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"A fondness for power is implanted, in most men, and it is natural to abuse it, when acquired." --Alexander Hamilton

PATRIOT PERSPECTIVE

The Class of '44

Publisher's Note: Alexander's latest essay can be found at PatriotPost.US.

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

Hope 'n' Change: The Obama Auto Show

The 2010 Obamobile

Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution grants the president of the United States the power to be commander in chief of the armed forces (subject to declarations of war in Congress), to make treaties with other nations (subject to ratification in the Senate), to grant pardons, to appoint ambassadors, judges and other officers, to recommend measures to Congress. The Constitution also bestows a number of other minor powers based on these major components.

Nowhere in our nation's governing document can one find a presidential power to regulate the minutiae of private business, much less take ownership of those private businesses. Yet that is how Barack Obama is wielding his ever-increasing power, despite taking an oath to "faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and ... to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

"President Barack Obama announced plans on Tuesday for a national fuel-economy and greenhouse-gas standard that would significantly increase mileage requirements for cars and trucks by 2016," Politico reports. The fuel standards will require that automakers reach an industry average of 35.5 miles per gallon within just seven years. The current average is 25 mpg. The goal is to link the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard to the Environmental Protection Agency's greenhouse-gas standard. Congress is working on legislation for $25 billion in further loans to the auto industry to pay for the change, which will likely cost upwards of $100 billion.

Of his fiat Obama said it is a "historic agreement to help America break its dependence on oil, reduce harmful pollution and begin the transition to a clean-energy economy." The White House claims it will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil, along with reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 900 million metric tons. History says otherwise, however. The original 1975 CAFE standards resulted in more fuel consumption, not less, because driving became cheaper.

The flip side is that the new regulations will add $1,300 to the cost of a car as reckoned by the same administration that estimated this year's budget deficit: so potential car buyers will almost certainly be hanging on to their older cars a bit longer -- counter to Obama's stated purpose. That $1,300 is also a tax increase, even on the middle class whose taxes Obama has repeatedly promised not to increase.

Finally, the regulations aren't safe. As the Competitive Enterprise Institute's Sam Kazman explained in 2002, "The evidence on this issue comes from no less a body than the National Academy of Sciences, which issued a report last August finding that CAFE contributes to between 1,300 and 2,600 traffic deaths per year. Given that this program has been in effect for more than two decades, its cumulative toll is staggering. CAFE has this impact on safety because it restricts the production of large cars. Large cars are less fuel efficient than smaller, similarly equipped vehicles, but they are also more crashworthy in practically every type of accident."

The BIG Lie

"Even as the price to build these cars and trucks goes up, the cost of driving these vehicles will go down, as drivers save money at the pump. And this is a point I want to emphasize: If you buy a car, your investment in a more fuel-efficient vehicle as a result of this standard will pay off in just three years. In three years' time you will have paid off the additional investment required. So this is a winning proposition for folks looking to buy a car. ... The fact is, everyone wins." --Barack Obama

Credit Card 'Reform' Clears Congress

Sweeping legislation that will fundamentally change the way credit card issuers do business sailed through the House and Senate and is now on its way to the White House for President Obama's signature. Among the changes set to be in place by February 2010 is a prohibition on charging consumers for paying credit card bills by phone, and an end to sudden interest rate hikes. Consumers will have to be told how long it will take to pay off their balances by making minimum payments, and information on the ins and outs of their agreements must be made in plain and clear language, whatever that means. Additionally, payments above the minimum due must be applied to the highest interest rates first, and credit card issuers must provide at least 45 days before making any major changes to the terms of the card agreement.

The banking industry has some major complaints about the legislation, noting primarily that the new regulations will deal them a financial blow on top of what they are already experiencing with the recession. Furthermore, a higher level of risk will result from these new regulations, making credit harder to obtain. The nation's largest banks involved in the credit card business have warned that they will charge higher interest rates once the new rules take effect, and some users may face cancellation of their cards if they don't use them regularly. Also, bonus reward point programs and frequent user rebates may come to an end as companies struggle to find new ways to remain profitable in the restricted environment.

