The Patriot Post Digest 9-21

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 9-21
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THE FOUNDATION

"The germ of dissolution of our federal government is in the constitution of the federal judiciary; an irresponsible body, (for impeachment is scarcely a scare-crow), working like gravity by night and by day, gaining a little today and a little tomorrow, and advancing its noiseless step like a thief, over the field of jurisdiction, until all shall be usurped from the States, and the government of all be consolidated into one." --Thomas Jefferson

PATRIOT PERSPECTIVE
Marine Aviator's Memorial Day Wave Off

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

'Justice' isn't blind this time

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
News From the Swamp: Obama Picks Sotomayor

When Supreme Court Justice David Souter announced his retirement earlier this month, the guessing game began as to whom President Barack Obama would pick to fill the seat. Tuesday, he answered that question with the non-surprise pick of appellate judge Sonia Sotomayor from the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Democrats and the media (but we repeat ourselves) immediately ran with their talking points about her "empathy" and her "compelling life story." Indeed, blogger Michelle Malkin quipped, "Drinking game: If you take a shot every time you hear the phrase 'compelling life story' today, you should be out by lunch."

It is Sotomayor's judicial philosophy, however, that is compelling us to oppose her nomination. In 2005, Sotomayor was caught on tape articulating leftist judicial activism in a nutshell: "A court of appeals is where policy is made." Knowing she had given away the game, though, she immediately clarified: "I know this is on tape, and I should never say that because we don't make law. I know."

In a 2001 speech at the University of California, Berkeley, later published by the Berkeley La Raza ("The Race") Law Journal, Sotomayor opined, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

National Journal legal analyst Stuart Taylor got it right when he responded, "Any prominent white male would be instantly and properly banished from polite society as a racist and a sexist for making an analogous claim of ethnic and gender superiority or inferiority. Imagine the reaction if someone had unearthed in 2005 a speech in which then-Judge Samuel Alito had asserted, for example: 'I would hope that a white male with the richness of his traditional American values would reach a better conclusion than a Latina woman who hasn't lived that life' -- and had proceeded to speak of 'inherent physiological or cultural differences.'"

More to the point, Sotomayor's statement reveals a judicial philosophy wrapped in identity politics. How can a judge possibly be committed to the impartial rule of law when that judge is compromised by such racist sentiment?

Sotomayor's record during her 17 years on the federal bench offers little encouragement. For example, her decision in Ricci v. DeStefano is pending an appeal before the Supreme Court and will most likely be overturned. The case involved a promotion denied to several white firefighters and one Hispanic in New Haven, Connecticut, simply because no blacks scored high enough on the promotion test. In the unanimous ruling for the city, Sotomayor showed no empathy for the white firefighters who were discriminated against. In fact, the three-judge panel from the Second Circuit didn't even bother to elaborate on the district court's opinion. That, combined with the failure of the plaintiffs to win a hearing before the entire court, drew sharp criticism from fellow Clinton-appointed Second Circuit Judge Jose Cabranes, who wrote, "This Court has failed to grapple with the questions of exceptional importance raised in this appeal."

Sotomayor is also opposed to gun rights, writing in a 2004 criminal case, U.S. v. Sanchez-Villar, "The right to possess a gun is clearly not a fundamental right." She also ruled in Maloney v. Cuomo that the Second Amendment does not apply to the states, and that a city or state has the right to disarm its citizens. The Ninth Circuit ruled recently that the Second Amendment does apply to the states through what is known as "incorporation" via the 14th Amendment. Maloney was appealed to the Supreme Court, which will hold hearings on 26 June.

With only 40 Senate seats, Republicans have little recourse in blocking or even slowing the nomination, and Sotomayor's confirmation seems all but guaranteed -- at least if she is paid up on her taxes. Yet, despite Obama's attempts to highjack conservative language about the rule of law, Republicans should use the opportunity to frame the debate as a contrast between the rule of law (properly understood) and the rule of men.

For more on the correct interpretation of the Constitution, see Mark Alexander's essay, "A 'Living Constitution' for a Dying Republic."

