news doesn't make Catholics look bad, it's not news.

Is College for Everyone?

As students graduate from college this spring to find a less-than-receptive job market, a growing number of critics are questioning the value of a college education for the vast majority of Americans. Besides grade inflation and other factors that have steadily eroded the curriculum, tuition and other costs continue skyrocketing with no end in sight. Between 1986 and 2006, tuition and fees increased an astounding 122 percent at public schools and 80 percent at private ones, adjusted for inflation. Critics argue that for most students, a B.A. will never be worth the tremendous debt burden they assume at a point in life when they have the least resources to handle it. Fresh out of school, many B.A. grads find themselves saddled with a debt that could have bought their first house and will take decades to pay off.

"The education industrial complex" has intentionally perpetuated a deceptive "image of college as a sure-fire path to a life of social and economic privilege," says financial columnist and author Kathy Kristof. Parents frequently believe that a B.A. is the best hope for success, and millions of teenagers, who a generation ago would have begun their careers right after high school, are now being pressured into college instead. One study found that 90 percent of teenagers had been urged by their guidance counselors to go to college.

All this is fine with college administrators. The growth of the college student population has created a huge demand for loans, and the federal government has been happy to supply the money via loans, and grants to students, schools and states, etc. According to the College Board, federal aid in 2005-06 totaled $94 billion, a real increase of 95 percent during the previous 10 years. And as the federal money increased, tuition rose even faster, enabling universities and colleges to make a few "improvements" on campus, recruit big name professors and make other enhancements not possible when money was tight.

Charles Murray of the American Enterprise Institute has studied education for decades. He contends that a large percentage of students pressured into college do not have the necessary skills, and they suffer real harm from the experience. He proposes a system by which individuals obtain certification in their desired occupation by passing tests in the necessary skills. Such tests already exist for accounting and a few other professions. "Young people entering the job market should have a known, trusted measure of their qualifications," Murray asserts. "They need a certification, not a degree."

Hope 'n' Change

"How many of you kids want to go to college? Well, guess what? Barack Obama and Joe Biden are going to make sure that every single one of you who qualify are gonna get to go to college, even if you don't have the money in your family to go. We're gonna make sure you get there." --Vice President Joe Biden to students at Bellevue Elementary School in New York

And Last...

In April, three eco-adventurers left Plymouth, England, on a solar- and man-powered boat to make a 5,000-mile carbon emission-free trip to Greenland. Mother Nature didn't cooperate, however, as the three encountered severe weather after only 12 days. The boat capsized three times, and, the BBC reports, "In one incident [one traveler, Ben] Stoddart hit his head and the wind generator and solar panels were ripped from the yacht." In the end, the three had to be rescued, which is where the story gets even better. They sent a mayday to Falmouth coastguards, who coordinated the rescue with the Overseas Yellowstone -- an oil tanker. Nothing like a little irony to put things in perspective.

*****

Veritas vos Liberabit -- Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for The Patriot's editors and staff.

(Please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm's way around the world, and for their families -- especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American liberty.)