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Title: The Patriot Post Digest 4-26-2016 Post by: nChrist on April 26, 2016, 06:49:42 PM ________________________________________ The Patriot Post Digest 4-26-2016 From The Federalist Patriot Free Email Subscription (http://patriotpost.us/subscription/new) ________________________________________ Mid-Day Digest Apr. 26, 2016 THE FOUNDATION “Where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected. No man is safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties, or his possessions.” —James Madison, 1792 TOP RIGHT HOOKS How to Impose Personal Beliefs on Others1 The Colorado State Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from a baker who was found guilty of discrimination for declining to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding ceremony in 2012. By not picking up the case, the highest court in the state let stand an August 2015 ruling2 from the Colorado Court of Appeals that declared baker Jack Phillips did not have a right to free speech or the free exercise of religion whenever he picked up his piping bag. “We all have a right to our personal beliefs, but we do not have a right to impose those beliefs on others and discriminate against them,” said ACLU attorney Ria Tabacco Mar, who dragged the cake baker to court. “We hope today’s win will serve as a lesson for others that equality and fairness should be our guiding principles and that discrimination has no place at the table, or the bakery as the case may be.” Once again, a leftist displays a stunning lack of self-awareness. Imposing beliefs on others is exactly what the ACLU and the rest of the Rainbow Mafia are doing. In this case, they used the courts and the government of Colorado to strip Phillips of his rights and conscript his services for a cause to which he has conscientious objection. Not only that, but Phillips and his staff must submit to re-education, quarterly compliance reports and demands that he create cakes to celebrate other same-sex unions. The Rainbow Mafia is indeed “imposing its beliefs on others.” In a statement3 after the ruling, Phillips' legal counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom, said it is “evaluating all legal options” in order to protect Phillips' First Amendment right to use his creativity how he chooses, and by extension everyone else who objects to state-endorsed same-sex marriage. One of those options might be the United States Supreme Court. Not Drug Money, Just Christian Cash for Orphans4 We’ve previously noted how the practice of civil asset forfeiture needs serious reform5 because it’s little more than an unconstitutional windfall for law enforcement6. Jason Snead of the Heritage Foundation defines7 forfeiture as “a policy that enables law enforcement authorities to seize property or currency if they suspect it is involved in, or is the result of, a crime.” With that, we now offer the latest entry in the annals of “justice.” A 40-year-old Texas man was pulled over in Oklahoma for driving with a busted tail light. Police dogs alerted deputies to a stash of cash (which often bears trace amounts of drugs), so law enforcement escorted the man to the station for further questioning. The man, a refugee from Burma who became a U.S. citizen more than a decade ago, speaks English as a second language, so communication with the deputies wasn’t always clear, but officers found no evidence of any crime — except the mere possession of $53,249 in cash. So they took all of it, marking the receipt “Possession of drug proceeds.” They then let him go, busted tail light and all, though five weeks later, he was finally charged with a felony: “acquir[ing] proceeds from drug activity.” The worst part is that the cash was earned by a Christian band, of which the Texas man was a part, and the majority of it was earmarked for a religious college in Burma and an orphanage in Thailand. No drugs, just music and charity. Fortunately, after the story blew wide open Monday, the district attorney decided to drop charges and dismiss the civil case, allowing for the money to be returned. But it never should have gotten this far, and without the media spotlight, it might have continued. Oklahoma’s forfeiture laws are among the worst in the nation — as in, the most permissive for law enforcement. And guilty-until-proven-innocent is the name of the game, which turns the Constitution on its head. Instead, Oklahoma should follow Nebraska’s lead. The Cornhusker state just abolished the practice8. Judge Okays North Carolina Voter ID9 If Democrats can gain an advantage at the ballot box by supporting a certain voting policy, they will, whether it be illegal, unconstitutional or ethically shady. On Monday, a federal judge on Monday dealt a blow to proponents of voter fraud by declaring the changes to the voting law that North Carolina enacted in 2013 did not violate the civil rights of minority citizens in the state. The Left had argued that minority voters would be disproportionately disadvantaged by a law requiring voters to show one of eight acceptable kinds of ID before filling out a ballot, eliminating