On Cross-Examination

"Why make this complicated? President Obama prefers Supreme Court justices who will violate their oath of office. And he hopes Sonia Sotomayor is the right Hispanic woman for the job. Here's the oath Supreme Court justices must take: 'I, (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as (title) under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God.' Contrast that with Obama's insistence that the 'quality of empathy, of understanding and identifying with people's hopes and struggles' is the key qualification for a Supreme Court justice. ... [But] who says conservatives are against judicial empathy? I, for one, am all for it. I'm for empathy for the party most deserving of justice before the Supreme Court, within the bounds of the law and Constitution. If that means siding with a poor black man, great. If that means siding with a rich white one, that's great too. The same holds for gays and gun owners, single mothers and media conglomerates. We should all rejoice when justices fulfill their oaths and give everyone a fair hearing, even if that's now out of fashion in the age of Obama." --National Review editor Jonah Goldberg

[nChrist]

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This Week's 'Alpha Jackass' Award

"This woman is brilliant! She is qualified! I want her confirmed! I want her walking up those marble steps and starting to provide some justice!" --Barack Obama

In angry street talk, the community organizer in the White House admits that he thinks justice hasn't been done in the Supreme Court. But now a Latina woman will make the "right" decisions.

New & Notable Legislation

In a nod toward the "transparency" that liberals said the Bush administration lacked, Barack Obama pledged during the presidential campaign to allow the public five days to review legislation on the White House Web site before he signed it into law. We're shocked -- shocked -- to report that his promise has yet to be fulfilled. Last week alone, Obama signed four bills within a day or two after they passed Congress -- the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act, the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 and the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs tried to play fast and loose with the pledge, noting that the clock starts ticking when a conference report link is posted, not necessarily when the final bill passes Congress. But that wasn't the case last week -- the links to the bills were no more than two days old before the president signed them into law.

Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) is proposing an end to "birthright citizenship," the practice that allows any child born on U.S. soil to become a citizen automatically, regardless of the status of the parents. Birthright citizenship has been in place since the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868, but supporters of Deal's measure note that the wording does not actually guarantee the practice. Indeed, it has been abused in recent years by illegal immigrants looking to gain a legal foothold in the U.S., even though they are not, in the language of the 14th Amendment, "subject to the jurisdiction thereof." Bob Dane of the Federation of American Immigration Reform said, "Coming into the country for the express purpose of having a child in order to anchor that child and yourself is, in effect, gaming the system." Deal's proposal would allow babies born in the U.S. to be granted automatic citizenship if at least one parent is a U.S. citizen or national, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., or actively serving in the U.S. military. Seems reasonable enough -- unless, of course, one supports illegal immigration.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced legislation to lift the ban on Internet gambling that was enacted by Congress in 2006. Frank's bill, which has some two-dozen co-sponsors, would allow states and tribal lands to opt out if they don't want their residents taking part in Internet gaming enterprises. It also forbids sports betting and employs safeguards to combat compulsive gambling and prevent minors from accessing gaming sites. Naturally, Frank's effort is not based on the principle of misuse of federal power, but on the potential tax revenue that legalization would bring. There are many opponents to the bill, so its success is far from assured.

Curing Cyber Security Issues With Bureaucracy

President Obama plans to add a "cyber czar" to his administration in the coming days, with the broad authority to develop security strategies for the nation's government-run and private computer networks. The occupant of this post will be a member of the National Security Council and will report to the national security adviser. This person will also report to the senior White House economic adviser, since the current economic adviser, Larry Summers, wants the National Economic Council to have a say in whatever the cyber security czar does regarding private-sector computer networks. In seeking to shore them up, vulnerable in part because of bureaucracy, the president's solution is to create yet another bumbling bureaucracy that will not be able to act nimbly in time of crisis.

Hope 'n' Change: Obama Makes Kindergarten Students Cry

The opportunity of a lifetime for a group of 100 kindergarten students from Stafford County, Virginia, turned into tear-soaked disappointment when they missed their scheduled tour of the White House because President Obama had to meet with the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Parents of the students claim their bus was only 10 minutes late, having been held up in traffic, but they faced unsympathetic staffers who were more concerned with the Obama-Steelers photo opportunity. The White House claims that the tour group arrived an hour late and says it's willing to reschedule the group, though that has not yet been done. Parents are not sure if rescheduling will be possible since the school year will be ending in just a few days.

