The Patriot Post Digest 3-18-2015

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 3-18-2015
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Daily Digest

Mar. 18, 2015

THE FOUNDATION

“It is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our liberties. We hold this prudent jealousy to be the first duty of citizens, and one of the noblest characteristics of the late Revolution. The freeman of America did not wait till usurped power had strengthened itself by exercise, and entangled the question in precedents. They saw all the consequences in the principle, and they avoided the consequences by denying the principle.” –James Madison, Memorial and Remonstrance, 1785


TOP 5 RIGHT HOOKS

Dems Still Aiming for Ammo Ban1

Democrats are up in arms over the ATF’s decision to forgo2 – for now – its proposed ban on M855 ammo. New York Democrat Rep. Steve Israel’s office sent out a press statement3 condemning the ATF and demanding the bureau “reevaluate the decision and immediately ban 5.56 mm M855 green tip ammunition, commonly referred to as ‘armor-piercing’ or ‘cop-killer’ bullets.” Israel himself said, “The ATF’s decision to cave to the gun lobby and allow life threatening armor-piercing bullets to remain on the streets is not only reckless, but cowardly. I stand with our law enforcement officers and first responders who risk their lives every day to keep our communities safe – ATF should stop jeopardizing their safety and Congress must pass common-sense gun safety laws to protect lives and keep our men and women in uniform safe.” He can call this ammo “cop-killer” all he wants, but, as Ronald Reagan used to say, “The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.” Exactly ZERO cops4 have been killed by this “cop-killer” round, which, in our book, undercuts the scary name. But never mind the facts when Democrats want to infringe gun rights.

Surprise! State Can’t Find Clinton’s OF-109 Form5

A conveniently timed and prepositioned exoneration? That’s what Americans are contemplating regarding Hillary Clinton after Jen Psaki, spokeswoman for the State Department, conceded during a press briefing Tuesday there is no evidence Clinton signed Form OF-109. That “separation form,” as it’s known, is crucial because, as Mediaite explains, “Employees leaving the State Department are required to sign the form, which says the employee turned over all official records before leaving.” But according to Psaki, “We have reviewed Secretary Clinton’s official personnel file and administrative files, and do not have any record of her signing the OF-109.” After being pressed further, she added, “I think we’re fairly certain she did not” sign the document. Even if we accept that at face value, something still doesn’t add up. As Hot Air’s Allahpundit points out6, “Psaki claims here that they don’t have OF-109s from Colin Powell or Condi Rice either.” Is it true? Who knows. But, assuming it is, Allahpundit continued, “Josh Earnest [said] that even senior staff at the White House are required to go through the formal separation process when they leave. … What kind of accountability norm regards disclosure as less important from an official with more responsibility?” Whether intentional or not, Clinton would love nothing more than to see the focus turn to long-held State procedures. Whether she gets off that easy will be up to investigators. More…7

We Can No Longer Talk About Race in a Coffee Shop8

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz embarked on an idea that’s too late for its time. The age when coffee shop patrons could openly talk about race with a stranger is long past. Over the weekend, the company that serves up over-roasted bean announced it was launching a campaign to have its baristas start a conversation about race by writing the phrase “Race Together” on the sides of its cups. Furthermore, Starbucks announced it would partner with USA Today9 to produce a pamphlet that prompts coffee guzzlers to start thinking more about race. For example, one question asks, “How have your racial views evolved from those of your parents?” And another fill-in-the-blank question says, “I have been to the home of someone of a different race ___ times.” Schultz’s idea is an old one that goes back to the beginning of coffee shops, when they were used by intellectuals in the Enlightenment as a forum10 to brew and filter ideas. But that was before coffee shops had drive-through windows and primarily served as a fueling station for overworked brains. Now, Starbucks is trying to distill the conversation about race down to two words, and that turns into a clumsy message that even liberal rag Think Progress11 opposes. More…12

WashPo Leftist: ‘Uncomfortable Truths’ About Ferguson13

Liberal Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart stepped up and fessed up this week, setting the record straight on the Ferguson race-bait case14 – sort of. Capehart is now under attack by liberals nationwide, who also bought into the faux “hands up, don’t shoot” narrative of the shooting of street thug Michael Brown. According to Capehart, “In those early hours and early days, there was more unknown than known.” That was probably why genuine journalists should not have jumped to conclusions, as Capehart did. He continued, “But this month, the Justice Department released two must-read investigations connected to the killing of Brown that filled in blanks, corrected the record and brought sunlight to dark places by revealing ugly practices that institutionalized racism and hardship. They have also forced me to deal with two uncomfortable truths: Brown never surrendered with his hands up, and Wilson was justified in shooting Brown. … We must never allow ourselves to march under the banner of a false narrative on behalf of someone who would otherwise offend our sense of right and wrong.” More…15