Nestled deep in the language of the credit card reform bill, however, is a provision that restores the Bush administration policy to allow citizens to carry loaded and concealed firearms in national parks. To the amazement of pretty much everyone, Democrats largely joined Republicans in supporting the measure, much to the chagrin of gun grabbers and environmentalist groups, who apparently believe that the measure will lead to massacres in the forest and cause significant harm to the environment.

This Week's 'Alpha Jackass' Award

"Families should not have to stare down loaded AK-47s on nature hikes." --Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign

Democrats Hot for Global Warming Legislation

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) won a victory on his 1,000-page cap and trade (read: cap and tax) bill Thursday when it passed his committee on a party line 33-25 vote. The bill ostensibly tackles global warming by creating a system in which industrial producers of greenhouse gas emissions would be required to meet a government-imposed cap on their emissions, but would allow them to purchase credits that cover emissions exceeding the cap.

Initially, Obama wanted the credits to be auctioned off, with the estimated $629 billion in proceeds to go to other government-subsidized programs, of which he has no shortage. Congress thought otherwise, though, and instead will allow the EPA to dole out 85 percent of the credits for free to various energy producers and states. The remaining 15 percent would be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to low- and middle-income families hardest hit by the inevitable rise in electricity costs that will come after the program is in place.

This brings us to why Waxman is in such a hurry to get this bill through the House. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 80 percent of Americans can expect a rise in their energy bills and a reduction in real income because of the cap and trade bill. What amounts to a national energy tax also will cost jobs, as the bill itself admits. Part 2, section 426, states: "An eligible worker, specifically workers who lose their jobs as a result of this measure, may receive a climate change adjustment allowance under this subsection for a period of not longer than 156 weeks." That's three years for those educated in public schools.

Unfortunately, consumers know very little about the cap and trade legislation (and as seen in this video, neither does Waxman. According to a recent Rasmussen poll, only 24 percent of voters know what cap and trade is; 29 percent thought it was related to Wall Street and 17 percent thought it was related to health care reform. Fully 30 percent didn't have a clue what the term even meant. And that fits perfectly into the Democrats' plan.

New & Notable Legislation

The House and Senate passed the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act this week, and President Obama signed it, naturally without the five days for public scrutiny that he guaranteed on the campaign trail. The Associated Press says the bill "would expand [individual eligibility for] an existing $300 billion program that encourages lenders to write down an individual's mortgage if the homeowner agrees to pay an insurance premium. The program, set to expire in 2011, would swap out a homeowner's high-interest rate for a 30-year fixed loan backed by the Federal Housing Administration."

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) introduced the No Fly, No Buy Act of 2009, H.R. 2401, which aims to stop "persons who may be prevented from boarding an aircraft in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System" from buying a gun. As columnist David Codrea put it, "In other words, if your name appears on the same list as the one that delayed Teddy Kennedy's boarding pass, you'll be denied purchasing a gun. And even scarier, you'll be subject to arrest." This is the same Carolyn McCarthy who, regarding many firearms and their components, doesn't even know what she's trying to ban.

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Disney World) plans to introduce the Paid Vacation Act, which would make one week of paid vacation a federal mandate for companies with more than 100 employees. An employee would earn the week off after working for one year; three years' work would merit two weeks vacation. Companies with 50 or more employees would have to provide one week after three years of employment. "There's a reason why Disney World is the happiest place on Earth: The people who go there are on vacation," said Grayson. "The best days of my life are and always have been the days I'm on vacation." We're sure his constituents at Disney World appreciate his attempts to drum up business for them.

From the Left: Feds Throw the Book at Hsu

Democrat fundraiser Norman Hsu was convicted Tuesday of violating campaign finance laws by making thousands of dollars of donations through straw donors in order to bypass limits on individual contributions to a candidate. Hsu also pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a Ponzi scheme he used to bilk investors out of more than $20 million. He faces 30 years in prison. Hsu has been most visibly associated with Hillary Clinton's failed campaign for the Democrat presidential nomination last year, but he is also linked to other prominent Democrats -- including the current occupant of the White House. Clinton returned $850,000 to donors linked to Hsu; Obama's Hopefund PAC took in at least $24,000 from him and his associates from 2005 to 2007.