But no matter the subject, Obama wants us to keep hoping in him. "Take heart of the change we've already brought but ... you ain't seen nothing yet," he boasted. "We are going to bring back a better America."

A Value for Hot Air?

Windbags like Al Gore continually spew out hot air trying to convince the public that yes, mankind is warming our planet, when in fact a nearby star has been doing that job admirably for untold millennia. While the former vice-president addressed global business leaders at the World Summit on Climate Change (via Webcast, not in front of an audience), many of those who used to work with him in Congress began the push for cap-and-tax legislation to combat so-called man-made climate change, a scheme to create a market for our exhalation.

But the Obama administration, which once envisioned the revenue from greenhouse gas credit auctions as a funding source that wouldn't hurt John Q. Public (because energy suppliers never pass on their costs to consumers), instead sees a House bill that would give away 85 percent of emission allowances to business interests and energy producers. Worse, it would raise far less than the $75 billion a year that Obama counted on to help "pay for" a middle-class tax cut.

As Gore noted, "Mother Nature does not do bailouts." Given the lack of success Congress has had with TARP and the Big Three automakers, maybe we should be thankful that Mother Nature fixes herself naturally and needs no help at all from the government.

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 9-21
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Your Papers, Please

"We have so much room for improvement [in dealing with climate change]. Every aspect of our lives must be subjected to an inventory ... of how we are taking responsibility." --House Supreme Chancellor Nancy Pelosi (D-Beijing)

Separation of Powers Showdown in South Carolina

In what has become internecine party warfare between South Carolina Republican Governor Mark Sanford and his GOP-controlled legislature, Sanford filed a lawsuit in federal court against the state's General Assembly over control of stimulus funding intended for the state's education budget. Gov. Sanford refused the federal funding based on the strings attached and the temporary nature of the stimulus, but the General Assembly passed a provision incorporating the money into the state's budget and overrode Sanford's veto of the same.

The case hinges on terminology in the federal law, in particular the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund established as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In it, the governor of each state is allowed to apply for the funding, which Sanford refused to do. The grounds of Sanford's suit allege that by forcing him to apply for federal dollars against his better judgment, the General Assembly would usurp the power vested in him by federal law and violate both the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution and the separation of powers dictated in the state constitution.

In an amusing turn, a political odd couple has emerged as the Obama administration, while condemning Sanford for his refusal to take the federal money, agreed it is his place to do so and backed his lawsuit.

Meanwhile, a second lawsuit has been filed in state court by two South Carolina students who wish to force Sanford to accept the money, meaning much of this stimulus funding could eventually find its way to South Carolina's suddenly booming legal industry.

NATIONAL SECURITY
North Korea Tests Nuclear Weapons and Obama

Proving that even Joe Biden is right once in a while, the lunatic regime of Kim Jong-Il has given the Obama administration its first major test by detonating a nuclear warhead the size of the Hiroshima bomb, as well as test-firing a variety of missiles throughout the week. There has been no more intractable problem in American foreign policy in recent years than the communist regime in Pyongyang and its pursuit of nuclear weapons. The solution is partly dependent on how President Obama is -- or isn't -- able to align international support for meaningful penalties. The UN and the "international community" must now put up or shut up, as this latest provocation is more serious by far than any of the other actions taken by various miscreant nations.

Another mad regime -- that in Iran -- is watching the international response to the North Korean test closely. If Tehran takes away the lesson that no serious penalties accrue following the explosion of a nuclear weapon, we should expect the mullahs to redouble their efforts to test a weapon of their own.

In fact, last week that other charter member of the Axis of Evil fired a long-range missile capable of hitting any part of Israel or even southern Europe from launch sites deep in Iran. Initial reports indicate that the missile was almost certainly a two-stage, solid-fuel model. If accurate, this would mark Iran's second successful launch of a multi-stage missile. The technical advance this demonstrates, along with Iran's continued mastery of solid rocket fuel, will soon produce an Iranian missile force that is highly mobile, able to strike targets as far as 2,000 miles away, which will have few of the pre-launch indicators associated with liquid-fuel missiles. Paired with a nuclear weapon, Iran would be able to threaten most of the NATO capital cities with utter destruction.