Gore Wants to ‘Put a Price on Climate Denial’16

Climate alarmism ringleader Al Gore spoke at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, where he advocated sanctioning skeptics of man-made global warming through cap-and-trade. “Al Gore on Friday called on SXSW attendees to punish climate-change deniers, saying politicians should pay a price for rejecting ‘accepted science,’” the Chicago Tribune reported. “Gore said smart investors are moving away from companies tied to fossil fuels and toward companies investing in alternative energy.” According to the former vice president, “We need to put a price on carbon to accelerate these market trends. And in order to do that, we need to put a price on denial in politics.” The overwhelming consensus17, he explained, leaves no room for debate: “In addition to 99% of the scientists and all the professional scientific organizations, now Mother Nature is weighing in.” What happened to the 97% figure that alarmists, including Barack Obama, regularly cite? Is Gore admitting that percentage is a sham, just like his new claim? The fact remains, Mother Nature has been weighing in since long before the enviro-Left saw climate change as a power grab opportunity. And that’s exactly what cap-and-trade is – a system that provides government greater opportunity to regulate your life according to its dictates. More…18

For more, visit Right Hooks19.

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 3-18-2015
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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RIGHT ANALYSIS
Bibi Wins, BO Loses20

Benjamin Netanyahu stormed to an unexpected victory in Israel’s elections Tuesday, securing a fourth term for the prime minister. One key takeaway is that Barack Obama’s looming nuclear deal with Iran is very unpopular across the political spectrum in Israel, and it – combined with overarching security concerns – likely swung the election. Defeating the deal’s biggest critic was a no-go for Israeli voters, which means Netanyahu’s win is a big loss for Obama.

But America’s community organizer has never been gracious to opponents or humble in defeat, so the Israeli commando shouldn’t expect any congratulatory phone calls.

Netanyahu and his Likud Party trailed in the polls with voters concerned about Israel’s slowing economy, but in the final days before the election he increasingly stressed national security. The prime minister even reversed his previous position on a “two-state solution” with the Palestinians. No doubt his about-face was largely politically motivated, but it’s also the right position given Iran’s increasing hegemony in the region and its particular influence with terrorist groups afflicting Israel.

Netanyahu also warned that foreigners were trying to defeat him, no doubt referring to Obama. Netanyahu argued the election was so close because foreign money was flooding in to support his opponents.

One indication that might be true was this comment from the losing candidate, Isaac Herzog, head of the leftist Zionist Union Party, on the eve of the election: “This election is about hope and change. … Whoever wants hope, change and really a better future for Israel, vote for the Zionist Union under my leadership.”

It’s not clear how much money21 the Obama machine directed to Herzog’s campaign, but Obama’s sloganeering was all too evident. Perhaps that was the work of former Obama campaign director Jeremy Bird, who went to Israel to help Herzog.

Before Netanyahu addressed Congress22 earlier this month, Obama expressed concern about the speech’s timing being so close to the election. But it’s clear Obama’s real worry was that the speech would help Netanyahu win. His fear was founded. Israelis aren’t too fond of Obama and his constant antagonism toward Israel, and Netanyahu was a better choice than Herzog to stand up to Obama.

It would be simplistic to say the Israeli election was entirely or even mostly about Obama. But that doesn’t mean the Israelis didn’t hear him loud and clear last fall when he said of our own elections, “My policies are on the ballot23.” Indeed, Obama lost. Israelis know the question is one of national survival, and they chose a real leader to ensure it.

The GOP’s Better Budget Battle24

Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) and the House Budget Committee on Tuesday proposed a budget that would balance in eight years. By comparison, Barack Obama’s $4 trillion budget25 would spend over $50 trillion in the next 10 years and never reach balance, even with all its tax increases.

“At the core of America’s character,” Price wrote in an op-ed for USA Today26, “lies a founding belief that we as a people ought to always strive to build a better, more innovative, open and free society. When we look at America today, we see a nation that is not living up to its economic or leadership potential. … Washington has been unable or unwilling to tackle big challenges with positive solutions.”

