Commentary Archives - Page 435 of 517

The Biggest Loser of the 2016 Presidential Election Cycle

November 9, 2015/in Commentary, Elections, Politics/by Raynard Jackson

Though no votes have yet to be cast, the biggest loser of the 2016 presidential election cycle is by far the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).

Those who follow my columns know that I have been extremely critical of my Republican Party and our presidential candidates for rarely, if ever, engaging with the Black press.

I have an equal amount of criticism for NABJ. Make no mistake about it; they are a liberal organization, with very liberal leadership. I have expressed my disappointment with their liberal slant both privately and publically directly to them, but somehow; the issue never seems to get addressed.

Rarely, if ever, do they have Black Republicans on their various panels and we are practically invisible during their national conventions. Over the years, I have been asked to serve on their various panels; but that was because of my personal relationships with many of their members and because I raised wholly hell with them.

I have offered for years to arrange a private meeting with NABJ’s leadership and chairman of our party, Reince Priebus, but their leadership never showed any interest. Priebus has asked me from time to time what happened with this meeting and I had to finally tell him that the group was not serious.

So, over the years I have taken Black journalists who were personal friends to meet with our various party leaders to engage in on-the-record conversations and they were well received by all involved.

These Republican leaders were surprised to find that these Black journalists were not all liberals or interested in doing a slam piece; these journalists actually wrote thoughtful, fair pieces.

These Black journalists were surprised to find that these party leaders were quite thoughtful in their comments about issues relevant to the Black community and were also quite informed. The problem has always been that the media deals in soundbites, not substantive conversation.

I have written several columns extolling the virtues of Black media. Why is someone like me, who is not even a journalist, advocating more for Black media than the very organization that was founded to do just such a thing?

I have offered to introduce them to the various presidential campaigns, but not a peep from NABJ. But yet they constantly complain about how Republicans ignore them. Hell, Republicans aren’t ignoring them, they don’t know they exist.

Yet their counterpart, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) has met with several Republican presidential candidates.

I just wished NABJ had guts enough to admit the obvious, that they and their leadership are in the tank for Hillary and the Democrats; even though they won’t spend any money with them, but NABJ will just be happy to have Hillary show up at their convention next summer in DC so they can brag about her attendance.

Republicans should not attend any Black conventions without getting guarantees that they will have Black Republicans on their various panels throughout their conventions. If these groups don’t agree, then our party leadership should refuse to participate in their conferences.

But too many Republicans have no Blacks advising them on these issues and are afraid not to attend these conventions for fear of being called “racists.”

JEB Bush and Rand Paul have spoken at the Urban League’s annual conference only to have people like Hillary and others ridicule their presence; neither Bush nor Paul had anyone to defend them after they left because no one demanded that Black Republicans be represented as a condition of them speaking. Duhhhhh!

If NABJ doesn’t want to engage with Republicans because it’s the right thing to do, then do it for self-preservation. Why would Republican organizations like the RNC, House or Senate campaign committees buy a table at NABJ’s events if they are already in the tank for the Democrats?

NABJ has so much potential, but they value being in bed with the Democrats more than being respected as a professional organization advocating for more engagement with Black media on every level.

How is in possible, in the 21st century, that a presidential campaign is underway and the Black media is nowhere to be found? NABJ should be embarrassed, but I don’t think they are even aware or simply just don’t care.

How many internships has NABJ brokered for their student members with Republican members of Congress or the Republican National Committee (RNC) in their press offices? We have 31 Republican governors across the U.S. How many have ever been invited to host a reception for NABJ when they are having their regional or national meeting in that governor’s state?

What has NABJ done to pressure presidential campaigns to spend advertising dollars with the more than 200 Black newspapers across the country? Why has NABJ not organized a meeting with the press secretaries of all the presidential campaigns of both parties to introduce the organization to these key staffers?

If NABJ can’t effectively advocate for more engagement with Black journalists and Black media during a presidential cycle; then they truly are the biggest losers.

The lights are going out all over Europe

November 9, 2015/in Commentary, National Security, Policy, Politics/by Robert Heller

Please take a few minutes to read this speech by Geert Wilders, a Dutch Member of Parliament and head of the PVV Party. The Lights are Going Out All Over Europe. Do Not Let Them Go Out In America and Israel. Israel is the West’s Last Bastion of Defense. Wake Up America!

The Lights are Going Out All Over Europe

“Dear Friends,

Thank you very much for inviting me. I come to America with a mission. All is not well in the old world.

There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic.

We might be in the final stages of the Islamization of Europe. This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the West. The United States as the last bastion of Western civilization, facing an Islamic Europe.

First I will describe the situation on the ground in Europe. Then, I will say a few things about Islam. To close I will tell you about a meeting in Jerusalem.

The Europe you know is changing.

You have probably seen the landmarks. But in all of these cities, sometimes a few blocks away from your tourist destination, there is another world. It is the world of the parallel society created by Muslim mass-migration.

All throughout Europe a new reality is rising: entire Muslim neighborhoods where very few indigenous people reside or are even seen. And if they are, they might regret it. This goes for the police as well. It’s the world of head scarves, where women walk around in figureless tents, with baby strollers and a group of children. Their husbands, or slaveholders if you prefer, walk three steps ahead. With mosques on many street corners. The shops have signs you and I cannot read. You will be hard-pressed to find any economic activity. These are Muslim ghettos controlled by religious fanatics. These are Muslim neighborhoods, and they are mushrooming in every city across Europe. These are the building-blocks for territorial control of increasingly larger portions of Europe, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city.

There are now thousands of mosques throughout Europe With larger congregations than there are in churches. And in every European city there are plans to build super-mosques that will dwarf every church in the region. Clearly, the signal is: we rule.

Many European cities are already one-quarter Muslim: just take Amsterdam, Marseilles and Malmo in Sweden. In many cities the majority of the under-18 population is Muslim. Paris is now surrounded by a ring of Muslim neighborhoods. Mohammad is the most popular name among boys in many cities.

In some elementary schools in Amsterdam the farm can no longer be mentioned, because that would also mean mentioning the pig, and that would be an insult to Muslims.

Many state schools in Belgium and Denmark only serve halal food to all pupils. In once-tolerant Amsterdam gays are beaten up almost exclusively by Muslims. Non-Muslim women routinely hear ‘whore, whore’. Satellite dishes are not pointed to local TV stations, but to stations in the country of origin.

In France school teachers are advised to avoid authors deemed offensive to Muslims, including Voltaire and Diderot; the same is increasingly true of Darwin. The history of the Holocaust can no longer be taught because of Muslim sensitivity.

In England sharia courts are now officially part of the British legal system. Many neighborhoods in France are no-go areas for women without head scarves. Last week a man almost died after being beaten up by Muslims in Brussels, because he was drinking during the Ramadan.

Jews are fleeing France in record numbers, on the run for the worst wave of anti-Semitism since World War II. French is now commonly spoken on the streets of Tel Aviv and Netanya, Israel. I could go on forever with stories like this. Stories about Islamization.

A total of fifty-four million Muslims now live in Europe. San Diego University recently calculated that a staggering 25 percent of the population in Europe will be Muslim just 12 years from now. Bernhardt Lewis has predicted a Muslim majority by the end of this century.

Now these are just numbers. And the numbers would not be threatening if the Muslim-immigrants had a strong desire to assimilate. But there are few signs of that. The Pew Research Center reported that half of French Muslims see their loyalty to Islam as greater than their loyalty to France. One-third of French Muslims do not object to suicide attacks. The British Centre for Social Cohesion reported that one-third of British Muslim students are in favor of a worldwide caliphate Muslims demand what they call ‘respect’. And this is how we give them respect. We have Muslim official state holidays.

The Christian-Democratic attorney general is willing to accept sharia in the Netherlands if there is a Muslim majority.

We have cabinet members with passports from Morocco and Turkey.

Muslim demands are supported by unlawful behavior, ranging from petty crimes and random violence, for example against ambulance workers and bus drivers, to small-scale riots. Paris has seen its uprising in the low-income suburbs, the banlieus. I call the perpetrators settler’s. Because that is what they are. They do not come to integrate into our societies; they come to integrate our society into their Dar-al-Islam. Therefore, they are settlers.