same-day voter registration and reducing early voting periods. But these are simply common-sense verifications that preserve the integrity of elections. North Carolina is a contested state10, with the state leaning Democrat by the thinnest of margins, so they need all the help from illegitimate voters they can get. But Judge Thomas Schroeder wrote that North Carolina’s law was not unusual compared to other states' voting laws and “North Carolina has provided legitimate state interests for its voter ID requirement and electoral system.” Because it’s a presidential election year and because of North Carolina’s contested nature, this case is almost certain to head to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which is based in Richmond, Virginia. Speaking of Virginia, the commonwealth’s Democrat governor unilaterally granted voting rights11 to 200,000 former felons through an executive order. Again, whatever it takes for votes, Democrats will do it. Don’t Miss Patriot Humor Check out Some Like It Hot12. If you’d like to receive Patriot Humor by email, update your subscription here13. BEST OF RIGHT OPINION Jeff Jacoby: Let Patients Pay the Piper, and the Price of Health Care Will Fall14 Cal Thomas: The Felon Vote15 Dennis Prager: Why the Left Loathes Western Civilization16 For more, visit Right Opinion17. FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS Broken Promises and Feckless Policy in Syria18 By Paul Albaugh On Monday, Barack Obama announced a change of plans for the U.S. military concerning operations in war torn Syria. With the quagmire of chaos and brutality that has ravaged Syria, Iraq and much of the Middle East, it seems as though Obama has come to the realization that airstrikes alone against Islamic State militants are just not working out as well as he expected. “Inherent Resolve,” notwithstanding. Following visits to Britain and Saudi Arabia where “talks” were conducted about the Islamic State and terrorism, Obama wrapped up his trip in Germany where he announced19 that the United States will put an additional 250 special operations forces on the ground in Syria, bringing the total number to 300. It was the least he could do. Really. Obama stated, “Given the success [of those 50 special operations troops already there], I’ve approved the deployment of up to 250 additional U.S. personnel … to keep up this momentum.” He emphasized that these additional forces will not be on the front lines, but that they will be acting in advisory roles and assisting Arab fighters and Kurdish militia on a plan to eventually take back the city of Raqqa, which is currently the “Islamic State’s de facto capital in Syria.” Whatever happened to Obama’s repeated promise not to put boots on the ground in Syria? You know, the promise he made 16 times20. There are already as many as 5,000 pairs of boots on the ground in Iraq21, and he promised that wouldn’t happen either. Was there another crossing of Obama’s phony red line or is it just better late than never? What gives? Title: The Patriot Post Digest 4-26-2016 Post by: nChrist on April 26, 2016, 06:50:41 PM ________________________________________ The Patriot Post Digest 4-26-2016 From The Federalist Patriot Free Email Subscription (http://patriotpost.us/subscription/new) ________________________________________ As we have mentioned many times before, the rise of the Islamic State would not have happened if Obama had not acted so foolishly by withdrawing troops from Iraq in 201122. By choosing to reject George W. Bush’s strategy of reaching a Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government to secure our hard-won gains in the region, Obama opened the door for radical Islamic terrorists to fill the vacuum. Obama thought that if we left the region, the war would be over. His wishful thinking resulted in an enemy even more formidable and numerous than the previous one. And it’s not just Islamic terrorists with whom we must contend on this battlefront. Vladimir Putin still has Russian military forces in Syria, propping up Bashar al-Assad and fighting U.S.-backed “moderates” instead of the Islamic State. By all indications, Putin has no intention of leaving the region any time soon. Russia has agreed to uphold its end of the deal under a current cease-fire agreement, but The Wall Street Journal reports23 that Moscow has redeployed many of its forces, including artillery, to northern Syria and that Iranian troops are starting to move back into government controlled areas close to the front lines. Further, Putin has also attempted to deceive the U.S. by changing his tactics. At first, many thought the withdrawal of Russian warplanes from the region was a sign that Putin had decided to leave. But with the arrival of Russian attack helicopters, Russian troops continuing to maintain an airbase and a port, and with pressure from Iran to stay, it’s likely that Putin is going to wait this out a little while longer. As Michael Ledeen noted last month24, “Putin knows time is running out on The Wonderful Thing That Happened in Washington (aka the Obama administration). So whatever he wants to get, now is the time.” So we are left with a situation in Syria that could go from awful to much, much worse. We are fighting the Islamic State and providing weapons to a group of rebels to take down Assad, while Russia and Iran have teamed up to keep Assad in power. And don’t forget, Obama handed Iran a nuclear deal25 that has fueled the mullahs' ambitions with $150 billion in sanctions relief, which of course has enabled Iran to make the moves it has made with Russia in Syria. Meanwhile, we have an administration that simply doesn’t know what to do about Assad. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Assad a reformer. Then Obama said he had to go. And then current Secretary of State John Kerry said he can stay for now. This is not leadership, its madness. And with the announcement that more U.S. troops are going into Syria, it’s just a matter of time before tensions between the United States, Russia, Syria and Iran ramp up even more over the coming months. In short, this isn’t so much about broken promises as it is about a feckless and disastrous foreign policy. No wonder the Pentagon can’t figure out26 what the commander in chief is doing. May God bless and watch over our troops who are and will be sent into harm’s way. MORE ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE ANALYSIS: Clearing the Air on Fossil Fuels27 Sierra Club’s Next Target Is Natural Gas28 Filing ‘Error’ Delayed Release of Benghazi Documents29 Sanders Fares Poorly Among the Low-Income Class30 Shrinking the Swelling Food Stamp Horde Is a SNAP31 TOP HEADLINES Delegate Guide for the April 26 GOP Primaries32 Cleveland Reaches Settlement in Tamir Rice Case33 Austrian Government in Shock as Far-Right Triumphs34 For more, visit Patriot Headline Report35 OPINION IN BRIEF Jeff Jacoby: “Most Americans have gotten used to a system in which even their most routine and predictable medical costs must be routed through the maddening labyrinth of insurance procedures. But nothing could be more counterproductive. When Americans rely on a third party … to pay most of their medical bills, they forfeit their power as consumers. Our ill-conceived system of subsidized health plans provided by employers and taxpayer-funded ‘free’ treatment through the government ends up stripping patients of their economic clout. Doctors and hospitals have little incentive to compete by lowering prices, because patients rarely bother to ask about prices. By and large, health-care providers in the United States do most of their negotiating with insurers or the government. After all, they’re the ones paying the piper. It’s only when medical services aren’t reimbursed by a third party … that the consumer is king. … Nobody taps auto insurance to pay for tuneups or new tires; we use it when the car is rear-ended or stolen. We shouldn’t be using health insurance to pay for routine checkups, either. If it seems odd to say so, that’s only because we’ve convinced ourselves that normal medical expenses shouldn’t be treated normally. If we want health care to cost less, we should pay for it ourselves.” SHORT CUTS Upright: “Is there anything more inimical to the spirit of science than the idea of squelching further inquiry, freezing our existing understanding in place and silencing opposition? Because this is precisely what such phrases as ‘settled science’ or ‘scientific consensus’ are designed to do.” —William McGurn Speak of the devil: “So much of what’s going on now is something that we have to treat as if it’s a mental illness. I believe that climate change denial is a form of mental illness.” —Alec Baldwin Braying Jackass: “[Angela Merkel] is giving voice to the kinds of principles that bring people together rather than divide them.” —Barack Obama on Merkel’s policy of allowing hundreds of thousands of Muslim “refugees” into the country Clarification: “So for those of you who need translation into the latest newspeak: Letting your country be overrun by an uncontrolled migration of more than one million unvetted foreigners from a profoundly different culture, who profess a religion with large elements that are hostile to Western freedoms — and then forcing your citizens to pay for it. That is ‘uniting.’ Demanding that your country exercise its sovereignty, enforce its border regulations, and pursue the interests of its own citizens first — that’s ‘dividing.’” —Jeremy Carl Art of the deal: “I’ve never told [Indiana voters] not to vote for me. They ought to vote for me.” —John Kasich, appearing to blow up the deal he had just made36 with Ted Cruz on ceding Indiana The BIG lie: “We are still facing and struggling with systemic racism. … And as a white person, I have to talk about it more and say that we are not a post-racial society. We still struggle with racism and it is not only wrong, but it is holding us back.” —Hillary Clinton And last… “Obama, who once admitted he couldn’t help his daughter with her 7th grade math, just gave the British prime minister economic advice37.” —Twitter satirist @weknowwhatsbest Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis! Managing Editor Nate Jackson 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. |