This Week's 'Braying Jenny' Award

"Norman! It's Hillary. What am I going to do with you Norman? You are working so hard for me, that I, I just don't know what to say anymore. I've never seen anybody who has been more loyal and more effective and really just having greater success supporting someone, uh, than you. Everywhere I go, you're there. If you're not, you're sending people to be part of my events. You know, we're going to win this campaign, Norman, because you single-handedly are going to make that happen. ... Lots of love. Bye-bye." --Hillary Clinton on a March 2007 voicemail to Norman Hsu

News From the Swamp: Utah Gov. Tapped for China Post

Four months after assuming the office of Chief Executive, President Obama finally got around to filling the key post of Ambassador to China by selecting Jon Huntsman Jr., Utah governor. Huntsman, first elected as Utah's governor in 2004, is well versed in Asian affairs and is fluent in Mandarin. He previously served as a deputy trade representative under President George W. Bush from 2001-2004 and was ambassador to Singapore from 1992-1994.

While Huntsman is a fine selection, his nomination continues an Obama trend of naming possible political opponents to inferior positions in his administration. Naming Hillary Clinton as secretary of state is an obvious example, but another was his bid to remake the Senate by tapping Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) to be secretary of commerce, a post Gregg eventually declined. Huntsman was on the verge of forming an exploratory committee for 2012. As has long been the case with Obama, he prefers to clear the playing field rather than compete on a level one.

The Least Obvious Cut

Despite a bloated budget that expands government, President Obama vowed to cut or get rid of programs he considers useless or wasteful. But as a favor to his union buddies, one of Obama's real dollar cuts comes at the expense of the Office of Labor-Management Standards -- an agency that became a guardian of workers' rights under the Bush administration and whose investigations during his tenure led to 900 convictions of corrupt union officials.

Obama's budget proposal cuts $4 million in funding for the agency and requires resources to be transferred from the union watchdog to other agencies focusing on employers. Furthermore, the little guy who works in the union shop can no longer find out just how his hard-earned dues are spent -- on AIG-style perks, for example. The Obama Labor Department will not enforce the disclosure requirements put in place under President Bush.

With Big Labor now sitting in the catbird seat at two of the Big Three automakers and with billions in federal funding to fall back on, removing a watchdog agency geared toward policing union scofflaws doesn't seem like it benefits the American taxpayer, nor will it bolster their confidence in the new UAW-led regimes at GM and Chrysler.

From the 'Non Compos Mentis' File

The Social Security Administration has sent out 52 million stimulus checks, and in its rush to meet the June distribution deadline, some of them ended up going to dead people (a.k.a. Obama voters). As reported by the New York City Fox News affiliate, Antoniette Santopadre of Long Island received a check made out to her father, who died in Italy 34 years ago. He had been a U.S. citizen but had not been in the United States since 1969. It is estimated that some 8,000 to 10,000 checks amounting to millions of dollars in taxpayer money went to dead people because Social Security had no record of their passing. Fair enough, but how do you explain mistakes like Santopadre's father, who was never even part of the Social Security system?

NATIONAL SECURITY

Warfront With Jihadistan: NYC Terror Plot Thwarted

As the president defended his plan to close the Guantanamo detention facility Thursday and continued his push for Israel to accept the two-state "solution" for violence perpetrated by Palestinian jihadis, four Muslim men were arraigned for a plot to bomb a New York City synagogue and attack military planes at a New York National Guard air base. The FBI had been tracking the men for nearly a year, partly with the help of an informant who monitored and steered their plot. According to the informant, at least one of the men was angry at the U.S. for killing of Muslims in Afghanistan.

Freedom Watch founder Larry Klayman made a keen observation: "One can only wonder whether President Obama's kinship and love of 'all things Muslim and Arab,' and his obvious rebuke of Israel for holding fast, has given a signal to Muslim extremists that it is now open season to attack Jews and U.S. military installations, even in our own country." It wouldn't be the first time Obama's stated intentions produced the opposite results.

In other news, U.S. District Judge John Bates ruled Tuesday that an enemy combatant must have been a member of al-Qa'ida, the Taliban or associated forces, or engaged in belligerent acts, to be detained at Guantanamo indefinitely. The ruling rejects the administration's position that even those who supported these organizations can be detained indefinitely.