Much of this street violence I mentioned is directed exclusively against non-Muslims, forcing many native people to leave their neighborhoods, their cities, their countries. Moreover, Muslims are now a swing vote not to be ignored.

The second thing you need to know is the importance of Mohammed the prophet. His behavior is an example to all Muslims and cannot be criticized. Now, if Mohammed had been a man of peace, let us say like Ghandi and Mother Theresa wrapped in one, there would be no problem. But Mohammed was a warlord, a mass murderer, a pedophile, and had several marriages – at the same time. Islamic tradition tells us how he fought in battles, how he had his enemies murdered and even had prisoners of war executed. Mohammad himself slaughtered the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza. If it is good for Islam, it is good. If it is bad for Islam, it is bad.

Let no one fool you about Islam being a religion. Sure, it has a god, and a here-after, and 72 virgins. But in its essence Islam is a political ideology. It is a system that lays down detailed rules for society and the life of every person. Islam wants to dictate every aspect of life. Islam means ‘submission’. Islam is not compatible with freedom and democracy, because what it strives for is Sharia. If you want to compare Islam to anything, compare it to communism or national-socialism, these are all totalitarian ideologies.

Now you know why Winston Churchill called Islam ‘the most retrograde force in the world’, and why he compared Mein Kampf to the Quran. The public has wholeheartedly accepted the Palestinian narrative, and sees Israel as the aggressor. I have lived in this country and visited it dozens of times. I support Israel. First, because it is the Jewish homeland after two thousand years of exile up to and including Auschwitz. Second because it is a democracy. And third because Israel is our first line of defense.

This tiny country is situated on the fault line of jihad, frustrating Islam’s territorial advance. Israel is facing the front lines of jihad, like Kashmir, Kosovo, the Philippines, Southern Thailand, Darfur in Sudan, Lebanon, and Aceh in Indonesia. Israel is simply in the way. The same way West-Berlin was during the Cold War.

The war against Israel is not a war against Israel. It is a war against the West. It is jihad. Israel is simply receiving the blows that are meant for all of us. If there would have been no Israel, Islamic imperialism would have found other venues to release its energy and its desire for conquest. Thanks to Israeli parents who send their children to the army and lay awake at night, parents in Europe and America can sleep well and dream, unaware of the dangers looming.

Many in Europe argue in favor of abandoning Israel in order to address the grievances of our Muslim minorities. But if Israel were, God forbid, to go down, it would not bring any solace to the West. It would not mean our Muslim minorities would all of a sudden change their behavior, and accept our values. On the contrary, the end of Israel would give enormous encouragement to the forces of Islam. They would, and rightly so, see the demise of Israel as proof that the West is weak, and doomed. The end of Israel would not mean the end of our problems with Islam, but only the beginning. It would mean the start of the final battle for world domination. If they can get Israel, they can get everything. So-called journalists volunteer to label any and all critics of Islam as a ‘right-wing extremists’ or ‘racists’. In my country, the Netherlands, 60 percent of the population now sees the mass immigration of Muslims as the number one policy mistake since World War II. And another 60 percent sees Islam as the biggest threat. Yet there is a greater danger than terrorist attacks, the scenario of America as the last man standing. The lights may go out in Europe faster than you can imagine. An Islamic Europe means a Europe without freedom and democracy, an economic wasteland, an intellectual nightmare, and a loss of military might for America – as its allies will turn into enemies, enemies with atomic bombs.

With an Islamic Europe, it would be up to America alone to preserve the heritage of Rome, Athens and Jerusalem.

Dear friends, Liberty is the most precious of gifts. My generation never had to fight for this freedom, it was offered to us on a silver platter, by people who fought for it with their lives. All throughout Europe, American cemeteries remind us of the young boys who never made it home, and whose memory we cherish. My generation does not own this freedom; we are merely its custodians. We can only hand over this hard won liberty to Europe’s children in the same state in which it was offered to us. We cannot strike a deal with mullahs and imams. Future generations would never forgive us. We cannot squander our liberties. We simply do not have the right to do so.

We have to take the necessary action now to stop this Islamic stupidity from destroying the free world that we know.

Republican Civil Wars

November 9, 2015/in Commentary, Elections, Politics/by Paul R. Hollrah

An August 1, 2015 article in the Rasmussen Reports asked the question, “Is the GOP on the Brink of Civil War?” As evidence of what appears to be an impending “civil war,” the author points to a floor speech by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) in which he accused Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) of lying. Cruz claimed that the majority leader had promised that there was no behind-the-scenes deal to revive the controversial Export-Import Bank…which conservatives oppose as “corporate welfare,” and which business organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly support.

What caused Cruz to erupt was a last-minute decision by McConnell that the bill reauthorizing the Ex-Im bank would be attached to a highways funding bill, all but guaranteeing its passage.

Cruz charged, “The American people elected a Republican majority believing that a Republican majority would be somehow different from a Democratic majority in the United States Senate”… a thinly veiled charge that the Senate, under McConnell’s leadership, was all but indistinguishable from the Senate run by Democrat Harry Reid (D-NV).

The current bitterness between Cruz and McConnell is but a hint of the dissatisfaction that exists among rank-and-file conservatives and Republicans across the country. It may very well be the first open skirmish in another war for the hearts and minds of conservatives and Republicans.

The first Republican “civil war” I experienced was in the early 1960s when the eastern liberal establishment dominated the Republican Party. And when a group of conservative Young Republicans felt that the country had been allowed to drift much too far to the left, they took it upon themselves to engineer the nomination of a true conservative for president.

That was not a very popular notion among party liberals such as New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller; Congressman William E. Miller, of New York, Chairman of the Republican National Committee; or Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott, of Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, in 1961, a group of twenty-two young conservatives, mostly officers and active members of the Young Republican National Federation, met in New York to plot a course toward nominating a conservative Republican in 1964. The group was led by F. Clifton White, of Connecticut; freshman congressman John Ashbrook, of Ohio; and future National Review editor, William Rusher. Unable to settle on a candidate at that meeting, the group decided to wait until after the 1962 mid-term elections to select a candidate. Following that election the decision was made to draft Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ), and the Draft Goldwater Committee was born.

What the casual observer fails to understand is that, when first approached, Goldwater was not excited about the idea of running for president of the United States. However, as the Draft Goldwater Committee (of which this writer was a card-carrying member) began to gain support across the country, he eventually relented and warmed to the idea… especially when he came to the realization that his campaign against John F. Kennedy would represent a long-sought confrontation between conservatism and liberalism… a confrontation that would never occur if the eastern liberal establishment was allowed to nominate yet another moderate Republican.

However, it was immediately evident that the Rockefeller wing of the party would not willingly cede the nominating process to a group of upstart Young Republicans. Instead, the YRs backing a Goldwater candidacy decided that they could only be successful by seizing control of the party, even though that effort would likely set off a “civil war” within the party.

At a Young Republican meeting in New Jersey, in 1963, a meeting at which copious amounts of adult beverages were consumed, a group of YRs calling themselves the “Rat Finks,” wrote and sang a number of very creative song parodies… news of which quickly reached party leaders in Washington. It was then that the animosity between party leaders and the Young Republican National Federation reached a boiling point.

One of the ditties, sung to the melody of the church hymn, Rock of Ages, went like this:

Rockefeller’s not for me,
He is not for GOP.
He is for the welfare state,
And he’s had more than one mate.
Rockefeller’s not for me;
He is just an s.o.b.

Needless to say, it was not a popular lyric at GOP headquarters in Washington, and in the governor’s mansion in Albany it was seen as downright sacrilegious. As a result, Senator Hugh Scott led an effort to disfranchise the Young Republicans, including closing their office in RNC headquarters in Washington and cutting off all RNC funding. Suddenly, it was open warfare and it continued through the 1964 Republican National Convention and all the way to the General Election in November 1964.

Unfortunately, a disastrous twist of fate lay in store for the Goldwater campaign and for the entire country. On November 22, 1963, as John F. Kennedy rode in a motorcade through downtown Dallas, Texas, a communist sympathizer named Lee Harvey Oswald had other plans.

