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on: Today at 03:44:45 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com
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The Truth Of Christ
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
“As the truth of Christ is in me…” (II Cor. 11:10).
How often St. Paul, in his letters, speaks with an oath! “God is my witness” (Rom. 1:9), “As God is true” (II Cor. 1:18.), “Behold, before God, I lie not” (Gal. 1:20), “God is my record” (Phil. 1:8.), “I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not” (I Tim. 2:7), etc., etc.
As Dean Howson has said: “When Paul makes a solemn statement under the sense of God’s presence, he does not hesitate to express this.”
But had not others spoken under the sense of God’s presence? Of course they had, yet Paul calls God to witness far more often than any other Bible writer. Why is this? The answer is found in the distinctive character of Paul’s ministry as the apostle of “the mystery.” John the Baptist, the four evangelists and the twelve apostles did not need to speak with oaths since they proclaimed that which had already been prophesied. But with Paul it was different. Separate from the twelve, who were widely known as the apostles of Christ, Paul had been raised up to make known a wonderful secret which God had kept hidden from all who had gone before. While not a contradiction of prophecy, this secret had nevertheless not been prophesied; it was a new revelation. Hence it was appropriate that the Apostle should insist again and again that he wrote as in the presence of God.
As we consider Paul’s oaths, however, we must ask ourselves whether anyone ever used the oath with more solemn sincerity. Did anyone ever suffer so intensely for the truths he proclaimed, or pay so dearly to convince others of them? Could anyone say with such simplicity to those who knew him best:
“Ye know… after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations [testings]… and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you…” (Acts 20:18-20). |
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on: Today at 03:43:01 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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From Grace Gems:
Very Old - But Beautiful and Timeless Treasures.
Everything is FREE and Public Domain.
http://www.gracegems.org/19/literature.htm
___________________________________________ We find that they are empty bubbles!
(J.C. Ryle)
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world!" 1 John 2:15-16
The possession of the whole world and all that it contains, will never make a person happy. Its pleasures are false and deceptive! Its riches, rank, and honors, have no power to satisfy the heart! So long as we have not got them--they glitter, sparkle, and seem desirable. The moment we have them--we find that they are empty bubbles, and cannot make us feel content!
And, worst of all, when we possess this world's good things to the utmost bound of our desire--we cannot keep them! Death comes in and separates us from all our property forever! Naked we came upon earth, and naked we go forth--and of all our possessions, we can carry nothing with us.
Such is the world, which occupies the whole attention of thousands!
Such is the world, for the sake of which millions are every year destroying their souls!
"This world is fading away, along with everything that people crave!" 1 John 2:17
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on: Today at 08:23:27 AM
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Started by Soldier4Christ - Last post by Soldier4Christ
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Holy Brethren
“I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.” (1 Thessalonians 5:27)
There is probably no word more misused—even abused—than the word “holy.” In our day and age, it usually conjures up an image of sanctimoniousness, or even hypocrisy, and thus often becomes a term of snide ridicule.
Nevertheless, it is a biblical term of highest significance, most often used in connection with God Himself, the Holy Spirit. Since it is also used in connection with things (“the holy place,” as in Hebrews 9:12), it does not in itself necessarily have a moral connotation. Its basic meaning is evidently “set apart” and can refer either to people or objects that have been dedicated to God and His service.
Christians are all “holy brethren” in this sense, regardless of their individual behavior. They are all also called “saints” (same word as “holy” in the Greek—e.g., 1 Corinthians 1:2, even though many of the “saints” at Corinth were far from Christlike in their actions).
By all means, however, we who are called “holy brethren” ought to try, by God’s grace, to bring honor to such a name rather than ridicule. “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him” (Hebrews 3:1-2).
The term “saints,” or “holy brethren,” applies both to men and women, of course, and to believers of Old Testament times as well as New Testament. Peter, for example, mentions “the holy women” who honored and served the Lord “in the old time” (1 Peter 3:5), and also the “holy men of God” through whom God gave the Old Testament Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21). The eternal admonition of God to all believers of every age is, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). HMM
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on: April 20, 2018, 03:45:38 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription
For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________
For Jesus' Sake
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
“Delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake” (II Cor. 4:11).
There is much that we all do for our own sake, for the sake of our children, our loved ones or others, but the real test of the believer’s love for the Lord is what he does “for Jesus’ sake.”