The Obama administration still plans to try some detainees in federal court, making Ahmed Ghailani the first such case in a civilian criminal court when he is sent to New York City for trial. Ghailani was indicted in 1998 for the bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa that killed 224 people, including 12 Americans.

On Cross-Examination

"The administration seems to pride itself on searching for some kind of middle ground in policies addressing terrorism. ... But in the fight against terrorism, there is no middle ground, and half-measures keep you half exposed. You cannot keep just some nuclear-armed terrorists out of the United States, you must keep every nuclear-armed terrorist out of the United States. Triangulation is a political strategy, not a national security strategy. ... There is never a good time to compromise when the lives and safety of the American people are in the balance." --former Vice President Dick Cheney in his speech opposing Obama

Department of Military Correctness: Don't Ask, Don't Appeal

Continuing to display the incredible leadership he has shown since his rise to power (cough), President Obama once again punted and took the easy way out in a recent court decision on the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Last year, a federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled that the federal government must justify its reasons for releasing a decorated officer because she is homosexual. The court rejected the government's arguments that the law should have a blanket application, saying that the government must detail why this specific person could not serve. Displaying its spine of jelly, the Obama administration let pass a 3 May deadline for an appeal to the Supreme Court, thereby returning the case to the district court level, where administration officials said they would continue to defend the law, out of the Supreme Court spotlight.

During the presidential campaign, Obama said that he would seek to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." But since taking office, the alleged commander in chief has done everything possible to avoid actually acting on the controversial topic. For example, in a related case, last week the Obama regime was pressed to explain whether it would intervene to protect a West Point graduate who had announced he was homosexual as part of a plan to challenge the current policy. If Obama is too afraid to disappoint his constituents on the one hand, and too afraid to command his military on the other hand, what must our enemies be thinking when they look at this cowardly, double-talking, campaign-promise-breaking empty suit in the White House?

Profiles of Valor: 10th Special Forces Group

On 10 September 2007, a team of three Army Green Berets led by Capt. Matthew A. Chaney, along with nine Iraqi police, began an assault from two helicopters near Samarra, Iraq. The team was targeting Abu Obaeideah, a leader of the Islamic State of Iraq in the area. The field designated for landing was covered with water, so the helicopters had to land closer to the insurgents' safe house, where they came under heavy enemy fire.

Practically blinded by dust from the second helicopter, the Iraqis were all but taken out of the fight from the start, so Chaney, Sgt. 1st Class Michael D. Lindsay and Staff Sgt. Jarion Halbisengibbs led a charge against the building where the hostile fire was originating. Halbisengibbs threw in a fragmentation grenade, killing two, and the soldiers rushed in. Lindsay was hit in the throat by an AK-47 round, and Chaney took a hit to the pelvis. Then both were thrown from the doorway by a grenade blast. Lindsay, who couldn't raise his rifle, fired at the enemy with his pistol. Chaney couldn't feel his legs, but he kept firing, killing a jihadi. Halbisengibbs "continued to clear the structure in complete darkness as his night vision goggles and personal radio were all destroyed by enemy gunfire at point blank range," the official narrative read. He was shot in the thumb and knocked down by a grenade blast but continued fighting, killing another terrorist. As he moved back to the courtyard to protect his wounded comrades, Halbisengibbs was shot through the abdomen but managed to kill another jihadi on his way to the ground. He then directed the Iraqi police to finish the fight. Obaeideah was killed, along with 12 other insurgents, six by Halbisengibbs.

All three Green Berets have recovered from their injuries. Chaney and Lindsay were each awarded the Silver Star; Halbisengibbs received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army's second highest combat medal.

Editor's Note:

Please join our PatriotPost.US editors and staff, and millions of Patriots across our great nation, by dedicating some time this Memorial Day for reverence and prayer. Flags should be flown at half-staff until noon, your local time.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

GM's Bankruptcy Plan

The world's biggest automaker may soon be owned by the U.S. government. "The Obama administration is preparing to send General Motors into bankruptcy as early as the end of next week under a plan that would give the automaker tens of billions of dollars more in public financing as the company seeks to shrink," reports The Washington Post. Note who is planning the bankruptcy. Reuters fills in the details, reporting that the bankruptcy plan "involves a quick sale of the company's healthy assets to a new company initially owned by the U.S. government." Furthermore, "The government's plans include giving stakes in the new company to GM's union and bondholders, although the ownership structure of the company is still being negotiated." The government would forgive the $15.4 billion in loans that the U.S. has already given to GM, and extend further credit to the ailing company.

