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nChrist
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« Reply #1 on: May 17, 2016, 09:21:02 PM » |
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The Patriot Post Digest 5-17-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
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To clarify, the Supreme Court in its unanimous decision did not rule on the merits of the case, meaning that the case will be kicked back to the lower courts for further consideration. Further, the Court did not rule on whether the law addresses a compelling state interest. Yet while it seems like the court punted this case, it really didn’t.
National Review’s David French highlights why: “First, the Supreme Court vacated the lower court ruling holding that the Little Sisters had to facilitate access to contraceptives and [denying] that the mandate substantially burdened their religion. When the court vacates a ruling that you’re challenging, that’s a win. Second, the Supreme Court provided a roadmap for an excellent resolution to the case — by outlining the accommodation it suggested, the Little Sisters endorsed, and the government reluctantly agreed to.”
Moreover, the Court’s decision was unanimous, while most political analysts expected a 4-4 split that would have allowed a ruling against the Little Sisters to stand. Given the context of this case, it’s the second time the Supreme Court has pushed back against Obama’s regulatory efforts to restrict religious liberty, and this case is another setback for Obama’s contraception/abortifacient mandate.
Unfortunately, from a strategic viewpoint, Obama has accomplished a lot in pushing for left-wing causes, and in doing so, he has tied up conservative resources beating back his advances. In all of his mandates, edicts and overreaches, he moves the needle further left and takes credit for doing so. He creates a political issue out of everything, and faithful leftists everywhere will defend him and demand even more.
The contraception mandate that he imposed on religious organizations like the Little Sisters of the Poor was never really about providing contraception, it was about power.
After the Court’s ruling, Obama spun the decision, saying, “The practical effect is, right now, that women will still continue to be able to get contraception if they are getting health insurance.”
“Be able to get”? Translation: Most Americans will still be mandated to buy health insurance from companies that are forced to provide certain benefits. Obama also insisted that his administration is already “properly accommodating religious institutions who have objections to contraception.” That’s because the Court has in essence ruled that Obama can’t violate their objections.
So while this was not a decisive victory in the courts, it is nevertheless a significant win for Little Sisters of the Poor, their petitioners and ultimately for religious liberty. Perhaps slowly chipping away at ObamaCare mandates will lead to full repeal of it. Maybe that’s wishful thinking, but it’s at least a step in the right direction.
MORE ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE
ANALYSIS: Democrat Policies: A Troubling Past and a Bad Future
Ninth Circuit Court Affirms Second Amendment
Number of ‘Ferguson Effect’ Skeptics Is Shrinking
Venezuela: A Country on the Brink
Yes, ‘Inclusive’ Facility Policies Are Harmful
TOP HEADLINES
U.S., Other World Powers to Arm Libyan Government
U.S. Has Taken in Only 17% of Syrian Refugees It Pledged
Is the ‘Ferguson Effect’ Real? Researcher Has Second Thoughts
For more, visit Patriot Headline Report
OPINION IN BRIEF
Dennis Prager: “Republicans and conservatives have spent almost eight years attacking President Barack Obama. For good reason, to be sure, as the case can and should be made that he has done more harm to America than any president in American history. But all harm he has done … is a function of his being a man of the left. No more; no less. Vice President Joe Biden, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders and virtually any Democratic senator, would have tried to do similar damage to America. But Republicans focus their ire on individuals — first Barack Obama, and now Hillary Clinton — as if they individually, not the left and leftism, are the problem. Think, for example, about how much conservatives attack political correctness. They are, of course, right to do so. But all their attacks are almost meaningless because they never mention the source of political correctness: the left. In fact, the very definition of ‘politically correct’ is ‘that which is acceptable to the left’; and the definition of ‘politically incorrect’ is ‘that which is unacceptable to the left.’ … Our colleges have been ruined, free speech is increasingly suppressed, the economy is stagnant, the federal debt is doubling and young Americans no longer see America as exceptional in any way, all because of the left. But almost no one dares mention the word. Why?”
SHORT CUTS
Insight: “Leave men free, and their natural inequalities will multiply almost geometrically, as in England and America in the nineteenth century under laissez-faire. To check the growth of inequality, liberty must be sacrificed, as in Russia after 1917. Even when repressed, inequality grows; only the man who is below the average in economic ability desires equality; those who are conscious of superior ability desire freedom, and in the end superior ability has its way.” —Will Durant (1885-1981)
Upright: “The Obama White House will rub whatever raw political nerves it takes to kick up a culture clash in order to mobilize the Obama election coalition for Hillary Clinton’s flagging campaign. That Friday’s ‘Dear Colleague’ letter on transgender students will launch years of litigation and release political furies in school districts across America is the main point.” —The Wall Street Journal
Observations: “[Donald Trump] seems to think that he has all the answers and that he doesn’t need any advice from staff or anybody else. And that he knows more about these things than anybody else.” —former Defense Secretary Robert Gates
Belly Laugh of the Week: “The health insurance market is a lot better for private citizens now than it was before the Affordable Care Act. That’s just a fact.” —Josh Earnest
Braying Jenny: “[Bill Clinton will be] in charge of revitalizing the economy. Because, you know, he knows how to do it.” —Hillary Clinton (Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the Obama economy.)
And last… “The Hillary vs Trump spectacle will achieve something lasting and useful if it reduces our reverence toward the office of the president.” —Frank Fleming
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
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