Suddenly, without warning, John F. Kennedy was dead and Lyndon Baines Johnson (D-TX) was president of the United States. As of that day, the Draft Goldwater Committee had attracted enough support across the country to win a first-ballot victory for Goldwater at the 1964 national convention in San Francisco. Nevertheless, those of us who’d given two years of our lives to the effort to send a conservative to the Oval Office knew that we’d have to work in the Goldwater campaign for an entire year, knowing that in the end we would lose… and lose BIG.

Because Goldwater was able to win only 27 million votes, against Lyndon Johnson’s 43 million, Republican liberals and moderates blamed the landslide loss on Goldwater’s conservatism, rather than on the circumstances surrounding LBJ’s ascent to the presidency. And they continued to do so through the 1968, 1972, and 1976 presidential elections.

Finally, in the years leading up to the 1980 General Election, conservatives were once again able to nominate one of their own, former California Governor Ronald Reagan. However, the success of the Reagan movement once again energized opposition among establishment Republicans. In 1980, I attended the Republican National Convention in Detroit as an aide to former Treasury Secretary William E. Simon, who, along with former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former congressman Jack Kemp (R-NY), comprised Reagan’s “short list” for vice president.

However, on the day after Reagan was nominated, and before he had announced his selection of a running mate, establishment Republicans let it be known that they didn’t think Ronald Reagan had sufficient knowledge of foreign and domestic affairs to successfully lead the country. In order to assuage that doubt, they created a groundswell of support on the convention floor aimed at forcing Reagan to select former president Gerald R. Ford, a moderate, as his running mate. It represented the first “shot” in yet another Republican “civil war.”

Reagan was watching events unfold from his hotel suite in the nearby Renaissance Plaza Hotel. And although neither of the Reagans was fond of George H.W. Bush, Reagan’s principal opponent in the Republican primaries, the decision was quickly made… in the interest of party unity… to abandon his plans to select a conservative running mate in favor of the establishment candidate, George H.W. Bush.

By sheer coincidence, I arrived at the Joe Louis Arena at precisely the instant that the Reagan entourage arrived and I walked through the revolving doors of the convention hall shoulder-to-shoulder with Reagan. Believing that George H.W. Bush was not a man of presidential caliber, I have often thought that I might have changed history by merely extending my foot and putting “The Gipper” flat on his face. Nevertheless, establishment Republicans had their way once again and the Bush “dynasty” that now attempts to nominate former governor, Jeb Bush, was born.

Now it has become clear once again that Republican leaders in Congress and at the RNC have no idea how to reach out to African-Americans, Hispanics, women, or to young voters. At least blacks, Hispanics, Orientals, women, and college Republicans are listed on the RNC letterhead. Nowhere does it mention the Young Republican National Federation, those young leaders who are the future of the Republican Party. They were unable to find a formula under which they could guarantee Carly Fiorina, one of the top contenders among the 2016 hopefuls, a place in the first presidential debate on August 6; nor have they demonstrated any understanding whatsoever of the anger in the American electorate that Donald Trump appears to be harnessing.

It was just sixteen years between the Goldwater nomination in 1964 and the Reagan nomination in 1980. It is now thirty-six years since the party nominated its last conservative. With the Republican establishment throwing its substantial resources behind former Governor Jeb Bush, who has little, if any, chance of winning in November 2016, it looks as if we are long overdue for yet another intra-party “civil war.”

The only Republican who can save America for future generations is one with a bit of an edge who is capable of out-thinking and out-debating the Democratic nominee. Since there is no one among the moderate candidates who can meet that requirement, Republican primary voters must choose very carefully in 2016.

The New Reich

November 8, 2015/in Commentary, Culture War, Healthcare, Policy, Politics/by Judie Brown

Startling headlines like this one—“Court Exonerates Mom in Newborn’s Death, Rules 6-Day-Old Baby Not a ‘Person’”—always give me a jolt.

The mother in this case, Jennifer Jorgensen, “was speeding, intoxicated, and not wearing a seatbelt when she crashed her car while she was eight months pregnant. Jorgensen’s blood alcohol level was .06 and the anti-anxiety medication Clonazepam was in her system.”

The doctors delivered her baby by caesarian section, and for six days the child clung to life, but then died. The mother was initially found guilty of manslaughter, but on appeal a five-member majority of the court of appeals overturned the conviction, arguing that “the law criminalizing such conduct is located in the statute on intentional self-abortion, where the offense is ‘no greater than a misdemeanor.’”

In other words, a chill wind has once again blown against personhood among the most vulnerable in our midst. Now this newborn child, like her countless numbers of preborn brothers and sisters, has fallen victim to judicial fiat and an official denial of her undeniable humanity.

Reading a decision like this reminds me of countless manipulations Planned Parenthood has used in courts across the land to free itself from the encumbrances of moral sanity and ethical actions. Just this past week, an Alabama judge ruled that even though the state had decided to defund Planned Parenthood, the state had to restore the funding. Why? Because just like the pronouncements made by the Obama administration, “defunding Planned Parenthood for reasons not related to the quality of care provided would violate federal law.”

Since when does killing a preborn child equate with quality health care, you might ask? Well, the answer is clear.

What was once deemed wrong is now right; what was once considered a criminal act against innocent persons is now considered business as usual.

This is the state of things in our nation today. Sadly, pro-life America is all too familiar with it. Let us count the ways.

Planned Parenthood’s slaughter of over six million human beings. The resulting destruction of families in every community.

The butchering of human beings for experimentation and profit-making off the sale of their body parts.

The heartless laughter of “professionals” responsible for heinous crimes against humanity and getting filthy rich off their heinous labor.

A relentless propaganda campaign lying about the virtues of death and tyranny against helpless victims.

An equally guilty news media driving to protect death and those responsible at any cost.

A public that is sleepy and numb and indifferent to sin, slaughter, and suffering.

Politicians gorged on blood money and willing to protect and promote evil for the good of the dictatorship.

Christian shepherds silent, invisible.

This is not 1939 Nazi Germany. This is 2015 America. The New Reich is Planned Parenthood.

The decline in morality in America today, starting with ignorance toward the humanity of the preborn child from which flows the evils of Planned Parenthood and its allies, can only lead one to conclude that, without God and His laws, demonic influences will continue to grow among us.

To prove my point, please read the responses from two well-known American exorcists on the topic of whether or not there is something diabolical about abortion.

Fr. Gary Thomas articulated, “Abortion is a doorway to the demonic because it involves the destruction of an innocent human being. . . . This decline in morality is growing rapidly and provides the opportunity for Satan to have a foothold in a family’s life. I do not believe that most people who are believers in ‘choice’ realize this. That is part of the seduction of Satan who will disguise his presence in these choices.”

Fr. Vince Lampert stated, “Anything that attacks human life has to be viewed as evil, for the human person is created in the image and likeness of God.”

And there you have it. The NEW REICH has unleashed the demons of death and destruction among us.

God alone will help us drive them out! Pray for the nation and for the strength to persevere. The babies are counting on us.

Can Germany put the Muslim Genie back in the bottle?

November 8, 2015/in Commentary, Culture War, Immigration, Policy, Politics, Religion/by Ann Corcoran

It’s doubtful even if the New York Times says German leaders are working on it….

Before even reading this below, go here, and have a look at the UN High Commissioner for Refugee’s interactive map which shows the daily flow of migrants into Europe. It is absolutely fascinating to see! 7,315 were crossing into Germany from Austria just yesterday alone! Two days before that (on Wednesday) it was 9,930.

And, so how do Germany’s politicians plan to get the message out to those on the move, and do they really think that even if the thousands arriving daily on Europe’s shores are going to hear the news (do they read the NYT?), what are the odds that they are going to say oopsie! and turn around? See ‘Is the end nigh?’

From the NYT:

BERLIN — The German government is considering restoring controls on Syrian refugees arriving here after fleeing war in their homeland, and will significantly tighten rules allowing refugees to bring their families here, the Interior Ministry said on Friday.