Under the dispensation of Law our Lord told His disciples that to be forgiven they must forgive: “Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven” (Luke 6:37), “but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6:15).
But now, under the dispensation of grace, He exhorts us to forgive one another “even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32). The difference is striking. Before the cross: If you would be forgiven, forgive. Now, in the light of the cross: You have been graciously forgiven for Christ’s sake. In the light of this be tenderhearted and forgiving toward others.
And we are to go farther than this: Not only are we to forgive our brethren in Christ, but we are to be prepared to show this attitude toward the world as well. St. Paul said: “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all” (I Cor. 9:19), and referring to his persecutions by unbelievers, he said: “We… are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake” (II Cor. 4:11). How many unbelievers would be won to Christ; how many of our Christian friends would be strengthened and helped, if we adopted this attitude toward others!
As to suffering itself, the Apostle also gladly bore this “for Jesus’ sake.” In writing to the Corinthians, he said: “I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong” (II Cor. 12:10). He had learned that in weakness he leaned the harder, prayed more, and was brought closer to His Lord, and herein lay his spiritual strength. |
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5
on: April 20, 2018, 03:44:30 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription
For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________
Grace From Calvary
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
If you want to enjoy a real spiritual feast, take a concordance to the Bible and look up the word “grace.” First notice how often this word is found in the four Gospels: only four times and only once in a doctrinal sense. Then notice how often it is used in Paul’s epistles (less than half the size of the four Gospels). Here it is found well over one hundred times and practically always in a doctrinal sense, about the love and mercy of God toward sinners and toward His own. Think of it: only once is grace referred to doctrinally in the four Gospels, yet in Paul’s epistles, less than half as large in volume, it is used more than one hundred times.
This is because St. Paul was God’s chosen apostle to make known His grace to sinners. In Acts 20:24 he speaks of “the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”
But on what basis could God, through Paul, proclaim salvation by free grace to sinners? Ah, now take your Bible and begin looking up those passages which refer to the cross, the death and the blood of Christ, again noticing that while Paul does not actually relate the story of Christ’s death, he has more, far more, to say about that death, and what it accomplished, than any other Bible writer. It would thrill the heart of any sincere Christian to go through the Epistles of Paul and see how much good news Paul proclaims on the basis of the death of Christ. This is why his message is called “the preaching of the cross” — God’s good news about what Calvary has accomplished for us (1 Cor. 1:17-23).
In Paul’s epistles we learn that through Christ’s death for us at Calvary believers are “justified,” “accepted” by God, and pronounced “complete in Christ.” By His death they are reconciled to God in one body, given a position at God’s right hand in the highest heavens and assured “the exceeding riches of His grace” in “the ages to come” — this and more! Riches of grace flowing from Calvary; this is the very essence of the glorious message which Paul was raised up to proclaim. Read his epistles and see. |
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on: April 20, 2018, 03:42:42 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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__________________________________________
From Grace Gems:
Very Old - But Beautiful and Timeless Treasures.
Everything is FREE and Public Domain.
http://www.gracegems.org/19/literature.htm
___________________________________________ Sacrilege!
(Octavius Winslow)
Cultivate a profound reverence for God's Word. Nothing is more grievous to the Holy Spirit than a trifling with Revelation. The words of Scripture are divinely inspired, "Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
Beware of referring to it with levity. To use the words of Scripture irreverently, or to employ its phraseology flippantly, is . . .
to cast discredit upon inspiration,
to press it into the service of the flesh, and
to make the Word of God the jest book of the profane.
This is awful trifling with the thoughts and words of the Holy Spirit!
Stand in awe of this Holy Book!
God says, "I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at My Word." Isaiah 66:2
"Then all who trembled at the Words of the God of Israel..." Ezra 9:4
"My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of Your laws." Psalm 119:120
"My heart stands in awe of Your Word." Psalm 119:161
"God's name is taken more times in vain in churches than anywhere else.
The blasphemy in the sanctuary is worse than the blasphemy in the street!" MacArthur
(Editor's note: How very sad is it that many professing Christians use the holy Word of God to amuse others with 'bible jokes' and in other trifling and irreverent ways. Much of today's pseudo Christian music, movies and children's literature use the Word of God in a flippant manner, if not in a downright profane and sacrilegious way.) |
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on: April 20, 2018, 03:41:33 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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__________________________________________
From Grace Gems:
Very Old - But Beautiful and Timeless Treasures.