The goal is not simply to reign in Washington’s spending, but also to free the country from the unnecessary eight years of recession that has killed the American dream for so many people. Even Joe Biden admits “the middle class is being killed27.”

And Price cites the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mike Mullen, who calls our national debt “the single biggest threat to our national security.”

The committee’s FY 2016 budget proposal for $3.8 trillion still leaves us shaking our heads over its immensity, but there are several good aspects that deserve support. For one, it doesn’t raise taxes. That’s always a good start.

The prescription for restoring the American dream, according to Price, is paying down the national debt, fundamentally reforming our tax system, reducing and eliminating unnecessary regulations and pursuing our own energy production. He’s right.

To reach a balanced budget, he would slash $5.5 trillion from status quo spending growth over the next decade, much of it from entitlement spending and much would be saved on interest payments to the debt.

The most ambitious aspect of the plan is the repeal of ObamaCare, which would save $2 trillion over the next decade. The budget changes the way medical costs are paid for.

“We respect the principle of federalism in our budget by realigning the relationship the federal government has with states and local communities,” Price wrote. “From health care to education, states should be empowered to create their own solutions, free of onerous Washington mandates. The reforms we propose would save money, but, more importantly, they would allow us to find more effective means to achieve real results for American families.”

Critics complain the plan will gut Medicare, but Price promises that those already receiving Medicare – and those close to retiring – will receive or continue to receive benefits. In addition, the budget blocks ObamaCare cuts in doctor reimbursements that caused many doctors to reject Medicare as payment. Next month, doctors treating Medicare patients face a drastic cut in reimbursements, The New York Times reports28, but reimbursement cuts to all medical facilities have been happening already thanks to ObamaCare. Obama’s pet program robs billions from Medicare every year – in fact, between 2013 and 2022, that theft is projected to reach $716 billion29. The Republican plan could actually rescue Medicare from ObamaCare.

To further reduce spending, the budget goes after fraud in government agencies – good luck with that. The federal government is probably the champion time and money waster of all time, but nailing down a dollar value for government waste is nigh impossible. On the other hand, a reasonable estimate of fraud can be extrapolated from estimates regarding entitlement fraud. According to CBS News30, Medicare fraud cost taxpayers $60 billion of its more than $550 billion budget in 2014. It’s very likely that all federal programs from the smallest to the largest, including defense – maybe especially defense, with private contractors chasing the government’s most expensive contracts – operate at about the same level of waste and fraud.

(As an aside, the Pentagon says it lost track31 of $500 million in weapons and equipment it gave to Yemen. How’s that for waste?)

[nChrist]

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The Patriot Post Digest 3-18-2015
From The Federalist Patriot
Free Email Subscription
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Among the Republican caucus, the major sticking point is defense spending. Some conservatives are unhappy because Price’s plan exceeds the sequestration caps via contingency fund spending, and some hawks complain the proposal doesn’t spend enough.

The committee allocates approximately $523 billion32 to defense, which by the way is one of the few line items expressly enumerated in the Constitution. Price’s budget plan allocates another $90 billion for the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund, the “emergency” fund for war operations. Obama requested only $60 billion for that line item in his budget, and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) of the Armed Services Committee asked for only $51 billion.

Price’s budget, with all its splendid ideas – and several really are splendid – has a tough road ahead. Democrats won’t support it due to its entitlement cuts, Obama will veto it if it does pass and even Republicans will have a hard time agreeing on it. But at least it’s a budget. It’s more than the Democrats produced in Obama’s first five years.

For more, visit Right Analysis19.

TOP 5 RIGHT OPINION COLUMNS

    Arnold Ahlert: Netanyahu Emerges Victorious33
    Terence Jeffrey: GOP: Our Budget ‘Increases Spending at a More Manageable Rate’34
    Thomas Sowell: Ruinous ‘Compassion’35
    Walter E. Williams: Selma and Voting Rights Triumph36
    John Stossel: Chicago Fray37

For more, visit Right Opinion38.

OPINION IN BRIEF

French statesman Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850): “Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget that the state lives at the expense of everyone.”

