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"It is the madness of folly, to expect mercy from those who have refused to do justice; and even mercy, where conquest is the object, is only a trick of war; the cunning of the fox is as murderous as the violence of the wolf." --Thomas Paine

Obama tells the Middle East how it's going to be

POLITICAL FUTURES

"US President Barack Obama claims to be a big fan of telling the truth. In media interviews ahead of his trip to Saudi Arabia and Egypt and during his big speech in Cairo on Thursday, he claimed that the centerpiece of his Middle East policy is his willingness to tell people hard truths. Indeed, Obama made three references to the need to tell the truth in his so-called address to the Muslim world. Unfortunately, for a speech billed as an exercise in truth telling, Obama's address fell short. Far from reflecting hard truths, Obama's speech reflected political convenience. Obama's so-called hard truths for the Islamic world included statements about the need to fight so-called extremists; give equal rights to women; provide freedom of religion; and foster democracy. Unfortunately, all of his statements on these issues were nothing more than abstract, theoretical declarations devoid of policy prescriptions. ... In short, Obama's 'straight talk' to the Arab world, which began with his disingenuous claim that like America, Islam is committed to 'justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings,' was consciously and fundamentally fraudulent. And this fraud was advanced to facilitate his goal of placing the Islamic world on equal moral footing with the free world." --columnist, editor and senior Middle East fellow, Center for Security Policy Caroline Glick

RE: THE LEFT

"Obama the Humble declares there will be no more 'dictating' to other countries. We should 'forge partnerships as opposed to simply dictating solutions,' he told the G-20 summit. In Middle East negotiations, he told al-Arabiya, America will henceforth 'start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating.' An admirable sentiment. It applies to everyone -- Iran, Russia, Cuba, Syria, even Venezuela. Except Israel. Israel is ordered to freeze all settlement activity. As Secretary of State Clinton imperiously explained the diktat: 'a stop to settlements -- not some settlements, not outposts, not natural-growth exceptions.' What's the issue? No 'natural growth' means strangling to death the thriving towns close to the 1949 armistice line, many of them suburbs of Jerusalem, that every negotiation over the past decade has envisioned Israel retaining. It means no increase in population. Which means no babies. Or if you have babies, no housing for them -- not even within the existing town boundaries. Which means for every child born, someone has to move out. No community can survive like that. The obvious objective is to undermine and destroy these towns -- even before negotiations. ... Blaming Israel and picking a fight over 'natural growth' may curry favor with the Muslim 'street.' But it will only induce the Arab states to do like [Mahmoud] Abbas: sit and wait for America to deliver Israel on a platter. Which makes the Obama strategy not just dishonorable but self-defeating." --columnist Charles Krauthammer

FOR THE RECORD

"We didn't see President Obama's big 'Muslim outreach' speech in Cairo, as it turned out he was delivering it at 6 a.m. Who knew Muslims were such early risers? But we've read the text, and it seems to be a fairly typical Obama speech. By and large it strikes us as conciliatory but not to the point of cravenness. He says some tough things, though not toughly enough for our liking. And as is his wont, he is often quite vague. ... One passage, though, bothers us, because Obama is presenting an ignorant or dishonest account of history: ...'The Palestinian people -- Muslims and Christians -- have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than 60 years they have endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations -- large and small -- that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.' To hear this, you'd think that Palestinians have lived under Israeli 'occupation' for 60 years. In fact, the West Bank and Gaza were under Arab occupation (by Jordan and Egypt, respectively) until 40 years ago (we're following Obama's convention of rounding to the nearest decade). What happened 60 years ago was that the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution calling for Jewish and Arab states in what was then Palestine. The existing Arab states -- Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria -- rejected the plan, declared war on Israel, and urged Palestinian Arabs to flee their homes, promising their return upon the Arabs' victory. Israel won instead. Palestinians remain in 'refugee camps' in large parts because Arab states, except for Jordan, refuse to allow them to resettle. (By contrast, Israel has absorbed hundreds of thousands of Jews fleeing persecution in Arab countries.) Rather than accept their share of responsibility for the Palestinians' plight, the Arab states still promise the 'right of return' upon Israel's defeat." --Wall Street Journal columnist James Taranto