Everything is FREE and Public Domain.
http://www.gracegems.org/19/literature.htm
___________________________________________ Little children, keep yourselves from idols!
("Every Day!" Author unknown, 1872)
"You shall have no other gods before Me!" Exodus 20:3
Though there is no danger of our bowing down to graven images--to gods that have eyes and see not, ears and hear not--none are exempt from the danger of being idolaters in spirit. There are gods many and lords many, in lands of Bibles and gospel privileges--as truly as in heathen countries!
Wealth, honor, sports and pleasure--are the idols of multitudes.
Gold is as truly worshiped--as Baal once was!
Self is as really the idol of many now--as Diana of the Ephesians was anciently.
Then, too, there are "household gods"--idols in family life. Affection in the various relationships we sustain, which is proper and lovely in a right degree--too often becomes idolatrous.
Christians have need to be warned against idolatry, as well as others. The exhortation, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols!" was addressed to believers.
Remember, my soul, that whatever may lead your highest affection and supreme devotion away from God your Savior--would be to you an idol!
Help me, O Lord, to watch and pray against the sin of idolatry in all its forms. Show me more of Your glory and Your grace--and ever hold the highest place in my heart!
"The dearest idol I have known,
Whatever that idol be,
Help me to tear it from Your throne,
And worship only Thee!" |
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on: April 20, 2018, 03:38:44 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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The Patriot Post Digest 4-20-2018
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________
MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST
The NRA’s Dystopian Future?35 — Two ivory tower academics argue that gun-rights advocates are inconsistent on human nature.
Sanctuary Cities Find Sanctuary in Court36 — The Seventh Circuit Court blocks Trump’s plan to defund cities that thwart immigration law.
Cuomo’s Parolee Voting Decree: Good Politics, Bad Policy37 — He’s considering pardons for all 35,000 felons currently on parole in New York. He wants the votes.
Kaepernick Can’t Even Get a Tryout, Much Less a Job38 — He’s filed a collusion grievance with the NFL, arguing franchises have blacklisted him over protests.
Video: Jordan Peterson on Finding Meaning in Responsibility39 — He’s an unlikely YouTube celebrity. The Canadian psychologist lectures about things like responsibility.
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
Kay Coles James: Remembering Columbine, 19 Years Later40
Marc A. Thiessen: The Senate Must Confirm Pompeo41
Tony Perkins: GOP Senses Gravity of NASA Vacancy42
David Harsanyi: Comey’s Handling of Hillary Clinton Shows Us He’s No Hero43
Michael Reagan: The Sad State of My California44
For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion45.
OPINION IN BRIEF
Kay Coles James: “Nineteen years ago today, Americans turned on the news. And we saw it: The harrowing footage of students running out of Columbine High School. I learned later the Columbine attackers tried to prevent those students from leaving. They planted a powerful bomb in the school cafeteria and set it to go off when the room would be full of kids. The bomb didn’t explode, thank God, but if it had, police say hundreds would have died. As it was, the attackers took 13 precious lives, injured 24 other students and teachers, and left a scar in our nation’s soul that remains with us still. … This solemn anniversary needs to be a day for both mourning and commitment. Nothing can bring back the lives and innocence lost 19 years ago, but we can — and must — resolve to take the action that has yet to be completed. … That means taking real action on the many warning signs of danger that tend to come to light only after an attack has occurred. It means recognizing and proactively treating mental illness, which has afflicted so many of those involved in mass public attacks. It also means putting an end to bullying, which the Secret Service says was a factor in two-thirds of America’s premeditated school attacks. It means taking concrete steps to secure our schools and improve law enforcement. And it means taking a hard look at the crises in our culture — including media violence, broken families, and the absence of faith — that are present in so many of these attacks. … Let’s not let another 19 years — or even another 19 days — go by without getting serious about school safety.”