This Week's 'Braying Jenny' Award

"North Korea has made a choice. ... There are consequences to such actions. There will be an opportunity for North Korea to come back into a framework of discussion within the six-party process and that we can begin once again to see results from working with the North Koreans toward denuclearization." --Hillary Clinton on North Korea

That should scare 'em.

Department of Military Readiness: Autopsies Save Lives

Since 2001, all soldiers killed in Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom have undergone autopsies performed by pathologists of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System, and since 2004, every soldier killed in Iraq or Afghanistan has had a CT scan, as well. These procedures, rarely if ever performed during previous wars, have yielded critical information about how bullets, shrapnel and burns cause injury. This information has corrected previous medical thought and procedures and also revealed deficiencies in both body and vehicle armor, leading to improvements in protective gear and battlefield medical equipment.

In one discovery, a review of multiple CT scans revealed that the tube used to reinflate collapsed lungs was too short to reach the chest cavity of many of today's bigger soldiers. In 2006, these findings were presented to the Army Surgeon General, who ordered that combat medical kits include the longer tubing. In another discovery, medical examiners found that troops were dying from wounds to the upper body that could have been prevented by body armor that better covered the upper torso and shoulders, leading the military to quickly ship more armor plates to Iraq. These new medical procedures thus ensure that our fallen troops can, even in death, continue to serve their comrades -- and the cause of liberty.

Profiles of Valor: U.S. Army Sgt. John Marra

Marra

U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. John Marra was serving in Iraq with the 303rd Military Police Company, 785th MP Battalion, 300th MP Brigade. On 24 October 2007, the unit's task was to train its replacement unit, a job that included traveling to nearly every police station in its operation area. Several of those stations were located in particularly hot locations. Sgt. Marra was traveling in the second of four vehicles in Bayji, Iraq, when an IED exploded under the fourth vehicle, flipping it onto its side and trapping three soldiers inside, one of whom was killed; the gunner was ejected and wounded by shrapnel. Marra left his vehicle in order to provide first aid for his wounded comrades. With enemy fire hitting all around him, Marra jumped on top of the disabled vehicle to extract the men inside.

"We were on a previous mission just 20 days prior when we were ambushed in the same area, same way, by some of the same insurgents," Marra later explained. "During that instance, we lost our medic, Cpl. Rachel Hugo." Hugo had taught the unit several life-saving techniques, however, and Marra gives her credit for helping save the squad leader's life. With the squad leader unresponsive and barely breathing, Marra inserted a nasal pharyngeal airway into his nose to prevent him from choking, carried him to a nearby Iraqi police non-armored pick-up truck and rode with him through a dangerous neighborhood to the nearest police station, performing CPR on the way. For his quick thinking and courage under fire, Marra was awarded the Bronze Star with combat "V" for valor.

[nChrist]

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BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Income Redistribution: National Sales Tax Considered

The federal government faces a $1.8 trillion deficit this year and not less than $500 billion each year for the next 10, according to White House estimates. Meanwhile, the IRS reported April tax revenues were down $138 billion, or 34 percent, compared to last year. Of course, rather than cut spending, the Obama administration is considering new taxes.

"With budget deficits soaring and President Obama pushing a trillion-dollar-plus expansion of health coverage," reports The Washington Post, "some Washington policymakers are taking a fresh look at a money-making idea long considered politically taboo: a national sales tax." The sales tax is common around the world, though it is most often implemented as the slightly different value-added tax, or VAT, which taxes the value added at each stage of production or distribution.

When conservatives have proposed the national sales tax, it has always been as a replacement for income and payroll taxes. Radio talk-show host Neal Boortz and Congressman John Linder (R-GA) have written extensively on the subject. Naturally, however, when liberals in the administration discuss the idea, it is in addition to the current tax system. After all, the idea for them is to generate more revenue in order to cover health care. And higher taxes always equal more revenue, especially in a bad economy, right?