The announcement followed weeks of mounting doubt about whether Germany has the capacity to handle almost 800,000 refugees who have arrived so far this year and who could total more than a million by year’s end.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and her government have come under fire at home and abroad, accused of triggering the influx of refugees from Syria and elsewhere when the German office overseeing migration said in August that it would no longer check Syrian arrivals. Those pursuing asylum had already been arriving in Central Europe in ever-increasing numbers earlier in the summer, but the pace quickened after that statement.

Continue reading to see the new rules they are thinking of putting in place.

Go here for our complete ‘Invasion of Europe’ archive. Click here for more on “Mama” Merkel and Germany.

By the way, I’ve been tweeting a lot of Europe news because I can’t post it all, so if you are on twitter follow me here@refugeewatcher.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Are Miliband and Albright purposefully misleading the media about numbers of refugees coming to the U.S.?

Obama lied about his school years and the press shrugged, why the double standard for a conservative black man?

Berlin: Thousands protest, demand Merkel resignation

Senator Grassley: Stop funding for Syrian resettlement until security is assured

Sweden running out of beds for migrants?

Multi-million $$$ Lutheran group lobbies Congress/White House, demands more Syrian Muslim refugees be admitted to US

Why Dr. Ben Carson’s Fame Is Like Christ’s Triumphal Entry for the Adventist Church

November 7, 2015/in Commentary, Elections, Politics, Religion/by Dr. Richard Ruhling, MD

Christ’s triumphal entry to Jerusalem had been foretold 500 years earlier, riding on a colt, Zechariah 9:9. God’s purpose was to call attention to the prophecies concerning the Savior before Friday’s crucifixion.

Adventism may be due for a similar bipolar swing from popular now to ridicule or scorn soon. With most major news sources doing an article on Dr. Carson’s faith, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is no longer considered a cult, but they sadly edited some beliefs to escape inclusion in Walter Martin’s “Kingdom of Cults” 50 years ago, a book that included Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Islam, New Age, etc.

The purpose of this is not to look at the Trinity now accepted, but it’s a word that Ellen White never used. We look instead at the eschatology she may have hinted for us in the next chapter of her book on Christ’s life, a chapter titled “A Doomed People.” It was about the Jewish nation then, like the fig tree flaunting its pretentious leaves but lacking fruit. Christ cursed the tree as a lesson against empty or shallow religion.

“So it is now” wrote Ellen White from Australia where brethren sent her to get rid of her agitation for a new truth of righteousness by faith for the church. She returned to appeal for a reorganization of the General Conference in 1901. They voted her request, but never carried it out and in 1903, voted a more hierarchical structure that GC President Wilson said in court was like the Roman Catholic Church. M. Silver v PPPA.

Ellen White’s response was, “How is the faithful city become an harlot? My Father’s house is made a house of merchandise; a place whence the divine presence and glory have departed.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol 8, pg 250. Two years later she wrote, “the great apostasy which is developing…will continue to do so until the Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout.” Special Testimonies, Series B, #7, 1905.

Special Testimonies, Series B was burned in the basement of the GC. BT Anderson, custodian was told they had extra copies they didn’t need, to stoke up the furnace. They burned her books he related after retiring.

Her statement in 1905 was confirmed by Dr. Mervyn Hardinge in 1985 as he retired as Medical Director of the General Conference. SDA hospitals perhaps best show our apostasy if one understands what happened.

Ellen White saw Loma Linda in vision as property to be purchased and at one point, when the brethren had no money, her check for $35,000 mailed from Australia months earlier arrived on the due date! She said that thousands were to be trained, not as professional doctors and nurses but as gospel medical missionaries going home to home praying for the sick, giving treatments, singing gospel songs, claiming Bible promises.

She said drugs do not cure disease and pharmacology was not to be taught. Leaders seeking accreditation were told “no” twice and on a third trip to see her, she refused to see them. They reported to the committee that “she didn’t say no,” and Loma Linda was hijacked to become accredited to teach a false science with medical care now a leading cause of death due to Adverse Drug Reactions. Journal of AMA, 4-15-1998.

Loma Linda enjoys a central sculpture of the Good Samaritan that mocks its greed in medicine and surgery.

National Geographic (Nov, 2005) featured Loma Linda in their cover story on longevity, but the secret has nothing to do with medical care—it’s what Ellen White wrote about food that has made Adventists healthy, a message we’ve conveyed so poorly that NIH spent millions to discover why we live about 7 extra years.*

Adventists could have had their own brand of naturopathy. Seeking worldly accreditation, we joined them, as we’ve done in every area of education, and now we must teach Jesuit Spiritual Formation to ministers to keep our accreditation. Yes, Adventism is glowing with Carson’s triumphal entry, but the next chapter, “A Doomed People” is impending. “The lesson is for all times…So it is now.” Desire of Ages, p 584-588.

*To survive the next 7 years, Adventists will need to understand Ellen White’s last message, lost when her publishers changed her chosen title to “Prophets & Kings,” masking also her last definition of the church as a “covenant-keeping people.” The covenant is how we marry the Bridegroom when He comes. For a better understanding of why this is crucial to our destiny now, see The Bridegroom Comes.

O’Reilly, Hannity, and Kelly are Destroying America

November 6, 2015/in Commentary, Elections, National Security, Politics/by Dave Gaubatz

Conservatives are fully aware that conservative views are not presented at ABC, CBS, NBC, and the dozens of other news channels scattered across the internet. Where do conservatives go to get their daily dose of news? They turn to FOX News. So do I, but I am changing my updates to the news to friends and internet sites I have faith in. I no longer have faith that FOX News has been or will continue in the future to provide conservatives news from around the world that is unbiased and captures the most important news for all Americans.

For the last year Hannity has been focused on next years Presidential election. Virtually nothing else is reported during his time period. O’Reilly and Kelly are right behind him. Kelly is fixated on convincing conservative Americans that she is unbiased when it comes to the upcoming election. Viewers now know Kelly leans further left than we once imagined. Two years ago I would never have thought Kelly would seek to destroy the character of America’s leading Republican candidate (Donald Trump). It is apparent FOX News is now trying to act like they adore Trump, but the reality is Trump is being given less positive time on FOX. Rest assured if Trump is elected there will be hell to pay at FOX News. Trump does not forgive nor does he forget.

How many readers have a complete understanding of the recent stabbings by a Muslim student at the University of California? How many people know that the stabber was harming victims because of Jihadi views and not because of he disfavor of a study group. Does the study group reasoning not seem familiar to the ‘video being the cause of the Benghazi Islamic terrorist attack’? Faisal Mohammed was stabbing and trying to kill his fellow students because he is Muslim and he was following the actions of other Muslims who were stabbing and killing innocent people in Israel. Believe it or not there will be politicians who will be calling for the banning of any knife not classified as a basic pocket knife. One need only travel to any Veterans Hospital. There are signs on every building, in offices, and in the parking lots informing veterans that even pocket knifes are not allowed on VA grounds. How silly America has become.

Instead of FOX News focusing on a news event (UC stabbing) that if given the proper time and focus would allow Americans to better understand the Muslim mindset and prepare them for many more such Islamic terrorist events in America, FOX and it’s anchors are so focused on the Presidential candidates than on anything else. There is little we do not know about any candidate, but there is a lot Americans do not know about the UC stabbings. Like their counter-parts FOX does not want Americans to get too heavy a dose of negativity for Islam and it’s followers.

Viewers must understand there are numerous conservative U.S. elected officials who consider Saudi Arabia our friends and that deep down they believe overall Muslims love America. In other words there are numerous ignorant people in the conservative party. Don’t get me wrong by thinking I prefer MSNBC and other liberal (socialist/communist) news media better than FOX. I don’t. I have relied on FOX to keep Americans focused in the right direction and by Hannity and the others skipping making the UC stabbing a major news event, they continue to focus on an election many months away.

In regards to the Presidential election FOX should be focusing on only Trump and Carson. The others in the field are 100% politicians and if elected America will continue to decline.

Americans must demand FOX News focus on Islamic terrorist events because these events are the future of America and sadly for our children. Islamic terrorist events can only be prevented if Muslims around the world know that even the most basic Islamic terrorist action will receive the attention that is parallel to the coming together of media and Americans on 9-11.