SHORT CUTS
Upright: “It is far more plausible that the FBI director believed he was insulating the future president from criminal charges, as well as preserving his reputation by being tough on her. There was certainly no way the partisan attorney general was going to prosecute the person most people assumed was going to be the next president of the United States. Comey did the best he could navigating these turbulent political waters. And what’s become clear is that rather than engaging in the pursuit of justice, Comey was engaging in the age-old Washington pursuit of self-preservation.” —David Harsanyi
Observations: “One could also say that the Democratic Party lost the presidency because it nominated a candidate under investigation for committing a felony. And it seems as certain as these things can be that if Hillary Clinton had followed the law and regulations, there would be today no President Trump, no Attorney General Sessions, no EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, no Justice Neil Gorsuch. The blame ultimately belongs to Barack Obama, who knew of Clinton’s private email system and who could have ordered her to follow the law. But that’s one bit of collusion that didn’t occur.” —Michael Barone
Braying Jenny: “RIP Barbara Bush, the only woman who was 92 for 30 years.” —"The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" writer Jen Spyra
Hot air hyperbole: “We’re going to have widespread disruption, more conflicts, more terrorism, more insecurity because of climate disruption. The prospect is three billion people on this planet will be subject to fatal lethal heat events — three billion — and one billion will be subjected to vector diseases that they’re not now subject to now. This is a horror.” —California Democrat Gov. Jerry Brown
And last… “The story at Starbucks46 isn’t racism but entitlement. The two men felt entitled to loiter on private property without buying anything. They decided that the rules didn’t apply to them. And apparently they were correct.” —Matt Walsh
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. We also humbly ask prayer for your Patriot team, that our mission would seed and encourage the spirit of Liberty in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Nate Jackson, Managing Editor
Mark Alexander, Publisher |
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on: April 20, 2018, 03:37:35 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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The Patriot Post Digest 4-20-2018
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________
Top Headlines9
Democratic Party files lawsuit alleging Russia, the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks conspired to disrupt the 2016 campaign (The Washington Post10)
DOJ watchdog reportedly sends criminal referral for McCabe to federal prosecutor (Fox News11)
Court rules against Trump effort to hit sanctuary cities (The Hill12)
Raul Castro, 86, stepped down Thursday as president, handing the reins to his hand-picked successor, the much younger Miguel Diaz-Canel (National Review13)
This just in: White working-class voters may not care about Trump scandals (New York14)
Students walk out across United States in yet another call for gun control (Reuters15)
Obama pens ‘TIME 100’ tribute to Parkland students pushing for gun control (The Washington Free Beacon16)
Wells Fargo to be slapped with $1 billion penalty by regulators, just after teachers union severs ties17 over guns (USA Today18.)
Arizona teachers vote to strike, sparking first-ever statewide walkout (NPR19)
College Republicans get in huge trouble for posting “I.C.E. I.C.E. Baby” signs (Reason20)
Policy: The Renewable Fuel Standard’s policy failures and economic burdens (American Action Forum21)
Policy: Despite Trump’s cutbacks, federal regulatory monster still consumes $1.9 trillion (Investor’s Business Daily22)
For more of today’s news, visit Patriot Headline Report23.
FEATURED ANALYSIS
The Kids Should Vote, They Say24
Brian Mark Weber
The 2020 presidential election could get very interesting. Think about it: A whole slate of ancient leftists and unknown upstarts will likely battle it out to be their party’s standard-bearer. Bernie Sanders might try again to win the nomination stolen by Hillary Clinton in 2016. Or we could see Joe Biden or Elizabeth Warren going head-to-head against Donald Trump. And if Democrats get their way, your neighborhood 16- and 17-year-olds might be standing in line with you on Election Day. But they won’t just be handing out “I Voted” stickers. They’ll actually be voting.
The Washington, DC, city council is considering a bill introduced by Ward 6 council member Charles Allen lowering the voting age to 16. But unlike other small cities around the country that have passed similar measures25, the District of Columbia is treated in some ways as a state — which would allow these DC adolescents to cast a ballot for our next president. That would require congressional approval.
This isn’t the first time the Left has tried to tap into the frustrations of young people in order to advance its agenda. In 1971, fresh off the Vietnam War protests across the nation, Congress passed the 26th Amendment, which gave citizens 18 and older the right to vote.
The argument at the time was that anyone old enough to be sent off to fight in an unjust war ought to be able to vote. In the 1960s, when leftist politicians saw the lengths to which young people were willing to protest against the establishment, they just couldn’t wait to bestow political power upon their draft-dodging brethren and like-minded fellow travelers.
Today’s argument for allowing 16-year-olds to vote is based on the same premise. If the Parkland school shootings taught us one thing, it’s that George Soros-funded teens can be just as rebellious as their 1960s counterparts. But today’s youth protesters are willing to go even further than the Woodstock generation: They’re perfectly willing to trash constitutional rights26 if it means forcing their policies and ideology on the rest of us.