In preparation for a possible bankruptcy, GM is planning to close 1,100 dealerships. It's a hard business decision that must be made, but we thought Obama was supposed to be saving the industry and its jobs -- though apparently he meant just the union ones. We do remember what Obama told us last month: "I want to disabuse people of this notion that somehow we enjoy, you know, meddling in the private sector."

Around the Nation: CA Voters Reject Higher Taxes

The Golden State is seeing red -- lots of it. After voters Tuesday nixed state legislators' hopes of supplementing federal stimulus money with another taxpayer-funded "bailout," California's budget deficit ballooned from $15 billion to $21 billion. Voters rejected five of six ballot measures that would have, among other things, extended tax increases, let the state borrow against future revenue, and redirected education and mental-health money into the state's general fund. The vote against each of the five defeated measures exceeded 60 percent. The only initiative that passed bans pay raises for elected officials in a year with a budget deficit -- it passed with 74 percent of the vote.

The problem isn't lack of revenue -- far from it. As columnist George Will notes, if "state spending increases [since 1990] had been held to the inflation rate plus population growth, the state would have a $15 billion surplus." Instead, in the past six years, inflation-adjusted per capita government spending has skyrocketed almost 20 percent -- under the "Republican" governor who replaced a Democrat in a recall election with his promise to pull California back from financial ruin.

Failing to mention the causes of California's financial disaster, The New York Times headlined its story with "Calif. Voters Reject Measures to Keep State Solvent," and ABC was no better, bemoaning the state's "unwillingness to raise taxes." Perhaps the most troubling quote, however, comes from columnist Jack Kelly, disturbing not for its distortion but for its truth: "Pay attention to what happens in California. It's a harbinger of things to come everywhere."

Income Redistribution: Rich Vote With Their Feet

Speaking of higher taxes, Americans are saying good-bye to higher taxes -- literally. According to a study recently conducted for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), from 1998 to 2007, more than 1,100 people per day -- many of them high-income earners -- moved from the nine highest-income-tax states primarily to the nine no-income-tax states. For example, after New Jersey implemented its "half-millionaire" tax hike in 2005, the state lost 4,000 half-millionaires. And as billionaire Tom Golisano recently wrote in The New York Post, his move from the Empire State to the Sunshine State will save him more than $5 million annually in state taxes.

High taxes are not only the antagonist to population retention but are also the toxin that kills economic growth. When the University of Colorado's Barry W. Poulson examined reasons for states' prosperity or lack thereof from 1964 to 2004, he found "a significant negative impact of higher marginal tax rates on state economic growth." The ALEC study confirmed this, finding that from 1998 to 2007, states with no income tax created 89 percent more jobs and boasted 32 percent faster personal income growth than high-tax states.

Still, liberals cry for tax hikes on the rich to alleviate state budget deficits. It turns out that by talking with their feet, the "rich" are saying, "No thanks."

CULTURE & POLICY

Village Academic Curriculum: Obama Speaks at Notre Dame

In his commencement speech at Notre Dame Sunday, President Obama challenged both sides of the abortion issue to show respect and acceptance for each other, though his message was clearly aimed at those who are pro-life. Notre Dame's president, Reverend John Jenkins, chided us all for not sufficiently recognizing Obama's willingness to speak at an institution which, in theory at least, opposes abortion. Clearly Jenkins was trying to distract us from the real question: why a Catholic university would ask someone with Obama's views on abortion to speak, despite the protests of 70 Catholic bishops and countless other Americans. Bishop John D'Arcy, whose diocese includes Notre Dame, declined to attend the commencement out of support for the 300 pro-life protesters outside the auditorium.

On the surface, asking both sides of an issue to "stop demonizing" the other sounds so evolved and tolerant. But strip away the rhetoric and we see the leftist propaganda machine at its insidious best. As Rush Limbaugh pointed out, Obama has managed to convey morality as immoral, and the pro-life position as archaic and extreme.