PARENTAL WARNING: AMC Theaters forcing Socialism on your children

November 6, 2015/in Commentary, Culture War, Environment, Policy, Politics/by Dr. Rich Swier

I recently went to my local AMC theater to watch the film Goosebumps. It is a film that attracts children and their families. Before the film began an advertisement sponsored by The Global Goals for Sustainable Development appeared on the screen.

I understand that AMC Theaters runs ads to increase its revenues, however, this is the first ad that I have seen that targets children and promotes Socialism, sustainable development, fighting climate change, promoting social justice and gender equality. Perhaps AMC should review their advertising policy?

The ad (below) is titled “Project Everyone.” It targets young children.

According to Project Everyone the ad, “Is founded on the principles of ending injustice, ending extreme poverty and fighting climate change. In preparation of the UN’s Global Goals announcement in September, world renown ad agency, BBH and animation studio, Aardman have joined forces to create the first global cinema campaign for worldwide release.” This and other ads by Global Goals are playing in theaters world-wide.

This socialist propaganda must be understood for what it is – the destruction of freedom and capitalism. Parents must be forewarned to tell their children that the United Nations Agenda 21 is not in their best interests and will lead inextricably to tyranny.

PARENTAL WARNING: This ad is rated “S” for Socialism.

Only Focusing on the Presidential Race is Fool Hearty

November 6, 2015/in Commentary, Elections, Politics/by Ron Edwards

The upcoming presidential election is very important. But making it the preeminent focus may prove to be fool hearty for “We the People.” Ever since I began to seriously pay attention to the American election process during my high school years, one thing has been abundantly clear. The primary and in some cases the only real focus is on the presidency. Now don’t get me wrong, the office of president of the United States of America is very important. In fact, it should be highly regarded not only by sovereign citizens, but also by those who are blessed to be elected to that office.

But the run for the presidency should not be the sole focus of our attention. The executive branch establishes the office of president Article II section II provides presidential powers. It makes the president the commander in chief of the military and the militia, and can make treaties with other countries. He can pick judges and other government members. It also provides the president the aid of a cabinet. With the approval of the Senate, the president meets with other heads of state. The President is also required to give a speech once a year regarding the state of our union.

But in addition to the president is Congress which consists of 469 seats. When you include state and local executive and legislative seats, it amounts to around thirty thousand positions. They are all elected to represent and govern on behalf of “We the People.” We all know that Congress will make no law regarding an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for the redress of grievances. Congress is also supposed to oversee the production of money, (not the Federal Reserve) but that is for another column. Congress is also authorized to collect taxes and provide for the general welfare of the United States.

The Judiciary has it’s enumerated powers and responsibilities including, the overseeing of trials for all crimes except in cases of impeachment in the Judicial power which shall extend to all cases in law and equity arising under the constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall be made under their authority; to all cases affecting Ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls. Article III section II fully explains the Judicial Branch power and authorities, none of which includes the making of laws, such was done in regards to same sex marriage.

I agree with constitutional scholar Kris Ann Hall who pointed out at a recent gathering, that the reason the lion’s share of attention is given to the presidential race is because that keeps the focus off of our representatives who are supposed to govern on behalf of our true best interest of “We the People.” Unfortunately, most of the time the government acts on behalf of it’s own best interest as officials seek to take more control of our lives.

If congress governed according to constitutional mandates, there would never have been repeated raisings of the debt limit. The debt limit is now to the point that it could cause an economic collapse by 2017. Because of a lack of focused attention on Congress, both houses have worked along side president Obama in efforts to gain more control over our God given rights. Even national security has been gravely compromised because congress has gone along with the efforts of president Obama to put us in mortal danger. One way is allowing Obama to snare America in a deal with Iran that allows that muslim nation to obtain the nuclear weapons the imams desire to destroy the United States and Israel.

If congress were to govern on behalf of American interests there would be a constitutionally influenced effort to wipe out every single money grubbing and rights inhibiting department. For example the Environmental Protection Agency, the I.R.S. and the Department of Education just to name a few. Let us not forget, that under the influence of the Department of Justice, cities like Denver, Atlanta, and New York City have signed a traitorous global police initiative. This horrible development is unfolding without any noticeable backlash from congress, so far. Maybe things will change now that Boehner is gone. After all, congress should be on the lookout and a safeguard against efforts of Obama to fundamentally change America into something that no longer even resembles a constitutionally limited republic. Unfortunately, more often than not, congress has not been a check and balance against tyranny, but rather an accomplice of evil against our unalienable rights. May God help us.

EDITORS NOTE: Don’t miss a page from The Edwards Notebook commentary overnights on the Captain’s America-Third Watch, simply the best Live overnight radio show broadcasting across the United States from flagship radio station AM 860 The Answer. Also via the internet on Conservative radio, iHeart, Freedom in America Radio, Net Talk World and more.

Ted Cruz: It’s In His Heart

November 5, 2015/in Commentary, Culture War, Elections, Policy, Politics, Regulation/by Lloyd Marcus

A frustrated hopeless patriot wrote…

“Unfortunately Mr. Marcus, it’s not only the left but also the right that is out to destroy America. Wicked people in high places, the elite if you will, control both parties. That is why no matter who is elected that nothing changes.”

This patriot brother’s discouragement explains why I want Ted Cruz in the driver’s seat as president. On numerous occasions, Ted Cruz has proven that he has no problem being odd-man-out in regards to Washington politics. Cruz desires the same for our country as We the People.

I have made the following point numerous times. Politicians promise the moon on the campaign trail. The 64,000 dollar question is who will have the cojones and core conservative instincts to follow through if elected? Atop my list is Ted Cruz.

A gospel classic is titled, “It’s in My Heart.” Folks, Ted Cruz has proven that conservatism is in his heart. Our only hope of liberating ourselves from the “Washington cartel” (both parties conspiring against the people) as Cruz perfectly described it is to select a presidential nominee with conservatism in his/her heart.

Cruz is well experienced in being hated by both political parties and the media. He acts like a duck, allowing their relentless venomous rebukes to roll off his back. Cruz stays laser focused on doing what is right for God, country and We the People. That’s what has me standing up and cheering for Ted Cruz.

I love Dr Ben Carson. However, early in his campaign, I wrote an article praising Dr Carson for standing firm on a non-PC comment he made. My publisher informed me he could not publish the article because Dr Carson apologized. As I stated, I highly respect and love the man, but that action scared me folks. Early in his campaign, political inexperience prompted Dr. Carson to imply that he may be open to controls on owning a semi-automatic weapon depending on where one lives. Dr Carson now stands strong for the Second Amendment.

Trump’s success at slapping PC in the face has emboldened other presidential contenders to do the same, including Dr Carson. Will Dr Carson stand strong for conservatism if elected president?

Donald Trump has been a huge blessing, voicing the frustrations, outrage and desires of millions who long to see America made great again. It is quite remarkable that because of racial guilt, we have allowed an anti-American regime to dethrone us as the world power and transform us culturally, morally and economically for the past seven years. But I digress.

Unquestionably, if elected, Trump will make positive changes regarding our economy and immigration. On social issues extremely critical to who we are as a people, I do not sense much passion, urgency or commitment from brother Donald.

Ted Cruz is the total package.

Here are just a few of Sen Cruz’s greatest hits standing up for America and conservatism. With facts and common sense, Cruz crushed can’t-we-all-just-get-along-with-the Left John Kasich in debating Obama’s insane Iran Nuke deal.

Cruz fearlessly called out the CNBC debate moderators, exposing them as “left-wing operatives.”

Cruz blasted Obama for supporting sanctuary cities that refuse to enforce immigration law; endangering the lives of Americans.

Democrats arrogantly refuse to obey laws they do not like such as immigration law. This same bunch of Democrats/Leftists jailed Christian clerk Kim Davis. Davis refused to betray her faith by issuing same sex marriage licenses. Some Republicans/conservatives faltered. Cruz sent out a clarion call to “constitutionalists and lovers of liberty” to stand with Kim Davis.

Cruz promises his first day as president will be extremely busy. He will “rescind every illegal executive action taken by Barack Obama,” including his “executive amnesty.” Cruz will instruct the DOJ to investigate Planned Parenthood and prosecute any criminal conduct uncovered.