The Washington Post thinks27 adults failed the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and that “maybe it would make sense to give them and their cohort a bigger say in their future.”
Would it make sense? As David Davenport writes28 at Forbes, “If it is a question of maturity, researchers generally agree that the brain is still developing until the mid-20s, with moral reasoning and abstract thought coming later in the cycle than previously thought.”
More problematic is that studies show a significant number of high school students lack proficiency when it comes to U.S. history29, civics30 and the Constitution. Some can’t name a senator or member of Congress in their home districts, or even the president of the United States for that matter. So why push voting rights for kids who don’t know the first thing about government?
The Leftmedia is drooling over the possibilities.
Joshua Douglass at CNN suggests31, “The students are fed up with our politicians and are using their voices to demand change. Imagine if they could also vote and turned out in significant numbers. Would meaningful gun reform legislation be more likely to pass? Would our politicians actually be more responsive to the public will?”
Well, the cat’s out of the bag. This isn’t merely about opening the door for today’s passionate and thoughtful youth to participate in our democracy. Nor is it about ensuring that future citizens will stand up for freedom of speech or constitutional rights. Quite the opposite, in fact. This is about using the Parkland tragedy to infiltrate the impressionable minds of young people to repeal the Second Amendment32. Period.
And make no mistake: David Hogg and his Twitter-savvy acolytes will be further trained to fight for a broad range of causes and issues in the future. Democrats don’t view these kids as thoughtful citizens but as loyal soldiers in an army ready to tear apart the fabric of our Constitution. Think about it: No one would be pushing voting rights for 16-year-olds if they were marching for the protection of the unborn, defense of the Second Amendment or preservation of traditional marriage.
The media tell us that no generation of youth has ever been so poised to make an impact at the ballot box as Millennials. But that generation can already vote, so what about those behind them? If these budding leftists are given voter ID cards in time for the next presidential election, chances are they’ll have lost interest in this whole citizenship thing.
Heck, with Donald Trump’s roaring economy, these kids might actually have to show up for work and pay taxes by 2020 — at which point they’ll find out that not all bosses allow their employees to walk out of work to join a protest. And by then maybe they’ll understand that shouting down alternative ideas or trampling upon constitutional rights makes one a left-wing agitator, not a responsible citizen.
To all those 14-year-olds hoping to vote in two years, here’s some advice: Read the Constitution, study history and learn about our political system. You’ll see right through those adults currently using you to push their leftist agenda, and you’ll earn the right to one day cast your vote for president. |
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on: April 20, 2018, 03:35:45 PM
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Started by nChrist - Last post by nChrist
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The Patriot Post Digest 4-20-2018
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
________________________________________
The Patriot Post® · Mid-Day Digest
Apr. 20, 2018 · https://patriotpost.us/digests/55493-mid-day-digest
IN TODAY’S EDITION
The Comey memos reveal a lot more about Comey than about Trump.
The president has done well to drastically cut regulations, but more needs to be done.
Academics say the NRA’s dystopian view isn’t coherent. They’re wrong.
Should the kids vote? There’s a move afoot to lower the voting age.
Colin Kaepernick can’t even get a tryout, much less a job.
Cuomo’s parolee voting decree is a good politics (for him) but bad policy.
Plus our Daily Features: Top Headlines, Memes, Cartoons, Columnists and Short Cuts.
THE FOUNDATION
“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.” —James Madison (1788.)
IN BRIEF
Comey’s Memos Prove to Exonerate Trump1
Thomas Gallatin
On Thursday, after months of foot-dragging and threats of subpoena and impeachment, the Justice Department finally handed over to Congress memos2 written by former FBI Director James Comey. They contain no bombshell revelations; rather they provide greater details of Comey’s meetings and conversations with President Donald Trump. And as Trump expressed via his favorite social media site, “James Comey Memos just out and show clearly that there was NO COLLUSION and NO OBSTRUCTION. Also, he leaked classified information. WOW! Will the Witch Hunt continue?”
So what do we learn from the Comey memos? First, Trump is correct that there is nothing in them that supports any suspicion of Russian collusion. In fact, what may be most revealing about the memos is just how little support Comey was willing to offer Trump. For example, Comey brought to Trump’s attention the dubious and salacious dossier, ostensibly in order to warn the president about its existence, not because Comey was saying it was true. However, Comey failed — over multiple meetings — to inform Trump that the dossier had been paid for by Hillary Clinton’s campaign3. Clearly, from the very beginning Comey chose to view Trump as a potential criminal suspect rather than president-elect, even though he had no solid evidence supporting this suspicion.