If any position is extreme, however, it is Obama's. As a senator he voted not once, but three times, in favor of leaving babies born alive after botched abortions to die. In addition, he has promised to sign the national Freedom of Choice Act, which would remove most legal barriers to abortions. He is also, in removing Bush-era restrictions, allowing federal tax dollars to be spent on embryonic stem cell research as well as on promoting and performing abortions in other countries.

Notre Dame's students and their families applauded Obama's speech. But someone did speak out in protest. As Obama began his discourse about abortion, a baby's cry could be heard, loud enough to be captured by television cameras. One might ask, what better place for Divine intervention than a religious university, even one that is ignoring one of its most important credos?

Faith and Family: PBS Targets 'Sectarians'

In a swiftly changing political climate that seems to be affecting nearly every aspect of American life, switching from the news channel to, say, a documentary on Antarctica or a sermon by your local televised church on PBS is a good way to drown out the incessant babble. Or at least, it was.

The word is that PBS is living up to its company motto to "Be More" by threatening to yank its association with stations that broadcast "sectarian" content. Sounds like "Be Less" to us. Back in 1985, PBS enacted a policy of "Three Nons," meaning PBS affiliate stations could only air material that met the following criteria: noncommercial, nonpartisan and nonsectarian. Noting the irony, Newsbusters reports, "PBS routinely fails at nonpartisanship, and its programs have long been a commercial bonanza for savvy 'nonprofiteers.' The 'sectarian' use of PBS, by comparison, is quite rare and localized."

So what's the focus of this action? Apparently if PBS enforces the "Three Nons," a station that airs religious material, such as WLAE in New Orleans, which has broadcast its Catholic Mass for 25 years without any viewer complaints, would lose its affiliation.

The Washington Post reports that the number of affiliate stations carrying religious programming is small -- PBS isn't even sure of the number. But "religious services of faith-based groups" will be barred, said Jennifer Lawson, chairwoman of the PBS committee that is scheduled to vote next month on enforcing the "Three Nons." But lest readers be confused, "The intent is for [PBS stations] to show editorial independence," Lawson added. So censoring religious programming is meant to be a show of "editorial independence?" Thanks for clearing that up.

Newseum Exhibit a Shrine to Obama

Not only is Washington, DC's Newseum running a photo exhibit that is a blatant "Ode to Obama," but the Newseum vigorously denies that the exhibit has a political agenda. "This is not about Barack Obama," said Susan Bennett, the Newseum's VP of Marketing. No, of course it's not. The title of the exhibit, "Fotobama," was pure coincidence.

The photo exhibit, which was purportedly about the 2008 presidential election, was full of such coincidences. For example, it was just a fluke that only two of the 25 photos in the "campaign and election professional" category were of John McCain; that Sarah Palin was excluded from the exhibit altogether; or that the only picture of Bill and Hillary Clinton was of the power couple rallying for Obama. Perhaps the biggest "coincidences" were the pictures of former President George W. Bush: the Bushes flying away from the White House after Obama's ascension and the one of a protester holding a picture of Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney behind bars.

Newseum's next exhibit: war. But as Bennett rushed to assert, "That's not a political statement by the Newseum -- it's an exhibit on how photojournalists capture the consequences of war." It's enough to make one "newseous."

And Last...

Joe Biden is at it again. Known for his loose lips, Biden is constantly in the position of issuing clarifying statements regarding some off-the-wall comment. The VP has outdone himself this time, though. At the recent Gridiron Club dinner in Washington, Biden informed his companions of the secret bunker where the vice president remains if he needs a secure location -- it's under the old U.S. Naval Observatory, which is now home to the vice president. A spokesperson did clarify later that Biden meant the "upstairs workspace." Sure. We can only imagine that Biden was thinking, "I'll show Cheney. I'll tell everyone where he was hiding, that slime ball." The only problem is the next time the vice president -- which would be Joe Biden -- needs a secure location, everyone knows the first place to look. For his slack jaw, Biden was sent on a super secret mission to the Balkans, where he claimed that he came under sniper fire in 1993. The gift that keeps on giving...

*****

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.)