The Patriot Post Brief 3-18-2013

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The Patriot Post Brief 3-18-2013
From The Federalist Patriot
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The Bible, As Seen on TV

March 18, 2013

The Foundation

"The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of man, that arguments which enforce it cannot be drawn from too many sources nor adapted with too much solicitude to the different characters and capacities impressed with it." --James Madison

Inspiration

"The History Channel's broadcast of the second-part of its five-part miniseries based on the Bible, wasn't just the top-rated show on cable television [on its first] night, it was the top-rated show in all of television1: 'The Bible commanded HISTORY as #1 in all of television from 8-10pm, with 10.8 million total viewers and in Adults 25-54 with 3.8 million. In addition, The Bible garnered 3.2 million Adults 18-49. Over 50 million cumulative viewers have seen at least a portion of the series since it began on March 3.' 50 million cumulative viewers represents about fifty-times the viewers that new phenom, HBO's 'Girls,' enjoys. ... For two decades we Christians have been pushing the entertainment industry to produce respectful stories about our faith, and for decades we've been ridiculed and marginalized by a provincial Hollywood and media class that have no idea how the real world works. Finally, though, we are enjoying a slow-motion breakthrough and the ratings and box office continue to prove us right. Things are only going to get better. Christians are learning their trade and flexing their muscle in Hollywood. We're in the midst of a wonderful revolution." --Breitbart's John Nolte2

Government

"The scariest news over the weekend came from the tiny country of Cyprus. ... Individuals who have deposits of at least $130,000 (equivalent) in Cypriot banks will pay what the New York Times called a 'one-time tax' of 9.9 percent of their deposits. Smaller depositors will have their funds confiscated taxed to the tune of 6.75 percent. ... Naturally the ATM networks were shut down to prevent the good people of Cyprus (or Russia) from getting to their money before the government could take it away. Chancellor Merkel said that making the depositors help pay for the bailout is the right thing to do. 'That way,' she said, 'those responsible will contribute in it, not only the taxpayers of other countries.' I have $12.75 in the bank in Alexandria, Virginia. How does that make me responsible for creating the national debt? ... Think about what will happen when officials of the Obama Administration come to work this morning and read that the EU could force Cyprus to confiscate legally deposited funds. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, as of last Monday there was $6.8 trillion on deposit in U.S. banks. ... I can certainly hear the clack-clack-clack of keyboards drawing up the talking points explaining why rich people with deposits of over, say $50,000 should be willing to do their fair share in paying down the national debt. ... Sample Talking Point: If you can afford a 401(k) and $4/gallon gasoline, you're making too much." --columnist Rich Galen3

Essential Liberty

"The bottom line of the Cyprus story is that politicians are forcing a new 10 billion euro bailout -- to be paid directly from the bank accounts of ordinary people. ... Cyprus is the fifth country to seek a bailout following Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain but the terms of the deal are a radical departure from previous schemes. No one will escape the bailout deal which will apply to everyone from pensions to Russian oligarchs, who are alleged to have billions stashed away in what officials claim is a bloated Cypriot banking sector. ... What's happening in Cyprus should send a chill over the entire world. Politicians working with complicit big banks need no rule of law; no parliament debates to close in on the bank accounts of average people." --columnist Judi McLeod4

Political Futures

"Deciding whether to approve the Keystone XL pipeline is surely one of the toughest challenges of Barack Obama's presidency. He hasn't made up his mind yet, of course. Or has he? Bloomberg reports that the Obama administration 'is preparing to tell all federal agencies for the first time that they should consider the impact on global warming before approving major projects.' Up to now, under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federally approved projects had to consider potential impacts like dangerous spills or air pollution, but not global warming. Directing all federal agencies to take climate change into account under NEPA will transform environmental policy in this country, putting a huge new drag on the economy in the process. ... NEPA allows citizens and environmental groups to file claims against projects even after they win government approval. ... Obama can publicly 'approve' Keystone, while simultaneously handing the left the tool they need to put the project on semi-permanent hold. Environmentalists would take the political heat, while Obama would get off scot-free. Pretty clever. ... Obama's formal public decision may not matter. ... The only remaining question would be how much credit or blame Obama wants to openly take for a block that's already been thrown." --National Review's Stanley Kurtz5

For the Record

"Canada and China have made it clear that if the U.S. doesn't allow the pipeline to go south, they'll make one that goes west to the Canadian coast. In other words, the oil is going to be pumped out no matter what. ... If the idea is that America is somehow 'leading by example' when/if it kills projects like Keystone, or cracks down on oil drilling on federal lands, as Obama has done, then we're not fooling anyone -- not even the Canadians! All around the world, governments are expanding their oil and gas operations. ... Meanwhile, thanks to technological advances, the International Energy Agency predicts the U.S. will be the world's largest oil producer by 2017 and a net exporter by 2030. ... Whatever oil we've denied ourselves has been made up for by development in other countries. All that we've done is make oil prices higher than they needed to be and denied ourselves billions of dollars that would have stayed here rather than go to the Middle East. No country, save the U.S., seems at all interested in denying itself or the world much-needed economic growth by letting oil and gas sit in the ground. In other words, when you've lost Canada, you've lost the argument." --columnist Jonah Goldberg6

Opinion in Brief

"For all of us, even the non-Catholics, it will be a tonic, and possibly even a little inspiring, if Pope Francis turns out to be just what he seems -- a truly Godly man who lives out his faith. ... While secular liberals tend to frame questions about the church in terms of 'moderate' or 'conservative' views on abortion, homosexuality and contraception, the new Pope's humility and piety may breathe new life into matters that require moral leadership. Of course he will have to deal with the scandals and institutional problems of the church itself, but a man who has lived up to his own vows of chastity and poverty may be able to break through the ideological rigidity of listeners when he speaks, for example, of the rights of the unborn. By taking the name Francis, the new Pope reminds the world that the mighty, globe-spanning church was founded on humble ideas and has been best represented by humble people, like St. Francis of Assisi. Not everyone can be a saint. But particularly at this historical moment, it would be so good just to witness a good man being what he claims to be." --columnist Mona Charen7