Second, it’s clear from the earliest meeting that Trump desired to work with and trust Comey. Trump expressed sympathy for the “impossible positions” Comey was in during the campaign, obviously alluding to the Clinton email investigation. It’s not until later meetings that Trump brought up “loyalty,” which Comey found so off-putting, even though we now learn that he essentially agreed to “honest loyalty.” Why would Trump have felt the need to question Comey on his loyalty? The answer seems obvious — Trump sensed (correctly, as it turns out) that Comey was not on board with his presidency and was seeking to determine if he could trust his subordinate.
Finally, as has been the case before, these memos reveal more about Comey’s character than they do Trump’s. Specifically, in the second meeting Comey had with Trump on Jan. 28, 2017, the president expressed concerns about stopping leaks and appeared to press Comey on his reliability. Comey wrote, “I explained that he could count on me to always tell him the truth. I said I don’t do sneaky things, I don’t leak, I don’t do weasel moves. But I was not on anybody’s side politically and could not be counted on in that traditional political sense.” No leaks? No weasel moves? One wonders if Comey was lying at the time or changed his mind later.
The memos add more weight to the conclusion that the former FBI director was a political hack4. Comey chose to follow his personal high-minded “values” rather than the Rule of Law, and in so doing he justified decisions aimed at undercutting support for the president. Comey admitted as much in his Senate hearing after having been fired. Comey confessed to leaking to the press, stating, “I woke up in the middle of the night Monday [thinking] that there might be corroboration for our conversation. And my judgement was that I needed to get that out in the public square. So I asked a friend of mine to share the content of [my memos] with a reporter.” Trump was the only president for whom he felt he needed to keep his own memos. Why? Comey was clearly opposed to Trump and thought it might come in handy one day to have a record of his side of the story to use against the president.
On a final note, Comey’s oft-repeated refrain that he wanted to guard the integrity of and public trust in5 the FBI rings hollow. His decisions and actions indicate a man more focused on promoting his own partisan desires than objectively enforcing the Rule of Law no matter who was in office.
Trump Oversees Biggest Cuts to Regs in Quarter-Century6
The Competitive Enterprise Institute has released its Ten Thousand Commandments, an annual report on the scope, size and cost of federal regulations. Those regulations amount to a “hidden tax” on Americans, as well as a severe limit on Liberty. The good news is that President Donald Trump has followed through on his campaign promise to cut federal regulations, and his initial efforts have produced the most significant cutting of government red tape in more than 25 years. Here are some of the highlights thus far per the CEI7:
Federal regulations and intervention cost Americans $1.9 trillion in 2017.
Federal regulation is a hidden tax that amounts to nearly $15,000 per U.S. household each year, more than Americans spend on any category in their family budget except for housing.
In 2017, 97 laws were enacted by Congress during the calendar year, while 3,281 rules were issued by agencies. Thus, 34 rules were issued for every law enacted.
If it were a country, U.S. federal regulation would be the world’s eighth-largest economy, ranking behind India and ahead of Italy.
Many Americans are concerned about their annual tax burden, but total regulatory costs exceeded the $1.88 trillion the IRS collected in both individual and corporate income taxes in 2017.
Some 67 federal departments, agencies, and commissions are currently working on 3,209 new regulations in various stages of development.
The five most active rulemaking entities — the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Transportation, Treasury, and the Environmental Protection Agency — account for 1,359 rules, or 43 percent of all proposed regulations currently under consideration.
The 2017 Federal Register contained 61,308 pages, the lowest count since 1993 and a 36 percent drop from Obama’s 95,894 pages in 2016, the highest level ever recorded.
Clearly Trump is off to a good start, but as Wayne Crews, CEI’s vice president for policy, says, “There are warning signs.” Crews explains, “President Trump’s own apparent affinity for strong antitrust enforcement and protectionist trade policies threaten to undermine the economic gains from his regulatory reform efforts.” However, the greatest factor in controlling government regulations lies largely with the Congress, as the legislative branch ultimately has the most authority and responsibility to make the rules. Congress did use the Congressional Review Act8 to eliminate 15 onerous Obama-era rules in 2017, but Congress has in recent years and in certain areas delegated too much of its authority to non-elected federal bureaucrats. |
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