LIBERTY

"In the end, the explanation for this long, long war -- which grows longer -- doesn't lie in anything we've done but in who we are: a nation dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Has there ever been a doctrine more subversive to the despotisms of the world? What we in the West do, right or wrong or neither, is but an excuse for the war being waged against our civilization by a rapacious enemy. It is what we are that threatens them: a beacon. Ideas have consequences; they can spread of their own accord. That is why we are such a threat to their closed societies. It is what we represent: freedom. And freedom attracts by its very existence. Eternal vigilance, it turns out, isn't just the price of liberty but of our existence." --Arkansas Democrat-Gazette editor Paul Greenberg

CULTURE

"Why aren't liberals rushing to assure us this time that 'most pro-lifers are peaceful'? Unlike Muslims, pro-lifers actually are peaceful. According to recent polling, a majority of Americans oppose abortion -- which is consistent with liberals' hysterical refusal to allow us to vote on the subject. In a country with approximately 150 million pro-lifers, five abortionists have been killed since Roe v. Wade. In that same 36 years, more than 49 million babies have been killed by abortionists. Let's recap that halftime score, sports fans: 49 million to five. Meanwhile, fewer than 2 million Muslims live in America and, while Muslims are less murderous than abortionists, I'm fairly certain they've killed more than five people in the United States in the last 36 years. For some reason, the number '3,000' keeps popping into my head. So in a country that is more than 50 percent pro-life -- and 80 percent opposed to the late-term abortions of the sort performed by Tiller -- only five abortionists have been killed. And in a country that is less than 0.5 percent Muslim, several dozen Muslims have killed thousands of Americans. But the killing of about one abortionist per decade leads liberals to condemn the entire pro-life movement as 'domestic terrorists.' At least liberals have finally found some terrorists they'd like to send to Guantanamo." --columnist Ann Coulter

OPINION IN BRIEF

"The teaching establishment and politicians have hoodwinked taxpayers into believing that more money is needed to improve education. The Washington, D.C., school budget is about the nation's costliest, spending about $15,000 per pupil. Its student/teacher ratio, at 15.2 to 1, is lower than the nation's average. Yet student achievement is just about the lowest in the nation. What's so callous about the Washington situation is about 1,700 children in kindergarten through 12th grade receive the $7,500 annual scholarships in order to escape rotten D.C. public schools, and four times as many apply for the scholarships, yet Congress, beholden to the education establishment, will end funding the school voucher program. Any long-term solution to our education problems requires the decentralization that can come from competition. Centralization has been massive. In 1930, there were 119,000 school districts across the U.S; today, there are less than 15,000. Control has moved from local communities to the school district, to the state, and to the federal government. Public education has become a highly centralized government-backed monopoly and we shouldn't be surprised by the results." --George Mason University economics professor Walter E. Williams

THE GIPPER

"Those who have never broken free from the mentality of tax-and-tax and spend-and-spend still think increasing taxes is the best way to solve America's problems. ... We need a tax policy that offers incentives for people to work, save, and invest -- all the things that will keep our economy growing and improve our well being. We need a basic tax reform that will permit us to bring everybody's tax rates down. ... Our country needs leadership that can see beyond the demands of the special interest groups and prepare America for a better tomorrow." --Ronald Reagan