Obama has been using the DOJ and IRS as his personal hit-squads against anyone opposing his transformation of America. Cruz promises to instruct both agencies to “cease persecuting” individuals for standing up for their rights.

Remember the Catholic nuns that have been helping the poor and elderly since 1839 bullied by Obama for not signing on to birth control against their faith? Cruz said as president he will send the Little Sisters of the Poor a letter dismissing their case. Cruz would also invite them to the WH to tell the world their story.

Continuing his first day in the Oval Office cleaning house, Cruz will end Obama’s catastrophic Iran Nuke deal. Ending day one as president, Cruz will begin the process of moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Cruz said moving our embassy to Israel’s “eternal capital” sends the world the message that we stand with our allies.

Folks, any one of our GOP presidential contenders is far superior than soulless politician and sociopath Hillary Clinton. Hillary in the White House would be a continuation of the Barack Obama nightmare. The only difference is the MSM would characterize opposing Hillary’s far left radical policies as sexism rather than racism. You know the drill folks.

Therefore, I will wholeheartedly rally behind our GOP nominee; Dr Carson, Trump or any of the others.

But the candidate who checks all of my boxes for not giving a rat’s derriere about what the Washington cartel and media thinks of him; the candidate who places America and her people first; the candidate who is unapologetic regarding his Christian faith; passionately defends liberty and honors our Constitution is Sen Ted Cruz. Will Cruz remain the same person when elected? You betcha!

Honoring the Last American to Walk on the Moon

November 5, 2015/in Commentary, Science/by Geoff Ross

The author with Captain Eugene Cernan U.S. Navy (Retired) on the right.

I had the distinct pleasure of eating dinner with Captain Eugene Cernan U.S. Navy (Retired), his wife and some of his closest friends (including a former intelligence officer) that gave Captain Cernan his targets during his time as a fighter pilot, also a friend of mine.

I then had the honor of escorting him and his wife into the screening room of his movie “The Last Man on the Moon” his producer Gareth told me the movie should be released to the public in January or February.

Almost everyone remembers the first man to walk on the moon but tonight I was invited to a screening of a movie that gives credit to the last man to walk on the moon, Captain Eugene Cernan U.S. Navy. Commander of Apollo 17.

It was a refreshing break to be with people that make the United States of America the greatest country in the world and to be around some NASA astronauts and test pilots, my hero’s of the 20th century.

Captain Cernan told me about some of his adventures as a kid and some of his screw ups in life but he wanted me to share with all of you that you can be what ever you want to be if you are willing to try. If you are doing your best that is all that matters he said even if you make mistakes.

In order for Neil Armstrong to walk on the moon Captain Cernan was the man that made the test run in Apollo 10 to see if it could be done. He told me nobody remembers Apollo 10 but without this mission nobody would walk on the moon. Captain Cernan flew to the moon in Apollo 10 and did all the things necessary to land on the moon except set the LAM down. He was the test pilot to make things nice and easy for Neil to complete his mission objective.

He told me to tell all if you ………never give up and never surrender no matter how tough things get. He and his wife sends their respects to you all.

He said he left his daughters initials on the moon. That my friends is a real man. I salute you Captain Cernan.

America has Become a Nation of Stupid Laws

November 3, 2015/in Commentary, Courts & Law, Policy, Regulation/by Rod Eccles

In America, at least in the America that I used to know, people believed in themselves and they believed in freedom and the individual pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, we do not seem to believe that anymore.

The reason I say this is because at the beginning of this month, the state of Oklahoma added more laws to their books. In fact, more than 200 new laws took effect on Sunday. Here in New Hampshire, we had our day of new law reality including a law that makes a citizen a criminal for taking a cell phone picture of an undercover police officer while you are stopped at a traffic light.

And the silliness continues because, in California, farmers raising egg-laying chickens cannot confine them to cages. Also, the so-called Yes Means Yes Consent Law went into effect. In this law, if both man and woman are drunk and they have agreed upon drunk sex, the man, and only the man is guilty of sexual assault and if found guilty must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

In Michigan, you now have a limit on the amount of cold medicine you can purchase at any one time. In New York, you are required to recycle old computers, video game consoles, and televisions, even if there is no recycling center in your town and even if your town does not pick up such materials. Also in New York, in 2015, it became illegal to take a photo with a lion, tiger, or any other big cat.

Louisiana implemented a ban on smoking within 25 feet of an entrance to a state office building. In Nevada, high school students can be denied a driver’s license if they miss too much school and if you home school, you must prove it.

Of course, municipalities add to the plethora of new laws as well. In Los Gatos, California banned gas-powered leaf blowers. Yes, just leaf blowers but other gas powered lawn and yard equipment is still legal.

In total, by some estimates more than 10,000 new local, state, and federal laws took or will take effect in the United States in 2015. That does not include the gigantic new book of regulations and rules that also come into effect during this year.

Every law that is enacted takes away a bit of your liberty and it strips you of making your own choices. For example, the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare took away your ability to choose how you garner your health insurance or if you want to have it at all.

In America, we used to be a free people that had the ability to go from coast to coast without unjust government regulation but now we have so many laws that it is estimated that most Americans break the law daily and they don’t even know it. Someone once said the average American breaks about 5 laws every morning by the time they get to work and they don’t even know they broke a single one of them. I am not talking about speeding either.

It is often said we are a nation of laws. Of course, that statement originally meant that our government was based on the Constitution on the Federal level and the Constitution on the State level. Now that statement has a whole new meaning and there is no end in sight.

Our legislatures all across the Fruited Plain are writing and debating bills that may become laws. These are laws that will restrict you and me from realizing the dream of our Founders.

The politicians always say that these new laws are needed to allow us to live a safer and more enjoyable life. I don’t know how enjoyable life is when you are getting a ticket or being arrested for something that used to be thought of as a simple bad decision.

The funny thing about all these laws, one of the most important ones is often ignored, and that is the one on illegal immigration. These laws are not just being ignored by the illegal immigrant, but they are also being ignored by the legislators that wrote the law in the first place. It seems that only Americans are being held accountable for all the laws in our nation.

Yet through all of our troubles, through all of our nation’s ills, immigrants, legal and illegal, still seem to think this is the place to be. Unfortunately, it is too bad that when they get here, they won’t have the freedom to explore all that this nation once had to offer. After all, somewhere in this country, enjoying your liberty is against the law.

Anat Hoffman’s Chaut-akbar

November 2, 2015/in Commentary, Culture War, Policy, Politics, Religion/by Tabitha Korol

The summer season of Chautauqua is long over, and the “scholarly” vacationers have returned to their winter existence. For staff and speakers, it is a respite, a tactical Hudna – the time to assess their position and decide on their new plan of action, the speakers, and the indoctrination for next summer, because Islam’s stealth war against the infidel must continue. Its raison d’etre is to mindbend the captive audience, and ultimately to gain acceptance for Sharia – the Qur’anic legal system that dictates every facet of the adherent’s life – as the law of the land.

Surely, we might expect more Islamic representatives and topics next year. Their language will obscure the true nature of the themes and Islam’s history, and present a glossed version of the “Religion of Peace,” as veiled as their women and as masked as the armed jihadists. It may subtly, if not overtly, disparage the State of Israel.

Such was the case of Israeli-born Anat Hoffman, who was invited to speak at the Hall of Philosophy (perhaps more aptly named Hall of Propaganda), as reported in The Chautauquan Daily of August 29, 2015. Her calls for a more peaceful, inclusive Holy City used three key words: “Holy City” is the non-Jewish name for Yerushalayim (Jerusalem), and “inclusive” is the code word for de-Judaizing the city. It was clear that Hoffman had an agenda to defame not only Jerusalem, the capital, but also Judaism and Israel, the only country in all the world that was dedicated to the Jewish people.

She repeatedly claimed that Israel had no Constitution, when in fact it is embodied in written texts that reflect Israel’s political system, social content, and expanding constitutional tradition – the operative constitution to determine basic operations and governance. Israel relies on Torah and Jewish law (halakha), which is also the basis for America’s Judeo-Christian laws and Constitution. Perhaps Hoffman seeks (but does not clarify) a codified Constitution, but like the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the Parliament of New Zealand, Israel’s Knesset is a Sovereign Parliament that fulfills that function.