Economist Thomas Sowell: “Looking back over my own life, I realize now how lucky I was when I left home in 1948, at the age of 17, to become self-supporting. The unemployment rate for 16- and 17-year-old blacks at that time was under 10 percent. Inflation had made the minimum wage law, passed ten years earlier, irrelevant. But it was only a matter of time before liberal compassion led to repeated increases in the minimum wage, to keep up with inflation. The annual unemployment rate for black teenagers has never been less than 20 percent in the past 50 years, and has ranged as high as over 50 percent. … Incidentally, the black-white gap in unemployment rates for 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds was virtually non-existent back in 1948. But the black teenage unemployment rate has been more than double that for white teenagers for every year since 1971. This is just one of many policies that allow liberals to go around feeling good about themselves, while leaving havoc in their wake.”

Economist Walter Williams: “I am not suggesting that there’s a causal relationship between crime, poverty and squalor on the one hand and Democratic and black political power on the other. Nor am I suggesting that blacks ought to vote Republican. What I am saying is that if one is strategizing on how to improve the lives of ordinary – and particularly the poorest – black people, he wants to leave off his high-priority to-do list the election of Democrats and black politicians. Also to be left off the to-do list is a civil rights agenda. Perhaps the biggest roadblock to finding solutions is the widely held vision that the major problem confronting blacks is discrimination. I am not arguing that every vestige of discrimination has been eliminated. I am arguing that the devastating problems facing a large proportion of the black community are not civil rights problems. The solutions will not be found in the political or civil rights arena.”

Humorist Frank J. Fleming: “What does it mean about race that my reaction to the news about Starbucks' #RaceTogether was the annoyed exclamation, ‘White people!’? … I’m a little scared about what I may say on any controversial issue before I’ve had my coffee. … Is Starbucks charging enough for a latte to be able to solve the issue of race?”

Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!

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.


Links

1    http://patriotpost.us/posts/33946
2    http://patriotpost.us/posts/33775
3    http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/top-dem-demands-immediate-ar-15-bullet-ban-calls-atf-cowards/article/2561558
4    http://patriotpost.us/posts/33675
5    http://patriotpost.us/posts/33951
6    http://hotair.com/archives/2015/03/17/jen-psaki-we-have-no-record-of-hillary-signing-a-separation-agreement-when-she-left-state/
7    http://www.mediaite.com/tv/state-dept-we-have-no-record-of-hillary-clintons-separation-form/
8    http://patriotpost.us/posts/33972
9    http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/03/16/starbucks-fast-food-restaurants-race-relations-usa-today/24851991/
10    http://www.economist.com/node/2281736
11    http://thinkprogress.org/culture/2015/03/17/3634583/starbucks-baristas-write-race-together-coffee-cups-solve-racism/
12    http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2015/03/17/393562838/heres-what-people-are-saying-about-starbucks-race-together-campaign
13    http://patriotpost.us/posts/33954
14    http://patriotpost.us/alexander/31256
15    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2015/03/16/lesson-learned-from-the-shooting-of-michael-brown/
16    http://patriotpost.us/posts/33943
17    http://patriotpost.us/articles/28035
18    http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/originals/chi-sxsw-al-gore-penny-pritzker-bsi-20150313-story.html
19    http://patriotpost.us/
20    http://patriotpost.us/articles/33976
21    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/03/17/obama-linked-nonprofit-filed-for-new-irs-status-after-accusation-meddling-in/
22    http://patriotpost.us/articles/33614
23    http://patriotpost.us/posts/30669
24    http://patriotpost.us/articles/33968
25    http://patriotpost.us/alexander/32898
26    http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/03/17/economic-potential-health-care-column/24820421/
27    http://patriotpost.us/posts/33341
28    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/09/us/politics/after-first-budget-measure-fissures-show-in-republican-caucus.html
29    http://dailysignal.com/2012/08/01/obamacare-robs-medicare-of-716-billion-to-fund-itself/
30    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/medicare-fraud-a-60-billion-crime-23-10-2009/
31    http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-loses-sight-of-500-million-in-counterterrorism-aid-given-to-yemen/2015/03/17/f4ca25ce-cbf9-11e4-8a46-b1dc9be5a8ff_story.html
32    http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-gops-budget-test-1426634703
33    http://patriotpost.us/opinion/33962
34    http://patriotpost.us/opinion/33959
35    http://patriotpost.us/opinion/33949
36    http://patriotpost.us/opinion/33915
37    http://patriotpost.us/opinion/33955
38    http://patriotpost.us/opinion