GOVERNMENT

"Despite disclaimers from President Obama that the government doesn't want to be in the car business, it is hard to see what it has bought with our tax dollars other than two of what used to be known as 'the big three.' Government by default or determination will choose the types of cars the companies it owns will make. Government will buy a lot of them because not enough customers will unless they are made offers they can't refuse, not by a car salesman in a loud sport coat, but by a government bureaucrat in a suit. ... The customers, who once were always right, have been cheated. All one has to do is look at government-made cars to see they are about as attractive as government art, government architecture, or many other things government does poorly. The Skoda (when the Czechoslovakia communist party made them -- they're nice now thanks to free market capitalism) had its own jokes: 'How much is a Skoda worth with a full tank of gas?' Answer: 'Twice as much.' East Germany's Trabant, a major polluter, was little more than a two-cycle engine encased in the thinnest veneer and the old Soviet Union cars were about as appealing as a Siberian winter. These are the kinds of cars governments have produced." --columnist Cal Thomas

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

(To submit reader comments visit our Letters to the Editor page.)

"Thank you for Mark Alexander's essay, Obama's 'Peace for Our Time'. Obama's actions and rhetoric were offensive to me and should be to all freedom-loving Americans. This man consistently lambasts America as a bully, an initiator of war instead of the saving grace for Europe -- not once but twice -- the defender of Muslims around the world and the one country who is always the first to offer assistance when a natural disaster occurs. This man hates America and he is a purveyor of destruction for America." --McDonough, Georgia

"'Difficult days lie ahead. More jobs will be lost. More plants will close. More dealerships will shut their doors and so will many parts suppliers. But I want you to know that what you're doing is making a sacrifice for the next generation.' --Barack Obama. Not quite, Barack. What you're actually doing is forcing this generation to make a sacrifice of the next one. And the next, and the next..." --Wheaton, Illinois

"Friday's Digest mentioned Judge Frank Easterbrook of the Seventh Circuit Court thinking that the Second Amendment to the Constitution does not apply to individual states. Perhaps the Honorable Judge Easterbrook would like to have Illinois cede from the Union and repay the federal coffers all of the money sent there over the years. They could have their own defense department, and fund all of the parks, roads and infrastructure themselves. Recall the state's congressmen sent to Washington, since they obviously are not needed due to the failure of the federal laws having any jurisdiction over states. Good luck Your Honor!" --Cutlerville, Michigan

Publisher's Note: On Thursday, millions of Americans received a propaganda e-mail from the White House promoting Obama's address to the "Islamic World."

The message began, "Hello, As a Senior Advisor to the President, I'm here in Cairo, Egypt where I watched President Obama deliver an unprecedented speech calling for a new beginning for the United States and Muslim communities around the world."

The message was signed,

Thank you,
David Axelrod
Senior Advisor to the President

Some of our readers, and countless others, are questioning how the White House obtained their e-mail address. Some of these readers have written the White House previously about various issues, but none have authorized the use of their e-mail address by the Obama administration for list distribution, which is to say, the administration is in violation of federal law. The Patriot has inquired with the White House in regard to several specific receipts, and we will let you know how they respond.

THE LAST WORD

"'You are there.' The rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, that great, sandstone-walled, light-filled hall ringed with statues of the great of American history -- Jefferson, Washington, proud Andrew Jackson in his flowing cape, Eisenhower, U.S. Grant, his eyes surveying the terrain as if he sees something out there in the wilderness. It's 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 3, 2009, and Ronald Reagan marches in, surrounded by his peers. Actually his newly installed statue is unveiled there, in a ceremony attended by officials of both parties (including the speaker of the House and the leaders of the minority), his wife, Nancy, and a few hundred of his friends, appointees, staffers and cabinet members. It was standing room only. The mood: mellow, proud and modest with the increased modesty of age. 'How lucky was I to walk into history when Ronald Reagan was in the room?' The speeches ranged from the heartfelt to the appropriate, with two (James Baker and Mrs. Reagan) being outstanding. It is usual, after formal ceremonies with their frozen rhetoric, to come away feeling that no cliché was left untouched. In some cases here they were quite thoroughly molested, but no matter. The general feeling was that Ronald Reagan restored America to itself, and that's what people more or less said. It was a great day..." --columnist and former Reagan assistant Peggy Noonan

*****

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.)