With every tribute that Hoffman could muster, including the beauty and nuances of Israel’s language, Hebrew, and the state’s technical innovations, she provided a grievance, her primary one being a gripe against the religious prohibition against women’s praying with men at the Western Wall, a separation that is also maintained in an orthodox synagogue. The rule is grounded in the orthodox view of the divinely-authored Hebrew Scripture, but Hoffman sells her disdain of the orthodox community and, by extension, Israel and Judaism, thereby earning herself the strongest applause.

Hoffman spoke of the violence of zealots, without identifying them or their motivation, thereby again ridiculing Israel to an audience that has been fed pro-Islamic and -Palestinian views throughout the many summers. She never explained that the zealots are Jews who fought against eviction from their homes in Gush Katif in order to appease the Palestinians for a peace pact that the Arabs would never honor. They are the 8,600 Jews who were completely uprooted – lost their homes, schools, neighborhood, community, and livelihoods – among them, the successful, flourishing greenhouses that shipped superior-quality produce worldwide – the same greenhouses that were maliciously destroyed by Palestinians immediately upon transfer of ownership. Zealots are also those who must defend their families and homes against armed Palestinians who use deadly stones, firebombs, and knives to kill innocents indiscriminately – from the very young to the aged. Hoffman never addressed the infamous Itamar attack, the butchering of five members of the Fogel family, and others killed mercilessly by their deadly neighbors.

Clearly, Anat Hoffman tried to summarily dismiss the Iran deal, deceptively telling her listeners that Israelis “are not very concerned,” except that they are quite concerned because the deal will enable Iran to fulfill its threat of annihilating Israel. Following that blatant invention, she suggested that her audience never allude to the deal should Prime Minister Netanyahu ever visit Chautauqua. Might that be because he would truthfully clarify the peril to both Israel and America?

Rather, she urged Chautauquans to invite Ayman Odeh, a communist who “swept her off her feet,” who vociferously complains of inequality while holding a position as leader of the Knesset’s United Arab Party. She did not expose this man as the violent agitator who threatened the elected government with armed insurrection and who threatened the Aramean population (Arab Moslems) with death for wanting to join the Israel Defense Force (IDF) because of their love for Israel. Odeh’s vitriol and aggression have resulted in violence, which is destroying tourism, commerce and jobs in Nazareth. In a recent interview, Nazareth’s Mayor Ali Salam accused Odeh of “ruining” the city and the peaceful coexistence had between Jews and Muslims. Hoffman withheld Odeh’s true activities, the incitement, the violence, the bloodshed. Taqiyyah (Holy Deception for the advancement of Islam) is the essential component of Chautauqua’s programs.

Other guest speakers were Seyed Hossein Mousavian and Imad Kiyaei who came to advise Chautauquans of the benefits of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, aka the Iran Deal, between the US, China, Russia, the European Union and Iran, assuring the gullible that it will stabilize the region and create a pathway to peace.

Chautauquan guest speaker The Reverend James Walters is the chaplain of The London School of Economy and overseer of its faith center. A “hotbed of Muslims and Lefty Jew haters,” the school hosted a joint Palestine Society and Feminist Society event that portrayed Israelis as rapists, the Islamic tactic of projecting its own evils on its enemy; and the women applauded those who killed Israelis. Walters concealed the radicalization activities in the UK and in Europe by his friend, Qari Asim, the Makkah Mosque imam in Leeds, home to the mastermind and bombers of the London Underground train in 7/7/05. He denied any knowledge or connection to the violence that killed 52 and injured more than 700. And, while British authorities refuse to study, understand, or connect ISIS with Islam, British jihadis have declared that their black flag will fly over Buckingham Palace. I might also wonder how long before “incomparable” Institution’s speakers proclaim the same over the Hall at ”Chaut-akbar.”

EDITORS NOTE: The featured image is of Israeli police arresting Anat Hoffman after she said the Shema Israel prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Oct. 16, 2012. (Women of the Wall).

Amending the U.S. Constitution by Fiat – Part II

November 1, 2015/in Commentary, Policy, Politics, Regulation/by Paul R. Hollrah

A great many Americans, including a substantial number of my own readers, remain confused about the question of who is and who is not a “natural born” citizen, eligible to serve as president or vice president of the United States. They remain doggedly convinced that Barack Obama, Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, and Marco Rubio are all eligible to serve merely because they were born on American soil. That simply is not the case. From the comments I have received in response to a recent column titled, “Amending the U.S. Constitution by Fiat,” it appears as if some either read much too quickly, or are a bit lacking in reading comprehension skills.

Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the U.S. Constitution tells us, “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.” It’s pretty straightforward. Nevertheless, it appears that when many read those words they are immediately struck by a strange form of dyslexia. What their brains register is a clause beginning, “No Person except a Citizen of the United States shall be eligible to the Office of President…”

The qualifications related to the age of the president and the number of years of U.S. residency are not at issue… they are quite straightforward and leave no room for misinterpretation. It is the status of the candidates’ citizenship that causes problems for many people… many of whom read the clause as if the legislatures of thirty-eight states had just approved an amendment dropping fourteen words from the middle of the presidential eligibility clause.

Clearly, the use of the word “or” early in the clause tells us that a natural born citizen is someone entirely different from a mere citizen. That was true on June 21, 1788, the day the Constitution was ratified, and it is still true today; the provision has not been amended. The term “citizen” encompasses a broad range of citizenship categories, including “native born,” “natural born,” and “naturalized.” The term “natural born” refers to a specific sub-set of citizens.

When the Founders met in Philadelphia in September 1787 to approve the final draft of the U.S. Constitution, a deep-seated animosity toward all things British colored every aspect of their daily lives. So is it even remotely conceivable that, just five years and eleven months after Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, the Founders would have produced a Constitution that would allow an individual holding dual US-British citizenship to serve as commander-in-chief of the Army and the Navy? It is a preposterous notion on its face. To believe that they would have done so requires a willing suspension of reason. Yet, that is precisely what those who use the terms “citizen” and “natural born citizen” interchangeably would have us believe.

To illustrate, let’s pretend that we are present at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on a cold winter’s day in January 1789. It is just seven months after the people of New Hampshire voted to ratify the U.S. Constitution, making it the official law of the land. The third session of the Continental Congress has just been called to decide who should be selected to lead our new nation as president of the United States. The Constitution required that the man they selected had to be either a natural born U.S. citizen… or… a citizen of the United States on the day that the Constitution was ratified, at least thirty-five years of age, and a resident of the U.S. for at least fourteen years.

If those who drafted Article II of the Constitution had insisted upon the same qualifications for president and vice president as they had for members of Congress and members of the federal judiciary, including members of the United States Supreme Court, Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the Constitution would have begun, “No Person except a Citizen of the United States shall be eligible to the Office of President…” In a nation of 4 million people, nearly every male citizen over age thirty-five would have qualified.

But if the Framers had produced a document that began, “No Person except a natural born Citizen shall be eligible to the Office of President…” they would have been presented with an insoluble problem because, in 1789, when the first president of the United States was elected, the only natural born citizens in the entire country… those born after the signing of the Declaration of Independence to U.S. citizen parents… were less than thirteen years old.

Fortunately, the authors of Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution had foreseen the problem and, realizing that there could be no thirty-five-year-old natural born citizens during the earliest years of the republic, provided language making it possible for those born prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, to parents who were not U.S. citizens, to serve as president or vice president.

It is not as if the country did not enjoy an excess of strong and capable leaders, men of major accomplishments. General George Washington, who led the continental Army during the Revolutionary War, was available. He was born in Wakefield, Virginia on February 22, 1732, forty-four years before the Declaration of Independence. Eighty-four-year-old Benjamin Franklin, a Pennsylvania delegate to the Constitutional Convention and one of the most prominent men of the time was available. Franklin was born in Massachusetts in January 1705, and lived most of his life in the U.S. George Mason, a Virginia delegate to the Constitutional Convention who came to be known as the “Father of the Bill of Rights,” was available. Mason was born in Virginia on December 11, 1725, and lived his entire life in the U.S.