Fed Unaccountably Loses $9 Trillion

We have to believe that Elizabeth Coleman has a newfound respect for the wisdom of Will Rogers, who once quipped, "A Congressman is happiest when he is asking questions, knowing none can be asked in return." Coleman, Inspector General of the Federal Reserve Bank, had the displeasure of answering the inquiries of Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) with regards to $9 trillion of off-balance sheet transactions at the Fed. Her answers, verbose in the manner of Alan Greenspan, were lacking in substance. Quite simply, she doesn't know what happened to the $9 trillion. Grayson concluded, "I am shocked to find out that nobody at the Federal Reserve, including the inspector general, is keeping track of this."

The "assets" in question appear to have been created between the third quarter 2008 and the first quarter 2009. Given the bailout frenzy of that time, we appreciate how some minor details may have been missed, although nothing excuses incompetent accounting of the people's money. Still, the source of our current economic distress was the reckless and utterly irresponsible spending by Congress in a few fleeting months. While Grayson's questioning elevated the issue, it did not resolve any concerns. Grayson would do well to remember the attorney's axiom never to ask a question if the answer isn't already known.

We hope that Coleman will return to Congress in the near future with a satisfactory explanation as to what the Fed did with the equivalent of three times the 2010 federal budget. After all, $9 trillion isn't exactly a minor detail.

Regulatory Commissars: The Trouble With Gov't Autos

As the government forces General Motors into bankruptcy, the auto giant received last week yet another $4 billion of federal funding. This is in addition to the $15.4 billion already funneled its way, courtesy of the beleaguered American taxpayer. Technically, GM had requested "only" the additional sum of $2.6 billion by 1 June to pay its suppliers and dealers -- oh, and a mere $9 billion more after 1 June to meet working capital expenses. In the real world, the leap from $2.6 to $4 would be called an increase, but in the la-la-land of government bailouts, GM said the request signals not additional funding but rather "updated timing of when certain expenses would be incurred." The outcome notwithstanding, Uncle Barack -- who is poised to own as much as 69 percent of GM -- is thrilled to oblige.

Meanwhile, politics could be playing a role in the closure of some Chrysler dealers. Blogger Doug Ross notes that there seems to be a trend developing: Chrysler dealers who contributed to the GOP are the first to be shut down. "I took all dealer owners whose names appeared more than once in the list," Ross writes, "And, of those who contributed to political campaigns, every single one had donated almost exclusively to GOP candidates. While this isn't an exhaustive review, it does have some ominous implications if it can be verified." It's worth noting that most car dealers are small-business owners, a group that is overwhelmingly Republican. It is also notable that Obama's "auto task force" is making the decisions about closures, not Chrysler. Predictably, the mainstream media isn't interested.

Yet, even as the feds seize greater control of the auto industry, they are simultaneously aiming to create "livable communities" where bicycles and mass transit trump autos. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood confessed, "It is a way to coerce people out of their cars." Too much government intrusion, one might say? LaHood didn't even try to hide it: "About everything we do around here is government intrusion in people's lives." Just another day in Obama's America.

CULTURE & POLICY
Around the Nation: CA Supremes Uphold Prop. 8

Tuesday brought the latest installment of the same-sex marriage drama in California, where the state Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8. Article 1 of the California constitution was amended by Prop. 8 with Section 7.5, which reads, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." The 6-1 decision rejected arguments that the measure amounts to an illegal constitutional amendment and that it affects an "inalienable right."

The justices were unanimous in holding that the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed since June 2008 will remain valid. They did not decide, however, whether California must recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages -- an important issue given that several states now allow same-sex couples to marry, and several more are considering it.

In pointing out that domestic partnership creates a legal relationship comparable to marriage in protecting the rights of same-sex couples, Justice Ronald M. George said that the measure does "not entirely repeal or abrogate same-sex couples' right to privacy and due process or the constitutional right of same-sex couples to choose one's life partner and enter with that person into a committed, officially recognized, and protected family relationship." [emphasis added]

Another, Justice Joyce Kennard, took pains to assure us all that they had made their decision not because of their personal views, but because they are bound to follow the state constitution and legal precedent of the court. Isn't that what judges are always supposed to do?