However, none of the three were “natural born” citizens because they were born to parents who were subjects of King George III, but who became U.S. citizens on July 4, 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed. And since the Framers had foreseen the problem and had provided a “grandfather” clause to cover the situation, all three were made eligible under the Article II, Section 1 language reading, “or a citizen of the United States at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution…”

In fact, none of our first seven presidents… Washington, J. Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, J.Q. Adams, or Jackson… were natural born citizens. Martin Van Buren, our eighth president, born to U.S. citizen parent at Kinderhook, New York, on December 5, 1782, six years after the Declaration of Independence, was our first “natural born” president. Every president since Van Buren, with the exception of Republican Chester A. Arthur, whose Irish father was a British

subject at the time of his birth, and Democrat Barack Obama, whose Kenyan father was also a British subject at the time of his birth, has been a “natural born” U.S. citizen, as required by Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution.

Those who doggedly insist that all that is necessary to be a “natural born” citizen is to be born on American soil, regardless of their parents’ citizenship status, have an obligation to explain why the Framers were so careful to distinguish between the terms “citizen” and “natural born citizen” while setting out the qualifications to serve as president of the United States.

Why did the Framers make that distinction? Although it is impossible for parents to know beforehand how their children will ultimately develop, we can all agree that the most influential factor in a child’s upbringing is the parenting he/she receives as a child, and that the cultural, philosophical, political, and religious influence of a child’s parents fundamentally establishes the direction of his/her future conduct and intellectual development. It was that hope of parental and environmental influence on which the Framers pinned their hopes for a Christian nation comprised of Godly citizens who would be capable of maintaining a constitutional republic.

What the Founders feared most, and what caused them to limit access to the presidency only to the “natural born,” was the fear that a future president… during his formative years and during the years in which he was developing intellectually… would be exposed to an environment or a foreign political ideology that might cause him to reject the values and the principles embodied in the U.S. Constitution.

No president has been more emblematic of the worst fears of the Framers than the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania, Ave., Barack Hussein Obama. His father was a Muslim and a black African socialist; his mother was a left wing socialist flower-child; his stepfather was an Indonesian Muslim, subject to Sharia Law; his grandparents were dedicated socialists, perhaps communist sympathizers; his father figure during his teen years, Frank Marshall Davis, was a nationally known Communist Party writer and propagandist; the people who were instrumental in launching his political career in Chicago were radical Weather Underground terrorists who had participated in the killing of U.S. law enforcement officers; and his religious mentor during his post-college years in Chicago was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, an America-hater of the first order. Nothing good can come from a lifetime of exposure to such people, so is it any wonder that he has dedicated himself to “fundamentally transforming” the government and the culture of the greatest nation on Earth?

Anyone wishing to take up the challenge outlined above might also wish to enlighten us by preparing a comprehensive list showing how Barack Obama’s governing principles mesh with governing principles contained in the U.S. Constitution. After eight years of Obama rule in the White House, it may help us to decide which poses the greater danger: a) a competent socialist who knows exactly what he’s doing and why he’s doing it, or b) an incompetent socialist who hasn’t the foggiest notion of what he’s doing or how it might impact the greatest nation on Earth. Of the many unknowns surrounding Barack Obama, this may be the most profound.

Is Conservative Talk Radio Too Negative?

November 1, 2015/in Commentary, Culture War, Elections, Politics/by Lloyd Marcus

I caught a prominent TV preacher whom I respect accusing conservative talk radio of being too negative. He specifically criticized Rush Limbaugh. He said Rush finds the negative perspective in every news story. The preacher said God is in control and we must cast all our cares upon Him.

While as a Christian I believe God has everything under control, Christians are called to make a difference; to be salt. As a conservative writer, I struggle with this issue of always reporting bad news. At times, I feel like the last thing people want to read is another article about how Obama and his army of leftists are warring against America.

But something inside me says someone must inform the people. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” All average American Joe knows is he is working harder, but bringing home less. His wife notices a gallon of bleach cost a buck not long ago, now costs 3 bucks. Joe’s kids are calling him an extremest for owning guns. Other signs say things are not right. Average Joe doesn’t know why.

My calling and passion is to write in a way that every day American Joes who are not paying close attention will understand what is going on. And yes, sometimes the facts are extremely negative. I always pray for God to give me wisdom regarding how to add a little sugar to the bitter medicine; leaving patriots hopeful and inspired to continue fighting Leftists’ evil.

Years ago, conservatives lost another political battle. Depressed, I wrote an article about it. A publisher emailed saying he would not publish my article. It was too negative. I later thanked him. God has placed me in a role of leadership. The Bible says to whom much is given, much is required. Thus, I am not allowed to be depressed or at least state it publicly. Still, from time to time I must be reminded that God is in control. Patriots, our job is to stay faithful to our mission of restoring America no matter how many skirmishes we lose. And most of all, trust God.

As for the TV preacher criticizing Rush and other conservative talk radio hosts for always pointing out the negative, I think they should be applauded for providing a crucial service. The mainstream media lies to us every day. They are in cahoots with Obama, Democrats and other Leftists to deceive the American people at every turn.

And make no mistake about it. Everything the MSM reports and the Left does is intended to deceive Americans for the purpose of furthering their socialist/progressive, far left radial, anti-God and anti-American agenda. It is inescapable. The relentless furthering of the Left’s agenda is everywhere. Even where you least expect it; in cooking TV shows, home and garden TV and pro sports, the Left pushes its agenda in our face. Given time, the Left will figure out a way to interject homosexuality into lawn care. Thank God we have courageous voices over the airways sounding the alarm and telling the truth.

From time to time, Rush babies (young adults who grew up hearing Rush via their parents), call into his radio program to thank Rush for teaching them how to spot MSM liberal spin. The Left appears to own millennials.

Both mom and dad have to work for families to survive. Parents are not keeping a close watch on school boards the way they did when I was a child. Leftists dominate public education. They have had free reign to mold and shape our kids. Youths are taught that anything less than full embrace/approval of homosexuality is bullying and bigotry. Fairness and social justice means not holding blacks accountable for anything including bad behavior. We cannot sit back and allow the Left’s imposed new norms to go unchallenged.

I have been frustrated with the Christian community for some time now. Obama is an anti-American zealot in the driver’s seat of a monster tractor tiller stretching from our Canadian border to the tip of Florida. It has massive sharp blades. He is steamrolling across America grinding up every tradition, institution, conservative principle and value in his sight.

And yet, preachers instruct their congregations not to criticize or be negative – be more tolerant in the name of love. Meanwhile, Leftists are jailing Christians for not accepting what God describes as a perversion of His concept of marriage. In response to SCOTUS making homosexual marriage law, a prominent preacher said, “Don’t over react, it’s just the world acting like the world.”

Recently, I was reminded that Jesus turned over the tables and drove the evil money lenders out of the temple using a whip. This kind of blows the whole passive Christian thing out of the water. No, I am not suggesting violence in any way, shape or form. I am merely saying Christians must stand up and fight evil Leftists in responsible legal ways. Show up at school board meetings to protest new liberal indoctrination initiatives. Fight the Left with your pocket books. As much as she hates their liberal politics, my wife is still addicted to Starbucks. Pray for her folks.

I caught Matthew Hagee on TV preaching about the Left’s war on Christianity. His message was titled, “Enemy of the State”. Folks, I was blown away, blessed and encouraged by his courage and boldness in sounding the alarm. That’s what I am talking about.

Pundits say Americans are “war weary” as a reason not to fight ISIS. Well folks, that is not how the adult real world works. Decent people hate war. But sometimes, war is your only option. War weary or not, you fight until you win or the aggressor backs off.

Trust me when I say I am war weary in the battle to restore America from Obama and his evil minions. Like the TV preacher who criticized conservative talk radio, I hate negativity. I am tired of having to report the Left’s daily attacks on Americans. But this is my responsibility. To my TV preacher brother in Christ, I respectfully say, don’t blame the messengers.

The good news is God is on our side and we will prevail.