Their attitude is not surprising. Just last year these same justices overturned the state same-sex marriage ban. But then the issue went back to the voters in the form of a constitutional amendment. Homosexual activists have already declared their intention to ignore the will of the voters and try again to repeal the ban.

[nChrist]

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Frontiers of Junk Science: Taking the Wind Out of Air Cars

A start-up auto company is giving new meaning to the phrase "blowing hot air." Backed by the French-based Motor Development International, Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM) is hoping to introduce an air-powered car into the U.S. by early 2011. The "air car" runs entirely off compressed air when traveling sub-35 mph and uses both air and a small conventional engine when moving at faster speeds.

But the air car is hardly energy efficient. For instance, ZPM's own specifications indicate that after a four-hour charge, the car's 5.5-kilowatt compressor would use 22 kilowatt-hours of electricity before running low. This translates into just 20 miles of road covered using the same amount of energy needed to burn 10 100-watt light bulbs for 22 hours. Or, as Northwestern University chemical and biological engineering professor Harold Kung more plainly notes, "Air compressors are one of the least efficient machines to convert electricity to work. ... From an energy utilization point of view, the compressed [air] car does not make sense."

Yet according to the AP, despite criticisms he receives "from the whole wide world," ZPM CEO Shiva Vencat maintains his air car is "cleaner," "simpler" and "cheaper" than other alternative-fuel power trains. Yeah, and so is a hot air balloon.

Second Amendment: Tennessee Volunteers for Freedom

The Patriot's home state of Tennessee has passed several favorable gun-rights bills in recent months, including one allowing concealed carry in state parks and restaurants that serve alcohol, though the latter bill was inexplicably vetoed by Democrat Gov. Phil Bredesen Thursday, despite his written promise to support the bill. The latest legislation goes a step further and could directly challenge federal authority. State Rep. Ben West (R) and Sen. Mae Beavers (R) introduced the Firearms Freedom Act, which would repeal many federal gun control laws in the Volunteer State. In many ways, the legislation follows recent Montana legislation that allows guns made and sold in the state to bypass federal gun regulations. Guns made in Tennessee would be required to have a "Made in Tennessee" stamp, and then, the law declares, guns and ammunition "are not subject to federal law or federal regulation, including registration, under the authority of Congress to regulate interstate commerce." In light of a possible reinstatement of the so-called "assault weapons" ban, this could be critical for Tennessee residents who value the Second Amendment. Let's just hope Bredesen gets a wake-up call.

To Keep and Bear Arms

A group of Georgia college students have an armed friend to thank for saving them from two masked men who invaded an apartment recently. Ten people had gathered for a birthday party when the two men burst through the patio door. "They just came in and separated the men from the women and said, 'Give me your wallets and cell phones,'" said George Williams of the College Park Police Department. The men then proceeded to count bullets. When they decided they had enough, apparently to kill each of the students, one student grabbed a gun out of his backpack and shot the invader guarding the men. The wounded assailant ran from the apartment. The armed student then went to the room where the other assailant was holding the women. "Apparently the [assailant] was getting ready to rape his girlfriend. So [the student] told the girls to get down and he started shooting. The guy jumped out of the window," said one student. That assailant was later found dead near his apartment, which was one building away. It's certainly a good thing the students had gathered in an apartment and not a "gun-free zone."

And Last...

In advance of the upcoming Obamafest in Egypt next week, in which The One will read from his teleprompter a much-anticipated (by the Left) speech to our Muslim friends, The New York Times reports, "Right outside [Cairo] university's gates, vendors selling items from small kiosks said they had more pragmatic concerns than international relations. That is often the case in a country where about half the population struggles to survive on less than $2 a day." The Times then quotes Cairo resident Samia Abdel Hafiz: "I am trying to get a birth certificate to get a job. Whenever I apply for a job they ask me for the birth certificate. Maybe Obama can help get my paperwork through." Good thinking, Samia. Barack Obama certainly would be the guy to ask if you're trying to land a job without having to present a valid birth certificate.

*****

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.)